homemade body wrap (the follow-up post)

So, if you read yesterday's post, you now know that I did not have quite the adventure...

Ahem.

I am cheap.  There I said it...  Cheap is not always better.  I repeat, NOT. ALWAYS. BETTER.  In this case, definitely NOT. BETTER.

I looked online for recipes for wraps and found many, but did not have some of the ingredients needed, so I found some substitutions...since I didn't have clay, the mixture was watery so I decided to use towels for applying it, and since it was GREEN, I decided disposable paper towels would be best, just in case.  This all worked great, aside from the solution dripping down my entire body (instead of just my stomach) and generally getting all over everything in the room.

The primary ingredient in these things is salt (of some form or another)...Such a concentrated amount of salt meant that the drips left white residue everywhere.  My legs looked like some form of a diseased zebra...

I tried another mixture as well, which had coffee grounds as the main ingredient...do you have any idea how messy coffee grounds can be?

source

And, in all my coordinated-saran-wrapping of myself, I somehow managed to completely wrap one of my legs WITHOUT putting the coffee grounds in the wrap...  yeah...that's going to be effective.

And that blade strip on the saran wrap box...that thing is sharp, y'all.  ouch.

So, I finally get everything in place, all saran wrap is secure and I'm dressed in an old T-shirt and running shorts and I definitely realize that I need to use the bathroom....but seeing as I just spent 45 minutes wrapping myself up, that's just not going to happen until after the next 45 minutes of soaking is finished...

No problem, I'll just go sit down and rest, drink some more water as suggested, and do a few things online.

So...I had wrapped my legs pretty well...with multiple layers of wrap...which is MADE to stick to itself...

Do I even need to tell you how well walking went?!?

Or maybe I should describe to you my 4 year old daughter's face when she saw me....?

No.  You have imaginations.  Anything you could come up with is probably closer to accurate than I care to reveal.

So, I make it to the other end of the house, get settled on the couch with the laptop, reach for my water bottle, because despite my previously mentioned needs, I am thirsty after all that work, and realize that my water bottle is at the other end of the house...where it will remain for the next 45 minutes while I try to block out the fact that I simultaneously have conflicting needs.

At this point, I realize the predicament I am in and succomb to the giggles I have been suppressing.  And write the blog post you all enjoyed yesterday.

Blog post finished, a few e-mails taken care of, and my soaking time is up, time to go figure out how to unwrap....

......................

Except that I have had a WARM laptop sitting on my saran-wrapped lap for the past 45 minutes.....

.......................

Yeah....it stuck...and the saran-wrap had pretty much melted to itself.  The saran wrap that had the coffee grounds in it....

I did manage to make it back to the "scene of the crime" and I did manage to get all of the saran wrap and goop off of my body, and I did manage to clean up the room before my husband came home from work...

....and I will NOT be trying the home-wrap-system again.  EVER.

EVER.

As for the benefits of the wrap...I have yet to realize any.  During the process of the wrap itself, I did lose about 2 pounds, but I'm pretty sure that was from all of the effort exerted in the process.  And I drank at least that much in water yesterday.  I was mildly thirsty throughout the day yesterday, but last night I could not seem to quench my thirst, so perhaps that was the salt helping me to detox.  I felt normal all day yesterday until I got in bed and then my entire body (joints) hurt and I had trouble getting comfortable...whether or not it was connected I do not know, but thankfully it eased and I was able to sleep.  Today I have not noticed any difference although I have continued to drink lots of water.

Never a dull moment around here.

Not Me Monday...

A friend of mine from high school often posts very amusing "Not Me Monday" posts, and I couldn't help but think of that this morning... 

I did not get the (not so) brilliant idea to have a spa-day at home and try making my own body wrap...

I did not make some weird looking green and brown concoction of household ingredients and spread it on my body...

I did not then proceed to attempt to wrap my body in saran wrap...

source

I did not use an entire roll of paper towels and saran wrap in said process...

I did not also manage to cover my entire bathroom sink and floor with previously mentioned green and brown goop....

I did not get everything situated only to discover that I had to use the bathroom...

I am not typing this blog post still wrapped in saran wrap wondering how I'm going to get it all off on my own, still needing to go to the bathroom, and laughing hysterically at another one of my crazy adventures...

Oh no, definitely not me.  In fact, that couldn't possibly be me...

I would rather just pay the big $$ to buy the wrap kits or go to the spa like normal people......


(there will most likely be a follow-up post....stay tuned....)

Four...

It was birthday week around here last week and we had so much fun.  There are lots of things to say and lots of pictures to show, but that will have to wait for another day.  Today's post is for the birthday survey that I started last year.  The answers are amusing, as always.

To get us started though, here is how to eat a birthday donut...

How old are you today?  Four!  

What is your favorite color? Bluish-greenish and Pink and Purple

What is your favorite toy? Barbie Legos

What is your favorite fruit? Watermelon

What is your favorite TV show? Daniel Tiger & Elmo’s World

What is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? Olives

What is your favorite outfit? My play dress-up

What is your favorite game? Chutes & Ladders

What is your favorite snack? Cake & Ice Cream

What is your favorite animal? Puppies and Cats

What is your favorite song? Neighborhood Noise

What is your favorite book? Bugs!

Who is your best friend? Gwendolyn

What is your favorite cereal? Chocolate chip

What is your favorite thing to do outside? Ride my bike

What is your favorite drink? Sprite!

What do you like to take to bed with you at night? Pooh Bear

What is your favorite breakfast? Cereal and Oatmeal

What do you want to be when you grow up? A Mommy!

Where is your favorite place to eat out? Donut Shop

What is your favorite thing to do with Mommy? Make a craft

What is your favorite thing to do with Daddy? Play bugs and monsters

What is your favorite thing to do with your friends? swim

Where is your favorite place to visit? Children's Museum and Aquarium

What do you love about going to Grandy & Grandma Rie's house? Lots of new toys

What do you love about going to Grandpa & Grammy's house? The train

What is your favorite thing to play? Children's museum car

What thing do you most dislike doing? Taking a nap!

What would you do if you could stay up all night? Play

Where would you go if you could go anywhere in the world? Children's Museum

What makes you happy? Hitting the baseball

What make you sad? That you don’t let me do anything!

What do you wish you could do? Drive your car

What made this the best birthday ever? Having balloons

Here is the birthday girl with her self-designed birthday cake...
yes, it had enough sugar to last ALL of us for a year or more.
Happy Birthday sweet girl! :)

back by popular demand...

Franklin and his mad swimming skills....

For the couponers...

I mentioned in my last update post that I was getting back into couponing...  I haven't decided if I will stick with it or call it quits for good, but for now I am pressing on.  Trips like my most recent one to Target definitely make it hard to quit.  These are pictures from a short trip for some easy bargains.  This trip didn't require too much planning.

I used a lot of Target store coupons available on Target's website...most, if not all, of the Target store coupons state "limit one per transaction," even though you can print two per computer. Several months ago when I was shopping and using some of these coupons, I had separated my items into separate transactions to account for this.  The cashier said that it was no problem for her to ring them all on one transaction and still use all of my coupons.  I went into this trip thinking that was this particular store's policy, only to discover (from a very impatient cashier) that it apparently is a cashier's choice as to whether or not they will accept it. For this trip, it only affected my deal for the dog treats, so it wasn't a big deal to just separate everything into two transactions, and the dog treats were still a good deal.  

When I first started couponing in 2008-2009, it was easy to get free stuff ALL the time...it wasn't always the healthiest, though.  Now, I'm finding that the freebies are rare, and even rarer are the healthy and nutritious freebies, so my personal goal is just to find a price that is cheaper that I would pay at Aldi, Walmart, or Costco, and for the whole trip, I like to see my total savings amount higher than my total = I saved more than I spent.

The (hopefully) brief breakdown on this transaction is as follows:

Bananas - $0.24 EACH...I thought I still had a valid mobile coupon for $1.00/1.00 or more, but I didn't and we needed some bananas, so I paid more for them than I would at Aldi but my last bunch from Aldi never turned yellow..................

Vans Waffles - $0.99 after a manufacturer's coupon

Fruttare Bars - $1.49 after a target and manufacturer's coupon stack  (these are really yummy!!)

handsoap - $0.39 after a target coupon

paper towel - $0.49 after a target coupon

hydrogen peroxide - $0.02 after a target coupon 

baby shampoo - $0.49 each after a target coupon

And then my second transaction:

For the details...I will not list items that are already listed in the previous transaction...

All detergent (10 pacs) - $0.99 ea after manufacturer's coupons

Dog treats - $0.82 each after a Target and manufacturer's coupon stack

Hair detangler - $0.32 ea after a Target coupon

SO -- $32.62 worth of items for $12.87...  

Downsizing...

We've been wanting to get a garden in this year, but for one reason or another we were delayed.  Finally, I was able to get some boxes together for raised beds, and we purchased and planted some veggies yesterday!  We're on a smaller scale this year as we're trying the beds...I hope to add two more...one to begin some fall plants, and one for composting.

This first box is what I am calling the "salsa box" as it contains 4 tomato plants, 4 pepper plants, and basil seeds.  I can almost taste the fresh salsa right now.

The second box has cucumbers and beans...  and, those are my mums from last year that are growing quite heartily this summer!  Hopefully they will be beautiful enough to put on the porch this fall.

Some other "growth" around the yard includes...

very colorful zininas

chives...post trim

LOTS of roses

We're also enjoying the rosemary bush hedge, a newly blooming pink geranium, lavender, parsley, and strawberry plants.  Pictures of those soon?  Perhaps.

Stay tuned for future posts and watch our garden grow. 

Franklin...

We're enjoying getting to know our little turtle and learning his patterns.  He has some pretty funny antics that I especially enjoy.  After he did not eat for the first 5 days that we had him, we all still get pretty excited when he attacks his food.  Currently he is rejecting all food except for dried shrimp, and I haven't had the heart to make him get hungry enough for the other stuff yet.  But, I will have to soon, because he does need a balanced diet. And, C has agreed to let his name be Franklin...I may or may not have shown her old youtube videos of the Franklin cartoons to influence her decision.

Here are some videos of lil' Frankie boy enjoying his supper tonight... 

(my apologies for the poor quality...our camera is almost 9 years old.)

In Review...

My poor little neglected blog.  Every week starts out with good intentions...3 posts this week, so many things to share.  And then life happens...and blogging drops further and further into the abyss of items-left-unchecked-on-my-to-do-list.  I'm finding myself pulling away from the computer more and more and some days barely check-in at all.  It's a good thing and I'm okay with it.  But, it means my blog is neglected.

So, here's a massive (random) update for those who keep up with us here...it has to be massive as it will probably be months before I do it again. 

I have willingly and exuberantly welcomed a reptile into my home.  Shocking, I know.  But, this is probably the ONLY kind of reptile I would be interested in housing because they move slow enough to catch should they escape.  We had been planning to get an aquarium for quite some time (although with fish), given C's affinity for ALL THINGS WATER.  (Marine Biologist in the making, yes?  She's going to be GMa's ticket to finally get up close with the dolphins, I think.)  But, after rescuing this little guy from impending doom in the Bi-Lo parking lot, we decided to go ahead and get the aquarium and hope that he responded well...if not, the aquarium is re-usable.  (Yes, that is how two frugal-minded first-borns make these sorts of decisions.)

Who knew he would be SO fond of hiding in the plants -- we think he thinks we can't see him....  I'm sure it feels just like home because everyone knows there are neon pink plants growing in ponds all over the Southeast.  (I went for cheap, not realistic.)  

He's really responded quite well to the new digs and finally (after 5 days) is eating well! (Turtle pellets and dried shrimp pieces, anyone?!?)  He is developing some patterns which amuse me greatly.  As soon as the shades are pulled in the evening, he positions himself in the plants and promptly goes to sleep.  Once the shades are raised and/or heat lamp is turned on in the morning, he goes to his rock for sun-bathing.  He is really ridiculously cute...for a reptile.  C is delighted with him, and gives him a new name everyday.  I think I've finally convinced her that we should stick with boy names...today he is Kelly.  

Speaking of changes in C's room (that is where the aquarium landed)...we made the switch from the toddler bed to the BIG bed.  It's been a great transition and everyone LOVES it.

It does mean, however, that we are without a bed in our guest room until we replace it, although at present I am working on The Great Book Purge of 2013, so the entire guest room floor is covered with piles of books while I sort and rearrange. (Exaggeration?  Sadly, no.)

Having taken in two baseball games so far this season, and the influence of her best-bud Andrew (who adores baseball...and all things sports, really), C has decided that she wants to be a baseball girl...  

Game face.  Oh, and yes, those ARE her Sunday dress shoes...  She's also been dressing herself lately.  Our system is that I choose the outfits (or we choose them together) when we're going somewhere, and on the days we stay home she choose them all by herself.  

Summer is almost here...for reals this time.  Much to my own amazement, I gave in and purchased Roo-Cups for us to take on our adventures to the pool, fountains, etc this summer.  $0.25 refills, which includes slushees...  Here's to a summer of entirely too much sugar...but oh-so-much-fun.  

Speaking of fountains, we did make our way there this week and had a lovely time...with the multiple school groups that were also there.  I am a magnet for school groups, which is hard to avoid during the month of May in a town with so much great stuff to do.  I don't mind the groups -- I'm glad the kids get to have a good time.  I mind that I go all nazi-mama when there's that many kids and freak out about losing MY kid in the crowd.  Lessons in faith.

C is growing up too fast and her imagination is really coming alive...and she's strong enough to put into action the thoughts in her head.  So, yesterday she took her stuffed animals on a train ride to Mississippi.

Life has been exceptionally busy lately and I'm looking forward to the "lazy days" of summer...it is a tremendous privilege to be home with C and to enjoy this time with her.  It is going by so fast.  We've enjoyed many play dates this spring with friends from church and also some new friends as I get to know the ladies from my moms group.  C is enjoying meeting their kids as well.

Greg and I have both been running with a goal of 3 times/week.  We don't run together for two reasons -- childcare and I would greatly slow him down.  He completed his first 5K in April, and I have signed up for my first at the end of June.  I'm at week 5 of C25K, but have had to take a week off due to being sick.  Having to call the paramedics out to the track because I'm coughing so much I can't breathe just doesn't seem worth it.  Guess I'm not a real runner...yet.

We thought after Greg got his MBA in 2009 we were done with school, but in the back of our minds, we knew that wasn't true, and so 2013 finds us back at school again for the next 3 years.  I am overwhelmed as I try to support him in his studies, so I can only imagine how overwhelmed he must feel.  But, that is usually how things begin, so hopefully it will even out soon...like in 2016...when he's done.  

So far we have not put in a garden this year, and it's looking like we probably will not...apart from a few things that I have in containers (flowers/herbs).  I really want to switch over to raised beds, so we may begin making that transition and try to do some fall gardening.  I may give in and put a few tomato/pepper plants in pots though...

C has surprised us with beginning to read...so we're practicing and working through some lessons.  How crazy is it that she is old enough to be talking, much less reading?!?

I'm back into couponing and am finding it to be more beneficial than before.  Most of my coupons are coming from the internet this time around and several new programs.  SO far I'm staying away from the "Drug store game" and just going for Bi-Lo, Publix, Target, and Walmart.  The Ibotta app is fantastic, and I'm loving Target mobile coupons as well as their new Cartwheel program.  It's a lot to keep up with and I'm trying to keep it all in check, but so far it's good.  I'm pleasantly surprised at the natural/organic coupons that are becoming more readily available.  I'm mostly a "perimeter" shopper, so being able to save on those things is really helpful!

Next week, we will celebrate our 9th anniversary.  Hard to believe we are old enough to be married that long!  No big plans this year, but we're scheming about next year....

And lastly, our church is updating our photo directory, so we got a new family picture out of the deal.  It's a blessing to have multiple talented photographer friends...credit for this one goes to Willa.

Summer 2013 looks to be quite full with school for G, a cousin's wedding, visiting family, weekend beach trip, C's 4th bday and family in town, trips to the pool, activities at church, a GMa's 90th bday, week at the beach, and Fall will be here before we know it and we'll be diving into the world of pre-school activities.  

The many faces of...

April...so far...

I cannot believe that April is more than halfway past...summer is just around the corner, y'all.  I can smell that chlorinated water...

I've been wanting to blog for awhile but just haven't made the time to do it.  The forced down-time (due to sickness) in March was really great (looking back) and I'm thankful for the reminder to step away from the computer and smartphone for awhile and enjoy real relationships with real people.  Everything in moderation.  Also, as tends to be the case when the weather gets warm, we spend a large percentage of our days outside, so when we are inside, we are tending to necessities.  Today is rainy and chilly, but spring weather returns tomorrow.

I want to keep this short, so I'm just hoping to hit some highlights of what's been going on around here and include a fair amount of links to help explain.

So far in April, we have....

• cleaned out all 3 bedroom closets and consigned many things
• thoroughly cleaned most of the kitchen appliances
• thoroughly cleaned all the light fixtures and ceiling fans
• made these reusable swiffer dusters (still deciding if i like them - super easy to make though!)
• washed our shower curtain liners so they look like new (this really does work!)
• made cinnamon rolls mostly in the bread machine (easiest recipe EV.ER.)
• doubled my T-shirt collection by tapering all of the XL freebies (SO EASY TOO!)
• made greek yogurt in the crock pot (THIS WAS SO waitforit EASY TOO!!!)
• I had the opportunity to hear Karen Angela Ellis speak at a women's event (life. changing.)
• Greg ran a 5K, his first color run!
• because of above, I was inspired to begin the Couch to 5K program (finishing up week 2)
• Miss C has learned to dress herself almost completely on her own. (styles are most interesting these days!)
• started keeping track of the different varieties of birds we see in our yard
• been dreaming and dreaming of gardening and raised beds, but have yet to plant the first thing
• attended the first baseball game of the season, with hopes of attending a few more
• caught a mouse and a skink in our house and waged war on carpenter bees on the deck
• discovered a new park and visited our old favorites
• been on trips to the library, children's museum, and pet store
• enjoyed Ben & Jerry's free cone day with friends
• attended the (hopefully first of many) do-it-herself-workshop at home depot and learned to make a flower-tower
• been blessed by countless other opportunities for fellowship and experiencing this world in which God has placed us.

We have been saddened this week to hear of national events like Boston and Texas, and we struggle to rest in God's sovereignty and goodness.  As I attended a women's retreat last weekend where we focused on Psalm 46, I had no idea just how many times God would bring that passage to my mind in the following week.  I am thankful for the comfort that comes with knowing and believing God's Word.  He is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Here's the latest family picture -- though not very good, it IS still a family picture (taken Easter morning).

Happy Spring!

Spring Apothecary-Style Jars (DIY)

Today...

6 days ago I posted about how my March goals were flying out the window...

I had no idea that less than 24 hours later I would be sitting in the ER of our local children's hospital with my daughter for her to receive fluids via IV as well as antibiotics for the UTI that was discovered while we were there.  Thankfully it was not a crazy emergency situation, but I realized on Wednesday morning that something was not "right" and a call to the pediatrician confirmed that we needed to go to the hospital.  I'm so, so, so thankful for the expertise that the doctors and nurses there have when it comes to working with children (and their parents!).  They were great.  We were all relieved when they said we could go home and didn't have to stay overnight.  By Thursday, we were already seeing significant improvements, although she continued to be very weak and tired.  Now, she is pretty much back to normal, aside from sleeping a little more than usual and eating to make up for lost time.  WOW...she has been SO hungry.

And, while I thought I had escaped the window of "contagion" by the time she was starting to improve, Friday night left me wondering, and by Saturday morning I was no longer wondering.  Yuck.  times a LOT.  I spent all day Saturday and the better part of Sunday in bed, and my sweet husband took care of daughter and the house, and tended to me.

So...those goals are just mocking me...mocking me, I tell you.

I did manage to read a book last week in the two afternoons that C took 3+ hour naps on the couch (waking only briefly to make sure I hadn't left her side...traumatic ER experiences do that to 3 year olds, apparently and understandably), and I'm about 50 pages away from finishing another...  not exactly the EIGHT I had hoped to finish for the month, but oh well.

C did get to participate in our church's annual Easter Egg Hunt last night which she has been looking forward to, and I enjoyed the quiet house for a little while.  Today I'm waging war on any remaining germs in hopes of keeping G from getting sick.  Laundry nazi, germ nazi...  I'm getting a reputation...

But, my body says it's not quite ready for "normal" yet, so I'm resting too.  I'm happy to stay inside away from the blustery snow flurries, and eat some homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch, graciously brought over by a sweet friend.  Another friend brought dinner over so I'm free from that responsibility tonight.  It is a blessing to be a part of the body of Christ, and this week has been another great reminder of that -- from prayers to kind words, phonecalls, meals offered/delivered, I am humbly grateful for these who have been the hands and feet of Jesus to us this week.

Here's to April....

(I'm not making any goals!)

March Madness...

So about those March goals....

I know that God is not a God that would "make fun" of His children...but I can't help but wonder when I was making my list of goals for the month and writing that last blog post including the reference to Proverbs 16:9 if He was smiling and saying..."Wait and see, child...  wait and see.  What I have for you is not YOUR plan, but it is much better."

Since my last post (15 days ago, if anyone is counting), I have not read ANYTHING on my reading list...  My reading goals for the month were already a bit lofty unattainable impossible ridiculous unrealistic.

I have managed to make it to the walking track with friends a few times, and that has been great -- as soon as the weather gets warm I love to be outside!  We have been able to play outside some too, which has been good for EVERYONE.

I started out pretty good with the 31 in 31 pinterest projects, but I'm falling behind some now...click on that link to see what I HAVE managed to try...

I did manage to get all my items tagged and dropped off at the consignment sale and am pleased with my profits from that.  My closets, however, are still not clean as I had hoped.

Spring cleaning........yeah, no.

The "someone else" section of my goals...I haven't been able to think about that just yet... but there are still 2 weeks left in the month!

Limit media for C -- what else CAN you do when you're too sick to get OFF the couch?  I definitely have NOT been limiting media.  We did manage to make it to the park and the children's museum and have plans to go again, so we might actually make that goal for the month.  The gorgeous Spring weather ends today and we're looking at a high of 44* by the end of the week...ideal weather for playing outside LOTS, yes? 

And, then there's the whole topic of the photo-a-day in March and blogging 3x a week....  let's NOT go there.

So, by this point (if you're still reading...hello...?) you're wondering what HAVE you been doing for the past 15 days?!?!?

Well, my friends...laundry.

LOTS of laundry.

Praise the Lord for these two blessings!

It started with washing everything for the consignment sale, because let's face it -- if you pull the clothes out of a storage bin and hang them up, they are not as likely to sell as they are when they look and smell fresh and pressed.  FACT.

Then it was washing bedding to get the guest room ready for my mom who came to visit for a few days, and our own laundry for the week.

Then I found out that we had been (unintentionally) exposed to head lice.  ick.  Taking all precautions, I washed EVERYONE's bedding (all of it!) everyday for 3 days in a row, plus all of our clothes as soon as we took them off, plus towels, stuffed animals, jackets, etc.  Laundry nazi?  Oh yes, that's me!

That fiasco was barely over (btw, it seems we have escaped the lice for this time! PTL!), and I thought I could stand to do some more laundry so I started washing all of the new things that I purchased at the consignment sale...  While switching out the loads, my daughter walks in to the laundry room and says timidly, "Mommy, I'm NOT going to throw up."  Quizzically, I started to ask, "Do you feel like you're........."  And then I didn't need to finish.  Who knew so much could come out of such a small body?!?  OH, and did I mention she had eaten Nutella earlier in the day?  How's that mental picture for ya?!?!

Yay.  MORE laundry.  And, being the germophobe that I am and trying to keep the parents from getting the plague, the washing of the bedding began AGAIN.  (I'm starting to understand why I regularly put new sheets on my Christmas list...)

At present, C is recovering from the virus and I'm encouraging her to eat and drink just about anything that she will.  She's a pretty weak girl at this point, but she's starting to perk back up.  The parents have no symptoms of anything...  Oh, and my washing machine and dryer are enjoying a much needed respite.

I did manage to get my sewing area setup (still have a few changes/additions to make) before I started the laundromat, so here are a few pictures of that...

This is on one side of our bedroom.

Container storage for now...will adjust as my collection of sewing gadgets increases.

Hope to get large popsicle sticks to wrap the ribbon around for storage eventually.  That's my Great-Aunt, btw.

Every morning I wake up and dream of creating something with all of this...if I only had the time.

For my 31 in 31 Pinterest Projects, I gave myself 2 stipulations -- I could only count new pins, as in things I had not previously tried, and they could not be all recipes.  Here's one of the non-recipe projects I completed this month...

The top was the first one I made, so you can see the progression and improvements.

And, I have started my spring decorating....

Hey!  It's something, right?!?

I'm mid-project for a pinterest craft for Spring decor, so I will get back to it, but I wanted you all to know that I am still alive and that I hadn't gotten buried under all those March goals....  or March Madness...  :)