Well my birthday wish didn't come true... isn't it funny how when you're a kid you make your wish with the certainty that what you want you will get? Well on my birthday cookie (you read that right...) I tried to wish with all that gusto... and well it failed. How sad...

So what was my wish for my 28th year of life.... to get a job. I'm thinking that's even more sad then my wish not coming true....

I got a call back from the secretary job at the high school and was told that if they had not called me by now that they are not interested.... so off to the classifieds I go. I looked in the paper today and saw absolutely nothing, so I hope the internet site has something to offer.

Thought of the Day: Happy Birthday to all the people out there that share my birthday... especially Van Morrison, one of my favorite singers/grouchy old men.

Errand day today: I really want to get it where we only go to town one day a week.... it can't be Tuesday because it seems like that is senior citizen and mommy with children day at the grocery store... and when I go I like to cruise down the aisles without having to worry about running into people or waiting until the cart is moved out of the middle of the aisle.

I'm thinking I want it to be Wednesday, so there's still some sale items left on the grocery shelves, but we had to go today since some movies were due.

I called and left a message for the woman that accepted applications for the secretarial job at the high school. That was at 9:30 this morning and she still hasn't called back.... I may call again tomorrow, but if not then definately Wednesday.
Tonight will find me looking at the classifieds on line....

Hmmmm.....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Get out and enjoy the early evening while you still can, the days are rapidly getting shorter, and my favorite time of the year is right around the corner.

It's been a couple days... couldn't write Friday because our computer connection was out (probably due to the storm) and then we left for Madison to help some friends move (into our old apartment), and run some errands while in town.
Then after getting back yesterday afternoon (from helping them some more....) I took a nap and when I got up the connection was still down. When DH got home after 11pm, I told him about it but was too tired to blog when he saw that it was now able to connect....

Moving TJ and Addie, while work was still enjoyable because they packed very well in totes and boxes and actually did the lifting too, instead of just watching us.... We've helped some people move and they had packed barely anything, instead throwing it randomly into boxes while we hauled their stuff out to the van.....

Our friend Carol (and Tom) had her baby!!! We callled on Friday to see about coming over and found out she had a baby girl (Silvian) on Thursday. So Friday after taking one load of boxes to the apartment, we headed over to the hospital.
Carol delivered about a month early... so you know Silvian will be surprising them her entire life! And she's a Virgo (like DH and I), so how could we not instantly like the child?!? The baby's healthy, just a little smaller then normal, but Carol was still discharged on Saturday.

We ended up going to Weber Tire (if you live in the Madison area, I highly recommend going here for any tire related work you need, since all they do are tires and are very resonably priced), to get a new tire for our Aerostar... it's had a slow leak in it due to Spyros driving it on the mail route and getting various objects stuck in it, but we didn't want to get a new tire until he no longer had the mail route....

Then we went to OfficeMax to return their brand of glossy photo paper. (I Do Not recommend their brand of paper, since after three weeks what we printed on it still left fingerprints and smugged if you wiped your finger across it....).

I didn't think the manager was going to let us return it at first... DH and I would have raised hell... but finally we got a gift card and ended up getting some other things we've needed with it... a paper shredder and garbage can, a business card holder/wallet for DH, and a write on/wipe off and bulletin board. Plus we still have a couple of dollars left on it....

We found the write on/bulletin board at the end of an aisle on clearance, but when we went to the section with all these type of boards none of them were on sale, and the cheapest one that was also the closest to ours was about $8 more.... so it pays to look around. Make sure to check end caps and the back of the store.

Then we went to PetSmart to get cat food and litter (using our PetSmart card when we checked out...), and on the way to the register I stepped in dog diarrhea, but didn't know about it until I had tracked it from the end of the aisle to the checkout lane.... I have nothing against bringing pets into stores, but if they crap please let someone know... and if there is another person with you have them stay by the mess until someone cleans it up!!!!

Today will find me doing laundry... and for a change the sun is acutally shining. I want to really get the last of the odds and ends put away today... even if it does mean putting them in their proper home upstairs. I've been trying to not put stuff upstairs since I wanted to tear up the carpet and clean the glue off the hardwood first... but oh well.

Frugal Thought of the Day: Do daily stretches, even if it's just for five minutes. Being flexible can really help save your back pain and your wallet pain from having to visit a chiropractor....

Having been sitting on the line due to cold, wet weather, I was able to bring in the four loads of laundry today... if you've been reading my blog for awhile, or go back in the archives, you may notice I talk about laundry a lot.

Most people have that one chore that soothes them, or at least lets their mind wander so it makes the chore somewhat enjoyable. For me it's laundry...
I have a very keen sense of smell and there are few things in this world that smell better to me then sheets hung out on the line to dry... climbing into bed at night, pulling the covers up to my nose and taking a deep wiff.... a small piece of heaven... now if the cat hair just wouldn't get sucked into my nostrils at the same time....

I called about the DayCare application that I put in... she already hired someone else, but said that she was very interested in me, but a former employee came back from college and she hired her... so at least I don't feel totally rejected! And she said she would keep me in mind if anything else came up.
I'm going to call about the high school secretarial job on Monday... so keep those fingers crossed!

I also looked into another part-time daycare position, but it's only 4 hours a day in a split shift and it's a bit of a drive, so it wouldn't really pay...

I'm thinking of going to the tech school and taking early childhood 1 and 2, once the bills get into the set flow and the expenses of moving and fixing up the house, die down a bit. With those two courses, I see no reason why a daycare wouldn't hire me, since it seems like they are always looking for good, steady help.

Frugal Thought of the Day: When you want to buy an item that is pricey use your imagination to see if there are other things around the house that would work instead, or think of alternative, cheaper methods that would work just as well.

I wanted to get curtain tie backs, but the only ones that I saw in the store were $20 or more... by curtain tiebacks I mean a piece of metal, wood, etc... that you attach to the window frame or wall next to the window, and then the curtain gets tucked behind the metal, wood, etc...

I needed eight tiebacks, so there was no way I was going to pay $160. We thought some kind of hook might do the trick, so we went to Ace to look around.
DH found some single coat hooks that when turned sideways work just perfectly and the total came to $35.

If you want to be frugal, being creative is a definate plus. Don't worry though if you don't think of yourself as creative... that's why this blog, other sites on the internet and books at the library come in handy!

Yesterday saw me putting in a resume for a secretarial job at the local high school... out of all the jobs I have applied for so far, this one is the one I would like to get.
It's 7:30 to 3:30, Monday through Friday... so I wouldn't see Spyros too often, but it would be wonderful to pay off our student loans, some or all of the house and to put more into savings...

Spyros also called about a part time job with a photographer, which he's going to be meeting at Noon to discuss the job... he would have two jobs again... but this would be one he likes and could lead to more photography jobs... so hopefully!

The house is coming along again... put a lot more stuff away yesterday and rearranged the garage so we can actually park one of the vans. Laundry to be done today, and of course it's gloomy out right now and will probably rain at any minute

We found out yesterday that a couple we know are expecting a baby soon... nothing new in that, but what's so cool is the woman (Carol) is in her mid-forties and Tom is probably in his late thirties... they are such a wonderful, interesting, smart couple that I can't wait to see how the baby is when he/she grows up!

We're going down to Madison Friday to help some friends move, so hopefully we can stop in and see Carol and Tom too, since it's been forever....

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: If we ever have a child, the majority of the items we purchase will be at garage sales. With growing babies only wearing an outfit a few times... and usually with a bib, it's so much more economical to purchase items used.... or check out the newspaper or www.freecycle.org

We're once again picking up speed with getting things done around the house. We straightened up the garages some more and rearranged the tool area and put all the tools away.

We cleared out the dining room and put in the table, chairs, grandfather clock and window table. The dining room isn't close to being done, but I like to eat my meals around a table....

Spyros put up two sets of curtains and we need to return the other curtain rod we got and get a different size.

I was able to put about a dozen more boxes of stuff away since we brough in two book cases for the office area and the grandfather clock has shelves in the base part for knick-knacks.
More cleaning up and putting away tonight....

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: You've finally decided to organize a part of your house/garage/attic/basement... going to the store and buying great containers (after you've researched prices and waited for a sale...) only to get home and find out that they don't fit into the space you have available : (
Don't be like us with the curtain rods.... measure and measure again, so you don't waste a trip getting what you need.

I love Baby Kitty, but.... being woken up around 6am is getting annoying! I get up to feed, water and love him... then I close the door on him and he keeps meowing and banging on it until we get up....
I've tried leaving the door open too, but he just meows on the bed and walks all over us.... kind of like how he walks all over us all the time...

Mom called last night to see about going to the new Exorcist with her (we both love horror movies), so that will be a nice treat this evening.... Spyros has never seen any of the Exorcists... or really many horror movies (deprived childhood.... or maybe a better one since his mind didn't get twisted?)

DH will probably drop me off there this afternoon since we have to run to the bank (deposit checks and turn in direct deposit so we don't need to run to the bank every week, since the closet branch is about 15 minutes away)... and hopefully get his lens that was supposed to be in on Tuesday....
Then I'll spend the night and have a morning free of kitty meows.... lovely!

I'll probably go with Mom and Joe to see Aunt Linda today too, when they go, since she just had a colonoscopy (sp?), and they're going over with some flowers.... I think I'll send her an e-card after I write this... The joys of technology...

Frugal Thought of the Day: BabyTalk offers free subscriptions to their very informative magazine (that is also filled with ads to intice, but you can always skip over those...)
Free BabyTalk Subscription

DH has gotten four leads on some more web design/photography, but nothing has panned out yet... so hopefully...

I finally updated my more creative blog, which felt good... www.xanga.com/cerridwenscauldron

Called the various fuel oil sellers today, since that's our source of heat... $1.50 per gallon and no one will deliver less then 100 gallons... so another expense.
And we called the electric company because we still haven't gotten a bill, and they somehow didn't get notified, so that bill will be for a month and a half, instead of just a month.... It always happens like this.... one unexpected expense after another...

Which leads me to:
Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Have an Oh My God why is this happening savings account set up for those expenses that come out of nowhere.
I know, I know it's hard, but even if you put in $5 a check, your extra change sitting on your dresser, birthday checks, or bonus checks... it really does add up.

I put any rebates into ours and any unexpected checks... (we just got a $60 check from Charter that I'm still trying to figure out why??)
And when times are good I try to put the extra dollar amount into the account from the paycheck. (Example $526, I would put in $26).
And when things are really, really good I'll try to put $50 a check in....
If only money did grow on trees : )

I applied for two jobs today... the first at a daycare, part-time and the second at Staples part-time.
We had gone to pick up the application at the daycare, then went to a laundromat to clean our king comforter, since our washer isn't big enough and Baby Kitty puked on it while we were gone.... while there I filled it out and after the wash was done I went back and returned it.

While I was at the laundromat, Spyros ran to Ace and Staples to return a few items... when he got back he told me Staples was hiring, so we headed there after I returned the first application and I had to fill out a profile/ap. on the computer.
I had never done this before, and I found the continuous questions about stealing money/merchandise and starting fights with customers/other employees annoying, but I did like that I could type out the personal information instead of having to write it all.

We've been tempted numerous times since we've gotten back to eat out, since we need to go shopping and we had been spoiled with the foods we ate one vacation, but we've held strong and have been making meals at home.... This may sound like a small thing but it really does add up!

Simple/Frugal Thought of the Day: Try cutting down on eating out... even if you use some convenience meals (like frozen lasagna) instead it will still be cheaper then dining in a resturant. I have read numerous times about people who only eat out on specail ocassions (birthdays, anniversaries), and I would like to get it that way for us too.

We're back.... well we were back yesterday, but you always need at least a days vacation from your vacation, so....

We had a wonderful time... besides when the polarizer filter ($50) fell into the water at Bond Falls and couldn't be retrieved : (

The actual class reunion was fun, seeing people and catching up briefly on the major events in their lives. Hopefully we will be able to reconnect with some of them, and spend more time together... Spyros is a people person, so he wasn't one of the bored spouses sitting on the edges... in fact I think he was the only guy on the dance floor!

My biggest complaint though was the band.... way too loud in such a small space... we had asked them to turn it down (which they did), but the volume quickly raised again. And they did not have a large variety of songs... when they started the third set, it was all songs we had already heard.... and it was only a four hour event....

Now we need to process all the pictures DH took, and start focusing more on the Web Design/Photography business. We came up with lots of ideas this past week, and are excited to start doing them.
One of them was showcasing other artisit's work on DH's website and helping my step-brother (Norman) sell his art prints. My step-sister (Wendy) has been helping him for a few years, but it hasn't moved along much, and we think we could help make it a much bigger operation, so....

I've decided to start working on a frugal book again, this time taking a different approach, so if anyone out there in cyber-space has any wonderful articles or ideas they would like to share, please pass them along!

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: Unpack your bags shortly after you get home. I watch Clean Sweep, and it flabbergasts me everytime I see a couple who went on vacation (usually at least six months ago), and still haven't unpacked their suitcases.
I don't know about you, but for us we've paired down our clothes quite a bit and to not unpack our suitcase would mean half of our clothes would not be available to us... especially the socks and underwear!

We have not been very frugal!!! But it's vacation.... We've been doing good on the eating in part (or having parents pay for dinner.... or friend's parents...) And we haven't spent any money on trinkets to take back with us... since I lived here for many years I really don't feel the need for a trinket.

But we have been hitting the bars... and when you're buying drinks for other people too... it adds up.... But it's vacation!!!!

We went to the Street sale downtown with a couple of friends from highschool (and one of their mom's), and then we hit the fair that night... walking around and seeing some people we haven't seen in quite awhile. There were some of the same carnies there as when I was a kid.... Hmmmm....

We went Jeep riding and garage saleing with my Dad... Spyros did pick up two old coins and I got an organic book on keeping pests out of the garden.

DH has been taking a lot of pictures, and we've been able to view them on the TV and download them onto CDs with a new device he recently bought. We stopped at the camera store before we left to get him a zoom lens, but the one that he wanted had recently been sold... so we asked the owner to order us one, and it will be in when we get back.
It would have been nice to have it on vacation, but he's still getting some beautiful shots.

Last night was the first part of our reunion... Spyros had never heard of a two or three day reunion, but that's how we've always done it here. We went to a bar with the two friends we had hung out with before, to meet up with whomever else decided to join the first part.

It was pleasant seeing everyone, catching up on gossip, etc... But too much touching for me!!! Hugs all around, when I never hugged these people before.... DH fit in very well, talking with everyone....
Tonight should be interesting when the music starts and he wants to dance.... it will probably be all the women and him out there.... while me and a couple of my friends sit at the table drinking and making naughty comments : - )

Well I must go now since we're going up town to see if they have any Jones Soda... this soda company has people send in pictures which get voted on and then used as their soda labels... DH submitted a photo so it would be cool if it got on a bottle.

Then we need to get some food for a cookout and pre-party.... then take a nap before we go over there.... You know you're getting old when you need a nap to stay out until 2am or so....

So much to do, so much to do.... but I did have to check my email before we left.... and welll one thing led to another....

Baby Kitty did not wake us up this morning because he figures the longer we sleep the longer we'll be here... and just when Spyros was about to get up Lily jumped up and laid on his foot... and there are those who don't think animals are smart.

Tangent here... I hate (and I do mean hate) when people are rough to their cats throwing them and whatnot... and then comment, "Well they come back, so they must like it." NO! They do not like it... the reason they come back is for you to give them love and attention. You are the ones who take care of them, so they know of nowhere else to go for the love they need.

If all goes well we'll be hitting the road by Noon!

Start of our Eagle River vacation for a week tomorrow... so although my parents are hooked up to the internet, I don't know how regular my posts will be... hopefully we'll be outside more then in.

Today saw another saga in the bathroom mirror/light/outlet. We finally got all the holes cut in the paneling and it's up... a bit crooked with some gaps... but it's up! And that's what fake ivy and butterflies are for, to cover the mistakes.

We went to the library to stock up for our outdoor reading and to return anything that will become due over the next week. We also stopped and picked up a pizza as a treat for all of Spyros' hard work in the bathroom.

I watched I am Sam (library rental), last night with Michelle Pfiffer and Sean Penn. It was very good. I actually cried at parts because it only shows a teenie, tiny part of how cruel people and the court system can be.

My Dad and Step-mom raised foster kids when I was growing up, so I got to see all the trials and tribulations that goes on in family court and with kids who are missing the most basic love that each of us deserves from family members.
Growing up I always felt bad because my parents would try to treat us the same, but I was still their own child so at times I did get different treatment... also because I did not have the behavior problems that some of the kids did...

We all have scabs in our lives we would rather not pick, and for me this is one of them... although it was a big part of my childhood... many times very fun.... and things we did I would want to do with my kids if I had any.... going on trips around Wisconsin seeing different parks, museums and historical places, eating outside whenever it was warm enough (since we normally had 10-15 people around the table for meals and the house could get cramped it was nice to get outside into a bigger space.... )

That's one thing I've always dreamed of, having kids and their friends over a lot, with a table full for meals... be it my kid's friends or my friends...

Well I must be going to write a list so we don't forget to bring anything... I'll try to keep you all updated on our vacation... until then!

DH finally got the light/outlet hooked up yesterday... after three days and many different hook-ups... He now knows that the hots do go together... Now we just need to put the paneling, mirror and fixture up... which hopefully we can finish today!

Baby Kitty normally wakes us up between 6:30 and 7:30 am because Spyros used to get home around 6:30 and Baby would get attention and feed... well with DH working second shift this is no longer the case, but of course Baby does not really care. Finally today he let us sleep until 8:40 when I finally got up, and went to wake him up.
Either he had an adventerous night or he's slowly changing his schedule...

My Dad and Step-Mom (Penny) stopped by yesterday on their way back from Madison where they had a wedding and were babysitting my nephew (Brennan). They got to see the house, and were very impressed by it.
We had a pleasant dinner and chatted, then they took off for the two hour ride home... But we'll be seeing them again Wednesday for our week long vacation up in Eagle River!!!

We are both very excited since we haven't been up there since Christmas, and it's been about two years since we've been up there during the summer.
I have my 10 year class reunion, which I'm acutally looking forward to, since we didn't have a five year. Plus we'll be going inner-tubing, canoeing, or kayaking for free because my Dad works the summers at a place that rents these and then you go down one of the many rivers up there. (The owner of the place was my 8th grade science teacher, Mr. Pucci... small world.)

Besides all the swimming, outdoor stuff and touristy things, there will also be tons of photo ops. for DH. He may be getting another snake web-site/photograpy job, which would be wonderful... so wish him luck or pray to whatever source you do!

On to more frugal adventures... I had cooked a turkey the other day... but the two of us can only eat so much of it before we get tired of it/or it goes bad... so I froze the rest of the meat and then boiled down the turkey carcass to get stock for soup and the rest of the meat off the bones. I'm going to freeze it and then when we get back from vacation make a big pot of turkey soup... which will get frozen into smaller portions.

We picked more raspberries yesterday... another bowlful to eat from... while the cats had kitty adventures outside. They're indoor cats, but I like to take them out for awhile because fresh air (and grass) is healthy for them.

I hung a load of clothes out, and it actually didn't rain until we were sleeping... and I got another load in the washer now waiting to be hung out on this sunny day.

Frugal/Simple Thought of the Day: If you have an old clothesline no longer in use... why? It actually makes me sad whenever I go past a rundown line that you know hasn't been used in a long time.
Even if you hate the stiff feel of clothes... just put them in the dryer for five minutes or so after you take them down to loosen them up. Five minutes of a dryer running is a lot better then a half an hour.
If time is your excuse... sure it takes a bit longer, but think of the exercise and fresh air.... and as my Mom would say, "What do you think I had you kids for?"

The library is open again... I am so happy! I got five books (four that were on hold) and two movies, I am Sam and Hearts in Atlanta... did I mention I love the library.

We also went to IGA for a couple of good meat sales and we stopped at Ace to get the new circuit box for the light/outlet. We didn't do any work on the light/outlet, but DH finally put up the towel racks... which are actually curtain rods with decorative ends and hung four pictures.

The curtain rods we got at Big Lots... originally $35 down to $10... that store has some very good deals if you look and spend wisely.
Three of the pictures that we hung are ink drawings that my Step-brother did. Two are originals... one he made us for our wedding present and the other we won in a drawing that was held for one of his art shows (family could enter as long as you bought a ticket), and the other one is a print of the original he made for my nephew.

DH has finally got his site up and running... he's a wonderful photographer and recently branched out into web design... which he's just as good at!
www.marinatingthemind.com
Please check it out and pass along his site to anyone you know who needs a good website or some beautiful pictures taken!!!

We got very little accomplished yesterday... I wanted our bathroom mirror/cabinet and light project to be completed, but of course it didn't happen. How come it seems like rarely does a project get completed as easily or as quickly as you think?

DH ended up rewiring the outlet/light about 5 times between yesterday and today, and it's still not complete. He finally has a plan that he think will work (putting in a new circuit on the breaker downstairs and adding the light/outlet to it.) So maybe tomorrow I will have a bathroom mirror after a month of living here...

We did run some errands and bought some Free After Rebate items at Walgreens. We usually go once a month and buy those items (of the things we'll use). Then I take the rebate check (and all others) and put it straight into savings.
Last time I got a Walgreens Gift Card, because they add an extra 10% to the amount if you do it this way. I thought 10% more, wonderful... but I would rather put the money into savings.

We did go over to Mom and Joe's yesterday for a yummy roast dinner and to watch Hidalgo. It was a good movie, something I could watch again. It was on the lines of the adventure movies that I love (Mummy, Mummy Returns, Scorpion King, Indiana Jones Series), but not as action packed, but still good.
So if anyone has any recommendations for movies similar to The Mummy or Indiana Jones, I would love to know about them!

DH has off today, tried to get up for sunrise photos again, but didn't make it.

I get to do my first shop today! So while we're out and about we'll run a couple errands, visit my Mom, and get the pillows and table she said I could have. I said no about the table, but thinking about it, it'll fit perfect under the window in the dining room and I had been thinking about getting something to put there.
I had wanted a cabinet because there is a large spot were the plaster is messed up, and we don't want to fix it (just cover it up....). The table has long legs and a bottom shelf, so it's not solid and would still show the bad plaster, but then I just thought about putting some material over it, and it will work fine.
Then we can put our liquor on the bottom shelf... another problem solved!

I'm going through library withdrawl, I finished my last book and really want to get some more...

I am going to get busy washing the walls in the dining room very soon, since that is one of the last rooms that is not even close to being done. We've been eating in the living room, and I don't enjoy that. I grew up eating around a dining room table, and I still prefer it over a couch.

More painting... will it ever end? I painted a bookshelf and a cubby hole shelf white to go in the upstairs rooms. I get very messy when I paint, so I'll probably be taking another shower today...

DH wanted to get up at 5:20 am to take some sunrise pictures... and wanted me to join him. Well the alarm went off but neither one of use got up! Maybe tomorrow since it's his day off we'll get up.
I watched The Legend of Hell House (It's the movied that The House on Haunted Hill was remade from). It was entertaining, but I liked the ending twist to Haunted Hill better.

Picked more raspberries, this time to be eaten right away instead of frozen for later on. We'll probably get one more good pickin', then just sporadic ones for us to eat when we're outside.

Errand day today. We hit the library first and it was closed due to water damage... very sad! Then we tried to find the phone company and drove around for about twenty minutes... it ended up being across the street from the library... Mapquest did not provide a very good map.

Next we headed off to US Cellular to pay our bill, which we couldn't pay there. The clerk told Spyros he could call in to pay though. Since we didn't get charged to do this (at least I don't think we did... I'll make sure to check the bill), we'll probably do this everytime to save postage.

Then we dropped off the movies and went to Shopko to exchange an item, but they didn't have what we wanted in the correct size so we got a Gift Card. We bought some carb bars on sale and with a coupon, and a couple of other items we needed, using the GC.

After that we went to Copps for groceries and they were less then normal because we have to cut back on expenses and groceries are usually the easiest place to begin. Before we were getting deli meats and cheeses... but no more. We have a meat slicer (given to us by Mom and Step-Dad) so we can buy a ham, etc... and use the slicer to cut it up for lunch meats.
Plus before we were buying more expensive cuts of meat. Now it has to be $1.99 or less (with the occassional treat and more expensive seafood items). With the less expensive meats they can be tough when cooked, but this usually isn't the case if you cook them in a slow cooker... so I'll be using that a lot more. Plus with the summer months it will keep the house cooler.

Well I'm off to call my Mom so she can give me the Avon order and I can use the computer to send it in....

I had fun at my Mom's. Ate too much lasagna, garlic bread and chocolately treats... and am paying for it today with a tummy ache... my body just can't tolerate as much food or as much sugary food as it once could... I know that's a good thing.

Spyros just left for work, so I will be here by myself until 11pm cleaning, straightening, rearranging and taking reading breaks in between.

I need things to get back to their proper order... I am not one who can live in disarray. To visit it is fun, but not to stay. I am very organized, especially with paperwork, but looking at a bill I see it's due in two days... so we will have to make a trip to drop it off (if possible) or mailing and possibly surfer the late charges.... but if we have to mail it I'll call telling them we just moved and ask if they can pardon our disarray and our past due sins.

Lily has found a pile of lace curtains that slipped to the floor, and is calling them her own. And speaking of curtains, I was finally able to put our dark maroon ones up so we don't have to fear flashing our neighbors... I'm sure they will appreciate it!

We met the neighbors across the street two days ago... we had already met the kids and the grandma. Their names are Kim and Josh (nice and easy for me to remember). They seem very nice, and their dog, Tar, liked our raspberry bushes and the bunny poo in them, very much. Needless to say they had to give him a bath that night.

Well off to read the numerous junk mails that one gets when signing up to survey sights...