She is...

Helpful.

Helping me wipe down walls. So cheerfully, too. :-)

(yes, rats do live in her hair at night)

Welcome Back

...old friend. Have I ever missed you!

(In the spirit of Grateful Fridays, I want to reiterate, as I have before, that I love my Swiffer Wet Jet. With a big ♥.)

I have lived without you since September 26, 2007. That's 5 months of missing you. (And I'm pretty sure that pregnancy math does not apply to mops.)

That was the day, that sad, sad day, that the dumb movers broke your back. ::sniff::

I tried to operate on you, but you hurt too much to mop my new floors. I tried to give you a break by using the old-fashioned, on-my-hands-and-knees method of mopping, but seeing me in that state of disgrace just made you hurt even more.

Finally, you spoke to your people, and decided to make the ultimate sacrifice, and put the new model on super sale...two weeks after I found a hefty coupon. You knew I loved you more than a woman should love a cleaning product, and you made it possible for me to go on. Proudly mopping my floors to a sparkly state of gleamy clean.

I am not ashamed to show you how clean this new model gets my floors. I am not ashamed because it proves how clean the other methods didn't get my floors.

Oh, how I love the Swiffer Wet Jet.

(and maybe I'll even be brave enough to someday bake muffins like Secret Agent Josephine on my recently wet-jetted floor with The Yipper)

Creativity Abounds

Today we get our new sofa (sectional) and entertainment center. Yay!! Then tomorrow, we get our shipment of stuff we had in storage in Colorado the last 3 years. I have NO CLUE what's in there! None! :o) Maybe 2% of it is known to me. Maybe.

But, I still haven't found the can opener. Dave found the spatula, which is nice...but no can opener. I know it's here somewhere! So, when fixing dinner last night, I needed a way to get into the green beans. What I found :o) was a pointy contraption thingy that I think is from when my dad was in basic training in the '60s! It mostly opened the can...but after about 10 minutes and only 3 inches around, I decided I needed heftier reinforcements, and went to the garage and found a pair of pliers.

:o) A photo of my ingenuity for your viewing pleasure - jagged edges and all:

6 Minutes

That's all I've got to update you. I promised Dave I'd try to be home by 6:00, and it's 5:54 now...thankfully the Starbucks is right around the corner from the house! And, well, there's always the caveat that "I tried!" right? :o)



We still don't have internet access in the house. Supposedly PhoneMonopoly&T is sending a technician out tomorrow. Not holding my breath...I feel really disconnected from the world! It's like an addiction, and I know you know what I mean, because you're all reading this, and you're all addicted too! But, the Starbucks is right around the corner (wish I'd thought about this days ago!).

We are still really loving the house. Loving that there is a garage door that opens at the touch of a button, and we can park 2 whole cars (and random crap) in it at the same time! Loving that with the flip of a switch, dinner's cast-offs can be ground up to a pulp and zipped away forever! LOVing that there are screens on the windows so I can open them and let fresh air in and not fear that fresh kitties will get out! Loving the dishwasher! Hoo-wee! Loving the pressure in the shower.

Not loving the 350 bajillion boxes that stop me from getting through my house, though! :o)

We now have a washer, but the dryer gets delivered next Saturday. So, in a moment of creative genius, I fashioned out my own clothesline this morning. We aren't supposed to have them in our yards, so I made one on my patio. I took our garden swing (with a canopy and poles on the top), and placed it about 6 feet from our "privacy fence" (which is a 6-ft tall, 6-ft wide fence blocking the neighbor's view of us), and zig-zagged some rope back and forth between the two! :o) Totally loving it! I hung out the sheets this morning at about 8:15...BUT...
when we were pulling out of the garage at 10:15 to go to church, I noticed some sprinkles on the windshield, so we had to run around real quick and take the sheets of the garden swing ropes. :o) Now the sheets are draped over doors. Drying. That's all that matters.

My time is more than over (took 10 minutes). Hope you are all well! And I'll be back with pictures when I have more time!

Update (as promised)

Okay, I promised to update you on our arrival into "sunny" LA. I apologize for the delay - we've been a leeetle busy.

What with finding a great house (in base housing), and then finding out the next day that we couldn't have that house (bummer!), and then going down to the housing office 3 days in a row looking looking looking for another acceptable house...and then finding one that (maybe, probably, maybe) is better than the first! Yay!

The best part about the house is that there are no houses blocking our view of the O-Cean! We're not right on the water...in fact, we are about a mile from the water...but our view is line-o-sight to the ocean. Dave says the view is "primo." :o) We get the keys tomorrow morning, and our long-lost household goods will be delivered mid-morning. Then we will be swimming through a sea of cardboard boxes. Woo and hoo.

We've been furniture shopping a couple of places. Dave has been a Star Shopper...trying out how the recliners work, and trying to talk me into the cushiest sofas, making sure they were "nap-worthy," etc. We haven't decided on anything for sure, but we're closing in on some good-looking things. We need to get some final measurements of the living room to be sure, then we'll place our big, humongous order!

Dave retrieved his beloved, Miata, that he shipped from England in mid-September. It was the only sunny day we've had so far. He, of course, put the top down first thing, and then drove from the port to our hotel along the Pacific Coast Highway...slowly soaking up the rays and the sea-breeze all along the way. I think his smile was permanently affixed to his face for about 2 days! :o)

We know that we know 4 families in base housing already, which is nice. And there is a great possibility that we'll know even more! That's the cool thing about the AF...you never go somewhere you don't already know someone. :o) (Even on our remote tour to England we knew people!)

What else don't you know? I'll post pictures in a few days (once our phone/broadband/lifeline get set up in the house) so you can ooh and aah with us. :o) And for those of you that actually know me...I'll be sending an email with our contact details in a day or so.

So, if you don't hear from me in 10 days, send a search party...we've obviously been swallowed by the Box Monster! :o)

In The City of Angels

We're Here!! More later.

Halfway There

Well, we're almost halfway to our new home. Our new destination. The next chapter in the book of our life. We're spending the night in Richfield, Utah.

We are all travelling just fine. The kitties don't like going into their cage, but they don't chatter too much once we're moving. I think they just settle down and go to sleep. They were glad to get out, though, when we got to our hotel room. (and glad to get some foodies!) Dave and I stopped for lunch at Village Inn, and got back on the road.

The best part is that we drove 487 miles and didn't have to stop for fuel! I know I haven't mentioned it much, but we bought a new Toyota Prius. It's a hybrid. It gets stinkin' awesome gas mileage. As we crossed (and tunnelled through) the Rocky Mountains, this beautiful piece of engineering brilliance got 50.1 mpg. At, what, $3.00/gallon, that's about $0.06 per mile. Suwheet! And it's a comfortable car, too! We were also able to get all our travel stuff (luggage, cats, other purchases) into the car without too much trouble (without too much rear-view-visibility, either...).

The drive has been pretty boring for me, though. We've got music, but there isn't much scenery. I didn't take a picture of the Welcome to Utah sign - sorry. :-( I did take some other pictures, though. Utah has some vast scapes. You can see for miles and miles and miles.















I'll write another blog for our Utah-LA leg of the trip.

Sweet Reunion

8 Years, one month, and two days. That's how long I've been a married girl.

We took a week-long honeymoon to Ecuador (cool, I know!), then returned to "our" home in Atlanta, and Dave woke up the next morning and returned to his home in Ohio. Over the next three months we saw each other only three or four times. Then he finished his job there, and moved to Atlanta to begin his tail-whoopin' Masters degree at Georgia Tech.

The next summer, he spent in Albuquerque doing research, while I stayed in Atlanta. I went out for 3 weeks, but he was gone for 3 months.

Then we actually lived together, like married folks, for the next 4 years.

Which brings me to September 2004. He drove away one Monday afternoon, towards Baltimore, where he would eventually board a plane to England. I would board a similar plane a month later. That was a busy month apart for both of us as he was beginning his char-grillin' PhD program and I was wrapping things up in Colorado Springs (and waiting for the "Pet Transport Scheme" timeline to complete so I could take our 2 cats and 1 dog to England without quarantine).

Together again, until May 2006, and we made another jaunt to Albuquerque for more research. We spent another month apart then. It was broken up because I went back to the States for a little bit, too, but it was a total month apart.

Flash forward to September 29, 2007. This time I was the first to leave, and come back to America early. A whole month early. To leave Dave alone so he could finish up some of his work un-interrupted by a wifey. :o)

That's about 9 months in our 8 years that we've been apart. I know lots more folks spend time apart. Dave has, thankfully, never been deployed. He doesn't have the kind of job that takes him away for 6 months every year, or even for regular periods throughout the year. He really doesn't travel to conferences, much. So, mostly, I've got nothing to complain about, right?

But he's here now! I picked him up at the airport last night. And he's here now. We're on the same side of the planet -- hopefully for good this time! I know he'll have to go back to England a couple of times in the next 6 months, but that's okay because he's not going to be gone for weeks and/or months at a time. :o) Only days.

My reasoning for telling you about all the times we've been "separated" is for pity, and sympathy. :o) No, it's just that, to me, remembering the times apart makes the reunion that much sweeter. It helps me appreciate the time that much more.

The relaxed reunion stops on Monday morning, though, when we load up the car and start driving to LA. But we travel well together, so it will be fine.

Hope you all have a great Halloween week!

Back to Cali

Three days in LA. Hard-core house-hunting.

Day 1 (today)

• 5 properties total- 3 SERIOUS dumps! Ho. Ly. COW!! I cannot believe the trash these people are showing at the mint they're asking!!! You could buy a niiiiihhiiiiihhhiiiice property in Denver, or north Atlanta for the price they are asking for a piece-o-horse-pucky townhouse! I mean, I know it's LA, and all. But dadgum!!!
• 2 of the 5 were nice. The nicest one is just out of our price-range, but the seller may be willing to come down some. The second one is way within our price-range, and has lots of great features (gated community, pool, quiet part of neighborhood), but it doesn't have any yard at all. No place for a sweet-little-poopy to go outside and wag its tail.

Day 2 (Friday)
We have 6-8 more properties on the list for tomorrow. Pretty hard-hitting, but I hope we find a diamond in the rough.

Day 3 (Saturday)
We may or may not go see more properties on Saturday, depending on how Friday goes.

This is tiring! But the good news is that we aren't desperate. God will show us where He wants us to live - of that I am confident. He just continues to withhold the information. But I'm waiting! Got pencil and paper in hand! :o)

Tonight, it's TV in bed with a chocolate milk nightcap...it doesn't get much better than that!

I'm HERE!

I made it, I made it, and now I'm paying for it!

I woke up at 4:03 this morning. (grr)

At 4:32, I decided to start up my laptop and re-connect with everyone. I didn't have too many emails. I've caught up on most people's blogs, and read today's comics.

My clock says 4:57 right now. It's 11:57 in Dave's world. He should be on his way back from the airport right now because he had to drop Alley and Gypsy off at BA World Cargo so they could get on a plane and come home to Mama. I really hope he did better than I did 3 years ago when I went through the same thing sending the cats to England. I honestly do not think I have ever cried so hard in my life as I did that day. Gypsy was just yyyyyoooooowwwwwwllllling (as cats do) at the top of her little lungs. So upset! And Daisy (our sweet little peek-a-poo/Shi Tzu that has since passed away)...Daisy was climbing the door of the cage trying to get out, or get closer to Mama. And Alley, who is normally totally calm and collected (unless she's hungry - then she's a pain in the kiester!)...Alley went to the very far back corner of her crate and just faintly mewed. I knew I was doing the right thing taking them with us for the 3 year journey, I certainly couldn't leave My Girls behind...but it was SO hard! So, I wonder how they did today. One major difference is that BA allowed us to put them in the same crate, together, which the other company did not. So, at least they get to snuggle together. I get to pick them up at the Denver Airport tonight at 7:30 and bring them to our temporary home. I know they'll be fine, but it still breaks my heart when they are so upset.

Last year when I came back to the US for a visit, I didn't struggle with jet lag at all. This year, apparently, I am. I woke up yesterday morning at about the same time, and laid awake and laid awake...finally I made a deal with myself that if I was awake at 5:00, I would unpack my suitcases. Hee hee, magically, I fell asleep! :o)

I'm staying with family friends named Pam and Ralph, and yesterday (Day 1 after travelling for 23 hours), Ralph tried to wear me down so I would sleep all through the night. (no such luck, I'm afraid) At about 9:30, or so, we drove to Morrison to a little 5 table cafe called Base Camp Cafe. Yum. Meee! Then we drove up Parmalee Gulch Road to the base of what Ralph called a "baby hike". I'm sure it's a baby hike for someone who is used to living at an altitude of 6000 ft (as opposed to me...Guildford was, like 150 ft above sea level). I only complained a couple of times. :o) The weather was perfect, though! It's so good to be home. Wide. Open. Spaces. The sweet wildflowers. The junipers with their dusty-blue berries. The rattle of the grasshoppers' wings. We got home about 1:45, and I turned right around and went to visit my grandfather in the hospital. He had surgery in late July, and due to some complications, he's still in a hospital. Poor guy. He desperately wants to go home, but knows he's got to pass a few more tests before he can do that. So, we chatted, we watched (the good part) of the Bronco game (the good part being the beginning, where they were actually winning!), and then at about 3:00, I had the strong urge to lay down on his cold, tiled, hospital floor and go to sleep...which made me think that maybe, just maybe, I ought to go home. :o)

But first, I had to make the obligatory stop at TarJhay. Ah, my old friend welcomed me home with fanfare, pomp and circumstance, and some awesome clearance racks! :o) You wanna know what "hardship" is? Try living 3 years without Target. I love the font. I love the red and white. I love the marketing strategy. I love that store. I tried to restrain myself, though, and only buy necessities. (Well, considering the clearance rack, it was more like "necessi-Tees"...) $2.24 for a tank. $4.24 for a cute green t-shirt. $4.24 for some new shorts I will get to wear next summer in LA. Sweet!

Then home. I called Dave, I called my mom, Ralph called me up to dinner.... :o) And then, after dinner, I watched a little Desperate Housewives (yip-yip-yippee!). Then I crashed out. Darn tuckered after a VERY busy Day 1. Did it work? Did it help me sleep through the night? Nope. Sure didn't. Oh, well, there's always tonight.

I think my camera is in the car, so I'll have to post pictures of our hike tomorrow. For now, I'm going to try to get some more sleep. Good morning/night!

Forty-leven

Whew!

Holy Cow! I just realized that my nifty-swifty "Going Home" banner must have disappeared with my old blogger template! Gosh. Well, for all those (three) of you wondering, I leave tomorrow. Going on a jet plane. From this side of the planet to the other. Off to turn the page on a new chapter in our lives. Dave is still here reading the same old chapter for another month. :-( Poor guy.

I haven't been stressed, but I woke up today and I started thinking about all the stuff, and my stomach started churning, and then I started to forget some of the things that I'd already thought about, which made me even more stressed out!

I've defrosted the freezer, taken the cats to the vet for their final check-up, given some stuff to the neighbors, the dryer we've borrowed for 3 years has been taken away, I've boxed up all our leftover food (more than I expected!!) and cleaning supplies to give to some friends, mopped the area under the dryer that was icky, and got a 6-month registration for the car (which Dave will have to get reimbursed for later...but it expires on Sunday, so it has to be done!).

And NOW I've got to pack my suitcases, clean the garage, clean off one shelf and put it back in the living room, Oh, EAT, give away the living room furniture, finish putting together stuff for tonight (because we're having a little going-away at a pub in town), then get myself ready for tonight. All in the space of 4 hours.

I would LOVE a nap. Just heat up my Rice Dream (sock) and snuggle down and drift away to la-la land. But, come to think of it, I probably wouldn't be able to sleep because I'd be thinking about the forty-leven things I've got to do in the next 4 hours!

I don't know when I'll be back in Bloggie World, but I'll get back here when I get landed and semi-settled.

Take care!

A Season of Lasts

Time is winding down. Or winding up, and speeding up, one of the two.

Our life of "camping" in the house is going okay - we're managing fairly well, I think. We've figured out how to stay warm on our air mattress 6" off the ground (put plain rice in a sock and microwave (dry) for 2 minutes...it's about the bestest cheap bed warmer around! Gives new meaning to the term "bed sock". Oh, Uncle Ben, you're still my idol.) Our new bedside "tables" strangely resemble cardboard boxes. I can now wash all our dirty clothes in 2 loads (suwheet!)

But the rest of the days have been about Lasts. The last time I will drive up to the military base. The last time I'll hang out with my Girlie friends. The last time Dave will drive the Miata with the top down in England. The last time I will see my old work colleagues from CWR. The last time I will drive that route to CWR through Seale and Sands. The last time I will hang clothes on that line. The last time I will work at Oxfam. The honest-to-goodness last time I will see most of these people ever again. The last time I will drive the scooter. The last time I will use my beloved vacuum cleaner. The last time I will shut the door to this old house. The last time we will have a drink with the sweetest neighbors on the planet, Tony and Carmel. The last time I will have to squeegie those stupid shower doors so the limescaley water doesn't leave spots. :o) The last time I'll have to think about how many hours ahead we are if I want to make a phone call to family or friends. The last time Dave comes to bed at "stupid:30" because he's been working on his thesis all night. The last time the kitties rub their bellies bald coming down the stairs. The last time I'll walk Jet. The last time I'll watch Grey's Anatomy out of sync. The last time we'll drive down Vicarage Gate. The last time we'll have dinner and devos with DB and His Mrs. The last time we will consider Pizza Hut to be the best pizza in town. :o) The last time I'll hear sweet Millie bark and run up to me and give my excited-doggie kisses.

Dave is working hard to "get-er-done". This mistress he calls a PhD is soon to know the meaning of them fightin' words: "We are finished." (Ooh. Can't wait!) Unfortunately for both of us, it won't be soon enough. :o)

The cats seem to be coping well in the House of Echoes. Alley doesn't really care as long as there's a patch of sunshine or a free windowsill. Gypsy spends most of her time hiding under the couch slip-cover. Poor girl. I'm afraid that this is going to be a traumatic 2 months for the kitties, but, to their credit, they are pretty adaptive girls, and I'm sure they'll be fine.

And me? I'm tired. I think I'm going to tape Grey's Anatomy (the one after the one where Izzie and George...ya know), and go to sleep. It's been a long day of lasts.

Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Alley in a patch of sunshine
The Rocker all wrapped up

The Girlies at TGIFriday's

G'nite.

Must EVERYTHING Change???

My blogger template has mysteriously vanished, and I'm not bright enough to make it reappear!! So, I'm sad to say that not only are the environs of my physical living space changing, but so are the environs of my virtual living space. :(

Big sad face!

I've changed it now, though. I don't like it as much as my previous template, but sometimes you just gotta be flexible.

Anyways, hope you're having a good weekend!

And the fun continues...

The movers were out yesterday by 1:00. It was a happy and sad moment. Happy because we are past that gigantic hurdle, and sad because it's a gigantic signpost marking the end of this chapter in our lives.

I also had fabulous response on the scooter. Much more fabulous than I expected, as a matter of fact. So much so, that I sold it last night! I got my asking price and everything! (I shoulda asked more!)

And so far today, I have discovered a broken window pane, that the movers will pay for, thankyouverymuch. AND...(the fun continues)

...I have discovered that, even though I asked, stressed, begged, and otherwise indicated that they should NOT...I see today (in the clarity of the moment) that the movers have securely packed all of our suitcases.

Yuppers.

No suitcases into which to pack the clothes we are going to be wearing for the next 2-3 months.

None.

This deserves a two-thumbs up

AWESOME.

Welcome to CRAZYVILLE!!

Here I am. Tired. It's been a snot-slingin', shin-kickin' kinda day.

Last night a took a couple of very cute pictures and planned a really funny (in my esteemed opinion of myself) post for today that was bound to generate tons of comments. But I had paved my road with too many good intentions. Can you guess what today felt like?

So, without further ado, I am going to recount for you my day. I hope I don't bore you. (Too much). I will say, however, thankfully, that it has ended better than it began. (Look for the moral of the story at the end)

• 7:30 - alarm went off, Dave got out of bed, I stayed in bed and prayed for a while, telling God what I wanted out of the day (you know how that goes)
• 8:15 - I got up, put my glasses on, brushed my hair, took the sheets off the guest bed so we can use them for our air-mattress bed for the next two weeks
• 8:30 - Dave left for school, I made my breakfast, put some white clothes in the washer, started washing dishes.
• 8:45 - the doorbell rang (I was still in my pjs, by the way).
  

• Me: "Who is it?"
  
• Them (three men on my doorstep): "It's the movers"
  
• Me (slowly open door as heartrate skyrockets): "Umm. Okay. Well. Hi. Umm. Huh. Well. I thought it was supposed to be Company A, but your shirts say Company S-C"
  
• Them: "Yes, that's right, we're Company A, and we're here for your household goods shipment."
  
• Me: "Ummm. Well. Huh. Okay. Good. But, here's the thing. Umm. You're not supposed to be here till tomorrow, because tomorrow is the 13th and today is only the 12th and I'm not ready for you." (clearly, considering I'm still in my jim-jams)
• Them: "Well, our paperwork says we need 2 1/2 days, and that we need to start today."
• Me: "But no one told me. No one told me. And I'm not ready. I had a plan."
• Them: "That doesn't surprise me, but since we've driven 200 miles and left our place at 5:30 this morning, we're really hoping we can get started today."
• Me (panic rising): "But I'm not ready for you. You were supposed to come tomorrow. I would be ready for you tomorrow. I have things I was going to do today to get ready for you tomorrow."
• Them: "Um." (probably thinking I was going to send them away)
  
• Me: "Well, okay. It is what it is. Come in and have a seat. Let me call my husband."

• 9:00 - called Dave's office. He wasn't there yet. Told office-mate the movers were here today, but not supposed to be till tomorrow. Tried his cell. No answer. Sent him a 911 text. No response.
• 9:05 - Dave called back, and said he had to send an email, but would be home soon.
• 9:06 - Called Marion to see if she could come sit with me and my stuff today so Dave could write (which he seriously needs to do, and God heard a lot about Dave writing in my prayers this morning). But she couldn't. :o(
  
• 9:07 - changed out of my pjs, and put my hair in a ponytail.
  
• 9:08 - started to show the mover guys around the house that would have been ready tomorrow so they could get started.
• 9:15 - realized the front door was wide open, and the kitty-cats were not securely locked in the upstairs bathroom (which I had planned to do before they got here tomorrow). Alley was thoroughly nonplussed, and Gypsy was AWOL. She's the most scaredy scaredy-cat ever.
  
• 9:18 - called Dave to tell him that I couldn't find Gypsy, and could he please hurry faster.
• 9:19 - found Gypsy. Cuddled with her for a minute, then put her into the bathroom with Alley, some food, their litterbox, and I pulled the door shut.
• 9:30 - brushed my teeth
• 9:35 - felt like I was finally starting to calm down after the shock and horror of the past hour.
  
• 9:45 - Dave got home, showed them his Professional Gear, and they started packing it.
  
• 10:00 - I put some stuff in our car and secured it so it didn't accidentally get packed (laptop, purse, pillows, fancy-labelled yellow folder, etc.)
  
• 10:05 - Dave noticed that the guy packing his office had accidentally packed some of his research articles that he needs for his defense - and quickly got them un-packed.
• 10:15 - Found out they could pack food (I had been told they would not pack any food. Maybe tea, cuz it's not food, but no food-food.) so I hustled a few food items into the car to protect them!
• 10:30 - Finally started to work on the room that I had planned to work on at 9:00! (I wanted to save some crafty bits to have around for the next 2-3 months when I am without all of my crafty bits)
• 10:45 - Realized they had packed the CDs that I had planned to burn to my iPod today. Stinkers!
• 11:00 - I decided that I would no longer mention the fact that THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE TOMORROW! To-freakin-morrow! Grrr. (I'm not bitter, I'm just sayin')
• 12:30 - Saw that they had packed the dish drainer and my scrubber, so I made them unpack it, thankyouverymuch.
• 1:30 - had a sandwich while hovering/watching like a hawk to make sure nothing else got wrongly packed.
• 1:40 - Looked in bedroom, noticed that they had packed my worn-so-not-yet-cleaned pjs. (I won't see them again for 2-3 months. They are just going to fester in their dirtiness and infect whatever else they got packed with! Now, mind you, I'm not THAT dirty, so it's not like they are really festering, but I just wanted to only pack clean things!)
• 1:45 - they started loading the crates.
• 2:30 - I noticed that they had packed the sheets that were on the bed that we had been sleeping in. Again, to fester in their dirtiness for the next 2-3 months! Again, we're not THAT dirty. But you wash things like sheets and pjs before they go into boxes for months at a time!
• 3:00 - Dave went back to school to (hopefully) get some work done on the albatross around his neck also known as a thesis.
• 3:50 - They were done, the truck had pulled away. I was free to actually do some of the stuff I had intended to do today - like wash my pjs and bedsheets. :o)
• 4:30 - I went for a litttle jaunt on my scoot-a-boot, and when I was coming home, my lovely neighbor, Tony, invited me over for a cup of tea. So I went. I thought it would be nice and relaxing after my day! As I was walking out onto their porch, his wife, Carmel, said "Oh, Melissa, what scent are you wearing? It's lovely!" I laughed a good, hearty laugh. I said "Carmel, when the doorbell rang at 8:45, I was still in my pjs. I haven't bathed today. My scent is called 'Holy Cow! The Movers Came A Day Early'" :o)
• 6:30 - Dave came home with ingredients to make French Bread Pizza, which was Tase.Tee.
• 8:00 - Dave took his two big black trash bags full of office papers to the back garden and built a nice bonfire. It was dark, and there was a slight crisp in the air - a nice autumnal feeling. We have 3 apple trees in our back garden, so I decided to periodically throw some apples on the fire. It made our burning trash smell a little less like burning trash, and a little more palatable.
• 11:00 - we were done. Campfire was doused. We are pretty stinkin' tired.

And now, for "The Rest of the Story"

I didn't get to read today's reading from the Bible study I do every day (IWED, by CWR) because of the chaos that started my day. Until just now. Hah. It's incredible! Today is totally one of those days that the Bible study you are reading smacks you right in the kisser and says "Listen up, 'cuz I'm about to tell you something important!" Amazing.

The title is "God's Road Map", and the Scriptures are Jeremiah 29:1–13; and Psalm 32:8–10
My all-time favorite verse, ever, in the whole of the Bible is Jeremiah 29:11..."For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." And today's reading is all about that. All about choosing God's pathway for our life, and not our own. Choosing to let God lead us in everything we do, and not seek to do our own will. Choosing to accept the curveballs that life throws at us sometimes (or, shall I say, answer the doorbells that life rings sometimes), and turn it into good.

I know I jinxed myself by praying for things this morning like "God, you know what I am hoping to accomplish today. Please help me to be 100% perfectly prepared for this move, and not have anything hanging when the moving guys show up tomorrow. You know how nervous I am about all of this." (totally jinxed myself, right?) (it's like praying for patience!)

And, looking back on the day, I have to laugh at myself. Raise your hand if anything like this has ever happened to you:

• ding-dong You: Who is it?
• Him: It's God.
• You (slowly open door as heartrate skyrockets): Umm. Okay. Well. Hi. Umm. Huh. I thought you were going to give me lots of energy and clarity and help me get stuff done in accordance with my perfect (perfectly human) plan.
  
• Him: Yes. I'm here to help you, but not in the way you were planning.
• You: Um. Huh. Well. Okay. But here's the thing. I wasn't ready for you today. I will be ready for your call tomorrow, God. I'm just not ready today.
  
• Him: Well my perfect plan says that you and I are going to need to get started today.
  
• You: Yeah, but today I've got a million other things to do. Really, God. I mean, you know everything, right, so you know my to-do list, and you know it's as long as my leg, and you have to understand because you made me like this, and so you're just going to have to wait.
• Him: Yes, child, I know all that, but I also know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
• You: But no one told me that today was the day.
• Him: Well...not true. Maybe you were just too busy to listen? Dearest, the truth is that I love you more than you could ever know, and I was really hoping we could get started today. But, it's up to you. I'm going to wait for you right over here until you are ready. Just don't wait too long, okay?
  
• You (panic rising): Okay, but I'm just not ready for you today. I'll be ready for you tomorrow. I have things I was going to do today. I'm just not ready.
• Him: I'm just over here.
• You: Well, okay then. I can change my plans today. I'm ready to listen to your plans for my life.

I am humbled by God today. In the midst of the chaos and craziness of the day that started out so awfully, for God to show me that He was with me all along. Right there.

Thank you, God, for showing me, once again, that your plans are perfectly perfect. And I may not always see the perfection of them in the midst of it, but you do. And I thank you for loving me so much to hang with me when I was trying to put you at the bottom of my to-do list during this, one of the most challenging times of my life, when I need you the most. When I can't stand on my own, and I have to lean on you. Thank you for being there for me to lean on. I know I can't do this alone. And I know you don't give us more than we can handle, and I'm trusting you to keep me up. And, most importantly, thank you for loving me in spite of the fact that I keep "releasing" this all to you, only to take it all right back. I'm going to try harder tomorrow, God. I know your grace is sufficient for tomorrow. Thanks, God. Goodnight.

Going back, way back!

I know it's not Throwback Thursday (because it's not Thursday, and because I'm never quite that with-it), but I thought after yesterday's post about two chairs, I would send you a little throwback.

This pic was taken, oh, about three decades and a half ago, but you can see the sighing chair there on the right of the bright and sparkly Christmas tree. :o) Ain't that a great tree? Silver and blue is about the best Christmas decoration combo, ever...even back in the day! Grandma's aluminum tree. Hmmm. Wonder what that would get on eBay today!

And check out those threads! Mom? Was I wearing a pair of your walking shorts just all hunched up at the waist? Or was I just a "wide-legged trouser" trend-setter?

Hah! This cracks me up.

Hasta la beesting - I've got some more chores to do.

(wanna see other Throwbacks from other folks? click this button)

My English Garden

I've been busy taking pictures of all of our worldly goods these days (because we're moving across the planet), and I thought I would share this one with you.

I feel like it's just a snippet from one of those Better Homes and Gardens spreads about someone's shabby chic garden all green, and beautiful, and filled with antiquey things. Except if you look around the rest of our garden, you won't find anything else! :o) We have lots of vines, and bushes, of course, but nothing growing in quaint locations like this.

Been busy busy bizzzeee lately. Yesterday I had to clean (hard-core clean) all of our outdoor furniture so the moving company will actually pack it up and send it back. I think I'm getting too old for this! Ugh.

And then, once that was done, I came inside and repotted most of my houseplants so that I could clean and pack all of my good planters. I am going to try to sell or give away all of my houseplants. I'd prefer to sell them because every £1.00 I make now equals $2.00 in a month when we're looking at houses and furniture and refrigerators and stuff. Finally this wretched exchange rate is swinging in our favor! Whew! It's been an agonizing 3 years, let me tell you!

And then I got on the phone. Between the phone company almost cancelling our phone line instantaneously (yes, I did shriek down the telephone at Jaz, the idiot) (I mean, for Pete's sake, how could anyone expect me to coordinate and organize an interplanetary move without a phone!), and not getting anyone from the carpet cleaners/window cleaners/house cleaners to call me back after leaving multiple messages...I'm getting the feeling that someone doesn't want me to move. Well, here's a shout-out to whomever that is: "We're Going! Like it or not!"

I've just taken some pictures of our old family rocking chair. I'm going to see an Antiques Appraiser today so I can have documentation (for insurance purposes) of the value of it. How can you put a price on sentimental value? How can you put a price on memories? How can you quantify the comfort that comes from the sound of the wicker creaking and sighing when I sit down? Ah, well, it made it here safely, and I'm praying it will return safely. I love that old chair.

And then I've got to send off the deposit and booking form for my sweet kitties to be able to get on a plane and follow their Mama back to their Homeland. £660. That's how much it's going to cost to bring my girls home. Worth every penny, thank you very much.

Poor Dave is going to be a lonely man - all his girls gone. He's not finished yet, but he's working like a dog to get finished. We don't know, yet, when he'll be heading back, but sometime before the end of October. So, maybe it's better that he won't have us distracting him from completing his work. His torturous work. That he loves. And hates. :o)

I've got letters to send, clothes to pack (that's another post waiting to happen), other phone calls to make, other photos to take. And here it is, 10:20 am, and I'm not getting much done.

So, with that, have a great weekend, and good luck getting through your To Do list! Here's hoping and praying I get through mine! :o)

(and the rocker)

Scattered Smothered and Covered

Seriously. I've got hash browns for brains right now! Here's an example of a conversation I had in my head this morning as I was doing cleaning-related things.

Ick, I need to put some Drano in the bathtub. But you have to let it sit for 15 minutes then flush with hot water, so I guess I'll boil some water in the kettle, then bring it up after 15 minutes. So when I go downstairs to get the Drano, I'll take some clothes down to put in the wash. And I have to go through my handbags and figure out what to donate. Oh, wait. Let me put the clothes in the wash. (downstairs now, clothes are in washer). Ick, I think I'll wash these dishes now. I think maybe I'll go ahead and keep one saucepan and one skillet after the movers come. Well, and I might as well go ahead and ship back our dishes. They're not that bad, and it will give me time to find a new set that I really like. (these were cheap and low-quality). But I still like my blue glasses, so I guess I'll try to stick to something that will complement them. Maybe Ikea will have something. I'm glad there's one so close! But I guess I'll have to keep 2 plates and 2 bowls back after the movers come (because we'll be in the house 2 weeks after they take all our stuff) I wonder what food to keep back. Well, I can always give whatever is leftover away. Hmm...I better get on the ball and figure out a way to sell all the electronic equipment we've got that we're not taking back (the UK has a different voltage, so electronics are not compatible) What have I got to sell? One toaster, two crock-pots, two blenders. What did I need to get from the cabinet? Not the toaster. Not the crock-pot. What am I going to cook for dinner? I suppose I could make chicken. I'll have to remember to get some out of the freezer. Wait, what else did I have to get out of the freezer? Was it the freezer? Or the pantry? No, it was the cupboard. (still washing dishes). I really hate the counter tops in this house. I better wash the cat's water bowl before I empty the soapy water. I love bubbles. (dishes now done, sink empty) Okay, before I forget, I better check the cupboard to see what it was that I wanted from there. OH! The kettle! I've got to put Drano in the bathtub!

No kidding. And it happened again later! I'm such a scatter-brain!

At least I remembered to take the chicken out of the freezer!

OrganiZed!

Well, at least I'm making a valiant effort!

When we moved here 3 years ago, I bought a plastic file that held all my important papers, and, for about a month, I took it everywhere I went. After we got settled here, I filed it away.

My Move-Me file has made a return to popularity of late, and I've added a little jazziness to it this time. :o)

I've purchased a Dymo LetraTag machine, and I'm having WAY too much fun making fancy-pants labels and tags and things!

Wanna see?


I knew you would! If you look real close-like, you can even see that I've added little symbols...like cats, and cars, and aeroplanes, and compooters. :o)

If you happen to see Dave with a little white label on his forehead, you won't have to wonder why.

Fresh and New

I did something today that I'm pretty sure I've never done in all my born days.

I think my mother might be horrified (but secretly proud and jealous all at the same time that I've never before felt compelled to do this).

I know my grandmother would be horrified and wonder if somehow I got adopted from a pack of wolves one spring day back in 1972.

Except for the fact that I look a lot like my mother.

Who doesn't look like she came from a pack of wolves.

Because any grand-daughter of Shirley's would clearly have done this loads and loads of times. Each year. Since she first started living on her own.

AND, guess what, guess what? I have to get to do it eight (8) more times in the next month! No, wait, make that 10.

Dying with anticipation? And curiosity? What, oh what, could be so appalling as to never have done it before, and yet so captivating that I would feel compelled to blog about it?

Are you ready?

Really ready?

I washed my curtains today!

Woo. And. Hoo!

(I also have to get to iron them before I hang them back up)

Oh, the joys of moving. Next week, I get to crawl around on my knees and scrub the base boards.

Ah, doncha wish you were cool like me? :o)