Title-less blab

After a lazy weekend, I’m having a bit of trouble getting into the whole “Monday” deal.  I really, truly do hate Mondays.  I never can seem to switch gears!  Even if I work all weekend, either in the house, yard, both, or spend the whole weekend running, Mondays come with a shock that causes me to move slow and think randomly….arg!

I carved stamps this weekend.  That was my big accomplishment for a whole 48 hour period. LOL  It was great big fun, though.  If you had asked me before I tried it if I thought I’d like carving stamps, I would’ve said “Probably not – too much sitting still and nit-picky details.”  But, wow, would I have been wrong!  Not about it requiring sitting still, great attention to detail, and patience, but that I would enjoy it.  I spent almost 2 hours on one stamp!  (And it turned out lovely, by the way:)  My ability to have a lazy weekend was noticed by my kids.  My son asked me if I was ok,  and my daughter pointed it out last night and gave me a round of applause! LOL!  I ususally do have a hard time sitting still.  The length of a movie is about all I can take unless I’m ill or have worked myself to near death.  But I have found a way to allow my body to rest and keep my mind totally busy – stamp carving.  The only problem now is keeping enough carving medium around and having something to carve.  I haven’t found a way to enjoy finding an image to carve, by the way.

Much to do this week, though, and I want to get my run in before it gets hot out there, so adios!

Runnin’ and Grinnin’

Well I am very happy to have a running goal again – I think until my endurance is there, I just need one.  In case you’re a new reader, or don’t remember, read my Runner page so this makes sense.

So I started running by training for a 5k that will be next week.  I knew about 3 weeks ago that I wasn’t going to be able to do it – for a couple of reasons – first of all, the race day conflicts with a major family gathering that cannot be moved.  I am one of 4, and my hometown annual festival happens the last full weekend of September, every year.  My siblings and I along with our families always go “home” for that, so I can’t just skip it (and don’t want to).  I thought I had it all figured out – the race is Friday evening, so I had planned to run it, then either leave afterward and arrive in town very late, or get up early the next morning and go.  However, we hatched a plan to have all our children’s picture made together, and all schedules considered, had to make the appointment for Friday afternoon, so I won’t be in town for the race.

Secondly, I knew I a had a problem before that.  My endurance was just simply not increasing enough to keep up with the training schedule.  I was following it carefully, but one week the schedule called for me to increase my distance all week, and I just couldn’t do it.  The distance it required me to run was as far as it had ever required, for the previous week’s long run – I couldn’t repeat that 3 times the next week – I tried, but I could not, and I am able to push myself usually beyond what is wise:)  So either the program wasn’t right for me, I was doing something wrong, or I was just way too out of shape to begin that program without a long conditioning period first…

I finally joined the forum community on the site where I keep a running log, and got some advice from more experienced runners.  They advised that I start over, using the Couch to 5k Program, so I did.  I am in week 2, and it is going very well.  I also learned of some podcasts that were made to go along with the program, and those are wonderful, because I am hearing someone tell me when to run, when to walk, rather than having to keep looking at my watch to time the intervals.

My goal is to finish this program and be able to run the distance and look for a local 5k toward the end of this program, instead of stressing about being ready by a certain day, ’cause if I’m not, it brings me down, when that is not the purpose of my starting to run!

In other news:  The fish store tested my water and said that it was perfect, and in fact, much better than most tanks in this area (?).  They also suggested that I treat the tank for parasites, as well as leaving the murder suspect in quarantine.  I’ve suffered no more fishy losses.  The final count was 11, which included both puffers – I miss them 😦  I will allow some time to pass for safety, and restock…

In about a week, my honey has to take a business trip.  He usually only has to do this a few times a year, and they are typically just 2-3 days, but this one will be for almost a week – SO HE’S ADDING A COUPLE MORE DAYS AND TAKING ME WITH HIM!!!  Oh, I’m so excited to get to run away for awhile!  And see the ocean.  Somehow it strengthens me.  Maybe I’ll try a beach run….but wouldn’t my running shoes get full of sand?  Maybe not:)  But once we get to the work destination, the beach will not be there, but I’ll have an apartment to myself that boasts an upper-story deck with a lovely view, and complete silence if I so choose.  I can’t wait!

I finished the logbook for letterboxing that I was working on, and I’m very pleased with it.  I designed it to accomodate 3-4 times the amount of pages that it has in it currently, so if I end up loving this hobby and collecting lots of stamps, I won’t have to make a bigger one:)  I’ll have to look for letterboxes to find on our trip!  And I’ll take my camera and post pics!

I’ve had to write this post several times because something isn’t working here and it doesn’t save all of it, or won’t allow me to add pics of the logbook without messing up my post, so I’m going to post this and then try to add pics to it through the edit feature.  If that won’t work, and I’m not too irritated, I may put them in a slideshow just to get them on.

Time in a bottle

If I could save time in a bottle – I wouldn’t be rich, because there’s no way I’d sell it!  Share, yes, sell, no.  Some things are to precious to turn for profit.

I have been blissfully buried up to my eyeballs in life.  I say blissfully because it hasn’t been bad, just busy:)  Very busy.  All of the stuff I said last post about never having enough time to do/experience all that I want has been truly the case for the last….days?  weeks? how long has it been?  I’ve actually lost track of time, so there’s your proof that I’m not exaggerating!

 So what’s been going on, you wonder.  Well, I have cleaned house relentlessly to still live in what I consider to be a dirty house.  I have done laundry and suspect foul play – ’cause it’s still piled up somehow!  Arrg!  And I have started several things:  making a logbook for letterboxing, organizing our digital music collection, learning to hand-carve stamps, learning to use my husband’s cast-off palm pilot, and catching a fish serial killer.  I have finished nothing! LOL!

I have made progress, though, and that simply must count for something, or else I’ll crack up.  My logbook design is complete, and I have gathered all the materials needed and begun to stitch.  Here’s the fabric:

 

 OOOOOOOOH!!! 🙂

After 12 hours in front of the computer screen (not all at once – what do you think I am?), our digital music collection is organized, but 2 of the 3 i-tunes libraries are not cooperating, and each title must be manually connected to the file where it is located.  Technology is so wonderful, isn’t it?  I have successfully carved one stamp and don’t even have the graphics ready for the series I have planned.  I don’t get this palm pilot.  I think it will be a big help once it’s synced with outlook, but I can’t figure it out so I’ll have to call in my honey on this one.  And as far as the fish serial killer, I have a suspect in custody.  Case almost solved.  He is a new 2-inch full-grown male Dwarf Gourami, who is believed to have been driven to kill out of frustration caused by his inibility to establish territory in a tank with 2 other males.  He managed to stress and bump 10 helpless victims to death before he was caught.  No others have died since he was removed from the scene of the crimes 48 hours ago, so he is about to be found guilty. 

I also had the pleasure of seeing Aretha Franklin perform at the dinner my honey and I had to go to.  That was worth having to dress up for!  I have complained about these “work-related social gatherings” requiring monkey suits, but this one had me grinning.  She’s still got it!  And somebody finally made one of these things fun!  R-E-S-P-E-C-T!  That woman can sing!

So here’s a riddle for you:

Why is it that during the school year, I am full of ideas for things to do with my time, anxious to tackle projects that I don’t have time for, and always manage to take on more than I can do, but during the summer, when I am not as time restricted, I get depressed and goal-less.  All summer I could have carved stamps, letterboxed and cleaned the house from crack to crevice…..but I must’ve been disoriented by all the free time, I guess, ’cause I sure don’t even remember what I did with it!

I suppose it’s good that I can laugh about it.  Today.

Tomorrow I’m having a “Cookapalooza” with a friend.  We’re cooking 2 weeks worth of dinners to free ourselves of the dinner-time blues.  I’m excited because I’m envisioning all those evenings when I’ll be able to do other things besides cooking dinner and cleaning up the mess, or spending just as much time going out to get dinner.  I should be able to feed my crew a healthy meal, with minimal time and mess, and still have a bit of extra time each day to spend chipping away at the many things I wanna do.  Time.  Not in a bottle, but I’ll take it!

I didn’t fall off the edge of the earth or anything, and maybe you didn’t even miss me, but either way:  I’m back!!!!

It looks like I got meme-tagged and am a bit late on the fun, so here’s catching up on that, and then if I have any more time left, I’ll catch up on other blog stuff 🙂

Tammy, at It’s A Wonderful Life, tagged me for these two:

#1

“Here are the rules: Players, you must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had. When you are tagged you need to write your own blog post containing your own middle name game facts. At the end of your blog post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.”

My middle name is Lynn, so here goes:

L – love.  Love is most certainly a fact in my life.  Love for God, for life, for my family, for people, for simple pleasures from the Lord, like the sun on my face or the wind in the trees.  I even love to see the results of adversity in my life (after it’s over – I’m not always there with loving it in the midst of it – some more growing to do 🙂  I love so many things I could sit here and type loves all day.  I’ll spare you, but I’m smilin’

Y – youth. I know what you’re thinking, but bear with me.  I am using the approach of listing the first thing that comes to mind rather than deep thinking, here, ’cause that seems fair and accurate, and the other option may take a lifetime!  I relish youth.  Not just in myself, but just youth in general.  When we are young, everything seems so important, we are generally more passionate about our convictions, sure of ourselves, full of energy for life and unwielding optimism about the world.  I’m not one of those who views these things in the “young and stupid” category (maybe I’m not old enough!).  I’m more of the “sometimes I wish I didn’t know now what I didn’t know then” sentiment.  I know that wisdom is more valuable, and I love that, too.  But the attitude and outlook of youth has it’s place not only with the young, but with those wise enough to retain some of that for certain areas of their lives.  Get it?

N – New.  I like new things.  I’m not referring to materialism here, but new, as in ideas, experiences, perspectives, knowledge, understanding.  I love to learn new things.  New activities, ways of doing things, ways of looking at things, and new places to visit.

N – Never.  I’m not being negative.  Never enough time to read all I want to read, experience all I want to experience, see all I want to see, accomplish all I want to accomplish, impact all I want to impact, help all I want to help, and on and on and on.  It never ends 🙂  “Life is too short” is such an understatment.

#2

“There are no rules for the meme. Add, subtract, change questions, tag whomever you choose (or not), credit me, don’t credit me, whatever. I’m just curious about your laundry!!”

1. In your home, who does the laundry? Me.  I wash, dry, fold and hang, but the kids have to put their clothes away.  Once in awhile, I ask them to put a load in the washer, transfer to the dryer, or they volunteer to do so because there’s something in particular they want clean (or they complained about what wasn’t clean, and I put them to do it themselves if they arent’ happy with how quickly it gets done 🙂

2.Do you sort your laundry? Yes

3. If you sort, how many different color/fabric type groups do you sort it into?  .Lights, light permanent press, darks, dark permanent press, whites, green towels, grey towels, jeans, khakis, delicates.  I know what you’re thinking -dont even go there!

4. Do you hand wash anything?   Nope.

5. Are there any articles of clothing that you send out to be cleaned professionally? Yep.  Not often, but suits and formal dress.

6. If you have any clothes cleaned professionally, is that drycleaning? Or regular laundering/pressing?  Dry Cleaning.

7. At home, what detergent do you use? Any detergent additives that you regularly use?  .Tide.  Bleach.  Color-safe bleach. 

8. What whiteners/brighteners do you use? bleach

9. Do you use any fabric softeners? Yes.  Bounce sheets.

10. How do you handle stains? Tide spot cleaning and if we’re out, tide to go pen.

11. Do you use different water temperatures for your different loads? Yes. Whites get hot, lights, kackis and jeans, and all towels and sheets get warm, darks and delicates get cold.

12. Do you use a tumble dryer, or do you hang your clothes to dry?  I use the dryer for every thing except delicates, swimsuits and moisture-wicking fabrics.

13. In your home, who folds the clothes?  I do, unless I’m in a big hurry (like heading out the door but not wanting to leave clothes to wrinkle)  then, I yell for help and get it without complaint, usually.

14. Where do you fold your clothes? (i.e., in the laundry room, at the kitchen table, etc.) Standing in front of the dryer.

15. Who puts the folded clothes away? I put mine and honey’s away, the kids put theirs away, I usually put away the towels, sheets and such, with occasional help.

16. Do you have a certain day of the week you consider ”laundry day”? No.  I don’t like to let it pile up, so I do a few loads every couple of days.

17. About how many laundry loads do you do per week?  Half a dozen, probably.

18. Do you iron?   Only when absolutely necessary.  I don’t even have an ironing board! LOL

Well, I’m out of time for now, but hopefully I can post later, or tomorrow.  Fancy dinner tonight, with Aretha Franklin entertaining – this one should be fun 🙂