So, I haven't been here in quite some time...I've been making miniature furniture and accessories in 1:12th and 1:6th scales, and haven't had time to attend to the blog.  Here are a few shots of 1:12th scale miniatures I've made.

It's Obvious My Husband and I Grew Up in the Same Small Town:

My husband: "Didn't you go out with him?"

Me: "Mmmm, not really." "Hey wait, you did go out with his sister, though, right?"

My husband: "No, I really just made out with her."

Me: "Oh, so your relationship with his sister was pretty much the same as mine with him."

My husband: "Yeah, guess so."

The *%#!~^* Phone!

     I have discovered a few things about "business" calls (and I use that term loosely).

     First, there is no limit, no matter how much you wish there was, to how many times you can hear the recorded message:  "________ is currently away from her desk or assisting other customers."  Second, the more important the call is, the more phone tag you will play with the person you are trying to contact.  Third, if you are so determined not to miss an important return call that you leave both your home and mobile numbers, two people will miraculously return calls at the same time, one on each phone.  Fourth, they are not amused when you ask them to please hold, and have one of your kids hum "Feelings" for ten minutes.  Fifth, the minute you are asked to leave a message and hear the beep, your brain shuts down and you forget how to say anything but "um".  Sixth, the minute you actually get an important call, the doorbell will ring, someone will get hurt or get in an argument with a sibling, or something will start on fire.  I resisted the urge to bury both phones in the backyard today, but just barely...

The perils of chocolate...

My Dove chocolate wrapper says, "You're gorgeous." Really? I haven't even brushed my hair yet. Oh well, thank-you Dove for your shameless flirting, yes I think I will have another...

Stuff and fluff...

Please tell me to stop buying stuff to put my stuff in so that I can organize my stuff. I'm clearly having a major stuff problem to begin with. I think I'm making progress, and then I wonder...maybe bringing in more stuff isn't a good idea. I'm thinking of buying a tent from Cabela's and moving into the back yard...it would probably be as warm as our bedroom, anyway. And don't even get me started on the fluff problem that I'm having with our comforter. Stuff and fluff-so many problems, so little time...

Doctor's Office

Over the last couple of years, I have noticed when calling the doctor's office, the first thing you hear is a recorded voice telling you that if this is a life-threatening emergency, to hang up and dial 911. REALLY?! It seems to me that this would be obvious to anyone who was actively dying. I have decided that this new message is some sort of disclaimer, based on the potential for patients to actually develop a life-threatening emergency while wading through the extensive computer generated menu of options. Unless you're over 40, you probably don't have any experience with actual humans answering the phone when you call your doctor, but it's true! Real, live humans used to answer the phone. Sometimes, the doctor him/herself would actually call you back. I remember this experience, and in fact, the doctor my parents have been seeing my whole life really did return my long-distance calls when my father was ill. These days, I call, pick a number to press, wait on hold for someone to answer, describe my entire medical problem in (sometimes embarrassing) detail, only to be told that I'm being transferred to Dr. X's nurse. This is a whole new process. First, I hear a recorded message telling me what information to leave for the nurse. This usually amounts to seven or eight vital pieces of information. If I forget what they are and miss one, it's likely that I'll be dead of old age by the time I receive medical care. After leaving the message, phone tag then commences between myself and the nurse, starting the next business day. Hopefully, it's the beginning of the week rather than the end. If it's near a weekend, it could be a week or more before I talk to someone. At long last, I speak to the nurse, who thinks it's prudent for me to make an appointment. This starts the call process all over from the beginning, but eventually, I go see Dr. X, either to be referred to an expensive specialist, or to tell the doctor that whatever I needed fixed has resolved itself on its own. My advice? If you think you're dying, go to the E R. If you don't, just wait it out. Being sick is a lot easier than getting a doctor's appointment.

“I am too stupid to live!"

I picked up the phone today to call my oldest daughter. It went straight to voice mail, so I sent her a text instead. In the meantime, my three-year-old was asking for a snack, so I opened the refrigerator and proceeded to make something for him. Halfway through warming up macaroni and cheese, it dawned on me that I had been walking around the kitchen for the last few minutes with my phone stuck between my shoulder and my ear, waiting for my daughter to answer.

I have ADD. Apparently, I've had it all my life. (Boy, would knowing that have been handy 20 or 30 years ago!) I also have six kids, a husband, a house, two cats, 11 fish, seven snails, a crab, three frogs, and usually, the bug of the day. At least half of our kids have ADD as well. My poor husband! He ends up being the only normally functioning adult in the house! Of course, what all of this means is that our house is an interesting place to be, even if it's a little frustrating sometimes.

Mornings are a real challenge for us, and daylight savings time changes are a nightmare. It adds to the general confusion, and usually results in at least one person getting up late, or early. The best was when our 16-year-old took a nap after school, and woke up at 6:20 p.m. She thought it was morning and she was late for school. She ran around like a maniac for 20 minutes or so before our 13-year-old took pity on her and told her it was still evening.

I wouldn't change any of it, though. We may be a little unorganized, but life is usually a lot of fun around our house, even if it is a little crazy.