Pages

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Social Security, ugh!

I'm pretty pleased with myself, at the moment.  Tomorrow was the deadline to turn in the appeals paperwork to the SSA; they gave Josh a payment for 18 months of UNDERpayment, and then 3 weeks later sent me a letter saying that those numbers were incorrect and now I owed them $1400.  WHAT?!?!?

Seriously, I'm not paying it.  I went through all my paperwork today; they have a history of underpaying Josh annually, and this time seemed no different.  And then, on the appeals questionnaire, they ask why we didn't tell them (the SSA) about whatever change or event caused the overpayment?

AHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, since we didn't do anything to cause it, and all the other reasons I have proof of, I'm feeling pretty confident.  And if all else fails, I'll send a letter to the President, his whole Administrative Staff, and my Congressman.  Certified mail.  And if anyone thinks I won't, ask Dad what happened when I sent a letter to the president of Embarq and his entire Board of Directors.  I didn't know they HAD an executive complaint department!  ; )

It's late, I'm tired, and I have some butt to kick tomorrow.  Wish me luck!

Love to all...

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Christmas is coming...

We had to go by the mall today to get a bunch of vitamins and things for Bethany, and decided to 'meander' a bit while there.  Macy's had tons of Christmas things out all ready, including some beautiful Nutcrackers, and I wanted to stop by Claire's to find some new clip-on hoop earrings.  Of course, it's never "just" with us...

For starters, Josh saw this lovely Nutcracker, and Cody pointed out that it was specially designed to crack Chestnut's.  ; )









And Josh got into the Jingle-Bell Hop mood at Claire's.  He's such a cute elf!  Be sure to press 'play' to watch him jingle his bells!  Hahahahaha......




Love to all...

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Upromise shopping

Just an update - for anyone who shops online, it would be helpful for both of us, if you checked out my Upromise shopping link.  Through Upromise, you can often find shipping and coupon deals, and a percentage of the purchase (NOT from you!) goes to a college savings fund for Bethany, Hans and Josh.

Here's the link:


http://www.upromise.com/guest/2635266402


So, you get to save a little money when you shop online, and the kids get a little cash back for college.  I use this link ALL the time - if nothing else, I can usually get free shipping!  I love  free...

Thursday, November 15, 2012

Making 'new' friends...

So I was pulling the last bits of drywall, insulation and miscellaneous crap out of the kitchen for the last of the demolition the other day.  Wanna see what new 'friend' I made while doing this?  Remember, I wear a breathing mask and goggles, along with a hat, gloves and long sleeves to protect myself as much as I can...  but some things you can't prepare for!



Yep, a 3' long, mummified snake came out of the insulation.
For all of you who think I'm such a tough B, you didn't hear 
me whining like a fire siren!


Ugh............

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

New York, New York!

So months ago, I bought tickets to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular - long before we knew about the storm that would hit.  But the show must go on - and it did - with wonderful grace and incredible sets.  The 15-20 blocks of Manhattan we walked looked 'business as usual', which was a blessing for all the occupants, and it was nice to spend the day in New York (and infuse it with a little financial assistance!).  We went by Dylan's Candy Bar (the largest candy store in the country) - all 3 stories of it! - and had a great lunch at the Metro Cafe...  a little gem we'll be returning to!  And of course, the Rockettes!  Most of the show was the same as last year, but I still got all choked up and overwhelmed with both the spirit and fun of the season.  It's a great way to start the holidays!

On the way home, we did something we hadn't done in years, literally - we went to Golden Corral for dinner.  Everyone was in "down south" heaven!  I had fried okra...  oh, how I've missed them!  It was a long day, but what a blessing that we're so close to NYC, we can make a day trip!  We are still praying for all those struck by Sandy, as well as the families and homeless that are just struggling this time of year.  We can't forget them.

Love to all...

Hans and I LOVE OmNom! 









   


Cody looking good between the black and
white candies.  Gray is his color!

Josh wasn't the only one who looked good at Barney's...
OmNom really rocked the bow tie! 

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Snow?!?

Whoa...  It's November 7th, and it's SNOWING outside!  It's not sticking, but it is coooold outside, and the snow is coming down.  It sounded like rain at first, and when it got quiet, you could see the flakes beginning.  This is a good omen for skiing this season!

I hope that things are well with everyone else - my parents, who were out of communication for a while; Cindy, whom I desperately need to call; and all the people affected by Sandy.  Our prayers are with all of you.

On a lighter note, the picture of Tucker is so cozy...  I wish I could be a cat!

Love to all...


Election Day...

... and Bethany and Hans had the day off.  So they surprised me with a lovely breakfast!  Mini egg and bacon frittatas!  Delish, and good for you.  Bethany did the cooking, and Hans did the decorating and reading of the directions.  They even made coffee - good coffee!  They are such wonderful kids; so thoughtful AND talented!

Well, I hope everyone got out to vote!  We are still praying for all the displaced families in the area.  Take care!

Love to all...




Saturday, November 3, 2012

The best night EVER!

I love this night.  I usually squander the whole hour any way I want.  And by squander, I mean waste the time doing something inane like blogging or checking Facebo...  Oh, wait.  I'm doing that right NOW!  Okay - I have to go, because this is productive, and there is an hour's worth of squandering to be done.  Love to all!

SLEEP IN!

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Happy Halloween!

YEA!  Halloween was so much fun!  And for the first time EVER, we had everybody's costumes done BEFORE Halloween!  Amazing...
"Mirror, Mirror in my hand,
who's the fairest in the land?"

And another first?  Neither Cody nor I went out with them.    They're so grown up!

Hope everyone else had a wonderful Halloween, and is doing well after the storms.

Love to all...


Rouge the Bat (Shadow's girlfriend).

Hans my (cute) Angry Bird pig.
Our candy headquarters





Cody and I went as Elphaba and Fiyero, from Wicked.