In case you were wondering ... Its not a good idea to slather your hands in Morning-Glory-hand-sanitizer and then absent-mindedly use your finger to try to dislodge a blackberry seed wedged between your teeth. Gah!

I have a slight fever, part of the sinus infection which is just enough to make me whiny and sleep-deprived. Last night, after a trip to the bathroom for tissue and nose-spray, I laid back on the pillows gingerly ... grateful for the dark and the possibility of an hours sleep before the next trip for tissue and nose-spray. Thats when it happened!

I was attacked by a Tap-dancing Hairless Rat.

There was a lot of flailing and garbled screaming choking sounds. Then there was some giggleling sounds. Those weren't mine. So. At that moment I realized I was being attacked by a little girl.

Well. Maybe "attacked" is the wrong word. See, I was on my husbands side of the bed because it shortens my endless trips for tissue and nose-spray. It was really dark, and Cassie is REALLY quiet, so she crept super-quietly to Daddy's side of the bed to wake him up to get her some milk. She knows to wake Mommy with gentle-but-firm-earthquake-shakes, but she wakes Daddy with crazy-tickle-fingers!

It is ... ill-advised ... to wake Mommy with crazy-tickle-fingers!

Yes, I know that its good for children to have some choices. Yes, I know that sometimes they will get money for their birthday and Christmas. Yes, I KNOW that its important to let them spend their own money as they will so they can learn from the experience.

However.

I also think its good for me to guide them somewhat before they fritter their money away on a DarthVader-voice-altering head-gear that will enable them to find out what it would sound like if DarthVader said "oink". Or, more exactly, if DarthVader performed a relatively true-to-life-pig-sound. Which is more a wierd snorting sound that I can't spell, instead of just saying "oink".

So.

I consider it a victory of no small proportions that instead of THAT, Lee has decided to spend his money on Walker-SeasonTwo. I was so delighted that DarthVader will not be oinking at me from around corners and under tables that I made the effort to find it on sale (two-for-one) so that Lee will actually be getting both seasons Two and Three! An opportunity to teach shopping skills AND an opportunity for lots of fervent hugging. Win-win-win-WIN for me :)

Nothing good is coming when you notice that your 30-something stay-at-home-mommy-friend has started listening to Avril Lavigne. I'm just saying. For those of you that were confused? THAT is a bad sign.

And if she follows it up with black nail-polish? You'll need to be staging an intervention.

Hey, Steve! This is for you. Yeah. You. Steve.

Well, maybe not just Steve. But I know more guys named "Steve" than anything else. Maybe its really for guys named "Steve" and "Bob" and "Bill". Definitely not for guys named "Daisy". (I figure there aren't very many of those) (Can you tell I've been shopping the pre-printed "name" merchandise clearance at Hallmark?)

Anyway. There are things your wife won't tell you. Specifically, there are things she won't tell you but that she'll call and tell me. As her friend, it is my job not to betray her confidences. Or to treasonously offer comfort and-or cookies to the enemy.

BUT ... I feel its in everyone's best interest if all the husbands out there consider the possibility that just maybe its not a good idea to ignore their wives with the idea that you can make it up to them later. They may not be there later. I'm just saying.

And, Steve? This is SO for you :)

Yeah, yeah. I know this is an "island of sanctuary" in an ocean of internet-bitterness. You know what? Its not working for me today. Well. Kinda. I mean, its not like I have any REAL problems. I'm just feeling a little ... whiny. Or, more accurately perhaps a tad psychotic (in a non-clinical sense).

The holiday visits did not go as well as they might have. For the first time, as we refused to travel this year and others schedules were complicated and shifting right until the last moment, we had tons of both family here at the same time. Except for Sam, who fled my mother's impending visit the way some people flee hurricanes. Ironically, she's on a "real" island with palm trees and parrots and a steel-drum-band. I know because she called to tell me she loved me. And that she's sorry its 9-below-0-with-wind-chill here. Then she laughed manically. At least they mailed presents. Sam (and her mother) both have the knack for the "cool" gift. Not expensive, mind you. Just ... right. Each of the kids got a "perfect" gift, very obviously specific per child. The kind of thing that makes you blurt out "Wow, thats exactly what I never knew I've always wanted!" I miss Sam.

I also miss a lot of my stuff. Apparently the passive-agressive-visitors amused themselves by misplacing all the things they could move. And in the kitchen especially, thats a lot of stuff. For example, I have no idea why there's a five-pound sack of flour in the first-aid-box.

I think I'll be feeling better soon. My husband knows that nothing restores order faster than a little pet project for me. So, ever so willing to accomodate me, he mentioned casually the other day "I think I want to have an office holiday party here next year if we can have the house totally finished by then. Seriously." I snapped out of the slump, the bitter agony of defeat at the hands of nervous crazy relatives forgotten already as the lists started solidifying out of thin air! Then, victory! Almost too late, but not quite! Still time to cruise for additional serving pieces buried among the dreck of holiday clearance!

We've decided on a Halloween party. For several reasons. Last year, no one had a Halloween party. Also, we can have the actual party a few weeks early. It'll still be daylight longer, the weather will still be good, and we have a great wrap-around-porch. Besides, it works with the decorating. My entire first floor is taupe. (with black, white, teak accents) so all I need are a few touches of tangerine-orange-silk and I'll be ready to go! Then, how easy is Christmas! Just switch the "orange" for "red" and I'm done!!!!! Ok, and add a tree. I refuse to be one of those people that have a "Halloween Tree"!

No matter what I get for Christmas, it's going to be OK. I can get crazy-weird-bizarre-useless gifts from absolutely everyone (shout out here to warn people about the evil that is Olay body shower bath ribbons -- just don't go there) and I won't care even the teensiest bit. BECAUSE ...

I have aquired THE most fabulous cake-pan in the world. The Petit tea-cake and candy mold pan from NordicWare! I saw it and wanted it SO badly. I saved my pennies. I went to order it. Gone. GONE! Went to Williams-Sonoma. GONE! Did wild and frantic internet searching. Gone GONE gone! Opened a random and otherwise yucky over-priced catalog last week and there it was! Not even crazy over-priced!

I got my hands on it last night. It is the most exquisite pan on earth. Perfect little tea-cakes, ready for the translucent glaze, in TEN different designs. The pan makes 30 little cakes at a time! Eeeeheeeeheeee! I am so excited because this absolutely MAKES the tea-party upcoming for Cassie. You know what I mean? This is the element that pushes it over the top to legendary. I know its ridiculous, but I have a deep inner peace now. So not kidding. One whole event I can mark off the list as seriously prepped.

I'm not one of those people that think God is in charge of every parking space they get. However, I AM one of those people that think God can use the rare parking-space-moment for his will. And I'm thinking that perhaps he had a hand in that cake-pan finding its way to me. Who knows exactly what message I'm supposed to get from a cake-pan, THE cake-pan in particular?

Maybe he's saying that he knows I've been under crazy-stress lately, that small normal events have been eating me alive. Maybe this cake-pan is his way of giving me concrete example of "Don't worry about this one, I've got your back". Maybe he just wanted to see me cry for joy. Maybe he knows things are going to get bad quick, and I'll need something concrete to hold in my hands because I have no faith. (I believe, Help my disbelief) Maybe its not about me at all! Maybe he knows I'll use it to make attractive little tea-cakes for someone else. Maybe a hundred years from now, he knows my great-granddaughter will need it to make my great-great-granddaughter tea-cakes for Christmas! Maybe ... maybe ... There's no telling.

I suspect that there are miracles all around us all the time. Some small. Some big. That we can't see. That we don't see. That we won't see. I wonder about those. I cringe at the thought that I've been ungrateful for extraordinary miracles, taking them for granted, passing them by without another thought. Not seeing them. Too full of busy-ness and arrogance.

I know there are the big "obvious" miracles. The ones that are showy and spectacular and make people pale and giddy all at the same time. The night of Aaron's accident, multiple events of December 13th 1997, the eighteen wheeler that ran a stop sign and punched the mini-van across four lanes of traffic, that nurse at Sparrow, Lopa Kedar, Tom Shaner.

I just wonder how many of the medium "kinda obvious if you think about it" and how many of the small "not so obvious at all" miracles I'm missing!?!

I've almost forgotten how to blog, but not quite. We'll see how long I have internet access for this time!

My friend Paula made this last week for our homeschool group. Its beyond amazing! I just lifted this off her email so I won't lose it again. You know, I really need a "recipe" blog ...

Just when you thought my computer was safe ... massive lightning strike frys lots of things in our house. Including the server. And other technical thingys. Which are now repaired. Thanks to young entreprenureal techies who work nights and have mad computer skilz. And who are willing (God bless them) to climb the scary tower in the back yard (in the dark). They are SO getting Christmas cookies!

Realistically, Sweeps Week will commence on Monday!

Because I just know I'm going to lose this one. Again. For those of you that don't get Taste-Of-Home or Quick-Cooking, you are SO missing out! Chicken Corn Chowder With Cheese ...

The mystery of the chronic-weird-horrid nightmares is over. I'm getting sleep again. WooHoooo! Lucy-with-sleep equals excessive-posting ...

So, here's what we can all look forward to this week: Katherine's shoe vanishes in front of our eyes! Lucy poisoned by vitamins from China! Washable crayons are our friends! Olay is run by evil lieing liars!

Tune in this week!

When I panic later, remind me that I hid Cassie's birthday present inside the big black hard-sided suitcase in the the loft-closet over our bedroom behind the wall. Its a good hiding place. SO good I'll probably forget it.

Q) What has a 1000 legs and can't walk?

You know our rule about no "Christmas" before Thanksgiving and no "Christmas" after Feb 1st? Well. This has been a hard year. The Reunion. The Move. The Crazy Work-Schedule. The Houseguests. The Bathtub.

I need a little Christmas. Yeah, I know its like an alcohalic needing a drink before lunch. Could be worse -- I have no plans to buy "Santa" sheets for our bed. Yet.