Black Clouds and a Rainy Day.

Waking up to the dreary rain and dark sky seems some what fitting today. I try to keep these posts upbeat and light, but some days are just dark. I am not looking for sympathy, just saying it like it is...I learned that from the Wild Ones. Last night I heard the padding of little feet in the hallway and as soon as the Wee Wild One made it around the corner I knew it was going to be a rough night. I knew that hang of his head and that look in his eyes...I knew what was coming. What I didn't know was how it would drop me to my knees. He was missing his brother and wanted to know how we could get him back. He said he knew we couldn't really get him back, but could we get another child and name him Oliver? He thought adoption would be a good idea. Then he proceeded to talk about the accident and how he wished it hadn't happened (I won't repeat his words, but he told it like it was). He was afraid to go to sleep because he thought someone else would die. We cried, snuggled and talked about life. He finally fell asleep...if not happy, at least content with our love and strength. All this came on the eve of a phone call I am dreading...the one from my mom that will end with the word "benign" or "malignant".

Happy Trails.

One long car ride...a day early...out running the tornadoes, floods and ice storms. We came home to sunshine, but our tanned toes got quite the shock when we stepped outside...we seemed to have forgotten any shoes with substance and the straps across our flip flops did little to protect from the 30 degree gusting winds. Today we are back in our winter coats...and shoes which require socks. Jumping into our routines...school buses, work and volunteering...and catching up on pages of backlogged computer messages (thank God I unplugged the phone while we were gone...I figured those that desperately needed us would some how track us down...I guess that is why my pages are bursting at the seams!). Perhaps by the end of the week I will have dug out from under the piles of laundry and accumulated stuff from the trip long enough to download some pictures and conjure up stories from the beach. Until then, I need to go find my fuzzy slippers.

Our vacation has become official.

Just not a family vacation without a trip to the emergency room. Several hours, several dollars and a few tears...back on track and ready to party. Now the fun begins.

Made it in 5 pieces.

We arrived safely and in pretty good spirits. Perhaps a little loopy from lack of sleep and stiff from the long ride, but thrilled to see my Grands looking better than when I left them in December. While the kids ran for the pool, the Big Guy went looking for the only spot he could connect to the "real world". This of course was after his late night adventure. My Grands asked him to run to the store to get two bags of oranges so that Great (J. Harley) and George Harley could make us fresh squeezed orange juice for breakfast...a tradition started by the Harleys years ago. I was exhausted and headed for bed leaving the Big Guy to navigate the streets of PCB. I woke with a start at 12:45 am to find the other half of the bed empty. I jumped up, threw on some clothes and tried to get my bearings. I heard something that I couldn't quite figure out...it was someone calling my name from outside, under the porch. Evidently my Grands did not realize that the Big Guy had left to get their oranges...and locked him out. He tried to climb the back porch, scale the front of the house and when that didn't work he went to sleep in the car. He woke at 12:45 am with the thought that he had left the sliding door open on the porch...hence my name being called from outside my window. I finally figured out that it was him and let him in through the front door. When we finally got back in bed I couldn't sleep...what are the chances that we both woke at 12:45 looking for each other? Blind luck...or something else??

No, I'm not in jail.

Contrary to popular belief, I did not wind up in jail this weekend, but if I did it would have been a heck of a party with all my crazy girlfriends sitting beside me! I left for three days and the price I pay is the backlog of EVERYTHING that needs to get done now that I am back. I have to give the Big Guy credit...he got everyone to and from all of their activities, they look like they were well cared for, they all had tons of fun, the house was not destroyed when I got home and they even had dinner ready and waiting for me Sunday night. The biggest problem was in MY planning. 1. Tackle large project for the Big Guy 2. Schedule weekend with girlfriends 3. Plan trip for spring break (and all the warm weather things that go with that, which we in MN have not thought about...and out grown...in the last 6 months) all within 9 days. I thought I was brighter than that. Oh well, on the positive side...I don't have much time to worry about everything that still needs to be done. And on that note...Disgruntled Princess may be intermittent for the next two weeks while I attend to my children, the Big Guy, my MIL, my Grands and my bronze glow...not necessarily in that order!

Shenanigans.

What happens when a bunch of early middle aged soccer/hockey/football/basketball moms pack themselves up and head out of town for the weekend? I'm not sure, but I'll let you know on Monday!

I am doing my best.

One last (positive thinking please) cold spell with beautiful white virgin (too cold to play in it) snow. I am loving in...picking through my closets of sub-zero winter wear. I want to have the perfect outfit for today as it may be the last time I "get" to wear this stuff for another 7 months. I will bask in my warmth (as I try not to sneeze from the fur lined collars) and do a little jig to honor Old Man Winter...well maybe just to keep warm, but don't tell him. On the outside I will look like a crazy happy (and toasty) lady who loves winter...but inside I will be drowning in my fantasy that the snow is the white sand of the Emerald Coast and the bite on my cheeks is from the salt in the sea water spraying from the ocean. This should tide me over until spring break (6 days away). When I return with sand embedded in my hair and tender red skin I will do what the rest of the Minnesotans do...the dance of spring. As soon as the temps rise into the 50's we bring out the shorts and start wearing flip flops (I love seeing bright pink toenails covered in snow). That is the sign to turn off winter and let us loose...we have paid our tributes (with frost bite and sore backs from shoveling) and we need a break. I'll try to get that memo out before I leave town.

He Just Keeps Getting Older...I Mean Better.

Yesterday was the Big Guys birthday...wow another year (well for him at least, I still have 3 months to go). I have to say he is as cute as the day I met him...who could resist those eyes or that smile (and those adorable curls)?  Happy Birthday RS, here are 43 reasons why I love you: your eyes, your lips, your legs, your curls, your sense of humor, the way you stare into my eyes, your foot rubs, you don't hog the bed (usually), you give me my space, you work hard, you are a genius, you adore our kids, you're my best friend, you are always happy, you are always up for "what ever", you like to invent, we think a like, you like my family, you are truly fun to be with, you adore me, you love to give me massages, you bring me coffee in bed, you are tender, you are loyal, you are a never ending stream of ideas, you talk to me, you listen to me, you fix things for me, you are good to your friends, they way you always hold my hand, your kisses make me melt, you look sexy in jeans, you wear the clothes I get you, you love to try new things, you pull me out of my shell, you make me try harder, you help me do new things, you support the things I want to do, you play games with me, you are patient with me, you would eat peanut butter sandwiches every night, you walk over dirty floors without caring, you are always proud of me and because you always walk beside me. 

Who are we supposed to believe?

I made the decision not to have the kitties declawed...still debating that one with myself every time I hear their claws ripping into my furniture and every time I feel their claws sinking into my tender skin. However, we do live in the country with a lot of trees (and one big grey camouflaged cat living in one of those trees...just discovered him this weekend) and raccoons and squirrels and other critters. I wanted my kitties to have a "fighting" chance (and, honestly, to rid our yard of a few nasty inhabitants) going outside and it just seemed kind of cruel to send them out without their daggers intact. Unfortunately they are still attacking the furniture...and my legs. The vet says they should out grow this (sure, she doesn't have to live with the ramifications until they do) and that I should get or make them a scratching post. Well enough, but how do I get them to use it? Simple...get some catnip spray and saturate scratching post and they will be attracted to that (instead of fabric and skin). Boy are they ever! Unfortunately, the spray did not come with the warning, "Most cats enjoy cat nip and will roll around the floor in a hazy stupor for an hour after smelling/ingesting. However, for some unlucky and unsuspecting cat owners, their cats will be very attracted to the spray to the point that they will viciously attack anything or anybody that comes within 10 feet of them while they are wrestling with saturated scratching post, including each other. They will act demented and scare the crap out of their owners who may run screaming form the house in fear that their cat's soul has been taken over by the exorcist. Said cat will cling to post, snarl, screech and generally act crazy for about an hour...and then will stand at post acting all peaceful while silently begging for more." Perhaps I should return it...the spray, not the cat.

Some times you gotta take it back a step.

We are all so immersed in the "age of technology" that we forget some of the great old fashioned ideas. Today in the mail I received not one, but nine thank you cards...the real mail, other wise known as...snail mail. They were all homemade and hand written. Anyone can send an email-30 seconds of typing, hit send, sit back and you're done. It takes some time to get out your stationary (if you're anything like me, I'm sure you have some stuck in a drawer some where), address the envelope, find a stamp, hand write the letter and then hike to the mail box. I may have an old soul, but when I got to the mailbox today the envelopes waiting inside sure put a smile on my face. We are all crazy busy and email is a life saver on some days, but don't forget to make that extra effort every once in a while and see how many smiles you can spread.

Don't Panic.

Yes this is still the Disgruntled Princess...just going through a few growing pains. I have taken on a bunch of marketing projects and realized that I am not going to get far without learning some html code. My brain works a lot like the "If you give a mouse a ..." books, so when I started looking at html, I started digging around in my blog...changed a few things on the Wild Ones blog, bought a book, changed a few more things, created some things...and well I decided I needed a new look for this blog-a canvas I can "play" with. Stick with me and see what happens...no promises (yet) and no threats.