I Like the Fireworks

     It's hot outside. In case you haven't noticed, we're having a heatwave. Heat makes me sweat. I don't like to sweat, unless I'm exercising and even then it's one of my least favorite things about exercising.
     July is the hottest month of the year here in Utah, although August isn't exactly cool. And if I remember correctly last September was pretty hot.
      For me getting through the summer is a mind game. I tell myself that as of June 21, the summer solstice, the days are getting shorter, even if you can't tell. Yay! And if I can just make it to a "ber" month I can survive the brutal, coma inducing, sweaty, miserable, hate them, days that are summer. 
       Now I don't want you to think I have a bad attitude about summer, so I will tell you what I like about this time of year........I like the fireworks.

I Confess, I'm Mustardless!

     Here we go again. A new week to try and get done all the things we didn't get done last week. It feels like I fall further and further behind all the time. I did get my pantry cleaned out and worked on the cold storage room in the basement. I can't believe how much junk we had in there. It's embarrassing. I'm glad you didn't see it.
     I'm also glad you can't see the mess that is my garage refrigerator. Someone spilled something red in one of the door shelves and now it's all dried and sticky. Why is it when something gets spilled it seems as if it's always red, red punch, tomato sauce, etc, etc. I love having a clean fridge, but I hate cleaning them out. All those unidentifiable leftovers that no one ate, it's like a scene out of some kind of sci-fi movie.
      I live in fear that someday those leftovers are going to come alive and then watch out.
      Doing these simple chores also proves that I need to go shopping. As a mother, there are certain things you just have to have on hand. How I can be out of mustard is beyond me. We always have mustard. How did this happen? Don't tell anyone I'm a mustardless mom. I'm so ashamed.

One of Life's Greatest Mysteries!

     What is it about the sight of an empty toilet paper holder that sends anyone over the age of four running in fear from the room they just spent time in? They escape as fast as they can, leaving the next user to deal with the issue of an empty roll.
     I know these people are capable of putting on a new roll because as children they managed to unlock any and every child proofing lock I ever bought within 24 hours of installation. I even had one for the fridge that was this huge piece of sticky Velcro that I had a hard time opening. I watched in disbelief as my daughter pushed a chair to the stove, climbed onto the stove, got a wooden spoon out of the crock I kept there, then pried the tape open and helped herself to the can of chocolate frosting that was in there.
      So I ask, why can't anyone who shares my DNA ever put a new roll on the holder? It is one of life's greatest mysteries. 

What Does the Future Hold?

     I wonder about the future generations of our country. I wonder about our country. What will the sense of entitlement that so many people seem to harbor bring about? Are we raising kids that think everything should be handed to them on a plate with no work or effort involved? Where is this attitude going to get us in another 25 to 30 years?
     I know my kids would be considered spoiled by some people and I have to agree.
     They seem to think that as long as I have my ATM card there is money available for them to try to spend. I have assured them that that isn't how it works.
     Years ago my son was asked what his dad did for a living. He told them, "He goes to the dairy and fills his money pouch with dollars and comes home." We had quite the laugh over that one. I don't know what he thought his dad was doing the other 16 hours of the day because at the time his dad often worked sixteen and seventeen hour days. That's what happens when you are self-employed.
     I don't know that today's kids can work that hard. They seem to be geared to work easy, maybe they are willing to work long hours, but not too many of them want to do the hard physical labor of past generations.
     So many of our jobs no longer exist, they've all been sent out of the country, will there even be jobs available in 25 years? What does the future hold for them? I wonder.

What We Did On Our Weekend Away

     So the hubs and I went away for the weekend to celebrate our anniversary and all I can say is we have VERY different ideas about what constitutes a celebration.
     Here's my ideal weekend away. Get to the hotel, relax enjoy that there are no kids bugging you to find their socks, or to make them Top Ramen, or that they aren't getting their turn on the X-box, etc, etc, etc, to infinity. Go out for a nice dinner and then go back to the hotel and watch something you've been planning to watch for the last three years and just haven't been able to.
     Sleep in our own queen-sized beds without anyone hogging anything, or burping in your face. I know that doesn't sound romantic, but when you have been married as long as we have and shared a bed with ten kids over the years you come to appreciate the space.
    If I had had my way we would have slept in and then gone for a nice breakfast and maybe to walk around the mall, or to a movie, even a drive in the mountains. The hubs idea was to stay at the hotel for the free breakfast and then back to the room to watch sports on TV and when that was done to watch the last half of six different movies because the guide for their HBO was off on their times, and we couldn't figure out what time they actually started. Then, of course a long nap, followed by more sports. We did go to dinner, I was hoping for dinner and a movie, we did dinner and then back to watch the hockey game or something.
     We did eat lunch at Olive Garden then drove around Salt Lake City for a while then back to the hotel for more of the last half of movies.
      I really wanted to see World War Z this weekend. I love all things zombie. I tried to talk the hubs into it, but it was a no go. My kids went and saw it while we were gone and loved it. What is up with that? They liked it so much they want to see it again, so today I'm going with them.
     Maybe next year I'll spend my anniversary with them.

33 Years and Still Going Strong

     Today the hubs and I are celebrating our anniversary. We have been married for 33 years. Oh my!
     Only old people are married for that long and I don't feel old. What's up with that?
     And when you figure in that we dated for about two years before getting married...we have been together for a long, long time.
     My fifteen year old daughter said to me the other day, "Sometimes I wish you and Dad would get divorced, so I could have two different houses, but I know that's not going to happen." I had to laugh.
     The hubs and I have joked for years about divorcing the kids and running away together. I think that's a good thing. We love each other more now than we did when we got married. It hasn't been easy, in fact there have been times when it's been down right hard, but it's worth it.

What the Heck Did I Buy!

     I went to Walmart yesterday to pick up a few things, milk, bread, ice cream, dinner stuff for two nights, $192.00 later, I had to ask myself, "What the heck did I buy?"
     Does this happen to you? I could have sworn that I only spent about $100.00 but the amount kept going up. I even price matched. How does this happen?
     No wonder there's no money left at the end of the month.
     The scary thing is I could go do what we call, "a big shopping," that's where we stock up on groceries for the month, and now it would probably cost close to $500.00. I haven't done that in a while. It makes me cringe.
     The prices just keep going up and the packages get smaller. I wonder where we'll be in five years?