And with that, summer is over...

Well, not "officially" until September 23rd, but Labor day has long been considered the last weekend of Summer.

Ah, Fare thee well. I shall miss you.........

Moving on. It was an interesting weekend to say the least. We had some ups (decent turn out at the BBQ, nice time with family and friends, relaxation) and some downs (Bee messed up his bank account, the grill broke right before we started the "cooking out" part, "C" almost died...) but we made it through and only have to wait 79 more days before we can celebrate anything with a day off. *sigh*

Friday night was not one of my best nights. There was a chemical spill from when a semi truck somehow managed to fall off of the bridge that is all but 1/2 a mile from my work Friday morning, therefore tying up traffic for tens of miles. Shutting down all freeways in the area, and generally making travel from anywhere outside of your parking space unbearable. People in my office went to lunch, only to not make it back for hours. I totally should have went with them....

Anyway, I was lamenting to Bee on how I didn't think I would be home for a long time Friday night. He, being a "professional driver" who knows how to "navigate anywhere" told me of an alternate route to go home. Bee rarely steers me wrong on these types of things (though, he usually gives me a list of directions rapid fire and I am expected to remember them instantly...). Anyway, I went his alternate route home. It started out pleasant enough. Pretty drive. Until that is, the road I was supposed to take all the way out to the next road abruptly dead ended into a road not on my list of approved roads for travel. I was left to make a decision on my own. Left or right. I went left...for a mile. "Felt" it was the wrong way and turned around. In the mean time, I pulled out the GPS on my phone. It kept telling me to go the "fastest" way, which was the way I was trying to avoid. So, I pulled out my other GPS. This is an actual GPS that plugs into your cigarette lighter and has a stronger GPS signal. However, it's from 2000, which in technology years, means I might as well be holding an old school MAC computer with the green screen and the giant floppy disk. It decided it didn't want to work. So, I said "eff it", and used the one of my phone, figuring I'll just fight the traffic going my usual route. I sent Bee a text letting him know of my frustration.

My phone rang all of 15 seconds later. "Baby, what's the matter? Why didn't you go the way I told you?" I informed him the road dead ended. He said I was wrong and pulled it up on his computer. I then told him since I was driving the exact directions he gave, I Should know better than he. "Oh. Yeah. I see now. I'm sorry. I forgot it dead ends there. Turn left and take that like you are going to my mom's." So, that's what I did. I was frustrated. Hungry, Stressed and still had to go to the store to spend my last $45.00 on "Caffeine" and dinner because Bee forgot about the rent check he wrote for half of August and our landlord held on to it for 3 weeks, therefore making Bee think he had more money than he did, putting him in the negative, and after putting his whole paycheck in the bank, he was left with a little over $100.00 for the week. We also had yet to go shopping for the BBQ on Sunday...(Which is pretty good if you ask me. I have $1.66 and it has to last two and a half. However, allll my bills are paid and there is food in my house and gas in my car...I don't "need" anything until then. however, Bee freaks if he is below $900.00)

I made it home at 7:30pm. I walked in the door in a pissy mood, and surprise surprise, no one had done chores yet, "J" was off at her moms (I told her to do them when she got home before she left for school that morning) and "C" and "Little Man" were off playing. Bee wasn't concerned. I was flabbergasted because um, I don't want to be the disciplinarian since they are NOT my kids. Anyway, I made dinner, when all I really wanted to do was go to bed. I called the kids in and set their plates down. Little Man whipped around and looked at me and said "I don't like Sloppy Joe's" to which I replied by ripping that sandwich off the table too fast it made both kids jump back. I threw the plate up on the counter and told him through clenched teeth to "Make a sandwich". I stopped off. Bee asked what my problem was, I told him what happened, to which he replied "Well, baby, he doesn't like anything with sauce". I said, "What kind of kid doesn't eat Sloppy Joe's? They were invented FOR KIDS!". I then threw myself down in the chair and said "Look. I know it's stupid to be upset over it. He doesn't like it? Then he doesn't like it. I am not a mind reader. I Have not been his mom for 7 years and just "know" this stuff. I sit at work every day and struggle to think of things to feed you guys every day so I am not making the same things all the time. None of you are of any help. No one tells me ahead of time what they like or don't like, so I am left on my own to figure it out. Do you think after being up at 5:30am, not getting a nap all day, like you get to when you come home, working, then getting home at almost 6pm that I really want to stand in that kitchen and make dinner? Especially since I have to clean the kitchen first, then clean up after. I don't. I want to come home and relax. But guess what? I do it. I do it because there are three kids and a Bee that need to eat...and then when you set something down and all you get is "I don't like that, it's a little frustrating."

Bee gave little man a guilt trip. Little Man tried to make up for it but being only 7, the best he could think of was "Can we cuddle?", which, I'll admit, it a pretty good way, except that every last nerve I had had already been worked. I was tired, cranky, and had a giant headache. All I wanted was to be left alone. I said yes anyway, but it really wasn't cuddling, it was "sitting next to one another" I feel bad, but I wasn't feeling very affectionate.

Saturday was better. I got up, I cleaned, like, deep cleaned, with bleach. Bee took the kids to Grandma and Grandpa "S's" campsite. I scrubbed some more. Then, Bee brought me in the most beautiful flowers from our yard. It was very sweet :) We hung around the house waiting for the weather to clear because my sister bought my bed off of me that wouldn't fit upstairs. I really didn't want to get rid of it, but honestly, I need to learn to let go of things. More importantly, it's never going to fit upstairs and if I ever plan on parking in my garage come winter, I can't have a queen sized bed in there taking up valuable parking space. Not to mention, Bee and I need every last penny we can get right now and at the moment, $75.00 seemed like a fair price for us to strap a bed to the top of Bee's Explorer and drive an hour out to my parents house to deliver the damn thing. Never mind the 1/2 a tank of gas it took to get there because A) we were driving an Explorer and B) there was a Queen Sized bed on the roof of said Explorer and it was windy, which caused major drag. Oh well. We promised.

It's funny to me, the strange looks you get from people when you are rocketing down the freeway with a bed on top of your car. Bee and I laughed the whole way out there because "Why yes! There IS a bed atop my car!" On the way out, we also saw a couch, and a roll of carpet on top of other cars. We thought, "Well hell! We could come together to furnish a room!" Mom fed us a yummy dinner of KFC while Bee helped my dad with some doors. Then we called it a night.

Sunday, Bee was going to play in a scrimmage for his flag football team. However, they are now playing about 45 min away and after taking the bed, and having little cash, Bee felt it best not to go and waste the gas. We went shopping and spent more money than we should have, which really stressed out bee. But, after some reassuring, a beer, $40.00 of the bed money, and a promise to make him "Sweet lunches for work. Like, the kind the kids would be jealous of", for the week, he was doing better. He even showed me a "short cut" to Walmart that I was instructed to take always. (Not really sure why. However, he felt it very important to stress the word "Always")



The BBQ started when the first guest arrived, which was Grandma Bee. I love her to death, Especially when she brings me presents ;) but she sure knows how to push Bee's buttons. Normally, I find this hilarious, but today was not the day. He was already stressed and on edge and she just had to rile him up all over again. Though, I'll admit, my mom started it. I really need to talk to her about talking about things I share with her in mixed company. IE: I tell my mom mostly everything. Like, how Bee got himself financially into a hole this weekend. Bee is not so open with his family, and my mom brought it up when Bee snapped at his mom "It's been a rough weekend, ok?!". My mom was trying to help soothe him, but only made Grandma Bee ask "What's this all about?" Then she nagged/questioned him on his checking account managing abilities. All of this while people were complaining of being hungry and "when is the Meat coming?" and the grill decided at that moment to let it's burners crumble to ash when we tried to start them up. Good Times.






Another thing. I am horrible at taking pictures of events I am hosting. I pulled out my camera to take pictures and managed to get about 3 (see above and to the left). Mainly, because I was way too busy running around taking care of my guests...and when I wasn't doing that, I was enjoying myself. I was bummed at the lack of turnout and was going to mention it in my facebook status update, but after thinking about it, decided our turnout was quite good considering it was a holiday (we had 25 throughout the day....not at once), and the people who were there, were really the ones who mattered anyway, and I was quite happy. That, and they managed to not destroy my house too much ;)

We slept in until around 10:30am when we got this: This is "Mr. Licky". He is the garden snake our friend Reggie caught in the pond at our house. Apparently, Mr Lickey Swam right up to him, so therefore it was meant to be. He ran right out yesterday and bought a proper crib for Mr. Lickey. From what I hear Mr. Licky and Reggie's son are becoming fast friends. He wanted to take Mr. Licky's friend, too, but Bee said "Hey man, I can't let you take all my wildlife!" I am just horrified that Mr. Lickey was in my backyard, and that his friend is still out there!

After cleaning up what was left from the night before, I gathered some snacks and my laptop and plopped my big butt into my giant chair. I told Bee that after 2 months of not relaxing, today was MY day. I was going the "fat kid" route, and not moving from the chair. I had all my snacks and he was on his own. He agreed and said he wasn't leaving his chair all day either, except when he had to go get the kids from Grandma and Grandpa "S's", and Bee and I snacked all day.

He eventually did have to go get the wee ones. To which I let him use my car, and for once, he could take it because the grandparents have at least come to grips with the idea that Bee and their daughter are no longer and I am in the picture. Of course, this made Bee happy, and to prove it, he sent me this:

Ah, My scruffy guy! :) When the kids got home, "C" had to tell us of her harrowing tale of being on the brink of death when she went to a car show with grams and gramps and they had a little carnival there. While at the carnival, "C" wanted to ride on the swing. They had one of these at cedar point and we rode on it together and it was a barrel of laughs.
Anywho, apparently, she rode the one at the carnival. The man came over and inspected to make sure she was buckled and then off they went. About halfway through the ride, he buckle broke and she was sliding out of the swing. She started screaming for them to stop, but since they are used to kids wanting to ride, only to be scared when it starts and want off all day long, they ignored her. She was litteraly hanging by her arms, butt out of the seat and legs dangling before the stopped it. The guy ran out and caught her as she fell. She is ok. Her arm is swollen and bruised from having a deathgrip on the chains, but she is ok. Little man took it worse than she did I think. He has been super clingly ever since and they talked a lot about death lastnight. Scary! Although, as consulation, she was given a bowl and three fish. Great. One more responsibility for me. I told her, if she doesn't take care of them, they're going in the pond. They can hang with Mr. Licky's buddy.

I eventually got up from my snack induced stupor and made the kids's lunches and even one for Bee. It was a "Sweet" one. One the kids would have been jealous to have (two sandwhichs on hamburger buns. One for breakfast and one for lunch. Chips, 2 Cheese sticks, a bag of pretzles, a go-gurt, a baggy of gummy bears, a vanilla pudding and a rice krispie treat...that way he can munch through out the day, you see) and then lazily headed off to bed where I fell asleep faster than I ever have. All in all, it ended up being a good weekend. I can't wait till next weekend when I really can relax. Bee's announced, he's going 4wheeling with the boys. Good bye! Have fun! haha!