Time seems to be moving at an accelerated pace these days. Perhaps the earth has entered a time vortex that makes hours into half hours or something but it has got to be stopped. I can't live with time moving so quickly like this. It's already the 18th of July when just last week it was the 4th of July. This is wrong. Wrong, I tell you. Absolutely and undeniably wrong. If things keep going the way they are, Joey will be back in school in just two weeks and that is unacceptable.

Tomorrow is the Nordstr0m Annivers@ry S@le. Ever since I learned about the Annivers@ry Sale in 1985 (or was it 1984?), I've made an event of going on the first day. I would even make arrangements to take a half day off work to go shopping, such was my devotion. Unfortunately, the last two years, I was out of town and away from a Nordstrom so I was unable to make the first day of shopping (though I did catch it within the first week) so this year feels like a homecoming. It's funny how my shopping tastes have changed over the years. I used to buy school clothes for myself, then I bought work clothes and always bought a couple of big, wonderful, fancy sweaters, like embroidered or handknit ones that I'd wear and wear. Then Joey was born and I started buying more casual clothes for myself and a few things for her. Now I go to buy school clothes for her, mostly, and only a few things for myself. This year, I doubt I'll buy anything for myself--I'm kind of in transition, size-wise, so I don't really want to buy much in my current size. But Joey needs school clothes and it's way more fun to buy clothes for her because she's so cute and small and trendy. Back when she was littler, I'd bring a babysitter along to play with Joey while I shopped for myself and then she'd meet us back in the children's section and I'd get kid stuff. After that, we'd all go out for lunch. It was so much fun that way.

We've selected paint colors (I accidentally wrote pain colors, which I think is a pretty funny typo). The main color is a rich, buttery yellow called cowslip. We're painting an inset wall in the dining room a wonderful persimmon orange. There are 2 plant ledges up near the ceiling and we'll be painting the back wall of the ledges that same orange color. There's very little wall the kitchen as it has only 2 walls and most of those wall space is covered with cupboards but the backsplash wall will be in a wonderful lime glow color, along with the back wall of the plant ledges. It's going to be very bright and very colorful and very me. I was delighted that Ed approved my color choices. Turns out that they're part of a Laura Ashley color combination palette but I didn't see that until I'd chosen my color combination. It was nice validation for my color choices, though. Stacey came by yesterday and gave them the thumbs up. I'm also thinking about putting a lighter shade of that same orange in Joey's bathroom. It will look nice with the stuff I have in there already.

Yesterday, inspired by an episode of Leave It To Beaver, I was all JuneCleavery and did the dishes, finished my laundry and then spent 2.5 hours ironing shirts and pants and clothes for Joey. I watched 2 episodes of M*A*S*H and then most of Courage Under Fire while I worked my steam iron magic. Ed was surprised, nay shocked, to see so many ironed shirts in his closet. I'm not an ironer--I've probably not logged more than an hour of ironing time in the last fifteen years, so yesterday's Ironing Fiesta was definitely one for the books. If only I'd worn my pearl choker. I should have had Joey take a picture of me for my scrapbook.

Now is the time in LobotomyLand when we eat lunch and go to Lowe's to buy paint and paint supplies. It's time to get rolling. (Ha!)

--L