Neighbors Across the Street

Long ago I made a post about ideas to write about. Neighbors was one of the topics. Something happened this week to bring that idea to the top of the list.

I love our subdivision. It's just regular middle class, a lot of homeowners who are the original purchasers of the house. But some of the houses, like the one across from us, are rented out. Now, with that said, I don't think renters are bad or rental houses, either.

Second, before I start, I want you to know that I RARELY talk bad about people. I'm not the gossipy type (which you should have noticed from all my previous posts).

But this just takes the cake and I have to share it with everyone.

The couple across the street have 7 children. Or I should say the WOMAN has seven children. There are 4 different fathers involved. The kids range in age from 19 to a set of twins that are just over a year old. (And by the way, the twins are NOT the "dad's" kids. They split up for a bit and she got pregnant)

All this is really fine by me. It has nothing to do with me. She/They can live their life however.

Before they split up a couple years ago, they fought constantly. Now how would I know? Because they fought outside in the front yard, up and down the street screaming obscenities at each other. The police came many times (although we never called). It really was embarassing when we would have people over and they would start their fighting. Sometimes at night it would even wake us up.

But all this is just background info.

So this week has been really hot out. Great sunny weather, perfect for tanning.

This woman has decided to make her front yard her "sunbathing" spot. She's laying out front, slathering on the oil, in a skimpy bikini in the front yard!!! Okay, I do all those things BUT the front yard part. That's just a little over the top. Hubby was laughing and telling me about it the other day, how she was walking around the front yard as she oiled up, wiping her body everywhere, etc. His reenactment of this had me rolling on the floor laughing.

I then got to see it for myself and was just mortified.

So a message to all those out in cyberworld. The front yard just really isn't a place to layout in your bikini. Your neighbors will laugh at you and write about you in their blog.

Tune in next time to get the story of the NEXT DOOR neighbor. And I really should do the katycorner neighbors too.

I wonder what they think about us? LOL

Coupons in a Bad Economy

I said I had a lot to say and was going to lump it all together and then I got so excited when the embedded video worked, I forgot to say everything else I wanted to say!

I got a coupon in the mail a couple days ago, from Bed Bath and Beyond. It's a great store and has all kinds of gadgets and gizmos that you really don't need but absolutely love. Plus they always seem to have exactly what you are looking for, even it you can't afford it. So the coupon in the mail, advertising 20% off a single item was enticing!

Until I read the small print at the bottom. And I mean really small. Like get to the store and they point it out and your like, "What? That's writing down there?"

So here is what the fine print said. Limit one per customer (okay, that's normal). No copies please (Another normal statement on a coupon) Coupon must be surrendered at time of purchase (Okay, I won't be wanting to put it in the scrapbook anyway). Coupon valid through dates listed above (the last normal thing written in the fine print.) The next sentence lists 44 (yes, 44 - two fours) different BRANDS that the coupon CANNOT be used for. I have never seen a coupon like this before. I could see maybe one or two, but 44? And of course, they are all the good brands of stuff that you would actually want to BUY at Bed Bath and Beyond.

So at this point, I am wondering what on earth the coupon COULD be used for, aside from the suckers they sell in the checkout lanes.

I showed this to hubby. We agreed this was a really good marketing ploy. The old bait the customer. For example, dyson is on the list that isn't 20% off.

So you go to BB and Beyond thinking "Great I'm gonna get that new vacuum at 20% off. I can just see myself using it! I'm going to LOVE it." (I use a vacuum simply because I have a love affair with my own and can relate to this scenario.)

You get to the check out lane and hand them the coupon. They explain to you it isn't 20% off and show you the fine print with a magnifying glass. You're embarassed, let down, and there are screaming kids and ancy husbands in line behind you. So, you pay full price for it, because you had planned on getting it and the pressure in the line is enormous.

Hence, they have won. They got you to buy a full price vacuum cleaner.

So be careful out there - read the fine print, especially these days.

So Much to Say

I have so much to blog about today and so little time. I'll probably just end up doing a bunch of stuff all together.
First, my students in summer school have been doing wonders!
I'm going to try to embed one of their videos here (hope it works). This one was really sweet and inspirational, plus he used some really choice vocab words :)



I think this ended up working :) Yeah for me! I love it when I try to do something new and it works!

The Sun Came Out

I am WAY better today/tonight. The sun was out in full force, the pool was great. I have missed all that so terribly much lately.

My dearest friend who lost her husband earlier this year also came over for a visit on Monday night. She's staying quite busy and I am really amazed at her strength - but then again, not really.

So now to the confession about how I am the absolute worst friend ever. She came over on Monday evening for dinner. Tuesday was her birthday. And I forgot. Totally forgot the next day was her birthday. Totally forgot her birthday was even in June until she casually mentioned she was going out to dinner with her son the next night.

I felt so absolutely horrible. I don't even know how it happened, except for the fact that the calendar was still on May. Sigh.

A Wordle Inspired by a comment and the weather

Okay - here is my wordle for the day. I really don't know how to do this all fancy. This will have to do.

Here is the link to see more and make your own: http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/940532/Untitled

Here is the link where the idea came from (a fellow blogger): http://mylastshredsofsanity.blogspot.com/

I'm Whining

Sis, please come home soon and get back to work so someone reads my blog.

Weather, please please pretty please, let the sun come out. I miss it. This has been the longest winter ever. I feel my brain shrinking from lack of vitamin D.

Dear Dentist, I am so sorry it has been four years since you put me in so much pain. Yes, I see your little reminder card that makes me laugh with the cute picture on front. It's all a sham. You don't make me laugh.

Sun, I miss you. I'm cold all the time. Anything 80 or above would be nice. Do what you can.

Work, while I am enjoying my part-time summer school job, I miss you terribly. I confess, I am a workaholic and can't wait to start back in the fall (provided Sun and Weather cooperate and I have a great tan by the first day of school).

Thank You Computer Gods

I got the red screen of death the other day. No lie. Just like in a movie. Then big letters in the middle of the screen "physical boot dump begins now."

I screamed and did what any sane person would do. I turned it off. I couldn't stop it.

So that day I call the IT help desk. They can see my computer on Monday morning at 6:30. I was thankful. Even though I had to go a whole entire weekend without it.

And for those of you who have read long ago posts, yes, I was cuddling with my pink external hard drive all weekend long.

I had backed up over spring break and was pretty happy to have done that. I had also backed up my book. EXCEPT for the last 100 pages. Okay. I wrote it once, I can do it again.

So I drop off my baby at the doctor bright and early and head off to summer school. Yes, the summer school computer teacher shows up on the first day of school without her computer. Ironic huh?

So after that, I head to MY school to get all the disks for picture editing, the scanner, the document camera, etc.

And you knew it had to be in here somewhere - yes, I made a LIST of all the websites I might have lost from the favorites section and a list of countless other things that needed to be reinstalled.

As I walked out of my school, I grabbed the phone to call the computer doctor and check in on my little one. I could come pick it up!

I have to admit I was a bit worried, but mostly about how much time it was going to take me to reinstall and refind everything.

All worrying was for naught. I DIDN'T LOOSE A THING!!!! I don't know how it happened or why.

The doc said he "ran a couple programs and it started working." I was elated!!!!!! I walked out of the office hoisting it up over my head in joyous triumph. For once, it all worked out.

Summer Lemons

Ah, just when you thought I was finally growing some brains . . .

At the dollar store yesterday I was looking for a "smelly" for my car. I passed by the cleaning aisle and was overcome with lemon - it was fabulous. I had to have one for my car.

I picked it up. It said, and I quote, "Bowl Cleaner AND Air Freshener" I thought it was interesting that something would do double duty, but it really did smell nice and clean.

I got to the car and saw it was a toilet "smelly" - okay, I kind of thought it was. But then I read the fine details "cleans the bowl and freshens the air with every flush" Hmm, not a lot of flushing going on in the car. So now I am hoping the dog gone thing doesn't melt and become a gooey mess all over my car.

I'm not taking it out. It still smells good. :)

Topiary

I think topiary is one of the neatest arts. I like the idea of shaping something to look like something it isn't.

Alas, I will never be mistaken for Edward Scissorhands though. I just can't do it.

The photo on the left is my attempt at a whale with water coming out of his blowspout. I have been working on this one for about 3 years. I'm sure you can see the resemblance.

The photo on the right is my spiral cut. I even started out with this one already done for me.

There are some things I just can't do.

The Pitfalls (or rather, just the pits) of Wrought Iron

I was all set to write about something else. Even took pictures of my injury to share with you. I will explain that later, but this is first. (And yes, it is my foot. )

I just got off the phone with my mom. I'm sitting out on the deck. In my swimsuit (pool is full but too cold). I'm in a wrought iron chair. You know, the kind with the little diamond weave pattern.

Before I get too far, I have to tell you I love wrought iron. It holds up so well, it's durable, if it's powder coated you don't have to paint it for a while, you can have large friends sit on it and not break it, etc.

The one and only thing I don't like about it is that it is a fat sucker, meaning, it sucks the fat of my butt down into the holes. Making it extremely painful to get up. Yes, I have pads but with all the rain lately, they are hanging on the chairs by one tie (they seem to dry faster that way). Hence, the pitfalls of wrought iron.

So what did I do today you may ask. Well, I got beat with a stick.

We had a pile of brush as high as me that needed to be cut down so it could either be put in bags or burned in the fire pit. A lot of it was from an overgrown willow (willowy littler stinker).

I cut all the tiny branches off, but not all the way down to the main branch, therefore making it like some medieval weapon with spikes all over it. Of course, this particular stick fell and punctured my toe. So I did what anyone does when a stick attacks and I threw it out in the yard behind me to deal with later.

Later . . .

Not looking where I was going, I backed in to the dog gone thing and it whipped around and stabbed me in the heel. I wear the blood as a badge of honor. The stick will be burned tonight amidst much gaeity and celebration. I will win.

Will I Jinx it?

Today was a glorious sun filled day.

We are in the middle of filling the pool. YEAH!!!!

We laid out for a while, working on not being so pasty white and sickly looking. (Days upon days of rain tends to make you look a bit sickly anyway - kinda scaly and you start to get these creases on your neck, you know, like gills.)

I feel asleep on the back deck reading a book - how delicious is that???? Until some stupid dog in the neighborhood started barking.

I ate TWO Reese's Peanut butter cups. Talk about indulging!

We ate dinner out on the deck, in shorts and tank tops, rather than sweaters and pants.

It's almost starting to feel like summer! Just might have to go in for a game of washers tomorrow! Can't wait till we are playing ping pong in the pool! (I'll have to fill you in on that another time - it's a blast)