slowly getting my mojo back...

I cooked dinner twice this week. Barbecued chicken and fried rice on Monday and BLT's with broccoli salad Wednesday. Tuesday we had leftovers. Last night? Tostadas. It's not gourmet. But it's better than nothing.

I think I am finally adjusting to my work schedule. Just like my friend said it would, it took about three weeks to adjust. I am less tired when I get home and more motivated to put some food on the table. Not to mention, the weather isn't sweltering hot lately...which makes cooking more fathomable.

We've got a three day weekend coming up...that'll be nice. Maybe I can really get motivated and make a menu plan, and prep some meals for the coming week.

I ditched the list.

I've written (many a time) about my love for lists. I have notepads and spiral notebooks and sticky notes galore. I love a list. I have pages and pages of them. And really, I need them...at home, at work, in the car. My memory isn't what it once was so if I want to remember it? I need to write it down.

I mentioned at the beginning of my time off for summer break that I had written a list of things I wanted to get done before I went back to school. No. Scratch that. I didn't just want to get them done. I was demanding that I got them done.

Well this darn to-do list became the bane of my existence. Because of the list (albeit well intended, and much needed) I got stuck and ended up not doing a dang thing! Time was ticking by and I wasn't making any progress. I hadn't checked off one single thing as "done". And I gotta say, it was getting me down.

Finally, I decided to ditch the list. Yep. That's right. I ditched the list.

And would you believe that as soon as I ditched it I started getting stuff done? Yep. I sure did.

Did I get everything done? Nope. But I got the big ones done. And that makes me happy.

Not to mention...I still have a week and a half left. This summer break isn't over yet!

This week I will...

...be off of work for the week...a school district employee perk.
...spend time in the kitchen...cooking, baking, organizing.
...paint the bathroom (with my hubby's help ;)
...take time to do something creative.
...fill a few more bags for donation.
...enjoy the rain.
...spend the holiday at mom's with my family.
...miss family that won't be there.
...sleep in.
...enjoy being around my boys.
...avoid crowds.
...move slow.
...organize some paperwork and take care of some business.
...take pictures.
...purge...there is too much stuff in this little house of ours.
...love.
...encourage.
...breathe.

not much.

It's Friday again...the week's are whizzing by...sometimes I can't even believe how fast time is going. I knew this would happen...my grandparent's warned me.

But sometimes I think that it's going even faster than it did for them...and I believe it's spiritual. Just now I did a quick search on the "quickening of time"...makes sense.

The weekend is here again...we don't have any plans. I'm OK with that.

And just a reminder..."I love you, too." Remember? We love because He first loved us.

God loves you. Isn't that awesome?

seeing green.

We have sod! We've had sod for about two weeks, actually. I told you about my lovely day with my mom, right? Well, while I was out galavanting around with my mom, acting all artsy-fartsy and pretending I had hundreds of dollars to spend on a (albeit beautiful) piece of art...my husband and sons were home slaving away installing our lovely new sod.

After a long day of looking at oil paintings in the rain and sipping delicious lattes, Mom and I drove home in the rain. As soon as we pulled up to the house we hopped out of the car and ran straight through the house ("oh...yeah...hi guys. kiss kiss. now move...we gotta see the yard!") straight to the backyard. We stood on the deck and it was at that moment that I heard the angels singing. The sky opened up and rays of light beamed down onto the...green, green grass.  (I'm not kidding. There was a break in the rain and the clouds really did part a bit. ;)

Was this really my backyard. Was I dreaming? Nope. It was real. And it looked fabulous.

And it still does. It's thriving.

Here's a better photo. And if you click here it'll take you to flickr where I've written a few notes as to what the heck is going on back there!

A Day of Rest...?

the girls...pining away for the days they could roam the yard, free as a...bird

It is pouring down rain today! (And you know I love it.) On the one hand, it's a good excuse to lay low, take some quiet time and relax. On the other hand...it's putting a damper on our backyard progress. Although, since Chris and the boys installed our sod last weekend, maybe that endeavor can count as TWO work Saturdays!

Although...the day isn't a total bust as far as home improvements go. So far we've:

• watched 3 landscape shows on HGTV
• looked through 4 or 5 library books to get some inspiration for a trellis and a walkway
• drew out some plans for both
• designed a small bathroom cabinet to store things like towels and tp so we can finally get rid of the "chrome" rack we bought way too long ago that is now slightly rusty...and not so slightly UGLY.

I have to work at the bookstore tonight...the closing shift. So it seems my day is almost being spent just waiting to go to work. But...I'm going to make the best of it and get some more stuff done...laundry, beds, emptying the dishwasher and maybe a trip to the library. Or Old Navy. Or both. We'll see if I actually get motivated to get out of the house on this rainy day before I actually have to.

For now I'm going to enjoy the rain and be thankful for the free water it's providing for the garden and our new beautiful sod. (I'll share more pics later this week!)

neighbors.

Oh my...the girls are being LOUD this morning! Good thing my neighbors find it humorous...or I could be in a lot of trouble.

We are getting new next door neighbors...they are going to be moving in over the next couple of days. They are a young couple...this is their first home...and they seem very nice. I went out to introduce myself to them yesterday...and then warned them that I have four chickens. "Oh! We want to get chickens, too!"

YES!

And, as it turns out, they know the young couple down the street as well as the pastor across the street. They were all walking up and down past our house last night and finally The Pastor shouts our names from the sidewalk, "Hey Takacs' (pronounced Tack-us), did you meet your new neighbors?" We went out front to chat a bit...and then the young man from down the street asked if we wanted to be part of the Memorial Day celebration he and his wife are putting together...like a block party, a "stroll" of sorts. I'm thinking my offering will be DIY hot fudge sundaes.

As we talked a little more I learned that the young man down the street and his wife are going to raise rabbits...for manure and for...food. He was excited to hear we had chickens...said they'd wanted to but opted for rabbits instead...then mentioned something about bartering. Um...heck yeahhhh...!

I was really happy last night as I thought about all of this...new, nice, God-loving neighbors, like-minded about self-sufficiency, possible opportunities to barter...it's an answer to prayer it seems. And then there's always that little whisper in the back of my mind about the possibility of needing to be prepared through hard times...and it's nice to know that others around us are thinking the same way.

a snail in the rosemary.

Fortunately, snails don't like rosemary. Neither do earwigs. But they like squash plants...and cucumber plants...and tender little seedlings...and soft leaf herbs like parsley and basil.

Maybe this little metal snail will work like a scarecrow...to scare off the real snails...and maybe the slugs, too. You think?

Well, just in case it doesn't...I scattered some Diatomaceous Earth around the innocent garden plants and as it draws closer to the time my seedlings should be popping up (I'll start checking in 5 days...I planted some beans, chives and sunflowers yesterday...definitely vulnerable) I'll scatter some more.

Diatomaceous Earth works like a dream. It deters snails, slugs, earwigs, roaches, ants...and it's organic...which I love. Because I don't want to cover my fresh, organic, homegrown food with poison. If I wanted my food covered in poison I could save myself some work and just go buy produce at the grocery store.

Oh...and another thing about Diatomaceous Earth, it's also good to scatter in your chicken bedding. It will help to deter those horrid, disgusting, nasty pesky flies.

And guess what? Chris got bit by the garden bug too (that bug is welcome in the garden!) and decided to plant a couple of mounds of cantaloupe seeds. We love cantaloupe. Well, Seth doesn't love cantaloupe. He doesn't even like it. But the rest of us do...so majority rules. And I have to say there is nothing like a fresh, homegrown cantaloupe. We've never grown them before...I've been told they're tricky and picky about their soil. But we went for it anyway...you'll never know until you try. If it doesn't work we'll just continue to buy them at Aliki's, our local fruit stand...they grow a delicious cantaloupe.

Today I need to plant some lettuce (it never got done yesterday) and maybe more beans. I also need to get the herbs we purchased over the weekend into the ground. And then I think we're done for a while. After that it'll just be about the maintenance, and watering and then...the harvesting and eating!

Backyard improvements...DIY

Our poor backyard has been neglected for a very long time. When we moved in many years ago it consisted of a medium size pecan tree, some berry vines that didn't produce edible fruit and two unkempt cherry plum trees. Now the pecan tree is gargantuan and the berries and one plum tree are gone. Our poor little home had been badly neglected before we moved in so the yard was dirt. And it remained dirt. And...it still is dirt.  But not for long.

My husband and I finally agreed on a garden design that will work for us. It's very simple. And that's a good thing. In the past I wanted a cottage garden...soft edges, flowers everywhere, fluff. Now I have adopted Grandpa Fred's point of view, "Why grow it if you can't eat it?"  This is what we have in mind...

Right now the pecan tree branches span across the yard and a bit over the deck. They shade the back of the yard and much of the garden space. I've got calls in to tree trimmers for bids on having it cut way back. This has to be done to make room for SUN...we need sun for the grass, sun for the chickens and sun for the garden. It would be nice if the tree were to go permanently...but it is very expensive to have it removed...so a trim it is.

To get started, the weekend before last we moved the chicken coop. I love having chickens. But I do not love how messy and destructive they are. I like to let them free-range...but I don't like that they tear up my garden, scratch through my flower pots and poop everywhere! It was time for a change.

We moved the coop behind the shed (that little white building on the left) so now they're between the shed and the back fence. This makes much more sense in the "design" of the backyard. They've got their coop still...but now it's inside a spacious run just for them. They still get to "free-range"...but now it's just a bit more controlled.

The girls may beg to differ as they pace back and forth at the new gate, pining away for the days they were free to eat our innocent seedlings and poop on our deck. But...in time they'll get used to it. They've already found a new dust bathing area...and eventually I will have a sandy area for them as well as some greenery. They'll be OK. They've got it better than many!

Just this past weekend we extended our garden area. It's now about 3 times the size it was! What am I going to do with all that space?!! (I'm sure I'll figure it out...) The garden now spans from the back of the house to the back fence. We installed posts and wire fencing to match the chicken run. It's not fancy. It's actually very utilitarian. But that's fine. At this point, I just want it done. So cost effective utilitarian works for me.

Here's the new garden area...from the wood fence to the newly installed wire fence. And you can see in the foreground the ground tilled up...that will be grass. If you can imagine me standing and taking the picture, the chickens are behind me, opposite the garden area. Poor girls...they'll be able to see it but not get to it. So mean...I know. But don't worry...they'll get plenty of goodies. They always do!

This is a closer shot of the garden and the garden gate the boys built for me a couple of years ago. I think it works perfectly!

Productivity sure does feel good. I can't wait until it's all done and planted and we can sit out on our deck, enjoy a barbecue of grilled veggies from the garden...and look out on a nice yard.

oh how I love a rainy Saturday...

It is raining...a lot. And even more is expected. If you've been reading here for any amount of time you probably know that this makes me very happy.

I've got pork in the crock pot (aka my wife)...flour tortillas are defrosting. Essentially, dinner is ready. This makes me very happy.

Found a good book at the library the other day...can't wait to really "dig in". (Oh...yes...I did.)

I joined this challenge...wanna join, too? To start I bought two gallons of water at the store yesterday. It's a start!

It's a good day to piece together a jigsaw puzzle. We did one last weekend and it was really fun. It was a great family activity. The only problem is...we don't have another puzzle! I think we'll have to pick up another...

I've been trying my hand at zentangles. It's basically doodling...but with a fancier name. I came across zentangles several years ago but had never tried it. But recently I started spending some time at Swap-bot and ended up joining a zentangle exchange. As well as a few others! We'll see how that goes...it seems some of the swappers at Swap-bot can be a bit...difficult...and not nice. Hopefully I won't run into any meanies.

Oh...and I had mentioned that I was going to cut some bangs..? Well...I did...sort of. They're more like...a long layer. I sorta chickened out as I am wont to do when it comes to my hair. Bangs are just so...high-maintenance. And...I am not.

Well...the dishes aren't going to wash themselves. I better get a move on...

What have you got going on today?

random.

This is a random photo of my sons book shelf that has absolutely nothing to do with what I'm about to ramble on about. Because today has turned into a random day. I had a meeting scheduled for this morning that got cancelled....and suddenly I didn't know what to do with myself. I was already showered and dressed...the dishwasher was loaded and ready to run while I was gone...email was caught up and dinner was planned. For whatever reason it threw me completely off!

So instead I baked a batch of muffins. I found a recipe, decided to double it, decided to lessen the sugar and add oil and applesauce rather than butter, made a streusel, lessened the sugar...and now I have double the amount of mediocre muffins. I should have left the sugar amount alone...  This is probably one of the main reasons I haven't baked much in my life. But...I'm trying to change that. And I figure the more I do it, the better my experiments will get and eventually I will land on a recipe that is a keeper!

Luckily for me...muffins, no matter the amount of sugar, will always get eaten in this house.

Next on the agenda...the bank, the grocery store and a visit with my friend.

xo

home.

I've been spending a lot of time at home lately. And I love it. Really. I love it so much. A few weeks ago I was spending a lot of time at home in preparation for the boutique. Then the next week was Thanksgiving and the boys were home on vacation so we spent a lot of time around the house. Now this week...I'm sick! (Not the best way to be home, but I'm home nonetheless. So I'm staying warm and cozy and comfy and using this time to peruse blogs and do some meal planning and online window shopping for Christmas.)

I love being at home. Did I already say that? I do. I believe it allows me to be more myself. When I'm home I feel like I'm doing what I was created to do...take care of my home and my family. And that feels good.

Being home so much lately has allowed me to slow down. And in slowing down I've been able to do more, it seems. I am planning meals, keeping the house a little tidier, catching up on laundry (you know...those sweaters and dress shirts and blankets that get left at the bottom of the hamper because they aren't immediately needed? Yeah, I washed those yesterday. Uh-huh.) and, dare I admit, baking. This came out of necessity yesterday...I had no lunch snacks and wasn't feeling well and doing my best to avoid the grocery store. (You know I'm sick if I avoid the grocery store...I like to shop for groceries. I know...) I had some frozen shredded zucchini and some frozen pumpkin puree and decided to turn it into muffins. I found a good recipe...made a few changes such as less sugar, applesauce rather than oil...and whipped up some yummy muffins last night. Baked goods = happy family.

Home. It's a good place to be.

home improvements.

This past weekend was productive. We finally painted Seth's bedroom! Oh my goodness...it's been an awful "Big Bird" yellow (or so I called it) for THIRTEEN years...and I finally had enough!! So when I was at our local hardware store a few weeks ago and happened to check the Oops paint and found three gallons of Tobacco Leaf  I snatched them up! At $5 a can how could I not?

Knowing that we didn't have anything going last Saturday...and knowing that it was going to rain...and being on a home improvement roll that started with some projects for Ian's room...I asked Chris if he'd be willing to help me paint Seth's room over the weekend. He quickly agreed!! (Yes!) So Saturday morning we put on our grubbies, emptied the room and commenced painting. Less than 4 hours later Seth had a newly painted room...and it looks so good. I love how it turned out. What a relief to walk past his room and not have to see that hideous yellow anymore. You have no idea how sick of it I was!

So...today we'll finish up Ian's room as soon as Chris gets home with his refinished nightstand. We'll move some pictures around...rearrange book shelves. And then I think tomorrow I'm going to work on his duvet cover. I happened to have two flat sheets left from two separate sheet sets that will go perfectly as a duvet. I had originally set them aside for quilt backs...but a duvet is more likely to actually get done (ahem) so that's what I'll use them for. He needs one. His comforter, while still warm and cozy, has seen better days. So a duvet will be a nice change. Plus it'll add some needed color in his room. After that all we need to do is replace his blinds with woven blinds (that I'll watch to come on sale...or check Craigslist) and we'll be done with their rooms for a good while.

We've been in this house for 13 years...and have done a few things here and there to make improvements like updating the bathroom and the kitchen. But that's about it. So this has been a long time coming. Next on the list? Our room and a bid on new carpet and flooring. Talk about overdue...yikes!

(I haven't taken any photos yet...but I will! And I will share soon. I finally got a photo editing program on this computer...so pictures are soon to come. Finally!)

mark this day on your calendar...

...because...I have NO-THING-TO-DO-TODAY. Can you believe it!? NOTHING! Not one single thing. We were supposed to be at a baseball game but it was postponed. Which is OK because we sat through a double-header last night. And it was fun...and the weather was perfect for some baseball. Definitely a nice way to spend a Friday night. But today? Nothing.

With that being said...let me tell you what I'm going to DO today! Everything I haven't had time to do in the past however many weeks!

• Tidy up laundry area...it's embarrassingly gross.
• Wash bedding
• Clean out car and vacuum...possibly pay a kid to do the vacuum part.
• Scrub bathroom
• Dust...including blinds and fan blades.
• Vacuum
• Tidy my room...so out of control.
• Clean Rosie's "dining room"...she's a messy old kitty.
• Harvest strawberries...on Farmville...yes, I fell into the trap.
• Deal with the piles in the dining area...I just can't seem to stop piling...may as well accept it.
• Figure out something healthy and good for dinner...we've been eating poorly for too long.

**edit...I have a lot yet to do tomorrow!**

I think that's it. It's a start anyway. I'm sure my Adult ADD will lead me into several other distracting projects along the way. But for the most part, that's the "plan"...it's ambitious...but it can be done.

What really needs to be done, but will have to happen over the course of summer, is the boys' rooms. Seth's room is a hideous yellow that I picked out when I was pregnant with Ian and haven't liked from the start. He's got a huge shelf with stuffed animals, baby books, and tons of junk I"m sure he no longer needs. He's a teen for crying out loud! So we need to deal with that this summer...especially because as we speak he and Chris are at a yard sale buying him a weight bench as a reward for pulling straight A's this year. STRAIGHT A's. I'm so proud of him!!

Speaking of straight A's...Ian got STRAIGHT A's TOO!! Man...these boys are on a ROLL!! He's getting a reward, too...not sure what yet. We'll let him choose between a few things he's been wanting. We've never rewarded our boys monetarily for their grades...we've always patted them on the back, told them "good job" and maybe took them out to a nice dinner to celebrate their successes. But they're getting older...school is getting harder...and we feel it's time to reward their efforts a little more in hopes of encouraging them to continue with the hard work.

And speaking of Ian (well, we were a minute ago)...we need to work on his room this summer, too. It's small. And cluttered. It doesn't help that he's a pack-rat to the nth degree. He and I just had a conversation about his Lego's. He's decided that he's too old for Lego's...and Bionicles. (Here comes the crying jag again...) So over the summer we'll have to pack them all up and clear them out of his room to make room for more mature items. Not sure what will take the place of his beloved Lego's. Seriously. He's played with Lego's for eight years straight. He LOVES Legos. We have a small fortune in Lego pieces...not counting the ones that got eaten by the vacuum. Ian not playing with Lego's is the end of an era. But you know me...I'm saving them. Forever. For my grandkids. And just in case Ian decides he wants to bust them out sometime down the road and create something amazing. It could happen...

Well, it's already 10am and I've done nothing on my list. I have big plans for this unplanned day so I better get a move on! Have a beautiful Saturday...xo

what are you up to?

It's Saturday...it's sunny...it's breezy...it's a great day! So far it's been a slow morning of dishes and putting things away...washing bedding and folding laundry...scrubbing wood furniture with Murphy's Oil Soap...taking out garbage and recycling...clearing off my poor little nightstand...and watching a decent Hallmark movie.

Notice there's no shower in there anywhere? Yeah. That's next! I also have a paper to write...photos to turn into note cards...more laundry to do...Crock Pot chili to prep...and a couple of baseball games to watch. No big deal. (Huh?)

Anyway...a good day. Busy? Yes. But full of good stuff. I better get to it! Have a beautiful and blessed Saturday...xo

read at your own risk...you've been warned.

{what's in your hutch? if you go to flickr you can read notes...because I'm sure you have nothing better to do, right? yeah...}

* * * * * * * * *

It's one of those days. I'm cluttered. Scattered. Jumbled. Finding it difficult to put one thought in front of the other. I get like this when I've got too much in my mind. Making a list sounds necessary right about now. A long list. Like on butcher paper stuck to my fridge with a magnet. And with check boxes next to each item so I can check them off as they're done. Yeah. That's what I'll do. A list.

One thing that's been bothering me is my piles. Oh. Um. OK, wait. That didn't come out right. Not that kind of piles. I mean piles of paper...you know, mail, bills, report cards...those piles. Goodness...no wonder I'm a cluttered mess! The places my mind goes sometimes!

Anyway...I think I've come to the conclusion lately that I am not going to fight my piling, listing, misplacing ways anymore. I just can't. It takes more energy to fight it than it does to just go with it and make it work for me. You know? Seriously. I am not super woman. I don't care what magazine articles or blog articles or Dr. whoever says...I can't do it all. And really? I don't want to do it all. I want to do some things. Lots of things, actually. And I want to do those things well. But the other stuff? Well...I don't know what to tell you. I guess someone else will have to take it on. Because there are just certain areas that I need to let some things go.

Like the fact that my house, old and small as it is, will never, ever, ever, be spacious and airy and spotless clean. Ever. It just won't. And I need to just know this...accept this...and move on. Enough stressing over it. Enough beating myself up about it. Enough. I need to just do the best that I can with what I have. And I need to be content with that. It is what it is. Nothing more and nothing less. Deal with it. Work with it. Be grateful for it. Move on.

Or the fact that I pile things up. I just do. I always have. So I may as well work it to my advantage somehow. I mean, really...maybe it can be a good thing. At least I'll know that whatever it is I need will be in that pile. I won't have to guess which drawer I put it in...or which cabinet...or which file box. Seriously. Because every time I try to get organized in a way that works for someone else...I LOSE THINGS. And that's not good either.

So. Yeah. Today I'm at the point where I just need to accept some things. And stop fighting some things. Mainly my self. Aren't we our own worst enemies? I am finding that I'm really hard on myself. I really need to ease up on me. I need to stop comparing myself to others. And weighing my value as a woman...or as a wife and a mother...based on what others are capable of. I am me. I have always been me. And any time I try to be like someone else, it back fires. And then I have to start all over becoming me. And I have to say...it is really, really tiresome. It's much easier to be me. And to strive to be the best me I can be.

That being said...I'm going to go make that list. Anything you need to let go of today? Do it girl...

Good finds on a good weekend.

Ian and I stopped at a yard sale on Saturday. I couldn't resist. I ended up finding this box of ribbon...satin and grosgrain..."How much for the ribbon?" "Oh...you can have the whole box for a dollar."

As you can see...it came home with me.

I also dug through boxes and boxes of self-help books and diet books and cookbooks. This little "Pennsylvania Dutch Cookbook" caught my eye...I liked the graphics. And it was only a quarter.

And the biscuit cutters (that I've been wanting for a long time) were 50 cents. I got another book on nutrition for a quarter, too. A handful of treasures for two bucks! Not bad, eh?

Helping the environment.

Looks impressive, doesn't it? Cute, reusable bags from a popular and trendy organic food store. Looks like I mean it..and know what I'm doing...doesn't it? Looks like I really care about the world...and the environment. It looks like I am really doing my part...wouldn't you say?

Well, doesn't it help to actually use them? I mean, I use them. I take them with me to the beach..and to baseball games...and when we go out of town to carry our hotel room snacks. But I never, ever, ever remember to take them to the store with me! Ever!

Doesn't that defeat the purpose?

Maybe I need some of those bags that stuff in a little sack that attached to your key ring. Then I'd have no choice but to remember them. Maybe something like this cute pink one...it just screams "eco-friendly" doesn't it? Well, it screams something. Maybe I should consider the green one...or black. No need to be all obnoxious about it!

ecclecticism.

This is the little corner behind "my chair".

The built-in shelves were here when we moved in. This area once housed a wall heater but when they remodeled this place before we bought it, they installed central heat and air, took out the wall unit and replaced it with these shallow shelves.

Because I'm a knick-knacky kind of girl, I immediately filled them up. Each year they change a bit...something added, something taken away. But for the most part, this is how they've always looked. Framed doilies and watercolors from my mom. Framed photos of my sweet boys when they were 3 and 6. Old jugs that I picked up at a barn sale years ago. A small cross collection. Seth's silhouette from kindergarten. An Eiffel Tower figurine from when mom went to Europe with her girlfriends from high school. And a few other odds and ends.

Can you see the large black case and the large tan case poking up from behind "my chair"? Those are both guitar cases. Chris keeps his music equipment there...because we have nowhere else for him to store it all! The hazards of living in a small house...the living room is the entry is the music room is the storage closet is the...well, you get the idea.

Life is really busy lately. School. Church. Work. Kids. Homework. School projects. Sleep-overs. Cooking. Shopping. Sleeping a little in between. Oh...and I can't forget...the never-ending pile of laundry. It's like clowns piling out of a VW.

Anyway...it's late. And I'm tired. It's time for some sleep. xo

xo

I'm going to install this fence and hang this sign at the entrance of my kitchen.

That way I won't have to look at drips on the floor...crumbs on the counter...dishes in the sink...in my freshly cleaned kitchen!

Ah well...on the bright side? I'll be grateful that I have kids and a husband to feed...there's always a bright side. Right?

Today is Round Two. Blinds. And bedding. And some rest in between. It is Sunday, after all.