the other side of the lake

It's been awhile.

2010-07-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. At the encouragement of a friend of mine, I'm going to try to get back into my blogging. We'll see how it goes. Life is busy, busy, busy!

Tablescapes

2009-12-07T14:00:00.000-08:00

I've been feeling a little convicted the last few months about my lack of homemaking the last....well, for awhile. I've let my house go, done little decorating, appallingly little cleaning and next to no cooking. It's embarrassing, really. My poor hubby.

So I've been working hard lately, trying to catch up, and get back in the swing of things. One of my favorite blogs to read is Between Naps on the Porch. I love her tablescapes and I've been trying to set the table in our breakfast nook in a cute and creative way lately. It's so fun! Now my table doesn't look anything like the ones she puts together...but still...I have had several compliments on how nice it looks.

It's fun to browse through Ross or Marshalls housewares, or pick up clearance items at Walmart. I'm SO wanting some beautiful pink-flowered plates I saw recently at TJ Maxx, when we were visiting Bend, OR, and still kicking myself for not buying the leaf-shaped salad plates that I saw at Walmart for $2!

Turkey Trot

2009-12-05T14:00:00.001-08:00

Number one grandson, Josiah, won the 3rd grade boys division of the Turkey Trot at his elementary school last week... procuring a 16 lb. turkey for his family in the process! Between he and his sister they have 3 wins in the last 3 years! I was amazed at how much he looked like his uncle while he was running. If I didn't look too close I would have sworn it was his Uncle D out there!

Way to go Josiah!

Cisco

2009-12-04T14:00:00.001-08:00

Lovin' this baby face! Cisco, my youngest
grandbaby, fell asleep in my car yesterday while running errands.

At six months old he now weighs 25 lbs. and
wears a size 18 or 24 months clothes.

He's sitting up and rolling over and the happiest
(and chubbiest!) baby on the block!

snow?!

2009-12-03T11:13:00.000-08:00

I'm almost done with my Christmas shopping. Just a few things left! and maybe just in time...
seems there's snow in the forecast for next week...YES!!

babies

2009-12-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Grandma's still got it! Both babies down for a nap at the same time...
am I good, or what?

bread pudding!

2009-12-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

What to do with leftover rolls? Make bread pudding, of course! My hubby's favorite dessert!

Cruisin'!

2009-11-14T08:09:00.000-08:00

Look where we went! The hubby and I were able to get away recently on a much-needed vacation. We booked a 5-day, 4-night cruise at the last minute at an amazingly-cheap price. It sailed out of San Diego to Catalina, Ensenada and back to San Diego. We also spent an extra 3 days in San Diego, pretty much doing nothing. It was the most relaxing vacation I think I've ever had!

Be Still

2009-10-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Jenny, saw this and told me watch it. So glad I did. I hope you will, too.

(ht) http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/

and so it begins!

2009-10-01T14:09:00.001-07:00

Soccer season, that is!

U-10 Thunder

Record so far 4-0
Goals scored so far:
team: Thunder: 38+/- (we tend to lose count)
Opponents: 2
Josiah: 7

One of my favorite times of the year!

blessed

2009-07-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

I sat this morning, head in my hands, and cried. Long, hard tears for a life that I thought I would have, that hasn't turned out quite the way I planned. I thought to myself, this isn't what I thought my life would be about. It isn't what I wanted. And then I realized, yes, it is! It's about my family and my children...and isn't that just exactly what I've always wanted my life to be about? God in his infinite wisdom, has allowed me to have just what I've always wanted...just changed the details to meet his will, not my own. and I realized just how blessed I am.

2009-06-17T09:34:00.000-07:00

Amazing how quickly life can change. My daughter was in a serious horse-back riding accident and had to be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle. Time and patience will heal her. Her pelvis is broken in 3 places and has 3 screws holding it all back together. She also has a broken vertebrae in her back. She requires 24 hour care, of which I am providing 12 hours. There is no time for blogging or anything else.

This blog has served it's purpose and maybe someday will be started up again. For now and who knows how long, it is on hiatus.

What a beautiful day!

2009-05-30T13:47:00.000-07:00

My day so far:

Went to the gym and worked out.

Watched my grandson win his division in the Forest Festiva l kids fun run.

Manicure/pedicure.

Lunch from Miako Teriyaki.

The sun is shining and it's beautiful outside!

All in all, not a bad first half to the day. Even if our water isn't working, the cat is sick, and the hubby is off to another track meet.

Laundry, laundry!

2009-05-15T15:57:00.000-07:00

It's laundry, tag-team style!

My daughter starts four loads and heads for work.

I switch them to the dryers, then fold them when I get the time.

She picks them up and the kids put them away.

One of the many benefits of working at a laundromat!

The Pavilion

2009-05-12T22:53:00.000-07:00

Want to know the best thing about owning a banquet/catering facility?

A free venue for your daughter's wedding? hmm, that's good, but not it...

A huge big-screen tv and surround sound with lots of room for your friends to watch the super bowl? not bad, but nope, not that either...

Use of matching dishes, glasses and chargers for Christmas dinner at your house...
nice, but nope...

The BEST thing...leftovers from catered dinners!

Prime rib two nights in a row...oh yea!!

Europe

2009-05-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

The hubby and I are planning a trip to Europe in 3 years. Our hope is to attend the 2012 Olympic Games in London, where, hopefully, two of the athletes he coached in high school will be running. We are hoping to be gone for about a month, visiting various other locations, also. (Thinking Paris, Spain, Germany...)

How are we funding this trip? Airline miles and hotel rooms garnered by use of our credit card...we have over 300,000 points waiting to be used. The hubby uses the credit card for EVERYTHING, then pays it off every month. If we could just get the county to let us pay our property taxes with it!

Spending money? lol...believe it or not I find approximately $1.00 in change at the laundromat every day I work. Money in dryer vents...washing machine drains...over the course of the four years that we will have been planning this trip, I figure I will be able to save approximately $1,000. I clean all the change out of my pockets and wallet every night and throw it in a jar. Amazing how much money people leave in their clothes!

Happy Mother's Day!!

2009-05-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

This is for you Jen...one of the best mamas I know:

p.s. I haven't stopped laughing since I first saw this!

Whass up!

2009-05-09T15:33:00.000-07:00

What I've been up to lately:

Took one of the granddaughters with me and went to Oregon to visit "Big" Grandma and Grandpa for a couple days. Thoroughly enjoyed my time with her. Crafts with Big Grandma, new shoes and a pedicure! How fun! :)

My beloved pink laptop broke. Major bummer. The screen cracked while granddaughter was watching a movie on the way home from our trip to Oregon. The good news is it looks like it's going to be replaced by the manufacturer. Yea!

Finished cleaning the "grandkids room". (Not that they EVER sleep in there!) What a chore that was! Now onto the guest room. I've sorted and washed almost EVERY article of clothing my son owns that are stored in the closet in that room. All that's left is to repack them, then give the room a thorough dusting and vacuuming. I'm hoping to sew a quilt for that bed, but have to get my sewing machine fixed first. In the meantime, the old comforter that's on the bed will do. Funny how my daughter's hand-me-down bedding always seems to last me for years!

I started cleaning out MY closet a couple months ago, but never finished. Once the guest room is done, it's next on my list. Then onto the formal living room, which is actually being used as my craft and sewing room. It's also a work-in-progress. I cleaned out my desk...deposited everything onto the floor...and there it sits. What a disaster!

My hopes of planting a garden this year are fading fast. The greenhouse, which has never been used for anything other than storage, but which I had big plans for this year, collapsed under the weight of all the snow we had this winter. Work is demanding a lot of my time, and there isn't much left for any other projects except the ones listed above.

My lilacs are blooming away, which I'm pretty surprised about. We did a major pruning on them last fall and I didn't expect to get many flowers this year. We actually have more than usual! Guess that pruning did them good!

Happy Mother's Day to my dear, sweet mom. Love you tons!

Now it makes more sense!

2009-04-30T15:07:00.000-07:00

Catch up!

2009-04-29T18:48:00.001-07:00

Am I the only person in North America who still has Christmas gift wrap sitting out, waiting to be put away? How did I fall so far behind?

Today I managed to repair a pair of jeans for one of my granddaughters. Hope they still fit her!

This working thing takes up so much time! But wait, aren't I the boss? Don't I make the schedule? Tomorrow I get a day off...yay! Time to catch up. Who'd have ever thought I'd be happy to be able to do laundry and housework!

pillows

2009-04-27T11:52:00.000-07:00

Just saw this idea on this blog. What a great, simple idea! I've been trying to think of ways to "summerize" my olive green/gold couch...now I've got one!

Now to just find the time!

Wednesday

2009-04-22T23:05:00.000-07:00

Focus today: kitchen. My daughter made out her grocery list; I did the shopping, picked up her mail, and then tackled the mountain of dishes. Most of them were clean, but just needed to be put away. A few were dirty, but by the time I finished, the kitchen was neat and tidy and the groceries put away. More important, one tired mama got a four hour nap!

Brothers!

2009-04-20T21:46:00.001-07:00

After suffering along with 6 sisters, Josiah couldn't be happier with this little brother of his!

Day 2

2009-04-19T09:13:00.000-07:00

I spent yesterday making two trips to Target for extra items my daughter had forgotten, then to the hospital, and then to my daughter and son-in-law's house to help out in any way I could. I thought they'd need mom to help out with food, but no, that son-in-law of mine sure can cook! Instead, I was on laundry duty, what I do best!

I spent some time straightening up two of the girls' bedroom and putting laundry away, and brought home three other loads, which are finishing up, as I type.

Cisco is doing well, although Mama is tired and hurting. The other four kids are home now from Aunty Shay's and the 3 other big sisters are coming tonight to meet their baby brother. Cisco is happy and content and barely cries at all. Let's hope he says that way! It would be nice, for mama's sake, to have at least ONE baby that likes to sleep!

Oh, how I love being a grandma!

Cisco

2009-04-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

Introducing our new grandson, Francisco Michael Castro, 9 lbs. 6 oz.

time out!

2009-04-16T18:11:00.000-07:00

I've worked and reworked the schedule and I finally did it! I have four, count 'em, four! days in a row off of work! It's the first time in six weeks that I've even had more than one day off in an entire week.

My daughter is two weeks overdue with her baby and the plan is, Lord willing, that she will deliver tomorrow.

It took hours of scheduling and rescheduling and willingness on the part of two of my employees to work this out...including the near-firing of a third one who was unwilling to close, because "she didn't want to!" grrr..... How I appreciate the willing attitudes and hard work of the first two!

Now come on Cisco...do your part and come out so grandma can hold you!

my day off

2009-03-31T16:38:00.000-07:00

Today I miraculously had the day off. To celebrate, I:

cleaned my half of the garage
took the recycling to the drop off
cleaned the cat litter box
went to walmart and got new cat litter
scrubbed the laundry room and floor
went to the laundromat and washed all the blankets and rugs that the cat has peed on
washed and vacuumed my car
waited at home for the repairman to show up and fix my dryer

all while babysitting two of the grandkids.

Tonight the hubby is taking them to a movie, while I stay home and clean house.

Ain't life grand!?

stupid cat.

speaking of money

2009-03-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

Speaking of money and coffee cans...when I was younger, our family had a running joke that my grandma used to store her money in coffee cans buried in her yard. My uncle would claim that he had dug up some of her coffee cans and was going to go and look for more! I never really knew whether she actually did bury money in her yard, but i doubt it was a true story. Mom?

Not too long ago, I found out that someone I know actually does this; only her money is wrapped in coffee filters and buried, instead of coffee cans. I won't say who or where she lives, as I'd hate to have her wake up one morning and find her yard looking like a mole had suddenly attacked in the middle of the night!

Kinda makes you wonder, though, in these times of economic stress, if maybe she isn't on to something! The interest isn't great, but at least she hasn't lost her life savings!

free money!

2009-03-16T08:42:00.000-07:00

A tip for anyone in my local area. A friend of mine, T, has an account at Heritage Bank. They have a friends and family referral program there. When I opened an account last week, I filled out the form stating that my friend had referred me. She is now going to receive a $150 Visa gift card, as am I, after I use my debit card one time! (Provided I use it and fill out the paperwork within 45 days.)

In addition, because I now have an account, I can refer someone else, and they will also receive a gift card. Heritage Bank offers great gifts for new accounts. In the past they've given out Ipods, GPS navigation systems, and now these gift cards.You can only receive one gift per gift cycle, so I couldn't receive another gift card, if I were to refer someone else. BUT... when the next gift cycle comes up, I can refer a new customer, and we would both receive that current gift.

I opened this bank account to hold the money I save every month for Christmas. I decided a bank account was probably a better place than a coffee can stashed in the back of my closet. Plus, I now have an additional $150 to put towards Christmas gifts!

retreat, cont.

2009-03-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

So far the retreat has been amazing. The Lord is speaking to me through Cheryl, and telling me so many things I need to hear. It has been encouraging and convicting at the same time. I am feeling more relaxed than I have in a very long time and actually, although I miss my family, I am not looking forward to going home. I'd love a week down here to rest and rejuvenate. I'm hoping I can take the things I've learned home with me and put them into practice. This time spent with my friends has been so enjoyable, and something that is sorely lacking in my life. I miss having girlfriends to just hang out with!

retreat!

2009-03-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

I am off to the beach this afternoon to attend a women's retreat. Our pastor's wife is the featured speaker and there are women from several different churches attending. I am SO excited about this weekend. It's a much-needed getaway, with two of my dearest friends staying with me at a little cabin, rather than at the "camp". I'm sure the teaching will be awesome and I can't wait to get going!

reading list

2009-03-13T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of my resolutions this year is to read through some of the dozens of books I've purchased, but never read. I love, love, love, to read! but I don't seem to get as much time to devote to it as I'd like to...maybe because I spend far too much time on the internet! I tend to have 4 or 5 books I'm reading at the same time, but I don't seem to finish them.

So, this year, my goal is to read one book, cover to cover, a month.

My accomplishment so far:

January:Beautiful boy
February:The Duggars: 20 and Counting!

Currently I'm working on a repeat:

Financial Peace Revisited

and up next:

The Gluten Connection

Not exactly a heavy reading list, but an accomplishment that makes me happy, none-the-less!

3/14/09: I just remembered that I also read and finished this book:

The Great Depression Ahead

grateful

2009-03-12T10:17:00.000-07:00

I learned this past weekend of another family I know who are in danger of having their home foreclosed on. This makes four families that I know, personally, who are in some stage of the foreclosure process. I also know of a family losing their business, and several others on the brink of serious financial meltdown and possible bankruptcy. These times are frightening for so many of my friends and I see them struggling with depression and sleep issues and my heart aches for them. I am grateful for the financial security my hubby and I have; but, I also know, that things could have turned out much differently. Investments he made could have soured, rather than doing well. It's difficult to be happy about such things, when those around me struggle, but it's not difficult to be grateful. We serve a great and mighty God, and I give thanks for his abundant provision in my life.

My car

2009-03-11T08:00:00.000-07:00

The hubby and I had never purchased a new vehicle until he bought his motorcycle a couple years ago. We've always driven used cars and paid cash for them. Last year we purchased a new Toyota Tacoma pickup truck. We were looking for used, but with rebates and the Costco automobile purchase plan, we were able to find a new truck cheaper than a used one. We always pay cash and haven't had a car payment since shortly after we got married, over 30 years ago.

Right now I drive a 2000 Grand Vitara with 150,000 miles on it. It's not a great car. It's rough to ride in and too small, but it gets me where I need to go. If I need something bigger and more comfortable to drive, I just borrow the hubby's truck. Next year I am hoping to purchase a new car, for the first time, since 1977!! But, the one I have now will work until then. I've gotten laughed at sometimes because of the cars we drive...but frankly, I really don't care.

Why have we always paid cash and always bought used? Dave Ramsey says it best.

ht: Finally Frugal.

SNL

2009-03-10T08:00:00.000-07:00

Catherine at Frugal Homemaker Plus mentioned this video over at Frugal Hacks...love it!

i can see clearly now...

2009-03-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I have a few basic rules I follow when it comes to my house:

1. If I don't love it, I don't keep it.
2. If I'm not going to use it, I don't keep it.
3. a place for everything, and everything in it's place.

and most important...

4. If I were to move tomorrow, is this cupboard, (room, closet?) neat and organized so that i could quickly pack it in a box, label it, move it, and put it away in my new home?

If I have to sort through stuff, decide what to keep, decide what to get rid of, donate, etc., then I haven't got things clean and organized enough.

If I want to find something, I don't want to have to hunt high and low, here and there...I want to go to where it is supposed to be and find it.

A little extreme? maybe, but it keeps things running smoothly around here...hence, my problem and my stress. Stuff is laying around all over. I can barely park my car in the garage...where did all of this mess come from? Have I been walking through life asleep the last year?

My gluten-free, dairy-free diet is helping to clear my brain...but causing me more stress because now I can finally SEE thru the fog!

oy vey.

discouragement

2009-03-08T13:57:00.001-07:00

I'm in danger of becoming discouraged.

I can't keep up.

Closing at work 3 times a week...one day a week to go and visit my son, not getting home until 10:30 at night...bible study one night, where i'm totally slacking...church on Sundays...leaves me only two nights a week at home. My house is a wreck, my laundry is stacked up. I haven't visited my parents in months...You wouldn't think it would be so hard to keep up when I'm feathering an empty nest. Something has to give, but what? If I get any less sleep, I'll drop. Work? How?...my daughter, the manager, is 9 months pregnant. She shouldn't even be working at all.

I've always believed that if we can't keep up, then our priorities are somehow out of alignment. I just need to find out where...

Free!

2009-03-03T18:35:00.001-08:00

I just found a really awesome website. It offers free things to people for their birthdays. How great is that!

My daughter and son-in-law are taking their family to Red Robin tomorrow for two of their girls' birthdays...I'm hoping to sign them up to the Red Robin Kids Club and see if we can get them free meals.

laundromat woes

2009-02-26T18:00:00.000-08:00

A couple came into our laundromat last night with their two children to do their laundry. The kids spent the better part of an hour running around the laundromat, climbing ON washing machines, playing bumper cars with the laundry carts, and generally wreaking havoc. Our employee calmly asked them over, and over again, not to do what they were doing. The final straw, however, was when they climbed IN one of the dryers. At that point she told them they had to get out, and their mom confronted her and told her not to speak to her children, but to speak to her! They'd be out in a minute...as soon as she took their picture! Next they decided to put coins in the bill slot in the card machine, and, in the process, jammed both of the machines so that none of the other customers could get laundry cards.

At this point, our employee called me, unsure what to do next, as there was a line of customers waiting to get cards. I told her how to handle the situation and went down to the laundromat to try and fix the machines. The couple had, by this time, finished their wash, but were out of money to do their drying. They asked if we would start their machine, while they went and got some money. Sorry, no can do.

After approximately 30 minutes, the husband was back with cash. They started the dryer and promptly climbed on top of one of the folding tables to play a board game. Argh.

Apparently, the couple was unfazed by everything that transpired, because before they left she asked if we were hiring.

Nails!

2009-02-13T18:39:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't normally post videos two days in a row, but this just cracks me up!

We're in a tight spot!

2009-02-12T19:06:00.001-08:00

This has been one of my favorite songs of all time, ever since i first watched the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" one of my all-time favorite movies...

no time

2009-01-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

No time to blog, I'm cleaning house..finally! More specifically...I'm cleaning my closet. I shall post "after" pictures when I'm done. (If I can figure out what's wrong with my camera!) Generally, I keep my closet pretty clean, but it's gotten a little unorganized over the holidays. Between that and all the clothes that no longer fit me, it's just depressing. So...out with the old, and in with the...well, not much new, but at least I'll be able to find what's in there!

Sadness

2009-01-26T12:03:00.001-08:00

I learned today that my husband's aunt, Elaine, passed away a couple days ago. The news leaves me very, very sad. Elaine was a dear, sweet friend to me. She always had my back and was so supportive of us. We sit in the balcony at church and she usually sat in the 2nd or 3rd row down below. She would look for me on Sundays and I would look for her, and if we were at the same service, she would smile and wave. She told me to always let it be a reminder to me that she was praying for us. I will miss her.

1/21/78

2009-01-21T22:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Anniversary to my beloved! 31 years and counting!

Happy Birthday Boo!

2009-01-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Saturday was my youngest granddaughter's 2nd birthday..Happy Birthday, Bella Boo! Ain't she a cutie petutie!?

Joy And Sorrow Chapter VIII

2009-01-18T16:34:00.000-08:00

Then a woman said, "Speak to us of Joy and Sorrow." And he answered: Your joy is your sorrow unmasked. And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises was oftentimes filled with your tears. And how else can it be? The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain. Is not the cup that hold your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter's oven? And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives? When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy. When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. Some of you say, "Joy is greater than sorrow," and others say, "Nay, sorrow is the greater." But I say unto you, they are inseparable. Together they come, and when one sits alone with you at your board, remember that the other is asleep upon your bed. Verily you are suspended like scales between your sorrow and your joy. Only when you are empty are you at standstill and balanced...

by Khalil Gibran

1883-1931

You want fries with that?

2009-01-17T10:27:00.000-08:00

Why is it that when you go thru a drive-thru fast food place, they won't give you ketchup? Is that tiny little packet of ketchup really going to bust the budget when they're charging almost 2 bucks for a soda these days? And what about when you specifically ask for 4 or 5 packets...and get NONE? How stupid can people be anymore? I have no patience for morons.

home again, home again, jiggity jig

2009-01-16T08:00:00.000-08:00

We flew home today, from 68 degrees and sunshine to 38 degrees and overcast. Brrr... On the way home, we stopped in Olympia at JCPenney's to do a little shopping, at the encouragement of my daughter. The clearance sales prices there are unbelievable. I picked up 5 Christmas gifts for NEXT year for some of my granddaughters, for only $12! I also purchased a $65 coat that my daughter asked me to pick up for her while I was there, for only $9. I only wish I'd had more time! The next few days are going to be busy ones, and then I go back to work on Monday. As happy as I was to be in Nevada, I am SO happy to be home! Our youngest granddaughter's birthday is Saturday and she'll be turning two...Grandma and Grandpa couldn't miss that happy event! :)

What to do, what to do!

2009-01-15T08:00:00.000-08:00

We spent the day today with a realtor looking at various houses. Out of everything we looked at, we've only found two that we like; well, one I liked and the other my hubby liked. My preference was for a smaller, very nice home on a small lot. The hubby liked the larger house on the larger lot that needed work, but which had a ton of potential. The house had "renters" living in it, although I got the feeling they were actually "squatters". They wouldn't let us into various rooms in the house, and actually had a bulldog in the backyard that had left a friendly deposit on the living room floor. The tenant didn't feel it was necessary to clean it up before we came in to look at the house. So strange.

I'm having such conflicting thoughts on this whole thing. As much as I dislike living in the town we live in, I am in no way ready to make a permanent move. We have too many ties to the community we live in, and I would never leave my kids or grandkids. On the other hand, with the current economy and real estate market, we would be able to buy a home at rock bottom prices right now and I am almost desperate to have a chance to get out of this town and reside, at least part of the year, where I can wake up to sunshine and blue skies, and be free of the drama of the small town I live in.

Finally, I'm feeling more than a bit guilty about the possibility of owning a second home that would sit empty for the majority of the year. For someone who works hard at being a good steward of what we've been given, and tries to live a fairly frugal lifestyle, purchasing a second home is pretty extreme. Lots to think about, and that's what our plan is right now. To go home, think and pray about our options, and then try to make a decision about how to progress from here.

It's pink!

2009-01-14T08:18:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, my dear hubby got me such an awesome gift...the cutest little pink laptop computer you've ever seen! and I just love it!

It's an Acer and it weighs less than 3 lbs. I can actually fit it in my purse, and did I mention that it's pink!

I've never had a laptop and I've wanted one for a long time, but I never expected that I would get one. I just love, love, love it and it was SO sweet of my hubby to give it to me for Christmas. I've never had something so cool before. Thanks babe!

The great hunt

2009-01-13T08:26:00.001-08:00

The hunt continues, or rather, goes on (and on and on...)

We have a binder the hubby put together, a laptop, a camera, a GPS unit and a Suzuki Firenza and we are stalking, er rather...looking, for a vacation house. I'm over it already. After only two days. I need a "fun" day. The hubby says "this is fun!" Like his own personal game of Monopoly.

I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. The size and cost of what we are looking at keeps going up, and my enthusiasm keeps going down, in direct proportion. CCR's? covenants, restrictions, rules...not me. I am long past the days where I want neighbors telling me I can't park my car on the street. The point was to get away. Time will tell. In the meantime, I had a dream last night that one of my granddaughters no longer would come to me and let me hold her. She didn't recognize me anymore. :(

Change is good?

2009-01-12T10:18:00.000-08:00

Here I sit in sunny Las Vegas, enjoying the 60+ degree weather and sunshine. It's a far cry from the 2 feet of snow and 12 inches of rain that we received over the last 3 weeks at home, although i hear it's supposed to turn sunny up there in Washington state this week also.

The hubby and I are here on a brief get-away...while also looking at real estate and contemplating buying a house or condo. (Mostly to allow us a LOT more brief get-aways!) I gotta say, even though we seldom gamble, we love Las Vegas. There's always lots to do and things to see. Some people I've talked with hate it here...truly considering it the "devil's playground", but we just kinda like it...probably has a lot to do with that sunshine factor I talked about earlier.

The idea of buying a second home down here is somewhat frightening to me. It's a change...a BIG change. And even though I'm ready, even in need of a change, it's still a little overwhelming. I guess all change is like that for me. I would think with all the changes my life has gone through over the last few years, that it would come a little bit easier to me. Maybe some things never change, huh?

gotta love it!

2009-01-08T10:17:00.000-08:00

One of my goals for this year, resolutions, if you will...is to treat myself better and take better care of myself. To that end, I went and got a pedicure yesterday and today I got a massage. My plan is to do at least one "special" thing a day for myself, to eat right and to start exercising again. Hopefully, this process will also allow me to lose 20 pounds. Tomorrow my plan is to spend one solid uninterrupted hour working on my journal and Friday I head to Tacoma...lunch at Nordstroms and an appointment at Gene Juarez. I'm kinda liking this already!

Lord willin' and the creek don't rise!

2009-01-07T17:01:00.000-08:00

I took down the Christmas tree today...can we say "finally!!!" I normally take it down a few days after Christmas because my son's birthday is on January 1, but this year I just couldn't seem to get it done. I had to get it done now, though, because we leave on Saturday for a brief vacation. Yes!!! I can't wait. More on that later. Let's just say it's warm and sunny where I'm headed. And I'm probably going to actually shut my cell phone off for a couple days, too. Now that's a real vacation!

After three weeks and three feet of snow, the pineapple express has hit and it is raining, raining, raining! I-5 may be closed just south of us because of water over the roadway. The lake level has risen quite a bit, but it's still several feet below our bulkhead, and schools have a delayed start tomorrow because of all the water on the roads. Blue skies and sunshine are sounding better every day!

*By the way, that photo above was copied off flickr, not taken by me, and it's of the Skokomish River.

Missing D

2009-01-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

16 But now this is what the Lord says:
“Do not weep any longer,
for I will reward you,” says the Lord.
“Your children will come back to you
from the distant land of the enemy.
17 There is hope for your future,” says the Lord.
“Your children will come again to their own land.
Jeremiah 31:16-17

Meet Moses

2009-01-02T22:53:00.000-08:00

About six weeks ago, as I was leaving work, I heard a soft meowing coming from the side of the building, next to where my car was parked. I looked over expecting to see a cat, and instead found a small box all taped up: top, bottom and sides. I took the box into the laundromat and opened it up and inside was a tiny black kitten. Written on the side of the box was a note that said "free kitty, can't find home".

Well, adopting a kitten that had been dumped off at our business was the last thing on my mind, but that's what I ended up doing. I tried and tried to get rid of it, but no one would take him, and in the end, we just decided to keep him.

He's funny and makes us laugh a lot, but I'm convinced that he may have brain damage. Either that or he's possessed. Actually, for the first 3 weeks I had him I thought he was a female and had named him Chloe. I believe he may have anger issues because of his gender misidentification. Since he was dropped off in a box and I adopted him, I decided the name Moses might be appropriate.

The highlight of his day seems to be finding as many ways as he can to attack and bite or scratch me. I spend most of the day dragging him around while he hangs onto one of my feet, biting me all the way. Trying to pet him is an exercise in futility, as he prefers to use my hand as a chew toy.

He did, however, come box-trained, so that has worked in his favor. Good thing. He needs all the points he can get on his side, especially considering this "free" kitten has already cost me $150 at the vet, just to get him checked over, tested for cat leukemia and treated for ear mites. He's good company, though, and I'm kinda glad I found him.

hiatus

2008-12-03T20:45:00.000-08:00

I've decided to take a break from blogging again. I'm just much too busy and feeling that I "have" to do this is way too much self-pressure. So, for now until the end of the year, I won't be posting at all. I hope anyone who might read this has a wonderful and blessed Christmas.

Awesome...

2008-11-27T19:02:00.000-08:00

I saw this video yesterday on "Like Merchant Ships", which is one of my favorite blogs to read...check it out...the video, and the blog. :)

free kitten?

2008-11-26T18:45:00.000-08:00

Just a note to anyone living locally...

A kitten was dropped off at our laundromat last night. It's really cute, all black, possibly part siamese and needs a good home. She looks to be about 6 weeks old, and seems to be box trained. She has a real good temperament and rode around on the dashboard of my car all day.

I can't keep her and I've been unable to find her a home yet. If you're interested in adopting her, or know someone who might be, please write me or give me a call. If I could figure out how to put pictures up on here, I would post one.

As a last resort, I may be forced to stand in front of Walmart on Friday in order to give her away. You don't want to see me doing that now, do you?

$1.94!

2008-11-20T17:01:00.001-08:00

Today I paid $1.94 a gallon for gas. Yes!
Am I the only one who seems to think prices at stores for gifts are marked down really low this year? Every time I hit the mall, someone has a great sale going on...
With the cost of everything else going up, it's nice the cost of SOMETHING is going down!

2008-11-14T23:11:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted much lately.
Mostly because I'm working a ton and don't have a lot of time.
Partly because I'm more than a bit weirded out about the fact that a representative from Comcast responded to my last post.
And then somewhat because, frankly, I haven't had a lot to say.
So, here is a short-hand version of where I'm at lately:

I'm loving work, but missing being home.
I'm glad my kids are grown, but wish I still had little ones at home.
I'm happy I'm going to be a grandma again, but worried about my daughter's health.
I wish I could travel around the country in a van, stopping anywhere I want to, coming home when I want, leaving when I want.
Our wood floors are refinished. Yea.
Our carpet is still not (completely) in. Boo.
Remodeling is never-ending and sucks the peace out of my life.
I miss my Aunt and my mom and dad.
I miss my son the most.

On another note, because my computer is dead I am using my hubby's Mac and I have NO idea how to post pictures. Hopefully, I will learn because this blog is boring without pictures.

digging a trench?

2008-11-10T12:55:00.001-08:00

My cable bill went up. Well, more to the point, my Comcast bill went up, which includes my cable and internet service. Awhile back I had our cable shut off; just completely shut off, for about 6 months. My Comcast bill went from approximately $75 to $45ish, for cable alone. When I signed back up they were running a special and I was able to "bundle" the two services for about $65. When that six month special ran out, the bill went up again, so i called and after some negotiating basically got them to reinstate the special price so that once again I was paying about $65 a month.

Now, again, that special price has expired and my bill is now $100 a month for cable and internet. Too much. I am once again going to call and try to renegotiate my price.

My point? I never knew it was possible to negotiate with companies such as Comcast for the price I paid, until I tried to shut off my service and they came back with all kinds of offers in order to keep me as a customer. It helps to have a bargaining chip...I was more than willing to shut the cable off altogether. Now? Our local Public Utility District has fiber optics available in our neighborhood, all we have to do is dig a trench to the road from our house...which I am happy to do if it means my price will go down.

We'll see how it goes...

fits me to a T

2008-11-01T08:00:00.000-07:00

"I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing."

~ Agatha Christie

ht: candy

the tax man cometh...

2008-10-31T12:50:00.001-07:00

I found out a couple days ago that our property taxes this year are going to be approximately $15,000. Divided on a monthly basis our property tax payment would nearly mirror our house payment. I am at a loss. How is it I have to pay the government so much money to live in my own house? Our house will be paid off in six years, but the taxes will never be paid off.

I love my house, and even more I love our property. I could rebuild the house on another piece of property, but it wouldn't be the same. It isn't the house I would miss...it's the lakefront lots. But, is it worth it? I'm in an in-between place...hating the price of living here, but not wanting to leave; not wanting to disrupt my life anymore than it's already been disrupted the last few years, and not wanting to add anymore stress to an already over-loaded life.

I told the hubby that maybe it's time to go buy a 40-acre chunk of land, put in a garden, buy a cow and some chickens, and live off the land. He said the taxes would probably be too high.

work, work, work

2008-10-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

Looking at the calendar I guess it's been three weeks since I last posted on here. We were gone for almost a week on vacation, most of which was spent sleeping since I was 1.exhausted and 2.sick.

We got home and I spent the next week working every day and then took off again for three days to Portland, OR for the Women of Faith Conference. It was excellent, as usual, but again, I came home exhausted. I'm noticing a recurring pattern here.

The last week has been spent working, working, working. Our hard work has begun to pay off, though. Slowly I've been able to make some improvements at our laundromat, including some new equipment, hiring a new employee, seeing some long-awaited improvements done on our building, and streamlining some procedures in order to make us more efficient and better-managed.

Business has been picking up and income is improving. It's a good thing. At least it was. I won't even get into what happened today. I will say that working with family is sometimes difficult.

One day at a time...

2008-09-26T18:34:00.000-07:00

Monday: Up and at 'em early...move essentials out to the trailer, the wood floor guys are here at 8:45 a.m. to start the refinishing process. Oops, fridge is still in the kitchen, didn't I mention that to the hubby on Friday?

Go to the laundromat...nothing to do in the trailer...no internet, no cable, forgot a book, hubby forgot movies...spend all day putzing around the laundromat doing this and that, then work from 6 to closing. Stop for a video on the way home and some chips and salsa...not feeling so good, sore throat and tired.

Tuesday: Ugh, staying in the trailer is not nearly so fun when it's parked in the driveway. Take a shower in a 12"x24" shower, try to keep the plastic shower curtain from molesting me...feel awful. Throat is on fire. Spend all day putzing at the laundromat again, supposed to work 6 to closing, only I leave at 8 and call someone in, cause I'm feeling awful!

Wednesday: Work early, feel like cr*p, drive the grandson to the soccer field to meet his coach and get a new uniform; evidently baby sister threw his away, drive an hour to his soccer game, only to have just 4 kids show up from their team so they have to forfeit. What's that all about? Kids don't play soccer if it's 50 degrees outside and pouring down rain? They play anyway with a borrowed player and get creamed 20-3. (Guess who scored the 3? uh-huh, you got it, my favorite little boy!) Feel like I'm a walking zombie...throat is beyond painful...can't breathe...no energy. One more night in this trailer and I'm going to lose it.

Thursday: Go to doctor, diagnosed with pnuemonia, second time this year...what's up with that? No, I don't smoke. Spend $30 on antibiotics, along with $90 on my regular prescriptions...so much for this week's paycheck. Supposed to be leaving on vacation on Monday...can't work, better get better or I can't fly, much less go in a smoke-filled casino...ha! I'll drive if I have to...I'm going! Get a pedicure...makes me feel better, sorta, go home to the house...we can go in! Ack! Almost have a stroke from the fumes...back to the trailer...floors look great though!)

Friday: Meds are starting to kick in. I slept last night, finally, sorta. Take a bath in my bathtub..ah! Go to the laundromat, get online, balance the checkbook...ack, too much eating out this week. Go to Oly, get a new pair of shoes for my trip. I'm done in...back to the house, go online, post on my blog for the first time in a week...heading to bed. I feel human again, but barely.

That was my week...like they say, tomorrow's another day! Hopefully by Monday I will be well enough to fly.

Conversation overheard

2008-09-20T20:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, while I was at work, I was sitting on the floor between two rows of washing machines, scrubbing and polishing them, when I overheard this conversation between two of our customers, who were in the row behind me.

Hey! How are you? Where are you living these days? Oh, I'm waiting for a place up to open up, up the canal. It's really nice...it's a park-style trailer and it's in my price range... if I heat it with propane, I have to pay for it, but if I use an electric heater, the electricity comes with the trailer for free! Until then, I'm tenting it... Oh really? That sounds great, I hope you get it...where are you at in the meantime? Behind WalMart. That's where tent city is now. They moved us out of the other place, across the highway.

It put a whole new perspective on some things for me.

I am so spoiled and so fortunate.

Sco-o-o-o-o-re!

2008-09-18T11:57:00.000-07:00

We took the boy to his "away" soccer game last night. When did eight-year-old boys start having "away" games in the middle of the week? 6:00 pm at a field an hour away? Makes it a little hard on the working parents, don't you think? Which would be...well....every one of them!

Oh well...we made it in 49 minutes...sure glad the hubby noticed the brake lights on the vehicles in front of us coming around that corner just outside of Montesano...we were barely speeding as we passed that stater!

They won...20-0. They played the second half with one less player than the other team so as to give them a better advantage; it still didn't work. They are 4-0. They've won their games 7-4, 12-2, 9-1 and 20-0. Geez, it's nice to be on the winning side of something for once, even if it is only kids' soccer.

On the down side, i met my hubby at his office and left my car parked there. All night. We completely forgot to stop on the way home and get it. My old car is still in the driveway, but the keys are...you guessed it...in my other car. The one at my hubby's office.

So here I sit. Waiting for him to come and pick me up. Just how long does it take to drive 5 miles? Twenty minutes, so far.

Migraines

2008-09-15T09:13:00.000-07:00

Migraines...they're so much fun! This one started out like all the others...a dull, achy headache that just doesn't want to go away, soreness and tightness in my neck, then overwhelming exhaustion...pain behind my eye, sensitivity to light and noise, and then a massive headache. And there you have it...a full-blown migraine...

I took a pill, took a bath, and now the headache is gone...but I feel like I've run a marathon and then got ran over by a train.

Fun, fun, and more fun. I guess the upside is that I only get them about once every two or three months now. Not like the every other week fun I used to have! Ah, the beauty of growing old...

clean, clean, clean!

2008-09-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

My keyboard and desk are now the cleanest they have been in SUCH a long time. A cleaning frenzy you ask? Ah contraire!!...an entire glass of juice, spilled all over my desk and keyboard!...mopped up just in time to prevent any permanent damage. Never try to eat oatmeal, drink juice and surf the internet at the same time!

McKenzie

2008-09-10T22:15:00.001-07:00

My 6th grandchild started kindergarten today. Well, actually she started last week, but that was just introduction to Kindergarten. Today she started her full day, every day schedule. Hard to believe this beautiful little girl is in school now. Although, some days, with her attitude and vocabulary, I think she should be in middle school, not kindergarten. She taught herself how to read about a year ago and knows how to add and do simple math. When the teacher tested her, she completed the test for exiting K and read the entire book, something else no one in the class was able to do. The K teacher has recommended she go straight to first grade, but the principal has vetoed the idea. "Not school policy" you know. My daughter can't figure out where she got her smarts from...as far as she is concerned she'd have quit school long before she graduated...if Mom would have let her! ha!

In the past I was always one who followed all the guidelines and obeyed all the rules. Now I just think that there are way too many stupid rules which don't allow for individuality and and dumb us all down to the lowest common denominator. Why hold this child back and wait for the others to catch up, when she could be soaring ahead and excelling?

I'm thinking Grandma's going to have to take her on some field trips and do some home-schooling on the side to keep things interesting. I love that girl so much.

My wish.

2008-09-09T23:48:00.000-07:00

Is it possible to cure a broken heart by working so hard and staying so busy you forget about it? That's my plan anyway. If that doesn't work, maybe i'll just run away for awhile. 14 months, 3 weeks, to be exact.

family reunion

2008-09-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

I made Pioneer Woman's apple dumplings for the family reunion today, and corn-on-the-cob. Yummy! All the food was oh-so-good! But the company was even better!

Notice there aren't any pictures?

How could I possibly have forgotten to charge the batteries to my camera? Ack!!

Mom and Dad
3 kids and spouses
5 grandchildren
14 great grandchildren

Ack!!!

I'm SO hoping my sister-in-law will copy her pictures to a disk. I still can't believe the batteries in my camera were dead.

Oh well. It was a fun day, although somewhat bittersweet.

Oh, and my brother and nephew left halfway through the day to go and fight a wildfire at Lake Cushman. When we left at 8:30 they still hadn't come home. All in a day's work for a fire chief and volunteer, I guess!

Ouch!

2008-09-07T21:17:00.000-07:00

Ouch. I'd forgotten how much it hurts to get stung by a bee!

missing you

2008-09-06T23:10:00.000-07:00

We went to an anniversary party tonight for our friends, Ben and Dottie. Dottie used to live with my husband and I and they are celebrating their 11th anniversary. They were married in our back yard. Can I just say how totally happy and joyous it was to celebrate their anniversary with them? It's been a difficult year in more ways than one, and how fun was this night?! Tomorrow my family is having a family reunion. My nephew and his wife and their five children are all here visiting from Minnesota; my parents are here from Oregon. Everyone will be there except my son. I'm not sure how I feel...happy for the day, yet sad that one of the most important people in my life won't be there. :(

Yuck.

2008-09-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

I'm cleaning a rental house for my hubby. It's disgustingly dirty, but maybe most disturbing is the fact that I found a little kid's tooth in a kitchen drawer today. There's just something really icky about that.

Gratefulness

2008-09-03T21:00:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I was in Olympia and decided to hit some of those fantastic school supply sales at the office supply stores. I went to three different stores and Target, and managed to get a ton of school supplies for a whopping 8 bucks.

Included in my purchases were 3 pairs of childrens scissors, 4 bottles of glue, 4 packs of crayons, colored pencils, #2 pencils, notebook paper, rulers, glue sticks, erasers, and a bunch of other stuff! It would have cost $50 or more for everything I bought, had I paid full price.

I have six grandchildren attending school this year. I told my daughter to pick out what her two school-age children needed, and to give the rest of the supplies to her step-daughters. I knew there wouldn't be everything that they needed in the bag, but I figured it would cover a good portion of their lists.

She added some markers to the bag and dropped it off for the girls at their house. Later, during a phone conversation with one of her step-daughters, a voice was heard in the background complaining about the fact that the girls received no new school clothes this year from their dad and my daughter, and that we shouldn't even have bothered giving them the supplies since they didn't get everything they needed and there was so "little" there.

I wish now that I had kept them and donated them to someone who would really appreciate them. I tell myself the supplies were for the kids, not their mom, and I'm sure they appreciate them, even if their mom doesn't. But still, I wonder if these kids would think the same thing:

Well, that just pi**es me off!

2008-09-02T21:15:00.001-07:00

We went out on Friday. For the first time in a LONG time. We went out with another couple that are friends of ours to have dinner and listen to some music at the local casino. The band that was playing are a husband/wife duo plus one other guy, who have been friends of ours for nearly 30 years. Along with us came another friend, a great guy whose wife is/was one of my very best friends. Unfortunately, she has decided the grass is greener on the other side of the fence, and recently left her husband to start a new life. Also, most unfortunately, she was also at the casino, with her new life by her side.

She knew we were going to be there. She knows our feelings about the situation. She knew her husband was going to be there. She was asked to please leave him at home.

What was it Jennifer Anniston said about Brad Pitt lacking a sensitivity chip?

more olympics i missed...

2008-08-31T10:01:00.000-07:00

Track and field is by far the favorite sport of my family. The 100-meter dash was held while the hubby and I were camping...once again, we missed out on this:

thanks to the Country Doctors Wife for that one!

Olympics

2008-08-21T09:45:00.000-07:00

I've just loved watching the Olympics this year. Somehow, though, I missed this gymnastics routine.

50

2008-08-19T21:58:00.001-07:00

I am 50. My birthday sucked. I am no longer having birthdays. Don't even ask. I'd just as soon pretend the day never happened.

I did, however, get this gift from my hubby. Which totally didn't suck at all. In fact, it was downright awesome, especially since he totally swore there were no purses on the face of the earth that were worth the amount of money he paid for that bad boy. I'm in love. With my hubby (and my new purse!)

I have also found a card game in which I am somewhat proficient and can actually beat the hubster at. Spades. Yep, my future-daughter-in-law and I dominated my hubby and son on Sunday. I will never play pinochle again.

I love a good deal!

2008-08-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

I know, I didn't stay away long...I just had to write about the awesome deals I got today!

First, I found a $10 off a $10 or more purchase at JCPenneys coupon in the paper last week. I stopped by today, while in Olympia, and found a pair of sweats that I really needed on sale for $12.00. With tax, they cost me $3.01.

Then I also had another coupon for $10 off a $10 or more purchase at Eddie Bauer. I also ran in there and found a nice summer t-shirt on clearance for $9.99. With tax it cost me $.85.

I had one other coupon for $10 at Victoria's Secret, and a $5 Kohl's coupon, but unfortunately, I ran out of time. I'll be going back to Olympia in a couple days, though, so I'll use them them. I'm planning on going back to Penney's, too, in order to look around some more. I saw some amazing sales going on, but just didn't have time to look.

aufedersein!

2008-08-04T20:07:00.000-07:00

After a great deal of thought, I have decided to take a hiatus from blogging. Sitting in front of the computer is eating up too much of my valuable summer time and I intend to spend the next couple of months enjoying the great outdoors. I may be back in a month or two, and then again, I may not!

aufedersein!

little brown dress

2008-08-03T16:30:00.000-07:00

A while back I came across an article on the internet entitled Brown Dress Project. (The picture on the left is from her website.) It's the story/journal of a woman from Seattle, who designed, sewed and wore the same dress every single day for a solid year. She paired the dress up with different tights and sweaters, etc., and over the course of the year only one person noticed she was wearing the same thing over and over. Her purpose? To challenge her thinking about over-consumption. It was a fascinating read and I have to admit, something that might be interesting to try someday.

Two summers ago I found myself with half a dozen weddings to attend in the time span of about three months. I had nothing in my closet to wear (that fit!), so I hit the mall and came out with my "wedding outfit": a brown linen, button-up-the-front skirt and white, stretchy, sleeveless top that criss-crossed in the front, both from Eddie Bauer.

I wore that outfit every weekend or two, throughout the summer, to one wedding after another. For an afternoon, outdoor wedding, in the blazing mid-summer sun, I paired it with a pair of brown flip flops and a gold ankle bracelet. For another evening wedding, it went nicely with a white lace shawl and brown dressy sandals. For yet another church wedding, it was a nice pair of gold earrings, a gold bracelet and a lightweight sweater. If anyone ever noticed I was repeating the same outfit to wedding after wedding, they never said a word.

It was a relief to always know what I was going to wear, and not to have to search in my closet for something every time a wedding came up. Simplicity at it's finest!

truckers

2008-08-02T04:59:00.000-07:00

I heard last night that Ashton Kutcher and Justin Timberlake are having a disagreement over who first came up with the idea of wearing "trucker hats" as a fashion statement.

Um, I hate to break it to you boys...but wouldn't that be, um, actual truck drivers?

Lists

2008-08-01T15:13:00.001-07:00

Today's list was short:

Pay the dentist bill
Finish cleaning the master bath
Catch up the laundry (still not sure how I got so far behind!)

All done but the laundry...almost there! I'm learning to follow Larry Winget's method for getting things done: prioritize! Instead of having a "to-do" list...have a WHAT MUST GET DONE! list and go from there. There are lots of other things I need to do, but they can wait. At least the top 3 are done!

ahhh!

2008-07-25T16:51:00.001-07:00

Heading out to clean the trailer before I leave for work. We, hopefully, will be leaving next week to head to Eastern Washington. On the other hand, work and life might just delay that trip. If so, I'll head the opposite direction, to the coast, for a day or two of r & r, all by my lonesome!

If I go by myself, I'll be bringing my sewing machine and a few projects I've been wanting to work on, along with my journal and paints.

Either way, it's gonna be a fun, relaxing week!

Scooba

2008-07-24T13:27:00.000-07:00

Oh. my. goodness. Will you check this out....

a robot that mops your floors? too good to be true! I did read some reviews that said some people are having problems with theirs. Maybe I'll wait a year until they work the bugs out of it and ask for one for Christmas, or my birthday.

Which means I still want that Dooney and Burke purse for my birthday this year, hon!

Tomatoes

2008-07-23T12:58:00.000-07:00

I planted my tomatoes yesterday. Only about 6 weeks behind schedule. They looked so great in their little 6" pots; so big and sprawling all over the ground with tomatoes growing on them. Then I planted them in the ground and now they look so puny and spindly. Kinda like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Not at all like this tomato plant:

Or even this one:
I kinda suck at this gardening thing and all I'm growing this year is two tomato plants and some rhubarb. At least my rhubarb is looking good. Oh well, there's always next year.

(p.s. One of these days I will figure out how to download pictures onto my computer from my camera again.)

meltdown

2008-07-22T11:51:00.000-07:00

So you know those days when you have a melt down?
anyone?
yea, that was me last Saturday.

It started innocently enough. I'd been a little crabby. Everything was annoying me. We tried to take the SeaDoo to Olympia to get it fixed because it's not running. Hasn't been running for two years...that's last summer and this summer. A person would think that it would be better to take the darn thing to get it repaired when you DON'T want to use it, like January? but no, we *ahem* wait until July; when there's a three week waiting list and they don't make appointments. Anyways...we take it to Olympia to the repair shop and we get there at 12:30, but they're closed. On a Saturday!?! Yep, closed at noon. Kinda explains the three week wait, huh? So we waste more gas and drive to a repair shop in Tacoma. Where they inform us that the SeaDoo is too old and they won't work on it. Too old???? We have to stop on the way home and put more gas in the car because the $15 we put in before we left wasn't enough to get us to Tacoma and back. Four hours later and we're finally home.

By this time, I'm more than annoyed and frustrated. Sunshine and nice weather are a rare commodity in these parts, and I've just wasted the better part of a Saturday sitting in the car accomplishing nothing. I go outside to work in the yard and promptly trip over a drip line from the sprinklers stretched across a couple feet of the driveway to a dead oak tree in a half whiskey barrel that's been needing to be dug up and burned for about 3 years now.

That's when I lost it.

and it wasn't pretty.

the neighbors must have thought I'd lost my mind. a side of me that seldom rears it's ugly head came out and words spewed forth from my mouth that are usually only heard in these parts of the country coming out of the mouth of a logger or a high schooler, take your pick.

after which I collapsed in a puddle on the living room floor and cried my eyes out for a good half an hour.

i feel better now.

A question...

2008-07-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

for all you electronics buffs out there. Is it really, absolutely, critically necessary to keep every box that electronics components come in, as some unnamed person in our household insists it is, JUST IN CASE said component should happen to break and need to be returned to the store or manufacturer?

bonus room

2008-07-18T13:32:00.000-07:00

Today was my day to clean the bonus/media room. It's basically a small home theater. I very seldom go in there because, frankly, the controls to watch a movie are much too complicated. I end up getting frustrated and annoyed and give up. As a result, the room is mostly ignored by me, and seldom cleaned. But, today was the day.

I turned the lights up and was confronted by a host of dirty dishes, blankets, pillows and STUFF. The dirty dishes went into the dishwasher, the blankets were folded and put away, the pillows placed in just the right position on the correct couch. Now for the hard part...the STUFF.

There is a freestanding wall sitting about 3' from the outside wall of the house, which has a cabinet base built onto it, and above it, mounted onto the wall, the ginormous theater screen. On top of that cabinet rest 12, count 'em, 12! remote controls, a stack of dvds 6" high, a Wii game console, with about a dozen games, a laptop computer and mouse, and a 2-year-old paper listing of all of our movies, which is completely and totally outdated.

Behind the wall are the following items:
black suitcase
extra desk chair
4 Wii Dance Revolution floor mats
my cedar chest, (which has been handed down thru 3 or 4 generations and is technically my daughter's, or granddaughter's, but which I am afraid to give to her because I don't want it to get ruined.)
two cardboard boxes full of pictures and slides, etc.
a speaker

I don't know what to do with the DVD's and I don't know which remote controls are good and which are garbage, if any.
I put the suitcase in a storage closet, folded up the floor mats and put them on top of the desk chair, back behind the wall.
The cedar chest is there to stay for awhile, but I think I'll scrounge up a better blanket than the pink plaid horse blanket from Honduras that is presently covering it.
The boxes of pictures are sitting in the middle of the room waiting for the hubby to sort through them and put them in labeled plastic storage boxes, somewhere other than on top of my cedar chest.

I can't dust and I can't vacuum until this stuff is done. On the other hand, I sorted through the games and other junk that are in the cabinet and was able to weed out a few things to get rid of. Yea!

Guess what the hubby gets to work on tonight?

Good to know...

2008-07-17T11:37:00.000-07:00

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Good to know.

ht: http://becomingminimalist.wordpress.com/

Soccer

2008-07-16T23:20:00.000-07:00

This evening I went to the soccer field to watch my grandkids' soccer games. On my way into the fields I carried with me: a sweatshirt, blanket, lawn chair, can of soda, car keys, cell phone. Is it really necessary to carry 6 things to watch a soccer game? I took the soda so as not to have to purchase anything from the snack stand. Obviously I needed my car keys, but the cell phone? Well, in case my mother-in-law called and wanted to know which field we were on. The chair, sweat shirt and blanket? I have to have a chair, there are no bleachers. The sweatshirt is necessary as the field gets cold when the sun starts to go down, and the blanket? For my daughter, mostly, who ALWAYS forgets to bring a sweatshirt. I'm such an enabler.

Still, is it really necessary to carry all those things? I need to rethink this before the next game. Trying to make life more simple can be so complicated.

By the way, both kids won their games! yahoo!

perfect

2008-07-13T15:24:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh!

a beautiful summer day + a ride on the motorcycle along Hood Canal = a perfect Sunday afternoon

exhausted

2008-07-09T13:47:00.001-07:00

I am exhausted.
I have sleep problems. Some nights I toss and turn and can't fall asleep; my mind swirling with events of my day and life. Some nights I drop right off to sleep and wake up at 2 or 3 a.m. and can't fall back to sleep.
Now it's nightmares. Every night for the last week. I sleep, alright. and dream. bad dreams. and when I wake up my jaw is so tight and my teeth hurt so much from grinding them. This morning I chipped a tooth when I woke up because my teeth were clenched so hard together.

Edited to add: I am currently eating a big bowl of ice cream with strawberries on top. Emotional eating can make up for so many things! Don't ever let anyone tell you it's a bad thing!

a/c ?

2008-07-08T16:08:00.001-07:00

You know that feeling when it's so hot that sweat starts to bead up on your top lip? and behind your knees? Yea, that's where I'm at. The thermostat says it's 79 degrees in the house. I refuse to turn on the a/c unless it reaches 80. I think it's time for a swim.

Eating local

2008-07-08T12:14:00.001-07:00

I've been trying to purchase and eat more local foods lately. Well, depending on what you mean by "local", I guess. My definition is anywhere I can drive within a day.

So my bi-weekly trip to Costco on Sunday? Well...

Cherries, grown in Washington
Eggs...Washington
Cheese...Tillamook, Oregon...wait, I put back that cheese. where is the cheese I bought from? Buffalo, NY!! What was I thinking?
Bananas...well, i know they're not from Washington, but the hubby's not going to give up his bananas, no matter where they're from.
Canned mandarin oranges...uh oh. I think I forgot the whole local thing...China! China! Who knew they grew and canned oranges in China!
Parmesan cheese...Illinois.

I'm not very good at this, I guess. I did buy strawberries from Spooners today, though!

Happy Birthday!

2008-07-07T14:59:00.000-07:00

Today is my grandson's eighth birthday! Happy birthday Josiah! Hard to believe he's eight already...in only 8 MORE years, he'll be driving! Oh my!

Olympic trials

2008-07-06T18:12:00.000-07:00

Check it out, this picture was taken at the U. S. Olympic Trials for track and field, held this past week in Eugene, Oregon.

See that guy in the front? That's Alan Webb. He's the American Record holder in the mile. He's also a world champion athlete, and one of the best middle distance runners in the world.

See the guy in second? That's Bernard Lagat; one of the best 1500m runners in the entire world. He holds both silver and bronze Olympic medals and is a world champion athlete.

Now see that guy in the red shorts and white shirt with the shaved head behind them? In about fifth place? That kid is named Andrew McClary. He is a junior at the University of Arkansas. His mom is one of my best friends and my dear, sweet hubby was his high school track coach, just a few, short years ago.

Andrew finished eighth today, in the finals, running with some of the absolute premiere runners in the entire world. Unbelievable.

Watch for both Andrew and his twin brother, Alex, in the 2012 Olympics!