pest control

the people that know me really, really well know that i have a strong dislike for ants...maybe even, dare i say, hate?! when i was a little girl, probably around 2 or 3 i ran into the house to my mom because i was (grossly enough) covered with ants! i have a reason for feeling the way i do about them...and it began quite young.

we always have pest control, wherever we live. it is one of the few luxuries i allow myself to have. ants are not welcome in my home, really not in my yard, but there is only so much you can do, right?

on monday morning pat announced that we had 3 ants in our bathroom, rach found a few in hers as well. ewww. their presence really gets my blood pressure up! it is one of the few things that does (other than being upset with a family member). he also told me that there were some around the yard, congregating, as if they own the place. i will show them!

i called our pest control place yesterday and they informed me that our tech was super busy and may not get to it until next week. what?! really?! in the meantime we have to live with these tiny creatures invading our space, ever so slowly? no!!!!

i didn't actually let her know how much that disturbed me. i kept my cool...really, i did! she informed me (without my pressuring her in the least) that she would call our tech and ask him when he could come. (i love their service) a few minutes (honestly - a few minutes) later she got back to me, and informed me that he would come in the morning between 8 and 9.

and that is just what he did! talk about a sweet guy - super nice. in fact once pat dealt with our tech personally and he called the office and told them what an amazing guy he is. i finally met him today.

i am grateful for the pest control company we have, and for their prompt service...and for this handy little tip that israel gave me --- should we have any ants in the bathroom again, spray them with windex.

who knew? oh, 'my big fat greek wedding'...that's who! ;)

a woman's work

i get that people think i am crazy for not working outside the home. i really do. yes, i am 56 and have no 'children' at home. rach counts, but she is pretty self-sufficient. all she needs me for is to keep her company every once in a while. plus, she may be leaving us soon for better circumstances and certainly a much more beautiful location!

i noticed as a stay-at-home mom that when all my kids went to school i became busier. i know, how does that happen, right? suddenly i had errands i could run that i had put off before and i was one busy mama! now that i remain a stay-at-home mom/wife i continue to be busy. honestly, some days i walk around here and think, 'how can anyone think i have nothing to do?' there are children and grandchildren to talk to on the phone or via skype! there are dishes to wash, and put away; there is always laundry to do (though i have a schedule); there are meals to cook, and that food has got to come from somewhere! i also need to throw in exercise - bike riding, or stretching, whatever it is. then there are callings to fulfill, people to visit teach, etc., etc., etc.

yes, i do have a great deal more time to myself, and i have been known to 'catch up' on a program on tv through watching it on demand. but there aren't that many shows that i really have any desire to catch up on! i do enjoy reading (when it isn't putting me to sleep) and have been doing a lot of that lately (not the sleeping part, the reading part). i have become a lingerer while reading - savoring all the words and the meaning - one of the perks of not having anyone else to tend to!

my point is this --> a woman's work is truly never done. i am grateful that i can remain busy, even at my age, and continue to grow and learn and do what i enjoy most - caring for my family, whether they are close or distant in proximity. it is the best job in the world. =)

soup!

today is a somewhat stormy day. it isn't very cold out, but it is raining just the same. aren't you so excited to know our weather report? hmmm?

since it was going to rain today i decided to make soup. pat loves himself some homemade split pea and i wanted to try a butternut squash soup recipe from our best bites. the soup is made, on the stove, and ready to eat for tonight! of course we are having french bread with it because what is better with soup than that? (depending on the soup...obviously)

i can hardly wait. i am grateful for soup - it is one of my favorite food groups!

temple attendance

for years we in our church have heard stories of families that struggle and sacrifice in order that they might attend a temple to have their family sealed together for the eternities. these saints work so hard, sometimes away from their loved ones, so that their lives can be blessed by the ordinances of the temple.

pat's family had to make sacrifices when he was thirteen years old, driving from buffalo, new york to mesa, arizona so that their family might be sealed. they drove across country, in an old car that did not have air conditioning. they had to replace all of their tires while on this journey. they had no cassettes, or cd's to listen to. it was not a pleasant trip. pat and his brother were stinkers and did not make the trip any easier. but on his parents went enduring teenage angst and a toddler. it couldn't have been an easy trip. but they did it. and i am so very grateful to them for doing so, because it means our family has been linked together for the eternities.

so, when President Monson announced last week that there would be a new fund for those who aren't able to attend the temple that we can contribute to it made me smile, so, so much. how grateful i am for this inspiration. for us, as fellow saints to be able to contribute to the general temple patron assistance fund is purely a blessing for all. we can now help those saints without the resources they need to attend the temple once, to have their family sealed together forever. that is a great work, and i am deeply grateful.

sales

we have been wanting/needing new pillows for awhile. (for us/our bed) today we had a coupon for jc penney's so we went there and got two...bogo free. yay! and we had a $15 off coupon...not bad.

i have also been needing new shoes, lately. i had my new balance, which i love, except they were not nice to my ankle, so now they are rachel's. we went to the tracy outlets and i purchased a pair of reebok's. i am not certain, but i think that store is going out of business since it said all sales were final, and they had an automatic 40% off. nice! so, i bought my $70 pair of shoes for $45 with tax. another yay for us!

i am grateful for sales, and to find the things we are lacking on sale. it just makes life a little bit better.

imagination

i have been watching our grandchildren lately and marveling at how they are each so unique from each other. not only in their physical characteristics, but also in their imagination.

rylee's imagination manifested itself in being a 'mommy', she was always cooking in her kitchen and playing with her dolls, or her little sisters! she has always been really artistic as well. she is a sweetie.

sadie is three, and she does art shows. she lines up papers all along the floor (doesn't matter if they are hers or rylee's), then she sets chairs out so that all the people can come and see her art show. she is adorable.

james has a huge stuffed dog that is in a sitting position, probably about 3 feet high. he rides it around like a horse, all over the place, with his cow-boy-hat on! he is precious.

lucas is our star. he shines like crazy! put on 'singing in the rain', 'make em laugh' or 'chim, chim cheree' from mary poppins and not only is he dancing away just like they do but he is mimicking the facial expressions, and the stances as well. he is priceless.

i love seeing their imaginations unfold, just as i watched their mommy and daddy's unfold. sam was our artist, still is. craig was our builder, still is.hence, a career in IT. amy was our musical and animal girl, still is. i guess amy was our dreamer and our collector. rach was our motherer (and a little bossy) and reader - still is (not so much on the bossy part)! i love that watching them with their imagination gives us hints into their futures.

i am grateful for imaginations - what a great gift from our Father.

a rainy day

it has been awhile since we have had rain (not counting yesterday, of course). i had plans to go to see my mom and sister, but decided tomorrow would be better. i love rainy days at home. rach has been working for rebecca in ripon and so i have been pretty much alone today.

and i didn't have anything that needed cleaning!

so, i ran errands (love browsing the used book store shelves, even though i didn't purchase anything), baked cowboy cookies (only ate a few), and made eggplant spread (one of my new favorite things). then i decided i needed to rest my aching back (which it has been doing since last night, but i had things to do!).

now, here i am catching up on my blog, and about to go and dive back into my current read.

i am grateful for a good rainy day that just allows me to do whatever i want to do. oh, and i like the rain that goes with it too!