Katherine our toddler is about 18 months now. Full of energy, full of adoration for our dogs. We have two golden retrievers. Big fluffy slobbery frisky golden retrievers. While Katherine loves them enough to follow them from window to window babbleling and pointing and sighing and whispering "dog", she is perhaps a little in awe of them. They have a tendancy to lick her toes wildly when she goes out to play, and jump in circles around her. They seem to adore her too.

Lately, Katherine went to visit my friend who owns a basset-hound. An older extra-lethargic basset-hound. He just lays there. If you rub him, he'll roll over on his back and ... just lay there. If you sit on him ... he'll just lay there. Katherine is fascinated! He's smaller, with short fur, and seemingly no slobber!

I noticed this morning that Katherine has taken to walking into a room, laying down, putting her arms and legs in the air and just staying there for a few minutes. I didn't get it until Ron walked through the kitchen bent down and rubbed her tummy, "Good doggie"! I almost passed out laughing ...

I forgot to mention that this morning one guest called to insist that I tell another guest in particular to change her travel plans because THEY wanted to be the first to arrive instead! Heaven help me ...

(head shaking and laughing)

Trust me, its going to be ok. In fact, we'll all laugh about it later. And if I'm going to be laughing about it later, I might as well start laughing now!

In fact, I ... laughed ... so hard its a wonder I didn't hurt myself! You know how I planned the "surprise" family reunion for my husband? And some of them decided last week to "rsvp" the week before the HOUSE-PARTY even though they've had a minimum of 8 months notice?

WELL ... more have rsvp'd this morning. Kind of. ( I couldn't make this up if I tried) They were scared to call and tell me. So their plan was to tell their mother, who emailed her sister, who called my husband's mother, who called me this morning. Actually my mother-in-law called me last night, and just couldn't find the words. So she called back this morning and just blurted it all out fast.

And the part that made me gigglely-silly was that since they don't know that I broke-down and told my husband in order to get him on board with my to-do-list, I couldn't very well tell my mother-in-law "He's always right" which was the thought that kept running over and over through my head while she was telling me the details.

See, when I told him about the "surprise" and then freaked because of the late "rsvp's" and the rush to get to the t-shirt-printer in time to alter the order, he looked at me and said with a straight face "Get four extra shirts on top of the known additions" I told him that was crazy, I told him that I could account for the very few remaining relatives, I told him one would be overseas and one would be partying-hard-at-college and the other two had jobs that wouldn't let them travel at the drop of a hat, I told him it was ridiculous. He just said "Trust me".

I stood there at the printers last week and could hear him saying "trust me". I looked at the re-order form. "Trust me" I heard him say in my head. I thought about it. I thought about it some more. I remembered that he is always right. I ordered the extra-shirts! HAH! I will NOT be thwarted by these people. I will NOT!

When I told him this morning about the additional three people, he just started laughing. Its possible he might have muttered "I told you so" between gasps for air. Regardless, the laughing starts now!

Now its safe from The Moving Monster ...

No matter how bad you think your day is, it would be worse if you dropped ten pounds of flour in the middle of the kitchen. Don't ask me how I know.

I switched my little girls for the neighbors older kids in order to have real "helpers" today at the house-site. Rewarded them with a trip to the Chinese restaurent that their mother hates. It was nice. Everyone got soda, and whatever weirdo combination they wanted off the buffet, and a dinner-size plate of dessert, and I refrained from pointing out that every last one of them held their chopsticks wrong.

I'd like to say that I refrained because I was a puddle of relaxation and a font of serenity. In reality, I refrained because I have bigger things to worry about. Last night my husband said it would take a miracle for us to be moved in before the onslaught of relatives. He's a master of understatement and non-drama. Do you see why that might give me pause!?!

So I'm sitting there at the restaurent and notice that Ron has started a game of charades at the table, inspired by TheUpsideDownShow, with the condition that each charade be "something that can kill you". He's actually pretty good. They were all impressed that I managed to guess "nuclear submarine" without stopping my hand clenching and staring vacantly at the window. It further amused them that I guessed it in the same tone one might use to inquire if one's guests at tea would like another scone.

It drove them over the top when I said it was my turn. I resumed clenching my fist and staring vacantly at the wall. They guessed all kinds of crazy things, and then I told them my charade was "a tense Lucy". My sons looked at me and blurted out "thats not right, its supposed to be something that can kill you" ... the neighbors' kids laughed so hard soda came out their nose!

... when you realize that being Southern is like riding a bicycle. Sure, you might not "do" it for awhile, but when you really want to, it all comes back.

And, so, a "little charm and mental hair-toss" later (and a discussion of why drunk-rafting is wrong and why its important for my nailpolish to match the picnic-table-cloths), I saved about $450 dollars on the rafting package. Or, I suppose, I "saved" about $200 and got a $250 dollar upgrade for free that I didn't even know was possible! Which made the girls at the front desk gasp when I stopped by there this afternoon to do a "visual" of the picnic location and they saw the notations on my reservations. Apparently THAT'S not happened before ...

I'm telling ya, God is definitely taking charge of my reunion!

You know how there's that moment in rafting, when you've been floating along steadily and then the speed starts to pick up and then you see the rapids and you brace yourself and then you're sucked into the white-water and shooting along willy-nilly through the rocks and over the little waterfall? Well. Party-planning is like that.

By the way, I TOLD MY HUSBAND. I had to tell him. He was saying things like "Don't stress about it, we'll just move when we get back from the "surprise vacation". And "You don't really need the second stove installed before vacation, you're just going to have to be patient". AND "We don't need all the bathrooms to be finished before we move in". So I told him. And he laughed. A lot. And promptly "got on board my boat" as far as planning goes. Now he has a NEW exciting list of "what needs to be done by when". And a new appreciation for the scream that comes when I check my email and find ... interesting ... news. He did tell me that the best part of the "surprise" was watching me not-tell-him for a year. Apparently THAT really amused him. And now its really amusing him that he gets to watch me shoot-the-rapids-of-party-planning.

i'm not immune to treats. I love it when my husband leaves his change on my dresser and it has lots of quarters. For some reason it mades me laugh to drop quarters in my piggy-bank. Don't know why. Don't really care. Just like it, and like the fact he humors me.

I like treats in the form of small bunches of flowers. With dirt blobs still attached to the roots. Presented by small determined children who just KNOW I will appreciate that flower. And they're right. I do. Even if its a plant formerly known as a weed. I'm easy that way.

I've just discovered a NEW treat, and a treat coming out in October ...

I need a bumper-sticker. Heck, I need a yard sign. The size of a billboard. Maybe I need a tattoo! Wait. No. THAT would involve needles. I really hate needles. BUT I love Fred Thompson!

I've loved him forever, almost in spite of myself. (I'm a Southerner transplanted to the Midwest, so I knew who he was before RedOctober). How can you not love someone who's outrageously smart and funny and charming and conservative!?! Or, to be more current and blunt, how can you not love someone who thunks MichaelMoore on the head really hard without even trying!?! I'm ALL for smacking Moore!

"So what?" you ask. Let me tell you "what" ...

First, sorry its been so long since the last posting. I've been working 20 hour days. My husband had to go out West for a funeral, and we all know I don't sleep well when he's not here :( So, making lemonade out of lemons, I got a lot of packing done :) I know, I know, y'al thought I was already completely packed for the move. I mean I've been doing the "serious" packing. Like packing all clothes except for one light duffle per person. And breaking down the beds. For example, my husband pointed out "I can't get in the closet because there's a pile of boxes in front of the door" to which I replied absently "hmmm? Oh. Doesn't matter. That closet's empty ... "

The children are a bit un-nerved by this sudden shift in their reality. Which leads me to the first thing I overheard ... One of the boys asked Cassie where something was. She shrugged, tilted her head, and widened her eyes "I don't know. Maybe she packed it!" This is now the standard response to ALL inquiries for object locations.

As my husband was getting ready to leave for New Mexico, staggering in from the office at 2:00am to get ready to leave at 5:00am, he turned to me and said "I always have the best intentions ... *sigh*" in reference to the fact that Mother'sDay got moved a week for me so we can all celebrate together in a few days. Ok, so maybe THAT wasn't overheard. More just "heard". But I wanted to blog it because it made my heart sing. Did you really pay attention and get it? Think about it! He really does have the best intentions! We've been married forever, and he STILL has lovely plans for me. Even now when he's essentially working three or four jobs. If you think about it, THAT'S what women want from men. We don't want treats, we want them to want to give us treats. Everything else is frosting :)

Really overheard from random strangers, but it made me laugh to no end so I thought I'd share:

Stranger #1: Are you sure he's an architect, because I thought he owned a gay-club?
Stranger#2: I'm sure. Definitely.
Stranger #1: No. I'm just positive he owns a club.
Stranger #2: He told me with his own lips that he's an architect.
Stanger #1: Hmmmm. Because I really thought he owned a club.
Stranger #2: Too bad that he doesn't. If you're going to be gay, you should at least be entrepreneurial about it!

I don't know why that amuses me so very very much. But it does! I laugh just typing it! I would wonder what that says about me, but I try to stay away from too much inner-examining after I passed the sociopath test :P

Ok. My internet service is back. I don't know for how long. Maybe forever :) Maybe not :(

We'll see. Maybe time to post wildly interesting things later, like responding to Leni's Seven Random Things. Or posting about the atheist bimbo. (Which is a really good story I keep forgetting to post) Or FINALLY updating my sidebar. Or maybe just staring at a blank screen and thinking about how my baby-sitter (and the back-up baby sitter) are going to Florida together for several weeks. Just when I needed then most! Arghhhhh.

Yes, life is good when thats the worst problem I have :)

I saw Jack today. For the first time in almost 16 years. It was odd.

[Deleted long self-indulgent monologue]

And I shuddered, like someone had walked on his grave.

Sure, you know I'm a little neurotic. In the very best kind of way, of course. The kind of way that makes me an adequate event planner. But have you ever wondered just how deep the rabbit hole goes? Really wondered?

Well, last night at dinner I was asking my husband about desserts and he suggested oatmeal-raison cookies and chocolate chip cookies. At the same function. When he knows very well that I can not serve two "blonde" cookies and no "chocolate" based cookies. So "we" decided on oatmeal-raison and chocolate-mint. He just smiled and shook his head.

Perhaps you think that's as deep as it goes. But you'd be wrong. Because it just dawned on me that I need to choose an outfit for the dinner. Obviously something comfortable and "cooking-friendly". AND definitely something that won't clash with the tablecloths or what the children are wearing. Great spontaneous candid photos don't just happen.

Welcome to my world. At the end of a VERY long deep rabbit hole :)

Yummmmmmmm. Thats a much better intonation than Ommmmmm. It should conjure the most sugary treats in the very best possible shapes. Yummmmmm.

Yes, I've been ogleling the Williams-Sonoma website again. I find it oddly ... soothing. Especially the NEW! petit four plaque which turn out THE most adorable little cakes in flower shapes! If I were to get a special treat from Williams-Sonoma THIS would be the special treat that I wanted most. I'm just saying. Now or later. For what its worth. Christmas is coming. Someday.

Then I look longingly at the sandcastle pan, not to mention the railway pan. Although, the images on the website are nothing compared to the decorated cakes on the covers of their print-catalogs ... I find myself looking around thinking "hmmm, I should put sprinkles on SOMETHING" ...