The healthy, the strong individual,
is the one who asks for help when he needs it.
Whether he has an abscess on his knee or in his soul.
- Rona Barrett

written : Monday night
posted : Tuesday afternoon (via timestamp)

I know you’re all dying to know how I made out yesterday on my to do list.

I spent about 3 hours in the college computer lab and did my Computer Literacy homework and did about 1/2 of my Human Geography work. I will be so glad to never ever have to take this class again.

I dropped off both the court paperwork and my prescriptions. My Doctor very willingly put me back on Paxil in hopes that I can start sleeping through the night again. Its good …. better than I can say …. to have a doctor who does not treat me like a hypochondriac for getting sick often or like a freak for having a complicated medical history.

The knee is either a bad strain/pulled ligament or a miniscus tear. I am on anti-inflamatory meds and if I do not have any relief in a few days he wants me to go to an Orthopedist/Physiatrist. As I type this my legs are up in the recliner and I have a bag of frozen peas on my knee.

I did the food shopping and present shopping. My youngest came with me on these errands and we managed to also find her an adorable Tinkerbell backpack for the Fall.

Let me just say, right now, to whoever made the decision in my local supermarket to start putting up signs and displays for Halloween that YOU ARE TRULY INSANE ….. in case you fell and hit your head and no longer know what day it is … IT ISN’T EVEN AUGUST YET. Halloween is 3 ….. not 2 …. not 1 ….. THREE months away. GRRRRRR

Sorry for the rant, but I am just DONE with having to shop for seasons, events, etc. 2-3 months ahead of time. I am so tired of going to the stores in early June for a bathing suit or a patio table only to be told that the “season is almost over” …. I am so sick of Malls that decorate for the Winter Holiday season before my kids have even gone Trick or Treating ….

What is the Bleeping rush?!?!

Anyway …… in addition to her backpack for 2nd grade, Princess Nibbles also came home with a little (okay okay rather large) “just because” item because it was on clearance.

Isn’t it cute?!?!

She had asked for this for Yule and I decided against it, based on the then price of $60. Today we found it marked down to only $13!!! Even Amazon is still selling this for $41 …. so I definately got a great deal. It is positively adorable and has a potty, a slide, an erase board, a high chair, and so on. It is meant to go with a special doll that interacts with it but it works just fine with the dolls that are already part of our family. I am beyond pleased with the purchase if for no other reason than she is happily sitting and playing with TOYS rather than sucked into computer games or television.

Wishing you all a peaceful day

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Well not really.  I told the truth.  My knee is still bugging me and I said I was going to try and get in to see my Dr.  I now have a 2:15 appointment.  I also told them that its the last week of school and I have a lot to do.  Also true, all too true as a matter of fact.

The nice thing about being home, but still getting up early was that its only 8:45, I’ve had a cup of coffee, and I was able to actually spend a little time with my girls before they left for camp.  Princess Nibbles even went off with pigtails as only Mommy knows how to do them.  It felt good.  It felt right.  I really really miss being a stay-at-home mom and wish with all my heart that GamerDude was still able to work and that I was going to school during the day while they were at school and was a full-time mom the rest of the time.

We were supposed to go to the community pool yesterday, but the skies opened up.  So, the playdate (which was shortened to about 2 hours) was moved here.  We ordered pizza to replace the meal we would’ve had at the pool’s snack bar and the girls had fun with Perler Beads.  I have promised Princess Nibbles that I will print out some fuse bead patterns for her so that she can get even more creative next time. I am also thinking of picking up some activity kits so that she can make some ornaments for Yule.

Anyway, the plan for today is to:

1. do the reading and video watching I avoided yesterday for Human Geography
2. do my Computer Literacy homework
3. drop off paperwork at the courthouse (traffic ticket related)
4. see the Dr. (plan to piss off my knee as much as possible between now and then)
5. get a script (or 2) filled ….. while I am there I am going to ask for my stomach meds and probably break down and request that he put me back on antidepressants
6. Food shop (really need to do a major shopping trip, but I think I will just go and pick up a few things)
7. go shopping on my father’s behalf (he has to get a gift for a friend and his wife who just adopted their 2nd child)
8. If there is time I would love to go hit the community pool!!!!!

The rest of the week will be equally busy.  Tomorrow I work a full day and then head directly to school for my last Cultural Anthropology class and last exam.  Wednesday I plan to work a full day and head to school so that I can take the practice tests for my Computer Literacy class and (if time permits) take my last exam in my online class.  Thursday is my last Computer Literacy class …. I need to present homework and take a 2-part test.  After that …. school is officially done for the semester.

You know … somehow this is feeling less and less like a “Day off” after looking at that list.  LOL

Wishing you all a happy day

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Mugglenet has a transcript of an interview with J.K. Rowling that answers a lot of fan questions (from her chat room Q&A) – it has spoilers, so don’t read unless you have finished the last book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Book 7).

Someone asked about who performed magic later in life:
J.K. Rowling answered: “I’m sorry about this, but I changed my mind! My very earliest plan for the story involved somebody managing to get to Hogwarts when they had never done magic before, but I had changed my mind by the time I’d written the third book.”

The interview is very good and does fill in some blanks

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Of Interest: Harry Potter Boxset Books 1-7 

Be sure to check out our Best Ever Harry Potter Birthday Party -  Everything you need to have your very own incredible Harry Potter theme celebrations, includes recipes, party planning, activites and games, etc.

Written by Lady RoseTags:harry potter

Cat and Mouse – Sex Edition

1. an unusual sight you associate with sex

rain on a summer night …… it reminds me of a night, prior to our marriage, that found GamerDude and I (in a nightgown) standing outside in the rain kissing ….. I don’t even remember if we went inside and had sex but those moments kissing in the rain are one of the most sensual moments of my life

2. an unusual sound you associate with sex

laughter … one of the things I love about GamerDude is that we are comfortable enough with each other that humor has often found its way into our lovemaking …. especially in those moments when you decide to “try something new” its good to be able to chuckle when/if things don’t work out the way you expected

3. an unusual taste you associate with sex

graham crackers … well maybe I don’t associate them with sex perse but whenever I eat one I am taken back to a time when GamerDude were dating in our teens (J & K take 1) … we spent a couple of hours at a party kissing … and I could taste the lingering of some graham crackers he had eaten and somehow in that moment it was dear rather than disgusting

4. an unusual smell you associate with sex

warm sooty smells like candles, incense and firelight ….. they remind me of when, prior to children, prior to my own pain and libido issues that we would take an entire evening and devote it to sex …. take time to set the mood and linger over the act ….

5. an unusual tactile sensation you associate with sex

quivering thighs … in my early 20s, before the endometriosis got so bad, before the libido issues, before the hysterectomy …. a really good orgasm would turn me into one of those bed vibrator machines … my muscles in my thighs would go into spasm and cause the whole bed to quiver …. I miss it!

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:sex

I am mostly dead … I mean mostly done with the semester. 

Human Geography

I still have to watch videos and do some reading.  Then I need to take the essay portion of my last exam in the course.  Once I do that its simply a matter of waiting for the grades to come in for that as well as an outstanding paper.  If I understand the grade calculation correctly I should only need to earn 20/40 points on the test to get my longed for “A”.

Cultural Anthropology

I have to fill out the study-guide (and obviously study it) for my last exam which is being given on Tuesday.  That’s it.  Everything else is done, done and done.

Computer Literacy

I have 2 last tests to take Thursday night.  I also have a homework assignment to do so that I can play around in Excel.  The later will probably involve my going to school on Monday night to make use of their computer lab as my laptop lacks Microsoft Access. 

Next semester is going to be even more difficult and trying.  But, hubby keeps telling me that he believes I can do it, so I will have to trust his judgement and tell the little voice in my head that doubts so much to shut up and leave me alone.

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama KellyTags:back in school

Last night we took our youngest, Princess Nibbles, to the award ceremony for her day camp.  In her little sub-group of her grade level she won first prize in their ”Athletic competition week” activities.  They presented her with a medal and she was very very proud.  However by the time we came home and dealt with dinner it was too late for me to reasonably expect to make any real homework progress.  So, we read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for about 20 minutes and sent her off to bed.

My older daughter, Miss Artistic, is still angsty.  She has a little boyfriend who is a bit older than her but seems to be on her level in terms of maturity.  He is a very sweet and respectful young man, very sensetive and I happen to like him.  Miss Artistic however having the flighty nature of adolescent girls is probably just about to get bored with him, without them having gone on even one date (as she is much too young to date).  He gave her a little ring the other day, something similar to what you might get from an Avon catalog, and I know she will always remember him, regardless of how or when their connection ends and regardless of which one walks away with a bruised heart.

It is very strange to see them together.  The young man in question is just about the age my husband was when I first met him.  I was the older one but still I see us reflected in their actions and interactions.  As a result of our past I have to accept that it is always entirely possible that years from now they COULD wind up together.  I mean, we broke up as teens each walking away with a broken heart and then luck or fate or the Gods brought us back into each others lives.  So who knows?

Anyway, since I won’t under any circumstances let her go on a traditional date until high school, once my semester is over I am hoping to be able to take him with us on some kind of outing …. like dinner and a movie.  Nothing is possible until after the next week or 2 as the semester is winding down and, as those who have attended college will know, my workload increasing.

As a result, today is earmarked for homework and studying — all day long — when I am not cooking or tidying or attending to some other task.  Tomorrow I have to meet a neighbor and her daughter at the community pool to make up for a playdate I had to cancel Friday afternoon so that Princess Nibbles could go to her awards ceremony.  I dread the loss of homework hours but I can do an hour or 2 before I head out and then finish up when I get home.

So long as I can get all my school work done by Thursday (my last official night of class) I have plans next weekend which include meeting a friend from work for dinner and chit-chat and possibly the Pagan Picnic, an open event run by a circle in New Brunswick, NJ.  If we can make it up there (down there? over there?) it will be the first public Pagan event I have been to in about 2 years.  Hubby hasn’t gone to one in even longer.  I am really rooting for it as I need a pick me up.

In completely unrelated news, my knee is feeling better so long as I don’t bend it very often.  I try to get up and down from chairs, couches, and yes even the toilet while keeping one leg straight (yes it is as funny-looking as it sounds).  I have mixed feelings about going to the Doctor for it.  I mean it hurts, its not normal, but I try to avoid the doctor unless I absolutely have to go.  So, I am giving it till Monday to get better.

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

I had a busy day today.  I worked a compressed shift, 7 hours straight through no lunch break, and headed off to school where I spent 2 hours working on upcoming exams in Computer Literacy and Human Geography.  I am winding down my summer semester and already have my classes picked for the Fall.  I went directly from there to the Supermarket, came home and got something on the table for dinner.

I tossed my youngest in the shower and did our frequent process with astringent (for some chin pimples/sebaceous cysts) and leave in hair conditioner (for chlorinated and somewhat straw-like ends) and began what has been a nightly habit for the past several days.  I am spending 30 minutes or more every night reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows out loud to my youngest, Princess Nibbles, who is 7 years old.  So far we are only finishing up chapter 6.  I tend to ignore traditional transitions like stopping at the end of a chapter but look instead for a pause in the action when I notice her attention fading or my voice failing. 

In the days coming …..

Friday night I have a “play-date” arranged so that Princess Nibbles and myself are meeting one of her friends (and her friend’s mom) at the community pool. 

Saturday and Sunday are earmarked for more studying.  To accomplish my goal of getting through 3 chapters of textbook note-taking and 3.5 hours of video watching, it will require forgoing an invitation to a BBQ and having my hubby, dad, and girls go to the annual County Fair without me. Boo Hoo Hoo!!

Next week will see me taking my last exams and then …. no more class until after Labor Day.  Can I hear a loud resounding HUZZAH?!?!

On the down side …. I seem to have done something to piss off my knee. 

I keep talking to it, reasoning with it, telling it how this is so not the right time to do succumb to some kind of age-related or weight-related degeneration.  I keep promising it that I will be nice to it whenever possible if it will only go back to my base level of achiness, cracking, and creaking.  I am not sure it is listening to me.

It is achy and swollen when I am not using it.  But, as soon as I bend it, or unbend it, I am rewarded with sharp shooting pain.  I am not really worried.  I am giving it a couple of days and if it does not resolve itself I will have to go to the Doctor.  However, if it does not self-resolve I am bright enough to realize that it is not a sprain but more likely a tear. 

Off for an hour or so of relaxation before I head off to bed.  Wishing you all a night blessed with rest and peace 

Blessings

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

Well it’s almost over and I am so grateful I could cry.  I have one more class in Cultural Anthropology, 2 more in Computer Literacy, and my last unit to do for my online Human Geography class. 

I would have to completely bomb my remaining tests in Anthropology and Geography in order to get anything less than an A.  I am pretty certain of an A in my Computer Literacy class as well. 

Next semester will see me dropping my hours at work down from 45-47 hours a week to 36-40 so that I can do my 60 hours of classroom observation.  Additionally I am taking 3 classes again — 1 on campus and 2 online.  I will be taking Spanish 1 and American Lit via my home PC and taking History of NJ Wednesday nights from 7-10pm.  It will be a long long semester.

I have no idea how close I am to finishing my associates degree and transferring to a 4-year school to complete my bachelors.  I have yet to order my transcripts from when I attended The College of NJ way back when.

Hopefully I will obtain those over the course of the next months and be ready to prepare my Spring ’08 semester with a clear end in sight.

Wish you all well

Mama Kelly

Written by Mama Kelly

The idea is to highlight 5 links that you feel would be new to other readers.

They can be daily reads, or personal favorites.

They may even just be something fun or freaky or just plain facinating that you stumbled into recently.

If you want to “play along” make a list on your site and link to it in the comments.  Of course I’d appreciate a link back.  You may use the graphic above, do not hotlink, simply save it to your own computer.

1. Open Lammas/Lughnasadh Event in NJ – by Hands of Change coven – on 8/4/07
2. Leaky Cauldron Metal Sign – great for your favorite Witch or Harry Potter freak – must … get … one …
3. Icelandic Recipes – including info on celebrations
4. Forgiveness Day – will accept your own messages to be burned on 8/5/07
5. JK Rowling Reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

Written by Mama Kelly

Huzzah!!!!   **jumps for joy**   J.K. Rowling has announced there will be more Harry Potter, read full article HERE.      (SPOILER ALERT – the article does reveal some plot points of Deathly Hallows, so don’t read unless you already read the book.).  

”J.K. Rowling told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira she “probably will” publish a Potter encyclopedia, promising many more details about her beloved characters and the fate of the wizarding world beyond…the seventh book’s epilogue.”

She also reveals who got a “reprieve” and wasn’t killed off.

It will take her awhile to write it so don’t hold your breathe for it to be soon, but as she says it’s already started because she has all her notes and back stories that were left out of previous books.

Happy Happy Joy Joy!!!!! This is definitely very exciting news for all Harry Potter fans!

Bright Blessings, Lady Rose

Written by Lady RoseTags:harry potter