Want To Take a Dip??

We had the pool opened this week and this is the result of heavy shocking, algaecide, back-washing and the filter running 24/7. This is about 75% better than it did look, so there's that. We bought new chair cushions and arranged the table/chairs a little differently this year. The girl is very fengISH...it's a word! Or a concept, not sure.

We also bought a new car this week, a 2009 Toyora Corolla. Hopefully, The Girl will save some $$ on gas. Now we are going to concentrate on selling the Mini....

It's Been a Week....

So last week was my birthday, I think I've mentioned that. On Saturday afternoon I went to my sisters house and she made lunch, we had a key lime pie, they sang...candles...the whole magilla. My parents were there, Brenda, the kids and Alan. The Girl was working so her and I had plans to celebrate that evening. It was all great fun, nice weather, good food. Everyone seemed to enjoy the afternoon, lots of laughing and some crying (Ella got stung on the chin, see pic of her with ice-pack)

Saturday nite The Girl and I started out at Kowloon (I wanted a Blue Hawaiian), we had some thai apps and played some keno. Then we went to have a real dinner at Carrabbas (Sangria this time!) We had a great nite and I remember thinking how much better this birthday was than my last(had to put Harriet to sleep)


Sunday morning we get up and start to make breakfast. I see I have a voice-mail so I listen to it while still in my happy birthday to me place. VM from my Dad...he took my mother to the hospital late Saturday nite with bad pain in her stomach. Turns out she has gall stones and pancreatitis! She was admitted to the hospital and heavily drugged. I call my sister to see when she's going to se my mother, I thought we could arrange to go at different times. She tells me she's taking her huzzband to the ER, he's having pressure/pain in his head. (He has a lump on his neck that he was supposed to get removed last week)...So, off they go to the hospital and they bring the 3 kids to us. I have to go the bakery because my family was supposed to come to our house for my birthday party Sunday nite. The cake is lovely. Oh, wait...that's not how you spell my name!!


As it turns out, my mother had her gall bladder removed. She'll be fine. Alan (The Huzzband) is the one we're worried about. He had a cat scan that showed a mass in his head/neck that they found suspicious. Then this week he had 3 biopsies that came back cancerous. He's scheduled for an MRI tomorrow (Saturday) and surgery June 10th. The silver lining is the Dr said this type of cancer is "highly treatable." We are all very worried about him but he has a great attitude and we are all there to help them in any/every way.
It's just so weird that last Saturday we were all having lunch, everything was so...NORMAL (as normal as it gets in my family!) and the next day, BOOM...

Kids...They Say Stuff We Think

I was on the phone with Ella yesterday.....

Me: "Are you coming to my birthday party on Sunday?"

Ella: "Yes. My mommy is 40 and my daddy is 41, how old are you Auntie?"

Me: "How old do you think I am?" {this is a bad question to ask ANYONE, especially a 4 yrs old!!!}

Ella: "18?"

Me: "yup...that's right!"

Ella: "Auntie, are you fooling me? How old are you really?"

Me: "I'll be 46 yrs old"

Ella: "OH MY GOD!!!!"

The Cat In the Sink....

Meet Sammy. Sammy likes to sit in the bathroom sink. She'll sit there all day if you let her. It's not like she has anywhere to GO...or anything else to DO (except sleep.) Sammy likes running water. She has a bowl of fresh water on the floor next to her food dish. That water, for some reason, is not good enough for her. Running water seems to be the key. She drinks the running water from the bathroom sink as if she's on the verge of dehydration!
For laughs, sometimes while Sammy's sitting in the sink, waiting with baited breath for the water to magically start running, I'll put the water on FULL-FORCE!
Let me tell ya, that cat can RUN!

It's Not Always Worth a Thousand Words.....

Took some pictures recently.....
This is the pond at my office park. While everything is nicely landscaped, the fountain is cool....the water in the pond is dyed! They put green dye in it once a month....very natural, dontcha think?

Next up is Alex at his Art Show at Topsfield Library. His Art class has a show each year...they hang the work and have snacks. It's very cool to see kids so excited about art. Give me Art over soccer any day.

That's Charlie, our big, fat, white cat. With different color eyes. He's a good boy. Not like the other one....


Couple of pics of the house with the new plants, mulching and shrubs removed.
The Girl is multi-talented. (you didn't think I was going a WHOLE post with no Girl-centric comment, did you?)

Apropos of Nothing....

Just a random pic of The Girl...taken in the back yard, spring 2007. I don't think she knew I took that picture....I'm sure she'll be pleased that I've posted it!

So much time has passed since my last post that I don't have any idea where to start!
The Girl and I (mostly her) have been doing a lot of yard-work. We pulled out shrubs/bushes, weed-whacked, mowed, planted, mulched and used a blower. As I write this, I realize how little of this I have actually done. It's all her. And it looks great...I wish I had photo's to post (I will soon.)

We have decided The Girl needs a new car. Her commute is 60 miles per day and her Tribute is a gas beast. We have looked at Honda's Fit, Toyota's Corolla and Yaris. The Prius is what I think we both really want to get, however, the price is almost double the other options. And this car is really just to commute and keep the gas cost as low as possible. We actually put a deposit on a Honda Fit last weekend but have since decided to try and sell The Girl's car first and then buy. It's a nightmare process, as anyone who has ever bought a car knows. These sales-people talk and double-talk so much you agree to anything just to get the hell out of there!

I talked to Gretchen on the phone for the first time in, oh, about 10 months. 3 days later I receive a 4 page letter from her that was quite odd. Guess I won't be talking to Gretch anymore!

The Vegas trip is fast approaching and we have decided to see Le Reve. This is what they say about Le Reve:
French for "the dream," Le Rêve is a stunning journey of the soul. Through amazing acrobatics, aquatics and even flight, it explores concepts of damnation, redemption, lust, love, loss and laughter.

Tax Hell seems like a distant memory. What I'm left with is more a a Tax Heck. Tax Hell Lite. We have 3 audits going on, I'm working on a new client that hasn't filed corporate or personal taxes since 2004 and some other things that are more aggravating than heavy-lifting. It's good to have the work though. Every client I talk to is complaining about NOT having work....not getting paid.

I turn 46 this coming Saturday. That sounds old. I guess I am getting old. The Girl is 37.
She says that makes ME a cougar!
I'm probably also in BIG trouble for posting the above picture.
Oh well. :)

The Weekend That Was.....

This past weekend was a busy one. The birthday party alone was, well..it was 17 8 year old boys. And my family. And Ella. I think The Girl was somewhat horrified! Her position is that children are Aliens. Like, not of this world. I have to say, this group did nothing to dissuade her of that opinion. I have some photos of the event. And one of The Girl looking, as I said, horrified. Also, I'll probably be in trouble for posting her pic but I think she looks GREAT in all pics, so, there's that.

Thinking about getting a Tat...some INK! I've been thinking about this for a long time, actually. I now know what I want...I just need to work out the details, colors, size and placement.

The idea is a Hula girl...not the traditional dark-haired girl but, a blonde one. I can imagine how shocking that must seem...but, yes, MY hula girl is blonde. I want a coconut bra, grass skirt...maybe a Lei...not so sure about that just yet. I'm hoping to be able to get this decided and make an appointment to get it done for my birthday. My original idea had been a birthday party at our house, "CLINK & INK" I thought that was a GREAT idea! And then we realized tattoo artists, good ones, will not work in houses for liability reasons. So, it's off to the parlor for me.
I'm getting inked.
At 46. Better late than never.

My friend, CT Matey, once said to me, "a tattoo is a waste of perfectly good skin."
I like to think it's making a small patch of skin a bit more interesting, not wasted at all.

Days of Whine and....

This past week has been busy and the weekend doesn't seem to be offering us any relief. With my parents home and my nephews birthday (Clown's son!) parties (yes, plural...they get 2 parties; one with their friends and one with the family), it's been no down time for the weary tax preparer and The Girl. Last night I had my parents anniversary party at Clown's house, tonight it's back to Clown's for Lucas' birthday cake with the fam , tomorrow The Girl and I are taking Mother-of-the-Girl to dinner for an early Mothers Day get together and Sunday is Lucas' birthday party with his friends. It's being held at Monster Golf, a new place in Peabody/Danvers. 15 8 year old boys, wielding MONSTER sized golf clubs! That sounds relaxing, huh?
I'll have pics of the mayhem on Monday.

So, when do The Girl and I have some time to relax and reconnect? I proposed a little getaway next weekend or staying home and pretending we're on a getaway. No phones/texts/computers. We plan a day trip...act like tourists and have dinner at a new place we've never been. So, that's the plan.

And wine...lots of wine. As a matter of fact, I think that can be arranged for THIS evening.