Fresh Frozen Corn

I like it as well as the next guy. But to find an partially eaten bag of UNfrozen Fresh Frozen Corn in the corner of Rachel's loft bed was a bit disgusting. It was carefully wrapped in a dish towel and (I assume) had been used as an ice pack after some injury. However, I have no recollection of the day (or week, for that matter) it was needed.

Any suggestions for this "tweenager" who should be keeping her room clean? Any suggestions for the mother of this "tweenager" as she tries to be patient? Any suggestions for the husband of the mother of this "tweenager" as he listens to the storm?

Day Two

. . . of my summer vacation and already I have forgotten that I ever had a job outside the home. When did I fit that in around my life's activities? I've been on field trips, cleaned (most of) the house, weeded (most of) the many flower gardens, eaten lunch with the kids and swiped a set of golf clubs, a bowling ball and a seed spreader from the neighbor's trash. I've gotten four books started and three more came in at the library today. I cruised the re-sale shops and found birthday presents for two of my sisters. I filed the large stack of "Things To Be Filed" and even planted a few more annuals. Now it's time to fix supper and bake some cookies. Life is grand!

Eighty-five Days

Read 'em and weep! That's how many days I have until school starts in August. If ever, EVER you hear me complain about my job, please remind me of the 85.

Pizza at Villa

What better place to discuss the fine art of flatulence-disguising with the kids. There's the cough, the throat clear, the squeak your shoe on the floor, the door slam and the "Aha-a-a-a!" Not sure how the topic came up, but on the ride home, we learned that none of us has a technique fully mastered.

(I guess you had to be there. . . .)

Bad Smell

Ya ever leave a wet washcloth in your laundry room too long? Well, that's the smell I thought I was smelling and that's why I cleared out the laundry room the other day, looking for the hidden cloth. I was unsuccessful in finding any item that smelled. My thoughts raced to last summer, when the smell I smelled ended up costing us about $2500.00 in plumbing expenses.

On Saturday morning, Mr. Rellim volunteered to check out the crawl space (Are you having visions of Arsenic and Old Lace? - I was.). Within ten minutes, Mr. Rellim surfaced with the corpse of the granddaddy of all chipmunks.

The bad smell in the laundry room has disappeared. Our trash collectors may leave us a note on Tuesday!

Gifted Education

They call it GE in fifth grade. And last night I got a small taste of why Rachel has been selected for the class. As she explained to me: "Mom, I just don't understand why my friend has the ability to meet the requirements to achieve good grades, but is completely unable to think outside the bun - I LOVE TACO BELL! Ya know what I mean? I mean, you have to be able to think outside the box and integrate information you learn and use it in other arenas. Ya know if I had a choice of being intelligent or being wise, I would choose being wise because wise people use the knowledge they have in proper ways. Intelligent people just think things to but can't function outside a textbook classroom. Ya know?

I told Rachel that was insightful, though quite deep for a Monday afternoon.

Better Hearing and Speech Month

It happens in May!

But not at our house. For example, Mike asked where I would like the landscaping rocks and I pointed and replied, "Where the rake is." I know, I know, there's a dangling participle, but bear with me. From around the back of the house I hear a small voice answer, "I have no idea where your rake is."

Hopefully, this post will entertain more than just my SLP and English major buddies.

Does it Count?

After a few knock-down, drag-outs with my electric dryer, I have decided to open the window and vent the exhaust there. The caveat is that this particular window is next to the front door. Does this qualify as a white trash or redneck solution? It's only temporary (promise).

Bathroom Music

I was outside weeding the flower beds last evening when I learned how well sound travels from our bathroom shower to the front lawn. I'm sure Quinn didn't know that either as he was singing the theme song (in his best African accent) of Lion King.

Note to self: Make sure singing in the shower is of songs the neighbors won't mind hearing. And in general, keep bathroom sounds to a minimum when the window is open.

Kelly is Thirty!!

Finally! I've been trying to figure out how to post pictures - again. It seems that each time Mozilla Firefox updates, I need to go through the settings again to blog the way I want.

Anyway . . . here is an old picture of my sisters and me. I'm the cute brunette in the back with the missing teeth. Kelly doesn't have that double chin anymore. Jodie is holding her upright and Jamie is just wondering why the photographer is taking so much time.

Happy birthday, Kelly! We love you!