just a few pictures...

My son Joseph did this.

This is Joseph. The other kids say he is my favorite. I don't actually have a favorite, but I certainly do like Joe. He is kind, he is compassionate, he always respects me. He gets up and goes to work in the morning even though working construction is not his thing. He likes to draw and create and learn languages, write music and listen to and play music. He really likes to spend time in his room working on things, but he also has a heart for the young people from church, so he does things with them. Last night we had eight boys over for pizza and chips and veggies and dip, fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies, and lots of soda. Not for me of course. And I ate my own special pizzas, made on 16 calorie rice-cake-y things. But anyway. I am The Winner at Off On A Tangent this morning.


This is Kathryn Grace. She is amazing. She works out every day, and loves pushing her limits in gymnastics. She is my home-schooling teenager. She is really good at getting her work done, she even does things on the weekends. Right now she is baking up the rest of that chocolate chip cookie dough with Jonathan, who is taking a break from learning about oil spills. (have you ever had the aroma of baking cookies surround you? I will not eat one. I will not. I ate some dough yesterday, and when I think of it, probably several hundred calories worth. Then I broke a piece off a cookie to taste it...bad idea, because I do make excellent cookies! What did I think, that it wasn't going to taste good?)

I love love love having these two home.

And I WAS going to call the dr., but I don't know. I am fine now. I hate to go in and have all sorts of tests done. For one thing, our insurance is awful, we have to pay 100% until we reach like seven thousand dollars, then 20% of everything after that. I walked yesterday up the evil hill and was fine. I think I will just wait and see.

I am a really good procrastinator.

This morning, I swept the floors, straightened the couch covers, washed and cleaned off the kitchen counters, loaded and ran the dishwasher, washed some extra bowls and pans. The house looks decent enough, but does anyone ever stop by when it looks like this? Of course not!

The little girls have been Making Forts. They drape blankets between the couches and hunker under them with...more blankets, perhaps a lamp or a battery-operated candle or flashlight, some books, a few dolls, stuffed animals....they sometimes drape a blanket over the coffee table, or add some kitchen chairs to make their fort bigger. They always say they will clean it up as soon as they are finished, but I guess they just aren't finished yet.

Although they are at school.

Oh well. It could be worse.

I miss my husband. He has only been gone for two days, but still.

Mirielle started her new job today. I miss her too:} I now have three kids working as R.Ns.

Jonathan wants me to buy a new laptop, because mine is old and junky. He says I have Dad's card, and can just buy one. I say No I Can't, I Can't Just Do That. He says I should get a job for a few days a week so I can buy one. Oh, life according to Jonathan.

One of my boys was eating Lucky Charms yesterday. Taking all of the marshmallows out. I said that was No Fair. He said, what is this, communism? We have to share the marshmallows equally?

Life is never boring, that's for sure. Today, for example, I have to go out and about. Some of the older girls are invited to a housewarming party for a dear friend who has a place of her own. She also just graduated from nursing school and is working in a hospital as an R.N. She is a sweetie, and is so good to my younger kids as an activity club leader at church. Since Mirielle is working today, I am going to buy a few gifts for her housewarming.

And, that is it for this morning's potpurri of odd facts about my life and my day.....