Raincheck (AND: a CONTEST!)

What does a girl do when the rain has been coming down for practically a week straight (or was it a MONTH?!?) and all your 'in-between', not-too-cold, not-too-stifling pajamas are awaiting the opportunity to actually be CLEANED and dried on a clothesline that ISN'T dripping? You wear big sister's knee-socks. It works surprisingly well, and frankly, has me wondering why leg warmers ever went out of style.

Speaking of rain~ remember the outdoor picnic I was preparing for that was s'poda be tomorrow? You know....the one I spent this week cleaning the house for? The one that caused me to traumatize my children and husband until 10:00 pm last night at Walmart? The one that has consumed my thoughts for months now? YEAH....that one.

I called it off.

WHY?!?!? Because tomorrow it is supposed to rain cats and dogs. Drench the world. The thunder is gonna roll and the lightning strike. Or so they tell me...

So~we rainchecked it until next Tuesday which

1) allows me to put off all the food prep that was supposed to be on the agenda for today. (good)

2) Forced me to call a gazillion people on the phone this morning. (that's bad.)

3) Will give me time enough to figure out a 'crafty' thing for the kids to do~making bookmarks, methinks. (good)

4) creates problems for some who were planning to come (bad)

5) requires me to somehow (I know not how) keep this newly clean home looking as it does now for a WEEK while still being a good Mama. (how? HOW, I ask?!?)

6) Allows me to blog. (good or bad, that depends on who you are asking)

Ironically, today is the sunniest day it has been in ages. Sunny and bright, and I called everyone cancelling due to rain....hmmmm. craziness.

In other news:

Adele' had her hearing test which played out much the same way as the last one. The audiologists machine doesn't work well with babies (says she, it has only actually WORKED a handful of times) and again, it picked up too much "noise". Whatever. She and I were both frustrated with it but likely, her moreso since she spent so much money on the machine. The results of the appointment were this: the audiologist said "You are on your fifth test now and some of those tests have shown hearing in one ear. Adele' is babbling and seems to be thriving and is very observant and responsive. I woud say just let it go for now. I can't keep bringing you here and not give you answers so why don't you just wait until she is about 2 or so and if you notice a problem bring her back. At that time we can do different things to test her hearing and we will be able to get more conclusive results."

She was very casual, not at all concerned, and not worried. Though I have been feeling those same things, when speaking to people, I was beginning to feel a sense of guilt and urgency. But she is a PROFESSIONAL and her professional opinion was very....FREEING. Liberating. and refreshing.

That is our Miss Adele's story, for those interested.

And now....to celebrate my unanticipated free blogging moment (with nothing to actually blog about because all I have been doing lately is cleaning, planning, cleaning, planning) : I will share 10 weird things about myself. Let it be known I am limiting the number to 10 because there are too many weird things about myself to list. I am weird. Plain and simple.

1) My eyebrows are practically non-existent but of the hairs that are there, my left brow actually points up in the corner. Weird. Freakishly weird.

2) A man from my old church said "oh! You have chipmunk ears!" and I never forgot it. I knew my ears were small but....CHIPMUNK ears?!?

3) I have a paralyzing fear of death. Death of my children. Death of my husband. And my own death full of pain and misery.

4) I pretend I am on a cooking show when I am in the kitchen. I've done this ever since I can remember, but now I have an audience in the form of children. When Corynn first noticed, she would ask "WHO are you talking to, Mama?" Now she just chuckles. They think it is a riot.

5) When I am doing the laundry, I always deeply inhale at least ONE of Matt's shirts. They smell SO good and I catch his scent even when he is at work.

6) I wipe the sinks down when I am going to the bathroom. It's the only time I can remember to do it.

7) My children often ask me to "read a story out of my head" in the car when we are travelling somewhere. Translated, that means make up a story. Usually, the stories are jagged and painfully void of interest (hey, it's harder than you think!) but the children soak them up like they are straight from Anderson's lips. But this past week, I think I found one that could actually pass as a childrens book! And I am going to try. which leads me to number....

8) I have always wanted to be an author. I'd like to be a writer of several different genres and it all started with my Opa, who was also an author. Though I wonder if this counts as weird?

9) When I was growing up, when asked what I wanted to be when I grow up I would reply "I want to be an author and a Mama. to TEN children. People would chuckle and say "is THAT right?!?" The weird thing is....the only thing that has changed about that statement is the limit I put on it.

10) I rarely paint my fingernails but when my toenails aren't painted, I feel naked. Seriously.

Thus concludes the self-inflicted limit of 10 weird things.

Which makes me wonder....do I have any weird readers out there?!?

You know what? I think this calls for a CONTEST!

Leave a comment saying one weird thing about yourself and the WEIRDEST will get a prize! (I don't know WHAT yet, but I promise it will be good!) I'll leave the contest open until Sunday night at which time, I will pick a name so I can get the prize mailed off on Monday.