Meet Layke.

Layke has been with us now for about 3 months. Isn't she cute? She came with all her pretty little accessories. Ü She's such a sweet little girl, except when she's not. ;o) Her & Bray get along really well, but occasionally, she gets a wild hair & torments the dickens out of him. Which happens about 3x daily. So I'm thinking 'occasionally' may not be the accurate term. Heehee. But he tolerates her & they run, play & sleep kind of snuggled, so I think he enjoys having another little 4 legged friend around. :)

She loves to go in the car, she loves to cuddle & sleep in our bed. She is, however, high maintenance. She just desires to be with someone at all times. If I'm not holding her, she is right at my feet. She's been stepped on a couple of times & she's actually tripped me several times. She loves the kids & gets excited to see them, just like Bray does. Too cute. I haven't taken her to the vet yet because she's current on shots/heartworm - so I'm not really sure what she weighs. I think she's around 6-7 lbs., at the most. Bray weighs 15 lbs., so she's about half. Love her. She's prefect. No more dogs! ♥

Goodwill goodies.

Goodwilling day 2. I drove just a little further today to a different Goodwill. It's smaller than than the one I frequent, but well worth it. I noticed today how clean this particular Goodwill is. Clean & nicely organized. Ours is filthy & completely disorganized. Now I have two Goodwills to find good thrifts. :) Also, there is a thrift store right next to this particular Goodwill (I've been in there once) - but I ran out of time today so I didn't have a chance to browse.

Here's what I found today (none of it cleaned yet):



The table! The table I have been searching for. I've been needing a compact, light table to stick in our downstairs 1/2 bath. This is perfect! I'm going to spray paint it, but I need to decide on a color. That'll probably take 6 months. ;o) Table was $10.50

Medium glass vase $1.75

Large glass vase $2.75

Food Network Ü Christmas dish. So cute! Has a cute little package on the inside, gold trim around the top edges, & at the top of each side there are little captions: side 1 "Tis the Season to be Jolly", side 2 "Dashing Through the Snow", side 3 "Making Spirits Bright" & side 4 "Laughing All the Way". Love! $4.95

First toy ever from Goodwill - a very dirty (ew) Barbie car $2.95

Cute new condition shirt for Bentley $1.99

Shirt: Things They Don't Teach You in School

*It is impossible to lick your elbow.
*Girls blink almost twice as much as boys.
*"The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog" uses every letter of the alphabet.
*There are more chickens than people in the world.
*"Sixth sick sheik's sixth sheep's sick" is said to be the hardest tongue twister.
*No words rhyme with month, orange or purple.
*Tigers have striped skin, not just striped fur.
*It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.
*The average chocolate bar has 8 insect legs in it.
*A sheet of newspaper can't be folded in half more than 9 times.

He loves stuff like this. Interesting about the bug legs in chocolate, heh? I watched a segment on the news not long ago stating this very chocolate detail. ;o)

Total: $26.94
I had 9 stamps & she gave me one for free: -$10
Total: $16.94

As I was leaving, the clerk said "be sure to come back tomorrow, everything is 50% off!" LOL Just my luck! Ü



(Pardon the crappy photo - I'm in a hurry today. :)

Goodwill goodies.

*Please excuse the slammed together post - Blogger is not cooperating today & will not let me insert paragraphs. Grr.

I haven't posted my Goodwill Goodies in a while. Currently I'm not going as often as I was - but someone emailed me & told me they enjoy seeing the bargains I find. So, Mercedes & I went today & here's what I found. Not much today! Ü



Hoola hoop - $.60 (the had a whole rack of new ones)

New Tommy Hilfiger red shirt - $1.99

Tommy Hilfiger denim shorts - $1.99

Yellow striped Justice - $2.99

New Hello Kitty - I paid too much but, it is new & cute - $4.19

Black Children's Place t - $1.99

Basket - $.75

3 white Target's 'Home' collection dishes - $2.00 for all

Total: $17.86

I've mentioned before that the Goodwill down the street from me is huge. I.e. it's in a previous grocery store. Most of the time, our Goodwill is packed & recently they have really increased their prices. It's quite ridiculous & I can always hear someone complaining. There are several items I have not purchased simply because of price. Tomorrow I will travel a little further to a different Goodwill. I've been there once before & it doesn't get the amount of traffic ours does.

Did I ever tell you I was not, not, not a Goodwill shopper? Hell-bent "no!" I have a friend who has always shopped at Goodwill & for the life of me, I could never understand why. As a matter of fact, many years ago, I distinctly remember telling my husband that I could not, would not, ever shop at Goodwill. My children would never have Goodwill clothing, let alone my home full of Goodwill finds! Appalling! Why? I was a snooty snob. The store is icky & stinky & ew, plain & simple. Fast forward to about 8 months ago. I enjoy reading decorating blogs & I quickly noticed a familiar pattern - a lot of decorators get their furniture pieces at Goodwill (at exceptional prices) & restore them into beautiful, new pieces. One day I decided to suck it up & run in to check out their furniture, since so many others were doing it. If others could browse Goodwill, then so could I. So I did. Then I went back. Heehee. The next time, I ventured into the home accessory section, simply out of curiosity. Then I went back. Again. The time after that I thought what the heck, I'll go to the boys clothing, you know, just to 'see'. And then the girls clothing. And the rest is history. To be honest, I'm quite perturbed with myself that I never shopped Goodwill prior. The brand new, or like new, brand name clothing I find is worth the trips alone. And guess what? You can wash your hands as soon as you leave & the icky smell washes right out of clothing. Who woulda thunk? Ü

Disqus & floor steamers.

Disqus is my new comment format! Woot! Now I can reply to comments right here on my blog, versus trying to reply by email. Some I can reply via email, but some accounts aren't set up that way (from what I understand, it's an option in the Blogger profile). Now it doesn't matter! I love reading comments & love participating! If you choose to leave a comment (please, don't feel obligated!) & want to be notified of replies to your comment, I believe there's a little option box you can check when filling out your comment. Ü

I must check out these floor steamers! Rebecca told me about hers months ago & I totally forgot to research. I'm still skeptical - do they really remove dirt? Grime? Dirty paw prints? Dried milk/juice? They sound too good to be true, but I really think I'm going to try one if they are affordable. Thanks so much for your comments on my Cleaning Products post - I so enjoy chatting about products & finding out what works for others. Whitney's comment reminded me that I have tried Method products & I like them. They now disinfect, too. I currently use Method's Daily Shower & have used it for quite some time.

Happy Sunday! Ü

Current cleaning products.

I'm happy with my current products. As you can see, I still have two that need to be replaced w/ non-toxic cleaners.

I absolutely love 7th Generation products. Love the disinfecting wipes & love the spray cleaners. I'm thinking the multi-surface spray & the bathroom cleaner are the same thing in different bottles - but I'm not sure, as the bottles don't disclose all ingredients (I wonder if there's a reason for that? I've never taken the time to google it.) What the bottles do disclose is that both are made with Thyme, an all natural disinfecting oil. As a matter of fact, I went & bought my own bottle of Thyme so I could make my own disinfecting spray, but haven't attempted it yet.

I'm discovering vinegar & water can be used for anything, anywhere. I use it often & the smell doesn't bother me bit because it dissipates so quickly. I now even dust with vinegar & water. I don't spray the surface directly, I spray my cloth (currently using cloth diapers - works like a charm) & it cleans as well as Pledge Multi-Surface wipes (used those for years). I clean mirrors, windows, tables (wood), electronics, decorating accessories, shutters, everything w/ vinegar & water. I feel like I'm really saving some money because vinegar is so inexpensive. I typically purchase a generic brand 'cause vinegar's vinegar. Ü

For years I used Bon Ami in my bathrooms (even in the toilets) & kitchen, but switched to Clorox (p.u.!) & Lysol (ditto!) for the bathrooms. Now I'm using the 7th Generation in the bathroom sinks/tubs/showers/faucets/counters. I currently have a white, porcelain kitchen sink & getting stains off that sucker is no easy task. Recently I've used Comet w/ bleach (massive fumes) & it worked the best. I also tried bleach & peroxide. Now I use Bon Ami, apply good ol' elbow grease & I'm totally content with my white sink & I'm pleased I'm not using a potent cleaner w/ bleach. I only use Bon Ami for the kitchen sink.

I use Pine-Sol on my floors (marble, wood, ceramic). Reason being, vinegar & water takes so long to dry! I'm not sure why, but I don't have that amount of time, & the Pine-Sol dries much quicker. My floors look sparkling clean & smell good, too, so I may just continue with Pine-Sol & be done with it.

And alas, Clorox toilet cleaner w/ bleach. Sigh. What can I say. I'm a stickler about my toilets. I only use it inside the bowl & at the time Rebecca told me to stop using it, I had just purchased a 2-pack. Heehee. So I'm still using it. But I flush really well after cleaning so none is left over. When the Clorox is gone I'll attempt a green toilet blow cleaner.

I am such a product junkie, I'm telling you, I had so many products under my kitchen sink it was unreal! About three or four years ago, I switched to cleaning completely green (still used commericial detergent, but went with the perfume-free) & threw away/gave away all my toxic cleaners. I lost a lot of money doing that. But I felt better because the change was definitely a positive one. Then hubby & I battled Staph infections (nightmare!!!!!), each had 2 surgeries with me a possible 3rd lingering (I wiggled out of that one, thank God!) & after experiencing that absolute hell, I was terrified cleaning green wasn't killing the Staph. So, I went out & repurchased all toxic disinfecting cleaners.

Many months ago I was cleaning the shower & I thought I was going to asphyxiate on fumes! I realized that inhaling toxins had to stop not only for me, but my family as well. I'm still not where I need to be, but progress has been made. And everyone is breathing easier. Suffice to say, transitioning back & forth several times has been very costly. No more of that. Ü

Thought I'd throw in a photo of the current condition of our master shower. Ain't she purdy. This renovation is not going well & due to the fact my husband cannot get the tile off the seat, he has come to a standstill. All six of us are still using the upstairs bath/shower & it's awful. We have seldom used that bath/shower & the dap was peeling off, so hubby redid it. He did an awesome job. Now the new dap is peeling off. WTH? I'm paranoid water is seeping in underneath & getting that sheetrock wet, which will land us in the very same position we're in now with the master shower. We just can't win for losing. This weekend one of us will redap & this will prove to be interesting, as it has to sit/dry for a day or so. We ain't got no other shower. ;o) All that said, let me tell you, we are very blessed & spoiled. It's been tough using the upstairs bathroom, but I'm so grateful we at least have another shower to use.


That was one long post with way too many words. Heehee.

Happy Friday! Ü

Girl got her some new shoes.

My wee ones have had some remaining birthday/Christmas money hanging around, so on spring break I took them to Walmart & let them purchase whatever their little hearts desired. The littlest one chose a Play-Doh set & shoes. :)

The color is a delish, shimmery, watermelon, the heel is just the right height, the design is nice & airy, the bling is the most perfect pink cupcake surrounded by diamonds & the quality is...plastic. ;o) She done good! Ü

Saturday she wanted to put on some of her sister's makeup. So she did. ♥

I noticed a few days ago that she had some unpleasant allergy symptoms brewing. The coughing began @ 3:00 a.m. this morning & coughing resulted in vomiting. Which resulted in me changing all bedding in early hours & making a Kroger run for Robitussin. Which helped. In case you're wondering, it's kind of spooky out @ 3:00 a.m.

Today I'm tired. Dragging, actually. I assumed (silly me) we'd have a nice, long, early nap today. Together. Didn't happen. I'm still up & she's still up. I am not a cappy hamper today & I've used some naughty words. And for some odd reason, sometimes, using naughty words just makes me feel better. Bad thing is little girl heard naughty words. Will be interesting when she repeats them in front of her daddy. I'll once again be prepared to raise my hand when she's asked where she heard naughty words. I raise my hand a lot, a lot. What can I say. I'm honest. Thank goodness I'm too old to be punished. Ü

My disobedient tiny tyke said earlier: "Look mommy! Selena Gomez!" To which I growled: Oh, I see her! I bet Selena Gomez takes naps!" Heehee.

Girl may have some new shoes & look beautimous with makeup, but girl ain't cute today. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. Pfft.

Epic fail.

I thought I'd take a photo of myself. Obviously, I can take them of others, but me, not so much.

I've been playing with photos, but I must quit screwing around now. We have a family dinner to attend. I have to get dressed & fix my hair. My hair is not fixed (or, complete, rather) in this photo. I've only straightened it (I still need to fix my bangs (desperately) & put my hair up in a clip - it's 6-7+ inches past my shoulders...blah) & put on makeup. I also have two frizzy haired little girls to get ready, too. Getting ladies ready to go out on the town is no easy, quick task. It's hard work being glamorous. ;o)

Happy Saturday! Ü

Moments.

Moments.

Bobbi Brown's Beach.

Teresa (Blooming on Bainbridge) blogged that this is one of her favorite products. I have never heard of it until I read her post. Now, I'm curious. Ü

Has anyone tried this? Does it really smell beach'ish? Or sunscreen'ish? 'Cause if it does, I am so on it. I'm going to splurge & I'm going to get some! Like, tomorrow! :)

I adore the scent of sunscreen. It's so pleasant & soothing & smells so luscious - it calms my demeanor & takes my thoughts straight to the beach (Destin, FL, specifically :). It's one of my most favorite scents ever. Teresa even stated that sometimes she'll spray some Coppertone on her just for the aroma. Heehee. Love that. I may have to give that a try. ;o)

If you can shed any insight on Beach, please do! And while you're at it, check out Teresa's site (link above). She's so cute! :)

Moments.

Happy Anniversary.

It's been 2 years since that unnecessary, disappointing day (3.16.09), 2 years since I have seen my father. Below is a repost from 3.17.09.

****************************************

Reality = devastation.

History of my father is this - severe (that word is not strong enough but it's all I can think of) alcoholic. 'Alive dead' in 2006. God healed him. All family & friends of his he has alienated. Been in jail 3 times (2 recent times were 6 weeks each - & he was in the big place - Tarrant County jail - a place no one wants to be). After jail, he could not return to his home because his wife has a restraining order against him. Because he is alone, he had no where to go. Recently we found out he has been living out his car. This time I think he had been homeless for approximately 5 or 6 days.

My brother, who has a very strained relationship w/ my dad (because my father becomes mean, cruel & belligerent when drinking) & I finally decided to do what we could to help. Again, only because the vision of our father being homeless was more than our hearts could bear. Sure, it's all his fault, the bad decision after bad decision - nonetheless, he's our father & nothing he does will change that. Financially, we are all in distress. But we got it together, for dad.

My brother lives out in the country in a small town, next to a popular larger city. I was able to locate the newspaper via the internet & found the most perfect place for rent, for my dad. Lots of phone calls later I was able to secure his new home. A very strong Christian guy owns the place & everything fell into place more perfect than I ever could have dreamed. Monday I drove down (thank God I didn't have the kids - at first, hubby & all of us were going to go), hooked up w/ my dad, my brother's wife & off we went. Let me state my dad's health is extremely poor (due to drinking). When I first saw my dad, which was the first time in over a year, my thought was "I'm not so sure he can live alone". But off we went anyway. We put him in a small town outside of my brother's small town. LOL Out in the country, to say the least.

The stipulation to help my dad was this - plain & simple - we yet again would help him, with the understanding if he took so much as ONE drink, my brother & I were done. And next time, well, there wouldn't be a next time. This lifestyle w/ my father is beginning to takes it's toll on my brother, as well as myself. My brother laid it on the line. No BS. The drinking stops, or next time he'll stay homeless. My dad agreed.

When I first met up with my father, he had not been drinking (he has hardly any money - so he couldn't afford any). I was thrilled & hopeful. It took about 20 minutes to reach his new home. After we arrived, I got out of my car to tell him something & when he answered me, Vodka hit me in the face. I don't have to 'hunt' for it - I was raised with it. My nose is trained (isn't that pathetic?). There was no doubt. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, so I let it go & tried to convince myself "no way". He wouldn't! My brother made it clear. He gave his son his word. Surely not. Not this time.

My sister-in-law, "C" & I had gathered lots of staples he needed to get started. Sheets, blankets, towels, washcloths, soap, a little food, utensils, etc. "C" got him settled as I drove all the way back to the big town to retrieve...$432 cash. His deposit & prorate until April. When I returned, "C" commented that my dad kept telling her she'd "better go now". "C" knew not to leave until I got back so she fiddled around until I arrived. She stated to me that she could smell alcohol & that my brother (he was out on a job & couldn't be with us) was going to be devastated. She also stated she found a small, empty vodka bottle under his front seat of his car (he has always stashed his bottles there) & she's pretty sure she caught him quickly stuffing one into his suitcase. I didn't know what to do - so we just kept chatting with him, doing this & that, all the while he kept telling us to go. Finally, we did. "C" & I stood outside my dad's trailer chatting for bit before leaving. He didn't know we were there. We saw him come out of his trailer & sit in a chair. I thought nothing of it. We told him goodbye & off we went.

"C" went home (my dad now lives about 6 minutes beyond them) & I pulled into a little donut store in "C"'s town to return some missed calls to hubby. I was out of my car talking when I thought I saw my dad's car zoom by. This is out in the country, so there ain't a lot of cars & my dad's car is a little unique (like a bright red fire engine). At that time, "C" beeped in so I switched over to her call, & told her I thought my dad just drove by. I told her I was going to find out, so I got in my car, gassed it & caught up. Oh yeah, it was him. And I knew exactly where he was going.

I finagled around enough so he never saw me. He was at a drive thru window - right as the clerk was about to hand TWO big jugs of Vodka out the window, I got out of my car, ran as fast as I could, & stood between him & the clerk at the window. Busted. He started his typical crap "oh those aren't mine, I'm here for soda pops", blah, blah, blah. People were lined up behind my dad & I stood there & made a scene. I was screaming & yelling, grabbing the vodka (as the clerk kept grabbing it back...LOL..it was hysterical, I think he thought I was going to steal it). My anger went something like this "What the hell are you doing???? I just spent $432 that I don't have to find you a place to live!!!!! You were homeless!!!!! You've been living out of your damn car!!!!! How can you do this??????? What the hell is wrong with you?????? I haven't been gone 5 minutes!!!!!" I was shaking uncontrollably & my dad sped off, leaving me standing there. I offered my apologies to everyone who witnessed, explaining the situation. The nice clerk told me "honey, if he doesn't buy it from me, he's going to get it somewhere else". Yeah, no kidding, sir. I've been doing this a long time. I had the guy confirm that my dad did indeed ask for the Vodka, & he said yes. I asked him how much he was buying (I don't buy alcohol, so I didn't know the amount other than the 'jugs' were large). He said each jug was 1/2 gallon. My dad was buying two.

I drove around looking for my dad but couldn't find him. I phoned hubby & told him I was going back out to his trailer & take back everything I had taken him. Hubby told me to do what I thought I should. I mean really, if he has enough money for Vodka (they were $10 each, btw), he could buy his own damn crap. As I drove the quiet drive, I wasn't sure what I was going to do. I figured he wasn't there but when I pulled up, he was getting out of his car. Calmly, I confronted him again.

"I was not buying that stuff." "Stop with all the lies!" I said. It went on & on. It was a calm conversation. I begged him two times to please take a shower, I would wait, & take him to the hospital to get him some help. He refused. I told him I spent money that I/we didn't have, to come to his rescue again. And I can't believe he did that. I told him he would never see me again & his response was "bye" (he's a totally sarcastic smarta$$ when he chooses to be). As I walked off, I opened his car door & felt under his seat for the empty bottle. It wasn't there. I said "you're good". I left.

I drove to "C"'s & talked w/ her for a while & then headed out for my 1 1/2 hour drive home. I didn't get home until 7:30 p.m.

This morning he called. I answered. He apologized (numerous times) & said he was embarrassed & ashamed. I told him he should be. He said he's trying to phone my brother. I informed him not to do that. I told him he's devastated & hurt. I again told him not to contact me until he would like my assistance getting him into a treatment facility. He told me the drinking is done - he just wanted a drink to relax (which I knew - I even told hubby that) - he was wrong & it wouldn't happen again. I informed him he's dying again (& trust me, he is) & that the Vodka is killing him. And he's taking us with him. He said he didn't want to do that - at that point I ended the conversation.

The worst part is (other than the drinking) is that my dad does feel bad. I knew it yesterday. I can see it written all over his face. He does have a conscious but honest to pete, he can't control his cravings. It's been over 50 years of hard liquor. It controls him. It rules his life & I know he fights it. But he can't win it. I can't use his disease as an excuse anymore, though.

This is one prayer God is not going to answer. I don't know why. I'm not mad at God because I don't question His judgement. But I don't understand it. What I do know is I love my dad. And nothing he will ever do will change that.


****************************************

Previously, there was a paragraph here that I had written. But for the life of me, I could not get into words what I was trying to convey. So, I deleted it. I have learned many lessons during my dad's unnecessary, sad journey & I'll share one:

There is one person & one person only who is responsible for your life & your behavior. You. Life is short. Live! ♥

Breaking up is hard to do.

Sold! To me. Ü This formal dining room was to be my new...space. But, I really love this table. And even though she's not used often, she's staying. I actually breathed a sigh of relief when I decided to keep her. Crazy, I know. But I'm kinda known for crazy. :)

However. Even though she stays, I still have no desire to keep my computer desk in the master bedroom. I have sat in our bedroom, in the corner, 'working', for almost 5 1/2 years now. I desire to get out of the dungeon & into some openness, nice light & active environment. With my other family members. I have stared at brown walls for entirely too long & I'm tired of being tucked away.

Now. How to accomplish this will prove to be no simple task. I have 2 options & both include rearranging (& ridding, if necessary) furniture. My new space will be in either the family room or front living room. Those are the only options I have. :) For some time now, I have envisioned exactly how I wanted my new space to be arranged/decorated. I'm still going to implement those improvements, but now it will have to be in a multi room, versus being in an individual room. But who says I still can't fix up my little space? I may have to tweak a few of my ideas, but for the most part, I still hope to make it sophisticated. Ü

*The dining room wallpaper, shown above? I ♥ it. Didn't use to be that way. I use to think 'ew'. Now, not so much. And the wallpaper is (was) in perfect condition. Even though I didn't care for it, the dining room has always been, & still is, last on the list for redecorating. Notice the 2 white spots (there's 3, actually) in the upper left? I did that. I purchased a new backdrop a few years ago & I wanted to quickly do a test run. So, I temporarily taped it up there. When I went to take it down, the wallpaper came off with the tape! Ugh! I was devastated. My only perfect condition room was perfect no more. I have extra wallpaper up in the attic & fortunately, wallpapering is a forte of mine. So, I hope I can patch it in & make it look beautimous again. I may try to tackle that this weekend.

Happy Friday!

Inexpensive home decor.

I've looked at these a million times at Walmart & today I decided to purchase them. :) I'm extremely sensitive to scents (& they are potpourri, so hopefully they'll die out quickly) but I really like the shapes, textures & colors. Ü

(I had my white balance on the wrong setting = blue tint. Someday, I hope to remember to adjust all of my camera settings for a single shoot. Sheesh. And I call myself an amateur. Heehee. :)



The large container was $10.

The small container was $5.

And the below photo is the result of remembering to adjust the white balance. ;o) Now that's more like it - nice, pretty colors. :)

(This is also natural light. Makes my heart go pitter pat. Seriously.)




Both glass vases I got at Goodwill. The branches/sticks I bought at Hobby Lobby months ago. The large (clay?) vase came from Pier 1 about 8-9 years ago. :)



I really like how they turned out! Thanks Walmart! Next time I'm going to purchase some colored sand. Ü

Blog with Integrity.

Definition:

1: firm adherence to a code of especially moral or artistic values : incorruptibility

2: an unimpaired condition : soundness

3: the quality or state of being complete or undivided : completeness

Pledge:

Blog with Integrity

By displaying the Blog with Integrity badge or signing the pledge, I assert that the trust of my readers and the blogging community is important to me.

I treat others respectfully, attacking ideas and not people. I also welcome respectful disagreement with my own ideas.

I believe in intellectual property rights, providing links, citing sources, and crediting inspiration where appropriate.

I disclose my material relationships, policies and business practices. My readers will know the difference between editorial, advertorial, and advertising, should I choose to have it. If I do sponsored or paid posts, they are clearly marked.

When collaborating with marketers and PR professionals, I handle myself professionally and abide by basic journalistic standards.

I always present my honest opinions to the best of my ability.

I own my words. Even if I occasionally have to eat them.

I am encouraged to now blog with integrity. Why? Because I'm worth it. Because I deserve it. So does everyone else. And because there is always room for improvement.

Speaking of Jaguar.

The girl is crazy. I'm telling you - she's from another planet. And I love it. It's what makes her, her. Just like her big hair. Ü


Jags has one mode - SLOW. It's enough to just about send the remaining 5 of us over the edge. She gets in no hurry & she doesn't care. That's who she is & what she is & all she knows - slow.

In the mornings, well, they aren't much fun. She comes downstairs slow. She moseys up to the table slow. She eats slow. And God forbid she has to use the bathroom - that's another story. The boys have begun picking up her lunch box & water bottle just to help get the girl out the door. She's oh so frustrating, but so hilarious all at the same time.

The bathroom. Dear oh dear. When she goes in the bathroom, you can bank on not seeing her again for quite some time. And she's six. Such a joke in our family when we watch her trot off to the bathroom. We all just kind of watch her head that direction, shrug our shoulders, & then we forget about her. After about 20 minutes or so, one of us will say "so, you think she flushed herself? Taking a bath in the sink? Fingerpainting the pedestal again?" (She did that one time. She painted the pedestal (sink) with red frosting. I have no clue how long it had been there, but I discovered it a few weeks ago.) Sooner or later she'll come moseying out, not a care in the world, sit back down & finish her meal like nothing had ever happened. Cracks us up. She's a riot.

I have warned the males in the home that they haven't seen anything yet. If the girl can stay in the bathroom this long at age six, just wait until she does her own hair & puts on makeup. Holy. Cow. She may have to start the night before if she plans on getting anywhere on time. I have no idea what the future holds, but I'm pretty certain, there's gonna to be lots of "get out of there!!!"s. What a blessing we have 3 bathrooms. God knew we were going to need them all one day. Ü

(Her '100th day of school' poster. It now hangs in her room. :o)

She is so adorable. Thinks life is one big party. (That doesn't exactly mesh well with school work however, I do believe she's going to make it to 1st grade!) Takes absolutely nothing too serious. She just has fun & it's so innocent. I do believe by now, she has invited approximately 75 people to our home, for different occasions. Most of those 75 people are teachers. I've had a lot of explaining to do.

After school started, she invited everyone over to swim in our pool. That was interesting.

Then she invited everyone over to see her newly redecorated room.

Then there was Christmas. They all got invited to Christmas.

Then she invited everyone over for her birthday party. She even made her own invitations & passed them out. My kids don't have birthday parties (that is fixing to change! Life is about celebrating. Thank you, Kelle Hampton!) One teacher felt so bad she couldn't make the party. That led to more explanations from mom. :)

And now, there's Raymond. We have no clue who Raymond is, but he's coming over to spend the night. She's talked about him for the last 3 weeks. She's informed us what they're going to do, what food I need to have in the home for his visit, what jammies she needs, where he's going to sleep, blah, blah, blah. So funny.

The teachers love her. Everyone loves & comments on her hair. She is such a mess, typically any given day they put her in the car, the teacher is giggling (usually I'll look at the teacher, mumble "pray for us" & drive off. Heehee.) Getting her home is like getting her out the door in the mornings. She is so disorganized, sometimes she'll be holding items in her mouth. Hair all amock. Coat hanging 1/2 on 1/2 off. Filthy clothes (not the condition she left in!). Dragging her backpack. Yet again, sometimes her brothers have her lunch box & water bottle. Or, she tossed it in her backpack, open. I cringe when I open her lunch box. God only knows what I'm going to find. And, the dirt. Oh good heavens the dirt. It's like she rolls in the dirt every day. Last week, I discovered she took her school scissors to her blue jeans. And today, her new orange shirt. Anyway, I feel like we need to invest in a power washer just to clean her & her belongings.

But oh she's delightful. So naturally full of life. But can break into tears at any given moment, usually regarding an issue that makes no sense whatsoever. But again, that's just who she is. I absolutely cannot imagine my life without my whacky girl!

And I do believe I could learn a few things from my goofy six year old - not to take things so seriously. Lighten up. Let it go. I have made great strides, but she's a necessary reminder that I still have a ways to go.

Inspiration is everywhere. Even in a precious six year old. Life is short. Live! Ü

Randomness.

Hi there! I haven't blogged in 2 weeks? Wow. Time is really getting away from me.

Some beautiful girl lost her first tooth on 2.2.11. She is still just as gorgeous as ever. :)

(I had my focal point on the wrong setting so her photos are a tad blurry.)





Week before last stunk with dr. appointments for me. Mammogram yet again came back questionable/abnormal, so that Thursday I had a completely unexpected needle biopsy. Right then & there (at my request). That was fun. The good news is there is no cancer. I finally have an official diagnosis, & this is probably the beginning of a long journey for me (I've been battling this since Dec. '08 - it's been long enough, thank you ;o), but I won't lose focus on the wonderful results. What a blessing. We had Open House that same evening, Jaguar had 2 soccer practices during the week & I had another dr. appt. the morning following my biopsy. I'm telling you, it took me the entire last week to decompress. Now I get to look forward to having my blood sugar level checked (I'm so going to be in trouble with that one!), the eye dr. & the dentist. Yippee. Ü

In my spare time, I have spent too much time on, & contributed to, an 'accountability' website. I am trying to break free, but most days, it's better than a good book. My goal is to better utilize my free time. Heehee. One can hope. ;o)

I have finally listed my dining room table that I love so much (sniff, sniff) because it's time to turn the formal dining into a usable room. Not that it's not usable now, it's just that we don't use it. LOL Oh good glory, I can tell I haven't blogged in a while. (*Update - I have decided I love my table too much to sell. So, it's time to get creative, envision & rearrange some other rooms to accommodate my computer desk. Shall be interesting...) Ü

Moving right along.

It's time for me to do something (I know I've said this before). Meaning, it's time for me to get to work (part time only). I am a worker by nature & it's in my blood. I miss it. I love taking care of my family & that will always remain my #1 priority, but it's time for me to get busy. I hope to accomplish this via the internet but in the meantime, my mind is so busy. What will I do? How will I do it? Should I try to accomplish this goal via my blog? Or another direction? Etc. I'm not sure. But hopefully I'll figure it out.

Today I made homemade granola bars. I don't think it's necessary to cut them into bars - so I'm calling them 'homemade granolas'. :) Today my add-ins were: craisins, milk chocolate chips & peanut butter chips. I wanted to add marshmallows, but some cute little Mercedes ate them all. Next time I'll add them. This time, I had the grand idea to use parchment paper, having no idea if it would work or not. Last time I made these I know I didn't let them cool long enough & it seems like there was somewhat of a sticky mess left in my Pyrex dish. Check this out:


Tada! I took the 'granolas' out of the oven & let them sit on the counter. For probably about...2 hours or so. I then grabbed the parchment paper, turned it upside down & the granolas just slid right off, back into my dish. Clean, neat & messless. You are looking at the bottom of the granolas, with the one piece at the top turned rightside up.

Everyone in my family loves these. But me. Heehee. They aren't bad, I just don't care for them. Remember though, I'm the (very!!) finicky eater. The entire dish of granolas would be gone tonight if I'd let everyone gorge. Ü I don't necessarily like that this recipe calls for 2 sticks of butter, so I'm going to try using some peanut butter next time (I forgot to do that this time). I still am totally into cooking from scratch (although it's so disappointing to me, because so much of what I'm trying I don't like & neither do my littles. Hubby eats anything.), searching for easy/healthy recipes & cutting out high fructose corn syrup (& the like). Can't even tell ya the last time I bought a cleaning product, other than detergent, Shout & Borax. With prices increasing, food prices are increasing & I'm trying to be ever so frugal. Love it! It's just a good feeling saving money wherever I can & I love a good challenge. Ü

This coming week entails: Tomorrow I will take Mercedes to get her lab work completed (two weeks before it's actually due again), because I am confident I am seeing symptoms/signs that her body is no longer tolerating the absense of her medication. I will not screw around with this - so I'm taking the initiative & getting this looked at. I'll phone the Endocrinologist after I have the lab work completed. After that, I'll be searching for frugal ideas for spring break (already have an idea in mind :) because next week - is Spring Break! I'm excited.

And with that I'll say...I should have titled this: Stream of Consciousness. Or as I like to call it: Crap On The brain. (*And I did. I reinstated my 'Crap On The Brain' label. Contain your excitement. ;o)

Happy week! Ü