Random Muses of Megret

The newest movie is out from the folks who brought you "The Meatrix." Watch "The Meatrix 2: Revolting."

I am just sitting here, waiting for my little son to awaken from his LONG night's slumber (he went to bed at 7:30....it's now 9:00, and he's still out!). What?! I am grateful for such a good sleeper. At first, it was great....I had time to do little piddly things around the house without having to stop. Now, though, I'm ready for his companionship and ready to play. My cats are happily perched beside two different windows, watching the black birds peck at food in the wet grass. They have been on cloud nine this week, happy to have stairs to run up and down, happy to have a private room for their food and other needs (instead of just a tiny utility closet). Ken and I had a wide agenda of things to accomplish after putting Gardner to bed last night, but what happened? A wave of exhaustion hit us both and we both lay on the couch, blubbering and snoozing off and on until "Lost" aired, and then even during that show, we had to prop open our eyes to stay awak...

Sorry for the lack of links at the top of my blog lately. Turns out those images were hosted on our old cable account, and when we moved, that account was tossed. Ken's going to be working on restoring that soon. I'm sure he'd rather take this as an opportunity to update my blog design anyway. He's that way. In the meantime, I put the other blogs I write on with the other links in the left margin. In other news, Target's got one mad clearance sale wrapping up right now. I stocked up on 77-cent rolls of gift wrap this weekend. Go check it out. Bye for now....on to paint more trim white. (I am starting to dream about painting now.)

I went to a shower held for my cousin and his fiancee this afternoon, taking a break from the wallpaper "festivities" to relax a bit. Seeing the tables lined up with brand new things, shiny and still in boxes, took me back six years ago (six!) to when Ken and I were doing the same thing. Funny how six years can fly by. Funny how those towels can be so pristine and white back then, but then in less than ten years' time, they're already worn and ragged! (Maybe we are just rough on our towels, I don't know.) Reminded me again how fast time zips by us. Also reminded me of all of the nice things we received as wedding gifts years ago that I unearthed amid all of our packing of our old house. Hm. Maybe I will find a use for those crystal goblets. Or that pot rack. Funny how you start out with absolutely nothing and soon end up with an attic full of items you haven't even had time to use. I plan to resurrect some of those items and put them to good use. One...

We're officially in the new house, but we've been incredibly busy trying to paint every room (yes, every room) and remove wallpaper, clean and such, etc. that the computer has been the farthest thing from my mind. Nevermind the fact that the internet lines have been hooked up since Tuesday night....and it's already Saturday and I'm just now writing. But still. There's so much to do. So much still left to do, in fact, that it's completely overwhelming. I am so exhausted I can't see straight, and I am beginning to wonder if I'll ever see this house come to completion! No...really, I am still on the adrenaline rush that comes with getting a new place, and I'm hanging in there. My husband has taken over the reins and is forcing me to rest, which I won't do unless told. We're really enjoying this new venture. Amazing before and after photos (hopefully) to come soon for your viewing pleasure. It's amazing what a few cans of paint can do...

We're still up and connected at the old house, but not for long. Tonight, we hope to spend the night in our new abode, even though it is NOwhere near finished, and even though our old house is NOwhere near empty yet. This is ganging up on us fast. Me and my realistic self don't see how it will all get done. Add the complicating factor of forecasted rain starting tonight through Tuesday morning, and you get the bigger picture. Trying not to stress.... I will write again soon, once we're up and running once again. We've been promised cable modem accessibility by Tuesday PM, so we'll see. Ta-ta...

I searched for something to read this morning in my quiet time about stress relief/overcoming stress. What I searched for were words of sweet comfort....what I found was something entirely different. Yet, it was what I needed to hear. I'm an adult, and I'm old enough to hear what needs to be said when I'm wrong. To top it all off, last night at home group , we watched the NOOMA DVD by Rob Bell entitled "Noise." It involved a hefty set of "words for thought" on why we fill our lives with so much *unnecessary* stress and, well, noise. Lots of soul searching last night in our den full of moving boxes....and then this morning, this: "Stress merely indicates an area of our life where our flesh is still on the throne. The life that is totally submitted to God is marked by the trust born out of a thankful heart." Whew. That cold feeling spreads in, the one that you get when you realize you're wrong and Someone Else is really right. Deep br...

(And, yes, "sporadicalness" is indeed a word. Check the dictionary.) I have been here and there, in and out, up and down....hence, the lack of regular posts. Bear with me, though, and I will be back to normal in no time. (At least till baby number 2 is born....after that, I can't promise anything, once again.) I have been so busy buying supplies, gathering and packing boxes, changing addresses, talking to realtors and attorneys (oh, and mortgagors), cleaning, and taking my daily sanity pills that the computer is sometimes the last thing on my list for the day. I am taking some time out today to post, though, just for fun (and therapy of sorts). I can't believe we'll be in another house in seven short days. Thanks to Suzanne and Ken's mom, I have finally decided on paint colors, the biggest piece missing from my current puzzle. In other news, the estimate to have all of the wallpaper removed was a bit too much to swallow ($1,000). Whoa! So, we've dec...

Take three guesses. You'll probably never guess where I was sitting last night, right next to my Dad....in full Scottish garb (him...not I). Dad treated me to a concert/performance of the Black Watch and the Band of the Welsh Guards. ( Lanna .....you probably would have loved it.) That's right....hundreds or thousands of people packed into a stadium to hear bagpipes in harmony, to witness the exquisite pagentry of costume of the whole troope. All that, plus I was able to meet some of the drumsmen in the lobby, as well as purchase their latest debuted CD. You feel like one big family when you are approached by strangers of all kinds from the time you walk into the door, asking you "Excuse me....what clan are you from?" It's like all other cultural and social boundaries are temporarily thrown out the window....the gathering of everyone with this one trait in common to hear the sounds that we love so dearly performed live....now that's a great evening. (Dad....

I have moved so many times in my life, it's not even funny. This fact is mainly because my dad was a seminary student, then a pastor, and then a military chaplain. I know what it's like to live in tiny, cinderblock houses....big, historic houses....quaint brick houses....modest apartments....and even military transit houses (barracks from WWII is what they really were). All in all, I think I moved close to ten times before I turned 22. Because of this, I was familiar with many things: - The new-factory smell of off-white newspaper print used to wrap fragile items...that smell permeates a house - The lack of sleep you get the last night in your home before leaving - The experience of driving down the interstate, looking behind you to see your entire life being strung along within a huge moving truck - The pain felt leaving old friends behind (even childhood friends were dear friends) - The excitement and nervousness felt when you make a brand new friend - The familiar sight o...

When the world seems as if all is evil and everybody has ulterior motives, I just want to run and hide. When people fail or disappoint, or take personal jabs against me, I just want to be tucked away and held close. When life is so uncertain, as it is right now for us, I just want to escape. (Miami sounds rather nice at the moment.) We are (once again) in a huge real estate battle, namely with the buyer's agent. Nasty words have flown towards us (in emails, not in person....said person is evidently too cowardly to say these things out loud), and I spent the better part of yesterday in tears, doubts abounding. What if this is all called off? What will we do then? I must remember that God is for us. I must remember to PRAY, taking it to the Lord before I get frazzled. I must also remember that my Father told me I can rest and hide in Him whenever I need to. I remember this praise song from years and years ago, hearing it blare from Mom's stereo almost every day, as it was ...

So, Gardner and I bathed the cats today. And here are our two semi-courageous felines, who battled against me in the bathtub (but lost). I escaped with only a tiny scratch on my wrist. Note their expressions. It's as if they were muttering, "If you DARE take a photo of me like this, I'll....." Here is Odyssey. She was the more obstinate one today, which is not usual. She fled immediately to a sunny spot after the ordeal. Here is Ajala, our "angry child." (For those of you who know us and know her, betcha didn't know she was that skinny, did you?)

It's good to stay busy; keeps one from getting bored. But too busy isn't good for you....or your pocketbook. I am having to throw away two and a half pounds of chicken this morning that I totally forgot was in my fridge. Since all poultry safety food laws state that you should keep chicken no more than 2 days once buying it (unless you freeze it, which I forgot to do), I follwed the rule and tossed it. "If in doubt, throw it out," Mom always said. I know the phrase...it's just hard to do it when you can see the price label right there on the front showing you how much you paid for the stuff. All of the busyness was not in vain, however. Yesterday, some friends and I hosted a yard sale, and we came out rather nicely, I'd say. I was having my doubts at 6:30 am when the temperature outside was only 29 degrees F. Yet it was a constant stream of people from 7am till1:30pm, and we were so amazed at the turnout (and purchase quantities!). Hooray for yard sal...

Last night, I went and met up with my good friend Judith to bask in the experience of my very first salon pedicure. I have been running from the thought of it all these years because I have VERY ticklish feet and wasn't sure how badly I'd embarrass myself (she had the same theory about it that I did, actually). All in all, it wasn't that bad. I only chuckled once (when they used the pumice stone on my heels), but the complete massaging chair I was sitting in far made up for it. Let me just say that as the pregnancy progresses (and as my feet feel fuller and heavier), I will be back for another round. This morning, I'm up at the crack of dawn so I can go have my prenatal bloodwork done. A 30-minutes waiting time and four vials of blood later, I can return home to cry like a baby. :) Not really. (But in all seriousness, making us make our own appointments for this thing is really, really cruel. It's like the ultimate lesson in self-motivation.)

Let me just say that March has entered like a lion....windy, yes, but oh so warm! Yesterday's high was around 75 degrees! Gardner and I spent 75% of our day outdoors. We ran, we played catch, we got on the swings, we went for a long walk, we even ate lunch AND dinner outdoors (Ken's always resistant to the idea until we've done it, then he asks, "Why don't we eat outside more often!?"). Today promises the same, and so I'm about to head out once again to enjoy the bounty of early spring. My daffodils are blooming out front, and the sun is shining brightly. I'm looking forward to today. I just have this sneaking suspicion that this burst of warm air is short-lived, and that we'll experience winter's last fury by month's end, maybe even with some snow. I'm going to enjoy this while it lasts. (***Side note....I turned on the television last night and, lo and behold, Karate Kid II was on. Oh. My. Word. One of my favorite all-time mov...

I have been away from home most of the day already, staying clear of the inspectors which swarmed our house like ants. I'm not kidding; I came home just to drop off some groceries and they were everywhere, it seemed. Although they assured me I could stay, after meeting the future owner of our house (awkward meeting that always is), I did my best to get back out of here. Gardner and I ended up goofing off until about 5 minutes before they packed up and left. Once again, my house is quiet and calm, although I feel as if it has been strip-searched and prodded until it has no shred of dignity left. Perhaps I take home inspections way too personally. I just feel weird knowing that people are in my house running every single appliance, crawling behind my toilets, turning on every faucet, turning on every lightswitch, crawling around my baseboards, and inspecting every sheet of siding on the outside for holes, termites, or mildew. It is necessary, I know, yet it seems terribly nosy....