I so know what you mean......

As I was walking through a classroom today, a certain little boy was sitting sideways in his chair in the Writing Center just staring off into space. I noticed him, went about my business but walked back by him several minutes later.....still sitting sideways, still staring off. Nothing in front of him, nothing in hand.

Me: What should you be doing right now?

Him: Uh........

Me: You're in the Writing Center. Shouldn't you be writing?

Him: Well, I was trying to think..........but then I lost my thinking.


And later, while being read to by a little girl........she pronounced the word caterpillar.......

Calapitter....

all through the book and I didn't stop her. It was just too cute.

When you load the dishwasher, wipe the counters, too....

I should be getting ready to shepherd the first graders in Sunday School this morning, but I've been reading blogs. I came across this funny quote from Dave Barry on Kari and Kijsa's blog......http://kariandkijsa.blogspot.com/.



The obvious and fair solution to the housework problem is to let men do the housework for, say, the next six thousand years, to even things up. The trouble is that men, over the years, have developed an inflated notion of the importance of everything they do, so that before long they would turn housework into just as much of a charade as business is now. They would hire secretaries and buy computers and fly off to housework conferences in Bermuda, but they'd never clean anything. ~Dave Barry


I would like to add child-rearing to that. Chuck is a wonderful provider......but there were days.....still are.....that I still have to go back to Training 101 when it comes to chores and children. And even though my baby is 18 we still have conversations like this....

Me: Where's Will?

Him: He went to a friend's house.

Me: What friend?

Him: uh, I'm not sure. I think it was a girl.

Me: Would you please remember to get a name???
(I have said this a million times.)


Or....

Me: Would you please load the dishwasher? (While I'm doing another chore or two around here...)

Him: Sure.

Later.....dishwasher loaded. But counters and sink filthy. Do his eyes not see what I see? Do I have to literally ask for him to wipe the counters, too? Yes, I do.

Love him anyway.


Another thought.....different subject: The Swine Flu Pandemic has caused one of our local schools to close for 2 weeks. I have not gotten on the Panic Bus about this....at all.

But yesterday, I was in my favorite hangout...TJMaxx....and a little girl about 4 with skin the color of coffee with cream....and a Mama who spoke Spanish to her.......started coughing right next to me in the tiny shoe aisle....in other words, she was coughing on me.... No mouth coverage. No place really for those germs to go but on me.

And they are telling us to wash your hands alot and not touch your face. And touch my face? Yes, I touch my face a million times a day without even realizing it. Well, I realize it....but only after I just touched it.

I did think to myself, " Great. I'm going to get the Swine Flu from TJMaxx. "

(Y'all put that in the obituary.....She became ill while doing what she loved most....TJMaxx.)

But no panic feeling came over me. That's growth in the mental health area.

I'm in the kitchen, but I'm not cooking....

If you read blogs like I read blogs, you surely know all about Harper and her sweet mama, Kelly........ Harper was born with a serious lung condition and through the power of prayer and God's healing with the help of his amazing servants...the doctors and nurses...she is now a healthy, happy baby girl. The blog world followed Harper's progress as she got better and better and now I feel like she is the baby across the street.

Kelly is hosting a tour of homes....room by room....every Friday, called Show Us Where You Live Friday. Today is the kitchen edition. I could have gone in and taken some photos of my kitchen today....but it would mean some cleaning, and cleaning would mean I would have to get up and get busy....and busy would mean distracted and who knows when I would get back in here.... so I am pulling up some pictures I already have.

From the back door, looking to the left of my kitchen. We painted and distressed the island and replaced the original island tile counter top with granite.



The desk was white, but we added some molding, a leg (on the right) and painted it black to make it look like a separate piece of furniture. I covered foam core board with a black & white toile fabric and pushed it to the back of the upper cabinets....of course, not much shows, but it lightened up the back of the shelves. The tv is in this cabinet and the doors are rarely closed, so it's nice to see a peak of the toile. I found the 3 tiered wall file at TJ Maxx. One file for each kid....if they can't find it....it's probably in their file.

We put in a brick paver backsplash replacing the old 2 x 2 white tiles that were here when we bought the house. This cute metal wall hanging was a gift from my good friend Karen. It couldn't be more perfect.

I loathe (if that means more than hate) my kitchen sink......see that shallow little sink right in the middle? We tend to wash and rinse everything right there in the middle. I have never left the sink with a dry shirt as water sprays and pours over the edge. You would think we would learn but no. One day I hope to replace it with one large sink but I am having to wait patiently for that. I've got the "wait" down, but not the "patiently" part.

See that black door that leads to the utility room above? It was a discarded screen door that I grabbed out of a neighbor's trash pile. Chuck put a masonite board on the back...I painted the door and board with black paint...but the top half of the front is painted with chalkboard paint.

Coming around the corner are the pantry door and ovens. See that space above? One day I looked up there and thought...."I wonder if that old window that I brought back from Georgia would fit up there?" And it did. Perfectly. Before it was just an opening over this cabinet. Now it looks like.....like.....well, I don't know what it looks like but I love that the old window fit up there.

Our fireplace opens to the kitchen and great room. This is the kitchen side. I also painted it black a couple of years ago.....I still look around here and think, "what else could I paint black..." I looked at the dog and she tucked her tail and ran.

This room sees a lot of action so it had to be fun enough to make me want to go in there. The red metal cart was retrieved from a dumpster outside of a dollar store in Mississippi. Never underestimate someone else's garbage.

This picture was taken at a baby shower I hosted.....it's the only picture I could find of the other side of my kitchen. Hope these pretty ladies don't mind. See the chalkboard door? I drew a big A on it in pink chalk for the baby girl that we were showering....Abigail. I have alot of fun with that chalkboard.....you should get you a little bit of chalkboard somewhere.

And you've made it back around to the eating area.

See the doggie door? Best thing we did in this kitchen! I have way more time to waste at the computer now that I don't have to let the dogs in and out and in and out all day.

If my scanner was working or my technical person was home, I would show you some Before pictures of this kitchen when we bought this house in 1999. The wallpaper was a tiny, tiny calico floral, pink ceilings (YES) and a tiffany lamp over the island. The island top and backsplash was a 2 x 2 white tile with a row of burgandy. And white grout. WHITE BUT NOW GRAY GROUT. That had to go quick. Life's too short to spend it bleaching white grout every dang day.

See yourself out the door.