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10) One of my on-again-off-again clients is on again. He got a nasty-gram from the Oregon Department of Revenue informing him he darned well better get his taxes filed for the last four years. His wife saw the letter and ‘bout had a panic attack. She doesn’t understand why ODR would care. “We don’t owe them any money,” she says to me. Well, Honey, you might not, but they have no way of knowing that. Plus they are likely to ding you like crazy in penalties simply for neglecting to file for the past four years. The bad side of this is I have been working 50+ hours a week trying to get them caught up. The good side is, our savings account will be nice and fat going into the holidays.

9) I am so very ready to put my lawn and gardens to bed. Yea fall!
       
8) I am thankful to have a few friends in my life who really get me. Friends who understand where I’m coming from even when my words don’t come out right are so rare and valuable. True kindred spirits are out there. When you find one, you don’t have to worry about losing them, they just become a part of your life forever.

7) Liam’s latest thing: Whenever we tell him he needs a bath he’ll say, “Smell me, Mom (or Dad).” Except that it comes out sounding like, “Sell me, Mom (or Dad).” And I can’t help but think each time he says it; we’ll never get any takers. We’d have to pay someone to take you, you little twirp.

6) My sister, Karen, recently posted online some pictures of my grandparents’ old place. Whoa. Talk about nostalgia. It is so funny, because they lived in the tiniest little house, and we used to all go there for Sunday dinners and holidays and the like. The main floor of their house couldn’t have been more than 1000 square feet (and probably less), but all their kids, kid-in-laws, grandkids and assorted friends would jam in there, at times more than 24 of us. I tell you, it must have been standing room only. Ahh. Good times.

5) I woke this morning without a headache. This is a rare, but good, thing.

4) No two women in the world are shaped alike. Apparently many women my size have boobs much larger than mine, boobs which have gravitated downward over the years. That combined with the fact that I’m not very tall in the first place, makes darts and shaped seams in ready-to-wear clothing a complete joke. Unfortunately that means I am doomed to wear shapeless, tentlike items of clothing which are oh, so flattering. Joy. The solution is, if I really want it to fit, I must make it myself. What can I say; I’m working on it, but tailoring clothing is tricky business. The failures seem somehow to outweigh the successes. I shall endeavor to persevere.

3) Coffee = elixir of the gods.

2) Today is Sunday. I am putting Pizza Soup in the slow-cooker this morning and then curling under my latest quilt project to handsew its binding and watch football. I also have some buttons to sew on a shirt for CJE. I’ll keep my Kindle within reach for when I get both of those done. I would say I would nap in the afternoon, but my little boy is determined none of us shall nap, least of all himself. I’m sorry if the NFL turns some of my readers off, but I love it.

1) If you could stop everyone from misusing/overusing one word in the English language, what would it be?

(For me it would be “awesome.” I hear this word used in regard to a whole lot of things that might be great, they may be super, they might even be phenomenal, but they are not really awe inspiring. Very little in this world is truly awesome. The panoramic vista of God’s creation inspires awe. The miraculous perfection of a newborn’s tiny hand is awesome. My car, while fantastic and something I am crazy about, is not awesome. Meeting a friend for lunch would be fun, it might even be great fun, but would it really be awesome? It would be nice if people understood the difference.)

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10) I really admire people who write on their blog every day. Wow, what dedication. I can’t imagine how that works as I never have enough time on my hands to give any one thing that much attention. My son and my work pretty much have to duke it out for the top spot.

9) It is amazing what a little love can do.

8) I am truly puzzled by the current backlash in this country against teachers. We don’t want our children to have the brightest and the best teaching them. We just want what minium wage can get us because we don’t care if our kids are smart and succeed and become productive members of society. Have I got this right? Wow. We are a lot stupider than I gave us credit for.

7) It is my day off. The sun is shining. My son is definitely on the mend. I’m feeling loved. Life is good.

6) In the grand scheme of things, does it matter if my son wants to eat lunch-type food for breakfast? As long as he eats a decent, well-rounded meal, right? Who cares if mac-n-cheese, an apple and a glass of milk are not someone’s idea of breakfast?

5) I am registered for Quilt Camp! Color me happy! I have so many projects in the works right now. I can’t wait to get up to the lodge and set up my machine and immerse myself in my craft. It is a beautiful setting in the Cascades, and I will be surrounded by like-minded people . . . what’s not to like?

4) Where do my days go? Time goes by so quickly. Here it is March already and my list of things to do is not dwindling. If anything it is getting longer cause I don’t have sense enough to quit adding to it. So the answer to the question is: “Yes, I do make my very own brand of trouble for myself, but only because nobody else will do it for me.” I guess the good news is the list does change, it just doesn’t shrink.

3) I found the yummiest recipe for Tilapia with Hash Browns. I didn’t find it to be too complicated or labor intensive. I have never been the best in the kitchen with fish, but I’m telling you this recipe is foolproof. The recipe is from the Food Network kitchens and if you Google it, it will come right up. It is beautiful coming out of the oven, so makes a nice dish for company as well. Do cook the hash browns on the stove top in a non-stick skillet until they are as crispy as you want them. I did this and then slid them into a regular skillet for the oven time as my non-stick is not oven-proof. The oven time on the recipe is OK, the stove top time is off. Those hash browns take a heck of a long time to get crispy.

2) CJE built me a wonderful little shelf for my office recently. It is not fancy, but it is made to order and perfectly houses my printer and CPU. I love it cause it cleared so much space on my desk. I am all for changing up my space if it means getting the most efficient use of it. I love my office which is good cause I spend a lot of time here.

1) If you were to suddenly find out one work of fiction was actually true, what book would you choose?

Mine would have to be any one or all of Anne McCaffery’s Pern series. I want to ride a dragon!

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10) Prayers for the people of New Zealand. The images of destruction and death in Christchurch are horrible.

9) “Mom, you’re bustin’ my chops.” Liam’s latest. Cracks me up, although my husband says it’s disrespectful. I suppose it is, but it made me laugh anyway.

8) Because I have no preconceived notions about where Liam should be on the learning curve, I am absolutely delighted when he displays new talents. This week he has figured out how to identify and spell his own name. He can’t write it yet, but he can point to the letters, call them out and he knows it spells “Liam.” Too cool.

7) I am so looking forward to this weekend. Liam and CJE are heading off today to spend a few days at Grandma’s house. After a week of Liam being sick, then a week of me being sick, and then a weekend of CJE only coming home to sleep, I am so very ready for a break. Thankfully CJE’s mom is only about a three-hour drive away, and she loves having free-rein with Liam.

6) Work. Work. Work. It is hard to work when my little one is sick. It is hard to work when I am sick. Therefore, I am two weeks behind and struggling to catch up before month’s end. I promised CJE I would not work the whole time this weekend.

5) Firefly. Nathan Fillion and crew, you rock.

4) A friend of mine posts photos of her children on facebook all the time with no clothes on. For some reason I find this offensive. Why must I see these otherwise cute children in bare skin and  saggy diapers? Don’t your children have clothes? There are tons and tons of really cute kids' clothes in stores everywhere. Liam even has some very cute, clean castoffs I could give you that would probably fit your kids. No wonder they are sick all the time, they are likely freezing. Without clothes on you’d need to keep it about 80° in your home for them to be warm enough to trot around all day in their altogethers. You post all these pictures of half naked children in diapers. Nasty. Where are their clothes? Get them dressed.

3) Spring really is coming.  I took a brisk little stroll around the yard over the weekend and many bushes, tree and flowers are budding and ready. Tulips and daffodils are poking through. This morning their little heads have a dusting of snow on them, but they are hardy . . . they will keep on coming and soon the sun will have some warmth in it for them. I am so very ready to get out there and dig in the dirt.

2) I am a little bit proud of the fact that I don’t use the word “hate” much. There are things and situations and even people in this world that I have a strong aversion to, but not much that I can honestly say I truly “hate.” That being said, I hate coats. I have never found one that looks as cute on me as it does on the model or the damn hangar for that matter. Because I am a short, round person, it just seems adding another layer, especially a bulky one, just makes me look rounder. Blech. No, thank you. Besides, I carry around enough insulation that most of the year I don’t really need one anyway.

1) If I asked you to name your all-time best song, which would it be? I don’t want the one that made the most money, I want the one that most deeply touched your heart/changed your life.