Another Blissful Week/Best Thing I Heard

Wow, this week has just cruised on by! We had a great Mother's Day at Kennywood!  The lines were almost non-existent, the weather was cool but nice, and we had a great time.  Here's my favorite picture of the girls from that day:

That's them on the kiddie coaster. But they had a great time on the Jackrabbit, too!

I thought I would share some of my Mother's Day love...and laughs.  First off, I got a very cute card from Chloe that she made in preschool.  Inside, it had a cute photo of her out in the garden.  Then, I got Becca's card.  She had been talking about it for three days.  It was a big surprise.  I totally cried when I read it.  Here are some of the pages:

So, that one is "My favorite time together is when we...lay together in my bed."  Cute.  Really, though, my legs aren't quite that skinny.  

Yup, Becca wants to give me an indoor pool.  Not quite sure where we would put that one...and I think it may be more for HER.

Yup, this one makes me cry.  How totally sweet.  Really, I look like ass in the morning.   But at least I have my daughters snowed.  And I'm not sure why I don't have any clothes on in this picture, but I don't sleep in the buff.  I'm always too cold for that.  Now the next one has a little story:

Now, at first look it seems innocent enough.  "My favorite thing about my mother is we both like to play."  I was reading the little book/card out loud.  When I got to this page, Becca exclaimed "Hey!  It's not supposed to say we both like to play!  It's suppposed to say we both want a slave!"

The laughter just roared out of my mouth.  I said "Becca, I never said I wanted a SLAVE.  I said I wanted a MAID!"  I explained how having people as slaves is a completely terrible idea.  She was fine with my explanation.  Then I wondered...did the teacher choose not to write the whole slave thing because she felt uncomfortable with that?  I mean, I may have done the same thing...don't get me wrong.  Then I thought 'play' and 'slave' could sound very much alike.  Especially in a noisy kindergarten classroom.  I was hoping that she heard 'play' instead of 'slave' because I really don't want the teacher to think that I was upset with the outcome of the Civil War.  Then I looked at the picture.  Looks to me like somebody is bringing me and Becca something to eat at a table.  Servants?  Cooks?  OK, that I can handle.  I have a bunch of money and I pay them well.  I'm fine with that.

But not slaves.

Hell, I can't even get my kids to clean up their toys.

So, that's my Mother's Day chuckle.  Sorry I waited a while to share it.  I had this crazy flu/cold all week.  Producing one pound of snot per hour takes a lot of energy out of ya.  But I'm almost back to normal (as normal as I can be, anyway).  

More later :)

One Ticket to My Past, Please

First, let me say that I'm sorry for not posting over the past week or so. I truly got on vacation mode. Good thing I was actually on vacation. I relaxed. Really relaxed. I swam. Tony and I actually went OUT and had appetizers and drinks. I also plowed through three books while on vacation (more on those later - The Sookie Stackhouse novels - love 'em). And you know what else I did? I posted some old pics on Facebook.

Now that was fun. Because I was at my folks' house, there was a treasure chest of old photos. I tried not to be TOO embarrassing. Well, not to anybody else, anyway. I really don't mind embarrassing myself. At all. Anyway, here are some of the pics that I posted, for your viewing pleasure.


I actually posted the entire class picture, but I didn't want to step on any toes here on the blog. But, do you see that? Would you like to compare Look at Chloe:

Now, there's a 3 year age difference here, and I was limited to whatever pics I have on my laptop ('cuz I'm comfy on the couch, here), but there really is a crazy resemblance. I mean, she does have my genes and all...so I shouldn't be surprised. So, here is what she may look like in 17 years:

My entire family thought I looked like Joanna Kearns in this picture. I guess I sort of do.

So, where have I been going with this? Well, since being on Facebook and catching up with lots of old friends (from grade school and high school), I've been reflecting a bit. To be quite honest with you, there are large chunks of grade school and high school that I don't remember. I mean, I remember the big things that happened, and if somebody tells a story I may remember some of the smaller things. But I don't remember the details. And I'm fine with that. I've never been one to dwell on the past. Ever. If I'm looking at old photos, my brain might dance there for a while, but I've never been a 'Coulda, shoulda, woulda' kind of girl. My focus is always on the future. (So much so that I sometimes forget to enjoy the present). And I like it that way.

There were a bunch of us commenting on a photo from high school, and the conversation turned towards what we would have done different in high school. I'll be the first to admit...high school wasn't all peaches and cream. And my first instinct is that I would have not worried about boyfriends and spent more time with friends. But then I realized that if I didn't go through EXACTLY what I went through when I was younger, I wouldn't be the person I am today. If I didn't date the people I dated, befriend the people I befriended, go to the parties I went to, have ALL of the relationships I've had...I may be different right now. And I like me. Yes, there are some things I would like to improve. But all in all, I'm good company for myself.

And hopefully I'm good company for you! So, it's now 2:30 am. I've had four hours of sleep already, and I think I'll head up for 3 or 4 more.

That whole 'improve' thing. Definitely want to improve my sleeping schedule!!!!

Crazy Life

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I have a plan. I'll post something original tonight. But for now, here's a little nugget. I was tagged on Facebook with '25 Things About Me.' So, here's what I wrote:

1. I think college is overrated, but I'll never tell my kids that
2. I watch 'Dazed and Confused' whenever I come across it on tv
3. I make the best damned sweet tea
4. Bananas make me sick (literally)
5. I still have dreams that I work at West Coast Video (I worked there until I was 23)
6. I have a goal of making my living completely online
7. I believe in the Law of Attraction
8. I think I have a touch of Seasonal Affective Disorder
9. Even after being a bartender and owning a restaurant, I don't really like dealing with real, live people.
10. I actually used to like Milli Vanilli (before the lip sync thing was revealed)
11. I secretly want to be a Rock Star
12. Watching people put a napkin or paper towel in their mouth totally gives me the heebie-jeebies. Like nails down a chalk board.
13. I don't know how to drive a stick shift
14. My father made me do donuts the first time it snowed after I got my license. MADE me.
15. My oldest daughter was 4 lbs and 6 weeks early
16. Once I found out the oldest daughter was perfectly healthy, I was SOOOOO glad I wasn't pregnant anymore.
17. I gave my oldest daughter my middle name (Gwen)
18. My younger daughter's middle name is for my parents (Rayann = RAY + Carol ANN)
19. I truly believe I met my Father In Law in one very vivid dream right before my Mother In Law passed away.
20. I worry about my parents - But still think my Dad is the smartest guy I know
21. I want to lose 20 pounds
22. I hate to paint walls, but like to paint furniture
23. The word 'Warshing" (Pittsburgh-ese for washing) goes right through me.
24. I think that I can sing 'Mercedes Benz' very well. This has never been confirmed.
25. I don't like to go into the ocean.

Sometimes, I'm not a bitch

I received an email from an old friend today. We had recently found each other on Facebook, and hadn't really talked in at least ten years. This was somebody I used to work with when I was a bartender and she was just an awesome person (and I'm sure she still is!). Super sweet and hard working. So, here's what she sent. I had completely forgotten.

RINGS OF FRIENDSHIP

I was experiencing the hardest time of my life in the year of 1995. The reason behind this tough time was the separation and divorce I was going through. I had gotten to the point where I was pretty much past the emotional roller coaster of my feelings of ups and downs. I was told over and over by numerous bill collectors that, while they were sorry about my situation, they still needed their money. After questioning whether or not my husband could be at least partially responsible for the bills he'd helped incur, I was told that he couldn’t be held accountable because he lived in the next state! He was only two hours away! I have to say that the thought crossed my mind about moving over that state line! Is that all it took?! What a simple solution to get out of paying your bills! I, however, didn’t want this hanging over my head. I wanted to be done with my past, not hide or run from it.
One of my bill collectors eventually got tired of my meager payment plan and ended up taking me to court for the account to be paid in full. He ended up winning. The amount that was due was way past what I could afford all at once, in addition to the rest of the bills that I was attempting to keep up with, as well as, catch up on. I would work as many double shifts as I could, but I couldn’t seem to get caught up. I still seemed unable to get over this “hump." This one bill really put me behind more than I already was. I began to wonder once again if I could make it on my own, financially.
One night my friend, Heather, and I got together for a “girls night” at her house. We were eating Ben and Jerry’s Chubby Hubby ice cream, right out the container, going through old pictures, scrapbooks, looking at remnants of her past.
She then pulled out a dull gold ring with a light green stone from one of her many drawers full of memories. She held it up, turned to me and said, “This is my strength ring”. Thinking she was either very tired or getting philosophical on me, I looked at the ring. It didn’t seem very “strong” to me. It was plain, in fact, not very pretty at all. Th e stone didn’t even shine anymore.
She went on to tell me the story of how she had had the ring for a long time and once in a particularly bad time in her life, she found it after it had been forgotten about, and began to wear it again. Whenever she would get sad or depressed or wonder about decisions she had made, she would look at her ring and find the strength to get over what she was feeling.
She looked at me and said, “ I know you’re going through a rough time right now in your life, so I’m going to loan you my strength ring”. She handed me the little green ring with the directions on how to use it. “Whenever you are sad, lonely or depressed and start to wonder about your decisions, look at the ring, understand that I love you and that you have so many friends that care about you. Feel confident about your decisions, past or present. You made, and continue to make them confidently and after thinking them through, so don’t look back-move ahead”.
Her final thought on the ring was, “When you are strong enough, and no longer doubt yourself, you’ll know. You won’t need the ring anymore. Only then give it back. Until then-it’s yours. No matter how long it takes”.
The plain little ring fit perfectly on my finger. I was touched by her heartfelt words, but still very skeptical on its powers to solve my problems and help me feel better.
I soon found out I was wrong about that! My little “ring of friendship” seemed to almost have a power, or hold, of its own. When I would begin to feel down, like the world was closing in on me, I would always feel compelled, or drawn, to look at the ring and feel its strength.
After some time, I began to realize that this wasn’t a talisman with magical or problem solving powers. The “strength” that it held was that of friendship and also of my “inner strength” that I always had, but sometimes forgot about.
One night at work Heather and another friend of ours, Eileen, invited me out to a late night restaurant for something to eat after our shift. She said a lot of our friends were going to go and that I should come too. It sounded like fun, so I decided to join them.
After we had placed our orders, which consisted of salads and ice cream, Eileen handed me a card and said, “This is from all of us to let you know that we love you and are proud of all you’ve done for yourself and we’re proud of the confident person you’ve become”.
I was touched, along with being a little bit surprised and embarrassed because all of my friends were around the table looking at me, smiling! My other “ring of friendship”.
On the outside of the card it said, “Hang in there”! Then on the inside, along with the words, “You are loved”, was a collection of money that they had gathered from 53 of my friends. The total was over $600.00. What it meant to me was worth more than any amount of money.
I was so overwhelmed by how many people cared about what happened to me and at what good friends I had.
I managed to get over my mountain of bills with a lot of work and help from my friends! June was my hardest month. I told myself all through the month, if I can just get through June, I can get through anything!
On the last day of the month, I was celebrating within myself, for myself. I knew I’d be fine and felt better than ever. I was confident with everything, including who I was and also who I had become. I knew that I’d encounter occasional rough spots down the road in life, but I felt powerful to face the challenges and ready to overcome the obstacles.
I walked over to Heather at the end of our shift, looked at her and said, over the lump in my throat, as I pulled off my “strength” ring ( which I now saw in a whole new light!), “thank you for everything, I‘m ready to give you your ring back now”. And I was.

I have to say, reading this made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. I tend to focus on what I'm doing wrong (or have done wrong) instead of what I've done right. So, receiving this story today brought everything full circle...It's exactly what I needed. In order to simply be more positive and productive in my life, I'm going to focus on the GOOD instead of the BAD in my everyday life. Which may make for a boring blog...we'll see!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

OK, I'm going to get a little bit sappy and sentimental, but here it goes. (You know, I'm a firm believer that if you're not thankful for what you DO have, the universe stops giving you cool stuff. But that doesn't explain why I keep buying stuff for my kids.)

This Thanksgiving, I am thankful for:

• My beautiful children and my strong husband
• My home, my neighborhood and my neighbors
• My entire family and their support
• The opportunity we got to pursue Tony's our dream of owning a restaurant/bar
• The fact that I'm healthy (I'd better get on the stick and start exercising and stop smoking, though)
• That I have the opportunity to work from home.

I'm sure there's more, but I'm sorta on a schedule here. Gotta shower, clean up a little, do some payroll and get ready for family breakfast. Baby brother and family coming over for eggs and bacon/sausage feast.

Have a great day!!! And if you're going shopping tomorrow, be safe!

Yes, another blog

Hey! I started a new blog! It's completely in its infancy, but it's going to be a blog about different products and stores and such that I like. So, go check it out. I'll be adding something every day.
Here's the link: Stuff Heather Likes

Chantix Sucks!

Well, it's been a couple of weeks since I posted. Let me fill you in on the Chantix. Um, it was absolutely positively no good. Here's how it went:

Friday (Sept 5th) I started taking the starter pack, which puts the drug into your system gradually. Monday (the 8th) I went to work, and I don't know what was up my @ss that day, but I wore heels. Later that afternoon my knees were hurtin' something fierce. I chalked it up to the heels and the cooler weather. Wednesday I woke up (at the lovely, regular time of 6:40!!) and opened my mouth to brush my teeth. This crazy pain shot into my jaw. Sort of like an ice pick going into my ear. I thought it was odd, but I had shit to do. I had to get the troops ready. As I was drinking my coffee (smoking my cig), I remembered to take my morning Chantix. Literally, as the pill was going down my throat, a light bulb went off in my head. "Huh, I wonder if this crazy pain that's happening every 10 minutes is related to this pill?"

So, I hop online and check the Chantix website. No mention of jaw pain as a side effect. Well, then I Google it. I read stories about joint pain and jaw pain, and one man who complained of jaw pain, walked out his front door and dropped dead. Needless to say, I stopped taking the Chantix. I called the doc and told them the story. They called me back with "We talked to the pharmacist and he read the insert. There's no mention of jaw pain." Wow, thanks. But did I not tell you that I can read, and I already know that it's not listed as a side effect? So, I bitched out politely told the nurse that I would either call her in 2 days and tell her that it WAS the Chantix, or I'd call her in 2 days to look at my frickin' jaw.

Then I talked to my father, who reminded me that jaw pain is a symptom of having a heart attack. Which completely freaked my out and I totally over reacted and contemplated the fact that I could drop dead at any second. I drank a ton of water, took some aspirin and clung to life.

So, the point is, I guess Chantix does work great for some. But if you get the funky symptoms that I got, get the hell off of it. Quickly.

In other news, we (the kids and I) went to Rock the Quarry (a fundraiser for the Panhandle Trail) on Saturday. The kids had a blast, even though we got rained on a little bit. My SIL won $200 in the duck race, and we all ate too many snow cones. But the cutest thing was Chloe. She SOOOOO wanted to work at the 'Beer Store' that Aunt Mary and Aunt Missy were at. She sat in a chair behind the table and was just itching to help. She kept asking me if I wanted a beer, and told me that I needed to be her 'cutomer.' She did end up helping, taking money from the customers and handing back change. She desperately wanted to pour a beer, and reached her fat little hand up when Mary would pour a draft. It was just really darn cute.

And here is the whole thing that really motivated me to write on this blog tonight.

Yet Another Bush Jr. Jersey T-Shirt

Um, is that t-shirt not just hysterical? I saw it on the CafePress blog in bumper sticker form. I really don't buy political stuff (Well, except for my Onorato's a Jagoff t shirt, but that's more personal). I think this one might get bought.

OK, happy day!

What my kids say

Well, I thought I'd start posting some things that my kids say to me. Partially for entertainment value, and partially so I don't forget when I'm old and gray. So, here are some things I remember from the last week or so. Right now they're all from Becca. Chloe definitely has big huge conversations with me, but she hasn't started questioning the world so much yet. Well, except by asking 'Why?"

So, last week we're in the car driving to the bank and here's the conversation I had with Becca

"Mom, do bears eat people?"
"Um, well, not usually."
"Well, I think bears eat people, because people are full of meat. And bears like meat."

OK, point taken.

Then, one morning as I was getting Becca ready for school, this was the scene:

"Becca, come on!  You've got to get your outfit on and come down and eat your waffle!  And we still have to do your hair!! You don't want to miss the bus!"

Standing at the top of the stairs, with her hand resting on her hip, she says:

"Geez Louise, Mom!  You sure are one bossy woman!"

Um, ok.  Point taken again.

She also was kissed by a boy on the bus.  She had a half day that day, and got home about 12:30.  She didn't inform me of the kissing incident until 5:30!!!!  Um...HELLO!!!  Where where have you been all afternoon!!!!  I got the details, which were that she was kissed on the cheek by a boy that she DID like.  She thought it was yucky.  She no longer wants to marry this boy.

Chloe has been adjusting pretty well to Becca not being around.  The house is much calmer.  But I definitely can't wait to hear how Becca's day went when she gets home.

On another topic, I started taking Chantix yesterday.  My quit date is Friday the 12th, which will be the first day I'm at the restaurant during the new smoking ban.  There are a couple of girls at work who have started taking Chantix, too.  I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

A whole new world

Well, Becca had her first day of Kindergarten today. She was totally and completely adorable!!! I'll post a pic later, but she was grinning from ear to ear. I, however, was all emotional and cried like a baby. I was just so proud of her!! She hung out with the big kids and climbed right up onto that school bus with no problem. I can't believe that we're starting the whole REAL school deal. And Chloe starts preschool next week. She's been there for a summer program, so I'm not really so worried about her.

I got a response from our buddy Dan Onorato. It was basically a canned response, with a little bit of personalization at the beginning. And it wasn't from him, but from an assistant. It was basically a bit commercial for Dan, stating all of his fantabulous statistics and what a swell guy he is. In fact, I'll copy and past it for ya, just in case you want to read it.

August 25, 2008
Dear Ms. Downey:
Thank you for your email. County Executive Onorato asked that I respond on his behalf.
Allegheny County is required by federal and state law to provide a $30-million local funding match to Port Authority each year. The revenues from the drink tax and car rental fee are dedicated for this local match. Without the drink tax and car rental fee, the County would have to increase property taxes by $30 million in order to meet its legal funding obligation to Port Authority. Four leaders of F.A.C.T., the group promoting the repeal of the drink tax, testified before County Council that they would prefer a raise in property taxes. The County Executive is strongly opposed to raising property taxes to fund mass transit.
Allegheny County is not authorized to collect any tax that it wants. The County can only collect taxes that are authorized by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. At this time, the Commonwealth only allows Allegheny County to collect the property tax, drink tax and rental car fee.
Please be assured the County Executive has been creative – cutting spending and increasing government efficiencies. During his first four years in office, Mr. Onorato has reduced expenditures and streamlined government by removing 626 employees from the County payroll, and Port Authority reduced its workforce by 375 employees earlier this year. That is a total reduction of 1,000 public employees in four years, which saves taxpayers approximately $50 million annually.
County Executive Onorato was also the primary advocate of row office reform, and come January 1, 2008, we will have successfully reduced the number of row offices from 10 to four, which will save taxpayers at least $1 million annually.
The County Executive has also embraced opportunities to consolidate government functions and eliminate duplicated services to improve efficiency and save taxpayers money. In a two-year period, the Onorato administration reduced the number of 9-1-1 call centers in Allegheny County from five to one, which saves $3 million annually. The City of Pittsburgh’s fingerprinting operation was collapsed into the County’s, and the Pittsburgh Municipal Court was merged with the County court system.
The County and City signed a joint telecommunications agreement that will result in $4.5 million in savings over the next three years, and the County has also taken over purchasing for the City, which improves the efficiency of purchasing operations and results in significant savings for taxpayers. Finally, the County and City have formed an energy purchasing consortium that is open to the region’s hospitals, school districts, colleges, universities, municipal authorities, non-profit organizations and private businesses. This consortium has the potential to be largest cost-saving public/private partnership in the history of Western Pennsylvania.
In addition to these savings, County Executive Onorato cut taxes his first year in office, and he has successfully held the line on property taxes every year since then. Allegheny County has not seen a property tax increase in six years, while all of the counties around us have. During this same period, Armstrong County taxes have increased 35 percent, Beaver County has raised taxes by 19 percent, Butler County taxes are up 12 percent, Washington County has increased taxes by 24 percent, and Westmoreland County taxes have gone up 24 percent. Mr. Onorato’s decision to implement a base year assessment system has also brought stability back to Allegheny County’s real estate market and put an end to back-door tax increases.
Thank you again for contacting our office. We appreciate your input and we wish you success with your business.
Sincerely, Megan Dardanell
Office of the County Executive

All I have to say is blah, blah, blah. I chatted with some of the people from FACT (they're fighting the drink tax), and they opened my eyes to a few things. I had always wondered why the larger chain restaurants weren't really doing anything to fight the drink tax. She told me that a lot of the chains get money FROM Allegheny County just for opening their doors (she mentioned the Cheesecake Factory), and they get some big ol' tax breaks. What do the little restaurant and bar owners get? Diddily Squat.

She also mentioned how they are really concentrating efforts throughout the state in campaigning against the drink tax. Their thought was that we would Never, Never, Never, Ever want Dan Onorato do become governor (and that's church!). Because if he were to become Governor, that drink tax would almost definitely be state wide.

Anyway, she opened my eyes to a lot of stuff. I haven't officially responded to the letter yet. But I will. When I get some more energy. All that girlie-emotional-PMS-weeping from this morning has made me tired!

Yes I am.

Um, I just took an online quiz about which character are you from The Office. I was poking around, seeing what the next episode was going to be. (by the way, the name of it is "Did I Stutter.")

Anyway, here's what I got for my result:

Which Character From The Office Are You?

More on The Office. Created by BuddyTV

And yeah, that's pretty much me. Maybe that's why I like the character so much :) If it wasn't for my hubby, I'd be happy just coasting thru life instead of pushing to the next level.

I'm having labor pains

Well, I guess I have a little bit of news to share. We talked to our broker yesterday, and it looks like things are moving along very well. Previously, when we asked about the status of our liquor license transfer, here's the answer we got: "Well, it's sitting in Harrisburg on somebody's desk in a pile. We're just waiting for your file to make it to the top of the pile." Yesterday, however, we learned that our file DID make it to the top of the pile. We should know sometime today if we need to supply them with more info, if we didn't fill something out right etc. So, um, HOLY CRAP! Joi from Specialty Group said that we should close by our deadline, which is May 1. I really, honestly, feel like I'm pregnant with a restaurant. Not sure of what's to come once the 'birth' happens, trying to prepare as much as I can, etc.

So, I've gotten some applications, and I'm going to start to schedule interviews. We'll be holding interviews on April 27 and 28. So, if you're interested in working, get your damn application in. (you can get it at www.downeyshouse.com). I get to play grown up today, and I'm meeting with an insurance guy (for our personal health insurance) and Mike from Micros (our POS system that we're buying). I constantly feel like I'm going to throw up, but it's all good :)

Shifting gears a bit, I've decided that the girls CANNOT sleep in bed with us anymore. I decided this at 3:30 in the morning. There was no more room for me in the king size bed. So, I got up and went to Becca's room to sleep. Then, they both got up looking for me. That was it. I pulled a Super Nanny moment, and just put them in their rooms, and tucked them in with a kiss. Then I kept putting them in their rooms. Over and over again. Just with a kiss. No discussion. It finally worked. At 4:45 am. We'll see how it goes tonight. But at least I'll try the 'Super Nanny Bedtime Routine' at 8:00 instead of 3:30. I'm dog tired right now, and I just can't get enough coffee.


I meant to mention this previously, but I think I have a school girl crush on John Krasinski. Or maybe it's Jim Halpert I have the crush on. This shall pass, but he just seems like such a nice, good looking, Polish guy. And I'm sure it's mostly the fact that he's on my favorite tv show (The Office, if you didn't know). I went through the same thing with Jason London many years back. And that was because he's in my favorite movie of all time, Dazed and Confused. Oh well.


Happy Day! I'll let you know more about the whole restaurant thing when I know more!

Wow...I went to the movies!

I am so excited...I went to the movies. Not a regular date with my hubby, mind you. A family date with all four of us. It was the first movie that Chloe has sat through. We had a failed attempt to see Shrek 3 at the cheapie movies. She lasted about a half an hour or so. We went to see the Bee Movie yesterday. I thought it was pretty funny. I actually laughed out loud a couple of times. Maybe that was due the giddiness that the girls were really behaving well. And the icing on the cake was that we got to use our $40 gift certificate that Tony won LAST Christmas at his work Christmas party. Chloe did, actually, end up falling asleep on my lap. And I spent the middle 40 minutes of the movie with my arm totally asleep. But that's OK. Becca also liked the movie very much. Before we went in, we had to try to win stuffed bees from the claw machine, of course. We won one for each girl (after about $12 worth of tokens!). The girls were even game for going out to dinner after the movie. The behaved pretty well there, too. Sketchy towards the end, but they had been sitting still for quite a long time! So, thumbs up for the Bee Movie, and thumbs up for the fact that I can actually take my girls to a movie every once in a while. Good timing, seeing that it's getting cold and miserable here in Pittsburgh!!!

Wow...37 ?!?!?

Well, I have to say that "Heather Fest 2007" was a success. I slept in until 8:30 (yes, it's sad to say that I consider that 'sleeping in'), didn't change one diaper and showered in peace. Then I went off (in my hubby's Jeep Commander - no car seats) and went shopping. Bought some stuff at Target. Wanna see? Here's what I got: Just some boring old stuff...shoes (only 1 pair), notebooks (they were 10 for $1...couldn't pass them up), some CD's (see below), make up...and that's it.

Then I headed to Barnes and Noble. Got some coffee (my favorite...Iced Caramel Macchiato) and started to browse. By this time I was really totally immersed in the fact that it was so QUIET. And I didn't have to tell anybody to stop touching things, or use their inside voices. Nice. So, I bought some books. One really cool one that's a photo history of Carnegie. (bought that for the hubby). Stopped and bought an MP3 player for myself (which I did not have yet). Here's the one that I got:

SanDisk 1GB Sansa Express MP3 Player The 1 GB Sansa Express MP3 Player from SanDisk provides high-quality digital music playback. With its microSDTM slot, you can expand its storage capacity. The player offers 15 hours of continuous playback with its rechargeable lithium polymer battery. In addition, the Sansa Express player features a FM tuner with many preset stations and a built-in microphone to record your voice. The bright, 4-line OLED display and simple to use controls adds to your visual experience and offers easy navigation through the menus. The MP3 player supports MP3, WMA, Protected WMA, WAV and Audible formats and provides USB 2.0 interface for easy transfer of files. Speak your style with Sansa Express MP3 Player the fusion of music, FM radio and voice recorder into one compact player!

I really like it. Now, of course, I'm wishing that I would have gotten 2 Gigs, but oh well. I'm having a ton of fun on Rhapsody filling it up with music. I have very scattered musical tastes. It's nice to have them all in one place. And Rhapsody seems to have pretty much all the stuff that I'm looking for. There were a few songs that I couldn't find (or had to pay extra for), but I pretty much got what I wanted. And I liked that when I got to 1 artist, there were similar artists listed on the side, so I could just bop right along. Anyway, if you want to try it, you can go here:



So, anyway, back to my day...I went to lunch and had a beer at the bar, then I decided to take the plunge. I went to the pet store and bought the kids their first pet. His name is Mackie and he is a beta fish. Baby steps. After I got home we had birthday cookie-cake and Tony made me dinner. I got to lay on the couch and read while he took the girls for a walk and gave them a bath. Sure was nice. I'm still a little in the 'relax' mode, though. Haven't paid too much attention to any sort of actual work that I'm supposed to be doing. But I have been cleaning the house :)

OK, all for now. Have a great weekend. And don't forget to go to the Shirts-N-At blog tomorrow to see the shirt of the week.