Things that really chap my hide:

You are warned - I've got a need to RANT LIKE A BANSHEE!!

The absolute ineptitude of the people around me is astonishing. Now, I don't mean those close around me; family, children, coworkers. I mean those who are more on the periphery. The folks at the Dr's office. I swear - they are all dead from the neck up! Missing paperwork not filed with the insurance company, telling us we don't need this or that form when the insurance company requested it, loosing files... really?? I thought a basic high-school diploma was required for most jobs, but then I forget - I am living in Arizona where the basic high school requirement for graduation is whether or not you can walk and chew gum, or whether or not your new perfect boobs can jiggle on cue.

The adjuster for the insurance company; she's a piece of work. Is full of great promises, like "I will call you back by the end of the day", but I think she is actually living on Saturn where a given day is 116 years long because she never returns the call. N-E-V-E-R.

Her supervisor is not any better. Oh - and they are in Texas. Not that I am picking on Texas, but we live in ARIZONA. One would think that we would have a claims rep who lived, at least, in the same freakin' time zone.

The body shop that has had possession of the car since November 11th. "I'm sorry; we are down a couple of guys". You know what?? I don't flippin care!! It is NOT my problem that you are down workers. What IS my problem is that you sat on my car for nearly 2 weeks and stuck your thumb up your you-know-where for too long and now we will be stuck paying for a rental car because they don't think they can fix Steve's car until... wait for it.... F-E-B-R-U-A-R-Y!!!!!

The response from Encompas??

Well, you should have taken it somewhere else. This body shop is not on our "preferred" list.

Excuse me - YOUR adjuster told US where to take the car... we didn't decide anything. Get your freakin' story straight! And its not like we have many options at this point - the car is not drivable!!

Please... those of you who might live elsewhere... restore my faith in humanity. Tell me it is not as bad where you are... please... lie if you must!!

2008 is right around the corner...

Here's a list of things I would like to see if I can do/get done/finish between now and then:

*Get Steve's car either REPLACED or fixed. Seriously - we are on week 5 and still have no answers. If anyone out there has ENCOMPAS for their insurance, SWITCH NOW!! In short, they suck.

*Blog more than once.

*Get my Christmas List off my old PC.

*Get my Christmas cards ordered.

*Get my Christmas cards mailed. (notice a theme there??)

*Get an estimate on the paint job this house so desperately needs. Have had 3 different guys out to "take a look-see", but NO ONE has given me an estimate. Must be nice to not NEED work!!

*Get the outside lights up before New Years Eve, because then we would just have to take them right back down again!
~~An aside on this one - the tree is up - the interior of the house is looking festive, but we look like non-believers from the outside!! And honestly, I am just not all that into the whole decorating thing this year... too much on my plate.

So much to do - only 20 shopping days left till Christmas.... meaning only about 26 days left of this year.

Better start moving quicker!!

Too cute not to share!!

I could not resist this mug shot of my favorite chocolate bandit! Christopher has discovered the wonderful world of NUTELLA and tries to eat his English Muffins that have been coated with a generous layer of ambrosia not as a pizza, as most would, but rather as an apple. The following is the result!

See? Two posts in a month! Aren't you happy??

If you can believe it, we still know nothing in regards to the car, the insurance or any pending litigation that will/could/may result from the accident from over two weeks ago! We did hear that the guy who rode the motorcycle was released from the hospital, so that part is good news. But the rest of story remains shrouded in mystery! Will the car be considered a total wreck? Will Steve be found 100% liable, or just 50% liable because the jackass other driver ran the red light? Will Steve ever be able to turn left again without a twinge of panic? Stay tuned folks...

Is anyone else in a quandary about how we went from Halloween to Thanksgiving in about a day and a half? Maybe I would get more in the mode for "Winter Holiday Season" if I were not still relegated to shorts and sandals because Mother Nature can't quite get it that it is FALL around here! I swear, it is in my DNA to want to wear long pants, wool sweaters and cozy shoes this time of year. But no - we are supposed to reach the mid-80's here today. Again. Which will make 26 days of "unusually warm" weather... meaning something with regards to Global Warming, but I am not sure what. Which is exactly what Arizona does not need; more warming! I know, I know - all of you who are holed up like moles because it is getting too cold to be outside are seething and sending me voodoo dolls telepathically... But keep in mind, we have not been "cool" or dare I say it "cold" for about 9 months now. Its time. We have 6 months of living like moles, too... THIS is supposed to be our cool season. I'm waiting patiently for that to begin.

On the housing front, it seems as though we have settled on a Realtor for this end, and have already procured Realtors for the two other possibilities of where we will/may put down roots. Since the meeting with Realtor #1, another house in our neighborhood has been listed. It's our same house - same footprint at least, and is priced so ridiculously high that it will make our house look like a steal in comparison, so that could bode well for us. As it stands now we will list our house in February most likely. Say a few prayers to the Housing Gods that things will begin to turn around. Our little part of Scottsdale has done a good job of holding value but our DOM (days on market) have gone up a lot.

The kids: They rock! We met with Parker's teacher this week for the conference, and she had a glowing report. He even took part in leading part of the meeting, and he was so impressive, sitting there speaking to us about what he has learned and what he thinks he needs to continue to work on. I was very impressed, as was Steve! Matthew is getting fewer and fewer cubes pulled each week, meaning his behavior is getting better in class. (ok, its not behavior like he is putting little girls' pigtails into the inkwell, but more the not listening, not following directions sort of behavior. You know, just to clarify!) Christopher adds new words to his vocabulary daily! He is still my "Klingon" and hates being dropped off at the sitters in the morning, but they assure me his rants are only for my benefit and once I am fully out of sight, he is fine.

I know I should drop and run in the morning, but I have a small addiction I am trying to stop: STARBUCKS. It's bad, and if I have time in the morning, I just can't seem to drive past without stopping. If I wait at the sitters, I don't have enough time to stop. You see, 'tis the season of the PEPPERMINT MOCHA and that is just too much to ask for me to willingly pass by... and they are SO not good for my relationship with the Scale. SO SO SO not good. This time of year, my will power needs a bit of a boost!

A whole month again?? EEK!

Or, more specifically,

"BOO!!"
"EEEEK!!"

as Christopher has been saying lately.

On Halloween, I was going to dress up like a witch... You know, my normal attire with a broom?? Well, Steve was in a car accident on Halloween (and for the family reading, he's fine - car is not so fine, but Steve is fine other than a smooshed finger) and that sort of thwarted my plans to dress up. Instead, I took some little glittered-out words that I had purchased for the boys and affixed them to my cheek. One side said, oddly enough, BOO and the other side EEEK! Christopher found them to be utterly hysterical and will still poke at my cheeks where the stickers were and go BOO, EEEK! It is really way too adorable for words!

So, we've been traveling, mending broken cars and going on with our daily lives. I came home from CT on a Sunday, blogged, and then packed up to go to North Carolina by Saturday. We were going house hunting... or really more tire kicking, except we were test driving neighborhoods and houses rather than cars. (Test driving cars comes later in the month as we prepare for the possibility of needing to find a new car for Steve).

The long and the short of the trip: Great homes, friendly folks, way-cool beaches, great time had by all... but is it home? Yeah - not so much. Who knows... we are extremely ready to leave this God-forsaken-heat-island lovely desert landscape for literally greener pastures, but whether that is North Carolina or some other East-coast destination has yet to be determined. There is much to be said for lovely and affordable homes, but there is also quite a bit pulling me specifically back to a very familiar landscape where perhaps the homes are older and smaller, but there is just that intangible, undefinable "THING" pulling me back. Time will tell - there is much to do prior to thinking about WHERE to go. Small things, really... like selling this house in a awful, depressed, slumping slower market and finding jobs. Will keep y'all posted, I promise!

So, the car - it looks bad. I know I am a mere layman and have an understanding of where the gas goes, and where the washer fluid goes, and that's about it! But from my perspective, the car is a total loss. The front end met with a motorcycle going way the hell too fast, and trying to beat the red light. By truly some gentle hand of God reaching down, this man survived the accident - after taking the front of Steve's car off, practically, and then hitting another car and then being tossed 50 feet or so without a helmet! Steve walked away, the other driver walked away, and while the motorcycle rider did not walk away, he lived when all sense would have put him as a goner! So that is all very good, but now everything is in the hands of the insurance folks and let's just say that does not leave me with a warm and fuzzy feeling!! We have a rental - Steve is driving my car and I am driving a Kia Rondo.

Can I just say - its a great little vehicle!! I'm actually hoping the insurance guys call the Jetta a total loss, because I would love to get one of these- more room that the Passat - drives well.... and its pretty cheap!

As for the rest of us - we're doing well. Quite thankful that it was only steel and engines that were hurt... and now life goes in its constant forward motion! I simply cannot believe that Thanksgiving is rounding the bend with such astonishing speed but it is and so we dive head first into the HOLIDAY SEASON...

Would it be too much to ask for Santa to bring us a new car?