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Maniacal Monday #24

By DragonLady on November 18, 2013

Here’s how this day has gone so far. I get to Starbucks this morning, and one of the baristas came up and said “Good morning Martha! What would you like this morning?” Me: “Valium.” And she started to pull out a cup before she realized what I said. She got a good laugh as I handed her my cup and said blonde. I am quite sore today. I’m thinking maybe I did too much over the weekend.

First, I got glutened Friday at lunch. Usually I can get away with fajitas at the Mexican restaurants with no ill effects. Without the tortillas, of course. But they were crazy busy, and I ate one of Walter’s shrimps trying to make him out to be a wimp because no way his could have been more spicy than my spicy pumpkin dip. It was a delayed burn, but I have also had what he had and got glutened, so that could have been it. I haven’t been horribly effected yet, so it wasn’t a big glutening.

Since it was extended, I did the Dynamic Duel Canada vs USA 5k Saturday, only as it’s own run instead of the previous weekend’s combo run. And Saturday’s 5k = 5.4 miles. It was painful too. My knees hurt intermittently throughout the entire run. And my time sucked at 44:02. I hope this weekend’s 5k is better.

I got up yesterday and decided to go on a bike ride since I didn’t get around to it Saturday. I went the big loop by Deep River Park which is 11 miles of up and down. The 9.5 mile loop is more down than up. I pushed up the hill-to-be-conquered. I made a lot of stops. I nearly had to stop and puke around mile 3. But I got it done, and have been in pain ever since. Everything hurts.

We (hubs and I) went grocery shopping Saturday. The big just got paid trip. I needed some guitar strings and new picks, and also needed shampoo specifically from Target, so I planned out an Apex trip. We get to QuarterNote Music, and I did so well staying on target for strings and picks. Got ’em, paid for ’em, and as I was walking out the door, I looked back and saw 6 or 7 electric guitars on sale. They were all used, and 3 of them were under $100. So, yeah, I almost made it out the door with only what I went in for.

I told the lady checking me out that it just became the answer to either fixing or replacing my old one. I’m still going to get the old one fixed. It has too much sentimental value. 🙂 But, the new one sounds so much better and it is so easy to play. I spent several hours playing and tweeking to get just the right sound. Right for me that is. 😉 All this while the kids each had a friend over. Chad said he was pretty embarrassed when I was singing We Got the Beat. LOL!

Then we went to Target, aka Targzhay. This was where James got to witness first hand the type of thing that happens to me when I am out somewhere. I was wearing my “Run and Eat Cupcakes” shirt from last year’s cupcake virtual 5k because I was intending to go biking when we got back home. Apparently wearing that shirt in public means getting stopped by a random stranger to talk about it. I’m starting to notice a pattern when I wear race shirts in public. I can’t consistently blend in and not be noticed. Then again, it really doesn’t matter what I wear. I rarely get in and out of a store without another customer asking me something or just striking up a conversation. Also being an amazon woman, I am often asked to get stuff from top shelves. I complain, but I know it’s good for keeping my social anxiety from completely taking over me.

Grading. So, Jamie finally got her work done from week before last. :sigh: With all the shopping, and kids over, and playing with my new toy, I didn’t get any of Jamie’s work graded Saturday. By the time I slept in and did my bike ride yesterday, I had just enough time before church to do laundry and clean myself. Yes, I had to do laundry before I could shower because Connor was still over, and so wearing a bra was a necessity. But then after I got the clothes in the washer, everybody was gone. Chad went to the mall with Alex, James went to Lee & Rachel’s, and Jamie and Connor left and went to his house leaving me alone in the glorious silence again. I sat and basked in that a while, and also farted around on Facebook and Twitter. So it was after church before I looked at Jamie’s stuff, and decided to put off the grading, and just make out a new schedule. Immediately, I realized that grading was necessary because she has a test today and tomorrow. So I had to grade English and Algebra II. I could have graded Physical Science also, but I put that off because I was so tired and hurting and Sushi kept jumping up on the desk and laying on the answer key and I still had to put my laundry away because it was on the bed. So, yeah, I skipped the science, put away the laundry and went to bed.

This entry is filed under Adventures in Homeschooling, Biking, Exercise, Humor, Life, Maniacal Monday, Photos, Ramble, Running, Video. | 6 Comments

Funday Friday #23

By DragonLady on November 15, 2013

I had a small breakthrough this week. I found one of my pairs of arch supports, and started wearing them Wednesday. I had no lower back pain yesterday after I put my shoes on, and have had none at all today. Now maybe I will be motivated to go find the other pair or 2 I own. Along with that one pair of boots I can’t seem to find.

Speaking of Wednesday. The hubster went to court again Wednesday morning, and has yet another continuance. :sigh: But, this time his lawyer was not feeling well, and James said he looked really bad up close, so probably a good thing. But there was a good photo op in the parking lot. James spotted it, and we both found it funny.

Yes, it is juvenile. Whatevs. 😉

I’m about to make some dietary changes…again. Breakfast will not be the same. On the other hand, I should really pick up the phone and make an appointment with Dr Garlick to get some testing done.

For your daily TMI, you get another little work story. I came back from the bathroom this morning and said to the other female in the office, “That was round one. Consider that a warning.” A few minutes later, she gets up, and then comes back and says, “Martha!” To which I responded, “What? I warned you.” Apparently she didn’t wait long enough. And she knew I had chili last night. lol

Evie won’t bite anybody or anything. Except Jamie.

I think instead of running a 5k in the morning, I will run “the loop” which is 3.4 miles. Because I haven’t run it in a while. And I need to get in some hills before next weekend’s 5k.

I need a haircut.

KitKat has stopped sleeping on the ledge and falling off. She is napping in my office again. Amber acts like she thinks KitKat is a male and seems to be trying to seduce her. SMH. Tiger might have hit it the other day. :-/ But last night Tiger just smelled her and then ran off. KitKat is the only one that’s been fixed. The rest of them need fixing. I will gladly let someone pay for that. 😉

I guess this is all I got. The following was in the recommended videos when I got the link for Jamie and Evie, and I found it hilarious. 🙂

This entry is filed under Diet, Exercise, Funday Friday, Humor, Life, Photos, Ramble, Running, Video. | 2 Comments

Maniacal Monday #23

By DragonLady on November 11, 2013

I had one of the best and most exhausting weekends in a while. Seriously, 7pm last night, I crashed. It was great. Ok, it was mostly great. There was a lot of yelling when I got home Friday. I even fired James. “I know now I was suffering from pre-menstrual syndrome.” – Truvy Jones. And on that note, I put on my black yoga pants Saturday afternoon, and those things are always covered with lint, fuzz, and hair. My hair, dog hair, and cat hair. Because we all shed. I immediately thought of that scene in Steel Magnolias when Truvy hires Annelle and Annelle tells Truvy she has “tiny little hairs and fuzzies” all over her. Truvy’s response was “There’s so much static electricity in this room, I pick up everything but boys and money.” I tweeted that, because it’s how I roll, and then I went to the store with hair and fuzz all over my black yoga pants. Because that’s also how I roll. My tweets also publish to my Facebook, and thus began the quote-fest. Petra dropped a quote, and we went back and forth for hours while she did photo editing and I graded. I’ve seen that movie way too many times. I’m sure I saw it every day for my last 6 weeks in Kuwait back in ’97. I know that when Lisa and I sat in the chow hall one day with the major, and Steel Magnolias was playing, we were quoting line by line with the movie. And the major looked at us and said, “You guys have been here too long.” Fun times. 🙂

I got up Saturday morning and went to Raleigh to run the 2nd annual Run to Reclaim 5k. It was 30F when the hubs and I left the house. I kept reminding myself that the Anderson Creek 10k earlier this year was a lot colder. Anyway, I caught a fantastic shot of the sunrise over Jordan Lake on the way.

It had been at least 6 weeks since I last ran, so I was totally amazed to finish in under 37 min. My official chip time was 36:42. I combined runs, and so this was also my Dynamic Duel Canada vs USA Virtual 5k run. And if you haven’t, go sign up and do it!! Especially if you are from the states. Because I think I saw an update on FB where Canada had come from behind and was winning. Not that there are any losers in this one as it supports the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. 🙂 Here’s my “finish” photo with the awesome shirt I got from the Run to Reclaim 5k. Because I just love the florescent yellow. 😉

And then I got on my bike and rode 9.69 miles. Which is just crazy. But I only had to stop twice going up the hill-to-be-conquered this time. And one of those I was all bent over my bike trying to catch my breath and not puke in someone’s driveway…while there was someone in the yard.

Grading. That was the other low point of the weekend. Chad bombed 2 of the 3 tests he took last week, and didn’t finish all of his work that he said he finished. :headbang:

I spent nearly all day at church yesterday because I was on schedule to play with the worship team. I’m pretty sure I screwed up the chords on every single song, but especially the last one. I even had the chords written and taped to my guitar and couldn’t get them right. But it was still fun. And I have a cool story. So there we were during the second service after the sermon. Pastor Nate was leading us in prayer before we watched a special video from Pastor Benji. My head is bowed; my eyes are closed. I heard this noise start up, and I wondered what it was. I kept mentally going through everything on stage that could be making it and finally thought maybe Shawn turned on the fan. Then it seemed to be just a bit louder and it started to dawn on me what that noise was and as I opened my eyes and started to raise my head back up, I heard a step from across the stage which was Rodney about to come warn me of the projector screen that I could now see was about to come down on my head. Hilarity then ensued as I quickly tucked and rolled. Ok, I just ducked and moved back. It was funny. Heidi was in the same boat, but she was by Rodney, and not as tall as me, so she had a tad bit more warning. Again I want to say how much I enjoy being part of the C.O.R.E. Worship Team!

Now let me tell you about lunch. The hubs fixed me a gluten free hamburger helperish thing for lunch yesterday, and when we got done with it there really wasn’t enough for my lunch today. So he said he would fix me sweet potato home fries which are awesome! Anyway, when I packed up my lunch this morning, in addition to the sweet potatoes, there was a small container of deviled eggs. Score! And, there was ham underneath the sweet potatoes. Like Christmas in November.

I was singing this the other day grading Jamie’s work:

And I will wrap this us with a huge THANK YOU to all of our veterans today and for those still serving. There are too many friends, family, and co-workers for me to name, but I am partial first to my husband, my extended family and my husband’s family, and then to those I served with in the 3rd Combat Communication Group, Al Jaber Air Base, Kuwait, and the JAC & 423rd ABS in the UK.

All gave some. Some gave all.

This entry is filed under Biking, Life, LinkWhoring, Maniacal Monday, Military, Photos, Ramble, Remembrance, Running. | 6 Comments

Maniacal Monday #22

By DragonLady on November 4, 2013

This looks to be another busy week. 3 counseling appointments today. 2 for the kids, and 1 for me. Fun times. Since I was going to have to miss half a day of work anyway, I decided since my bed felt so good this morning, I would just take the whole day. I may or may not regret that decision. 😉

I lost a battle with the lawn mower yesterday. There’s just too much to describe without pics that I don’t feel like taking, so suffice to say that even though I can easily put the blade assembly back into the spindle and tighten it down, I cannot get the belt out from under another pully (that has a stripped bolt). So it’s going to probably require a new belt unless the hubs can get it out. But, after that battle was lost, I went in and showered, and by this time Jamie was the only one home besides me. She announced she was leaving shortly, and there I was left at home. Alone. In. The. Quiet. It was fabulous. So much so I had to text Petra and gloat a little about not knowing what to do with myself. She gave me a suggestion which I followed.

And then the kids came home, and I went to bed. lol

KitKat. That cat is so stupid. This is where she has been perching lately.

She sits there, falls asleep, and then falls off. Then she runs right back up there and does it again. Over and over. And Jamie won’t keep her in her room at night to prevent it. Dumb cat.

I’m on the schedule for next Sunday. This time there is only 1 song that I don’t know at all. lol

I’m working on eating clean again. By clean I mean no artificial colors/flavors and minimal artificial preservative. Went grocery shopping Saturday and one of the items we needed was salt. I went after sea salt. James was with me and picked up a container of salt and said “Here.” I took it and looked at the ingredients. Then I read them to him. I picked up another container, and handed it to him saying “Read the ingredients.” “Natural sea salt.” Ok, it probably isn’t “natural,” but it claims to have been harvested from the Mediterranean. And it is one ingredient. Salt.

Now I am back after the meeting with the kids’ counselors. James looked at me and said “You look tired.” Understatement. Drained. And I still have my appointment to go to. It will be a barrel of laughs now. Not that it ever is. 😉

Someone pooped on the floor in front of the litter box instead of IN it. KitKat has a history of that. Stupid cat.

And I rode 9.8 miles Saturday. There is a hill I am determined to conquer. I didn’t have to push my bike up it this time, but I did stop 3 times on the way up before I made it to the top. If I can ride up St Vincent street, I can ride up that hill. Ok, I probably can’t ride up St Vincent right now and since I live 900 miles away, I won’t be trying. 25 years ago I could ride up St Vincent. Anyway, I really pushed it because after about 3 miles I saw rain clouds. I then began to race against the rain. I would say that I won, except the rain went around us.

This entry is filed under Biking, Family, Life, Maniacal Monday, Photos, Ramble, Video. | 4 Comments

Funday Friday #21

By DragonLady on November 1, 2013

This week. I’m glad it’s over. And I switched my “happy pills” back to morning because I think that change to evening was a bad move. And not because I was grouchy that one morning. lol It hasn’t been a bad week, just a busy one. I think I might have been busier this afternoon than I have been the past 2 weeks because at one point I had 3 different things going on at the same time.

Wednesday the hubby and I celebrated our 20th anniversary. Hard to believe it’s been 20 years. Many of those rough years. I told James weeks ago that we were going to Shucker’s for our anniversary because Petra raved about it after they went the first time. And just like the bison burger, she didn’t do it justice. I’m pretty sure I could have eaten my weight that night especially since I couldn’t eat any hush puppies or garlic bread. 😉

Of course last night was Halloween as if no one knew. haha. Chad asked me to take him and his friends trick or treating. I gave him the “You’re too old to still be trick or treating” look, but finally conceded that I would take him if his daddy would pick him up. Ended up taking Chad and 2 of his friends and Jamie and one of hers. 5 total. 4 teenage boys and Jamie. lol But, you know, I decided to make the most of it. So I halfway dressed up.

Gizmo’s photobomb makes the photo. Jamie came out of her room and spent the rest of the time complaining about how I just made her life hurt. Then I spotted Chad walking up the driveway with his 2 friends, so I walked out to meet them. I wish I had captured the moment when they saw me. Chad was just about as mortified as Jamie. I was thoroughly entertained.

Heard this on the radio this morning. Took me back.

This entry is filed under Family, Funday Friday, Life, Photos, Video. | 4 Comments

Maniacal Monday #21

By DragonLady on October 28, 2013

Know how to start a Monday off right? Oversleep. Slept right through the alarm (or hit snooze in my sleep), and was awakened by the dogs barking 15 min after I should have been at work. Fun times.

I finally finished the VIRTUAL RIDE for breast cancer hosted by Run with Jess this weekend. 31 miles of during October, and a lot of butt pain. lol I did manage to take a picture while I was riding during my second ride (the 12.5 mile one):

Less than 4 miles into and I was already in pain. And I’m pretty sure I was even rolling downhill when I snapped it. 😉 I rode 11 miles on Saturday, and that was all I could do. That left me 4.1 miles to finish yesterday, and as soon as I sat down on that seat I knew that was going to be a long 4.1 miles with a sore butt. But, after about a mile, my butt didn’t hurt so bad. Probably because my legs started to hurt worse. haha After it was over, I had the hubby snap a shot of me on my bike with the medal, because who doesn’t love bling?

Now I have to start running again since I have a 5k coming up next month and a 12k in December.

I had to ask a question of Jamie this weekend. “Do you want to graduate on time, or do you want to do summer school or another year of school?” She’s 2 weeks behind, Chad is 4 weeks behind. Craziness. I’ve cut off internet for both. James said yesterday that they needed gas for their mopeds, and I told him I had been deliberately not getting more gas for them for the same reason they have no internet. And since he isn’t making them do their work which is the whole reason he isn’t working at a real job that actually pays, I have a fun-filled pending talk to have with him.

Anywho, Amber tore up my hand yesterday while we played. I didn’t realize the damage until I put on lotion and it burned us. I was very amused at KitKat’s ungraceful falling off of things she was sleeping on over the weekend.

This entry is filed under Adventures in Homeschooling, Biking, Exercise, Humor, Life, LinkWhoring, Maniacal Monday, Photos, Video. | 4 Comments

Odds and Ends

By DragonLady on October 7, 2013

I had my second DNR this weekend. Even if I hadn’t already planned to not race, I wouldn’t have because I spent a good chunk of the morning on the toilet thanks to the glutening 2 weeks ago. I might have spent that time regretting the spicy pumpkin dip I’d eaten the day before also. 😉

Friday night, I went to Chatham Marketplace to get wine. As I was walking up from the parking lot, I noticed some young folks (I assumed college students) with clipboards, and I mentally groaned because I didn’t want to do a survey or buy anything or talk to strangers. They were supporting a cause, and trying to get others to support it. I politely and respectfully declined. But I didn’t get away so easy as I asked myself “Why didn’t you just go to Food Lion??” I was wearing my Ninja Challenge tshirt, and so we had a nice chat about that. I didn’t buy any wine either. I did pick up some more quinoa which I get from their bulk bins, and the sack busted open when the guy put it down on the register to weigh it. Oh, man. That stuff went everywhere! I was so glad it didn’t do that to me. lol

Saturday was a pretty busy day after spending the morning in the bathroom. lol The hubster and I went to get some nuts and bolts and locking washers to put the new spindle on the mower deck. Then we went to Harris Teeter to get Jaffa cakes for the kids, but there was only one box left so they had to share. Anyway, I got a pumpkin spice latte since Starbucks was right there in Harris Teeter. 😉 Then off to Walmart where I got this:

Yes, it’s a cheap Huffy. I didn’t get it for it’s speed or lack thereof. I have a good track record with Huffy. I took it out for a 3.4 mile ride that evening, and had to stop halfway and rest my butt. I’ve since adjusted the seat tilt, so hopefully it will be kinder to my backside. lol And I do have to this to earn this month:

I’ve written 881 words of my book. lol

Oh, yeah. The riding mower is fixed. But hardly any mowing happened because the hubster and I both woke up sick yesterday. And I am still sick. I called in this morning and said I would keep it at home today and share it tomorrow.

I thought I would do just a little bit of maintenance on Chad’s “old” laptop before I call Dell to have the screen fixed…again. Now I see why says it’s crap. It has issues and I’ve been troubleshooting the wireless on it since yesterday. Something is hogging some serious resources on it. :pullhair: Fun times.

This entry is filed under Biking, Exercise, Life, Maniacal Monday, Photos, Ramble. | 2 Comments

Funday Friday #17

By DragonLady on October 4, 2013

1. I am going to start writing that book.

2. I locked my keys in the truck at work yesterday. That was an extra hour I didn’t want to spend there waiting on AAA, but one of my co-workers stayed with me and let me borrow his phone because mine was in the truck with my keys. This is the downside of daily using the keyless entry on my “fancy” car. 😉

3. My daughter was scheduled for an English test yesterday. I forgot to give her the test. Told her this morning that I would give it to her tonight. She asked if I would give it to her this morning (since she and Chad were still up playing Call of Duty when I got up). The printer decided to have issues, so no test this morning. :sigh:

4. So the other night, Jamie came to my office to get KitKat (KitKat feels abandoned by Jamie now over Amber), and KitKat had a dead mouse under her. I was working on printing out a test for Jamie so I handed her a paper towel to pick up the dead mouse and dispose of it. Then as I stepped closer to the printer to flip the pages over (it’s a 3 in 1 printer/copier/scanner), I stepped on something cold, wet, and squishy. Another dead mouse. Yes, I was barefoot. So I took that one out and hosed down my bare foot with vinegar. Later that night just before I finally fell deep asleep, James woke me up with “KitKat just found a copperhead in your office.” A lot more drama ensued before he came back and told me it was dead and he would get rid of it the next day.

Turns out it was not a copperhead, but a rat snake. And I have claimed KitKat as my own. Even though she is still gross. But she is welcome in this spot now.

I even scratch her scabby belly. She’s allergic to fleas. Aside from her fat, she’s not so gross during the winter when the fleas are gone.

5. I actually read the Medication Guide that I get with my Celexa prescription this morning. “Do not drink alcohol while using citalopram.” Oops.

6. Since I was running a little behind this morning thanks to repeatedly hitting the snooze and deciding I had gone long enough this week without washing my hair, I drank my breakfast this morning via Pumpkin Spice Latte. Thank goodness (sort of) that the baristas know me because what I ordered (without realizing it) was “triple venti vanilla spice latte.” She was like “are you sure you want vanilla spice?” LOL

7. Tomorrow is the ~~full~~ half marathon. Guess who will be DNR… I might manage to do 2 miles tomorrow.

8. I am still paying for my last glutening…2 weeks ago. Ugh.

9. I’m thinking that the hubster and I are actually going to make it to our 20 year anniversary this month. If for no other reason than to have dinner at Shuckers. 😉

10. Despite all the work that needs to be done around this house this weekend, I am so looking forward to the weekend. Mainly sleeping in. But also to some tunage.

You can thank Petra for this:

Happy Friday!!

This entry is filed under Adventures in Homeschooling, Diet, Exercise, Funday Friday, Photos, Ramble, Running, Video. | 14 Comments

“Like sands through the hourglass…”

By DragonLady on September 16, 2013

And now all I can hear is the theme music from Days of our Lives. I never was a big fan. I watched it enough to know the long time characters, but I just couldn’t ever stay into soaps. Except Santa Barbara. But I dumped it when Lane Davies left. Anywho…

I’m tired. It seems all I did over the weekend was grading. I really hope the kids don’t get all behind like that again this week. :sigh:

I did clean out my car though. The back floorboard was starting to look like a dumpster. It needs to be washed, but ain’t nobody got time fo dat.

If Granny Eoff’s fresh apple cake recipe was ever a secret, it isn’t anymore. I posted it on Facebook for a couple of folks, and at least 3 people reshared. lol But, I have Aunt Cora’s Italian Cream Cake recipe now, so it’s all good. And that all came about because I shared a old picture of my then young Granny for #throwbackthursday.

I didn’t run this weekend. Don’t judge me.

I took Chad out and let him practice driving…my car. :nervous2: He did good, but I still could have used a valium. 😉

I didn’t learn from another’s mistake and ate a Snickers Friday evening. Oh, yes, it was a mistake.

And, I’m all set to audition next week for the C.O.R.E. Worship team. By all set I mean I told Bradford I could do it next Sunday. Eek! It’s now time to get serious about learning those songs. I mean, I know them, but I need to know them without the crutch of words and chords in front of me.

Still didn’t get around to making Petra a pie. Because it’s just so hard to peel and slice apples. 😉

The kids got their new glasses today.

Oh, and since I gave up the caffeine, I am sleeping better at night. Huh. Really, I wasn’t drinking much and rarely had any after lunch, but I am sleeping for longer than an hour or two at a time. AND I’m not having so many headaches.

Chad didn’t appreciate me playing this when his friends were over Saturday night. I enjoyed it immensely. 😉

This entry is filed under Adventures in Homeschooling, Diet, Exercise, Family, Life, Maniacal Monday, Photos, Running, Video. | 4 Comments

Maniacal Monday #19

By DragonLady on August 12, 2013

So, I haven’t blogged in a few days and I guess I should write something given the dark nature of 2 of the 3 last posts.

1. I feel a whole lot better. I went to my doctor and asked for something to help me function. I’m really grateful that our doctor is a family doctor who knows me and my husband pretty well, and so I really didn’t have to go into too great a detail of what all was going on. I did let him know I was going to Al-Anon and wanted counseling for the additional issue(s) that got dredged up. He understood, and just asked if I needed something for the mental or mental and physical. I told him just mental, and he gave me an antidepressant which had me feeling stoned out of my mind for about 5 days before my body adjusted to it. He also told me to absolutely keep running and why. And he gave me referrals for counseling, and I have an appointment with a psychologist Wednesday.

2. Al-Anon. Now that I am “drugged up,” I can attend meetings without crying the whole time. Granted, it is ok to sit and cry through a whole meeting, but I prefer to have my meltdowns in the privacy of my shower. I’ve gone to a 3 different groups: a beginner’s group, and 2 regular groups. I really like the beginner’s group because of it’s focus on newcomers. Of the other 2 groups, one is pretty big, and one pretty small. I like the smaller group even though they spent a lot more time on me than my social anxiety was comfortable with. Regardless, I should have gone to Al-Anon years ago.

3. Running. Ugh. The marathon training is kicking my butt. I do fine with the short runs, but the long runs are a succession of fails. Quite discouraging. And I miss my running partner Karyn. 🙁

4. I am now officially chief administrator of a homeschool. And my daughter is a lot closer to having enough credits to graduate than I thought so that should be able to graduate at the end of this school year. The only thing my son passed last year was gym. :sigh: Looks like it will take summer school to ever get him back on track.

5. We have electricity again in the master bedroom & bathroom! After replacing all the switches and outlets, the culprit had to be a wire. There is a light in the attic, and I told the hubby that we need to check that before we start tearing out walls. That light was ok, but he traced the wire he could see on the attic side of our bedroom and found this:

The mouse tried to fit through the same hole as the wire through the 2×4 in the corner, got stuck, and proceeded to chew through the wire…and got fried. So we just had to replace a few feet of wire between outlets that (unfortunately) went around a corner, but yet (fortunately) was half in the attic so there was minimal wall damage around one outlet. This is the damaged wire that was inside the stud:

I cannot tell you how nice it was to sleep in my bed again. And have bright light in the bathroom. Because the lantern just wasn’t cutting it.

6. Mice. They are everywhere. KitKat will not stay in my daughter’s room anymore because she is stalking. I sat in the living room the other evening and watched a mouse running back and forth through the kitchen, but KitKat was perched in the laundry room where she couldn’t see it, and Gizmo wasn’t anywhere to be seen. :sigh: And the kittens keep themselves to the back of the house when they are let out.

7. Fleas. I don’t know which is worse. The mice or the fleas. It’s almost as if Gizmo is producing fleas. Winter can’t come quick enough. Just sayin’.

8. All our lawn equipment is back and fixed, and the hubby mowed the front before it got way too far out of control. The back is way out of control though.

9. The hubby finally got paid, and bought the boy a moped. (The blue one.)

And less than 24 hours later, I got a call from my son telling me “I crashed! I need help!” He got pretty scuffed up, but it could have been so much worse.

Elbow

Knee from top

Knee from front

The faceplate is why his face didn’t look like his knee. One of his hands was pretty scuffed up too.

10. Diet. I really need to stop eating tater tots. Also, I found some gluten free wasabi peas at Harris Teeter. Only thing, some of the peas are so hard that it is like chewing up gravel.

And I think that is pretty much it.