The best laid plans can be easily thwarted.

Nope, I don't think so!  Last year I went on a rare garage sale hopping adventure and I actually came up with a few true finds.  One was promptly buried when it got back home to my house…a hazard of hoarding.  When I was moving things around in my office, cleaning and purging, I unburied a book…Confessions of an Organized Housewife, by Deniece Schofield.  NOT that I had any plans of actually reading it, but it was kind of like my own secret, private joke.  I, the mistress of the disorganized.  The cover looked so quaint and simple…  Is that a cord attached to a telephone?  Upon further investigation, I found that this edition was printed in 1984, so it is just slightly older than my #4 child, Lizzie.  In the intro, Ms. Schofield writes: "If you're like me, you not only need motivation to get going;  you need to know exactly what to do.  This book will do both.  It's packed with ideas that will help you take control of your own house." That's it!  I want to take control of my house!!!  I know I have mentioned being a fan of the Hoarders shows – Hoarders and Hoarders: Buried Alive – and determined that I didn't want inside pets or to leave my children with a major mess if something were to happen to me.  So…on occassion, I will take time

I have not owned a swimming suit for years!

Be careful…so will you! The $2.99 Special We recently went to breakfast at a restaurant where the "seniors' special" was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $2.99. "Sounds good" my wife said.  "But I don't want the eggs." "Then I will have to charge you $3.49 because you're ordering ala carte," the waitress warned her. "You mean I'd have to pay for NOT taking the eggs?" my wife asked incredulously. "Yes." stated the waitress. "I guess I'll take the special then," my wife said. "How do you want your eggs?" the waitress asked. "Raw and in the shell," my wife replied. She took the eggs home and bake a cake with them. DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS…we've been around the block more than once! Thanks for the laugh, Susie!

No, this isn't a fancy, x-treme sport video, a darling paper project or a death-defying feat…or IS it?  Tell me right now, how many of you would venture to drink a dairy product that was dated to use by "Feb-27-10"?  That's right!  Today, May 12th, 2010, I found the empty carton in the trash and a dirty glass in the sink.  Land O Lakes Holiday Classic Eggnog, made with milk from cows not treated with rBST (whatever the heck THAT is!) Perhaps it was the way our frig outside is just a little colder than most (can't put fresh produce or eggs in it – it will freeze them).  Maybe it is because it was "ultra pasteurized".  It a personal family best record for eating out of date items, at least in the refrigerated department!  This is one of the hazards of having a second refrigerator that resides outside in the garage.  We bought the eggnog after Christmas, but before the expiration date.  It was marked down, clearanced, at Costco and we bought 2 packs of 2 cartons for $2.99 each.  It was a really good deal, but one of the cartons got buried, so we didn't find it before it had expired.  And then it got buried again before we got it out to the trash.  And THEN, my husband found it.  AND THEN, he poured a little into a glass

My kids have been around enough while I am cooking or working in the kitchen that I expect them to absorb some basic skills.  Some areas of proficiency will never be learned in my kitchen, like boiling lobsters alive or cooking liver.   Kids learn best when they are paying attention, which apparently they don't always do.  Becoming familiar with the recipes or practices of other people will happen when they come in contact with them.   My son Mike has had a cold, that is accompanied by a bit of a sore throat.  No temperature, just a little discomfort.  He has been preparing for an audition and one of his drama classmates suggested chamomile tea with honey and lemon.  So Mike requested that I go buy some chamomile tea.  We don't drink tea in our family, but occasionally I bring some herbal tea home from hotels when I travel, so I went out to the garage to try and find some.  I don't think I have ever fixed anyone in my family a cup of tea before, but I thought that I could figure it out.   Here's where the paying attention comes in.  When I came back into the house, I found Mike pouring honey into a cup - a lot of it - and preparing to drink the cup…of honey.  I asked him what he was doing.  He said "Drinking a cup of honey".  "No, no, no", I replied.  "I don't think that would be

I have admitted to being a collector of certain things: cool things like ribbon, buttons, cardstock, ink pads, stamp pads, paper flowers, paints, patterned paper, embellishments…mostly scrapbook stuff.  I also have a fair collection of fabric, beads, vintage linens and felt.  I like to have everything I need when the need to create arises.  I generally can complete any project in the middle of the night without needing to go to the store.  I generally stock up on things when they are on sale.  Like when Cool Scrapbook Stuff in Poway had their “Someone’s turning 40” sale and I got the 2oz. bottles of Glimmer Mist for $4.00, I just had to stock up.  Those who know me well know that I am fond of a good deal…the cheaper, the better.  But free is best! This past summer, the family watched all the episodes of “Jericho” in marathon style.  The good thing about waiting to watch a whole season of episodes this way is that there are no commercials.  The bad thing is that you can find yourself watching with few or no breaks!  This makes the intensity of the show greater.  Like a good book is hard to put down, a good show is hard to turn off.  Slightly off the subject: one of the things we learned on this show was that at times of disaster (which was of the