Late Night Visitor - Signs of Spring

Spring must be around the corner.

At 11:00pm this evening we had a nosy visitor hanging out on our window. Needless to say I called down our resident 6.5 yr old herpetologist. She doesn't even get close enough to see it and says it is a Spring Peeper because it is spring-like here and that is when they come out. Dh hadn't heard that and he suggested the same. Well of course, being late I sent M back to bed and told her I'd find out what I could about it, and promptly went on a hunt for a flashlight. Dang it if the kid isn't right. The markings are perfect... it is darker than the one pictured on the right here... dark brown... but it is the cutest little thing. I swear M ain't sleeping tonight! She's a herpetologist in the making, I tell ya. (image borrowed from Wiki)

Dh on the other hand is a pickle head. He dragged us out to 2 stores this afternoon, in search of pickling cucumbers.... he finally found them and brought home 5 lbs. Equivalent of 2 full Jars of pickles (Ya know the humongous ones in the gallon pickle jars.) I've informed him he needs - a few moderate sized pots and a couple trellis' to go with them... and a couple packages of pickling cucumber seeds for spring. His contribution to our starter veggie garden. I told him that if he grew his own cukes they would taste so much better than the store bought ones and he'd feel so much better about feeding them to the kids! LOL! He didn't buy it but told me to go ahead! LOL! So guess we'll be adding some pickling cukes to the garden attempt this year! :)

The Neighbors.... Chapter 2.

ETA: Dh has asked me put in this little disclaimer. If you are a co-worker of my dh and he has tried to successfully talk you into buying the house.... don't listen to a word you read here *GRIN* they're wonderful neighbors, really! I just love to make up stories! he he!

I assume, I'd be one of those neighbors you'd like to have. I don't meddle, I don't go out of my way to snoop... I don't complain when you block my driveway monthly, bi-monthly or whenever you have a party. There aren't people coming and going at all times of the day or night - in fact we rarely have visitors. I keep to myself, I respect your privacy, and I respect your property. If I have a beef, I will let it stew for a while and eventually come up with a way to politely ask you for your help to solve the problem.

I have 2 rules. If you come to my house - you and anyone who chooses to enter my house with you cannot be rude in my house or you will be asked to leave.... it is my house and I make the rules. You don't snoop through my stuff, in fact the master bedroom is off limits and the door closed when people come over. Its the kind or rules I expect you'll find in most houses (of course if I'm wrong someone tell me... please!)

Dh has informed me this evening that the neighbor, whose friend backed into our car, is mad at us. Are they mad because they backed into our car and friend's insurance is paying up? Or are they mad because I hit a sensitive spot with their 6 yr old granddaughter when she was rude in my house and I asked her to leave, except that her mom arrived at the door right after I asked that! So she left with tears - for which I'm sorry but she broke rule number 1, which I believe is a rule in most people's houses.

I feel like I'm back in highschool with one difference, these people don't matter to me, they aren't crucial to how I see myself - and while yes I care, because that is my nature, I don't care if that makes sense! :)

Be Mine Twinkie!

Months ago after reading the Vegan Lunch Box blog I bought a real live Hostess Twinkie pan from a local store... can't see green cheese but my mouth would water, as my mum would say! LOL! Well I made the Vegan version of the twinkies and they were good. So I decided to branch out and try something different this time. So for Valentine's day tomorrow we'll be having homemade strawberry Twinkies with the cream fill or jam inside - the jury is still out at the moment on the filling! LOL!

M wants to celebrate Lillian's 1st birthday tomorrow since she is the first frog she bought, and of course she got her for Valentine's Day last year! So I suspect we'll be having a little party for Lillian tomorrow. Complete with Twinkie cakes (or cupcakes from the left over batter!) I need to dig out the streamers from the basement, M has been begging for them for almost a month now and I just keep forgetting! We're also gonna try to make some WW Chocolate Marshmallow Fudge, but that will have to wait til tomorrow. I will try to take pics if they last long enough! :)

Should be an interesting day here! :) Now I just have to find something yummy to feed my hubby and we'll be all set. The first Valentine's day that we actually celebrate in style!

Driveway, Identity, and Neighbors.

Just a little rant - so you've been forewarned!

You know much of this weekend I've been struggling with "Who I am." Which is odd. I'm comfortable with myself for the most part but there are just days when I question myself, whether there is something wrong with me socially etc. Where did this start?

A few weeks ago I had read a magazine article about a woman finding some long lost friends on the internet via facebook. They touched base, they met up and conversed... and one of the questions that was asked was...

"Do you think your teenage self would like who you are today?"

Now for me I can't say. I was never really all the flighty, I was never really all that self absorbed, I think as a teen I was a pretty responsible kid and pretty darn trustworthy too with a decent head on my shoulders! I haven't really changed all that much. I wasn't a party-er... and I'm still not, though I do get out much more than I used to! Oddly I am doing what I wanted to do when I was a teen, and that is be a stay at home mom. So ya I'm doing okay by my teenage self's views for the most part.

But venture a little further and I'm finding myself socially in conflict with neighbors. I'm not gossipy, I'm not a "keepin' up with the Joneses" person, and I say I don't care what other people think of me, but I think I really do. I think my aim in life is to not have people hate me or think I'm a weirdo but I think my outward approach is such that I do come across as very different. I'm not out to inconvenience people and I'm not trying to tick people off but apparently my need for a new driveway is causing the neighbors no end of grief. No offense people but TUFF.

For brief moment on Friday, I worried that somehow my neighbor could sue us for her friend backing into my husband's car. I think there is some shady business going on and they might try to get something out of us or prevent us from claiming the insurance - or maybe they're covering their rear end just in case but there is something a muck. The neighbor, Real Estate agent or not, was busily out there taking pictures of the damage, taking pictures of his house in relation to where dh's car was parked etc. He generally doesn't take pictures of his house even on bright sunny days. So I spent a fair amount of time being ticked off with them, and ticked for dh that his 17 yr old car got damaged in such a careless and stupid way!

Add this to a few quiet insults I've been getting from a so-called "friend" and it amounted to an OMG what have I done wrong kinda day. What the heck is wrong with me?! Turns out I'm caring too much and far to sensitive. So I'm working on it.... along with my secret Christmas stuff I'm working on it!

Gosh I'm So MAD

Its 8:30, been up since 7:30 getting the driveway done. It has to be concrete. Live in the circle of a cul-de-sac. Where to put the cars... on the opposite side of the street. The truck arrived this morning to dig out the old concrete. He is parked paralell to the street perpendicular to the end of the street. Neighbor's friend backed into the little toy car. Neighbor says she couldn't have backed out of her own driveway - in a sense, she looked to me like it was my fault.... thing is there was at least 4 feet between friend's car, and the truck as opposed to the 2 inches between the toy car and her bumper. Now I understand that accidents happen, but I can't believe my neighbor blames my car for her friend hitting... how stupid!