If she had the proper words to say,

Man! To think yesterday was windy was crazy. In comparison to today, yesterday was only a light breeze!

It is INSANE out there! Every year, I forget how fierce the Nebraska winds can become. It is howling and whistling and swirling out there, and the rains haven't even started. Yikes!

I'm fixin' to light all my candles now, in case the power goes out this evening. Oh, and speaking of candles, my PartyLite® show has arrived... with the exception of one box, containing an incense set for beanpop. I hope to take pictures of everything tomorrow, and then I'll begin packing up the boxes to ship out. I won't mail anything until next week though, after Philip and I have returned from our weekend away. :-)

The rain is starting. And not just the rain, either. I can hear large, fat hailstones ping! the gutters even as I type. They've been forecasting this storm for a few days, but it's taken forever to get here.

Thank goodness Philip got the yard freshly mowed today (well, yesterday). He even trimmed, making everything all nice and neat again. Now the rain can go ahead and soak right in. :-)

We had MASSIVE thunderstorms for most all of last night, and they were fabulous! I really love storms, and I woke up once to see all the lightning and crashes, but then slept so well through the rest of it. I worked some of the crashes and booms into my dream, and it was awesome.

I just love storms. I also love that the boys sleep right on through them as well. Storms would be a heck of a lot less fun if they didn't, but I think they find big rainstorms just as soothing as I do - yay!

I had taken a candle into the bedroom with me last night, as it needed to burn a bit longer before being put out, and it just made the whole night even better. Candles, snuggled into the center of the bed (Philip was at work, of course) and major thunderstorms - aaahhh!

It rained thunderstorms off and on all night long, and it's kept up for part of the morning as well. When it's not raining, it's still looking quite overcast and like it WILL very soon. It works for me, however, as I'll gladly take an unplanned day of lounging around. ;-)

I decided even before the storming started last night that I was really too exhausted from yesterday to think about waking up early this morning and sowing the many rows of carrots. Once it actually started storming, I knew for certain that I wouldn't want to be out in the garden's muddy mess, so I figured I'd wait and see how much it would dry out by this evening. With the continuous rain, that plan doesn't seem likely either. Ah, well. I'll do them soon, I'm sure.

The boys were both dead tired last night. Poor Jack fell asleep on the couch while we were making dinner, and he just couldn't be fussed to eat when I woke him up. He ran from the couch straight to his room when I gave him the choice: eat or go on to bed? He went to bed still wearing his t-shirt from the day, but I did talk him out of his jean shorts so I could toss them into the laundry (I know you're shuddering right now, thosethatloveme *wink*). I told A.J. he could have a chocolate chip cookie after he finished his dinner, but then he needed to change into his pajamas, and I'd let him watch cartoons for a bit longer (he relishes the time by himself, I know). He finished his dinner, ate the cookie and then asked me for a blanket (he was still cold from all the water play earlier, I'm sure). I forgot about asking him to change clothes myself, and the next thing I knew, he was sound asleep on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket and snuggled in with Larry the Cucumber™ (did you notice WHICH blanket, gardenmama?). I ushered him to bed, helped him get in his pajamas and then turned out his light for him. Sweet boys.

I really DO need to spend some time indoors today, so the weather has just given me the chance to do so without feeling guilty. The boys are relaxing in the living room, and I've got some food preparation to attend to for tomorrow's 'Stone Soup' gathering at the lake. I'm making more chocolate chip cookies, a pineapple upside-down cake, celery sticks with peanut butter (some also with raisins), and we're taking a bag of marshmellows for roasting, hot dogs and buns for grilling and some juice boxes. I'm also washing our bedding today, and the comforter is almost done washing right now.

When I was buying the necessary ingredients for these items at the commissary the other day, an elderly man was having trouble finding some pimiento cheese spread. I wasn't trying to be nosy, but he and the grocer helping him were looking in the wrong spot entirely, so I offered my help. As it turns out, the spread wasn't in the dairy cases (where they were looking), but it also wasn't in the condiment aisle (where I thought it would be). I combed almost every aisle of the store looking for it myself, trying to help the poor man. He needed it because his wife had put it on the list, and he really hated to return home without it. Just as I was apologizing to the man at the front of the store for my not finding it, I spotted a tub - in the small refrigerator of sandwiches available for sale by the register! I ran and grabbed it for him, and he thanked me while we laughed. I had time to spare, and it was worth it for that man.

Philip is off this weekend. His schedule rotates, but it landed just perfectly for this Memorial Day weekend, so he's off Friday-Sunday. Not only that, his supervisor also gave him Monday off (the flight was going to be over-manned, so they could spare him). I'm tickled about that, and we already started our lovely weekend yesterday. Just before coming in last night, we lined our driveway with all our little flags, so now we are truly ready for the holiday and we LOOK it. ;-)

I'd better get going now and switch out the comforter. Happy Saturday, folks!