Little friendships

Alison has a little friend named Miriam. These two are completely cut from the same cloth. Miriam is in kindergarten, and Alison is in 1st grade, but their birthdays are only months apart. They both love to be outside and both are really creative little kids. Their latest venture has been collecting moss. I'm not sure I have the story completely right, but from what Alison tells me, on Easter, the Easter Bunny leave eggs on the moss at Miriam's house. Miriam's family is from Germany, so maybe that's a tradition?? Anyway, Miriam has this adorable little wheelbarrow and she and Alison go to one of the ponds near our house and dig up clumps of moss, take it to Miriam's house and replant it. They are beyond adorable.

8 below

We took the kids to see Eight Below on Saturday night. I really enjoyed the movie. The scenery was beautiful!! Of course, as owners of a Siberian Huskey, the dogs in the movie, I think we enjoyed it all the more because we can really appreciate the behaviors shown by these dogs. They are awesome dogs! Mind you, the dogs in the movie survived winter in Antarctica, whereas Thornton gets nervous if Mia is outside and it's below 30 degrees...but that's just our pampered pooch!

It's supposed to be 55 degrees today and then even warmer the next couple of days. I would love to open up the house a little bit and air it out.

20 oz. soap

I was making a giant soap to cut up into samples to include w/ orders when Alison saw it. She fell in love w/ that giant soap and wanted one for herself. I promised her one, but kind of hoped she'd forget all about it. I was delusional, of course. So, last night I made her a 20 oz. strawberry scented soap. How long do you suppose this soap will last? And how long after Alison gets in the shower do you think it'll take before she drops it on her foot?

Blue citrus?

I just ran into the store to pick up a few things. I needed new glass cleaner and since I've found that they all pretty much work the same, I decided to get the cheapo generic kind. I grabbed the blue bottle and threw it into my cart. When I got to the check out I saw that on the bottle it said Citrus Scented. That's great...I love citrus scented stuff...but why is it blue?? Shouldn't it be orange?? Call me crazy, but I like my stuff to be the color of what they smell like (and no, I don't need any comments about why aren't my tarts colored, then...LOL!).

Gotta go pick Rachel up from dance.

Frustrated

I've been waiting on a shipment of an ingredient I add to the emollient for over 2 weeks now. I can't complete orders until I get this item. Normally this company is a little slow...but not this slow. I'm so frustrated and upset. I know that people hate long turn around times...so do I. I was about in tears yesterday when the UPS guy delivered a package, but not *the* package I was waiting on. Going to call the company again this morning, as soon as they open.

Watched Olympic figure skating last night. The right person won the gold. She really was the skater that skated the best. Sure, I wanted Sasha Cohen to pull it off, but she didn't. You could see in her eyes before she skated that she was questioning herself. I tried to be a bad mommy and let Rachel stay up and watch the performers, but she fell asleep. :-)

I'm so old!

This morning I was talking with Thornton about a new praise song he had written. The band and singers had rehearsed it last night and he said that it went over really well. He is trying to write enough songs to record a CD, so I asked him how many more songs he has to write to have enough. He said that he has 5 done, so he would need a minimum of 3 more songs. I said, "but that would only be 4 songs on each side." Thornton looked at me like I was an idiot and said, "ummm...honey...CDs don't have sides." Good grief....I bet my kids don't even know what cassette tapes or records are!

Forgot to brag!

Patrick got his midterm grades yesterday and he got all A's!!! Since his 2nd quarter grades, he's been under much stricter guidelines regarding studying. You should've seen him yesterday...he was almost crying he was so excited. He even took the printout to The Hitting Center to show everyone. How cute is that? And, he proved to himself that he can do it! So, while he will now be allowed more freedom, the stricter study guidelines will stay. Yea Patrick!

Critical spirit

Dr. Phil was on in the background yesterday as I was working. He had on a husband who was extremely critical of his wife. This guy had a list of 75 things he felt his wife should be able to accomplish regarding housework. If the wife didn't meet his expectations, he'd either verbally criticize her or he'd huff and stomp around, making it obvious to the wife that he disapproved. Dr. Phil tried to tell the guy that he had a critical spirit and that he needed to love his wife for who she was, and not try to hold her to an impossible standard.

Then, last night I watched the Ladies short program in figure skaing in the Olympics. Dick Button, one of the commentators, also has a critical spirit. I know he was Olympic Champion back in his day, but skating has come a long way since then. He continually commented on the skater's "ugly" positions. Good grief, these skaters couldn't look ugly if they tried. I should've muted the TV....he was making me so angry w/ his comments.

So, I'm going to try very hard today to have a loving and accepting spirit.

"I love cleaning bathrooms"

Yesterday the kids were off school because of President's Day, so of course, we put them to work. Alison cleaned the guest room (aka the girl's playroom) all by herself. She did an awesome job...right down to arranging a million pillows on the bed. She needed some help w/ vacuuming, but otherwise did a very admirable job for a 6 year old. Rachel cleaned the sunroom. When she really puts her mind to it, she is such a great cleaner. She loves to organize stuff. She even scrubbed the linoleum by the door to the deck which gets filthy because of the dog. Patrick was in charge of the family room. I wish I had a glowing review of his work, but it was less than inspired. Guess what he'll be doing after school?? Such a mean mom...I know!

Rachel and Alison said that today after school they want to clean the downstairs bathroom. And Rachel actually spoke the words, "I love cleaning bathrooms!" She is certainly not my child. But I'll keep her!

Monday, Monday

The birthday weekend is over...sniff...sniff. It was very nice. Last night we went out to dinner with my in-laws and brother-in-law and sister-in-law. No kids. That *never* happens. It was great. Nice dinner, nice conversation. But, now it's Monday and my birthday is over. And the kids are home for President's Day.

I have tons of orders to fill! That's a good thing, but I always panic because I know I can't possibly get them out as quickly as I'd like.

My sinuses are killing me. My right under eye sinus is so clogged and painful that my eye is watering. Off to find some meds...

Birthday musings

I've never been the kind of person to mind growing older. Some people throw such fits about their birthdays, but I love getting older. I turned 38 today. To me, each year is a chance to grow and become more of who you are meant to be. As I look towards turning 40 in a few years, I'm OK with it. Each passing decade has been much better than the one before. I feel like I'm figuring out who I am and getting more comfortable with myself. So, yeah...birthdays are good. Plus you get presents and you can say things like, "it's my birthday, you have to treat me nice today!" Surely I'm not the only person to do that, right? :-)

Birthday Sale!

I know I said I wasn't going to have more sales...and really after this, I won't be, but I just had to have a sale for my birthday! So, until Saturday at midnight all sales will be 18% off (since my birthday is on the 18th....not because I'm turning 18..LOL).

Another Alison funny: last night Alison, Rachel and I were lying in bed talking and Rachel commented that the Middle School performed part of "Annie" for them (they are performing this musical this weekend). She said that the dog barked while Annie sung "Tomorrow". I said, "really? Was it a real dog?" She said that it was a kid dressed up like a dog (which is funny enough as it is...). I told her that when the Springfield Muni Opera does "Annie Warbucks" this summer (which Rach is auditioning for) they will use a real dog. Alison looked at me wide eyed and said, "A dog that sings?" She's so darn cute!

Comic Relief

I am convinced that God blessed us with Alison to add comic relief to our family. Oftentimes she is an infuriating kid...she is a constant blur of motion and activity. She doesn't listen very well and she questions every decision you could ever make. But...she is hysterical! She brings so much joy to our lives. The other night we were driving home from McDonald's and she had one of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls that have the lipgloss in the hat. Alison says, "This smells so good I just want to rip her head off!" And then proceeded to laugh hysterically. One time Thornton and I were having a talk with Alison because she was misbehaving. It was a very serious talk...but in the middle of it, Alison looked at Thornton and me and said, "Meow, Meow, Meow!!" I just looked at Thornton and told him that he was going to have to be in charge of her punishment that day, because I had to go laugh.

Yep...God knew what he was doing when he added Alison to our family!

Jump Rope for Heart

Rachel is participating in the American Heart Association's Jump Rope for Heart. She's collecting donations and so far she has raised $60. Her goal is $200. If anyone might be interested in sponsoring her, here's her webpage:

https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=123051&lis=0&kntae123051=EADB702142AC4CB2A1B46AA6EDC468F6&supId=119007964

I'm so proud of her for taking on this cause!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I've never been a big Valentine's Day freak...maybe because my birthday is in a few days and I LOVE my birthday! I actually told Thornton not to get me anything for Valentine's Day. Crazy, huh? It's just that money is a little tight and I just don't see the point. He sent me the cutest e-card and that worked fine for me.

I do love how excited Alison gets over Valentine's Day. We printed out special cards on the computer for her friends that are each personalized. So much better than those store bought cards. Rachel is only in the 4th grade, but they already don't exchange Valentines or have a party in class. She's going to hand out a bunch at recess though...I hope that's OK. Patrick went to a school V-day dance yesterday, but he said it was boring. He doesn't dance and not many of his friends were there. He said he was actually thankful that Daddy had to pick him up early!

Tonight Thornton and Patrick go to the Hitting Center, so I'll take the girls to McDonald's playplace before my Bible Study.

Curling

I'm almost embarrased to admit it, but Thornton is a huge curling freak! Have you caught this Olympic sport? It's like shuffleboard on ice. Totally boring to watch, and yet, my husband adores it. I can think of a better way to spend my time!

I can't get warm today. I think I'm going to go turn up the heat...something I never do!

Snowbunnies

We got about 6 inches of snow yesterday...quite unexpected. Well, at least it surprised the weathermen! The kids have been having so much fun playing in the snow. Rachel and Alison literally have been outside for hours on end, until I make them come in and warm up. They especially had a good time frolicking in the snow with Mia, our Huskey. Mia found her inner snow dog this weekend. Normally when it's a little cold out, she acts like such a baby and doesn't want to be outside. With this snow, she's been in her glory. Patrick has been playing in the "Snow Bowl 2006", i.e. Snow Football. I'm just so thankful that they love to be outside, rather than sitting inside watching TV all the time.

Gotta go thaw some kids with hot chocolate and make dinner...I'm thinking soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.

Hug them close

I just found out that the 15 year old daughter of one of my past customers passed away yesterday following a horrific car accident. I can't even imagine the pain the family is going through. Please join me in covering the family of Courtney Wilson in prayer.

And today, hold those kids a little closer, a little tighter. They are so precious.

The lion shall lie down with the lamb

...or in our case...the kitty shall lie down with the dog. It's been slow progress with getting the new cat used to our dog, but for the past few days, they both have been sleeping together on the same bed (yes, we are well aware of how spoiled our animals are!). Mia, the Huskey, is still way more curious in Ozzie than Ozzie cares for, but I think they will be fast friends soon.

Last night Alison went to get her jammies on. She came upstairs in a pair of boxer shorts and a fleece winter pea coat that she outgrew last year. Poor child...I just couldn't stop laughing. She is such a free spirit!

Lunchtime with Alison

This morning before leaving for school, Alison begged Thornton and me to come eat lunch with her at school. We agreed, of course! It's such a joy to see her little face light up as she saw us walk down the hall towards her room. As she entered the cafeteria, she sniffed the air and said, "smells like breakfast". Sure enough...they had french toast sticks, sausage, potato smilies, fruit and milk. The teachers and visiting parents, however, get to eat the "good lunch". This fact has not passed by unnoticed by the little ones. Adults get a different lunch and it's so much better than what the kids eat. Today it was pork tenderloin, baked beans, veggies, mac and cheese and a salad bar. So, of course, being the good parents we are....we snuck Alison some of the good food!

I sure wish I could curl up with my snoring dog...but I gotta get back to work!

It's snowing!

It's snowing!! That makes me so happy! We haven't had much of a winter and I really like snow. Granted, it's only going to be an inch or two, but it should be enough to cover some of the ugliness of winter.

I'm so excited about the Olympics starting on Friday. I'm a huge Olympics freak!! Four years ago I had a hysterectomy and my recovery time was when the Winter Olympics were on. I must've watched every bit of coverage there was on TV. And, then after the Olympics, baseball Spring Training should be starting up!

She drives me nuts, yet...

OK...I've got to admit that when I started staying at home full time to run CYS I started watching more TV. My kitchen, where I work, is adjacent to the sunroom and there's a TV in there. At 10 a.m., I have been watching Martha Stewart. She absolutely drives me bonkers and yet...I continue to watch. She completely doesn't care about what the guest has to say, she's always thinking of what she's going to say next. And, then, when she says it, it sounds completely insincere. She is the expert on everything...if a guest loves something, she loves it too. If a guest talks about a restaurant or a food, Martha has been there and eaten it too. Completely not my kind of person. And yet...I watch. What the heck is wrong with me?

More tarts added

I just added tarts in the following scents:

Center of Peace
Path to Peace
Gracious Heart
Joyous Heart
Pure of Heart
Blackberry Lemonade
Coral Sugar
Marshmallow Cinnamon Grahams
White Doves
Marshmallow Ambrosia
Coconut Pear
Jamaican Rum Punch
Yuzu
Oatmeal Milk and Honey
Coconut Lime Verbena
Vanilla Wafers
Dixie
Cotton Blossom
Heavenly
Pink Brulee
Emerald Sea
Blueberry Cheesecake
French Vanilla Pear
Dream Big

I'm in love!

Ozzie kitty is the sweetest furball ever. Believe me...we've been through lots of cats, so I should know. Ozzie slept all night curled up in the crook of my neck, purring in my ear.

Patrick needed some extra loving last night so he took Mia (the dog) and shut her up in his room, so she'd sleep with him. That saved me from a hissing cat in the middle of the night!

I'll be adding more tarts later today to the site. I'm waiting on more VBN oil...should be here today...so I can make some tarts in some of the VBN blends.

Kitty has a name!

I announced today on the way home from church that we were not getting out of the van until the kitty had a name. We had discussed it some on the trip to Indy, but hadn't decided on anything. We knew it had to be a baseball related name, since the cat was found at The Hitting Center (and since we're a baseball crazy family). We finally decided on Ozzie, named after Ozzie Smith, the great St. Louis Cardinal shortstop. Somehow, it fits.

Our dog, Mia, is way too interested in Ozzie. Ozzie, needless to say, is not happy with her new "friend". Any suggestions on how to get them used to each other?

Whirlwind day & a new kitty

Yesterday we drove to Indianapolis (about 3 1/2 hours away) for the wedding of one of Thornton's 2nd cousins. It was a beautiful wedding and reception. But, ugh...I think I'm old. The music at the reception was so loud I had a mini panic attack. I can't handle loud noises very well...my throat feels like it's closing up and I feel like I'm having trouble breathing. I had to leave the room several times to get a hold of myself. I kept waiting for the nice slow songs to dance with Thornton, but they didn't play any. We left at 9 a.m. and got home at 12:30 p.m.....so it was a long day.

Friday night Thornton called me up from The Hitting Center (the indoor baseball facility Patrick works out at). He asked me if I wanted a cat. He knows I want a cat...it's him that doesn't want one! There was a stray outside the facility who was super friendly. I guess the stray had been there for a while. Anyway, the cat came right to him. He is such a sweetie! I'm going to take him to the vet tomorrow and have him scanned to see if he might be microchipped. We've checked the papers and haven't seen a Lost Cat ad. He has no name as of yet, but I've never met a nicer cat.

With love like this...

Alison keeps jumping on Patrick's back while he's lying on the floor. At first, he was OK with it, but finally he got fed up and asked her to stop. Of course, being the monkey that she is, she continued to jump on his back. I just asked her to knock it off and she said, "But I love him!"

With love like that, who needs enemies?

Little girl tights

OK...I've been shopping for tights for Alison. We have a wedding to go to tomorrow and she desperately needs tights that fit. Here's the thing: they come in sizes 4-6 and 7-11. Well, Alison is kind of between a 6 and a 7. The 4-6 tights are too short...she gets a major wedgie when wearing them. The 7-11 tights...well, obviously those are WAY too long and she gets elephant ankles. What's a little girl to do?

Gallons of shower gel

I have been buying Patrick generic men's shower gel. It comes in a 16 oz. bottle, costs about $1.99 and smells manly. The rest of us all us my products in the shower. But, seriously, I'm not sure I can compete with that kind of price considering how much shower gel this kid uses! I've tried explaining to him that a small amount on the shower pouf (don't tell his friends he uses a pouf, OK?) is plenty, but he insists he needs lots more. I've debated buying an extra gallon of shower gel base, blending the whole darn thing in a manly scent and sticking the whole thing in the shower, but I feared the screams if he happened to drop it on his foot.

And...what is it with the bath mat? Whenever Patrick takes a shower (and lets face it..he's at *that* age when he takes a lot, because he actually wants to smell nice), the bath mat gets soaked. I'm talking so wet that it seems like he must've taken it in the shower with him. I want to eavesdrop sometimes just to see what it is he's doing. Surely he shuts the shower door, right?

Good thing I love the kid!

Is it too much to ask?

I caught some of President Bush's State of the Union Speech last night, and then saw highlights this morning. What really bugged me was how blatantly rude each party was. If they showed a picture of Hillary Clinton's smug look one more time, I would've turned off the TV. Yeah, I get that the democrats and republicans have different idealogies, but come on...they all acted like children. It's kind of hard to expect my own kids to be gracious little people if adults act like that.