Dear Joanie,
So I was talking to my dear friend today about blogs. She is starting a blog so we can all stay in touch. We were talking about how she doesn't have anyone following her blog yet and I said I would. She joked that then she could just start every post like she was writing to me. And I thought, that is a great idea! We talked for hours and still had plenty to say. I know it is a little 'Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail', but I told her I was going to do it, so she would HAVE to read my blog to hold me to it. Of course, I neglected to give her my blog name. Mostly because I forgot it myself. And I forgot hers. Guess I will call her tomorrow.

I have learned a bit about myself in the last few days.
First, I cannot be trusted with pretty cool phones. Sometimes I leave them in my bed, but only on days when I wash the sheets. But now I have a REALLY cool phone, so I should be okay, right?

Secondly, I get right up in the morning when I have a new phone.... Because I am afraid I will hit the snooze and pull my phone into bed... And then it will go into the washing machine. Mark thought it was funny once, I don't think he would again. And I never thought it was funny.

And, on a more serious note, I really HAVE to do crafts. In the last few months, I have been reading a lot. I really love to read. It is such a great thing to do. And my girls and I are reading the same books, so we get to discuss them. I love that they are old enough (or read on a high enough level) that we can enjoy the same books. I think we are reading at an 8-9 grade level. Yep, my girls are in 2nd and 3rd grade. But enough bragging. The reason I bring it up is that the girls read A LOT of books. And I try to read the books before them, to make sure they aren't reading anything over their maturity levels. It seems like if I don't, they end up reading stuff they shouldn't. So I got to the library once a week, sometimes twice. And I get four or so books for them, plus the books for the younger kids. And I read my heart out so the girls will have something to read and we will have something to discuss. And occasionally, the books are over their levels and more on mine. And I thought I was spending some quality me time. But I just realized, when drowning my phone made me want to lay down and cry, that I am way too close to going off the deep end. I was feeling really unhappy with life, but couldn't figure out any reason why. So I forced myself not to sleep (not too hard, my sheets were still in the wash) and I went to do some crafts in my office.
I was just ripping old sheets into strips to do a rug for my girls. This isn't my favorite project. In fact, I am not fond at all of it. And I was doing the tedious part of the project. I started out with my office door locked so the kids couldn't bother me. But after about 10 minutes, I had my door open and the music blaring and I was getting things done. I think I spent six plus hours out there. Part of the time, the kids were out playing in the cul-de-sac while I worked. Then I continued after I put them to bed. I really enjoyed myself.
All along, I have been missing that creative outlet. Mark said I needed time by myself to make something for someone else. And he may have a point. And even if that sounds more altruistic than I really am, maybe it can be a guideline for me.