Utter Randomness...

If I only had a brain

This week I've been painfully stupid.  I don't know if it's stress, lack of sleep or too much wine (or any combination of the above).  So far I've:

1.  waited for 35 minutes in the atrocious pick up line for Ella after school, only to realize right when I got to the pick up area that she had an after school program and needed picked up an hour later

2.  Looked all over the house for 2 days for the check that I wrote for preschool. I finally just decided to write another...low and behold the 1st check was still patiently waiting in the check book...

Ella lost the cat (somewhere inside the house - the cat was really just hiding from her and Silas). She decided she needed to make a sign to help find her. I found the cat...at 3am when she was sitting in the hallway outside our bedroom door meowing her fat head off.

(sorry for the blurry pic)

The new Apple iPad makes me think of a feminine hygiene product. Might as well name it iSummer's Eve or iTampon. Product Naming department: fired.

I've decided not to wish it was Friday anymore.That means I'm wishing the week away and my life is going fast enough already.  I might not LIKE Mondays as much as Fridays but they'll have to do.

I just read Anna Quindlen's A Short Guide to a Happy Life (while waiting the 35 minutes to pick up Ella. No kidding, the book is that short - the title is very fitting). I love her.  Love her writing and her view of life (see Words to Live By to the left).  Another post for another day.

I haven't mentioned much about being 40 now.  but it's there. much like the 10 pounds I think I've gained since Christmas day.  Is this how it's gonna be?

"Her thoughts now turned to the words of Washington Irving she had taped to her fridge: 'There is in every true woman's heart a spark of heavenly fire, which lies dormant in the broad daylight of prosperity; but which kindles up and beams and blazes in the dark hour of adversity'."

This is from an article about a woman named Stephanie Nielson who miraculously survived a horrible plane crash. I've read her blog for quite awhile (she was on Oprah I believe) and just recently read this beautifully written but painful to read article about her experience and recovery. It is impossible to look at anything in my life as tragic or an adversity after reading this.  All I can do is thank God and pray for her.

And finally, say a little prayer that my eyeballs don't get burned out of my skull tonight. My eyelashes have been horrible lately.  Breaking, thinning, just difficult.  I got some "natural" eye lash conditioner to put on at night.  This could be my last night with vision...

oh, and I'm now totally addicted to Ben and Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Ice cream.  I had it on Tuesday night and haven't stopped eating it since (thanks Sarah.)

Random stuff

A few pictures (courtesy of Jodi) from a few of our weekend activities.

Ashlee and Ella

Silas and Justin

Grandpa and Silas

Sarah, Allysa, Si, Mason and Ella








Zoe had a visitor call on her this week - some dog from the hood. We also had some rabid poodle run into our house on the 4th - maybe Zoe is sending out eVites or something

something about this picture makes me think Ella will be a Harley babe when she grows up

We had some weird sidewalk chalk drawings going on over the holiday weekend...
this is Mason and Si's outlines

and Ella's

You've heard when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Well, our version is when life gives you 10 billion radishes...make radish butter. We have about 72 pounds of radishes (we let the kids shove radish seeds pretty much everywhere in the garden) - so I've done some radish recipe digging! Chopped up radishes, mixed with butter and fresh garden herbs - served on thick, crusty bread. It's really quite good! Really yummy if you have a nice dry Rose with it :)

You've seen many pictures of Silas and his sharp, gap-tooth teeth - this is what he does to a drinkable yogurt when he gets one. No need to pull the top off. Scares me to think that I nursed this boy until he was almost a year old.

We had such a nice visit with Justin's family, especially Mam-moo and Trent - we only get to see them about every other year since we've shot up to a family of 5 and airline tickets are so expensive.
I'm bumming that the 4th is over...summer always goes so fast from here. We have a lot of fun stuff going on still (a couples' weekend away and a family beach house trip topping the list) but part of me is already gearing up for school and fall and football season. I wish there was a Slow Motion button for life!