Delicious as Pie is undergoing minor renovations

I'm attempting to add a third column to my yummy blog, but since Blogger doesn't actually offer a three column template, it's so not easy as pie!

I finally found a site that gave me the html code (don't I sound all tech-y? LOL) to insert the third column, but it neglects to mention how to change the margins within said columns.

More research is needed and as I'm sleepy, I'll work on it tomorrow when my daily bucketful of patience is still full.

In the meantime, sorry it looks a little strange!

There are few things...

...more discouraging than waking up to dirty dishes. Spread across the counter in all directions, you think they'd reproduced over night.

"Hey, Baby," said the chili-streaked pot, winking across the counter. "Wanna have some fun tonight?"
The pink plastic plate licked her dried ketchup lips lasciviously. "Oh, yeah. Let's make some noise!"

**noises deleted for my rated R-forbidden friends**

Shortly thereafter, cheers rang from all corners of the kitchen as cups lined with lip marks, bowls decorated with glued Rice Krispies and legions of variously dirty utensils celebrated the product of the pot and plate's procreation: a cinnamon-smeared ramekin half full of applesauce in various stages of dehydration.

ROTFLOL

Are you all wondering where *that* came from? I'm not even sure of that. Probably one part giddy exhaustion, one part insanity and a three parts suffering from chocolate deprivation.

Both girls were home sick today.

"Mommy, I need some water!"
"Mom, my throat hurts."
"Mom, it's my turn to pick a show!"
"Mommy, can you make lunch now?"
"Mom, can I have more medicine?"

I thank the Good Lord that both of my sweet angels fell asleep at 7:30 tonight. I was pretty fried. Scott has Men's Group tonight and was therefore deprived of the joy of attending his suffering daughters.

But all in all, it hasn't been a bad day. In fact, I'm feeling pretty darned pleased with myself. I was up at 6am and worked for two and a half hours before anyone else came downstairs. Woohoo!

Over the course of the day:

• I worked seven hours
• helped Neighbor Gloria (who proudly announced that she is now 87 and a half) look up her credit reports online
• folded several loads of laundry
• finished a movie I started watching last night (Management with Jennifer Aniston. I'd describe it as the vanilla ice cream of romantic comedies -- good, better than nothing, but bland)
• mowed the lawn
  
• knitted about six inches on the prayer shawl I'm making and.......
• washed the dishes so I wouldn't have to face them in the morning!

All that and it's only 8:30! The night is still young!

Please say a prayer...

My dear friend, Dana, is in surgery right now undergoing a double mastectomy. She was diagnosed in February with breast cancer and has been through the proverbial wringer since then.

Please lift up a prayer right now: Lord, please watch over Dana. Give knowledge, compassion and steady hands to her surgeon. Help moderate the pain she'll feel over the next few days and help her heal quickly and without complication. Lord, help her remember how many people are rooting for her and that you are there for her, always and forever. Amen.

Thanks, Delicious Readers, for your prayers.

Man! Increasing a readership base is hard!

I have on average about 15 readers a day here on Delicious as Pie. (Thank you, Delicious Readers!) I'd understandably like to increase my readership base, though

I've been researching various ways to do that and I'm running up against a couple problems:

1. I don't understand a whole lot about blogging technology -- it's so not user-friendly. There is more info online about garnering more attention, but as soon as I start reading it,my creative-not-technological brain goes into hibernation. (Kind of like when I have to listen to politics.)

2. I don't have time to spend hours every day reading and commenting on other people's blogs in hope that they'll come and read mine. Sure, I'd love to cuddle up with this sweet new laptop and peruse the thousands of blogs currently out there -- no doubt about that. But then Guilt attacks, aiming its daggers of chores and reminders at my brain.

I need a plan. I need to sit down and outline exactly what I need to do on a daily basis as far as Delicious as Pie is concerned.

And while I'm at it, my book is demanding attention again. I've licked my wounds long enough. It's time to start submitting to other agents.

No problem! It's all about routine. Maybe as soon as Em leaves for school, I can sit down and work on the book for an hour or so. Then I'll work for pay for three to four hours and then I can tackle the blog-o-sphere.

Sounds totally doable, right? Damn straight, it is! We're talking about me here! I don't do anything half-assed. (I think you all know that by know!) I'm ready to take my schedule by the days-of-the-week tabs and wrestle it into submission, gosh darn it!

But not right now.

Right now, I'm going to knit. Then I'm going to eat a piece of the chocolate pound cake I made yesterday. Mmmmmm. And then I'm going to crawl into bed and fall asleep while attempting a fiendish sudoku puzzle.

Sticking to My Parental Guns

Last week, Emma joined the choir at school. She's been looking forward to it for a couple years now, since only fourth and fifth graders can join.

I was hesitant to add it to her schedule -- she's plenty busy already. History has shown that Emma needs her downtime. No one wants to be around the little crazy person (to put it mildely) she becomes when she's feeling overwhelmed.

But she begged and pleaded to join, expostulating all the reasons she knew would convince me to decide in her favor.

I caved.

But I did impose a two week trial. If she was overwhelmed, cranky or not getting her regular chores and homework done, choir was over. Finito. Second chance deprived.

Today was the end of the two weeks (school weeks, that is). And it was not pretty. She has not been doing her chores; she's been exceedingly volatile; and there hasn't been much time for violin practice.

So no more choir for Emma.

Her fury was something to be seen. Biblical proportions here, folks. There was screaming and crying and begging and pleading and slamming and much gnashing of teeth. But worst of all was her deep blue eyes filled with all-consuming sadness.

I came so close to caving. I wanted to believe her "better choices" promises. A strong parent, though, doesn't give in on such things. By Supergluing myself to my "choir trial" declarations of last week, I made it through this morning's drama mostly unscathed.

In fact, I feel pretty darned good. Yes, I did stick to my parental guns, but it is more than that. It's that, even after such a horrible morning, Emma went to school smiling and laughing and thrilled that she is so quickly mastering her seven times tables.

It's that because I was calm and empathetic throughout the early morning drama she was able to move on and look forward to other parts of the day.

It's that somehow Scott and I have created a strong, resilient, amazing child.