5-27-2011

We've had some pretty severe weather blow through our area lately. A second tornado was confirmed in Mom & Dad's neck of the woods. Thank God they're fine and the damage occurred miles away from them. Very scary. And we aren't really accustomed to living with the threat of deadly weather. It certainly makes us stop and give thanks for what's important...and it's not material things.

No big plans going in to Memorial Day Weekend. Charlie has a meeting with customer's tomorrow. Sunday he has to help his dad with the annual trail run. Monday he has to hunker down and do paperwork. Busy, busy, busy.

The kids were supposed to have their final soccer game tomorrow morning, but it was cancelled due to lack of players. I learned quite a bit about the unpredictability of weather this soccer season.

I'm hoping to get the garden planted tomorrow morning. Finally. It's too hot to go out there this evening. We actually just turned on the air conditioning for the 1st time this season. I hate the heat!

Lily has a rash on most of her body. Not sure what that's all about. she had it on her face last weekend. I pulled a tick off Luke the other day. I called the pediatrician's office and they said to just put antibiotic ointment on the area, which is red. Ugh.

I'll be happy if we all make it through this long weekend safe and healthy!

5-22-2011

Pretty quiet weekend around here. Well, for most of us. Poor little half tail had her surgery today to get fixed. She went this morning and came back this afternoon. She's still under the effects of the anesthesia. The kids let her out of the carrier and she's wobbling around the property. Poor little thing.

Charlie spent the day helping his dad prepare the trail for the Special Olympics race on their property next weekend.

Yesterday was perfect weather and we managed to get the whole property mowed. The sky was a gorgeous blue with lots of fluffy clouds. Very pretty and made more so by the lack of blue skies we've had around here lately.

5-19-2011

It's still raining here. It feels like this has been the rainiest spring we've had in a long time! The kids did not have soccer practice again this week. And it was actually supposed to be a game during practice time since the Saturday game was cancelled due to rain. As was the previous week's practice. Jeez.

The river is high, but not dangerously so. Hope it continues to be okay. My heart certainly goes out to all those effected by flooding along the Mississippi.

I went to the nursing home I'll be at next semester with the students to orient. Not a whole lot good to say about that experience. Long term care is not my thing.

Planning on making hamburgers for supper. It's Charlie & the kids' favorite meal. We need something to lift our spirits w/ all this dreary weather.

Lily & I went to our 1st Girl Scout Daisey mtg. last night. Neither one of us was overwhelmed w/ excitement. They colored name tags, then listened to a story, then colored a flower drawing. We're going every Wed. for the next 3 weeks. Hopefully, they were just starting us out slow.

The garden still isn't really planted. Just tomatoes, rosemary, bee balm, sage, parsley, & strawberries. i have lots of seed packs & basil plants to put in, but it's been too wet. Dad's planted enough for all of us, but I'd still like to get my own stuff in.

5-14-2011

Cool and drizzley all day today. Absolutely perfect weather for gardening and yard work. The kids and I weeded and turned over the soil in the garden. Luke was a great help. Lily, not so much. I swear she was channeling Jill and Rachel. She didn't want to get dirty. It was too cool. It was too much work. She didn't know what were plants and what were weeds. Finally, after about 10 minutes, I sent her into the house to clean her room.

I spent much of the day mowing lawn. The grass was so high and damp I had to go in 1st gear. Charlie wasn't here except in the morning and at lunch. He rented a Dingo and was loading up huge tree pieces to bring here. The plan is to cut them in to managable pieces for the outdoor furnace when he has more time.

Soccer practice was cancelled this morning due to the rain/dampness. The kids didn't seem to mind at all. They made me very proud, playing together nicely while I was out mowing.

Hoping to plant the garden tomorrow, if it doesn't rain. Mom & Dad have almost all their plants planted, so I'm not even sure why I'm bothering. Dad has been buying seeds by the POUND for months now. Barring a catastrophe, they should have enough produce to feed a 3rd world country.

5-10-2011 Recap of Mother's Day

This past Sunday was Mother's Day. Luke and Lily each had a great handmade card for me from school. Lily had past gifts nicely arranged on the kitchen table for me Sunday morning.

We did some grocery shopping at WalMart and Sam's midmorning. We had nachoes for lunch. After lunch, Charlie and the kids went to his parents to drop a few construction things off. I stayed home and read a book outside on my rocking chair with a nice glass of wine beside me. It was heavenly.

When Charlie and the kids got home around supper time he informed me that he found out half way thru the visit that Rachel has bedbugs. Charlie and the kids stayed outside while I Googled what to do.

5-7-2011

Today was the river regatta. Charlie raced and took 3rd in his class. The trophy is a coffee mug which he is quite pleased with. He said 1st and 2nd place got sun visors he'd never wear, so 3rd place was best. We watched from the dock steps and cheered him on.

Note the goose floating along with him. Too funny.

The kids had their 2nd soccer game this morning. No major injuries, so I'm considering it a success. As long as they get exercise and fresh air and no one gets hurt, I think it's a major victory. I have no idea what the score was. I don't pay attention to that. Luke did kick in a goal for our team. I think it may have been the only goal we got. I took a bunch of pictures. It was great weather and so nice to be outside enjoying it.

5-5-2011

I got my hair cut today. Nothing too drastic, layers and bangs. I pulled it up into a ponytail on top of my head, just to see if I could. Lily looks at me and says, "Wow, Mom! You look like a hip young teenager!" Made my day!

Tonight we're going to school to play "The Brain Game." I think it's like Jeopardy for kids. Should be a hoot.  

4-30-2011

The kids had their 1st soccer game today. They all did very well. Especially considering they only had 1 practice.

The weather is a sunny 65. Perfect for weeding and mowing and hanging out laundry and playing outside.

Life is good!

4-24-2011 Happy Easter

Happy Easter! We had an absolutely gorgeous Easter day here. The Easter Bunny brought the kids new bikes. They're big kid bikes. I don't think either one of the kids is particularly thrilled with them. For 1 thing, they have hand brakes. For another thing, Lily can barely touch the ground with her toes. Charlie assures me they'll both grow into them in about a month.

Lunch was ham, mashed potaoes and salad. Unfortunately, we ate a bunch of cut out sugar cookies for breakfast and through out the morning. No guests, just us.

Dad came around 1 pm and took the kids to their place. All morning the kids couldn't wait for Dad to get here. I think they have big plans for P&J's. Incidently, they took their old bikes and new bikes along with them.

So now it's just me and Charlie at home. We mowed the lawn and cleaned out the barn and cleaned out the summer kitchen. Charlie declared it the best Easter ever....apparently getting work done ranks higher than getting candy with him.

This Easter was entirely candy-free!

4-23-2011

Rained here most of the day, leading the kids to conduct a few indoor egg hunts. We also went to the library and stocked up on some new DVDs and books.

Charlie rearranged our bedroom this afternoon at my request. Evey time I move things around he says it's the worst set up he's ever seen. We'll see how he likes his own work....I like it fine.

Easter is tomorrow. No plans to have anyone over at our place. Mom is working. Dad is coming to get the kids around 2-ish since Charlie and I are both working Monday and the kids are off from school. I may make some ham since I got a good buy and bought 2 at the grocery store earlier in the week. I went to get more today and they were down to the bare bones.

4-21-2011

Last day of school before Easter break for the kids. Lily's class had a party with an egg hunt. Luke's class wasn't allowed a party, just a treat bag.

 I took Luke for sneakers once they got home. He's been wearing a pair that's too big and come off his feet during gym class. Suppose buying shoes that fit is money well spent.

There's a frost warning for tonight. We had the outdoor furnace and oil burner off during the day, but fired it up for tonight. Luckily, I don't have anything planted in the garden just yet. Truth of the matter is, I haven't even done any work in the garden yet. We've been having so much rain, it's been too wet to really dig in (pun intended). There are lots of flowers blooming around the property. Guess we'll have to see how they fair with the frost.

We may meet up with Mom and Dad tomorrow at Green Dragon Farmers' Market. They go every year on Good Friday. Sometimes we meet them there, sometimes not. The forecast is for a chance of snow or rain in the morning, so I'm leaning heavily towards stying right here at home.

4-16-2011 Party for Charlie

Mom and Dad stopped in this afternoon and brought along a chocolate cake from Wally World for Charlie's upcoming birthday. It was quite good and we all enjoyed it. They were in our neck of the woods for dad to pick up a food dehydrator at Cabela's.

It's been monsoon-like conditions all day here. Just as P&J were leaving our power went out. It came back on a few minutes later and has been on ever since. Hopefully, the river will not flood.

Perfect day for comfort foods. I made a batch of red beans and ham in the crock pot and ham and beans on the stove.

I think I prefer rainy days to sunny days a lot of the time. There's something to be said for snuggling up with a good book while the wind rattles the windows and the rain comes down in buckets. I loved being snuggled up safe and sound inside.

Teaching Kids Emotional Regulation – Step One

Teaching Kids Emotional Regulation – Step One

4-11-2011 Updates on Us

Charlie is still not back to 100% healthy. Although, really, is he ever 100% healthy? But, he's still having vertigo and lethargy and blocked ears.

Lily seems to be 95% back to baseline. She had a coughing spell last night, but I think it was because she was bundled up under too many blankets and got too hot.

Luke is fine. As am I. Knock on wood.

Both kids came home on Friday with great report cards. We celebrated with McDonald's for supper.

Today we reached a high of about 80 degrees. I thought it felt too hot. Summer is my least favorite season and today felt a lot like summer. Tomorrow we're supposed to have rain and temp's in the 50's. That's more like it.

I'm hoping to have a job interview tomorrow at St. Joe's for a patient outcome coordinator position. It's full-time day shift Monday through Friday, no weekends or holidays. I strongly believe the outcome is in God's hands. I have mixed feelings about working full-time. On the other hand, it's pretty nerve wracking knowing Charlie only has work lined up for the next week or so. And we've been living that way for the past couple of years. I feel like sooner or later that work luck is going to run out. So, I'll interview and see how it goes.

Kids' spring soccer should start this week or next. I think tomorrow will be rained out. Neither kid is really excited about starting soccer. I think that will change once they actually start playing.

Charlie and I celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary Saturday. Kathy kept the kids for the day and we ran around doing shopping errands. I made us fabulous hamburgers for lunch. We both agreed they were better than anything we would have had at a restaurant. We went to the library and got some good books and DVDs to enjoy.

4-2-2011 Carpenter Down....Again

Charlie has bronchitis and a severe ear infection. He went to convenient care on Friday and started a Z-pack. He feels a bit better, but is still pretty sick. And he's none too pleasant to be around either.

Lily is also sick with a cold. Two nights ago she coughed till she puked. Several times. She had her last hockey game today. P&J came down to watch. Then Dad and Luke cut and hauled wood to the outdoor furnace. Mom, Lily, and I did some shopping after having Chinese for lunch. As soon as we got back to the house and P&J left, Lily snuggled up in my bed a fell right to sleep. She looks and sounds pretty rough. Poor little thing.

Luke has been very good about keeping himself entertained. He's currently playing Wii. Earlier, he and I were outside launching clothespins from the clothesline and attempting to chop down sapling trees around the property with a sharp ax Dad left behind. i put an end to that rather quickly.

I'm praying Charlie and Lily get better quickly and Luke and I stay healthy. We completely missed playing April Fool's jokes on each other yesterday. First time we've missed it. 

3-23-2011

The forecast yesterday was calling for snow/sleet for today. Thankfully, we had just a hint of snow on the grass this morning and nothing on the roads. Work and school as usual. They are calling for a dusting again tonight. We were spoiled by a few mild days with sun and warmth. Now this cold, rainy, dreary weather is rather hard to take. Spring must be around the corner.

We had a family meeting dockside last evening after supper. Charlie called the meeting. Probably because the dock is on it's side, literally, since the high waters a few weeks ago. We'll probably need to take apart the current dock and rebuild. I say "we", but of course mean Charlie. Disassembling a dock is not really my thing. And I can just imagine how the kids would be, surely more trouble than help. But we all love to be down at the dock and we definitely would like it accessible as soon as possible.

3-18-2011 Carpenter Down....With the Flu

Charlie is sick as a dog with the flu. He's been in bed sleeping all day after being awake quite a bit during the night with "stomach issues" to put it politely.

It's an absolutely gorgeous spring day here. 73 degrees and sunny. I ran errands this morning and parked at the far end of the parking lot each place I went. so nice to have the sun hitting my face.

Still lots of concern for all the people suffering in Japan. And added concern about their nuclear power plants. Very tragic.

No big plans for the weekend. Lily has deck hockey tomorrow morning. Dad offered to come in the afternoon and help us haul wood to the outdoor furnace. I don't really want him exposed to all our sickness, so we'll probably pass on that.

Last night for St. Patrick's Day I made mashed potatoes, ham, and cabbage. Then we had shamrock shakes. Lily also had vanilla ice cream with green food die mixed in to make it festive. We watched a movie we got from the library on st. Patrick. It was very good and we even let the kids stay up until 8:30 to finish it.

Tonight's supper to be determined. I have coconut ice cream and fresh pineapple, so I'm thinking we might try pina coladas, minus the booze.

3-15-2011

Poor Luke had the GI virus that Lily had last weekend. He woke up at 0130 Saturday into Sunday vomiting. Then he just laid around the house Sunday. He did fine yesterday back at school. I started feeling queasy yesterday afternoon and felt pretty awful all through the evening. Now I feel okay. Charlie started feeling achy yesterday. I just called him at work to check in on him and he said he's still achy, but no worse than yesterday.

We went to C&K's on Saturday for a visit. Kathy and I made Irish Potato Candy. We are quite proud of ourselves because it turned out very well.

Last week the river rose to about 15 feet. Our dock got washed up the bank onto the dock steps. Charlie thinks he can fix it once the water goes back down.

At the same time we were having all the rain, Japan had an 8.9 earthquake and tsunami. It's absolutely heartbreaking to watch the news. Now the concern is that the nuclear power plants in that area have started to meltdown. My heart and prayers go out to all involved.

Kathryn Caskie's Printable Book List

Kathryn Caskie's Printable Book List

3-10-2011 It's Raining, It's Pouring....I even did some snoring

We are experiencing some heavy rains. Hopefully, the river won't flood.

I have a cold. Probably got it as a result of being run down taking care of Lily last weekend. I came home from work yesterday at lunch and spent the rest of the day in bed. I felt a bit better today, but did a whole lot of nothing all day long. The dark, rainy day certainly didn't help my energy level.

Hopefully, no one else in the house gets this cold. Must be said, that I've been doing pretty good staying healthy, eating 5 different colored fruits and veggies a day.