Chainmaille earrings!!!

First the ones that match my bracelet!





(bracelet for reference in case you forgot what it looks like)



and another pair I made just trying to experiment ... took me 2 hours to get the first one the way I wanted ... I"m still not entirely happy with it, but they'll do.



The 2nd pair is with bright aluminum jump rings. I wish I would have gotten a thicker gauge wire, but at least now I know. These were 20, which I thought would be fine when i ordered them, but I'm not really feeling them.

I also got some aluminum adonized coloured jump rings. Which I'm totally playing around with in the next few days. Maybe making a cute box weave bracelet for myself.

xoxoxo Jaz

16 things about me

this is actually a crosspost from facebook so I'm not tagging anyone, but if you wanna do it please let me know when you do!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I was tagged by Rebecca to participate in this. And while I've done about a zillion of these on my blogs, I figured I could try and come up with 16 MORE things (except for the first one cuz it's majorly important)

Anyway - Once you’ve been tagged, you have to write a note with 16 random things, shortcomings, facts, habits or goals about you. At the end choose 16 people to be tagged, listing their names and why you chose them. You have to tag the person who tagged you.  

so here goes nothing:  

1. I am deathly afraid of pomegranates and clowns and flying. mostly flying. which leads me to ...  

2. The xmas break I was at college my dad bought me a plane ticket to fly home. I was totally excited until the morning I was supposed to leave. It was also the same day (dec 3rd 1990 ... altho I don't know why I was leaving school so early in the month) that there was a fatal accident at Detroit Metro btwn 2 Northwest Airplanes on the tarmac. My friend's mom called to let her know cuz she didn't know when I was scheduled to leave (I hadn't left yet) and she mistakingly identified the planes as being of the same carrier I was scheduled to fly (I think it was Continental) 

I immediately called my dad and told him I wasn't flying home. No way. No how. I would rather walk from Connecticut to Detroit.  

Eventually he calmed me down enough to see I was being irrational and I had to fly, so I begged all my friends come with me to the airport and had them stand at the windows of the terminal and wave to me until I left their sight. And they came with me (why I'll never understand) and thankfully nothing bad happened. 

BOY! that was a long one!  

3. I once tried to drive myself from Detroit to L.A. to be able to spend New year's Eve with my t'hy'la Jayson in a tiny POS 1989 Dodge Omni. I eventually made it there, but not without pitfalls. the biggest one which was that my car's engine blew up right outside of Santa Rosa, New Mexico and I had to stay there for a week until Jayson came to pick me up via Amtrak and we celebrated the 45th of December (cuz it wasn't the New year until we celebrated it together). 

I got to spend a week in L.A. before heading back to Santa Rosa to pick up my car and drive back home.  

And I did all of that without my mom knowing (until a few months later that is)  

4. On that same trip I was in L.A. in time for the Northridge earthquake of 1994. Yea. It was an awesome vacation.  

5. I often feel like I've disappointed those that believed in me way back when, I was a bright star, getting accepted to and attending Yale University (for 1 year only) but now I'm a married housewife. I don't even have kids (and don't plan on it) I feel like a failure.  

6a. I once got busy in a burger king bathroom.  

6b. no ... not really ... just making sure you're paying attention.  

6c. I am an avid trekkie (or trekker if you prefer) I can name almost any ST:Tos episode after only a few minutes of a scene. And I know crazy facts (first episode Bones said "I'm a doctor not a ... "? that would be episode #25 Devil in the Dark ... first interracial kiss? that would be episode #67 Plato's Stepchildren) and I was lucky enough to actually meet Leonard Nimoy and get his autograph on a couple things a few years back when he spoke at a local temple about his book "Shekina"  

7. I got married about 2 1/2 years ago to my absolutely perfect mate. Until I met him, however, I was convinced that I was gonna end up old and alone, so my t'hy'la Jayson and I made the obligatory "If we aren't married by 40 we'll marry each other" pledge.  

8. I almost didn't apply to Yale because in one of the pamphlets I read when I was searching for a college it said that they had a huge gay and lesbian population among the undergrands (1 in 4 was openly gay) and I was extremely closed-minded about the issue. I quickly became educated in my ignorance when my t'hy'la Jayson came out to me one night when we were driving home (or was it to?) denny's. I've been a gays rights advocate ever since.  

9. The very first week my family moved to what would end up being the city I grew up in (Wyandotte, MI) I was playing in the backyard on my swingset when 2 bigger boys came walking into the backyard and took it over. They told me to get off and started calling me a chink and slant eyes. After a few minutes they just left. It was my first racism experience.  

10. as a general rule I can't stand slapstick. I prefer Monty Python over Benny Hill. But I love Laurel and Hardy!  

11. I watch way too much TV in any given week. I use the excuse that at least I'm crocheting or crafting while I'm doing it, but still it's kind of embarrassing how much TV i watch.  

12. When the neighbor kids run across our lawn as they play and stuff it drives me crazy. I have to constantly restrain myself from yelling out the windows and doors for them to quit it. But when I caught them jumping their fence and running around our backyard I made sure I let them know it wasn't gonna be tolerated.  

13. I constantly feel like I'm being judged that I'm not pretty enough, that I'm too fat, that I'm a horrible lazy person with bad hygiene cuz I lost my front tooth a couple years ago. It keeps me from going places i want to go sometimes. So if I ever make plans with you and then flake out, know it isn't cuz of you. It's probably cuz of me.  

14. I am extremely proud of my smarts tho. and my singing.  

15. When things are misspelled, especially on things that are permanent, it drives me insane.

Many years ago I used to frequent a restaurant that wrote their daily specials on a dry erase board. I actually bought my own dry erase pen so that I could fix their spelling mistakes (potatoe? Really? I thought we learned that was wrong back in the 80s)  

16. YAY!!! the last one!!!! I hated our 10 year class reunion. people were cliquey and most of the people I was really looking forward to seeing weren't there. I left early after a bunch of drunk guys kept asking Joel to go home and put on his Star trek uniform. But not before I told him not to do it.  

I really hope our 20th is better.

Small gripe

So I received a phone call from bro-in-law 2nite. I amde the mistake of answering the phone the first time accidentally (my phone answers if you push any button when the phone is ringing ... I answered by pushing buttons to send a text at the same time a call came in) when i realized it was BIL I simply said "I have nothing more to say to you. Goodbye" and hung up.

BIL didn't like that and called back. I didn't answer. I got a VM. I'm not gonna tell you what was said in this vm except for this: he told me that I'm a bitch and I'm the reason hubby missed his dad's funeral.

So yea, apparently he's decided to continue the lie.

He called again later and left another vm as I was on the phone w/ my mom. Both vms are gonna be shared with my husband as soon as he gets home.

Today is a day I remember that I married my husband and made HIM my family and I DIDN'T marry his family. Cuz frankly they're fucked in the head.

no real surprise

My first chainmaille bracelet

(CLICK on pics to make them bigger)

i watch crafty shows on PBS and such on the weekends and a couple weeks ago they had a segment on how to make a cute beaded byzantine chainmaille bracelet. I loved it and thought "why not! it doesn't look that hard!!"

so I ordered some swarovsky crystals via etsy (cheap cuz someone was destash-ing) and I got some jump rings and I went at it yesterday.

Sadly at first I got frustrated and lost and no matter how much I tried it just looked like a big jumble of metal. But after I found a tutorial on youtube I went back and came up with this:













I had originally had all swarovsky crystals instead of the sparkly dark blue ones, but because the jump rings were som much bigger (the crystals are4mm - the rings are 7mm) the perspective didn't look right to me. But i didn't want to get rid of them completely so I kept them near the pretty toggle so they still can add some bling.

I'm contemplating listing it on etsy but I'm not sure. I'm also contemplating making a matching set of earrings to go with it.

What do you think?

Crappy pic of my first finished byzantine bracelet

you think your in-laws are bad ...

You don't know bad until you hear about my in-law shenanigans this week.


so let me fill you in a little.

after what hubby refers to as "textgate" i did receive a couple more texts from SIL asking me if i had called hubby's mom cuz she's sick. I ignored them and as a result she sent me a voice mail from her phone which basically told me I was being a bitch (she had already sent texts to my hubby stating as much ... that I was being a "bitch to her for no reason" ... so this wasn't a surprise) and she continued to state that we needed to help take care of hubby's mom cuz everyone else was.

I ignored everything and it all stopped.

Last week hubby received a vm from his brother (remember, these are the truck incident people) telling him that he doesn't know why hubby's mad at him and he's done nothing wrong and he's gonna miss out on his nephews if he doesn't call him back. And oh! they're moving to another city and Mom is moving in with them cuz they're the only ones willing and able to take her in. And if hubby doesn't call him tonight then bro won't give hubby their new address or phone number and therefore he won't be able to see their mom OR his nephews.

So hubby doesn't take kindly to this emotional blackmail of sorts and he doesn't call. And we had another nice quiet week devoid of stressful family relations.

Until last night.

Hubby got home around 10Pm last night. I heard the car shut off and it took awhile before hubby actually got out of the car and came in the house. He told me that he had just received a voice mail from his brother (the same one) and he didn't know what to make of it and he wanted me to listen to it. So I did.

the vm as best I can recollect (paraphrased of course)

"here's MY cell phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx so you can call me. We're getting ready to move blah blah blah by the way you have no right to be mad at me and Jaz has no right to be made at me. If we were a bank we would have taken the truck alot earlier than we did. We've always been there for you and we always will. And you're missing out on your nephews blah blah blah and you haven't called dad since he's been in the nursing home and h's the man that raised you and treated you no different than his own son and you should show some respect cuz he adopted you* blah blah blah You completely fucked us on the Bonneville** and you fucked us with the truck. and dad died last night. I wasn't gonna tell you, but there it is. hope you feel guilty that you never called him and told him you loved him and now it's too late. And i guess HER family is more important than your family and she's keeping you from your family so we see who wears the pants in your house it sure isn't you. you still fucking owe us money. No one's ever gonna love you as much as we, your family, do and you better call me tonight if you ever want to see your nephews again or find out about dad."

THE END

i hung up the phone in a daze. hubby's dad was dead? And they weren't going to even tell him? And of course I was pissed about the "you owe us money" and "we didn't do anything wrong" bullshit, but hubby's dad died and it took you 24 hours to call your brother and then you say it in passing as if it's nothing! And you weren't going to call him to let him know!?!

My heart broke.

Hubby was quiet and said he wasn't gonna call his brother. He got mad that they weren't gonna tell him and decided at that moment he wanted nothing more to do with his family if they were gonna be like that. I stopped him and told him that he should call his mom. Even tho they don't talk alot, he is her eldest son and she needed his support in a time like this.

Hubby agreed but waited to call her. Then he actually voiced doubt that what his brother had said was even true. So I suggested we call the nursing home in the morning to find out information. He didn't want to wait. So I googled and he called.

He didn't have the actual room number his dad was in, so at first they did alot of putting him on hold and transferring him to other people. He finally got a floor nurse and she took his number and told hubby "I think he's sleeping. I'll call you back in a few minutes and let you know" Hubby hung up the phone even more dazed and confused. Sleeping?

His phone rang about 10 minutes later. It was his dad.

So yea. Now I don't know what to do. And now you see what we have to deal with.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

* When BIL and I had the huge phone fight he kept hounding on the fact that hubby and dad were blood and there's nothing that tops that connection and I made the mistake of bringing up the fact that hubby wasn't biologically related to their dad. This wasn't in malice - cuz I'm not biologically related to my dad - it was simply said in a heated discussion to shut him the hell up.

** When a previous car we owned died in 2005, right after we bought the house, BIL let us purchase his 1976 Pontiac Bonneville (which had so much rust the floorboards on the passenger side were almost gone and it leaked a waterfall when it rained and it wasn't painted, just bondo). And he "gave us a deal" of only $1500. When it was time for our wedding we still owed $250 on it - he and his wife told us that we didn't have to pay the last payment - it was their wedding gift to us.

My brother the popcorn princess :)

I just have to vent

so hubby and I went to the local watering hole when he got off work tonight. We walked in to a group of people standing at the end of the bar, of which our friend K was one.

We sat next to K and chatted for a bit. One of the group wandered down to the other end of the bar and 2 others left. The one that stayed (let's call him joe) was complaining to the barmaid cuz his cab still hadn't shown up.

So she called the company and they said they had one dispatched. And she came down to us and explained that apparently "Joe" has been less than stellar when he's taken a cab and she's surprised the company didn't just refuse to pick him up. She mentioned that the last cab he took from there had to practically pry him from the vehicle when he got home cuz he was belligerent and didn't want to leave.

Eventually she talks to someone in the cab co. that explains the driver will come in and decide for himself if the customer is fit enough to take in his cab.

At that exact moment the cab driver walks in, sees the guy and is all "oh! you look okay! I'll take you then" blah blah blah.

Well, K next to us starts spouting off "You're a fucking cab driver! Where do you get off decided who you should take?" etc ...

Which pissed me off. I don't give a damn WHO you are, you have the right to common decency and respect. So I spout to K this same thing. And as I'm saying it, the barmaid relays that apparently "Joe" pissed in this same cab driver's car one night while he was riding home.

So I don't blame him for wanting to check the guy out. This is his livelihood and his property for the time he drives it. He's responsible for everything.

And yet again, K is all "you're a fucking cab driver" and continues on his rant that essentially the guy should just shut up and take what he gets

And then hubby jumped in and told me I was in the wrong for jumping all over K ... that K didn't do anything wrong.

I shut the hell up and let it go until K left the bar. Then I explained to hubby in no uncertain terms that K was in the wrong imho. He was being elitist and arrogant and condescending and all the words you can think of that mean the same thing. In the words that he spoke, he spoke volumes regarding how he feels about others ... especially a "Fucking cab driver"

It still pisses me off. Hopefully I'll calm down before we have to play darts on thursday

Kitty on my lap :)

Adventures in Text Messaging

While I was sitting on the couch, crocheting and minding my own business, I received a text message from bro-in-law's cell phone. (the bro-in-law we dealt with about the truck that was "stolen")

all spellings are directly taken from the texts.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Text: Did you call kevin's mom and dad for thanksgiving?

Me: Please don't text me

Text: Why not (his wife)

Text: Kevin is Zack's (their middle son) god parent r u gonna deni zack of that what did zack do to u

Me: You both should have thought of that before you broke kevin's heart and destroyed his trust

Text: If you want out of the boys lives u let me know now

Me: We will always be here for the boys - and if kevin decides to continue a relationship w/ you and joe that's fine - i don't

Text: Whatever happened between joe and kevin shouldn't affect me and u and I don't know why it has to

Text: You should had never trashed our truck either and made the payments as agreed on the contract kevin signed

Me: Please stop texting me - if you or joe have more to say then talk to kevin - good night

Text: U don't have to be a bitch to me i did nothing to you

Text: Kevin and or both of you need to help out with putting her to bed that kevins real mom ya know

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So yea. I have nothing more to say. I was trying so hard not to be bitchy but apparently it doesn't matter. And obviously what she said about what happened btwn the brothers not affecting the relationship btwn us is inaccurate cuz her very next text proves that.

And I don't even know where the part about Kevin's mom comes into play. That's another issue entirely. One that I have strong opinions about (as I've mentioned before) and one that has absolutely nothing to do with the truck or anything else.

I'm so done with this family.

I'm so excited!!!

As you may or may not know, I am in charge of our household finances right now. Hubby made one too many mistakes whiched bounced one too many things and caused us big amounts in overdraft fees (I hate overdraft fees) so I voluntarily took over after a 6 year hiatus.

This is not what excites me. 

What excites me is that after working thru the finances today and making payment arrangements with cc companies etc., we may actually be able to dig ourselves out of the hole by the end of the year.

This means living very very small. We have a meger allowance for ourselves to get thru the week. but if we can stick to our guns (which mostly means me) we might even be able to start putting monies into a savings account starting in the beginning of next year!

I'm seriously ecstatic! I went over the figures like 5 times to make sure I wasn't forgetting anything (and I wasn't)

Eventually of course we want to pay more than the minimum payments for our cc ... and ultimately be free of our cc debt completely ... but I'll settle for not getting hit with late fees as a start.

YAY!!!!!

Some awesome Thanksgiving recipes!

Hubby really outdid himself this year.

It was just the 2 of us, so we kept it small and had just the basics (minus tamales cuz we couldn't get down to Evie's this year) Turkey, Mashed taters, gravy, stuffing, green Bean Casserole and pumpkin pie. 

He totally kicked up the Green Bean casserole and taters tho!

Hubby's Groovy Green Bean Casserole

(all measurements are approx.)

1 large can condensed cream of mushroom soup

3 small cans cooked green beans

2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

alfredo sauce mix

8 oz. bacon

diced 1/2 onion

6 oz. bread crumbs

mix together the green beans and soup. Add 1 packet of alfredo sauce seasonings mix and parmesan cheese (we added about cup ... add as much or as little as you like)

Pour into baking dish and bake in 350 degree over for 25 minutes

Cut bacon into bite size pieces and saute. Add diced onions and cook until carmelized. Remove from heat and spread over top of green bean mixture. (you want the bacon to be crispy)

Mix together remaining parmesan cheese and bread crumbs and then sprinkle over top the bacon and onions.

bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the topping is melty and crispy.

Enjoy!

Hubby's Marvelous Mashed Potatoes

5lbs potatoes

1/2 lb unsalted butter (NOT margarine)

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 small packet of ranch dressing mix

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup of milk

peel and cut up potatoes and boil until fork tender and mash (w/ potato masher)

Mix in butter, sour cream, milk, and ranch dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy.

(and yes I have tons of leftovers!!!)

Scarf in progress - based on HP

so not motivated

tomorrow is thanksgiving...and while I'll be listing things I'm thankful for, the meal itself is just me and hubby. I've been procrastinating cleaning all day. So much so that I took a Short nap and had a horrible dream.

In my dream the neighbor dog attacked one of the 2 boys that live next door and killed him. 

There was more, but this was the basic gist of it. It seriously disturbed me.

and now I have to go clean up the kitchen and then jump in the shower.

eeep!

okay...for some reason everything I've posted for 3 days is listed in drafts and not posted live.

sometimes I really hate you blogger.

Piano Scarf!

the etsy listing

I also listed 2 other things today:

my version of Beer-rings

and

marilyn bottlecaps

had an emotional night last night

talked to a "friend" of mine after darts last night. She's the same age as me and it turns out we have more in common than I thought. We shared crappy biological father stories and job stories. It was pretty cool I must say.

But she did dig up emotions I forgot were there. Which was gonna lead to a big unloading today ... but instead I started to read "Wicked"

Taking scarf pictars tomorrow. So excited! I love it!

Piano Scarf

I finally bfinished it. It even has 88 keys. I took a picture to post tonight to blogger but my sms is being wonky so I can't show it off until sometime tomorrow hopefully. I must say it's frigging phenomenal! And about 10 feet long lol.

I will be taking a picture of it to list on etsy ... but I totally don't wanna sell it.

crafty stuff again

I still don't know what i've decided to concentrate on (and monica you didn't help by offering ANOTHER craft i could easily get sucked into)

So I think I'm gonna work next year on afghans and scarves with graphics/letters in them. Cuz I love doing them and people think they're cool.

I would also like to expand the bottlecaps into charm bracelets (didn't think of that before!...just gotta get some chain) and eventually also offer beaded versions of the necklaces at a higher price (as soon as I get some beads and stuff I'll make a prototype to show you)
br>I also need to get my bracelets listed on etsy and figure out a way to make the picture caps into earrings that don't flip around.

Also saw bottlecap coasters today on etsy ... they were jumpringed together and they had put cork on the bottoms so they didn't scratch surfaces.

currently however I'm taking a break from new endeavours and working on a couple scarves I have been commissioned to do and a set of acrylic tawashi which really need to be finished this week. Then I think I'm gonna invest in making another american flag afghan for another show coming up (the show i just did offered me a table for free at their upcoming santa's workshop thingy ... i' may take them up on it if I can get there)

I also really like the spa idea ... but I may save that for next year. I've got a couple leads on farmers markets ... including Redford....that I might do well with that there. Plus I only have jasmine essential oil right now. I might want to expand that a bit lol. And I'm thinking when i do it to make them be a combo of: a jar of bath salts, a couple bath bombs, a loofah soap, a plain soap, a soap saver (which is a crocheted mesh pocket you can put your soap in) and a washcloth (which would be in coordinating colours ... purple for lavendar ... yellow for jasmine ... pink-ish for rose ....etc) and I can buy baskets and arrange them in those. I still have to find jars/wrapping to package the stuff in and figure out how to seal the soaps (i've heard you can use a soldering gun to seal plastic and make it air tight)

so after the holiday I'm sure I'll be working on that idea.

craft shows

so, as anyone who has read my blog or is friends with me knows, banshee and I have been doing craft shows together this year. Some successful, some not.

I need to figure out what I want to do with them.

I love doing them and I'm not talking about quitting, but what should I sell?

I have the bottlecap stuff, which I love, but it's inexpensive stuff. I need different things to add.

Hubby thinks I should concentrate on my afghans.

Here's a list of things I can do:

make bath salts
make soap (not from lye and stuff ... but it still turns out pretty)
afghans with stitch patterns (like the purple one in my etsy shop)
tapestry afghans/scarves (with pictures or letters in them)
tawashi
dishcloths
coffee cup cozies
bath scrubbies (kinda like loofahs)
baby blankets
bottlecap pendants
bottlecap bracelets
stretchy beaded bracelets
scarves
hats
mittens/gloves/fingerless gloves
purses

yea...i think that's it for now.

I can also learn to make things like ipod covers, chapstick holders, change purses ... basically if it can be crocheted I can make it.

I need input tho cuz I feel like I'm all over the board and I need some guidance.

please help.

bleh

was supposed to spend the night at banshee's and maybe see fish tonight.

instead i felt like crap all day ... and no it's not a hangover ... i think hubby brought a lovely cold virus home and I got infected.

so instead of hanging with da awesome banshee I'm stuck at home swilling down cold meds and hoping I feel better by tomorrow evening when we're supposed to see Avenue Q

wish me luck

waiterrant.net

Where I've spent most of today reading

http://waiterrant.net

makes me wanna pump hubby for more info about his workdays as a chef ... or dig up stories I can remember from my time as a bartender/waitress/stripper/7-11 clerk/city employee

lol

My set up

Something I learned today

apparently my kaguya kitty cat LOVES the smell of bleach!

I just spent about 30 minutes cleaning out the bathtub. I scrubbed it down with comet and then sprayed our bathmat with tilex and left the room for a couple minutes (cuz it was kinda icky so i figured a few soaking minutes would do it a world of good)

I came back in to find my cat had jumped into the bathtub!!!! (luckily not on the bathmat). I scooped her outta there, rinsed off her paws (just in case) and finished cleaning with the door closed. (yay fumes!)

I came out of the bathroom when finished to find her rolling around and being floppy kitty like I had given her a bowl of catnip ... and she kept trying to get back into the bathroom (which is off limits until everything is dried and re-rinsed just to be safe)

crazy cat.



P.S. the other cat (Kohana) is nowhere to be found...so i guess she doesn't share the same bleach affinity

Confessions

When I was younger I was extremely sick. I suffered from a combination of anorexia and bullemia.

I remember never feeling like I was skinny enough. In high school almost all of my friends were smaller than I. I wore a size 9 most of my high school life. Actually I prolly wore a size bigger than that at some points, but I refused to shop anywhere but 5-7-9 so I made those clothes fit me.

Once I lost my skirt for RoVaSi and a friend let me borrow her short black skirt for the performance. It was a size 7. I had to starve myself for a few days but I eventually fit into it. (i also got the rudest compliment ever from Liam when he asked me if I intentionally was trying to give every guy in the school a hard on ... I blushed but I honestly don't even know if I completely understood what he was saying to me)

There was a time in my life I stopped eating. I ate nothing but jello and chicken bouillion soup. I even used to munch on chicken bouillion cubes in order to get some flavour and sense of food in me. (i figured that if I was gonna eat it anyway dissolved in soup that chomping it wouldnt' be any worse). 

I lived on tons of coffee. or iced tea. (ironically I didn't drink much water during this time in my life) And if i ever felt the uncontrollable urge to eat something I would make myself something (like a sandwich) and chew it to get the flavour of it and then spit it out before I swallowed it.

If I DID decide to eat (cuz sometimes it was inevitable) I would eat about half a package of laxatives in order to get it out of my body as quickly as possible before I gained any weight.

Add to this the daily exercise regimen I had at this time (during summer months) of running about 4 miles every morning and then riding my bike as far as I could until the sun came up (at which time I would turn around and head home)

Once I got lost and ended up on the Southfield freeway over by Van Born road (about 8 miles from home).

At the peak of this I think I weighed about 120lbs...which for me was amazing! I think I spent most of my high school life weighing in at about 135-140.

I really hated myself in high school. I never had a boyfriend. Never had a guy ask me to a dance (well once ... but he totally stood me up after I had gone out and bought a dress and everything) If I got up the nerve to tell a boy I liked him he was already interested in one of my friends. (I can't TELL you the times I had to suffer watching my best friends date the guys I was madly crushing on) I guess I figured that if I got skinny then I would get dates ... or at least the possibility of dates (since I technically wasn't allowed out on them anyway)

Looking back I did have a couple of guys who were interested in me. And had I not spent most of my junior and senior years pining over those Williamson boys I might have even noticed.

It finally came to a head one New Year's Eve. 

I had walked downstairs from my bedroom to use the bathroom late at night/early in the morning. I remember feeling light headed when I got out and hearing my mom call out, asking if I was ok. I thought I said yes and started towards my room. I didn't. 

Apparently I was just staring into space unable to even form anything intelligible. I scared my sister to death. And my mom, realizing that something was dangerously wrong, rushed me to the emergency room.

I remember she didn't even have me get dressed or put on shoes. Later she said that she thought if I walked in the cold snow it might jolt me and bring me back to some sort of consciousness.

When we got to Wyandotte Hospital we spent FOREVER in the emergency room. I think they took a urine sample and I remember being embarrassed cuz someone I knew was working there that night and I had shit stains on my underwear cuz I had a small uncontrollable bowel movement thanks to all the lazatives i had been pumping into my body.

Eventually I think they diagnosed what was wrong with me and pumped me full of electrolytes. I don't know if I told them what I had been doing or not. I still don't know if my mom knows how horribly i was treating my body.

I do remember her trying to keep my spirits up singing "Homeward Bound" by Simon and Garfunkel. (cuz it was taking FOREVER for them to release me!)

After I was released I must confess that the rest of the day was a fog. I knew it was New Year's Day. I may have slept. My sister would know better what events transpired later on.

I do know that I stopped that craziness. I still rode my bike and ran alot, but I didn't torture my body by denying it food as i had before. At least I think I didn't.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sometimes tho I get the urge to help myself with this uphill battle of losing weight and getting back in shape to revert to my old ways. Not so much the living on jello part, but the laxatives are surely tempting. Sometimes I even find myself in an aisle at the drug store right in front of the laxative display....sometimes I even have them in my hand (extra extra strength chocolate flavoured). Then I remember how devastating it was to my body and to my family and I set them back down and slowly walk away.

Made this bracelet 2day - i love it!

People are idiots when they drink

So last night hubby and I went up to the local pub for some free darts and to see JForce and others. Shortly after we got there, this couple walked in. We haven't seen them in forever. They aren't our favorite people tho. And last night was a good example of why.

The chick started talking to hubby about their new dog they purchased (a Great Dane from OK). She even went as far as to bring in pictars she has printed out on her puter of him (and his pedigree) to show us. Which .... yay for the new puppy ... but hubby and I aren't dog people so after about 10 minutes of dog stories  both of us had our eyes glaze over. She never noticed tho. Seriously she didn't shut up for the entire HOUR she was there.

Her hubby was quiet for most of the night. Near last call he started talking to me tho. Told me that I'm a hard person to talk to. Which I agreed with at first cuz I'm extremely shy around new people and have a hard time opening up .... even to people I have known for years ... but he then proceeded to explain that one of the reasons he felt that way was based on a dart game we played a few months ago.

(disclaimer ... if you don't know much about darts this might be gibberish to you)

It was boys v. girls (he and hubby v me and his wife) playing cricket and he proceeded to pound points since we hadn't closed numbers. I think we were down about 200 points. So he then turns to me and says "I'll take it easy on you the next couple rounds and won't score points so you can get back in the game"

Now if anyone knows anything about me they should know this: I hate being treated patronizingly. First of all I'm very competitive. I would rather win than anything. But if I can't win, I'd rather lose on my own merits than have you feel pity for me and "take it  easy" on me. If i have to lose a crochet game by 10 lights and 300 points then so be it. At least I can walk away with my head held high knowing I did my best.

So I let him know this. Albeit a little harshly. And consequently I'm a bitch.

But wait! there's more!

So then he discusses his landscaping business. And how he's getting underbid and the damn Mexicans are ruling landscaping. Before he can go any further I inform him that I am "Mexican" (minor detail that I'm not ... I'm an American with hispanic heritage ... but he's too much of an idiot to respect the nuances) I assumed that would stop him from continuing.

I was wrong.

So now I have asshole racist whose wife wouldn't shut the hell up for 2 minutes the whole night telling me that mexicans are ruining his business cuz the businesses they work for underbid him. Which puts me in a bad place. And causes me to run my mouth. Something about how at least my people are willing to put in a hard days work for a paycheck instead of whining about the economy and refusing work cuz you won't get paid "what you're worth" ... or something along those lines. Then I walked away (cuz otherwise he was getting a beer bottle upside the head)

(another disclaimer ... if you don't know just a little bit of football Lions history here you may not get my frustration coming up)

And in between these lovely moments I have some guy in a Geek Squad shirt come over and he and mr. asshole start in on how the Lions should be sold and moved to another city. (for which i bit my tongue cuz it wasn't my conversation) and then that the only played worth anything was the kicker "what the hell is his name?" (which i chimed in Jason Hanson ... cuz he my future baby daddy) ... and then mr. geek squad proceeds to spout off how the Lions suck so badly that any Quarterbacks we've had that have sucked have gone on to greatness elsewhere. And he cites as his examples?

VINNIE TESTAVERDE and WARREN MOON!!!!!

ARE YOU FRIGGING KIDDING ME!?!?!?!?!

Vinnie played for Tampa for years and Warren played for Minnesota... in OUR division...AGAINST us!!!!! not FOR us!!!!!!

so I (and hubby) call him out on his mis-information. And I proceeded to say "you must have meant Rodney Peete." (whose claim to fame is that after we let him go, he went to Philly and beat us in a playoff game in 1995) "or maybe Jeff garcia" (who we let go and he led Philly (again) thru a winning season and onto the NFC championship which they lost) ... cuz frankly we haven't had much.

yea. I got a really dirty look, an endorsement from a fellow regular telling mr. geek squad that he shouldn't spount things he doesn't know in front of us cuz we know football, and exclusion from the rest of the conversation (you know...until mr. asshole started in on the Mexicans)

so all in all it was a fabulous night.

And today the Lions lost again (surprise!!!!)

I love the interwebz

Today I received emails from 2 of my best friends in college. 

It made me very happy!

I fell really sorry for people that are frightened of the internet or don't take the time to get to know how to use it (and their computer) properly

on a side note ... if you check my myspace blog (and are preferred) you can see a glimpse of the super secret blog project in progress

xoxox

watch this

Finally starting to look like a keyboard yay!

My newest wip - a piano keyboard scarf

Adorable fruit polymer beads :)

what kind of reader I am

What Kind of Reader Are You? Your Result: Dedicated Reader You are always trying to find the time to get back to your book. You are convinced that the world would be a much better place if only everyone read more.
Obsessive-Compulsive Bookworm
Literate Good Citizen
Book Snob
Fad Reader
Non-Reader
What Kind of Reader Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Fake Spaghetti Carbonara

So here's my recipe. It's not for everyone. I love it tho!

1 package pork ramen
some diced sweet onion (about a handful)
1 egg

cheese (whatever kind you want ... parmesan is classic)
bacon bits (optional)


Make ramen according to noodle recipe (so it's not soupy). Set aside. saute onions in oil until translucent (about 2 minutes). Add noodles and saute together for another 2 minutes.

separate egg whites and yolk. (try not to break the yolk) Add whites into ramen/onion mix and saute until whites are cooked (about a minute)

Pour noodles into bowl. Add bacon bits if you want (to give a more pork flavor...but it's not needed). Put unbroken raw egg yolk on top and then sprinkle with parmesan cheese (fresh is best).

Before eating break yolk with spoon and mix into still hot noodles. The ambient heat from the noodles will help to slightly cook the yolk.

enjoy!!!!

Enchilada casserole yum!

My 1st pair of fingerless gloves made w/ my own pattern

November is going to be all about me

Happy NaBloPoMo (or NaNoWriMo) and welcome to the blogging insanity if you are participating. As I've been trying to do Blog365 this month should be fairly easy ... December will be a doozie tho ... and I don't think I've quite found my voice with all the blogging, but it has been an adventure.

Anyway, I have decided that November is all about me. Cuz I have all these stories that I've shared in one form or another with people but sometimes I can't remember who I've told what. So now I'm getting it (mostly) all out there.

Plus there are things I haven't told anyone (or very few) that deserve to be shared as well. After all, it's all these things that make me who I am. And, for the most part, I like who I am.

So here are some simple facts about me.

• My name is Jazmyn .... but originally it was Jennifer. I changed it Dec. 12th, 1989 ... causing much panic and havoc in my life and the lives of others.
  
  
• I'm a 36 year old married home-maker ... altho my home desperately needs someone more capable than me to take care of it because ...
  
  
• I DESPISE domestic chores!!! DESPISE THEM!!!! If you ever want to feel good about yourself come on over to my house and you'll crown yourself a domestic goddess. I'm quite sure of it.
  
  
• My biological father and my dad that raised me are not the same person. I differentiate them even when i speak. father = Rick ... Dad = Bob (my dad)
  


• I have a younger brother and a younger sister that I was raised with. I love them with all of my heart and would willingly lay down my life for them. I also have many half siblings from my biological father. I keep in (semi) touch with my sister Roxanne (who is a friend on myspace) and I love her immensely even if I don't always let her know.


• I am extremely proud of my Latino heritage.


• I am an avid Detroit Sports fan. I love my Lions, Wings, Tigers and Pistons. Even when they lose. (which is more often than not for my poor Lions)


• Altho I haven't played in years, I have played piano since I was around 8 years old. My mom still has the piano that she bought me way back when in her basement. It desperately needs tuning. I fiddle with it whenever I'm over.


• I believe in ghosts and hauntings. I also believe in pixies. And UFOs. And extra-terrestrial life out there somewhere. It's hubristic to believe in all the cosmos we're the only ones around imho


• I am terrified of pomegranates. And clowns.


• I went to Yale University for 1 year. I couldn't afford to go any longer. It was my first choice (early decision) and I got it. I loved it and wouldn't trade it for anything. I was going to major in Theatre Studies.
  
  
• I am horrible at staying in touch with people. I try to get better at it, but even with all the stuff on myspace and facebook I'm lucky if I poke someone once in awhile. I feel badly about this and I'm trying to change.


• I have a missing front tooth and have gained a considerable amount of weight in the last 10 years of so. This makes me have self-image issues. Which is why you will very rarely see full length pictars of me or ones of me smiling. I'm too self-conscious


• I have an etsy shop (shameless plug)


• One of my favorite things to make is a fake spaghetti carbonara using pork ramen. It's seriously DELISH!!!


• I am the person my family calls when they need to know an answer to something.


• Chances are, if I'm hanging out with you, almost everything you say reminds me of a song lyric or a movie quote.

I think that does it for the time being. I am looking forward to sharing stories about myself and my life (and also extremely terrified)


Here's hoping for an awesome NaBloPoMo!!!

xoxox

p.s. in case you were wondering about the car fiasco ... we bought the Toyota from craigslist. It needed a little more work than we thought but it still came in under $700. It a cute car. Still needs a couple more tweaks, but it cost $20 to fill the tank last night which excited hubby! (of course the dropping gas prices helped too)

I still haven't talked to anyone in his family and prolly never will. He's taken to talking to his brother again about once a week. I miss my nephews but life goes on.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!

some guy made an acapella version of Michael Jackson's thriller. I suggest watching it in full screen to get the full effect - it really is amazing!!!!

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Fwd: My pumpkin :)

My sister.s sideways scary pumpkin tree

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

edit: I rotated it so you can see it's awesome the right way ... plus click on it to see it bigger

One of my fave pics - currently my cell wallpaper

ZOMG!!! Happry Potter trailer!!!!

Kitty on my lap :)

Graham Norton

If you haven't been lucky enough to catch graham Norton on BBCA ... you really should check him out! re-runs ... first runs ... it doesn't matter! The man is brilliant and funny and I love him so!

This is a clip from when Alan Cumming was on his show. It doesn't do Graham justice, but I love it anyway. I only wish it had the ENTIRE segment cuz after this ends he goes on to discuss how he went to a nude beach with Sir Ian McKellen. I can't seem to find that part but it had me in tears it was so funny!




And here's another one that I love




And just cuz here's another one with Orlando bloom




And if you like Doctor Who you really need to check out the interview with David tennant

part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4


And thus concludes my Graham Norton introduction

Yes that is a pot leaf :)

My first beaded stretchy bracelet

I iz a cool nerd

Your result for The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test...

Modern, Cool Nerd

For The Record:



A Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.

A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject, often an obscure or difficult one.

A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.



You scored better than half in Nerd and Geek, earning you the title of: Modern, Cool Nerd.



Nerds didn't use to be cool, but in the 90's that all changed. It used to be that, if you were a computer expert, you had to wear plaid or a pocket protector or suspenders or something that announced to the world that you couldn't quite fit in. Not anymore. Now, the intelligent and geeky have eked out for themselves a modicum of respect at the very least, and "geek is chic." The Modern, Cool Nerd is intelligent, knowledgable and always the person to call in a crisis (needing computer advice/an arcane bit of trivia knowledge). They are the one you want as your lifeline in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire (or the one up there, winning the million bucks)!



Congratulations!




Also, you might want to check out some of my other tests if you're interested in any of the following:



Buffy the Vampire Slayer




Professional Wrestling






Love & Sexuality




America/Politics




Thanks Again! -- THE NERD? GEEK? OR DORK? TEST

Take The Nerd? Geek? or Dork? Test at HelloQuizzy

Wo I am

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Bette!

You are a Bette -- "I must be strong"

Bettes are direct, self-reliant, self-confident, and protective.

How to Get Along with Me

• * Stand up for yourself... and me.


• * Be confident, strong, and direct.


• * Don't gossip about me or betray my trust.


• * Be vulnerable and share your feelings. See and acknowledge my tender, vulnerable side.


• * Give me space to be alone.


• * Acknowledge the contributions I make, but don't flatter me.


• * I often speak in an assertive way. Don't automatically assume it's a personal attack.


• * When I scream, curse, and stomp around, try to remember that's just the way I am.

What I Like About Being a Bette

• * being independent and self-reliant


• * being able to take charge and meet challenges head on


• * being courageous, straightforward, and honest


• * getting all the enjoyment I can out of life


• * supporting, empowering, and protecting those close to me


• * upholding just causes

What's Hard About Being a Bette

• * overwhelming people with my bluntness; scaring them away when I don't intend to


• * being restless and impatient with others' incompetence


• * sticking my neck out for people and receiving no appreciation for it


• * never forgetting injuries or injustices


• * putting too much pressure on myself


• * getting high blood pressure when people don't obey the rules or when things don't go right

Bettes as Children Often

• * are independent; have an inner strength and a fighting spirit


• * are sometimes loners


• * seize control so they won't be controlled


• * figure out others' weaknesses


• * attack verbally or physically when provoked


• * take charge in the family because they perceive themselves as the strongest, or grow up in difficult or abusive surroundings

Bettes as Parents

• * are often loyal, caring, involved, and devoted


• * are sometimes overprotective


• * can be demanding, controlling, and rigid

Take Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz at HelloQuizzy

thank you so much!!!

I know i didn't need to spell out my life and explain our lives. I feel better for doing it (altho some of the recent blogs may be deleted or put private just because)

We should be getting our craigslist car tonight. I'm happy. 1989 Toyota tercel. it has some issues but it was only $300 so that's good ... and no monthly payments to deal with

I just wanna say thank you from the bottom of my heart. I really have the best friends in the world. This whole situation has taken a toll on us and, were we a lesser couple, it could have torn us apart. But we have worked together on this and we will survive.

and on a side note, hubby got a call from J last night (he left a VM) that he drove the truck (that he took) and he got a flat tire.

P.S.

I know i sound like a big fat entitled totally spoiled bitch when I discuss this.

I understand that people count on people making payments. And I never meant to imply that I believe he shouldn't be asking us for his money or that hubby's parents should have just given us the car when we didn't have one last year.

What i DO think is that J has no right to judge us and "teach us a lesson" on how to better manage our money when he has no clue what the hell is going on in our lives financially.

We aren't going out spending tons of cash on shit we don't need. We live very very small. Most of our money goes to hubby's expenses each week getting to and from work. Yes he (and I) smoke, but we've cut down to less than half a pack a day. Yes I play darts on Thursdays, but I spend a grand total of about $15 for that privilege... including the dart league fee. I haven't been grocery shopping in 2 weeks ... and when I went 2 weeks ago I spent about $50. I'm lucky enough sometimes that hubby works in a restaurant and when he can he brings me home dinner. (his employee meal that he didn't eat during the day)

We have a mortgage to pay, heating, water, insurance ... hell we don't even pay any medical insurance out of hubby's check's yet. so gods help us if we get sick.

Our one big splurge (besides my dart night) is football sunday. We spent $$ on the NFl package so we can sit at home and spend minimal $$ to enjoy a quiet day together and feel like we aren't losing out on everything life has to offer.

So when someone who has enough money to own multiple cars and pay for insurance on all of them (and monthly payments ... he only owns 1 outright) tells us that he wanted to teach us a lesson about spending our money more responsibly and then says that the reason he's pissed is cuz us not paying him his money on time caused him to be stretched thin with the new couch and big screen TV he bought for his basement ... and we're sitting on a couch that we got as 3rd generation hand me down furniture that requires a plywood board underneath the cushions so I don't fall in and we're watching a 19 inch television in out living room eating ramen noodles for dinner cuz we can't afford anything else ... well I kinda feel like that's a giant slap in the face to us.

I don't say this to make anyone feel sorry for us. I know that I have friends and know people that are in a similar situation if not worse. I mean at least we have a place to live.

More car update

Looks like we got a car from craigslist. *crossing fingers and toes*

No more dealing with bro-in-law and such.

Last night we went downriver and picked up our stuff from inside the truck. They had put it in trashbags and set it on their front porch.

hubby made a good point when he said it kinda felt like a break-up. Like when you tell your ex "you're stuff will be on the front porch" and they sneak over in the middle of the night to grab it so they don't have to worry about seeing you.

What's done is done.

oh! and J told hubby that the reason he did it was to teach hubby a lesson about $$ and stuff. AND apparently he was waiting outside our house for hubby to come home Monday night. He was pretty proud that he managed to take it from our driveway without us even noticing what was going on. He claims he even turned the lights on while he was backing it out of the driveway. and we didn't even notice (of course that would be because there's a big ass tree right in front of our living room window AND our inside lights were on AND we weren't really expecting to look outside and see our truck driving away)

The day will come when karma will bite them in the ass. I only hope I'm around to see it.

car update

short version - hubby's brother came by last night and took the car back downriver cuz we owe money on it and he lied to us when we called him this morning asking him if he took it.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

long version - in order to update you on the car situation I kinda have to backtrack and reveal what's been going on in our lives. And I'm pretty sure I'm gonna sound like a whiny little bitch but whatever.

Hubby and I are pretty much barely squeaking by. Due to his long time unemployed and consequent jobs making way less than he was at his previous job,and of course the accident and fees which resulted from it, we fell into a hole. Not one so insurmountable that we couldn't try and get ourselves out of it little by little, but one big enough that at times we've had to figure out which bills we were going to pay each month and which ones we were going to let accrue late fees.

So, after hubby's car accident last year, hubby's family kinda stepped in to offer help. And by help I mean his parents offered to let us buy their car from them cuz they weren't using it anymore (which we couldn't do cuz they owed way more on it than blue book so therefore we couldn't get anyone to agree to give us a loan for the amount they needed) and his brother, J,  offered to let us use his Ford Explorer as long as we made the monthly payments and put the insurance in our name. Since his brother's payments weren't too outrageous we agreed to it.

That was almost a year ago. And we've been pretty decent in payments. But we've fallen behind. I honestly had no idea we were so far behind (we owe for Aug, Sept and Oct). Hubby usually takes care of the finances and, like I said, he's been having to pick and choose what gets paid. Priorities have been to house payments, DTE and water with everything else fitting in where they can.

Add to this the fact that hubby's mom and dad aren't well. his mom has Parkinson's and diabetes and generally doesn't take very good care of herself and his dad has Alzheimer's. And apparently his dad's been getting worse. To the point where a couple weeks ago he had to have exploratory surgery cuz he was hemorrhaging and he's currently in a nursing home. And hubby's mom needs someone to help her with things.

So with these things going on J, his wife, hubby's other bro K, and his wife, have all been taking turns helping out their mom (in-law) and stuff. At one point hubby stayed the night with her, even tho we live 45 minutes away (vs. their 15) because J kept hounding him and telling him it "wasn't fair" that he hadn't helped out at all.

Before you go jumping all over me, I firmly believe parents should be taken care of. But I also believe that it should be a family decision as to how they should be taken care of ... especially if said parent needs so much care that they can't be left alone for any long amount of time and they need help getting dressed/showering/eating.

So when J called me on Friday and left me a message that it "wasn't fair" that hubby wasn't going over to help out mom ("it's his mom too!") or visiting dad ... well I exploded.

And I called up J and basically let him have it with both barrels. Telling him that I didn't care what was "fair". That hubby works everyday and doesn't feasibly have the time to dedicate to helping out like J,K and their wives do. Not counting the fact that we live 3xs as far away as they do....hubby leaves the house every morning around 9Am and doesn't get home sometimes until almost midnight. He only has 1 day off (which he spends most of it sleeping in) and gas until recently has been so expensive we couldn't afford any extra trips. And did I mention hubby works every day sometimes 12-14 hours?

So J counters with "I work every day and J2 works every night and we take care of 3 kids and we still have time to go over and help mom and see dad"

Well you know what? That's great. More power to you for being super people. But don't tell my hubby and me that it's not fair that you're doing this and we aren't.

I also got stupid and brought up that his family didn't help us out at any point in time and we've had to struggle to keep our house and pay our bills but we've managed. And J says "well K hasn't had a job and he's still got his house AND he's helping out with mom" yea? well K's wife has parents who are paying for their house and when K's car took a shit his parents GAVE them their car (you know...the one we had to buy outright) and K didn't pay the note and got it repossessed.

So J brought up that we haven't been paying for our car and I explained that we're doing our best and trying to dig ourselves out of a hole (see beginning of post) and he's all "We're trying to dig ourselves out of a hole too...I'm trying to move my family into a new house."

Sounds great in theory....until you learn that he got a settlement for an on the job injury recently and spent it on 2 motorcycles, 2 cars and an $8,000 landscaping job. Not to mention the $500 Magglio Ordonez autographed plaque featuring the baseball he hit in the ALCS. Yes...he currently has 4 cars (including the one we were using) and a motorcycle ... he got rid of 1 bike about a month ago.)

Then he said some shit and I said some shit (including bringing up how pissed I was that he couldn't be bothered to come to our "day after our wedding picnic" or help us in ANY way for our wedding ... but he took off an entire week to drive down to Louisiana not even a month later to help out some people (who bought their old house) when their daughter got married) And he said he was gonna "repossess" the truck on Saturday.

So I hung up and I cried and called hubby and told him what I did (I was stupid I know) and he told me not to worry about it and that he would take care of everything. And he did. He called J Saturday and talked to him like 3 times and explained that I was frustrated and just trying to stick up for him with the whole "it's not fair" thing and we'll get money to you asap and everything seemed to be fine.

I even suggested to hubby that we go down and see his parents and his brother on Sunday instead of football Sunday cuz I felt really bad about what I had done. Hubby agreed and he also talked to J everyday. As a matter of fact he received a text from J last night around 10:30pm right after he received a phone call (that hubby didn't take) reminding hubby that J2 was gonna be around tomorrow(today) to pick up some money for the truck.

So this morning hubby goes out to go to work and with the truck not there he calls his brother first thing and J denies that he has it.

Later on I receive a phone call from the insurance company stating that the local agent had a message from J stating he had re-taken possession of the vehicle.

After numerous attempts, hubby finally got J on the phone and it was confirmed. And why did he lie to us this morning? He wanted Kevin to sweat like he did waiting for the money each month.

And in the process we filed a false police report and a false insurance claim and cancelled all our checking activity (cuz there was a checkbook in the car)

And apparently the entire family knew this was going to happen. I asked hubby to call his mom to see if maybe she could intervene on our behalf. I don't know, maybe talk J into letting us have the car back on conditions. That's when he told me apparently she knew and did nothing to stop it.

So now we have no car and J wants all the $ we owe before he lets us have it back (and all our stuff is still in it too) and now I know where I stand with his family.

So I say it now, I will never speak to those people or do anything for or with or about them ever again. I am done with his family.

Seriously hating life right now - update

After finally going to sleep around 6am, I woke up around 9am to a frantic hubby. 

Our truck wasn't in the driveway.

His first thought was that his brother had come over and taken the car back (which is a whole other story ... I got pissed and called him and said some things and he got pissy and said he was gonna take the truck back ... I'll explain later) But when he called his brother he founf out that wasn't the case. 

Seems our truck was stolen. From our driveway. Sometime btwn 6Am and 9Am apparently.

After some stressing and me yelling at hubby for not locking the truck, we called the police and the insurance company and got things rolling. We have full coverage and it has provisions for a rental, which is good ... but it takes 48 hours from the time of the incident being reported to get the rental, which is terribly inconvenient.

Fortunately I have a fantastic mother. When I called her to tell her what happened, she left work and brought us her car so hubby could use it to get to work and stuff. We're spending the night at her house 2nite so we can take her to work in the AM and borrow it again tomorrow.

I seriously don't know what we would do without my mother.

So now all we can do it wait. Part of me is hoping they find it (unscathed of course) and part of me is hoping they don't (so we can be out from under hubby's brother's thumb) and all of me is just waiting for the pill I took to kick in so I can take a nap.

update: got a hone call from the insurance claims dept. stating that the local office received a phone message last night from hubby's bro telling them that he had possession of the vehicle. Not sure if this is completely true or what. hubby's bro isn't answering his phone.