Journal: Nov. 19

Outside my window:  Blogging from the basement - no windows here.  But if there were, I wouldn't be able to see anything anyways.  It's dark outside.  Beautiful day today though - 60s, sunny.

Clothing myself in: Jeans and Black short sleeved shirt.  Like I said - it was a gorgeous day.

Around the house: I cleaned the OVEN yesterday!!  It had been awhile since I last scrubbed it down.  That is such a project!  Lots and lots of elbow grease to complete that task.  (It's 28 years old - no self-cleaning burnination here.)  Also, went through the kids' toys and chucked the junky ones (you know, the stuff that sinks to the bottom of the toybox and NEVER gets played with... happy-meal type stuff (although we don't really eat happy meals here much.)

Ruby: Super attached to her "YMCA" jersey.  I never thought I would have one of those kids that always HAD to wear a certain article of clothing, but I am telling you, if we let her, she would wear that jersey (a hand-me-down from her cousin) ALL THE TIME.  It's really funny to me.

Ira: Has been a bit of a pickle lately.  And by pickle I mean really, really hard to deal with.  Just being disrespectful and rude and physically confrontational.  And I haven't handled it well at all.  AT ALL.  Edited when I remembered this: On an upside, we had a humorous conversation today that I had to share:

"Mom, is there still slavery in the U.S.?"
"No, not anymore."
"But there is other places in the world?"
"Yes."
"Like where?"
"Hmmm, not really sure."
"Egypt?"
"I don't know maybe."
"And probably Nineveh.  Did Jonah really get swallowed by a whale?"
"That's the story."
"And do the people in Nineveh really slap each other in the face with fishes?"

Seriously - where does he get this stuff... is that in the Jonah Veggie Tales movie?  I don't remember it, but I'm guessing that's where he got that... And does anyone know where is Nineveh?  By that I mean, what present day country is where Nineveh was?  There isn't still a Nineveh right?

In the Kitchen: Don't really have a lot planned with the holiday this week.  And I just didn't sit down and plan it last night, so I'm flying by the seat of my pants for now.  I don't really like doing that though, so I'll probably have to plan something for tomorrow and Wednesday.

Bringing me Joy: Watching the squirrels in our yard.  I wish I could put a camera on their necks - I would love to see where all they go and where they nest.  Got my hair cut a couple weeks ago and it feels so much softer and more manageable now.  Watching a new episode of Castle.

Thinking about: Focusing my attention on the people in my life not the things.  It seems like my priorities have been a little off kilter lately - keeping my house/internet life up, but not really keeping up with my kids and their lives.  So I've taken to repeating to myself throughout the day, "people first."

Picture to share:

The only picture I took this week is of my oven... Hello my name is Michelle and I have a problem...