TGIF; Goals, Shanking the kids and Other important stuff.

I am so happy to see Friday on my calendar this week…

After pressure cleaning Mon-Tues-Wed, by Thursday my upper body was crying. I felt like I had been juggling 4 wiggly baby dolphins while covered in olive oil.  The baby dolphins were covered in oil, not me.

So I changed my scenery and did some fall decorating yesterday. 

How cute are these?       

All I purchased was the green moss. I had everything else scattered about. So, I scooped up some fall and put it in a vase.  Maybe this will encourage Mother Nature…Please let me turn off the A/C!!!! 

I may suck lemons at algebra, but I can create some cuteness!!! And we all know what is more important right?   

 

Goals for Suz this weekend:

Work on scrapbooks. Lo’s 16th birthday pictures must be put in…before her 17th birthday!

Shank both children for not working harder in school the last few weeks.

misc. laundry and ironing.  yay me.

Grow 3 inches. In height please, not width.

Pressure clean the driveway and side porch.

Win lottery. Goshdarnit.

Solve global warming and enact world peace.

Hope to have it all done Saturday night, freeing up my Sunday for R & R.

 

Have you set any goals for yourself?

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****My thoughts, prayers and deepest sympathies go out to those families, friends & comrades involved in the Fort Hood tragedy. My Cuz Chris is there and thankfully he is fine. I have no words to describe how disappointing and sad it is when things like this happen…no words.**** 

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I wish for you all a safe weekend with those you care about.  Do something fun and worthwhile, but remember to always think of me while you are having fun. However, please don’t think of me while you are at the dentist, gyno, or a funeral.

Granny Clampett would have made lunch.

You know how animals have people instinct so they will know WHO likes them? Like dogs can sense who is a ‘dog person’; a cat will be drawn to a ‘cat person’.

Well, I am a dog person, a (kinda) cat person and I am also a turtle person.

Yep. I am a huge advocate for turtles. I feel so much sympathy for them when I see them trying to cross a busy street. I have stopped and waited out their slow crossing…much to the displeasure of the impatient nature haters honking behind me. “go suck lemons please”

Well, yesterday one of my turtle friends came for a visit. He must have heard all the pressure cleaning commotion and came over for a gander.

I think he actually is a tortoise. A Florida Gopher Tortoise.

Oops. Not that Gopher!

This Gopher!

Now, I can add him to the list of unusual creatures we have found in our yard. I don’t know though, is a tortoise unusual?

Maybe not, but these are:

A large Iguana.

A gang of goats.

A full size horse.

He is kinda cute, right? I think I recognize him from the fence line of our property. He was always on the other side of the fence when I saw him, and I would only see him ‘cause Cocoa was going bananas trying to protect us from him. Yeah, boxers are not exactly fierce protectors. But they can bark their heads off at a shelled creature with no defense.

Well, luckily HE found ME while the dogs were having their 12th nap of the day.

I did not want to just put him back on the other side of the fence because that would put him near a busy street. And no water. All turtles need water right?

So what is a girl to do?

This is what I did: I got out my yellow Playtex kitchen gloves and I put him in a basket.

Yes, the gloves were going to protect me from something…maybe dish-pan hands?

Notice I gave him some spring mix and celery for our road trip. I am always a gracious hostess!

I drove him a few miles down yonder to a nice wooded spot on a dead end street with a (water view) canal.

I was pretty proud of what I had done for this new friend of mine. Until.

Until I got back home and thought that perhaps I took him miles away from his family.

Until I got back home and read on the internet that Gopher turtles really don’t need much water.

Until I read that gopher turtles dig themselves a nice big burrow to live in.

Until I realized he would have to start over with his home and a new family.

Too late now for my second guessing!

On the upside, sometimes a fresh start is just what we all need…

not for me of course, but for any part of nature that I decide to displace.

WWTCHHD?

*what would the crocodile hunter have done*?

What would you have done?

ps. If you are unfamiliar with Granny Clampett or Gopher, you totally missed some good 70’s TV.

Housewifery; June Cleaver and I are practically twins.

The job is never ending. Just when I think I may have the inside of the house some-what under control, I am needed outside.

This housewife is winterizing our home, with gas powered tools.

Winterizing you ask?? I can hear you. Yes, we have to winterize in Florida.

This means, cleaning up the outside living areas in hopes of the weather cooling off and being able to spend the days/evenings outside or at least with the windows open.

I love our lanai/pool area. We really appreciate it all year round, but it gets the most use during fall/winter. This upper area is really nice too, we added lots of planting beds to give more of the jungle feel. The problem with the jungle feel? Weeds grow in the jungle!

Over the last weekend, I gave the girls an area to weed and a time limit too. I will be done with the rest of it by the weekend.

But, I get the greatest of pleasures, by powering up a pressure cleaner.

**cue manly grunt here**

arrgghhhh

I was getting gunk off the pavers…but my main issue with the lanai area? The cage top. It gets a bit uglified with a green cast and cobwebs.

But to reach this height, I have to use a ladder.

As I am climbing up and down the ladder with the powerful pleasure pressure cleaner, I am praying that I don’t end being the basis for a new show: “Weird Ways People Die”

Three things I learned:

1) When sand is flying at immeasurable speeds and hits your calves, it hurts.

2) The construction industry should seriously start investigating on how we can have spiders build our homes, cause I could barely get rid of the spider webs. They can stand up to my pressure cleaning? Then, I think they can stand up to a cat 5 hurricane.

3) The spider/cob webs over the main pool area? Will not be reached until I sprout wings.

Is this how most housewives spend their days?

What are bon bon’s anyway?

As I was finishing up my work outside for the day, I noticed something moving outside near the screen door. Who/What is that? One of my friends coming to visit?

More on that little adventure tomorrow.

J is for JoyJoyJoy.

Although there are some days I don’t feel the JOY…I still try.

It is all around us, if we look hard enough.

Some of my best joy moments come from the smallest clips of time.

Some of my recent joy clips:

As I was being a couch potato yesterday and I was searching through the tivo list, I saw that Coach had recorded a Dave Matthews live concert for me to watch…at my leisure. He knows what a special bond Dave and I have together.

And, yesterday I found some leisure. Double joy.

My little pig kitchen sign.

I put up inspirational notes. My kids update them for me…

They are quite funny huh? Funny brings me little bits of joy.

One of my long time dear friends had a ‘surprise’ baby last month. There is nothing better or sweeter than a new baby in the family. A surprise baby for someone who never dreamed of this, oh, that is just even sweeter. I love to hear the joy in the new parents voices and see the love in their eyes . Here, he and I are having a bonding moment with our fingers.

If you only knew how hard it was for me to NOT kidnap him. Such a challenge.

Seeing the Grandma tree, as it is flourishing, I get little bursts of joy. This happens many, many times a day.

Joy in seeing that my orchid is blooming again and that Bartholomew is making his own ‘green’ mask!

On Halloween, I had a day filled with little bits of joy…shopping and lunch with my girls.

Making “mummy dogs” and cocoa krispie treats with Linds; we finished the day by watching The Proposal.

I hope this week brings many more moments of joy for my family and for YOU as well!

Brought to you in part by: A-Z mondays.