August 15, 2010

Ahh, the Bucket List ²

by Wendy • Headline, My Life As It Happens

It seems like nearly every blogger is doing it right now and as if every single one of my posts have been set up this way as of late.  The bucket list…both loved and hated and yet right now, it’s the only reason I am putting up this post.  So here goes:

• I’m still a bit shell-shocked with the latest firefighter fatality.  I can’t talk about it because I have to maintain confidentiality but let’s just say that this has been a defining case for me and the work that I do.  I have been thinking a lot about where I am with the Task Force and where its future is headed.  There is a lot of uncertainty, questions, and just ‘what if’ moments.
• I have noticed that today marks the half way point in August.  We have had some fairly tough moments this month but actually the whole year has been difficult, so I’m just going to chalk everything that has gone on this month to it just being a nasty year.
• Catherine finished out her summer session of school and in a little over a week she will be starting pre-k 3.  There have been some issues that have come up with her school and we are praying for a quick resolution.  We are actually hoping she will get accepted into another school next week.  We shall see.
• Speaking of Catherine, all of the craziness we were going through at the beginning of summer seems to have subsided for now.   She isn’t crying or throwing a fit every five minutes, so I feel a bit less stressed about her right now.  She has however notched it up a bit with her going, going, going mentality.  She is always asking us to, ‘watch me!’ which just about drives me bonkers.  Even though she has always been a talker, it seems like now there is hardly any silence from that child.  I have to tell her at least two or three times a day that it’s ‘no talk time.’  She loves tinker toys, gymnastics, and swimming.  It’s too hot in Texas to do anything outside that is worthwhile other than swim.  Neither of us can handle being cooped up inside for too long.  I think the house would look like a bomb or hurricane hit it if we didn’t go out at least once a day.  Swimming has been our way of letting out some of the energy she has.
• The stress of everything going on lately on top of Catherine’s endless supply energy has made me love an earlier bedtime.  I have always, always, always been a night owl, but I can no longer handle it.  I’m exhausted by 7:00pm.

• I am not a huge fan of cooking, mostly because of the cleaning up part, but lately I have been wanting to try some new and challenging recipes.  My first foray into this cooking adventure has been a lobster bisque that I found on this website.   I think it turned out pretty darned good but I don’t think I will be making it again.  It took about three hours to make the stock and now my house smells like lobster.  I can’t get the smell out and I am not happy about it.  The other recipe I decided to make was a flatbread that I found off of the blog, Your Homebased Mom.  That was easy and good!  I would highly recommend it!
• We are still in a quest to find the best cupcake.  We have tried a few more places and I need to do a post on the findings.  Most places have been a bit disappointing to say the least but there have also been a few surprises.
• I’m still burned out with blogging because by the time I have a chance to actually write, all I want to do is go to bed.  I am hoping this new blog design kicks me back into high gear.  Thanks Diana for the new header!
• I am still dreaming of a vacation but my travel season is about to start back up again, so I will take what I can get.
• I cannot get enough of Molly the Owl and have dreams of one day owning an owl box!
• And that’s about it for now!