core dump

To try and relinquish my mind of all its' junk, I'm putting it here...

I want one of these, but our garden is not expected to produce enough produce (ha ha) this year to justify putting 80 bucks into this.  My mind asks, would it be worth it to purchase it now or should I just wait?  Will they cost more next year?  In my trusty canning cookbook, it says, a deep pressure canner can double as a hot water bath canner (you just don't lock the lid.)  So, since the two hand-me-down hot water bath canners I've accumulated are not in the best of shape, should I buy one now?  What about for my birthday?  Or Christmas?  It would be dual purpose, right?

Next, why are the books I want to read always checked out or none of our frequented libraries carry them? 
The Help
Extraordinary Women: Discovering the Dream God Created for You
Let There Be Light, The Inspirational Achievements of a Man Born Blind
Men are Like Waffles, Women are Like Spaghetti
Safekeeping: Some True Stories from a Life
Swallow the Ocean: A Memoir

Why haven't I made time to hit the pool this summer?

Why can't I sew a straight line?  Really.  Is it that hard?

Why do my gifts/skills seem like nothing to me when everyone else things they're so grand?  I feel like C when he says, "I'm a jack of all trades, a master of none."  It does feel good to hear others marvel over my talents, but I don't make a big deal about it because I don't like being the center of attention.

That also leads to C's complaint, why can't I ever take a compliment without off-setting it with "Well, I thought it could've been better if I'd have..."?

Why am I dying to go camping at Jellystone?  I like camping without the crowd.  I know why, it's the waterslide.  Definitely.  Also, I dread going camping at a campground when you have to make reservations.  It just takes the fun out of it somehow.

Why did I sign up to take a quilting class tomorrow?  I want to learn to quilt.  Correctly.  Just not this week.  Maybe I'll cancel.

Why didn't I remember to sketch Mary's top last week during Bible Study.  I really wanted to duplicate it.  Oh, yeah, that's right, I'm too busy doing what I should be doing.  Bible Study!

Why haven't I started on the other top that I'm dying to make?  Oh yeah, life calls, you can't sew all the time. 

And why didn't I buy the rest of that bolster of fabric that was on clearance for $1.50/yd.  Oh, yeah, we have a budget to live by!

Our anniversary is coming up in a couple of weeks, wondering what we should do for that?

Why can't I get my butt to town this week to drop off stuff at the thrift shop, return my library book, and pick up some groceries?

Why can't we live without a government, since the one we have is crap?

Why don't they just fire the Board of Supervisors since they suck?!

Am I the only one who's burdened by my own mind on odd days/weeks?

There's more, it's just stuck in a web right now.  This mind of mine runs at a million miles an hour nearly 24/7.  What is wrong with me?

Are you feeling crazy now too?  I surely hope not.

some cheese for my whine, please

I'm beginning to wonder,  do I ever not feel tired?  Week after week I am exhausted by some crazy schedule and it's supposed to be summer!  A time for relaxing, right?

Last week ushered in a long, holiday weekend, refreshments for Bible study and back-to-back nights of studies that have just plain worn me down this week.  Don't get me wrong, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the studies that I'm currently attending.  It's just the thought of being gone, away from my family, that tires my mind, leading to a then, exhausted body.

It is my mind, it is my demise.  It's constantly running, filled with schedules, organizing, prioritizing and "home executive duties".  As a kid, it felt like school would never end and summer seemed to last forever. It's funny, once you grow up, how time flies. Our summer is half over!  This weekend, we have soccer on Saturday morning and a party that evening.  I am craving camping since late winter and it is relentless.  We have yet to do any camping.  Weekends are so busy.  Maybe a day by the pool with a good book would ease my mind?

After a trip to the Green Valley Book Fair last weekend, I've been reading A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas.  It's a fantastic, heart-wrenching read.  Makes me thankful for my normal, but busy, everyday life.  I am thankful for God's blessings of health and happiness. 

A Three Dog Life goes a little something like this...
'Australian Aborigines slept with their dogs for warmth on cold nights, the coldest being a "three dog night." - Wikipedia.'  Abigail's doorman calls to say, "Your dog is in the elevator." Why?  Her husband, Rich, was walking the dog.  Where is he?  Quickly, she finds he has been hit by a car.  When he begins to recover, it appears things will slowly go back to an almost normal life.  He seems pretty average with a few exceptions, but when the story finally unravels, it's evident that Rich will be forced to spend the rest of his life in a facility that specializes in brain injury.  Abigail finds herself in a new world.  Moving out of the big city, to a small, country town near the nursing facility where Rich now resides, she begins a new life.  With her dogs, a love for knitting and friendships,
she learns to survive this austere tragedy and in spite of everything, discovers gratefulness.

Restless.

Tonight I'm Restless.

with a capital R.

Thinking Illinois.

Wishing I was on that trip too.

I admit being a tad envious.

Moving on.  Funny, L and I were at soccer practice cacklin' like a bunch of hens with a couple other soccer moms.  All the while making plans for some serious camping and I couldn't be more excited!  I don't do winter well with all the staying indoors and bad weather, freezing conditions, etc.  Although, I do love snuggling up with a good book and a cuppa hot cinnamon plum tea or hot chocolate, or working on sewing projects.  I have been dying for it to warm up so we can go camping.  I live to be in the tent staring into the hot, starry summer night.  Cooking foil packets and kabobs over the fire.  Roasting marshmallows.  Teaching K how to read scary stories with that chilling voice.  There's nothing like roughin' it!  As long as it's warm.  Oh, it makes me edgy just thinking about it.

Moving on...again, before I start making camp-friendly dinner menus and packing the car.

K's first soccer game was this past weekend and I couldn't have been more excited.  Except it was freezing.  Even C complained that he was cold and that's a rarity.  The wind blew so hard and defiant, and to make it worse, the sun played peek-a-boo with the clouds and light sprinkles began as we head to the next sporting event.  Besides those opposing elements, it was a good Saturday.  We won 5 - 2 and it was a fierce game.

The man and his E.

He loves her so.
He prefers older women.

Today, she wasn't at practice.

He complained the ENTIRE time.

God help me.

They are the best of friends.

And she loves to wrestle him.

And he loves that she's not always a girly girl.

Strategy and

the pre-game pep talk.

Love the black smudge.

So tough.



Love the tongue.

Love the determination.

And the fancy goalkeeper jersey.

She's resilient.

This is one, among many with quick feet.

She's a scrapper.

And a slim, yet tall one,

who can eat you out of house and home in hours.

Have to root for her.

While waiting for subs,

you should always maintain super-cuteness.

It's necessary.

While her mama still gives her a hard time,

because it's her job afterall,

she's coming along and making great strides this season.

Also a cutie.

Superfast too.

With a serious boot to boot.

Ha.

Also claims a younger sister on the team

who's following in her footsteps.

SCORE!

Love the bench.

What great teammates.

Another goal!

Yet another scrapper with quick feet.

And an unwavering spirit for triumph and victory.