Chapter 11

The economy takes another victim. My company filed Chapter 11, granted it's not Chapter 7, and we have a opportunity to recover. Tell that to the 20 some people who's last day was last Friday.
Chapter 11 means no severance packages and that COBRA insurance will be available, but you have to pay for all of it. No company help.
They started out the company meeting this morning by telling everyone that the checks that are "in the mail" may NOT be good. So what they are telling the workers that were working outa the Plainfield building that the severance check that they got when they were let go is not any good right now. OUCH! to Chester who was a pressman for 43 years and I befriended by phone, ordering preprints. To my lifeline down there, Eleanor, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer and has 24 yrs in. To the 5 girls from classified that they convinced on staying until the transition to New York could be complete before they left. Sorry People NO Severance!!!
My job for now is stable, but we are forced to take a furlough. (week off with no pay) sometime in April or May.
Looks like the week that I already have scheduled off in May, when Steve and Lahcen will be here, will be without pay.

Hair Cut

We all know people who have done this. I have - Bryan has - and for sure her Mother, Stacy has, so when Kaylyn decided that she didn't like her bands falling in her face all the time and barrettes or rubber bands were not part of her wardrobe she did it too.
She found the scissors and cut her own hair.
After a visit to the salon here is the results.
When they came over to the house today I told her about the time her Mother cut her own hair and showed her the picture I took, all the time emphasising that she was still one cutie pa-tu-tie.

Don't you agree?

I'm Back Baby!!!

I got the go ahead from Bruce, my therapist, to start bowling again. I really missed it. There is just something about a bowling alley that can put me in a good mood. It has it's own smells. It's own sounds. And of course.
Good Friends!!


My shoulder wouldn't let me "reach" for the ten pin (left quite a few) so I only bowled a 446, but it felt damn good.....

A Red Car Day

At Therapy on Monday Bruce let me pick the music. Of course I choose George Strait. Well today he asks me if I want him to turn on Garth Brooks. I said George Strait - "What's the difference?" After I tried to explain the difference between George and Garth we settled on Foo Fighters. I know what your thinking, not my music.
I start every session with 10 minutes on the bike. The bike faces a window overlooking the tollway, so today to tune out the music I counted the red cars driving on the tollway. Traffic was heavy - Today was a red car day. A grand total of 63 red cars, trucks and 2 red buses.

Another Baby

First Congratulations to Andy & Michelle on the birth of that beautiful baby girl Samantha.
I sent one of my coworkers over to see my Chiro because her back was bothering her and she just told me that he had to cancel her appt. He NEVER cancels appts.
He and his wife got a baby. They have been married for 5 years and found out that they could not have any of their own so they were on a list for adoption. The baby's room at their new house has been empty for 3 years. They have been waiting for someone to make the biggest sacrifice a woman could make and then to choose them. I am SO happy for him. Zachery William was born on St. Patty's day. The wife is a kindergarten teacher and plans on being a stay at home Mom. It's true - Good thing DO happen to those who wait.

What's up doc?

I read an article in the newspaper today about the ever growing concerns of our health care system.
There are those people who don't go the the doctor, dentist, at all and shop for their eye glasses at the walgreens because they can't afford the cost of health insurance. Then there are people like us who have insurance now, but the costs of our benefits will be greatly affected when Mike retires. In the last 3 months I have visited the dentist and had my teeth checked and a crown put on. I went to the eye doc and got new glasses. I have seen 1 ortho doc, 2 chiropractors and am currently taking PT for my shoulder. Next month I have appts for my yearly exam, my mammogram, a bone scan. After all this I'm sure I will never want to see a person with Doctor in his or her name.

Somethin's Burnin'

Otter Creek forest preserve is down the street from the house. Sharen and I walk the Circle and enjoy the privacy from the tall weeds, grass and flowers that are tall enough that you can't see a person around each corner. There are times when you hear something and we are sure that an animal is going to jump out and eat us. Ok maybe not eat us, but I have jumped a few times when the snakes come out. Well not now! The Forest Preserve had a control burn this week and the circle is open for all to see us.

A~R~T

Art was my favorite class in school. I took every class offered. Mr. Krultz was my favorite teacher (Art class in 7th,8th and 9th grade) and Mr. Wills was my least favorite teacher (Jewelry Sr. year).
My wonderful, thoughtful, and caring nephew, Andy has turned me on to another ART form. Active Release Techniques.
He sent me an e-mail saying that he has had this done and it has helped him and thought it might help with my shoulder. Well after some extended research I found a female Dr. that does this in St. Charles. I have my second sessions with her this afternoon. She says that she can get me moving again in just a couple sessions! I have a high tolerance for pain and she commended me on my willingness to try different options. Exrays, Drugs, Accupunture, Massage, Cupping, Physical Therapy, and Now ART. One of these HAS to work. Ortho doc said that surgery won't help me.
So here is my schedule this week. Mon: PT, Tues:ART, Wed:PT, Thurs:ART, Fri: PT.
I'm so glad that I'm not in school cause I am having a hell of a time raising my arm.

Happy St .Patty's Day

There have been some comments made at work about my lack of cookie baking. Specially since I do NOT give out my cut out cookie recipe (except for people deserving) to just anyone and the only way these people are going to get them is if I make them SOooooo.

I made a batch of shamrock cookies. Gave some to Sharen to take to her work for her 17th anniversary of working there. I took some into work to shut them up for awhile (they tell me Easter is the next holiday)and the rest are in the frig calling my name every time I open the damn door.

Grandma Karen

Saturday afternoon Stacy drops the boys off to spend some quality time with Grandma Karen and Papa Down.

After some serious baseball (Logan and Dylan clearly whopped on Papa) we went out for some pizza. The boys had never been to Giordanos so we head over there early to avoid the dinner rush. Logan wanted spaghetti. Mike got his normal cheese and sausage. Dylan never had deep dish so we split a med. deep dish with half cheese for him and the other half with the works for me.
After some competition on the Wii - Mike and the boys head over to the DQ for dessert. Do boys EVER stop eating??? Mike then pops some popcorn and the men hunker down to watch "Journey to the Center of the Earth". Dylan said it was OK, but Logan LOVED it!
After a good nights sleep (maybe not so much for Mike - He slept in the basement with the boys) I made pancakes for breakfast.
After Logan had eaten 2 pancakes Mike taught him how a man eats a pancake with butter and sugar on it. He said they were the best pancakes he ever had and proved it to me by after eating 3 for breakfast he had 2 more cold when he came back from "walking the creek" with Papa.

Great Aunt Karen

Sharen calls me and asks if I wanted to go to the fabric store with her and Carrie. I actually said No - I offered to watch Matthew though. That little kiddo had to reconnect with his Great Aunt Karen.

We got to know each other better and here are some things that Matty told me about while we hung out at Grandma Sharen's house.

This is the only pic I got of Matthew before the camera petered out.

He liked the new color that Grandma was painting the bathroom. I agreed...
He could smell dinner and he couldn't wait to share a turkey crock pot dinner with his Grandpa Dup.
He scoped out the flowers that were coming up on our many trips around the house and memorized the location for picking and giving to Grandma some day.
The deck looked like a cool place to hang out and have a couple of bottles with Grandma & Grandpa. They could have beer but his was just going to have milk in it for awhile.
And he thought the driveway had the perfect pitch to sail out into the street on his bike.

Flower Power

With the upcoming addition to the family being a girl I have been paying attention to the names of girls these days.
At therapy this morning there was a new girl working and I asked her her name. Lily.
I like it. Then I'm thinking I like quite a few girl names that are flowers. I had a Aunt Violet that was my Mother sister, and there is a 92 yr old lady that comes out to the bowling alley and watches us bowl that likes to groove to the music named Violet. A friend from work names her girl Grace Rose. One of my favorite characters from All My Children was named Daisy. Who doesn't like the smell of Jasmine? The only one that is a far stretch for me is Hyacinth. Michelle has a link on her blog to "Pioneer Woman" (I love that website by the way) and her best friend is named Hyacinth. Not so sure about that one.

I see You

My new computer has a Webcam. Bryan hooked me up with Skype so we could video talk. He has it on his computer too, so last night we talked and it was crazy. I took a couple snapshots one of just Bryan and then Mary came over and I took one with her and Bryan too.



Have you called someone and heard something in their voice and you just know that something is just not right? This is a great way to eliminate all fears.

Sample Pictures

I scanned a picture of Mom for her Birthday blog and with this new computer I had a hard time finding where in the hell that it landed. I obviously found it, but I discovered that the "Sample Pictures" that they supply with this computer lack.
My dream job would be to take picture for the sample folder for Microsoft. I know I could do better than some of those.

Mom's Rule

Today is my Mom's 86th birthday!
And do you know what? She still can scare me when she raises her voice. I still want her approval and she still rules my world.

Zelda

While Bryan was setting up my new laptop I was trying to get the router set up for the wireless connection. We have had this router since Bryan moved in and out of here. He was the only one that ever used it. All I ever did was disconnect the router back to my hard drive. How hard can it be to reverse the process? HA! I took the power cord from the modem and put it into the router. Blow UP! Now we have no wireless. Obviously I had no idea what I was thinking or doing.
Anyway my wonderful son went and bought me a new router, got the wireless working again and then showed me how to download games onto the Wii. I have gone Hi tech.
I love Zelda!!! so of course that is the first game I bought. Now I can play it anytime I want.

Greetings....

from my new computer.
While Mike is on his second vacation this year without me. Okay I chose not to go. He is in Las Vegas with his bowling team and since that is not one of my choices for a vacation spot I spent my time and money shopping.
Bryan came out yesterday and help me look for a new computer. I fell in love with the freedom I had using his laptop so I decide that that was the way to go. He found the perfect fit for me. Good thing he was there because I was looking at a more expensive one with a smaller screen. This baby has a wide screen (17in) so I can work on my pictures side by side. Sweet!!!!

Touch Up

I'm really bummed that this is my last class, but I have learned SO much. Steve, the cat man, asked the teacher last week if she was going to continue with an advanced class. She said that she taught us the basics and she would consider an advanced class maybe later. I was so happy to hear that, because I need to absorb and use what I have learned already and I so would sign up for more..
She also said that the best way not to forget everything is to teach someone else. So anybody who wants to know what I know let me know.
Here is my Touch Up picture homework.

The night that this was taken was a magical night from our trip to New York.. Steve took us to the play Xanadu and we sat on the stage. We stopped at "The Stage door Deli" for dessert. (We all ordered way over our limit) and then we ended up sitting in this carriage meandering through Central Park.
I will NEVER forget that night!

Please keep in mind that this is my first attempt at cloning. I'm sure I can get better.

Before wearing our necklaces from the play. And after without the glow sticks