#2 and #3 are home safely! (#1 and I picked them up 100 miles north of Birmingham.) They both have dry coughs, and #2 is very tired, so we’re just going to hang slow tomorrow and watch the promo vid for “Fireproof” and munch Gouda cheese.
They’re home!
I decided it would be easier to function if the fridge were back in its regular spot, so I finished laying the new laminate tiles in that corner of the kitchen whilst watching (ok, listening to) “Gone in 60 Seconds”.
“Gone” stars Nicolas Cage, Angelina Jolie, and Robert Duvall, and was made by Jerry Bruckheimer (of the “National Treasure” movies) for Touchstone (a Disney Company). You’d think it would be through the roof. Maybe Eisner was in transition that day, though- it’s got too many subplots and not enough heart, IMO.
Anyway, Mr W and I had been planning on doing the floor before #2 and #3 get back (Saturday), and we figured it would take 2 nights. We bought the tile a year ago.
One odd thing, the tile for the kitchen happens to be the exact tile we laid in the washroom 6 months before we bought this stuff for the kitchen- but we didn’t realize it until we had laid a line in the kitchen and said, “Wow, this looks familiar…”
There were other patterns I liked a lot better, but this was the only one Mr W and I could agree on. Obviously, the only pattern we could agree on 6 months earlier, too. At least we’re consistent!
The color is slate, with shades of brown mixed in . There’s a 1/8-inch grey border around each tile. It’s going to hide dirt like nobody’s business! (But, as you might imagine, it makes the livingroom carpet look even more shoddy… Where’s that 2009 Incentive Check? lol)
(I can’t get a comment onto your site, I’ve lost my password.)
I’m praying for you and Muffin: it’s agony when a kiddo falls sick.
Your love is going to speed her recovery!
1. Romance in my marriage.
2. to make an eternal difference in the lives of young women.
3. to fit into a size 16.
4. all the credit cards to be paid off.
5. a schedule that includes effective therapy for #3.
6. #1’s attitude to be sweet.
(What a malcontent!)
Rootie at “Because it Really is Personal” gave out a general tag. Me, too- Tag, you’re It!
Seven things in my life that have made me really happy:
1. Receiving eternal life. I felt so immediately, completely clean inside, a feeling I hadn’t felt (and barely remembered) since childhood. I burst into tears, and had to explain around my sobs that they were tears of joy!
2. Walking down the aisle on my wedding day. Gloriana! Those first 3 years of marriage were so hard, remembering my wedding day (and how I knew I was making the right decision) was one of the few things that kept me from leaving Mr W.
3. Watching the improv at Sak Theater in Orlando with the couples from our Home Group. I had a broken toe (thought it was a bruise), but laughed the whole night through.
4. Looking at #1’s eyebrows a minute after she was born. Every hair was put in place so perfectly, I knew she was/is a gift from God Himself, Personally, to our family.
5. The church service in Guaynabo, Puerto Rico. The people were treasures, and the warehouse-become-church even smelled like Mr W and I belonged.
6. Changing a student’s life. Not by the academics, but by convincing him in one sincere sentence that he didn’t have to stand in his big brother’s shadow anymore.
7. Buying my kids outrageously expensive ice cream at Sea World. My dad had been so generous that, when we were all tired, hot, and a bit whiny, I was able to ignore the rip-off price and give us relief.
Looking back over this list, I’ve noticed there aren’t any entries from childhood. I had a pretty decent childhood, accomplished some exceptional things, but copied my parents’ unhappiness.
If you had asked me at age 20 about 8 things that had made me happy, the list would be different. Not only because some of the above hadn’t been experienced yet, but because, to be honest, happy moments with Christ are so much higher than anything from the life I had before I became a Christian. It’s like the difference between living life as a cartoon and living it as a real person.
Old School gave Mr W some lumber. It is waiting patiently in the back yard, as Mr W dreams of making a pergola. (Yeah, I had to Wiki it, too.)
The cucumbers are pretty much harvested- 15 jars of various types of pickles. We finished getting peaches from our friends’ tree, so there’s also 15 jars of peach preserves and 4 gallon bags in the freezer (for smoothies). Green beans are starting to come in, and Mr W has picked his FOURTH immature watermelon (some people just can’t wait!).
Our friends are moving to Italy, and Wednesday morning I’m going over to pick up the last of their unexportable “Stuff”. I’ve been having a great time talking with Susan, it’s like looking through a glass at my own emotions 18 months ago.
Susan’s giving me a dresser and a coffeetable as well as condiments, cleaning supplies, and a cappuchino maker. Somehow it seems weird to imagine more furniture in my house. It feels out of control to change the furniture. Feels “off”.
We bought a new stove today from the Good Old Boy around the corner. That place is a gem- we’ve bought 3 other appliances from him, and they have run well for years. $175 for the stove. What happened to the old one, you ask? The door had come off the trackwheel, making it impossible to open completely. I got impatient and pulled. Hard. It bent the steel plate attaching the door mechanism to the main body of the stove. (“Her arms are strong for her tasks”, donchaknow?)
The new stove is almond-colored, matching the sand-colored counters better than the old white stove. Looks better, works better, excellent price, easy installation. Still feels “off”, like a sore tooth.
I miss the 2 kiddos.
Looks as if #2 and #3 will be staying another week at Grandpa’s. Mr W spoke with his dad this morning. The kiddos are a picture of politeness and are having a blast. They visited a horse farm yesterday and played around the barn (as Mr W used to do when he was a boy) whilst Grandpa shoed the horses.
Here at home, things are only slightly off-kilter. #1 doesn’t like housework, so we’ve been slacking off. Can’t do that for 2 weeks, however- the mess would make me crazy. So we’ll get back into the Clean Routine. Found a fun craft in Better Homes and Gardens, and #1 likes crafts, so we’ll probably make that today, too. And math, always.
Meals for 3 are a lot easier than meals for 5, especially since Mr W gets his own breakfast and takes leftovers for lunch. Really, I suppose that makes it “Dinners for 3″, not “meals”. Good chance to cut back on gas usage, too.
So, the kiddos in Kentucky are doing fine, Grandparents are doing fine, #1 is doing fine here, the house is in OK shape, Mr W is in his routine and content. Not me! Pass the tissues: part of me wants to grab the photo albums and vicariously hug my kids. Now I see the tip of the iceberg of Grief for the mom in our church whose adult daughter died last year. How does she stand it?
How rich our family is!! Health, family, provision, leisure, friends, eternal abundant life, meaningful work- every day! Gratitude should scab my knees.
I gotta go pray.
I never use either anymore- no complaints, just not part of my current life. However, for some reason I am asked to “log in” in order to leave comments on friends’ blogs- Bloggin-Daz, Nothern Girl, Magistra Mater, Crazy Tracy. So, did I write down the username and password? No. When I blog, I’m taken directly to my dashboard, No need to remember/use the passwords.
I’d love to comment on these sites, both to let the ladies know they’re being heard (and understood) and to voice an opinion. (After all, I’m an American. Voicing opinions is What We Do.) Sigh.
“What are you doing this week, with 2 kids visiting the grandparents?”
Helping #1 get up to speed again with her math. Laundry, cooking, dishes. Trying to squeeze $1 worth of groceries out of 25 cents.
And playing detective with AT&T.
3 years ago I was the victim of identity theft. The thief got my name and social security number- I have no idea how. Thankfully, I check our credit reports (Mr W’s and mine, I probably should do the kiddos’, too) annually (it’s free once each year), and saw the account in New Jersey opened long after I had moved to Florida, and started the process of reporting and “clearing” my credit history.
Only somehow AT&T hasn’t gotten their records straight. This week is the third time in 3 years that they’ve “turned my account over to a collection agency”, and said agency has called, left voicemail, called, listened to my explanation, and promised, “I’ll make a note on your account”.
My accounts with AT&T have always been under Mr W’s name, so it’s pretty clear that this is part of the identity theft thing. Nope, never had a phone account whilst unmarried- it was always the roommate’s account.
Each time, I explain to the collector. They promise “The notation is on the account”. Things are quiet for 6-8 months. Then the phone calls start again. I’m a bit miffed, can you tell?
Mr W and #1 are on their way home. #1 is still giving attitude, so she’ll be home with me all day, every day, starting tomorrow. There’s a new kind of teasing she’s trying that’s acceptable, so (in theory) it should be just a matter of refining when, where, how, and whom to tease. Sigh.
Meanwhile, a couple moms at church this morning noticed my “single” condition and asked, and I tried unsuccessfully to hide the HUGE GRIN as I described my weekend of husbandlessness and kidlessness. I sang every word of every hymn and heard every word of the sermon for the first time in 6 years! Who could escape grinning after that?!
And no, it really is no harder to stand at the sink, eat fried chicken, and drop the bones in the trash instead of leaving them on the plate for someone else to deal with.
