A Rain Poem

Rain, Rain

Rain, rain - don’t go away,
Right now inside we’ll gladly stay.
In our pajamas all snug and warm,
We’re prepared for any old storm.
Blankets and pillows for long dreamy naps,
Cuddles and kisses while sitting on laps;
Reading great books by soft candlelight,
Drinking hot cocoa is such a delight.
By the bright, dancing fire we toast our small toes,
Smelling bread in the oven and soup on the stove.
Playing fun games and creating fine art,
Writing new poems straight from the heart;
Hearing raindrops above so heavy and loud
On the roof that we know is solid and sound.
Feeling quite cozy as we happily play
In a tent made of sheets on this dark and wet day;
Soft music flowing through out our calm home,
Thankful we are for this nest of our own.
Eating warm cookies so nice and sweet,
Yes, rainy days are such a treat.
Rain, rain - don’t go away,
We’ll play in the sunshine another day.

~Kim Bouldin
©2008

Well, I don't know about you, but I'm ready for some rain! I know parts of the country are still in an awful drought and are dealing with heat, fires, and just plain old misery. I really shouldn't complain, but I thought I'd at least write a poem about rain lest I forget what it is!

I was thinking, as I do every now and then....Wouldn't it be fun to have a "Rain Party" on one of those dark, dreary, rainy days (that we will all hopefully get soon!)? Nothing extravagant, mind you, and no invitations would even be necessary as it would be a small and personal family event. I think some planning would be required, though, because we can never really count on weather forecasts. But a rain party simply must take place when it's raining, don't you think? A few simple items saved up and put away for just the right moment would be all that's required. Most of us with children already have games on hand, but maybe you'll run across one you've never played and decide to put it in your "Rain Treasury" as a surprise for your kids. How about some great poems and stories your kids have never heard? They can be collecting for the rain treasury, too, which I'm sure would be a lot of fun for a child. Some fresh crayons, paper, clay, or maybe even a little paint are great ingredients for an art filled rainy day. Letter writing is a fine rainy day activity as well. And small homemade wrapped gifts would be delightful to set aside for a wet day. So many possibilities!

Fresh baked bread may be a little much for some of us to tackle on short notice, but there are many other less time consuming bread recipes out there (biscuits and quick rolls, whipped up start to finish in 20 minutes!) or what about your favorite cookie or cake recipe? I haven't tried this "Rich Roll Cookies" recipe from the Joy of Cooking but it's gotten great reviews from others. I've been looking for a good rolled cookie recipe for cookies that can be cut out with cutters and decorated - a great rainy day project! Now to buy cookie cutters shaped like raindrops and umbrellas!

Soup is a wonderful rainy day food and I'm sure you have your favorites. My family likes Chicken Corn Soup and Potato Soup best. But a good old can of Cambell's Tomato Soup with grilled cheese sandwiches is just as delicious and is the perfect comfort food.

No rainy day would be complete without lots of candles, so stock up on your favorite scents and have them ready to go when the rain starts pouring. Even when it's too hot for a fire, candles send out just enough warm,flickering light to give you and your family that wonderful, cozy feeling. Better yet, you can buy glass lanterns at places like Wal-mart for $5 - you'll have a bit more light if you want to read or play games by a flame. We used glass lanterns in our kitchen for months during our remodel and I miss them!

Along with decorating for your rain party with candles or lantern light, try making a simple old-fashion paper pennant banner to string across your fireplace mantel. If you're like me, you have plenty of colorful scrapbook paper on hand...just make yourself a cardboard triangular shaped template and use it to cut your papers. I'm in the process of making mine - it will simply read R-A-I-N-R-A-I-N. If you'd like some old fashion letters to cut out and glue to your pennant banner, feel free to use either of the two styles in this R A I N document that I created for my own banner. (The first font is called Quentin Caps and the second is called Mary Jane Antique if you like the fonts but want to create different words to print out.) The way I attach the individual letters together is by punching a hole in the upper two corners of each triangle (with a hole punch) and stringing them together pieces of yarn tied in bows. Ribbon will work well, too. Scrapbook paper would be great, also, for making colorful long paper chains to string up here and there. Oh, I really love the idea of spending sunny days to create rainy day decorations:) It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "Saving up for a rainy day" ! After your rain party, just carefully pack up all your decorations and store them for the next time!

If you'd like a copy of my poem to print out for your next rainy day, you can download it here. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did writing it!



I haven't been around in over a week - would you believe I finally had my yard sale?!?!? Boy, am I glad to get that out of the way because it required so much of my attention and energy. The highlight of the yard sale this weekend was the bake sale the kidlets had with some of their friends. They had so much fun! Granted, I literally stayed up all night Thursday (I never went to bed!) baking cookies for Friday's sale, but it was so worth it. The kids also sold lemonade, sweet tea, and soda. Below is a photo...you can see that they made a banner like the one I've described above (so easy even for kids!)



I apologize for all the emails that I've missed lately...I've got some catching up to do, for sure! Thank you all for all the wonderful and thoughtful comments about my fireplace idea...I have a semi-plan in mind already!

Surprise Party and Cupcake Fun

Last Wednesday was my youngest daughter's last "half day" of kindergarten before starting full days like the other grades. On Tuesday, I was trying to figure out what we could do when I picked her up on Wednesday. The way I viewed it, it was her absolutely very last afternoon of "freedom" before the reality of life set in - before having to go to school - all day, everyday, followed by growing up and being responsible and having to do other things like work and care for a family - all day, everyday. (Overanalyzing? Probably.)

So I wanted Wednesday to be special but it was too hot to do anything outdoors like the zoo or the park. Most of the indoor places we've gone to many times and I was looking to do something different. Finally, at about 10 o'clock Tuesday night, I decided that she and her best friend, who also started kindergarten this year, could frost and decorate cupcakes. Hubs thought it was a great idea, too, and we decided not to tell her of the plans.

But you know how it goes, how one thing leads to another...and I ended up just throwing a full fledged party. I bought all the things I needed Wednesday morning while she was at school but I only had a couple of hours to get home and decorate and setup. It was a whirlwind of a morning but everything was finished by the time I had to leave and pick her and her friend up from school. We had lots of balloons and streamers and SpongeBob decor. Someday I'd love to do a party where all the decorations are vintage-y and classic and handmade, but this time I had no time so store bought had to do. I went a little overboard buying sprinkles and candy and frosting - but the girls just loved it! When all the big sisters came home at 3, there were six girls total and it was so much fun! It was a Wednesday afternoon and though they had homework and I had other responsibilities, we all just forgot about that for a while to decorate cupcakes and cookies, dance, drink punch, eat mozzeralla sticks,raw veggies, oh - and cupcakes! I even let the little kids jump off the furniture, hehe. Everyone was *so* surprised and couldn't believe that they were having such fun on what would otherwise be a pretty boring Wednesday afternoon. My little one was so thrilled that she kept running up and giving me big bear hugs and saying, "You're the BEST mommy EVER!" I can't count how many times she did that - and it just made it all so very worth it:)

I took the above picture a couple of hours after the party was over, when the girls' friends went home and all was quite in the house again. The girls didn't want me to take down the decorations so they stayed up for a few days afterwards:) I decorated the living room, too, and got lots of fun photos of the girls being silly and having fun, but I've grown a little more "afraid" to post many photos of my kidlets online. So instead I'll post some of their cupcake creations...you can certainly tell that an adult didn't decorate these!








After the party, hubs and my little one went out to run some errands and when they returned, my munchkin brought me these beautiful flowers! Hubs said she saw them and told him she wanted to give them to me to thank me for having a surprise party for her...how sweet! They look perfect above my sink. (Hubs recently dunked my kitchen curtains in some dirty dish water when he was removing them to do some work, so my window is naked once again until I put them back up...and maybe soon I'll put a photo in that frame!) So it was such a lovely, lovely day that none of us will soon forget.

Speaking of naked and work, I'm really chomping it to bits to get our crown moulding up in our kitchen. Doesn't it look so bare without it? So that's our next kitchen project as soon as we financially recover from all the school shopping we've had to do lately!

Have a great day, everyone!

Looking Back, Looking Forward 2006/2007- Part 1

Well, another year has come and gone. I really, really, really can't believe 2006 is over already. Someone, please tell me what happened? Literally, where did the time go?

I thought it might be fun to reflect on what we've accomplished here at our little 'cottage in the making'. Honestly, when I tried to think of what we did here, I couldn't think of much - that is- until I looked back in the archives. So here are the hightlights:

January:
-Primed the dining room and kitchen walls. A year later, there is still *only* green primer on the walls, but it's a good thing. We've decided to remove the door to laundry room from the dining room, so there is more drywall work to do this upcoming year.
-Initiated First Annual Love Your Critters Day . Just thought it would be fun to have a day in blogdom for myself and others to give some extra special love and hugs and attention to our little critters. What a great time to introduce everyone to your special pets and to get our brag on! (It's coming up on January 13th!)
-Painted our living room a warm and cheerful shade of yellow called "Clarified Butter"

February:
-Began our kitchen cabinet makeover, added new trim and beadboard to old cabinets for a different style
-Installed undercabinet puck lighting
-Bought hardwood flooring for kitchen, living room, and hallway (it's still not installed...we're STILL walking on mostly painted subflooring and ugly old linoleum!)
-Put together a completed kitchen design scheme

March:
-Completed fireplace makeover
-Installed and painted kitchen, dining room, and living room "cottage" / country style window trim

April:
-Primed all kitchen cabinets and doors, painted basecoat

May:
-Painted, painted, and painted cabinets, doors, drawers
-Ripped carpet out of daughters' room
-Completed first set of kitchen cabinets

June:
-Completed a temporary bedroom makeover in daughters' room in preparation for out-of-state guests (I wish the girls' room still looked this nice and fresh and clean- they have my organizational skills, meaning...they don't have any, lol!)

July:
-Wrote a letter to our cabinet doors
-Spruced up our *gutted bathroom* for guests. Our bathroom is still gutted, but at least we can bathe and shower in there. A lesson in patience, perhaps?
-Completed a 5-Day Home Improvement Marathon and lived through it without hubs and I clobbering each other
-C O M P L E T E D our cottage kitchen cabinet makeover just in time for guests! Whew!
-OWCL featured in Cottage Tribune article
-Unearthed our dining room which served as Grand Central Station for our home improvement projects. It is now Grand Central Station again, but at least I know there is a dining room under all those tools and remodeling supplies!

August:
We did *no* work on the house in August. We did, however, take a moment to breathe and we hosted a going away party for a friend:)


September:
-Began priming and painting about 200 pine planks to be installed as our kitchen ceiling

October:
-Continued painting planks...this was a real fluff of a month. Lots of entries on cottage accessories and decor. We didn't work that hard in October, lol!
-OWCL featured in new Cottage and Bungalows magazine

November:
-Began installation pine plank ceiling

December:
-Completed installation of pine plank ceiling
-Attempted to make our cottage "construction site" a little more cozy in the living room..(still hating the dirty looking subfloor *sigh*...thank goodness for area rugs)
-Completed 2.5 out of 3 ceiling beams - then the flu struck.

Wow. I suppose we didn't get as much done as other renovators might have, but considering that we usually only have a couple of weekends out of each month to work on the place (we can't spend *all* our time working in the house, afterall!), I think we accomplished a lot for our busy family and modest budget.

You wouldn't believe how much there is to do here and sometimes it gives me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach to even think about it. The house is usually in C.H.A.O.S (Can't Have Anyone Over State) and to me, except in very rare moments, it still doesn't feel like a home should feel. There are rare moments, yes, and sweet vignettes discovered occasionally, that give me glimpses of what this place should and will feel like when it is completed. I don't know when that will be...so until then, we'll just keep plugging away little by little, blow by blow.:) In the grand scheme of things, house remodeling is just part of the fluff of life, and shouldn't be the meat of it.

My next entry will be "Looking Forward". I do have some goals for the upcoming year but by now, you probably need a snack or bathroom break, lol...so I'll write more later. Hope everyone is doing well!

A Love Poem

Yes, this certainly isn't house related. Below is a note I received from my 6 yo. I'll cherish it always. These are things homes are made of...

Poem
I love you so much
I may never leave

Partying and School Shopping

Folks, I've been scarce, I know. Thank you so much for still visiting to check in on me and our little cottage. We had a farewell party here on Saturday night (which I think went great!) and then I've been up to my ears in school shopping for the girls. They register on Thursday on their first full day is Monday! Though my little one has one more year at home, we shopped for her, too - and clothes shopping for three girls who have definite opinions on both fashion and comfort...whew - it is not easy! For instance, I always start shopping at my favorite childrens consignment shop. They carry loads of really nice quality barely used new looking and often *brand new* items. I like to try to find the girls jeans there (jeans run from 5.50 to $12 a pair...can't beat that!) So I found tons of jeans for my middle girl to try on...probaby about 15 pairs. Of *all* of them, she found *one* pair that she liked. ARgh!!! There were many others that I liked and that looked great on her, but I knew that if I bought them, I'd have to listen to complaints everytime she wore them. After the consignment shop (where we saved $20 off our total purchase because I had a completely stamped frequent shoppers card!), we headed for The Children's Place, Ross, Old Navy, and Kohl's and found lots great deals. Oh, and we shopped on the state-wide "tax free" day (no taxes on clothing, school supplies, and computers) which saved us a lot of money. Today we have to shop for shoes, a zip up sweater for my oldest girl,...and more jeans.

The farewell party here on Saturday was nice. It was warmer in the house than I wanted it to be, but other than that, everything was perfect. Oh, except for the part where I was *getting in the shower* at 6 pm (guests were to start arriving between 6 and 6:30). Hubs was here to greet guests, so it didn't bother me too much, that is, until I came out of my room at almost 6:30 to find that hubs was not here, lol. He had left to go and pick up the guest of honor and our children were the ones that greeted the guests instead. I was wondering why they kept coming to my bedroom door and saying, "Mommy! Somebody else is here!". I would say, "Oh, ok!", thinking that hubs was present all along. Oh well, these are are dearest friends so I don't think they thought much of it...and I had appetizers out, lol.

Dinner was lovely and guests brought great food! The food theme of our party was "comfort food" and I made "Chicken and Cheese Corn Chowder" and "Potato and Bacon Soup". We had garlic parmesan bread, fresh veggies and dip, and my oldest girl made herbed tomatoes. She also made fresh lemonade:) Of course, we had sweet tea and champagne, too:) Someone else brought chili, and we also had carrot cake, a yummy cake with coffee liquor, and Mississippi Mud Pie. Silly me forgot to take pictures of the two dining tables we had set up, but I was so pleased with how it all came together, I'm going to "recreate" it and take photos to share. I found some photos of friends that I had printed up (lol, just a couple of hours before the party!) and I strung a long piece of wired twine across the mantle and attached the photos with little wooden laundry pins. Under that was the table for gifts and cards.

It was very cozy sitting around our little living room with all of our friends after dinner, sharing funny memories and thoughts from our hearts. One of my favorite sayings is, "Friends are relatives you choose for youselves" and I truly felt like we were having a family reunion, which made the "farewell" part of the party a little less sad.

So...that's what we've been up to as of late! Hope everyone is doing well:)

Even If Things Get Heavy We'll All Float On

Hubs and I are still on our month long hiatus from house projects. It has been nice just spending lazy days with the kids, who, by the way, go back to school in a little over a week. Where did the summer go?

Currently, I am planning a Farewell Party that will be held here on Saturday for our best friend that is moving across the country. I've mentally put the party planning off for a while now (and literally moved the party date back a week) so as to absorb the reality of it all. Now I can't procrastinate any longer. Today, another friend called to see what she could bring to the party and I was doing just fine until the end of the conversation...then the floodgates opened...again. I know, though, that once I get into all the preparation, everything will be ok. Meanwhile, if you have any great Farewell Party ideas, please email them to me at onewomanscottagelife@hotmail.com. Oh, and the food theme for the party is "comfort food". Everyone will be bringing their favorites...:)

Take care, everyone:)

Nothing Says Cottage Like Company for Dinner

I called my mom on Thursday and found out that she and my stepfather will probably be here on Sunday, so that has given me a little more time to get things done around here and to also slow down a bit. Yesterday I spent hours scrubbing all the paint drops off the old ugly kitchen and dining room linoleum and while there are still a few specs that I'm not going to worry about (we're ripping all this up later anyway) the floor looks *much* better. Today I'm even going to add floor shine to it to give it a little sparkle, something that I haven't seen for a year now:)

After I finished scrubbing the floors yesterday, a couple of our dear friends stopped by to drop off their little girl for a couple of hours. She's absolutely one of the sweetest, cutest, most adorable baby I've ever seen in my life (besides my own girls, of course)! My girls essesntially did the babysitting for me while I started on a yummy down home cooked chicken and veggie casserole. We put on some nice classical music, the girls ran around and played, and there was a such great feeling in the house. Another friend had also stopped by and he and hubs worked on his car out in the driveway. I let him know even before he got here that we were having casserole for dinner and I also called up another friend and told him to come and eat if he was able. All was well in our little cottage home:)

At about eight o'clock, little Lexi's mom arrived to pick her up but I was glad that she, too, got here just in time for dinner and joined us all. I hadn't visited with her in a little while so it was nice catching up with her while all the kids played. It was just a very lovely evening hanging out with our friends, who after all, are relatives you choose for yourself:)

So here is the recipe for the chicken casserole I made. This is a great meal for company because it serves a lot and there is plenty for everyone to have seconds (or thirds!). Everyone ate until they were satisfied and we still have a good portion left today. For a family of five, you could probably take half the casserole mix and make a second casserole to freeze. It is *not* lowfat or low carb by any means, but it is very yum and is quintessential comfort food:) To my friend Jason who is moving to California soon, you should grab a pen and write this recipe down:)

One Woman's Chicken and Rice Casserole

5 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
3 cans cream of chicken soup
1 16oz container sour cream
2 bags lightly steamed vegetable medley (broccoli, cauliflower, carrots)
1 can of corn
2 cups cubed velveeta (give or take)
shredded cheddar cheese
milk
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cooked rice (add about 4 chicken bouillon cubes to rice while cooking for extra flavor)

Heat oven to 400

Cut up chicken into cubes and lightly brown it in a bit of butter. Add some garlic or onion if you like. Drain and add cream of chicken, sour cream, velveeta, a cup of shredded cheddar, and enough milk to make the mixture nice and fluid and creamy. Cook on medium heat while stirring. Stir in steamed vegetables and corn, then cooked rice. Pour mixture into large casserole dish and cover with shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted or lightly browned.

There you have it! Let me know if you try this and tell me how you liked it:)

Today is the day that we hang the remaining *finished!* cabinet doors...photos will be added soon!

Today, I Am Thankful For...

In no particular order -

My husband who...
~lets me sleep in while he gets up to care for the children on Sunday mornings

~daily tells me I'm beautiful when I know that I'm not

~almost gets offended if I say that I'm not beautiful

~does the laundry and dishes when I'm too wiped out from painting or being a mom or just life in general

~doesn't want to worry me with matters that he thinks will stress me out

~always calls me from work to see how my day is going

~doesn't get mad when I buy way too much household stuff at Old Time Pottery, (after he tells me not to go "hog wild")

~puts up with me when I constantly lose our one and only hairbrush (he often tells me he's going to chain it to the sink, hehe)

~forgives me for not using my gym membership for the last 1 1/2 years, but gently persuades me to go for the sake of my darn fibromyalgia

~patiently listens to my often repeated rants

~often advises me to pray about the things that really bother me

~would never buy vanilla icecream without also buying chocolate syrup

~has painted and repainted the living and kitchen until I think the color is "just right"

~often assures me, with a promise, that everything is going to be OK

~will watch HGTV with me, (though I can rarely stand to watch his science fiction shows with him, lol)

~is taking me on Wednesday to the brand spanking new beautiful Schermerhorn Symphony Hall for an evening filled with good food and fine music

~is a very principled man

~can always be counted on and will often go out of his way to help others

~maintains and encourages a positive attitude under the worst of cirumstances

~loves and cares deeply for his friends

~is an awesome and loving father

~always encourages me to do the right thing (even when I don't wanna)

~is extremely intelligent and multi-talented

~is quick to apologize

~has a great sense of humor, though often I just don't "get it"

~always makes time for a hug even when I'm fretting over how late we're running

~is always the last to buy anything for himself

~doesn't mind hugging elderly ladies

~answers my phone calls during business meetings (which then makes me feel silly if I'm only calling to tell him something like, "I found the hairbrush!")

~supports my ideas, no matter how crazy

~believes that I can do anything I set my mind to

~faithfully reads my blog and even signs my guestbook

Love you, dear:)

Day 26: Kitchen Cabinet Makeover Challenge + Longwinded Entry

Like I said in my last entry, I'm behind in my cabinet makeover project due to being sick. Not just myself, but little Lou Lou Magoo (as we affectionately call Lindsay) as well. (If you just want to read about house stuff, now is the time to skip down to the photos below) I was outside on Tuesday trying to restore some order to our large landscaping bed at the side of our house and Lindsay popped her head out the door a couple of times to let me that her ear was hurting. She has allergy problems so achy ears are fairly common with her. Each time she complains about her hears, I normally take her to the doctor because I fear she may have an ear infection, but each time I'm told it's just sinus pressure that's causing her ears to hurt. The last time, she was prescribed a medication to relieve the pressure so this time I continued to give her the same medication. When I came in from my yardwork Tuesday, I gave her the medication while throwing on "breakfast for dinner". It was 6 pm and bacon and eggs just sounded like a simple and yummy meal. The bacon was halfway cooked when Lindsay's ears really started hurting. She told me they had never hurt like this before and that she "wanted to go to the doctor tomorrow". I knew right then that something wasn't right. I asked her if she could hear ok and she told me that she heard "funny" out of one ear. Then I asked her if it felt like something was going to pop in her ear and she said yes. By this time she was crying out in pain. I looked at at the clock - 6:12 - and thought "please let the doctors office still be open!" I called and YAY - they were open until 7pm. I assured Lindsay that everything was going to be ok and that we were going to take care of her ear right away...sometimes just hearing those words..."it will be ok"...can work wonders. I turned off the frying bacon and told everyone to load up in the van. I still had on my grungy, stinky yardwork clothes and my fingernails were black with dirt, lol, but it was going to have to do. I was really afraid Lindsay's eardrum was going to rupture.

Long story short, we found out that she had a raging ear infection. The pain was so intense for her at the doctor's office and I felt helpless. It's just a short 10 minute drive between the doctor's office and home, but I wanted them to give her something for the pain right away. They had already locked up all their medications so we had to wait until we got home to give her some Ibuprofen. I was so intent on getting her to the doctor before the office closed that it didn't even occur to me to give her something for the pain before we left (ugh..I need to just carry the stuff in my purse). Hubs ran out to get her antibiotics and a different kind of decongestant while I brought the kids home and tried to comfort Lindsay until the pain medicine kicked in. She wanted me to lay down with her and she just tossed and turned moaned and held on to me. *sniff* "I'm so sorry you're hurting...it will be OK...this isn't going to last too much longer...everything is going to be fine..." I started having flashbacks to when I was in labor:) Then she said to me, "I'm so glad I have a Mommy." I told her that I was so glad I have a Lindsay:)

Before we knew it, the pain had subsided and we were eating our breakfast for dinner. She's doing so much better now and didn't even miss any school this week.:)


Ok, on to house stuff.

The drawers are almost complete. They need another coat of red paint and then they'll be distressed and glazed. I wish the doors were as simple as the drawers! I'm going to have to find a coordinating paper to line these drawers, though, because I used up all the wallpaper already. I may go with something like a red and white, old fashioned "ticking" print or just plain off white paper.



Here are a couple of shots of what the wallpaper/shelfliner looks like in the bottom cabinets.





Here are some doors that have been distressed. The brown glaze hasn't yet been applied but when it is, the color will be a little deeper. The oil-rubbed bronze handles I have (not pictured) look great on them!







I wanted to take a photo of our new (yet to be intalled) countertops because I've had several people ask me what we're using. We're using laminate and though laminate is not my favorite choice, I like the fact that it's easy to upkeep and easy on our budget. I've had tile in the bathroom before and grout is a p a i n to say the least. Granite is pretty but doesn't really fit well with the look I'm going for (how bad does it sound when I say it's a little too classy for me?). Soapstone would be great if I could find it in other colors besides black or dark gray, plus it's out of our budget now. Someday, if we ever decide to do brand new cabinetry, we would upgrade, but for now, I'm content with my laminate. We'll be doing a painted brick backsplash between the countertop and the cabinets. It will be off-white with a subtle hints of brown glaze. I chose this laminate because I thought the color would tie in nicely with our kitchen island.





Today I have two parties to attend at school so I doubt I'll be painting. Tomorrow, I'll be ripping the carpet out of Lindsay's room because of her worsening (is that a word?) allergy problems. They'll have hardwood when we get to the floors, but until then, we'll be using a shiny white porch paint in there. Sooo...it looks like no painting cabinet doors tomorrow, either, but painting none-the-less.

Before I sign off, I just want to share what happened to Jeff and I last night at our local Taco Bell. I'm sharing this because I'm a firm believe in standing up for what you know is right instead of just remaining passive or apathetic as many people are in today's world.

We waited absolutely forever to get through the line to place our order and then it took us 15 minutes to even receive our food. While pathetic, this isn't my reason for complaint. What Jeff and I witness while waiting for our food, however, was truly unbelievable, to us anyways. The cashier, during a lull, came out to replenish and "straighten up" and the condiment area. There was some trash there, like soda cup lids, paper from straws, a stray napkin here and there, an opened hot sauce packet, etc. The cashier/loser proceeds to swipe all the trash off the table onto the floor. What? Did we just see him do that? He goes back to the register to take a couple of orders and after that, he walks over to the trays that were above the trash can and removes their paper linersand thows them onto the floor. (My goodness, he was standing right next to the trash can!) As he's walking back to the register, he sees a receipt on the counter and swipes it off to the floor... I'm sure my jaw was to the floor by this point.

We finally get our food and head out to the van, and all the while I'm thinking..."That's just not right!" I put my purse in the van and told hubs that I was going back in. Hubs was already calling the Taco Bell corporate office to make a complaint.

I walked in and there was a crowd of people waiting for their food and still a line waiting to order. I started gathering up all the trash that the sorry bum had thrown down. I'm sure I looked really funny, too, lol. I was in my nice dress clothes as we had just been to Sydney's academic reception. But I continued gathering napkins, empty ketchup packets, tray liners, and plastic lids. Sorry bum was watching all the while and I just wished I knew what he was thinking. After I gathered all the trash, I took it to the front of the line and plopped it down before him. He looked at me and was stunned. I said:

"This is all the trash that we saw you throw down on the floor. Somebody is going to slip on it and get hurt. If you want that to happen, then keep throwing trash all over the floor. If not, put trash where it belongs - in the trashcan! Be a good example!!!!"

All the while he was saying..."okay....okay"

Whether or not he'll change his lazy ways, I don't know. But speaking up for what you believe in is priceless.

Speaking of good examples, we have some dear friends who have a daughter that goes to the same school our girls attend. It's a magnet school but they do have some traditional students and classes. Our friend's girl is in a traditional 6th grade class and applied this year to be in the magnet program next year. Sadly, she got a letter stating that she didn't qualify. I am SO proud of her, though, because after getting over the initial disappointment, she had enough confidence in herself and her abilities to go to the school administration (on her own!) and ask them why she didn't qualify. In her heart she knew she was a hardworking, exemplary student. They pulled her records only to find that they had made a mistake! She had one of the top testing scores and definitely had the grades to qualify for the magnet program. If she didn't have the courage to speak up, she would have never known that she qualified all along:) Good for her!

By now you probably need a bathroom break and I have to go get ready to party with the kids...Have a great weekend, everyone!

P.S. Lindsay, I'm so glad I have a mom, too. *wink* Thanks for everything, mama:) Everything really is going to be ok:)