In A Month...and a day

CARVED INTO THE SIDE OF A BUILDING.

GRAND RAPIDS TOWN HALL.

A PICKET FENCE, DUH!

THE TOWPATH.

THE MAUMEE, IN ALL IT'S GLORY.

I LOVE THIS HOUSE!


PRETTY!

THE CEILING OF THE OLD PART OF THE WOOD COUNTY COURT HOUSE.

DOUGLAS BEING GOOFY (GRAND RAPIDS).

Since the last time I have blogged I have :

Played M'Lynn in six performances of STEEL MAGNOLIAS.

When I auditioned for the part I didn't realize my hair was going to be getting done CONSTANTLY!

Been to church countless times, I LOVE one of the old Catholic churches in the city and go there, I am not sure if it counts if you are going to church for the architecture!

Am no longer a Brownie Leader (yay me), The Junior Scouts get to keep me (I love them)!

Have sold HUNDREDS of boxes of GIRL SCOUT COOKIES.

Have been to the Museum, by myself, for hours.

Have been to Grand Rapids for peaceful walks.

Have gotten a massage....or two.

Have actually been out with friends, I can't remember the last time I had the spare time to do that!

I got a new camera from "My Douglas".

Thats about it, it seemed a lot more hectic while it was going on.

I have decided that life is too short to do it all yourself or to do things you do not enjoy doing. I am learning how to say no.

Yay me.

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!

Now I have to tell myself to go clean out the art room (again) because that unfortunately does not fall under the category of "just say no"!

Did I forget to mention...Justin's in school suspension for having his cell phone out, Joshua's Saturday school for tackling another student and Saylor's detention (her first ever) for having late homework. The only one who has not gotten into trouble at school is Ireland....and she is the one that drives me BONKERS at home!!!

THE THINGS I DO TO MYSELF!

ONE OF THESE DAYS....I am going to learn how to flip the filter switch in my head to ON.
You know he one that nearly all other people are able to keep on all the time, the one that controls the thoughts in your brain and stops them before they actually turn into words!

While it is no secret that I have a big mouth it may be a little known fact that I LOVE attention...I am sure I have some exes out there who could tell you that the reason that we are no longer together is because for some reason (being the assholes that they were) they could not manage to give me 100% of their attention 100% of the time.

As I have grown older, boy attention just doesn't do it for me anymore....probably because I managed to marry the one man on planet earth that is willing to spend all of his free time doting on me (get off and let me breath), what is that old saying? Careful what you wish for?

I digress, now I want EVERYONE to know who wonderful I am...not just the dumb boys I used to date!

Doug once called me a martyr, boy was he wrong, I am in no way being self sacrificing when I volunteer for the million things I do, I do it because I want EVERYONE to know how awesome I am AND to tell me so!

WELL, I am here to say that I am at my wits end and no longer care if I can: decorate cupcakes the cutest, paint scenes for plays to scale, whip out 100 bookmarks in one night, throw together parties, make gift baskets, bring you to tears while reading a script, do two different projects with 30 Girl Scouts in an hour....or all of the other things to which I have said:

"Oh, let me do that, I can do that!"

Honestly it is not one of those things that have brought me to this breaking point.
It is ALL of them!

I can and do say my lines in my sleep, however, now that the show is less that two weeks away I cannot breath, the thought of doing this in front of a group of people is killing me!

AGH!!

SO, no more I say! No matter how much praise or admiration something is going to get me I am going to slowly back out of the room and then turn and run away!

Bad Blogger

I realize that I have not been blogging as much as normal, could it be that I have been living life to the fullest, so busy doing wonderful things that I have no time to tell you about?

NO!

More like Winter Break has been going on, so in addition to the three dogs, blind-mentally challenged guinea pig I also had 24/7 of the kids AND my Douglas.

Yes, we thought that it would be nice for him to take a vacation during the kids break from school.

You know how thing always seem like a good idea?

Not that it was not fun, vegging out, eating constantly, playing video games, messing up my house, ignoring the laundry and the dishes....

XANAX!!!!

Oh, sorry, where was I?

I was so distraught my the constant messing up of house that I hid out in the art room, THE ONLY room in the house that I do not mind being cluttered and disorganized, and I cleaned it, organized it, filed it, stacked it....and then when I sat in there to utilize it, I couldn't, it was TOO orderly!

But I am much better now....

PROZAC!

I think!

ZOLOFT!

Christmas Present In Pictures

DINNER TIME:

YUMMY!
DOUG PLAYING WITH DINNER!

THE DOGS ARE INTRIGUED!

WILSON STALKING THE LOBSTERS.

GRISSOM AND CRICKET CHECKING OUT DINNER....


CHRISTMAS EVE:

Justin reads the girls "THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS"

Laney, being a pain in the a**, why should Christmas Eve be different than any other day?

At 6', he still has a baby face!

CHRISTMAS MORNING:

Laney, loving life on Christmas morning!

CHRISTMAS NIGHT:

Later in the evening Saylor playing Tinkerbelle on her new DS.

CHRISTMAS MORNING (AGAIN):

Laney said: "LOOK AT THIS MOM, ISN'T THIS BAG BEAUTIFUL?"

Inside the bag was a gorgeous silver cross her father bought her, she was more intersted in the bag!!!

The dogs, part of the fun, as always!

So many presents, so little time!!



THE TREE:

Oh, pooh, I forgot to rotate the picture...naturally my tree is not side ways!

The tree, was STUNNING, before the in-bred, over-priced, butt chewing dog ate all of the lower branches and my favorite ornaments!





SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN:

I am pretty sure Santa knew they were lying when they said they were good!!




FOOD, MY FAVORITE!:

Olive tray...YUMMY!

A basket of bread made from bread, Clever!

My newest creation:

Brie topped with chopped dried fruits, chocolate chips, walnuts and caramel!

Sweets!

It is Going To Be A White Christmas!!!

My house this morning....
Doug was (like a kid) up at 4:30 wanting to play in the snow!

He turned the music up on the lights...The neighbors probably hate us!

And I made him shovel the snow!

The Wrestler who looks like a Rocker...

Walking in after a meet.
Any one remember the breakfast club??
The kid dresses like Bender, acts like Andrew and believe or not has the IQ of Brian...
And he is so pretty...he REALLY hates when I say that!

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS

An example of why daddy is NOT allowed to help bake cookies!

Straight out of the oven!

Cutting out cookies!

SAYLOR!

OCD kicking in....we are pairing up the ornaments before we can hang them!

Bean looking for the perfect ornament to hang.

Say CHEESE!

Where's the cookie??

SCHOOL SPIRIT

The Uggs, Starbucks and The 59 cent Onion!

Is it just me?

I have no problem spending money.
I like to spend money, I like to shop.
Underwear, groceries, car parts....it doesn't matter, I am happiest when I am buying things.

In fact shopping makes me so happy that if I am in a really good mood my husband will ask me how much my smile cost him....ass....of course he is right.

Even in today's hard economic times, I shop...someone has to keep the economy a float!

Anyway, I think I am a smart shopper, I am definitely a bargain seeker, well, most of the time.

I do have an insane love for Starbucks and we all know the story of the Uggs (I still love them).

Which brings me to the point of this whole post Is it just me?

Am I the only one while wearing $200 boots and drinking a $5 latte would crawl around on her hands and knees for a 59 cent onion that fell out of a grocery bag and rolled under a car in the parking lot of Meijer's?

??

MEAN RECEPTIONIST SUCK!!

It started last Monday, I ached....everywhere. Muscles, joints, I could barely move. That partnered with the most horrific headache I had ever had made for a lousy day. I figured it was just the weather, wet, cold, high pressure, whatever.
I did not want to think that I was coming down with the flu because I had just heard on JOHN TESH the night before about the flu and colds and their difference, I thought perhaps I was being one of those people...you know the ones who hear about a disease or illness and all of a sudden they have it!

So Monday I worked 9am-7pm, and was miserable.
Tuesday, I cleaned, dusted, rearranged, vacuumed, scrubbed.
Wednesday, I finally called the doctor:

Receptionist: Hello, Dr. so-n-so, this is Ruth, how may I help you.
Me: I need to make an appointment to see the doctor today.
Ruth: *laughter* well I don't know about that, first of all who is this?
Me: Daphne Rains
Ruth: Well, Stephanie, we are already double booked today, what seems to be the problem?
Me: Well Ruth, for starters my name is pronounced DAPHNE, and secondly, I have a fever of 101.2, I am stiff, achy, my joints ache and my muscle are having little spasms, I cannot breath and I feel light headed.
Ruth: I will have to check with the doctor to see what we have available, hold on for a moment Stephanie.
Me: Sure Rhonda, I hold on for a minute.
One minute.....
Ruth: We can see you at 1:15

I knew you could. You know how I know?
Because I am a mother of 4 children, my husband, my kids and my self all see this doctor. As do my mother, father, brother, grandparents....a point that I have pointed out to more than one new girl who tried to tell me I couldn't get in when I wanted to!

Verdict?

Bronchitis, double ear infection, sinus infection.

A shot in the ass of antibiotics, did I tell you what a HUGE baby I am?
Pills, sprays, drops and cough syrup that tastes like "the devil's asshole"!

Lucky me.

I breathed all over Ruth's pens before I left.
I think that made me feel better than anything.