Musings by Melissa

ARGH!  If there’s one thing I hate doing, it’s shopping.  Shopping for food isn’t that bad because I know what I need, and I know exactly where in the store it is located.  I can get all my grocery shopping done in 45 minutes, and that includes drive time!

It’s the other shopping that drives me batty.  Shopping for birthday or Christmas gifts.  I will never understand how people can go to the mall simply to window shop or browse for gifts.  Ack!

Because of this, I love the internet.  I do most of my “other” shopping online.  I don’t spend any money in gas.  I don’t have to fight the crowds.  I can read reviews to see if what I’m thinking of purchasing is of good quality.  And it is delivered right to my door.  What could possibly be finer than that?!?

You can buy books online.  You can buy CDs online.  You can buy cookware online.  You can buy birdfeeders online.  You can buy toys online.  You can even buy cigars online!

Again, what could be finer?!?

Happy shopping!

I’m sure anyone who’s ever travelled with a spouse on a lengthy car ride has had their share of disagreements.  Whether it be over which road to take, where to stop for lunch, or even what to listen to on the radio, most couples have had their fair share of disagreements.

But what can a husband do to help smooth things over?  Well, if he’s in Augusta, he could call Augusta florists. They could fix him up with a nice arrangement that might make her day. 

Either that or a quick stop at Walgreens for a bag of bridge mix might make a irritible woman happy as well.  After all, chocolate and flowers are known for their soothing effect on women!

In my last post I listed the things I like about the different seasons, but I’m going to elaborate a bit more on one of those things.  Fire pits!

I love inviting friends over and spending the evening in our backyard.  We’ll either roast hot dogs over the fire, or we’ll try our hand at making pizza over the fire.  Sometimes we’ll use the grill as well and make hamburgers or grilled chicken.

Now, we don’t have one of those fancy outdoor fireplaces.  We don’t have one of those metal circular grates.  We don’t even have a circle of rocks.  We just have a patch of yard where we’ve burned the grass away.  When I mow, I can mow right over it.

It may be simple, but the memories that have been made around that fire pit are some of the best memories I have.  And of course, all of them involve good conversation and s’mores!  ~grin~

Don’t ya hate it when…

You’re in for the night.  You’re all comfy in sweats and slippers.  You’re enjoying a good ______.  (You fill in the blank… movie, book, bath, puzzle, game, etc.) 

And it hits…

You’ve got a craving.  It’s not something that can be ignored.  It’s big.  It’s sweet.  Or maybe it’s salty.  Or maybe it’s both. 

You go to the cupboard. 

Peanut butter… nope.

Canned tomatoes… nope.

Bread… nope.

Pasta… nope.

You try the refrigerator.

Dill pickles… nope.

Milk… nope.

Maple syrup… nope.

Cheese… nope.

Argh.  This is when a food delivery company would come in handy.

And this is when I remind myself that I have a 14 year old in the house who will soon be working toward getting his driver’s license.  Ah….  A built in food delivery company!

From time to time I’ll get tagged in a photo on Facebook.  Sometimes these are current photos, and other times, the photos take me back to junior high, acne, lockers, and crowded hallways.  Other times the pictures take me back even farther to elementary school, recess, PE, school Christmas programs, and birthday parties.

I love noticing the styles in the various pictures.  High school pictures look so… 80s!  ~smile~  But at least we weren’t in bell bottom pants.

So, if you need a good chuckle, go check out some old pictures on Facebook.

No, it doesn’t belong to my husband.  His wedding ring is safe and sound in a box in the gun safe.  (Hmmm… that’s his story anyway…  )  And it doesn’t belong to me.  Mine is on my ring finger where it belongs.

But I’ve known two people who have lost their wedding rings.  The first was at a cottage while the newlywed bride was water skiing.  While none of us had no experience using metal detectors underwater, we tried our hardest to look for it.  But it remains buried in a lake of murkiness.

The other lost ring was my brother-in-law’s.  He lost it on a beach as well.  But this time it was in the warm Alabama sand.  Metal detectors came out again, but to no avail.  It remains missing to this day.

However, on a more positive note, my uncle once found a wedding ring.  The owner could not be found and so he kept it.

So, I guess that makes the tally: Lost 2 – Found 1.

One of the kids who attend our Wednesday night program at church suffered an injury this past week.  It’s not life-threatening, but it’s more than the typical bumps and bruises that are expected when a group of kids get together to play games in a gym.

This is the first “serious” injury we’ve had since I can remember, and that is a blessing indeed.  However, try telling that to the girl who broke her finger and now needs to see a specialist!

Thankfully her mom said she has good insurance.  I’m not sure if they have Blue Cross NC or something different, but I know that she is getting the treatment she needs. 

I’m thankful her injury wasn’t more serious, but I’m praying that complete healing will come quickly.

We’ve all heard it.  Oh, you’ve JUST got a virus.  Excuse me?!?  JUST a virus?!?  I may have a virus, but it’s certainly not JUST a virus!

After all, JUST implies that it’s not that big of a deal.  And I know I’m not going to die as a result of this virus, but still, it does leave me feeling quite dead.  A fever of 102.8 that lasts for days.  Oh, yes… that’s JUST a fever.  I know.  But it’s accompanied by the chills and the sweats and the achiness.  A throat that feels like it’s on fire and constricting at the same time.  Ah yes, JUST a sore throat, but miserable nonetheless.  Loss of appetite.  Ah yes, now you’re definitely sick!  LOL!  No, I’m not on a diet or trying to determine what is the best diet pill on the market.  I’m sick!

~sigh~

And so, here I sit.  Snuggled up with a cup of hot chicken broth, trying to keep warm and get better.  Waiting for the day when I can snuggle with my kidlets without worrying about them catching JUST a virus.

Now that Carl is a teen, I’m constantly being reminded of things I went through or experienced.  Or if I didn’t go through them, people I knew did.  Things like trying to plan for the future.  What do I want to be when I grow up?  (I still haven’t decided that one!)  Is college for me?  If so, what college?  What should I study?  Who should I date?  When should I marry?  Lots of big decisions need to be thought through during the teen years.

But the teen years can also be a time of physical changes.  With puberty comes changing bodies.  Voices lower (or squeak!).  Bodies develop.  Deoderant needs to be purchased. Maybe blackhead treatment needs to be looked into.

Mentally and intellectually things are clicking.  What teens always took to be true they often challenge.  (And I thought the “whys” were done when my kid turned four!) 

What a joy it is to watch our kids change from children into young adults!  Although I must admit, I’m glad I’m not the one going through puberty.  BTDT!

This morning I got a phone call from a good friend of mine.  She’s got some debt, and she’s working on paying it off.  She’s worked hard for the past year or so, and she’s making progress, but it’s slow.  But she finally got $1000 saved up in her emergency fund.

And then, disaster struck.  Oh, it’s not life threatening, but still.  Her car broke down.  Now she bought this car brand new seven years ago.  It’s paid off.  But it’s had its share of problems.  She figures she’s put over $5000 into it in repairs alone.  This time the estimate is about $2000.  Now, she’s got $1000 saved up.  Does she borrow money, do the repair, hoping this is the last time for a long time?  Or does she try to see what $1000 can buy her?

Running to a payday loans place won’t help her.  If she made enough to squeeze $1000 extra bucks out of a payday, she wouldn’t be in this predicament!

I keep reminding her that at least she’s got the thousand.  But at this point, that’s not very encouraging to her.

~sigh~

Decisions, decisions…  Glad I don’t have to make this one!