Bozo’s out. He’s finished. It’s over for Bozo!

Something happens to me when I start working on a new project that I actually care about.

I get focused.

I work on it in my spare time. I read about it in my down time. I think about it when I’m supposed to be doing something else, like blogging or sleeping or coloring.

Yesterday, I had a pen in my purse, so I took notes during church. Here’s a sample:

The Gospel shouldn’t be reduced to the afterlife.

Polka dots . . . or buckles with Cs?

Why were they, who thought they would be accepted, rejected?

• “I never knew you.” “Did not do my father’s will.”
• Didn’t have the relationship required to act in his name.
• Didn’t have the authority to act in his name.
• Used his name in vain by using it selfishly.

Pizza? Chickfila? Subway?

“Do not be like these.”

• Pagans, Scribes, Pharisees
• Contrast between religious and authentic

Lipgloss? Candy? Mini cupcakes? Crayons?

SotM revolutionized the law — heart became the central issue.

In case you can’t tell, those are notes about the closing of the Sermon on the Mount and Caelyn’s birthday party, which will be happening in just a few weeks. (The birthday party, not the Sermon on the Mount.)

No, I’m not crazy enough to think you really care about what I’m thinking about during church. I’m just sharing this bit of info to let you know where I’ve been.

Or at least where my mind’s been.

My body’s been right here on the couch during nap time, just like always. I’ve even had the laptop open. But I’ve been looking at party stuff. I keep thinking that I’ll just look for a little bit and have plenty of time leftover for blogging and commenting. But you don’t need me to tell you that it never works out that way.

I’m kinda at a standstill, though. I’ve figured out how to make the invitations, but I can’t make ‘em until Chris reserves the locale and we confirm the guest list. I’ve figured out how to decorate the tables, but I can’t buy the supplies until the plates get here and I can match the colors and until we find out what kinds of tables we’ll have and how many. I’ve figured out the favors, but I can’t make them until I have the guest list. . . .

Sensing a trend yet?

Anyway, I figure it’s high time I fill you in on the last few weeks. But actually doing it would take more time than either of us cares to give. So whatdaya say to a list of highlights, in no particular order? (I promise comments/responses will be appearing the next time I hit the computer.)

I’m only doing 10 and I’m just gonna type ‘em as I think of ‘em, because if I tried to cover all the things I’ve made mental notes to blog about, we’d be here all afternoon. And I won’t mention Claire’s first birthday, since I already have.

1. Wordpress appears to be back in order. Of course, Time Warner is the devil’s premiere mercenary, so now my broadband sucks and has sucked for at least a week.

2. Caelyn choked. Before you get all bent out of shape, the actual choking wasn’t the highlight. It was actually pretty scary. We were around my sister’s table, finishing up lunch. Caelyn took a huge bite of orange and got to the no-noise, no-gagging, no-coughing stage of choking. We were in the middle of getting her out of her seat to do the toddler heimlich when she reached down her throat and pulled it out by herself. Afterwards, I sent a text to Chris, who was off-roading in Oklahoma. Here’s the exchange:

Me: “Caelyn totally just choked.”

Chris: “Did u save her life?”

What I thought, but refrained from saying until he got home: “No, and I thought the best way to tell you would be to send a text message.”

3. I taught my dad, a former runner, how to shake his hips and strut his shoulders while powerwalking with a stroller to make up for the no-arm-swinging. And he demonstrated.

4. I learned that you can get Chris to do ANYTHING if you can connect it to some sort of cool electronic device. Okay, so I learned that years ago, but I discovered a new example last week: Wii Fit. If I ask Chris to do a yoga video with me, you better believe he’s not going to do it. Wii asks him to do a little yoga and the man’s a tree.

5. The Office finale happened and it was pretty good. I laughed a lot. My heart hurt a lot too. The Lost finale happened, too, and they dumped a whole lot of info/answers right in our laps.

6. Chris and I started watching the John Adams mini-series and I felt ashamed by how much I’ve forgotten from my years in history classes.

Oh, Mr. Rowland, remember when you claimed that one thing in history happened and I claimed that, in fact, it was another thing and you bet me a coke and when you found out I was right, you gave me a coke and let me drink it right there in the middle of 6th grade history? I think I owe the biggest apology to you. In my defense, the public school system wasted an entire year of my life on Oklahoma history. At least we got to watch, The Wave.

7. Caelyn started calling Grammi Roo “Ge-Ge” and Granddaddy “Ga-Ge.” My brother-in-law pointed out that Ga-Ge sounds an awful lot like Gangee.

They’re both fond of beverages, at least.

Have I mentioned she says “Anyong” too?

8. There was a bee in the car, my flip flops fell off while I scrambled out the passenger side door, and I spilled water all over the iPhone/iPod/the diaper bag. But I didn’t abandon my child. And I don’t think anyone saw. Or at least they didn’t call CPS.

9. My mom started telling a story and, at the beginning of it, asked my dad to supply a detail. Dad’s response: “Oh, goodness, that was too long ago. I can’t remember.” As the story proceeded, Dad interrupted and corrected Mom’s facts no less than 10 times. Classic.

10. Parfaits with fat-free frozen yogurt, fat-free whipped cream, and fresh blackberries filled all my decadent summer longings. Seriously, if you can handle dairy and you aren’t opposed to frozen yogurt vs. ice cream (on a regular basis, not a treat basis), you should try it.

Bonus: I ate a lot of Mexican food! (You know it’s my favorite, right?) Oh! And homemade carrot cake at Claire’s party, not made with Denise Huxtable Kendall’s recipe! Which reminds me, Caelyn has taken quite a shine to The Cosby Show recently and not just for its kid-friendly content. She loves the close-ups of the shoes in the opening credits of the season with all the cast members in their dress clothes and the jazzy theme song. She’s also a total goner for Sesame Street now, which I have to admit cracks me up on occasion. (Okay, so I like it. Don’t act surprised.) And how could I forget? She got a little seat to attach to the potty this week! She hasn’t officially used it yet, but she’s very excited about doing “dry runs” and teaching her baby.

I obviously need to blog more.