Hi, My name is Hilary Swank

This is an obscure pop culture reference to the year Hilary Swank won an Oscar and forgot to thank her husband. Bruce felt a little sad that he didn't even get a mention when I was blogging about all of the awesome things in my life. Let me clarify: MARRYING BRUCE HATCH IS THE SMARTEST THING I HAVE EVER DONE IN MY WHOLE LIFE. Now, let me justify: I was talking about all the blessings that I noticed over the weekend, and since Bruce has been out of town for what seems like forever, that's why he wasn't mentioned. Let there be no mistake that he is the most important person in my life. Now that the mea culpa is over, let's get on to other matters...

Mel, I laughed and laughed about our OCD. Here is the latest. We had a ceiling leak, so today I thought, 'I'll just slap some white paint on that patch and be done with it.' Well, once I got some fresh white paint on the ceiling, I was cursing inside, because the guest room is OBVIOUSLY NOT WHITE ANYMORE. The walls and doors looked so dingy!!! Of course I made a trip to Walmart for a drop cloth and another gallon of paint. I don't know if a single gallon is going to do it, because I am almost through it and still need to do my second coat and the touch up. My friend Anne came over, and I explained why I was painting the guest room, and she said, "Let me look at your eyes because I think you are high."

I bought some delicious sounding crackers at Walmart- they were rosemary and olive oil. I opened the bag and realized that they were waaaaaay too "flavorful" for me. I ate one and had to go brush my teeth. Kiki had one, and she thought they were the most delicious she had ever eaten in her life. I kept trying to take them away, and she was very angry. She stunk so terribly- between the smell on her breath and the crumbs on her clothes. She reeked, seriously. We ate them before bed last night, and even though I scrubbed her teeth, when I went in her room this morning, the air was thick with the smell of rosemary. Needless to say, the crackers mysteriously disappeared today.

Do not even look at the time on this post- I am suffering from some insomnia tonight. I let Kate sleep in my bed with me since Bruce is out of town (just tonight, don't freak out, Bruce- you haven't been replaced), and I woke up with her feet in my face. I also have some wedding flowers to do this morning, and that always gets me a little stressed. I definitely feel the pressure of wanting to give the bride exactly what she wants. The girl who is getting married tomorrow is her own person and doesn't want flowers like anything she has ever seen before. It's fun for me to do something different, but there is a part of me that prays that I can pull it off and make her bouquet not ugly. It is hard to explain what it is going to look like without it sounding ugly, so I guess I will have to post some pics later today.

Lastly, my piano lessons started. I explained to Kate that she had to be nice, because I had piano lessons that morning, and she said, "You're learning piano??" Apparently the hours I've spent at the piano practicing have not appeared on her radar, and when I explained that I was going to be doing the teaching, she gave me a look like she thought I was barely qualified. They seemed to be a success, and I have picked up another student this week. My sitter couldn't come on Tuesday morning, and I thought, 'No biggie, maybe I'll find out that my kids will be good without Paige.' That was deluding myself. I believe one of my students summed it up when she said, "I can't play louder than your baby is screaming."

Congrats to Suz, Miner, Sierra and the new addition! We are so happy for you. (And shocked that she is over 9 lbs- way to go!)