Simple Woman's Daybook

For July 12, 2010

Outside my window... It's hot, but not as hot as it has been. The grass is pretty much burned brown and the weekend rain didn't do much to change that. Right now I'm thinking that the four feet of snow we had in the winter was preferable to all this heat, but I'm sure if we get another four feet of snow in the upcoming winter I will probably be missing sweating by the pool!

I am thinking... about dinner and it's only 3:30 p.m. I don't know if I'll last until 6 p.m. without one of the dunkin' munchkins sitting on the kitchen island.

I am thankful ... that I've been released from physical therapy. My PT told me that with injury a lot more depends on the PT's skill at manipulating the muscles to get the best healing, but with balance issues it's all about practice. So if you see me wandering around without my cane taking these tiny mincing steps DON'T LAUGH, as I'm doing my at-home program!

From the kitchen... something with chicken in it for dinner. And couscous with raisins. Further than that ... I don't know. Oh, and munchkins (the dunkin' variety) for dessert. If there are any left.

I am wearing... light pink polo shirt, tan pants, hair in a bun (or bund as Hannah says.)

I am creating... not much today. I'm back to writing my web content, but things at the Eagle slow down in the summer. I do have a young adult book that I'm completely rewriting, but it requires more concentration than I'm allowed during the day when I'm answering the important questions of life such as (from Lizzie): "Mommy when your butt itches are you supposed to scratch it?"

I am going ... to the pet store to buy some training treats for my crazy but lovable puppy. He's pretty much got run of the house now and so we're working on some additional training. Lizzie's favorite thing to say to him is "CUT IT OFF" which is her hybrid of knock it off (which I say all the time to them) and cut it out, which is what she usually says to her sister. It cracks me up every single time she says it. Cash, of course, has no idea what she's talking about.

I am reading... "Dead in the Family" by Charlaine Harris. It's the most recent installment of her Sookie Stackhouse vampire series (the HBO series True Blood is based on these books.) It's not nearly as good as the others as not much happens in the book, but I love the characters (I'm 9 books into it!) so I enjoyed it nonetheless.

I am hoping... that I like the food at the taste test tomorrow. I'm doing a taste test through RDT in Limerick and the last time I did one I liked about 85 percent of the V-8 drinks I tasted, but a couple of them were TERRIBLE. It's a fun little gig although I don't often qualify for the tests (I'm too old, I think!) Locals should look up their website at www.rdteam.com to get on the mailing list for qualification surveys. Tomorrow's survey will take about an hour and I get $50 when it's done.

I am hearing... a videotape of Hannah and Lizzie from when they were about 9 months old until the Christmas right after their 2nd birthday. It's about the fifth time Hannah's watched it today as she thinks she's quite the adorable little toddler. Lizzie has banished herself to the basement where she is playing with Barbies. I found the tape while I was looking for something else in the basement and it really was like buried treasure.

Around the house... things aren't too bad. The girls have been doing their homeschool work pretty diligently and today's letter-writing lesson (they each wrote two letters to relatives) are still on the table. We're babysitting my sister's bird BeBop so he's taken over the dining room. Cash keeps barking at him, and then running in to try and get me to come see what he's barking about and then he goes and barks some more. Then he'll forget about the bird for a few hours and then the whole thing begins again. If he didn't have such a LOUD bark, it would be kind of funny.

One of my favorite things... is Walmart. Yup, that's what I said. Wal. Mart. I just bought six pairs of shoes (two pairs of sandals, two pairs of hot pink sequin-ed sneakers, one pair of shoes and another pair of nicer sneakers) a large tent (don't ask why but we're going to try some backyard family camping which Rob doesn't know about so SURPRISE honey, we're going to try some backyard family camping) and four outfits for the girls and the total was about $130. I don't mind getting shoes at Walmart because even the best (read: expensive) shoes only last about a month around here. So I LOVE WALMART.

A few plans for the week ahead... Our pool, then Terry's pool, then our pool again. I've got the taste test and some final PT stuff to do so the girls will have a babysitter for a few mornings this week which makes us ALL very happy! This weekend we're going to Hershey Park!

A picture I am sharing... This is Rob on Father's Day. I never got around to posting pictures. The girls gave him a hat, a subscription to Newsweek and a book by Garrison Keillor. They also made him pictures and cards. He was most excited by Hannah's card in which she proclaimed to the world that her daddy is 20 years old...