The Inevitable End of Spring Break

- EDITED: I forgot to include Friday night (Sorry D, my brain might be scrambled after the first day back to school.) So if you read this earlier than scroll down to read more about Day 5 -

The end of any break always comes too soon! Despite the inevitable ending of Spring Break, I am just grateful for the simple fact that I had a break from work with time to reconnect to my home environment, opportunities to do good, and the chance to sleep in!

The end of Spring Break came quickly and I neglected to wrap-up the week with the same gusto that I started with (tell me that happens to other people too!).

Anyway, I concluded my week off with...

• A trip to the podiatrist, complete with shot and anti-inflammatory pills to try and get a flared up nerve in my foot back under control. There was no denying that I had to seek outside help when I woke up on Thursday morning and couldn't walk... Seriously. I crawled to the bathroom... For reals. It made me realize that #1 I don't like crawling and that #2 I need to dust the baseboards in the hallway. After sitting on some ice for awhile (my foot, that is), I was able to get to the doctor for the aforementioned treatment - which DOES.NOT.FEEL.GOOD. I mean, there is this huge needle moving in and out of the nerve that is screaming and even with some good ol' numbing medicine, it still freaking hurts when it starts, but... I am grateful that I could get in and that the shot did it's job. Otherwise I could have been crawling a lot longer... and who knows what else I would have seen at ground level!
  
  
  
• Rested, iced my foot (see previous bullet filled with sarcasm), took anti-inflammatory medicine, rested, iced my foot (see previous bullet filled with sarcasm. Felt sorry for myself for just a minute because I.HAD.SO.MUCH.TO.DO. and Spring Break is only one week long (yeah, I know, for some that week doesn't exist anymore. Sorry). I did finally get in some good t.v. time but I'd like to state for the record that I was really working hard to avoid that all week. It was only because of this unseen event that the t.v. came on. Really. I'm serious.
  
  
  
• I did get the chance to have a great visit with my KLK-Clack friends (they know who they are!) They are also my awesome visiting teachers who came over, shared a great spiritual message with me, and hung out to chat for awhile knowing that B was off to training and I was "pitifully" alone (well, except for the cat and she's ALWAYS around, even when I wish she'd go lay down somewhere else). You girls are AWESOME!
  
  
  
• Had dinner with my sis who shared how excited, amazed, shocked the NICU moms and staff were with all of the scrapbook goodies I had donated.THAT made my day - in spite of the crawling, the shot, the medicine, the dusty baseboards.
  
  
  
• Friday rolled around (Sake's Alive, it's Day 5!) and I ran some errands in the morning. Well, didn't really run (see bullet #1), it was more like hobbled, but hey - it wasn't crawling! Then I went to see "The Bounty Hunter" with Laura and Karin, who after visiting me (see bullet #3) on Thursday in my shot-induced state of pity, decided that my Spring Break could not end on that note. Told ya' they are awesome!
  
  
  
• Got home from the movies and B was home from his week long training. Boy, I missed that boy! Of course, the cat was a pest as always, but that's how things roll in our little family!
  
  
  
• Friday night was a blast with Mike, D, and the Madster. Grabbing Mexican food and delicious queso for dinner was a perk, but hanging out afterwards was even more fun. We headed back to my house and had a few fun-filled rounds of hunting for eggs! Even though the eggs were empty (to start with), Maddy was hilarious "hiding" them (in plain sight) and then hunting for them herself. I was cracking up (Get it, "cracking" up! Bwahaha!). Of course no evening at my house is complete without repeated readings of whatever book(s) have caught Maddy's attention, so we visited and revisited No, David! and David Gets in Trouble by David Shannon a few times and had to discuss "wha happent" with each illustration. I love being an aunt!
  
  

See, it really was a GREAT break!

Hard to believe but... it's Day 3!

Day #3 of my Spring Break was another beautiful day and I have a pretty good "I Did-It!" List of events from the day...

1. Finished the final sort of my scrapbook stash - organized it, labeled it, boxed it to go with Jenny tomorrow. It feels GREAT to help out in some small way to such a great activity as the scrapbook group for the moms who have babies in the NICU at Children's Medical!
   
   
2. Put some more books into the hands of young readers and added to their personal libraries. It has been so much fun, actually it has been gratifying, to pass along books from my personal collection of children's lit and share my passion for reading with so many great families.
   
   
3. Organized and cleaned the middle bedroom so that the door can actually stay open when people enter the house - amazing, I know! Also had room to set out the materials to finish a project that I kept moving around because my work table was more like "dump city" - now I know that I can get that journal done!
   
   
4. Power washed the deck and back door - apparently a roosting bird has enjoyed flying over our deck after breakfast/lunch/dinner and left a bit of a mess that needed to be cleaned up. I don't think I'm really a fan of birds - especially when they leave a calling card!
   
   
5. Went on a walk with my seester - BEAUTIFUL DAY for it!
   
   
6. Ate a yummy dinner at Mi Cocina - the goal of eating at home has kind-of been blown this week. BUT... the weekend brings the opportunity to get back on track and have some meals at home.
   
   
7. Oh yeah... did laundry again. I'm really bad at forgetting when I have a load in the dryer and so there are multiple times when after I suddenly remember, I end up having to do a fluff cycle, like today!
   
   
8. No blog surfing today - just didn't have time (the horror!!!).
   
   
9. Talked with B - we have THE BEST conversations. Actually, I think we have THE BEST marriage!
   
   
10. Enjoyed the beauty of the day, the awesome weather, and my great neigborhood.

Spring Break - Day 2

Today's Did-It List...

1. Entertain the Madster while D is at a doctor's appointment. Oh wait, Maddy entertained me with her excitement over a really quick egg hunt I pulled out of the closet and how much she loved playing her own version of checkers: put Elmo, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird on the checkerboard and then stomp the board with your foot so they fall off. Don't forget to throw your head back and laugh hysterically at yourself!
   
   
2. Talk with D while she "shops" my scrapbook supplies - Encourage/force her to take what she wants since I am "exfoliating" my stash of materials - Convince her that I'm not really using them right now so she should use them- Feel a surge of excitement to see the supplies I have purchased in the past going to someone I love!
   
   
3. More laundry - Specifically the big blankets that need extra time to wash and dry. Isn't it nice to know that the laundry is always there, waiting anxiously for attention? Kinda makes me feel special.
   
   
4. Clean the bathrooms - Scratch that, SCRUB the bathrooms - Hands and knees kind of scrub- The kind of clean that happens ...well, on Spring Break!
   
   
5. Pick up the den - The goal is to actually see the coffee table (Random Question: why is it even called a "coffee" table?)
   
   
6. Blog surf - But just for a little bit - Still trying to avoid BIC this week
   
   
7. Have a great phone conversation with LaLaLaLeesa (who never really updates her blog... what, are ya busy or something?!?).
   
   
8. Talk with Karin - Remind her of what a great friend I am because of the awe-some email I sent her today! No seriously, talk to her about books for her kids.
   
   
9. Dinner with JoAnn - I love that even without B, I can go have a great dinner with his mom. She's an AWESOME mother-in-law (or she could be an out-law... if she wanted!).
   
   
10. "Exfoliate" the remainder of my scrapbook stash for the NICU at Children's Medical Center where my seester is an intern. The moms who have babies in the NICU scrapbook each week and the supplies that they have available at the hospital come only through donations.
    
    I can't even imagine (for many reasons) having a baby in NICU - but my friend Sharla can and I think she totally earned ROCK STAR status for the level of strength she had during that time. So, I want to do something to help other moms in this situation and making a donation of scrapbook supplies is something I can do!
    
    
11. Talk with B... talk with B... talk with B!
    
    
12. Stay up too late - It's a tradition - Or maybe a bad habit - Whatever it is, it just happens!

Spring Break - Day 1

Just to remind myself of how I've spent my Spring Break, today I...

1. slept in (just a "tad" bit later than I planned!)
   
   
2. chatted with my neighbor
   
   
3. did laundry plus folded it AND put it away (I know... a-maze-ing!)
   
   
4. went to the dry cleaners
   
   
5. had a DELISH lunch at a new place - Yucatan Taco Stand on Magnolia (warning: the nachos are enormous - seriously enough for two or more)
   
   
6. went to Target with my sister
   
   
7. drove with my windows down and my sunroof open - BEAUTIFUL day!
   
   
8. updated my blogs: Chatter That Matters, The Kingdom of Books, plus B&K (you should really click on the links and check out all my hard work!)
   
   
9. made a homemade barbeque chicken pizza (yep, I made it - me - moi - K! Write it down, it's a memorable moment!)
   
   
10. shopped my house for things to decorate my mantle (pics coming soon)
    
    
11. watched "Surviving Survivor" (this was the ONLY show I watched tonight and that's because I was scrolling through our DVR to see what was recorded)
    
    
12. did a little blog surfing, but avoided BIC (you know... Butt-in-Chair)
    
    
13. read emails
    
    
14. talked with B about lots of things - especially his exciting new job
    
    
15. stayed up too late (ALWAYS a problem - not just during Spring Break!)
    

Simply Superb Sunday

Beautiful weather...
Uplifting messages and lessons about the Savior...
A delicious dinner...
Sitting and chatting with my sister =

a Simply Superb Sunday!

Keeping It Real

I don't know about anyone else, but my life is not nearly as neat and organized as the amazing sites I see when I am suffering from BIC Syndrome and spend too much time visiting the awesome sites over on "My Daily Drop-ins" list. But, I'm okay with my homemaker imperfections (most of the time!).

Sure, I want my house to be so put-together that if someone just dropped by, I wouldn't have to throw things into the front bedroom and slam the door before I let them in.

I would definitely love my kitchen and my bathroom and my sunroom and my master bedroom to be featured in some kind of "House Crashers" episode that leaves me speechless during the final reveal (anyone know how I can get on THAT list!).

While I'm thinking about it, I would love to highlight well-planned weekly menus that feature nutritious homemade meals made with food items already found in my pantry (anyone want to be my personal pantry-stocker and chef?).

And I can't forget that I would absolutely love to have the talent and time to magically transform thrift store finds into gorgeous works of art or repurposed masterpieces.

But, since I'm KEEPING IT REAL today, I acknowledge that I...

• have to throw things into the front bedroom and slam the door before letting friends in
• am as close to being featured on a "House Crashers" episode as I am to going to the moon
• don't really cook (but I'm working on that)
• lack the time (and usually the energy) to do anything with those thrift store finds but shove them into my garage

Now that I'm KEEPING IT REAL I guess I'll head back to the piles of laundry that have grown through the week, the kitchen table that collects all kinds of stuff until Saturday, and the blinds that I accidentally pulled out of the window frame in our bedroom when I was trying to open them to see the sun (B is going to love a reason to head to Lowe's!).

And you know what, as I head back to my homemaker tasks for today, I'm going to be thankful that I have a washer and dryer to clean my clothes, a kitchen table to stack things on, and a great husband who can put up new blinds because these are some of the things that help me to KEEP IT REAL!