iPhone Style Update

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it yet, but my life has gotten quite hectic lately and I'm not sure how I'm holding up. Part of me thinks I'm doing great, because I've caught on so well to my new job and love how fast the time flies at work because I'm so busy. But then another part of me feels like the house is a wreck and that if I didn't have a 3-day weekend to catch up I might completely lose my mind...but other than that I'm great!

I've taken to using the camera on my phone to document any tidbits lately because that's all I have with me. Even then I rarely think of it because I'm so busy while at work. I did take a moment to document my great new mug (T.J. Maxx $3) with my cute "J" pencils (courtesy of Michelle) in it. Previously my pencil holder was an ugly, black, plastic cup so this is a 100% improvement and the only bit of personality I have on my desk space since my desk is really the whole school's desk. Surprisingly no one has swiped my cute pencils!

I have been so busy that I haven't really been able to stop for lunch. I can sometimes eat a string cheese and some wheat thins at my desk, but even that is done one at a time when I get a chance, so the other day when I got home (with a raging headache) I fled to the cozy and ate my lunch then.

I was able to sneak in a couple 15-minute lunch breaks in my car this week and enjoyed the peaceful moments of reading, though I feel like I can still hear the phone ringing in my head and had to check to make sure I wasn't still wearing my earpiece since I always have it on. Craziness.

The good news is that yesterday when I was dropping Whitney off for orchestra I pulled in next to a friend from church and it turns out her daughter is in Whitney's class (but hadn't been there on Tuesday so we didn't know) and we're going to carpool! This is so great, now Whitney will take her viola to school with her on Tuesdays and Thursdays then catch a ride with them after school and I can come home from work and be home for an hour and 15 minutes before it's my turn to pick them up. This is a huge improvement and gift in my life. Woohoo!

**How was your week?

Is your house a wreck?

What are you doing for the 3-day weekend?

What's your snack of choice?**

Comment Window Tidbit: My nice camera has been having trouble for awhile now but I've been able to turn it off and then on again when it acts up to get it to work, but yesterday at Landon's soccer game I think it gave up the ghost for real! I called a repair shop and it's going to cost $180 for the new part...I don't see that happening any time soon.

Cramps Shmamps

Every time I start a new post I find myself typing a boring title like "Busy Day" or something, then decide that's lame and I've done it too many times before so I try to think of something different, but lately all I want to do is write things like "Title Shmitle" because that's funny to me or I want to tack the word 'alicious' onto the end of everything, like "Gymalicious" or "Fridaylicious". Surely I can do better than this? It's not looking like it today though.


I pressed snooze 3 times this morning while my brain tried to talk me out of getting up and exercising, I have cramps so that seemed like a good excuse. Fortunately I had to use the bathroom and I have you all to report to so I wasn't about to turn into a schmuck on my 3rd day of exercising after recommitting to myself. My brain DID succeed in talking me into checking my email at 6:30am, which is a dangerous thing to do because it always leads to blogging and much loss of time. I finally pulled myself away from the computer and left the house for a power walk at 7:00am. Victory was mine!


I hadn't gone walking on my route since June so it was like starting all over again with my nemesis "THE HILL". I felt like I was in slow motion trudging my way up it today, and at one point feared that gravity would tip me over backwards. Sheesh. I made it to the top, breathed through the palpitations and then carried on. Fortunately it was totally overcast this morning so I wasn't contending with the morning sun as well. It was a nice walk and I love feeling like I'm getting a jump on the day and that I'm seeing things I normally wouldn't see. (A couple roses peeking through the fence of some one's yard, potato bugs crossing the sidewalk, horses having breakfast, the temple parking lot full so early in the morning, people from church driving to work, etc.)


The one thing I hate about walking is dogs!! Fortunately most of them are behind fences and just like to bark as I walk by their property lines, but a couple of them were free to come running at me, and that sort of thing just freaks me out. I've had my heel nipped by a yippee little dog years ago and ever since then I've been skittish. That thing about all bark and no bite a loud of crap. I resent having to fret about dogs on my lovely morning walks.


So yesterday ended up being a glorious day of productivity at home even though it didn't rain. I don't know where they came up with a 30% chance, because it was sunny and hot all day! The only break came in the evening at Whitney's soccer game when the sun hid behind some clouds (praise heaven) and made it pleasant. I once again screamed until I was hoarse, but it was so fun. Whitney played goalie and did awesome. I coach from the side of the goal so it was like we were hanging out together and like I was right in her ear. (FYI: I ran in to Jenny S. at soccer because her little boy had a game and pictures too.)


But I digress, my home-time yesterday was spent doing many loads of laundry (lots of bedding), dusting everything (even the highest picture frames), talking to Kristi and Amie on the phone, a visit from Lori, prepping (and later mailing) 4 good mail items (woohoo), and sorting through a big pile of junk mail (it never ends, but the ice cream helped!). I was totally irritated with how fast the time went. I know it's wrong of me to complain about the 6.5 hours I have while the kids are at school, but it flies by so quickly that I feel cheated. Amie had to remind me that the school year just started and that there's more of free time to come. If only I could grasp that concept and let myself relax a little bit instead of frantically trying to finish every project in my mind all in one day.

~~~~~~~~~~

Here are the September and October blogging-friend birthdays I know about (Linked for your convenience, isn't that nice?). There was a mix-up in the email I sent so this is the correct info (Barb's and Amanda's were wrong in the email). We're going to have to pace ourselves and plan accordingly, these are a whole lot of September birthdays!

September 1st--Stefanie Williams
September 5th--Kelly Norton
September 8th--Lori Maher
September 9th--Robin Younquist
September 11th--Melanie Bushman
September 16th--Julia Sorenson
September 18th--Laralee Anderson
September 19th--Amanda Hill
September 19th--Andrea Richardson

October 11--Elizabeth Morse
October 13--Lisa Price
October 26--Barb Olson

**Do barking dogs harass you when walking/running?
Does your alone time fly by?
Do junk mail and miscellaneous papers
take over your world too?
What is up with so many September birthdays?**

Free time, shmee time!

Today is the kids' 7th day going to school and I have only been home alone for part of 2 of those days. What is up with that? I thought things were going to quiet down and be free and easy but so far they haven't been, but you know what? I'm okay with that! I love my time alone at home, but I love being useful and productive as well so it's all good to me. Plus, some of that non-alone time was being creative with friends, and who am I kidding, that's the best time of all.


Yesterday Jenn and I went to Michelle's to act as surrogate knees and surrogate selves for her since she's struggling with her gimpy knees and is trying to prep for her parents' arrival tonight. Jenn and I were able to easily do things that would have been a huge struggle for Michelle right now, plus with our combined efforts and brain power we were able to figure things out, move things, and get more done than one person could do alone whether they had gimpy knees or not. It was a good, satisfying day. I was a little sad to see the tiny mouse crunched in the trap, but happy for Michelle because she shouldn't have to contend with a rodent in the house (whether it's cute and tiny or not). (Michelle taking a picture of the caught mouse.)


After Michelle's house I took a bag of baby clothes from her to Hannah and then a bag of stuff to DI, then vacuumed my car, then picked up the kids from school. I then had 20 minutes to freshen myself up and then go to Activity Days (luckily I wasn't in charge of it this time). We made strawberry freezer jam (my first time ever doing that) and ate freshly baked bread too. It was sooooo tasty, but majorly crazy with 12 excited s, 2 leaders and 2 dogs in one kitchen! I was hugely surprised when my co-leader sent me home with a big jar of jam and 2 loaves of freshly baked bread!! What a gift, I was thrilled. (I don't even really like jam, but it turns out it's strawberries and sugar and we made it without lumps so it's good.)


By the time I took all the s home it was 5:30pm. I felt so wasted. Amie called so I retired to my bed (oh sweet cozy) and talked to her for about an hour until I had to get ready for a Relief Society birthday gathering. This was for the women who had birthdays in July and August, so I was invited. Truth be told I wasn't too keen on going, but when I realized it was scheduled at the same time as Pack Meeting I was more than happy to go! (I hate going to Pack Meeting!!)

I finally got home at 8:45pm and felt like I was going to fall over. What a day. This morning I'm off to go visiting teaching (finally on the 29th!) and then I'm getting together with Lori. Tonight Landon has soccer pictures and a game at the same time I have a Primary Teacher Development Meeting, thank heaven we've got two cars now!

Also, it's Wednesday again, so that means I'll be sending some notes Just Because. I hope you will too!

Happy Birthday Laurie M.!!!

**How is your "free time" going?
Is your life calm or busy right now?
How do you feel about mice?
Can you stand Pack Meeting?
Will you send a note Just Because?**

7 More Days

The kids start school one week from today! I'm irritated that it's so early (hello, September means back to school?!) but I'm also pretty excited about it. This will be the first year they'll both be in school all day. It's almost too much to wrap my mind around...time alone daily?! Oh the joy. Once the newness of it wears off I may even miss them, but right now I'm excited about it.

{This photo is from Easter because I couldn't
find a more recent photo of them together.}

During our Family Home Evening on Sunday it was my turn for the lesson so I went over my Sunday post about Holy Habits/Righteous Routines. We committed ourselves to reforming our ways beginning with the new school year. This plan will hinge on me and Randy being dedicated to getting up early (one of my weaknesses!). The plan is the we will get up at 6:00am and alternate days going to the gym (I have foolishly gotten out of the habit this summer) or walking then come home and get showered so we can have Scripture study and breakfast at 7:30 and family prayer before Randy leaves at 8:00am for work. It sounds totally doable to me right now, though it will be a rough adjustment getting up at 6:00am again.

Yesterday I ended up feeling dizzy in the afternoon. What's up with that? I blame the heat. I had to retire to my bed to read Sarah's Quilt (delightful) and nap for a bit. It was nice (except for the being dizzy part). Randy and Lori ended up going to see The Bourne Ultimatum, but I wasn't up for going out or watching a movie shot in shaky cam (I that), though I do want to see that movie, dang.

{My drawer of mailing supplies, so pleasing.}

I'm home alone this morning since the kids spent the night at my parents' house, and as always I'm frantically trying to use my alone time to the fullest. Does that mean reading in the cozy?, Blogging?, Cleaning?, Running errands? Working on good mail? What?? So far I've blogged, worked on some good mail, and vacuumed, so that's a good balance right? I don't want to run errands because it's hot out there and because it breaks my momentum at home. I think I'll spend more time on the computer and putting together some good mail since that makes me the happiest and is hard to do when I get interrupted all the time when the kids are home. Good plan right?


Speaking of good mail, Barb sent me this thank you note for some good mail I'd sent her and she also included this picture of the Orange Cream Cheese Pie she made from the recipe I'd submitted to Elizabeth's Blogger Summer Cook Book. Barb is the pie making queen so I was relieved that she liked this pie, and I thought it was highly amusing that she sent me this picture of it. Thanks Barb!

**Are you excited for school to start?
Do you love alone time at home?
Do you make pies from scratch?
What would you do with free time today?**