Where Have I Been?

I am sure you realize by now that I have been ghost for a few days. I have plenty of good excuses lined up, but the bottom line is I was a little busy. I normally post on my blog at night, but lately I have been too tired to do so. When faced with typing or sleeping, I seem to choose sleeping. I apologize for not keeping up my end of the deal, posting daily, but I do hope you understand and can find it in your heart to forgive me. It was not personal.

For this post, my catch up post, I would like to update you on a few things that have been going on in my life. Perhaps a peek into why I have been so tired lately.

1. My garden. There are many sprouts now. My daughter and I are diligent about watering every day. She is a great helper, a little messy with the water, but if I forget she always reminds me. Every square has something green popping out, and the squash is really growing quickly. I have not surpassed phase one of my garden…making something grow. Now I am nervous about what to do next. I will have to do a little more reading to feel confident that I know how to harvest each crop when it is time. How will I know it is time? I don't want to pick too early or too late. Either way, keep praying for my crops. I am very hopeful and excited about the possibilities.
2. My floors. Saturday we have the carpet in the house cleaning for only the second time since we purchased the house six years ago. The first time was last year, and we committed to continue the tradition in order to keep our light colored carpet in good working order. We use a company called Texas Best, and have been very satisfied. The process is not a steam clean, which puts water into the pad under the carpet and generally just hides the dirt, but a topical cleaning process. Texas Beat has been able to remove all stains in our carpet, and brings life back into our light colored carpet. They are also cheaper than the other companies in the business. (Not like you didn't see that coming. We had a coupon too!) Also, for the last two years they have sent the same person to our house, and the carpet dries in about an hour. Great service which I highly recommend.
3. Our anniversary. Yesterday was our sixth wedding anniversary. My mom came and took care of my daughter, and my husband and I took the night off. It was wonderful. We didn't do anything different than we would normally do with a night out (movies and dinner), but we really enjoyed each other's company. We did see the new Tyler Perry movie at the theater of our first movie date. We didn't buy gifts this year, and I really enjoyed that believe it or not. We are very hard to shop for, and gifts can not accurately reflect what our anniversary means to us. We agreed on a house gift, and used our day to spend time talking without interruption. It was very nice. Just like the old days.
4. Our new appliance. While the carpet was being cleaned my husband installed our house gift…a new energy efficient dishwasher. We realized that we use our loud, contractor grade dishwasher every day, and it was on our list of upgrades for the house. Also, Texas is offering a rebate for upgrading to more energy efficient appliances, so our decision was almost a no brainer. I really like our new Maytag, and I know it will make my dish duty a little easier.
5. Soccer…not yet. Saturday my daughter and I went to cheer on one of her classmates at his YMCA soccer game. I have been researching this activity, but I jumped at the opportunity to see it in action. I was concerned about my daughter's age and her ability to really enjoy soccer at three years old. So her classmate's mom invited us out to see for ourselves. To make a long story short, we will wait until next Spring for soccer. My daughter and her friend were very excited to see each other as both had been waiting for this moment all week. Her friend got out there and practiced before the game, and we watched and cheered. Then the game started, and her friend would not play…under any circumstances (or bribes). My daughter's friend was convinced that they were supposed to play together instead of play soccer. We tried all game to get him to play, but no luck. So they played on the sidelines, his dad coached, and everyone was happy. I am going to apologize to his mom for being distracting; however I have been assured by his dad that his lack of play was fairly normal. We all agree that three years old is just too young.
6. Little Gym. My favorite thing from last week was also on the agenda for Saturday. My daughter had a wonderful time, and another one of her classmates joined her class. They both seemed to really enjoy being in class that day. I also enjoyed having a friend to talk to outside of class. Also, I won a prize for signing my daughter up for the next two semesters…yippie…I never win any prizes.
7. Arizona. Our family is headed out to a mini-vacation this weekend. We are going to support my mom as she plays tennis in Surprise, Arizona. Yes, I had to look it up on the map, but it only about 45 minutes outside of Phoenix. I think we are all excited for this break from the norm. I will take pictures and let you know how it all goes. My daughter loves plane rides!
8. Mopping…not really. So many of you know I have discussed my shortcomings here on the blog, and as an update I would like to address mopping again. Most know that I did not mop, nor did I really know how to mop…so I tried my hand at it. Well, I have not done it again. Yikes. I Swiffer because that is what I am good at, and when I need to have the floor mopped…I ask my husband to do it…and he graciously obliges. I want to do better, really I do, but I will need more prayers on this one.
9. Book Club. Thank you so much to those who have made it through our first book club reading. The book was wonderful, and I have many more discussions planned. Please keep an eye on the blog for our next discussion question. I am researching our next book selection as we speak, and I will let you know more as the time draws near.
10. Family and friends. As you get busier I know it becomes harder and harder to connect with family and friends. I really try hard to keep in touch, but I am not always successful. Just a word of advice if you are in the same boat…just do it. If someone crosses your mind, call or email. Take the first step. You will be glad you did.

Love you all. Have a great week.