I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with lots of good food, family, friends and plenty of space to lay down afterwards….LOL. I ALWAYS get totally sleepy after pigging out. Even though I cooked everything, I didn’t really get to do much munching so I was really hungry when I finally got everything put out on the table. It was only the Princess, Chewlee, me and the two dogs but a good time was had by all. Even Chewlee ate well although she didn’t like the texture of the stuffing (which just meant more for the Princess and me). She definitely loved the green bean casserole.

The Princess cleared the table and got the dishes put into the dishwasher while I put away the food for eating later. I had made extra stuffing, one for us to use for the leftover meals and one I froze for when the Beast came home. He loves my stuffing (which is a family recipe that I believe all of us girls make) and finds other peoples a bit *iffy*. [Sure enough, the first thing the Beast said to me when we talked on Thanksgiving evening was *Did you save me stuffing?* He was very happy to hear I made and froze extra.] He said the stuffing was dry and kind of tasteless. How can you make tasteless stuffing?

The next day was Black Friday, so-called because that is the day that retailers usually make their first profits of the year thus putting them *in the black*. The Princess had to get up at 4am to be at work by 5am. She was scheduled to work until 5:30pm. Yes, all the employees were scheduled for 12 hour days because of the crowd expected. Sure enough, she was shocked at the people waiting. She had to park in the nearby Walmart parking lot and walk to her store because their parking lot was jammed full of cars and trucks. She said it was a nightmare until around 11am. When she called me at 5pm, she was really upset because she was exhausted but had been told that she *had* to go to another store that was seriously understaffed to help them out until closing. She went (but didn’t like it) and returned home around 10pm. She was so tired, she didn’t even eat but went straight to bed. Chewlee had been asleep since about 8pm (a bit early for her but she DID eat turkey twice…LOL)

I had gotten Chewlee up around 8am, dressed and fed her and was out the door at 9am so we could take advantage of at least a BIT of the advertised low prices at Walmart. The Princess left me some cash and told me to look for things for Chewlee but get them the 24 month size (which I had planned to do anyway since she is growing like a weed).

I was braced for the crowds but it was the parking I wasn’t thinking about. I had to run and grab a cart so I could put Chewlee in it instead of having to either walk with her, take out her stroller (no small feat) or carry her into the store. Duh. Only a blond wouldn’t think about the parking problem. I lucked out with finding a woman backing out of a spot and zipped into her place before anyone else in the line behind me and the one coming towards me could grab it. So instead of having to walk a mile to the store, it was only a half mile (just kidding).

The store looked in spots like it had been vandalized. I realized that there had been displays of things on sale in some of the large empty floor spaces. What was left was empty palettes, signs thrown down on the floor and, in some areas, pieces of cardboard from boxes that had obviously been fought over. It must have been a fun few hours at the beginning, let me tell you.

I headed for the Infant Department, which was not in bad condition all-in-all. Only the displays with folded items were messed up from people trying to find the sizes they wanted, as usual. There were some really cute things on sale, including one top I HAD to buy for Chewlee. It says, *Who needs Santa, I’ve got Grandma* I also found a couple cute print footed pajamas for her. I ended up buying her three outfits, four pair of warm pajamas, two cute tops, a pair of soft-sole pull-on slippers with a ruffled cuff [she didn't want to take them off when she was put to bed] and a cute, soft small teddy bear she just didn’t want to put down once she got her hands on it. I also picked her up a couple no-spill *cups* as they are calling the new type bottles. I tried to find one of the cups that has a straw built into it but they were all sold out.

One thing that hasn’t changed when you are shopping for ANYTHING these days is that, no matter what, if you are looking for a certain article of clothing on sale, it is sure to be out of your size. That applies to baby clothes, too. I wanted to buy some pajamas that were on sale but they did NOT have the size I wanted. The closest available size would have had to be put away for her for a couple years.
I not only spent the Princess’s cash but about half again in my money since I got a few things the Princess had not *ordered*. I was glad to get out of there. The lines were long and the cashiers not in evidence as the commercials suggested. Walmart really needs more cashiers here in NE Alabama, if not anywhere else. We have a college nearby. Have the college students given up working for Christmas money these days?

I was seriously reminded of how much of a pain it is to travel even short distances with small children. It’s not just the strapping them into the car seat (have you looked at how complex they are these days? The kids look like they are being strapped into a jet or rocket with all the straps criss-crossing to secure them. It’s a wonder they can move a limb!). It’s also making sure you take a bottle, diaper wipes and a diaper, their favorite blanket or toy, something to feed them when they start making loud noises or crying. Chewlee hasn’t been like that the times we’ve gone places with her but I have seen mothers with whiny, crying kids anxiously grabbing something off the shelves to shut them the heck up. Why can’t they just bring something with them? Do they think their kid suddenly ISN’T going to be a pain in the ass and start screaming? Get real. Bring something to shove down their throats and shut them the heck up. I bring duct tape. It goes OVER the mouth but works great. j/k But some people should consider it.

The Beast, as per his usual routine, did NOT stay in Virginia for a week. He got there on Wednesday morning after spending the night in a motel about 4 hours from his destination. He visited, went to a state park nearby with his nephew (even bought a senior pass), had the big T-day dinner on Thursday, spent Friday at another state park with his cousin, nephew and two of his six kids then left to return home around 2 or 3am after just a few hours sleep. Oh, he played some cards, watched a little television, visited with the kids (there are 5 of them in college now and only one left at home…can you imagine?) Of course, three of the six kids are his second wife’s from HER first marriage. Hence, five in college at one time. Good thing they both have good jobs and benefits. Three of the five kids have scholarships but there are still some incredible expenses.

Anyway, the Beast arrived home around 2:30pm on Saturday, exhausted. He was too tired to do more than grab a snack and hit the sack. He got a couple hours sleep and when he got up, the Princess was home from work so we all got to sit down and he shared the news of his trip, the relatives and all the interesting things that happened. There was a bit of a fiasco that happened/almost happened but I won’t relate that now. Suffice it to say, it caused an upset that was totally unnecessary and made a few people angry and others uncomfortable. I just had to laugh because I got to miss it all (and was glad I did).

We got rid of our doggy visitor this morning. We are all grateful for that because all she did was whine and whimper all night. I know she missed her routine and her family. We didn’t get much good sleep because of her. Even Baron was happy to see her go. The first thing HE did after she was gone was plop down on his area of the love seat and fall sound asleep. When he ate, for the first time in days, he didn’t have to gobble it down to keep Sadi out of his dish. She ate like she was starved and would clean her bowl then run over to Baron’s dish and try shoving him out of the way to get at it. Baron, believe it or not, would move over and just let her at it. He would return to it once she left to see if there was anything left for him. I got to the point that I would kennel Sadi after feeding so that I could give Baron some more food and make sure he had enough to eat. She almost ate me out of house and home as far as dog food and dog treats go. I gave her a rawhide bone and watched incredulous as she decimated it in about 15 minutes. A dog normally will chew at it for a time, leave it, return to it and take several days to finish it off. Not Sadi. She went at it like it was part of her last meal.

The Beast and Baron have re-bonded and they are off into the world at large to run a few errands. Baron is happy just riding in the car and will be very patient waiting while the Beast goes and gets whatever. Today they will be hitting Petsmart to pick up a 50# bag of dog food and Baron LOVES that place because he gets to go in. The people there love Baron and think he’s the nicest dog. Heh. They should be here when he gets into one of his many moods or is being particularly bad and has to be kenneled. I am enjoying the peace and quiet while Chewlee takes a late nap. A nasty diaper woke her up after a short time when she went down earlier (she can’t sleep in a poopie diaper and I don’t blame her). She stayed up and I fed her and played with her until she showed signs of fading again. I’m sure she won’t be down long but I haven’t had a break like this one since Tuesday.

Gonna go and pour myself some more coffee and play a game on Pogo uninterrupted. Love you all and have a great day. Snow flurries here later on today and tonight. Bundle up if you live north of Daytona Beach.

After vacillating back and forth for a few days, enough so that I was pulling my hair out, the Beast finally decided he was, after all, going to spend Thanksgiving with HIS side of the family. I had packed his bags on Sunday (when he had called his cousin and told him that he was going to leave on Monday). Then later that same day, he says to me, *I don’t know…I’m in so much pain….maybe I shouldn’t go.*

I trolled my eyes and said, *You will be in pain either way so make up your damned mind. It makes no difference to me!* That was an outright lie because I knew he would make me nuts while I was trying to get things ready. I am making a full Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings even if he ISN’T here. The Princess, Chewlee and I will enjoy the hell out of pigging out. We will even share some of it with the two dogs (I will have Sadi and Baron both). They may not get much but they will get SOME.

So, on Monday he calls the cousin and starts telling his tale of woe about his gums and how the lower plate (that’s all he has) really pains him. He gets no sympathy from the cousin who already has a lower plate but I could have killed him when I found out he said his was STILL giving him problems. That’s all I figured the Beast would need to hear. I did NOT unpack his suitcase but left it packed and sitting right where I left it in the bedroom….I knew his cousin did his best to try to talk him into it.

Then his aunt called him when his cousin called her to tell her what was going on. This is the aunt the Beast adores. She was always more loving to him than his own mother. She is 89 years old, has Parkinson’s and he is going to be bereft when she dies. She wanted him to come and, perhaps, go with her, her daughter and son to a few historic places nearby in Virginia. He had readily agreed at the beginning of his plans (which he failed to share with me, btw). He ASSUMED that I would just fall into the plan without considering that I was taking care of Chewlee for the Princess and THEY would not be able to change their plans.

The Princess will be working at least 3-12 hour days that I know of for sure (on Black Friday, she starts work at 5AM). I told him that he had two choices. We could go and take Chewlee with us or he could go alone. Then I prayed.

Of course he elected to go by himself. He was going to take Baron with him but found out that his nephew has a *dog aggressive* dog and no one wants to see a dog fight. Baron has a dominant personality and has made even older, dominant dogs back down but….who wants to take the chance? Plus, the nephew doesn’t have a fenced backyard. So that is how I ended up keeping Baron instead of having him go with the Beast.

The end result is that the Beast left for Virginia early this morning (Tuesday morning). He left without his bottom teeth in (so that it can heal for another day and night before he puts his teeth back in). It’s lucky that he always had such little teeth because his speech isn’t really affected like some peoples might be. He ate oatmeal before leaving, took some cookies that *moosh* up well with coffee or milk to snack on, stopped and had soup for lunch and again for dinner. He was eating more solid food before he created the new sore on his bottom gum (that was HIM doing it, not the teeth at all but I won’t go into details). He will just cut up his meat into small pieces and make sure he has plenty of goop or the Seabond sealer strip that I suggested he try. If you think about it, the meat will be the only thing really *solid* in your traditional Thanksgiving feast. Stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce…those are fairly easy to eat even without teeth. He can eat pumpkin pie with little trouble, I’m sure. He doesn’t have to eat the crunchy crust if he doesn’t want to or if he’s afraid it might *injure* him further.

I ended up at Wal Mart at midnight because we were out of milk and I didn’t have any juice for the baby either. No way could I go without it. So, instead of doing my shopping for other things I needed to complete our Thanksgiving feast, I did it all when I ran up there. End result is that I also picked up green peppers for making stuffed peppers this weekend, some hot dogs for the baby and the grownups, juices to last me for a week or more for the baby and some frozen green beans since the Princess insists I make at least a *little bit* of green bean casserole (is there such a thing?). I told her that the brocolli and cheese sauce would have to be another day then and she agreed.

We had made pumpkin pies earlier and she used up the remaining dough I had left from the nut cups I made for the Beast to take to Virginia with him as well as the filling and made another 24 nut cups for us. It was kind of a fun evening together with the Baron and Chewlee making themselves pains in the butts (of course). Chewlee had fun tasting anything she could put her fingers into and Baron kept trying to smell everything to our complete annoyance. He ended up in his kennel a time or two for not listening.

When I got home, Baron went right into his kennel to warm up (he took the ride and waited in the car for me). The Princess and Chewlee were sound asleep so I carried everything in and put it away. I then poured myself a glass of wine to help warm me up and relax me while I wrote up this blog. I am heading for bed now since I must be up early in the morning.

Love you all and hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends, if you so choose. Give thanks for all your blessings even if they are small ones. Tell those you love that you do. Life is short and you never know. If you are traveling, please be careful and don’t drink and drive.

Today was kind of a nice, calm day. The Princess and I both got up early with the baby who was in a playful, loving mood. It’s actually her usual mood. If she’s cranky, it’s because she didn’t get enough sleep or she’s cutting teeth most likely.

Anyway, another thing I did with the Princess besides play with Chewlee was make spaggetti sauce. It was a team effort and fun. I was also making Baron’s food at the same time (I had done up the chicken yesterday but had to do the rice and veggies today). The kitchen was nice and warm because we were doing all this cooking and also made garlic toast to have with our spaggetti. And the spaggetti is the reason that Chewlee ended up with her haircut.

Let me explain. Chewlee just LOVES spaggetti. She really gets *into it*. Literally. It’s the reason we strip her down to her diaper before putting her in the high chair. She actually turns orange from the sauce being all over her face, chest, hands and arms. The Princess runs a bath and my job is to remove the tray from in front of her while the Princess picks her up under her arms and runs her into the bathroom where she removes her diaper and deposits her in the bathtub. We don’t feed her spaggetti often, as you can imagine.

Once she had been thoroughly washed with soap and warm water, her hair shampooed and rinsed, she was toweled off and a new diaper and some nice warm pajamas put on her (she looked so cute although her hair was disheveled). It was then that the Princess sniffed and said to me…*Should I cut her hair?* I looked at her in shock and said…*She only needs her bangs cut!* She finally agreed with me and made the statement *I hope she doesn’t look dorky*. Duh. How can a female look like a dork? Is the Princess brain damaged? Gag. With both of us working at it, we got Chewlee distracted enough that the Princess could finally get the bangs both combed and cut. At first she took off a teeny-tiny bit and I yelled at her that it needed to be shorter to keep it out of the poor things eyes. So she sniffed again, combed it and cut about an inch off. I thought she was going to cry! Sheesh. It was the first time Chewlee’s hair had been cut. Then…THEN…she says…* Should I cut the back more even?* I was ready to slap her after the hassle about BANGS. Now she’s thinking of cutting off some of the length?? Good grief. Amazingly, after all that, she didn’t even save one of the little curls of hair for her baby book. I was shocked. Just dumped it into the garbage. Alligator tears, trust me.

I am not sure if the Beast is going to leave tomorrow or not. He DID eat enough to stop complaining today. He told me for the first time since he got his teeth pulled, he felt full. He even burped. LOL BUT….I haven’t packed anything for him and he isn’t taking Baron after all. We found out his nephew’s dog is dog aggressive and the last thing we need is a dog fight. Baron is bigger and heavier than the nephew’s beagle and is a dominant personality. No, no, no…we don’t need that so Baron is staying home with me and I am going to take my niece’s dog for the four days she will be gone so they can exercise each other. It will also give me a chance to feed her dog. She was looking kind of thin when she was here for a *play date* last weekend.

I have reached the point that I don’t care if the Beast goes or stays home. I feel, however, that he will make the trip but not until he has the dentist trim off part of the plate that is causing him pain on his right jaw. So, tomorrow I will make sure and then pack for him and hope for the best. His family is aware of the problem so he should be getting much more sympathy from THEM than he has gotten from me or the Princess. She has made sure to mention a few times that when *I* had it done, she doesn’t remember me complaining even ONCE….LOL

I made my nut cups for the Beast to take with him for his family yesterday. I need to get some powdered sugar tomorrow for the finishing touch although I’m sure Pat’s wife could do that when he gets there. It would need to be done anyway since the nut cups seem to absorb most of that if left for a day or two. I will talk to her about it depending on just when the Beast wants to leave.

I hadn’t planned on making green bean casserole at all on Thanksgiving but the Princess begged me to make it. She even offered to have the broccolli and cheese sauce with turkey leftovers another day. She just can’t imagine Thanksgiving without it. So, since I have a small casserole dish, I agreed to do it. Tomorrow will start the preparations with the taking the turkey out of the freezer and putting in the fridge to start defrosting. I will then start double-checking to make sure I have all the ingredients necessary to make everything else. I will then go to the store to pick up any supplies forgotten, then the liquor store to stock up on things needed for the cook (hehehe) and I will have one day to rest before I have to set everything up. Wednesday will be a busy one for me in more ways than one since that is also the day I will be getting our *doggie* visitor for Baron. Fun, fun, fun.

Well, I wish everyone a wonderful Holiday with family and/or friends. I shall return and I plan on calling my loved ones to tell them I love them and miss them. Doesn’t that sound like a good idea? Feel free to copy me. Love you all.

Shades of Mr. Rogers and his neighborhood…for all the years my kids listened to and watched that program (which made me nuts at the time), I have found myself singing that song to my great-grand the last few days along with other songs I had forgotten I knew. She loves to listen to me sing them and watches my lips as closely as a lip-reader. She tries to say some of the words from the songs she now is starting to recognize. Sometimes she will start to rock like she’s dancing and will sing to me. It’s so darn cute. She will reach for me and grab my face because what she wants is for me to sing so she can dance. If I start to sing (letting her know that I *get it*), she will give me a big hug and then get down and start her *dance*.

I’ve been going over the alphabet with her, sometimes saying it, sometimes singing the song and we do the same with a book she has of the alphabet. She has A, B and C down pat. but then she jumps to *I* so we start all over again.

I told you I have been teaching her to say some easy words in Spanish like: Hola (pronounced OH..lah), Adios, Amiga and Bueno. Her mother has been asking her to say them when she is with her and she laughs over how the baby tries to say Hola. For some reason, she really stretches out her tongue on that one for the *La* sound. Truly hysterical to watch.

Chewlee’s hair has never been cut the Princess informs me (which is a shock since it was totally black as an infant and is now a definite blond). The end result is that she tends to look like a wet duckling most of the time since it doesn’t have a lot of curl (just a wave but it gets straight easily). When it dries, it sticks out all over because it’s uneven. The Princess either puts her hair in pigtails or pulls up the top section into a single band so she looks like she has some weird headdress on from an Aztec tribe. You know what I mean, I’m sure. It might be cute if it had some curl in it but it sticks up and fans out. The end result is something you have to laugh at because it looks so strange.

Another of her premolars has broken through so she’s back on her regular sleep schedule again. She has been napping a bit longer but it might be because she’s been running around the house with the dog chasing her trying to get his ball. He doesn’t take it out of her hands but I think he’s always hopeful that she will drop it or throw it. Of course, she doesn’t but she WILL run all over the place so he will chase after her. Since the two of them can do this almost endlessly, it’s a LOT of exercise for both of them.

The Beast went to the dentist’s office on Friday to have him file a part of his denture that was causing a lot of pain. He wasn’t home a half hour when he says, *I probably should have had him do the same thing on the right side while I was there.* I almost dropped MY teeth. How could he go there and NOT have all the spots that hurt fixed? I mean it. My mouth dropped down to my chest and I turned to him and said, *Well, it’s a good thing they are open on Saturday because you’re an idiot and need to go back there to have that fixed.* So, of course, he didn’t go. Instead, he decided to try the various pastes and other things available to *cushion* his dentures. I tried to tell him that it will be better as the gums heal and coddling it won’t help. But, what do I know? I’ve only gone through this twice already. Once when I was much younger with the upper teeth and then a few years back with my lower ones. Let him suffer since he knows it all. He STILL doesn’t believe that I don’t use anything very much at all. Only when I go out to eat to prevent any possibility of embarrassment.

Anyway, he comes home from Walmart (I should buy stock in that place since we spend so darn much money there) and he’s got Fixodent, Polygrip and Seabond. He’s going to give them all a try. He tried one when he went to eat some cookies that *soften up in milk* (his words) and claimed that he couldn’t bite it and then his plate lifted on him. There goes THAT experiment. I don’t know which of them he used…Fixodent or the Polygrip but I will probably inherit THAT tube.

I figure he won’t be leaving on his trip to Virginia on Monday like he wants to since he will probably need to go back to the dentist to have the *other* side of his lower plate adjusted and the spots that are making him sore fixed. So, I am just going ahead with getting the nuts cups ready for him to take with him (I know he won’t touch them now…:laughing). If he can’t manage a mushy cookie, he sure won’t tackle nuts. I think he really expects the teeth to stay in place all the time but I told him that’s a pipe dream. He will also have to relearn how to chew since he went for so long without any chewing teeth on one side of his mouth, he’s forgotten how you actually DO it. You also have to relearn how to BITE things. I REALLY want to get implants because then it WON’T be a pipe dream that they stay firmly in place. Ahhh well, that’s for the future as I said in an earlier blog.

He’s pretty much living on scrambled eggs, french toast, soup and other such things. He went and picked up some Instant Breakfast for himself because he says he is starving to death. If you read Bratfink’s blog, I’m sure that has a familiar ring to you. Sounds just like The Boy’s complaints. In truth, he can stand to lose a few pounds so I doubt he will starve. In fact, if he really was it would probably help him to adjust to his teeth faster….out of necessity. He’d sure stop complaining then.

The Princess told him that we could just throw food in the blender for him (and she knows how he hates to mix up foods together) and it would be a kind of smoothie. She went over a typical Thanksgiving menu (turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie) and said, *Wouldn’t THAT be a great smoothie??* She was laughing her ass off when she said it and he just looked at her with a horrified look on his face. Then he just said *bitch* because he knew she was having fun at his expense. He can dish it out but it’s tough for him to take it at times. Especially because he WANTS sympathy but isn’t getting it around here. The Princess remembers when my bottoms were done and she keeps saying things like, *I know grandma didn’t complain like this when HERS were done.* or *Gee, I don’t know why you are having so much more trouble than Grandma did….did she have a better dentist?*

At the time, I was very cost conscious and I shopped for the cheapest quote I could get on them. HE, however, picked out a dentist and went and paid the price without checking ANY PLACE ELSE. I have to admit, also, that it seemed kind of *pricey* to me but it’s been a while and I really don’t know for sure. It’s just that I had my lower plate done in Florida and they have ALWAYS been high priced. This is Alabama where the cost of living is much lower and, yet, the price on the denture and teeth to be pulled was much higher. I don’t know. It makes me wonder if they just saw him coming and said *damn Yankee…let’s double our price for him…hehehe*. He sure doesn’t talk the talk or walk the walk, so-to-speak. I just take it a day at a time and he’s stopped complaining much. We shall see what happens as he heals. I just hope it’s soon.

Well, it’s late (as usual when I get to do this) so I am going to close for now, put the dog in his kennel (he’s asleep on the love seat) and tuck myself into bed. It’s down to 40 degrees and expected to be under 30 by morning. We have hard frost warnings and the Beast is happy about that (for the health of our fruit trees which will be more productive the more cold weather we have). My wish is that it would kill off all the Japanese beetles in Alabama. They just LOVE peach trees.

Love you all. Have a great weekend and a Happy Turkey Day, too, in case you don’t get back until after THAT holiday. I’ll be here but you may be traveling or busy with other things. Be sure to tell those you love that you do (especially if THEY are traveling). You never know. I hope there’s nothing but good weather for everyone. Hugs to all.

My Sister, Bratfink, who has her own blog on this site, sometimes makes me think about things I haven’t really put into words. Today was such a day. I actually had a day off from watching Chewlee, although I dressed her for her sojourn out into the world after her mother gave her a bath. She can be so cute at times and she loves to dress up. For whatever reason, she’s much better for me about even combing her hair than she is for her mother. It’s my delight and my g-daughter is grateful. I don’t care. I enjoy it.

They left early because they were going to Huntsville and to Burlington Coat Factory. The Princess finally realized she MUST get a coat for cold weather. We’ve had a few days already that her fleece wraps have not been warm enough. (She ended up buying two different coats/jackets and only spent $70). Then she hit one of the major malls there to shop at a couple of her favorite stores and then meet up with Tara to have dinner. By the time she and the baby got home, the baby was miserable from being woken up from her *nap* (it was really nite-nite time) but Grandma got her into her pajamas and then tucked her in for the night.

Anyway, to go back to my sister Bratfink, she really does push buttons sometimes. She makes me realize that we all truly are so connected by events and feelings. For instance, the Boy just had his teeth pulled and a plate put in and spent a lot of time complaining about the pain, the misery, his losing weight, etc., etc. All of us married to men realize it’s a man thing. He could have had a pimple popped and it would elicit complaints for DAYS. *sigh*

Well, the Beast has his lower teeth pulled on Tuesday. The dentist had the plate ready for him and it was installed (yes, installed is the right word for it) as soon as those teeth were pulled. He bled like a SOB because he takes aspirin every day since he’s had his strokes. I don’t think he mentioned this to the dentist so he didn’t stop taking it for a couple days beforehand. He should have. Nevertheless, he bled all over my good sheets (figures!) and he’s tried very hard NOT to complain to me because I went through this already and didn’t complain at all. He knows this and I have no sympathy for him because of it. I told him that he needs to just figure that the pain will subside and he will learn how to chew with those new teeth. I’m sorry that it was the bottom teeth that he started with because those are just miserable to learn how to deal with as far as chewing goes. But, c’est la vie’.

He disregarded the dentists instructions and took his teeth out for several hours the day after having them put in. Guess what happened? You got it…..his gums swelled and he had a hellofatime getting the plate put back on. I just laughed because he has always been so self-centered that he thinks he is smarter than the doctors. It’s why he had his strokes. He didn’t take his meds. Now he’s learned, the hard way, that he ISN’T as smart as he thought he was. He’s now on the days when he has instructions to take his plate out at night. I told him that it what I was told, too. The gums will swell and then subside after a couple hours so it’s not so difficult to put them back in place. I hope he has learned his lesson. Only time will tell.

The Beast is going to Virginia for Thanksgiving to spend with his family. His Aunt Marge, cousin Bevie and Butch, Butch’s son Patrick (and his family) plus his son Jimmy and HIS family and his daughter, Brenda and HER family will all be there. I can’t attend because it means we would have to travel with the baby because the Princess has to work a 13 hour day after Thanksgiving AND two 12 hour days after that. I gave him the choice. It would mean taking the baby AND Baron and the two of them would NOT work out in the back seat…trust me on that.

I’m not really upset over it because the Beast said he would take the dorg with him AND his kennel. He has finally realized that the kennel is really necessary no matter what. Baron just gets too damn wild at times. I am going to be making a traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, sweet potato casserole, pumpkin pie, cranberry sauce and, because the Princess loves it, broccoli and cheese. I am making my nut cups this weekend because I promised to send some with the Beast for his family. It’s what they always assign me. I don’t wonder about that this year since the darn nuts alone cost me $9. *mouth open in surprise*

The Princess really was hoping for a real *family* thanksgiving but I explained to her that it’s not that easy when *family* can mean different things depending on how you look at it. My son Mark’s wife has family living there in Tullahoma so I figured that she will be having her family (her dad, mother, sister and family) there with them. My son Stephen and his sister, Buttmunch, are suffering from the economic problems so they can’t afford to come down to spend it with us. Even the situation with the Beast and his relatives is another example. His aunt is in her late 80′s and is suffering from Parkinson’s so that means she isn’t long for this world no matter HOW you look at it.

At least Christmas will be different since Mark took the week of Christmas off (he put in for it months ago and has worked all the major holidays since then) and so we will have them here for it even if it’s not exactly on Christmas day. I figure it may be just BEFORE or just AFTER Christmas but I don’t care. At least Chewlee will get to see her cousins and her aunt and uncle then.

It was Bratfink that really got me thinking about all this and about how lucky we really ARE in many ways. Her grandbrats are far away from her. Mine are not. Plus this great-grandbrat is living right here with me. She is both a delight and a terror at times. But…..I am teaching her Spanish words (and her mother can testify to this) and she has learned to say *Please* now, which she resisted before I started taking care of her. She cracks me up at times with some of her expressions she makes when she is guilty of doing something naughty or when she is just plain bad. She only knew how to say *NO* when she came here and she now knows how to say *YES*. It pleases me because she is so bright for a 16 month old baby compared to many we have seen.

She cracks me up when she plays with her play cell phone because she holds it under her chin while she is doing other things and it reminds me of both myself and her mother. She really does imitate real life with her play.

Anyway, we have an arctic air mass heading our way this weekend and they expect weather down into the region of 15-20 degrees here. I am dreading it but also realize that it’s probably the best thing for our fruit trees since we didn’t get really cold weather until late December or early January. The colder weather will mean the trees are more productive this spring. I can dig that.

You all have a great weekend and tell those you love them that you do as often as you can. You just never know what life has in store for you or those you love. Let your heart be your guide and rest assured that your last words to them were words of love. Love you all.

It’s no wonder I am not feeling all that great. The weather here (and in many other places I know) has been flaky as hell. We get cold weather, then nice warm weather, more cold weather, some mediocre weather and now it’s headed down to freezing again. I told the Beast that the down comforter is staying on the bed this time. If he gets too warm, he can sleep on TOP of it, I really don’t care. I’m just tired of putting a lighter blanket on our bed because he complains when the weather changes. I KNOW that the cold weather will eventually hit us and stick around so the hell with him and his complaints.

I do have to go out and pick up a nice warm blanket for the baby’s bed, however. I figure a nice twin size will do. The blankets I am using in her crib for cold weather is really too big for it and I worry about her entangling herself in them. The smallest one I have is for a full-size bed. The baby doesn’t sleep *neat* but twists and turns all over the place. She sometimes ends up at the other end of the bed by morning. I’ve been keeping her in nice warm pajamas and socks on her feet because she doesn’t stay under the covers like some kids do. When the Princess was a baby and afterward, until she hit her teenage years, she slept so neatly that it took little to make up her bed the next morning. Once she became a teenager, though, that was over. It was almost like she was a changeling.

The Beast took advantage of the nice weather we had the day before yesterday and took some pictures of Chewlee. She’s tough to take good pictures of because she’s more interested in playing and running around the yard than she is in worrying about pictures. She DOES, however, love to look at the pictures afterward. I took the opportunity to dress her up in her Halloween outfit again so he would try to get a couple good ones of her in it. He finally managed to get a couple because Chewlee became fascinated with how the light flashed. So we have pictures of our baby with her second Halloween costume on. How long this obsession will last, I have no clue. For a couple years, more than likely, and then will fade away. *Insert sad face here* But, that’s how life really works. There will be pictures for special occasions but Halloween probably won’t fit in there. Oh well.

It’s been raining here today. Some weather front moved from someplace or another and is sitting over us while a cold front is moving in at the same time. Snow flurries are possible. Thank goodness we have warm boots and a nice winter coat for Chewlee since her mother is taking her out to visit with Tara tomorrow and they are talking about going to see a movie. That means either Chewlee will go with them or Tara’s boys will be babysitting. I am NOT going to do it because I deserve a day off. I haven’t had a break in over a week now. I have things I need to do and I can’t do them while babysitting Chewlee. At least, not yet. She is still a baby that needs watching and entertaining. I play with her, watch videos, dance with her, sometimes rock and sing to her. She plays with the dog (whom she still loves dearly and he is still incredible with her). She loves to sit with Grandpa in his recliner but she doesn’t get the chance too often since neither one of them sits still for long.

Bratfink is still off the Internet and called me today to talk about what she’s been doing while she has been waiting for AT&T to get off their duffs. She’s been crocheting and there WILL be pictures, although one of her projects is a birthday present for someone and that will have to wait until after the birthday person gets it. It sounds beautiful. She does nice work so I am sure it will be once I get to see a picture of it.

I am missing her more than I can tell you. We usually talk on YIM off and on during the day and evening. She signs off when she goes to lay down and nap (lucky her) but she’s not been feeling well. She caught something from the Boy and finally went to see a doctor since the coughing was keeping her awake and preventing her from getting any sleep. She’s on the mend now, though, for which I am grateful. I’m not giving details because she will in her blog once she is back online.

I’m actually getting more sleep than I can believe at night. However, I am not waking up feeling rested. I’m not sure if it’s because I am getting TOO much sleep or if it’s because I am not sleeping WELL. I feel more like it’s the latter because I have been having a lot of right shoulder pain. I’m doing something to it in my sleep. I need to take a porcupine to bed with me (or something that will prevent me from turning on that side for a while). For most things, it’s not a problem but if I try to stretch it to get something off a shelf, for instance, then I KNOW it’s not right. It was fine a couple days ago so it’s not old age. It feels like something I have done to it that I am not conscious of doing. I am presuming it’s a sleeping issue since I do like to sleep on that side. Oh well. It will either get better or it won’t.

The baby is down for the night (I hope). Unless her mother comes home from work before she is soundly asleep, it means I may get some rest and a chance to play on Pogo uninterrupted. That’s where I am heading now.

Love you all and I hope you stay warm this weekend. I plan on spending it in a nice warm sweatshirt and sweat pants with heavy socks on my feet. I may even take a nice hot bubble bath while Chewlee and the Princess are gone tomorrow. We shall see.

The Princess finally got her shit together and made it over to the college to actually pick out her classes and be officially registered. She also had to turn in her letter from her employer so she can pay resident costs for it. What she forgot, however, was her tax return from last year. I guess that’s necessary for grants and other assorted financial matters although the wages here are a bit lower than they were in Florida.

The baby’s finger is almost healed now. It HAD to have a bandage on it until yesterday when she decided that it didn’t need it any more. I would have preferred to keep one on it for another couple days but she really fought. It’s done fine so maybe she had the right of it.

I adore this kid and she does things every once in a while (usually after trying my patience) that keep me remembering that fact. Today, for instance, she was feeling mischevious and willful and I was ready to lock her in a closet (only kidding but the idea of that was appealing). I suddenly got a severe pain (gas) and I guess it was more than my exclamation that showed. She dropped what she had in her hands, ran over to me and put both her arms around my neck and patted my back all the while making comforting sounds. She then lifted my head up, kissed me and hugged me some more. She kept looking at my face to make sure I was okay before she left my side, got her toys back in her hands and went back to what she was doing. She kept looking at me while she chattered at me (I think she was checking on me to make sure I was okay). She made me laugh and when I did that she seemed to think I was going to be fine. Don’t ever get a trapped gas bubble under your diaphragm while this kid is around.

The Beast has lost a few teeth these past two years (including one in front that has made him the subject of teasing because of living in Alabama). So, today, he decided he had to bite the bullet and go back to the dentist here that he saw a couple months ago and see what could be done. The end result? To his chagrin, he’s got to get a lower plate. He no longer has enough teeth to get a partial. I had to laugh since Bratfink’s Boy had to get a plate (but I think it’s the upper one). I have had plates for quite a few years although I didn’t need a lower one until a couple years ago. My problem was teeth that looked wonderful but had no real enamel due to high doses of antibiotics as a kid. This was in the days before they knew how that affected the second teeth forming. By the time something showed on the outside of the teeth, the insides were gone. I fought back for years until I could no longer stand it. I only regret they didn’t have the dental implants that they do now. I would dearly love them to hold the dentures tightly and will, one day, get them but not right now. It will require planning since you can’t have teeth in while the gums are healing from the implants. No way will I go anywhere while that is happening.

Anyway, I told the Beast to ask about them and they told him that they only do them after a year of having a plate. It gives the gums the time needed to heal and shrink. So, he’s stuck. The dentist took the impression and D-day is next Tuesday when the lower plate should be ready. He will have the remaining teeth (pretty much all on one side) pulled and the plate put in immediately. Send up a prayer or two for me because the Beast will make my life hell with his complaining. Men don’t do any kind of pain without making everyone around them miserable. The Beast is no exception. When mine were done, I had such a positive attitude that I never complained (I mean the whining kind) at all. I was just happy that all the pain was finally OVER once I healed. The same day I had my denture put in, I was eating pork chops for dinner. Granted, cut up but you have to do that anyway, right? Okay, okay..so the pieces were smaller than usual but, still, I ate. If you are hungry, you eat and I was hungry plus cooking for four kids. No special meals made.

Bratfink’s off the Internet for a while. They are changing Internet providers (from Comcast to AT&T) and there is a lag between Comcast stopping their service and AT&T starting up. They actually dropped the ball and lost the order or something (there’s always some convenient reason the service guy didn’t show up as expected, of course). So I am holding down the Internet for her this time. She usually holds it down for me when I have to be away from it for any extended time. I shouldn’t have to do that any more since we bought our laptop but one never knows. One hand washes the other, after all.

I told Bratfink that it was tough keeping up this blog on a daily basis. Partly because my life isn’t really all that interesting but also because it’s so darn hectic during the day with taking care of and entertaining the baby. She just laughed and said her life wasn’t interesting either but it’s all in the way you look at things. I guess that’s true. I will have to try to see the *interesting* side of things that are not solely based on cute things the baby does. I don’t want to become one of *those* grandmothers….or, rather, great-grandmothers.

Winter is definitely here. You can’t call this weather autumn even though we DID have a bit of warm weather for two or three days. This weekend will be brutal for me (in the 20′s they claim and the possibility of a snow flurry or two). I am a real wimp when it comes to cold weather (Lord, why did we move here again? I seem to forget that when winter arrives….). When I was a kid, I only went to school and the store for my mother. Other than that, I stayed inside where it was warm. Other kids built snowmen, played on sleds, some even went ice skating. Not me. Wimp, wimp, wimp and proud of it. I love to watch snow falling through a big picture window while in a nice warm house and, preferably, with a nice glass of brandy or a hot toddy in my hand. Now THAT is a nice visual, don’t you think. If I could change ONE thing in this house, it would be that I would add a nice fireplace to it. Then it would be totally perfect. Just the right size and just the right amenities for me.

Oh well, time to finish up dinner so I will close for now. Love you all and have a great weekend if I don’t really get back before then. Hugs for you all and be sure to tell those you love that you do as often as you can. Life is short and getting shorter every day.

It was bound to happen sometime with the way the baby loves to climb on things and push or pull things around. She doesn’t care if it’s bigger than she is, she will try just about anything.

I have one of those folding step ladders. You know the kind. It has three steps that unfold and you can use it for changing light bulbs or getting into the tops of cabinets to clean and such. I have been using it for the baby to sit on and watch what I am doing. It keeps her satisfied and she feels like she is participating. I have even let her wash off potatoes after I peel them because she just loves to play in water.

Today I made spaggetti (it was supposed to be the Beast’s day to do that but….well, he busied himself doing things out in the garage) so I had her on the step ladder and she was busy taking mushrooms out of the container and dropping them into the sauce. After we were done, she didn’t want me to put it away so she pushed it over to the living room where she then climbed up on it to watch TV. She actually loves to watch the commercials more than any program. I have no clue why but there you are. She really loves the ones that have either a baby or a dog in them.

The Princess was home so I just left it up and told her to keep an eye on the baby since she could fall and hurt herself. I didn’t think she would get hurt pushing it around but I was wrong. Somehow, it fell over and cut her finger. She bled like a stuck pig and both her mother and the Beast panicked. I heard the commotion and came out to find the beast holding a rag over the baby’s finger to staunch the blood, the baby was wailing in her mother’s arms and holding a piece of ice at the same time. The dog was pacing very fast all over the place and whining because the baby was crying. It was really a sight to see.

The Beast was sure the finger would need a stitch. I told him they don’t stitch baby’s fingers because it actually can cause more damage because the baby will keep bothering it and tear it. I took a look and knew that it looked worse than it was. I got out my trusty medical kit with all it’s goodies and found a finger bandage. It was a bit on the big side for the baby but it helped stop the bleeding and will keep it protected tonight. She bothered it for a little while but finally realized every time she did it, her finger hurt her.

Calming her down was a different story. She wailed for over an hour. She would stop for a minute or two while I held her and rocked her but then she would try to hold something and the finger would hurt her again so she cried again. For some reason, she seems to hold her mother to blame. Every time her finger hurt her, she wanted no part of her mother. She would scream if she tried to pick her up or take her from me. I don’t think she thinks that her mother should have kept her from harm, do you? I mean, I don’t think babies really realize that, do you?

So I ended up with her until she finally calmed down and the finger stopped hurting her so much. The Beast cleaned up all the blood that was spread around the kitchen (it didn’t get on the carpet, thankfully). I was surprised that little finger could bleed that badly and not be torn off. It really isn’t that bad. But, I am going to get some of that glue like substance (I think it’s called Second Skin or some such thing) that is used to close cuts and has replaced butterfly-type bandages. It’s just what tiny little fingers and toes need. I was thinking of getting it for the Beast since he bleeds so easy and is constantly hurting himself. Now I have another reason to get it. I will just ask the pharmacist what it is called and pick some up tomorrow morning. I can then take OFF the bandage that bothers the baby and use IT instead.

The Princess went and registered at our local college. She has to get a letter from her manager that says she works full-time so she can get the resident rates. She’s picked out the classes she wants to take from the list of courses she needs so she can get her work schedule adjusted for them. So life is starting to head towards some kind of scheduled pandemonium for me. The Princess claims she wants to get her own apartment somewhere near the college (which is not far from us, thankfully). She will be putting the baby in day care as soon as she is up to date on her shots. I gather she is slightly behind schedule (insert sigh here). The Princess wasn’t going to get the baby shots for chicken pox since she knows SHE had them as a child and still got chicken pox. I told her she would have gotten them a lot worse if she hadn’t had the shots so she has changed her mind on that.

It’s very late and I need to get this posted. Love you all and have a great weekend. I will be busy with the baby and having my own kind of fun. More later on how the finger is doing (as if you are really interested ).

It’s been some rather uneventful days at the Brat Farm. Other than the excitement and terror inspired by the baby (I do have days when I wonder how I can cope with such energy), my life has become rather more restricted than normal. I told you how ChewLee (as Bratfink calls her) thinks that *NO* really means *not while someone is looking*? That hasn’t changed a tiny bit. I finally took another tactic with her and just started making her put away everything she moved/removed from either a drawer or a cabinet. I am also tired of some of the Dora the Explorer dvd’s because they don’t hold her interest and neither does Curious George. They also spend more time on advertising other dvd’s you can purchase than they do on the one you are playing. Talk about crass advertising techniques. She actually prefers some of my dvd’s that I would have thought were for older kids (Mulan, Madagascar, the Dr. Doolittle ones and even Harry Potter). She is fascinated by the most curious things.

She loves commercials on regular TV and will dance to the music. Some commercials she recognizes from the music (if she’s in another room or if her back is turned) and will come running to watch them. That goes double for ones with babies or dogs in them.

She is on a regular schedule for naps and eating that she will not let you forget. She overslept (according to the Princess) one morning so I was told she probably wouldn’t go down for a nap until much later than normal. It didn’t happen. Since it made sense to me, I wasn’t paying attention to the time at all. But her inner clock was fully functional and about 10 minutes after her *normal* nap time, she started crying and looking for her blankey and bottle and kept saying *night, night*. I was surprised but put her down for her nap. She slept for her normal hour-and-a-half but woke up a bit cranky. She is usually very cheerful and happy when she’s rested enough.

I changed her poopy diaper and, lo-and-behold, she grabbed up her blankey and bottle and headed for the door of the bedroom saying *night, night* I was shocked but figured if that was where she wanted to go, then go she would. She slept for another hour. The only reason she woke up was because she was uncomfortable in that diaper.

Much to my surprise, she was STILL ready for bed at her regular bedtime that evening. I don’t ever remember MY kids being on that good a schedule, nor that willing and ready for bed….EVER!

Of course, some of this extra sleeping might be the result of her teething. It seems like she’s got teeth popping out one after another lately. She just finished getting a couple and now she has some molars (or pre-molars, whatever they are in a baby). At least I consider them molars because they are at the rear of her gums and they definitely look like chewing teeth.

She’s been asking for ice a lot and it has to give her some relief because she complains when her hands get too cold but she refuses to give up the ice. I finally started giving it to her with a paper towel folded and trimmed so that her hands didn’t get too cold and now she expects me to do it every time. She will shake her head NO if I try to give it to her without one and she shakes her hands like she’s reminding me that her hands get cold.

Halloween was fun here. Our community doesn’t have house-to-house trick or treating. There’s no law against it but they have local businesses and, of course, the police and fire department officiate at a *party* that our local Holiday Inn opens up a banquet room for the kids to attend. There are lots of treats for the kids and they seem to enjoy it.

Since the baby was still feverish, we didn’t even try to take her this year, although we do have a costume for her. After her bath, I dressed her in it and she had to go show it off to the Beast and the dog. She looked so cute as a little bumble bee. I had seen the costume in the stores but it was the first time I had seen it on a child. I know I am prejudiced but she looked so darn cute in it. The Beast has promised to take a picture of her in it but it hasn’t happened so far. I’m hoping it’s a good day tomorrow and we do it after the baby has her breakfast. I’m just going to act like it’s what we planned on and get her dressed. I dare him NOT to take a picture. (Insert determined and tee’d off face here)

I’ve had a running battle with ChewLee about my computer mouse. If I leave my computer running and get up for any reason, I can be assured that she will be moving it all over the place when I get back. I don’t mind that but she has clicked it a time or two and I am amazed at some of the things I have found on my screen when I got back. I finally started, when holding her in my lap while playing a game, showed her she could put her hand on mine and we both are using the mouse then. It seems to satisfy her. She may make herself more comfortable and remove her hand for a moment or two, but then it’s right back in place. It keeps her happy and I think it’s kind of cute.

I find myself saying the names of the cards (if I am playing cards) or saying the numbers when I click on them (if I am playing bingo) because I believe that she will make the connection. Kids are a whole lot smarter than we give them credit for and so we don’t challenge them enough I think.

Well, it’s late and, even though we turn the clocks back tonight (and regain that hour of sleep we lost back in April), my body still knows that I have been up a long time. It’s time to hit the sack. Love you all and hope you have a great day. Live well, love deeply and laugh often. Laughter, like love, has healing properties. Be sure to tell those you love that you do as often as you can. Life is short and, sometimes, shorter than we know.