Crack up!

Me: Morning Miss I
Miss I: Shhh mama, my talkin
Me: Talkin? To who?
Miss I: ... Josh.

She was laying in her bed with her hand to the side of her head, near her ear. Kind of like she rolled over from sleeping with her hand under her head and just didn't move her hand, and that was the conversation she thought up. Isn't she clever? Where she came up with "Josh" is anyone's guess. Most likely Nickelodeon.

And a little craftiness

I saw an idea on this blog for making soap and I thought "even I could do that!" I had intended to do it last week with all my wee visitors, but I was afraid of how much work it would be. While Miss I took her nap, Bubba and I embarked on it. I had to improvise a little as I don't own any ice cube trays. But I do have a Popsicle tray and my brilliant girl DW suggested soap on a rope so there you have it: Our version of SAJ's soap making. My pictures didn't turn out very clear, but you get the idea. Bubba thought it was a great project. Its what he will end up giving his cousins for Christmas. (Surprise!) And it really wasn't that much work. Bubba suggested maybe we wanted to give some of them to the soap guy at the Farmers market next summer. I am thinking they might be kind of fun to sell at the market next year. I know, I know, biting off way more than I can chew, but it sounds fun right now!

That, a little shoveling and a phone call about an inept installer pretty much wrapped up my day! (Well, sort of, its still kind of early isn't it?)

Or not

I guess I was sick. All those aches didn't go away yesterday - and I tried everything short of getting all liquored up which would have been next if I hadn't fallen asleep! I just sat around the house drinking Market Spice tea and sucking Ricola sore throat drops.

I am still a little scratchy-throat-mild aches-want-to-sit-in-the-house-all-day feeling today, but I had the energy to bring in some wood, do some laundry and take a shower. Much improved over yesterday where doing the dishes made me feel like I had been run over by a truck! I didn't even have the energy to go grocery shopping and I LOVE getting out of the house!

Its snowing today, not sure how much we are supposed to get, so far its just a bit, but if it keeps up all day it could add up to a couple more inches. I love it that its been snowy for the past couple weeks. Even though it hasn't snowed every day, its been so darned cold that it hasn't melted or gotten the ugly, slushy, dirty look either. Even the berms in the roads are still white and pretty-ish.

Its nearly year end and I am feeling a little ... I don't know what about 2008. Looking back, it was a pretty tough year, but we made it through. I have high hopes for 2009; healing, happiness and honesty would be my three catch words I think. Last year I worked on making the best of social situations. Or not. I tried, I don't know that I made any great strides in that department. But there was definitely an awareness there. Melancholy. Maybe that's what I am feeling about the year end.

Achey brakey

My aching body.
I went cross country skiing yesterday and I am just a little sore! It was a pretty nice day and even though we went late in the day the trails were still in pretty good shape. Leavenworth has had some great snow, its all powder, but it groomed very nice.

My SIL and her SIL and I all went together. It was very pretty with the snow all piled up on the tree branches and the quietness of the forest was very relaxing. I had my camera in the car but its kind of bulky to ski with. We were all commenting on how great it was to be outside, and even though there were probably 60 or so other people skiing, we never felt crowded on the trail. Everyone goes at their own pace, you can stop anywhere along the way and rest and no one cares, and even though we were all there together it was alright to be ahead of the rest or behind or right in the middle of our group.

And at the end we went to a little place called O'Gradys Pantry for hot cocoa and a snack. What a cute little shop. Its just across the street from the parking lot for the ski area and connected to this posh resort called Sleeping Lady which I would hyper-link but something is wrong with my computer... grrrr. Better get that fixed.

Later we went to my SIL's for dinner with Auntie Portland, her husband and daughter before they brave the roads to get back to Portland. So its been a busy couple of days!

One more week of Christmas break and Bubba will finally be back to school. Two weeks off is a little much I think! I am hoping to take them sledding again this week. Maybe tomorrow unless I have my favorite Emilee on Tuesday in which case I will take them all on Tuesday.

Family, family, family

We sure saw a lot of them these past few days!

Christmas Eve at the in laws, Christmas day at my moms and the time in between together.

It was a nice Christmas. Very low key for me. Since I had to work both Christmas Eve and Christmas day I didn't ask for any additional responsibilities as far as bringing stuff to the family gatherings, I also sat back and watched the kids open presents on Christmas instead of thinking I needed to take pictures of the whole event and it was soooooo much less stressful! And we went much simpler with gifts than we have in the past which was nice too.

One of greatest gifts were these turban-hair-drying-things. "Hairdini" I think they're called. We all donned out turbans and face coverings for a goofy Christmas picture. Aren't we the cutest thing?

We also got a pretty decent family photo in front of my moms tree.

Miss I was also adorable in (one of) her Christmas dresses.

And Bubba and Cousin Madi.

All in all a good couple of days.
Now its time for my long weekend! Hopefully some fun with my sisters-in-law and maybe a cross country ski adventure ...

Tea and cookies

We've had a day!

We had a tea (cocoa) party this morning to kill a few minutes before we went sledding. After we had sledded for an hour the whole lot of us (4 adults and 7 kids under 12) came back to my house for a luncheon. Well, if you call macaroni & cheese and grilled cheese sandwiches a luncheon! My friends and their kids hung around till about 2 and then awhile later I sat down the kids in my care today and let them go CRAZY decorating cookies which is where they sit now. Soonly one of the moms will be here and I'll be down to 3.

What a fun day. Maybe I will get a repeat next Tuesday. I invited Emilee back.... we shall see.

It's supposed to start snowing tonight or tomorrow and continue for a couple days! Yay! This is the kind of winter I remember as a kid and loved!

Miss I was so fun sledding today. She and I went up and down and up and down and up and down! Bubba surprised me by sledding from the top of the hill a ton of times and carrying his sled back up every time. Only when it was time to go did he have a fit (who wouldn't?) The other two girls had a blast too until the gloves got too wet and cold. Luckily it was lunch time then :) Unfortunately I didn't get to take any pictures because I was busy sledding.

Winter wonderland

We have something like 12 or 14 inches of new snow. Okay maybe only 10. What ever it is its great! I love the snow! I could do without the single digit temps we have had for the past week, but we are off to a good start today with double digits and I think I even saw them going above 20! Its a regular heat wave!

We went to my moms house to go sledding today. It was a great time. Her apartment has a gentle hill that is perfect for Miss I who is only 3 and Bubba who is kind of wimpy. Tomorrow we are going to the school down the street with the faster, steeper hill and see how we do. I'm a tad bit nervous about it as I will be taking my 2 kids, my niece and DW's daughter. I think there's going to be a few folks and their kids from work too so it shouldn't be that bad. Then we are going to come back to my house for cocoa and lunch.

Later, while Miss I hopefully takes a nap, the older 3 kids will get to decorate cookies. Luckily my mom had an event at work last night where they didn't use all the cookies and sprinkles so I don't have to bake or go to the store for that kind of stuff. Cool huh?

Speaking of going to the store; I feel like there are all these last minute things I should buy - mostly Christmas morning stuff, if you catch my drift. So I am going to do the last of that tonight. Wish me luck.

Brrrrr

Another Pink Door photo

It is freaking cold here. 12 degrees. Before factoring in the wind. Its supposed to be like this for a couple weeks, I guess. We'll be having a fire every day that's for sure!

That's the kids at Bubba's birthday dinner on Thursday night. He chose the Mexican restaurant so they would sing "Happy Birthday" to him. He loves to be the center of attention. (Positive attention, thankfully)

Grandma just called, "Can you bring the kids by after school tomorrow so they can play with CH & K and we can decorate cookies and have pizza..." and all kinds of other fun stuff! Can I? Oh yeah! Wonder if I could sneak out for dinner with My Honey? Hmmmmm.

It's the last week of school before Christmas Break! I get an extra kid or three (?DW?) next Tuesday so I am planning on doing cookies too and maybe some kind of craft project for the older kids, we shall see.

Snowy in Seattle

Can you see the snow? Its snowing in Seattle! Crazy!


Well, I had a blast in Seattle! Definetely a "do over."

My sister and I met at the Paramount downtown where we were staying, and then we were off eating and shopping, returning bags and bags of stuff to the hotel, shopping and eating and walking. We walked MILES! And miles! And shopped, boy did we shop and then we ate and ate! MMMMM

The Pink Door as we left it, empty!

My sister made a reservation at a place called The Pink Door, what fun! The place was jam-packed when we arrived for our 8:15 reservation (I don't remember the last time I had dinner at 8:15, probably never.) It reminded me of a place I ate one time in Chicago, the tables all full of loud people, the Italian aromas, the whole atmosphere. We had the chef's tasting menu where they bring you a 4 course meal. Holy cow, we loved it! That and a bottle of great Italian Chianti made for a wonderful meal, not to mention the company, thanks Sis!

We also had a great lunch both days. I went across the street to a place called Ruth's Chris Steak House for dinner last night, but didn't do a whole steak dinner thing, just an appetizer and drink. Their menu looked like one I would love to try though with several different kinds of steaks and side dishes.

All in all a good trip, sans the drives. The mountain passes were bad. It only made a 30 minute difference in my drive time, but the stress is all in my shoulders and neck. I am stiff as a board and ache from sitting at attention for 2 hours each way! The jeep did fine (or rather, the driver) and I made it to where I was supposed to be. (Even after trying to go north on I5 instead of south. Oh well, every road leads somewhere!)

Seven

I was commenting to Bubba how good he was in Karate the other day and he says to me "well I am almost seven Mom." Of course! Thats why, duh!!

Get ready to rummmmbllllle

We went to a cage-fight last night. Who me? Yes me! I like a good fight and it just so happened that our babysitter was fighting in one of the bouts, even more reason to go. Actually, that's the only reason we knew they were going on! I am not sure I would have looked into a mixed-martial-arts-cage-fighting type of show, but it was fun and interesting to watch. Who me? I KNOW! I think a few of my local law-enforcement-type friends working the show were a little surprised to see me there. You just never know!

Its been a long week getting back into work, and wouldn't you know, I took two days off next week (and I am thinking of taking the third one off) so I am never going to get back into the swing of things until after Christmas! Oh, and then my schedule changes so there will be that adjustment. Sheesh, no rest for the weary!

I originally took Th/F off next week to clean and get ready for Bubbas 7th birthday stuff. My baby turns 7 on Friday. I'm not sure how I feel about that. We received a generous gift from some friends of ours to have a party for Bubba at the fire department, but when I called to schedule it, the 12th was already scheduled and I had to book it for the 19th instead.

Since I already have this Th/F off and its my long weekend and there isn't a party, My Honey suggested that I take our Christmas shopping list and go to the west side to do our Christmas shopping! What a treat! I can hardly wait. My plan is to wake on Friday, give Bubba a great birthday breakfast, take Bubba to school, Miss I to Grandmas and then return to school to help out. He is the snack kid that day so I will stay through snack time and then head out of town. YES I am feeling a little guilty for leaving town on his Birthday. You have no idea how guilty. Have I ever mentioned how I never felt like my birthday was very special at my house? And now look what I am doing. Such a bad mom! But I am doing what I can before I skip town!

My sister and I are going to shop together and might even spend the night in downtown Seattle, we shall see how that works out .... If not, I will spend a night or two with them and then head home on Sunday. It should be a great weekend! And I don't believe there is any snow in the forecast so the drive should be perfect.

And that's my week. I am considering taking Wednesday off too. Then I could actually spend a day cleaning my dirty, dirty house. But Probably not!

Oh, and our babysitter won her match! Way to go!!

THE END

30 days
30 different posts
One each day
Holy shit, what a chore!

But I did it, I stuck it out, I even did it on vacation. What a trooper! Never again. It was good, but ... never again.

Another thing I won't do again (anytime soon that is) would be all the drinking I did last night. Oh boy. And then we got woke up at 6:15. And then we had to pack. And then we had to drive home with a squeaky Styrofoam cooler in the back rubbing against the window, or the tailgate or whatever it was. I had to have My Honey pull over and I put a blanket around the stupid thing so it wouldn't squeak. And then there was the getting home, unpacking, getting laundry started, getting stuff ready for tomorrow, all that. Thankfully I don't have to work or blog tomorrow! Thank goodness for December 1st.

Unfortunately, it was rainy the whole weekend and I didn't leave the house so there are no pictures of Guemes with the exception of the booze. Sad, I know. And yes, we nearly finished it all... Also sad. But I did get to learn to play a new game "Cranium" I was the big loser, but that's what happens. I didn't care, it was fun anyway.

Happy endings NaBloPoMo. See you in December

Leftovers

We always bring too much food to Guemes! We even took pictures one year to remind us to bring less the next year. Ha ha ha....

This year not only do we have a TON of leftover food, we have a shit-load of leftover booze! Holy cow! No need to worry though, we are going to go through as much as possible tonight.

Over Memorial weekend when we were here there was a masseuse. She was fabulous! I tried to call before we arrived this weekend to make reservations for us to get massages, but the website doesn't have a phone number on it?? What the hell? Anyway, I thought of it yesterday, checked at the office and what do you know? They had a couple openings. YAY! I booked the two open slots and told them if there were any other cancellations to let us know. Turns out three of us were able to get massages. Ahhhhh! So nice. And they hire quality people too! I love a good massage! Love it!

So our plans for the last few hours here: relax, drink and eat. Perfect.

We made it ...

Ahhhhhhhhhh. I would like to say I ate and ate and drank and drank and then slept sooooo good, but that would be an outright lie.

I did eat, it was good! I did drink, my step-brother bought a variety pack of beer from our favorite brewery so we had to try several last night, but when it came to sleep it was a bust. The four of us are sharing a room and once a kid woke up (AT 4AM) we were done. So it will be naps all around and early bed time just in case we have a repeat and a three-peat the next two nights.

I am thankful to be here though. Its quiet, no TV, no phones (except our cell phones), who wouldn't love that? Plus the ocean is right in front of me. Its a bit of a stormy day, but what do you expect in November at the ocean?

Miss I has taken to calling the buoys "humpty dumpty's" which is funny beyond belief to me, Bubba is having a blast doing the craft stuff we brought along, I have all kinds of time to sit and do nothing (as if I don't take enough time to sit and do nothing at home) and My Honey can relax a bit too.

I am thinking that we will probably go into Anacortes tomorrow, check it out.

Not likely to play!

We're ready. Leaving soon. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

You Are Chess

You are brilliant and shrewd. You can often predict what people will do in the future. You thrive in complex situations. You deal with contradictions well. You can have many streams of though going on at your mind at once. You keep track of things well. You are very patient. You have lots of endurance, even when your energy dwindles

Crimaney sakes

We are going out of town tomorrow!!!

I have so much to do!!!!

Actually, I'm not that stressed about it. Maybe because I had a massage this morning? What a better way to start my vacation! I did get all the stuff that could be set out to be loaded in the car (snack foods, toys, arts & crafts stuff) put in the garage, ready to be packed after the suitcases and stuff. Once they're packed it shouldn't take too long and then we're off first thing in the morning. Hopefully no later than 9.

Miss I, my mom and my aunt went to lunch together on Monday. She thought the sparkly thing on her straw was THE BEST! The look on her face was so cute I took a picture. Isn't she adorable? Our time in Starbucks is paying off, she almost made it through lunch! Used to be I couldn't take her to a restaurant because she had no manners. So I thought to myself "how do I teach her manners?" Take her to restaurants right? So we started small, 10 minutes or so at Starbucks. We are up to a half hour now and she did really well on Monday. Persistence pays off.

Time to pick up Bubba. Only a half-day of school today. Think I will take the kids to McDonalds for lunch.

Another mass-accomplishment day

I feel like it should be bed time, but I have several more hours ahead.

Here is what I have done so far today:

• Work from 3-7 am
• Stop at Safeway for beef and the last few supplies for this weekend
• Wash/put away dishes
• Brown beef for the feast at school tonight
• Get Bubba's breakfast
• Get crock pot and misc supplies ready for school feast
• Make lunch for My Honey
• Get Miss I dressed
• Kids to school
• (get a latte)
• Help at school from 9-11

This included peeling and slicing potatoes and carrots
Overseeing the 1st graders doing the above
Cleaning up some of the dishes

• Appointment at 11:30

And now I am home ready for a nap.

Still left to do:

• Dinner
• Dishes
• Oversee homework that is due tomorrow
• Laundry needs to be folded
• Maybe start packing
• GET SOME SLEEP

Miss I is still at grandmas, they weren't home when I went to pick her up so, I am going to try and catch a nap. Wish me luck, the phone will probably ring in the next 30 minutes ... Ahhh, there's my phone now... Miss I is on her way home. Whats the chance she needs a nap too? Cross your fingers!

** update about 7 pm **

• Dinner ended up being at the school. My volunteer time was spent helping to prepare for a beef stew family night feast. We went to partake. I gotta say, not too many of the helper moms ate the stew. Its not like we were picking up the stuff off the floor, but we knew how many kids hands had "helped". Kind of unappetizing.
• Dishes - well, there were none :)
• Homework - done!
• Laundry - still on my to do list
• Packing - still on my to do list
• Sleep - check! Miss I and I took about an hour nap this afternoon.

And thus ends my day.

I was checking in on my gal DW, she kindly reminded all her readers/stalkers/followers that it's only ONE MONTH UNTIL CHRISTMAS. Thanks. Just thanks. She also posted some great pix of her kids.

Ahhhh, the things I can accomplish when I set my mind to it!

I re-arranged the living room today. Between the time I wrote that last post and this one. Granted the living room isn't that big, but I did a good vacuum job and moved nearly every piece of furniture (2 chairs, ottoman, TV/DVD player, bookcase, coffee tables, couch, plants, lamps) so that counts for something! AND theres even room for a Christmas tree if I can find a new home for a pile of kids toys. Maybe the Goodwill? Maybe their bedrooms? AHHH, novel idea isn't it?

I made a nice place to watch the fire, I put the TV in a new place that I like better because we can watch it comfortably from the couch and I was even able to leave a little table/chair thing set up for the kids to draw. Not bad.

Like I said, when I got home yesterday My Honey had moved a chair over in front of the fire for me, but what I forgot to mention was the sign Bubba made for me. It reads "Hoetel! of! Pees! quieit" (hotel of peace and quiet) He's really got the silent e thing down if you ask me. Not sure why all the exclamation points but it was cute. Very thoughtful.

Cherish

You know how sometimes you're "on" with someone, and sometimes you're "off"? Sometimes they're "on with you and sometimes they're "off"? And sometimes you're both "on" and sometimes you're both "off"? ... Yeah ...

This past week we're both "on" and I feel blessed beyond words. We've had our challenges and the fight ain't over, but we're getting there.

I suck at being able to express that really deep-inside part of me, but I am trying. Most of the time he knows what I need and tries mightily to give it to me but I fight it or ignore it or don't think its "good enough." What the hell is "good enough" anyway? But this past week I couldn't fight it, I didn't even realize I hadn't fought it until right now. I just let it be and I am blessed for it. Really blessed. And it was all perfect, all wonderful. Exactly what I needed.

Have you any idea how wonderful it was to come home to a roaring fire? To a cleaned up living room? To a chair set up by the fire with the computer and a beer ready to go? It felt wonderful. I felt cherished. I let myself feel loved. I need to do that more often, let myself feel loved.

Hmmm, I really hadn't meant to do this, but that's what I have today. I am thankful beyond words for My Honey.

Cuz I am lazy

You Are a Powdered Devil's Food Donut

A total sweetheart on the outside, you love to fool people with your innocent image. On the inside you're a little darker, richer, and more complex. You're a hedonist who demands more than one pleasure at a time. Decadent and daring, you test the limits of human indulgence.

What Donut Are You?

... interesting...

Shew!!

It's almost over.

This work week has seemed to last forever!

Tomorrow, a short OT shift on Tuesday and then it's vacation time again.

I am really looking forward to going to the Islands. It's quiet, on the ocean, secluded, uninterrupted, non-rushed, all that stuff you look for in a getaway. Well, the stuff I look for anyway. I hope to read a good book or two, try a new wine or two, eat a good meal or two and do some much needed computer updating (did I mention that there's wi-fi there?) You know, little stuff like backing up years worth of files, updating my whatever subscription for getting virus' out. That kind of stuff.

I came home from work today wondering if there might be a fire burning because it was kind of chilly. Sure enough, I pulled into the driveway welcomed by a thin stream of smoke from the chimney :) And the house was cleaned up! Living room put together, dishes done, it was very nice. Thanks kids and Honey for getting it all cleaned up for me.

Miss I's fever broke. I was a little concerned when it topped 104 degrees last night, so I called the doctor. He gave me the usual "if shes acting okay and the fever goes down with motrin/tylenol, then I won't make you bring her in tonight. But if her fever is over 100 tomorrow morning, I want to see her." Thankfully when he called back this morning (yes! he actually called to check on her this morning) the fever was just at 100 and she was acting like a new child. Eating, drinking and being merry. She took a long nap and hasn't had any medicine since early this morning. Yay Miss I! Now lets just pray that Bubba doesn't catch it. I better remember to take the meds with us on Thursday just in case.

Time to order Tai, get eating and get to bed, I have to work at 3 am again tomorrow.

....

Still struggling to think of things to write every day.

Miss I is sick. Fever for the past 3 days. Am I a bad mom because I went to work anyway? One will never know. She sure seemed pissed at me today tho!

One more 12 hour shift starting at 3 am this week. I may have talked someone into taking the last 2 hours tho. .. maybe, he'd rather be hunting tho.

Lets see, what else? Nothing. We are going to watch Wall-E tonight. I have heard it is good. So far Bubba is engrossed and Miss I could care less.

Another day come & gone

Ugh! Its been 3 days in a row of getting up at 2am.
My plants need water.
My kids need hugs.
My carpet needs to be vacuumed (or my girl Friday needs to visit).
And I need sleep, so off I go.

G'nite

... only 10 more days

First things first

I am totally cheating by getting this ready for Wednesday. Not only that, but I had it already from some time ago! But hey, I will have a post right? And I am so going to post it before I go to work at 3am.

1. Who was your FIRST prom date?
I never went to a prom
2. Do you still talk to your FIRST love?
No
3.What was your FIRST alcoholic drink?
Wine Coolers
4. What was your FIRST job?
A newspaper delivery person
5. What was your FIRST car?
Ford Pinto
6. Who was the FIRST person to text you today?
No one. I’m not that cool or popular
7. Who is the FIRST person you thought of this morning?
Which time? My alarm went off at 2am, I wasn’t thinking much.
8. Who was your FIRST grade teacher?
Mrs. Graff
9. Where did you go on your FIRST ride on an airplane?
Haiti
10.Sneaking out of your house for the FIRST time, who was it with?
Hmmm, lets see … It wasn’t with anyone, it was to meet someone.
11. Who was your FIRST best friend and are you still friends with them?
Mindy. Yes.
12. Where was your FIRST sleep over?
Grandma’s
13. Who was the FIRST person you talked to today?
Miss I woke me at 1am with a low grade fever.
14. Whose wedding were you in the FIRST time?
Mindy’s
15. What was the FIRST thing you did this morning?
Hit “snooze” on the alarm
16. What was the FIRST concert you ever went to?
Sandi Patty (it should have been Rick Springfield)
17. FIRST tattoo or piercing?
Piercing, 12 years old, special birthday present. No tats yet. DW might talk me into one, unless she talks me into boobies first!
18. FIRST time you were really upset?
That I can remember? I have no idea. Most recently, last Wednesday (my birthday), I had a(nother) problem with administration. I have an issue with authority sometimes.
19. When was your FIRST detention?
Middle school, I think. And it was a dress code violation. Sweat pants anyone? What else do you do when your best friend has a broken leg? She shouldn't have to be an outcast just because she can't wear jeans!
20. What was the FIRST state you lived in?
Washington. Sadly, it’s the only state I have lived in
21. Who was the FIRST person to really break your heart?
I think I was usually the heart breaker, but the first time someone broke my heart? High school, his name… big secret, I don’t think he even knows.
22. Who was your FIRST roommate?
Other than my sister? I can’t remember her name … Andrea? Alicia? That was it, Alicia. It sucked when we both liked the same guy!

*** update ** well, its 3:45 (pm) and I am posting this between school getting out and Karate class. Good thing it was ready, I have another 3 am shift tomorrow!

Fog

It's been foggy for the past couple days. Not my kind of weather. At all. I could not live where it is rainy and gray, it just makes my body ache, makes my head feel stuffy. So I started a fire to cheer me up. Well, its not only the weather, I have been up since 2am. I worked another one of those 3-7am shifts today. What was I thinking? "Do my share." "Be a part of the solution, not the problem." "Choose, rather than be assigned overtime." And finally, "Its good practice." I was thinking all those things.

It is Miss I's actual birthday today so I stopped at Safeway on my way home from work and bought her a balloon and sprinkle donuts. I couldn't bring myself to give her a sprinkle donut in front of Bubba when I knew I wouldn't give him one so the donut still sits on the counter. Maybe we should have a morning treat? ... yep that's exactly what we did. mmmmm

----------------------------------------------------
I was so stressed about getting everything done yesterday, right?
I got Bubba from school, dropped off Miss I at Grandmas, took him to his eye appointment - he has to wear glasses all the time now - we had a few minutes before Karate so we went to the Y and saw My Honey, got to Karate with just enough time to change and ... something was wrong.

We walked into the DOJO and I noticed right away that there didn't seem to be enough pair of shoes. The kids leave their shoes in the entry during classes. Odd I thought. Actually, I counted the pairs of shoes - 6 when there are usually closer to 20- and thought to myself that it didn't seem like enough, but maybe everyone was sick or something. We walk into the class room area and that's when I notice the quiet. There's no noise. Karate isn't a quiet sport, its quite noisy when there's two classes in full swing and yet ... nothing.

I send Bubba to the bathroom and changing area and I see a mom I know who is looking at me like I am crazy. And then it dawns on me ... we are EXTREMELY early, just as she is saying "you guys are REALLY early." Uh yeah, like 45 minutes. Yeah, 45 minutes early to class! So when Bubba was finished in the bathroom we took off across the street to the shopping center (it used to be a "mall" but now its just a half-dozen stand alone stores) and perused the craft store. I had been thinking of getting some stuff for next week when we are at the Island so the kids would have something to do and it was nice to have Bubba's help, now I know he will do the activities!

Anyway, it was pretty funny to be all stressed out about getting it all done and then we ended up with so much extra time!

Just a little time

I have a few minutes right now where I can squeeze this in instead of fixing Miss I her lunch. Priorities, right?

Speaking of priorities, I totally didn't get any laundry done yesterday. Want to know why? I was lurking around other blogs instead. I have no idea how long I was online wasting time, but when I finally realized what I HADN'T done yesterday I was a little appalled at myself. Oh well, its not like it happens every week...

Today Bubba has an eye appointment at 2:45 so I have to pick him up from school early, take Miss I to grandmas, get him across town to the appointment, then high-tail it to Karate, pick up Miss I, get home for dinner (which I really need to work on soon), bedtime and stuff. Its going to be a busy afternoon.

I had fun in Bubba's class today. I should have taken my glasses though. I was threading a thin gold thread through a small wire loop, talk about blinding. I can't do that stuff anymore without my spectacles. Sad isn't it?! I should be thankful, I got away without wearing glasses for 35 years and I don't have to wear them all the time (although that day is probably not far off).

When I get to the school, they are usually working on some kind of writing project. These past couple weeks they have been writing a "Thankful" paper using "transition" words. Ex. First I am thankful for .... second I am thankful for .... last I am thankful for... It is very cute to see what the kids write. Of course, Mom and Dad are on most lists, one little guy was thankful for God, another for the ocean, a few were thankful for sisters or brothers one for her cousin. Very cute.

I like how they are teaching the kids to use an idea sheet before they start their papers. The Thanksgiving idea sheet had 4 boxes where they can draw a picture and then they write words or sentences to remind them why they are thankful. Then they write complete sentences on another sheet of paper. Its hard to imagine in first grade that they are already learning about topic sentences and brainstorming. I swear it was high school before I learned that stuff!

Nut Bar

My kids are so nutty sometimes.

This morning, when I finally went in to get Miss I out of bed (she is still in a crib - why ruin a good thing?) she was lying in the total darkness talking to herself.

This isn't that unusual, but when I turned on the light I noticed she had her hands in front of her face. "What are you doing?" I asked her. "Reading a book" she tells me. And then she starts to tell me names, which I assume were people in her book, only she is pointing to objects in her crib, "this is Mama", (showing me her right hand) "this is Daddy", (showing me her left hand) "this is Grandpa" (she points to her foot) "this is Harry" (she points to her wind-up toy thing)! Hi-larious!

So much creativity in such a little bundle.

Well I am off to tend to the outdoor fire. I love a fire in the fireplace or outside in a pit. Nothing like it. Cold beer, warm fire. Great way to end the weekend. (Although its only in the 40's out, so I may opt for hot coffee, maybe add a splash of Kahlua.

PS WE'VE MADE IT HALF WAY!!!

Bravery

(deep breath) I did it. I went to the planning committee meeting. I waited in the car until I saw someone else going in so I didn't have to go in alone, but I did it. I also took on an assignment - find out the liquor laws in plain English. I am pretty sure I can handle that one since I talk to cops every day.

The rest of the day was alright. I woke up and started to feel kind of yucky so I tried to sleep in, which worked a little. My Honey had to work so we all met up for lunch at Red Robin. We don't take the kids out together very often, they get a little wound up, but we braved it and they did very well! I was very proud of my little kiddles!

After lunch Bubba spent some time with Grandma and Grandpa. He misses them a lot since he is in school all day now. Used to be he spend 1/2 of the day with them and now he hardly sees them so he calls and asks if he can come over. Its pretty sweet if you ask me.

While he was away and Miss I was sleeping I went out for a little retail therapy. It was nice to get out for awhile. And then later was the steering committee meeting.

So it was a pretty full day. Oh yeah and I got TWO posts in today!

It got away

Yesterday just got away from me. Failure.

I got off work, did the pick-up-the-kids-at-school-and-grandmas-thing, went to Costco and Safeway (we were so out of food) came home, put away groceries, made dinner, My Honey came home, we got ready for a date, babysitter arrived at 5:45-ish and we were off for dinner.

Dinner was very good. There's a nice little place called Smoke Blossom where you can get a nicer dinner in a pretty good atmosphere. Unfortunately there aren't many places left where you can go and sit in a nice comfy booth to enjoy dinner, everywhere has tables and chairs - saves space, you can squish more people in that way I guess.

My Honey had a tenderloin that was pretty yummy and I had barbecue ribs. I love me meat on the bone. Bring it on, but don't expect me to use good manners. I like to enjoy things like that in a messy way. But since we were in a restaurant, I was a little less gross than I would have liked to have been. But boy were they good!!!

Then we went and played cards at one of the casino/card room places in town and then home. I was too done to write.

So that was yesterday. Too full to fit in one more thing. Today is way less full, its my long weekend which means I should have some free time. Tonight is a planning committee meeting for my 20th class reunion which I am considering going to. It is here in town, I do live here, there really isn't any reason not to.

At a loss

Really, today I am at a loss.

Uuuuummmmm .....

I got nothin'.

My Honey and I get to go out to dinner tomorrow night. I wonder if he has an idea where he wants to take me or if I need to do all the thinking on that? Most likely I should have an idea (or two) ready.

Work is ... fine.
The kids are good.
Really, that's all I got. Oh, wait, I just remembered, only two more weeks until I get another extended time off work! Yay for holidays and vacation time!

HBD2ME

"Be nice to me, it's my birthday."
I said this more than once today and I was asked how old I am more than once and I made people guess every time. I don't know if they were just being nice or really think I look 32, but that was the median age people guessed. When they got all the way to my real age (38) they acted genuinely surprised. That's the kind of stuff that makes a girl feel good. Thanks everyone!

(look closely, the cake decorator put "38" on the cake too)

Oh three to oh seven

There's this shift at work that goes from three in the morning until one in the afternoon (03-13). I worked the three am to seven am part of that this morning (and last Tuesday, and next Tuesday and the Tuesday after.) EXHAUSTING.

The thing about it is getting ample sleep the night before, eating enough during the day and getting to bed early the night of. So far I have failed all three. I have gotten a few little naps today tho, so that helps, but I feel kind of bad for Miss I. I got home at 7 and she was still asleep so I left her in bed while I took a little nap ... even after she woke up. Then I made us all take a nap/rest time even though I was the only one that napped. Sad, I know.

It is good practice. I switch to the 03-13 shift soon and I work it nearly all year.

Follower

I noticed something new on my dashboard today "1 follower".

What the hell? So I followed the link to find out what it was. It says something to the effect of "show off how popular you are by asking people to follow you." Well, I will let you decide if you want to be a "follower" or not. It sounds kind of creepy if you ask me ... I don't think I will tag myself as followers on anyones blog. But Then again, I never thought I would have a blog. You just never know.

LK is still in town, its been a lot of fun for the kids. I have had to work so I didn't get to spend much time with her. This morning I took Bubba to school, did the couple hours in his class and then met LK, Miss I and Little Boy Cousin at the play gym. I am pretty sure I need to get Miss I into a gymnastics class, if only because it was what I always wanted to do and what kind of a mom would I be if I didn't make her follow my dream?

Then we took the kids Downtown. Once upon a time, when I was maybe 10-15 years old, Downtown was pretty cool. Then, for a decade or so it was kind of crappy, but now its back to cool. There are a few good clothing stores, a couple great antique stores and a great coffee shop. Oh and that little place I love to have lunch.

It was a beautiful day, sun breaking through the clouds, 50 degrees, very nice. The little kids did pretty good even though we made them walk about mile! At least they will sleep well tonight!

Happy B-day to her

This was Miss I's cake and her "its all about me" face. Cute huh? She loved it that we sang to her, that she got to open presents and she was the center of attention. What a fun night.


That's the blue-haired boy. Cute isn't it. The stuff we used lasted for days! And it didn't stain his hair either.

I used the same stuff in my hair, only in red for Halloween. It was just around my face and on the ends. It was pretty cute if you ask me. If I get the courage, maybe I will have it done like that the next time I get it done... Probably not. If I had the courage I would post the picture you can kind-of see it in. But I probably won't do that either.

... Day 9! ...

Skin of my chinny chin chin

I nearly forgot.
I am all ready for bed, just go the kids down - or so we think.
I was getting all my stuff ready for tomorrow and I saw my laptop sitting there and remembered.

So here I am.

LK made it into town! We had our birthday party (pics to follow). One more day of work.

The boys (almost 7 and 3 1/2) are trying to sleep in the same room. It's probably not going to work. They are so excited and excitable and sugared up with birthday cake that its nearly impossible to get them to calm down enough to get themselves to sleep. Do you remember staying at a favorite relatives house? (You like how I just called myself/my house a favorite?) And you are just so excited you can't sleep? Well that's what it is. These boys just adore each other. So, for their own good we may have to separate them. We shall see.

A Prost:

I like a Widmer Brothers brew called "Drop Top". They are pretty clever and put stuff on their bottle caps.

The past couple caps I have popped have said
"A Prost: To Pete's Sake" because what would we do without it? And
"A Prost: To Sleeping In." Now THAT one I can drink to!

It was an exciting day at work today. Apparently drinking and driving is a favorite past time lately. The last two nights almost all our law enforcement agencies have had a DUI arrest or two. But this is what happened that made it kind of an unusual day today.

We are a quick acting lot and trained a local camera to the river to try and find our jumper. Then we watched the rescue boat yard him out of the water. They FLEW to the boat launch as they worked him. Unfortunately not every story in my job has a happy ending. In fact, very few do. Sometimes I wonder how I handle it. Pretty much its a sick sense of humor that gets us through. Not everyone can handle it.

On a brighter note, we bought Miss I a birthday gift today (a Dora chair all for herself!) I wrote up a menu and shopped for the next week or so, the house cleaner came and did her fabulous job, laundry isn't too far behind and .... My sister is coming over tomorrow! All in all its going to be a great weekend!

What to say

How many ways can I say I don't have anything to say?

But I am committed, so I will write something. Plus I kept notes today just in case. I know, how pathetic is that? I actually had a to-do list on my desk today and at the bottom I kept notes of dumb things so I would have something to write.

My to-do list was this:
"DC2"
"Rebecca - clean"
"Homework - SPELLING!"
"bills (send)"
"eye doctor 66....."

There are check marks or times after nearly every item! Homework - Bubba is still working on that. I am teaching him to be just like me - wait untill the last minute. Its due tomorrow! And we/he is struggling mightily tonight. I don't know what his deal is, he actually got into trouble today at school. A "refocus" they call it. Kind of like a time out, only they have to write a note to mom and dad telling them what they did wrong. Of course, it was because he wasn't paying attention. No big surprise!

My notes look something like this:
"rained"
"snowed"
"b-day party scheduled!"
"cleaner sched!"

The first two are obvious (well to me) it rained and we watched it snow in the higher elevations. Nothing in town. I got Bubba's birthday party scheduled (that was DC2 on my to-do list) and the cleaner scheduled.

I am spoiled rotten. We have a cleaner come in every other week. She does all the things I don't like: tub, shower, toilets, kitchen & dining room floor. I love her! She is coming on Friday and I am relieved because we are having company this weekend. LK is coming to town! Yay! She encouraged me to get Miss I's birthday party planned which turned into getting Bubbas party planned too! Thanks sis!

Miss I, my MIL, my FIL and I all have birthdays in the first 18 days of November so we are going to do a everyone party on Saturday. It should be fun!

Mercy me. This child. "Quit writing on your hand, put your pencil on your paper and get your homework done." (You should have seen the look on his face when I told him to quit writing on his hand ... the classic "how did you know?" look. Sometimes being a mom is fun. That's kind of naughty isn't it?)

Trying ...

I've had ideas all day, but they are gone now that I have a few minutes.

My Mondays and Wednesdays are tight for time. I get off work at 3, pick Bubba up at 3:25, head home, get him a snack, changed for Karate, drive across town for class at 4:30. After Karate, I pick up Miss I at grandmas and then head home for dinner, getting ready for tomorrow (set out my clothes, make lunches for me and Bubba) dishes, visiting with My Honey and eventually bedtime. It can be a whirlwind. I usually try to throw a few minutes of homework in there for Bubba too.

When I arrived home from work today there was a little box on my porch.... My camera arrived safe and sound from my dads house! Yay! I don't have to go without anymore. Now I can post the picture of Bubba with blue hair!

Rain, rain, go away

We get about 20 days of rain here per year. Maybe. And by "rain" I mean "sprinkles" that usually last an hour or two. Today is not one of those days. It started raining sometime late yesterday afternoon or early evening and it hasn't let up yet.


UPDATE: 1:05
The rain stopped around 10-ish, the clouds lifted off the mountains and guess what? SNOW! Not in town, but on the mountains. It's not a great picture, what can I say, I only have my phone right now. But if you look toward the top of the mountains, right under the lightest part of the sky, you can see the white stuff. (For the locals, that is looking west on Stevens St, WHS is directly in front of me.)


I should save this one for another day, but it just cracks me up! I took a picture of this sign in a dressing room at the mall. The store is Gilly Hicks, which is quite a treat if you get to one. It is nothing but lounge wear and pretty bras that are too expensive, not to mention too big, for me, but beautifully displayed none the less! And clever signage.

That sign sits on a dresser (or maybe a "bureau") full of bras in the dressing room. Each drawer has black bras of a certain size in it. All you have to do is find your size (if you're lucky enough to have boobs) and there is a drawer full of the different styles of bras they carry for you to try on so you can find the perfect fit! Then you go out into the color-coordinated, perfectly stocked sales floor and pick out the one or ten you want (at $35 or more each.) Now, if I had boobs, and could have such nice choices for myself, I might like this store, but as it is, it left me kind of bitter over my flat-chested lot in life! My Dad's wife was kind enough to buy us all a foo-foo lotion and body spray tho. MMMMM its yummy.

Okay, so day 4, pretty good. I am 1/7 of the way there! I go back to work tomorrow though, not sure when I will fit this in. I keep thinking about it ... What if I got up 15 minutes early and did it before work? That would be at 3:45. IN. THE. MORNING. I don't think that is going to happen. So that leaves me with after the kids go to bed, before I go to bed. Hmmmmm.

Day 3

So I had this great idea that if I couldn't write, I would post a (new) picture. Guess what? I left the camera in Issaquah. So much for that. Unless I make a special trip over there, or they send it to me, which I really don't think I want them to do, I wont see it until Thanksgiving. Boo hoo.

The colors were so beautiful driving from Eastern Washington to Western Washington on Friday, I wish I had had a little more time to get some photos. Unfortunately, I didn't. Then I had hoped to take some pictures on the way home, but that didn't work out either. I left the camera and it had rained (and snowed!) for two days so the leaves were all fallen off the trees and it looked kind of messy.

We were all excited to see the (very light) snow on Blewett Pass. Just enough to get us in the mood for winter. Miss I was hollering to make a snowman, ("meek now man") and Bubba was hollering every second he saw snow ("Lool! There! LOOK!") and I was just wishing they would be quiet for a few minutes.

The drives to and fro are always the worst. My kids don't sleep in the car and they don't shut up either. Its talk, talk, talk, talk, talk all the way where ever we are going. Grocery shopping, Karate, church, where ever. On a drive more than 90 minutes I am totally exhausted by the time we get there! We tried a portable DVD player which works for about an hour, but guess what I did when I was installing it last week? Dropped it on the ground. Now both screens don't work. UGH.

Oh well, we are home, safe and sound, ready to sleep in our own comfy beds! The trip was nice, the Halloween event was fun and the grandparents loved seeing the kids!

Fall Back

Fall back ... where?
Fall back ... into?
Fall back ...

I am a little jealous of LSL's new blog design. (Okay maybe a lot.) So I think I will do some hunting around and see if I can find that one that is "me". I had also been thinking about the NaBloPoMo and thought I would give it a shot.

am I going to fit it into my day? I have no idea, but that's the point right? So here we are day 2. I am 100% so far!

Trick or treat

Duuuuuuuuuude


We had fun! When we arrived at my Dad's the kids dug through the costume box and Miss I had a little dress up fun with Auntie Dani. Then we got into our "real" costumes, turns out her dress up costume was much cuter huh? Maybe next year!

I am feeling a lot like this again. I have a ton of stuff going on, but most of it isn't stuff I post about. I am still trying to find the right outlet for it.

Lets see, the blogable highlights:
I am taking the kids to my Dad's house this weekend. It should be a fun time.

My sisters are bothering (I know its in love) me about the kids' birthday parties. I guess I should get on the ball about that. Especially since Miss I's is less than 3 weeks away. I cannot believe she is almost three! She was acting every day of it today! Everything was a battle. "No Mama!" was her answer to just about everything. I am exhausted and its only 1:00. I think she isn't feeling well since she is actually sleeping right now.

We are doing our pumpkin carving tonight. Just in time to throw it away :) Isn't that naughty of me? Halloween is one of those holidays that I just don't get into. I could, but I really don't. I put out some decorations, get a pumpkin, but as for dressing up, well, not so much.

I have been helping in Bubbas class at school. I sure hope I can continue to do that kind of thing for both kids as they progress through school. It has been very interesting. I have a heart for the little boys. There are a couple girls in the class who have glommed on to me, but its the boys that need me. Thankfully there is enough of me to go around, since there are only 7 or 8 of them.

I have helped one little guy, E, for the past three weeks. I think at first he was a little afraid of me but we are getting to know each other a lot better. He is very black and white. If you tell him that a capital letter goes at the beginning of a line, he will put a capital letter at the beginning of the line, even if its in the middle of a sentence.

A light really went on for me working with him yesterday, so I hope we have some success this year. There is another one, L, that is kind of a live-wire, class clown kind of kid. He did so great yesterday sitting reading to himself that I forgot he was in the class. When I checked in with him, he was doing good and I asked if he would read to me. I totally expected him not to read well (I know, how bad is that?) turns out he reads a little better than Bubba! Thats what I get for judging a book by its cover!

And then there's work ... not much to say on that front.

And thats about it. The car needs a cleaning before we leave town on Friday, and this afternoon is probably my last chance. I better go get it done.

Reptiles

Some kind of Python
The Crocodile

The Reptile Man was a hit! He showed off several snakes, a turtle, lizards and a crocodile! Miss I, Bubba and I all petted the croc. He was only about 3 feet long. The kids reactions were so great, from squeals to laughter, and some were just kind of in shock. Very cute. Miss I really enjoyed it "Daddy I go tee a take!" (Some day she will say all her letters right.)

The rest of the week is kind of busy, picture day and karate tomorrow, I have a Big Event at work on Thursday, snack day on Friday and its my work weekend.

Halloween is fast approaching and I think I have it figured out for the kids. Miss I inherited some pretty dresses from Auntie Shel. Bubba wants to be a black spider. What if they are Little Miss Muffet and the Spider Who Sat Down Beside Her? Cute?

I am probably going to take them to My Dads for trick or treating. They have an event each year in their neighborhood where the cars line up and they decorate them. I wonder how to tie the car theme in with the kids? Maybe a spider web? How would you make a "tuffet"? Anyway.

I also broke down and signed up on Facebook. Honestly, I have no idea what to do over there! Why you ask? Well, it all has to do with a 20 year class reunion. And that's all I am gonna say!

Change

The morning sun was shining through a crack in the curtains illuminating a vase of sunflowers I had on the kitchen table on Sunday morning.

More change is in the air. Miss I has all but stopped taking naps. Its the dread of every parent when the kids cease to nap. I screws up the schedule. Thankfully she will still rest in her room for an hour or so, but she's done with sleeping. Now I have to find stuff to fill the time.... Today we are going to go to the school for their assembly with the Lizard Guy - or what ever he is called. Reptile Man, that's it. More on that later.

Am I crazy?

One of the things I wanted to find on my trip was a new purse. I had success, but at a high price.

There is an outlet mall here in Lincoln City. One of the stores is "Coach." As we walked by I said "There is no way I would spend $200 on a purse." But there was something that drew us into the store. I think it was the crowd. Seriously, there had to be at least 150 people in this store. For why we wondered, so we checked it out.

Have you ever been into a Coach store when they are having a sale? Well its like Nordstrom's half yearly sale. There was this electric buzz, women and men in a line that snaked 3/4 of the way around the perimeter of the store, not to mention the zig-zag at the check out.

EVERYTHING was at least 30% off PLUS, if you bought a $1 coupon (that went to breast cancer research) you got an EXTRA 25% off. NO KIDDING. Me, I like the close out section myself, and I found a cute little purse and started to stand in line. And we stood there and inched our way up to the register ... 45 minutes later. (Un)fortunately I found a little black number like the closeout one and a matching wallet and something for My Honey. Over $200 later, but not for just ONE purse, I finally got out of there. Crazy I tell you. Simply crazy.
Cute aren't they?

For a girl who never carried a purse regularly until maybe 10 years ago that's quite a purchase. I better take good care of them!

South on The 101

Boiler Bay
Yaquinta Lighthouse
Near a pottery shop in Lincoln City

If I had only known

THAT is dinner. All homemade. Even the rolls! What you can't see is the pork roast that had to be "braised" what ever the hell that is!

I am being spoiled like you wouldn't believe here! I don't know how I will go back to macaroni & cheese, hot dogs and chicken nuggets. Oh wait, yes I do, I will be the one cooking, so its out of the box, easy stuff on my menu!

These women are amazing. Pies! I only have pie at holidays and that is because someone else made it. Home made rolls, same thing. My mother-in-law makes rolls for holidays and I scarf them down like candy! "Braised" pork roast ... riiiiiiight. Not in my house. If it has some kind of marinade its the one that came on it in the package. Sad, I know.
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I headed south toward Newport today. I had to stop at the Rogue Brewery for more Dead Guy Ale. Guess what happened there? They were having a Columbus Day sale. I bought a different variety, Dads Little Helper, instead of Dead Guy Ale this time (since it was 1/3 the price). And I found one more reason to love the Rogue Brewery, they thought I was 27! HA! I haven't been 27 in over 10 years. I love those guys. The guy serving beer samples studied me hard, asked me if I was 21 and then guessed me at 27. Yeah, I love those guys!
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AND, Oregon. I don't know what to do when they pump my gas. Do you tip the guy, do you wash your own windshield? What do you do? I hate feeling helpless and that's how the gas attendants make me feel. I am used to pumping my own stinking gas and I don't know what to do when someone else does.... Its just so weird.
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Ahhhhhhhh

THAT, my friends is my path to the beach! Actually its a spit, but same difference, right? Its just a few yards away from our deck!

I made it, even though my internal compass is screwed up. Thank goodness for the one in my rear view mirror! Seriously, south feels east to me and west feels north, I am totally unreliable to get myself someplace!

There is a hot tub, there is quietness, there is a TV, if I so desire (which I don't) and books. Chairs by the windows looking over the spit to read the books in, and a second house where there is a lot more activity going on if I want a break from the quiet. There are also several outdoor fire pits. I am pretty sure we're gonna have a fire one of these nights, just gotta get us some dry wood and pray for a clear night. Last night would have been perfect but we weren't prepared. Oh yeah, and internet access.

Preparation

Camera - check
iPod - check
Batteries - check
Wine & beer - check
Cash - check
Phone - check (in fact its brand spanking new!)
Books - check
Books on tape/cd - check

What have I got left to do?
Pack- still waiting on laundry to be done
House cleaned up - not gonna happen :) Well, some of it will, but I am not going to do a huge cleaning, the kids and My Honey are staying home.
Clean out the car, pack the car
Haircut, that happens at 2, but I think that's it. Oregon Coast, here I come.

Happy Fall

Sunnybank Farms, Lake Chelan, WA
Sunnybank Farms, Lake Chelan, WA

Nefarious Cellars, Lake Chelan, WA


What a great weekend!

My sister arrived safe and sound on Friday evening. We had dinner, got my kids to bed and then went to get our cousin from my Mom's house.

The three of us went to my favorite wine bar and had some wine and great conversation! It was amazing how much the three of us have in common. I learned some fun stuff about my sister, and lots of things about my cousin.

She lives in southern Oregon and we don't get to see each other much. When we were kids we saw each other a few times a year, then her family moved to Minnesota. We kept in touch by mail off and on through school. It was a treat to spend a lot of time with her this weekend.

Saturday, my sister and I picked up the rest of the girls (Cousin, Sister and Auntie) and we all went to Lake Chelan for wine. Lots of wine. I was actually wined-out by dinner if you can imagine.

We visited six wineries and then came back to town. It was a lot of fun. There are some beautiful wineries, some po-dunk wineries and some average wineries. I only bought a bottle at one of them. I REALLY wanted to like with wine at Vin du Lac, because their labels are so cute, but it really wasn't that great to me. It was "earthy" and we had a few more descriptive words, but I don't want to dis them too bad, someone out there likes them!

All in all, it was a great start to my vacation! My cousin reminded me at the first winery that I was on vacation, I am still having trouble remembering. Come Tuesday, when I start to pack I should be pretty well there!

Ahhhh

My work day usually ends at 3 provided someone isn't out sick or on vacation.

Today I had a meeting at 1, so I was scheduled off the floor. The meeting was canceled, which was fine, but I just kept thinking of all the things I could do with 2 hours ... Grocery shopping being number 1. It's not that big of a deal, I really should have done it yesterday, but just didn't get it done and it was stressing me out, "When am I going to get it done? Tonight is Karate, tomorrow I will have to take both kids to Safeway AND Costco. UGH." So now its done. I made a menu at work for the next two weeks, planning easy stuff for the days I am out of town and even remembered to plan for this weekend while LK is here! Took the time off, hit Safeway and Costco (alone) got it all put away and had time to spare before Bubba was out of school! I may even walk down and pick him up instead of drive ... I know, "what a stud!" :)

Two more work days! Yay

Plans

Only 3 work days left till I am on vacation! That is if I don't lose my voice first. I had a sore throat last week for a couple days, no biggie, I worked through it, but now my voice is totally froggy. No, more like a 12 year old boy whose voice is changing. Hopefully (?) I have enough voice to get me through the next three days. If not, oh well, at least I will "feel" fine while using sick time, I just won't sound great! Its the weirdest thing when my voice does this. I remember all through school when it happened to other people (you know when they would get laryngitis, or yell at a football game till they were hoarse) what a bummer it was that it never happened to me. Now its my turn. And I didn't even go to a football game or anything. Just a change in the season or a cold that caught hold of my throat somehow. Oh well.

My weekend plans are coming together! LK and my cousin will be here Friday! Yay! Several of us are planning a drive to Lake Chelan to visit the wineries. There are 13 of them, not that we are going to visit them all, but maybe 4 or 5. OOOOH, and its "crush" time with special events going on the first weekend of October, lucky us!! That should work out to be fun.

Vacation plans are all set. The house is rented, I just have to check the weather and pack. Kids are all taken care of while I am gone (My Honey took a couple days off work) but I should plan some meals. And that's about it. Hopefully there will be internet access this time and I can post the hundreds of photos I am going to take!

Fall into ...

Well, it came and went. The first day of fall. It was a windy, cold day here. Didn't get above 60 degrees. Makes me sad. I hate to see summer end. Oh well, I do have a lot to look forward to this last quarter of 2008.

For instance, starting October 4th I am on vacation from work for 10 days (I know, "again?" How lucky am I?) 5 of which I will actually spend ON VACATION, with a gaggle of girls, in Oregon for our Second Annual Female Family Gathering. Yay! My cousin will be in town for part of the days I am off, and my sister (LK) may come over too. That will be a great time, my sisters, my cousin and I ... oh yeah!

The part of the trip I am most looking forward to? Taking the jeep, my ipod and whatever music I want for the drive down. Alone. All by myself! And then the return trip, the jeep, my ipod, my music, all by myself. I am also looking forward to seeing the relatives, getting to hang with the girls I don't see very often, sampling some yummy wine and taking some great photos - weather permitting. My plan is to drive down through the Columbia River Gorge, it was so beautiful when I came back last year, but I was in a hurry and couldn't stop to enjoy it, or I would have been late for dinner!

In November I have another 10 days off work at Thanksgiving. We are making our bi-annual trip to Guemes Island to spend the holiday there with my Dad, his wife and her family. It is always a good time. And of course we have birthdays in November; my mother and father in-law, Miss I, and me, plus Bubba in December and Christmas. So this 4th quarter should keep us pretty busy. Not to mention work, school, karate, and I was thinking that Miss I might like to be in either a swim or dance class ...

(See girls, I just needed a little encouragement, now you can't shut me up!)

Encouragement

Thanks Girls! With that little bit of encouragement in the comments, I will tell the Cowboy story. (PS I am totally jealous of LK quitting her job, but on the other hand, that means I get to see her more!)

Last week ... lets see, where to start? My Honey was going out of town Thursday through Sunday for a golf tournament with a group of guys so we had to do some creative planning to get the kids taken care of. Since I work at 5 am, we asked his mom to keep the kids overnight Wednesday and Thursday, she was a lifesaver, as usual, and helped us out tremendously. (Thanks Mom V!)

Wednesday was Bubba's Karate class. Afterward we were headed home to get his overnight stuff and then to Grandmas to sleep over. As we were driving home I was reviewing my expectations of when we got home, I had a hot date with My Honey at 5:30 and didn't want to be late because Bubba was lolly-gagging around the house.

"We are going to go home, you change your clothes, get your backpack with the overnight stuff in it while I make your lunch and grab the snacks for class tomorrow. No fooling around, we need to get it done pretty quickly okay?" That was pretty much my instructions to Bubba. This is the conversation that followed:

"Oh yeah, mom, I forgot I have a date tonight." (Oh, here we go, I thought.)
"A date? With whom?"
"With ML."
"Really, well, we aren't going to be home tonight remember?"
"Oh yeah, that's right... She is going to come to grandmas for dinner."
"Okay, well we still need to get that stuff done so we can get to grandmas"

... these kinds of conversations are pretty regular when he is trying to get out of something, I don't know where he gets that creative bent (ha ha ha) and its usually all I can do not to laugh out loud at his outrageous imagination! ...

"Well, I want to dress nice, is that okay?"
"Sure, as long as it doesn't take too long." (Always focused on the task at hand.)
"And I want to do my hair nice too." (Hair, oh no ...)
"Well, why don't you do your hair at grandmas?"
"Okay."

At this point we are near home, I repeat my directions to him and we're off.

After he rummages around upstairs getting ready, he comes down and says to me "Mom, how do I look? I decided to go like a cowboy"

I really should have taken a picture! I nearly did, but I was focused on the task at hand ...

He was wearing camouflage rain boots with jeans tucked into them, a white long sleeved, button up shirt with red and blue pinstrips (the one you gave him for Christmas LK), that is nearly too small, untucked, a blue fleece vest, that is at least 2 sizes too small, and to top it off (no pun intended) a blue and red straw hat. He was so pleased with himself. And it was so cute! I really regret not taking a picture. Seriously I can't even do him justice by describing it! I told him he looked awesome and we were off to grandmas.

Funny, funny kids, that's what I have! I don't take nearly enough time to enjoy them. I am trying, it just doesn't always come naturally.

The rest of the week was just as chaotic, I picked Bubba up from school on Thursday, he had a Karate promotional test, which he did very good at. And then back to the school for open house night. His teacher did a great job of telling us all the stuff they are doing, she had a fun little scavenger hunt so the kids had to tell us about a few corners of the class room, show us the music room, the reading and computer labs. And then back to grandmas.

Friday I picked up Bubba from school, Miss I from grandmas and we were off for two nights at my Dad's house. It was really nice to get away for a couple nights.

Miss I didn't even seem phased that she hadn't slept at home in 2 days, or seen much of me. She was perfectly content to "pen da nye ah gam-ahs. I booked home and packed ... I took the kids to Issaquah for the weekend. So all in all its was a pretty busy week! Hopefully it will calm down a little this week!