Quick Takes

1. I am exhausted. Quitting is hard work. It was rough telling the bosses, even though they were great about it. It was harder telling all the coworkers I like so much. I tried to tell everyone individually, but forgot the new guy (who I don’t interface with too much). He found out today. Oops. Then I told the really new guy who hasn’t been in the office much. It is emotionally exhausting. Everyone is really supportive, really happy I get to work with my dad again, and really panicky about what they are going to do, which is strangely comforting because one of my bosses makes me feel like I don’t do anything at all. The other boss, by contrast, is down checking in every day and next week is blocking the last couple hours of every day so I can explain everything I know to him… sigh. There’s lots to train, hand off, explain, finish… walk away. I am really happy, really at peace with the decision, and sad at the same time. Change is never easy, even good change. And I’m such a sucker for relationships so walking away is hard.

2. The garden is flourishing in spite of neglect the last couple weeks. The weeds are also flourishing. The chickens love them, so it isn’t all bad. The privacy fence is awesome. Completely awesome. The neighbors now have a picnic table and 2 grills on their side of the fence, so apparently it has inspired us on both sides.

3. The chickens are also flourishing. Suzie is still insane over them, loves to bark and attack the coop whenever they are out and about. I think they like to antagonize her. I am very faithful about latching the roof and so far so good. I still need to put some finishing touches on the nesting box, but I have another 10 weeks ish so no rush. The chickens have also helped me compost… or at least feed all things veggies to the chickens. I am becoming my mother!

4. The grass is not flourishing. It has been very dry and hot. I broke down and watered it a tiny bit yesterday, so you know it looks like straw!

5. Yesterday’s scooping before the grass mowing yielded two dead young robins (bringing our dead bird count to 4 for the year), one dead mouse, and a lot of dog poop. I wish birds were smarter and could look down and remember the last 10 years that they nested in those lovely old pine trees and the number of babies that never made it out of the backyard because they couldn’t fly yet. Alas, until then, the slaughter continues…

6. Right now I am counting down on many fronts… 2 days of weekend… 5 days till my friends leave town again (after being here for an extended visit)… 7 days till I’m done at the ‘Lark… 12 days till I start working with my dad again… 22 days until Cous Long Lake vacation… It’s going to be good- but it is going to be a change-ridden, exhausting few weeks.

7.  This week I got to hang out with one of my dear friends and her adorable kids, including the latest edition. So great. I am so blessed with wonderful friends who have really awesome munchkins.

8. And another day I had dinner at the park with my friends who were in town for a few weeks and their awesome munchkins.

The moral of the story:

Lots of changes in the works.

I am exhausted.

I have awesome friends with really cute kids.

I am blessed.

Friday Quick Takes

1. I made it to another Friday night, surviving a crazy week at work. It wasn’t that everything was wrong- just hairy. Lots of rescheduling. Missing our salesman who is on vacation so I’m trying to cover for him as well. Inter-boss drama (with the old boss) and me being in the middle of it. Ahhh.  I’m thankful to have made it through. And thankful for a weekend at long last.

2.  I arrived home late this evening and both dogs took me right to the chicken crate. I turned on the light and looked. Something was wrong. Something didn’t look right. One, two, three, four, five… Wait! I have six chickens! The dogs were whining. Oh Edna. She’d been roosting (as usual) and apparently fell down between the crate (wall side) and the bin and sat there wedged. Oops. I pulled her out and returned her to her friends and all was well. All 6 chickens.

3. Speaking of chickens, I broke down and bought full price exterior paint for the coop. The clearance paint let me down the last several weeks that I’ve been looking. Oh well. I got “burning bush” red. Mmmm. Was hoping to paint it tomorrow and put a second layer of chicken wire over everything and latches. Must install latches. But it’s supposed to be really cold, so we’ll see what I can get done out there. I’d like to get it ready so I can get the poultry out of the dining room. It is time. 

4. Fridays have become ‘bring your dog to work’ day for Suzie. I love it. Work, even in all of it’s insanity is better with a prancing black dog. Everyone asks about her during the week “Where’s Suzie?” When we first arrive, Suzie is ecstatic. She prances all over the place greeting all of her office friends and racing up the hall. Then she settles into just following me from room to room and going to visit Sherrie occasionally at the far end of the hall, whining with excitement whenever she sees her (adorable). Yeah, it’s kind of great. I love bring your dog to work day.

5. I had dinner with my grandparents this week. I love those people. It’s hard to see them aging but I always leave with a profound gratitude for being part of their family- for the gift they are in my life- and for the gift of friendship with them. I am so blessed.

6. I love spring. The lilacs are blooming, everything is green, the weather is nice (even when it is a little cold). I love living in a place where spring is so spectacular. As much as I hate winter, I would really miss spring living somewhere without winter.

7. The dogs have rawhide and I should retreive it before the farting gets lethal. That’s more information than you wanted huh? Sorry about that.

Quick Takes

I am trying to get in the habit of being in touch again... with my friends, my blog, my life. Here's my lame attempt... my very own Quick Takes (even if it isn't Friday yet).

1. Work is busy and getting busier. I'm completely swamped, underwater, overwhelmed...and yet thankful to be busy. Thankful to be gainfully employed. Thankful to like the guys I work with. Thankful that in spite of the stress, I like our company, I like what we do, and dang the guys in the office are funny people. What a blessing! Balance continues to be elusive, but we're making some small steps in the right direction, and for today, I choose to be thankful (remind me of that tomorrow, okay?).

2. It is fall. There are a lot of great things about fall that I like every year but I am not ready for fall. I am in denial that we're not still somewhere mid-August, when I feel like my life seriously derailed...and suddenly I am beginning to wake up and realize it is mid-October. Ahhh.

3. The big dog ate the bathroom garbage again today. Just picture this, she lives with a bunch of women... okay nevermind, stop picturing that. Anyway, this is now the second time the bathroom garbage has been raided. All these years of fighting with her about stealing food from the counters and she hasn't been surfing the counters at all but then suddenly her taste changes... and it is... ewwwwwwwwwwwwww. Dogs are gross, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. The rest of you close the bathroom door to keep toddlers out of the toilet- I now need to learn to close the bathroom door to keep the dog from eating ... um... unmentionable disgustingness. Thank you Maggie. Life is never dull with you around.

4. I got to have dinner with some of my favorite people last night. As always, I am reminded that I am so incredibly blessed to have such terrific friends. A few weeks back, a good friend of my parents asked me if I was okay, if I had some good support in this difficult season. I was almost taken back by the question. Me?? Oh I'm good, I've got my friends, my people. Once again, just realizing how blessed I am to have so many faithful, supportive, wonderful people in my life. God is so good to me!!

5. This past weekend I applesauced with two different crowds. So much fun. Applesaucing is one of my favorite canning ventures because it is cool enough and you aren't sweating like a pig (peach season is fun but hot) and the smell of fall and leaves and apples permeates the air... mmmmm.... Anyway, it was delightful. I'm stocked up on applesauce for the next year, got some great quality time in with friends and family alike, and have a big bag of apples left to turn into pies or other such appley desserts. Mmmm. Apple season is one of my favorite things about fall.

6. My fall wedding is a week and half away. All the details are coming together as far as I can tell. I now have a dress, shawls on the way, shoes, and time off work. It is really happening. I am soooo happy for my friend who is getting married and looking forward to an eventful, wedding-ful weekend, celebrating God's faithfulness to my good friend and spending the weekend with some delightful new friends too. What a life I live :)

7. I need to get back to monthly goals for my life, something to actually accomplish one month at a time... but October has been too nuts to actually decide on a goal. Maybe November... Stay tuned on that. My goal for November is to have goals again. We'll see if I can pull that off.

Quick Takes Friday

1. Today is my Friday. I know I know, it's only Wednesday, but since it is my last work day this week, it counts as Friday. Of course, instead it was Wednesday AND Friday, meaning my two longest days of the week. Wednesdays are long because I work a normal day, and then stick around to coordinate religious education classes until 9:30 ish... It's a brutally long day in some ways, but most of my favorite munchkins troop by in the morning on the way to their Atrium class and then stop for kisses and stickers afterward. How could that not be the best part of my week?

2. I am up ridiculously late- I should definitely be in bed, but I was getting stuff done. Pre-trip type stuff. Visiting with my fabulous housemate who now works the opposite schedule as me, so I never see her. Naturally we hung out for awhile. I checked the weather for here (in case of frost) and my destination (in case I actually take time to pack seasonally appropriate clothing). Finally threw in that load of laundry since I need some of the contents for the weekend. Swept the kitchen floor. Canned that tomato sauce I made yesterday. Thought what a good idea it would have been to pack before the morning of leaving (but didn't actually do it). Tested a new face cream that feels like its turned my face red (I hate sensitive skin sometimes). Cuddled with a couple pooches. Loaded the dishwasher.

3. And now that it is officially 2.5 hours past my bedtime, on a day I worked 12 hours and picked apples on lunch... it does occur to me I had a cup of caffeinated coffee at dinner time. I figured I'd be up for hours and would be tired enough it wouldn't matter... maybe that is why I'm up boring you to death with a blog post after 1 am.

4. I may have shared how excited I am for a weekend away... a long weekend... a couple days off work. A weekend with lots of buddies, big and small, and some of them being two of my favorite Godchildren. And some of those fun people being the friends I'll roadtrip down with. So happy. Sigh of contentment. It almost doesn't bother me that I'll be up again in only a couple hours and have nothing packed...

5. I'm in the midst of a rough patch in life right now. Trying not to complain, but I know it comes through (sorry all). Every day has just been difficult lately and I don't get it. I ask God daily to make a way for me.  And today I had two of those moments that kind of took my breath away... the Chilean mining rescue-- 33 men were trapped underground for over 2 months and were finally rescued today! Seeing the miners as they came up. The tears of joy and thankfulness on the faces of their family and friends. Thinking about what these men have lived through in the last couple months. Wow, talk about some perspective. And I thought I had a rough day? Not hardly. 

And then a woman came into the office today. She said "I need help. I need to talk to someone."  Sadly all three of the clergy (the people who are supposed to help such people) were in meetings and unavailable. After she waited a bit, I went over to explain the situation, get a phone number, see if I could do anything.  "We are new to the area. My husband is at the local hospital, he's a parapalegic and today they told us there's nothing else we can do."  The pain and heartbreak of her situation just hit me. Thud. Wasn't expecting that. I expressed how sorry I was, that I was really glad she came in, that I could have one of the deacons call tomorrow, come visit her husband. She shed a few tears and we hugged. The woman told me that she'd come and parked in our parking lot several times, wanting to come in, wanting to join the parish, but today was the first day she could make herself do it. Why today Lord? Why when there was no one to speak to her (well the clergy anyway). Here she was, a perfect stranger to me, and I was being called to leave the busyness, the craziness, the paperwork (oh Lord the paperwork) and be Christ. Thud. I am so inadequate. Aren't we all?  And yet, God calls us each to do our part, in the moments of life. The surprise encounters. To see Him in His most distressing disguises, in the hungry, the suffering, the poor, the naked (some of you get this a lot)... to comfort the afflicted. And what this woman gave me was a profound sense of gratitude. Sure, things may not be all that great for me right now, but I am thankful for the ability to walk. Deep breathe. Perspective.  So incredibly important sometimes, isn't it?

Quick Takes Friday

1. This weekend I’m going on retreat with the women in our parish. Usually I enjoy the women’s retreat… this year I am dreading it. I think it’s an overreaction from being burned out at work and hounded by people for every little thing (which is what you get for being easy to work with)… but I am concerned I will be hounded the entire retreat. That the crazies (and even the non-crazies) won’t leave me alone. Like I said, I think it’s an overreaction from some very intense weeks here at work… but it’s making me twitch even thinking about it. I may have to hide all weekend. Or come up with a really sweet way of saying “Um. I’m not at work. I can’t / won’t / couldn’t possibly talk work when I’m not at work.” The bright spot is my friends Michele (from Florida) and Cathy (from Colorado) are coming! I’m looking forward to hanging out with them on retreat, and seeing my other friends there as well. But cringing a little on the inside and thinking about hiding.    

2. There is a woman who comes into my office every Friday after going to Adoration to complain about the flowers in the Adoration chapel. She isn’t even a parishioner. Every single Friday something is wrong: she wants the large bouquet centered (“Isn’t it more important to have the roses in front of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament than over to the side?”), she thinks the roses are too wilted (“I don’t think it’s appropriate to have wilting flowers in front of Our Lord”) and could I please go do something?! Today was no different. Apparently some of the roses were wilting and others were fine. I try to navigate the weekly encounters politely and give her some room to be OCD, but come on lady, every single Friday? Why don’t you focus on Jesus and forget about the flowers. 

3. I am going to visit some people that I love, with some other people that I love, next weekend. I can’t wait. We will drive Thursday, visit Thurs evening – Sunday morning, drive home Sunday afternoon. Hoo-rah. This deserves a longer quick take—but I don’t know what else to say. I am so so so so so so so excited.

4. My garden is still goingand going. The broccoli that never really got going (because I planted it late) is now getting big—maybe I’ll have fall broccoli instead of spring broccoli this year. The tomatoes are definitely slowing down but still coming. I’m guessing next week I’ll have to just pick everything left and let it ripen inside. The peppers are going crazy. I think I have over a dozen sweet bell peppers to cut up and freeze, and lots of jalapenos, even though I mostly just use those for salsa and have done my couple batches of salsa for the year. Maybe I’ll cut those up and freeze them as well. And I still have some basil, and carrots to dig up. I think that’s it, everything else is done for the year.  

5. Jane drew this image of me this week. I think it just about says it all (note the poorly drawn head and bleary eyes)... 

Quick Takes

I haven’t done these in awhile, but I like them, so here goes:

1. It has been a snowy week here. Not blizzardy like some parts of the country, but we got 8 inches on Monday (snow day, hurray!!). A couple more Wednesday. And it’s snowing again out there now, only another couple inches predicted. That means a lot of shoveling. Mostly I enjoy some shoveling, but the super heavy snows are not as much fun. Heavy snow does make it highly entertaining to watch the dogs plowing through the yard.
2. As much as I am soooo done with winter, especially the rarity of the sunshine, the snow does look beautiful.
3. February, though in days is the shortest month of the year, is always the longest, hardest month of the year for me. But it is almost over, Praise Jesus, and March is just around the corner. And though March isn’t really spring yet, you know at least Spring is close at hand… and I can start all my seedlings… get my fingers in the dirt and do something productive toward making spring come faster (or at least pretend it makes spring come faster)…
4. Some of my very good friends are in town this week visiting… I am so happy. Life is always better when we are in the same state.
   
5. Suzie was super excited and playing ball with the black ball (replica of her old eaten ball-the only ball she truly loved). Maybe it’s because I haven’t been able to find the only other ball she will catch so we haven’t had a good round of catch in weeks. But there it was, the black ball, soaring through the air and Suzie racing to get it and chewing it the whole way back. Lovin’ the ball, life is good.
6. Lent… of the four things I’m doing for lent, I’ve been really consistent with one… really working on yet another one (and still managing to fail), and totally forgetting the other two… thankfully I have several more weeks of lent to get better at this.
7. This week I caught up with a few friends I feel like I never see enough of (though that is true of most of you out there!). Spending time with some of the amazing people God has put in my life fills me with gratitude for the blessing of friendship. And the specific blessing of the friends He has given me.
   
8. The kitchen... still need to spray paint those doors. That seems to be the insurmountable part of this project- partly because it takes up so much room and is too cold to do it in the garage. And just because of the sheer volume of cupboard doors and the numerous coats of paint each will require. Still have to get on that...
   

That's all for now folks! Happy Lent!

Another friday

1. One week at the new job finished. I am really liking it. There's a lot to learn but I can also see a lot of ways that I will be an asset to the team. It's all really good. I'm feeling more comfortable and "normal" there every day.

2. I need to find new shoes for work. Something that is dressy enough for the business casual dress code and comfortable enough for all the trekking back and forth across the building numerous times a day. For the record I hate the mall. and I hate that my feet are "wide" width, so it feels impossible to find good, cute, and comfortable shoes. Also, it is a bad idea to hit the mall looking for new shoes on a day your feet already hurt from your old shoes and standing/trekking for a good bit of the day. Not a good idea at all.

3. However, as much as I hate the mall and as much as I failed at finding new work shoes, I did find a couple cute blouses to supplement my sad work wardrobe. They are springy and colorful and they were on sale. Excellent!

4. Lenten fish fry, check!

5. The cold I got at the beginning of the week is finally mostly worked through. I'm coughing occasionally but the congestion, exhaustion, and runny nose have passed. It's nice to be mostly healthy again.

6. I'm ready for the weekend. The house needs to be cleaned badly. The car needs to be cleaned. The yard needs to be cleaned. The dogs need to be cleaned. I guess it's good to be needed.

7. My baby sister turns 16 on Sunday. Where does time go???? It really does astound me. As does the incredible young woman she has grown into, and the blessing she continues to be in my life. But I'm still having a hard time swallowing this 16 thing :D I love you Smooch. Happy sweet sixteen!!

Quick Takes Friday

1. It was an insane week. I was going to say couple weeks, but most of it happened in the last week. Insane. Even stuff that happened on Weds afternoon feels like it may have been a month ago. I am incredibly thankful to have it behind me and to be moving forward (and I am hanging on to the hope that the next few weeks will be less insane. Feel free to encourage the fantasy. Please do not burst my bubble.)

2. After the insanity, I hopped on a plane and am spending a few days with my good friends in MD. This means lots of kid time, laughs, smiles, diapers, trying to understand all the things "Rizzie" (Rosie) is telling me, Anthony telling me that he "wikes" me from behind some sort of mask (it's hard to say those things while the object of your affection can see you) and sweet little Thomas rolling all over the house and grinning at everyone he sees. And their parents, have I mentioned how much I love their parents? Because I do. I weally weally wike them. And picking out fabrics for curtains for their new house... and now I have serious new curtain envy.

3. I just spent one of the smelliest few minutes of my life. Someone who I am visiting, age 4, had a cotton candy ice cream cone for dinner. It is seriously one of the most potent and awful smells I've experienced in quite some time. Even after half the cone ended up in garbage just walking by the garbage can made me have to stop in my tracks. I've never thought of cotton candy as such a bad smell, but this one... wow... To make matters worse, the guy who ate half the cone was ready for stories with Aunt Reenie. It sounded like a good plan till we were cuddled in the reading corner, reading a train story (of course), and the smell of the cotton candy was once again hurling toward by face as he filled in lines from the story. Oh Lord. Still reading and trying to ignore the smell, someone started farting. And I really thought I might die. Of all the bad smell combos I've experienced in my life, I do think cotton candy ice cream breath and small boy fart are up there... oh my.

4. I start my new job Monday. I am really really excited. It will definitely be a big change, but right now I am really just looking forward to it.

5. I do not recommend pulling all-nighters after college. I just pulled my first one in close to ten years. Not a good practice. Not good at all. I am way too old for that stuff.

6. I am ready for spring. I'm excited to see my tulips and crocuses poking up in the garden and I have ambitious hopes to start my garden seedlings some evening next week (again, feel free to encourage the fantasy. Do not burst my optimistic bubble).

7. I am feeling bad about my dogs. They've barely seen me in the last couple weeks and the bits they've seen probably haven't been too good. I am a bad mom... except that I'm not one of those dog people. I'm not their mom- I'm just their Reenie. and I've been a bad Reenie. And they are reportedly taking it out on my poor housemate who is watching them for the weekend. Sigh. Next week bitches. Next week, we'll have all the time in the world...

Friday

1. My brain is officially mush. It's all coming to a head and I am officially on overload. Just don't expect intelligent conversation next time you see me (not that you should ever expect intelligent conversation, but still...) In the next week, I am trying to catch up / wrap up at my current job. I've got fundraiser details to confirm. Fliers to copy. A house to clean, laundry to do, fridge to clean. Dog to drug. Dinner to deliver. Bulletins to stuff. Liturgy schedule to finish. Announcement to write. Food to make. Shower to host. Dogs to walk. Date with little brother. More work to wrap up. Softball to practice. Softball emails to send out. Women's group. Filing. Lots and lots and lots of filing. Fundraiser. Bags to pack. Plane to catch. Friends to visit. Party to attend. Lists to make. New job to start... Overload. Paper jam. Losing memory. System error. Fatal error. If the next time you see me I look like a person in a walking coma, you now know why.

2. At my new job I will have a Flexible Spending Account (FSA) which basically means you can put pre-tax dollars into it and spend it on anything health related - over the counter drugs, prescriptions, glasses, office copays, dental work, etc. I'm in the process of trying to figure out how much to put into the FSA and realized that Suzie's daily benedryl will now be tax free ... awesome. No one has to know all that benedryl is for the dog. Not sure why I find this so entertaining, but I do.

3. I'm loving this weather, even though I know it won't last. It's in the mid-fifties here today, and though cloudly, it's amazing to leave the house without a coat. I'm so ready for spring! Tomorrow I have every intention of pruning the rosebush (that I should have pruned in the fall), and clearing some plant leftovers, just to get outside for a bit (in the midst of cleaning and preparing to host a shower).

4. Spring makes me want sheep again. Weird. It's probably good the City ordinance doesn't allow sheep in my backyard or I'd be searching for a lamb or two. Guess I'll wait till the farm dream comes true.

5. I have a lot of painting projects I want to do in my house. Kitchen and halls to repaint, and touch ups in the living room, dining room, bathroom, and bedroom. I've been noticing how badly they need it lately, but it doesn't mean it will happen any time soon. When I was growing up, one of our good family friends was constantly redecorating. Almost every time we'd visit, one room or another would have new wallpaper, new paint, something new. I loved it but it was so foreign to me since my mom never did those kinds of things. The other day while I was daydreaming about some of said painting, it struck me that I'm turning into Mrs J. I want to repaint, pick new colors, and redecorate every few years. Sure didn't see that coming.

6. Naturally, I should finish some of my other mostly done projects before I think about something major like repainting. Maybe I should install that new light fixture in the dining room I've been meaning to put in for a year now. Or touch up the trim in there. Or hem the living room chair cover. Yeah, I have an endless supply of mostly done projects that I never quite finish (and they plague me in their unfinishedness because I am such an extreme J).

7. I'm so ready...

Quick Takes

I might not be very good at quick takes... maybe I should call these wordy takes... regardless, here's what I've got this week...

1. I cannot believe it is already the end of February! Where does time go? Don't get me wrong, I am SOOOOO thankful it's already the end of February, February can't end soon enough for me really. Next comes March, where it's still not gorgeous outside but there's a light at the end of the tunnel, you know spring is next. Besides, I start all my little seedlings in March, so it gives me hope for spring and gardening season! Hurray!!

2. My official start date for my new job is March 16th. There were some complications figuring it out, but we've finally landed a real start date. I'm grateful for some of those kinks since it gives me a little extra time to get caught up and handed off at my current job. I continue to marvel at God's faithfulness and provision for me! God is so good!

3. I am probably the most over committed person I know. Nope, just kidding, my parents probably take the cake on that one - though they typically over commit at the last minute vs. my over committing in advance. I always assume I can do something far in advance, when the calendar is clear - coordinate something, participate, plan, etc- and then when I look at my schedule as it approaches I realize I've wayyyy over committed myself. I'm still no good at saying no... heck, half the time I volunteer for this stuff!! March is a majorly over committed season for me, in the next few weeks: plan/coordinate a fundraiser, coordinate Habitat for Humanity project with my parish, throw shower for my housemate, do Stations of the Cross with Life Teen, spend a weekend out of town with friends, wrap up at my old job, start a new job (not to mention the drug tests I have to go get ;), organize our spring softball team ... ahhh. "Hi. My name is Favorite Aunt and I'm a chronic over-committer." "Hi Favorite Aunt."

4. Lent. Ah lent. I feel very behind on lent. In light of all the other craziness in my life right now, it totally took me by surprise. And I'm coming up blank on what I need to do and/or give up for this season. Actually, I think I need to simplify things... but I'm not sure how to make that happen in the next few weeks (though I'm determined to not commit to anything else... ever). A good friend had a very inspiring post here ... now if only I could come up with the concrete ways to do that in my own life. Stay tuned on lent... I'm still working on it.

5. I've been baking a lot lately - mostly just bread. I love home baked bread. I love the process of baking it. I love the way the whole house smells when you pull it out of the oven. As I'm sure I've mentioned, baking is therapeutic and relaxing for me... probably why I've baked every weekend the last month or two. Hmmm. Meanwhile the house is going to pot because I've been baking more than cleaning (and having kids over on weekends). Oops. The dog blankets are being washed today for the first time in 3 weeks (I'm usually fanatical about washing them weekly or at the most every other week- 3 weeks though? Clearly my type A mind has been elsewhere.)

6. I found these in the garden, they first started coming up the week it got warm and rained all week. Then they were covered with the next few inches of snow. And now they're trying to come back up!! Yay! Signs of spring!! (Believe it or not, I'm really ready for spring ;)

7. Note to self: Do not bake while distracted. Do not bake and clean at the same time. Do not bake and talk on the phone. If you're going to bake, bake for crying out loud. And please remember to put the salt in the bread before you put it in the bowl to rise (we'll see how this mixing the salt in last works out... I'm not too optimistic about it).

Quick Takes Friday

1. I took the day off work to have my niece Ellie and nephew Ben over. It is like relaxation therapy for me and just what I needed during a rather stressful season in my life. Their mom was possibly going to be induced today, but that didn't happen (complications). However, since I already took the day off, I sent her home for an afternoon without the kids. And they were pretty excited to be having an overnight here anyway. Pray for my sister and a safe delivery at the right time!

2. It seems like lots of people are sick again. I guess it shouldn't surprise me, but I'm definitely hoping to pass on this round of illness- in it's many various forms. I'm set for the winter, thanks. Which reminds me that I should get a flu shot at my routine appointment on Monday.

3. Last week we had quite a thaw here in MI. It melted all the huge piles of snow, the nice white snow covering everywhere, and turned everything into a dull brown. Not to mention a couple days with rain. Nice. It's now back to freezing temps and we should be getting snow in the next couple days. I think the last stretch was one of the longest I remember having snow and keeping snow for that long. Usually there's more thaws in between. Hmm. Global warming? I have my doubts.

4. Speaking of global warming, don't get me started about politics and this un-stimulous bill our elected officials are voting on. It makes my blood boil. It is a big government, big spending bill and the experts are saying so little of it even creates long term jobs and most of it doesn't stimulate the economy. Awesome. If you want to spend big, go ahead and write me a big check... Also, fascinating that our representatives got a 1000 page bill last night and were expected to vote on it today! They don't even have time to really read it!!! So basically everyone flips it open, checks for their pet projects (pork), and then votes? What??? Grrr. Like I said, don't get me started...

5. This job hunting thing is definitely good for me. It is stressful, don't get me wrong, and I'm not enjoying it but I can see that it is stretching me good ways. God is faithful. In the past week I went through orientation and have a very part time job at a home care company (just have to have my doctor's appt and recertify in first aid and CPR to finalize it). This is a huge blessing and it's comforting to have something lined up. The pay is really low, but I think the work will be rewarding, and every little bit counts right now. Just today I got a call from a big firm, well renowned, about a resume I submitted for a technical writing position. I'd forgotten all about it since I sent it right at the beginning of my search. She said her boss thought my resume stood out as a great mix of engineering and tech writing which is what they are looking for. I have an interview there on Monday! Ahhh. I need new shoes.

6. I am still no good at saying no or setting limits for myself. I've been working on it, but I don't think I've made much progress.

7. Wow. I really shouldn't have this much trouble coming up with a seventh... but I am... uhhhh... oh here's a good one, I broke part of my bumper on the huge snow pile at the end of the driveway, I didn't turn sharp enough and crunched a corner on the snow/ice heap. Today now that the snow has all melted, I just found a piece of bumper. Smooth move Reen.

Quick Takes Friday

**Oops. I wrote this and forgot to post it on Friday... here it is a little late...**

1. I somehow managed to schedule myself to do something every single evening this week. Now at the end of the week, I'm just weary and ready for the weekend and catching up on some important stuff at home, like throwing the ball for Suze, clipping Maggie's horribly long toenails, opening my mail and paying some bills, cleaning out the fridge, doing laundry, etc. The exciting stuff :)


2. This is not to say I didn't enjoy what I was doing, it was great to catch up with various groups and friends, next time I just need to not do it all in the same week.


3. I am definitely in the thick of the winter blues. This is the toughest season for me, and with everything else going on in my life right now, I better come up with a darn good project to keep me distracted. Though I have thousands of projects I need to do, none of them is really inspiring me right now as something I want to do. (Clean the garage, purge the storage room, paint the hall / stairwell, hem a bunch of chair covers... all so uninspiring...) Ugh. Suggestions?


4. I got the info for softball yesterday. It doesn't start until the end of April, but it was at least a sign of hope, that someday it will thaw and we will be outside playing ball. I want it to be now.


5. I made it to morning Mass 4 out of 5 days this week, yay! It's good to be back in the swing of things. and I am soooooo grateful for the gift of Mass and the Eucharist. I am always amazed at how much more peaceful I am if I start my day with Jesus.


6. The more I read by Pope Benedict 16th, the more I like him. We're currently reading some of his Weds audiences. He's got such great stuff to say and teach and in all of it, there is this tangible sense of the love of Jesus. Good stuff, I highly recommend it.


7. Babies babies babies... One good friend is now a week overdue, come on baby! My sister is due in a few weeks. I also need to brag that I saw a friend a couple weeks ago, hadn't seen her in awhile and I looked at her and instantly knew she was pregnant. This is her first pregnancy, so I can't claim to "recognize" it like I have in other friends, but somehow I just knew. I told my sister in law my suspicion, who told my brother and both claimed that I am insane. Last night I found out I was right, she is pregnant. Awesome (both that she's pregnant and that I was right)!! Though I have no idea how I developed this "gift" I am pretty good if I do say so myself. :)

Quick Takes Friday

1. I took the Christmas tree down last night. I think last week was the official christmas tree pick up at the curb, but I didn't get it down in time. I was quite relieved to arrive home from work and see that they took it! Although I got the tree undecorated and down, the rest of the house is still decorated. I had to do the undecorating, unlighting, and taking down of the tree in steps with naps in between- thanks to being sick and without energy- so nothing else has come down yet. Maybe tomorrow...

2. Now that Christmas and Owen/Suzie's birthday is done, I'm looking at the bleakest part of winter... and time to take on some serious projects to keep from going insane. Right now I have so many that need to be done it's hard to pick... and none are really creative or fun, they are more along the lines of declutter and organize. Maybe I'll have to make it a blog-event like last year's laundry room project. Although decluttering and sorting old boxes in the basement isn't nearly as fun as painting stripes on the wall. Stay tuned.


3. It is incredibly cold here in Michigan. As in sub-zero cold, which we don't get too often. Tomorrow we're supposed to get more snow. There is this adorable little bird that seems to like the spot right outside the patio door, perched on the dog runner. He flutters at the patio door a lot and has reappeared numerous times in the past few days... he's so cute. I wish the pic showed his red head/chest better. Last night I scared him away to scatter birdseed in case he's hungry... but then he didn't come back. Oops.


4. Speaking of birds, thanks to the above bird-visitor, I suddenly realized I need a bird book. I was having a conversation with someone a few weeks ago and they mentioned some bird they keep seeing, my first question: "Oh cool, did you look him up in the bird book?" She looked at me like I was crazy. Is the bird book really so crazy? I grew up in a homeschooling family. A bird-book family. Any time we'd see a bird, someone would run and get the bird book and we'd look up what it was, where it came from, what it ate, what birds it was closely related to, etc. I remember pouring over the gorgeous pictures in the bird book just for fun. When Lisa lived with me, she had a bird book and we'd look up the various birds that ate outside the dining room window. Currently, I have no bird-book housemates and apparently I need a bird book of my own... maybe I can get one with my borders gift card. Along those lines, come on... any other bird-book people out there? Is the bird book really so crazy?

5. Although it's cold, it is very beautiful!! Here's a shot out my dining room window- playing with the filters in my awesome new camera.

6. I'm reading a book called "Pack of Two" about a woman and her dog. It's kinda cute, she talks about the relationships people have with dogs and how intimate and hidden those relationships are, how foreign they are to people without dogs, etc. At the beginning of the book, I really enjoyed the connection and thought she had some interesting and true observations, but now I'm bored. Apparently she's going to continue making those same observations over and over again and never really get anywhere with the book. On a positive note, the book is confirming for me that I'm not an insane dog-person. I am certainly a dog owner and love my dogs (and blog way too much about them) but I am not an over-the-top dog person. Whew. That's a relief.

7. Alan continues to thrive in the Cous household. He enjoyed Owen's birthday party at my place last Saturday and got quite good at the paddle/ball game. He's so cute! He is always just delighted with life. Apparently he insisted on wearing the pants I made him for Christmas when he found out he was coming to my house! What a cutie! Not only does he have physical therapy several days a week, he also has Ken Cous, ever practical, at the helm, teaching him to crawl, and do all sorts of non-traditional exercises to help him function better in the real world. His surgery on his arm is coming up next week, say a prayer for a successful surgery and quick recovery.

Quick Takes Friday

1. I feel that I should do some sort of New Year's post... but that feels too labor and brain intensive, so I'm going to settle for this. For the record, I do not like new year's resolutions because I prefer failure in smaller doses. I do have several resolutions / goals rattling around in my head, but will take them one month at a time.

2. It has been a very busy break, lots and lots of visiting and parties with intermittent stretches of being home alone and totally unproductive. I'm really glad I got to see and hang out with a bunch of people over the course of the break: Novecoskys, Mitzels, Archibalds, Pannings, Brad, Sara, Garrett, Katie and Killian, Fiona, and others I'm sure I'm forgetting right now. Not to mention a Mary Kay party with Anne B and some of my sisters :) And seeing lots of family at various family events (but never enough one on one time with far away cousins...). Whew. The unproductivity has been a little extreme but kinda nice at the same time. Besides, I've got 3 months of the dreaded winter to be productive and get projects around the house done.

3. I think I'm finally getting sick after numerous exposures and many escapes in the last couple months. It's nothing serious, but yesterday I got a sinus headache and by the end of the Kennedy family gathering my head was throbbing and feeling stuffy. I took nyquil, snuggled / dozed with the pups for awhile, and then dragged myself to bed. Today I'm still congested, but the headache is gone and I can't really complain, it's pretty mild so far.

4. I love baking. I've been baking a lot over this Christmas season, mostly stuff for one party or another. but I really do love it, it's so satisfying and relaxing and makes the house smell great. And then I pawn off said baked goods at whatever party so hopefully it doesn't go straight to my hips... I have a new favorite bread recipe and I also tried a new recipe for homemade creamy tomato soup. Usually I'm not a huge soup fan, but I've realized that might have more to do for my dislike of mushy vegetables and canned soup than an actual distaste for good soup. Tomato soup made with homegrown and canned tomatoes can't even be compared to the canned stuff at the store.

5. New Year's Eve was fun, a nice small-ish gathering hosted by someone else that included several of my good friends. And some snuggle time with a favorite godson of mine... he's pretty cute, although the noisemakers and shouting at New Year's did scare him. How on earth is it 2009 already though???

6. Next up, dinner tonight with friends, projects around the house Saturday, Epiphany celebration with my immediate family on Sunday. Owen's birthday is Monday so I think we're doing his (and Suzie's) party the following week. A murder mystery birthday party for a friend. Then a retreat weekend at Gethsemane later in January and a few more family birthdays thrown in there too. Maybe I'm not going to get any projects done until February... and I definitely need some more vacation after all this celebrating!!

7. Somewhere in the craze of the past week, I had to take Suze to the vet for extreme scratching, swollen eyes, oozing and bleeding (again). The vet was concerned that Suzie's seasonal allergies may be expanding if she's reacting in January. She went over lots of things it could be and said if I'd like to rule out food allergies, I can put her on a diet of homemade dog food made with sweet potatoes and ostrich for 6 weeks, and if her allergies clear up, we'll know it's a trace of something found in dog food. Awesome. I don't actually think I want to know. I opted for our usual round of prednisone and Suzie's back to her normal happy self and has stopped scratching. Ostrich and sweet potatoes? Are you kidding me?? We'll stick with the cheap and easy steroids for now, thank you.

Quick Takes Friday #1

I like this idea (thanks Love Life who got it from Conversion Diary). Here's my quick takes, in no particular order:

1. My driver’s side lock is frozen. Again. This is inconvenient. I drive a Honda that tries to save you from your own stupidity, you can’t just easily lock the driver’s side door. You have to either hold the handle open and push down the lock, or use your key to lock the door. I typically (habitually) shut the door and lock it with the key. Now that the lock is frozen shut, it just adds complication. To unlock: I go out to the car, try the lock unsuccessfully (duh), walk around the car and unlock the passenger side, walk back around the car, climb into my seat. To lock: I get out of the car, slam the door, put the key in lock, realize it’s still frozen, open the door, hold open the handle, press down the lock, move on with my life. It's not a big deal, but it is annoying.

2. I’m having a murder mystery dinner tonight with some of my friends, the younger crowd. It should be a blast. I am a reporter and found a ladies wool suit (skirt and jacket), the perfect costume, at the Saline Goodwill store yesterday for $1, I won’t wear it out of the houe ;) Awesome. Also purchased, a bright green corduroy suit- disgusting and awesome at the same time. Perfect costume for something or to turn into a project.

3. Last night I was attempting to get things in order, made parts of dinner tonight so I can just throw them in the oven tonight, straightening the house- and suddenly had the urge to wash all the slipcovers in the living room (to basically de-cat the house now that the cat has been adopted)… washing all the slipcovers is a rather big project since all the furniture in there is slipcovered. Half of it is back together, but the couch slipcovers are still in the dryer… so I really just made tonight more complicated, not less so, oops. But I will know how clean the furniture is, so it’s worth it. I’m also a little self conscious that the cute quilted dog blankets are in the laundry, so my guests will see the yucky non-matching dog blankets in use. Not good planning at all.

4. I need to get a load of firewood sometime soon. I’m out and it’s definitely fire-in-the-fireplace season. And speaking of the fireplace, the stockings are now hanging- and Maggie definitely gets on the hearth and sniffs them daily - she remembers that at least one day a year those stockings hold something delicious for her. Suzie has no clue, she'd rather have her belly scratched (shocker, I know).

5. I’ve been trying to do Christmas stuff since October. I was determined not to put the family calendar together at the last minute like last year, to not have to shop anytime in December, to basically get Christmas stuff all done so I could just have a leisurely unstressed advent. I failed miserably. Most of my shopping is done (I didn’t have tons to do), but the projects are not even close, the calendar isn’t even started, the Christmas cards are not sent, and Christmas is two weeks away.

6. I think the cold makes me tired. Or maybe just being me makes me tired. I haven’t been able to get up for Mass most mornings this week. Ugh. Next week I am determined to do better.

7. One of my favorite fall / winter foods: Cranberry applesauce. Basically you buy a bag of whole cranberries, follow the instructions for whole cranberry sauce (usually 1 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar- although I use less sugar). Mix that with a jar of your homemade applesauce. Delicious! I like it better than cranberry sauce alone because you can only eat a small amount of that because it’s so strong. Cran-apple-sauce is less strong but no less delicious. I love it.