Fall

I absolutely love fall. The colors, the air, the leaves....well, not raking or anything, but how pretty they can be and such. Our birthdays, anniversary, the holidays we love, all in the fall. I guess I'd have to say Christmas is my favorite holiday, but fall is definitely my favorite season. So I'm really enjoying the atmosphere here in Iowa in the fall.

Other things -- eh. Working on being and getting better at things we need to do, work, home, budgets, getting the girls to bed, all of it. It's time to shape up, ya know? It's so hard to turn around old habits, but the time is now, so we're working, ebaying, cleaning......

One project to show, another lunchbox -- this one is, hopefully, sold to my sb'ing friend in New Zealand. Waiting to hear from her today!

I cropped!

Not much new since yesterday, but I did scrapbook a layout. Woohoo! Hopefully will do something else tonight. Good therapy, this. :)

Catching Up, Clearing the Fog

What a week. Busy weekend, ups and downs, tired mostly, trying week so far, terrible day yesterday. Wish I had some scrapbooking to share. I feel like I need to cleanse my soul of burden and stress right now. I want to stare some scrapbook paper and photos in the face and it be for me, for my books, for my girls, for our family, for fun. No projects for sale, no samples, no make and takes, no circle journal entries. Maybe later tonight.

Until then, I'm on my guard. I'm watching the girls, not letting them get too far from me without worrying with what they may be into. Yesterday, what they were into was poopy diapers. I couldn't believe the mess -- the husband came home early to try and clean it up. My back was still hurting from Saturday's activities, and I didn't want to push it, so he was able to help. Maddie had two baths yesterday because, yes, she got into a diaper twice. Amazing, I know. We're now stapling the diapers on them, and that mostly works. Today it does, anyway.

Also yesterday, after all that happened and I had the girls sitting with their lunch, and I was sitting with mine, I feel something with my tongue, and it turns out a filling has fallen out of my tooth. The upper one all the way in the back on the left. UGH. I mean, how much worse can this day get? So I make a dental appt for today; dh has to come home early again. I hate dental work. Hate it. I am way beyond just cringing. I have a terrible sensitivity to it. If the drill is being used, I"m ready to throw up. If it touches my lip by accident (you know how they might move the handle part around and it touches), I can throw up. That vibration just makes me ill and hurt and puts chills up and down my spine. My knuckles are white the entire time and my whole body clinched. I hate it. My former dentist understood this, and if I needed so much as a filling (not often, thank goodness), he'd use the heavy drugs. For a cleaning, I'd use nitrous. It helps. We'll see what today brings. I asked if they had nitrous and told them I"d be needing it.

Today

Today things have not changed significantly, but seem better. Just little things can adjust how you feel about things, you know? We finally got our over-due travel refund, which helps get the bills paid! Good thing, that. I am trying to accept that someone else's stress is not my stress and not to let mean remarks get to me. And I'm wondering if they offer boarding schools that potty train. You think?? maybe?

UGH

Well, I'm having one of those 'damned if I do, damned if I don't' days. I thought I had things going pretty well. I thought I was contributing in some way in one thing I'm involved in, I thought I was doing ok with the girls, I thought I was helping our budget....but today doesn't seem like it's working. Apparently, I don't have the right priorities. Apparently, I am not a good mommy. Apparently, I take one step forward and at least a step and a half back on the budget most times.

About being a good mommy -- I do not know what to do. The girls aren't responding to using the potty. They won't keep their diapers on, and I"m running out of packing tape. I now have to go between their legs with it, too, or they can pull the diaper out from under it. Putting overalls on them doesn't work. Anything with snaps, like a onesie, etc., they can get off and get to the diaper. I bought them big-girl panties to see if that would work, figuring it would be SOMEthing between their bare bottoms and the house, but Emily peeled those off instantly. I don't know what to do.

Budget -- cleaning out the sb supplies! Need to make up to our very very tight budget for some dumb spending. That's going ok, just wish I had more time to go through stuff.

The other -- well, I"m the terrible person in a group, I suppose. I have stronger feelings about something than others do, and I feel like I'm being "put in my place" about it.....not sure what to do here, but I know that it seems I can't do or say anything right these days. I guess I"ll go through with my committment and just keep any thoughts or feelings to myself. What else?

Just having a baddddd day, I guess. Hope yours is going ok though!

Time flies

I think this is the first time I've been a week without posting....just happened. I've been pretty engrossed in the news coverage of Hurricane Katrina. Still, I cry. Some days I can't watch at all. Keep those prayers coming!

Scrapbooking -- this has been a week of working on ebay projects and Stampin' Up! projects for the Crop for the Cure (www.debbie.com/cropforthecure). I have a vendor booth, plus am on the "committee" sponsoring the event, so since it's in 2 weeks, there's lots to do. I am creating some projects with stamping like small scrapbooks, little bags, a lunchbox, all to "raffle" off. The raffle tickets are given with sales -- a ticket for each $5 earned. The husband gave me that idea, as it's what his baseball card shop guy does. Sounds reasonable and fun. I have actual SU product, too, but wanted to show what you can DO with the product, you know? Fun stuff....

Circle journal HELL. Ok, love the idea. Ok, hate the mailing. I seem to be the link in the chain where everyone decides to "catch up;" on three separate cj's, I have received 2 at a time, and am expecting 3 on one today. I know sometimes it's that the person before me is ahead, but sheesh -- how did I get to be the lucky link? I am going to be VERY selective regarding cj's in the future! I'm currently in the post-CKU Minneapolis cj (love it), a pre-CKU KC cj (love it, but am not actually going to CKU KC); a 2Peas 1980s cj that I angeled for when I was frequenting 2Peas; a local sb friends one (easy and small circle). That may be all. It's so hard to remember at the rate they hit my house.

What else -- had a quiet labor day here. The husband was off work on Friday, too, so we finally got to the bathroom painting. Yes, the same bathroom painting mentioned long ago. Sans some final touch up and installing the curtain rod once we find the hardware (another story, that), I think we're finished! Of course, this is my cosmetic make-over. It now looks like a room we decorated instead of the previous owners. What were they thinking with all that lavender and yellow??? Someday we'll replace the toilet, sink and cabinet....someday.