Firelight Academy

On Cars and Other Modes of Transportation

2009-11-25T13:30:00.000-08:00

Okay, so now I'm bringing you up through August. The outstanding event of the month was losing the Lexus. Yeah.

My sweet honey was coming home from work when he had a mishap on the highway. He was not injured, and was even able to drive home, but the poor Lexus had to be put down.

Now fortunately, we have the Lincoln, which he is now driving. And fortunately, we have a third vehicle, the Behemoth, which I now drive.

The positive spin on this is that we had backup.

However, not one to see only the silver lining, allow me to wallow in the dark cloud for a moment.

I MISS MY CAR!

Ok, that was it. No, I do not drive enough to care what mode of transportation gets me there. But the Behemoth? It was AWESOME when the kids were young and we needed a full size conversion van just to visit friends across town.

Now, the kids can pretty much carry their own belongings, none of which include a stroller, diaper bag or pack-n-play. So the van is kinda overkill at this point.

True, it's wonderful for hauling the ATV's for a day of riding in the woods, it's perfect for pulling the trailer for a weekend of camping, and it's awesome on long vacations.

It is not, however, my conveyance of choice for dashing to the bank or taking the kids to gymnastics. The gas mileage is close to the single-digit amount, and the thing sounds like an angry porcupine crawled into the engine where it rattles and knocks about in protest of any effort.

OH, and SOMETIMES, it doesn't start. Those days tend to be frustrating to the max. Although I must say the golf cart came in handy that day, as the dentist office is only a mile away.

But, the bright side is that it's generally reliable, it has an engine, four tires, and a way to steer them. Presented with the choice of dealing with it or spending actual money on another car...

I'll deal with the Behemoth.

From Toddler to Teen in the Blink of an Eye

2009-11-19T11:54:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I don't remember the rest of May, except that I had a birthday. WHOO HOO! And I don't remember any of June except that my sweetheart had his birthday. I'm guessing there were other days, but, heh, I was gaming.

Now, July? I remember. That's the month we got a teenager in the house. More specifically, the 8th of July, when my adorable baby boy turned 13. We took him and some homeschooling friends up to Helen to go tubing down the river.

That was the first time I'd done any sort of Chattahoochee floating, and even though it rained on us toward the end of the trip, we still all had a great time. Afterward, when the rain had passed, we hit the water park. Needless to say, we were all exhausted, but pleased.

So, now. Back to that teenager thing.

Once upon a time, I could scruffle his hair without lifting my arm as he stood beside me. Now? He stands eye-to-eye with me, and I stare in amazement at the wonderful young man he has become.

People said the terrible twos were to be dreaded. But they weren't so bad. Now people say the teen years are to be dreaded. I'm holding out hope that "people" once again are mistaken. I'm looking forward to the adventure.

2009-11-17T05:29:00.001-08:00

I was reading my last post from April, and I realized, WOW there's a lot to tell you!

So let me start with a little adventure my friends and I took to the North Georgia mountains. Technically termed Mom's Weekend, it is officially a reason to get the heck out of the house and shirk any responsibilities for a couple of days.

Yeah yeah, I know it's supposed to be a bonding experience for friends, but please bear in mind the I was DEEP into my rpg at that time. So, I took my computer, because of course I insisted on the cabin having Internet, and I played Wizard 101 for something like 16 straight hours.

And I loved every minute of it.

Oh, I kinda talked to my friends and once, I even left the cabin and went out to lunch with them.

And therein lies the story.

We went into town to have lunch at a great little restaurant on the river. Afterward, we walked in and out of the shops, lastly heading to the grocery store for a few provisions, not the least of which was more wine.

I finished up before the others and walked out the door, whereupon I beheld the most precious sight...

A lady. Her two daughters. And a BOX. Drum roll please...

Would ANY of you care to wager just WHAT was in the box? Hmm?

And the winner is...the knowing soul who said KITTENS. OH! Not JUST kittens. FREE KITTENS.

EIGHT OF THEM.

Heh.

There was a lady there who grabbed up a couple of them and left. I was next, and I grabbed the two boys from the box. The other four girls? Well.

My friends took them. *grin*

One friend took two, and another friend took the other two. After we got some food and some litter, we piled into the car with our six new occupants and headed back to the cabin. I'm sure the rules somewhere said No Pets, but there was a screened in back porch, and after all, these were adorable BABIES!

We had the best time watching the 6 kittens run and play around on the porch. The next day was time to say goodbye to our weekend away, so we loaded up and headed out.

Now, I had driven up by myself because I was a day late. So here I was, driving an hour and a half home with kittens in the car, kittens who were none too happy to be there. And if there's one thing that just breaks my heart, it's the sound of kittens mewing in sadness.

Of course I let them out of their carrier!

And as a sign that I had indeed done the right thing, the two precious little bundles of fuzz climbed into my lap, curled into a yin-yang shape, and promptly dropped off to sleep, where they stayed until I arrived home.

My family was waiting for me in the garage when I arrived, so I had the kids close their eyes while I presented them with their new pets.

I said, "This one is Charlie, and this one is Winston." Yeah. Right.

Now, this one is Bentley,

and this one is Tony.

The crazy cat lady is alive and well.

Reality Once More

2009-11-16T10:14:00.001-08:00

x opens eyes slowly x

x blinks at the light of reality x

x smiles x

It's all still here!

My real life is still right here where I left it nearly a year ago. I have to admit, I enjoyed my journey into role playing games, wizarding, incessant chatting and the challenge of mastering EVERY available level, but, you know what? It's really good to be back. :)

Since I am not using up all my words to amuse RPG players, I have discovered that I have extra to share on my blog once more. It's funny, I thought I had an unlimited amount of words for my daily use, but it turns out, heh, I don't.

And NOW! After having not played for nearly THREE, COUNT 'EM, THREE days, I find myself with lots to say and this most excellent venue for saying it.

I won't overwhelm you with the avalanche of news from our family covering the last several months, but I plan to ease you back into the daily peek into our lives, just as I, myself, am easing back into the routine I so carelessly tossed aside last Christmas.

The benefits of my sabbatical from reality are as follows:

I lost 35 pounds and have kept it off.
I learned how to text like a teenager. I'll be needing that soon.
I learned my family needs me, even when they don't tell me so.
I discovered new aspects of my character, although some of them were just plain scary.
I now type at 94 wpm.

However, as with most coins, this one has a reverse side:

The house fell apart around us.
My routines went out the window.
I learned that the stress of daily competition is not necessarily good for the body.
I noticed that whether I lost or won on the game, my reality reflected my attitude.
We went from meals made from scratch to food from boxes.
My energy level plummeted.

So then, for various reasons, my obsession with Wizard101 faded away. I found myself signing on for a few minutes, becoming bored rapidly, then signing off to do something else. I found myself texting to my online friends just long enough to say Hi, I'm not here for long, Cya. I found myself craving some other form of entertainment. In short, I found myself, again.

Then, much to my surprise, I found myself outside, just BEING. It was like an awakening, when I realized I had passed through my latest obsession and emerged on the other side, changed, as usual, but content and now ready to move to something else.

Yes, this one lasted longer than the usual 3 months. But, like all of them, it also lost my attention. And I now find myself in the position of wanting to backtrack. To FlyLady, to cooking from scratch, to reading, to REALITY. I also learned that reality forgives easily and welcomes with open arms those who have been gone for a while.

It's good to be back. :)

On Being a Wizard and Other Small Matters

2009-04-24T06:16:00.000-07:00

Lookit! Lookit!

A new post!

A real, honest-to-goodness post from yours truly. Can you believe it?

The last nearly two months have been interesting, to say the least. I have learned a lot about myself, namely that I have the tendency to become obsessed with new things. Ok, well, I already knew that. However.

My obsessions seldom last longer than about three months. In the space of roughly twelve weeks, I typically burn out on the latest obsession and move on to something new, mainly because I get bored with the topic at hand.

Which makes it all the more amazing that I am still playing Wizard 101 daily. I checked my account yesterday (to add a new character, of course!) and noted with interest that I began my Spiral adventure on Christmas Day. Tomorrow will be four months, and this particular obsession shows no sign of becoming a thing of the past any time soon.

Interestingly enough, I actually FINISHED the game, not once but TWICE, and am closing in on the third and fourth times through. Each character I create has its own set of traits that makes it just different enough from the previous one to enable me to follow through on all the quests. But the fact that I actually completed two rounds is amazing in itself.

Now, I know those of you who don't play the game couldn't care less about the details, so I won't bore you with them. Just suffice it to say that I look forward each evening to helping one of my seven wizards progress through the game.

In case you are wondering, yes, I tried some of the other online role play games (RPGs,) but I found that none of them held my attention longer than about an hour.

For those of you who give a hoot, here are a few stats about my characters. For those of you who don't, you may skip this entire section, because I promise you, there will be actual news following.

These are my wizards:
Victoria Moonthistle - Life Grandmaster, second school Storm
Scarlet Dragonrider - Fire Grandmaster, second school Ice
Cheyenne Wildflower - Balance Master, second school Death
Destiny - Death Master - second school Life
Olivia Spiritwalker - Myth Journeyman, second school Life
Sophia Dreamcatcher - Storm Journeyman, second school undetermined at present
Kiley Ravensong - Ice Apprentice

My kids also have multiple characters, and we quest together every day. The upside to this, if you look past all the obsessive tendencies we display, is that I have actually found some educational merit to this game.

There is filtered text chat in the game. Since filtered chat does not allow words that are misspelled, the kids are learning spelling as well as typing. They found out quickly that their online friends will not wait around for them to say what they want to say, so their typing speed has increased dramatically.

Each battle fought is different, and requires math skills to win. Quick calculations of health remaining, spell strength, boosts and weaknesses must be made in the space of thirty seconds, or you miss your turn, and stand a chance of being defeated. No one likes to be defeated.

There is a logical progression to the game, but side quests can be taken, giving the player a chance to make each character's adventure a little different.

Since it is an online role play game, the kids interact with other players, and since the chat is filtered, it's safe for them.

And now that I am Goddess of the Spiral, even if it's just in my own mind, I have discovered a common ground that connects me to my kids' friends, something I have always struggled to find.

Okay, enough rationalizing my obsession! We now continue with our regular post.

The family is fine, healthy and happy. Spring is officially in bloom in our back yard, and our homeschool continues to be the highlight of our days. We continue our chronological history studies, and are fully ensconced in Ancient Greece, reading The Age of Fable, Tanglewood Tales, Greek Myths and The Children's Homer. Our latest classical books have included The Swiss Family Robinson and Little Women, and yesterday we began Treasure Island.

I have to admit that my personal reading time has been greatly impacted by my new online interest, but I am currently reading Stranger in a Strange Land for book club. I think I can finish before the next meeting.

Yesterday, our neighbor brought over her new kitten for us to see, and that started a whole "Can we get a kitten?" frenzy. While I am the softest softie about baby kitties, I am not exactly up for starting over with a fresh feline in the house. Maybe later.

Our cats are well, the inside fish is still swimming, the outside fish fared well through the winter, and the guinea pig is still adorable.

With the warm weather, my sweet honey and I will be making regular weekend trips to the north Georgia mountains, and I can assure you, that takes precedence over any other obsession I may have. Wizard 101 doesn't even cross my mind on those trips. Ok, well, that's a stretch, but still, I will take a jaunt around the mountain curves over spiral-romping ANY day. See, my priorities aren't TOO askew.

And with that, I bid you farewell until I guilt myself into another entry.

We Interrupt Your Musing To Deliver an Update

2009-03-02T09:52:00.000-08:00

Heh. Yeah, it's Monday again. *sheepish grin*

Well, I spent hours over the weekend playing Wizard 101 and adding wood to the fire. We had a little snow yesterday, and the overall ambiance of fire inside and ice outside nicely complemented my new fire and ice wizard character.

Yes, everyone is fine. Yes, we all have clean clothes to wear, clean dishes to eat from, and no one is starving.

And I'm even letting the pink one plan a sleepover! See, I'm not completely enmeshed in the online game, although I do tend to lose track of time like never before.

OH! I also have discovered the joy of Facebook and My Space. Who would have thought?

So, back to my actual homeschooling job, for no, although I am otherwise entertained throughout the evenings and weekends, my first love is, and always will be, educating my children.

And when we're done? We can all three sign on and fight the bad guys together! YAY!

Yes, I Can Quit Whenever I Want

2009-02-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

Hey! It's Monday again. How did that happen?

We had a wonderful weekend. Saturday, I had a spa appointment to use the gift card I got for Christmas. That was delightful! Between the massage, the seaweed scrub and the facial, I felt every bit the pampered lady.

Afterward, I went clothes shopping for the first time in months, mainly because I have too many clothes for the larger me and not enough for the skinny me. Anyway, I remedied that in short order, and my solemn vow is to never allow the larger clothes in my closet to see the light of day again outside a donation box.

The kids went off with Grammy and PapPap in the afternoon to see a movie, and we all met for dinner at our favorite pizza place. Then I came hopme and went to sleep at 9:00 PM and slept all the way through to 9:00 AM. The whole online gaming frenzy finally caught up with me, and my body just said ENOUGH.

So make a note of this: I went the WHOLE DAY without signing on to Wizard 101. THE WHOLE ENTIRE DAY.

However.

Then there was Sunday.

The boys took the ATVs out to Durhamtown for the day. And honestly, I tried REALLY REALLY hard to stay off the computer. I managed to tidy up a little, and then I tried to read a book. I built a wonderful fire to occupy my time in the tending thereof, and yet...

I brought my laptop downstairs so I could be near the fire with it if I decided to maybe, just maybe check my email.

Yeah, I'll just check my email and then turn it off.

Okay. Now what.

Oh, I will check Facebook to see what my friends are doing.

Okay. Now what.

Maybe I'll just open up Facebook in a little side window and then maybe I'll just sign on to Wizard 101 just to see who is on.

SIX HOURS LATER,

I went to bed.

Yes, I have it bad, but it's still the best diet plan I've ever been on. LOL <---(a sure sign I've been texting way too much.)

Anyway, this morning, I leapt out of bed and began cleaning like a fiend, determined to get the house in order, the clothes washed and the kids taught before I do much of anything online. Email and blog notwithstanding, of course.

Now, I'm headed back to my to do list. There will be no guilt on my head tonight when I sign on to Wizard 101 just to see who is on.

When Cats Attack and/or Simply Panic

2009-02-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been thoroughly chastised by friends and family for letting this online game take over my life and not blogging as regularly as I should.

Ok, not really, but still, I have heard enough about it from my own consciousness to be able to admit I have a problem, albeit a rather small one.

Still, I don't have enough willpower on my own to just quit cold turkey, so I managed to at least cut back A LITTLE on my gaming.

Yay me! Now if you believe that, let me tell you about this little bridge I want you to see...

In other areas of my life, things continue to rock along as expected. Homeschool learning is happening, and we are studying ancient Babylon and Assyria right now. Our classic literature is wrapping up Swiss Family Robinson, but I'm not sure which book I will choose next. Each child is reading a classic or two of their own, and they continue to work on math, science and Spanish at their own pace.

And simply because you haven't had one in some time, here is another funny cat story:

There I was. Sitting quietly on my bed, laptop in my, er, lap, getting my nightly fix of Wizard 1o1. At the opposite end of the bed from me lay a beautiful orange tabby cat named Sparky, snoozing in a very cat-like manner.

Suddenly, another cat raced up the stairs and down the hall, as loudly as said cat could on newly installed carpet, behaving much like something was chasing it. That, or it had been in the catnip recently, I don't know.

In a flash, Sparky leaped from his snugly spot and raced toward me. Completely undaunted by the fact that I was sitting there at all, he managed to climb UP MY BODY, ACROSS MY FACE for crying out loud, and over onto my nightstand.

For one brief moment in time, all four of the claws on one of his front paws were IN MY FACE as he fled from the perceived terror.

I screamed, threw my laptop across the bed, and raced to the bathroom. I grabbed a rag, wet it with cold water and pressed it against my face, horrified at the thought that not only would I be disfigured for life, but that I had probably lost an eye to boot.

With searing pains shooting through my face, I cried out as my family ran in to see what had caused all the commotion. I slowly lowered the rag, fully expecting to see it covered in blood, only to realize that I had not been scratched at all, just punctured in four evenly spaced places, looking every bit like a mutant vampire had bitten my face. That wretched cat missed my EYE by mere millimeters.

I'm screaming, "WHAT IS WRONG WITH THAT CAT!?!?!" as I am continuing to hold the cold wet rag on my face. The culprit had vanished, so I couldn't exact retribution on him, which was just as well, because I would probably have separated his head from his body could I but have located him at that very moment.

Anyway, as of today, there is only one lovely hole under my eye, which thankfully is healing nicely and can be covered with makeup enough to resemble a nasty zit instead of the near-death experience it actually was. Near-death for the feline, that is.

So, that is my latest adventure with cats.

The rest of my adventures lie somewhere between my game and the laundry room and kitchen, somewhere between gymnastics and weekend trips to the mountains, somewhere between ancient Assyria and the island called New Switzerland, but most of them are never quite so dramatic. And life continues on in a regular pattern as it should.

But I say, watch out for online games. And freaked out cats.

Blog? What Blog?

2009-02-16T05:15:00.000-08:00

OH! This blog. Heh.

Well, I have some new for you.

Y'ALL.

FINISHED.

THE.

GAME.

Yes, I did. I am now a Grandmaster on Wizard 101 level 50 Super Hero, defeated the bad guys and saved the Spiral Worlds.

Sigh. It feels very good.

As for the rest of my world? I think the house is still clean, and I know we're not starving. I'm sure I still have a husband and at last count, there were still two children running around here. So, I feel confident that I am still among the non-cartoon living.

Actually, we have had a lovely week. The weather was spring-like, items on the to-do list were accomplished, and demeanors were generally pleasant.

The kids and I went to a homeschool Valentine party Friday and had a wonderful time. Oh, and speaking of Valentine's Day, there's something you should know. Remember Christmas before last, when I had lost all that weight? Well, last Valentine's Day marked the beginning of the end of that little adventure, and I wound up with twenty extra pounds before Independence Day, what with all the temptations that start on the international day of love.

Valentine candy. Easter candy. Girl Scout cookies. Birthday candy. And just general snacking because of my rampant sweet tooth and apparent lack of self control. Yeah. All that.

However.

Not. This. Year.

I am most proud to say that I did reach my goal weight last Wednesday. I am back to 130 pounds, as I should be, and here I plan to stay.

And yes, I had some Valentine candy, because I think a small reward every now and then is a good thing. I ate an entire one pound bag of almond M&Ms in an afternoon. HA!

Ok, now I can cross Valentine candy off my list. If I can just make it through Easter and Girl Scout cookies, I think I will actually get to wear my new bikini this summer. Because it still has the tags on if from last year when I bought it. Sigh.

So, I reached two goals in a week. I hit my target weight and I saved my little online world. Not bad for a forty-something homeschool mom.

Know what I did when I finished the game?

I started over with a new wizard.

Stay tuned to see if I'm really as obsessed as you think, or if I will get bored in a day or two. Should be interesting.

In Which I Apologize For Being Obsessed by a Game

2009-02-09T06:18:00.000-08:00

NOT!

Yes, yes, I know. I have been very remiss in updating you all on the daily intricacies of my life. What I want to know is, why has no one fussed at me for missing an entire week?

Anyway, I have no real excuse except for the fact that the Wizard 101 launch icon is right next to my blog launch icon. What does that tell you? My brain is mush from this online game, and I'd much rather defeat cartoon monsters than use my words. HA!

Well, despite the fact that my family has lost me to the world of online role play games, we are doing just fine. The house is clean, the carpet is still pristine, the touch-ups are done and we all have clean clothes to wear and food to eat. I must be doing something right.

The weather has been positively spring-like the last few days, so we took advantage of that and headed to the mountains for lunch on Saturday. The kids went with the grandparents to a new museum, and we met a friend in one of those quaint little towns that doesn't seem to change much through the years.

My sweet honey's uncle is in town all the way from chilly PA, so we got to visit with him for a while, and then yesterday they played golf while the kids and I got the house in order for dinner guests.

My friend's husband is a delightful computer geek, and I needed some serious work done on several of our machines and our network, so I did what any red-blooded gal would do,. I offered food in exchange for services rendered.

And a good time was ha by all. Heh.

Delightful Weekend

2009-02-01T13:38:00.000-08:00

What an absolutely gorgeous weekend this turned out to be. Yesterday, we went to a car auction just for grins to see what's out there. Turns out, there are some awesome bargains to be had. If you're in the market for a car, that is. We apparently have plenty.

Today, we took a drive to the mountains for the first time in a long time. No way we pass up perfect weather, no matter what the calendar says.

Anyway, go cap off the best weekend of the year, I'm going to post this and sign on to Wizard 101. I've almost finished the game.

Know what that means? I can start ALL OVER with a new wizard.

Heh.

Winter Session Back on Track

2009-01-27T14:46:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know you all are anxious for an update on things. Truly, we have spent the last three days dragging things back upstairs so my dining room and office can return to their rightful uses. Sure, there is still some lingering evidence of a major upheaval, but we're close enough now for company.

I said it! We're ready to actually have people over again!

Needless to say, with all that running up and down the stairs, I lost another pound. Hate me if you must, I don't care. 134 rocks.

Monday found us back in school, picking up right where we left off and revelling in the delight of education without the shadow of unpacked boxes hanging over our heads. Now, to be honest, there are still some boxes hanging around in the kids' rooms, but for the most part, we're really done. Nothing an hour or two of focused effort couldn't remedy.

Yesterday was also my mom-in-law's birthday, so we all went over to her house bearing lasagna and salad and had a wonderful family dinner together.

And today was another day in the one room school in front of a roaring fire, smiles and learning all around. I couldn't be happier.

DIY? DONE!

2009-01-23T17:33:00.000-08:00

It's done! It's finally done!

The carpet is in and the beds are reassembled in their proper places. How unbelievably satisfying it is to walk through the house on soft, fluffy, CLEAN carpet and revel in the open spaces in each room, present only because none of the STUFF has been returned upstairs.

Now, the downside of this is that my dining room still looks like a you-store-it warehouse room. However.

I'm the mom. I decide what goes back upstairs and what does not.

At least I think I do.

For the moment, I'm inclined to let everyone drag all their boxes into their rooms and just let them ferment until I can't stand it anymore. Hopefully, this desire will pass in time to keep some of the order that has resulted from this home renovation.

Anyway, the carpet guys were here for eight hours, the job is done and the furniture is happily making marks where all the feet are resting. I believe everything is safe from adjustment for another sixteen years.

If I'm lucky.

So, I can now go play Wizard 101 without guilt, delighted in a job well done, and we can get back to the business of our daily routine.

PS. Have you bought the book yet?

Last Night of Indoor Camping. I Hope.

2009-01-22T15:30:00.000-08:00

Today felt as close to normal as possible considering the condition of our home. We followed our regular school schedule, we did gymnastics and karate, and I did the grocery shopping.

At one point, a roaring fire was lit and a couple dozen more fire starters were made from melted candles and pine cones. Regular prairie living. Right down to the mattresses on the floor.

One more night.

For tomorrow? The carpet comes!

Stay tuned to hear how much ranting I do as certain people in the house demand certain items be carried back up to their rooms even as I am tossing them out the front door with dramatic flair.

I can see the light at the end of the DIY tunnel. I just hope it's not the train.

Back to School. Again.

2009-01-21T16:09:00.001-08:00

We finally got back to school today. With the uproar our house has suffered over the last few weeks, we have simply focused on the necessary tasks and awaited calmer days.

Today was one of those days. We actually sat down, did our work, and got up feeling satisfied with another great homeschooling day.

Then it was time for park day.

Now, I haven't left the inside of this house since last Friday. And boy was I in need of some friendly homeschooler contact. Anything that didn't involve painting of any sort or moving belongings to any other room.

So, we all had fun, and now we're home safe and sound, ready to sleep on the mattresses on the floor for the next-to-last time.

Oh, and for all of you who were wondering, I hit 135 lbs. this morning. All this work is paying off, in more ways than one.

I'm Dreaming of White Trim

2009-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

People. Did you know that ALL the trim in the house is connected to every other piece?

Did you know that?

So, I'm standing there today with a paintbrush in one hand and a can of Bright White trim paint in the other, thinking I will just hit the main baseboards and call it a morning.

Riiiiiiight.

I wasn't a foot down the first section when I ran into nothing other than DOOR TRIM. And there it stood next to that shiny white baseboard. Mocking me with its sixteen years of dull beige. Ugh.

Well, nothing to do but go UP and OVER and DOWN the other side. Then it was back to the baseboard. Several miles of beige-to-white wood later, there was another DOOR.

I followed the trim around and over and around some more, and then I realized that I was four rooms away from where I started, four hours later.

THEN.

I stood back and surveyed my work, only to groan in horror as I saw the DOORS hanging inside that beautiful white trim. Mocking me with their sixteen years of dull beige. Ugh. Again.

Do you know how long it takes to paint a DOOR?? For crying out loud, I could have driven to the local DIY store, purchased and hung all new doors in the time it took to get fresh white paint down into all the crooks and crannies on the old ones.

And then?? DOORS HAVE TWO SIDES.

Not only that, they have friends known as WINDOWS!

Oh my gosh, I am so tired and sore that I can invision my future home without any sort of trim whatsoever.

The very best part of this is that the trim is done, and I NEVER have to do that again. Plus, we are now officially ready for the carpet to go in. Hallelujah.

So, did you know all this? And if so, WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME!! Wah!

Nearing Completion

2009-01-19T13:03:00.001-08:00

The chaos just keeps on coming.

We finished the main painting this weekend, and all that's left is fourteen miles of trim to paint white. However.

Today, we spent five and a half HOURS emptying out every upstairs closet and moving the contents to various rooms that aren't getting carpet.

My clothes and shoes? In the bathtub. The kids' shoes and toys? In their bathtub. My sweet honey's stuff? Um. I think it's in the bathtub, but it could be in the dining room or even in the garage at this point, but it's certain that it's all still contained SOMEWHERE inside our home.

Sigh.

I know this little renovation will come to an end sometime. I know once the new carpet is in and all the furniture and things are back in their places, we will all look around in amazement at our new upstairs.

I know the pink one will do carwheels in her new big girl room. I know the blue one will revel in his room with the new dark blue paint he requested.

I know all these things. And yet, I know one very important thing.

IF ANYONE STAINS THE NEW CARPET OR RUINS THE NEW PAINT, THEY HAVE TO MOVE OUT IMMEDIATELY.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Now let me go open that brand new can of bright white trim paint and get cozy with the baseboards.

Update on the Renovation

2009-01-17T20:52:00.000-08:00

We are so close to finishing this project! Today was another marathon furniture moving and wall painting session, but we are one coat of paint away from washing the brushes and rollers for good.

Or at least until NEXT TIME.

So, tomorrow we wrap up that part of the DIY, and then wait patiently for the carpet while we all sleep on our mattresses which are lying on the floor in our bedrooms.

Because all our furniture is in another room. And all our STUFF? Still in the dining room, and totally spilling over into the foyer and office. The cats have been going wild racing around in the open spaces, and doing double takes when it takes much less effort to leap upon us in bed.

How long do you think it's going to take us to get reorganized after this entire upstairs renovation? Weeks, do you think?

Sigh.

Well, at least the upstairs will be set for another sixteen years.

The Book Is Ready!

2009-01-15T12:44:00.001-08:00

THE BOOK IS READY!

Please check out the link and please buy the book. In fact, you are required to buy multiple copies! It's for a wonderful cause, and I am thrilled to be a part of the project. Anything you can do to help this beautiful family will be much appreciated.

In other, much less dramatic news, we are still working on the upstairs, (surprise!) and amazingly we haven't bitten off each other's heads yet.

Items are still be sorted in the dining room, donations are rolling out of the door much to my delight, the cats are FREAKED out by all the uproar, and the guinea pig has take up residence in front of the fireplace, temporarily.

Gymnastics and karate are still going on, the kids are grudgingly helping with the upstairs renovations, chores are still being completed and Wizard 101 is still being played in the downtimes.

Books, however, are not being read at the furious pace of months gone by, but I expect that to change as soon as we get settled down from all the DIY frenzy.

In other words, there is no new news except to say:

PLEASE BUY THE BOOK!

In Which I Discuss Paint and Carpet. Again.

2009-01-12T15:55:00.000-08:00

Lookit! Lookit!

Semi-Normal Homeschool Mom Actually Posts About Something Besides That Online Game!

Seriously, I got some work done today. For a brief update, let me just say that we've nearly completed the painting of the entire upstairs. Do you, perhaps, know what painting a room entails?

That's right. All the STUFF has to come out of said room and go SOMEWHERE ELSE.

Former school room? Empty.
Daughter's former bedroom? Empty.
Son's room? Empty.

Now just where do you suppose all this STUFF is? In my dining room. MY DINING ROOM.

EVERYWHERE.

It boggles the mind just how much general matter can accumulate in a child's bedroom over the course of 11-12 years, despite the often-lamented donation purges.

Anyway, the kids are sleeping on their mattresses, made up just so, of course, on the floors of their new bedrooms. The paint is all done except for a bit of trim work and touch-ups in all the bedrooms and the hall and stairwells.

The only room left is the master bedroom. Honestly, I have NO IDEA where all that stuff is going!

OH! And I forgot to mention the closets! They're still full--no--PACKED! And the closet floors have to be emptied so they can be re-carpeted! Oh the HORROR!

Where the heck am I going to put all THAT stuff?

(You noticed I didn't say the closets were going to be emptied. No way. Just the floors. I have no intention of painting the insides of the closets. And the carpet folks can just duck under the clothes. I have spoken.)

So, yay us for getting so much done over the weekend. The carpet will come in some time this week or next, giving us ample time to figure out how to levitate all the furniture in our bedroom to the ceiling so we don't have to move it after all.

Go any ideas?

Oh, and back to today. I washed all the clothes, including the ones we found under the kids' beds and behind their furniture when we moved everything. I changed and washed all the sheets and got everything put away.

THEN.

Then, I FORCED the children (according to them,) to go into the dining room and sort through all their stuff with the firm edict that there was NO WAY all that stuff was going back upstairs, no matter how much they cried.

I said they could only keep half of their things. Only the absolutely favoritest stuff they own.

My son? The smarty pants blue one? Suggested we lay out everything, run a chainsaw through it all, and take half upstairs and throw half away.

And the pink one had the audacity to laugh.

Anyway, I have had quite enough of being a responsible adult for the day. I'm going to play.

My Alter Ego is a Fourteen Year Old Wizard

2009-01-11T22:18:00.000-08:00

Yes, I'm an addict. I am completely hooked on Wizard 101.

By day, I am a homeschooling mom with chores to do and DIY projects to finish and reading to enjoy and errands to run and bills to pay and blog entries to write.

But by night? I am a spell-slinging teen wizard whose vocabulary consists of regular words interspersed with the word "like" over and over again. Really. I'm, like, not kidding.

I finally have the opportunity to live my youth all over again.

Only this time I can use my experience and wisdom to enjoy it way more.

"If I only knew then what I know now..."

Heh. Vicarious living suits me.

And no, I'm not posting this at 1:30 in the morning because I've been playing the game all night.

Noooooooo. *wink wink*

Ready, Set, Go

2009-01-09T18:32:00.001-08:00

Ready or not, tomorrow starts our Great Upstairs Revitilization Project. If I live through it all, I may just blog about it.

With roughly eight gallons of paint and several hundred square feet of carpet at the ready, we begin bright and early in the morning with rollers and brushes and clothes we don't mind getting ruined.

The kids have been hauling all their belongings downstairs for storage on, under and around the dining room table until the work is finished. I have sincerely promised them that only about half of the stuff will ever see the inside of their rooms again. Let's just hope I'm not so worn out by the work that I cave in to the whining.

After everything is done, our musical chairs room rendition will be complete, and I think we'll be set for another 16 years.

So, I just got back from my book club meeting, and I'm off to see what adventures await me on Wizard 101.

Addict that I am.

More DIY On the Way

2009-01-08T18:54:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those days when I felt as if I was a dog chasing his tail. I went here and there and back again, but I did manage to accomplish several items on our renovation to-do list.

I ordered the carpet. I bought the paint. The kids and started moving things out of their rooms.

That, in itself, was huge.

But I also took the pink one to gymnastics, bought groceries and swapped out the dry cleaning.

Oh, and taught my children the day's lessons.

Yay me.

And, now?

I have to go to sleep so I can continue my hectic pace again tomorrow.

PS. Remember the diet I failed before the holidays? I'm back on track and 141.5 as of this morning.

Whee!

Park Day and Night

2009-01-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Now that school is back in full swing, we took part in our regular park day. Today, since the weather was a little blustery and the temperature was below comfortable, we spent the afternoon at a friend's house.

This was the first time in about three weeks that we've seen all our pals together, and we all had a wonderful time. We even brought pizza and mac and cheese fixin's to make dinner for everyone.

Anyway, that was our afternoon, and now we all back home safe and sound and getting snuggly under the covers.

There's nothing like winter to bring everyone closer together.

Oh. You Missed Me?

2009-01-06T15:19:00.000-08:00

Oh my! Did I really let nearly a week go by without a post? You all must be really desperate for news from me. No? Oh. Well.

Anyway.

I have to admit I am a total addict to Wizard 101 now. I am on every single night. Don't tell anyone, but I have suddenly learned how to live on only six hours of sleep.

I try to get my housework and treadmill walking done early, then there's homeschool, sports and dinner. After that, I'm on the computer, dueling with the best of them.

Oh, and the kids? Sometines they play, too. Ahem.

So, this week has been little more than the above-mentioned activities, along with getting someone out here to measure the upstairs for carpet. Now, we just have to start painting the rest of the rooms.

School started back yesterday with little fanfare as we simply picked up where we left off. One of the children was ready to get in the rhythm of learning again, one was not. I'll let you figure out who.

Tonight, I'm making a fish dish for dinner. Don't tell my sweet honey, though. I have to sneak up on him with the catch of the day, because if he learns of the menu beforehand, he slips away with a bowl of contriband ramen for his meal.

And with that, I'm off to flip the fillets and get done in the kitchen. I have wizard stuff to do.

Happy 2009!

2008-12-31T20:23:00.000-08:00

I was planning to stay up and play Wizard 101 with the kids all night, but I'm fading fast. The fire is dying down, both kids have quit the game, one of them is asleep and the other is yawning.

So much for ringing in the new year together. Well, we got close. But I'm going to bed. Midnight will arrive whether I'm aware or not.

Signing off 2008 and looking forward to 2009.

Best wishes to you all!

PS We picked out the carpet today!

Random Musings

2008-12-30T14:46:00.000-08:00

I was musing today. You know, in between sweeping the floor, folding holiday tablecloths, divesting the tree of its decorations, cleaning bathrooms and washing dishes, I was thinking about stuff.

This year was the first year our decorations didn't stay out of the boxes longer than two weeks. Kind of seems silly to put them out, then put them away, but hey, I had a lot of coffee this morning and now the job is done.

My blog was a year old as of the 26th. That's kind of cool. Especially since I didn't think I would stay with this journaling things more than about three months. Thanks to my family for nagging me when I missed a few days. At least I know four people read my blog regularly. And I appreciate it. Really, I do.

I got a tooth filled yesterday. Just a teensy filling that had popped out because I thought it was a popcorn hull and attacked it with a fury. Whoops.

The new year is almost here. And you all know how much I love beginnings.

My sweet honey's car has a malfunction, so he's driving the Behemoth to work this week. I offered to let him take my car, the one with the sign on the back that says, "Caution: Unsocialized Homeschoolers on Board." But he declined, saying he couldn't smoke his cigars in my car. He is soooo right. Plus, the bumper sticker on the van says, "Teaching at Home is a Work of Heart." That'll do.

The carpet guy is coming to measure the upstairs this week. Looks like we'll be back in the throes of home renovation whether I'm ready or not.

I've discovered Wizard 101. It's an online game the kids and I can play together, and it's nearly as addicting as "House" reruns.

I did NOT gain any extra weight over the holidays. YAY. ME.

See, just random stuff. Nothing exciting.

A Holiday Parable

2008-12-29T20:23:00.000-08:00

Once upon a time there was a fair maiden who had all her ducks in a row.

This row included:

making over the house in record time in order to host a holiday tea party for her homeschooling friends,

baking 200 dozen cookies to give to neighbors and friends and for the cookie exchange,

creating a year-end letter to rival all others and sending it out in handmade cards with an accompanying family photograph sure to elicit all manner of oohs and aahs,

purchasing presents for birthdays and Christmas giving,

wrapping said presents in a timely fashion,

actually getting any number of decorations out of their boxes and putting them in their places, spending quality time with her family doing all sorts of seasonal activities,

all while taking care of herself personally.

The duck named Home Renovation plummeted off the roof of the tower of High Expectations, and having totally forgotten she was too old to be doing stuff like that, ended up in a pile of aching bones and dashed deadlines.

The duck named Good Intentions flew right up into the ceiling fan of the Passing of Days, scattering birthday plans, holiday decorations and missed appointments like so many feathers in her wake.

The duck named Norman Rockwell was served on her own platter of Victorian days-gone-by.

The duck named Perfect Timing was devoured by the feline of Surprise! It's the Wrong Size/Color/Model Number!

The duck named Winter Clothing outgrew all her downy coverings and had to flap her naked wings and hide in shame.

The duck named Good Health succumbed to every passing germ and finally decided that simply removing her beak was infinitely more desirable than constantly wiping at it with tissues.

The duck named Holiday Cheer choked on her own Good Will.

The only fowl left remaining after the carnage was the duck named What the Heck. She knew the truth.

There's always Next Year.

The Day After

2008-12-26T15:06:00.000-08:00

We're still playing with our new toys, only today we left them lying all over the floor and headed back to Grammy and PapPap's house to visit with Grammy's sister and husband for a yummy lunch.

After that...yep, we went right back to our toys. Nothing like a lazy day of post-Christmas loafing.

Interestingly, our personal video games all began to irritate us, so we turned off everything and made popcorn and watched a movie together.

The pink one and I actually worked on the schoolroom a bit more, getting all the wrapping detritus back into the storage space and vacuuming the floor. I think we're officially ready to begin spackling the holes and painting.

I just hope she changes her mind from the fuscia pink she wants on the walls. Yipes.

Happy Boxing Day.

The End of a Beautiful Day

2008-12-25T16:03:00.000-08:00

Another holiday celebration full of memories. Sigh.

Everyone was up bright and early to finally end the anticipation. We all enjoyed ripping into wrapping paper and boxes, we all oohed and aahed over the delightful selections the others made for us.

We went over to see Grammy and PapPap and Aunt and Uncle and a couple of friends, ate a delicious dinner, opened presents, drank some wine and talked and laughed. A lot. And then we had coffee and dessert and talked some more.

What a wonderful time, and now that we're all home safe and sound, we can continue to play with all our toys and work on digesting all that scrumptious food.

I will keep this short and sweet because I have some gifts I want to enjoy myself.

I wish you all peace and goodwill and love beyond measure.

One More Night

2008-12-24T14:47:00.001-08:00

Ah, a roaring fire, holiday music playing in the background, kids that haven't gotten out of their pj's all day...uh...did Christmas come a day early? Did I miss it?

I guess not. Everyone in the younger set is hopping around with excitement, so I suppose everything's still on track.

Speaking of track, that's what the kids are doing at the moment, tracking Santa on NORAD. Hey, it's a major distraction and a geography lesson all in one. What homeschooling mom could ask for more?

Just a moment ago, the pink one asked me what we were going to leave Santa for a snack. Oops. Since I didn't do mega-cookie baking this year, we don't happen to have any cookies set aside for the jolly old elf. She suggested we leave him a sandwich, but that just didn't seem right.

Fortunately, one of our neighbors dropped off some of her homemade cookies this afternoon, so I suggested we leave out a couple of them. I don't think Santa cares one whit who made the cookies, and everyone is happy that we've made the appropriate offering in exchange for whatever gets left under the tree for us.

So, right after I let the cat in again, I'm going to ply the kids with melatonin and head to bed.

Cats. They go out, they come in. All. Day. Long.

Their little personalities are so different, though. Domino scratches at the door glass like a dog. Luna meows VERY loudly. But Sparky? Huh. He just sits at the back door and wills it to open. And very often it does. I wonder what he thinks about that.

Now, the bedroom door is a totally different story. Domino meows, but his voice is so soft, that very often we don't even hear him. Luna lies on her side with her front paw under the door, kicking at it with her back paws to make it sound like she has a battering ram. But Sparky? He asks, specifically, if we would be so kind as to get out of bed to let him in or out. He meows several syllables, with various inflections, that leave no doubt as to what he wants.

Yes, I speak cat. It's a talent I've mastered only after years of practice.

So, once the felines are settled, it's off to try to get the kids into bed. She's ready to go now, but I don't relish the thought of rising at four in the morning. He'll stay up until NORAD shows Santa in the Atlanta area, and then panic and race to bed.

Me? I'll try to get up before they do so I can get a sneak preview of what goodies we got. Heh.

Christmas Eve Eve

2008-12-23T18:04:00.000-08:00

Two more days! The kids are fairly crackling with expectant energy. That, or I forgot a dryer sheet in the last load of underwear I washed.

I took them out today to get Daddy's and the grandparents' presents, plus stocking stuffers for each other. They are so funny to watch as they choose gifts. They are so enthusiastic that it pains me to have to turn down 75% of what they pick. They don't always understand too expensive, too large/small, wrong style or just inappropriate.

Eventually, though, we got everything in the car, home and upstairs for wrapping. Remember the empty schoolroom? Er, not anymore. I had to squeeze into the storage space (which is currently holding everything that would fit,) and pull out the wrapping supplies. Then the three of us worked to get all the gifts decorated and ready for under the tree, and I slipped in their stocking stuffers while they were playing a video game.

You know, this year, I didn't do nearly as much as in previous years, yet I feel much more fulfilled. I think what I've done before was more about being the perfect holiday mom, and yet this year, I've been less stressed and more relaxed and spontaneous. I'll have to take notes.

Not that I'll look at them. I kept a detailed journal of last year, because I thought it went very well. Did I refer back to it this year? Heck no! I couldn't even FIND it this year. So much for following a plan. Maybe spontaneity has it's advantages. I've been spontaneously deciding to eliminate seasonal projects left and right. And it's been very nice.

Well, except for 4:00 this morning when I was shocked into full consciousness when I realized I'd purchased NOT ONE GIFT for my sweet honey. And after all he's done for me this year! Sigh.

Hence the last minute dash to the store. I say store because we found everything we needed at one place. Gotta love Steinmart.

(Actually, there is a substantial present for him on the way, but he picked that one out himself, so that only kinda counts.)

So, after a fun-filled, non-stressful day, we went out with our friend for pizza, salad and chocolate cake.

My work here is done. For today.

Creative Dish Stacking Is Not An Option

2008-12-22T15:45:00.000-08:00

For those of you who celebrate...Happy Hanukkah!

Today was a wonderfully productive Monday, as usual. I followed FlyLady's Home Blessing Hour and dusted, swept, mopped (!) and did all the laundry.

As of the posting, though, the clothes are still in their baskets, but we can easily remedy that with a 5-minute basket race right after we get back from a tour of neighborhood holiday lights. Right after the coffee is brewed and the popcorn is popped. Nothing halfway about our annual tour.

We just finished up dinner, and the kids helped me with the dishes. I've found through experience that trading out nights just wasn't working for us. Since I can go several nights without cooking, the constant disagreement of "who washed them last" was prevalent in our after-dinner conversation.

So, to make things nice and even, and to be assured that the dishes were done to my stringent criteria (aka kitchen control syndrome,) I decided that both kids would help me wash the dishes every time. I wash and they get to choose who washes and who dries, and so far that hasn't caused too many "but I did that last time" arguments.

Anyway, tonight, the three of us were at the sink doing our thing: me scrubbing, him drying and her putting away.

:Mommy, where does this pan go?"

"The same place you get it from every time you make eggs in it."

"Oh"

And I wonder why my house stays a mess. It's because my children's short term "item placement" memory is either underdeveloped or completely inoperative. I have to work on that.

At one point, the boy got ahead of the girl and was making a stack of dried dishes. I watched him attempt to balance a saucepan on the upturned stem of a crystal wine goblet.

"STOP!" I shouted. He froze like a deer in the headlights.

"Don't put that pan on top of that glass!"

"Why not?"

I recovered from the shock and attempted a logical answer. It came out like this:

"Because it will result in the instant ignition of..."

At this point I dissolved into peals of laughter against the sink.

"What??" she asked. I tried to answer, to no avail. I was gasping for air.

"The instant ignition of WHAT??" they both demanded to know.

I finally caught enough breath to squeak out between gasps for air,

"OF...YOUR...BEHIND!!"

The kitchen was bedlam at that point, I'm not sure how we did it, but we managed to finished the dishes in the sink without breaking any crystal or lighting any rear ends on fire.

"Mom, you have to put that in your blog!" *snort*

So I did.

Winter Solstice Celebration

2008-12-21T17:40:00.001-08:00

I was up at dawn this morning to welcome the sun in honor of the Winter Solstice. The kids and I have been working on a research project about the origins of winter celebrations from ancient times to the modern day and have really enjoyed all we learned. As a result, I feel compelled to acknowledge all of the holidays, and have had to draw the line at presents for the kids for each day of Hanukkah and Kwaanza, plus the 12 Days of Christmas. Sheesh. Let's keep our perspective here.

But since I was feeling festive, I made biscuits and gravy for breakfast, followed by a roaring fire to shake off the outside wind and chill. We had a cold front whoosh in today.

Anyway, after that, I was pretty much good for nothing and wound up taking a nap over my Nintendo DS Sudoku game. I think it's those darn cats. Whenever one climbs up in my lap, I get this overwhelming urge to nap with them.

Later in the afternoon, my sweet honey and I hit the grocery store for a dozen items, and once I was home, I started in on the solstice feast for dinner.

I made a couple of homemade soups (Tomato Rosemary and Sweet Potato/Acorn Squash) along with a loaf of bread, plus some mulled cider and gingerbread for dessert. While we ate our treat, we sat around the fire as I read to the kids from several holiday books.

Now, I have to decide whether I want to play an online game with my daughter or watch House with my husband. Frankly, I'd rather sit in my chair under a cat and read a book, but I know I'd just fall asleep. Again.

Which doesn't sound like a bad idea...

Slow Day

2008-12-20T16:12:00.000-08:00

Yay, me, I did a few things around the house today. Like list a bunch of my books for sale at Amazon.com, read blogs, read emails, watched Eragon (finally,) and baked brownie cookies.

And you know what? That was just enough.

The rain moved in and gently drenched everything again, so hopefully this drought is coming to a close and I can finally light a bonfire in our lakeside fire pit without the neighbor calling the fire department on us again. (Don't ask.) At least it wasn't a snowstorm like one of my friends is experiencing on her trip to Massachusetts.

I also moved more books from around the house to our new library location. Then I stood back and analyzed the science section again, only to realize it wasn't just so. I was in the process of rearranging the botanicals apart from the horticulturals when...

What? You don't do that? Oh, never mind.

...when my sweet honey came downstairs and reminded me that until we get the special plug installed upstairs, the tanning bed has to be plugged in BEHIND the science section.

So, we stripped the books, being careful to keep them in order (!) and slid out that bookcase just enough to plug in the bed. Mr. Fix-It wanted to drill a hole in the back of the case (!) for the plug, but I nixed that, reminding him that this was just temporary until we get the upstairs done.

Now we have an incentive to get to work. Even more so than before because my science bookcase is not in line with the others.

And that just won't do.

No, really, I'm not that anal retentive...

I don't think. Stay tuned.

PS. To my book club friends: True to my absentmindedness this week, not only did I forget karate and gymnastics, I forgot book club last night, too.

Sigh. Sorry. Wanna cookie?

Deck the Halls Against All Odds

2008-12-18T18:26:00.000-08:00

My sweet honey took the day off from work today in hopes the weather would be nice enough to take a road trip, but alas, it was not to be.

So, instead...

We decorated for the holidays! Yipee!

I believe that was the quickest we've ever gotten the loot out of their seven or eight bins and strewn around the main level. I did take a few shortcuts by keeping all the upstairs and basement trappings tucked safely away until next year or until I decide to dump them all into the trash, whichever comes first.

Anyway, the deed is done and it looks so doggone festive around here, I may just work up the energy to bake cookies for friends and family after all.

And because of all the holiday adrenaline flowing through my veins, my sweet honey and I took total advantage of his being home to buzz out and nab all the presents needed to bring delight into the faces and hearts of all those near and dear to us.

A little wrapping paper and bows, some strategic concealment in various hiding places, and voila, Holi-la-dee-do-dah-day.

Know what cast a small but significant shadow on the day's achievements? When we got home, I spent some more time picking up the house and making small changes to the knick-knacks around. I was so ensconced in the moment that I forgot all about karate and gymnastics. At least until the cherub reminded me an hour after the fact.

Sigh.

I Really Shouldn't Post This, But

2008-12-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

I'm a little out of mental sorts this evening, mainly due to my delightful offspring. Seems puberty just can't wait to rear its ugly head around our home.

I'm speaking specifically about the pink one, but who am I to lay her troubles out for all the world to see? Suffice it to say that nothing, not one thing, went her way today. I can totally sympathize, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

This afternoon, the kids made a gingerbread house from a kit, and while that should have been a warm and fuzzy holiday experience, it turned out to be a contest of wills between the pink one and the blue one with the pink one assuming control of the whole operation, in steamroller fashion.

I wisely stayed out of the way, thinking the project would be a good opportunity for them to practice cooperation and cultivate some patience. Puh-leeze.

After her power play, I pointed out how utterly rude she was being to her brother, and that conveniently ended in an all-out tantrum. Maybe I should cultivate some tact, ya think?

Consequently, I, being the resourceful mom that I am, called her father, explained the situation, then handed her the phone through the crack in the bedroom door.

My sweet honey, being the wonderful father that he is, and being completely wrapped around the girl child's pinky finger, offered to take her out for pizza when he got home. It is still, after all, her Birthday Week, and I didn't want her to miss out on something fun because I was irritated with her.

Actually, that worked out quite nicely for all concerned. He and she were able to get out of the house for a while and have a slice of pepperoni pie, and the boy and I hung out and played with his new Lego creation after we ate some homemade chicken and rice made from yesterday's (yummy!) roasted chicken carcass.

Alright, maybe I will advertise her woes for all the world to see. And then one day, she can read my blog and say, "MO-OM!" and be mad at me for an indeterminate amount of time.

I really, really cannot wait for the actual teenage years. *Big ol' eye roll*

You'll Never Believe What Happened Today

2008-12-16T17:26:00.000-08:00

Well, my one of my dreams has officially come true. I wanted to be a published author (other than this cool blog,) and now it seems as if that will become a reality in a very short time.

See, I made The List.

I totally made the list. When I read the list this morning, I cried. Real tears of thankfulness, disbelief, rapture, euphoria, you name it, they were there, wet and salty and all over my face.

When the call came several months ago to send in posts for consideration for a book by bloggers to benefit one of our own, I didn't hesitate one instant. I opened up my email program and began sending in what I considered my best posts, hoping against hope that someone on the other end would feel one of them was worthy of publication.

I am humbled beyond words.

Please check out the link above. Please read the other links regarding the fund for NieNie. And please, for her sake, not mine, buy the book when it comes out. Buy a dozen and share them with your friends and family. I'll keep you posted on how to get yours.

Why I Love Mondays

2008-12-15T14:43:00.000-08:00

Alright. No decorations yet, BUT, we did clean the house, er, upstairs today. You know, those kids' rooms that you tend to ignore until you're afraid to cross the threshold for fear of disappearing forever under all the debris? Yeah...those rooms.

Plus, I vacuumed the floors of said rooms once we found them, I managed to cajole the boy into donating a great big box of toys, I went through drawers and eliminated clothes that didn't fit, and then I washed all the dirty laundry, mopped the laundry room floor, sucked all the lint out of the dryer vent with the vacuum extension, and then I cleaned my bathroom.

Quite enough for one day. Mondays always give me these huge energy boosts that make me feel invincible.

But, no decorations. Yet.

At this rate, the holiday trappings will only be out of their boxes for a week.

Sigh.

You know, it would be oh, so much easier if we didn't have a forty-foot tree that requires eighteen boxes of ornaments and three days to decorate.

Okay, I'm exaggerating a bit, but still.

Anyway, I was smiling as I was driving the boy to and from karate this evening, which is very significant. Because I never smile while I'm driving, therefore, I must feel pretty good about what we did get done today.

I think I have enough energy to address cards tonight!!

Wait, Where Did We Have It Before?

2008-12-14T16:21:00.000-08:00

We had fun today! We went to a local indoor karting track/arcade to play for a couple of hours. It was a holiday party to which we were invited, and we had a blast. Plus they had delicious food and PEACH COBBLER for dessert! Yum.

After that, the grandparents took the kids to see a play, "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever," and we came home and moved furniture around.

First, we put the tanning bed back in the basement so the boy can get his light treatments because goodness knows WHEN we're going to be finished with the upstairs so we can move the thing up there and his skin could just melt away before then.

Next, we brought all the gazebo furniture down into the basement 1) so it will be out of the winter weather and 2) so we can have somewhere to sit downstairs until we can find a decent couch at a yard sale next spring.

Then, we brought in the artificial tree that we stood out in the garage last year. After I rearranged most of the furniture in the office and living room several times in order to place the tree in the "perfect" place, I threw my hands in the air and went to get a glass of wine. (Or is that Whine?) Sigh. I don't think this tree has been in the same place twice in all the years we've had it.

Maybe tomorrow I will have enough of what it takes to drag in the boxes of decorations and make this place look festive. Don't hold your breath, though. I still have four more days of Birthday Week to celebrate. You think decorating the tree counts? Hm.

Like Sand Through the Hour Glass

2008-12-13T15:29:00.000-08:00

Confession:

I did NOTHING today.

Why is it I pop out of bed rarin' to go in the morning, start in on tasks that I've imagined will magically transform my chaotic home into an abode worthy of a Southern Living photo-shoot, and then crash and burn within an hour?

Sigh.

Then I get distracted with emails. Always with the emails. The one that got me today was the "Due Date Notice" from the library.

Holy smokes! One of my books is due back Monday, and I hadn't even cracked the cover.

So, in the interest of being a civic-minded soul, I decided to read it today in order to get it back to the library on time so the next person in line can check it out.

Sadly, it wasn't worth the read, but I didn't find that out until three quarters of the way through. And because I'd so far invested, oh, four hours reading it, I felt the compulsion to at least find out what happens in the end. Ugh. It didn't get any better during the next hour.

All the more reason why I try to stick to non-fiction books and classics. I should really stay away from "My Totally Favorite Books!" lists on blogs. The blurbs always make the story sound incredible, yet I realize way too late that apparently my tastes and the other person's are diametrically opposed.

Anyway, I finished the darn book and will return it tomorrow, if for no other reason than to get it out of my house. My chaotic house that looks exactly the same, if not worse, tonight than it did in the bright light of this morning when I felt I could conquer all.

And I wonder how time passes by so quickly. I think it's my fault, and you can all blame me. Because if I'd stuck to mundane household chores, this day would have dragged on for hours longer than it seemed, and you all would have had much more time to get to the ends of your to-do lists.

Whoops.

Tomorrow. Yep, that's my out. Know why? IT'S ANOTHER DAY!

Whoo hoo! Let's go have the spaghetti my sweet honey made for dinner while his lazy wife lounged on the couch under a blanket and an orange cat, reading a ridiculously boring novel.

Milestone Eleven

2008-12-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

My little baby isn't so much any more. She turned eleven today at approximately 2:59 PM, so we made the very best of the day.

Actually, we started her birthday week last night at her gymnastics "Parents Watch" day. Afterward, we stopped by our favorite pizza place for dinner, then sent the boys home while us girls raided the grocery store bakery for a plain cake and the decorating section for all kinds of accoutrements for the blank slate of chocolate icing.

Then we hit the dollar store for fun goody-bag items. That would have been a quick stop had I remembered to take cash. Oops. I had to hightail it home red-faced from the checkout line, grab the checkbook and head back to pay for my purchases, which they wound up having to void and re-scan because I had said I was bringing back cash. Sigh.

Anyway, after that, we faced a mad frenzy of decorating brown paper lunch bags with cut-outs of old-fashioned ice skates and each kid's name. The OCD child among us (aka the blue one) was in charge of dividing the loot between each sack, and without fail, everything was apportioned just so despite his sister constantly harping for him to JUST PUT THE STUFF IN THE BAGS.

Well, then it was time to decorate the cake. We had five different kinds of icing in tubes, a bottle of sprinkles, curly candles, plus those little candies that spell out Happy Birthday and have enough letters of the alphabet to spell almost any name. Of course, we ate the leftover letters, including the Q, X and Z.

Once that was done, we raced upstairs to watch a recorded episode of "House," and then it was off to dreamland.

We hosted a birthday party for her and our homeschool friends this morning at a local ice skating rink. After two hours of slipping, flying, sliding and sprawling on the ice, the kids were ready for pizza, popcorn and cake.

Yes, I have pictures. No, I don't have them ready to post. Sorry. Again.

In the spirit of the day of celebration, we headed to Wal-Mart, mainly because it was right down the street from the ice rink, and everyone under 13 around here was in desperate need of socks and underwear. But you didn't read that here, because I can't stand the whine that goes with the word, "MO-OM!"

The pink one also got cash for her birthday and immediately put it to work to help rescue the economy by purchasing two video games, one of which she began to play as soon as we arrived home. At last glance, she is still playing it and may not stop until we need to go back to the store to buy the next in the series.

Personally, I took a nap when we got home because I was worn out from laughing at the antics of all the kids on the ice this morning, and I was also crashing from all the sugar I ingested throughout the day.

This evening, we went over to see Grammy and PapPap in order to eat more sugar in the form of coffee, tea, hot cocoa and a cheesecake dedicated to the back-to-back birthdays of granddaughter and grandfather and pass around presents for the same.

Now, some of us are crashing again, (me,) some of us are bouncing off the walls from all that sugar, (the blue one,) some of us are unbelievably irritable despite all the attention today, (the pink one,) and some of us are hiding down in the basement smoking a cigar...you figure out that one.

Oh, and a couple of us are chasing the new catnip mice around on the hardwood floor. Meow.

Eleven years ago tonight, I was sleeping in a hospital bed next to the most precious baby girl I'd ever seen. Today, I recalled how quickly time passes and made a point of cherishing every moment I have with her and her brother and their wonderful father.

Happy Birthday, Pumpkin.

Beware the Briskly Moving Conveyor Belt

2008-12-11T11:35:00.000-08:00

Well. I did absolutely nothing today unless you count falling on the treadmill this morning.

Oh, I got out of bed at the crack of 7:30 with the best of intentions. I would walk while watching an episode of "House" and then get to work rescuing the kitchen and put a little more effort into the schoolroom.

Typically, I read a book on the treadmill, but the last book so far in the Outlander series is present in my house as a big ol' hardback and is kind of difficult to hold and read while walking at the brisk pace of 3.6 mph.

My son got this cool plastic brochure holder out of the trash a few weeks ago, and I was looking forward to making it a neat over-the-treadmill-controls book rest. Actually, I was musing on how to turn two wreath-hangers into a laptop holder, but I thought book rest would do.

Anyway, my sweet honey turned the thing into what seemed to be a safe place to rest not only a book, but also my brand new laptop for the sole purpose of entertaining my brain while my feet trudged a few miles.

Since we've had the basement torn apart, I really couldn't walk until a couple of days ago, and it took me that long to work back up to donning my track shoes and workout clothes. But this morning, I was set to go.

A little more history, if you please. I have also recently discovered the TV show "House," and have spent some time in the evenings catching up on old episodes online.

So, I thought, hey, I'll just work on my cardio while House works on his patients. Win-win for all.

I popped out of bed, pulled on my workout things and headed downstairs with my freshly charged laptop already opened and running on the video site. I placed said computer on my new handy-dandy laptop holder, started the video, started the treadmill, and commenced walking.

Not three minutes later, several things happened, in roughly this order:

1. The support under my laptop broke.
2. My laptop fell. (Thanks a lot, Newton.)
3. My laptop landed on the front of my left ankle as I was in mid-stride.
4. Expletives were uttered.
5. The force of the laptop knocked my foot from under me and I fell.
6. Right onto my bare knees.
7. On the running treadmill belt.
8. Freaking OUCH.
9. The laptop hit the treadmill and zinnnged backwards shortly before my behind did the same thing.

At this point, I had decided I was going to die, chewed into tiny shreds of human by that maniacal beast of an exercise machine. In rather slow motion, I did the following:

1. I rolled sideways off the treadmill onto the floor.
2. I saw, out of the corner of my eye, my laptop as it bounced off the end of the belt into the newly-installed bookcase at the end of the treadmill.
3. I watched as the door to the disk drive did a graceful swan dive across the room and pinged into the window.
4. Finally, I found my legs again and reached up under the broken book rest/laptop killer and pushed the Stop button.

When my heart reached a semi-normal rhythm, I assessed the damage. My knees were bleeding, but not in a horror-movie kind of way. More like a skateboard-accident kind of way. My laptop was still playing the online video, and everything else seemed to work except for the disk drive button.

I suppose after that, I should have found a paperback book and gotten back to my walk, but instead, I sat down in the nearest chair and finished my "House" episode, after which I went upstairs and had a cup of tea.

And, with the small exceptions of taking a shower and vacuuming the floor in the master bedroom and bathroom, I haven't done another thing all the livelong day. Other than wincing every time I sit down and my pant-legs come in contact with my knees,. And feeling every unhappy muscle in my body. There's that.

Oh...I did manage to read several chapters of several other books I have in progress around the house, one of which made quite an impression on me and allowed me to revel in my lack of accomplishment today.

The chapter was about taking it easy. It said that we are "human beings, not human doings," and should strive to balance our days between running around trying to cross things off the to-do list and just sitting and enjoying the fact that we're even here.

I liked that. It made me realize that, although renovating our house is a good thing, I don't have to mope around on days when I don't do a single thing to move us closer to the end of that list.

Because there will always be lists...but we won't always need to finish them.

Seeking the Bottoms of the Piles

2008-12-09T15:25:00.000-08:00

I think I've lost my nerve where the schoolroom is concerned. The bookcases and books are out of the way, but the sheer minutiae left behind is overwhelming. Boxes of art supplies, reams of paper, craft doo-dahs out the wazoo, piles of things that can only be labelled "miscellaneous." Yipes.

Yesterday, we worked a bit in there, but spent most of the time on laundry. I headed to the grocery store to buy baking ingredients, then came home to make cookies and an appetizer for the cookie swap.

Then I bid the family adieu and drove to my friend's house to eat cookies and snarf hors d'ouevers. Lot of fun.

Today, I slept in, despite waking before sunup. I kept thinking, "I should get up and do ABC," but then I'd doze off again, only to snap to consciousness thinking, "I should really get a move on."

Anyway, when I did finally rise, I chose to work at the desk for the morning, paying bills, balancing the checkbook and filing paperwork. Mesmerizing stuff. Zzzzzz.

When I looked at the clock and realized it was 2:00, I panicked and darted to the schoolroom to do more sorting and purging. Let's just say a dent was made, but no more.

My sweet honey took the boy to karate, but that's really the extent of our accomplishments over the last two days. Not entirely a waste...I mean we DO have clean underwear on top of the dryer and all the bills are paid...but beyond that...er...not much more.

Sigh.

Remind Me Again Why We Started This Project

2008-12-07T17:09:00.000-08:00

Egad. I can't feel the base of my spine. Nor my toesies. And my sinuses are totally rebelling against the sheer volume of dust we've animated today.

I had NO IDEA how many, I mean REALLY how many books I own, until today. We finished moving all the books to the dining room (which mysteriously vanished under the landslide,) and mopped the floor in the basement.

Then my sweet honey and I carried all those empty bookshelves down what felt like thirty flights of stairs. Hence the lack of feeling in my various body parts.

However, not only are the shelves in their places, but the kids and I hauled ALL the books from the dining room to the basement floor (which vanished just as quickly as the dining room.) Just in time, too, because right then my hubby and our friend arrived with lunch, which we inhaled at the now-liberated dining room table.

After that, the kids and I sorted and organized, alphabetized and shelved every last one of those little paper friends of mine. What a relief.

All that hard labor has (almost) made me never want to bring another book into this house. (GASP!)

Almost.

Now, we have a tremendous mess in the schoolroom. I'm not sure I even want to go back in there. I'm going to give the pink one a few boxes and let her gather up what's left, which includes enough art supplies to open my own craft store.

We should be done with her room by spring, if we're lucky and I don't nail the door shut this week.

Partying and Painting

2008-12-06T16:32:00.000-08:00

We're making progress!

Day 7 of the Great Renovation/Household Musical Chairs was a half-day, but we still got a lot done. The kids and I tackled some more of the school room moving marathon. The dining room is flooded with chaotic stacks of books. I cringe every time I pass by them.

When my sweet honey saw the piles today, he said something to the effect of, "So, all these books get donated?"

"Uh. No. This is the keeper pile. These *waving my arms over the books* are my friends!"

That was his cue to sigh and go back to cutting mitered corners on the moulding.

Anyway, yesterday afternoon, I headed to the salon for a quick 'do, and got back home just in time to get dressed for the party. And, yes, I found something to wear that actually fit and looked nice. Turns out, I didn't need to lose 16 pounds after all to have a good time. But it was exciting to think I did.

We had an awesome time, but needless to say, we got home WAY too late for me to post, and we all slept in this morning instead of going to the local holiday parade. No matter, when we finally got up, we were ready to get to work. For Day 8 we did the moulding and finished the paint touch-ups, ordered pizza for dinner and retired upstairs to watch TV.

And here you find. me. We start moving bookcases tomorrow, and then I can get all my paper friends back in some kind of order. After that...well the schoolroom is a nightmare.

I may even have to snap a couple of photos so you can see the changes. Oops...I forgot to take a "before" picture again--before we started moving the books out. Dang.

Oh well. I'll just have to worry about that tomorrow. I'm too tired tonight.

Taking a Wee Break

2008-12-04T15:34:00.000-08:00

After two days of pseudo-rest, I can actually say I'm ready to get back into the work in the basement again.

Day 5 found us doing touch-ups all around the walls and second coats in some places, but that was about all we could do until my sweet honey got home. So, we schlepped books down from the schoolroom to the dining room all afternoon instead of going to park day.

I made a half-hearted attempt to keep all of them in order as we moved them, but it was just too stressful, and I wound up piling books in random order just like the kids were doing.

Sweet honey got home too late and was just too wiped to start on the moulding. I concurred, and we hit the hay.

Day 6 was a day that should have been spent hauling more books downstairs, or at least painting the bookshelves, but that's not what happened. I think I went downstairs once to look around, but that was the extent of my exertions down there. Sometimes you just have to say "Fuggidaboudit," and do something fun.

Which is what the kids and I did today. We lit a fire and hung out looking up Advent calendars online and making reservations for the pink one's birthday party next week.

And also realizing I'd set up appointments for hair cut and baby sitter for the WRONG day for the party this week.

Sigh.

At least I didn't fail at my diet in vain. I can sit home and pity myself in my robe and slippers, which fit just fine.

Actually, I have a back-up plan, and I was able to move the salon date up one day. Whew.

Anyway, we did the karate and gymnastics circuit this evening, and we've just had soup and sandwiches for dinner.

Now, I'm off to recline and play a game on my computer. And tomorrow? Full speed ahead...at least until it's pampering time. Then maybe, just maybe, I'll get to socialize with my sweet honey's business associates for a couple of hours.

Wearing something "fitting" I hope.

Still in the Basement

2008-12-03T05:54:00.001-08:00

Groan...

There are parts of me that hurt that I was sure were no longer attached. DIY? Just say NO, people.

Actually, it's not all that bad. I can move my head, sort of. And my eyes. And I can see progress. Day 3 of the Great Renovation found me and the kids starting at 7 AM, being joined by my sweet honey at 5:00 and working straight through until 10 PM. It's no wonder parts of me mutinied.

We finished (most of) the wall and ceiling painting, unloaded the flooring from the van (OMG, I thought I'd die before my son and I got all 30-odd cases downstairs,) ripped up the old carpet padding, dragged all the old carpet plus the bagged padding to the street for trash day pickup, scraped the concrete floor, painted all the moulding and started the arduous task of emptying the bookshelves. Oh, and washed all the laundry in between.

Here's the thing about the library. My books are in (roughly) Dewey-decimal-system order. So, my grand plan was to take them off the shelves and stack them on top of each other on the floor, so they only need to be carried downstairs in their stacks to stay in order. Easy, right?

Dewey had no idea. Just because they're in HIS order does not mean they are STACKABLE!! Big books on top of little books...what a nightmare.

Now I have stacks of books rising up out of the toppled ruins of their neighbors, each one just waiting for the right moment to succumb to gravity on one side or the other, hoping to take out that haughty looking stable stack next to them.

On the bright side, I did manage to give away 200 books yesterday to a homeschool lending library that's just getting started. I can't get smug about it though...that still leaves 800+ to relocate. About those body parts...

Day 4 was just more of the same, except that we spent the morning out of the house at the King Tut exhibit at the Atlanta Civic Center. Y'all...I actually DROVE there myself! My first time of driving downtown without needing sedatives! Let me tell you, my GPS rocks!

Anyway, the exhibit was awesome, the kids were on their game, pointing to things, making intelligent comments enough to swell this homeschooling mom's heart with pride that I actually got through to them.

Afterward, I took them out to lunch and then back to the work-in-progress at home. My sweet honey was at home, too, so he and I finished laying (most of) the flooring last night. We just have two closets left to do, plus a tiny bit more painting. Install mouldings this afternoon, mop the new floor, and I think we can start hauling bookshelves down the stairs.

We decided to hold off painting the stairwell simply because Murphy will have us filling in holes in the drywall from sharp bookcase corners if we paint it first. It just makes sense to wait on that small detail.

Okay, I've loitered enough at the computer. I have to get back to work!

Now We Break for BBQ

2008-11-30T18:32:00.001-08:00

Day 2 of the Great Renovation Project

Today we painted. And painted.

Then we went to Lowe's to buy the flooring. We'd decided on a really inexpensive wood laminate, so we headed straight for the bargain section and the 77-cent per square foot basement material. As we were counting out the number of cases we'd need, we happened to notice, a couple of sections away in the "upgraded" section, some discontinued flooring marked down from $2.77 to $1.11 a foot.

Prettier stuff, longer warranty, lovely name of Heirloom Hickory...sold. However, they only had 20 cases. We had the flooring fellow call around until he found 11 cases at another store, and we made our purchase. Twelve months, same as cash, of course.

After we loaded up all our basement stuff, which included plastic underlayment, transition strips, moulding for the bottom, moulding for the top, moulding for the closets, blah, blah, we motored on over to the other Lowe's.

So. We're standing in the flooring aisle, looking at the 11 cases...and...it ain't the same stuff. Same stocking number, different lot number, so it won't snap together.

Then, lo and behold, what do we see on the next shelf? Another discontinued style, also $1.11 called Southern Pecan (how me!) with well over the required number of cases.

Nothing to do but return the 20 and purchase the 31 all of the same lot number. Voila. Although it was a coup to get such beautiful flooring at such an awesome price, that little outing cost us nearly two hours.

And then we came home and painted some more.

Fortunately, before I absorbed so much paint through my pores that I gained a satin finish myself, it was time to shower and wash hair and dress for an evening out at our friends' house. Our buddy slow-cooked some ribs all afternoon and his wife had pumpkin pie and cookies for dessert. I didn't even stand a chance.

Now, we're home, and I have an enormous to-do list for tomorrow while my sweet honey is at work. If everything goes well and the kids and I finish the list, we'll be laying the flooring and hanging the moulding right after he gets home and can wrap up the basement within 24 hours. Okay, 48 hours at the most. Then I can start schlepping 1000 books down two levels.

Fun times, people. Fun times.

5 days left until the party. Heavy, heavy, heart-wrenching sigh.

Let the Chaos Begin

2008-11-29T15:55:00.000-08:00

Day 1 of the Great Relocation and Refurbishing Project in our house. Subtitled: The Domino Effect on a Grand Scale.

I hope you all had a great holiday celebration. We left the house Thursday afternoon and went to Legacy Lodge on Lake Lanier with Grammy and PapPap to feast on the Thanksgiving buffet and then to drive through the Magical Nights of Lights display. We had a wonderful time, spent the night, and after breakfast the next morning, headed home.

We made a small detour to Lowe's on the way to look at flooring options for the basement. After we got home and unpacked, we began moving furniture out onto the patio and into the workshop.

And that was the extent of our exertions for the day. Everyone retired to his or her own amusements until I started making firestarters out of pinecones and old melted candles. Then everyone wanted in on the fun. We made a large basket of red firestarters scented with cinnamon, and then got to try one out on an evening fire. They work like a charm.

Today, however, the DIY began in earnest. We began the painting, (ceiling, walls, trim, doors,) and nearly finished. If we get after it first thing in the morning, we should be able to wrap that up in a couple of hours. Then, we tackle the flooring.

I will probably spend all next week moving my library downstairs. Methinks it will take the whole time, not only to sort through the books and muse whether or not to keep each one, but to reassemble my filing system once I get them down two flights of stairs.

I think next week would be a great time for my homeschooling friends to drop over. Chances are I'll be flinging numerous volumes from lack of patience.

I'll be sure to keep you updated on the progress. I was going to take before-and-after photos, but only thought of it after all the furniture was moved out and the paint was in progress. Besides, I don't think I could have stood having evidence of my lousy housekeeping online for all to see. It's bad enough having to live with it, much less advertise it. The house is going to be in a complete uproar until we've finished all this shuffling.

I will, however, be tempted to show totally-finished photos. That may be worth the wait.

Day 9 or 10 of my diet, I've lost count, and I think after the buffet, I'm most likely up a couple. I've only got 6 days left. Hopeless. Just hopeless.

From Us to You

2008-11-27T05:17:00.000-08:00

Today, I am thankful
For all the blessings in my life.

I am grateful for the Ancestors
Who celebrated harvest festivals

From Time Immemorial,

Beholden to the Gifts

From Heaven and Earth

Which allowed them to

Put aside provisions for the
coming Winter night.

I am indebted to the
Unbroken line of Souls
Who made possible the Lives

Of my husband and myself.

I am truly humbled to be part of

The Circle of Life that has allowed us
To be Parents to the two most
Precious Children in the World.

We are Blessed beyond measure,
Rich in Health and Love and Serenity,
Gifts which call us to raise our hands
In Praise for our Abundance.

May you and yours feel the same
joie de vivre
As we do today
And as our Ancestors did
Back in the mists of Time.

Rearranging Spaces

2008-11-26T15:37:00.000-08:00

Today marked our last day of homeschool for the rest of the year. We finished up Ancient Egypt and put to bed our other subjects for our long winter break.

Except for the kids' reading, which I prefer they not halt for a month, and my read-aloud literature, which we will continue on a daily basis, at least until we all finish our novels. That way we can start afresh in those areas as well when the new year comes in.

I am looking forward to five weeks away from my job so I can get down to the business of working my other job(s). We have grand plans for this holiday season, and not just cleaning, decorating, baking, shopping and celebrating.

We began discussions today of rearranging the house so that the pink one can have the schoolroom as her bedroom. That sounds simple...however. Remember The Domino Effect?

These are the general steps that will be required to make the total transition:

1. All items must be moved from the finished part of the basement to the patio except the entertainment center and the treadmill, which are too big/heavy to move outside of inching around on the floor.
2. The basement carpet must be ripped up and replaced with some form of laminate and the walls and ceiling must be painted.
3. Some items must be returned to the basement.

4. All 8 of the schoolroom bookshelves and their contents must be transported down two flights of stairs to the basement.
5. Any remaining items in the schoolroom must be relocated...somewhere.
6. The schoolroom carpet must be ripped up and replaced with hardwood or carpet (we can't decide,) the popcorn ceiling must be scraped and painted along with the walls.

7. All of the girl's furniture and critter must be moved around the corner to the schoolroom, along with some things from the basement.
8. The girl's room...see #6.
9. All leftover schoolroom and basement items go in here, including the tanning bed so the boy can get his light treatments without having to go all the way downstairs when it's cold.

We could just stop there, but noooooo.

10. The boy's room...
11. The hallway and guest bathroom...
12. The master bedroom and bathroom and closet...

I'm thinking that maybe by this time next year we'll be done, but at least the cherub will be happy with her new bigger room, and my library will be in the basement so my sweet honey will no longer fret that the upstairs ceiling will crash into the garage from all that weight.

Despite the large list, I'm actually looking forward to the project. At least it will keep me out of the kitchen, where I continue to sabotage my weight-loss goals. You know, food tastes so much better while dieting than when I don't give a hoot about how many calories it contains. Not fair.

Day 8 I'm afraid to look.

Let's See How Good I Can Make Dinner Taste TONIGHT

2008-11-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

I really and truly am my own worst enemy.

Last night, I decided to cook dinner. I have been mostly staying out of the kitchen for the last few weeks because I get like that sometimes. I go from cooking every night to just standing in front of the pantry or refrigerator and sighing, then heading back to my books.

However, last night, I had AN IDEA. There was a bit of roast left from a fun little Dutch oven recipe from last week that I wanted to use. Now, that roast was a delight in itself. I bought the thing on sale, thinking it would be rather tough, and planned to cook it low and slow. I seared the beast on all sides in the Dutch oven, then dropped in chunks of onion, several whole garlic cloves and half a package of fresh mushrooms. I slid the thing in a 250-degree oven and let it roast away for nearly three hours.

For whatever reason, the family wasn't in an eating mood, so I sliced off a few pieces and made a delicious sandwich. The rest of the roast hit the leftover shelf in the fridge.

So, to avoid wasting all that meat, I diced the roast and put it in a skillet with all the juices, a cup of merlot, some beef broth and some diced onion. That simmered away on the stove while I made collards with Italian tomatoes, squash casserole and egg noodles. Just before time to eat, I dropped in a cup of sour cream and let that heat through. Talk about the very best beef stroganoff I've ever made.

Yum. Yum to the point of almost getting seconds. I had a plate all filled with my second go-round of the food when I stopped, wrapped the thing in plastic and stuck it in the fridge for lunch. I even packed a lunch for my sweet honey.

So, needless to say, I've blown any chance of looking fabulous for the party next week. Want to know why? Because we had BBQ pork chops, cinnamon apples, cheese grits and biscuits for dinner tonight, which I planned and my husband and daughter cooked while I was out with the boy at karate. Another home run.

So the problem is, I'm on a roll here, folks, and it's not pretty.

Although it tastes magnificent. And my family cleaned their plates two nights in a row. Sometimes that's better than squeezing into a pretty party dress for my ONE FANCY NIGHT OUT PER YEAR...

No. It. Is. Not. Sigh.

Day 7 Whatever.

To Party or Not

2008-11-24T12:37:00.000-08:00

And after another birthday party outing for another friend, I'm back up a half a pound. Wah!

Although after that little revelation, I was back on the treadmill for 3 miles this morning. Fortunately, I have 3/4 of my book left to go through, so I'm good until the end of the year. I think. Boy, if I could rig up some way to hang my laptop over my treadmill display, I could walk for hours and hours!

Sigh. That's how I got this way...from sitting and reading in my chair. Ha! Maybe I should move the chair to the treadmill.

Anyway, last night we headed to a friend's house to surprise one of our homeschooling pals and to celebrate the fact that I'm not as old as she is. Heh. But she weighs less than I do. Drat.

On the way home, we began the discussion of what the pink one wants to do for her upcoming birthday. I've, um, put off organizing anything, so I may wind up with PEOPLE at my HOUSE. Gulp. Although if that happens, we may just sit around and stare at each other because she can't seem to decide on a theme.

I stayed up until 1:00 this morning reading websites that offered suggestions for tween parties, but when I posed all the choices to her, she just sighed like her mother does and said no. I mentioned having a Humane Society party where everyone brings her donations for a shelter instead of presents and then we can go as a family to turn the stuff in.

She informed me that, although that was a great idea, since this was the last year she would be a kid, she would appreciate receiving actual presents at least one more time. I know. I'm still shaking my head, too.

When I asked her what present she really wanted, she named off some kind of guinea pig habitat enhancement. So, I said, "Why don't we have everyone bring you something from Petco for the critter?"

Yeah, that went over just about as well She looked at me like I had two heads and walked upstairs.

So, we're back to square one. We're too late to make reservations for skating, she doesn't want a gymnastics party or a bouncy party or a bowling party again, it's too cold for a horseback riding outing, she doesn't want just a girlie makeover party, (although she did say she would love to take several of her gal-pals to my spa for massages! Wouldn't we all??)

Anyway, I'm just trying to get through this week, it being the last of our school term until January. We're trying to wrap up Ancient Egypt so we can dive right into Ancient Greece and Rome in the new year.

Speaking of that, since I have so much free time around her birthday, maybe I could come up with a nifty themed 11-year-old birthday party for a dozen kids. At my house, even.

Stranger things have happened, people.

Day 6 146.5 Again.

Little House in the Suburbs

2008-11-23T07:50:00.001-08:00

I was totally going to post yesterday, really I was, but I was just too doggone tired and/or busy, take your pick.

For the record, Day 4 found me back at my starting point of 146 lbs. Sigh.

Anyway, to catch y'all up to date, the kids went to a sleepover Friday night and I went to book club. This month's selection? The Lonesome Gods by Louis L'Amour.

Then Saturday morning, my sweet honey and I bundled up (it was 25 degrees!) and went over to where the kids were staying and gathered up a load of fallen-tree wood. The ATV certainly earned its keep dragging logs from the woods to the trailer.

Afterward, we grabbed the kids and headed for lunch at the Pig-n-Chik (BBQ sandwich without the bread!) and then dropped them off to spend the afternoon with Grammy and PapPap.

That's when all the pioneer fun really started. Hubs and I sawed and split wood until everything that was dry was fireplace-size. I wrestled logs in place so my big strong man could chainsaw them, I got to split some of the logs myself, I helped stack the pieces onto the small trailer to haul them around the house, I helped unload the pieces to their final destination below the deck. I was a regular Caroline Ingalls. I was sure I sweated off at least a pound.

That is...until it was time to go out to dinner to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday. Sigh. I was good, I swear! I ate a little salad, half my tilapia entree, no side dish, no dessert...er...unless you count the two Ultimate Pina Coladas I had with dinner. Certainly they didn't have that many calories?

Despite all that work and all that minimal eating, I'm still holding steady as of this morning. I shoulda weighed BEFORE the dinner, ya think?

Day 5 146 I have less than two weeks left!

When Intellectuals Dream

2008-11-21T11:32:00.001-08:00

OH OH!! Y'ALL, I AM TOTALLY VINDICATED!!!

You see, I KNEW there was something inherently WRONG with Daylight Saving Time! HA! I may never change my clocks back again. I will launch a one-woman crusade to have that wretched act abolished, at least in my small corner of the world. Hmph.

Having gotten that off my chest, let me tell you about the dream, er, nightmare I had last night.

I was working in a little menagerie on what appeared to be my grandfather's land, although the peanut field beside the road was flooded with crystal clear water as deep as my armpits. How do I know that? I'm getting to that part.

Anyway, I was tending the animals when I noticed some red egg shells on the ground. Looking up to ascertain their origin, I found the nest of a scarlet tanager (although it was a weaver-bird nest,) in which a pair of tanagers had made their home. Now their babies (who surprisingly were the size of young goslings,) were squawking about on the ground, so I rounded them up and shoved them into a burlap sack.

Meanwhile, I had been holding onto a line connected to my husband's boat when I had to drop the rope so that the boat inevitably floated away on the lake. My sweet honey pointed out the problem, whereby I waded in up to my armpits and slogged over to the bow of the boat. Just before I reached the bowline, the boat puttered away and headed toward shore where my husband was bent over in gales of laughter as he piloted the unmanned boat with a remote control. Grrr.

I sloshed back to shore, only to find a small spotted wildcat in my little zoo, attempting to make a snack of a tiny yellow lamb, which was oddly the size and shape of a gosling. Huh. Anyway, I snatched up the goose-lamb, all the while shouting to my husband to rescue me. He was on his cell phone in the next room. Which, if any of you know us know that is, like, all the flippin' time.

I was backing away from the cat, brandishing a stick, heading for the small bathroom nearby. I was thinking I could just slip in there and shut the door and be safe. All the while shouting my husband's name, right?

Once in the bathroom, I slammed the door, only to realize whoever built the room had used an oval door in the rectangular hole, so the predator simply walked through one of the triangle openings at the bottom and headed for his feast. I sprayed breath freshener toward him, to no avail. Then I poured hand lotion in his eyes, but that only made him blink. Then I felt sorry that I'd hurt his eyes, and reached for a convenient glass of ice water sitting on the counter to pour over his head...all the while shouting for my husband to HELP ME!!

Just then, I felt someone shaking me, telling me to wake up, I was having a bad dream. The conversation went as follows:

Wake up!

Wha?

You were having a nightmare. What was happening?

I was about to be eaten.

By what?

An ocelot.

Pause.

My, what intellectual dreams you have. *snicker* You actually know it was an ocelot about to eat you?

By this time I was fully awake and just a little miffed to think that knowing the name of the creature about to devour me was somehow wrong. Of course I knew it was an ocelot. Wouldn't anyone who ever saw Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom?

Oops. Did I just date myself?

Sigh.

Day 3 146.5 I need more time!!

On Sale With a Coupon

2008-11-20T16:15:00.000-08:00

Okay, so never mind about the Lewis and Clark thing. When the weather report calls for 15-25 mph winds and a high of 45, well, most of us homeschool moms realize we're flexible enough to do this thing some other day. Like May-something.

So, did you notice the clickable link up there? I'm expanding my horizons somewhat. I'm even thinking about going back and fixing up all my other posts which need links, so if you're getting my posts through a reader, look for a flurry of re-posts in the next few weeks.

Today was a gorgeous day with a high of 62, and the kids and I went out to run errands, hit the library to do a little Egyptian pyramid research and finish up our outing with the karate/gymnastics/grocery run. We got home just in time to take in the bags and go back outside to watch the International Space Station zoom overhead. Four minutes from horizon to horizon, and with the sun just having set, there were only a couple of competing stars and planets shining, and that made the ISS a one-of-a-kind light. Very awe-inspiring indeed.

Back to the subject of groceries, I was very pleased with my Publix receipt this week. I'm one of those people who goes in the store armed with a list penned directly from the weekly ad and a book full of coupons. "BOGO with a coupon" is my mantra. Even for tuna. Although we did manage to eat our way through the 36 cans in the pantry and I wound up getting more. BOGO of course. Of course!

I guess you can just call me The Loss-Leader Lady. Heh.

Alright, I've put it off as long as I can. The nightly report isn't so good. I actually GAINED a pound yesterday. I hope that's not my body trying to make me into a liar. I really and truly have to lose 16, er 17, pounds in 16, er 15, days.

Sigh.

Day 2 147 (insert mild expletive here)

To Eat or Not to Eat, the Choice is Clear

2008-11-19T16:01:00.000-08:00

It's cold...wait, I think I said that yesterday. Anyway, it was too cold to go to the park for park day, so one of the homeschooling moms in our group opened up her house to let all us in to play. You know what? One day, I'm gonna grow up to be just like her. (Yeah...she reads the blog.)

Unless I decide my crowd-of-people-in-my-house total anxiety disorder is way more fun than hosting a group-wide play date! Ack!

Actually, I get to test that theory on Friday when the whole co-op group comes TO MY HOUSE to wrap up their Lewis and Clark semester. Because of the lake and all. I'll be sure to report on that as soon as I stop hyperventilating and recover.

In order to be at my most efficient-est this morning, I started some chicken leg quarters in the crock pot and left them swimming in a pool of Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce for a few hours. Can I just say the resulting concoction was a-mazing. If I weren't on a minimal-food diet for the next sixteen days, I'da eaten the whole pot-full by myself and made the rest of the family eat hot dogs.

And, yes, I'm back to the business of not-eating. I am fully aware that ultra-low caloric intake coupled with copious amounts of water and moderate exercise will result in my losing up to a pound a day.

I have sixteen pounds to lose before the annual holiday party. Yipes!

See, I wasn't sure there'd even be a party this year, so I wasn't overly concerned with gaining a little weight here and there since the last party when I was a delightful size 4. And then yesterday, I learned that there was certainly going to be a party, and hurrah! we were invited. Oops.

Now don't bother sending me any notes saying what an unsafe method I've chosen to lose weight fast. I KNOW THAT. But I'm not inclined to care overmuch. These people see me once a year and by golly they'll see me at my best or else! Yeah, I know it's vanity in the purest form, but, oh well.

I'm off to walk another 3.5 miles on the treadmill to match the distance I walked this morning. I'll keep you all up to date, thereby making myself accountable for regular progress reports, and you can cheer me on or not as you like.

Day 1 146 lbs.

Mopping -- A Cleaner Fuel Alternative

2008-11-18T15:52:00.000-08:00

1. It's cold.
2. We're ripping through the firewood like it's Halloween candy.
3. In order to stay warm in the house today to avoid turning up the thermostat on the heater...

I mopped the floor. Twice.

Oh, yes ma'am, I did.

I won't even begin to regale you with the condition of the mopping towels I used, but let's just say, they will never, ever be white again, no matter how much bleach I use.

However, the floor is clean finally. So please don't search through my posts to find out the last time I mopped, and especially don't tell me when it was if you do. I know first hand it's been awhile.

Have I mentioned how much I despise mopping? Almost as much as Daylight Saving Time. I believe I'd rather catch live chipmunks in wastepaper baskets or *gasp* spend money instead of wipe cleaning cloths back and forth across the acres of hardwood in our house. (Alright, I'm exaggerating, but still.)

On the bright side, hardwood floors tend to hide dirt for a long, long, loooooong time before they begin to cry out for attention. Perhaps that's why I find it so difficult to mop...because I wait so long between times?

Nah. I just hate to mop.

Anyway, I'm all on cloud nine because that job is finally done for another, er, period of time to be determined at a later date.

So, while the boy was in karate this evening, I headed next door to Publix where I discovered they were hosting their holiday taste-fest. He's doing punches and kicks, and I'm eating my way around the supermarket. If I'd known, I'd have made my sweet honey bring the girl over, and that would have been dinner. Heh.

As it is, I found lots of stuff on sale and barely made it back to the parking lot before karate ended. Oops.

Steeeee-rike! Not.

2008-11-17T17:27:00.001-08:00

I would have posted last night, but I was just too pooped. Actually, Friday and Saturday were rather laid back, but Sunday was really full of fun. At least from the afternoon on...

Yesterday morning was totally made for sleeping in, though, so we did. Sort of. I got up at 8:00 instead of 7:00. Hah.

Anyway, I took the opportunity to build a wonderful fire in the fireplace and just sit in my chair and read and read and read. Books, blogs, email, you name it, I plunged in. It was too cold to go out and too comfy in my chair to get up. So, I made the kids bring me food and drink and a blanket, and after that, I completely lost myself in my books and stuff. What a wonderful morning.

We were scheduled to hit a kiddie birthday party at 3:00, so I finally pried myself up and showered and dressed just in time to head out. The location was back at the bowling alley where we'd had both of our kids' parties lately. It's a really great party place.

Because I'd given up my acrylic nails (oh, yes I did!) I was able to bowl for the first time in 4 or 5 years (and my score showed it!) But, my sweet honey was there, and he and I and a couple of our friends had a great time flinging bowling balls in the general direction of the pins. And for the record, I did get one strike and one spare in two whole games.

After two hours of lane time and cupcakes all around, we let the kids run amok in the arcade part of the establishment while we parents hung out in the little snack area. Not ones to miss an opportunity for even more socialization, four of us families extended the party by moving it to a restaurant that didn't mind 6 kids sitting at a table by themselves while we grownups were occupying a whole 'nother area of the place.

We had a wonderful time, and everyone was ready for sleepy-time when we finally got home.

Now, the only problem I have from all that fun is that I rediscovered muscles and tendons I forgot the human body contained. How does one get shin splints from bowling?? And my elbow...I may as well just have my arm amputated and get it over with. There apparently aren't enough painkillers on the planet to make this ache go away.

Anyway, I don't see the need to ever bowl again, and if the economy didn't totally suck, I could just possibly see my way back to getting pretty nails again. But then again, my typing skills have increased exponentially since I went back to finger-nubs. Could be a lesson there, you know.

(For those of you who haven't noticed, that's a direct reference to the button near the bottom of the page showing my latest wpm acheivement. And that was with nails! I should try it again...)

Regularly Scheduled Programming Plus More Rodents

2008-11-13T15:59:00.000-08:00

Whew! It's been a whirlwind week!

NOT.

You know the drill. I washed clothes on Monday, did the grocery/karate/gymnastics thing Tuesday, went to park day on Wednesday and did the Tuesday thing all over again today.

Sigh.

What we did accomplish this week was to move the cherub to a Thursday gymnastics class, because that seems to fit better with the rest of our week. And because she would have missed one Thursday this month due to Thanksgiving, we doubled up this week. Sort of an early make-up day. Works for me.

I also whipped up a few pumpkin muffins on Tuesday. They turned out quite nice and have made awesome breakfasts for me this week, except for one. Apparently I didn't stir the batter so well, and in one of the muffins was an enormous bite of...salt. Plegh. Despite that, the rest of the batch was great, and in the mornings I heat one in the microwave and slather it with Peach and Muscadine Wine Jam. Delightful, and actually very heart-healthy when you think about it.

Anyway, rounding out our days were our regular homeschool subjects, which we enjoyed by the roaring fire in the living room. All is still going according to the Schedule, and I have continued to hang with it despite my usual inability to follow anything even remotely resembling a Plan. I guess you can teach, um, old *ahem* dogs new tricks.

We've had a rash of chipmunks making regular appearances in the house this week, I suppose because of the cold wet weather. Either that, or the same one keeps getting caught. I know we've shooed out one little fellow twice in as many days. At least I think it was the same one. They all look alike, you know. What clued me in today was that he knew the route I was going to send him out through the basement and patio, so perhaps he figured it out from yesterday. Now if he'd just figure out how to stay the heck away from the cats, all would be serene in my world.

Last week, one of the little rodents found himself in the living room behind my bookcase, and when we'd removed the stalking cats from the room and corralled the critter, he dashed across the house into the powder room. I, being the wild animal expert that I am, promptly dashed in behind him and shut the door. Several minutes of panicked screaming later, I had him secured in the plastic wastebasket, hemmed in by two hand towels from the rack.

Yeah. Right. As I was lifting the can up to transport him outside, he found an opening and leaped up at my face. He was so close to my nose, his eyes merged into one, and he looked like a furry little Cyclops. I shrieked, tossed the trash can and flung myself against the wall just in time to feel his little rodent feet skitter across my socks. Holy smokes, I thought I was going to make a new exit from that little 6x6 room. My brave children were dissolved in little puddles of laughter just outside the actual door.

Fortunately, I have nerves of steel (heh) and was able to totally get him to go back in the wastebasket. I never said they were all that bright. This time, I mashed the towels much more firmly on his little head and toted my quarry outside onto the driveway. Where do you think that little fink went when he'd run out of the can? He made a 90-degree turn and headed right back toward the house. At least I'd had the good sense to close the house door, but I did have to leave the garage door open an inch or so for him to leave during the night. Will they never learn?

In other news, my aunt had major surgery today and came through just fine. I was glad to hear that, especially since my mom passed away in 2002 from a similar malady. Of course there were extenuating circumstances back then, and my aunt kept a very positive attitude through the whole experience over the last couple of months, so I breathed a great sigh of relief when I got the happy phone call today.

Okay, couple all that news with the fact I still have 15 pounds to lose, my son still wants a dog and now my daughter wants to take karate, and there you have it...my life. Thank goodness I have my sweet honey to share it all with because that makes even the mundane parts, well, just peachy.

Playing Catch-Up...Again

2008-11-08T16:31:00.000-08:00

Well, it finally happened. I opened up my blog to add tonight's post and was totally shocked to see that my last post wasn't there. The guinea pig food one popped up on top, not the one I added Wednesday. What the heck? It was a great post! With great flow and a story line and an awesome ending, too! No fair!

Wanna know why my new post didn't show up? I DIDN'T WRITE IT.

Yep. I totally dreamed that I wrote it.

Sigh.

Okay, so never mind. Here's tonight's post. With a little "last week" thrown in to keep you all happy.

Wednesday was park day, so we went to the...drum roll...park...where a good time was had by all.

Thursday was karate day after school, so blah blah. Afterward, our riding friend popped over for a cigar in the man cave. I was mortified at the state of my house, which has not been cleaned since HALLOWEEN Y'ALL, so I made him walk around the house instead of through it and sit on the dock. Really. It was that bad. Then we all went out to eat pizza, because that was the only way I could think of to get everyone AWAY from my house NOW.

Friday was a really pretty fall day, and my sweet honey took the day off, so I thought he and I would be able to ditch the kids and travel north, but alas, it was not to be, for there was an impeding storm front moving in.

After a few sprinkles in the afternoon, we decided the rain had bypassed us again, so we headed out to the boy's karate graduation ceremony. It was very nice, the grandparents came, and he's oh-so proud to have his orange belt.

Actually, I was originally scheduled to go to book club last night, but the two things overlapped so that I had to forgo my thing for his, but I was happy to do just that. After his thing, the four of us stepped next door to the grocery store to pick up a few items, and lo and behold, while we were shopping, the bottom of the sky fell right out there in the parking lot.

By the time we got the groceries in the car, we were drenched. Somehow, I ended up behind the wheel, mostly because I was the one with the umbrella, so I had to go get the car. Unfortunately, I don't see so well at night, and even less in a torrential downpour. Plus, I was hungry.

So, there I was, driving blind with one hand and munching a Publix chicken strip with the other. Hey, if I'm gonna go, I'm not gonna go on an empty stomach.

Anyway, we made it home just fine, and just as the rain stopped so that we could carry in the groceries without the need for covering. I slogged through the garbage dump that is our house, dumped the bags on the kitchen floor and went straight upstairs to bed. I've been really down on myself for letting the house get so far out of control, and I guess it finally caught up with me. Not to mention the three pounds I've gained this week from all that wretched free candy.

I guess eleven hours' sleep did me some good because I was up this morning bright and early at the crack of Eastern Standard Time (hallelujah!) just rarin' to clean. And clean I did. I started in the office and did all the "behind the furniture" kind of cleaning. You know, where you also clean all the horizontal surfaces plus the things on them?

Of course by noon, I was wiped out, but the whole downstairs was clean. I mean CLEAN. Except for mopping the floor, which you all know I'll get to eventually. Maybe.

Plus I was all sanctimonious acting because I didn't eat any candy today. I barely even ate at all today, so I was counting today as the first day of my latest weight-loss marathon. No more candy or sweets for me! Very little food for me! At least until I drop all the Halloween candy weight and the other, ahem, small bit of extra poundage I've put on over the last two or three months.

Know what happened this evening? Know what showed up on my front steps while I was out buying on-sale-stuff at CVS? BOY SCOUT POPCORN.

Sigh.

Munch, munch.

Sigh.

At least the house is clean so I can wallow in self pity right on the floor if I want to. If I spray something first, I won't have to mop at all.

Kibble By Any Other Name Still Feeds the Pig

2008-11-04T16:06:00.001-08:00

Today being gymnastics/karate day and all, I planned my grocery shopping around those events since I am in the same parking lot as the food store. So, when I asked for items for the list, the guinea pig expert in the house requested that I go to Petco and get some more kibble for the critter.

Petco? I don't think so. It so ain't on the way, chick.

I assured her that Publix has critter food that would suffice until we passed by a "real" pig-food store later in the week. The conversation went as follows:

"No problem, Publix has guinea pig food."

"Yeah, but is it the same kind of guinea pig food?"

"Pig food is pig food, honey. It has kibble and stuff just like the kind you had."

"Yeah, but what does it look like?"

"It looks like guinea pig food. Brown and small with pieces of dried veggies."

"Yeah, but what color is the package?"

"It's green, just like what you had."

"Yeah, but what size is the bag?"

"It's not a bag, it's a box."

"AaaaHA!"

I commenced to laughing out loud while she was pointing at me like Matlock catching the defendant in a lie.

Yes, I bought the grocery store pig-food, and yes, the wretched rodent snarfed it down like it was Eden-grass or something.

I knew it.

By the way, who out there thinks it will be okay to go ahead and incorporate languishing Halloween trimmings in with the rest of the Christmas decorations this year?

Halloween Revisited

2008-11-03T15:39:00.000-08:00

The ghosts of Halloween past are still haunting me! Ack!

I finally got all the dishes washed from Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yeah, gross, I know. For whatever reason, perhaps this nasty head cold I've had for a week, I have been unable to coerce myself into cleaning up the kitchen disaster. However, I can gleefully say, "Tis now done." Now if I can just get the rest of the scary decorations off the front lawn.

This afternoon, the kids and I went out for a homeschooling field trip to learn about animal habitats. They had a blast and learned all about how wild animals make their homes and such.

While the kids were absorbing information, the moms were sitting around talking about the hay ride; those who were there delighted the others with exciting tales, and those who weren't made plans not to miss out next year. So, yeah, the grown-ups are counting down, too.

As usual, talking with my friends got me all motivated to generally be a better person, so I came straight home and started cleaning. Well, that, and the fact that there weren't any more clean dishes to use for dinner. Heh.

And now, I'm thinking about serving hot dogs on paper towels for dinner in order to keep that "just washed" feeling in my kitchen. Or perhaps a few pieces of Halloween candy will tide them over until morning?

Halloween Recap

2008-11-02T07:51:00.000-08:00

Oh Happy Day!!

My beloved Eastern STANDARD Time is back!! My internal clock is ticking away merrily to the beat of NORMAL time! Hah! I woke up at 7:30 instead of a governmentally imposed 8:30 - as it should be! I'm doing the happy dance here in case you hadn't noticed.

The Halloween Hay Ride and Trick-or-Treating Extravaganza went off without a hitch. I'd post pictures, but I don't have them uploaded yet.

We decorated the trailer with multiple strings of lights and added bales of hay down the middle for the kids to use as seats. I put my wicker couch and coffee table on the back along with a couple of chairs so the moms would have somewhere to sit, and the dads rode in the golf cart and picked up stragglers. There were 9 parents and 14 or so kids.

We hit three neighborhoods in rapid succession and totally had the time of our lives. It was a bit chilly, but there was hot cider and coffee waiting for us back home. I baked a couple different kinds of soul cakes and some banana bread to help counteract the sweetness of all that candy we consumed on the route. I believe at last count, there were at least 10 pounds of candy spread out on our foyer rug as the kids divided their spoils.

There was talk of next year using two trailers, one for the kids and one for the grown-ups. Ours would have a portable heater, full buffet and seating for 6. Heh. The dads would still have to ride clean-up, but we'd save them a plate.

Yesterday we de-holiday'd the trailer and brushed off all the loose hay. Today is also an undecorating kind of day, as well as a day to change out the clothes for the season. Every year I change out the clothes too soon and wind up chasing t-shirts and shorts in the storage closet because we're all sweating to death in fleece. Hopefully this year, I've waited long enough to drag out the warm stuff, because I'm tired of shivering in my capris and cotton sheets. It's time for flannel and down!

And the time is finally back to normal! Yipee!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T10:22:00.001-07:00

Horray! This is my 200th post, and just happens to occur on one of my favorite holidays. (I borrowed this picture from one of my favorite blogs: http://www.frommelissasdesk.com/2008/10/spookable.html )

I just finished baking soul cakes for tonight, and right now I have a loaf of banana bread in the oven. I think I'm going to have to make more soul cakes, though, or there won't be any for tonight. Whoops!

We worked on the trailer last night and took a couple of test runs around the neighborhood to check the lights and to see if all the decorations are going to stay in place. The kids are delirious with anticipation today, and we plan to have several families over for the hayride.

The pink one and I have had a bit of a head cold the last couple of days, but we don't plan to let that stop us from dressing up and having fun. She's going "goth" while the blue one is set up to be a ninja. My sweet honey is going as a scary motorcycle ghoul riding an ATV, and I'll be sitting on a sofa on the back of the trailer, dressed as a Queen Witch. I'll be sure to post pictures right away.

Of course we took the day off from school as a scheduled holiday. The guys are out buying more decorations, and I'm trying to decide how much more stuff to bake. (Since I opted not to buy candy this year, I have to have some kind of "treat" to give my friends!)

I'm also making hot cider for us to sip, and I'm sure there will be some "spirits" floating around. *grin*

So, with that, I'm back to my preparations. Have an awesome night!

Hold the Clock, I'm Turning the Page

2008-10-28T10:39:00.001-07:00

Ack! Someone stop me before I go to the library again!

I am caught in a whirlwind reading frenzy and can't seem to slow the ride. At last count, I am currently reading 12, yes, TWELVE books concurrently. Actually, there are three others...oops, make that four others that are in various rooms of the house, just waiting for me to plop down and snag a chapter or two, not to mention the book club book in the works. So that makes 17.

As always, what brought on this wild attempt to consume books like potato chips was a reading list. I should avoid reading lists like a hornets' nest, but I just can't seem to tear my eyes from the page no matter how hard I try.

Some well-intentioned person will list the delight of their last six month's reading adventures, and I feel led, nay, obliged to immediately go online to put those books on hold. Never mind that I don't particularly like reading fiction, hey, it's on the list! Must! Read! Today!

The instant the books show up on the hold shelf at the library, I'm making a beeline for the checkout desk. And wouldn't you know it? Three or four of those coveted books will show up at the same time! No fair!

I drag all the books home, my library bag bulging like a peddler's pack. Then I go through the gyrations of having books strewn around my reading chair like feathers after a pillow fight, each one marked at my last stopping point by a scrap of paper or post-it tab and appearing to onlookers like a series of bratty boxes with their tongues sticking out in mockery of my inability to add even one more hour to the day.

So, I snatch half- and quarter-hours of time in which to indulge my craving for the written word, anxious lest I pass an entire day in my chair. In between times, I throw laundry about or fling food toward plates or pick up an errant item or two, all the while itching to find out What Happens Next.

At the end of the day, I fall exhausted into bed, mostly from my excitement over cramming two lives into one for sixteen hours. My dreams are a conglomeration of the things I've read, so it's not unusual for me to watch a movie of a Victorian heroine hiking the Appalacian trail under a total lunar eclipse, followed by her trusty mustang loaded with cookbooks and kitchen staples, holding a copy of A Thomas Jefferson Education and quoting Charolotte Mason, Lew Rockwell and Madeline L'Engle.

Not daunted at all, however, I am up and at it the next day, and within three words of the next chapter, I'm in that book as if I'd never left off reading it. That goes for the books I read aloud to the children each day. And for practice before I start each day's segment, I ask the kids to "Tell me where we left off yesterday." I figure one can't start too early.

So, enough of this writing. I'm headed back to my stack-o-books. There are five more on the table I haven't even started yet.

Fun for All

2008-10-25T15:07:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived another sleepover. I guess two a year isn't all that bad.

Yesterday, one of our homeschooling friends dropped off her son and daughter, and then they were joined by our neighbor's daughter for a rollicking good time. Just prior to that, the pink one and I had to go to the grocery store for, ahem, "snacks," aka junk food, for the event.

Determined to spend as little as possible, we looked at the store ad to see what junk food...er...snacks they had on sale this week. And that's how we ended up with Goldfish crackers in various flavors, Sunny D drinks, Butterfinger minis and several boxes of Little Debbie Snack Cakes. In my opinion, we covered all the food groups: salt, fruit, chocolate, and tooth-achingly sweet.

Needless to say, that's what I had for dinner last night and lunch today. snack cakes, candy bars and orange-sort of-juice. Plegh.

Before the snack run, I had had to listen to this all day:

"When are they coming?"
"After dark, they have soccer practice and a play date first."
"But WHEN are they coming?"
"When they're done with their other commitments."
"But when will that be?"
"Oh for cryin' out loud."
"Is it time for them to come yet?"

Sigh.

Okay, so with all this anticipation and planning, of course my kids were thrilled when the guests arrived, and they stayed up playing until midnight, when I had the good sense to pass out melatonin to counteract the sugar rushes. It worked, too. By 12:30, the house was silent as a tomb. Then I took my own melatonin and headed to dreamland.

Unfortunately, that darned baseball game that was scheduled this morning at 11:00 got pushed to 12:00 because of the cold, damp weather. Drat, there went our trip to the Dawsonville Moonshine Festival we'd planned.

Anyway, since it was a single-elimination tournament and our team got crushed 10-0, we were free for what little remained of our day. So, we headed back to the grocery store, sale items be damned, and bought a cart-full of ice-cream-party fixin's at full retail. *twinge*

Several root beer floats, video games and a guinea pig romp later, mom came to get her offspring and now we're settling down to husband-made cheesesteaks for dinner. All the "snack" food is thankfully gone. I'd have never been able to go to sleep tonight as long as there remained even one single Oatmeal Cream Pie under this roof.

Therefore, I can cross "sleepover party" off my list for another six months or so. And I'm smiling as I do so.

Warmth Plus Sustenance...Ah, Nirvana

2008-10-23T09:42:00.000-07:00

Yum-a-licious. Let me tell you about the dinner we had last night after park day.

I had purchased a big tray of chicken leg quarters last week because they were ON SALE, of course, and yesterday I decided to cook up a couple of them. I took out my trusty Dutch oven, popped in some olive oil and butter, got it smoking hot and popped in the birdie bottoms.

I had slathered them with oil, salt, pepper and an assortment of herbs including rosemary, basil, parsley and sage, and they seared up beautifully. Once their skins were golden brown, I covered the pot and stuck it into the oven, which I had warmed up to 250.

I did all this at 1:00 in the afternoon, knowing fully well we were headed out the door to park day any second now.

So, I turned off the oven, programmed it to come back on at 3:00, set again for 250. When we got home at 5:30, the heavenly smell of perfectly roasted chicken met us at the door. We were headed right back out, so I warmed up some green beans and mashed sweet potatoes, and we commenced to feast.

That was totally the best, very best chicken I've ever cooked. And I can hardly wait to do the exact same thing to the remaining package of quarters. Say when.

Now tonight, we'll be having spare ribs. They were ON SALE, too, of course, and they've been marinating for two days in a teriyaki-style sauce made from olive oil, tamari sauce, honey, lemon and lots and lots of garlic. I'll serve them tonight, after they've slow-roasted for 3 1/2 hours at 250, along with some brown rice made with the leftover liquid from the roasted chicken and some baked beans.

Ah...fall, the time to use the oven to heat the house!

Burn Baby Burn

2008-10-21T17:52:00.001-07:00

Oh for cryin' out loud. I thought last night was the end of our youth baseball experience forever, and then I find out there's a TOURNAMENT next Saturday. Sheesh. The pink one says she doesn't want to play anymore, but I told her she was part of the team, and they were depending on her, blah blah, so she had to play, never mind that she's got a sleepover planned for the night before so she won't be worth a hoot come time for the first pitch.

I reminded her that "there's no I in TEAM!" and she replied, "But there is an M and an E!" I guess it goes without saying that she was just repeating the mantra of her very self-centered mother. Ah, well.

Nothing like waiting until the LAST FLIPPIN' MINUTE to tell us parents about said sporting event. I wonder how many others of the team have made plans for that day and won't be there at all? Huh. Suits me. I could come up with a dozen things I'd rather do.

Whatever. For today, it was just business as usual. Karate, gymnastics, homeschool and a very small trip to the grocery store for milk, eggs, and good grief, there's your cottage cheese, so stop buggin' me. "Mom? I finished the cottage cheese today. Can you get some more at the store?"

"Today? You just opened it yesterday!"

"I know. But I love cottage cheese. So, can you get some more?"

Sigh. At least it's healthy.

This morning we lit our first fire of the cool season in order to ward off the chill of the living room. Once the sun came up enough to shine through the windows, we let the flames die out. I certainly hope we can keep up the energy savings for the whole winter, but I foresee some wimp-out days when I'm over at the thermostat, jabbing at the "up" arrow for all it's worth. For now, 62 seems to be warm enough, but when it's 32 outside, my chair near the windows is gonna be chilly.

I can just see it now...me, huddling shivering under blankets, reading the latest chapter of our literature book, pontificating on the character-building qualities of self-sacrifice and economy. Right before I fling off the covers and bolt for the thermostat, teeth chattering and blankets flying. Jab, jab, jab.

Fortunately, we found a fellow selling cheap firewood not too far from home. Looks like we're going to make a fast friend out of him for the next few months.

So with that, I'm rounding up the troops to head off to bed. After we got back from our afternoon of socializing, the kids had footraces in the front yard, and I think they're all tuckered out. I know I am.

As the Blog Turns

2008-10-19T14:54:00.001-07:00

You know, I really intended for this blog to be a daily thing. Really, I did. But somehow, between real life and the fantasy I sometimes get caught up in imagining...well, things get pushed to the side. Said blog, for instance.

So, in the spirit of keeping all three of my regular readers up to date, let met recap the last few days...

Thursday
I forget.

Friday
I forget, but it did rain all day.

Saturday
Baseball...and then I forget.

Today
Er...

The baseball game was a crushing loss, and I'm rather delighted that we only have one more game, and then my girl child will cease to attempt the masculine gender sports. Not that I'm biased or anything like that, but, please.

Oh, yeah! My sweet honey and I and one of our pals went to Helen for Oktoberfest yesterday while the kids hit a festival with Grammy and PapPap. That was fun, if a little overwhelming, what with all those people there. I don't do crowds so much.

The weather, however, was simply gorgeous and the trees were turning all sorts of colors and the route was delightfully curvy.

Then last night, we asked the kids if they wanted to go to a outdoor BBQ and Music party with us, but they declined. When we asked them what they wanted to do...the pink one informed us that she wanted to lay in bed and watch TV all day. Sigh.

So, what with the nippy temps this morning, we all slept in. I guess it's time to get out the winter clothes for real.

I'm sure fun things happened on Thursday and Friday, but I don't recall any of them. I think we did school and worked on the Halloween hay-ride trailer and cooked and consumed meals and washed clothes and dishes, but when the most exciting event is finding a headless chipmunk in the guest bathtub...I don't think any of that stuff makes for interesting reading. Maybe next week...

Happy Anniversary to Us

2008-10-16T12:11:00.000-07:00

Today marks the 15th anniversary of our wedding day. It's the crystal anniversary, but we both decided that 1) we have enough crystal gifts left from our bridal registry and 2) we don't have any money to get anything else anyway. Sigh.

Actually, we've opted to have steak and baked potatoes at home, and we may head out to meet friends for a drink later this evening. Plenty of celebrating for us old folk.

Fifteen years seem to have flown by, and I do believe it's because we've had kids with us for over twelve of them. I commented the other day that I've never done anything for 15 years except be alive. Hm. However I will say that I'd rather have spent the last 15 with my sweet honey than doing anything else. Amen.

So, after karate (kid thing,) baseball practice (kid thing,) and dinner (family thing,) I suppose an hour or two with adult friends will wrap up this day nicely. And I wouldn't wish it any other way...crystal or not.

Persuing Passions

2008-10-14T05:32:00.000-07:00

Yay! The cherub's baseball team won their game last night in a white-knuckle finish, with my baby scoring one of the runs with a slide-in at home plate. Another 5 years off my life. Fortunately, she realizes that 11-12-year-old boys are much more serious about the sport than she is, so I only have 2 more practices and 2 more games to struggle through, and my time as baseball mom is done. Whew. Then we can focus solely on gymnastics, which she assures me she has no plans to quit.

Now we commence jumping around from subject to subject because sometimes I like it that way.

An anecdote: Yesterday I learned I am way more addicted to caffeine than I'd originally thought. I forgot to pour coffee from the upstairs pot before I went down, and I was too lazy to go back up to get it, and then I decided I didn't really want to make tea, so I just sidled through the morning's schoolwork with the kids.

Then I began to doze. And doze. And we totally missed karate because I was sound asleep on the couch when it was time to go.

In my defense, my son was completely engrossed in his new Lego set and chose to stay home. But he sort of woke me up to tell me that. Heh.

I managed to attain a level of consciousness that allowed me to stumble to the car and make it to the ball game. The very first thing I got when the concession stand opened was a cup of coffee. Oh, and two bags of peanut M&Ms.

Energized at last, I was able to sweat out the game and was totally buzzing by the time we got home. Ugh. If it weren't for melatonin, I'd never have gotten to sleep last night. Needless to say, I just now polished off a large mug of upstairs coffee. I'm ready for the day!

Oh, so back to the Lego set. This thing is a marvel of engineering potential. It's a teacher's set with a hundred or so tiny pieces and nearly half as many possible configuration design cards. It came with a cool computer CD with animations and lesson plans, too. My son, the engineer, is in heaven, and has constructed three contraptions so far, including a compound-pulley fishing rod that magnetically snags a Lego fish of his own design. He never ceases to amaze me with his out-of-the-box thought processes.

As I sit here getting ready to start the school day, I look around the living room at my offspring. He's in his element building a new car with the Lego set and measuring the distance it travels down a ramp with and without added weights. She is creating another coloring book page for one of her friends (she draws the outline, her friend does the coloring.) These kids are so fun to watch as they learn and grow. Another awesome, shameless plug for homeschooling.

And me? I'm buzzing on caffeine, composing a blog entry. I guess you could say I'm in my element, too.

Oh to Taste Them Again

2008-10-12T16:52:00.001-07:00

Alrighty then. We've made it to the end of the weekend with nary a visit to the mountains. The weather was so blustery, it made any outdoor time a test of wills just to remain in an upright position. Needless to say, most of the day was spent inside.

We received our firewood today that we ordered last week. We're going to try to use the fireplace more this year and keep our heating costs down. If I hear, "I'm cold," I'm going to suggest more sweaters.

My sweet honey may get to telecommute a day or two each week. That will be very nice, as long as we are all able to avoid distracting each other. We may have to move our schoolwork back into the actual...ahem...schoolroom because for now we're right next to the office.

I decided to make peach cobbler this afternoon because we were all craving something sweet. I tried to find my mom's recipe, but never did, so I found a functional version on the internet.

That's one of the many things I wish I had bothered to do before my mom died. I should have gotten her recipes. I haven't had any of her buttermilk biscuits or pecan pie or peach cobbler or apple tarts in over six years.

Come to think of it, even if I had the recipes, the food still wouldn't be "hers." It would be me trying to replicate a feeling that is lost to me forever. Still, though...I'd love to at least have the recipe so I could make the attempt.

I was thinking of that while I was making a reasonable facsimile of the cobbler. It must have been good enough, because the whole 9x13 baking dish is empty. Ha.

I was remembering some of the other things I haven't done in ages. This list is for one certain cousin of mine. It's not supposed to make sense to any of the rest of you.

Things I haven't done in longer than I can remember:

1. Been to Fernindina Beach, FL
2. Been on a boat trying to catch fish off a jetty.
3. Milked a goat.
4. Talked upside down while hanging off the edge of a table.
5. Driven a Pinto.
6. Eaten bologna (baloney, baloney, baloney)
7. Played Star Trek with a Sucrets box and a seashell from Fernindina Beach.
8. Hidden under a bed.
9. Walked through a field of butterbeans.
10. Climbed a tree over a chicken yard.

I know a lot of you can truthfully say you've never done any of these things, and to you I'll say that you've missed a lot.

You shoulda tasted my mom's biscuits.

Ump Needs a New Pastime

2008-10-11T14:48:00.000-07:00

It's a rather breezy day here in the South. We spent the morning at the girl's baseball game. Her team lost, which wasn't a crushing blow because she has an amazing coach that turns everything into an enjoyable life lesson.

No, what made the loss into something much less than noble was the inappropriate behavior of the umpire. Even if we had won, we would all still have been disheartened by his completely immature actions which set a horrible example for the actual kids who were there.

Anyway, one of the parents fired off a scathing email to the local youth sports director and I seconded the email with my own input. I suppose we'll see what comes of it all.

After the game, my sweet honey and I worked on getting the trailer ready for this year's Halloween hay ride. We traded in our wooden trailer for a much larger metal one for hauling ATVs, so we're working on a different configuration which will allow the moms to ride on the trailer instead of following behind in the golf cart.

That means we will be in amongst the kids to yell at them to behave, sit down, no pushing, and all that other parent-speak, all the while sipping hot chocolate from the comfort of our camp chairs, plus getting candy-tithes from the miscreants. Not a bad deal.

Not to mention that instead of using the lawn tractor (very hillbilly,) we will be using one of our ATVs for the workhorse this year. Much quieter, much more power...altogether "funner."

Especially for the driver. Heh.

So, once that was done, we lazed around all afternoon. I finished the next book for our book club meeting, and made a quick dinner of honey-dijon chicken for the kids and a couple of different canned (although gourmet) soups for the grownups, along with cornbread...which would have tasted much better had I remembered it was baking instead of getting all caught up in the "mean-umpire" email I was composing. Lost in the moment, I was...but typing it out was satisfying all the same...and the cornbread was just brown and crispy,not burnt.

Then it softened right up in the soup. Yum.

Now I'm off to watch a movie with the family and decide if I want to go to the mountains tomorrow...

I Quit

2008-10-09T07:27:00.000-07:00

I would like to know at what point it's okay to stop trying so hard.

Do I have to color my hair anymore, or can I just go grey without remorse? Am I allowed pony-tails for all of the forseeable future?

Do I have to have acrylic nails with a French manicure, or can I just live with my paper-thin nubby real nails?

Is makeup a requirement? I haven't put anything on my face (other than on our night out last week)...in weeks.

Can I stop worrying about whether my earrings match my shirt matches my pants match my socks match my shoes match my purse every single time I leave the house, or does anyone really care?

Walking? Who needs it. I have decided to be plump and happy the rest of my sedentary days, happy being the operative word.

I've discovered a certain freedom from the "not doing" as much as I ever had any satisfaction from the "doing."

I read somewhere a few weeks ago that people don't really think about you as much as you think they do, because they're too busy thinking about themselves.

In that light, a greying, 15-lbs-heavier-than-she-likes, mismatched mom of two tweens with no nails and no prospects of ever looking 20 again really doesn't have that much to worry about.

Along those lines, the house can go flop, too. Oh, wait...maybe not. At least I can whip the house into shape in a couple of hours, unlike my rebellious body.

But only if I want to.

Good Heavens...Or Not

2008-10-06T09:56:00.000-07:00

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus, and Mercury is definitely in retrograde. Sadly, with two Gemini adults in the house, the time when the littlest planet appears to move backward across the nighttime sky is just a backdrop for communications nightmares.

An example, if you like. Friday night I headed out to my book club meeting before the crew got back from baseball practice. I left a note asking them to take the clothes out of the dryer, as they were still spinning when my deadline for departure arrived.

Do we all know why one must take clothes out of the dryer when they're done drying?? They'll wrinkle if you just leave them in there, won't they? Hm.

I called my sweet honey to let him know I'd arrived safely at the bookstore, and reiterated the need for a little familial assistance in the laundry department. He assured me the task would be done pronto, as they were all headed out for pizza.

Saturday morning, I go into the laundry room, and what do I find? The clothes from the dryer sitting on top of the washing machine, in roughly the same configuration as they had been while inside the dryer; a lovely ball of dried, wrinkled cloth. Good grief.

I commenced to let my displeasure be known, only to find out it was MY fault for not making myself clear about the task. "We took the clothes out of the dryer like you said!"

OMG. Please tell me you didn't live over half a century without learning that clothes freshly dried must not only be taken OUT of the dryer, but hung and/or folded as well? Hello?? Wrinkles?!?

So, I had to wash and dry the whole load again. I've pretty much had a chip on my shoulder ever since. Seems Prince Charming and the little Charmings need some serious lessons in clothing care. I believe I'll start today.

Or maybe not. Perhaps I'll wait until Mercury goes direct again on the 15th. That way, the message should arrive loud and, most importantly...clear.

Predictability

2008-10-05T10:17:00.001-07:00

I'm just not quite sure how I can go from blogging, to thinking about blogging, to completely ignoring blogging, all within the space of a week.

Anway, here's a lovely little entry to catch you up:

With the gas shortage, we declined to attend park day last week, and worked on homeschool subjects most of the day. Fortunately for us, the demand is beginning to die down, so it looks like we'll be able to fuel up and make it to our field trip this coming Wednesday.

Honestly, Thursday, Friday and Saturday were just like any other week. Karate, baseball practice, more practice and a game (her team lost this time,) and general puttering-around were the highlights.

Although yesterday after the game, my sweet honey and I went out for a couple of hours and hit a flea market. I was looking for interesting silk scarves and candle holders, but spent most of my time perusing, of course, the book offerings. I found a really awesome book of poetry that I will be applying to our memorization work starting tomorrow.

Today has been a Tremendous Cleaning Day. I had just gotten to the point where I couldn't abide the clutter and dust anymore. Now, I feel much more relaxed, and even the kids aren't harping at each other every five minutes. There is serenity in order.

I took the girl to get a hair cut at lunchtime, finally. She's been resisting any kind of major change for the last several years, but she finally let the stylist add a single layer at the very bottom of her cut. With her baby-fine hair, it actually gives her some more "poof" so her tresses don't just hang there like limp noodles. She loves it, as I knew she would.

The cats and guinea pig are all happy and healthy, and the various fish are, well, fishy.

All in all, it's another boring day in Paradise, but I wouldn't change that for anything.

Sports and Cookbooks

2008-09-30T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well, our sports activities are back in full swing. The pink one had a baseball game last night, and her team won. Yay.

Today after school was our mad dash to gymnastics, grocery store and karate. Thank goodness my sweet honey whipped up the dinner I had defrosted. He's a dream.

So, now, we're humming along contentedly...even the cat beside me is purring loudly...and we're all amazed that today ends September. The kids wanted to know if we'll be getting out the Halloween decorations tomorrow.

I said not yet.

As for school, we're still following our schedule (!) amazingly, and I have yet to melt down as a result of it. Maybe this "planning out the day" stuff isn't so bad after all. We're deep into ancient Egypt now, plus we're over halfway through the Chronicles of Narnia series. The other subjects are going as planned, and learning continues at a steady pace.

I just finished re-reading both of my Laurie Colwin essay/cookbooks, Home Cooking and More Home Cooking. She was such an amazing writer, and she totally inspires me to get in the kitchen and experiment. With the holidays coming up, I think the timing is great.

Anyway, while I was going through these books again, I made a list of all the cookbooks to which Laurie makes reference. Most of them are out of print, but I plan to try to track them down. I know what's going to be on my Christmas wish list this year.

Anyway, the reason sports and cookbooks go so well together is that I can read the one while I pretend to watch the other. Two birds, one stone and all that.

Now if I could just get some gas in my car...life would be peachy.

Camping in Helen

2008-09-29T09:55:00.000-07:00

As I move the last load of clothes from the washer to the dryer, thankful that the "essence of campfire" is no longer detectable, I find I finally have a few moments to recap the previous week.

Last weekend was a scheduled camping trip with our homeschooling group, and despite the shortage of fuel in our area, we packed up all the accoutrements of outdoor living anyway. My sweet honey was off Wednesday, and right after he sold off one of our ATVs to buy food, (just kidding,) he commenced to worry about how we were going to get the Behemoth to Unicoi State Park on fumes.

Resourceful as he is, he got tired of lying in bed waiting for sleep to come, so he hopped up at 1:30 Thursday morning and headed out on a gas hunt. He finally located a gas station that had a tanker offloading outside, so he filled up the van and came back for my car. He also filled all the miscellaneous approved containers we had sitting around. So, we're set for a week, and hopefully the crunch will have passed by then.

He got home at some ungodly hour...I was fast asleep and missed all the comings and goings (hooray for timed-release melatonin.)

When I got up Thursday morning at the crack of dawn, I packed the rest of the clothes and food, helped strap all the bundles and bins in the trailer alongside all the firewood we'd need, and settled into my seat for the short hop to Helen.

We got there and set up our site, plus snagged the sites around us for our fellow campers. After a quick jaunt through Helen, we came back and helped the new arrivals to unload their cars and set up. This particular campground area was "walk-in", and we happened to pack a wagon for hauling schtuff up the hill to the sites. That little Fisher Price plastic job was put through its paces, but stood up like a champ.

Anyway, we did all the typical camping-things like fires and smores and camp-stove porridge and yummy grilled bratwurst (because you can't do Helen during Oktoberfest without eating brats.)

Friday we did a 2.5 mile loop around Lake Unicoi, and then Saturday we got up and went to the campground's Outdoor Adventure Day (our real reason for going there.) The kids got to fish, shoot shotguns at skeet and shoot arrows into fake critters. The DNR fellows were stocking the fish streams so everyone would be sure to catch something, and the kids got to help fling trout from the fish-truck into the water.

After all that outdoor fun, we headed back to camp where I rounded up a group to go to Anna Ruby Falls. We parked and made the half-mile trudge up the steep path where the view was oh-so-worth it. Then three of my friends and I headed back to camp via a 5-mile mountain trail. That was my longest hike, and I loved every step of it. It took us 2 1/2 hours, but a half hour of that was sitting and looking at the scenery, which was just awesome.

I was so tired when we got back to camp, I snarfed another brat-on-a-bun and went to sleep.

We broke camp Sunday morning and headed home, feeling refreshed from our adventure. Later in the afternoon, our riding buddy stopped by to see how our weekend went, and to accompany us out for a sandwich.

After that, it was just a matter of deciding that all this detritus from camping flung about the house would still be there in the morning (because we all know there are no elves who will come tidy up in the night.) Once I was okay with that, I had no trouble drifting off to sleep at 9:30.

So, that was our week! In spite of all my efforts so far today, I don't seem to have made much of a dent in the chaos other than laundry. Ugh. That's the easy part. The hard part is trying to figure out why we took so much stuff in the first place and where to put it all now that we're back.

All I know is that I'm glad it's Monday.

Better Late Than Never

2008-09-23T10:22:00.000-07:00

I can see this procrastination thing is getting to be somewhat of a habit. I think that comes from feeling that I don't have anything worthwhile to report, but then again, it could just be because I'm lazy. Heh.

My sweet honey is taking off every Friday for the rest of the year. Since we can't scrounge up the gas money to go anywhere for a vacation, we're just spreading out his time to make long weekends, then staying home, working around the house. Works for me.

The pink one had a baseball game Saturday morning, which her team won, and then her and the blue one headed to the mall for a fall festival with the grandparents. That left the two of us free to go to the local Harley Davidson dealership's anniversary party. What a great place to just people-watch.

Sunday, we made a beeline for the mountains where I found the coolest plaque. It's a carved stone that has on it "The Indian Ten Commandments." Now, since I love all things Native American, this was right up my alley, and I couldn't wait to get it home. I think the kids and I will use it as part of our memorization for this semester.

Yesterday, our homeschool group started our fall co-op. This time, the kids are learning sign language, math tricks and doing awesome handicrafts for art. Afterward, we headed to a local park for a Native American trail hike. Then we raced down the mountain to the ballfield for a Monday night game...which her team lost. She wasn't too upset about it because both teams played really well, and it was a good game for everyone. Learn from your losses, the coach says.

Today, we're back at the books and moving into the Ancient Egyptian segment of history...another of my favorite subjects.

My Shelf of Books, I Love Them So

2008-09-18T15:02:00.000-07:00

Ah, back on track after a day off. School was awesome today. We got everything on our list done, and now the girl is at baseball practice with Daddy, and the boy is outside riding his bike after an awesome karate class. Time for Mom to kick back and put up her feet!

I am sitting here in my favorite reading chair in the living room, surrounded by, you guessed it, books and more books. My personal reading, our homeschool reading, my book club reading, my kids' personal reading...it's like a library exploded in here.

We used to keep our homeschool paraphenalia in none other than the school room, a fourth bedroom that has evolved from a guest room to a craft room to a library, and now to a library with a computer for educational CDs.

When we had school up there, that room stayed chaotic, and because it was, ahem, out of sight...it tended to stay a bit unkempt, shall we say, all the time.

Now that we've migrated downstairs, I try to corral all the curriculum into one general corner, and every Friday evening (if I have the energy) or Saturday morning I gather all the books and things and stack them neatly on my bookshelves and tables.

Anyway, it's Thursday, and you can well imagine how things have morphed into, er, untidiness over the last few days.

Okay, there was a point to this rambling. I was looking over the sea of library books in my world. Some we're using now, as in a few we'll read in one sitting, a few will last a day or two, and a couple we'll read a chapter at a time until they're done. Some we will be using next week, or the week after, depending when we hit those subjects in history or science.

Since I have a teacher's library card, I can check out up to 50 books at a time, plus with the kids' cards, I can have an additional 20 books on each of those. Now, I've never actually had out ninety library books at one time, but I have made gallant attempts.

Not only that, I can put 15 books on hold per card, and I usually run that up close to the limit on a regular basis. My library has an awesome corner of shelves for on-holds, right next to the self-checkout table. I screech up to the front door, poke my returns into the drop box, trot into the library (quietly!), snag my holds, pop the cards and the books under the bar code reader, snap off my receipt from the printer, and I'm back out the door in 10 minutes or less.

I make it a point to swing by the library every single time we are out, just so I can keep my account cycling well. I even check online daily just to make sure no book is languishing on the shelf awaiting my appearance. Nothing so annoying as having a book on hold for weeks, just waiting for someone else to bring it back.

With so many potential library fines just waiting to accrue, I keep ultra-close tabs on when the books are due back. I jot down a short version of the title and the due date in my schedule-book, plus I keep a running list in the back of my planner showing the library books we've read for school.

I don't always keep tabs on the books I read for myself. Maybe I should. I plowed through two novels and a nonfiction book on economics just in the last seven days, in addition to polishing off my book club book for the meeting tomorrow night.

And you all wonder why my housecleaning is behind. *shrug*

Clutter-Free Sleep

2008-09-17T16:48:00.001-07:00

Alright, I have about 15 minutes out of my next 24 hours to be here at the computer, but I'll get this post done or else!

Today has been an awesome day, and although we took a mental health day from school, we accomplished so much. With us sticking so closely to our lesson schedule (and loving the routine, surprisingly!) we have let the deep cleaning part of the housework fall by the wayside a bit. (okay, a lot, but who's keeping score? Huh? Because if you are...stop it.)

Anyway, I was up at 6:00 AM, like before sunup, REALLY! I walked on the treadmill for two heart-pumping miles, and then when the kids got up, we had our breakfast meeting at 7:30, just to keep the routine firmly in place. Then we headed upstairs to our assigned tasks and tidied, vacuumed, changed sheets and stuff.

I showered and headed to the dentist for a cleaning, then came back to wrap up the upstairs. Wow, what a difference a few focused hours makes. We bundled up (it was chilly today in the South!) and popped across town for park day to visit with our homeschooling friends. Four hours later, we were back home and getting dinner on the table.

So now, the kitchen's cleaned, my sweet honey and I have had our after-dinner coffee and gazebo visit (finally the weather's nice enough to get back to my Zen area!) and here I am.

Honestly, I don't know when I've felt better about skipping school. Our productivity this morning was awesome, and we're all refuelled to get right back at it tomorrow morning. Of course, this will add one day to our July school schedule, but that's why I school year-round...for days like today when we just can't stand one more dirty sock or Lego or hairbow on the floor. The best part is that we all get to sleep in uncluttered rooms tonight. Free from schtuff on the floor, and schtuff in our minds such as...man I gotta clean this room!

I'm headed upstairs for an hour of family TV time (Mythbusters rocks!) and then it's lights out for everyone. We've put in a full day, and I couldn't be more proud of my kids for their accomplishments today.

And mine!

Time Flies When You Least Expect It

2008-09-13T17:43:00.000-07:00

Either I'm having way too much fun, I'm reading too many books on the side or I'm just plain lazy...whatever the reason, I seem to be slacking in my blog posting lately. I'm surprised my biggest fan hasn't fussed at me this week for being so remiss.

As for fun, I guess that's part of the reason. Our homeschool schedule is still exciting, hasn't burnt us out and is full of wonderful opportunities to expand our minds. So far, so good, but with all that daily planning and tweaking and implementing, I'm spending more time on homeschool than before. Not complaining, mind you, just making an easy observation.

As for reading, well, that goes without saying. I'm working on two separate books for two separate book clubs, so that's filling some time slots. I also saw a list of "awesome books you really should read right now" that drove me to check out three novels from the library last week. I've started all of them to see which will hold my interest the longest, and I'm caught up in all the stories just as the article said I would be.

As for lazy, ahem...I think I've disproven that with the last two paragraphs. Think what you like...my life is full.

The boy is taking three karate lessons each week and is loving it. He got his first stripe on his white belt this week and is progressing very nicely.

The girl has recovered most of her form in gymnastics and is nearly over her fear of backbends. She's working on some advanced techniques, and her coaches are so good with her, helping her to get her healed arm back to peak performance level.

She also has two baseball practices each week, and opening day was today. Her coach is quite possibly the best little league coach I've ever seen. Her team won today 13-6. And yes, she's the only girl out there, but she loves that.

My sweet honey fixed the cherub's broken window this week, so we can cross that off the list. He also got the kids a job mowing the grass and doing light yardwork in the neighbor's yard. They now officially make more money than I do.

The critters are all fine. The rodent is fully adjusted to life in our household, the cats don't care much for him at all, and all the fish are, well, getting along swimmingly.

I have lost 5 lbs. of my "found" weight this week, and while the pink one practices baseball, I run/walk three miles around the park trail. Say, that's where another chunk of my time goes...working out and/or reading while waiting for the kids to get done with their activity du jour.

Between the park runs and the morning treadmill walks, I'm on the way back down to actually fitting into all those clothes I bought last year. See, I gave away all my "fat" clothes last year when I dropped 30 lbs., and if I don't slim down before the weather changes, I'm gonna look really silly in shorts this winter. And I refuse to buy more clothes.

Celery sticks, anyone?

Sigh.

I'll Have the Half-Entree, Please

2008-09-08T15:46:00.000-07:00

My biggest fan is nagging me again to hurry up and post something. I don't write so well under pressure, so if this entry doesn't have as much panache as those to which you have become accustomed...blame her.

Okay, so you all want to know how baseball practice went Friday night for the pink one.

She caught the ball...once again...with her face. She has a big ol' black bruise right on her chinny chin chin. We have come to realize the glove we bought for her last year is much to small, no? Perhaps the batters and throwers need a BIGGER TARGET. Because she obviously needs more leather real estate between her and the ball.

Anyway, there's not much to tell about our weekend. I baked Amish Friendship Bread Saturday morning to share with our often-over-here friend for his birthday. I made two loaves of the regular stuff and two loaves with chocolate pudding and grated baking chocolate. Yum-a-licious.

I am still working on losing those pounds I "found" after I lost them last year. Dadgummit, why can't they just stay lost? Why is it a non-stop battle to keep up with which snack lands on which thigh? Huh??

The bright and sunny side of all this is that my sweet honey is working just as diligently to maintain his mega-loss from last year. So, our new agreement is that we will just buy one entree whenever we go out to eat. He picks one time, then I choose the next, instead of ordering separately and ending up with leftovers. I mean, we do that at home (I only cook enough for 3,) so why not out?

Actually it's been working out great. I am willing to eat just about anything, but often he'd opt for items from the menu I wouldn't consider getting. Like yesterday lunch, he ordered the prime rib sandwich. I guess that's just a guy kind of dish, because I would normally have gotten a girlie salad with some kind of grilled meat on top and some gooey dressing. However, I wasn't in a greenery mood yesterday, so I said, "Sounds good," to his order.

It was delicious! I snarfed down my half like I'd been fasting for weeks. And the cafe didn't even charge us for splitting the sandwich, so that was a plus, for sure. These next few months should be very interesting. He may even learn to like some new things, too.

Want to see someone make a curious face? Ask the chick at the drive-through to cut the burger in half for ya. It's a hoot.

Alright, that catches you up through the weekend. See? I told you it was boring. Today was just another day in homeschool paradise with our regularly scheduled lessons and chores. And, yes I walked on the treadmill. Three miles yesterday and two today. I'm being very good. I had to, after all that Amish bread. *giggle*

Feeling My Age. All 33 Years of It.

2008-09-04T18:05:00.001-07:00

Oh, shut up. It's my blog and I'll lie...er...stretch the truth if I want to.

So, did I run today? Why, no, and thank you so much for asking.

My body mutinied during the night, and I woke up with every muscle screaming colorful epithets at me as the sun rose through the trees. I lay in bed for forty minutes, just taking inventory, and then came to the undeniable conclusion that not only would I not be able to get in a run today, but I probably would not be able to wipe my behind without assistance.

Needless to say, I stayed indoors.

At least for the morning. Just before lunch, when, per the schedule, I typically force the children into the basement torture chamber for some old-fashioned jumping jacks, push-ups and crunches, I decided instead to drag them outside for a walk.

By then, the major muscle groups in my body had ceased twitching, and I was able to hold myself upright for more than a few minutes. So, we grabbed a timer and headed out.

We walked away from the house for 15 minutes, then turned around and walked back. Oh, the misery, the groaning, the aches, the pains...and that was just the kids! Actually, I was fine. The weather was delightful, the air was fresh, the route was predictable. So, I still got my gold star on the calendar even if my ears ached and my eyeballs got strained from rolling around so much after listening to all that complaining. You'd think I'd beaten them or something.

Anyway, tomorrow, I have very high hopes for hitting the conveyor belt in the morning twilight, and then finishing up the day with an evening jog with the pink one. Er...maybe the blue one. The pink one has baseball practice. And if it's anything like tonight, she won't be able to move. Can she absolutely not catch a ball without using an arm or a leg or, heaven forbid, her face? Did we buy the glove for naught?? Sheesh.

On the Run

2008-09-03T17:23:00.001-07:00

*Yawn* Okay, this one is going to be short and sweet, people. I'm exhausted!

I was up this morning at 6:00, walking on the treadmill. Then I ran a half a mile outside. Yep, a whole half a mile. You see, I have friends who are doing triathlons and running 5K races, pretty much making me feel like a slug. So, I fully intend to get back to running 2 miles a day like I used to before I got OLD. I mean it. And I don't care how much ibuprofen, acetaminophen, aspirin, cortisone and Geritol I have to take to do it.

School went well this morning, and we were right on track for our Wednesday schedule. We left right after lunch to run a couple of errands including our weekly library stop, then headed to park day. After a few hours at a local swimming hole, we headed home.

After dinner, the pink one and I headed out for a 4-mile walk/run around the neighborhood. We did pretty well, considering I'm old and she's 10. I think we managed to run about half of the route (the downhill parts, but hey, it's a start.)

Needless to say, I am so ready to shower and crawl between those Egyptian cotton sheets, well, words just aren't sufficient. I'm surprised I'm even coherent now.

School's In!

2008-09-02T17:40:00.000-07:00

Wheee! School started back today! I just love the first day of school.

Today, we stayed on track with our schedule, which was not too much of a surprise. The real shocker will be if we're sticking with it by Halloween. Stay tuned.

This school year, our subjects and the books we're using are:

Literature
The Chronicles of Narnia series by CS Lewis (We're on book 4-The Silver Chair.)
Selections from the Core Knowledge series (for cultural literacy)
Little Britches by Ralph Moody
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Age of Fable by Thomas Bulfinch

History
Ancients (We're using History Odyssey.)
Three to five appropriate library books each week, plus
The Story of Mankind
Tales of Egypt
The Golden Goblet
The Children's Homer
Greek Myths
Theras and His Town
Caesar's Gallic War

Science

We're studying Natural Science this year using:

The Handbook of Nature Study

Secrets of the Woods

First Lessons in Nature Study

and an online Nature Study course I found

Math

Math-U-See

Horizons Math 5th grade

fraction workbooks

and an online math teaching program

Personal Reading

The boy is reading Tom Sawyer and Carry On, Mr. Bowditch

The girl is reading McGuffey's Third Reader, Black Beauty and A Little Princess

Foreign Language

Rosetta Stone Spanish

Other Language Arts

Writing and Composition

Keyboarding

Sequential Spelling

English From the Roots Up

Explode the Code Phonics

Doesn't that sound like fun? I totally enjoy teaching my kids, and every day brings so much joy from seeing the understanding shine in their faces.

I even got up at 6:30 this morning to walk on the treadmill! Told you I love beginnings...

Anyway to all that, throw in karate, baseball, gymnastics and homeschool field trips, and we've got a busy year planned. At least until I burn out and run away from home. Heh.

When All Else Fails, Cut a Hole in the Door

2008-09-01T12:23:00.000-07:00

Gak. We did nothing today. Oh, the kids were off with the grandparents first thing this morning, and I walked two miles on the treadmill, but then somehow, my sweet honey and I didn't have the get-up-and-go to actually, you know, go anywhere. (At this point, I could totally blame it on my husband, because I was surely ready to head north at the crack of 9 AM, but I won't. Just remember though, I could.)

Anyway, we sat around for awhile and watched Gustav wreak havoc on the Louisiana coast. Then I got started on more first-day-of-school organizing because I am oh-so-good with that kind of thing in September. By Thanksgiving, I'm just glad it's over for the year.

My sweet honey installed a kitty door in our inside basement door so he and I don't spend yet another winter carping about the status of said door. I say "open" to let the cats come in and out as they see fit, and so they can do their business outside. He says "closed" because he's tired of heating and cooling the basement. Okay, I can see his point, however, I know for a fact that when cats don't have a litter box (hubs doesn't like them,) then the felines tend to use rather inconvenient places, e.g. the bathtubs and any clothes on the floor, to deposit small presents for us. Major ew.

He says the felines can just stay outside all winter, but I say, "No No" and sneak downstairs to open the basement door after he falls asleep, racing downstairs in the dark before dawn to close it again before he leaves for work. Heh. The hullabaloo begins when I forget to close the door before he discovers the breach.

Hence, the pet door. There's nothing that says "I hate your wretched cats, but I love you," like sawing a 4x4 hole in the bottom of a perfectly good interior door. That should take away yon problem, but I'm sure we'll find some other topic we can dispute in no time.

Rodent in a Pram

2008-08-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

If you had told me at any time in my life prior to today that I would be walking a guinea pig around the neighborhood in a baby stroller, I'd have told you that you had a screw loose.

And then it happened. Gandalf has been introduced to the world via a Graco pram. I'm still shaking my head. Did he like it? I don't know. He peeped out a lot and chirped a lot and snarfed some grass in the neighbor's yard. He appeared just as happy to go back into his cage, so I guess I haven't really figured out the critter's emotions. It'll come.

Other than playing with the new rodent, the last couple of days have been really quiet. I submitted some of my blog entries for consideration to be included in a book. (A real paper-and-cardboard book!) So, we'll see how that goes.

The kids got up and made breakfast for us this morning. And afterward I made Amish friendship bread from a new batch of starter I got 10 days ago. That is such a totally fool-proof recipe that I enjoy making it over and over.

Tomorrow the kids are going to a movie with Grammy and PapPap, and you know what that means! My sweet honey and I are headed to the north Georgia mountains for some scenery! Whoo hoo!

Then our "summer break" will be over and we'll get back to the business of home education. Can't wait.

As long as the home economics part of the curriculum doesn't include making outfits for the guinea pig. I draw the line at that.

Introducing Gandalf the Grey

2008-08-28T16:16:00.001-07:00

Well. It's official.

I mean, it's not like we have enough rodents passing through our house on a regular basis, no sir.

Now we OWN one.

Although I have to admit, he's pretty cute for a rodent. When I held him for the first time and he chuckled at me...I was hooked.

My daughter is beside herself with joy. Her weeks of guinea pig research and patience and extra, extra chores paid off in the best way.

Now, if we can just keep the cats from making him an hors d'oeuvre, we're golden.

Now We Know How Mary Poppins Did It

2008-08-27T15:36:00.000-07:00

M-kay. So, yesterday I was extolling the numerous positives of all the tropical -storm rain that was being bestowed upon our drought-ridden area. Perhaps I was a bit hasty.

Don't get me wrong. We need the rain and I love it, love it.

However.

My sweet baby girl was hanging out in her room, going over her guinea pig book yet again, when a huge gust of tropical wind swooped across the lake toward the house. She looked up just in time to see our patio umbrella whoosh straight for her window, and she had the presence of mind to bolt for her door.

I was downstairs reading email when I heard this:

CRASH!!

Terrified little girl shrieking...

"MOMMMEEEEEEEE!!!"

I raced up the stairs three or four at a time, I lost count, and met her, white-faced in the hallway, gasping for breath.

"WHAT HAPPENED?? ARE YOU OKAY??"

"THE UMBRELLA HIT MY WINDOW!"

Sure enough, there was a huge hole in the window, glass was everywhere and the umbrella was nowhere to be seen. I went outside and dragged the umbrella down from a tree, stuffed it in the basement, grabbed some plastic sheeting and some duct tape (because you all know duct tape can fix anything,) and tramped back up two flights of stairs to remedy the situation, all the while mentally kicking myself for not folding down the umbrella when I heard the storm was coming in the first place.

I taped up the plastic to keep out the wind and rain, then commenced to vacuum. And vacuum. And vacuum. I think we're still finding teeny little shards here and there all across the room, bed, dresser, hairbow basket, etc. The window glass was totally NOT tempered.

Sigh. Just as soon as we get one catastrophe repaired, along comes another. It'll probably be named Gustav.

Finally. Rain.

2008-08-26T05:18:00.000-07:00

I can't remember the last time I blogged about rain, but we are finally getting some serious precipitation here in the South! Fortunately for us, the remnants of Fay have graced us with their presence, and I'm gratefully looking out the window at velvet-grey skies and puddles in the street. Hallelujah. With Gustav on the way, it the outlook is even better for our area lakes and rivers.

According to the radar, it seems as if we'll get a little break just in time for gymnastics and karate, but either way is fine with me.

Okay...so...am I still hooked on Escape the Room games? Uh...yep.

Only, I've played all I could find online, (at least the ones that are in English and not Japanese,)so perhaps I can give my mouse-hand a much needed break today and actually get some housework done. I have rather grandiose plans for the beginning of school next week, (next week! Yay!) but I've somehow lost my momentum these last couple of days.

I'm thinking caffeine...and mass quantities of it.

Escape the Room

2008-08-25T05:55:00.001-07:00

Whoo hoo! What an awesome weekend!

In addition to all the fun things we did, (I won't bore you with all the details,) I stumbled upon some online games that I just LOVE.

They are known in general by the vague title, "Escape the Room" games. And for me, they are a lot like letterboxing (which I miss, by the way.)

Once the game loads, you find yourself locked in a room, which you then have to try to escape by locating various items around and under things and using them in clever ways to puzzle your way out.

Hours I spent with these games...HOURS. And I loved every minute of it. Well, for the time we were actually at home. The rest of the weekend we spent running around, having fun.

So. Now I have a trashed house, it's laundry day and I overslept. Sigh. I gotta get to work. Thank goodness we're on vacation this week!

How the Heck Did It Get Dark Already?

2008-08-21T17:29:00.001-07:00

Gak. I didn't do nearly what I'd planned today. Either that, or I planned too much, and what I did manage to do amounted to more than I think.

I didn't walk on the treadmill, I didn't do my yoga. Instead, I mega-tidied various upstairs rooms and forced the kids to do the same, I washed a couple of loads of towels and then I ordered some math curriculum.

Next thing I knew, it was time for karate. When the boy and I got home from that, we brush-kissed Dad and the pink one, and off they went to baseball practice.

While they were out, I tuned in to a web seminar about getting homeschooled kids ready for college. Never too early, I suppose.

And that's about it. Now that I see it in writing, I wonder exactly what I accomplished today. Hm. Maybe I should walk around upstairs and look again. I could have sworn I worked hard all day. I feel like it anyway.

Booster Shots!

2008-08-20T16:39:00.000-07:00

Another doctor visit, only this time for a regularly scheduled check-up. This time it was the little man, and it turns out he's fine.

Sort of.

We have a suspicion that he has Asperger's Syndrome, which is a pervasive development disorder on the autism spectrum. At first, we thought he had ADD, but when medication and occupational therapy failed to have any effect, we changed our investigation trajectory.

Anyway, we seem to be on the right path now, and hopefully we can get him into another occupational therapy session before the end of the year. (Another reason on my laundry list of reasons why I homeschool.)

Other than that, he's doing great physically, steadily climbing in a curve on the growth chart and hanging in there with vision and hearing and hemoglobin and all that other stuff they test.

He also got his 12-year booster shots...which he was none to happy to receive. But I'd rather have him be a little uncomfortable now than have to suffer through chicken pox, tetanus, or heaven forbid meningitis later.

After that, I took the kids out for burgers and fries, stopped by the library and then headed to the park for Park Day where we whiled away the hours with our homeschooling friends. Then we came home to find that Daddy had homemade pizza ready for us. Yum.

I spent some time after dinner searching around for a different math curriculum for the upcoming school year, and found a placement test for Math U See. I haven't told him yet, but the boy has to take it tomorrow...and he thought he was going to be on vacation for two weeks!

Once I find where he is, I'll be able to order the appropriate level. Math is my weak subject, and I'm still trying to discover his learning style. The girl will stay in Horizons, moving to the 5th grade book.

Outside that small detail, I have everything lined up for the big kick-off on the 2nd. The only thing missing is school pictures...and I hope to have those lined up soon. Right after I lose this last 10 lbs.

(I just KNEW I should have had pictures made last year when I'd dropped 30! Dang it! Now I have to do it all over again!)

Incentives...we all need incentives.

Day Two of Summer Break

2008-08-19T15:49:00.000-07:00

Okay, I confess. I'm lost on summer break. My carefully crafted schedule has virtually disappeared under the pretense of "being out of school." I don't know if I can NOT teach for two weeks. And what's really interesting...I don't think the kids are enjoying their free time as much as they thought they would.

We started the morning as usual, but after our breakfast meeting, I went upstairs and started my cleaning session. In about half an hour, I was kinda done, and I don't mean finished. I mean done with cleaning.

Something tells me I won't get very far with that attitude.

So, I did what any normal adult would do. I got on the computer and started reading things. Email, blogs, a homeschooling article. I signed up for a free college counseling seminar (it's never too early...) I went shopping for a new...um...mode of conveyance. Not that I'll get one, but it's fun to look. (For those of you who know me, you know what I mean. For those of you who don't...email me if you care and I'll tell you privately. Heh.)

Well, then I did all the laundry, because for some reason, I didn't get to it yesterday. Okay, so that was an accomplishemnt. Then I drank a cup of warmed-up leftover coffee from the upstairs pot just for the caffeine boost. Man, did that ever work. I started yelling at the kids to get off their butts and DO STUFF!

My daughter snapped to attention and said, "A little edgy, are we?"

I glared at her and said, "Caffeine."

She gave me a knowing look and went straightaway to work. Everyone knows that Mom is a pushover, but nobody messes with The Caffeine. Not nobody, not nohow.

After that, it was just a matter of getting ready for gymnastics, karate and grocery shopping from 4:15 to 6:15, followed by bringing in the groceries, putting away the groceries, blah blah.

Blah blah blah.

I'm ready for school to start back. I'm in my element there. I "get" teaching. I don't seem to get the other things like scheduling, cleaning, chores. Well, I kind of do, but still. I know what fits and what just hangs on me like a burlap sack.

Egad, I'm rambling. I either need more coffee or some Unisom.

Grits and Porridge and Weekend Bliss

2008-08-18T17:23:00.001-07:00

I am so unbelievably unsure where my time goes that I have no real excuse for not blogging since Thursday. Despite that, I am more than willing to at least bring you up to date, inasmuch as I can remember.

Friday, we wrapped up school (mostly) and after that, I don't know what happened to the rest of my day.

Saturday, we did stuff. Oh, yeah, the kids went to American Adventures with PapPap and my sweet honey and I hit the road, bound for Jasper and those awesome mountaintop roads I love so much.

Sunday, we headed to Clarkesville to an antique car show, followed by a pass through Helen and more beautiful scenic roads. Only it kind of rained a little on the way home...but that wasn't too much of a downer.

Then last night, we decided to re-process our grape syrup to see if we could get it closer to jelly, and while it's a little more jam-ish...it's still not jelly. And I don't care. I'm tired of the smell of boiling Concord grape juice and the nightmare of post-canning cleaning. And of seeing all those quart jars lined up on my counter and table AGAIN.

One thing we did yesterday was stop at a neat mill where we purchased some stone-ground grits and an awesome porridge mix. We had shrimp-and-grits for dinner, Louisiana-style, and the kids and I dove into a pot of delicious porridge this morning, complete with brown sugar and maple syrup.

Now, I, for one, cannot abide the texture of oatmeal in my mouth, but this porridge mix included grits, wheat and rice which was delightful on my tongue, especially when I added raisins to the bowl. I can hardly wait for breakfast tomorrow!

The boy was back in karate this afternoon, and has decided he wants to go three times a week. I think that's cool for him. He's finally found something he loves.

And I'm in full "clean the house and get ready for school" mode. The three of us will spend an hour in each room of the house over the next two weeks, deep-deep cleaning, so hopefully afterward we can just do the maintenance each week on our schedule.

Today, we tuned in to an awesome online class, "Learn the Greek Letters in One Hour." The kids absolutely loved the speaker, and now they know the names and sounds of all the Greek letters. We've decided to leave notes for each other around the house...English words written in Greek letters. What a hoot!

And, now, I'm off to read. I have several books to complete during these two weeks that should help me with planning, organizing and coordinating our subjects for the next school year. I've also been researching field trips that will fit in with our studies. Plus, now's the time for me to hit the After Back to School sales, now that the shopping frenzy has passed. Glue sticks for a nickel? Notebooks for a dime? Sign me up.

HI YAH!

2008-08-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

Today marks our first foray into martial arts. My apologies in advance to anyone whose children will be around my son in the forseeable future.

I know, I know, he's told he can only use his newfound skills on "the bad guys," but admittedly, it's hard to tell sometimes.

But, I've promised him severe repercussions should he make a bad decision and apply his self-defense moves on any friend or family member (or pet for that matter.) So, it remains to be seen if he takes the threat to heart.

Anyway, he did great in his first class this afternoon, and we have six whole months to work on the impulse control part of the discipline. Whee.

It's All In The Details

2008-08-13T18:54:00.000-07:00

I thought having both a PC and a working laptop would help me be able to update my blog on a regular basis, but as it turns out, I have two children who are quite computer literate, and who insist on having access to their favorite online sites with some regularity.

So, I either have to blog while the kids are asleep, or while they are stuck in the dentist’s chair, getting fillings. Since I’m more likely to be awake myself at the dentist’s than after 10:00 PM …here I am.

Now, about our “grape” adventure on Sunday…

We have a sweet little vineyard on the slope behind our house. It has all of four grapevines in it, and they curl and laze around cords strung between posts for that purpose. Since most of the grapes were purple, my sweet honey decided it was high time to bring in the harvest.

We took a large plastic tub out and snipped the clusters, dropping them into and nearly filling up the tub. Then we spent a bit of time de-stemming the fruit and picking out any greenies that slipped in.

Once we had the grapes inside, I had the kids sit on the edge of the sink while I scrubbed their little feet with antibacterial soap. You see where I’m going with this, don’t you? Yep…they stomped those grapes like the little Italians they are. What fun…and what a mess!

Afterward, we ran the smooshed grapes through the juicer…uh…yes, I understand that would have been faster from the get-go, but then the kids wouldn’t have had the memories of first-hand grape-stomping, eh?

We ended up with something like 14 quarts of raw grape juice, with only enough pectin and sugar to process a third of it into jelly. And, like the improvising people that we are, we plodded ahead with all 14 quarts. And, as I said…we ended up with grape juice. I’m sure we can process that further into jelly, just as soon as I get some more ingredients.

Now, while all this was going on, I decided to grind some grain and make some bread. Not a difficult task, but it does involve getting out the bread machine, the grain mill, and various bowls and measuring implements to fight for counter space alongside all the jelly-making implements.
In addition to all that, I had to get the roast beast on the grill spit in order to have dinner ready by the time the bread was done. And that involved getting out the pork shoulder I’d brined all night, sprinkling on the dry-rub and skewering the thing on the rotisserie rod.

In the process of trimming the pork, I ended up with a nice hunk of fat. I recalled somewhere from deep in my memory bank about cracklings, you know, rendered pork fat. I grinned, snagged my cast iron skillet from the closet and popped it outside on the grill and added in the fat. It sizzled and bubbled down to a wonderful bowl of crispy cracklins and sent bacon smell all around the neighborhood. I had the bright idea to mix them in with some cornbread mix and make fritters, but, uh, we tasted them all gone. Heh.

So, I boiled some red taters for potato salad and opened a can of beans, and that was dinner, along with that scrumptious, fall-apart roast and fresh, hot bread. Yum. But by the end of the day, my kitchen was destroyed and took over an hour to reclaim.

No wonder I had no energy to blog. But, still, the day was fun and productive and filled with memory-making events. I’m wondering how difficult it would be to turn all that sweet grape juice into wine…

Monday was a plain old boring Monday, but I didn't have my pictures ready to post. Yesterday was just a plain old boring Tuesday, but I didn’t have the gumption to blog. So, maybe I can’t always blame the kids…although they were both on the computers last night.

I found this really cool downloadable program that teaches them how to create 3D animation. Needless to say, they both loved it, and spent quite a bit of time going through the tutorials and practicing what they’d learned. Technology rocks.

Anyway, the girl is officially back in gymnastics as of last night and is doing well with her healed arm. I'm trying to get the boy in some kind of karate class. We have another evaluation tomorrow.

So, here I am, hanging out in the waiting room of the dentist, happy it’s not me back there. Little Miss Sweet Tooth nearly always has some issue with her teeth, and Mr. I Hate To Brush is usually called on his dental hygiene habits as well. Fortunately, all his problems are with his baby teeth. Apparently, they don’t make ‘em like the permanent ones, and they get cavities more easily. The girl, however, well…let’s just say her fillings will be with her a long time. Like mother, like daughter. A-hem.

Okay, that’s all the news that’s fit to print. I’ll be back the next time the computer is free.

Updated for the end-of-Wednesday report:

So much for posting when we got back from the dentist. Actually, we didn’t get back. That is, we went from there to the library and then to the bowling alley for park day. Then there was the impromptu stop at Hobby Lobby. The boy wanted a hydraulic machine building kit, and the girl had been begging me to get her some fabric so she could practice sewing.

Mission accomplished an hour later, we headed home and snarfed pizza topped with grape juice…ok, not that. Then a friend of ours stopped by for a bit. So, NOW here I am. And here I go…