It's not that I don't like blogging, because I do.  I blog on my craft blog, www.hoop-dee-doo.blogspot.com.  I Facebook A LOT.

It's just that this spring has been one of the hardest times in my life, personally speaking.  I'm totally off my game.

There have been things to blog about personally, like adorable stuff the kids do, and our awesome trip to New Orleans.  But there's been a lot of coping as well, with Dad's illness in particular.  And I'm doing good to just keep the laundry going.  (Actually, the entry hall is covered in laundry right now.)

Let's not forget the small matter that my computer and Das Blog aren't best friends.  About 5 times this spring I had a post ready to go, pictures and all, and the thing crashed.  Even when I saved it elsewhere beforehand so I could paste it back in, after about 3 crashes, I give up editing and just go do laundry, and never come back to the blog.

I'm going to try to be better this summer.  We are going to have lots of fun around here (I AM DETERMINED TO HAVE FUN, SO HELP ME) and there will be pictures to prove it.

So stay tuned.  Meanwhile, check out the other little blog linked above.  Maybe I will even make some money at it someday.  For now it is saving me money by keeping me out of therapy.

I think that someday in the future anthropologists will study my purse and be completely baffled by it.  I know I am. 

the 10 weirdest things I found in my purse today:

1. tube of red icing
2. my nice pie/cake server (hey!  I was looking for this!)
3. one car seat seatbelt cover thingy (where's the other one?)
4. Organic Lemon Echinacea Throat Coat
5. absolutely pulverized mini Snickers bar
6. Water Babies sunblock stick
7. Ipod headphones, no Ipod
8. Old Navy shopping bag
9. seven Tinkerbell birthday invitations, blank
10. Clorox wipes (coated in a layer of filth, mind you)

I'm always seeing TV commercials for this, but somehow I still don't think it would help me.

Stay at home mom.  HA!!!

Monday - Go to Target to buy shoes for Kate (on sale for $7), then to playgroup, after lunch a few chores, during naptime/roomtime write devotional while getting up every 5 minutes to re-settle napping baby or assist preschooler with potty, focused time with kids, dinner (leftovers), bath, bedtime for kids, collapse.

Tuesday - Take kids to school, HEB, Walgreens, clean entire house including mopping which I hate, pick up kids from school, naptime/roomtime, finish devotional, focused time with kids, dinner, Realife group, bedtime, collapse (unless I have energy left, in which case it will be knit night at Barnes and Noble, collapse).

Wednesday - Take Kate to school, play with Audrey until she is totally sick of me, pick Kate up from school, naptime/roomtime, laundry, focused time with kids, dinner, hand off kids to Paul, choir, collapse.

Thursday - Take kids to school, run miscellaneous errands while trying not to spend money (this never seems to work), lunch, pick kids up from school, naptime/roomtime, practice music and fold all of the laundry that probably will still be laying around, focused time with kids, dinner, bath, bedtime, go rehearse with outreach band until probably midnight, collapse.

Friday - Lounge in pajamas, shower at some random time when everyone seems happy, play incessant board games/blocks/tickle wars, lunch, actually watch Super Why with the kids, naptime/roomtime, clean up all of the destruction, focused time with kids, dinner, RUN AWAY TO CRYSTAL'S HOUSE FOR SERIOUS CRAFTING THERAPY.  COLLAPSE, PERHAPS EVEN AT CRYSTAL'S.

Saturday - If at home, fix breakfast for family.  Go to meeting at church until noon, then BACK TO CRYSTAL'S! 

Sunday - Fix breakfast for family.  Take Kate with me to church, rehearse with band for first time, sing for second service only downstairs in the Cafe for our new "casual service" setup.  Lunch.  COLLAPSE!  Or go to Crystal's again!  Dinner- takeout!  Collapse!

I love my computer.  I am sitting here at the kitchen counter, dinner is cooking on the stove, kids are playing, and I can pay the bills and check email and keep an eye on everything all at the same time.  A multitasker's dream.

Of course, I don't have everything transferred over yet, and that takes a while.  And I don't have my external midi hookup yet so I am still using the old one for work.  I'm working on getting things set up, in the nooks and crannies of time that I get here and there, and when my technical consult is available.  But just the simple act of typing a blog entry without wondering what mischief the kids are getting into...well, I could get used to this!

Well, the computer and the camera are having an argument again, so pictures from our trip to the lake will have to wait.  So since there hasn't been much blogging lately I thought I would entertain you with 10 random things we are loving around here this week.

1.  New computer on the way!  Woohoo!  I don't know what all the specs are (you know I left that to Paul) but it's a Dell laptop and it's green.  :)  And presumably it will not hate my camera.

2.  New kids' CD, Snacktime by Barenaked Ladies.  Thanks, Shannon, for the rec.  This is hilarious and clever and chock-full of musical parodies and inside jokes as well.  Devo, Queen, trip-hop, reggaeton, Gordon Lightfoot (who even makes a cameo), and many other diverse references.  The kids love it.  Incidentally, I always thought Barenaked Ladies was the most annoying name for a group ever, but I do get the joke.   ("Hey, check out the new Barenaked Ladies!")  Around here we just call it "7 8 9,"  which is my kiddos' favorite song.  ("1 2 3 and 4 more make 7, 6 is afraid of 7, 'cuz 7 8 9!" sung in the style of the old Rawhide theme song)

3.  Yogurt pops, old school style.

4.  The Olympics.  I just love the Olympics.  I wish I could watch more of it.  I pretty much watched the 2004 Olympics all day long every day it was on, because I was pregnant with Kate and on partial bed-rest for preterm labor.  I crocheted like a madwoman and watched in awe some of the first HD broadcasts we'd ever received.  Now I am still crocheting like a madwoman but unfortunately NBC has added commercials to their HD broadcasts, although to their credit they are for the most part fairly unoffensive, ok-for-little-eyes commercials, so the kids can watch too.

5.  I'm singing in a cover band for an Apartment Life event on Friday.  This organization is all about building community and friendships in apartment complexes.  I am excited about this gig because a. I love to sing as you know and b. I get to sing "Long Train Runnin" which is one of my favorite Doobie Brothers' songs and c. I get to serve hot dogs and hamburgers to people that are not related to me.  The only downside to this is that I also have to sing "Soak Up the Sun" by Sheryl Crow, but I know a lot of people like this song, so I'll do my best to squeak it out.

6.  Paul is so very into this new game Braid, and it is pretty cool.  And I love that he is in the game room instead of his office; but, as an observer only, after a while the rewinding gives me a headache.  (That comment will probably only make sense to Dave and Jen.)

7.  Rain.  Beautiful, freshening rain.  More, please.

8.  Mad Men season 1 on-demand for FREE.  Primo knitting TV.  Loving this show, the plot twists, the flawless acting, the awesome sets and costumes, loving it all.  Don Draper is a rock star.  I am taking a break from this show this week (Olympics, you know) but I love that I actually have something to WATCH during the summer whilst I knit.

9.  We are going on a date Saturday night, to see Batman at last.  Babysitter and all!  Yippee!  I will probably even wear makeup.

10.  The girls are really becoming best friends.  I just love hearing Kate read to Audrey.  (This week's selections are "Here is My Cat", "What Does Baby Say?", and "Clifford Barks.")  And when one of them gets upset, she needs Mommy, but then she wants her sister, too.  So sweet!

Have a great week!

The girls and I had a great time in OK with my parents and David and Libba and Drew.  I took a lot of pictures but probably wont upload them for a while (like I was ever that prompt about it anyways.)  My computer decided to get sick while I was gone (guess it heard I was thinking about replacing it and just wanted to help me make the decision).  My backup drive died and did something to my primary drive in the process.  Paul resurrected it just enough for me to salvage everything I want to keep and pay some bills online.  It has taken me almost 20 minutes just to load up internet explorer and type this brief post.  So my email will be spotty for the next unspecified length of time until I replace it.

5 years is a long time to have a computer that was pieced together from random parts that are potentially even older.  So it did its job and hopefully the next one will do as well.  Unfortunately, it looks like Paul needs a new computer ASAP as well.  C'est la vie.

1. The purse itself is the "free gift with purchase" that came with my perfume I got for Mother's Day.
2. Wallet
3. Keys to both cars on separate keychains
4. Mail key
5. 3 lipsticks
6. 2 chapsticks
7. 4 pens, all sparkly or pink or flowered or in some way unacceptable for Paul to use in church.
8. Checkbook
9. 7 raisins
10. 2 worship team rehearsal cd's
11. Raising Sand by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss (thank you Paul)
12. Huggies wipes
13. 3 peppermints
14. 2 Dum-Dum lollipops in gross flavors (coconut? really?)
15. concealer
16. Cedarmont Kids Sunday School Songs cd
17. Target brand ibuprofen
18. Orbitz gum (Paul hates it)
19. Wintergreen Altoids (for Paul)
20. Lipliner
21. 2 small bottles of hand sanitizer
22. Teething ring
23. Cell phone
24. 4 pennies
25. Mozart Musical Masterpieces cd (thank you Paul's dad)
26. REM the Best of REM (unopened)
27. 3 Hallmark coupons
28. 2 HEB coupons for items I did not buy
29. 1 Sonic straw wrapper
30. Soiled baby bib
31. Turtle shaped teething toy
32. Dry cleaning receipt
33. 6 wrinkled coupons
34. Coupon for free panty at Victoria's Secret (yeah right)
35. Card telling me to renew my driver's license
36. Ziploc bag full of Honey Nut Cheerios
37. 1 green pacifier
38. Gymboree membership card
39. Insert from church bulletin with gum in it
40. $7 in loose bills
41. Notably absent: knitting and inhaler (must find this!)

5 pm.  Kate is reading and Audrey is asleep.  This is my chance!  I must start dinner now.  Hmm, what do we have to eat?  Payday is tomorrow, so pickings are slim in the fridge today.  Meal plan says enchiladas.  I'm feeling lazy.  Quesadillas sound easier.  I'll cook the chicken while the kids are quiet.  This should be a breeze.  Wash hands.

5:10.  Cutting raw chicken.  "Mommy!  I need to go potty!"  Uh oh, she's wearing overalls, that means I HAVE to help.  Wash hands.

5:15.  Potty crisis over.  Wash hands again.  Cut more raw chicken.  By this time the oil in the pan is smoking, it's been preheating for so long.  "WAAAAAAAH!"  Uh oh, that's Audrey.  "Mommy, Audrey's awake!  I'll go get her."  Double uh oh!  Wash hands and run.

5:20.  Diaper crisis over, kids playing downstairs in the living room.  Thank heavens the dog hasn't eaten all of the raw chicken off of the counter while I was away (has happened before).  Wash hands.  Clean out pan, start over with fresh oil.  Throw in chicken.  "Audrey's doing something!"  "EEEEEEEEEEKKKK!"  Wash hands.  Pull kids apart, send Kate to time out for clobbering Audrey and put Audrey in fake baby time out for appearance's sake.  Wash drool off of hands.  Flip chicken and get remaining ingredients out of pantry.

5:30.  Chicken mostly done.  Start assembling complicated array of tiny bowls, spoons, and very finely chopped food for Audrey.  Find sippy cups.  One is on the floor in the living room.  Where is Kate's cup?  Ask her to go find it about 5 times.  Ponder some kind of discipline...never mind, I smell burning chicken.  Raise my voice a little-- "GO GET YOUR CUP NOW YOUNG LADY."  Cower in shame a little.  Uh oh, Audrey is licking the dog's blue racquetball.  Put ball away.  Wash dog slobber off of hands.

5:40.  Chicken is overdone.  Put in bowl on counter, push out of reach from sniffing dog.  Pants slide off (thank you weight watchers).  Oh wait, not from weight loss, from baby pulling up on my leg.  Wrestle baby into Jumperoo and give her Ritz crackers to stop the screaming.  Where's the Advil?  Call husband and notify him that I will feed the kids as soon as dinner is ready and we can't wait for him.  Feel guilty for not being June Cleaver.  "Mommy!  I need to go poopy!"  Clean toddler.  Wash hands.  Set table.

5:50.  Audrey screams, I look (SUCKER!), she signs "more".  Give her more crackers.  Dog vigilantly watches each little crumb fall from her mouth and licks it up instantly.  "Mommy!  I need a tissue!"  Wipe nose.  Wash hands.  Find tortillas.  Do we have tortillas?  Uh oh.  Tortillas necessary for quesadillas.  Here they are.  Forget the fancy side dishes, find can of refried beans.  Cut open a bag of guacamole and squirt some like toothpaste on everyone's plates.  Audrey giggles.  Dog is licking her clean.  Shoo dog and wipe baby, put her in high chair.  Baby screams.  Give her some cheese.  Where's the Advil?  Never mind, we have wine.  Pour self small glass of wine (2 weight watchers points).  Pray for strength.  Sing Kate's memory verse in my head.  "Love is patient, love is kind, 1st Corinthians 13:4."  Trip over dog.  Resist urge to kick dog, put her in laundry room.  She moans.

6:00.  "Kate, dinner time."  "In a few minutes."  "Excuse me?  Let's try again.  It's dinner time, please go sit in your chair."  "I DON'T WANT TO SIT IN MY CHAIR!"  "I didn't ask you if you wanted to.  What do you say?"  "NOOO!!!!"  "Go to time out, please."  "AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!"  Give Audrey her sippy cup.  She glares at me and throws it on the floor.  Sigh.  Hear sound of beans splattering in microwave.

6:05  "You may come out of time out now.  Please go sit in your chair."  No resistance.  I give her food.  She says the blessing in a songlike chipmunky voice.  I consider lecturing about respect but Audrey distracts me with bloodcurdling screams.  Where's the Advil?  I pick up the discarded crackers from the floor around Audrey's chair and also get a handful of doghair and a dead bug.  Crap, I forgot to mop this week.  Throw it away.  Wash hands.  Flip burning quesadilla.

6:10  Husband calls, just leaving from work.  Praise the Lord, reinforcements are on their way.  That's not very June Cleaver-ish.  Must adjust attitude, create peaceful home for probably very worn out and stressed husband's arrival.  Paste smile on face and take deep breaths.  Pick cracker crumbs off of my foot.  Wash hands.

6:25  The conquering hero arrives.  "Welcome to home, Daddy!"  Smiling faces greet him.  "Why is the dog in her room?"  He lets her out.  Paul sits down at the table and Audrey throws her hands up in the air, showering me with cracker crumbs.  All done, she is saying.  Give her more crackers to crush just to keep her in her chair.  Get up to fix his plate.  Sit down.  "Mommy, where's my drink?"  Drat.  Get up to get Kate a drink.  Sit down.  "Hey, I don't have a drink either."  Get up to get his drink.  Sit down.  Take bite of chip with guac.  Baby screech.  Cup on floor.  Get up, crawl under chair to get cup.  Sit down.  "I need to go potty."  Seriously?  Get up.  Where's the Advil?  Flip burning quesadilla.  Where's my wine?  Wipe toddler bottom.  Wash hands.

7:00. Dinner is over.  I put away cold things only.  I sit down for more than 10 seconds, in Paul's lap, to try to have a conversation and a hug.  Kids don't want to share Mommy and keep bugging us.  I silently consider getting some kind of electric fence for the living room.  We manage to get two minutes together, then the phone rings.  It's Mick, and we both want to talk, but I resign to let him talk and I will get the girls bathed so they can be IN BED BY EIGHT OR SO HELP ME.

11:45.  I wake up on the game room couch amidst a tangle of yarn, guess I was knitting something.  Stumble downstairs and let the dog out, turn on the kitchen night light and realize that all of the dishes are still there.  Remember that I made a resolution to leave my sink clean every night.  Well, I'm trying to be less of a perfectionist, so leaving it full of dishes is actually a victory.  Put on hand lotion (why are my hands so dry?)  Go to bed.

It's Tuesday, aka ReaLife group day, aka Cleaning Day.  So in the spirit of housework, I submit to you my method of self-motivation, or What Keeps Me From Just Sitting On The Couch Instead of Cleaning.

TV.

That's right, TV.  Not as a reward for cleaning, but as a motivator.  Here's how it works:

Problem:  Clutter.  Show: Clean Sweep, on TLC.  A crew of people clean two highly cluttered rooms out of some poor slob's house, make them sort it all, sell some in a garage sale, throw lots away, and give away the rest.  Result:  I pick a pile and get cracking.

Problem:  General unsanitary conditions.  Show: How Clean is Your House, on BBC.  Two very British ladies help the filthiest people clean up their home, and they swab and test samples from around the house to very disgusting ends.  Result:  I clean the kitchen and bathroom with bleach and a toothbrush.

Problem: The closet.  Show:  What Not To Wear.  Two snarky people criticize ordinary schlub's wardrobe and make them throw it all away, then give them money and tips to buy a new one.  Result:  No new wardrobe, but this always makes me want to clean out drawers.

Now of course I can't get all this done in one week.  So I pick one or two obsessive things to do per cleaning day, on top of all of the regular cleaning.  Today it was scrubbing the spots on the stairs, vacuuming the blinds, and bleaching the door from the garage into the laundry room, which has some kind of weird mold on it.  So maybe I still have dirty dishes in the sink, but darned if the dog doesn't have a clean door.

Now, for a little bit of culture.  Some still-life art from the great artist Katelyn The Pie.

Dog With Bracelets

Yarn-Ball Band with Ladybug and Assorted Puzzle Pieces

... and about 1 gallon of sweat -- and the dog's water dish.  More on that later.

As many of you know, our A/C went out downstairs last night (AGAIN!  3rd time this year) and I was going to try and fix it (or at least diagnose it) myself.  My prior workings on the A/C revealed that, at least electrically, A/C systems are actually extremely simple devices and I had confidence!

It started with Amy telling me around 7-ish that the thermostat was completely dead -- like it had no power.  She was right, there was no power (typically 24 VAC) going to the thermostat.  It was 7pm, so I figured I'd see what I could figure out.  After a simple check of the breaker, I went up into the attic, pulled the cover off the furnace and went to work with the multimeter (yes, the same one my Papa gave me about 20 years ago).  At first I suspected a fuse, but no, both were intact.  Then, maybe the transformer.  No, there was no power into the transformer.  I feared the main control board (pictured) was dead, but I found no power going to the board at all.  Then I suspected the door detection safety switch (which I was pushing over and over while doing all this testing).  Upon opening it up, I found no power going into the unit at all!  I went back downstairs to check the voltage coming off the breaker.  (This is when the dog's water dish was sacrificed.  I mistakenly thought I had two screws left, and the breaker panel cover fell to the floor, the dog's water dish breaking the fall in a spectacular explosion of plastic.)  Alas, the voltage coming off the breaker read live at 120V.  Huh?  The wires in the house aren't that old!

Then I remembered there was actually a switch in the attic that could turn off the power to the A/C unit.  (Groan.)  Did a bird get in there and hit the switch?  A squirrel maybe?  I found the switch, and it was still on.  Despite my doubt that a physical switch (that gets used maybe once every 5 years) could be the root of the problem, I decided to check it out.  Upon pulling the cover off, a piece of plastic fell out.  Interesting.  When I took the switch out, I found a loose wire, not connected to anything.  Aha!  It turns out that the plastic at the back of the switch had cracked (probably upon the original installation) and the contact had completely fallen off (pictured).  The wire to the A/C had likely been just resting against the switch -- time and temperature fluctuations finally disconnecting it.  This is a good reminder NOT to insert wires into the back of the switch, but to use the screw terminals instead.  I raced to Home Depot (as they were about to close at 9pm), bought a new switch for $5.99 and raced home.  Once I installed the new switch, the problem was solved!

Update: Steve and Barbara Arnold have a A/C service website that is chock full of good information if you have A/C problems.  It's somewhat poorly organized and looks kinda 1990s style, but there's good information there and they sell parts for decent prices.  If you get a "pro" to work on your A/C, you might want to stop by this place if you're wondering whether you're getting what you're paying for.