Monday, December 14, 2009
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Back to Work...Back to Blogging??
I had planned on blogging this summer, but when the opportunity rolled around, I couldn't think of much to say. We are still settling in--sounds a little odd considering we've been here just over one year now! Anyway, here it is just days before work starts again and school starts again...and I am just getting around to blogging! I still don't have too much to say, but here goes.
Just for fun...here's what I did this summer.
Just for fun...here's what I did this summer.
- Cleaned out the laundry room and stocked it with hurricane supplies. Prayed for no hurricanes.
- Cleaned out the kitchen cupboards and organized (with the help of my wonderful daughter).
- Cleaned out the file cabinet and did last year's filing (yes it was in a big pile or the cabinet for the whole year since we've been here!).
- Enjoyed reading my Bible and doing more Bible study--almost always with a cup of coffee or tea :).
- Weeded with Derek and filled flower beds with bark...watched it rain...filled beds with bark...watched it rain...filled beds with bark...watched it rain...decided we liked it with no bark.
- Flew to Washington state! The highlight of the summer
- Visited my long lost friends, what bliss!
- Visited friends and family in Montana. Soaked up the beauty.
- Hiked to the top of Big Mountain.
- Visited friends in Tennessee.
- Drove back home to FL. Cried.
- Cleaned all the ceiling fan blades (well, Derek did this for me, but I did oversee the project!).
- Organized recipes and started menus for the school year.
- Took the kids to the beach.
- Rode jet skis in Perdido Bay...got stung 5 places by jelly fish--ugh!
- Named the birds that regularly visit my feeder...Cardi & Cardella & babies, plus Buzz and Lightyear, my little hummers.
- Read lots of books.
- Helped Brooke with some puzzles.
- Mended clothes.
- Played the piano.
Well, some of the things on my list may not sound too fun, but I enjoyed every one of them. It has been a wonderful summer--just what the doctor ordered!
Friday, May 29, 2009
Welcome Summer!
Finally! Summer is officially here. The kids finished school last Thursday, and my last day of work was last Friday. What relief! We enjoyed a quiet weekend.
This week has been down to business. My two teens are the best helpers! They have been working hard all week. Derek has been trimming bushes, helping in the garage, etc., and Brooke has been cleaning the kitchen. She's working on taking everything out of the cupboards and drawers, wiping them out, organizing, and putting everything back. What a big help. Finally, I am getting some things finished that really should have been done when we moved! I've been busy doing laundry and organizing the laundry room. It feels so good to be home.
I've got a garden started, but it has not been as easy here in the South. First, I fought the rain. I had several plants get washed out after they were planted, and I had to buy new. Next, I fought the soil...and continue to fight it. There are no nutrients. It looks ok on the top, but dig down 6 inches or so, and you find sand--red sand. Yes, it is pretty much tomato red.
Most recently, we have battled tomato worms. I use the term "worm" loosely because I can't come up with a more descriptive term. Anyway, my tomato looked great while I was making dinner. However, about 40 minutes later, Scott came home, sat down at the table, and looked outside. He said, "What happened to the tomato?" I looked out to see the main branch looking like a skeleton, completely stripped of all leaves and small stems. We went out to find the alleged "tomato worm" had eaten the whole stem plus half of a green tomato. He was as big around and as long as Scott's pointer finger! Scott killed him. We found it's partner last night. Yuck. It also rained cats and dogs yesterday. So, today I need to go out and fill in all the garden dirt that washed out.
On the up side, blueberries will be ready soon, and the kids and I hope to go pick some for the freezer.
We bought 10 small Georgia peaches yesterday for $8. They had pretty good flavor but were a little mealy. I am starting to think there is not much to the "Georgia Peach" thing. Give me a Washington or Colorado peach any day. The best peach I've ever eaten was in Yakima, Washington, at a roadside stand. It was as big as a grapefruit, sweeter and juicier than an orange, and not a bit mealy. That is a peach!
Before I go for today--here's a picture of the family at the beach over Spring break. We all enjoyed having Lacey here with us, and we consider her part of the family :). Having her here was a special treat. Thanks for coming Lacey. We love you.
This week has been down to business. My two teens are the best helpers! They have been working hard all week. Derek has been trimming bushes, helping in the garage, etc., and Brooke has been cleaning the kitchen. She's working on taking everything out of the cupboards and drawers, wiping them out, organizing, and putting everything back. What a big help. Finally, I am getting some things finished that really should have been done when we moved! I've been busy doing laundry and organizing the laundry room. It feels so good to be home.
I've got a garden started, but it has not been as easy here in the South. First, I fought the rain. I had several plants get washed out after they were planted, and I had to buy new. Next, I fought the soil...and continue to fight it. There are no nutrients. It looks ok on the top, but dig down 6 inches or so, and you find sand--red sand. Yes, it is pretty much tomato red.
Most recently, we have battled tomato worms. I use the term "worm" loosely because I can't come up with a more descriptive term. Anyway, my tomato looked great while I was making dinner. However, about 40 minutes later, Scott came home, sat down at the table, and looked outside. He said, "What happened to the tomato?" I looked out to see the main branch looking like a skeleton, completely stripped of all leaves and small stems. We went out to find the alleged "tomato worm" had eaten the whole stem plus half of a green tomato. He was as big around and as long as Scott's pointer finger! Scott killed him. We found it's partner last night. Yuck. It also rained cats and dogs yesterday. So, today I need to go out and fill in all the garden dirt that washed out.
On the up side, blueberries will be ready soon, and the kids and I hope to go pick some for the freezer.
We bought 10 small Georgia peaches yesterday for $8. They had pretty good flavor but were a little mealy. I am starting to think there is not much to the "Georgia Peach" thing. Give me a Washington or Colorado peach any day. The best peach I've ever eaten was in Yakima, Washington, at a roadside stand. It was as big as a grapefruit, sweeter and juicier than an orange, and not a bit mealy. That is a peach!
Before I go for today--here's a picture of the family at the beach over Spring break. We all enjoyed having Lacey here with us, and we consider her part of the family :). Having her here was a special treat. Thanks for coming Lacey. We love you.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Counting the Days
Brooke and I are here at the computer getting ready to post some videos of her Singers group at school. Last night was the music awards concert. So, we taped the songs and are posting them so family and friends can stay connected with us...and hear Beautiful Brookie sing.
We are counting the days to summer vacation when the kids will be officially done with 8th and 10th grade, and Mom will be officially done with her job for the summer. Yeah!!! By the way, the count is now at 9 days for school and 10 days for work. Whew. We have survived a school year here in Florida.
Watch our videos below and enjoy.
We are counting the days to summer vacation when the kids will be officially done with 8th and 10th grade, and Mom will be officially done with her job for the summer. Yeah!!! By the way, the count is now at 9 days for school and 10 days for work. Whew. We have survived a school year here in Florida.
Watch our videos below and enjoy.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Where Has the Time Gone?
My last post was December 30th! Where has the time gone? Well, I can think of lots of things that have taken up my time....the same things that take up the time of most women--work, cooking, cleaning, laundry, and homework (as I teen I never realized that "homework" would still be affecting my life in my 40's!).I'm thankful for...
a job when I need it
plenty of food to cook.
strong hands to clean and a
a beautiful home to enjoy while I'm cleaning!
And, even more, I am thankful for two wonderful teens who still need me and want me to help them study for tests and read their papers before they turn them in!!
What a blessing. God is good, isn't He?
As you can see, my two "little" ones have grown since we left home. They are not so little any more. Some of you know that Derek grew so fast these past 7 months that he had a few back/neck problems. We finally discovered that he does not have scoliosis--he's just got one leg longer than the other. So, he's got a lift in his shoe, and we don't have to think about back braces and stuff like that!
They are both enjoying school as much as school can be enjoyed by two teenagers. Derek is working hard to get straight A's one more semester so that he will be exempt from final exams. He enjoyed 8th grade basketball and can hardly wait for his shot at varsity next year. He decided against baseball so that he could be home more. Brooke is working hard getting A's and B's in all her classes, even Algebra 2 where I pretty much can't help her any more! She loves her Singer's choir group and enjoyed her first year of varsity basketball.
Scott is enjoying his new job and is doing a great job! I am working about 30 hours a week as an office assistant, and it is going well. Everything is great except that we do miss our friends and family more than words can express. The Pacific Northwest will always be tugging at our hearts...the mountains, high desert, sunsets, dry air, and produce!
For now we enjoy the beach!
Thanks for all of you who keep in touch. It means so much. You may think by my blog silence that something is wrong, but it's just the time factor. I still have the same passions and desires but don't always have the energy or time to write about them. Thank you to those of you who spur me on once in awhile to write my heart...it feels good.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Better Late than Never???
I just noticed today that Lori tagged me for this Christmas questionaire. So, I'll play along and hope that late really is better than never.
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, I think, especially hot white chocolate. I'd be satisfied with egg nog, too, though especially if it is with family and/or friends!
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Well, our presents have always been wrapped--this year they were mostly done by Derek.
3. Colored lights on house/tree or white? White lights everywhere. We were going to put up lights outside this year, but didn't get to it. Brooke was good enough to put the lights on the tree for me; it's one of my least favorite jobs.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, I did know that mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attacks trees and can kill them...where do you even get it??
5.When do you put your decorations up? I put my decorations up sometime after the first of December...whenever...and then I take them down sometime before the first of the new year...whenever...depending on how I feel :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Stuffing.
7.When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?I think I always knew the truth about Santa. My mom was always "Santa" or should I say Mrs. Klaus. Sometimes we did put cookies out, though, because we knew my Dad would like eating them.
8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Only if we are at Grandma's for our Christmas party. The kids try every year to open "just one" on Christmas Eve, but Scott is a stickler. No presents until Christmas day.
9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Lots of home made ornaments and specially bought ones, gifts from friends, etc.
10. Snow. Love it or dread it? Love it in pictures, or while sitting by a fire looking out the window. Can stand it for a little while outside if I have my Cuddle Duds on, but mostly just love it in pictures. :)
11. Can you ice skate? Believe it or not, I can hold my own--no going backwards though. We used to go to the ice rink every New Year's Day when I was young. My brother made it tradition to skate into my sister and I and deliberately crash so that we would fall down. No wonder we never made it to the doubles at the Olympics!
12. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Pecan Pie
13. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I guess it would be giving, but sometimes I think it would be nice to not worry about presents at all...just have the time to spend time with family and friends.
14. What is your favorite Christmas song? So many to choose from....I think How Should A King Come?
15. Candy Canes. Cinnamon ones are really Yummy.
16. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? I would if there were an annual one to attend...
17. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's? It depends on the circumstances...I wear PJs every night....so, there's nothing too special about that. We all dress up on Christmas morning before opening presents.
18. Do you own a Santa hat. No. but we do have a headband with blonde hair and reindeer horns....
19. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Sometimes I think there is really no such thing as "normal" for us. But we have usually spent Christmas Eve with family, Christmas morning alone, and then with family again later in the day. This year is the first time in 20 years that we have been totally without any family at all for Christmas. I hope this is not the new normal.
I guess it's too late to say Merry Christmas to everyone; so, I'll say Happy New Year instead!
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, I think, especially hot white chocolate. I'd be satisfied with egg nog, too, though especially if it is with family and/or friends!
2.Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Well, our presents have always been wrapped--this year they were mostly done by Derek.
3. Colored lights on house/tree or white? White lights everywhere. We were going to put up lights outside this year, but didn't get to it. Brooke was good enough to put the lights on the tree for me; it's one of my least favorite jobs.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, I did know that mistletoe is a parasitic plant that attacks trees and can kill them...where do you even get it??
5.When do you put your decorations up? I put my decorations up sometime after the first of December...whenever...and then I take them down sometime before the first of the new year...whenever...depending on how I feel :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Stuffing.
7.When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?I think I always knew the truth about Santa. My mom was always "Santa" or should I say Mrs. Klaus. Sometimes we did put cookies out, though, because we knew my Dad would like eating them.
8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Only if we are at Grandma's for our Christmas party. The kids try every year to open "just one" on Christmas Eve, but Scott is a stickler. No presents until Christmas day.
9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Lots of home made ornaments and specially bought ones, gifts from friends, etc.
10. Snow. Love it or dread it? Love it in pictures, or while sitting by a fire looking out the window. Can stand it for a little while outside if I have my Cuddle Duds on, but mostly just love it in pictures. :)
11. Can you ice skate? Believe it or not, I can hold my own--no going backwards though. We used to go to the ice rink every New Year's Day when I was young. My brother made it tradition to skate into my sister and I and deliberately crash so that we would fall down. No wonder we never made it to the doubles at the Olympics!
12. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Pecan Pie
13. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? I guess it would be giving, but sometimes I think it would be nice to not worry about presents at all...just have the time to spend time with family and friends.
14. What is your favorite Christmas song? So many to choose from....I think How Should A King Come?
15. Candy Canes. Cinnamon ones are really Yummy.
16. Do you attend an annual Christmas party? I would if there were an annual one to attend...
17. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear PJ's? It depends on the circumstances...I wear PJs every night....so, there's nothing too special about that. We all dress up on Christmas morning before opening presents.
18. Do you own a Santa hat. No. but we do have a headband with blonde hair and reindeer horns....
19. Who do you normally spend Christmas with? Sometimes I think there is really no such thing as "normal" for us. But we have usually spent Christmas Eve with family, Christmas morning alone, and then with family again later in the day. This year is the first time in 20 years that we have been totally without any family at all for Christmas. I hope this is not the new normal.
I guess it's too late to say Merry Christmas to everyone; so, I'll say Happy New Year instead!
Friday, December 19, 2008
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas, Everyone!
I haven't had any time to blog....but here are a couple of clips from Brooke's choir concert. She is in a special ensemble at school. It has been quite an adjustment going from home school to high school; ensemble is one of the blessings!
If you can get beyond the timing issues (I think the sound is off a bit) and the fact that the camera operator was wobbly (me), you may enjoy hearing Brooke's group sing.
I haven't had any time to blog....but here are a couple of clips from Brooke's choir concert. She is in a special ensemble at school. It has been quite an adjustment going from home school to high school; ensemble is one of the blessings!
If you can get beyond the timing issues (I think the sound is off a bit) and the fact that the camera operator was wobbly (me), you may enjoy hearing Brooke's group sing.
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