Yesterday was a lot of fun. Our tax return arrived in the morning. We live nearly entirely on Mark's disability and a very small (but still quite generous) salary that our church grants us in exchange for his help with their computers, whenever he is able to get in there. Things are often quite tight so it's not uncommon to hear us say, "When we get the tax return, I want to ..." A good sized chunk has been put away for birthdays, summer activities, and camping trips this summer. And we took care of some super exciting things, like paying off the electric bill, tuning up the van, and tossing some bait to hungry medical billing offices.
But we also went shopping! We all had our lists. Mark got a couple of black boxes with buttons. Don't ask we what they are or do, but they are apparently quite cool to him. I got Kaitlyn a hair straightener in exchange for all the help she gives me with the boys when I have to be taking care of her dad. (I don't know why she wants to straighten her gorgeous wavy hair, but I guess in junior high we all want to be the opposite of what we are naturally, huh?) I'm taking her out this afternoon to finish buying some badly needed clothing. The boys got ... take a wild guess ... transformers! And they're looking for a Wii, the newest gaming system, but they're having a hard time tracking one down. I guess they are so popular that they go out of stores just about as quickly as they come in. (We've been told that we will have to be at the store when it opens if we want to get our hands on one. Yikes! Reminds me of the Cabbage Patch craze when I was Alex's age -- but the dolls were a bit cheaper than what he wants!)
And me? What did I get? Well, I got a coffee pot, since our old carafe is broken and always spills black puddles on the counter. (Besides, it's old, and the stuff tastes like sludge.) I got a shoe rack to hang over the inside of the closet so that we no longer have to step over piles of shoes just inside the door. (Whether or not I can persuade the kids to take the extra couple of steps to actually PUT their shoes in the closet remains to be seen.) I got a bookshelf -- a very cheap one, but still far better than the night stand I've been using as printer stand/bookshelf for some time now.
And I got BOOKS! I have a serious love affair going on with http://www.amazon.com/. I have a lengthy wish list there. (Curious? It's filed under Wish List for J.E.B.) Whenever someone recommends a book or I listen to an interview with an author that intrigues me or I read a book that refers to another book that sounds interesting, I add it to my wish list. Days like today, I pop in there and pick a few. (I make it sound so easy! It's not, but only because I have such a challenge narrowing it down.) Because I don't really care if the book has evidence of being previously loved, I can get most of my books for pennies over the cost of shipping. I spent ... ahem, $50 (yikes!) ... but I got far more for that amount than I could have gotten in any bookstore.
We all went out. I was hesitant, afraid Mark would get sick, but he said, "I am NOT staying home." Kaitlyn commented on the fact that I brought my bag with me. (It contains embroidery and a book and a notebook, etc.) I didn't tell her that I truly expected Mark would be in the hospital before the end of the evening. We were out for hours, but he did fine. I was rather thrilled when we all made it home together. Today, he doesn't feel well. He's completely exhausted and will probably be in bed most of the day. But we went out all together! And no one landed in the hospital. I'd say it was a darn good day.
But we also went shopping! We all had our lists. Mark got a couple of black boxes with buttons. Don't ask we what they are or do, but they are apparently quite cool to him. I got Kaitlyn a hair straightener in exchange for all the help she gives me with the boys when I have to be taking care of her dad. (I don't know why she wants to straighten her gorgeous wavy hair, but I guess in junior high we all want to be the opposite of what we are naturally, huh?) I'm taking her out this afternoon to finish buying some badly needed clothing. The boys got ... take a wild guess ... transformers! And they're looking for a Wii, the newest gaming system, but they're having a hard time tracking one down. I guess they are so popular that they go out of stores just about as quickly as they come in. (We've been told that we will have to be at the store when it opens if we want to get our hands on one. Yikes! Reminds me of the Cabbage Patch craze when I was Alex's age -- but the dolls were a bit cheaper than what he wants!)
And me? What did I get? Well, I got a coffee pot, since our old carafe is broken and always spills black puddles on the counter. (Besides, it's old, and the stuff tastes like sludge.) I got a shoe rack to hang over the inside of the closet so that we no longer have to step over piles of shoes just inside the door. (Whether or not I can persuade the kids to take the extra couple of steps to actually PUT their shoes in the closet remains to be seen.) I got a bookshelf -- a very cheap one, but still far better than the night stand I've been using as printer stand/bookshelf for some time now.
And I got BOOKS! I have a serious love affair going on with http://www.amazon.com/. I have a lengthy wish list there. (Curious? It's filed under Wish List for J.E.B.) Whenever someone recommends a book or I listen to an interview with an author that intrigues me or I read a book that refers to another book that sounds interesting, I add it to my wish list. Days like today, I pop in there and pick a few. (I make it sound so easy! It's not, but only because I have such a challenge narrowing it down.) Because I don't really care if the book has evidence of being previously loved, I can get most of my books for pennies over the cost of shipping. I spent ... ahem, $50 (yikes!) ... but I got far more for that amount than I could have gotten in any bookstore.
We all went out. I was hesitant, afraid Mark would get sick, but he said, "I am NOT staying home." Kaitlyn commented on the fact that I brought my bag with me. (It contains embroidery and a book and a notebook, etc.) I didn't tell her that I truly expected Mark would be in the hospital before the end of the evening. We were out for hours, but he did fine. I was rather thrilled when we all made it home together. Today, he doesn't feel well. He's completely exhausted and will probably be in bed most of the day. But we went out all together! And no one landed in the hospital. I'd say it was a darn good day.
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