Here's my random thought of the day - Why can't any of my kids be prepared when I go to help them move?
My son is moving to South Korea on Thursday for a teaching job, and I drove 2.5 hours on Saturday to get his things that I will be storing for him while he is gone. Did he have anything packed and ready to load into the van? No.
This isn't my first go round with moving him or my other kids (or friends!) They always say that they will be ready, but they never are!!

As far as jewelry storage, I also use the pill containers and in the past have used ice cube trays - I especially like the ones that make the really small cubes - more compartments.

"Madras"? Ooooh, it's almost time to dig out my old-but-favorite madras shorts! They're blue, greens and white and wearing them with a white tee shirt always puts me in a happy mood. I am sooooo ready for Spring weather . . . and no more snow for a while!
Love the idea of using a daily pill holder for earrings. Wish you would have posted this last week, though! On our 3-day trip to Dallas, my earrings and necklaces got so darn tangled . . . again! I'm trying the pill holder for my next trip. Thanks!
Lynn

It's chilly and rainy here today. :( I'm thankful to be home and in comfy sweats.

I really need to do my winter/summer clothing switch.

I'm excited to finish the basement.

DH wants to buy a boat. *eye roll* Whatever. A friend of a friend is selling it because he doesn't have time. Uhh, does this boat come with a magic clock because DH isn't exactly rolling in free-time either. I really want to change DH to DuH!

This has been going on for about 6 months. DH offered, guy countered, DH said no. Guy now has new asking, DH has a new counter offer. We will see.

So ladies, we might be getting a 26 foot long lawn ornament.

Trying to pound little tack nails into a plaid upholstery project...keep bending them sideways! AAARRRGGG! I ate lunch to take a break from the frustration, now I'm too full to go work out, since I'm having no luck with the little nails.....:0) I have a cold,I'm on the mend, but still putting lotion on my sore red nose.

The pill dispensers are a great idea for jewelry. :0) Reminds me of last year, DH told me I had soooooooo much gold jewelry on I looked like a mark. He didn't want to leave our hotel to shop (We were in Bali, I wanted to shop!!!!). So I took ALL my jewelry off, put it in the digitally locked room safe. We stepped out onto the street and a tiny french girl jogged by wearing a skimpy outfit and a huge $10k gold necklace!!!! :0)

Taxes complete, FAFSA submitted, now waiting to hear the ridiculous number the gov't thinks I am able to contribute toward DD's college education. It is really an exercise in futility as last years EFC was higher than the first year tuition.

Glad spring has begun in our neck of the woods, but this rainy weather is giving me a gigantic headache.

Not looking forward to the clothes switch. Always seems I do it too early and then we go back to the previous seasonal weather and I've packed up those clothes.

Funny comment about the lawn ornament!

Waiting for DD#1 to come home so I can pick up DD#2 from track practice (first day...in a cold drizzly rain..yuk!)

Drinking a cup of half-caf coffee from my Keuring brewer that I thought would be a big waste of money, but is now my favorite gadget!(Mrsmarv...have mrmarv talk to me if he gets apoplectic over your gift, LOL)

Getting a quote on having basement ceiling finally finished. It's only been 12 years since we finished the walls and floors down there.

New computer system at work started today. Not very user-friendly compared to last program. Wonder how many thousands company spent on this newest "upgrade"

Got so sick of reading squabbling posts over at Hot Topics that I deleted it from my list of favorites to check out every day. This side of GW so much nicer :)

I envy anyone who is excited about wearing shorts of any type, let alone plaid ones. This is not a comment on lynn's fashion sense, it's about the size of my butt.

Last time I went to the mall I did not find one single thing to buy. Why is it that when I feel like I actually have money to spend, I can't find anything, but when I'm feeling strapped, I come across the best stuff that I have to pass by?

After the disheartening mall visit, which was just last week, I went to Zappos online and ordered about 6 pairs of jeans. Hoping 1-2 will fit. I hate buying pants. (See "size of butt" above... but really, it's the thighs that are most problematic.) They arrived today. I keep looking at them warily. Need to drum up the courage to actually try them on.

Stayed up too late two nights in a row and I feel like I'm 90 years old today. Doesn't help that it's cold and raining, after several beautiful sunny days. This is one of those days when I'm counting the hours til I can be in bed with my book. I'm thinking 8:00 tonight.

I'm actually not as fat or as depressed as I sound! ;)

Mrs Marv - my 18 year old puppy is in the same place. He had an unidentified infection and the vet was ready to call it quits, but he rallied and seemed like his old self again. Now he is starting to pee on the floor and has gone off his food. I can't bear the thought of losing him.

Other thoughts -
I have had a cold for 2 weeks and it has settled in my sinuses. Despite my neti pot, steam, sudafed, etc. I feel like my face is caving in. It feels like my teeth are going to fall out. Sorry, TMI, but does anyone have advice for really bad sinus pain? (Nicole, my nose is so red too!)

I'm really getting into edible landscaping. I've got a border of rainbow chard and nasturtiums that is really pretty, and put in a bunch of blueberries that one day will be a glorious and delicious hedge.

I find it more depressing to be sick when the weather is fine than when it is rainy. We have had a week of blue skies, temps in the 70s - how I wish I could take advantage of it!

I have ordered a new refrigerator and what I look forward to most is having a really CLEAN fridge! How I hate cleaning the fridge.

paint_chips - I'm always looking longingly at boats but you are so right, no magic clock! and no money tree either, to go with the lawn ornament. But when it comes to boats common sense flies out the window.

Got so sick of reading squabbling posts over at Hot Topics that I deleted it from my list of favorites to check out every day. This side of GW so much nicer :)

Yep, I did that very thing about a year or so ago, vowing to never go back and even so much as peek at the goings-on there. I've kept that promise too, I'm happy to report. ;-)

As for more random stuff:

I have a huge sinus headache today. The kind that makes you feel simultaneously queasy and drowsy. I wish I could just go home and have a nice, long lie-down; unfortunately, I can't.

Let's see, it snowed at our house on Saturday. And tomorrow it's going to be sunny and 75. Welcome to Springtime in Texas! Ugh. I love the warmth of this time of year, but also know we're gearing up for tornado and severe thunderstorm/hail season - so I dread it as much as I look forward to it.

Have been reading Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and am absolutely loving it.

This marks my 8th week of getting back to the gym for intense workout sessions, in both cardio and weight training. I've lost ... a pound. A freakin' whopping pound. Oh well. Since weight loss isn't my primary goal and firming/toning up is (I covet "cut" biceps!), I know I'm on the right track and will just keep on keepin' on.

Gonna watch DVR'd eposides of Kirstie Alley's new show this evening. I can't quite decide whether or not she's sincere about her health, or just another famewhore on the "reality" bandwagon.

Trying to decide if rabbits are nibbling the few spring flowers starting to emerge or if the plants are just little and/or deformed.

Why am I still not adjusted to the time change from a week ago?

Not even thinking about shorts. As my sister said, "I'm now at an age where my boobs hang down to my knees and my knees hang down to my ankles." As someone mentioned above, don't want to frighten small children.

paint_chips.....we must have been posting @ the same time.

We just inherited a boat! So now the boat jokes start. B-O-A-T.......stands for "bring out another thousand". lol OK.....the best two days of owning a boat. The day you buy it and the day you sell it. My uncle told me that one.... he used to own a boat.

If your DH wants it....I'd own a boat. I'd like a dog. A BIG german shepherd or great dane!

The spring plants are starting to come up, I hope the last of the snow is gone till next winter.

I can't wait for my DIY bathroom renovation to be done, I'm so frustrated by it at this point, if I could just figure out a paint color and what to do on the "strange" wall.

I saw a Hairy woodpecker couple at my feeder today.

Nicole, I have got to remember that joke! I have a feeling I'll be needing it!

If he gets it, this will be his second boat in his life. The first? He didn't get a chance to take out, not once, not ever, not even to marvel at its ability to float.

I'm sure he would have... eventually. He ended up giving it to a family member to sell who didn't have any cash for his kids' Christmas. I don't know HOW or WHY, but DH still has fond memories of that boat. LOL

So what was with my bright idea to tear out the soffit above the fridge? Only to discover it as not a 2x4 frame with Sheetrock as I suspected but part of the original build of the house. So as I pull out the wood ancient insulation falls in my face and I end up with a raging respiratory infection. No asbestos, thank the gods, just nasty dust & crud. Also severe laryngitis so I can't talk. Might as well go home to bed!

Hey AuntJen, I remember truly LOLing many times when I read E,P,L but I have no desire to see it in movie form. Is that because I don't particularly like Julie Roberts movies? Or because often the movie based on a book are 2 completely different animals so why spoil my memories of a fun read?

I was shocked, shocked I tell you, this afternoon in a fitting room. No, not trying on madras shorts. I work-out, I try to be careful with my eating habits, I spend way, way too much of my time thinking about my eating & working out habits and yet....to see the back of my upper arms reflected back at me from the mirror took my breath away and NOT in a good way. I've been doing drop down sets for weeks and although I can feel the improvement in the muscle and the strength it is not visible. How depressing.

And I still didn't find anything cute in madras. Why do I think of something I want BEFORE I know if it even exists? All I know is I guess I should focus on long sleeved items.

LOL about Hot Topics. I did a small stint over there but I get paid to take on opinionated people so I'm not about to do it for free.

We have kayaks. They are cheap 'boats' to maintain, unless you lend them out and a paddle goes missing.

Packing away winter in my house and bringing out spring/summer. Goodbye winter!

On the boat -- Hubby had boat lust a few years back and was resistant to attempts at reason.
So I 'gave in' and suggested we start a mental 'boat fund' where we agree to rent ANY boat we want ANY time the mood strikes. Then, whenever our boat rental costs started costing as much as the price of buying, storing and operating a boat, then we'd know that buying a boat was the right thing for us to do.
(Hee hee hee - evil laugh. Still no boat. Well, not completely. He's got a half interest in his brother's $500 lawn ornament. I got off cheap, I know.)

Dragged my DH to the Hartford Symphony on Saturday. Thought he was being a good sport about going, but he really enjoyed it. The reason? An incredibly talented visiting violinist (Jinjoo Cho) performed with the symphony. I have never,ever,ever seen anyone so "one" with the music she created. I'm just awed by such innate musical talent, especially since I'm 0/10 on that scale. (OK, this was more of a random plug, but this girl was awesome! I just wish I took some kids to see her perform)

Wondering how hard it is to keep bees. Last year's rainy spring really affected blueberry pollination and our income. But I don't know anything about bees, but have heard they swarm. Can't really see myself handling swarming bees. But honey would be nice.... wonder if blueberry blossom honey tastes any different.

I would not like getting stung. This is not a good idea. Maybe I can up the pollination with a little paint brush.

I am already seen as the crazy lady in the neighborhood. Wait until they see me with my little paint brush flitting from blossom to blossom, Maybe this is not a good idea either.

Maybe I should get a "real" job......

Youngest DD said something cute the other day~"life is like a box of chocolate, take a bite and put it back". What she was trying to tell me is, you have to sample all life has to offer, not necessarily concentrate on any one thing in particular. It's the "little bites" that add up. ;o)

random thoughts --- just noticed yesterday that my gold finches are starting to turn gold yeah! spring is coming to the Delaware Valley- and my forsythia are blooming.

I posted this on another GW forum - and it's worth repeating- it would amuse me greatly if Kate Gosselin would trip on her ego tonight on DWTS - but I won't be watching.

Glee is a lovely TV show - and it starts again in April.

hhirreno...nooooooooooooooooooooooooo!! Never, and I mean never look in the mirror of any dressing room. Between the lighting and the distorted mirror, they can make one feel really depressed! I know, how can you tell how something looks if you don't look in the mirror.....do what I do, wear pink tinted glasses and only look with one eye open! (j/k).

With regard to the arms, there's no way I can work out any more than I do, and I still feel a jiggle when I wave (not as much as the jiggle I feel in the rest of my body when I run!)

In regards to dressing room mirrors - several years ago I went to Vegas for the first time. I tried on some bathing suits in a swimsuit botique, and they had mirrors that made you look tanner and thinner!

deedee-2008,

We must be CT neighbors! My DD and I went to Hartford last weekend to a dance show at the Cultural Center. I didn't even know it was there! I made me realize how much is going on--even in that small city--that I may be missing.

Other random thoughts...

--I sure hope that getting my puppy neutered tomorrow is going to help calm him down.

--I've got to just take a deep breath and tackle cleaning out our office/junk room this week.

--Why can't I stay away from those Samoa Girl Scout cookies that I know are in the cupboard?

beache

Why can't I stay away from those Samoa Girl Scout cookies that I know are in the cupboard?

Here's how -
think about my jiggly upper arms

I wish I had some GS cookies.

I had a sinus infection 2 weeks ago. As soon as I thought it was an infection - my teeth were starting to hurt on that side - I high tailed it to the doctor. Two shots had me feeling better in 24 hours, and 10 days of antibiotic knocked it out. Why suffer?

It's nasty outside, but my 8lb dog is keeping my lap warm. Wonder if DH will go fix me a hot mug of Celestial Seasons Chai tea?

Sorry to hear about dogs not doing/feeling well. Always hard.

Oh my gosh, this is the best thread ever. Just hit the SEND button for a plane ticket to Tokyo. I Soooo hope I got the dates right.

Sweeby is a genius as any ex-boatowner will attest: On the boat -- Hubby had boat lust a few years back and was resistant to attempts at reason. So I 'gave in' and suggested we start a mental 'boat fund' where we agree to rent ANY boat we want ANY time the mood strikes. Then, whenever our boat rental costs started costing as much as the price of buying, storing and operating a boat, then we'd know that buying a boat was the right thing for us to do.

Oops! I meant boutique, not botique. I do know how to spell, usually.

Thinking about how much I love fatfree vanilla yogurt with frozen blueberries. I might need more.
My daffodils are blooming but my 25 year old weeping cherry tree died. we had hoped against hope to see buds in the spring, but it looks like firewood.
I can't decide on which fantasy I prefer, to become free spirit (old hippy) and live in a shack in Sedona or sell everything buy an RV and become a high plains drifter with Cooper Bailey and DH. Or maybe retire to a third world island nation and live in a beach shack on a couple of thou a year to stretch out our savings.
Mondays, ain't my favorite days.can you tell?
Cooper is asleep at my feet and looks so cozy.

postum....this is the 5th day of my cold.

Hope you too..... feel better soon!!!!

Barb,

I was raised by a beekeeper. When bees swarm, it's time to start a lawn mower or other such noise. If the new hive of bees can't hear their new Queen, they will settle nearby (in a tree, on a fence, etc.). Then it's time to dress in your bee keeper outfit and scoop them into a new hive.

Bee keeping is way cool. (Except when you are dared to poke sticks into the hives by an older sister so you do...) I can still smell the honey and wax. Yum.

I wonder if Texas will have corn this year.....

Hope it's not as humid as last year!

We have to come up with a little girls name for the new baby.

I would love to go to Paris in the fall!

Rats! I missed Hoarders!! ;o)

Golddust, very interesting about the motor noise and the swarming. I saw a picture of swarming bees in a magazine once, and I just don't know if I could handle it.

I remember that you have said you are from Grass Valley? I'll tell you that 2 summers ago, DD did a road trip across the USA. She brought us a big jar of honey from Grass Valley, and it was the absolute best honey I had ever tasted. It had a citrus undertone, and it was thick and somewhat waxy. I know the waxy doesn't sound good, but it was the best!!

I get my honey from a farmers' market where I live, and I described that California honey to the beekeeper. He didn't know what that citrus taste could be and acted irritated that I was going on and on about how delicious it was.

Maybe those people who used to wear tin-foil hats to protect themselves from all the messages being beamed in weren't crazy after all, just ahead of the game.

I think the whole recycling thing must be a scam to make us all feel better. I dump all my stuff into one container. A big truck comes and dumps all our containers into one larger container. Who separates that stuff? I bet he just dumps the load in the landfill right next to the load that the garbage truck just dropped.

And how could it possibly make sense to use water, a precious, precious resource, to wash or at least rinse out all those cans and yogurt containers and whatnot?

I want to hear more about Graywings trip to Japan.

Thanks for asking, hhireno.
My nephew is marrying his Japanese girlfriend in the Spring, so I get a vacation, family reunion and cultural experience all in one. The mother of the groom is renting a kimono to wear for the ceremony - so cool. I traveled to Japan multiple time for work years ago, so I'm excited to go back just for fun. I'm planning for Sapporo, Tokyo and Kyoto.

My pants are tight. I've lost about fifteen pounds since Christmas, and my big jeans are too loose. And these jeans are cutting my belly in half.

Why am I always moving furniture around?

It's almost eight o'clock and light enough to see the trees silhouetted against the darkening blue sky after sunset-wonderful.

My gums still hurt after laser surgery a week ago and no crunchy stuff like cookies or chips until the end of the coming week-ugh.

Big family gathering here today. First time I used paper plates as it was more casual than my usual holiday gatherings. I can not believe how fast clean up was. Generally it takes hours.

Love seeing my family but there is a sort of sadness at watching them grown. I so remember each of them as babies, toddlers, kids and teens. Now they are parents. Good parents, sure. Fussing about their kids eating 'good' food before desert. What? Weren't we just saying this to them?

We had a new family thrown into the mix that challenged us all. Our SIL's co-worker and family asked to come. Of course we said yes.

We aren't used to parents ignoring their out of control kids. I've never had to claim my house, my property, my rules... But I did today. Then, during after dinner conversation, the parents said they were 5th cousins - discovered after marriage and common in Mormon families. Interesting stories about plural marriages as told by a couple who experienced it. This couple rejected their families religious views BUT they haven't escaped completely. Their children told the real story. (They were the last to leave, of course.) I learned a lot today.

Love getting texted by my grandkids telling me how much fun they had here.

Love this thread...

So happy to see the sun today even though it is cold. Rain for the next three days, I feel so sorry for those whose basements are flooding. (Massachusetts)

Really happy that we got the little French Bulldog before the old Boxer goes to the Bridge. It will make the transition easier I think. And little guy got to learn some things from the best dog we've ever had.

The FAFSA also hates me...we can pay 90K a year..great, what will I live on when I'm 90? DD is waiting on a "big" college...what if she gets in? What if she doesn't? I'm a freaking waitress for Goodness' sake.

Am I ever going to figure out what to do in my master bath? I haven't been able to shower in it since something crazy like 1998.

Now to work! I think I'll change the sheets and tidy up the bedroom...that helps!

Beth P.

hireno have wondered the same thing myself, why waste water washing trash?

Its rainy, its Monday,my alarm didn't go off. Maybe shoulda married for $$$$! jk! well maybe not this morning.. yawn...

I have 10 dirty golf visors on my countertop, waiting to be scrubbed.......
It's raining here too in West Palm Beach, grey skies.

I dressed in workout clothes so I must get to the gym before 2.
Now I'm addressing paperwork that needs urgent attention.

Leaving Florida wednesday for 6 days in Montreal then back to FL again for a
month. DH left last night for Houston, so it's just myself and I to feed and keep busy. Yet, I'm procrastinating.

Ugh I know I should throw something together for dinner, but it is raining and I would love to crawl in bed with my new Harlan Coben that B&N was kind enough to send so quickly.

Worse, have 12-15 coming for Easter dinner and have no idea what I will be serving. I know there will a ham and grilled lamb lollipops involved, but aside from the meat? Got me... Ideas, anyone?

Last weekend I was in the town that we moved from 18 years ago helping my son move, and drove past our old house. I was amazed to notice that they still have the roman shades that I made about 20 years ago on the dining room windows. Also, the ivy starts that we planted on the hillside totally took over.

Cool about the drapes, terri!

But ack--did you know that ivy is now considered among the worst invasive plants in OR, is now illegal to sell, and has been responsible for massive amounts of plant destruction in Forest Park, for instance? It's *all over* every park we go to in the Portland area...I always try to pull a tiny bit of it as an offering of energy, but it's futile. Have you heard of the No Ivy League in Portland? My DD's Earth Scouts group was lucky enough to work with the founder before she passed away.

Here is a link that might be useful: I wonder if the new owners would be willing to pull it all up...?

When we bought the house in 1987 that hill had nothing but dirt and weeks on it, even though the house was built in 1974. We didn't have the money to even buy ivy, let alone any other kind of plant. We found a guy trimming his ivy and he let us gather it up. We put it in a trash can with water and some kind of rooting stuff, then planted it on that slope buy poking holes in the ground with screwdrivers and sticking the cuttings in. And I was about 7 months pregnant at the time!
There were quite a few yards in the neighborhood with ivy and of course we didn't think about it that much at the time. We needed an inexpensive solution to the ugly slope. I remember our neighbors at the time telling us how much better it looked. Which it did, and still does.

OH I know, the things we do and realize later...in NC I planted *both* butterfly bush *and* knotweed...

And what you say about the ivy is exactly how it got chosen for so many places--it can grow anywhere! Of course that's because it chokes everything else out, but that genie's out of the bottle...I sure do hope the new owners of our house have removed those two plants above.

Its 7:45 in hte morning, why am I thinking about pizza???

CB wrote:Its 7:45 in hte morning, why am I thinking about pizza???
because it's always time to think about pizza

I, too, am dreading Easter dinner. We host my DH's family and they always want the exact same menu. Except for the meat, it's the same thing they eat at Thanksgiving. No changes, no improvements, nothing I really want to eat. In the past I've cooked a few new things of interest to me but I've finally given up. It wasn't worth the trouble. They wore me down.

So, sorry, I don't have any side dish ideas for you. I will be thinking about pizza on Sunday.

Oh yeah Easter pizza! That works for me too! My DD's college had spring break last week and probably won't be home for Easter. And my DS is a vegetarian. And we have run out of relatives soooo, maybe pizza!! Pepperoni is almost ham!