Thursday, August 31, 2017

Jason, Jason, Jason....#BB19

Brief Update:
Jason and Alex battled for HOH before she finally let him have it.  He nominated Matt and Raven, telling them the plan w,as to back-door Kevin.  They believed him.

POV Challenge:
The annual Trash-The-House-While-Looking-For-The-Veto-Cards!
Raven hid hers in a seat cushion (Jason found it last)
Matt hid his under a couch arm (Raven found it 2nd)
Kevin stashed his in a pillow (think Raven found it 3rd)
Paul stashed his inside his shirt, hung it up, then placed a leather jacket around it (Matt found it 4th)
Josh placed his behind the freezer (Jason found it 1st)
Jason stashed his inside the couch cushion in the living room.  No one found it, he wins POV!

Kevin spent the entire challenge complaining about the way the others turned the house upside down.  Really???  It's a game, dude....so yeah, you'll have to spend some time cleaning.  Just be glad no one did what the previous Kevin did, and empty the cereal and other food all over the kitchen floor!

Josh unearthed 'Maven's condom stash and wigged out about it!  You're all adults; surely you don't think 'Maven' is really just snuggling and talking all the time?  With all the cereal Matt's eating, he has to work it off somehow....;)

The Sting of Betrayal
After the nomination ceremony, Jason whispered to Raven, "Don't worry; we'll win this and pull you off."

Alex and Paul were strongly urging him to pull Raven off and put up Kevin.  But Jason spilled the beans to Kevin about the plan, who freaked out and pulled the friendship card, and begged him not to.  Jason was starting to get suspicious about Alex and Paul's motives for getting Kevin out, and went with his gut.

He kept the noms the same, which royally upset everyone.  I can't wait to find out what fireworks he set off.

While watching BBAD the other night, we saw that Raven had thrown cinnamon all over Matt; whether this was from a fight between the two of them, or her rage was directed at Jason and Matt happened to get in the way.....we'll find out tonight!

Monday, August 28, 2017

Easy Targets...#BB19

Brief Update:
Mark was evicted, and an endurance comp for HOH began.....

After being splattered with mustard, ketchup, water, and relish, one by one the house guests fell from their hot dog buns, leaving Jason and Alex to battle it out.  Each thought they were doing a good job of pretending they weren't as close as they are as they argued, but in reality, they only succeeded in pissing off Mark.  Finally Alex capitulated, handing the HOH to Jason.

He instigated a plan to make everyone think he was going to back door Kevin, and put up Raven and Matt....who calmly agreed to the plan, much to Paul's surprise!

BBAD:
Thanks to my spouse's obsession with this season, I've been forced watching some of the After Dark episodes.  There is something definitely up; Matt and Raven had a fight and there was cinnamon all over Matt and the floor.  We've also seen Christmas and Alex wearing Veto shirts, and heard C talking about Raven's power, and what she was going to do.  Did she win the POV?  At first I thought she might have picked an apple, but no, she didn't....unless the Tree of Temptation opened up again????

Find out Wednesday.

Friday, August 25, 2017

New Pecking Order! #BB19

Brief Update:
Jason and Matt were up pawns for eviction; plan was to back-door Mark.  Jason won the POV and pulled himself off.  Mark went up in his place.

There was a half-hearted plan to get rid of Matt, who received Jason and Alex's vote.  Paul decided to side with Josh, Kevin, and Raven to vote out Mark.

The HOH comp began, a grueling endurance competition.  We'll find out Sunday who wins, or maybe the spouse will deduce who won from watching the BBAD episodes, as we did last week.

Flashback Friday

Aug 2007:
I had investigated getting my 3 y/o into a preschool, and had been informed because of our income level, we were on the waiting list for Head Start.  I enrolled him in the Methodist Church preschool to try him out.

I wasn't impressed with his teacher the 1st day.  She was running her class more like a 1st grade class, instead of preschool, and W objected when I tried to leave.  Other moms were staying, so I resigned myself to a day of attending school with him.  Day #2, I left, but was called back an hour later, because he was 'uncooperative and crying for Mommy'.  I stayed with him for an hour, then brought him home.  Day #3, he lasted only a few minutes and I grew frustrated.

"I'm trying to toss him from the nest, but you don't seem to be willing to catch him!"

Fortunately, we got a call from Head Start, saying a slot had opened up.  I un-enrolled him from the 1st school, and two weeks later, was much more impressed with his new teacher, Ms Teresa.

On the home front, S was in the 7th grade and enjoying her friendships with Alicia, Mahala, and Ashley.

K decided he wanted to join the swim team as a sophomore, so my afternoons were about to get busy.  We also went on a Family Camp Out with the BSA troop, only the day before we were due to leave, I slipped on a dryer sheet and fell down the back stairs while trying to put the dog outside.  At first I seemed fine, but Friday morning my backside hurt, and my shoulder hurt, from where I'd been holding onto the back door.  I called my friend J, who was thrilled to let me sleep in their guest room.

I also began working on the wip that had entered my head a week or so earlier, about Steve who was in prison; his ex-girlfriend Angie, whom he still loved, and the fact he was trying to prove he'd changed.  What began to emerge was not only that story, but Angie's current boyfriend decided to migrate to Estes Park, Colorado, and met a young cowgirl named Emma.  I began writing in longhand during the weekend, but it wouldn't be until after Labor Day that I'd return to it.

Next Month:  K on the Swim Team; S balking at getting up; W at Head Start; and a Startling Revelation.

************
Present Day:
We've been dealing with a bit of potential upheaval in our lives again.  Tuesday, my daughter informed me she wanted to move to Lafayette and look for a job up there.  Fine and dandy, but what about A?

"I'll enroll her up there."

*needle scratch*

So....what you're telling me is you want to uproot your child, move in with your aging grandparents, and expect them to care for A while you job hunt?  I don't think they're up for that task.  I talked it over with the spouse, who agreed that if she was set on that plan, then I'd have to go with her, in order to run interference.  So.....when do we leave?

Original plan was to leave Thursday after school.  Oh wait, I have Back to School night at CMS.  Then S realized she had a doctor's appt on Friday.  We'd leave then.

Yesterday, daughter's back went out while she was getting out of the tub, and spent the day in bed.  There had been a water main break on Wed, so work postponed. She had to call in last night.

Today, there's an issue with her insurance, so no doctor appointment, and she decided last night to postpone travel plans.  I have no idea what's going to happen next week, other than I'm planning to set up on Friday at the 1st Friday event, then again on Saturday at the Community Yard Sale.  I need to make some $$ and we need to seriously sell some stuff from the other two houses.  I realistically can not leave until Sunday.

So who knows?

Thursday, August 24, 2017

No Surprises....#BB19

Brief Recap:
Christmas won HOH and nominated two pawns, Jason and Matt, in order to back-door Mark.

POV Comp:
Zingbot is back!

Christmas had a self-proclaimed 'brain fart' when she pulled her chip and selected 'House Guest Choice'.  She had every intention of picking either Paul or Alex, but her eyes fixed on Raven's pleading expression and selected her!  Fortunately, Jason selected Paul in the HGC chip, then Matt pulled Mark's chip.

It was the classic 'slippery slope-fill the bowl with liquid soap' competition, one I felt Raven might actually excel at, given her ballet training.  Nope, but Mark wins the award for Most Time Spent Falling Down.  In the end, Jason was the one who had the best balance and won the POV.  He pulled himself off, and Mark took his place.  No surprise there, though three people were gunning for Alex.

Tonight's the live eviction, so see you tomorrow!

****************
Had a weird dream last night.  It began with a phone call.

"I miss you."

Suddenly, I'm in the back of a limo, or in the car with his mom and Grandma, and we're off to the airport to pick him up.  He comes flying out of the terminal yelling, "I won!  I won!"  He's won the first round of an American Idol-like competition.  I try to stay cool in front of his relatives, and we go to, of all places, MY house???

I 'wake up' in the dream to him next to me, and granddaughter asleep on his side of the bed.

"Morning....can you believe we've actually spent the night together?"

"Our first time in thirty years...it's pretty nice."  He snuggles closer and throws an arm across my stomach.

I look at the time and feel a seed of apprehension, since it's nearly seven and I know my spouse will be coming home soon.  "Shouldn't you be on your way?"

"I don't care if he finds us.  It's about damn time."

Do do do dodo...do do do dodo....my alarm is going off.  I'm not in bed with him, after all; just my spouse and granddaughter is at my feet.

My first thought is, Dear God, please tell me I've not talked in my sleep!!!!

It's three hours later and he's not said anything, so I think I'm fine....whew!

Monday, August 21, 2017

Christmas Present!

Brief Recap:
On double-eviction night, both Cody and Elena were sent to the Jury House.  Derrick (BB16 winner) arrived for 'Memory Lane', then hosted the HOH competition.

Playing Chess....
Proof that newbies play checkers, vets play chess.  The HOH comp was played tournament-style, and came down to Paul and Christmas.  Paul knew the answer, but decided to throw it to Christmas, because she's in his alliance, and this way he gets to play in next week's challenge.

Congrats Jason!
I always wondered if the temporary HOH on double-evict night got any goodies, and now we know. Jason received his goody basket, including a letter from home which revealed he's going to be a daddy next year.

Power.....couples???
Turns out Josh and Christmas have a tight bond, as well as....
Matt and Raven 'Maven'
Alex and Jason
Matt and Kevin have no one, and Paul has successfully made bonds with everyone except Matt and Kevin.

At the nomination ceremony, Christmas put up Matt and Jason as pawns in order to back-door Mark.  BUT, if Mark wins the POV and keeps himself safe, then she's not too sad to be sending one of the others home....just seems a little cold-hearted toward new daddy-to-be Jason....but hey....that's part of the game.

Tree of Temptation
Knowing he was last man on the totem pole, Mark claimed one of the apples and picked 'Save A Friend'.  At the nomination ceremony, he saved Paul.  It will be interesting to see if anyone claims more in the next two weeks....

See you back here on Thurs!

Friday, August 18, 2017

Double Eviction Night! #BB19

Cody had high hopes that Elena had made enemies after breaking her word to Alex and claiming the $5K prize, but he found himself going out the door 1st.  No goodbye to anyone; just stormed out.  He told Julie, "I can't stand anyone in there."

Jason won HOH (I thought the other houseguests rigged it a bit so he'd win??) and nominated Mark and Elena (no surprise there....)

Mark won POV and pulled himself off; Matt was put in his place.  Elena went out the door and will now spend the next week alone with Cody in the Jury House.

Loved C's response to Julie:  
J:  I bet you're looking forward to some solitude away from them....
C:  It's double-eviction night, so you screwed that up.
J:  Oops, so we did.

So with 9 left, I guess the 'pecking order' is:
Mark
Matt
Raven
Kevin
Josh
Jason
Christmas
Alex/Paul

I reeeeeeaaaaaallly hope Josh goes soon, and they don't keep that annoying 'meatball' around.  When he and Elena had their spat, I just wanted to yell, Shut UP, Josh!  Let the girl talk!  Geez.....Kid needs to learn how to listen.

Looking forward to seeing Derrick tonight!!!   Special Friday episode:)  And yes.....might watch AD again....I know; torture.

Flashback Friday: My Baby Is A Kindergartner!

Aug 1997:
After returning from our whirlwind trip to Vancouver, we went into full pack up mode.  K was enrolled in Eminence Elementary, and we discovered he needed glasses.  One trip to the eye doctor for him and the world opened up:)

We began making weekly trips to the house, and planning where we'd put our furniture.  One day, Mom and Dad showed up:)  The kids were thrilled to show Grandma and Grandpa their new rooms, and we all went out for dinner.

When school started, I would get the kids up and dressed; drive K to school (half an hour drive), then take little S to Burger King or McDonald's to play in the playscape.  The 2nd week, we left a window open and began hauling things into the house.  I'd shove S through the window; she'd unlock the door and let me in.  I think at one point, we obtained the keys before we'd even closed on the house.  A lot of our boxes were stacked in the 4th bedroom.

Day #1:
I noticed I was one of the younger moms; and watched my little boy jumping in and playing with the others.  All of a sudden, he bounced up to me, all excited.

"Mommy!  I made a friend!"

"You did?  Good for you....what's your friend's name?"

"Ahhhh.....(bends down to ask the kid his name)....Austin. This is Austin, and he's my BEST FRIEND!"

Little did we know that indeed, K and A would be best buddies all through and beyond school!

When it was time for me to leave, however, he burst into tears and had to be held back by Mrs. Glidden, the teacher.  He was very happy to see me two hours later!

Day #2:
I was dreading another crying session, but he bounced out of the car and declined my offer to walk with him to his room.

"'Bye Mommy....see you later!"

Day #3:
He woke up before the alarm, then came to me with a very solemn request:

"I can't get my pants on....will you help me?"

I knew there was a poem in that line, so while I was at the insurance guy's office, I managed to compose it!  Can't locate it at the moment, but the final stanza goes something like this:

On the third day he awoke before the alarm
Ready for action, ready to charm.
But there was one final issue, one small request...
"I can't get my pants on; Mommy, will you dress me the rest?"

Next Month:  Sad News As We Move In....and A Huge Misunderstanding of People

***********
Present Day:
I'm off to the grand opening of our Vincennes Brewing Company tonight!  Friends Chris and Patti Coffey are co-owners, and it's at 2nd and Main, where the antique store used to be.  I plan to drink either a glass of wine or a Guiness-type beer after the ribbon-cutting.

Otherwise, it's going to be a quiet weekend.  I'm also trying to finalize my Sept plans.  I'll be doing the 1st Friday on the 1st, then the Community Yard Sale at Oubache Trails on the 2nd.  Was planning to go to Attica on the 9th, but the owner either doesn't want me or is confused by what I do.  Tells me 'we're full of that type of vendor'....ummmmm....you have other authors?  No answer.  Then I saw on the FB post 'No direct sales....we're full'.  I thought DS was stuff like Avon, Younique, Mary Kay, Pampered Chef.  Still no answer to my query on the thread.

I'm going to call Monrovia and see if I can get in there.  Otherwise, I may just send in my app to Attica and see what happens.  Then on the 16th, I plan to be at the Eminence Harvest Fest.  Eleven or twelve years ago, this festival was a bust.  I'm happy to see it grow, though!

K has his VU schedule and is excited about attending classes again:)  S is still training at her job over in Lawrenceville, and W and A are doing well in school.  W has signed up to be part of the stage crew in the next play; A is enjoying kindergarten, but landed on the yellow for some reason yesterday.  Otherwise, she's been very well behaved.

Had family pics taken last night; I have a good-looking family!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, August 17, 2017

Camp Guide, X-treme Man, and Tandam Skydivers....#BB19

After watching BBAD the other night, I wondered if this week's POV had something to do with the bizarre costumes I observed Alex, Jason, and Paul and Christmas wearing.....

Paul went out first, and had the POV.

Mark was next, and kept the Weekend Adventure.

Matt swapped the 'Tan-Dam' skydiving outfit for Paul's POV. (Josh, who was hosting, apparently had never seen the word 'tandam', and kept pronouncing it 'tan-DAM' instead of 'tan-dem'.)

Jason kept the 'X-tremeitard' outfit

Alex and Elena made a promise not to curse each other with a punishment.  Alex then won $5K

Elena unwrapped the Camp Guide punishment and promptly broke her word to Alex, taking her $5K.....after looking to Cody for guidance??  He didn't want E to win veto, take herself off, and find himself back-doored!  This action promptly pissed off Alex, who is now campaigning for her to go!

At the Veto Meeting, Matt surprised Cody by taking Jason off the block, instead of himself.  Cody found himself back-doored, even though he thought he was safe.

Everyone who competed in the Veto Comp was invited to an Outback dinner, except for Paul, who gave his slot to Christmas.

I'll admit; I've watched BBAD for at least 5 episodes now, and find parts extremely boring.  I like it when I'm watching by myself; I can fast-forward through the 'ho-hum' parts.  Sometimes it seems a conversation will just begin to get interesting and the producers will cut to another group.  Oh Come On!

Tonight is Double-Eviction Night.  Really hoping Cody and Elena are the lucky pair who get to go to Jury.

See you tomorrow!

Monday, August 14, 2017

Alex In Charge (Again!) BB19

Brief Recap:
Jess was evicted and Alex won the HOH.

Kevin vs Alex
Got news for ya, Kev.....Alex is clued in to the fact you're actually talking game with Cody.  Better watch out; that tiny target on your back is beginning to grow.....

Temptation Contest
A series of noises began to interrupt the house guests.  They did pay attention, and in some cases counted how many times the noise repeated.

Christmas declined to play; Paul and Alex convinced Matt to throw it, in case Cody decided to deliberately put himself up.  Which he did....but made one tiny mistake.

The deal with the noises?  They had to remember what room they were in when they heard it!

Cody decided to always pick the Have-Not room....but had forgotten the one time he'd actually BEEN in it.

Matt did a fine job of acting as if he has a terrible memory!

Mark won, which spoiled Alex's plan.

So, she left Paul and Jason to figure out who to be the other pawn.  Jason agreed to do it, and went on the block with Elena and Matt.

But What About Cody?
This was an elaborate scheme to keep C from playing in the veto comp.  The ONLY way this will work is IF C's chip doesn't get pulled to play in it.  If Jason or Elena win the veto, Cody goes up as a replacement.  If Matt wins, Elena goes home.  If Cody plays, all he has to do is not use the power; Elena goes home.

Elena
She's tired of being the 'Perpetual Pawn' and is starting to piss people off with her attitude (which at the moment is beginning to rival one of my family members, not to mention her resemblance to said member!) and some are already clued in to the fact she has good persuasive skills.  It's time for her to go, if Cody survives.

******UPDATE*******
Family member has returned home; I could not keep my mouth shut on FB and posted a very generic post about my stress level:

"Been a long week. I've been lied to; used; bent over backward to accommodate a family member, all so they could throw it back in my face. Stress level was all over the place as I played peacemaker, diplomat, and disciplinarian. Here's hoping things settle down and get back to some sort of normalcy."

I went to bed.  

Woke up this morning to my children telling me I'd unleashed Super Storm S.

I had not posted any names; S did.

I had not called out any child; S did.

She chose to call me a narcissist; I ignored it.

I DID delete the post after addressing the child who commented, after not being on FB in MONTHS.

Stepdaughter posted about how 'this should have been said to my face, instead of a public forum where I could read it'.  Ummmm....I did tell her last night.  She apparently wasn't listening.

S doesn't have all the facts.  Too bad we didn't have security cameras to catch all the drama that unfolded last week.  I now have to explain to doctors, P/T therapists, and others why the child is no longer here after a week.

I also learned she has not taken any of the antibiotics that were prescribed for her a week ago today.  Out of 14 pills, she'd only taken the 4 I personally handed her.  I reminded her daily; I didn't know I had to physically hand a 16 y/o her pills, so she would take them.

Now we know why her tonsils and throat are so bad.

J wants to put her in counseling for anger management issues.  I'd dearly love to tell the counselor (IF it happens) what I've observed over the years.

Hopefully, this is the end of this issue.  I'll find out where she stands when she's here for either Fall or Christmas Break.







Sunday, August 13, 2017

The End of Jody #BB19

Brief Recap:
Jess and Cody schemed to keep themselves safe.  Jess intentionally came in last in the Temptation Comp, with the hopes C would earn safety, then win the Veto and pull her off.  It almost worked; C was picked for the veto, but Christmas was able to take  his place.  Mark won the veto.....

Kevin...What Are You Doing?
K tried to make a deal with Cody, knowing the house was getting rid of Jess.  Jason wasn't too happy.

Spelling Bee Gone Wrong
If only Jess would have laid low.....Josh actually wanted to rally everyone against Elena!  But after J refused to talk to him, and then taunted him about spelling the word 'drought', Josh fired back about how to spell 'evicted', and another yelling match ensued.  Josh was done trying to protect her, and the final vote was Elena 0, Raven 1 (Cody), and Jess 7.  Bye-bye Jess.

HOH Comp:
I was thrilled to see the quick-change artists back!  Cody went out in the 2nd round, and round 4 came down to Alex and Raven.

Alex wins again!

Personally, I'm sick of Josh and his 'meatball' comments.  I soooooo hope Alex puts him up!!!  I predict Mark and Elena will be the targets, though.  We'll see what happens tonight.

Saturday, August 12, 2017

Flashback Friday: The Green-eyed Monster Rears Its Head....

Aug 1987:
Life at Wabash National was good.  I enjoyed my job; I enjoyed working with the guys.  Only one thing marred the whole experience though; my new coworker was jealous.

First of all, toward the end of July, one of the guys began paying particular attention to me, and after a 'clean' night, I agreed to go out with him.  We had an enjoyable evening; got to see Henry Lee Summer performing at Nick's Bar, and dancing.  Later, he'd asked, "Motel time?"  I told him I didn't do that on the 1st date, and then, since I'd heard a rumor about his marital status, asked him about it.  He stated he was in the process of getting a divorce, and was legally separated.

I'd made the mistake of telly Patsy I had gone out with Bill, so when he asked out another coworker, she began making snide remarks about Bill and Tina, who was embarrassed.  I really didn't care, since 1) we weren't 'official' and 2) the man wasn't completely free!  But her comments still stunned me.

Then, around the first week of August, I noticed our foreman telling ME what to do, and expecting the information being passed down the line.  The first time I tried telling P what needed to be done, she snottily informed me I wasn't her boss, and stomped off the other way.  Fine; I'd clean up the back room by myself.

Jeff came back to check 'our' progress, and asked me where P was.  I relayed her remark; he shook his head, brought her back and spoke to her (gesturing at me the entire time!), and left.  P shot me an angry look, then picked up her broom and went to the opposite side of the room.  We worked in silence until all the sawdust was swept up.

The next day, T and I observed P hanging around the guys looking at the blueprints for the next truck line, while we puttered around, sweeping up and looking busy until the sidetable was up again.  T mentioned P needed to be helping us, not hanging around the guys.  I told her that she had refused to listen, and to let Jeff handle it.  Sure enough, 5 minutes later, we saw Jeff go up to P and tell her to grab a broom.  With a sullen look on her face, she did.

Jeff then came over to us and told me he wished our situations were reversed; P had applied for the job full-time, but he couldn't stand her, while I was returning to school in about 2 more weeks.

"You sure you want to return to college?"

Uuuummmmmm.....yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh.

The night we had to work 6 hours over, I got drowsy at 3am, a full half hour before our scheduled break.  I had been up on the truck side, re-drilling the rivet holes, when I laid down to stretch my muscles and didn't want to get back up!

I even told the guys, "Just let me sleep....go ahead and press me permanently into this thing....just let me sleep...."

Jeff shook his head.  "Go ahead and take your break.  Someone scrape McIntire off the truck and pump some caffeine into her."

But two hours later, someone had taken my air hose, and P was busy doing something else.  I wandered all over the area, looking for another one, but no luck.  She yelled at me to get one, and my temper blew.  I told her if she needed one so !@#$$ bad, to go get her !@#$$%% self.  The adrenaline and anger rush kept me going until quitting time.

My final day came, and when I went to get my paycheck signed, Tom told me he was sorry to see me go, and to come back anytime.  He also teased me about how he and Jeff were planning to kidnap me and not let me take my week's vacation in Florida until school began again after Labor Day.  Patsy was in full earshot of this conversation, and was the only one who didn't say goodbye.

I'd told my mom about what was going on between myself and P, and she told me P was jealous because she needed the job and I didn't!  Plus the fact I only had a week's seniority over her, but J had, in essence, made me his assistant.

Another humorous moment:  I had just popped in about six full rows of rivets, when Jeff came over to talk to me.  He hopped up on the table (I was standing beside it) as we spoke, and when he jumped off, all the rivets popped out.  He told me to get to work; I grabbed his arm.

"Hold it, Scheffy....YOU caused them to fall out; YOU put them back in."

He stared at me for a full minute, then huffed and put them back in the holes, muttering under his breath.  Later I found out he could have fired me for insubordination!

"Why didn't you?"
"You were fun to have around."

Next Month:  Phase 2 of my rebellious year.

***************
Present Day: 
I'm completely caught up on my One Day At A Time, Designing Women, and Maude shows, as well as Sonny and Cher:)  My bedroom and kitchen have returned to 'normal'; this week I start on the living room and bathrooms.  Then it's back to hauling stuff out of the two houses.

*******Rant Ahead*********
'Laying down the law' didn't happen.

I was informed Thursday night that both J and my SIL had agreed MDQ could return home.  WTH????????????????

Thanks a frickin' lot for backing me up.....will no one say 'no' to this child?  WHO TOLD A 16 Y/O SHE COULD ACT LIKE AN ADULT?????

But then again, I'm not her legal guardian; just her temporary one.  Since Thursday, other things have come to light:

-Her b/f is now attending Ben Davis, and has lost weight and grown a few inches.
-She's not taking her meds.  Okay, now we know WHY your throat is so damn sore.  YOU  DON'T STOP TAKING THE MEDS WHEN YOU FEEL BETTER; YOU TAKE THE ENTIRE SCRIPT!
-I guess she doesn't like the fact I've reminded her about homework, taking meds, cleaning up after pets.  The bunny cage has only been cleaned once since her brother left.

I'm still trying to see how I can keep Ice.

Thursday, August 10, 2017

Christmas in.....August? #BB19

Last night was the POV competition, and everyone's worst fears came true.

Cody was picked to play, along side Alex, Josh, Mark, Elena, and Jess.

Surprise!  
Christmas jumped up, as per pre-arranged signal with Josh and revealed the Ring of Replacement, which enabled her to switch places with Cody.  Unfortunately, she wasn't allowed to play in the OTEV competition, but at least Cody didn't have a chance to save Jess.

So How Did OTEV the Possessed Piggy Go?
Elena
Jess (whoo hoo!  Mark JUST beat her to it)
Josh
Alex (who beat Mark, but realized she'd dropped her shoe sole!)
Mark won, and took himself off.

Josh nominated Raven.

Cody was brought to tears when Christmas swapped places with him, and if looks could kill.....OMG!

Tune in tonight to see who goes home....Elena, Raven, or Jess.

Josh wants Elena, but it depends on how persuasive he is.  Everyone else wants to see Jess go out that door.

*******Rant Ahead*********

Granddaughter A insisted on moving in with us in July.  Fine; we understood she's wanting stability, having lived 14 places in her short life.

School began; things seemed fine.  She went home for her birthday, and since it made more sense for her to take a Personal Day on Monday and return home with us, rather than making two trips up there in 2 days, she got to spend another day with her brother and mom.

Monday night, she had a throat so sore she couldn't swallow.  I took her to the ER.  No strep or mono, but given antibiotics just the same.

Tues, I let her stay home to give the meds a chance to work.  She starts talking how she wants to join K12 and do all her work online.  Her mother agrees.

Wed, she had an ortho appointment, then was angry when I made her return to school.  I contacted K12 and on their advice, began admissions application.  After dinner, however, J contacts me; A is 'homesick' and 'wants to come home'.  I was stunned.  I've set up PT appts; and ENT appt, and what about the pit bull puppy Ice?

Today, had a lengthy conversation with my SIL, who agreed; A has discovered I'm not a pushover when it comes to rules and going to school; she's jealous of her brother having his own room and the run of the place; this HS ping-pong has got to stop.

Currently, the plan is to have a conversation about laying down the law and forcing her to complete the month here, so she can do her PT and attend her ENT consult.

She has got to learn a) she is NOT calling the shots around here; b) she NEEDS to stay in school; and c) she CHOSE this.

Plus, the damn puppy is swiftly growing on me.  He's so darn cute and smart!

Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Nomination Upset.....#BB19

Brief Update:
No one was sent packing last week, due to Jess using the Hex.  Josh wan HOH....after the IQ of the house dropped to Pre-K.....

Temptation Comp:
Nearly everyone played, except Josh and Christmas.  Cody won, which kept him safe.  Jess was too frightened of the zombies and things which go bump in the night, to complete the challenge, so she automatically became the 3rd nominee.

Jess:  This is perfect!  Cody is safe, so now if he's picked to play in the Veto Comp, and either he or I win, then we're safe for another week.....

Nominations:
Josh nominated Mark and Elena, pissing off both.  Despite his 'meatball' exterior, Josh proved he is not blindly following Paul's 'coaching'....he and Christmas had a conversation that I HOPE J keeps confidential; if Paul gets wind of it, she'll be the next one he sets his sights on.

Check back tomorrow.....

Friday, August 4, 2017

Flashback Friday: Fun and Heartbreak, Plus Unpleasantness in the BB House

.Aug 1977:
We were in Florida, and for Mom's birthday, Grandma and Grandpa took us to the Brown Derby.  There was a 3 hour wait, and we got to sit in the bar.  A band was playing, and G'ma, G'pa, Bob and Harriet, and another couple got up to dance.  I  desperately wanted to get up and dance to some of the disco tunes, but was too shy.

I also received my 1st diary, and faithfully wrote in it during the rest of the vacation.

After we returned from Florida, my grandparents held a garage sale.  Grandma let me pick out one bottle and one cup/saucer, and was heartbroken when a beautiful 'Genie' bottle was bought.  I was hoping no one would buy it, and I remember bursting into tears when a man told me he'd bought it.

6th grade began, and Mom has a picture of W, K, and I in our brand new gaucho pants (now called Capri).

Next Month:  Family member ill; an embarrassing moment,

*************
Present Day:
This weekend is the Watermelon Festival!  Come out and see me tonight, and meet Brooke Meyers, the new author on the block, tomorrow!

BB19
I'm a little put out at what went down yesterday.  At the veto meeting, Jess and Cody acted very disrespectful.  Jason used his moment to reiterate that Jess was caught in the middle of Cody's antics, and therefore he needed to go.  Jess, having walked in on Raven and Kevin 'whispering', jumped to conclusions and called out Raven for lying, sniggered 'World Peace' and sat down.  Cody refused to say anything.

Paul used the veto on Jason; Jess unleashed the Hex, which meant NO ONE was going home.

IQ Drop
The house erupted when Jess again called out Raven, then Alex revealed that previously, Jess had stolen her cat ears and blamed Raven.  Jess and Raven had a screaming match; 'Jody' retreated into the lounge.  Paul told Josh to 'light it up', and everyone reverted to Pre-K behavior, banging pans, mocking 'Jody', following them out to the yard, and basically any bullying or harrassment antics.  Josh hurled insults at Cody; Jess threw food at Josh.

Thankfully, Matt, Mark, and Raven grew tired of it and agreed things were getting out of control.

In the HOH competition, Josh won, after scoring higher on Zombie Golf than Cody and Christmas, who were tied.  Whew!

Who will Josh the Clown nominate?  Probably his favorite 'Meatball', Cody.

Unless C wins the temptation comp.  Come back on Monday or tune in Sunday night to find out.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Tempers Flare! #BB19

Brief Update:
Paul won HOH; Mark, Jason, Matt, and Alex all played in the Temptation Competition.  Mark won, and is safe.  Jason came in last, and is nominee #3, along with Jess and Cody.

Snowflake Josh
I'll admit, I've held off on using this term.  But I'm heartily sick of Josh's off-key 'singing' of the Ringling Bros. anthem while crashing pots and pans together, and his 'Meatball!' mutterings.  Please, somebody cut him loose next week!!!!!  He's run his mouth with Cody, and now with Mark, whose own temper finally exploded, and the two had to be separated by both the producers and Kevin.

Fall of 'Jody'?
Paul invites Jess to come talk, and Cody tagged along, but couldn't help being a Caveman, which royally pissed Jess off.  She's proving she has a brain, and the confidence not to be swayed by a pretty face.  When she confronted C, you could almost see a light bulb go on in her brain when she asked, "Are you like this in the Real World?"

C couldn't answer, and J left in a huff.  Later he revealed that yes, he didn't think he could contain his 'caveman' antics after the game.  The two appeared to make up, but Paul, Christmas, and Elena tried to get her to not use the hex, and to let C go; he is bad for her game.  Hopefully she'll see this!  I loved J's answer to 'what would you use the $$ for?'

"A Xanax prescription and a straitjacket!'

POV Comp:
Paul won the BB Storm and tells J he'll give her what she wants in return for C leaving the game.

"Safety for the next 4 weeks and for the next HOH to put up Alex and send her home."

With his fingers crossed, Paul agreed......now to see if Jess agrees too?

No veto meeting!  See you tomorrow!  Who will go home tonight, Cody, Jason, or Elena?

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

August Reading Schedule

I'm pretty proud of myself.  I actually accomplished ALL of my July goals!
-Add words to Heart Song and RiKar's Redemption  Finished Ch. 5 of HS!!
-Get hair trimmed and re-dyed  Check:)
-Pedicure  Check:)
-Attend Nashville event  Nope.....Mom leaving Sat am.
-Attend JHS mini-reunion  Check:)
-Volunteer at Indies in Indy event  Check:)
-Have a relaxing 'stay-cation' while house sitting  Check:)
-Do well at WheatFest  Handed out cards, but zero sales.

Yeah, yeah....I hear you...I've had it pretty easy the last three weeks, with being at my mom's, house-sitting, setting my own schedule, and sleeping in as late as I want.  So why did I only finish Ch. 5?  Well, I also updated four of Kenzie's novellas, had a few WTH moments with some close friends, and got hooked on Nostalgia TV.  See, the parents don't have Dish or Direct TV, so I spent the mornings rewatching Remington Steele, Perry Mason, and Matlock.  I usually ended every night with Carol Burnett.  Plus on Sunday, I could watch Mary Tyler Moore, Rhoda, and Love Boat.

But I digress.....

Now I'm back home; school starts for EVERYONE this Thurs (can you believe it?  Granddaughter A begins kindergarten this year!), and I officially get 'my life' back.  So to speak, anyway.  I still have to deal with a spouse that's home all the time.  Plus, my home office isn't set up yet.  The days of sending kids off to school and me writing happily for 6 hours are gone.  Sigh....

Books Read:  2
           Print:  1
       E-book:  1

Karaoke Songs Added:  7
                           Thurs:  2
                                Sat:  5

Weight:  Dropped from 235-232, and am hoping Mom's scale is ten pounds heavier than mine....I'd hate to think I've packed on ten more pounds!!!  Forgot to weigh myself this past weekend.  Crap....I've put back on twelve pounds.  Sigh....I was doing SO GOOD!!!!!

August Goals:
-'Reclaim' my house  Check!
-Do well at the Watermelon Festival  Check....sold 5:)
-Dr. appts for myself and two kids  Check.....plus need better insurance.....
-Pay for Labor Day show Decided not to do it this year.
-Pay for Sept 16th show  Check:)
-Pay for KABB  Decided to skip this year, due to lack of funds.
-Write Ch. 6 of Heart Song, Ch 1 of RiKar's story
-Change hero's name in Spirit Pottery Check:)
-Find out about publishing status with Stardust Check!  Eretos, offshoot of Stardust/Hydra
-Clear more in brown/green houses and storage unit
-Family pics on the 17th.  Check!  Looking GOOD!  I have one good-looking family....;)


August Reading Schedule:
Print Books:
Tomb of the Moom-NE Riggs
Sealed with a Kiss-Carly Phillips Finally finished this book I've had since last Feb.....
Orchard Valley Brides-Debbie Macomber DNF
My Bluegrass Quarterback-Kate Athena After I put away my editing hat (or whomever edited it skipped over the 1st ten chapters?  LMAO!), it was a good story!

E-Books:
Our Song-Savannah Kade  Very good!
Yes, Mistress-NJ Cole Over all, good story.  Could have done w/o some of the sex scenes.
KFC romance book Interesting....verrrry interesting....

Karaoke Songs:
Thurs
When I See You Smile-Bad English  Was a bit flat, but otherwise, okay.
Life After You-Chris Daughtry  DNH
When I Think of You-Janet Jackson  Not TOO awful....
Love In Any Language-Sandi Patti  DNH
Invincible-Pat Benetar (redemption/signature song) Nailed it!
When I'm Back on my Feet Again-Michael Bolton  Not too bad...
Love Is Like A Rock-Donnie Iris DNH
When It's Love-Van Halen Felt drowned out, but okay.
When The Children Cry-White Lion Voice was slightly scratchy, but not too bad:)
Leave A Light On-Belinda Carlisle DNH
When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going-Billy Ocean DNH
Wanted Dead or Alive-Bon Jovi (Redemption/signature song)  Nailed it; audience participation; and was complimented!
When The Stars Go Blue-Bono/The Corrs OR Tyler Hilton/Bethany Joy (from One Tree Hill) Did well!
Light On-David Cook Did well; only slightly scratchy:)
When Will I See You Again-Three Degrees Nailed it!


Sat:
Never Say Die-Bon Jovi  DNH
New Attitude-Patti LaBelle  Slightly  too high....
Night Fever-Bee Gees Again, slightly too high, but fun to sing!
New Divide-Linkin Park  DNH
New Kid In Town-Eagles Did well:)
New Years Day-U2 Did fairly well:)
Nights On Broadway-Bee Gees  Not too bad...
Night Shift-Commodores  Ugh.  Too low!
No Air-Jordin Sparks DNH
Never Walk Away-Journey  DNH
Night Moves-Bob Seeger Ugh....too low
No More Tears-Donna Summer/Barbra Streisand  Strong beginning, but blew the ending
No No No Song-Ringo Starr  LOL....took me 3 verses to 'find' the right key to sing in!
No One Is To Blame-Howard Jones DNH
No One Like You-Scorpions DNH
No Particular Place To Go-Chuck Berry Nailed it:)
No Son of Mine-Genesis DNH
No Sugar Tonight-Guess Who Slightly rough, but okay....
No Time-Guess Who Nailed it:)
Nobody-Sylvia Nailed it:)
Nobody Does It Better-Carly Simon Nailed it!

Happy 75th Birthday to My Mom!!!!!!!!