My Favorite Store(s)

I think I've said it before but just in case I haven't - Home Goods/TJ Maxx is/are my favorite stores. Lately I've been finding the best stuff -home stuff - at both places. Stuff for the bathroom, stuff for the kitchen, stuff for the living room. It's GREAT! Just yesterday Ed and I went looking for a new rug to go in our living room. Home Goods was the first place we looked and we found just the right one. Here it is:

Brown and tan shag. Feels SO good on bare feet. Neutral enough to go with lots of stuff. For instance, next on my redecorating plan is new throw pillows and curtains for the living room. Been saying that for awhile. But the rug is a good start.

Lucy had a terrible day yesterday. She apparently hurt her leg somehow and was limping. She was SO uncomfortable and pretty pathetic. I even called the vet to get her some pain meds. I told Becky and Allison that Lucy is sick. I explained that her sickness is the kind that won't go away and that we really don't know how long she'll be around. Becky seemed okay. Allison was very matter of fact about it. I didn't get all deep and detailed - just the basics. There will more time to talk about it as she gets more sick. However, today she's completely like her old self. Her leg seems fine and she wants to play. Becky even took her for a little walk. I guess that's how it'll be - some good days and some bad. I don't much like the bad days.

Shop Talk: I think I get discouraged too easily. Rejection letters are the nature of the writing business and I totally get that. That doesn't make it any easier to get them though. I got two in the same day. That was a bad mail day. Since then I haven't mailed anything else out. That's what happens; I get discouraged and don't submit anything to anywhere until I get over it, I guess. I've said before that market research is NOT fun -it can be so tedious and seemingly unproductive. Finding the right place to send in submissions can be very difficult and I guess that's the part I'm struggling with. So, for now I'm writing my story my way. My fabulous critique group will offer amazing words of insight and wisdom. I'll make the changes. Then I'll search for a home for it. I have many ideas rolling around in my head - more than I've had before. Not sure how to or if I should work on more than one idea at a time. I'll have to ask the ladies in my group what they think. So there. That's that.

I'm getting really excited about my 20th High School Reunion! It's next month. I'm not sure how I've been out of high school for twenty years when I remember it like it was yesterday, literally. It will be a blast I'm sure. Friends are coming from all over to be there, friends I haven't seen in years. I'm looking forward to catching up face to face!

That about covers things for now... Happy Weekend!

My New Discovery

New discovery for me today. I enjoy cleaning my house. No, I really mean it. These last few weeks I've worked MUCH less than I have all school year and it's become a whole lot easier to keep up with the constant cleaning that needs to be done. While working it seems that the cleaning gets squished in between the work and the errands that I have to do. Not working allows me to stay on top of things. Therefore, it's more enjoyable. I can run those errands, walk with a friend, do some writing and STILL have a clean house. It's marvelous!

I'm beginning to understand why Ed's dad had a bark collar for this little dog. She tends to get a bit bark happy when we're outside. Today she was going nuts at a BIRD. Silly little dog. I haven't used the collar - don't intend to. Too much trouble. She gets herself under control and, if I'm honest, she cracks me up. She's happy and energetic, playful and sweet. We love her.

Practical Joke

So. You may have read that one of our hamsters bit the dust the other day. She was vicious and apparently crazy, so I can't say I'm too broken up about it. I was a little concerned about telling Allison. She does have a tender heart and tends to be a tad dramatic (I use the word tad here lightly). Anyway, she was drawing a picture of all of our pets and I felt that I should just come out and tell her that we have one less hamster. She kind of sulked a bit and then snapped out of it just fine. A little while later she was playing with a gray mouse which although is fake looks quite real. She was pretending it was the hamster. Fine. Whatever. When it was time to pick Katie up from track practice Allison brought the gray mouse with us. On the way to the school Allison came up with a plan to FREAK KATIE OUT! "Mom, I'm going to tell Katie that this is the dead hamster!" I started giggling and together we came up with just the right dialogue to get the best effect. Katie got in the car and Allison piped right up. "Katie, did you know the hamster died?" "Yeah," says Katie. "Well, look here it is," says Allison as she held out her hand for Katie to see the "hamster" aka gray mouse. Katie proceeded to SCREAM like a crazy person! It was GREAT! Of course the rest of us were rolling with laughter! I'd say Allison is handling the death of the hamster just fine!

Sadness

I feel like we are travelling full speed ahead into the biggest heartache of my daughter's life and there's not a thing I can do to stop us. Lucy had a huge tumor removed last week and has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer. The symptoms may begin showing up as soon as 3 months from now, although I have my suspicions that we are already seeing some. It seems unlikely that she'll be here come Christmas. Becky doesn't know that Lucy is sick. She just knows that the tumor was removed because it was big and uncomfortable - she has no concept of its dangers. And that is as it should be for a little girl. What is a mother to do? My sadness comes from many different angles. I do love that sweet dog and she is a constant companion to me while the girls are at school. I talk to her, we play, we keep each other company. I will miss her deeply. But as a mom my heart breaks even more when I think of the sadness my girls will endure, especially Becky. Remember Lucy was an answer to her prayers - a true angel sent from heaven. There is a real bond between them, true friendship, mutual love. She will be devastated.
If there is a bright side it's that we have Sandi, the unexpected Jack Russell/Beagle addition to our family. And while she lacks the same devotion to us that Lucy has, she is a sweet little thing who likes to snuggle and play and take walks. In time she may develop that devotion, who knows. Becky wants to baby her. She likes to carry her around and make sure she eats all of her food. She walks her and runs her around the yard. Sandi has been caught sleeping on Becky's bed at night, and I've insisted she get down and sleep on a dog bed, you know, like a dog! However, these last few days have found me more willing to let Becky spoil Sandi. I want that little dog to love her the same way Lucy does. I want Becky to have something or someone to help soften the blow when it comes and it could be that Sandi came to us for that reason. I don't know.
I'm not sure how or when Becky will be told of Lucy's sickness. I know I'll wait until Lucy starts to seem sick. Right now she's the sweet, dedicated, lazy girl that she's always been and in that regard not much will change. The vet said it will most likely appear as respiratory issues, a cough or lack of energy - both of which she has been dealing with a little bit already. My hope and prayer is that I'll know when the poor old girl has had enough. If you've ever had a lab you know that their desire to please their people outweighs anything else. And Lucy would stay with us forever if she could regardless of her discomfort or pain just to make her girl happy. She won't want to say goodbye anymore than we will. Oh, how I dread that day.
For now we will continue to love our sweet Lucy and make her life as happy as we can. Lucy doesn't know she's sick and neither does Becky, so their friendship won't be strained by the stress of knowing goodbye is near. I'm glad about that. God will carry my girl through the sadness. I'm glad about that too.

Shop Talk Update

Shop Talk: You may be wondering if I'm even still writing. Have I tried to sell any more of my work? Was it just a phase I was going through? Yes, Yes, No. I am still actively working on my writing. I currently have a short picture book submission out in slush pile land, as well as a couple of magazine submissions. I plan on working on an historical fiction - perhaps non-fiction - piece starting this week. It's about a man from our local area who was the parson at a church here. He fought in one of the most pivotal battles of the Revolutionary War. His story has been on my mind for many months and it's time to get it on paper. Funny how a story can stew in my mind for so long, then all of a sudden I'm ready to write it. That's what happened with the picture book story I sent out. It started with a title. That's it. No real idea what it would be about. Then one day as I was folding laundry the first verse of the story jumped into my head. It even rhymes! Crazy. So, while I'm a LONG way from bringing home the bacon, so to speak, writing continues to make me happy.


I spent the better part of today at Katie's state ski meet. In a word: AWESOME! My girl skied fantastic! There were skiers from all over the state there. Over 100 girls skied and Katie came in 32nd!!! She came in first for her team!! I am one proud mama! Clearly all of her athletic ability comes from my side of the family - haha.

Animals

This is Luke. He's Becky's hamster. She named him - I don't know how she came up with Luke. Every time I talk to him I want to use my Darth Vader voice and say "Luke, I am your Fatha." I'm a Star Wars nerd and proud of it.


These tiny girls are Cookie and Brownie. They are Allison's hamsters. She named them - she must've been hungry at the time. They are spoiled and super cute. And basically they are maintenance free. Little bit of food, little bit of water, lavender scented bedding, a place to sleep and play and they're good for a good couple of weeks. A perfect pet, basically. Except that we have to remember to take out their wheel (and Luke's) every night or they keep us awake.

This is Virgil. First his name was Red. Then it was Swimmy. Ruby was in there some place even though I know he's a boy. And now he's Virgil. There's a baseball player named Virgil something, and while semi-watching a game with Ed I heard this name and thought it suited my fish. He needs a new plant in his fish bowl.

This, of course, is Lucy. I almost killed her today. She has been terribly under exercised this winter. I decided today was a good day to get her back into shape with a LONG, UPHILL walk. Have you ever seen a dog walking BEHIND his person? No, probably not. Usually dogs like to lead the way, unless they are about to drop dead from over excursion. Being the uncompassionate person I am, I dragged her along for one more lap. It was downhill and I figured she'd be fine. She made it, came in the house, and collapsed on her bed. I'm sure she can't wait to do it again tomorrow.

This is my blog. It is terribly neglected, and mostly pretty boring. I have some ideas. Maybe I'll share them with you. Stay tuned...

Being Jesus' Mom...

"Mary did you know that your baby boy has walked where angels trod? And when you kiss your little baby, you kiss the face of God?"

These are words from one of my favorite Christmas songs, Mary Did You Know? It really makes me think about Mary as a mother. The Bible tells us that Mary pondered the events of her son's life. I wonder what she must've been thinking as she looked into His face for the first time. Her baby boy was the promised King, come to provide a way of redemption and salvation. How she must've marveled at her child as he grew into a man who performed miracles and such. Do you think it overwhelmed her? Was she able to wrap her head around the fact that this 'child' was God in the flesh? I have a hard time wrapping my head around it sometimes! And, oh how her heart must've broken as she watched Him suffer as He was crucified! He was on that cross for her, and for all of us. How much of that did she understand? It was a hard thing to be Jesus' mom, don't you think? But what a huge blessing it was too, I'm sure!

Some Randomness...

Yes, I'm back... I'm going to make a last ditch effort to keep this blog alive... My friend, Heather, and I have both neglected our blogs lately and have made a deal to try and save them - so here's my feeble attempt and resuscitating mine...

I saw something funny on the way home from school today. We drive to school on a road with a low bridge to go under. It has 11 foot clearance. Many trucks are higher than 11 feet and this always presents a problem. If they don't see the signs warning of low clearance they don't figure it out until they are at a place where there's no room to turn around. They back up, blocking traffic and causing a pretty big inconvenience. Today, a truck driver didn't seem to think his truck was over 11 feet high and proceeded to go under the bridge. He was wrong. The bridge is still intact - his truck is not. Amazing what 35 mph and a stone bridge will do to a truck !

Last night when I was hugging Becky I felt sad. Sad because she's so big now. I held her thinking about when she was small and how I'd scoop her into my arms. She'd lay her head on my shoulder and we cuddle. I wished I could go back to that time, if only for a few moments. Just to see her small again. To hold her on my hip. To snuggle with her little head on my shoulder... But, no can do. She's only about 2 inches shorter than me now! However, she's still just as sweet and just as snuggly. There's no possible way for me to scoop her into my arms, but she can still rest her head on my shoulder as we cuddle. Things change, kids grow. It's bitter sweet. I love seeing the people my girls are becoming but I sure do miss them being small ...

We were driving around town admiring the many displays of Christmas lights the other night. We came across a house that no one lived in. It's a beautiful house and Allison was quite disappointed that there were no decorations. She said, " I think the government should put lights on their house for them... By the way, what's the government?" Good grief didn't we laugh! Where does she come up with this stuff!?

Katie is embarking on a new adventure - cross country skiing. We have gotten all the necessary equipment - can you say 'cha-ching'? Now all we need is some good snow. I think she'll be really good at it. She amazes me with her commitment to do well. She practices hard and pushes herself to the limit. I wonder what makes some people like that. I wasn't like that at her age - I'm still not. I'm glad she is the way she is. I hope God will use this trait in a positive way all her life...

Time to go meet the bus! The girls and I have some Christmas lights to put up outside before the snow flies tonight!

General Update

So. Skillet was Thursday night in Albany, NY. We loaded up two cars with Katie and her friends, and Ed, Becky, and I. Allison got to have a sleep over at her friend's house. We were at the concert by 5:00 in order to get our VIP wristbands which entitled us to a free Skillet CD! And a meet and greet time with the band! After standing out in the cold for what seemed like forever! - we made our way in. The band was very sweet and genuine. They each (John, Korey, Jen, and Ben) shook hands, high fived, and signed LOTS of autographs. It was super fun! Katie was able to give free tickets to a few of her friends including a girl from school whose family couldn't afford the ticket. This girl was probably the biggest Skillet fan of all the girls (except Katie!) and she was BESIDE HERSELF over being there! She didn't know about the VIP seating or the meet and greet and she about flipped when we told her!! That was the best part for me. This is a girl who you'd look at and make some snappy judgments about her based on her appearance. I'm glad I didn't do that because this girl was about as sweet as they come. She wrote Ed and I a thank you note for bringing her to the show and everything. I really enjoyed getting to know her. Becky and I hung out together and Ed stayed in the background but close by Katie and her friends. And every now and then Becky and I would join them all. There's ALOT of standing and Becky and I opted for some comfy seats in the back of the auditorium and a bowl of ice cream for some of the show :) It was a GREAT time but a super late night! Becky and I rolled into bed around 12:30 a.m. and Ed and Katie were about an hour behind us after dropping kids off and stuff. We all got up and went to school the next morning - ugh! This morning we all slept in until about 9:00! That's pretty late for us.

We've decided to cancel our curbside trash pickup and instead make the weekly trip to the local transfer station. Trash pick up is us VERY expensive and our guys don't recycle anything! I've seen my neighbors put out their separated recyclable items along with regular trash and I've watched the trash guys dump everything together onto the truck. Why bother separating! So anyway in the name of being more environmentally responsible and saving a few bucks we've taking care of our own trash. Since I started separating trash I've noticed how much LESS trash bags we're filling up. We used to fill at least one bag a day for a total of at least 7 bags a week for pick up. Since Tuesday of this week (it's now Saturday) we've only barely filled ONE bag!!! That's less than one full bag in four full days! Talk about a difference! Ed is on his way to the transfer station to get a sticker for the car and bring our first load of trash. I'm so proud of us!!

Allison has been having meltdowns like she hasn't had in quite awhile. Not sure how to handle them. She gives me bits and pieces of what might be bothering her but I haven't quite put it all together yet. Yesterday was tough because I had to be at work and she was very upset. I didn't like that at all. Thankfully I was able to check on her and others let me know that she was fine. What a hard thing. Some of her troubles may have to do with things at school I think, and some may have to do with a certain friend she has. My radar is up and I'll be keeping my eye on things. Along with some regular dialogue with Allison about her day and goings on in her class hopefully I can figure this out. Not sure if it's time to involve the teacher yet. Maybe. The friend isn't in her class but is someone she plays with. I may have to keep that friendship reigned in a little bit until this is figured out. Perhaps that's why I like to know my kids' friends. It really does clue me in about my children, and who they are and what's going on outside our home.

Katie continues to do well at cross country. She shaved a full two minutes off her 5K time at this last meet. It was at a repeat location so there was a direct comparison to the last time she raced there. She looks good and strong when she's running and I love to watch her!! This last meet Becky, Allison, and I only stayed for the girls race. We usually stay for the whole thing but it was COLD! I'm determined to be at EVERY meet Katie runs in - that's my goal. Even if I don't stay for the whole thing I'll be there to see my girl run. I'm going to have to get me a really WARM PARKA for when she skis cross country!!!

X-Country

Katie ran in her first ever cross-country meet yesterday. I almost didn't go. Katie said she didn't really want me to go - nerves I think. Then we decided that I would go because she didn't want to ride the bus back to school and risk missing her youth group meeting last night. I admit that I wasn't sure AT ALL what to expect. I got there and just followed the crowd heading up the hill , hoping that they were heading to the race and not some other sporting event happening at the school. We topped the hill as the starting gun fired and the girls were off. I had no idea where to be to see the race. Fortunately I found a couple of friends with kids on the team, and they clued me in. Thank goodness. I wasn't expecting to know anyone there! I saw my girl finish the first lap (there were three for a total of 5K) and cheered her on. It was actually very cool. I was proud then. But not as proud as I was when she was making that final climb up a steep incline to the finish line. She came up the hill coughing. I was clapping and urging her on. She looked at me and said, "I think I'm going to throw up." UGH. I felt bad for her. The only thing I could do to help her is encourage her to keep going! The finish line was in sight and she was just about there. "Keep going! Don't stop!" I yelled. My friend Donna looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, "Oh, that poor thing!" We both turned our heads just in time to see Katie sprinting to the finish line, determined to beat the girl in front of her. I don't know where she got that last burst of energy! I went and found her after the race and gave her a Powerade. She was all smiles and feeling good about her achievement! That's my girl... I'll have to Facebook her exact time and finish position after she gets home from school. She didn't get that info before we left the meet. Next week is a home meet. While I was apprehensive about yesterday's meet - not knowing what to expect - I'm downright excited about next week's!

Becky and Allison start piano lessons today. This will be the first time for Allison! She's very excited. The fact that she is so young means that most of her practice time will be with me helping her. It's a pretty big commitment on my part and one that I hope I'm ready for. Becky practices all on her own with very little help from me. She's becoming quite a good pianist! Katie doesn't take lessons anymore but she'll sit and the piano and play sometimes. She has a knack for teaching herself to play a song that she's heard on the radio or somewhere. Becky hasn't shown whether she can do that or not yet. She seems more comfortable reading the music. It'll be interesting to see how Allison does...

Inspired

I just finished watching the President's speech to school children (I recorded it while I was at work). I have to say that I found it inspiring. If you haven't seen it, click here to read a transcript of the speech. The speech - to me - seemed to encourage students to take accountability for their education. President Obama pointed out that even adversity in the lives of our youth is no excuse for them to turn their backs on school or to be disrespectful to teachers and other authority figures. I liked that. He even gave examples of students from various parts of our country who have overcome great odds to achieve their educational goals. The speech was given at a High School in Arlington, VA. After he was done speaking, President Obama went down to the crowd and shook hands with staff and students from the school. I watched as students expressed their excitement over meeting the president with big smiles and kind words for him. The respect they showed was commendable. I liked that too. I know there was a lot of hub bub about the whole speech and I honestly don't know why. Cspan also showed former presidents Reagan and Bush addressing school children and I plan to watch those speeches later. I'm interested to see what challenge those presidents presented to ME and my classmates. Anyway, I was inspired this afternoon as I watched our president speak to the youth of America and I just wanted you to know.

So. Tired.

Wiped Out. Day three of school and I am wiped out. Katie seemed spent this morning but has perked up a bit now. Becky is so even keeled it's hard to tell. And Allison was down right grumpy when she got off the bus. Even as I type this I desperately want to lay down and take a NAP! And I'm only working half days!! Must be that getting up early stuff! It stinks! Thank goodness tomorrow is Friday and we get a long weekend to rest up.

The first day of school was sort of anti climatic. Everyone got up and out the door without any fuss. It was as if we'd just been on a little break from school and now we just picked up where we left off. I don't know what I expected. This year was so much easier because I didn't have the anxiety of sending my baby off into the big bad world without me for the WHOLE DAY. We're used to that by now. And Katie is just so cool about the whole going to the big high school thing that I wasn't the least bit worried for her. Then of course, Becky has this awesome teacher this year and all her best friends are in her class so no need for worry there either. Hmmm....nice.

I saw one of my little Down Syndrome friends in the hall yesterday. I was walking along, minding my own business when I heard, "It's Mrs. Cook!! Hi Mrs. Cook!" I looked around for the person belonging to the sweet voice HOLLERING my name. I spotted my little friend and went over to give her a hug and do a bit of catching up since we hadn't seen each other all summer. She was really too cute! Stuff like that makes my day.

My tomato plants finally lost the battle against the plight that has destroyed so many tomato plants this year. I have green toms sitting on the vine, but the bottom of the plant is yellowed and pretty much dead. Oh well, I don't really like gardening. There, I said it. I don't like bugs. Bugs live in gardens, I don't like bugs, doesn't seem like a good hobby for me. I do however LOVE tomatoes - I'll need to figure something else out...

That's all. I'm tired now. And my children expect me to feed them dinner. Not sure what I'll do about that.

My Dilemmas

Heading to Maine soon. Ed thought we should drive up tonight. I thought we should leave in the morning. We haven't decided yet. In the meantime I'm packing and getting ready.

There's a storm a-comin'. The tropical kind with lots of rain and wind. It's coming on the day Ed's brother is getting married. Outside. By the ocean. Not good. I hear that plans have been made to move things inside at the same location. Good, I say. I wasn't looking forward to sitting under a tent with the wind threatening to carry us all away! Supposed to be cold too. YIKES! How to dress? What to pack? These are my dilemmas today.

I've been asked to sub at the girls' school for the first two weeks of the school year. I think I will. I was kind of looking forward to taking some time to go through closets and do some general straightening. But, that can wait! Mom and I have our trip to NYC coming up and Christmas shopping will be starting soon. The extra cash would be fantastic! Plus, I'll be doing lunch/recess with Allison's grade each day. How can I say no to that?! You know how I love to get hugs from my little miss during the school day! I'm hoping I'll run into Becky too! That would make it perfect. The little girl I'd work with is familiar to me and I think it'd be a good gig for a couple of weeks.

I guess I'd better get upstairs to pack. UGH! Still not 100% sure what to wear to the wedding. MOM, HELP! I'll probably end up bringing more clothes for this short trip than I did for the longer trip last time!

Now, go batten down the hatches people!

Tuesday Blah Blah Blah...

I find myself holding on a little tighter to my girls these days. Must be the impending arrival of school. I will miss them. I'll be anxious to hear about their day. I'll be nervous for them as they start this new school year. I don't much like the beginning of the school year. I'm sure I've said that before. At least it's not as bad as last year when I had to send my Little Miss off to kindergarten. THAT was hard.

Right now the girls are upstairs playing together. All three of them. I love when that happens. So far no one is yelling or slamming doors. I think slamming doors is a girl thing. Becky doesn't slam doors but Katie and Allison seem to do it ALOT when they're mad at whoever they're mad at. Becky is pretty mild mannered. She's the most like her dad, personality wise. Allison and Katie are more like me - 'nuf said.

This week marks the 4th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. I watched a special on the Weather Channel with Brian Williams the other night. It's still amazing to me how destructive that storm was. But the show was more about the plight of the storm survivors during the days and weeks following the storm. We've all heard the stories, but to hear Brian Williams give his account of those events was pretty wild. If it's on again WATCH.

Happy Tuesday!

Cars...

There was talk today at church about a car show and Allison was determined that she wanted to go. So after lunch Ed brought her over. Apparently she had a great time. She kept commenting on which cars were the fastest, and coolest. "This one's the fastest, right Dad?" Ed said she was so excited that she just kept going from car to car. Here's a few photos of my girl and the cars...

And here's one of Katie...She had to sit in the Mustang of her dreams when we stopped by the Ford dealership one day...

This is our last week off before school. I wonder if Katie is getting nervous about starting high school and being with all those big high school kids. She never lets on. She could be shaking in her size seven shoes and no one would ever know. I admire that about her. Becky isn't nervous at all. She's thrilled with the teacher she got and a bunch of her friends are in her class, so I think she's actually looking forward to it. Allison seems a bit nervous. She keeps saying things like, "When school starts I won't see you all day Mom." or "I will miss you when I'm at school during the day." It makes me sad for her but I know she'll have a blast in first grade! Her teachers are wonderful. I remember that Katie and Becky both thought they had arrived when they got to first grade! They were BIG kids now! I hope Allison has that same feeling. Probably will once she gets a look at those itty bitty kindergartners!

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Becky and Allison had a 'camp out' in my room last night. Basically, we blew up an air mattress and they got to sleep in my room. Allison thinks that's the greatest thing ever. She has made it abundantly clear that she does NOT like to sleep by herself in own room. So, these special times of sleeping in Mom's room or in Becky's room are very dear to her. It worked out to be quite convenient because there was a thunder storm and since they were already in my room Ed and I didn't have our sleep interrupted by fearful girls!

Since I've banned Hannah Montana from our house I've been looking for other shows for the girls to watch. Always a trick to find things that will appeal to all age groups and be appropriate for all age groups! Right now they are watching Endurance on Discovery Kids channel. Seems like a good one. Any suggestions would be GREAT!

Lucy needs to go for her annual vet exam. The reminder card says I need to bring a 'fecal sample'!! EWWWW! That's disgusting! I don't think I want to do that. Maybe I'll just tell the vet that Lucy's poop looks just fine to me!! YUCK. I know, just what you wanted to read about... Sorry.

Lazy Saturday morning around here - but we'll be heading out for some school shopping after lunch - or breakfast, because as of right now (10:37 a.m.) no one has eaten b'fast yet!!

Happy Weekend!

Growing Like A Weed...

Took Allison and Becky for their physicals today. Becky grew FIVE inches since last year!! YIKES! She is 4' 11 1/2" tall!! I can't even believe it. She was the longest of my babies and I'm sure she'll be the tallest of the three girls. Fortunately for my children they do have some height on Ed's side of the family. There aren't as many tall folk on my side. The only one I can really think of is my Uncle Arthur. Ed's family (well, his mom's side anyway) are a little taller than mine. I'm hoping Becky will see ANYTHING over 5'3"! It's true what they say - Growing like weeds!

I've decided that I'm happy. Does that sound strange? I honestly can't think of anything to be UNhappy about so that must make me happy, right? I mean, I have a great husband, great kids, a roof over my head, good health for me and my family, and a God who loves and cares about me - what's NOT to be happy about! I think it can be that simple - just decide to be happy and you can be! At least that's my philosophy for today!

A man at church on Sunday made me sad though. He's a veteran who served our country in three wars. He said that he feels like the sacrifices he and his comrades made for our country weren't worth it. Why? Well, I vowed to keep the Blog POLITIC free, so let me just say that he indicated that the ideals in this country have changed and the things we fought for once are not upheld and respected today. Made me sad. For him and others like him. And for me and others like me who want to believe that the things that made this country great are still the things that make this country great... I'm a patriot what can I say...

Speaking of Patriots - Don't you just love that movie The Patriot with Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger? You probably thought I was going to say something about the Patriots football team didn't you? I don't know anything about that. Sorry. But if you haven't see The Patriot you just have to!! Wow, talk about a bunny trail.

The sky is a scary dark gray color at the moment. I should check the Weather Channel to see if it's going to rain. How funny is that!? I could just look out the window to see the current weather but instead I actually get on the computer to check instead. Strange.

Mom and I are going to see the Rockettes in NYC for their Christmas show!! I'm so excited! First of all, I've often wondered what the big deal is with the Rockettes. And secondly, it'll be so fun to do NYC with just my mom and me for the day!!! We're doing it the tourist way where we take a bus trip into the city especially for the show and they leave us enough time to SHOP and EAT then they bring us home - PERFECT. Can't wait!

So, please be impressed that this is my 5th day in a row blogging! I know, one minute I've disappeared off the face of blogger world and the next minute you can't get rid of me!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Four And counting...

This has been such an uneventful week...The kind of week where we slept late because we had no where to be...The kind where we've just hung around the house...Sometimes this kind of week makes me crazy - we're all bored, the girls are grouchy, etc. But this week has been really nice. Maybe it's because we've had a busy summer. Camp, Ed home for two weeks, camp again, Maine (three times so far!)... It's nice to have a laid back week... :)

Speaking of going to Maine three times -so far... We'll be heading back next week for Ed's brother's wedding. Randy and Christy are getting married at Chop Point - outside. We've been praying for a sunny warm day for them! Unfortunately our trip will be extra short since school starts that next Tuesday and we want to get home and chill for a moment before the busyness of school takes over our lives.

I think this is the problem with blogging on a regular basis...I don't have anything real inspired to write about. You're probably thinking that I NEVER have anything inspired to write about! But I think you know what I mean. Seriously, who cares that I'm vacuuming my floor today or lounging by the pool. The Blog needs MEAT! And I don't have any to offer - sorry... How 'bout them Red Sox...

A New Record...

Three days people - three days!! Go me!!

Got Ed a new car last night. We drove to a dealership an hour from home to look at some things I'd found online. The first place was overpriced and under professional. So we drove down the road to another place and bought a car there. They were extremely professional and competitively priced. The car we got isn't something I would've ever chosen for Ed but he loves it! It definitely has room for all of us, if need be, and it'll be great on gas! And the best part is that we'll pay less for it than the Jeep! So what is it, you ask? It's a 2006 Saab 9-3 sport-combi wagon. It's black and pretty cool. Like I said, Ed loves it. Katie on the other hand HATES it and insists that she'll be taking the bus to school instead of riding with Ed. She refuses to be seen in a wagon!! Too funny, that girl. So, I've been telling her that we were planning on that being her car when she learns to drive - she doesn't see any humor in that...
Shop Talk: I have an idea rolling around in my head for a short article for young readers. It will require a small amount of research and some creativity. I think I'll approach it as if I'm teaching Allison something. Try to use that language and maybe even bounce some ideas off her. That's one advantage of living with my audience.

Today will include some school supply shopping. I don't typically do a ton of clothes shopping before school starts. We just get pants and new shoes mostly. Then we add to the stash a little at a time, sweaters, long sleeves, more pants, more shoes, etc. It works for us.

Happy Wednesday!

Two Days In A Row?!

Don't fall off your chair or anything. I know you're surprised to see me here again today! I can't say how long this daily blogging will last so just enjoy it for today!!

We are definitely in a heat wave! I love it! The girls have been in the pool everyday for most of the day. I've even been joining them - that's how hot it is! To think, I was actually planning to sell the pool at the beginning of the season -- glad that didn't happen! I think we've used the pool more this year than in the past!! Today will surely be another lounge by/in the pool kind of day!! Funny how it makes me SO tired to lounge!! What's up with that!

We sold Ed's Jeep yesterday - Thank you Craigslist!! If you have something - ANYTHING - to sell you've got to try Craigslist. It works people! We sold Ed's boat and Jeep using it and both buyers showed up with cash and took their new possessions with them. Got to love that!!! The only downside to that is we now have only one vehicle until we can find a new one for Ed! If it wasn't summertime that would be a BIG problem. Right now it's not really a big deal. Ed will drop in at lunch time and we'll take him back to work. I think we're going to check out the Toyota Corolla lease specials. The man literally drives to and from work so he just needs a little car (a reliable car) to get him where he needs to go!

You know that whole thing with the bats dying off? And honey bees disappearing? Well I think crickets are quieter than usual this year. It's just my uneducated theory but I honestly haven't noticed the chirp, chirping that usually accompanies August nights. Where are they? Robby? Do you know something!?

I finally purchased some re-usable bags from Stop & Shop! YAY ME! I feel so environmentally responsible!! I bought five and probably should get a couple more for those extra big shopping trips! I love how they fit so much stuff and I can save a little money every time I use them!! I made sure to stick them in the little storage compartment in my car as soon as I was done putting things away! I don't want to get to the store and not have them!

I spent an hour with Goliath's evil twin yesterday morning. Remember Goliath? He's the ginormous spider who terrorized my family for an entire day until Ed smashed him with a 2x4. Remember? Anyway, I was in the garage - cleaning Ed's Jeep - when I saw him crawling up the wall. He taunted me by dropping to the ground and then creeping back up to his preferred vantage point. He did that a couple of times. A smart arachnid, he positioned himself perilously close to the broom knowing full well that that would be my weapon of choice if I wasn't too afraid to grab it! I did my best to ignore him. I couldn't look at him for too long or I'd start to hyperventilate! I finished my cleaning and scooted carefully into the refuge of my house, locking the door behind me! Later, when Ed was home, I bravely went back into the garage. Goliath II was gone. Probably looking for a way into my house!!! UGH!!

Happy Tuesday - it is Tuesday right? Ah, summer...