The Yearly To-Do List

So last year I was feeling a little panicky because I had so much to do and not much time to do it. I'm much calmer this year. The first batch of cards has been sent - check your mailbox in a couple of days. For the rest I still have to track down addresses.

The shopping is going much better this year, too. I've bought presents for all the kids (the in-laws are probably going to hate me when they find out I got all the boys toy lightsabers). Gifts for the girls are a work in progress, but I do know what they're getting. Same goes for my dad. That just leaves the rest of the guys, and Jeff can deal with that.

I am not sure if I'll make goodies this year or not. I really don't want to sabotage my weight-loss efforts. If I do, I will most definitely keep it to a minimum - which will save time and money.

There are some things I want to do - like take Braeden to Rock City to see the Christmas lights. I also have a few parties to attend, though I freely admit I'd rather stay at home and watch classic Christmas movies than play yet another round of dirty Santa.

So what is my point? I guess that I'm taking it a little easier this year, and instead of letting the pace run over me, I'm trying to soak up the moments. I'd hate to miss out on the spirit of the season.

Back Home Again

Braeden just melted my heart this weekend. As we were eating our Thanksgiving dinner, I asked the kids what they were thankful for. After a pause, Braeden chirped "God!" I promise you - I did not prompt him to say that! It just made me smile.

We got to spend a lot of time with Gabe & Katie the last few days. They were so much fun. Jeff took the boys to Chuck E Cheese, where Gabe requested "tokenuts" to play the games. We loaded them all up to go to the Christmas light show at the Bristol Motor Speedway. One part of the exhibit had dinosaurs, and Katie kept demanding that we "Don't . . . eat . . . di-saurs!" (Every word she says is followed by a pause. I've never seen a 2-year-old anunciate quite like she does.)

Katie loved on me all weekend, and by Saturday night, she'd finally warmed up to Jeff, too. We laughed all the way home about silly things she'd said. Gabe alternated between avoiding me like the plague (out of sheer orneriness) and wrapping me up in bear hugs and not letting go. Braeden just went along for the ride. He got a little cranky because his sleep schedule was way off, but he was mostly a pretty good kid.

Mom & I went on our annual day-after-Tgiving shopping trip. 'Course, we don't really shop for Christmas presents - we shop for ourselves - it's much more fun that way! I came home with a Cricut (courtesy of Mom getting a bigger model), new sheet music for the piano, a book, and a few scrapbooking odds and ends. Not too shabby, eh?

I love my family. I am so happy that Jeff got to go with us for T-giving this year. He was really a doll. Poor guy - he got saddled with the boys quite a bit. Their first attempt to go to Chuck E Cheese resulted in Braeden puking at McDonald's before they even got out of town. They tried again the next day, and Gabe was having so much fun he forgot to use the bathroom until it was too late, so they made an emergency trip to Wal-Mart for fresh clothes. Even so, he said he had a blast with them, and I know he got a kick out of snuggling on Katie-bug.

I have so much to be thankful for! :)

Gratitude

In keeping with the holiday, I think it's appropriate to make a list of the things I'm thankful for this year.

1. I'm enormously grateful that we did not sustain more damage in last week's tornado. It's sad to see so many beautiful trees destroyed, but it could have been human lives instead.

2. I am thankful for friends - both new and old.

3. I'm thankful for the funniest (and cutest) 4-year-old son on the planet. He makes me laugh and smile, even when I want to throttle him. Every day he says something off-the-wall that cracks me up, and every day he does something so utterly sweet that I can feel my heart melting into ooey gooeyness.

4. Jeff is finally going to get back into nursing school. After so many delays, I am grateful for one last chance.

5. The Lord is slowly teaching me how to regain control of my eating habits. Even though I've fought Him every step of the way, He's been patient with me, and the beast is starting to tame.

6. I have the coolest parents in the world. They set a beautiful example of generosity and patience, and besides that - they make pretty good friends, too.

7. Things are going well with Jeff & me. We've settled into a comfortable peace with each other and have enjoyed more time just as a family. It's a good thing.

8. I have a job that I enjoy, that isn't too hard, that lets me work at home, and that pays better than anything else I can get locally. I don't have to drive to work and I can wear my pajamas if I want. Can't beat that with a stick!

9. I have two major outlets for my creativity - my scrapbooking and my photography. I can absolutely lose myself in either one, and I have grown so much this year in both areas. It's exciting to think that I am getting closer to going pro with my camera.

10. I'm grateful to have a mind and body that function well (at least most of the time) and enable me to do the things I enjoy most.

11. I'm thankful that God loved me enough to give me a chance to live my life - and a way to save me when I mess it up.

Tornado!

I thought when I moved here I'd be sheltered from tornadoes. Our small town sits right at the base of Monteagle Mountain, which has usually protects us from the worst storms.

Not so Wedneday night.

I left for church (which is right beside my house) at a quarter to seven. Jeff was at work, and it had just started to sprinkle. I wrapped Bebo up in a jacket, even though it was ridiculously warm. I knew storms had been forecasted, but had no idea there were tornado warnings for our area. No sooner had we sat down and begun services than the power went out. It was pitch black in the auditorium. Everyone that had cells turned them on, and we decided to sing a bit, say a prayer, and wait for the lights to come on.

We'd gotten through the first verse of the second song, and one of the deacons burst through the back doors screaming "Get under the pews! Get under the pews now!"

Those of you who know me well know how terrified I am of tornadoes. All I could think about was getting Braeden safely under the pew, but he was frozen in place from fear. I finally wrestled him down to the floor and wrapped my arms around him as tightly as I could. There wasn't room for both of us under the pew, so I scrunched in as close as I could without pushing him out the other side. One of our elders said a prayer, and in just a few moments, they told us it was okay to get up.

I thought it had all been a false alarm - but I was very wrong. I'm still not sure which direction the thing went, but I know that it hit all the houses on the street behind me. It skipped over the corner where house and the church sits, and hit the Baptist church across the road.

I immediately began trying to call Jeff. Almost everyone around here uses Verizon, so the network was busy. I finally got through and we exchanged "I'm okays." I went to the house to inspect the damage. The power was out everywhere, and the police and ambulances were just heading to the Baptist church. I couldn't see much, though a huge limb had fallen by our old Lumina. At first I thought it had escaped harm, but I realized later that it had gotten dinged up quite a bit - though it was just body damage. Around midnight we discovered that the power meter had been ripped from the back of the house, but thankfully nothing had caught fire.

Amazingly, the house was okay. I really expected there to be nothing left - but God was really watching out for us. In fact, I think He was keeping an eye on the whole town. No one had life-threatening injuries. One woman did have a broken pelvis - but she survived being in her house when the tornado tore it completely from its foundation.

I took pictures when the rain let up, and then some during the daylight hours yesterday. You can see them on my photo blog. I've seen worse - but it's rather unnerving to realize your sense of security in a place was a false one.

Somewhere around 3-4 pm yesterday our power and phone lines were restored. Today has been (at least for me) business as usual - though I'm still offering little "thank you, Lord!" prayers every time I think of how much worse it could have been.

Oh, one more thing - the bludgeoned, half-burned recliner was still sitting in the yard, and despite debris flying all around it, it did not budge.

How NOT to Dispose of a Recliner

We had a recliner that died. No, the spring didn't break - the framework literally snapped in two. I'm talking a serious, gagging, agonizing death. Dead with no hope of recuscitation. Since we don't have a vehicle suitable for hauling large hunks of dead furniture, it has been sitting in the living room for weeks now in its sorry state. The back leaned severely to one side, making it look rather pitiful indeed. Last night Jeff decided to rearrange furniture - and this meant disposing of the chair.

Jeff is a little creative when it comes to furniture disposal. We once tried to burn a particle-board desk. The thing was so incredibly fireproof that all we managed to do was make a small black mark on the top, despite having doused the thing in gallons of gasoline. I think he eventually ended up taking a sledgehammer to it and hauling away the evidence of his failed attempt.

So as I was in the kitchen, making biscuits for dinner and yakking on the phone with Mom, I heard a loud metallic thwack. I closed my eyes and prayed for patience, then turned the corner to see what the cause of the interruption was. Jeff was attempting to break apart the chair with a claw hammer and small crowbar. After several minutes of unsuccessfully bludgeoning the chair, he came begging for the kitchen shears, with which he proceeded to cut off as much of the upholstery as he could.

Finally he gave up and decided it would be easiest to burn the remains. Now remember - Tennessee has been in the midst of a severe drought. You may have heard of that Tennessee town that ran out of water? That's not 15 miles from my house. It struck me that burning may not be the best disposal method, but I grabbed up Braeden and followed for the show in spite of my misgivings.

Jeff put the chair in the middle of the back yard and lit it in two or three places. For a moment the fire burned contentedly, as if begging for a marshmallow roast - and then Hell suddenly appeared in the backyard. Apparently this chair was not made of the same flame-resistant stuff as the old desk was. When the upholstery lit - it dang near exploded. Within seconds the flames were raging 10 feet in the air, and Jeff was running for the water hose.

I never would have fathomed that burning upholstery could smell so utterly loathsome. I felt certain the chair was getting its last revenge - my eyes are still watering from the stinky, putrid smoke. Blech. It was truly foul. Thankfully, I'd closed the kitchen windows, so the house didn't benefit from the smoking remains.

Once Jeff had thoroughly doused the chair, we left it to smolder in the yard. The torrential downpour that came last night doused any hope of it reingniting.

Now for the fun part - how long will Jeff let it sit in the back yard before he finally hauls it away?

Beginning of the End

It's official. With the arrival of Halloween, the craziness of the end-of-year festivities has now begun. Tonight we'll deck out Braeden as a policeman and let him beg candy from the trunks of our church members' cars. I'll employ every tactic imaginable to avoid said candy. Tomorrow I'll start worrying about Thanksgiving dinner and what healthy sides I'll prepare.

There will be Christmas cards to make, gifts to buy, a house to clean and decorate, cookie dough waiting patiently in the freezer, and a plethora of parties and events to attend. Life will get wilder as the days grow shorter, and we'll all find ourselves tumbling toward an inevitable exhausted end, staring at each other on New Year's Day, wondering what in the world just happened.

And you know something? I wouldn't have it any other way.

My Political Opinion

Politics suck.

I absolutely despise all the backbiting, snarling, hateful gameplay of the politicians that the media feels obligated to broadcast 24 hours a day. It's disgusting. So much so that I refuse to listen. The very instant even a snippet of political news catches my ears, I change the channel. I do not want to hear it.

The whole debacle just makes me sick. I get so angry and so frustrated, and it's simply not worth getting stressed over. Therefore, I am taking a laissez-faire approach to the 2008 election. Two days before the polls open, I'll look at the candidates. Most likely I'll vote for whichever poor soul gets the Republican nomination. Then I'll bury my head back in the sand for the next four years.

There you have it: my political stance.

Fires

It has been insanely dry this year. In fact, I heard on the radio that this kind of drought only happens in my corner of the world about every 100 years. Given all the mountains around here, frankly I'm surprised that we haven't had more problems with fires. When one ignited over the weekend, I couldn't resist the photo op. Perhaps this belongs on my photo blog, but the pic wasn't as good as it was interesting, so I'm sticking it here. I believe the fire is out now, but we still haven't had the first hint of rain. Our parched little county is in desperate need of water.

Not-So-Random Bits of Miscellany

Having completed an entire mini-album this weekend, the Scrapbook Bug has bitten and burrowed deep into my skin. I think I may use my spare time this week to catch up on Christmas albums and all of the portraits that I have laying around.

Tomorrow I get to pick up my new glasses! I got two pair - one with black frames and one with silver. I can hardly wait - the black ones are SO cute, and totally new for me. I know I won't wear them all the time, but since I can be hard on glasses, I thought I'd splurge and get two pair this time. The silver pair is much more conservative, but still stylish. I always seem to opt for a unisex frame. Guess it's a rebellion against the gosh-awful gargantuan pink plastic frames I wore in the 80s.

Jeff is taking me out tonight! He has the day off, and is taking Bebo to Chuck E Cheese this afternoon. Bebo was soooo excited. He's been once before, with Grannie and Peepop. He was talking our ears off this morning before they left. Anyhoo, I'm hoping I can convince Jeff to eat at Applebee's tonight. Their Weight Watchers menu is so good, and I like going there because I know exactly what I'm dealing with. Afterwards I want to go to the bookstore to search for books about world religions - the topic of choice for my Sunday morning girls' Bible class. Of course, if I can finangle my way to Hobby Lobby, that wouldn't hurt, either.

I almost forgot - Big News! Jeff was accepted back into nursing school! He'll start again in January. I am so happy - it means that finally our lives are back on track, and once again there is light at the end of the tunnel. Someday, I would very much like to live a semi-normal American life, ya know?

Life with Allergies

Ugh. My nose won't quit running, my eyes are so itchy I think I've actually scratched the surface a little, my throat aches, my sinuses feel like someone is gouging them with very long needles, and I think my head will explode.

I hate this! I suppose I'm used to it by now - I've had allergies all my life. I never could see the point in allergy testing and shots. Why inject myself with more of what I'm allergic to? Besides, my problem is things like dust, cut grass, and pollen. I can't exactly avoid these things. It would be much simpler if I was allergic to, say, bananas. To avoid the allergy, don't eat bananas. When you live in Pollen USA, and the weather is so dry that it looks like a reincarnation of the Dust Bowl, there's no getting around the allergy.

I think I might single-handedly keep Puffs in business. God only knows how many Kleenex I've gone through in my lifetime!

Please?

MEMO

To: the weather
From: Amanda
RE: fall season

It has come to my attention that despite the official start of fall, the temperatures are more indicative of late summer. Grass and leaves are brown at best. Please see to it that the temperatures drop at least 20 degrees, and that enough rain falls to give the leaves and grass sufficient color for the autumn season.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this matter.

Purge & Simplify

Without speaking too loudly, I will let you in on a secret: there's a possibility we'll be moving in a few months. It depends on what happens with Jeff and school. In the meantime, he has shifted into serious attack mode.

Nine years of living in one house is naturally going to cause an accumulation of clutter. When you factor in two total slobs and a preschooler, that clutter turns into utter mess. It's no secret to anyone who knows me that housekeeping is not my "thing." Now is time to rectify that. We will be throwing away, giving away, and destroying a great deal of the things filling this old house.

Then the real attack will begin.

There is so much work to be done - carpets need to be deep-cleaned, the bathroom floor is literally caving in from a leak, the kitchen has to be re-tiled and re-painted - well, you get the idea. Nothing in this house is ever easy. Every "simple" project we've tackled has turned into a nightmare of epic proportions. I secretly wonder how long it will take Jeff's enthusiasm to fizzle like flat soda.

I sense a serious headache in the making.

Three "Top 10" Lists (in no particular order)

Modern Conveniences I Wouldn't Want to Live without:

1. laptop computer
2. coffee maker
3. microwave
4. blender
5. car
6. air conditioning
7. telephone (but not my cell phone)
8. DVD player
9. caller ID
10. email


What I'm NOT Crazy About:

1. rudeness
2. green beans
3. bad grammar & spelling
4. my cell phone
5. politics
6. loneliness
7. uncertainty
8. summer in general
9. telemarketers
10. rap "music"


Things I'd Splurge On IF Money Were No Object:

1. top-of-the-line computer
2. Nikon D200
3. shoes, shoes, shoes
4. baby grand piano
5. 1977 Bandit Trans Am
6. scrapbook supplies
7. state-of-the-art kitchen
8. 11x17 scanner
9. 12x12 printer
10. my own personal fountain machine

Tales of My Exciting Life

I feel that I should post something, because I haven't been as prolific as I'd like. The problem is that I have nothing witty, profound, interesting, or even dull and bland to write.

It's just a day. As usual, I had little sleep. As usual, the dog is barking outside. As usual, work is quiet. As usual, Bebo is on "da mountain " with Peepop.

I think I am just going to be thankful for the peace and quiet.

Fall

Is it really already halfway through September? Seems like I've spent the last several weeks in a fog. Days pass without my knowledge.


Hmm... that means I really need to start thinking about Christmas presents. And budgeting to get Jeff back into school. And buying Braeden winter clothes.


--->slight rant<---


I hate shopping for Bebo in the winter! The child is so insanely skinny that finding pants to fit him is nearly impossible. This is complicated by the fact that he's only four, but the height of a six-year-old. If the pants are long enough, they are so big in the waist they just fall to his scrawny little ankles. It's been this way from the very beginning. Poor little guy never had one ounce of baby fat. Summer is no problem; in fact, he often wears shorts sizes 2 years behind what you would expect.

I usually buy up clothes for next year when they go on sale at the end of the season. When I pulled out the stuff intended for this summer, it was all waaaay too small, so I didn't stock up this year. He's got no jeans or dress pants for winter at all, and maybe 2-3 pair of sweatpants. We're a little better on shirts, but not by much. I'd better get going - cool weather can't be too far away now.

--->end rant<---

I do so love this time of year. When the air cools down and dries out it just makes me happy. Last night brought a soft rain that's continued falling through the moment. It will make for a wonderful afternoon nap, not to mention moistening down the dust that has plagued us for weeks.

I live right on my town's main road, and I love listening to the sound of tires driving through the rain. It's so soothing.... so calming.... so relaxing....

Oh, dear - I need earplugs or something, because I'm going to fall asleep before work is over!

Human Tornado

This is what happened when I was stuck in the computer room:

Resolutions Update

One of my resolutions was to read more this year, which I have done. Here's what I've dug into so far:

Fiction:

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
All 7 of the Harry Potter books (twice each)
White Chocolate Moments by Lori Wick
The Lost Daughters of China by Karin Evans
The Kindness of Strangers by Katrina Kittle
The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis
Wizard's First Rule by Terry Goodkind

Religious Nonfiction:

God as He Longs for You to See Him by Chip Ingram
For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn

I have an entire blog dedicated to weight loss, so that should give you a good enough picture how I am (or am not) doing there.

As for the photography, I have run more than 5000 pictures through my camera since I bought it early this spring. I'm amazed everyday at how much better I've gotten, and wonder how I could have debated the film vs. digital issue for so long. If you're in doubt, and can afford it - go with digital. The simple ability to learn immediately from your pictures is worth the extra cost. I've paid for the camera several times over in the cost of film & developing that I've saved.

I haven't quite scrapped 2 layouts a week - it goes in spurts. Before CKU, I'd started my "me" album, and I created another one that's more journaling-based at CKU. I have done several layouts, though. My scanner crashed so I haven't been able to upload all of them to 2peas, but hopefully I'll be getting a new one soon and can catch up.

No go on the autobiography yet - but I'm blogging rather consistently, and I enjoy it. I don't do it on every post, but some are more focused on the writing style than others. Keeps me in practice, ya know?

Spiritually I'm not doing as well as I'd hoped - but I suppose I never will. I'm trying, though. It's a rather personal thing.

Overall, I am pleased. For once I made reasonable resolutions, and have done a decent job of keeping to most of them.

I Hate Bugs

In case you didn't hear me the first time, let me repeat myself so there can be no doubt:


I hate bugs.


I learned about the whole Circle-of-Life thing in science class years ago, but I still hate bugs. They are not natural. I can tolerate ants and flies, and that's about it. Anything with more than four legs just gives me the willies. I can't even bear to squash them - the crunch sends shivers up to my hair. I swear I can feel it for days. Ew. My typical Death to Buggy method is spray them with bug spray - or, if I'm out, to suffocate them in AquaNet.

Unfortunately, my house is old and drafty, so at any given time I have a veritable menagerie of bugs to keep me company. The bathroom and kitchen seem to be the congregating points for the critters that take up residence here. No amount of bug spray, ant traps, or insect bombs eradicates the problem. I'm still not used to it.

So. . . this morning I decided to shower before work. Normally I shower at night or on my first break (one of the many advantages of working at home), because most days I am not coherent enough to tell the difference between the razor and the shampoo at the ungodly hour of 6 o'clock in the morning.

I stumble from the bed, miraculously missing spinal injury on the train Braeden left in the hall, and blunder my way into the bathroom. As usual, I toss my towel over the shower curtain - and then I see it, brazenly lounging in the bottom of the tub.

A meatbug.

Of course that's not the technical name. Years ago we had an infestation of these ultra-fat crickets. Think Danny DeVito with six scrawny legs. My sister and I christened them meatbugs, and that's what I've called them ever since.

Now I know that this insect is not going to harm me. But I have to get it out of the tub before I can shower, and this poses a problem. Crickets jump, you see, and if that thing lands on me, you'll be reading my obituary in the paper - death by cardiac arrest. It's getting late, and I know I'd better hurry if I'm going to start work on time. I look around for something to zap the bug. (Hubby had the AquaNet squirrelled away somewhere, and it takes too long, anyway.) I decide to grab a hand towel and try to trap the bug underneath it. Maybe I can wad it up in the towel and safely deposit the whole thing on the front step without having to feel it squirming through the terrycloth.

But the cricket is faster than my aim. I throw the towel down, and it jumps out of the way. Thank God it stayed in the tub! After a few minutes of this game, I realize it's time for Plan B. It's in the shower already, so maybe I can convince it to take a leisurely swim down the drain.

Turns out this is one seriously stubborn cricket. I can see the darn thing straining against the flow of water, hanging on for dear life. So I turn on the shower head and aim it right at him. He reaches for the shampoo and belts out "Singing in the Rain."

Okay. . . so it wants to play dirty. By now, the hand towel is soaked, and I have a moment of brilliance. Physics says the wet towel will be faster and more effective than the dry one, so I should be able to bury my little contender in a sea of wet purple. Praying that my aim will be slightly more accuracte, I lob the towel into the tub as hard as I can.

Bingo! The meatbug is trapped!

But what to do with the towel? I'm not about to wring out the water with the cricket wadded inside and risk the crunch of exoskeleton. So I head to the bedroom in search of a container for the wet towel and drowning cricket. Finally I yank the garbage bag out of my wastebasket, carefully wad the cricket up in the towel, and deposit it in the trash. Then I place the whole thing outside the bathroom door. Don't want to risk another invasion while I'm nekkid in the shower.

By this time, I have exactly two minutes and thirty-four seconds to clean up. So much for waking up easy.

I still haven't moved the trash can, though I did inspect it for signs of cricket later. Apparently it made a valiant attempt to escape, but I guess a leg got snagged in the towel. It lay where it fell, having died an honorable death.

Next time I'm waking Jeff. He can squish the bug.

Sleepin' In!

Jeff worked at a party at the restaurant last night, and Bebo went up "da mountain" with Grannie & Peepop. This left me at home, relishing the quiet and doing nothing that could possibly be construed as useful. I probably gave up around 2:30 this morning and went to bed.

Then I slept until I wanted to wake up! (Which was exactly 11:17 am.) Oh, bliss! Oh, delight! No four-year-old wanting apple juice, no alarm reminding me to get ready to work, no nothing. Just sleep & laziness.

Tee-hee! For a minute there, I felt like I was in college again!

Brain Cells

I'm afraid this post will sound narcissistic - but I certainly don't mean for it to come across that way. Here's the deal: I think my brain cells are beginning to atrophy. As dorky as it sounds, I really want to learn something. I need a challenge.

I'm reasonably intelligent (here's the narcissistic part). Though never formally measured, my IQ usually ranges from 130-140 in informal testing. I did well in school, and I have a pretty darn good memory (except when it comes to birthdays). But it's been eight years since I was in school, and I miss it! I find myself browsing bookstores for the classics and working logic and sudoku puzzles, but it just isn't quite what I'm looking for.

I need calculus or something like that. Perhaps that's why nursing school is so appealing right now - the prospect of digging into complicated biology and memorizing drug dosage calculations and creating care plans is intriguing.

Unfortunately, I can't go to school right now. I've got to get Jeff through first, which leaves me wondering how to proceed. Wish I had that Brain Age game - but I don't have the console. I'm bored, and I need something intellectual to do.

Yeah, I know I am weird. Nerdy. Dorky. Whatever. I could easily be one of those "professional students," given unlimited time and resources.

Bye now. I'm off to search for more puzzles.