Hey Howdy and Hello

Hey, hope you're having a good day. After all, two more days until the weekend, right?

Life continues to be busy on my end, but hey, I keep thinking it should be different five years from now. :)

The kids got off the school without a hitch. So, that's a big sigh of relief.

Last night the coaches cut short Jo's practice due to the heat. That was also a sigh of relief. I got home at 7:30 last night! Woo-hoo! I didn't know what to do with myself! I've been getting home around 9 p.m. every night. Then I usually have the animals to feed and water and usually at least one load of laundry to do. Last night, Jess fed and watered the animals right after school, which was a blessing! I actually woke up once in the middle of the night and thought, "Oh my gosh! The animals!" and then realized she'd taken care of them. :)

Robert came home after work yesterday, rearranged the house, cooked, cleaned and was just full of energy. He even gave me a back rub, since I'd had a tough day. I thought I'd suddenly entered a parallel universe...one I would prefer to stay in!

What was a bad work day ended up being not such a bad evening. That's a great feeling. To actually come home and feel a sense of peace and tranquility at home instead of strife is amazing. Usually I look forward to going to work to get away from the stress of home. I sure could use more evenings like yesterday!

One good thing that's going on is at the first of August we rented a storage unit. We'd had so much stuff piled around...and the house is way too small in the first place. After we shut down the toy shop, we put all of that inventory in our house. No way was that working!

Then, we moved the remainder of our boxes from our "city" house (finally) to our "country" house when Robert's sister started moving in. That stuff sat around, unpacked, because we didn't have time to mess with it. Or even room to move it around. Some might say, "well, if you haven't used it in so long, throw it away." Easier said than done. Most of the stuff was framed portraits and collages and family mementos.

So, we have a lot more room now that we have the storage unit. We can now take our time and go through it and get rid of what we don't need, sell some, give away some, toss some, keep what we want. It's great to be able to move about a little....and see our walls! Boxes packed to the ceiling do not make for very nice decor.

Sigh. The perils of the working parents with two teenagers, two houses, too many pets and zero time.

Okay, duty calls. Bipsy and I will be making another trip to Tennessee next month to do safety training. Plus I'm doing a personnel newsletter for our sister company there. In conclusion, I have a lot to do and very little time.

If you don't see me as often visiting your blog or if I don't post, it's not that I don't love you or care about you. It's simply that I'm overwhelmed and doing what I can to get caught up. What goes up must come down, so this trend can't last forever! I am eager to get some time to visit with you soon! Until then, many hugs and much love!

Quick "Hi"

Just a note to say that I am alive, just busy, and haven't forgotten you, my much loved blogger peeps. I miss visiting with you here, but frankly, I miss myself, too. I'm so busy lately that I feel like I'm sure to meet myself going out when I'm coming in.

Hang in there with me, okay? This can't last forever, right? What goes up must come down sometime, I figure.

Until then, hugs and all my love!

Your befuddled blogger friend, Kris.

By George I Think I've Got It!

Need to post, need to post.....quickly....work has been busy, busy, busy since I actually took a sick day.....

Okay, I feel great! Great! I can breathe! A full, robust breath! It's a gift! It's joyful! It's been about six weeks since I've been able to enjoy pain free breathing!

I think I know what happened. I think my prilosec otc was doing too thorough a job on reducing my stomach acid. I think it was not allowing my depression meds and allergy meds to dissolve and I think they were rendered ineffective. Yesterday I ran out of Prilosec otc, and when I got some, I didn't take it. I feel great! My allergy symptoms are gone, my asthma symptoms gone...my mood is off the charts! Yay! It's like being freed from a vice that gradually squeezed the air out of me. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers! I'm still going to go to the doctor if he ever stops cancelling my appointments, just to be safe.

So much is going on, but so little time to post.....

We will be collecting rent starting next month on our city house! Yay! Income! So exciting! It's not going to be much, but it's going to be something! Robert's sister (who has been fighting breast cancer) will be moving in. It will help her to have a reduced rent rate and for us to have a few extra dollars each month. Yay! My sister in law is such a go getter! She doesn't even have the key yet and the yard looks like a landscaping place came in and worked on it. She's amazing! Even after a round of radiation and chemo, she's got boundless energy. Plus she has lots of friends who are a great support system to her.

I've been making cards all week with the cool CTMH stuff that I bought that Holli sells. It's so much fun! Look out, some of you may be receiving a card from me in the mail in the near future. Just remember, I'm a novice, so I'm in the practice phase. ;)

Jess is in softball now, which is great. She hasn't participated in any sports related activities since 5th grade. We think this is great for her. She looks so cute in her uniform, and she is really learning a lot.

Josh's track season ended last night, and he sat on the sidelines watching, as he has a stress fracture in his right foot. He's walking around with a big medical shoe on. I heard from a reliable source that girls are practically fighting over who's going to carry his books up the steps at school. Geez! Didn't that used to be the other way around when I was in school?

The viewing for Josh's friend was....strange. Josh had a hard time with it. I had to help him back to the car at one point. He cried so hard he started hyperventillating. I felt so sorry for him. It was one of the strangest viewings I've ever been to. Having been raised by grandparents (who both came from huge families) I've been to 50+ funerals/memorial services/viewings, etc. I've been to services for both young and old alike, but this was by far the most surreal I've ever been to. I am still praying for the family...Ryan had one sister, who is 21 and out on her own. The family was in shock, and it was obvious. My heart broke for them.

My dear friend, Deb, requests prayer for her husband, Ed. He's had a mild heart attack and is in the hospital for testing. Ed's just a few years older than I am. Please pray that he will cooperate with the doctor, as Deb tells me he can be a bit stubborn at times. ;)

Right now I am looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend. Yay! A weekend to breathe freely! ;) Robert always bends over backwards to spoil me on holidays; that's why I look forward to them so much! Money is tight right now, but he's got breakfast, lunch and dinner menu planned for me for Sunday. He can be so sweet, I tell ya. I truly am blessed to have him. I plan to plant the potted flowers I got for Admin. Professional's day. It's a giant pot of impatients that will look lovely in my grandmother's iron "cauldron."


I am reading a great book that was written in 1990 by Dr. Kevin Lehman, author of "The Birth Order Book." It is about putting one's childhood memories in proper perspective in order to live a more productive, joy filled life. I love this book! I think it's just what I need in my life right now! I wish I had copies for all of my friends! There's so much truth in it that I know it would be a blessing to pass on.

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to Holli! Yay! I am so happy for you, girl! (Was my 'baby' dream really about you.....who knows, but congratulations either way!) HUGS!

Thank you all for your love and concern...emails or calls during my "quiet" time here lately. I love you all so much! I'd so love to hang out with each of you and be blessed by your wisdom and amazing perspectives if I had more time.

Okay, I have so much paperwork to do, I'd better go for now.

Have a good weekend! Hugs!