Hey guys,
This weekend I will be working on moving my blog over to a new address (yeah!) ...hopefully WITHOUT losing a whole bunch of links, friends, and all that stuff.
WISH ME LUCK. I'm not the most tech-savvy person in the world. But I am possibly the cheapest person in the world, which is why I'm attempting to do this myself instead of letting a professional handle it. Haha. If it all goes horribly wrong, I think it'll be OK because I've backed everything up...
IF YOU ARE NOT GETTING ANY NEW POSTS in your reader or email by Monday, then make sure you click through from here to my blog and you'll be re-directed to my new one. You'll want to update your RSS/email subscriptions, probably...I'm not quite sure if I can do that for you or not.
Anyway, things could get a little weird for a few days! Just so you know. Hang in there with me, by Monday it should all be good. :)
Rachel
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
$15 Office Makeover
Well, hi! I have, in fact, NOT fallen off the face of the earth. Just in case you were wondering.
Today...just a quickie little "before & after" of a room in our house. This is the sunroom, otherwise known as the "computer/sewing/whatever-else-we-can-cram-into-it" room. One half is my sewing area, the other half is DH's office area. I have a lot of supplies. HE has a lot of supplies. Usually this room is an absolute nightmare to look at.
Behold:
That's the office side. My sewing side, when kept clean, is fine. But this office...there were some inherent problems.
Problem #1: The Hutch. Otherwise known as the "clutter magnet." Really, it served no purpose but to provide a place for us to put stuff on, that we didn't know where else to put.
Solution: Get rid of it!
New Problem 1 1/2: Wanna see what 8+ years of sitting by a sunny window will do to a desk?
Solution: Paint, of course! I resisted the very strong urge to go to Home Depot. I wanted to spiff up this room for as little money as humanly possible. So to the basement I went, and much to my surprise and delight, we had almost a full quart of black semi-gloss paint. AND primer. AND I even found some little mini foam roller covers down there. Our basement is a dark and scary place, but you can find good stuff there if you look!
Problem #2: The Big Hulking Chair
Just not fitting for such a teeny tiny room. Plus, it spins around, so when the kids would get on it and use it like a piece of playground equipment, it put gashes in the front of the desk, making the desk even more unsightly.
Solution: My $3 flea market chair! A little paint & fabric, and there ya go.
And here is the new and improved desk, sans hutch, all freshly painted:
OK! Moving on...
Problem #3: The Corner of Junk
Scary.
Solution: Shelves...was going to buy some from IKEA, but DH reminded me that we had some shelves down in the basement (see?) that his work was just going to throw away. They'd been down there for more than a year.
Brought them up, cleaned them off, spent $12 on brackets, and.............
And here it is, all together...SO much better now!
I still need to find a solution for all those wires under the desk. But I'm going to wait, because I have a feeling that the big old computer is about to be forced into retirement, to be replaced by a young ambitious laptop. We shall see.
Oh and I couldn't resist...I was taking this picture, and I looked up, and this is what I saw :)
Today...just a quickie little "before & after" of a room in our house. This is the sunroom, otherwise known as the "computer/sewing/whatever-else-we-can-cram-into-it" room. One half is my sewing area, the other half is DH's office area. I have a lot of supplies. HE has a lot of supplies. Usually this room is an absolute nightmare to look at.
Behold:
Problem #1: The Hutch. Otherwise known as the "clutter magnet." Really, it served no purpose but to provide a place for us to put stuff on, that we didn't know where else to put.
Solution: Get rid of it!
New Problem 1 1/2: Wanna see what 8+ years of sitting by a sunny window will do to a desk?
 |
| Yeah. That's apparently the official place where the "sun doesn't shine." |
Problem #2: The Big Hulking Chair
Just not fitting for such a teeny tiny room. Plus, it spins around, so when the kids would get on it and use it like a piece of playground equipment, it put gashes in the front of the desk, making the desk even more unsightly.
Solution: My $3 flea market chair! A little paint & fabric, and there ya go.
And here is the new and improved desk, sans hutch, all freshly painted:
OK! Moving on...
Problem #3: The Corner of Junk
Scary.
Solution: Shelves...was going to buy some from IKEA, but DH reminded me that we had some shelves down in the basement (see?) that his work was just going to throw away. They'd been down there for more than a year.
Brought them up, cleaned them off, spent $12 on brackets, and.............
 |
| Ho yeah! |
Oh and I couldn't resist...I was taking this picture, and I looked up, and this is what I saw :)
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Changes to Pleased as Punch
*SIGH*
I'm tired of my name. There, I said it.
I liked it at first. But now it just sounds "cutesy" to me. Like, the "trying too hard to be cutesy" sort of cutesy. I don't believe that I am trying too hard. I don't believe that I even want to be a "cute" blog - not that there's anything wrong with cute blogs...they're fun to look at. I'm just pretty sure that's not me, but I think my name says something different.
And honestly, lately, I feel a little stupid when I have to tell someone what the name of my blog is.
Ummmmm...that's not good! At all!
But even more than a name change, I've been thinking of a whole shift for what I'm doing over here. Maybe not a big shift, maybe just a little more focus perhaps. I just used "maybe" and "perhaps" in the same sentence. Does that just scream "decisive" or what???
I have some ideas. But I'm interested in knowing what YOU think. Please don't leave me with the sound of crickets chirping! :) I really want to know!
Why do you read my blog? What do you come here hoping to find? (I mean BESIDES my hilarious, witty and engrossing posts. Obviously.) What do you wish you saw more of here? Why are you NOT reading anymore (and I realize that if you're reading this now, that question probably doesn't apply)?
You can be honest; you won't hurt my feelings! Inquiring minds want to know. :)
I'm tired of my name. There, I said it.
I liked it at first. But now it just sounds "cutesy" to me. Like, the "trying too hard to be cutesy" sort of cutesy. I don't believe that I am trying too hard. I don't believe that I even want to be a "cute" blog - not that there's anything wrong with cute blogs...they're fun to look at. I'm just pretty sure that's not me, but I think my name says something different.
And honestly, lately, I feel a little stupid when I have to tell someone what the name of my blog is.
Ummmmm...that's not good! At all!
But even more than a name change, I've been thinking of a whole shift for what I'm doing over here. Maybe not a big shift, maybe just a little more focus perhaps. I just used "maybe" and "perhaps" in the same sentence. Does that just scream "decisive" or what???
I have some ideas. But I'm interested in knowing what YOU think. Please don't leave me with the sound of crickets chirping! :) I really want to know!
Why do you read my blog? What do you come here hoping to find? (I mean BESIDES my hilarious, witty and engrossing posts. Obviously.) What do you wish you saw more of here? Why are you NOT reading anymore (and I realize that if you're reading this now, that question probably doesn't apply)?
You can be honest; you won't hurt my feelings! Inquiring minds want to know. :)
Monday, July 16, 2012
Summer Reading List
Oh, the dreaded summer reading list. I used to have one of those from 3rd grade on up. Every summer, I would wait until about a week before school started, and then do nothing but read...cramming all the books in, and then skimming the ones that didn't hold my interest. (That was most of them.) Books like The Hobbit...all I remember is the description of Gollum, those endless songs and poems in italics, and some place called Murkwood. I'm sure if I read it today, I'd find it more interesting, but it was pure torture for me back in high school. I'm also pretty sure that at this point in my life, I'll just wait for the movie. Don't judge! ;)
Life is so ironic. NOW, I can't get enough reading done. My "to-read" list is a mile long. If I finish a book and don't have another one to start that night, I get irritated. Emergency trips to the library happen. (I'm pretty sure I'll be the last person on earth to get a Kindle! That's OK with me.)
My new year's resolution to "read more" is actually going awesome-ly. Being on Goodreads helps - it keeps track of the books I read, and it's a great place to find which books I want to read next. Tons and tons of reader reviews. Here's my profile - if you're on it too, friend me! I love to see what my friends are reading!
Anyway, this summer I've read the following:
The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones by John Rucyahana
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(well, I read half of it. I didn't finish this one!)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(currently reading)
It's purely coincidental that I read two circus books in a row. I don't have a big interest in the circus, really! But I have to say that Water for Elephants is my current "summer favorite" so far. I loved that book. But be warned: there's some language, which I can usually handle, but in this one there is a fair amount of using the name of Jesus as a curse word and that just makes me queasy. There is also a smattering of sexual content that in my opinion, is more detailed than it needs to be. But the scenes are short, and there are only a few. OTHER THAN THAT, the story and characters are so engrossing...I actually felt sad that it had to come to an end. And speaking of the end: one of my favorite endings ever.
My other favorite book this summer has been Radical. But it totally deserves its own post. I'll do that someday soon.
So...what are YOU reading this summer?
Life is so ironic. NOW, I can't get enough reading done. My "to-read" list is a mile long. If I finish a book and don't have another one to start that night, I get irritated. Emergency trips to the library happen. (I'm pretty sure I'll be the last person on earth to get a Kindle! That's OK with me.)
My new year's resolution to "read more" is actually going awesome-ly. Being on Goodreads helps - it keeps track of the books I read, and it's a great place to find which books I want to read next. Tons and tons of reader reviews. Here's my profile - if you're on it too, friend me! I love to see what my friends are reading!
Anyway, this summer I've read the following:
The Bishop of Rwanda: Finding Forgiveness Amidst a Pile of Bones by John Rucyahana
Becoming More Than a Good Bible Study Girl by Lysa TerKeurst
Radical: Taking Back Your Faith From the American Dream by David Platt
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(well, I read half of it. I didn't finish this one!)
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
(currently reading)
It's purely coincidental that I read two circus books in a row. I don't have a big interest in the circus, really! But I have to say that Water for Elephants is my current "summer favorite" so far. I loved that book. But be warned: there's some language, which I can usually handle, but in this one there is a fair amount of using the name of Jesus as a curse word and that just makes me queasy. There is also a smattering of sexual content that in my opinion, is more detailed than it needs to be. But the scenes are short, and there are only a few. OTHER THAN THAT, the story and characters are so engrossing...I actually felt sad that it had to come to an end. And speaking of the end: one of my favorite endings ever.
My other favorite book this summer has been Radical. But it totally deserves its own post. I'll do that someday soon.
So...what are YOU reading this summer?
Monday, July 9, 2012
Downstairs progress: Inspiration Rooms
When I re-decorate a room, I like to do what they did on a show called "Design on a Dime." (Is that still on? I have no time for HGTV these days. Well, except for Design Star, but that's on at night.) ANYWAY. On this show, they would have an "inspiration room," which was a photo of a high-end, expensive room - and then they would duplicate it in their own house with similar, more affordable things.
I'm no interior designer. I can't just look at a room and dream up beautiful things to do to it. But (I'd like to think) I can execute the ideas fairly well. So I love the whole "inspiration room" thing.
I had an inspiration room for our bedroom...
that turned into this (still a work in progress)...
....hmm. Now I actually feel kind of lame. Well, in my defense, our room is tiny - about 10.5' x 11'. I kid you not. Tiny. Aren't old houses "charming?" But still, there's no excuse for the bare wall behind the bed - gotta do something about that, it would look so much more finished....
MOVING ON!
In my search for a nice color palette for the downstairs, I found this room in a BHG photo gallery and fell in love with it:
Ahhh. Isn't this beautiful? So fresh and light. I love those gray-ish walls with the green and brown. This became my inspiration room, love at first sight.
First things first, I painted our walls. I went with a neutral light gray, called "Gentle Rain" by Behr. What a breath of fresh air! The previous color was this yellow-ish, caramelly color that had been there for quite a few years.
Vive la difference...
So that was that for the paint. (I did paint both rooms, if you're wondering!)
Next up was the curtains. I dubbed the ones in the inspiration photo "the curtains of my dreams." My mom actually found the specific fabric online - Waverly "One Wish" in Mint Julep. Herein lay the problem: I needed 12 yards to do both windows. At Joann's, that fabric is $40 a yard. That just ain't happening. Even if we had the sort of budget where $500 for curtains was do-able, I don't think I'd be able to bring myself to actually do it! At Fabric.com, it's $16 a yard. Much better...but still not justifiable for me. That's still $48 a panel...I just can't do it! Not when there's fabric like this...
...on sale at Joann's for $7.99 a yard. Normally $20, it goes on sale once a year for 60% off. It's from the Waverly Modern Essentials line, called "Fun Floret." So at $100 for all 12 yards...we're not talking "cheap," but we're now finally talking "do-able."
And how FUN is this beautiful fabric???
I could not be happier with these curtains! They are a fun, fresh pattern and color, and they do so much to brighten up these rooms!
It's coming together, but I still have lots to do. Next up: wall decor.
I'm no interior designer. I can't just look at a room and dream up beautiful things to do to it. But (I'd like to think) I can execute the ideas fairly well. So I love the whole "inspiration room" thing.
I had an inspiration room for our bedroom...
 |
| photo source |
....hmm. Now I actually feel kind of lame. Well, in my defense, our room is tiny - about 10.5' x 11'. I kid you not. Tiny. Aren't old houses "charming?" But still, there's no excuse for the bare wall behind the bed - gotta do something about that, it would look so much more finished....
MOVING ON!
In my search for a nice color palette for the downstairs, I found this room in a BHG photo gallery and fell in love with it:
 |
| photo source |
First things first, I painted our walls. I went with a neutral light gray, called "Gentle Rain" by Behr. What a breath of fresh air! The previous color was this yellow-ish, caramelly color that had been there for quite a few years.
 |
| before - old color |
 |
| after - new color |
So that was that for the paint. (I did paint both rooms, if you're wondering!)
Next up was the curtains. I dubbed the ones in the inspiration photo "the curtains of my dreams." My mom actually found the specific fabric online - Waverly "One Wish" in Mint Julep. Herein lay the problem: I needed 12 yards to do both windows. At Joann's, that fabric is $40 a yard. That just ain't happening. Even if we had the sort of budget where $500 for curtains was do-able, I don't think I'd be able to bring myself to actually do it! At Fabric.com, it's $16 a yard. Much better...but still not justifiable for me. That's still $48 a panel...I just can't do it! Not when there's fabric like this...
And how FUN is this beautiful fabric???
 |
| radiators under windows...the bane of my existence! |
It's coming together, but I still have lots to do. Next up: wall decor.
Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Downstairs Redo: The Shape of Things to Come
That title is for all you Losties out there. Has it really been a month since I've last done anything on here? Well, I'm a busy lady, what can I say.
One rather important "housekeeping" item: I noticed that when I opened up my own blog today, the post titles were all in the Comic Sans font. It is very important to me that YOU realize that this is not anything I have done on purpose. I firmly believe that Comic Sans is pure evil in the form of a font. It makes me shudder just to look at it when other people use it. I have no explanation for why it is showing up on my blog...but I didn't want anyone to think less of me. ;) We behind the scenes at Pleased as Punch are thinking about maybe doing something about it someday.
OK, with that bit of ridiculousness out of the way...as I mentioned before, I've been busy! Wanna see?
One day I got really fed up with our downstairs rooms: the family room and the play room, formerly known as the dining room. We have this bookcase that we've had for years. Actually, DH built it for me! At the time, it was built for a specific purpose, which included housing a tv (as you can see). It worked great for us for a long time. But over the years, it had come to this:
I could stand it no longer. With DH's blessing and the assurance that he wouldn't get upset or anything, I took that bookshelf apart, board by 500-pound board, until it was a pile of scrap lumber that now sits in our basement. We have these three MDF bookshelves that my sister-in-law gave to us before they moved out of town. They have been sitting up in the spare room, holding books, but not in a pretty way. We just didn't really have a use for them. But a light bulb LITERALLY appeared above my head one day! Literally! So I hauled those things downstairs (no small task) and butted them up against each other and WOW what a difference.
They look so clean and uniform! I hardly wanted to put anything in them! It really makes the room feel like there's more space to move. All that clutter felt oppressive, almost, and I didn't even realize it until it was gone. Now listen: I'm not done with the new bookshelves; I did put pretty much everything back on, just to put it somewhere. For now. I think it still looks a little cluttered, but so much better than before. And I do have plans...I'm just waiting for some fun things to come in the mail. More on that later! Anyway, here it is at the moment...
And thus, the Changing of the Bookshelf was the little rock that rolled down the hill that started the avalanche.
One time, DH & I replaced the light/fan/heater fixture in the bathroom, and it turned into a whole big bathroom renovation. This is what tends to happen. I think, "my goodness! That one little thing makes such a nice difference...what else could I change?" And then I start getting ideas.
Next up...!
One rather important "housekeeping" item: I noticed that when I opened up my own blog today, the post titles were all in the Comic Sans font. It is very important to me that YOU realize that this is not anything I have done on purpose. I firmly believe that Comic Sans is pure evil in the form of a font. It makes me shudder just to look at it when other people use it. I have no explanation for why it is showing up on my blog...but I didn't want anyone to think less of me. ;) We behind the scenes at Pleased as Punch are thinking about maybe doing something about it someday.
*****
OK, with that bit of ridiculousness out of the way...as I mentioned before, I've been busy! Wanna see?
One day I got really fed up with our downstairs rooms: the family room and the play room, formerly known as the dining room. We have this bookcase that we've had for years. Actually, DH built it for me! At the time, it was built for a specific purpose, which included housing a tv (as you can see). It worked great for us for a long time. But over the years, it had come to this:
I could stand it no longer. With DH's blessing and the assurance that he wouldn't get upset or anything, I took that bookshelf apart, board by 500-pound board, until it was a pile of scrap lumber that now sits in our basement. We have these three MDF bookshelves that my sister-in-law gave to us before they moved out of town. They have been sitting up in the spare room, holding books, but not in a pretty way. We just didn't really have a use for them. But a light bulb LITERALLY appeared above my head one day! Literally! So I hauled those things downstairs (no small task) and butted them up against each other and WOW what a difference.
They look so clean and uniform! I hardly wanted to put anything in them! It really makes the room feel like there's more space to move. All that clutter felt oppressive, almost, and I didn't even realize it until it was gone. Now listen: I'm not done with the new bookshelves; I did put pretty much everything back on, just to put it somewhere. For now. I think it still looks a little cluttered, but so much better than before. And I do have plans...I'm just waiting for some fun things to come in the mail. More on that later! Anyway, here it is at the moment...
And thus, the Changing of the Bookshelf was the little rock that rolled down the hill that started the avalanche.
One time, DH & I replaced the light/fan/heater fixture in the bathroom, and it turned into a whole big bathroom renovation. This is what tends to happen. I think, "my goodness! That one little thing makes such a nice difference...what else could I change?" And then I start getting ideas.
Next up...!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
Highs and Lows: Awk-warrrrrrd! Edition
Hey, are we still doing highs and lows, Jen? Well, I am...
I'll list the lows first - usually I say it's because I like to end on a positive note, which is usually true. But today, honestly, it's because the lows are all that I can think of! It's not that I'm a negative person, even though DH says I'm a pessimist. (I say I'm REALISTIC!) I'm not even in a bad mood right now! It's just been a rough week. Thank goodness for the weekend.
LOWS:
1. Ugh. I still feel kind of sick about this one. Without going into too much detail (because a startling number of "real life friends" actually read this thing), here's the situation: I was giving a friend's child a ride somewhere. When we got there, the child WHIPPED the car door open with all their might, putting a dent (with the paint chipped off) in the $40,000 car next to us. And yes, I yelled at the child with the same force that they smashed the door into the car, if you're wondering. Then I felt like a humongous jerk. Anyway, I left a note, the guy called (and turns out to be a state trooper!), and I had to deliver the news to my friend that the damage is somewhere around $500. Talk about uncomfortable. If you're wondering, yes, insurance would have taken care of it, but since it was my car, it would have had to go through my insurance. We would have had to open up a claim and burn our "first accident forgiveness" on this incident. Situations like this just suck the life out of me.
What would you have done?
2. We have a tee-baller and a softball-er. And lately it seems that all of their games are scheduled simultaneously. So I stand in between the two fields and try to watch both games. When you try to watch two games, you go home feeling like you didn't see anything at all. That is a bummer. I know it's not my fault, but it makes me feel like a "bad mom" when I miss seeing my daughter pitch or my son up at bat. I just hate that. It's just the way the schedule is this year, it seems.
3. And speaking of "bad mom" moments, my kindergartener had a field trip this week that I didn't remember until that morning. It's not that I had to do anything last-minute...it's just that I realized how out of touch I have been lately. I always imagined that I'd be a "cookie-baking, homeroom mom" kind of mom...not a mom who forgets when her kids' field trips are.
HIGHS:
1. As is our custom, DH & I had a nice morning of yard sale-ing on Friday before I started work. I found a few things; a really nice set of curtain rods with ceramic finials for $5...I guarantee these cost a fortune when they were originally bought. They are going in Abby's room. I also found a couple of books, no big whoop. But we just had fun...DH did pretty well. It always cracks me up how some people are...you can tell the ones who do the yard sale thing regularly and the ones who don't. You can tell the sellers who are just trying to get rid of junk, and the ones who are looking to get rich by selling their junk. They do not bargain at all, which just irritates me! What's up with that? I could have gotten a pair of strawberry pots for $10 yesterday. I asked if she would take $7, and she said no. I'm thinking, "you live in a $400,000 house. Do you need the $3 that badly?" So I walked away from the pots. Now I'm kicking myself a little...$10 is still a great deal. Oh well. Anyway, the point is, Friday mornings have become a major high point in my week.
2. This could really go either way, but when I think about it, all I have are good feelings mixed with a little sadness. So I'm putting it in my list of "highs" - this week I went to my very last MOPS meeting ever. When your youngest child goes into 1st grade, you become a MOPS graduate, and they basically give you a nice potted flower and kick you out. ;) But it's OK. By the time your youngest is 6-7 years old, you really don't need MOPS anymore...it's a different stage of life now. Anyway, being a graduate, I got to get up and say something about my experience with MOPS over the last few years. I hope I was coherent...I love speaking to big groups of people, but I have a tendency to babble and lose track of what I'm talking about. If you can imagine that. I did cry a little. But not because I'm worried about losing touch with my friends; just because the closing of chapters of life can be so hard. For me, closing the chapter of having babies/toddlers/preschoolers has been really difficult. Every once in a while it hits me that my kids are SCHOOL AGE kids and not sweet little 2 year olds anymore.
3. If all goes well, today I am FINALLY going to get all my plants & veggies. Whether they get into the ground or not today, I don't know, but if I can at least get them to my house, I will feel a little less behind than I am right now. Yesterday we had a softball game right exactly in the middle of the day, which boogered things up. Today I have a baby shower at 2, which is also threatening to interfere with my outside plans...but I think I can pull it off. Cross your fingers for me!
Can you tell I'm totally overwhelmed and have no time for anything??? I am thankful for my job, I really am. But I'm counting the HOURS until my summer begins.
I'll list the lows first - usually I say it's because I like to end on a positive note, which is usually true. But today, honestly, it's because the lows are all that I can think of! It's not that I'm a negative person, even though DH says I'm a pessimist. (I say I'm REALISTIC!) I'm not even in a bad mood right now! It's just been a rough week. Thank goodness for the weekend.
LOWS:
1. Ugh. I still feel kind of sick about this one. Without going into too much detail (because a startling number of "real life friends" actually read this thing), here's the situation: I was giving a friend's child a ride somewhere. When we got there, the child WHIPPED the car door open with all their might, putting a dent (with the paint chipped off) in the $40,000 car next to us. And yes, I yelled at the child with the same force that they smashed the door into the car, if you're wondering. Then I felt like a humongous jerk. Anyway, I left a note, the guy called (and turns out to be a state trooper!), and I had to deliver the news to my friend that the damage is somewhere around $500. Talk about uncomfortable. If you're wondering, yes, insurance would have taken care of it, but since it was my car, it would have had to go through my insurance. We would have had to open up a claim and burn our "first accident forgiveness" on this incident. Situations like this just suck the life out of me.
What would you have done?
2. We have a tee-baller and a softball-er. And lately it seems that all of their games are scheduled simultaneously. So I stand in between the two fields and try to watch both games. When you try to watch two games, you go home feeling like you didn't see anything at all. That is a bummer. I know it's not my fault, but it makes me feel like a "bad mom" when I miss seeing my daughter pitch or my son up at bat. I just hate that. It's just the way the schedule is this year, it seems.
3. And speaking of "bad mom" moments, my kindergartener had a field trip this week that I didn't remember until that morning. It's not that I had to do anything last-minute...it's just that I realized how out of touch I have been lately. I always imagined that I'd be a "cookie-baking, homeroom mom" kind of mom...not a mom who forgets when her kids' field trips are.
HIGHS:
1. As is our custom, DH & I had a nice morning of yard sale-ing on Friday before I started work. I found a few things; a really nice set of curtain rods with ceramic finials for $5...I guarantee these cost a fortune when they were originally bought. They are going in Abby's room. I also found a couple of books, no big whoop. But we just had fun...DH did pretty well. It always cracks me up how some people are...you can tell the ones who do the yard sale thing regularly and the ones who don't. You can tell the sellers who are just trying to get rid of junk, and the ones who are looking to get rich by selling their junk. They do not bargain at all, which just irritates me! What's up with that? I could have gotten a pair of strawberry pots for $10 yesterday. I asked if she would take $7, and she said no. I'm thinking, "you live in a $400,000 house. Do you need the $3 that badly?" So I walked away from the pots. Now I'm kicking myself a little...$10 is still a great deal. Oh well. Anyway, the point is, Friday mornings have become a major high point in my week.
2. This could really go either way, but when I think about it, all I have are good feelings mixed with a little sadness. So I'm putting it in my list of "highs" - this week I went to my very last MOPS meeting ever. When your youngest child goes into 1st grade, you become a MOPS graduate, and they basically give you a nice potted flower and kick you out. ;) But it's OK. By the time your youngest is 6-7 years old, you really don't need MOPS anymore...it's a different stage of life now. Anyway, being a graduate, I got to get up and say something about my experience with MOPS over the last few years. I hope I was coherent...I love speaking to big groups of people, but I have a tendency to babble and lose track of what I'm talking about. If you can imagine that. I did cry a little. But not because I'm worried about losing touch with my friends; just because the closing of chapters of life can be so hard. For me, closing the chapter of having babies/toddlers/preschoolers has been really difficult. Every once in a while it hits me that my kids are SCHOOL AGE kids and not sweet little 2 year olds anymore.
3. If all goes well, today I am FINALLY going to get all my plants & veggies. Whether they get into the ground or not today, I don't know, but if I can at least get them to my house, I will feel a little less behind than I am right now. Yesterday we had a softball game right exactly in the middle of the day, which boogered things up. Today I have a baby shower at 2, which is also threatening to interfere with my outside plans...but I think I can pull it off. Cross your fingers for me!
Can you tell I'm totally overwhelmed and have no time for anything??? I am thankful for my job, I really am. But I'm counting the HOURS until my summer begins.
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