I’m listening to some old CD’s and relaxing after a day driving in the rain. In the truck, out of the truck, into that building and then out. With all of the rain, my clothing was soaked as I drove back from Fort Wayne. As much as I complain to my children, I really don’t mind walking in the rain at times. I prefer a warm summer rain to these cold spring rains, but they can be refreshing at times.

With the short walk back to the truck this evening, after dropping off my youngest, I really got soaked. The rain just decided to drop in buckets as I turned the corner heading away from my daughter’s apartment. Anyway a warm fire, a change of clothes and some relaxation was called for when I got home.

The music is still playing, the fire is slowly dieing. And for now, I am relaxed. The weekend is at an end, and I enjoyed it. Now to look forward to the coming week. If I could save time in a bottle, the hours of this weekend would be ones to save.

AH…. Saturday… nothing to do, day off.  I watched Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (can’t beat Doc Brown chewing the scenery as a Klingon baddie getting kicked by the ever poetic William Shatner…”I…have HAD… ENOUGH of…YOU!“).  Then watched the start of the ball game before heading to church and some grocery shopping (UGH… grocery shopping). However, we did have some Chinese.  Mass was interesting: the musicians decided to not show so Father Jim led the congregation in “Jesus Christ is Risen Today” a capella.  I’ve heard worse.  The remainder of mass was music-less.  Someone asked why I did not jump up and volunteer to lead.  Since it was not my home parish and I was not appropriately dressed (I did not have time to change out of my jeans and sweatshirt before we left… last minute thing) I said “Not today.”  Hmm… kind of reminds me of another tangenteer’s latest post!

At the Chinese restaurant, my fortune was actually one of the most fitting I have ever received.  “You have a great appreciation for the arts and music.”  REALLY… A great appreciation sounds just a bit less than reality but I’ll take it! I did not even ask “What kind of fortune is that?” I had to make sure that the cookie was not opened beforehand, but I did take it out of the sealed wrapper.  Six year old Alyssa’s said: “Sell Your Ideas They Are Worldly Appropriate.”  Her idea: “To be on Spongebob.”  😉

While at the ‘Mart, I was asked to go to the toy department.  Sounded more fun than wandering around the grocery aisles.  Push push here and honk that bicycle horn!  Buy me this!  30,000 piece puzzles (well… 300 piece Cinderella’s Castle puzzle that looked fun). Tossed around the Nerf balls.  Whatever happened to the cool Star Wars blasters.  Out of stock? Then the inevitable bathroom break that seemed to take 20 minutes… and of course both girls had to go at the same time… imagine that!  But in the end, I came out relatively unscathed and not a penny poorer than I went in.. so all was good!

We took a family walk down to Walgreens last night, and about halfway there, I happened to look down and noticed that my husband was wearing his slippers.  We proceeded to give each other a hard time, neither one understanding the other’s point of view.

MINE:  It’s embarrassing.  I don’t really concern myself with what others think for the most part, but I also know that many people are judgmental and will treat you differently if you have the appearance that you either don’t take care of yourself or are dirt poor.  I don’t want to make either statement about my family, and I don’t like drawing attention to myself or my family.  I definitely don’t want our daughters to have any excuses to not want to go places with us as they approach their teen years, when they will fashion plenty of these excuses themselves.  I will teach them not to care what other people think in that way as much as I can, but teens will be teens.  Besides, the signs on public places say, “No shirt, no SHOES, no service.”  Technically, slippers are not shoes, and I like to follow the rules.

HIS:  I’m comfortable.  Who cares what people think?  If they judge, that’s their problem.  The signs on the doors of public places are referring to no BARE feet.

I told him if I wrote to Dear Abby, she would say wearing slippers in public is not appropriate, and he challenged me.  So I said I would make a poll on my blog.  What do you think?

[poll id=”17″]

[poll id=”18″]

[poll id=”19″]

Happy Earth Day a day (or two at his point) late!  Did anyone happen to see this remarkable play begun by a little-known third baseman in the top of the 6th inning against the Oakland A’s?  The first time such a feat was accomplished by the team since 1968 when one of the greats was involved.  The bad news is that he Yanks still lost.  The good news is… it did not matter, they still took the series!  There was even some squabbling between A-Rod and the pitcher for the A’s.  Something about how the Yankee made his way back to first base after a play… I dunno.

But check out the historic play… even though the A’s came out on top in the end.

Barnes and Noble is really making headway with their book reader. Today I just got a software update for my Nook. They made somethings easier like connecting to Wi-Fi sites and loading music. And they added a thing or two. The first was a section for Games. So far there are only two games, but I’m sure they will add more. I’m sure part of it will be a money maker for them too. I can see them charging for ‘Game’ apps. They said they did some changes to make the page turning quicker. All good right!

Then there is the big change. I can now access the internet on my Nook. I was able to read blog posts, check up on email and some other things you can do on the web. I don’t think it is made to play movies or things like that, but it does handle basic text and graphics very well. I don’t think I would ever use it for more than quick replies. The data entry is a bit rough for me. I did try to reply to a blog, but it said I was posting from a spam site, even when I was logged in as me. Hmmm.

Big problem though, the Web seems to eat battery life. I guess I will need to keep my charging cord available at all times if I want to scan the web often.

I just hope the abiltity to store my books in files, or give them tags will be available soon.

I am sitting here on the couch, all alone and bored. Tony is at work and Amie is out celebrating her one month anniversary with her boyfriend. I have done two loads of laundry, plus folded the loads that Amie had done a couple of days ago. I don’t mind doing laundry. It is actually one of the few chores that I don’t mind doing and don’t need to be in a cleaning mood to feel like doing. I wonder if that made any sense to anyone else besides me. Oh well, I am just in the mood to write.

I am no longer head cashier at Goodwill. I was getting so stressed from that, so instead, I am part time cashier and part time production in the back just so I can get the hours I need. This week and next week, I am going to be getting over time. We are short a two cashiers. I am the only one right now, the other two cashiers are actually the head cashiers. One of our cashiers is on medical leave and the other one was promoted to head cashier to take my place. Last night I stayed two extra hours just to help catch things up so they wouldn’t have so much to do with closing. Though I am not sure how my hours will be once they hire people to replace all the ones we need. We have hired two of the four positions we need. Next week I will be training the new cashier, which could be interesting.

Tony has applied for an internship for some computer thing in Hicksville. I really hope he can get that so he will finally have experience. I know for him to get a good job for his major, he will need experience and we would have to move to a bigger city. UGH! I really don’t want to, but I would, for Tony. I love the small towns. I guess I will always be a country girl at heart, but Tony will eventually find a job,  I am sure of that, and we will move.

On a happier note for me, my little baby kitten is turning one on Wednesday. Well, it isn’t exactly a happier note. My baby is growing up! I don’t want her to get older. She is supposed to stay my little baby forever! Betsy said she will always be my baby, and she will. She is my spoiled baby and she knows it. She is still so playful and cute! I know that eventually she might calm down, but it seems so unlikely with her. Padme is not one who likes to sit and cuddle unfortunately, though Darth and Beru make up for that. She sometimes sleeps next to me at night, but that is few and in between. She reminds me of me when I was younger. 😉

…was today, and I hope it’s the last.  I have 4 kids, the oldest of whom is 10 years old.  So I’ve been doing this kid thing for more than a decade, pretty much a third of my life if I shave off a couple of years, which I’ll gladly do.  My older kids are girls, so why am I not surprised that the boy is the one who prompted the call to Poison Control.  The good news is, everything is fine.

This morning, Beeber (an affectionate nickname for my son Christopher because this is what his older sister called him when she was 2) was out of my sight for just a few minutes – I think I was cleaning up some sort of mess he made as usual.  In the back hall we have a pet cabinet (which will now be moved) where we keep leashes, dishes, rawhides, etc.  Back by the pet cabinet, I found an open, empty package from a dog’s heartworm pill.  It was opened neatly, and it didn’t look like it had been opened by a 21-month-old expecting to find candy.  I checked his breath and his teeth (the heartworm medicine looks like a chunk of dog food – I would think if my son had eaten it, then some would be stuck on his teeth), and there were no signs that he had eaten it.  Perhaps the last adult to give the dogs the medicine had put an empty package back in the cabinet.  Or, knowing my son, he might have just fed it to the dogs.  But I had to call Poison Control to be sure; the chemicals listed on the box sounded frightening.  Poison Control said they didn’t expect a problem, which I thought was a strange response but a better one than I had hoped.  I thought they would at least tell me warning signs of trouble or something, but I’m just glad they gave the all clear and that we didn’t have to make a trip to the ER or worse.

Ah, Poison Control, the number every mom should know:  1-800-222-1222.  They are very calming, friendly, and they can actually speak English unlike a lot of places that we call these days, so don’t hesitate to call them if you think your kid might have gotten into something they shouldn’t have.  Better safe than sorry!

My Daily Bread spoke to me today.  Our Daily Bread is a little book that contains small daily devotions.  I keep mine in my bathroom; that way I can flip through it while I’m bathing a kid, or, er, whatnot.  Lately I’ve been struggling with being overwhelmed by back-logged home repair and organizational projects that I know I really shouldn’t waste time and energy worrying about.  Some people would say’ just do it’ – then I’d be less overwhelmed as the things start to get done, but with 4 kids, I just don’t have the time (see my post about Poison Control and you’ll see what happens if my kids are left unattended for mere minutes), and I’m tired all the time and also kind of lazy.  So anyway, I’m trying to just let go and not think about my To Do list, and here is the Daily Bread for today; maybe it will help others in my boat too:

It’s been a long, cold winter, and I am eager for warm weather. I’m tired of seeing bare trees and lifeless brown leaves covering the ground. I long to see wildflowers poke through the dead leaves and to watch the woods turn green once more.

Yet even as I anticipate my favorite season, I hear my mother’s voice saying, “Don’t wish your life away.”

If you’re like me, you sometimes hear yourself saying, “When such and such happens, then I will . . . or, If only so and so would do this, then I would do that . . . or, I would be happy if . . . or, I will be satisfied when . . .”

In longing for some future good, we forget that every day—regardless of the weather or our circumstances—is a gift from God to be used for His glory.

According to author Ron Ash, “We are where we need to be and learning what we need to learn. Stay the course because the things we experience today will lead us to where He needs us to be tomorrow.”

In every season, there is a reason to rejoice and an opportunity to do good (Eccl. 3:12). The challenge for each of us every day is to find something to rejoice about and some good to do—and then to do both.

Just as the winter turns to spring,
Our lives have changing seasons too;
So when a gloomy forecast comes,
Remember—God has plans for you. —Sper

Every season brings a reason to rejoice.

If you notice on the right hand bar, there is a new widget.  I’m looking through all of my pictures to see if I can find animals that will represent various moods.  After I catalog those moods, I hope to find a way to easily switch them to my current frame of mind.

Maybe that will give you an indication of what was going on in my head during the latest posting.  I won’t guarantee that it will reflect past posts, just the most current.

IF, and that is a big if, I get this working to my satisfaction, maybe I will share…. Right now it is only a text widget. Not at all what I am working toward, but I like the pictures.

I’ve heard a lot of people say they are Denzel Washington fans, and I didn’t really get it.  But then I watched Inside Man, and  I enjoyed it.  I then saw Book of Eli in the theaters, which I really liked a lot, and it’s become one of my husband’s favorite movies of all time.

Last night we watched the 1998 movie Fallen, also starring Denzel, and it was one of the best crime-thrillers I’ve seen in a long time.  As usual with these types of movies, I hesitate saying too much because I don’t want to ruin anything for anyone.  Let’s just say that I highly recommend Fallen; especially if you like the genre; especially if you like Denzel.  Always intriguing; at times it was genuinely creepy, though never gory, and most importantly, it did not leave the audience distracted with guessing possible twists – just a good crime drama which left one waiting to see what unfolds next.  John Goodman, James Gandolfini, and Donald Sutherland all provide excellent performances rounding out the acting roster.  At one point, there was an expression on Denzel Washington’s face that was utterly perfect for the circumstance at hand, and that’s when I realized that I was starting to become a fan of his acting.  If you would have asked me before today who my favorite movie actor is, I would have said Tom Hanks.  I loved Forrest Gump, Splash, League of Their Own and Toy Story, and I thoroughly enjoyed a host of other Hanks films: The Terminal, Castaway, and Big just to name a few.  Hanks’ diversity, comedic abilities, and every-man qualities make him fun to watch.  So after thinking about all these great movies again, I guess I would still maintain Tom Hanks as my favorite movie actor, but because I judge movies more from a whole-picture perspective, Denzel’s films are starting to catch my eye – he knows how to pick ’em!

I’ve seen Bone Collector (push-knob car locks have never been the same), but it’s been a long time, and I don’t remember much about the movie except that I liked it (and those darn push-knob car locks).  So now, being a Denzel Washington fan, I will have to watch Bone Collector again.

So the point of this post is?  See Fallen – it’s good.  And we have SO broken the stinker movie trend around here.  Hallelujah!!  And thank you Denzel!