Thing 1 and Thing 2 are very bad kitties

(Thing 1 in grey, and Thing 2 in the tiger stripes)

From the time Spaghetti walked in from work we both could smell it...

Cat urine. Thing 2 is the first to blame for this smell, she pissed all over the sectional we JUST threw out. Weeks ago. Replacing with a new leather couch, and chair. There is piss on the couch.

Spaghetti is NOT happy. At All. No shit, neither am I and I start freaking because I know damn well the look in his eyes says that Thing 2 has only a few hours left to live here.

I can't handle giving away a cat. Or a dog, or any pet for that matter. It kills me. I rescued Thing 2 because no one wanted her. And now he wanted me to do the same. I couldn't do it.

I didn't have a choice. I mean, the couch is less then a month old! He tells me she has to go RIGHT. NOW. I freak. I go upstairs and find Thing 2 I hold her and I sob. I sob and freak out in front of the kids. I couldn't help it.

This cat may have pissed on yet another piece of furniture, but this cat is also my email buddy, during both pregnancies she would sit with me and my daily baths, dipping her tail in the bath. She is a pain in the ass, but she is my cat, damnit.

So after rocking my cat and sobbing like she was already gone. I look at Spaghetti with swollen eyes, and tears on my face. I ask if they could live in my art room?

Fine.

And so I moved them. First the cat tower, then the litter box, the food, the cat cubbie tent, the water jug, and then the cats.

There new digs aren't so bad. The art room is a pleasing purple and lime green, there is a window that gets minor light, the room is 1/2 the house in size, they have TONS of counters to roam, and tables to lay on.

But the pissing did need to stop, and both cats are to blame in one area of the house or another. Thing 1 does her damage in the bedrooms, so they are always closed off. It will be nice to have our doors open for a change. That will be really weird getting used to.

I will miss hearing them wrestle in the hall at night, or getting the run of the house when the dogs are locked up. But it is this or they gatta go. I am glad Spaghetti let them stay.

Well more time for me in my art room. Now I just need a laptop down there and I will be set (I have a fridge, food, art supplies and my cats)

It was just an insanely upsetting day. Plus I have to douse the new couch with cleaner in hopes that the smell was caught soon enough.

So as I stand there smelling like cat urine (since I was scrubbing the couch between sobs) the house is a mess, the kids didn't nap, and I have dishes around the counter top Spaghetti forgot to mention that he was having 3 of his friends over for a BBQ in an hour... oh the insanity of it all... oh and that in a few months we are going to babysit his parents cat (Thing 3) in my art room with my cats) for 12 days... oh no he di-int...

Oh and yes the kids are down in bed now. And yes the wine coolers are tasty. And yes my best friend will be over right after work.

Opperation Attic now renamed Opperation Insanity

I have decided (yesterday) to clean out, purge and organize my attic space.

Now let me explain to you what my attic space is. It is the storage above my garage, and in front of Weaky's room. The trap door to get there was in the garage. You needed a 8 foot ladder just to get up there and don't even think about storing anything useful up there.

Pain in the ass.

So I became all genius like (momentarily) and asked my ever so handy father, Carrots, to cut a hole in Weaky's wall (in his closet) and create a door to this attic space. Then covering the original trap door in the floor. Hope that explained it is not over the house, yet is still attic like.

Attic like as in there is NO air flow, so the fact that I chose the end of July on a 80 degree day to do it, and with my 3 year old and my 15 month old is just retarded.

BUT I am getting somewhere. I have purged, organized, and am organizing the toys. Thank god when the Queen (my mom) gave me all my hand me down toys (bins, and bins, and bins full) she had them all labeled and in nice bins. Fabulous! So I rearranged them by age. Burring the barbie houses for now, and pulling out the care bears and Nerfuls (see below)

I also have the fisher price main street with all the cars and people out.

I am leaving the Barbies, Thundercats, Precious Places, O'Jenny, Sulvanians, and god only know what else to when the kids get older.

It is quite the toy shuffle, and dragging ALL the bags of baby clothes out, only makes me cringe at the thought of having to go through them. Ugg.

Thank god it's all on the second floor and not on the first. (Spaghetti is having a friend over for dinner. And this project will SO not be even near clean) I am hoping after dinner, the boys will go to the basement media room, and leave me be.

It also doesn't help that Weaky's room is the only way into this attic space. And since he is teething, he naps for HOURS, great for me, but bad for progress.

So I do have a question for you all. Please answer, even you lurkers should participate...

Q. How many different places in your house do you have toys? Is it one general room? Or each child's bedroom?

Thanks for your input. For now Weaky is napping, so Operation Attic is halted. Stay tuned for more exciting toy organizing new.

Mamma Kat's Writers Workshop. Summer 7 (plus 1)

I stopped by my friend, Kristin's blog, The Way It Is, and saw that it was time to do a Mama Kat has these fun Writer's Workshop prompts, SO I choose...

5.)List your 7 most favorite summer items!

Here you go!


#1. My garden! Of coarse I can not find a picture of my garden, but I do grow sweet green peppers, tomatoes, and green beans. I grow strawberry plants, but the strawberries are strictly for the over populating bunnies that eat them (shakes fist in air, cursing bunnies) and then they venture to the inside of the fence to deal with the wrath of my two big boxers! (nothing like doing dog poo patrol/dead bunny patrol) ANYWHO, my garden is one of my favorite summer things!

I also have been taking any and ALL plants my mom has to give me!

#2. My mom's garden! Not even a portion of her lovely garden. This is her "office" section. You should click on it, check out the blue wine bottles (upside down) I could do a picture post just on her yard. I LOVE to go bare foot through here. She has SO many birds, little yellow finches, and the hummingbirds will buzz right by you! Not to mention her and my sister had to shoo a baby deer out of the yard too! One of my happy places!

#3. Spending time with Spaghetti! I love to spend just me and him time. It's always fun, we took a spur of the moment trip up to Milwaukee Fest in Wisconsin (a few hour drive) to see Banjo play with Kate & Kacey (they were on CMT's "Can you duet" last season... 4th place?)

And here is my neighbor's 80th birthday party (both husband and wife turn 40 this year, so they made a big 80th birthday out of it) Lets just say the kids were away. I went barefoot, with my bottle of Sangria Boones Farm and had a blast!

#4. Pride Parade! This is our 3rd year, and as always there is the Jackson Street L train picture. Aerial and myself, attend this parade with my cousin and his partner. We have SUCH a great time, it's a day for the two of us, and a day with me and my cousin. It wouldn't be summer with out the Chicago Pride Parade!

#5. Our pool. No this is not our pool. Again I have seemed to be less organized with some of my more random pictures... either way we have a smaller, above ground pool. A 30th birthday present from my IL's Mc. (last year) It's very nice, and well, shit. It's a pool in my own back yard. What else do I need to say?!?


#6. Spending time with family. Well we do this all year, but Father's Day and the 4th were both celebrated at our house. And was great to be around both Spaghetti's family and mine.

(Weaky and Great Grampa)

Spaghetti's Aunt Nancy, and Queen (my mommy!)

Cuz and Banjo at the Summerfest...

#7. My Birthday!! Hello! I love my birthday! So July is one of my favorite months!

#8. I needed to add one more thing to my summer list... Conventional! I am a Stampin' Up! demonstrator (we sell rubber stamps, inks, papers, and accessories for card making and scrapboking) and once a year we all get together for two days of fun! (here I am last year with my upline Connie)


Be sure to head over to Mamma Kat's (follow link above) and check out the Writers Workshop! And don't forget to leave me comment love! (you silly lurkers you!)

Real it in! A trip back in time

I want to start telling old stories. Like ones from before this blog. Or before Blogging. Or before the Internet for that matter.

I want to be able to capture some fun memories, or stories that I remember. I hope you enjoy!


While eating at Giordano's Pizza for my 31st birthday, Great Grampa M came along, and while Grampa Mc was talking about fishing, this story came up...


On one of the many trips to Michigan that Spaghetti and his family would take. There was always fishing on the pier. As he fished with his dad (Grampa Mc) they kept noticing this big plop in the water, where a BIG fish was jumping...

"Real it in! Real it in!" Grampa Mc would yell to Spaghetti. But nothing was on the line every time...

After a few times of this, laughter broke out, and they looked over there shoulder to see Great Grampa M holding a big rock. Now realizing that he was tossing in rocks!

It was great to hear the story, and it was great to see Spaghetti's family with such great memories. I am hoping to capture more.

I'm officially "in" my 30's

Aerial said a funny thing to me the other day. She said "Your not 30 anymore. Now your "IN" your 30's" followed with a fit of laughter. (funny girl. Just you wait. Your going to be "30" come November... hee hee hee...)


Anywho. July 19th was my big 31! Wee for me! It was a busy weekend. Full of family celebrating me!

Sunday, the big day of, I took myself and my children to McDonald's for a fancy breakfast. Then when Spaghetti came home we all packed up and headed to the River Walk to enjoy the beautiful day, and eat some real food, Giordano's Pizza, Starbucks and Cold Stone Creamery for desert!


Monday was dinner at my parents...
My beloved angel food cake. The ONLY kind of cake I allow my mother to make for me. AND it must have at least 1/4 of it not frosted. Because frosting is yucky. (see the back of the cake all white and confetti like? That is my section. And yes I at it all)

Me with fun cake. And stupid smile on my face.

Me with cake. And stupid blow face. That made my mom pee her pants laughing.

Me with my cake and crown pick to remind everyone I am the Queen of Feisty (orange glob is the sherbert ice cream.)

Spaghetti feeding the boy nummy cake & ice cream

Me and Frances!

Carrots with Bagel and the (other) Queen!

This would be my nummy dinner. Per request I got beer can chicken... and...

dumplings.

All hail the holy dumplings. For they shall fill my ass with more fat then ever necessary. But you can go sit on a sharp stick for this is the BEST MOTHER FUCKING food there is. (try it when your depressed or going insane. IT WORKS WONDERS!)


Tuesday was get the art room ready for Stamp Camp on Wednesday.

Wednesday was drop the monkey children off at the Queen and Carrots, then meet Aerial at my crib. Then we had a day full of adult fun. Starbucks, McDonalds, then off to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago (one of my favorite places to go) then Pizza Hut for dinner and Barnes & Noble for the book "Skinny Bitch" and back home in time for Stamp Camp. I will have pictures in 2030 when Aerial finally gets them to me.

Oh and Thursday was dinner at Giordano's with the IL's Mc and Grampa. (I swear we eat other things then McDonald's and pizza around here) Then presents at our house.

AND speaking of presents... Spaghetti got me...

P!nk tickets!! Of coarse Aerial is excited cuz she is my designated concert friend!

Thanks to everyone for a kickass birthday week!

Miss me?

So I have noticed that I have lapsed in my blogging adventures. It has been a whole week.

Now to some that is normal. It's a weekly thing to do.

Well if you are one of my two followers, you would know that I was blogging daily. Sometimes like a mad woman, two or three times a day.

Well now I can come up with excuse after excuse. Blaming summer time, or family, but the real reason for me not blogging?

Facebook.

Yep. That little addictive demon, has me on there every few hours. As if the people I NEVER talk to, or haven't in over 15 years need to know what I am up to at LEAST 3 times a day.

I enjoy it. I really do. I mean take for example, Ann Marie. A friend whom I haven't seen since the 8th grade. Or Renee, geez it's been over 20 years! And now we are all on a daily update. I can name all my friends, there new married names, and there kids names, all because of Facebook.

Twitter, is a interesting thing. I just can't Tweet THAT much. I love to watch the celebrities on there, but I think that is still a bit much for me.

I still do my day to day, and often I come up with good blogger topics. I think every blogger goes through this, some for months. Like a writers block.

I also get all jumbled, wondering where do I start? It's like scrapbooking. Do I start at the beginning? Yesterday? Today? Gah!!!!

I do miss you all. I miss comment love, and I miss my SITS girls. So I hope to see you all more often!

Queen of Feisty

A special home.

My parents have always been the funny haha kind of people. Not a day goes by, with out a funny prank, or a joke. The house was always filled with laughter and love.


And even when I stop by with the kids, they still find it funny to be just the special people they are. So when you are sitting on the deck, and you see the opportunity for a great photo, and you say "smile!"


Then you get an unscripted, and unrehearsed goofy face from both of them. My mother looks pissed off, and my dad looks like we forgot to medicate him. (love the farmer tan by the way)

Again I ask them to smile for me. Take a cute picture? No? Thanks. Now neither of them knew the other was making funny faces. But now with my mother looking possessed, and my father looks just plain insane. I remind them that I will find them a special home to be cared for when the time is right. I love you Queen and Carrots.

Fucker. Did you mean Trucker?

Here is a funny Bagelism for you...

We are all home, and Spaghetti is bringing Weaky into the front room after dinner, Bagel and I are in there already, and I stub my toe on the end table.

I was stressed for some random reason, or no good reason at all, and the first thing I yell is "FUCKER!!"

In an instant my lovely 3 year old is quickly saying "Fucker, Fucker, Fucker..." Spaghetti quickly interrupts her with "Trucker? Mom meant that Brett, our neighbor is a Trucker. He drives the BIG truck, right Bagel?"

She gives him the most "um no" look, and says "No daddy. Mommy did NOT say Trucker. She said Fucker. Fucker, fucker, fucker..."

Thank you for the clarification my dear child.

Stand. Squat. Stand. Squat. Flop.

Weaky is SO close to walking, I can smell it... well maybe that's his diaper... but you know what I mean.


He can walk around furniture, and is starting to reach for a further away piece to keep walking. But still flops to his butt each time. He is the FASTEST crawler ever!


But especially today. He just keeps standing on his own. He does some funny squats. Stands. Then flops onto butt again.


But he's trying. And we are sure to give him a HUGE round of applause for each big boy stand. My oh my. Where did my babies go? I have a big girl pants wearer, and a almost big boy stander/walker!

Eff You Friday. Numb arms

Screw me for not putting the $100 check we wrote to our friends for their wedding in the account. And screw them for waiting over a month to cash it.


I noticed the account was overdrawn yesterday, nothing new to this house hold. Whatever. We couldn't do anything till Spaghetti got paid today.

Fanfuckingtabulous. Spaghetti got paid and of coarse the mortgage was set to come out SO we are still overdrawn. Ummm... yeah. That was payday. So I still need $80 to just cover the account.


Weaky is out of milk (as of last night) I am on my last gallon of water, and we finished the last of our chicken last night.


Um so for dinner we have... tap water... waffles... or...


So I had to call Spaghetti at work. Every time the accounts go bad, my arms go numb. I swear I will lose my tree sooner then later. I called to tell him we need to take another one of the Wrigley checks (being held for the second part of taxes) to get us out of the red, and feed the babies.


The crazy thing is when someone told us, well, many someones, told us that raising a family is hard they were not kidding.


Most of my friends and family are broke. In the same boat as me. Wondering how the rent, or mortgage will get paid, how to possibly budget food with negative funds. And praying to god that both kids can get potty trained so diapers are one less thing to pay for.


Some of my family and friends are better off. It's not that they are rolling in money. We all have our debt. But I would love to be that family that can buy groceries, or just buy the kids or (gasp) myself a new shirt once in a blue moon.


We keep the kids accounts as they are. The get any money that is given to them, and I don't touch it. Working at the bank I saw SO many parents empty their kids accounts, swearing they would pay it back.


I guess out of all this money madness, I am just trying to get our house back into some kind of order. Less clutter, a happy place to be.


I think with the no money situation, I am SO much more hostile, and likely to just snap at the kids, Spaghetti or the poor dogs. I apologize in advance and for times past. The finances are a heavy burden to carry.

The funny thing is I love being a SAHM. But I almost can't wait to have some sort of job so I can make money for this family. I miss my Banker job, that was great money, and my monthly bonus' for making sales was great. That was insane.

First married. In our little condo, saving for a house. We had a mortgage of $542 (2 bed, 1.5 bath, brick condo in nice area of J Town) there was so much money coming in we put... get ready for this... $700 into savings a month!! I also had 25% of my check going to my 401K (oh, that is gone)

It was a wonderful life. But the big house, yard, and a family is what we wanted.

We can afford this house. The taxes are the bastards that are hurting us. I guess what I am rambling about is I sometimes miss the days of simple life.


While I love my dogs, cats, kids, house, and everything that goes with it. I just wish there was the money to just pay bills, with out doing the bill shuffle, of who can get put off another month. Or what can we eat this week?

I know pity party for one, is pity party for the whole country. But if you do have the money. Just understand that when you see a mom or a dad angry or just frustrated at the world. They just may have numb arms too.

Manic Monday. Alarm clocks, pillow and swearing

Name two things you consider yourself to be very good at:
Driving and Directions is one.
Making good use of my camera.

Name two things you consider yourself to be bad at:
Swearing.
Laundry.

Name one thing not many people know about you:
Before kids, I loved to play SIMS, Rollercoaster and Zoo Tycoon, Myst, Riven, Uru, and the Neverhood computer games. Then for Playstation I loved my Crazy Taxi, or Crash Bandicoot! Ah, the days of nothing to do!!

What is the longest love relationship (partner) you have had, and if it has ended, why?
This one! 10 years strong!! Spaghetti and I starting dating on May 29th 1999, engaged on October 29th 1999, and got married on June 16th 2001!

What is on your bedside table?
Lamp. Alarm clock. And my water bottle each night.

How many pillows do you have on your bed?
6. 3 for me, and 3 for Spaghetti.
Do you make your bed every day?
No. But I am trying to get into the habit.

Milwaukee Wisconsin Summerfest 2009

This was our first Summerfest in Milwaukee Wisconsin. It is the biggest music fest in the world. It was fun and I would love to go back again next year.

Our reason for going was that Banjo was playing with Kate and Kacey Koppola, if that names sounds familiar they came in 4th place in the CMT show "Can you duet"

There is the band and the girls. Now if you read here often, you may remember that Banjo (curly haired guy, playing the... banjo is in the Drew Davis Band, but he brought along his friends, on bass at the far left is Mo, and drummer Dave Kelly (shaved head now) all from the DDB)This was a fast show, only about 40 minutes, but we don't usually get to see Banjo on the banjo and the mandolin, his first love is his guitar.

The girls are fun, I bought there CD, "Kate & Kacey" they have some good songs, kinda feisty Dixie Chicks like. Afterwards we at chocolate, and lots o' pasta, and then climbed onto the Sky Glider! I haven't been on these since Santa's Village 1986 with my grammas!!
Kinda fuzzy at night, but Cuz and Banjo are in the car ahead of us, kinda neat with the moon and all the people below.

A fun fountain that people were playing in...

Awww... kissy, kissy, kissy!!

This is one of my new favorite shots of us. Spaghetti had FINALLY taken what I have pounded into his head for 10 years about him not smiling. And wala! We have a nice picture!!!

Me and my Spaghettio

Thanks for a fun night out Cuz and Banjo!!

Don't be mad at me...

(see the shit eating grins on our faces? That is what potty trained happy looks like)

Potty training has been a bitch.

When Bagel was 20 months old my mom gave her big girl pull-ups. I think that was a hint.

So I tried when Bagel was 2, and then we tried again every 3 months, and we thought we had it in January, but realized that after a few days of no accidents she was holding EVERYTHING.

(which resulted in a bladder infection!)

And then I really wanted her to be trained for our trip to Nashville to see Cuz and Banjo, but that didn't work out either (we all were sick 2 weeks prior with the flu and diarrhea!)

But then everyone said that 3 was the magic age. That at 3 she would just want to be a big girl.

So like the title says, don't be mad at me...

On Wednesday, June 24th I put on Bagel's last diaper. I decided I was going to use my mom's advice (as always the Queen knows best) and go NO diapers at all. Not at naps or night time.

I hung up her sticker chart (came in a Elmo potty sticker book) and we made SUCH a big deal out of her going potty, still do almost 2 weeks later.

She pee's and is proud. She gets her M's (mnm's) that sit up in a little glass jar all pretty and waiting. And then when she poops she gets M's and stickers, and the bell to ring! (thanks Maternal Mirth)

We haven't gone many places, and when we do she will go potty at the stores like a big girl (I just have her sit on the side)

I didn't want to post this too soon, in fear that I would jinx her potty-ing ways. I am still nervous that she will go back. But I have hope that we are all good.

Every time Spaghetti and I clap for her we look at each other with a small tear in our eyes, knowing that we are saving over $40 in diapers a month! Let me tell you diapers is one thing about my kids I will NEVER miss!!