Well, it's been a week now and I can actually see an end in sight on this project of the Beast's. He painted the baseboards so it would be ready for the trim and tomorrow he will work on the last section where it meets the rug in the living room.

I have to say, it really looks great! It is so rich looking and makes the whole kitchen area look larger and longer. Of course, you do realize that he hasn't touched the utility area. He figures he can do that separately since he is now (finally) going to put up doors to close off that section. I really DID wonder why that wasn't done when they built the house but I guess the builder just didn't want to put that extra $90-100. into it. Sheesh.

I have decided that I want the living area done by summer. It should be much easier for the Beast because it doesn't have those angles he complained about. The room is darn near square and he's learned how to undercut the doorways now so that shouldn't be a problem. He also found out there are special tools he could have been using that would have made things a lot easier on him. I had laughingly said he should have taken the class they offered on it when it was taking place. It was half a joke but he could have learned a lot from it. Hindsight and all that.....

I didn't have to watch Chewlee for long before the Princess was back from her class and Johnnycakes came over. I was supposed to roast a chicken today and make stuffing but I really felt so bad from this darn cold (my nose was running, I had a slight fever and no energy at all) that I didn't do it. I know the Princess wants Johnnycakes to have some *stuffing* since he is used to Southern dressing. That can be incredibly varied by region but is nothing like the stuffing I make with bread as the base and not cornbread or cornmeal. I also don't do the fruits and veggie stuff, although I have had it in turkeys at friends homes. I did promise I would make it soon though. Probably Sunday and invite Johnnycakes over for dinner.

That's another thing I am having a hard time with here in the South. The difference between dinner and supper. I have heard them refer to our Midwestern *lunch* as *dinner* and our *dinner* as *supper*. What in the hell is the reason for that??? I mean, why did someone decide that Southerners would use different phrases from Northerners?
It's a small thing but I confuse some of my neighbors at times and I really don't mean to do that. We use the phrases we grew up with so I have to stop and think before I invite anyone over, I guess. I have to make sure they understand which meal I mean...LOL.

I got introduced to one of my son's chat friends today via Yahoo Instant Messenger. I was surprised to find out she lives in Baraboo, Wisconsin. That is a place I dearly love. The Beast and I used to primitive camp there (and it WAS primitive). We camped at Devil's Lake in Baraboo and the lake is fed by a natural underground spring. So they had the coldest showers there even in the hottest weather. I understand they have updated the campgrounds now and you CAN have a hot shower. The people who go there have NO idea what it USED to be like. It makes me nostalgic since we went there often since it was just about a two hour drive to get there.....sometimes two-and-a-half, depending on traffic. Perhaps one day again we can at least go there and walk along the bluffs. Of course, with the combination of the Beast's weakened leg (from his strokes and the paralysis) and his age...it's probably not possible. He's getting to be a real old fart.

Well, here I am once again up later than I should be. I can only say it's because I slept late and then took a small nap. I feel good again at least so perhaps that was what I needed to get me over the hump. I hope so because I need to run and do some shopping tomorrow (today) when Chewlee is down for her nap. My niece, Tara, told me about a butcher shop she discovered in Guntersville and I want to stop in and check out the prices and the quality. They sometimes are much cheaper than the big supermarkets. I'll let you know what I find. I miss the butcher shop I went to in Florida.

Love you all and have a great day. Be sure to smile at everyone you see. If nothing else, it will make them wonder just WHY you smiled at them. But, who knows? You may be the only person to look them in the eye that day and give them a cheerful smile. I find that it brightens my day to do it. Give it a try.

The torture goes on and on and on. I have a niece and an ex-sister-in-law that accomplished this same task (albeit they DID have few of the angles the Beast is dealing with) in much, much less time. The niece in one day and the SIL in two, I believe it was.

He finally got the second pantry done today and, if he got the edge of the dining area that abuts the living room done, it would actually be finished LOOKING. He still has not done the laundry area but that is going to be a pain in the butt because of the door frame and the fact that there is a four or five inch section INSIDE the door frame that will all have to be cut out of the same plank. He is not really skilled at making those kind of cuts but, the way I figure it, it really won't show all that much unless you look for it. He's also finally going to get me the folding doors for the opening of that area that I wanted back when we first bought the house. He just left to run up to Lowe's to get those and the trim he will need for what he's already done. This last piece of the flooring is going to be a problem only because he has to cut the carpeting, get rid of the *edging* or move it, whatever is easier, put down the plywood to even the floor sections and then install the last planks and put THAT edging on it. He could do it a lot easier if it weren't for the fact that we want to put the laminate down in the living room later on. So he has to preserve the edge needed for the planks to fit together properly.

I have to admit that I like it. It makes the kitchen area look much brighter and I love the way it feels under my feet. It just feels so nice and smooth. It looks so rich, too. It's going to make me really want the granite countertops for my cabinets, though. But I don't think we will be doing that any time soon.

I didn't post this last night mainly because time just flew by and I was chatting with some friends online and then my son. Before I knew it, my eyelids were slamming shut and it was because it was 3am !!! It worked out all right because Chewlee didn't wake up until her mother got home from her only morning class today so I got to sleep in until it was almost time for the Princess to go back to school for her last class of the day. She then ran around doing some chores she needed to do (such as changing her insurance company for her car) and some supplies for Chewlee (diapers, wipes, some new bottles, a new bottle brush, etc). She wanted to take care of all that before she packed up for their trip to Gatlinburg next week. They are going to go to Dollywood (if the weather is good) and take in some of the sights of the area. They should have fun and I really hope they DO. I also hope Chewlee sleeps well without her crib but she will be in a regular bed instead of that awful playpen thing so it should make a difference.

I've just been doing some wash and folding clothes. The Princess is out to dinner with Johnnycakes and Chewlee and is supposed to do some of HER wash when she gets back. She has a LOT of it to do to catch up. I've done some of hers when I have a small load but I refuse to do it ALL for her. It's very easy for her to take advantage of me that way. I used to do all her laundry when she was at home and still in school. But the combination of taking care of Chewlee, the Beast and this house is just about all I can manage. Besides, once she is on her own again, she's going to have to be in the habit of doing that for herself anyway.

Got to go make us some dinner now before the Princess and Johnnycakes get back here. Love you all and try to have a great day (or what's left of it). Hope your weather is decent and that spring gets here quickly for all of us.

Oh lord, will this never end? I swear the Beast can find more reasons why it's taking him so much longer to get this floor done. I do have to admit, there are a lot of angles and undercuts he has to do but today's excuse was the dumbest.

First, we had to pull out the stove in order for him to finish under the refrigerator area. Then, he discovers that we have to pull out the stove because he's got to have this ONE piece of kitchen plank put in BEFORE he can finish under the fridge. I looked closely and discovered he was actually right about that part. So I help him wiggle the stove out of it's little nook (they always seem to be a tight fit, don't they?). We shove it over out of the way and he works on the pieces he has to put in (I say pieceS because he just felt that this one other piece should be installed also.

He finished underneath the fridge in record time but took a look at the coil of the fridge before he put it back and, horror of horrors, it looked like there was a BLANKET over the coils. I was horrified because this house just doesn't seem to be that dusty. We've only had the fridge for three years, I remembered but I guess that's plenty long enough for the dust to weave itself into a nice thick blanket of disgusting stuff. So he vacuumed it off, took a special brush and brushed between the coils and vacuumed again. I'm going to be watching for that from now on....I hope. That is, IF *old timers* doesn't make me forget it a few minutes from now...LOL.

The fridge wheeled back into place nicely and is now chugging along, waterlines attached, and will be drawing less electricity now. I will spare you from the reasons why the stove is back in place without being finished underneath. I am just hoping that will be done tomorrow. But one of the two pantries is finished, at least. He almost had me convinced that he couldn't do the stove section until he finished the utility area (a deep alcove) but I/we/he discovered that wasn't true so he just called it a night. So there will be a Day 7 to this story. And that won't be all because he still has one more plank length to install at the living room area but it requires the ripping up of the trim on the carpet edge, cutting back the carpet about 5 inches and then putting down some plywood to even out the two areas before THAT can be done. PLUS, there is still the quarter-round trim that will need to be installed for the finishing touch. This really COULD be an occupation for the Beast if he continues to find reasons to stall. He said to me tonight, *Well, just think of how CHEAP my labor is!*

My thought was, *Yeah, you're cheap, all right* :laughing

It was another warm day today so I got to dress up Chewlee in one of her cute little outfits that is a short, sleeveless top with ruffled panties underneath. She really loves to dress up and likes to slowly sneak up to the long mirror to check out how she looks. She then slowly turns her head towards me and gets this cute little grin on her face. I laugh and tell her what a *pretty little girl* she is and that always makes her laugh and look at herself again.

She could hardly wait after her nap to have a quick bite to eat and then get her shoes on because Mommy was going to come to get her after her classes and take her *bye-bye*. She absolutely haunted the door until her mother pulled into the driveway. Then she excitedly ran up to me to kiss my goodbye and was ready to run out the door. Her poor mother just wanted to get to the bathroom first and I thought Chewlee was going to cry. The Princess gathered up the diaper bag I had packed and ready and then headed out. She was going to take Chewlee to the park (I think) after they ate the dinner she was making at Johnnycakes house. She had done that shopping after school and gone over there because Chewlee was asleep when she got out of her last class and the meeting with one of her teacher's to clarify some points on a mid-term paper she had to write. Even if Chewlee didn't make it to the park, Johnnycake lives on a big lot and they play in the leaves that he tries to keep raked up (it's a losing battle). I know he intends to get them bagged up and out for the garbage men or else burn them when the weather is right.

Speaking of which, the great days are probably over for us for the week. Weatherbug says we are going to have rain, rain and more rain clear into the weekend. It will be great for the fruit trees but terrible for the baby who really loved not being restricted to the house.

I am trying to get some laundry done before the Beast really does have to move out the washer and dryer from their alcove. Who knows how long before they are put back. And they will most likely end up sitting in the dining area because there is no other place to put them except in the garage and there are three steps DOWN. More mess. The only good thing is that he promised to get me the pedestals for my washer and dryer that I should have gotten when we first bought them. It will bring them UP to a decent level and spare my poor back plus I can store stuff underneath them in the drawers. It will help (I hope) keep the clutter off the top and keep the hangers from falling in back of and on the sides of the appliances. That has been a huge pain in the butt but they will fit nicely in the dryer drawer. They will be out of sight but handy.

I'm also going to get a shower bar (the expandable kind) to put up in the door frame for hanging the clothes up on as I take them out of the dryer. It will be much easier, keep the clothes from getting wrinkled and I can easily separate them as to closets they need to go into. I am going to make him go get them BEFORE he does that alcove because I'll be damned if I will put them back in place without having those right here to put them onto. I know how things that are important to ME get brushed aside by him. It ain't gonna happen.

Time to get to bed now. Love you all. Try to have a great week regardless of your weather. Keep up your spirits if its gloomy outside by putting on some cheerful music or doing something you really enjoy. I'm going to watch some fun DVD's and play some music for Chewlee to have fun dancing in front of the mirror while I try to get some pics of her. Hugs and kisses.

Bratfink tells me that if she didn't know me she wouldn't read my blog. That bothered me a little when I thought about it but....when I started this, it wasn't really to attract an audience (but I DO thank those of you that have stuck with me ). You probably came to my site by accident or via Bratfink's when she linked my site to hers for different reasons. I started this to document what my life was like and if it disappointed me or I found things interesting. I sure as hell never, ever imagined that we would end up living in Alabama.....of all the states in the United States. *Sigh*

Even I admit to thinking very little of the state. I heard all the jokes and laughed at them, trying to imagine why people would live here since the rest of the US of A seems to think so little of them. Well, I have learned a lot since moving here and I don't regret it now. I just regret the fact that we really don't have a major airline hub closer to us. It is either Birmingham or Atlanta if I want to avoid the disaster that my last flight up to Chicago turned out to be. Never again, I swear. It took me two days and four planes for what should have been a three hour flight. All because I took a plane out of Huntsville and the pilots were late so I missed connecting flights. Oh, and one flight got cancelled due to bad weather conditions. Why can't GOOD things happen to me once in a while? I wonder what I ever did to piss off God so much? I try to be a good person. Honest.

It's now Day 5 of the flooring project. The Beast used the delivery of our dinette set to put off working on the floor as long as he could. It was absolutely GORGEOUS outside with our temperature reaching an amazing 81degrees. The pedestal for the table was a jigsaw puzzle (it DID include instructions and I caught him reading them ). It didn't take long and he announced he was finished. I helped him set the top on it and make sure it opened and closed nicely (it did). He then looked at me and said, *Damn...now I have no reason not to work on the floor!*

Yeah, like it didn't occur to me that he was stalling.

He got the sum total of four pieces of flooring put down and undercut the doorway into one of the pantry closets. That's it. Finis. He spent more time *resting* out on the deck than working on the floor. I'm totally disgusted by this time. He's got more complicated cuts ahead of him and two more doorways to undercut as well as the frame for my washer/dryer area. This could turn out to be his OCCUPATION. I'm living with my refrigerator in my dining area. It's like MILES away from both the stove, any counters and, if I didn't have the little table still sitting right there, it would be a total nightmare to even fill up the baby's bottles. I try to keep them filled up and ready in the fridge in case she wakes up during the night and to cut down time where I take my eyes off the little rascal.

She got to spend a LOT of time outdoors today. First at Tara's house, where the Princess was babysitting for little Happenstance. That's where the Princess discovered that Chewlee does not like the feel of grass (although it IS rather dry and brittle right now) on her bare feet but it kept her on Tara's patio playing nicely by herself. She just loved the baby but wasn't the least bit jealous that Mommy was holding him or feeding him. She wasn't overly curious and put her little baby doll in Happenstance's baby swing to play when the Princess put him down to sleep in his crib.

When the Princess dropped Chewlee off before she rushed into work, I fed her, put her down for her nap and decided to let her play outside some more since it was so gorgeous out. Who knows how long this will last and I figured the fresh air would do her some good.

She slowly walked down the stairs from the deck to the yard and took ONE step onto the lawn and encountered ....DIRT!!! OMG...she almost had a heart attack because she had dirt on her toes. She quickly made her way back up the stairs to her laughing great-grand who wiped the dirt off her toes for her. She happily made her way back down the stairs and at the bottom.... she stopped dead with one foot held out almost ready to step down. But...there was the dirt. No, she didn't want that again so she moved over a bit on the stair and looked at the large patch of grass but that wasn't acceptable. She kept looking at the stepping stone just a touch out of her reach and decided to give THAT a try but she had to hold onto the banister rail. She gripped it and moved her body forward, foot extended and decided she couldn't make it. She then turned around and came back UP the stairs to the deck and got onto one of the chairs there like it was just where she wanted to be.

The problem was that she really, really wanted to get onto my two seat swing set at the back of the yard. I asked her if she wanted her shoes on but she shook her head *no* so I put them back on the table. She then went DOWN the stairs again, gave a hop and ventured out onto the lawn.

It was so funny to watch her carefully and slowly trying to make her way to the swing. She had her eyes on the ground and would stop every once in a while to gauge how close she was and then start moving forward again. Now I knew that she was going to run into a whole bunch of trouble in a short time because there are a slough of those round prickly seeds that some tree or other throws off and the back of our yard is just FULL of them. When the Beast cuts the grass on his John Deere, he will mulch all of those into something that doesn't include stickers all over them but, right now, they are prickly and everywhere. The closer you get to the swing, the denser they become. Sure enough, about 9 feet from making it to the swing, she got stuck. She couldn't even figure out how she had gotten to where she was so she could back track. At that point, she turned to me and started to cry.

I went and got her, laughing the whole time, brought her back to the deck and put her sandals on her. She got a big grin on her face and down the stairs she went, a little faster this time but......she found out she didn't trust her shoes to protect her feet. I think one might have pricked her on the exposed sides of her feet. She still walked looking down the whole time and was carefully selecting just where she put her feet down. She even tried a different path but she never made it. It was just too much for her so she came back to the deck and started to play with her toys there. I read her one of her books and then brought her in to feed her and then get her bath ready since she was very sweaty.

I just love how babies and toddlers can go from being upset to being incredibly happy with no gap inbetween. Chewlee was upset to be brought in but was happy to see Baron. She also was glad to get something to eat because I promised her some Cheetos when she finished. She ate her cut-up chicken breast piece, her green beans and a couple peach slices and then was ready for her Cheetos. I caught her putting some in her pockets on her top so she would have them for later, I guess. Either than or she just discovered what pockets are for. Either way, it was funny to me.

At this point, the Beast started working again on the floor so I took Chewlee into my room, which upset her because I won't let Baron in here. He's too big with all this stuff I have in here right now. She cried for the *doggy* but got very excited when I told her I had to undress her for a bath. She just LOVES a bath.

The nicest part about her bath is that I showed her she could get her hair washed and rinsed without it getting into her eyes if she would sit still and put her head back. It's become a game with her now and she really likes it. She also helps out when I take the baby wash to wash her little body. She gets her hands all soapy and washes herself all over and even lifts her feet up to wash them. It's cute but I have to grab her to keep her from falling over (she wants to stand up to do the washing).

Getting her OUT of the tub is the big problem. She is like a little fish and would stay in forever if you let her. I finally have to show her how wrinkled her hands and feet are before she will push the drain lever down to let the water drain out of the tub. BUT...she insists on staying in the tub until it's completely drained. I have to be very patient at this point.

I finally got to put her into one of her little summer pajama sets (with the short ruffled pants) and she looked so cute. I brushed her hair up and put it into a little pony tail on top of her head so it wouldn't interfere with her sleep. If her hair was blond, she would look like little Pebbles on the Flintstones. Her chatter sure is like her.

Time to close for the night. Love you all. Hugs and kisses. Life is short so be sure to tell those you love that you do.

Happy Birthday, Egbert. That's kind of a dumb thing to do since Egbert doesn't have the internet. I know!! In this day and age, that doesn't seem possible but it is. Egbert is my sister Bratfink's daughter. She's called her Egbert for years. I forget how it got started but Egbert it is, now and forever. Bratfink tried to call her but she either wasn't answering her cell phone or it was on the charger so she ended up leaving her a voice mail. It's not much but it will have to do.

I tried to call my daughter Buttmunch on HER birthday and all I got was voice mail so I figured she had to charge up her phone or something. I didn't leave a message because I know she never checks hers but does usually check her missed phone calls. She thought I forgot. I told her three tries and you're out....LOL. Her birthday was on February 5th. Hard to believe she's reached the tender age of 41 now. I try not to think about it because I DO NOT feel like I should have a kid that old. Worse, I have a daughter that is a year OLDER.

The Beast has finally reached the area where the fridge is so we had to move it out of it's nook and move it over into the dining area where we could plug it in. No more ice than is in there or water out of the dispenser until he's done with that area. This is Day 4 of the floor project with no end in sight yet.

I told you about how Chewlee just loves commercials. She will stop dead and come running to watch them. Some she loves more than others, of course. The ones that have music involved are her favorites. I was watching her today while she was totally enthralled by one of the Little Debbie commercials. I'm sure you have seen the ones with the Koala bear and some race car driver (I'm not familiar with them since I haven't lived in the South for long and haven't absorbed it all yet ). The koala TALKS in the commercials and she giggles so much when he does that I wonder if she won't be really bummed when she finds out that animals DON'T TALK! It's sure to burst her little fantasy bubble one day.

I've been playing a lot of DVD's lately because television has totally sucked and I found two things that Chewlee likes in movies. One is animals, of course. She just loves Dr. Doolittle movies because of the huge variety of animals (and they talk, too). Another thing that draws her attention is aliens. I don't mean the Mexican kind, I mean the ones in SciFi movies. She really gets a kick out of them for whatever reason. She also seems to know when there is going to be a confrontation because she will say, *Ut oh!!!!* It makes me laugh because she's always right.

The Princess came in one day and saw we were watching one of my Men In Black movies and she said, *No wonder Chewlee has nightmares if she's watching that stuff*. Untrue. She has NEVER had a nightmare after watching one of the SciFi movies. In fact, the worst one she seemed to have was after watching her Curious George DVD. Strange but true. We aren't even sure if that's what woke her up crying and upset during the night. It could have been that she thought she was alone in her room or she hadn't spent enough time with her mother. She settled right down once she got a hug and a kiss and a new bottle.

My sister, B, just crocheted Chewlee the cutest sundress and matching hat. She sent me the link so I could see the picture of it. Adorable. I'm sure it will look cute on Chewlee and am going to make sure the Beast takes her picture in it (front AND back...I remember, B) All *I* had to do was give B a couple measurements to make sure the dress would fit.

Now, if you haven't ever measured a toddler, let me tell you it can be a trial. They want to see what you are doing and looking at so they do a lot of squirming. Once you have succeeded in taking the proper measurements needed, then THEY want to measure stuff. They don't care what it is and they can't read the numbers but they will imitate what YOU did. Chewlee wanted to measure my back a dozen times. Then she wanted to measure my front but really had no clue where to hold the tape. For two days, she wanted the tape measure so she could *measure* the TV, the mirror, the drawer, the desk, the computer...anything she could reach. I thought I would never be able to put the tape measure away or that it would get worn out. I finally had to hide it from her sight so she would, hopefully, forget about it. I hid it so well that I almost didn't find it when I actually needed it again. *Old Timers*, as my dad used to call it.

Bratfink is under a tornado watch tonight. They are smack dab in the center of the area that Weatherbug says is going to get one (or more). I am hoping that the weather front that favors the development will move through there too fast and dissipate so that NO ONE gets hit by one of those. I've been through one and you never forget how scary it is to have your roof disappear from over your head. I pray for everyone that might face one of those because it's merciless and can happen in the blink of an eye.

I had to make a cigarette run tonight since we are getting a new Federal tax added on them tomorrow. It's going up a whopping $6.10! I took along $23.75 in coupons with me and thankfully they didn't give me a problem with taking them. It was like getting a carton free. I'm glad I save those. The Beast is reluctant to use them. It's a MAN THING, I guess. Not me. I will use them whenever I can as long as it's on products I actually use. I've seen those women that cut out every damn coupon offered in the flyers and then they have to go through them all at the checkout counter. What the heck happened to doing that either while you are shopping and picking out the items or doing it beforehand while making out your list? Or don't people do that any more? I admit I have to and I try NOT to get more than I have on it (but you always have those items you start to pass and tell yourself that you should have remembered that you were out of or wanted to try). I admit that I seldom come home with JUST what is on my list.

Time to wrap this up. Love you all and have a great day. Tomorrow is the day we get the new dinette set and we finally agreed to put it into the garage until he has the WHOLE dining area done. It gives me another day to get MY room ready for the table we already have in the kitchen. I need to do a little moving things around yet. It's just not easy with Chewlee around. But tomorrow she will be going with her mother over to babysit Tara's new baby for a couple hours so that should give me enough time. It won't be getting moved in here for another couple days but I want to have the room ready.

Tomorrow is Day 5 of the floor project. Pray for me.

It occurred to me today that all this screwing around with our time really doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Why do we do it? Just when did it start? Oh, I could google it and find out when it started but WHY? Who decided that we needed to do this and how in the world did they get the sun to adjust itself too? Has anyone checked that out?

If you have a sundial, do you have to *adjust* it so that the sun points to noon at the proper time? Does that mean that you have to move it twice a year now so that it shows up correctly? If you are lost out in the woods and want to know what time it is, will your primitive sundial be correct? I just wondered..... Even I have sometimes checked out the shadow of the trees and such to gauge my time since I don't wear a watch often these days. I kind of stopped that once I retired, so-to-speak. So, does the sun adjust to this daylight savings time thing or is this something that just escaped our awareness for all these centuries and some smart person finally figured out? Think about it.

We kind of take it for granted that certain things occur at noon. That a stick placed in the ground will not have a shadow as we think of it because the sun will be directly overhead. Has anyone checked this out since daylight savings time started? Could we even be sure we were back on the correct time if we decided to stop it? I just wondered.....

I kept telling myself as the shadows deepened today that it would be a whole hour later tomorrow when the sky would be like it was today. Wow! Just one day and already our daylight time is longer. Amazing. I am so impressed. I don't know about you guys but I sure hate the short days during the winter. Couldn't we have some sort of happy medium? Maybe a daylight saving HALF hour? But why have it at all? I just wondered......

I took Chewlee outside after her nap and she ran happily around the yard a couple times with the dog chasing her at first and then they reversed roles. They ran alongside the fence on the north side of the yard to stir up the dogs next door and they started barking while running back and forth on their side of the fence. So did Chewlee and Baron on our side. All I could think about was that they were using up a lot of their pent-up energy and both should sleep well tonight.

Chewlee ran to the swing as soon as I walked down into the yard so that I would swing with her. We sat their peacefully for about 10 minutes and she finally decided she wanted to try something else. She almost totally ignored her yard toys and her playschool tent. What did she want to do? She kept climbing up and down the six stairs to the deck because she wanted to climb UP the stairs without holding onto the banister posts. She hasn't attempted going DOWN them without holding on but she was so proud the first time she made it up the stairs without having to hold on. When she got to the top without holding on or falling down when she got to the deck, we both clapped. She looked so pleased with herself. After that one time, she didn't care if she held on or not as the mood struck her. Only that first time was important.

I did some shopping after the Princess got home from work, changed and took Chewlee to the park near Johnnycakes. I only had to pick up a few things but decided to buy Chewlee some lighter socks with summer approaching (quickly, I hope). Have you priced toddler socks lately? I almost fainted when I realized that those tiny things, which probably only use up a total of the cotton that goes into ONE pair of MY size socks, cost as much as a 6 pack of MY socks! I kid you not. Take a look the next time you are just cruising one of the department stores. And heaven forbid that you should want to buy them a pair of fancy dress socks (the kind with lace or other cute decorations). The price on them is just atrocious. I bit the bullet and bought her a six pack of cute socks but I won't tell you what I paid for them. I could buy her at least half of a cute outfit for what it cost.

The Beast had his first screw up on the flooring but he has no clue just how he did it. The floor actually moved AWAY from the wall he started it on. Not by much but still..... Worse, there is no way he can move it BACK to where it should be. It's just too heavy plus the underlay won't let it slide. That's why it's such a puzzle how it moved in the first place. Especially when you consider that the installation of new planks is TOWARDS that wall. It's a puzzlement.

Well, the time change has actually taken place so I have lost an hour of sleep that I dearly need. I DID take a nice nap earlier but it never quite does the trick, does it? So, love you all and have a great day. I wish you all warm weather with lots of sun and all the trappings of spring. One of the peach trees burst into bloom between the morning and afternoon. It's amazing to see that happen. Take a walk and notice the things that are starting to bloom if your weather permits. I put out my hummingbird feeder and will be watching it now (I think I mentioned that in my last post). The coming of the hummingbirds to me is the real test of spring being here. I can't wait to see those amazing little birds buzzing around my yard again. What do you look for that tells you spring is here? I would really love to know since I am sure it's different everywhere. Think about it.

It's an amazing 72 degrees out, sunny and with a light breeze. Absolutely wonderful weather. Baron was getting restless because this is the exact kind of weather that he loves to take his run with the Beast on the scooter. The Beast is still working on the floor (of course) and he's managed to solve the problem I foresaw with little fuss. His breaks today have consisted of a cigarette, drinking more of his coffee (while sitting in a comfy chair) and then taking Baron for yet another run. I think he's determined to tire that dog out for whatever reason. I approve, though. I don't think it will work but they are both getting some fresh air. I think tonight it will be an early night for them both.

I was moved to put out the hummingbird feeder today. It might be a bit early but you just never know. I will be keeping a close eye on it until I know my humming birds are back. Another peach tree burst into bloom and the bees were there, doing their bee thing and ensuring some nice peaches...errr, rather nectarines. I keep forgetting that one is a nectarine tree. It will be the first crop for that one so I am going to be curious and excited about whatever it produces. I also noticed that my blackberry bush is getting ready to bloom. I really haven't paid much attention to it and have no clue as to whether or not it's early for it, also. I hope to get enough this year to make more than a dozen pint size jellies. I'd like to be able to make a couple dozen so I have some to give away. Time will tell.

We have all the doors and windows open and I am loving it. I was thinking that this temperature in Florida would see me wearing a sweatshirt at the very least. Whenever the temperature is this low there it usually also means a windy day. With the high humidity, it feels much colder. I feel like this is just PERFECT. Does that mean I have become acclimatized? If so, I don't care. I love it. I'm definitely going to let Chewlee outside to play for a while when she wakes from her nap. She will enjoy it for sure and her hands won't be cold when I bring her inside.

I did a very *blond* thing last night. Or maybe it's an old person thing, I'm not sure. I went ahead and put all the clocks ahead an hour a FULL DAY AHEAD OF TIME. I didn't realize my mistake until I was IN BED and a light bulb went off. It was...*duh, dodo, we have NEVER set the clocks forward or back on a FRIDAY night.* The first thing that I said to the Beast when I woke up (and I really mean THE FIRST THING I SAID AT ALL) was not to pay attention to the clocks on the appliances or the walls because I had set them ahead. The Beast looked at me incredulously and then laughed when I said, *Well, we won't have to do it tonight then*. Even the Princess wondered what was up with the clocks and I just casually told her I had set them ahead already. She told me I would have to wake her up tomorrow morning since she wasn't sure if her phone would do it automatically. That is her usual *alarm clock*. It works for her so what can you say? It's not like she has to be up really early. She has to open the store but I don't think it opens until 11am on Sunday. I'll double check with her on that before she goes to bed to be certain.

I guess the Beast isn't quite as oblivious as I thought. It is apparent that he DID notice her walking behind him and trying to imitate what he was doing and saying when he was on his tirade the other day. Chewlee was in her high chair having a bite of lunch today and the Beast was telling me something or other about his frustrations with the flooring and he actually caught himself and changed a word he WAS going to use. His eyes darted over to Chewlee to see if she was paying attention to him but it was enough to tell me that he was going to be more aware of his language when Chewlee is around. He can be such a turd at times about things like that but it makes me happy that I didn't have to have a major discussion with him about it.

Chewlee should be waking from her nap shortly so I will close this for now. Love you all and I wish you ALL the best of weather if not today, tomorrow or the next day. Love you all. Remember to tell those you love that you do every chance you get. Today is really all you can count on. Tomorrow is a mystery that has yet to appear, let alone be counted on. Smile at complete strangers. If it doesn't lighten their hearts, it will at least give them something to wonder about.

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The Beast started the floor project today. I should just end this with that statement but there were problems right from the get-go. It started with his trying to figure out how to get the planks to fit if he had to cut them to fit the door jambs. He KNEW that the door jambs had to be cut up to allow the plank to go underneath it because you can't apply quarter round there for the finishing. What he was actually trying to do was not possible. He finally did what he had to because it was the only way the planks would fit properly.

Whenever he has a project that he has never done before and has no real training in, it becomes a nightmare. I've been through this a time or two. He is tenacious, however. He will do it now that he's committed to it. I am going to have to keep Chewlee away from him while he's working on this because she is repeating things she hears the past several days. She was present when he came into the house swearing over the dog running off and not coming back when he was called. She tried very hard to repeat what he had said as well as imitating his angry stance and tone of voice. I was horrified (and, I will admit, a little amused at the same time). She looked so darn cute trying to get her body into that angry stance and raising her voice while walking behind him as he went for his car keys. I grabbed her up to hustle her into the computer room and away from him. In the meantime, Baron finally had returned to the house and the tirade continued while I closed the door to distract Chewlee so she wouldn't keep repeating what she ALMOST said clearly.

I won't repeat what he said but it included several very bad words for a little toddler to hear, let alone for her to be able to say. Thank goodness she seems to forget those things easily since they involve too many syllables....LOL.

The Beast spent six hours and only got two plank widths installed from the dinette area to the kitchen cabinets so you know this project is going to take FOREVER! And I am going to be living in a real hell because I already can foresee many problems ahead on this. Worse, some of the materials being used are going to attract Chewlee's attention. I have already had problems with Baron on the same things. Since the Beast inevitably requires my assistance on his *projects* at some point (or several points), this will mean allowing Chewlee to run free without any supervision during the time I have to help out. She can get into more trouble in a short time than you can believe. If someone is paying attention, she has to be a bit sneakier or else you can cut her off at the pass (so to speak) when you see her reaching for things she knows she shouldn't touch.

Watching her and keeping her occupied is a full time project so these interruptions are no fun for me. They also frustrate HER if we are interrupted while reading a book or she wants to play with one of her Leap Frog toys (which are all learning toys). She wants me to say the various words or numbers with her or she loses interest quickly.

If it were up to me, I would pay men to install the flooring that KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING. It would be done much faster and with less problems. I try to ignore much of the frustration and anger that envelops the Beast when he is doing something for the first time but when it's stretched out over several days, even MY patience wears thin. I hate this and feel like I would like to just run away for a week or so until he's done. I wish I could.

Pray for me. Pray for all of us that will have to live with this. Even worse, our new dinette set should be here tomorrow and we still haven't figured out exactly what we are doing with the small table that I used for my crafts. I will probably have to figure a way to keep it in here until we get the other things into storage and I can fix my room back up nicely. It will allow me to work with Chewlee better since we will have chairs to sit on. I keep two chairs in here with the table since I can put down one side of the table so it fits snugly to the wall. It's one of those that has two sides that go down or you put them up and have a nice round table. I'm sure you know the kind I mean. I will have to work on that in the morning.

We lose an hour today so it's even later than I should be up. I must get to bed and get some rest because tomorrow will be a busy day for me with everything I have to do. I already made up the mix for what we call *hamburger garbage* that we eat with pita bread. It's basically browned hamburger with onions and green pepper. We fill a half of a pita with it to eat. We also have shredded cheese that you can add or some mushrooms or even salsa. It all depends on your personal preferences. It's tasty, easy to make and you can just eat some potato chips with it or Doritos, whatever you feel like. It's my busy day meal preference just because you can make it ahead of time, warm it up as needed and is an easy cleanup. I bring out the paper plates with the Beast doing this project in particular. I can use anything left over for the base of my spaghetti sauce so nothing will go to waste.

Goodnight all and I love you dearly. Remember us in your prayers and ask the Beast's guardian angel to give him a touch of inspiration when he has problems. I know they can do that if you ask nicely. So, ask nicely, please. Save my sanity which is marginal at best....LOL.

Live well, love deeply and dance like no one is watching.

I don't know if I have mentioned it before but the Beast is a chocoholic. I mean he TRULY loves chocolate. I have half of a shelf on my fridge door that is devoted to his various chocolate bars and other chocolate treats. I mean it is PACKED with them. There are three Hershey's Big Blocks in three different flavors, two Milky Ways, two Snickers bars, some malted milk balls, those chocolate covered goobers, two four packs of Reese's peanut butter cups and three or four Payday bars (although not chocolate, they ARE favorites of his) on that shelf at this very moment.

He asked me if I would make some brownies for him in exchange for running to the store for some milk and bread that we needed. Yeah...like *I* was going to do it when I was babysitting Chewlee..... Anyway, I made them and they were in the oven baking when he returned. He also brought home a Chocolate Truffle cake from the Walmart bakery. Just looking at it can give you a high cholesterol level or a heart attack. It's that RICH AND GOOEY looking. It draws you even if you don't love chocolate. It even had chocolate wafers sticking up out of the rich, dark chocolate frosting. It reminded me of the Death By Chocolate cake that Bennigan's serves. I shared one once with my sister, Cinderella and it was incredible.

I said to the Beast, *Good grief, Beast, you must really be having a chocolate attack to buy this when you KNEW I was making brownies. I even added walnuts to them for you.* His answer was, *Well, I knew the brownies would have to cool so I figured I would eat a piece of this until they were ready.* And he did.

I am NOT a chocoholic but I couldn't resist trying a piece even though I am diabetic. I so seldom eat sweets anyway but I just HAD to try it because it looked so incredibly yummy. It is as good as it looks. The filling reminds you of truffles (the confection) and it's not as sweet as many chocolate cakes tend to be. If you see one, it's worth the money it costs. It's wonderful. Try it.

I really felt kind of dumb drinking my coffee that was sweetened with Splenda. It reminds me of the jokes about the people that eat all kinds of sweets and order diet sodas, like THAT makes up for the calories they are consuming....LOL. But, so no one worries, I DID leave most of the frosting on the plate. There IS a limit to how I will indulge myself. I worry about ending up with a very high blood sugar count.

When I went to the doctor about my elbow, I always bring in my diary so he can look it over. He actually was upset with me because my blood sugar count wasn't HIGH enough an hour or so after eating. I told him that I watch my carbohydrates because I don't want to gain a lot of weight back. I am at 118 lbs right now and don't want to end up back at 260 where I was four years ago. I worked hard to lose weight by watching my diet but then I got sick and lost more than I wanted to lose. I actually ended up at 80 lbs and the doctor was almost afraid to sedate me when I had to have my gall bladder removed. Never again will I be that person, I swear. But I also don't want to be on the other end of the scale either. But, I will try to eat more carbohydrates so the doctor won't get worried. The things we do to keep everyone happy! Sheesh.

Chewlee was restless today and couldn't make up her mind what she wanted to do. I put a movie that she likes (Curious George) and she couldn't get comfortable to watch it. She didn't want to lay down on the pillow on the floor and she couldn't seem to be comfortable in my lap. I finally went out to the garage and brought in her little Playskool car and that made her happy. She sat on it and watched the end of the movie and was perfectly happy then. I think I am going to have to bring in her little soft arm chair now. That should fit her needs when she wants to watch TV.

She also finally got the idea that her little Fisher-Price vacuum cleaner toy could be PUSHED and not just played with laying down on the floor. She liked the idea that she could *vacuum* the whole floor in here and that kept her occupied for quite a while. It was so cute because she kept going over certain spots and finally leaned down to pick up some little piece of something and brought it over to the garbage can and dropped it in. Then she smiled and looked so pleased with herself. It was terribly cute to see her do that several times before she finally tired of it.

She took her nap an hour later than usual and slept longer than normal. I was concerned because she usually only does that when she's not feeling good. But she woke up chipper and full of piss and vinegar plus she didn't have a fever. THEN I was worried about her not being sleepy at her regular bedtime. I came up with a plan, though. I dressed her, put her shoes on her and took her outside in the fresh air and let her play with the dog in the back yard. She runs around and so does he. Plus, he teases her. She will chase him and he will stop to let her ALMOST get to him before he darts away. After about 15 minutes, I could tell she was tiring (she kept sitting down in the grass) so I brought her in. She cried and fussed but stopped the minute the dog finally wanted into the house. I guess she figured if SHE had to come in the house, so should HE.

Her poor little hands were cold so I sat her in my lap with my electric blanket over us until she finally felt warmed up to me. She won't wear gloves or mittens. It wasn't really all that bad outside even though the temperature was only in the mid-50's. It was bright and sunny and there was almost no wind to speak of so her little coat and hood (it's a fake fur one I bought for her). She looked so cute in it, too. It's white with purple hearts all over it and very furry and warm. And, know what? It worked. Within 15 minutes of her mother getting home from work, she was ready for night-night. She ran around giving everyone kisses and hugs and then her mommy put her to bed with her bottle and blankey.

Tomorrow the Princess has two more tests and I think that's it until Spring Break. The Beast wants to take a trip up to Huntsville to visit Home Depot and the Lowes up there to check out the flooring they have and the prices. He's very torn about what's available to us locally and just isn't satisfied with BOTH the color and the quality. The poorer quality (and cheaper) has more variety available than say...the Pergo flooring. But our Lowe's may not be carrying all that's available. He hopes the Huntsville Lowe's will have some different ones available since it's a much bigger city.

The problem was that we didn't want to have to leave late in the afternoon after the Princess got home from school so that we would be driving in the dark coming home. So, we are going to be dropping off Chewlee at Johnnycake's house to let HIM babysit her until the Princess gets home from school. His mother, Kim, will be there and she swears she will NOT change her diaper since HE is the one that volunteered to babysit her. She WILL supervise she said, however. This could be funny since she usually has her poopy diapers in the afternoon. We won't be dropping her off until a little after noon so he will only have one, possibly, to worry about. I wish Kim would video tape THAT...LOL. We could probably submit it to the funny video program and win.

Well, it's very late so I had better get to bed. It's going to be an early day tomorrow since the Princess's first class starts at 7:45. However, it seems those mornings are the ones that Chewlee sleeps in. I can only hope.

Love you all. Have a great day and do something interesting even if it's only window shopping or spending time looking through a *wish book* and figuring out how much you would need to win in the lottery to indulge all your fantasy purchases. I did that a couple times and was shocked at how quickly it can add up to an incredible figure. *sigh* But wouldn't it be nice? Hugs.