Ahhh Sleep! (and other stuff)

This morning deserves a happy post! After almost 3 weeks of ending up on the couch by 2am I made it a full night in my bed. Ohh, did I wake up feeling great! I did have a brief potty break at 1:30 but went back to bed and slept until time for scriptures this morning. Sleep, scriptures, breakfast . . . it's going to be a good day. The stuff that I can get done before 10am is great when I am well rested! I'm showered before noon, have 3 loads of laundry done (2 of which are folded!), the kitchen is cleaned up and Nathan and I have had reading and cuddle time. Ahh sweet sleep!!

There are a few other things going on in life though . . . here's a quick review:

We hadn't seen our dog for a few days so the kids went out looking for her, and found her - frozen. Last Labor Day a good section of our back fence burned in the shed fire that we had so she has kind of been the neighborhood dog since then. Originally we thought someone called and had her picked up by animal control but it looks like she was hit by one of the big construction trucks that are constantly going in our back field. They are building 6 townhomes back there and she (the dog) had no trouble wandering around there while they were working. LeRoy didn't want to put the dog on her chain all the time so . . . we no longer have a dog. I thought I would rejoice over that but I must admit I had a little sad moment. It wasn't for the mess in the backyard, the holes she dug, the vegetables she stole from the garden, the hoses she ate or the barking but because Nathan was really cute with her and I guess she was kind of a security for me. Nathan would stand at the window and call her name and make jumping motions to her and she would run in circles to chase her tail and play with him. Anytime a car came into the driveway she was like the pre-doorbell to let me know someone was there and when LeRoy was gone overnight it was nice to know she was out there. So I guess this is a little dedication to Sadie the dog - who will not be replaced. There could be a couple of meanings for that and I'm thinking we are not getting another dog! Enough of the obituaries. (** so wierd that while I was typing this paragraph the neighbors black lab walked past the downstairs window - it kind threw me off a little thinking it was Sadie - they always wandered around together and looked just alike**). OK - really no more dog stories.

Yesterday was very productive for me even tho' I was so tired. With it being a new year I had to close out one year for our business and start all new folders for a new year. Also the taxes come with that, W2's for the employees and really making sure everything is in order. Long story could be told here but the short of it is that I spent about 6 hours in the office yesterday, called our loan officer (for the house) 3 times to clarify stuff, and talked with our CPA twice. I really felt like I was at work and then I had to run Levi to Idaho Falls to the orthodontist and the day started to feel really long. (A great surprise came for me when I got home and Erika, Derek and Justin had done a spectacular job cleaning the house and a neighbor brought me a bowl of my favorite homemade soup.) I do love what I do in the office and get great satisfaction when I have all these files in order and figure out stuff that makes me stretch (even tho at the time the stretching is just stressing).

This may seem a little weird to some but for me it has been exciting. At age 35 I must have hit a midlife crisis and for the first time in my life I had highlights done in my hair. I did it without LeRoy knowing because he is a little opinionated on the subject. I felt like I had shiny hair and that even pulling it back it looked cute because of the highlights. LeRoy didn't seem to notice for the first day so Erika pointed it out but he didn't say much. Then the 2nd time I had thicker highlights with a bit lighter color so that it was a little more noticeable. When LeRoy got home that night (warning: no long G rating) he said "I love your hair, you look so hot I want to attack you right here, right now". As the kissing started our kids were all grossed out and I had to get back to making dinner but it was a great uplift for me. So that really isn't what I meant to write about but it leads me to say that I really like my hair stylist and she has helped me to find products that really do tame the frizz that I suffer from. (I suddenly feel like my sisters who inherited the same said frizz just perked up for more info). She gave me 'Big Sexy Hair', which Levi gives me a bad time about, and Matrix Sleek Look #3. I can even leave my hair wet and then blowdry it later and I don't have the frizz. You can't imagine how great this is for me when I need to run kids to school and I haven't had time to blowdry. So at 36 I have finally discovered how to take care of my hair. If you want to know how I use the products give me a call - I won't bore the rest with the details.

Books, books, books - only I haven't started the book that I should be reading for Bookgroup.

Book #1: I got a late Christmas surprise from LeRoy's sister Robin. She sent me a book in the mail (Daughters of God by Michael Wilcox) and I was quite excited about it. I have borrowed the book from Kara a couple of times and had considered buying it so when it came in the mail I was excited. The interesting part is that Robin has had it for quite a while and I don't know why she chose now to send it. It actually belonged to LeRoy's mom who passed away 7 years ago.

Book #2: I am proud to report that my daughter (who seems to be nothing like me) just finished Celia Garth last night. She loved it and wanted to stay up last night until she finished it. Boy was she surprised when I told her she could, even on a school night. So to Grandma and all of my sisters (who I think each own a copy, including myself) . . . Erika is officially one of us.

Book #3: As I was browsing Deseret Book I found one that I am going to give to a friend for her birthday. It may seem silly that I would give her a children's book but we have kind of a silly relationship. It is actually a great book and I'm going to use it for FHE one of these January weeks. Oh - maybe I should tell you what it is. The Quiltmakers Journey. There is also a 2nd one (that was actually written first) called The Quiltmakers Gift but I haven't read that one - just the reviews that it is also very good.

Book #4: I just finished Anne Frank Remembered. I was looking for baby name books at the library and this was stuck in the wrong place so I brought it home. I really can't tell you why other than it interested me that it was written by the lady that helped to hide the Frank family and that Erika had just read the Anne Frank Diary for school. I couldn't put it down. It was very simply written and left me feeling like there are really good people in this world. I was amazed at what humans can do when they care.

Wow - this is getting alot longer than I intended it to be. Maybe I better quit for today.