First Snow

I really wanted to post this photo two days ago, but three 12 hour shifts has kicked my A. I am just about asleep right now. Thankfully I have tomorrow off. Once I wake up, hopefully in time for dinner, I should be ready to tackle my next really long week. This holiday crap is almost as bad as late summer was.

It was fun to get the first snow of the season! It wasn't much but we went out and watched it fall for a few minutes. I think once Miss I gets to play in it she will love it. She wasn't so sure the other night. It might have been my looking out the dark window and going "Ooh!ooh! I need to get the camera" and then disappearing downstairs in a hurry. I think I scared her.

A bit o fun and a rant

Big plans today! Its Festival of Trees this weekend. Me and a group from work are going to meet this afternoon (3:45 if you're interested) and tour the goods and have our kids pictures taken with Santa!! There is also a Teddy Bear Tea on Sunday I am thinking might be fun, let Miss I dress up in a fancy dress with ribbons in her hair? Bubba might even think that was fun too.
Did I mention he dressed in his suit for Miss I's birthday? It was so cute. He originally had his jacket and pants, shiny shoes and a tie on. But he started to look hot so I told him he could take off his jacket. It was so cute and it was his choice, he picked it out.

Speaking of Bubba, someone tell me what to do. HE WONT SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT. I went off the deep end the other night when he woke at 1am and was yelling "MOM I'M SCARED" I ran in there and told him to shut up. I never use shut up, I use a loud voice (yell) often, but never shut up. I still feel bad. Anyway, even though we re-arranged his room, took the bunk beds down, took all the stuff that makes shadows off the walls, everything he asked us to do he still has trouble. Dang Harry Potter book. I never should have read it to him. Or maybe it was the Goosebumps he was watching unsupervised. I dunno but I am so done with it. Finally Miss I has been sleeping though the night and now him. UGH.

The Day After

THIS was one of my birthday presents. Grandma helped the kids make a cake! How sweet is it? Bubba did all the writing in frosting on the top - and no, there weren't enough candles. In fact it is still sitting the same way on the counter today. We never ate any last night. Why you ask? How could I resist chocolate cake on my Birthday? Well, lets just say when you and the kids try to go to bed at 6:30 or 7pm, chocolate cake at 4:30 sounds like a REALLY bad idea.

I am thinking of using the photo from yesterday for our Christmas card this year. Not sure what to say with it though .... Maybe "Namaste" I learned that phrase in Yoga, my instructor explained it as "the light/spirit in me sees the light/spirit in you." Yeah, maybe that.

On my way to Oregon I passed the "Namaste Winery" and just about had to pull over because the name made me cry. I was sad for her girls, going through another holiday season without their mother, sad for the timing, it had to be near the one year anniversary of her death, just sad.

Last week I heard about a young couple who will soon be separated by death. The woman has cancer, she has 2 weeks to 2 months to live. I CANNOT IMAGINE. This couple has dealt with one type of sickness or another for at least the past 7 years, nearly their whole marriage. They are a beautiful example of standing by each other, seeing it through to the end. I know a few men (and women) who might have given up along the way. I am keeping them in my prayers. They may have a rough road ahead. They planned a trip to Hawaii and are there now. A ton of folks in the law enforcement community came together and raised several thousand dollars in a matter of days to present to them before the left. It was very touching.

Well, this turned into a downer post. Sorry. Guess I needed to talk some stuff out.

Another Year

It's my birthday today!

I cracked up a co-worker when I told him I was 22. He knew it wasn't true, but he wasn't sure how to tell me. Then I blew him away when I told him I was really thirty seven.

It's been a good year, my 36th year. And I can't wait to see what thirty seven holds.

If I had to tell you one thing I am proud of this past year it's how I handled the issues I had at work. And I am just going to skip my most abhorrent behavior because what's the point?

So here's to thirty seven. Cheers!

See me in 3-5

Sort of a meme, although I wasn't "tagged" I thought it would be fun:

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments.. what is it?
1. Produce: Cesar supreme salad in a bag
2. Bakery: Blueberry bagel
3. Meat: Pork loin
4. Frozen: Ben & Jerry's Triple Carmel Chunk
5. Dry goods: Hmmmm, I dunno

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of clothing with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. Hat
2. Long sleeved t-shirt
3. Leopard print flannel pants

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. “Bubba!"
2. “Be careful with that"
3. “May I help you"
4. “You're kidding me"
5. “What are you doing?" This one comes with many inflections

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you'd probably be in a pretty irritable/bad mood?
1. Caffeine
2. Love from the family
3. Eat

What are 3 things that you have in your bedroom that have been with you for the longest amount of time?
1. Dresser
2. My Honey
3. Bedspread

You're driving down the road, and suddenly you're hit with this sense of road rage. What 3 factors probably contributed to it?
1. Red Lights
2. Dumb drivers – not pulling over for emergency vehicles
3. Kids fighting in the back seat

You just scored a whole afternoon to yourself. We're talking a 3 hour block with nobody around. What 5 activities might we find you doing?
1. Getting a massage
2. Shopping/window shopping
3. Reading
4. Computering
5. Nothing

We're going to the zoo. But, it looks like it could start storming, so it'll have to be a quick visit. What 3 exhibits do we have to get to?
1. Gift shop
2. Elephants
3. Monkeys

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show of your choice. You can pick between 5, so what are you deciding between?
1. The Today Show
2. Deal or No Deal
3. Oprah (her favorites show if I had a choice)
4. Survivor (good one DW)
5. Ellen

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a triple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Strawberry cheesecake
2. Wild Mountain Huckleberry
3. Pralines & Cream

Somebody stole your purse/wallet…in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. 2 sets of keys
2. Wallet
3. Cinnamon Apple lip gloss
4. Lotion
5. Calendar

You are at a job fair, and asked what areas you are interested in pursuing a career in. Let's pretend you have every talent and ability to be whatever you wanted, so what 3 careers would be fun for you?
1. Writer
2. Teacher
3. Photographer

Recap

Its early afternoon Saturday, but my weekend is over. I have to work tomorrow morning. So this is it. My sister came to town, we had a fun time re-arranging and de-junking Bubba's room, preparing dinner for my side of the family (her relatives too) and then getting Miss I's birthday stuff ready. She and her son took off an hour or so ago.

Dinner With the Family was fun. Mom, Auntie, LS1, LS2, brother-in-law, niece and nephew were all here, at my house for dinner. I loved it. It really helped that my Girl Friday came and cleaned on Thursday and that LS1 was here to help me. She did kid watch while I shopped for dinner fixins. We had BBQ chicken sandwiches. Nothing fancy, but it was good.

Miss I's 2nd birthday party was great. I did a brunch for family and some friends today. We had a Mexican fritatta, crepes (my specialty) canned pears & peaches for the crepes (with whipped cream of course) fresh fruit (bananas, grapes, oranges) and my Mother In Law's specialty; cardamom bread. It's always a hit and it's delicious. I have tried but I can't make it as good as she can. Its just a hint of sweet (could be the powdered sugar icing on the top) and yummy with the cardamom in a sweet bread. I also made cinnamon biscuits and we had bite-sized cupcakes for her cake. I highly recommend bite-sized cupcakes. No extra plates needed, lots of people will eat more than one, the are pretty cheap and cute! I bought white and chocolate, arranged them on a cake plate, put two candles in the ones in the center for Miss I to blow out and then served them around the room right off the cake plate. EZ!!!

Of course she got spoiled rotten with presents! De-junking her room is next. I am gonna put all the baby toys in a box for my newest niece. She will like some of these things in the next year.

She is so cute lately, she has figured out that she can control lots of parts of her body. Her hips, her tummy, her long little legs, neck, toes, its cute. Her dances are getting so funny.

We have been watching The Little Mermaid lately, there are a lot of musical things in it and she sings or dances along. We put in Shrek the other day and at some point in the movie there is music similar to that in Mermaid where Ariel is singing. So Miss I starts to sing. And I realize its what I call "princess music." Anyway, one of her gifts is "wrapped" in a bag with the Disney Princesses on it. Miss I sees it and starts to sing the "princess song" it was so cute. I didn't even know she would put something together like that. Another smarty.

Oh yeah, and speaking of smarty ... We went to Bubba's first school conference the other night. With the exception of penmanship he's doing really well. I was pretty happy with is grades.

Technically

Well, I wanted to participate in the blog everyday in November-thing, but I ran into a technical problem - my laptop is TU. Heaven forbid I blog downstairs on the OLD computer. No way. Looks like that's what I will have to do for awhile because the drivers appear to be corrupted and the dang thing won't connect to the Internet so, after My Honey has put at least 10 or more hours into it the Presario-people say "send it back." Box it up, gather all your paperwork and send it back to us. Oh wait, they send me a box. Well that's handy. Hopefully it won't take too long.

Our Female Family Gathering was wonderful. The Ocean was beautiful, we had SUNNY days. Not a drop of rain the whole time. My drives to and from were just wonderful. Alone in the car, me and my thoughts, my music, my whatever. It was fantastic.


Halloween was fun. I have pictures, but guess where they are? Yeah. We saved them to the external hard drive, but I am just too lazy to go ... wait, here it is.





Miss I's 2nd birthday is on the 18th. I work that weekend so we are having her party Saturday. I had plans to have lots of people over, but never got invitations sent out so we will just have family over and call it good. (She'll never know right?)

My sister is coming over from Bremerton today and staying with us so we should have a fun, fun weekend.

Follow up

I got the house cleaned after all. With the exception of vacuuming, I desperately need to take the vacuum to the shop for what I hope is a minor repair, the switch doesn't work.

After what started out as a 2 hour overtime shift turned into 6 hours and nearly being up 24 hours, I am still irritated at work.

The toilet is back in working order. (WHEW) I am so thankful for that. My Honey took care of that while I taught someone to can pears on Thursday.

I still don't know which way to lean for a re-model project. Maybe once the rental stuff is cleared up I will feel like thinking about it. Speaking of the rental, I went there today. Its a single wide mobile home on a small piece of property here in town. We lived in it for years 2-10 of our marriage. It was just right for then.

One of the outbuildings on the property is an old pickers cabin. Agriculture is, well, used to be the main thing here, so the farmers had living quarters for their workers at or near their orchards. Our property used to be an orchard and has two such buildings left. We use one for storage, we let the renter use a smaller one for their storage and the lawn mower and stuff related to the rental. Its about 10 x 20 and has an 8 x 8 lean-too that was a bathroom. We lived in this "cabin" for the first year of our marriage. As I looked around it today and thought back to much simpler times I can't believe how differently we live now. Its worth a post all its own. Suffice it to say that all the laundry I put away yesterday would not have fit in the "closet" we had in the cabin. (AND THAT WAS JUST PART OF THE CLOTHES WE HAVE)

I am so looking forward to going out of town, I think I am getting a bit stressed though, I am CRANKY today. I just found out that one of my relatives wants to gamble a bit at the casino nearby. I hadn't counted on that. Fun Fun Fun!

Nothing to say

Well, I was thinking I wanted to post something today, but what I should really do is clean the house.

I will say:

I am pissed about something at work, (but what's new.)

We had to TAKE OUT THE TOILET in one of our bathrooms because it got that plugged (note to self: close the door when not in use so the kids don't stuff it again). When My Honey put it back he then realized that there are other problems. I don't know exactly what, but something about the ring around the drain (the one under the toilet) is broken ...

We are thinking of doing a re-model project for this winter. Either the living room or family/laundry/bathroom. Either one would be a lot of work, but fun.

We have to get our rental cleaned up for a new renter in December.

I only have one week left until I get to go out of town. Alone. AND I scored an extra day off! Its costing me one, but it will be worth it.

School carnival on Saturday. We're going as a pirate family. ARRRGG.

And it guess that's it for now.

Miss I

I am thinking Punkin Head no longer suits my youngest. She is growing up and into herself and forcing us along the way. She is quite the sassy one, a careful observer and independent. Her new pseudonym shall be: Miss I. "I" for independent. I also like it because she has these EYES and I fear as two creeps up on us "I" will become a staple in her vocabulary. Miss I suits her in many ways. So from here forward "Punkin Head" is officially retired and "Miss I" it shall be.

Just today she pulled a Miss I. She went to the craft area, pulled out a bag of play dough and another of clay, marched herself to the table, set the bags on it then helped herself into her chair to play. And there she sits. Playing contentedly with clay. Its great having kids who like crafty junk. They get paper, pens, crayons, clay or play dough out and area occupied for awhile. Its interesting because each of them already have a preference. Miss I likes to play with clay. She is experimenting with drawing, but so far seems to prefer clay. Bubbas is drawing, and now writing stories with his pictures. Its been fascinating to watch his writing get so much better since the beginning of the school year and watch him put words and pictures together.

There is a school carnival coming up in a couple weeks. Bubba is selling raffle tickets (just a dollar each, pretty easy sell.) I took him into work to sell them a few days ago. He went to each person, used their name and asked if they wanted to buy a raffle ticket. His little sales pitch went something like this: (clears throat) "Lisa, would you like to buy a raffle ticket? I am selling them for my school carnival, they are one dollar each." Then he would answer their questions. It was precious. Who could resist? It was cute though, one gal wanted to buy more than one ticket and he said no. "Because then there wont be enough for the others to buy." Isn't that sweet?

Guilt

My girl, DW writes about things she doesn't do, and I loved it. It was a closer glimpse into her life and much of it rang true for me too.

Here are some things on my list:
I don't always reply to my kids when they say "mom ..."
I don't (intentionally) watch TV - so you would think I had a lot of extra time
I don't pay attention when I spend money
I don't follow through well
I don't keep a list of "things to do" so nothing gets done
I don't put laundry away after its folded
(Until recently) I didn't cook dinner
I don't clean regularly

And I can get to feeling bad about it all. Guilt is the worst. It can become so consuming, overwhelming and just plain unbearable if left unchecked. It leads to anger, discontent and depression. It's hard, though not to feel guilty, when it comes to wanting to give our best and not being able to for whatever reason; time, money, disinterest, rebellion. Then, when guilt has settled in, its even harder to shake. It takes a lot of energy. A lot of positive self talk. A lot of asking for compliments, "Did you like dinner?" A lot of prayer, thankfulness, and awareness of our value.

So I try to keep in the front of my thoughts the things I DO do. Its a fluid list, but here is what I accomplished this week:
I washed and folded clothes (putting away was optional)
I cleaned up the kitchen each day (not every room, just the kitchen)
I didn't let the dirty laundry pile up too bad
I have cooked every night since Sunday (technically, since the beginning of October we have only eaten out twice, and someone else has cooked twice) WOW! Yay me
I met with my girls this morning which encouraged me
I worked my scheduled shifts and an OT shift
I met with my trainee to discuss some issues
I am taking the kids for pictures today (Antiquities, thanks again DW)
I got through another week of Bible study. That sounds bad, I am enjoying it, but it is a lot of time.
I shopped for Halloween costume stuff. (Which netted me a great pair of black boots for $3.50 at Goodwill, they are for my pirate costume, but I have worn them several times already)

Well, its not where I thought I would go with this post, but its where it went.

Rambling (again)

We had a busy weekend and then into a busy work week. I have not figured out when to blog on this 3am schedule.

Friday we went out to Smallwoods Harvest with the kids cousin. We had originally planned on going in the morning, but it was raining so we went in the afternoon which turned out to be a little nicer. It was fun, the kids played all over. Swings, train, pumpkin patch, stick maze, petting zoo, everything.

On Saturday My Honey and I went with another couple on a wine tour.
It was pretty fun, but the bus was very uncomfortable. We visited 3 wineries and a production facility where they grow, smash and bottle for other wineries. My favorite place was the Chateau Saint Laurent. It had a beautiful facility, but my favorite wine was from Chateau Faire Le Pont. It just didn't have the bite of other wines. Mmmmm. I might get on their wine club mailing list. Then again, I could just drive the 4 miles across town to buy a bottle or 3 when I am out.

Sunday I got called into work for a few hours but it was alright. I worked with a ton of folks I don't normally see so it was good. And then back to work on Monday. With a trainee. The Trainee is doing alright. Sure is a lot of extra work.

(check back for more pix, blogger isn't loading right now)

Football

It was out elementary school night at the varsity football game last night.

The kids got in free with an adult, we had our own cheering section (on the visitor side) and then the kids got to go out on the field to welcome the home team back at halftime. It was a lot of fun.

Bubbas favorite part of the football game was "The whole thing, I liked the whole thing, it was so, so fun." When I asked him about going out on the field, did he cheer the home team he said "No, my mouth just did this (and he makes a wide-open mouth and eyes face) and nothing came out." It was funny. The larger-than-life-varsity football team left him speechless. (Finally! We found something).

In other parts of my life:
I had (another) weekend scheduled in November to try and get out of town. This will be my third attempt since June. My first was in June to a Women of Faith conference, I couldnt get the time off and had to cancel about 2 weeks before the event. Labor Day just didn't work out for a lot of reasons. Now I am trying for November. Its just a Female Family Gathering with the in-laws in Oregon, but it was AWAY.

Then, My Honey came home from work one day and said he had a training to go to. The weekend I was away. Normally it would be okay except my babysitter (MIL) is going to the Female Family Gahering in Oregon so that leaves me high and dry without a babysitter and another weekend canceled. It was really disappointing. I said to my sister-in-law that there better be something better waiting for me. (Little did I know)

So I sucked it up and tried to think of a solution (to get my way). Then the brains of our family operation came up with the solution. "Call your dad." Great idea. Only he meant "Call your DAD." Dont go through his wife, call him direct and make the plans. YIKES. I have only called him directly for things twice in my life. And neither time was a success. It took me 3 days to work through a lot of feelings and emotions (I couldn't even think of it without getting teary) before I could do it.

Finally I called, and I spoke to him and I asked. And he was happy to make the arrangements, take a couple days off work and watch the kids. So I get to go to the Female Family Gathering in Oregon in November. Lucky, lucky me. Part of the appeal is the drive. Alone in a car with the music turned up loud, loud, loud! What ever I want, just driving. Its been a long time since I went alone on a road trip.
At least since Bubba was born almost 6 years ago. Ahh. Just 3 weeks.

Mad Hatter

It was spirit week at Bubba's school. Each day the kid were encouraged to wear a specific color and today was "wear a hat to school day." Pretty big deal since hats are taboo. When I asked Bubba which hat he was going to wear I was thinking of baseball caps. He has a red one and a blue one. "My Santa hat" he tells me. Well there you go. I love his individuality! I never would have thought of wearing anything but a regular old hat. Clever. That kid. Clever.

Transition

Our school Open House was Tuesday night. Bubba's teacher let us look at the journals they have been working on. They can draw pictures and write words or just draw pictures. Of course Bubba is drawing and writing. My favorite page was full of yellow orange, some pink, red and a brown mountain-looking thing in the center of the page. He had written "sunset very prity" on the bottom. It was priceless. I can't wait to get that for a keepsake!

This week at school has been a lot better. I think he was missing his grandparents and just didn't know it.

Work went pretty well this past week. 3am sure comes early! I did pretty well getting up. I worried about Wednesday morning. Tuesday was the open house night and My Honey had a meeting until after 9. I had to do the open house, dinner and get the kids down and myself in bed. I hoped we would all be done by 7:30. And we were. In fact I think we were all asleep by 7:40! Yay us!

Introduction

I am going to an "inductive" Bible study on the book of John. As we were discussing it today, the facilitator said something about journaling ... Of course the first place I thought of was here, I keep some paper journal too, but not much and not very often (kind of like here). And I wonder how it will all work out - or if. But I have wanted to talk it out so here goes.

We have gone through 2 introduction weeks. We read books 1-9 the first week then books 10-21 last week. (Well that's the idea anyway). I feel challenged in a lot of ways. Challenged because I still don't get what the whole "inductive" thing is. Somehow it is supposed to involve all your senses/abilities by making you search for the information. Challenged because its harder to read the passages without the section breaks. In a regular Bible they have "Jesus feeds the multitudes"-types of section headers. For this study, they pre-print all the text by chapter and verse, but without any "Jesus feeds the multitude" types of headings and it really throws me. And challenged because I feel like I don't get it yet. Hopefully, after the introduction weeks that will change. (Note to self: it would help to read the whole weeks lessons in advance to know whats coming up, you missed a very key thing this week. And last week.)

I did find as I was reading (and re-reading) the passages that I wasn't as moved by some things without the section headers as with them and I was surprised. How is it I could read about the crucifixion and not be moved? But I was reading with a different purpose I guess. I don't know, I am still trying to get a handle on the whole thing.

But anyway, I am glad to be going, I am glad for the challenge of it and I am glad that Punkin Head is doing well with the babysitter.

I am also glad that my shift changes on Monday, that the weather is mild, and that I have a 4 day weekend (woo hoo).

Practical Application

I love to read. I read lots of different stuff. Most recently I am reading The Five Love Languages of Children. Its full of great stuff about how kids (and adults) need to have their "love tank" filled regularly and it goes into the 5 ways that our tanks get full. Physical touch, quality time, gifts, acts of service and words of affirmation. I have tried to figure out my own love language on several occasions and I just don't know. Sometimes it seems to this and sometimes that.

Last night I read the chapter on acts of service. It speaks to being a parent which is the ultimate act of service for 18 years plus "active duty" after that. And how exhausting it can be physically, mentally and emotionally. (No kidding).

Fast forward 8 hours or so. I wake up to get going this morning, I go into the kitchen and 3 light bulbs are burnt out. Not just one, but THREE. (I don't know how, it just happened.) Since I am master-light-bulb-changer, I get to work. I get those done, start to make breakfast and Bubba yells to me "Mom I don't have any clean jeans, and I checked the laundry and there aren't any there either." You're kidding me, right? Nope, no clean jeans and nothing in the laundry room either except a BURNT OUT BULB. So I go to work and get that one changed too.

About now I am ready to do some yelling and screaming about how APPARENTLY, I am the only one that knows how to do ANYTHING AROUND HERE, and I remember what I have read about words of affirmation and I wonder who I will destroy if I choose to loose my temper. Because I have been there. I have had my spirit crushed by words thrown out in anger and frustration by an unthinking, reactive parent. And its taken me years to get over it. And I realize that its a strong secondary language for me, but acts of service would probably be numero uno.

Now the challenge of explaining that to My Honey.

The things I am proud of looking back to this morning are that Bubba is self sufficient. He knew where to look and took the initiative to check for jeans before he had a meltdown and that I was able to reach DEEP inside and keep my cool.

Catch up

(Well, got caught up on my drafts)

Its just been busy. Work, school, life.

My Honey has been working hard on our driveway. We sit on a high corner and the driveway tends to collect water in mass quantities right where we park. So a rainy day equals a flooded driveway, wet shoes, wet pants, big mud puddle, the whole works. He dug out some of the old dirt and rocks, leveled it better, built up the end of the driveway at the edge of the road and then we got a load of gravel. And then it rained. And there wasn't a puddle in the driveway. My Honey is my hero.

I am sitting here watching Punkin Head (who is nearly TWO YEARS OLD) play with a necklace and the dog. She keeps wanting to put it around the dogs head so she calls the dog "eer oodie, m'ere." But the dog just sits there. So she goes to the dog and puts the jewels on her. Rudy just sits there and lets her because Rudy is the best dog ever. Then Punkin Head says "der go." Its just so dang cute.

She has been so good the past two weeks with babysitters. We have had several new childcare experiences and she has done so good. She took a fall off the steps out front recently. Face plant onto the "welcome" mat. More like the sandpaper pile. It put road rash on her poor baby skin face from her eyebrow to her mouth. Of course the first thing I think when I see her in the mornings is "will this scar?" Pathetic huh? She is such a nutty thing. Funny how kids in the same family can be so different.


Bubba is doing fine at school. I sense some tough days coming, he is having more meltdowns at home. I don't know what the underlying issue is ... I need to do some investigating on that one. I have heard several times this week that he misses his old school so there is something. When I asked what he missed he said "art class" so maybe its just as simple as planning a craft each week on Thursday or Friday? I guess I could try that. Goodness knows we have the resources. Books, supplies etc... Although it could be that he misses Grandma, she has been gone all week.

And work. Well it goes on. I change back to day shift (3am to 1pm) at the beginning of October so that will be nice. Evenings with the family and all that.

Busy

(Also continued/finished on 9/20)

Shew! Last week I got my life back into full swing with Bubba's school, work and my own social life. It was nice to re-connect with the Women's Bible study gals after all Summer. I will miss them when my schedule changes but already got myself connected in another Bible study so I feel good about that. I also got involved in our school's Site Council. Essentially its a grade-level representative from each grade, the principal, school psychologist and a parent representative (me) meeting to review learning issues. From what I gather reading, special education and math are big issues (although our school has the highest WASL scores in the two county area) and its difficult to schedule extra help for the teachers when it fits into their daily schedules. I have a lot to learn but I think it will be fun.

Parties

(I started this a couple weeks ago, thought I'd finish 9/20)

I so love parties, but I so hate them.

The memorial service was very,very nice. Each of the kids shared a memory of their mother. Talk about tear-jerker. How about the one that was supposed to have her as his core teacher and helped prepare the classroom and went to school last week and she wasnt there? But it was beautiful and they chose to speak, they weren't made to which was really sweet. The two youngest really leaned on their father who was proud as can be and the two older ones were just funny and sentimental.

After there was a party at a local athletic club. Thats the part I hated. We got there, ate and stood around as I identified people to My Honey. "Oh, thats so-and-so he/she was this or that." But did I go say Hi? Nope. Not my style. First of all, would they remember ME? Second, they're talking to someone else right now. That kind of stuff.

The same thing always happens. I would rather watch the crowd from a distance than be involved. And I am perfectly happy, enjoying myself a lot.

Vacation

How lucky am I to live just 30 minutes from here? It was just beautiful yesterday. The weather is still warmish (80's with some wind) and I really enjoyed my time alone. Unfortunately it was a little bright for any good photos and there weren't as many colors turning as I thought yet.




My 10 days off were great. I enjoyed being able to get Bubba into the school routine. We walked to school several times which was just wonderful for me. I need more exercise. I was able to can peaches and tons of pears, thanks to my notes from last year it made it really easy and motivational. I cleaned a bit and just got kind of settled for the next few months. I had a massage, haircut that kind of stuff. It was nice.

And we had a 3 day weekend as a family. So we cut down a tree!



I know, what about the birds, what about what it gives to the environment. So what? Have I ever told you what it did to my house and yard?? It had yellow needles that it shed each spring, they would track into the house on everyones shoes, pile up in the yard, in the entry way, all over the welcome mat. And it had red berries, sticky, yucky, not suitable to eat by human, red berries that fell off of it every fall. They were so gross. I am so glad to see it go. Plus I got to run the chipper, I was such a stud-chick. Not quite as cool as My Honey when he pushed the tree down, but close. That's one of the greatest things about My Honey; he will let me try anything. Unlike the Man Of The House I grew up in, who was through and through chauvinist "You want to do what? How do you even know what that machine is called? You're a GIRL." My Honey will let me try the power tools, often offering to teach me how something works. Like the chipper and the chainsaw. I told him no thanks to the chainsaw, maybe later.

So the tree is gone, the pantry is stocked, Bubba is off to school and I am relaxed. That was my vacation. Well, most of it, there is also the part about going to my first PTO meeting (I am such a nerd), my first meeting with Bubba's teacher (even more nerdy) and a meeting with the Principal (the ultimate nerdy, I am looking into volunteering on a committee).

Well, maybe not nerdy, but I am trying to get myself involved in the school somehow. I just don't want to watch my kids waste time or grow bored like I did. Not that parent involvement would have changed that, but maybe. One never knows. Plus, the more eyes and ears I have watching out for my kids the better right? The more involved I am the less likely they are to act out right?

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I went to visitation at the funeral home yesterday. I hemmed and hawed not sure if there was a point to it. Coincidentally it was at the same place where I went to my first funeral ever, and where my friend Jen's life was celebrated last year. I am glad I went. Mike seemed pleased to see me, shared a few stories and left me for a few minutes to say goodbye. You know, I don't think he was pleased, more like honored. Yeah. Honored. I stuck around a few minutes, I wanted to say a few words to him alone, I heard a few more stories that gave me more peace and then had the chance to say thanks. Thanks for allowing me in their lives, for sharing his wife with me when I needed her, to which he replied "It was our honor, Renie always felt that way."

Tomorrow is the memorial service. I am sure the church will be packed. I am sure I will cry a bucket of tears. My Honey is so good to me, he made arrangements for a babysitter in the morning so he could go with me. I hadn't even asked him. What a guy. And tomorrow I return to work. Thankfully I should have some time to get myself together between the service and work.

Breathe

Breathe it in
Breathe it out
Listen to your heart beat
Theres wonder in the here and now
Its right in front of you and
I don't want you to miss the
Miracle of the moment.
(Steven Curtis Chapman)


I have been hearing that new song on the radio lately. Its one of my favorite Christian artists Steven Curtis Champan. It reminds me to breathe in and out, it reminds me that even when life is just, well unfair, and seems to be coming undone that there's a miracle in every moment.

A good friend and strong influence on my life 20 years ago passed away early yesterday morning. She had battled colon cancer for the past two years. We knew it wasn't curable, her death wasn't unexpected but dang! She leaves behind a husband and 5 kids. Yep FIVE. They range in age from 6th grade to first year of college. The oldest was able to speak with her on the phone from college, in Montana, just minutes before she died. Can you imagine? What must his flight have been like. Coming home to a new household, a new family order, a new life. Every time I hear that song these past few days (I heard Sunday she wasn't doing well) I cry a little for the kids. I cry a little for her husband and I cry for myself too.

Someone asked me on Sunday why I had taken the week off. I told her it was my scheduled vacation, from a pick last year. But now I know why.

Grief

REFLECTION

I learned something last night.

I learned that there are times in my life that are over where I have not finished going through the grieving process and they still hang over my head. I continue to wonder what I did wrong or why it’s not the same.

It was interesting to come to this realization when I did. I had called a friend with whom this situation exists, I wanted to get together and talk. She is a party consultant and had a party scheduled so she invited me to go and then we would go out after. So I went. There I was, in a room full of strangers with whom I ended up having a lot in common. One gal was describing how she had known several of the women that were there from a really good time in her life, and although she had grieved when that time ended, she still valued the friendships in their new way. BINGO! I was right where I needed to be to hear what I needed to hear.

It was exactly the words I needed to tell my friend what I have been through in the past few years with her. Not like it’s her fault, but I just hadn’t moved through the grief process with our relationship and that’s what I needed to hear and what I needed to tell her. I miss what we used to be, but it is (has been) time to move on to what we are becoming.

And if that’s the only thing that comes out of this week's vacation, it was so worth it. But I don’t think it will be. God’s not done with me yet. He gave me a whole list.

School daze

First day of school.

well, sort of. Wednesday was the official first day of school, but for Kindergartners it was just an orientation day. 1 hour to find the classroom, recess line-up place, bathrooms, meet the teacher, stuff like that. But TODAY, now today was the real first day of school.

I took Bubba to school, we were met by hundreds of kids yelling and running all around the playground. He was in heaven! "Look, they're playing with the ball that wraps around the pole, and basketball and.. and.. and.." it was great. When his Best Buddy found us it was all over. They ran off and played. It was so nice. Best Buddy spent the whole day at school yesterday because he is 1st grade so he knew the ropes. They ran off and played soccer and basketball.

AND THEN THE BELL RANG.

I haven't seen Bubba that excited about something in a long time!! His whole face lit up, his eyes got wide open, he ran to his class room line-up-place and that was that. Down the hall they went. Into the Kindergarten unknown.

And that's that so far. I don't have an after school report because hes not home yet. Punkin Head and I have a couple hours to do what ever. So we went and got an oil change, hit the farmers market and we're home already. With 2 more hours to kill. I could clean, do some laundry, but why? I'm on vacation. Oh yeah, did I mention that? 9 more days off. And yes, I am leaving town. Either a couple nights in Bremerton, Sequim or some unknown location yet to be determined. I would really like to go camping, but its been years and I don't think I even know how to start a fire anymore.

Scammer

Don't mess with Dispatch.

One of our Dispatchers answered a call the other day from a man with a very thick middle-eastern accent, who said he had a delivery for her. She asked who the delivery was addressed to, because we often receive calls for other agencies through our center. He said that's why he was calling, he needed her name and address to make this delivery. Smelling a scam, she played along. She fished for all the information possible from this man including the name of his business, the number he was calling from and how he go the number he was calling.

He wasn't forthcoming with information (imagine), but she persisted.

He told her that he had some prize money for her to claim (although he didn't know her name or address) and she would have to get him a cashiers check for $200 to claim her 1.2 MILLION dollar prize. She was so good. She told him nothing personal, asked if she could have some time to think about it and could he call her back in a few days?

Fast forward two days - he called back! She laid into him. Told him she thought he was scamming her, that he should be ashamed of himself for taking money from innocent people and that she would never, under any circumstances give him any money or her name.

The best part of this whole scenario is that all the phone calls took place on recorded lines in our dispatch center. She made a CD of the whole thing, took it to one of our friendly Detectives who is going to use it to warn others about this potential scam. He has already taken it to a local talk-radio show to play it and to the Senior Center to let them have a listen so they know whats out there!

The moral of the story is NEVER give out personal information on the phone. Ask for a name of the person you are talking to, a business name and a call back number if what they are offering sounds legit. If they are legit they'll provide all this for you and allow you to call back. If its not legit they'll start to tell you things that don't make sense. Things like, this is a special offer, you have to decide now, you can't call back because I won't be here, the phone number goes to a large center or something like that.

Be smart. She could have been out $200. And then I bet they would have called back and asked her for more and more. Don't let it happen to you.

Sweetness

Its my "Friday". I am going to spend the next two days tagging, organizing and selling all our useless junk at a yard sale. Unfortunately it looks like it will be yucky weather, but I guess at least we won't be too hot. ("Yucky" means a little cloud cover, cooler temps, you know - 70's)




If she hadn't been up until 2am I might think she was so cute. (The picture is from over the weekend, not at 2am)

On and on

"Is this real . . . or has this been happening inside my head?"
"Just because it has been happening inside your head doesn't mean it isn't real."

I just finished the 6th Harry Potter. I like how the author tied all the books together in it. There were several of us at work reading it, but we started at different times so we all had to wait until the last person had finished to talk about it. It was kind of funny, those that finished first were using the new IM to talk to each other about it.

The new IM is one of the (few) good things from the upgrade. We can now IM anyone on duty, signed into their MDT/MDC. (Quite a discovery nightmare for those on the legal side of things.) At least it passes the time. One of the deputies and I were making up a story the other night line by line. It was actually fun and kept me awake until 1am when I finally got off work.

Hopefully the 1 am stuff is over soon. The person out on sick leave causing the 2 hour hole in the schedule is being checked off for duty this week. Yay! I just can't seem to get caught up on my sleep even when there is the opportunity. Like last night, I finally drifted off around 11:30, then the dog started to bark at midnight, Bubba had a nightmare around 3am (which brought him to our bed) and then Punkin Head woke around 5. So much for a good night sleep. And tonight is a possibility, but Bubba is talking about dinosaurs and what happened to the cavemen ("did they get eaten?") so I have a feeling it could be another nightmare night. I think that he's stressing about school.

We went for his Kindergarten assessment on Thursday. The school district where he will attend was using an assessment test to determine if kids would be in all day or 1/2 day Kindergarten classes. The "low-level learners" were being put into a full day class and the other were being put into the 1/2 day classes. Guess what Bubba will be in? Yeah, 1/2 days. The assessment went something like this:

"Hi I am Mrs. A and I will be doing the assessment for (checks her clipboard) 'Bubba' "
The first thing they assessed was his recognition of letters. They had a piece of paper with rows of letters on it and he had to point to and identify as many letters as he could in 30 seconds (I think). So off he goes. He gets to the end of the second row and says "Hey, why were there 2 H's in that row?" (So much for full day classes)

The next 20 minutes are a blur of questions like "What is another word for vehicle?" "How are a boat and a car different?" and "What rhymes with mat?" Some copying shapes (not letters) and then number sequencing. Mrs. A said a number and Bubba had to repeat it back to her. She added a number up to 5 in the sequence. When it reached 5 he says "I can't do that many." And he was done.

They were rating the kids 1 or 0. 1 meant they answered the question correctly, 0 meant that they didn't. Bubba might have had 10 zeros out of maybe 80 questions. Pretty sure he's going 1/2 day. Last year I wouldn't have minded, this year I think he's ripe for a full day experience. Oh well. (Maybe I will send him back to Montessori for the second half of the day? hahaha).

And then there's Punkin Head. She's . . . I don't even know how to describe her right now. Growing? I took her a bottle at 7:30 this morning thinking she would drink it then get up since she went back to sleep at 5 without any trouble. Apparently I was wrong. She slept until 11:30!! I could hardly believe it. She then took a nap from 3-4:30 and back to bed at 7:30. So I wonder what tonight has in store for me? She won't eat, she won't poo, she won't behave nicely.

Everyone seems to be going through a transition. Its making me crazy and angry. Nobody listens to Mom, they all just insist on disobeying. If this is the way the next few months is going to go, I am going to ship them out until they are better. The only thing they are doing nice is trying to play together. For about 5 minutes. But at least they are trying.

So that's the last week. I think. It was a long work week. We did get to take the boat out though. That was a highlight, how could I forget? We invited some friends of ours to go along. They were single and didn't have kids when we first started to boat together. Now they have been married 12 years and have 3 kids. It was a good time!

Today we took down the pool. It got, well, lets just say I could have sustained a pond with the water. It was a nice shade of green. So its all cleaned up, put away for next year. And soon the top will be on the jeep too. That's a sad day. Maybe we can get away with the soft top for a few months? Its so nice to have the top off, just the way a jeep should be driven right? Maybe we could take it off road once this season? Just to say we did. There's still Labor Day Weekend.

Kiss me Kate

Back in the day, a very dramatic, Shakespeare-loving actress/mom started a children's acting troupe for her kids and others that were interested. She called it "The Short Shakespeareans". I was one of the original kids, 29 years ago.

Last night we went to see the Short Shakes perform "The Taming of the Shrew." My first play. It was pretty cute. The actors and actresses range in age from 6 to 12. They memorize the whole play in the language of the times and everything. My sister and I took our 5 & 6 year old kids. The did pretty good until the last hour (turns out the play went until 10:30). Its a great experience. Bubba's favorite was the "guy that kept coming in falling all over the place" and my nieces' favorite were the horses.

I'd really like to share more but I am so tired. (Still)

He

Weeks ago I bought some new shorts. They're men's shorts so they come past my knees, and they are probably one size too big in the waist, but they're comfy, oh and they're camouflage print.

I came downstairs wearing said shorts and a cool new black t-shirt designed by and for the SWAT team thinking they would go together. Camo shorts, SWAT t-shirt, how could you go wrong?

My son takes a look at me and sort of laughing says "Mom, you look like a He."

I wore the outfit anyway. (over and over again)

Trip details

That was a rough week. We left town on Thursday afternoon, 4:30 ish maybe for Issaquah. It was a pretty rough ride. I need to invest in some how-to-spend-time-in-the-car-without-going-crazy-books. The kids were rotten, I was tired, it was a bad combination.

Issaquah was so nice. The weather was mild, you know 70's instead of 100's, the folks were great. We were staying one night with them, then an adult night in Seattle for us and then one last night with them. It was very nice. The adult time in Seattle was good. We stayed with some friends at the Seattle Hilton downtown which was nice. We ate at a yummy Indian restaurant, shopped, had dinner at a good seafood place (unfortunately they hadn't prepared the lobster recently, I ended up sick in the morning) and did the market the next day. It was a lot to squeeze into 24 hours, but we did it.

Back in Issaquah, we visited stayed one more night and then came home Sunday. Another rough ride. I really, really need to find/make/research car games. We travel often enough that it would be time and money well spent. It really wasn't as hard with one kid. For some reason it really sucks with two. No wonder my immediate family never traveled - there were 4 kids, and back then we didn't have to be restrained either, we could crawl all over the back seat and beat on each other.

Interesting note: my 21 year old step-brother is living there for the next month before school starts. He had a couple friends spend the night - a boy and a girl - on Saturday. Now, call me old fashioned but what kind of an example is that setting for a 15 year old? A 15 year old that just spent the weekend with her boyfriend and his family in Oregon. I guess, well. I shouldn't judge that's what I guess. I'm just jealous. I couldn't even go with friends to concerts when I was 15.

couldnt even get a post done

This week didn't get any better. I was scheduled to work 2-12 hour shifts, well that turned into 4. IN A ROW. Then I worked my regular 10 hour shift until 11:00 and came back at 5am for a 2 hour overtime shift. I am so so so tired. Hitting a wall.

** update: I hit the wall, couldn't even finish the post. **

Week from Hell

Let me tell you a little about the saga that is my life the past few days.

Back to work Monday was THE WORST. We had a computer upgrade ... yeah, it didn't go so well. I walked in after being gone for 10 days without knowing. Just let me say it sucked ass. Literally, I didn't know how to do my job. It was a hellacious 12 hour shift.

Ready to crash at 1am, I go home, go to bed. 4:00 am (yeah, less than 3 hours after I went to bed) Punkin Head wakes up. For nearly TWO HOURS. Pretty much I think life sucks at this point. My Honey got up with her and I tried to sleep for a few more hours.

Tuesday things weren't much better at work. Just a bad atmosphere. The upgrade hasn't been so slick. The program has a lot of flaws for dispatch. Exhausted after another 12 hour shift, I crash and burn at around 1:30 am. Guess what? Yeah, she woke at 4:00 again. I am so tired today that I don't even remember how long she was awake, it might have only been 30 minutes. Either way it totally screwed up my sleep. Not only that, I had THE WORST call of my career. I take that back, it wasn't the worst call, it was the worst circumstances for my responders I have EVER dealt with. Hurt men on the lose with guns. The suspects ended up flagging down the aid crew that was on the way to standby at the house where the homeowner had shot an intruder. That is the most stressed I have ever been about responder safety EVER. I was physically ill. It all worked out, the bad guys are in jail and the homeowner is not injured. But can you imagine? The other sucky thing about this call is it was a minimum of a 45 minute response by law enforcement. His house is in BFE. It is by far one of the longest, and THE most stressful call I have ever handled. (On the bright side a nice letter went into my file about how well I handled it. The third such letter this month - yeah, you know it. I rock.)

And then (yes there's more) my MIL (babysitter) called yesterday at around 11 to ask if I could arrange for someone to watch the kids for awhile, she needed to see the dermatologist and they had an appointment at 11:30, she didn't know if she would be at my house in time for me to be on time for work. This rarely happens, so I am nto angry plus Wednesdays are our heavy staff day, so I was able to call out for a couple hours - which was nice. I got off at 11 pm (after only working 8 hours!!!) thinking I would get 2 extra hours of sleep. HAHAHAHA. The joke was on me. Punkin Head was awake when I got home. We hung out for a bit, I tried to feed her thinking she might be hungry and then I put her back down. She played in the dark until 1am when I finally went in and told her to go to sleep. No more playing (or something like that). Finally she complied and I got around 5 hours of sleep in a row. But I am toast today. Lucky for me I have an extra kid around! Bubba and his cousin are playing nicely outside and I have a few minutes to myself. Not long, they will be in soon to ask to swim.

So that's the week from hell. OH, and during all this, I am taking Bubba to swim lessons every morning and Punkin Head to a parent tot class twice. Crazy I tell you. Crazy.

Doolz

Punkin Head has a new favorite thing "doolz".


I spent a couple bucks at yardsales and acquired a dress-up box of stuff from Auntie D and Punkin Head is in heaven with her doolz.



And, yes, finally she is walking. It's not 100% of the time but at least she is doing it.

And talking. Oh my. My Honey, Punkin Head and I were sitting on the couch today while he ate breakfast. Down the stairs came Bubba. "derz eewee" she says pointing at him. (translation "theres Harry"). She's putting a lot of stuff together. She wants to sit at the table like a big kid, she wants to play with play-dough like a big kid, she wants everything her brother wants. Not suprising, just exhausting.

Garden pics part II

This was one of the (few) hours I spent away from home.

Note to self

Dear Self,

Next time you "don't go anywhere" for vacation, plan to go SOMEWHERE.
You need to get out of town for a night (or two) to rejuvenate.
A few hours here and there just doesn't do it. Especially when you spend a small part of each day doing dishes, laundry, cleaning, watching the kids and shit like that.
Don't be angry this time, you didn't know better. But next time, plan something. (Yes, I am talking about Labor Day).

Thanks, you wont regret it.
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Obviously not a perfect vacation, but at least I didn't have to work. To all the stay-at-home-moms out there, who do this every day, every month for years on end - I honestly salute you. I don't have what it takes.

(Special thanks to the Dear Friend who was there on my worst day this past week when only cuss words came out about my effing vacation, you're my SAHM hero). She even made a trip across town to our house with a special gift for me. Thanks.

Family Time

So they all came over. What a handsome group of kids. They had squirt gun fights that were a blast. Everyone involved (including me) ended up quite wet. Even Punkin Head. The boy in yellow is my nephew, he's not running because he is afraid, he is just done. He had a pretty big day. We all did.

It did make my day to have the whole family over for dinner. My mom, aunt, sisters and all the kids. Too fun. If the weather holds, we get to go to the Lake tomorrow. Cross your fingers.

Showers

So much for my Wednesday plans. We, well I, woke to thunder around 2 am, and at 4, again at 5 and then for the day at 7:30 and it finally quit raining about 11:30. The sun was peeking through, but it didn't make me too excited to go to the Lake. At all. So I cancelled. My sister totally understands, plus there is a worker at the condo and her in-laws are there. So with the crappy weather, naps and all that, I just decided screw it.

So she is coming down here. That will work out nicely. She can visit everyone that way.

Mocha Girl

We went across town today for swim lessons. On the way I NEEDED a latte. (Bad morning). At the latte shop Bubba tells me that the mocha girl is "more beautiful than you" and that he wants to tell her so, will I roll down the window?

Now, understand, this is cute and all but my only son, my first born, my Bubba has just told me that someone is more beautiful than ME. I admit I had a little inner conflict. How do I feel about my 5 year old telling a mocha girl he thinks she is beautiful? How do I feel about him telling me he thinks she is more beautiful than I am? Who else will he think is (more) beautiful than me? Whats so beautiful about HER? Yeah, a little conflicted. In the end I rolled down the window. She was touched, she thought it was cute, and it probably made her day. Imagine a 5 year old telling you in a shy-5-year-old-kind-of-way that he thinks you're beautiful. It was worth it. (Kind of. Still a little conflicted)

Random vacation notes

So I am sitting on the boat (yesterday). You read that right. I took the laptop out on the boat. Why you ask? Because I am boat-sitting, not boating. The trailer is broken so My Honey has it at home while I boat sit at the park. It’s nice though, being on the boat. Silly me, there isn't any wireless access out here though. Duh.

Our trip to Issaquah was un-eventful save for the teenage-ness. Either I have totally forgotten what being a teen is or my youngest sister is just a disrespectful little wench. My Honey describes it this way, “it’s allowed, so she acts that way.” She was fine at our house last week, cooperative and very few snotty remarks (which were expected). I returned her a brat. I felt bad until I realized that is how she always treats her parents. Oh no you dint. Not in my house. Not while I pay for all your expenses including your text-messaging, talk till late, stupid cell phone. No way. I am just furious with her. What a shit. Was I that bad? I really don’t think so, my mother would have sent me packing. Seriously.

The kids actually stayed an extra night in Issaquah, we are going to exchange them this afternoon, and My Honey and I went out last night. I found a new favorite drink, Irish Whiskey, straight up. Mmmmmmm it was good.

While my dad and his wife were here I wanted to do something for them. His wife was easy, I scheduled a massage. She was in heaven. My dad was a little more difficult. I ended up taking him to work with me for a few hours. I think he liked it. He is a total techie kind of person. He sells computer programs and trains people how to use them. So he watched and listened as I dispatched. Yeah, I think I done well.
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While the kids and I were away, My Honey demo'd the downstairs bathroom!! Yay! New shower coming. Now I need to find a book on tile designs. Or a website....

The trailer got fixed, now we can boat and not have to worry about the boards on the trailer being rotten, breaking off, damaging the boat. I guess that's what happens after 13 or 14 years.

Finally, tomorrow (Tuesday) is our anniversary. 15 years. We are so old.

Vacation

Here we are in Issaquah. Its been kind of nice to escape the heat. Did I mention the heat? It was 110 degrees on Tuesday at 5pm. For the fourth or fifth day in a row. When we left yesterday at around 11:00 it was already 94 degrees. We got to Issaquah and it was in the 70's. Its pretty refreshing but I cant wait to get home where its hot and I can lay by he pool and relax.

Its kind of nice to have nothing to do for vacation. When my return-to-town plans changed, it was no big deal. Grandma & Grandpa want to keep the kids Saturday night in Issaquah and then exchange them half-way on Sunday - BONUS an extra kid-free-day.

I'm sure I have more to say, I always do, but I'm done for now.

Sunscreen & Chlorine

That word, "chlorine" doesn't look right. But spellcheck says it is so it must be.

That's the past week summed up. Everyone has enjoyed the pool this past 100 degree week. My tan self included. When I am not working that is.

I happened to be at work when the first huge fire of the season started this weekend. No kidding, we probably handled 50-80 calls each in a 20 minute span when this thing took off. The whole north end of my fair city is toasted. Black, black, black. There are some great aerial shots at the (only) local newspaper website. I just hope the dumb ass that started the fire with his fireworks gets ticketed (at the very least). Who plays with fireworks in a dry field on a windy day???????

I say "first huge fire" because we live in an area where fires are the norm this time of year. The fire departments have a whole plan for it, but its always a bit of a learning curve when the first one actually takes off. And its usually in a forested area, not a rural area. Thank goodness, there hasn't been any loss of homes or injuries that I am aware of. There were several hundred evacuations on Saturday night and into Sunday, but the wind has pushed it away from the residential areas.

More later, have to run to work.

Changed

Well, Bubba came back from Portland a little more .... grown up.

Its kind of strange, he seems a lot more independent since he came home. From that first day of playing in his room alone to sleeping ON THE TOP BUNK to his "aura" he is just a little more grown up. All of a sudden he seems like a big kid, not a small child anymore.

We went for a walk the other morning that passed his new school. As we were talking and passing by he all of a sudden exclaims he has a tummy ache. Curious, he was fine when we left. So I ask him if he might be nervous about going to school, and is that causing his tummy ache? Maybe he says. So we spend a little time talking about it. He was nervous about making friends. So I reminded him of his first days of preschool and how he made friends there. Later that day we had a new babysitter. Bubba had never met her and they hit it off right away. They were chatting it up, becoming fast friends (quite honestly, this happens for him very easily, making friends is the last thing I am worried about when it comes to school). Just before I left for work I noticed a teachable moment.

"Hey," I said looking from him to the babysitter. "What just happened here?"
"I dunno" he replied.
"You made a new friend." I told him. He pondered it a moment and then agreed with a grin that he did. So I told him that's how it would be at school too. That he won't have any trouble at all making new friends.

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Work has been hellacious. Busy and lots of overtime. At least the 12 hour shifts are going by pretty fast. It sucks that they are such the norm and a 10 hour day feels like a short day. And then there's the crap too. I notice myself being sucked in, being a part of the problem. I need to turn it around before it becomes my obsession.

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My dad and his wife and Little D are coming over tomorrow. I really shouldn't be sitting here posting anything, I need to vacuum, sweep, change the guest bed, put away laundry (that is sitting on the guest bed) straighten up the living room, family room, run a cloth through the bathrooms, and do the dishes before I go to work at 1. Seems like maybe I should have kept my Girl Thursday for the summer after all. Maybe I will call her, shoot with all this overtime I should spend it somewhere right? The challenge was leaving he an empty house. Oh yeah, that's right.

Stars

Bubba is home. All morning he has been telling tales of Portland. The Children's Museum, the Zoo, and some other place. At one of their stops there was an IMAX theater. He watched two shows, The Human Body, one of his favorite subjects and the other was about the stars. I was asking him what they said about the stars and he tells me he learned about the "star constipation".

It still brings tears to my eyes to think of it. I will get a lot of mileage out of that one today and for many months to come. Star constipation instead of constellation. Cute!!

He and grandpa had a good time on the train, which he describes this way "it was 3 times as big as our house," and "if I stand on the top bunk of my bunk bed and touch the ceiling, I am still not as big as the train." So darling.

And the bunk bed. What a hit! He has already spent a lot of time on the top bunk. We had to go buy a guard rail for it, not sure where the original is, so now he can actually sleep up there.

It was great to find him in his room, playing on his bed today. In 5 1/2 years that has NEVER happened. Thank goodness for the bunk bed. (Well until someone falls and hurts themselves.)

Bubba has been gone a week. He and grandpa are coming home on the train on Sunday or Monday. What fun. They are peas in a pod, they should have a great train ride just talking about boy things.

And still no baby. Poor SIL. Her actual due date isn't for a week or so but she is feeling so done. That's the way it goes. Babies have their own time table from the time you are making them until much, much later in life.

Speaking of which, still no actual walking out of Punkin Head. Maybe my Dad and his wife visiting will encourage her? They are due next Thursday and will stay until Sunday, then my sister (D) who is 15 will stay another week (give or take) with us. Me and the kids will return her sometime after the 12th because then I am on vacation FOR TEN DAYS. No work for 10 days. I am looking forward to it.

We have plans for a BBQ and my other sister (L) is going to be in Chelan so we will have all the kids out there for a few days and who knows what else. Hopefully the weather will turn summer again, for the past few days its been not-so-warm.

buzz buzz buzz

Here you go.

Buzzing bees and things.

What the?

I was driving home from my photo experiment yesterday and noticed this. I sat at the light wondering what these men were doing outside the laundry. Then I realized what it might have been - they're WATCHING their women do laundry. Bastards. They could at least go in and help fold right? Typical in my household too. I do the laundry while My Honey watches golf.

At least I had the camera to get a shot. Can you tell that all the men are leaning into the glass, looking in at what ever is going on inside? Maybe it was naked woman laundry day, I don't know.

NEW

I am not sure how this will work, but here goes

http://www.scrapblog.com/55A07D3B-5150/59C89089-C7DE

Raspberries

Raspberries are what got this whole thing started. Today I was playing with a setting on my camera that will just capture one color.

Do Lilly pads bloom? That white and pink thing was growing in the pond.

How about the bee?? I was totally impressed with myself.

These were some pretty something or other. Anyone? I need to sit down with her and find out what varieties of things I have here so I don't sound like the dork I am.

New favorite

I found a new favorite place to take pictures. The nice thing is its in town so I can go there any time. What do you think??

Its a co-workers yard and garden. I spent about an hour there today just taking in the colors and taking copious photos (like 180).

But for some reason I can only post one photo so there you are. This is on her patio, the fence in the background goes into her garden area which is delightful. She has 6 or 8 raised beds that are full of great stuff. She also has a pond with a ton of full sun plants and a shaded area with full shade plants. It is a great place to check out a many different varieties. I had a blast. Me and the camera. I think I should name it....