I hate to say it but the Beast is up to his regular shit…AGAIN. I told you about his constantly coming up with (and starting) all kinds of projects. I suppose I should be grateful that he does, at least, complete most of them so I don’t have that headache, but he is making me crazy with this latest list.

It all started with his deciding we should put down new flooring in the kitchen. Well, that expanded into the living room area (and he tried to talk me into the bedrooms but I had a hissy fit and put my foot down HARD). Especially after he decided that HE could do this and we didn’t need to hire the place we bought the flooring from to install it. (I know…no fool like an old fool and, trust me, I brought that up to him but he thinks he has all the answers to the problems I could foresee and point out). So, he then decides that before we can even THINK about putting down the flooring, we should probably get the painting done that he feels we should do. In truth, the quality of the paint on the walls has left a lot to be desired and I agreed with that premise.

So, off he goes to get the paint and he started on that. If he hadn’t had those strokes 8 years ago (yes, it’s now 8 years he’s survived two brainstem strokes, folks!), he probably could have done the ceiling in the living room and kitchen in one day. Instead, it took him three days. Plus, he had to lay off it for a day and a half after TWO days because the climbing up and down the ladder (even with three naps a day) just killed his back and his left leg. The left leg is the one that was paralyzed and hasn’t ever fully recovered but does very well most of the time. Then he started on the kitchen and the one wall that is the *feature* wall for the table (dining) area. That was started four days ago and still isn’t done even though he’s managed to put two coats in one day on the areas he HAS completed. Worse, some of the areas look like they will need a third coat and he still hasn’t gotten to the wall area behind the stove and fridge or that wall under the cabinets. *sigh*

Now, mind you there is still the flooring that will need to be put down and before that the rug will have to be taken up, some plywood that will have to go down to even out the kitchen and living room areas (bet you didn’t even think of that, did you?) and I am wondering why he is measuring out what will end up being a little bit bigger table area. Well, it’s because he is thinking we will need to get a new table and he wants to see how big the table could/should be. **banging head on keyboard over this**

Today we got a flyer from Badcock Furniture Store and guess what he is looking at? You got it, all the dining room tables (complete with measurements) that they have *on sale* and he’s showing me what he likes. Then, when I walked away without comment, he comes into my computer room to have me look up unfinished furniture stores in our area (which I did and found a megamart one in Huntsville) but the whole time I am thinking it *another project*. This man is gonna make me nuts with all this shit.

So, I finally walk out and tell him, *Beast, all this looking at stuff is kind of putting the cart before the horse. I think you should wait before even looking until after all the work is done and the floor is down*. He looks at me and says, *I don’t agree*. I KNOW my face had to look incredulous and I said to him, *I refuse to have a new set or another project cluttering up this house when there is NO REASON FOR IT*.

He didn’t say a word but you and I know that it doesn’t mean anything. He is extremely self-centered and self-indulgent so what HE wants is what is going to happen, with or without my consent. Wait and see. I swear that this man is absolutely certain that he is going to die the minute he runs out of projects or things to do. If not, I don’t understand why he is so damn DRIVEN to make himself so tired and me so crazy. He STILL hasn’t finished pressure cleaning the outside of the house yet so there’s another unfinished project hanging in the air. I shudder to think what it’s going to be like in the next few weeks and, worse, what *I* will be put through because there is no way in hell that he will be able to do a lot of this stuff on his own. Even cutting the plywood for the floors he won’t be able to do on his own. A lot of men could but not him since he only sees HIS way of doing things and that involves his table saw (although we saw how they did it on other homes and one man managed it by suspending it between two 4×4′s and using a circular saw. But does the Beast see this as reasonable? No. No project he EVER starts does NOT involve ME in some way, shape or form. Like *I* have nothing to do.

I have told him more than once that he needs to find a hobby or projects that don’t require me to stop what I am doing to help him. I asked him when was the last time he remembers ME doing that to HIM? Never. And I mean that. I have never started a project nor do I have a hobby that has required me to interrupt him from something to give me a hand *just for a second*…which is a laugh.

Can you tell I am pissed? Yes, I am if you are uncertain. It means I have to get ready for a fight because otherwise I am going to have some damn big fucking table sitting in my living room and that we will have to move all over the place because HE can’t WAIT for anything HE wants. This is one fight I am going to be very vocal over which I haven’t been in a long time. It’s just that we have Chewlee here and a huge freaking dog and the last thing I need is the mess and his fussing over (because he will be more worried about the furniture than the people) shit that is unnecessary.

((Doing some deep breathing and chanting a mantra….give me a few minutes))……

Okay. I am done for now. I will keep you up to date on this in the future. Gonna close this and just relax for a bit before I get ready for bed. Love you all and hope you have a great weekend. We are due for more rain tomorrow and are under a possible flood watch. We won’t have one HERE because we are uphill from the lake and it’s a bit of a ways down from us (probably 100 feet difference in elevation) so little worry there. Hope you have better weather. Stay warm if expecting cold, dry if rain and cool if in heat…..LOL.

It was absolutely gorgeous outside today. It hit 70 degrees and there was a nice breeze. We opened up the top of the storm doors to let the breeze into the house. It helped because the Beast was putting a second coat of paint on the kitchen area. Helped the paint dry and got rid of the smell at the same time. Latex paint isn’t as bad (as far as odor goes) as the old oil-based paints are. I remember the smell of those lingering for a couple weeks. It seemed to get into everything. Those were always so messy and the smells of mineral oil and/or turpentine that you had to use to clean your brushes and rollers was even worse. Yuk! Love the latex paints any day over those. Much easier cleanup and the semi-gloss and satin finishes clean up nicely.

Chewlee was in one of those great loving moods. She ran around the house until I had to confine her for a bit while the Beast had wet walls. When she runs around the kitchen and living room areas, she ALWAYS has to touch the walls. It’s a kid thing, I swear. But she was easily entertained and we spent time reading all….and I mean ALL of her books. She has a nice little collection and never seems to tire of them. After her nap, I had her dressed and ready for her mother to take to the Health Dept. for her shots. Well, that didn’t work out since her mother never took down the address and had to call me for directions. She missed her appointment and never did find it. I only knew where it was because I had to turn around one day and used their parking lot to make it easier. So it means no shots for her until next Tuesday. It should be easier for the Princess because she doesn’t work until 5pm and she gets off school about 1:30pm. It just means I will have to get the baby down for her nap earlier or else I will have to wake her up so she is dressed and ready to go when her mother gets here.

When her mother came home to drop her off, she kissed and hugged her mother goodbye and then crawled into my lap to watch some TV. I figured from her demeanor that she wasn’t really done with her nap so I laid her in her crib and she slept for another hour. When she got up, I changed her and put her pajamas on so she would be more comfortable. She then spent a while terrorizing the dog (who still shows incredible patience with her although the two of them are very much alike at times). The dog is just six days younger than Chewlee. They both have a stubborn streak. They both can be sneaky at times and they both throw tantrums when they either WANT to do something and you won’t let them OR they get caught doing something they have been told they shouldn’t and try to turn it into a game with you. They both sulk after they are punished (and they both give THAT look when they want to see if you are paying attention to their sulking….LOL).

After her mother finished working, she was so glad to see her that she threw her arms around her neck when her mother sat down on the floor. She followed her everywhere but she was tired and ready for bed within a few minutes. So the Princess put her to bed (I had just finished putting a clean diaper on her so no worry there with her waking up because she was uncomfortable) and then went over to Johnnycakes house to do her homework for tomorrow’s classes that she hadn’t completed. She told me with all the homework she had and the fact that her first class is at 7:30am, she probably would just stay at Johnnycakes tonight. Friday’s they ride in to school together anyway. I was just glad she told me so I wouldn’t worry.

When Chewlee took her nap, I took the time to go sit out on the deck and just enjoy the nice day. Later, I took a walk around the property (including the lot next door that isn’t fenced in) to check out all the blossoms on our trees. It’s just incredible. The frost we had a few days ago hurt some of the blossoms on our Alberta peaches so we won’t have a heavy crop of those this year but it didn’t get all of them at least. I’m thankful for that because those are the early peaches and they were so wonderful last year. It was just a fantastic, peaceful and pleasant day. Tomorrow is supposed to be in the low 70′s once again but rainy. It will help the fruit so I won’t complain.

It’s way beyond time for me to get to bed so I will just say goodnight. Love you all and have a great day.

I don’t think I mentioned that we got some rain yesterday. Not all that much but it was unexpected. It was appreciated, I am sure. I know the Beast was happy (since he worries about that for his trees) and I am sure a couple farmers in the area were also. Well, it rained again today. Again, not a great deal but I guess that is about to change. They are talking about us getting several inches over the next three days with about 3 inches expected JUST ON SUNDAY!

I am hoping this means we are out of the woods as far as any drought effects are concerned. I know we have been slowly making it up the past two years or so but this will definitely be helpful. I think we are going to have a very green and colorful springtime around here. I am also hoping we will get some pretty pink blossoms on the pink dogwood this year. It’s grown quite a bit and should get a few more blossoms this year than it did last year. I have my flower seeds and am looking forward to getting them planted in a flower bed I plan to get started as soon as I can. I just love flowers, don’t you?

The Princess went out this evening to look at a low cost house to rent and it apparantly was shocking to her. It was in the middle of *crack town*, as she put it and was really ghetto quality. The woman had told her it was in a Mexican neighborhood but she doesn’t have the prejudices that many people in the South do so she was willing to look. As she put it, she wouldn’t be there all that much any way between going to college and working full time. But she was disappointed, I could tell. She really does want to be on her own once again. The Beast, although he’s very protective on one hand, is also a pain in the ass on the other. He can’t make up his mind WHAT he feels about this situation. He wants to have his privacy back and feel free to walk around in his underwear, scratching his balls if he wants to. He can’t with the Princess and Chewlee living here (and he doesn’t care how *I* feel about that picture…LOL). But, he also doesn’t want the Princess to commit herself until and unless she gets a dependable car since he knows that the one she is driving will not last much longer. Between her abuse of it (like turning on a cold engine and then speeding away without allowing it to warm up) and all the miles she has put on it, it’s not going to last much longer.

He also is afraid that her lack of being able to keep within a budget (which SHE thinks she CAN do if she puts her mind to it) will come to haunt her (and us). She has plans to sit down with Tara (the accountant niece of mine) and plot out a budget based on what she knew she spent on things like utilities and food plus the fees for Chewlee’s daycare (more on this in a bit) and figure out what she can safely afford to pay for rent. But…she isn’t thinking about having to get another car, for one. She just kind of shrugs it off with a look on her face like *it’s not going to happen for a while…..I’ll get one with my tax return NEXT year*. Yeah, right. The best laid plans…..

Me? I don’t want her to move out before she’s really ready. I, too, would prefer her to have another car with lots fewer miles on it AND no car payment. Then I could relax about the whole thing. I talked with her about her spending money on things JUST LIKE HER GRANDFATHER DOES. If she sees it and wants it, she buys it. Wrong, wrong, wrong. She at least had the courtesy to blush since she has accused her grandfather of doing that very thing without seeing it in herself. But she has been much better about it in recent weeks, I have noticed. I just wish I could say in recent MONTHS and knew she had started that savings account she once talked about (and had money in it). That could be a lifesaver in the future. She keeps thinking that her commissions on the wireless contract sales (and other items, too, I guess) will make up for anything she buys NOW instead of waiting for the money to be in hand. She does indeed count her chickens before they hatch. Worse, she will forget just how often she does that and will suddenly be in over her head if she’s not careful. It hasn’t mattered while she is here where she has almost no expenses but will make a huge difference once she is renting a place of her own.

Ahh well. We mothers (and grandmothers) will always worry about our kids. And she IS MY kid. I’ve raised her most of her life. So I worry just like I do for my other four. I want her to have a nice, happy life with few worries. Isn’t that what we really want for ourselves and our children, too?

Kim, Johnnycake’s mother, found a church day care that has an opening for Chewlee. So the Princess found out about the rates for three days and for five or six (I’m not sure which but I know they wouldn’t have Sunday available…LOL) and decided she could easily do three days to give me a break and still be able to rent a place. So tomorrow she will be taking Chewlee to the Health Dept. here to catch up on her shots so she can get the *blue sheet* she needs to put her in day care. I am kind of looking forward to that although I WILL have to pick up Chewlee on the days that the Princess has to close the store. But that won’t be bad since I will only have her for a few hours before the Princess picks her up. I have decided, though, that I am going to get my own car seat so we don’t have to worry about THAT issue. I will just have to make a trip to a couple resale shops first before I buy a new one. They have become so incredibly expensive that I almost fainted. But, I know that there are one or two shops that have them since babies DO outgrow them and get booster seats instead. I’m going to have to do that this weekend.

Well, it’s late and I am tired. I should have been in bed two hours ago since tomorrow is an early school day for the Princess. Chewlee HAS been waking up with the Princess and staying up (today she cried for a few seconds and went right back to sleep but was still up earlier than usual). She may do the same thing tomorrow since she was out later than normal with the Princess and was totally zonked out when they got home.

Love you all. Hope you have a great weekend. Stay warm and dry if you can.

Today the Beast started on the kitchen walls. I was really pissed (again!) because the paint was white. He swore it wasn’t. I had thought we agreed on a pale yellow but, as in everything, I assumed that he had just bought what the hell HE wanted…as usual.

Well, it turned out that the paint actually DID turn pale yellow as it dried. With the application of a second coat in some areas, the color is becoming more pronounced. I know! It surprised me, too. It’s not as shocking as that ceiling paint that goes on purple and turns white when it dries, but it is still surprising. He’s going to wait until tomorrow for the second coat on the majority of what he managed to get done today. I’m hoping the second coat makes it look just a bit deeper in color than it looks now.

One bad thing is that it now makes the trim around the doors look like they need painting. They probably do since whoever painted this place was not always *specific* and the paint is not evenly applied in some areas. But, like all the Beast’s projects, one seems to lead into another that he hadn’t planned on. I just keep my mouth shut since this was all HIS idea. I didn’t mind the color that was in the kitchen and could have lived with it for a while longer.

In the midst of his painting today, he suddenly stopped dead, looked around at the work he had done and what he still has to do and said….*I can’t believe that what started all this was the fact that I wanted to get a new floor put down*. It was the unbelieving tone of his voice that made me laugh. Honest. If you had heard it, you would have laughed too. He just got *that* look on his face and I turned and went back into my computer room where I laughed again. It constantly amazes me that he always manages to complicate something that should have been easy and has never learned that about himself.

Chewlee has a little bit of a cold. It’s mainly a runny nose and she is sneezing a lot. At least, I think it’s a cold. It could be an allergy since the family has some of those and it seems very diverse. Buttmunch, for example, is allergic to benadryl. I kid you not. Now, imagine this….she uses a lotion or takes a medication (by accident NOW because she has learned to look for it in the ingredients). She is also allergic to swordfish. When she was taken to the emergency room after eating swordfish for the first time (she only took a small bite or two and stopped because her lips started tingling), I asked the doctor, *What do you give someone who is allergic to benadryl when they have an allergic reaction?* It was scary when he told me that there WAS NOTHING ELSE!!!! He said she had best be careful of any allergy she knew she had because she would have to suffer through it or she might even die because there would be nothing that could be done to reverse the symptoms.

I never had any allergies until we lived in San Diego for over 5 years. It was long enough (in a desert climate and with little in the way of common allergens) to cleanse my body of any immunities I may have had. But, when we moved back to Florida, I was suddenly a haven for all those nasty little beggers so that I was miserable all year long with one thing or another. I am also now allergic to spider bites and you would have to see my reaction to them to believe it. The bites turn into things that look like boils. It’s awful. Needless-to-say, it did not make me happy to find out that Alabama is home to that awful brown recluse spider and our barn/shed/storage building could be very attractive to it. I have to make sure the Princess shakes out everything OUTSIDE before bringing her boxes stored out there into the house….just in case. I sure don’t want anyone here to be bitten by one. I’ve seen what happens from their bites and it’s not pretty. It’s like a miniature rattlers bite and causes necrosis of the skin and muscles. No NO NO…..not here, thankyouverymuch.

Chewlee got up very early today. I think it’s more because she fell out of bed and hit her head and cheek (and she has an awful bruise, too ) I forgot to ask the Princess if she meant Chewlee fell out of her crib (she has tried a couple times to climb out) or if the Princess had gotten her out of the crib and brought her into bed with her. I just want to be prepared if it’s the crib since I will have to watch her just a bit closer.

She only took a two hour nap but she took a second nap for an hour after being up about 3 hours. Tonight she wanted to go to bed a little after 7pm so this might turn into a cycle of up-early-and-to-bed-early. I’m hoping it might just be because of her cold. She feels warmer than usual when she starts acting tired. Other than that, however, she’s a ball of fire. She loves to run through the house and torment the dog. Poor Baron wants to play but he gets excited and is constantly catching himself to avoid knocking her down (it doesn’t always work and then Chewlee cries). Some days he gets so worn out with the way she pulls at him or the headlocks she gets him in that he starts running from her and hiding. It’s really funny to watch and I sometimes take pity on him and distract her with other things.

Today was a reading day. Mostly she wanted to read to me and she pointed out the different animals and tried to make the sounds they make (I do that to entertain her). But she has a new book so she wanted me to read that to her. I had to do it twice. She doesn’t like the pictures in it as well as other books she has but it’s all about how much she’s loved so she laughs and wants to give hugs. She does listen and she likes to follow my finger as I point out the different words. The second time we read it, she got bored and closed the book on me before I was done so I just put it up for the time being. Tomorrow will be another day and we will do it all over again, I’m sure.

I did something really dumb last night. After the baby went to bed yesterday, the Princess said she was going back over to Johnnycakes. I saw her leave and came into my computer room to relax and watch TV. Remember when I said I walked out of my room and all I could smell was garlic? Well, I never noticed it but the Princess was home and sitting on the love seat. Later on, after the Beast was in bed, I thought she had not returned home so what do I do? I call her on her phone. She answered in this half-asleep voice while I told her I thought she ought to come home and go to bed. She said to me, *I AM in bed* I said (in a totally surprised voice), *In your bed?* Her answer was, *Yes, grandma. You saw me in the living room when you came out of your room. I got home about 8:30 and even had one of grandpa’s garlic cheese rolls and then went to bed.* I said (very sheepishly), *I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t notice you there when I came out. Go back to sleep.*

This morning, the Princess found it funny, although I don’t think she did last night. She said she even had to check her phone to make sure she hadn’t dreamed it but, no…there I was! So the first thing she does is tell the Beast all about it and he had a good laugh over that. Duh. Blond grandma strikes again. I think she probably told everyone about it but….I really don’t care. I wasn’t feeling well and was worried about Chewlee waking up and no one being there to hear her. My intentions were good. But I did feel dumb. Sorry, Princess.

Well, have a great day everyone. Love you lots and I am sending out hugs to all. Keep warm and spring will be here sooner than you think.

I woke up early but stayed in bed today because I have a bad cold. It wasn’t there yesterday but it sure as hell hit me today. I have both the chest and sinus version. No fun. At least I could baby myself a bit because the Princess took Chewlee over to visit with Johnnycakes family. When she came home, she was exhausted and, after changing her diaper, all she wanted was to go to bed. She was in bed early but she hasn’t let out a peep. I hope the Princess (who returned to Johnnycakes after running to the store for her grandfather), comes home at a decent time because I am in no shape to get up with Chewlee if she cries after I go to bed tonight.

The Beast finally finished the ceiling completely, even the edges. With this bumpy ceiling (we called it a blown ceiling in Florida where it was popular years ago), that’s not an easy task. I spent the day under my electric blanket, drinking lots of tea and then hot chocolate. My comfort drinks. The tea was cinnamon apple tea and I love it. I was wishing for some lemon juice, however, since I love to make what I call hot lemonade. It always helps me get rid of a lot of phlegm and dries up my nose. I even tried out that *warming* cold and flu remedy. It’s okay but nothing to get excited about for me. Lots of that stuff just doesn’t do a thing for me. The Beast swears by Nyquil and so does the Princess. Me? It does absolutely NOTHING. It doesn’t even help me sleep. Guess I am just weird. A nice dose of brandy would be better….LOL

I watched the Academy Awards tonight with my sister. She wasn’t here, of course, but she was on an IM and we made comments about the dresses, the singing and other things. We sometimes even watch movies * together* although people think we are weird. Tonight we especially enjoyed Hugh Jackman who was hosting. Gotta love a guy that looks that yummy. The Awards were very elegant this year and one of the best I remember watching.

My elbow doesn’t look any better that I can see when the tape is off it. I keep changing the tape like the doctor told me to do. I did notice tonight that it seems to be compressing better, if that makes any sense. I don’t have that big bulge that just wants to slide back and forth. It almost seems like a normal elbow with a bandage around it. It FEELS better even if it doesn’t look it when it’s naked.

The Beast decided to make some shortcake biscuits for strawberry shortcake. It’s a recipe from the Bisquick cookbook he bought for the Princess a couple years ago. That’s the errand the Princess ran for him…getting the strawberries and whipped cream so he could indulge. I cut up the strawberries for him and sugared them before putting them into the fridge. Although the shortcake looked terrible (I didn’t watch him but they sure looked strangely shaped…IF he shaped them at all), they tasted good. Not exactly what I am used to using (I prefer to use pound cake) but he was happy. He did, however, have a bit of a tantrum because I made him wait before using the strawberries. He is like a little kid when he wants something. He wants it NOW. I told him that he was always doing whatever the hell HE wanted WHEN he wanted and to hell with anyone else. I told him if he wanted it so badly that he just couldn’t wait, go ahead but it wouldn’t be as good as if he waited.

Then he decided he was going to make some garlic cheese biscuits. I was watching TV in my computer room with the door closed because he’s losing his hearing and the TV volume in the living room was too high for my comfort. It was better with the door closed so I didn’t have to turn up MY TV volume. When I went to make myself some tea and opened up the door, I almost fainted from the smell of garlic. The Beast has a failing when it comes to cooking. If a little is good, more is better. He especially feels that way about garlic. I just know that I am not touching them. Garlic does NOT like me. I sweat it out of my pores and I continue to *smell* it on and around me for days afterward. I have learned the hard way with him.

I told you how unhappy I was with the changes to my living room without MY input the other day. Well, guess what happened today? It’s now re-arranged like *I* wanted it. Even the Princess agreed that it looks much better. But I still haven’t sat in the living room since I had my fit the other day. I just hate that the Beast is retired and has no hobby that will keep him occupied except his photography. To do that, he needs some SI’s (significant images) and, with this cold weather, he’s not going to be getting any because he’s not *into* winter landscapes. He prefers people and animals. *sigh* I am SO looking forward to spring when I can push him out the door with his camera.

I’m bracing myself for the next argument we will be having. It’s going to be over the color of one feature wall shared by the living and kitchen areas. I want to bring some color into the house and he’s looking at brown’s and beige’s. He keeps saying to me…*It will look rich*. I tell him it will be *boring*. He hasn’t even started on the walls of the kitchen and he’s already arguing with me over the color of our bedroom. I told him to finish one job at a time before he even THINKS about other rooms. The rate he’s going, it will be summer before he gets done with the living room and kitchen. He’s even talking about putting up special trim at the ceiling area. I told him talk to me about that when the painting is done. It just pisses him off when I do that….LOL

Well, time to hit the sack for me. My nose isn’t running right now and seems pretty clear. I might actually get to sleep quickly. Love you all. Have a great day and keep warm. Another very brisk morning ahead for us here (around 23 degrees). Worse for some people so I am NOT complaining but I don’t want to hear about the weather in south Florida, tyvm. In the words of Chewlee, *night-night*.

I was surprised that the Beast actually took my advice (and what his good sense told him needed doing) and rested today. He really did. I was both shocked and pleased. He also kept his complaints down to a minimum so my day was much more pleasant than I thought it would be.

I got to sleep in a bit. I didn’t get up until almost 9am. I was actually awake before then and just kept my eyes closed and my body comfy. I listened to the sounds of activity by the Princess, the Beast and Chewlee and was glad I was where I was….LOL. Chewlee was on a tear and getting into things she shouldn’t. She also refused to eat her breakfast her mother prepared and wouldn’t drink out of her sippy cup. Her mother was NOT going to give her a bottle until and unless she drank the sippy cup.

When I got up, I found out why Chewlee wouldn’t drink out of the sippy cup. She obviously took a sip and discovered it was just plain water with ice in it. Now normally ice appeals to Chewlee but she likes to be able to get her hands on it and not just HEAR it clicking around inside anything. She loves chewing ice cubes and doesn’t care how cold her hands get. When I give it to her, I wrap a napkin around it that I have folded into a small strip. It only helps a little but does help her keep a grip on it. I was tired of it falling everywhere and having to retrieve it and/or throw it out if it had hit the floor. I take no chances with a dog in the house. He’s got hairs everywhere.

After her mother left for work (with Chewlee crying at the door because she couldn’t go with her), I got rid of the problem by throwing out the ice and water and giving her some ice to chew on. I figured she does get quit a bit of water with the ice she can consume in a day. She’s been cutting some teeth wayyyyyy in the back of her mouth (I don’t think they are real molars but that is the function they will be serving so molars they are.

She also ate for me. I’m not a magician, it was just close to noon and she was finally hungry. After that it was nap time. She was running a bit of a fever but that came and went during the day so I think it was tied in with the teeth trying to come in. She played for a bit, terrorized the dog, sat quietly on one of the recliners and watched TV with grampa and then, surprise! surprise! she took ANOTHER nap. That one only lasted about an hour but it was out of kilter with her so I kept a close eye on her the rest of the day. She was in a happy mood and is always so sweet then. She wanted to kiss my cheeks and then I had to kiss hers. She sat in my lap watching TV with me and wanted me to kiss her neck so I did and we ended up rolling around on the floor for a bit while I tickled her.

When she laughs hard, she gets the hiccups so I stopped the fun so she could recuperate. When it came time for bedtime, she insisted she had to have TWO bottles. I gave her a bottle of juice (we cut it 50/50 with water) and the bottle of milk she MUST have when it’s nite-nite time. When I check on her around 10 pm, I was glad to see that she had finished the milk but still had the juice bottle cradled in her arm. When she wakes up later, she will have it right there so she shouldn’t wake anyone up with her crying. If she had finished BOTH bottles, I would have woken her up and changed her diaper because it would have been FULL, believe me. This kid has an incredible bladder on her. It’s why we had to change the diapers we used because they leaked so badly and we were tired of having to strip her bed every morning. The Pampers Cruisers solved that problem for us. If they hadn’t worked, we would probably still be trying out different *models* of the ones on the market.

Tomorrow the Princess doesn’t work so I have my Sunday off. I have some shopping to do so that is a relief. No rushing while Chewlee is taking her nap so that I can get home and get everything put away before she wakes up. There’s no way in hell that the Beast would change her diaper. That one is usually a *sirty* diaper and he would probably faint….LOL That’s a lot to ask of me when her nap is usually only an hour-and-a-half to two hours. Ever timed yourself when you are doing the weekly shopping? Try it some time when you are shopping for at least four people…or three and a baby. Add the fact that I am always looking for new snacks or finger foods for her while she is still learning to use her fork and spoon. She hasn’t decided yet if she is going to be a lefty or a righty, let alone master using them. I try to show her the right angle and she’s almost got it for the fork. The spoon is going to take a lot longer. She will get something on the spoon and then it ends up being upside down by the time it reaches her mouth. It can be VERY messy at times.

The dog is making me crazy whenever I put her into her high chair. He thinks it’s time for him to eat too. I mean HE wants HER food and has been caught eating off her plate more than once. I have to watch him like a hawk. I also have to watch Chewlee because she actually encourages his bad behavior by feeding him. She thinks she’s being sneaky because she will put something in her hand and then lower it down so he creeps over and eats it. So, I end up telling HER and HIM…NO!!!!! His chin is the perfect height to put right on the food tray. I’ve started making him stay on the other side of the room but the minute I am out of sight or turn my back for longer than a minute, I turn around and there he is…right next to her. He tries very hard to look innocent but I know when he’s not. Today he finally laid down with his back to her and ignored the fact that she was eating. I don’t know why he does that because I always give him the leftovers when she is done. BUT….I put them in HIS dish. I don’t want him to ever think he’s welcome at the table while we are eating. Bad habit to get into and I won’t let guests do it either.

Well, the Beast finally went to bed. The Princess has finished her homework for the night. taken her shower and gone to bed also. Time for me to do the same. Love you all. Stay warm and be happy. We are getting a mean cold front tonight and it will be in the 20′s tomorrow morning. As you may guess, I won’t be rushing out of the house to do any shopping. I am still a wimp when it comes to the cold.

Today I finally had to tell the Beast the reasons why it’s always a lot easier to hire someone to do painting. One, it’s something they do professionally and they have a routine that works. Two, they do it much faster. Three, if THEIR bodies ache, it’s no big deal because YOU don’t have to suffer. Can you see where this is going?

Yes, he is finally paying the price of pushing his body beyond it’s capacity and he’s suffering for it. Plus, the ceiling alone is not even done yet. *Sigh* I knew it was going to work this way and I even warned him. He looked at it and kept saying things like *Oh, it’s not like it’s all that big an area* or *Well, I have to do so much of the kitchen area getting up and down on the ladder…* I’m sure you’ve heard similar excuses. The main problem actually is that he seldom did any painting so it’s all a chore to him. His left leg, which never has fully recovered from the paralysis from his strokes, is still both weak and stiff. He’s told me many times that it is ALWAYS painful for him but he’s learned to live with it. But, trust me, he’s a MAN and they don’t learn to live with anything if it involves REAL pain. What he means is that the stiffness doesn’t bother him as much as it once did. Mentally, it doesn’t bother him as much since THAT is what truly bothered him. He is not a man who has ever liked feeling (or being told) that he can’t do whatever it is he wants to do. Thus begins MY pain. Living with someone with that attitude is NOT easy, trust me.

I tried for many years to encourage him not to push himself. Try to rest it, I would say. Pace yourself a bit. In one ear and out the other because HE didn’t have to do those things. Yeah, right! It’s the whining that gets to me. He’s gotten more subtle about it but whining it STILL remains.

He had to take a bath and soak for a while was the first thing. Then he had to lay down for a bit. Then he came limping into my computer room where Chewlee and I were cozily watching a movie, Icy Hot in hand, and (in a very pained voice) ask me to put some on him. After putting Chewlee down, he turned, lifted his shirt and pulled down his britches so I could get part of his left *cheek*, too. I just bit my tongue, applied it for him and then patted him as an encouragement to leave so Chewlee and I could get comfortable again. The next few days will NOT be fun.

The Princess informed me that she has to work the store in Gadsden (which will be about an hour’s drive…or so) tomorrow so it’s going to be a much longer day for me. It also means that Chewlee will be very unhappy about going to bed without seeing her mother. She has an inner sense of approximately what time her mother SHOULD be home and she’s usually dead on. It’s amazing to see. She’s even learning what her mother’s school schedule is now. She was very unhappy that the Princess either stayed at school or at Johnnycake’s after getting out of class to do her homework instead of coming home before she had to go to work. They drive to school together on Friday’s so it had to be one or the other. She asked to go nite-nite twice and I think it was because she expected her mother to come home when she was done. The second time, I knew she was only going to finish up her bottle and not sleep. She actually cried because mommy was not home.

The Princess doesn’t seem to understand that, even though Chewlee seems to halfway ignore her when she IS here, that is part of the *game*. She has to BE here so she can kiss, hug or cuddle with her if she (Chewlee) WANTS to do it. If she isn’t here, then Chewlee isn’t happy because she doesn’t have the choice available to her.

Chewlee will fight going to bed so that she is up when mommy gets home. She will spend a few minutes with her and that’s all it takes to make her happy then she wants to go nite-nite. She will have a smile on her face, race to wave nite-nite to grandpa, doggie and me (then run in to give me a kiss), gather up her blankey and bottle and trot happily off to bed. It’s very different when mommy isn’t home on time. She will be falling asleep and I ask her, *time for nite-nite?* and she will shake her head NO. But she won’t move and her eyes will be trying to slam shut. When I finally pick her up and TELL her it’s nite-nite time, she will accept it but ask *mommy?* in that sad little voice only babies can use. I have to tell her mommy is *working* and she sometimes gets tears in her eyes and cries a little for mommy before she settles down and conks out.

It’s only happened a few times, thankfully. I just hate those times, though. She sometimes wakes up during the night and, if she can’t see mommy in her bed, she gets very upset and cries. I can settle her down with a fresh diaper and bottle but those nights she doesn’t sleep soundly until she *hears* or *senses* that mommy is finally in her bed. If that doesn’t happen early enough, those are the mornings that Chewlee sleeps in and doesn’t get up until an hour or more later than normal.

My poor elbow is giving me some pain since I am keeping pressure on it as the doctor instructed. It’s not liking it much, that’s for sure. Now, even the shoulder is paining me. I’ve also become much more aware of what picking Chewlee up is doing to it. She’s not exactly a lightweight at 20 months. I have to pick her up to put her in the high chair, take her down, put her in her crib, take her out of the crib, etc. With the Beast painting, it wasn’t as if he was available to do it for me. I have to change it daily to give it a bit of a rest with all the bending of the elbow I have to do normally plus the bandage has to come off for my shower anyway. I’ve thought of several different ways I might relieve some of the pressure on the inside of the elbow but, try as I might, nothing seems to work the way it should (in theory). I guess I will just have to suffer through it for the next two weeks.

Well, I have to get myself to bed now. Long day tomorrow for me and I am not as young as I once was…unfortunately.

Love you all. Have a great weekend and keep warm.

As you may guess, Chewlee has recovered from whatever it was that made her so ill the past few days. She is now fully recovered if her energy level and appetite are any indication. She ate well today. She also spent a great deal of time just joyfully running through the house every time I was distracted. She was funny to watch. To get her to slow down, I put some of the cute cartoon dvd’s in the dvd player to watch. She was antsy and kept sitting on the floor then up on my lap then, finally, she put her blankey over a pillow on the floor and sat on that. I think, however, that she missed the commercials. She really IS entertained by a lot of them more so that any cartoons can supply.

The Beast wasn’t feeling well by bedtime last night. He complained of an upset stomach and a headache. All I could think was…*Ut oh…he’s got whatever Chewlee had.* Even he thought the same and had a bucket next to the bed in case.

This morning, however, he wasn’t feeling bad at all so it finally occurred to me that it had to be the paint that did it. It’s been so long since we had a closed up house that kept the paint fumes inside that I had forgotten…and so had he. He’s always been highly sensitive to the fumes even from latex paints. It’s much worse with oil based paints but when was the last time anyone has really used them inside a house since latex has gotten so good? So, he spent today attempting to finish painting the ceiling but he opened up the storm door screens to let fresh air in while he was doing that. The house was fairly cold while that was going on since it happened to be windy. He finally took pity on me and Chewlee and stopped painting, gave the house a little more time to air and then closed the doors so the house could warm up.

By the time the Princess returned home after work tonight, I was really ready for a break. The baby was just about ready for bed after a short visit with mommy. Chewlee spent about half that time terrorizing her. She also spent a few busy seconds playing in the dog’s water dish (which is a spanking offense but she obviously thinks it’s worth it) because she did it anyway. Then, when her top had to be changed, she just smiled and held her hands out to me so that I could see what she had done and how cold her hands were. Of course, Nana had to warm them up for her (which is something I always do) so she had a two-fold reason for showing me, I am sure.

I took a nice, long shower and enjoyed it immensely. I usually have to rush through it while she is napping (and after I do a few necessary chores around the house). The Princess is at Johnnycakes doing homework and studying for a test tomorrow. She says she may be home late (but how late she didn’t commit herself to) so I am just going to head for bed early. Well, early for me.

One funny I just have to mention. The Princess keeps her dirty clothes hamper at the foot of Chewlee’s bed…it’s convenient but has one bad feature….it’s close enough for Chewlee to rummage through from between the bars of her bed. I have found clothes that were in the hamper scattered on the floor when going in to get Chewlee after her nap and it’s fairly obvious why. But…Chewlee always managed to take out a pair of her mother’s underwear (it’s thong underwear now mind you) and it is either IN her crib or, more likely, around her neck. I’m not sure if she thinks it’s a hair band or what but I finally decided that it HAS to stop. I mean, the underwear, no matter how small, is still soiled. Today, she had one pair hidden under her pillow and another around her neck. If I hadn’t checked, it would have been there even after I moved the hamper. She was not happy when I found it, either. It was almost like she KNEW I was going to move it. Maybe it’s that family ESP thing manifesting itself in her this early. Going to have to keep a close eye on her….LOL

Well, goodnight all. Have a wonderful day. Keep warm since the cold weather seems to be taking over once again. Love you all.

Thanks for all the inquiries about how Chewlee is doing. The vomiting seems to be over but she still doesn’t have much of an appetite. She only needed one more dose of motrin early this morning. She is peppier than she was but is attached to her mother by an invisible umbilical cord. She’s working her way into my room and my lap more often this evening so I would venture to say she will be back to normal tomorrow after a good night’s sleep.

Buttmunch has been going through her own personal hell with her ex-, the father of Teri Lynn. That is the person who was given TEMPORARY custody of Teri and, within a month, violated every part of the agreement and disappeared. We tried every relative, left messages everywhere but no trace could be found. For the next few years, Buttmunch used a lot of different means in an attempt to locate the Asshole with no luck. She even searched through many of the county arrest records online because he has been known to get into some serious fights and might have been arrested. He had served time for a bad beating he had given a young man before Teri Lynn was born. She was clutching at straws, I know, but it was something.

When she married a couple years after Asshole disappeared with Teri Lynn, her husband hired a private detective to find Teri. Every time he got a lead, it was like Asshole had that radar that some people who are used to hiding from creditors and the law have….he would suddenly pack up, move and disappear again.

This man has had multiple women love him and end up leaving him. He is an abuser. So we were all worried about whether or not that would be Teri’s fate and that scared us. We were glad, once we found her, to find out that he has not been cruel to her. That is, until recently.

Oh, he’s not abusing her physically. No, this is MENTAL. He is fighting with Buttmunch and taking it out on Teri by calling her mother all kinds of ugly names. He doesn’t talk to her, he SCREAMS at her. Buttmunch finally started hanging up on him because it just killed her to hear Teri crying in the background. And it’s all about money.

Way back when, Asshole was living with a real nice gal we will call Jeanie. Now Jeanie was an intelligent woman and prepared a temporary custody agreement between Buttmunch and Asshole. In it, it stated that Asshole was solely responsible for all bills, including medical, during the period he had custody of her. It’s been so long since it was signed and witnessed that I think Asshole forgot about the agreement.

He is a block mason by trade and that market has fallen on hard times so he’s been reduced to repossessing cars and trucks for money. It’s not lucrative by any means. He is apparently having a tough time meeting his bills. He has started threatening Buttmunch with taking her to court for child support.

Now…think about this….HE disappeared with Teri over 8 years ago. He was only supposed to have her until school started in the Fall. By not living up to the agreement, and fleeing with her, he really has no idea that HE could be prosecuted for child kidnapping. His name is not even on her birth certificate (Buttmunch already knew he was bad news by the time Teri was born).

Buttmunch doesn’t want Teri to do without anything she is used to having. But Buttmunch hasn’t worked in a year and has no money. She’s pretty much sold everything she owns of value in order to have SOME money. It’s not that she doesn’t want to work, it’s just that it’s a Good Old Boy town and the guy she recently divorced has money and knows how to spend it. People don’t want to offend him so they hire other, younger women as bartenders. Oh, I guess I forgot that part. Buttmunch is a bartender and an excellent. She had quite a following, too, and was a real asset. But, her ex- got involved with cocaine and that’s one thing Buttmunch will not tolerate. She’s not against having a joint now and then but DRUGS????? No way, Jose. She has seen how it destroyed many of her friends and her sister. She tried for a year but he wasn’t hearing her so she finally left him.

Right now, she has two roommates. One an old friend, the other my son (her brother). The boys pay the rent and buy the food. She cooks, cleans and does the laundry. It works for them. She has recently started some serious looking for work once again because she wants to relocate near us. She also figures the ex- should have stopped trying to sabotage her efforts now and might even have a personal life again.

Buttmunch told Asshole that she would do what she could but…she was only going to give the money he claimed Teri needed for her cell phone and clothes directly to Teri. That set him off on another cussing and swearing episode and all kinds of threats. Buttmunch was on the phone several times with her dad (The Beast) while he reminded her that Asshole did NOT have money for an attorney and, even if he went through Family Services, once Buttmunch provided them with the copy of the custody agreement, he would be dead in the water. Plus, she is not working. End of story. She doesn’t drive, doesn’t own a car, she has NOTHING so what does he think he is going to get??

I reminded Buttmunch that he obviously still knew how to push her buttons and vice versa. We figure he is going to try to extort US next but we are ready for him. We owe him nothing. If he doesn’t call us and try to get money out of us, I will be surprised. The Beast thinks he won’t do it because he wants Teri Lynn to come stay with us this summer and figures we will buy her clothes and at least keep her fed and entertained. He’s right there. We would. I wouldn’t mind it one bit, either. But it would be because *I* wanted to and the Beast wanted to do it, also. We shall just have to wait and see.

Tomorrow I will go into the search for a day care for Chewlee and a couple other odds and ends. This is long enough, I think….LOL

BTW, we were under a tornado watch today. I was at the doctor’s office and ended up being put in another examining room when the sirens went off. No, I didn’t have the elbow drained. My doctor says he doesn’t like to do it because of the danger of infection since it’s not like it’s just beneath the skin (How would I know?) So he has me using a special compression setup that’s uncomfortable as hell (but better than that ace bandage I used at first) and says I have to use it for a couple WEEKS! He also said I was to avoid lifting as much as possible because it would delay healing. Yeah, right. I’m babysitting a 20 month old. It seems like all I DO is lift her for one reason or another. I will have to give this some thought.

Love you all and have a great day. Kisses and hugs because I am so happy the baby is better.

We had a real rude awakening this morning. Chewlee woke up sick. She had, apparently, barfed on this one small blanket that was in her room only *I* didn’t recognize it for what it was since it was just juice in her stomach. Chewlee had thrown it out of her crib onto the floor. I saw it was wet but thought she was bouncing her juice bottle on it (a new habit she has picked up and thinks is funny).

I did notice, however, that she seemed awfully warm when I took her out of the crib and she seemed strangely quiet. She didn’t want to eat anything, just wanted a bottle. She crawled into my lap and started crying over nothing. She got on the floor and played with some of her toys, grabbed a book that she wanted me to read to her and then she grabbed her blankey and laid down on a pillow she grabbed from behind my back. I thought she might not have slept well during the night so I asked her if she wanted to go night-night and she got up, started saying night-night so I put her in her bed.

She laid right down and turned on her side and, I swear, was asleep before I even got the door closed. The Princess has a 2 hour break between her classes and was disappointed that Chewlee wasn’t up when she got home. I told her about her slight fever and the fact that when I put the blanket from the floor into the washer, I was pretty sure she had thrown up on it. The princess finally went back to the college. When the baby woke up, she seemed happy but was very warm so I finally gave her some children’s motrin. She ate a little toast and then wanted some peaches which she ate with what seemed a good appetite. She was still very subdued except she cried every time the dog went outside. Don’t ask me why because she would just pet him and then ignore him once he came back into the house. She was up about an hour and then wanted to go night-night again. Her fever seemed to have gone down so I put her back in bed and left the door open so I could hear any strange noises.

The Princess came home shortly afterward and checked on the baby. She noticed the baby seemed very warm at this point but she was sleeping soundly. About a half hour later, Chewlee started crying. To our surprise, she had vomited everything she ate all over her bed, her pillow, her covers and herself. The Princess peeled off the baby’s pajamas while I stripped the bed and took everything to the washing machine.

The next few hours were strange ones. Chewlee alternately seemed to feel okay and then would vomit and get whiny and start crying. The Princess was going to make some chicken soup and let the baby eat the noodles but she had made herself some macaroni and cheese and that is what the baby wanted. The Beast ended up eating the soup…LOL.

Chewlee ate well (which surprised me but…we braced ourselves for her vomiting that up). Afterward, she curled up with her mother on the recliner and they both ended up napping. It was an adorable picture. The Princess woke up and was afraid to move because Chewlee was asleep but would start that little whine babies make when you move them. So she suffered (she needed to use the bathroom) until Chewlee was more awake.

When Johnnycakes got here, he kept Chewlee company and comforted until the Princess got out of the bathroom. But the baby was still laying around and wanted comforting. She finally asked to go night-night again so the Princess changed her diaper and it was time for some motrin again before she put her to bed. I am hoping this is just a 24 hour bug but, if she isn’t better tomorrow, the Princess may take her to Urgent Care…a walk-in clinic nearby. She IS braced for the fact that the baby may wake up in the night and want to get into bed with her mommy and then wait to barf until she is. I put a heavy towel next to the bed and told the Princess to put it down before she does bring Chewlee into bed with her….just in case.

I just hate when a baby is sick. Especially one Chewlee’s age because they just don’t understand why they feel the way they do. We are keeping her hydrated since that is one of the things you have to watch for when they are sick and running a fever. She hasn’t barfed much except that once where she got everything (including the bumper pad on the crib).

The Beast has now decided he’s going to do a couple things…he’s going to paint the ceiling in the living room and kitchen and then paint the kitchen walls (we did the living room last spring, I believe it was). He is also going to put down the laminate in the kitchen HIMSELF. I had a fit over THAT. I told him all the different reasons he shouldn’t even consider it (cutting the door sills so the laminate fits UNDER them without tearing it all apart), not having the edging for the doorways, etc. So off he goes to Lowe’s to talk to the people in the flooring department. *Sigh* He now thinks he has everything solved. What he is not thinking about is that the people who do it for a living do it much faster than he can on a good day. He’s not as strong as he was, he doesn’t have the stamina nor can he get up and down easily. His left leg is weak and won’t last if he is on his knees for long. But he will do what he wants whether I like it or not or if I even have a good point. He’s penny wise and pound foolish.

He and the Princess rearranged my living room today without even saying a word to me. I don’t like it at all and I refuse to even sit in it now. They can straighten it up, do the dusting, etc. It’s not mine any more. Amen. That’s it. I don’t care if anyone agrees with me or not. I think they have the love seat in the wrong place..period. It looks stupid and lopsided. There is no harmony. I can be perfectly happy in my computer room.

Well, I am going to close this for now and see how the baby is doing. She’s quiet but I want to see if she’s still running a fever. There’s been enough time now for the motrin to kick in. Hopefully, she will rest until morning. If not, the Princess may be in for a rough night. She told her manager she wasn’t going to make it to work tomorrow because of the baby being so sick. She wanted him to have plenty of time to refigure how to open AND close the store and call in someone for help.

Love you all and have a great day.