Tammi's World

Note to self....

...it is VERY important to remember to turn the ceiling fan OFF when doing aerobics in the house.

Ouch.

Luckily nothing was broken.  And by nothing I mean neither my hand OR the fan itself.

It's a gift....

You Can Definitely Spot a Liar

Maybe you have good instincts. Or maybe you just have a lot of experience with liars. Either way, it's pretty hard for someone to pull a fast one on you. You're like a human lie detector.

Can You Spot a Liar?

Found over at ALa's place...

Buggin' Out

When I lived in Florida before, other than that last year, I was always near the Gulf.  And believe me when I tell you I spent A LOT of time outside. But I never had to deal with mosquitoes. Ever.  Those pesky no seeum's? Yep. But not flys or mosquitoes.

Up in THE Valley I had the flys. Hell, it was rural. You expect that. But thanks to the sun porch and my lack of social life, I didn't have to deal with mosquitoes.  Hell, I was never outside.

Have I ever mentioned how much I hate those blood suckers?

Yeah, anyway.....here at Cuz's we got us one hell of a severe mosquito problem.  I currently sport more bites than I've had in the past 10 years total.  I swear, I look swollen and sunburnt with all the red bumps. It's disgusting.

And we use just about every kind of bug keeper offer around. Nothing is working.  Currently my ankles are on fire.

At least up north we knew the "season" would end. For all those flying pests. Here? It's endless summer.

I'm just really curious why this is the only place I have to deal with these damned things down here.  It's like a curse hovering over the house.......

Flying Beauty

I forgot how much I LOVE bein' this close to McDill.

Damn, those folks sure can fly........

Worthless

OK, I'll be honest. I'm not really thrilled with either candidate for POTUS. I wish, oh how I wish we could have had someone who really GETS it.

But, I will tell you there is NO WAY IN HELL I am voting Obama. I've said that since he threw his hat in the ring.  Living in Illinois, when ever anyone starts singing his praises the first words out of my mouth were "Yeah, but what has he DONE for the people? ESPECIALLY the ones that voted him in!?"

Well, now I'm gonna go a step further and put it out there that as far as I'm concerned he's neigh near worthless, and I'm gonna do WHATEVER I can to keep that man (and his bitchy whiny wife) OUT of my White House.

What triggered this? A post over at Blackfive's place with a letter from one of our Military Heroes tellin' what REALLY happened during Obama's highly touted visit to Bagram Afghanistan.

"So really he was just here to make a showing for the Americans back home that he is their candidate for President. I think that if you are going to make an effort to come all the way over here you would thank those that are providing the freedom that they are providing for you."

Please just go read the whole thing.  It's disgusting....it really is.

Help!

OK, I know I have a lot of GREAT cooks that read this site.  I really REALLY need your help.

Carmen has a post up asking for ways to cook okra.  Seems she got a boatload from a neighbor and needs ideas for ways to fix it.

PLEASE go over and help her out.  See, if she doesn't use all that up, she may bring some down here when she comes to visit. Okra is one of the things I REALLY don't like. Nope. Never have and do NOT plan on trying it again.

So do me a huge favor and click over and leave her some ideas in her comments.

My idea of hell would be a freezer full of okra. 

UnFLIPPINGbelievable

Cuz is *ALL* about the details.  Everything that catches her interest or that she wants to get involved in gets analyzed. To the smallest detail.  She reads, googles, asks questions....by the time she starts something she is already some what of an expert.

Well, when it was decided that I would be coming down here we figured it was the perfect time for us to "get in shape".  Both of us need to, and let's face it. This sort of thing is just easier when you have a "partner in crime".

A while ago she called to tell me she bought this new fancy smancy scale.  Now, if you remember I don't DO scales.  For the most part. I did finally break down and buy one a few months ago in the hopes it would help me get myself under control. The good news is, other than a couple of times I didn't obsess about it.  And it's a decent scale, I just don't happen to like what they tell me. Never have.

So as she was tellin' me about this new purchase of her's I kinda sorta tuned her out. Scales = Evil to me. A necessary evil, but evil none the less.

We arrived Sunday night and after catching our breath the first thing she did was tell me we had to program the new scale for me.

Shit.

She plugged in my age (ouch), gender and height. Then told me to stand on it. I saw the weight and just about shit myself.  Hell, maybe I should have done that first and the number wouldn't have been so shocking. Again, in the shock of seeing that number I tuned her out. I know she was talking but the only thing I could hear was that damn number.

And I have to share something with you. That was one of the VERY rare times I'd ever gotten on a scale in front of someone. See, I have this fear...ok phobia actually, that if someone else actually sees what I weigh that suddenly it would boom out to everyone in the surrounding county like when you're at a baseball game and they announce the next hitter.  Irrational? Maybe, but it is what it is.

So after the weigh in we head outside. I'm just fuming. Mad at myself for not paying more attention these past few weeks.  She looks over at me and asks if I feel better now that I see everything pulled together.  I looked at her like she'd lost her mind. Feel better? HELL no.  And what do you mean by "everything pulled together".

Seems this scale, the Taylor Body Fat Analyzer and Scale doesn't just weigh you. Oh no, it measures your Body Fat, Body Water %, Basal Metabolic Rate and Muscle Mass.

WTF?  Hell, all I saw was that big huge three digit number!

So we go through it all again.  And she takes the time to explain it all to me.  And you know what?

I'm OK.  I'm NOT overweight.  Oh, I'm on the border, and I will be reducing that three digit number. But everything else? Pretty damned good for a woman my age, height and activity level.  I just need to move a bit more (as in exercising, not that other crap) and reduce my body fat % a tinge.

I can't believe I'm going to say this, but that damned scale actually made me feel BETTER about myself. I never ever EVER thought I would say that.

I want to buy one for ALL my friends! It's a miracle. Plain and simple. 

And they are pretty damned cool too. You can get them for one person, a couple or up to a family of 8.  They all do the same thing, it's just the memory available for programming. (They don't have the exact model she has on the website, it's the 5568 with 8 memories.)

I'm so getting one once I get "stationed".  I don't ever want to be without one of these babies again.

Now I gotta go work out.  If I felt this good bein' where I am NOW, I can't WAIT to see what a week of workin' out and healthy eating is going to show!!!

Lost....

...in more ways than one.

First, I've lost my cell phone charger. So...if you've tried to reach me since last night....leave a message. I'll find that sucker eventually.

But, that leads me to a story from the road trip down here. Well, the word LOST does anyway.

I've made no secret of the fact that Lee, my Garmin, hates me. Or rather, he loves to mess with my mind. Either way? Yeah, even WITH his help traveling in new areas is a challenge.

Since the drive FROM The Valley direct to St Pete was new for Cuz and I we decided to use a two prong approach. Let Lee "guide" us, but also Google to see what THAT says.

Cuz made the final decision on the route. (Hey, I'm not THAT stupid....she's pretty good with those map things.) We start out and, well, gotta tell you. It's the first time since I've had that damned thing that it agreed EXACTLY with what we had planned.  Not one turn was different.

That has NEVER happened. Ever. Even when I'm driving some place I *KNOW* and have him on for verification, he disagrees with me.

I'm tellin' you....that damned thing just likes to mess with my head. Only I would get a Garmin with a warped sense of humor. Good thing I have an appreciation for that....

Almost Home

Sean, over at Doc in the Box, posted a couple of days ago.....from Kuwait. Yep, that's right....he's on his way home.

Pop on over and thank him for his service. Hell, this was his 4th tour, for cryin' out loud.

And welcome him home! Home...he's comin' home....

Plan? Yeah, right.....

The first thing I did as we pulled in to Tampa was call LeeAnn (blogdaughter).  She is one of my very closest friends, and knows me better than most.  (and actually likes me despite that knowledge) She is fully aware that I always have an "A", "B", and "C" option.

As we did the verbal happy dance at my arrival she pulled a fast one on me.  "So...what's the plan?"

A simple enough question, but gotta tell you......completely stumped me.  There was a moment of dead air before I responded "Go to the bathroom".

Yeah, that was about as far as I was capable of planning Sunday evening.  I had hoped that yesterday would be spent getting my head removed from that dark place it's been and formulating said plan.

So...I'm happy to say, my plan right now? Go to the bathroom.

Yep, that's right. Not one ounce of progress has been made. Oh, Cuz and I are recovered (mostly) from the move and drive.  The car is unloaded.  The house is stocked with yummy, good for us food. But other than that? Yeah, I got nothin'.

Today will be organizing my room and, well, going to the bathroom. (no sense ignoring a good plan, after all).  I have some phone calls to make, but with Cuz home from work yet today, we're just not in the mood or energy level to push it beyond that.

Gettin' Started

OK, we'll do a bit of back trackin'....just to bring y'all up to speed.  Of course, the weather had been pleasant as all get out. Right up until the time we had to actually start loading that damned POD. Then.....it was hotter than the third ring of hell.  And those PODS? Yeah, let's just say, not a lot of air flow in there. 

Cuz arrived and we kicked it in to gear.  It took a lot longer to get everything packed and settled than we thought it would. Part of that is we watched them unload the empty POD and started to get nervous. You see, I don't have a lot of stuff any more, but what I have is pretty important to me. We were (and are) very worried about how it will travel.  I will say, I'm more comfortable given that WE packed it than if we had them do it.

We packed the car on Friday night. Just so, if we DIDN'T have room for everything, we still had time to make adjustments to the POD. Yes, I know we had wanted to leave Friday, but we ended up about 24 hours behind schedule.  We packed that car so tight it was spring loaded. You open the truck or either of the back doors and SOMETHING was going to fly out at you.  That's a promise.

Cuz and I called it quits around midnight on Friday.  As we sat out on the sun porch having our final smoke for the evening I mention that we'll stop at my favorite gas station on the way out of town for a final fill up.  She grins and says she's not sure we even have ROOM for gas.  That's when I gave her the GOOD news.

Tammi: Well, if we get a flat tire or blow out, we don't have to unload the trunk! We'll have to call roadside assistance, cause I don't have a spare.

Cuz: I got news for you....even if you had a spare we ain't unloadin' that trunk......

She had a good point.

We got everything done around 9:30 Saturday morning. Took our final showers and I said my good-byes to Paradise. Then....we had our first "incident".

See, I packed all my clothes. And I mean ALL my clothes.  I kept one pair of jammies out and a sundress to drive in. I'm most comfortable in long flowy dresses and, damnit, I was gonna be comfortable.  As I got dressed the side zipper on the dress got stuck on a seam.  Cuz had to help me.  Now.....it wasn't that the dress is tight in anyway, it just stuck on a seam.

ANYway....she managed to get it past the seam and....the entire zipper just came undone.  There I stood, all my clothes packed up and the entire side of my dress hanging open.

Did I mention I was tired? And frustrated? And in a funk cause I was moving....again? Yeah, well, it bears repeating....

I had to stop at Fritz's to drop off some cards, so I just walked in with my left arm down against my side. Good thing is no one noticed.  Same thing when I filled up with gas.  Finally, I realized you could see it when I was driving as it was my left side. Not to mention what was I going to do when we stopped to eat?  I was not about to drive cross country with my  left boob hangin' out, for cryin' out loud....

So, I found an old zipper hoodie jacket. PERFECT! Just keep the bottom zipped, to hold it close, and no one was the wiser.

I swear to pete......I probably should have just dug through the stuff to find my shorts or something, but damnit!! That dress is comfortable!!!! And truth be told, it was even MORE so with the zipper broke. But only me.....sometimes I just wonder at myself.

More stories to come.  Right now? Gotta get that damned car unloaded.

You'll Love This...

So, I got 'hold of the garbage people, apologized, explained, apologized, begged and then apologized.

They came back and got my stuff.

WooHoo!

Then, the POD guy called.  He was just outside of THE Valley. 

WooHoo!

I watched him drive by.  He called, but his cell was horrible in THE Valley.  He drove by again. I was standing on the corner waving a red dish towel. HOW he missed me, I have no idea. 

I then ran down the highway, yes, I Tammi, 6'2" ran DOWN the highway, still waving said red dishtowel.  EVERYONE else in town saw me. Just not him.

BUT...all is well that ends well. I called the main office, who called his dispatcher, who got him on the radio. He called me from the fire department and Voila!  I now have a POD sitting in my driveway.

And Exhale.

Only me....would chase a POD truck down a highway waving a red towel. And not be noticed......

I call it Tammi's World for a reason.....

Shit. By 6:30 this morning we knew my schedule was shot.

I didn't sleep more than 10 minutes at a stretch last night.  And man, was I one pissed off insomniac.  I WANTED to sleep.  I was TIRED. But it just wasn't gonna happen.

Until 4:30 this morning. 

At 6:30 Cuz came running in from the sun porch hollerin' "Trash!! Trash!!"

Seems the trash truck ran at 6:30 this morning.  I don't remember one single time in the last 3 years it's run that early.  And I know because I always put my trash at the curb in the morning so the critters don't make a mess.

So what this all means is that all the trash I have organized in the garage.....is still in the garage.

Shit.

I'm just gonna call and tell them what's going on and I'll put it all out tomorrow before we leave.

Then....because you know there's more......I called the POD people to find out why they didn't call last night.

Simple explanation. Really.

They didn't have the POD scheduled for today.

SHIT!!!!

Oh, it's coming. Today. Between noon and 3:00. We got that straightened out REAL quick. You can believe that. 

And by the way..... did I mention this all happened before I'd had a chance to get my coffee? No? Yeah, well, it did.

So....I'm now heading to the porch for a smoke with my hot steaming coffee.  After that? I'll make some more calls and we'll get this show on the road, so to speak.

But damn......sometimes it feels no matter how hard I plan or schedule, it's just gonna go the way it wants to go. 

Toast

Holy Crap! We were so busy workin' we didn't even realize it was almost 11:00.  We are exhausted.

Cuz got here safe and sound and the plane was even on time.  After a wonderful dinner down at Fritz's we headed to Paradise.  After touring the destruction and getting a lay of the land we got busy.

Now I had a wonderful surprise this afternoon when Fritz's wife and daughter came over to bring me lunch and help out.  Gotta tell you....as embarrassing as it was for anyone to see my house this way, it sure did ROCK to have the help.

Thanks to that Cuz and I could get busy right away.  And boy did we.  I have to say, I actually had a couple of boxes packed that she didn't NEED to repack! Yeah Tammi!!!  I'm learnin'.  See....I'm not so big on the whole patience thing. So when I'm packin' I just, well, let's just say I don't do such a good job. Especially with breakables.  Oh - I'm good with other peoples stuff. Just not mine.

Must be some kind of mental block.

Anyway.....I didn't hear from the POD people today and that has me VERY nervous.  Cuz keeps tellin' me to calm down, we've got plenty to keep us busy in the morning and it will only take a few hours to load everything up.  I just had this schedule, see.....and I'm kinda big on keepin' to those things once I plan it out.

I'm really a control freak sometimes.

Anyway, tomorrow is gonna be a busy one. We've got to get coffee. Then while Cuz works on the puzzle that is my house, I'll get the trash stuff all out by the curb and finish cleaning out the garage. We've still got to finish the kitchen, since I was told to avoid packing any of that at all costs.  It goes back to that Tammi Being Really Bad at Packing thing.  But again, that won't take more than an hour.

All I know is right here? Right now? I just want to lay down, and sleep the sleep of the dead. I'm gonna need every bit of my energy tomorrow.

But I'll tell you this much.  It sure is nice to have Cuz here. 

My List

In an effort to hold myself accountable, I thought I'd just spell out what I HAVE to get done today. Don't know if this will work or not, but I figure it's worth a shot.

Since tomorrow is trash day, my last chance to clear out, I've GOT to get that pulled together in the garage so I can get it out to the curb in the morning.

I need more packing tape.  AND Murphy's Oil Soap.  This house has a lot of beautiful woodwork and I want it to shine when I leave.  That means washing down all the kitchen cabinets, pass-through, doors and baseboards. 

Tile work in the bathroom.  Even thought I know it's not my responsibility I want all of the tile that's been coming off in the bathtub surround replaced. And replaced right. That means I need to do it. And unfortunately it's OLD tile and there's a lot OF it to replace.

Final clean-out of the two fridges.  That also mean final washing of all dishes.  *future prayer....please let me have a dishwasher again.  I really REALLY miss a dishwasher....

Pick Cuz up at the airport around 6:00!  That's about the ONLY thing on the damned list I'm looking forward to.  The funny thing is, there's a whole OTHER list of things to do for after she gets here. 

Damn....I'm on a deadline. I better get my ass in gear. No rest for the wicked!

Taking a Poll

I'm going to take a little break in packing the kitchen to ask y'all a couple of questions.

How many pie plates do you have?

How many do you consider TOO many?

I almost forgot....

I've told you time and again that I'm a creature of habit. I like rituals (aka ruts). I get up the same time every morning, without an alarm clock.  I pretty much do the same things the same way every day.  Boring? Maybe. But I prefer to think of it as "comforting".

Same thing with food. I have no problem eating the same things. Pizza? Any time, any where.  For breakfast? French toast, or just eggs and bacon.  I don't need to get all fancy. I like what I like. Simple.

Well, we can extend that to my preferences.  Used to be I was addicted to romance novels.  That really came to light when I moved out of the cracker box and had to get rid of 2,000 paperbacks. Holy Crap! That was actually kind of embarrassing.  My taste in books the past 3 or 4 years has moved to more "shoot 'em up, who's the bad guy?" theme.  That and "kill all the terrorists" books. I LOVE those.

Well, I didn't want to store/move a bunch of books again so yesterday I gave Raging Mom 3 grocery bags of books.  She's going to make sure they get to the sandbox where they will be enjoyed.  For that I'm grateful.

Anyway.....over the past week I've been grabbing a book out of those bags every few days just to read one last time.  It's not that I don't enjoy them......it's just they take up more space than I want to give. Plus...I'll buy more.  I know that. So, it's all good.

One of the books I pulled out happened to be a romance novel.  Huh. I didn't think I had any of those left. Turns out it goes to a series that I just adore.  They're suspenseful, riveting, romantic and, well, HOT. IOW, just about the perfect book.

That one....didn't go back in the bag. Oh no.  That one.....is goin' with me. WHEREVER I go.  Most definitely.

For some reason, that series just hits me at an emotional level that I forget I have. It reminds me that I AM romantic. And that it's OK. Doesn't make me "sappy" or "too girly". Most importantly it doesn't make me weak.  No. It just makes me happy.

So while I purging, packing and organizing, I need to remember that it's OK to hang on to some things.  Both physical and emotional.  Somethings are worth saving.

Introducing.....

....us.  After a day of fighting this computer I finally just flat out gave up and I'll post a couple of the pictures.

First...here's a halfway decent one of the whole crew. Dee, Mama Vi, and H (my sister's youngest) are standing. Then me and Ashley are sitting in the second row.  Kneeling in front is Brandon. 

Now, the funniest picture is on Brandon's camera and he hasn't sent that one yet. But...amazingly enough it's of me, yelling.  Huh. Imagine that! He swears it looks just like me.  All I'll say is I sure hope not!

Instead I'll share this one taken just before the one I posted above.  See, there was a lot of bickerin' and arguin' tryin' to pull everyone together. I tried to be nice, but things finally came to a point where I just had to pull out the "This is what I'm gonna need..." line and, well, as you can see - some folks were poutin', some just plain pissed.  Personally, I think it's a perfect reflection of US.

So there you go. My family.  The first time we've all been photographed together in over 20 years.  I just hope Mama finds a couple shots she's happy with, cause I sure don't want to do THAT again any time soon.......