Follow Ups

I forgot to mention that we came back from Florida with a little souvenir.

So the question is, is it worth it to call usaa and get it fixed? I'll mention that I didn't do it and no other cars were involved.

And now, as to the housing situation..... Because I'm more of a passive-aggressive person, when the housing people call and tell me stupid things, I just smile and say thank you for letting me know. Then I ridicule them here. However, this week, I decided if they were going to knock me on stupid things, then I could return the favor. I took pictures and went in with notes to document these dreadful issues.

This picture went in with a note on how the landscapers came through in the interest of "uniformity" and removed a bunch of offending trees and shrubbery. They removed some unsightly item from this spot, right below our drain spout and this is what it looks like still- 6 weeks later. Call me crazy, but this does not look better. On the other side of the porch, they uprooted a little palmy looking tree and just left it there. And they have the gall to call me to complain about a chair I don't even leave on the porch if I'm not sitting in it?!

And this was to document the state of my bathtub. It had a few rusty looking spots when we moved in, but as we have used the shower, it has washed away the white stuff they painted over it with. I know they will not fix it, but I by-golly want it documented that this is what it looks like. I am not going to be responsible for it when we move out.

So those were my mini acts of rebellion. And sure, it is pretty annoying. However, for the most part, I enjoy heckling them about it and mocking the silly people who feel it necessary to do these things. And all things considered, I am happier to live here. We could live off base. Then I'd either have to drive my children to school (which I never want to do), or go to a questionable school. And if we lived off base, I would not have the other freedoms I have here. Where we live right now, I can send the kids out to play and know they will be safe. The street is quiet and no cars drive by. The playground is right there. And today, Callie was out there all day long. There are kids here and its a nice place to live, aside from the natzistic tendencies of the housing management company. If I had to live somewhere where I could do what I wanted to my house, but the kids couldn't roam freely, I would rather be here. So I can't complain too much. It is a choice and this is the better one for me.

Aslo, living here, we get to take advantage of some fun stuff. MWR held a little Halloween Festival this weekend and we were able to just walk on over. They had some fun booths where the kids could win prized and get candy. The kids had a good time.

They had free food too. Hotdogs, drinks and chips. I'm not sure how many bags of chips the kids grabbed! Rylee enjoyed her hotdog and then diligently went to throw her wrapper away. Such a cutie pie!

Marian worked hard to ring the bell on this. She did it too!

Oh yeah, the girls didn't like any of our costume options, so I drew cat faces on them. I love Delaney's face here!

And here's Callie at the bean bag toss. She really had a marvelous time.

And here is Marian. She wanted cheetah spots to go with her whiskers and nose. So, she is a Cheetah!

Dan was not so thrilled to be there. But he came and was supportive and was happy when we left. It was a good family outing. (In his defense, Dan had a really really long and draining day in court, so he was tired and that's why he wasn't enjoying himself so much.)

Boring vacation pictures

We had a long weekend last weekend. We took a little trip to Destin Florida and Joshua says we had Too Much Family Time. I was sick the whole trip, so I mainly lay around with my eyes closed.

I think they look adorable here. I woke up Saturday morning to see this. 4 kids crowded around Dan's iPad watching The Black Stallion on Netflix.

Dan took them to the pool. It was cold, but the kids all got in anyway.

Delaney lasted longer than everyone else. She is impervious to cold!

Dan took them all down to the wharf. They had a good time.

They also went to the park. Again, Dan took them out, while I wished for a faster death than the slow agonizing misery I was suffering.

I love it when they play nice together!

There was some great stuff to do and they had much fun.

And when in the room, they argued over who's turn it was to play the DS. I did like that Callie's favorite thing to play was scribblenauts which is a spelling game.

Oh yeah, the jacuzzi was a big hit too. Next time I'll have to bring bubble bath!

Yep, Marian dove in with her goggles on. It was a nice feature to have!

I love this picture! Yes, Dan took the out to play and he took this shot. But I rarely get pictures of the girls getting along like this. Love it.

And they rolled down the hills. So fun!

And since we were in Florida, Dan did take them to the beach. What did I do? I stayed at home and packed our bags while they went to the beach. Good thing Dan took pictures!

Grrrr....

I've twice now tried to put up pictures tonight, and I tried to blog earlier today as well However, the universe is against me. I feel quite grumpy about that. I was even going to have a lovely, happy post with the pix from our little trip to Florida. Maybe later. I didn't want my whole 3 readers to feel neglected so I will write.

I am really frustrated. I know. I know. It is mostly my own fault. We have 65 days to file a claim from our move. I started working on the process over a week ago. I think they make the system so cumbersome that it isn't worth it to work through it to file anything. We finally got a password and should have been able to get things going, but the computer, or the system locked up. Dan has called at least twice, and the help line had been helpful, but we have not managed to get past the log in page. I think tomorrow at midnight is our deadline. And guess what? I cannot find the paperwork. I took everything with us to Florida and I have no clue where it all is right now. I'm so mad about it all. I wanted it documented that they trashed my stuff. Plus, I did spend $63 to replace my crib parts that they broke. I also need to replace a few parts on my elliptical machine so it will work properly. I'm grumpy that it will all be out of pocket now. The stupid claim is not going to get filed. I'm upset that I didn't start the process earlier. I'm mad that they treated my stuff like trash and will get away with it. I'm even more mad that I have to pay for replacement parts that I shouldn't have to. And I'm really mad at myself for losing the paperwork. I'm sad.

So, yeah, so much for a more cheerful blog post. Sorry. If you needed a dose of the ridiculous, here is a little tale. The movers broke the back of one of our folding chairs for the card table. That's now my designated chair to take outside and sit on when I watch the kids play. I fold it up and bring it inside when I'm not using it because heaven forbid it be seen and noted to be non-conforming to the housing standards. So I was sitting on the sidewalk in front of the house the other evening. I was reading my book and watching the kids play at the park. I saw the housing lady cruise by in her little golf cart and checked to make sure there was nothing on my porch to cause offense. Nope, nothing on my porch but a welcome mat. 30 minutes later, I get a call from the housing office to inform me that only matching lawn furniture is permitted on the porch.

Sick

I'm sick. Sick and miserable. I've been sick since Thursday. I know, I'm never very sick for very long. I might be really sick for a short while, or a little sick for a little longer, but to be this sick for 3 days is new for me. Okay, not New, but it has been a long time. I think the last time I was truly wiped out like this was the last time I got the flu shot- 15 years ago or so. One reason I do not do the flu shot.

I'm not sure how much better or worse it makes it, but we are on vacation. I'll tell you that nearly 7 hours in a car with all the kids and my tired, achy, sweaty, shivery body was not a lot of fun. But Dan did all the driving. He also let me sleep in and stay in bed most of the day. Dan took the kids to the pool and he took them to the playground. He took care of lunch. Me, I lay on the bed. My head and joints hurt too much for any actual sleeping. But I feel too awful to do anything, including reading or watching tv. Watching the back of my eyelids is just my speed right now. I did discover that 800mg makes me feel significantly less achy, but then I sweat instead of shiver.

Normally I would be loading up on my essential oils, especially Inner Defense. Unfortunately, I didn't pack them. I know. So foolish of me. I forgot. I was in a fever induced haze and I was just glad to get all the kids in the car. And now I am roasty, fevery and sick. Still. Please send some cheese to go with my wine.

On the plus side, the kids absolutely love staying at hotels. I do not know why. Maybe it is all the tv they get to watch, or the snacks I pack. Or maybe its the hot tub in my room that they can't wait to use tonight. Either way, they are fairly happy campers. That is a good thing, since I am just dead weight now. Thank goodness for Dan!

Sweet Potato Scones

Because I love you, and I do like to share, here is my scone recipe. I did take it from Betty Crocker, and I modified it because, well, I just have to. The original recipe is here: Sweet Potato Scones.

But this is the way I make them for my family, who inhale them! (It does make a lot.)

Sweet Potato Scones

2 1/4 cups flour (I do at least half whole wheat)

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup butter

1 cup sweet potato puree (or pumpkin, canned is okay)

1/2 cup shredded carrot (which we occasionally leave out due to early morning laziness)

1/4 cup vanilla yogurt ( or blueberry yogurt or whatever kind you have,or buttermilk, or sour cream)

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in butter using fork or pastry cutter till mixture looks like fine crumbs. Stir in sweet potato, carrot, yogurt, vanilla, and chocolate chips until dough just leaves side of the bowl. (It will be stickier if you used buttermilk instead of yogurt.)

Place dough on lightly foured surface and gently roll in flour to coat. Knead 10 times. Place ball on cookie sheet or pizza pan and flatten to 1/2" thick circle. (Or, if your'e like me, pour the bowl onto the pan and spread it into a circle with a spatula!)

If it isn't too sticky, you can cut it with a knife into wedges like a pizza, but do not pull dough away or seperate it.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until the edges are light brown.

We like to glaze the top with a Powder sugar and milk glaze.