The piles are replicating I just know it.

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
- Thomas A. Edison

Been a weird week around here. Not too productive due to a wonky schedules with kids and sick friends and extra carpool shifts and migraines and lack of motivation and oh so much  more...

Anyway, today after my three trips to HS, a quick zip through McDonald's for my daily Coca Cola and a VERY LONG shower, I got down to something that I have had on my mental to do list for quite some time.  I attacked a few of my many PILES!

I had one in the LR, three in my bedroom, a magazine rack full that had about an inch of dust on it and I still have two more behind the couch and what look to be another two on my desk.  I am sure that there are a couple on the dining room table too because that is just the way of my world.  Some of my piles are made up of books. Some are magazines and mail and a few and papers that have been sorted and resorted and will need to be sorted once again. The piles include coupons, receipts, good ideas, wishful thinking, hidden treasures as well as JUNK!

I recall my mother and father both having PILES in their lives when I was growing up. Dad's piles were mostly on his desk upstairs and tucked away. He had bills and reports and treasures in his piles too.  He also had some pretty amazing piles in the basement near his workbench. I don't recall ever seeing the top of that piece. Just the piles that covered it.  I wish I had taken notice of how his piles were doing when I was home last month. I bet he still has a few.  Mom's piles were on the buffet or when company was coming they were placed IN the buffet. We have always had a coffee table and sometimes piles could be found there too.

A pile on my desk that should be EASY to tackle since it includes 2 books.

In my house piles are part of the way I live.  Fred despises my piles and sometimes when I am away he takes all the piles and combines them for me.  Yep, hon I get the hint.  I still have to go through them though and I still need to decide if there are nuggets from that magazine that I could use. I need to put the coupons in the proper place so that I might SOMEDAY actually remember to take the 20% off coupon with me to Bed, Bath and Beyond.

Today I sorted and combined and not have two smaller piles where once there were four. I have put about 8 pounds of recycling into my bin to be taken to the garage and IF the rest of the day goes as I hope I could get through the piles behind the couch and on my desk.  Will they disappear? Not on your life! But will they be neater and have fewer expired items in them? Heck yeah!

I take the good that I can and hope that among all of the progress I find a nugget of inspiration and feel vindicated that I kept a little something in just one of my piles.

It's been a blur...

My last post was on the first day of school and now it is almost semester break!?  Wow! Slacker much Susan?

Well, to be honest I have been working my tail off. I have subbed more this year than any year previous. I have met some great kids, visited some new schools and earned some CASH!  Of course I get paid WAY WAY WAY after I finish the job but the money will come in handy when it comes.

Fred has been working away at his job and is getting good feedback and a few promises from his boss about what the future holds for him.  I KNOW he works hard and is a great employee and I think they see it too. Would love to see a compensatory raise and perhaps a car allowance to go with all that hard work. It'll come... it'll come.

Nic has had a roller coaster Freshman year thus far. Some AMAZING days and events and some real bummers. He is getting ready to participate in the show Legally Blonde the Musical this week for four shows. He has two roles and a solo singing part for one of them. It is new territory for him, musical on a BIG stage, and he is going to do GREAT! I will be sporting my show shirt for the rest of the week in support!  Grades have been steady with just a couple of hiccups. We are hoping for a STRONG finish so the semester averages are solid.  They are the ones that matter apparently.  Fingers crossed.  Socially he has met a bunch of new people but is still strong with the good friends from RMS. He has done well. I am proud.

WB is having a stellar 7th grade year.  He has the best teaching team and is really responding well to all of them.  He is LOVING ILA which was a class he loathed last year so I am SUPER HAPPY with that news. It is amazing that the same subject matter taught by a different person can be so much more enjoyable.  He is cruising along in the symphonic band assignment and actually just got a promotion to a new instrument.  He is now playing a tenor saxophone.He is having to relearn some pieces that the tenor part is a little different in. He is also working on a solo for a competition in February.  It's a little funny but he is getting nervous already.

I have been busy subbing her there and yon and doing PTA stuff.  I have taken part in a weekly Bible study going through Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World.  I haven't been completely loyal but have tried.  Not sure if I will rejoin for the spring semester.  I would like to read some more fiction. That sounds selfish... Better pray about that.  I have also had some crafting successes and failures this last 3 months. In October I took part in LOAD1012 which stands for Layout A Day Oct, 2012.  Each day of the month I was given a prompt and challenged to make a layout. I was not required to follow the prompts but they were fun and stretched me at times.  I also went on an overnight Stampin Up retreat in October with some friends and made some fun projects for myself and to share. Sabrina and I tried our hands at a Pinterest project that was an EPIC fail but just this weekend I tried another one that was a HUGE success. You take the good and the bad I guess.

Slacker mom helped with these survivalist costumes. NOT! 
Boys were on their own this Halloween.

Well, as we move into December, just 3 more weeks in this semester, we will all prepare our hearts and minds for Christmas. No big time shopping going on here since we are already blessed beyond measure and tend to fulfill our wants on a pretty regular basis. Taking some time over the break to just breathe and enjoy each others' company will be my top priority. I am thinking a James Bond Movie Marathon followed by a Back to the Future Marathon the next day could be a perfect scenario.  Hopefully I will post a little something before Christmas. I'll do my best.

Family photo taken during our Thanksgiving trek to Indiana. 
Love a Baker boy/man smile.