Full Of Possibility

Hello September. Mid-September. Sorry to be MIA again. I would tell you that I've been too busy to blog but we all know that's not true, don't we? I can't even say that there hasn't been anything blog-worthy to share because I'm still on the same side of the ground as you are so... there's life happening, at the very least. I won't even say that it's due to pain (though it's a good excuse reason). I'm just kind of a "get it all out in the open" girl and there are a couple of issues I'm dealing with that I can't speak about as candidly as I would, if I could. And I hate... I mean H.A.T.E. when people do that whole "vague-booking" thing where they'll drop some breadcrumbs to get people to ask what's going on... I'm a drama Queen (capital Q) but still... I either say it all or don't say anything. It's nothing earth-shattering just "not my story to tell" kind of stuff. Since I always blog from the perspective of "life in my orbit" it's hard to remember to keep out the stuff in my orbit that really isn't about me.

How cute is this little ham?

But I CAN tell you all about the check that came in the mail from Social Security on Saturday... that my mom and I rushed to the bank, praying they would be open on a holiday weekend Saturday (and they were). Talking about money is tacky. Well... maybe not talking about it per se but BRAGGING about it is definitely tacky. So I'm not going to give the dollar figure but I'm just going to say that I got a check for about the same amount as I made annually and I was happy, SO HAPPY with that amount, even knowing I was going to have to pay the lawyer with about 25% of it. AND THEN... I found out that the lawyer's cut was already taken before my check was calculated so that whole big check was all MINE! I mean, all mine from the sense that I will be taking care of things that have been set to the side (dental work) (car repair) and spoiling all those that are mine as much as I can.

She is all about the toes these days!

The truth is... I can't think of another time in my life when I had this much disposable income. Any slight windfall I would get from ... tax returns or bonuses or what-have-you... had to go into paying past due bills or buying shoes for kids and so forth. I've waited long and suffered hard for that chunk of change. I'm not going on a crazy spending spree or anything - I mean, you know, beyond reason but Nana needs a wardrobe revamp! What has been fun for me with having money in the bank is the possibilities it gives. I'm not buying a new car BUT I COULD! I'm not going on a three week vacation in Europe BUT I COULD! I'm not getting a brand new tv for my living room... well, I probably am. I mean... I've got this huge old ugly thing that was a hand-me-down from that unhappy union from  a few years back. The point is that I CAN!  Among the responsible spending/saving I'm going to do, there will definitely be some fun money involved and I'm having a blast contemplating all those possibilities.

Besides all of that ... my medicare is in effect starting September 1st. I had hoped to have it by October but it's already there! And the monthly benefit amount that I thought was going to be diminished by medicare part b premiums... nope. The monthly amount is AFTER the medicare comes out. It's like God has been Don Pardo in the game show of my life saying, "AND THAT'S NOT ALL... " because it keeps getting better and better!

In other news... pumpkin spice lattes are out now and I know some of you are TIRED of hearing about PSL but this girl has been crazy broke for the past four years and is gonna drink pumpkin spice lattes until I turn orange!

Ultimately, and not to end on a sad note but the truth is that getting a big check when you don't feel like going anywhere or doing anything is bittersweet. I have struggled to get out and about and beyond the confines of my nest lately. I picked up Austin, Tasha and Cosette today and got to spend time hanging out with them. We are so lucky that Austin is willing to spend his time off helping accomplish tasks around the house. I don't say it enough... he's working so hard and doing such a great job being a dad and taking care of his family - even his mom and grandparents. So we had a good time today and got a nice swing set up on my patio which is probably going to be screened in very soon. POSSIBILITIES! I took a bunch of pictures of Cosette because she is just so durn cute! Those of you who know Austin in real life (and those of you who have been blog friends for the past almost 11 years) will see a lot of Austin in her.

And this picture of Oliver from today, I think, shows a lot of Cody in him than at first. He hasn't been able to come visit Nana in her natural habitat yet, which translates into a random shot of him here or there instead of the dozens of photos I take of  Cosette. I'm not playing favorites, promise! I love him so much! So proud of all my kids and grandkids!

Love and hugs everybody!

A few more of Cosette from today if you're interested... it's probably overload for anyone other than me and my mom but... here you go! That's still her doll Eponine in the pictures. She loves Eponine so much that her mom got her a spare just in case we can't find Eponine. She's known as Eponine's understudy.