Mistletoe

After our errands on Tuesday, we turned into our driveway - "Stop Honey, Look" as Mike is trying to pull the car up the drive. "Look at the pretty cat hiding in the grass" Everyone looks out the window and Mike decides to get out to see if it is friendly. She is, and now all the boys want to come pet her. Yes, we are a cat family. Her coat is nice and she doesn't feel like skin and bones so Mike and I figure she's a barn cat from the area (since she still has her claws). Mike pulls up the car to park and the boys and I walk up the driveway to the house. HMMM the cat follows us. Pete begs us to let him feed her and we do. She gobbles food like she hasn't eaten in some time. Pete then gets some old towels and a plastic storage bin, puts them partically under the camper for shelter and in the cat goes. Next morning she is still hanging around. Everytime we go outside she runs over for attention. Pete feeds her dinner again. He is very angry at us when we explain to him, yet again, that we can not keep her, we already have 2 cats who don't get along, we are NOT adding a third one to the mix, let alone the expenses of declawing and fixing her. She is pretty - light gray with white stockings on her feet. I starated to call her Mistletoe (Missy for short), based on the season and her white toes. I know, Honey, we can't keep her.......but she's so nice!!!!

Fa La La La La

Tuesday after the boys get home from school there were a flurry of errands that needed to be run, all before 5, when everything closes in our small town. I had to wait for the boys since they needed to sign checks to deposit in savings accounts and 2 of 3 needed glasses adjusted at the eye Dr. Since the "big" boys don't get off the bus until 4:10, that leaves little time to accomplish things. We decided to divide and conquer. Most items needed to be done in one plaza, however we had documents for the adoption to mail off to the Secretary of State, and the post office is across town. Darling Husband drops me and the kids at the eye Dr, then we will walk across to the bank while he goes to the post office and comes back to pick us up, he can fill the grill's propane tank in the plaza so he can gill out for dinner (yeah, honey!). Step one proceeds as planned, however when we went to the bank the lobby closed at 4:30 (it is now 4:45). UHHHH. Call to Hubby, where are you? Is the post office busy or are you close, we have to go through the bank DT. Luckily he's on the way.....boys pile in the car, I hand out hard surfaces to write on and pens and begin throwing things at boys "You sign this, You sing that...." mom collects everything and through the DT we go - good thing I keep deposit tickets at home and those were ready. I had thought this was just a few simple errands during Christmas week - yeah, right.

Fingerprinting

Yesterday we had our appointment to be fingerprinted by the US Dept of Immigration/Homeland Security. It was for 9 AM and we had about a 2 hour drive to a town we had never been to before. We ran MapQuest the night before and had Lula (the GPS) in the glove box in case we needed her. We left in plenty of time, got to the right town.....and our directions took us off course (we ended up on Blah Blah Court, instead of Blah Blah Plaza). OK, break out Lula, and she takes us to the same place as MapQuest. HHMMM, it says this building is South of "Such and Such Mall", on "Such and Such road"..... Turn around, plug the Mall's name into Lula and off we go again. OOOHHHH, the address they gave is not the name of the road, is is the name of the plaza a strip mall is in. Now, silly me, I expected a large govenment building, maybe something like a Court House. Nope, a store in the stip mall, with the first half of the sign missing so we had to find it by the store address number. What a let down. Our letter of invitation to be fingerprinted had expressly stated no cameras or cell phones would be allowed, so again figuring it would be similar to a Court House experience, we left all knives (just Stanely knives, folks), tools (learned that one when Mike had to run his wire strippers out to the car before we could go into the court house to get a copy of something he needed), and our phones in the car. I was ready for my purse to be searched and to walk through the metal detector. Another let down, there was a security gaurd, but he only checked our ID to our letter and gave us paperwork to fill out. No metal detectors, no bag search, they didn't even question us to whether we were carrying a cell phone. There was no wait, and I think we were in and out of the office in about 10 minutes (counting my potty break before we got back into the car for the 2 hour ride home). Seemed like a long drive for such a quick process. But our eye is on the prize and we are closer to making Zach a permanent member of our family.

Jingle Bells, Jingle All The Way

There are several advantages to living in a small town. One of which are some of the "Norman Rockwellish" scenes of daily life. Now, add to the small town, our heavy Amish population and the storybook pictures come to life. On Tuesday night we had about 6 inches of snow fall, and as a result there was a 2 hour school delay on Wednesday morning. While Zach and I were out at the end of the driveway waiting for the bus, Zach had a ball throwing himself into the snow face first and making snow angels on his belly (don't worry, he was wearing all his snow gear). All of a sudden, I saw something that I thought he just had to see so I called him to my side. Right then, in front of the drive way came a horse, pulling not the usual buggy, but a sleigh with an Amish lady driving. "Look, Zach, it's a "One horse open sleigh!" All she was missing were the sleigh bells.

The Clothes Horse

Well, yesterday after doing a particularly large mound of laundry, then trying to squeeze it into the closet, I told my darling husband it was time to clean out the closet. Actually it was only his closet. I learned very shortley after moving in here, that he had no room to share in his closet. He has about 7 feet of closet rod, and I had to have him give me my own closet last winter. I don't think anyone who knows him would ever imagine he is such a clothes horse, I know I never would have believed it. He usually wears the same 10 shirts all the time and he always wears jeans. I now have a huge pile of shirts in the middle of the bedroom floor I need to go through today to see which are good enough to donate and which to throw away. Even so, not counting his work clothes, which are what he wears 90% of the time (and some shirts he called work shirts just so he didn't have to count them later), he counted 33 short sleeve shirts in his closet, and he didn't bother to count the long sleeve (that number is AFTER he weeded out the stuff to get rid of!). He even gave Pete some things so he didn't have to count them in the number of shirts donated or what he still had in the closet. I then told him (as he is pulling out the "skinny" jeans - that he hasn't been able to wear in 2 years) I bet he has 25 pair of jeans (not counting those skinny jeans). He tells me there is no way he has that many and begins to count to prove me wrong. As he sheepishly got to pair number 23, he conceeded that he had an awful lot of jeans. He also has 2 black winter jackets, his Carhart jacket, his wool dress jacket, his "good" everyday jacket, his red mid-weight jacket......... Then to try to save face at the very end, he says "But when is the last time I went out and bought clothes for myself?" (insert attitude here). I very sweetly said "Well, Honey, does that count the times you tell me you need me to get you shirts for the rally, or more jeans because they are on sale?"
"No" as he walked away.

You Are Cordially Invited....

We received our invitation in the mail yesterday to have our fingerprints taken by the Dept of Homeland Security for our adoption of Zach. Some invitaion, they apparently never went to Peggy Post's school of manners and ediquette, since we are "invited" to have our fingerprints taken on This day, at This time and if we don't come our application will be thrown out. And, by the way, it is invitation only, so don't forget to bring your invitation or you will not be admitted. Good thing Mike has a few vaction days left that he has not managed to take this year since work has been so busy. Things are finally feeling like they are moving along again.

Pumpkin Smashing

A week after Halloween, the big boys, who carved their pumpkins, had to throw them into the garden - you know how they begin to look with wrinkled, sunken faces. They were protesting, until they found how squishy they already were. It might have been a challenge to get them to the garden in one piece if they waited any longer. Mike, Zach and I had used "Mr. Potatoe Head" parts, that were sold as Halloween costumes for Pumpkins this year. Since all we had done was drill holes for the pieces to stick into, our pumpkins lasted much longer. In fact, we just sent them out to the garden on Sunday. When we got home from church, I decided they had to go, bad spots were appearing. Pete thought he would be the cool teenager, and tried to jerk up the first one by the stem so he could take it, and chuck it into the garden. The look on his face when the stem just pulled off, along with the pumpkin skin around it was priceless as he looked at what he was holding in his hand. That was it, he grabbed it by the bottom, took it to the edge of the garden and chucked it, cheering as it smashed. Well, not be be out done, Zach wanted to smash his. These were big pumpkins so Pete helped him carry it to the garden and told him to throw it as hard as he could (not to worry, he could only send it in about 2 feet). Then was Mike's turn to dispose of his. Mike (never to be taken too seriously) did a granny throw, between his legs, straight up into the air, and down it came with a huge splat. Who knew.....I just would have tossed them into the garden. I didn't realize pumpkin smashing would become a competive sport in our house.

Eye Doctor

I don't think I mentioned the mishap we had with Zach and his glasses earlier this month. When Zach came to us, we were handed a pair of glasses and told they were reading glasses for him. Since it was summer, I put them up in a drawer, figuring I would get them out for him once school started. Then I took him for his pre-kindergarten well child visit for vaccanations and all that good stuff. When he was asked to read the eye chart, he could not see most of it. HHMMM. Maybe those glasses are for more than just reading, heck, who knows who got them for him or when. Mental note to check the perscription on them with the eye doctor, since again, who knows when he got them. He wears them, but he complains about it. In the beginning of November I called to make eye appointments for all 3 boys, Pete was due, Steve was complaining about his vision, and I wanted to check Zach's glasses. That very day, Zach comes home from school, minus his glasses. Now one of his coping techniques is to stare off into space with a blank look on his face. So, when I asked him where his glasses were, I got the blank look. After much prodding, someone knocked them off his face at recess, and since he doesn't like them, he didn't bother to pick them up. He and I went back to look for them on the leaf covered playground, with no success. The office and his teacher knew to watch for them, but there is not much hope at this point. Today was our appointment day. Zach has an astigmatism, and is very mildly far sighted. The eye doctor wasn't even positive he needed glasses other than to correct the astigmatism. Pete only had one eye change - yeah, only buying one lense for him, and Steve had both eyes change a lot. I was debating getting Zach the glasses, after all, if he doesn't like to wear them, and doesn't need a lot of correction, maybe he could skip them for a year or two. But NOOOO, Zach wanted glasses. So we had to pick him new frames - had to send the big boys away from us for that, they were just causing more confusion than was necessary. I had just told Mike we were about $800 away from qualifying for our medical tax deduction this year. We just went a long way towards being there now!! Guess I better be careful what I say from now on.

BRR

It has gotten cold!! We even had enough snow for the boys to go sledding last Thursday night. Zach was thrilled with the snow - even the new boots, snow pants, heavy gloves and ski mask - Steven had the job of getting him dressed for the outside and it was fun to watch. I think Steven will make a good dad some day - he has a lot of patience with Zach. This weekend the temps will go back up again, and I plan to use that time to get some of my outside Christmas decorating done- yes, Dad, I know it's not even Thanksgiving yet.

I am getting ready to host Thanksgiving this year. The last time I hosted Thanksgiving, Steven was 2 months old. I know my mom and sister will remember how chaotic things got after everyone had a chance to hold and feed the baby - I took him to bed and boy was he sick!! Let's hope this time is not so memorable.

Back To Work

I got called back to my part time receptionist job at H&R Block. It is only a couple of weeks for 2011, then 3 or 4 weeks in 2012, but all that money goes directly to our Chinese Adoption fund! I really like this job, wish I could find something like it to do all year long.

Swallowing our Pride

As the adoption of Zach procedes, the bills are adding up. I never realized the hefty expense assiciated with adoption. First is the adoption agency fees. Silly me, I thought this is all that there would be when we started this process. Next was a fee to China just to consider our pre-apporval. Then the cost of the Home Study to the agency that sent the social worker. Fees to the Chinese consulates and Currier services to take our documents in and save us the money of travel. I just sent off the check (ouch) to the Dept of Immigaration/Homeland security. Once that is apporved, there is another round of fees to China. Then our travel expenses for 3 of us for 16 days. When we get to China, there is the payment to make to the orphanage for raising Zach as long as they did.......taking a hard look into our financial situation, we decided to apply for some grants to see if we could get a little help. Unfortunately, many of those require we do community fundraising ourselves first, or pledge money we can get donated for matching grants. So, we are biting the bullet and putting together a couple of fundraisers. One strictly for the town we live in - flocks of flamingos will be landing in yards - people will then call us and pay us to take those ugly things away, or to place them in a yard of their choosing. Flamingo insurance can also be bought to make sure they don't land in your yard. This will require early mornings for me to move 2 flocks of birds around, but this should be lots of fun. I am also going to do a gift wrapping day for Christmas gifts and hoping to get some stores to offer me a reduced price on wrapping and then ask people to donate for the wrapping of their gifts- don't be surprised if I call on some of you to come help me wrap........I'll bring the cookies and Christmas music!!

My Resolution

I have been a bad, bad blogger. I am making my resolution now, instead of waiting until New Year's Eve, to blog at least 2 days every week. I had under estimated the toll it would take on me to add a child to the house hold. He may be 6 chronilogically, but emotionally he is more like 3 or 4. He tries to stuff all the love he didn't recieve up until now into the time he is spending with us. While I melt a little every time he sweetly asks me for a hug, it gets tiring having him hanging off my leg, holding onto the pocket of my jeans and following me around the house, wanting me to cuddle in the chair or read him a story. When he a couple of weeks after he came to live with us, Ke Ji seemed to bond with Mike. Everywhere that Mike went Zach would follow. That was fine with me, boys need a good male role model and Mike has infinate patience with kids. But the last month or so has turned that around and he is my little shadow. I know from past child rearing experience his parent of choice will flip flop many times, but isn't it Mike's turn again yet?

Adoption

I have added an item to the side of the Blog, documenting our adoption journey, so those of you asking how things are going, have a reference to refer to. It is a tedious job of gathering documents for each agency needing things, many of them redundent, but everyone needs their own copies. Several things had to be the official Court House copies, but the ones we had in our files weren't good enough, because they had to be dated within the last 6 months. Things then need to be notorized, then off to the appropriate Secretary of State to have the Notary Authenticated (credentials checked) by the State. Then they go off to the appropriate Chinese Consulate (different zones in the country must use certain Consulates). The Consulate will then Authenticate the Secretary of State's credentials. So, Mike's Ohio birth certificate needed to go off to the New York Consulate (which has been Consulate Authendicated now), and all our other documents will need to be sent off to the Chicago Consulate. I am getting ready to send everything I have ready off to the Secretary of State on Monday. Then the only thing that will need to be finished is our approval from the Dept of Immigration/Homeland Security, to State Authenticate and send everything off to the Chicago Consulate. After that, all our documents (our Dossier) get sent in to the Adoption Agency for final apporval, and translation to Chinese. They will then bind it all into a nice report and send it, along with several pictures of us, in to China. We then have a chance to breath while we wait for China to give us their final approval. We will then get 1-2 weeks notice that it is time to travel. Mike and I will then have to take Zach and head to China for approximately 16 days. When we come home, Zach will be adopted and a citizen of the United States of America. Wish us luck, and for speedy government agencies!!!

Sold

Darling Hubby and Darling Oldest went to the rental house yesterday to pick up the walnuts (poor squirrel, his good fortune gone as fast as it came). They took them over to the house that does the walnut hulling. So, they had to dump all the barrels into the "huller" which takes off that outer hull. They said that after they get done doing walnuts, those hulls get ground up and put out on their fields for fertlizer. Once the hulls are off, the walnuts get weighed and then they pay per pound. Last night we had 126 pounds turned in and they gave us a check for $13.83. For those of you not wanting to do the math, that's 11 cents per pound. Guess we're not going out to Red Lobster on our earnings, but it will buy us a pizza. The boys dreams of hitting it rich by planting a grove of walnut trees on our land here, are fizzeling.

Walnuts

I have accepted the fact that I am getting old. I turned 40 this year and things I used to do without much thought have required more effort. Things that didn't used to bother me required a good dose of ibuprofen to survive. Last night we went up to the rental house to mow. We have 2 big walnut trees in the yard and this week they did the big nut dump, so we had to pick up walnuts before we could mow. We started with having the 2 big boys mowing while Zach and I worked under one tree and Mike worked under the other one picking up the nuts. Wow, there were a ton of them. And the leaves that had started falling were not helping. We picked up a bunch, feeling under the leaves as we went. Then Mike came to get a rake. Great idea. I raked lightly, which moved the leaves, without picking up the nuts, and uncovered way more than I thought could possibly be left. The big boys mowed what they could and then started helping with nuts so they could continue. Zach was a little nut collecting machine!! He matched me bucket for bucket, everytime I was ready to dump my 5 gallon pail into the trash can, he was ready to dump too. We all picked up about 4 1/2 trash cans full of nuts and left them in the barn until we can come back for them with a trailer tonight and take them to an Amish place in our neighborhood who husks walnuts. (We figure the squirrel who is living in the barn is going to think he died and went to heaven - his winter supply right there, without any work!) They also buy nuts people collect and bring to them. We are hoping for enough money out of them to pay for a nice dinner for a family of 5. Last night there was a line in front of me when I got out the bottle of ibuprofen, everyone except Zach already aching. This morning, another line after everyone stiffened up over night. I think I actually feel a little better than the teenagers did this morning......

Tired but fun

This week my nephew and I had a community service project to knock out before he goes back to school. As his confirmation sponsor, I have been very much a part of his journey of faith this year. I must say, I have been a sponsor before and just had to show up to the church the night before confirmation for a rehearsal and then the next night for the event. This time I have been to several class periods, done a couple of projects, and grown much closer to this nephew who resists hugs and any show of emotion. And having a conversation with him??? Forget about more than a 2 word answer. I went to the big city on Thursday, where we were handing out shoes to needy children for school. We chatted all day, no long awkward silences over dinner when just the two of us went to Taco Bell, and had a great time. He got to also count those 7 hours not just for our confirmation hours, but they also are going toward the hours he needs for school. We both had fun - it's nice to make the kids smile because they are happy with their school shoes. By the end of the day, I was in desperate need of ibuprofin (which my sister provided before my 2 hour drive home, on which I stiffened WAY up), and a hot bath - I hurt from my lower back to my ankles from all the stooping over and getting up and down off the ground to check shoe sizes, go find shoes to bring out, fit them on the kids, and repeat until we found shoes they liked. Yesterday was a steady dose of ibuprofin and rest as my hip and ankles continued their protest. (One job I can cross of my list of what I want to be when I grow up- shoe sales person) But it was a lot of fun and a great day with my nephew.

Home Work

Last night, Handy Hubby built us a homework station in the dining area of our combination dining / living room. It's nothing fancy, a piece of counter top attatched to the wall in the corner with a leg to support the unattached side. The horror of this is that the boys can't see the TV from there - what mean, abusive, awful parents we are! I bought a rolling organization station to slide under this desk top - complete with purple (they didn't have pink) stapeler and battery pencil sharpener (girly colors so the boys don't walk away with them to disappear forever into the dark hole of the bedrooms). My laptop has found it's way to this counter since this year both boys are assigned homework to do on line as well as our regular handouts or assignements out of the book. 2 classes even have textbooks on line so if the kiddos don't bring home their book, we can still access the text for clarification - I am praying math has this same feature, as they NEVER remember to bring this book home and of course, we have to look up what we are supposed to be doing - 2 boys taking Pre-algebra this year who, unfortuanately, don't seem to be at the same place in the book and we are only a week into the year. Last night they both had on line home work. My dining room table has been full between my computer and the other things that always seem to land there when kids come home. As I type I am here at the homework station thinking this is pretty nice - I may have to look into hanging a shelf here too.....

Fun, Fun, Fun

Pete trying out skateboarding while we waited to ride horses

Zach loved playing with the kittens

Cool sculpture!

Our Last Summer Fling

As our end of the summer treat, we met some friends, went to play in Lake Michigan and then back to their farm for horse back riding. Everyone had a great time on the horses - especially Zach. He started out scared, but by the end of the day, he just wanted to keep riding. Steven was confident enough to kick his horse up to a trot - then promptly fell off. After a heart to heart talk with his horse, he got back on before the end of the day to keep his courage up. Boy, did my legs hurt for the next couple of days. I haven't ridden a horse since I was Steven's age. And for Mike it had been about the same amount of time- we won't wait nearly so long before the next time.

School Has Begun

The first day of the new school year is always an exciting time, but the first day of school EVER, well, that's an especially big deal! A long day of all day Kindergarden, a long bus ride home, and a tired boy - but what a day!!

Back In Business

Let's see, since the last time I posted we went on our overnight campout for our Great Lakes BE group for Steven. We talked to a very nice family who had an 11 year old boy they had adopted from China with Bladder Exstropy. She actually has adopted 3 children from China, 2 boys with birth defects, and has a great family. She was telling us that the agency she got her kids through -which brings kids with medial needs over on medical visas for treatment and then hopes a family will adopt them before they have to go back- calls her now and then to either see if she can host a child or if she knows of anyone who could. She had a little boy who had lived with her for a short time as a host family she was supposed to pick up that next weekend from the family he was now living with in Tenn to fly him to Texas to live with the family who wanted to adopt him. We told her that if she heard of a little girl needing a home, she should let us know - we might be interested. 2 days later, I got a call from this lady saying the home for the boy she was telling us about had fallen through and would we consider giving a home to this 6 year old boy, Keji. We told her it was too sudden for us to commit to adoption, but we would host him. That was on Tuesday. The following Sunday we were welcoming Zach (his American name) into our home. It has been 2 weeks now and we have fallen in love. It's not perfect, things aren't always easy for any of us while we are adjusting, but we are making it work. School starts tomorrow and Zach is going to Kindergarden. Pete has been an awsome big brother - he even volenteered to share his room with Zach. Wish us luck.

Feel the Heat

We went camping through some of the hottest weather of the season. The first 3 days, the heat index was well into the 100's, including the day we drove down. The trip was only supposed to take about 2 1/2 hours, and luckily this year hubby didn't have to pull a work trailer, so that meant he could drive our car and trailer and I just followed in the van he was to use while he worked the rally. A big improvement to last years LONG trip, the 5 hour drive that acutally took about 7, with me pulling the camper and Mike calling me the whole drive telling me to drive faster, there are speed minimums on the highways.....'nough said. He told me the A/C didn't work real well in the van I would be driving but it should be ok for the drive. It was, with the front vents blowing on me. About half way down Mike stopped along the side of the road and came back to talk to me. As I rolled down the window he growled at me to put it up and he got in - soaked in sweat. After I asked what was wrong, I found out the A/C in our SUV had gone out and they were dying of heat in there. We arrived at the campground and my car was making awful noises, the check engine light was on, and no A/C - all 3 hours from home. At check in we asked where the nearest Chevy dealer was - of course it is now Sat evening, they are closed for the weekend now. We did get it in Monday and my beloved car was back before the end of the week with a new A/C compressor, new air filter and a big bill. Gotta love these relaxing vacations!!

stupid, stupid girl

We spent last week away camping. Mike was on assignment from work to do service at his company's national RV rally, and the boys and I went along. We had the weekend before and the weekend after the rally to play as a family, and there is an amusement park and water park in the area. The first weekend, we met up with some friends to take all the kids to the parks. We had a good time, so the following weekend we went back - the rally had included tickets for the family. As with the time before, when we got to the park, I sprayed everyone down with sun screen for a day of fun, then I sprayed myself. This time I wore my suit so I could play in the water too. Oops, I forgot that when I sprayed I had on my sundress/bathing suit cover up. After an afternoon in the lazy river we went back to the camper and by evening I realized my mistake bacause I now have a badly sunburned back. Why oh why didn't I think of that? I am so fair that I burn from simply thinking about the sun. I am now anxiously waiting for the day I can wear a bra again, can lean back comfortably in a chair, stretch my arms without pain, and not have to worry a hug will hurt. I was a stupid, stupid girl. Lesson learned.

Biking the Trails

Last night we took our first ride on the new bike trail that has opened about a mile from our home. It's really nice, because the roads around us are very hilly and a tiring ride, the trail is flat, freshly paved, and our 2 mile ride comes our right into the parking lot of Dairy Queen in town. Our reward for biking in the heat last night was a small cone and then back home again. It was a nice family evening.

Ice Cream Anyone?

Today was a hot, humid, rainy Monday. We had gone out this morning to run errands, which included taking the boys to the grocery store. As a treat, we bought ice cream, and this afternoon, the boys and I sat down to a dish. Steve sat on the floor and Sadie, the little beast, sat down next to him, hoping for some too. The boy held his dish away from her (it seemed to be at least a foot away from her nose) and tried to get her to lay down and be good while he enjoyed. The boys have commented for a year on how long her tongue is, it is often hanging out the side of her mouth, sometimes laying directly on the floor while she is resting. Today they saw what that LONG tongue is good for - while Steve was trying to get her to lay down, she stuck that tongue out right into his bowl and had herself a good lick!! Steve (my teenage boy who never seems to be full anymore) looked into his bowl, shrugged his shoulders, and said, "Oh, well, I'll eat it anyway - it is ice cream!"

My Husband The Spy

The people Mike works with when he travels to China are here. No, not in my house right now, that would just be rude to type about them while they were sitting in front of me. They called Mike two nights ago and invited him to go to dinner with them, so off he headed (leaving the boys and myself on our own) to meet the Chinese delegation at the Mexican restaurant (Gotta love that!). When he got there he found that the head of the American company that was sending Mike to work in China (but who has not called Mike to do anything more with that project in a little over a year) was also there - can you say AWKWARD? So, they shared a nice meal and Mike came home much earlier than I planned to see him - their interpreter had left a message on the answering machine that they wanted Mike to go out with them to share drinks of Chinese alcohol with them - some of you must remember how awful that stuff tasted, and know that it is VERY potent stuff, from when we brought some of it to my sister's birthday party last summer. On the good side, Mike's former boss ended up buying his meal along with everyone else's that night. Petty to take pleasure in that, I know, but he kept our life up in the air for a couple of years by always saying the next China trip was coming soon - then hurry up and wait. They would send him for however many weeks (every trip was different) but he almost always stayed double what we were told, and when he was working in Bejing the summer they hosted the Olympics, he had to come home 2 weeks before it started - how cool would it have been to see the Olympics in person! Last night he got another call from his Chinese friends that this time they want to meet with him, without the American company there, in the next day or two. In the past they have mentioned to Mike they might like to hire him directly and by-pass the American company. He says he feels like a secret agent meeting with the Chinese without the American's knowing!

Day 1

Summer vacation for the boys officially began yesterday. In the late morning to early afternoon things went pretty smoohly, as we ran some errands and took care of some of those dreaded (for the boys) need to do things. After we got home, Pete hit the craft bucket that I set out for summer things to do. He decided to paint (washable, water based) and he was good about protecting the floor and the table. I thought I was on top of things, when he was done, I had him dump his brush water right away. Told him to get the paint put away and throw out those paper plates he was using as his artist's palate. OK, living room looks good, don't see anything to cause an unfortuanate accident. Day 1 of vacation is a success. Almost. Add to that an overgrown Saint-Newfie puppy who likes to dig in the trash, and what do you get? Yellow paint footprints all over the kitchen lineoleum (sp?) and then in through the hardwood to the area rug.....until Mike tackled her and we could decide how to handle this mess. Pete picked up the trash spread all over the floor and got out the mop to clean the kitchen floor. Steve got out a bucket for warm water and gated off the second walkway to the kitchen. (they thought it was funny that when I saw the amount of paint on the floor, I just used the kitchen sink sprayer to get water on the floor to mop). We cleaned up the kitchen then Steve drug Sadie into the kitchen for her clean up. She was not sure why we were washing her paws with all that warm water and wiping up the floor more as we went. She was then shut into the kitchen until she dried - we could not get all the yellow paint out of her fur. Then to the tan area rug in the living room - spot stain cleaner, paper towel, the home steam cleaner, more water.......repeat, repeat, repeat. I'm so glad it was the yellow she seemed to like instead of the blue or green - the yellow was bad enough to get out of the carpet. This morning our clean up area appears to have been a success. That paint may have to go......

FHA

So, WAYYYY back in high school, I was a member of the FHA (Future Homemakers of America). In fact I was more than just a member, I was the State Parlimentarian my Senior year of high school. My Home Ec teacher from high school, who was also the FHA advisor, contacted as many members as she could to come to a school board meeting Monday night where she was going to present the FHA scrapbook to the school for the archives and then we were having a mini reunion of past FHA members. She wanted all 6 of us who had been state officers to say a few words about what the FHA meant to us. Somehow, all those years ago she saw something in me that I didn't even know was there. She made a shy, introverted teenager confident enough to run meetings and conventions, stand on stage and make speaches to large groups. And I think she did that for all of us. It wasn't a group with the primary function to make us ready to stay home and raise a family. We learned a lot of life skills, especially as state officers - I had to take ediqute classes (so I never feared the large banquets we had with McDonalds - I always knew which fork, glass, or plate to use), I learned how to stand on stage like a lady (no fig leaf pose with your hands clenched in front of your stomach, and be sure the heel of your right foot is touching the middle of your left) also very helpful with my time as a restaurant manager doing lots of presentations. Don't use non words such as UUHHHMMMM when you are speaking - practice that speach and know what you are going to say. My friends and I competed in Parlimentary Procedure, so we learned team work, taking turns, organization, and how to function when a decision needs made and a plan has to come together. I look back at that time fondly. As I was getting dressed to go to the meeting, I noticed as I was going back upstairs for someting that the hem had come out of one of the legs of my slacks. I briefly thought "what quick fix can I use?", and then "OH, I guess if I am representing the Future Homemakers of America, I should get out my needle and fix it right" I did (and it only took a couple of minutes). I had a great time Monday.

More Preperations

Today, I applied for a pass port. My first ever. This will serve several purposes - 1) To have when my parents venture off to Alaska 2) To have when we travel - my husband SSOOO wants to take me over seas someday 3) To have in case Mike's China job that rears it's head every now and then ever comes to be. That means Mike and I will both have them, however the boys do not. They are so expensive, and kid's ones are only good for 5 years instead of the 10 years for an adult pass port. If they ever need them for sure, we will get those. I looked into the pass port cards that are good for Canada and Mexico, but they are only good for driving, not flying and only for those 2 countries.

The Coffin Maker

The other day, Mike came home for a few minutes and told me he was going to take Pete with him and they were going over to see the Amish coffin maker....... I know that Pete has been getting himself into plenty of trouble lately, so this was a worrisome pronouncement. Off they went leaving Steve and I scatching our heads and wondering just how this was going to play out. They came home with the back doors of the van tied shut with string.....Oh, no, must be they bought something - what was I going to see when the doors opened? It was actually the custom baseboards for the rental house - since we made one bedroom into two, we had to trim both sides of the wall. Since we could not go down to the Home Depot to buy 150 year old trim from the lumberyard, we had to either find someone to make what we had or re-do the rest of those rooms. I knew Mike's friend had recommended someone to make it, but I did not know it was going to the coffin maker! He picked up the big parts that were ready and has to go back later for the smaller pieces. But ever since he was there, he has been talking about the great craftsmanship on the coffins and the extrememly reasonable prices. I told Mike not to waste our money, just put me in a pine box and dig a hole behind the retaining wall (we are still adding fill dirt to that area anyway!). He pointed out where this shop was to me last night on the way to Steve's band concert. I'm beginning to worry about the motives of a husband so fixated on coffins - maybe he's part Vampire, some nights he does come to bed awful late.....

Stormy Weather

Sunday my husband learned that a good friend had been put in the hospital awaiting a quadruple by-pass (sp?) after a routine check with his heart doctor (I didn't want to try to spell that one!). He wanted to go visit him at the hospital about a half hour from here, but the news was calling for severe thunderstorms, so I decided I should stay home with the boys. A few minutes after Mike left, he called to say there were tornado warnings moving our way in front of this storm. I forgot to ask him if he was turning around to come home, but I assumed he was. Last week, after hearing about all the tornados hitting the South, I had pulled out our "Emergency Kit" which I had packed a few years ago to see what needed updated (NO, there are NOT 5 year old crackers and fruit snacks in this kit, food would be seperate). I had made it when it was just me and the boys so I figured I should have stuff in there now for Mike and I knew the boys clothes in there were definately the wrong size. Let's just say this week we are in is our "Update the Emergency Plan and Kit" week. Anyway, I had the boys grab the boxes and take them to the basement. I got out the gallons of bottled water and some food to go, then a few more essensials - my purse, laptop, weather radio and headed down. Still no Mike. A couple calls to his cell during our preperation time (we had about an hour) either got me no answer or once the lines must have crossed and the little old lady who answered had no idea who Mike was. I finally got him as the storm was gone and he was ready to head home. He told me he figured that he was going to a hospital, he would be safe. "Yes, Dear, the tall buildings with lots of glass ALWAYS get passed by in a tornado!"

My Baby

Yesterday my baby turned 12. Compared to the drama of his brother's birth, Pete was easy. No long labor - he was a scheduled C-section, so no labor at all. No middle of the night trip to the hospital - as I said, we planned the time and he was born at 10:58 AM. No wonder of the gender - we knew we were having another boy. No health surprises - I made the ultra sound tech check several times for birth defects he could see. The doctor had told me he would be a big baby - not so, he was just long : 21 inches, 6 lbs 12 oz. Pete has always been my cuddler. He is the one who will sit on the couch with me even now, sharing a blanket with his head on my shoulder. He is also the one who looks like me, although where his stubborn streak came from, I don't know! My last year to have a non- teenager. Sighhhh.

And He Cried

When we were married, we ended up with 2 campers. Mike owned a small, old one - maybe 12 feet long, built in the 1950's. He had bought it after a tree fell on it and re-built it, living in it for a while while he was building his house. I had a 24 foot, 2004, with bunk beds and a master bedroom. Obviously, with a family of 4, mine is the one we use. Last year, he had looked into giving his away to someone in exchange for helping with our "Dawdy House" (or for those of you NOT living in Amish country, Mother-In-Law's cottage") building project. Well, the apartment he is building for his parents was put on hold while we got the apartement house done and rented. Now we are back on it, so that man was again contacted. Yes, he was still interested. So, now the camper is gone. I could tell it made Mike sad as we were getting it around to leave, and I think he may have shed a tear as it left the driveway. The end of an era.

The Garden

Well, after a week of hard work, we have 2 flower beds at the front of the house now. We roto-tilled, I picked out stones and clumps of grass, we added top soil, I planted some perennials, Mike planted 2 trees, I put down weed block fabric, we added wood mulch, and I potted lots of annuals and placed pots and garden decor in the beds. Whewww. I'm getting too old - I have a shoulder that is protesting from all the shoveling of dirt and mulch. And we still have the vegitable garden to till and get ready.

Guilty As Charged

I admit it. I was one of the crazy people who got up at 4 AM today to watch the royal wedding on TV. The boys even got up with me - after I was telling Mike I was going to, they were gung ho for the idea too. I told them I was not going to wake them that early on a school day, so if they were determined, it was up to them to set their alarms. At 3:55 I came down stairs and Steve was up and dressed. Pete had begged him the night before to make sure he got up, but Steve said that he had tried several times, Pete wasn't getting out of bed. Oh, well. I said I was not going to get anyone up so early. At that announcement, Pete came out of his room and out to watch with us. During the Pre-wedding stuff on TV, I made omlettes for breakfast. About 10 minutes until the wedding was to start, I heard Pete snoring. We woke him up again in time to see the wedding, but he got bored and went back downstairs to play with the dog. Guess he's not going to be a Royal Watcher when he grows up.

Our Girls

Of our two cats, one is a recluse, the other a lap cat. Princess Fiona (yes, a reference to Shrek, a necessity from having sons), or FiFi as we call her, is our lap cat. Last night, after Mike and I went to bed, up came FiFi. She usually settles down at the foot of the bed, or sometimes shares Mike's pillow. Soon after we all settled down, Mike started growling at FiFi. She had apparently decided that she wanted to sleep on top of Mike's leg, and was kneeding it, trying to flatten out a spot to lay on. He was actually very patient and just tried to gently move her over to a spot on the mattress next to his leg. Unfortunately, she found my leg next. I was not so tolerant. I kicked my feet until she moved back over to Mike's side of the bed. Back to his leg. We finally convinced her the mattress was a much better bed for people and kitties, and she found her spot. Santara just took up her normal bed of laying in our bath tub. Much less drama. You have to wonder what she was thinking of the spectical Fiona was making of herself.

Hodge Podge

We have finished the third apartment, and out new tenant has moved in. He seems impressed (and rightly so) with all the work we did to make it nice. I am trying to get Mike to relax this week - he has admitted that he has been way over working this last year. It's not an easy task, and the best I have managed is to slow him down.

Our baby girl - Sadie - had a bonanza last night. For dinner I had used the refrigerator ice dispenser for ice for drinks. A couple of minutes into dinner, an ice cube fell from the dispenser and Sadie ran over and gobbled it up - she loves ice. A couple minutes later, another cube fell magically. She ran back over to eat that one too, and then she just laid down next to the fridge hoping for more (think vending machine spitting out chocolate bars!). So sad for my baby, no more fell.

Pete has befriended a black kitty that has been hanging around our yard. I have told him that we are not keeping it, so he needs to leave it alone. There are so many barn cats around, there are always cats running around the neighborhood, if we took them all in, we could be the "crazy cat family".

Well, It's Over

My 40th birthday celebration has passed. On the actual day, I took myself out for a nice lunch since I was out running errands and my husband took me to our favorite ice cream shop (just re-opened for the season) for a cone on our way to work at the apartment house - I love ice cream, so YUM! My sister flooded my e-mail with e-cards for my birthday and I got several cards in the mail from family and friends. Yesterday was ice cream and cake with family, and then a meal out with my husband and children (the boys were bummed because the waitress forgot they told her it was my birthday, so no one came to sing to me-darn!). All in all, not too traumatic.

A Bit Of Excitement

We have a new Amish saw mill going in down the road from us. We have been watching them move in the equipment, and now the logs have begun to arrive. Today I decided we would burn off the fence rows as soon as the boys got off the bus, before things green up too much. The boys and I each had a rake and took up strategic spots. As I was burning, the wind was helping keep the flames going but there was just enough green grass to make plenty of smoke. There was an Amish buggy coming down the road, and a big truck of logs going up the road, all converging around my smoky fence row. The poor horse spooked and began shying away from everything, as the elderly lady who was driving tried to keep things steady. I watched helplessly as the horse started backing up and the buggy was heading backward into the ditch. The back wheels of the buggy were stopped by the fence posts behind it and the lady was able to make the horse pull the buggy out of the ditch. She turned around and went back the way she came, no one hurt, nothing broken on the buggy. Luckily, there is a stop sign close to our house, so the truck had stopped at the first signs of trouble and it let the buggy begin it's journey again before starting on it's way. Soon the buggy was coming back, very unsure of the fire now. The lady got out and was slowly walking it, trying to coax it by our yard ( if you ever want to feel like dirt, be the cause of an old lady having to lead a scared horse by your yard!) The horse would stop and she would talk to it and then get it moving again (those horses are big ya know). There was a pick up truck behind the buggy, and a young guy (20 somethingish) got out and asked if he could help her. With him on one side and her on the other they quickly managed and she got back into the buggy and was on the way. Next spring, I'm making sure Mike is here for the burning day!

______Not Included

I'm used to buying things that require batteries (not included) - which is why we have a drawer full of batteries in different shapes and sizes. I just received a Kindle e-reader for my birthday that did not have any books included (althought I downloaded lots of free ones from the website), my cell phone functioned, but I had to buy a case for it. Last night takes the cake though. We were hanging a tin ceiling in the apartment house, and since Mike had broken his chalk line earlier this year, he stopped and bought one. He came to the house, and asked me if I knew where his bottle of chalk was......HHUUUUHHH? How can you buy a chalk line, but the chalk is not included? That one makes no sense to me. So off I run to the hardware store for chalk while Mike begins his figuring on how to lay out these tiles. So, I picked the color I liked (red) and mumbled about it the rest of the night. By the way, we got about 3/4 of the ceiling up and it looks great.

Peaceful Protest

My dog is a willful girl. Unfortunately, she is big enough that her will sometimes makes our will difficult. Last night I told Steven to take Sadie down to bed with him (her dog crate is downstairs by the boys bedrooms). He got her excited to play with him by squeezing her favorite squeaky toy and she began to go down the steps. As she went, I put the doggy gate (or for clarification purposes, a baby gate) at the top of the stairs - she does sometimes turn around and run back up past the boys when she really does not want to go to bed. Now, these steps have 2 landings that each make a 90 degree turn, and soon she was back at the top landing, looking at me and the gate with those puppy dog eyes of hers. First she tried to "cutify" me into letting her come back up - No Way was she going down by Steven and get put into her crate! After several minutes of that I heard her plop down, so I went to look and of course she takes up the whole landing, laying sprawled out with her head facing down in order to keep an eye out for any pesky boys who intend her to go to bed! She just looked so pitiful. Steve came to get her, but she was refusing to budge. Fine, Steve, (said I) just leave her and go down to get your shower and get ready for bed. She will eventually come down to see what you are doing and then you can put her in her crate. 2 hours later, Mike and Pete came home from the rental house. Sadie was still keeping up her peaceful protest of bedtime on the landing. One thing about those solitary shows of will, they are lonely. As soon as Pete went down, she willingly followed and was ready for the security of her bed.

I'm a bad, bad blogger lately. We've been so busy finishing this apartment, and we seem to have something booked for every weekend...... the busy life of the modern family. I keep finding myself saying that I will be happy when things slow down and things get back to normal. But I have discovered something - I believe this IS our normal. I don't think Mike would be happy with a life of just going to work, and then relaxing at home with a project thrown in now and then. The kids are not even in a bunch of extra cirriculars, and we seem to have a lot of things for school thrown in this last month or so. 2 weeks ago it was band festival, tomorrow it is a fundraiser pancake breakfast and concert. Next year Steve has a chance to go to Washington DC with his class for the 8th grade trip -all my family and friends are now hearing "fundraiser" coming up for that. I'm thinking Chaperone!! I've never been to Washington DC.

Beautiful Day

Yesterday, for the first time since October we had a 70 degree day!!! With sunshine!! I turned off the furnace, added the screens back to the windows, opened the back door and we (me and the cats) just enjoyed!!! Mike had a dentist appointment in the "big city", so he ran errands while he was there for pieces and parts needed for the rental. Then we took the night off. The boys got their bike tires pumped up from sitting all winter, and took their first bike ride of the year - they've been itching to get out there. Spring begins soon!

He's Growing Up

My Darling Oldest has his first band festival this weekend. Luckily for him, it is being held at his school, so his first competition will at least be in familiar surroundings. So for today, Friday, the "Band Geeks" as they call themselves are dressing in their concert wear. I was able to talk him into wearing his really dark blue pants ( I have trouble deciding if these are blue or black, depending on the light) instead of the black, and he is wearing his short sleeve white dress shirt instead of the long sleeve he will need for tomorrow. This way I don't have to rush around getting his real concert clothes washed for tomorrow. He also has on a tie, and for the first time has tied it himself. He has tried to tie it before, but I have always ended up having to fix it. Today's tie looks good. He's lost 30 pounds in the last year, so he is looking really good. Tall and slim and dressed to the 9's. Maybe he'll be irresistable to the ladies today.......

Our Resolutions For Lent

A long time ago, someone told me that for Lent you don't just have to pick something to give up, but it is also a time when you can take something up. This year, that is what I am doing. And being the mom, I am doing it for everyone. We are getting healthy.... for the last few months, I have been cooking less, and putting smaller portions on everyone's plates. So far, no one seems to be going hungry. Now I am starting to work on putting healthier choices on those plates. Much less pasta will be eaten in this house - something that has been a staple in our diet for a long time. More fruits and veggies will be found in the fridge at all times. Smaller meat portions will continue, and many more healthy items will be on the plates. This will force me to plan much farther ahead on my menus, so that I can make sure we have plenty of veggies available, but not too many so I am throwing them away. I have begun planning what will be planted in our garden this year and resolve to keep it carefully tended all season. I can hear the grumbling already, but I am serious about it. I have neglected my diet too long. With my polycystic ovary, my blood sugar could be a problem, and too many family members in the last year have had health problems. Lent is the perfect motivation to begin NOW.

Who Woulda Thunk It?

Today, as I tried to fill the sink with hot, soapy water to clean the kitchen, I could not get hot water to save my soul. HHMMM, we have one of those tankless, on-demand type water heaters, and over a year ago my Darling Husband showed me how to re-start it since when it is really windy, the pilot will blow out. Up to the closet I go to check...yep I don't hear it blowing like usual, but darned if I can remember how he told me to start it up again. Oh well, he will be home soon. I will start dinner - I needed to cook noodles and chicken to bake a cassarole. HHHMMM, the burners aren't lighting very well. I did just clean the top of the stove, sometimes that igniter gets damp and it takes a minute. Yep, now it lit. Turn on the oven for pre-heating- that's not lighting right either, just clicking, not heating up. Time for a call to DH. He's on his way home so I tell him there's a problem with the gas - seems like we aren't getting enough gas, even on high, the flame is like low with the stove burners. Exasperated sigh on his end. Then I get a call from DH before he gets here. I know what your gas problem is, Honey, they are digging on the road next to ours to lay some fiber-optic cables and hit a gas line - I know why you can't get enough gas, it has something to do with it all rushing out of that big hole! OK, well I guess I can't cook dinner then. Yes you can, Baby, we have that kitchen in the basement and it has an electric cook top and the microwave. I find out the microwave is not convection cooking, like I thought it was, but we got out the big toaster oven to bake the cassarole. DH gets all puffed up for saving the dinner - the basement kitchen had not even crossed MY mind. What would you have done with out me?, DH asked. Well, we would have sacraficed and gone out to my favorite restaurant for dinner. Oh, darn, why didn't the electricity go out too?

That's Beast

Apparently the new slang for "cool" or "awesome" is "beast". Steve is making a clock in Tech Ed class - a mixture of wood shop and computer class. He made is own pattern, a Pac Man ghost. While we were at the home improvement store the other day he saw the spary paint they make to look like stone and thought it was the coolest thing in the world. He asked his teacher if he could use that to paint the clock and was told he could, he just had to paint it at home to use spray paint. So he told all his friends he was going to use that paint so it would look like a stone age clock. HMMMM, not sure how Pac Man and the stone age go together, but all of his friends are telling him that is going to look "Beast". So, home the clock comes last night, with the pronouncement that it must be painted last night, so he could put the numbers on it at school today. All Righty Then, of course we don't have that paint here at home, it is now too late to get it in town, they roll up the sidewalks here at 5 PM - which is about the time he tells me of this. We have dinner plans, so after that we run to the nearest home improvement store for the paint. When we return home, it's dark, so we can't use it outside. Protect the kitchen counters and wall and I teach the boy how to spray paint. I must admit the paint is kinda cool, I mean Beast.

Dumb, Dumb, Dumb

So, after I posted this morning, I put more bitter stuff on Sadie's foot. I held on to her foot to turn it over to make sure she quit chewing and then went about my morning. I just got home from running errands and made myself a sandwich- licking my fingers at one point. UUUHHHH, that bitter was on my fingers still, and it is nasty!!! Drinking soda did not get rid of it. I had to eat a couple different fairly strong flavored things to help get rid of that taste. It is still there in the background - I get a small taste of it now and then, but it is tolerable. My poor, poor girl, if she tastes that more than a time or two.

My dog is neurotic. Leave it to us to get a dog who bites her nails. She appeared to be chewing on her foot, and knowing that she had gotten into some burrs the other day, I was afraid I had missed some between her toes, so I got down on the floor with her to check it out. EEWWWW, wet dog fur to go threw before I can get between those toes, but no burrs. So I began checking out her foot to see if there is a problem. No problems detected, but she was chewing on her toe nails. Off to the cupboard to get the bottle of bitter stuff we bought so she will keep the leash out of her mouth (says it is safe to spray on skin) and I sprayed her foot. That has stopped the chewing for now. Guess I need to take her for a nail trim (I'm always afraid I will hurt her if I try to do it).

A Riddle For You

What do you get when you mix a sick lady taking codine and sleet from the night before? Not good ideas, that's for sure. Yesterday, I told Mike I would run to the hardware store for a part he needed. I could not remember where I had put my regular tennis shoes so I grabbed my exercise ones - you know the type with the funny sole to make you balance as you walk. My first step onto the sidewalk told me what a bad idea it was, but I was too stubborn to go back inside to change.

We Did It

After only 2 weeks of advertizing it, we got the 2nd apartment rented again. Back to 2 down, 1 to go! I know we've set them before, but our new deadline to finish the last apartment is to be done by the end of March. We have a renter on the line for it and he wants to move in badly. Our being sick the last 2 weeks has set us back from where we could have been, but that's the way things go. We will finish this one, take off a week or so, then back to the apartment house to finish the entrace hall. The inside will then be complete. A bit of time this summer will spruce up the outside and we will have a very fine rental house that we are proud to show anyone and I think anyone would be happy to live in.

Mother Nature?

I don't know who ever decided that Nature is a Woman. And if she is indeed, she is no Mother. She may be some catty, vindictive single lady out on the prowl, but I see no Maternal Instincts to comfort and sooth.

Last Tuesday my Darling Husband came home from work feeling lousy. Wednesday came around and he felt so bad he called in to work sick - something I have never known him to do. He even called the Dr. in the afternoon and made himself an appointment without my prompting him to. He gets his diagnosis of Bronchitis, is handed his prescriptions, a quick trip to the pharmacy and home we go. He stayed home again on Thursday and then back to work on Friday- probably should have waited until Monday, but that's another can of worms.

By Friday late morning, I feel the bronchitis coming on - ya know that wheezy feeling in your lungs- so I made a quick trip to the grocery store in preparation for Mommy to be sick - I didn't want the world to stop turning because I was not able to keep it spinning. By Saturday night I'm down with it, Sunday was awful between the chills from the fever and the hot flashes from my perimenapause. But Monday I was feeling better - just that cough that won't allow me to catch my breath. That had DH worried and I promised to see my Dr. on Tuesday. Then I get my diagnosis - asthmatic bronchitis, sinus infection, and just for kicks and giggles an ear infection. In fact my Dr gave me a breathing treatment on a nebulizer in the office before I left. She warned me this was going to get worse before I really feel better and she is right, last night I was ready to just collapse and I told my family I am not doing anything for the next 2 days.

If Nature were really a Mother, she would have spared me the hot flashes when I was already sick. She wouldn't have thrown that ear infection in there on top of the other stuff, and caring for my sick husband would not have left me down and out.

It's Back

Oh, how spoiled we became with a week of warm weather. We were down to just a couple piles of snow, where the driveway was plowed out. The dog was frisky and wanting to spend time outside during these beautiful days - Mike and I did not want the dog spending so much time outside until the mud made by all the melting snow had dried up. (She's so hyper sometimes that bath time is a family affair - I miss the days I could just throw her in the sink and rinse her off.) Yesterday we first got HUGE, fluffy snow flakes, then came the freezing rain. This morning everything is ice coated, and if we did not already have today off from school for President's Day, school would have been cancelled. I had begun to think the ground hog was right and we would have an early spring. However, it is only February and winter is back.

My Best Plasticware

As we are working on the rental house, I have been trying to cook meals there. Usually this involves the crock pot - a working mom's best friend. The other day I made a roast with potatoes and carrots. As I was checking for supplies, I noticed that we were out of plastic forks, and Mike wanted a spray bottle. Off I ran (OK, I drove) to the dollar store. When dinner was ready, I stuck the fork in the meat and used a plastic knife to cut it into pieces. As I served the meat, I immediately noticed that the fork was melting. OK, I had left it standing in the roast while I was serving the veggies. Bad idea. Everyone gets their meal and my best plasticware and now it's time to eat. As we are eating my family begins to complain about their forks melting. Apparently that dollar store plastic is not made for hot items!

It's Coming

Fast and fuious, I am on my way to turning 40- next month. Turning 30 hit me hard - I was in the middle of divorce, a single mother, no longer young (yeah, I know, but at that time, I did not feel young) and facing the daunting possibility of what my new life would be. I was just realizing the challenges of parenting alone. It was not a good time for me. Now here I am - facing 40. This decade shows those possiblitlies from my 30's blossoming. I am a newly wed (Mike and I married a year and a half ago), living in a new community, my babies (they were just 1 and 3) from my 30th birthday are becoming young men, whom I enjoy getting to know. I find 40 bringing me a new confidence in myself, and my husband brings me great happiness. My work life is so totally different now from what I ever thought it would be. I loved my time I just spent as a receptionist, and one of the part time tax ladies I work with is keeping me in mind for when she needs another receptionist at her full time job, in the next town over. My life experience is showing (some call that wrinkles and gray hair), and I no longer have the energy of youth. But I am approaching 40 with optimism. I have learned a lot in 10 years - patience, tolerance, compassion. Maybe I had to go through all I did to learn to put aside the selfishness and arrogance of youth.

Moving Day

Our great tenants moved the other day from one apartment to a bigger one in the house. As usual, my darling husband and myself were a little behind on finishing the projects we had started, but we told them they could begin to move things into most of the house, but we still had a few things to finish in the kitchen and in the basement. As we were working, they were in and out with things. Now, mind you, this apartment is 2 stories, and the staircase goes in through a doorway and in about 4 steps it turns 90 degrees. Soon we heard them coming in with a Queen sized box spring. I just giggled to myself knowing there was no way they would get that up those stairs. Hubby went out to tell them to hold on, he was pretty sure they could get it in through one of the upstairs windows. Out to the barn to get the scaffolding and set it up. Off comes the framing for the storm window and unscrew a piece of wood across the top. OK, here we go. Hubby and 2 others outside heaving it up. Female tenant and me inside to guide it inside the house. Darn, it did not fit. OK, phone call to Good Will to see if they have 2 twin box springs - no luck. The final plan - Hubby got the saw and cut the frame in half. Hubby and tenant hubby fold the thing in half and again it gets heaved up from the outside but this time goes through the window. I told them to remember this, I think we get bonus "Landlord Points" for that.

Snow Day

Last Wednesday, after our big storm came through, we all had a snow day. The county declared a snow emergency, so all non emergency vehicles were to stay off the roads or be ticketed. This gave Me and Hubby snow days from work too. We were pretty sure that would happen, so Hubby had brought home from work his Carhart Overalls. As a family we went outside to play, but there was so much deep snow the sleds would not go down the hills. Then we tried to make snow forts, but it was not good packing snow. It was trash day, but who knew if the trash man would be coming in the next day or so. I had the boys get the trash can close to the driveway entrance before the snow, since our driveway is VERY long and it would have been awful to drag it out in deep snow. So out to the end of the drive we all went, Pete with a snow shovel to clear a spot for the can. We were all tired after our walk so we sat in the snow to rest and bury Hubby in the snow, although the wind was still biting and whiping snow in the air and into our faces. Up we go, only to stop in about a hunderd feet to make snow angels. By that time we are cold and went back in the house. The rest of the day was spent in the house watching movies - for some reason the satalite TV is giving us free STARZ channels for a year. Some sort of anniversery gift or something. Good timing for that! The driveway got plowed about 9 PM that night. and everything was running normally the next day. So much for the Blizzard of 2010!

I'm Back

I know it's been a long time since I've posted, but life has a knack for getting in the way. Anyway, I want you all to be the first to know that Mike and I are expecting. After a rough couple of weeks and lots of waiting around to see what would happen, it's official - we are expecting to have another day of below zero temps tomorrow and another school delay!!

Actually I already know there is a delay. I get an automated call on my cell phone from the school whenever there is a delay or no school day. And lately they have been calling the delays or day off the afternoon before. They boys like this because they don't have to set their alarms and can just sleep in. I think they are missing some of the excitment of sitting in front of the TV in the morning watching the alphabetical list of school closings or delays, perking up everytime your school's section came up. The cheering when you see it, or the scrambling 15 minutes before you have to be out the door because you did not get ready to go, just knowing you would be closed, or at least delayed!

What a Week

We have been devoting our time to the apartment house and I have been working again, so the blog time has been mimimal lately. Our original tenants are gone now (moved last weekend) and luckily, no major damage. I did not want to have to put major repairs into that one too! There is even only one room needing paint!! Our upstairs tenant is moving over to this bigger apartment next week, and then back to advertising their current apartment for rent. Third apartment will be ready in a month - fingers crossed, I've said that before. But we have the rooms with the plumbing in them done - so no more plumbing surprises (we had to totally replumb - is that a word?- the bathroom. Most of the elecrical is done, that takes SO LONG to fish all that wire to bring it up to date. Mike needs to fix the plaster cracks and sand the plaster and drywall a last time. Then I can paint the bedrooms and living room. I can tell Mike is getting tired of all this too - he is letting me do things in this apartment he does not usually like to have anyone do but him. We are still trying to do it all the right way, but we just want to get it done!

Check

Apartment 3 bathroom done? Check. Apartment 3 kitchen complete? Almost check. I will be painting the trim today and the walls tomorrow, then check. I have even painted some extra drawers for the kitchen cabinents that will be stored in the barn until needed. Have I mentioned that the rental house is so old it is the only house in town with a barn on the property? Just a small one, but still, a barn. If we would get one semi-warm day, will get the front doors hung. There is a temporary door and a plywood filler piece up right now. I painted the double doors a couple weekends ago, but it has turned very cold since then - and even though they open into a hallway that leads to the entrance doors of Apartments 2 and 3 so it won't make someone's living space cold, it is still awfully cold to work outside - especially since Mike has an aversion to wearing his gloves. I am hoping by the end of the weekend I will be painting the living room too.

We Dodged The Bullet

Over the weekend we only got 3 or 4 inches of snow. Our neighbors about a half hour away recieved 30!!! Most of our snow came Friday night and Saturday, and Pete had a ball on Saturday. This time of year is when our hilly yard is a blessing. He had lots of directions to choose from as he got out the sled, and I think he used them all. He also started 3 different areas with snow forts - apparently you never know when you may need to have cover from a spontanious snow ball attack. His only complaint was the snow was very light and fluffy, so it didn't make a comfy base for sledding, and he added water to the walls of his snow forts to make it hold up better. We are supposed to get a couple more inches today, maybe it will be better snow for winter fun and games.

I remember liking math when I was in school. Tonight, Steven is doing math homework (On Sunday night, he realized he still had homework to do) and it consists of that dreded math function - fractions. Mike has been the homework parent tonight and done most of this worksheet with him. Mike got stumped and I placed the call to my sister the teacher. She also has a 13 year old son, in 7th grade. I was hoping they had just done this math and she could rattle off the procedures to me. Wrong, they are doing something totally different. But after a quick consult, I got the jist and Steve moved on to the next section of the worksheet - with Mike as his guide. It's only been 20 some years since I was in 7th grade - he doesn't understand why I can't just pull this stuff up from my memory. Wait till he's as old as I am helping his own children with math - maybe he'll get lucky and Aunt Jenny will still be available for a quick consult!

I want to get rid of the TV. My husband and sons will be horrified at the thought, even though Mike has threatened the boys with loss of the television for various infractions of TV rules/courtesy. We just watched on CNN another story of people standing around taking video of voilent crime but no one calling 911. I believe part of this trend is all the violent shows on TV, you can't even watch shows at times young children are around without seeing things they should not be subjected to. Used to be those kinds of shows came on after 9 PM. Now everyone is gettting de-sensitized to violence. I also realize part of this is due to U-tube and all the other internet places this stuff can be posted- hence the supervised use of the web in our house. I am sure I will be out voted on this, but this is along the lines of "It takes a village to raise a child". People in this country need to feel like they used to about saying something to kids doing the wrong thing, crime happening, or anything of this sort. Maybe not step in like they used to, too many crazy or just angry people with guns out there, but at the very least call 911 or tell kids partents what they are doing.

He's Fired

Yesterday, when the alarm went off, my Darling Husband got up, went down stairs to get the boys up for school, and stayed downstairs with them. Meanwhile I got a leisurily morning - actually getting to take my shower BEFORE I came down. I hear breakfast being eaten and the regular morning chit chat happening as I mosey around upstairs. Every Wednesday the boys go to school 20 minutes later than the rest of the week, so they were in no rush. When I came down, they had about 20 minutes until they needed to be out the door (mind you, they had been up for an hour). DH was watching a movie he had recorded the other night, and Darling Youngest was sitting at the table, in his pajamas, watching the movie too. Where is Darling Oldest? In the bathroom I'm told. "Steven, are you dressed?" "No". UUUHHHH. So much for leisure. I begin the process. Everyone Get Dressed! Then teeth brushed, hair brushed, bags double checked, did anyone make lunches? NO? I'll do that while you get ready. Then turn to DH.....that's why I don't allow anything on the TV while they are getting ready except the news. And you have to stay on them the whole time. You can't be the "get them off in the morning" parent anymore! Wait a minute, I think that was his goal.....did he just win?

He Just Can't Win

My mom gave me this really cute wallet and checkbook cover for Christmas. Since I joined the 20th century and started using an ATM card (yes, I know that this is the 21st century, but I am always a bit behind on my technology), I don't carry the family checkbook anymore. HOWEVER, I do carry the rental checkbook since we don't have an ATM card for that, and I deposit rent weekly and do lots of other bill paying and rental buying. I am the one who usually takes care of all the rental money, so into my cute, hot pink, polka dotted checkbook cover it went. Unfortunately, we had to have new glass cut for the entrance double doors we just had restored for the rental. Big, heavy pieces of glass - so Mike went to pick them up. He asked me for the checkbook and his face went pale. "I am NOT carrying THAT anywhere! I'll take the checks out and bring the reciept home for you to enter." Then he opened it up to see my really cute polka dotted checks I ordered for our rental account. The poor man just can't win.

Girls are girls, no matter the species. This morning I was straightening up the bedroom. The kitties were both upstairs - no surprise there. And they both wandered into the bathroom. OK, wait for it...... whenever they are together too long a fight usually follows- lots of hissing and growling. HMMMM, silence. With these girls, just like with children, too much silence can mean trouble, so I went to investigate. Santara was sitting on the bathmat, looking toward the litter box. Fiona was in there. Just like with any other bathroom, there is ALWAYS a line for the Ladies Room!

Our Sadie Baby loved her Christmas present! This is a real bone - a femur (cow I think, but it could be the guy who pulled in our drive way the other day, she hates when people do that....) She is a powerful chewer, and we figured this would last her awhile. On New Years Day I picked up the small pieces of what was left of this bone. She has one bit left, about 4 inches long that she hasn't cracked yet into pieces too sharp or too small to be safe for her. Mike is now looking for something from a Mastadon for her(the boys have been wanting to visit the Smithsonian since watching "Night At The Museum"). Maybe that would last a whole month, instead of only 7 days!

Today is COLD!! Winter is letting us know that two day peep into spring weather, was just a tease. At this point I could use a little sunshine and good cheer. Oh, wait, the boys go back to school tomorrow - there is my blessed bit of good cheer. Mike has been off since Christmas Eve, with the factory shut down, and the boys are on Christmas break. By yesterday, we were all on eachother's last nerve. Too Much Togetherness!!! I always said I was a better mother because I worked and was not home with the boys all the time.