So far, no lists or charts,......well,....almost.

Sunny skies today, so I'm getting my car cleaned out.  But first I took the kids out for breakfast.  We took our time and did a little shopping, too.  Yesterday I took Eler Beth shopping, and we got her four dresses and three tops, and we got me a bathing suit (ugh!), two dresses, two tops, and two pairs of shoes.  It is unusual that I get more than Eler Beth when we go shopping, but my wardrobe  hasn't been supplemented as recently as hers has been.  One of the pairs of shoes is simply cute, cute, cute!  They are a little bit narrow across the top, but not too much.  Eler Beth said, "Well, you can put up with that!  They're just too cute!"  That's my girl!

So now, I'm doing some laundry and just stopped to take a break and check my email before I finish my car.  That will be both things off my list for this week, and the only lists I'm making right now are packing lists because we're going out of town this weekend. 

So bye for now.  More later.

I love my air conditioning and my husband!

I forgot to come back and leave a gratitude entry last night.  Yesterday I was particularly grateful for air conditioning. 

Actually I'm always grateful for air conditioning, but my car's air conditioner wasn't doing its job.  I figured it either needed charging or had a leak.  A guy Thomas works with who knows about vehicles' air conditioners offered to take a look, so I drove to Thomas' work at quitting time and switched vehicles with him.  Turns out it just needed a new "low pressure switch".  Thomas checked around and the only place where such a switch could be purchased was a dealership --  $50.00;  if they had it in stock, that is.  They didn't.  They would have to order it --  $70.00!  Thomas said, no thanks, went to a salvage yard, got the part for $10.00, put it on himself and now my air works great!!

I already expressed my gratitude for my husband who is very handy, but I'll include him again:  I'm very grateful to have a husband who can either get the job done or knows someone who can, and I'm grateful for my air conditioning!

Was it going to rain anyway?

Or did all those fireworks going off last night trigger the showers? 

Boy our neighborhood was hoppin' last night.  Someone on our street must have spent a fortune on firworks!  Kept me up way past my bedtime :)

We actually had a little shower yesterday evening, then it started up again early this morning.  It's still drizzly out there.  I couldn't clean my car because of the rain, so I got up and sorted pictures this morning.  So that's one thing I can mark off my list for this week. 

                                             

Now I'm thinking it's about time for a nap!  Ha!  Sure is the right weather for it.  Maybe I'll piddle around with my scrapbooks, or maybe I'll read.  Maybe I'll just color with Eler Beth. 

Can you tell I'm not used to being home in the middle of the week?  Our get-out-and-do-stuff plans don't start until this weekend. 

What I need to do is finish catching up on my journal alerts and leave some comments!  It is nice not having anything that I have to do today.  I don't even need to cook, because we have lots of leftovers in the frig!  Maybe I'll come back later and write something profound in my journal.  (Don't hold your breath!)  Maybe I'll come back and write something entertaining in my journal.  (A little more possible, but still don't hold your breath.)  Maybe I'll come back and write something boring in my journal!  

One of my sister's, whose computer has been sick, emailed me this morning to let me know that she's back online again.  "Send me something,"  she said.  So I replied, "Something," and sent it to her.  

Strange choice for breakfast?

   What is the strangest thing you've ever craved and then prepared for breakfast?  I'm not talking about pizza or chinese food left over from the night before, or a piece of chocolate cake.  I mean something that you would normally not have for breakfast and that you had to actually take some time to prepare.

Well, I got up at 5:00 this morning and had my coffee.  Then I started getting a wee bit peckish around 8 a.m.  Actually, all of a sudden I was starving!  I didn't want fruit, cereal, bagels, bacon, nothing that I would normally fix for myself.  I had no idea what I wanted, but I was very  hungry!  I glanced through the refrigerator, then took a quick look through the freezer.  Hash brown potatoes?  No.  Frozen waffles?  No.  Chicken liver?  Bingo!

I know, I know!  But for some reason, deep fried, fattening chicken livers sounded absolutely wonderful, so I proceeded to thaw, bread and fry!  I actually think that's what woke Andrew up (my kids love chicken liver, too!); he came in the kitchen with interest in his eyes --  "You're cooking chicken?  For breakfast?!"

I cook chicken liver very rarely these days.  We really don't have a lot of fried foods; things I used to fry I now broil, bake or grill.  But once in a while you just have to have country fried chicken, fried potatoes, fried something!  And a few days ago as I was picking out chicken breasts my eyes alighted on the little tubs of chicken livers, and I thought, "Wow!  It's been a long time!"  So I bought them and put them in the freezer.  I guess now I know why I bought them, huh? 

Now it is lunch time, and I'm having cantaloupe.  Very good, very, very juicy, farmer's market cantaloupe!  Maybe that will make up for my slip.  I seem to have satisfied my craving for chicken liver.  Last night I had poached chicken breasts, rice and fresh tomatoes for dinner, so you see, I'm really not usually this abandoned!

Oh well, I enjoyed my breakfast, thank you very much! 

I have a feeling we'll be having fresh bass for dinner!

I just got a phone call.........

Eler Beth has called me three times now to give me an update on all the bass she and her dad are catching.  When she calls she is excited, and thorough.  She gives me the play by play, how many, how big, what kind (one is speckled, which she has never caught before), etc.  Then she asks if Andrew is up and makes me promise to tell him what they've caught.  Then she reminds me to have the camera ready.  Then she assures me that they are not finished yet, but are going to another spot to see what's biting there!  Then I hear, "Well, gotta go!  I love you! (the sound of a kiss and an 'mmh-mmh-mmh', which is an over-the-line hug)," and she's gone.

So today, I am grateful for my daughter.  The daughter who can have equal fun fishing or doing building projects with her dad, or reading, shopping or doing nails and hair with mom.  The daughter who, even when she is having a great time outdoors with Dad, has to call to make Mom a part of it, to establish that connection with Mom, to remind Mom that Mom is very important and necessary in this little girl's life!  As I always say, she's daddy's girl, but she's momma's baby.  The same way I was with my mother.  That umbilical cord stretches for a long way!

Today I am grateful for my Eler Elizabeth.

Gratitude

Today is the 4th, so I will give four things I'm particularly grateful for today, to catch up.

On Saturday I had my former job on my mind a lot, and I think that I consciously gave thanks for the fact that I was given severance.  That will allow me to stay home for awhile and get my bearings; take a little time to look around for what I want to do.  So I am grateful that I worked for a company that gave us severance pay.

On Sunday we were invited for dinner to our friends the Js.  Thomas has known them since he was 16.  I have known them since we married.  Mr. J had been married before and has two daughters by that marriage.  The older is married and has a baby; the younger is three years older than Eler Beth.  Mr. and Mrs. J (the second wife) also have a daughter who is three years younger than Eler Beth.  They and Eler Beth get along so well.  The older girl, K, can play with anyone, and she loves doing whatever it is that the younger girls do.  When she has to go to her mom's the younger girl, S, misses her tremendously.  They love playing with Eler Beth, and she loves them.  Mrs. J (E) and I get along great, and Mr. J (T) and Thomas have a lot in common.  Andrew likes the whole family, and, even though there was no one his age, he had a good time Sunday.  We had a great dinner and good association.  So on Sunday I was grateful for good friends, especially ones with little girls that are good friends for Eler Beth.

Yesterday I had a bad headache most of the day and didn't do much, at least not compared to what Thomas did.  He did some needed repair work around the house.  Specifically, he replaced the gutters at the back of the house, and the wood piece that the gutter attaches to (can't remember what it's called).  Andrew helped him and really worked hard.  I am very grateful for a husband who is willing to do things like that without being nagged, and who has the skills to do those repairs.  And I am grateful for a son who will work with his father that way.

I'll post today's gratitude later.

July Challenge(s)

I am having such a nice morning, so far.  Thomas and Eler Beth went fishing early this morning.  They left at 5, so I got up to see them off and just stayed up.  Andrew is still asleep, so I have made and had my coffee, organized a few files and commented in some journals.  We have no plans for the day; we'll just roll with the flow.

It has been so hot here lately, that I cannot go outside for very long.  Either the heat will give me a headache or my allergies will make me miserable.  Today is still very warm, so far, but until now the skies have been a little overcast.  There may be rain in the forcast.  I expect Thomas and Eler Beth to only fish until it starts getting hot.

Okay, challenges: 

#1 --  I am going to continue doing crunches every day.  I have not set myself a limit; I do however many I feel like doing.  But I can tell a difference, so I'm keeping that up in July. 

#2 --  I have set myself a goal of working on my picture/scrapbook albums this month.  I want to take a little time every day to do something on them.  For the past year or more I have done them hit or miss, and have a bunch of half-finished or barely-started albums.  So this month I want to complete those that are so close to completion and try to get a bit further on the other ones.  Not too specific, huh?

#3 --  Each week I am setting myself two little goals to reach.  For example, this week I want to give my car a good detailed cleaning, especially my trunk.  I like doing it myself; I do not ever let some car wash place detail my car.  Also, this week I will sort or re-sort all my pictures/keepsake items that are not in albums or scrapbooks to help facilitate #2.

#4 --  Martha has challenged everyone to find something each day to be grateful for, and I really want to do this one.  I'm starting late, but I'll make up for it.

More later...........