Hello all.  I have been struggling with finding time to blog (and when I do have a moment I haven’t really felt like it).  That kinda sucks. 

So there you have it.  No big explanations, I just simply haven’t made time for this and I wish I would have.  So I am going to try (AGAIN) to blog more often. 

Cheers,

I’m sure you have been asking yourself this question in the last couple weeks.  (Or maybe not.  Okay…probably not but a girl can dream, right?)  I have had a crazy couple weeks.

My dear grandpa passed away at the young age of 90.  I have been crazy busy entertaining family from across the country.  Plus the kids have been sick (again) and I have been going through a rough time.  I just feel so overwhelmed by everything and have not been sleeping.  I went through about a four year period of insomnia when I was younger and I fear that it is coming back.  Which of course makes it hard to sleep while worrying about sleeping.

But enough about that.

So I am back to blogging.  I had promised “Tales from the Truck” and I am working on it right now.  Because I know you could care less  are so excited to learn about when I went from public relations executive to truck driver.

Cheers,

 

I have been MIA this past week…my grandpa had another stroke and is in the hospital.  He isn’t going to make it.

My dad is taking it pretty hard and I’ve been spending a lot of time at the hospital and entertaining family who has traveled to say goodbye.  It’s only a matter of time now and I’m thankful he’s not in any pain.

I haven’t had much time to blog, obviously, but don’t forget about little ‘ol me.  Check back in a day or two and I will regale you with “Tales From the Truck”.  (Read:  weird things that happened to us when we were truck drivers)  My grandpa loved to hear those stories!  I love you, Gramps.

Cheers,

I’m new to blogging so you probably don’t know me very well.  Something that drives me crazy is cleaning the shower/tub. 

I used to hate it because the shower head would only reach so far and it was hard to rinse the cleaner off the shower walls.  So now I fill up a large bottle with a pull up lid (like a syrup bottle) and squeeze the water where the shower head won’t reach. 

Problem solved!  Now I can clean the shower without swearing. For more ideas check out Rocks In My Dryer.

Cheers,

 

Blogging can feel a little like dating.  I put myself out there and hope for a positive response in return.  Right now I kinda feel like people are “checking me out” but not willing to ask me out on a date.  What’s up with that?  I am totally date-able (is that even a word?). 

So I think I should tell you a little bit more about myself.  Break the ice a little so you won’t be nervous to date me…

Here are ten random things about me:

1.  I used to be an over-the-road truck driver.  For three years.  With my husband.   I lived in a tiny cab of a semi-truck.  For three years.  With my husband.  It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done (including childbirth!)

2.  I have two college degrees: Mass Communication and Radio/TV.

3.  My first real job was stacking wood at a factory that made hog feeders. 

4.  In high school I was the homecoming queen who dated the quarterback.  How is that for cliche?!

5.  I can’t stand chocolate cake.  Or chocolate ice cream, chocolate frosting or chocolate syrup.  I sometimes enjoy things with chocolate in them (like some candy bars).

6.  I used to be an unofficial wedding singer. (Read:  I sang in a lot of weddings–often for people I didn’t know very well–but instead of paying me which is custom, I just got crappy gifts.)

7.  I was once exposed to hazardous chemicals (nitrus and sulfuric acid) and had to be decontaminated in the parking lot of a small town fire station.  (Like, I had to strip down and be washed off and had to put my clothes, shoes, everything in a red hazmat bag.  In a parking lot.  In 40 degree weather.  With only a thin tarp to keep the 40 volunteer firefighters from seeing me naked.)  Good times.

8.  I have bad taste in music (for the most part) and am unashamed of it.  My husband wishes I was embarrassed by this.

9.  Five minutes before my best friend walked down the aisle, I accidently dropped the groom’s ring in a toilet full of the flower girl’s pee.  I had to fish it out and wash it off.  That was almost ten years ago and I’ve never told them.

10.  I have been to 48 of the 50 United States.  I haven’t been to Alaska and Hawaii.

So there you have it.  Ten totally random things about me that you didn’t need to know.  But I’m kinda chatty so I felt the need to share.

Did I scare you off?

We had a terrific time on our trip to Mexico but are still feeling the pain of sunburn.  (I swear, I did put sunscreen on every 30 minutes but I’m fair-skinned and still got burnt.)  My husband was really really burnt and is now peeling.  His burn is still stinging and so I whipped out the vinegar when we got home to give him some relief.

Yes, I said vinegar.  To take the burn out of your sunburn, soak a cotton ball in vinegar and then rub it on the burned area.  Or, run a cool bath, pour in one cup of vinegar and soak for 15-30 minutes. 

Vinegar is definitely a multi-tasker at my house.  I use it to clean, mop and even use it instead of softener in my washing machine.

For more great ideas check out Rocks In My Dryer.

 

Hola amigos.  I am back from Mexico and let me tell ya…it was amazing.  First of all, it was a free vacation.  So everytime I think of the few negative things that happened, I remind myself that it was FREE. 

We stayed at the Occidental Grand Xcaret Resort in Riveria de Maya, Mexico.  It is about an hour south of Cancun.  It was beautiful and HUGE.  The best part is that it was all-inclusive so food, drinks and gratuity was included.  Boy was that nice. 

There was a lot of the resort we didn’t even see I think. We also went to the XCaret ecological park attached to the resort. It had a fun underground river we floated through.

We spent a lot of time in the water, either at the beach or in one of the five swimming pools.  We also spent a lot of time drinking margaritas (with extra salt) and Cornonas (with lime).  Oh. My. God.  Soooo good!

My husband went for a work function but only had networking events in the evening.  We made a lot of new friends who go on the trip each year. We can’t wait to go back.

We are burnt (especially Papa) and peeling but still feeling relaxed.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was the  relaxing massages and reflexology we had down by the beach.  One of the sponsors of the trip gave each couple $225 credit at the spa.  Unbelievable!  We were surprised and ecstatic.  We have never done anything like this before and could definately get used to it!

It was hard leaving the girls and I missed them so much.  It was great to remember we are a couple and not just parents.  The kids barely missed us they were having so much fun with their Aunt KK and Granny and Grandpa.

So it’s back to the daily grind but at least I have a tan!

 

I have been running around like a maniac the past few days.   We are leaving for Mexico tomorrow.  Woo hoo!  My husband and I are headed to an all inclusive resort while the girls stay home with Aunt “KK” and Granny and Grandpa.

 I am beyond excited.  We have never taken a warm weather vacation and I can’t wait.  It’s been a rough, looooooong winter in which we’ve spent the majority of it sick.

I am nervous to leave the girls though.  I know they’ll have a great time, and I know that they will be well cared for.  It’s just that I’m not used to being away from them, ya know? 

 The best part of this vacation is that is is FREE.  Yup!  Free.  My husband is going for work.  He’ll have very little work to do there luckily, and a lot of free time.  We are going with his boss and wife, and another couple he works with.  I don’t know any of them (met his boss a few times) so I’m a little nervous for that as well.  But I know it will be fun and relaxing.

So I will be MIA until Tuesday. 

Cheers,

I love candles.  There is something so relaxing about watching a candle burn and inhaling its aroma.  What I don’t like about candles (because I’m sure you’re dying to know) is the black soot that can be left behind on the glass.

I finally found a way to remove the soot from my candle jars…rubbing alcohol!  Just take a cotton ball saturated with rubbing alcohol and wipe the soot away. 

For more ideas check out Rocks In My Dryer.

And now that I’m finally over that miserable flu my whole family had/has, I plan on lighting a few candles and taking a bath!

Edited to add:  I just noticed that this week we are supposed to “rerun” our best wfmw idea.  I went ahead and posted a new one since this is only my third time.  Cheers!

My youngest daughter Sprinkles (15 mo.) still hasn’t fully recovered from the flu.  She was crying so I started rocking here and singing “Rock-a-Bye Baby”.  All of a sudden, my oldest daughter Cupcake (almost 3) started screaming.

Me:  What’s wrong? 

Cupcake:  That song is HORRIBLE!   It is a terrible song. 

Me:  Why were you screaming?

Cupcake:  It was HURTING ME!  It hurts to listen to it.

Me:  Okay, I’ll stop singing. 

Cupcake:  You can keep singing, but PLEASE…not that song.  Who made up that song anyway?

She cracks me up.

Cheers,