I'm not going to name names. I know writing is super, majorly difficult. But I've been trying to read new authors and I get so annoyed when the details don't match up.

I had to put another book down yesterday because what started out on a Thursday (author making a big deal that a foster child is kept home from school to meet his uncle) to the next day no mention of school, running into visitors and no mention of the heroine's not showing up for work when it was emphatically mentioned the day before. How did we skip Friday and go straight to Saturday?

This was among a couple of more discrepancies, so I had to retire the book. Do you have this problem too? What do you? Do you continue or you give up like me? Oh and if you have some good reads to let me know about-I'd love to check it out.

My lovely and I were in bed and we were dying laughing so hard over a story he recalled with the boys.

My lovely husband just sold his 1970 Ford Torino convertible. While he was getting it ready for the new owner to have it picked up and towed six hours away, the boys were "helping" him.

They were enchanted with the hand-cranked window roller-up-thingy. They had never seen one and were amazed that you can turn it and the windows go up and down.

They asked if they could do this over and over. Wow, how far we've come. In fact, I don't think they've ever been in a car with manual transmission.

As he is restoring a 1967 Camero, he told me he's going to keep the manual transmission so we would have a vehicle with manual transmission to teach the boys later on. I remember it was a must to learn to drive stick if we wanted to drive a vehicle growing up. We had a rusty old Toyota truck that I learned to drive stick on and taught my younger siblings to drive.

When did I get so old? Are there things that don't seem so antiquated to you but are almost obsoleted to your kids?

Update on me

Why am I so good a focusing on what I do wrong and beat myself up for it but see only good in others? Frickin' crazy mama here. I've been eating too many calories and fat and I'm not being accountable to myself. But I could be much worse. Why do I beat myself up for the extra little bit and not congratulate myself on the stuff I say "No" to? I'm slipping into some old bad habits like cooking to avoid doing things I don't want to do or to relax. Also, I've been really, really tired. I can't seem to get enough sleep and when I do sleep, I sleep like the dead. No answers today. Just having a moment.

I've been a hermit lately and haven't been in the mood to write. I've been reading a lot. Right now I've been reading books by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Nothing but light damsel-in-distress-saved-by-a-stud which is just right up my alley. I think I'm going to stop writing now so I can go read.

What a waste?!

Ran into my old graduate professor at Costco yesterday. Hadn't seen him in several years. Introduced him to my lovely husband and boys. He asked what I am doing these days and I replied "I stay at home". He told me what I waste of my degree. In front of my family. Nice. Wow. Is this how people really feel about SAHMs?

Allergic to new stuff

Nothing makes me happier than going garage saling on a sunny Saturday morning in the summer. Over the years, it's evolved from randomly following signs posted in the hopes that the sale is still going on to having the routes and times planned out so I can maximize scoring items like Fiestaware, kids' clothes, and fabric. Well, I have always preferred going shopping at a second-hand store than any new store. I find the neatest stuff there. Once, I found a Fiestaware spoon rest for $0.50!!!! I love finding clothes for myself and if possible I buy used before I would buy anything new.

Recently, we bought a new queen bed for our room because our bed has been at least 8 years old and it was a hand-me-down bed as it was. Then my mom-mobile van died and we decided to buy a new car because my lovely husband is sick of inheriting other people's problems buying used. Well, humor would have it that I am allergic to the "new" car smell (which is also the same smell on our new bed) identified as formaldehyde (a preservative). After two weeks of itching all night on my bed, we have moved it downstairs to air out and we have an old mattress in its place until then. And when I am in my car for more than 5 minutes, I am itchy and my skin flares up. So, I'm driving in 37 degree F weather with the window down and the heat blasting. I've been told I need to air out the car too. My husband teases that he can't buy me anything new-now if I could only find a car and bed at an estate sale...I'd be set. This is what I get for buying new things.

The -elle's

My husband has noticed a trend about my friends. This past year, I've met and gotten to know several women who've been an inspiration to me and enjoy their company. Lovely husband kept gettting confused because all three have and "elle" at the end of their names so gets confused when I mention them. At first I was frustrated with him because he couldn't keep the names and stories straight but then he mentioned the "elle" thing and then I ate grovel pie. Poor lovely.

CANNING

I think I'm a fruit-aholic or a fruit hoarder. I managed to get over 200 lbs. of FREE apples, 40 lbs. of Italian prunes, cucumbers, and red onion. So what do I do? I stuff them into jars. Oh my goodness...I've been busy...I just finished canning. I made applesauce, apple pie filling, plum jam, and refrigerator pickles. I am tired. I also have to get my house in tip-top shape for company this weekend and RUN a half-marathon. My poor neglected kids. Iowe Mr. Walt Disney and PBS some serious babysitting mon

De-cluttering

I just watched the scariest show ever put on TV on the A & E channel. The show is called "Hoarders" and it's gross and disturbing. This show follows people who have a problem getting rid of anything. Now all hoarders save the same thing but one thing is the same in each home of a hoarder-it's cluttered and dirty. It's always been a fear of mine that I might become a hoarder. My mom has a mild case of it because she doesn't like to get rid of anything. She will only really get rid of something if she gives it to someone. Usually when I come back from visiting her, I do a mini de-cluttering of my house in response to all the clutter in her home.

So today, armed with the memories of the show and my genetic predisposition to keep everything, I am going through each room, closet, underneath each bed and anywhere in my house where I have shoved unwanted stuff I don't want to deal with and either bagging it up to take to the local thrift store, make use of it, or just plain chuck it. This fall clean-up and de-cluttering event helps me less cranky about being stuck in my house when the snow comes.


It makes me feel better to get the clutter out of my house but this year what's has been hard is getting rid of the "toddler-type" toys they don't play with anymore but I haven't had the heart to part with. If I continue to store it in hopes of someone making use of it when they come to play-it just makes a big mess in the family room and just sits there. So, I am trying to be a big girl and get rid of it. I am just not that organized and won't remember that it's there.

Like

I love the word like. I use it so much as a filler in conversations and it's really getting annoying. I wonder if I need to fine myself a 2 additional minutes on the treadmill or spin bike. If only I can catch myself at all time...