Busier than a One Armed Paper Hanger

I have six minutes in which to write this post.  The last two weeks have been very busy, to say the least.  My parents came for a visit on the Sunday night before Memorial Day.  My dad, Dusty and I spent Memorial Day on a roof, and my dad and I continued that fun the next day.  We just couldn't get enough.  It was well over 95 both days, and it made for an experience.  My shoes melted.  The soles of my shoes shifted on the rest of my shoe.  Now, I've had my shoes come unglued, but never have I had them unglue and then REglue crooked.  Weird.  It was HOT.  My dad and I continued that fun on Wednesday afternoon finishing up a few things that needed fixing.  Remember back in March when I called my dad feeble, or frail, or festering, or something like that?  Yeah, not anymore.  He's nearly back to normal, well, more than normal for most people, but nearly back to normal for himself.  It was a long couple of days, but it was a joy to be roofing a house with my dad again. :)  I've missed that.  Is that even legal to say?  "I've missed roofing a house."  Seems against some kind of law.  Aw, man, I've only got one minute left.  It takes me a long time to formulate my thoughts for this thing.  Probably why I haven't blogged in these two weeks.  Anyway, that Tuesday I spent on the roof was Dusty's and my 8th anniversary.  Time's up...I'll finish later.  I'm back.  Did you miss me?  We didn't do anything, after I had been on the roof all day, for our anniversary.  Fortunately, my parents stayed until Friday morning, and we were able to go out on Thursday night.  We ate supper and got frozen yogurt.  It was so nice to get out and be able to converse without children interrupting us.

This week we've had VBS.  I'm leading the old 5 year old class.  The first day we had 33 kids.  THIRTY-THREE KIDS!!!  Ridiculous.  We have the biggest class in the entire preschool.  It has been very interesting, and I don't know how much the kids are going to grasp, but I hope they get something from it.  I have survived the last four days, and have only one left.  I was unsure whether or not I'd make it to tomorrow after today's VBS day.  It has been taxing.  I'm exhausted, and I'm really looking forward to Monday, although, I'm not looking forward to feeling irritable at my kids all the time.  I think I need to have some time to myself every day.  I have more details about all of these things, but honestly, I'm so tired I can't write more.  I'm sorry for being gone so long, and I can promise I won't post again until at least Monday.  I'm really needing lots of time for my family and myself. :)

ALONE!

I went out alone tonight!  First time since April 29!  I happened to run into a couple of friends and their just-under-two year old, who spent the entire shopping trip at Walgreens calling and looking for me, and when I said calling I really mean bellowing.  But I wasn't responsible for him, and that made it better.  I didn't have to corral him, or hush him, or make sure he wasn't eating the cart (which he was).  I also went to the bank and Hobby Lobby all in one hour!  It would've been a lot faster, had I not run into those friends and another friend at Walgreens.  In any case, I felt like a human again upon my return and not some mutant anger-monger that hasn't been alone in public in almost a month.  We'll see which one decides to show up tomorrow.  Human vs Mutant Anger-Monger.  This could be the start of something.  Hm...Dusty should write that app.

On a side note, please pray that the severe storms dissipate tomorrow before they get to us in the evening.  We're supposed to have a high likelihood of tornadoes, and honestly, I'm done with this season.  I'm jumpy and anxious every time the wind blows.  I'm beginning to have day-mares that my house will blow away with us in it. I mean, did you see the footage of the house that's now just a foundation?  That would be what our house would look like.  It's a slab foundation.  We have no underground anywhere to go.  We have my in-laws', but if it just happens on us, then there's no planning.  Granted, I know about it 24 hours in advance, but I really don't want to have to drive all the way there and get no sleep, and have the kids get no sleep, and then just sit in there while nothing happens.  Ugh.  Convenience vs Safety.  Is this really another app?  Probably not.  That would be lame.

Dr. Pepper

I have had an interesting relationship with this soda.  Now, you need to know this before we start, we are no longer soda drinkers.  We drink strictly water, unless we're at someone's house that serves a different drink.  We'll occasionally drink milk, too, but for the last few years it has been basically water.

I have always hated Dr. Pepper.  It tastes like cough medicine.  My sister-in-law would have Dr. Pepper for every meal, if she could get enough nutrition from it.  Not with her meal, FOR her meal.  I had a DP one day, on a whim and realized I did not have the hatred for it any longer.  I actually enjoyed it.  I had it on another occasion, and another.  Then last week I had it at MOPs.  Then I had another one last week I had bought (oh yeah, we buy and keep sodas because we know that a lot of our friends and family drink it, so we keep it on hand, in case someone visiting wants one).  I drank the whole can in about 3 minutes.  Then we went to my in-laws' on Sunday, and I had more.  I could feel it becoming a habit.  Dusty's aunt gave us a 2-liter she had brought that was extra.  I drank 2 during lunch yesterday, and I just had another glass.  Yep.  Pretty sure I'm feeling an addiction coming on.  I wanted to drink more last night at 8, but I didn't want the caffeine (or calories).  Weird.  Tastes change.

Ahhhh...

Want to know what I made tonight?

Tomorrow we're having a birthday party for Dusty's grandfather.  He has been diagnosed with cancer in his lymph nodes now.  I'm not sure what all the details are, but I know he's going to have chemo.  His birthday is Tuesday, and she said that it's most likely his last birthday, and they want to have a party for him.  He's now incapable of swallowing anything with any texture, so we're making foods that are pretty mushy.  I have the job of the cake and I'm making sweet potato casserole.  I also wanted to make something more interesting, so here's the answer to the Title question.  I'm making maple and bacon cupcakes.  Here's the recipe, for the most part, of what I use. French Toast and Bacon Cupcakes with Maple Frosting.  I made 12 normal size ones, and 9 minis.  I'm hoping they like them.  I don't really care though because my kids and husband LOVE them.  I'm exhausted today, but I wanted you to know what I made tonight.  Here's a picture.

Cute isn't it?

Discipline

Not only is it one of the hardest words ever for me to type, it's also one of the hardest things ever with which to be consistent.  Recently I've had the privilege of noticing my kids notice other kids' bad behavior.  With one situation my kids were literally sitting there staring with their mouths open at the disobedient child.  Seth looked at me with amazement, and question like, "Mommy, WHY are you not DOING something?!?"  Later on I had to explain that it's the responsibility of the mommy and daddy to discipline their own children, which is why I didn't say anything to that child, nor should they.  My children are not perfect.  My children do disobey, but they know when they do there are repercussions that will happen EVERY time.  This is the key to having good children.  There's nothing that says that my children will not rebel when they get older.  After they're out from under my roof, I have little control over that, except through prayer, but while they're young, you better believe I keep tabs on them.  They know when they do something to disrespect someone or something, then they will get in trouble. My children could be just as disobedient and raucous as other kids.  They've just been taught that is not how to act.  I love my children.  They are marvelous miracles.

I love my husband, I may as well note. :)  He is the reason that I'm able to be as consistent with our kids as I am.  He is my support, and my encourager.  He is such a wonderful man.

OK.  The end.

Monday

I love weekends.  I love the time I get to spend with my kids during the week, but I love weekends.  I get to spend so much time with my husband, and I love that.  My children are my life right now, but my husband is my life forever.  My children will leave and start their own families, but my husband is here for better or worse til death do us part.

I made chocolate chip cookie dough cupcakes for MOPs today.  It was a potluck thing we were doing, and I made these because of a request another MOPs mom made of me.  She had them once, and really wanted me to make them again.  I really didn't want to make them yesterday, but I did.  The moms loved them.  I'm pretty sure no one will make them because they're pretty labor intensive, but we were supposed to bring the recipe, so I did.

Here's something I don't like.  Gnats.  Nope.  Don't care at all for them.  Now, in normal every day life they don't matter at all to me, but when they get in my house, I do not like them.  Not at all.

Tricia stopped by the other day.  I love when Tricia stops by.  If you read Tricia's blog, you'll read an anecdote about how I know her so well.  I'd just like to point out how nice it is to have a friend like that.  A friend that I can predict what's REALLY going to happen even when they're not even sure that's what was going to happen.  Love that.

Dusty got a clock from his grandmother's house when we were going through things, and it's a digital clock with the date that spins around and around.  Hannah read the date on the clock the day that Dusty plugged it in, and ever since then she has recited the date.  Today we were dropping off some Mary Kay at a clinic where I have some customers, and a nurse came by asking another nurse what day it was.  Hannah said, "May 16th" as she was walking.  Neither woman heard her, but I thought it was hilarious because here's this adult that actually understands the concept of dates within a month, and here's a four year old that barely can grasp what it means (although she has already remarked that tomorrow is May 17th), and she knows the date.  She's such a smartie.  Now Hannah wants to write a letter on my computer, so I will now hand it over to her. :)

Another week older and deeper in debt

OK, so maybe not the deeper in debt part, but I am another week older.

One of our best friends is moving to Nashville from Jackson.  It happens to be Dusty's cousin, but the cousin's wife and I are great friends, and I will miss her and their daughter a lot.  It's still a little bit up in the air, but they're 95% sure they'll go.

Dusty has been contacted by a company that wants to talk to him about a job too, but it has been 4 years since Dusty submitted his resume to them.  It seems pretty random that they'd contact him now.  They haven't been able to really get in touch with each other, in order to be able to relay important information, and I'm figuring it's not really going to work out, but it's just nice for him to be recognized.

I've been a reading fool recently.  I'm really tired, and don't want to do a whole lot.  I'm wondering if I need to get out and exercise, and get my energy level back up, or maybe I'm just drinking too much coffee and my body is revolting from the amounts of caffeine.

OH, man.  I just remembered I have to make some cupcakes, so I'll cut this short and go do that for tomorrow.