Blog Nonsense - Blame Melissa

Genealogy, Camp, Summer

(I can't remember if I've posted on this before or not, and I'm too lazy this morning to go look it up, so just pretend with me that this is new ground!)

Have I mentioned the genealogy bug has bitten me again?  I haven't messed around with the family tree in a long time, but somehow I got the bug again right before fourth of July, and logged on for a free trial at Ancestry.Com.  I must say, the internet will take genealogy light years forward.  After plugging in what I knew from memory I started looking, and was positively AMAZED at what is out there.  My big success so far is going back a generation on Dad's grandmother.  Until this month all I had on her was her name, really.  I've hooked up with the descendants of one of her brothers (that I didn't know she had) and now have considerable information on her parents.  We're still trying to figure out exactly when they immigrated (I have a different ship/arrival than the other part of the family), but it really makes me feel like I'm starting to know her better.  I've been writing to my grandfather to sort out facts for him and his siblings, which has helped alot too.  My next challenge on that side of the family is to figure out when Charles Somazze immigrated... I found a likely candidate, but much research to go until I'm sure that was him.    On Mom's father's side I've gotten proper dates for her grandparents, the next step is to find their parents.  One big challenge is that the 1940 census records don't release until 2012.  Basically if someone is still alive, it's much harder to research them.  Don't get me started on some of the inaccuracies in records either.  

The hardest thing so far with doing this is that nobody else is around to be excited with me when I find these facts.  I need to find a family history buddy to get excited with me and who likes to talk about immigration records and census records.  Ha!

Duncan attended day camp for scouts last week, and had a great time.  I knew he would.  They worked on weather, geography, archery, BB shooting, art and some other stuff.  It was pirate themed, which he LOVED.  All of us went to the family picnic on Friday night with him.  Connor gets his next summer activity next week when he goes to soccer camp the week of July 23rd.   It's being offered by local high school coaches, and I am really hoping it will help him improve.

Can you believe the summer is already half over??

Just... Thoughts

Hurray for chemistry -- my two overactive little boys are finally calming down this morning. Duncan has been depressed since he got home from Charlotte over having to leave his grandmother. We really are at our wits end with his whining and complaining about this. He called her 12 times the first day he was home. He called her at 8am yesterday morning. He had been told not to call her before 6pm so he was punished by not being allowed to call anymore yesterday. Dot asked us WHY we taught him her phone number. Ha, we didn't, he found it in the phone memory. He starts day camp for scouts tomorrow so hopefully that will give him something new to obsess about.

I've started on a new multi-vitamin. I'm not sure how it's going or not... I've been really nauseous and sick the last couple of days and I wonder if it's from the vitamin. It's more vegetable based, and I am not a veggie girl. The nausea could be coming from the byetta as well, although I find it odd that it took three weeks to kick in. Why is it that you feel the worst when you are actively trying to improve your eating habits? I did a BAD thing last night, we got chinese, and my blood sugar this morning clearly reflected my misdeed. But after the TUMS and pepto bismol last night my stomach finally settled down (it was upset before the chinese).

I discovered (much to my chagrin) last night that Charles hasn't had his anti-depressant in over a week; somehow he didn't realize that those pills had changed colors (different dose) and was skipping them because he thought it was a nutritional supplement. I am really hoping getting this fixed will improve his mood. I need to load pill minders for everyone this morning, not one of my favorite chores. Somehow one of Duncan's minders has gotten misplaced, so I have to hunt that too.

The silly gray furball (aka Dexter) got another mouse this week, and left it thoughtfully at the foot of my bed as an offering. Fortunately Charles found it before I did! He was sleeping at Charles' feet last night in the recliner when Charles wanted more duck sauce, so I was throwing the packets across the room so neither one of us would have to wake up (or disturb the cat). We both laughed when the cat jumped up and tried to catch one of the packets.

Any reality TV fans reading this post? I'm am anxiously awaiting the next episode of Big Brother 8 tonite... I'm really curious to see how the "america's houseguest" twist will go. Tonite also brings another episode of Army Wives, so at least there is some new TV tonite.

One last thought, for my fellow bloggers... go back and read some of your oldest archives. I read the first six months of this blog, and found it very interesting reading.

My Space

So what's all the fuss about?? I have a MySpace page, I rarely visit, and I just don't understand the fuss. Any of you have one? Wanna be buds? LOL!

Independence Day

I'm still depressed, but at least I am doing more than moping. This feels so weird... I've taken meds for depression for a long time, and these blue moods are rare anymore. I was so down I didn't go to my sister-in-law's house for the fourth... just didn't feel like driving. The kids & Charles are spending the night at her house (my MIL isn't feeling well so they are giving her a break).

The rest of my crew will stay at my MIL's house until this weekend. Then they all come home for a bit -- Duncan has day camp for scouts next week so that should keep him busy.

Word of the Day

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source

de·pressed      /dɪˈprɛst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[di-prest] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

–adjective

1.	sad and gloomy; dejected; downcast.

2.	pressed down, or situated lower than the general surface.

3.	lowered in force, amount, etc.

4.	undergoing economic hardship, esp. poverty and unemployment.

5.	being or measured below the standard or norm.

6.	Botany, Zoology. flattened down; greater in width than in height.

7.	Psychiatry. suffering from depression.

---

[Origin: 1375–1425; late ME; see depress, -ed²]

—Synonyms 1. saddened, morose, despondent, miserable; blue; morbid.
—Antonyms 1. happy.

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006.

Migraines, Old People, and Bowling

Ugh, who knew migraines could be so much "fun".....   it has really kicked my rear lately.  I'm ready for a headache-free week.  This week has been a hard one so far... I had to travel to Charlotte for business Monday, and I am going again tomorrow.    Connor is at Vacation Bible School this week at church.  I make a point of engaging him in conversation about it each evening.  Monday he told me they "talked about old people" but he couldn't tell me their names.  At least yesterday he could tell me it was "Abraham and Sarah".  Makes you smile, doesn't it?  He's getting to be quite the little fraidy cat with thunder storms.  He crawled in bed with me Monday night when a rather lively one started.  I told him at one point that I had heard some people say thunder is the sound made when the angels are bowling; I did warn him I didn't know if that was true or not, it was just something I had heard.  He informed me later he knew it was true, but he seemed less bothered by the thunder.

Rant!!!

OK, so I mentioned how I've been to the endocronologist about my diabetes, and I've had a longgg week of working on it. Despite a new medication that is supposed to kill my appetite, I've been hungry all week. Charles brought me dinner home one night last week, Chick Fil A, including a brownie AND waffle fries. This is after he lectured me about how I'd have to lose weight. Sooo, he gets home yesterday after being at his mom's for a few days... and he stays up later than me. This morning I find that, overnight, he ate: 3 pieces of KFC, 1/2 a box of Froot Loops, potato chips... I could just kill him!!! I'm about to go wake him up and make him take his blood sugar. I mean, it's his life, his body, but on a practical note, I pay a small fortune for his medications, doctors visits & diabetic supplies and he binges like this, and then dares lecture me about my diet??!!

Camping, Migraines, Endocronology

Duncan & I survived our trip to cub scout resident camp.  He had a blast, and is already asking to go back.  I struggled with the heat, the hills, and the bugs.  I also got a migraine the last full day so that didn't help.  I've had one every days since Sunday so I am kind of worn down at the moment.  I did see the endocronologist about my diabetes last week, and so far with the new medicine (byetta) and being more attentive to my diet I see my results improving.  Ask me how I feel about it a month from now when I see him again.

I've been Tagged!

Argh! I'm it! Monica tagged me!These are the rules.... each player starts with 7 random facts about themselves on their Blog. People who are tagged need to blog 7 facts about themselves and post the rules as well. At the end of their blog list 7 people you are tagging. Let them know that they are tagged by leaving them a comment. So, time for my 7 random facts:

1. I can't roll my tongue. My husband takes great delight in that fact. I understand it's a hereditary thing?

2. I got to be Rudolph in my kindergarten Christmas program.

3. I've had my ears pierced three times and they are currently not pierced. I have a terrible time getting them to heal properly, and I just give up on them after a while.

4. My first car was an old blue Ford Maverick. Great fun for a 17 year old.

5. I won the VP of Finance of the Year at Junior Achievement, and attended the National Conference in 1981 at Indiana University. WooHOO!

6. I've been to Easter services in Notre Dame cathedral in Paris (1980).

7. I used to like ketchup on my canteloupe.

There! I'm gonna tag Courtney, Felicia, Carole (The Nana), Cynthia, Jill, Melissa, and Julie!

Friday

WooHOOO -- it's almost the weekend!  It was 89 degrees yesterday at lunchtime... I am so not ready for summer just yet.  The guy who works on our trees came by last night to look at some work we need doing, and by the time we talked in the yard for 20 minutes or so (after 7pm mind you) I was pouring sweat.  Having my neck knotted up and my head pounding didn't help things though.  On the bright side, he's going to hang a new tree swing for us when he does the work, so that will help things too.  Duncan has really missed the swing -- the rope is so frayed we won't let him on it, and we really wanted a "professional" opinion as to whether the branch would still hold him.

Dexter continues his role as King-of-the-Jungle... our neighbor told us last night he's seen Dexter with rabbits, and he left a bird spread over the front lawn for us to view this morning.    He is very male, and very feline.   Then he comes inside and purrs until you scratch beneath his chin for a while.

We actually have a busy weekend ahead.  The county is doing a "Family Field Day" tomorrow, and I enrolled our family to go.  You have to complete at least five events as a family, and then they feed you lunch and have a chance to win prizes.  I hope we have a good time.  A few of the prizes would be really nice -- a one year membership to a tae kwon do place, a basketball goal, and the grand pirze is a 4 day cruise for four (guess which prize I'd like!).  

On a health note... it's not been a good couple of days for headaches or neck problems.  Today I'm on the max dose of my medicine that my doctor allows... no pain at the moment but I'm pretty loopy.  My friend "Frog Legs" got us started in this eight week health challenge so I've started wearing a pedometer to see how much i'm actually moving.  I'm pleased to see it's more than I thought, and disappointed to see where I SHOULD be.   So we'll tackle that one step at a time.

Helicopter Moms

Go read it. . And if you are still interested, here's more:

It makes you think....

Tuesday Quickie

Well, I thought I would to be able to post that I am headache free for the first time in over a month... we are close but not quite there. I spent alot of the holiday weekend being lazy because my head hurt. Do check out my photo blog -- part of my cleaning uncovered the missing Tiger pictures I had promised to share, and they are now posted on it.

This is our first week in AGES with nothing to do any night this week -- wooHOO. I could get used to this. It won't last long though. Next week Duncan & I have to go for our swimming test for scout camp on Monday evening, and then we are hitting up Chuck E Cheese with another family to celebrate the ending of the school year Wednesday night (school ends Friday 6/8). The kids won't know about this until we get in the car to go or they will bug us to DEATH about it. I'm also attending field day for both kids next week. The week after Duncan & I head to scout camp, as part of a group of 17 scouts and 9 parents. THAT should be interesting!!

I'll post more later if I get a moment!

Update on Me

OK, enough blog nonsense, I'm sure my readers are ready for some "news".   Thank you so much to all of you for your kind thoughts on my migraine issues.  We started a new drug yesterday, so we'll see how this goes.  For the most part mine aren't crippling, but they sure aren't fun.  I got new glasses last week, bifocals, so I am hoping as I adjust to those it will improve the headache situation.  When I first put them on I thought they had given me someone else's glasses!

We are counting down towards the end of the school year on June 8th.  Connor's soccer finished on 5/16, and I've already signed him up for the fall season.  I am hoping we can work out a half day soccer camp for a week later in the summer to jump start his soccer season next year.  He has gotten his glasses as well, and we have to stay on him to look through them and not over them.  He went back to the ophthalmologist on 5/18, and we have started patching the good eye for 2-3 hrs per day.  He whined ALOT the first few days, but I think we're over the hump.   He goes back to see her for a checkup in early July.

Last weekend was the end of year scout picnic for our pack.   It's hard to believe scouts is over for the year.  We have resident camp coming up in two weeks for Duncan & I, and then we're done until September.  He has been asking about taking karate again.  Last time he was so disruptive to the class we finally had to pull him from it.  There is a new class in town specifically for ADHD kids, but it's pricey, so I've got to ponder that one.  The kids also finished their swim lessons last night.  We are trying to get them in another session this summer, but so far every single session we'd have to miss at least 25% of, so we haven't signed up yet.  I dropped off the forms last night to enroll them in vacation bible school at church for the last week of June.  They had such a wonderful time last summer, so it was a must-do activity for us this year.

We made a trip to Virginia to visit my parents last weekend, and got to see their new house.  My kids really enjoyed seeing them and their cousins.  I enjoyed seeing their cousins too -- they have grown so much!!  Hopefully I'll get the group photo of all six posted on my photo blog this weekend, but I need to double check with my brother and his wife if posting that is OK first.

Dexter seems fully recovered from the tail bite, his coat is weed-free again, and he is really loving the summer weather here.  I kind of miss the winter days when he was inside more, but he seems very happy.

Anyone going to CKC in Charlotte, NC in August?  I'm really looking forward to that, I've signed up for quite a few classes this year.  Last year my favorite classes were from Quick Quotes, so I'm working on finishing up the last of those so I can prove to Michelle (the instructor) that I actually completed them.  I have three QQ classes this year as well!

Blog Nonsense -- Blame Felicia

1. Yourself? Outstanding
2. Your boyfriend/girlfriend? married
3. Your hair? my best feature
4. Your mother? feisty
5. Your father? Daddy
6. Your favorite thing? my camera and/or my computer
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? diet coke
9.Your dream car? Mercedes
10. The room you're in right now? den
11. Your fear? snakes
12. What you want to be in 10 years?
13. Muffins? chocolate chip
14. Who you hung out with last night? Charles
15. What you're not? shy
16. Time? 2:28 p.m.
17. What you're wearing? shorts
18. Your favorite weather? Fall
19. Your favorite book? romance
20. Last thing you ate? triscuits
21. Your worst vice? talking too much
22. Your best friend is? Missy
23. What you're thinking about right now? scout picnic
24. Your car? Odyssey
25. Your life? slammed

Yet MORE Blog Nonsense -- Blame Melissa, AGAIN!

I am a Sunflower What Flower Are You?

Blog Nonsense - Blame Melissa

Your results:
You are Spider-Man

Spider-Man 80% Catwoman 60% Robin 57% Green Lantern 55% Iron Man 55% Superman 50% Hulk 45% Wonder Woman 42% Batman 40% The Flash 40% Supergirl 37%

You are intelligent, witty, a bit geeky and have great power and responsibility.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

Dexter's Impersonation of a Poodle

Yep, a poodle. Charles says I'm insulting HIS cat. Dexter came in Friday morning and complained when I rubbed his tail -- further inspection found a swollen spot about 1/2 way up it. Off to the vet he went, to discover something had bitten him and his tail had started to abscess. So we are now doing antibiotics. In order to drain the abscess, they had to shave most of his tail. I told him this is what happens when you "zig" when you should "zag". We think from the bite marks it was a rodent -- he normally leaves "presents" fairly intact, but there was a shredded rodent on the front porch that morning. It was either that or the garden snake he killed the day before, except the bites were too far apart to be that snake.

Ah well, he's feeling much better and did his best fe-lion impression in the backyard yesterday while tormenting a chipmunk.

Happy Anniversary to ME

11 years ago today I became a Mrs.   Charles arranged for me to attend an all-day crop on Saturday at my favorite scrapbook store, and we are going out to dinner tonite WITHOUT the kids.

I wish I felt better.  Monday I started my first full blown migraine, although I didn't know it at the time.  Lights flashed around my eyes, bad blurry vision, miserable headache.  My massage Monday night helped alot.  I was tired Tuesday, but kind of oblivious as I was on a field trip with Duncan.  Wednesday the blurry vision started again along with a headache, and I was dizzy and stumbling.  YUCK.  Soooo, I've been to the doctor, had a CT scan just to make sure it wasn't anything else, and have some meds for tension headaches to tide me over til I see the doctor again on 5/16.  Lucky me!

I'll post more about our field trip to the Biltmore House in Asheville NC when I feel a bit better.

Blog Nonsense - Blame Melissa

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