Clipping

Do you ever wonder how kids learn things or when they will do them? Of course I know the answer, they learn by watching and by practice, but I still wonder about it. I've been wondering when people learn to clip their own nails. I know. This is a weird thing to think about, but I have and now you have too!


This month, Frank started to clip his nails on his own. He's five and a half. Pretty much since the boys were old enough to walk I've had them go get the nail-clippers and bring them to me, so, it was interesting to me that Frank just went and got them himself. He didn't ask to do it or mention that he was going to, I just came upon him doing it.


The second time he did it, I remembered to snap a picture! This time, he even added toe-nails to the process.

He's quite pleased with himself, as we all are, when we try something new and succeed at it.

An Incredible Day

I tricked myself today... I washed laundry a day early, AND Jack and I wore our matching Incredibles Shirts. As a result, we had "An Incredible Day!"

I was casual about getting out of the apartment. I had Frank make our sandwiches. I took my stool and we took it easy. Also, we met someone brand new in town and she may be interested in sub-letting our apartment. I checked with the management, and it there is a way to legally do it! Even if this lady decides not to, we can find someone by advertising "seeking tenant to resume contract" and transfer the last two to three months to them... which will save me my Economic Stimulus Check! YEAH!!!

Additionally, I went and talked with one of the people I mentioned in yesterday's email. Face-to-face, heart-to-heart talks, while EXTREMELY DIFFICULT for me to get started, always seem to work better than the alternatives (not communicating or writing back and forth.)

I feel refreshed and relieved, even though that other hurtful situation still exists, it feels great to have small victories!

Jack came in and told me, for the first time ever, about his dream last night. He dreamed of a Dinoco Helicopter (from Disney/Pixar's CARS) with ice cream on it's nose. After telling me about it, he went and found his large helicopter, and then kept trying to get me out of bed to find the ice cream that was on it. I was struggling to explain that it was just something in his imagination; in his head. Now that I think of it, I guess I could have got up and put a dab of yogurt or something on it, but, it was early and I really just didn't want to get up yet.

Tonight Frank came with me to the Knitting Circle at the local Craft Shop. I've been going most Tuesday evenings for a few months now. He took his Knifty Knitter Loom with him and worked on his scarf. After about an hour, he was "ready to go home", but when I told him I wasn't ready, he practised writing, wandered around the store, compared yarns (and their prices), and helped put away folding chairs. We lasted one hour, forty minutes of a two hour meeting. He wants to go back next week.

So, like I said, after yesterday's shell-shock day, today was An Incredible Day!

Disappointment Shock

Since this afternoon, I have just been going through the motions of life in a state of shock. Someone has rejected me; in the process they lied and gave / took away some things that meant a lot to me.

You’d think that having known a person for nearly three decades, I’d know about their habits… I just keep on believing in the best, thinking love and patience will win out. It hasn’t, and today, I was hurt badly and, worst of all, I feel that the injury was completely intentional. It makes me want to cry… no, actually, I have cried.

I persist in thinking the best of people. In believing in them and what they say.

People say I have “High Expectations”. I do. Of myself and of others. They say it like it’s a bad thing. I think it’s good to have high expectations. They say if you shoot for the stars, you might fall short and hit the moon… or something like that.

This week I have learned that the word of a certain person is worth less than the filth that surrounds her place of business. And. It’s going to cost me… my entire Economic Stimulus Payment, because I believed in her word.

I just struggle with this. I’ve been trying so hard to think the best of people, I guess I haven’t been getting in “The Feeling Place” of what it would feel like to have them be honest and good.

This is bigger (to me) than it sounds when I write it. That’s because while I want to write to express myself, I also don’t want to dwell on the details or drag someone else down.

I guess I just need the therapy of expressing my feelings, and I hope that it helps me to let go and continue my journey down the stream of life.

Thanks for listening.

House Binder

While I was comparison shopping to set the sale price of my Arizona home, I was in a home that had a 3-ring binder with all the pertinent house info. Receipts, swatches, instructions, etc. I thought "that's a great idea!" So, yesterday I got myself a 540-sheet, 3-ring binder for the new house. I also got some tabbed dividers that have pockets in them and my big-ol'-box of sheet protectors.

Now. I have to decide how to organize my Handy-Dandy-Household-Binder!

(Yes, these are the kinds of things I think about - a lot!)

I think these topics are set:

1. Financing
2. Taxes
3. Insurance
4. Utilities
5. Receipts

Now. How to sort the rest of it? By Area or by Item? I made potential lists for each method of sorting, and came up with seven sections each:

Area

1. Kitchen / Dining Room
2. Living Room
3. Bathrooms
4. Bedrooms
5. Utility Rooms
6. Garage
7. Yard

Items

1. Appliances
2. Entertainment System
3. Yard
   
4. Floors
5. Walls
6. Electricity
7. Plumbing

So. What do you think? How would you organize your Home Filing System?

How DO you organize your Home Data?

• In a binder?
• In an expanding folder?
• In file folders?
• At each appliance/item/area?
• In the trash?

Inquiring minds (like mine) want to know!

Agh! Appliance Overload

Instead of putting "Billy-Joe-Bob's" Super Cheap appliances in the new houses... the developer allows you to pick out your own appliances, from your own vendor, then adds the total to the price of the house. So. You finance your appliances and you get just what you want. If we had the cash on hand, we could pay cash for them. But. We don't.

So. Yesterday our offer was accepted and now I have to pick out ALL the major appliances for our house, by Monday! Agh!

I've spent ALL day looking at them (in stores and or online). I just sent my hubby a spreadsheet with two to five choices per appliance. Here are my favorites of each (not that we'll buy them, but, I like them):

• Refrigerator/Freezer
• Range
• Microhood (Microwave Oven Hood)
• Washer or this one or one that uses this
  
• Dryer or this one or one that uses this
• Upright Freezer

What's that?

"Where's the dishwasher?"

Clever of you to notice it's absence. We haven't used one for a six months. We didn't use one for over a year in Arizona. The house is plumbed for it, but, we are having the hole "finished" and it will be our trash/recycling spot. Then, when we sell, we'll just offer an allowance for a dishwasher of the buyers choosing.

We've noticed that when we hand wash, our dishes get cleaned faster and better. We've also observed that our kitchen stays cleaner. Something about waiting to load or unload and dishes always in limbo with a dishwasher. Anyway, it's just one more piece of technology we happily live without.

Freezer. I've never had a stand-alone freezer. We're planning to get one though. I'm always wishing for one. We do a lot of cooking ahead and buying on sale. Plus, Grandad has a summer-time garden that is bountiful and Tom's planning to start hunting. So. Freezer will be good.

Usually, I research a single purchase for, like a week! I read reviews, look at it, talk to people, get Consumer Reports, then FINALLY make a decision. This has put me into overdrive! Choose six major appliances in two days! Agh! Serious overload!

So. Basically, I'm totally wiped out now and feel like just about anything will do.

Update on New Phrase - Scoop like a Bowl of Soup

"I will Scoop you like a Bowl of Soup!" has become a regular phrase here at our home. The boys and Tom regurally say it to one another. It always makes us laugh! :D

Musings - Nails, Knitting, and New Houses

My nails look great! Better than they ever have before! This is such an accomplishment because I was a nail bitter for almost thirty years. They are not overly long, but are all uniform. I noticed it a few days ago and put some clear and then light-sparkly peach polish on them. I've noticed in the past that just one clear coat per day will help preserve the strength of nails. Now they feel HARD too! I actually tried to take some pictures, but hands are tricky to photograph. So, just know that I'm delighted by how pretty they look.


Yesterday I started working on my first pair of socks. Actually, I just have been working on the sample swatch. It's been really busy here and I've been anxious to actually start knitting on all the needles in the round. I think I'm going to do that when I get done typing. :D

Last year a group of friends wanted to knit... several of us wanted to and others knew how, so, we had a few sessions. I started out with aluminum needles and Fancy Fur yarn. My scarf actually turned out like a bonnet. I tried again, same setup of needles and yarn. I got a skaddy-wampus scarf and stopped. (Frank actually complains about the holes in his scarf. Phooey on him!

Moving to Wyoming I realized that even if I didn't like it, I needed to figure out how to knit for utilitarian purposes... wool hats, wool scarves, wool socks, wool mittens. All necessities in this cold place and times four of each would be VERY expensive to procure (not that the wool is cheap, but I can do it myself for a little less cash out.)

I went to the local specialty craft shop (they sell quilting AND knitting supplies, as well a small assortment of several other crafts.) They recommended a sport-weight tweed yarn and bamboo needles. In November I started another scarf using the Multidirectional Scarf Pattern. I finished it six months later (just two weeks ago!) It had three stitches (increase, knit, and decrease) plus casting on. After a couple of months, I think in January or February, I started going to a weekly knitting circle with a paid "helper". I've learned a lot just watching. I've finished my first scarf, plus a third of a wool one for Tom. I'm about to start my first pair of socks with the lovely sets of needles I ordered from SusanCraft6798 of SusanCraftDesign on ebay. I'm making a cowl, for Jack... I guess I suddenly have several patterns "OTN" (on the needles). I've learned a lot from KnittingHelp.com and am planning to use Silver's Sock Class to help with the socks. I've found that being able to click or look at video or pictures over and over is really helping me along with knitting. Oh yeah, and my friends tried to teach me to hold the yarn with my right hand and I do better with the left... I figured that out with KnittingHelp.com.

Oh yeah. And the Buyer accepted our offer for the Duplex I mentioned a few days ago. So, we are on our way to Wyoming Home Ownership. I know I should be eccstatic, but, I'm actually going to look at two FSBO houses tomorrow. I told Tom that just like my Home-Ec Teacher in HS said... if you are getting married next week and someone asks you out, go out on a date... you're not married until you're married, but then it's a done deal.

I AM looking forward to the inside of the house, just not the outside and the location (by the freeway). I do like the neighborhood and the street itself. So, I'm basically thinking of it as an investment. In a few years we intended to move closer to our family (to the NE) and so, we'll just enjoy the inside and deal with the other things.