Quitting

I didn't post this weekend - which did not go unnoticed by my cousin (and long time reader!) D. . So yes, I'm 'behind' on posting. I really thought taking days off would lead to lots of time to write and read and sleep....and there was a little of all those things but as usual the four day 'extended' weekend I gave myself flew by with lightening-like bolts.

Many blogs that I read are taking a 'hiatus' this summer. So many 'regular' reads are quickly becoming a worthless bookmark on my bookmark tab. And I wonder 'why do they stop?'.

I've given thought to 'stopping' and then I remember why I started - for me. This is my online journal and I write because I like to write...and because I like to be able to go back and read what I've written months/years later. Helps on the fuzzy memory a bit. Amuses me slightly to re-recall things I've written months later. Sometimes, it's emotions that seemed so strong at the time - and after time has passed, upon re-reading, I think 'well, that's a post I should delete'. But I don't - because this blog is capturing moments in time - moments in my life - and my life continues, so the blog continues. At least that's what I tell myself.

But I do 'feel' sometimes that it's hard to write for an 'audience' - I know people do read. Some family. Some friends. And when I start to feel like I'm 'editing' for their benefit (or not), I think 'so why are your writing these days, really? 'Cuz it's not supposed to be about who's reading - it's supposed to be about who's writing'. I have to remind myself of that....and please, PLEASE don't mis-interpret this paragraph to be any indication that you shouldn't read - 'cuz I love that you do and I wish I knew all of you personally, since everyone feels like 'friends' in the blogosphere. At least in my blogosphere.

So I guess what I'm saying is this: I keep writing and I hope you will keep reading. Though sometimes, I wonder 'why'....and then I look at the list of bookmarks of blogs I 'follow' - and how I miss those 'voices' when they stop posting. I'm interested - and I want to know what's next...and hopefully, that's why people read here as well. 'Cuz as mundane and 'normal' as my life is, it's something to 'hold onto'. A friend out there waiting to hear from you...and you are waiting to hear from...so I oblige.

So here's an update on our weekend:

J. and I managed to go out on a 'date' on Friday night. We planned to do dinner and a movie...made it to the dinner part but then decided to go shopping instead. J. was in need of shorts and short-sleeved shirts and we were in Manteca so we went to the 'new' JC Penny and shopped. Imagine! A husband 'in the mood' to go shopping. We both were hugely successful and the prices were FANTASTIC - and then, there were COUPONS that made the deals even MORE fantastic. We were very successful....especially me 'cuz I didn't really need anything and yet I managed to find some really nice work outfits. I wore one today - black pants (petite and they fit PERFECTLY) and a cute top - the entire outfit for $30. YES, both pieces. It's really 'cute'. I feel like I look nice in it and that's half the battle. J. found shirts for work/play and shorts for our Mexico trip. We never did get to the movie but we had a nice time.

Saturday was full of.......not much apparently, since I can't remember...oh, wait....B. had a 'pool party' and we ended up with 8+ teens here for most of the afternoon. I went way overboard and ordered way too many chicken wings from Wingstop (if you haven't tried them, do - they are pretty darn good!). We tidied up the house quickly, including mopping the kitchen floor...which kind of made all of us 'nuts' since the cleaning crew comes tomorrow and we were cleaning three days before we PAY someone to clean. But I don't like a messy floor - and I most certainly do not allow 'guests' here when the floor could use a quick swipe with the 'steam mop'.

Two strange coincidences/oddities to report:

The boys worked on their rooms a bit - and 'lo and behold, J. came downstairs and said 'hey, I found two textbooks in H.'s room - did we have to pay for those at the end of the year?'. I couldn't remember. Found out the answer when I walked to the mailbox later that same day and we received a letter from the high school district advising us that H. owes TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in fees for missing books and/or late fees. So now he's on the 'hunt' to locate the TWO OTHER books they show he never turned in - or he's going to have to pay that fine. And considering he has absolutely NO money (having drained his savings account already with summer stuff), he will be working that 'loan' off from us for a really long time this summer.

On another odd note: B. received a letter advising him that he qualifies for COBRA (the mandatory extension of health benefits at your own expense if you've been let go from an employer - with a lot more disclosures since the President's American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA) ). The letter indicates the 'date' of the triggering event was on April 30th for 'insufficient hours'. Leading me to surmise that he was possibly going to be let go - and then wasn't? Who knows? He's been working around 22 hours a week - up from his 'in school' 16. But they have him working the 'closing' shift - 8-12:30. Sometimes 4-12:30. So it doesn't make any sense....he did get transferred but that was in early March??? Is it possible to be fired from your job and never be told you've been fired and in the mean time, they keep scheduling you? His 'boss' is on a medical leave and has been for some time (he donated a kidney to his mom - which in my book, makes him pretty amazing. B. still thinks he's a complete and total jerk - but that's B. Everyone who gives B. any kind of 'feedback' is a jerk. Wouldn't you just love to have HIM for an employee, cousin D.??). I continue with a 'wait and see' attitude and frankly, won't be at all surprised if upon 'the boss' returning from medical leave, B. is let go. Sad...but possible. He will have a horrendously hard time finding a job now - summer jobs are already filled....and he will sorely miss the $$ (as will we - nice to not have to be constantly shelling out $$ for his social and other needs).

H. was camping all weekend with friends (so we weren't able to tell him about the book stuff until he arrived home last night). He came home tan, exhausted and hungry. Had a great time.

B. and J. enjoyed Poppy Ridge and a very nice buffet brunch. They had a great morning and so did I - it was quiet and relaxing.

We are trying something new to conserve electricity. It is not working too well this evening - as it's still close to 90 degrees outside and it's 7:30. But on Friday and Saturday evening, it was cooler outside than inside so we've been opening windows and letting the outside air do the cooling for us. It's been working though it's a lot to remember re: closing things up again in the AM and trying to ensure the kids don't 'forget' and leave the AC on AND all the windows open.
Can't wait to see if it's helped our electric bill any.

Coming soon: pictures of the 'garden' - bell peppers are going CRAZY and they double or triple in size each day. ...pics soon.

That's it for today - it was a nice weekend and though I did have to transact some 'business' on Friday morning (which made my boss mad - not that I had to talk to him about a couple things but that I had to deal with this stuff on my day off. Oh well. Can't be helped). But it was a nice long weekend. I'm hopefully off most of next week as well which will also be great! And then Mexico soon!

Thanks for reading and if you've never posted a comment, please do. I really do enjoy knowing who's reading...heck, I enjoy knowing that anyone is reading!!

Splurges

I am off today - a splurge in itself. And off tomorrow as well. Two days off to recover from working 50-60+ hour weeks for the past month. Fried is a good description. I am tired. And it was/is showing. So rest is what I need and I took a couple days off to turn this weekend into a 4 day weekend.

There are tasks to accomplish, however...as there always are.

I took the boys to Pleasanton today - the trip necessitated by B. needing to go to Schwab and take care of converting his custodial account into his name (and his name only). The staff person there was so nice - and when he came out of his office to get B. to finish everything up, B. said 'Mom, are you coming with me?' And I smiled and said 'no, you're on your own with this. It's your money and your account'. The Schwab guy just smiled - having said to me upon our entrance in the building when I told him the purpose of our visit 'this is hard for parents sometimes'. I just smiled and nodded. It's his money now and he knows the intent is to use it for college. And so far, we made it through today without him cashing all the stock in and taking the cash and heading for Europe or something.

We transacted our business there very quickly and then headed to the mall just across the street. First, lunch at Cheesecake Factory - $90 but we had two gift cards (reward bonuses saved up from my Amex account) worth $80 so we got out of there for under $25 including a generous tip. Food terrific as usual...service great. We ate outside and shared good conversation. Interesting, my two sons. They are a pleasure much of the time - except when they're not.

Then to the mall. My 'popping in to' Sephora resulted in serious damage to our 'spend on what we need vs. what we want' budget method. I was (apparently) in the mood to treat myself and try some 'new' things. I just did a makeover on myself with all the "loot" and I look pretty darn good. Think I just might have found the powder foundation that I've been desperately trying to find - this is the 4th brand I've tried and I think this one is a keeper. We'll see how it lasts throughout the evening.

The boys did a little shopping of their own - shirts. Always shirts.

We were also going to head to LPC to buy B.'s books - but considering he announced as we were pulling into the restaurant parking lot for lunch 'you know, Mom, I might want to do what H. is planning to do'. I said 'you mean enlist in the Marines now instead of going to college first?' - 'cuz that's what H. is planning to do - no ifs, ands or buts about it - it is what he is doing. And now B. is considering the same thing. And strangely, when he said that, my reaction was 'well, if that's what you think is best, then that's fine - but you really need to think this through and decide B., 'cuz there's no point in buying books if you're not going in the fall.

During lunch (food has that effect on him - makes him thought-full) he said 'well, I think I'll go for one semester and see how it goes. And then if I want to, I can do another semester and finish a full year and THEN enlist'. I said 'ok, but I am a bit worried that if you have that in your mind as your 'fall back' plan, then you will not put in the effort needed in college to excel. You haven't had the best high school experience and we really don't want a repeat of that, especially when this is real money we're paying for you to attend, and commute, etc.' . So we're waiting a couple weeks to make the trip to the college for books. Which is altogether fine since we can't pick up his financial aid packet until July 1st anyway.

We have about 10 kids here at the moment listening to the band rehearse for their next big 'gig'. I'm honestly not sure why B. is involved since we are in Cancun the week of the gig and he's not playing. Yet, it's his drums being used and therefore, it's our house they are rehearsing in. So I'm feeding them hot dogs, baked beans, potato salad and iced tea for dinner.

H. is going to Lake Don Pedro with friends for the weekend. B. and J. are going to Poppy Ridge golf course for brunch and hitting some balls on Sunday AM - which suits me just fine. I will have some quiet time....and I'm fine with that.

OK - time to get cooking. On a good note, I seem to have been 'firm' enough with Chloe that she has stopped barking. Of course, she's looking at me like I've broken her heart...but the startling, constant 'I'm going to rip your head off' bark has got to stop. I don't mind the music - I just can't handle her going nutso every time someone comes in and out of the house. With 10 kids here, there's a lot of in and out going on....it's going to be a long couple hours.

I am going to bake brownies again and THIS TIME, I'm hiding some~~~~

Of Brownies and Ice Cream

Board meeting is done and it went great. No more comments on that other than a huge sigh of relief. Now on to year-end which will be as torturous as the state can possibly make it. Seriously.

But I'll have a week or so off in June and then also enjoy a week off in mid-July and that second week will involve beaches and ocean and many, many umbrella drinks of different varieties. So I know I'll make it and survive.

I ate a very 'light' dinner - always do because it's never really clear how many people will be showing up for dinner so those of us who eat 'first' always eat lightly to ensure there's plenty for everyone else.

I arrived home absolutely craving a brownie and a glass of milk. Totally feasible since I baked a TRIPLE batch of brownies yesterday for the boys. I really only intended to make a double batch but I mis-read the directions, added too much water and oil which necessitated adding a third bag of the mix (yes, they were boxed brownies. From Costco. At $8.99 for six bags of mix - a batch each - I couldn't justify the 'from scratch' version which cost far more than that just for the chocolate alone). So I baked a giant pan of brownies PLUS a smaller round pan of them as well.

The brownies are GONE. All of them. Every single morsel. Gone. I'd be so upset if I weren't so shocked - and remember, one of the boys is now into heavy-duty body building. He watches every morsel he puts in his mouth - but he inhaled huge quantities of brownies in the last 24 hours along with his brother.

Which led me to my next 'treat' that J. (thank goodness) hid behind the frozen pizzas in the freezer. A pint of Ben and Jerry's Fro Yo Half Baked. It's not the same as a brownie - a chewy, chocolaty decadent cake-like confection - but it will have to do.

The boys consumed most of the last two pints of Ben and Jerry's we had on hand - which were procured during the budget madness when I needed something to 'hold onto' and get me through long days. Something that didn't involve a hangover the next morning since I had to get up at 4AM and do it all again. And again....over and over for the three week period leading up to this evening's presentation.

This time, J. sneakily hid it behind stuff so the boys don't see it when they are looking for food. Smart! Hoping I can eke out a couple small servings before it's discovered and summarily consumed.

Things don't last long in this house....

Sugar

I left work at 2PM today - not that there wasn't stuff to do 'cuz there's ALWAYS stuff to do. But it was a slow, quiet day and tomorrow is a 12+ hour day (Board meeting days always are). I needed a haircut so I left at 2 and headed to Great Clips. $13 + $2 tip. It's not fancy but short hair doesn't require much. It's pretty hard to mess it up, really. Went to Chevron to cash in my various Lotto tickets - cleaned out my purse and found some that needed to be checked. Won $9 and a $2 scratch off ticket. I turned the $9 into Mega Millions quick picks 'cuz I'm feeling lucky! And a scratcher that was not a winner. Oh well. I dreamed over the weekend that we won a lottery prize and we bought the soon-to-be vacant house next door and tore down the fence between the two. The boys lived in that house and J. and I lived here. We had access to all the luscious fruit trees in the back (lemons, peaches, grapes, cherries, plums, etc.) and they had access to the pool when they wanted. It was heaven. It's my new 'dream' - a 'compound' set up where they have their space and we have ours. And a cleaning crew for them to protect our investment. And/or frequent parental inspections with standards to be maintained or they can't live there. Doesn't it sound great??

Came home and dealt with the kids. I use the term 'dealt with' because that's what it is these days - reminding them over and over of to-do lists they have yet to touch. Oh, they helped themselves to the allowance money clipped to the note - but the 'list of things to do' was not touched by eldest son. Youngest son made a minor effort. Kids.

I baked a double batch of brownies. Also cooked spaghetti. And a pork tenderloin for tomorrow night, since I wont' be home. The spaghetti wasn't my best...used thawed sausage from the freezer and frozen meat just doesn't have the same flavor as fresh-cooked meat. But we're cleaning out the freezer little by little and using up frozen meat is imperative to the plan. Intent to return from Mexico in a month to a virtually empty freezer which we will then carefully and purposely fill up with things that we will keep better track of.

I need to go upstairs and color my hair but am in a sugar-induced coma. Brownies. Brownie batter. And some toasted marshmallow Jelly Bellies. Bad....bad.....BAD. I feel drunk. This horrible feeling is a sure sign that giving up (or significantly limiting my consumption of) sugar would be advisable. I feel absolute awful and so tired, I can barely stay awake. Time to go do my hair and head to bed.

The weather here is nuts - and I hate to write about the weather 'cuz that's what you talk about when you have nothing else to say and there's plenty to say....but the weather does deserve comments. It's mid-June and we barely topped 80 degrees today. It was overcast and windy most of the day which matches last week when it got down right cold at times. Great for the utility bills. Bad for the pool - this is the latest we've 'opened' the pool since we've had it. It's just not hot enough to want to swim. They say higher temps are heading our way later this week so we'll see. We all need to get some sun because otherwise, we will arrive in Playa del Carmen as white as sheets and quickly fry ourselves. B. got a 30 day pass to the tanning salon...he says he's gone though I notice no difference. But I don't see the kid very much...so I might not notice.

Loreal Preference 9G awaits. Gotta run. Have to allow an extra 10 minutes to 'cover stubborn grays'. Damn stubborn grays. I also need to give myself a facial and a manicure (of sorts) - since my nails have been bitten to shreds because of significant amounts of stress the past couple months. They are already on their way back....and stress is greatly reduced at least for a month or so.

To my brother-in-law B. who called earlier this evening: love you, Dude....but you are completely and solely responsible for this predicament. YOU fell in love. And YOU asked her to marry you. SHE said yes. The rest is history. As you approach your third anniversary of your first meeting, remember this: love always wins. You can't run, you can't hide. Destiny intervenes and love wins. I don't deserve any credit other than seeing the 'writing on the wall' far sooner than either of you did. Chemistry is obvious. OBVIOUS...and it will not be denied. I love you both and I'm so happy for you ...you are both deserving of happiness. Quit pinching yourselves....this is the real deal and it's so wonderful. Watching my 'big sister' fall in love is not something many sisters get to witness and it's been pure joy on my end also! Hugs to you both!

OK - upstairs to get my blondness in gear. Literally.

Neighbors

J. and I left the house around noon today to run errands. I was heading out on my own but he decided to join me - can't even remember why he decided to tag along but I'm always happy to have his company and since one of my errands was the monthly 'Target Shop', I welcomed someone to help schlep the stuff into and out of the car.

Our neighbors were outside with a rented truck - and they are moving. Their home is in foreclosure - something we suspected a couple months ago when someone came to our door asking about them. J. was home that day and the person at the door was asking about when were they home. J. asked what they wanted and he said that after a lengthy explanation of 'stuff', the word 'foreclosure' was mentioned. At that point, J. said he just clammed up and said 'I don't know their schedules or their comings and goings'. Turns out they have both been unemployed for some time - he works as a consultant in the tech field and she was working for a major corporate travel company. The economic downturn has affected both those industries - and there's no work.

They are moving in with family in Livermore, we think - and putting a lot of their furniture and stuff in storage. I am so sad for them....they are such nice people.

We got their ok to trim the branches of their fruit trees that are now on top of our storage shed - as he said when J. asked 'sure, do whatever you want'. Of course, since the bank owns the home now.

And selfishly, we asked if they would see if their gardener would swap their home for ours - he does such an amazing job and we've inquired of him (the gardener) before but he's actually retired and does just enough lawns to earn what he can earn that doesn't affect his social security. So he wouldn't add us as a client - but maybe he will 'sub' our house for theirs. I hope so....

Just when it started to feel a little like there was some 'better' times ahead....people are still suffering from the economy's free-fall.

Just reinforces how blessed we are....and even though we've been a teeny, tiny bit nervous the past week or so regarding J.'s job - not because we have any reason to be but because there are some changes happening within his organization and it is possible though very unlikely that J. could be affected - we are still thanking God for two good jobs, savings in the bank that would help us through...and the many things that make our life so full and rich that have nothing to do with money.

And yet, just to be 'safe', I 'did the math' and reassured myself that in the entirely unlikely event anything happens to J.'s job, we could 'manage'...it wouldn't be the same 'lifestyle' we have now, but we could survive on one income. So that's a nice reassurance. And even more impetus to continue to cut expenses where we can and look for ways to live more frugally. Not because we have to - but because we can.

On that note, I'm going to head into the kitchen to make some yogurt (with the birthday gift I bought myself) and tend to the garden - we now have sweet banana peppers and cucumbers officially added to our profuse tomatoes. I'm going to have to learn to make sauce or ketchup with all the tomatoes.

Work From Home

Ever see those ads that say 'earn $3000 per week working from home'. Or recently 'Google pays me $3000 per week to work from home'. Or others? Ever wonder what those people are doing for the money?

I think I found out recently.

Yesterday, there was a comment on my blog that required 'moderation'. Unless you are a 'follower' of my blog, I get to 'review' and approve comments before they appear. I've never had anyone leave a comment before that I didn't 'know' or that wasn't already a blogspot blogger. It was odd. Out of the blue, there's a comment on my Laundry Mountain post done several months ago. And within that comment was a 'link' on the words 'drying stand'. Or 'laundry drying stand'. And if you went to that link, you were taken to a website selling wooden stands to dry clothes on. I also found her 'blog' which was a couple posts about laundry, with 'drying stand' or 'laundry drying' or 'wooden laundry drying stand' all linked to the same website. In two days of posts (that were a couple months old), she referenced 'laundry drying' dozens of times. She rhapsodized about saving money and how much space in the average home is unused and if you buy laundry drying stands, you can dry all your laundry in your house while your husband is at work - saves money, better for the environment, etc. She hasn't posted since April - just two posts....a contest to see how many times she could reference 'drying laundry' in the shortest time frame possible. No posts since those April posts.

She probably got PAID for me to go to that website. I didn't buy any of the stands - but I'm sure she made money for my 'click'. And if someone falls for it - thinks 'wow, this is the greatest thing ever invented' and actually buys one, she probably gets paid for that, too.

What a way to make a living. Spend all day searching the web for blog posts on laundry and then write a comment that links to a website offering your laundry-related product for sale.

I started to link to her blog, but I don't want to give her a lot of traffic. It's kind of brilliant in a way -

I'm as committed to our environment as the next person - more so, in many ways as my kids will tell you related to my fanatical recycling efforts; growing my own organic food; etc. However, I don't see us able to dry all our laundry in the house using laundry stands. Not going to happen. We already have laundry EVERYWHERE fairly often - and that's laundry that's been washed and folded and is ready to put away. I can't imagine weaving through dozens of 'laundry drying stands'...or the panic that would ensue when a teenager is looking for a particular item. 'Is it on the stand in the dining room? Or on one of the three stands in the family room? Why are my boxers in the kitchen while my pants are in the living room'? We don't need to add that level of complexity to laundry drying, thank you very much Ms. Mary Q. Contrarie. (yes, that's how she signed her comment).

Her profile says 'I am trying to discover the way to leave the earth a little better for my children'. Noble cause, that. Very noble.

I just think it takes more than air drying laundry all over your home - and spending days combing through blog posts finding references to laundry.

Keep an eye on the comments for this post 'cuz she might be back...

Stuff

I have a bunch of random things mulling around my brain...so here goes nothing...forgive me for so much miscellany at one time...it's just the way my days are going lately.

Budget: done. Still working on some details and triple/quadruple/quintuple checking everything. But it's done a few days ahead of when I thought it would be done...so that's a good thing. Still have memos to write, etc. for board meeting but it's looking like I won't be working all weekend again which will be a refreshing change.

Economy: Wow. Things around town are looking bleak. Went to the car dealership today to get my 10K service on the Mariner and the car lots on auto row look empty. The car dealership has cut back it's service hours considerably - just to reduce staffing costs, I assume. Their service bays were full and plenty of cars/trucks being serviced. But they are feeling the pinch like every other business in town and are cutting back costs wherever they can.

Then went to the pet store for cat food and the merchandise shelves are looking sparse. Scary. They are one of the few remaining open stores in this shopping complex and it's looking like they are not doing all that well either. It's one of two major-chain pet stores in town and if it closes, I'll be forced to shop at Petco which is further across town.

I did my part and bought a month's worth of cat food; however, I did switch to a brand that was 'on sale'. Hoping the cats will be OK. I don't like to 'brand hop' but I'm really watching our pennies these days and 1/2 what we usually pay was a good deal. So we'll hope it goes OK and they can eat the food. They are both felines of the 'sensitive stomach' variety.

I wanted sushi for dinner. Instead, we did the economical thing and ate leftover roasted chicken and macaroni and cheese. Plenty of food in the house - just requires cooking and some effort to decide what to eat.

B. officially matriculated last night [at least on paper] ...registered for 17 units. He was thrilled to discover that in college, you don't necessarily attend every day. As it stands now, he will be in school all day Tuesdays and Thursdays and have one 2.5 hour evening class on Wednesday nights. So he will have 4-day weekends every weekend, at least for the first semester. He realizes that he will be working those days and/or studying. But to a kid who's spent the last 13 years in school five days per week, 10 months of the year it's like the best thing ever! College...you can go to college and go to school only a few days a week. He's in heaven. He's also excited about his classes. We paid for the 17 units, plus his semester fees and it was $363 - what a BARGAIN. Books will be around $400....then gas, and food and supplies. But still, far less expensive than a 4 year college. And it will be a fantastic experience for him - it's fun to see him so excited. He seems motivated and interested and has even talked about taking some summer school classes next year to help finish his A.A. degree in Administrative Justice sooner. He couldn't get into his English class because it was totally full - but that's OK. He's got plenty of time to get that class done and there's always summer school.

I am taking a day off in a week or two so he and I can go to the bookstore together. I LOVE THE BOOKSTORE...love the smell of new books and buying supplies. And it's an excuse to go say 'hi' to friends...and share in a little of the college excitement even if he's not leaving home right now.

We have tomatoes aplenty and some bell peppers starting. I think I see a cucumber starting but I'm not convinced yet...we'll see. The zucchini's are not doing well. They are not in good soil and they're in the ground (vs. in pots or raised beds) and the slugs keep eating the blossoms before they can become veggies. H. is working on clearing out the flower beds so we can build some raised beds this summer. That's a big project and I don't know for sure we'll get there, but we're going to try.

Final payment on Cancun house is due next week and it appears we are going. I'm still 'nervous' about it - but it will be whatever it will be and it is a trip we are looking forward to and need. So off we go - passports arrived in the mail this week and last so we're all set. Just the packing and the cleaning and arranging for someone to take care of the cats and plants, etc.

This is the first evening in weeks I have not arrived home with laptop in tow. The first evening in weeks I was home shortly after 5. It's just after 7 and it's not dark yet....and I'm ready for sleep. But it's nice to feel like I can take it 'easy' for one night - still back at it early in the morning but nice to give myself permission to sleep...and write....and enjoy a quiet evening. Even better since the cleaning crew came today so I don't feel compelled to 'do' a bunch of stuff.

Heading upstairs shortly. Have time to read!!! Still working on Book 3 of the Twilight series....enjoying it as much as the first two but haven't had a lot of time to read the past month or so. I can get through several chapters hopefully - though sleep will overcome me shortly.