Friday Ramblings

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Well, it certainly has been a while, hasn't it?  Don't you just hate following the blogs of inconsistent bloggers??  As summer break draws near, I'm wondering if this may be more the norm for a while.  It is hard to blog and take good care of your kids all day.   At least it is for me...

I recently had some internet issues that I thought were related to the 40 days and 40 nights of rain we had.  That may be a slight exaggeration, but I don't think so. ( The rain, not the internet issues.  Those were actually caused by the router.)  I'm sure y'all believe me about the rain.  Especially if you've seen Memphis and West TN on the news lately.  The Mississippi River finally crested here at nearly 48 feet--14 feet ABOVE flood stage.  Just a small fraction of residents-I think they said 10% of the area are directly affected-are dealing with flooded homes, but for that fraction, it has to be a nightmare.

The snakes alone are enough to get my shudder going.   Ugh.....  So thankful for my house on the hill.

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I found an old piano bench at a thrift store for 10 bucks.  It had been painted a putty color and had a lot of distressed areas.  I thought it was perfect!  I have been wanting a bench to sit near the front door.  Of course, I neglected to take a before photo (as I usually do), but look how awesome it turned out after I added a little barn door red paint wash  and some baskets.....

I love it!  And the storage area under the seat is just deep enough to hide the boys' school shoes, permission slips, etc.  The baskets are for each school boy to have a place for special items, watches, sunglasses, etc.

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One good thing I can say about the rain....FLOWERS.  My garden is looking lovely!  The lilies are popping out and spreading out.  Just look!

My crepe myrtle is filling out (see it in the background??) and I can hardly wait for the daisies to bloom!

 Daisies are my favorite...

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My little break from social media this month proved to be very eye-opening.  I learned that I waste a lot of time on the computer.  A LOT of time.  Now, I'm not saying that blogging here is a waste of time--quite the opposite.  And I do see value in Twitter, Facebook, and the various groups and message boards I frequent.  But....

Where do you draw the line?  I mean, I can literally hang out on Facebook reading and chatting and before I know it, way too much time has passed.  Wasted.  And yes, I can say wasted because a lot of that time is spent reading posts and statuses that really don't pertain to me, playing a game here and there, snooping checking into the lives of friends, old and new.....

All of that wasted time could be spent here, blogging and preserving precious memories.  Kwim??

During that small break, I got so much done!  I de-cluttered, read an actual book, played outside with my boys.....   all valuable.   So tell me....
Where do YOU draw the line?  How do YOU manage your time online?   I'm looking at some heavy duty time management and organizational changes in the coming days.   Tips appreciated.  Book suggestions and websites, too.

Confession......

(I'm a MESSIE.)  *blush* 

I was once very organized and neat.  Then I married a MESSIE.  We had five MESSIE children.  They broke me. 


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In case you need proof....

My little one made this mess in his room:

Actually, I took this photo AFTER I gave him a trash bag and had him clean up.   Ha!  And to think, he was SO proud of his clean-up job.

He has learned to love scissors.  He can't say scissors, so he uses the sign to ask for them.  So cute!  Obviously, I can't resist.   It's hard to turn down an opportunity to make that kid happy.

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Speaking of my little one.....

This photo was taken after a big party last night where he was the guest of honor:

Look at all of that booty!  But please....PLEASE do NOT call it booty in front of him.  He simply loses all control....   Just to clarify....He thinks booties are the most hilarious thing on the planet.  He likes to point at them, pat them, laugh at them....   and it will.not.end.  No pun intended. Heh heh.

Anyway, he received all of this stuff AND got to meet Buzz Lightyear (and some other really cool people, too) and this is just a tip of the iceburg!  I'll share more when I get the photos.  It's super exciting!  His joy was so complete that I couldn't help but tear up.

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After the party, that complete joy that overflowed, just kept flowing and flowing and flowing until this FINALLY happened:

At nearly 1:00 AM!!   He had to miss school because of his late night party.  Ha!  Notice the Toy Story DVD?  I think we watched it 3 times last night....

Oh, and meet Kobe, my grand-dog.  He's a huge puppy!  Isn't he adorable??