Monday Musings

Good Monday Musings!  I've got a 'to-do' list a mile and a quarter long, but will quickly pen up a Muse for your aMusement.  Or mostly mine.

We've had some super-de-duper wonderful last days of summer.  There's been times with friends and just our family and some necessary work followed by unnecessary groans from some MYP.  But it gets done and the smiles return.

Son #1 inherited a little fishing boat that he now captains.  He is most pleased.  And if he sees I posted this picture of him on his little boat he will be most displeased.  So please do not tell him you saw him on this forum.  But those arms though...

I just returned a bathroom scale.  After I got it home, I realized we had one that worked nearly as good so I thought I'd save the $19.99 and return it.  The man at Costco taking my return asked if anything was wrong so I said, "I didn't like the number".  He paused and then looked at me and then realized I was joking and HAHAHA!  I couldn't help myself.

I was on a hunt for some good jerky and I saw that the price/pound for jerky for dogs was quite a bit cheaper than for people.  I was tempted to throw it in a Ziploc and see if anyone noticed a quality difference.

I charted the moods of daughter #1 and 2 this week one day on the fridge.  It was fun for me and slightly irritating and slightly funny for them.

Lisi celebrated National Dog Day.  Ok I lied.  She had no clue it was NDD, but I took her picture anyway.  You'd not know it by her soft, sweet face, but she almost nipped me in the hinder just before this picture was taken because she wanted a walk very very badly.

I was up at preps last Saturday.  And yes, I had the privilege of cleaning the bathrooms before everyone got there at convention time where - you guessed it - I'll be cleaning the bathrooms.  But there was an immediate crisis!  Some keys are missing for the paper roll dispensers.  So I hopped on the internet and got replacements ordered and they were actually shipped before I left the grounds.  Technology is weird.  And now I see why janitors like to have a ring full of jingling keys.  They are mostly necessary I reckon.  Doesn't this look squeaky clean?  Or maybe not.

We had our extra daughter here for the entire weekend again.  She's sugar and spice and everything nice - just like her parents.  She and daughter #2 decided to make a humongous project of decorating cupcakes.  They made memories and a huge mess.  I found frosting on a wall, the faucet, the side of the fridge, and on the wastebasket drawer.  They mentioned in passing there was a bit of a frosting fight.  Really?  I never would have guessed.

So the reason for my mile and a quarter 'to-do' list is that I'm hitting the highway tomorrow with my sister for a bitter-sweet occassion.  A family member has passed away and I just felt very moved to make an effort to go to the funeral.  You see I have a very, very small extended family.  And because of that, we've all tended to be very close - especially that several of them are laboring in far-away states and we cannot all be together.  But this time we can be and will be.  Yes, every level surface will not pass the white-glove test before the study meeting here Wednesday night.  Yes, the floors might have some crumbs.  Yes, the Chairman and the MYP will miss me (or so I like to think).  But some day down the road, I don't want to wish I had gone.  Life and relationships are so much more important than a pristine house.  It will be so very nice and so very comforting despite the circumstances.

So have a good rest of the week!

Time to talk!

Or blog.  I realize it isn't Monday, but somehow my day filled up fast.  So it'll have to be Tuesday for my talk.  Maybe I'll listen some day.

Sweet corn.  Our family enjoys it all through the year.  It is one of those things that simply do not taste as good if store bought.  I dread the 'corn day'.  So this year I would simply purchase a few extra dozen each time we were to have sweet corn.  I didn't have a horrible long day in the kitchen over a boiling kettle, and I also have all the meals I need for the coming year.  Win/Win if you ask me.

School is starting next week.  Someone recently asked me, 'are you excited school starts next week?'.  Honestly?  No.  Despite a grueling double-foot surgery and a long recovery, this has been one of my favorite summers.  Why you ask?  I see the day on the horizon when there won't be MYP coming and going through our doors - ours and others.  Yes, I realize they'll hopefully still be around.  But not as minors marching through the school years.

Some years ago on this blog (I don't have the time to link to the post) I wrote about the "last times".  There was the last time I made a bottle.  The last time I changed a diaper.  The last time I packed a meeting bag.  The last time I had to give baths.  The last time I gave a buzz cut to a little boy.  The last time I combed her hair (oh never mind... I still do that sometimes).  Well this time I can see the last times coming.  So I'm going to enjoy these times.  Even if the size 11 shoes are in my way sometimes.

I'm famous!  You knew that already though didn't you.  Didn't you???   Heh.  Anyway, about six weeks ago I submitted a picture I took to the newspaper.  They responded they might use it.  I half-heartedly would check most days and some days not.  Well last week I flipped the paper over to check the weather and there it was!  My picture!  No one has come forward asking for an autograph.  So I might as well put my pen away.

Our welcome mat has been very busy the past week as many have crossed over it entering the house.  I like it that way.  On Sunday, we had a couple tables full of friends.  One of the ladies that came is from India visiting her daughter and family who happen to be our good friends.  Her tongue has a strong accent to us mid-westerners.  Her dress is different than 'western' dress.   Her background and experiences are very different than ours.  But then she gave her testimony.  And then as she was leaving she gave me a kiss just below my ear on my neck and said, 'you are another daughter to me'.  And do you know what?  She felt just like another mother the way she said it.  Yes, we are one family.

So this is enough talking for today.  I'll pull up my camera roll and see if there's anything you'd be interested in.  Happy end of summertime to you too!

Monday Musings

Yes you're absolutely right.  I didn't blog last week.  I think it's a first in probably a year or so.  It didn't seem to affect many people's lives, so that's comforting.  However I missed you, and writing, and so blog I must!

Can you tell anything is different?  I'm guessing not.  From the outside, we look the same.  From the inside, we feel so very different.  We were just at an extra-special place for a bit over four days.  The rains came down in both a natural and spiritual way.  And my heart feels like the flooded ground we walked on.

This place is a magnet for young people.  If my math serves me right, I believe that nearly 2/3 of the crowd was under the age of 30.  I find that just astounding and wonderful and it makes the future look so bright in a very dark world.

As you can imagine, the singing was just beautiful.  I love singing.  I love singing parts.  And I pretty much am sure my favorite thing to do on this earth is to sing with the 1000 other people.  We were surrounded by young ones in our seats that have beautiful voices.  It was heavenly.

I must not have looked very good last year.  This year I was there sporting my new glasses and I received about four or five compliments each day on how the glasses made me look so good.  (heh)

I had a lot of family there.  In fact of my near-extended family, we were missing only three.  It was really, really nice to be with them all.  However, I had incredible visits and feelings with so many different ones that don't share a drop of my blood or my name.  And they felt like family.  I love that feeling.

I met several blog readers that came to ask if I was the Chairman's Wife.  That makes me nervous for some reason.  I hope I don't waste your time.

The Chairman had to miss a little bit of the time there.  It seems like when you have the one you love by your side you have more confidence.  At least I'm that way.  I was so glad when he returned.

So the real reality of it is that I have a lot to do today.  I see a stack of bills that need to be tended.  I have a camper to clean out.  I need to run get a few groceries.  I need to vacuum the kitchen since our pet sitter brought in some grass.  I have approximately seven loads of laundry to do.  I'd show you a picture of the clothes and bedding piles but I don't want to air out my dirty laundry.

Here's a few pics taken in the camper one night.  I don't like taking pictures on the grounds so I don't have much to share that way.

Have a great week ahead!  We have two weeks until school starts so we need to hit a few 'bucket list' items before that comes!

Tasty Tuesday

Why Tasty you ask?  Well I happen to have been cooking up a storm this morning.  We get to have a pile of people over tonight and so the chicken is marinating in buttermilk, the deviled eggs are done, and the three types of dipping sauce have been stirred together.  Is it weird that I look forward to the meal when I'm the one making it?  Maybe so.

I just read about a personality type and I think it describes me perfectly.  I'm an outgoing introvert!  Those of you that know me are saying... yeah, right.  Introvert.  But what I read seems to sum me up.

Once again I was in the throes of parenting and not quite knowing what to do and the Chairman totally seemed to just know what to do in the situation.  Experiences like that catch my breath and make me once again grateful for his wisdom.  When choosing a spouse, I wonder how many really consider how they would be as a parent.  I'm not certain I did, but I'm thankful for the results.

Recently, I received compliments for different things.  They just came at a perfect time when I maybe needed a little boost in my psychotic state.  I hope to remember that... when someone does something or just is someone you admire, just tell them.  A few positive words in season can savor for a long time.

Anyone want to come over to help husk and boil and cut off sweet corn?  (crickets sound).  Yeah I thought so.  It's that time of the year again.

As a follow-up to our little robin birdies.  Only one made it to fledge the nest.  The other two were dead under the tree on two different days.  I did notice though that despite the loss, the mother (or father) were still perched nearby with their one baby singing their song.

As a follow-up to the eldest of the MYP that endured foot surgery... there is great progress!  She is walking around more and more and even hopped on the mower with her feet propped up and mowed our entire yard!  She said it feels good to be able to do something again.  I'm so glad she said that so I can give her a long list of chores today (tee-hee).  Only one open wound from the surgical site and soon she'll be in real shoes instead of the surgery ones.

So I need to move along.  You see I don't want those coming over tonight to write their names on the dust on the piano.  I'd rather it be in a guest book.  Happy rest of the week to you!  Lets look at my cameral roll and see what I can share.

Our worker took this picture of me leaving g.m without my knowledge until he texted it to me.  We've been bringing pillows for daughter #1 to prop up feet.  He found it amusing watching me leave with them in arm.  

Young people eating us out of house and home after time on the lake.