No means...maybe later?

There are some very persuasive ladies in the Ruchus home. I seemed to have a knack for persuasion and it has served me well in life honestly. The trouble with this trait is I have passed it on to my precious one. Oooooh have I passed it on. Let me elaborate. For weeks, I have wanted this new kitty. My daughter's friend needed to find a home for their kitty and he is 7, so this wasn't really the easiest task. Except that he's a Bengal...which means he is beautiful with a capital B. The minute I heard he was up for grabs I wanted him. Even though we already have two old cantankerous cats here, I knew a third one would be just, well, fabulous. Unfortunately, the man of the place didn't see it that way. I pleaded and prodded, set up a time for him to meet the cat (which he declined by the way) and generally used all of my best persuasive skills...to which came the resounding "no, we don't need another cat" First of all, it's not about neeeeeeeding a cat, it's about wanting a cat. Does anybody need a cat? I don't think so. These conversations mostly transpired while the precious one was in Arizona. When she got home, I told her that we (using that term very loosely) had decided against the cat. Her persuasive skills immediately kicked into high gear. By the end of the evening no had changed into "we'll see". Yesterday we'll see...turned into yes...I was in disbelief. After the precious one told me her dad had said yes, I sent my sonshine to double check...yep he said...Dad said yes. Wow! I stand in awe of your persuasive powers precious one...

And today...we welcomed the newest member of the Ruchus....Julio

Does he really pay attention? I don't think so...

This funny recollection crept back in my brain today and I don't believe I have shared it with you yet...

A few weeks ago the hasbeen and I were out shopping with the girls. As we walked into The Pottery Barn (one of my utmost favorite stores of all time), my husband said wow...this is quite a bit nicer than our pottery barn...imagine this readers... stylish, beautiful, modern, tastefully decorated...to which I replied..."Honey, we don't have a Pottery Barn." "Yes we do...on E. State St." I had to think..."Tell me you do not mean Old Time Pottery!" He did...imagine this... crowded, big yellow signs, cement floors. Clearly, no comparison. After I had quite a hardy laugh at his expense I realized...he doesn't really pay attention...but he sure provides a good dose of humor!

Can it be true?

Just a quick post to let you all know I passed my licensing exam...so I am officially an LSW...pardon the break in blogging lately, but sometimes this life gets in the way...here is a quick recap...

The big girl got a job...she's officially a taco bell girl now and my budget is on the way to improving

The precious one got a paper route...another great gain for my budget :)

The sonshine's driving is improving...my panics are becoming more rare

The honey do list is getting done...he even bought and put in a light bulb for the fixture over my sink that he installed two years ago...go honey!

I got my license AND my diploma on the same day

We've had one day of 90 degrees all summer-- so much for the water park season passes

I'm still waiting on the laundry fairy.

Have a great day!

Perhaps I have over indulged...

I think today I'm having a life hangover. Ponder that thought for a moment. What exactly is a life hangover you ask? Let me explain...When I was little my mom would always say..."You want to do too much...you have to focus on one thing." Well here's the thing...focusing on one thing just isn't me. Call it ADD, call it scatter brained, call it what you like, but I seem to be one of those folks that has to have a lot and I mean A LOT going at all times. I don't really appreciate a lot of down time, unless it's napping, but I digress. Lately, I have umpteen projects going. None finished, some started, some hoped for...just too darn much. Add that to my three jobs, and my back to school in a month and I just feel as if I m-a-y have over extended myself. Again. I'm finding myself a bit stalled, which is totally unlike me, because I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. I believe I'll take a nap, make a list, and hope that tomorrow it'll be all better, and what seems overwhelming today, will once again seem manageable tomorrow.

Random acts of kindness warm my heart

I almost forgot this little piece of blog fodder with all of my other McDonald's posts last week. As I was begrudgingly driving to Chicago last week for training, I treated myself to McDonald's breakfast. On Thursday, I pulled forward to pay for my food and the McDonald's lady said to me...the lady in front of you paid for your food and said to have a nice day..."Really? Well, have a nice day I shall" said I. Isn't that just the best?!? I've heard of such random acts, but I have never been fortunate enough to be the recipient of the McD's random act. It made my day. Thanks random lady that bought my McDonald's.

Now onto a few tasks being completed around the Ruchus house...This bush has been annoying my Mr. Ruchus for about the past 10 years. It has only recently begun annoying me, because it's filling the gutters up with gunk, subsequently adding more to the honey do list that never gets done. So...my brother is helping us out around the house, so we bumped this task to the top of the list...

Can you even believe how crazy big that bush was?!?

Of course, once we got the bush down we discovered that it has also nearly destroyed a piece of our siding. More for the honey do list...and more on that later :)

I just had to share this funny story compliments of my great nephew. When we got out of the van at church on Sunday...the bells were playing a hymn. My great niece and nephew promptly started dancing... My great nephew said, "I hewd this song at my Ganny's at Cwistmas time!" I love him...I loved that they went to church with me and I got to see them dancing their hearts out without reservation. I need to change my title...random acts AND kids warm my heart :)

Shenanigans can often be overheard when a new driver drives a strange car

For your reading pleasure...let me share with you a snippet of a conversation I had with my precious one today. She was calling from Arizona...

Precious one: OUCH!!!

Mrs. Ruchus: What happened precious one?!?

PO: A Raindrop just hit me in the eye!

MR: Oh? It's raining there?

PO: Yes, we're (using that term loosely) driving papa's car and we don't know how to use the air conditioning or the window wipers so we're driving with the window's down and a raindrop just hit me in the eye.

MR: (sighs and says Good Lord under her breath) Precious one, tell your sister to pull over and look for the window wipers on the turn signal.

PO: She found them, but now they only turn on every once in a while

MR: Yes Precious One, that is the delay, tell her to turn it farther and they'll turn on.

PO: Ok Mom, but we're home now....bye.

And so it goes...another gray hair was added today.

McDonald's blog fodder...

I guess I am just a suggestible person. I have to face it. This week, once again I am in training in Chicago while my real work gets further and further behind. I have no one to blame for this except me, since I'm the one that signed myself up for this training, I wanted to take the training, and I'm glad my work is paying for the training, I just wish I didn't have to miss work to take the training...Good Lord, enough about the training. As I was saying...I'm driving to and from Chicago this week everyday. Yesterday as I was movin along I-290 I saw this little beauty...

You ever have that experience when you're pretty sure that is THE most delicious thing you have seen in a month of Sunday's and you just can't get it off your mind? Yeah, me too! So...I head home, thinking, of course, of a Big Mac. I rush inside get ready for my school board meeting, and throughout the meeting as I'm eating some really healthy fruit, I'm thinking of the impending Big Mac. Immediately following the meeting, I rush to McD's to purchase the longed for sandwich.. I pull in the driveway, just enjoying the heck out of that Big Mac, where my husband and son are waiting. "You bring us McD's?" "Uh, no. You haven't eaten?" "Uh, no." So, here's the lesson in that story...I am suggestible. I think I read that somewhere before. Hopefully, you're not waiting at home for dinner, because it's very possible I may have been side tracked along the way, and that there is no dinner for you! Gratefully, the hubby and my sonshine fended for themselves for dinner. No harm done.

Now, let's discuss today. I love McDonald's breakfast. I do. Way too much. AND today, July 14th was 50 cent hotcakes day. How could a person go wrong with three steaming hot delicious McD's flapjacks for 50 pennies? I woke up this morning to my husband saying 50 cent hotcakes today. Whew that's my kind of day! So...I get all in my car on my way to Chicago and I stop at the McD's drivethrough where I proudly say...I'll have me some hot cakes please. Pause...Ma'am you know the 50 cent special isn't available through the drive through right? pause....longer pause...you're kidding right? No Ma'am I'm not kidding. (I hate to be called Ma'am by the way)...so I ordered a breakfast burrito...and I was a mite bit miffed I might add...but not to be outdone...the gal I was riding with ran inside and got me some 50 cent hotcakes...all is well with the world...

On a totally unrelated note...I have figured out how to use my camera...only on auto setting and how to download pics. Here's some samples for your viewing pleasure...

Let's just say the pets will be glad when the camera newness wears off :)