Saturday this and that

• it's raining here. Still. We had two days of  no rain in the past 8 days and we're due to get rain/snow until Monday. Oh boy. Everything here is saturated. Absolutely we needed rain, particulary the fields, but perhaps not quite so much  in such a short period of time. There is water lying everywhere. Friends of mine live just outside of Lethbridge, Alberta and they have been wetvaccing up water from their basement for the past three days.

• DS1 will be 16 this fall and the hunt is on for a small car for him. We debated over small truck and small car and he felt he was more comfortable with a car. It needs to be fantastic on gas and not outrageous to put plates (insurance) on. It doesn't matter if it is standard or automatic. My father is of firm belief that everyone needs to know how to drive both and when he was old enough to drive out on the fields and around the farm, he was driving dad's standard. I think his indoctrination started at about age 11 in large open areas on the farm where there was nothing to hit. His father and I disagree on the cost of it. His father seems to forget that there are plates to buy for it and taxes on prices and all of that needs to come into consideration before we buy.

• We are heading to a belated windup party for one of the boys' sports teams. We were supposed to go outdoor paintballing but this weather precludes it. Friends, laughter, games and pizza. Cost to me? ZERO. wheeeeee

• I have to get my hiney busy on a project for school. Deadline is Sunday night to get the document all typed out and all the reflections done. I am 75% done thank goodness. Nothing hard left to do. Just type and type and type.

• My bank statement came yesterday and showed my progress on the loan. Instead of 49 payments, it showed 47 regular payments plus a final one that is $210 less than full payment. That reflects the one month I've killed off the end of theloan through my lump sum payments, as well as some interest I've saved.  I knew I had the one month gone but seeing it in official writing is always a great feeling.  I can't wait to see those numbers keep on going down. My goal was to pay off at least 1 year early. So 11 months to go.

• I've been working on a baby sampler cross stitch for my niece's 'soon to be born' son. I only started it last Friday night but the rain last weekend and me avoiding some housework to work on the cross stitch instead has put me at about 3/4 finished. Of course it is all the small details of the last 1/4 that will take the most time lol