Thursday, December 31, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 365

31/December/2015, Day 365.  Thursday.

As 2015 staggers to a close, I am staggering a bit myself.  To celebrate the end of the year, I drank a beer.  ONE FRIGGIN' BEER!  And now I'm a bit woozy.  I guess since I hardly drink alcohol anymore, (we have an alcohol free household), I've lost any tolerance for the stuff that I once had.  Oh well .....

Old Grump slumped through his last work day of the year.  "Hooray!," he says.  He wishes he could retire, but the bills just keep coming and coming and coming.  Aaaahhh!

Kuya says he had a good day, and Dodong says, "Da baobab", or something like that.  Sweetie and Lola are doing well too, but being women they are more modest, and largely keep their thoughts to themselves.  (At least when they're around men!)  The ladies are watching New Year's celebrations on TV at the moment, enjoying the singing and dancing.

Breaking news ..... Dodong has just gone to bed, and so has Lola.  Now Grump, Kuya, and Sweetie can gather together in front of the TV, waiting for the new year to begin.

Goodbye, (but not goodnight!), y'all.  Writing these daily entries has been, uh ..... well, fun I guess, but now that the year will soon be over, I'll have to find something else to write about.

May your new year be filled with joy and all sorts of wonderful surprises!


Wednesday, December 30, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 364

30/December/2015, Day 364.  Wednesday.

After six glorious days of liberty, Grump had to return to work today.  This made him, well ..... grumpy!

It was also another rainy day here in central Georgia.  In fact, with the rain today we have set a local record for the most rain in the month of December.  How about that!

Along with all our other bills and financial challenges, the prolonged rain has leaked through a bit in our living room ceiling.  It's not a bad leak, (yet!), but we are going to have to get this mess fixed, which will be expensive.  How we can afford it is anyone's guess, as we are already running a deficit for the year.

As the year and our savings begin to run out, we look forward to next year, and new opportunities. We hope your new year will be healthy and prosperous, and that great things will happen to you!

Time to dream of the future.  Goodnight all!

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 363

29/December/2015, Day 363.  Tuesday.

Today Grump's brother and his family stopped by for a visit.  They are currently living in London, England, but were nearby, (Atlanta), for the holidays, so they drove down to see how Old Grump and his family are doing.

Whilst waiting for the relatives to arrive, Sweetie captured what I think is a cool pic.  First the setup: Grump was threatening to toss a ball at her.

Watch out!
He did eventually toss it at her; Sweetie managed to capture the ball in flight as it sailed through the air.

Kuya, Grump, and Dodong, as the Ball Flies!

Cool, huh?

Anyway, back to less geeky pursuits, the relatives arrived, and pics were taken!


Aunt Jenna, Uncle John, Z Man, Kuya, Dodong, Old Grump, Princess L., and Chloe
Old Grump got lucky, and posed with Chloe
Aunt Jenna, Kuya, Dodong, Z Man, Grump, Princess L., and Chloe

The Kids, (Princess L., Chloe, Dodong, Kuya, and Z Man), with Lola hiding in the background.

It was a pleasant visit.  Kuya especially enjoyed it, as Z Man showed him how to setup and play MineCraft.

After the relatives went home Grump and Dodong took a nice nap, then it was time to go ....... SHOPPING!!  Grump and Sweetie went over to the Riverside Mall.  Sweetie bought a nice blouse at Talbot's, (using the gift card she got for Christmas), and a pair of tights at Belks.

Now it is late, and we must all get ready for bed.  Goodnight all!




Monday, December 28, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 362

28/December/2015, Day 362.  Monday.

We slept a bit better than last night, (thank God!), which was a great thing, since Grump had to make a five hour drive to get us all home.  But we were still up early, and just like yesterday morning we ate a free breakfast at the hotel's breakfast buffet.

We squeezed in a wee bit of shopping, (but NOT for a wee bit of money!), then headed over to Panera's where we met Grandma and Grandpa.  This particular trip had two purposes: 1) spend some time over the Holidays with Grandma and Grandpa, and 2) get some legal documents notarized which for some insanely inexplicable reason we could NOT get notarized in Georgia.  (What the heck is up with that?)  Grandpa had made an appointment at the UPS next to Panera for us, and at 11:00 am that's where Sweetie and Grump were, going through a stack of cryptic legal documents with their notary, and obtaining all the required signatures.  And before you ask, NO, the local UPS stores here in Georgia would NOT notarize these documents, even though that is the state where we are legal residents.  (Ain't dealing with the legal system a royal pain in the butt!)  But after spending some time, (an hour or so), and money, (about $120.00), we had all our "eyes" dotted and our "tees" crossed, and we no longer had this particular legal hurdle to leap over.

Back at Panera Sweetie and Grump rejoined Grandma, Grandpa, and the boys.  Kuya and Dodong had already eaten, (macaroni and cheese, yum! yum!), but Sweetie and Grump were very hungry, so they ordered a quick meal while Kuya practiced his photography skills.

A Nice Pic of Dodong

What is this?  A Study of Restaurant Furniture?

Old Face / New Face? 

Not one to sit idle, Grandma got in on the photography act:

Sweetie and Her Two Boys
Lunch was over all too soon, and it was time to say goodbye.  The four of us left Grandma and Grandpa, crammed into our car, (stuff with all the loot we had acquired from our visit!), and headed off for home.

The ride home was uneventful, thank God.  In fact, traffic was lighter than normal.  Or sure, there was still the occasional suicidal idiot, but with fewer cars around they were much easier to avoid.

We got home in the late afternoon, with Lola waiting for us by the kitchen door.  After unloading all our treasures all FIVE of us now, (the four of us plus Lola), went to the local Vietnamese restaurant for dinner.  Sweetie hadn't eaten any rice since Friday, and she was beginning to go through withdrawal symptoms!  So we HAD to eat at a place that had properly cooked rice.  (Americans couldn't cook rice properly if their lives depended on it!)

Once we got home from dinner Grump noticed he had a text from work.  Apparently one of the jobs he works on had abended while we were at dinner.  Fortunately before leaving work last week he had notified his boss and team lead that he would be out of town, and tonight his team lead had taken the call, and fixed the misbehaving job.  Good grief, but it's hard to get any time off these days!

Now it is late, and time for bed.  Goodnight all!





A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 361

27December/2015, Day 361.  Sunday.

We woke up early in our motel room in Jacksonville, Florida after a long but restless night, and as quickly as two sleepy adults with two young children could, got ourselves "legally" dressed and went to the hotel's buffet breakfast.  It was great for the price, (FREE!), but we didn't want to overeat because we were going to brunch with Grandma and Grandpa later in the morning.

After breakfast we lay about a bit, then put on more spiffy clothes for our brunch date.  (At this particular brunch, men are required to wear sports coats.)  Over to Grandma and Grandpa's place we went, (Fleet Landing, in case you don't remember!), then at 11:30 am we all walked over to the dining hall for a really great brunch buffet.  Yum, yum, yum, yum!

After an hour or so of extended munching all of us wanted to change back into our "stretchy" informal relaxing clothes, so Sweetie, Grump, Kuya, and Dodong went back to the hotel.  An hour or so later we were back at Grandma and Grandpa's condo, this time with a bundle of legal papers that Grump and Grandpa needed to review.

Grump and Grandpa wandered off to the library while Sweetie and Grandma played with the two boys.  Kuya in particular had a great time exploring the various buildings at Fleet Landing.


Kuya posing before a Large Blue Christmas Tree

Kuya and Grandma, with an Unknown Person in the background, apparently scanning the ceiling for signs of ......

Eventually Grump and Grandpa had reviewed the documents to Grandpa's satisfaction, (Grump HATES reading legal documents; he was ready to sign them as soon as he received them!), so we went back to our hotel room for a quick nap.

A few hours later it was already time to eat again!  We got a light dinner at Panera's, then departed once more for our hotel room.

We had a little bit of trouble getting the kids settled down to sleep, (Kuya in particular!), so we watched some "House Hunting" episodes on HGTV until he got bored, and ready to lay down.  Then, with a wish for a better sleep than we got the night before, (and a hope that Dodong would NOT awaken every two hours, like he did last night!), we put the lights out and crawled into bed.

Goodnight all!

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 360

26/December/2015, Day 360.  Saturday.

Today we woke up early to pack and drive down to Jax, FL, to visit Grandma and Grandpa.  But first we all went to Panera's for breakfast, then after bringing Lola back home, and gassing up the car, finally got on the road.

There was a bit more traffic than normal driving down I-75, and more than a few lunatics merrily demonstrating their lack of common sense and desire to lead a long life.  But we finally made it to Jacksonville intact, met with Grandma and Grandpa, then after a (very) brief rest went to dinner.  Fleet Landing, where they live, has an excellent restaurant.  We always look forward to our meals when visiting them.

After dinner we chatted a bit, and the boys played together at Grandma and Grandpa's condo.  Kuya is still being very patient with Dodong, which makes us very happy.

Kuya and Dodong Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's Place

Soon after dinner we were back at our hotel, climbing into bed early to hopefully get a good night's sleep.  Traveling with kids is challenging; when we do so, Sweetie sleeps with Dodong, while Grump sleeps with Kuya.  It's a less than ideal arrangement, and Sweetie and Grump usually don't get much sleep.

Goodnight all!  Sweet dreams!

Friday, December 25, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 359

25/December/2015, Day 359.  Friday.

Merry Christmas to y'all!  We sincerely hope Santa was very, very good to you this year!

Our morning started early, as do the Christmas mornings of all those who have children.  Here are a few pics from the morning's festivities:

Passing out the Gifts
Still Passing Out Gifts!

Kuya Opening a Gift


Lola and Dodong Opening a Gift

Dodong was Overwhelmed!

Kuya Amongst His Loot

Dodong Amongst His Loot

Two Happy Boys

Sweetie with Two Tired Boys

Yes, Grump was there too!

 After the gift opening we all had breakfast, (yummy chocolate oatmeal made by Sweetie), then after that most of us took a nap.  This was actually Grump's favorite part of the day, as he slept for three hours!

In the early afternoon Sweetie and Grump went for a nice long walk in the neighborhood.  It was very warm here in central Georgia, almost 80 degrees Fahrenheit, so they both got a bit sweaty.  But it was very nice to go for a walk, particularly for Grump, who hasn't been able to walk as much ever since he twisted his ankle way back in October. 

In the early evening we decided to go get something to eat.  We had hoped the local Chinese restaurant, Mandarin, would be open, but it wasn't.  However, the Buca di Beppo Italian restaurant at the Riverside Mall was open, so we scooted in there for a very satisfying dinner.  Afterwards, back home, we watched The Nightmare Before Christmas DVD, which Kuya had received as a gift.

Finally we went over to our neighbor's house after the kids were in bed to rewatch the amazing Miss Universe contest where Miss Philippines won, (after some inadvertent fuss and bother caused by the host).  All in all, it was a great day.

Goodnight y'all.  We hope your Christmas Day was as blessed and peaceful as ours.

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 358

24/December/2015, Day 358.  Thursday.

It's the day before Christmas!!

Grump didn't have to work today, and Kuya has been out of school for about a week now, so the whole family was home.  So we did what we usually do on a "non-working" day, namely, GO SHOPPING!

Whilst at the Riverside Mall, waiting for Sweetie, Grump took what he thought were some cool pics of mannequins:

Mannequins!

Mannequins, again!
A closet door had been left open, and Grump thought this would make an interesting pic.

I hope you like the pics, because Grump got fussed at a bit for taking them.  What happened is that he didn't think about where he was, and the fact that a man taking pics in a woman's clothing store is possibly not the smoothest thing to do.

After all, when it comes to all things sexual Grump is still a teenaged boy at heart, as witnessed by this pic of a "Christmas Tree with Large Balls":

A Well-Hung Christmas Tree


Okay ..... moving on to more sensible topics, later all of us went to a Christmas party at Mama Sue's house.  


Dodging, Sweetie, Kuya, and Grump

Kuya Harassing Some Girls

Party Time!

Sweetie and Dodong
That was our day!  We all went to be "early-ish", and surprisingly the kids were soon asleep.  Now it's time for "Squeak-Elf", (the name for our household elf-on-a-shelf), to fly off to the North Pole for another year, and for that wonderful old fat guy in red to do his magic.

Goodnight all!





Thursday, December 24, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 357

23/December/2015, Day 357.  Wednesday.

In reverse order ........

After the icky dinner, with their tummies still angry and rumbling, Sweetie and Grump stayed up until nearly midnight, loading Mama Sue's pics onto her newly purchase super thumb-drive.  (Mama Sue had almost 2,000 pics on her cellphone, all the way back to 2013!  She had filled up her memory, and was unable to take any more pics.)

For some unknown reason we decided to eat dinner at the Mexican restaurant on Bass Road in North Macon near Publix.  It was yucky.  We knew things weren't going to work out so well when, as we were being seated, one of the managers there dropped a knife and fork on the floor, then simply picked them up and PUT THEM BACK ON OUR TABLE!  Icky, icky, yuck, yuck!

Grump Examing his Food


Dodging was Unimpressed

With all the extra holiday shopping traffic, Grump had a difficult drive home from work, but once he got home he had a pleasant surprise: fresh homemade chocolate chip cookies!  Sweetie and Lola had cooked them during the afternoon.  (We should have just had the cookies for dinner!)

Yummy, Yummy Chocolate Chip Cookies!


Grump survived another day of work, but now, with vacation time and Christmas, he won't have to go back to work until next Wednesday.  Hooray!!

Grump's Computer Screen at Work

Grump at Work

While Grump toiled away at work, Kuya and Dodong played nicely together.  We are very, very happy with the way Kuya interacts with Dodong, being patient and tolerant of his younger brother.

Dodging and Kuya Playing
We work up a bit late, causing Grump to rush around to try to get to work on time.  (He was late, but mostly due to crazy traffic.)

It rained and rained all night long, with the rain continuing through most of the morning.

Goodnight?  Good Morning?

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 356

22/December/2015, Day 356.  Tuesday.

Sweetie did NOT barf today, which already makes the day a huge improvement over yesterday.  Also, Grump was not as miserable at work, (he hates Mondays!), and Kuya had a visitor.  His friend Mattie came over to visit while her Mama went to the doctor.  Please pray for Mattie's Mama.  She is going through some very difficult health issues at the moment, and needs y'all's support.

Dinner was some delicious chicken noodle soup Sweetie made, topped off with a "young greens" salad seasoned with the designer balsamic vinegar and oil Sweetie and Grump bought over a week ago.

After dinner Sweetie and Grump went shopping again, to buy small gifts for some of the kids they forgot to buy gifts for last night.  They really, really, really hope they remembered everybody now, as there would be nothing worse than not having a gift for every kid that shows up at Mama Sue's Christmas party.  Of course, while shopping they just had to buy some doughnuts!

It's getting closer and closer to Christmas.  Will Grump remember to buy Sweetie a Christmas gift this year?

Goodnight y'all.

Monday, December 21, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 355

21/December/2015, Day 355.  Monday.

Another blah back-to-work, cold-and-rainy Monday.  But at least Kuya didn't have to go to school!

Not much happened until Grump got home from work, and Sweetie and Kuya got home from Kuya's piano lessons.  Then Grump and Sweetie went shopping for gifts for the kids from church.  Ominously Sweetie felt a bit nauseous whilst shopping, but neither she nor Grump paid much attention to it.

Back home from from shopping, Sweetie was complaining about acid reflux when suddenly she jumped up and, rushing into the kitchen, vomited all over the floor before she could make it to the sink.

Upon seeing Sweetie ill, Dodong cried and cried and cried.  Doesn't she know that mamas aren't allowed to get sick?

Lucky Grump got to clean up the large pile of barf.  He commented that it had much more mucous in it than he would have expected, so maybe that is what choked Sweetie up.

With that pleasant image in your mind, I will now bid you goodnight!

Sunday, December 20, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 354

20/December/2015, Day 354.  Sunday.

OMG!  Miss Philippines is in the top three for the Miss Universe contest!  And so is Miss USA, who is from just down the road in Warner-Robins!  Stay tuned!!

Remember the gingerbread house Kuya made a few days ago.    Kuya and Grump have been nibbling away at it, and it's looking pretty ragged right now.

What Happens to a Gingerbread House 


Poor Gingerbread House!

Today was a very big day for Kuya, as he got to sing at our church.

We go to the Filipino American Christian Fellowship, which is held in the basement of the Avondale Baptist Church south of Macon, (across the street from Smiley's Flea Market).  It's a small but active congregation of mostly filipinos, with a few "Kano" spouses, such as Old Sweaty Grump, thrown to stir things up a bit.

Pastor Jude

Dodong and Sweetie

Lola and Kuya, who still grimaces instead of Smiling.  We got to church early, so the empty chairs were soon filled.

Kuya performed "Frosty the Snowman"

Dodong watching his brother

Three Pretty Ladies Sang

All the Kids Singing


Kuya was also part of a Trio

Singing or Flirting?
 After we got home from church we had visitors.  Mama Sue came over with her grandkids, Kuya's friend Brody and his sister Camie, then Laura came over with little Isaiah, then finally our neighbor Miss Lilly popped in for chat.  While all this was going on Grump had a good time too, sleeping in the bedroom!

Okay, the Miss Universe contest is over and the winner is .......... oh poop!  It's Miss Columbia.  Darn it!  I really thought either Miss USA or Miss Philippines was gonna win.

WHOA.  WAIT A MINUTE!  The host screwed up!  The winner is actually MISS PHILIPPINES!!

Oh man!  What a turkey!  I'm ecstatic for Miss Philippines, but I feel bad for Miss Columbia.

Goodnight all.

Saturday, December 19, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 353

19/December/2015, Day 353.  Saturday.

When the highlight of the day was Grump getting a haircut, I guess you could say not too much exciting happened today.

Our current money woes, (excessive credit card debt, actually), have put a damper on "going out and doing things", so we stayed home today.  Besides Grump's haircut, (which Sweetie and Dodong came along to witness / ensure he really went through with it), we did a little shopping at Walmart and Publix, then most of the day was spent at home.

Sweetie and Lola were very busy cleaning and rearranging Sweetie and Grump's bedroom.  We have more room in there now, and it is much, much cleaner.

Kuya is supposed to sing "Frosty the Snowman" at church tomorrow, but he hasn't been practicing much.  I hope he doesn't choke and forget the words!

It's kinda cold here right now, ("cold" in middle Georgia terms, that is!), so I'm gonna wrap this up and go to bed.  Goodnight all!

Friday, December 18, 2015

A Day in a Year in a Life / Day 352

18/December/2015, Day 352.  Friday.

TGIF!!

Kuya finished up Christmas Camp at school, and Grump ground out another week of work.   But now it's Friday night, and we all have two wonderful weekend days to play with.

Despite the fact that Grump has been steadily employed now for more than ten, (10!!), years, we are still racking up quite a lot of debt.  (GRRR!!!!)  Grump and Sweetie have seriously begun discussing ways to handle this mess.  While some of their solutions seem very exotic, (chuck everything and move to the Philippines), they do have a very good first step, which is sell the condo.  Grump may be correct when he states that long term it is a good investment, but in the short term the cash flow problems that arise when the tenants move out just kill us.

The plan is that in January Grump will contact the realtor, and we will list the condo and try to get the silly thing sold.

Meanwhile ..... on his last day of Christmas Camp, Kuya made a wonderful gingerbread house.

Kuya's House .....

..... made of Gingerbread

Is it as Yummy as it Looks?

Later in the evening Kuya and Grump had a meeting of the minds, or at least the noses .....

Eye to Eye?

While Sweetie played Candy Crush Saga!

Clear All the Candy!

Goodnight all!