No, He didn't!!!

Anyone that knows us well, knows that we do not shop at Home Depot. Usually, because Lowes has better prices, better items, and employees that are actually on the sales floor.

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The other reason that I do not like to shop at Home Depot is that Ed doesn't like me shopping at the "competitor." When I do, shhh, I hide the bags and the sales receipt. Otherwise, I get a talk. Sometimes our talk includes how well (or not) Tony Stewart is performing on the track. And, how much we hate #20. And, why, oh why, would we help him out.

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Once, when Home Depot opened a new store near us, Randy wanted to drive though the parking lot and spit on the ground. I am pretty sure, if I would have let them, Ed would have joined in.

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So, why am I writing about this?

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Because Ed went to Home Depot on his way home from work last night. And, he bought something. I caught him scrunching the bags into the garbage.

Please, Please, Please

You know who you are...


How to use Quotation Marks " "

Note that commas and periods go inside the closing quotation mark in conventional American usage.

Example:

He asked, "Will you be there?" "Yes," I answered, "I'll look for you in the foyer."

Colons and semicolons go outside; and placement of question and exclamation marks depends on the situation.

Put a dash, question mark, or exclamation point within closing quotation marks when the punctuation applies to the quotation itself and outside when it applies to the whole sentence.

Example:

Philip asked, "Do you need this book?"

Does Dr. Lim always say to her students, "You must work harder"?

Sharon shouted enthusiastically, "We won! We won!"

I can't believe you actually like that song, "Tears"!

The other ones

Here are Ed, Randy and Merdith. We were at the Zoo.

Summer

We have been busy lately. That is my excuse for not writing anything here recently.

I decided at the beginning of the summer to move the children's beds around. Randy had bunk beds, Meredith had a full size bed. They needed to switch because Randy's room needed to be used for guests. It is too hard to move the baby back into her crib after she spent a week sleeping with me. This decision caused a huge mess of obstacles.

No, not Randy throwing a fit because he has had those bunk beds for 5 years and I was ruining any chance of future happiness, which he did.

It was the list of things I need to do first.

Some of these projects I had started already and didn't want Ed to look at me funny.

With shopping for new bedding on my mind at all times, I needed to get some of those projects done fast.

In the last two weeks I have:

Made and put up a new shelf behind the TV (getting Tivo out of reach from Brenna)

Painted the front porch

Painted and changed the switch plate covers in the living room (took 4 years for me to get sick enough of the olds ones-they were gold)

Recovered the swing (made a new cover for the cushion and the awning)

Cleaned the workroom

Changed the radiator hose on my car (had no choice on that, the old one exploded)

and

Miscellanious things like changed air filters and light bulbs, cleaned light globes, and fixed broken toys that have been piling up in my closet.

I am sure I have forgotten something, but my brain is in shock and I just can't remember.

Yesterday, I moved the big bed into Randy's room and put one bunk bed in Meredith's room. The other bunk bed is going to be painted this week and put into her room when it is done, then I will paint the other.

In the middle of all of that, I did go shopping for the perfect quilts for the girls room. I can't wait until it is all done.

Don't worry though, I have another long list of things to do before I strip the wall paper off the kitchen walls and repaint. I won't get bored.

Brenna, the tease.

My Ears!!!

Does anyone else know the feeling? The one where your ears are about to explode?

School is out, of course. The last few weeks have ok. I usually like the kids being home from school. This is the first time we have had a break since Brenna has been born, that we have not be crazy busy. It is very different. Having Brenna share a room with Meredith makes it hard to have Meredith play in there. Brenna still naps at least twice a day. Having Meredith play in Randy's room causes them to yell at each other.

Gas is too high to go somewhere everyday. Last summer we went out several days a week, just to keep busy. Library, movie, to get half price icees from Sonic, we liked to go out. Now, those icees are like $10. This year, we try to cram it all into one day, which leave us bored for 4 others.

Those children of mine are starting to make me nutty.

Randy had cub scout camp this week. I was hoping for some quiet. Both older children are much better behaved if one is gone somewhere else. They are polite and play well by themselves nicely. I was thinking I would get something done this week.

Nope.

Meredith won't stop talking. Her new favorite subject is how she is so talkative, and why, and how nothing could be done about it. She follows me around the house telling me about it. She is driving her brother to lock his door and wear his head phones. His asked for earplugs yesterday. I think the cat is hiding from her.

I wish I would fit under the bed too.

The Ride, part 2

I checked Ed's blog this morning and saw that he wrote about our horseback ride. I have been meaning to write about it myself, but we have been spending too much time playing Civ 4 instead. And I mean instead of things like blogging, laundry, dishes, and even NASCAR watching. (Please no one tell me who have won the last two races, I have them on TiVo.)

So, my version of our anniversary:

I knew Ed was planning something, because he asked me to find a babysitter for Monday morning. While Randy and Meredith spend plenty of time at other people's homes, Brenna has never been at the "baby sitter's." I have only left her two times. Once for about 20 minutes, with my closest friend, and once with Ed's mom while the rest of us went to dinner half a block away. The times I have left her home with Ed are very few as well.

I called our close friends, (family) Bill and Jewell. They would be happy to watch my princess. I knew she would be well taken care of, Bill and Jewell love her as much as we do. Randy went with his friend and Meredith went camping with hers.

For a week, Ed had been giving my hints about what we were doing. I thought about hot air ballooning, which I was not going to do. I would watch, and take pictures though. I thought about kayaking, which I was sure what we were doing until the last clue. I was told to wear jeans or slacks. I had even thought about horseback riding, but I was so focused on the others, that I passed it by. About 10 minutes from where the stables were, I guessed right. There was nothing else around, unless we were going to go buy a goat, except trees and horses.

Ed's part of the story picks up here, with the paying and getting out horses. His was HUGE, mine was very nice looking and smaller. I thought about laughing at my good fortune, but Ed looked a bit scared so I didn't. We got the horses ready and went to the corral to practice. Ed was already there, walking in circles. It didn't look too hard. I went in, made half a lap, and my horse stopped. It wouldn't start up again. I try kicking it, pushing it, talking to it.. Nothing. Suddenly, she started moving. It turns out that she was spooked by a fox the week before in that same spot. I guess she was making sure the fox was gone before continuing.

Off we went.. I asked the guide what I should do if Maggie stopped again. She told me that Maggie liked to eat leaves and would try to stop, but I was the boss. I had to control the horse. Yeah right, I thought. This horse could decide it wanted a snack much more than it wanted to go for a walk, and throw me on the ground. I knew the horse was the boss, I was just hoping Ed's horse would push mine around the trail.

We didn't have any problems after that. Both horses followed the guide. We had a wonderful time. It was very beautiful.

When we left the farm, we got lunch. I was ready to get my baby back, so we went and got her. She had a great time. She didn't even cry. She is a little closer to saying "Bill" than "Mama," but I am still working on it.