12-31-2010

Boy the week off for the kids just flew by. They're outside with charlie working on firewood as we speak. Yesterday they spent the day with the Crowell grandparents and their cousins, Adan and Chase, hanging out and doing a bit of sledding.

No big plans for tonight. We aren't the type to go out and party on New Years Eve. Charlie and I have always stayed in, even when we were dating. No sense breaking with tradition.

No big resolutions for the coming year either. Just prayers for health, safety, and enough to get by on. Anything beyond that will be icing on the cake.

12-25-2010 Pictures from Yesterday....

12-25-2010 Christmas

We had Christmas yesterday. Mom had to work today, so we bumped it up a day. The kids didn't mind at all getting a visit from Santa a day early. Of course, we explained that Santa does early deliveries for families like ours who have a grandma who has to work.

All the kids wanted for Christmas was a wii. That's all they got. They were very happy and readily proclaimed it "Best Christmas Ever!"

P&J came around 8:00 am. We needed them early because J had baked the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing that we were having for Baby Jesus' birthday cake/breakfast. That cake is to die for. After singing happy birthday to Baby Jesus and each kid blowing out the candle on his behalf, we dug right in.

After breakfast, the kids opened the gifts from P&J. They included: a Barbie with a walk along dog, a transformer, headbands and onytail holders, a Rubik's cube (electronic because apparently they don't make the basic model anymore), and a wii fit to accompany the wii from Santa.

Grandma got a Nikon Coolpix camera from Grandpa (although we are pretending it's from the kids), 2 sheep's wool steering wheel covers, and a container with strawberries on it from us. Grandpa got a jar of gin soaked  raisins from us to try to alleviate his arthritic aches and pains.

The kids and Charlie were happy playing with all their new loot. Mom and Dad were happy watching them and helping me get lunch ready.

For lunch we had penne with meat sauce; Italian or ham and cheese hoagies; a Mediterranean tray with olives, cheeses, marinated mushrooms, and crackers; cranberry salsa and chips, hot mulled cider, mixed berry wine, and cookies.

Doris (our former secretary) came for a nice visit at lunch. The Crowells came around 1:30 and caught the tale end of Doris' visit.

Then we opened the gifts from the Crowells. Luke got a Diary of a Wimpy Kid diary, McDonald's gift card, Harry Potter DVDs, gloves, a world records book, a glass boot filled with Hershey kisses that Mom Mom had given Charlie his 1st Christmas. Lily got a diary with a lock, McDonald's gift card, gloves, a glass boot filled with Hershey kisses (this one had been Ben's). I got gloves and socks. Charlie got a travel mug with a lifetime guarantee....we'll see about that!

Later in the afternoon we made chocolate covered pretzels using Hershey kisses and m&ms. We also made cannoli with shells and filling I'd bought at Russo's Italian Market. All turned out great and were a big hit!

The Crowells left around 6:30 and the kids started bickering amongst themselves over what wii game to play. so, we all went upstairs to our bedroom with a Harry Potter DVD. We all passed out and slept snuggled up together until this morning.

It was a really nice day filled with family, laughter, fun, and good food. We couldn't have asked for a better day!

12-21-2010 Series of Unfortunate Events

Last week was a rough one. Certainly, it could have been much worse. But, it was rough one the less. Charlie continued to have problems with his left eye. That had actually started the week before. The eye doctor did remove a foreign body and thought that was the end of it. But, build up on the inside of the upper eyelid had us going back in to the eye doctor on Tuesday. We switched to eye ointment instead of drops.

Wednesday the minivan had a flat first thing in the morning. Lucky for us, Charlie hadn't left for work yet and was able to change the tire to the spare for us. I got the tire fixed and then spent several hours trying to get Charlie's new phone synced to the computer and working perfectly.

Thursday I attended my LPN students' graduation. Mom and Dad came to watch the kids. They did a gingerbread house. Quite nice since I would never have the patience to work on that with them.

Friday we had another eye doctor appointment. Finally, good news. He thinks the eye looks much better. About time!

Sunday Lily had a birthday bowling party to go to in the afternoon. It should be said that Charlie is the "Party Papa" and has always accompanied the kids to birthday parties. However, I felt bad for him since he'd had such a bad week. I told him I'd go instead of him. Give him a break, so to speak. This was a big mistake. We must have messed with his karma or mojo or cosmic forces or whatever. While Lily and I were at the bowling party, Charlie shot himself through the thumb with his nailgun. That'll teach him to opt out of kiddie parties.

Seriously, I do feel very bad for him. He thought he was going to pass out when he shot himself. He had to pace around the barn and do some cursing. Poor Luke was with him, on standby to call 911 if needed. They came down to the house, but Charlie felt like he needed to keep moving to distract himself from the pain. He showered. Then did dishes. Then unloaded the dishwasher. Then cleaned up the kitchen. That's no easy task and Lily and I were home before he finished it up.

It's been a couple of days since the thumb incident and of course, it does still hurt. But, he went to work Monday morning like a champ. He's blaming the whole incident on his impaired vision from the jacked up eye. Makes sense. Also, makes you wonder why he was using a nailgun with 180 psi of pressure if he couldn't really see clearly out of one eye. But , that a question for another day.

12-18-2010 Cleaning House

We went through the kids toys today and donated a minivan full of stuff to Sal. Val. Also, got rid of a lot of trash. Toy box is empty. Entertainment center drawer is empty. Moved all toys into Luke's closet.

We are so ready for Christmas!

12-14-2010 There's No Wealth Like Your Health

Poor Charlie is having eye problems. We went to the eye doctor on Friday who removed a piece of debris and put him on eye drops.

Last night I noticed something on the inside of his upper eyelid. So, we went back to the eye doctor again today. Now he's on an antibiotic/steroid ointment.

When I went to the pharmacy to pick it up the pharmacist told me the co-pay would be $120. I asked her to call the opthamologist and change it to something cheaper. Equivalent price = $19.60.

So, now we have another eye appt. Friday.

12-12-2010 The Dawn of a New Era Has Begun

Lily got up eary this morning, around 5:30 am. She came to our room to check what the elf brought. Christmas tattoos and a candy cane were this morning's loot. She took the booty and went back to her room. She climbed back in bed and snuggled down with a good book. Didn't make any noise. Just quietly entertained herself until we got up. I was so proud of her!

12-11-2010 Boys Toys

Charlie and Luke created a go cart out of our old copilot for the bike and Amish garden cart. It didn't take them long to put together and Luke is happy with the results. It has reflectors at the top. Lily couldn't resist decorating them with some red berries, giving the cart a very festive look.

Collage of pictures many of which are from our Christmas decorating festivus on Black Friday.

12-5-2010 Baby it's Cold Outside

 Bad news is it's cold outside. Good news is the house is nice and toasty. When we woke up this morning it was flurrying. Thank goodness Charlie finally has the heat working in our bedroom. Not so much in the kitchen. Lily, bless her heart, brought me coffee upstairs so I wouldn't have to face the cold kitchen.

Luke and Charlie spent the day working on the heat. Lily and I stayed indoors. We had hamburgers for lunch. The kids and Charlie thought they were excellent. I thought I should have went easier on the steak sauce. I have 2 more packs of ground beef thawed in the 'fridge so I can make a big batch of chili tomorrow. First, I have to get onions and peppers at the store. Since, I'm now off from teaching for the next 2 months, I've got time.

11-26-2010 Black Friday Decorating Tradition Continues

I hate shopping. With a passion. So, a few years ago, I decided Black Friday would be the perfect day to decorate for Christmas. Works perfectly. Charlie is always off from work and can do the heavy lifting. I'm home to supervise. The kids have a great time. Baking cookies is a must. Some years we go to a tree farm, this year we spent the whole day at home.

Charlie and Luke totally outdid themselves on the lights. They had to add lights to the tree since some of the sections did not work. Then they did the kitchen. Above the cabinets. Around the windows. Around the fireplace. Around the door. I told them it looked like enough lights to confuse pilots into thinking our kitchen was a runway. Looks great though!

Next they went upstairs and created a square of lights above the beds in the master bedroom. Kinda reminds me of a canopy of lights. Kinda.

Lily got lights strung around her room as well. Luke still had his lights up in his room from last year. Not redneck at all.

This year we had gingersnap cookies and chocolate chip to keep us going. We ended the day by watching Polar Express. Perfect ending to a great day. The kids were really well behaved and helpful all day. Charlie and I actually enjoyed ourselves doing the decorating. Hope the whole season goes as well as today did!

11-25-2010 ThanksGibney

Most thankful this year for our health, each other, and having absolutely everything we need to live comfortably. Luke said he's most thankful to be alive. Lily said she's most thankful for family. Charlie listed  family at the top of his list as well.

Did our traditional ThanksGibney dinner today. It was actually a bit touch and go in the morning because we had a bit of sleet and snow. Nothing stuck though and there were no problems with the roads. Not sure how to feel about that as the food is always lacking both in quantity and quality. Would have been fine hanging out at home all day. Especially since it seems Ron Richie has FINALLY fixed our outdoor furnace system! All 3 thermostats are set to 73 and are actually reading 73! A Thanksgiving miracle for sure!

Back to the details of ThanksGibney......The informal information on Facebook was that we were eating at 2:00pm. We set off around 12:30pm, but I had forgotten to tell Charlie the minivan tires needed air, so we had to take a quick trip to Sheetz to fill them. I should have documented that little side trip in pictures. A very cold rain was coming down pretty hard. charlie was wearing only a fleece jacket. And so our precious little Lily got out the the minivan and held her princess umbrella over Charlie's head so he could fill the tires and not get wet. It was absolutely a kodak moment.

 By the time we got to the church it was about 1:15pm and they had already done the family circle and prayer. We arrived just in time to eat! I didn't even bother getting out the appetizer dips and crackers I'd brought along to hold the crowd over until the feast, and I use that term very lightly indeed.

The food was as it is every year By that I mean quite bland and in short supply Charlie took only meatballs and dinner rolls on his plate. I took the crockpot of meatballs. Unfortunately, they were only lukewarm. The kids ate a little, but spent the vast majority of their time playing with Sarah Rose and Adan. They absolutely love the wide open space and preschool toys available at the church.

At the end of the evening, poor Lily got wacked in the forehead with a hockey stick. She has a big goose egg on her forehead. Sarah Rose felt terrible about the incident. We put a push pop from the church freezer on Lily to try to keep down the swelling. She ate it on the drive home.

We were home by 5:30 pm, much earlier than other years. I'm attributing the early arrival home due to a combination of the weather and Lily's head injury. The house was still warm and toasty when we got home. One more reason to be very thankful this Thanksgiving.

11-18-2010 Teacher Conferences

Met with the kids' teachers this morning before school started.

Mrs. G. says Luke is very well behaved and follows the rules.

Mr. W. says Lily tries very hard and is a good listener.

I'm so proud of both of them. Performance wise, they're both in a bout the middle of the class and I'm happy with that.

 I'm thrilled that they are respectful and don't need to be told what to do more than once! What great kids we're raising!

11-14-2010

P&J were here yesterday and we had a great visit. They came around lunch time. P helped Charlie try to solve the mysteries (and there are many) of our outdoor furnace. J and the kids helped me in the kitchen. For lunch we had great northern beans in garlic sauce and salad and oven roasted potatoes. Everything was excellent.

After lunch we just hung out and the kids played games and we all took a walk around the property and down to the dock. It was really nice.

Charlie started washing the outside lowere level windows of the house. Hoping we get them done today. They are so dirty the glass almost looks opaque.

The kids watched a few episodes of the Addams Family last night on youtube. First time they ever saw that show and they seemed to enjoy it.

11-5-2010 And So It Begins.......

Since we've had the outdoor wood burning furnace, we've had problems with it. Every fall with out fail it fails to keep the house warm and cozy. Today the kids and I felt it was quite chilly and drafty. Charlie hasn't been in the house for more than 5 minutes and so hasn't really noticed it. But trust me, it's cold. I have the thermastats set at 75, but they haven't gone beyond 68. Time to bundle up. Currently I'm wearing heavy thermal socks, fleece pants, a long sleeve tee shirt, and my heaviest Champion sweatshirt. Lily is actually comfortable in a long sleeve shirt, but that's because she has the hot blood of the Wehry's and does even need a coat unless it's below freezing.

11-03-2010 Today is Your Birthday

Happy 39th birthday to me!

When I picked the kids up from school they sang happy birthday to me.

Mom and Dad called and sang to me.

Nothing better than that!

11-01-2010 Another Halloween Has Gone

We had a good time trick or treating last night. Lily went as a bat princess. Luke went as a ghost. We did the traditional McDonald's for dinner before setting off.

I dressed for success in winter hat, gloves, winter coat. We were only outside about a half hour or so. We were home by 7:30 pm.

When Charlie and I were kids we only went to houses we knew and didn't get a treat until the hosts guessed who we were. Those days are long gone I suppose.

10-30-2010 Sleepover Playdate

Busy morning so far. Two of Charlie's colleagues were here to talk shop. I whipped up pancakes and eggs in a basket (sourdough bread with an egg in the middle). I was completely in my element.

This afternoon one of Luke's classmates is coming over for a playdate/sleepover. The plan is to take the kids to Weaver's Orchard and let them play and wear themselves completely out. Then pizza from Bruno's (our favorite). Then home for a DVd, books, and hopefully bed.

The weather is supposed to be sunny with a high of 60. Should be perfect for playing outside.

10-26-2010

Charlie is working late lately. The kids and I have fallen into the habit of getting homework done, then hanging out together in my bed watching a DVD from the library. Good times.

This past weekend they sleptover at Mom and Dad's. Charlie and I really enjoyed sleeping in a bit Sunday then getting TONS of stuff done around the house. Then we had a fabulous lunch of steak and baked potatoes. We both agreed it was better than any we'd ever had at home or out before. I think part of it was the peace and quiet of home allowed us to really savor the food.

Still haven't had a killer frost. But the garden is done and mostly torn out. I'm hoping the rosemary makes it thru the winter. We'll see.

10-21-2010 School Is Cool

I'm going in to the kid's school this morning to work with the school nurses doing hearing screenings. Then I'll volunteer in each of the kid's classes. Looking forward to it quite a lot. I try my best to stay plugged in to what's going on in school.

10-16-2010 Fall is Here!

Today was a chilly, windy day. We haven't had a frost yet, but I think tonight may be the night. There's nothing in the garden I really need to protect or bring in. I did a load of laundry and hung it out. It was so windy I swear the sheets were dry before I even made it back into the house.

Charlie and the kids worked on hauling wood from the back 40 to the outdoor furnace. We've had the heat on for a week or so now. Time to gear up and stock up for winter. We have about 10 cords of wood at this point.

 Perfect for homemade potato soup. I made it with leftover baked potatoes and I thought it was to die for. Charlie and the kids refused to eat it. I'm ready to wring their necks! Instead, they're snacking on cheese and crackers while watching a DVD. Did I mention that I cancelled our satellite TV at the end of last month? So now we watch shows from the internet or DVD's/videos from the library. So far, so good.

10-1-2010 Dangerous Situation

Yesterday we had very heavy rain all day. A total of about 6 inches of rain fell. Of course, the river is pretty high now, but we're not in danger of it coming up over the bank and onto our property.

When I was driving home from work this afternoon, all kinds of unmarked police cars and vans were flying past me. I wondered what the heck was going on that they were in such a hurry. When I pulled into Orchard Lane I saw them all in the parking lot of Ontelaunee Orchard. In my mind I figured they must be doing a raid at the orchard because they probably employee quite a few illegal aliens.

When I pulled into our driveway Charlie was out by the barn and I told him about all the police up at the orchard parking lot. "Yeah, " he said, "The police have come in and out of Janice's a time or two just now." Janice is the neighbor whose property borders ours behind a bit of woods. Just as Charlie is telling me this a police officer pulls into our driveway and tells us we need to evacuate because Janice is being held hostage at gunpoint inside her home by her son. The officer tells us to go run some errands and he'll call us when the situation is resolved and it's safe for us to come home.

So, off we go to Sam's Club to buy some groceries. On our way there, we need to reroute because a tractor trailer was too high to go under a bridge and is wedged underneath it. We see the same police officer at that accident who we just saw at our house. Looks like it's going to be a tough afternoon.

After Sam's Club we go pick the kids up at school. We tell them about what's going on and we can all see a police helicopter circling above our house continuously. The kids have a few questions, but actually take the news quite well.

We go to pick up tickets for Charlie and I for the historic homes tour to be held tomorrow. Still no call from the police saying all is clear and the kids are starting to complain that they're hungry and thirsty. Since the plan was for the kids to have a sleep over at P&J's anyway, we decided to head directly there. We did stop off at the McDonald's up from our house first. Police helicopter still flying overhead, so we figured they needed more time to straighten things out.

Arrived at Mom and Dad's and ended up sleeping over ourselves. We did touch base with the police in the evening and they said they were still negotiating with Janice's son and they'd call us when it was safe for us to come home.

Saturday morning we wake up and call the police. the situation didn't really change much over night. the police do allow Charlie and I to go home to get showers and change our clothes so we can do the historic homes tour. We do the tour and really enjoy ourselves looking at all the properties on this years tour. At the last site we go to, we can still see the police helicopter circling over our property. We assume things haven't yet been resolved, but decide to swing by and ask for an update.

When we get near our place, the police confirm that they are still negotiating with Janice's son. The officer tells us to go out to eat for a late lunch/early dinner and hopefully it will all be settled by the time we come back. So, off we go to our favorite restaurant Austin's. We enjoy good food and rehash the homes on the tour and events of the weekend.

We come home and are told we can sleep at home tonight if we promise to go inside and not come out unless we have a police escort. We agree to this. I've had a cold all week, and all I want is to be in my own house, surrounded by my own things.

It is absolutely surreal to see our property changed from a peaceful haven to "central command". There are police cars, vans, trucks everywhere. In the neighbors yard, in the grass, in the driveway, behind the barn, along the dirt roads, along the road, just everywhere you can imagine. They have tapped into our phone and Internet. We can't watch TV because I cancelled the satellite 2 weeks ago thinking we could just watch shows using the Internet.

Around 1230 the police wake us to let us know the situation has had a peaceful ending. Our neighbor has been taken to the hospital for a medical eval. and her son has also been taken for a psych. eval.

We are so very grateful to everyone involved for keeping us safe and informed.

9-25-2010 Chuck E. Cheese Party

Lily was invited to a classmate's birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese tonight. We all went and the kids had a great time. Charlie and I can only take that level of stimulation once or twice a year.

9-24-2010 The Return of P&J

Mom and Dad came down to visit us tonight. They'd returned from their trip to Colorado late Tues., but we didn't have a chance to see them until this evening.

The kids were delighted to see them and fill them in on all the latest happenings, even though we did talk to them via cell phone almost every night while they were on their trip.

They had a great time and are home safe and sound. what more could we ask for?

9-20-2010 Carp Cred.

Finally.....5 long years after we moved here....Charlie caught his 1st carp! I've never seen him so excited in my life!

He used corn as the bait. He'd tried many different baits, hooks, and lines for months before finally having success with plain old corn.

Shortly after catching the fish, Charlie and Luke needed to leave to go to Luke's introductory meeting for cub scouts. Of course, nothing they talked about or did there was going to compare to the thrill we'd just had down at our very own dock. Luke looked at Charlie during the meeting and said, "Let's go Dad. This is boring." Guess we won't be having a cub scout in the family this year.

9-18-2010 Oley Valley Community Fair

One of our favorite fall traditions is going to the Oley Valley Fair. The kids absolutely love "Farmer For A Day" and did the activities in that tent at least 5 times each. The 1st activity is guessing the source of foods from categories like wheat, oats, corn, maple syrup, apples. The 2nd activity is picking eggs from under a fake chicken, apples from fake trees, and digging potatoes out of sand. The next activity is spinning a wheel and then choosing the right farm animal from a few different choices. The also having animals to pet: rabbit, sheep, ducklings. My personal favorite is an incubator for duck eggs and newly hatched ducklings. Each station gives out a little trinket like rubber bracelets, pencils, erasers, coloring books for completing the activity.

We started the day, as we always do, watching the tractor pulls. It's souped up lawn mowers that try to pull a weight along a track. Charlie and Luke enjoy it for a while. Lily loses interest in it pretty quick.

The kids also love to go on the carnival rides. Charlie supervises that while I go look in the crafts building at quilts, photos, and baked goods. We all go together to look at the farm animals. This year in one of the pig stalls they had a can of pork and beans....that's not right!

This year we took along drinks and snacks. We've never eaten there. We're not willing to stand in line to buy tickets then stand in line to buy food.The weather was great. Sweatshirts and the morning, then jeans and tee shirts in the afternoon. Perfect small town America!

9-14-2010 New Experiences

We're trying something new today. I took the kids directly to school this morning and I'm going to pick them up directly at school this afternoon. They are very excited about it.

Mom and Dad arrived yesterday in Colorado. They're out there for the next 9 days seeing the sights. They checked in with us yeasterday after they got there just to let us know they're fine. I was worried because there is a wildfire burning out there and you never know.

I think we are settling in to our normal school year routine. Lily may bring homework home today for the 1st time. She insists she hates homework. How does she know?

Charlie's family reunion was this past Sunday. It was cool and rainy for most of the day. I made a big roast pan of chili and it was a HUGE hit. Of course I love it when people rave about my cooking so I was very pleased with myself.

Feels like fall. my favorite time of year. I will happily so goodbye to the heat of summer and welcome to the cool weather to come!

9-4-2010 1st Day of School, 1st Day of School

Monday was the 1st day of school. Neither child had the same excitement they did last year on the 1st day. Luke gave me a hard time about breakfast and his lunch. Lily seemed a bit nervous. I did get the obligatory pictures, but it was a struggle to get them to pose for them.

While we were waiting for the bus to come, I looked thru my school memories book with them. That was the best part of our morning. They both got a big kick out of seeing me in elementary school. Luke liked seeing my height and weight change thru the years. They told me I was "hideous" and "looked like a boy." Lots of fun at my expense.

When they got home (1/2 hour later than last year due to a new bus driver), I had milk and cookies ready and waiting. I wanted to hear all about their days. They didn't really want to talk. I insisted on each kid listing the top 3 things that happened in the classroom. They both had the same list....lining up for recess, lining up for lunch, lining up to go home. Not good. Not good at all.

As the week progressed, they seemed to have a better time of it. I touched base with both teachers via e-mail. Just to let them know we care. Poor Luke had some concerns about a child in his class with some behavior issues. So, I actually e-mailed his teacher about ways to reassure him. She was great and I feel good about that.

Yesterday I had work and the kids were off for Labor Day. Charlie took them with him as he ran around getting water for his Mom's house. their spring has run dry. The kids had a great time at Grandma K's. I had a sore throat, ear ache, and ulcers on my tongue (too many tomatoes?) and spent the afternoon napping and reading in bed.

So far today we've gone down to the dock to read the paper after making fresh ground coffee for the 1st time ever. Charlie and Lily are out running errands at Lowe's. Luke and I are in the living room. Luke's watching TV and I'm doing this. Funny how he and I are most content here at home while Charlie and Lily are adventurers and like to be out and about.


UPDATE: Mom and Dad came around 2:00 with a 550 gallon water buffalo to take to Kathy's house. We (meaning Charlie and Dad) had to clean it out then take it over to Kathy's. It was supper time when we got home. We had hamburgers and a good time was had by one and all. The day went so fast!

8-29-2010 Last Day of Summer Vacation

Kids go back to school tomorrow. We spent yesterday giving them each an extreme bedroom makeover. Lily got a new wrought iron headboard and we took everything else including the green recliner and plastic storage drawers out of her room and off her walls. It looks great and she loves it!

Luke got a new nightstand and wardrobe. We also moved his bed, got rid of the floral sofa and gave him a folding table for some of his creations (coaster, Lego's, etc.)

We moved the heart dresser from the kitchen to the center hall. Put a Hoosier cabinet in the walk in fireplace and punched tin dresser where the heart dresser was.

We moved the kid's computer to a wooden table closer to the office door. We also unpacked from the beach and did 4 loads of laundry.

Today we did not work at such a breakneck pace. We did bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies for back to school. We packed the kid's backpacks with the items they need for the 1st day of school. Charlie and Lily made a quick trip to Wally World for bread, milk, mini carrots for lunches. Luke and Charlie are down at the river fishing right now while Lily gets in some last minute computer time.

We had such a great summer. The kids agreed that they accomplished everything they wanted to for the summer. They won't go so far as to admit they're ready for school to start...but I know they are.

8-26-2010 Meet the Teacher Night

Last night was Meet the Teacher Night at the kids school. Unfortunately, they did 1st and 2nd grade at the same time. I quickly touched base with Lily's teacher then went to the session with Luke's. I figured he'd have more homework and I should get the info on that. All went well. Both teachers seem to be genuinely nice people. For that I am extremely grateful.

Charlie and the kids are coming home from the shore today. I can not believe how fast the time has gone! I haven't even gotten everything done on my to-do list! The peace and quiet has been so good for my soul. I do miss them and am excited for them to come home. But I did enjoy the break. A staycation where I can do things at my own pace, of my own choosing is my idea of heaven.

8-19-2010 My How Time Flies

The days of summer break are drawing to an end for the kids. I'm off from work this week and enjoying quality time with them. Yesterday we went to farmers' market, the library, and Blue Marsh in the afternoon.

Today we stayed home. Both Luke and Lily wrote thank you notes to the grandparents for watching them 1 day a week through out the summer. It should be a nice surprise when they receive them in the mail a few days from now.

Next week I go back to work and Charlie and the kids are going to shore with Kathy, Ben, and Adan. They are really looking forward to it. Big plans for gathering shells, miniature golfing, and playing in the sand and waves.

8-16-2010 Back to School Shopping Complete!

The kids and I headed out to Wally World 1st thing this morning....before all the crazies were up and about. Brilliant move on our part! We had the entire back to school supplies section to ourselves!

 This is the 1st time our school district has asked the parents to purchase our own supplies for the kids to use in the classroom. Other years, they made a point of asking us to keep that stuff at home and they'd give the children everything they needed. But the times, they are a changing and everyone is watching their pennies.

We took the list the school gave us and added a few things we knew we'd need (sneaks, lunch bags, thermoses). Last week we went through the kids' existing clothes, trying on all questionable items to see if they still fit.Turns out both have enough shirts and pants to start out the year. I'll keep my eyes open at Sal Val for bargains during the year.

 The kids did an excellent job choosing what they wanted. we were done in no time. With 1 exception....Luke's sneaks.

None of the shoe choices at Wal Mart suited him. Next we went to Sal Val. They didn't even have any shoes in his size. On to Target where we finally had success. The pair we got cost $25, which is a lot in my book. but, I'm hoping he'll wear them pretty much every day for the year and get his money's worth out of them.

It's a great feeling to have that shopping done. I really thought it would be a lot more painful.
 

8-9-2010 J's B-day!

Grandma J turned 62 today. We dropped the kids off last night. Plans for today were Knoebles followed by Chinese on the way back to us. Can't wait to hear all about it!

8-5-2010 Got our Teachers Today! Yipee!

The packets came in the mail today letting us know who the kids have as teachers. Lily has Mr. Wojo. for 1st grade and Luke has Mrs. G. for 2nd. I'm familiar with both of them and quite pleased in both cases. I sent out e mails and facebook posts to see who the kids friends got. so far, we know a few kids who will be with Luke, none yet in Lily's class.

8-01-2010 Where'd July Go?

Can't believe we're in August already! I want to make a count down to school paper chain. The kids aren't feelin' it the same way I am. Secretly, I think they're both excited to go back to school. although, this summer has gone quite well. i think it's working out great with Dad watching them Mondays, Kathy doing Wednesdays, and Charlie having them on Fridays.
Poor Lily had to go to the convenient care last Wed. for poison ivy on her face, close to her eye. She's been on prednisone since. She takes it like a champ with a squirt of Hershey syrup as a quick chaser as soon as she swallows down the medicine.

We all spent time down at the dock yesterday and today. Not too hot and Charlie and the kids caught a few fish. Kids even did some swimming.

The kids are on a kick of "I don't want to eat that." They've refused tomatoes...something they always loved. Luke refuses eggs...he always loved eggs. It's driving me crazy! So, yesterday I bought a big container of ring pops at Sam's Club. Each time the kids eat a full serving of something new, or something they think they won't like, they get to have a ring pop. So far, so good. Last night they ate pasta with homemade fresh tomato sauce. This morning Luke (and Charlie) ate pancakes with berry sauce and Lily tried it. 

7-25-2010 Backtracking

Last Saturday, Charlie, the kids, and I cleaned up Charlie's weight lifting equipment that we had been storing up in the barn and hauled it to our master bedroom. Since then Charlie and I have been following a weight lifting program we got from the internet. I'm very proud of us for sticking with it this past week. Of course, Charlie loves to exercise and work up a sweat. Me...not so much.

Friday we went to Blue Marsh Lake when I finished work. We had a great time. The water was perfect and really cooled us off. It was 107 with the heat index. The kids had a blast. We stayed until 7:30 pm then came home for some nachoes and cheese and then bed.

This weekend we took it easy. Rented the Harry Potter series from the library and we're making our way thru it. The kids are too young for that, so they've been playing together nicely downstairs and watching their shows on the Disney channel. Charlie and I did go down to the dock this morning for an hour or so to finish up the paper and just hang out.

Ben Z. dropped by this afternoon with his daughter Marilynn. The kids had a good time playing with her and Charlie caught up with Benny. They came just after some strong storms went thru knocking down a couple of limbs and lots of leaves.

7-15-2010 He's Back

Charlie has returned to us from Utah. He arrived last evening. The kids are delighted to have him home. He tells us he had a good time, but missed us and was ready to come home.

 While out there he enjoyed the hiking the most. They spent 1 night in Las Vegas which he said he'd not need to go back to.

I'll be happy to get back to our normal summer routine. I've done a lot of running around with the kids this past week to and from Mom and Dad's. Thank God we had Dad to watch the kids for us this past week while Charlie was gone and I had to work. But I'm ready for normal to return.

7-12-2010 Just Another Manic (Med. Pass) Monday

First day doing medication administration with my students. Did not go well. Me, not them. The technology was the problem. It is the first time I've done med's on a computer using a scanner. But, we got thru it. Wed. will go much better, I'm sure.

Dad came to our house to watch the kids. All agreed they had a good day playing and hanging out.

Charlie is still in Utah. We didn't talk to him yesterday. Today is George's wedding, so I'm thinking we won't be talking to him today either.

Very windy outside and quite overcast. Maybe we'll have some big thunderstorms this evening. The rain and cooling down would be welcome.

7-8-2010 He's Leaving on the Next Plane...

Charlie left for Utah today. I think. He called us from the Philly airport this afternoon to say they couldn't fly out due to storms in Chicago. I haven't heard from him since and can't reach him on his cell phone. I'm hoping that means he's on the plane and on his way.

The kids are at P&J's for a sleepover. I have work tomorrow, so we met Mom midway and she's going to take them to their place for the night. At this point, the plan is for them to sleepover tomorrow night as well. I'll go get them late Saturday morning or early afternoon. Mom and Dad want to take them out for breakfast and to farmers' market.

 I absolutely do not know what to do with myself! I came home and ate uninterrupted. Then watched the local news and heard every word they said! The 1st time that's happened in about 7 years! I have big plans to read and enjoy a Harry Potter movie that's coming on TV tonight. Please God keep everyone safe and don't let the power go out. Please, please, please.

7-5-2010 Heat Wave

It's another hot one today. Charlie and Lily are on the river with Uncle Jerry and Aunt Dot. Doing some fishing, swimming, eating, kayaking.

Luke and I stayed home. We went shopping to Wal Mart and Sal Val early this morning. Now we're hanging out watching TV and lovin the A/C.

7-4-2010 Independence Day

 
 
 

7-4-2010 Independce Day

 We overslept Saturday morning. By that, I mean we did not get up until 6:40 am. Quite late by our standards. Charlie had promised to help me in the garden. Lily did the photojournalism to document our efforts.

We really did get an awful lot accomplished. We even managed to venture over to the beds along the house and weed them.

Saturday evening we went to the Reading Philles baseball game. Special fireworks to celebrate the 4th at the end. Very nice.

Today Mom and Dad came for lunch (meatballs hoagies, salad, watermelon, mojitoes. We were down at the dock when they arrived but came up to the house lickity split. Too hot to be outside. Had a nice visit with them for a few hours.

Charlie and I are both off from work tomorrow. No big plans. We'll see where the day takes us.