My granddaughter, JanaLyn, spent the night last night.  She arrived just in time for dinner (pizza) and left early this morning because she had a birthday party to go to at 9am!

Yes, her mother and I wondered who in the world would plan a birthday party on Saturday from 9-11am!  I guess someone who is an early riser and wants to get the party out of the way!  It's a pool party, but I doubt the pool is even open until 10am.  Stephanie said they'll probably open gifts and have snacks and the cake (at 9:30am????? BLEAH!) , THEN everyone will go to the pool for an hour.

I can't believe JanaLyn and Rissy were up almost all night.  They shared a bed in the guest room.  They are waaaaay too young to be up all night!  JanaLyn will be 4 on the 26th and Rissy is almost 6 1/2.  Jesse woke up at 6am (I got up several times myself because of their giggling and talking) to find them playing.  He spanked both of them and told them not to get out of bed one more time.  He left the house 30 minutes later and said they were sound asleep!  I had to wake up JanaLyn at 8am so her mom could pick her up at 8:30 . . . she got right up!  I may try to have the girls all lie down this afternoon after lunch.  At least, I'll have them watch a movie and have quiet time.

I have some odds and ends chores I want to accomplish. My desk area needs to be cleaned and I STILL need to transfer things to my new file cabinet.  I also need to go through my fabric to pick out what to send to seamstress friend Tina.  We need fall and winter clothes.  I'd like some new summer dresses, but I waited too long to get the fabric to her.

The termite people are coming Tuesday and I have a huge job in the garage of moving things on shelving units away from the wall.  Jesse won't be able to pull his lawn trailer into the garage.  I hate for him to leave it parked in the driveway, too easy to steal stuff from it.  But, we don't have a choice.  They are also planning to drill holes on our patio, so I've never set up the girls' pool - besides the fact it's rained buckets every week.  Even though their pool is 18" deep, I add chlorine to it and that keeps the water nice for days and also keeps us from having to refill it as often.  When rain comes like it has, it upsets the chemical balance in the water and the water is wasted.  So, it's still sitting in its box awaiting "the DAY!!!"

I'm hoping Jesse comes home early from mowing today.  Many yards are still muddy and he makes a mess when he tries to mow by tearing the grass and leaving muddy track marks.  He's not been home all week - working at a friend's pawn shop - and we miss him!

This will be a family day for me - just enjoying my children.   

It's raining again!  Not showers: HEAVY rain.  It's supposed to slow down by noon.  We have received another couple of inches.  It's July and we've surpassed our annual rainfall total!

I ran some errands yesterday because I knew it would be a rainy day today.  Not a successful day for me. Not at all.

The play therapist arrived at 9:15 instead of between 9:30 & 10am.  Caught us finishing breakfast.  She came in soaking wet and I gave her a dress of mine to wear while I put her dress in the dryer.  After she left at 11am, Jesse called to see if the girls and I wanted to meet him for lunch.  We had to hurry to get bathed and dressed.

I grabbed Jesse's business checks and a deposit slip and we ran out the door.

We met for lunch at a Chinese food buffet.  After lunch I went to the restroom to rinse my teeth and found one of my molars had broken.  No pain, just an ugly, gaping space where enamel used to be!  I didn't have the dentist's phone number in my cell phone, but was a few blocks down the street.  I went to his office to make an appointment and they took a quick look at the tooth.  I have to wait 10 days for my appointment because they think I might need a crown and their block of time needs to be for an hour and a half!  They gave me a prescription for Halcion since Valium didn't sedate me last time.  The dentist!  My favorite place in the whole world to visit!  And, I want to know who in the world breaks a tooth eating rice and steamed vegetables???  Maybe it was the pudding or tapioca I had for dessert!!!

I didn't have the deposit slip made out and had about 30 checks to enter, which wasn't easy with the girls waiting in the car while I wrote on a box of tissues!  Also, I had remembered I'd left a bunch of money and checks for our personal account sitting on my desk.  I decided to scrap the visit to the bank.

I went to the post office box instead, hoping I'd find lots of checks for Jesse.  Instead, I found a bill telling me our post office box rental for the year was due.  A crown on my tooth (no insurance) AND a bill for the P.O. box!

At that point, I also realized I'd forgotten the guest room bedspread and the girls' white comforter that Luci had marked with several colors of ink.  I knew I'd be in the area and was going to drop them off at the laundromat to be cleaned.  The area of town I was in yesterday is no where near being close to our house.

I went on up to Luci's doctor's office to pick up some sample meds to see us through until her appointment on Monday.  While there, I felt sick to my stomach and used their restroom.  Apparently the visit to the dentist's office had done more to my insides than I had realized.

The next errand was an irritating one.  The church had sent Luci to a "naturalist" back on December 4th.  The church was supposed to pay the bill.  At the appointment, I realized the whole thing was New Age stuff and I wanted no part of it.  I remember thinking, "I'm sure glad *I* don't have to pay this bill."  Well, the church has never paid the bill.  Jesse had directly handed the bill to the pastor after the pastor had told me he absolutely didn't want us to pay it.  That was in April or May.  We got another bill in the mail on Tuesday!  I was embarrassed.  Embarrassed for myself, embarrassed for the church, AND not a happy camper that we were going to be stuck paying a bill for $135 from a "witch doctor" I didn't believe.

Next was Wal-Mart.  I had forgotten my grocery list when I left the house and all I KNEW I needed to buy was catfood.  I had nothing planned for dinner and my stomach continued to churn.  I decided to pull some frozen hotdogs out of the freezer when I got home.  I scrapped the idea of buying groceries by trying to draw on my memory (which barely exists these days!) and ran into a small Wal-Mart to buy cat food and hotdog buns!

I felt the day had been a waste, so I headed home.  I stopped to drop off my prescription at CVS and told them I'd either be back Friday or Monday to pick it up.  I just wanted to go home.

I had an hour before I had to pick up Luci, so I wrote some business letters and got them ready to be mailed.  I picked up Luci and made hotdogs for dinner.  Woo-hoo!

Before some shows came on TV that I wanted to see (Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader, So You Think You Can Dance), I decided to quickly share some photos with a Yahoo group of friends.  Recently I have had tons of computer problems and, through the grace of God, fixed them myself (very slowly fixed them!).  As I uploaded the pictures through Hotmail, I was told my computer was blocking the ability to upload photos and I had to click a "gold bar" which did absolutely nothing when I repeatedly tried to click on it.

I felt everything I attempted yesterday was thwarted.  Like a wounded puppy, I crawled off to the den to watch TV and wait for bed time!

Fiddle dee dee, today is another day!

What ever happened to sturdily made things?  I'm talking about things from when planes were planes and men were men!  You know?  Basics. 

I'm assuming everything had something functionally wrong with it or something dangerous about it, and it now must be made with plastic and not made to last.

I was thinking about the doll crib I had as a child.  It was wooden, painted pink, and one side had a drop rail - just like a real crib.  Some of my friend's doll cribs were made the same way but stained in maple.  All I can find now is plastic doll beds.  Did the old ones have lead paint?  Why did the design have to be changed to unrealistic plastic instead of the manufacturer using a safer paint?  Real cribs still look the same today.  And, although the rungs in the railing may be closer together, they certainly aren't made from molded plastic.

That brings me to my next question about small appliances.  Recently, I became the proud owner of a waffle iron/griddle made in the 1960's.  The newest thing about it was the Teflon coated plates.  I had to buy one because my plastic Belgium wafflemaker quit heating.  I think I used it a dozen times before it broke.  It was "pretty," but definitely not made well.

I also received a food processor this last Christmas.  The plastic donut in the middle of the shredding blade cracked into a million pieces last month and the manufacturer kindly sent me a new blade for free, since I had just received the processor at Christmas time.  This week, when I put the new blade on the plastic post, it wouldn't fit.  More careful examination revealed the post had also split & cracked.  I've only used this appliance to shred cheddar cheese for about six months.  Now it's requiring MORE parts.  Sigh!

The tall candlestick lamps on our nightstands keep tipping over.  I figured out the "carved metal" base is actually a light weight resin material - making the lamp top heavy.  The bulb and the cloth shade are heavier than the base!  Who thinks up these designs???

Sewing machines.  I have the machine my mother got married with in 1950.  Heavy as all get out.  No buttonhole attachment.  I bought a used machine in 1990 that was also "heavy metal" and has held up very well.  I've been looking at newer machines (in my price range) and they are all plastic shells and many parts inside are plastic!  I'm JUST a little gun shy!

I'm glad buttons are plastic and dry clean & machine washable, now.

I'm glad iron's have full steam and sprayers and don't weigh a ton when ironing my clothes.

I love my microwave oven and the fact they aren't as heavy as they used to be.  However, I remember when one of our niece's got her first apartment and we set her up with canned foods and basic kitchen pots and dishes.  She mentioned a week later being hungry.  We asked if all of the Spaghettio's were gone.  She claimed she still had them, but didn't have a microwave to cook anything.  I told her to put them in a saucepan on top of the stove and heat them up on med-low.  She didn't know you could do that with Spaghettio's!  From the tone of her voice, I could tell she thought I was brilliant!

(sigh)

What ever happened?

Last night, Jesse was very impressed with the girls' clean room.  He doesn't think they should get ANYTHING back, or receive anything much in the future.  He would rather see the money for gifts go into their savings accounts, which we do all the time anyway, but he means MORE money into savings.

He reminded me of how he got by as a child using his imagination inside the house and the same thing when playing outside.  I remember growing up the same way, but I DID have some toys. 

He had none. 

It's not like the "old days" when children could play outdoors without supervision.  These days, our children are limited to the backyard.  We haven't even bought the older girls larger bikes yet, due to not wanting them roaming up and down the street at ages 6 & 7.

Jesse said sometimes the only thing he had to play with outside was a stick to draw in the dirt.  All well and good, but what about the mud and mosquitoes right now and the frozen, cold ground in the winter???? 

In the past, Annamarie has used sticks as weapons.  I'm not sure I want my girls outside with sticks.  Finding balance is the key, here.

I'll have to mull this balancing thing over.

No, we didn't go to Texas.  Jesse worked VERY late (into the dark) mowing yesterday and was up again this morning earlier than "bright and early."  He hopes to be done before 5pm today.  They are forecasting MORE RAIN next week!

This morning, I asked the girls to clean their rooms before they went out to play.  I had to pull them back in once to tell them I meant what I said when I told them to clean.  Luci cleaned her room the second time around.  I had to pull the older girls back in a second time and when I actually checked things out I found they had more things under their bed than in designated toy areas!  As I checked the toy areas I found a black church shoe in the doll bag and 2 tennis shoes in 2 different places - thus the reason for the tearful, "But, I can't find my shoes!" when it's time to go somewhere.  Shoes and clothing were mixed in with dress up clothes, the blocks box, and the Tinker Toys.  I was going to have them put stuff in their night stands (Rubbermaid bins) until I saw a another shoe, various socks, broken hangers, parts to Candy Land, etc. INSIDE the nightstand bins. 

I went into Mommy Rage.

As quick as a flash, everything was dumped on the floor.  There was stuff from under the bed, under the dressers, boxes meant to hold other things that held miscellaneous junk and dirty tissues instead.  It made quite an impressive mountain as I piled everything in one heap.

I took a large outdoor trash sack and started "helping" them clean.  I told them, "Everything is going!  So, tell your stuff 'bye-bye' because I'm tired of fighting with you to clean things.  This will make it LOTS easier for both of you.  You're gonna just love your new room!  Aren't you glad I'm helping you with this mess?" I gushed sarcastically!  (Maybe it was more of a witch's cackle, I'm not really sure at this point)  They stood in shock and no one uttered a peep as they both pensively waved at the trash sack..

One large trash sack didn't hold the mountain of mess and as I threw things in it, I began to have a softening of my heart.  But, I'm not telling them that, just yet!  After they've had a week or two of living without most of their things, I'll hand each of them a sizeable handful of things from the trash sack each day and tell them to put it in its proper place.  I don't know if all of the jigsaw puzzle pieces, Polly Pocket Clothing, or the Light Bright bulbs will ever be retrieved and put back in any kind of order.

Note to self:  No more things with small or numerous pieces.  AND, do not allow people to buy my children things with small or numerous pieces.

1.   Hell.  As a Christian, there is no need for me to expound about this being my #1 answer, OR why.

2.   New York City without a local resident as my tour guide.  Too big, too crowded, too dangerous, too much of a tourist trap, too expensive . . .

3.   An "A-List" Hollywood night club.  IF I was allowed in, I'd never fit in, and would want O-U-T!

4.   A college or pro football game.  I hate being squeezed into crowds and, more importantly, I dislike football!

5.   A spider exhibit.  While I've gained control of my spider phobia, why choose to go there?

6.   Outdoors in Oklahoma this summer, unless I'm covered in "Deep Woods Off!"

7.   Riding a commuter train or bus.  I rode my share of trains and buses to work when I was younger, and it's lost its appeal.

8.   Anywhere there is a group of people drinking alcohol and being loud and, worse yet, using profanity.

9.    Swimming in water where I can't see through the water, i.e. an ocean, river, lake, or pond.  That pretty much leaves glacier meltdowns (too cold to swim in) and swimming pools.

10.  To a job outside of my home.  I put in almost 30 years in the "corporate work force" and I am quite happy without it.

11.  Anywhere there is a group of gossiping women.  Well, maybe even ONE woman who gossips would qualify as a place I don't want to be.

12.  Traveling in a mini or compact car - not even to take a test drive around the block.

13.  Shopping at Wal-Mart on Saturday or Sunday.  See answer #1.

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No definite plans have been made, yet, about traveling to Amarillo on Friday.  Like everything else, it will be a last minute decision.  My favorite way to live . . . NOT!  I think it all hinges on whether Jesse can get caught up with his lawns by Friday.  It's not supposed to rain at all on Saturday, and that may cause him to stay here and work.

Annamarie, Rissy, and I had a fun day yesterday.  One of my favorite people from Luci's daycare (Miss Stephanie) was in the office when I dropped off Luci.  She was sporting a 4th of July glittery t-shirt and had a crown on her head.  It was her 30th birthday.  I only have one other friend (Lori from Ohio) who can pull off wearing a birthday crown with such style and grace!  The girls and I had no plans to go anywhere, but we decided to shop for b-day gifts for Miss Stephanie!  We had a blast.  We went to Starbucks, a home decorating warehouse (Garden Ridge), and Wal-Mart.  I even bought a child's Barbie b-day card (NO!  I don't care for Barbie, nor do my girls have Barbie dolls!!!) with Barbie wearing a crown.  It said something about swirling and swishing like a princess through your special day!  The perfect card!

Yesterday morning, I finally removed all of my vegetable & herb plants from their original cartons and got them into large pots.  Hopefully, they'll live.  It's still too wet to plant them in the flowerbed area, which is under water in different places.  I worked until noon, which explains why I was so hot and wet!  High, high, HIGH! humidity is in the air as everything tries to dry out in the sun.  It also explains why my lower back feels "strange" this morning.  I bent over for at least an hour.  We actually had NO RAIN yesterday.

Jesse said he was going to work all day today, would be home late, and didn't care to do anything to celebrate the 4th of July.  I thawed a roast yesterday and planned to put it in the crock pot this morning.  He groaned last night when he heard of my dinner plans.  He said, "Nooooo.  Not a roast, Cher' - it's the 4th of July."  I reminded him of what he had said and his lack of interest in the holiday.  He told me he figured *I* could cook brats, chicken, steaks, etc. outside and he'd eat the leftovers whenever he got home.  I think I must have looked at him like he had grown a cow's head out of his left ear, because he ended up laughing after looking at my face for a few seconds.

I don't know how serious he is about "4th of July fare," and I have nothing out of the freezer thawing that remotely resembles what one would expect to eat on 4th of July.  I DID buy a bunch of fruit at Albertson's yesterday and that includes a watermelon.  I suppose I could make deviled eggs and baked beans.  Then, cooking outside wouldn't be so hard.  I used to charcoal food outside all the time before I was married.  I guess it's like taking out the trash and filling the car with gas - I've gotten out of the habit of doing those things.

Yesterday, while at Wal-Mart, I had 4 rolls of film developed.  Most of the pictures were of Jesse's brother's and niece's visit here.  I bought a small photo album and picked out pictures of Aolani with the girls doing stuff (Build A Bear, coloring eggs, etc.) and put them in a little photo album as a memory of her trip here.  I'll go through the rest of the pictures and maybe do the same for James.  Jesse talked to his sister, JoAnn, yesterday and she said James is still talking about what a wonderful vacation he had here.  We feel like we are such a boring family, we can't imagine what we did to cause him to have such a good time!  All we did was eat at a million different restaurants!

I'm going to quit writing and go see what is in the freezer that looks like 4th of July meat, and take it out to thaw.  The forever dutiful wife!

Since my guests have long departed, I find I'm having trouble getting back into my regular routine, partly because dh's been home all week (the rain) unable to work.  Why does a husband staying home affect how much laundry gets done or whether, or not, the dishwasher gets loaded or unloaded?  Surely this is MY fault and not his!

Lastnight, while cooking dinner and talking with dh, he brought up the discussion about us possibly going to a wedding in Amarillo next week end.  Many people he hasn't seen since childhood are supposedly going to be there.  We would want to get a motel and one with an indoor pool JUST IN CASE IT RAINS.  This is all the Mexican side of Jesse's family (his dad's), and their weddings last all day & night and can be pretty wild.  Soooo, we're most interested in finding a motel (different than the one the wedding party has blocked off at the Holiday Inn) to protect and shield our children - if you know what I mean.  Going somewhere, even for a few days, sounds exciting to me.  Our girls would be thrilled to get to go swimming.  Our swimming pool is still in its box by my desk!

Jesse's dad, step-mom, and youngest sister live in Amarillo, so we would get to see them and his sister's 2 month old baby.  I would enjoy visiting with my step-mil - it's been a long time.  They haven't seen our girls (except for Rissy when she went with Jesse to pick up Marcus in April) for at least a year and a half.

With the possibility of a trip starting Friday (3-4 more days), I am feeling without direction around here.  I'm not sure about what is the most important chore.  I guess being able to choose clean clothes to pack is always helpful!  Laundry ALWAYS needs to be done, as it tends to split and grow like an amoeba in my house!  I'm definitely a person who needs direction if I'm expected to function at my best.  I hope a decision about this week end is made soon!

We'll see what kind of rain we have and what the week end brings.  I very well may be in Texas by Friday night!  Yay!