Yeppers...it actually HAS been over six months since I blogged...crazy, huh?

Here's my latest blog entry over on Blogger... http://texanromaniac.blogspot.com/2009/03/it-been-long-time.html

And here's a link to my latest Essential Simplicity post... http://essentialsimplicity.blogspot.com/2009/03/best-laid-plans-of-mice-and-men.html

Check 'em out!! Peace out!!

JULIE

So Brack and I headed out of town on Wednesday afternoon after quick stops at the bank and library. We had a fairly smooth trip out to Lubbock...listening to music and me cutting out coupons. That evening was fairly quiet and fairly late. My MIL had made a pot roast with carrots and potatoes...so very yummy!! Jana brought her kiddoes out for a bit of a visit after dinner.

Thursday was a fairly quiet day. We went to a few stores mid-morning and I think everyone dozed off for a bit in the afternoon!! That evening we went to a party with a bunch of people from the chapel. There were people playing volleyball and putting golf balls when we got there, but a big rainstorm started up right before the food was served, so everyone crowded into the house to eat and keep dry. Once there was a lull in the storm everyone headed out to the barn for a talent show...which was both funny and gross!! After the talent show the kids got to go out and play with sparklers until it was dark enough for the fireworks show. I have to say, that was the most impressive display of fireworks put on by non-professionals I've ever seen!! After the fireworks and some more sitting around and visiting...we headed back to my MIL's...about 11:30...

Friday was NOT as quiet of a day, as Brack and Aaron got started on a project that soon involved me and my MIL as well!! We pulled out a desk from the office and started moving furniture around and re-organizing!! We probably spent 4-5 hours on that project...but the office looks a lot better now. Jana and the kiddoes came over again and we all headed off to Josh and Kym's. I managed to get some good pictures of all the little nieces and nephews, we got some good visiting in, the kids had a BLAST setting off the poppers that Josh had bought....then we all sat around and watched fireworks...the ones Aaron and Jana set off as well as the ones the neighbors all around were setting off!! Leo was so funny...dancing in his little wagon and yelling "wowowowowow" over and over again!! Little Julie cried when time came to leave cause she didn't want Uncle Brack and "Aunt Big Julie" to leave!! We had to go to the store after that, so it was another late night...

Saturday started off quiet. I worked on posts for my Essential Simplicity blog until Jana and her kids and the Baucoms arrived. We ate lunch, then I got occupied showing Havah and Rachel some pictures and playing Wheel of Fortune on the laptop. About five o'clock or so, we all loaded up and drove out to the McNabbs for hamburgers. We ate, then again I hung around Havah and Rachel and we entertained Jana's kids...or was it that they entertained us?? Merrill is SUCH a ham, Daisy is pretty funny, and Mattie knows how to work a crowd!!

After a bit the Baucoms said their goodbyes and headed out and the rest of us loaded up and headed to the drive-in!! I'd never been to a drive-in movie before, and really liked it. They had a cartoon, several previews, and then the two movies (Wall-E and Kung Fu Panda). It did get a bit chilly during the second movie, but I'll just know to bring a jacket if we ever go there again!! The movies were funny and cute, and the kids had a lot of fun. What was pretty cool to me was looking over at one of the other movie screens (the other side of the playground) and seeing the same concessions commercial that is showing on the screen during the "Sandy" song in the movie Grease!!

Once we got back to my MIL's about 1:30 we discovered that her kitten had gone missing...then we heard pitiful meows coming from somewhere under the house!! We finally figured out where he'd got stuck and Aaron ended up having to do some crawling to dig him out...crazy kitten!!

We slept in this morning and then had a nice breakfast and are just lazing around now. We'll try to head back to the metroplex around two...so we won't get back too late. I'm sure Ami will chew us out and demand attention as soon as we get there too...as this is the second longest time we've had to leave her...and the other time she at least had someone to check in on her occasionally!! Once we give her her proper attention then we'll probably call it a night...since I've got to be at Bennett's house bright and early tomorrow morning to get him to camp on time!! I will try to get my blog posts all posted sometime during my free time tomorrow while Bennett is at camp...

Well, I've signed up for a two month stint on Wardrobe Refashion starting the beginning of July. The pledge for this is as follows...

I, Julie, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, and recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn, or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovated, recycled, crafted, or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that my thriftiness brings!!

Now if I can only figure out how to add the button to my sidebar...my compy's being stubborn!!

I'm a wee bit sad, cause after spending a good bit of time posting freebie links on my Essential Simplicity blog the other day, I didn't even get one single comment!! I sure hope that somebody at least got some freebies out of the deal...but I sure do love me some comments...especially over there, since I really work on posting more relevant stuff there...whereas here I just post my rambling!!

Today Brack and I tackled clearing out and sorting thru all the junk that we'd managed to accumulate in our storage room since moving into this apartment 14 months ago. We've already had a lady come pick up a load of stuff we posted on Freecycle, and we've got easily three times that again still to give away...plus a bag for the homeless shelter, a bag for Brack's mom, and three bags for my family!! It's amazing that we had that much JUNK piled up in there...and we still aren't done yet!! I had a bit of fun trying out my label machine that I bought for my organizing business on labeling the containers that have made it back into the storage room...stacked nicely on sturdy new shelves. I will post pics of the storage room on my Essential Simplicity blog once it's all done.

Well, gotta eat dinner and try to at least finish sorting the stuff still on the balcony, since I doubt we'll get any more of the stuff inside sorted by the time Saturday Night Live and bedtime roll around. We'll finish most of it tomorrow after church, though!!