It's Downright Scary Around Here

See what I mean?


We were blessed to have a box full of meat delivered to our house, yes, meat, in the mail, it's fine, really, and it was packed in dry ice. We've found that dry ice is pretty darn hard to come by in Chicagoland, so this was a real treat for the kids to see.

I promptly immersed it in water, and after a stern warning about not touching the actual ice, let the kids play in the "smoke". It was hours of fun. Immediately after taking this picture, I realized a glass bowl probably isn't the safest vessel for dry ice, so I found my last surviving Tupperware bowl and swapped it out.

After Sugar Daddy arrived home and had sufficiently wiped the drool from his chin upon seeing a box full of steaks and chops and ribs (oh my!), he plodded out to the back yard with a 2 Liter bottle with a smidge of water in the bottom and a (gloved) handful of dry ice. In went the dry ice, on went the lid and BOOM! went the bottle. It flew into the neighbors backyard. It made all the kids cry. It was awesome!

Of course, the next day Sugar Daddy had to call the person that sent the meats, and tell him we were very thankful for his generosity, but that we are strict vegans. Could he please send someone to pick up the meat and redistribute it? He almost got that out without cracking up!

Can anyone say Filet Mignon? Nothing's scary about that!

I'm -----This----- Thankful

Gretta received a package in the mail the other day. She was instantly in heaven. Although, after seeing what was in the package, I think Maggie was just as thrilled.

All the girls showing off together.

And here it is. The ultimate dress up dress. Aunt Kelli and Aunt Troy are the best. They know exactly what will get Gretta going. She carried it around for a good 10 minutes before Maggie finally forced her to put it on. Otherwise, Maggie would have worn it herself. Of course, once she had it on, there was no taking it off. Even for bed. But that's just fine with me.

An action shot of the opening ceremony. Even Bebe got in on the action. She's that big mess of fur to the right.

So thanks Aunt Kelli and Aunt Troy! You guys are the best!


And for the record, I'm not going on the cruise as some have previously mentioned. My dumb dog had to have emergency surgery a few moths ago, and that basically took up our cruise fund. Dumb dog. So for the next week and a half or so, I will be freezing my patootie off in Chitown, while my bro and sis and their respective spouses gallivant through the Caribbean. Suckers. But if it gets even one of them to update their blogs with the pictures I'm sure they will take, it will be worth the jealousy.

Also, thanks for all the sweet comments yesterday. I have the best friends ever. I even received a giant Coke delivered to my front door. Knowing I had so many of you out there giving me hugs really made a difference. I do feel better today, but I'm sure the Valium is helping with that. ;)

It's One Of Those Days

I can't get a grip today. There will be lots of tears today. I can tell when it starts out first thing in the morning that things are just going to go downhill, and fast.

It started last night. I had just settled in for a nice book and a warm blanket, when Sean came calling me downstairs for a surprise. Of course I couldn't resist, so I marched down there with much anticipation. I had received a letter! I love mail. Inside this letter, was a simple bracelet. It immediately sent me over the edge.

It was my mom's. It has a "P" and a bee on it. She used to wear it all the time. Meg is so sweet to think of me, and knows how much I need to feel close to her. So this meant crying myself to sleep last night. Not an unusual occurrence. But it's the waking up with tears flowing that makes the days hard. There just isn't much that can get me up out of this funk on a day like today. Better to just stay inside and not have to face the world.

Have I mentioned I hate being a grown up? Some days I think I can't deal with it all. I think it's just too much to handle. I hate all the hard decisions, and the despair that comes along with being grown up. Things seemed so much simpler before. Before what? I couldn't exactly say. Before I moved away, probably. Before she died, certainly. You know my first reaction after the strep diagnosis yesterday was to pick up the phone and call my mom. I knew exactly what she would say. I could practically hear the sympathy in her voice. There is no one to call that can take that place.

People my age shouldn't be dealing with the loss of a parent. Especially the loss of a parent in such a manner as hers. I know I'm not the only one that has had to do it, but some days it feels like I am.

Sorry for the pity party. It's just one of those days.

Totally Random

I realized yesterday that it's been a while since I posted any pics. I guess my thoughts have gotten better of me than my camera has. But here is some proof that I do indeed take pictures most days. I just don't get around to uploading and posting them like I should. Bear with me.


Emma playing dress up with Mags. This is a pretty rare occurrence around our house these days. Emma is growing past the dress up stage, and to be honest, she and Maggie rarely play anything together anymore. Unless it has to do with the computer or the DS, Emma pretty much stays away from having much to do with Maggie. I think she sees her as the annoying little sister. I remember being that annoying little sister. It's a hard stage.


Here is Gretta enjoying opening up her birthday present from Poppa. When we were in Utah for the summer, my mom had this little fox that graced the bottom shelf of one of her cabinets. Gretta always found it and carried it around the house. I had completely forgotten about it until it arrived as part of her package. You can see she pretty much thinks it's the coolest thing ever.



This was her first expression after ripping open the paper it was wrapped in. She was as shocked as I was. But then she hugged it, kissed it, and tried to ride it around the house like a horse.


Pre-tearing of the goods. She also got an outfit that she thinks is pajamas, a pack of Care Bears playing cards which have mostly found themselves shoved into every nook and cranny of the toy room, and a fancy schmancy card with Minnie Mouse on it. She loves it all!


Here is Maggie showing off her Valentines boxes she made for her dance class. We only had to make like 10 valentines, so instead of buying a huge pack of cards for $3.00, we went to our local craft store, bought 10 pieces of paper for $1.00, and used their die cut machine to cut the design for the boxes. She folded them, I glued the bottoms, and she filled them up with candy hearts. They were the hit of the class for sure.

So that pretty much sums up the most interesting pictures I've taken in the last few weeks. I'm still on the lookout for a funny Friday image, but I'll keep looking. I have the best one, but for the life of me, I can't find the picture to go with the story. I'll do my best, just for you.

*I have been asked about the origin of the fox. I can honestly say I have no idea from whence it came. It's just always been around the house, and I never thought to ask my mom about it. You know, it wasn't one of those important things you think about in the last few weeks of someone's life. I find myself having a lot of those moments. I wish I could call her up and ask her. Anywhoo, if any of you know where the fox originated, I would love to know.

Happy Mail

Again, thankyoublogger for publishing everything in reverse order.

Gretta was the proud recipient of some wonderful happy mail yesterday. She was so excited to see the box when we arrived home, but she was so tired, a nap took precedence over opening the box. After 2 hours of sleeping bliss, she was revived and ready to dig in.


Of course, with its being from the canine species, she is in love. Love, love, love.



And she's learning some grooming skills that will give her something to fall back on later in life.



You can see the pure bliss on her face as she sees the fuzzy fur peeking out of the package.




And here is the box we found waiting for us on the front porch. There are few things more exciting than finding an unexpected gift by the door.

So thank you, Mimi and Josh. You guys rock. Gretta is in doggy heaven, and has added to the dog pound in which she sleeps.

Fun For Friday

The other day I received a package. No, it wasn't the loot from my win over at Tip Junkie, since that hasn't yet arrived. It was a mystery package. Something I wasn't expecting. That's the best kind of mail.

I rip it open, and what do I find inside?


This little beauty. Courtesy of Barb, over at Terrill Connection. She also included the sweetest little note, and totally made me cry, which under normal circumstances is hard to do, but lately, I'll cry just about anywhere. But I would have cried regardless. She is so sweet to send this to lil ol' me. I love it. It's adorable. And I will wear it with pride.

So thanks, Barb. You made my day. And having my day made, well, that's fun.