ON A MISSION

Haven't posted for a few days, but I'm on a mission. I'll have alot to write about in the next few posts. Briefly though, because of my sisters, I've been inspired by all the talk of paint, so I went to Lowe's and bought some for myself today. I'm painting the bathroom.

What was I thinking?

I took pictures of the "before" and when I'm done, I take some of the "after". I had no idea it was going to be such a project.

SPELLING AND GRAMMER

This is a disclaimer that regards both past and future posts.

I realize that I have a few spelling errors in my posts. I also realize that I may not always be grammatically correct either. I just learned how to spell check so that should help. If I think about all the errors I have made and add them to potential errors... I don't think I could continue posting.

I think blogging is a fun way to document life and share it with others. If what I write is understandable, then I'm okay with that. If you personally know me and there is an OBVIOUS error... Will you please email me at my hotmail account?

I'm not excusing sloppy writing, I just want this to be fun, not stressful.

SURPRISE PACKAGE

We live across the street from the Post Office so naturally we opted for a PO Box vs. a mailbox. It is just easier to get the mail in a more timely manor rather then waiting on the mail carrier. The only draw back is that we are in such a small town (maybe 35 houses, small) that when the Post Office is closed, so is the lobby. Its fine Monday thru Friday, but I hate to miss the noon closing time on Saturday's because then I have to wait until Monday morning.

I ran across the street this morning before leaving for church. Amongst the regular weekend junk mail, I found a yellow slip that usually means there is something for me to pick up behind the counter. I couldn't imagine what would be too large for the box, because I wasn't expecting a package from anyone inparticular. It was kind of exciting.

The Postal worker traded me the yellow slip for a white envelope. It had my old address on it and nothing more; it didn't even have the city where it originated from stamped across the top like an envelope usually does. Humph!...

Did everyone get a chance to read the comment section from my post, titled "The Long Route"? My sister Lori made a comment about trying to pass the Canadian border without a drivers license, a birth certificate or a pass port. Well, here is why...

I didn't have a drivers license or anything else for that matter. The wallet you are looking at was left on the top of our car after leaving the Cracker Barrel in the Detroit area. OOPS! I was pre-occupied with Madeline being in a car seat again (MI requires more weight for children then NY). In efforts of strapping our 7 year old into a car seat, I mindlessly placed the wallet on top of the car and forgot about it. We found out soon enough though; say about 40 miles down the road and past the point-of-no-return for escaping Canadian (or was it American?) customs. What a mess. We never even left the country and couldn't get back in. Go figure.

Why are you traveling between two countries with 3 passengers and 1 drivers license? Where are you comming from? Where are you going? Registration? Why does the only licensed driver have a FL license if you all live in New York? All these silly questions. Didn't we just mention I LOST my wallet? Where were you born (California and Oklahoma)?

That was it for questions at the main gate. We had to pull over, leave the keys in the ignition, and go into the white building to our left. Did I mention what mess it was becoming? Comm'on now, do we not look American? Andy has on his Boston Red Sox hat, I have on the same hat (the pink version though), and Madeline is chill'in with her Walkman player half on/half off. (We are not native to NY, and I am only a Boston fan by default of my husband. He lived a good portion of his youth in New England states and has been a fan since he was really young. I guess it did look kinda weird though.)

So how come we didn't fill out a police report? DUH! If I had known I lost my wallet before we crossed the bridge, we wouldn't have gone this way. Duh! I JUST REALIZED that my wallet was somewhere in Detroit. So, Why didn't I fill out a police report? IDIOTS! Isn't it a given?

Well, I eventually filled out a police report once customs released us and we back tracked to Detroit. I figured it was a good idea since I had my MC/DEBIT card in there along with our checkbook. Not a whole lota cash: thank goodness.

The most upsetting part of this ordeal for me was that fact that it was my Coach wallet and I couldn't justify replacing it anytime soon... Looking back though, that should have been the least of my concerns. Have you ever tried to replace the contents of a wallet? It SUCKS!

Anyway, the package I received today was the wallet I had lost back in Detroit some 4 months ago. And yes, I got my Coach wallet back. Don't think I'll be using it again. Did you see it? It wont even stay snapped. I think I'll save it for a while though. It was a nice surprise.

OH, PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

Madeline has always been such a good "Little Helper" and the kitchen seems to be one of her favorite places to help me. I cant count the times I have rewashed dishes after bedtime, or gagged down egg shells with breakfast. I will tell you this though... it is worth it! She gets so excited when she suprises me with washing dishes or fixing breakfast, that I just cant tell her to do better yet. I really think she is doing the best she can do. Especially, since she is only 7.

A couple of days ago, the two of us decided to do something special with all the fresh produce we have from grandma and grandpa's garden and the lady who sends a basket home with Andy every few days. We agreed on making homemade spagetti sauce. Before we started though, she informed me that Grandma in NC taught her how to use a sharp knife and she wanted to cut the zuchinni. YIKES!

I relunctantly agreed to let her cut the squash, (oh my!) I was a nervous wreck. I thought for sure she was going to cut her thumb off, if not all her fingers, for that matter. I was so jumpy that she eventually called me on it. She held the the knife up as she matter of factly said "Mom, if you dont stop scaring me, I AM gona cut my fingers off. I'm doing a good job, now stop!". Yep, thats my 7 year old helper girl.

She didn't cut her fingers off, and the spagetti sauce turned out really good!... So, we were told.

It wasnt done by the time were supposed to eat and Andy wasnt home eighter. We decided to save it for when we could all eat it together. Then, we made zuchinni bread. It turned out SO GOOD! (I grated it though).

The next evening, I thought I would go ahead and pre make dinner because once a week, Andy and madeline are home all by themselves for an evening. Can you guess what I put out? Spagetti!

When I came home, Andy raved about how good it was. In fact, he said it was the best he had ever had. Then he asked me what I had thought of it. UM... I didn't try it yet. Poor guy! He thought Madeline and I had already eaten and because it was so good, he just finished it off.

Well, at least I made a good sauce and Madeline has all her fingers still.

THE LONG ROUTE

Besides Lori, did anyone notice the web address for my blog? Your probably looking right now arn't you? Well I think I should explain how I came up with that saying and why I use it as my lifes' motto. Lori suggested I use it in my title, but I kina like the title as it is. The web address makes for a good post though.
When Andy and I moved to Florida in 2002, I was kinda nervous because neigther one of us knew anyone in the area. Plus, while we were there looking for the house we finally bought, I was too loopey to pay attention to my whereaouts. I had just had surgery on my shoulder and was under the influence with pain pills. So, paying attention to roads or landmarks was not on my priority list. All I knew was that our house was close to the beach and if I wanted to leave the neighborhood, I had to cross what Madeline called "The WEE Bridge".
We arrived in Fl on a Monday morning and it took most of the day to close on the house. Again, my whereabouts was not a priority. Then, two of my best friends along with Natalie (my sister) drove from TN to help me settle in. Andy still had unfinished business in TN he needed to get back to and after the four days it took to unload the truck, he headed back. I wasnt nervous about where I was yet because my friends or Natalie always drove. And, once my friends left, my mother flew in. It was all good! Until...
I was home alone in a strange land and the only person I knew, I had met at the beach with the pick-up line that goes something like... "So, are you on vacation or do you live here?". It worked well and my friend from the beach and I are still good friends. Not to get distracted from the story though, maybe I'll post about that story another day.
Anyway, I was finally home alone. (Madeline, and our dog Molly were there too, but that dosent count). I could'nt wait to start motoring. I ventured out to the mall, but didnt take into account that there might be one way roads involved, detours, and train tracks instead of interstate entrances. It took me a while to get home that evening, but I made it and I was more confident to get out again the next day. Some of you may be wondering why I didnt just get a map. Well my only problem with maps is that if I'm lost, a map does me absolutely no good. How are you supposed to locate your spot on the map if you dont know where you are? I figured out the area pretty well in record time though. There was bay water to the east, the Sunshine Skyway to the south, Franklin bridge to the north and Gulf waters on the west. How can anyone get "lost" once they figure that out? If you hit water, turn around. ha.
Okay, so by now it had been a while since we had lived in the area. Andy was driving and he seemed to be turned around. I confidently told him that I knew exactly where we were and he needed to turn right at the light and the freeway would be about 5 miles up. I could tell he wasnt convinced, so I confirmed I knew where we were by mentioning the only old fashioned McDonald's we would see if he would just trust me. Sure enough, I was right and it felt good. He asked me how in the heck I knew where we were when it was so far from home. Ah... I said "Honey, I dont get lost anymore... I just take the long route!".
There ya have it. The story behind the saying. And, it applies to more then just driving directions for me too. I'm sure for all of you who know me, know exactly what I mean. I tend to find my way alot by the trial and error technique.

PUTTZERS

It was definately a defining moment for me when Madeline casually said "Mom, we're a couple of puttzers arn't we?".
Ever since Madeline was little, I have always used the word "puttz" to define our slow moving behaviors. We seem to have a hard time getting a quick move on alot of things and it is just something I have always said.
Now, its Monday morning and I woke up at 6:30 so I could get a jump on the day. This weekend went by too fast and when it was time for bed last nignt... well lets just say it wasnt the best way to want to start the week; the house has difinately seen better days!
I find it amazing what one can get done when the house is quiet and I just get going. Now that it is 8:30am I have time to relax because the house is back together, Madeline is still sleeping and now we have the whole morning to puttz. Once she manages herself out of bed (neigther one of us seem to be morning people) we can start out on a good foot. Maybe I should really try to do the early thing more often. Especially, since school starts for the both of us in a couple weeks. No time for puttzin' once that happens!

UNFAMILIAR TERRITORY

I am fairly new to the BLOG world but, because I have 3 sisters who are already out there doing it, I didnt want to be left out. Plus, it is a fun way to document daily life and share it with friends and family.
My sister did promise to help me with getting started. Until I get comfortable with how it all works, some of you may get a bit frustrated. Not to worry though... I'll get it eventually.
Check often for future posts.