My Middle Name is Grace

Well, it should be anyway. It's no use trying to hide it because all of my nearest and dearest know the truth.

I am a hopeless clutz.

My falls are famous among family and friends. When I was a freshman in high school, I fell down the stairs. My sophomore year, I fell up (yes, you read that correctly--UP) the stairs. When I was in college marching band, we played for halftime of a Buffalo Bills game and I fell (while running) in the entry tunnel and had to be attended to by the team physician.

My husband always jokes that if he ever wanted to get rid of me, he'd just have to push me down the stairs. Everyone would believe it was an accident. During both of my pregnancies I managed to fall (once down four stairs and once on the ice).

Sweet Baby Son seems to have inherited his mother's inability to walk and do anything else at the same time. Poor boy is covered in scrapes and bruises.

This past Saturday I did it good. Threw out my back and everything. How, you ask? By tripping on one of these:For those of you without boys in the 6-10 age range, this is a Power Rangers Megazord. Specifically the SPD Delta Command Megazord. When fully assembled, the thing is about two feet long. It's even larger when the room is dark and you mistakenly think all of Sweet Son #1's toys are stowed safely away. After I threw the offending item across the room, we had a Mommy-Son discussion about the importance of putting all of the toys away BEFORE bed.

Oh the sweet little joys of motherhood.

Cheers!

Princess Poopy Puppy Goes to a Party

Our girl went to her first party.

PetSmart celebrated 20 years and had a birthday party at their stores. Since our vet recommended that Her Royal Highness needed to socialize (she's a bit of a fraidy-pup), we decided to take her. Here is what she wore:Hard to see, but the top one is hers. It is pink (of course!) and says "Princess". How cool is that?! I knew I'd become a bona fide dog lover when I HAD to have that collar for my girl!

She was a bit leery at first, not really being too keen on the whole leash thing, but once she realized that she had a bit of freedom in a new place, she was fine. As with all good birthday parties, she got a fun party hat and a goodie bag, and had her picture taken (was not at all thrilled with that!).

Good doggie mommy that I am, I bought her a new leash (pink, of course). While we were waiting in line to check out, a HUGE St. Bernard came in. Now, Princess is no Yorkie, but I have to tell you, she may as well have been 3 lbs instead of 30 in comparison with this giant. He was a friendly sort, but my girl wanted NOTHING to do with him. Too big, too hairy, too everything! She was happier when he left and she could check out her fellow Rottweiler/Chow ahead of us in line!

I promise to find my camera cord soon. This no picture thing is getting boring!

Cheers!

Doing the Happy Dance!

The dog thought I'd lost my mind, but I did the happy dance in the middle of my living room last night!

Thank you, America, for coming to your senses and voting the RIGHT person off the show TWO WEEKS in a row!

I'll become a loyal Idol-watcher once again next week!

A Small Show of Support...

The Lost Art of Letter Writing

I used to write real letters. I bought so much stationery and so many cards, one would've thought I owned stock in Hallmark.

The electronic age, has unfortunately, taken its toll on my letter writing.

I'm not sure if it's just the fact that I'm closer to 40 than I like to admit, but I suddenly feel very grown-up, and in my mind, that means I should be writing more letters.

Because I'm now a grown-up, I also love pretty personalized stationery. If you haven't yet, please check out Chloe's site, English Tea Paperie. She makes such lovely stuff. And now, she's added accessories! Look at these darling little hair bobbies:

For someone like me who gets excrucitating headaches from every headband I've ever tried, these are the perfect way to add a preppy touch to my classic bob cut.

Cheers!

Mission Organization

Well, in trying to be positive, I have accomplished one thing toward Laura's 30 Day Organizational Challenge: I took "before" pictures of my office.

Two things if you count finding the cord for my digital camera. Unfortunately, I now cannot find the charger for said camera, and because the battery is DEAD, I can't upload the photos.

That aside, I have not done ANYTHING with regards to organizing that room.

However, the inspiration found at Laura's blog has not gone unused. Last night, while trying to convince Sweet Baby Son to go "night-night", I tackled the expanding mountain range of clothes that has arisen in my bedroom.

It began with a small pile to be put away on top of the dresser. Then a small pile on the floor of clothes to be taken to the cleaners. Suddenly, I have a grouping of piles that rivals the Rockies.

But no more.

Now, there are two piles of clothes on the floor to be sorted into "trash" and "donate". And I can, once again, see the top of my dresser.

Cheers!

At Last!

Clearly the snow today affected points waaaayyyy south. As in, hell must've frozen over.

I broke my two-week hiatus and watched the results show tonight and, lo and behold, the voters actually came through! No, Sanjaya is still on the show, but, as I've mentioned before, even Simon thought he "wasn't terrible" last night. Tonight's victim of the votes was Haley.

Now, at this point, I believe that any of the final 10 will be able to pursue a singing career at some level. That being said, I never did care for Haley. I wish her luck, but she just didn't do anything for me musically.

Next week will be interesting!

Cheers!

Today is April 11, 2007

I feel the need to remind myself of that fact.

Often.

As you know by now, I'm not especially adept at posting photos. Especially since I can't find the cord for my digital camera (see previous organizing post).

Let me describe this morning's scene.

At precisely 6:30, my two alarm clocks wake me from a lovely slumber. Said alarm clocks are one very vocal 14 month old boy and one very vocal 5 month old puppy. I leave my room to let the puppy out to do her business and stop at the top of the stairs and stare out the window.

Our lovely spring suburban scene (read: standard residential subdivision, circa 2002) was, well, white. And wet.

Yes, dear friends, it is April 11, 2007. And we have snow.

Now, I've lived in the Midwest for the better part of my life, and in the Chicago area for nearly 8 years. I know that the only thing you can count on with weather is that it changes. But snow in mid-April is, in my opinion, ridiculous.

Perhaps we can blame it on Al Gore and global warming. Or maybe on the thinning of the ozone layer. Or maybe on the fact that I took my winter coat to the cleaners on MONDAY!! Silly me, thinking this "winter" thing was over! I'd like to blame Sanjaya, but honestly (and I can't believe I'm saying this two weeks in a row!), he actually performed halfway decently this week. At any rate, we have snow.

And I just heard that we are expecting 1-2 more inches tonight.

Today is April 11, 2007.

Cheers!

Why Am I Even Surprised?

I've pretty much given up watching the "elimination" night of "American Idol", since there's simply no point. It's crystal clear that the voters don't care about vocal ability.

About Gina, I really didn't see that one coming, and I have to say that I'm sorry she's gone. Aside from being a local girl, she had a certain moxie that, while she didn't always sing the best, made her a fun person to watch and listen to. The girl's got character.

As far as Sanjaya, as much as it pains me to say this, he wasn't the worst singer on Tuesday night (again, not that the voters care much about that). Still, I'll take a page from Simon's book and say, since Sanjaya's still there, I don't have much to say!

Ah well, it's anyone's game, I suppose! Melinda never disappoints. I really hope she wins!

Cheers!

The Plan

I got SO excited about Laura's organizing challenge, that I didn't read the rules clearly the first time. Here's the plan for this somewhat (ok, VERY) daunting challenge:

Room to be organized? My office in the basement

What do I want the purpose to be? A quiet, efficient place for me to work on finances, crafts, letters, etc.

What can I remove from the room? A whole lotta stuff. Seriously, though, a small children's cabinet could go, as could several boxes of nothing.

What problems do I see with the room and what tools could be used to solve those? I tend to pile, rather than file, my paperwork. I do, however, have a filing cabinet already in the space. Also, I have two very tall bookshelves that, used in conjunction with baskets or plastic storage containers, could be more efficiently used.

What habits need to change to solve the organizational problems? As mentioned, I am a major-league pack rat. I also tend to use this space as a dumping ground for things. Out of sight, out of mind!

What kind of budget do I have to create the space of my dreams? A shoestring one! I do think, though, that I already have a lot of the items necessary to make this space MUCH more efficient.

What kind of timeline is necessary? I am the type of person who does better when all of my attention is focused on one project. If I can get a few solid days down there, I'll accomplish much more than taking the entire month.

What is my plan of action? My first steps will be three piles: keep, sell, trash. I do have some items that I want to have my husband post on E-Bay for me, and I'm sure there is a lot that can be trashed, especially in the way of paperwork. I'll bring the shredder and trash bags down for that pile first! After that, I'll gather the "sell" items and write descriptions and prices and take digital photos. Finally, I'll attack the "keep" pile and organize it!

Who can help me with this? As already mentioned, my hubby will help with the "sell" pile. I'll also enlist the help of Sweet Son #1. He's old enough to help sort through STUFF!

Well, the plan's in place, the room is chosen. Nothing left but the action! Stay tuned!

Cheers!

Pack of Rats

I am a pack rat.

There, I've said it. They say the first step toward recovery is acknowledgment.

I must say, though, it's in my genes. My father is a pack rat and it drives my mom, a self-professed minimalist, absolutely batty.

I married a pack rat, too. This makes for a lot of clutter in our home, which drives my mom crazy when she comes to visit.

God must have some great plans for me, though, because my most recent book purchase from Zooba arrived yesterday. Three cheers for Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook! As a side note, I picked this gem up for $9.99! Seriously, you bibliophiles need to check out Zooba.

Then today, I came across a wonderful site, "I'm An Organizing Junkie: Enjoying Life One Pile of Clutter at a Time". Laura is having an organizing contest, which, coincidentally, starts TODAY! Woo-Hoo!

As soon as I can find the cord for my digital camera (do you see why I need this contest?), I'll upload a pic of my home office. As ashamed as I will be to post it publicly, it will, hopefully, give me the impetus to CLEAN UP THE MESS!

So, is anyone else being overrun by a pack of rats? ;)

Cheers!