The Thursday Lineup

1. On the Migraine front: it's pretty well gone although it took until yesterday to be gone completely. A migraine is like a runaway train -- I had it on the tracks by Monday, but it was a struggle keeping it there until yesterday. Lots of ibuprofen and sudafed and caffeine. Surprising, a combination that usually works for me. Ah, the lack of a migraine . . .


2. On the Tennis Front: Rose won! She beat the conference champ in a nail-biting tiebreaker by just 2 points. We had conference matches all day yesterday. I watched until I had to leave for play practice -- with my first sunburn of the year! Rose will probably meet this same girl, Niechelle, in regionals next weekend. Hunk O Man came in and said "This was the best match IN THE WORLD!" Both are excellent players and regionals should be very interesting. Our local sports guy even interviewed the "3 Sisters of Tennis." We'll probably see that footage tonight. What is it with kids that they're not impressed about being on tv anymore? Ah, the video age . . .


3. On the Broken Camcorder Front: and we will have video footage of regionals because -- hooray! -- our camcorder is fixed! It broke late last year when Barbie knocked it off the tripod and it fell, damaging something inside. Turns out that thing that was damaged was going bad in all the cameras of that type, so all you had to do was send it in and get it fixed. I did that, and got it back yesterday -- too late for conference tennis, but in time for Babydoll's birthday tomorrow and regionals next weekend. Ah, free is always so good . . .


3. On the Play Practice for Peter Pan Front: All is going well and Babydoll is an excellent Wendy -- who got measured for her "flying" harness last night. We had choreography and we learned to waltz. Ah, dancing with an 8-year old, a thing not to be missed in one's lifetime . . .


4. On the Saving Money front -- I gave the dog a haircut last weekend -- he kind of looks as if I used a lawnmower to do it. Oh well! It saved us $35 for grooming, and I also cleaned out his ears and de-flea-ed him. He was very patient. Ah, good dog . . .

5. On the Project Front: I also got this done --





I'm not sure if I'm going to post it for sale on Etsy or just keep it for the upcoming craft show sponsored by our local Arts Council -- but I'm working on another, and have to get a wedding gown hemmed and a halloween costume done for a one-year old. Ah, the sewing I have to do . . .



6. On the PR Dishing Front: Ok, so here's the scoop -- Kenley's in -- with this strange and wonderful fairytale wedding gown -- Barbie's comment was "OMG, it's the swan dress reincarnated!" I think she meant the one that Bjork wore to the Oscars one year --







and Jerrell is out! The top three competing for the big prize are Kenley, LeAnn, and Korto. LeAnn has already won in my mind -- her pieces are just gorgeous.



And just so we're clear -- what goes around comes around. Jerrell and Korto, the two responsible for the most sniping at Kenley last week, were both on the chopping block. Ah, the justice that comes when you least expect it . . .

7. On the Wistfully Sad but Good Front: The big birthday bash is tomorrow -- my baby turns 13! As of tomorrow I will no longer have anything but teenagers for children -- Ah, how times flies. Sniff sniff. . .

Tennis a la Wesner

This is Rose.

Rose is always ready for you and your bad self.

Rose is not playing around.

Rose is playing some serious tennis here.

Rose is serious about smacking that ball. You'd better be able to either hit it back,

or get out of the way.

I'm not even kidding.

This is JB. She's not fooling around either.

JB can't even believe you.

JB's got a mean serve.

And yesterday, JB won.

Won Big.

Barbie is our Fashionista Tennis Player.

Because it is all about how you look when you play tennis.

Adjust ponytail.

Ew! Was that a bug? In my dangly earring?

Ok, ponytail is set. The swing is good. Necklace doesn't move.

Look left and -- pose! Hey, whatcha doing over there, JB? Was that in? Are you sure?

Do these balls in my skirt make me look fat?

Bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce bounce

OK.

Barbie is now ready to play some serious tennis.

And, serve!

I do love my Barbie Doll.

xox

REGARDING . . .

Regarding . . . my aspirations to ever be a tennis coach.

I beg your pardon. I ask you, what aspirations?

I was conscripted into service to substitute coach for Monday's away match. Every girl lost except one. Even the doubles matches -- although I have to say we did give them all a run for their money.

During the doubles play, three of the girls were hit by balls. Hit hard. As in slammed with the ball at several bazillion miles per hour.

I mentioned to the opposing coach (a very nice older man with an absolutely grand panama hat) that we'd be happy to supply them with crash test dummies for practice if they liked.

He was not amused. I was even less amused.

I found it difficult to not be a very angry mom when two of the girls who were hit were my daughters. As if they were being used for target practice. JB got quite angry and slammed the balls back a couple of times for some excellent hits. Fortunately, she did not aim for either of the opposing players.

But in the end, they lost.

Also in the end, I found that neither my daughters nor I were able to distinguish between the mom and the coach. All attempts at coaching were met with rolled eyes and sarcastic comments.

So that's the end of that, literally.

Regarding . . . my aspirations to lose weight.

I must say, it's working. Slowly, but it is working.

Let me first say this. It's not true that no diet works. Every single diet there is will work, if you do it. I never believe it when overweight people say that the diet didn't work. I think the diet worked fine -- it just stopped working when they went back to their old habits.

Which is exactly what has happened to me after Weight Watchers.

The second time.

I'm having some limited success on this Alternate Day Diet thing. But here's the thing --

IT'S THE WAY I ALREADY EAT.

On the "down" days, I generally just eat very little or simply fast. I drink a lot of water and visit the little girls' room a lot. And on the days when I eat, I really do eat whatever I want.

I am not journaling what I eat, as you are well advised to do when doing this diet. I hated that with Weight Watchers and I hate it now -- although it does keep one accountable.

These days, there are so few battles that I win. Having to journal what I eat feels like one more thing I have to do, one more shackle on my ankle. So, I don't do it. I keep a mental track of the calories on the down days, staying generally under 500. And the up days I throw all caution to the wind and sometimes even make brownies.

And when I get on the scale after a down day, I get to win a little. I still have a long way to go. But I'm encouraged.

Today was a weepy day for me, rainy outside and I was sad. Allergies have beset me coming and going -- I am living on Claratin and Sudafed. Some days, life is just no fun. Add to this that I live in a town with a paper mill, and the wind has been blowing our direction. My house tends to smell like rotten garbage. It is most certainly NOT the smell of money (although I am thankful that it does employ so many in our town).

But hopefully tomorrow the wind will change and the sun will shine. And I will stop bristling under small chores like feeding the dog, or doing the dishes, and I will remember that these are the holy things in life, these small tasks. They prepare us for heaven.

Not that I'm ready right now or anything. This minute.

They've Taken Over. Somebody Help Me.

Lord have mercy.

Makeup, toothpaste, squirt gun, hairbrush. Teenage girls have been here.

Tennis stuff everywhere. Teenage girls have been here.

Dirty dishes not done yet. Whose week is it? Teenage girls have been here.

Rock Band has overrun my living room.

HAS SCHOOL STARTED YET?

You Plan, and Then Life Happens

I had this weekend all figured out. All week, I purposely stayed away from house projects -- namely, the painting of my bedroom (YET AGAIN!!!!) so that I could relegate that to the weekend. I could do it all day, it would get done, it would then be done and I could move onto another room.

But noooooooooooooooooo . . . !

All of a sudden my baby needs her mommy at her tennis match in Raleigh. Even though Boyfriend is also going. In the rain. Where we drove about an hour and a half and then were told there was a 4-hour delay. And then no, we're not playing today, because of the rain. Not that they could have just told us that to begin with, since it poured all day.

Poured. All day.

I shopped in an outdoor mall with little boutique shops while Rose and Boyfriend went to see "10,000 BC." I felt like a person in "What Not to Wear," doing the shop thing in NYC. Tiny little shops with expensive, beautiful things, none of which I purchased but all of which I loved seeing.

Sunday she and Boyfriend drove themselves. She finally played after about 6 hours of delay due to rain, and lost.

So last night she walks in and says "So who's taking me down tomorrow to the tennis tournament?" What? I thought you lost? What's this about a Consolation Round?

Not that I had anything terribly important to do, or two kids to homeschool, or laundry to finish up, or A LIFE OR ANYTHING! Obviously Hunk O Man had to work, so I quickly realised it would be me going to the tennis tournament today.

Just call me Change O Plans Mom. Change O Plans Iz Me. We drove to the park and there was nobody playing. Gosh, what a shock -- maybe because it was still raining? Misting? Drizzling? We've had several days of clouds and rain straight, and I think I'm feeling a little peckish about it.

So we headed again to the mall, where Rose got herself a pair of designer jeans. Then we checked in, only to find that they changed the venue again. Now she needed to play in Cary, NC. I jotted directions from the guy, and we headed that way.

Except he said to go east and we did and he should have said west. Ten miles the wrong way, and ten back. And about twenty more to get to the exit, and then twenty more to get to the park. She played, she lost, we left and said "good riddance!" to the people that run that tournament! Never again!

So another day has past and still I have not painted a thing.

However. . . (there's always a however, isn't there?)

God has been blessing us beyond belief. There is a potential buyer for some land we own, and we received a surprise financial blessing in the mail. Having recently committed to putting my whole life on a diet, so to speak, this is huge. God is trusting us, and namely me, to follow through on my committment to get serious about having some balance in my life.

So there you go. You plan, you expect, and then life comes at you fast, as the commercial goes. But it's all good in the end. "He causes the sun to shine on the righteous and unrighteous." Gotta take what you get and make it a thing for which to be thankful.

And I am. Thank you, God!