It's been a very hot summery day and I've spent a lot of it running around. I started at Starbucks in the grocery store. I get the same thing there that I get at Border's. Since a lot of people know of my coffee habits, I get Border's and Starbucks gift cards at holiday time and fortunately, they last me through the year. If it wasn't for the gift cards, I'd be buying plain coffee, which I also like. I went to visit my mom after that. I did her color and then her cut. She reminded me that I did it very short the last time, and I told her I'd be doing that again. It looks good on her that way, and to be honest, it means I don't have to do it as often. We had lunch together, then I went around the house and made a list of things for her aide, who comes 3X per week, to do. It was funny, whenever my mom would ask me to do something, like take the dead leaves off of a plant, I'd say, let me write that down. Jess, who happens to be my nephew's girlfriend, comes for 4 hours each time, and often my mother is grasping for things to keep her busy. I put things on the list like: wipe down molding around kitchen window, clean front and sides of kitchen cabinets, clean ceiling fan, etc... Don't you just wish you could write a list and have someone else do it? That would be the greatest luxury for me. I left there and bought a "Nicer Dicer" (as seen on TV, BTW) from Bed Bath and Beyond. I had borrowed my parent's and it worked great. I went to Macy's and bought Emily the MAC powder that she borrows from me all the time. Now that she's waking up so early for school, I don't want her coming into my room to get it, and I don't like going into her bathroom to get it back. She'll be happy with this surprise gift when she gets home from field hockey practice. I went to Marshall's and Homegoods and didn't buy anything. I went to Lowe's to look for a mosquito zapper, but they were all out. Finally I went to the grocery store to buy shrimp and salmon for tonight's dinner. Whew. It was a busy day. Was this too long-winded? It's not like anyone asked...

I'm off to do some much-needed laundry. Then start on dinner. I think I'll slather myself with bug spray after that and just chill out on the porch or the hammock.