I am dog-tired. Ugh... There really is no rest for the weary. Will CXT stuff never end?

I spent Monday running CXT errands. First I dropped Thing2 off for his Know Sweat trip, then Yang, CLW and I pulled up the stakes we forgot to take out Sunday (the flags out in front of the building along the sidewalk). It was so hot! Elvis and Pita Pocket were watering the plants at the office, so Yang and I cooled our little piggies in the run-off. I guess there was no power in the office building, so poor Elvis couldn't get anything done. Right before we left, I ran into HBM. Didn't even know she was there! But she was busy helping to send off the KS kids!

Boy, was Monday an awful day to run errands in a car w/ no a/c! I had to return the "Shocker" and get some "Thank Yous" in the mail, return a few other odds and ends to people from whom we borrowed. I ended up calling my grandma to take the kids because I was afraid they'd get sick from the heat. By the time I got home that evening, I was sick to my stomach and seeing stars. I went straight to bed. I got up later and spiffied up the basement. Vacuumed again and cleaned off some of the yuckies that accumulate on kids' toys. What is that stuff anyway? Like cement sprayed lightly...puke or something. Yuckies!

I took the day off from CXT on Tuesday to try to recoup. But that was the day that I was on the war path w/ Thing1. So not much recuperating took place.

Wednesday, I arranged for my grandma to watch the Littles while I went to take the mission collection to the Center. I had a lady meeting me there at 12:30 w/ the van from the Center. I placed an email request for assistance (I really didn't want to do it at all and would have delegated it, if anybody would have taken it on.) I had several offers of vehicles (van and trailer--thanks FunnyFingers and WiseAdvice's hubby...how 'bout we call him Electro...or does he already have a name?) and people who said they wish they could help but were otherwise committed. FunnyFingers said she couldn't come, because she had a workshop for CE credit, but she was bringing  us dinner. Lasagne. Yum! (I'm so glad I didn't have to cook...not that I would have. I guess I should say: I'm so glad my kids didn't have to eat McD's again!) I was grateful too for WiseAdvice. She came to lend a hand, and the three of us packed up the van in short order!

I was surprised at the mess in the auditorium when I looked around after loading up the van. We really kicked butt on Friday night, so I didn't think it would be that bad, but I guess we did a number on it again w/ the Xtreme Worship on Sunday. I wasn't eager to attack it, but knew it had to be done before the CXT office (copier room and resource room) because it's where the worship sevice takes place, duh! If I didn't get to the copier room, we could at least shut the door. Not good, but better than a mess in the auditorium! So my plan was to hit it first Thursday when I came in. More on that later.

So I went to pick up Cat (we only have one car) and the kids and we came home, FunnyFingers brought over the lasagne and arranged to help me clean on Thursday (yay!)

As I walked in the door after FF left and looked at our living room (still cock-eyed and a mess after the trash-picking fiasco...the living room, not me!) I decided I needed to put into storage all the school stuff from T1 & T2 and organize the bookshelves (yes, I thought of you, Josy!) to make room for some of the stuff I'd be using w/ the Littles for school. I emptied all the shelves and then all the Littles got tired of their dad. He got tired of them too! So my living room now looks like my basement did a week ago, piled knee-high w/ junk! Well, books aren't junk, but you get the picture!

So, I got them all down to sleep, and played on the 'puter cause I was too whooped to crawl back into the living room!

Thursday, I get up. Take Cat to work. Come home. Take T1 to work. Drive to G-town to see Ying's last swimming lesson (you know, the ones I said she couldn't take?!). As I'm driving back, the kids say they're hungry, so I pull in to the McD's drive thru, order our food, get to the window to pay, and lo & behold, somebody took my debit card out of my purse!!! So, no lunch.

I head to the church, but because I'm so dang PO'd that Cat took the debit card (when he works in the same flipping hallway as our bank!) I stop at a pay phone (no! I don't have a cell phone!) and call him to raise a stink because in the meantime, I realize I'm out of gas too! Running on fumes, this after a 40 mi. round trip to the ding-danged Germantown swimming-flippin' pool. Anyway, he says, why don't I just go to the bank? (sing song: why don't you just go to the bank?! yeah, right!) Well, our bank doesn't have a drive thru, so I have to lug the baby in her seat and wake Yang up (he had fallen asleep in his carseat) and wait in line w/ their cranky little butts because HE TOOK THE DEBIT CARD OUT OF MY PURSE! Ok, calm down. So I do that, the kids are great at the bank, we get lunch and off to the church we go!

At first I thought Funny Fingers had cleaned up the mess in the auditorium, but it turned out that Elvis did. I felt really bad. It's not like he didn't have other things to do today, especially since the power outage yesterday put him behind (I'm sure it did). But he got all the crap & candy wrappers off the platform and set up all the chairs the way they were supposed to be for worship on Sunday, got rid of all the empty boxes, kid papers, crayons, and other misc. junk we'd left laying around on Sunday. I called to apologize, but like the gentleman he is, he was very graceful. Thanks Elvis.

So, I attacked the copy room and the resource room. I began at 12:30 and Cat called from work (yes, on the church phone, because I don't have a cell phone!) at 4:30 to see where the heck I was! I asked for another half hour to get things semi-presentable, and we finally picked him up around 5:30. FunnyFingers came by earlier and said she'd finish whatever I didn't get done, so I left her a list. Pray she doesn't have trouble getting stuff into the attic. I wasn't even thinking when I asked her to do that while she would be there by herself!  Thank you again, FunnyFingers! The Littles were pretty good. CLW was excellent. So I got a lot accomplished.

Got home and did some more 'puter stuff. I feel like I'm coming down w/ something. I haven't been taking my magic-ward-off-the-bad-bugs-pills, so that explains it. Maybe if I down some right now, I can head it off!

So, here I sit, pondering the fact that my girls are another year older. But are they wiser?

Today (7/21) is Ying's birthday. She is 6 years old today! I cannot believe that six years have passed since I gave birth to her. It seems like yesterday! I can still smell her sweet little baby smells, see her precious little toothless grin, and remember the wonderment that here was a little person totally dependent on me. Now she's a smelly little dinosaur, she's yet to lose her first baby tooth, and is as independent as any 6yo I've ever met! Amazing. She'll start first grade at home next month. She will likely master reading ...and science, of course! We'll have our little power struggles on how to spend our school days, and I'll love her more each day I spend with her, of that I have no doubt.

My oh-so-grown Thing1 will be 17 on Saturday, 7/22. She has become quite a beautiful young woman, though she's way too skinny! Sharing her w/ her beau has been a rough thing for her dad and me, mostly for me. It's so hard to trust anyone else with her. I know it comes down to trusting God, but there's really not a lot of preparation for letting your kid grow up, you know? I mean, we nurture them, provide for them, spend every waking hour trying our best to meet their needs, and as many of their wants as we can w/o totally ruining them! Then all of the sudden, it's time to let go. It's hard. I love my little girl so much. I can still recall her toothless little grin, too. With hers, I actually cried when she got her first tooth, because I knew I'd never see that grin again. That seemed to set the tone for my relationship w/ her. Always wanting to hold on, while she was so eager to let go...to take that first step, eat that first bite, climb that first tree... Lord, go with my little girl and watch over her as she makes her way in this world. Help her to be in it, but not of it. Protect her and guide her. I hope we have done what you planned for us to do as we raised her. I pray I can be close by when those eagle's wings take off. What a sight that will be!

Now that I'm a blubbering idiot, I do have another request for you all. Please keep BeautifulArt in your prayers. Her diabetes is now affecting her kidneys and her eyesight. She is discouraged and scared. She could use some encouragement, but especially prayers for her healing and peace of mind are coveted. Remember her family too, RhythmGuitar (is that your name? I can't remember!) and the kids could stand some prayer time from y'all too.

Remember too all the Journal Gs, Speedy & her hubby's health & job/insurance mess, and Piglets sleep issues while on vacation; MacNCheese and finances & little Gracie; HBM & family...allergy issues, Booty to come, TN fam; Josy & her busy, busy weekend w/ TotallyNotHot (j/k!); Minnie and her hubby's surgery, her new job; Pepto and her job op/future plans; and anybody else I didn't mention by name, God knows!

Anybody reading this is welcome to come to little Ying's b-day bash tonight. It's at the drive-in! We're gonna see Cars. Call or email me for details. It should be fun!

Much love and blessings to all!

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. 1 John 3:18