I wrote a couple days ago about my friend, Erica, and the baby they are adopting this week. She emailed us this morning with pictures and a link to their Baby Blog, http://max-attacks.blogspot.com.
His name is Max, and he was 7 lbs., 8 oz. and 19 inches long; a beautiful baby with lots of thick, black hair. They are so proud (and just a little bit stunned, I think). I guess I'll be doing some baby shopping this weekend!
Lori
Well, it's kind of quiet here today. I need to finish packing and carry everything down to my car. I thought of a few good things about not working here anymore:
1. Five or so fewer User IDs and Passwords to have to remember; and that I don't have to change every month or so.
2. Not having to take the elevator to the eighth floor; or on days when they're having problems with the system that controls the elevators, not having to walk up eight flights or take the freight elevator.
3. Not having to try to time it just right when I leave in the afternoon to try to miss the worst of the traffic at Spaghetti Junction.
Anyway, I'm not sure what I'll do all day. After work we're going across the street to Fridays, and some of our former team-mates are joining us there, too. I forgot to bring my camera, but maybe I'll pop over to Kroger and buy one of those one-time-use cameras.
Well, ta for now.
Lori
No one wants to hear me talk about my last week of work, again, but hey! How can I not? I have just two more days!!!
One of my former workmates called me last night and talked for over a half hour about how much she likes her new job! A lot of people from Doc. Management have gone to this particular company, and I have resisted, but she is about to pull me over to the dark side. There would be pros and cons to it, but I'm going to have to seriously give it some thought. The money is better, and I think I'd like the work. But not until I've had my summer vacation, thank you very much! The company I work for for two more days is the largest health insurance company in the country as of last summer when a merger was comleted; the company that a lot of our people have been going to (because they've been hiring a lot!) is another very large healthcare company in downtown Louisville, which just happens to be where it was founded, as well (and anyone reading from my area knows what company I'm talking about). I used to know people who worked there who hated it unequivically! But they must have done some serious re-vamping because even people I know who complain about anything and everything having nothing but good to say about it.
I won't make any hasty decisions, but I'll keep it in mind. Right now we call it the "(my company's name) Reunion Hall". If I gave out its first initial any American reading this would know what company I mean! I have other options, though, so no decisions yet.
Well, we're having a quiet evening here today. I should be outside cutting grass while Thomas trims, but it's just too humid, and my allergies are bothering me. Actually, mostly, it's just that I feel sort of lazy and don't really want to do anything tonight! I have been doing my crunches, and will try to complete a full 30 days, but on July 1st I am going to start a new 30-day challenge, even though I won't be done with the June 30-day challenge on July 1st. I'll fill you in on what it is later. For now, good night, and I'll be back tomorrow!
Oh, P.S. One of our former team members who left a few weeks ago to go to another company got great news yesterday. She and her husband have been trying to adopt for two years. On Tuesday they got a call and were told they could pick up their baby boy on Wednesday!!! He was born Monday night, and, as far as I know, he is now at home with them (and I'm sure the new grandparents, aunts and uncles) being loved and cuddled and just one of the luckiest babies ever! They are a great couple who will offer a child a wonderful home. I am so happy for them!
All this week I have watched my daughter learning the delights of vinyl! Remember the 4-in-1 that was one of my anniversary gifts? Eler Beth thinks it's the best thing since sliced bread!
She has computers and computer games, televisions in every room (practically), at least six or seven different games systems between her and her brother, CDs, DVDs, videos, and cassettes, but she had never experiened vinyl before! She has seen our record albums, but I guess we've never had a turntable since she was born. She has been playing records all week! It has been wonderful: we've had CCR, The Beatles, The Byrds, The Monkees, Sam Cooke, Simon and Garfunkle, John Mellencamp, and so many more, blaring in all their scratchy, vinyl goodness! She asked me where we could buy more! I said that you could find them in thrift stores and at yard sales, so she talked Thomas into taking her to our local Goodwill store on Thursday. She came back with several albums including The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and Bill Cosby! I love it!
She has also had a lot of fun taking care of her two bonsai plants. She told me that the tropical one is a girl and her name is Vivie; the ficus bonsai is a boy, and his name is Lincoln! Yesterday was Kid's Fun Day at one of our local chain department stores, so we spent the morning there. We sampled a lot of things and got some freebies, including a goldfish. We have not had fish in years, and I said I'd never have them again. Well, we now have a common goldfish named John happily swimming around in his gold fish bowl on a table in the living room. Oh well, we had a good time, and I just couldn't say no to a free goldfish when those big, brown eyes were looking so beseechingly into mine! (That's Eler Beth's big, brown eyes, not John's!)
Well, this is my last week at work. Five more days to go.
Last week was a strange one. We had very little of our own work as everything was continuing to pass out to the out-sourcing company. Most days I did very little of our own work, and none after Wednesday, spent a lot of time taking some soft skills classes on the company's intranet site, and on Thursday and Friday I started breaking down and cleaning the cubicles that used to house our team. Our own last few remaining temps were gone after Tuesday, leaving eight of us, counting the Ops expert and our Manager. Two of the temps stopped by to tell me before they left on Tuesday that they really appreciated how we treated our temps; that they'd never been treated like that before. That reflected well on our team and also made me feel good personally, because I was the sponsor for the temps, taking them through orientation, monitoring their progress with production and quality, answering questions and continuing their training after they got onto the floor. On Friday the company gave us a big celebration luncheon outside in a huge tent, big enough to house all of Doc. Management. The caterer they used this time was excellent and so was the D.J. I hadn't really been looking forward to it, but I really had fun.
It was bittersweet, though, because I kept looking around and thinking, these were the people I was going to be happy working with for the next many years; this was the company that had my loyalty and my words of praise. I could have stayed with the company and gone to another department, but I guess I'm just stubborn that way. I'm not ready to give to another department, one perhaps without the dynamics that ours had, what I have given to OCR. And besides, maybe I'll decide to do something entirely different now. Anyway, their little celebration bash was really a lot of fun. There was a lot of dancing, mini golf and an obstacle course (?)! There were gifts for all of us, but the best gift they gave us was to take the rest of the day off and go home! That was nice.
I'll tell a secret, though, and admit that a few tears were shed on my way home. Now I find myself thinking about what I'm going to do tomorrow. I need to clear out my K-drive at work and all my email files. I wouldn't be surprised if they actually let us go ahead and leave on Wednesday and not come back for the last two days, except that that kind of decision would have to be approved by legal, so I don't know how fast that would happen. We're planning on going out to eat after work on Friday, though, all of us -- not just the eight of us left, but several who have moved on to other departments who used to be part of our group, several who have already left for other jobs outside the company, and several of the temps that we'd had for a while and had gotten close to. I think we're just going to go across the street to TGI Fridays; there was some talk of some drinking being done (but not by me!). Even if they do let us go on Wednesday, we'll still have our last group-hoorah on Friday. And I think most of us will stay in touch.
Bittersweet it may be, but once I've been home a day or two and when it finally hits me that I can have the whole summer off, and maybe longer, I'll be enjoying my freedom, believe me! I'm already making plans with the kiddies.
According to The American Heritage Dictionary:
gal·li·nip·per 
n. A large mosquito or other insect capable of inflicting a painful bite. Origin unknown. http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/g/g0020700.html
Now, we never thought of them as mosquitoes. In Kentucky what we call gallinippers are larger and weirder-looking than mosquitoes, with long, draping legs, and they definitely weren't as annoying as mosquitoes. But one of my sisters once sat on one, and it bit her leg; that's when we learned that gallinippers can bite.
Please, someone out there, tell me that you've heard of gallinippers! Here are some websites that have interesting information on gallinippers:
"The barge Gallinipper was one of five ship's boats equipped with sails and double-banked oars in January 1823 for duty with Capt. David Porter's West India Squadron, known as the "Mosquito Fleet," fitted out under an act of Congress approved 20December 1822 to cruise in the West Indies and Gulf of Mexico for the suppression of piracy." http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/g1/gallinipper.htm
"This very large mosquito has very shaggy legs." http://catalog.cmsp.com/data8/it010051.html
"A. L. Adams' 1867 travel book on India referred to that prince of gallinippers, the sandfly, whose bite produces a painful...swelling.' " http://haiku.cc.ehime-u.ac.jp/shiki.archive/9708/1771.html
"Psorophora ciliata (Gallinipper Mosquito) This is a very large (almost 1/2 inch long), yellowishbrown, floodwater mosquito with shaggy legs (long erect scales on the hind tibiae). It is a vicious biter presenting a rather terrifying appearance due to its large size." http://ohioline.osu.edu/b641/b641_4.html
I even found a few of books: http://www.bigletterlist.net/w/g/Gallinipper.htm
"BOGGS, JOHNNY D. Camp Ford: A Western Story....The two greatest teams that ever played were Mr. Lincoln’s Hirelings and the Ford City Gallinippers who played only one game but played for high stakes. Win’s answer is never published, of course. Whoever heard of those two teams? Determined that the world would know about the two teams and the game they played in 1865 in Camp Ford, Texas, when the Union prisoners of war--Mr. Lincoln’s Hirelings--played the Confederate guards--Ford City Gallinippers--Win MacNaughton writes the story of his time as a Confederate prisoner of war when baseball was a new game." http://www.westernwriters.org/aug_reviews.htm (I just may have to find this old book!!)
And another one I might just have to find: Early Ohioans and Their Critters: “Painters,” “Polecats,” “Gallinippers,” Et Cetera by Barbara Stickley Sour http://www.heritagebooks.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=HBI&Product_Code=S2533
And I guess that ends today's discussion on Gallinippers!
From my day:
Calling home from the office and speaking to Thomas, who had just got home, I hear Eler Beth talking in the background. "Did I just hear her say there are two gallinippers mating?" A co-worker, overhearing me, said, "What the h--- is a gallinipper?" No one there had ever heard of gallinippers. 
On my drive home from work I call Thomas to let him know I'm on my way. He says, "Oh, by the way, did I tell you I fractured my finger?" Well, no, he hadn't mentioned that when I'd spoken to him an hour earlier!
Andrew was invited out to eat with a friend and his family, and Eler Beth was jealous. Thomas didn't really want to do anything tonight except relax and get to bed, so I told Eler Beth we'd go out to eat, just the two of us, and then we'd get some things for her bonsai plants. I let her decide where to eat and she chose Chinatown Buffet. I'm not really a big fan of most Asian food, but I do like Chinatown Buffet's Spring rolls, their fried rice, bourbon chicken and sweet biscuits. We had a nice meal and during our table conversation I asked, "Do you remember how to say 'good-bye' in Chinese?" Eler Beth nodded. (We learned from watching "Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Kitten" on PBS) I said, "Is it ______?" (and I pronounced the word that I thought means "good-bye") She nodded again, looking at her plate, then she looked up at me quickly and asked, cautiously, "Why? You're not going to say it when we leave, are you?!" I laughed and asked if it would embarrass her! Poor kids, they're so easy to embarrass!
At home Eler Beth was reading the care instructions for her bonsai plants, and out loud she read a little post-script on the card, "Do not consume." "What does that mean?" she asked. "It means don't eat it," I said. "Oh," she said, then she looked up at Andrew who was just entering the room and hadn't heard the conversation. "Don't eat the bonsai tree!" she told him sternly. He stopped, said, "Okay," very slowly, turned and walked right back out of the room!
"Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." ~~~ John Parker 1729 - 1775
You must provide the tools to let people become their best." ~~~ Steve Jobs
Yes, I'm doing an online course on time management!
....seems to be weighing heavy on my hands!
"Until you value yourself, you will not value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it." ~~~~ M. Scott Peck
This is a cute story. http://articles.news.aol.com/news/article.adp?id=20060621101409990022&ncid=NWS00010000000001
I especially like the quote: ""I plan to achieve greatness someday, though I'm not exactly sure yet how I'm going to do it."
I just love that quote!
I'm making this entry while I'm at work. We have absolutely nothing to do!! We knew our work would taper off as the end got closer, but we didn't think it would get this bad!
Last week they let seven of our temps go, and yesterday they let the remaing four go. So now our department is down to 8 associates, including our manager! We do a little bit of work as it trickles in each day, help out other departments and I've been doing some soft-skills classes online through our company's web site. I could go down to the seventh floor and help do some sorting and prepping, but I don't want to! I'd rather do some more classes! ::grumbling:: Oh well, I guess I'll go down and help in a little while.
On the bright side -- only 10 days to go (counting today!)
We had a nice anniversary yesterday. When it falls in the middle of the week we usually don't take off from work unless it's a milestone year (of course, really, what year isn't a milestone year in this day and age?) or plan much for that day. But we always give each other gifts and try to go out to eat or have a special dinner at home. So we exchanged some gifts and took the kids out to eat at Tumbleweed (because it's close).
I got Thomas the barrel he wanted for one of his guns (romantic, huh?) and a $50 gift certificate to Bass Pro Shops (he's easy to buy for!). And I surprised him with a copy of an old movie that he and I have loved and have looked for for years. We had seen it on cable years ago and couldn't remember the name of it or who the actor and actress were who starred in it. With a lot of searching and with the limited information we could remember we finally found out that it was LOVE LETTERS, made in 1945 and starring Joseph Cotton and Jennifer Jones. I have been hunting for a copy on Ebay, Amazon and anywhere else I could think to look. Every time I found a copy it was more than $30 without shipping or the bids on Ebay went up past $30. I had just about decided that I was going to have to pay that much when two weeks ago I got an Ebay alert for a VHS copy that started at $9.99, and I actually got it for less than $20 with shipping! I've had the kids watching the mail for me and hiding any packages we get until I see them. It came on Saturday, so I hid it until yesterday, and I think he was more pleased with that than with anything else. (He likes old romantic movies like that, my rough and tough, gun-toting, knife-wielding hubby!)
He gave me a diamond pendant that I had not asked for and was not expecting (and was really surprised about because usually if he plans on getting me jewelry he has me pick it out!) and a Detrola which I had asked for. We've been needing a new radio/cd player for our bedroom for awhile now and I've been wanting one of those 4-in-1 deals with the cassette/radio/cd/phonograph, because we still have a lot of vinyl records and cassettes. K-Mart has some really pretty ones in a wooden cabinet with a brushed bronze control panel, so when Thomas asked me what I wanted I showed that to him. He also sent me roses at work! They're usually waiting for me at home, so that was a nice surprise! I'll take pictures before they start wilting and post them.
Whenever we celebrate our anniversary we make it a family thing and the kids get gifts too. We started that tradition when Andrew was a baby, so now they think it's normal and that everyone does that! We got Andrew a video game and a new CD he wanted, and we got Eler Beth a Bonzai tree (that she'd asked for -- I hope it lives!) and one of those charm bracelets (where you buy the charms separately and add them on) and four charms to get her started. She got Thomas a knife with some deer on the handle and Andrew contributed to the gift card. He and Eler Beth went in together and got me a gift card to Bath & Body! Then Andrew gave Eler Beth an American Girl book that she didn't already have and she gave Andrew a collection of anime posters that he showed her on Ebay and that she had me buy online for her.
So I think everyone had a good 19th Anniversary!! Now next year, for the 20th, we're going to have to do something a little special, I think. I believe a nice family vacation trip is called for! (With maybe a little mini-vacation for just Mom and Dad on the actual anniversary date? We haven't gone away alone in a long time!)
This is what our 10 year-old daughter had posted all around the house when we woke up this morning -- "Today is the day that Lori Dowell and Thomas Helms were married in 1987. It was a day to celebrate and be happy. It has been 19 years since then. Today, June 20th, 2006, we will celebrate that day with joy." She wrote that all by herself, found a border and some clip art on the internet, had her brother proofread it and printed it out. I think that's the sweetest anniversary gift I've gotten so far!
I got this in an email and loved it. My comments are in red:
Only a Southerner knows the difference between a hissie fit and a conniption fit, and that you don't "HAVE" them, you "PITCH" them.
Only a Southerner knows how many fish, collard greens, turnip greens, peas, beans, etc., make up "a mess."
I really like this one. I can remember Mom saying she was going to fix a mess of greens; and Thomas sometimes says "Well, we caught enough fish to make a mess."
Only a Southerner can show or point out to you the general direction of "yonder."
Only a Southerner knows exactly how long "directly" is, ... as in: "Going to town, be back directly."
And you pronounce it "drectly".
Even Southern babies know that "Gimme some sugar" is not a request for the white, granular sweet substance that sits in a pretty little bowl in the middle of the table.
All Southerners know exactly when "by and by" is. They might not use the term, but they know the concept well.
Only a Southerner knows instinctively that the best gesture of solace for a neighbor who's got trouble is a plate of hot fried chicken and a big bowl of cold potato salad. If the neighbor's trouble is a real crisis, they also know to add a large banana pudding.
I agree with this and would only add that a good substitute for potato salad would be mashed potatoes, gravy and homemade
biscuits; that and the fried chicken are about the best solace food around -- same premise, though.
Only Southerners grow up knowing the difference between "right near" and "a right far piece." They also know that "just down the road" can be 1 mile or 20.
Only a Southerner both knows and understands the difference between a redneck, a good ol' boy, and po' white trash. But it's almost impossible to explain it to anyone else.
No true Southerner would ever assume that the car with the flashing turn signal is actually going to make a turn.
I LOVE this one!!!
A Southerner knows that "fixin" can be used as a noun, a verb, or an adverb. Very, very true!
Only Southerners make friends while standing in lines ... and when we're "in line" we talk to everybody!
This is my Alabama-born husband to a tee!!
Put 100 Southerners in a room and half of them will discover they're related even if only by marriage.
In the South, y' all is singular ..... all o' y' all is plural.
This is my absolute favorite!!!!! I have tried and tried to explain this concept to my son, but he just won't get it!!
Southerners know grits come from corn and how to eat them.
Yes, but when you're from Kentucky (borderline Southern) you may actually prefer to eat them as a sweetened breakfast food instead of as a salted side dish. A word of advice: don't eat them sweetened when you're visiting relatives who live in the "real" South; they will be appalled!
Every Southerner knows tomatoes with eggs, bacon, grits, and coffee are perfectly wonderful; AMEN!!!
that red eye gravy is also a breakfast food; My mom has made many and many a breakfast of ham, biscuits and red-eye gravy (and if you don't know what red-eye gravy is you probably weren't raised in the country) and that fried green tomatoes are not a breakfast food. Amen again.
When you hear someone say, "Well, I caught myself lookin'," you know you are in the presence of a genuine Southerner!
Only true Southerners say "sweet tea" and "sweet milk." Sweet tea indicates the need for sugar and lots of it -- we do not like our tea unsweetened. "Sweet milk" means you don't want buttermilk.
I can remember visiting relatives asking for "sweet milk" when I was younger.
And a true Southerner knows you don't scream
obscenities at little old ladies who drive 30 MPH on the freeway. You just say,"Bless her heart"... and go your own way.
And to those of you who are still having a hard time understanding all this Southern stuff .... bless your hearts, I hear they are fixin' to have classes on Southern-ness as a second language!
And for those who are not from the South but have lived here for a long time all o' y' all need a sign to hang on y'all's front porch that reads "I ain't from the South, but I got here as fast as I could."
I Love that one too!
Everyone have a great weekend!!
Well, my cat is wonderful, and yes, she did catch a squirrel in mid-air after turning a back flip. But just check out this cat:
Today has been a very lazy Saturday.
There were several things that I had in mind to do, but none of them got done. Eler Beth had a friend over to spend the night, and I think they were up until about 3 a.m. This was the first Saturday in a long time that Thomas didn't have to get up early, so we lazed around in bed until about 9:30. Then I got up and made bacon and eggs, hash browns and biscuits. That got the kiddoes up. I don't know where the time has gone, but here it is 6:19, and except for the three hour nap I had this afternoon I couldn't tell you what else I did today. I guess we all need days like that.
Last Saturday I did my grocery shopping very carefully. I checked all the store sales and ads, clipped coupons and bought in bulk -- Martha would be proud of me. And I made up several meals and put them in the freezer. I fixed stuffed peppers last Saturday, but made up enough of the ingredients for a couple more batches and froze them. And I prepped veggies for lots of other dishes and froze them. So I didn't really need much in the way of groceries today, just milk and bread and snacks for the kids.
I used to cook like that all the time, but then when I went back to work full time I got out of the habit. It was fun last week spending most of my day in the kitchen, and it's great knowing that I can pull out prepped ingredients and fix something quick. I bought a lot of big family packs of meats, like ground beef, ground turkey, chops and chicken, then re-packaged them for meals. I even pre-made hamburger patties. Yes, last Saturday was a very productive day. This Saturday? Not so much!
Andrew is on the phone in his room, and Thomas took the girls out for ice cream, so now here I sit with some time to myself and there is absolutely nothing that I want to do. Can you tell? I can't even put my mind to any good stories to write about. Dull, dull, dull. Don't want to read, don't want to garden, don't want to play on the computer. Oh well. Maybe there's a good movie on?
Well, it happened again...........
That darn Sprig "Muslim"..............
Georgette Heyer - Sprig Muslim - HB/DJ/1st U.S. Ed.
$4.10 (0 bids)
Time Left: 6d 11h 52m
Add to watch list
When we were cleaning out our shed Sunday afternoon we found a couple of boxes that had been invaded by mice at one time. And that reminded me of the "Year of the Mice" and our cat, Freedom.
We bought our house five years ago, and we inherited a pregnant cat when we moved in. We kept her and all four of her babies until we finally found homes for them all except for one, Freedom, who is still here, ruling the roost as Queen; she takes nothing off of no one, especially the dogs!
Our neighbor on one side decided during the late summer of our second year in our house to tear down the storage shed in her back yard and immediately after that we started getting mice in our house. She had once mentioned to me that she had mice in her shed, so I assumed they had decided to move in with us next door.
Well, first of all Thomas set lots of traps, then he crawled under the house to check out all of the duct work, made repairs, checked up in the attic, closets, behind appliances and so on, and basically made sure there were no access points that he could detect. We caught a few mice in the traps and gave them (already deceased) to Freedom. She was very appreciative. Before I go on, let me say that Freedom prefers to be outside. She only comes in occasionally, and although she is fed catfood daily she used to supplement by hunting. I once watched her run up a tree after a squirrel, jump from the trunk of the tree when the squirrel leapt from a branch, turn a somersault and catch the squirrel in mid-air!
Well, one morning before I started working full time I got up, got Andrew off to school and then decided to go back to bed for a while, since my half-day kindergartner, Eler Beth, was still asleep. I let Freedom in, thinking that she could sniff around and maybe find one particularly elusive mouse, and sure enough almost as soon as I had laid back down I heard her meowing. The meow sounded muffled and not like her at all. I stepped out of our bedroom and there she was at the end of the hall with a mouse hanging out of her mouth, her green eyes huge.
"Hey, Lady, did you know you have mice?"
Excitedly I said, "Oh Freedom, good girl, you caught it!" I must have said it too excitedly because she promptly dropped it. The poor mouse ran in circles for a few seconds, then Freedom calmly stepped on it and picked it back up, holding it securely in her mouth.
"Well? What do you want me to do with it?"
"Okay, Free, let's get it outside."
I walked to the front door, forgetting that Freedom won't go out the front door, she'll only come in the front door (that's a story for another entry). She started walking toward the kitchen. I followed, mentally smacking myself in the forehead, "Duh! How could I be so stupid! Sorry, Free."
Just as I passed by her in the kitchen, heading toward the utility room (which has the acceptable door for Her Majesty to pass through to go outside), she dropped the mouse again.
The mouse and I both ran in circles for a few seconds before Freedom calmly once again picked it back up. I swear she had a wicked gleam in her eyes.
"This is getting tiresome, Lady. Amusing, but tiresome, nonetheless."
"You're telling me!"
I made it to the utility room door to the back yard, opened it, and Freedom stopped on the threshhold, looking up at me one more time.
"Are you sure you don't mind?"
"Oh no, by all means! Enjoy!"
I watched through the kitchen window for a few minutes while she played with the poor mouse, then, picking it up she marched offwith it to some unknown destination.
More Mouse Stories Later.
Okay, I need to update on how my personal challenge went for May -- The 30-day Challenge : I started on the 5th of May, so the third was the 30th day. But I missed two days, so yesterday was my last day.
I did at least 20 minutes a day of clearing out junk or organizing an area of my home. Many days more than 20 minutes were spent, but quite often I found myself rushing through my day and then at bedtime remembering that I hadn't done anything that day. So, when that happened, except for those two days I found myself 20 minutes of work to do. Once I even got back up out of bed.
On Sunday afternoon Thomas and I cleaned out our shed in the backyard -- a chore that took several hours. But our shed is now neat and clean and a lot of "junk" has been discarded. Every drawer and closet in my house is de-junked and organized, and my kitchen cabinets have had a once-over.
I'd like to continue the habit of taking a few minutes a day just to "maintain" an area of the house; or maybe once a week just give a quick look into drawers and closets to straighten and de-junk. And if I do that I need to resist the urge to look into the kids' drawers and closets, but instead get them into the habit of doing it. I think the habit may be strong enough to keep me from letting everything get too terribly cluttered again.........maybe. No promises. I do have a sense of accomplishment, though.
Now for this month's challenge. I'm starting today, which is late again, but oh well. I think I'll do the crunches every day like Jae did. I may add something to it later on this week. The first week's for modifying, right Jae? I have been walking and bike riding with Eler Beth a lot lately, so the crunches will go nicely with that, and although because of the weather and my schedule I can't commit to walking or bike riding every day I can do the crunches! Wish me luck!
The Daily Countdown
Just stopping by to say hello. Been working hard. The kids are sliding into their summertime routine of staying up late and sleeping till 10 or 11 each morning. I'm only letting them stay up late this week, though. Starting next week they'll go on a schedule closer to their school-time schedule. I don't like them to be off-schedule that much on a regular basis, and besides........Momma needs her quiet time at night after the kiddies are in bed! Bye for now!
Lori
