So how’s everyone today? Anything new happening with anyone? I’ve spent most of the week just slowly getting things done outside. Boy, it takes me so long to do anything but the weather has been so beautiful that I’ve hated to sit inside. I’ve got half my hollyhocks planted and need another hour or so to finish the rest of them. Let’s hope next spring they don’t get weed kill put on them!
I’m not sure what we’ll be doing all weekend. My laptop is really acting up today so I may be going to get another one. Right now it’s saying my virus protection isn’t working and to try to delete it and reinstall it so cross your fingers for me and let’s hope it’ll work. I’ve really been nursing this along. I hate getting a new computer.
So fill us in. Vent. As long as you’re nice, you can say what you want.
Happy weekend everyone.
Us Girls..Our Views 
Finally feeling like I’m almost caught up on things after our weeks trip. Two things happened on Tuesday at virtually the same time. I took the day off to catch up on things around the farm, was down @ our self-serve orchard wagon restocking the baskets..and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a pickup truck pull over w/ flashing lights..it was the Dept of Transportation..there were two guys who came over to my wagon and told me their boss had given them orders to pick up/ remove the signs I’d placed along the highway advertising the apples…(along w/ the political signs in peoples yards…) they felt bad, because as one of them said, you’re only going to have them out for another month and then they’re going to be gone..but our orders are to pick them up 😦 Then a second truck pulls up/ with two ladies I’d never seen before, I was still digesting the news about the signs..one of them asked me if I knew “so and so” (me) I smiled and said, that depends, there are two guys w/ that name…one is a welder..nope, we’re looking for the one that is a carpenter) ..she then proceeded to tell me this “idea” that the two of them had..someone had given them my name, they were looking for someone w/ an old barn that they could rent for a month in the spring and again in the fall to sell antiques in….we drove up to our place showed them the barn..boy were they pumped. one of them told me they had a mailing list of over 2500 people who currently buy from their stores (they each have a store) long story short, I think we’re going to do it…. next Fall, when we host our annual music festival, it will now combine an antique flee market in the basement of the barn…30 ft by 70 feet of antiques and knick knack paddy wacks, in a 100 yr old barn, combined w/ live music and food on the main floor…I’m thinking about planting several varieties of heirloom pumpkins etc. to sell @ these events along with the apples we are currently selling… On Tuesday night I had a chance to present the “writing your own bucket ‘list” workshop to 6 people @ the local community college. You could feel the magic 🙂 in less than 2 hrs we connected as a group….the presentation will make you laugh, get choked up and everything in between. and finally, we said good by to our 3rd daughter tonight..she is moving to Denver colorado tomorrow….I have a feeling this may be long term. My goal as a parent has always been to work myself out of a job (ie. want them to thrive on their own) but at the same time, you miss them when they leave. g-nite. DM
That sounds AWESOME, DM!!! I love festivals and stuff, and that old barn just sounds like a load of fun. And heirloom pumpkins, to boot… I may be doing a road-trip next fall! (and don’t get me started on those bloomin’ signs. Seriously, it’s ok for the 682 political signs, but one apple sign is against ordinance. morons.)
As for your daughter – you done good. In a world where parents are raising their “children” (who then end up being 40-year-old children), you raised an adult. And that’s the way it should be. Be sad to see her go, but proud to watch her spread her wings.
Trin and I went to the volleyball game tonight and the girls came back and won! They were down 2 games and rallied to win the final 3! It was great to cheer them on and see a great match. I can’t wait for it to be Trinity! (I hope she’s still playing be then) Nothing exciting happened this week and not much is on tap for the weekend. Probably a good thing since I don’t have one stitch of garden jewelry put away! All the veggies are harvested and we have squash coming out of our ears, but I suppose that’s better than having none at all. Have a great weekend!
Nothing very exciting happening here. We have guests from far-away-country coming over tomorrow (Friday) thru Monday. My kid’s birthay is on the agenda (I’d better order the cake on time). So the weekend will be pretty busy, but hopefully not too crazy.
The week hasn’t been too bad, for a work week, LOL. I’m actually surprised it’s time for TGIF already. Got a few things done, had a few new things come up, nothing unusual there. Today a headhunter called me and although I said right at the beginning that I was not interested no way no how, he kept me on the phone for like 45 minutes. That was weird but at least it was a break from the usual grind. I continue to get better about that internet addiction – but I still haven’t really beaten it yet.
The weather was gorgeous today and I hope that continues through the weekend.
My kids are in a phase of (a) ignoring Mom and (b) being obnoxiously headstrong at times. This morning I got so pissed, I threw a rather unattractive tantrum myself. (Should have had my coffee earlier!) I am probably warping my kids for life. (Or are they warping me? How come nobody ever looks at it that way?) I did receive some positive feedback on both of my kids this week. So I guess all is not lost. My mom always used to say that given a choice, she’d prefer the kids to be brats at home and well-behaved in public, rather than the opposite. Not that any of her kids were ever brats . . . .
Last night at the museum, they opened the observatory and we got to see Jupiter and its four moons. I think the kids understood that this was pretty cool. They are starting to get old enough to get real use out of the museum. Miss E will ask me to explain the historical scenes from Native American life and such. They also like to play on the computerized displays. There is still a lot that they don’t understand, but they are growing into it. The only hard thing is that with all the driving and eating time involved, there isn’t much time to hang out before we head back home for bed. I keep wanting to start the evening earlier, but it doesn’t happen.
A report on vision therapy. I believe we’ve been to 4 sessions now. I think I am seeing an impact. Of course it could just be that she’s getting older, but I think the therapy is helping. Her letter and number recognition, coloring “in the lines,” writing, and several other areas have improved noticeably. She is more motivated and confident. As she approaches her 4th birthday, I still think she’s somewhat behind, but catching up. The only hard thing is that we’re supposed to do 20 minutes of therapy at home 5 days a week. That may not sound like much, but we already had a really tight schedule. And some of the activities are boring, so motivation gets to be an issue. But we’re plugging along.
Oh well, that’s my update. I hope everyone has lovely weather and low stress for the weekend!
I’ve had a very busy week. On top of being ridiculously sick last weekend, we’ve been going like crazy all week long. The roofers came on Tuesday and finished Wednesday, so at least I’m not seeing shingles flying everywhere anymore, but they discovered that our chimney (not the pipe, just the wooden structure around it that makes it look like a chimney and not a metal pipe) is all rotted and nasty, and will fall over in a good wind. So now we’re scrambling and calling carpenters to see if someone can come racing out here and do something with it ASAP – of course, OF COURSE, there’s rain forcasted for this weekend, and there’s no tarp or other protection up there. If it ain’t one thing, it’s another.
We started Cub Scouts this week, in earnest. Josh is a Tiger this year, and Yours Truly is the Den Leader. I’m the only one who didn’t get the Deer in the Headlights look when they asked for a leader – I’ve been involved in the program for years, and even worked for three wonderful years as a professional Boy Scout, so I was the obvious choice. That didn’t matter though, on Tuesday morning, I was absolutely *freaking out* about leading this meeting. I can handle doing presentations in front of adults… you can often BS your way through that. Kids… they know everything!! But I survived. I made some posters of the Cub Promise, the Cub Law, and a few other things they need for their Bobcat Badge (the first level for all Cub Scouts), a batch of chocolate-chip cookies, and introduced the Honor Candle, and all went well. Next time, we’re making Den Shirts for them to wear at all our meetings.
Finally, Josh has his first Tae Kwon Do tournament tomorrow. Dang, these things are expensive!! $35 entry fee, and I’m told that’s CHEAP!! A friend, whose boys have been involved for several years, tells me that she’s seen entry fees closer to $70 per kid. And the fees keep climbing as they advance in belts. The testing for these lower belts (Josh is Orange) is $25. For a Black Belt, she’s looking at close to $100!!! I have no idea why one test would be more than another. Maybe they bring in a different teacher to do the testing? (I really shouldn’t complain, the lessons are only $15/month for two lessons a week) But at this point, it’s worth it to me, because Josh’s balance and coordination have vastly improved (he’s pretty pigeon-toed on one side, and used to trip like crazy), and he’s starting to catch on to the “listen to adults” thing, which is a big issue for him. And it’s fun for all of us, so I guess we’ll keep doing it. When it’s not fun anymore, then I’ll think about changing. And by fun, I don’t mean, “hahaha, we’re laughing all the time”, I mean “this is really hard, but I enjoy it while I’m there, and I’m learning stuff”.
Gotta go off now, and start calling carpenters. Dang, people, when it rains, it pours, you know?
Laura, you are living my life some days. I so hear you about the house maintenance. I haven’t made much progress on that front, like I wanted to this summer/fall. I did get a lot of hands-on work done, but the big stuff requires specialized help.
That’s great that your son is getting Tae Kwon Do lessons for such a good price. I like having my kids in various activities and I don’t mind paying (some of them are quite reasonable, others not so much). But I wonder how that will go when they get older. Part of me wants my kids to excel if they can. The other part of me wonders how much of that is really just pandering to parents who want superkids. At some point I would have to draw a line; I’m just not sure where. Right now, I believe the stuff they are in is worth it for their development, regardless of whether they are proficient. But down the line, if someone comes and tells me one of my kids “has real potential,” I hope I make a wise decision.
Oh well, good luck to Josh on the tournament tomorrow! I hope he has a lot of fun.
Honestly, I can’t say enough about our local Community Center. They offer a TON of kids stuff, from tumbling to football, and it’s all at ridiculously low/reasonable prices. Josh has been in soccer, whiffleball, t-ball, coach-pitch baseball, and now flag football, in addition to the Tae Kwon Do. And all of those other lessons run for six-week stints, and are around $20 for each set of lessons (the TKD is ongoing).
I love that they’re each only about 6 weeks long – enough time for him to get a taste, but not long enough for him to get sick of it. Once he’s older and a little more developed, physically, we’ll make a decision as to what sport he’s going to do – baseball, soccer, football (those are the bigger ones in this town). Meanwhile, he gets lots of little tastes, and I get to keep most of my money.
And I don’t have to worry about ever buying him shirts, ’cause he gets a T-shirt for EVERY EVENT that he does!!! His drawers overfloweth.
I’m glad it’s Friday I’m ready for the week-end. Feeling tired. Also tired of my back hurting. I am thinking about trying swimming soon. I worry about the water being too cold. I know that’s silly, but when I took swimming in school it was 8 am in an outdoor pool and it was usually really cold and foggy out. I guess I’m just going to have to show up and give it a chance, I’m hopeing it will help. I still need to do more organising not my favorite thing. I guess I’m a little winney. I wonder why when I type in the comment area I use to get a red line for help with my spelling and now no red line I wonder why that’s changed? Hope your week-end is Fun and your weather is pleasant.
What browser are you using Starla? That has a lot to do with the spell check. If you’re using IE, I don’t believe they have it yet. You’d think they’d catch on.
Swimming would be a really good exercise for your back. I think most pools would be warm enough to swim. Not like a school pool. Or are you going to use a pool at a school? They may be a little cooler but once you get used to the water, swimming the laps will make you warm. Good luck. I have to call my swimming place today. Thanks for the reminder.
I found a kitty at the bus stop, and the other moms convinced ME to take him home. Why did I do that? My male Cat Felix pounced on him the second he saw him. 😦 He’s out in a box in the garage now. WHY do people let cats stray?! I think when you live in a neighborhood, you should keep your cats in and your dogs close to home.
This week has been okay, I guess. I have been going crazy trying to figure out where and WHY these stupid fruit flies are in my house. I got rid of all fruit, put ALL food that is in an open bag or box in the fridge. Cleared out the entire kitchen, bleached it all! That didn’t work, so I sprayed Raid last night, and put up those Raid sticky paper things. So far this morning, I haven’t seen any. TG! They were driving me mad! I felt like my house was dirty, although I clean and clean and clean.
This is our last week of baseball. Technically speaking. Sunday are our last two games of the season. We’re taking one week off, then hitting the gym for training all winter. It’ll be a 3 day a week thing, 2 training days and one whiffle ball (fun) day for the boys. A good way to keep the boys active during the winter who don’t play a winter sport. Jason was asked to work with a particular kid from the team. He only made AA last year and it is imperative that he make AAA next year. He will devastated if Jason isn’t his coach, and Bailey will surely make the AAA team.
I am making Baileys FAVORITE for supper tonight, lasagna! It’s the simple things in life that make that boy happy! LOL
That’s it from me, for now. I should go check on the kitty! Anyone want him????? 😉
Hey Nic,thats odd about the flies,Ive had the same probably here.At least I thought they were fruit flies,just teeny little flies.I thought wth,I have flees or what.Thought I wasnt cleaning enough or what but I am so clean.So weird.I had NO fruit at the time.Im spraying Raid too.Weird!
I am starting to wonder if they’re actual fruit flies myself. Small little things! Damn, are they annoying?! Get some Raid, so far so good!
We too have had more fruit flies this year than usual. The only fruit I keep out is bananas, but I see the fruit flies even when we don’t have bananas, so who knows? They are here some days, not other days. Hopefully they will go away as it gets chilly out.
You may have had a “hatch” at some point. I don’t know much about them, but it’s possible that they put their eggs in something that didn’t get pitched. I think about the only thing you can do is what you are doing… keep the place clean, and pray for frost! We’re in the middle of a MASSIVE black fly hatch. This happens every year around this time, and it’s absolutely insane. I have a little fly graveyard on my floor that I sweep up every night, and there are dozens of their little corpses in it!! EVERY DAY, I’m swatting, swatting, swatting. They come in when we open the doors, I open the windows, and there they are, clinging to the screens. I had to fumigate the garage a couple weeks ago, because literally, the place was CLOUDED with them.
I think the best you can do is ride it out. It won’t last long.
Nikki,
Your “fruit” flies might actually be living and hatching in your house plants. I’m currently struggling with this same problem and need to repot 2 of my houseplants because they are infested with flies. Not sure how they got them… but its no fun! Hopefully you don’t have that problem but its just another place to look out for them if they keep reappearing without any fruit around.
Also, a good way to catch them is by putting a little bit of apple cider vinegar in a glass with a little bit of dish soap on the surface. This attracts and traps them (although it doesn’t smell great!)
Thanks for the suggestion Lucy. I’ve found those near and in my plants before too. That is really good to know.
Well I had a different week.I felt like all I did was cook!My 21yr old nephew came to stay with us last Saturday for 2-3 months and its sure been different around here with him.Ive actually enjoyed having him,only thing I didnt realize how much food he can eat.Holy!Ive had to really re-think my meals!So your question of the day I need to rethink cause Im not sure how Ill do shopping now.I did a HUGE trip last Sunday to Costco and others and find I need to go again.Boys sure eat(and skinny to boot).
So this weekend is Canada’s Thanksgiving and Im hosting our gathering Saturday,we’ll have a good 20 people I think.Sunday we plan to do something for our wedding anniversary,we were going to go over the border to shop but realized its a long weekend and everyone will be down there so we’ll do that a different day.Too busy for me and the wait at the border would be an hour or more probably.Monday my husband is taking my 9 yrs old nephew and his dad to their first football game at the stadium.I think Im more excited than Jordon.I think he’ll have a blast!So while the boys are there my SIL and neice will do a lazy girlie day and watch a chick flick.So its a full couple of days but all fun!
Have a nice weekend you all.I hope your weather is awesome as ours is.Beautiful here!!!
Happy Thanksgiving Karen. I sure miss being in Canada this time of the year. We don’t have fall suppers down here and I sure did love to go to those and I love Thanksgiving now. I hate when ours is. It’s way too close to Christmas. I’m seriously considering not doing Thanksgiving this year. It’s such a lot of work.
I was wondering how it was going with Chris. I’m glad to hear all is well other than him eating you out of house and home. LOL!!! I wonder if boys ever stop eating everything in sight.
Have a terrific weekend and have fun with Kathy and Trinity. Go Bombers!!
My boyfriends family is in town and I have lots of work to do…so my weekend is going to be busy busy busy! I won’t have much internet time so I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!