Happy last day of 2007 everyone! Kay that's done...

So I just finished making home made salsa and it's SOOOOOO yummy, but now, as I'm eating it, I keep licking my fingers and they're spicy! I washed my hands three times since I made it... freakin' peppers...

So update on my 12 year-old... she managed to talk me into grounding her for a second week by being over at that same kid's house again, with those same boys, while she was grounded, and then lying about it. This is how it went down... short version (like me) Rich's sister was over here one afternoon borrowing one of our computers, and I had told her the whole story from the week before, and then after she was done hanging out here, she left. My phone rings, and it's Rich's sister asking me if my daughter is supposed to be home now, cause she just drove past, and there she is standing there with her friends. So I say thanks, and wait fifteen minutes till she finally comes home, and when she walks in I say, "You wanna tell me why you were down there again?" and she proceeds to tell me it wasn't her and act irate, like my questioning her is absurd. I point out that at this point, I'm not sure why I should believe anything she says, and that she must think that I'm really stupid, and does she really expect me to believe that her aunt doesn't know what she looks like? So I call Rich's sister and ask her what my daughter was wearing today when she 'allegedly' saw her at her friends house. "Uh huh, white shirt, blue pants, hair down... got it, thanks!" Needless to say, my daughter in her white shirt, blue pants, and hair down wasn't too pleased.

First day of freedom after all that, and she screwed up again, for the exact same thing! :wacko: So this time I went with, "I'm not mad, I'm just confused. I don't get why you don't understand..." and of course she thinks I'm being mean, so then I pointed out that my behavior is a reaction to her behavior, and if she doesn't like mine, maybe she should change what she's doing... all up to her. Anyway, I think that may have helped some...

So I've been baking an abnormal amount of cookies, and it seems I need to send my angel some, too, so I think I'll do that on Wednesday. I baked like a zillion of them on the Saturday night before Christmas and then took a GINORMOUS amount of them to work. Two kinds, chocolate chip toffee, and oatmeal raisin butterscotch, along with the BEST lemon cake EVER!!! I told everyone at work that I brought cookies, and everyone was munching on them all day. Anyway, there's this kid I work with, Ryan, who thinks he's like... 'the shit' or something. So when he walked in, I told him about the cookies, and in that way that only teenage boys are capable of doing, he was suddenly starving and so excited. I walked in the office to get back to work, and then someone is knocking on the door, so I open it, and Ryan walks in and just hugs me. It was pretty silly, but totally cute, too.

Anyway, so I made Steve some cookies and a cake too, and he was like butterscotch...? But I swear they are SOOOOOOO good! I took the kids, and the cookies, and the cake, and the present, and drove out there, no directions needed and somehow he bamboozled me and stole the bill at dinner... but I had fun, even if Steve is sure that having kids should wait another LONG while after our visit. Maybe mine are better than the antichrists... but who knows? And the kids love Steve! Even Annemarie, after her whole 'gay monologue'. Matthew is crazy about him, which I think is beyond cool, and Annemarie loves material things about him, so far, but she'll get it figured out... she loves his cats, and his two story house, and that he buys her presents, and lets her pick restaurants... even if she can't see all the amazing reasons I love him just yet... she will soon.

So then there's this whole other thing going on... You know when you have something, and you see it every day, and it means the world to you for all the right reasons, like a picture on a wall that a friend bought you on impulse at a yard sale one random Saturday, and then one day, you move, and you hang the picture in your new place, and it's the most beautiful, perfect picture and you're so glad that you can finally see it in the way it deserves to be seen? And then you have a housewarming party, and that friend that gave you the picture on a whim that one Saturday years ago comes over, and sees the picture as it should be, looking as beautiful and fantastic as it can, and they can't think of a better gift to have given anyone... ever. That's how I feel about this.

I'm just really... satisfied? Like... I don't want to say the picture was flawed, or the frame broken, more like... where it hung on the wall, it was half hidden behind some curtains, but really seeing it come to life after walking past it every day makes me so very, very happy. Someone drew the curtains back, and the sunshine that is coming through the window makes it easier to see, and it's so amazing, and beautiful, and makes you smile... renews your faith in painters and reminds you that nothing is a greater gift than to experience that painting for what it truly is, and to remember how much of himself the artist had to put out there for everyone to see. Seems to me that a hundred baby steps still equals a few good adult steps forward, even if you fall down on your diapered bottom and have to get back up on those chubby little legs and keep going... you still get there. (And no, I do NOT think your legs are chubby!)

So Christmas was good. I didn't want to kill my sister, and it's the first year Davey has been where I can talk to him on Christmas Day. I beat Rich's dad at Scrabble, so that was cool... and Santa brought my kids bikes... seemed fitting this year I'm gonna have to find a way to thank that man for being the angel he is...

Happy New Year everyone! Be the change you wish to see in the world...

Viv