Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up

And yes, I meant to not finish the chorus of that song. Why is there not an on/off switch for growth?? Seriously. My babies just aren't babies anymore.

Again, I say, "Seriously". I just don't have a clue where time has gone. Here at home we now have (from left to right) a 7th grader, a kindergartener, and (gasp) a freshman in high school. Yikes. A Bullet, a Bee, and an Oiler. Double yikes.

Today was the second day...tears still welled when dropping the youngest off, but they didn't fall this time. And when I say tears, I mean mine, not hers. She went right off and sat down on her line to wait to go into class. She did eventually wave to me and blow me a kiss, but otherwise she was good to go.

So...until I get hours at my current job that work with the kids' school (or get a different job that offers the same), I'm left with a lot of free time during the day that I'm just not used to! Yesterday I did some general picking up and cleaned a couple stains off the carpet. Today, I tackled the top of the refrigerator.

Yes. Yes, I did.

Sadly, I didn't take before pictures. But let me tell you, it was scary. How on earth the top of a fridge can become a catch-all is beyond me...maybe because it's the first thing there when we walk into the back door? But how about this:

Better, no? I've got too many spices to fit in the spice shelf of my pantry, so I keep the most used ones in that storage box. Next is my recipe box. My Opa made it, and my Oma put the picture onto the top (can't see that in the picture, sorry). Clearly, the purple buckety thing atop the recipe box is a candy bucket...we hide treats there out of reach of the youngest treat-snatcher. Next is the pancake mix, along with syrup (again, lack of space for that many boxes/bottles, but we eat a lot of pancakes!). Lastly, the blue and white dish stores dry erase markers for our wipey board we keep on the fridge.

So, my lucky friends, I've decided to be completely transparent from here on out. I'm going to try to work one big thing each day (along with the normal cleaning) and I will take before and after pictures to share my progress. I KNOW.

Tomorrow I really, *really* want to do the dining room table. You won't believe it. I promise.

I'm There

My stomach is so bummin' today. I'm not sure why. It all hurts.

School supplies are all purchased, backpacks are full, and first day outfits are all picked out (T-Bird has to wear a certain uniform in high school...school color polos/button downs/sweatshirts and khakis, so at least he was easy).

I discovered not just my first, but my first and second gray hairs yesterday. Do I blame JuJu-B for needing a car, and money, and college? T-Bird for starting high school? Redskin for being wishy washy about joining the football team? Bean for starting kindergarten? I'm sure I can place blame on one of the youngins. Either way, they're there. I've never colored or chemically treated my hair at all (okay, maybe some lemon juice when I was young), and I'm not going to start now. I hope The Daddy likes gray! I know I love his!

Short and sweet today, friends.

Good Morning, Good Morning to You

Good Morning

This morning, I woke up with this song in my head. I don't know all the words, but it was still there.

I think it's the weather. Another beautiful fall-ish morning here, waking up to a breeze blowing through the open windows, hot coffee with cream, The Daddy heading to work, and the kids and I ready to enjoy another day before the school year starts. Actually, we have approximately a gazillion errands to run either today or tomorrow, so "enjoy" might be stretching it. But we'll try our best.

I wanted to stop in this morning and brag on The Daddy a little bit. He's been working for his current company for almost a year now, and this type of work is like nothing he's ever done before. In fact, it's sort of the opposite of anything he's done before. He comes home every day dirty, hungry, and exhausted. Yet he continues to do it every single day, even when I know he'd rather stay in bed, rather work a later shift, rather be in a different industry, rather not work in one of the filthiest places ever (refineries....yuck).

I am so proud of him, I'm almost bursting. So I've really been trying to make our home a place of relaxation and peace for him. I'm a self-admitted horrible housewife (my mama tried to teach me, but I sure didn't listen!). Since I've become a mostly-stay-at-home-mama (and even more lately), I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about homemaking, supporting him, being a Godly wife...just *anything* that will help me learn to be here for him in any way possible. I've asked him a couple times what I can do to make home more "homey" for him, but I think I have bad timing...he never has a specific answer ;)

So friends, if you're married, what do you do to welcome your hubby home?

Another Year Bites the Dust

This blog has fallen to the way wayside, without warning or explanation. This morning I woke up to a husband who left early to go support his family, a son leaving for his first "official" football practice for high school, two other still-sleeping children, a 67 degree house, and a steaming cup of coffee with real cream. The simple joys were almost overwhelming, and something brought me back here.

So I'm going to revive this little blog of mine, if only for family and friends to keep caught up, and for a journal of our lives here at the lodge. Already, I find my older children asking me "Do you remember that time when..." and my mind is blank. How I could kick myself for not journaling when they were babes. My mind is slippery. I fear it will only get worse (and my mom warns me all the time about it).

Will I be here daily? Meh...I'm not one for pie crust promises. When the mood strikes, I'll be here. When one of the kids does something I need to remember, I'll be here. If there's something fantastic (or suckish, or mundane, or whatever) that I want to share with you, I'll be here. And please, by all means, if there's something on your mind, contact me or leave a comment...my prayer book is always open.