Best Laid Plans...

I don't normally plague myself with a list....well...unless it is a grocery list, but this week I decided , that if I became organized. I might get a lot of jobs out of the way.
The list went something like this
 1. go to printer
 2. buy dress fabric
 3. buy shoes for middle brother (he's not really picky)
 4. Make 1 or 2 dresses
 5. Send out 175 newsletters with 5 stamps each.
 6.stitch at least 10 quilt patches
 7. Go with a class of 18- 2nd graders on a field trip.

WELL...I went to the printer 3 times, bought the dress fabric. Bought shoes twice (the first pair didn't fit right, so much for "not picky")

Got called to teach an emergency CPR class in a city 1 hours drive away. It was good pay so I took it.

Then I cut my finger...yup the knife

and the finger.

Got 3 stitches and made a mess of the nail.

Taught the class.

Went on the field trip

Did mail out the newsletters by Friday, with the help of a friend.

Made the dress, on Saturday.

The house is still a mess and didn't get any work done on the quilt but....

Happy Mother's Day!!!

Satisfied Saturday

I know this is not Thankful Thursday or Wordless Wednesday, but somehow
it stayed in my mind all day.
I'm satisfied, actually very happy that my replacement mixer arrived on
Thurs evening, maybe it's a refurbished one, but I love it.
I'm satisfied with the things I actually got done today, finished part
of a cat wall-hanging for an order. Photo is what it is supposed to look like
when it's finished.
I'm happy that we did not loose electric during the high winds we
experienced today.
I'm satisfied with only one tantrum/fit by daughter#1 today. Saturday is
the worst day of the week and this "smart" mother let her go to a
sleepover with the girls from 2nd grade at the teacher's house. Second
grade!...She did OK till she was disturbed and awoke from her nap before
she was ready. The screaming only lasted 1/2 hr and she did say "sorry"
later...we are working on handling Saturday emotions. We used to have
these tantrums much more frequently. They have been slowly disappearing
and we end up rocking while she works through her anger? sadness? only
2x a month rather than 2x a week.
I know some of the triggers, but sometimes I am a little slow. Today I
was sure we would see at least one, since she was low on sleep, but it
came after the nap instead of before. Another trigger is being off
schedule, but esp. the sleep.
I am encouraged when I see her make an effort to control the screaming.
Parenting is an ever-changing learning curve.
I am also satisfied that our paperwork is at least at the agency...maybe
even en-route to Ch*na.

I am satisfied that my quizzers are finished. Son#1 coached Son#2's and
they came home with a 3rd place trophy in BB division. Son#3's team
didn't get a trophy, but lots of valuable experience and also memorized
over 200 Bible verses KJV no less!...so trophy or no trophy it was good
for their mind and heart.

Yard Sale= busy day

Up and out of bed before 4AM with 14 y.o. in tow. Dear hubby loaded the truck while we grabbed peanut butter and molasses toast (very healthy, it was home made bread)
Set up by 6:15- forgot the plastic bags for the customers purchases.
Woke up formerly friendly husband...no really he was happy to bring them to us.
Met some friendly people, promoted adoption, answered questions, and sold some stuff...

$156 worth...

not bad for a morning of work.

A couple of older fishing type men stopped by and admired the fishing lures....one predicted that son#2 will be a millionaire by the time he is 24...and if he is wrong...son #2 shall give the man a call and he will make him a millionaire....gave son #2 his card and everything! We are still laughing about it, but it did give son #2 encouragement when people complimented his work.

People liked the bags, but everyone was looking for a bargain...the people that bought were the ones that asked about the adoption.

I was encouraged by the positive attitude from the people we talked to...we could have received eye-rolls and the like, but if they were there I didn't notice.

The other side of the day....while I was talking to customers my hubby called, "Does the washer ever just stop and not do anything when it is full of water?"  "Even after I unplug it for five minutes?"
"Uhhh, no?"  
"Guess it needs a new controller"

When we came home, hubby was busy with a washing machine sprouting wires out of the top.  He came to me with the camera..."can you print these out so I can see how it fits back together" 
"Sure honey"  but the printer is out of the one color we don't have....black will have to do.
A few minutes and a phone call later, the washing machine was together...after deciphering the blinking light error codes...the machine was ready to finish the load that soaked in there all day.

Oh and the new controller cost only $170 so we broke even today (?)

Oldest daughter...went to the garage to get a grapefruit and came back in "Mom, the washing machine is leaking water and soap all over the floor!"

We just needed to fine tune the settings, I am very thankful that the washing machine is in the garage.

We got the 4 loads finished before supper...I am so thankful for a husband that is willing to pitch in and help out....I still needed to run for groceries and of course Sat. afternoon crowds are different than 8 AM Thurs. crowds.

I was very glad to crawl in my flannel sheets

On Mon. go check out the fundraising pages and see what is left and you can look at the lures...needs more work on that page, but that's for another day.

Of Spelling Bees, Bible Quizzing, and Chinese New Year Parties

And also of Income Taxes, Grant forms and FA*SA forms.

I feel like I've been spinning in circles this week. This was the week I was going to accomplish all that did not get to last week because the kids were home from school.

Yeah well…

Yesterday we finally had the long awaited Valentines/CNY party at school. Big sister had ordered the menu Egg Roll, wonton soup, and dumplings. I used my veto power and changed it to eggroll, spicy chicken, rice and stir-fried veggies. At the last minute she remembered in inform me about the rescheduled spelling bee "It's this afternoon at 2" I was planning to be at home sewing by that time! But since she was one of the 4 finalists in second grade…I really needed to stay and see the results. The day was a good one

Most of the kids loved the food, the red envelopes were "neat" and SHE WON THE SPELLING BEE! It was just 2^nd grade but…


 
Tomorrow the 3 boys head to Phila. for Bible Quizzing. Big brother is a coach and the other two are competing. The passages are from Matthew, chapters 1-10 but they skip the genealogies. They use the King James version and answers must be word perfect. I hate watching, I get too competitive and that doesn't look good at a Bible quiz :^)


 
Last night we took our paperwork to the accountant and when he heard we were working on FA*SA forms he finished the 1040's by tonite! So glad the tax stuff is done, this year was dismal. Hoping 2010 looks better.

I helped big brother fill out the rest of his forms and actually had a lot of the info together because I was working on adoption grant applications. I can't decide if I am wasting my time applying for grants at the beginning of the year, maybe I should be working on the quilt orders I already have. Those forms take a lot of time! Each one asks for your financial info in different break-downs, one considers your phone bill as part of your utilities another wants it listed separate.

Maybe I'll just curl up in a chair and read my new book "Parenting is Heart Work" by Dr. Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller. It sounds like such a good book if I could only stay awake!


I'll add a picture of Little sister learning to blow bubbles