A brief overview:

We moved.

I am going to have a baby in about three weeks.

My last day of work was yesterday.

Today was my first day as a stay-at-home mom.

I still have not taken pictures of my new house.

Adam and I have still not gone on a "before baby arrives" date.

Joshua threw the biggest temper tantrum ever this afternoon. And my grandma was here to witness it.

Welcome to stay-at-home motherhood.

I think I will cry myself to sleep.

And I am getting fat.

PS Twenty minutes later and I changed my mind about crying myself to sleep. Just in case you were worried.

Schlumpish

Blogging schlump. It's spring time. We are supposed to be having endless days of spring time enjoyment. Perfect weather, gardens to play in, warm sunshine, and... rain. And I have no blogging motivation. Maybe it's because I no longer blog for myself. I always feel pressure to captivate my "audience" with an interesting tale, woven with vibrant colors, intrigue at every step. Well guess what! My life is not always that exciting. It is day to day filled with little wonders, that may not captivate you like they do me. Would you be captivated by my very first ever asparagus stalks growing in my garden? Probably not. Or how about a sweet little nose snuggling your cheek while riding in the back of Grandpa's truck? Maybe eating absolutely authentic Mexican food for the first time this year, a whole two minutes away from home? If any of these things strikes your fancy, let me know! Maybe we have more in common than I thought. (PS I need a gardening buddy. Not someone to garden with, but someone to talk about gardening with. It's a therapy for me. And I need some picket fencing to go around my garden to keep the dogs from ruining my plants and stepping on my sprouting asparagus. This is a matter of prayer.)

A Tired Thought or Two

I was having a busy week last week, so I slacked off on my blog. I have so much on my mind these days, but one by one, things are getting checked of my mental list. Yesterday was a wedding. It was memorable. And kinda sad too, because the husband has to go back to OK today. He's in the army. She's staying here. :( I am still gathering household goods for my yard sale. I WILL have it this weekend and possibly next. I WILL remember to call the Penny-saver to put in an ad. I WILL finish collecting the excess things in my house and put them in my sale. I WILL have more room in my cupboards when I am done. But those two things are just side notes really. And now I will take a nap because just thinking about it all makes me tired. That and it's Sunday. I'm always tired on Sunday.

Exerpts of Life

Some "clippets" of my life:

I have a sinus headache today. This doesn't happen very often, maybe twice before, and I don't like it. Maybe the sinus meds I just took will kick in soon.

We went for a hike/walk with my in-laws today and we lost Joanne, my mother-in-law. The guys found her after a half hour. She just wanted some extra exercise or something.

My brother Jim came home for the past week, but he left this morning. He stayed at our house and I felt like we hogged him. It was nice.

We had a campfire at our house last night with my family and some friends. We played croquet (my favorite yard game of all time) and bocce ball. Fun times. And s'mores.

I'm going to host a Backyard Bible Club this summer. It will start soon. I have no firm plans yet. Other than it is starting soon.

My current hearts' desire is to go to Indonesia on the next Compassion Sponsor Tour in February. My Compassion child asked me when I was coming to visit her. I already have me passport...

It is dinner time. Adam made dinner. I love him today.

Where Would You Keep YOUR Treasure??

I am a trunk junkie. I mean, I love trunks. Old trunks. Big trunks. Pirate trunks. I'm sure that, at some point in time, this was a real pirate's trunk. And now it is ours. Just don't look too closely. It's old and needs a little TLC before being put back into commission. Maybe some cleaning and scrubbing, sanding or sealing... Anyway, it will be put to good use. I was also told that it needs air holes. Silly me, the trunk junkie.

A Long Jumble of Goings-On

What a delicious week it has been. The Friday before Labor Day, we held a family meeting to determine what we were going to do to help my Grandparents, since Grandpa was going on hospice care and was told that they needed someone there 24/7. It was decided that we would all take turns, my Mom, Aunts, and the older cousins. This did put me in a bind though, since I was currently holding two jobs, one at the daycare and also working one day a week at the restaurant. I have for a long time contemplated giving up my weekly hours at the restaurant and being solely backup help. So I had to make the decision. I don't like saying good-byes, but telling myself that I could still go to the restaurant anytime I wanted and that once in a while I would be called on to come in to work, really helped ease my mind. I have worked there for almost 4 1/2 years now, so I have made many friends, mostly old wrinkly folks, and you kinda get attached. But this really opens up my schedule to be able to help my Grandparents and visit them more often. It's amazing how one extra day a week can make you feel so much more at ease.

The daycare where I work reopened on Tuesday, after two weeks vacation. The vacation time couldn't have been more timely, with all that conspired during that time. It was good to be back to work, I guess. The school year has started so our "big kids" have all started Kindergarten and it's strangely quite without them. Josh was glad to see "Lange" again and repeatedly asked to go there on Friday, which is the day I happened to have off last week. He, of course, also asked to go to "Bubba's" house. We had been to at least one Grandparents' house a day for a week straight, so he naturally thought we should go visit again. Who could blame him? I love going to Grandma's house too.

Speaking of going to Grandma's house, that is where we went on Thursday. It was my turn to visit... Weird saying it was "my turn", like we were playing a game or something. I was glad to see Grandpa looking so well and it seems that Grandma had an extra burst of energy. I think she has more motivation, now that Grandpa needs her help. Over the course of the day, I watched Grandpa go from perky, to peakish, back to perky. He slept on and off and had a couple of visitors. I set up Josh's port-a-crib at nap time and while he slept I vacuumed the hard-to-reach spots of Grandma's living room. It was nice to feel useful and it seemed to be a good trade from packing chocolates, which is what I had been doing the previous Thursdays. I am glad to have an extra day now to be able to visit them.

On Saturday, I took Josh to the library. We found a couple puzzles to borrow and I set about trying to locate some materials to help me learn Spanish. To learn Spanish is a goal of mine, ever sicne I went to El Salvador. I typically annoy people with me usage of words, especially if they don't understand me. But I am just a beginner and feel the need to practice my newly learned words once in a while. Anyway, back to the library. I have decided that it is not a fun thing to take a almost-two year old to the library by yourself. Especially since that cataloging system, our library has in place is none-so-helpful. I felt like I wasted a whole bunch of time and annoyed the librarians since it is very hard to watch him nonstop when you are trying to find materials. Next time, I will leave him home. Or maybe I just won't go to the library.

After the library trip, we stopped at our local grocery store. It was a rainy Saturday, late morning and the grocery store was packed. We live in a mostly agricultural area and during the fall season, we see many farm workers come and go. Mostly Hispanic or Hatian. And on this rainy day, the grocery store was a popular destination for many of them. Now, I always have my Spanish tracts (left over from El Salvador) in my purse, for these kinds of reasons, but for some reason, I was feeling a bit nervous and only gave out one. (Stupid me, to miss so many opportunities!) But this young Mexican man wanted to know where the church was. (¿De donde es la Iglesia?) And I had nothing to tell him. I don't know where there is a Spanish speaking church in the area or if there is one, for that matter. But it opened my eyes, to an area of ministry that is completely lacking in our area. Here we have a continual influx of people, who don't speak Spanish, who are here only temporarily for work, but there is no place for them to gather to worship our God. And who is telling these folks about Jesus? And so we may be trying to get our church to translate our service into Spanish or at least have a translator available, if thereis a need. It would have been such a blessing to have been able to tell that man exactly where he could come for church, but God could've just used this to open our eyes to a need. (PS, I don't care if they are illegal, they still need Jesus.)

Ok, so rambling on here. If you've made it this far, kudos to you.Oh, and here are some flowers I bought for myself about a week ago. Aren't they lovely? I think I might just get into the habit of buying myself flowers once in a while. I think it's kind of nice.

Snippets

I set out this evening to write a very "cranky" post about how things should and shouldn't be done in a home. Each sentence started out like so: "In my plight against humanity..." And it continued on to say how the things that I didn't like wouldn't happen. Like how children would eat their suppers, etc., etc. But I think that would be a very ungodly example of discontentment and irrational behavior. So instead I will post about other things...

Like corn on the cob. Fresh picked and tasty. It crunches when you bite it and pops in your mouth, like a mini explosion of goodness.

Or maybe I will post about garage sales. I have plenty of things to put in a garage sale and have been collecting my things to sell all week. My brother and sister-in-law are having a sale this weekend and I am going to contribute to the amount of items they have in their driveway. Perhaps you can stop by their house this weekend and buy our stuff. It would be great and very kind of y0u. Then we wouldn't have to put it away again after the sale.

Possibly I will post about how I am fasting from facebook. I would tell you how terribly I want to get on and see what is going on in the world of facebook friends. Who is commenting on what and who has posted new photos. Has anyone sent me any messages or written on my wall... It's a terrible addiction really, and typically I waste a lot of time on there. But I so want to look...

Maybe I will tell you about the pie I baked this evening. I smell its delicious scent wafting through the house. Rhubarb and blueberry... I know, I've never heard of it either. But that is what I made. No, I cannot give you the recipe, as I didn't follow one. And yes, ask me how it was later and I will be sure to tell you. I hope we have enough vanilla ice cream.

But unfortunatley for all of you, I really don't have much to blog about today. So you will have to wait to hear about all those wonderful things. I have laundry to fold, sometime before bedtime, seeing as it is piled up on top of my bed. I should read the next two chapters in Isaiah... And I also need to investigate the ice cream status before the hour gets too late. So I will have to leave you all hanging, waiting till the next blogging opportunity arises in this little house of mine. In the mean time, God bless you & Dios de bendiga. (I have to get in my Spanish words while I can, you know... Practice makes perfect and I would like to someday be fluent... Another thing I could've blogged about.)

The Lovely World of Tupperware (With a Priority Check)

Last month I found myself with a fetish. A fetish for plastics. Yes, it was a fetish for Tupperware. I had ordered some. I had booked a party. And now I was collecting orders. And yes, it was amazingly fun. I was having a book party, so I diligently carried the catalogue everywhere I went and asked nearly everyone if they would like to look at it. I didn't pressure. I didn't whine or look exceedingly hopeful. Some ordered, some did not. But, for some reason, Tupperware was the thing. They liked it. They wanted it. My party went well. It was fun. I am tempted to have another. Please, don't tempt me! I am sure my family would think I am insane if I ever mentioned that I had passing thoughts about selling it myself. Not now of course... But when I really retire and become a SAHM. I don't know... It was pretty addicting. Especially since I was able to get these lovely storage containers for *free*. My cupboards have always been cluttered with bags and boxes, so I am very excited to have these fine additions to my kitchen.

If only I was so diligent about sharing the love of my Savior as I was about sharing my Tupperware party. Finding myself so wrapped up in this, only reveals to me how messed up my priorities are. My 1st goal in life is to serve my Lord and Savior and bring glory to His name, not to sell Tupperware. Shame on me.

Mosaic Chairs: In the Works

I have spent almost all afternoon arranging tiles into a mosaic pattern on my garden chairs. I have been putting off this fun little project since December when I acquired these fine chairs at our church's silent auction. The chairs have been scuffed, primed, painted and now they are ready for their seats. But after all the work I put into arranging a pattern onto the seats, I find that I have the wrong adhesive, or rather, lack of adhesive for the job. I thought that I could use the grout that I bought back in February for both the adhesion and filling in spaces for the tiles. Wrong. I am very disappointed and feel like I wasted all this time. Now I have three hours before I have to leave for a daycare meeting and no way to go get what I need before that time. And my next free day isn't until next Tuesday. Yuck. Hopefully, no one (ahem-Josh) will jostle my chairs until the tile can be properly glued in place. At least I got to work on my sun burn, I mean tan. :)

A Few Words

Just a few words to say... It is late, and I have been avoiding my blog because it is neglected... Again. But cheers to all!

We have bought a new car. (HOORAY!) This time we did not get a SUV, though I will miss mine terribly (and still look with longing at any Ford Escape that goes by...), but a Honda Accord. I already love it and have a hard time believing that it it the car that I drive. Yes, it is just. that. pretty. It's a 2006 and a really nice color. They call the color graphite, which makes complete sense. It's strange though, when I drive it, I have this very increased paranoia of getting in an accident. Just being honest here. I never used to feel that way when I drove my first couple of cars. But now I feel extra vulnerable. Wouldn't have anything to do with being in an accident already, would it? Hmmm..... During our search for a vehicle, we did briefly mention minivans, but neither Adam or I were ready to feel just so "old". And, although, we would looove more kids, we are just not sure when God will see fit to so bless us with another addition. So we felt it was okay to get a car. Save gas, save time, save money. (Okay, I just threw the save time in there for fun.) I'll put up a picture when I get around to it. (That is one way of saying "no grarantees.)

Onto another pleasant subject... Gardens. :) I can't help but smile. I love flowers. I love greens. I love the dirt.

I'm sorry, but I had to take a slight detour from the garden topic. As I sit and type, I hear a "choo-choo" coming from Joshua's room. He keeps several books in his bed that make noise. I am not sure if he rolled in his sleep or if he is still up (hopefully not the latter), but his Thomas the Train Engine Book was chooing. Josh loves trains. On our way to daycare a week or two ago, we had the very good fortune of being stopped at a train crossing. This very rarely happens on this particular road, and to make it even better, we were first in line. So this train engine comes by with one car, tooting and chooing and making train-like noises... Josh was fascinated. I think that train made his day. It was great. For the next 15 minutes of drive time, Josh sat in the back "choo-chooing" all the way. And a few days later, my Aunt gives us her kids' old Brio train set. Wooden tracks, little trains, bridges, and farm animals. Perfect timing. What a great toy. Growing up, we had a set almost identical, and all through our childhood years my brothers and I would set up elaborate towns, tracks, roads, homes... The works. So I am glad to have the opportunity to plays trains with Joshua now. He already loves the train engines and will walk around the house going "choo-choo". Good old classic toys...

Well, the garden stories will have to wait. It is late and sleep is calling. Keep praying for Stephanie. She hasn't had her baby yet. Her water broke last night at 8:00pm and at 7:30 this evening she was still only 2 cm dialated, according to her brothers' facebook. I am so anxious... I wish I knew how she was doing. I cannot imagine being in labor for so long. Josh came so quick. I hope she is doing okay and getting some rest between contractions...

Thursday 13

I'm here!!! For my Thursday Thirteen I will write thirteen things that I love or hate.

1) I love Adam.

2) I love kissing Josh.

3) I love that the grass is greener today than it was yesterday.

4) I love dirt. I love dirt when it is outside in my garden.

5) I love old people. The wrinklier the better.

6) Babies make me cry. I think that is because I love them.

7) I hate having the grumpies.

8) I hate being all alone for an extended period of time.

9) I love a clean house.

10) I hate dirty dishes that need washing.

11) I hate cleaning up dog pee, poop, or vomit.

12) I hate feeling neglectful of my blog.

13) I hate misspelling wurds.

14) I hate getting all my weekdays mixed up. ;)

I Don't Really Feel This Grouchy... I Just Have Nothing Exciting to Write

I should post something new, but I have no desire to. I do not feel clever or witty, like Jane, and I do not have a good story to tell, like my Mom. I have not been anywhere fun, like Kate, and I have not discovered a new favorite ice cream, like Jessica. So I have nothing to write about.

It is raining and quite wet. I worked today and ate jelly beans while doing so. I gave one old man a hug and he said it made his day. Josh is getting over 5 days worth of diarrhea. He is Daddy's little man. Josh's dog pajamas bring him out in a whole slur of "Molly this" and "Molly that". Last night, Joe and I stacked wood in the dark. For that reason, and only that reason, I am thankful it was still chilly. We could not see if there were bugs, but we did not worry because it was too cold for them (the bugs) to care. I have the next two weeks off of daycare work, because the family who runs daycare is going to FL. (Lucky...) I want to go to Florida. During those two weeks, I will work extra hours at the restaurant selling chocolate. Yes, the restaurant sells chocolate. It doubles as a candy store. I wish my yard was neat and clean and had a fence. Then we could go out and play without worries. Why do all four tires on my vehicle HAVE to match? Adam has class tonight, which means I'll be all by myself, with Josh, this evening. Maybe we'll go to the library. I need some more books so I can pretend to read them. On a positive note, I found my "Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?" book. It had been missing almost all winter. It was under my hope chest. Good thing I clean once in a while. Oh, and we are going to be traveling to Tennessee at the end of April, for a week. Who should we visit on the way, or does anyone know of anything fun to do in Nashville with a 1 1/2 year old? I'll have two days to spend there while Adam takes a class. I need ideas people!!

A Tidbit For Now

*sigh* What a busy weekend. I started out early Saturday grocery shopping with my Mom, stopped at church for the silent auction (proceeds toward missions) and didn't get home till 5:30. Woke before sunrise this morning to head to church to practice the set of worship songs scheduled for this mornings' service, ate lunch out (as usual for Sunday afternoon) and got home after 2:30. Went back to church for Sunday night service and now can rest for the night. Josh went home with Grandma and Grandpa this evening because I have to leave bright and early for work tomorrow. The home daycare where I work is having their annual inspection done. We shall be on pins and needles all morning until the inspector leaves. And so starts another busy week. *sigh*

Poor Josh has had diarrhea for the past week. I started implementing the B.R.A.T. diet, but don't see a change yet. I suppose I should stop cheating and really stick to it. Spaghetti does not count. I hope his little tummy gets better soon.

Those Good, Old Shoes

I am saying good-bye to some old friends. They are too old and worn out for me to keep them any longer, though they have comforted me many times when I was tired or aching. I had grown to love them like they were a part of me. Those old, lovable shoes... They have treated me well, but now they must go. The soles are worn thin, very thin, and the rain and snow often gets too friendly with my socks because of it. My toes are beginning to peep through the sides and the backs are being worn out too. I already have a new pair of sneakers waiting for me in my closet, but for some reason I am having a hard time letting go of these. My feet feel so at home inside these shoes... They fit "like a glove"... Please, won't you come and do the deed for me? I'm afraid I won't be able to say good-bye. Those good old Payless shoes.

Random Meme

My blog friend Jessica tagged me for this one. I love making random lists about me, so I don't mind being tagged more than once to do this meme. Hope you don't mind hearing my list of random, and possibly embarrassing, things about myself.

Six random facts about me

1) I collect receipts for unknowns reasons. I used to record what was spent on what. I don't record expenses anymore, but I still keep ALL my receipts. Embarrassingly enough, I have nearly three years worth of them in my filing cabinet.
2) I am often paranoid about contracting some strange ailment such as pink eye, ringworm, sinus infections, or strange growths in my abdomen.
3) I will be 23 on the 23rd this month.
4) I am in charge of my sister-in-law's baby shower. I will probably never so willingly volunteer for a similar position again. Everyone has different opinions and I can't stand being caught in the middle.
5) I start projects and never finish them. Bits and pieces of them lie around my house, begging for attention. But I am too distracted to apply myself for great lengths of time.
6) I have a strange inclination to try out for community theatre.

I will tag Stephanie and G.I. Joe.

See, this is how my life goes as of late.

Sept. 16th- Daycare til 5:00
Sept. 17th- Restaurant stuff till 2ish and church at 7:00
Sept. 18th- Daycare til 5:00 and tot swim at 6:30
Sept. 19th- Clean house, play with Josh, drive to Child Care Council to have fingerprinting done, drive from there to church to try my best to sing harmony with the worship team, fail miserably and go home.
Sept. 20th- Go to local big garage sale day in small historic hamlet and then go see about wallpaper.
Sept. 21st- Church morning and evening
Sept. 22nd- Wallpaper ALL day long at Children's Pastor's house
Sept. 23rd- Daycare til 5:00
Sept. 24th- Restaurant stuff til 3ish, try to catch up at home.
Sept.25th- Daycare til 5:00, TOT SWIM CANCELED!!!
Sept. 26th- Finish wallpaper and go to worship team practice to do better singing harmony.
Sept. 27th- Spend time with my husband at a Sabres game in Buffalo.

And you wonder where I have been. Now I must go and see about tomorrow's Kindergarten lesson as I have been trying to teach good health habits to three Kindergartners at Daycare. I could really use some magazines with pictures of food that could be pasted onto our food pyramid.

Oh, and Josh has hair. It is great and grows more every day. And he wanders around the house like he is two. Walking here and there. I am still amazed.

Time For This and Time For That

Time. It needs stretching. Nap time, bed time, time for this and time for that. If there was always plenty of time, I would never get anything done. Odd as that may sound, it is true. I only am motivated to do things when time is limited or quickly fleeting. For instance, on Saturday evening we were expecting dinner company. Friday was "filled" with grocery shopping and Saturday morning there was a Ladies Prayer Breakfast at church, which I felt that I should attend. That left me Saturday afternoon (and a total of five hours) to clean my house and make dinner. Since I hadn't been home ALL week, pretty much everything had to be cleaned. But because time was quickly running out, I was able to apply myself to the task and get it all done, including laundry, with the much needed help of nap time for a small boy. I felt so rewarded when it was finished. Like I had really accomplished something. It is silly, I guess, because it is not like I did some sort of extra or over-the-top deed. I did what should've been done earlier in the week, but had just been put off till last minute. A terrible habit it is to put things off. Perhaps that is why I always feel guilty writing on my blog... There is this persistent nagging in the back of my brain telling me all these things which I should be doing instead. One of which today happens to be making sauce form the tomatoes in my garden. I have never made sauce and am slightly intimidated by the thought of doing so, but if I put it off too long, I will regret not getting to it. And watching all those plump tomatoes rot will be a sad reminder of my shortcoming. Perhaps I will remove myself from my seat and get to that which has not yet been done.

But first, I will tell of lovely things which take place in the home of a child under the age of one. Joshua, my little 10 1/2 month old Joshua, is walking. He smiles so broadly when he does so, so proud of himself. His little steps. Tottering across the floor. Tipping onto his bum. So adorable. *smile* And his hair is finally growing! It can be "blown" in the wind and messed with our hands. Every other day I smooth it with the palms of my hands and smile to myself because I can tell it has grown some more. My bald baby will soon have a head full of hair. Josh said "kitty" the other day. He loves our kitty, Louis. He has also said "doggy", "ball" and "Daddy". And I'm pretty sure he said "yes" one day too. The four things Joshua loves the most in the world are his Daddy, kitties, doggies and his ball. I guess I must be on the list somewhere too, but I'm not entirely sure where I fit... *Sigh* I love being a Mom.

These Moments

Imagine this: The sound of a child crawling across the floor. Hands patting and knees hurriedly swiping across the floor. He jabbers happily as he finds something new and exciting down there that just might fit in his mouth. It may be an old cheerio or a blade of grass tracked into the house on a shoe. Small fingers grip the hem of my pants. "Ma-ma-ma-ma-ma." He wants to be held. I wipe my sudsy, dish-water soaked hands on the towel and bend to pick him up. He's not a lightweight anymore. He actually never was, but as time goes on, it is more and more evident that he is taking after Daddy's side of the family. My back is sore, but I wouldn't exchange this time for anything. His fingers grip my nose and his sweaty little hands wipe across my cheek. It is sheer adoration. Mutual adoration. He's a momma's boy. Blue eyes and round cheeks. Blonde hair that is just starting to grow. I can see my side in him too. A little bit of Daddy and a little bit of Mommy. Maybe some of Grandma, but the eyes are definitely from Grandpa. He starts to squirm and wants to get down. The attention span of a small boy is very short and there is so much more to see. This is living...



I haven't seemed to have much time for blogging lately. It is getting increasingly hard to find time to sit and write when someone else is so adventurous. Nap time is usually taken up with washing dishes, folding laundry or other odd household duties. It's not that there has been a void of exciting or interesting things to blog about. It's just that time to blog is getting rather sparse. I meant to blog about my sister (my baby sister) turning thirteen, how I spent $0.39 on two things of body wash and two packs of razors at CVS, and about Adam and his vibrant love of golfing. I had wanted to ask you all to pray for Adam's grandma, who was in the hospital last week and how it was discovered that she has bone and breast cancer. I was going to tell you about how my brother Joe has been helping us clean out our gutters. And how Josh got to play in our new pool the other day. There were so many things I had meant to blog about, but life has just been too much fun lately to sit here. Life has kept me going. Papers have to be picked up, floors swept, dog food taken out of mouths, cords wound and poopy diapers thrown away. I will have to reserve time somewhere to record the events and happenings of my daily life. I don't want to forget these days. There is too much to remember and to cherish. Today was one of the best days of my life. Joshua was so happy and there was so much joy in his face. I just love it. I want to thank God for giving me one of the greatest blessing He could give. I think that, besides the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ, children just may be the greatest blessing. Amazing. I love it. I want to cherish every moment of it.

Fleas and Other Disgusting Crawling Creatures

I admit it. We have an infestation. And it's gross and embarrassing. So why admit it publicly? Because the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. The second step is asking for help. We have washed, applied, squished and rewashed. And there is still no relief. I believe the next step is bombing, but I have reservations about using this type of treatment. Aren't there other safer solutions? There must be. We've been trying to rid ourselves of these creatures for seven months now and I am at my wits end. I hate hearing my friends shriek in disgust. And it would be too entirely humiliating to have someone else pick one off my child's head, as I have done several times. I am ready to be bug free.


We also have an issue with another familiar six-legged insect. They love our sandy soil. They build their houses 10 to every square foot (no exaggeration). They live in swarms. They love spilled dog food and forgotten crumbs. They come into my house and march right into places where they do not belong. I have set out traps, which deter them momentarily, but I know they will be back. There is a never ending supply right outside my door. How does one rid herself of so many? How do I let my child play in the yard when, no matter where I set him, he will be playing right on top of them? Cures! I need cures!!!


I know that you've heard enough. Your stomach probably cannot handle anymore grossities. But I'm already on a roll and must unleash it all. My next issue can be found in the garden eating all my bean sprouts. I've dealt with this before and, much to my chagrin, I am dealing with it again. Picking these nasty little things off my plants and drowning them in any chemical mixture works but isn't necessarily a very effective treatment. There must be a better way. There are better ways to spend my time. Hoards and hoards fly about every June and I know next year will be the same.

Yuck. It's all I can say. I've had enough of infesting, creepy, crawling, annoying, biting, chewing, making off with my goods little bugs. I am ready for a cure. Are you with me?

Fun With Kids

This is called "Fun With Kids." From top to bottom is: Rebekah, Bethany, Josiah, Naomi, Elisabeth, Coe and finally, Katherine. Elisabeth is not a kid. She is 22 and the next teacher for the kids I've been teaching. I think she's much more qualified than I, and she is very good with the kids. They've been friends for a while and they look up to her.
Today was very busy. First I went teaching from 8:30-10:50, then I went to work to clerk from 11:10-2:15, picked up school books for Coe, went back to their house, taught from 2:40-5:00, came home, made dinner, went shopping with my mother-in-law for a bridal shower gift for Adam's cousin, finally came home after spending too much money, washed dishes, and now here I sit. Whew! What a day! I feel satisfied with what I've done, except for communication with my hubby. Any ideas on how to get out of a communication slump? He works a lot, I work a lot, he likes T.V., I don't really... etc., etc. Anyway...

This week has been exciting, but for some reason I haven't been blogging about it. Just see my Mom's blog to find out how great my past weekend was. She wrote all about it. I gardened at my parents on Sunday... It felt good to have my hands in the dirt again. Monday was Memorial Day and a great day for picnicking. We had great food (I made mac salad), a rowdy water balloon fight (you should've seen Adam's face when he came out of the bathroom cradling two water balloons- "I could only get two tied!!!" I then became the official tyer... It still shows on my tying finger), a good football game, and a bonfire (after everyone went home- including me). It was a great time. I wasn't ready for my weekend to end. Last night I made chicken Parmesan (for the first time) and took it to Grandma's house for dinner. It was very tasty. I also tried to make rhubarb pie with a gluten-free pie crust because Grandma has cut out gluten from her diet. It didn't work. I even tried twice. Sorry Mom, for wasting your rice flour. I still have some left though! I eventually gave up and made regular crust. But that wasn't until after dinner at Grandma's, so the pie didn't come out of the oven until after 9:00. So, needless to say, we didn't eat our pie because we were getting tired and we couldn't wait long enough for the pie to cool. I think I'm going to Grandma's tomorrow around lunch time and then we can eat our pie. Yum!

Well, that's it for now. I'm going to see where hubby is. Good-night!