With Power and Everything!

It is now 4 am Tuesday morning.  The government is closed today; schools are closed and Pooldad doesn't have to go to work.

We have power and water - boy do we have water. A swamp full in our backyard ::wink::  It has been steady raining since the last time I wrote, sometimes hard, sometimes light, but steady.  Otherwise, no real winds to speak of and no damage in our surrounding area that we can see.  Our biggest problem has been getting Spottie to go outside to go to the bathroom.  Any suggestions?  She is sitting here with her little paws crossed, knowing she can't hold it much longer, but doesn't want to go potty in the house. Poor thing.

Anyway - I think the storm missed us. ::big grin:: My kind of storm - the capacity to get schools cancelled but not hurt anyone or anything. Bravo Frankenstorm. Well played. [For us at least]

I have seen flooding up and down the east coast with minor evacuations, but so far it doesn't seem to be doing as much damage as we thought it might [or were led to believe it could?] Which is a really good thing.  I am not gloating, or heaven forbid, bragging that we got missed, just really surprised and hoping that y'all are okay too.  The news seems to go to the hardest hit areas [mostly coastline] and show flooding, and there are some power outages around, but school being cancelled seems to be a huge overreaction to this particular storm. Better safe than sorry I guess.

I spent all day Monday doing laundry.   Side story - the laundry detergent GAIN has always been our favorite.  It just makes our clothes smell so clean and fresh.  Used with GAIN fabric softener and all of your clothes come out soft as a puppy.  Trust me if you haven't used it.  I rarely get excited or expound on a laundry soap, but this stuff is that good.  Unfortunately, over the past decade, it has become increasingly more expensive. It was so cost prohibitive at $10/bottle that we stopped using it.  Made me sad, but when we can make our own for pennies or buy a cheaper brand that works fine it was a luxury we just weren't going to indulge.  This past month I keep finding both the GAIN detergent and fabric softener on sale - amazing sale - $4-$5 and $2-$3, respectively, and we stocked up.  I could do laundry for days using this brand just because everything comes out looking, smelling and feeling brand new.  I even washed all the sheets and we took showers in case of a power/water outage - and we all went to bed in soft, smelly good sheets/pillows with equally soft quilts and comforts.  I say it all the time, but it is the little things Tadpoles - and this is a pretty big little thing to me because it makes everyone smile.  Easy peasy.

I realize a lot of you don't like perfumed laundry soap or have allergies, so my apologies on that - but if you "like" and "don't" then this is the stuff for you. :)  Funny story about allergies and laundry soap tho':  We had purchased a huge bottle of "Eco something or another" laundry soap that purported to be dye and chemical free.  It is supposed to contain only all natural ingredients.  It was in the discontinued bin at the local store and a woman who was there looking through the bin raved about how great it was to Wallene and me.  She had 4 bottles in her cart, so we took her word and bought one.  Turns out Pooldad developed a severe skin rash that required medication and cream to clear it up.  It was from the Eco pure laundry soap! Oh, the irony.  Needless to say we discontinued using that, but we have plenty of the chemical laden stuff [GAIN] to go around. :)

Since my sleep schedule has been completely turned upside down recently I have found myself with an excess amount of energy and nothing to do during the wee hours of the morning.  I have taken to getting ready and attending Mass everyday of the week.  At first it was simply an excuse to dress, do my hair/make up to get out of the house.  Now it has become something I truly look forward to as an hour [including the short drive] of introspection and learning in peaceful surrounds.  Really, what is more peaceful than a church?  And I truly love my church, the clergy and the other parishioners.  It as if a whole new world has opened up and I have purpose [not "a" purpose - not on a quest here or anything] everyday. It is nice to go do something that I am not obligated to, something outside of my "mundane" of doctors, med regimens, my treatments and being a stay at home Mom and Wife.  It is also a special place to pray.  I know we can pray anywhere and God hears us - but I don't know how to explain it - it seems to go deeper for me to be in God's house and pray for my family and friends.  It sure does start my day off on a good footing no matter what I am facing or how I am feeling.  I always leave there and face the sunrise with a smile. :) [Yes, it is that early when I go. heehee]

Now I know a lot of that didn't make any sense and many of you aren't Christian or don't believe in God. I understand and respect that.  My blog has never been about discussing/arguing religion or politics - it is just something that is [now] an integral part of my day and I thought I would share.  Goodness knows I am far from a perfect Christian, but I am trying to be better.  And I like that too.

Okay, enough of that because it is actually almost time to get ready to head out the door.  They may cancel work and school - but Church always stays open.

Hope all you Tadpoles that experienced any part of the storm got what we got, if not less - and wake up today with no damage and much electricity. :)  If you are still getting the brunt of it [Hi New England and Canada!] you are in my prayers that you [too] emerge unscathed.  Fingers crossed that we all missed this one.

Take care and we'll see ya' on the flipside.