People who can go out and play with their friends, and do all the things that I can’t do.

It’s not that I’d honestly want to trade. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the blessings that I have. But sometimes my mundane life feels just too mundane. And I’m bored and lonely.

Starved for adult conversation.

But should the opportunity for adult conversation come up I know I’d have nothing to say anyway. No, I haven’t read any good books, watched any good movies, gone anywhere, or done anything interesting lately.

Bleh.

And for my February goals? I haven’t really done anything yet this month. Over 1/4 of the month is over and I haven’t really started on any of my plans. I was hoping that monthly goals would be harder to ignore than “New Year’s Resolutions” — but so far it hasn’t turned out that way.

At least it’s sunny out today. I can’t wait until it stays light long enough to start walking in the evenings! I know that will do me a world of good on so many levels.

Eventually I noticed a soft sound… whisk, whisk, whisk. I turned to see a huge mound of un-used tissues on the floor and Samuel happily pulling another one from the box.

I had to laugh.

How kind of him to make the tissues so much more accessible and easy to reach!

Now I need to figure out who left the box where he could reach it.

1) lose at least 5 pounds — Try almost 3. But down is still good.

2) no snacking after the kids are in bed (8:00) — massive fail

3) at least 90 minutes of exercise per week — massive fail

4) complete 4 scrapbook pages — I did this one!

5) spend less than 1 hour per day on facebook — I stopped keeping track. I actually think I might have ultimately cut down some but since I stopped keeping track, it’s hard to say.

So, yeah, pretty much awful.

*****

February’s Goals:

1) lose at least 5 pounds in February
2) keep my average calorie consumption at or under 1900 per day (Erm. I know that seems high, but honestly it would be a big improvement. Plus, I’m still lactating. I figure I must be putting out at least 300 calories/day in milk. So, 300 for him and 1600 for me isn’t too bad.)
3) get more exercise than I did in January. (Ha, I’m done that one already. I got 45 minutes in January and I’m already up to 60 for February. But seriously, I’m still working on finding a way to exercise regularly.)
4) complete at least 4 scrapbook pages in February
5) spend at least 15 minutes/day on spiritual pursuits. (Probably scripture reading, usually.)

It’s still not my favourite page, but this is the final version. (This is not linked to a bigger copy, but the first version was and they’re similar.)

*****
Today Samuel learned how to play that game where you roll a ball back and forth — David taught him. He loves it! The other kids fought over their turns to play it with him, too.

Jessica says he likes the game she taught him, too. What game? “The one that’s like ‘peek-a-boo’ only there are more ‘peek-as’ and a really loud ‘BOO‘!”

The picture is the link if you wish to see it full size.

I’m not sure whether I’m happy with this one or not. Without the transparencies it’s too bare… but I’m not sure I like the floating head effect, either. Opinions?

*****
Is this version better?

Or this one? (This is actually the original.)

P.S. I’m not posting full size versions of these two; there’s just no point doing multiple versions.

Why? Well, firstly, it’s the end of the fight for the drumstick. There’s one for everyone who wants one! But more importantly, after you’ve had your fill you can package up all that nicely roasted meat and use it in quick and easy meals for the rest of the week.

For example, tonight we had roast chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, and salad. Tomorrow, we’re having Holiday Chicken Salad on croissants. Later on in the week, we’ll have home-made chicken noodle soup. (The stock for which is simmering away right now.) And, since I did 3 chickens I also have some to go in the freezer because there’s more than we want for one week. Next week, I can just pull out the package of cooked and chopped chicken meat and make a nice chicken pot pie.

So much easier not to have to cook from scratch every night! Why didn’t I figure this out sooner?

He also got me the trial version of PSE 8.0. I know he’s itching to get me hooked on it so he can upgrade it for me. I don’t know why but he just loves to do that. He asks if I want it, and I always say, “Nah, what would I do with that? The one I have does everything I need it to do.” And he says, “This new one has features that you’ll like. You know how you always wish it could do…” (whatever) and then he just keeps reminding me of the inadequacies of my current system until he convinces me to try the new one. And then, of course, I get hooked on it.

He also changed my operating system so that I could have more RAM. Apparently, the old one limited the amount of RAM available.

So, I’m getting used to a new operating system, playing with a software upgrade, and feeling a little bit lost on my own computer. But it’s also fun and exciting.

Maybe he’s just trying to make sure that he’s indispensable as my computer guru. Maybe he doesn’t realize that he’s completely indispensable anyway. Don’t tell him, kay? Or he might quit getting me new toys.

And look at this spikey-looking frost…

From a distance it looked like the fence was fuzzy. Up close it looked more thorny. Very pretty, though.

The pictures are linked but you have to be logged in to the gallery site.

The advantage of the blog is obvious — it’s an opportunity to get some feedback on what’s going on. I love getting a response; suggestions, encouragement, sympathy, etc. from the people who read.

The disadvantages? I never know who is “listening” for one. Here I am, talking away. I might be talking to myself or I might be overheard by… anyone.

And I don’t know if it is this way for everyone else but I speak differently depending on who is around. Am I speaking to somebody who shares my faith? Am I speaking to some one who knows the person I’m complaining about? Am I speaking to somebody who knows where I come from? Etc. And not knowing the answer to those types of questions is starting to get to me.

I’ve recently had the experience (not for the first time) of revealing too much of myself to somebody in real life, and I regret it. It makes me worry about what may be revealed in this context, too.

Because God knows I don’t really want anybody to see me.

Ha. So, here’s the thing. I’m out of time, I have to go and get Jessica from school. Do I hit publish on a post like this one?

This time, I will.

The thumbnail is a link but you have to be logged in to “Afton’s Virtual Scrapbook” — not the blog — to see it. Sorry for any inconvenience.