Updates and such
All the past posts I just uploaded from my old blog, so they are all at least a year old I think. I will write more later! Girl Scout event tomorrow and busy and TIRED!
Happy Birthday Baby- March 10, 2008
Emily age 3 (first dance recital)
My baby’s growing up! Today I’m thinking back to a March that resembled this March- we had snow a the beginning of the month, and then beautiful flowers (I’m hoping that they will come soon.) It was eleven years ago when my first child came to be with us (in true character, four weeks late!) I can remember looking at her for the first time thinking “She has an old soul, so intelligent!” She has brightened my life in so many ways, and taught me so many things (patience, I’m still working on.) Her endless creativity always amazes me. I feel so fortunate to be her mother and share a special part of her life. I can’t believe it’s been eleven years already…
Decisions, choices, (or the ramblings of my morning brain.)- March 3, 2008
Kitchen Ceiling after first rain- it’s worse now!
I have been debating the move from iWeb to WordPress. I really like how easy iWeb is to use and all that jazz, but don’t want to pay for it! 🙂 I love my friends’ sites on WordPress and might try a little one just to see how it goes. I think I have to pay for this one today!
Someone is walking on my roof. This one actually warned me which was nice. For those of you who haven’t heard- we had some damage from the wind storms about three weeks ago. The flat roof on our kitchen dining area and part of our living room blew off. Then, water gushed in the kitchen (I MEAN GUSHED!) It was like the chandelier was a shower head and the air vents, and the door frame… Lovely mess to say the least. I’ve been fighting to get estimates on everything, and have an insurance check waiting to go if I can ever find someone willing to work on it. Just waiting on the man on the roof nows estimate and then will get going on it this week hopefully. The only good thing I can say about it is that now I can redo the ceiling and lights in the living room, and I am going to go ahead and put in new lights and remove the ugly beams if we can. We have pecky cypress 1/2” thick panelling in there on all walls. We don’t really like it because it’s so rustic and dark, but it is nice wood. Scott wants to remove it and drywall the entire room and add a stone fireplace, but should we? I think I could sell the wood or at the least freecycle it.
This brings me back to my original thought. That is one of Choice. On jury duty last week one young man brought up a good point about life. He said “It all comes down to the choices we make. It might not seem like a big one at the time, but it can change your life.” It is true. Or it was in that case. But not really in the case of wood paneling, drywall, or where to blog. I have so much to be grateful for that my heart is bursting this morning.
Someone is walking on my roof. This one actually warned me which was nice. For those of you who haven’t heard- we had some damage from the wind storms about three weeks ago. The flat roof on our kitchen dining area and part of our living room blew off. Then, water gushed in the kitchen (I MEAN GUSHED!) It was like the chandelier was a shower head and the air vents, and the door frame… Lovely mess to say the least. I’ve been fighting to get estimates on everything, and have an insurance check waiting to go if I can ever find someone willing to work on it. Just waiting on the man on the roof nows estimate and then will get going on it this week hopefully. The only good thing I can say about it is that now I can redo the ceiling and lights in the living room, and I am going to go ahead and put in new lights and remove the ugly beams if we can. We have pecky cypress 1/2” thick panelling in there on all walls. We don’t really like it because it’s so rustic and dark, but it is nice wood. Scott wants to remove it and drywall the entire room and add a stone fireplace, but should we? I think I could sell the wood or at the least freecycle it.
This brings me back to my original thought. That is one of Choice. On jury duty last week one young man brought up a good point about life. He said “It all comes down to the choices we make. It might not seem like a big one at the time, but it can change your life.” It is true. Or it was in that case. But not really in the case of wood paneling, drywall, or where to blog. I have so much to be grateful for that my heart is bursting this morning.
Day of Rest- March 1, 2008
Marathon kid!
My kiddo after the LR Kids Marathon!
This past week was so exhausting. I had federal jury duty and was really excited about it. I am 37 and this was the first time I’ve ever been called for jury duty of any kind. It was a crazy, horrible case, and I was sort of hoping (after they had briefed us) that I wasn’t picked, and actually I wasn’t in the original 14. They picked 32 of us from the 68 or so, then picked 14 from there, and then the attorneys picked a few new ones and got rid of some they didn’t like. Anyway, it ended up being a four day trial with more nicknames, hit men, orange jumpsuits, and the like. I even learned how crack cocaine was made… what fun. There is so much that goes on that we don’t realize (or try not to I guess.) All in all though it was a very interesting experience, almost enough to write a book on. I was really lucky and the jury was a wonderful group of people that I can honestly say I’m glad I met. I just rested today. Scott took Emily down to the capitol this morning. She was in the LR KidRocker Marathon and finished in 30 minutes. (They walk/run all miles but the last one ahead of time and only ran one mile today.) Maradee, Mom, and Popie came over and we had a hamburger cook out. Then after they left we finished our “camp out” on the trampoline. I promised Max we would today. We roasted marshmallows in the chimenea and rested on the trampoline in the sleeping bags looking at the stars. The kids thought it was pretty neat. They caved in though and are upstairs watching Star Wars. (What city kids I have!)
Procrastinating- February 8, 2008
I’m trying to get going here! I have to make a cake for my mother in law’s birthday (Feb.11th) and not sure what to make…She loves my carrot cake and cream cheese icing, so I was going to do a basketweave cake with fresh flowers, but saw this pink one and thought it was adorable. Of course I should have done the bow yesterday if I wanted this one… I did one similar in white and gold for my grandad’s 90th birthday/Grandparents 65th anniversary in September. It turned out really cute and I had their initials on top and all their kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids initials on a star each. It was carrot with cream cheese insides and fondant on the outside (stars were gumpaste.) I am going to try and put together an album with some of my cakes, but not sure how soon! Scott and I keep talking about opening a restaurant. I want to have Jac potty trained first though! I’ll post photos after the cake is done. Jac has told me how dumb I’m being writing on here. I try to do this before he’s awake and it looks like time’s up. My goal is to have a good Worldfest booth tomorrow for Girl Scouts, make a cake, and try to make yoga next week! (I’ve been so bad and my body’s letting me know it!)
February Blues..- February 7th, 2008
I’m not sure if it’s the February Blues or just Spring Fever… We have been passing bugs around here it seems. I had a nasty stomach bug on Tuesday and still feeling weak. Emily and Scott had it last week, and my niece and nephew came down with it at our Super Bowl “party” last Sunday. Then yesterday the baby and my sis and law got it! Yik. I hope we’ve seen the last of it! That on top of the busy schedule that this next few weeks is bringing just has gotten me down and I really am not usually like this! Let’s see- We have a 100’s day celebration at school tomorrow, had Staff Appreciation birthday gifts on Monday (THANK YOU MOM!,) trying to finish translating a website for Scott’s work, potty training a 3 yr old (YES, 3 YR OLD!) and 4 month old puppy, Thinking Day booth to plan for Saturday, cake to bake, Powder Puff Derby cars to build, Chinese New Year party at school on Tuesday, Valentine’s day parties in both kids room’s next week… I’m sure I’m forgetting something. I told myself I would have so much more free time this year since the kids would be in school, but somehow the opposite has happened. I have tried not to take on as much, but I think I’ve failed at that for the semester. Anyone else NOT have this problem? How can we avoid it? I keep thinking about next year and the probability that I’ll have kids in 2 (or 3) schools is making me go crazy. We’re having to apply for MIDDLE SCHOOLS for Emily this week and I am terrified! My baby girl is going to 6th grade next year! We have choices in Central AR, but which one is right? We looked at our neighborhood (city) school, Poplar Street– which is where all 6th graders in NLR go. I think most of Emily’s friends from town are going there, but I just don’t get the warm and fuzzies from it. We looked at Horace Mann, an arts and science Magnet in LRSD, which is neat but so big. Also, if she gets chosen for the Arts side she can’t take the science classes and she likes both. We also looked at LISA academy, a charter school, which is very nice but seems very academic, (a mini MIT as I describe it) and not sure if that is right for her and her creative self. And also at Academics Plus Charter school in Maumelle. In the end I’ve put in a lottery application for all and will just see where that takes us. We have talked about homeschooling too, so our options are open. It is just so scary to think of your baby girl in a school with big 8th grade boys! We’ve had such a wonderful year at Gibbs so far. I really wasn’t sure how school would be for us after being at home but it has been great. Everyone there really cares about the kids. Well, I guess I’ve moaned and groaned enough for awhile! (SORRY!) It is a sunny, gorgeously chilly day outside and maybe Jac and I will walk the pup! 🙂