Excellent Time Manager...Who Me?

Hey guess what? I have been rather busy the past few days and have loads more busyness on deck, but I've actually been managing my time beautifully and am not panicked or behind schedule at all. No one is more surprised than me!


Over the past few days I have...

Cleaned out the fridge
Prepared and presented Sharing Time
Had a stewardship meeting
Taught Family Home Evening
Thoroughly cleaned the house
Made spinach dip
Coached two soccer practices
Talked to Michelle
Took Whitney to buy school supplies
Took Landon and Austin to meet my mom for a sleepover
Watered the lawn
Sorted through the summer build-up on the kitchen dresser
Cut a cantaloupe and half a huge watermelon
Watched some TV
Talked to Kristi
Slept well!
Almost finished my book club book
Done many loads of laundry

How about that?! This is so unlike me that I feel like shouting from the roof tops (though I have no idea how I'd get up there). I'm not quite sure what I'd shout, maybe something like "I'm really well prepared!", or "Hey, I managed my time well" or "I'm not a total schmuck this time", or "Apparently I CAN learn". Any suggestions? I keep think Natasha (aka the Ultimate Planner/Prepared Girl) would be proud, but then again, I don't think my version of well prepared is even close to as good as hers...I guess I'm baby stepping.

**Do you work well under pressure?
How are your time management skills?
Why are these Asians shouting?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Randy just called me to the bathroom to investigate "an unusual smell". Of course I was frightened and not willing to participate until he said, "It's either skunk or coffee beans." It was skunk smell coming through the bathroom window!

Modern Day June Cleaver

I slept unbelievably great last night, which I think was due to the cooler air coming in through our open window. I curled up in the cozy and didn't move (which is so rare for me since I'm a notorious thrasher in my sleep) so I woke up feeling great and ready to take on the day. (I love it when that happens!)

I had to realign myself several times when the pull of the computer took over (I'd find myself sitting in the computer chair wondering how I got there), but I'd made a list of things I wanted to get done today and I gave myself computer time as my reward at the end of it all (hence I'm finally posting at 9:34pm).

I listened to the final 2 hours of "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" while I worked, and ended up feeling so in love with that book. We read it for book club a couple months ago, but I had rushed through it and hadn't savored the letters so I missed some of it. But listening to it was great, especially because there were different narrators for each of the characters, complete with their British, American and Scottish accents.


I spent the morning doing a thorough dusting and vacuuming (under couch cushions and such), cleaning the bathrooms, and putting out the Halloween decorations. I usually wait until the middle of October to start feeling fallish, but since I was moving everything to dust it seemed like a good time to set things out.


I wisely decided to make the cookie dough before mowing the lawn, because I knew I'd feel wiped out afterward and would talk myself out of making the cookies. Kristi called, so we chatted while I got all my ingredients out, then the mixing went quickly when our call was done.


I spent over an hour mowing the lawn and listened to "50 Success Classics" while I worked. I find mowing the lawn very enjoyable, especially when it's not too hot outside, but I was glad I'd made the cookie dough ahead of time because my gimpy foot was hurting a lot afterward and I know I wouldn't have wanted to stand in the kitchen for a long time.


The kids and their friends were so happy to come home to freshly baked cookies. I felt like June Cleaver as I handed them their warm cookies. Of course, I was NOT wearing a dress and pearls...more like track pants and a t-shirt with wet hair and no make-up on. Oh well.


I helped Whitney with her math homework (which is always testy for us). She seems to think I should explain the problems thoroughly enough that all she has to do is write the answer. She's got the wrong mother for that.


I finally put Larry & Dani's family photo in a frame on our photo wall (I've been meaning to do this for over a month).


I took Landon and Parker to flag football practice and helped coached. At one point I was playing Quarterback and after doing a hand-off, foolishly decided to run. The other coach threw the ball to me, I caught it and then took off running (probably not very fast) and literally saw stars as my gimpy foot strained. As I fell to the ground thoughts of being an invalid in Paris flashed before my eyes, but once again after standing up and stretching it a bit it felt strangely better, like I'd snapped something into place. I was so relieved! That was a close call.

Fall is coming! The mountains are turning orange!

Gifford came over for dinner tonight and Randy grilled some chicken and made some very tasty, spiced red potatoes. (We tried to have a better dinner than usual because Gifford was coming, maybe he should come more often.) He's living on quesadillas, so we couldn't very well serve him those even though that's on our menu quite often.


We taught Gifford how to play our no-name game using Skipbo cards, and Randy had a rare moment of glory by being the big winner.

We also had a surprise visit from the Elder's Quorum President and one of his counselors. I felt like such a champ being able to offer them freshly baked cookies while being surrounded by the smell of our good dinner. I told them they'd come on the right day because this sort of thing doesn't usually happen around here.


This is the first load of laundry Gifford has done in the month he has been at BYU! Can you imagine that? Look how tiny this pile is? Apparently he has a lot of clothes and a lot of underwear, so he can go for a long time without washing things, but still.

He fit all of his laundry into this tiny bag! Boys!?

**Do you sleep great when the weather gets colder?
Do you listen to music or books when you clean?
When was the last time you made cookies?
What does your "June Cleaver" uniform look like?
Can you imagine not washing clothes for a month?**

Comment Window Tidbit: Do you ever look in the mirror and frighten yourself? Why are some days better than others in this regard? I'm having a scary-looking day for sure.

Creative Friday--Insanely Productive Edition

Michelle and I had to get together on Wednesday for Creative Friday (the name still stands, no matter what day we meet) due to more Friday busyness going on. I like getting together on Wednesdays because it feels like such a bonus to the middle of the week. Also, I'm not rushing home to host game night, so it feels much freer than normal.


To back up a bit, Landon and Whitney both had sleepovers with cousins on Monday night, so that meant I had Tuesday all to myself (glorious!). I ended up being super productive and spent the whole day and the whole evening (even after picking Landon up) working in my studio-office-no longer scrapbook room-room. I finished watching disc 2 of Little Dorrit (oh how I love BBC and Masterpiece Theater) and watched Best in Show through Netflix' Watch Instantly. The time just flew by.

The reason I mention Tuesday is because it meant I was super prepared and had primed the pump (so to speak) for Creative Friday on Wednesday (say that 3 times fast). I had a bunch of pictures printed for cards and picked them up at Walmart on the way to Michelle's house so within a minute of walking in her newly painted door I was down to business. That's right, within the minute! I was a girl with a mission and I accomplished it.


I always feel guilty when I sit down and start working while Michelle gets busy making our lunch, but she tells me not to, so I listen. This time she grilled burgers for us, and they were deeeelicious (one "e" just wasn't enough). We have finally figured out (after so many years) that we work best when we eat first.


Eva decided to eat only 1/4 of this tiny waffle for lunch. How would it be to have no appetite? Also, in this picture she was holding up the waffle to warm herself, what the?.


I paused from my productivity only long enough to eat, then got right back down to business. Michelle did too, and suffered only minor interruptions from Eva. Landon and Lucas played elsewhere for quite awhile, and with Whitney gone (she was still with the cousins) our day felt easy breezy.


Max often plays games on the computer nearby, but he also played video games with the boys and went to practice his tennis serve as well.


We had peanut butter m&ms and m&m cookies to help us keep our strength up, and it worked because we both had very pleasing stacks of mail by the end of the day.


We really need to get back in the habit of taking our self-portrait at the beginning of the day when we're in better form; clearly that did not happen this time.

**Would you have guilt about being served lunch?
Do you love Peanut Butter M&Ms?
How about that stack of mail?
Have you been insanely productive lately?**

Rooted in Normal Life Again

So it took about a week for me to fully recover from Paris and to get enough distance that I no longer have the blues about my normal life. What a relief, I certainly didn't want to keep feeling that way. It helped that I got back in to my normal schedule last week and went to the gym MWF and went walking Tuesday and Thursday, plus I was prepping for breakfast with the Sistas so I spent my week organizing and cleaning so it helped ease me back into real life.


I worked in the yard one morning last week and then again this morning and just loved it. Early morning in the yard is one of my favorite places to be. We have an insane number of birds that frequent our bird feeder and who have a lot to talk about at that hour (and all the hours of the day really). I continued my war on weeds (I'm losing this fight) and planted some more flowers. I adore flowers and take such delight in watching them grow. It's seriously one of the great pleasures in life for me. I just wish I was better at it. I love the way the morning light hits them and shows off all their colors. I had a little photo shoot and love using the photos as my screensaver.


Yesterday's Mother's Day festivities included breakfast in bed for me (such a treat) while reading my favorite book of all time Angle of Repose (this is my 3rd time reading it) until it was finally time to come out in to the family room to receive my big surprise gift.


I wasn't expecting anything much because of my big trip, but that made the surprise that much better. I don't normally condone giving appliances for birthdays or Mother's Day, but this baby is the exception. I was totally shocked to open up my big present to find a Dyson Vacuum cleaner! I love to vacuum and do it daily so to have the most awesome of all the vacuums in my house is a great gift. I had to try it out and was particularly thrilled with the hose extension (17 feet!), spiders beware because I'm coming for you! What a great surprise, it's almost embarrassing that I'm this giddy about a vacuum cleaner.


Today I have been ultra productive.
--Went walking with the kids 6:30-7:30am (Whitney didn't fair so well.)
--Pulled weeds, watered the lawn, tended to flowers.
--Cleaned the garage 9:00-12:00
--Did 4 loads of laundry, hung and put away
--Dropped 3 bags off at DI and 2 bags of paper to be recycled
--Talked to Amie for a couple hours while finishing up the garage

Nice. So it's 4:06 and I haven't showered yet, but I'm oh so pleased with all I got done today.

Happy Birthday to
Lara & Stephanie!!

**Did you have a good Mother's Day?
How do you feel about flowers?
Are you productive today?**