The Birthday Chick, A Dead Mouse Story, Tuesdays with Judith, Spending Time with RT, My Favorite Things RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE, Quotable Quotes and Pinterest Stuff (Ten Ways to Keep the Fun in Marriage)

Good Tuesday evening!

RANDOMNESS #1 - The Birthday Chick - The Chick turned 21 yesterday.

I am without words...

Except to say the last 21 years have been an adventure.

Not always easy...

Rarely predictable...

But always, ALWAYS, an adventure.

I am liking the young woman Roxie has become.

A lot.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come." Proverbs 31:25

This has been "her" verse for the past 21 years, and while it might not have fit her perfectly as a wee babe, I am happy to report, she is growing into "her" verse quite nicely.

Quite nicely, indeed.



RANDOMNESS #2 - A Dead Mouse Story - I bet I know what you are thinking.

"Belinda walked up into another pair of flowy pants, fell and landed on a mouse... thus, killing him... making him dead."

And you would be wrong!

I was at my grandmother's house one day last week, and I walked out onto her carport sometime during the visit and noticed a little mouse. He didn't look dead. In fact, he looked very much alive and he was in a runner's pose.

However, being very intuitive about such things...

And stomping, clapping and yelling, "HEY, HEY, LITTLE MOUSE! I NEED TO GET TO MY CAR AND YOU ARE BLOCKING THE ENTIRE PATH!" for several (nay, many) minutes, I correctly deduced he was, in fact, no longer a living rodent.

Fun fact for you...

I don't DO dead mice. It is not something I am known for, and it is certainly nothing I want to "overcome."

I am quite happy with my "I don't DO dead mice" status.

Proud, even.

Throughout the day, I went out onto the carport maybe three more times, and each and every time, the dead little mouse was still there.

That's when I went into Plan B mode and started yelling, "HEY, HEY, LITTLE KITTY! I GOTTA YUMMY SNACK FOR YA!" for several more (nay, many) minutes.

There is never a cat around when you need one.

As it was starting to get late in the day, I felt a good granddaughter would get rid of a dead mouse for her 96 year-old grandmother...

So I called my sister and my cousin.

We hang from the same family tree, but they are made of much stronger stock than The Enchanting Belinda...

And I am okay with that. It bothers me little, to not at all.

With no help forthcoming (I really didn't call Bev and Amy, by the way), I grabbed an old dustpan from the closet and scooped up the dead little fellow.

Yuck.

Double yuck.

My simple plan was to toss him out into the backyard, but because I failed to walk closer to the edge of the carport, my toss just threw him into the carport ceiling...

And back down onto the carport...

I went back inside MamMa's house to get a hit of caffeine (Pepsi, Baby) before trying again.

The second time was the charm...

Kinda.

I walked closer to the edge of the carport, but I still threw the dead mouse straight up into the carport ceiling.

I was certain he was going to land on my head, and I was just going to have a good ol'-fashioned come apart right then and there, but he fell at an angle about one foot in front of me...

Half on and half off the carport.

I realize, most people would have just kicked him off with the toe of their shoe, but I opted for the "knock-the-bowling-pins-down-by-throwing-the-bowling-ball-and-jumping-up-and-down-really-hard-to-try-and-make-the-floor-move" technique.

It has never worked in the bowling alley, but I kid you not, after 20 or so hard jumps on the concrete carport, the little dead mouse rolled off into the grass.

Once again, I know what you're thinking.

I could not possibly have jumped hard enough to shake a dead mouse off of a concrete carport.

Which means the mouse was probably not dead at all.

At the beginning of the story, he was quite possibly a very hard-sleeping little mouse...

And toward the middle and end of the story (where I launched him into the carport ceiling not once, but twice), he was a stunned and/or concussed little mouse.

I may never know...

And just between you and me...

I'm okay with that.

RANDOMNESS #3 - Tuesdays with Judith - There was only one pic of Judith this week, and Aunt Ro happened to be home.


Yeah.

I liked it, too.

RANDOMNESS #4 - Spending Time with RT


This is RT right before lunch. He was his usual super-cheerful self.

And then I put a spoonful of green peas in his little mouth.


Here.

Allow me to help you with the narrative.

"But Nana B. I thought you said you loved me."


"I thought we had a deal. Only bananas and sweet potatoes at your house. I feel so betrayed."


After three bites, I gave him the rest of his bottle...


And I let him lose the shirt for the rest of the day.

A naked baby is a happy baby.

I read that on a pillow once.

I think he forgave me!

RANDOMNESS #5 - My Favorite Things RIGHT THIS VERY MINUTE - I just have a couple of things to add to my ever-growing list, so bear with me, please.

1. I am loving the Great British Baking Show on Netflix. My cousin told me about it, and I passed over it again and again and again. Little did I know, this is one of the greatest shows ever from PBS. In my mind, I have to put it in the same category as Sherlock Holmes AND the ever-popular Downton Abbey.

That comparison may be a little bit of a stretch, but not too much.

At the end of each and every show, I have an incredibly strong urge to whip up a batch of crisp biscuits OR a dessert which ends with spun sugar OR play with flavors like blackberry/chocolate, rhubarb/peach, vanilla/cardamom...

And raspberries!

Oh... my... goodness.

The Brits do love their raspberries.

And now, so do I!

2. Have you seen The Pioneer Woman magazine?

Have you?

The second one recently "dropped," and it is a feast for the eyes, I tell you.

And it has user-friendly info, too.

I mean, recipes and tasks the average person can actually make and do without having to sign up for a college course.

It isn't British, but it is absolutely lovely!

Quotable Quotes - In honor of The Chick and her birthday, today's quotes all have something to do with ADVENTURE.

"Spontaneity is the best kind of adventure.”

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

"As soon as I saw you, I knew an adventure was about to happen.” Winnie the Pooh

Pinterest Stuff

Ten Ways to Keep Fun in Marriage

1. Never stop experiencing new things together.

When you go on that cruise, sign up for dance lessons. When you go on that beach vacation, rent some jet skis and take off.

2. Flirt. You know how to flirt, so do it.

3. Go on dates. Another one of my favorites. I love going to a quiet restaurant where we can talk. This is usually when we really catch up on what’s going on in each of our worlds.

4. If possible, go on mini vacations together. If your husband travels, and it’s feasible, go with him. We’re just now able to do that because our girls are older.

5. Go to a concert and dance. Get up and move yo’ body. This is so fun!

6. Go on a bike ride.

7. Watch a funny movie together. Laugh together!

8. Enroll for dance lessons together in your town.

9. Go on walks or long car rides together, especially when it’s nice outside.

10. Find some favorite shows on TV and watch them together. I love doing this with John. It’s kind of our thing, and we make a big deal out of watching them “together.”

NOTE FROM ENCHANTING BELINDA - You have probably seen this list many times before. If it doesn't inspire you to do anything else, at least let it inspire you to make your own list!

I'll be back in a few days with some 89-degree Autumnal Fun.

Yeah.

It doesn't sound like much "fun" to me either...

But we'll make the most of it!

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Belinda