I feel like I just wrote my similar 2018 post.  Is it that I'm older that is making time speed by or is it having the kid?  The combination of the two has my life flying by.

Reflecting on the things I said I wanted to achieve in 2019:
- Seeking out friendships locally remains hard, but I have at least added to my FB friends and people I speak to in public partly thanks to the parents of the other kiddos at school.
- I failed miserably with regard to bible reads and studies.  I'm getting better at having more conversations with Him, so that's something.
- I did lose some weight!  Granted I'm having a hard time here since Thanksgiving and it wants to pile back on, but I do intend to buckle back down and dip the scale even lower.
- Taking days off with Avery... did I take 8 days off?  Well, no, but we did go to the Zoo and Idlewild (both of which were on my list)!
- The half bath is at 90%.  I really need to put the pulls on the cabinet and patch/paint the holes, but significant progress as made.  I didn't take action on the other two bathrooms.  They are likely to be bigger undertakings as I'd like to replace the floors there too.  I'm kind of glad I did one bathroom as it showed me some things about granite that will inform my decisions in the other two rooms.
- Decluttering remains on the list.  Some action happened, but nowhere near enough and I suspect given my propensity to adore cute things I will always fight this desire.


Notes from 2019:
- Avery can drink out of a cup and rarely needs a sippy, except when it's more convenient for us (we're on the move) and feeds herself pretty well including chunks and a wider range of foods.  She's very vocal and easy to understand.  She has a heck of a fun personality and just gets cuter every day.  She never ceases to impress me.  She even started to make great progress with the potty here in the past week!
- We did get out to do some fun stuff this year as mentioned above (Zoo and Idlewild).  We also went to Kennywood.  She and I checked out the Carnegie Museum of Natural History.  I had a great time with her flower picking at Simmons farm in August and with her and Lor-Lor doing all of the fall activities at Triple B Farms.  We hit several fall festivals (Canonsburg, Houston) and watched her first Christmas parade at the local Old Fashioned Christmas event.
- We didn't do as much traveling as I've grown accustomed to, which isn't my preference for sure.  We didn't get back to Aunt Jackie's and we only went on one cruise - back in April.
- Aunt Jackie did however still come visit us a couple of times!
- Last year I bought some new pieces of furniture.  I still haven't found the perfect end tables or bookshelves for the living room.  I still didn't get that replacement freezer, but fortunately the existing one didn't die - yet.
- Some staff changes at work have alleviated some stressers, but things are still pretty hectic.  The important part here is that I'm still getting paychecks and I had a banner year performance-wise.
- Danika and Safyre are still here and well enough.  I feel bad as they don't get brushed as much as they should and that in turn means more fur around the house to clean.  Dani is definitely showing her age and getting weaker.  It's nice to have these posts to reflect on from year to year because I see that some of her issues poo-ing started before 2019, so at least I can say nothing has taken a drastic turn, although, I admit I am frustrated with cleaning up poop because she doesn't give me much indication she needs to go.  I do fear that I don't have an inordinate amount of time left with her however.  Saffy continues to want to dig up patches in the yard and flower bed and I can't figure out a reliable way to deter her.  Other than that, she's doing well.  Both of them continue to be great with Avery, despite Avery starting to be a little bit more stressful to them.
- Here's the big one for the year that will change all years moving forward... I found another half sibling on both sides of the family thanks to Ancestry.com.  There aren't really words for it.  It's a mix of emotions and it changes everything.


My desires for 2020:
- To get to know my newly found relatives better!
- To get back on top of the weight loss and take the scale down further.
- Continuing to take days off to go do things with Avery.
- Take some more action around the house.  I can't do everything, but right now here are the things that are on my mind today:
   - The bathrooms upstairs (floors and cabinets/counters/mirrors/lights).
   - Windows - builder grade means way too much air and too much of a challenge to properly clean the outsides.  Adding blocks to the garage for light or a window in the laundry room (which seems like a wasted expense).
   - Replacing that freezer!
   - Replacing the dishwasher (also builder grade).
   - The carpet will need to be replaced some day, but I feel like that gets deferred until I don't have older dogs and a younger kid in the house.
- The other thing I want is to just be a better person.  Someone _I_ like more.  I know I've grown from who I was many years ago, but I want better.  I know others still see those spots as glaringly obvious, for I'm told about them.  But even without a reflection of the things others don't like - I see Avery do and say things that I don't want for her.  It's reflections of uglier parts of me (e.g., yelling at the dog for a mess).

Last week I had to call upon a plumber.  My shower had been draining slower, so I pulled out my little hair wand and removed a big ol' clump.  Oddly though, after removing the wad of hair it really slowed down (that was a really fast shower night).  He took care of that, and looked at two other targets of opportunity.  I mean, if he's here I may as well get the other things looked at, right?

He cleared out the other bathroom's drain, which has always been slower to drain and sometimes had a smell when you first ran water, but I didn't realize it should have been doing so much better.  He checked my dishwasher which was starting to get gross and needing cleaned on the bottom (something I never did in 18 years in the Jingletown house w/ that dishwasher).  He cleared some ick out of the drains there and tried to place them more appropriately under the kitchen sink.  This has now been dry at the end of a cycle.  He did note that the dishwasher is crap - you know, builder grade.  Not a surprise to me.  I've not been a fan of this one - I miss the one from Jingletown.

I think the new bedroom TV should be labeled as my Christmas gift to myself, but girl, there is always Valentine's day or my birthday.  I suppose I should replace that darn extra freezer sooner rather than later too.

Aside:  I'm very lucky that here in this community we have an electrician and a plumber, both of which get kudos from the neighbors and are fast to respond.  I also have the electrician coming back (he was here a while back to add plugs and some lights on a switch in the basement) to add another plug - one up high on the bedroom wall for my new wall mounted tv.

I don't have food intolerances (that I know of), or at least, nothing that I've identified that makes me ill or uncomfortably bloated.  I do however notice patterns of disturbance.  E.g., Long John Silvers... man does that give me gas - and apples make me burp.  This recent discovery surprises and confuses me.

Chili powder.  Whew.  I don't know why I've not noticed this pattern to date.  Maybe because I hadn't made anything with it that had enough leftovers to correlate things.  I guess I'm super surprised because it was like a tablespoon in the whole recipe.  How on earth is it doing so much to me.

Yesterday I spotted something small on the floor.  I gave it a nudge and it didn't feel like a clump of dirt or something (which often falls from Saffy's feet because she's naughty and keeps trying to dig).  I picked it up in a tissue and looked closer (pull out the readers).  It's another tick.  GAH!

It was just laying on the floor in the entryway.  What's up with that?  Clearly it came off of a dog (probably Saf since Dani doesn't wander much of the yard) and was full.  It didn't seem to be moving/alive.  Needless to say I applied another dose of biospot on the dogs.  It makes my skin crawl wondering how many others I've missed that are in my carpet etc.  I don't feel others on the dogs.  C'mon super cold weather, please kill them off.

Happy thanksgiving!  I pray that you had a great holiday.  Ours are always busy and include at least two get togethers.  This year, sandwiched in between the typical family gatherings, I managed to squeeze another in - our towards State College with my Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, and the other newly found family member and her family.  We shared a meal together and had some time to chat and get to know each other more.  It was a very different experience from the meeting with the other new family member -- which was a one-on-one thing.  I do think there will be more get togethers and communication - and I'm excited for it.

I'm tired from the driving and running, but feeling extra blessed this year.

Well that is a first!  I saw my first nomadic round of robins in the winter!  I know that robins don't migrate, but still I always comment when I see the first ones in the spring because historically they've been pretty absent.

I was out back with the dogs and there was a good bit of chirping and birds all about in the trees behind the house.  I have to admit, I feel bad.  I can't help but think one of them led his friends here saying "I know this lady, she has food and water, let's go there." - and here I am without having filled the winter feeders and the bird bath is down as to avoid it freezing and damaging the concrete.  Ok, I looked - they're still unlikely to hit up feeders, even in the winter.  I feel less guilty but I am looking to see I have any apples, grapes, etc that need tossed that I can put out.

Yep, I'm going to change Avery's name.  I'm thinking Mary, as in typhoid Mary.  Damnit.  My head is stuffed and runny and making my throat hurt - AGAIN.  I've heard that another layer of precaution might be changing her clothes when she comes home (in addition to washing hands etc).  I'm thinking about it, because this is getting ridiculous.

The humidity hasn't dipped yet, so I haven't seen the need to start running the humidifiers - but the hot shower sure helped last night, as has the hot soup and tea today.  If I could just go ahead and submerge myself in boiling water that would make me feel better and kill the germs, right?

Today I messed up the date for the 10th anniversary celebration of the daycare.  But the service at the Presby church was nice!  Avery kept pointing to the pastor and saying "Superman" (apparently he dressed up for the kiddos when they did superheros week).  She really enjoyed the hand bell choir too.

After I brought her home and headed to a second service, this one at the local Lutheran church - where my newly found family member was preaching today!  It was such a delight to meet her and enjoy a bit of lunch post-service.

I like to document when the first robins start appearing in the summer, and when the first snow happens in the fall/winter.  Well today it happened - just a dusting, but it sure got chilly over night.

When I do Avery's hair in the morning and I ask one piggy or two... more often than not she says two.  She holds up two fingers.  "Two, two mommy, two."  When I put Avery to bed at night she says "two blankies".  Ask her how old she is?  she's got that down two... er, too.

It's kind of interesting that what I'm posting about now is two.  Look at my previous post.  Yeah, I didn't find one half sibling.  I found two.  And this second one is on the other side.  This one hurts my heart more because I know this one hurt that parent's heart.

The good news is I am able to gather some information.  This person also wants to talk with me and get to know more.

I am so distracted and so overwhelmed right now.  Nothing changed with who I am or my life as I know it today but at the same time everything changed.  I wish I could talk to Mom and Dad directly about all of this.

Today was a bit mind blowing.  Someone reached out on Ancestry - showing as a second cousin or so in DNA match.  It caused me to log in and look at all of my matches.  Aside:  I can see several cousins marked appropriately as first or second cousins.  There were two people marked as way closer of relationships.

I reached out to both out of curiosity.  One has replied, the one I was very curious about, because they made mention of a name in their profile.  We've sent a couple of messages back and forth... I think I may have another half sibling.  (Older than me, and from before my parents married.)

If that wasn't enough to make the day memorable - Avery pooped on the potty for the first time!  It's been an interesting day.

The tick testing is complete.  Negative for lyme, babesiosis, and powassan virus lineage II.  However, it was positive for anaplasmosis. A quick google makes that sound potentially scary too.  Given that the ticks were removed on Oct 31 - nearly a week ago - I'm not sure what the timeline would be to see effects.  As such, I made a call to the vet for recommendations and I'm awaiting a response.  More to come.

Yesterday we ran to the outlets both to get some Christmas gift ideas and to get my ring* in for it's every 6 month inspection at the jeweler.  *ring = the ring Avery and I picked out on my first Mother's day.

Several of the stones were pretty lose, so the ring was sent off for repairs and my finger is looking and feeling bare.  I didn't even smack it off of anything recently, so what's up with that?  I hadn't paid for the protection plan, so even though had I lost a stone it would have been covered the work to fix it wouldn't have been, so I had to spend a chunk of change for that protection plan, but at least that's good for a  lifetime.  In the mean time I miss having my local jeweler in Jtown.

I'm still so glad I bought that ring.  I look forward to the day that Avery is old enough that I can give it to her as her first really nice piece of jewelry.  I hope she'll understand how much it means to me.

As a follow up to my thyroid tests - the bloodwork is good and the other test resulted in being told I have a "beautiful thyroid", so I have that going for me.  I am quite happy to hear that there is nothing to worry about there.

It was a bit of a medical long weekend as the morning of my thyroid test (Friday) I got a call from daycare that Avery had gotten hurt and I was off to pick her up and take her to MedExpress. She too got lucky, but not as lucky as me.  The door stop won this one.  Fortunately the most feared injuries when someone bangs up their face are not a concern (teeth are ok, nose isn't broken) we just need to get the swelling down and black and blue marks have to heal.

As we came back in the house last night from trick or treat I noticed two dark spots on Saffy's forehead.  It looked like a vampire swooped down and bit her between her eyebrows.  Ticks.  *cringe*  Fortunately my Favorite Egg was here to help with the situation and we got them removed.  Needless to say I applied their doses of biospot immediately thereafter.

I've been avoiding using the biospot as I'm not a fan of unnecessary chemicals, especially with a little one who likes to pet and touch her puppies.  But we crossed the line to necessary.  I haven't had to deal with a tick on a dog since I lived in NC.  Ugh, it skeeves me out pretty good.

Side note:  if you're not aware - if you are in PA, you can send your ticks for testing for free!  Check it out:  https://www.ticklab.org/  I'll report back on what comes back once our report is back.

Now on to other news.  I head back to the lab today for a scan of my thyroid.  I went to the doctor on Wednesday to get checked as I've had a reoccurring sore throat.  This is the third time in 6-8 months I've had a crazy sore throat.  One of the times it was best described as feeling like I had hot sauce sitting on the back of my throat.  Cough drops don't stop the feeling and it lasts all day, peaking overnight.  When I've had a sore throat in the past it kept itself to night and early morning and lasted a short period of time.

With a little one here I went to the doctor on the side of caution.  I feared some weird strep thing or something even though I didn't have all of the symptoms.  She did not test me for strep, but felt it was allergy/sinus related.  The thyroid finding was incidental as she was checking my lymph nodes.  We drew blood on Wednesday and scheduled this scan.

I definitely did not leave a door open... and the times I've watched it to see the lights turn off after I exit the vehicle they do.  This morning the lights started to flash, but then the car started.  I left it running while I took Avery into school and called the dealership.  I have an appointment for next Thursday, but frankly, that's too far away.  Fortunately they called me back and told me to bring it up.  Now I wait to hear back.

On one hand I'm hoping that Advanced was wrong, that I just need a new battery.  Sure it's an expense, but it would explain and solve it all.  If there is some easily fixable issue, especially if it is covered under warranty that would technically be even better.  The last option is an electrical issue.  I had one with a Dodge Intrepid that had me sell the vehicle not too long after getting it and the Dodge Durango had electrical problems after the car starter went in it.  Point being, sometimes it just can't be resolved.

No va.  Yesterday I got up to make our pre-church Starbuck's visit and the car wouldn't start.  At first it said that the key wasn't in the car.  Well, I've had that happen before and a mere touch of the key to the starter button and the problem was solved.  Not this time.  Instead it started flashing all of the lights inside and outside of the car.  There was no sound or attempt to start.  In my head I could hear the 'fail' sound from the Price is Right.

As a result I got to take the Stinger out for a spin.  Avery and I got a reminder how nice it is to have a garage.  She noted her seat was cold and I had to run the defrost for a bit before I could get moving.  Fortunately there wasn't ice on it like so many others had yesterday morning for the first time this year.

My Favorite Egg jumped my car after we came back from Starbucks (yeah, I skipped church) and we took it to Advanced.  I was ready to get a new battery under the assumption that this one is at least 4 1/2 years old (factory), that seems like the typical lifespan I've known, and winter is coming, so it's likely to go then.  The guy offers to test it and ends up telling me that the battery is good.  That's a relief since the new ones (they're special, so they can handle the heavier electrical load) are $200.  WHAT!?  So instead we drove around and charged it up a bit.

Now I'm left with two main thoughts:  1 - how the heck did it die?  Did I leave a door slightly open or is something else up?  It started this morning, so probably the first, but dang it that I didn't notice it.  2 - how incredibly stupid it is that if you have an automatic trunk door that there is no way to open it if your battery is 'dead'.  It beeped like it wanted to open, but wouldn't let me pull it open even.  That is rather less than convenient when your jumper cables are in the compartment at the back of the vehicle.  I wiggled by way over the back seat to get into the compartment to get what I needed.

I'm not a green thumb or someone I'd consider to be a gardener.  I do like to have a couple of tomato plants each year.  I put them in pots instead of in the ground to avoid the late and early frosts here in Western PA.  My goal is fresh tomatoes for my salads or to mix with mozzarella and fresh basil (the only other thing I try to grow most every year).  I admit it, I also love the smell on my hands after picking tomatoes.  It is pure nostalgia to me and it puts a much younger me right back in my parent's backyard garden.

 

This year I bought my two plants, put them in their pots with their tomato cages, gave them decent soil, and set to the task of watering them regularly.  They shot right up.  In the meantime, a little tomato plant had started to struggle from the ground just beside my concrete patio.  It would have gotten morning sun, but been cut off from direct rain where it managed to start growing, which was shielded by the deck above.  This guy started growing from seeds probably lost from last year's plants.  Those with greener thumbs like to call this a 'volunteer' tomato plant.

 

The other thing you need to know about me is I'm a sucker for animals and even plants.  Someone cutting down a tree breaks my heart a little.  I had to give this tomato plant a chance.  I thought for sure I'd destroy its roots trying to pluck it from the ground pinched up against the concrete, but I had to try.  Out came the shovel.  I used a small pot that I had lying around because chances are it wouldn't go anywhere, but if it did I could always repot it.

 

I was so pleasantly surprised when it too took off like crazy, catching up with the other tomato plants in size in very little time.  Time to go buy him a big pot of his own and to buy more soil to "do it right" when I repotted him.

 

Because he was behind the other two, I saw blossoms when the others were giving tomatoes (which weren't all that tasty).  But still I watered and I waited.  Let's fast forward, because this volunteer plant is now easily 2x if not 3x the girth of the other two plants and just as tall.  He put off all kinds of branches.  I've slowly been reaping the rewards and the tomatoes are large, juicy, and quite tasty.  I've bragged a bit about him, that this little volunteer plant was giving me 5-10 really yummy tomatoes a day.

 

The other two plants went brown and died off.  They've been disassembled and put to the curb.  But the volunteer continues.  So when the temps at night were dropping towards the 40s it was time to offer a little more protection as to continue reaping the bounty.  It means that he doesn't get as much light, but he's now sitting in my basement near the back door to get as much morning light as possible.

 

This morning I picked off approximately 80 (not a typo - you read that right - eighty) ripe red tomatoes from this plant.  There is still a ton of green or not quite ripe tomatoes on there.

I feel so blessed.  I gave this plant an opportunity.  I invested in it.  I didn't have to, but I wanted to, and it cost me relatively little.  It exceeded my wildest expectations because, well, let's be honest, I didn't have too high of expectations for it.  I just gave it a chance.

 

You can write your own moral(s) to this story.  The ones God put on my heart are the value of life, that it's easy to change the course of that life, and that a small investment in someone or something else can bless you beyond measure.  Be blessed and be a blessing.

More proof God has a sense of humor:  I woke up this morning.  It was still dark, so I rolled and looked at the clock.

6:02am:  I thought, oh, thank you Lord that I have a half an hour before I have to get up.  Then I realized it's Saturday!  So I thought, even better Lord, thank you that as long as Avery doesn't wake up I'll get to go back to sleep for even longer!!

6:04am:  The smoke detector in the bedroom neighboring mine (the one I use for workout equipment) starts to chirp wanting a new battery.  Even if I hadn't already woken I would have because at that moment Saffy jumped up with me all agitated (because she can't stand the chirping any more than I can).

6:08am:  I'm on a step stool changing a 9 volt out.

6:15am:  Well played Lord :)

Sick.  I actually got sick.  I enjoy being able to say "I don't get sick" and taking a strong stance, but this one snuck up on me.  I didn't sleep much last night as a result.  I just felt gross and my stomach was upset.  Then it happened.  Yup, I got up in the middle of the night to be sick.  I'm still feeling a bit weak and off, but I'm only at about the 10 hour mark from said event and maybe 13 hours into not feeling great.  Hopefully this is a 24 hour thing.

I'm supposed to be getting a flu vaccine tonight (don't get me started - I'm not a fan, but I always worry that I'd give something to Avery and I'd never forgive myself).

Avery had a bit of an issue (with vomiting) last week, but I thought it was food not processing (which happened to her once before). Did it take that long for this to get me?

This weekend my little town hosted their Oktoberfest.  It gets listed in some places as one of the better ones in the US, so we got that going for us (in addition to being the biggest 4th of July parade in PA).  While they don't have Alex Meixner (see, they have room to improve), they do have some decent music and good food.  That said we headed down there (twice) this weekend.

The weather has been rather hot for the second half of September.  Fortunately, it's been pretty cool in the mornings, so I've been able to get some walks in with Saffy lately to get some exercise in before I start work.  I'm not wishing the nice weather away, but I am eager to see the autumn leaves and put on the Halloween gear (and most of it is long sleeve or long pants).

I've not made great strides on the weight loss.  But I have been away from the elliptical for a week.  My left foot has been hurting me.  I've had a stress fracture before, and I don't want to go there, so I'm giving her a break.  Unfortunately, simply walking (neighborhood or treadmill) just isn't enough - and there have been days where I've walked the neighborhood 3x a day (each trip is approx a 30 min walk at around 3mph - that should be close to a 100 calorie burn).  But I'm not gaining, so that's something, right?  *sigh*  The estimates on the food tracker now say I'd reach my goal by Dec 26.  We're almost 2 months behind because it just isn't happening.  As I've stated before, the lack of progress sure makes it hard to keep at it with gusto.  I need more hours in my day.

Speaking of, I also started using duolingo again to try and make some progress on my knowledge of Italian.  Being as competitive as I am, the fact that the app now shows you leaderboards I've been doing quite well and getting my time in each day.  It also leaves me thinking about it throughout the day, I guess that's a good way to reinforce. I need to sit down and write some stuff down to solidify a few things.  I think that really helped me back in high school with Spanish class:  to see how a verb conjugates (io mangio, lui mangia, noi mangiamo?, voi mangiano?) ugh, it's a struggle. I need to get them set in my head.

Aside:  how do the languages like Italian or Spanish, that use masculine/feminine deal with some of the issues now a days? Also, why in Italian can cats be masculine (i gatti) or feminine (le gatte)?

On Sunday evening Ben found a bump on Safyre.  With all of that fur it was kind of hard to see what we're looking at, so I shaved a little spot to take a closer peek. It looked like a raised mole but it wasn't perfectly round, so it had me concerned. Our friend Google didn't ease my concerns fully, so I decided to make a vet appointment.

I took Saffy to the vet today.  She may have chomped at it a bit, as the top layer wss loose. The vet quickly checked it and noted that it was a cyst. We then had our own episode of Doctor pimple popper on our hands.

I came home with the topical powder to ensure it heals properly, and alittle lighter in my wallet -- but feeling a lot better. Saffy really is my best buddy. I love her dearly and she needs to live forever.

Ya know, when I get to walk away from that desk, life is pretty good.  I'm not saying it to brag, just to remind myself, instead of focusing on the "next thing" that I may want to do or buy or achieve.

I have a sweet and beautiful little girl who is sometimes (smile) willing to give me a hug that melts the rest away.  Now that it's cooled off a bit, I can stroll through the neighborhood as Avery points out the birds or as bats start to come out for the evening.  When she is tucked into bed, on the nights that I don't have to work out (which is much less often than I'd prefer), I can sit on the back porch near the fire pit with my fuzzy girls and relax.  Now that my back isn't barking, I can curl into my cozy bed and even lounge a bit on Saturday mornings with my girl still in her PJs.  While my friends don't live close, I have some really good people in my life.  I am beyond blessed in that regard.  Life is good.

I'm always proud to say I'm loyal to Royal, but they keep giving me new reasons:  https://www.cruisehive.com/royal-caribbean-cruise-ship-is-first-to-make-urgent-delivery-to-freeport/34216

Like I wasn't already itching to book another cruise?

Feeling a little too disenchanted.  I'm trying to make progress on current tasks but the silence is deafening.  I need more than a long weekend right now, I need a vacation.  Our last one was April.  On one hand that was only 4 months ago, on the other hand it feels like an eternity.

On another note, I found a snake skin out in the back yard flowers today.  I was taking a few minutes over lunch to weed when I spotted it.  I've looked around enough to assure myself it was nothing venomous, so I have no issue with him, but I'm sure he'd scare the hell out of me if I saw him. Information online leads me to believe we had a Northern Racer, but I also found a website for a snake guy that said "email me!  I'll identify your snake for free." so we'll see what he thinks.

My sweet little girl is 2!  It's been a busy weekend celebrating her.  I think I was just dehydrated from walking around a park yesterday but at long last my scale went down further.  I am a tired gal as a result.

I did get one thing accomplished in the midst of this weekend.  When we stopped to buy a cake for Avery today at the grocery store (yes, she got cake the day after her birthday) I spotted tomatoes on sale.  With that I loaded up and made a long over due batch of sauce (and meatballs).  This makes me worry about the freezer in the basement again.

The battle continues, down a pound, back up one and a half, back down one pound.  Meh.  I continue to try and stay the course working out most every day and not allowing too many concessions (staying close to if not within my calories for each day).  I looked back and I've been bouncing around since July 26th -- a full month with no progress when I'm hitting overall intake numbers of approximately 1550 calories a day.  I should be down another 3 1/2-4 lbs.  Instead the calendar now says I'll hit my goal (if weight loss somehow started back up tomorrow) by December 18 instead of early November, which I remember it reading early on.  *sigh*

I've made nearly no progress in the half bath either.  So the toilet paper is sitting on the floor, not in a holder since the old one and the new one have very different mounts, and the towel is on the sink since I have to put that mount up.

I had to buy a different drain than the one that came with the faucet since I bought a sink without an overflow.  Well, the drain is crap too - the water tries to spray out around the top of the filter on the end and I can't get it on tighter, it's like the threading stripped -- and it was impossible to get it that far.  Sometimes the water stream forks in 3 directions, it's great. *sarcasm*

I need to get the holes patched and repainted too.  I need more hours in the day.  Once Avery is in bed (she is going down a bit later now than she was) I work out when I'm not completely whooped and the weekends well, it's hard to do stuff while I am tending to her.  Nap time also ends up being work out time or make myself lunch time.  Then I think about all of the other things I've fallen behind on.  I did get some cleaning in on Sunday before I quickly made a failed batch of cake pops to replace a birthday cake for Avery's private birthday celebration. (They taste okay but look like hot hell.)

We had an event to go to on Sunday, so the later afternoon and evening was taken up there.  I admit, I'm glad we're done with Little Gym for right now - just to free up a bit more time and not feel like I'm on the go all the time.  It's good timing too, as there seems to be events every stinking weekend.

I'm seriously needing motivation to keep going with my diet and exercise.  I've been good.  Last week I was 320 calories under my weekly budget, which is around 1550 calories a day to keep me losing weight but yet from the 9th to today (the 13th) the scale went up 3 pounds.  HOW?  HOW!?  ugh.  I know it will pass and drop back down, but why does my body do this to me and make me feel like a failure?  After all, I was only down a total of 10.5 pounds and it has taken since the end of June to get this far.  It is illogical that 30% of my month and a half loss can reappear in a couple of days.

I'm tired.  My ankles and even more so my knees ache.  I WANT all of the things I'm not allowing myself to eat and I want more of the things I am allowing myself to eat.  I don't want black coffee, I want sugar and cream.  There are better things to eat for lunch than a salad.  A plate of french fries and breaded chicken strips are calling my name.  Ooh, and that margarita mix in the cabinet?  Don't get me started.

I admit, my setback launched me (in anguish) to eat some things I shouldn't have today and more calories than I have plans to burn off in my evening workout, so I'll be over on calories today.  I loathe how easily I can self-defeat.

I'm a dreamer - again!  I hadn't realized how long it has been since I last remembered dreams upon my waking, but now that I have two days in a row it feels like forever.  I guess I just haven't been sleeping well for that long.

Even if they were weird dreams, I'll take them.  It feels good.  I've missed you dear other 'dimension'.

I shouldn't have phrased my last post as "completed" as we all know, nothing is ever done.  The sink base, counter top, and tile went in.  I had to have them back to replace a cracked tile and to fix spots in the grout that were lacking.  That was last Friday.  Since then we've been struggling with everything else.

The light is finally in, despite the box being one that was made for a switch and having had wood screws put into it (go Maronda).  The faucet went in, but because the water feed lines the builders used had such huge ends, they wouldn't go up into the granite far enough to meet the faucet stems.  If they had been the normal ones ya'll probably have and can find in the local hardware store they would have been fine.  Now, I can't change to those (at least not easily) because the shut off valves are the ones that you have to pull to turn off and those feeds are connected into those.  We tried extenders on the stems, but they're leaking.  Time to apply more plumbers tape and pray for no rain.

Drilling through the glass tile also required a special bit, which is quite taxing to use on my sad little drill.  Doing a test drill on a piece of extra tile killed one battery and the other battery died doing the first real hole for the mirror.  Now we wait to re-charge.  We also realized that the mounting components we selected won't work with the 1/2" hole we made, as they'll need more, so we'll need to find something else.

I thought "I'll do something quick and easy to feel like I'm making progress".  Yeah, the replacement toilet flush handle is all janky and wobbly when put into place.  So that's coming back out and getting returned - back to the white one.

If I can get past this crap maybe I'll be motivated enough to remove the towel and toilet paper holders and change them out. I have a funny feeling those will tick me off too.

The scale dropped back down again, no worries.  I'm under one milestone now - but still many more pounds to go.  Slow and steady.

No other disasters, thank goodness, since my last report.  Travel for work went well enough and both Avery and I survived our three days of separation.

Today is a big one!  After 2 1/2 years in this house, the minor upgrade to the 1/2 bath is being completed today!  The ugly pedestal sink is gone, the plain stock mirror is gone.  My new floating vanity (yay for a little storage) with a granite top is going in.  Glass tiles will go up the wall behind that vanity/mirror.  A new mirror, light, and fixtures fill finish it off.  It's a small job, but an expensive one.  Bathrooms always are, right?  I am a bit nervous to see all of my components/selections come together.

I need a bubble this weekend.  Everything seems to be near disaster, including that whole thing with the wallet, which we picked up Saturday morning and I'm happy to report was 100% intact.

Tonight while we were out back and Avery was playing in her pool, she tried to grab my phone from the chair.   Ended up then knocking it into the pool when I tried to stop her.  Thank the Lord for the S7 water resistance.  The sound is a bit wonky right now, but I'm hoping and praying that will dry and be back to normal.

I also want an explanation of how I can be sticking to my calories as per my lost it app and working out to be doubly-ensure my calories are under the intake -- but yet this morning I popped back up by a pound and a half from yesterday.  What.  the. hell.  I worked out for an hour earlier today - but I had some ice cream at the pastor's welcome this afternoon, so I need to get back on for another half an hour tonight.  I admit, the ice cream was a bit of wallowing in seeing that weight increase this morning.  It's too easy to feel so defeated.

All I wanted was some fresh veggies.  I went to the cecil farmers market for the first time.  I dunno why I didn't get there before this, it just kept slipping my mind.  Well, I went tonight.  I came home with beets, corn, cabbage, honey, and green beans... But not my wallet.

I can't believe this.  It is so unlike me. I know where and how it happened.  I froze my one credit card, and killed the other along with my debit card.  I had just put my new drivers license in it so I wouldn't forget it for a car rental next week.

It also took until hours later for me to realize.  Fortunately, by then Avery was in bed so I had the ability to fully panic.  I tried hard in prayer to put it down, asking to trust in Him, that He would put it in the hands of one of His people or turn the heart of someone if they picked it up with malice.  I know that I can trust Him, but it is hard to not freak for me.  I need to get better at letting go of control of the uncontrollable - without these types of lessons.

Long story short, if you don't have an emergency contact card in your wallet you should for many reasons.  In this case, so the people who find your wallet have someone to call to reach you.  My wallet is safe, literally - in a safe - at one of the farms.  Road trip tomorrow!

God you are good.  I am truly not worthy of the mercy you show me every day.  Forgive me for my worry, allow my trust in you to be dominant of any anxiety.

Progress.  I've been sticking to my goals.  Yeah, it's only been a week, but it's the getting started that is the hardest.

I ended up getting a detox shake thing from my chiropractor.  I've learned one thing:  I do NOT like the taste of chai latte.  Bleh.  10 days.  I can get through it, right?  At least that's my attitude today (day 3) which is two shakes.  Ask me again after a couple three shake days.  It isn't a meal replacement, but it does pack a punch.  They also advocate avoiding dairy and limiting fruit to 2 servings a day.  There is also an expectation to get your protein intake up.  As with anything, it wants you to drink a lot of water - which is always a big challenge for me.

I've also been tracking calories in general and working out.  The scale is showing 5 pounds down already.  I suspect some of that is eliminating bloating and other things.  That is a crazy pace for the first week and couple of days. Considering my pipe dream weight loss is 33lbs by Christmas, that seems like an excellent start.

It is however disheartening to watch the daily calorie intake limit shrink as your weight shrinks.  It'll get hard.  I know this from experience.

I finally started to work out and track my food intake with some diligence.  It's time.  The weight needs to come off.  I need to not have the possibilities of health problems on my mind.  I'm doing it for me - because I want to feel better (perhaps it will help my back and knee pain and I think I will sleep better too).    But I'm also doing it for Avery.  She deserves a Mummy that can truly keep up with her as she gets bigger and faster.  She deserves to have me around as long as possible, even though the years when I'm driving her crazy.  Back to me - I deserve to get to see her grow up.  Being overweight doesn't align with that last goal.

There is a new carpenter bee hole on the underside of the roof over the deck. I'm very not happy.  After sealing it last year to stop them, what else am I supposed to do?

More on the glass sink...
https://jsgoceana.com/product/oasis-rectangle-undermount/

the short version:
I ordered the "fawn" glass sink via Home Depot (best price I found w/ return options), despite not seeing it in person.  It should be here tomorrow.  Fingers crossed.

the long version:
I tried calling the closest supplier listed on the supplier's website and they only carried one sink, not in the colors I was considering.  I tried several other places that had no clue what I was talking about, that they didn't carry their products and even one place that was a gift store.  Keep in mind that all of them are listed on the website linked above as showroom.  I digress.  I then called the actual place in Jeannette, an hour from me.  They could 'schedule me an appointment' to see their products.  At that point, after several calls, two hours on the road was not appealing to me.

I decided to say screw it and order it from Home Depot.  Conveniently the ship to my house had free shipping and would arrive before the ship to store would!  According to their website I also have 90 days to return it to the store.  If I don't like it or don't think it matches my counter and/or wall tile it will go back and I'll order a black undermount sink from Amazon.  Done.

The next big stress:  How to properly mount the floating cabinet securely that it can handle the weight of the countertop and the sink.  Also odd is that the sink manufacturer's installation guidance indicates you're to screw these brackets into the counter top.  Into ... granite.  Uh?  The good news here is that the countertop provider will do the install of my sink and the counter, so I'd put that 'on them'.

I've had a few days "off" trying to use my vacation time up that is use it or lose it.  I can't say I feel like I've had time off.  This isn't good use of 'vacation' time.  Yes, I've gotten some things done, but others still seem to languish and all the while there remains looming dread of the things waiting for me.

I can say that I stopped at a granite place and picked the granite I want for the half bath.  I've been on the hunt to figure out what to do about the sink given the loss of what I thought was a done deal and with worry over the care and maintenance of copper started looking for something else with pizzazz, or, at a minimum not the 'white or biscuit' options that seem prolific.  Well get this:  glass - shatter proof glass.  Gorgeous.  Made right in Jeannette PA.  I am hoping and praying that one place they list as a retailer in Washington has their products in stock so I can check them out (making good use of tomorrow as a day off) without needing to drive to Jeannette.  I need to load up some of the wall tile I plan to use, and the sample of granite to take with me.  Admittedly they're a bit pricey compared to 'white or biscuit', especially the one of the two colors, but I'm psyched about it and really hopeful that when I see it in person I'll be confident and happy.

I have another expense coming, more yard work/plants (to replace the ones that didn't survive the winter *sigh*).  I weeded again last night and today, filling two dog food bags without being meticulous.  There are some weeds that are just trying to take over - and that doesn't even include the frelling creeper vine that needs attacked out back before it takes over and destroys the bushes and another tree.

I've also been indulging in season 15 of Grey's Anatomy which popped onto Netflix.  It really is true what they say, binge-watching a show isn't great for your mental health.  I feel drained.

I feel like such a slacker.  These attempts to use up the vacation time I would otherwise lose hasn't been easy.  I did a bunch of running today, did 3 loads of laundry, cleaned the kitchen floor, and vacuumed downstairs.  What will I do tomorrow?  What about Monday?  What about Friday of next week? What about the other day I probably need to take?  I am sincerely hoping I can allow myself to unwind enough to take a nap at some point, that would be delightful.

Tonight we headed to the south hills to catch up with my favorite egg's parents and sister who were nearby.  It's been a while since that whole circle was in a single space.

I hit the chiropractor earlier in the week and left with homework.  Part of it is recording my food intake (partially because I mentioned a few things that has her helping me to diagnose a few things), which is good for me right now - it's making me mindful of what I'm eating at a time when I am shifting my brain to weight loss mode and very mindful of how little water I am consuming - which is bad.  The other part is to start taking magnesium and - to get a massage.  It's hard to get scheduled here for a massage.  The one person everyone recommends is usually booked two months out.  The chiro recommended someone else and I am booked for Monday.

I used the treadmill on Saturday and Sunday.  I even did a few minutes on the eliptical on Saturday before the screen wigged out.  I'm pretty sure it needed a new battery (how weird is it that something like that wouldn't plug in? - how much crazier is it that in all of the years I've owned it the battery has lasted?!).  When I took it apart to replace the batteries the one was a bit corroded.  I swapped them, but didn't hop back on the thing to see if it resolved the issue.

I need to get on top of this soon and make it more of a regular occurrence.  I also took the remainder of nap time on Sunday to get some art hung on the walls in that room.  I'm hoping it will 'warm it up' a bit and make me want to stick around longer.

I'm still struggling to get the vacation time achieved that I must before July.  I'm bound to have a few days in the next few weeks where I'm looking for something to do rather than sit at my desk.  Perhaps this is the time to try and focus on logging some time.

The latest health challenge at work started off by encouraging us to get more sleep. I couldn't agree more. I'm always desperately tired. I don't know why it takes them telling me I need sleep to feel like I'm in a competition where I want to get to bed early so I can track reasonable hours of sleep. Of course none of this matters if I simply can't fall asleep or awake in the middle of the night all of my "effort" will be lost.

I'm feeling very overwhelmed again. I guess that's what happens whenever you are understaffed - and nowhere near short of tasks. It's depressing to see one of my co-workers that I was working closely with leave the company. It is also a little disheartening to hear that somebody that's critical to establishing systems in a manner that would keep me employed is also preparing to leave.

It's been a long time, but I'm finally updating my resume. Even if I have no intention of sending it anywhere at this point in time it's therapeutic updated and reassess my current situation.

This past weekend I also prepared the fourth bedroom, clearing the collection of junk away.  I can once again get to the treadmill and elliptical trainer. Now what are my excuses?  For now I see this is progress forward. I'm hoping that this means that my mind is starting to get ready to make a substantial change as well. I really need to get weight off again.  And I know working out will make me feel better and give you more energy while making me rest better too.

Update on the neighbor from my previous post:  I did my best to take the higher road and to reply kindly. However it's clear from this person's subsequent post that they are eager and looking for an argument. I did my best - I kept my mouth shut and I blocked them. It isn't as therapeutic as other options would have been but I know it was the best route.

I am as peeved by another person as I was pleased in my last post.  Seriously.  I have repeatedly had kids running across the street way too close to my vehicle for comfort through the summers here.  Today I again posted to the facebook group for our community highlighting a little girl in a black outfit running across from one house to another without looking and cited "near" a certain address.  Well be damned if the person at that address didn't flip out because I used their house number.

If you buy at house with a nice rounded off number, expect it to be more likely to get selected for a round-about reference.  Also, maybe work to understand the difference between "at" and "near".  Finally, if you lose your crap at someone who is trying to make sure you're keeping your kid safe you're a moron.

In the course of the replies not only did I have this person lose their crap at me while telling me I should have knocked on the person's door I had another person reply "if you don't like kids, move".  I can only imagine the "welcoming response" I would have gotten knocking on a strangers door given the warm replies.  Sheesh.  I truly loathe people.  I pray for your children that they stay safe and alive long enough to learn to do better, despite your lack of parenting.

My persistence paid off tonight.  The new neighbors across the street moved in and I dropped a card in their mailbox, as I have done with all of the neighbors that moved in since I did (which is quite a few).  As I headed out to a church meeting the gentleman there caught me and we talked for a few minutes.  Yay!

A good measure of the weekend is the correlation between how tired and productive I feel.  We're going to call this weekend an extreme success.  Friday night I headed out a little early to get Avery and we headed to the church spaghetti dinner.  We didn't get to meet the new pastor since she bounced early, but we at least got to eat.  From there we headed south to Target (which I already provided commentary on) and Hobby Lobby.

Saturday we were up and off to Starbucks and Little Gym as is our Saturday routine.  With the earlier Little Gym class we are able to get a little more done before nap time, so we headed south again, back to Washington to hit Home Depot and Big Lots, and we squeezed in a visit to Chic-fil-A.  I came home with a new toy for my pressure washer, which was the motivation I needed to get outside and tending to the deck, which I started while Avery napped Saturday and finished today (Sunday) after church.  The toy is an attachment to the pressure washer that spins, so it works nicely on the deck surface, siding, and things of that sort.  I still can't get the soap dispensers to work on the pressure washer, but the water alone is productive for what really irritates me on the deck - the green mold.  I also headed out front to clean off the garage door and a few of the freebies I've scored from the neighborhood (like the wagon*).

I will need to take some of the cleaner I bought to the deck surface in a few weeks w/ a broom to get a bit more grime up, but it looks 100x better already.  I hate that this is going to be a yearly battle.  The houses around here all have green mold growing on the siding. I only had a few spots that struggled in Johnstown and that was on the dark side of the house under the pine trees and that was limited to around the bedroom windows and that was something I only needed to tend to a few times over the years.  Here even the sun beating on the deck and banisters doesn't keep the growth at bay.

After Avery's nap we all went to the water safety day family swim at Goldfish Swim School.  A free hour of family swimming, a woman making balloon animals, and a free kona ice - it was a good time and shockingly -- poorly attended.  There were less people there than at the pay family swims we have attended.

I also picked up my two tomato plants this morning after church and made quick order of getting them 'planted' in my 5 gallon containers.  I repotted the two african violets gifted to me when I was pregnant with Avery too.

I'm proud to report that after I finished the deck today I headed upstairs, and despite Avery not wanting to nap she eventually gave in -- and allowed me to do the same.  I napped!  I needed it big time.  I'm a bit sore and worn out from everything this weekend.

*The wagon was listed on the facebook group for the community a few weeks back as a "come and get this, it's at the curb" thing.  It is a $100 item on Amazon.  Score.  We used said wagon today to walk up to pick up a Little Tykes basketball stand that someone else listed in a similar manner.  Avery has quite the collection of gently used free items set up out back.

Damnit Target.  If you just put a ton of stuff on clearance you should have to hang a warning sign at the front door.   My cart was a happening place tonight.  It doesn't help that Avery now takes what I show/hand her and throws it behind her into the buggy.  I'm glad she likes shopping, but this is going to be expensive.

Work.  Some things are changing there.  I think one of the changes will reduce the stressful situations that have been in place.  I think one of the changes will create a bit more stress.  Both changes have left me feeling a bit sad but optimistic.  It's also given me a bit of a headache.  As I pulled out the excedrin I realized it's been a while since I've gone through a thumper.  It has prb been two months?  That doesn't seem like long for most people, but I was pleasantly surprised by my realization.

I have a hummingbird!  I put up a sugar-water feeder (homemade syrup so no dye in it) about two weeks ago with high hopes and low expectations.  Tonight while we were outside playing on the slide and swing it swooped in, spotted us, and took off.  I'm glad I at least caught a glimpse.  The feeder is under the deck, so it isn't like I'll be able to sit and watch them come in.  I'll have to research if deck level would be 'too high' to hang it.

So.  much.  poop.

Saffy remains solid, thank goodness... especially since while I was gone tonight she went in the hall upstairs.  I can deal w/ that, but the fact that she peed there too kills me.  This is the first pee on the carpet here and it bums me out, we were doing so well.

Danika continues to poop in here way more often than I want to admit.  Half the time she goes outside walks downstairs, pees, comes back up... and poops in the house within minutes or she poops on the deck as she heads back towards the stairs again.  I don't know if the movement (since she is zonked out a great deal of the time anymore) shakes thing loose or if she simply doesn't feel it coming until it's too late.

They're getting older.  I forgive them.  But I could do without all of this.

I am happy to report that Saffy is feeling better.  I've been a bit jealous of these two the past two days.  The weather has been quite lovely and while I'm stuck at my desk they're out lounging in the sun on the deck for part of the day.

Well, crap.  Saffy once again is quite runny - to the point that she went inside twice today, once when I was off to church and once when I ran out for food.  Fortunately, she went on the floor in the hall rather than carpet.  I've cleaned it, but there is still this lingering smell, not of poo but rather, as daycares would call it with a baby, a viral scent.

Hopefully this passes quickly.  It feels like it wasn't too long ago that we went through this previously, but when I look back that was September.  I guess that's good.  While I remain concerned, I'd be moreso concerned if the occurrences were closer together.  Hopefully this round will not require medicine intervening.

I've seen so many folks lately commenting about their pets passing or going through some pretty scary illnesses.  My girls aren't getting younger, that's for sure.  I am not looking forward to those things and it is on my mind.

I rarely have crazy dreams that I ponder throughout the day, but here's one for you - right before I woke this morning...

I was holding Avery, I know there was other family members in front of where I was standing, as I looked towards the horizon, but I cannot say with certainty who.  I don't know if it was sunrise or sunset but the sun was low.

When the color of the sun began to change my first thought was it was part of that sunrise/sunset.  Then, the sun began to shift away and move closer, undulating in size, and even becoming egg-shaped.  Somehow, I saw and knew it to be a sign of the end times.  My brain processed this all very quickly in the dream and I wasn't freaking out.  But I did hit my knees, clutching Avery close in an embrace, and I was praising God.

At that point I saw large robot-like things coming forward towards me, they looked a bit like mechs with crosses on the breast plate.  The one moved its arm in a motion telling me to move off to the side and it was clear they were moving on past/beyond me.

I'm in one of those moods/phases where I'm a bit angry and sad.  The reason?  My kid and work.  It really stinks to be frustrated with work all by itself, but when I have to drop my kid off and be away from her all day to instead immerse myself in frustrations it pushes some buttons.

I'll freely admit jealousy of the women who get to stay with their kids.  Not that I understand how it could happen for people in lines of work where a few years away equates to never being able to find work again - plus, you know, bills and whatnot.

My mind turns to the math.  She's awake for 77 hours a week I get at most 37 of those with her.  It really stinks.  I know she's also getting an education and that even if i were with her now all day every day the time would come when school started and we'd be in a similar position.  It's all just going so fast.

Because my brain likes to torture me, I even start fretting about the start of the week early in the day on Sunday, causing me to feel like I'm losing even more time.  By 10am on Mondays my stomach is twisted.

I'm holding onto the "this too shall pass" stance.  I know we all go through these phases with work, but this one has been bad and longer than many.  It's time to pass.

What a busy day.  I walked out of the house shortly after 7am for our normal Saturday routine (Starbucks and Little Gym).  We were back at 10:20 or so for a quick feeding and back out the door at 11am to get to a first birthday party.  I can't believe I'm attending first birthday parties.  This is for a little gal to a couple that are friends with My Favorite Egg.

It was quite the nice Alice in Wonderland themed affair.  Since it was in Irwin I had asked about visiting with Avery's grandparents.  Nonno was available, so we went and hung out.  We picked some flowers, we fed the chickens, and we headed to... McDonald's at Nonno's suggestion to check out the play area.

I was a bit leery, I mean the play area is meant for older kids - even at Chick-fil-a and we're talking McDonald's, the Walmart of  fast food play areas.  We were in there for maybe 15 minutes and Avery was crying three times.  The first time after she quickly and easily climbed up the stairs on her own and was headed towards the slide.  I climbed up (thank goodness they make them sturdy enough to hold someone my size) to find a little girl hugging her that told me her brother was "in a hurry and accidentally stepped on her hair".  Oy.  I got her down the slide and followed behind her to find her at the bottom crying, but this time I know why - man the static electricity!  zap zap zap.  Back on the ground they had this huge Big Mac in that room w/ a carpeted track around it.  She started running circles and a little boy started behind her.  After two laps I should have trusted my instinct that this kid was going to push her because at the end of lap three he sure did.  Not enough to knock her over or anything, but enough to make her cry.

We got back home a few minutes late for bed time with a zonked kiddo in the back.  I admit, I enjoy her in that state as it means she'll be willing to cuddle.  It was a really nice last 20 minutes of the day.

We're back! Once again we headed off on a cruise ship for a week.  This time we drove to Bayonne to leave on Anthem of the Seas for a week visiting Bermuda and Boston.  Vacations are definitely different with a little one that naps for a couple of hours mid-day, so this one was a bit low key and I don't have a ton of activities to talk about (and there is lots of fun activities onboard this class of ship).

It was pleasant enough travels although a bit too cold to get as much use out of our balcony as I would have liked.  Then again, two decks below our balcony was a smoker area, so that made it less than desirable to sit out anyhow.

I fought a sore throat again all stinking week.  It is one that was negligible during the day but got pretty painful into the evening and overnight.  It made me cough and felt like I had hot sauce dripping down my throat which made me want to swallow all the more.  Even moving my tongue certain ways hurt like I had strained a muscle.

I will note that we took Avery to the pink sand beaches while in Bermuda and we headed to the aquarium in Boston.  We probably waited an hour and a half (easy) in line for the aquarium just to get in and good glory was it packed.  The walk from the bus terminal we rode to was quite pleasant, I could imagine walking about Boston a few weeks later in the year and it being quite lovely.  It was a bit cool and still not yet in bloom.  We had a good time.  It was nice to get away, for sure, I needed that.

We did come back to leaves popping out on the trees - and the grass going crazy, so I was busy mowing/weeding today since I had one more day off.  This is one clump of activities I'd rather do without in the summer.  I hate being stained green with dirt under my nails and feeling my sinuses rebel against the cut grass.

After the work around the house was done we headed out for a bite to eat and a few stops (Big Lots and Aldis - I'll pick up from Giant Eagle tomorrow since I had little here to make meals with after being away).

On our trip back towards my place on the highway we had a bit of a scare.  My Favorite Egg (MFE) said "oh, a deer, no that's a dog".  I can be heard in the video from his car saying "no no no no".  Fortunately the dog got out across both lanes (65mph highway) as both we and the lane beside us tried to screech to a halt.  Well the tractor trailer two cars back in the right lane didn't and hit the one car there, pushing him probably in part into the car beside us and into us.

MFE got us off of the road safely and in the grand scheme without any worries.  His car definitely has some damage, but we just had enough to shake us up a little (or at least me - Avery didn't even seem to notice and she just wanted to go home as it was her bedtime).  To  my understanding everyone was okay and we believe the dog made it safely across and up the hill on the other side. Thankful and blessed.

More stress and drama - calls and questions.  Now we wait.  This and some other issues have been heavy on my mind.  I also have a little girl that has had a cough since Friday, has been working to keep diaper rash at bay, and now she had a couple rather loose diapers today.  I need more sleep than what I've been getting, I assure you of that.

Somedays you learn something about people that you know that shocks you. Sometimes those things make you think about a range of things.

As I've always said - that one person you just don't like (even if you can't put your finger on why) there is someone who loves them.  It's always very apparent when you've got a mutual friend and you find yourself scratching your head wondering why or how on earth your mutual friend finds cause for their relationship with said person.

The scary/bad/evil person is some dark skulking figure without a face, not someone you know.  That's why they say often it is someone close to a victim, the last person you'd suspect, who was the villian.

We often forget that it could easily be us that is the villian in someone else's story.  It could easily be any one of us.
1 Peter 5:8 Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

You're kidding right?

I got mail today from collections for local taxes saying I didn't pay my Cburg taxes in 2016.  Um.  Right, I didn't pay you any local taxes.  I didn't LIVE HERE in 2016.

I guess if you're too lazy to look up on your local records that I purchased the house in February 2017 and too lazy to look at my 2017 taxes which indicated partial year of February to December of 2017 here you probably don't want to go ahead and fight Richland to try and get the money that was paid, rightly, to them, so how about you leave me out of it?

I can't believe I have to waste my time making a telephone call and trying to figure out what I have to do to enlighten them.  Their form says I have to submit proof.  How about you submit proof I lived here?  This is your burden, not mine.

The humidifiers are off.  The heat is off.  The windows and back door are open.  Avery was outside at the end of the day at daycare without her coat.  We went for a walk.  The sun was out.  I spent an hour in the sun cleaning up dog poop in the back yard.

Ok, so it isn't all great, but even that task felt pretty good today.  I am sure winter will get another hurrah, but I see hope today.  It has me in such a good mood that even my long work day yesterday which resulted in me only getting to see Avery for about 30 minutes seemed like a good day.

Work is still being a bear, but I'm trying to make progress where I can.  I won't say I'm not stressing, I am, but I slept!  I actually needed my alarm to wake me this morning.  This is no small thing to me as of late.

The follow up call from the doctor's office said the lab work said I didn't have a UTI and that I could 'stop the antibiotics'.  I don't know what to believe about the two sides of the argument as to what causes antibiotic resistance.  That aside, I felt like something was up with me, so I finished them anyhow.

 I also went back to the dentist for the other filling late last week, so that's done with.  This time it was only two shots of Novocaine and nothing in excessively painful locations.

This week turns my focus away from things about my body maintenance and towards house maintenance.  Starting first, on Tuesday I have the place that will make the bath cabinet for my 1/2 bath coming to measure.  I've decided to do a floating one since this will eliminate a few of my concerns, it is in style as of late, and it will still give me some storage space in there.  It will be good to get the ball rolling in there.  They also gave me pricing for the other bathrooms, which I'd like to do, but only after I have figured out what type of tile I'd like to put down up there and in the laundry room.

I did have someone come clean twice. I'm not sure how I've been feeling about it.  There were things missed in the first clean, and the second clean took even less time and still seemed to have some gaps that tweaked my nerves a bit.  There was to be a third clean, but rescheduling occurred and then some dialog that made me feel even less like this was the situation for me, and that third clean never happened, nor have I heard back.  I've reached out to someone else and they're coming to give me an estimate on Wednesday.

I saw my first robins of the year this morning!  That's a little less than 2 weeks earlier than last year.

I've been quite the slacker so far this year posting to my blog.  Forgive me.

So the eye doctor appointment I mentioned in my last post went well.  No changes whatsoever to the mole on my eye.  I've since gotten one filling, but we ran out of time and couldn't do the second in that appointment, so I have to go back in March *sigh*.  It took three shots of Novocaine, the third into the roof of my mouth because I was still feeling him drilling!

At the beginning of each year I make my rounds to all of the doctors, so I guess it makes sense that I start to sound like an old person with everything falling apart, but I also have to report that I'm on antibiotics today too.   I had my gyn appointment yesterday where I asked for them to test my urine for a UTI.  When I was pregnant I had my first/only one and it was completely asymptomatic then, so some oddness I've been noticing lately combined with my existing appointment had me wanting to know.

I've had a headache that I've been beating away for weeks now too, which has given me a stiff neck, a feeling that my head is too heavy to hold up, and tired achy eyes.  Of course I'm now making myself paranoid as I look around on Google.  I guess we'll see when the lab tests come back, but either way I've started the antibiotics.

I feel like a little kid again... after a loooong time, I have cavities that need filled.  Not one, but two.  *ugh*  I haven't had to have anything like that done since I was in NC, so like more than 15 years ago, and even then I think it was only replacing older fillings.  I've been drinking the local water which is fluoridated, so why do I still have cavities HMM?  Yeah, poison, I know, but I got sick of lugging bottles of water.  I still do it for Avery, but I'm drinking their poison.

Tomorrow I return to the eye doctor for a follow up to my appointment 6 months ago where they saw a mole/freckle on the back of my eye that they want to make sure isn't growing or changing.  I was so busy dreading that appointment and I didn't give the dentist visit the proper amount of worry.

Polar vortex.  This means my car says it's -4 out and I can really tell how poorly insulated things are here.  The hinge on the front door had ice forming on it... on the inside of the house.  I've always felt a cascade of cold air falling from the window over the kitchen sink, but dang it's cold right now.

I'm once again super grateful for my garage. Of course, without it being allowed to have a heat vent it is down in the 30s in there too.  But that's definitely better to expose myself and Avery to as we come and go.

The comments I made in my last post - well things have begun to escalate on their own.  The next week or so should be interesting to see how things pan out.  This again leaves me somewhat sad for the whole situation.

I'm over here pouting that another weekend has ended so quickly.  Friday was a bit rough, it involved carefully mulling over and then choosing my words in an email.  When one of the folks above me said "do you have a minute to talk" I thought I was in trouble.  Instead I was told how well worded that reply was and how grateful they were.  whew.  The stress is still there at work as we close out that one effort.  I just want it totally done, but I know that some of the conflict will likely go on beyond this effort.  I'm trying to do my best to not escalate things.

The winter storm that came through didn't end up producing much around here.  It gave me plenty of time to do our shopping yesterday and get home before the rain really set in.  It rained pretty hard up through the middle of the night, so I was pretty concerned when I woke up and decided after a few peeks out the window that we were not heading to Starbucks and off to church.  Eventually they cancelled church.  (How crazy is that.  You're not a Catholic anymore when that happens, that's for sure.)  A while later the plows were in the neighborhood, so we decided to venture to Starbucks after all.

After coming home Beff and J visited with us since they were up in the burgh for an event, so we had a nice visit for the afternoon.  This did put off Avery's nap, but she went down easily after they left.

It was a nice weekend, to hell w/ the weather, but it sure was too short.

Today was weird... random out of nowhere call from someone I haven't spoken to in quite some time.  Who decides to call because they were looking for someone w/ the same first name in their phone, didn't have them, so they call you?  Ok, whatever.  It was nice to hear from you.  Also flattering to know you have at least spotted things on my facebook and know what's up with me.  It's always nice to know when people you aren't tight with keep tabs.

Settle down 2019.  It's only two weeks in and you're causing all kinds of drama.

Last weekend we attended a viewing for one of my few local friends' father. This past week was hair on fire getting ready for a client demo this morning that was deferred due to weather at the 11th hour.  I was off and on the computer all weekend looking for the completion of materials that never came.  I'm frustrated to say the least with that.

But that wasn't the big ordeal this weekend.  On Saturday we learned our daycare's plans to be sold to a new owner were falling through and it was closed - immediately.  Well hell.  Fortunately, both of us have pretty understanding work situations.  My Favorite Egg was able to get work in yesterday to cover such that he could be here today with Avery and I could work as planned, since I was supposed to have the aforementioned demo.

We took some time midmorning to go checkout another daycare that gave me comfort, so we're signed up starting next Monday.  We had already worked out care for the remainder of this week with the aforementioned friend who lives very near me and their nanny.  There will still be some internal drama for me as I know these new experiences could freak Avery out, but I'm going to try and chill as to not allow her to feel my anxiety.  If I could stay chill for her while prego I can do it now.

As to good drama, my one other friend here in the area just became a Grandpap today, on my Mum's birthday!  Avery is his "PGB" (Practice GrandBaby). Fortunately the newbie is a boy, so she can still be his one and only Practice GrandDaughter.