August 2004 Archives

I have the first draft of my new will, living will, guardianship, trust finished. A couple more times going thru it and I think it is ready for the lawyers to exam. I found this nifty little program for household inventory,My Stuff. It is a very simple utility, small and covers most anything the average household needs. I am currently beginning to input all of our stuff. Cataloging this house will take a couple weeks, but I am up for it. It is best to strike while the iron is hot. I guess you can say I am spooked by the possibility of the future and what will happen to my kids and how they will be supported. Whatever the reason this needs to be done and no time like the present to get a huge jump on it. Getting everything in one place with instructions on what to what with and when to do it and how to do it and what happens with the kids, etc., it has given me a little piece of mind that the girls while suffering a loss will never lose their home and can go to college, etc. Steven is rewriting his will and setting up new investment accounts for the kids. We have been talking about investing in a few stocks and as we progress we will be building the kids a small portfolio to aide their future. I know I may seem overboard about getting this done as quickly as possible, but we all should really get on the bandwagon for the sake of minor children that would be left behind. Steven is supportive and understands my need to get this done. We have discussed it several times in the past year but haven't really made an effort to do anything but get some major documents in 1 location, etc. So, a big amount of the most needed items is complete. I am off to tackle my obsession.

The details are sketchy, but one of my step-cousins was killed Sunday night. Details are few, but it seems his wife shot him in the head while he was sleeping execution style. His 3 yr. old son was a witness. She and the children stayed in the house for 3 days until suspicions of my step-uncle led to the discovery of the body late Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. She visited his parents home for 2 days and acted as if nothing was wrong at all. His employer called his father's home asking why he had not been to work in days and eventually the truth came out with law enforcement present at the discovery of the body. What the fuck is up with that? According to family, she had told the older child that he had a bad headache and was sleeping on the couch. The son, 3 yrs. old, in the custody of his grandparents now, described what he saw in a matter of fact way telling them it wasn't good to be shot in the head because it made a big mess and was very loud. She had to be insane or desperate or both. Further details are in the past couple months she had charged up a cash advance on several credit cards he did not know they had to a total of $30,000.00. When he found out he told her she had to help him find a way to pay that massive amount of money or she was going to have to leave. I guess for her leaving wasn't an option and neither was pauing back the money unless she thought his insurance would cover the bill. I am shocked and at a loss for words to describe the utter disbelief that someone could coldblooded murder someone in such a way and let the body lay for days. My God, what is this world coming too? This was the man who she made vows to before God to love forever, the father of 1 son, step-father to her older daughter, and father to the child she is 7 months pregnant with. How in the hell could she possibly do something so bad and their child witness it? How could she even think it? I don't know what to say. Clint was 31 yrs old and had a great life to finish living. We never know when our time is up. We were not chummy close, but before I moved to Virginia I saw him almost every single day, either in passing on the highway or at his work which was next door to my own job. His obituary, from the local newspaper: Johnny Clint Walden Plant Voglte Employee WAYNESBORO, Ga. - Mr. Johnny Clint Walden, 31, died Sunday, August 21, 2004 at his residence. Clint worked in the maintenance department at Plant Voglte. He was a member of the Crossroads Baptist Church. He was a member of the Sons of The Confederacy, Vidette Hunting Club and the Secretary of Burke Dugout Club. Funeral services will be held at 4 p.m. Friday, August 27, 2004 at the Crossroads Baptist Church with Brother Mike Andrews, Brother Keith McFeely and Brother Ron Drawdy officiating. Interment will follow at Burke Memorial Gardens. Clint was preceded in death by his mother, Betty Jean Walden. Clint is survived by his wife, Amy Davis Walden; son, Jordan Chase Walden and step-daughter, Heather Wheatley. Other surviving family members are his father, J. C. Walden, Blythe; step-mother Juanita Walden, Blythe; two brothers Charles "J.C. Jr." Walden (Kaye), Augusta, Clay Walden (Charlotte), Waynesboro; three sisters, Beverly Black (Mark) , Penny Walden, Essie Broxton (Randy), all of Waynesboro. Also survived by step-sister, Pamela Jowett of North Carolina and seven nephews, six nieces, one great-niece and one great- nephew. Pallbearers will be Jay Glisson, Doug Richardson, Bill Cobb, Chris Stewart, Chris Broxton, Richie McClellan, David Rogers, Dale Godbee, Rusty Broxton and Rob Daniel. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, August 26, 2004 at the DeLoach-Kennedy Funeral Home Chapel, Waynesboro. In lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made the Trust Fund for the Children of Clint Walden. Capital City Bank, 615 Liberty Street, Waynesboro, Ga. 30830 Arrangements by DeLoach-Kennedy Funeral Home, 842 Liberty Street, Waynesboro 706-554-3531. Sign the guestbook at AugustaChronicle.com Published in The Augusta Chronicle on 8/26/2004 Newspaper Link Things like this make mortality in-your-face reality. I have 2 children, 17 and 6. I feel the need to update my will and have my personal burial wishes written in black and white. I will be doing this today posthaste.

Steve is writing me my very own personal program for genealogy. There are some features by some software programs I like and many I don't, but there is nothing that has everything I like in one. Steve is fixing that. He spent the weekend writing over 3600 lines of code and has made a huge advance on his ideas. I love that he asks me my opinions about features and things I would to have available. He often is watching TV or listening to TV and a brain storm hits and he sits for a couple hours pounding it out on the laptop. This might bother some people, but I enjoy it. I love having him near. I love to watch his face when he is thinking. The expressions he makes, I can almost see the gears in his head turning. I spent the time pounding out my own ideas. I created a submission form for a family group sheet that family members can fill in and send to me via email. I also made a printable version for those family members who do have access to a pc. I wrote some letters and managed to add over 100 people to the family database. What can I say, we are geeks. Sci-Fi on in the background, a couple glasses of water, a few smokes and a machine and we are oblivious to the rest of world! It's bliss :-)

Today was my 38th birthday. I share this day with my grandmother. I am her first grandchild and born on her birthday ... what a great birthday present!lol My day started at 3am when my cell phone kept going off. The damndest thing, it said the calls were originating from MY phone. Go figure. We were asleep and the phone was in my purse beside the bed on the floor. :-s After tossing and turning for an hour and not going back to sleep, I got up to keep from waking Steven who had to get up at 5:20 am to go to work. I went downstairs, watched TV, fixed his lunch and started a load of laundry. I tried to go back to bed after Steve left but around 8/8:30 my sister and niece called to say, "Happy Birthday!" Steve called at 8:39 to wish me a happy birthday and this morning before he left for work he sang to me. I recieved a card from my grandmother and Steven's Aunt Arlene. My mom called twice. She had a date tonight. Steven took us out to dinner to an indian place I have wanted to try. "Taste of Tandorr" was the name. I was surprised as the restaurant is in a litle shopping center. I was not expecting such a nice place. Small tables with dressed waiters and settings for a formal dinner. Steve had "lamb stuff" (I just asked what he had and that is what he said) Colby had the Logan Josh, I had he tandorri chicken. It was good food. Not the best I have had, but it was good. I would go back again. This is where the civility stops. In an ethnic restaurant operated by those persons frpm India, of course they have an accent. When asked what her beverage would be Gracie wanted to know if they had slurpees as if we were at the 7-11! LMFAO When Colby ordered she wanted to point at the menu so she wouldn't mess up the native tongue. The waiter was flirting a bit and had her read the menu items to him, much to her embarrassment. You can surely imagine the jokes about 'native tongue' Steven came up with and none of them involved speaking or language. He is so bad. We returned home and waited 30 minutes to have dessert. Steven and Colby had every intention of making me a chocolate/chocolate mousse cake with raspberry cream. I had a chocolate cake with raspberry mousse icing. Most of the icing had slid off the too warm cake and pooled in the edges of the cake plate. The top layer was cracked, and the mousse still had the raspberry seeds in it. Bless their hearts, they tried and that is what matters. They tried to give me my favorite cake on my birthday. Doesn't really matter what it looked like or tasted like. The thought was sinfully delicious. Thank goodness it is friday night. I have been ready for the weekend for days now. We have to make a trip to the Salvation Army sometime this weekend. I cleaned out the closets and drawers and got rid of everything they couldn't or wouldn't wear. There has to be 5 or 6 rather large bags of clothing and shoes to be donated. The week before last we had them pick up a glass top table and 4 chairs, a corner TV stand and a VCR/DVD rack. The house is finally taking real shape with room to grow in. I am stuffed to the gills. I had far too much to eat. See ya'll tomorrow.

Steve's parents came for supper tonight. I cooked Italian and the kids played up the parts .. ok we did too. For our place settings we had name cards with an Italian flavor. Not all of the names were Italian but it was fun to play along with the fake accent. Here is the guest list: Steve's Mom - Sue (Susan) - Susanetta Steve's Dad - Richard - Riccardo Steven - Stefano Me - Angela - Angela Colby - Coletta J. (Jaclyn) - Jaclynetta Gracie (Grace) - Gracicia Menu Salad Course Tossed greens with tomato and cucumber and an italian oil dressing 2 antipasta dishes Bread and butter Iced Water Entree Course Lasagne with beef and tomoato sauce Lasagne with spinach and white sauce Bread with whole garlic cloves baked in it and butter Dessert Chocolate Birthday Cake The Wine List Red wine, Black Swan Shiraz and Merlot - (for the kids sparkling red grape juice) Australia’s exotic black swan: a rare combination of elegance and mystery that embodies the unique character of Australia and the distinctive wines of Black Swan. Awaken your sense of adventure… Winemaker's Notes Our Black Swan Shiraz-Merlot is a unique combination of Aussie favorites. The Shiraz provides dark berry flavours and hint of black pepper, while the Merlot adds sweet, ripe plum flavours and a soft, velvety mouth feel. Enjoy our Shiraz-Merlot with grilled meats and rich pastas. Varietal Content: 75% Shiraz, 25% Merlot Residual Sugar: 0.70 Titratable Acidity: 0.63g/100ml pH: 3.38 Alcohol Level: 13.5% White wine (for the kids sparkling white grape juice), Cavit, Pinot Grigio Trentino-Alto Adige, Italy If you are looking for a wine that is enjoyable now then the Cavit Pinot Grigio is for you; this Italian white wine is light and refreshing with citrus and melon flavors on the finish! Winemaker's Notes Color: Intense red characterized by slight orange-terracotta highlights which develop with prolong aging. Taste: Delicate fruit taste is redolent of berries with cherry notes. Good body with a pleasing finish. Alcohol: 12% I don't know much about wines but I do know a few things. I know what I like. I know a good wine doesn't mean an expensive wine. I prefer Australian wines to any other regional wines, particularly the South Eastern Australian Vineyards. I don't particularly care for red wines however I liked the Black Swan and will buy it again. It is rich and hardy and I think it will be great this winter with a rich beef dish. The table was also dressed with various condiments and dishes Black and green olives Crushed mixed red peppers Grated Parmesian Olive oil for dipping the bread etc For each place setting I used a blue gingham place mat, a red gingham napkin, my stonehouse farm dinnerware, and Steven's silver and gold flatware. A large goblet for red wine, a small goblet for white and an iced tea glass for water. For dessert Steven's mom and dad brought over a birthday cake. Before dessert we had the entertainment hour. The kids read poetry, J. and Sue sang "I wish I were a slippery bar of soap". Steven sang "Whatsa Matta You" and Dad did a partial "Nelly from Guam". It was a fun family hour. Afterwards we had my borthday cake. WOW!! It was a triple layer chocolate with chocolate mouse/brinoshe icing. It was rich and decadent! One slice was too much. To quote Dad, "If anyone left the table hungry it is because they didn't eat!" My birthday is friday and I was surprised with an early birthday because J. will not be here friday. She goes back to her mother's Thursday evening. This morning the kids gave me a lovely little teacup and sauce they had made from clay and painted blue with white filligree, a bracelet they made with charms that each have a meaning - PC, because Steve and I met online, and I love machines, lips for all the kisses they want to give and get, a phone because Steve and I were never more than a phone call away before we moved here, glasses because I wear glasses and hearts inbetween each for each of us. Steven gave me a bottle of white diamonds perfume and body lotion. Here is where it gets tricky ... ok Steve is always teasing me about being Baptist as he is Catholic and we have a lot of jokes and teasing, so I opened 2 gifts and it was KJV Bibles. I thought it was a joke and teasing and I made funb of the company that published them and said ok Mr. Smartass I have a Bible and you know it, I guess these are for you heathens, one for you and one J. .... ooops ... the Bibles were not a joke. He thought I needed a new Bible and he was generous and serious about them as a gift ... the joke was actually 2 movies he got ... "Bibleman" starring Willie Aimes .... live and learn ... I felt so bad for putting down the gift, I thought it was really a joke ... he was hurt because he felt like he screwed up ... leave it to me and my big mouth. My grandmother and I share a birthday. We were both born on August 20th. I will be 38 and she will be 72. This past week she was diagnosed with lung cancer. About 17 years ago she had lung cancer and after surgery was free of the disease all these years. After several months of being very ill and even once told she may not make it thru the week, she is now facing a battle again. God bless her and please don't let her suffer. Recipes Red Sauce Lasagne 1 can hunts garlic and herb spaghetti sauce - 1 can hunts basil and garlic tomato paste Simmer slowly till it begins to thicken. Brown off 2lbs hamburger, drain, saute with 3 cloves garlic and 1 chopped medium onion. 1 large cottage cheese, 1 large ricotta cheese, 12 oz parmesian cheese Mix well. Add more parmesian if the cottage cheese has too much liquid. You want it to look thick almost like plaster. Spray baking pan with cooking oil. Place a little sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Build the lasagne in this order: Lasagne noodles 1/2 Beef and tomato sauce Sprinkle with mozzerella Lasagne noodles 1/2 Cheese mixture Lasagne noodles Other half Beef and tomato sauce Grated mozerella Sprinkle of parmesian Let sit overnight in refrigerator. Take out and set on counter one hour before baking. Bake at 350 degree oven until bubbly and cheese is nicely toasted. White Lasagne 1 large cottage cheese, 1 large ricotta cheese, 12 oz parmesian cheese Mix well. Add more parmesian if the cottage cheese has too much liquid. You want it to look thick almost like plaster. 1 large bag of baby spinach greens - 1 large zuchini grated Spray baking pan with cooking oil. Place a little sauce in the bottom of the baking pan. Build the lasagne in this order: Lasagne noodles 1/2 of the spinach leaves Sprinkle with mozerella and parmesian Lasagne noodles 1/2 Cheese mixture Lasagne noodles Grated Zuchinni Sprinkle of parmesian cheese Lasagne noodles Other 1/2 of spinach leaves Other 1/2 of cheese mixture Sprinkle with parmesian and mozerella Let sit overnight in refrigerator. Take out and set on counter one hour before baking. Bake at 350 degree oven until bubbly and cheese is nicely toasted.

Steve's mom took the girls out to lunch and to the see the movie Princess Diary 2. I should be doing something for myself as this is the first day in almost a year that I have had to myself. Instead I pulled out all my little stashes and wrapped all of the presents for the kids that we have collected so far. I stashed them in the storage under the stairs. Colby - Versace Red Jeans Perfume, All Dressed Up pink poodle french soaps, chef's coat and hat, the book Uppity Women of the New World, a book about breads, The Italian Kitchen Bible, To Be A Princess, a pink and black persian box with earrings (the box is cuter than the earrings lol, a lovely black scoop necked dress - she will look so chic. J. - My Overstuffed Life purple scrapbook, purple charm pen and the best friends addition set, Jacob Have I Loved, a full length dress wool coat in ice blue, a similar pink box with a lovely heart and natural pearl bracelet, and a pair of blue faux suede snowboots. Gracie - My Overstuffed Life pink scraqpbook, pink charm pen and the school time addition set, Ramona Forever, a full length red wool coat with black velvet trim, a similar pink box with fresh water pearl necklace and earrings, and a pair of pink faux suede snowboots. For J. and Gracie to share we have been buying crayola products when we find them on sale, they have about 20 different packs of assorted markers, crayons, pens etc. for their art projects. J. and Gracie's Christmas dresses should have arrived from Dillard's today but so far nothing has come. I am also waiting for Colby's snowboots. Sunday this month is half over, how fast the year is slipping away.

The elder child has submitted her christmas list: CD's Modest Mouse Franz Ferdinand Short Skirt/by Cake Rocco Dispirito Cookbook Jane Austen Movies/Box Set Ribbon/Pearl Choker Ameila Peabody's Egypt: A Compodeum J. has only asked for a Hoverdisk, when she found out it was a big frisbee she decided it wasn't what she wanted. Gracie wants barbie clothes. Hmmmm ... wonder what Santa will bring ...

We went to the mall in manassas. We had never been there, we wanted to go to Hecht's and it was closer than going to Fairfax. The younger girls got a new pair of athletic shoes at Footlocker. They were on sale, 2 pair for $49.99. J. got pale blue with white and Gracie got white with a touch of pink. At another shop they both got navy blue loafer type shoes to go with the winter dresses we bought. They also got a sweatsuit/lounge suit type outfit and J. picked out a skirt and blouse. I chose tights and completed the outfit. She looks adorable and was so proud to wear it. Her daddy was pleased to hear say she felt like a princess in her new outfit. Somewhere along the way she has this impression we are poor :-s ... we are not rich but we are not poor. We are middle class America and can afford to buy a few outfits for our girls. They choose what they would like then I impose restrictions or suggest other choices. The rules in this house are: 1. We try never to pay full price, but will pay a fair price. 2. I get the final word on clothing for the girls. 3. We don't buy grundge or clothing inapropriate for the age. 4. We don't show skin that should be covered ... bathing suits are a limited exception, we don't buy skimpy suits. 5. We don't buy things that won't last long or things that cannot be worn with other things we have. That's pretty much it. Decent, age appropriate things for girls. I did some shopping for Christmas when I could smuggle things past the kids. I got Gracie a beautiful red wool dress coat and J. one in ice blue. I bought them 2 sizes bigger so the girls would get a couple years wear out of them. I was looking for coats and found little to nothing under $285, I found these 2 at Burlington and paid $89 ... good deal, I don't believe I could have found them anywhere else for less. They are Rothschild's 100% wool and are BEAUTIFUL for young girls. They need a berret lol Our kids rarely ask for toys, they like books, clothes, jewelery. I think Santa's toy sack will be minimal this Christmas ... our fashion plates like to accessorize lol I have occassionally found great deals on books on Amazon, have a few pieces of small jewelery and perfume and now am buying things I know they can wear in a few months. I am usually finished with Christmas shopping by the first November and plan to be done by that time this year. Have you ever noticed how prices go up near the holidays and selections are limited? Take a hint: Buy books and CD's at Amazon from the dealers ... I have only been disssapointed once. I bought a used book and it was in gravely bad shape. Other thasn that, everybook has been new and sold for 50% or more less than reg price.

I felt so awefull when J. was looking at Gracie who had to try on her school clothes. She would look at the dresses and skirts and say, "I wish my mom would buy those kinds of things for me." Repeatedly those comments dug into me. I know she will not get such things left to her mother to provide them. I get the impression her mom detests girlish things and discourages feminine behavior, which Steve has said I am right on in my thinking. Girl things, especially dolls and dresses and pink have always recieved sarcasm and snide remarks to the point J. often expressed upon first meeting she was a tomboy and even as late as recently made comments about wanting to be a boy. Hell, she gave Steve a book last Christmas about how to talk to and raise a daughter ... it was a piece of shit little book that answered q's on puberty and such, and the comment was "I don't know how to raise a girl." Stupid cow, she is supposed to be a grown woman and can't figure out how to raise her daughter. Blows my mind and makes her intelligence highly questionable. Anywho ... I took back a pair of shoes for myself and got the very last pair of clogs for J. based on the morning comment, "At first I did not like the shoes you got yesterday but I really like them, they are cool and very comfy." The comments on the dresses got to me too. I went back and got her one of the plaid drop waist dresses she admired, with the knowledge the clothes were to be worn to school but returned here and not considered part of her wardrobe at her mom's. If we buy school clothes, it will become expected and her mother will not spend the child support on J., she will find other uses for it. Yes, it happens, we have seen it. J. rarely comes back with anything when they go shopping. It pisses me off and Steven too, sometimes I think some ppl should be accountable for the child-support and how it is spent. I have only see 2 outfits in a year that her mom bought new. We have school pics of J. in the exact same clothes from the year before and you can see the wear and age in them ... Grrrr... I should shut up.

I think I waited too long to shop for fall clothes. Everything was picked over and the few things we found that were acceptable were limited. Gracie ended up with 3 pair of jeans, pink overalls, 2 dresses and 2 skirts sets. One dress and skirt was from the school uniform section but they are darling navy blue and white outfits and look so cute with saddle oxfords. I unearthed a pair of winter pj's from a stack and managed to find a long warm winter robe for Gracie. She and J. both need slippers. I ordered a lovely dress for them both from Dillard's at a fair price. The closest Dillard's is almost 70 miles away ... ugh ... I ordered all 3 girls snow boots for the season ... those things go fast in the stores! I tried to do as much shopping as possible for Gracie while J. wasn't here. Steven has reminded me often that school shopping is left up to her mother and is what he pays child support for. I know this but it is hard to shop for one and not shop for both. I know if she went with us she would be hurt and disappointed to get only a few new outfits for fall/winter ... what to do? We did get her a pair of saddle oxfords. She tried them on this evening and they were tight. Those where the only pair availble at the shop near us, so I ordered her a pair online and will take the other's back. Gracie found these cool clogs on the clearance at Marshall's. Colby and I found something similar. They are rubber and are made for inclimate weather. Funky but cute. Steven doesn't like them, J. says she doesn't either. Too bad, we like them.

The coffee maker went out this morning. The first cup was HOT, the second warm, the last COLD. Steve did the same thing I did, flipped it off and on several times and held his hand on the plate hoping for heat. Didn't work. Go figure. lol We went to Target for a coffee maker. I didn't see any that impressed me. Steve selected the model we have now. It's a Mr. Coffee. No extra features. Flip the switch and it brews. Flip is back and it is off. I also found a set of curtains for the livingroom front window. The are sort off a coffee with cream color. They look great. OMG we spent far too much money. We got the coffee pot, $20, the curtains, $80 for panels and valances, a 2 1/2" curtain rod, tv cables, $24 ... the rest ... let's see, laundry soap was on sale for $2.74 for the big bottles, we got 6, toothpaste multipacks and toothbrushes on sale for $4.24, we got 2 each, shampoo and conditioner $1.01, we got about 6. I was looking to see if the Tracey Porter pieces I like were on clearance yet, they were not, but Steven got the pieces I liked as an early birthday present because there were few left. I got the large and med cannister, the towel rack, napkin holder, tray, soap dish and soap pump, the fruit bowl and trivets. I love the blue and the roosters in the design. The school supplies were on sale and we picked up what Gracie needed that I could remember. The total made me ccringe :-s Back home, Steve hung the rod, we puttered around doing this and that. After lunch I sent him up for a nap ... he slept till near 6:30. He works so hard during the week, he is drained on the weekends and I really like that he isn't stubborn and tries to keep going, I think he should sleep later and take a nap. I cooked tuna steaks for supper. They were deliciously marinated in sherry, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and shallots, dill, and cracked black pepper then grilled till medium ... I do not like it still raw in the middle. I like it cooked till it doesn't look translucent. We have to go school shopping this week ... great for the kids, but I really hate it, I know the clothes will be nothing I will like. I have no idea why they want to dress little girls so trampish :-s I could open my own shop but I don't know how many women would dress their kids decently.

I started stripping the dining room chairs yesterday. It wasn't the huge job I thought it would be. The shellac on the old chairs came up quick and easy. The color of the natural wood came up light. I decided once the chair was dry after cleaning everything with mineral spirits to test the color of the stain I wanted to use. Ummmm ... after 10 minutes the color change was minimal. Tried again, same thing. I bought the stain at Ace Hardware. I am presuming it is the stain. We went to Lowe's after supper and I picked the Olympic brand in a red mahogany color. I'll try it today. While at Lowe's we spent far too much money. :-s I got 2 new lamps and shades for the livingroom. We got a new toilet seat for the kids bathroom, fire extinguishers for the kitchen and downstairs, pulls for the ceiling fans in the kitchen and livingroom. One thing I was very glad. Steve rarely buys anything for himself. He bought himself a leatherman tool and a pocket knife. He picked up one for his Dad, too. It is a smooth action tool that really feels good in your hand. J. went to her Mom's for the weekend. Earlier in the day we were informed that we are boring. :-s I told Steve what she said, he took it hard. Sometimes I wonder if I should keep my mouth shut, but I know it is right to tell him things that happen in the days when he isn't around. I am really worried about the future of things. Her Mom's wiccan wedding ceremony is coming up soon and I can only imagine the impression it will have on her considering her grandmother is the 'priestess' performing the ceremony. She has no understanding of what is going on clearly in that lifestyle and that is good in some ways and decveptive in others. Diannic Wicca has far more too it that most see. She thought her grandmother was a Nun. :-s Steve was quick to disassociate his upbringing with the pagan rituals that will be performed soon. It really is a hard line to walk. We can't say anything that comes across too harsh or negative as it will put her on the defense of her Mom. All we can do is to imphasize the positiveness of the way we live and our belief in God. I pray that God protect and be with her.

Aragon was up and down all night wanting out. She pooped more than any dog in history. I swear she holds it until she comes back home. I ended up sleeping most of the night on the sofa. I started out in bed, woke at midnight thirsty, let her out and fell sleep on the couch. I remember letting her out at 4 am, Steve woke me with soft kisses on my cheeks as he was geting ready to leave for work and again he let the dog out and she pooped :-s. My Gawd, that dog is full of shit!! I should go back to bed but I won't. I have things to finish before in the morning. More later, I need coffee.

The day was spent with the kids and I moving the stereo components and all the media from the livingroom to the family in order to get ready for the new furniture that will come. We emptied out the cabinet with the 'good' china and glasses and moved that casual cabinet to the kitchen. Everything is cluttered. We have to clean the windows and vacuum and move a few more things to their new home. We did not finish today and will finish tomorrow. We picked Aragon up from the vet where she was boarded for vacation. She was happy to see us. As soon as we got home the girls took her for a walk and she did her routine pooping in quanity. Her welcome home/glad to be home gift :-s There was a 3 car pile up on Prince William Parkway just as we turn off Hoadly road. What should have been a 15 min drive took us an hour. Oh joy! We picked up chinese for supper, with the 2 youngest requesting a happy meal. After supper, Steven fixed the last hole in the wall downstairs and took apart the weight bench he hqasn't used in years. It was stored in the storage place under the stairs. I went up to have a shower and ended up watching an old Elvis movie first lol At 9pm we got the younger girls into bed, watched a little sci-fi then went to bed ourselves. Steven really needs to ensure he rests more. I worry when he looks so tired.

I spent the morning working on web pages from our wedding. I finished one, the cake page. Steven downloaded the cameras and burned things to DVD. Later we decided it was time to tackle moving the red couch downstairs to the family room. It was such a pain to bring that thing into the house I was really dreading it. We took all the coushins off and OMG it was much easier to move than orginally. Out the front door to the back sliding glass door. There was no way that thing was going down the stairway. Steven had to take the glass doors down to get it in but we needed to recaulk that door anyway. It took 20 minutes to actually move the furniture and about an hour to get the doors out and back in. It was worth the effort!!!! I then spent the afternoon getting the room back together in the way I had envisioned it. Hanging pictures, placing objects, his swords, etc. I like the look, although we are living in clutter until the furniture is delivered to finish out the room and the upstairs. Early to bed tonight. It's back to work for Steven in the morning. He looks so rested and refreshed, I hate to see the toll time will take on him. Eventually the haggard look will return to his face and the dark circles under his eyes. All I can do is feed him well and encourage him to sleep more and love him well every day.