Stop the Merry-Go-Round...

... before one of us gets sick.

~Day two of our option period, and we have run out of wine.

Not good.

~Two more showings, Auntie's soccer game, soccer practice, and visit from the grands this weekend.

Tons of fun!


Life is busy.

And I love it.

You?

:)

A Warning...

... to all you contact wearers out there.

If you should ever decide upon waking up one morning, that the first thing you need to do is chop up and saute a large onion, please note the following:


1. Do not think that merely rinsing your hands in cold water will purge your hands of the onion juice.

2. Do not proceed directly to your bathroom with onion-juice-covered-hands to put in your contacts.

3. When you feel your right contact beginning to burn, do not put your left contact in, thinking that your hands are now clean enough to do so.

4. With your eyeballs burning out of their sockets and tears streaming down your face, do not decide to lather up your hands with antibacterial soap.

5. When the soap is finally rinsed away, and the offending contacts are in the garbage....

DO go make yourself some coffee!!

:)

Oh Happy Day!

Our realtor just dropped off a contract for our home.

It is a good, solid, reasonable offer.

With a closing date of December 12th.

YAY!

Thank you, St. Joseph and St. Anthony! (and, given the closing date, I think Our Lady of Guadalupe had something to do with it too...)

:)

Grocery Store Guilt

No. This is not a budgeting post. Although, Lord knows, I could write a novel about it. Not a "how-to", but more like a dissertation on "the need to budget" and "how Nutmeg fails miserably in this area."

But, not today.

Maybe another day.

Today, I was reminded of the reason why I do not ever shop at a particular store in my town. This store has two locations within reasonable driving distance, and, when given the choice, I go north to the "froofy/trendy area and enjoy my shopping experience up there.

But for this shopping trip I chose to stay on the south side of town in hopes of finding some extra deals on meat and such.

Sports Fan and I successfully navigated the aisles, collecting everything on our list and made our way to the front. As we stood in line, I turned around to say something to Sports Fan, and I saw her.

She used to be a cashier. Now she is a bagger. Thanks to yours truly.

The story goes like this.

I was 9 months pregnant with Little Boo. I had a shopping cart overflowing with our essentials when I pulled up to her line. She looked at the cart, rolled her eyes and groaned. Then she spent the next 15 minutes complaining to me about how badly her back hurt.

And so I empathized and helped her unload the cart.

Since they were severely under-staffed, I also bagged my own groceries. All the while listening to her "bad back" litany.

At the very end of all of this, my own back hurting, my legs wobbling, and head spinning, I dropped a can of frozen juice on my finger, catching it between the can and the metal rack that holds the grocery bags. Tears squirted out of my eyes, and I grabbed my receipt and pushed my heavy cart to the car, unloaded it and drove shakily home.

I was furious.

The next day I e-mailed the store about the incident (naming names) and received a phone call from the manager, who apologized profusely. Since he was the new manager of that location, I wished him luck and told him I would not be shopping there again. The much much nicer location was just as far from my house, I might as well shop up there.

And I normally do.

But when I don't, and I pay a visit to this location, I see her.

She is a bagger, not a cashier anymore.

And it's my fault.

Speaking of...

(... the *joys* of living in Texas, that is.)

Here are Little Dear's spelling sentences for today:















Those last two sentences?

Yeah.

She meant "I'll".

Even though, according to her, it's pronounced "All".

(sigh)

I Cannot Wait...

... for the morning temperatures to require a sweatshirt.

... for my morning coffee not to require ice cubes.


... for the cold tap water to actually be cold.

... for the shorts to cycle out of the wash loads forever. (or at least a few months)

... in brief? For this to make it's way down here.

Come on, Fall!!

:)

The Loveliness of Comfort Drinks

When I was newly engaged, at the tender age of 23, I went to go live in Canada with my future in-laws. The beautiful province of British Colombia has much to offer. From the Canadian Rockies to the Georgia Strait, to the eclectic city of Vancouver, I loved my new hometown and was eager to be acclimatised.

One of my favorite memories of those days was the evening ritual of tea and cookies after dinner. My Mother-in-law and I would sit and chat over a plate of Dare cookies (which were always conveniently in stock once she realized I was a big fan of them) and a pot of tea. The content of the teapot would vary, depending on who was home. Her favorite was a mixture of earl grey and lemon zinger... one that would elicit a wrinkled nose from my sister-in-law who pronounced it "yucky tea" and thus it has forever been named. Ask any of my in-laws in Vancouver what "yucky tea" is, and they will laugh and gladly prescribe the tea involved.

It was during these nightly conversations with my Mother-in-law that I heard firsthand her own history. I listened to the many stories of her upbringing, her own parents, and their tragedies and triumphs. I learned the story of how she met my Father-in-law when she was a waitress, working her way through nursing school.

Through it all, I became acquainted with her as a person both young and old. Her story, an important part of the family I was to be a part of, became as familiar to me as the anecdotes of my own extended family. Their names and faces are forever written on my heart, and while I haven't lived it all, their stories have enriched me, thanks to my Mother-in-law... and the nightly tradition of tea.

Over a simple cup of tea, stories are handed down. Tales of life and death, of love and heart break, are re-lived and re-told. The memories are still fresh and the emotions are just below the surface. A cup of tea allows us to linger long enough to bring them forth. And in so doing, entire generations find a common ground.

***********************************************************************

Many people thought of tea as their ultimate comfort drink.

Sarah likened it to a perfectly soft blanket. One that has seen many Sunday mornings cuddling with her version of hot Lipton tea, loaded with milk and sugar. Ever since my childhood in frigid upstate NY, this has been a favorite of mine!

In the comboxes here and here, Rachel (a "real life" friend) and Mrs. Bear passed along their own tea suggestions...

Rachel recommends Celestial Seasonings Cinnamon Apple Spice Tea, which she claims needs no sugar. This from a woman who admits that her coffee must taste "like a dessert" to be palatable. Well, I am with you, dear friend, and can't wait to try this one out!

Mrs. Bear prefers chai tea, a particular favorite of mine... especially the decaf spiced chai.

Both ladies had other suggestions as well... hot toddies (which the hospitable Margaret invited me north to try... is it too early for another trip?) sangria, Arnold Palmers and hot chocolate! (Which we will come back to... never fear!)

Dawn has a plethora of ideas which range from the many varieties of tea to eggnog to flavored coffee! The best part about comfort drinks is the delicious food that goes along with 'em, and Dawn does not disappoint. I am completely inspired to do some Autumn cooking with my kiddos.


The hot chocolate fan-club is filled to the brim.

Helene shares her husband's favorite recipe, along with his favorite cookbook. I think I'm sold on both!

Emily admits an addiction to Williams-Sonoma's hot cocoa mix. She includes her own personal flair with the addition of cinnamon sticks, or cinnamon hearts. And the never-to-be-forgotten dollop of whipped cream.

Elaine had so many different suggestions, you are sure to find what you may be in the mood for! I'm especially intrigued by the coffee drink her husband concocts which includes kahlua and vanilla vodka. Definitely a must try.

Speaking of coffee, which supercedes tea in my book any day... (it being my constant companion in the sanity department around here) Karen does a beautiful job "counting the ways" in which she enjoys her daily cup. (or three?) A woman after my own heart, she gets it exactly right. "For surely there is coffee in heaven."

:)

Don't Forget...

...to write up your post for the Loveliness of Comfort Drinks and leave me a comment by Sunday afternoon.

I'm looking forward to trying out some new recipes!


It will be quiet round here 'til then...



Have a blessed weekend!

:)

A Mother's Warning

After viewing the "feedback" given by those who make appointments to see our home, I am convinced that either people are extremely spoiled and pampered by their own house cleaners and interior decorators, or they suffer from a severe lack of imagination.

And so, I have come up with a sign for those prima donas to read before they enter our domain:

WARNING: YOU ARE ABOUT TO ENTER AN IMPERFECT HOME

We have 5 children. Yes, we really did use the entire '2 hour notice' to clean.

We may have missed a few baseboards. The sponges are under the sink.

The walls may not be painted in the color of your choosing. Home Depot is right down the highway from here.

The saltillo tile may have some cracks.

The doors may have been marked by light sabers.

The windows may be graced with little hand prints.

The toilets were clean this morning, promise.

Sorry about the 15 leaves that have fallen on the patio since we left.

We are growing souls here, there will be plenty of time for flowers later.

And after all of that? Yesterday we finally got a buyer who seems to understand... As in, they really liked the house (despite the imperfections) and need only to get their financing straightened out.

Yay St. Joseph and St. Anthony!

:)

Oh to be a Cat...

... wearing a hat

sitting like that

all cute and fat.


If he were awake

What would he think of that?


:)