Changing Plans

There are times when I think the one rule for being a stay-at-home mom is to be flexible. I had a whole list of things to get done today, errands to run, people to visit, etc. And then I woke Wendy up at 8:15, more than an hour after she usually gets me up, and she had a fever. So there went the plans for today. It's got to be easier than what you working moms have to deal with, though; you've got to figure out who's going to stay home with the baby and miss a day of work. I just have to rearrange my schedule.

The beautiful weather makes me really thankful for my front porch. When Wendy's napping, I can just sit on my swing and read or watch the kids at recess across the street. (We live directly across the street from the local elementary school.) The neighborhood cat often comes for a visit, and we sit and watch life go by. It reminds me of a poster I saw with sleeping Shar-Pei puppies, that said, "Sometimes we sits and thinks, and sometimes we just sits."

Last night's dinner, the Kalamata-Lemon Chicken, was not a big success. I decided to try it because I love the taste of lemon-seasoned chicken, and I grew up eating Kalamata olives (that happens when you live in Greece for several years). The combo didn't work quite right, though. I think I'll make the basic recipe again, but leave out the olives completely and tweak it until we like it. That's one of the things I love about cooking. Don't like a recipe? Change it!

For some reason this morning I was thinking about the big Powerball lottery winner. He chose the cash payout option, so will be taking home, after taxes, more than $100 million. That's a lot of cash. I have no idea what I'd do with all of that money, but I'd be happy to use about $300,000 of it. Pay off the mortgage, the student loans, the medical bills (Wendy was expensive), the credit cards, and start retirement & college savings accounts. If we paid off those bills, the only monthly expenses would be groceries & utilities...how fabulous would that be?? But I don't see $300,000 dropping in my lap, so I guess I'll just keep on with the coupon-clipping and clearance-rack shopping. I like the challenge anyway! :-)