Random Thoughts

I have found out a few things about myself recently. I have been helping a friend with the remodel/construction of their home and I LOVE it!!! I love the sheet rocking, taping and mudding. LOVE IT. We got to scrape off the popcorn ceiling from the family room, hall and bedroom and that has to be my favorite part so far! But that is not all. Here is my confession: I am a zit picker/popper. I pick at the dry skin on my heals and my lips when chapped. That is so gross I know and maybe too much to share but there is a pattern to all of this that I am realizing. There is something about the "before and after" and the rough being made smooth. I just love it. The old cement around our toilet, the carpet with the tack board on the edge- loved chipping that off. LOVE it! There has got to be some Freudian reason behind all of this. I remember when I was a kid going to the ocean and seeing the creatures, sea stars and such, clinging to the rocks. I wanted to scrap them off so badly. I remember Dad telling me they were living creatures and so that wouldn't be a very nice thing to do. When I see barnacles on ships- I want to scrap them off. What is it?! I have really loved the construction and remodel work so much that I was sort of daydreaming about when the kids are all in school one day, getting a job with a construction crew. If you have any ceiling, tile, linoleum flooring, carpet, weeds (I LOVE to weed) you want removed- CALL ME!

I love Mondays too. The garbage man comes and the recycling man and I just like everything empty, ready to start anew. There may not to seem to be a connection to you but I see it. Again, it's something about that "before and after" thing. Luke loves it too but for another reason- the GARBAGE TRUCK! He can hear them driving through the neighborhood and we have to go watch out the window- until it gets to our street. Then we must go watch from the drive way. One Monday (a while back) we heard the garbage man (Carlos) coming and so I told Luke to run get his shoes. It was taking a while. I heard him shuffling down the hall toward the door when I realized what was taking so long. He had on Allie's shoes.

Allie has been taking swimming lessons. It is really two weeks of paid commitment to go swimming. Every day they begin the class by learning and repeating the safety rules such as no running, don't bring glass too a pool, make sure there is a lifeguard around etc. The most important is Rule #1- NEVER SWIM ALONE. Lifeguard: "Miss Allie, why should we never swim alone?" Allie (shouting back with enthusiasm): "Because it's boring with no friends!!!"

Allie was playing at some friends house the other day. They have two dogs who love to wrestle and play. And as dogs play they roll around and bite each other (since of course they have no opposable thumbs to grab with). Allie was a bit alarmed by this and asked why they were biting each other. My friend explained that that is how dogs play. They were wrestling. Allie told her "My dad and I like to play and wrestle. But I don't BITE him!"
Allie did this "do" all by herself.