Oh. My. Heavens.

Yesterday I did not do one blooming thing.  I took the day off on Friday to stay home with my kiddos...It seems that our school wanted to get a rush on President's day, so we took Friday off instead of Monday...

I asked if the girls wanted to go shopping and get a jump on the sales.  No, they did not.  Popcorn is not able to spend any money as she is saving for an iPod touch.  Actually, she has her half saved, and she agreed to not have a slumber party in exchange for my picking up the last $80 that she needs to buy it.  However, she has been slack in some reading at school and I will not buy it until she is up to and beyond where she needs to be...

Thus shopping is quite painful when one has worked to save over a hundred dollars by doing all sorts of menial tasks and one can't spend the money...

Bookworm needed new jeans but she deferred shopping too.  She feels that her three pairs, two lacking any holes whatsoever, suffice for her needs.

So, in light of my children's desire to lock themselves in their bedrooms and play Barbies and horses all day long, I slept until 9:30.  Then I lazed around doing absolutely nothing.  I got an invite for them to BOTH stay the night at friends, and quickly pounced.  They even made themselves lunch while I continued to do absolutely nothing.

Brent & I went out to dinner, then to Old Navy to grab Bookworm a pair of jeans that she obviously does NOT need, and I got some new shoes for work.  The Dansko's I got several months ago feel great, but my feet are so narrow that I find when I'm pushing 300 pound patients around on stretchers, my feet slip in the heel and I'm in danger of a twisted knee or ankle.

I am happy to report that I came away with not only a new pair of bright pink shoes for work, but also a pair of Minnetonka moccasins that I grabbed at Marshall's for a mere $20!  Hooray!  I had originally been considering a pair of Reeboks that were gray with yellow soles and bright pink trim, but after spotting these, which were half the price, and no difference in comfort level, I bought them...

Which left me with money to buy some moccasins!


Can we all just take a moment and pause at the sadness that Minnetonka's are now made in China?  How wrong is that???

Anyway, this morning I was determined to be productive.  However, as I started to drink my coffee and found myself alone in my house, (Brent went to help a friend clean his house before a lady friend sees it for the first time) the temptation to read a book fell upon me.  I decided I would start something that I would not become engrossed in and unable to put down so that I could do laundry and do some housework before going to grab my girls around eleven...

I made the mistake of deciding to read Pride & Prejudice for the first time ever.

Why have I waited so long?  I am laughing out loud!  I love the characters!  I fear today will be another do nothing day...

I feel compelled to copy down the quotes that have me laughing out loud as I read it, so perhaps if you have felt that Jane Austen was too old fashioned, you may come to appreciate her as I am.

The first sentence grabbed me and made me chuckle...

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife."

There are many, many funny bits, but I'm not sure you can appreciate them out of context, however this one made me laugh also:

"Sir William Lucas had been formerly in trade in Meryton, where he had made a tolerable fortune, and risen to the honour of knighthood by an address to the king during his mayoralty.  The distinction had, perhaps, been felt too strongly.  It had given him a disgust to his business and to his residence in a small market town; and, quitting them both, he had removed with his family to a house about a mile from Meryton, denominated from that period Lucas Lodge; where he could think with pleasure of his own importance, and, unshackled by business, occupy himself solely in being civil to all the world. "

Alas, I must now go fetch my children and offer them nourishment in the form of Taco Mayo before we must head to a basketball game for Bookworm.  Stay tuned for more quotes!

ADHD Gardening

I took this picture a few weeks after we moved here.

I am a really good starter.

I am a terrible finisher.

Unless of course I can finish it right away, and then I am a FANTABULOUS finisher!

I had a spurt of energy yesterday afternoon, and after being cooped up in the house for 4 days, I decided I needed to pull the dead marigolds and zinnias out of my flower beds. These are the two flowers I am most successful at growing.

Only I don't really "grow"them.

Here's how it works.

I move to a house. They inevitably have at least some marigolds and zinnias planted. I leave them be, and splash a little water on them when I think about it. When I notice a dead head, I pull it off and drop it near where the original is growing.

Soon, I have several plants close to one another. I decide to transplant them to a new location. Say, an unsightly flower bed placed next to our shop, surrounded by concrete, that I really don't understand the purpose of.

See the flowers to the left of the tent camper? That was the result of transplanting some stray zinnias.

Now that it's fall, the next step is in place. I pull up the dead plants. I tug off the dead blooms, then scatter them wherever I want to have flowers next year. Like under Popcorn's window. And around the fish pond. Under the trees. In random pots that are really hopeless, as I will never be successful in growing anything that requires frequent watering.

Or attention....

*SIGH*

Moving on!

Are you ready for the really genius part of all of this?

Hang on to your pants, folks because it's about to get crazy here....

I take leaves that are conveniently all over the yard. I gather the scattered leaves....and I PILE them on TOP of the dead flower heads. Then I kind of stomp around in them.

Not because it's necessary.

It's just fun!

My theory is that leaves should never be raked, bagged and *gasp* taken to landfills!

My thought is that the leaves hold the dead flower heads and scattered seeds in place, and help them to germinate and take root! Plus, those decomposing leaves make the soil happy.

Attention: Sorry for all of that extremely scientific jargon in this post. My mad gardening skills are legion. Legion, I tell ya!

Now, here's the next secret in my ADHD gardening arsenal: I leave the rest of my leaves in the yard!

I KNOW!!! Revolutionary stuff here!

Again, back to the sad state of leaves filling land fills...Plus, there is just nothing cheerier than the sound of leaves blowing and crinkling in the yard! So what if they blow up on your porch? Simply take your broom and sweep them back in the yard! It only takes a second, and when you've made your leaf strewn porch sparkling clean, you get the instant gratification of cleaning something quickly!

Kind of like running the vacuum.

Sadly, I had to stop my gardening after a brief spurt of energy. My lungs started to burn, and there is nothing sorrier than a nurse who has to visit the doctor because they failed to follow instructions...You do realize nurses make the absolute worst patients, right? I once had a surgeon tell me he'd rather have another surgeon laying in the bed than a nurse. I have to agree.

More ADHD Gardening Tips:

Kids forts made out of the limbs you trimmed from your trees are to stay put. Don't worry, your children will move them forty dozen times before spring is here, breaking them into smaller pieces as they reconstruct their masterpieces, and you can eventually throw them in your fire pit! Oh, and don't fret that YOU will be the one to gather these stray limbs, Gentle Reader. Never let it be said! Your precious offspring who have enjoyed them for an entire season will be responsible for cleaning up the mess they made in the yard BEFORE it is time to start running the mower, so you won't have to worry about flying bits of wood!

Nothing organic should ever land in your trash, thus ending up in your local landfill. Too impatient/disorganized to keep up with a compost pile? I just throw everything in my garden! It may not be as good as a smelly, steaming compost pile, but it's got to be doing some good when those rotted grapes finish their decomposition in the garden.

Got some meal scraps that you don't want to feed your pets? No problem! Simply scrape them out over the fence in your back yard! Some random hungry creature is sure to come gobble them up! When you hear your American dingo barking frantically in the back yard at night, rest easy knowing that it's probably just a coyote, badger, skunk, raccoon, or even possum enjoying the bounty that you provided for them!

And, feeding coyotes around here is always a good thing! It makes them less leery when Studmuffin wants to sit on the back porch and hunt them. I'm all about supporting my spouse's redneck ways here. Yep, that is me! Supportive wife!

Okay, I know I have legions more ADHD gardening tips to share with you. Unfortunately, my ADHD is kicking in, and I'm running out of ideas...So, I will end this post with one simple question.

What is your easy gardening tip that takes little or no time, yet yields beautiful results?

Hint: I truly am impatient and inattentive. Daily chores do not work well for me.

Just being real here.

Time Management Tips

Okay, since most of you are apparently either super lame, or super lazy, which could very well be interchangeable, I will post the two, count them TWO tips I received from devoted followers who actually bother to read me and/or leave comments...Now, if you are new to this blog, or have been busy and unable to read posts lately, here's the link to what we're talking about...

Paula, my beloved sister, who finally has a blog, and also comments on MY blog, so therefore she may actually be the favorite (at least for the next thirty minutes) had this to say:
"Give yourself permission to let go of some things... especially if you don't have a nanny to take over what you can no longer do. You will learn that some chores must be done for your mental well being and others can be handed off. ALWAYS remember that just because someone doesn't do things the exact way you would like it done does NOT mean they are wrong."

Good advice, sister mine. Good advice. Did you know I used to be psycho about how towels and washcloths were folded. My darling husband used to go in and re-stack the wash cloths where they did not line up with folded side facing out, just to jack with my mind...I am proud to say that I am now totally over that.

Okay, maybe not totally. Sometimes, I reach in to get a washcloth, and I can't help myself, I have to re-stack them uniformly.

*Sigh*

I have issues.

Next we will visit with my Mom, who happens to be my very favorite mom, and that is a permanent condition as she is my only mom...Are you confused? I am.
"Remember that folding clothes is a family affair IF they want to watch TV they must have the basket of clothes folded. Socks that are wrong side out stay that way....They are right every other time."

Another great piece of advice. Have your kids take care of laundry folding.

The only piece of advice I will add to this particular post is to spread out chores. Make each day a designated day...Monday is vacuuming, Tuesday is dusting...Etc.

Of course, no day is dusting day for myself. I don't dust. I also don't scoop dog poop. My children do all of the dusting and scooping in this house. It is their job not mine. So, dusting is a bad example for myself...

But you get the idea, right? This idea is actually from my mom. She used to break up what was done when. Otherwise, you are killing yourself in your free time to get the whole house clean, but if you do little bite sized pieces all week, it's not so overwhelming.

So. That is the extent of advice I have for today.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I have tons of advice to give. I'm simply bursting to share it all with you. However, I will have a rare case of self restraint, and wait to see if some more of you lazy people might actually leave a comment on how you manage your family/housework/job in today's busy world...

You do know how to leave a comment, right? Simply click on the work comments, then go to the box and type it in! If you don't have an ID, simply comment anonymously...Then, click submit! You can do it! Now, go! Comment!!! Clickety-click-click!

%@$# Dollhouse!

Well, I have to make confession. I have cussed more in the last 5 days than I have in the last 10 years.

I thought I'd share some important lessons I've learned about building a dollhouse.

#1. It is not necessary to paint the tabs. Yes, they will show through when you assemble it, however, the paint makes it so dad gum thick you can't fit it through the notch. Therefore, you will end up sanding off the paint you applied and touching it up after you assemble and glue. Fiddlesticks!



#2. Just be prepared to splinter a few pieces, and have to wood glue them back together and fill holes with wood paste filler. In my case it has been the dad gum large bay window sill. I was seriously doubting the necessity of this particular piece as I tried to wedge it into the super snug slot... After repairing it 3 times, finally getting the window complete (minus trim and "glass") I'm still not sure it's necessary. As a matter of fact, I'm thinkin' the window would have looked just fine without it! Shoot!



#3. Papering the walls before assembling is recommended. Just be prepared to repair the torn paper after your window supports and trim tear it as you attempt to slide into the insanely tight fitting notches without marring the lovely yellow paint on the exterior. Crud.



#4. Sanding all notches an additional 2 inches wider will make this whole stinking process a lot easier. Yes, you may have some gaps, but at least your wood won't be splintered, paper won't be torn, and you won't be praying for forgiveness after letting the "d" word fly for the 43rd time that day. Besides, there is this wonderful thing called silicone. I happen to know they sell it in tubes, and I think it would be ideal for filling in all of the little gaps... Blast!

Well, my brain is tired and my shoulders are tense, and my lower back aches. So, even though I'm dead positive there is more nuggets of wisdom I need to share with you, I'm stopping there.

I also painted one side of most of the remaining trim. After I paint the other side I will be able to glue it fairly quickly up, (famous last words) and assemble the porch roof and door. Of course, then I will still need to shingle and build furniture....Phew!

One last thing before I sign off on this post: Studmuffin ran the sweeper and folded a load of clothes and put it away today. I think that's more than he's done in one day in the house without me nagging him for the first time in a really long time. It turns out he can do more chores one handed than he can normally do with two perfectly good arms! Just goes to show there is something to be said for cabin fever!

First of all, if you already read my last post, The Journey of the Sun Dolphin, please go and view the pictures that I added to the post. I had failed to take pictures, but my resourceful sister the librarian, and seeker of all knowledge, and of course sharer of all knowledge emailed some links of pictures of Sun Dolphins. So, I added them to my post today! Thank you Dawn!

Second, I would like to tell you what I did Saturday, but first I would like to tell you what I planned to do Saturday. Now, understand, the plan was doomed to failure as soon as I realized Studmuffin was going striper fishing with friends form work at Lake Texoma.

Third, did you know that there is one craft I'm capable of completing? It's friendship bracelets! I can finish one in a matter of minutes, so it's the perfect craft for a noncrafter like me! Oh, and don't you love the big hole in my jeans? I bought those jeans just after Mindy was born, and I love them. The right hip pocket has torn loose, and both knees are ripped out, but I still love them. Someday I'll have to tell you about my tendency to cling to jeans until I'm embarrassed...

But this post is about what I planned to do verses what I actually accomplished. So, please, focus Gentle Reader, and at least try to stay on topic. Or did we even have a topic for today's post? I'm confused.

1. Build a doghouse that hopefully the dogs will use, so I no longer have to feel guilty when my dog stands at the window and begs me to let her in. However, if I let her in, I feel guilty about leaving Holly (who is not my dog, will never be my dog, yet I seem to give her more attention and affection than anyone else in this family because I pity her,) outside, and Holly is not house trained. Please realize that we currently have 2 doghouses. One we bought, and it apparently leaks, or the dogs bodies create humidity or something...Anyway, it is always damp inside. The other dog house was built by the previous owners under the deck. We quickly realized it leaked, so we tar papered it, but the tar paper blows loose, and requires repair, and after being damp so much, most of the wood is warped and ruined now. But, of course, you can gather from Studmuffin going fishing that this did not occur...

2. Paint the house. Of course, I'm only vaguely certain (is vague certainty even possible?) of what color we will paint, and no caulking, pressure washing, etc have been done. But, you can only paint when it is over 55 degrees, and in 6 weeks Studmuffin will have a major shoulder surgery that will take 6 months for him to have full use of his shoulder after. Plus, he will be gone most weekends between now and then in pursuit of a deer...So, I guess painting will not happen until next spring...Mind you we've been procrastinating on this since the summer we moved in, and strangely, the paint has not improved!


3. Clean house. I actually started lots of chores...I swept the kitchen and bathrooms, but didn't get them mopped. I got out the vacuum, and made the girls vacuum their room...But the rest of the house remains unswept. I got out a rag to scrub tubs, but that did not result in a clean tub or shower...

4. Get ahead in Bible Study. I fell behind with my illness, and that is a cause for stress. I usually try to be a few days ahead, as I'm the facilitator for our group...But all I got accomplished for it was getting myself up to where I'm actually supposed to be.

5. Go to the grocery store. Just flat didn't happen. We are out of bread. And lunch meat. And all snack food. Yes, we still have food, but it all requires cooking. The girls ended up having a sleepover, and I used my very last frozen pizza and can of cinnamon rolls for that. Pfpfpfpf....

6. Work out. I haven't worked out in 2 weeks. At first, I was sick and using the excuse that I had no business working out when I could barely stay awake to do chores, much less stop coughing long enough to do anything...Now, that excuse is past, but I'm out of the groove.

So, I know you are just dying to know what I DID accomplish. Well, I had promised the girls all week that they could have friends over to play. Bookworm has a friend who's parents (like me) won't let their child come stay with people they don't know. Well, we met Brittany's parents a few weeks ago, and they agreed to a play date. We called earlier in the week, and the play date was a go. However, on Saturday morning when Bookworm called to see if she could come after lunch, Brittany couldn't come over. Bookworm was bummed, and we had to call around to find another friend to come over.

Popcorn had gotten a friend's number that I have met her mom several times, but didn't have her number. Well, that friend's mom never called back all week, so Saturday morning I started trying to find someone else to come over. I even drove to a friend's house that I lost their number (it was in my old phone, but somehow it didn't get transferred over and they are unlisted) but they weren't home. I called everyone I could think of, and Popcorn cried because Bookworm always can find friends to come over, but I don't' hardly know Popcorn's classmates' parents, and those I do know don't "do sleepovers." Well, she ended up having TWO friends over, because after I finally found someone to come over, the original girl we were wanting to have over called to say she could come!

So, all of that to say that to say that I ended up doing other things instead of cleaning, baking, or doing Bible study.

1. First of all, I taught 5 little girls how to make friendship bracelets.

2. I ironed roughly 3 trillion pearler bead crafts.

3. I helped them practice hair braiding, and taught them how to thread beads onto their hair.

4. I observed and cheered for a pickup game of tennis baseball. This is a game that involves tennis rackets and tennis balls, but you run bases like baseball.



5. Chatted with 3 different moms during drop off and pick up. And you know I'm not good at short and sweet!

6. I ate pizza.

7. I sat and watched Looney Tunes with the girls and the one friend that was actually able to stay over.

8. I watched Thelma & Louise, for the first time in its entirety. Minus the first 5 minutes. Oh, and I fell asleep at the very end when all of the cops show up and start chasing them in the desert. I had only ever seen bits and pieces. I had already seen them die in a blaze of glory, so dozing off at that point was okay. I'm not sure my life is any fuller for having seen the whole thing now. Mostly I'm annoyed at them locking the highway patrolman in his trunk with a few measly bullet holes for air. Helloo!! It's the desert, he's going to die of heat stroke! I lost all sympathy at that point, and was officially annoyed.

9. I went to bed. And at 11pm, I banged on my wall and told Popcorn and her friend to stop talking.

10. That is all I did. But a list of 10 totally seems better than a list of 9.

What did you do this weekend?

My "New" Mixing Bowls

I got some "new" stuff when we visited my in-laws last weekend. Remember: It's a good idea to visit your mother in law when she has been cleaning out cellars and attics. It inspires her to thin out some of her stuff. See the thermoses? I've actually had those quite a while. I got those from Brent's Aunt Aleta. They were his grandpa's thermoses. I love red. I love these thermoses! The glass jars are from the cellars at the house Brent grew up in. She had lots of these jars. I wanted more, but I'm going to have to make a repeat trip because I was out of room. I got the round grater at a garage sale for free. I bought an old scale from the family, and they threw the grater in because they wanted to get rid of it! Apparently they sensed my love for free stuff!

Isn't this blue bowl beautiful? I love blue.

I made Pioneer Woman's Coffee Cake Literally the other day. Of course I was ready to jump on the chance to use my new bowls! Don't you love this green? I love green.

Isn't this a great yellow? I love yellow. In fact, I love most colors. That's why I have 9 different colored place settings of Fiesta Ware, and even more colors in serving pieces...And there are so many colors I'm missing out on!

Know what I don't love? Cleaning the kitchen after I baked a cake and cooked dinner at the same time that I was nagging my kids to complete homework and piano practice.

By the way, the coffee cake was fabulous. I totally could have snacked on it all day. Luckily we were so busy at work that I was only able to heat my lunch and eat it in a 5 minute time period. Yes, I heated my food and ate it in 5 minutes...Then I grabbed a bite sized piece of cake and crammed it in my mouth as I was heading down the hall to throw some lead on and start the next case...

Family Time is Fun Time

Have I told you how frustrated I was that Bookworm was not required to learn her multiplication tables in 3rd grade here in Oklahoma? I'm especially concerned now that we are considering a move back to Texas where she was learning multiplication in 2nd grade. What if we get there and she is expected to have memorized the fact families for multiplication and division by now? Well, never fear we made multiplication flash cards. We've been very sketchy on working with them.

Yesterday as we were swimming I had inspiration. Since we are in the pool every day, we should make a point to review multiplication at the beginning of each swim session! And, to mix things up a bit, every time she gets one wrong, she gets flipped off of her floaty! She loved it! And, turns out my infrequent quizzing is doing more than I thought. She really only struggled with the 9s. What's up with that? I always thought 9s were easy because all answers add up to 9.

Then, continuing with the fun time is learning time, we created a game where I asked them Bible trivia. If they missed it, they had to try to get away from me on their floats, while I swam after them, and attempted to dunk them. Popcorn did not like this game as much as her sister. Turns out she's never heard of David, Ruth and Naomi, Sampson, or many other fairly common Bible stories. I can tell you one thing, if that girl is gonna "read scripture to her kids in the morning, in the afternoon, and at night," she better be paying better attention at church herself!

We continued our day-o'-fun after dinner. Friday is supposed to be family game night. I gotta confess we haven't had one in a few months. Hopefully we will be more consistent on the routine now. We played Pictureka and Disney Scene It. I made fresh squeezed limeade. We had raspberry sherbet with chocolate sauce for a snack. It was great to hang out as a family and pretend I didn't have dishes to wash or laundry to do. Okay, in reality I pretend that every day when I choose to spend 2 hours swimming with the kids. Then, I come in and I'm tired, so I have to rest. Then, it's time to cook dinner. Then, I go walk with my neighbor, and I'm no good for housework after that. So, in all honesty I have no problem pretending there's no work to be done.

Hey, speaking of avoiding work...I just finished a fantabulous book. It's The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom. It is her autobiography about living in Holland during occupation by Nazi Germany and her work in "God's Underground." It is truly amazing how God worked miracles in her life to enable her and her family to continue His work. Even after being placed in a concentration camp after being betrayed, she and her family continued to trust God and seek His purpose in their imprisonment. Read it. You will love it, I promise.

Well, I gotta go. We're continuing family fun today. We're having my in-laws Brett and Anita and their kids over. Also, Anita's sister Linda and her family are coming for swimming and hot dogs and hamburgers tonight. The kids are pretty excited, and I've decided that I at least need to scrub the bathroom before they come. No point in cleaning floors, everyone will just track in grass and dirt when they all descend. But, I should at least fold our laundry...

Rainy Morning

Don't you love rain? I mean, of course, when you don't have to be out in it. Rain is wonderful.

Let's set up the scene, shall we? Lets.

The kids are off to school after being home for 4 days due to last week's illness. (picture me doing cartwheels of joy to get my day going.)
The dog is curled up on her bed by the fireplace. (Thanks to my sister Dawn (click to learn more) for buying my doggie a bed-what a great aunt!)
I'm sitting on the couch with my laptop on my newly refinished coffee table, and I'm reading blogs.
Okay, here's a side trip, (my blogs would not be complete without at least one, or maybe a dozen) but I got this great old children's school desk from Studmuffin's aunt. I sanded it lightly (this means not to Studmuffin's standards, but I wanted a rough look) and put a light cherry stain on it. It has scratches galore, and crayon marks inside the cubbies (which I didn't bother to sand or anything, just wiped out the cobwebs) and it has the teacher's name written in black marker on the bottom. Thank you Mrs. Martinson from Rm 5-whoever you are, and wherever you were from. I love my new coffee table. Studmuffin continues to point out that it's actually 4 inches too high for a coffee table height. He is such a rule follower! Don't get me wrong...I like rules! Rules are IMPORTANT! Unless, of course, I don't like the rules, and then the rules are just SILLY! The coffee table height rule, in this case, is silly.

Okay, where were we?....Oh yes, setting the scene...

I am drinking Earl Grey tea from my lime green Fiesta Ware tea cup on a salmon Fiesta saucer. I love Fiesta. I have 16 complete place settings, and 2 more incomplete. I also have 8 place settings of Desert Rose stoneware that The Original Prairie Woman, aka my Grandma Irene gave each of her grandaughters a few years ago-thank you Grandma Irene! Hey, would anyone like to have dinner at my place? I've got the dishes if you've got the food!

Back to the scene (again): There is a beautiful candle burning, vanilla hazelnut-yum.

I have absolutely nothing to do, but sit here, type on my blog, and get sucked into other bloggers worlds. *sigh* This is the life.

I think I'll turn on some classical music and complete the scene...excuse me please, I'll be right back....










Oh!

Oh no!

Huge mistake!

Huge!

Giant!

Gargantuous!

Cataclysmic!

The Agony!

The Pain!



I should never have lifted my face from the computer screen. When I went to put in the CD I made the mistake of letting my eyes wander... Don't ever do this Reader if you prefer to live in fantasy land, as I do. I was sadly reminded of all the things I must do today. There is a mountain of laundry to be done (why must my kids go through 2 outfits minimum a day, and manage to get food on both outfits, therefore doubling that days laundry?) The dishwasher needs emptied, then reloaded with breakfast dishes. I hate dishes, they never go away.

We're out of food...

No, seriously, we're out of food. My kids had to eat cereal for breakfast. They like a hot breakfast, that must include peanut butter and some form of syrup. I am out of both. They were not happy with me.

The floors need swept, and mopped for that matter, but I REFUSE to do that on a rainy day...it'll just get messed up again at 3o'clock!

I need to plan my menu for the next 2 weeks before I go to the store so I don't have to return. Of course, the every 2 week shopping trip is the reason we run completely out of food. I only buy what I need for the 2 weeks. It works great economically, not so great for sudden munchy or craving attacks...I have lots of those, and so does Studmuffin. Why do men get up and eat at 2o'clock in the morning? This is a mystery to me. How can he go back to sleep after eating a bowl of ice cream? Or a bowl of cereal? Or a can of pineapple? Of course, he hasn't done any of those for several days, because, as I said, we're out of food, and snack food is the first to disappear.

I need to go to the bank. I need to work on our budget. Did you know budget is an acronym for depressing? Look it up, it's there, I promise...Okay, so it's not there, but darn it, it should be!


Well, now that my fantasy bubble is completely popped, I must get to work Dear Reader...

In just a few minutes...I think I need to check out Pioneer Woman, or maybe the Country Doctor's Wife, or maybe I should see what's happening in the REAL world. Of course, the blogger world is way more fun.... Maybe I'll .....


Hmmmmm....................

Ummmmmm.........................

Let's see..........

Oh. Forget. It. The moment is ruined! Ruined I tell you! I must return to the real world! Wish me luck, and don't worry, I'll be back to my fantasy world as soon as my real world lets me! just as soon as I peak into a few blogs, just a few, I promise...


Ephesians 6:7
Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men.

Colossians 3:23-24
Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.