And now, I'm tired!

I love a day when I feel productive... and I feel oddly compelled to chronicle my "accomplishments."

Got up before 8:00 and changed sheets. Ate leftover pizza for breakfast, showered, made shopping/errand list. Caught up on 14 current games of Word With Friends. Watched part of the movie Salt for the 8th time.  Got my pack ready for a day out and about - I use this little Camelback backpack as a daily bag (without the water bladder, usually). Seriously, the best bag I have ever used!

Known as "PackPackMini." Mr. Mamie has a similar one made by DaKine, but mine is better! ;)

Took covers off of dog beds and put into wash, along with some beach towels Beagle has been laying on while out on the front patio. Put inside parts of dog beds on front patio wall to air (sorry, neighbors).

Did random organizational-type tasks while husband was on the phone with one of his sisters for almost an hour. Swept the front patio and rolled up the hose, put folding lawn chairs and plastic tub of "summery" patio supplies the garage for the winter.

Left with husband for shopping tasks:

• Michael's: Green pipe cleaners for Halloween craft at school (less than $3.00).
• Target: Numerous household and personal care items, PLUS a pair of nice black chino pants on crazy-clearance for Mr. Mamie ($32.00 total).
• OfficeMax: Had a teacher-rewards program rebate voucher for $86. Used half of it on printer ink, hole reinforcement stickers for the pages in the kids' calendar binders, and a snazzy Built NY neoprene laptop sleeve. We have several Built NY products (lunch bags, drink sleeves, etc. and really like them all). The sleeve is for a  16" laptop, and my MacBook Pro is a 15". I haven't tried it yet, but I think the iPad will easily fit in the sleeve along with the laptop. The sleeve looks like this:

 Like it lots - and love the FREE price!

• Lunch at a sandwich shop recommended by a kindergarten teacher friend. I had purchased a local Groupon-type voucher - $4 for and $8 coupon. We paid $8 cash combined with the voucher. Decent sandwiches and atmosphere, though we still prefer the deli inside the grocery store in TheVillage. 
• HideousWalmartz: A few household items that were not obtainable at Target, a few grocery items (notably, 5 pounds each of King Arthur brand unbleached white and whole wheat flour - seriously, the best quality flour!), some fabric for holiday projects, and two kinds of bath salts (for stress/aches and colds/allergies).Outside the store saw a principal friend and lamented our schools' various technology issues (in our case, shortage of IP addresses).  Inside the store saw one of my first grade colleagues and stood around griping about being sick (colds) and poor (October is a loooooong month). Spent $40.

I can't WAIT to use this later tonight!!!

• Costco: Chicken breasts, romaine lettuce, giant bag of fresh spinach, raspberries, 32 cans of organic diced tomatoes (coupon for BOGO on a box of 8 cans), frozen chicken/vegetable pot stickers (coupon), deodorant (coupon), brown rice/flax seed chips (coupon), 13 pounds of baking soda (for cleaning and baking both), Crystal Light lemonade mix (mostly for GrandmaT, though I have a couple glasses a week), two gallons of milk, two stainless steel vacuum-wall mugs (coupon) for Mr. Mamie (one for hot drinks, one for cold drinks). $102 for the various items, plus $3 for two mocha freezes as a reward for surviving the hysteria of Costco on a Saturday. Ran into the literacy intervention specialist from school in the food court and spent 15 minutes talking about... literacy interventions. So predictable.

 Mr. Mamie's new mugs.

After the shopping we headed toGolfDad's house and changed the sheets on his bed for him. He had some outpatient shoulder surgery on Monday and his arm is in a sling. But the Wombat trained us all well, and sheets must be changed on Saturday morning (see above)! :)  We also gave him about 1/3 of our giant bag of Costco spinach and took away his deteriorating spinach to be added to our compost.

Put everything away at home, started a load of laundry. Vacuumed car, front patio, and tile floors in house with the shop vac. Mopped 1/2 of tile floor. Updated kitchen whiteboard calendar with November info and activities. Reorganized upright freezer in the garage (Mr. Mamie did the chest freezer the other day).

Started another load of laundry. Took my car over to the Igor Family's casa for the Mrs. to borrow for driving kids to a Halloween party (Mr. Igor had their van in fiftyhundred pieces in the driveway). Also took over the canning kettle and other supplies. Watched Mrs. Igor make sausage curls on Niece's head as part of her Southern Belle Halloween costume.

Niece's Southern Belle 'do - Mrs. Igor did an awesome job!

Delivered two of the jars of prickly pear cactus jelly we made to two neighbors. Received 1/2 dozen fresh eggs in return from the people (well, technically from the chickens) next door. Talked with the egg neighbors about the sod they are going to lay in their front yard, offered to help, received offers of help in return (and the use of a truck) if we manage to get our back yard done.

Started another load of laundry. Hung part of second load to dry on indoor clothesline. Started a load of dishes in the dishwasher. Cleaned out the tea kettle, which had been soaking with vinegar in it for two days (even with filtration, the hard water here builds up!).  Ran sprinkler in the front yard (which Mr. Mamie mowed) and moved it around to various places. Mopped the other 1/2 of the tile floors. Tidied the living room.

Fixed and ate dinner, watched NCIS and NCIS: Los Angeles on DVR while typing this blog post. And now, it's time for a hot bath with some very aromatic salts!

 ~Mamie "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!" (Hunter S. Thompson)