The Good, the Bad, and the Downright Strange

Let's see:

Bad Things today:
*We found a poop on the carpet.
*My favorite blog background website, the one that actually got me started-the very reason I started (I clicked on a button on someone else's site, and then it said on the other side to click to start a blog...), yeah, they are DoWn right now, and now they are charging for backgrounds now. Color me sad.
*I had to take poop to the animal hospital for them to recheck for Lexi's coccidia. I had to turn a Ziploc inside out, grab said poop, turn the baggie around, and put it in my very nice purse (Dooney and Burke large ivory leather Chiara bag)-it's very messy at the moment, but I love it. It has a story-I got it on a family trip to St. Louis-a birthday present. But, I digress...
*Mary Claire woke up very high-386-and I had to change her site immediately. She was 126 at 12:30am, and she skyrocketed after that. I guess she had air in her insulin pump tubing or something? She can be high, but over night is horrible. She requires so much more insulin in the morning already, and for a high, she was going to need tons! She couldn't eat breakfast or go to school, so I kept her with me till almost nine.
*I had a small child running around naked most of the morning. It keeps you on edge-like a grenade with the pin pulled!
*During our prayer this am, Clay rolled his eyes at what I was saying (aaahhhh!), and I asked God to help my kids not roll their eyes at their Mom. He thought it was so funny, and got in a better mood. Hey-God answered our prayer, and blessed my family! Sometimes you just gotta say what's on your mind!
*Ches played with my blog after I asked him not to touch it.
*Lexi destroyed lots of paper products today-napkins, newsprint, magazines, tag on a blanket, tissue... Ethan and Mary Claire took pictures. I'll have to have a look at the camera and see if any of them are good enough to post!

Good Things today:
*I remembered what Mom said, and I got around before I got the kids up this morning-and it helped! Sometimes (missing some sleep) and investing a tiny bit in yourself does really help. You don't feel so neglected, or third-rate.
*Lexi made five pees and two poops in the right place!
*I found new blog backgrounds after much stress and googling!
*My fave show is on-Grey's Anatomy! : ) and it's NoT a rerun!
*Lexi's coccida (poop protozoa) is gone now! She doesn't have to take any more meds-but she'd just gotten to liking it.
*I got to have some time alone with Mary Claire this morning, and she got to have her breakfast (Mini-Wheats) in the car.
*Ethan decided to work on potty training again. He took off his pants, and made two pees in the potty chair! I cheered for him, but didn't really push him. I did go to WM (of course) while Mary Claire was in gymnastics and buy him underwear-9 pairs (with Cars, rockets, and the thick training kind)! I've never had Pull-ups work for a child-and this is my third to potty train. They just pee and take them off. Underwear gives them that cold, dripping, wet, I've just made a mistake feeling. They always work better! I do like Pull-ups to use at night for a few months. They are essentially diapers. They absorb whatever doesn't wake them up, and they pull up like diapers. But hopefully we won't be driving up the Huggies stock much longer.
*My girl has strong arms, and is awesome on bars! She did so well at gymnastics! I had to shower her with praise-she certainly deserved it. It's always been a strength of hers-since she was 20 months-yes, really (Mommy and Me class).
*This morning during prayer on the way to school, the kids wanted to pray for Ethan like they always do-I'm so thankful they love and care about him!
*Ches helped me to find other blog backgrounds and found some HTML code to help me. I was in Deep Distress. Yes, we can still say OC.
*I got Mary Claire some new pump supplies ordered today. The Medtronic sales rep was Really Nice and understood that I was driving and couldn't write stuff down (and had a pup, her poop in my purse, daughter who was high and was insistent she was StArViNg!, and had a toddler watching a video) since I was a little busy. He said I could wait to verify my insurance info line by line aloud-his words- (when I told him it was all still the same) the next time I called-Bless Him.
*I was driving way under the limit (60 in a 70mph) when I passed a state trooper (I think I was on the phone concentrating too hard).
*Lexi ate a lot of food today, maybe she'll gain a few ounces!!
*Nurse Tracy came out to get Mary Claire (and to see Lexi) when I dropped Mary Claire off at the school since I had a jammied-barefooted(he pulls them off!)-boy, and a pup in the van. She's precious. She signed my sweetie in and everything. Lord, bless her too.
*Who else to bless? Well, Christy-the Pottery Barn Queen, Susan-ready-ing a party for two- and three-year-olds!, Mom-the-listener, Poop-investigating Vet and the Very Sweet Girls at the front desk, the precious, intelligent girls who've gone before me and figured out how to make blog backgrounds and are willing to help me!, and Christina and Meredith-they just have to make up!

Strange Things today:
*When Ethan woke up, and I opened his diaper to change it, he had a car (black corvette) down in his diaper-to the left of his manhood. There was a red place on his skin-apparently it'd been there all night. Weirder-didn't it bother him, and why didn't he take it out? I could not make up stuff like this if I TRiEd!

ps-my dryer mysteriously worked today! Yay, Whirlpool! (not quite a Maytag, but I'll take it!)

Stress, Psalms, and Dryers

Crazy day. Mom sent me a very good Psalm for today:
Psalm 143:8
Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul.

Psalm 143

1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

2 Do not bring your servant into judgment, for no one living is righteous before you.

3 The enemy pursues me,
he crushes me to the ground;
he makes me dwell in darkness
like those long dead.

4 So my spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.

5 I remember the days of long ago;
I meditate on all your works
and consider what your hands have done.

6 I spread out my hands to you;
my soul thirsts for you like a parched land.
Selah

7 Answer me quickly, O LORD;
my spirit fails.
Do not hide your face from me
or I will be like those who go down to the pit.

8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul.

9 Rescue me from my enemies, O LORD,
for I hide myself in you.

10 Teach me to do your will,
for you are my God;
may your good Spirit
lead me on level ground.

11 For your name's sake, O LORD, preserve my life;
in your righteousness, bring me out of trouble.

12 In your unfailing love, silence my enemies;
destroy all my foes,
for I am your servant.

Ok, so I was a little stressed when I talked to her this morning...until after noon. Well almost that long. My house is crazy-Lexi peed on the carpet again, Ethan was being a normal two-year-old, there were messes everywhere, and I don't do messes well. I just cleaned the bathrooms and vacuumed, and had to do it all again today. Along with laundry, cleaning the kitchen, washing the sheets, etc. I just get tired of it, and it all builds up. If I throw on one more thing at any given time, my meter just goes off the charts, and I can't breathe (seriously, can't breathe oxygen)!
I'm fine now, the house is clean, and I feel more in control. I've got the forgiven pup on my lap, and now I get to care for me. Ethan is taking a nap, and I've got to catch a shower when the opportunity arises. My floors need to be mopped, but maybe they can wait till after I get cleaned. And, I don't want to wake up Ethan! I want him to be up when the kids get home so they can be kids. : )
They have p.r.e. (think Sunday School) tonight, so they'll have to have their baths right after school and before dinner to get to bed after they come home! I think next year we'll opt for pre on Sunday mornings again. We thought this would free up our Sundays, but now we have Girl Scouts Sunday evenings anyway, and one more thing in the week is overthrowing us! (And Ches is taking Clay to cub scouts on Thursday night to see if he wants to join. Yes, we needed ONE more thing!)
Inhale, Exhale, Inhale, Exhale. (It helps me remember.) Can you tell I haven't been doing my yoga/Wii for a couple days? I thought I'd lay off the exercise while I've been sick, but I'm MiSSinG it! BTW, I am feeling better! No more congestion, and I think I'm well!! yay!
If you see a fire my direction, it might be my dryer. It's not working so well. When I turn the dial to Normal setting, it displays the light dot by Heavy Duty, and doesn't want to come on. Then I hear random beeping during the cycle (only when I'm out of the room-it senses me) even when it is on silent. Mom says it's electrical, and I should probably replace it. Maybe I'll just use it till it dies, but watch it in the meantime-for fire. I should probably recharge my fire extinguisher. You know, the dryer's only three years old, you'd think it'd have a longer life expectancy than a can of green beans.
Thanks for the Psalm, Mom. You know, I needed one! : ) And now the baby cries out, as I haven't made it to the shower yet. I ReaLLy need it now!
ps: for mom, BTW-By the way

Candle Ring-A for Effort

I tried the paper candle ring. I didn't consider the flammability. So, I have taken a picture, but probably won't use. It's cute, but you'd need a taller candle (due to my large pages) and a much taller candlestick. It's at the end of my Crafty Things Are Back! slideshow. Apparently, I can only have three sets of pictures at any one time without paying the yearly membership fee (who, me? I can delete with the best of 'em!), so I had to put it somewhere!
I had a Girl Scout Leaders Meeting, and we played Bingo. Yes, I lost, but what was worse, was I couldn't talk or spell to save my life-good thing my life didn't depend on it! I was having all kinds of trouble. I'll have to go to bed earlier. Now that the kids are back in school, I have to get up by 6:15 or 6:30-so the Midnight, 1am thing won't work anymore.
The kids had a good day at school, and we're back to the same routine. Clay has a play in February, and they are both pre-selling these books that their classes are making-$17.90 each! And my child will only contribute one page to each. I'm sure it's a fundraiser.
I'm sure that's just about enough for tonight. I'll get some sleep and make much more sense tomorrow (that's not a promise).

Scrapbooking!

I got three double pages done today! : ) I put the album into a slideshow down below. I did the last three layouts today: pictures matted and attached this morning, and embellishments and journaling done this afternoon, just in time for the kids to come home! I'm sure it'll take me a few months to finish the Disney pix, but I'll keep pecking away at it.

They're home now, and we're having snack! I'll check in later!