Marvelous Little Auddie

I had to throw away a pair of frilly little socks today because Audrey got her orange silly putty all mashed into the lace ruffle. She did this when she stuffed one sock into the other, then shoved her silly putty in after it. *Sigh* She doesn't call the stuff "silly putty" but "krabby patty" after a food on a cartoon she watches. I guess it sounds similar.

And on another note: the joint was fabulous! Audrey ate two helpings. She totally cleaned her plate TWICE. Meat, broccoli, and bread. Figures, since she didn't eat lunch.

We got another free thing today when we bought a Sunday paper - a Roald Dahl (of "James and the Giant Peach" and "Willy Wonka" fame - not to mention my personal favorite "Matilda") book on cd. It's called "George's Marvellous Medicine." We've listened to about 3 minutes of it - the time it took to get from the newsagent (convenience store) to the house. It's a "fully dramatized" version - which means that unlike the Harry Potter books on cd with just one person doing all the voices, this one has different people doing the different voices. We also have a BBC version of "Treasure Island" that's the same way. Very entertaining.

Changing subjects again.

They're airing the final episodes of last season of "Lost" here. Not as reruns - as first runs. So I'm getting to watch them again. I'm trying to figure out how to get around the iTunes store thinking I live in the UK because I want to download the podcasts of the new "Lost" episodes starting in October. Can you watch those on the pc or do you have to have an iPod? Hmmm.

So now I'm starting to think about the trip back home. I guess the halfway mark made its mark on my brain. I'm not going to get Julie her own seat because we won't fit nicely on the plane. On the plane here, it was configured 3 seats-aisle-5 seats-aisle-3 seats. The plane home is 2-4-2. So I think we're going to try to hold her again. Or at least use the front pack, but not during takeoff or landing, as the "trolly dollies" tell us. And I'm not sure how much carry on junk we'll take with us. I'm going to try to send as much stuff home early as I can - both with Steve's mom and aunt and with Dr. Bubba's crew. That will make things easier, too.

I'm also thinking about moving out of the house a few days early, too. We have to figure out how the procedure will go with the landlady. Plus if we're going to dispose and/or give away all this extra house stuff we've bought, we can't be using it. Steve suggested that we see if the church can find homes for the stuff. But I will miss our jersey sheets and duvets. And we have lovely pillows. So I know what I'm going to be purchasing when we get home! The kids can keep their comforters at home, but I'll buy duvet covers for them and we'll pretend.

Oh - just remembered something about the landlady. When Steve called to ask her for a receipt for last month's rent, she told him that although the rent is due on the 28th, she really needs it on the 24th because her mortgage is due on the 28th. I think because of the banking procedures over here, if we had a bank account and had a "standing order," things would be fine because they start things 4 days in advance. But we have to do an international wire transfer each month because in order to get a bank account over here, you have to go through the equivalent of an FBI background check and pass a blood test. And you have to know the correct order of the British monarchs over the last 5 centuries. Not worth it.

So she tells us on Friday the 22nd that she needs the rent on Sunday 24th. Good planning on her part, I think. Oh well. No skin off my nose.

Back to Auddie. I had to dump out her beloved pink bowling ball bag tonight. She was upstairs, so thankfully she wasn't witness to this. I needed to do this because her other beloved bag ripped. It was a white plastic bag from the food halls at Herrod's. She loved that stupid plastic bag. Saturday morning, she says to me, "Mommy, my bag has a hole in it!" So I told her to throw it away. She said no, but the next thing I know, she's dumping everything out of it and wadding it up to throw it away. So much for a beloved bag. Back to the pink bag - I have to get it ready for school tomorrow. The previous contents are:
a shaker made from an empty water bottle with tri-colored lentils
a full water bottle that she refuses to let me wash
a set of number and color Barbie flash cards
a little purple purse
12 toy cars (hers, not Caleb's)
a comb
a brush
rolled up papers
tiny "Maisy" books
various sizes of rocks
pink leotard
8 wadded up pipe cleaners
a set of tiny colored pencils that go with a color-it-yourself jigsaw puzzle
the aforementioned puzzle (16 or so small pieces)
4 pink Legos
naked Wonder Woman Barbie
pink Barbie shoes
small Belle doll (from "Beauty & the Beast")
small Snow White doll
Garfield Burger King kid's meal toy
several b-day cards
small book from Scotland about Greyfriar's Bobby (a dog who sat by his dead owner's grave every day for 14 years)
Sleeping Beauty magnet set
and various other little junky things

So now I have to scoop up all this lovely junk and put it in her box. Each kid has their own box in the lounge to put their stuff in. Even Julie. Hers isn't really used, but the other 2 wanted her to have one.

That's all for now. I want to knit now.