Quick Takes Volume 25

~1~

I think Katie is recovered from her bout with bronchiolitis.  She's no longer congested and only fake coughs when she's looking for attention.

~2~

The dog's career as a household thief is becoming a bit of a problem.  He went from stealing useless items like empty Nerds boxes, toilet paper tubes and the occasional tissue to things like pencils [someone likes smencils] and frankincense.  Yes, the dog actually got into the little box of gold, frankincense and myrrh that I placed under the tree last night for the girls to find this morning.  He knocked over the shepherds and an angle who were blocking the dog from getting to the box and took a mouthful of frankincense which he wound up dropping on the living room floor presumably after he discovered that it wasn't a tasty treat.  Dumb dog.

~3~

I think in another twenty years I'll be a full fledged Christmas wrapping paper hoarder.  Apparently I can't resist clearance Christmas wrap.  I had plenty left over from two years ago and still brought some last year.  Then I brought more last year which I barely dented this year.  And in what can only described as a bout of temporary insanity, I brought more wrapping paper this year.  I think I brought roughly 900 square feet of wrap in the past 12 days.  I couldn't help myself this morning when I saw that Target reduced their wrap to 90% off.  How can I resist foil wrap that is fifty cents a roll?  I tried my best, but I came home with two more rolls of wrapping paper and a couple bags of bows.  I am truly my grandfather's granddaughter.  He could never pass up a bargain and would often say that "the price was right" when asked why he brought a dozen or so of any particular item.  I think I'm going to see if I can donate some of the wrapping paper I don't like as much as the others to the preschool the girls used to go to for next year's holiday shoppe.

~4~

While I'm on the subject of Christmas wrap, it has not escaped the girls notice that I have a thing for hoarding wrapping paper.  Yesterday we drove by a house that had several partially used rolls of Christmas wrap sticking out of their trash can.  Madeline and Ellie pointed it out to me and one of them asked me if I wanted to stop and pull it out.  Umm, no....I may occasionally rescue things from other people's trash, but I NEVER reach into the can and even I have standards for what I will trash pick!  I only pick items that are sitting out at the curb NEXT to the trash can.

~5~

About three years ago Bryan's aunt and uncle gave me a remote control for my camera and a UV filter.  The UV filter was too small for my kit lens but is the perfect size for my new lens.  The remote was a item I really wanted, but I was too lazy to see what I had to do to get it to work with the camera.  Last night I was feeling a little adventurous and I read the instructions for the remote.  Hmm...all you have to do is turn it on and push a button on the back of the camera.  Yeah, I guess I should have looked into that a few years ago.  Setting that up was a lot easier than I anticipated.  So last night I took a few pictures of myself to test it out.  I'd share my self portrait but my smile looks forced in the pictures and I have two zits on my chin.

~6~

Does anyone else have kids who take books out from the school library that they already have just to show mom and dad that the library has the book, too?  I'll never understand why both of my girls do this.  I keep telling them to bring home books we don't have and to leave the ones we do have at the library so someone else can enjoy the book.  It's so bizarre.  This week Madeline brought home Black Beauty, which she has on her new Kindle.  She likes the book and wanted to show me that the middle school has it, too.

~7~

The public school gave the kids a half day today.  I'm sorry, but after ten days at home, things like a 3 1/2 day school week is simply unacceptable.  They barely gave me time to get the house in order and now they're home again.