Much Ado about Nothing

Have you ever heard of that play? My mom has a HUGE book, a compilation of Shakespeare's plays, and I believe that was the name of one of them. I remember reading through it (yes, I am a literature nut) and for some reason that title has stuck with me.

Have you ever had one of those days where you brain is just busy, busy and won't slow down? I'm having one of those. I feel as if my mind is in hyperdrive and I can't get it to slow down. So, I figured I'd just write about it in hopes that my scatterbrained state will come to an end.

Let's start with trying new things. There's quite a few areas lately where we have ventured out into unknown waters.

1. I cut my hair off. Not off completely, but off as in short. It's right below my chin. I LOVE IT!! I was very nervous about doing it since my hair has not been this length since I was three. Like I said, I love it and I may never go back! =0) I'll have to post a picture of it one of these days.

2. In addition to making my own bread, I'm going to start making my own probiotic yogurt. There just comes a point when you are sick of paying $3.12 for a tub of yogurt. And our family eats massive amounts of yogurt! We usually eat 2-3 of those every week. Making it myself, I can make it for half that. Yay!

3. We all drank unpasteurized/straight from the cow milk and we are all dying of a stomach bug. Just kidding! Seriously, a family in our church got us a gallon of milk from a dairy right near their house and it is delicious! Caleb is allergic to the horomones that are in regular milk and we have to buy organic milk for him. It is really expensive and the prices keep rising. But it is cheaper just to buy it from this farmer so I think we will continue getting it! Take a swig of half and half and you'll get the idea of how yummy it is. =)

4. On Friday we tilled up a piece of our yard for a garden. We are all so excited! We are going to be planting sugar snap peas, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, tomatoes and radishes. Radishes?? Well, when your 4 year old reads about them in Peter Rabbit all of the time, she gets her heart set on the fact that they belong in a garden. That being said, don't be shocked when they wind up in a salad that you are eating at my house. =0) We eat a lot of veggies around here, and we spent less on the seeds than I spend on veggies for a week. So, yeah, it's gonna be worth it! We are praying for a lot of rain this summer and loads of veggies.

Since my mind is traveling fast, let's change the subject. What can I say about our dog Phoebe? Getting her was definitely a life changing experience! It's been an adventure, but I'm so glad we took the plunge. Since getting Phoebe I've learned....

1. Dogs grow. And they grow fast. Phoebe is only 14 weeks old and is 32 pounds. YIKES! She's gonna be big!

2. Dogs shed. And they shed a lot. My lint roller has become a new counter-top appliance. We use it all the time. Lydia and Caleb even come and get it to roll off imaginary Phoebe hair. I think I could brush her every day and fill the brush up!

3. Dogs make messes. I think my house will never be clean again. My pediatrician has accused me on several occasions of being "too clean." He even said that I was probably one of "those people" that vacuumed several times a day. I assured him that I was not. (Come over and you will see!) But, since having a dog, I will never be put into the "too clean" category again. I'm not sure I'll make it onto the "clean" list either. And since when was it a horrible thing to be "too clean?" Anyways....

4. Dogs play. And they play hard. Phoebe is just stinkin' hilarious. She will run so hard after the ball when we play fetch that she runs past it and slams her face into the ground. She is so funny!

5. Dogs have personality. This I think was the biggest thing I learned. I had always heard that they all have different peronalities, but now I understand. Phoebe is just like a person in many ways! She'll get into these certain positions while making certain expressions and Steven and I are like, "She's doing her 'people' thing again!" She does this all the time and it looks like she has elbows! I wish I had a picture of her when she only leans on one "elbow"...it's so funny!

6. Dogs are lovable. And my children just LOVE Phoebe! They have so much fun playing with her, teaching her things and picking on her. (Don't worry, Phoebe does her fair share of picking on them too!)

7. Dogs change you. Yes, as I said, Phoebe has changed our life, but it has affected Lydia and Caleb the most. They are no longer terrified of animals! They are so comfortable with Phoebe now...you should have seen them when we first brought her home. They have certainly come a long way!

Well, thank you for letting me unclog my mind here in blogworld. My mind in no longer a scary place! =0) Like I tell Steven, writing is my therapy. It's either blogging or Prozac! (I'm really kidding about that...I promise I am mentally stable!) I need to get going because we have sugar snap peas to plant and I have to meet with some ladies tonight to practice for a recording next week. I have to play for two songs on the CD and I'm a bit nervous! I have to play it flawlessly and that's hard when I'm nervous! My fingers just won't obey!

Have a great day and I hope you are okay after reading my ramblings! =)