Just wanted to pop in real quick to let you know that yes...I am still alive. I am just extremely busy at work. Soon life will return to normal and I can catch up ( and post).

I hope that everyone has a great Halloween and got more treats than tricks!

Here are some random pictures of the kids. Let's hope blogger behaves.











Me and Wild Man at the Labor Day Parade.

















Drama Queen (on right) and her Best bud!


Aren't they cute? Do you think either one looks like me?

I swear to you, I think there is a troll living in my office or something. I have spent 7, yes 7!, hours on the same 6 files. Everytime I make a copy and come back to my desk, it is mysteriously the wrong one. WTF? Maybe my blood sugar is way low since I skipped lunch to work on this crap.

I am so almost panicking. I won't bore you with all the details right now, but I have a big inspection coming up in a month. Three years worth of work will be inspected for 3 days. There are over 400 files that I must have prepared in 4 weeks. No, make that 2 weeks since the mock assessors are coming here to review them first on November 6th! Yikes! I have so much to do.

Those of you that I usually visit daily, please fogive me in my absence. I will be working my fingers to the bone to get this project done. After December 6th you will be begging me to go away I promise.

Hopefully I will have a new computer by then. I am not holding my breath....

I have to get some work done around here. I am just waiting to get my internet turned off since I spend more time blogging/looking at blogs than actual work. With the big deadline quickly approaching I have much to do.

Go check out my renter. She is much more interesting than me at the moment.

Note: due to Blogger not liking my graphic, I don't have a C&C Monday pic today :(

It's My Life... has been promoting Click & Comment Monday. I am also posting this to remind you how important it is to comment on other blogs. It truly DOES increase your readership and you most often gain regulars that will visit your blog day after day.

What I encourage is for you to click my renter. Then, you comment on the blog and click their renter or someone on their blogroll. Then you comment on that blog and click their renter or someone on their blogroll. Do this for as many blogs as you can. Sometimes they go full circle, and you end up at the originating blog, then just look up a blog in the blogroll and start the cycle again.

So, let’s get started!

I really encourage you to do this at least to 5 comments if you have ANY time at all. It will give you the joy of sharing a few of your opinions on posts and bring you future readers.

Thanks and enjoy Click & Comment Day by visting this page and adding it to your blog!

Are you posting Click & Comment on your blog? Add your name to the list with a link to your blog and I’ll come visit. If you do this you not only gain links but new blog-friends as well.
Enjoy! I’m going to try to do this each Monday. Why not start your week off right?

When a co-worker comes in a little too happy singing "good morning" to evberyone and you think, "Somebody need to slap the s#&%! out of her". ~ You need to pray at work.

When someone comes in and announces, "Office meeting in 5 minutes," and you think "what the f&*^ do they want now?" ~ You need to pray at work.

When your computer is mysteriously tunred off and you want to say, "which one of you sons of a b*&%&'s turned off my computer?" ~ You need to pray at work.

When you and a co-worker are discussing something, and a third person comes in and says, "well at my last office..." and you want to say, "Who the f&*% cares?" ~ You need to pray at work.

When you are in the elevator and it stops to pick up someone who stood for five minutes waiting for the darn thing only to go DOWN one florr, and you say "that lazy b*&^&!" ~ You need to pray at work.

When you hear a co-worker call your name and the first thing that crosses your mind is, "what the h#@% does she want now?" and you try to hide underneath your desk. ~ You need to pray at work.

When you take some vacation time and come back to find a moutain of paperwork on your desk because no one else would do it and you think, "sorry a## m(*^&#$ f*!#$&%!" ~ You need to pray at work.

If you have ever thought about poisoning, choking, punching, or slapping someone that you work with. ~ You need to pray at work.

If you avoid saying more than hello or how are you doing to someone because you know its going to lead to their whole f*&#ing life story. ~ You need to pray at work.

If you know all the words that have been bleeped out.......

You DEFINATELY need to pray at work!

LET US ALL BOW OUR HEADS!

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Isn't it sad that I have felt that way for each one of them at one point or another in my career.

Have a great Weekend!

I have a night off to do whatever I want and I can't figure out a thing to do. At least I can't find anyone to do anything with. Sure I can go by myself, but what is the fun in that? I was going to try to go scrapbooking, but I can't find the stupid place that has it every weekend. Don't you just hate when you know you have seen it somewhere on the net, but google as you will you can't seem to find it again. Maybe the scrapbooking gods will smile down on me.

Did anyone catch CSI last night? Wow! Kevin Federline is a freaking genius (I am totally kidding people!) That was such a far stretch for him to play a smart-mouthed thug. I bet he had to practice for days for that performance. But it was a good episode. I hated seeing cutie-pie Greg getting all beat up.

Go thee to my renter. She has an awsome Pumpkin Crunch recipie up. I sounds so yummy!

Can you tell I am all over the place today? Thank God it is Friday!

If you could do one thing this weekend, what would it be?

Before I go into the explaination of my blog title I have some housekeeping issues to attend to.

Ahem...

Everyone please put your hands together for a warm welcome to my newest tentant...Hot House Mama. HHMomma hails from the beautiful state of California (I am so jealous!) and has ust returned from a cruise to Mexico. Go and read all about it. This lady is a traveling fool. Again so jealous!

Ok. For those of you who don't like to read about Poo and all things potty training related(ahem, Erin, you might want to skip the rest of the post.



Drama Queen is just starting to potty train. I know she is almost 3, but since I am not at home all the time I can't force her and I can't do the "put her in panties" thing either. But she is doing well. She has being going pee on her Pooh potty chair for 2 weeks now. Up until that point she would sit on it all the time, but only once did she actually go. She still has her accidents, but it is getting better each week. I think that she hasn't quiet connected that it is coming out of me with the sensation of going. Heck, we are still working on getting her to understand the difference between pee pee and poopy. Everying is poopy to her. Silly girl!

Anyway. On Tuesday night, right after we ate she told me that she had to go potty. I figured she that it was like most other times and that she had just gone. (She likes to tell me she has to go right after she actually went...again timing is everything) I got her down from the table and to the potty we go. She went pee pee, wiped, and stood up. Good girl! All done.Well to my surprise she looks at me and says "Mommy I have to poopy!" so I tell her to sit back down and think real hard.

She grunts a little bit (She is cronically constipated, much like Mir's son). I hear a noise and she looks down and it all excited. "Look Mommy! I poopied on the potty!" Needless to say, it was a proud moment. She wanted to show Daddy, which would mean saving it till later. As proud as I was, I was NOT doing that. I did contemplate taking a picture for prosperity though, but I didn't think anyone would appreciate a poo picture on here so I refrained. She was rewarded with many hugs, kisses, a high five, 2 stickers, and a piece of chocolate.

Overkill? I think not!

You have any potty training stories to share? Tidbits of wisdom or encouragement? Feel the love and share! Kum By Ya!

Many of you have asked about further details of the redneck wedding that I attended two weekends ago. Here you go...just remember that you asked for it.

Unfortunately(or maybe fortunately) I didn't get a chance to take any pictures. I was afraid that all the redneck-ness just might damage my camera. But I will try to give ya'll some exanples for visuals when I can.

We arrived at the bride and grooms house at 2 pm just as the invitation stated. When we pulled up it was Dodge pickups as far as the eye could see. Oh, and an old run-down camper too. Alpha Male and I felt incredibly overdressed, since the standard attire of all guests was jeans, tshirts and black dresses with white open-toed shoes with pantyhose. They were stylin' in all their dress-up glory. There were more children running around than I have seen in years. I think each one of the cousins has at least 3 kids each. And we are talking a bog family here.

Little did we know when we get there that the wedding has been postponed for an hour. What was the hold up you say? The bride had only applied for the Marriage License at 3 pm the previous day and in South Carolina you have to wait a minimum of 24 hours before the license is legal. The bride-to-be was to meet the judge in the Food Lion parking lot at 3 pm to pick up the marriage license. Did I mention that the groom was riding a scooter all over the country side too? No? Well he was. He pulls in at 2:30 all dirty and unshaven.

After much waiting and trying to count the number of teeth missing from people's mouths (no kidding, I think the hubs and I were close to the only ones with a full mouth of teeth) the wedding started at 3:30 pm. There was no music, the bride forgot her bouquet and they had to go back in the house and get it, and they couldn't find the groom's ring. But as far as weddings go, it went and there were a few sweet moments where the groom got all choked up and was holding back the tears. And the bride was beautiful. Three cheers for all.

The reception was basically everyone sitting around and chasing the kids with Budwisers in hand. They had decided to have an old fashioned cookout but no one had started the food prior to the ceremony so we had to wait to eat until close to 6:30 pm before anything was served. The tables were pieces of plywood on sawhorses with table clothes over them. Classy baby! And functional too! See groom is a carpenter by trade see? Lots of sawhorses around so might as well put them to good use right?

The food was good though. Hamburgers, hotdogs, and chicken. With all the southern trimmings. Yummy! At around 7:30 pm the cake was cut and it was good for a Walmart cake. I have definately had worse. Hell, at my own wedding the reception hall was so hot that my cake was literally melting! At least I could say it was moist right?

But all in all it was a good time even if most of the people there scared the daylights out of me. Hopefully they can make it last. Congrats to the Cousins! May your love last forever!

The title is fitting for multiple reasons.

First...several people have inquired as to what type of van I purchased. I have yet to take a photo of it, but it is a 2006 Kia Sedona LX. That's right 5 star-safety rated van. It doesn't have all the bells and whistles that it could have but it has enough and it is one of the safest vehicles on the road. I am beginning to like it, but it is an adjustment from a car. I am still trying to negotiate my own private valet though.

And I still have the van. They wouldn't take it back. Big surprise huh? Of course the General Manager is a real dick. Basically I was told that "no one twisted my arm and made me buy the van. I should have come into the dealership better prepared". While the statement is true enough, that doesn't mean you have to be an ass Mr. General Manager dude.

To top it all off, I discovered that they have the payoff listed as the wrong amount. It is $298 less than what the payoff actually is, and what they agreed to pay on the worksheet. The Sales Manager entered the wrong number evidently. I was informed by Mr. Ass that I was responsible for the difference...I supposedly even signed saying so.

Well Mr. I-am-so-knowledgeable-and-must-treat-others-like-morons, I did NOT sign the box that says I agree to pay any difference. So take your contract and shove it up your ass please! I have spoken to the Finance Manager and he assures me that this was their mistake and that I won't be receiving a bill. I'll believe that when I see it. But I do plan on bugging the shit out of them until they fix it. I'll call twice a day every day until I receive a pretty letter saying that all is taken care of ma'am and thank you for buying your THIRD Kia vehicle. You would think with my loyalty that I would get better treatment huh?

So it looks like I am stuck? Is there such a thing as new car buyers anonymous? Where do I sign up?

I went and bought myself a new van. WHOO HOOO right? Well...not so much.

Alpha Male finally agreed to let me look and possibly buy a new van. We do have two babies after all. Well, Tuesday night was the night. We went to location #1. What a joke that was! I was told that they could beat any other dealerships deal within a 6 hour radius. I should have known to steer clear after they couldn't/wouldn't give me a quote over the phone (unlike 2 other local dealers). We got there and right off the bat showed them a competitor's add with the sales price and said we wanted to look at something in that price range. An hour later, they still hadn't told us the price of the van and kept "explaining" to us about negative equity and incentives. All we wanted to know was the price of the van after rebates and incentives. My trade-in has nothing to do with what the starting cost of the van is. Then they insult me by telling me that my 2005 car is only worth $5000. Now I understand that it isn't worth the $11,700 that I owe. But only $5000? I don't think so. The old dealer gave me $5000 for my 2002 car two years ago with double the amount of miles. Needless to say, we got up and left. We didn't even drive one and we were there almost 2 hours! And its a shame too cause they had the color I wanted.

On to location #2. It was on the way home and the internet sales lady was really nice. I called her and told her what the deal was. At 9pm they were doing their pitch. They were a little more generous with my trade-in and it was a really good deal. But I couldn't really afford it. Back and forth we went. Finally, it was within reach but still more that I originally wanted to pay. Isn't it always like that though? AM and I talked about it. I thought and thought. And of course they kept throwing things in the mix. I kept telling myself that I couldn't afford it. But would I listen to myself? Heck no! It was shiny & new and I needed a van for hauling my kiddos around. And I seriously thought that if I did without a few things that I could afford ot. So I signed on the dotted line. What I really did was make a deal with the devil.

For hours I laid awake after getting home thinking "What the fuck did I just do?". I thought it was just new buyers anxiety and it would go away. No such luck. Here I am almost 2 days later and I want to take it back. But I can't. There is a little bold paragraph that says there isn't a "cooling off" period. Basically, I can't just change my mind. After talking to AM last night and shedding many a tear, I found out that according to what I paid in monthly expenses I would be in the negative with the additional $100 in car payments. I gathered the courage to call the dealership and tell them I wanted my car back. Ummm...no. They have already sent the paperwork in. I now own the van. Thanks but no thanks ma'am.

Well shit! What do I do now? I was told I could talk to the General Manager, but there really wasn't anything that they can (read will) do. I have been literally sick all day. AM stated that I better find a way to make the payment. The best plan was to save $2000 and re-finance through my credit union. All fine and dandy except how am I expected to save money when I have none? I have a few things that I can sell, but nothing worth $2000.

So, I came up with a short term solution. Turns out that I qualify for an Economic Hardship Deferment for my student loans. I can defer the payments and interest for up to a year. That will save me $400 a month. So I am going to bust ass and pay off all my outstanding bills so that when the year is up I will have some money saved up and I won't owe anything else. I currently have a personal loan with a payment of $145 a month so that money can go towards the van payment and it won't be any more money coming out of my pocket. And the insurance went down by almost $200 so that is a a good thing too! But this all still sucks! And deferring my payment is only postponing the inevitable.

But I won't be this broke forever. The loan is for 7 years, and the kids will be in school and out of diapers before then. So no more daycare or diaper costs right? Of course I don't want to think about how much my loan will be by then. Maybe I will win the lottery!

And then there is the counselor. I must have pissed her off last week when I had to cancel at the last minute. I had a valid excuse. I had to meet with a co-worker in reference to a grant that expired that day. Work had to come first. Well, I have called to re-schedule THREE times, and she has yet to call me back. I am going to call tomorrow and complain to the referring agency. I mean, if she has a policy that if you cancel without proper notice fine, but she could have at least called me back. So that sucks too!

So...for those that have been asking. That is what is going on with me. And that is why you haven't seem me around. I am here having a mental breakdown!

I hope everyone else is having a better day/week than me!

Until next time.....don't eat fuzzy pickles!