Happy Valentine's Day!

Sweet Victory...

Date: October, 21, 2009

Enemies: pollen, fingerprints, grubbiness

Objective: Obliterate the enemy

Weapons: Windex...

...paper towels...

...chair...

...soapy water...

...sponge...

...cheerful little helpers...

Allies: Big little sisters who can scrub, spray, and otherwise root out the enemy from their most overlooked strongholds (namely, screens)

Weather: not too promising for a day all the windows had to be opened, but hey, now or never.

It never did rain. :)

Morale: Good, because it was so much fun to watch the cat bird-watching. :D See her?

But the day didn't start out with good morale. One of the windows popped out. And whilst in the process of attempting to get it back in (HEAVY window), something fell off onto the porch roof. And while I was out getting it, our indoor cat decided she wanted to come out and explore the roof too. So I then had the added challenge of trying to keeping her inside while still getting the window back in....all the while balancing on a little blue plastic chair, with a 15lb window that REFUSED to click into it's rightful place. After finally completing THAT objective, I noticed the TOP half of the window wasn't in right either, and had to take it out and fix it, too. Can you say

h-e-f-t-y w-o-r-k-o-u-t!?!?!?

So morale had room to improve at that point, considering it was only my second window of twenty-five. :D

I was in bad need of a cup of tea.

But, by the end of the day--

Mission: accomplished

The enemy is vanquished for another season!

Melt, melt, melt

Had to post this picture of the kittens my friend Ernestina found in the barn out at the Orchard. They're only 3 weeks old, and the most darling little kitties ever! AND, we've obtained the permission of my dear father to bring one home! To replace our outdoor cat who died last summer. Provided, of course, they don't go wild and people-scared in the next 2-3 weeks that they have to stay with their mother. Which is a possibility. Will have to keep visiting them. *Sigh* oh well. The two in the middle are girls, which is my preference...and I'm leaning toward the calico. :)

How did I get them home?

I seem to have neglected, in my previous post, to explain exactly HOW I got 75 (finally counted) mostly heavy, hardback books home. A very good question, and one worthy of a blogpost, since I've been asked it multiple times since my last post. :) It was a puzzle for sure, and one that both Michelle and I brainstormed over for the few days left before my flight home. For starters, I had, in preparation for the booksale, brought a good-sized, wheeled carry-on that I planned to empty out and use for my books. A good idea, but it only held about 1/3 of the books. Super. And the only checked luggage pieces I had were a large rolling suitcase and a duffel.

Step #1 was to load the big suitcase to its weight limit. Fifty pounds. Weighing these big cases was no easy task either. We had to obtain the assistance of Michelle's dad and brother Jon to hold the case while standing on a scale. Then either Michelle or I would duck under the suitcase (pleasant thing, to have your head under a 50-pound case, held by someone who's grunting and saying "hurry, please!") and check the weight. And hope the scale was correct.

Shoes and clothes about did it for suitcase #1, without adding any book weight. Did I mention I did some thrift store clothes shopping on this trip too? Yeah. Really smart. I think I just have a mindset that "we'll get it all home somehow!" and pay more attention to how much I'm saving, then how I'm ever going to fly it home. I believe I'll call it optimism. :)

Step #2 was to find a bigger something to use as my 2nd checked luggage piece. My duffel was in NO WAY going to fit as much as I needed it to. Trust me, we tried many ways of packing it. I honestly didn't know it would hold quite as much as we got it to, at one point. But we feared for its life, as the seams were straining slightly, and opted for finding another...something. Box. Bag. Anything bigger! So while we were at the pregenancy center that afternoon, Michelle found a U-haul box that looked good and sturdy. And large. Then came the challenge of seeing just how many books we could pack into it, along with the rest of my clothes. This required several "weigh-ins" which were even more scary than the suitcase, since there were no handles for the patient luggage-holders to hang on to. But without mishap, we managed to fit another 1/3 of the books in, as well as the rest of my clothes. Michelle is good at this. :)

Sidenote: I did end up having to wear my clunkiest shoes. Which I do not suggest to anyone. Even if it means you get to fit an extra book or two into your box. YeOW!!! But just imagine our elation as we put the two pieces on the scale at the airport and found the weight to be spot-on!! Success!!

So that was it for my two FIFTY-pound checked luggage pieces. The rolling carry-on bookcase (not a typo) weighed in at 35 pounds, and my backpack weighed up around 20 pounds or more (oh yeah, my shoulders were NOT happy). And I had a small bag with what I considered to be a "reasonable amount of reading material"...3 books. :) Nobody stopped me (good thing...I think I would have almost cried... ;)), but I think I was just ounces and centimeters away from all the weight and size limits.

As for the remaining 1/3 of my books: Michelle shipped them home to me at book rate (not a bad deal!!) and all my treasures are happily together now, awaiting a sorting as I decide which to leave out and which to pack away. Decisions, decisions.

Oh, and I did have to find people on both of my flights to help me get that book case into the overhead compartment. One gentleman was sorta watching me test its weight (to see if it was at all possible to lift it up...ha ha) with this sort of "I just knoooow she's going to ask me for help...I'm already buckled in and settled...but she's still going to ask me for...oh, she did. May as well..." look. But they were nice about it. And I always found help to get it down too. Nice conversation starter for those I sat with. :) Probably the worst part of the day was the 15 minute walk in the Minneapolis airport from where my 1st flight landed to where my 2nd flight was waiting. All I could think about to ease the pain in my feet and shoulders was "goldfish, junior mints, a chair, and my book!" :) It was a happy 2-hour layover. If one can call layovers happy. I vote yes, because it was lovely.

So that is how I got allll my many wonderful books home.

Next time, I'm driving.

Right Mom?

Hearts Sprinkled Clean

"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'...And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom, and the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, 'Truly this was the Son of God!"

Matthew 27:45-46;50-54

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"He entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much MORE will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the LIVING GOD...

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful."

Hebrews 9:12-14; 10:19-23

Triple Daffi

Okay, look closely at the three daffodils on the left. Isn't it cool? They all came out of the same sheath. I LOVE baby daffodils! Well, all spring bulbs, really. But the baby daffodils are just so cute!!