Fun times...not!

Pre-deposition meeting with my attorney is later today. It’s past 4am and sleep is nowhere in sight.

I wouldn’t say I’m nervous about being deposed. I’ve done it once before. Former employer. Broker allegedly absconded with client lists, realtor compensation schedules, and agents and a lot more to start a new company. Never did hear how it was resolved. 

Deposition is next week. I really hope this shifts gears to settlement quickly. I need my cars fixed and have a lot hanging over my head. It would be nice to finally bring this car accident to a close, at least financially. 

Cancelled to be rescheduled. 

Lola’s Diner cc  2008-2019

It’s a good thing...

It’s a good thing I don’t accept what the staff at my daughter’s group home says without thoroughly checking outside sources. 

My daughter returned to her group home last Wednesday. Since that time various staff have told her that her food stamp balance was zero. (All the group home residents have it. Even if they have a part time job, they receive something.) 

Thursday my daughter was very sick and gave her nasty housemate a short list of groceries. Staff and the nasty housemate refused and came home with nothing for my daughter. By Saturday she was still sick and staff were still saying she had zero food stamps. I had to go to the store and spend MY money and buy her what she needed. By evening the Team Lead aka House Manager finally got back to her and told her she didn’t have a food stamp card at all. 

Lies, lies, lies. Today I picked up my daughter and we went to public aid to get the truth. Yes she has a decent monthly benefit put on her card the 1st of EVERYmonth. Which meant that last Wednesday she had food stamps. And what else did we find out? Her card had not been used for 5 months! That’s a lots of food stamps. So that means that they have been lying to her for months saying she had used hers up by mid month.

So I dropped my daughter back at her program and went home. Then I made a call to the Director. I’m sure they are tired of hearing from me. But you know what? Too bad. Someone who knows the system had to help her. The Assistant Director was still in a meeting. (They always are, they do it to stall.) He called me back. I let him talk to see how far down the hole he was digging would go. Turns out pretty far. He claimed her card was inactive. Not true. He claimed they had spent weeks trying to fix the situation. Also not true. It doesn’t take weeks. I know someone who last month got their card activated in 20 minutes. Every time he said something and I replied, I waited, didn’t say anything to see where he was going next. I asked if the card could be misplaced, how could it not have been used when my daughter was being told every month that she had no food stamps for the last 1 or 2 weeks of the month. He got indignant and say no, no, no way could it be lost. Really? Why so indignant? Eventually I reported staff who had lied to my daughter and who refused to allow her to buy food. I also complained that my daughter’s special diet restrictions list was ripped off the kitchen wall and they were buying food she couldn’t eat. There was one really long pause after that one. Apologies, apologies. He will definitely speak with staff. Then he has the nerve to thank me for again doing their job. He actually says “thank you for doing our job”. How about  pay me every time I do their job? How about give me a gift card? A grocery gift card for all the times I had to buy my daughter food because staff was lying to her and wouldn’t let her buy groceries? How about even just a Thank You card in the mail?

So now I’m wrecked for the entire rest of today and tomorrow. I’m on pain pills, lying down and icing. I can’t do sitting for very long, and sitting in bad waiting room chairs is just torture.

I feel bad for other housemates whose families aren’t getting involved at all. When my daughter tells me about them I do point them in the right direction, give them a note about where to call.

Nasty housemate update:  Thursday night she was screaming my daughter’s name and staff all night long. My daughter felt safe because of the lock on her door. She was exhausted from being sick and fell asleep quickly. She was woken up periodically by screaming, but she went back to sleep.

Hoping my daughter feels better today. She missed 3 days of work. Wednesday she goes to her PCP.

•••••UPDATE:  My daughter called me and woke me up (she always does) to tell me that the Team Lead called her and scolded her for having me contact the Director. She proceeded to say my daughter was WRONG, that my daughter DOES NOT HAVE A LINK CARD AND AHE HAS NO FOOD STAMPS. She better slow her roll because she’s flying off the handle with faulty information. Apparently the Director forwarded my email to her asking what’s up with this, and apparently had not informed her that my daughter has a card and a monthly benefit. My daughter corrected her, I do have a Link card, Team Lead says no you don’t, and my daughter says we went to Public Aid and got the FACTS. I fired off an email detailing the conversation and asking if he informed the Team Lead and all staff about her Link card, AND reminding them that even if there is no Link card they cannot refuse to take clients grocery shopping. 

•••••UPDATE #2:  Still no shopping trip today. My daughter went to the doctor and was put on a very limited diet. Crackers, broth, decaf tea, water with lemon, G2 because she is very dehydrated and he wants the reduced sugar Gatorade. There was only 1 can of broth in the house, nothing else. I spoke with the Team Lead who lied, lied, lied. Claimed she never told my daughter she had no Link card, etc. Also claimed my daughter didn’t say she needed these items. Also not true. She claimed she would get what my daughter needed, but would not commit to when my daughter would get the items. Will she have them for lunch, for dinner, or later? I asked several times and she changed the subject every time. I am fed up. I asked for reimbursement for the groceries I bought last week. We’ll see how that goes. I could really use the money.

Happy New Year!

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2019

Cheaters will get theirs! Karma!

My daughter did not win the Ugly Shirt Contest at work. She was not even given a fair shot. There was a “ballot box” for people to enter their votes. My daughter saw a woman, stuffing the ballot box with her own name. My daughter complained to a manager who did nothing. Surprise! The ballot stuffer won first place. All I have to say is:

Karma is a beyotch! 

Some supposed adults lead a great example, don’t they?

I know I made the Ugly Shirt, but my daughter had the guts to wear it. 

I get angry when my daughter is ALWAYS complaining about stuff that goes on at her house and day program. She’s constantly saying “but it’s not fair”.  

Well this is really NOT FAIR! 

It’s not that I necessarily think she should have one first place. I do think she was in the top 3. But when you cheat to win, you’re an a$$hat!

In other news, to our surprise, my daughter did get a lock on her bedroom door at her group home. Truly, they could have saved the money and kicked out the trouble maker, but for some reason she’s like Teflon, nothing sticks. At least my daughter won’t have to worry about the housemate bursting into her room unannounced and without permission when my daughter is in various states of undress. And my daughter won’t have to worry about her housemate bursting into her room at 3am screaming like a banshee. 

At least my daughter will feel safer. 

I do have to laugh though. I have been to her house twice this week. The first time the troublemaker sat across from me at the table (I didn’t recognize her, she gained a lot of weight.) she never said a word to my daughter, but kept whispering to staff who waived her away. 

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2018

‘Twas the night before Christmas

A lot of prepping and cooking to do on Christmas Eve. 

We don’t have a regular meal on Christmas Eve. It’s more like grazing, grabbing a few things and getting back to wrapping, assembling, or Christmas movie watching.

So, what’s on the menu?

T=Tradition N=New

Vegetable tray with Spinach Dip-T/N the dip is new.

Olives, pickles, pickled vegetables-T

Cheese and Sausage Tray-T

Bacon wrapped oysters-N

Herring-N

Mini meatballs in marinara sauce. (Usually did the grape jelly or cranberry sauce, but can’t have all that sugar.)-N

Sfincioni (Pizza Dough, olive oil, tomato paste, thinly sliced red onions, anchovies, Parmesan cheese). It’s a cross between pizza and focaccia. It’s eaten cold, but can be eaten warm. Tradition from my grandmother-T.

Jalapeño poppers-N

Kidney Bean Salad-N

Prepare ahead a frittata for Christmas morning breakfast. Bake, cool, refrigerate. Everyone helps themselves whenever they get up. Take a slice and warm in the microwave-T

I used to make pizza dough from scratch. In the interest of saving my sanity, I switched to Pillsbury Pizza Dough a few years ago.

I used to make Quiche. But since I’m low carb and my son can’t have gluten, it’s much easier to do a frittata. I could make a low carb GF crust, but it would be a fussy, time consuming endeavor.

The kidney bean salad is hopefully like the salad you get on a relish tray at a supper club. Very hard time finding a recipe. Ended up modifying one. Serving bean salad because beans are low on the glycemic index and help manage blood sugar levels. I try to sneak beans or lentils in whenever I can.

I prepped all the vegetables 12/23, except for the red onion. I have a good head start and there is a lot I can get the kids to help with. Christmas Eve the kids and I will handle everything. Jaime Sommers needs to stay off her feet and elevate. Christmas Day is on my spouse. She will be preparing the roast beast and roasted Brussels sprouts because that’s her thang. We’ll also have leftovers from the night before for 12/25 lunch and dinner apps. 

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2018

Merry Christmas Eve

I didn’t find all the missing Christmas decorations. I did find my Mom’s big antique ornament, so I’m happy with that. I’m hoping my Mom’s Nativity is found when we pack things away the day after the Epiphany. I want to organize it all and wrap the breakables better. My Mom’s ornament was in a gift bag with tissue paper. I know I didn’t do that.

Still recovering from late night ugly Christmas shirt creating for my daughter’s contest at work. She said everyone loved the snowman. She was the only one with a DIY ugly Christmas shirt. 

Christmas cards mailed 12/23. Spent the last 2 hours copying Pinterest Low Carb appetizer and side dish recipes to recipe cards. I shopped for the ingredients 12/22 and got my daughter’s holiday discount. Good start on wrapping gifts. Usually it’s Christmas Eve, nothing is wrapped and I’m up until 3am watching “A Christmas Story” over and over on TBS and wrapping. 12/24 we will be decorating store baked gingerbread men. I think that will be a new tradition. In the past I’ve baked a dozen different kinds of cookies and I just made myself do too many things because that’s the way my Mom did it. I would work myself into a frenzy. With my health issues I need to keep the traditions that matter and modify those that I can. Hoping to add watching family videos on Christmas Day. I’m calling this year’s Christmas, Christmas Lite.

I feel like I’m forgetting something, but I just can’t figure out what.

Lola’s Diner cc 2008-2018

Ughhhhh!

My spouse has refused to allow me to go in the attic. I don’t know how Jaime Sommers thinks she is going to accomplish that. She’d probably tell my son to stop me. She can barely do stairs. Something is seriously wrong with her right implant. She sees the ortho doc after Christmas. Praying this isn’t caused by an infection because she would have to go through a year + of surgeries. I do have a feeling he will need to do one surgery to reposition the hardware. Not looking forward to that.

Even though my son can’t remember where the combo tv/vcr he got from Grandma (Anastasia), he did remember the same Grandma gave him a vcr to set up a man cave in the basement. Anastasia’s Mom was always very generous. Even though they were hand me downs they were like brand new. You may be thinking, Lola, how does he not know where the tv/vcr is? It’s part of his illness. He moves things around, goes through stuff (probably why we can’t find all that Christmas stuff) and he doesn’t put things back. For all I know, that tv/vcr could be in a closet or armoire behind his clothes. We go on treasure hunts a lot. 

I pulled out my VH-C tapes. They go back to 1999. That sounds about right. I got the camcorder in CA when I picked up the ex from his 5150. There were VHS tapes of the kids from birth but the ex stole them. After we moved I asked if I could make copies and return them to him, he refused.  He doesn’t trust me. Really? After all I did for him and all I went through, I’m going to steal the kids baby tapes to get back at him? I don’t operate like he does. Still makes me angry. He is supposed to grace my son with his presence in January (Yes, not my daughter. He refuses to see her because she cut off phone contact shortly after we moved here. Props to her.) I’m going to try to get him to bring the tapes. I’m probably going to have to talk to his wife. 🤡 Wish me luck on that. 

A handful of items were found off the list. The search will continue...good times!

Lola’s Diner cc  2008-2018

Murphy’s Law and...

Tree has some bows and a few ornaments. 

Two family members, who shall remain nameless, insist up and down that ALL the totes and boxes of ornaments and Christmas paraphernalia have been brought down, along with a bunch of Tupperware that someone felt the need to randomly grab items, bag them, and put in the attic some time after I came home from surgery. It’s holiday time, I need my serving stuff. Who takes someone’s stuff and randomly bags it and puts it in the attic?

I took a Sharpie to paper and filled THREE pages of items I know for a fact are missing and still must be in the attic. There is no way they brought everything down. I am not pleased. I’m that other “p” word!

I went through the tote that was marked with Sharpie “Do not place anything on top of this tote.” Before I even opened it, I could clearly see the lid was indented, meaning the note was ignored. My Mom’s antique ornaments were in there. (Not all of them, because there are many, many missing, including the jumbo 5” diameter one. It was the last one left after some kid knocked the tree down and the rest got smashed. I treat it gingerly, it has a place in a clear glass bowl on the entertainment center bridge, far away from kids and cats.) I found 5 broken ornaments, ornaments that can never be replaced, ornaments that held memories. 😰

Murphy’s law:

My spouse messaged me a gift idea for herself. I promptly went on the website. 50% off most items, sale ends soon. Created an account, placed the order, took screenshots of the onscreen order # and confirmation. I still haven’t gotten an email confirmation. Half hour after I order she sends me another gift idea. I try to sign in and it’s saying my email is not recognized or password doesn’t match. I wrote down the password, triple checked what I typed in, same message. So I put in the required information to check on my order:  order number, email, zip code. Same thing. I have to call customer service in the morning. Good times! This is a legitimate website, not some oddball, questionable site. 😡

After my phone call guess who’s going up in the attic? Lola. Cuz whatever Lola wants, Lola gets, even if I have to go up in the attic where I shouldn’t be going. If you want something done right, you do it yourself.

No worries...the attic floor is finished, no falling between rafters like Clark Griswold in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation.”

And where is my train set?

Lola’s Diner cc. 2008-2018