Agenda

It's been a crazy week, and it's not quite over yet. On the agenda for today:

1. Shower. (Yes, I actually have to put that on the list or it won't get done.)
2. Dress, hair and makeup. (See reason for listing above.)
3. Finish packing for weekend at Grandma's.
4. Make muffins to take to Grandma's for breakfasts.
5. Make sure Katie's dressed, hair done, show & tell ready, backpack packed & ready for school.
6. Take Katie to school and drop off Maggie's forgotten homework.
7. Go to store for groceries for weekend & pick up packing tape.
8. Pack BoxTops & mail off.
9. Load stuff in truck.
(Note to self--don't forget the diapers, bottles, Maggie's meds or sewing machine w/ fabric & thread.)
10. Pick up girls from school.
11. Take girls to piano practice.
12. Pick up Dad & trailer from worksite.
13. Discourage Mike from showering so we can leave immediately.
14. Drive to Kemmerer w/ 7 people squished into our F-150 extended cab and hope we don't get in an accident or get pulled over on the way.
15. Pick up our new van.
16. Breathe a sigh of relief.

Painting, Laundry and Cooking, Oh My!

I'm aware that it's 2:30 in the afternoon, but I had to sit and take a little break from all the manual labor I've subjected myself to over the last couple of days. Mike's been working at Meredith's all week so I've had a bit of normalcy return to this house. It was very much welcomed. I love being around Mike, but I think we were really starting to get on each others' nerves, being together nearly all day, everyday for the last couple of months.
Yesterday I was able to get all the trim done in the kitchen (yay!) which makes it actually look clean in there for the first time since we moved in 8.5 years ago! It's amazing what a fresh coat of paint will do to a room. And to my spirits! Mike didn't even notice it when he walked in last night; he just mentioned that I 'must've spent the whole day in the kitchen because it looked spic & span.' He got that right--all...day...long. It felt good to finally cross something off my two-page "things to fix around the house" list that sits plastered to the fridge like a permanent fixture. Unfortunately, I had to veer from the list today and spend all morning folding the mountain of laundry that took up all but "my" little spot on the couch. (Oh, that and take care of Dixon and Bridget.) I'm pretty impressed with myself that I even got dinner started in the crockpot before noon--Turkey & Wild Rice Soup. (Thank you CrockPot Lady!) Dixon's now napping and Bridget is using up some of her points she earned from her Job Chart to watch Arthur while she munches on a snack of little grape tomatoes. (As a side note, I've started leaving cut-up and bite-sized veggies in zippies in the fridge for the kids to eat whenever they want to. They've stopped asking for junk, and it's so nice that they can just go get whatever they want without having to ask. Because they're getting lots of veggies now, I've been less concerned about them eating all their veggies at dinnertime. They especially like cauliflower, green beans and carrots, and I don't even have to bribe them with Ranch dressing!)
Anyway, maybe I shouldn't have taken a break because now I just want to close my eyes and nap. I better not, though. With only 30 minutes before the girls get home from school, I hate to crash then wake up grouchy, which is usually what happens when I fall asleep in the middle of the day.