Home Again, Birthday, Drama, Contractors & More Drama

Ah, home Finally!!!!!!  After what has seemed like the week from hell, the boys, Sam and I are finally back home.  Now, were to begin.............
Let's go back a bit.
Okay, so Last Tuesday, I had my doctor's appointment and then another company was supposed to come by and take a look at the porch columns.  I'll go into the Doctor's appointment later, because I'm going to classify that with the other drama.
So, Contractor shows up, on time, brownie points for that.  He and Bill walked and they talked, and the contractors said he's get with the company's engineer & get back to us.  He did.  Apparently, it can be fixed!!!!!!  And they will start Monday.  It should be done no later than Tuesday, including replacing the sidewalk they will have to rip up.  from what I understand, it will be very loud and very messy.  I don't care as long as it gets done.  The roofers will be here Tuesday.  I am not sure how much they will get done this week because it is supposed to storm all week, but at least the porch will be done.
It will cost $5000.00.  Peachy.  I am supposed to be grateful it isn't twice that, but I can't help being a bit freaked out with the price tag. That is pretty much the entire budget for the Fence and the back bathroom.  We will probably still be able to do the fence, but probably not as soon.  The bathroom????  Who knows, but probably not this summer. 
So that's that.
Next, Doctor's appointment.
It sucked.  It just really fuckin sucked.  I can't begin to express how much it sucked.  But, being the kind of person I am, I'll give it a go. 
So, we'll start small and work our way to the big stuff.  I seem to have pulled a muscle in my stomach while doing Zumba.  Not a really big deal, except when I cough.  Then I want to die.  With the allergies as bad as they are, I am coughing alot.  But, its not life threatening, which is a plus. 
During the getting felt up portion of the exam, the doctor found a,  and I'll quote here, "little, small, bump like spot"??????  Huh?  
Now, I don't tend to get freaked out about much.  But when a Doctor starts repeating himself and asking stupid questions, I get concerned.  I am really not all that worried about it.  I'll just go get the mammogram and be done with it.  But I am not looking forward to it.  I was supposed to go last Friday, but because of other drama, I wasn't able to. I am pretty sure its just scar tissue  or something like that, since I do have a talent for scar tissue and the only risk factor I have for breast cancer is that I have breasts.  I'm not really worried.  I'll just keep on saying that :)
And just because its my birthday week, there just had to be yet more crap.  Within a few hours of learning that for my birthday I had to go get the squish the boobies test, we learn that I will need to pack up and go stay in Kansas city for the remainder of my in-laws vacation.  That was a pain in my ass.  I had a considerable amount of things to do at my home.  Anyway, it was alot of Drama.  Don't really care for drama.  Eventually, I will go into why I had to, but I was asked, in order to protect the guilty, to not say anything about it.  Okay, I'll try.  Please take bets amongst yourselves, as to how long I will remain silent. 
Oh wait!  I forgot to mention that I will need to go back to the doctor because it appears that some of my permanent stitches have come undone and I may need yet another surgery to repair what has come apart.  Maybe, I'll find that out Tuesday. Again, Maybe I'll find out.  He may have to send me to a specialist.  Lovely.  Just F'ing lovely.
Apparently this is not a good thing   For the record, I didn't do anything to cause this.  He was that last person anywhere near it!!!!  Happy Birthday to me!!!!!!Happy Birthday to Meeeeeeeee!

I think that about covers it.  Nope, but wait there is more...........
We get home yesterday, and Aden pukes the second we walk in the door.  And has continued to puke every few hours since then.  He was apparently not sick enough to prevent him from running through the house like a maniac chasing his brother, but just sick enough to make a bit more work and see if he can play this off so I will wait on him. Well, it works.  I think it may be that his digestive system is all wonked up, from his vacation.  I hear that it was the best vacation a 5 year old could possibly have outside of Disneyland :)

Mama Cat was not pleased to see Sam.  Sam got a little bloody.  They seem to have worked it out though.  As long as Sam stays away from Mama, and stops trying to sniff her butt, things should be fine.

I was amazed at how clean the house was when we got home.  That lasted about 3 minutes.  And there was toilet paper on the dispenser!!!  it was almost out we we left.  I think Bill may have actually changed it himself!  Or maybe he had someone else come over and do it, I didn't ask. 
The boys and I have a few little things to do outside today to make sure we are ready for the guys to come tomorrow.  I am not sure what I am going to do with my wind chimes.  I will probably just put them on the pear tree out back.  I don't think the tree will look too stupid with 8 wind chimes on it :) 

It finally looks like we are going to get the outside finished!!!!  I can't wait.  The historical society has requested pictures of ever stage of the of the process which, will be a bit of a pain, but not too bad.  It's for a good cause :)

Bill want to start taking my e-cig to work with him.  I think I'll be okay without it after today.  I think I just need a day or so to calm down a bit.  But, it did end up working pretty good for me.  I am now down to using the 11mg cartridges and I don't use it that much.  I mostly just carry it around like a pacifier :)

The weather is at least beautiful, if I ignore the the pollen.  The claritin is at least working pretty good now.  Now if I can only convince Evan to stop trying to pick up mama, we should be okay.  Although, he would only have to do it once and I bet she'll convince him it wasn't a smart move :)  She is at least alot more gentle with the boys.

Zumba is calling....I'd better go answer :)

Idiot of the Week

Friday....
I am pretty sure I am delusional.  I always had this dumb idea that as I got older, I was getting smarter.  That is apparently not the case.  I have had allergies since I was very little.  Not just a little sniffle here and there, but severe, choking on my own snot, can't breath, sort of allergies.  I suppose it would be good for me to avoid those things that trigger my allergies.  The only problem with this course of action is that I am allergic to EVERYTHING.  Maybe not rocks, if they don't have dirt on them, but pretty much everything else.  All animals, cats. dogs, rabbits, ferrets, cows horses, not sure about pigs.  Anything with feathers.  Anything that grows, trees, flowers, grass, small children.  Anything and everything.  You would think, that since I have had this little issue since I was little, that I would be expecting my allergies to get really bad in the spring.  The trees starting to bloom, should have been a big clue.
But no, not me.  Why?  because I am an idiot.  Who doesn't pay attention.  When Aden started getting snotty, I thought , 'well, I have the neti pot, I'll just make sure to use that twice everyday, and with that and the benedryl, I'll be fine.
But when around 12pm yesterday, when I suddenly couldn't breath or stop sneezing, for some strange reason, I was very surprised.
I tried the neti pot.  To late.  Already so stopped up, it won't work.  So I started popping benedryl like they are tic tacs.  Nope that isn't working either.  Tea? Lemon juice?  Hot lemon juice with Honey?  Crown Royal, in tea with lemon & honey?   Well, the teas did work, i didn't try the crown and tea, which I know works very well.  I also understand why it works.  If you drink enough, you just don't care that snot is running out of your nose like water out of a garden hose.  Which it is. 
Evan, is also very snotty, but I am quite convinced that he is alot tougher than I am or his isn't as bad as mine.  Bill will tell you that he doesn't have any allergies.  That is complete BullShit.  He doesn't have them very bad.  Just a day or so of occasional sniffling, when the elm tree out back blooms.  
So, Evan passed out about 6:30 last night, shortly after the benedryl kicked in, I didn't hear from him until about 12 am.  Thats when I noticed that Bill wasn't even home yet.  He left for work at 7 am and didn't get home till 1 am. This schedule still sucks.  But at least he is off today and tomorrow.  The bad thing is I do not want to go outside with the evil pollen monsters.
Evan does.  I just need to get to the store and find something that will work.  Claritin? Zyrtec?  Who knows, maybe I'll get them all and just start trying them all until I find a good cocktail that will banish the snot.  My Head feels like it going to explode, I really hope it doesn't. Well I do and I don't.  I do, because then my head wouldn't throb, I don't because if it did, no one but me would clean it up.
I will probably go with Claritin, since I have taken that before.  Why am I not taking it now??  Because I am a dumbass.  If I had started taking it on Aden's birthday, I probably wouldn't wouldn't be suffering right now, but like I said, I can be a real idiot.
I want to have a good weekend, since Bill is home.  I want to enjoy these two days and play outside, maybe grill something, enjoy the evening since I know Evan isn't like Aden and will be in bed and completely asleep by 7:30.  I really should go and get Bill up.  He doesn't like sleeping more than 6-7 hours.  And I am hoping that if we can get the grocery shopping done we can be back before the next contractor calls to come by today.  I still can't find a brick mason, they just aren't in the phone book.  If they are they certainly aren't listed under Mason.  The only thing under Mason is Masonic Lodge.  Maybe I should call them.  Surely they would know a guy.
Whatever, I will live.  My allergies were this bad the first spring after we moved up here.  I ended up taking Claritin an Nasonex, with a benedryl chaser at night.  That worked pretty well except that I had all of the listed side effects with the Nasonex.  I am fairly certain that bee wanted me dead.

Saturday.
Well, we went with Claritin for Evan and Claritin D for me.  After about 6 hours it seemed as if it was working for both of us.  Evan was feeling pretty good so after the trip the grocery store, Evan and Bill went outside to work in the yard.  I stayed inside, there was less pollen, not much less, but a little bit. 
Bill wants to put in a retaining wall in the back yard.  there is a pretty sizable hill and after looking at his plans, I agree it will be nice.  That will give me a little courtyard sort of area, Bill will get his BBQ area with seating and the boys and dog will get the rest of the yard to run rampant in.
Its been raining on and off, so the back yard is pretty swampy.  Evan loves to dig so thats what he and bill did.  They dug, big huge areas of mud now take up most of where I like to sit in the back yard.  Bill did discover that someone else must have had the same idea about the retaining wall.  While digging he found a good portion of a brick wall.  Didn't find the rest of the wall, but about a 3 x 2 section, intact.  It has been added to the brick pile. 
Bill also broke up a good section of my concrete sidewalk in the back.  He says he will replace it with brick.  He better.
Evan was so covered in mud.  He probably had mud a few inches thick all over him.  I had to make him take everything off, before he came in the house.  Now I have completely confused him.  I tell him all the time, that we don't go outside naked.  Then I go and have him take his clothes off before coming in the house.  At least most of our neighbors have young kids, they will understand I am sure.
While I washed the mud off, Bill grilled chicken.  It was nice.  Evan passed out about 6:30....sweet!!!!  So we watched a movie.  It was 21 with Kevin Spacey, the one about the kids from M.I.T. that count cards and wins loads of money in Vegas.  I guess it was a good movie, it would probably have been better if I understood what the hell it was they were doing.  But then, my math skills are not all that great.  Bill liked it alot.  But, he really likes math.
Today, the boys will head out to the hardware store to get pipes so Bill can start on the back bathroom, a bicycle pump, and misc other things that guys just have to get whenever they go to the hardware store. 
I will go to a few garage sales, the library & post office.  Aden, Nana & Papa all made it to the lake without incident.  Papa did get a little lost, 50 miles worth of lost, but they did eventually make it and Aden didn't get car sick.  They did have to stop every 40 minutes or so because Aden had to pee.  I wonder if it had anything to do with them giving him his own bottles of water to drink while they were driving???  Nah.  I am sure that him drinking 4 bottles of water had nothing to do with it:)

Allergies, Gravy, Vacation and Contractors Galore

There is alot of sniffling going on.  Snot galore.  Aden has perfected the Sinus Salute.  That's where he pushes his nose up with his hand. Not sure if he thinks that will push the snot back in or what.
But, its not just Aden, we all seem to be suffering.  I just love pollen. 
Nana & Papa are heading down to the lake for vacation and have decided that they want to take Aden with them.  I wish they would take Evan too, but the both of them together are way to much for Nana to handle for a week.  Evan is still in full maniac mode.  But, if I can figure out how to control Aden's allergies by tomorrow afternoon, I guess I will let him go.  Its good for the boys to have time apart.  There is alot less fighting when they are separated lol.
Gracie has been bringing the kitten, Gravy to the door several times a day and during the night as well.  She cries, then he cries.  I think she may be biting him to make him cry.  She wants us to let Gravy in.  I don't think so.  Mama did that to us, twice.  First when she dropped off Gracie & Monkey, and then again when she brought Dart.  I am not taking care of the baby for her.  She stole it, she can take care of it.  I have my own babies to take care of.

The roofer did in fact show up yesterday.  So the final contact was signed, the colors picked out, the shingles selected.  We are just not clever enough to come up with the typical seven colors used on Victorian houses.  We did pick out four.  That's about as gaudy as I can get. 
But, and there always is a but, we can't start the roof until the porch columns are leveled back out.  I wanted to know why that wasn't brought up last year when we were getting the estimates for the roof and was told that they have settled alot more since then and will have to be fixed first, before we rebuild the roof.  If we don't, then it will be a waste of time doing the roof, because if we try and jack up the porch roof later, it will damage the roof.  Lovely, just flippin' lovely. So I spent yesterday trying to track down companies that do mud jacking.  My first estimate is at 11 this morning.  I have a total of 6 companies coming out.  Bill was impressed.  Why I don't know, maybe  its because I have no problem just calling people.  He doesn't like the phone very much, and I am pretty sure if I left it up to him, we'd be waiting till next May before we saw any contractors :).  He's really not that bad, but he does really hate calling people :).
The good thing about mud jacking is that it can be done in any weather, so we won't be stuck waiting until it's nice to get it done.  The only issue we may run into is the fact that the columns are set on top of bricks.  But, I guess we'll find out soon enough.  I only hope that this doesn't run through the  budget have set for the rest of the outside work.  Like the fence.  I really, really need that fence.  Sam has slipped her collar 2 days in a row. I am very tired of chasing her.  The collar is as tight as I can get it. 

As far as Aden making the 3-4 hour trip, I can't decide what to do about his car sickness.  The pediatrician said Dramamine was fine to give him. But, I looked up the dosage and that is about what a dose of Benedryl is for him.  Maybe I'll save the money on the Dramamine and just give him a dose of benedryl.  Its the same active ingredient.  I'll have to call his doctor to see for sure, since he is taking claritin as well.  I know that when my allergies get really bad I can take both.  But then I'm alot bigger :)

Whatever, I am sure it will work out fine.