Some Notes to Share

• Grandma hates Madeline's new haircut. It's hair, Mother, it will grow.
• I like being organized, I just don't like working to get there.
• I like being educated, I'm just too impatient to sit down and learn sometimes.
• Math class is much better than I anticipated. One answer. No elaborations. A welcomed break.
• Knowing what you're going to be for the rest of your life has to be way overrated. Adventure is good, Right?
• Apartment hunting with a roomie (and a daughter) means lots more confusion for everyone.
• A strong dislike of my being forgetful has developed, mostly by me.
• Great Expectations has hit below my expectations. I have pretty well forgone it for Riding in Cars with Boys. A great literary classic in the works, right? Hee hee.
• Boys, in general, are very strange. I have 2 brothers and a nephew and a weird dad, I can say that.

I think that's all I have for now. Have a terrific day, evening, night, whatever!

The Toddler Years...

Ok, so we still have a long way to go before we're out of the toddler years, but she's just so darn cute all the time... I can't help but brag...

Madeline's learning new things everyday. Right now we're working on speech and hopping. Yes, Hopping. We played on the trampoline last evening. She was having a blast. Then she started singing something and falling down. It took me a couple of times to catch it. It was, you guessed it, "Ashes! Ashes! DOOOWWWNN!" Too cute. I can't believe my little baby is learning songs already, wasn't she just 6 lbs. 5 oz, like 8 weeks ago? Really?

She's also being very good at mimicking me. She brushes her teeth and jabbers non-stop at home. We don't always know what she's saying, but it's cute. She doesn't seem to mind that we don't understand either. She understands us though she doesn't always listen. She's getting better at "No, no!" with the little finger shaking in my direction to. Maddie tries to put her shoes on unassisted and can go up and down the steps now. Wow.

Where has the time gone?

I do have a cute kid, Danielle, and I don't know how I got so blessed, but I am!

It's Friday for Certain

I'm ready to go... I'll leave the week with cute stories. Well, I think they're cute, but it's my daughter we're talking about here...

I have always known that kids learn to say "No" very quickly. Little did I know that it would come with a little finger being shaken in my direction with a firm "No, no." It was cute, I think you had to be there.

I recently purchased a fall peacoat for my little one. It's brown with pink ribbing ( I think I've spoke of it??). Well, she loves it and doesn't want to take it off INSIDE. Such as life.

Jabbering is a regular thing now. Last night my dad told Madeline, "You're silly, Madeline!" She hopped out of her pint sized lawn chair ran half-way to him and jabbered something that sounded like, "No, You're silly, Grandpa!" She turned around and ran back to her pint sized chair and climbed in and giggled. We all heard it and smiled.

Madeline's only shy when she can look cte being shy, convenient, huh?

I get read to on a regular basis now, not that I can understand what she's reading to me yet, but nonetheless, I get read to.

Have a great weekend everyone! HHS homecoming is tonight... anyone going besides me?

Things I Hate

I Hate...

• Cleaning. Any shape or form.
• being bored
• Laziness (thought I often am)
• busy signals
• turn signals on when they shouldn't be
• turn signals unused when they need to be
• being called an unintelligent donkey (there's more to that story)
• liking someone who doesn't have a clue that I like him
• not being sure how someone feels about me
• not being able to take care of myself
• fighting with my mother
• turning into my mother
• being wrong and not knowing it until it's too late
• being right, but the only one who knows that I'm right
• talking to angry customers when there's nothing I can do to make them happier
• being jealous
• being indecisive
• being overweight
• being left out because I can't get a babysitter
• being uninformed of the world, or my family
• being too busy for my friends
• going to weddings alone
• shopping without money to shop
• being hit on over the phone by a stranger
• having broken office equipment
• being on hold indefinately
• Not being able to get broken office equipment fixed
• being cold

I think that's all I can take for today... Sorry so glum.. Just lots going on. Have a great day.

Time to Take a Poll

What would you do??

So last night Madeline Grace and I were sitting around reading, playing playing peek-a-boo, normal toddler things, when my phone rings. Insert exhausted ::sigh:: here. I know who it is, but do I really want to talk to him? No, I really don't, but I answer despite.

Madeline's Father (though I'm using that term loosely), Chris: "Hey, Babe"

Rachel's thoughts: What am I am a pig?

Rachel's words: "Hey"

Chris: "Can you call me on my mom's phone?"

Rachel's thoughts: Can't we ever have a normal conversation? I know it's long distance, but does it always have to be MY nickel? seriously?

Rachel's words: "What's the number?"

Rachel's thoughts: Why am I so nice?

I call the number, he answers: "Hey, sweetie."

Rachel's thougts: Would it be rude to gag myself right now?

Rachel's words: "What's going on, Chris?"

Chris: "I just had a bad day, Girl. I'm tired of all this bull sh** up here. I just want to be a dad, and be ther for my little girl. You know I want to be there, Girl. You know I do."

Rachel's Thoughts: THEN FREAKING STEP IT UP!!!

Rachel's words: "You already know what you need to do Chris. Just be here for her once. That'd be great..."

Chris: "I want to take her Trick or Treating; I think I should do that as her dad and all. You know. I want to be there I really do."

Rachel's thoughts: You're not taking my little girl anywhere near any of your Halloween goons, sorry.

Rachel's words: "Don't you think that you should meet Madeline before you see her in costume, Chris?"

Chris: "Girl, I want to be there, I do, I just had a really bad day. I got arrested this week."

Rachel's thoughts: Holy cow. Do I even want to know?

Chris: "Here me out, Girl. this is what happen. I get a call at work, right? This guy went to my brother's school and tried to run over my cousin and my brother. I left work, and went to find the guy. I found him. I got in hie face about it. We started yelling. He pulled out a machetti, you know, a big knife, so I hit him."

Rachel's thoughts: I was right, I didn't want to know.

Chris continues: "Then he all calls the cops on me. I got arrested and sent to JAIL, Rache. My mom had to post $1000 to get me out of there."

Rachel's thoughts: Yep. Shouldn't have answered the phone.

Rachel's words: "I don't even know what to say, Chris. What were you thinking?

Chris: "You'd do the same thing, Girl, don't deny."

Rachel's thought: Pretty sure I wouldn't walk up to a violent person who tried to run my family over. Definately not someone with a knife either.

Rachel's words: "No, I don't think I would."

Chris: "The p-I mean- Cop that arrested my a$$ said my lisence was suspended. I didn't know, Rachel. I swear I didn't know. Now I can't even drive to see my baby."

Rachel's thoughts: Ahh, that's to bad.

Rachel's words: "I'm sorry?"

Chris: "No really, Girl. You know I want to be a dad. For Real. I don't want her thinking I'm some scum of the earth white trash."

Rachel's thoughts: Well...

Rachel's words: " I don't know what to tell you. I don't know what you were thinking. You have to think about Madeline first if you want to be a dad. Not how tough you look trying to beat up some mug off the street, Chris. And you can't have this attitude when you show up in court, you know. They'll get you."

Chris: "I know."

Rachel's thoughts: You're not a smart person. I don't think that I really want Maddie around you at all. Pretty sure I don't.

Rachel's words: "What re you going to do now, Chris?"

Chris: "Can you come see me this weekend."

Rachel's thought: Hell no. I'm not wasting my gas on your sorry ass.

Rachel's words: "I don't think that's a great idea Chris. I told you that you have to come here. You're the one that's never seen her."

---This leads to the blame game.---

The convo is ended be:

Chris: "Will you call me to see if I'm out of Jail or not?"

Rachel's thoughts: Do I have to?

Rachel's words: "Do I have to? I mean, How am I going to know if you are or if you're just not answering?"

Chris: "Thanks, call my mom's number she'll know, and I might be here anyway."

Rachel's thoughts: Great... just what I want, another grandma to make me feel guilty.

Rachel's words: "OK"

Chris: "Will you please come here this weekend? Please? I need to see my baby girl."

Rachel's thougts: I think not

Rachel's words: "We'll see, but not if you're in Jail. I will NOT take Maddie there"

Chris: "I know. I wouldn't want you to either. But will you drive here if I'm not."

Rachel's words: "I'll Call you tomorrw."

What would you do? Would you go there? I really don't want to, but I almost feel bad. Almost. But I don't know if I'm just being stubborn or if it's really the right decision. What would you do?

I've Been Tagged!

I was Tagged by Danielle W. Here goes nothing:


10 years ago... wow. I was freshly twelve and entering 6th grade with Mrs. Driskill. Awkward year of remaking friends that I'd had for 6 or 8 years. This was the year I missed 2 weeks of school due to Bronchial pneumonia and 4 weeks of beloved dance class and dreaded gym. Also when the boys and girls were divided for gym so had study hall with the boys while the girls we at gym (did that make sense?)... and when I stuck my tongue out at Ryan P. who told me, and I quote, "You can't French kiss long distance!" I was horrified.

5 years ago... I was 17. I was invincible and boy crazy, but it was the "end of getting burned by boys." I was going through a "non-dating" time (now I should be so lucky to chose this). By this time 5 years ago, I had been stood up twice and been broken up with in public. But I had close friends and wild weekends. I think this is when I started experimenting more with different colors of red hair. I think I had 6 or 8 shades of red throughout high school and college. What else would a 17 year old need?

1 year ago... I had just turned 21, not that it really mattered anymore. I had a precious 4 1/2 month old baby girl. It took mere seconds for her to steal my heart, and a year ago was BEFORE all the toddler fits we have now... LOL. I wasn't taking classes then. I had started at my parents' company in July after she was born.

Yesterday/today

Work, work, work. And Madeline. That's all I make time for most of the time now. Yesterday, she got up at 5:30 am. About an hour before she usually even rolls over. Yeah, I was early to work even after I made breakfast.

This morning my new adventure was cleaning up after she dumped everything out of my wallet. Credit cards, debit cards, gift cards. All of it. That was exciting.

Now, I tag... Chelsea and Darcie and Andrea. Have fun!!!!!!!!!! ;) Let me know when you've played!

I know, the suspense is killing you so...

Last week was a crazy one at the office. I was really ready to relax this weekend, but was too tense. Friday night Madeline, Krystle and I went shopping in LS. That was fun. I bought Miss Maddie a new jacket. It's super cute. It's a Peacoat, brown with pink trim. From OldNavy. I looked for it on their website to show you, but I couldn't find it. Too bad too. It's realllllly cute. I finished up the evening playing pool. I decided to stop when I lost to myself. Sad. Very Sad.

Saturday Madeline was up at 6:30 am and rearing to go. We stumbled through breakfast and got ready. We made it to the Cass County Living History Festival around 9:30 in time for the first parade of old cars and marching bands. Ate too much and went to Wal-Mart. (are you making note of what you're missing?)

Yeah... Maddie's father was a no-show. I called him on Friday night. He was "sick" and couldn't come down this weekend. So mad at him. So mad. But, what can 'ya do?

That was yet another exciting weekend at the our house. How was your weekend?