Currently Listening Reba Duets By Reba McEntire w/Kelly Clarkson see related

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!! 

I know it has been the longest since I last blogged.  So, so busy and just don't make the time to be on my computer.

But, I wish everyone the most lovely of Valentines.

I got flowers from Tim, beautiful mixture of snapdragons, lilies, even tulips....and 3 big, fat delicate pink roses!!  Beautiful flowers from my wonderful husband.

Then, Ryan's girlfriend Amber brought me a single white rose, with bamboo and babies breath, and a box of See's chocolates.  Sweet girl!!

For Christmas, Tim got me the new Reba McIntire "DUETS" cd.  The #3 track is one with Kelly Clarkson, and it's a really good song, kinda sad.....well, imagine my surprise when I read that a co-writer with Kelly Clarkson is none other than my cousins' son, Ben Moody!!  And, to top it all off, it was nominated for a Grammy!!  It didn't win but....it WAS nominated.  I swear that boy sure does have some great talent!!  Of course, talent DOES run in our family....and not just our comedic talent or good looks!!

But seriously, check out this cd....if you like Reba, (and who doesn't??)  check it out.  I especially like the duets with LeAnn Rimes, Rascal Flatts, Kenny Chesney, Don Henley,  and....get this, Justin Timberlake!!  It's really good.

Other than that, not much is going on other than we are completely remodeling our Master Bathroom, to include a separate shower stall.  Tim tore it all apart this last weekend and hopes to have all but the tiling done by this weekend.  YooHoo, I cannot wait!!

We got a surprise storm starting around 3am this morning, why it has even been snowing in San Diego!! 

Happy Valentines Day!!

Hey everybody!!

Just checking in since it has been quite a while since I blogged anything, and quite a bit has been going on, as well.

I guess everyone knows about the Southern California fires, by now.

We are fine, so far.  Today has been the worst day for us, as the smoke is pretty abundant.  Up until today we have been pretty clear, considering.  We have not had any fires close to us but the Fallbrook Fire, the one they are calling the Rice Fire is about 15 miles south.  With the winds blowing west, as there were up until last night sometime, all the smoke was being blown out over the ocean.  Now that the wind is blowing east again, all that smoke over the water is being blown back over to us, and that is what is happening as I write.  My neighborhood is white, while the sun is blazing orange.

I am not complaining, as I have the house all closed up and the air on.  Yesterday, our temp was 100*, but it's started to cool down some, the high today was 88*.  Yesterday, I was able to go outside.  I picked all of the roses that were ready or half way ready to pick....with all the winds blowing all this dirt around, you wouldn't have believed how dirty everything was.

Wednesday is my normal day off from work.  I am only allocated a certain number of hours per week, and I satisfy those hours working 4 days, so a 5th day I have off, and that day is Wednesday, which is great as I work 2 day then a day off then 2 more days then the weekend off.  I get a lot done, and I can't complain.

But, I got the call yesterday that due to the poor air, and the fact that all the high schools in Temecula are now being used as Evacuation Centers, school is closed until Monday.  It would be a great thing if there was someplace to go for some fun, but Southern California certainly isn't the place to go to for fun, right now.....or for sometime to come, I think.

There is another fire, on the outskirts of Temecula, still burning.  My son, Ryan used to live over in that area.  When I was at school on Tuesday, we all saw the smoke and the flames coming over the hills but I think they were able to get it a little bit contained and now I understand that it is going east instead of north.  But, there are so many fires going on.....some I can understand the origins but there are several others that just don't seem to make any sense that they were started by burning embers being carried so far by the winds.....and then we hear that several are being investigated as arson suspicious.

I will never understand the thrill of setting fires on purpose.  Especially when so much loss and devastation occurs.  And, in case many of you are unaware, a lot of the homes that are built in the toolies, or in areas out away from the more densely populated areas, you can't get fire coverage, or the cost is so high you simply can't afford the coverage.  So, very many of these homeowners do not have insurance, they will rely on Government loans to see them through to either settle somewhere else, or rebuild......but, to rebuild in the same areas......well, you will always have to be prepared, this could and more than likely will, happen again.

So, I want to thank Julie (EnglishJuls) for checking up on me and my family.  She did the exact same thing, 4 years ago, when we were in the midst of the Cedar Fire.  That time, we didn't suffer much at all, didn't effect us much, although Tim missed some work due to road closures, and when he did make it in, he had to wear a mask for several days.  This time he is doing much better, as the majority of fires are north of him.  But, he did say driving on the I-15, through Rancho Bernardo and Poway, the smoke was so thick you could not see in front of you!!

My lead teacher, Heather grew up in Rancho Bernardo, and on Monday we were able to find the addresses of some homes that were destroyed, and her childhood home was on the list.  My Principal, JoAnn lives in Fallbrook, she wasn't able to make it home from Monday on but as of yesterday at about 4:00pm, her house was ok.  Another of our teachers, Jeniffer, her parent's live in Pauma Valley, and they had mandatory evacuations, they are staying with her in Murrieta, but they do not know whether their house is ok or not.

Fire is a horrible thing.

It's my birthday!!  Today I am exactly 50 years young!!  Can you believe it??  I can't.

How in the world can I be 50??  For those of you still many years away from this big number, beware!!  It creeps up on you.....guess I can't say without warning but seriously, I do not feel like I am 50.  Some days, I feel like 100 but hardly ever have I felt 50.

So, this is also my last day of vacation.  I did go back to work yesterday to a refresher course on CPR & 1st Aid.  I am recertified now.  But, my knees are killing me and my left hand and wrist are so achy!!  My left knee looks bruised and.......I have a carpet burn!!  I won't tell how many years it has been since that last happened to me.  lol

Last night my "partner in crime" Bay took me out to dinner at "On the Border".  We were joined by Heather, my lead teacher....and Dory, the Aide I took the place of.  It was a fun time....Bay brought me a baby pink rose plant, as she knew baby pink roses are my favorite.  It included rose snippers......in pink!!  They are special clippers that a portion of the cost goes to the Susan Komen Breast Cancer organization.  A good cause, and a great color...I love them!!

Our Principal informed us yesterday of our API scores, our school did very well and is one of the top 5 schools in our county.  Even better news was that while our district average for our Special Ed students is 660, the students at our school scored a collective 724 on the State tests!!!  In fact, we scored the highest in the State!!  Now, I usually am not a boisterous person but......I have struggled with the decision to remain in this profession but..............the only thing different in our department from the previous year is..........me!!!???  So, I am feeling very proud of the accomplishment, and knowing that I have been a contributing factor.

That feels really good....when you are celebrating your 50th birthday.

So, my "sister" Sharon is coming from Apple Valley and we are planning a day of shopping, going to lunch at a posh Temecula winery & Spa, and after lunch we are having a Margarita Pedicure.  What's a Margarita Pedicure, you ask??  It's an exclusive pedicure that includes Margarita's.....you can have your choice of regular or Strawberry....or if you prefer, you can have martini's....but, were having strawberry margaritas.

Tomorrow Tim, our friend Jim and I are going to Humphrey's by the bay, and seeing a comedian, Jim Gaffigan.  He was the coffee guy on "Friends" and was also on "That 70's Show".  A night of comedy to celebrate my 50th.

So, hope all of you have a wonderful August 15th.....I know I will.

Happy Birthday to me!!

Ola!!

Hope everyone is having a great summer, as am I.  Been so busy with my garden, the house, and life in general.

Next week Tim is on vacation and do we have lots to do!!

My garden is coming along well.  The ants have just about taken over my cucumbers & squash areas.  I hate ants but at least they aren't in my house....well, I take that back as we know that they are in the walls of this house but as long as they stay there, out of sight, somewhat out of mind.  But outside is another matter!!

My tomato's are amazing.  I swear they are all taller than me, and while that might not be saying much.....my tomato's are impressive.  I must have at least 100 green ones, and 20 almost ripe ones!!  I am so looking forward to sharing my bounty with my friends......and planning on making some awesome salsa this weekend!!

Temperatures are expected to be around 105-109 this weekend so......the misters are ready on the back patio, the fuzzy navels will be ready in the freezer, and the pool will be waiting for us.

Did I tell you what happened to our pool??  It is an above ground pool, but very nice and perfect for Tim & I.  We got it at Costco 3 years ago, but for one full year it stayed in the box as Tim wanted to get the site prepared, which he did and we set it up last summer.  It was great!!  We used it all summer long and at the end of the season, Tim cleaned it all up and packed it away.  Then, in late May he got it out and started setting it up again.  Well, it was about the 2nd week in June when it was all cleaned, all set up and Tim started filling it up.  Initially, he filled it about 2 feet deep, gave it a good scrubbing, emptied it, then started filling it up again, this time all the way.  This was on a Sunday.  On Monday morning, as is my usual routine, I water my entire garden as soon as Tim leaves for work.  Ideally, this takes about an hour.  Everything was fine when I finished.

Usually, around 6pm, I go out to check on everything again.....and I noticed the pool looked a little flat.......imagine my surprise when I tried to go out in to the yard and everything was a muddy mess....not only in the yard-yard but also in the side yard.....lo and behold, the pool's seam had had a structural failure and you can see where it just shredded the seam....which of course meant, we had no more POOL!!  It also meant that the area that Tim had so carefully cleared, leveled, and put down a very thick lining was now just a muddy mess.....which then became a weed infested mess!! 

Well, to make a long story shorter.....this pool was not a cheap little pool, it had cost us around $300. and I was sick over it, since I have been the main instigator of pool purchasing for probably 20+ years.  I would love nothing more than to have a full sized, beautiful natural looking rock edged pool with waterfall in my almost 1 acre back yard......and Tim has promised me.....that I will have it.....someday.  But, in the meantime this was acceptable.....but now even this was gone.

So, I contacted the manufacturer to see about the warranty when it was plain that the seam had failed, not that it had a hole or was old or not taken care of.  2 year limited warranty, we had had the pool for three years.  But, I told them that for the first the year it had stayed in the box.......date on receipt was over 3 years....April of 2004.  boo-hoo.

Then, as Tim is a UPS man and he does deliver to his Costco....he went to someone he knows to ask about Costco's warranty policy.  Imagine our surprise when we were told to take it back to the Costco where we had purchased it (Temecula) and see what they might do for us.  Before packing it all up, I went to Costco and told them the story to see what they might be able to do.  They told me to pack it all up, and as long as all the parts were there, we could either order a new one or get a full refund.  So.....I guess you know what we will be doing this Saturday morning.  We have it all packed up, all the parts are there, all we need is for Tim to have the time to take it back.

So, we may be swimming this weekend after all!!

In the meantime, we certainly are sleeping much better.  Our bed is at least 15 years old. Initially as with most couples our age, we had a waterbed.  Then, after that novelty wore off, we got a SOMA.....water filled bags with a lot of foam surrounding them.  That was pretty good for a while but then with my bad back....we thought a conventional mattress would do.  My Dad bought our bed for us.  It wasn't real expensive and certainly not a Sealy Posturepedic, but it worked for a while until about a year ago, I had to leave it and sleep on the couch.  It had lost it firmness, and I need a firm mattress.

Well, my AS Auntie Sharon & her hubby, after he returned from Iraq bought a Select Comfort mattress, the sleep number bed...they bought a 5000 series bed, and of course I went with her to pick up her new comforter, and I tried it out in the store.  It was firm enough and the quality was nice and I needed a new bed so bad.....but, the $2,000. price tag was too steep for me at the time, so I got no new bed.  They sent me lots of flyers and sales incentives, but the cheapest I thought I could get it was $1,800. and with me only working part-time, we just couldn't swing it.

So, Tim started checking out E-bay & there is a factory in Arizona, where you can find closeouts for less money, so our goal was to save enough to get it through them.

Then, Tim checked out Craigslist, in San Diego.  He found one.......a 7000 model, a little more plush than the 5000 model....in perfect condition, clean, no rips, tears or dirt.  A man in Fallbrook was selling his due to his wife's arthritic condition that it didn't help, she was needing an adjustable bed.  This was on a Sunday night when Tim first found it.  He asked for a picture & phone #.  I called 8am Monday morning to see if I could go see it.  The man said sure.  I was there by 9am. 

He was a very nice man, somewhere in his 70's.  Retired pilot for United Airlines, used to be in the Air Force......lives in an area of million $$$$ homes, his was gated.  When I pulled in I couldn't believe how beautiful his home & the surrounding gardens were!!

The bed was in one stall of the 4 car garage.  It was exactly as he had described it.  I told him I wanted it.  He took me inside his mahogany lined study, with french door leading out to a patio area, with a view of a canyon.  He gave me a copy of the sales invoice, to show when he purchased it which was less than 8 months earlier, brand new this bed was $3,200.  He asked if I had brought cash, as his wife was concerned if we had wanted to pay with a check.  I assured him I had cash. 

How much cash did I bring, you ask??

I brought exactly what he had been asking for this beautiful, practically brand new Select Comfort, California King, pillow top, wireless remote, beautiful bed!!

After I paid him, he admitted that he thought he probably, based on the amount of calls & e-mails that he had received regarding the bed, had priced it a little low.  But, I had been the 1st one to see it and have the cash so it was mine....and Tim's.........................for the grand total of...................drumroll please.....................................................................................$500.00!!!!!!

We picked it up that weekend and the man told me that he was most pleased that it was going to us, as we had done our research and knew exactly what we were getting.  When I told him that I had been sleeping on the couch for months because of my back, he told me he was happy it was going to us, and he felt it must have been meant to be.  We wholeheartedly agree!!  And, we have been sleeping like babies for the last 2 weeks.  Even Tim says this was one of the best things to happen to us.  We feel like we have been blessed!!

Maybe now, I won't be so cranky in the mornings!!

Have a great weekend!!