So I haven't posted in a while, and this one will be brief.

We went and signed papers yesterday for the house. I called and arranged for a wire transfer for our closing costs yesterday afternoon. Then I began taking apart furniture and packing boxes. I had started on boxes before but I really got a chunk done. Today we should be getting the keys, and starting to move our stuff over there.

We're turning in our cable modem to the cable company today (they will pick it up before noon). So we'll be sans internet and home phone (VOIP) for a few days. Still have the cell phones though!

Ok back to work!

I am the latest victim of a hit & run. Well, not me. Not my car either. Read on.

We live on a fairly curvy country road, on which the posted speed limit is 35mph. Many people read that backwards, though.

Anyway, I'm getting the boys ready for bed when I hear a car drive by and loud noise. I think maybe the local walk-all-over-the-road dog was hit, so I peer out between the mini blinds to see what I can see (see, see).

My garbage can. Which is not actually mine, it came with the house we rent. But still. It had my trash in it. It's lying on its side about three or four feet from its original spot, bag spilling out. The lid is a good six feet (maybe more) from it.

I really hope that its not broken (I haven't been out to check yet, bedtime prep is still on). It would not be cool to either have no garbage can or to buy a new can when we're only going to be here a couple more weeks (the new house comes with garbage and recycling cans, with wheels!).

I just texted Bryan to tell him to bring his forensics kit home. Maybe we can get some paint transfer to analyze. There may be tire impressions in the soil next to the road. Who knows.

I'm a little sorry I didn't have the blinds open to see the perpetrator, but maybe carelessness is its own reward and they have a little dent in their bumper to remember me by.

You know the saying "If it's too good to be true, it probably is"?

Every once in a while I'll get into a conversation with somebody and it will lead to scams. People have been scamming people for their money basically forever. There are all sorts of schemes. My favorite one, though, I heard about when we lived in California.

A man was selling "flat screen TVs" out of the back of his van. Only when the box was opened, the steal-of-a-deal turned out to just be a steal: a black used oven door. When the cops caught up with the con artist, he also had boxes of "laptops" with floor tiles inside. And he's not the only one... (Story I heard in '07, story I found today, and another story I found today.)

That's the year I was born.

I have decided that although movie watching is not a top priority in my life (on the bottom half of the list) I should watch some of these movies. I know that I have a serious pop-culture knowledge gap because I don't watch movies. It doesn't bother me. But Bryan is a movie buff. Getting married (to me, who doesn't care a whole lot about movies) and having kids has definitely put a damper on his efforts at knowing every movie word for word. I think he's going to like this.

So here is my pledge: Between now and my birthday, I will watch five of these movies. I got the list from Film.com.

The 10 Best Movies of 1981

1. Raiders of the Lost Ark

2. Chariots of Fire

3. The Cannonball Run

4. Superman II

5. The Great Muppet Caper

6. Escape from New York

7. Body Heat

8. Arthur

9. Endless Love

10. The Fox and the Hound

Actually, I saw The Fox and the Hound when Michelle was little (in the 90's). So I've only got 9 choices. Any suggestions?

This past Saturday was the boys and I went to my brother-and-sister-in-law's for my niece's seventh birthday party. They had a pinata there, which is a favorite birthday activity for all of us. The boys came home with goody bags laden with all sorts of candy, luckily all nut-free. We got home fairly late in the evening that night, for little boys at least. Plus, they'd already been sugared up plenty, so I took the candy and put it up.

Then yesterday was Mother's Day. Bryan had to work, so we went over to my mom's where we had a tea party with my mom, stepdad, sisters, my sister's boyfriend, and Bryan's mom. A great time was had by all and in the evening the boys and I returned home.

The boys were filthy from playing outside, so they had a bath. After getting clean jammies on, Caleb asked for a snack. While I toasted them an english muffin, Micah disappeared into his room, where he apparently had stashed some of the birthday candy. He came out with a ring-shaped candy in his mouth, so as a good mom I told him to go sit in his chair. It was big enough that I could probably have slipped it over my own finger. It drives me crazy when they walk around with food in their mouths. This is something we've been working on with Micah, who is fond of stuffing his face full and walking around to do other things.

I went into the kitchen (about eight steps away) to put away the cream cheese and english muffins, but apparently the english muffin looked so good to him, he decided to swallow the candy so he could get started. The only problem is that he hadn't chewed it up yet, which I found out when I heard him crying strangely and ran back to the table.

Next I called 911. He continued to cough, gag, cry, and have thick strings of saliva pour out of his mouth. as I held him and talked to the dispacher. She asked a few questions, and during our brief conversation he stopped coughing and gagging. I asked him if he swallowed it, and he nodded and rested his head on my shoulder. I told the dispacher what happened, but of course once you call and report a problem, they come anyway.

Caleb was the lookout. One ambulace and two pickup trucks* arrived a minute later, parking in our ample driveway. We stepped outside, me with Micah in my arms and Caleb with curiosity on his face. They asked a few questions of me, then asked Micah if he could talk. He replied with a small and raspy yes. One of the paramedics gave each of the boys a teddy bear while another told me that he'd probably have a sore throat for a day or so and to take him to the doctor if he had any further problems.

I closed the door and sighed. *I felt so thankful that we live in a small community (not even a town) with its own fire station with ambulance, on top of dedicated volunteers who are ready in an instant. If he hadn't been able to cough and gag it down on his own, they would've been able to help him so quickly. This is the first time we've ever had to call an ambulance to our home, and hopefully the last.

After much hugging, I tucked the boys into bed with their new teddy bears. When I bend down to give Micah his kiss goodnight, he turned to me and said softly, "Happy Mudder's Day, Mommy."