the dawn of a new day

2012-02-05T05:01:00.000-08:00

Sunrise: South Padre Island..

Lisa, Tessa and Collin: Going for a walk on the beach..
View from the patio where we had dinner: It was wonderful
One of the turtles at: The Sea Turtle Rescue Center
Tessa and baby Collin
Collin: Guess who taught him how to stick his tongue out..lol
Sunrise: Tessa's backyard
The Alamo:
ME and Lisa at the airport:)

Good morning!! Happy Super Bowl Sunday!!

Yesterday I spent some time doing a post..pictures and all...only to lose it when I hit the publish button..WHAT?? I don't know where it went..I guess it is now in cyber heaven....RIP..
I was NOT a happy camper.
Let's try this one more time:)

We had a very nice time on our vacation..but it was very hectic..We spent a lot of time in the car and then with the baby..I almost needed a vacation from my vacation..lol..
Collin is a very good baby..he really only cries when he wants to eat. But he is a baby and they are a LOT of work..lol..

We spent 2 1/2 hours one way to take him to see the doctor in San Antonio...It rained the whole time. After the doctors appointment we went for lunch at Crabby Joe's Crab Shack..VERY good food..Then we went to see the Alamo..that was interesting to see..
We also went to the River Walk..in the rain..lol..and it wasn't stroller friendly so we didn't spend much time there..
Back in the car for another 2 1/2 hours...

The next day it was off to South Padre Island..that was a 4 1/2 hour drive..although this time it wasn't as bad because Lisa had rented a van..We wouldn't have been able to go otherwise..do you remember how much STUFF you have to have for a baby?? Oh my gosh, the van was full...lol..and for some reason, I again ended up sitting in the back seat with the baby..( I really thought his grandma would be the one sitting with him)..
So, although he is a great baby, I still spent a lot of time entertaining him and giving him his bottle..Oh well, small price to pay to see a good portion of Texas..

While in S. Padre we went out to lunch and dinner, walked the beach and went to The Sea Turtle Rescue Center..
Some of the turtles were HUGE..Most of the larger ones will never leave the center..some of the smaller ones will stay until they are healed and then be released..it was a nice experience..

We did get some time in the hot tub..with our pina' colada's ...it was so windy out though so we had to keep fixing the little wind break that we made to protect C0llin..
I even braved one lap in the wonderful swimming pool...lol...

Lisa and I did wake up early one morning to walk the beach and watch the sunrise..That's always one of the things I like to do..I did get to walk through the waters edge..and didn't freeze my feet..I love,love the water. I could listen to the waves forever..

All in all it was a nice trip..

During this trip, I did make the decision to talk to my boss about not wanting to be a supervisor anymore..It's not even about the restaurants anymore..it's about not wanting to deal with all of these different people..it's just too darned frustrating..

I approached him with the idea of my going into the specialty end of the business..He actually thinks this is something worth considering:)
The two guys that are doing it now are not doing the best job and my boss ends up going to redo a lot of the jobs..He wouldn't have to do that if I paired up with one of the fellows..

Before that could happen, I would need to get a car..so that is what I will be working on over the next few months..and then we could move forward..
The best part of that deal would be that when I am done with a job, I could walk away and be DONE for the day...NO Calls...no on call 24-7..
I just want to do my job and go home....lol...

We'll see how it turns out...

Well, today is super bowl Sunday..MY team is not playing..I have to decide if I want to go to the bar to watch the game..I have a few bucks on the line..lol..
Lisa told me that my ex is going to be in town..he is actually going to a friends house to watch it and has asked Lisa's husband to go along..he is going to go because Lisa has to work..the problem being is that at half time they might go to the same bar that I would be at..Now I have to admit, I am a very stubborn Scorpio at times..lol..and feel that this is MY town..and I shouldn't have to stay home..but on the other hand, I really have NO interest in running into him..(to be honest, I think that is part of his plan)..He knows that I hang out with Joe and Lisa..he knows that KJ's is where we hang out...So he should stay away..
I guess if I go, I'll just leave before halftime...Just makes me mad..lol...

The weather here has been GREAT..I can't even believe that it is February..Spring jacket weather...It has been so darned nice..it is making it very easy to get through this winter in Wisconsin:)

Well, I guess that's about it for now...time to get this day going...

2012-01-22T10:12:00.000-08:00

I am just about ready for my vacation..clothes are packed, items bought, house cleaned, and work matters taken care of..(almost)..lol..

On Friday, I was supposed to train at two different banks and cover another one for someone out sick..
It had been snowing most of the day..and although it has not accumulated to a severe amount, I knew it was slippery. I had to meet the first trainee at 6:00pm..I would normally leave my house at 5:15 to be there in time. Because of the snow I decided that I would leave at 3:00..I could at least get to the south side of town before rush hour traffic got too bad..
Well, ten minutes into a slow crawl on the freeway, my van started to slip a little so I took my foot off of the accelerator and lightly touched the brakes..it straightened out and I glanced in my mirror...CRAP.. I could see the guy behind me lose it and knew he was going to hit me...YEP he did...
We pulled over..thankfully no one was hurt...
He had to get a tow truck..I called my bosses wife to tell her about the accident..and I admit, I did go into a bit of a rant about trying to be out on the roads in those conditions..I told her to call the woman that I was supposed to meet and tell her not to come..(She never called the woman..it took the woman two hours on the bus to get there..she was not happy)..
I called my boss and told him I could drive the van home..The bumper, tailgate, tire holder and exhaust is messed up..and who knows what else...
I dropped the van off yesterday and picked up one of the other vehicles so I could do the three banks that had not gotten cleaned..
I did have my grandson Paris help me with the one closest to his house..Something I'm not supposed to do because he is not an employee..well, guess what? I don't care..lol..Because of his help with that one, it only took an hour and that was a GREAT help to me..
Today I did some errands and at 3:00 I am going to drop this vehicle off at the shop and then I will officially be on VACATION....lol...I am one happy camper, I'll tell you.
Tomorrow can't come fast enough for me:)

This last week has only enforced how much I need a new job..
Gary has taken over checking in the restaurant people..but he STILL calls me in the middle of the night with problems..so really, what is the sense of having him do that job? My boss hasn't said one more thing about finding someone for the late night position, so I guess he really doesn't have a lot of concern for me...It's too bad but that's the way it is..

I am shooting for finding something new by spring..summer at the latest...Keep your fingers crossed and say a prayer please!!

Well, that's it for news from my slice of the world...I don't know if I'll be able to get on the computer while I'm gone...but rest assured, I will have plenty of pictures when I return...lol...

Have a great week!!

2012-01-18T10:45:00.000-08:00

It has been a very busy week..Getting all of my accounts stocked with enough supplies to last while I am gone.

Between having to fire people and some leaving for their own reasons, we have accounts open..It has been a challenge for sure.
I will be training tonight and Friday..I will also be covering one of the jobs myself..luckily it happens to be a bank that stays in fairly good shape.

In this business, it is never a good time for a vacation..lol..but I have to keep telling myself, I am only a worker..I won't feel bad about leaving..lol..(but I do)..
My boss is a smart man..he'll figure it out:)

Last Saturday, I had the enjoyment of meeting two special girls..
They are the daughters of my step-daughter Nickie..Long story short, I was with her dad the first 16 years of her life..
When we got divorced, Nickie and I lost touch with each other..I thought we would come together again when her brother Philip killed himself..that didn't happen...

Although Nickie and my daughter Shannon aren't actually sisters, they were raised as such..they have recently reconnected..Shannon was getting two of Nickies three girls last Saturday for a day of bowling and we discussed my joining them..
She talked to Nickie about it and Nickie said she would love for the girls to know me..
Kiera is 13 and Kayla is 10...Beautiful girls and I must say, they are the most loving girls..They sat by me and hugged me, sat on my lap...and just enjoyed our time together...
Kiera told me twice that she remembered me..I tried to tell her that she couldn't possibly because she was only a baby the last time that I saw her..
These girls are so open to having more family..and if I had stayed married to their grandpa, they most likely would have called me grandma..
In fact, Kayla said a couple of times, "it's grandma's turn"..(to bowl)..
I have since had contact with my step-daughter and she is thrilled about us all reconnecting our bond..
So, although I physically only had one child, my life seems to get more and more full...and I say, "the more, the merrier"..lol..
I still have to meet her youngest daughter...Bella...she is 5 and from what I hear, she is a pistol...lol..It should be interesting:)

Well, I better get moving here and get some paper work done..
Enjoy the rest of your week:)

2012-01-08T09:00:00.000-08:00

There is good news on my horizon....

I am going to Texas in two weeks...and I CAN'T wait..lol..I sooo need a vacation. Not from my personal life, but from this job..

My daughter and I have been doing some research into going to Vegas for two or three nights in February..(which we are still going to do).
Because we will be going over the week-end, I will only need to use two days of my vacation..

Anyway, my girlfriend is going to Texas to see her daughter and grandson. They will also be spending three nights in South Padre..
She called me on Friday and said she had a thought that she wanted to share with me.
She offered that if I could go with her, she would pay for half of my airfare...WELL, let me tell you, I was right on the phone with my bosses wife, letting her know that I was putting in a verbal request for 5 days of my vacation..I explained the situation and she didn't see any problems with taking that week..( I certainly hope not after I have busted my butt and gave up my entire summer)...

I called Lisa back and told her to book the flight..Her husband booked it the next day:)
She will be renting a van for us to go from Laredo to South Padre..I don't have to worry about the gas, car rental or hotel..These are things that they already had planned...
So, I'm going on vacation:)

In February, my daughter and I will still go to Vegas..SHE needs and deserves a vacation also...we won't be taking any of the kids this time..it will be the first time just the two of us have been on vacation...I know we will have a blast..

Tomorrow is the 5 year anniversary of my Moms passing..I had a moment today..
My daughter and I will probably go to one of the Chinese restaurants that my Mom loved to go to:)
We'll get through the day okay..we do a good job of being able to laugh at the memories that we have..and talk about the things that she loved:)

Tomorrow I give one of the work phones to our floor specialist that is going to fill in and make sure that the night people are checked in..he will also cover if someone doesn't make it in..
This will be a huge relief to me..although I will still have to do inspections and re-supply them.
My boss asked me if we still needed to hire someone...YES...I am not having all of the extras when he was paying someone else to do the job...Silly man:)

Well, I guess that's all for news...
Hope everyone has a great week!!

2011-12-31T05:24:00.000-08:00

So, I had a mini cry this morning...lol..don't know why...

I sat here thinking of why I would be feeling emotional..These are some of the things that I came up with..

My ex, who was a controlling, sometimes a mean and sarcastic person has someone to share his life with..And that doesn't seem fair to me..
Now granted, everyone knows that he is with her for what she has..and I feel that if you are with someone for the wrong reasons, it WILL come back to haunt you..
But the fact is, I feel that I deserve to have a nice man in my life..I would like to have a nice man in my life.
I don't dwell on it, I don't cry the blues about it..I live my life with purpose..and give to the people in it..
But I feel ready to have a person to share time with..I just don't know how to go about meeting someone..
LOL..I always tell my friends that the best way to meet someone is through your friends and that they are lacking in that area..

I think I get the after the Holiday blues...I work so hard at the build up.. I love to make a nice Christmas for everyone..I truly love Christmas!! The thought of celebrating the birth of Jesus truly warms my heart..

My Moms birthday is this month..Jan. 16th..
It is also the month that my Mom passed away..and although I'm fine most of the time, I think my inner self finds it hard to deal with the loss.
Being without the person that means the most to me is heart wrenching.
I think sometimes I just want to be the child again..I miss my Mom..

My job situation does not help my mental well being...lol...
I will be working again this week-end..only because I have to deal with the restaurants..and that sucks...
My boss did offer to take care of the one restaurant that needs to be done this week-end..and we have one of the specialty guys taking care of the other two restaurants that we have to help with..BUT, my boss also has two restaurants that he has to make sure are taken care of and I didn't want him to have to worry about any more..
With the crowds they are going to have tonight, they are going to be one hot mess...and we have such a limited time to get them cleaned..I think the cleaners deserve to have a little bit of extra help..and my boss can't be everywhere..
So, I will give a helping hand..
My friends are getting a room at a hotel that is having a band and food for New Years..I think I'll go and spend a little time with them before I have to head out to clean..there will be another couple with them.
I again will be the 5th wheel..lol..
I told her that I won't stay until midnight unless there is a nice single guy there to give a New Years kiss to..lol...

I feel better now..I know this will be a great year...I'm calling it MY YEAR...lol...

It's all about a positive attitude, Right??

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!! May it be filled with all that you wish for!!

2011-12-26T15:49:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas:)

Mine was very nice..although it goes by so fast..All of the buildup, and then it's here and gone in a matter of hours..

I always enjoy watching the kids open their presents..As they get older it gets harder to find things they may like..lol..But I can usually find something..
Monique LOVES shopping..so most of her gifts were in the form of gift cards..but I did find a book that I thought she might like, and she did..."The Help"..she saw the movie and is really looking forward to reading the book.

There is usually a game that Paris has been wanting so he wasn't too hard..Plus I always make up a little money tree for him..Even if it only has one dollar bills on it, he gets a kick out of it..

JJ..is a little harder..But I did get him a gift card from a clothes shop that he likes..and now that he has a girlfriend, I'm sure he will put the cash to good use..

My daughter was fairly easy this year..She has been wanting the "Magic Bullet" for some time now.. and loved getting that..
I also got her a wide slot toaster..

They got me a #12 (Rodgers) Jersey..beautiful earrings and a Packers pillow that also serves the purpose of a stuffed animal...very cute..
AND a box of CRAB LEGS...I'm going to cook them up on New Years Eve...Can't wait.

I did a little after Christmas shopping...some wrapping paper, a few boxes and a few presents for next year...Good deals...

I worked this week-end..and a for a bit today..now it's time for me to unwind and get ready for the rest of this week..it's going to be a busy one..and thankfully, a short one for at least a few of my workers...lol...

Enjoy your week and hold the magic of Christmas close for as long as you can:)

2011-12-20T15:11:00.000-08:00

I'm finally finding the time and energy to do an entry..Some days, I have all intentions of blogging and then all I do is read others...lol...

I'm back on the dreaded night shift again...yes, you heard me right..The new girl didn't even last a full month..Not that I'm surprised..lol..She lied about numerous things..didn't get to jobs when she knew that they needed supplies..and didn't go to clean a building one night when she knew the guy wasn't going to be there...

So, now I'm back in the saddle..and NOT liking it.. I fired one young man last night..it's a shame..he was always on time, showed up every night but for some reason, would not follow direction and left numerous things undone...
It was to the point that I had to go there each morning to check the building and pick up the slack. I don't have time for that..
Tonight I will be training the new guy..He already works at one of the bars on the week-end, so at least he knows how we do it..it's just a different layout..Hopefully this will solve the problem..

On Saturday night I had the little ones over to celebrate Christmas, along with my friends Joe and Lisa..we had a very nice time..The kids were very well behaved and enjoyed their gifts..
We ordered pizza for dinner..lol..I'm all about making things as easy as I can..

Christmas Eve, I will go to my daughters house..We are making things as easy and stress free as possible..ham and rolls, boiled shrimp (my moms favorite Christmas Eve treat) and munchies..
I have made a few batches of cookies..I need to make one more batch of peanut butter cookies for my (ex) father in law..they are his favorite:)

I was up at 4:00am and now when I look at the clock, I can't believe it's only 5:30pm..lol..I thought it was at least 7...
I'll go to bed early tonight so I can get up at 1:45am...
to be honest, I could go to sleep right now..but then I wouldn't be able to sleep when I need to..lol..

I gave my boss and his wife and little boy their presents already..It is HARD buying for them..but I did find a few things and a couple of treats along with a plate of homemade cookies..

They gave me a $1,500.00 bonus..I was totally shocked...I will have to have taxes taken out, but even at that, it was FAR more than I had anticipated for sure...
It was nice to see that he really has appreciated all of my extra work:)

On that note, it's time for me to get a few things done before I go to sleep..

2011-12-03T18:24:00.001-08:00

Thank you ladies for your kind comments on my last post...It is ALWAYS appreciated:)

We both apologized and let it go....AMEN!!

Yesterday I found out that my new grandchild is a ......."GIRL"....
My step-daughter send me a text as soon as she left the doctors office...I was so glad that she took the time to do that and I didn't have to find out about it on facebook..I like facebook, but I don't want to find out ALL information there..lol..
Then I went to Walmart where they have all of their summer stuff on sale..little one piece outfits and such...for $2.00 each..some I got for $1.00...I think I spent $30.00 and got two bags full...

I picked Cameron up last night and when I got there his mommy showed me the ultra sound picture of the baby...My gosh, she's Big..I didn't expect that I guess..lol..She weighs one pound now...

Today Cameron and I went to the Harley store to buy presents and we wanted to pick a name off the giving tree so he could buy a present for someone in need..They were all gone already...
So, I took him to the dollar store instead and he bought gifts and gift boxes for his mom and dad and grandparents..
Then we went to Walmart and then to Menards where I got myself a Dutch oven..I have never owned one..This one was $69.00 and I got it for $35.00...Now I have to look for those recipes that always call for a dutch oven..lol..

We finally made it home and I was tuckered out..now it's 8:30pm..I swear I could go to sleep right now...but..."It's a wonderful life" is on and I'm watching that..Cameron isn't interested..

He did get all of his presents wrapped and placed under the tree..so for all the work today was, it was a good day:)

Time to relax now and finish watching my favorite movie...

2011-11-26T13:48:00.000-08:00

I still haven't put the ornaments on my tree...although I do have to say that at night it is not noticeable at all..lol...

Early this morning, I did do three loads of laundry...other than that, I have done NOTHING...lol..feeling a little guilty about that but it was just one of those days..

I guess I'm feeling down because my daughter and I had a disagreement yesterday.
We had done some Black Friday shopping with my granddaughter. At one point, I went a separate way from them.. (at the mall)..fully expecting that I would get back by them before they were done...
Well, somehow we didn't find each other in the mall, and my fault, I didn't have my phone with me..so they couldn't contact me that way.
Long story short. it was about 45 minutes before I found them in the car..and my daughter was angry...She starts yelling at me...Yes, yelling at me...I certainly didn't raise her to think that was appropriate behavior, but for some reason, she thinks she has the right to speak her mind as loudly as she wants too...Well, we got back to her house and I had my granddaughter run in and get my phone and keys..
We have exchanged a couple of e-mails but neither one of us is willing to back down completely...I apologized for putting them through the worry of not knowing where I was...but because I also told her that she still had no right to talk to me that way, she didn't really accept my apology...OH well...

I feel terrible that we aren't talking, but on the other hand, I am not going to be talked to in that way by her or anybody else..
I would NEVER have talked (yelled) to my Mom that way...and I expect the same..
So, it could be a very different type of Holiday this year...

Tomorrow I'm going to go to a couple of my buildings..just to get a jump on next week..
My girlfriends daughter is her from Texas with her new baby..She was supposed to go home today and then come back at Christmas, but that all changed and she decided to stay and do Christmas early..
We're going to have a girls get together to exchange presents while she is here so everyone can meet the baby...

Well, I guess that's it for now..I picked up Masons presents this week, so I'm going to get them wrapped...My living room is getting a bit crowded..lol..

Until later.....

2011-11-26T13:46:00.000-08:00

Sorry I copied your blog Lucy,,,I just couldn't help myself...lol....
It took me forever to figure out how to get the header picture on here..Lucy, you are far more advanced with changing your blog than I am...

2011-11-18T09:38:00.000-08:00

I love having the extra room that the tree stand provides...

The tree stand for my friend Chris..
My Christmas village..a little dark, but you get the idea..

Yay,,it's Friday...

I have gotten so much done this week..Last night, I even delivered my gift to my friend Chris..I knew she was going to put her tree up next week and wanted her to have it in time...
She seemed very pleased with it:)

I have the lights on the tree. I don't know how much further I'll get with it this week-end though..
The documentary that my nephew is in is actually showing at my granddaughters college on Saturday..so of course, we're going to see it again..
My sister-in-law is coming down from Eagle River with her husband to see it also..It is her son that is in it..
We're getting together for dinner tonight..lol..and her daughter in law happened to pick one of my restaurants for the location...too funny...

Yesterday I noticed that water was leaking from the apartment upstairs...ugh..and the hole in the ceiling STILL had not been covered since the last water incident..although I guess it's a good thing..
The plumber is here now fixing it and my landlord assures me that the hole will be covered asap...(we'll see)..

My daughter and I decided that we would have a baby shower for my step-daughter..
I found a location here in Germantown that has a VERY reasonable rate..So, last night I sent her a message stating where we wanted to have it and an approximate date...and that it would be girls only...lol..
Well, today I get a text from her stating that no one in her family would drive ALL the way out to Germantown...and that she really wanted to involve the guys also...
Needless to say, I am upset..First of all, if her family can't drive 15-20 minutes to get here then I don't think we should worry about them...and then she says that she wants the guys involved...
My first thought to all of this is...Who is throwing the shower?? and since when is it okay for the recipient to start making demands?? I know I'm older and I know that most of the showers today are co-ed...but that is not the way I was going with this..
I haven't sent a reply yet...I've decided that when I do reply I'm going to say that since this isn't going to work out, I'll just use the money that I would have spent on the shower on the baby instead.
I just feel bad because this is something that I really wanted to do...oh well!!

I wish this plumber would hurry up..I REALLY want to take a shower...lol...

Enjoy your week-end!!

2011-11-16T19:04:00.000-08:00

I've trained the new girl on the late shift..for the most part, she is on her own.
I'm not sure how she will do..she's not as good as the woman she is replacing, but I'm trying not to make that my problem:)

My step-daughter finally told her Mom about the baby..and it went well..In a week or so, we should find out if it's a boy or girl..That's when it will get REALLY exciting.

I have gotten soooo much done since I am able to sleep thru the whole night..lol..I made a stand for my tree to sit on..Because I'm in an apartment I have a smaller tree..I really wanted it to be taller..
The stand is really just a three legged stool..I didn't even paint it since it will be covered.

My grandsons other grandma recently mentioned that she liked the way my tree had so much room under it..because it didn't stand directly on the floor..Soooo, I thought I would make her one for her tree as a Christmas gift. They cost about $40.00 to make. She happened to call me the other day and I asked her if she would really like one..she said yes. I put the legs on it today and because it's a gift, I have painted it...
One more present taken care of..lol..sometimes it's so hard to figure out what someone may like..

I put up a small Christmas village..I don't think I've done that since I got divorced. I either haven't had the time or the room...
It set up on the desk in my living room..It looks really cute..I'm glad I took the time to do it..
I also put up my Moms small Christmas tree..In my bedroom..

Well, it's time for me to get some sleep..
Hope everyone has a wonderful Thursday:)

2011-11-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

I am so thankful that Friday is here...Even with having to work, I don't feel the need to do as much as I do during the week..
I have to go out early in the morning (4:30am)...I'm taking the new night supervisor out to meet a couple of the workers..and make sure that the young man at one of the restaurants gets everything done..He is doing a TERRIBLE job..I have tried to get him to correct things..and all I got out of that is that he called my boss to complain about me...HA!!
I always say, the only ones that seem to complain about me are the ones that are not doing THEIR jobs...
Oh well, I'm only a day or two away from that not being my problem anymore....

On a MUCH lighter note...I found out today that I am going to be a grandma again....It's one of those cases of, do they REALLY need another baby when they already struggle to survive?? Probably not..But they are happy about it, and therefore I will be happy for them..
It's my stepdaughter..Mom to Cameron and Destiny...I am like the 3rd person to find out. She hasn't even told her dad yet..she doesn't want people to chastise her for having another one.
She knows that no matter what, I will be part of her support system..and will welcome this newest little one with all the love that my other grandkids receive...

I already have some ideas for clothes...lol..My daughter and I were Walmart today buying baby clothes for another shower..and my daughter says,,"we need another baby in the family" and then after looking at some clothes she says, "we need another boy"..we'll Monica thinks it's a boy:) We should find out in a week or so...

Walmart had a ton of summer clothes on sale for infants for $1.oo...I am going to go back there today or tomorrow and pick some up...

The hard part is that I can't say anything on facebook until she tells everybody...And darn it, it's hard holding this kind of news to myself..lol...

The other day, I was friended on facebook by my ex-husbands niece...I was really surprised..
Then she invited me to her sons girlfriends baby shower tomorrow...it is also her moms (my ex-sister-in-lay) birthday...so, it should be interesting..lol..my daughter is going to go with me..

I have always been open to staying friends with my ex's family..I have been divorced from Jeremys dad for 15 years and I am still friends with his sister and refer to her as my sister-in-law.....that's just how I roll...lol.

Monica just sent me a text..she is afraid to tell her dad..I told her to just call him and tell him..if he starts any bs..she can tell him that she is happy and doesn't want to hear any negativity..

In the long run..we all love the babies that come into our lives..

On that note, I'm going to end this post and figure out what I need to get done before I have to leave for training tonight...

Have a wonderful week-end:)

2011-10-26T09:30:00.000-07:00

Good morning!!

The weather is cold and rainy here..yuck..not looking forward to the snow..
This morning my daughter and I were talking about warmer climates to move to..We had always thought Arizona..I'm not sure where I would like to end up in my old age...lol..that's getting closer by the day..
As much as my daughter wants to get to a warmer climate, she is worried about the time that her grandkids start coming...Hopefully that will be after college..
I told her that I am going to start a special savings account for when the time comes that we do leave the snow behind..

My grandson is doing well in his pre-marines group..(don't know the exact name for it)..
He is getting into better shape than he has been..They are telling him that once he enlists, he will most likely go to San Diego for basic training..We also have to save for that because of course, we will want to be there for his graduation...
Right now, his hair is a bit long..they have been talking to him about getting it cut..lol...technically he wouldn't have to cut it until he goes for basic training, but they like to get them into the whole experience and that's part of it..

This week-end is my grandson Masons birthday party..it's his mom that never even replied to my request of having him over the last two times...His other grandma was the one to let me know about the party...
In all honesty, I am not looking forward to seeing her(my stepdaughter)..I have tried for so many years to get closer to her and I am done..
Sometimes I feel like I'm only good to have around for what I give...and that's a crappy feeling..
I don't want to lose my relationship with Mason, but I am not going to continually fight his mom to see him..

I am on good terms with my other stepdaughter, so I guess I'll just spend my time talking to her I guess...

I went to the office yesterday to get more supplies...Nothing was said by my boss or his wife about getting someone for the late shift..So, I guess that means that I get to keep doing it..
I didn't spend much time there..I really don't have much to say to them...well, I have a lot to say, but don't feel like I can..at this point, I'm not in a position to take a chance on getting into a major conflict with them..Because I am the kind that will tell him what he can do with his job...lol..without giving any thought to the fact that I don't have a car..lol..
I need to just keep my mouth shut until I'm in a better position to walk out if I need to...

I have to train tonight..and he can't start until 9:30pm...I'm going to get there early and get most of it done..then have him follow me on what's left...it's a three hour job..I'm not starting it at 9:30 and then have to make sure all of my late night workers are in..I'm still not sure when my boss thinks I'm supposed to sleep..

well, enough complaining...lol...
I am trying to keep calm about this situation...it is what it is..and God will lead me through this!!

Have a great hump day!!

2011-10-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

Another week-end gone...lol..I have to say that I was able to have a Very nice week-end..
I decided that even though I would be taking a chance that I would have to go out and work, I would have Destiny over Saturday night..

Luck was with me..everyone showed up..lol..although I did have to call three of them to make sure they didn't oversleep...

Destiny and I had a really nice time..When we were in Eagle River a few months ago, she had spent some time making pot holders..to be given for Christmas presents.. I thought this would be a good time to finish that project.
We made a stop at the dollar store for gift boxes, tissue and name tags. I let her pick them out.
I asked her who she wanted to give them to..of course, she said her mom and dad and her other grandma..I asked her if she wanted to give one to her grandpa too..she said yes.. he may be my ex, but he is her grandpa..

I put the tissue in the boxes and she did the rest...for her other grandma she also picked out an ornament that you place a picture in...It's pretty cute..and I think they will all be very surprised...
I also think Destiny will have a wonderful feeling of giving..I want them to understand that it is much nicer to give than to receive...

I did have a good laugh while doing the name tags..Destiny can write very well, so she made them out herself..and me being the nice grandma that I am asked if she wanted to add Carols name to her grandpa's gift tag..she did and she spelled it coral...lol...I decided to let it stay that way...Ha-Ha....

As it turns out, the woman that was taking care of the restaurants wasn't in a car accident..My boss assumed that from her message..she called me on Friday and told me that the accident actually happened at Walmart..She was with her two kids..(they're 16 and 17).
They were standing in the checkout line and all of a sudden, her legs started to shake and she got really hot. she thought it was because she hadn't eaten..she told her kids that they needed to hurry up and get out of there..and the next thing she knew, she woke up in the hospital..
She had passed out and when she feel, her neck landed right on the handle of the cart...
I cringe when I think of that...talk about a freak accident..
It pushed a few of her disc's out of place..

I don't know what's going to happen at this point. My boss said last week that they were going to look for a replacement for her..as terrible as it is and as guilty as it makes me feel, I can't do this for the length of time she will be gone..
I do have a feeling that my boss is going to tell me on Tuesday that I am stuck with this until she returns. I just have that bad feeling..
My daughter says that if he wants me to do two jobs, he needs to give me the extra money..he was paying it out to her..and I agree..I just don't think it will be enough..(and honestly, I can't see him doing that)..

I'm going to TRY to hang in there until the first of the year and then I'm going to start looking for something else...I need to find a job that offers insurance. I also need a job that I can leave behind at the end of the day...Management has taken it's toll on me and I'm done..

I have to get a car...l0l...that's another reason I'm waiting..Tax Returns..lol..
Also, I want my Christmas Bonus...I deserve it...

Well, that's it for me tonight..it's already 10:45 pm and I'm tired...

I hope your week-end was as nice as mine..

2011-10-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday!!

I went to Walmart early this morning...lol...something I TRY NOT to do...But I heard that they were having their lay-away plan again..Just for the Christmas season..sounded good to me..I thought that if I went early, picked out what I wanted, it wouldn't take me too long to deal with the lay-away process..
I asked one of the sales associates what items would be accepted on lay-away..she told me toys and electronics...Good, works for me..lol...

I spent an hour looking at toys, reading what toys do and trying to figure out what each grandchild might REALLY like..This is NOT an easy task..at least for the boys..Destiny is easy to buy for..anything girly...

I found a the things I wanted for her..found a couple of items for the boys and then went over to electronics to get the Wii game that Cameron wants..as the girl was walking over to the case with me, I mentioned that I was putting these items on lay-away..She then informed me that it didn't start until MONDAY...lol..so here I am with a cart full..

By this time, there were long lines at the check-out..I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with that, but I also didn't want to go through the hassle of putting all of these items away..So, I decided to just purchase the toys now and be ahead of the game.

Now I have to find a place to put all of this stuff...lol..my apartment is lacking in closet space..

I will write down what I have for each child and try to keep track of everything and how much was spent on each...

Last Sunday I painted my living room...AND I had everything cleaned and put back in place by the end of the evening...I have two walls in the kitchen that I have to finish..I wasn't thinking about needing Semi-gloss paint for them..

Now for the bad news...our new part time account manager is not able to work right now.
She left a message at the office Tuesday morning saying that she had been in an accident the night before and would be having surgery.. She said that she didn't have her work phone at the hospital but one of her kids would answer it..
That is all we knew...for the next few days, I called her personal phone and the work phone. I wanted to tell her daughter how to transfer the calls to my phone.

We couldn't get through to either phone..We didn't know if we should be overly worried or upset that we didn't know what was going on...

I am now in charge of the restaurants again...I just felt sick knowing I would have to deal with them again...It's just too much...
Already I've had one night of being out at 2:00am until 6:00am..and every night, I have to be up and on the computer checking that everyone is checked in...they start checking in at 2:00, then 3:00 and then 6:00am...I don't know when I'm supposed to sleep..

On Friday, Andora sent me a text message that she had surgery and part of her spine was crushed..very close to paralyzing her..I thank God that that didn't happen..She went home on Friday. Recovery time is 6-8 weeks..

I don't know what will happen from here..that I am leaving up to my boss..

Well, time to take a nap...lol...I take it when I can get it:)

2011-10-08T18:10:00.000-07:00

"On the bridge" at the AMC Theater in Chicago...
Some of the people involved in making this documentary happen..The producer, director, and a
couple of the people that were brave enough to step forward and share their lives...
I can't even explain the emotions that came with seeing my nephew, Jason Moon on the screen. Hearing his songs that come straight from his heart..

Everyone has their own views on war...Everyone should see this film..We must realize that we don't always see what war does to our soldiers..If they are lucky enough to even come home..
They may have all of their limbs..They may look like they're fine...Well, some of them aren't..and we can't "see" it...

We have lost thousands of men and women to suicide because they can't live with what they have seen and done..they Don't get the help that they need to move forward in life as a civilian..
And it's a SHAME!!! Shame on our country for not doing whatever they need to do to help our soldiers when they need it the most...

It's been ten years for this war....ENOUGH!!

When I was a bartender, there was a great gentleman that served in Vietnam...When he had a few too many and the conversation went in a certain direction, he would go on and on about some of the things that he went through..he never got too graphic, he would always say, "you wouldn't believe it if I told you"..
There were some bar patrons that would say, he needs to get over it...There was no sympathy to what this man had been through..or say that he just needs to stop drinking...so easy to have all of the answers when YOU haven't been the one to face war first hand...

War does not affect all people the same..I understand that..but we as a country need to make sure that the very people that put their lives on the line for us are taken care of when they come HOME....

One of my nephews songs is titled "Trying to find my way home"...I hope and pray that one day, he will find his way home:)

2011-10-07T10:58:00.000-07:00

Monique in her dorm room..I wasn't sure if I posted any pictures of her move in day, so I thought I would post at least one of them:)
Go Marquette!!
She is finding it very interesting to have a room mate..lol...My daughter struggles to pay tuition and get Monique some extra's...such as some of the goodies that she likes..she took a stack of disposable bowls, spoons and cereal and some munchies for BOTH of the girls to enjoy...
Moniques room mate comes from Chicago where both of her parents are engineers..They put $100.00 on account for their daughter to use as she needs...the girl brags that she has only used $20.00 of it...
Well, The girls parents sent her some organic apples and she told Monique that they are her favorite and she didn't want her to eat any...THAT did not go over well...lol...
They ran out of milk and this girl won't even buy that...
Anyway, Monique is sure getting a taste of how different people can be..She is a giver...Even if someone else is eating up all of her favorite munchies...lol...

Tomorrow my daughter Shannon, Monique, her boyfriend Brian and I are heading to Chicago for the day...
My nephew Jason is in a documentary that was produced by a french director...It's about post traumatic stress syndrome..which my nephew has..
It is in Chicago's 47th film festival...
This film will break your heart..it will also allow you an inside view of what war does to some people...
If it comes to your area, PLEASE go and see it...

We are going to go down early so we can take the water taxi to Chinatown..do some shopping and go out for lunch...
It's supposed to be in the high 70s low 80s...PERFECT for a day out and about town...

Work has been calm..I'm loving it..I do have to replace one of my workers, so next week I will have to do some training..but for the most part...it's okay:)

I painted my hallway...as little as it is..I used the left over paint from when I did my bathroom..
It's a fairly dark green..but I like it..
Next I have to work on getting my living room and kitchen painted..I'll probably go with a very neutral color..I really would like to do something like a darker gold..something like you would find in the Caribbean culture, but I think that would be a bit much for an apartment..lol...

I'm still having a problem with Carlos' daughter returning my calls and texts about getting Mason..I sure don't know what the problem is there...It's really too bad because Mason is the one to miss out on doing some of the things that I'm doing with the other grandkids...
But I can't fight this one for too much longer...

Well, that's about it for now...as warm as it is today, I stuck a sheet of chicken thighs in the oven with some barbecue sauce on them..it's smelling pretty good in here...I better check them..

Have a great week-end:)

2011-09-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

TGIF......

I always look forward to the week-ends..as most people do..
Lol..its seems funny now, because it wasn't that long ago that I didn't get a reprieve from work even on the week-ends..lol..
I am totally enjoying it now:)

I wanted to get back in the routine of getting one of my little grandkids on the week-end..so I sent a text message to my step-daughter Melissa a message on Wednesday asking if Mason would be able to spend Saturday night with me.
By Thursday, I still hadn't received an answer so I sent her a message via facebook...Still haven't heard back from her..
I don't get it..I have tried for so long to get close to her.Even as far back as when her father and I were together. She just won't allow it to happen..I have faced that, but that doesn't mean that you can't be polite.
She never replied to me when I asked if Mason could go to the Dells with us..
I sent her a text last week asking for ideas for Christmas. She did answer that one...
I just don't get it..I may never get it..I could have worked on getting one of the other kids this week-end if she had answered my text..Oh well, there isn't anything I can do about it right now..It is what it is and I can't change this one:)

I'm going to my daughters house tomorrow to pack up the things left over from the rummage sale..Then we're going to pack away all of the camping equipment.It shouldn't take us too long..

Last night I changed my living room around..I was tired when I was done, but it looks nice..and now I have a place to put my Christmas tree:) Trying to plan ahead here..lol..that time is going to come REAL fast..

I'm thinking about getting the paint to do the living room..I may even start it this week-end..

Well, guess that's it for news here in Germantown...
Hope everyone has a nice week-end:)

2011-09-11T09:58:00.000-07:00

9-11-01

It's been an emotional day for me..I've been taken back to what I was feeling ten years ago when I heard of the first plane hitting the tower...
It seemed like such a horrific accident...and then to see the second hit and we KNEW it was not an accident..All I could do was stand in front of the tv and say "Oh my God"..

Now today, watching the people read off the names of the loved ones lost, I find myself once again feeling so many of the same feelings..
Seeing some of the young kids is the hardest..one little girl said she never got to meet her Dad because she was in her Mommies tummy when it happened..Seeing so many last names that are the same and knowing that there are families out there that lost more than one loved one that day..

I think they have done a beautiful job with the memorial site...

I did see one thing that bothered me..(and maybe it shouldn't have) There was a woman holding an American flag and a Mexican flag together...it didn't make sense to me..this memorial isn't about what your heritage is or was..The United States of America had been attacked..THAT is the only flag that should have been held on this day..(just my opinion,,and I don't mean to offend anyone)...

God Bless America and prayers to all of the families!!

2011-09-04T15:23:00.000-07:00

I've been busy getting things around the house straightened up...Mostly the file cabinet and closets..
I had paperwork in every drawer you could think of..A lot of times I run into problems because I need to find a place for just ONE piece of paper..lol..not sure what to do with it, so I stick it in a drawer..lol..
I have vowed not to do that any more:) I cleaned out the file cabinet and set it up with more hanging folders..One will hold miscellaneous items..
I was able to free up one drawer in my dresser..Of course, that is already being used for clothes..as it should be..lol..

Tomorrow we are celebrating my girlfriends birthday..at her house..with her husband being in charge of the grill..I made brownies today, and baked beans..tomorrow morning I will put together the veggie tray..
I used one of those magic brownie trays...OMG..that was a royal pain..it will go into the rummage pile after today..Definitely not worth the trouble to use..

Tonight I am going to watch Big Brother and go to sleep early..tomorrow, I'm going to just relax and enjoy the company of good friends..

Wishing you all a relaxing extended week-end...

2011-09-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

It's been a long week!!

I'm so glad that the week-end is here..."And" it a three day week-end at that:)
It's been a long week of training people, covering for people that don't have any work ethic, getting keys back from people that no longer work for us...

The good news is that for most of the week, I have been home by 10pm..(I only had one night that I didn't get home until midnight)..
I can deal with most anything if I am able to sleep thru the night...it has been a slice of heaven...lol...

My daughter and I had our rummage sale last week..and we made $200.00..Trust me, I did not think we would do that well...We're going to have it again..not sure if we will bother this week-end..a lot of people head out of town..we'll see how we feel in the morning..It has given me incentive to go thru more around here and get rid of things that are not being used..less clutter is always a good thing...

I have a TON of paper work to go thru..all of the miscellaneous items that you cant throw out but aren't sure where to store it..I'll have to organize my file cabinet..I dread this job..paperwork always seems so darned overwhelming to me..Although I do like it when I can actually find what I'm looking for..More incentive to get it done:)

Guess that's it for now..I'm tired and I think I'll go watch tv in my room..

Have a happy and safe Labor Day Week-end!!

2011-08-26T20:49:00.000-07:00

Patrick and Monica..We were at our State Fair...she did not want to have her picture taken..I told her that in this family, this is what we do...lol...

Monique is now a Marquette College Student!!

We moved her in on Wednesday..She was so excited..and her Mom was soooo sad..lol..
Sad to see her first born baby leave the nest..sad to know she will not see her on a daily basis..But very excited to see her daughter turn into a mature young woman..She knows that Monique will do what is right for her life and future and she is so very proud of her.

Paris stayed home from school to help with the move..When we were leaving the dorms, we were waiting for the elevator and talking trying to lighten the mood by joking about leaving Monique behind..He started to cry and then got embarrassed for crying.
We hugged him and told him it would be okay..It was sweet to see that even at 14 he could have such emotion his sister leaving home..(and being only 6 miles away) lol..

He did say that he can't wait until he goes to college..lol...because he can move the dorm furniture around and there's free coffee..lol..If he only realized how much that coffee really costs...
My daughter is going to start checking into what help Paris can get if he pursues college..Having Autism/Aspergers Syndrome may make going to college somewhat hard. He is a 4.0 student but will he get the extra help he needs?? Hopefully she will be able to get a handle on that..

My grandson Patrick (aka- JJ)..has a girlfriend..the first one that he has brought home..lol..I think she's special..Her name is Monica..she's fairly quiet but she sure likes my grandson..lol..
Because his legal name is Jeremiah and we usually call him JJ..I asked her what she calls him...with a cute little smile she said..Paddy..oh, young love.

On the work front things have greatly improved..it has been absolute heaven to be able to sleep all night:)
It has allowed me to spend time making sure that all of my buildings are in tip-top shape (well, I'm working on that)..
This week has been bad for people taking off or just not showing up..my boss and I have both had to cover quite a few buildings..The good news is that even with doing that, I am still usually home by 10pm or so and then I get to sleep ALL night:)

Speaking of sleep, I should get off the computer and get some...
Wishing all of you a wonderful week-end:)

2011-08-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Wisconsin Dells Trip!!

Cameron and Destiny in the pool...
Playing on the porch of our cabin...
Me and Destiny...

We had a nice time on the trip to the Dells...It rained on and off on Saturday..happens every time I go away for a week-end..lol...

We did get some swimming in..it was a bit cooler and once in a while we had a mild rain..but as I told the kids, there wasn't any thunder or lightening so we were good to go..
We spent some time in town looking for souvenirs for the kids..Cameron picked a rubber ball that had his name on it and lights in it..Destiny picked a pretty necklace with her name on it..

We spent some time in the arcade located on the campgrounds..We ALL had a blast...We ended up with 569 tickets..so we were able to gets lots of with them when we were done..

I do have to say that I would think twice about taking both of the kids anywhere at the same time...they just bicker and fight and tattle on each other WAY too much...I don't want to spend all of my time correcting them or handing out punishments..
It was far easier when I just had Destiny with me on the last trip...Not one issue with her..
I have a picture of both of the kids on this trip when they had gotten out of hand with the attitudes and then they couldn't golf with the rest of us...

We did get to ride the go-carts..that was fun..and cheap..3 dollars for each of the adults and the kids were free...they loved that..although Cameron got a little scared when our car hit the wall a bit..lol....

Saturday night we went out to dinner at one of the nicer restaurants..the food was great and the prices weren't too bad..The kids certainly need the experience of going somewhere other than McDonalds...lol...

We also went out for breakfast Sunday morning..both times out, I had the little ones order their own food..they did a good job..

It was a nice trip..but even Paris was done with listening to them bicker..lol...
I needed a vacation from my three day vacation....

On the job front...things are much better..The new girl came back on a limited basis..she is on light duty..probably three weeks left to go on that..
She can do every thing except cover a job if someone doesn't show up..and that hasn't happened so I have been able to sleep the night through since Tuesday night..I am loving it...I feel so much better:)
I'm getting so much more done..at home and on the job..

Today will be a busy one...Monique moves her stuff into her dorm...she doesn't officially move in until Wednesday...but has early move in for her belongings...
Her roommate will be coming from Chicago with her stuff...hopefully they will get along well..so far they have spent time getting to know each other via facebook...

My daughter is have a REALLY hard time having her firstborn leave her..lol...she will on be 6 or 9 miles away...Ha-ha...but they did so much together..shopping, going out to eat...etc...stuff that the boys don't want to do..I told her she will save a ton of money...

Watch out Marquette University, here comes Monique..

Hope everyone has a great day...

2011-08-09T17:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm feeling a little more up beat today..lol...it took long enough to get here..

I suppose it helps that I'll be on vacation in two days helps..I'm so looking forward to that..
I still haven't heard from my one step-daughter..so I guess Mason really isn't going to be able to go with us..that makes me feel bad for him..but it's not something I can change..

On a bright note, Cameron is going to be able to come with us..Yaahoo...He will be so excited..I am too...lol..

The weather has cooled down..thank goodness..but now they are talking rain..scattered..but rain..
keeping fingers crossed that it doesn't hamper any of our plans..

The new girl goes to the doctor tomorrow...yippy... hopefully she will be able to come back to work..even on a limited basis...that in itself will be a blessing for sure...

I love my coffee from Speedway...the best around...I usually don't have to pay for it..They have a rewards program..if you use your card when you buy something in the store or get gas, you get points...I have so many points that I probably won't ever have to pay for my coffee...I don't usually get coffee in the evening, but for some reason, on my way home, I just felt like it would be relaxing to have a cup...

Guess that's it for news...I'll keep you posted on the work situation:)

2011-08-03T10:27:00.000-07:00

I've started an entry a few times only to lack the motivation and energy to finish it..

I'm at such a low place where work is concerned...I hate that it consumes so much of my time..even
when I'm not working, it is at the for front of my thoughts..I'm constantly trying to figure out what I should do next..
I'm scared to stay and scared to move on to something else..would I even be able to find something else??

In order to move on to another job, I first have to get a car...On the bright side, I did go to a dealership and was approved for a brand new car..the monthly payments would be higher than I can afford..
I would however at least be able to purchase a good used vehicle..that has taken some of the stress off of my shoulders..

The new supervisor that we hired to handle the seven late night buildings that we have has been out of work for over a week..She ended up in the hospital where they did tests for a week..then she had her gall bladder and appendix removed last Friday..I talked to her on Monday..she was home and feeling very sore...
I didn't have the heart to ask when she thought she might be able to return..I didn't want it to appear like I only cared about that..although it is a great concern to me..

In the meantime I have been handling all of my accounts and the restaurants too..and it is way too much for me..I have been working part time...lol...part time days..part time evenings and part time late night...
I'm still training at the restaurant, and then night before last, my most reliable employee didn't make it to work..he said he had fainted and woke up on his floor..It was 3:30 in the morning and I wasn't going to make him come in..then last night he decided that he needed one more night off..
So between 1:00am and 6:15am I was at 2 buildings supervising the work, (and helping at one), cleaning one restaurant by myself, dropping off keys at another...
No wonder I was crying yesterday when I left the office..my boss asked if I was feeling overwhelmed?? WHAT does he think??

I have given up this whole summer of spending time with my little grandkids and I'm not doing it anymore..I don't want to be working all hours of the day and night..I want to put my hours in and come home and have time to do what I want to do....

So, the search begins...I'm doing it via the web of course..I put an application in at one of the areas larger hospitals for housekeeping..and I'll continue to search until the right one comes along..

On a bright note..I did take three vacation days for the week-end of the 12th..I shouldn't have to use my vacation days for week-ends, but I don't want to take the chance that something will come up with the restaurants and then it will be my responsibility to fix it..
My daughter and I rented a camp site in the Dells...Originally we were going to take Paris, and the three little ones...I got the okay from both of my step-daughters...now one of them has not answered either my text or facebook message...I heard from her MIL that her son doesn't really feel comfortable with Mason being so far away from them...ARE you KIDDING me..he has spent almost the entire summer at his other grandmas house..and the three of them decided that Mason could play outside while his grandma works inside...and she checks on him every 15 min..
He is only 7..Certainly not old enough to play outside without supervision...
Oh damn..I got off track..lol...sorry..

Then we thought at least Destiny and Cameron would be able to come..as it turns out, Cameron was supposed to go up north and stay with my ex..Okay fine...I guess Destiny will be the one to go with us...
Now I see on facebook that both Destiny and Cameron are up north..so, I guess they plan on having them back before next Friday..which means both of them will be able to go with me to the Dells...I'm really happy about that:)
The sad thing is that Mason will not be there...I don't ever want him to wonder why he didn't get to go with us..Because let me tell you...the other kids will be sure to tell him about their trip...it's too bad..he's going to miss out on a great time..

So, that's my life in a nutshell.....same old, same old.....I'm going to work on changing that...

Keep your fingers crossed that I find the right job and that everything falls into place:)

Sorry for turning this into a book...

2011-07-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

Destiny with Linda's dog Sage..they fell in love..lol..this picture was not set up..Sage just wanted to be close to Destiny:) So cute..
Paris was afraid of stepping on a crayfish..lol..some of them were HUGH..
Destiny and I made pot holders..she will give them out for Christmas..
Feeding the deer in Crandon..

Last Thursday I picked up Destiny and had her spend the night so we could get an early start Friday morning.
We got on the road about 6:30am... She did fairly well on the trip..didn't complain..and only asked a few times few times how much longer..
She did sleep for a bit but not as long as I thought she would..

We were about 60 miles from Eagle River when I decided to stop at the last Walmart we would see before hitting E.R..

This Walmart is only 20 miles south of where my ex now lives..lol..I gave some thought to maybe running into him there and decided that the odds were too great for that to happen...
Well, I was wrong...lol...as we were walking into the store, Carlos and his girlfriend were walking out..ugh...
It went fairly well...UNTIL his girlfriend who is 68 and should know better decided that she needed to make her presence known started asking Destiny if she was going to come up and see grandma and grandpa....WHAT THE HELL?? Did that woman really just say that?? I was VERY angry..Just because she is with their grandpa, she is NOT their grandma...You don't get that privilege just because you're someones girlfriend..
It would even be different if I knew that she was REALLY interested in the kids..She's not..
When they came back from their winter in Florida, She did not go to see and spend time with the kids..I can't even imagine being away from them for that long..she has made the statement that they won't be having any of the kids up for a week in the summer because she doesn't want to take care of them...And then she has the nerve to refer to herself as grandma..NOT happening..
I did tell my stepdaughter about the comment and she did not like it..she said that this woman doesn't even know her kids...Anyway, other than that, the accidental meeting went fine..

Our time in Eagle River was so much fun..Destiny was so well behaved..I was so proud of her..
The first day, we went horse back riding..her first time and my first time in about 30 years..lol
She rode her own horse..she had the horse trotting..I was very proud of her..

My SIL lives on a lake and has a very small boat..so of course, we had to go out for a bit..
the weather wasn't the best so no one except Destiny was interested in going in the water..lol..

The next day we took a trip over to Crandon..When Shannon was little, we lived there for a while..so we went to her old school and took some pictures..then over to the courthouse..they have a penned area with three or four deer that you can feed..Destiny had never seen deer up close, so it was fun for her..

We had planned on spending the day there at Lake Metonga..but with the weather being on the cooler side we decided that we would just go there so Shannons kids could see where she would spend time crabbing when she was a kid..
As it turned out, we all ended up in the lake in our clothes..lol..totally unexpected but a ton of fun...lol..

Saturday evening we went to one of the resorts to listen to my nephew..he is a great musician..
Shannon stayed at home with Destiny and Paris...Monique went with us..
We had a really nice time:)

Sunday on my way home, I talked to my boss and found out a few things had gone wrong with one of the restaurants over the week-end...UGH...even with the new lady in place, I have been cleaning the restaurant for the last week..AGAIN...
I trained a new guy last night and will for the next couple of nights..then it will be up to the new lady to handle things...I HOPE...because I am worn out..to the point of going to check out cars yesterday with my daughter...If I decide to quit my job, I need a car..
The payments would be a bit higher than I would care to pay..so I decided that over the next couple of months I need to save some money so I have a better down payment..that would bring the monthly payments down..
Mainly I needed to know that I would qualify for a car loan if I give up my job..

This is getting a little longer than I had intended..lol..so I'll close for now..but next time I'll have to tell you the little story of what working all of these hours has done to me..lol..it's a good laugh..

Have a great week-end!!

2011-07-10T12:43:00.001-07:00

I had the cable guy out today to fix my dvr box..and while he was here he noticed that I was using a cable for my laptop..I told him that I was concerned with using wireless while living in an apartment..He told me that Time Warner Cable is a secure network and I shouldn't be afraid to be wireless...OKAY..I went back to wireless..
He did make me aware that the sites I use should start with https...if the "s" is not there, then it means the site is not secure...So of course, I'm looking for it every time I click onto something...lol..and then I notice that when I am on blogger, it is not a secure site.
I've spent some time trying to figure out how I can make this secure but not having any success..
If anyone has any suggestions I would appreciate it:)

Well, I did it...I turned over the keys to the bars and restaurants....Yaaahooo....
Tonight will be the first night in 2 1/2 years that I don't have to wake up in the middle of the night to make sure cleaners are checked in...
I'm so happy that I'm actually looking forward to going to bed..lol...

This change will make such a difference in my life..I will get adequate sleep, I will have the energy to make dinner, go walking, use my WII and so many other things.
I think I will be surprised at how much that shift was actually affecting me..

But it's done and now it's time to move on....

I'm also looking forward to Friday..I took a vacation day and I'm heading to Eagle River...I'm going to take my granddaughter Destiny with me...My daughter, Monique and Paris will already be there..They're going up on Wednesday..

My sister in law has a really nice trailer..the kind that has space in the back for her husband to get his harley loaded for transport..nice, very nice..they will stay there and I will stay in the house..

It will be interesting to take my grandkids to the lake that there mom used to play in when she was little..and the house where we lived..

I hope Destiny does okay on the trip...lol...she's only 7 and a four hour trip is a long trip..I might invest in a portable dvd player...
We'll make a few stops along the way of course...I think she will have a blast..I can't wait...

Well, time to get something done..I'm going to clean out my van..it is a hot mess..can't be helped when you live in it...lol...

Hope every one has a great week...I know I will....

2011-07-04T03:57:00.000-07:00

Just stopping by to say Happy 4th of July to all!!

I'm sure most will be getting together with family or friends for a bbq....and just chilling...

I just got home from work..I feel wide awake right now..so, I'm not sure if I will stay up for a while or try to get some sleep now...

I don't really have any plans today..although there are a few options..

I'm still training the next girl..I'm not sure how she will do..I think she will be fine as a supervisor..but not so sure how she will handle it when she has to cover one (or more) of her jobs when someone doesn't show up...

My boss thinks that he has a candidate for the restaurant..it would be nice if he could start training Tuesday night..I figure if I help get him trained, it should take three nights..THEN I can turn the night buildings over to the new girl....

She will be working part time..she will have 7 buildings to supervise..it shouldn't be too hard for her..and she says that she likes night time work..
We'll see what happens...Time is a tickin....lol...

Have a Happy 4th!!

2011-06-24T08:41:00.000-07:00

I am on pins and needles....I am THIS/CLOSE to getting rid of all my bars and restaurants....
My boss and his wife have interviewed a woman for the job..she will be working part time..1:00am to 6:00am....
I am actually meeting her today..she is coming to the office to do final paperwork. If all goes well, she may start as soon as tonight..She will go with me to all of the jobs..maybe help clean and learn all the quirks of the buildings.
She will get a good taste of things if she comes with me tonight..lol...I have had to go back to helping at the new restaurant because they had complaints...and I might add that they were not fully legit.
They complained that they found a french fry on the floor and they didn't think the bathroom floors had been cleaned...well, I've done the floors for the last three nights and they still complained..about the bathroom floors and they found a french fry...lol...it seems that there is always a random french fry that shows up...lol....
My boss even took the time to go there this morning at 6:00am to do a recheck himself..

Anyway, he suggested that the new girl go with me tonight and get a feel for things...of course that works for me:) the sooner I get her trained, the sooner I get to sleep all night and not worry about people checking in...

Please keep your fingers (and your toes) crossed that she works out..I need to have my life back!!

My girlfriends daughter is here from Texas..she is about 5 1/2 months pregnant and we are having her baby shower tomorrow...I went and did my shopping for it yesterday..oh the fun of buying baby items...I love it...I got him a baby pair of sun glasses...( it's bright and sunny in Texas)...a 5 pack of really cute oneies...a blue piggy bank that says, my first piggy bank...a very cute little stuffed giraffe that makes 5 different soothing sounds...so cute..and a couple of outfits and sleepers along with a baby sick kit..thermometer, syringe, medicine dispenser, etc..with a little bag to keep it all in...
However, I did forget a card and wrapping paper...lol..I'll pick that up today..

It's almost 11:00am and I have to finish my laundry and jump in the shower before I head out to the office to meet the new girl...CAN'T WAIT...

Fingers crossed and hopes up high:)

Have a great week-end!

2011-06-18T17:42:00.000-07:00

Kiesner is my maiden name....This is a street sign in a town about 45 minutes from my house. This is the area that my family settled in when they came from New York...
My daughter went with me today to search for family members in a few of the cemeteries that we could find..
We went on the spur of the moment, so we didn't really know where the cemeteries were..lol..
We just went to Brothertown and Jericho and asked where if there was a cemetery located nearby..lol..
We actually did fairly well..We found at least 15 headstones..AND we got in a LOT of walking..
The one cemetery was HUGE...and because of my daughters recent back problems, I told her she didn't have to walk the whole thing..but she was a trooper...

My grandfathers side of the family came from Prussia, Germany...My grandmothers side came from New York..My Indian heritage comes from my grandmothers side..
We also found the courthouse..right down the street from Kiesner Dr. So our next trip will be there..I figure I can find a lot of information there..

I have an ancestry.com account..I have found several people there that share the same ancestors as me...When I put the pictures of the headstones on my family tree, they will be able to take them and attach them to their trees..

It is so interesting finding all of these things..I wish I had done it when some of my elders were still alive..it would have made it much easier...lol..

Well, I'm tired and I want to send in my work orders tonight so I don't have to worry about it tomorrow....

Happy Fathers Day to all of the great fathers out there...and to the Mothers that took the place of fathers for whatever reason:)

2011-06-11T06:11:00.000-07:00

I am trying to wish the rain away...l0l..today is the day we are having Destinys birthday party..She actually turned 7 on June 1st..her party today is a surprise..I don't know if my step-daughter made alternative plans..probably not..lol..
It is supposed to stop raining, but the temp is only going to get to 60..sure doesn't sound like a great day at the park...

I overslept this morning. I didn't get out of bed until 3:00am..lol..I had set my alarm clock for 2..
After I was done working I went to Walmart to finish my birthday shopping..I think I got there at 5:45.. I got out of there at 6:50..I'm telling you, I never spend that much time wandering around a store..
I spent $125.oo..presents, munchies for the party and a cord for the computer..I have decided that I should not have my computer on a wireless connection...as much as I like not being trapped by a cord..it really isn't save. I don't want to take a chance on someone in this building getting on my internet and then doing something illegal. So, it's back to a cord for me...

I did get Destiny some cute outfits, new undies, a loom to make pot holders..lol..I remember making them..I thought she could make some and give them for Christmas presents..I also got her a bead collection..she loves to make jewelry. And of course, the MOST important of all, a new make up kit...lol..she loves her makeup...

We (hopefully) have two new people for the restaurants...they will do their paperwork on Monday and I hope to start training Monday night..I will train one person and my boss will train the other...That will leave me with one restaurant open..and I think we have a guy for that..
Keeping my fingers crossed and my hopes up...lol...

It's almost 8:30..I better try to get a little sleep..I'll head out for the party at 1:00..I'll try to get some decent pictures today...

Enjoy your day!!

2011-06-06T08:02:00.000-07:00

This is the ride that Cameron and I went on...I told him it would be the last time for me..lol...
This is our campsite...

We went camping the week-end before last..I took two days of vacation. It was wonderful to have a few days of not having to answer my darned work phone..Although I do have to say, I did check my phone a few times to make sure everyone had checked in...lol..I'm going to break myself from that habit..lol...

We had to put our tent up in the rain..NOT fun...it was also very windy out..so that didn't make things any easier..
We were happy to finally get it done..we didn't put our stuff in there until it dried out..
The next day we did some things away from camp...when we returned, the tent was almost completely collapsed..lol...we hadn't put the connectors on right..but we got it figured out and fixed..

We were in the Dells and received free tickets to one of the water parks...so we spent some time there..that was a lot of fun...

We never did make our dinner on the campfire..we decided to go the more relaxing route and eat out...lol...

It was a good time and certainly didn't last long enough..

This last week-end, I finally was able to have Cameron over..I had Paris here too because I had to go to work..When I got home at 6:00am, Cameron was already up. He was very understanding about my needing to get a little sleep before we started our day..

I had taken the boys with me the night before to meet my friends at a small church festival..
Paris isn't into the rides..but Cameron loves them..So, we went on a few..he played one of the games..We had something to eat..
After leaving there, we went to Joe and Lisa's house, minus Paris..he just wanted to come back to my house so he could play his game..lol..
Joe and Lisa have a great pond in their backyard..It's still kind of cold though, so Cameron just played in the sand on the beach..he had a great time...

Destiny was sure it was HER turn to come over..so I told her that I would write it on my calendar that she was next...lol..when they came to get Cameron, I'll be darned if she didn't look at my calendar and let me know that I hadn't written it down...lol..I did it while she watched...

Her birthday was June 1st..I didn't get a chance to see her..They are having a surprise birthday party for her next Saturday..so of course I want to take her presents to that..but I felt bad that she had to wait..I didn't want her to think I had forgotten her...I told her that I had to wait for her present to get here...she didn't seem concerned about her present..she only seemed concerned about her turn for coming over...it makes me happy to know that spending time with me is more important than getting a present...pretty nice..

Work has still been hectic..training people..people not even showing up for training and giving the newly acquired restaurant a final clean..We start regular cleaning there tomorrow night..ugh..not looking forward to it..but that's life in the big city..lol...

I did have some great news...I got a $3000.00 a year raise...AND they are going to get a part time manager to handle the restaurants...that is the BEST news yet...
It might take a couple of months, but they are doing it...I had hoped it would happen before summer is over so I could enjoy it, but not sure that will happen. Keeping fingers crossed..lol...

I guess that's it for news..time to get some stuff done...
Hope everyone has a great week!!

2011-05-26T15:17:00.000-07:00

Cap and gown time...
I'm glad that every thing is over...lol..It can be exhausting to get every thing done...
I spent some time at work yesterday, then went to K-mart with my daughter..

I came home for a bit...got her presents ready,picked up a cake, loaded up the car and then went back to my daughters...ALL in the darned rain...
The ceremony lasted about 2 hours...(not too bad)..after that, we went to Chili's for dinner...It was pretty darned good:)
I took the cake into the restaurant and after dinner we quickly cut the cake and ate it..lol..
I'm sure the server was surprised when she cleared that table and saw Graduation paper plates with cake crumbs...lol...

I tried to get most of my accounts taken care of today so that I can have a less stressful day tomorrow...I need to do laundry and get the house cleaned...
Then on Saturday I will clean out the van and get it ready to load up with our camping stuff on Sunday morning...

My office manager has figured out how to forward not only my calls but the chronotek messages that let us know when an employee has checked in...That will save me from having to take my phone out to the office before I leave and picking it up when I return...Any time saved is always a blessing....

I'm going to send in my work orders tomorrow as they will need to do orders on Tuesday..

I think I'm going to get my bag packed tomorrow after laundry is done..one less thing to worry about..

My daughter and I are going to try to get to the store tomorrow to get any last minute things we will need..That's going to be more than I want to do..but I don't want all of it to fall on her either.. she will be doing a double shift tomorrow night into Saturday..That's not fun...lol..good thing she's young enough for that...lol...

On that note, I'm going to close this and head out to two more jobs..then off to bed for me...

Have a safe and happy Memorial Week-end..

2011-05-24T11:32:00.000-07:00

My beautiful granddaughter......Monique!

My daughter is spending some time crying these last few days...She is going to miss the day to day contact with her daughter...
A true case of separation anxiety...lol....

We are going to go shopping Thursday for any last minute items we need for camping and gifts for Paris...His birthday is Sunday and we will celebrate at the campsite...
I'm still debating buying cupcakes after we get to the Dells or make him a cake..I guess I'll have to see if I even have time to bake..lol..

I'm going to spend some time now getting Moniques gifts ready..I'm going to put her card inside her safe...make her work at getting it..lol....

Happy Tuesday to all...I'll try to post graduation pictures soon:)

2011-05-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Morning!!!

We have been blessed the last few days with beautiful weather...yesterday was a bit warm..a sample of what is to come...lol...
The days have been sunny.. and that is a good thing...We did have thunder storms last night..but at least it waited until evening..
Today is starting out with sunshine and warm weather..how can you not love a day like that??

I did make the time this week-end to get into my storage locker downstairs and find my few missing camping items..
We have just about everything that we want. We will buy our food when we get to the Dells..and we don't plan on over doing it this time..simple meals..lol.. This camping trip is all about RELAXING..

I have to get a few things for Moniques graduation...WEDNESDAY...I'm so proud of her...I still can't believe that my first grandchild is going to be off to college in the fall...She has definitely made all of us sooo proud of her..
I'm going to get her some towels and wash cloths, a small safe for personal papers and money...
I'm also going to give her a silver ring I had purchased a few months ago..when she saw it, she really liked it..as it turns out, I don't wear it as often as I thought I would..

I am trying to lose the 10-15 pounds that I have put on since having a job that requires so much time sitting in the car...
I haven't been too successful..lol..I like to eat..I like my sweets and I use the fact that I need to treat myself because of the crappy hours I sometimes have...lol..let's face it, when a person really wants to get at those sweets, they will come up with any excuse to have them..lol..(and I do)..

My clothes do not feel good..and that is not a good thing..I am NOT going to buy new clothes..so the only answer is to watch what I eat..(so much easier said than done..lol)

On that note, it's time for me to get moving here and get some work done..(along with my shopping..lol...it's so much easier to shop during the week when most people are working)...

Hope you all have a wonderful week:)

2011-05-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Where does the time go?? I haven't have much time for anything other than work lately..and it doesn't seem like it's going to change any time soon...

We recently added another building to our list of many..lol..I know it's a good thing, but the hours to clean it are 2:00am to 5:30am...So, now I manage 6 buildings that are done in the middle of the night..ugh...

I have been cleaning this new building for a few days..The night before last, I was there training the new lady..After that, I had to go clean one of the bars..I think I got home at 6:30-7:00am...I was still sleeping at 9:00am when my boss called..This is how I normally answer my work phone..

Name of company, Sheri speaking...

This is how I answered that morning...

Name of company, Sheri sleeping.....Yep, I sure did...lol...He did laugh...But I think I would have liked it more if he would have said, I will get you some extra help...you need it...

This has been going on for almost three months now and I am tired.....so tired in fact that I have actually looked at the newspaper to see what was out there for jobs...
Not that I want to leave this one..and I won't until and unless I know I have something decent to replace it...but I am tired...

I not only have been out taking care of the night jobs, I am out during the day taking care of my buildings..

It certainly doesn't leave much time to have a life...it doesn't allow me to have the little ones over as much as I want to...and again, I am tired....lol...

I am trying VERY hard to hang in there until June or July and then I will see if we get the extra banks to do...if that happens I will get out of taking care of the bars and restaurants....
Well, enough of all that...

My granddaughter graduates high school next Wednesday..I can't believe that this time is here already...

Paris turns 14 this month...

We are going camping Memorial Day week-end....And I can't wait...I took two days of my vacation...I want to be able to relax and not worry about my job...
It will be a celebration of Monique's graduation and Paris's birthday...
Good times will be had by all and I can't wait...

Time for me to get moving here...I have to go and see how the new guy is doing on his job....

Hope you're enjoying your week!!

2011-05-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Mothers Day!!!!

My daughter is taking me out for an early dinner.....
I think she really wanted to go now, but I have been munching on Cheetos....lol..so we're going to go around 4:00...I don't think they'll be too busy...

Enjoy YOUR day......

2011-05-07T16:45:00.000-07:00

This will be my 4th Mothers Day without my Mom...I do the one thing that would mean the most to her..
I make the 130 mile trip to her hometown and put new flower arrangements on the graves.
She always wanted to have this done by Memorial Day...

My daughter and grandson Paris went with me..we walked the cemetery and looked for names of family that I have discovered doing my ancestry research..

We went past my grandma's farm and I didn't even have the heart to take a picture of it..The house I'm sure will not make it for many more years..it looks like it will crumble down at any minute..And there are still people living there...

I'm glad that my Mom never saw the house in such disrepair...

Every year we also stop by the school yard and spend a few minutes on the swings...lol...I went to that school for a few months when I was in 2nd grade..I didn't realize it at the time, but my Mom was dealing with cervical cancer..which, thanks to God, she over came.

We then went to Wisconsin Dells...tourist capital of Wisconsin..lol...My grandma worked in the Dells for years..it is such a part of my childhood...we checked out a few camp sites and then went to get some fudge..(a very small slice)...and then a late lunch...

We laughed so much and so hard today....I know this day was the best way I could EVER have celebrated my Mom....

I miss her so much..but I'm also at peace with where she is:) Loving God and being with the children she lost and missed so very much...

Happy Mothers Day to all of you wonderful Moms...

I love you Mom...

2011-04-29T19:41:00.000-07:00

Mason - He certainly looks happy, doesn't he??
Working very hard..
Candy for all of the kids...for the 3 little ones, I put the candy in the little pails from the dollar store..

My thoughts and prayers go out to all of the people who lost their lives in the south..it's such a devastating time for so many families..I hope the survivors are given the help that they need to put their lives back together. It made me give thought to what I would do in the case of such horrible weather..I need to have a plan..

I hope everyone had a very Happy Easter:)...I had Mason over on Friday and we colored eggs together..we really had a nice time..The next morning he had to look for his Easter basket...
We played a LOT of games...lol..War, go fish and of course, the WII.. By the time I took him home, I was WORN out...But we had a great time together..

As much as I dislike always talking about work...it seems that my life at this time revolves around it..lol..
I've been training again..(it seems like it will never end)..Last night was one of the first nights that I didn't have to get up at one or two in the morning...and it felt great..
It was a bright sunny day today and with the sleep, it made for a great day. I had my day all planned out..and then of course it was disrupted again..I had to go do a cleaning job for the guy we get some of our jobs from..It only took an hour and a half, but it messed up my schedule..
To top it off, I am getting another middle of the night job..it's an athletic club..it's open 24 hours a day, seven days a week..It's a three hour job and the starting time is 1:00am...I am sooo not looking forward to this...

I talked to our office manager today about some of this..she is so understanding about what I'm going through..just having her listen was a big help..she knows I am about at the end of my rope with all of this..
She did say that my boss has mentioned that they need to get me out of these restaurants...that's nice, but how long will it take?? That is the million dollar question.
I have decided that I will give it until the middle or end of the summer and then if there is no end in sight, I will consider giving up this job.

My daughter is picking up Cameron and destiny tomorrow..they are spending the night with her..for the first time..I haven't seen the kids for at least 6-8 weeks so I am going to spend some time with them while they are with her.
We are going to take them to the Jelly Belly factory....that should be a blast for them..
I'll have to remember to take my camera so I can post some pictures...

Well, that's about it for my exciting life...lol...I hope everyone has a great week-end!!

2011-04-17T08:08:00.000-07:00

Rose with her new gifts..
We got such a cute cake..
My daughter Shannon and Rose..at Culvers
Rose being Shy...lol..

As you can see from the pictures, it was Roses Birthday...."12"..
She is Shannons cousins daughter..her 2nd cousin...or whatever..lol...

Shannon hasn't had a lot of contact with her cousin for some years..They recently connected on facebook...Her cousin Katie was telling her about the problems they have with Rose and was wondering if Shannon could have a talk with her..she thought that since Shannon is a corrections officer it might put a bit of a scare into Rose..My daughter isn't about to scare a young girl, but she will certainly talk to them about going down the wrong path....

Shannon has spent time with Rose and her parents also to see how they interact..and what she is finding out is that Rose is a good girl that has parents that don't have a clue as to how to parent.
Believe me, she has let them know that they are not interacting with Rose in a positive way..
One day when she took her home, the first thing out of their mouths was,,your room is a mess and you need to get it taken care of...They never said hi, how was your week-end..nothing..

Anyway...Rose turned 12 yesterday..her parents had celebrated her birthday last week-end along with her baby brothers baptism and her dads birthday..
I suggested that we do something to make her feel special..
We took her shopping...lol..it's way to hard to pick clothes out for a young girl..She got a cute top, a movie, bracelets, a nice pair of capri jeans...
We picked up a cake to have at Shannons house with the boys..
We went to Culvers for lunch..

Rose is very shy about having someone take her picture..lol..I told her to get used to it,,that's what we do...lol..
She has such a beautiful smile..
According to her parents, she has been labeled adhd...I am not seeing that in her..I have raised a child with adhd and I know what it looks like...I don't know how a doctor could label her with that..
She follows all rules at my daughters house..I think it's because she knows my daughter won't accept any thing different from her..
Her parents just go with the label and blame all of the household problems on it..
Believe me, they don't function in a very normal way...I don't know how they can expect Rose to function properly..

Anyway, that was more long winded than I had intended it to be..lol...just got carried away..

My daughter said that last night, Rose was out in the kitchen twice looking at her cake..Shannon asked her if she wanted another piece..Rose said no, she was just looking at it...
I'm glad we were able to make her day special for her..she's a good girl and hopefully with the help of my daughter, she will stay that way....

I've been up since 2 am...training again..and hopefully for the last week-end....
I'm starting to get a little tired so I think I'll snuggle up in my bed and try to sleep for a bit...

Have a great week!!

2011-04-13T14:53:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note to say that I did receive my $600.00 deposit back..
I am soooo very grateful for that. Big lesson learned..lol...

It's been a great day..It is beautiful outside, work went well and my daughter and I went to the Y and did some miles on the bikes..

It's amazing how much better I feel when I get some decent sleep..lol..

Well, gotta run..

2011-04-12T12:49:00.000-07:00

These are what I have been working on...My daughters pictures..
As I'm sure you can figure out, the top tote is the before and the bottom tote is the after..or at least one of them..I filled that entire tote and still have some pictures left to do...

I do have all of the kids pictures in albums now..There were a lot of duplicates..back in the day I used to get doubles..a set for my daughter and a set for me..lol...
I don't hang on to a lot of the pictures anymore..I still take a lot, but I usually give them to the kids right away..

Work is easing up a bit..at least with having to get up at 3:00am..lol...Now all I have to do is train a gentleman this Sunday and Monday and then hopefully things will level out..
Our office manager is going to see if our boss will let me train someone for all of the restaurants in case someone wants a night or two off...or in case someone just up and quits without notice..then I won't have to do them..
I really would like to have a life...lol..my daughter and I want to do some camping this summer and I don't want to be totally tied down to the restaurants on the week-ends..

We've had a beautiful day today..I'm so glad to see spring really show up...even if we have a rainy day here and there...

On Sunday I went with my girlfriend and a friend of hers to a bar to play bing0...We had a blast.
Because it was the last game of season, and it is getting closer to Easter, they put the winnings in an Easter cup along with some candy and a scratch off..
They each won once and I won twice..
With paying a dollar for each game, and having a drink, I came out twenty five dollars ahead.
I thought that was pretty good..
They also had food out..ham sandwich's and munchies.. It was nice to have some fun and relax..

I don't usually watch Dancing with the stars...but I wanted to see how Kirsty and Kendra were doing and now I don't want to miss it..
I felt so bad last week when Kirsty's partner fell with her...But was damn happy to see them get up and finish as well as they did:)

I finally got my house cleaned up..well, almost. I do have to vacuum yet..but for the most part, things are in order and it sure feels good..I really don't like when things are piling up..

Last Friday, I talked to the guy where I returned the bike..he said that they had determined that they would send me back my entire deposit..It still isn't here, and that makes me a little nervous...I was going to call them today, but I think I'll wait one more day to see if it comes..

Well, on that note, I'm going to get to my vacuuming...oh the fun...lol...

2011-04-04T15:32:00.000-07:00

My Sunday was spent going through a full tote of my daughters pictures...There were only a few albums and the rest were just laying in there..
The tote is now empty..I now have four piles of pictures..well, actually 5..one for each of the kids, one for my daughter and one of miscellaneous pictures..

While I was doing all of that, I was waiting for the cable guys to show up...I could not get my laptop online..
They finally showed up at 7:00pm..worked for 45 minutes..when they left, I had the internet..but it didn't last long. By 8:30 I had to call them back. I was told that the problem wasn't with their box, it was with the netgear box..and I would have to call them..which I did..only to find out that I was talking to someone in India..UGH..I was not a happy camper..For one, I am so against all of the outsourcing companies do..and then there is the problem of trying to understand the guy...after 25 minutes on the phone trying different things,it was still not working..

Then my son tried something and I was back online...I didn't get my work orders sent in until almost 11:00pm..
I decided to just stay up because I had to clean the restaurant again..I left home at 1:30 and it was NASTY out..rain, lightening and thunder..I do not like driving in those conditions...

Today I have torn apart my apartment "literally" trying to find the disc for my cordless printer..since we had the work done last night, my computer will not recognize it..
Murhpys law has struck..It is the one disc I can not find..
I have been trying to get more organized so that I will know where things are when I need them..I guess I didn't do that soon enough..lol...

Thankfully I did save my old printer..down in the basement storage..lol..which meant going through a ton of totes to find it..But I did and it worked great for me..at least I was able to print out my daily work sheets...

I talked to the general manager at the place that I bought the bike..they are putting a stop to all paperwork and I will NOT be held to the contract...I will probably have to pay a cancellation fee but that is the least of my problems..I will probably get most of my deposit back..The accountant will be contacting me..
I do know that God was watching over me on this one..because as we all know, dealers will make you stick to a signed contract..
They have been very nice about the whole situation and I appreciate it very much..

Well, time to make something for dinner ..clean up a little and get to bed early..I have to clean the restaurant again tonight...

Enjoy your week,
Sheri

2011-04-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

Buyers Remorse!!!

So, I picked the bike up on Thursday and by 7:00pm I had buyers remorse.
I had tried to talk myself into thinking I liked the bike well enough..and that having an extra payment wouldn't be THAT bad...lol..

When the sane me got to thinking.....I knew I wasn't REALLY happy with the bike..
I actually got a sick feeling..I called my daughter and explained to her how I was feeling.

The guy at the shop said that I had two to three days to decide if I liked it or not..
I called them in the morning..and right away, I felt put off..I was not liking that..He said he would talk to his manager but that the general manager was not in..

He didn't call back. After an hour of waiting I called a tow shop and made plans for them to pick the bike up and deliver it back to the dealership..

My daughter and I got to the dealership before the tow truck.
I talked to the manager..He said all of the paperwork had already been sent in..
I let him know that I didn't care and I was told that I had two to three days to return it..
He called the GM and then told me that the GM would be back to work on Monday and would call me to see how to handle the situation.

I made him write out a note stating that I had returned the bike and it was now in their possession..

I'm sure they will give me a hard time about giving me back my $600.00.
I'll compromise on that..maybe give them something towards doing all of the paperwork..but I hope they don't think they're getting all of my deposit..
Oh what a mess I made being impulsive..

What's done is done and I'll get thru this..with Gods help, I will handle the outcome whatever it is:)

I picked up a bucket of pictures from my daughter yesterday..I'm organizing them for her..Giving each of the kids their own album..
I can't tell you how much fun it has been looking through these pictures.
She also had the pictures that I stored at her house during the last part of my marriage.
Such wonderful memories are stored away..not forgotten, but certainly not looked at as often as they should be..
I'm making a point of keeping them at hand to be looked at at any given moment...

Well, that's my Saturday in a nutshell...lol..
The sun has finally come out..they said it was going to get as high as 48 today..."sure"...lol..
I think I'll get out there and clean and reorganize my van..tomorrow is supposed to be rainy...so I know I will not want to do it then..

Hope your week-end is going well!!

2011-03-31T14:11:00.000-07:00

I DID IT!!! I bought a bike..I picked it up today...It's only 43 degrees here, so it was a cold ride home..lol..

I'm a little disappointed that it seems more like a scooter than an actual motorcycle...BUT, it is small enough for me to handle safely and that is the most important thing..
It's really made for short, leisurely rides..and that's good enough for me..

I rode the bike home and then had to head out to work for a bit..then I came home, got the bike and took a ride to Walmart to have a few keys made..
I have no problem getting the bike in and out of the garage, making turns..It seems a little strange because everything is so much smaller than I am used to..lol...but I'm sure I'll get used to it:)

It's going to be another working week-end for me..but one of my new workers is going to give me a hand, so it won't be as physically overwhelming..
We're still waiting for word on getting a new batch of banks..Oh, they're getting estimates for specialty care..floor buffing, carpet spot removal and such, but not the janitorial...ugh..I won't get rid of the restaurants until we have enough banks to warrant getting another account manager..
Waiting for that to happen is getting harder by the moment..There are days that I just want to chuck this job..lol..but that's not happening any time soon...lol..

My daughter will be doing a walk for Autism in May..It's only a 3 or 4 mile walk..that's not too bad..We found out about it when we went to pick Paris up from school..Paris being Autistic is just an added reason to help a very worthy cause..
My niece is going to do the walk also..it should be a fun experience..I'm so looking forward to it..

Well, time to hit the road again..I have one more job to resupply...and then it will be an early night..

Have a great Friday and Week-end!!

2011-03-28T08:47:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to see Monday come...lol..not many people feel that way because it means heading back to work and the grind of the week..
For me it means getting back to 'my' normal..lol.. I had to work at one of the restaurants this week-end..I had trained a gentleman for cleaning it only on the week-ends..It appeared that he wanted the job. I didn't have an extra key to give him so we were supposed to meet Saturday morning at 3:00am..I would then give him the key and the alarm code..Also, he was supposed to be at the office on Thursday to finish his paperwork..He never showed up and never called..
I held out hope that he would still show up...NO...oh well, we do have a few other applicants to work with..It just means that I will have to train again next week-end...

I have been doing this early morning shift for almost a month now..and it plays havoc with my schedule..
I haven't been able to get my younger grandkids...

Even with the strange hours, I was able to accomplish a few things this week-end..
We had water in the basement from last weeks big rain..I didn't have the energy to deal with it then, but I did check it out yesterday..it didn't go all the way into my storage locker..and most of my things are in plastic bins..only my small tree was in a cardboard box on the floor..I took it out of the box and put it in a Christmas tree plastic bag..So, all is well...

I finally got to my ironing...that was major..lol..I had about ten pieces to do..my girlfriend can't believe that I iron some things...

I haven't heard anything from the new guy since late Saturday night..and that was still only e-mail jokes back and forth..
That's fine with me..I never did see anything permanent there anyway..and I had decided that if he was interested he would have to make the first move..

I went out with my friends for a while late Saturday afternoon..
Sunday my friends Joe and lisa and I went for a brunch..We had been there once before..It's a nice place..leans more towards being fancy than casual..
It's only 17.00..plus 2.50 for coffee..which I find odd...
The food is very good..and the view is fantastic..it's right on a lake..I can't wait until it thaws..it should be beautiful....

Now for this week, things should calm down..I will have more training on the week-end, and then next week I'll have to train at a bank..but for now, I'm back to my regular schedule and I'm loving it...
I was so down Saturday and Sunday that I even gave thought to quitting this job..it wears on you..the hours and some of the people...
Some people just refuse to take direction. Even when it is proposed to them in a pleasant way..
I would never have thought to talk to my manager the way some of them do...Oh well, I feel better today:)

Hope everyone has a great week:)
Sheri

2011-03-19T17:13:00.000-07:00

I originally started this post with the same old news about work..then decided that I am sick of going over and over it again..So, I'm not going to do it...lol..

I had an "almost date" the other night...lol..
A few months ago I met a guy while at the bar with a couple of girlfriends..He owns an auto shop..I asked him if he ever gets motorcycles in..he said he does and I should give him a call so he would have my phone number...I did...but I never heard from him..

Well, the other day was soooo beautiful I decided to look his number up again and call him..his e-mail address was there also and I decided to go that route..
He replied a short time later.. He started off with good morning sunshine..he doesn't have any in now but will start looking for one..
I replied with a thank you..
Then he sent me a St. Patricks Day joke..
I decided to be very bold and I said if he was out and about around 5:30 my girlfriend and I would be at the place that we originally met..he replied back "will do"..
He showed up right at 5:30..We had a nice time..

I don't think we will ever be more than just friends..He's only 49 and I don't think he's looking for a relationship..
My fist impression of him was that he is a typical salesman..lol..the gift of gab and he can tell some stories for sure...
But, he's fun and he's really cute..lol..plus he has a motorcycle. I could see us being friends that hang out together..

He walked me to my car and then asked if I wanted to go to another bar with him..I said I had to be up at 3:00 for work so I really needed to get home and get some sleep.
He asked about going another night..I said that would work...

Then he kissed me...(just a little beyond friends)..lol..
I did send him a short e-mail when I got home telling him that I had a nice time.
He replied that he did also and we should get together again..

So, I am leaving the ball in his court.. if he wants to hang out, he can call me..or if he finds a bike he can call me..We'll see how it turns out..

I do have to say that it was nice having the attention.
He is the first guy I have kissed since my divorce almost three years ago..

Today my girlfriend made a comment that I certainly must not want to get married again..I was a little taken aback by that..
I've spent three years on my own making sure I'm healed properly before even FEELING like I might want to date someone..
I told her that I don't necessarily want to get married again, but I'm only 55 and I want to have a nice guy to hang out with..I don't want to spend all of my time alone or being the fifth wheel on outings..
She said that if her husband died she would never get married again..I told her she can't say that until she is in that position..

Anyway, it was fun..and I can certainly use some of that in my life..lol..

I'm going to go watch tv in bed and go to sleep early....
lol..Saturday night and I'm going to bed at 7:30...

2011-03-14T14:02:00.000-07:00

I finally did it..I bought a tv..It's only a 32 inch..but with my living room being as small as it is, it works for me...in fact, I am loving it....
When my son saw it, I could see how much he liked it, so the next day, I went and bought him on too..Needless to say, he is a happy camper:)
I also bought a small desk..I needed a "place" to put my bills..I needed to get organized..I'm very happy with it..Now I just have to find the time to get all of my paperwork in order..lol...

I used some of my tax returns for my new purchases..I'm saving some and using some for a short trip this summer when my granddaughter graduates..Can't wait..we had talked about going to New York..but it looks like we may end up going to California or Florida..

Work has been extremely busy..I fired one guy..found a replacement for him..so then I had to train him..Not sure how he's going to work out.. He's pretty slow and going way over time..I'll keep my fingers crossed..lol...

Friday at 3:30 in the afternoon, one of my problem workers called to say he needed the night off..I asked him why..he said that he had been moving all day and was tired..(he had six people).
I told him that it was too short of notice and I had to train someone..and couldn't cover for him..He was pissed and said he was giving up the job cleaning the bar..without any notice..OKAY.
I told him to call the office and let the office manager know his intentions....He did..
I have been covering for him ever since.

The reason he wants to give it up is because he thinks that with the nicer weather, he only wants to do specialty work.. what he doesn't know is that my boss is taking him off of that because he can't or wont do the final cleans the way they should be done...
I talked to my boss about it today and he is going to see if Gary wants to keep the bar cleaning job or have nothing...

I don't like dealing with this employee..he doesn't take direction well...and is just a royal pain in the butt...
On the other hand, I am really tired of getting up at 2:00am to do the job myself...sooooo, if he wants to keep it, I'll go along with it...

Camerons birthday party was a lot of fun..I have never played laser tag before...lol..it was a blast.
Cameron loved his presents and was such a good boy...His sister on the other hand...lol..she can have this snooty little attitude..which I have talked to her about..and I talked to her about it again that day...You can't treat people rudely and then expect them to have open arms when YOU want something..at least it doesn't work that way with me...

I went for my follow up mammogram today...Good news, I don't have to go back for 1 year..
That is a huge weight lifted off my shoulders..
For now that cloud has been lifted and I'm going to enjoy not having it stuck in the back of my mind......

Time for me to get moving on getting my paperwork organized:)

Have a great week...we're supposed to hit 60 this week...YaaHoo.....

2011-03-11T12:14:00.000-08:00

This is the gentleman from channel 12 that came to interview my nephew Jason..He sure was a cutie:)
The deer in my sister-in-laws yard. Lake view..
This is the house we lived in on the same lake that my sil now lives on. My daughter was five years old..This was the first time she has been back to Eagle River since she was 6..

Last Friday my daughter and I went to Eagle River..It's about 250 miles from my house..
About 45 miles from our destination my brakes started making a horrendous noise..so I babied it to her house and left it sit for the week-end..
We had a wonderful time..I haven't laughed so hard in a long time..

Originally, I was a little afraid to make the trip as it involves going right past the house my ex and I put up there...I did not want to do that...I made a last minute change in the route and bypassed it completely without going out of my way..

Anyway, we had so much fun.
My nephew was there for the week-end to play at a bar..and the second night he played at a benefit for homeless vets..
He works with an organization that helps them get into housing. He also helps with a food pantry.
I'm so proud of him.
He spent 11 months in Iraq..and now deals with post traumatic stress syndrome.
On Saturday, he was interviewed by channel 12 news about his Homeless Vets Initiative.
I haven't seen it yet..we thought that they were going to fix the error they made about his time in Iraq..they said 10 years..he was in the national guard for ten years and Iraq 11 months.
anyway, it was very interesting...

I had already written a post about all that we did, but it is now lost in cyber space and I am so tired right now that I don't have the energy to re-write it all...

The day after I go home from the trip, I had to go clean one of our restaurants because my cleaner was a no call no show....
Needless to say, he was fired..and now I am cleaning it..getting up at 2 am and getting home about 6 am...Today I stayed up because my breaks were making noise AGAIN...I had to take it in..they said that a piece of hardware had come loose...great...
Now I'm back in business..they fixed it..

I then went to the store with my daughter to find a birthday gift for my sweet Cameron. He turned 8 on March 6th and tomorrow is his party...
I didn't get his gift, but I did get a 32 inch tv for my living room...lol...It is now up and running and I am LOVING it...
So, now I will go to sleep for a bit and then head out to work for a few hours...

Hope everyone has a wonderful week-end!!

2011-02-27T17:31:00.000-08:00

The flowers I bought myself for Valentines Day...I just threw them out this week-end..Not too bad for $5.00..
Cameron and JJ (aka Patrick)..
As you can see, this picture was taken in 2005....I love to see what great people they are becoming. But I do have to admit that I miss them being little..
Cameron will be 8 years old on March 6th..I can't believe how the time has flown by..
JJ is now 5 or 6 inches taller than me..lol..

I had a folder on my computer that held old files...The file was made when I had a virus on and had to take it in to have it cleaned..they put the file together..I just this week-end spent some time going thru everything in it..
Of course, it held all of my pictures..My heart filled with such love looking at all of my LITTLE ones..lol..because they aren't so little anymore...

On Friday, my daughter, granddaughter and I went to Marquette University to buy some school clothes for Monique..and of course, we had to buy a t-shirt or two for each of us also..lol..have to support her school..
Well, we found t-shirts that say..Marquette Grandparent and Marquette Mom..Too cute...
Monique is sooooo excited to enter her new chapter of life..and I am so proud of her:)

I didn't do much this week-end..met my girlfriend and her husband for a drink late afternoon Saturday..came home and went to bed early..I was up at 2:30 am..drove 30 miles to clean one of the restaurants..
Today I've read the newspaper..I've been on the computer most of the day..lol...guess it doesn't matter, I have the house cleaned and my paperwork for my job done..although, I do kind of feel like it was a wasted day..
Maybe I just feel guilty because I feel like I should have gone to the gym...lol...I may not have done that, but I have made a great effort to watch what I've been eating..I haven't bought any candy in a week or so..I have been munching on apples, bananas and lots of pears..I bought salad fixings today..and I eat lots of oatmeal...
I don't weigh myself..Right now, I don't even have a scale..lol..I know how I'm doing by how my clothes feel...I will be satisfied once my work clothes feel good..It shouldn't take too long if I continue to be aware of what I am eating..and NO boredom eating..lol...unless it's a fruit..

Well, that's it for now..It's almost 9:00pm and I'm going to go to bed to watch a little tv and get to sleep early...

Have a great week:)

2011-02-23T05:40:00.000-08:00

I tried to go back to sleep this morning..I still felt tired...but it didn't happen..So, I guess it's time to start my day..

Yesterday, my daughter and I went for lunch at Applebees..We had the soup and salad special..it was very good..Spinach salad with grilled shrimp..
We did cheat though..we had a dessert..most restaurants are now offering tiny desserts.
Very tiny..just the right amount of sweets to satisfy the desire without making a person feel extremely guilty...lol..

Today we are supposed to head to the gym..it can be difficult to coordinate our schedules, but we should be able to do it today..We usually use the treadmill and then work with the weights for a bit..
She told me that she is going to take her ipod along and won't be able to talk as we work out because she isn't getting enough of a workout when we gab..okay...

My worst habit is eating out of boredom..terrible..I keep trying to change the bad eating habits but it sure isn't easy..
I really only need to lose about 1o or 15 pounds..and then firm up what is left..
It's strange how the body changes as you get older..
I've only noticed this over the last year or two..and believe me, I'm not liking it..all the more reason to get serious about the gym..

I've also noticed something else strange..In pictures, my smile looks weird..I can't even explain it, but my mouth doesn't look right...now I really don't like having my picture taken..lol...

I checked my bank balance this morning and was surprised to see more money in there than I thought I had..I don't have anything outstanding...hum...although, I have been doing better with not doing mindless shopping..that was costing me a ton of money..
Now, I only go to the store when I need something and I only get just what I need..
It is working well for me..Amen..

Well, it's almost 8 and I'm going to get this day started...
Have a good one!

2011-02-22T06:12:00.000-08:00

Snow, Snow, Go Away....

I think this round is almost done..The last two days have been so crappy for driving..
I'm sure by the time I get out and about today, the roads will be in pretty good shape.

This morning is bright and sunny with small flakes coming down..It looks very pretty actually...

I did my outside lights and signage at my banks..Making sure all lights are in working order..It takes me about 3 hours to make all of the rounds..
I only need to do it once a month, but it's one of those jobs that you tend to put off..lol..
I'm glad it's done...My boss only has one bank to worry about..Wonder how he would like to have 8..probably not so much..

I tried a new dating site..well, not actually tried it..I signed up and I checked things out..That's about as far as I've gotten..lol..
I know many people have found a "match"..but I'm not sure it's for me..
I did put a picture on this time..I don't usually do that..I'll check the site a couple of times and see what happens..I could never be one of those women that gets aggressive about it...

It's been almost three years since my divorce..For the most part, I'm happy with my life. I have a decent job. I have nice furniture. I have a great relationship with my son.
I can buy food. Grandkids...etc..
I don't "need" a man to take care of those things for me..but I'm ready to have a man in my life to share fun times with..go to festivals, out to dinner, maybe a movie...

Hopefully this summer I will be able to get involved in some activities that might bring me in contact with a larger circle of people..

For now, it's back to paperwork for me..
Have a great day!

2011-02-21T05:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Presidents Day!

Although I do have one group of banks closed today, we still work..Last week I left messages with the cleaners reminding them that we do work today. Now with this nasty snow and ice we have been blasted with, I'm wondering how many will call me today to say that they can't work..
They had the option of doing their bank on Saturday afternoon, Sunday or today.. so I don't think they should have any excuses for not having their job done..

My daughter and granddaughter spent the day Saturday at Marquette College doing the grand tour and she had to do an essay in hopes of getting a grant of some sort..She already gets an $11,000.00 scholarship..but needs all the extra help she can get. Tuition is approximately 32 grand a year..yikes, that's a lot of money..
Anyway, she had a blast during the tour. She met a few girls that are in the journalism school..and they have invited Monique to go to the next conference with them..So sweet. I think she has found a few girls to take her under their wing..
Moniques original plans called for her to live at home...it's only 9 miles from the school..now she would like to stay at school...It would add 8 or 9 thousand to her bill but they are going to see if they can make it happen...
I'm so happy that she is getting so excited about going..she had been so uncertain and scared of making the final decision..and a lot of that came from putting her boyfriends feelings first..

I think I'll head outside to see how bad my parking lot is..I'll shovel the sidewalks while I'm out there...the manager comes around to do that, but I don't mind giving a hand with it..it's good exercise..although I don't over do it..

Hope all is well in your neck of the woods..

2011-02-20T11:50:00.000-08:00

I don't know where the nice weather is, but it isn't in Wisconsin..

We are having a mixture of rain, snow, sleet and they are afraid that what has come down will all freeze tonight when the temps. fall...
Hopefully all of my workers will show up or I'll be out in the mess at 4:00am...

I did have Mason last night..He had been at his other grandmas house..The three of us went out to lunch together and then I brought him home with me..
We had a nice time of course...
We picked up trash around the apartment building that the wind has dropped here..Then we played catch for a while..He's getting a fairly strong arm..
We played numerous games of connect four, trouble and then he wanted to go to the old standby...candy land..lol...

I took him home early due to the weather..then I went to one of my buildings to replace a vacuum cleaner..the one there had burned out on Friday..I figured it would be better to do today as there aren't as many people out on the roads..

Tomorrow I hope to get my garage cleaned out and all of my supplies organized...
I usually have to do that once a week..
My van I have to clean out at least twice a week..and now it's even worse..I had to take things out and move things around so Mason could have a little room..

Right now I have a slight headache so I'm going to sit in the tub and relax for a bit..then I'll either get my sewing machine out and see what I can do or do some more ancestry work...

Have a wonderful week.....

2011-02-18T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yayyyy, It's Friday....
I am thinking of having my grandson Mason over Saturday night:) I'll have to give his mom a call. He may have plans already with his other grandma...If so, maybe I'll head down to her area Sunday morning and we'll go out for breakfast..That's always enjoyable:)

So far this morning I have gotten the house cleaned and I'm working on three loads of laundry.
Then I have to go thru some paper work that has collected during the week...lol..that is the one area that I REALLY tend to procrastinate...
I'm even going to try to get my work order in tonight or Saturday..that way I won't feel so rushed on Sunday..

I don't have to do much today for my job..I have to go to one building to resupply and the at 6:30 I have to train at one of my buildings. The woman I'm training already does cleaning and I worked with her on Tuesday, so it doesn't take too long..about an hour and a half..
Hopefully we will be able to keep all of our workers in place for a while and I won't have to worry about training for a while....

It has been getting warmer...yay....yesterday was in the high forties..today seems just as nice...
At this point in the year, I don't even mind getting snow because I know it won't stay on the ground long...AMEN...

I need to spend some time cleaning up my laptop..get rid of things on here that I no longer need.
I have a memory stick..I think I'll try putting some stuff on there..I've never used on before so it could be interesting..lol..

I don't know if anyone knows of the problems Wisconsin is having at the Capital but it's a mess..
My daughter is a corrections officer and she is one of the many people that will be affected the most if the bill to end collective bargaining is passed..(which it will be)..
She has already had 26 furlough days last year..which is a loss in pay of course..and she doesn't mind that..they just don't want to loss their bargaining power..
She had posted some things on face book and one of my friends got into the discussion..oh good grief..I finally let everyone on my sight know that I wasn't getting into the middle of it and didn't want to have my page used for the frigging war....I finally just removed all of their posts...

My granddaughter is the editor in chief of her school newspaper..so they are heading to the Capital today so she and the other journalists can interview people..it should be interesting..

Well, I better get moving on this paperwork..otherwise I'll decide that it can wait for another day..lol..doesn't take too much to put me off course...

Have a great week-end!!

2011-02-14T07:46:00.000-08:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

I may spoil myself with a bouquet of flowers from PicknSave...lol..I used to buy myself a bouquet every week..It didn't cost that much..and it was well worth it..

I have to work tonight. I have to train someone..He already works for us, so training should go well.

I have to train a lady tomorrow night..not sure how that will go..

I paid bills this morning..ugh..not my favorite thing to do.. I tend to procrastinate and then I end up with late fees..I'm trying to stay on task with that..I certainly don't need to put out additional money for being a slacker..lol..

My sil is doing my taxes. I should hear from her in the next couple of days..Sure hope I get something back...I'm using some of that money for my airline tickets to New York...and some towards bills..
I have a few bills that won't take too much to pay off...that would be nice..a few less to worry about each month...

I'm thinking that if I get enough paid off, I may buy a cheap motorcycle this spring..My daughter isn't thrilled with that idea..but I really do miss riding..At this point, it's just a thought...

I had to cover for one of my workers on Saturday night...Cleaning one of the restaurants..I did some detailing so I was there an extra hour for a total of 4 hours..I am not up to that anymore I can tell you...lol..
I am sooooo wishing for those extra banks so I don't have any restaurants or bars..Still haven't heard anything...but I did hear that my boss was talking to a woman about being an account manager..We definitely need one. He has too many buildings too..plus all of the other things he has to take care of...

I am hungry and don't have much in the house...and after paying the bills, won't be able to get much...lol...
I need to get organized with meals..right now it seems like I never cook an actual meal..between working strange hours and not knowing if Jeremy is going to be home...it gets difficult..
I did just buy a new slow cooker..the ex took both of my good ones and left me the crappy one..which I just threw out..
Maybe I'll pick something up to put in there..usually when I do that, we have enough for a couple of meals..

I guess that's it for news..exciting right? lol....

Have a very Happy Valentines Day!!

2011-02-11T10:31:00.000-08:00

Coming down the hill...I did too, but no one to take the picture of us...
Destiny says that she is Queen of the hill....lol...
we took a walk to Walgreens so she could spend her four dollars..
A movie, popcorn and juice...

These were from last week-end...

2011-02-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

The week-end is here....Yay.....
I have to clean one of the restaurants Saturday night and I'm still happy to see the week-end..lol..

I had a house to clean this morning..I make $70.oo for about 2 hours of work..
I so want to be able to just set that money aside so I have a cushion..Haven't been able to do it yet.
Maybe I'll at least try with this check..I'll set it aside and if I have to dig into it, so be it..

I sent my taxes and Jeremys to my sister-in-law..she has been doing them for us for 2 or 3 years now..She always gives me a great deal:)
I'm planning on using my returns on my trip to NEW YORK....I'll also pay for my granddaughters ticket for her graduation.
My daughter and one of my grandsons will go along too...We hope to go in June..Have to wait a bit for my daughter to figure out her vacation time at work..

I have wanted to go to NY since I was in Jr high..lol..I had read Valley of the Dolls...
We're trying to figure out all of the sights we want to see...I'm also going to do some research on my ancestors beginnings..The Brothertown Indian Tribe formed in NY...There was a small town called Brothertown..but I think the name had changed. I'm going to see if it would be feasible for us to go there and check out the cemetery..

Of course, we will go to ground zero and pay our respects...

My daughter wants to go to Carlo's Bakery...
Central Park, Statue of Liberty..and such....

She thinks the best place for us to stay is Jersey...hotel prices will be a lot less..

Well, guess I better get moving here.. I have to take my shower...eat something (I'm starving) and get ready to do a small job tonight...

Hope everyone has a great week-end..

2011-02-05T12:42:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is the BIG DAY...SUPER BOWL.....

I sure hope that we walk away with the title....

GO PACK GO!!!

My granddaughter just got another acceptance offer from a college here in town..Marquette..
They also offered her a scholarship for $11,200.00 a year for four years...
Now that all of the acceptance letters are in, she will FINALLY have to make a decision..I know it's been hard on her but she has to do it at some point.

My daughter isn't overly happy..she so wanted to move to a warmer state. Whether it be Arizona or Las Vegas didn't matter..
Now she will stay here in Wisconsin for at least another year so that my grandson can graduate next year..

He plans on joining the army..he wants to be a combat engineer..Although I'm proud of him, I almost wish he would choose something else..He's already taking classes in school that will count as college credits...both of the kids have taken advanced classes for some time now...

We got socked with a blizzard on the 2nd..it was VERY nasty..to the point that my boss called most of our clients to tell them that we most likely would not make it in...
I waited until 10 that night to call the restaurants..can you believe that one of the managers had the nerve to say"what are WE supposed to do"? She's lucky that I am not the boss of this company because I would have told her that SHE could put herself in danger and clean the place herself...Rude Bitch...
The next day almost everything was closed...I got a snow day...lol...it was great, I got to work on my pile of papers that was waiting for me..

My step-daughter sent me one of Camerons school projects.
It started out,,My favorite Christmas memory is--going outside. I go outside with my Abolita. Most people think she's grandma in espanyol. She lets me choose a present on Christmas. I picked out a star wars the clone wars gun. I say a electronic motorcycle. She bought me a shirt too!! I had a lot of fun...

Now let me say that my first reaction was to cry...lol...
Then I was just proud...of Cameron and myself..(don't want to sound conceited here)..I have always said that I want the kids to have special memories..and that is exactly what is happening..
The one time I took him out sledding was Last winter..I had gone to their house and it was freezing out..I took hot chocolate in a thermos..the snow was frozen and to hard to enjoy..but it turns out that this was one of his favorite memories...And it didn't cost me a darned thing except gas to get there....Time is what these kids really want from us...and that is one thing I can always give them...
I make the time..
Like tonight. Destiny is going to spend the night..We will do girly things and snuggle at bedtime.
And again, it won't cost me a thing...
That is one of the sad things about my divorce from their grandpa, I have to really work the time in because I work more than I did when we were together...But that letter of Camerons lets me know that it's well worth it:)

My daughter and I went to the Y today..We only walked on the treadmills for about 25 minutes. But that is more exercise than I have had in a long time..We want to start taking Zumba classes.
That's really a workout..but it must be done..because believe it or not, summer is on it's way...

Gotta run..couple of things to do before my little beauty queen gets here:)

GO PACK GO!!!!

2011-01-31T16:49:00.000-08:00

Let it snow, let it snow and LET IT SNOW....lol...
Over the next two days, we are expecting anywhere from 8 to 15 inches of snow...
I made it out of the house early today to restock as many buildings as I could...
I did pretty darned good..I think I made it to 8 buildings.

Some areas were a challenge to drive through and others, you could hardly tell that it was snowing..
I am supposed to go back out at ten tonight to recheck how one of my cleaners is doing..
I shouldn't have to do that, and I wouldn't have to if they would make sure and do all of the things on their task sheet...but that's the nature of the job.

My boss is having a difficult time with our two specialty cleaners..they do a lot of final cleans on office and warehouse space.. They are not doing the job up to our standards.
My boss is going to be replacing them soon..which is a chore in itself..but he can't keep taking his time to go back and finish what these guys didn't do...

LOL..I sure wish I had more to talk about than my job...
I went back on one of the dating sites..and again, I don't think that it's the way for me to go..I swear the same men are on it that were on the last time that I checked it out. lol....

Sunday is Super Bowl Sunday...can't wait for that..although I have to admit, it does cause a great deal of tension when the score is close..lol...hope we can start out ahead and stay that way..at least I'll be able to relax a little..

My granddaughter has changed her mind again about where she wants to go to college..I understand that it is one of the hardest decisions that she will ever make..I just hate to see her make that kind of decision based on her feelings for her boyfriend.
He isn't (at least at this point) making any plans for college..He does work but only part time.
She needs to do what is right for her..I am almost at the point where I hope she does go to Loyola..at least that would put some distance between them and she would have more of the college experience...

I should be doing my paper work for my rent certificates so that I can get my taxes done...yep, that's what I'm going to do...get off the computer and finally do what needs to be done..I'm lucky enough to get a few dollars back..so I need to get this done...

2011-01-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

WE ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!

The Packers did us proud...they made it through the play offs and into the Super Bowl...
There was so much excitement I thought a few people were going to burst..lol...dancing, singing, chanting and all around good feelings....

Thank you Green Bay Packers!!!

I have to say, it can be VERY nerve racking to watch such an important game..I had such tension in my neck and shoulders..lol...
I thought I would lose my voice from all of the yelling and cheering...

Now back to work today..
I have to train a young girl at one of the banks..she's 17 and wants to save money for college..
Hopefully she is responsible..and will stay with the job..It's not a very hard bank to keep in good condition..
It's only 2 hours a night, three days a week..It should only take me this week to train her and then hopefully I won't have to train anyone for a while...

Still waiting to hear about getting the 13 banks that we are hoping to get..I sure hope we hear something soon..originally we were supposed to hear something in January...so time is getting short on that.. I swear I am keeping my fingers crossed...lol...I truly want to be done with dealing with the bars and restaurants...

It's still cold out..although not as bad as it was last week..I'm just so done with getting bundled up to go do something..

Hopefully we won't get snow for a while now..I think we're behind in the amount we have gotten so far..that's fine with me..lol...

Hope everyone has a great week....

2011-01-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

I picked my sweet Cameron up yesterday after work...We went for a few groceries and then came home..(after picking up JJ..I needed him here in case I had to work..
Good thing I did, because I did have to go to work at 3:00am...not fun..anyway..

We went by my girlfriends house for pizza and a movie..along with another friend and her two granddaughters..it was nice..cute movie..good pizza..

I think Cameron was sleeping by 9:30..I wasn't up much longer than that..lol..knowing that I had to be up at three..

I got home about 5:45 and he was already up. I had him come back to bed and watch a movie while I got a little sleep..
Then it was time for breakfast and ten games of Connect four..lol..Believe me, he would have played longer.

I've washed one load of laundry..put that in the dryer and started another load..it's very frustrating when you live in an apartment..most of the people here do not care if they inconvenience everyone else by leaving their clothes sitting in the washer or dryer for hours...
I've taken things out and set them on the counter top..but I don't like doing that..I shouldn't have to do that...
They also don't take their nasty lint out of the filter...I don't get it..Oh well...life in an apartment..

I'm going to watch the Packer game tomorrow..We play against the Chicago Bears...it won't be pretty...they are our biggest rival and this game will determine which team goes to the super bowl...Sure hope it's us..

I'm going to check on Cameron now and see how he is enjoying his movie..
This boy was soooo excited about being able to spend TWO nights with me..such a simple thing. Just goes to show that it really is about the Time we give them....

2011-01-20T20:43:00.000-08:00

For my Moms birthday, my daughter and grandkids had one of my Moms favorites...Strawberry shortcake.....yum, yum..I wish I had another piece right now...lol

Thank goodness this week is going fairly fast...It has been a rough one..I'm hopelessly optimistic that things are going to calm down..lol...I try not to put a curse on things by saying that too often. I also need to know that there is an end in sight to the madness of this thing I call a job..lol..

I spent 1 week training a man for a job that I knew wasn't right for him or the client...I'm not in charge of interviewing and hiring...Then I had to spend another two nights training the replacement person...I think she is the perfect fit..I sure hope so.

Now I have 1 building (a bank) that I need to train the new girl at next week..then all of my buildings will be full and hopefully will stay that way for a while.

Hopefully tomorrow will go smoothly. I am getting my wonderful grandson Cameron for the week-end.. For the longest time he has been asking to spend more than one night with me..I explained that with my job it is hard to do that.. but I promised him that I would work on having him for more than one night as soon as I could..So, that is what I am doing. lol...he actually asked if he could stay for 14 days...I told him something like that would have to wait until I could take some vacation...lol.. I told him he would probably miss his Mom if he was gone that long..he said that he wouldn't ..lol..

My cable is acting up..the picture gets all distorted and pauses..I called the company and they can't get anyone out here until Monday...Ugh...
The woman from the cable company was very nice though..she's going to give me a credit..Yay..
That has never happened before..

My team the Green Bay Packers are playing the Bears on Sunday..I am NOT missing that. It's the game that will determine which of these teams will go to the super bowl...Oh please let it be the Packers!!!!

I'll probably go to the bar to watch it...a place where everybody knows your name..lol...and they put out a really nice spread for half time..Yay,, no cooking for me.

Last Saturday when the Packers played against the Falcons, (and we beat the feathers off of them) I went to the bar with my girlfriend, her husband and another couple that they know. I spent some time talking to a guy that had never been to that bar before...Because the other girls were telling me that he was cute...I decided to go up to him and introduce myself...lol...I put my hand out to shake his as I was introducing myself..and then we both just held on to each others hands for more than the normal time...
Then we spent some time getting to know each other..as it turns out, he grew up in the general area that I grew up in.
We also know some of the same people from back in the day..
My Mom had a best friend..Her name was betty...(boop)..lol...They had known each other from the time I was two years old..Betty was my second Mom..Betty had 5 kids..Dennis, David, Randy,Renae and Charlie...well, as it turns out, this guy (Dave) knows all of them...
Any way, we seemed to have a nice connection..he did give me his business card. He sells cars and motorcycles..I had told him that I might be looking for a bike in the spring..
He told me to call him so he would have my number and then he could call me if something came in...
Due to some unforeseen circumstances I had to leave the bar without being able to say goodbye to him..I really hope that he didn't think that it was because I didn't have an interest in him..
I did leave him a message on his business phone..so, we'll see what happens..
I'm not thinking about the distant future. I just think he might be someone that I wouldn't mind spending some time with:)
It was also like a door opening..it's been almost 3 years since my divorce..and he is the first guy that I have thought I might like to know better.
I had started to think that there wasn't anyone out there that I would even begin to feel some interest in...or that someone would have an interest in me...now at least I know that there might be...and that's a nice thought...

I really would like to have something more to talk about other than my job...lol...

I'm very glad that tomorrow is Friday..I am sooo looking forward to the week-end..hoping to get the down time that I need after this week:)

It is sub-zero out...and won't warm up for at least a few days..
The bright side is that it is staying light out longer and that always gives me hope that spring is Really on it's way..
People think I'm crazy..they only see that we are still in for a lot of cold and snow. I prefer to dream about spring and summer being on it's way...

Stay warm and have a nice week-end....

2011-01-09T16:37:00.000-08:00

Today marks the 4th anniversary of my Moms passing..
For some reason, I have been more emotional this year than in the past..I had always thought in terms of time easing the hurt..guess it doesn't always work that way..
I was so very blessed to have the Mom that I did..it didn't matter that we were poor and she could never do all for us that she would have liked too..she was my Best friend!
I knew what was in her heart..her children..I knew the hurt she felt because she thought she hadn't done enough, couldn't give us enough....
I always told her and showed her that she had given far more than material things..she gave of herself..her door and her heart was always open to her kids..
I couldn't have had a better Mom..and I miss her....
I just tried scanning one of her pictures to my computer, but it didn't work.
I will have to get some pictures transferred somehow...
I've had a good cry and feel somewhat better...maybe that's what I needed all along. A few moments of mourning...I do try to honor my Moms memory by talking about the good times. The times we spent laughing or being silly...
January 16th is her birthday...one more anniversary to make it through...lol..I know I'll be okay. I have my Mom as my guardian angel:)

2011-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00

It's been a very busy week...
My van broke down...it needs a new engine...ugh..I was really afraid of how my boss would handle it..but that went well..thank goodness..lol..
He called me and said, "the bad news, your van needs a new engine, the good news is, you don't have to pay for it"...I told him I would make him muffins. He told me I should make LOTS of them...lol...

Then we talked about the expansion of the business..things are looking very good..It is looking like we will have to hire another account manager...YAY....
He said that the new person would be in charge of all bars and restaurants...AMEN..that is the answer to my prayers...
I don't mind most of what I have to do for my job...I do mind having to be on call 24 hours a day.. Getting up every morning at 3:30am to make sure everyone is checked in...having to do this even on the week-ends..

I will have my week-ends back...I will have mostly banks...It will be a Monday thru Friday position...
2 years of getting up at 3:3oam seven days a week has really taken it's toll on me..
I JUST WANT A FULL NIGHTS SLEEP.....lol...

We are going out for our Christmas dinner on Saturday...We're actually going to one of the restaurants that we clean..He believes in giving back..
It's an expensive seafood restaurant..He says they have the best crab cakes...and I can't wait to try one..
It will be fun having a reason to get dressed up...
I'll let you know how it turns out....and if I get a Christmas bonus....

2010-12-31T09:41:00.000-08:00

It's the Eve of the New Year!!
I wish peace, health and happiness to all!!

The weather has been very strange..today it is in the 40s, most of the snow has melted..which is fine with me:)
This week-end is supposed to send us into a deep freeze..I am not looking forward to that..

My grandson JJ aka..Patrick is now an employee of mine..He filled out all of his paperwork at the office yesterday. He won't have his own building at this time. He will be helping me when I have to cover a job.
He has 3 hours in already and will get a couple more tomorrow..
It will give him a few bucks and good training..

Last night I went to my friends house for a Holiday get together..I'm always the odd man out with the other being couples...but it really didn't matter last night..Just a good group of people having great conversation and LOTS of great food..They definitely know how to keep people from being hungry..lol...
I had a really busy day yesterday so I wasn't really even in the mood to go..I ended up being the first one there..lol...and although I thought I would only stay an hour or so,,I stayed until 11:30..Which is really late for me...lol..

Tonight I'm going by my girlfriends house for some cards and eats and then maybe hit the corner bar for one...
I don't think I will even stay out until Midnight...I have to be at one of my accounts at 4:00AM..
The bar is only closing down for 1Hour...It's a two hour job on a good day..there is no way my cleaner will be able to get it done in an hour...so, I will be there to help him..

It's been a good year for me...I'm going into the New Year with high hopes that things will continue to go in a positive directions.
I wish the same for you!!

2010-12-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

Mason, Cameron and Destiny...Eating their dinner while watching a movie in my bedroom.
Mason and Cameron with their new nerf guns..
Me with the kids..
Merry Christmas from my house to yours!!!!
I feel bad that I haven't had the time to blog..Although I have taken the time to read others...

I had the three little ones over last Saturday to celebrate Christmas...
We had a great time..Although I think the picture show that I am a little worn out..lol..

Tonight I will go by Masons other grandmas house. We split the cost of Masons gift as it was a bit pricey..We got him the DS and of course it had to be the latest version. Almost $200.00 for a hand held game system..His parents are going to get him some extra games for it..

After that, I will go to my daughters house to celebrate with her and the kids..Can't wait for that...She has been teasing me with whatever my present is...lol...She sent me a picture of my wrapped gifted via the web..I think it's a set of storage containers..lol..
She knows how I feel about those..
She wasn't supposed to get me anything after paying for the trip to Vegas...but she did anyway...shame on her:)

My granddaughter has been accepted at all of the university's that she has applied too.
She has decided on University Nevada Las Vegas...and because my daughter had planned on moving to a warmer climate anyway, they will ALL be moving to Vegas in June or July...
That is going to be hard...not having them nearby...but I understand and I have told her many times that if she is going to make the move, do it while I am still healthy..lol
I don't want her to feel like she can't make the move she wants to because of me..
I'll be fine until I make the decision to move also..which is the plan. I won't do it for another couple of years..but I will be making that move also...
I still need time with the little ones..I have memories to make with them...it won't be as hard to leave them when they are a little older:)

My step-daughters surprised me with some very nice gifts for Christmas..totally unexpected...
The best gift of all is the card that one of them wrote to me...
Sheri,
Happy Holidays and we all wish you a Happy New Year:) We are very thankful God has blessed us with you in our lives! You're truly an amazing person to know. We love you.....

How nice was that?? I was trying to read it to my girlfriend and had to let her read the card herself because I started to cry...I told Cameron that it was the best gift I received..

THAT is what the season is all about...

My daughter just stopped by to pick up all of the things that need to be at her house tonight...
presents, deviled eggs, cookies, and shrimp...

It's going to be a blast..
I am already tired...I thought I would have enough time to get a quick nap in, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen..lol..

We have been soooo busy at work...getting new buildings, training new people...
New buildings are a good thing..It's just such a chore getting everything and everyone into place...

I just received a text from one of my workers asking if she has to do both of her buildings today...That would be a yes...I don't know why she would think otherwise..
and why would you wait until now to ask? She could have been almost done by now..she made the comment that she is sick of having to scramble around on Christmas Eve...
There are LOTS of people that have to work today...and she has been out of work three days this week...that has put us out...but I guess she doesn't care about that..Guess it might be time to cut her down to one building if doing two is a problem..

Other than that, everything is going well..my other workers are all checking in as scheduled..Because the banks closed at noon, they are able to start early...

Well, that's all for now.

Wishing you a Very Merry Christmas!!
Sheri

2010-11-27T19:20:00.001-08:00

Hoover Dam..
Hoover Dam..
Grand Canyon
My Granddaughter Monique and her boyfriend Brian..
Grand Canyon...
Grand Canyon...Monique, Me, the Chief, my daughter Shannon and my grandson Paris..

The pictures don't do these places justice. There is just no way to capture the beauty that surrounds you..

2010-11-24T17:56:00.000-08:00

Wishing everyone a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!!
I have so many things to be thankful for...First and foremost would be my kids and my grandkids. I can't think of anything that would come before them..
Next, I am thankful for my health..
I'm thankful that I have a job that allows me to pay my bills and leaves a little left over for fun stuff....lol...

Okay...now I'll tell you about my trip to VEGAS...well, they don't call it lost wages for nothing.lol.
No, I was not a winner in the end..Oh, but I had soooo much fun trying..lol..
The hotel that we stayed at was also kid friendly..They have a bowling alley, a movie theater and an arcade..Mostly the kids were with us out and about but they did find some time to go to the arcade for a while..
We went to see the Hoover Dam...Oh my gosh, I was amazed at how beautiful it was..
We took a ton of pictures. After spending time there we went to the Grand Canyon..Fantastic..
It was just awesome..we took a ton of pictures there also...We did a lot of walking and even a little climbing..Talked to one of the security guards for a bit..It's one of those things that you just can't do justice with words or pictures..You really do have to see it for yourself...
My granddaughter got her first tattoo....All three of us girls did..matching tattoos...three small stars in a triangle pattern..One star for each of us:) It actually didn't hurt too bad this time..lol...
It was an awesome trip..not nearly long enough...lol...Can't wait to go somewhere again..

So, last night I was on the computer messing around on face book...looking up names of people that I grew up with....I found someone that grew up on the same block as me. I was always hanging out at his parents house with his sister...
I also always had a crush on him:)...I think he's probably about 4 years older than me..
Well, I decided that I would send him a note..and to my surprise he answered today..giving me his e-mail address and saying he would love to catch up....lol...
I had told him that when I saw his picture, the first thing that came to mind was that he looked just the same..Okay, maybe a few years older, but I could still see that handsome young man in those pretty blue eyes....
If nothing else, it could be an interesting journey....

Tomorrow I will go to my daughters house for some games with the kids and dinner.
She is making a turkey and all the trimmings.
I'm making a ham and I "bought" pumpkin pies..I couldn't help myself..I just don't have the energy to make my own..
I'm going to sleep until I wake up on my own in the morning...I don't have any late night workers checking in...AMEN.....

Guess that's it for right now...
Happy Thanksgiving!!! Have fun, drive safe if you're traveling....

2010-11-11T05:30:00.000-08:00

I don't seem to have much motivation this morning..
My birthday was on Tuesday...55...it just doesn't seem possible...lol..how did that happen and where did the time go??

How is it that when I look in the mirror, I don't think I look bad for my "age"..but when I see a picture, I cringe..
I have found some people on facebook that I haven't seen for years...and a few of them look OLD....So, of course, I know that they must be thinking the same thing about me..SHE GOT OLD....lol....

I try not to worry about it too much..it is what it is..
All in all, it was a nice birthday..My bosses wife got me a small cake, a plant and a nice card. My daughter took me out to breakfast..My girlfriend took me out for lunch the day after and my grandson made me a beautiful card...That was the best.. And then of course, there is the trip to Vegas in three days...Can't wait for that...

My brothers birthday is the day before mine. I called him and he actually answered..I haven't talked to him in a year or so..He has some psychological problems..It's sad. He is a good person. When he's not doing drugs or drinking. I won't deal with him when he has been doing either. He doesn't have anyone other than me. Due to his issues..so, I feel bad, but I can't help him.
He is two years older than me. He told me that he has had three small heart attacks.
And a blocked artery..So, who knows what his future will be.
I noticed this morning that he called me at 2 am this morning...That is what I mean about his issues..why would he think that it's ok to call at 2 in the morning?

My granddaughter was accepted into another college.. One of the local ones UWM..
Although it is not one of her top picks, she was excited to be accepted..She probably won't hear from Loyola until the end of the month....

People are laughing at me because I put my tree up already...tradition for me is to put it up on Thanksgiving day...Well, that was when I was married and my husband did the cooking and I did the tree...lol...So, now I must improvise...and with my schedule, I need to get things done when I can..
When I get back from my trip, I will start going thru the bins in the basement and making decisions on which decorations I will be using. Then on Thanksgiving I will be prepared for getting the tree done without all of the work that goes with the job..

My suitcase is packed....On takeoff day, Monday, all I will have to do is drop my van off at the shop and nothing more..I will be able to relax until it's time to go to the airport..

My daughter is trying to map out our day trip to the Grand Canyon. It is looking like it will take closer to three hours to get there rather than the two she thought. That's ok.
It will be a nice road trip for us. With a stop on the way to see the Hoover Damn...

Work has been extra busy..training new people..I train two people tonight..Not looking forward to that...lol...

It is a beautiful sunny day out though and that is a good thing..Always makes a person feel a little better..
On that note, I better get moving here...

2010-10-31T15:27:00.000-07:00

Now for the good news....

My daughter is paying for my air fare and hotel to Vegas..It's my birthday and Christmas gift combined:)
Originally it was to be my daughter, granddaughter, grandson and myself..
Today my daughter felt bad about Monique's boyfriend Brian not being able to afford to go with us....So, she told him that she would pay for part of the cost as a Christmas gift.
I said I would pay a portion as my gift to him..He would have to come up with the rest..
He said he could do that. He sent me a text message thanking me...

We are going to try to go see the Grand Canyon and Hoover Damn while we are out there.
We are going to spend two nights at the Orleans..then head over to the Luxor for one night.
Paris is fascinated with the Luxor..and Chris Angel..So, spending the night there is going to be his special treat.

We are leaving Nov.15th and coming back on the 18th..
I can't wait. I haven't been anywhere in some time and I miss it..
I NEED to get away from work and my work phone...lol..
I NEED to be able to sleep a FULL night...Not having to wake up at 4:00am every morning to make sure everyone is clocked in...
I think it will be rejuvenating to say the least....
Best present ever...

Monique is checking out colleges..She is waiting to hear back from a couple of them right now.
One is Arizona State. They have a very good journalism class.
One is Loyola in Chicago..We went there last Thursday for the tour..It seems like a very good school..she seems very interested..
There are pros and cons to each. She has a rough decision to make..I'm not sure what it is going to take for her to make that decision.
Arizona would certainly be less costly...lol...And WARMER..

On that note, I'm going to get busy and do my paperwork for work and then go to bed early....
Happy week to all..

2010-10-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Two days ago, I had all intentions of being able to make a happy entry..
I will have a few exciting things to talk about, but yesterday I heard some news that breaks my heart.

I learned that someone very dear to my heart only has a short time to live. He has pancreatic cancer..
I met Lyle about 14 years ago. I had gotten a job as a bartender here in town. He was already employed there.
We became fast friends..he had, and still has, an awesome sense of humor.
I'm not even sure of his age right now. I would say somewhere in his late 70s..Maybe even 80..

He lives with his longtime girlfriend Sandy. I cleaned for them for a few years. Lyle would usually be home when I got there. So, of course, we would spend some time chatting.
Since the time I stopped working for them, I only see Lyle when I run into him out and about town... The time span doesn't matter. We have a mutual love and respect for each other.
I want to call him to let him know that I'm thinking of him and to offer any help I can.
Because we have never had the type of relationship that entails calling each other, will it be awkward for me to make that call? It doesn't matter, I wouldn't feel right it I didn't call..
Please say a prayer that whatever time Lyle has left be as pain free as possible.

I'll make an entry in the next couple of days about the things that I was going to write about..

2010-10-16T10:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Sweetest Day!!

Happy Bosses Day!!

So, it's sweetest day..I don't think anyone will be taking me out for a romantic dinner or giving me flowers..lol...

I am going to pick up Destiny and we'll have our own Sweetest Day. We are going to stop at the store on our way back to my house..
I desperately need a jewelry box..So, I think I will get one if I find one cheap enough..I'll let Destiny pick something out for herself too...

The last week or two have been so hectic at work...Don't know when it will ever slow down..
I had to train at a restaurant..that took 4 nights...
I have been having problems with another worker at the other restaurant..He isn't doing all he should be doing. And our clients have him on tape just sitting..not mopping floors as he should..
By the time the meeting ended, he said he no longer wanted to work at the restaurant..which means, we have to find someone new and then I have to spend the time to train them...ugh...
The shame of it is, for the most part, the restaurant looks pretty darned good..and he ALWAYS shows up...We just can't have workers sitting around..
The funny thing is that during the conversation, my worker stated that there isn't enough time allotted for that job...(which is kind of true), but as I told him, then he shouldn't be sitting down..
He said that's a lie..Guess he still isn't understanding that they have it on tape..
He does another job for us...a bank which is 5 nights a week..plus the restaurant..plus he and another person do 4 to 5 houses a day...yeah,, that's why he is sitting around on my jobs...

I am training at one of my banks..probably another two days..

I need a break..I have 7 days of vacation left..I need to use them...I am trying to get everyone settled before I do..

My house needs some tender loving care...lol..
I did paint my bathroom..a fairly dark green...strange, I never used to like green...lol..

I need to do laundry...
Maybe I'll have Destiny help me with that today..she's a great little helper...

I got a wireless printer...and I'm loving it..I don't have to take my laptop into the bedroom anymore to get something printed...

For Bosses Day, I gave my boss some homemade muffins and a bottle of Margarita Mix..It's the Skinny Girl brand..Produced by Bethenny Frankle from the Housewives of New York..I just love her..I also bought a bottle for myself...lol...

Last night I decided that I was going to sleep this morning until I woke up on my own..
NOT HAPPENING....
I woke up at 4:10 to make sure that my workers had clocked in..I went right back to sleep..
THEN one of my cleaners called me at 6:15 to tell me that he was going to need more cleaning towels....ARE YOU KIDDING ME?? I told him that needing more rags was not an emergency..
That is something that can wait until later in the day...Do not call me at that hour unless it is an EMERGENCY....Geeezzz....

Oh well,, Maybe tomorrow...lol....

Have a great day!!!
I'll try to post pictures of Destiny later....

2010-10-03T12:14:00.000-07:00

This is Mason at his 2nd soccer game...My little red head..
It was really cold out, but none of the kids complained..That was a surprise.
Masons team won..

I've been doing paper work...for my job and sorting through papers for home stuff..oh gosh, what a daunting job..I'm still not done but felt that I really needed a break from it.
I'll continue to work on it through the evening.

It was only 47 here today.. kind of nice to wear some of my clothes for cooler weather.
Although I'm sure I'll be complaining about the cold in no time...lol...

My daughter, two of my grandkids and I went out for breakfast this morning.. Cracker Barrel..I wasn't overly impressed..Not the best I've had, more expensive than I care to pay and not the biggest portions.
I think next week-end, I'll have to take them to the place I've discovered for getting a great breakfast at a great price...

Then we went over to Walmart.. I got a couple of things I needed..I think they mostly bought food..

Now I'm watching the Packer game...They're ahead by 8 points...hope they can keep it ..
Today they are wearing pink accessories in support of Breast Cancer.. Mostly pink wrist bands and towels..but some of them even have pink cleats on...

It's going to be another busy work week..We have to start another account on Thursday night..
Another restaurant..ugh...start time- 3:00am...I will probably be training until at least until Sunday..So, that means the week-end is shot for me..

Well, I better get back to my paper work..
Hope you all have a wonderful week...

2010-09-24T08:29:00.000-07:00

Yee haa....it's Friday....and I'm very happy about that..Although, the week-end goes by so fast, sometimes I wonder if it was ever here...lol...

I recently reconnected with a friend..Lisa..
She and her husband have stayed in contact with my ex, Carlos..
She told me a bit about his new girlfriend..Not too much, as I don't want to spend my time rehashing a bad time in my life...
She did mention that the new girlfriend is 65 and lives in Manitowoc..

Well, this morning as I was on the computer, it took me to another site...ok..fine.
The site is MY LIFE..I have a profile on there. But I did not join. So my information is limited.
It will tell you if there are people searching for you..And guess what? It says that there is a 65 year old woman that lives in Manitowoc looking for me...
I'm sure she has some interest in who I am and what I'm about..But I certainly didn't think that she would try to look me up..
I'm surprised that she didn't try facebook...although, maybe she did...and I just don't have a way to see that...
Oh well...I hope she finds something better to do with her time....

Not sure what I'll be doing this week-end. I am training again tonight..Get up at 1:30am, get to the job at 3:00am..work until 5:15am and then head home to get a little sleep..
Other than that, not sure what.. I may try to have Mason over Saturday night.
I'm sure JJ will want to come over tonight. He wanted to come over last week-end, but I just needed some time without any kids around..lol...

It has cooled down and we are having very strong winds...I worry a little because I have a huge weeping willow in my front yard..It loses a ton of small branches.

Guess that's it for now. I have to go to one of my accounts this morning because most of their electrical outlets are blown..and my cleaner can't vacuum properly...

Have a wonderful week-end!!

!!

2010-09-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

My grandson Mason spent Friday night with his other grandma..Saturday morning I picked them up and we went for breakfast..oh, so, good....and the prices are low..and the food is great and believe me, they give you plenty...
Mason is talking about wanting a DS system. They aren't cheap..so, his other grandma and I are looking into finding one for the best price and splitting the cost..He will either get it for his birthday Nov. 1st or Christmas...

I went to one of my accounts this morning to resupply...then came home and organized my storage locker..Now it will be easier to access what ever I need..I'm happy about that.
I brought up a few of my Halloween/fall items..

I put my heavy comforter on my bed. It's very comfy and cozy...

I located the box that my new cell phone came in..It's my work phone, purchased by my boss. He had sent me an e-mail asking if I still had the box because he needs it to receive the rebate.
He'll be happy to know that I have it.

This week I will have to train the new guy at one of the restaurants we are getting..Hopefully it will only take a couple of days to train him...It's very basic work..Then the following week..I will train another new worker....
I think this week is the start of the new restaurant. Which means, I have to learn the building also..And be there at 3:00am...lol..not looking forward to that...

I still have to find time to take the rest of my vacation time...before the end of December..Maybe after I get everyone trained, I'll take a couple of days and then the rest in December...
Believe me, I'm ready for a break...

Hope everyone has a great week!!

2010-09-16T15:43:00.000-07:00

I wore one of my long sleeve work shirts today...ugh..I'm glad to have the oppressive heat gone..just didn't want it to get too cool...lol...
One thing about the weather? There's always something to complain about...lol..

This week has gone fast..thank goodness..
I might have my grandson Mason over this week-end...still trying to decide. His other grandma and I are planning on getting together for breakfast Saturday morning. Mason will probably stay with her Friday night..so I thought I might as well just bring him home with me...

I have been spending more time doing the ancestry research..Someone else online has done a family tree..they have traced my family back the the 1700s..To Chief Wyandanch...Very interesting. And time consuming.
My family comes from the Narragansett and Montauk Tribes..These were two of the 6 tribes that banded together to form the Brothertown Tribe..
Most of the Narragansetts are still in New York.. When my granddaughter and I are in New York, I'm going to see what history I can find in the short time we will be there. I can not wait..It is definitely a journey I look forward to taking.

I reconnected with a girlfriend I haven't spoken to in about two years..In that time, she and her husband have somewhat stayed friends with my ex, Carlos.
It's kind of strange. I have know Lisa and her husband for about 12 years..So, I'll take it slow and see what happens..

I've got to go to work tonight for a bit. Our guys are doing some floor refinishing at one of my buildings, so I'm going to go and make sure they know exactly what they are supposed to do..It won't take me too long.
Tomorrow, I'm going to get my week-end started early...lol. and take it easy...lol..

Hope everyone has a wonderful week-end..

2010-09-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

I DID IT!!!!

I put up the brackets for my shelves...it wasn't the easiest job getting them even, but I got them close enough..lol..
They work and that's all that matters..

My neighbors probably weren't happy with the noise, but oh well......it was 10:00am..
I thought by that time everyone was probably up and about...

Sorry the picture is sideways..makes it hard to see..

I put in the two bottom shelves..

2010-09-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day!!

I woke to rain, thunder and lightening..It's getting louder..I'm glad that I keep my van in the garage. The news is showing some areas that had fairly good sized hail..
It feels good to have the windows open and fresh air coming in..it has that nice rain smell...
It probably good for the bushes in front of my window..
Yesterday I spent some time outside trimming them..They looked really bad. Over grown and out of control..It looked dumpy..
I ended up with two big bags of trimmings..
There is one more small bush that could probably use a trim also..but I was running out of steam and it isn't to large..so I left it alone.

The bushes on the other side of the building actually look worse than mine did..I would estimate that I would end up with at least four- five bags if I trimmed those.
Which I will probably end up doing at some point..
I don't like having the entrance look shabby..

The worst part is the prickly weeds. One of the bushes also has prickly stems...
I need a heavy duty pair of gloves..

I think I need to change rooms with my son...At first it was just the guy upstairs that was continually waking me up..last night it was the people that I share a common wall with...it's driving me frigging crazy..All I want to do is SLEEP...

It will be a big chore to do the move because my bedroom set is so large..but in the long run it will be worth it I'm sure...

I do have a couple of buildings that I want to go to today..Sometimes it's just nicer to go when no one is there..
I don't have any other plans today so I guess it doesn't matter..

It's going to be a busy week for me with training at least two, possibly three people.
Restaurants are just the worst..because of the hours..I don't look forward to that..

On that note, I better get moving here and get some stuff done.
Hope everyone has a great day!

2010-09-05T05:26:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful sunny morning..
I'm not sure what my day is going to consist of. But I'm going to enjoy it no matter what I do..

Yesterday I put a shelf up in my garage..turned out pretty good if I do say so..lol.
I cleaned out what didn't need to be in there. I hung up a few items that had been taking up floor space..It looks nice. (and tidy).

I have a narrow closet next to my kitchen sink. It has two shelves. I plan on putting two more in. I bought the boards and the supports. Only one problem, I bought the boards too big..shame on me for not looking at my paper with the measurements.
Patrick came over yesterday and brought his moms hand saw. It shouldn't be too much of a chore to cut the boards down.

I am already seeing how much better off I am financially living here. After paying the rent, I still have enough money left over to more than last me until pay day next Friday...
I'm sure not rolling in money, but at least I don't have to be afraid of how I'm going to make it until the next check comes in:) It's a good feeling.
I still have things that I have to pay off. I'm going to try to pay extra on everything to get it paid off as soon as possible. But I don't want to start doing that until I have a little extra stocked away..

I better get off the computer and start getting some stuff done..
Hope everyone has a great day!

2010-09-01T04:35:00.000-07:00

Good morning:)

Can you believe that it is already September 1st??
Yesterday I noticed that some of the trees are changing color...it seems early for that..

I had a lazy week-end. Feel kind of bad that I didn't get at least one of the little ones before they start school today..But I felt like I needed a couple of days to regroup..
I called all three little ones last night to wish them a great first day of school today.
They are soooo excited. Cameron will be in 2nd grade and Mason and Destiny will be in 1st grade..
Cameron and Destiny will be going to a new school this year. I hope they do okay with the change. Cameron has issues with large groups. He just doesn't know how to deal with it. I hope his mom gets him some help with that. I hate to see him fail because of something he cant control..
He did some reading for the teacher while at registration and she told him how advanced he is..He was very proud..

Yesterday I found out that I am going to have two more restaurants added to my route...Oh crap...I'm very glad that we are getting more business..good for the company, good for me..lol...but why oh why do they have to be restaurants? lol...

The company has five restaurants total...We already do one of them..We had a second one for a while. Then they decided to go with another cleaning company..Now they want us to come back...plus added another one..
We will start them the middle of next week..Which means, my boss and I will be up in the middle of the night doing them.
When we find cleaners for them, then it will take at least two to three days to train.

I have a replacement for the position that my granddaughter is giving up..
This woman was working for us before..then had to leave because she didn't have transportation any longer.
This job is on the bus line, so she should have no problems. I hope..

Actually, I just had a thought that I better check in to...she had been going to English classes. She wouldn't be able to get to the job until 10:00pm..and finishing at 12:30..I better find out if the buses run that late.
I hope so. She is a good worker and I would like for her to be able to take this position.

Yesterday I did something that was hard and relieving at the same time...
I sold my wedding rings..
The total for the three sets was about $3,500.00.. I got $240.00...
Many jewelry stores are buying gold right now..they don't care how many diamonds are in the rings. They are only paying for the weight of the ring..

My decision was to just get rid of the rings and be done with it.
I had thought about saving one set for Destiny and one set for Monique..But in the long run, it didn't seem to make sense to save rings from a failed marriage.
It didn't make sense to have these rings around as a constant reminder.

I had thought about trying to sell them on Craigs list. I could have probably gotten more. I just didn't want to deal with all of that..
Now it is done and I can move on..

I'm going to buy a couple of shelves and brackets for my garage. My plan is to put them up so I have extra room for supplies. That way, I will always have extra and won't have to worry about going out to the shop for supplies if the weather gets nasty.
Right now, I drive out to the shop every Tuesday for supplies. Which sometimes puts me in a bind when I need stuff for Monday..
If I get some extra stock here, it won't matter which day I go to the shop..
Just thinking ahead to the colder weather...lol...yes, it will come..lol...

Not too much else new..
Hope a great day is had by all.....

2010-08-27T11:30:00.000-07:00

Not too much new around here.

I am mostly settled in my new place. And I am loving it.
It takes such a short time to get things in order. I do a quick pick-up before I leave for work and when I come home, I can relax..Very nice to say the least.

My granddaughter Monique gave her two week notice on her job..I'm going to miss having her work for me. I have been VERY proud of the job she has done..

She decided that with this being her senior year, she needs to concentrate on school. She already has a new job lined up. She will be working on the week-ends rather than during the week.

She will be getting her senior pictures soon. Can't wait to see them.

Yesterday when I went out to the office, I received my new gas card...Yippee!!
I will save so much..
I also don't have to keep track of my mileage anymore. That in itself will be nice.

I don't have any plans for the week-end..just going to take it a day at a time.. the week-end seems to go by so fast..lol...

Enjoy!!

2010-08-17T06:22:00.000-07:00

I don't know where most of my previous post went...ugh... how frustrating.
I have never had this happen to me..I don't know why only part of it would show up.
Where is the rest of it???

Well, I don't have the time or energy to rewrite it..lol

I did want to say a special hello to Myra. Hope all is well...

2010-08-17T05:31:00.000-07:00

Destiny, Cameron and Mason having popcorn while watching a movie.
Cameron showing how he can swim under water.
Destiny trying to get used to the cold water.
Mason floating with his noodle.
All three kids showing their excitement.

We had a very nice time at the hotel..
The kids (and grandma) had a blast in the pool.. Destiny and Cameron are getting very good at swimming.
Mason is a bit more timid where the water is concerned. Although even he made a few jumps into the water that ended with his face going under..lol...and he was VERY proud that he got his face wet..lol..

They were very good. only a few times of "he's touching me"..lol..
The room did cost a lot more than I had anticipated..ugh...They had raised the rates by at least $40.00...Because the PGA was in town... I think that is terrible..

2010-08-13T19:22:00.000-07:00

The move is over...Amen!
The mover were here this morning to bring my dresser and recliner..
It only took them about 45 minutes total. Not too bad. Now I can get all of my clothes put away and clear off the shelves in my closet.

I need to get organized now. I am so looking forward to doing that.
I feel such a sense of relief now that I am totally done with the move.
It has been somewhat of a challenge trying to fit all of my stuff into a smaller place, but overall, it has been a wonderful change.
I think this is just what I needed..and I look forward to getting settled in.

Tomorrow night I am taking my three youngest grandkids to a local hotel for a night of fun. Swimming will be the number one thing on my list..lol..As evening sets in, we will read some, and watch some tv.

Hopefully they will all get along okay..they still haven't mastered not having their own way.

I should be packing for the hotel right now, but I spent some time this evening at the laundry matt.
I decided that I had too much to try to get it done here. They don't have the best dryers here at the apartments. They seem to take forever to get everything dry. It's not too bad when I can do my laundry while most people are at work during the day. I haven't been able to do that so I have fallen behind.

Now it's all done....(sigh of relief) lol...

Work was a little hectic this week..I had to train three new people..They all seem like they are going to be very good workers. So, I hope they stick with us..

I did get Great news from my boss this week. He is getting me a gas card..I am Thrilled. Right now, he gives me $125.00 a month towards gas. That helps, but I put out at least $160-$180 in addition to that..So, that will be money that will stay in my pocket..What a blessing that is going to be.

I am blessed..

I can't wait to spend the time tomorrow with my grandkids..I'll try to remember to get batteries for my camera so I can share pictures..

Have a wonderful week-end!!

2010-08-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

The move is almost done....
Last Sunday I rented a truck and got the majority of things moved..My helpers?? Jeremy and my grandson Patrick--(AKA..JJ).
I am tooooo old to be doing that type of work. lol...Due to financial reasons, I had canceled my movers.. It wasn't too bad until we got to my bedroom set and the couch.
First we took the headboard..It's huge..All wood, and very awkward to carry. I was a little worried about one of us dropping our end..but we made it.
Then came the couch..which is way heavier than a normal couch because it has recliners on each end...I wasn't sure we would be able to make it up the ramp on the truck..

Then came the unloading...all went well of course until we got to the headboard and couch.
The couch being the last and the worst...We managed to get the couch off the truck and then I think we all just ran out of steam..
I finally told them to lay the couch on it's back and PUSH...we must have looked like a bunch of crazy people..lol...trying to push the couch up the sidewalk..lol..
We got thru the doorway and then had to turn it on it's side to wiggle it into my front door..But WE DID IT....

I was so glad that we decided not to try to take my dresser. There is no way we had any more energy to try to do that.
So, needless to say, that is still at the house. I have to line up movers this coming week to have it moved.
I had hoped to be completely out of the house as soon as possible in hopes that they could rent it out for the 15th and I could get back that extra half of months rent..no such luck yet.

It has been very hard downsizing..I have six small boxes sitting here with things in them that I don't know where to go with.
I don't have my entertainment center anymore and that held many of these items..

Oh well, it will all come together.. I have most things fairly organized.

It has taken me a lot longer to get settled than it normally does. lol..I thing being older has slowed me down some..And then this last week at work certainly didn't help...It has been crazy.

I had to fire one guy. One guy was a no show- no call because he ended up in jail. I had one person out for two days....Ugh..it was horrible.
This coming week should be better. I hope...lol...

I went with my boss and his wife on Friday to get new company cell phones..I asked my boss if we could go shoe shopping after we were done there...lol...he wasn't interested...lol
He did talk to me about getting me a company gas card...Yay.....I hope he does that soon...
It would save me about $170.00 a month...Oh that would certainly help me...

Well, guess it's time to get some more done..Now it's mostly paperwork that I have to find a place for...
It's raining out..and I'm actually enjoying the sound of it..very soothing type of rain today...

Enjoy your week!!

2010-07-30T12:26:00.000-07:00

I'm taking a few minutes for myself....lol...and then it's back to work for me..

Things are financially a little rough right now..Two rents and a security deposit..ugh..taking it's toll..
But it's only for a little bit and then the sun will shine again.
I had to cancel having the movers move my big stuff..just didn't have the money for it. But that's ok..Between Jeremy and my two grandsons we should be fine..

I had to make a decision about my entertainment center...Take it with me and have it take up an entire wall or put it out for the garbage men...putting it out for the garbage men won out..
As much as I love it, I couldn't see having it take up so much of a small living room:(

The three of us took it out to the curb last night..man it was heavy..Within twenty minutes, someone was at my door asking if I was throwing it out...I said yes and he and his wife made a couple of trips to get it to their house..
I'm glad that someone will be able to enjoy it..

I also took one of my recliners out there. It was in great shape, but again, not enough room to have a couch and two recliners...
By morning, it was gone too...lol..someone will now have a nice chair..and that's a good thing.

My granddaughter and I cleaned the apartment yesterday..you could certainly tell that two guys lived there.. I don't think they had ever cleaned the tub...ugh...
But we got it all done. Except for the vacuuming..
I'm going to go over there when I get done with this and start painting. I picked out a mocha color for my room and a very pale sage green for Jeremys room.
I'm very excited to be able to have some color around me again. I do not care for all white walls.

I talked to my boss today to see if I could get my gas allowance check early..The one for September..He said no problem.
He also said that maybe it's time that he gives me a gas card..and a raise...Oh my gosh, how nice that would be.
I would be happy with just the gas card...Right now he gives me $125.00 per month for gas..
Some weeks, I can go thru 80- 100. So, it adds up..

Hopefully my current landlord will get me my security deposit back fast..That's a thousand dollars.
Either way, moving is going to make my life much more pleasant..and I can't wait to start my new journey...

Pictures will be coming shortly..
Have a great week-end!

2010-07-24T18:08:00.000-07:00

Once again, I have failed to write in my journal on a consistent basis..

This last week has taken it's toll on me big time. I have so much going on that sometimes I'm not sure which direction I'm even going in..

Work has been a challenge. One employee to be exact. In trying to keep the job up to our standards, I have spent the last 5 mornings getting up between 3 and 4 in the morning. Then driving 25 miles one way to get to the job..a restaurant.
I have been washing the floor and doing the stairs..Now, I know that doesn't sound like much, but the floor I'm doing is concrete. It's a covered patio. The problem is that this portion of the floor holds the grease from the servers shoes. Our usual cleaning product is somewhat mild with a disinfectant. Works most of the time but not on this type of grease.

I spent the first night using a long handled scrub brush..then mopping it up..I used at least 7 buckets of clean water.

The nights after that, I just washed the floor with a solution that has a degreaser in it.
Early this morning, I went down there just to make sure that my cleaning tech was using the right solution. Well, it doesn't appear that he is..and I'm just plain mad about it.
I explained it once again. And now I will go back there in the morning AGAIN to check it out.

Just VERY frustrating..

On Friday, I had two people out for various reasons. I ended up having to cover one of them..

Enough about all of that...lol...

We had a terrible storm the other night...Flooding everywhere. Basements collapsing. Streets closed down...
I had worked that night. When I got home, my power was off...I checked the basement. At least two inches of water because the sump pump wasn't working..ugh..

I finally decided that there wasn't anything I could do so I went to sleep..lol..Half an hour later, the lights went on and the smoke detectors were blaring..worst sound I have ever heard...

I went down to the basement and pushed all of the water down the drain...

I turned on the tv..nothing happened...tried a different outlet...nothing..damn, it must have been hit by a power surge or something..
I have my tv from my bedroom in the living room now...It certainly isn't made for such a large room...lol...

Jeremy got bad news on Thursday...As of Friday night, he would no longer have a job. They have been evicted..They pay $11,000.00 a month for rent and can't do it anymore...
They had been telling customers that they were closing, but hadn't told any of the employees until Thursday..Believe me, I wasn't a happy camper..
Jeremy is already thinking about where he can apply for something new. Although his choices aren't huge because he doesn't drive..
That was one of the reasons to move. So we could save some money and buy him a decent car so he doesn't always have to depend on me..
He is still somewhat scared about driving, but he will be fine..

I have to Thank GOD for giving me the incentive to move before this happened with Jeremys job..There would be no way we could make it here at a thousand a month just for rent..
So, in that respect, I feel blessed..

I signed the lease at the apartment..Amen.. I was getting a little nervous about not having that secured before I gave my notice here..

I have a moving company lined up for the 2nd of Aug. to move my couch, chair and bedroom set.
Everything else the boys and I will move...

I'm getting to the last of my packing...
I have the fridge sold..with pickup next week-end..
I still have the stove and entertainment center..maybe the next tenants here will need a stove.
I am actually showing it to someone on Monday..

I am going to post my lawn tractor next..hope that goes fast...(crossing fingers and toes on this one)..

Well, I guess I've written a book here...lol..I should spend a little time getting some stuff done.

Have a wonderful evening..

2010-07-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

This heat is getting to be too much...We definitely need a cool down...lol
I don't have air conditioning and my living room is 85 degrees..The only time it is somewhat bearable is if I sit right in front of my fan..That makes it really hard to get things done around here...lol..

Destiny is spending the night with me. Her mommy was nice enough to drop her off.
They had been at a picnic for most of the day. Destiny was pretty worn out. Needless to say, with the heat and the long day, we didn't Do too much tonight. We watched some tv together. We put a princess puzzle together. We went to the store. That's it.
No running around outside together this time..lol...

I gave up on the rummage sale..1 day and a couple of hours..lol..
I now have the remaining items boxed and bagged up for the Disabled Veterans to come and get.

I gave my notice today for moving...it's kind of scary for me..hoping that all things fall into place.
I have sold my washer and dryer. They are picking it up tomorrow. It would have been nice to hold onto them for a little longer, but I didn't want to take any chances that I wouldn't be able to sell them. So, after tomorrow, it will be the laundry mat for me until I get moved..not thrilled about it but what can you do??

My friend Larry is going to buy my fridge. He will wait for it until I move..Good thing for that..lol..
Now the only thing I have to sell is my stove. I would like to sell my entertainment center, but I haven't had any luck there yet. If worst comes to worst, I will take it with me..It's just so big for such a small apartment..Oh well..I'll work that out.

Oh yeah, I also have to sell my lawn tractor. I have someone that MIGHT be interested..If not, I will put that on Craigs list also..

Tomorrow I have to take my son and his friend to Chicago for a concert..I usually take them down there for a 7 hour concert..This year they don't want to go to that. But there is another concert that they want to see. So, it's a 80-90 mile trip one way for a
2 1/2 hour concert...
I don't look forward to it. But this is part of Jeremys birthday present. Also, he has been great about helping me out with getting the financial end of things put together for this move..Taking them is part of my way of saying Thank You Jeremy...

I guess I better get myself moving here and change the last load of laundry I'm going to do.

Stay Cool!!!

2010-07-10T16:08:00.000-07:00

Oh what a day....
I did the unthinkable...I had a rummage sale..I knew that I was going to have one, just wasn't exactly planning on it being today..lol..
I dislike having to go thru all of this work only to have a good share of things at the end of it..Ugh..

I sat outside for 3 1/2 hours. I made $20.00...
I paid $7.00 for the rummage sale signs. And then $22.00 for pizza for my two older grandsons and myself..
When we went down the street to take my rummage sale sign down, we were surprised to find that someone had already taken it..I CAN NOT BELIEVE that someone actually took it. I was not a happy camper.
Just another reason for me to dislike doing all of this.

I left everything set up in the garage. I am going to open the sale up one or two more days and then I AM DONE...lol..I will get ahold of the Disabled Veterans and have them come and take the rest.

I will not bring anything back into my house..lol..REALLY....

The heat and humidity have been SO bad this week. I have felt many times like I was just going to melt in it..
Well, the cold front that was promised for Thursday or Friday finally hit..About 20 minutes ago...AMEN...
It is so cool out right now..It started raining hard..now it is just a drizzle. But the coolness is all I'm concerned about.
I just want to be able to sleep at night. I wake up once or twice a night to make sure that my techs have checked in. But with the heat that we had I tossed and turned.
Last night wasn't too bad. Tonight should feel like heaven.

Paris and Patrick spent the night last night and will stay again tonight. After I take them home in the morning, I will pick Mason up....lol..a week-end of grandsons...:)

This coming week, I am going to meet with the apartment manager to take a look at the apartment I am going to be renting. He said that if I want to clean it myself, he will give me something off the rent. Can't beat that. I would clean it anyway..lol..
I will feel a whole lot better when I have a lease in hand. Then I will give notice here that I am moving.

I'm very excited about the move. I am so looking forward to having a few spare dollars. A lot less to maintain as far as housework. And NO yard work. Although, I do have to say, I do enjoy cutting the grass..
I will not miss having to shovel snow...I can just sit in my apartment and enjoy it..lol.

Guess that's it for now...I am feeling a nice cool breeze thru my window here. It makes me feel more energized..So, I'll get some stuff done around here while the weather is cooler..

Enjoy your week-end!

2010-07-04T20:34:00.000-07:00

At the parade..my two stepdaughters, their mom, the boyfriend and my 3 grandkids.

We had a beautiful day today...
We had great food from the grill...Then off to the parade..No ski show..The beach was closed due to high counts of Ecoli..
Then Cameron came home with me. We were pretty tired from all of the heat and sun today..So, we just kind of hung out and watched a movie..Freaky Friday..
About 9:3o, the fireworks started. I noticed that there were some people at the end of my lot..2 adults and 2 kids..Okay, not a huge deal, but don't you think that someone should come to your door and ASK if you mind if they watch the fireworks from your yard??

Well, Cameron and I sat out there on a chair and enjoyed the fireworks..After they were done, the people started to walk right past us as they walked down my driveway.
I decided to say to them that I thought it would have been nice if they had asked me before they came in my yard..
The woman very nastily says, "we know the Neus". ( my landlords)..So I say, I don't care who you know, I pay the rent here. Then her and her husband started saying crap. So I told them that when THEY are the ones paying a thousand dollars a month here, then they can come in the yard..I also told them how rude they are...UGH>>>

My stepdaughters mom was at the festivities today and while we were outside by ourselves she starts telling me that when my ex and I broke up, he started talking to her about dating again...they went out for a fish fry together...but that she wasn't interested in getting back together with him..Hell, they have been divorced since 1995..Then she was telling me that he had cheated on her...and some of her other horror stories..
Lastly she told me that he now has a girlfriend...
I knew the day would come..I'm not jealous. I don't even really know what I'm feeling right now.
I do know that I could never be with someone that mean again.
I'm happy with where I am in my life. I'm happy with how well I am doing financially.
I'm happy with how well my job is going.
But even with all of that. It kind of put a damper on my day hearing that he has a girlfriend..
I certainly don't feel envious..I saw some pictures on my stepdaughters facebook that were taken Memorial Day..One of them had a woman that I did not recognize. At the time, I figured that she might be someone he was dating..mostly due to the fact that she was in Harley clothes..
One thing I did notice was that she didn't look happy. So, I guess some things don't change..

Oh well, all I need is a couple of days and I'll be fine..:)

Hope a Happy Fourth was had by all!

2010-07-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

Wishing everyone a very Happy & Safe 4th of July!!!!

2010-07-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling a little sad these past few days...But today I received an invitation that made me very happy..
My step-daughter invited me out to her house tomorrow for a cook out, a parade and a ski show..
Of course I'm going to go:) I love to spend time with all of the kids. My other step-daughter will be there also with my grandson Mason..
I know it's easier for them to invite me now that their dad doesn't live in this area..Works for me. Any time I can spend with my grandkids is always a great time.

Work has been a little trying these past few days..Of course, as soon as my boss goes out of town for a much deserved rest from the day to day running of his company...
I had three people out sick last night. The night before, I had to fire one of my cleaners on the spot.
He was on the job high on non-prescribed muscle relaxants..This is something that he had been warned about..so, I had to let him go. In turn, I had to finish his job on Thursday and then do the job myself on Friday.
Next week, we have at least two people on vacation, so it's going to be fairly hectic.
I'm going to take advantage of the next couple of days to relax...lol...

Today I'm going over to my girlfriends house to lounge around in her pool...I'm so looking forward to that..
We haven't seen each other in some time. It will be nice to catch up with her and see what she's been up to..

At some point, I'm going to finish getting my garage sale stuff out of the basement. Then sweep it up and I'll be done with that job..and ready for when I move.

Tomorrow I might get a few more things packed and see if there is anything else I need to post on Craigslist..That is working out so well for me..
I sold my end tables the other night. So my nest egg for moving is really starting to grow. I'm feeling a bit better about being financially ready for this move.

Well, I guess that's it for news...

2010-07-01T12:39:00.000-07:00

Shiloh has gone home..She was a pleasure to have, but I'll tell you, she was a lot of work..I'm not used to having to worry about anyone else..lol...She would look so sad when I left the house, that I always felt guilty..lol..

I have been putting a lot of different items on graigs list..I've sold a jewelry armoire, a twin bed, a small flat screen tv. my kitchen table set and my microwave cart...Yeehaa..
I have more stuff listed..a woman is coming over tonight to look at my end tables...

The apartment manager where I used to live told me that I can have my old apartment back. They are no longer giving the first month of rent free, but they are lowering the rent for at least 6 months. So now the rent will only be 595.00, with heat included..that is a steal...granted, it is a really little apartment, but at that price, who cares??
I look forward to being more financially free...

I have a good share of things packed already. I'm stacking everything in the spare room.
I've gotten the basement fairly clean. Just a few more things to take out of there and then that will be done.

I'm feeling a bit low today. My ex retired and moved up north...
On the one hand, I'm glad he isn't around this area anymore. I don't have to worry about running into him..
On the other, it makes me sad to know that I'm not enjoying the relaxing part of living up north..(in my new home)...
Believe me, I know living with him was not going to work...but there are aspects that I miss...

Ha-ha,,I had to repress the urge to hope that he is REALLY lonely up there...lol...
I got past that..

Well, I guess that's it for news right now..

2010-06-13T07:50:00.000-07:00

Meet my friend Shiloh......

Shiloh will be my house guest until the 25th...
Her mommy and daddy are on a train trip to see some of our great country..
Her daddy is legally blind. He can see some, but not a whole lot. His vision is getting worse and he wants to make this trip before his eyesight is completely gone.
Ken is usually very outgoing, quick witted and humorous..Yesterday when they were here to drop Shiloh off, he was so quiet..
I'm glad they are taking this trip. I think it will be good for both of them.

Shiloh's mommy is actually my ex-sister-in-law...She is the lady that took care of my daughters dad during his last days last year..
It took such a toll on her. I think this trip will be good for her also.

I haven't done much this week-end..lol...
I'm back to doing my ancestry research..And that is so time consuming..
Friday night as I was working on it, my brother from Arizona had e-mailed me about some of the stuff...As I was writing down some information, I realized that it was my grandpa's birthday...He was born on the 11th,,one hundred and nineteen years ago..
It really just made me think of how important this search is for me..

I found out something very interesting....
When my great-grandfather was 19 years old, he lived with a family as a farm hand.
The family had a 21 year old daughter. Her name was Idalette Cecelia......
Twenty years later when my grandmother was born, she was named Idalette Cecelia..
Of course, you can't help but think of what the circumstances were for my grandfather.
Was it a case of unrequited love or did he just hold her is high esteem?
Either way, I was really excited to find something like this..

That's it for now..have to go spend some time with my sweetie Shiloh...

P.S..
Lori, keeping you in my thoughts and prayers..

2010-06-11T13:08:00.000-07:00

I am so happy to see the week-end arrive..Actually, I started my week-end early.
I went to lunch with my girlfriend...and then she came over to my place to see some of the things that I am putting in my rummage sale..She bought my fire pit..Never used..I told her $30.00...and she can come and get the firewood that I still have behind the garage..lol..good deal.
My boss is buying my gas grill..nothing special to look at..but it works well..I told him $30.00...So,, I'm on my way here..lol..with a long way to go...lol..

Today I posted my couch and two recliners on craigs list..along with my jewelry chest and a microwave cart..
Towards the start of July I will post the other large items that I have..

Of course, I'm a little apprehensive about having people come to my house, but I don't have much choice. I will just have to be careful and make sure someone is here when I am showing the items...

My little buddy Shilo is coming to stay with me for about 13 days..I am so looking forward to having her here with me...I can't remember what breed she is...just one of those little things..lol...she does not spend all of her time barking..she is very mellow..
I can't wait to spend some time with her.

I don't have any other plans for the week-end.. There are a few festivals going on, but I'm not sure the weather is going to be on it's best behavior...lol...

Work is going fairly well...lol..We are in the process of changing from reusable rags to disposable...Which means less carting around for me..True, I still have to have a case of disposables in the van, but I don't have to pick up bags and bags of used rags to deliver back to the office for cleaning..
Of course, not everyone is happy about the new rags. But that is to be expected. I have some cleaners that are thrilled with the new ones..

Well, I guess that's it for news for now..
I'll keep you posted on how my items sell on Craigs list.

Enjoy your week-end!

2010-06-03T07:04:00.000-07:00

We're having a break in our rain...at least for the moment. Supposed to have showers on and off for the next few days..At least the temps have fallen..It's actually pleasant right now.

I'm doing really good at getting things cleaned out and organized for my move...
My rummage sale is going to be huge..Hope everything goes..I hate dealing with the aftermath of a rummage sale..
I'll probably just take everything that is left over to Goodwill..

The other day I went to the apartment complex that I lived in before I married Carlos.
The apartments are REALLY small...but the price is right...Right now they are going for 690.00 a month with heat included and a garage..That would work out best for me.
The manager said that they are thinking of doing away with the move in special of one month free rent and just lower the rent..That is almost unheard of..the bad times must be hitting them too..

The funniest part of the whole thing is that he said there is a chance that I can actually get my old apartment...That would be really great because it was one of the nicer locations there...

I also found out that I would be able to paint..I would love that..I do not like all white walls..

I'm going to take my application over there today..I think I'm going to take the place for August 15th..I would have this place until Sept.1st..That would give me some time to get things moved without trying to do it all in one day..No way can I do that..Just don't have the man power for it..

One of my newer workers is doing a terrible job..She's 21..Last week, I was going from building to building and had timed it that I would be at her building about a half hour before she would be done..It's a two hour job and believe me, it takes the full two hours..Well, I got there and she was already gone..So, I went in to check things out..
She hadn't wiped up the floors or dusted. There were fingerprints on the desks.(I'm a very picky person when it comes to fingerprints. I think the bank workers should have clean and tidy desks when they come in..
Last night wasn't any better. I spent an hour there cleaning...ugh..I was not a happy camper.
Now I have to go there Friday night while she is there and show her AGAIN how I want things done..

Just no excuse for not doing a proper job..This is the girl that took over the job from her mom..(Her mom had surgery). I would give anything for her mom to come back.
Because this one is not going to be with us long is she doesn't start doing a better job.

Plus it's a twenty some mile ride for me to go down there...just to check her work.

Anyway....I don't let things like that get to me anymore..I just start making plans to get someone new to do the job...lol...

I hope everyone has a great day!

2010-05-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

I've been up since 5:30 and started working on going through my bins..I've gone through a good share of them.
So far, I now have 4 empty bins...plus I have gone through the things on my shelf in the basement.
I have things down there that I have not used in a long time..ya know,, keeping it just in case I might need it..lol..

I packed up my china and crystal..I want to be as far ahead of the game as I can be..
I figured that as long as this was going to be a long week-end, I might as well take advantage of it.
I have a ton of stuff for the dreaded rummage sale..And I'm selling everything CHEAP..I just want the stuff gone.
If I get this all done today, then I can take it easy the rest of the week-end..

Jeremy was at his friends house last night..he has to work 6 to closing tonight..so, I'm not sure what I'm doing for dinner..I sure don't feel like cooking..lol.. I should skip dinner..ugh,, I need to lose a few pounds..well, not just a few...At least 10...15 would be even better.
I eat so often out of boredom..
I do have all intentions of getting out and about this summer..walking, tennis and hopefully doing some swimming..That should help.
Most of the time, I try to buy healthy foods..we like our veggies here..lol..
Doing so much driving for my job doesn't help..I like to munch on something while I'm driving..I should be taking the time to make up little bags with carrots, celery and other things...

It's just a never ending battle..one that I sometimes decide to ignore..and other times I outright make excuses for..I will say things like,,"well, what else is there"? I deserve to have something..
I have been drinking water again. I have laid off the soda..That should help too..

Oh well, it is what it is....

I brought my flags up from the basement today. I will put them out a little later today..

I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing Memorial Day!

2010-05-26T05:01:00.000-07:00

It's supposed to be a little cooler today...only in the mid to high 70s..
I don't know about that..it's only 7:10am and as I sit here, I had to turn the fan on..

I need to cut my grass..omg, I can' believe how fast it is growing. I swear I could cut it 2 times a week..and we haven't even had any rain..

I'm so happy to have air in the car again. It is going to make my day very pleasant.
I'm going to get most of my accounts done today. I have to go out this evening for a bit to check on a couple of jobs after they have been cleaned. I had checked on one Monday night and I was not happy..There were quite a few things that were not done.
So, I'll recheck to see how she does tonight.

I need a good nights sleep..This waking up in the middle of the night to make sure my cleaner has checked in is catching up with me..
I had told him that I wanted him to check in by 3:00am...I set my alarm for 3:30..No, he's not checked in..He hasn't been checking in until 4:00..That means that I am almost fully awake by that time. Long run, it takes it's toll...
I'm going to try to explain to him one more time that he needs to be checked in by 3:00..3:30 at the latest.

Technically he has time to get his job done even if he is there at 4:00..the problem is, if he doesn't show up for some reason, I need to be able to get there and get it done.
The job is 25 miles from me..
I just need a full nights sleep!!

Maybe in a week or so, I will take a couple of days vacation so that I can sleep thru the night...and have my rummage sale...

My youngest grandchild turns 6 on Tuesday...So, like I did for her brother and cousin, I sent her picture in to TV6 and she will be on the look who's 6 segment...
She has decided that she wants us to go birthday shopping together like we did last year...
Maybe I can work that in this weekend also...not sure about that because they are going to be in the middle of moving..
We'll see what happens...

I'm going to see if I can have a balloon bouquet sent to Miranda..If not I'll send her a couple of dollars in a card..Then she can go out for ice cream with her boyfriend after she is feeling better.
I heard from her grandma last night. She said the Miranda was doing good, just Very tired...

Well, I better hit the road and get some jobs done...lol
Hope everyone has a great day...Hug someone you love......