Hee hee

Yesterday in the car we were talking about Mother’s Day plans. I’m pretty much planning my own day so I get to do what I want to do. (I told them first I was going to get lots and lots of presents - ha!)

Somehow the conversation drifted to Father’s Day and then Kid’s Day. The funny thing was, though, that Nathan said something about Father’s Day, but it came out more like “Farther’s Day,” and Dan heard, “Farter’s Day.”

Appropriate enough, I think! We don’t even have to change the date or the recipients of the gifts.

Ick.

Our house is a little old (1960), and it’s not really updated. But it’s been well taken care of, and I feel like it’s pretty sturdy. Well, it’s showing its age this year, and not in ways that I’m very happy about.

I think I’ve already mentioned that during a really strong windy day a month or two ago, a few shingles were blown off the top of the roof. We planned to do something about that this summer, but hoped it wouldn’t be urgent to repair. We were wrong, and now we have ugly brown stains on the ceiling in our den.

I guess I’ll be reminded every spring how poorly sealed our house is. I was surprised by some of the tiny critters that found their way into our house last spring. Those itty bitty ants made their way through some hole in the dining area of our kitchen and could be found tracing a path along whatever sticky mess was on the wall. There was literally a line of ants along a line of drink that had been spilled on the wall. I sprayed around the nearby window and walls and we didn’t have problems with them after that.

Ants forgotten, right?

*insert evil laugh here*

Earlier today I was sitting here at the desk, which is located at one of the back corners of our house. An ant crossed my line of sight, and I squished it. Then another ant and another until I realized I was surrounded by them. There’s a trashcan nearby and I guess they’re making their way to some dirty napkin or such thing. I feel really invaded. “This is my home! I want to feel safe and clean here and you’re making me feel dirty and unhappy!”

Why am I surprised? How’d I forget the ant saga from last year so easily?

I wish that was the end of the story (and really, I don’t know why I’m making a big story out of this in the first place, except that I’m trying to garner sympathy or something, right?) … I went to the kitchen to make the kids some sandwiches for lunch. I pulled the humongous family-size peanut butter jar out of the cabinet … and nearly dropped it. It had about a thousand (er … maybe a hundred?) ants around the outside of it. (”Oh, puh-lease tell me that I screwed the lid on tightly last time I used this!!”)

I rinsed all the ants off and garnered as much courage as I could before taking off the lid. Phew, no ants inside!! … Wha- … eww!! There weren’t ants inside the jar, but they were all around the inside of the lid; I guess they couldn’t get past the very last line of defense, but they found plenty to feast on around the outside (*note to self, keep the peanut butter inside the jar!).

So next I checked the cabinet where the peanut butter is kept. (Incidentally, the cabinet is also along the back edge of our house, same as the computer desk. I think the house must have been built over an ant hill and it’s taken them 40 years to find their way inside.) Sure enough, some ants were in the cabinet where I keep snacks. Fortunately, nothing was invaded, no food was lost.

Still, I can’t help but feel invaded, violated, and quite disturbed (well, the disturbed part’s not so new). This home, the kitchen especially, is supposed to be my sanctuary! It should be clean and sanitary; it should not be home to uninvited, nasty little creatures.

As soon as Dan gets home, I’m heading out to find the deadliest bug-killing poison I can find.

So, honey, if you’re reading this (which you’re not), don’t be upset when you get home and I rush by without a goodbye or a kiss or even an explanation … I have some ants to annihilate!

Put me in, Coach, I’m ready to play

If you know me fairly well, you know I like to blog … about everything. If you know I’m playing softball right now, you’re probably surprised I haven’t already blogged about it.

This is my 3rd year playing with the church softball team. I didn’t play last year, and I really missed it, so I’m back! And I dragged Dan into playing too! That may or may not have been a great idea as far as the kids are concerned (we have some late games), but it is definitely a lot of fun! We’ve discovered that we really enjoy being on a team together. I don’t even mind that he hits better than I do. He’s doubtful of his own fielding abilities, so he is our team’s designated hitter. And he’s done really well! At least he can say he’s helping the team.

Some nights my only hope is to make it through the night without costing the team a game. If I can actually help, then that’s even better. But realistically, I’m not much help.

They let me play anyway. And it’s great fun! I have such a good time. I’ve really tried recruiting other women to play, but no one will take me up on that. It’s not that I mind being the only female, but sometimes it can be lonely. Or sometimes I feel like they secretly wish I’d vanish so they could just be their manly selves. At least if there was another female, I wouldn’t be the ONLY one keeping them from that.

All joking (or not) aside, I really love to be with this fun group of people. They cheer me up. They make me laugh. Two years ago, after one of the games I discovered I had a flat tire. It must have been a later game so Dan had stayed home with the kids. The guys, nearly every one, stayed and helped me change my tire! (Dad, I do still remember HOW to, but I always get nervous about actually having to do it!) They try to come up with nicknames for everyone. Another Dan on the team came up with my nickname: Undercover Mother. No one actually uses it much (it’s too long, isn’t it?), but it’s the only one I’ve gotten so far. I guess I like it because it fools me into thinking people think I look younger and more athletic than I am. So I’ll hold onto that if I can!

I also love that we’re playing in a church league. We have great sportsmanship between the teams. Everyone is so nice to each other. In fact, just last night, there was a lot of laughter going on as a guy from each of the teams jokingly trash-talked and heckled each other. It was so funny. We end each game with a prayer together. Where else do you see that?

Another thing that makes being on the team great: We have a large, loud, and fun cheering section. I’ve never seen another team with so many fans. The same thing happened when we had volleyball and basketball teams playing. It’s mostly spouses and kids of the players, but there are others from our congregation not directly tied to a player that come and cheer us on. So it’s always fun for me to hang out with them before and after the games.

It’s so great to be a part of a group of people like that. Simply being with them is an encouragement. Just being in their presence, included, makes me feel loved.

Mad Monday: Night-Night

1. Are you a morning person or a night person?

2. What is something(s) you always have to do before you go to bed?

3. Do you wish on stars?

4. What is under your bed?

5. Are you afraid of the dark?

6. What do your favorite pajamas look like?

7. What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

Betcha didn’t know that …

May be true or not, I didn’t bother checking these out … just thought they were fun to share. (from an email sent by Deanne)

*A tiny amount of liquor on a scorpion will make it instantly go mad and sting itself to death.
*By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can’t sink in quicksand.
*Leonardo Da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.
*40% of McDonald’s profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
*On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.
*Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying. (I kinda doubt this one, but I’m going to give it a shot next time.)
*Celery has negative calories. It takes more calories to eat a piece of celery than the celery has in it to begin with. (Stephanie probably already knew this!)

*I also betcha didn’t know how to fold a shirt … at least not as quickly as this! I stumbled upon this link; too bad it’s in Korean or Chinese or something.

Are Girls Evil?

I “stumbled upon” this site the other day. I thought it was hilarious, even if I am a girl.

Proof that girls are evil

Before & After

The boys got haircuts the other night. I know most of you couldn’t care less. So this is for my relatives and for posterity.

NATHAN - Before

NATHAN - After

DEREK - Before

DEREK - After

JEREMY - Before

JEREMY - After

Mad Monday

Well, it’s been quite a long time since my last Mad Monday survey! I think it was last summer that I stopped doing them because I wasn’t blogging regularly. Basically, I stole today’s questions from a “Getting To Know Your Friends 2008″ email survey that was going around.

1. What time did you get up this morning?

2. What did you have for breakfast?

3. What was the last movie you saw?

4. Where is the most beautiful place you’ve ever been?

5. What is your middle name?

6. What food(s) do you dislike?

7. What kind of car do you drive?

8. What is your favorite item of clothing?

9. If you could go anywhere in the world for a vacation, where would you go?

10. Where would you retire to?

*I have only 2 rules: (1) Answer just the questions you feel like; (2) Have fun!

Random Friday Stuff

Have you ever watched a movie that suddenly went from action and music and noise to absolute silence except for a few quiet sound effects? Maybe this is something only someone partway deaf would notice, but it really stands out to me and, in fact, drives me nuts. It makes me anxious! I feel like I’m missing something, and I’ll usually even check the volume to make sure the stereo is still working.

For the past 5 days or so, I have felt like I was in one of those quiet scenes. The congestion from a cold I had last week moved into my ears and decided to stay. I have been plugged up and can hardly hear anything. It feels like being in my own little world. It’s frustrating. I hate not being able to hear. I explain to everyone I talk to, “sorry, I can’t hear very well right now, I’m all plugged up.” Even then, most people don’t realize that I DO mean I really really can’t hear anything.

This happens to me usually once or twice a year. I have to constantly take some kind of cold medicine to finally clear it up. Grrr!! My only hope is that it will miraculously clear up before I have to work tonight, because it can be miserable to be a waitress when you can’t hear what your customers are ordering.

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Also, last weekend my voice was all scratchy and I couldn’t really sing very well. I came to a realization last Sunday. I think I lose my voice more often than the average person, and I think there’s a reason for it. You see, normally I sing pretty loud, and my hearing loss makes it more difficult to hear all the other voices around me. I mean, it’s not that I can’t hear anyone else singing at all, but I definitely hear myself well over everyone else. When my voice doesn’t work, it forces me to quiet down and listen to others, and I’m always glad for that. I find pleasure in simply taking it all in, listening to the voices of praise around me.

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Jeremy had a kindergarten orientation yesterday morning. I can’t believe my second baby is about to start kindergarten! It’s a different excitement this time around, not a part-way anxious excitement because of the unknown. It’s also sad because it means there’s only one more to go before we have all our kids in school, and that will mean we’re getting old. If only my kids could get older without me getting older.

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Yesterday afternoon the kids and I spent mostly outside. It was so beautiful! The rain and our busy-ness have prevented me from mowing for over a week and a half, and of course the rain caused the grass to grow more quickly, so the lawn was in dire need of trimming. There was also some planting and weeding to be done, as well as cleaning up the grass clippings left in clumps around the yard. Before I could get to the clumps, however (not that I mind), Dan got home from work and suggested we take the kids to the Duck Pond to feed the ducks and then go to the batting cages. It was a great night. The kids were so funny with the ducks. There was one female in a large group of males, and for some reason Nathan and Jeremy were more interested in “Female.” Jeremy kept yelling, “hey female! Here!” They were trying to make sure she got plenty to eat, I guess.

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I tried moving some plants yesterday and within an hour they were all droopy. They’re still looking droopy this morning. Did I kill them? I know nothing about digging up plants and moving them.

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Random question: Why does American cheese come in two different colors?

What Beatles Song Describes Your Life?

Hey Jude
You are a little hesitant and insecure when it comes to taking action, but the truth is you are extremely capable and full of life and hope, and are a natural leader. You are an idealist and you often wish that there was something you could do to make society a little better. Although you can be overdramatic when faced with obstacles, you have a strong support group of people who love you who will be there to set you back on your feet. Sometimes you have difficulty opening your heart and expressing your feelings because you are worried that people won’t accept you, so you act nonchalant and cool. However, you are slowly learning to let people into your heart and let go of your fears.

(Just a fun little facebook quiz. If you’re on facebook, you can find my results at the bottom of my profile page and take the quiz yourself!)