I know

that I disappeared for a bit. Life gets crazy sometimes. It's funny how I run my butt off more now than I ever did when I worked a 9 to 5 job. That's okay. I'll survive....maybe! This will be just a quick upday...to let everyone know I'm still alive. I ordered some more candle supplies so I hope to have new candles for sale soon! I'm very excited about a signature line I'm working on but it's top secret for now! I've also updated my application at the school board. Who would have thought it would be so hard to get hired as a lunch lady? I'll be back later!

Want an OMG read?

Then you have to read J.R. Ward's The Black Dagger Brotherhood series. It's freaking awesome! I can't put them down. I'm starting the third book now and I think I might not sleep tonight just so I can read! Yep, it's that good! Go check um!

Back to school

School is back in. Joey had a great first day. Thankfully! It's still hard to get up when that alarm goes off at 6am. I'm trying to get back on track and get in bed by 10pm. That's easier said than done. Maybe tonight I can pull it off.

My friend Jen tried to give me a heart attack yesterday. Lets just say it involved driving and sleeping! Those two things just don't go together! Here's praying I make it home in one piece today.

My nephew, George, is doing well following his hernia surgery. Poor baby is only 2 years old. But at least now everything is fixed and the recovery is under way. I'm wishing him a speedy one!

I'll check back in later tonight if I get a chance. Later.

New Candles! 100% Pure Soy Wax

6 oz 100% Pure Soy Wax Candle in Hawaiian Bounty - $6 plus shipping

9 oz Mason Jar 100% Pure Soy Wax Candle in Hawaiian Bounty - $8.50 plus shipping

I started to make the candles to help with the boredom I faced thanks to my surgery. But I've also found it's very therapeutic and helps with the stress I seem to always find myself under. The first patch was a bit of trial and error. But I've tweaked those problems and found a scent I LOVE!!! It's called Hawaiian Bounty and simply smells wonderful! I'm hoping to get a list together soon of all I have for sale. But in the mean time, I wanted to post a few pics.

For those who said

Life isn't fair, they sure didn't lie. Life most certainly is NOT fair. Just have to accept it and believe that everything happens for a reason.

Catching up

It's been a few days since I blogged. To be honest, depression sucks and it has taken a toll on me as of late. I normally don't indulge in pity parties but one simply couldn't be helped. But I'm back and here's what's been going on.

We found out today that my sister is having a boy. Go boys! She is 33 weeks and her due date is October 4th. Everything looks good and healthy so that's a blessing. For now she is planning on naming it Michael after her father.

Tomorrow is Joey's open house. We get to do all the good stuff like meet the teacher and see who all is in the class. So hard to believe that my little man is going into the 4th grade. They grow up quick. My niece is heading into the 6th grade! I'm getting way to old.

My in laws should get wings as they have been heaven sent. My grandma's house was in desperate need of a new roof. It leaks so bad that buckets were everywhere and damage as been done to the interior. Because of Grannys' age, no one would give her a loan to get a new roof put on. But my mother in law was talking to her brother about it and he rallied the troops! So far they have fixed all the leakes except for in one bedroom and they are coming back out on Saturday to fix that. So to Mom, Uncle Steve, and Chuck, I can't say thank you enough! Love you guys!

Ready for the latest saga with my van? Jason believes my fuel pump is going because it dies and takes me a couple of tries before it finally turns over. Then my transmission is slipping and jamming. It doesn't want to go into gear all the time and then when it does it gives me whiplash. So for those who always think I'm joking about getting a bus pass, I'm telling you it's only a matter of time.

To round out the blog, we'll discuss the knee. It sucks. The surgery did not correct the problem so I feel more than depressed about the fact I went through it for nothing. Therapy is how we discovered the problem was not fixed. And here I thought therapy was supposed to make you better. My luck.

So, I'll try to get my butt back into gear and keep up with daily post. Later.

PS

Seen the New Moon trailer and it freakin rocked. So to all my guys out there who want to trash my Twilight, I have two words for ya...Suck it! Of course, I'd love to tell Edward that but that would start a whole new blog. Later!

Dog Days of Summer

Wanna know what I woke up to this mornning? The smell of dog crap! Blackie had diarrhea the night before but I honestly didn't think to much of it. Between my four dogs, every now and again one of the them will get the runs for absolutely no reason but it normally only last for one potty outing then normal plumbing starts working again! But the last time I took him out before bed, he had bloody diarreha. Not good. I put papers down, just in case he couldn't hold it until morning. That was smart thinking! Unfortunately, Blackie had so many accidents that he used up all the paper and then moved to my rugs. Jason took him to the vet this morning and after a ton of bloodwork and a ton of fluids and shots, he is resting back at home. The verdict was that something poisoned him. Living where I live, that could be anything. But the good news is that we caught it in time to flush it out of his system. He's on three different types of medication for the next 10 days and has to eat only chicken and rice until his stomach can handle solid foods again. My poor big protector!

I think the therapist tried to kill me today. I swear! I was pouring sweat when I left therapy and my knee is killing me. I know I told him that I wanted to be pushed but I didn't mean to death! I go back on Monday at 7am! That is my last Monday of summer vacation and I have to get up early. So not happy about that! Then from there I have a 9 am appointment with my knee doc. I've lost hope of him saying anything positive about my knee!

Hope you all have a great weekend! I'm going to work on my candles tonight! I'm excited! I'll post pics too once I get some done. Later!

Got Joey's Pics in!

It took a while but we got Joey's picture CD in the mail! These are from the 2nd photo shoot he did. Here's one pic! How cute is he? LOL!

Ultrasound!

We had my sister's ultrasound today! While we didn't find out the gender, we did find out that she was 31 weeks pregnant! Her pregnancy is almost over and we just found out! On the way home, she ran into CVS and bought one of those Boy or Girl Gender Predictor test. Those things are $40! Insane! That test said it was a boy! But, it was only a pee test so we'll have to wait and see. One thing is for sure, it won't be long of a wait!

It would have been so much funnier if he would have busted his butt!

This is only one reason Jason loves Lucky so much! LOL!

Going through pics...

found this one from Busch Gardens a couple of years ago. It's one of Jason's favorites....of course!

Monday Madness

Therapy went good! My therapist is super nice and pushy! Turns out he was also the therapist of my friend who had knee replacement surgery last year. I worked her horse while she recovered to keep him fit. It won't be long before Select Physical Therapy is named the offical therapy center of Primar Stables! LOL!

My sister's baby was kicking up a storm today! I think someone wants out! I told Jelly Belly (I refuse to call the baby IT so the nick name is Jelly Belly) that it isn't allowed to come until we find out if we need to buy blue or pink. And no labor is permitted the weekend of the purse party either! Sonogram is Wednesday so fingers crossed we get a good clear shoot!

I've got my candle making goodies! I can't wait to start. But since I don't have a candy thermometer, I have to! We'll see if Jason will pick one up for me!

Later

Where did the weekend go?

Whew, the weekend flew by! Joey spent most of the weekend in the pool with his friends up the road. Despite all the sunblock that was sprayed on him, he is now my lobster boy! Makes me want to rub him down with butter! LOL!

Tomorrow starts therapy. Oh yay! I didn't get the guy I had two years ago because he's on vacation. Hopefully this guy is nice and will push me. I forgot to ice my leg last night and it swelled up on me today. I didn't think a day would make a difference but boy, does it!

I took a cute pic of Daisey and Chyna as they slept next to my bed. How cute are they? It's hard to believe that Daisey is 15 years old and Chyna is 10 years old. Cute uh?

Friday!

The week seemed to fly by! I'm happy to say that I'm getting around better. Plus the meds have worked wonders in getting the swelling down...finally! My knee is almost it's normal size. I bought my candle making supplies so I'll start making them once they arrive. Hopefully it will help with the boredom and possibly supply a teeny bit of extra money for me. We'll see how it goes! I'll post pics once I get some done. Joey had Swann out today. For those who don't know who Swann is, she is Joey's favorite pet ball python. She's in her twenties as far as age goes and the most mellow girl!

The best organic soaps around!

Before I forget (and you know I forgetful I am) I wanted to post the link to my friend Melanie's Etsy store. She makes the best soaps! My boys fight over the hemp bar and if you have dogs (or horses) pick up the doggie bar. I just saw a blueberry bar on there that I'm going to have to try! I love the shea butter, goat milk, rosemary, and orange oatmeal bars. She also has really cute candles that smell super yummy. She's helping me get started on making my own candles! Give her shop a browse!

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7387732

A side note...

I can bend my knee when I sit down now! I dont' have to leave it stretched out to the side! I can't duplicate the bend while walking so I still have the whole robot walk going but that's okay. Baby steps!

School Supplies Tip

With the new school year nearly upon us, I thought I'd throw out a supply tip. I actually got the idea from my sister in law and started doing this myself last year. It was a life saver, especially if you have a child like mine who likes to tell you they need something for school and they have to have it the very next day only it's already bedtime! So, we started doing a school supply bin. I just bought one of the cheap storage bins and started filling it with all kinds of school supplies. The trick is to hit the school supply aisle at Target once they start marking things down. I filled the bin up last year with every thing from binders to pencils and it lasted all year and helped out this year when the new supply list came out. I'll hit the aisles again this year once school gets back in and the prices get slashed to replenish my bin!

Hope this helps some of you busy moms! Later.

Monday Madness

My Monday's aren't any different from any other day at the moment. Get up, slowly to make sure the leg will hold me, limp from one room to the other and read. Throw in several bathroom breaks and you have my day! I'm going INSANE! I'm such an active person and this worse kind of torture. I did finally cave and start taking my anti-inflammatory medicine today. I figured that since my knee was still three times the size it should be, I better start taking it. I just hate taking medications long term because of the side effects. The knee is currently chilling beneath some ice.

Joey is being a computer hog! I've literally had the computer for a total of ten minutes today. We need a second laptop bad! He's hooked on Club Penguin and Mini Clips. He did take a break to go swimming today with my sister since it was her day off. But my aunt came over to visit me (she likes to say she's visiting the sick) so I talked away my computer time! LOL!

My mom thinks she broke her finger. It's real swollen and from the way she described it to me, it does sound like a break. I've broken two fingers and have pins surgically implanted in one of those fingers so I have a good referrence base! But getting her to go to the doctor is like trying to get me to take medicine! She hates, HATES, to go. But I think if the pain is bad enough in the morning that she is going to cave and go. Keep ya posted.

Here's hoping for a restful night. Later!

Weekend!

Thank goodness! Joey is going to spend the day with his Poppi and MiMi. Jason put meatballs on in the crock pot to cook all day. We are having homemade meatball subs for dinner. And I'm stuck in bed! I got a shock last night when my sticky stitch came off in the shower. One of my incisions opened up...so not pretty. Mom got me butterfly bandages so I'll doctor it until Monday when the doc comes back in. As I say, there is always something!

I finished Redneck Cinderella. It was a good fun summer read. Nice smut! LOL! I'm now reading High Stakes by Erin McCarthy and so far it rocks. I love me some vampire fic! This is the first book in her Vegas Vampire Series. So far, way good!

I'm feeling bummed that I had to miss AnnMarie's baby shower. I sent goodies up with Mom to deliver but it's so not the same as being there. I had actually hoped that maybe I could ride up but Jason nixed that idea before I even finished speaking!

We got Fishdom in the mail today! So excited about that. Sadly, I have to wait until Joey gets home tonight. That game is so addictive!

Talked to my sis in law, Michelle, this morning. My niece hurt her wrist so I'm hoping it feels better soon. That's one of those body parts that you don't realize just how much you use it until it's hurt. Sending get better soon wishes!

It's lunch time. I'll be back later...where else am I going to go? LOL!

A little worried

It's been hard for hubby at work this last week. First the news came that all employees would be taking a mandatory 5% paycut. While I'm still extremely grateful that he still has a job, that 5% rounds out to be $240 a month! Sorry if I already blogged it, bad memory remember? LOL! This morning Jason tells me that there is now talk about getting rid of a lead man. For those not following, Jason is a lead man. While this wouldn't mean he would loose his job, it does mean he would get knocked down to a dock worker. Hubby is low man on the totem pole in the lead man seniority department but he is the only lead man who can float between swifts and cover vacation schedule changes. So, we are hoping that this means he won't be the lead man let go. But with our luck, who knows. I'll keep you posted!

Times have changed!

I know it's been YEARS but back when I would stop the ice cream man and bought a Screwball they cost .50 cent. Joey just ran out to get one and 1 (ONE) Screwball cost $1.75! That better be one tasty Screwball!

Wondering if...

Evil ever gets tired of lurking? I mean, you always hear that "Evil is lurking" either around the corner or in the shadows. Does Evil ever want to come out and just hang? Hmmm....

Current Read

I just started Redneck Ciinderella by LuAnn McLane. So far so good. I'll keep ya posted.

Nope, no more!

I've decided I'm done with surgery! No more for me, thank you very much! Of course now that I say that watch, something will happen and I'll need a trip to the operating room. But after 6 surgeries and unmeasurable pain, I think I'm good. I'll pass!

News from the doctor

I spent the morning at the doctor's office, Jason in tow. He had an appointment too so it was sort of a kill two birds with one stone. Except our appointments were an hour apart. Thank goodness for Over my dead body by Michele Bradlsey (great read!) I didn't get bored. Anyway, doc told me what we already knew. This surgery wasn't going to repair my knee to 100% percent, nothing would. Doesn't matter how many times I'm told that, it still stings. But we are still dealing with swelling issues (bad swelling issues I might add) and bleeding. I start theraphy (oh fun times) in 7-10 days. Theraphy should be a blast seeing how I can't even walk from point A to point B without wishing my leg would just fall off. I still have all my post surgerical limitation which totally sucks.

But I have to say that hubby was the sweetest today. When he got back from doing Ally's stall at the barn he told me that he had let her in the riding ring to eat grass! Ok, so I know that might not sound like a big deal but you have to know my husband. He is NOT a horse person. He loves Ally and she is a total doll for him (thank God) but still. He would never just go get her out of the paddock and let her eat grass while he cleaned her barn stall. He did it for me because he knows I'm having Ally withdrawl! He's the best! No wonder I love him to pieces!

Joey is addicted to Club Penguin. The boys been playing non-stop since yesterday. I can't complain though. He had a membership to Wizard101 which was $9.95 a month. When he asked for Club Penguin I told him he couldn't have both so he needed to pick. He picked Club Penguin so I cancelled the Wizard one. Club Penguin is only $5.95 a month. So it's cheaper and he's having a blast!

Later!

A great website for horse owners

If anyone is looking for a great forum in the horse community, please visit www.horseforum.com. Lots of great info!

A good read.

Lunch helped a bit. Hubby was sweet enough to fix me a bite to eat before him and Joey hit the Wii. I took my pain meds and have the EBIce back on my knee. If I lay perfectly still, it doesn't hurt. God please let me have the bladder of steel today!

Anyone wanting a good read should check out Michele Bardsley's vampire books. They are so good and really spin something different. It's not a Twilight spinoff or a True Blood redo. They are really unique and the writer makes her characters that everyday people can relate to. Check them out! I'm currently reading Wait till your vampire gets home! Funny and steamy!

Just shoot me now!

I'm serious. Please just shoot me know and put me out of my misery! Something happened, I don't know what, but something is jacked up in my knee. It's not the incision sites but just right above my knee cap. I can not move a muscle in my leg without wanting to scream. I called doc this morning and he's in surgery all day. Did I mention that my and my sis Lynette share the honor of having the worse luck EVER? Well, we do. Anyway, of course with my luck he is in surgery all day long. Of course he is. Why wouldn't he be? So I go in tomorrow morning to see what's going on. I'll keep ya posted.

Joey just sank my battleships!

Little man beat me both times we played. I call FOUL!

Sunday Morning coming down

Have I mentioned that I'm soooo over being laid up? I just want to be able to swing my legs from the bed and walk (normally) to the bathroom. It's the small things in life one misses! It took FOREVER last night to get my leg wrapped just right. The one incision that is swollen gave me hell and for the life of me I could not get the wrap to lay comfortably against it. Then is was another near sleepless night. I took my medicine and waited...and waited...and waited to fall asleep. It finally happened sometime after 1am.

But I did have a pleasant surprise this morning. Hubby made me blueberry pancakes and served me breakfast in bed. It was very delish! I feel bad he has to do all the things I normally do though. He has three loads of laundry waiting to be done, carpet to vacuum, dishes to be washed, and tile to sweep. But he's trying hard to keep everything up while still working sixty hours a week. Joey is a great help. He stays in the bedroom with me and we play games for hours. I probably would have gone insane by now if not for him.

My men are out to the movies right now. They left me to go see G-Force. I'm so jealous right now! That movie looks so cute and I can't wait for the run down when Joey gets home. I'll let you know how many stars they give it! LOL!

I've emailed my two friends I talk to on the computer, talked to my one friend locally here on the phone, and I'm currently texting my other friend who's off God knows where doing God knows what! They are a small group but I love them and would be beyond depressed without them! If ya'll are reading this...LOVE YOU!

Organic Soaps

I have to rave about these! One of my best friends makes organic soaps and they are simply the best soaps ever. I honestly can't imagine going back to store bought soaps again. Hubby and son fight over the Hemp bar while I prefer the Shea or Goat Milk. She also has great new soaps such as Orange Oatmeal and Rosemary. I'll get the link to her Etsy store so you can check it out!

I also wanted to mention the organic doggie bar she makes. This is a MUST have if you have a dog with funky skin. I have a pit/boxer/sharpei mix and his skin is stinky! But with this soap, he stays fresh for a full week and his hair is sooo soft. It gets a big thumbs up. It is even great for horses who have sensitive skin.

Happy Birthday Joey!

Happy Birthday to my little man! I so can NOT believe that he is 9 years old. Where does the time go? My grandma always told me that if you turn around real slow, they're grown. Boy, is that true. Seems like just yesterday they had to evict him! LOL! I carried him 9 months and 3 weeks! Little man is heading over to spend the day with his Aunts, Grandma, and cousins.

I'm a bit peeved that I don't get to go. I haven't seen my sister in law or my niece and nephew in a few months. I was hoping to get to visit a bit with them. Hubby won't let me because of some complications with my knee. I have a little oozing and some swelling around one of the suture sites. Still think I could go sit on the couch over there just as well as I can sit in bed here. I'm getting cabin fever! Not to mention I'm having terrible sun withdrawl. I need my outside!

So last night found me having the hardest time falling asleep. I laid there (not like I can toss and turn with the leg jacked up) and laid there. I watched the clock until after 2 am and finally fell asleep. Once I was asleep I had the most insane dreams. Vivid dreams....that I shall not mention here! Peopel wonder why I don't like taking pain meds.

I'm going to hit the web and see what I can find bedding wise for my sister. We need to totally redo her room and get it ready for her and the baby. Yeah, there is A LOT of work to do! So if you're reading this sis, start cleaning! LOL!

I had this brillant plan that while I was laid up, I was going to check up on my scrapbooking. Yeah. I've gotten two pages done and I'm still years behind!

Don't forget to click on the sponsor links...they help me out!

Later!

It's Friday!

Thank goodness it's Friday! I'm telling myself that with each passing day, I'm one step closer to getting back on both feet! This recovery is slow going but it's only been four days. Guess I can't really complain. My little man has been such a big help! He turns 9 years old tomorrow! I so can't believe he's that old!

Speaking of kids, my sister is pregnant! Of course, she just told us and she's like six months along! But that's ok. We're all going to help her out and hope that things go well. I'm laid up from surgery and can't even shop! Thank goodness for the internet and shipping! LOL! I'll keep everyone posted.

G-Force is out! I so want to go see it. Can you tell I'm a mom? LOL! Hubby and son will be going to see it on Sunday. The previews just look sooooo cute! Holla! LOL!

That's it for now. Gotta eat some dinner. Later.

The First Blog!

I'm new to the whole blogging world but figured I'd give it a shot. What could it hurt right? I'm laid up from having knee surgery so the time couldn't be better! Why not be somewhat productive and take up blogging? I would love to be an author. I would love to see something I write make print! Hey, it could happen! Some blogs might be short and have no real value to anyone other than myself. I'll probably vent on the daily news surrounding the stars ( I use that term loosely) in the media.

Let me bring everyone reading this up to speed on me! My name is Jennifer, Jen for short. I've been happily married for 13 years to my wonderful husband. We have a 9 year old son who is the center of our lives. I'm a housewife but don't think for one minute I sit on my butt and eat bon bons all day long. After taking my little man to school, I head to the barn (I'll get to that part of my life in a bit) and spend a few hours with my horse. From there I run errands for my elderly grandmother and help her with things as much as possible. I only have one child and a husband but yet I have laundry to do almost every day. Not sure how that is possible. My husband works a weird schedule so most of the maintance around the house falls to me. I don't mind though. He's the best provider so I can pull a little manual labor!

Did I mention my house is a zoo? Yeah. Welcome to my world! We have 6 ball pythons, 1 blue tongue skink, 2 red earred sliders, 2 map turtles, 1 ornate box turtle, 4 dogs, 5 cats, 2 pet rats, 4 lovebirds, 1 cockatiel, 1 parakeet, and 1 horse! I should charge admission! I so need a bigger house with land! Anyone want to donate? LOL!

At the moment my show career is on hold. What show career you ask? Well, I'd be happy to brag! My APHA mare and I showed on the open show circuit. We mainly showed in Halter classes but also dabbled in Showmanship and Walk/Trot as well. Ally, my horse, was born to halter! It was in her bloodlines and she was sooo good at it! At the time I had to retire, her and I had earned 6 Grand Championships and 2 Reserve Grand Championships. We also earned Year End High Point and earned a few points in Showmanship.

Ally and I both have leg issues! I guess like mother, like 4 legged daughter! Ally foundered a year and half ago and it nearly killed her. I made the decision to work with the vet and the farrier and put everything in God's hands. I made the right decision because Ally made a FULL recovery! The vet and farrier both said they had never seen a case like hers! As for me, I had knee surgery two years ago to repair damage to my patella. I just had another knee surgery 3 days ago because my knee is literally falling apart. Fun. A knee replacement is in my future, just not the immediate one.

That's me! I have a terrible memory so I'm sure I'm leaving out a ton of stuff. Check back often for more of my ramblings! Later!