Quick Takes: First Friday of Lent

~1~

I got tired of looking at the laundry covered living room floor and forced myself to fold the laundry this morning.  It's amazing how much better I feel when that one particular room is neat, even if I hardly spend any time in it.

~2~

I can't help but think that the idea I had two weeks ago of paying the older girls a dollar per load of laundry is one of my more brilliant mom ideas.  I haven't done laundry in probably three or more weeks because I just haven't felt well enough to do it, and offering a bounty of a dollar per load means that Bryan, the little kids and I will continue to have clean clothes.  

~3~

I'm having a really hard time with this gallbladder issue.  I feel like just about everything I eat is on the list of things not to eat.  My ultrasound isn't until Wednesday morning next week, so I won't know what the issue is until sometime later next week.  I've been trying to eat foods that are gallbladder friendly and some that different places claim work to chip away at gallstones and other gallbladder issues.  When it really starts hurting me I feel like I have something in my rib cage that is exerting a lot of pressure but not getting anywhere.  It's an odd and painful sensation that I think is worse than labor.

~4~

Since I ordered new ornaments for our Jesus Tree I realized that I will need something to hang them on when they get here.  I think I want something like this yarn tree, but I'm guessing I'll have to wrap it in brown yarn or twine.  Does anyone have any experience using one of these kits or doing a do it yourself version of it?  I'm not exactly finding what I want when I google instructions for making one.

~5~

Anthony decided to write across the pantry doors with pencil just minutes before taking his nap.  I'm not sure why, but pencil seems to be the most difficult thing to remove from painted surfaces.  I really wish the older kids would stop leaving pencils out all of the time.  I've never had a child who was so determined to scribble all over the doors and walls anytime he finds a writing implement.

~6~

Now that we're a bit more decorated for Lent, I feel like the nativity and some of Katie's preschool Christmas crafts are a little out of place.  I suppose I'll have to do something about that soon.

~7~

On a more exciting note when I was vacuuming the powder room floor this morning I must have tapped the pipe that feeds water to the toilet a bit harder than I thought.  By the time I finished vacuuming all the goldfish cracker crumbs out of the vanity drawer there was a pretty big puddle.  And yes, you read that right.  One of my kids likes to bring snacks into the powder room and leave crumbs all over the vanity top and now in the drawers, too.  Of course no one knows who did it.  I'm fairly certain Bryan got the leak to stop.  Might be worth checking it out to be sure...