I HATE my job!

Thursday, July 10, 2008

My boss called and yelled at me because I made a mistake. He wants everything now and perfect. He is retiring at the end of August. I will celebrate his leaving, but not at his party! I will have my own party. I really try to do a good job and it is unfortunate that so many employees only give negative feedback.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

CALENSARIEL 7/11/2008 6:14PM

Oh, yay, a party!!! Can we have chocolate? Please don't tell me we all have to bring veggies and fruit! Hang in there. Won't be long now. Do you know who your new boss is going to be? Improvement? Hugs, Calen~ Report Inappropriate Comment

TOONACAT 7/10/2008 9:49PM

Ahhh, that is horrible! I'm with Dee, end of August we'll ALL Report Inappropriate Comment

AANGEL3 7/10/2008 5:44PM

I hope you reminded him you're on vacation! Report Inappropriate Comment

DEEANN8 7/10/2008 3:51PM

Post again at the end of August and we'll all party with you! Report Inappropriate Comment

LUCKYDUCK2 7/10/2008 3:15PM

He calls while you are on vacation? What a way to ruin that and to have to look forward too when you go back...GRRRRR! Report Inappropriate Comment

Steady Progress...

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

I wish that I could say that I'm making steady progress on losing the extra 2 pounds I've gained. I have done well for the last two days staying within my calories and working around the house should burn a few calories, too. But, instead, I'm making steady progress on my home renovation.

I hope to have the work around the house complete by the end of next week so that I can get into my usual routine and go to the gym. Here is what I've done to our upstairs bath:
* removed the textured ceiling
* spackled, sanded, and painted the ceiling
* applied masking tape to all molding in the bathroom
* removed the huge mirror above the counter
* removed the wallpaper under the mirror
* spackled and sanded the wall under the mirror

Next, I will paint (at least 2 coats because I am painting beige over navy blue) and remove all the masking tape. Then, my husband and I will remove the toilet and put down the new vinyl tile floor that we bought and I will paint behind the toilet. There is wallpaper behind there, too. I am delighted with the progress that I am making!

I also hung a wall hanging in our bedroom that my husband bought months ago. I thought that our older bedspread matched it better than the current one, so I changed the bedding. I almost hung a shelf in our bedroom and then I realized that the cross stitch D. Morgan picture that I am doing now would look great with that shelf and a matching D. Morgan plate on the shelf, so the shelf will have to wait until the picture is complete.

Tonight, I should get a good workout mowing our yard. Our stepping stones in the back yard are starting to disappear, so that is a good indication that it needs mowing!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

TWISTOLOMEW 7/10/2008 12:14AM

Keep up the great work Sheila! And of course it counts as exercise... it's not the same as sitting on the couch, right? Then it's exercise (unless you're eating at the same time, then nix that... ;-D) --Twist Report Inappropriate Comment

DEEANN8 7/9/2008 8:46PM

Can you come to my house when you're done there? LOL, I can use all the help I can get -- we seem to be at a stand still right now. Report Inappropriate Comment

LUCKYDUCK2 7/9/2008 4:23PM

You go!!! I want to see pics when it is done. This time of year is difficult for me to get in structured exercise. Lets keep burning calories fixing up our homes. :) We have to enjoy this weather before the ...shudder...snow flies. Report Inappropriate Comment

Cross Stitch

Sunday, July 06, 2008

After a week of scrapbooking, I was tired of it, so I pulled out a counted cross stitch kit from 20 years ago and I am finishing it. It is a D. Morgan "Blue Heaven" picture. Since we are fixing up our house, I am going to cross stitch pictures to hang in the dining room. I have found a lot of gorgeous Christmas pictures, tree skirts, and ornaments too. This is a great hobby because you can pick it up for a few minutes any time, it isn't messy, and it takes too long to complete a project for it to be expensive! I can burn through scrapbooking supplies quickly.

I saw my older son last night at my mother-in-law's weekly dinner. I didn't get a chance to talk to him for long because we had to leave to take my mother home (1.5 hour round trip). One of the family members noticed something on my older son's arm and asked about it and he had gotten a huge tattoo over his right shoulder. It is a lion with a rose in it's mouth. The lion and rose are from the Policeman's Memorial. That is why my son didn't show on Wednesday for dinner - he was getting the tattoo. That's also why he didn't answer my text or call - he was getting the tattoo. I asked him if that was why he didn't show up for dinner or answer me and he said yes. He didn't apologize. I didn't care if he got a tattoo, but I really don't understand why he had to get it done the night of our dinner.

My younger son has been texting me this morning because he is sick. He has a sore throat and his ears hurt. He went to a clinic near his apartment and found out that he has tonsillitis. He has antibiotics, so he should feel better soon. He was so happy to find out that he would be ok that he decided to go to the pool. That was a fast recovery!

Tomorrow, I will work on the bathroom! My mother goes to the doctor to find out whether or not she will need to have surgery on her arm. If she has to schedule surgery, I will have to finish the bathroom quickly and set up a bed in my son's room for her. We'll see. I enjoyed spending time with my mother last night. She enjoyed seeing my husband's family and my older son. We are the only family that she has, but at least we are a 45 minute drive from her. We could be farther...

We are on Season 4 now of Buffy the Vampire Slayer on DVD!

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

DEEANN8 7/6/2008 9:56PM

Wow - the tatoo is huge. He got ALL that done in one setting? That must have been really sore for a while. My daughter was under the weather for a few days this week too -- and now she has no voice. What a bummer, about the only one around here I can talk to... and she has no voice. LOL Report Inappropriate Comment

Happy 4th!

Friday, July 04, 2008

Happy 4th! My husband and I have spent yesterday and today watching DVDs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and enjoying our hobbies. My husband works on genealogy and I have been making greeting cards. I made several really cute ones for my sister-in-law's father. He crushed his hip a week ago and has now been moved to a rehabilitation facility. His mind is more clear now, so I am really hopeful that he will recover. My mother had an MRI and will find out on Monday whether or not surgery will be required to heal her torn rotator cuff.

If my mother has to have surgery, I am going to have to scramble to get a room ready for her and the bathroom upstairs finished. My younger son moved out and left his room a mess. My mother couldn't sleep in the bed in the room because it is a bunk bed and she would bump her head on the upper bunk. My mother has poor balance and seems older than her age (69). The bathroom needs a new toilet and I want to get the room painted and a new floor down before the toilet is installed. I'm going to start working on the bathroom on Monday morning.

I have gotten over being upset about my son not showing up for our cookout on Wednesday. The things that made me so upset were that 1) we planned the evening because both my sons said that they could be there 2) when I sent text messages to both sons 30 minutes before we were to eat, my older son didn't answer my text message or subsequent call. I had to find out that they weren't coming after I called his girlfriend because he didn't answer. 3) my younger son FORGOT about our plans and only came because I reminded him and he was hungry. My husband says that our older son didn't answer my text or phone call because he thought I would be upset about his missing the cookout. I think that I would have been much less disappointed if I had known that he wasn't coming earlier instead of expecting him to show up and learning at the last minute that he wasn't coming.

One of the reason that I had been planning these meals around my sons' schedules is that my mother wants to see them. She lives 45 minutes away and she can't drive right now, so we have to plan ahead. My father died in February and my mother has no other immediate family. Tomorrow, we are going to mow my mother's yard and we plan to bring her back with us for dinner at my mother-in-law's house. My sons may be there. Who knows? After dinner, we will drive my mother home.

In the last year, my father-in-law and father died. My dog died. My two sons moved out. I hate my new life, but I am trying to get used to it and count my blessings. I know that I shouldn't feel sorry for myself because I have a LOT of wonderful blessings. I will concentrate on them...

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

TOONACAT 7/5/2008 10:18AM

Hugs Sheila! You are expressing normal emotions, and I'm with Calen that you have really been through the grief and loss wringer this last year or so. We all have blessings, and it's great to focus on them, but we are also faced with challenge and pain. It's good to admit it...admitting it helps me to keep out of the cookie jar anyway when I just scream, pout, hit pillows, or blog my whiny thoughts. You are always busy, and pretty positive, at least online! So go for it...You are a great, wonderful, kind, supportive lady...ungrateful sons or not! Comment edited on: 7/5/2008 10:17:43 AM Report Inappropriate Comment

CALENSARIEL 7/4/2008 11:27PM

"In the last year, my father-in-law and father died. My dog died. My two sons moved out. I hate my new life, but I am trying to get used to it and count my blessings. I know that I shouldn't feel sorry for myself because I have a LOT of wonderful blessings. I will concentrate on them... " You know, no matter how much we try to count our blessings during these times of change, you just can't deny the upset that goes along with it all. To do so is a mistake because grieving is necessary if we're to grow. You're not feeling sorry for yourself, you're grieving, and I think that's perfectly normal. As far as the boys not showing up, h*ll, I'd be plum p*ssed! Especially if it involved making extra food! That's expensive these days, and your son should have been considerate enough to let you know he wasn't going to be there. They just need to learn that you won't have a melt down if they're up front with you about stuff like that. You hang in there, girl. You have a lot on your plate. Love & Hugs, Calen~ Report Inappropriate Comment

LUCKYDUCK2 7/4/2008 10:13PM

Happy Fourth! AND, you did not and do not sound sorry for yourself.. You have lost so much this year. It is so hard to adjust to having those we love around us. It is harder still to feel like all is slipping away from us. I just HATE empty nests and I hate not having my father to call and just chat with. It is two years July 10th and he is in my thoughts every day. Report Inappropriate Comment

DEEANN8 7/4/2008 9:40PM

Happy 4th or July!! Report Inappropriate Comment

Disappointed...

Thursday, July 03, 2008

SICK PEOPLE UPDATE: My mother (who has a torn rotator cuff) had an MRI and will have to wait until Monday to get the results. My sister-in-law's father (who broke his hip) is in a rehabilitation facility and is less confused now.

Since my sons moved out, we've been trying to cook a meal once each week for our sons and moms at a time convenient for our sons. It really hasn't been working well at all because our sons work odd hours. So, last weekend, both sons told me that they could get together on Wednesday, July 2.

We shopped.
We cleaned.
We cooked.
I picked up my mother since she hurt her arm and can't drive (1.5 hour round trip).

I hadn't heard from my sons in a few days, so at 5:30pm, I sent each of them a text message that dinner would be ready at 6:00pm. My younger son had forgotten about our plans, but he got into his car and came. My older son didn't answer the text. So, I tried calling him and he didn't answer. I called his girlfriend and she said that they weren't coming and that my son was supposed to have let us know. From what my younger son told me and what I already knew, I am guessing that my older son wanted to come, but his girlfriend had other plans for him. My husband thinks that he didn't answer my call or text because he thought that I would be mad. I am mad!

I sacrificed a lot to give my sons a wonderful childhood. I did without a lot of things. My husband and I have debt from buying them cars and putting them through school. Sometimes, I almost wish that we had never had children.

We had a nice dinner with our moms and my younger son. We ate outside on the deck and gave everyone food to take home. We had hamburgers, hot dogs, tater tots, lemon meringue pie, and apple pie. Everything was delicious! My husband and I made the 1.5 hour trip to take my mother home.

I've decided to give up on the family dinners. It is a constant disappointment to go to so much trouble when our sons obviously don't care. I had hoped that my mother (who doesn't live nearby) would get to see my sons. I tried to plan around my sons' schedules and make everything convenient for them. But, it just isn't working out. I will make my own plans and not try to plan around my sons any more.

  

  Member Comments About This Blog Post:

AANGEL3 7/3/2008 5:19PM

*HUGS* from me too Sheila.. I wish I could have my kids over for dinner. But we live in different states. I am lucky in that I can contact them when I need too. Although it's easier to get a hold of my daughter then my son. I hear from him when he wants something. LOL Hang in there! Report Inappropriate Comment

TOONACAT 7/3/2008 4:50PM

One more cyber hug. I'm so sorry you were disappointed by the one son, but glad your younger son came through! Report Inappropriate Comment

AYLAZON 7/3/2008 1:37PM

Sheila, I sure hear your disappointment and frustration. Parenting is hard in so many ways. We have the responsibility for these little beings, to raise them to be good people, who can make good decisions and be independant and functional adults. Then when they get there, they up and leave and don't give it a second thought. Good parenting gives them wings, but no where in the rule book does it say you have to like it when they use them! They will get it eventually....give them time to have their own kids and you might just find them suddenly very thankful for all the sacrifices you have made for them. Take care of you and find some fun projects to get into, maybe. Hope today is a better day! Kayla Report Inappropriate Comment

TWISTOLOMEW 7/3/2008 12:44PM

Well, seeing as Dee and Vicki have you covered on the hugs side, I'm offering my services of giving your son a kick in the tuckus (and I'm wearing pointy shoes today!) When I moved away from home (about 20 minutes driving) I *knew* that despite having my own life that in order to keep my mother happy (which invariably had a direct impact on my father being happy ;-D) that as close to a weekly visit was necessary. And I didn't even get a car! (now I feel jipped ;-D) Seriously though - I think you should just live your life on your schedule. It'll take a few months for the novelty of their newfound freedom to wear off, and eventually when the reality of bills has kicked in, they'll be interested in that free meal and hug you have to offer. Report Inappropriate Comment

LUCKYDUCK2 7/3/2008 10:47AM

Sending you a huge huge also from this end. It seems like the only time I see my girls are when they "need" something. Otherwise they are living their lives, as they should be, but I so miss just sitting down and talking and spending time with them. I have to go back and remember what I did when I first moved away from home and the heady feeling of freedom of my own first place. :) It gets even harder to spend time together even on Holidays because they now have significant others and they are included in their plans and I guess they should be. I miss having my children as children and find it hard to think of them as adults. They are both 27 years old now. SIGH How old did I feel at 27? I don't think I was home allot either. I think that is why I spend so much time "home" now. I MISS MY BABY GIRLS!! It is hard adapting to a "new family". ___________ Than k you for you kind comment on my blog. Most of the time I can catch and manage these muscle spasms , but sometimes they take control. Report Inappropriate Comment

DEEANN8 7/3/2008 10:13AM

*Hugs* I can feel your frustration. I find it sooo frustrating in this age of technology when I can't reach someone. Once a week does sound like a tough plan. We try to get together on birthdays for a meal out, and it seems like a major ordeal trying to plan around everyone's schedules. Hang in there Sheila, change is hard Report Inappropriate Comment