Today

Today, March 10…

Outside my window…The tips of our redbud.  We bought it in memory of our Coco when he passed away almost four years ago.  The kids call it (and every other redbud they see) “the Coco tree.”  It has finally reached a height that I can see it outside our kitchen window when I’m seated at the island.  The branches are fat with buds.  It’s going to be beautiful this year.  Coco would have loved sleeping in it’s shade.  

I am thinking…oh, lots of random thoughts…I noticed how much I like the sound of the washer and dryer and the dishwasher running…it sounds like home, it sounds comfortable and productive and clean.  I am thinking about what we’re going to do with our tax refund.  We’re being practical this year.  Which is not fun, but I think it’s the smart thing to do right now.  

I am thankful that…I am able to work from home.  And that The Man’s job affords him the flexibility to stay home with the kiddos while I get some work done.    

From the kitchen…Sheesh, I haven’t even thought about it yet.  Better get on that, I guess.  I think maybe some soup and bread for suppy-sups.     

I am wearing…Jeans and a black izod polo over a white long sleeve t.

I am creating…working on some ideas for a book.  Yes, I am, Rebecca. 

I am going…Nowhere today.  Ella is still sick.  She’s not really a shopper when she’s well, let alone when she’s sick, so I’m not even going to try.  Besides, Tuesday is my stay-at-home-and-be-productive day. 

I am reading…Nothing.  I finished the Virginia Tech book.  I have to say that it brought back really good memories.  The end of the book was great…it talked about that incredible undefeated season.  Well, undefeated until we lost in the National Championship.  The Man and I went to all those home games that year and to the National Championship…we tailgated all day long with my parents.  Good times.  Really.    

I am hoping…that Ella feels better when she wakes up. 

I am hearing…The dryer, and the hum of the humidifier in Ella’s room on the monitor.  And above all that, I can even hear the birds sing now and then. 

Around the house...The daffodils are popping up.  Remember them?  Now comes the payoff.  We need to order mulch.  Pronto.  (What the heck does pronto really mean anyway?)  And I’ll be doing some dusting upstairs and vacuuming and all that good stuff.  And some ironing.  Must iron the napkins and placemats.  I mean really, who wants to wipe their mouth with a wrinkley napkin?  Yes, I know it’s a sickness. 

One of my favorite things…MY NEW CAMERA!  The Man bought me a new one for my birthday!  YAY!  Now, if I can just figure out how to use it…

A few plans for the rest of the week:  Meeting with Henry’s teacher to go over testing results–she said he did really well.  And that same little fella has a checkup this week.  He’ll need that for kindergarten–I can’t believe he’s going to kindergarten in 6 months…

Here is picture thought I am sharing…

Edited this photo for my Daddy for his birthday a couple weeks ago.  I always really liked this picture of us.

Duct Tape–It Fixes Everything

A little history first.  My dad was a duct tape abuser.  He used duct tape to fix anything and everything.  Perfect example:  I was 18.  I had a light blue Dodge K-car.  The funniest thing about this car was that if you parked on an incline, you couldn’t get it out of park.  The gear shift literally would not move out of park.  Everyone but the driver had to get out, stand behind the K-car and heave it forward while I simultaneously shifted the gear from park to drive.  It had to be perfect timing, or it wouldn’t work.  It makes me smile just to remember it.  What a hoot!  But I digress.

It wasn’t bad enough that the car needed a good heave to get going, but my muffler developed a loud rattling sound, almost like a motorcycle.  My father, God bless him, took one look at the muffler and said something like “Oh, it’s just a little hole.  It’s still drivable.”  Right dad, only with a bag over my head.  Remember, I’m 18 years old, and just the tiniest digression from normal makes me want to crawl in a hole forever. 

So my dad, again God bless him, said he’ll get it fixed.  Naturally I thought he meant he was going to take it to the shop to get a new muffler.  Isn’t that the logical conclusion one would draw?  Imagine my surprise when he said he “fixed” it with a little duct tape.  Admittedly, it did make less noise (sort of a muffled rattling now rather than the motorcycle rattling).  Not only did I have a beat up car that refused to drive if on an incline sporting a hole in its muffler, but my car was fixed (and I use the term loosely) with duct tape.  Oh the horror of it all. 

So to the REAL story now.  My dear husband of 11+ years whom I was dating during the K-car trauma poked quite a bit of fun at my dad and anyone else who used duct tape as a fixer-of-anything.  Today, though, he is singin’ a different tune, clearly.  You know those long chalk holders they sell that you can put a piece of chalk in and then you don’t have to bend over and break your back while enjoying chalk artistry with the kids?  Apparently my husband doesn’t know about these.  Because this is what I found in the garage this morning:

 

Just so we’re clear here, that is a chalk stick that my husband fashioned from a tree branch to which he duct taped some chalk.  OH THE HORROR!  Seriously, my first thought was “I hope none of the neighbors saw this.”  Immediately following that thought ”I’m going to hide that tape.”  I confronted hubby about it this morning, and he said, with enthusiasm and a smile on his face, “Oh, did you like it?!”  like this was seriously a great idea.  He has no pride left.  I’m thinking it vanished that day he went to work with oatmeal all over the back of his shoulder.