Runner Girl

Picture this: It's 9:30 am and I'm busy cleaning house in my grubby clothes with my hair up in a ponytail. My dear sweet husband gives me a call, wanting me to take some stuff to a customer. With Doug working @ Oxbo full time, occasionally I need to trade in my mom hat for my Freedom Bolt hat (thank goodness that hat is only figurative because I just look awful in hats) and do a purchase order, send a fax, or deliver something to a customer. Luckily, this delivery doesn't have to be done immediately, but it DOES mean that I'm going to have change a bit so I look presentable. Darn...and I was on a roll!

It's kind of fun to do deliveries, but I do get a little nervous. The last time I took some roofing materials to the same guy I messed up his name...I called him Vinny when his name is actually Denny. He was cool about it, but seriously! I honestly think Vinny fits him better, but I won't tell him that.

This time I didn't even try to call him by name...luckily he was the only one in the office, so there was no need for it. Whew!

With summer approaching and business picking up, it sounds like I will be doing more of these little runs for FB. This is good for me. I need the practice.

Just ask Vinny.

The Cleansing

my baby has an affinity toward felt-tipped markers

It's been a long time coming. I've been really needing to purge my entire house of all the extra stuff. I've been thinking for a while that there are many things that I claim I enjoy doing, but I just don't seem to have the time to do. I've known the answer all along. Simplify.

Then last week I realized that we had a Relief Society Meeting on the 18th. I will admit that often times I don't go because it just seems like too much effort to go somewhere after a long day at home doing chores and school with the kids. This time was different. Sister Pauline Hatch (you've got to check her and her coauthor's site out) was doing a presentation on home organization. She is wonderful. If you ever get a chance to hear from her, jump on it! She funny and there is no browbeating involved. She doesn't make me feel like I'm a bad mom for not having the perfect house. This is just what I needed. I heard her speak several years ago (obviously, I didn't put all of her advice into action), so I knew all the tricks and techniques for "streamlining" the home, but just needed a light under me to get me motivated. I came home invigorated.

First thing Wednesday morning I was up cleaning my room. I keep my room pretty clean and I don't have a closet stuffed full of clothes, but I managed to fill an apple box full of stuff to go to the thrift store. I cleaned out the drawers, the closet, everything.

As the kids got up they filed in, wondering what is going on.

I warned them, "Your room is coming."

It wasn't even 8:00 and I was moving on to the little boys room. I was smokin'!!!!!

I went through their room and filled a grocery sack full of garbage and added another small box to my donations. Room done. Sweet.

I then decide to move on to the downstairs family room area. I put the kids to work and we manage to purge ourselves of unworn clothes, unloved toys, and unwanted miscellaneous hud.

The night came and we were all warn out. I had overdone it. My sciatic nerve was killing me and I could hardly walk, but it was SOOOO worth it.

Thursday, along with today, was a repeat of Wednesday. Different room. Same story. Clean. Purge. Dump. Repeat. Pauline talked like this might be an emotional thing, but the only emotion I feel is joy. This morning I felt happier. I woke at 5:45. The two youngest got up just a few minutes later. I wasn't annoyed. My kitchen was very clean, so I had time to sit a rock them.

I'm glad they still like to rock.

Decluttering makes me happy.

*I must add that the older kids did their own streamlining with my guidance. I am not an advocate of pitching things for my kids. I've found that when they're given the chance, they are pretty good at tossing stuff. I gave them each an apple box to serve as a "treasure box" for drawings, birthday cards, etc., all those kind of things they want to keep, but don't use or look @ on a daily basis. They get one box (per Pauline's advice) and this will teach them to periodically go through things and discard what is no longer important.

Work Hard...Play Hard

What to do with conveyor belts from a pea harvester...

When that gets boring simply build one of these...

Free entertainment at it's best.

Innocence

CGK August 2007

"Are animals naked?" was the inquiry of the day from this boy.

Weekend Review

Well, it's done. The Garrett took the plunge, quite literally, and got baptized this past weekend. I felt awful on Wednesday morning when he woke up with a horrible barking cough. He asked, "What about my baptism?"

I assured him, as I handed him a vitamin C and zinc, that if he wasn't feeling well we would put it off until next month. A disappointed look took over his face. That wasn't exactly what he wanted to hear.

I kept him indoors for the next 3 days and managed to get him well enough to feel up to the baptism on Saturday morning. He was quite nervous. He's just that kind of guy. He hates to have lots of attention paid to him. I couldn't even manage to get him to give a genuine smile for the camera.

.

I love this kid to pieces.

Last night...

I tried this trick that my dad swears by. Before I share, I will say that I DO NOT swear by it. You see, I was dumb and decided to pull a few weeds in my front yard without wearing work gloves. It wasn't so bad until I pulled a weed with stickers in it. And they weren't nice large stickers either. They were those tiny, invisible ones that are practically impossible to get out. How can something so small hury so bad?

Wanna know the trick?

Drum roll please


(How do I spell the drum roll sound anyway?)






The trick: a slice of potato taped to the affected area.

Silly.

Supposedly it draws out the foreign object.

I'd love to say, "Now I'm a believer!"

I'm not.

Next time I will eat the potatoes and wear gloves when I get the notion to do some gardening.