Perception vs. Reality

Saturday mornings, and most other mornings I wake up planning my day in my mind. Why I do that I have no idea because the days rarely play out in the regimented, industrious way that I plan them. Early in the day they usually take on something that resembles nothing short of a Category 3 hurricane. Yesterday was no exception. My mind had me heading to Walmart by 7 and back before 9, early enough in my mind to avoid that dumb little vehicle of mine that thinks it needs to turn in to every yard sale it sees. I swear that one of these vehicles that I buy in life is not going to do that. This one is the worst and I blame it on my husband, the enabler, who said that a car did not fit my lifestyle, I needed a SUV, we settled on an all wheel drive crossover with a roof rack. What was he thinking? Now not only can I pull off the road in any wet ditch, I can load large pieces of furniture on the roof! The only thing that has prevented that from happening is that I refuse to put tie down straps in the vehicle. But I digress. I planned on being home from Walmart and baking cookies, then doing all these little chores that were waiting in the seven minute intervals between trays of cookies and then having a little rest and craft time before the boys showed up at 3, when I would take them to the fair for a couple of hours where they would meet up with Aunt Shawnee and cousin Gracelyn, (where the ratio of adults to children would then be 2:3, not the ratio I like of 2:1, but closer) then back home for a nice evening of some calm little movie, snacks and early bedtime. Well, as I had not talked to my husband much this week, I bumped the Walmart time to 9 and sat and visited and caught up with him. He has volunteered his week to the Fair Office this past week. He has ran the main window, fielding complaints, selling passes and making all the announcements. I think he has found in hidden talent. He made people happy and has the BEST announcement voice. At 9:00, I am out the door and heading to Walmart, two hours later than I planned but still plenty of time. The next little wrinkle had me driving through Smicksburg, an Amish community where I notice unusually large buggy traffic that leads to a traffic jam. It is the annual Smicksburg Benefit Auction and I am STUCK in traffic! Where I live traffic is NEVER a fact of life. Skip forward to home from Walmart 10:30 and I start the cookies that I have been wanting to bake. In the seven minute intervals between trays I:
Empty the Walmart bags
Put away the toiletries
Cut up these peppers
Throw my bedsheets in the dryer
Decorate a little area with some vine that I stopped in Smicksburg for on the way home..just a little side trip..shhh, don't tell!
Clean up the counter area,
Wipe down the stove
Make a gift basket for Shelby
Water the baskets on the front porch

Wash all the produce, don't these cherries look yummy?

Spray this canteen and cup that I can't wait to paint.

Try out the tip that I learned this week about gluing pennies down with a glue stick.

AND THEN CAME THE HURRICANE!

Jenn had called and asked if she could bring the boys earlier and perhaps they could nap here, not a problem, she agreed to help me get them down for the naps. She pulled in at 1:00 and almost simultaneously the phone rings. It is John at the Fair Office. The bus carrying Josh Gracin for the entertainment tonight at the fair has just pulled in, the bus driver has been up all night and needs a place to sleep for the afternoon and evening and he offered him a room at our house. He would be there in an hour! Well since the unofficial bed and breakfast here has been running at about 50% capacity for the last few months and since it was fair week, I had not changed the sheets on the quietest guest bedroom farthest from the fair. I raced and ran and sweated but the boys and I were on our way to the fair and the guest was settled in my a little after 2. We were out of the house until 10:30 last night when the driver was taken back the fair rested and grateful. The boys and I and later Shawnee and Gracelyn had a great day/evening a the fair. I actually think that the boys are better behaved when it is just 1 adult to the 2 of them. We rode, we saw all the shows, we walked through the buildings, that was fun for them even because every politician and sales rep has a bowl of candy, they were all on a sugar rush by the time we made it through there. Gracelyn managed to touch almost every pig's nose, the miniature horses were her favorite, I think. We ate junk, well they ate junk! What a great day! The day was not what I saw in my mind when I woke up, but sometimes they work out better that way.