Inertia

This morning I'm sitting numbly in front of the computer screen.
Why? Mostly because of

Unfinished Business.

Remember that nice wood floor in the following post?

I have a 24 in gap between the tile in the entry and the beginning of the wood floor, with a nice concrete pathway.

Why?

Because the installer had to rip out a row of tile and the tile needed to replace it and complete the flooring project is somewhere in Mexico.

We have furniture strategically placed all over the house.

Since we can't move it back into the room.

Until the floor is done.

Until the internet hookup gets done.

Until the ceiling fan gets installed.

Until the electrician comes to install the electrical outlet for the ceiling fan.

Until I order the ceiling fan.

And until I decide where everything is going to go,

Nothing gets done.

And..

Last week I noticed that my pool cleaner wasn't doing it's happy dance along the bottom of the pool.

So I yanked it out (it's only two months old)

Pulled it apart, a piece of plastic fell out.

And I haven't had time to take it to the store to find out what is wrong with it.

More unfinished business.

I've got to make changes in church stuff.

Like visiting teaching assignments.

Other assignments.

And it's really weighing on my brain.

More unfinished business.

It's been so crazy hot here that my garden plan has completely flown out the window.

Everything has gotten pushed back two weeks.

I bought a Groupon thingie to a garden store about 3 months ago.

It's going to expire in a few days.

And I haven't had the time to go to the store (in Phoenix)

And redeem it.

More unfinished business.

It's hard to overcome the intertia when there are so many things that need to be done, but because I am waiting for someone/something else to finish them off, I'm stuck.

So I need to get off my lazy whiny behind right now and go see if I can get SOMETHING FINISHED.

Life

Making another mess in the house. Why is it we parents of returning missionaries need to redecorate/repaint/redo the entire house before they come home? Do they really care? (rhetorical question BTW)

Making kale chips. Trying to figure out how to use the kale from my Bountiful Basket in another way besides green smoothies. I sprayed the pan with Pam, a little salt and Parmesan, then baked for 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

The results? Tasty, but very strong flavored. Not for the weak of heart.

Making waves. When it has been in the 100-teens every day for the last ten days, it's hard to get worked up about anything. And the pool feels like the bathtub. Not so refreshing.

Making a BABY GIRL!!  She found out this week that her little one coming is a girl. I'm super excited to go buy PINK fabric.

Making do.  My calling has been really tough this week. It's hard to try to do the best you can and then get shot down. Lesson: Murmuring is bad news, really, really bad news. Don't do it. (this is note to self too)

Eighteen Years ago today....

I woke up in labor. That certainly isn't a problem except that I was scheduled to have a C-section three days later. Oops. I called the doctor, he told me to come in immediately and proceeded to deliver a little baby girl via C-section!

Eighteen years later, she's all grown up (mostly) and is starting her life's adventure.

Happy Birthday to my baby girl.

Meet the newest Member of my Family

Meet Sadie, the grandpuppy.

She's an itty-bitty Yorkie puppy.

To put in perspective how tiny she is....she's hiding in-between her "daddy's" legs.
I think she was a little terrified of all the herd of turtles at our house-AKA many more people than she is used to. She was shaking like a leaf most of her visit to "grandma's" house.

And again, it's super fun to visit her and pet her and play with her.
But I'm really glad I don't have the responsibility of taking care of her!

With Sharpened Pencils in hand........

And her laptop over her shoulder....

My baby heads off to her first day of college........
First class:  Biology, 2 pm

This is So Cute, it makes me Giggle

My project yesterday afternoon.
It's supposed to be a surprise for a birthday girl, but she probably won't see this....

I LOVE to play with cute fabric.

Gratitude

This morning I am especially grateful for our city garbageman/trash collector/refuse serviceman, or whatever politically correct title should apply here. He always goes really slow before he comes to our house so that we have time to run the garbage can to the curb in time. It's the little things,ya know?

Thoughts at 9:15 pm

1. I'm feeling like I'm coming down with something tonight-ug-no time for this.
2. I can come up with brilliant ideas for posts, but then I don't have time to write them, and when I do have time, I have crickets chirping in the brain cells. Or blogger isn't working.
3. I'm spending lots of time with family.
4. I'm doing lots of reading.
5. I'm playing with fabric and having a great time, making gifts and Christmas presents, so I can't share.
6. I know I'm lame, thinking about Christmas in August.
7. Busy doing church work.
8. Just got back from a Thrive Food Storage "party." The jury is still out on this. Some things were good, some not so much. I don't think I'm ready to sign up for their "Q" list.
9.  It's been cloudy nearly every day since I got back from Utah.
10. Rain?  Not so much.
11.  Dust?  Lots.
12. I get a house cleaning frenzy and my house looks great for a week, then I'm never home and it all falls apart
13. I'm starting to plan my fall garden---yippee!
14. Last week was the first day of school. It was the first day since 1982 that I haven't sent a kid off to public school.  Can I say relieved?
15. I made eggplant parmesan for the first time. Not too sure if I'm a fan. Prob because I wasn't super hungry at the time. It smelled good tho.
16. My missionary boy got transferred to Valdez, Alaska the LAST six weeks of his mission. He had 4-5 baptisms set up and 10 investigators. I'm sad for him.  He is definitely getting to see the great state of Alaska. He will be home in six weeks (and one day).
17. Gearing up for a minor reno project in the house. We are putting wood floors in our front room and making it into a den/office. I'm tired of having the wasted space and we need some room for the grandkids to play when the missionary boy comes home in six weeks (and one day).
18.  It didn't get below 90 degrees yesterday. That means the LOW temp was 90. Niiiice.
19. Getting ready for a presidency meeting tomorrow night and working on the never-finished visiting teaching lists.
20. I think that's it. I've pretty much emptied out the old brain, for the time being. It's time for a warm bath with a little lavendar and maybe a Tylenol or two....

Good night.

What my Garden has Taught me

This photo was taken about six weeks ago.
It looks vastly different now.
Almost everything green has shriveled and died and is roasting comfortably in the compost pile.

Some things were failures, some things were successes.
I have a difficult time growing things in the late spring/summer here.
But I have that gardener's optimism that next time it will be better.

We found a fabulous place for compost.
For the Locals--Singh's Farm east of the 101 and Thomas Road.
It's like a Garden of Eden oasis in the middle of the city.
While walking on a foot of spongy, soft compost.

When I was in Utah early in the summer,
I visited my Dad's neighbor across the street.
He showed me his garden.
It was gorgeous, just starting, he had plants that I will never be able to grow in AZ.

And I realized that it was time to stop comparing my garden to others.
He has different soil, different climate, different watering needs, different everything.
And I needed to be content with my little patch.
And continue to "grow" and learn within my own sphere of experience.

Wouldn't that be a little bit like life?

True Confessions of a Random Nature

I woke up feeling slightly nauseated and headache-y today.
It's probably because of the 5,129 pieces of chocolate covered toffee I ate yesterday.
Curse you Costco samplers....my exact words as I picked up the container of toffee,
"I know I'm going to regret this, but okay."

And the half bag of movie popcorn I munched while watching 17 Miracles for the 2nd time. (good movie BTW)

I'm a total loser these days.
Haven't done hardly anything since I got back from Utah.
Except read two books,
"Black Heels to Tractor Wheels"  and
"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"
both
excellent excellent reads...
(not quite finished with the Potato Peel pie book yet)

I need to go weed my garden patch.
Which isn't producing much of anything except a large crop of purslane.
(Which I saw was being sold at a farmer's market a couple of weeks ago)
Ugh.
To me that is a noxious weed and
I haven't quite descended to eating it yet.
(google it-I'm not up to searching for a photo of what it looks like-betcha have some in your garden too!)

I need to go backwash the pool.
And fish out the chair that has been floating in it
Since the last wind/dust/piddly rain storm.

I've got to teach tomorrow
I've got the topic
but when I have to teach in another language,
I need to be a little more prepared than that.

TL has a new remodeling project in mind.
I'm kind of excited.
But not.

School starts next week.
Except my kid doesn't.
She's in college now.

My baby boy comes home from his mission in about 6.5 weeks
Haven't done a THING to prepare for that.

It's hard to be excited or motivated to do anything when it's 110 in the shade.
And with 35% humidity (which is high for the desert!)

No wonder I'm all headachy and nauseous.
I think I need another piece of toffee.

So I have a Perfectly Good excuse for not Blogging

Because I went to Utah.
With her.

I was her go-fer girl.
She was the professional.
I carried her camera bag.
Fluffed the bride's dress.
Whispered to her when the bride's hair was goofy.
Warned her when someone was getting ready to walk in the background of her photo.
Reminded her to take a picture of the rings.
Told her to breathe when she was stressed.
Listened to her plan for the bridal portraits.
And generally was the cheerleader.

In between those times,
we gabbed and giggled like teenagers.
Ate lots of chocolate...
Stalked Stephanie Nielsen, of "NieNie" fame.
(she lives around the corner from my mom in Provo)
We actually met her at Nordstrom's.
And acted like star-struck idiots....

I took lots of garden photos...

Being insanely jealous of the cooler weather....
Visiting with my family....

Even the ones who were having a mid-life crisis...

And feeling all teary, gooshy and romantic over the happy couple.

And I can't wait to have another girl trip!