Bittersweet Shopping

Speaking of shopping (well, I was in my last post), today was the first time we'd shopped in a mall in 3-1/2 years. I'd forgotten how cute some of the clothes are (got used to just seeing Wal-Mart clothes). How cute all the small, trendy clothes were...with "small" being the bothersome word there.

I SO wish my thyroid would kick in gear so my metabolism would go back to normal. I want to wear those smaller sized clothes again without having to use weight loss pills at this point. While it was fun, it was a little bittersweet too. You don't realize how nice it is to feel good about how you look until you seriously don't like looking in the mirror anymore.

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Soccer, Mall & Stomach Aches

Three of our kids had soccer games this morning so we spent 3-1/2 hours at the soccer field, all in the cold, part of the morning watching soccer in the rain. How miserable!

Then it was off to the mall to find a dress for my oldest daughter's first dance for middle school. We have the dress, shoes, and jewelry. I still need to get her a masquerade mask because the girls are supposed to wear them at the dance.

Then we went to dinner at a place called Fricker's (sports bar/restaurant). We've never been there before and it's across from the mall so we popped in. Ugh. It was not the best place in the world for food. My stomach is hurting...feels like I've had a colon cleanse instead of dinner! The ONE time in the last couple of years that I ordered a drink with dinner and it was nasty too. I seriously doubt we'll be heading back there again.

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First Ride After Two Months

My daughter hasn't been on her horse in two months. Between cheerleading for her, and soccer and cheerleading for my other three kids, there have been activities scheduled daily! Around school and homework, it didn't leave any extra time for riding lessons. The activities are starting to wind down over the next two weeks so it's opening up time again.

She did great though. It didn't take long to get Tequila back into it. It was a good feeling watching them ride.

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Good News on Grandpa

He went in for a check up and he doesn't need another stent! He had a heart attack a couple years ago and has had many stents put in since then. His tests were so good this last time, he doesn't need to be tested again for two years. Great news!

We've been really worried about his health since his heart attack. It's slowed him down a lot but we're just happy he's still with us. They live too from a hospital and if his heart attack had been any worse, he probably wouldn't be with us right now. I think I'd be getting trained to use an AED. Living away from civilization definitely has its positive points, but being away from prompt medical treatment when you need it is a definite negative!

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Musical Family

My daughter is in her third year of playing flute for band. She's exceptionally good.

My son is in his first year of band at school and is learning to play the drums. We had to look for a snare drum kit for him at school. I had no idea what I was looking for, what material they should be. I could click on a link for stainless steel drums and not know I was in the wrong place until I checked out the web site. We found him a nice snare drum kit for band class (my husband knew what to look for).

I'm learning to play guitar. At my age! You should hear this old lady plug her electric guitar in! I'll sound better when I know more than You Are My Sunshine and Amazing Grace, lol.

My husband has played guitar most of his life and is recording music right now. My two stepkids both are in band (one clarinet and one guitar). My middle daughter sings (and wants to learn guitar and piano). My youngest daughter wants to play saxophone. I'm not sure why she said saxophone. She's four and I think she just likes the way the word sounds.

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Painting Cement Floors?

Does anybody know how to paint garage flooring so it's not slippery? I'd like to make it look like brick or stain it in some way but I'm not sure how. May just end up tiling it. We don't actually use it for our cars so we don't need to worry about drips from the cars.

I'd like to do this to our basement floor too where our family room is. I think it'd look nice painted with a brick pattern or stained. It has to be dog-friendly, able to withstand dog accidents and muddy paws so carpet is definitely out!

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All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio

Who made it to Congress yet this year? We haven't and since we're totally broke, we're not likely to make it this year.

It runs from October 2 - October 25, 2009 if you still want to check it out. For more information, click here. It's held at the Ohio Expo Center, found at: 717 E. 17th Avenue, Columbus OH 43211.

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Unemployment Rates Rise

Unemployment rates are expected to rise again. I thought this stimulus was supposed to prevent all of this! I wonder if this means the horse industry isn't going to come back anytime soon either. I guess if you're in the market to buy, it's a great market for you!

New York state unemployment is in the news today. New York City unemployment is now at 10.3 percent. When will things start to get better?

We have a lot of updating we need to do to our house but I hesitate to spend money when we already live on a tight budget when the economy is so unstable. It doesn't seem right to price things like a Grohe faucet when times are tough. I feel like we should be saving all our money in case things get even worse.

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House Update Status

Most farmhouses have a mudroom. I need to create that same concept in our house, which isn't a farmhouse or even in the country. I need flooring that can take a bunch of kids and muddy dog traffic. I'm looking at one-piece vinyl flooring or floor tiles that clean easily. A one-piece sheeting would mop up easier but I love the look of tile.

I did get my kitchen painted finally! Maybe after the painting is done, we can concentrate on getting the rest of our flooring. I'd love for this house to be finished but this economy is taking its toll on everybody. We've lived here over three years and it's not done yet.

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