Rambling

Hi, all. So it's been a week since I've posted, and no one's been banging at my door for a new post. (Sigh.) No, really, I'm okay with that. I haven't felt the blog drive too recently--instead my interior decorating and baking drives have been fueling my days, and I've had fun responding to my internal whims. I've thrifted and visited garage sales a lot in the last few weeks, and my husband has learned to adopt a quiet but bemused attitude when he sights me huffing up the front sidewalk, reeling in the junk. (I promise I don't buy more than we need--we're all about living with less--but can I help it if I find an entire box of Christmas garland, something I've been looking for, for $.50? And I can't help that it must be stored for another month.)

Although I don't have pictures, I'll list some of the more thrilling (at least to me) finds I can think of from recent treasure hunts:

• $2 each: collector's edition copies of Moulin Rouge and The Royal Tenenbaums, both beloved films of the Cases
• $3: fun, rickety table I have since painted red and intend to use for my plants
• I know I already mentioned it, but come on--$.50 for a box of several strands of evergreen garland? That rocks. (I have this project in mind.)
• $1.50 each: three Baby Einstein DVDs
• $2 or less each: several "new" kids' toys for Ta's (that would be my mom) house

I'll stop there, although I know I'm missing a lot. To be clear, I thrift and bargain hunt a lot. It never stops, even with winter upon us.

Moving on. What other topics can I touch on, bring you up-to-date on? Well, the impending cold makes me think of our various household projects we have planned. Stephen plans on putting insulation in our attic in a couple weeks, which will (hopefully) greatly improve the heating upstairs. (Story that might make your stomach hurt, especially if you are a fellow homeowner: Last winter Stephen made a point of watching the roofs of the homes in our neighborhood, and ours was the only one without snow on the roof. Just thinking about all that precious heat escaping over my children's sleeping heads makes me shudder.) We are also having the four remaining windows in our kids' two bedrooms upstairs replaced, which, along with the new attic insulation, will likely make our house feel about 40 years younger and 20 degrees warmer. I. Can't. Wait.

Isn't it amazing what makes your socks go up and down when you get to be an adult? New windows make me absolutely salivate with glee.

Besides those household projects, nothing is too unusual here. Oh, except one key difference this past week: We no longer have a dog. Yep, that's right folks; as Raechel so aptly put it, "So long, Hopalong." Hopalong Cassidy, our fun-lovin', three-legged black mutt, is now living with another family. Cassidy had lived with us for over 3 years after quite literally following us home one evening, and while we loved her dearly, she was becoming a huge burden. Three young children, two adults, one quiet cat, and one rambunctious dog don't all work together in a tiny home, and Cassidy wasn't getting the attention or time she deserved. We vowed we wouldn't simply ship her to Animal Control, since we believe that to be irresponsible and wrong, and so we simply kept our ears and eyes opened for a good opportunity. We found a welcoming family without even really looking for them, and Cassidy seems happy with them and their established small pack of dogs. I hope it continues to work out.

Also, I love the significant decline in animal hair accumulated in my home. Although, as my kids have been quick to point out, I no longer have help cleaning up food of the floor. You win some, you lose some.

I could continue in this vein, blabbering on about the inane details of our lives, but I am suddenly exhausted at 9 o'clock at night. And so, in true this-is-my-blog-so-who-cares? fashion, I'm shutting the books on this post and bidding you adieu. Maybe I'll get some blogging inspiration in the night and become an overnight blog superstar.

Or maybe I'll just wake up with my trademark Hedgehog Hair. Either scenario is possible.