Well, I never . . .

Do you know what this is?

I stumbled across this pretty thing today while shopping at REI.com, trying to use my member dividends before the year ends. My face squished up as I thought, “What the heck is it?”

Then: “OH! I see…Wow… Really?”

It’s actually a pretty nifty contraption.

Should I let you guess?

Nah.

Its called an FUD.

Feminine Urinary Director

Have you ever heard of such a thing?

All these years, my (eh-hem) envy was unneccesary.  Turns out I can pee on a tree too!

I kinda want one.

Would you use one?

If you have time, read the many great reviews it got at REI.com. There are some serious fans out there (mostly mountian climbers and the like.)

 

 

no spring chicken

 

I must be aging.  I’ve heard that’s what happens.  You always feel a young 18 on the inside, even when the outside tells a different story.

 

 

This fact of life first hit me a few weeks ago on a Sunday morning.  I was just sitting down in church when I turned around to see a young lady I didn’t recognize sitting a couple rows behind me.  I got up and walked over to her, offering her a smile and a handshake, and introducing myself.  She told me her name, but then gave me this quizzical look.  After a pause she said, “I thought this is where the young people were supposed to sit…”

I just about died. Reading it still makes me laugh.  “It is where the young people sit,” I wanted to say, “that’s why I am sitting here.”  But instead, I offered that I sit there because I volunteer with the young people…

Then, yesterday brought jab to my vanity number two. I had Jury Duty. 

After making my way through an almost impossible downtown, I got through security check, waited in a forever long line, and finally found a seat in a tiny room packed with too many people.  After a few minutes the empty seat beside me was filled by a stylish woman who I guessed to be around my age.  She took off her coat, let out a big sigh and took a visual scan of the others in the room.  She leaned over to me and said hello.  Then she mentions how weird she feels because she is quite obviously the youngest person in the room. (my paraphrasing) 

What?! What about me? I’m young! I’m young!  oh man.  laughing again.

Turns out she was indeed (a measly) three years younger than me.

Guess I should be researching retirement homes soon. . .

Oi.

 

How Thoughtful

 

“Just to warn everyone,” he said.

 

The Idea

 

 

The Execution.

 

The Content

 

And so it is perfectly clear, the last word in his thoughtful note is supposed to be spelled:

P-E-R-I-O-D.

Consider yourselves warned.

 

 

Only on paper

Dee Hodgson shared a photo that made me remember one of my favorites of Grace.

What could be more fun than melty-crayons on a warm stove?

My Grace is well-known for her craftiness. She loves to draw.  Alhough I think she’s just about out-grown the need to experience drawing on different surfaces, it used to be something she did quite often.  The Magic Eraser was my best friend for years.  Pen on the walls, marker on the table and floors, pencil on my houses’ exterior, and chalk on my car.  Don’t even get me started on this girl’s love of fingerpainting with toothpaste.  And because she is so darn quiet, so much of her “art” time went unnoticed until it was over.  Next week, she goes to kindergarten.  Hopefully she’ll get all her artsy-craves cured M-F between 9-12…

 

Structure Brings Silliness?

After-dinner silliness

 

I’ve had such a chill day.  My house is clean, quiet and calm.  It feels like a while since it’s been this way.  Summer has a way of bringing chaos into our house.  Perhaps that is one reason I have come to love fall/winter.  During the school months, I am diligent about keeping order; details like chores and bedtimes are rarely overlooked.  But when summer comes, we are all so excited about being outside and doing things, and I find myself more than not putting off my good disciplines in order to cram in as much fun as possible. 

 

Today, my children were extra tired from a late night last night, and our garage roof was getting a facelift, so we stayed home and relaxed.  I did some laundry.  Blake took a three hour nap.  (By the way, I’ve never seen a seven year old who likes to nap like him.  He would nap four or five hours if I’d let him. Perhaps that’s why he’s tall…) Grace helped me scrub and hose-down the garage exterior.  We grilled some burgers and MADE BEDTIME.  And in all this, I was reminded how much my children like structure.  They were so content and happy and playful today.  As much as they may beg me to break the routine to let them do various things, the days when we stick to a routine are the days they enjoy the most.  I knew this, but haven’t seen it in my house in months.  

 

Dinner tonight was FILLED with laughter.  Total silliness.  Grace is just a little comedian.  She makes us all, even herself, crack-up until our sides hurt.  She has been such a sunny addition to our family.  Grace is my songstress, always singing something she learned or made up.  And Blake, oh my Blake is such a blessing to me!  He helps me in so many ways.  He helps with laundry, reads bedtime stories to Grace, and he almost always obeys me without a fuss.  He and I connect very easily.  I am so blessed when I think of the gift I have in my family.  

 

 

 

Saturday Smiles

Something that made me smile yesterday:

Eating my dessert before my dinner. 

Andrew and I went to a wedding yesterday.  Something you should know about me: I have a strange wedding habit.  It seems I can never make it from a wedding to the reception without stopping for a snack.  Andrew and I will drive by someplace and I will get the hankering for a slider or some fried chicken.  I have stopped for pizza, McDonalds and candy.  Yesterday, during the time-gap between the ceremony and the reception, we stopped by CVS and grabbed some snacks.  For me: Pringles, a king-sized Snickers bar and some vitamin water, which by the way is like Kool-aid for grown-ups.  The snickers bar was opened and eaten somewhere between the cash register and the car. Mmmmmmm: carmel, peanuts, choclate and that marshmallowy stuff called nougat . . . perfect right before a sit down dinner. 

While my choice of snack may not have been all that wise, I was the only girl not shaking from hunger by the time they served dinner at 8pm.  And, Mom, I had plenty of room for my salad and green beans!

Does anyone else stop for snacks before wedding receptions?

 

Funny Business

I’ve been thinking about humor.

I really appreciate people who can make me laugh.

Being funny is a gift and an art.

Sitting alone with my husband one night I looked over at him and said, “I am not funny.” To which Drew said, “Huh?” and then he loked at me with a pitying look and continued, “Lets just say that of the two of us, you’re the serious one. But you sure know how to laugh at things that are funny.”  

I really wish I was funny. Once in a blue moon something will come out of my mouth that is truly, smartly funny.  And it always surprises me. More often than not I keep my mouth shut and let the really funny people do their thing, because usually when I try comedy I fall hard.

There are different kinds of funny.  Off the top of my head I can think of slapstick, wit, sarcasm… hmm.. there’s gotta be more.  what’s your favorite funny? 

I love wit. It takes thought, timing…  I cant stand sarcasm.  It’s like cheap humor.  Anybody can do sarcasm.  Heck, even I could do sarcasm.  Good slapstick usually gets laughs out of me too – but then i feel mean: sitting comfortably, laughing at someone elses misfortune.

But as my Love pointed out I can laugh.  I love to laugh, it is so good for us, you know?  More often than not I find myself laughing much louder than anyone else in the room, and I quickly turn down the volume and think, “Gosh! How long was I laughing so obnoxiously loud? Does it sound that loud to everyone else? Why doesnt someone ever tell me to shut my trap?”

I guess I must have good friends.   And thank God so many of them are funny, otherwise Ms.Serious here would shrivel up from humor deprivation.

 

CO2 buildup and mini-vacations

almost ninety degrees today! all i want to do is be able to wear a sweater and jeans, and cover up – but instead it feels like beach weather in october.

funny: on tuesday my bio. lecture touched on the greenhhouse effect and global warming, and my son read a book about global warming that night.

also: i am so happy that someone offered to scholarship me for our church’s women’s retreat. next fri-sat. i have been saying a lot lately that i just need a day off. this will be good. waking up in the morning with no one to look after but myself – with friends around too!

last: my dad’s surgery is in two weeks, on the 18th. please be praying.

 

quizzeriffic

i was tagged by kris (http://www.krisdmurphy.typepad.com/)

The Rules:

1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

2. Each player starts with 8 random facts/habits about themselves.

3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their 8 things) and post these rules.

4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose 8 people to get tagged and list their names.

5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

alrighty… random facts or habits.

1. i’d rather eat with my fingers than utensils. i loved visiting india for that reason. god gave us these opposable thumbs for a reason – they work so well. and sometimes, when i’m eating dinner with just the kids, i realize halfway through that i havent picked up my fork yet. such a barbarian, i know. to be fair, some things need a fork though – like spagetti.

2. i like painting my walls – for the first five minutes. after that, every stroke is like fingernails on a blackboard.

3. since our car was stolen, i get up in the middle of the night at least a few times a week and check out my window to make sure the cars are still there.

4. i’m the queen of belting out songs over and over until my kids tell me they’re getting a headache. hey – i’m just having fun, and if it happens to give them a taste of their own medicine at the same time, all the better.

5. i read the obituaries every sunday.

6. i started reading straight through the bible almost three years ago, and i’m still in Isaiah – i’m enjoying the journey though.

7. staples in my diet: coffee. sugar free hazelnut creamer. peanut butter. coffee. sausage. choclate milk. popcorn. coffee. chips and salsa. pickles. avacados. coffee. and leftovers.

8. i made it this far. can’t i think of one more? oh! i know! why dont you all list one random/weird fact/habit about me! that sounds like fun. like: she types is all lowercase ’cause she’s lazy and doesn’t know how to use spell check!

i tag: danielle, nikki, melody, cheryl, shannon, hannah, jeremy, and what the heck, shall i dare say andrew?

————

 

randomness from my random thinkin brain

• i love bare feet. i’m not sure it’s the best thing for my knees/back, etc… but i love it. i love my peppermint foot lotion and coconut foot creme that andrew bought for me. they make me feel pampered.
• we had late lunch ( or early dinner?) hey, by the way, why do they have a word for late breakfast (brunch) but not late lunch? how about we call it lupper (lunch/supper)? we had lupper with some old friends we hadn’t seen in waaaaay too long. they have twice as many kids as us, but two of theirs are the same ages as ours. the kids played beautifully, and we had such a great time. it’s one of those situations where you cant figure out why you ever drifted apart in the first place. my brain knows it’s because we were busy, and our lives took us in to different places. but it was good to see them and i look forward to having them to our place soon.
• and wouldn’t you know it? drew’s parents called today and asked if the kids could spend the night tonight. they missed the kids, and woooHoooo!!! yeah, that’s all i can say about that.
• there are times in life when my instinct tells me to run and hide. from problems, confrontations, challenges. when i choose to fight those feelings, it’s scary as hell, but the feeling of growth afterward is so rewarding.
• i am on my way to seeing some of my dreams come true. it seems like i have been saying that i am going to go to college for ages. always in the future tense. but. BUT. dare i say it. i am going to college this fall. i applied for the FAFSA, i applied to OCC and made an appointment with a counselor. there are no words to describe my heart right now. i am slightly nervous, but super excited, and feel like this is similar to a long awaited pregnancy. i’ve waited and wanted it for soo long, and it’s finally come. my plans? possibly spend a while at OCC then transfer my credits to Wayne State and someday become a Registered Nurse. Nursing is something i have always wanted to do, even before my favorite TV shows were ER, Greys Anatomy, Scrubs and House. but i never believed in myself enough to think i could do it. didn’t think i was smart enough quite honestly. but seeing the hundreds of nurses this month that i’ve seen helped me to see that it IS something i could do. i CAN do it. i am so excited about nursing.