Random Crap

My poor, neglected blog.

I know I SHOULD write ... but I've been undergoing a bit of a lack of motivation.

Can I blame it on the fact that I seem to have lost my sense of smell? (Stupid allergies/cold/sinus infection)

I feel disgusting, since I have to blow my nose, like, ALL THE TIME. And, most of the time, I can't smell anything.

Depressing, much?

How'm I supposed to be able to tell if my breath is rancid??? Ew.

Housework has been ... well, less of a priority than it should be. As you can tell by the PILE of fresh-oh-I-had-to-do-laundry-since-we're-almost out-of-underwear pile of laundry now ensconced on the couch. And the pile of I-am-ignoring-these-SHHHH!-You-can't-see-them dishes in the sink and on the counter.

Hey, at least I totally emptied out the catbox. Because I could actually SMELL that. But I was only able to start smelling it HOURS AFTER I had scooped out the nasty stuff. (*hums* Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are we feeding you?)

Michael feels confident about his performance on his PE exam (not P.E./Phys. Ed. ... This exam, when passed, makes one a LICENSED engineer) ... So, we just have to wait until he receives his score. Which should be June/July.

(Though why it takes TWO MONTHS to grade a Scantron sheet is completely beyond me. I've had Scantron-sheet test results returned to me within minutes ... but Michael surmises that it takes so dang long for the people to grade the test and take care of all the necessary paperwork.

Or something. Who knows? (Hint: NOT ME.)

This weekend, we went to the Oregon Garden for the first time. Since it was a special Earth Day celebration, there was no admittance fee. (We did pay for parking and for food from the booths -- we had strawberry lemonades and kettle and caramel corn. If we really wanted to splurge, we'd have also picked up some Yakisoba. It looked SO GOOD.) The kids had a pretty good time. They really wanted to ride the tram (usually the tram would be free ... the cost is included with admission. But, since there was no admission fee on Saturday, it cost $2 per person. And we just didn't feel like spending that much for a bus ride.)

We will go back sometime ... probably when more flowers are in bloom. ... And sometime without the kids. ... Then we'll shell out another $10 each and go for a tour of Gordon House (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright).

Sunday, during our Sunday School class (right now, Michael and I are in one of the optional classes -- Family History), while I was updating a few things in my family tree, I was looking for the exact death date for a great-uncle of mine (died when my Nana was a teenager). I ended up at FindaGrave.com ... and while I was there, on a whim (or so it felt. Really, it was inspiration, pure and simple), I entered my Pop-pop's name ... and someone had posted a photo of it.

I saw my Pop-pop's gravestone for the first time.

Another person had included his obituary, which was nice. I mean, I know little bits about Pop-pop's life before I came into existence. I knew that he was in the Navy. I knew that he was a logger ... and, as time goes by, I just learn bits and pieces of additional information. He almost DIDN'T get into the Navy because, as he was enlisting, he found out that he was colorblind.

He was a Seabee during WWII. I have his diary from that time period. Bless his heart, but I come by my sporadic journaling habits naturally. Most of the days in that diary are blank. ^_^ But, when he did write, it was succinct ... mostly mentioning where they went. (I really haven't travelled anywhere at all.)

... As I've been doing family history (in sporadic bits off and on since ... well, since I first went to a Family History center with my Mom. I think it was in Seattle), I do learn interesting tidbits.
One of my mom's grandmothers or great-aunts would dye her hair black with shoe polish, for instance. And, though she lived on a reservation, she declared that all her children were ITALIAN. *raised brow* I like to think that she lived as a character in a Spaghetti Western. :P

So, yeah, there's a plug for genealogy/family history. (Besides, it gives me a topic for some great conversations with my Uncle Steve. He's TOTALLY into genealogy. ^_^)

We're just waiting for our tax-rebate check to arrive. Then we can pay off stuff ... and have a little money again. That'll be nice. ^_^

We did splurge and go out for Chinese food during the weekend. Bruise actually ATE dinner. (We went to Panda Express. Everyone got chow mein. Bucket's kid meal entree was Orange Chicken. Bruise opted for Chicken Potstickers. Michael and I had three-entree meals. He got Pepper Chicken, Beijing Beef, and Kung Pao Chicken [I always want to say it "Kung POW!" ... like in the 60s-style Batman show ... that is, IF they were talking about [American-]Chinese food). I had Orange Chicken, Broccoli Beef, and Cream Cheese Rangoon (my mom's Crab Rangoon is better. But these were tasty, too.) (And we use the fake crab in ours, anyways. And they're still DELICIOUS. ... I should make them sometime.)

Wow ... I spent a WHOLE paragraph on food. That and, in passing, the fact that they boy actually ATE decently at a meal. (I was pretty impressed, I have to say!)

Besides that, I've been reading and playing on Facebook. Yeah, WOOOOOOOO!!! Be jealous of my wildly exciting life!!!!

I still haven't been assigned my HAM radio call number. Boo. I keep checking the page, though.

So, yeah. I'm just waiting on that. ... Not like I have a radio to transmit with. Or even a receiver to listen to everyone else transmit. No biggie. Maybe after Michael passes his test, we'll invest in one. We'll see.

Sooooooooo, yeah. That's most of what all I can think of to blog about.

Yeah ... I'll try and post some funny stuff ...

[Michael and Bucket playing together. Bucket has her stuffed purple racoon, which is nomnomnom-ing on Michael]

Michael: WHY is your raccoon eating me???
Bucket: Because she's hungry and you're MADE OF MEAT!

Another Pigeon-book title that's come about in this family: Don't Let the Pigeon Eat Hello Kitty!

And Bruise assures us that he can't kiss girls in Primary. And that if he kisses his teacher, her husband (the Bishop) will beat him up. .... He didn't quite come up with this on his own. IT was in conversation.

I need another weekend. Not like I get a big, relaxing weekend for a few weeks. Saturday, Michael will be going to the temple for an EQ (Elders Quorum) temple trip. The next Saturday, I'll be getting up at the butt-crack of dawn for the YW (Young Women's) Garage Sale (we have one fundraiser a year. This will pay for Girls' Camp fees this summer). I'll be there, in charge of the Bake Sale table. 6 AM to 4 PM. I'm going to be SO. FREAKING. DEAD. .... I have to wake up and GET THERE at SIX IN THE MORNING. *sigh* It's a good thing that I really love these girls. ^_^

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Another funny:

So, RIGHT before church started yesterday, one of my YW sat down on the pew with us. She and I were chatting a little. On Facebook, hers said that (through some application), I was her lover of the day. So I had responded with a Mr. Darcy line and joked that it was STRICTLY Platonic, or else it'd be against the Plan. ^_^).
She and I chatted a little in the chapel and I joked about being a bad example.
She leaned over past me and asked Michael, on my other side, loudly, "HOW DO YOU LIVE WITH HER????"
(She was joking a bit. But it was hilariously loud. Enough so, especially as people are quieting down for Sacrament Meeting to start, that quite a few people heard ... judging by the snickers and guffaws from a pew or a few behind us.)

Michael, with all aplomb, answered, "Very easily." What a nice man.

Okay ... I've managed to not murder my children as they're SO. DANG. NEEDY. ... And then my little boy breaks the ONE SLIDE that Michael has for his microscope. Ugh ..........

*headdesk.headdesk.headdesk.headdesk*

It's just one of those days.
One of those days where I start to think that I must be getting close to that devilcycle time when every woman rejoices and feels like wearing white spandex, dancing, and twirling -- maybe even in slow motion. At least according to those commercials.

*mutters* stupid commercials. stupid busy life.

ALL I WANT TO DO IS WAKE UP TO A CLEAN HOUSE AND HAVE HOURS TO READ!!
AND NO CRAVINGS!!

AND BE A SIZE 6!!

AND HAVE AN UNLIMITED INCOME!!

Is that really so much to ask?

Really, never mind me. I'm just a hormonal whack-job right now. Don't mind me. I'll be better in 7-10 days. Regular days, not business days, if we're lucky. :P