Happy Monday!

Hi I hope everyone had a good weekend.

I had a pretty good weekend so I am puzzled as to why I don't feel better this morning.

In Friday's mail we received a check from our insurance company to cover the water damage to our house from all the rain we had in August. This was a real relief for us as they had originally told us they would not pay for anything.

On Friday evening we went to Northpointe for a walk and then had ice cream at Culver's.

Saturday I went to an all day scrapbook event from 8:00 to 6:00. It was fun, I got 11 pages done and I even got up to exercise before I left. Scott took Isabella to the movie while I was out. Saturday evening we went out for ice cream at the place up the street. Bella and I also tried to learn some of the dances to High School Musical II, Scott thought we looked ridiculous.

Sunday Scott got up and went golfing. I went back to bed after he left until Bella got up. When she got up I said I needed to get my workout clothes on. She said she needed to get her work out clothes on as well. She put on the velour sweat suit she got for Christmas and she walked right along with me to my walk fitness tape. She is so adorable! She would do the video a little then sit down, then start back in. She had to use the stretchy band so I just walked during that part. Bella notices that the floor in the video was brown square tiles just like our porch floor-she is such a little smarty!

The Packers won-the Bears lost. That alone should have made for a great day. I tried to help Scott wash the pool and get it ready to put away for the winter. This pool has been a thorn in my side. First we had talked about getting Bella a pool for her birthday. But I was thinking of just one of those little blow up ones. Well Scott went and bought her one of those "Easy Set" pools-I'm sure you have seen then around as they are very popular. I guess it was on sale at Big Lots-to me it is just larger than what we need. It cannot be filled and then emptied everyday which is what we need as we have so many trees that the pool just gets full of leaves. Then I asked him if he got chemicals for it because the box said you needed them and it just makes sense that you cannot leave a pool of water just like it is as it would become full of slimy stuff. He seemed mad at me for pointing that out as if I made the requirement. I guess you can get a chlorine generator for these kinds of pools so Scott orders one of those for the pool cost him like 6 times what the pool costs. It comes and then cannot be used on the pool we have because the pump is too small. So he orders a larger pump and a cover. Meanwhile the pool is getting slimy, tons of leaves are falling in it and we get tons of rain. We are going on vacation so we empty the pool and the morning we are to leave for vacation I get up early, wipe the pool down and then put it over chairs on the sun porch to drive. Once back from vacation we took the pool back out to put it back up. Well I don't know how it assembles exactly and Scott doesn't do it himself so the pool lays out there in front of the garage for weeks getting rained on and dirty. Scott then mops down the pool and wants me to come help him fold it up because he does not know how to do it. Well neither do I, but I help him fold it up the best I can and we go to put it up in the storage area in the rafters of the garage, but Scott can't quite reach because the big ladder is still upstairs in the house where he left it weeks ago. So Scott climbs up on the rafters to push the pool up an the rafter breaks. Now he is really mad because it might fall down on his car mind you he is not worried that it might fall down on me but on his car. He moves the car out and then needs a hammer which despite the fact that he has 2 tool boxes and numerous hammers he cannot find, primarily because he never puts anything away after he uses it (see note about ladder above) I actually have put some commonly used tools like the hammer away in a box in the house so I go get it and he hammers a support piece of wood in place. Meanwhile I am getting eaten alive by mosquitoes-they sure are nasty right now! Then while Scott is watching the Bears Lose he wants me to make supper. I made Mediterranean Meatball pita sandwiches (If you like gyros, you would like these) The problem is Scott doesn't like onions and I just don't think they are as good without onions. I guess I am just frustrated by the fact that what he wants always seems to come first and he is not very in tune to what I might want or need.

I think I am one of those people who needs to get out in nature more to feel good, reduce stress etc. and I just don't seem to get that. First there isn't a park or forest preserve really close to the house and like I said the mosquitoes are so bad. I sure miss Gov. Dodge State Park where I use to hike all the time, plus Scott doesn't seem to enjoy this. I need to find a solution to this problem.

Incidentally one of the scrapbook pages I did on Saturday was our trip to the ocean when we were in Florida in November of 2004. Scott's comment on this page was he did not like the fact that I used a photo of him where his gut looked huge. Well if you don't like the way your gut looks in pictures (it hasn't gotten any better in the last few years) than do something about it. I chose not use the picture of me in my bathing suit because my gut looked huge! Bella was sure a cutie!

I got up this AM and did my walk fitness but I weighted myself and I weighed 210 Yikes that is a one pound gain. I guess Ice Cream 2 days in a row might do that to you. Well I am off to work on the policy project from hell. Hope everyone has a great day.