Nailed to the Sidewall (Of My Tire)

Well, it seems that when you are having a really good day and have completed everything that you needed to and than done the impossible, which for me...take six kids grocery shopping while holding one of them in your arms because she has a broken leg and is too young for crutches and too stubborn to sit in the cart...You would think that your day is complete if you can come home in one piece. Oh boy, do I have illusions or what. To be honest, my kids were great. My older boys have created their own shopping lists and they carry those around with them and pick out the things they need and pay for it with their own money...NICE. I also have the luxury of not heading down any aisles anymore, as I have three enthusiastic kids who love running down a specific aisle to get whatever it is I asked them to get. They are budget savvy too, as they only ever get the stuff I ask for and they look for the least expensive one every time. So, what is it I am writing this whole blog about, well, I am writing because...I got out of Walmart in record time and I spent just over a hundred dollars which is good for grocery shopping for six kids and my kids had done great the whole time. We had enough time to get home and finish chores and have a nice dinner and a movie. We marched back to the car and loaded all the children in and before I had finished loading groceries, my astute 9 year old said,"Uh, mom, we have a problem." Which oddly enough entered my mind as "Mission Control, we have a problem." Honest. LOL...Well, I walked around to where my son was studying the tire and found a nice long nail sticking into my fully inflated tire. Perhaps it had not punctured the tube. Hopeful wishing here. So I pulled it out.....but it kept coming and coming and coming, till two inches later I had retrieved the dastardly piece of metal and air was hissing loudly out of the hole. So, what did I do? I shoved that nail back where I had found it. No hissing, no problem. Right?
Honestly, I hate spending money, so every conceivable thought went through my mind. HMMM. The air in my tire is staying inflated and I could make it home.....How long will it last? I wonder if a can of leakstop would work....I wonder how long I could drive on a donut if I had too. But in the end, logic ruled out and I drove around to the back of Walmart where the tire and lube station is and hopped out of the car and walked over to the many mechanics who had nothing else to do but stand in a corner and look under the hood of a sports car that someone had driven over. One popped his head out and asked if he could help me...I told him my problem and he laughed and said, sorry ma'am but we are closed. Yea right was my reply, so he directed me to the guy who would get me set up. It seems that all the guys were going to give me a hard time over the next 30 minutes. But in the end, I had a new tire, I had actually remembered my tire warranty from before and so saved a whole 114 dollars. So, despite the fact that our 1 hr trip turned into a 3 hr trip and 100 turned into 300 dollars spent....(I shopped a little more while they were taking care of the car and also filled up on gas......) I went away feeling happy but worn out and grateful that it did not turn into a four hour trip, as my kids were at the end of their rope too.

Beware of the Anti-Molly Mormon Here

OK....you can laugh. I am rebelling from the Molly Mormon thing for a bit. I realize that maybe I am stressed and tired of pulling all the weight with daddy being gone....but I will openly admit that i am not perfect and cannot do everything that a perfect Molly can do. I cannot sew as well as people think...I cannot cook that great either. My secret to the past success is pure luck. I never let anyone see my mistakes and throw away any burnt offerings that have come out of my kitchen before the smell wafts through the air and into the nostrils of potential diners. My sewing has been strictly costumes and a glue gun has come in handy doing quick repairs on those items of clothing. I can not keep my house as clean as other Mollys and I do not like following patterns from other people. I think patterns and recipes are all good....but I do not have the patience to do something someone else's way just because it is printed out....that is why I cannot be a Molly by any means. i hope this does not affect the confidence anyone has had in me. I would be perfectly happy hiring a cook, a seamstress and a maid to clean my house. I think they could do much better than I. But for now, this non-Molly is going to have to be happy shopping at clothing stores for her outfits, hiring her kids to clean house for a very minimal amount...aka allowance.....and ordering pizza at least once a month, eating hot dogs, mac and cheese, fruits and veggies and occasionally entering the kitchen to cook those few things she has mastered...chili, homemade bread, chocolate chip cookies, cinnamon rolls(the best), enchilada casserole, and homemade pancakes. OK, so I am not totally lost on the domestic side, and maybe I am fooling only myself...but I do not lay down to the stipulations others have set for Mormon girls. I cannot make a quilt out of old shirts and jeans, I cannot create a work of art using craft paint and glue guns....I cannot save clothes in storage for more than a season to hand down to my younger kids....I cannot create a 4 course meal out of food storage and pudding mix. I also cannot.....don't be shocked now...I cannot clean my house while talking on the phone, sewing a Sunday dress, while feeding the baby and making green jello. I can't. So, if I have disappointed anyone in my immediate family, I am truly sorry. I love you the way you are:-)....

So next time you come and visit...you can still expect my house to be clean and to receive a good meal if you stay long enough...But you may just end up with pizza.....on paper plates.

6 Months

Well, My DH came home for R&R and it was a wonderful time. I am sitting at the table right now looking at him and thinking how happy I am that I was granted an extra day. He was supposed to fly out yesterday. We sat in the airport for 7 hrs. before we said good bye and than at 9 he called to have us come and pick him up. The airplane broke down and they rescheduled it for Sunday Night. YAY. Anyway, while we have been up in Ft. Worth, it snowed xeveral inches in Killeen. It has already melted and so we missed the whole thing. But it has been an adventure anyway.

I have enjoyed and loved the time with Allen. It has been refreshing and healing to have him home. We now are on the countdown to this being over. WE have both made many great friends and learned a lot about this side of life. We are happy and content. We will miss each other and he will miss the kids so much. But we will be fine.

We went to the temple Friday night and he gave all the kids blessings and me also. He received one also and it has helped to know that we hav guidance. Well, I will not make this long. I want to be with him as much as possible. Take care.