In Like a Lion

Out like a lamb... Well, not quite, but we're getting closer. I've been in my office working this morning and had to take a walk to the mailbox. The sun is shining. The birds are singing. The squirrels are scrambling around. It's just a lovely spring day. The wind is blowing and there is still a nip in the air, but you can tell that the promise of warm days is just around the corner.

On days like today when my boys were little I'd take them to the dollar store or Wal-Mart and get a kite.
Sunny, spring days with a nice breeze are just perfect for flying a kite. Together we would fly it, me and my little boys. Sometimes it would seem to be flying high and all of the sudden, something would bring it down to the ground. And then you'd have to untangle the string and get it back up again. It would never last very long before it got tangled up in a tree or a phone line or something else in the way. But oh, was it fun while it lasted. I probably enjoyed it more than they did. I don't know if they even remember flying a kite with me. Probably not. But I do.

A day like today also makes me think of this.

Beautiful thrift. Nothing says spring to me any louder than these little darlings. Both my grandmothers had thrift growing in their yard. MaMa Howell had it all along the bank in the front of their house. I remember hunting Easter eggs hidden in that thrift that was growing on a bank that, as a little girl, seemed so big. I haven't been by the house in a few weeks, but I'll just bet that the thrift is still growing on that bank.

MaMa Kimball had thrift too. Hers wasn't quite as organized as MaMa Howell's was. Hers was in patches here and there. But it was mixed in with so many other beautiful spring flowers. Like these.

Don't you just love jonquils? To me they scream of an old homeplace. I see them lots of times around old, rundown houses. Or a place where the only thing left of the home is the chimney. The years go and the people go, but the jonquils stay there and bloom year after year after year.

Well, this is making me melancholy and kinda sad thinking about springs of the past. I better get my mind on something else before I end up in a puddle of tears.

What brings spring home to you?

Till next time...

Big, Exhausting Fun

I really wanted to get these pictures up on my blog today. We had such a fun weekend celebrating Easter with family that we don't get to see very often. Unfortunately, Blogger didn't want to cooperate with me and it took me nearly an hour to get my pictures up. Do any of you have that same problem? If you do, do you have any fixes for it? I would love to post more pictures, but I don't have time to sit at the computer and wait on Blogger to decide to let me do it.

Anyway, enough fussing. Now on to the fun. I made this Easter egg branch. I had seen several pictures in magazines and then I saw a picture of the one my cousin Tracy made on her blog. I decided to make one myself and I just loved how it turned out.

Saturday night we had all of the Kellys over for a cookout. Kyle and his girlfriend, Tiffany, along with Kyle's son, Jack, were in town from New York. We don't get to see them much, so we try to plan something for the whole family when he's in town. Kyle is an awesome dad and has chosen a very sweet girlfriend. Kyle is on the back row between Ross and me. Tiffany is in front of Kyle and Jack in front of her. This was everyone except for Kristi and Brandon.

Jeff did an amazing job on the grill. He made a ton of hamburgers, 16 hot dogs and about 10 pieces of chicken. That boy knows how to grill.

Jeff had read on the internet about Krispy Kreme cheeseburgers. Have you ever heard of them? Well, what you do is instead of a bun, you cut in half a Krispy Kreme donut and use that as your bun. Then you put your cheeseburger and bacon on it. No ketchup or mustard. A few tried them, including me. I only had a bite though, and let me tell you, it was y-u-m-m-y. It would be quite a splurge to eat the whole thing. Jeff read that they are big at fairs. It tasted like something sinfully delicious like all fair food is. Try it sometime and let me know what you think about it. If your arteries and waistline can stand it.

These are Ed and Jean's only three great grandchildren. Kendal on the left. Drew, Kendal's brother, in the middle. Jack on the right. Jack and Drew are only a few months apart. I think the Kelly genes are pretty strong because to me, Jack and Drew favor quite a bit.

They also have the Kelly competitive gene running rampant through their little bodies. They played "hotscotch" (as Kendal called it). It was so funny because they played it on the world's smallest hotscotch board that Drew drew (Ha ha, wonder how often that happens).

Being fiercely competitive, as all Kellys are, I thought Drew and Jack were going to have a knockdown dragout over who was going to go first. They worked it out though and had fun playing. It was just so funny watching them try to fit their little feet in those tiny squares.

Nan brought a pound cake that her mother made with the most delicious cream cheese frosting. I had cut strawberries to go on top. Let me just say, that was the best thing I've had in a good while. I served the strawberries in the bowl that my Auntie Barbo gave me. It's the most beautiful carnival glass and the strawberries were so pretty in it.

Sunday morning, we left for South Georgia. It's about a two hour and fifteen minute drive toVidalia (home of the Vidalia onion). My uncle Bobby usually hosts our Easter get-together. They have the best park I've ever seen there. This was the building that he reserved for us. It was beside a playground and had plenty of yard to have the egg hunt. I don't know about your community, but we don't have anything this nice around here.

He fried a bunch of fish that he and my uncle Luke had caught. They were so good. He also had lots of boiled shrimp. We all brought the sides and the dessert and ate to our heart's content.

After eating, we hid the eggs for the kids. We must have had about 38,000 eggs. Isn't it funny that it takes you forever to hide the eggs and about 10 minutes for the kids to find them? Eli found one of the prize eggs. Ross hid it and Ross helped Eli find it. Ha!

And let me just say, Eli couldn't have been prouder.

Joseph brought Kelsey along. She's becoming a regular member of our family. Such a sweet girl. Pretty too.

Suz made Alayna and Eli an Easter t-shirt. She made herself one too. Aren't they pretty? Mom and daughter or twins? You be the judge.

Here are the Kimball children. Some don't have the last name Kimball, but they're Kimballs just the same. I know MaMa and PaPa were smiling down with joy that we were all together and I would've loved nothing more than for them to be there with us. It's so hard to get a good picture of all of them, but this was the best one I got. I love every one of these faces with all my heart.

Eli and Hannah were opening their eggs and looking at all their goodies. This is what we work our fannies off for. The smiles on their happy faces make it all worthwhile.

Except in this picture neither is smiling. But they were smiling on the inside. :-)

We had a crazy weather day again yesterday. One minute the sun would shine. The next it would rain. Then sunny again. Thankfully, it was during a sunny time when we hunted eggs. But last night we had thunder and lightning and then all of the sudden, this is what was falling from the sky.
Hail. It didn't last very long, thankfully. I don't think my car insurance would like me very much if I had to turn in a claim for hail damage.

So after a weekend full of fun, I settled in last night and watched the cutest movie called Something's Gotta Give. I hardly sit and watch an entire movie, but this one was really good and had a great ending.

Got plenty of sleep last night and now I'm ready for another week of fun. This weekend will be more Easter get-togethers. This time with my Howell family and of course, the big egg hunt with my mom and dad. So much to be thankful for.

Till next time, enjoy your Monday.

A Big Weekend

After a week of some dramatic events, it's Friday and it's time to get ready for the weekend. This weekend is full of family stuff. One of Jeff's nephews that lives in New York is coming in town for the weekend. We're having the whole Kelly family over to our house tomorrow evening for a cookout. I've bought tons of hamburgers and hot dogs and I'm going to make one of my world famous pound cakes. Gonna be work, but it'll be fun.

Sunday is the Kimball Easter Egg Hunt in Lyons. So we'll drive about two-and-a-half hours each way. Bobby is frying fish and we're all supposed to bring things to go along with the fish. I'm taking a lovely salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges, red onion and feta. Top that with Rasberry Vinegarette and you've got a delicious salad, and different too. I'm excited about going down there and hunting eggs with the kids. I hope the weather will cooperate with us.

Yesterday I went to the doctor because I've had a migraine headache since Sunday. It would ease up a little, then it would come back worse. It had gone one for days and no medication I had was helping at all. I waited forever at the doctor's office and finally got a prescription for some pain medication and nose spray. Nose spray? Huh? Do what? Uh, yeah, okay. Nose spray.

Since I've been dieting I haven't had any chocolate. And I don't know about you ladies, but whenever I don't feel well, as in certain times of the month, even though I don't have those times anymore, I just want and NEED chocolate. A lot of times when I'm having migraines, I will crave chocolate. It's the craziest thing. I have had several migraines since I've been dieting and haven't indulged in the chocolate, but yesterday I was just beside myself with the pain of it and i was getting depressed because I couldn't get any relief. So while I was at the drug store getting my prescription filled, I bought a Snickers bar. I actually ate the whole thing and chugged down a Diet Coke along with it. I went home and within an hour after eating that chocolate bar, I was feeling better. So if you get headaches, try chocolate. I swear it works for me.

Please keep my Auntie Theresa and her husband Marc in your prayers. He was involved in a very bad car accident yesterday morning in which two young people were killed. Even though it wasn't Marc's fault, and he was a complete victim of circumstance, his and Theresa's heart are grieving for the family who lost two children just in the blink of an eye. It was weighing pretty heavily on my heart last night too. Just to think of sending your kids off to school, like I do every day, and praying that they'll come home to you at the end of the day. To think of something so devastating as that wreck was was more than I could stand .

To end this week of March 22nd, I had a job this morning at 8 a.m. in Sandy Springs. I set my clock for 5:15. I needed to leave my house by 6:15, no later than 6:30 because I had to make a stop at the donut shop. I woke up at 6:08. I got ready in a big hurry, stopped by the donut shop and still made it to my job with 30 minutes to spare. My clock didn't go off. That's a court reporter's nightmare. Well, one of many nightmares we have.

At approximately one hour into the deposition, which BTW, was of a doctor who was charging the attorney taking his depo a lot of money for his time, my machine froze. Locked up. Wouldn't record, wouldn't turn off, wouldn't do anything. Another court reporter's nightmare. And this one is a biggie. Finally, I was advised by the company that makes my machine that the only option I had would be to completely reboot it, with a strong possibility that the hour of recording couldn't be saved. I wanted to melt into the floor. Fortunately, the recording was there, but the attorneys didn't trust my machine anymore, so I had to get a replacement court reporter to come and I left. It was an awful experience and quite traumatic. Sometimes attorneys aren't the most understandable. Especially when it's on their dime. And in this case, it was many, many, many dimes. I felt I was going to burst into tears. I'm still not sure why I didn't. But I'm home now and I've got my groceries bought for the weekend events and now I'm going to go and stuff Easter eggs for Sunday. But first I might take a nap. After such a stressful 24 hours, I think I deserve it.

I'll have some good pictures for you to enjoy from all the weekend fun. I just love spring. And Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I'm lucky because we celebrate Easter at least three different times. My Kimball family. My Howell family on Easter Sunday lunch, and my sisters, their hubbys and kids on Easter Sunday evening. What did one Girl Named Kelly Kelly do to deserve so much?

Till next time. Live. Love. Laugh. And do it a LOT!!!!!!!

Certified and Bona Fide

One hundred percent, card-carrying NUT. My beloved BlackBerry Pearl died on me about two weeks ago. This was a phone that I had had for over two years. We had shared many wonderful experiences together. The beach. The mountains. Countless shopping trips. Cookouts, picnics, the gym. So many, many good times. It was so unfortunate when our relationship was forced to an ending because of a stupid trackball.


So despite my wonderful relationship with my BlackBerry, my heart was leaning toward a new companion. I was interested in the Motorola Droid. I researched it. I talked to people who had it. Read lots of reviews. Seemed like it was a great choice. I envisioned a long, exciting future together. So I bought it.

It was heavy in my hand. Bulky. Very conspicuous. Because you see, there are times when one needs an inconspicuous phone. I could not see me and Motorola Droid on the beach. It was not the mate destined to share my life.

So I went back to the Verizon store intent on getting a new BlackBerry. But after talking with the salesman, decided against it. Instead I purchased the smaller, less conspicuous HTC Droid Eris. Paid the $35 restocking fee for the Motorola to go back on the shelf.

Wow. It was fast. It could access the internet with blazing speed. Had so many cool apps, I myself began to feel cool. Great ringtones. My new partner was going to make me an expert in the card game of Spades. Seemed like the perfect relationship was budding.

But perfect it was not. The touchscreen keypad was giving me fits. I could not type on it with any accuracy at all. My normally typo-filled text messages were now nearly beyond recognition. Even for Suz. No, Droid, I'm sorry. It wasn't going to work out.

So yesterday I went back to the Verizon store. This time I was serious about getting a new BlackBerry. My unfaithfulness had cost me dearly. In patience and in cash as I had to pay another $35 for the HTC Droid to go back in its box to await a new companion.

I got the BlackBerry Curve. So light. So familiar. It was like I had brought home an old friend.

So what's the problem you ask. Well, it's simple. I HATE IT! Yes, Suz, you read that right. I HATE IT. It's slow as syrup on a cold morning. It has none of the cool apps that the Droid did. It feels like a toy phone after holding that beautiful Droid in my hand. It just doesn't feel right. I don't have the bond that I need with my cell phone. You see, my phone really is my companion. It must go back. I'm going to get on my hands and knees and beg the Verizon dude to give me back my HTC Droid and beg, beg, beg him not to charge me $35 to put the Curve back on the shelf.

That my friends is why I'm for sure a certified, bona fide NUT. Don't you all agree?

Till next time. Wish me luck~!

A Day of Whys

Without fail, every time I come to my computer to blog, something goes wrong. Every. Single. Time. Honestly, that's one reason that my blogging has been so infrequent lately. If I try to load pictures, something happens. If I try to make it so that my pictures are larger, then I can't spell check. Today it took me 10 minutes before I could even get logged in. It makes me want to scream. WHY, I ask you. WHY?

You know, I got a new phone last week. It's touch screen, which I don't think I'm ever going to get used to. So if you get an e-mail or text from me and it's full of words that make absolutely no sense, just know that I'm trying to learn how to use the touch keyboard. And I'm a looooong way from perfecting it.

Anyway, I bring up the phone to say that I have had to switch my e-mail from Yahoo to G-Mail. By so doing, it evidently changed the way I have to log into Blogger. But of course, I didn't know that until I had spent 10 minutes trying to log in today. It's to a point that I need a nerve pill before I even try to blog.

The carpet went in without a hitch. Believe it or not, it wasn't all that bad. I mean, granted I didn't move much of the furniture. Jeff and the boys did most all of that. But considering I'm a woman in a house full of men, I didn't think I should have to do that stuff. :-) I think as a woman, we should play our woman card as often as we can. I did help move a few things and surprised even myself at how strong I was. Too bad the next day my low back was shooting pain down my entire leg. Should've just continued to play the "I can't do that, I'm a woman" card.

We've finally gotten it all back together. Cam's room is still not looking that good, but then again, it never does. I really think that the best part of the whole carpet thing is that it forced me to clean out some closets and even my office. Does anything feel better than opening up a cleaned out closet? I will open it now just to look at it. Strange, huh? We had towels and sheets that we've had since we've been married. I really don't think a family of four that hardly ever has overnight guests needs 58 bath towels.

The concerts we went to last week were both very good. I think I enjoyed John Mayer more, but the Moody Blues were good too. I couldn't believe the drummer was 69. They sang more songs that I knew than I expected. I would've had a picture, but as usual I got busted with my camera. WHY is it that the person in front of me can practically set up a tripod and make a picture with a professional flash and no one notices? But let me take out my cruddy camera phone, which BTW, doesn't have a flash, and here comes the usher telling me to put my camera away.

Spring break is two weeks away. I won't be going to the beach this year. Can you see my frowny face? I really would have liked to, but having gone last year and seeing how cold it still was, I just don't feel it's worth the money. Cam's throwing hints that he'd like to go with one of his friends, but I don't know yet. He likes to change his mind a lot. Especially at the very last second.

I'm taking him tomorrow to get fitted for his tux. His prom is the 17th of April. He's continuing to lose weight and keeps me in check when I'm not on the diet wagon as I should be. I haven't dropped another pound. WHY? I just tell myself I'm gaining muscle and losing fat. Uh, yeah.

So tonight's the big night. Will y'all be watching Dancing With the Stars? I'm looking forward to it. The cast they've selected is so interesting. I'm a Kate fan, so I can't wait to see how she does. Who will you be watching?

Gotta go take Bandit out. Yet another WHY. Every time I sit down at my computer, she needs to go out. I think my fanny hitting the chair triggers some sort of reflex in her that makes her immediately have to go.

Till tomorrow, LLL, and please remember to pray for our country and its leadership. And I think you all know WHY.

One Crazy Week

This week is going to be crazy. Crazy in a good way, though. First of all, my house is going to be turned upside down. We're getting our carpet installed Wednesday. Jeff has started moving things and it's all in the dining room. Except for the things that are in our bedroom. Those things are in our bathroom. There will be no bubble baths for me till the weekend, at least. And that's not a good thing because every muscle in my body longs for a nice, hot bath.

Secondly, I'm going to the John Mayer concert on Wednesday night. I gave Jeff the tickets for Christmas. We're both pretty excited about it. The concert is at Phillips Arena, and we have never been to a concert there. It's so funny because when I bought the tickets way back in December, I thought March 17th seemed sooooo far away. Now, here it is two days away. Time is going by so fast. My mom used to tell me that when time starts going by quickly, it's a sign that you're getting old. Uh, yeah, thanks. I'm officially old.

On Friday night we're going to the Moody Blues concert at the Fox Theater. While I'm not a Moody Blues fan, we're going with Ronnie and Nan, so I know it's going to be a huge amount of fun. Ronnie's birthday is that night, so we'll celebrate that too. He's the Moody Blues fan. And just going to the Fox is awesome in itself.

Today I spent a good hour or more in the Verizon store. I had bought the Droid last weekend, but I hated it. It didn't do a thing for me, and I couldn't get used to it. The camera wasn't as good as my old BlackBerry, and the camera is important to me, so it had to go. It's such a ripoff because they tell you that you have 30 days to change your mind about the phone. BUT... they charge you $35 restocking fee when you bring it back. I ended up getting another Droid, but this one is the Droid Eris. It's a lot smaller and lighter. And the camera works well. I was a happy Verizon wireless customer. Until I got home and got the mail. They've sent me two huge bills. I called and got someone in their customer no service department. I promise, I felt like I was in fifth grade. This guy was talking to me like he was a teacher or my boss or something. I couldn't get a word in edgewise. I think he was still talking when I hung up the phone. I'll be making yet another trip to the Verizon store tomorrow. This time to straighten out a very confusing bill.

My high school boyfriend's dad passed away last night. I'm planning on visiting the funeral home tomorrow night. His mother was always so, so sweet to me. She gave me a beautiful wedding gift and a baby gift when Ross was born. She always wore Estee Lauder Youth Dew. Every time I smell that perfume, it reminds me of that kind, kind lady and takes me back to the days when time didn't go by so fast. I know her heart is broken, and I'm sad for her.

Well, I guess that's all for now. Till next time.

Timber

We've got these two pretty big water oaks in the front yard that Jeff has wanted to cut down for years now. I always liked the shade they provided and the leaves turning color in the fall and I never wanted him to get rid of them. But the trees drink all the water from the ground and he hasn't been able to get any grass of any kind to grow under the trees. Because of all the rain we've had the last several months and the fact that there is no grass there, the yard has practically washed away. It is badly eroded. I finally gave in and agreed that we could get them cut down.

Thankfully, I have a son who loves chainsaws, who has a friend who also loves chainsaws.


Ross had watched several videos on the way to cut a tree so that it goes the direction you want it to and doesn't land on anything you don't, such as your house. There were two trees. One went exactly the way he wanted it to go. The other went a little to the side. I was so proud of him. He's just so darned smart!


After they got the trees down, of course, we're left with these two big stumps. Ross thought that he could pull the stumps up with his truck. They hooked it up with a chain and he took off in that big ol' powerful diesel truck of his. That stump didn't move. Not an inch.

So we'll have to rent a stump grinder or a backhoe or some other equipment to get them out of the ground. And then after that, maybe, just maybe we'll have some nice, green grass where there's only been dirt.

We'll be able to have a fire in the fireplace every night for the next 20 winters.

Cam tilled up Jeff's garden. Gotta get that dirt ready for those yummy tomatoes. Even though it's still awhile away, it's time to start preparing. I can almost taste a tomato sandwich just thinking about them.

I'm making lasagna for Sunday Night Supper at our house tonight. I've been up to my eyeballs in lasagna since 2 o'clock this afternoon. It's completely homemade and it smells so good. I haven't had much to eat today, so I'm definitely going to treat myself. And I CAN'T wait!!!!

Till next time....

Day Out

Today I met Suz in Snellville for lunch. We decided to go to Panera and have salads. Unfortunately, neither of us chose a very good salad. Mine tasted like lettuce with orange juice poured over it. Hers tasted like perfume or soap.

We were super hungry, so we both ate them anyway.

After we ate, we hit some of the stores. Neither of us was looking for anything in particular really. Which means that we spent hours and hours shopping and didn't really buy a whole lot. I bought my mom a Mother's Day gift, even though it's a couple of months away. Got some really cute brown shoes for work, a cute purse and some junk at Ulta. Also bought Jeff a few new shirts.

We found this awful shorts outfit.
That is actually one piece. G-r-o-s-s! Not a good look.

Then we were in the petite department at one store, which apparently thinks that petite is synonymous with elderly lady, because everything in the petite department looked like something a 90-year-old would be wearing. Why is that fashion people think that petites are only old ladies? I don't get it at all.

I got my hair highlighted yesterday and I don't like it one bit. It's TOO blonde. Way, way too blonde, so we spent an eternity looking at Ulta for something I could put on it until my hairstylist gets back in town Tuesday. I bought something called Oops Hair Color Remover. It was taped shut and being a nice customer, I didn't open the box and read the instructions. When I got home, I ran in to use it. Opened the box and read the instructions which said that it will not fix hair that is colored too light. Thanks a lot. Next time I'm not going to be a nice customer. I WILL open the box and read the instructions before I buy it. Tuesday will not be here soon enough.

That was my day out. Fun with my fun sister.

Till next time. Happy Weekend!!!!

You Know You're On a Diet When...

I'm sure you all will get very tired of hearing about my diet. This is a really big deal for me though. I mean, sure, I've lost weight before. But I've always had assistance. You know, like Jenny Craig and so forth. I've NEVER lost weight on my own. So to be attempting this on my own is big.

I was just thinking about the different ways that you can tell you're on a diet. Well, besides getting skinny.

1. Healthy Choice frozen dinners take on the flavor of a gourmet meal.
2. You catch yourself licking the little plastic plate the above-mentioned frozen dinner was on.
3. You start researching how to grow your own lettuce.
4. You're craving something sweet so badly that you consider eating the entire jar of gummy vitamins in your cabinet. I mean, can you have too many vitamins?
5. You're craving something sweet so badly that you consider buying DARK CHOCOLATE.
6. The fruit and veggie section at the grocery store becomes your favorite department.
7. Instead of looking forward to the jelly beans, Reese's peanut butter eggs and marshmallow Peeps taking up whole aisles at Walmart, you dread their appearance like the plague.
8. You realize that almost everything that tastes great and that you love to eat isn't good for you.
9. You sweat like a pig to burn off calories.
10. You're hungry.

So I think you kinda catch my drift here. These are the thoughts going through my mind today.

Till next time...

It's About Time

I'm back from a little blogging break. I have had a lot going on and been staying busy and focused on my workouts and trying to lose a little -- okay, a lot -- of weight. I am happy to report that I have lost about five pounds. Which may not sound like too much, but for someone only five feet tall, it's a bunch. I am very proud of myself. It's taking a lot of effort and even some deep thinking, but it's working. I have told myself that I WILL be in a bikini by summer. I will be in one, but will I actually wear it? I don't know about that. This body hasn't seen a bikini in 22 years. But I will be ready to wear one if I choose to.

I've tried almost every class my gym offers. Last night I found one that I really, really like. It's called Zumba. Have you ever heard of it?


It's a Latin dance. For a minute, I felt like I was rehearsing for Dancing with the Stars. It was really fun. Of course, I am very uncoordinated and don't have any rhythm to speak of, but it was all right because I wasn't the only one. The only thing that would've made it more fun would be if I could get Jeff to join me. It was a good workout and my legs were sore this morning. I will definitely take that class again. And who knows? Next time I may get the hip jingle things that some of the girls wear.

After 45 days, Jeff has the puzzle together.

He finished it Sunday night. All except for one piece. There was one piece missing. We looked all over the kitchen for the missing piece. Then Monday afternoon, we were backtracking and remembered that he had sorted through the pieces in the bedroom. I suggested that maybe a piece had dropped off the bed and gotten under it. Sure enough, there it was. The 2000th piece was under our bed.

The other night the moon was full and so pretty. I have an infatuation with sunsets, sunrises and moons in pictures. Of course, I had to go out and take a picture. Finally after about 30 tries, I was able to get one that was pretty good.

We are getting new carpet! Yes, indeed we are. We've had our same carpet for almost 16 years. And I've wanted new carpet for about the last seven years. I finally wore Jeff down and he's agreed to getting new. We're doing a little shopping around, but I think within the next week we'll have it. Hopefully, it will help with my OCD about the house being dirty. Nice, new, clean carpet just might help.

I haven't made it to the theater to see Shutter Island yet. I've heard mixed reviews from family and friends who have seen it. But I have the book reserved at the library and I'm going to pick it up today and dive straight into it. Anybody know if the book is better than the movie or vice versa? I think the books are almost always better.

Cam has been working out and losing weight too. In fact, he's lost almost 20 pounds. I'm probably going to go broke because he's gonna need all new clothes. He has expensive taste, too. So different from Ross who is content to keep his clothes until they wear out. He's like Jeff. Cam's like me. A little on the high maintenance side. He sent me a text message this morning asking if he could go spring clothes shopping this weekend. Doesn't he know I need new carpet?

I've tried out a couple of new recipes in the last week, but they were awful, so I won't share them with you. One was fish and the other was chicken. They were both terrible.

Thanks for hanging with me while I took my unexpected break. I've got lots of adventures and home improvements in mind, so I'll be blogging about those as they come along. And before you know it, I'll be a pressure washing maniac again.

Looking forward to temps in the 60s this weekend! March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb. And I don't know about y'all, but I'm R-E-A-D-Y!

Till next time. . .