Going to wake up a dead horse, just so i can beat it dead again!!!

 So yesterday I explained our big issue that has been consuming all of my time and energy. Today I want to show you just some of the stuff we had to throw out because of it. So this is a post of few words to make up for yesterday insanly long post.

My only side note, is you will notice that yes some of the meat is frozen but that's because when the power came back on I didn't want to throw it in the trash right them to have dripping yucky meat. So I left it to refreeze and John and I threw it out last last night since today was trash day. Now for the pictures. Also notice how many brand new unopened items we had :(

yes, that's a drawer full of various cheese! ;)  We apparently should be thankful we are not constipated all the time!!!

all unopened

none of it opened

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

Man, I've missed doing these, I've been gone for about two weeks.  But I'm baaaack!

AWKWARD

• fighting brothers-one has a loud non-inside voice, the other has a high pitch squeal.  Both make my ears bleed equally!
• blogger having issues loading pictures recently.  Is this happening to you?
• cleaning the highchair!!! Seriously, no matter how often I clean it it never fails that something ends up under that cushion squished under his cute little booty, crumbs, and NEVER fails a lost french fry.  I guess I should clean under it everyday, but I don't.  Just about 2-3 times a week!
• our Dr.NP feeling the need to correct my child's behavior...did NOT set well with momma, was told so, and it is a mistake I doubt she will EVER make again!!!!  (I took a toy away, and he raised a hand-to which he always gets in trouble for but has never hit.  That is my job to correct not hers, and you especially do not tell my child you will spank them.  Even more awkward would have been if I'd have acted on my thoughts of killing her!!!!)
• unnecessary sex scenes in movies.  Really, I could have gone my whole life without that, and it didn't even really fit it?
• my awkwards feeling more like a gripe session...I'm sorry so lets move on to awesomes!!!!

AWESOME

• Hubby making me brisket last weekend.  Pure deliciousness!!!
• getting all my vegetables for my garden
• my strawberries already starting to bloom (ahhh for real, I kid you not, as I was writing this Aaron walks in going "nahnerry, num num".  Yeah, he just ate it :(  I had it in a planter on the kitchen table.  what a punk!!!!)
• it's almost the weekend and there's suppose to be sunshine!!!
• getting caught up on my homework
• and writing block is over and my blogging thoughts are back in full swing!!!

Hope you guys had a great week, and will have an even better weekend.  Can't wait to read all about you A/A happenings.  I just love blogs, it's like having permission to be nosey in someones life without all the beat around the bush work   :)  Thanks for spillin your beans and keeping my nosey curiosity satisfied.  Now for some fun pics!

"BANG"

AND SHE'S OFF!!!!  somyfirstpostbackinawhileanditwillhaveamillionandonethingsallrambledupintoone!
(so my first post back will have a million and one things all rambled up into one!)

That was my poor blogger impression of the opening gate at a horse race.  Lame, maybe?  But whatcha gonna do?!

So Let's do a quick recap of what has been preoccupying my time shall we. 

FREAKING TXU AND THEIR MASSIVE AMOUNT OF NON CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!

If I knew how to make that into a flashing blogger banner, you bet your sweet blog post I would have.

So let me fill you in...

March 9th, eelectric bill jumps from $68 to $351...um what?!  So I call and ask what's up.  I'm told that TXU has credited me a deposit after so long of being a customer (I assumed my original deposit) and in case of an emergency can now be used to apply towards my bill.  I asked 3 different times to make sure I didn't owe it because according to my bill it was a debit and looked like I was suppose to pay it!  Ok, thanks for the deposit then.  Last week I receive two automated phone calls about a balance owed on my bill, call and am told I don't have a balance and not sure what I am receiving the phone calls. 

 

Skip forward to yesterday.  May or may not have been snoozin with the boys when somebody starts bangin around outside my bedroom window.  Then electricity goes out.  Ask him what up and he tells me he's disconnecting for non payment...um excuse me?!

It's 12:30 when I call, told the system is updating they can not look into my account, nor can they issue a reconnect until update is complete, call back at 3:30.  After the hissy fit of a lifetime, I tell them to expect my call at 3:30 and have a manager ready to speak with me.  Let me spare you a lot of angered details here and just tell you that it went something like this:

3:30-system still updating but I am an incompetent agent who can do nothing to help you but please feel free to call back and speak to another useless agent at 5 when we are suppose to have our system back up.

5:00-yet another good for nothing employee who hangs up on me.  I call back madder than before only to get my somewhat helpful friend Lucy.  Who although it does a lot of nothing at least attempt to email oncor who is contracted to do their work to tell them a mistake was made, service needs to be restored ASAP.  However, after the email is sent she informs me since it is after 5, that it can be restored anytime between now and midnight...tomorrow!!!!  Then, then, THEN she has the cahones to tell me that if they come after hours I wll be subject to emergency restoral fee.  Oh my dear lady, wra-ong thing to say.

8:00 I call back because system is suppose to be back, yep it's not

9:00 still nothing

10:00...bingo!!!!!

I have a heated discussion, transferred to manager, disconnected, call back, get an actual competent person who tells me that management all went home at 5 (other stupid person just transferred me to shut me up) and expedited my reconnection.  By this time we have gather all our stuff, staying at families and have not time as to when it will be on expect by 5 instead of midnight.  She notated my account and put in a request for a manager to call (I may have told her to send me straight to the very top because no one else was going to be able to handle me!!!!)  Was told I'd have a call by 10am tomorrow but didn't hold my breath. 

As expected no phone call, except for an automated on telling me I needed to call to discuss my past due balance!!!!!  Last straw I called and told the woman to put me through to the highest person there.  She tried to find out why and I told her that I needed some answers as to why her company was stupid.  I was put through quickly.  Believe it or not I calmly but firmly told him what happened, and that someone was responsible for my fridge full of bad food, and us having to move to stay someplace else last night.  That I'd even offered to pay the dumb deposit and work the details when the system was up but a payment couldn't be accepted and no matter what I did my service could not be restored.  He went back and listened to the original call that screwed this whole thing up, said that on the recording I asked 4 separate times to verify I didn't NOT have to pay it, and she told me NO I DID NOT HAVE TO PAY IT!!!!  So he took the blame, reviewed all my calls from yesterday including the rude manager that refused to discuss anything with me and I quote "did you hear what I said, call back at 5" and slammed the phone down!!!

So my short story is becoming incredibly long (I still get fired up and my fingers listen to my brain emotions, sorry)  He said we were owed compensation, took the estimate for our groceries and added a little for our trouble.  I am suppose to hear the claim discussion withing 48hrs and I have his number in the off chance it is declined.  He said he would handle it personally.  I'm not easily trusting when it comes to these matters, but I do believe considering all the recorded calls he has for me that he really will go to bat for me. 

So tonight we were able to get back into our house around 3pm, I am throwing EVERYTHING in our fridge away, going to get us groceries tonight which is totally not in our budget, but thank the Lord we have some extra that it will all be ok.  I have lots more griping that I could do.  Never want to leave on a bashing negative post, so let me share some of the good things in life!  Glad to be back after my mental vacation, and my brain is now swirling with blog posts.  Thanks for reading, knowing you guys listen to my rants and rambles makes me feel like a superstar!

ps, i'm not going to reread for errors because i will just get fired up again and try to add in more detail.  gonna let this dead horse lie!

not into a bow!

Just a bunch of hot air

So here I am telling you i'll be back blah blah blah and what did you get...nothing!!!!

I still need to show you the grand finale of cleaning projects that occured during spring break.

I want to show you my new garden!!!!!

I even want to show you the beautiful brisket John smoked for me...it was delicious!!!

But before I do any of that, I am going to bed because Aaron is sleeping and i'm NOT going to miss my chance to get some too.  2 wks ago was spring break, the next week he was fussy and not sleeping well while cutting 4 teeth.  And by Thursday of last week, sleep just didn't exist in our house.  Friday he started with the fever and I knew what was coming.  So today after our dr visit, we have double ear infection-with almost ruptured ear drum due to extreme fluid buildup, compacted sinus issues/infection, raw throat due to drainage and lots of nasty medicines.  I have seriously had about 5 hrs sleep in the past 3 days and John has probably had close to the same.  If we laid him down within 5 min he was up screaming holding his ear.  There has been lots of walking/bouncing him and driving around all hours of the night.  So now that he has some medicated relief, i'm going to end this rambled mess trying to pass as a post and go to bed!!!!

Thank you Cat in the Hat!!!

I'm still a little on the writers block side, but I do have a cute Seth story that was influenced by the cartoon Cat in the Hat.

We are experiencing a little problem with sugar ants in our bathroom.  We have tile on the wall and some have small cracks, to which these ants think they have permission to come in, steal water droplets, then disappear back into the wall. 

As I was showing John that the number of ant troops is steadily increasing, Seth tagged along to look.  I reassured him they would not hurt him, especially since I was going to kill them once I got some ant spray.  Ohhhhh geeze, wrong thing to say!!!!

"But Ma-ooooo-om, you can't kill them!!!!  They are just trying to get water to take back to the queen, then she tells them to use it to take care of the babies.  They won't hurt us and are just trying to care for their family.  You wouldn't want someone to hurt you for taking care of me and brother, would you?!"

Ugh, really Seth!!!!!  So I told him I'd write the ants an eviction letter and tell them they had to leave...they are ants mom, they can't read people words!!!! (insert are you stupid look)

So I'll do an ant dance and they will understand...only bee's do dances to communicate!!!

So he informed me that ants search using their antennae and that I needed to give them a new scent to follow and they would leave.  (we watch a LOT of nature show if you can't tell)

So after bed time, I will give them a new smell that will tell them to leave.  What is the smell I'll use...

RAID!!!

say it with the scared emphasis the bugs use on the raid commercials!!!

Sorry Seth, but no free loadin ants in this house!!!!  Miss momma queen will just have to move her family some place else, cause they are not welcome in our bathroom.  Maybe one of you guys would like to adopt them?  ;)

hmmmmm?????

What's my problem???  I miss you guys....think, think, think!!!!

MIA

So I haven't really posted alot since last Thursday because we have been crazy busy!!!!

1. Accomplished all cleaning projects- check
2. Made dinner for friends Friday night- check
3. Family pictures - check
4. Park playdates - check
5. Visited family - check
6. Caught up on homework - ?????

So that is what I'm doing right now!  Tomorrow hoping to get back into the posting swing!!!

Awkward and Awesome Thursday!

AWKWARD

• Going to bed at 5 and getting up at 7:30!!! LOOOOOOONG night with Aaron, which included me getting a busted nose, John oversleeping for work,which they were so kind when he called to say he'd be late and told him to take the day off, and not knowing what else to do and listening to Aaron scream for an hour till he finally fell asleep.

AWESOME

• BEDTIME!!!!  Which is right after I hit publish post.  Other good things happened today, I'm just too tired to tell about them.  Soo it's an 8 o'clock bedtime for me, goodnite!

Cleaning-Project #2

So the tackle this time was the bathroom cabinet and my sewing/craft area.

Here's what happens...

Bathroom:  We have a pedestal sink so there is no cabinet area (which is probably a good, one less thing for me to clutter)  When I'm in a hurry, the bottom shelf of the cabinet catches all my makeup and the hair dryer.  I hated digging around in my makeup basket for my loose pencils so I just leave them out.  Which is all find and dandy till you get cabinets that look like this...not cool!!!

Don't judge me people, I've already confessed I'm a slob!!!  Anyone have that diagnosis yet?

So I took out EVERYTHING.  Trashed what we didn't need or use, and sorting things into baskets.  I took our travel bag that was hanging on the front and hid it neatly behind one of the baskets.  Now,I needed a little storage divider thing, and since I've decided to be more thrifty I resisted the urge to run to walmart and did this.

Juvenile...maybe?  Serve the purpose and fee...Yes!  And remember me saying I hated digging around for my pencils.  Well this solved the problem nicely and was another free solution!

 

With my little storage dilemmas solved, I now have a nice and tidy cabinet.  We I have determined to put things back in their place to keep the above from happening again!  I want them to always look like this...

Now the next thing I moved to was my sewing/craft area.  I am a hoarder collector of items that could be used to make a craft.  My new obsession is cardboard.  I'm pretty sure John is now removing all items from their boxes before bring them into the house.  The mere mention of cardboard is enough to make him groan and roll his eyes.  It's true, late at night when I can't sleep I just lay there and whisper cardboard  and watch him squirm! Love ya babe and now you know why you've been having nightmares!!!

ok ok ok, I'm getting off track.  Shut up and show me pictures already will ya. Alrighty...here ya go!

*Gasp, shock, disbelief and all that other "Oh My!" jazz"

Since this area is in my kitchen, I do keep it pretty straightened but when it blows up-usually after a major project-this is what you get.  I had some stuff I was working on for my Children's Church Class, and it's been a booger of a month with my homework, and the two just didn't mix.  I organized my projects, folded my material and put it away, moved my cardboard that was stacked between the sewing table/cabinet to the garage,  and if I hadn't crafted with it in about a year, then it went to the giveaway pile.  That pile was very small by the way!   I took it a step further and organized my craft travel bag-which I am still madly in LOVE with after several years!!!    

So armed with my super power

Here's what we got now! 

Before and After of the drawers...

 

I feel soo much better about things now and my stress level is steadily decreasing!!!  I LOVE having everything in order, but keeping it that way is my downfall.  It's always those 2-3 stash corners that get me, darn that maid not picking up after me! 

Now in my defense, because with the exception of the playroom all this mess falls on my shoulders, things are not always like this.  Shut it John, no lip from the peanut gallery!

I used to always keep things clean and lately I don't know what's happening to me.  Not to beat a dead horse, but school is really taking it's toll on areas like the house and meals-slackin there too!  I am hoping now that all this mess is getting cleaned and out of my mind, I will focus on school more knowing I don't have so much waiting to be done.  I'm reversing the doward spiral here folks, this is now an looking up staircase!  Yeah, I don't know but if you reverse a spiral all you get is...a spiral in a different direction.  Upward spiral didn't sound any better!

It's really important to me to get back to how things were before because I need to set the standard for my boys. I want my boys to, NO, my boys WILL know how to clean and pick up after themselves.  But if I am not a good example, then I can't expect any different from them.  But this is turning into a whole other kind of post, so enough with my responsibility soapbox.

I'm excited about the changes goin on in the Shilling Nut House and hope you join me tomorrow for project #3!!!