Long Weekend Fun

I told Paul that I didn't want to sit around the house all weekend so we headed to Knox-Vegas on Saturday.
First we went to a drive-in that was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives on Food Network. We ordered pizza, and it was very yummy.
Then we went to a scrapbook store - all the ones in our area have closed. It was the best store ever! I wish all locally owned scrapbook stores set themselves apart from the big box stores. I think it's the only smart way to compete.
Then we went to the mall. Much bigger than our own. Paul was able to withstand the crowds and enjoy himself. I tried not to overshop, but all in all, we didn't buy much.
Then we drove around UT and showed Abbie which dorms we had lived in, how far we had to walk to class, where we hung out between classes, where we bought books, where we shopped for comic books, where the Vols play (and where everyone knows the words to Rocky Top), and the apartment that Paul and Marc lived in. It was quite the educational trip for Abbie.
Then we ate at PF Changs and then headed for home.
Today, we went to church then went to Horse Creek (my mom was camping again). Lots of creek play and some rock collecting and lots of sitting around the campfire talking.
Tonight, I am cleaning the house (it is quite the wreck) and tomorrow, we will go to the pool since it will be the last day it is open.

Bipartisan

I promise this isn't a political post! I watched the Democratic Convention last night and listened to Obama's speech. While I was watching, a thought struck me - I think it must be really hard to be a politician or work in the government- and I think there are a lot of similarities to serving on a board.
I've been on two boards - church and school. Real boards with real bylaws following Roberts Rules of Order, serving with people wanting to do good, make a difference, etc.
Just speaking from my own experience, I "ran" for the board position because I saw a need, a spot to fill, work to be done, and I wanted to help. I consider myself level headed and easy to get along with so I felt sure I would be a good fit. And it has been a rewarding experience - I've learned so much!
But it has been so hard!!!! You can't make everyone happy. All decisions have pros and cons. There are so many different personalities to deal with.
Some people come with their own agenda. Some people don't do much and hardly show up for meetings. As much as you communicate, it is never enough. There is misinformation given - some on purpose. Sometimes, info is buried. Sometimes, you're only fed the information someone else wants you to know. Sometimes, you're lied to. Sometimes, you trust people that you shouldn't. Sometimes, non-board members get the wrong idea of what they *think* the actual board is doing. Sometimes, you'll have an idea-no one is against it-the project will go forward and then if it doesn't work out, people will say "I knew we shouldn't have done that" and you wonder why no one spoke up when it was first discussed. Some people are having affairs together. Some people are pulling the cart, and some people are digging their heels in and slowing the cart down. Some people are looking to the future - trying to figure out how to grow and improve while others do not want anything to change because they don't think its broken. Sometimes, you can't get "backing" because there are people who won't speak up and will avoid confrontation at all costs.
Recently, I heard someone say "I'm going to run for the board next year. I'm going to [do it better]." I was thinking, "well, good luck, that's what I thought too." I've learned that even good ideas that everyone is in favor of take a while to get accomplished. Great ideas can't always get off the ground because money isn't budgeted for it.
And if anyone thinks my above examples are thinly veiled comments about current or past political/national events, you'd be wrong. This is all small town stuff that I've dealt with and noticed. There is intrigue, innuendo, cover ups, weirdos, snarkiness at every turn. There are also good, honest people that I am proud to work with.
I just think it would be hard to be a president (current or past) or a presidential hopeful or a senator or a presidential aid, a mayor, etc. After my current experiences, I have a newfound respect for these jobs.
It's hard to serve on a 15 person board and represent 100 people so it's got to be a million times more difficult to serve in the government.
I am glad my term is almost complete. Flip me over, I'm done!

Samantha

This morning as I was watching TV...no wait, I was doing laundry and sweeping litter from the floor...I started thinking about my first cat, Samantha.
My mom thinks I got her when I was 4. She says I had not started Kindergarten yet, and I started Kindergarten right after I turned 5.
I named her Samantha Thomasina Pussycat. Samantha because my favorite show was Bewitched. Thomasina was from a cat in a Disney movie. And Pussycat was her last name. This was my first foray into naming animals, and until Little Man came along, I've always chosen real names (not Fluffy or Spot). And Baby was already named when we got her, in case you're keeping track.
Samantha was a fluffy black cat with an undertone of tortoiseshell. She had green eyes and was an indoor/outdoor cat. She was welcome inside the house, but she went outside whenever she wanted. She had no litterbox in the house. When she wanted to go out, she sat beside the door until someone saw her and opened it (we lived in a really, really small house). When she wanted inside, she pawed at the door until someone opened it. If we ever left her in the house too long, and no one was there to let her out, she would potty in the bathtub - number one down the drain and number two at the other end of the tub. Now, that may sound gross, but it was so easy to clean and sanitize the tub after her accident, and that was better than cleaning it out of carpet (my mom would have had a cow!). I always thought that that was very considerate of her to choose the bathtub. It probably only happened twice in her life anyway so she can be forgiven.
She wasn't a super cuddly cat, but she was friendly and liked to be petted, and she slept on my bed at night.
Samantha had two litters of kittens before we got her fixed. I loved those kittens - they were fluffy and cuddly and all different colors. In the summer, my mom would set up our tent in the side yard, and I would play house in the tent. I tormented those kittens by dressing them in baby doll clothes.
When I was in high school, I read Pet Cemetary by Stephen King. For awhile, I was a little scared of Samantha. The book spooked me a little bit, and sometimes, I wouldn't let her sleep with me, but I eventually got over it.
Then I went away to college and had to leave Samantha behind. She died when I was 21 or 22 so she lived about 17 years. My mom called me with the news, and she was more upset than I was. Samantha was as much the family cat as she was my cat. I guess I'm feeling a little nostalgic today. And I can't help but think about cats when I'm sweeping litter.

Enemy Number One and Two

I'll address Enemy #2 first (and this enemy is sometimes #1). Enemy #2 is paper. I don't hate paper, but I have too much of it. It's in the form of mail, bills, school papers (homework, monthly school calendar, monthly school lunch menu, papers sent home for me to sign and return, artwork, book order forms, field trip reminders, etc, etc), school board paperwork (there is lots of it - minutes from the board meetings, minutes from the academic committe that I am on, minutes from the middles school sub committe that I am on, minutes from the safety and security subcommittee that I am on, and all of these committees generate their own agendas, works in progress, etc, etc, etc), receipts from bills, receipts from doctors-vets-repair work-lawn service-etc, church papers (the monthly newsletter I do, weekly bulletin, children's program pertinent to Abbie, acolyte schedule pertinent to Abbie), post its with notes I jot down, lists I make so I can try to keep up with everything, recipes, wadded up kleenex from my daily snot fest, etc, etc, etc. I don't think I've listed it all, but I'm going to stop now before the cussing begins. Wrangling all this paper (and I don't even have a horse, chaps, boots, and spurs to help me) is quite frankly a full time job. You know that if I throw something away, I'll need it. What if I need to reference a bill that I paid or I need to look up what jobs the lawn service performed 2 weeks ago or I can't remember how much the painters charged. I keep thinking, maybe if I organized it differently, it would be easier to keep up with. And before you start thinking - why don't you throw the crap away - I do throw the crap away. I only keep bill stubs for a year then they go in the garbage. I can't throw away bank statements and debit card receipts because I'm a former banker; I-just-can't-do-it! Today, I am actually working on organizing all of my school board papers - each project and committee has it's own folder (I am procrastinating by blogging :), and I have a kitten sleeping and purring in my lap which automatically means I am stuck in this spot for awhile (Paul and Abbie also get to use this excuse). So I hate paper unless it is a check that I can deposit!
Enemy #1 is cat litter. I like the new fangled cat litter that clumps and eliminates odor (mostly). It really is better than the old clay stuff, but I have a growing stack of giant, plastic litter containers in my garage. I keep them to use as buckets - they really are handy - but I only need so many. I hate to send them to the landfill. And I'm not sure if the litter itself will ever biodegrade. And the full containers are so heavy - I hate buying them, loading them in my car and then unloading them at home. I won't be able to carry these when I'm a crazy old cat lady.
The other thing I hate about litter is that the cats track it out of the litter box. I have used all sorts of things in front of the litter box to help prevent this, but none of the ideas are perfect.
While at Petsmart recently, I got the wild idea to try a new, biodegradeable litter. It is made out of corn, and it is in a bag and it is so light! It clumps and seems to be controlling the odor very well, but......they really, really, really track this stuff out of the litter box - I guess because it is so light - it's like a flake.
So for all the people who have asked me lately how I spend my time now that Abbie is back in school (I think I'm going to start telling people that I watch soap operas all day), this is what I do: I scoop the litter box, sweep cat litter, shuffle papers, stack papers, organize papers, make new piles of papers, file papers, pay bills, get frustrated then go blog. That's what I did today before noon (plus two loads of laundry).

In Honor of Grammy Taker

Yesterday, while I was at an all day scrapbooking event, Paul and Abbie spent a fun filled day together. When I called to check in, Abbie said that Paul had done another treasure hunt for her. I'm sure it was spur of the moment and amazing.
When I got home, I found all the cool little clues that Paul hid for Abbie during the treasure hunt. When I complimented him on his ability to create a rhyme, he said he gets it from his Grammy Taker.

Not me

When I get old, I'm not going to wear red hats and purple clothes (not that there is anything wrong with that).
I'm going to wear a pair of boots - maybe this pair of Charley 1 Horse.
Or maybe this other pair by Charley 1 Horse. I think the requirement will be that they have to have a cool name.
Maybe this pair called Old Nugget Lizard! Maybe I won't wait til I'm old.

Proud Mother Confirms Story

Yes, it's true! Abbie can make authentic light saber sounds! We're pretty excited that her fund of Star Wars knowledge is growing. We hope she can get a full scholarship to the Intergalactic University where she will major in Jedi Mind Games and minor in Tatooine History. As soon as she gets a handle on cursive, she plans to write an essay on Yoda's youth for the morning Rotary Club's annual essay contest. Many of the senators attend this club.
This summer she attended a summer camp where they taught everyone how to make repairs to an astro mech droid. Abbie was really hoping for some experience working with the mouse droids, but that will have to wait until next summer. Only the first three sentences of this story are true, and we are very proud!

Where Have You Been All My Life

Paul and I recently watched an episode on Food Network that showed how Nutella is made. It looked yummy and creamy, and for the first time, I really realized what this product is. I had seen Nutella before, but I thought it was chocolate peanut butter, and I wasn't interested. I love Reese's Cups, but chocolate peanut butter on bread didn't do it for me. And I am actually not a big chocolate fiend either.
After I saw the episode, I decided to buy some. It's not chocolate peanut butter.
It's been over a week now, and I have eaten Nutella everyday. And I have bought another jar. I love this stuff! I like it on bagels with sliced bananas on top (I came up with the idea myself before I saw the way other people ate it).
Surely this stuff is good for you, right? I haven't examined the label yet, but I'm hoping that hazelnuts are a miracle food that prevents alzheimers, crow's feet, and lard butt.

Cat Profiles

Name: Little Man
Describe yourself in 20 words or less: Fur like a mink coat, lovable, petite
What are your hobbies? Sleeping on Paul. Sleeping with Abbie. Batting toys down the hallway.
Favorite toy: I like balls (especially ones with bells inside) and strings.
Dislikes: When Angel sinks his fangs into my throat.
An interesting fact about me: I am much cuter than this picture portrays. I have 23 toes and 23 claws. Some people think the extra toes are ugly, but Lorrie loves them which is one reason she adopted me. I also have a powerful purring engine.
Minor Imperfection: I like the toilet too much and fell in once then Lorrie gave me a bath. {insert pouty face}

Name: Angel

Describe yourself in 20 words or less: Soft as an angel's wing, my middle name is hungry

What are your hobbies? Climbing on the kitchen counter in search of food then I get squirted. I get down then I get hungry and climb up there again. Then I get squirted and I get down. What's that smell? I better climb on the counter and see if I can steal a bite...

Favorite toy: Little Man's neck, Little Man's leg, my scratching post and the mouse that sits on top

Dislikes: Getting squirted, but I'm kind of getting used to it.

An interesting fact about me: I have beautiful blue eyes that will mesmerize you.

Minor Imperfection: Sometimes I scratch Abbie and make her cry.

Name: Misty

Who Owns Me: No one knows. I came to the Villeneuve's before Ellie died. I shared her food and slept with her in the garage. The Villeneuve's were kind enough to feed me, but they said they wouldn't keep me or name me.

An Interesting Fact About Me: Lorrie bought me a collar once, but the next day, it was gone. Either I got it off or I really do have owners that took it off me. It's a mystery!

Are They Keeping Me: Hmmm, I don't know, I just know that they've been feeding me for about 2 years. If I meow, they quickly check my bowl to see if I have food. I think I have them trained pretty well (even if I may be owned by someone else and getting meals elsewhere).

Another Mystery: I could be a boy (that has been fixed) or a girl (who has never gotten pregnant (as far as they know)). They don't know, and I've decided not to tell them. But they gave me a girl name even though they said they wouldn't name me.

Name: Baby

Interesting Fact About Me: I do not like to walk. I will walk from one room to another then I lay down again. If they play with me with a laser light (which I love), I lay there and grab it with my paws. I do not chase the laser light {shudder}. I think the vet wants me to get more exercise, but I have no interest in being a Hollywood poster girl. Take me as I am or not. I don't care!

Likes: Food, being fed on time, being petted, laying on whatever Lorrie is doing, knocking over things when I need to communicate with the humans, sleeping.

Dislikes: Diet cat food, when the kittens bite my tail

Hobbies: sneaking outside when the humans hold the door open too long then I quickly get under the car where they can't reach me

Little Known Facts About Myself: I am lucky to be owned by such super people. They take very good care of me (and I really try not to be a bother). Just don't tell them how much I like them.

Late Picture Posting

In this picture, Angel is attacking Abbie hair and biting it while Little Man is being calm.
Blueberry Pie that Abbie and I made from blueberries we picked.
Blueberries we picked - it was fun!
Shadows are wonky in this picture but I take a picture of Abbie under the crepe myrtle every year.
Paul and I snuggling and half napping while Angel and Little Man sleep on us too. First, they wrestled a little, then cleaned their faces, then slept, then cleaned other body parts then slept again. It was so warm and snuggly, we couldn't move even though we had other things we needed to be doing.

Wrestlemania

Pertaining to the new kittens:
Around our house, it's wrestlemania 24/7. No wait, actually, it is wrestlemania 13 hours, 10 hours of sleeping, 1 hour of eating or looking for food to steal, and 1 hour of stalking.
With two little boys in the house - a first for us - the wrestling starts as soon as they wake up. They literally roll down the hall, one on top of the other, claws out, one's mouth is clamped around the other's throat, one is either crying or has his fangs sunk into the other's leg. Sometimes Little Man is winning then the tide turns and Angel is on top (and he's a little bigger). Most of the time, I don't get in the middle, but sometimes, Little Man's pitiful cry rips at my heart so I lift Angel off him. At other times, they will be sleeping together so peacefully then one will crack an eye open and pounce on the other unsuspecting kitten. Then it is ON again.
I think this is what it must have been like when Pierre, Paul, and Marc were little boys. I can picture them sitting quietly on the couch, watching a cartoon program. Then one of them pokes the other one. No, actually, I picture one of them punching the other one in the head. Lots of needless violence. And the quiet moment ends and fists are flying, elbows are every where, growls and grunts add to the hubbub. When its over, no one can really remember who started it or why. But at least they've gotten it out of their system for 5 minutes.

I *heart* my car

Today, I noticed that my Honda now has 170,000 miles - 30,000 away from 200,000. Not sure how long it will take for that number to roll over.
I love my car because it is so reliable and still purrs and still cranks right up every time. It doesn't make any wierd noises while it is running. It drives smooth and has plenty get-up-and-go.
Sometimes we talk about getting another vehicle. Sometimes I like that idea - I'd love some modern conveniences like driving directions, back up camera, heated seats, quieter, keyless, new paint job, etc. But sometimes the idea of a different vehicle scares me. I really like my car and know it inside and out. I can depend on it. Another car might let me down, might slide in the rain, might make a funny noise.
A newer car would smell better though. My car, I think, has developed an "old" smell. Yesterday, I took my carpet cleaner and cleaned all the carpeting and upholstery. I took the mats outside and suds/suddeds them up. This is a big job that I never look forward to, but I'm so glad I did it. It looks very clean now on the inside. Of course, today, it smelled like a slightly sweaty sneaker even though I let it dry completely in the sun yesterday. I sprayed it down with Lysol, and it smells much better now.
In the last year or two, I have had to spend some bucks $$$$ on repairs and maintenance, but I don't have a car payment (and haven't for some time) so I'm still coming out ahead. I always take it to Honda to be sure it's done right. I know I'm paying more, but I trust them. And they know me by now. I little inner voice that believes in conspiracies wonders if they might botch it up just so I'll buy a new car.....Hmmm.....
If we do get another car, I firmly believe I should get another Honda. Why switch? I might consider an Acura (same company). I also might consider a Toyota - I've had two of those without problems. We haven't even been looking at cars so this decision will be a ways off. I secretly think Paul believes he will be choosing the next car. Oh, contraire! I'll be picking what I'm driving. He keeps pointing at Infinities when we're on the road. But he knows how I feel.
For now, my Honda and I are just hunky dory!

Third Grade

I remember third grade. My best friend who lived in my neighborhood had moved to another town. I was so anxious about my first day back to school without my best friend that my mom actually took the day off work to take me to school. THAT one fact is very profound. She never took off work for me - not if I was sick (my dad took care of me b/c he could get off work easier), not if I had a school program, not if it was "eat lunch with your parents day." That tells me that I must have been pretty upset, nervous wreck, terribly anxious, overly shy. I'm not sure why I would have been so upset because I had other friends (and I was never in the same class as my best friend - we always got different teachers).
I met my new best friend that day. Her mom had brought her to school too because she had just moved to Greeneville from Illinois. We sat at the same pair of desks that day. I even went home with her after school (I would never let Abbie do that if I didn't know the parents).
I remember that boys were starting to get interested in girls. My new best friend caught the eye of many boys. On Valentine's Day, she got a ton of gifts (and I'm not talking about cards). I remember wearing rainbow colored suspenders (like Mork's from Mork & Mindy). I remember talking about "who shot J.R." at school. I remember having a hard time learning how to tell time. I remember really getting into spending the night with my friend and watching her "pirated" cable channels. We still played with dolls then.
Abbie starts third grade tomorrow. I hate that summer has ended. I am a little shocked that I have a third grader. That seems so much more grown up. I'm not really ready for it. I feel a little nervous about tomorrow. I don't really know why. I know that she starts getting real grades this year. Will she do well? Why should I care this early in her school career? I know she has to learn cursive and multiplication this year. Will she catch on quickly or fall behind? She really likes math so I'm not too worried. But she is very precise in her letter writing so I am worried that she will write in cursive too slowly and will miss recess sometimes in order to get caught up.
Will she develop a true best friend this year? It doesn't matter to me one way or the other, but I defiinitely don't want her to feel left out. The good thing is that her school and class is so small that everyone pretty much hangs out together. But I know that girls can be clique-ish, and I saw some of this developing last year.
She already likes her teacher because she is her cheerleading coach. But will they develop a good relationship now that she'll be her homeroom teacher? Will her teacher like me? Will we have good communication?
I just don't remember worrying this much in past years. And I can't say that this is the kind of worry that will keep me awake at night or cause knots in my stomach. But it just keeps nagging in the back of my mind.
Abbie and I have a great relationship. She and Paul do too. I am trying to let her be more independent. Up to now, I have been choosing all clothing purchases and choosing her outfit for the day and choosing her hairstyle. She doesn't mind at all. But this summer, I have been saying, "what would you like to wear today?" or better yet "go get dressed." If she picks something that doesn't match, I might gently make another suggestion or let it go altogether. I went shopping for school clothes and let her pick items out of a catalog ahead of time. Tonight, I showed her the outfit I was thinking of for tomorrow. But she said, "no, I want something more special!" So she chose something new that I had just bought. Then she chose her hair accessories and said I could fix her hair however I wanted.
I really dread the 6 am wake up time tomorrow. I think I'll go set the coffee pot right now.

Best Waffle Recipe from the Best Cookbook

I can't claim to be the best waffle maker because my waffle iron does all the work. It sets its own temperature, it sets the cooking time and beeps when the waffle is ready, and it provides the exact measurement for waffle batter. And the recipe is not my own either, but I did make one addition that Paul and I think improved the original recipe. I got the recipe from my red Better Homes and Garden New Cookbook, copyright 1989. I think every kitchen should have this cookbook. It has 19 chapters, lists meat cooking times, weights and measures (2 cups = 1 pint), lists emergency substitutions, and has a "special helps" chapter. This is my "go-to" cookbook when I question other recipes (3 cups of flour sounds like too much, what does my red cookbook say), when I can't remember how many minutes to boil an egg (I can't keep little bits of info like this in my head; I start wondering if it is 4 minutes, 7 minutes or some other amount and you have to get it exactly right if you don't want a raw yolk), and when I need directions on how to make a cup of coffee (I just learned how in the past year or so).
Here is the recipe with my one * addition:

The Best Waffles
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup white granulated sugar *
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup cooking oil
2 egg whites
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. In another bowl, beat egg yolks and add milk and then oil. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just til combined but still slightly lumpy.
In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand up straight). ***I think the beaten egg whites are the key to making these the best waffles. I think it adds a crispness to the waffle. I am lazy and do not beat my egg whites with a mixer. I use my hand and a fork and my muscles give out before stiff peaks form. I just add whatever consistency I get to the waffle batter. Gently fold egg whites into waffle batter, leaving a few fluffs of egg white. DO NOT OVERMIX.
Pour 1 to 1 1/4 cups batter onto grids of a preheated, lightly greased waffle maker. Close lid quickly and do not open during cooking. Bake according to manufacturer's directions. Makes 3-4 waffles (I find that it makes about 5 waffles).
Yummy!

New House

It's LIKE we're living in a new house since we got the kitchen and sunroom painted. I always worry about my color selection. I have no decorating sense. But Paul and I both really like the new colors.
Now I need some new rugs, pictures, canisters and other deco elements. I may screw that up...But I'll enjoy looking!

New Niece

My new niece was born today, August 4 at 1pm.
Her name is Kylee Ann, and she was 2 weeks early but weighed 7 lbs 14 ounces and was 21 inches long. Sounds fully baked to me!
Abbie and I held her tonight, and she is super cute! But of course, my camera batteries were dead.
My sister-in-law went to the hospital at 12 last night, but they sent her home b/c she was only dilated 1 cm. They gave her two percosets and told her to go home and go to sleep. The meds did not touch her pain so she went back to the hospital around 6 am. They kept her this time she was at 3 cm. At 4 cm, she got the epidural. An hour later, she was 10 cm and ready to push. It only took about 40 minutes after she started pushing!

Why Does It Work This Way?

Today is Sunday - the Lord's Day - I'm not supposed to work. But honestly, I usually do laundry after church. And sometimes I cook. But today - today, I worked my butt off. My back even hurts.
Tomorrow, painters are coming so I had to clear out the china cabinet. While I was at it, I cleaned all the glass on the china cabinet and polished all the wood surfaces. I walked back and forth to the living room 200 times while I transferred dishes to the coffee table in there.
Then I completely rearranged the laundry room. Maybe now it is the way I want it? Every time I rearrange in there, I think, "Why didn't I arrange it this way the first time? This is so much better." Why does it work this way? The fifth time organizing something, I get it right. So okay, I won't ever get a job as a professional organizer.
One of the reasons I had to re-do the laundry room is because I have moved the kittens (and all their paraphernalia) out of the guest bathroom. I love the new kittens, but I don't love all the extra poo. I am hoping they will like their litter box arrangement in the laundry room. If Abbie and I scoop their boxes twice a day, maybe it will smell as fresh as a daisy in there??!!??
Then I had to clear all of my sewing projects out of the sun room (where the painters will be working). And I had to move all my indoor plants out of there. Evidence was found of kittens playing in the dirt! I just finished mopping the sun room and the hallway (wood floors). I am pooped!
Once those floors dry, I have to go back and change the water and mop the tiled areas. Got to have the house looking neat for the painters, don'tcha know.
One thing that I am excited about is that the painters are going to finish (fix) the wall that Paul drywalled and left in an unfinished state.
I have to admit that I can be pretty lax on housework (the big jobs anyway), but once I decide to work on it, I work hard and do it right. I hand mopped the laundry room on my hands and knees so I could get all the nooks and crannies. Everything looks pretty clean in there.....until the cats decide to track litter everywhere. I predict that that will happen today.
Once I finish mopping, I will be mostly done. Except I do have a large stack of flippin' paperwork that I need to do something with (like organize, put away, work on). Maybe I'll do that after supper.... If only I had a fairy godmother who would "bippity bop" my stacks of clutter away!

A smidge of the kajillion kitten pics we've taken

Guiness book record for the fattest? No, and she has actually lost 2 pounds. The vet is happy. I'm talking about Baby - not me!

This is the little girl that my mom babysits. She's holding Angel.
Not kittens! This is my younger brother, and his wife, Beth. She is due any day now. They are going to name their little girl, Kylee Ann (Ann is after me - yay!).
See his mitten paw? Those are his extra toes.
Sweetness. Paul says he is as soft as an angel's wing.
Snuggle wuggle

At Annie's Request

I have finally posted pictures of my corn patch. The corn is much bigger now - there are tassles on the top and several stalks have ears with silk sticking out. The beans are at the base of the stalks and they are really starting to grow too.
It's just a little baby garden, isn't it? This is about all I can handle.
In late August, I am going to plant beets, carrots and spinach.

My tomato plant (which is hanging on the swing set, upside down, in an empty litter container) is doing fabulous. I hate tomatoes, but I guess I will make salsa or homemade spaghetti sauce???

With the fresh blueberries we picked today, I made a pie. With Abbie's help, of course. I froze several bags for blueberries. We're going to have some with our waffles tomorrow. And tomorrow, Abbie and I will make blueberry jam. I'm pretty excited about that.

We had a good time picking the blueberries today. The bushes are taller than us. They weren't loaded with berries because this family fills lots of local orders for restaurants and such. After they pick a lot, they let a select few of the public come in and pick. Paul, Abbie, and I each took a bucket and waded into the bushes. I think we picked about 11 pounds? I gave about a 1/3 to my sister. I hope we can make this an annual tradition. By the time we were finished, Paul was a little overheated. We'll need to take some water next time, and Paul should have worn the hat I brought him!

Cross Stitch

There is something wrong with blogger because I can post, but I cannot actually go to my blog home page.
Oh well, I found links to my cross stitch projects.
This project I did years ago and hangs in my hallway.
This mermaid is the project I am currently working on at home. Too bad the colors aren't so hot on this link.
This is my "to-go" Chrismas Tree project.
I wish I could find a picture of the fairy that I stitched that hangs in Abbie's room.

Twilight

Tonight is the book party for the next book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. The party starts at 10 pm and the book goes on sale at midnight. I am going to the party, and I thought about dressing up as a vampire, but I decided not to do that. So I'll just be people watching.
The Barnes and Noble "reservation ticket" said that there would be a coffin there for photo ops. That is so Anne Rice! The vampires in Twilight do not use coffins (if I remember correctly).
In other news, I have started - not one - but two - new cross stitch projects. I love to cross stitch, and I have not let myself start anymore of these projects since before Abbie was born. I prefer the really detailed projects by Mirabillia. I bought two kits because one is for home - it is set up on my scroll stand. I can watch TV and use both hands to stitch. This project will be a beautiful mermaid. The other kit is my "to go" project. I can work on it in waiting rooms, in the car line at school, or anywhere around the house. This kit is a Christmas tree with doves sitting in the branches, and it will have quite a few beads stitched into it.
More crafty news - my niece and I recently got together and sewed some really cute purses. I was at the fabric store (which is like going to the candy store), and I found a really cute purse kit. I'll have to post a picture b/c it came out so great - Vera Bradley, eat your heart out! And not only did I buy this purse pattern and material, but I spied an apron pattern that I just had to make too. So I bought that pattern and enough fabric for THREE aprons. I have cut out one apron, but I haven't sewn it yet. I need more projects like I need a mustache. I really don't know what I'm thinking sometimes. I must think I'm supergirl or something.
Painters come on Monday to paint the kitchen and sunroom. Today - Friday - I finally went and got the paint samples. The kitchen will be Georgian Green and the sunroom will be Westminster Gold (Benjamin Moore). I pretty excited about it, and I hope we can live with the colors we chose. I think it'll be alright. But I still need to take everything out of the china cabinet and get all my sewing stuff out of the sunroom. Chores that I will probably procrastinate until the nth hour. While the painters are here, I am going to have them give me a quote for painting the guest bath and master bath (which will include wallpaper removal). I will like those rooms so much better once the wallpaper comes down. We've lived here almost 8 years, and I have never decorated the guest bath, master bath or sunroom. These rooms have no curtains, no true deco elements. The sunroom has some plants and some pictures that are just "these-don't-go-anywhere-else-so-I-guess-I'll-put-them-here" leftovers. Once I get the rooms painted, hopefully, I can decorate each room one at a time as I save up the money.
Tomorrow, Saturday, we go to Greeneville to pick blueberries. Depending on the cost and how many we can pick, we are going to make a blueberry pie and make some blueberry freezer jam. Paul is going with us, and he's really looking forward to it. This is the same farm where I bought the Mulberry Jam.