Shhhhh . . .

Peace. Tranquility. The public library!

Oh yeah! I am blessed to have two girls that love them some books!

I once questioned the girls about the number of books they wanted to check out (12 each)!
Madison just smiled and said, "Mom, we read like a hummingbird flies."

OK then.

Few places in the realm of kid-dom are as pleasant to the parent as the public library.
What a retreat!
What a respite!
Quiet is actually a rule!!!

As I sit here in a ridiculously comfy overstuffed chair, looking out a wall of windows at the snow covered Peak of Pike, I finally feel free to exhale and take stock of last week's events.

My last post was anything but thankful, and for that I apologize. But sometimes a girl just has to vent!

You'll be happy to know (or maybe you don't give a rip) that everything worked out!
My hubby, whom I feared would not be home until Wednesday, actually made it Monday!
I sent him a msg asking him to text when he could. A minute later, he sent a picture of our house!
He was promptly mugged in the drive way.

The new bed arrived. No one was forced to sleep on the floor, except the dog. And if you read the last post, you know that was more than justified.

We had a great time with mom and dad!

Everyone spent a little time getting reacquainted!

We took them to The Garden of The Gods

Rode the cog train to the top of Pikes Peak

It was a breezy 6* wind chill up there -

But the view from the train was worth it!

We also took a drive through Cheyenne Canyon

Love the falls!

And here's my favorite vacation pic . . .

Gotta love it!!!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Let the holiday season begin!!!

Seeing Red!

The last couple of weeks have been filled with irritations!

Joey is gone for a month.
Usually, for safety reasons, I keep that info to myself until he gets back.
But right now no crook or con man in his right mind would come snooping around this house! I am a woman on the edge! I am in the ultimate 'don't mess with me' mode!

It's not so much being without Joe. That stinks, but we've learned to cope. It's just a month this time. We can do that in our sleep!

It's all the crap that keeps happening this time that's got me seething!
And it doesn't matter if the problem is big or small - it's cumulative. And we are fast approaching that proverbial last straw!

The dog misses Joe, so of course, he poops on one of his army bags - twice. And shatters a plate by knocking it off the counter. And tears up the mini blinds. . . Stupid dog.

As I mentioned last post, we're buying a new bed. Found the one we wanted and was told delivery would be 1 to 10 days. Now they have my money and say 4 to 6 weeks!
(Great. I guess we'll flip a coin to see which visiting family member gets to sleep on the floor this Thanksgiving!)

Ordered a new comforter, shams and curtains to go with the bed. I received one box - no shams, no curtains, and the comforter is the wrong color!

Out running errands today and went through
Mc Donald's for lunch. Girls got burgers, I got a salad. Got half way across town before our next stop, where we discovered they had neglected to put the salad in the bag.

Opened the fridge to get a drink. Water poured out onto the floor! The shelves were all wet and the crisper drawers each had about an inch of water in them.

Maddie requested chicken and dumplings for dinner the other night. Started cooking before realizing we had no chicken!

Started painting Shelby's room. Finished all but a little three foot spot. Had to stop and put everything away, go back to the store and buy another can of paint.

Thought I'd be smart about the painting thing, so while we were at the store I bought another quart of Maddie's color to make sure we'd have enough. Her room didn't even use a whole gallon! The rooms are almost the same size - what's up with that!!

The brakes are going out on my car.

Came home the other night and opened the garage door. Somehow the trash can had rolled against the inside of the door and the lip around the top got caught on the grooves of the door. Up went the door - along with the trash can. It dangled there a minute before crashing to the ground. (OK, so that one was a little funny, but still, no one likes picking up garbage.)

Missed the trash truck - twice.

XM radio, for some strange reason, deducted three payments this month! Yeah, just try getting them on the phone.

Well, that's a short list of a few things making me crazy! I'm gonna leave it there because I need a quiet moment.

And a Dr. Pepper.

And some chocolate.

And a bubble bath. . .

Prudapractapicky - Oh yeah, it's a word!

OK. So maybe it's not a word. But it should be!
It's my own personal formula for making decisions.
Let me break it down for those of you who do not speak 'Angie'.

Prudent.
    I try to be wise in all decision making, especially when the outcome could have a lasting effect on me or my family.

Practical.
    Yes, I have a spontaneous side. Once in a while I like to take the lid off of my 'crazy' and just go for it - whatever it might be.
But for the most part, I am doggedly practical!

Picky.
   Time and money are precious. I'm extremely picky about where and when I will spend either!


Why am I sharing this, you ask?
Because lately my formula has been failing! The 'Three P Method' has been leaving me with headaches instead of answers!

A few examples;

I was out last week looking for a new bed.
(Our mattress set has been with us through 15 years, 10 moves, two kids, and countless pets. It has given it's all - and then some.)
The PPP method would have me running all over the city, trying out mattresses, comparing prices . . . C'mon! There are 32 mattress stores in my neighborhood alone!

I also shopped Amazon looking for throw pillows to go with the aforementioned new bed.
Using the PPP method, I would naturally look at all pillow choices so I could then make the most informed decision. HA!! 16,000+ throw pillow options? I don't have that kind of time, sister!

We've been settled in, more or less, for 8 weeks now. We're still looking for a church. It would take forever to visit each one in the Springs area. But if you don't try them all, how do you know which one is the best fit for your family? We liked the one we tried last week. Part of me wants to quit the search and settle already! But what if the next one is better?



When is it OK to settle?
When you can't look at all options, when you have to decide with just partial information, how do you make the prudent decision?

There is another 'P'. The biggest 'P' of all.

Prayer.

Prayer is always part of the process. Maybe it should be the only part.
Maybe the other 'P's just give me the illusion of control.

Lord, please help me give it all to you.