Saturday, October 31, 2009

Time to Stay Home

I've become more and more distracted lately. Kid 2 notices this more than others, maybe because he insists on talking to me more than the other two kids do. But lately I hear more of this from him, "You're not really listening, are you?"
Yes, I am. What did you say?

That said, the following will come as no surprise. Today I was talking on the cell phone while getting ready to leave the house.
Hair Brushed: Check
Makeup on: Check
Clothes: Check
Cell phone? Where's my cell phone. I checked the table next to my chair. That's the last place I saw it. Not there.
I checked the kitchen. Maybe I plugged it in to charge. Nope.
I had a brilliant idea. I'll call myself and see if it rings.
Oh, but first I'll have to hang up the phone. The one I'm talking on. Get the picture?
This is why I shouldn't leave the house.

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

critique winner

I know it has taken me a while...with the flu and deadlines...BUT I have a winner for the critique.
Jessica!

And since I had quite a few entries, I drew a second name for a one chapter critique: Lorie Warren from facebook.

Thanks everyone for reading the blog, for comments, for hanging out with me. Hope you all stick around.
And hey, I'm open to suggestions if there is anything you want to talk about. If you're lurking, hoping I'll say something crazy, talk about writing, my kind of insane life; then come out of hiding and say what is on your mind.

Monday, October 19, 2009

Cat and Mouse

We have a mouse.
Not a pet, but the little kind that sneaks around the house, scurrying into hiding, creeping along walls. And yes, invading my counter.

We also have a cat.
Not the mousing kind, obviously. He's more of a sleepy kind of cat, the kind that likes to curl up on your lap, crawl into the box, even cuddle with the dogs. But chasing mice, that is not his thing.

Yesterday morning my husband yells; "Where's that cat? The mouse is right here, on the counter. He's hiding behind the coffee pot."

I have to make a confession. For all of you people reading this and going, "Ewww, a mouse." The truth is, I like mice. The older I get, the less I really like them in my house. But I do think they're kind of cute and when I was a kid I would save them and bring them into the house.

Back to the mouse. He's on the counter. NOT where I want him. I came up with the great idea, "WAIT! I'll get a box and we can catch him."
My husband looks at me the way he does (like I'm insane) and says, "And then what are you going to do with him."
As we're talking the little mousy is hiding behind the coffee pot, peeking out and thinking, "Yeah, then what are you going to do with him?" (Insert little mouse voice)

"Well," think quick Brenda, "I guess we'll take him outside and set him loose." Yes, people, I've done that more than once.
"Turn him loose?" Husband is a little shocked. "And let him come back inside?"
"Well, we can't just kill him." I look around, wanting a new idea. I see my perfect solution. Because as much as I don't want to kill the mouse, there is a certain sport in letting the cat chase him until he collapsess from exhaustion. "THE CAT! Silly me, we have a cat."

The mouse must have heard because he ran for a new hiding place, the sink. Perfect! I grab the cat and shove his nose into the sink. "Get the mouse, cat."
The cat struggles to get away. The mouse probably laughed as he ran out of the sink and across the counter, hiding behind a bottle. Okay, more confessions from a crazy person. It was cute, that little mouse behind the bottle.
But because I had the cat in my arms, I shoved the cat up there. "Get the mouse. Get the mouse."
The cat yowled in fear, jumped from arms and hid under a bed. The mouse escaped.

Later I did see the cat peeking under the stove. I told my husband, and he wasn't really proud. Instead he says my cat is worthless and we need one that will chase a mouse. Does that mean I can have another cat?

Sunday, October 11, 2009

SWINE FLU STINKS

The swine flu hit our house a little over a week ago. It hasn't been the most horrible flu we've ever had, but it has been the most contagious. It started with one kid, then another kid and I got it, and then the husband and last kid.

A week of togetherness. TOO MUCH BONDING. Too much of my coffee being drank, my TV being controlled, my office (the house) being invaded. The house is a mess because there are five people here every day, all day, messing it up.

I keep picturing The Banks of Plum Creek, or whichever Little House book included a flu outbreak. Those people were in one room together, with no Advil! No
Coffee. No Running Water!

It hasn't been that bad, or too unbearable. Until this morning when my husband said, "You love the dog more than you love me."

"Not true, honey. If you got hit by a car, I wouldn't go to the pound and replace you the very next day."

See, we're fine. We've survived a week of being stuck together and we're still feeling the love.