In Honor of New Moon

Let me first explain to you that I am an Edward girl. I find very little about Jacob appealing. He's warm-blooded, which is a plus. But he's an arrogant little boy, with a temper. And, he wears an old pair of worn out cut off sweats. Yes, I know why. But it still bugs me, okay?

Even so...I have always very strongly felt that the song I'm Your Man by Michael Buble is so purely a 'Jacob' theme song. I have to share it with you. I'm trying to get a sound file. Can't figure it out. But check back, cause I might just get it. I've gathered a few photos that I thought were appropriate.

Can you stand it? I can't. I just can't.

Here are the song lyrics.

I'm Your Man
Michael Buble

If you want a lover
I'll do anything you ask me to
And if you want another kind of love
I'll wear a mask for you
If you want a partner
Take my hand
Or if you want to strike me down in anger
Here I stand
I'm your man

If you want a boxer
I will step into the ring for you
And if you want a doctor
I'll examine every inch of you
If you want a driver
Climb inside
Or if you want to take me for a ride
You know you can
'Cause I'm your man

Ah, the moon's too bright
The chains too tight
The beast won't go to sleep
I've been running through these promises to you
That I made and could not keep
Ah but a man never got a woman back
If not by begging on his knees
I'd crawl to you baby
And I'd fall at your feet
I'd howl at your beauty
Like a dog in heat
And I'd claw at your heart
And I'd tear at your sheet
I'd say please
'Cause I'm your man

And if you've got to sleep
A moment on the road
I will steer for you
And if you want to work the street alone
I'll disappear for you
And If you want a father for your child
Or only want to walk with me a while
Across the sand
Well, I'm your man

Ah, the moon's too bright
The chains too tight
The beast won't go to sleep
I've been running through these promises to you
That I made and could not keep
Ah but a man never got a woman back
Not by begging on his knees
I'd crawl to you baby
And I'd fall at your feet
I'd howl at your beauty
Like a dog in heat
And I'd claw at your heart
And I'd tear at your sheet
I'd say please
'Cause I'm your man
I'm your man.

'Cause I'm your man.

Girls, I cannot tell you enough how much better this song is when you actually listen to it. He sings it with so much intensity.

Going back to the way I felt the first time I read New Moon, I was very annoyed with Edward. I understood his reasons, but it felt very torturous. Seriously? That first half of the book tore my heart out. Even so, I kept waiting for something like the next picture to happen.

Or the next one......

Or better yet -


:::holding my breath:::

Just let that fluffy soft little feather float slowly through the air and settle down wherever you imagine it to settle.

If you do not know the significance of the feather - heaven and earth! you need to find out.

And for those of you who didn't really enjoy the feather,
or ever get around to finding out that much,
(you know who you are);
despite being a little confused, I have only frail amounts of pity for you.

So, here's to New Moon. This post is a bit premature, I know.

But the pictures are so pleasant to look at.

Aren't they?

Went to Hades Shopping for School Supplies

Not on purpose. I always start with a fabulously optimistic attitude. They're going back to school, for Pete's sake (and who is Pete?). It's a wonderful occasion.

I. Can't. Wait.

So, we head off to the store. I have the list. I'm ready. I did it last year. And the year before that. And the year before that....... It wasn't that bad. Hah! Who am I kidding? Here's the list, combined. Items for a second grader and a fourth grader.

• 1 old sock
• 2 boxes Crayola colored pencils - 12 ct.
• 1 box Crayola crayons - 24 ct.
• Crayola Fine Markers - classic
• 2 containers disinfectant wipes - Lysol
• 1 dry board eraser
• 3 boxes Expo dry erase markers - wide
• 2 pink erasers
• Folders-bottom pockets/brads - 1 red, 1 blue
• Folders-plastic/no brads - 1 each; yellow, red, green, blue, purple
• 1 8oz Elmers glue
• 4 large Elmers glue sticks
• 2 different color highlighters (for the 4th grader)
• highlighters multi pack (for the 2nd grader)
• 4 boxes of kleenex
• 5 Mead composition books
• 1 pkg notebook paper - wide rule
• 1 Steno notebook - 6x9
• 1" 3 ring view finder binder
• 1 1/2" 3 ring view finder binder
• Notebook dividers with tabs - 1 pkg of 5
• 2 black or blue pens
• 6 dozen #2 Dixon sharpened pencils
• 1 pencil bag
• 3 pkgs 3x3 50 ct post its
• 1 ruler - 12" metric and standard
• 2 pairs pointed fiskars scissors
• 2 Sharpie marker - fine pt black
• 1 spiral notebook - wide rule
• 1 box Ziploc bags - gallon zipper
• 1 box Ziploc bags - sandwich

Don't you love how specific they are? I'm now remembering some rant I had last year. On FB I think? I remember shopping for school supplies when I was a kid. One thing of paints, a box of crayons and a notebook. In middle school, we needed a few colored folders. In high school, it wasn't much more. I think this shopping list is ridiculous. I couldn't get it all, and it cost me $100.

But, I'm digressing. The list itself is not what makes me insane. It's the stinking store and how badly they have it all arranged. First snag came with the colored pencils. No Crayola 12 ct. So, too bad! I'm sending Rose. Lysol wipes, have to get them somewhere else, along with the kleenex and the ziploc bags. Dry board erasers are sold out. Can't find pink erasers....oh - there they are. In a 6 pack. We only need 2. I'll have 4 floating around my house or cluttering up my newly reorganized junk drawer. Highlighters come in pkgs of a minimum of three. So, we get an extra one of those too. Here's my biggest beef with the store. We have a specific list of folders and notebooks. Paper is in one place, notebooks are in another, folders are in a big fat nightmare of a mess and other things like notebook dividers and a steno are nowhere to be found. All of the plastic folders are gone except for purple. Some have pockets with brads, or pockets without brads, or no pockets and brads. The shelves are over-flowing with the fancy folders, pictures and junk. We don't need those! But there's 5 million of them and the plastic solid color folders are gone. Get a clue Target!!! Same with notebooks. Five million notebooks with stupid pictures on them. The black composition books are with the school supplies, but the colored ones are in the office supplies, along with the notebook dividers and the steno. Wait...there isn't a steno there, either. Couldn't find a single steno. Sassy is crying because she wants school supplies too. The boys keep saying sentences starting with, "What about..." "Don't forget that I need..." "Mom, can I have...."

Note to self...next year - pay for the stinking pre-assembled pack of school supplies. Save yourself the headache.

P.S. -- can't get this puppy house trained. She's killing me, people!!! Killing me! I shampooed the carpet today, to start with a fresh slate. She went on a walk with Will, pee'd on the walk. Pee'd outside. Proceeded to come inside and pee on the freshly cleaned carpet. I'm tearing my hair out. And what will Landee say about it today, I wonder. Hmmmmm.... lay it on me girlie. I'm ready.

A Breath of Freshy Fresh Air

This is where I grew up. Isn't it breathtaking? You know the picture does very little justice for the actual view, though. But, seriously. It would be wrong for me to have a photo like this and not turn it into art for my house.

Anyway, on to some photos from my little impromptu get-out-of-town.


Here's the crew. Sassy, George, Ethan, Link and Caleb. Ethan and Sassy were born only 4 days apart from each other. My sis had just gotten home from the hospital with Ethan when I called her to tell her my water had broken. I just think that's cool. Anyway, here we are with the kids in the car, going to drive around and view the scenery.


And, here's the scenery. This is the lake view above Meadowlark Lake. It's a cliff. I was having a heart attack the whole time we were there. I remember being so annoyed that my mom would feel that way, but wow. It freaked me out.

Gotta get a picture of me with the kids. It was pretty chilly up there.



Kids hanging around at the cabin. This is George and Ethan.

Had to get a photo of this face.

Popcorn and a movie. Finally sitting still for a few minutes at least. George, Sassy, Link, Caleb and Ethan.


Photos with Papa Bob and Grandma Jean.

Awwww......that picture's a keeper.



Had to stop and get a picture by the creek.

We'll be back up here in a few weeks, and I'll give you some more pictures then.

You mean we're going to be in the car how long?????

7 more hours......

:::::sigh:::::

Three days.

Three. Looooooong. Days.

I started at one end of the kitchen and moved to the other, systematically. Want a run down? I removed 4 shelves. They will be transported to the basement until further notice. For now, they're position has expired. I re-organized 8 drawers and 11 cabinets. I hauled out several large trash bags. I have extra space!

E x t r a. Empty. Available!!! Hmmmmmmmm.

This is how I felt in the middle of Day Two.

The mixer has been moved to inside a cabinet and no longer sits on my counter taking up space and collecting kitchen matter.*

(Kitchen Matter: That sticky weird film that collects on things in a kitchen....gross)

I took each and every spice out of the rack and wiped each and every spice bottle down. The latest expiration date I could find was from 2000. I moved a lot of shelves around. It was a pain and it's still a pain. I'm sore in some strange places. I threw out things I've been saving for that one day that I might use it? You know those things? The heart shaped pancake mold, ummmm - no. Haven't used it in over 6 years. I bought organizing baskets for my drawers, put all of my cookie cutters in a bin. There were moments of sheer exhileration as I saw things fall into organizational heaven - ways that I simply couldn't see before. Why didn't I realize how much unused and miss-used space there was? I now have two drawers and three cabinets entirely empty. Entirely empty!! Of course, my whole system has changed. My cereal is down a level, the towels are in a totally different place. That's just to name a few things. I whacked my right elbow on the bar stools several times. It is still sore. I swore a few times (ok, not really, but I would have) while I was trying to get a shelf out or back in, while I was drilling new holes, or wishing my kids could find someway to entertain themselves. Stopping to eat or use the potty was annoying. We ran out and got a lot of take out cause there just wasn't any room among the mess to fix any food.

The cabinet above where the computer now happily sits. All the art supplies are there. Bandaids galore.
That top right is still yet undesignated. I think I'll use those little drawers to hide extra gum and things.

One shelf has been removed. The support for that second shelf was reinstated and instead of driving myself mad to dig the broken peg out of the little hole, I just shifted the shelf down a notch. All of those things on the top (baking supplies) were previously taking up a shelf in my pantry. I have a literal plethora of sprinkles and colored sugar. Three separate containers of red hots, which I use at Christmas time. Can you say, 'consolidate?' I threw out a lot of old spices. My goal is to gradually replace them all with the same brand and bottle. Consistency. The image of it in my head is accompanied by the singing of a single note - high and steady. And, I might add, quite in tune.

This is yet another glorious sight for me. Rice cooker, mixer, popcorn popper, cookie sheets, roaster and stock pot. Even that plate thing for special occasions that's been sitting on top of my fridge. That drawer to the left of this pantry? Empty. Taa Daaaaa!!

The non-helper. Wanted a picture with the finished product. Okay - she wasn't completely useless. She had a good time pulling things out and putting it on the table for me. I think she's been dying to do that since she could walk. She had a lot of fun playing with mixing bowls, spice bottles and kitchen utensils.

BONUS PICS!!!
::::::Lights flashing, bells dinging...::::::

You didn't get to see the 'before' for these.

Just one of the cabinets. Mixing bowls, colanders and strainers, liquid measuring cups, and...ahem...my rolling pin. (applause)

The silverware drawer. These white thingys were already here. I hate them, btw. I'd like to replace them with something else. All in due time.

There used to be so much junk in here. All of the food processor things and cake decorater things have been relocated to their own bin elsewhere.

This is one of my favorite drawers. I think maybe I have a thing for whisks (is 11 too many?). I'm very emotionally attached to my measuring cups and spoons. They get center, and they will no longer be scattered willy-nilly around the drawer.

And finally ....

The Junk Drawer

This project, a truly amazing feat. It warms my soul, from the inside out.

Next? Closets. My bedroom. Stay tuned!

Entirely Out of Character

...and possibly out of my mind.

My bff Landee has inspired me. I'll tell you how. Although I have a very small and non-famous following to this blog, I will share with you one of my favorite blogs and then explain just how she has inspired me to tackle something Entirely Out of Character. Landee has a fantastically infamous blog, which is rapidly gaining more and more followers. Someday I hope to be able to say I knew her when. There are a lot of things I admire about Landee. Sense of humor, confidence, healthy and fun, just to name a few. Today, I am going to introduce you one of the big ones. Organized. Here are links to a few of her blog posts in June.

• Step One: Admit You Have A Problem
• Step Two: Basement Clean-up '09
• Step Three: Sort & Destroy
• Blood, Sweat & Tears

The awesomeness of her organizational undertaking has inspired me. I seek not to imitate, but to emulate. And I have bravely decided that I am going to tackle my kitchen. I need to blog about it because this is the sort of thing I only tackle once or twice a decade. Considering I'm only 34, that's pretty sad, huh? And yet, also truly momentous. I'm already telling myself that I must be crazy. I'm already afraid that I will lose steam halfway through and never really finish. (amazing, that self-imposed sabotage...) But, I'm trying to make myself accountable through blogging.

I am admitting I have a problem. Even though, this is only one of them. My junk drawer is overflowing with tacks, coins, hair thingys, christmas lights lightbulbs, fingernail clippers, ziploc bags of chalk, more hair thingys, phone cables. Need I list more? My spice cabinet has things in there I've owned since I was 19 years old. What the heck is up with that? Some of my culinary heros, like Alton Brown, Paula Dean and The Pioneer Woman would be horrified. I'm tired of shoving through the bottles of soy sauce, worcestershire, and tobasco to find the Lawry's or the greek seasoning. Or thinking the vanilla will be in the place I expect and finding it shoved to the back. My pantry is a mess of cans, snacks, baking supplies....I know you understand.

I also know nothing is ever perfect. I get it. I know I share the space with people who don't know the silent thoughts I have about where something is kept and the very good reason why. There's always a good reason, right? I shoot myself in the foot though, because I refuse to be a wife or mother that gets snippy and demanding and verbally angry over such things. My mother was a very demanding and verbal person over how things were to be done in her house. Towels were folded a specific way. The vacuuming was done a specific way. There were completely toy-free zones in the house. She would clean and clean and clean until those yellow rubber gloves were seemingly sewn to her hands. I remember one night we were in the kitchen and somebody dropped an entire gallon of milk on the kitchen floor. You should have seen the whispered desperation flying around the room; kids and father alike. We just couldn't allow mom to find out.....we couldn't bear the inevitable wrath to follow.

Fear.

I'm wondering if perhaps a healthy, moderate amount of fear isn't such a bad thing. Perhaps I do need to be more demanding about how things are going to be run in my kitchen. It is my kitchen. My office or my workplace, if you will. This is a universal knowledge. The kitchen is the woman's space. I spend great amounts of time every day of the week in that place. If I'm in the house, 95% of the time, I'll be in or very near the kitchen. Friends, I'm in the house a lot. I like being home, ok? My Honey has in the last few weeks kind of taken over the doing of the dishes. Now we may load the dishwasher differently and wipe down the counters differently, but if my Honey is willing to do the dishes, who am I to deny him? (thanks a bunch dad for griping because mom wouldn't ever let you do the dishes or clean anything...it made me think I needed to allow my hubby the opportunity) Most times, if I decide to give him a break and do them, he will stop me and tell me that he's got it. Occasionally, I think he gets tired of it and there will be a lull. And yet again, here is another example of where I shoot myself in the foot. As I said, I don't particularly agree with how he loads the dishwasher or wipes things down. Utensils and stuff aren't put away where I want them. But, I don't say anything. Is it really worth an argument? Pickin' the battles, people. Just pickin' the battles. I just move things back to where I want them and occasionally, reload the dishwasher later before I run it. But over time, things have very gradually gone from right to all messed up.

Wow. I talk too much. Can you say D.E.L.A.Y???

Well, here's the beginning of the process. Stay tuned my friends. It's going to be a rough ride, but I'm determined to stay in the boat.

The cabinets above the space that is supposed to be for the computer. I hope to store things in here such as the cookbooks (shown), the dog treats, batteries, meds, and...gulp...the art supplies. My kids love coloring and stuff a lot lately. They make the mess, and with effort, I get them to clean it up - but then I have to put it away. Perhaps easy access will also provide easier cleanup. And, can I just ask you - why do I love the idea of color wonder so much and yet totally hate them at the same time? Hate the books, hate the markers, hate those blasted foil packs they come in at the grocery store. Oh! I almost forgot. I wanted to move the top shelf down, but for some odd and completely annoying reason, the idiots who put these up only allowed for so many holes for each shelf, leaving the spaces in between completely blank. Is there some safety issue or some reason why we can't have holes all the way down? Oh no! You can't put the shelf there! Dumb! So girls - I dug out that drill and I drilled me some new ones. Take that!!

The spice cabinet. I'm not kidding about having a few things for so long. Btw, notice the first shelf and how it bows in the middle? The support snapped off and I didn't even know it. Now I have to get all of that down, take the shelf out, try to dig the plastic piece that's blocking the hole out and put it all back. Sigh..........didn't I just go through de-shelfing and re-shelfing?

This is a picture of the junk drawer, already partially emptied. My kids helped by digging out the loose change ($6.61, including a 1955 Canadian penny and a Dave and Busters token) and the tacks (67).

The kitchen table covered with everything I pulled out of that cabinet (and the junk drawer). Those daises came from my garden though. Aren't they lovely? And those plastic drawer thingys had permanent marker on them from previous uses. Did you know that the Mr. Clean eraser can get that stingy permanent marker off? Fresh!

The pantry. Perhaps not as bad as the other two, but I think there might be a lot of wasted space here. Gonna figure that out.

::::talking to myself:::: - "Hang onto your hat, sister. It's gonna be a bumpy ride." ::::talking to the people I live with, most of which won't even know I've spoken:::: - "It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Roll with it. The intention, the plan, and the mental image of the finished product is lovely."

Ugh...

Link looks happy, right? Been at the Dr. for 45 min now. Still
waiting. Just a check up that will probably only take about 5 min when
he finally gets in here. Come on! It's Friday night. Let's get a move
on already...

P.S. - Had scheduled the appt with a Dr. G because our Dr. K was out of town. I've never liked Dr. G much. Happily, when we dropped our prescription off at Walgreens today, they handed it right back because the brilliant Dr. G didn't sign it. *&*#$_!)#&(*$

This Week's Nonsense

Tiny Little Annoyances - at least a few

• "Mom....mom....mom...mom..mom.mom mom mom momomomomomomomomomom..."
• That fingernail I knicked with the razor that's catching on everything.
• Saying everyday, "I thought I asked you to (fill in the blank)."
• Plugging in my straightener and realizing that it just won't get hot anymore.
• Sonic.
  
• That laundry that needs to be folded.
• Sweat, in nearly every situation.
• When I see someone writing about something sweet, but spelling it like sweat.
  
• Unexplained little aches and pains.
• Anything lost.
• The same episode of Max and Ruby or Little Bill the 500th time.

Tiny Little Joys - at least a few

• The rainbows that dance on the walls in my living room every afternoon when the sun comes in through my prisms.
  
• A text from a friend.
• Sassy asleep on the couch, the boys outside playing and the dogs napping - all at the same time.
• The first big sip from my Rt44.
• Sonic.
  
• Every other Wednesday.
  
• Any opportunity to see my sisters.
• Hearing any child saying, "Thank you mom!"
• Anytime Honey puts his arm around me or holds my hand.
• Fun mail.
• A good smell in the house, like cinnamon.
• Anyone eating anything I've cooked or baked and truly enjoying it.
• The puppy making sucking noises in her sleep or having hiccups. Awwwwwww.
  

And what are some of yours?

This One's for MemZ

The boot.

My 4th Creation

Cake Ball Pops