It's 9:30 a.m. on a Saturday morning. Matt's at work, I'm at home.
What I Should Be Doing:
1. Laundry
2. Vacuuming
3. Cleaning bathroom (x2)
4. Organizing guest bedroom (for guests and for packing/moving)
5. Balancing checkbook
6. Cleaning up breakfast dishes
7. Getting dressed
8. Organizing house-purchasing-related paperwork
9. Grocery shopping
What I Am Doing:
1. Reading more Pioneer Woman. For the past 2 hours.
What that Makes me WANT to be Doing:
1. Moving to the country
2. Buying Matt some Wranglers and chaps and boots
3. Having lots of babies
4. Remodeling and/or building a kickass Lodge
5. Riding horses
6. Taking pictures of Matt in his Wranglers/chaps/boots
7. Taking pictures of our kids on their horses in their Wranglers/boots
Ay yi yi...I really need to get a life.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Thursday, April 23, 2009
the people have spoken
So, I really love that people actually 'voted' on what topics I should blog about. It makes my world feel just a teensy bit more democratic, and I also love being a people-pleaser, so it makes my heart happy to write about the things yall wanna hear about. Luckily for me, all 4 topics got voted for, so I don't have to edit out any of my mental blogs. :) I'm going to go ahead and talk about the 2 that are quickest and easiest...requiring no uploading of pictures or reviewing of technical computer mumbo-jumbo. So without further adu, I present you with
Funny Things Kids Have Said Lately
1. I'm sitting at a table with some "friends" (my students that aren't completely obnoxious are elevated to 'friend' status). They're working on writing their first and last names. One friend, Enya*, who provides me with no shortage of entertainment, really surprised me by writing her middle name as well, with no help...and it just so happens that we share the same middle name! So we're bonding over Renee, and my friend Teagan*, a particularly smart little whippersnapper, doesn't want to be left out. "I know my middle name," he exclaims. "It's Darrell (pronounced duh-RELL)! Teagan Darrell Smith!" He looks pretty proud of himself. "Darrell, huh? I like that name, Teagan!"I tell him. "It's my daddy's name too! His name is...Daddy Darrell Smith!" I fall on the floor laughing. Teagan has a really confused look on his face. You laughin' at me? "Daddy Darrell Smith, eh Teagan? I'll be sure to address him properly next time we meet."
*names changed to protect my friends
2. Now this one may make you laugh, or it may make you feel slightly saddened. Either way, it amused me. I wish you knew my kids. They're so completely unlike you and me and all the other kids you know...and they're awesome. Anyway, this particular child is from, comparatively speaking, a fairly intact and supportive family. Definitely not as sketch as some of my other kids' home situations are. But apparently he watches too much TV or something...
I'm at the table with the kids, and we're discussing the previous day's Literacy Fair and who saw whom there. Bobby* was there and had come to visit with me, so I pointed this out. "Bobby, I saw YOU there yesterday! I gave you a popsicle!!"
He looks at me with a devilish twinkle in his eyes (and he is a CUTE, tiny little thing).
"I saw you in your room!" he informs the table.
"In my room?! No, you saw me on the field outside!" I correct him.
"No!! I saw you cause I was naked driving in my truck!"
What?? The other kids are hootin' and hollerin. "WHAT?? You were naked in your truck?" is my mature, teacherly response.
He grins, then shakes his head. "But then I put my clothes on. I not naked anymore."
He then quickly sketches a picture of me in a window (stick person inside a box) and him in a car next to the window (stick person in a blob with circle wheels).
Then he draws 2 stick people (heads, arms, legs...no facial features or hair for either person). "That's me and that's you. You're bald."
He finishes by drawing two more stick people who are clearly holding hands (their arms end, touching each other in a big blob). Again, neither person has hair. "Who's that?" I ask. "It's me and you. You look like a man. I draw you a mustache." (He does).
I could go on (not with that story, sadly, but with others) but I'll save it for another day. Must move on to Voted Upon Topic #2.
The Pioneer Woman
A 'friend'-- and this time, by 'friend' I mean someone whom I've been blogstalking for years but have never met in person (or even left a comment...eeek, bad me)-- introduced me to this one. And she warned me, too. I believe her post on the topic was something like "Do not, under any circumstances, go to this web page. Just don't!! And if you do, then by all means do NOT start reading "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels"! I am warning you!! Unless you have NO LIFE and hundreds of empty hours to fill...just don't click the link!!" So I can't say I wasn't warned, and neither can you, because I feel the same way she did. DON'T DO IT. But in case you're wondering where I am...well, you can find me here. Because I'm completely and totally in love with Ree (the Pioneer Woman herself) and her story and her life and her kids and her pictures and her STORIES and her recipes and her STORIES and her humor and her pictures and her writing and her giveaways and her STORIES. And did I mention she's a good storyteller and a fabulous writer? Well, consider yourselves warned. And yes, it was completely intentional that I didn't mention her webpage/blog until Thursday night. I didn't want to be responsible for all of yall being completely irresponsible all week long. But if you have some time on your hands this weekend (and I mean time)...maybe you might like stopping by. And starting the Black Heels saga in Chapter 1. I mean, if you want to.
Well, we can cross those two topics off the List of Things to Blog About. Now I must dash off to Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope meeting. I'm all about some hope, and I've forgiven Dave Ramsey, so we're good to go.
Funny Things Kids Have Said Lately
1. I'm sitting at a table with some "friends" (my students that aren't completely obnoxious are elevated to 'friend' status). They're working on writing their first and last names. One friend, Enya*, who provides me with no shortage of entertainment, really surprised me by writing her middle name as well, with no help...and it just so happens that we share the same middle name! So we're bonding over Renee, and my friend Teagan*, a particularly smart little whippersnapper, doesn't want to be left out. "I know my middle name," he exclaims. "It's Darrell (pronounced duh-RELL)! Teagan Darrell Smith!" He looks pretty proud of himself. "Darrell, huh? I like that name, Teagan!"I tell him. "It's my daddy's name too! His name is...Daddy Darrell Smith!" I fall on the floor laughing. Teagan has a really confused look on his face. You laughin' at me? "Daddy Darrell Smith, eh Teagan? I'll be sure to address him properly next time we meet."
*names changed to protect my friends
2. Now this one may make you laugh, or it may make you feel slightly saddened. Either way, it amused me. I wish you knew my kids. They're so completely unlike you and me and all the other kids you know...and they're awesome. Anyway, this particular child is from, comparatively speaking, a fairly intact and supportive family. Definitely not as sketch as some of my other kids' home situations are. But apparently he watches too much TV or something...
I'm at the table with the kids, and we're discussing the previous day's Literacy Fair and who saw whom there. Bobby* was there and had come to visit with me, so I pointed this out. "Bobby, I saw YOU there yesterday! I gave you a popsicle!!"
He looks at me with a devilish twinkle in his eyes (and he is a CUTE, tiny little thing).
"I saw you in your room!" he informs the table.
"In my room?! No, you saw me on the field outside!" I correct him.
"No!! I saw you cause I was naked driving in my truck!"
What?? The other kids are hootin' and hollerin. "WHAT?? You were naked in your truck?" is my mature, teacherly response.
He grins, then shakes his head. "But then I put my clothes on. I not naked anymore."
He then quickly sketches a picture of me in a window (stick person inside a box) and him in a car next to the window (stick person in a blob with circle wheels).
Then he draws 2 stick people (heads, arms, legs...no facial features or hair for either person). "That's me and that's you. You're bald."
He finishes by drawing two more stick people who are clearly holding hands (their arms end, touching each other in a big blob). Again, neither person has hair. "Who's that?" I ask. "It's me and you. You look like a man. I draw you a mustache." (He does).
I could go on (not with that story, sadly, but with others) but I'll save it for another day. Must move on to Voted Upon Topic #2.
The Pioneer Woman
A 'friend'-- and this time, by 'friend' I mean someone whom I've been blogstalking for years but have never met in person (or even left a comment...eeek, bad me)-- introduced me to this one. And she warned me, too. I believe her post on the topic was something like "Do not, under any circumstances, go to this web page. Just don't!! And if you do, then by all means do NOT start reading "Black Heels to Tractor Wheels"! I am warning you!! Unless you have NO LIFE and hundreds of empty hours to fill...just don't click the link!!" So I can't say I wasn't warned, and neither can you, because I feel the same way she did. DON'T DO IT. But in case you're wondering where I am...well, you can find me here. Because I'm completely and totally in love with Ree (the Pioneer Woman herself) and her story and her life and her kids and her pictures and her STORIES and her recipes and her STORIES and her humor and her pictures and her writing and her giveaways and her STORIES. And did I mention she's a good storyteller and a fabulous writer? Well, consider yourselves warned. And yes, it was completely intentional that I didn't mention her webpage/blog until Thursday night. I didn't want to be responsible for all of yall being completely irresponsible all week long. But if you have some time on your hands this weekend (and I mean time)...maybe you might like stopping by. And starting the Black Heels saga in Chapter 1. I mean, if you want to.
Well, we can cross those two topics off the List of Things to Blog About. Now I must dash off to Dave Ramsey's Town Hall for Hope meeting. I'm all about some hope, and I've forgiven Dave Ramsey, so we're good to go.
san antonio, are you with me?
This is a spur-of-the-moment, early morning blog, but the question must be asked:
Who the heck in San Antonio is obsessed with me?
I mean, seriously. Via the magic that is Google Analytics (swear I'll blog more on that one later, Katy and Mollyanne), I can see that yesterday I had thirty-four distinct visitors from San Antonio. And they spent some time here, too. Funny story: I don't know anyone in San Antonio. Much less 34 people. And while I blogstalk with the best of them, it's hard to imagine that 34 people from SA just happened to fall on my blog yesterday-- via DIRECT ENTRY, which means they typed my blog address directly into their browser, or they have my page bookmarked.
Factoid: My insurance company/bank is located in San Antonio.
Anyone else getting creeped out? Now, I can also see that my site has been discovered twice (once a few weeks ago, once 2 days ago) by people googling "USAA" (that bank). I googled it myself to see how exactly my site showed up there. It's on like, page 9 of results or something. You'd have to be a pretty hardcore stalker to find me that way. And then share my blog with all your friends?? I dunno...maybe it's a far stretch, but seriously. I'm just trying to make sense of the numbers here.
Anyone from San Antone (love the city, by the way) want to fess up by leaving a comment? Any of my other friends have any other theories they can offer?
Who the heck in San Antonio is obsessed with me?
I mean, seriously. Via the magic that is Google Analytics (swear I'll blog more on that one later, Katy and Mollyanne), I can see that yesterday I had thirty-four distinct visitors from San Antonio. And they spent some time here, too. Funny story: I don't know anyone in San Antonio. Much less 34 people. And while I blogstalk with the best of them, it's hard to imagine that 34 people from SA just happened to fall on my blog yesterday-- via DIRECT ENTRY, which means they typed my blog address directly into their browser, or they have my page bookmarked.
Factoid: My insurance company/bank is located in San Antonio.
Anyone else getting creeped out? Now, I can also see that my site has been discovered twice (once a few weeks ago, once 2 days ago) by people googling "USAA" (that bank). I googled it myself to see how exactly my site showed up there. It's on like, page 9 of results or something. You'd have to be a pretty hardcore stalker to find me that way. And then share my blog with all your friends?? I dunno...maybe it's a far stretch, but seriously. I'm just trying to make sense of the numbers here.
Anyone from San Antone (love the city, by the way) want to fess up by leaving a comment? Any of my other friends have any other theories they can offer?
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
getting better
I really appreciate all the nice thoughts and advice yall have given me in regards to our housing issues. I tend to get so caught up in the emotions of it all (and I do lean towards the melodramatic) that I probably make it even worse than it is. Anyway, we (and by 'we' I mean Matt, because I did nothing) made positive progress today by getting in touch with the people at his bank (who had pre-approved us a few months ago) and getting the loan ball rolling there. They are infinitely easier to work with-- imagine this, you can actually just email a person and they EMAIL YOU BACK!!! Or-- hold your breath-- they ANSWER THE PHONE WHEN YOU CALL!! Lawd have mercy, who woulda thunk. Anyway, they are going to do an FHA loan (as opposed to the conventional loan we had been doing with the other place) (and no, I have no idea what either of those terms mean...this is just FYI for all those who are more intelligent than I) and said we could go with as little as 3% down (we're still sticking with ~6% that'd we'd previously planned) and we're getting a repair escrow account to finish the floors. AND they will actually just talk directly to our realtor instead of only to us. This I am very excited about. I appreciate that USAA (former lender) respect our privacy as members so much that they refuse to talk to ANYONE except us...but that was really inconvenient. I have no desire to be the middleman for every single little piece of information and "I need you to fax me this"...please just take care of that on your own, thanks.
Miscellaneous thought: For the past few years I've had this belief that faxes were pretty much a thing of the past...I mean, who ever really uses one or NEEDS one? Apparently I was out of the loop...the fax industry must be fueled by the real estate industry, because MAN we have to fax a lot of things!! I had no idea those 'antiquated'(in my mind) machines were so useful!
So, things are looking up today. I'm feeling better. I especially love it when Matt does all the talking/emailing and then can just summarize what went on in the end. It usually doesn't happen that way because I'm such a control freak and I want to HEAR what every single person says. Also, if I tell Matt "hey, call so and so and ask this," and he does, then inevitably I think of like 4 more things I want him to say or ask and I'm trying to whisper them to him as he sits on the phone and he gets really frustrated and says "here, YOU can talk to them." So it's pretty much my own fault, but today I was busy at work til 7, so I really had no option but to let Matt handle it all...and he did a fantastic job.
Soon I am going to post pictures of some of the sweet things I've been cooking lately. And by "sweet" I just mean awesome, because they're all main/side dishes, not desserts. I take all these pictures with the intentions of posting them here, but inevitably I get distracted by things like LIFE and don't get around to it. And all I talk about is buying a house. Or Lola. Maybe I should make a list of things I've been meaning to blog about...I'm a good list-maker and list-crosser-offer.
1. Awesome food I cook
2. Pioneer Woman
3. Google Analytics
4. Funny things kids have said at school lately
That's all I can think of. Feel free to vote on which one you'd like to see me write on first. Maybe then I would actually get around to it. :) But right now I'm going to go watch last week's Amazing Race. Somehow, in the drama of being totally distressed last night, I forgot to catch up!!! Horrors!
Miscellaneous thought: For the past few years I've had this belief that faxes were pretty much a thing of the past...I mean, who ever really uses one or NEEDS one? Apparently I was out of the loop...the fax industry must be fueled by the real estate industry, because MAN we have to fax a lot of things!! I had no idea those 'antiquated'(in my mind) machines were so useful!
So, things are looking up today. I'm feeling better. I especially love it when Matt does all the talking/emailing and then can just summarize what went on in the end. It usually doesn't happen that way because I'm such a control freak and I want to HEAR what every single person says. Also, if I tell Matt "hey, call so and so and ask this," and he does, then inevitably I think of like 4 more things I want him to say or ask and I'm trying to whisper them to him as he sits on the phone and he gets really frustrated and says "here, YOU can talk to them." So it's pretty much my own fault, but today I was busy at work til 7, so I really had no option but to let Matt handle it all...and he did a fantastic job.
Soon I am going to post pictures of some of the sweet things I've been cooking lately. And by "sweet" I just mean awesome, because they're all main/side dishes, not desserts. I take all these pictures with the intentions of posting them here, but inevitably I get distracted by things like LIFE and don't get around to it. And all I talk about is buying a house. Or Lola. Maybe I should make a list of things I've been meaning to blog about...I'm a good list-maker and list-crosser-offer.
1. Awesome food I cook
2. Pioneer Woman
3. Google Analytics
4. Funny things kids have said at school lately
That's all I can think of. Feel free to vote on which one you'd like to see me write on first. Maybe then I would actually get around to it. :) But right now I'm going to go watch last week's Amazing Race. Somehow, in the drama of being totally distressed last night, I forgot to catch up!!! Horrors!
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