7 Quick Takes Friday

1

I think putting cosmetic touches on the house this early in our "fixing up process" before putting the house on the market was a bad idea. For Christmas, we gave the girls all new comforters. Then the next week we painted the living room. The living room already has marks and a big chip where the baby was smacking a brush on the wall (the chip is actually from me trying to rub off the marks. A little wet paper towel and that paint peeled right off!) The comforters already have magic marker on them thanks to our resident 3yo Picassa. The next few months are going to drive me insane trying to slowly make things look nice while the destruction crew hides in corners trying to undo it all. Do you know anyone who would like to buy a house that looks really "lived in" for a price that says "Better Homes and Gardens"?

10

We're sick. Again! As soon the cold passes through all of us and we enjoy a day or two of health, it starts in on someone and we all come down with it again. This makes I think 5 times for the baby, three times for me and dh and a combination for all the other kids, since Thanksgiving. I don't know why this bugs me so much, but it does. At least the sun is out today after many many days of blah. It makes a world of difference in our energy and happiness levels around here.

11

I figured out the other day that my 40th birthday will be on Mardi Gras this year. Fun!! And much better than Ash Wednesday, don't ya think? (That will be next year.)

100

Last week's theme was OBO -- Operation: Bookcase Organization. I arranged the two tall bookcases downstairs by color, and left several shelves open for our nicer looking toys and some decorations. I don't know where ANYTHING is now, but it really looks nice! :) Now that I've taken most of the books off of the upstairs book shelf, and about 2/5 of the books downstairs, I've got a big pile of boxes in the basment. I took off mostly those books that I thought we wouldn't want in the next few months, but in going throught them all I kept thinking, "Do I *really* want to move this book? Has *anyone* ever sat and read it? Does anyone care but me, and me only because someone recommended it/everyone else raves about it/it's part of a trusted curriculum/I paid good money for it? I think my children never read half of the good books because there are so many books around they don't even really see the good ones - and that is even with me bringing out and showcasing different baskets of books. We can't see the trees for the forest. So (and this is turning into a not-so-quick-take, isn't it!!) I am really going to get rid of many of our books. Even if they are technically "good" books. I need to keep my eyes on my own work, on my own family, on our own needs, and what God is calling us to. It's pretty clear that God is calling me (and maybe all of us) to a life of simplicity, and having five huge bookshelves full of books is quite the antithesis of simplicity. So after taking to dh to make sure I wasn't just doing this in a fit of hormonal-headcold induced insanity, I'm going to give away a ton of books. Probably literally, from the feel of those boxes! :)

I'm thinking toys are next. Mwahahahahahahaha!!

101

My 95 year old grandmother is going to be the death of me. She lives several hours away but relies on me to supply her with things her other "helpers" (i.e. my dad) don't understand - like long underwear, tights, etc. The thing is, she is not all in her right mind anymore, and can't hear me on the phone. So I'm yelling into the phone trying to understand just what she means by "woolens" (ARE THEY LIKE LONG UNDERWEAR? DO THEY GO TO YOUR KNEES OR YOUR ANKLES?) and she has something very specific in mind and just won't describe it to me or answer my questions. Then, when I finally try to order something, I've got all these other voices screaming in my head that sound remarkably like my other relatives- "Why are you letting her do this to you? Don't bother! Did she call you AGAIN? Have your Dad pay for it! You spent HOW MUCH? She's not going to like any of it and she's just gonna give it away to a neighbor who'll throw it in the garbage. How am I supposed to know what she's talking about? Why can't she just wear a lap quilt like a normal 95 year old ? (OK, those last few are mine. *blush*)

But really all I can think of is, "This poor woman says she's COLD. I need to help her stay warm whatever way she'll comply with."

110


It wouldn't be 7 Quick Takes Friday without a question for my readers, now, would it? Here's todays: I've never had a problem with my weight until now. Baby weight would peel off under the crazy allergen free diets. Well, Jeffrey is tolerating food better, and is still nursing so I'm hungry alot - but the weight has come back on and seems to be staying. Thing is, it's almost all in my belly - that "pooch". I've heard that's from an excess of cortisol - which is from stress, so I can totally believe it!! Here's my question (finally, right?) -- is there anything specific to do for that kind of weight issue? If you reduce the stress and the cortisol lowers, does that weight disappear or are you stuck with it until you diet/excercise more? Share anything you know!

111


I'm a math geek. 1010 points to the first person who understands my numbering system for this 7 Quick Takes. :)