you didn't ask for it, but you're gettin' it: A BRAIN DUMP!!!

Okay, my beloved friends, family and strangers (whom I adore!). It's time for a numbered list of random thoughts! I know I've been pretty MIA lately. Some of these random things might explain it...many will not.

1. Let's just get this first item out of the way. I've been tired and a little nauseous, but mainly tired. I get my words flipped around. I can't think clearly...ever. Some things smell really good, while other things make me want to hurl. If you haven't figured it out, I'm not telling you, but I'm almost 12 weeks. there.

2. I was just out of town for 36 hours. In that short time, Brent proved his love for me he's a better housewife than me. I came home to a cleaner, more organized home. It's a wonderful and horrible feeling to realize how much better Brent is than me, but I'll take the help any day. (I comfort myself with the fact that he doesn't cook much. It's eggs, cereal, frozen pizza, macaroni and sandwiches on his watch.)

3. It was birthday on the 22nd. I'm 32. No biggie. It was great. Brent took me to a play. Allison and Kevin took us out to dinner. Molly brought apple fritters to my door at 8:30 am. My folks gave me B-day money and prepared a steak dinner for me while we were in town! We went to Chipotle with my sister and her family on the day of. I got great cards. And my sweet mother-in-law sent a Starbucks gift basket! Do not underestimate the power of a gift basket, folks! It's the grown-up version of an Easter basket. Remember that delight?

4. I have five minutes left of my cell phone monthly allowance. I'm saving them for an emergency. I canceled my long distance on my land line thinking I'd get a phone card pronto. I haven't gotten it yet. Long distance loved ones, THIS IS WHY I HAVEN'T CALLED YOU!!! Unless you're Verizon, we no talkie for a week longer.

5. Nose bleeds. Miles gets 'em in his sleep. A lot. It's kinda funny and kinda sad. He'll wake up in the morning. He'll feel his way out into the kitchen. You'll hear a little scratchy, "good morning". You glance over and see a completely unaware Miles with dried blood all over his sweet little face. Sad, funny...and a little gross, but really funny. I promise.

6. Square envelopes. How do they justify charging extra postage for those? It's ridiculous. And you know the card makers have worked a deal with the United States Postal Service when the cards that come in the square envelopes are best?!!!

7. Reading Little Women. Actually, I should be reading it right now, instead of writing. But, oh is it good. I'm only a fifth of the way into it, but I'm loving it. Have you read it? It's for book club. Has anyone started their own book club yet? You people should. You would not regret it.

8. God is our provider. He is so good. I can't tell you all the ways he's provided for us lately, but we're blessed beyond what we could ever pretend to deserve. Every good gift comes from God. Are you feeling that right now? We get loved on and taken care of from so many directions that I feel guilty sometimes. But, I have to remind myself that ultimately, it's from one hand.

9. Following this example, we're reading Psalm 34 to our boys almost every night for a month. It's been two weeks, I think, and they're starting to learn it. Definitely not there yet. And even if they didn't memorize it, it's been so good for me to read the same passage over and over.

10. It's late. I'm tired (kinda like I am when I wake up...and how I feel in the middle of the day). I gotta wrap this up! Have a good night and/or a great day, folks! Lots of love coming at you from Minneapolis!

I messed up my Dad's excellent hash brown recipe

It was confirmed when Miles asked for seconds.

"May I please have more hash brown....ish potatoes?"

Spring Cleaning Question #1

conversations with the kids

Miles: Sometimes, I imagine I'm one of the disciples following Jesus, but then I get scared when I imagine him coming out of the tomb looking like a mummy.

Me: uhhh...He didn't look like a mummy.

Miles: I know. It's just what a imagine.

huh?

*************************************************************

Jillian: humenna boff. humenna war.

Me: You wanna take a bath with water?

Jillian (giggling): yeeahh!

*************************************************************

Avery (on the way to small group): Will Andy be there tonight?

Me: Not sure.

Avery (sounding whiter than ever): If he's there, that'll be tight.

(So that's what you're learning at school. I was wondering...)

hypothetical letter from a blog reader

Dear Jenna,

What the heck? Where have you been? For the first week, I thought you must have had a carbon monoxide leak in your home or something. But, then I saw that you're still out there commenting on blogs. So, you're alive, but you're not blogging? C'mon?!

What have you been doing??? I mean, in this time, you haven't even had a bloggable conversation with Miles and Avery? What about a picture? No?

What kind of mother doesn't even have some good blog-worthy pictures?

Whatever you do, please, please, please, do not make me look at the word "mousecapades" ever again. That's just rude. No. It's more than rude. It's a form of torture.

If you ever, EVER, want me to enjoy your blog again, you're going to actually write something interesting. Or, give me a link. I could take a link. It's gone that far. Just link me to something funny or provocative or inspiring.

No pressure.

With deep concern for your floundering blog,

A. Blog Reader

mousecapades

So, this was a bad winter for mice apparently. We had some? one? a colony?

They were absolutely driving me mad. We tried the freakishly scary snap traps. Snap traps are just as scary as having to cut the blue (or was it RED???...no...maybe it's the YELLOW???) wire to dismantle a bomb. You hold your breath, say a prayer and slowly as possible release the lever. It either ends in a "phew" or a yelp.

We tried the sticky traps. They collected dust and the random food that Miles tossed on them to attract the mice.

Oh. And, by the way, we did put peanut butter on the snap traps. I did NOT put a wedge of swiss cheese on there. I know better.

I tried "spin traps". And also an "easier" snap trap that you pinch like a clothes pin, but it doesn't snap except when it catches a mouse (which is NEVER). I also used a "sure-fire" mouse attractant which supposedly works better than peanut butter. It didn't.

But, despite all these traps around the house, the deposits of mouse poop kept coming.

So, I got out my trusty laptop and Googled "homemade mouse traps". One site suggested this homemade trap which included a bucket of water and a plank-like tipping thing. If only I had a five gallon bucket and 15 hours to make it.

But, it probably wouldn't have caught a mouse anyway.

We even saw that mouse on several occasions.

Probably the most memorable mouse moment was when our dear Makoto still lived with us.
I remember it like it was yesterday....

She was in the dining room studying quietly. The children were long in bed. And I finally found my way to my room, snuggled in, turned off the lamp and--DANG IT--I heard something maneuvering its way through the register! CREEPED. ME. OUT.

I whispered frantically, "BRENT! It's in our room! The MOUSE. I heard it!"

Faster than you can say "squeak", I jumped up, turned on the lamp, threw a pillow to block the crack under the door. Brent covered both vents with Calvin's Institutes (they have been used more as props than anything over the years). Oh, we were making a ruckus. I was squealing and shouting "Brent! Over there!" We were jumping on our bed to scare the mouse out from under it. The bed is on casters, so I started pushing off the wall to move it. We made some unusual noises.

oh. Did I mention that all Makoto knew was that we just went to bed? She had to be a little unnerved wondering...

Finally, I eked out, "Makoto!" "Makoto!"

no response.

Again, but just above a whisper calmly, "Makoto?"

"Yes?" she answered timidly.

"The mouse is in our room. We need something to trap it." I had resumed my frantic whisper.

Now, this got confusing, because even though she'd lived in our home for two months, she couldn't quite figure out where we kept a plastic bowl. So, I had to exit to fetch something to trap it with while Brent stayed on guard.

Now, I know you can't really trap a mouse with your bare hands and a bowl. But, how were we going to sleep that night knowing it was there. (And WHY? What was in there to attract it???)
Anyway, friends. We got tired. I got to the point where I could imagine the mouse crawling on our bed without feeling an adrenaline rush. Eventually I fell asleep.

But one day, I set this up (like a 9-yr-old).




I know. You're jealous of my engineering skills. Drool on.




The next morning, I caught this:




I know. Good thing I didn't mix any D-CON in with those Cheerios.



Epilogue:
About a month later, I went upstairs and found a dying mouse shivering on the carpet. Even though it was barely moving in place, I was pretty freaked out and shaky. Brent transported it outdoors and that was the short and happy life of that mouse. So, it died of old age or D-CON. Not sure which. Doesn't matter. It's gone. But, I'm sure I'll see its cousins next winter.

andie was right.

In the comments of the last post, Andie rightly guessed that I'm an ENFP. Here's the link to take a brief myers-briggsish test.



Now, go get yourself tested!!!