Monday, June 30, 2008
A Helper, A Nurturer and Just Darn Cute
We had Will for about 4 hours yesterday all by himself. Haley had her Rock Star birthday party and even though Will probably would have napped through most of it, it just seemed easier if we kept him. Since Steve is working on the deck in back Will wanted to help. Grandpa got him a hammer, a couple of nails and a board. Will pounded and pounded. He's pretty good for a 2 year old. Then he helped Grandpa by handing him screws as Grandpa put together the frame of the deck. I thought how nice it would be to have Kirby and Kyler come over and help Grandpa too. They have never had much of a chance to do that. Between Kirby's allergies and the fact they never wanted to leave their mom, we never had them by themselves. We should try and make up for that now that they are 9 and 10. It won't be long and they will be grown up.
Speaking of my deck, it is coming along nicely. It will be so nice to have a larger deck that everyone can sit on. I can't wait until I can go and order my table and chairs. Steve wants to build a retaining wall on the hill. He has had a love for those retaining wall bricks for a long time. He is always checking out walls and looking at the bricks at Menards. I'm not crazy about them but if that's what makes him happy go for it.
After Will was done with helping Grandpa we came in and had a snack and played. He pulled out the baby and baby stroller. He just had the best time pushing the stroller around and taking the baby in and out. He was so tender and sweet with that baby, it was just cute. I told him he was going to be a good daddy when he grew up and he just beamed.
Well it's another Monday. Will she start dieting for real today? I really do have to kick it in gear and get serious about this. I hate how I feel and look, but sometimes even that isn't enough. I often kid that the stars and the moon all have to be in the right order for some things to happen. Sometimes I think I'm not too far from the truth with that. So we'll see. I'll keep you posted.
On my agenda today is laundry. Maybe a walk with the dog. Go see Hannah and her new cast. Finish cleaning the spare bedroom . And finish up my planting. Tonight is Kirby's last regular game of the season. I'm looking forward to that. If I can keep the tv off I should get alot done.
TTFN
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Wind comes sweeping down the plain
I am just loving our farmers market. It is finally getting to where there are more vegetables all the time. Living in the midwest we have such a short growing season that it is often late summer before we get things like tomatoes and eggplants and such. I bought swiss chard, kohlrabi, green onions, micro mix and spinach. Now to carry through with my plan to cook all week and eat lots of vegetables.
Watching the kids went well yesterday. It was a definitely do nothing day. Between the wind blowing so hard and Hannah's broke leg, we were all pretty much slugs. I'm hoping Monday when she gets her cast on that she will be even more mobile and we can do more things. Will was his usual self. He pretty much just stuck by me and hung out. The girls and I played a game of Sorry and I took Haley to the library, but that's all she wrote for the day.
We have Will this afternoon, while Haley is having her friends birthday party. It's all he talked about yesterday. "I go your house Grandma." Yes Will but not until tomorrow. "I bring my hammer." He thinks he's going to help Grandpa build on the deck. I'm sure Grandpa can't wait for that good help.
This looks to be a busy week. Ball games on Monday and Wednesday, Summer singer concert Wednesday too, Haley's family birthday party Thursday and the 4th of July on Friday. And I thought I could cook this week. I better plan well.
Have a good Sunday.
TTFN
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Singing in the Rain
Friday, June 27, 2008
How lazy can one person get?
While Hannah was laying on the couch, Will and Haley "played the piano". Grandma's best toy. Then later in the evening Amy and the kids walked over. It is so nice that we live so close. We just sat outside as it was a nice evening. Almost chilly. Poor Ky. He wasn't even sitting there 10 minutes and the mosquitos started biting him. No one else just him. He swells up terribly with those bites too. Luckily as he has gotten older they don't seem to swelling quite as much.
Today I have to take Kyra and Haley downtown for their summer singer's concert. I remember from the last time that parking was a pain, so we will be leaving early to get a good place to park. I must remember to take my camera. After that not much is on the agenda today. I really need to clean the house. I've put it off most of the week and tomorrow I'll be at Scott's all day. Summer is flying these days, those we still haven't had too much really hot weather yet. I'm not worried, I'm sure we'll still have it.
Must go see if I can get anything done.
TTFN
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Ask for rain and you get rain! Should I ask for money?
I took Haley and Kyra to the mall yesterday after summer singers. We went to get Hannah a new webkinz. It was an experience. They are both smart and funny and actually get along pretty well considering their age difference. I let them go to Icing by themselves while I looked around in CJ Banks. I met them at Icing and they were just having the best time looking and trying things. They had found the 10 for $1o area and of course I said go ahead and pick up ten items. They had already said they would do 5 each. Even almost 9 year olds can appreciate a good deal. Then we went to Maurices and bought Kyra an outfit. Since she's lost almost 15 pounds her clothes are getting a little too loose. Then it was lunch and a check to see what was new at Hot Topic. I'm sure Haley had never been in there before. She didn't seemed fazed. Her mother might not have liked some of the words on the tshirts, but I don't think Haley even noticed. Then we ran over to Michaels and I bought some yarn. I'm going to crochet an afghan for my living room. Just a big oversized granny square, but I'm loving the colors I chose - a limish green, gold and brick. So then it was home, supper and ball games. A most unproductive day really, but very fun. Being productive is highly over rated. Having fun is more important.
I found out next week is the boys last ball games. They just have single elimination tournaments after that. As poorly as Kirby's team is playing they'll probably only play one game. They haven't won one game yet this season. That's definitely not because of Kirby. His team wouldn't even stand any chance at all if it wasn't for him. So with baseball over, and summer singers over in a couple of weeks, summer is going by much too fast. Part of me will be glad to not haul kids and to not sit 2 evenings a week at a ball game (even though that is the best part of summer). It will just be nice to not have to go anywhere.
Today I have no plans really. Some household things, some crocheting and hopefully a little more raindrop watching.
TTFN
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Come Back Rain
Let's see what did I do yesterday. The usual, hauling kids, a little housework that sort of thing. I did go to Lewis Drug between kids and bought Hannah some things for her to do while she's laid up. Did you know coloring books are hard to come by? Is is just a seasonal thing? Or don't kids color anymore? That would be too bad, since coloring is one of those nice little quiet activities everyone can do.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Sad Sad Sad
Monday, June 23, 2008
Can We Say Lazy!
Today I've got quite a few things I want to accomplish. Strip the sheets on our bed. Clean out the fridge. General cleaning and dusting. I have a hair appt this afternoon so I really need to make the most of my morning. I'm also going to try and make it a whole day dieting. I'm also going to try to get some exercise in. I'm going to take it one day at a time. For over a year I've tried to get back in the swing of dieting or eating healthier and I never seem to make it past a week or so. I'm tired of how I feel, so maybe that can be the big motivator. Hopefully.
We have ball games again tonight. Hannah has soccer camp this week too. Steve's got alot of work to get done on the deck this week. The weather threatens to get warm by next week, so I hope he gets alot accomplished before then.
Off to the showers, breakfast and get my chores done.
TTFN
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Silly Boy
Saturday, June 21, 2008
TGIF
I have to babysit today. It's a nice day and the kids should play outside most of the time. Haley has book club this afternoon and we talked about making meatballs for supper tonight. Should be a fun day. Long but fun. I'm bringing my laptop so maybe I can scrap a few pages. That would be good.
Better go get ready.
TTFN
Friday, June 20, 2008
Nothing New
So what did I do yesterday. I did my summer singer transporting. When I dropped Haley off, Scott asked if I would watch the kids for awhile. Will had gone down for a nap and Scott had a 1:00 appointment at the studio. So I did that and then went to get lunch for Steve and I. After lunch Amy and I went to Cliff Ave greenhouse and a couple of kitchen stores. Kitchen stores are amazing. Especially restaurant supply ones. All the big containers and pots. It was so cool. After I got home from that Steve and I went to Sams. It was nice to go on a Thursday afternoon. It was quiet and there were no lines. Got home from that and then it was time for Scott to come and help Steve with getting the lumber for our new deck. I can't wait for it to be done. Unfortunately Steve is getting a tooth pulled today, so he'll be out of commission this weekend for the most part. But I forsee in the next couple of weeks it should be done. After that it was bedtime. Now today I need to clean and do more laundry. I have to take Haley to a party at 5, but otherwise I think I'm home for the day. I'm sure I'll run over to Amy's to see the kids for awhile, but that should be it.
I have a kid story. Taking Kyra to summer singers is usually a pretty quiet event. She is just not much of a talker and she definitely is not one to share much of herself. But Haley on the other hand is quite the talker and she is definitely free with the glimpses of herself. I've learned lots from Haley. Yesterday we were coming home and I asked her about this naughty boy in her group. I guess he is just terrible. Anyway I had seen a black boy coming out with her group so I asked if he was the naughty boy. "Oh yeah", she said. I said, "Maybe he was uncomfortable because he was the only black and that is why he's so naughty." Haley in true Haley form says, "No they should be used to it, because whites sign up for everything." Alright, Already. Maybe all of our diversity teaching in school isn't paying off as well as we think. Or maybe it is, since she wasn't going to allow his bad behavior to be based on race. We also had a long discussion about it being ok to slap people because you're angry. She thinks that is ok if you are angry to slap someone. She thinks that there are times when you don't have to be accountable for you actions. I tried the well if you're mad it must be ok to kill someone right. After all that person made you mad. I don't think I convinced her, but maybe I gave her something to think about. Luckily she's a pretty good kid, not some mass murderer waiting in the wings.
Off to see what the day brings today.
TTFN
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Rally hats and sweeping
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
2 Months from today
Yesterday was another beautiful day. After all that complaining, the weather has finally given us a reason to celebrate. I am just so grateful that I live here in South Dakota these days. We have been spared when it comes to the wrath of Mother Nature. All the tornadoes and now the flooding in Iowa. I just can't imagine what it would be like to lose your home and in some cases your job. My prayers go out to those people. Makes my complaining about not accomplishing enough a little lame doesn't it.
So what did I do yesterday. Transported kids to and from summer singers. Planted some plants. Went to the grocery store. Went with Amy to a Farmers Market and Barnes and Nobles. Cooked supper. Did some laundry. Read a little. Steve tore apart the deck in back. We're replacing it with a much bigger one. Hopefully it doesn't take too long, I would like to enjoy it this summer. Amy and the kids walked over in the evening. They had walked to Lexi's game and then here. I had mentioned to Amy awhile back that she needs to bring the kid over more so Grady doesn't go beserk when people come. I'm afraid that he just loves kids so much that I don't know if he'll ever calm down when people come over. Especially if they have kids. Amy is working on eating healthier. She's into this raw food thing. It has to be better than eating a bunch of packaged foods with chemicals and preservatives. Maybe she can inspire me to lose weight.
Well I've wasted enough of my morning writing. Better get to accomplishing something.
TTFN
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Tuesday Ramblings
I came across a meme that sounded like fun. A little trip down memory lane.
Who was your best friend in high school? Janet Burns. She and I were inseperable. I spent as much time at her house as I did at my own. We didn't have alot of classes together, but we went to all the ball games and wrestling matches together. Friday nights we would take turns driving and flipping the loop, the thing to do in Huron on the weekends.
What kind of car did you drive? I always drove my dad's car. It was always a Chrysler of some sort. I remember a blue one and then a 2 tone green one. Wish I could dig out a picture easily, but they're put away somewhere. Janet and I put many miles on that car. In those days the price of gas wasn't an issue. We probably drove all night for less than a dollar. Gas was about 25 cents a gallon.
Where were you on Friday nights? Like I mentioned earlier, we would be flipping the loop and looking for boys, Wolsey boys to be exact. I even married a Wolsey boy. During the school year we would go to the basketball game and then drive around.
Were you a flirt? I'm not sure I'd call myself a flirt, but I wasn't afraid to talk to anybody, that's for sure.
Were you in band , orchestra or chorus? No unfortunately. I played the clarinet for a few months but my heart wasn't in it. I had wanted to play the flute, but the band teacher talked us out of it. I still think if I had been allowed to play the flute, I would have been in band.
Who was your favorite teacher? Mr. Beattie, my psychology teacher. He was just a great guy who told us many stories about himself and he wasn't old and stuffy like so many of the teachers. I'm sure they were all of 40. LOL. Anyway he was the one who said no girl should ever get pregnant because girls can run faster with their dresses up than boys can with their pants down. Now days, he might be called into the office for those kinds of remarks.
What was your high school mascot? a tiger Go Huron Tigers
Did you go to prom? No A bunch of us got together and had a progressive supper. At the time it seemed like a poor substitute for the prom and I'm sure we were bummed that no one asked us. But later we all decided that we had way more fun than the kids who went to the prom.
I have great memories of high school. Even though I wasn't one of the most popular kids, I was involved in lots of activities, had a great group of friends and enjoyed learning too. I'm always saddened when kids say that high school was the worst time of their lives. I can understand it, but it still saddens me. So much of who we are is formed in high school. Sometimes I think we really don't ever get out of the labels and emotions of high school. So in my perfect little world everyone would have great high school experiences. What a better place the world would be.
Off to get some things accomplished today.
TTFN
Monday, June 16, 2008
Weekend Recap
Friday, June 13, 2008
A No Weather Blog Entry
Yesterday was a quiet day. We took Amy and Kyra to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch. Ruby's has the best salad bar. You can get mini turkey burgers and the salad bar, eat one turkey burger and some fries and still have a burger to take home. We were disappointed that they didn't have the crabcakes Amy had seen advertised but it was still very good. After that we went to Sam's Club. That place seems to be our home away from home. We are there at least once a week. We've been there twice already this week. Steve is looking at a new tv for his basement, so we have gone to check out their tvs. It's such a confusing thing. Every tv is just slightly different from the next so you really can't compare two tvs side by side. And add to that the fact that we are not impluse buyers when it comes to big purchases. It takes me years to pick out a sofa. When we were first married and had no money, we could make decisions easier. Maybe when you don't have any money, the choices are fewer so its easier. Whatever the reason, it still maybe months before we actually get a tv.
Today I have to take Haley to invention camp at 9, lunch with friends at Spezias at 11:30, go see Haley's invention finale at 2:45 and then Kyler's baseball game at 6. My kind of a day. Tomorrow we babysit all day. I may take the kids to the movie Kung Fu Panda. Bill and Joy are coming to town too so I think we'll probably take the kids over there later in the afternoon. Sunday is Fathers Day, but we don't have any plans. With Bill and Joy here we'll just play it by ear.
Well I'd better go get ready to take Haley and get a few morning chores out of the way before I play for the rest of the day.
TTFN
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Where's my summer?
Today I need to get some stuff done. I've been on a lazy streak for about a week. I need to kick it in gear. Having Steve home hasn't helped. We tend to go on missions looking for things and that can waste a day for sure. I need to clean my kitchen and den today. But I think we're taking Amy and Kyra to Ruby Tuesdays for lunch, so I might not get as much done as I hoped. That and it's appearing to be a beautiful day so we might work outside and that would be good too. As long as I stay away from the Zuma game I'll be alright.
Well HELLO is no longer. That was such a good program. It allowed me to know if my son or daughter were online and then we could instant message or send pictures. I don't know if there will be anything out there that will be as user friendly as that was. We'll miss you hello.
Guess I'm off to get a few things accomplished.
TTFN
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ka Boom!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I had a fun day yesterday. No blog though. The cable man came and fixed our cable and phone line. Woohoo! We have had a crackly phone for months. Now when I talk to someone it sounds like they're right there. Amazing! But back to the fun. I took Kirby and Kyler to the mall for lunch and to buy Webkinz. A year ago they had never heard of Webkinz and then I buy them for the birthdays and now it's never ending. I think the boys each have over 20 each. They have such a good time with them and Haley and Hannah bring theirs over and they play all day with them so it's all good. I don't take the boys shopping often - first they're boys and shopping isn't their favorite thing. Second for years they wouldn't go anywhere with out their mom. We took mom yesterday too, but that was more because I wanted her to come. First thing we did was have lunch. Kirby had Burger King and Kyler had Taco Johns. Kyler ordered three tacos and potato oles. He only ate 2 tacos, but still. We shopped for a while and Amy and I stopped at Caribou Coffee for a couple of tea slushie things. Yum. The boys said they were hungry again. Back to the food court we went. This time Kyler had a big pretzel and Kirby had a Subway sandwich. They're only 10 and 8. What will it be like when they're teenagers? I might need a second job to be able to afford to feed them at the mall.
Steve and I did a little shopping last night. We're on a mission to find those coiled hoses. Saw them all the time before. Now they're nowhere to be found. Though we only looked in a few places. Afterwards we stopped at Sonic for supper. We ordered the large blackberry ice tea. I think I should give up eating and just drink all these yummy ice teas all summer. Unfortunately, thats not far from the truth. They all have so many calories, that a person can't eat and drink those and not gain weight. But boy were they good.
Well off to check on Grady. He seems to be looking for trouble this morning. And from the sounds of it I think he's found it.
TTFN
Monday, June 09, 2008
Blue Skies
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Sunshine!
Speaking of the farmers market. Can I say wow? In South Dakota this time of year there isn't the selection of vegetables, mostly lettuces and radishes, some rhubarb and such. But let me tell the flower selection is amazing. I brought my camera but I was overwhelmed and had things in my hands most of the time that I didn't get any pictures. There were baskets and planters with some of the best flowers I have ever seen. I told Amy I'm saving my money next year and coming here instead of wasting my time planting my own. There was a couple of pots that are still haunting me and I might have to go back next Saturday and see if they are still there. I sure I could justify the splurge. Yeah right. Have you seen the price of gas and food? We should probably all be saving every penny now if what they say is true that gas could be 6 bucks a gallon in a couple of months. We'll need those pennies just to get to work. I hate to think that all we'll be working for is food and gas.
I'm excited to have Steve off the next two weeks. If yesterday is any indication, we might actually get a few things around here done. I really want my deck in the back replaced and enlarged. We started working on the back flower bed. 2 years of neglect has really taken its toll. The weeds and grass have totally engulfed everything. But what was amazing was that almost all the perennials were still there. I was sure they would have given up. I think once we get the mulch down , I don't think we'll have that problem again. As long as every year we put down a new layer of mulch.
Today looks to be another nice day. We had a little rain shower again in the middle of the night. I woke up at 11 and it was lightning in the distance quite fiercely. I never did hear thunder very loud so I don't think the storm ever got too close. The ground was definitely wet again this morning so we must have some rain overnight. I just want it to dry up enough so I don't have to always wipe Grady's feet. Both he and I are tired of it.
On todays agenda is more of the same - working outside. But I also want to go Michaels and maybe Best Buy. Michaels was having a good sale and Best Buy had a computer I want to look at. They have a MAC I'd like to look at too, but I'm not sure I could convince Steve to spend the extra money. Not to mention that I would have problems shifting everything over I think. While I'm in the Michael's area I would like to go World Market. I bought polenta there awhile back and it was good. And it is just fun to peruse the food section there. Such interesting stuff, that I can't seem to find in my local grocery. So if we do trek across town, I don't know how much we'll get done outside today.
Wish I had a picture to put in my blog today. I had lots of photo opportunities, but alas didn't have my camera on me most of the day. I love blogs with pictures, so that is going to be one of my goals - add more pictures. Well must get the day started.
TTFN
Saturday, June 07, 2008
Rain, Rain Take a Break
Friday, June 06, 2008
Weather
Yesterdays weather was all anyone talked about and was all the news. The day started cool and cloudy. By noon when I picked Haley up from summer singers, the sky had darkened and started to lightning some. Since it's quite a trek from summer singers to Haley's house I was worried we were going to get caught in a downpour. Luckily we both made it home before the sky let loose. It rained all afternoon. Sometimes it came down hard and sometimes it was just a sprinkle. When Steve came home at 4:30 it had warmed up and threatened to let the sun shine. They put us in the tornado watch. We decided to go check the falls and see what the weather had done to the falls. They were amazing of course. All that water, the power. By the time we got home about 8 they issuing warnings and KELO was in their continuous coverage mode. From watching the radars I figured we wouldn't get anything but there were warnings for the northwest part of the city. I did go out on my front deck and take pictures of the clouds. I apologize that they are so dark but the sky was so dark and it made everything look like night. I wanted more of the clouds anyway. I may play around with them in Lightroom later.
Well today I need to clean up my house. I've spent the last few days reading and my house is starting to look neglected. This afternoon I go babysit until 10 or 10:30. The good news is that I don't have to babysit tomorrow. A Saturday at home. Yeah! I hope maybe I can get to the Farmers Market and breadsmith. And maybe it will be half way decent and we can get some yard work done. It'll definitely be easy to pull weeds. And believe me there are weeds.
Not much else to write about today. The weather was the main event of the day yesterday. With this spring, that's about all anyone talks about.TTFN
Thursday, June 05, 2008
Rain Rain Go Away
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
Watching History
Well enough on history. It is still cool, cloudy and rainy. I think we are going to get rain this morning. Its so nice to see everything so green and beautiful. I wish we had dug up my little garden patch and planted some things. Maybe next week while Steve is home we can get that done.
I'm taking Hannah out for lunch and shopping today. I started this last year as part of the kids birthday presents. Its fun and amazing to see what each of them picks. Tomorrow I just have to take kids to summer singers and Friday I babysit. I got used to not doing to much the last couple of weeks so this has been an adjustment for me and Grady. I have no plans for Saturday. Yeah!
I started a scrapbook page yesterday. Actually I started it a couple of days ago. Well talk about frustrating. After I spent all that time organizing when I went to use something, the file wasn't there. Sure takes the mojo out of scrapping. I'm not doing a very good job of accomplishing my scrapping goals this summer.
Think I'd better go and rob some money from my husbands wallet. Sounds worse than it is. I never have any cash it seems so I must swipe some from him. He just expects it so it's all good.
TTFN
Tuesday, June 03, 2008
Happy Tuesday
We had about 2 inches of rain last night. I slept right through it. If there was thunder or lightning I missed it. Unusual for me, but my shoulder had been aching last night and I took some Ibuprofin and Aleve, so I must have slept really well. They are talking rain off and on all week. Everything is green and pretty. The temperature has been quite nice too. Steve is on vacation next week for the next two weeks and I'm sure it will not be quite so nice. In fact on Sunday it got to 85 degrees and there was quite a bit of humidity. I don't think I'm ready for that yet either. Thats one thing about the weather in this part of the country, we are never quite satisfied with it.
I'm not sure what is on my agenda today. After hauling the girls, I think I might spend the rest of the day in my den and organizing and scrapping. I also decided to go through all my pictures on my computer and start putting the good ones in a separate folder. That way when it comes time to print I can just send that folder off to be printed. I also should go through all the old photos and put them in a box or something so I can take them to the local photo shop and have them put on a cd. And then I think I will read for awhile. I have such a stack of summer reading that I might need 2 summers to get through it all.
Well I think I'm off to the showers and start my day.
TTFN
Monday, June 02, 2008
Happy Monday
It was a beautiful weekend. Finally!!! I had Scott's kids on Saturday. It was a good time. We didn't do anything special but hungout at their house. The kids spent most of the day playing outside. The girls and I went to the library while Will was napping. That Will! He's quite the character. He has a vocabulary of a 6 year old and the sense of humor of an adult. He chose peanut butter crackers for his morning snack. He was sitting on my lap eating them and I took one. (We've shared snacks before.) But this time after I had chewed and swallowed most of it, he said "Give that back." Um, like I would if I could but you see!!!