!!!**&$*^@E*^@%#*

I consider myself pretty lucky because most days are really good for me. It's rare that I have anything happen that could really make me feel like I had a "bad" day. I guess with all the counseling training, coping skills training, having 10 close friends who are social workers, etc. has taught me a lot over the years and I can generally deal with anything and keep on going with my happy day. And don't get me wrong, I deal with a lot. I'm not saying I don't have problems, because like everyone, I do. But I can usually deal with it, decide the best thing to do, and move on. Well, today can be classified as a BAD DAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am angry, ticked off, disappointed, let down, frustrated, and my blood pressure is probably off the chart!! Why, you ask?? Well, even if you didn't, I will tell you!!!!

I got up EARLY this morning, which I hate, to do those last minute things before the housekeeper comes. She puts my bath rugs in the dryer IF the dryer is empty, so it's things like that - folding the clothes in the dryer, picking up things in the bedrooms because I only have her sweep/mop - not clean the bedrooms, etc. So, I get that done and leave home at 8:00am so that she can have the house to herself and so that it isn't so awkward for me sitting here watching her clean and getting in her way. I drive 1/2 way to my mom's since I'm planning to get there around 11 and I go to Target in Baton Rouge and replace my new mesh float that the kids busted a hole in Tuesday night ($15 - not amused), bought a cute shirt that was on sale ($8), a $2 magnetic tic tac toe game to use with my students at school, and a HUGE battery operated toy fish that Landen saw on a commercial and really wanted ($10). It's called a Rainbow Reef fish and is too cute. It swims in the pool with you and I can't wait to see it work. So, anyway! I went to Target because there is a coffee shop next door that has wireless internet and I brought my laptop so I could chill out with a cup of coffee and check my email, blog, plus I had some research to do for free school supplies for one of my students and was looking forward to some quiet time. Well, my internet connection on my laptop would NOT work! And trust me, I am NO computer dummy!! I could install the wireless internet and hook every computer in the coffee shop up if I was so inclined (and well, it's already there so it would be a waste of time), and no matter what I tried, the computer kept telling me that I was not able to reset the wireless internet due to my network connections!! I take the laptop on trips and it always works with no trouble. So, I take my stupid laptop and my stupid coffee and it's only 9:30. I call my mom and tell her that I will be 1/2 hour early (which is no surprise - I am NEUROTICALLY early everywhere I go, but I had PLANNED this out to be casually on time!!!!) So, I go to my moms & visit with her & my step-dad for awhile and my mom & I go to lunch. We had a nice lunch and I resisted the French Dip Roast Beef Poboy and got a shrimp & crab meat salad and it was good. We went back to my moms and I visited a little longer, then drove home knowing the housekeeper would be gone and it would be around 3pm when I got there. I drove the 1 1/2 hours home, walked in the door, and wouldn't you know, SHE HADN'T BEEN HERE!!!!!!!!! My money was sitting on the counter where I left it and every bit of dirt was right in place where it was this morning. And we have company coming over this weekend that haven't seen the house, which will require a tour of the WHOLE house. And, I've just spent SEVEN HOURS wasting time so that she could do this. While I am glad that I got to see my mom, had I known the housekeeper wasn't coming, I could have visited her YESTERDAY when I drove Amy's kids home within 15 miles of where my mom lives. So, I called the lady, who lives on my street so you don't want things to be awkward, and asked her what happened today? She said, "oh, was this your day?" I said, "yes!" She said, "oh yeah, I see it on my planner. I forgot!!" Then she says she will come in the morning, but we are having our screened in porch started tomorrow and the house will have people in & out, including me because I am NOT leaving! So, I just said that wont work. Then she says she can come Wednesday, but I have an all day training for work Monday & Tuesday (if I don't have to go to JP's co-defendant's trial in Houston) and I am NOT going to be leaving the house Wednesday, so I just said no and I would call her later and decide what to do. She called again this evening wanting to come tomorrow, but I said no and that i'm not sure what we'll do. Here's my thing - I can't deal with people who aren't dependable. My motto has always been "say what you mean, and mean what you say." If you tell me you are going to do something, then you dang well better do it or i'm done with that. People have good excuses sometimes, but for the most part, it's just plain irresponsible and disrespectful to treat people that way. I felt REALLY good because my normal response would have been "it's ok" and told her when to come back. Instead, I said "this has really inconvenienced me and i'm not sure what i'll do." One of my co-workers says I don't speak my mind because I try to make everyone happy, and I do. It comes from being a middle child and the family peace maker, but when she told me that I recognized that I still do it even though I KNOW what I think and feel, so I'm working on saying what I think. And then, to top it off, Hilltop, home of my beloved steak night, is CLOSED this week!!! And I knew that!!!! I just forgot!!! Walter & I went to another seafood/steak restaurant near our house and it was good, but nothing compares to Hilltop. So, I just had to create this post to vent a little about my very frustrating day, and now I will let it go, along with my housekeeper! My next door neighbor's niece cleans houses and i've been wanting to know what she charges, and this is as good of a time as any to find out! So, thanks for listening!!! You've been a big help!

You KNOW what night it is!!!

It's STEAK NIGHT!!!! It's my most favorite night of the week!!!! Unfortunately, Cathy & Brent left for New York this morning, so Walter & I will be on our own, but we will enjoy ourselves anyway!!!! AND, when Cathy gets back, she will know if our Labor Day plans are on for New York where Brent's boss let's them borrow a beach house on Long Island!! All we would have to pay for is the airfare, so i'm crossing my fingers!!! My mom will sure be proud of me because she always says I need to get "out of my box" and this summer, I sure have done that!! The quote and picture above fits me to a tee!

Today is also the day that my housekeeper comes, so I do my best to make plans so that i'll be gone all morning. Today, I'm going to my mom's to visit and have lunch at our favorite restaurant in their town, Magnolia Cafe. My mom lives about 1 hour & 15 minutes from me, so it's a good little way out there, but it is SO nice that they are not still 9 hours away in Big Canoe, Georgia. They lived there for about 15 years and have been back in Louisiana for about 4. I've mentioned before that my mom was recently diagnosed with a small brain aneurysm and it scares me more than I can say, but she is being monitored closely by her neurologist and his team.

I lost another pound!!!! I am at 151!! That makes NINE pounds that I have lost in 13 days!! Yay! I only have 4 to go and i'm so excited!!!

WebMD had a good article yesterday comparing low fat diets, low carb diets, and Mediterranean diet. I don't know what a Mediterranean diet is, but if I can eat all my meals at Albasha, i'm in! Low carb dieters tended to lose more weight initially, but in the end, all the dieters lost weight and the issue is maintaining the weight loss. Over 24 months, low fat dieters lost an average of 6.5 lbs, Mediterranean dieters lost an average of 10 lbs. and low carb dieters lost an average of 10.3 lbs. Low carb diets help with HDL (good cholesterol), while the Mediterranean was helpful to those with diabetes, leaving them with better blood sugar and insulin measures. Anywho, I like to know the facts, so it was an interesting story to me. http://www.webmd.com/diet/news/20080716/diet-debate-3-top-plans-go-toe-to-toe. And being who I am, of course I looked up the Mediterranean-style diet, which is basically a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and healthy oils, such as those found in fish, olives, and nuts.

I called a customer service person at AT&T about the IPhone 3G monthly service charges after a salesman at Walter's job told him his monthly service charge is $120!! Woah! But fortunately, to add it to my service since we already have the family plan and unlimited texting will only be $30 month. Yeah, I know, ONLY $30, but hey, i'm worth it!!

A few funny moments with my little friends yesterday:

Before they left home, Payton called and asked, "can we bring Lucy to your house?" Lucy is their teacup poodle and I said, "no." He called back 5 minutes later. "Do you want a cat?" I said, "no." He said, "well, can we bring our cat to your house??" I said, "NO, and if you need to spend more time with your dog or cat, then STAY HOME!!!" He said, "no, I don't care about them!"

They were all 4 in the pool and Camille was asking for someone to push her around the pool on a float, but everyone was playing by themselves and didn't want to push her. She shouted at Payton, "YOU ARE SO SELFISH!!!!!" We got to have a little talk about how SHE was the selfish one for expecting everyone to stop what they are doing for her!

Payton does not eat anything. Literally. Anything. He eats Whales crackers, waffles with no syrup, and cheese pizza. He doesn't eat ANYTHING from any fast food restaurant. He doesn't eat pudding, popcorn, macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets, ANYTHING. This has been a life long issue with him and whenever they go to other people's houses, people always think they will change him and FORCE him to eat, but he will sit at the table until he goes to sleep. It is a control issue, in my opinion, but i'm not out to "fix" him in the short time I spend with him. When I told Walter that the kids wanted to come over, the first thing he said is "well, they can come but Payton is going to have to eat....." and I stopped him. Noooooo, this isn't my issue and I will gladly feed him cheese pizza. But the funny part is, upon request, Payton will LICK the bottom of his SHOE and not mind it at all, but he wouldn't put Coco Puff cereal in his mouth to save his life.

Camille & Ava came over wearing their bathing suits, so when it was time to get out of the pool and get dressed, between them they only brought 1 pair of panties!! Camille thought Ava would bring some extras, and Ava only brought 1 pair! Once Walter got home, I had to go out and buy panties!!

Questions & Comments:
Payton did wake up at 5:30, so I got up and took a bath so that I could get downstairs and fix him something to eat. I got out of the bathtub, came back downstairs and he was sleeping on the sofa and slept until 9:45! Nobody else got up until after 7am, but at least I managed to get a bath in before they were all up.

A question I was asked was about Elizabeth's awkward baby shower - what was my answer to the "who are you & how do you know Elizabeth" game. Keep in mind that her adoptive mother was there and I had very recently met them. As the people went around a circle answering the question, my friend, Lesley, and I whispered back & forth about what to say. Lesley was sitting before me, so she gets the question first. She answers that she is Lesley and knows Elizabeth through me! Good answer, but it didn't do anything for my anxiety! So, I said, "I'm Dawn and I'm a special friend of the family." I felt SO stupid!!!! Elizabeth just laughed and said "that's my biological mom!" After the shower, knowing there was ANOTHER shower coming up soon, Elizabeth & I talked and she said she would make a point to be sure NOBODY played that game again. And personally, nobody ever had before and hasn't again, at least in my experience!!!

And yes, Lesley! I do remember when we were at the hospital when Landen was first born!!! I was very honored that you not only went to the baby shower with me but also wanted to see my little grand baby!!! Here is a picture of that day and I don't remember seeing this in the 300 pictures I put on your cd!!

Also, Lesley wants to know what the 3G in the IPhone stands for? Hmmm, probably the 3 grand that it will cost me in fees to get it activated???? Nah, maybe since this is the 2nd IPhone, they know that once I blow my money on this one, they will make number 3 and say GOTCHA!!! Ha Ha! Well, a google search shows that it stands for "Third Generation" so I wasn't all that far off! I should probably hold out for the IPhone 200G, but I really want one now!

To HotTubLizzy - yes, certainly you can be replaced in all the pictures from yesterday so that you can be the one enjoying yourself. And yeah, maybe not the ones in Walter's lap cause people just might not understand!!!

And Tam, my husband built the mantle for the fireplace and we hired a cabinet maker to build the cabinets, but Walter designed them, hung them, and I painted them. Here a picture of the whole thing, but keep in mind that we have NOT decorated the shelves all the way out of lack of things to put on them, so they look sort of goofy in places. And posting this picture can really open me up to a whole different post about the things ON the bookcase. Walter is a bit eccentric and I'm just used to that. We have everything up there from a trombone, to an old camera and book collection, to a Hillary Clinton nutcracker!

Molly mentioned that she can't diet because she loses 2 lbs and then becomes invincible and gains 6 more. I am the same way, but I suggest trying Atkins if you haven't already. The results are so immediate that you end up wanting to stay on the diet!! It is the only diet I have ever lost more than a pound or two on.

I hope you all have a great day!!