This and That

For the first time in several years we did nothing for the 4th of July. We normally set off our own fireworks and in the past we've watched the fireworks that Emerald Point does (about 5 minutes from our house), but this year we just stayed home. I didn't feel like going anywhere and the kids didn't even bring it up.

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This past Monday, July 3rd, shortly before midnight, marks one year since Evie Lynn died. It's hard to believe she's been gone that long. She was so sweet and funny and affectionate. We still miss her and talk about her. Sam's been dead for six months. Also hard to believe. I miss my sweet boy.

Sweet, silly Evie Lynn.

 Sweet Baby Boo, Sam.

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Sean takes his third test this afternoon. I hope and pray he passes. Just one more test after that and then hopefully he can enroll in the aviation mechanics course. We're not sure where the money is going to come from for that. We don't have it and Charlie doesn't want Sean to take out a student loan (though it would be 10s of thousands less than what it costs for a student loan for a regular/non-community college college), so I'm praying that God will work something out. It'd be great if he could find some kind of on-the-job training situation or something. The husband of a Facebook friend said something about the aviation company he works for hiring people with little to no experience and training them as mechanics, electricians, technicians, etc. It'd be great if we could find something like that for Sean.

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I've made some purchases since my last entry.

I had a pair of nude heels already, but they were T-straps (not the best look on my short legs) and had gold metal links on the T-strap part. I was kind of tired of them and had been looking for new nude heels for a long time. I got these heels at Belk. Regular price almost $90; I paid about $81 after tax.

I got this skirt (I think it's by Nine West) at Stein Mart for about $40 before tax. Click to enlarge.

Nine West dress from Belk. Regular price about $90. I got it on sale for $45.

Style & Co. dress from Macy's. Regular price about $99.50. I paid about $30.

 I got this at Macy's for about $13.

Cross-body purse from JC Penney. I got it to replace one I had that was falling apart (the lining was separating). Originally $45, I think I paid about $20.

I got this (Worthington?) white shrug at JC Penney. On sale for about $20.

I got this Westbound shirt and the pink one below at Dillard's for $26 before tax. It's been difficult to find plain shirts. I don't know why designers are creating printed and patterned (lace, etc.) tops and printed and patterned skirts. You can't wear those together. It clashes. Almost every top and almost every skirt I own are printed or patterned. :-/ I hope I can find some plain skirts sometime.

I'd like to go back and get the red one and the white one this weekend.

I got this shirt at Dillard's for $29. I'd like to get the navy one and the aqua/turquoise one (which doesn't have the crisscross on the shoulders) this weekend, if they still have my size.

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~*~Nocturnal Queen~*~
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Ceiling Damage, Refinancing, a Book, and Other Things

Saturday night, June 27th, we came home from a conference we'd attended at our church that evening. After changing clothes, I went to my closet to hang up the outfit I'd worn and couldn't believe what I found. The ceiling coming apart and some of my clothes soaking wet. The floor was also wet. It had rained hard pretty much all day and night. *sigh* I called Charlie, who was still in Georgia, to tell him what had happened. Thankfully, we got very little rain (and no more leaks) before he was able to come home the following Wednesday, July 1st. Charlie fixed the leak, which was coming from a cracked seal around a pipe sticking out of the roof.

The rain had begun flooding our road, and many other roads in our city, hours earlier.

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Charlie had to go back to Atlanta this past Friday, but may be coming back home today. A surprise to us both as he's usually gone at least a week or two when he gets sent out of state. Though there is a chance he may have to go to Louisiana.

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July 4th, Charlie, the kids, and I (and Sean's girlfriend Ashley) went to the home of some church friends to shoot off the fireworks Charlie had bought in Georgia. They were really great and everyone enjoyed them.

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We were contacted by our mortgage company recently about refinancing our home. We received the papers early last week and signed them and had them notarized this past Thursday, July 9th. That will bring our interest rate down a couple percentage points and save us $23,000, according to what we were told.

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Book recommendation: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. I really loved it and gave it five stars at GoodReads and added it to my favorites. The best book I've read in months. It was moving, inspiring, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

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I bought a new dress a couple weeks ago at Macy's. It was originally $129, but I got it on sale for $41. Later that week, I bought a light pink shrug at Dillard's to wear with the dress.

I'm short, so this dress is below my knees by several inches. Click for larger view to see details.

Kelly and I went to the mall late Sunday afternoon (after coming home from church and eating) to get a cherry icee for me and a strawberry smoothie for her. We went in through Dillard's and on the way out I wanted to look at purses. I saw three that I really liked. I didn't want to get all three though (too expensive and it may have been a little ridiculous to get all 3) and it took me awhile to decide. They're all the same purse, but different colors. One was pink in the front and back with gray sides and white handles. One was gray in the front and back with white sides and black handles. The third was white in the front and back with black sides and pink handles. I chose the third one.

I think the charms are really cute. Originally $128. Got it on sale for $90. I love Guess purses.

Recent photos:

Milo and Sam sleeping next to me and on my lap. This was taken a few hours before I started this blog entry.

Rainbow on July 5th.

Also on July 5th. Kelly took this with my phone. View large to see rays.

"Vacation"; Independence Day

I was up at 8:00 Monday morning, got in the shower and got ready as quickly as I could; finished packing while waiting for Charlie to come home from his doctor's appointment and then waited for him to get the car loaded. We were finally on the road at around 11:00, an hour later than I had expected.

We made a stop at Charlie's job and then his sister Sheila's house in Cary on the way. Sheila and David weren't ready yet and we had to get going so that we could get checked in with the company we were renting the house from.

Sheila and Charlie's sister Gail, who lives in Oklahoma and had flown in on Saturday night (June 27th), followed us in Sheila's car. With her were her 19-year-old daughter Rachel, her 8-year-old grandson Jayden (her oldest daughter Amanda's oldest son), David and Sheila's daughter Samantha (9 years old) and Rachel's infant son Wyatt. Matt (13), David and Sheila's son, rode with us.

We arrived in Kure Beach around 4:00 or so, checked in, got the keys to the house and then arrived at the house and unloaded our cars. Sheila and David arrived a couple hours later with their dog Denver (female), a Lab/Pit Bull mix that's afraid of everything.

Shortly after David and Sheila's arrival, Charlie and I got groceries for the week and picked up pizza from Papa John's (not as good as the real thing, but what are ya going to do?) for everyone for supper. It was about 8:00 or so by the time we got back to the house with everything and I hadn't eaten yet and thought I was going to faint from hunger. I only ate two pieces though.

We all went walking on the beach after supper for a little while. The kids had fun running around while the rest of us walked and talked.

The next morning, everyone was ready to hit the beach. We slathered sunscreen on the kids and walked across the street to the beach. I sat under an umbrella watching the kids. Sheila and David stayed behind at the house for awhile. Charlie and Gail went walking on the beach. David showed up while they were walking, but didn't stay long. I think Sheila wasn't feeling well. Charlie and Gail finally came back from their walk and sat down.

I stayed out for about an hour or two before I was ready to go back to the house. It was hot and the breeze was warm. Yes, I could've gotten in the water (had I been dressed for it), but I didn't want to get wet. I was never really alone in the house though. Different family members were in and out of the house throughout the day. They all finally came in for the day after 7:00 PM. I don't know how they could stay on the beach all day. I really like the beach, but staying there all day is boring.

For supper that night, I made Stouffer's lasagna. Not nearly as good as my lasagna, which I had originally planned on making (Charlie suggested the frozen kind because he figured it'd be easier), but everyone liked it and got seconds. Gail cleaned the kitchen, we all talked for awhile and then some went walking on the beach. Afterward, we did some more talking before going to bed.

On Wednesday (July 1st), everyone went to the beach again as early as they could and stayed out until after 7:00 PM. Ugh. There's more to the coast than the beach, people. Kelly wasn't really interested in going to the beach again either (she had gotten a rash on her inner thighs the day before from the sand and water), so she and I went to the Ft. Fisher Aquarium, after a stop at the bank. It's the first time I had been there without Charlie and Sean.

After leaving the aquarium, Kelly and I went to Wal-Mart for a few things (more napkins, a book - My Life in France, all-purpose cleaner with bleach, dish rags, one or two other things) before returning to the house. I think Kelly went to the beach after that with someone who had returned to the house for a couple minutes and then I made myself a hot dog for lunch.

I spent the next few hours watching TV, doing laundry, cleaning the kitchen and cooking supper - lemon oregano chicken, rice, green beans and black eyed peas. While the chicken was cooking, Sheila and David, who had returned from the beach for the day, kept saying how good it smelled. ("God, that smells so good!") Everyone was back from the beach in time to take their showers before supper. They all enjoyed their food, which made me glad.

Sheila's daughter from her first marriage, Jessica (20-something), and Jessica's husband Chris arrived from Clayton around midnight. They had worked that day and got there as early as they could. It was good to see them. I was surprised they didn't go to bed right away. I, on the other hand, was pretty tired and didn't stay up with them.

Thursday (July 2nd) was pretty much a repeat for everyone. Drag themselves out of bed, get to the beach right away and stay there all day long. :-/

After I had taken my shower and gotten dressed (and before a few of the others had gone down to the beach), Charlie asked me to go to Wal-Mart to pick up a few things and Gail asked if I could pick up some diapers for Wyatt. (Who, by the way, is a very cute and happy baby.) So off I went to Wal-Mart again (not my favorite place to go). Afterward, I went to Wings (a beach store) to get an umbrella stand/holder thing because they didn't have any at Wal-Mart.

Once back at the house, I ate a bowl of cereal and then just hung out at the house all day. I did a little cleaning, including the kitchen, did some laundry and watched some TV. Real exciting day. :-/ I would've preferred going to do something fun or interesting (a plantation or museum, or shopping in downtown Wilmington, or riding on the horse drawn trolley, etc.), but I didn't want to go by myself.

Charlie came back to the house a couple times and I told him to make Kelly come back to the house. (Sean and Jayden were already back. They had gotten a little sunburned the day before and didn't want to stay out long.) A few hours later, he finally came back with her. She was very sunburned. I got her in the shower and got most of the sand out of her long, thick hair. By that night, she was in pain from her sunburn, especially her legs.

Early that evening, Sheila made chicken and dumplings. (Charlie and Jessica had requested it.) Something I've never eaten before, despite the fact that I'm a Southerner, because it's never looked appealing to me. I can't say that I really cared for it. The flavor of the sauce was fine, but I didn't like the dumplings. I only ate the white meat on my plate and then ate more than a few pieces of buttered French bread.

Shortly after supper, we all walked down to the boardwalk (the breeze was nice) and then walked to an ice cream place across from Kure Beach pier. I didn't get any ice cream, but Charlie and the kids did. Kelly's legs were hurting, so Sheila and David walked back to the house with her. The rest of us walked down the pier. The moon shining on the water was very pretty. I wish I could've taken a picture of it, but my camera doesn't take good night pictures.

We eventually walked back to the house and then sat around talking and watching TV. Charlie went to bed before me. I had to get some laundry done and get as much packed up as possible for our departure the next day. I finally got in the bed around 2:00 AM and then got up at about 7:45. I got myself ready (I had showered the night before), tried to get everyone up and moving, and finished packing our stuff. We also had to make beds, put dishes back in the cabinets and get the house straightened out before leaving.

On the way out, we stopped at Wings to try to find Sean some flip-flops (the ones he had were falling apart), which we couldn't find in his size. The rest of the family also was there. Sheila got Kelly a shark tooth necklace (Samantha had one and Kelly wanted one too) while we were there, which made Kelly pretty happy.

We then stopped at Cracker Barrell to eat. Charlie and Sean had lunch, I had breakfast (Cheerio's, blueberry muffin, white toast). Kelly said she wasn't feeling well, so I ordered her some toast, which she ate in the car.

We got back home around 4:00 Friday afternoon. After unloading the car, I got groceries, flip flops for Sean at Rack Room, a book at Walden Books (Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos) and then, after bringing the groceries and stuff home, we went to Monterrey's for supper. It was very good. Exactly what my mouth wanted.

I fell asleep on the couch later that night, woke up around 6:00 AM and went to bed for a few more hours' sleep.

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I wouldn't call our beach trip a true vacation for me. If cooking, cleaning and laundry is involved then it's not a vacation. I was bored much of the time and wished very much that everyone, or at least a few of them, had been interested in more than the beach. The vacations I've taken in the past with Charlie and the kids have been really nice. I look forward to the next real vacation I can take.

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Our niece Jessica and her husband Chris had a cook-out at their house in Clayton (outside of Raleigh) on the 4th of July. Charlie, the kids and I got there a little after 5:00. The food was good and we enjoyed being with family again and talking. The kids played games and then ran around outside for awhile. Kelly didn't do a lot of running around. Her legs were still hurting from her sunburn. (By Friday, tiny blisters were on her right thigh.)

After dark, the guys set off fireworks. Some of the neighbors had the good kind (read: illegal in NC) and we really liked seeing those. Charlie sometimes goes to South Carolina to get the good fireworks, but didn't this year and he wished that he had. But it was fine.

Charlie, Kelly and I left Chris and Jessica's house around 10:30 or so (Sean went to Sheila's house to spend a week or two with them) and got home around 12:30 AM. Charlie and Kelly went to bed shortly after we got home. I tried to stay up to enjoy some alone time, but fell asleep on the couch a little after 2:00.

Today I was finally able to be a little lazy, spending much of my time online. I did do a little picking up around the house and cooked supper.

Kelly's spending the night with my mom tonight (she's off work tomorrow and Tuesday) and Charlie will be going back to work tomorrow. I don't have any plans for tomorrow other than cleaning and unpacking.

Oops. Just remembered that I have an appointment with my ob/gyn tomorrow. *sigh* In addition to the exam, there will be blood drawn to check for diabetes (I have PCOS and had gestational diabetes when I was pregnant with Kelly, as well as family history), high cholesterol (also because of PCOS), thyroid problems (though I know it's because of PCOS and because I had to quit taking Yaz due to headaches that things have been a little out of whack since May, not because of my thyroid) and who knows what else. As much as I really don't like going to the doctor, I need to get a new birth control prescription to get my PCOS symptoms under control.

Our Weekend, Shopping, Plans

Friday, July 4th, I got groceries and did some cleaning before our cook-out. Mom, Del and his girlfriend Jennifer came over. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad and chips and watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. After the movie, Charlie shot off fireworks in the light rain we were having. I never got rain directly in my eyes before that I can recall until looking up to see the fireworks. It was an odd and interesting sensation.

The next day, Mom watched the kids for Charlie and I so that we could go on a date. We left the house some time after 3:30 and after dropping off Kelly (Sean had spent the night), we went to Olive Garden for an early supper. (You have to around here on the weekends if you want to beat the crowd.) We then went to The Grande theater to get our tickets early (for an 8:00 showing) for Hancock. From there, we went to Macy's at Friendly Center. They didn't have what I was after, so we went to the Macy's at Bridford Parkway/Guilford College Rd. There I bought a Baby Phat purse I wanted (white tote with yellow & aqua/turqoise on it) and a brown skirt.

After leaving Macy's, we went to H.H. Gregg (they didn't have what we needed) and Best Buy. Best Buy had one of the things we needed (Blue-ray player), but we left there without buying it and went to Circuit City. They had the other thing we needed (surround sound receiver - our old one didn't work with our new TV), but not the Blue-ray player. We went ahead and bought the receiver (it was on sale for less than $400) and then went back to Best Buy where we bought the Blue-ray player ($500) and an HDMI cable.

By the time we left Best Buy for the second time, it was time to go back to the theater. We got our drinks, went to the bathroom and then took our seat (top center). We always get there early, so we had to wait for about 20-30 minutes before the previews started. Hancock was a very good movie. We're definitely going to get the DVD when it comes out.

When we got out of the theater, it was almost 10:00. It had been quite awhile since we had eaten, so we went to Cold Stone Creamery for ice cream. I've had it once or twice before. It's very sweet and rich and I can never finish. Charlie couldn't either. We actually prefer Baskin-Robbins, but the only one around that we're aware of is at the mall and they were closed.

It was raining pretty good (though not a gulley-washer) when we got out of the theater and was still raining when we went to Mom's to get Kelly. (She hardly ever wants to spend the night. She's too much of a Mama's girl.) We all stayed up kind of late that night.

I spent most of Sunday doing laundry and cleaning. Trying to get the house ready for possible showings this week. (Please, God.) I stopped cleaning long enough to get Kelly ready for church (Mom picked her up), then did some more cleaning and cooked supper.

I finished reading The Other Boleyn Girl a couple days ago and then started reading The Count of Monte Cristo last night. I'm on about chapter three.

Today (Monday - technically yesterday), the kids and I did a little shopping. They had allowance money they wanted to spend. Kelly bought a dark-haired princess Barbie wearing a blue and green dress. Sean bought a Peter (from Prince Caspian) action figure and a '69 Chevelle Hot Wheels car at Target.

We then went to Friendly Center. I looked around Ann Taylor Loft, Macy's and Belk, but didn't find anything I really wanted. I need a red top, but I can't find one I like. From there we went to Stein Mart where I bought two trivets and a spoon rest. They all have the same Italian scene with sunflowers on them. I got a really good deal on them. Altogether, I saved almost $38.

After leaving Stein Mart, we went to Dillard's (found nothing I really wanted) and then came home to cook supper.

We watched a little TV and then I fell asleep on the couch. Not unusual for me, but I haven't done it in awhile.

No plans for tomorrow. I may start my exercises. I need to.

Sean's yearly check-up is on Wednesday. I need to talk to his doctor about Sean possibly having ADD.