To My Devotees:

To all of my faithful followers and closet readers,

I regret to inform you that at this time in my life I have made a difficult and tearful decision. I will be taking a leave of absence for the period of approximately two weeks.

When I am crying everyday over who knows what, acting like a crazy person, trying to pack and purge and find a rental, and dealing with the emotional repercussions of knowing that Bryce will be off training in beautiful California for an extended period of time leaving me home.alone in a new area with three precariously obedient children (and hopefully a large sum of money for the local quilt store so I don't get bored), I lack the motivation, capacity, and/or ability to come up with clever post ideas.

And now for a plea: come back in two weeks, or for honesty's sake let's say 3 weeks. I will be back, and I hope that all of you will too.

Katie

Feel free to leave a comment stating your undying devotion and how terribly I will be missed......

Bryce got a job with the IRS in Medford, OR. We're moving next Wednesday, packing up next Tuesday between 6:30 and 7:30pm so if you live in the area....

I've Never:

I was going to do a project post, I even have a picture of it. However, my computer isn't reading my photo device. Does anyone know anything about that?

So instead, I'm going to do a "I've Never" post. I'm going to list several things that I have never done. In response, you're going to list one thing you've never done. It has to be something fun. For instance, I wouldn't say 'I've never smoked a cigarette' because those of you who know me know that I'm too straight arrow to even be around second-hand smoke.

I've never:

• kissed anyone but Bryce.



• had a boy.



• liked raisins in Raisin Bran, they're too chewy, and while I'm trying to eat the raisins, my flakes are getting soggy.



• broken a bone.



• been in FFA, Future Farmers of America, but I did get a scholarship in high school towards college from them.



• taken a finance class. Bryce, and almost everyone else that I'm related to, is an accountant.



• been able to drive a stick shift.



• thought spanking kids is a good idea, although I've given one to both Elizabeth and Adeline. They seem fine for now, but who's to say they won't need therapy in the future...



• texted.



• been wrong. That's not true, obviously. But it's fun to think it's true.

What about you?

Katie

Things that I don't do, even though I know I should:

• Floss. I know, I know, but I'm not buying into the fact that a minuscule size string perfectly placed can prevent cavities.



• Exercise. I feel like I just had this conversation, but I ran for a total of six weeks. That's not a record in any kind of category.



• Keep a journal, I can't even justify my blog, nor can you, knowing what we know about said blog.



• Weed my garden. After five months in, the novelty has worn off. If you can say weeding is novel.



• Tell people that we're moving. I know I should make some huge announcement, still....



• Take my kids to the library. I have a large fine, and seriously, I'll probably just skip town without paying it.



• Wash my fabric before I use it for a quilt.



• Clip coupons, just typing that makes me nauseous about all the work that I foresee.



• Give my kids vitamins. Some days I can barely get them fed all of the food groups in no particular order.



• Go through family pictures. I had my friend Becca take some family pictures and I'm still traumatized at how awful it went, independent of Becca - she was fabulous, that I can't summon the courage to open the file again.

Katie

The Great Debate

I have debated and debated about whether or not I should post this. I know that some of you already know about it, which is fine, I try not to have any secrets. And if any of you would have asked, I would have told you my thoughts, straight up.

I'm just going to go for it:

I don't miss Elizabeth when she goes to school.

I know that I should and that she's gone for a really.long.time for someone so small.

But people, I don't.

We've had five.whole.years together. No preschool, no daycare, nothing.

The time has come for her to go to school and for the other two innocents to have some attention.

Go ahead, judge away.

Something else? It really bothers me when people don't turn on their blinkers when they're in the left hand turn lane. I know that it's 'implied' with it being a turn lane and all, but still....

And why I'm in a confessional state, I'm really sorry I didn't post on Friday. I just couldn't get it together.

Katie

Sorry to Say...

that I've been avoiding doing a post today.

Not that I don't adore and appreciate all of you and not that I don't think you deserve a fab post, I just don't think today is that day.

It could be one of the following reasons:

I was oh.so.sick yesterday.

Elizabeth was oh.so.sick on Monday.

I am worried that someone else will be oh.so.sick in the not too distant future.

My tomato plants, all eight of them, have produced a total of 2 ripe tomatoes.

We ran out of cereal two days ago.

I have cookie sheets full of stale bread waiting to become croutons. I don't eat bread bums.

My nose hurt for two days after the 'incident', however, I don't think that it's broken.

Katie

What I Learned This Week

• Throw up is the grossest when you are the one cleaning it up than at any other time.



• That it's a miracle that Adeline hasn't broken her other arm.



• Two kids at home that take naps is way easier than three kids.



• Moms are the best, especially when they visit and do all of the stuff that you get so.tired.of.doing: changing poopy diapers, taking the kids to the park, doing baths, cleaning dishes, wiping kids off after dinner, etc.



• When you are getting your three year old ready for bed with you leaning over and holding pajama shorts and she decides to jump in instead of stepping in and she rams your nose with her head at full speed and then you start crying and gushing blood like nobodies business and are trying to think of some obscenities that would be wildly appropriate for this situation and realize you don't really know any because you were raised better than that and then your daughter starts crying because you've scared the dickens out of her with so much blood and your head and nose hurt for four hours after the incident and there is a slightly perceptible black eye, you about want to call it quits.



• Five year olds need more sleep than they would have you believe.



• You can buy a chandelier with real crystals at an estate sale for $5 and then go to an antique store to see said chandelier going for $175 and feel prett-y good about yourself.



• The A-Team is actually a really, really funny movie, although your husband will be quoting antiquated lines from the original series for days.



• People who read this blog know about as much about plumbing as I do, which if you haven't caught on, is noth.ing.



• You take it personally when someone stops following your blog.



• Your husband quoting a line from one of your posts, i.e. ....not swayed by feminine tears....., is not nearly as funny as when you write it.



• A good book can be the best solution to a lot of problems.

I'm secretly hoping I don't have as much to learn this week,

Katie

Not Really a Project Post

This isn't really a project post.

I haven't done any 'projects' this week.

However, don't you worry, I have a whole stack of stuff to work on.

Some of it will be spray painted, *gasp* and some of it is just waiting to find a home.

This is a flake out post, even I know that. But I really am curious if any of you are working on projects. I'm actually screening to see if any of you qualify to work on some of my pile of stuff.....

In the meantime, I'm off to some garage sales.

Katie

What You've All Been Waiting For...

an update.

Elizabeth started school. Am I nervous? Yes and no. I'm sure she'll be just fine. What I'm worried about? That she won't close the stall door when she goes to the bathroom, that she will be bossy and will talk too much or out of turn, that she'll pass gas at inappropriate times, (as in not by herself in the bathroom, or by a tree, or on the playground), that she won't eat all of her lunch, etc.

Adeline is the big sister at home and has been so for approximately one hour. She has filled the role like it was made for her: bossy, disobedient, whinny, nagging for a playmate, bored, asking for a movie, snack, treat, show every 3.5 minutes, etc.

Meg fell down the stairs this morning.

Our toilet is having issues. If you can help out with any advice, that would be appreciated. If you need more specifics, call me.

I have a stack of projects waiting to be done and I predict NONE of them will be done by Friday.

Katie

P.S. If you're thinking about leaving a negative comment about my haircut, don't bother, I don't think I could stomach it.

I don't know how Adeline broke her arm specifically, she was supposed to be in bed, asleep.

Wish List

Today is mine and Bryce's seven year anniversary. Some days it feels like it's been 7 1/2 years. I thought I would compile a list about things that I know now that I wish I would have known all those years ago.

• Bryce is not in the least bit swayed by feminine tears.



• He's really great at dishes.



• He lacks vision, so I should just stop asking if it's a good idea and just do it, and then prepare myself for his reaction.



• He is not a good phone conversationalist.



• He is surprisingly competent at home improvement things.



• He can work magic with popcorn and popcorn seasonings.



• Bryce has an interest in cooking soup and bread, which only recently surfaced.



• Our house is happiest when we are both patient and well rested and the kids are all in bed.



• Vacations revolve around adult naps.



• I wish I would have known that we were going to have three girls. I don't think I could have prepared myself, but it would have been worth a try.



• Bryce loves a good bargain at an estate/garage sale, just like I do.



• Just because you don't understand what someone does, doesn't mean you love them any less.



• The best line "what, in our history together, makes you think.......?"



• You should be supportive of the other person and their hobbies, even if it deals with combing a stinky pool of rain water for lost disc golf discs or using bent spoons to hold back curtains.



• An individual should accept another's limitations, like meatloaf and cleaning up throw up aversions or bath time.



• It's not that big of a deal if your spouse falls asleep during your labor, really it's not, it'll hardly ever come up.....



• Pet names are over-rated.

Bryce, what can I say? I hope all of our girls grow up to marry someone just like you. I'm sure they'll (I'll) survive to see that day. You're the love of my life.

Katie

Easy, Peasy, Rice and Cheesy

The project is the table not the cute, little chairs, disappointing, I know. We picked it up at a thrift store and it was originally an end table for a family room. You know the kind that you buy as soon as you turn 50 and hold on to till you die? And you probably have two, a Mr. and a Mrs.? It has the little half shelf above it? Does anyone know what I'm talking about? We took off the little half shelf and painted it. It's the pefect size for kids until about the age of four.
I've seen loads of music sheet wreaths, but those just aren't me. I saw this idea on someone else's blog and I though I could manage it. The step-by-step: take old sheet music, role it into a tube, tape it, put it in a container. I put some old towels in the bottom so they would sit higher.

I saw this idea on someone's blog who posted a picture of it as seen in Pottery Barn. It must be a good idea if it's in Pottery Barn. Take some books that you don't read or won't read (one of those ones pictured here is Walden) tear off the covers, stack them up, and tie them with string.

I know this is a really late-in-the-day post, but my mom is in town and she can't be stopped when it comes to estate sales and garage sales. She gets a little crazy...but I love her like a mom.

Anyway, these are projects that took a day or less. What I mean by that, it that one project took an hour and the other two five minutes.

I'm off to clean my sale finds,

Katie

A Dose of Randomness

Here are two thoughts I've had lately:

I'm glad I'm running. Or maybe I should say glad that I am in the category of 'runners'. Sure I like the time by myself, on the days I run I feel like I've accomplished something, I'm sure I'm healthier - I don't know how to officially gauge that, but the main reason? I'm a hero.

Runners are heroes. Very rarely are they the victims. The runners on CSI or Law & Order who are jaunting through Central Park or along the beach ALWAYS find the dead people. Very rarely are THEY the dead people. I'm taking control my life by beating the suburban sidewalks with my Pumas.

I find Toy Story highly unbelievable. No, not the talking toy part. More specifically, that Sid, the crazy neighbor kid, actually wins a toy using the claw mechanism at the arcade. I, for one, have NEVER seen any one win anything from those things. And it only took one try? pu-lease...

Katie

I'm trying to commit myself to have a picture of Adeline and her cast on Friday....don't hold your breath.

This Is It...

The first winner is: Brittney Taylor and she chose September Morn.
The second winner is: Rachel Whyte. Rachel, make sure you let me know what your second choice is, Yesterday's Song or Forever in Blue Jeans.

I will be back on Wednesday with a normally scheduled post.

Thanks for playing, you were all good sports.

Katie

When I said I would have a picture of Adeline in her cast later that day, I really meant later that year....