This morning, I asked William to get me the butter out of the fridge. He brought me a stick of the real thing, but what I wanted was the kind in the big round tub. So I said, "Get me the kind in the tub." I didn't think he really knew what I meant, and sure enough, a minute later, he came back with this butter yellow bar of soap I kept on the master bath tub!!! True story!!!

Why do people ask me if I'm German, out of the blue? Years ago, a stranger in the checkout line at Safeway asked me that. Last night, at work, I sat in a different spot, and this girl I never talk to asked me the same thing. I don't get it. Are they actually thinking of the words "stern Nazi" when they ask? Or BRATwurst? I don't dress like the St. Pauli girl. What about me invites that question? Maybe this "fraulein" doesn't want to know.

Puddleglum's my name, believing's my game

Max the cat is behind the computer monitor, purring and snooping around. He thinks he's so clever and oh so much more agile than the dog.

Our family got the flu that's so chic right now. I was mostly on the couch last Wednesday through Sunday. I'm now up and around but blowing my nose and coughing up lungs. The lowgrade fever was really starting to affect my mind. Monday was nice, though. Kristi took the 3 older kids ice skating, which was wonderful of her. I worked on a couple of quilting projects at the fam's. I got my Mom, me, and William some Subway sandwiches, and then we decided to go to the Old Cannery furniture store to browse their selections. The neighboring town of Sumner is adorable, and I forgot about Main Street(?) with its antique shops and bakeries and Italian cafes. One of my favoritest things in the world is cute shops and charming eateries. So I got to browse a New Englandy style antique shop, which was very hot and very fragrant with lots of highly scented candles. I loved it. Monday really perked me up in spite of the very rainy, windy, cold weather. Tuesday, I spent the whole day clothes shopping at Goodwill, Ross, and Old Navy. I go 4 weeks without buying anyone anything, and in that time, people have outgrown stuff, and I also have to throw things away. Sheesh!!!

I'll be honest--this moving thing has been an extreme adjustment. I'm not used to the new routine. I'm still thrown for a loop by everything. I didn't realize what a creature of familiar routine and comfort I was. I also didn't realized how low my nerve reserves were. But, like Puddleglum, I know there is a sun up there. I know it WILL BE SUMMER in only a matter of months, even though it looks and feels like there has never been a summer in this most awful time of year.

Some things are a little different here. I couldn't figure out for the life of me how to either stretch the pic in header or move the title to the right. I'm not totall happy with the placement, as you can imagine. Suggestions?

FUELED BY PEANUT M & M'S AND ROAST BEEF SANDWICH

Drum roll, please!! I returneth!!! Thanks for putting the pressure on, Jazzy Gazelle!!! I'm feeling REALLY sociable, and this is my only outlet at 2:51 a.m.

SO......we are in our new house, as of 2 weeks ago. Surreal. No, I don't have pictures available yet. I don't even have the camera figured out, nor do I really know where the manual is, or how to turn off the italics I just inadvertantly turned on. Someone is buying our house, I don't know who. I have to get the last of our speege out tomorrow.

Three deer came through our backyard last evening at twilight--they were so beautiful!! I expected a lot of bird activity and song, but it is less birdy here than in Tacoma. I don't get it. We are up against woods and trail. WHERE'S THE BIRDS!!! SHOW ME THE FEATHERS!!!

I was so tired and apparently dopey on my way home this evening (late) that I stopped at the gate(!) to punch in my code, not even realizing that the gate was already open, and some punky whippersnappers tore around the idiot that was me to get through. Another blonde moment, of which I have had WAY TOO MANY lately. The night before I got pulled over for going too fast through town. It's a small, quaint town, and speeding is noticed. Thankfully, he let me off with just a warning!

Thank you for your support of this blog. You are loved by me, and you are going to have an awesome Saturday and Sunday. Give me lots of complimentary comments or my dog will snort and flap her ears in a most peeving and uncatlike, unsophisticated manner.

We got a camera this weekend, and it's a beauty. It's chock full of pictures--can't take anymore. I haven't really used it yet. It looks so complicated, I tell Chris it must be part time machine

Christmas vacation starts today--yay! And I have 3 days off, so that makes a 6 day vacation--Hallelujah!

At dinner last night, Zoe said the soup was hot. I said, "Yeah, that's because it's boiling." Will immediately latched onto that cuz he thought I said Boyland. So then he was ALL EXCITED about BOYLAND where there's "lots of toys and stuff." We didn't correct him, it was too priceless, and let him continue to ramble excitedly to us about what's there and how we should go there.

Thursday, 1:00, half day for kids, eating lunch with tea, kids watching Scooby. I resolved to make it through to the end of this week with a positive amount of cheerfulness and energy and pace myself and not require a mental health day on Thursday. However, I am doing my paralyzed, la la land, useless, pull into myself, recoup thing on Thursday, anyway. I don't make to do lists anymore, because when I do, I rebel against them and do hardly anything at all. That's the way I feel today. I should be cleaning, packing, erranding, painting...but I drank coffee, read, made phone calls, looked at e-mails and blogs. Oh, and got upset because I can't find my previous diary notebook. I don't know where it is. It's not where I put it. So now I feel quite insecure and annoyed and in limbo about that.

Our house is on the market. We are going to try to sell it and move into a Bill Abram built beauty, if God wills. Chris is having to take on the stress of finishing stuff that has sat there undone for years, on top of the stress of his long hours on the job and the dreariness of this time of year. We had a great time Sunday, though. We went to lunch in the afternoon, just him and me, and then to this cool old book store nearby I've been wanting to see for a long time. I had such a huge deficit in the fun category, and this was SO FUN. I got 3 books, and I am already fantasizing about the books I want to buy next.

I finished my self-portrait and gave it to Chris for his birthday a few weeks ago. But my camera disappeared at a pizza/play place I took the kids to awhile ago. Wretched, wretched loss, that was. The painting turned out good, although my expression is quite intense, and when we put it on the wall, it looked like my eyes were following you around the room with their serious expression. It was too much and is now upstairs facing the wall. Felt like one of those old movies or books where the dark paintings of dour relatives line the wall, making one feel self conscious walking by. I hope that's not how I come across and make people around me feel all the time. So, I can't take a picture and show you, at this juncture.

Two nuggets of preciousness revealed by Zach a few days ago: He can't wait for his voice to change. He's tired of "sounding like a little kid." And he said that he thought he figured out the reason we are on this earth--to help people. A man at church who does Sunday School said that, and he sees me helping people that come across my path, and it's sinking in--what a treat to hear him express this. I think I was quite self-absorbed and insecure at 12 and not thinking along those lines yet.

Wow, have I ever been neglectful of sharing news!

Zach is now being home-schooled again...scramble, scramble! Public middle school was a hideous experiment for him. I had just gotten used to enjoying more time to get things done! We're continuing with Math-U-See he hadn't finished from last year, as well as Adventures in Learning he hadn't finished. I just ordered the new Adventures in Learning today. God give me grace. Amen.

I have been working on a mural at church in the sunday school room where I teach. I didn't design it, but transferred a lot of it to the wall from some overhead projector pictures. It's kind of a spacey/Jetsons kind of thing. I am also almost done with my self-portrait in oil. I decided a few days ago, Doh!! Chris's birthday is the 22nd! I better get that done and framed and give it to him!! I'll share pics of it and mural when done. (He has actually seen it except for the background). So, yesterday, I neglected Zach and William and everything for a few hours, which is what it takes--oh how I love the guilt--and used the best of my brain and creativity to do a cool background and paint more of the shirt. I have a little left to do, but I was pleased as punch to have gotten done what I did. Zach was totally unresentful. I crammed in some school after that.

Nicest thing said to me this week, by Zoe: That I was the best Mom and the prettiest Mom there was. This was so sweet, because I usually feel tired, stressed, overwhelmed, haggard, aging, out of shape, pulled in a million different directions, guilty for not being and doing better. Thank you, God. Thank you, Zoe.

Tomorrow night I am going to have Mother-in-Law over for a pre-faux-Thanksgiving meal since we'll be at fam's Thursday. I am going to try this dry brine roasted turkey and make a very fancy pumpkin pie.

Love and peace to you.

At dinner, William was having a hard time eating his green beans. Everyone else was done, and he was still struggling. We even put parmesan cheese on them. I was being firm and telling him he had to eat them and wasn't going to get down until he did. (And they are GOOD green beans--tender, long, fancy style). Well, for some reason, he asks me for a piece of paper. He just recently got into decorating paper. So he finds the printer paper, gets a pencil, and "writes" a jagged, squiggly, long line. He shows it to me and tells me he wrote "No" on it. (Regarding the injunction to eat the beans). I reminded him that he WAS going to eat the beans. He then said, "Now it says, 'Yeah.'" Unbelievable!!

Ladies, I stumbled on this great looking blog--homeliving.blogspot.com. It's pro-homemaking and looks very wholesome and edifying. I look forward to taking the time to read it.

I'm sorry I posted this many pictures of the same thing. I thought it wasn't working when I was uploading. And then I couldn't figure out how to delete some pictures on edit. So, Kristi and Mom, if you haven't seen the movie Napoleon Dynamite, you would definitely be scratching your head. It made my day to find this costume...for Zach, yeah, that's it, Zach!! Vote for Pedro and all your wildest dreams will come true!

Zachary captured this rare photo of a male and a female Redman taking their young for a walk at the Puyallup River. When William wasn't using the scooter, I got to. It was surprisingly fun! I didn't grow up with those.

What else is new? Jessie is at a different school. Friendship thing not happening at old one. I just started the book about Andrew. I am going to keep my kleenex handy. Watched "Shall We Dance,"albeit by myself, this weekend. I dare you to watch that, ladies, and not spend hours on the internet trying to find ballroom dance lessons nearby. I actually, seriously want to.

William cracked me up yesterday when we were at this lake taking a walk. He tumbled down a dirt trail and immediately said, with his usual passion, "Stupid dirt!! I HATE YAT DIRT!!" It was SO FUNNY!! Today, he asked to be picked up, and I don't know how it started, but we had a priceless little talk about Heaven and why we're not there already and how we have to die first. He wanted to know why we couldn't be HOME yet!!! I hadn't mentioned the word home--I almost got chills!! He believes the way we'll get there is by a rocket. And Jesus will have toys, candy, and gum and will take care of us. So that's that. Now you know.

My kids made my day, and it's about time!

Several things blew my mind recently. In the USA Weekend insert in Sunday's paper, there was an article talking about Neighbors Make a Difference Day in October. Where it tells you how to join the action, it says, "If Saturday is your Sabbath, please volunteer Sunday, Oct. 29." Can you believe it!!?? I hooted with disbelief and amazement!! Someone mentioning the Sabbath in print!! And acknowledging that there are Saturday campers and Sunday campers!

And the other mind-blowers occurred at the dinner table tonight (simmered beef short rib, a Korean recipe, short grain rice, and Korean bean sprout salad--delicious. If you want me to share recipe, let me know). Zach was telling me there was this short black 6th grader who was being obnoxious and kinda making himself troublesome--punching Zach in the arm semi-seriously and what not. He asked Zach at one point if he was a Christian, and when Zach said yeah, the boy seemed to show fear and respect and said he was a Christian, too, and wouldn't mess with Zach anymore. It seems to me that some kids get obnoxious with Zach out of jealousy, honestly. But can you believe that?!! And then Jessie proceeds to tell me that LAST YEAR this mean, neglected kid who bugged her asked her if she was a Christian. She said she was, and they discussed some spiritual matters. I guess this kid didn't feel like God cared and seemed to want salvation but was dragging his feet. (Why didn't she tell me this at the time?!) Jessie, bless her heart, said that she tried to talk to him positively about God and the Bible, and even said she searched the Bible for things to say!!! My kids do not know how much they blessed me with these confessions/testimonies/tales. You never know how your kid is going to be about sharing their faith. It's very hard for me to talk about spiritual matters close and deep to my heart with ANYONE, even family, much less basic things with acquaintances. Out of the mouths of babes....an example and inspiration for Mom....and some reward for many years of effort and time and prayer put in! PTL!!

Here's a combination and a half I saw on a guy at work tonight. He was wearing white socks with black shoes and too short black pants so you could see the socks. Classic geek, right? Well, I guess maybe he was trying to offset it, cuz he had a hoop in his left ear. Incongruous, indeed!! Was that his costume for Halloween and normally he dresses "cool"?

You know it's time to change your name when.....your names are Mr. and Mrs. Boob. I am not kidding--there are some unfortunate people out there with those names. I saw it with my own eyes on yesterday!!

Tick tock tick tock...football clock's keeping me company here at 11:50 p.m. while I try to keep my eyes open in this quiet house of sleepers. I did a lot of laundry and house work today. Put up a cute fallish decoration by front door outside. Didn't spend all day on the go!! Yay!! Played a little with neighbor's adorable new pitbull puppy. Painted a mirror black--one that is supposed to go above the couch. It's been down for half a year since we painted.

Strong opinion ahead

"Like a gold ring in a pig's snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." Proverbs 11:22
What made me think of this harsh? proverb was this beautiful, classy 40-something checker at the grocery store....she had a guy's barbed wire type tattoo on her ample(I didn't say muscular) bicep. Why?!?!?! Gold ring, pig's snout...tattoo, lady's bicep. Made me want to snort and make oinking sounds!!

How many chiropractors does it take to screw in a light bulb?

Just one, but it takes 9 visits!! Har har!!

No MP3, no cry

Chris had to return the gizmo cuz the cds he transferred seemed to not want to play. So I bought some much needed fall clothes, and he got an alarm clock that includes sea sounds and frog pond sounds! It played the radio ok, and I used it once...it was nice while it lasted. He said the knockoff we got was a ripoff compared to how you can pay a bit more and get TONS more room(megabites??) with the actual Ipod, if I'm not mistaken. Oh well. I love my clothes, I loved his gesture.

And then?

Howdy, folks!! It is 11:32 on Saturday morning. Jessie is coloring at the table, Zoe is upstairs with William playing Game Cube, and Zach is oot and aboot with his buddy. Chris had to go in to work. We will have some friends over tonight for dessert and what have you. Chris suggested pecan pies, so that's what I'll make. I'm waking up pretty slow, cuz I got home at 3:00!!

Wow, fall!! Like, overnight, it's not capri pants and flip flops weather, anymore. Just when my summer wardrobe seems adequate, I need to start buying for fall!

I've been going to the chiropractor frequently. It turns out I have a protruding disc in my lower back which is pressing the nerve. I probably mentioned that I have pain down the back of my right leg which causes me to hobble and wince and feel old. It just wasn't going away. I had an MRI, which showed it clearly. He says it could take quite a few weeks for the disc to go back in. He's into the latest effective treatments--not surgery--and is treating me with laser, adjustments, exercises, stretches, and his DEVASTATING good looks. (Did I say that out loud?) Think of that chap in the Jane Eyre movie, is it Timothy Dalton? ANYWAY!!!! I am walking the dog and icing and stretching and taking 4 Advils in the evening, and just started improving a few days ago, thank God!!

Zach has exceeded my expectations so far for going to a new public middle school after being home schooled. He had been nervous, and I had, too. I forced him to sign up for intramural track, cuz he's just absolutely built for it. He was NOT happy about it. But 3 days into track, the soreness from new exercise is going away, his team creamed the other team in the baton relay, and he was bummed there was no practice on Friday!! He said the teachers and kids are nice to him, and he's getting some good respect, thanks be to God. He is full of confidence, and I don't miss the strain we had doing home school together. Maybe there's something to this honoring your husband's wishes thing. They haven't really gotten into the books much yet. Probably I'll wring my hands in 2 months over something to do with him, but for now, yay!!

Last Saturday, Chris surprised my socks off by planning, by himself, to take me to Seattle, and even arranging babysitting with the fam!! He suggested Pike's Place Market. He is pretty familiar with the city cuz of jobs he's had up there, and he showed me some of them. We didn't have an agenda, and that turned out to be really cool, cuz you don't have expectations, you can just do what sounds good. So we went to this pizza place, Pagliachi's, where I had scalding hot sausage and onion pizza and free pop for knowing the trivia question of what the four children's names were in Narnia (Really had to strain my brain there--not). Then we wandered out, and there was a record store 2 doors down. I'd been thinking how fun it would be as a date to go to a record store with my honey and spend hours browsing. I recently bought a record player for 10.00 at Goodwill and some records, also. I thought Chris would look down his nose at this retro, low-tech interest of mine, but not so. He loves new technology, but also music, and we did go in the record store and spent quite a bit of time browsing. We got like 6 records for 15.00!! That was fun!! Then we went to Pike's Place Market, which was wonderful. There were so many enticing smells---a bakery, fresh seafood, incense, produce, flowers. Seattle has an amazing energy. I pretty much dig it. And on top of this cool date, he surprised me with an Mp3 player later that night!! (We're still trying to get it loaded, WITH titles.) Talk about brownie points gained!! As opposed to cool points lost, as the record player clerk joked to me as I tripped tremendously and embarrassingly cuz I forgot/didn't see this 12 inch step up I needed to take!!! It scared me really bad, and I was so stunningly clutzy it's really surprising I didn't land on my face. I tried to hide the fact that it didn't do too much for my disc situation, either.

How many Irish people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Fifteen. One to hold the light bulb and 14 to drink whiskey till the room spins.

How many dull people does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One.

How many lawyers does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One, but when he's done, it's really screwed!!

How many women with PMS does it take to screw in a light bulb?
Six.
Why?
IT JUST DOES, OKAY!!!!!!!!!

How many narcissists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
One. He holds the light bulb while the world revolves around him.

How many dyslexics does it change to take a lightbulb?

Did you hear what happened to the fly on the toilet seat?
He got pissed off.

Did you hear about the man who went into a bar with a frog on his head? The bartender looked at him and said, "Say, that's pretty neat, where'd you find him?" The frog answered, " Well, he started out as this bump on my butt....."