Ten Things in Ten Minutes

Ten thoughts about nothing in particular.

1.  Hertsje, besides learning how to climb out of her Pack and Play has learned how to climb IN and OUT of the doll bed.  I watched her climb out and then back in again a few times just to see how she manages it.  She manages it rather well.  Hertsje lives her life with joy and wild abandon.

2.  This week I had kids here every day.  By evening I am freakishly tired and do not do anything.  You think I'm kidding.  I'm not.  There is even a good chance that if the TV remote is on the other side of the couch, I will not be watching TV in the evenings either.

3.  But every morning I wake up renewed and ready to face a new day with the people I love.  I've heard it said that you become like the five people you spend the most time with.  That could work out well for me!  Maybe soon I shall become sweet and cuddly like Broeder, full of excitement for everything life has to offer like Hertsje, logical with boundless wonder like Kado, and creatively inventive with tools like Feintsje.  The fifth person would be THGGM.   But apparently his bottomless patience have not rubbed off on me yet, so I'm not feeling too hopeful about that.  I shudder to think how I may be effecting these five.  Exhaustion comes to mind...

4.  Thankfully, I roll out of bed on Saturday mornings ready to conquer breakfast, Michael's Craft Store, and the local thrift store.  This week we picked up Famke and took her along on our Saturday morning adventures.  It was fun for us to have some time with just her to catch up on what is going on in her life.  She likes school.  A LOT.  We also let her spend five dollars at Michael's.  Even THGGM didn't rush her as she went around checking out prices.

 5.  At the thrift store I found a basket.  I have a "thing" for a cute basket.  They are handy to have on hand to use for gifts, so when I find them for  cheap I use them for a bit and then give them away.  I brought home my 'new' basket and went to fill with some fake gourds.  But I could not find the fake gourds so figured that I must not have gotten them, because I looked EVERYWHERE.
Since we had more running around to do I popped back into Michael's and bought a bag of fake gourds.  They looked especially great in the basket.  As I ran around looking for a space where I could possible fit a basket full of fake gourds I looked at the top of my piano.  There, lined up perfectly on the edge were my last purchase of fake gourds.  I could look at the bright side and note that the gourds were 50% off, but I tend to look at the crazy side instead.  I worry myself.

6.  Do YOU decorate with fake stuff?  I once was a purist.  Each fall THGGM and I would visit an apple orchard on the other side of town for cider, donuts, and miniature pumpkins.  I LOVED those things.  Then, one fall we went on vacation leaving a lovely mantel covered in miniature pumpkins and came home to a warm closed up house and oozy smelling miniature pumpkins leaking grossness all over the place.

7.  THGGM produced a lovely coupon for The Olive Garden late yesterday afternoon.  We had the Chicken Marsala.  I think I have a new favorite.

8.  Our 'big' expenditure this week was new land-line phones.  The old ones were doing all sorts of weird things. After a week of messing around with them we broke down and bought new ones.  It had been six years since we had bought phones, and they were not easy to find.  The last place we bought them said they haven't carried phones in years.  Are we the last people to still depend on a land line?

9.  There is a wolf spider in between the windows by our kitchen table.  It isn't inside so it can't hurt anyone. It would appear that I am the only person around here who finds that interesting.  There is also one outside that I have been watching for a few weeks now.  I would show you pictures, because I DO have pictures of them, but I've been reprimanded for doing that in the past so I won't.  Or, at least I don't think I shall.  But I reserve the right to change my mind, and if I do, I will post a warning and bury the picture down a few posts.  I find spiders to be amazingly interesting - as long as they remain outside.  Inside, a spider is not allowed.  And, if you must know, one of my hidden talents is being able to shoot them dead from the comfort of my couch with simply a rubber band.
10.  Did I mention that we had mice?  HAD them.  There were SEVEN.  They moved in while we were on vacation.  It's been more than a week now, so I'm hoping that the last one took down the vacancy sign before it took it's last nibble of peanut butter.
11.  Well, this took more than 10 minutes, so I'll add an 11.  Now it is Sunday evening.  I did not leave the house today.  It's in the 50's and I am sitting in front of an opened window wearing a sweatshirt and jeans.  Still no socks as I hate stepping on something wet while wearing socks - I'd rather have cold feet.  THGGM ventured out to Art Prize in Grand Rapids this afternoon.  He does not mind crowds.  I do.  I offered him my camera, but he declined.  I've spent the day putzing around on Pinterest (are you on pinterest, because i would love to follow you!), playing the piano, hanging up laundry, moving stuff around in the kitchen, and filling baskets with fake gourds and not finding a good place to put them.  Oh, and for the record, I LOVE fall!!!  I'm so glad it has arrived!