This -n- That

1. I've had my Easter mantle up for a couple of weeks. This year I decided to make light blue my accent color. All of the candlesticks are goodwill, yardsale, or clearance items that were UGLY. Another reason to love spray paint!

2. It has been triple coupon week in NC and I've already been twice. My 1st visit brought my bill from $70 to $20; and $78 to $36 for my second visit. Holla!

3. We have neighborhood dogs that just about turned this quiet homemaker into Annie Oakley a few nights ago. This momma needs her sleep.

4. When said dogs barked from 3:00am until I couldn't stand it any more, I gave up and got up at 5:20, headed to the local bar (ista) for a drink (peppermint mocha), and took my frustration out on the grocery cart. 6a.m. is a great time to shop. The only other people in the store were 2 other crazy couponers and the stockboys. And from their over-friendly smiles, they don't get much business that hour of the day.

5. Springtime in NC is gorgeous, but we only have about a two week window between when the temperatures are perfect and the bane of every allergy-prone person shows up: pine pollen. We have enjoyed weather utopia here this week. 73 degrees in the day and 53 temps at night. Perfect for sleeping with the windows open. Except for obnoxious canines ruining the euphoria.

6. Last week the teacher (moi) hit a wall when it came to enthusiasm for lessons. I think spring fever might have been the culprit. This week we've taken the classroom outdoors several days and I overcame the wall.

7. The Lord must have known I needed a little boost, because He blessed me twice this week as a teacher/mom. 1.)My youngest picked up a book and read it to me on his own. I think I heard angels singing. 2.) My middle child chose to read her chapter book rather than play with her siblings. No assignment. No request from mom. She just read! Some of you might have children that constantly have their nose in a book, and I'm trying not to be jealous. I LOVE to read, so it has been a slight irritation that my children haven't followed suit. This week was a little light in the dark, a glimpse of what might be. I'm hoping...

8. I killed 2 animals yesterday. Notice how I just kinda slipped that in like it is a normal everyday activity? We have kamikaze squirrels around here, and one decided that my car looked like the perfect target. I won.

The other was a ginormous black snake. I know they are supposed to be harmless, but it was scaly and I was skeerd. My car was bigger, so I won. again.

Did I mention we killed a copperhead in our backyard last week? Umm... it's only March. I'm already afraid of what summer will bring to the NEM plantation.

9. I hate basketball. I might have mentioned this before, but since we're in the middle of March Madness, I'll reiterate.

10. I made a hair appointment (cue the choir sining). For most of you this is a normal activity, but this was a BIG deal for me for a couple of reasons. One, I may have had a bad breakup with my former stylist. I was being very generous in our relationship. I mean, I got over his infatuation with Elvis, dealt with his alternative lifestyle, and showed grace when he botched my do. By the third botch, I decided I could no longer give him money to wash my hair and cut it in a way that I would go home and immediately re-cut it. I do have standards.

The second reason a haircut appointment is such a big deal is that I haven't had a haircut since last March. I've been growing my hair out (the victim of the breakup) for a year. I've given myself some trims, but I am beyond excited about getting some hairapy.

Enjoy the weekend, friends!!!