Why do I procrastinate?

This is why. I work miracles under pressure :o)

To Set the Scene -- C/P from QP:

Uncut fabric is like owning a dream; so many possibilities hide within. Once the dream is gone and the fabric remains, though, it inspires only guilt for money spent and projects not tackled. Let someone else give it a try!" from http://www.flylady.net

This is the inspiration for this swap and challenge. We all have fabric that we loved at one time, never used, and now just have it sitting in our stash taking up space. This swap will help to replace that fabric with new inspiration from someone else's stash.

The challenge part of the swap is the fun part. :o) When you receive your fabric back you must use those fabrics in a quilt. You may add more fabrics if you'd like, but we have to be able to see the fabric you received from the swap. LOL - no charm quilts, that's the easy way out! :o) I will take pictures of the fabrics I send back to everyone, that way we have a record of what we started out with - think 'before and after' pictures.

The website with the "before" fabrics and "after" quilt photos.

Mine is, of course, Heidi's Quilt :o)

I am pleased with my finished top. I'm also amazed at what I can get done when I actually sit down and do it. My progress, up until this morning, was the 6 green squares. I added all of the black borders and sashing this afternoon.

In other news, no particular order...

Grace and the neighbor girl played today. I have never been so grateful for a mealtime, to be able to send her home. I am so not ready for a 7 year old. I'm also in no hurry for my little girl to grow up. I like that she thinks I know everything. :o)

I played with the new-to-us camcorder for a little bit today. It will be interesting to see how well I film. I also hate to hear myself on tape and yet there I was, talking up a storm, asking the kids questions and explaining a couple of things.

The FlyLady website is promoting for the next Super Fling Boogie. The motivation this time is to pretend you are moving and need to get rid of everything you wouldn't want to pack up and haul with you. HaHa - very funny. Wasn't I already doing that last week? The way God works in my life cracks me up sometimes.

Joe interviews on Wednesday for the Juneau position. Part of me hopes someone else (just as qualified) applied, but already lives in Alaska. I will be shocked if they actually pay what Joe wants, as well as funding the move.

I saw our first hummingbird this morning. I put the feeder up last week and I just hope we didn't scare them off for good. Grace and I were walking out the front door when I noticed it. The feeder is hanging on the far end of the front porch and it took off as soon as we stepped outside.

The kids are watching Shrek one.more.time before bed. Joe is still sleeping and I will be trying to go to bed early tonight.

Happy Memorial Day!

See my Unkymood...Must.Go.Sew.Now.

I'll be back later...

Top Ten things I learned Saturday evening:

1. When renting movies, if you don't have a DVD player, you're screwed.

2. There is a reason the rental fees are not posted for the world to see. $4.48 for a new release for 5 days is insane.

3. Netflix is looking appealing again.

4. When standing at the checkout of the movie store, you can see the monitor for the survelliance camera in the Naughty Room.

5. The (married) woman who bought a Treasure from the Naughty Room was not new at it. "I'd like this in a bag please." *tosses DVD case over the counter out of sight*

6. It cost $15.99 + tax for her to take her Treasure home.

7. The drive-thru at McD's was a let down from the drama at movie store, even though the cashier sang for me.

8. The price for gas at the Chevron in town was $2.31 for regular unleaded, $2.43 for midgrade and $2.53 for supreme.

9. It cost me $31.59 for 13.623 gallons for gas. There should be no surprise at which grade I chose.

10. I still remember when I used to be able to fill up our little fuel efficient car for $15.

We're off to church this morning and I have a date with my sewing machine this afternoon. Joe had last night off and stayed up late, so he will be nappish all day. I have the kitchen clean already this morning, the recycling is in the bins and the kids were super excited to see Blue's Clues on CBS this morning.

Now to get everyone clean, dressed and into the car by 10:15 am. 85 minutes and counting...

Happy Saturday to all!

I've been procrastinating on the quilting, but have gotten a bunch of other little things done. I've also realized that I would be lost right now without my computer.

I made 6 photo CD's for Joe's co-workers, from the pictures he took in Juneau. I had to go through all 400-ish photos he took and edit out the bad ones. That project has been on the procrastinate list for 2 weeks now. With a possible (likely) move, I'm trying to get all obligations off the books. I also got the birthday party pictures onto CD for Candy. I was the only one there with a camera and poor Dayne's birthday memories would have been lost forever without me. :o)

I do so many things with the computer, I don't know how I ever functioned without it. I manage most of the finances online now. I do all of my library stuff online. I "talk" to my family and friends online. I play games online. I used to order my groceries online. I look up information online that would have taken me hours to do just 5 years ago.

I need to get some tangible stuff done this afternoon, like actually go to the store and get milk. :o)

This ferry store keeps getting better...Holes

you are PRINCESS FIONA! you're kind and
compassionate, and see people for who they
really are.


what shrek character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

And I think that's enough for today :o)

You are a MASTER of the English language!


While your English is not exactly perfect,
you are still more grammatically correct than
just about every American. Still, there is
always room for improvement...


How grammatically sound are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

OK - I admit I guessed a few times :)

I'm feeling much better today.

It's payday - which always helps. Joe got his expense report done and has the money order ready for it - no more wondering when we have to take the money out of the account. The trash bill is paid and there is money left over to get gas and milk for the week!

My mom sent her camcorder to us and it arrived yesterday. This will be fun! I played with it a bit and it is almost a relief for me to be able to tape the kids and have the tapes for when they are older.

Hopefully you can tell, that the relationship difference between when I was 18 (previous post) and now is huge. I will never be best friends with my mom, but I know that she will always be there for me. We both made mistakes (don't we all?) and I think what we have now is about the best it can be under the circumstances.

I spent a great deal of my time yesterday searching for information on Juneau, studying the general geography and the Alaska Marine Highway. I gave myself a headache with what I learned. It will take a HUGE adjustment to live in a place that has no roads out to the rest of the world and everything is either shipped or flown in. For someone like myself, that is scared of boats and deep water, water seems to be the only way to get around. Well, there are airplanes, which are a close second to boats on my non-favorite modes of transportation list. I will also have to learn a bit more about the Canadian side of things - colour, flavour and kph. hehe. Too bad I took Spanish and not French in school. Although, I don't know what they speak in the Yukon.

Among the tidbits I gleaned, one was that the MV LaConte ran aground on May 10th. That would be a very large boat that is a cross between a cruise ship, it has sleeping cabins and full facilities for showering, etc. and food service, and a motor vehicle ferry, hence the MV. There were no injuries reported, but they DID have to evacuate by life boat and were picked up by a passing ship or two. The 24-ish vehicles are still on board and their condition is unknown. Ummm, YIKES!!!! This is my worst fear, even here in the Pacific Northwest. I love when we park by the life boats on the ferry because I KNOW I'll be first in line if we start to sink. Has no one watched Titanic?? These things happen all.the.time. Women and children first!

I also learned that it takes 1 day, 11 hours and 30 minutes - one way - to get from Juneau to Valdez. It also would cost us about $800 - one way - for the four of us, our car and 4 bed berth. If we didn't take the car and slept in sleeping bags on the deck of the boat, it would only be about $250. The rub is that this sailing only happens every two weeks in the summer. I couldn't figure out the winter schedule, but I'm guessing it would be less often and with more ice. As in icebergs ---> Titanic. No one gets the connection here??

Anyway, when I mentioned this to Joe last night, he simply said we'd fly to Anchorage and rent a car. Oh yeah, that would be easier.

In other news, it has been raining since Tuesday afternoon. Non-stop. This would be why we have a drain in our backyard. I'm making bread in the bread machine, to go with the Garlic Potato soup for my lunch. We had oatmeal for breakfast and I'm planning on making cookies this afternoon. Yummy, warm comfort food.

We have a high school graduation to go to on June 10th. Joe's youngest sister sent us an announcement and included four tickets for the ceremony. (This was huge! We haven't been invited to a family function since the wedding last summer of his #5 (of 6) sister.) The older sisters are throwing her party Sunday afternoon. Joe is thinking about all of us going and then leaving for Alaska without telling them. He is somewhat more evil, when it comes to his family, than I am. I wanted to host a BBQ, not stating any specfic reason why and then, when they don't come, they get to feel stupid that they missed our going away party.

The last time I can remember feeling like this was when I was 18. I had graduated from High School and spent the summer doing things I wanted to do, but my parents wished I hadn't done.

I worked for about 6 weeks in Yellowstone, before I moved back to my best friend A's house for the rest of the summer. The boy I was dating at the time (and thought I was going to marry) was going into the Navy right after I left for college and I really wanted to spent every last second with him.

I don't regret that summer at all. In fact, it still is among the best summers I've ever had. I traveled with M to his family reunion, with his Grandma as our adult supervision. We all talked and fished and watched a lot of movies. I learned a lot from A's parents about what it means to be a parent and what not to do as a parent from my own.

At the end of that summer, I had to get to college in time for orientation and move in day at the dorm. My parents were so angry with the choices I'd made that they refused to take me themselves. My mom boxed up the few things I still had at home and shipped them to me later. I had to get on a Greyhound bus and take the 23 hour trip across state alone. My best friend and boyfriend took me to the bus station in the next town. That whole time is pretty blurry for me, I recognize now that it was the first serious depression I struggled with.

However, I still vividly remember sitting in my seat on the bus, my pillow, stuffed bear and a blanket in my lap, looking out the tinted window at them, leaning against the building and waiting for the bus to pull away. I was crying so hard I was sobbing and they both had tears running in streams from under their sunglasses. They were trying to smile and wave and it took every fiber of my being to not jump off the bus and run back to them, because I knew things would never be the same.

You know how I said here that there was no move to Alaska? Color me wrong. Joe applied today for the Home Manager opening at Juneau. It was posted this morning. The previous manager quit on Sunday.

The opening has to be posted for 5 days before a decision can be made. So, now we wait.

I will search for houses online, dream of the new vehicle we would have to buy and remember that the promotion is what we've been waiting four years for, rather than dreading the boxing, painting and clean up of moving. The additional money would provide, not only for our needs, but for savings and fun too. I will daydream about getting away from this neighborhood, knowing that once I'm away, I will miss it like nowhere else I've lived. I will take a bazillion pictures of the house and the kids and the kids in the house, so that I will always be able to remember living here. I will keep cleaning out closets and tossing junk I know I won't ever want to move, so that I won't have so much work if/when it's time to pack. I will keep making lists of things I need to do to sell the house. I will prepare for the backlash from Joe's family when we tell them that we're moving and they get defensive, as if they have been involved with our lives for the last five years. I will continue to be incredibly thankful that my parents are willing to get on a plane and fly to see us, wherever we might move in the world. I will be ready for the tears and anguish from Grace when she learns that she will be leaving the only friends and community she has ever known. And I will try to ignore my own torn emotions about the whole situation until I know for sure.

Where did today go?

The morning was pretty quiet. Joe didn't get home until almost 11 am. He was tucked in for the day by noon.

Mindy called and really wanted the kids to come down. Mainly so that Logan would stop whining about when we were going to come down and play. We haven't been down there in almost 2 months and it will be about that long before we go back down to play. The kids whined, argued and Grace flat out lied to my face while we were there. I helped shovel 2 yards of play chips into wheelbarrows for their swingset area. I went and got two of our shovels and our wheelbarrow to help out too. Oh yeah, this was all in the rain.

We sat and chatted a bit, which was actually nice. Mindy started on Zoloft a couple of weeks ago and it really seems to be helping with the wild moods and her temper. She didn't really remember that I was at the baby shower until I reminded her, which I think is more due to newborn infant/sleep deprivation. I remember how scattered I was when the kids were small.

Regardless, the "friendship" we have is not worth the effort I have to put into it. Tristan gets left out of playtime and Logan is used to being an only child, which is where Grace gets into trouble trying to be the boss. I'm going to try to be friendly, occasionally go down to be social and make sure I'm darn busy the rest of the time.

I've got to run up to the store, to get milk and some basic groceries tonight before Joe goes to work and then I have to catchup on my bible study. We're meeting tomorrow night and again on Friday to finish up the book by Sunday. All of us are too stubborn to just quit two lessons from the end! It means though that I have to do two week's worth of the workbook in four days.

*edit*
Mindy just brought the wheelbarrow and shovels down for me. It's raining buckets and I really appreciate her bringing them down. Of course, I'm soaked now because I had to put the garbage out...

Another wonderful day!

We stayed up LATE and watched the normal lineup on TV last night, which ends at 11 pm, then started Calendar Girls. I was virtually comatose by 1 am. The movie was cute and I put all the DVD's in the mail this morning. Bye-Bye Netflix.

Tristan was up unbearably early this morning, so I moved downstairs and curled up on the couch while he watched cartoons. I finally arose at 9:30 am, finally feeling like I could stay awake for more than an hour. I got everyone breakfast and started cleaning up my sewing area.

I got fabric ironed, a block sewn and packaged and I'm ready to cut fabric for another swap this afternoon. I've got two quilts to finish this week and a gazillion other things to work on. The weather has been very nice this morning, so I sent the kids outside to play, while I enjoyed the view and the breeze. My sewing machine is set up in front of the window and it is almost like sewing outside. I do appreciate the lack of bugs and blinding sun reflections though.

The kids have made a ship out of the two-couch.

*Quick explanation here - Grace named the couches right after we got them. The loveseat is the two-couch and the sofa is the three-couch -- because that's how many cushions each has. We have taken to calling them by the same name, well, because it's very descriptive!

Anyway, there have been sharks and 'gators in the living room all morning. They are both the captain because there has to be one girl and one boy captain, very clever on Grace's part and I'm happy because it prevents fights. We've had rescues and injuries, dealings with pirates and hunts for treasure. A very successful morning on the pretend play front!

Joe will be getting up soon and will want to mow the yard. I need to vacuum, but will wait until he is up. I want to get the upstairs done too.

I've been working on the laundry all morning. It seems that the vent pipe that Joe hooked back up under the house is causing the dryer to not dry as well as it used to. He will not be pleased if I send him back under there to unhook it again. I'll give it a few more days before I try to change it. It might just be the heavy loads I've been pushing through lately.

That's about it for now - Happy Monday All!

Ah, the end of the weekend...

I'm happily sitting, bathed in sunshine from the open window and enjoying the fact that the kids are happily playing in the garage with Daddy!

Where to start? This weekend has been the busiest we've had in a while. I am purposely NOT one of those people that runs around like crazy, all the while hollering about how busy I am. Nope. I like to be home. The kids are better for it and I wouldn't change it for all the money on the planet.

Saturday morning was the fishing derby. In the rain. We were out of the house by 9 am and had been to G.I. Joes, (fishing poles for the kids, hooks and Power Bait) through the McD's drive-thru for breakfast (I know I was just there for dinner) and were back to the lake by 10:05 am. We parked about a quarter mile away on the main road, since that was the first available spot and hiked into the park. It seems that the rain not only didn't discourage a lot of people, it brought out some really rude Dad's and smart-mouthed 8 year olds.

The fish were contained in a floating net, attached to the dock on one side and around the left to the bank. There were bodies 3 deep in places, just trying to get a hook in the water. The organizers finally announced that the fishing would be taking place in shifts, 6 and under for 10 minutes and then the 7 - 16 year olds for 10 minutes. While this sounds great, it resulted in much jockeying for prime locations and too many poles (with hooks!) going back and forth to the bank. The kids got 3 or 4 turns, maybe 5 casts each turn and didn't catch anything. Joe caught the containment net twice and was pulled loose by some very clever folks that were fishing the net by boat. Next year, if we're still living here, that will be us in the canoe!

Thankfully at the end, the kids still got to choose a prize (there were enough to give for every fish caught) and they each got a nifty (personalized) certificate, signed by the Mayor, for completing the derby. All in all, a worthwhile outing.

After that we headed home and changed clothes, ate lunch and at 4 pm we piled back in the car to head to the softball game. Joe played. It was rainy and chilly. We won 9-2. We got home, ate dinner and plonked the kids in bed before we watched The Last Samurai.

This morning we missed the first class session of church because our wonderful kids let us sleep in! We didn't get up until 8:45 am. We did make it to the regular service and headed straight home for lunch afterwards.

Joe planted the tomato and pepper starts into pots, as well as putting a houseplant in a pot for me. That seemed to be the signal for the biggest thunderstorm we've seen here, to blow through. We've had rain, wind, hail and now, sun this afternoon.

I got the kitchen cleaned up, counters cleared and wiped down and the sink drainer moved back under the sink. I've been doing well with keeping the left side cleaned out and I'm adding the right side now. Without the drainer in there, I'm forced to wash and dry the pots right away.

I need to finish up the laundry and vacuum, but since Joe works overnights, starting tomorrow, I'll have time in the morning to catch up. My mom sent a check Friday afternoon and with any luck, it will be here with tomorrow's mail too. We also got a notice from the escrow service and they are sending a check for the surplus in our account - totaling $562.00. Yikes! It's either feast or famine around here.

Tonight, I plan to watch Calendar Girls so that I can cancel Netflix tomorrow and send all of the DVD's back watched. We also have shows taped from last week that need to be watched before they start over tomorrow night.

There are times that I am very thankful Joe usually has various weekdays off of work, instead of Saturday-Sunday like most folk. I'm wishing this weekend was one of them.

The fishing derby is this morning from 10-noon. Not only do we have to get all the gear ready (and help out the fishing illiterate neighbor), it is raining. It started raining sometime last evening and hasn't stopped. I see mud and messes coming to my house and car shortly. Of course, Joe has gotten the kids all excited about catching fish and even if they cancel the derby (thunderstorms), he will still be out there because they stocked the lake. He is already dressed in his fishing hat and flannel shirt.

I'm sitting here with "I wish I hadn't had McD's for dinner last night" stomach. I didn't sleep very well last night, except my morning cuddles from Tristan made it better. He came in about 6 am and instead of hollering at me to get up, he climbed into bed. I love those moments where they are quiet, sweet and all they want is to be close to you. We all got to sleep until 8 am - a record of sorts around here - and now I have to scramble to get the kids dressed and ready for the rain.

Have a great weekend ya'll!

I knew I should have written first thing this morning. Now, I'm irritated and crabby.

The kids just broke my spaghetti spoon. Why is it NEVER their toys that get broken when they tug-of-war with them?

I had to email my mom asking for money. Joe is filling out his expense report from the 3 weeks in Alaska and our portion looks to be over $300. There is a reason I take care of the bills in this house. I'm not mad about this, as he was responsible for over $3000 in receipts, it just comes at a really bad time.

I took a shower and started a load of laundry, hoping that would motivate me to get something else done. Didn't happen. Joe called on his lunch hour and I just spent the last 40 minutes checking softball schedules, weather reports and reading the news to him while he ate.

I HATE flies. We had such a run of nice weather that the fly population exploded. It seems we have about 3 left in the house and when I have the swatter in my hand, they disappear.

Oops, the dryer is done. I better get right on that and hope the phone doesn't ring again.

No Survivor tonight. Oh, what will I do? HAHAHA!

There is, of course, the CSI season finale and the tape full of shows I've been recording all week, due to the heavy DVD schedule we've had lately. I don't think Netflix is for us. There's too much pressure to get our money out of it.

Last night, the bedroom TV was showing Miracle. It was a great movie, even knowing the ending! It got over way too late and we didn't get to sleep until at least 12:30 am. I'm extra thankful for the nap I got yesterday.

Oh yeah, yesterday. Anti-Procratination Day. I tried really hard to be productive, but since Joe called in sick (tired), the whole agenda was scrapped by 11 am when he finally got up. I took an almost 3 hour nap right after lunch, which was wonderful! We did some under house repairs - I say we because I found the problems during "The Great Kitten Hunt" and I had to run up to the hardware store for the duct tape last night. Joe did all of the dirty crawling, heavy lifting and loud banging required. I also made sure I flushed to toilet at least once while he was under the house...no leaks! hehe

The sick day prompted movement on other projects. Joe will be picking up some starter plants (at least peppers and tomatoes) and some soil today before he heads home. We'll be working on the garden and planter boxes tonight and this weekend. We got the grill out for dinner again. I love homemade hamburgers! I might actually have to cook inside tonight though.

This weekend will be busy. There is a fishing derby for the kids (Dad) on Saturday, along with another softball game for Joe. Sunday will be church in the morning and who knows what in the afternoon. Monday, Joe starts two weeks of overnights to get ready for inventory, so he will be home all day before heading to work late. On top of the screwy schedule, there has been more talk of Alaska. *fingers in ears* LALALALALALA - I CAN'T HEAR YOU!

We need to find a good time (and the money) to go see Baby Graham soon. He's already a month old. I need to finish his quilt too. There are a pile of birthdays coming up and my parents will be out the first week of July - which is only six.weeks.away!

AAACCKK! It just never ends.

Why do I do these things to myself?

Last night, Mindy called and wanted to go walk. Since I need to walk (and Joe was home to watch the kids) I hopped up and headed down there. We had a nice walk, about a mile loop up through the neighborhoods behind us, and I felt really good about getting the exercise. That is, until we came around the last corner and I had to slip my shoes off because my feet were on fire. Yes, stupid me had worn the new slip-on canvas shoes for the walk. I now have blisters on both pinkie toes (the left one popped already) and a row of blisters across the ball of my left foot. I won't be able to wear my sandals for a few days and it still hurts to walk. If only I had listened to the Flylady voice in my head to go put on my lace-up shoes...

I watched How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days last night. Very cute movie! I had strange dreams all night that some cute Australian man was pursuing me because of it. HAHAHA!

Joe called in sick (tired) today. He said he needs to sleep and get rid of the dark circles under his eyes. My response had something to do with him talking to the wrong person for sympathy. I've had dark circles under my eyes for 4 years!

Anyway, today is my Anti-Procrastination Day and I have to get in touch with my sewing machine. I've got a charity quilt to quilt, a block to sew and get in the mail and a quilt top to finish for a challenge. I need to iron and cut fabric for a swap too. I best get busy :o)

I've been surfing around, wasting time and I stumbled upon this - Diva of Domesticity- I think I'd do pretty well, but what mess would I come home too? hehe

And I can't wait until July 6th. Amazing Race 5 premieres that night! It's already marked on the calendar.

Ah, the things you can learn online. :o)

Yesterday was pretty quiet. That is, if you counted the silence between whining fits and the thunderstorms.

The morning started well enough, if you forget the (wakeup) call from Joe at 6:15 am from the parking lot at the store. The kids were up shortly after that and all I wanted to do was sleep.

Sunday night, we watched The Count of Monte Cristo. I walked down to the mailbox first thing to put the DVD in the mail and found out that the neighbor now has the kittens, plus 2 more from another cat, under their porch. I promise I'm not laughing, very hard. I told her we'd help pay to drop the kittens off and whatever else they needed help with.

The kids played outside some, inside some, made a mess on the table and constantly asked for treats. I didn't help myself any by having treats in the house while Joe was gone and now they think they are entitled to them. I did like the fact that Joe called twice on the cell to check in. He was home before 5 pm, I made dinner and headed in to town to drop off a couple of payments. I also stopped at the library and got 2 workout videos and a machine quilting book that were on hold. Maybe they will serve as inspiration.

When I got back, we sprayed and knocked down wasp nests out back. The remaining nests will require a new can of spray and the big ladder. The biggest storm missed us to the south and we had a lovely evening.

I watched Colonial House, after seeing Oprah yesterday. I think I've seen all of the PBS series like this. If we didn't have small kids, we would have signed up for a couple of them.

I woke up this morning (at 4 am) to Joe looking for some clean undies. I need to get back into my "laundry put away" routine. There is a pile of clean clothes and towels, they just aren't folded yet. I will also be picking up the kid's rooms again while I'm upstairs. It seems that all of the toy bins have thrown up all over the floor.

This morning was church. We were on time and the kids went to their classes without incident.

Lunch was a HUGE affair. We stopped and picked up charcoal, brats, hamburger, chips, buns, pop, beans and macaroni salad. Today was the "Welcome Home Daddy and celebration of all things in May" BBQ. We got the grill out for the first time this season and had a feast for lunch.

Joe mowed the back yard. I did a little raking, where the wet grass left lines from last week and had turned yellow. The mower wasn't picking up the stuck bits, so I helped un-stick it.

Now the family is watching The Three Musketeers and Joe is polishing his boots for work tomorrow. I need to drop off the payment for the water bill and finish the laundry tonight.

Yesterday was the birthday party for a family friend's son. It was fun, the kids all played with the new toys, the dads all played volleyball and the moms stayed inside out of the rain showers and drank coffee.

Joe and Adam left at 3 pm to play softball (church league) and it rained really hard, so we waited for him to get back before heading home. It was good to relax and hang out. We got back to the house after 7 pm and the kids were in bed within the hour. Joe got sucked into Swordfish, so he was the last man standing.

Good Morning!

I was up early, before the kids for once. My mom accidently called at 6:40 am, let the phone ring twice and hung up. Joe answered it, but no one was there. When I got up, and looked at the Caller ID, I started to panic. I called her back and all is well. The joys of misdials to the earliest time zone :o)

We are all safely home. The trip to the airport was a 6 hour ordeal. Traffic was horrible, but I was prepared for that. Parking was atrocious, but I was prepared for that too. The kids were very excited to see Joe and darn him, he came back from Alaska with a TAN!!

We've got a birthday party today at noon, which will include lunch. The kids and I wrapped the gifts this morning and I made blueberry muffins for breakfast. Joe is sleeping in and the kids are watching cartoons/coloring. I've got 2 suitcases full of laundry to get through this weekend, but otherwise I'm caught up.

The move to Alaska? Nope. Not happening. No offer and no openings right now. I'm hoping that he will just settle in here, instead of searching for a way to move up there. I can't keep doing the emotional roller coaster and the list I have of things that need to be taken care of before we move is HUGE! I would rather just do what needs to be done and be able to enjoy it.

Round II, Day 12:

The last day! Joe gets back this afternoon!!

That means I have a busy morning ahead. I need to pick up the house, vacuum, clean the kitchen counters off, put the kid's toys away again and get all of us bathed and dressed. We will be leaving here early this afternoon because I'm predicting a couple of hours in traffic.

The weather is beautiful. The kids have already been out playing in the yard and I will be able to send them out later, so I can get everything picked up.

Mindy called this morning. She wanted me to go with her (and Jen) to a park/urban trail so the kids could ride their bikes. Ummm, no.

My side of the conversation went a little something like this: I'm way to busy today. That's right, I have to drive to the airport. Yes, I have to leave 3 hours before his flight arrives. To deal with Friday traffic, find parking, get through security and get to the gate with two kids. No, this morning I have to shower and pick up the house, plus run some errands and get gas.

At this point, she got another call and hasn't called back yet. Jen hasn't talked to me in two weeks and I've figured out that we three just can't all be friends at the same time. That is why I went through school with lots of male friends and one good female friend. I'm in no hurry to go hang out with them and play the stupid games.

Last night, I enjoyed my last night of solo TV watching. Yeah Rupert! I felt better about my voting when Jeff kept saying - Your Favorite Survivor. Rupert was/is my favorite :o) I rented the movie Enough on Monday and finally sat down to watch it. It was OK - not bad enough to turn off, but if you've seen Sleeping With The Enemy, you've got the basic idea and better acting. It was fun to see Noah Wyle be a bad guy though. Our Netflix DVD's should be here today. I signed up for the free trial and I figure we'll do it for at least a month. The cost is worth it for the number of movies I put on my list!

I also did a French manicure on my toes yesterday - polish of some sort is a must for going barefoot. I like how it turned out. I usually have red or blue toes, but I felt like a little spoilin'. Now, to dig out my toe rings and buy some new sandals today. I think I might put in my contacts and buy some sunglasses too.

I've got to get moving - I will be back later, maybe not until Monday though. Have a great weekend all!

21 hours and counting until Dad gets home...

Both kids were so tired that they fell where they stood at 6:30 pm. I will be crawling up to bed myself in a few minutes and watching TV up there.

I'm proud of myself today! I got the template changed, got the comments back up and running and added a site meter and the mood-thingy without losing my temper. Bravo for me!

Now, if someone can tell me how to get the cute icons for the smileys?

Off to watch Survivor and CSI...

Round II, Day 11:

I'm tired. Not like need a nap tired, rather the wore out, sleep for days tired. I just have to get through today and tomorrow morning without harming anyone :o) PMS sucks, by the way.

I screwed up with the whole CBS, America votes for the Survivor thing. I should have voted for Rob. His final interview transcript includes a plea for votes because he really did play the game the best. I totally got caught up in the "Vote for Rupert!" popularity vote. Oh well, Rob got the truck, the girl and by default will get some of that money :o)

I got one of the quilts done this morning. The quilting sucks. I hate that I'm sending it off with crappy workmanship. I've already ripped it out once and "They" are getting antsy for it to be moving along already. I have one more RRCD quilt to work on and I then will be taking my name off the master list, so that even if I feel motivated in the future to volunteer, I will remember that it got bad enough to get out.

I have this fault, some may call it a gift, that I find it very hard to hold a grudge. I get mad, blow up and it's over. I forgive and move on with life. I wasn't always this way, but when a bunch of baggage threatened to drown me, I had to let it go. The end result is that I end up as a doormat and I get burned over and over again.

I've realized over the last month, since Joe's been gone, who my real friends are - not many. There are going to be some people that are very surprised when they come knocking again. I'm done with being the one that's always there for people. I'm ready for a little ME time.

PMS always makes me more aware of things. It also disrupts things enough to make me honestly look at where I am. If I was annoyed before, I'll get mad/upset/fed up and just deal with it once and for all. God help you if you're on that short list this week. *winks*

By the Numbers:

2 hours until bedtime.
37 minutes until dinner is ready.
5 loads of laundry folded and put away.
3 Mountain Dew's drunk so far today.
1 queen sized bed made.
4 yo-yo's sewn during Dr. Phil.
500 reasons never to get divorced.
47 hours until Daddy is back.
1 forum I've deleted from my daily viewing schedule.
2 forums I'm debating deleting.
15 fish I need to feed.
2 neighbors I will be avoiding until hell freezes over.
30 minutes of torture in Target today.
0 M&M's purchased for a treat.
2 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch.
6 lemon cookies for me.
40 pounds I would like to lose.
8 months to my goal weight deadline.
2 Tylenol I'm going to go take for my headache.

Round II, Day 10:

Evidently I need some new glasses. I was talking to Joe last night and discussing weekend plans, including picking him up from the airport on Saturday. Doh! His flight is on Friday night! I read his tickets wrong. So anyway, good news!!

Something strange happened last night when I took out the trash bins. I peeked in the yard waste bin and realized that it had barely 6" of grass in the bottom. I looked around the front yard and decided I should just mow the front and get better use out of my fee for the bin. An hour later the bin was mostly full and the WHOLE yard was done! I just couldn't stop.

Grace played out front with C (the neighbor girl) and her brother J. Tristan ran around in a sweatshirt and diaper trying so hard to be big. I got a call inviting us to a birthday party on Saturday. This would be the friend that I was least upset with for not calling in the last month. She and I don't really talk on the phone, she's got 3 boys (4 and under) and works part-time as a personal trainer. We try to get together and let the kids play a couple times a month instead and then we can sit and chat with a cup of coffee.

The neighbor kids went home at 8 pm and the kids were bathed and in bed by 8:30 pm. I watched the last part of Navy NCIS and the taped CSI: Miami from Monday. Then Joe called. We talked for a bit and I ended up getting hooked into Law and Order: SVU before I went to bed.

I slept great - until the freak downpour at 5:30 am. I had the window open and I could have sworn that every pipe in the house had opened up and the room was flooding. How sad is it that my first thought was that I was happy I had mowed the yard last night instead of waiting until today.

The garbage truck came at 6:20 am and Tristan got up a little before 7 am. Grace got up while I was typing this - after 8 am. I've got to go figure out something for breakfast - which includes cleaning up the kitchen from yesterday and then I've got a ton of laundry to fold and put away.

Saturday seems so far away.

I've been keeping busy by cleaning out all the closets, cabinets and drawers for a possible move. I want to be ready to paint when Joe gets back. I got the craft closet cleaned out yesterday, along with spackling a few more dents and dings in the walls. I also moved the pile of paper (photo, legal, typing and standard) and maps to the closet shelf, instead of on the floor next to the printer. I also cleaned out the 1/2 bath downstairs so that it doesn't look like a bomb went off in there.

Today, I've purged magazines, organized the kid's bookshelf and I'm in the middle of getting the computer room ready for the futon. Whenever Mindy is ready to bring it back down, it will be staying downstairs until we *have* to take it back up to Tristan's room for guests. I have to get all of my fabric and scrapbooking stuff out of the way, but keep it so that I can still get into it. I also cleaned out the drawers in my cabinet by the kitchen. It tends to collect the little pieces of toys and crayons.

I have to put the trash out tonight, so I'm working on getting the can full today. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny again, so I'll be mowing when the yard dries out.

I've been cranky and that reflects in the kid's behavior. I feel like my stuff has been put on hold for two weeks. I have a quilt on my machine right now that I've been able to work on twice. The first time, I messed up and had to rip out the quilting. I had to solve a crisis in the middle of my second time and I haven't gotten back to it. I have two more tops to quilt this week and I can't seem to sit down for 20 minutes at the machine. I know that they will only take about an hour a piece if I can get the time.

Round II, Day 8:

Monday -- I had grand plans to go out today, get some paint and paint my craft cabinet. It's a project that's been waiting since before we had kids. We didn't even make it out the door before I knew exactly what was going to happen if we went out. There were tears and excuses and not listening - all within 30 seconds. So, we're staying home today and we'll go out later this week if the behavior is better.

I really don't need the project anyway.

Survivor -- I am in the minority thinking that Amber and Rob did a good job. They said at the beginning that they would be in the final two and pulled it off. I might not like *how* they did it all the time, but we don't know what we would do in a Survivor situation. I was surprised at the proposal, but they really seem genuine. I know exactly what Amber was talking about when she was saying that she didn't really like Rob at the beginning. That's exactly how I felt about Joe when I first met him. Joe makes me feel secure and safe. He works his tail off to provide for me and the kids. I see that same thing in their relationship.

I was surprised at the Shi-Ann/car thing, but when you look at her as the swing vote, I understand it. I will be voting for Rupert to win the second million.

Mother's Day -- I called and talked to my Mom. I bought myself a hydrangea. Joe called twice and prompted the kids to give hugs and kisses. I was teary and emotional all day. I realized how hard it is, for single moms and wives with husbands that are gone, to celebrate a day that others are supposed to make happen for them. I felt silly telling the kids, "Today is Mommy's Day," so I didn't say anything.

I read too many poems and tributes to wonderful Mom's and felt guilty because I don't have that kind of relationship with my Mom. It's a hard day for Joe because his Mom was wonderful and he doesn't have her to celebrate with. I donated a $1 to breast cancer research in honor of her yesterday.

Animal updates -- We had a fish die last night. One of the Platys. The tank total is at 15 now. The Mamma cat seems to be content under the house again. I'll be venturing down there again this week in search of the kittens.

Weather -- Today is supposed to get really stormy. A system is brewing like the one that caused the tornado and power outages a couple of weeks ago. It's already pretty chilly and cloudy. I'm trying to prepare for a possible outage and keep the house warm enough this morning to carry over into the afternoon. I need to get the laundry finished and wash the dishes.

I just remembered that my CM consultant is coming this morning and I need to go pick up the living room!

Happy Mother's Day!

We won't be going to church today because Tristan has a cold - complete with runny nose and cough.

I had the breakfast of champions this morning - 5 Double-Stuf Oreos.

We will be leaving soon to get groceries and I'll be buying myself a gift.

Happy Day to me.

1:50 pm Friday.

My positive thinking worked wonders! The kids were angels. Yes, seriously. We got money out of the ATM (this is always a good start) and got gas without incident. I tried to jumpstart a lady stalled at the pump over from me, but she had more wrong with her vehicle than the battery and I left when she went to call her friend for help.

We drove to Wal-Hell with no pleas for a potty stop and got a spot, front and center, as soon as we pulled into the aisle. Tristan rode in the cart without complaint - happy even. Grace never let go of the cart. We were in and out in record time. I bought fabric. I bought some card making/scrapbooking stuff. I bribed the kids with a toy each (worth less that $5 each). Grace got the dress up tiara, shoes and jewelry. Tristan chose a fireman doll. The demo we passed on the way out was giving out Zoo Pals baggies, stickers and animal cookies. Super bonus!

We checked out, loaded into the car and went to find lunch (and a potty without auto flushers). As I was sitting in traffic, kids happily playing with the stickers in the backseat, I had an enlightened moment. Quiznos is right next to the hair salon. I flipped around and parked. The kids got kid's meals and ate at the salon while I got my hair cut!

They were polite. Didn't make a mess. There was no screaming. They asked permission to come back to the station. Bless the lady that was opening their goldfish and cookie bags :o)

I grabbed a sandwich at Quiznos after the haircut - got compliments right off. We hopped in the car. OK - so not exactly hopped, more like load and buckle one kid, (other side) load and buckle the other, grab drink off of roof and settle into the seat. But we were pretty speedy!

We've been home for about an hour - no fighting, no crying. The toys are being played with. There is sharing. The universal remote I bought for the cheap TV in the bedroom works! This day keeps getting better and better!!!

Round II, Day 5:

I'm trying to be positive today. I'm positive it will be a long day. I'm positive that the kids will drive each other crazy. I'm positive that I will regret dragging them out in the rain, to run the errands I have to get done today. LOL!

Tristan took his nap at 3 pm, didn't get up for dinner and I assumed he would sleep through the night like he sometimes does. Nope. He got up at 12:30 am and was ready for his day. By 1 am, both kids were curled up in my bed watching the start to Sleeping Beauty. At 1:15 am, I woke up enough to realize I was being stupid and put them back in their rooms. Tristan was up again at 5 am, with his snow boots on (LOL!) and climbed into bed with me, with the boots on. I was to tired to care. :o) They were both up for the day at 6 am.

Of course, it's raining today. It's Friday, the worst day to run around town and I have to go to the bank, get gas, go to Wal-Hell and then probably home to cry. I would like to go to Michael's, but that will be too much today.

I watched Survivor last night, should have taped Friends and ER. Instead, I fell asleep halfway through CSI. Good thing, since I really need those 3 hours of sleep today.

*I'm just going to C/P the main story from Her Time for my sanity. The update follows below that.*

I woke up this morning in a really crappy mood. I blogged and cried and felt a little better.

Then the neighbor (on this <--- side) knocked on the door to borrow our lawn mower. She had called ahead and it's all good. She then told me that one (of the many) stray cat had just headed under the porch and showed me the vent she squeezed though.

I'm sure many know where this goes. It's spring. We have a huge stray/feral cat problem in our neighborhood and every spring there are more kittens born.

Before I go any further, let me say I like cats. I like indoor, fixed cats. I don't agree with declawing. When our 2 cats needed to find a new home, we made sure they were adopted.

I do NOT like stray cats spraying on my porch and pooping in my garden beds and fighting under my window at night and having kittens under my house.

Anyway, back to the story.

I had to be brave. DH is gone right now. I tied a bandana on my head, put on a hooded sweatshirt, tied a cloth around my mouth and put on my gardening gloves - and WENT UNDER THE HOUSE!!

This in itself is huge, but I was being brave - for the kids :o) I finally found Mamma and 3 kittens tucked under the black plastic lining the ground. Mamma is a devil spawn cat - won't come near people and was not happy that I 1. scared her and 2. was taking her babies away. The kids were calling to me down the entry well and Grace dropped the box/towel down for me. The kittens are very cute - at least one female, so I feel like we've prevented at least a few more stray cats.

The next round of fun was calling around to talk to:

1. Animal Control - no longer operates in our town due to tax cuts. So sorry. Can't help you there. Sucks to be you. Have fun finding a solution to your problem. And yes, if you kill the cat yourself you will be charged criminally. (I admit I got mad and lost my temper at her.)

2. The Shelter in the closest big town - they charge $60 PER ANIMAL just to drop off strays. HOLY CRAP! (is what I told him. And was also told again that if I killed the cat, there would be hell to pay.)

3. A shelter in the county north of us - Finally somewhat helpful. They will take the whole litter for $50 - the charge is only because we don't live in that county. The lady gave me great tips on trying to catch the Mamma, feeding the babies tonight and the future plans to rid our neighborhood of the stray cats. (Not the best of solutions, but considering the above results, I'll take it.)

I put the kittens in a bigger box under our back porch hoping that Mamma will come out and get in the box with them.

ETA - I just now saw that she came out from under the house to be with the babies. I scared her again by shutting the crawlspace cover, but I don't want her to carry them under the house again. My plan is to take (at least) the babies to the shelter tomorrow and try to trap Mamma later if we have to. I have to wait until tomorrow because it will be payday and well, it will cost me $50.

I also did some digging online and what I thought were 3-4 week old kittens are really under 2 weeks old. Their eyes aren't open yet and they don't have any teeth. I would like to keep Mamma with them until they wean, but by then they might not be adoptable.

What a pain.

Please at least spay your female animals. Most areas don't care about stray cats anymore and most people (I) can't afford to trap and drop off all of the cats on our street at $50 or $60 a pop. I will be purchasing a live trap, talking to the crazy old lady down the street that feeds all the cats and doing what I can to prevent anymore unwanted litters.

Now for the rest of my day.

I made lunch. I checked on the kittens. I changed Tristan's diaper and put him down for his nap. I checked on the kittens. I watched Dr. Phil, Joe called and I went to check on the kittens while I was talking to him. TWO of the kittens were GONE!! Fricken Mamma cat came and stole them back!

Joe was laughing so hard he might just have wet his pants.

I got all geared up again and went below decks for the second time today. Now I can't find where Mamma stashed them. I'll have to wait for a few days, until their eyes open and they start moving around on their own to go BACK under the house and retrieve them again. Hopefully, Joe will be able to fix the vent screen when he gets home so this won't happen again.

So, I put the remaining kitten, in the box back out under the porch and when I checked a little bit ago, the third one was gone too. Your time is short Mamma Cat.

The good news of the day.

The neighbor across the street came over when she got home from work and wanted to apologize for not being a better neighbor. She's a busy, single mom with two boys in every sport and she works full time, but is the sweetest person on the block. So, after this morning - I almost cried. We talked a bit, I showed her the lonely kitten in the box and I asked her about her frequent deliveries of Stampin' Up boxes. YES! She is a consultant only for the price break and will order for me at her cost :o) She gave me a catalog and I've been drooling over it all afternoon.

Grace got to play with the older neighbor girl, C this afternoon. She's 6 or 7 and I wasn't sure how it would go, but I let them play out front, while I sat on the porch and flipped through my new Stampin' Up catalog. When C's friend walked by, I was sure that I would have a wounded daughter to deal with. I was pleasantly surprised! C and the friend, M, both stayed and played with Grace. They did cartwheels (what was that poll on SAHP's the other day? - I didn't try one) and somersaults (I did one and hurt my wrist, but it was worth the cheers from the kids!). They drew suns and mermaids with sidewalk chalk. I learned some things I bet M's parents would be shocked to find out that she tells strangers :o)

It was getting cool, so I made an excuse for Grace to come inside and we made brownies for dinner. Yes, for dinner. And they were good :o)

Round II, Day 4:

Further update from last night -- Tristan peed in the potty again before bedtime, making a total of twice in an hour. He was so proud! When Joe called that's all he heard about :o)

Last night, I watched the CSI: Miami I taped on Monday night. Followed by the 2-hour Dive to the Bermuda Triangle (PBS) that I taped Tuesday night. First of all, I know better than to watch shows about death before bed - ESPECIALLY if I am home alone. I swear the house creaked and groaned every possible way and I double checked all the doors and windows at every commercial break for the first hour.

The Bermuda Triangle show was very cool! I learned a lot and I'm convinced that you will NEVER find me in a boat or airplane over the Atlantic Ocean. I have a fear of oceans (deep water) anyway and this did nothing to convince me that it was unfounded. I will continue to white-knuckle the ferry trips across Puget Sound, knowing that there are sharks and octopus and whales living right underneath the boat and constantly planning how to get myself into a rescue boat with the kids if the ferry sinks.

Anyway, back to the dark house, me curled up on the couch with a warm fuzzy blanket, at 10:30 pm - yep, sound asleep :o) The phone rings. It's Joe. He had messages on his phone and was worried that I had tried to call him. Nope. But he did get to hear about the Bermuda Triangle while I turned off all the lights and went up to bed.

I woke up irritated this morning. I hate that.

I am mostly irritated that NO ONE from our church has contacted me since Joe has been gone. None of the ladies from our small group. No one from my Women's group. No one calling to make sure we are OK. However, one of the guys called over the weekend to talk to Joe. Ouch.

On top of that, the neighbor, Jen, hasn't called since the power outage last week and by default hasn't said anything about the van incident last Friday. I ran the DVD I had over to her husband on Sunday afternoon while he was mowing their yard. Mindy called Monday, wanting to borrow some black construction paper (which I had to dig around and find) and never called back. She called over the weekend to have me go down and set her DVR (I have a key to their house) and I grabbed my embroidery floss while I was down there. She's had it for months and I needed it the other day - of course she wasn't home.

I'm frustrated with the whole situation. I start thinking about the "Whys?" and I always end up with my life is just THAT bad that no one wants to be around me.

If I didn't talk too much... If I didn't have to take the kids everywhere with me... If I weighed less... If we had more money... If I didn't ever complain... If we had a van...

The bottomline is that I've been trying to make friends out of people who either don't need anymore friends or who just aren't good friend material. They call me for help and favors, but aren't there for me in return. Which leaves me back at square one - alone and fending for myself.

Breaking News:

Tristan just peed in the potty! Whoo Hooo!!

We are having a little inspiration party now :o) I need to find a treat for him. Just had to share.

Round II, Day 3:

What a day! I've gotten things accomplished today. Granted some were little, pain in the butt things that I've been putting off for weeks/months now. But they are done now!

It all started with the Great Toy Sort. I did Grace's room first because she tends to have stuff scattered hither and yon with no rhyme or reason. Once I sort all of her stuff, Tristan's is half sorted to go back to his room. I transferred three of my shoebox sized storage bins of fabric into one larger bin from Tristan's room, so there was better space for the small toys, like Barbie/Kelly doll shoes and all of the play jewelry.

I didn't have to toss much this time, probably because I was brutal last time. I've been chucking the few McD's Happy Meal toys we have, as soon as they are left alone. I couldn't bring myself to get rid of the shape sorters and the pull telephone yet. I justify it since we have friends with younger kids and I hated visiting houses that had NOTHING for my kids to play with.

So, Grace now has a bin for dolls, one for ponies, one for her kitchen stuff/food and a small bin for all of her little treasures. Tristan has a bin for stuffed animals, one for small cars and trucks, one for his firetruck and construction sets and a small one for his little men and smaller toys. Both kids have a stash of books to read upstairs too. I would take pictures of the spotlessness, but Joe has the digi with him.

I moved on to other things as soon as I finished upstairs. I spackled 4 nail pop holes in the ceiling, two upstairs and two downstairs. I changed the light bulbs in two nightlights and returned them to their critical lighting positions. I updated my wall calendar while I downloaded and installed the updates for Windows that we were missing. Once I sat down at the computer though, it was all over.

I've checked email. Several times. I've emailed my Creative Memories consultant no less than 3 times this morning. I emailed my sister-in-law. And my Mom. I read forums. And posted. Several times. I read through my list of blogs. At least twice. Then, I moved on to playing Zuma. I'm bored with it now since I beat it the other day. I'm just trying to get the 5 star rating now. I played with some of my fonts and tried some journaling for my scrapbook. That went well. I printed on vellum and used two eyelets before 10 am.

Then, I had to make lunch for the kids, wasted more time on the computer and now Dr. Phil is about to start. That means it's naptime and Mommy can lay down on the couch. Whoo Hoo!

Round II, Day 2:

Yesterday went well. The kids fell back into the routine we had last week and we only had a few bouts of whining and not listening. I put the kids to bed at 8 pm and had grand plans of following them shortly after that. I recorded CSI: Miami in preparation of sleep. Didn't quite work out the way I thought.

After a couple of sneaky trips down the stairs (Grace) and returns to bed, picking up the living room and getting the strollers back into the trunk of the car, I decided to go check the mail.

Happy Day! The Office 2000 disc was in there from my Mom. So, I spent the next 2 hours cleaning all the Works crap off (that the computer guy messed up) and got Office installed. Naturally, I had to install the new fonts I downloaded last week and then I had to play with the fonts. About 11 pm, I finished a letter to Joe (in a really cool font!) and went upstairs to watch the news in bed.

Tristan was up before 6 am this morning and I convinced him to crawl back into bed. We were all up for good by 7:30 am and I've showered, made breakfast and cleaned up the kitchen already. Now to check the forums and I will continue quilting the quilt I was working on yesterday.

Round II: Day 1 --

You know it's going to be a long day when you've been up for 4 hours and it's only 8 am.

We have been to the airport and back already this morning. 120 miles almost before sunrise. I understand now why my parents drove early or late on car trips on the first day.

I'm am working on a couple of quilts today. I've got all of my other projects out of the way - Joe took care of the yard yesterday and I'm caught up on dishes, laundry and general picking up. We'll all take naps this afternoon and it will be an early bedtime for me.

Daddy is home. All is well.

The trip to the airport wasn't too bad. The kids didn't wake up until right before we picked Joe up. The saving grace was that Joe had left his big bag there, or else we wouldn't have had enough room. Oh well, it all worked out. The kids chatted all the way home and went right back to bed. I fell asleep sometime around 1:30 am and was back up at 6:45 am. We had a big family breakfast and coffee on the porch.

Off to run a ton of errands and do a bunch of yardwork. I probably won't be back until later on Monday - after my return trip to the airport to take Joe back for another flight. He'll be gone 13 days next time.