Quilting Saturday

And by Quilting Saturday, I mean I didn't quilt at all. Actually, I'd put "take a trip to the closest fabric store to look at fallish material" on my mental to-do list. But that didn't happen. We were busy bees today.

This morning we awoke early to get my older son off to his weekend away. His friends showed up a little early, so I'm glad we were up and prepared. Then we left on a mini-road trip north up The Great River Road. We crossed a really old (and really narrow!) drawbridge into Calhoun County, and just drove. And looked at farmland. And drove. And pit-stopped for a drink and snack. And drove. And took pictures of barns. And drove. And stopped at an old couple's house to buy homemade raspberry jam. And drove some more.

There was some sort of quilt show this weekend in one of the one-horse-towns we drove through. Talk about amazing!! If I'd been alone, i probably could've spent hours looking. We took several pictures of quilt blocks that had been painted onto the sides of barns. The homemade jam lady assured us this was just a fad that caught on, and although she didn't have one yet, she needed to start considering it.

Then we crossed back over the Illinois River by way of the Brussels Ferry, which wierded me out just a little bit, so I entertained myself by reading the old copy of The Little House in the Big Woods that I picked up at the book sale at the Parkfest last weekend. A quick stint back down The River Road, and home again, home again we went.

Now we sit, watching Game 3 of the World Series. Ice cream and chips for some evening snacks, and although I'd hoped to hit the hay early tonight, I don't think I'll be able to go before the game is over.

Everyone have a blessed Sunday, and remember:

Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; new things have come. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Last Minute

It's late. I should be in bed. Tomorrow is an early day for me, and after a couple drug-induced nights of sleep (I love you, Nyquil!), I'm at least feeling rested, although not healthier. That being said, in an effort to post most days (not including Sundays), I've got to write a quick something.

The Cards are beating the 'Stros, 12 to 6!!! GO CARDS!!

Patrick won't be home for dinner tomorrow, so I'm trying to decide what I should make for the kids and myself. Tuna casserole sounds lovely, since Patrick doesn't like it. The kids devour it, so that sounds like a plan.

I've got clothes in the dryer that I'm leaving there. Overnight. I'm not afraid to admit this to you, even after yesterday's laundry post. This is only because I almost left them in the washing machine. Baby steps.

The baby now asks me to sing to her every night, which I absolutely love to do. I sing Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight (yes, just like Three Men and a Baby), which she now sings along with. It seems to settle her a bit.

Cardinals just hit another home run - 13 to 6. I wonder if it's safe for me to go to bed?

Merry, Happy, and All That Jazz!

Okay, okay, you can berate and belittle me all ya want to...I'm a busy lady!! I've got limited time here on the computer in the library, so let me make a long story short, for anyone who was wondering:

My husband got a job! w00t!!! He's actually had it for awhile now, and I think that I may have already posted about this in a previous post, but I'll say it again - my husband got a job! w00t!!! That being said (and said again), he's been in Dallas since the beginning of November, and the kids and I moved in temporarily with my mom in Illinois. This ia great because, well, we get to have one last holiday with my family without the stress of travel, plus, we get to spend loads of time with my mom before we move away permanently.

Now this sucks because my children and I are apart from Papa Tango, which makes my heart shrink every little time I think about it, yet it makes it grow as well. The kids area greatly missing Daddy, but have gotten to see him every once in awhile due to flying standby (yay for working for an airline!!). This also bites because I have very little internet access at mom's house. When I say very little, I mean I can access email and facebook from my phone, but not really anything else - hence the serious lack of blog posts recently.

We are still looking for housing in the Dallas area. We'd better get a move on too, because I'm already on leave from work and the whole reason for taking it was to get the family moved and settled. We've got a couple places in mind, one in particular for which I'm waiting for some information to be mailed to me. Pray we can find something sooner rather than later so we can get this show on the road! In other news, I finally made it to the great state of Texas, and all I have to say about that is "YEEHAW!!". The traffic is in desperate need of some serious driving lessons, and some parts of Dallas are more than a little frightening. But the outlying areas are nicer and much less scary. This is a good thing.

So friends, be patient, please. I actually have my own library card now, so if I can sneak away during naps to post any updates, I will. If not, think good, moving thoughts for us and I'll be back in the saddle soon! I hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas, and if you're out and baout on New Years Eve, please be careful and responsible!

Leaving...on a jet plane.

Okay, so I'm not. But I am leaving. Actually, we are leaving as a family. My husband has gotten a job with Southwest Airlines. This is excellent, as it's been a long haul with him being unemployed. The whole time has been trying for us as a family and us as husband and wife, but we're stronger because of it. And let me tell you this - we will never take the simple things for granted again!

This is also scary, as it requires a move from the Midwest...the only place I've known and spent all but two or three years of my life. We will be facing Dallas, Texas, head on come the end of this year. Patrick will be going on ahead of us, and I'll be staying here with the kids to make it through the holidays with my family. Then we'll make the trek down to Dallas to join him at the very end if this year.



What an exciting prospect, no? I've never been to Texas, that I can remember at least. I know this will be difficult. I know that I'm the world's biggest baby when it comes to heat - it makes me cranky and miserable. I also know that I'll be leaving behind my family and friends. I know I'll be a K-State fan in the middle of SMU territory.

However, the longer summer in Texas just means a longer growing season (and they do have air conditioning there, too, so I've heard :P ). And I do have friends that live in the Dallas and surrounding areas, and I've got an aunt, uncle, and cousin that live in a not-too-far away city. And I don't give a hoot about SMU, or the Horns, or TCU. I'm a K-Stater til I die, baby! (Plus, although I'll never, EVER be a Cowboys fan, at least I like Houston!)

So, this is the start of a brand new adventure. I'll admit to having cowboy hats and boots picked out for the kids already.



I will also admit to dreaming of moving right into a house on a couple acres out in the semi-middle of nowhere. I have dreams of a good garden, a T-bar clothes line, and an eventual chicken coop.

Dream house photo courtesy of Connor Homes

These dreams will stay just that for awhile though...it's been 14 months on one {teensy weensy} income, and we'll have to spend a short while recovering from that.

So, fair warning - I may be out of sorts for a little while. We will be busy packing and moving to our temporary home (thanks, Mom!!), then moving and unpacking. I do plan on taking time off from work to get the family settled, the kids school stuff figured out, and all the other little big things that will knock on our door. Oh, and if you live anywhere on the way from Missouri to Texas, keep your eyes peeled and ears open for us between Christmas and New Years!

What am I doing??

You want the answer to that? You want the truth? You can't handle the truth!!

Okay, so the truth is, I'm not doing a thing. And I really haven't done a thing, all day long. Okay, earlier today I ran to the store because we were out of coffee creamer and milk, and Italian dressing for marinating the chicken my dear, sweet, grill-master husband is going to take for a ride on the Char-broil Express later today. And I watched a neighbor boy for a couple hours this morning while his parents ran an errand (you remember Jacob's friend Zachary from GinaGina's birthday party). But other than that, I've been a big lazy bum so far today.

I've also been busy (while GinaGina is napping) catching up on some email and blogs I follow. That being said, I have 2 complaints: 1) I really don't like it when I can't subscribe by email to a blog. I think the idea of following on google is good, but honestly, I hardly ever go to my google homepage. When I do, I have to sit for an inordinate amount of time reading all the blogs. That's not saying that I don't *want* to catch up on them! Some would say "Just pare down your blog roll, and that's that". I just can't do that. It's like going through your favorites on your computer. At least for me it is. And finally, 2) I also hate link loss. That's what I call it. I'm on a blog, see an interesting link, follow it, see another link, follow it, and before I know it, I'm 11 pages away from where I started, all filled with posts I want to continue reading, but I couldn't find them again if I tried! I try really hard to right click and open the link in a new tab, but sometimes I forget. I will say, however, that if these are the only 2 things I find myself complaining about today, I'm in excellent shape.

Anywho, back to my plans today. I will start laundry sometime, and I'd like to go to the library too. I stayed up entirely too late last night finishing the book I've been reading. I couldn't believe what time it was when I finally turned the last page of the book and checked the clock. I groaned, thinking that the kids simply wouldn't understand that mommy stayed up too late reading and would you please sleep in for just this once?? Although I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I woke at 8:30 with a start, listened for a few moments, heard nothing, and was able to drift back off to sleep for a little while longer.

Other than that, my day plans include watching college football with Patrick and the kids, grilled chicken, recipe copying and maybe some knitting. I know, I know - I lead a life of total excitement, but you know what? I love it. I wouldn't trade being here with my family for anything in the world.

Hello, Summer?

Not really, I know. But it's 78 degrees here at the Lodge - on November 7th, for Pete's sake! We're taking advantage of the beautiful weather by raking and bagging leaves from our yard (along with the rest of the neighbors), and we're grilling tonight.

We were finally able to move the "trash" pile of boxes and bags out to the curb for trash pick-up. They don't pick up until Mondays, but I have to work tomorrow, so it was easier to get it done today and make sure it actually got done. I'm very pleased with the progress made today, although my back is *screaming*. I'm also pleased that there were *way* more boxes and bags in the "trash" and "donate" piles than there are in the "keep" pile. YAY for blessing someone else with stuff we don't need anymore :)

We'll have news here in the next week, hopefully. This will be huge for the entire family, and it will require some major changes and adjustments as well. Keep your eyes peeled for a post concerning that. We've been busy preparing for this possibility in order to make the transition as easy as possible.

I'm off to the grocery store to get some last minute things for tonight - I think we're going to hunker down with some snacks and watch football. It's evenings like this that I wish we had one of those fire pits, because although it's warm out now, it gets sort of chilly at night - the perfect weather for a fire!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Enjoy what's left of it!

I fully admit to never posting here anymore (not that it takes a rocket scientist to figure that out, I guess). For anyone who is still on my mailing list or a fan of my page, I fully intend to start blogging again with some regularity. I can't promise that will start now, as life is in full swing at The Lodge. However, I had to come and post a link to a blog that's become dear to my heart in the recent past:

At The Well

The first post on the site from today is a give-away, which is not the reason I'm posting the link (I do love a good give-away though!). Continue scrolling; continue reading. I think God has always spoken words that need to be heard, whether it be a Bible verse you read during your morning Bible study, a song on the Christian radio station in your car, or a blog post arriving in your email inbox. You don't necessarily have to be on the look-out for it, but your heart definitely has to be open to receive it.

To all of you, have a safe, happy Halloween. If you don't have children, remember kids will be out that night, likely paying more attention to the candy in their pails than the traffic. Be careful; be safe.

Under Pressure

This blog was started as an outlet - someplace to come and write out the day-to-day happenings (the inner workings, if you will) of my life as a wife, mother, employee, believer, etc. How I could allow it to become a nuisance is beyond me. I don't like feeling pressured to post, and that's exactly how I felt. We took a short trip to Denver a few weeks ago, and I haven't posted since then because I wanted my first post to be the pictures and stories of that trip - now I'm 3 weeks behind because I've been stalling on *one* post! That's just not right.

So, I'm postponing the Denver post so I can continue on with other, less important yet still interesting, things. Rest assured, I will post our Denver Oddessy, Part II.

My garden has sprouted, as have the rabbits. They started after my corn, which I was unsure would germinate anyway (lack of space). Now they've taken to my cantaloupe leaves. So, I googled and found about 1,456,829 solutions to the rabbit problem. What I ended up trying was simple garlic powder sprinkled around the space (I have such an overabundance of garlic powder, it's not even funny). We shall see how the cantaloupe plants look tomorrow morning - the rabbits must be getting them either at night or *way* early in the morning, because I never catch them there during the day, and there's a difference in foliage when I do my morning garden check.

Other than that, I do have some surviving corn. I planted it rather late, so it's smaller than the corn I see in other gardens. Size aside, however, it looks alright so far. I have peas, which the rabbits also got. Every time I'd go out and see new sproutings on the ends of the vines, I'd come back later in the day to find the new shoots gone, bitten away. Ah well - hopefully the garlic will solve that as well. I have no more mini sunflowers, although I can't blame the rabbits. I only had one plant that grew, and I think it may have gotten pulled as a weed by helpful little hands. Honestly, I'd rather have the help than the lone sunflower.

We've got radishes galore, the two hopeful cantaloupe plants, tomatoes, pickling cucumbers, green peppers, and pumpkins. No pumpkins yet, but flowers out the wazoo. All in all, I'd say it's a pretty good fare so far. Everything got put into the ground late, and I didn't have near the room I'd planned (that tiller kicked my butt). At the end of this season, I'll be ready with the newspapers and mulch in order to gain more space - about three times what I've got now.

The kids are C.R.A.Z.Y. The boys have cabin fever...the heat and humidity here have been awful for the past couple weeks. Now it's beautiful out, so hopefully we'll be curing that soon. Gina got another tooth, top left, second from the middle. It may not be a vampire tooth, but she'll still look vampire-ish until those top middles come in. She's crawling, standing with support, and "cruising" against furniture like a madwoman.

This weekend marks the 3rd annual (?) trip to PawPaw's over the summer. I think it's the third, but technically it's the first time going to his house up north. We'll leave early Friday morning, and I'm going to stay for a couple days to get the lay of the land there. Then I'll come back with GinaGina, and head back to pick them up the following weekend. If this doesn't cure their cabin fever, then it's hopeless. After they get back, they'll be attending VBS at a friend's church for a week, which they're excited about.

So much going on, and so little time. Soon it'll be time to start buying school supplies again and sending them off during the day. So I'm trying to make this summer as fun as possible for them. I just can't believe how much they're changing, almost day to day.

Backed UP

Well, I know I'm preaching to the choir, considering several of my readers (yup, all 3 of you:P ) have Multi-tasker's Disease just like I do...but how do things get so backed up???

I think spring has officially sprung here in the Midwest. I was actually {gasp!} sweating on my walk home from work today. Truly, it wasn't that warm, but I had my smock on, plus carrying my purse and a bag for my lunch. Plus, I'm no slouch when walking home...it's my exercise, so I'm semi-booking it. But the bottom line is, I *hate* being hot. I mean, there's only so many clothes one can take off, right?

Gina has been...down. We're not quite sure what's hit her, but it's wreaking havoc on our diaper pail! Our supply of infant's tylenol has been depleted as well. She's had a low to mid-grade fever for a few days now, and just isn't herself. It makes it even harder (if that was possible) to leave for work every morning - I'd much rather just sit and cuddle her until she's back to her beanie self.

Thomas and Jacob are SO ready for summer break! I can't remember exactly when they get out of school, but I know it's soon, and so do they! And they're glad to be able to wear shorts to school too, although they still insist they're "freeeeeeeeezing" every morning and want to take their winter coats. By the time we get out to the van, however, they're good to go. Both have field trips coming up too, and they are super excited about that! Oh and Thomas might be getting a lizard...and anole? I think that's what it's called. They have a whole bunch in their class, and anyone who turns in a permission slip gets one (if they don't have enough, then the names get dropped into a hat).

My tomato plants sprouted not long ago (yes, I'm behind!), and I bought one of those little $1 mini-pot things from Target that had sweet basil seeds in it - they're growing as well. I also got strawberries and...something else that I can't quite think of at the moment. I planted those later, however,and they've not sprouted yet. I've got to get the rest of the garden done this weekend...it's been raining so much here that I've not been able to even dig anything more since first starting. As far as I've heard though, this weekend is supposed to be beautiful.

Any other guesses as to what's on my weekend list? SPRING CLEANING, baby!!! Especially now, since the house seems to be in a hand basket here recently. There are a few things on my mental list that *must* get done, but some of the others are just "in the near future" tasks.

And since the baby was up much of the night last night, I think I'm going to hit the sack here shortly. Maybe I'll be able to catch a few z's before she wakes up tonight.

Montana

Yes folks, that's right. Montana. You want to know why? Because I'm really bad at giving titles to blog posts. And Montana was the first thing I saw as I looked around my half of The Bunker...that's the kind of guitar I have sitting against the keyboard. Not that I play...guitar or keyboard. My husband has been trying to convince me to pick up the bass and learn, but it hasn't happened yet.

Not that I'm not musical...I'm very musical. I played clarinet from 4th grade all through high school. I was drum major my sophomore and junior years of high school, then head drum major my senior year. I sang in choir (alto, thankyouverymuch). If I'd played a stage band-ish sort of instrument, I would've played in stage band as well - since I didn't, I was stage band manager. I'm musical. But I'm also very impatient, and get very frustrated, very easily. I expect to be able to pick up an instrument and play it, at least semi-well, by ear. I expect this because that's how I work - most instruments I really *can* do just that. But guitar? Not so much. Bass? Really not so much.

Did I mention I frustrate easily? :)

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So. I haven't blogged in awhile, and the blogging gods (a.k.a. BlogHer ads) threatened to hang me by my toes if I didn't post. Well, really they just freeze your ads and politely remind you to post. But hanging by your toes sounds much more...threatening. I think I'm going to have to bow out of BlogHer for awhile. I keep telling myself that "As soon as this is over, I'll have more time and be able to post more". Or "As soon as this happens, I'll have more interesting things to write about than how much dish soap I used in my dishes this evening".

Well, guess what kids? The extra time never knocks on my door, and neither do the interesting stories. Sure, I've got spare minutes that I spend playing on the computer, but that's where the interesting fodder comes in, or rather, doesn't come in. As much as I enjoy trying different scents, no one wants to hear about my dish soap.

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So, I've started raising sod from the-lawn-that-will-soon-be-my-garden.

Good. Lord.

Lifting sod is some tough work!! I mean, I'm a wimp and all, but even if I weren't a wimp - it would still be tough! I didn't even get one row done before I had to stop. Then, it snowed. Yes, it snowed in the Midwest on April 1st. It didn't stick, of course, but it was certainly enough to get me out of the spring-digging mood for a few days. I have next week off though, so I'm mentally ready to complete the first row and start to finish the second. I'm making two rows, about 5 feet wide and maybe 12 feet long? I don't know exactly how long they are, but long enough. I also started half of my tomatoes a few days ago as well. I just got another packet of organic Roma tomatoes from Gardens Alive, so I will have to plant those soon too. Also inside my delivery envelope was a note saying my order for lady beetles would be shipped separately, so I'm eagerly awaiting those!

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So what else is happening? OH! I've added a new website into my favorites over on the left sidebar - A Number of Things. She's actually helped me decide to stop using "code names" on my blog. I'd been thinking about it for awhile, as the baby quickly became Gina Bean here at home (among other nicknames), so Beanpole just didn't seem right for Thomas anymore. So...we've got Julie, Thomas, Jacob, and Gina. I'm Kelly, and my wonderful husband is Patrick. Nice to meet you! (And go check out her blog - she has a 4 month old, she gardens, AND she sews...so she's a good egg!)

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Let's see. The Boys have First Communion coming up! They've both experienced their first confession, and are all prepared for the upcoming occasion. We have to take a trip to Michael's this weekend to pick up a kit for a name banner. They have some really cute ones there. And no, Thomas and Jacob are not twins. Jacob is going through the normal 2nd grade PSR class, and normal 2nd grade First Communion. Thomas, however, has been going through RCIC (Right of Christian Initiation for Children), similar to what I went through to become Catholic as an adult. I'm so very proud of both of them, and pray that Patrick and I can teach them to be fine young men of God.

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Ah yes, and our hours at work finally got cut. We'd been waiting for it, as store front hours got cut awhile ago (twice, actually). We figured we were good at least until cold and flu season was over with, and sure enough - 15 hours less starting a couple weeks from now. Luckily, between my seniority, my senior tech status, and my need for at least 30 hours in order to keep insurance, my hours were not affected. However, a couple others got cut, and are feeling the pinch (or at least the fear of the upcoming pinch) already.

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Anything else? Oh yes! Gina now has two, count them, TWO teeth! Can't. Believe. It. Her second one just popped through sometime today, as it was not there this morning. They're both bottom middle teeth. This explains her chewing (again) recently. She's also discovered her tongue...again. She was "Tongue Baby" for awhile, when she first found out it was in her mouth. Now she knows that not only can she stick it out, but she can curl it too. It's too cute.

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Alright, I think that's it for now. I've got some new dish soap upstairs that I've been waiting to try! ;)

I am ALL about recipes...

...and in various different aspects of my life as well! Take, for instance, at work: if we get a script for a compound, we follow a recipe to make it. It doesn't happen often (we technically aren't a true "compounding" location), but when it does, I'm excited to make them.

And here at home? I'm a recipe girl! Dinners - I'm so not an experimenter when it comes to food! Sometimes I wish I were, but I think it mostly stems from having a strict grocery list and menu...if I experiment with a dinner and a) it turns out well, but the family doesn't like it, or b) it turns out like crap and the family doesn't like it, then BOOM! I've ruined dinner, and what am I going to make now??? Plus, food is expensive, in case you haven't noticed! I hate the thought of wasting food.

Also, recipes for disaster. How about this: what do you get when you have children, a day off, a list about the length of your arm full of things to do on said day off, some of which must get done during normal business hours? Well, if you're me (and probably many other moms, at some point), you get a sick child! You get a call from the school, first saying that Little Linebacker has visited the nurse's office a couple times this morning, but he doesn't have a fever and looks just fine. Then right after lunch, when you're on your way to one of the things you must do today, you get another call from that same sweet nurse, saying "Little Linebacker is green in the gills and puking into his coffee can" (apparently they've collected metal coffee cans, line them with disposable plastic liners, and let the kids sit in the nurse's office with them when their tummies are upset).

So I got to go pick up LL and head home with him. He's now laying on the couch, after being forced to head back out with me to drop Beanpole off at PSR. Cakes is also upstairs, whining away. I don't think she feels well either. She's just getting over whatever she had before. Earlier this morning (before the puking incident) she had the diaper to end all diapers, and hasn't been the same since.

I think we're all in for a long night. So, who wants to join me? Gather all your germy kids, your Clorox wipes, and your Kleenex, and maybe a pillow or two, grab a seat on the couch and hunker down for the evening.

{sigh}

It's a wonder how someone can be so content, and at the same time feel like everything is in a complete upheaval. How can things be so wrong, yet so right?

Beanpole had his first orchestra concert last night. He was fan-freakin-tastic!!! I teared up several times. He was able to sit right on the end of the second semi-circle, so the audience was right next to him. He was completely embarrassed by us, but I caught him peeking in between people's heads to see if we were looking. I smiled and winked at him every chance I got. A special treat of DQ ice cream, and all was well with the world.

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Little Linebacker was sick yesterday. I knew something was up when, the night before, he'd gone to bed on his own, falling asleep in a position only an unborn baby would find comfortable. A couple hours later, he awoke and ventured downstairs where his father and I sat working at our computers, glazed look in his eyes, sad scowl on his face. I asked if he was okay (I thought maybe he'd thrown up...it was that kind of look), but he said he was alright, nothing hurt, no accidents, nada. I ushered him back upstairs, and after a proper tucking in, he was asleep within seconds. The next morning? BAM. 102.8 degrees. My poor boy. This morning? No fever, no glazed eyes, my hyperactive child was back in business.

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Cakes has been sick as well. Her pediatrician said it could be a sinus infection, but it could also be strep (strep in babies present just like a sinus infection, not like in adults where it's accompanied by swollen tonsils and bumps and all that fun stuff). She was around someone who was diagnosed a few days prior with strep; that's the only reason he mentioned it. So she's on day 6 of medication, and although she's more like her normal self (which these days is a bubbly, talkative, squirming bundle of baby), but she's nowhere near well. We still run her humidifier at night and during naps, still suction her nose, and still change diapers affected by her antibiotics. Normally, though, she is just as cute as a button, has about a gazillion nicknames, and has transformed our home. She's quite enjoying her cereal, carrots, and butternut squash (she was supposed to get sweet potatoes last night, but the concert and all...no time for taters), and she's growing like mad. The whole starting of veggies makes me wish for spring, as I've received my Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds catalog and am hoping to order and actually plant a veggie-full garden this year, mostly for homegrown Cakes-food, but maybe some maters and cukes for me as well (oh, if only I could get The Boys to eat a veggie besides corn, which isn't really even a veggie!).

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Big Boss Man is upstairs asleep as I type, trying to fight what we first thought was a bought of Pizza Hut thin crust pizza, but now has lasted way too long and might actually be the flu. We had grand plans to get our taxes done this morning, but we'll see. I work this afternoon, and then for the rest of the week as well. So if it doesn't happen today, we're looking at Saturday at the earliest. Here's hoping whatever this bug is doesn't completely knock him out of the race.

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Back in January, I hurt my back at work. For some reason, I can make filing a small folder a dangerous job. I thought I threw my back out (I've never done that before, but I sure felt like it looks like people in the movies and on tv feel like when it happens). But I was able to stand back up at first, so I knew that wasn't right. I thought maybe I just pulled a muscle, so I tried to walk around the back of the pharmacy for awhile. A few hours later, not only was it not getting better, it was getting decidedly worse, to the point where if I took a step, I had to support my entire body weight by leaning on the counter. I ended up leaving early to go to the emergency room at the same hospital I gave birth to Cakes. I had to be wheeled out of the store in our "for customer use" wheelchair, which was thoroughly embarrassing.

Turns out, after IV morphine and exams by a couple different doctors and xrays and more IV morphine (woohoo!!), I herniated a disc. No one told me why it happened or what to do to make it not happen again. I was sent home on 2 day bedrest, then 4 days of no lifting. I saw an occupational therapist who released me for restricted duty one week after it happened, then full duty, no restrictions, 2 weeks after it happened. Now I definitely feel better, but I still get extraordinarily sore after a day of work (we stand the whole day, except a 20-30 minute lunch break). I have been trying to reach my workman's comp claims examiner for, let's see, this would be the 6th business day, and I haven't heard a thing. I also tried calling her supervisor, left a message there too, and nothing. I should have a check coming to me (granted, it's for one day's work, but that's still one day's work), and I'd like to see if I can at least follow up with my primary to get some kind of exercises to do to strengthen my back. I'm also fighting with the subrogation department about getting my ER copay back...$100 because I wasn't thinking clearly when I was there. Oddly, I've left 3 messages with that woman as well.

**********

I am also embarking on an expedition of my own. I've been trying (for years, it seems) to think of some way I could make money "on the side", so to speak. I believe this plan might actually be profitable, although I'm not sure how long it might take to reap the benefits. I've started on it already, although technically just in my mind. I'm keeping a book with me at all times to jot down notes and ideas. Will this be our meal ticket? No, I'd say not (I mean maybe in my wildest dreams, but not in the reality we live in daily). But it will definitely help, and it's something I'm good at already (as opposed to sewing, where I have issues, although I've not given up on my etsy dream yet either...just on hold).

2009 is almost here!

Can you believe that a new year is already around the corner? Well wait, I guess it was around the corner maybe a month ago...now it's practically beating down our door! Or is that the sound of opportunity I hear knocking? New years always bring us the opportunity to fix things that are broken...to take the time to enjoy things again...to realize what we have now, what we dream of having, and how to get it. New years brings us the satisfaction of looking back over the past 365 days and see exactly what we've accomplished, and gives us at least one more chance of grabbing that bigger prize, or being thankful for the one we grabbed.

What exactly do you have planned for the upcoming year? World travels? Going back to school? Finishing up that dreaded project you've had sitting on the back burner for a few months while life took a hectic turn? While I have many "tangible" things on my to-do list for 2009, I have a few intangibles as well. And these are of utmost importance.

You've always heard the saying "People only treat you how you allow them to treat you"? Well, I'm taking it to heart. No longer will I play dead when I encounter something I don't like...I'll stand up for myself, and in turn, I'll be teaching my children that if they come across something that isn't working out, they can always just put up with it, or they can decide what's best for them is to clear themselves of that situation.

In 2009, I also plan on not taking the little things for granted. My children are now almost 14, almost 10, almost 8, and almost 4 months! Where did that time go??? And why don't I remember more of it? Thank goodness for digital cameras, as at least I can capture their childhoods that way from here on out. But Beanpole and Little Linebacker? Sure I have film pictures of them as wee ones, but as much as I love taking pictures, I hate developing them, and I hate filing them into photo albums even more! So I will not allow their childhoods to slip away any further...I'm going to take the time to enjoy each of them for the joys they bring to the family individually.

I am going to use the new year as a stepping stone to getting my finances in order. My bankbook looks like Bank of America's version of Chernobyl. I have been so lucky to have family and friends who want nothing more than to help us out, but those times are over. There is no good reason things shouldn't be better than they are. Living like this isn't living, it's surviving, and we've done that long enough...time to *live*...without the worry that money often brings.

So what does the new year bring down your path? Do you make resolutions? Do you just hope that things are better next year, or do you make plans and timelines and set mini-goals in order to reach the main objective? Either way, I pray that the new year brings peace and joy to you all.

The time is upon us.

It's that time again folks!! It's *HOLIDAY* time!! Now this year, I'm not going to post pictures of all the Christmas stuff lining the shelves of my second home, Walgreens, like I did last year. But I will tell you that although we haven't put up our Christmas tree, or hung the stockings with care or anything a little on the weird side like that, we *have* hung up our jingle bell wreath on our front door. Our door needed something anyway.

We're knee deep in preparation for Turkey Day here. This will be the first evah turkey I've cooked...like, in my entire life. But I've watched my dear sweet mother do it about a gazillion times, so I know who to call when I can't figure out which end of the turkey bag to put the turkey in (uhm, that would be the *open* end, silly). Other than that, we'll be having the usual: stuffing (sorry mom, it's from a box...I can't master yours), mashed spuds, green bean casserole, either biscuits or corn muffins, and yup, even PIE!! I can't wait, and although the idea of double pay really appeals to us at this time, I'm secretly hoping BBM doesn't get called in to work.

Cakes is almost 3 months old, if you can believe that!! At her two month appointment, she'd grown longer, but not heavier (if you can believe that too!). Now, The Boys were chunks at this stage of the game. Their clothes were somewhere between "fit just right" and "not quite big enough around the middle". Cakes has plenty of wiggle room round her belly. She's also babbling now...I can't really describe it, but it's a hoot to listen to. She's a smiley little bugger too, especially if you catch her just waking up in the morning, before she realizes that no one is paying attention to her.

The Boys are incredibly excited for the holiday season to begin. There is only one thing on our television every Saturday and Sunday, then Monday night, and (at least in November) Thursday nights as well: football!!! Some college, some NFL...it doesn't matter to Little Linebacker. And he's still as score/record/statistic oriented this year as he was in years past - he can remember scores from games taking place 2 years ago. I can't imagine who he got that gene from. The OB didn't tell me, but I'm pretty sure he had a football cradled in his arms when he was born!

Beanpole is still doing wonderfully on the cello. He's learned pizzicato as well as bowing, and is practicing songs for his first concert! I'm trying to be supportive without being pushy. I would love to play the cello, so while I want to live vicariously through him, I also want him to enjoy what he's doing! He is so musically inclined, so it comes very easy to him. We have music playing almost constantly in the house, and a wide variety at that.

I just spoke with my mom, who has made plans to come over here tomorrow after church and help me try to finish getting Angel's room switched over. I'll admit it, I haven't done much of anything to it since moving the bunker downstairs. However, a few days ago I finally moved the file cabinets down into the basement. There are tons of loose papers, books, drawings, etc. left up there though, and I want to go through it all instead of just tossing it. Once that's done, a good dusting a vacuuming is in order, and then patching the nail holes in the walls. Then, finally, painting and putting up chair rail. I can't wait for it to be all finished! I've got before pictures, and I'll post them and the afters once we're completely done!

And now it's time for me to throw another load of laundry in while I wait for BBM to get home from work. If I don't get a chance to post again before Thanksgiving, have a wonderful holiday!! Be safe, be happy, and be thankful!

F.Y.I.

I will be mia for a little while in the near future. Some things have arisen on the homefront that require my utmost time and attention, and they will not be ignored. Please say a quick prayer for us as a family, and I'll be back when I can.

Alright, I give.

Whoever has come into my home and STOLEN my usb cord, speak now! Stop hiding! It can actually just be returned to me, no questions asked, anonymously...I won't press charges or anything!! All I want is my usb cord!! I want to share pictures with everyone! I want to share news in a visual way!

Since I can't do that, *sigh*, I'll have to share my news from yesterday in a ho-hum, ordinary way. So without further ado:

Yesterday...











I. SEWED. A. STRAIGHT. LINE.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Now people who've been reading here for awhile might know that although I've taken an interest in sewing (check out some of my awesome blahg links to the left, below the floating baby), and although I find myself in possession of a gifted-to-me sewing machine, I also found myself scared poopless of it, and of screwing anything up on it. There had been talk of taking it over to my mom's house one weekend and having her show me "the basics" (mainly threading the machine, since that's what everyone scared me with..."Threading the machine is the hardest part!"...or "If you can thread the machine without throwing it out the nearest window, you're good to go!"). But clearly, I'm 8½ months pregnant, and shouldn't be lifting anything near as heavy as a sewing machine.

But as luck would have it, mom came by yesterday anyway to help with some last minute preps for LMJM. I don't remember what made me think of the machine, sitting lonesome on the bunker floor in back of my chair, but I did...and I brought it out into the kitchen for her to view in all its glory. She asked if I had a manual, which I did, and we sat down together to at least thread the machine. Little did I realize that one has to, uhm, have THREAD to thread the machine (yeah, I'm a beginner). The spool that was on the machine was empty; there was material included with the machine, and lots of sweet little gadgets (including some kind of specialty foot that looks more like a torture device than anything else), but no spools of thread.

Thankfully, it wasn't too late in the day, so we took off to Michaels (which has a really bad selection of thread, by the way). After mingling around the Halloween and Christmas stuff that they already had on display, we found thread, oogled at the 44 dollar scissors (!!!!!!!!!!!), and headed back home. And what we figured out was this: Mom simply read the instructions and looked at the pictures, just like I did. :) Since all machines are different, that's what had to happen. And make it happen, we did. Once threaded, we also threaded a bobbin (I don't think that's what that's called, but I had no bobbins with white thread already on them, and she wanted to make sure I knew how to get thread from the spool to the bobbin, so that's what we did).

And to think...I had beautiful pictures of the straight line I sewed, and a zigzag I played around with as well...but since I can't post them, you'll have to believe me when I tell you how cool they looked, even on the little piece of scrap fabric I had! So now, I have a mission: I'll start going to the antique stores and thrift shops in the area in search of several things: fabric, preferably cheap fabric, since I'll just be playing around with it at first (practice, practice, practice), old patterns, preferably little girl dresses (I'm sure I could find little boy clothes too, but I've got a hunch that boy clothes are harder to sew, and I don't want to get frustrated), and any other little nifty sewing things I can find. I'll look for thread too, but I've heard you don't want to use "thrifted" thread for any serious projects, because who knows how old it might be, and old thread might be weak thread. But for jacking around, it'll be perfect.

So, I'm working my way up to become one of you special people...to join the ranks of those who create beautiful pieces, either for gifts, for your own enjoyment, or even to sell. And I promise...PROMISE that I will either find the usb cord or buy a new one in order to share pictures of anything I make, even if it's really bad (and there will be some really bad ones, trust me).

*****AUTHOR'S EDIT: I wanted to share this with you, as I'm sitting here listening to my younger son play in the bathtub. He yells over to me (I'm right across from the bathroom), "Mommy, did I tell you this joke before? What did the man say who was getting a Harley Davidson?"

"I don't know, what?"

"I can HARLEY wait."

I swear, he is his father's son.

Why, SWELLO there!!

Get it? Hello? Swell?

Well, that's what I'm busy doing. I'm swelling. Extraordinarily. Like a balloon being blown up slowly. That's me. A balloon.

And I actually don't mean my belly. I mean, that's swelling too, but it's gradual, ya know, like over the last 8 months. But my ankles? Gone. Monkey toes? They're now more like what the baby's toes are going to look like when she's born...chubby, can-barely-curl-them toes. It's great. Really. It wonderful.

I called my OB about it...you know, the whole preeclampsia thing is fairly scary. She said that I don't have any history of protein in my urine (sorry), my blood pressure is better than hers (her words, not mine), I've got no sudden headaches or pains or anything, and that the 106 degree temps probably aren't helping a whole lot either. That, and standing for 8 hours a day, minus a half hour lunch squat. All in all, she said unless I begin to experience swelling that doesn't at least go down during the night, or any of the other numerous symptoms we discussed, then it's probably just...swelling. Lovely. I never had this with the boys. The fact that they were both winter babies might have something to do with that, but still.

So, other than that, not a whole heckuva lot's happening 'round these parts. We had our contractor come out to take a gander at the bathrooms for a bid, but he's on vacation now with his wife. He said he'd try to get the bid to us before they left, but I guess that wasn't possible. And he only came here 2 days before they were leaving, so it's to be expected. I'm just hoping that LMJM holds off until her room is finished, even though she'll be sleeping in our room for the first little while anyway.

Speaking of LMJM, she's dropped. Now I get to pee 14 bazillion times a day, instead of only 7 bazillion. She's got difinite sleeping/waking patterns, but she's a very movey baby. I think she's going to be a boxer, personally, but what mother doesn't think that about her unborn lightweight champion whilst they're punching her right in the bladder? Really.

I'm 35 weeks and 2 days now...I go for my 36 week appointment this Saturday morning, and I'll have weeklies from here on out...that means it's close! Big Boss Man has a "feeling" that we won't be making it until September 7th. I could only wish, but really...seeing as The Boys were 4 and 8 days late, I'm not getting my hopes up. And since her room is still an office, we don't have her dresser upstairs yet, which means all the newborn clothes (and believe me, there are a lot of them) are in boxes on the floor of my bedroom. We're down to the wire now, and as much as I hate being last minute, I hate being unprepared even more. About the only thing in my control right now is my hospital bag, which I'm packing today after laundry gets done, and the amount of gas in our van's gas tank...don't want to have to stop at Quik Trip on the way to the hospital. I mean, they made a movie about a baby born in the WalMart which was a great movie...but born at the gas pump? Not me, folks. So the tank is full...and at least (knock on wood) the gas gods are helping me out a little...we're down to $3.59!!!

The Boys start school in less than a week! I can't believe it! We've got open house this Thursday, which I was actually able to move my work schedule around to go to! They've missed it every year they've been in school so far, because I've always had to work. Not this year, kids! We're going! So we'll get to meet their teachers ahead of time, and I think they can take their school supplies early too. This way, their backpacks can be used for their true purpose on the first day...FASHION STATEMENT, of course!! I'm excited for them to be going back, but not for my sake, for once! I mean, it'll be nice to have Tuesdays to myself to get stuff done, and Thursday mornings as well. However, they are S.O. B.O.R.E.D. here. I mean it's hotter than haites, so going outside is almost out of the question, unless they're playing in the hose (and even that's only cool for so long). And inside, it's a constant struggle over the video game or the tv. One can only watch so much SpongeBoob...er...I mean SpongeBob.

So now, I'm going to take a nap...or at least lie down for awhile. You know, feet up on a pillow sort of thing. The kids are watching a show on tv that they dvr'd. After my that, I have some laundry calling my name. At least I can sit while I fold that.

Times almost up!!!

Is anyone here anymore?

Knock knock...who's there?

Slacker.

Slacker who?




No really, it's just me. Would anyone like an update? Is anyone still out there? Can anyone believe that July is almost OVER?!?!?! Where the heck is the time going?

July has definitely lived up to the title of my blog...it's been a whirlwind! Dad was in town in the beginning of July, and not only did he (and Big Boss Man, a little) tear down everything that needed torn down in the master bathroom, but now we have cement board, and actual subfloor that doesn't look like it would collapse if you threw a paperclip onto it, and a toilet!! Okay, so the toilet doesn't work...but it did for maybe, 3 days! I think the whole shebang inside the tank (you know...the guts of the toilet) is botched, and I just don't have the energy to deal with that right now. Maybe tomorrow I'll attempt that. Having a working toilet for those 3 days, however, was heavenly.

Beanpole and Little Linebacker are TOTALLY ready to go back to school. They start at almost the middle of next month, so it's not far off now! I'll be making a list tomorrow of school supplies that are on sale at work this week (it's supposed to be a good week for supply sales!), although we're holding off on new shoes until right before school starts. If we got them now, they'd be filthy by the time they went back. And everyone knows you've got to have new kicks when you're going into (gulp) the 4th and 2nd grades!

Little Miss Junior Mint is growing like a weed, apparently. At my 30 week appointment I was measuring big, so they had me schedule an ultrasound at week 32. Let me tell you, this is gonna be one CUTE baby (and no, I'm not biased at all).



Now, they only got a couple shots during this ultrasound...it was more for measurements and stuff for the OB. But the above picture is just precious. Someone said she looks like she's wearing a bonnet. I didn't see it until they said that, but they're right! She's weighing in at 5lbs, so they say, and I'm praying that she'll be one of those babies that they're completely WRONG about. I've had an almost 10 pound baby before, and although I know I could do it again, I was looking forward to NOT doing it again!

My baby shower from my coworkers is this Saturday evening, already! I finally registered at Babies R' Us, and I was astounded at the cost of everything (necessities AND frivilous items). I did put a few big ticket items on the list, however, simply because BRU gives a 10% "completion discount" on stuff leftover on the registry. They'll send out a certificate anywhere from 7 days before until 7 days after your due date. So that will be a blessing if there's anything I truly need. We picked out pink and chocolate brown for the room colors, and the bedding is very light pink with butterflies and ladybugs. Very cute, VERY girly. When I came home from registering (my mom had gone with me, God love her), I went online with the list BRU gives you of necessities (yeah right), and I was simply amazed at the amount of pink I'd actually scanned!! Apparently, living with only males for almost 10 years has taken its toll on me, and I'm now ready for girly girly stuff.

I worked my last full week of work last week, which means I have tomorrow off! I've taken my schedule down to 4 days a week - this allows me to keep my Senior Tech status and benefits, but not work myself to the bone. I was having some issues, and my OB said it's better to cut down than to be put on bedrest and completely cut off. I totally agree, since I need that time to be home after LMJM is born, not before. BBM will also get to take his vacation around my due date, and it will be wonderful to have him home, not only to help me out, but to just have him home. Life gets hectic often, and the family seems to be the first thing to suffer. At least The Boys have neighborhood friends to hang out with, although that makes me sad too.

We are awaiting a written bid from our contractor for finishing the room in the basement. This will allow us to move The Bunker downstairs, finally fix LMJM's room, and have a place to put all her stuff! I think I've gotten all the clothes that she has (so far) washed and folded. Now if only the other laundry would cooperate like that!!

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. - Eleanor Roosevelt

When Mrs. Roosevelt spoke those words, I'm fairly certain that she didn't have me in mind since, you know, I like, wasn't even born then. But darn it if my dreams weren't beautiful, albeit strange last night. I also don't know if nighttime escapes into alterworlds was what she had in mind, but I'll apply it here.

I don't remember all of them, of course, because I don't keep a dream notebook right next to me on my nightstand...first thing I do when I wake is get up to pee, not write (proof that I'm not truly a writer, that I just play one on tv). The parts I remember, however odd, were magnificently beautiful...the kind of beautiful that I can't describe to you through words (hey, I said I'm not a writer!). My family was on a farm somewhere. There were no animals, and I think we were trying to buy the land? Or had just bought it maybe? No one ever said dreams had to be clear. So we were all walking around this huge piece of land, and there were other homes on it as well, that belonged to us, but weren't livable. At least that's what we were being told by the host of our tour of the grounds (Real estate agent? Friend?). We still went inside these dwellings, and in one of them, we found 5 pairs of shoes...enough for our whole family. They were really weird shoes, made of some kind of leathery-looking material, but they were shaped really funny. Everyone put theirs on except me, and one of the kids knew exactly what they were when we were trying to decide what they were made of (and these weren't Nike type shoes, so I don't know how they knew). I had slippers on already, and although I don't remember the rest of my family going barefoot before the great shoe finding, there were no other shoes left on the floor when we left the building, so they must've been.

There were no animals on this farm, and no vegetation that I remember (meaning it wasn't a crop farm either). It had beautiful trees and shrubs and fields. We finally walked to the edge of the property, there was a road, and the town was on the other side of the road...right there. My grandmother lived in a house in town, so we went there. Oh no wait, first we went through a house that was having some sort of estate sale, but it was an old-timey house, and she had things like spools of thread and antique kitchen gadgets. I remember finding a boatload of original Hardy Boys books for BBM, and I tried to call him on my cell phone (I don't know where he'd gone by that time), and I couldn't get through, so I bought them all so no one else would get to them first. Then we went to Oma's house, and we walked in and went to the other side of the house where she was, and it was her kitchen. But her kithen wasn't really part of the house...it was like someone had knocked out a wall, and built another room on, but the walls of the kitchen were made of this fabric/plastic stuff. And no one seemed to mind at all. Oma was also the same age as she is now, but she was moving around like I remember her doing when I was little and she was younger.

I have no idea what any of this dream means. Maybe it doesn't mean anything. Maybe it means I want a new house. Maybe it means my kids need new shoes. Maybe it means that I had too much cheese on my grilled cheese sandwich last night. Nonetheless, I like waking to at least remember that I had a dream...remembering what the dream was about is just a bonus!

My dad arrives from MN today, sometime. He's not much of a scheduler, so we don't really know when he'll be here (original plans had him here late yesterday night). I'm not sure how long he's staying, but the visit will be nice. I think we have plans to do as much little stuff around the house as we can. The Master Bathroom is high on his list, hoping to get at least a working bathroom back in order...I'd much rather have to stomp sleepily into a bathroom attached to our bedroom in the middle of the night instead of tripping over everything to go out into the hallway. Plus once I open the door, Dexter the Attack Cat wants in, and I just can't handle him sleeping on me now...TOO. HOT.

So, until next time, pay attention to your dreams. They allow you to escape into a world where things can "happen"...some may be beautiful, some may be ugly, some may serve no viable purpose at all. Maybe you'll be allowed to sneak a peak into your grandmother's plastic-covered kitchen once in awhile...

28/84

I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I'm 28 weeks pregnant!! We only have 84 more days until Little Miss Junior Mint makes her arrival! Everything of late has been fairly up in the air, so we've gotten NOTHING done (well, except for the whole growing-of-the-baby part...that's well underway).

As for how everything is going and how I feel...I feel very...pregnant. I can tell I'm older this time around, and in worse shape physically than I was with The Boys. I'm still tired, and my blood levels tell the reason: I'm anemic...woohoo!! So I have to buy some OTC ferrous sulfate supplements tomorrow and take them in addition to my prenatals. Hopefully I'll be able to feel the effects of those rather quickly, as we have so much to do in not a very long time. I am still having Braxton Hicks on top of Braxton Hicks. Way earlier than with the other two, but still "normal" according to my OB. If I have anything over 4 in an hour time frame, I'm to go in for a check. I'm up to 3 so far. I can definitely tell they're not real contrasctions, but they catch my breath just the same. Coworkers are starting to question whether I'll make it to the very end or not, and I'm totally unable to answer that question. I worked right up until D-Day with the boys, so anything other than that is abnormal to me. We shall see how things play out.

I went to the farmers market the other day. I scored on some fresh local fruits and veggies for our bbq yesterday (more on that later). As I was leaving, I passed by a little table full of flowers and plants and other such lovelies. I noticed some really tall plants, and when I took a gander at the sign, it said "Tomato plants - 3 for $1"!!! So I snagged 3 of them, cherry tomatoes, simply because if they don't give me any fruit, I'll only be out a buck. I got them planted in one of the sunniest parts of our yard today, so we'll have to wait and see what comes of them. I also grabbed 3 pepper plants (also 3 for $1), but planting the tomatoes really took it out of me, so I'll wait until tomorrow evening after work to make a spot for those. 3rd find was this flower...I don't know the name of them, but I remember them from my youth, and I love them. I think they'll be better as container plants, so I'll have to find a container to put them in, lol. I'll try to post pics of them in the future, and maybe someone can identify them for me.

Our bbq was a great success yesterday. A few friends, wonderful weather, good food. Heck, someone even brought a bottle of wine that I can't drink! (But I'll be saving that bad boy for after LMJM is born). I had to duck out early, as I had a birthday celebration for a friend that had been planned for ions. And only one couple didn't show up, which was dissapointing since we se them so little to begin with (he's out of town a lot). I can't remember the last time I even saw their girls...they're probably huge by now. But hopefully we'll be able to catch up with them soon.

I will admit to laying around on the couch today. BBM has to work (yup, on Father's Day), and The Boys are in solitary confinement for a heavy infraction. Dexter the Attack Cat and I have been lounging; that's his normal routine, and I'm trying to relax my sciatic nerve before I have to go back to work tomorrow. I still have laundry to do, although BBM has graciously advised me that he can get his done tomorrow on his only day off this week. So I'll have some extra time and energy, I hope, to make him his favorite cookies: chocolate chip without the chocolate chips.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Dad's Day!