My Dance Card...

...is filling up.

I'm not going back to school. And I don't know if I ever will. I just don't want it bad enough.

Two girls in school. Another girl and a boy going to their "school" 3 days per week.

One girl dancing. Two girls soccering.

I've signed on to lead not one, but two Girl Scout troops.

BSF begins in mid-September.

My scrapbooking clubs still like to scrapbook from time to time.

I still volunteer with my nursing home residents and participate in our networking meetings.

I have an accountability partner that I meet with once a week.

I plan to volunteer with both the Soccer Association and the Women's Ministry group at our church.

Oh, and the Quilting Ministry as well. (I am so pleased that such a fabulous thing exists!)

I'd like to finish (or even start) some of my own quilting work.

I know I don't have time to go to school. But is there time to sleep? I just feel certain I can do it all, if I plan and get organized. This time last year, I was She Who Must Be Obeyed.

I. Can. Do. It.

If no one gets sick.

I am working on it all, full steam ahead. I have calendars printed out with notes. I have scoured the internet looking for old Girl Scout songs that I used to sing. It is going to be great.

I am now accepting great ideas for my Fall Party to be held if the temperature ever drops below 95 degrees.

The Spider

Suffice it to say, I get little privacy. If I need to make or receive a phone call, it takes an act of Congress to keep the bedlam at bay. Right now, I'm sitting at my desk, writing, and 2 of my children are watching a movie a few feet in front of me. They have no immediate concerns or needs. And we could sit like this for an hour. But make an important phone call? In the bathroom? I am always urgently needed.

Emergent. As in, "Mama, can we have a snack?" Or, "When are you going to fix lunch?" "Do we have to take a nap today?"

Today, as usual, needing to file a complaint, they found me in the bathroom.

"Mama! There is a huge spider on the pink blanket in Reagan's room! It looks like a daddy long legs!" (I had a very good idea what spider was lurking since I had lost track of a large wolf spider yesterday in that room. I actually had hoped it found its way back outside.)

"Which blanket?"

"The pink one with the butterfly on it!" (I wanted to make sure that it wasn't the one Reagan sleeps with at night.)

"This one, Mama!" Reagan shouts as she runs into my bathroom with the blanket.

"Don't bring that in here!" her mother shrieked. "Is the spider still on it?! Take that thing outta here!"

Reagan ran the offended blanket back to her room, sat on the floor and started looking for the spider in the folds.

Her mother was horrified. "Baby, what if the spider is still on that thing?! Y'all come out of there!"

But then, across the room, I saw movement. A lone wolf spider was trying desperately to escape from whatever catastrophe was waiting. As it turned out, he had a meeting with a Toddler Size 9 Tennis Shoe. Unfortunately, it had already been rescheduled from yesterday.

Yesterday, I walked into the kitchen where two wolf spiders were sitting, minding their own business, having appeared out of nowhere. Of course, I screamed. Wolf spiders don't creep along the wall. One minute, you're alone with your son in the house. The next minute, they're at a table for 2 in the middle of my kitchen, wondering where the waiter is. I couldn't get to the fly swatter so I had to stomp on them which really creeps me out, even though I was wearing big shoes: my own. Using Reagan's mini-shoe meant I had to be both powerful and accurate...and closer than I wanted.

Someone should invent a shoe on a retractable stick. No need to be so accurate. Or so close.

I Hate January

And I'm not that big a fan of February, either.

I probably owe a Life Update since that last sad, pathetic post.

• Friends helped out by bringing meals for 10 days leaving me room to breathe.
• Joshua's bronchoscopy procedure went well. There is nothing structurally wrong with his respiratory system and the bacterial infection found in his lungs was on its way out and no treatment was necessary. Reflux was not affecting his respiratory function.
• Brian's mom came and stayed for a week while he was gone to Ohio, "just in case". I wouldn't have asked her myself, but Brian felt it was necessary for her to come, and I was grateful that she did.
• No children needed emergency room or physician services during that week. In fact, I would almost say that after getting rid of the cat, Reagan and Joshua were well. Of course, they're not well now, but hey, take what you can get.
• We take possession of the new house on Thursday.
• I did not start school.

After trying for a year and a half to buy this house, we have finally given up. The bank and their attorneys did not want to work with us until we had already found a new place. They chose, instead, to sue us. Thankfully, a dear friend helped to navigate the paperwork and file an answer that made them take notice of us. Today, we were supposed to have our jury trial, but came to an "Agreed Judgment" yesterday with the Plaintiffs. Maybe we can get this house for a song in 18 months. Of course, by then, it'll be a falling down shack and we won't even want it.

Now packing must commence. We are moving from 2200 square feet, 4 bedrooms into 1200 square feet, 3 bedrooms. Some things are gonna have to go. I mean, where am I going to put my scrapbooking supplies? My fabric?

And then to do it all in the freezing cold and sleet and snow? There is no justice.

I'm sure it will all work out. It usually does. Of course, I may have an ulcer before it's all said and done.

Ketchup

It's been a while since I posted and not because I haven't had plenty to say. I have just been busy. Busy to my eyeballs. To the top of my head. Busy. A brief recap:

1. Bubba finally got into preschool. After being placed on the waiting list last April for his class and being denied entry in August because of his inability to walk, he is now walking well enough (holding a hand) that he can go to school. What this means: Mama gets 2 days to herself per week. Alone. With no children. Not even a teeny, tiny baby. One day, I was going to take a nap, but it got interrupted by a call about my nursing home.

2. Speaking of nursing home, I have completed my ombudsman internship and so the certification process is nearly complete. I started my training way back in May, and the end of September marked the completion of my 90 days of internship. Soon and very soon I will be receiving the official white badge instead of intern yellow. I love being an ombudsman. I volunteer, through the state, as an advocate for nursing home residents at a local nursing facility. I absolutely believe in informing the residents of their rights and insuring those rights are upheld by the facility. I believe it is vitally important for the ombudsman to know the law. I am always there on the side of the resident. I love being an ombudsman.

3. I ordered and received the boots. Yes, those boots. And they were straight from the pit of hell. I ordered the correct size, but apparently I have the foot of Drizella and not Cinderella. All the reviews said they ran large. But when I tried, I could not get those things on. They came on a Saturday and when I tried them on, they would.not.go.on. Period. And yes, I cried. I really, really did. And also pouted the rest of the day. A few days later, I decided I was going to try again to get those things on. After working mightily at it for about half an hour, they were on! In my mind, they just needed to be broken in. Unfortunately, I was the one who got broken in. After 3 hours of wearing, I had 2 massive blisters, that weren't just blisters, but open caverns where my heels used to be. Brian said to keep it up; the boots would fit before too long because they were going to make my feet smaller, one layer of skin at a time. Apparently, the best course of action is to send them back and use the money to finance my Thanksgiving trip to see Auntie Jo.

4. I actually completed the 2 lap quilts I had been working on for Christmas presents and hope to have them back in my possession in time for Christmas binding. My Christmas tree skirt is finished being quilted and is ready to be bound. My big queen-sized quilt that I started over 2 years ago, only has one more border to be put on before it will be ready to go to the quilter. And then I can start a new project with a clear conscience! Anyone need a quilt for a baby girl? Have a great kit ready to start but don't know who might want it? I get anxious when I do creative things for people other than my immediate family.

5. My scrapbooking business is taking off! August was my best month...ever. I had over $2600 in sales, #1 on my team. I even have a presence on Facebook. [Click on the Facebook link. I post my artwork and other happenin' things. Be a friend! Tell a friend!] November is going to be busy with 2 layout workshops, a gathering that I hope will turn into another monthly workshop and 2 Christmas card workshops....where I provide my lasagna as an incentive to attend (see previous post).

6. I've also been volunteering at church on Wednesday nights with....the youth. You know, teenagers. Junior high and high schoolers. I don't seem to serve a specific purpose, just a body. Taking up space. I have never felt more uncomfortable in my life. I thought kids' birthday parties represented the longest 2 hours of time. It's hard being in a room feeling like a complete and total outcast. With adults, when I feel like that, I act like I just don't care. Here, I'm supposed to care, even if they think I'm The Man. Maybe I should just stick to visiting the church's shut-ins. I don't think anyone but me wants to do that.

Okay, six things. You are ketch'd up.