Catch up...

I feel bad that I don't seem to have time to do what I originally intended for this blog: to record for myself snippets, big and large, of my life. Sometimes I feel that I lead such a small life (from Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail) and there isn't much newsworthy stuff to write about. Also, because of my love for reading I started my book blog last winter and that one takes up my time too.

But, today is a snippets day! I am all alone in my house for a couple of hours, something which barley ever happens.

**I am listening to Christmas music right now. :)

** I need to make my menu so I can go grocery shopping

** The boys' bathroom is disgusting, so a little deep clean job is in order.

**This week we took the plunge and got rid of our land line. That's right, we are totally cellular now that Sam is in middle school. He received his cell phone that we had been promising him he would get as soon as he was in 7th grade! I must say, I dialed our land line and almost cried when I heard the recorded message that the number was no longer in service....we have had that number for 14 years!

**This was the first time in 25 years that I did not have to come up with, or help a kid come up with a Halloween costume! We don't trick or treat past 6th grade, and now our baby is 7th grade! We spent our night last night instead at Austen's high school football game--if they won they would be going to the state play offs. They won! It was a great game, and we got to watch Austen who plays in the band, participate in an on field half time presentation. They don't usually do that, but becasue it was Halloween night they put together a big event with the huge pep band, cheerleaders, and dance team. The music was, Thriller and it was great fun to watch!

** I am planning on baking some today--a couple of loaves of banana bread (my mother-in-law's amazing recipe) and maybe some pumpkin bread. There is a Cook For The Cure event going on from Kitchen Aid and my work place is participating. Someone purchased the plate at work and brought in Zucchini Bread last week. I think I will bring the Pumpkin Bread in. Once I register my bread on the designated site, Kitchen Aid will donate $5 to the Susan G. Komen Fund. The event will last until December 2009 and I am cooking in honor of my friend Ellen, who passed away 1.5 years ago after battling breast cancer for 12 years.

*The banana bread is for my college boy, Andrew. He has had a tough week and not only am I baking him some bread, but we are driving up to Bellingham (2.5 hours away) tomorrow to see him. We haven't seen him since the end of August.

Here is the sequence of text messages I received from him earlier last week:

(Monday) Andrew: "I just did terrible on a test. I am miserable and I need some mom love" (Wednesday) Andrew: " I got a 68 on that Chinese test-then I had to go throw up I felt so sick about it." (Wednesday) Mom: "I am so sorry. Is that a d or an f? Are you failing the class and did you really throw up?" (Wednesday) Andrew: It's a d, I really threw up and I'm not failing. I just haven't goten that low on a test in a long time."

No matter how old they get, sometimes they still just need a mom! What is amazing to me is that this is our kid who ended his first year at college on academic probabtion and who just didn't seem to care about grades. So, we are off tomorrow to cheer him up and give him some love.

That is it! No more snippets! I need to get going on that shopping and baking. Happy Saturday everyone.