My 2nd Gratitude Journal

I had not written in my Gratitude journal in almost a month. Instead I had been writing in a pink notebook where I could insert a loose page to have another cover, but I haven't thought of THE Perfect Cover for it yet. The pink works fine. It doesn't draw attention to itself. Sunday morning I would not get up & go into the kitchen to go through a noisy plastic bag to retrieve the pink notebook for fear of waking everyone up with it rattling. So I pulled this new blank journal with a simple flower on the cover out of another plastic bag. It has no words on the cover. No "Gratitude" on the cover but on the inside now. That's all I seem to do is pull stuff out of a bag. Just call me the Bag Lady.

Now I must regress back to yesterday... Saturday morning 9/15/07, Rhett and I were supposed to go to a huge yard sale in Chattam Woods subdivision which is on my way to work. We got a late start because I first had to check my emails to see if there was a confirmation from zazzle.com for my first submission yesterday. There was one! They accepted my photo of my Daddy's tie. I was SO excited. I called my mom on my cell phone since I was on the computer to tell her the good news. Don was at work. I immediately sent the acceptance email to all my friends and family (well not all of my family!) so they could view it and per chance purchase it. Although I knew it was not one of my best photos I've taken, I still had to share my excitement with everyone.

We got to the subdivision rather late by true blue yard saler's standards. I was disappointed we were not finding anything, but maybe that was a good thing because I wasn't spending a lot of money. At least there was a nice, cool breeze blowing, showing the first sign of fall in the air, but I still sweated. I hate to sweat and try not to do it. Sometimes I can control it. Today was not one of those times.

I did find a pair of red button earrins for 50 cents. At the last stop I bought a round pin with gold flowers to cover the marker stain the cleaner could not completely remove from my blue purse. I may have another pin of a woman at home I like even better. I can always resell this one. The pin needs to be flat so it won't pull my clothes. The earrings I am quite sure my friend Abby would like to own especially at that price. See previous picture (s).

By then I had to make a mad dash to the nearest bathroom. The first public restroom we came to was at Mazzio's where we had pizza with Penny and her family not long ago. Rhett wanted to play video games while I was "occupied". I told him to holler if anyone grabbed him as I rushed inside locking the door behind me. I did hear him call "Momma" but he didn't answer me & he wasn't screaming it. Later he said it was not him. Needless to say I hurried. I bought a coke so I could take some asprins. Believe it or not, this helps me when my stomach is "tore up" as we say in the south. Tore up can also mean schnockered as in drunk as Cooter Brown.

We went to Fred's to get Pepsi's and Rhett a new ruler since his plastic one broke at school yesterday. We got a cool black one with an orange design similar to the Orange County motorcyle flames. It cost a little more, but it's flexible so it shouldn't break like the last one. I got bulbs for the nightlight in our bathroom which blew out. Funny that I'd forwarded an email about how Don always changes the light bulbs in our house. I changed that one. So I can't say that anymore.

By then Rhett was hungry so we got him something to eat at Fire House Subs. I knew I could not eat it so you know I am still not feeling well. While there, I called Don to see if he was home from work & tell him about my excitement of being accepted by zazzle.com. Isn't that what we all want... is to be accepted? Don can never follow my telling of a story! He thought I'd sold my Daddy's tie!

I told Don we had 2 more stops to make before we started home. He was headed to my mom's to fix her back door. We went to Publix for potatoes and peanut butter. I planned to start cooking when I got home since the guys were going to the drag races later. Rhett had a free ticket. Not my thing.

Don told me to start cooking at 4:30 but I don't like being told what to do. So I do just he opposite. I re-checked my emails. My friends Mike E and Anne were very happy for me. Mike thought the design was cool. Then I began my kp duty of peeling the potatoes while watching HGTV. I like to use small, red potatoes for my mashed spuds. I put the taters on to boil and began flouring the chicken legs. As I was doing this, I realized I should have made my biscuits first. I put the legs aside and started making them biscuits. I'd preheated the oven and noticed the oven light was not on. Later I went to put the biscuits inside and noticed it was barely warm. I turned the switches off and off again. A blue spark came out of the back of the stove! Here I had 2 pans of biscuits to cook and no working oven! I began looking through the phone book for the neighbor's number when Don asked me what I was doing. Did he think I was calling Chicken Delight? I told him I wanted to ask the Sanders if I could cook my biscuits in their oven. He just laughed a me like I was crazy. Well, I couldn't stop cooking to take them to mom's or ask her make me some then bring them to me. So I wasted all that flour, not to mention time and energy.

The food was by no means ready by the time Don wanted to leave for the races. I'd been yelling as if the stove going out was his fault. I told him I was very hungry and wanted to eat NOW! I no longer take glucophage for my hormonal problems because it makes me go to the bathroom and I go enough! But I guess I needed it BAD! So I was not a happy housewife. He'd turned the fryer on high. I thought I was going crazy because I didn't think I turned it up high. I never do that because I don't like the grease popping out on me. Once you've been burned by a radiator, you don't like anything striking you! So turned it down. He said it would never cook like that. I really do want him to help me, but when he does "help" me, it doesn't help.

I had to make them sandwiches before they left. I made them both roast beef ones. As I was spreading the Miracel Whip on their bread standing by the sink, the chicken popped all the way from the farthest eye to my right naked ring finger! Was someone trying to tell me something? Was I being punished for being ugly earlier? Of course Don just laughed at me. Now this man is a Miracle Whip man and I am a Blue Plate woman. I fixed their sandwiches. Then Don told me he wanted mustard on his. MUSTARD! Well, he got both. Who eats mustard on a roast beef sandwich anyway?

Then he had the nerve to ask me if he got me a new stove, would I cook? Which made me mad since I have not felt good since before we left Indy. Where has he been? Obviously not in the bathroom with me!

So I finished cooking all the chicken legs at 9 pm. After they left I got to see what life would be like without them.... I finished cooking dinner ALONE. Without them, I would no longer have to cook or cook as much. I'd be buying smaller portions of meat. I'd probably have to ask for a special pack of 3 chicken legs instead six. Would the butcher look at me strangely, shake his head and feel sorry for me because he knew I was all alone? I'd eat all my meals ALONE. I'd watch tv ALONE. When I laughed out loud at the funny parts of the chick flick I was watching "Cinderall Story", there would was no one laughing with me. My laughter echoed in the living room oddly making me stop in mid laugh with the realization. Without them I could stay up all night n the computer until I could no longer stay up.

I did get on the computer. Everytime I went into zazzle.com, it would kick me out of AOL. It was frustrating so I lost my interest in doing that. I viewed etsy.com for awhile and saw things I know I could make, but did not even attempt them. I figured I wasn't on a winning streak this night.

My guys got home at 11. I was still awake. I was very, very thankful they arrived home safely. A break in routine is good now and again.There is nothing like everything being shown how different your life could be... be careful what you wish for when you wish to ALONE. No one really wants to be alone. I think when people say, "Leave me alone" or they want to be alone, it is often a cry for help.

I discussed this day with my friend Katherine, the preacher's wife who could relate as well as Garry, the Sears repairman. He found it really funny. He asked, "You mean other people yell?"
He remembered the light bulb email about PMS and said a chair & stool have remained at his home in an inconvient spot for almost a week now, but he hasn't touched it.