Is it over yet???

Today is December 28 and my Christmas tree is still up. That's kind of a long time for us! As you all know, I am in no way a clean freak or at all organized (unless it's totally unnecessary things like Polly Pocket shoes) and my house always looks messy (uh, 'cause it is?!?) it just seems like the Christmas tree makes the house look even more cluttered. Maybe because as long as the tree is up the gifts will stay scattered under it instead of put away. "Put away"? Like anything around me ever gets put away. I actually asked Justin if he'd hidden one of my shopping bags to teach me a lesson about putting things away instead of letting them sit out. (Actually, I accidentally left that bag at Wal-Mart.)

You wanna know what I'm really, really, really ready to be done with?? Lice!! No clue where they actually came from, but Audrey's head was infested!!! Emma had them too, but not to the extent Audrey did. Dang it, now my head is itching. Ha! I'll bet yours is too now!! It's been nine days since we discovered them (a real Bad Mommy moment for me, I won't go into it) and they've been treated with Nix twice. I look forward to not washing sheets every single day. Oh what am I saying? Justin's done most of the work the past few days.

My fingernails are too long to comfortably type on the laptop. And anyway, Christmas pictures are on the other computer. So I'll post again later. With pictures!!

I can understand people simply fleeing the mountainous effort Christmas has become... but there are always a few saving graces and finally they make up for all the bother and distress. ~May Sarton

A child is born!

No, this isn't some big theological posting regarding Jesus and the Christmas season. It's just announcing that my sister Kara had a baby this morning!

December 21st is:
Forefathers Day
Humbug Day
Phileas Fogg Win a Wager Day
Underdog Day

and now....Madelyn's birthday!

I'm feeling very......done

I...uh....bluh....erk......eep.....gah!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just...

I can't....

Oh geez.....

What else can be piled on top!!??!!??

Two-legged creatures we are supposed to love as we love ourselves. The four-legged, also, can come to seem pretty important. But six legs are too many from the human standpoint. ~Joseph W. Krutch

Just an ordinary day

Our Christmas tree is up and decorated! The only other decorations are the saltshaker angels (they'd been stored in the kitchen and not with all the other Christmas stuff), little snowmen that the babysitter made with the girls, and my nativity snow globe. (can you call it a globe if it's rectangular?) I found my Christmas cds. But when Justin had the Christmas boxes down I forgot to look for my Christmas jewelry. Darn it! So all I have is my snowflake earrings. Cute, but I'd like to have some of my other things as well.

I started painting the snowman pavers yesterday. I think they need another coat of white this morning and then maybe this afternoon I can paint the faces. I do have one major problem: I cannot find the Wal-Mart bag containing the fleece and glitter paint. Where would I have put it?? I need to hunt for it this morning so I know if I need to go buy more. I did find my old cans of glitter spray paint yesterday (I knew they were around, just didn't look in the right spot before buying the new ones). I at least need two done by tomorrow for Emma and Audrey's teachers.

Speaking of Audrey....she's sick! A little ear infection, swollen glands, an eye infection (uh, make that two eyes as of last night), stuffy nose and cough. She hasn't gone to school yet this week. And since tomorrow is the last day, she probably won't go at all until January 3rd. Poor kid is missing the Christmas Program today (well, she'll come with Justin and I to the 1:00 performance) and Thursday afternoon the students are watching The Polar Express in their jammies. I told Audrey that we would do the same thing at home. And it's even better for her---she doesn't like popcorn, so she picked out her favorite chips to have instead.

Tonight Justin and I are taking the "upper management" from work out to dinner. This was supposed to be darts at the Moose Lodge night, but this will be fine too. I ate at the restaurant (Michael's by the Lake in Moses Lake) for the first time Saturday evening. We had a gigantahuge plate of appetizers. Then Justin, Emma, and I each had a salad. Audrey knew she wanted mac and cheese, so she stopped eating appetizers so she'd have room. I look forward to trying an entree tonight!

I haven't heard anything from/about my sister Kara. Her baby was due on Monday.

I started working on my Christmas-or-maybe-Groundhog-Day letter yesterday. We'll see if I ever get it done and mailed. So let's add that to the list!
1. Laundry
2. Snowmen
3. Christmas letter
4. Parent gifts
5. Cat diapers
6. Start packing for weekend
7. Buy gifts for family in need
8. Put more Christmas music on mp3
9. Pop popcorn and put in baggies for third graders tomorrow

That should be enough! Any bets on how many of those things get done?

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. ~Olin Miller

You weren't here when you were gone

But I was gone! Sort of. I mean, I'm here. But just not posting. But now I am. I'll keep it short though. (yeah right)

I elfed my family.

You know it just wouldn't be my blog unless I was bragging, so here's today's. A note from Audrey's teacher:

Dear Audrey,
Thank you for showing so much kindness to "M". The note you wrote to her was incredibly wonderful. You are a good friend and we are so fortunate to have you in our class. "M" really loved the note and it made her feel so good. It was above and beyond what I expect of of 1st grade friends.
Mrs. Jones

I guess "M" can be a bit difficult, and mean. Audrey wanted her to have friends, so wrote her a note saying that they are Best Friends. And yes, Mrs. Jones and I both were nearly in tears. The teacher told me that "M"'s overall behaviour has been much improved since this happened. Audrey must have gotten this from her dad!

Huh. It's snowing. Of course it is....the girls didn't take their boots to school!

My Christmas spirit is pretty much nonexistent this year. The girls have a little tree (thanks David and Hazel) set up on a table. I told them that it could be our Christmas tree. I explained that with a tree so small, any presents will look huge and like there's a lot of them. So Audrey wrote a note: Santa put our presents here. And propped it up against the little tree. I just really don't feel like putting up decorations and then taking them down again in two weeks. Maybe if we'd started earlier. Or maybe if I was interested in leaving the house decorated longer....(remember, we're the family that has been known to take down the tree the day after Christmas)

I guess it's not just Christmas. I don't have any spirit right now. I know, I know. "But Joy, you've always been lazy." I agree! But this feels different. Not good. Oh well!

Let's see. I bragged about Audrey. What can I tell you about Emma? She's in the Math Club. Obviously I will be of no help to her! She's still doing just as well in school as usual. I still don't have a piano teacher for her. Maybe in the new year.

Almost 10 and I haven't showered. I was planning on wrapping a bunch of presents today. I decided to make more paver snowmen this year for the girls to give to their teachers and our neighbors. The pavers are in my car. The paint is in the garage and the fleece is waiting to be cut and glued. That's as far as I've gotten. Last day of school is Thursday---I really should start working on those! Maybe they won't need me at the library today and I can stay home.....

It's the perfect weekend!
December 15 is Cat Herders Day
December 16 is both Barbie and Barney Backlash Day
and
Chocolate-covered Anything Day

Catching up with pictures

Here we are at the Wild Horses Monument overlooking the Columbia River at Vantage. Wow. I'd never been up there before. Audrey's favorite part was "rock boarding" down the hill. I guess that would be careening and sliding over dirt and rocks. Perhaps my Crocs were not the best choice of footwear that day.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth? I've got a tiger by the tail? I've got a horse by the mouth? I'm sure we can think of something! These horses are incredible. The downside? All the vandalism!! Why do people feel that can write on something like this? One person has come up there three years. She signed her name and then puts the year. It's disgusting.

You can tell Audrey is a bunny. But what's Emma supposed to be? Why, she's "the one and only Olivia Vertigo" from the Charlie Bone books! The girls stayed warm while we scoured the neighborhood for candy.

OK, my pictures made it on her out of order. Before we went to the Wild Horses Monument, we went to Puget Sound Energy's Wild Horse Wind Farm. Wow! Those things are huge!! No, Justin's company did not make any of these towers. I believe they came from Korea....but don't quote me on that. There's a beautiful Visitor's Center at the top of a winding road. It's amazing to see these towers looming up from around the bend. If the sky is clear enough we can see the wind farm from our house. I think there are 126 towers up there. They will have the grand opening for the Visitor's Center next spring. Right now they are just open weekends and only through the end of the month. I think. There are some videos showing how the towers are made and erected. My favorite was a slide show of still photos--some taken during construction of the Visitor's Center and the towers, turbines being attached, elk grazing at the foot of a tower, etc etc. I'd read somewhere that people are concerned about the noise the wind towers make. I liken it to the sound of the surf. Yes, you can hear it, but it's not overpowering at all and we were standing in the middle of it all!

Fun time waster!

I had a little too much fun with this

Luke Wilson is my UPS Man

I swear!! Looked just like him!!! Gotta order more stuff.........

If I can find my camera I'll post some pictures of the girls on Halloween and of our Sunday trip to Puget Sound Energy's Wild Horse Wind Farm and a trek up to the Wild Horses Monument.

Halloween: Audrey was a white bunny and Emma was Olivia Vertigo from the Charlie Bone book series. Of course nobody knew who the heck Olivia Vertigo was. The girls and I have about 50 pages left to read in Midnight for Charlie Bone. My highlight came the other evening when I read the last sentence in the chapter and Audrey gasped and opened her eyes wide. Yes!! She is sucked in! I'd better put a hold on the next book in the series.

We have more furniture! We went to Spokane on Saturday (yes, Saturday---Justin didn't go to work) and came home with the bed of the truck full of furniture. Dining room table and six chairs, pub table and four stools (in a box), two nightstands (in boxes), and a red microfiber sofa. Yea! I'm loving having my clock and lamp at a decent height by my bed. And the sofa is soooo much more comfortable than that other one I bought. Of course none of these items would be considered heirloom quality by any stretch of the imagination, but that meant we could get a few pieces of furniture instead of one.

I went to the Wenatchee Valley Mall yesterday. Trying to get presents for Emma's birthday and start on Christmas too. I didn't make it to Target and JC Penney like I wanted, and when I got into town I saw Fred Meyer but didn't get there either. I'm debating about going today. I suppose if I'm going to I should leave soon. Even if I don't go, I should still take a shower and get dressed, huh.

The only really good place to buy lumber is at a store where the lumber has already been cut and attached together in the form of furniture, finished and put inside boxes. ~Dave Barry

Everything is blurry.....

Actually, it's much better now. I went to the eye doctor earlier today. He put some drops in my eyes, but at least it wasn't as bad as last time when I couldn't read or even see myself in a mirror to try on frames! Today I could see myself in the mirror, but couldn't quite read the price tags..... I got to bring home six frames to try on and get Justin's opinion. One pair looked really fun, but when I put it on, I didn't like it for every day. But I would love it for sunglasses! I'll have to see what the girls think of them.

Emma can stay in school. We went to the doctor yesterday and she had her MMR shot. I also had her in to ask the doctor about some white spots on her skin. She has a large white spot on her leg---it showed up all of a sudden this summer. I wasn't terribly worried, but it hasn't gone away, and of course now I'm noticing a few other small, lighter spots. The doctor couldn't say if it was vitiligo or not. I'm used to vitiligo spots that start small and grow, so I didn't think that first one was vitiligo since it showed up fairly good-sized. We'll see if any of the other spots grow, or if she gets more. The doctor is right though, there really isn't anything we can do about it. So why worry too much? I was really hoping this would skip a few generations!!

Justin and Audrey went to the school last night to carve a pumpkin. I guess there were only six kids (and their dad's) in her class who made it. The time did get changed to 5:30 so they could be done in time for the PTO meeting and performances by Grant Singers and Grant Ringers. I'm glad Justin was able to leave early to go!

Emma is in Grant Singers. The group is made up of third and fourth graders. They practice before school two days a week. Initially she didn't want to do it, but the other day she said she was really glad that she did! Grant Ringers is fourth graders playing bells. They all did a great job.

Monday morning I attended a workshop for teaching school aides and para pros how to teach kids to read and help them with reading comprehension. (Emma's teacher asked me to attend because he'd like me to help some of his students with reading comprehension when I help in the class.) Yet another one of those times when I feel totally out of my element. Well, not totally. We learned about phonemes, and that was something I studied when I was majoring in Speech and Hearing Sciences. But still, I had to keep reminding myself that I am not an idiot, that I really even have a university degree! I'm afraid next week will be even worse. Uh-oh. Just remembered that I haven't done my homework yet!

What else? I went to Spokane for a day last week to shop for a table at antique stores. Mom drove me around and helped me look. I must admit that we maybe looked at a little too much not-table stuff at first. At the end I was "speed antiquing". I had to get home by 6:00pm so the babysitter could get to a 4-H meeting. I made it! Didn't find a table though. I found one on Craigslist in Spokane. We'll see what comes of that.

Justin made a terrible, horrible, awful discovery on Sunday. (you have to promise you won't tell Emma and Audrey, especially Audrey) Black Widow spiders. Say it with me now, "eeeeeeeek!!!!!" OK, my toes are curling now just thinking about it.

The girls should be home soon. I'd better get ready for them. We're going to go to Justin's office so they can sell candy and nuts for Girl Scouts. yee-haw Can't wait for cookie sales.....

If you want to live and thrive, let the spider run alive. ~American Quaker Saying

Unh-uh. I don't think so.

Getting out of the house

The words "bored and lonely" formed in my head last week. I realized that it is time I got out more! So today I'll be in Emma's class at 8:30 (only if I don't take too long blogging) and Audrey's 1:45 to 2:45. I certainly don't want to work full time, or even part time for that matter (read the profile, see the word lazy?) but I am enjoying doing a little volunteering.

OK, looking at the layer of dust on my desk, maybe I should stay home and clean. ha ha! ha ha ha ha ha! HA HA HA HA! Whew. I about wet myself with that one.

Last night was the open house for the recently remodeled and updated metal shop at the high school. It was kind of fun. Justin got up to speak for a bit about Katana and what they do and what it takes to get hired there. People asked some good questions. I had a lot of fun talking with the shop teacher's wife. Remember back before school started and I mentioned that the intern principal was someone I'd gone to high school with? Well he's also the shop teacher, and I hadn't necessarily known his wife when we were all in high school, but as often is the case in small communities, I knew who she was. (OK, how many commas did I just use?) We talked for quite a while--she's a lot of fun! A weird thing about last night.....there were some Ag teachers from the area there, and the one from Wilson Creek recognized me. Yeah, from nearly 20 years ago! He made a comment about my hair being longer now.

Did you know that there is a roller rink in Soap Lake?? Emma went to a birthday party there Saturday night. Not exactly a state of the art facility, but a fun place to go. We might have to check it out some other time.

Emma has just over a week left of school before she is expelled. Actually, what I need to do is find a doctor around here and have her get another MMR vaccination. I'm afraid that I may accidentally forget to tell her that I think this is the one Audrey refers to as "the burning shot".

Writing Audrey's name (and as usual having my fingers hit the /e/ and /y/ keys backwards) reminded me of the girls' name "changes". Emma was starting to use the name Emmy. Know why? She likes to write the letter /y/. And now for some reason Audrey started spelling her name with an /ee/ at the end instead of /ey/. But she was also using a /b/ in place of the /d/ too. She wasn't writing backwards---she knew she was writing the name Aubree. I remember in first grade trying to go by Ellen (my middle name) because I didn't like my name. And who can forget my freshman year in high school when I changed the spelling to Joi? And not just an /i/ with a boring ol' dot, or even a heart or smiley face. Oh no, I put a slash mark in place of the dot. What a rebel!!

I'm sure the third graders would appreciate it if I came to their class showered and wearing clothes (as opposed to jammies, not nekkid!), so I should end this and get ready.

Leisure tends to corrupt, and absolute leisure corrupts absolutely. ~Edgar A. Shoaff

Pumpkin fun!

Here are some pumpkins I just finished decorating. I found the ideas in a Better Homes and Gardens Halloween book. The black sequin stripes didn't work as well as I would have liked. Now I'm glad I didn't find the perfect big pumpkin for it!

Emma faces expulsion

Yes, you read that correctly. After all my bragging in the last entry you'd think this wouldn't be happening. But it is.

Emma received her first MMR vaccination 15 days before her first birthday. So it doesn't count. I need to remember not to put the correct date on forms, and to pretend that I no longer have her record book. I mean, it gets brought up every year, you'd think I'd have it figured out by now! (I think there's also something funky about Audrey's, but maybe I took care of that.) So I'll go to the school today and find out to whom I need our doctor (in Anacortes) to fax a form to saying, yes, it is OK that Emma's MMR shot was done before she turned one. And of course when I do that I'll hear again that the state only requires the month and year so why is the school making a big deal of this. Even if she had another booster now, it wouldn't make the problem go away. Every time it gets typed into the computer it would reject it for the same reason. I'll have to see what I need to do to make it permanently in her records that she is OK.

We went to the library yesterday and Emma checked out Anastasia Krupnik by Lois Lowry. I finally found a section on the Accelerated Reader website that would give me the AR levels of books. This one is a 4.5 or so. She started it last night and took it to school to see if the school has an AR test for it.

I was enjoying a little trip down book memory lane. Lois Lowry also wrote A Summer to Die and Find a Stranger, Say Goodbye. I can remember reading the first one, and the other title sounds really familiar. The fun part was finally realizing that the Lois I had been looking for was Lois Duncan. Stranger With My Face, Down a Dark Hall, Summer of Fear, and Daughters of Eve. Those are some great, and spooky, books!

I'd better get going so I can save my daughter from expulsion!

I guess I'll have to wait for tomorrow for International Moment of Frustration Scream Day.

Warning: Severe bragging about kids

Don't say I didn't warn you! Yesterday we had conferences, so of course I have many things to brag about! Not sure what else I'll write about, so how about when I'm done bragging I'll type, in bold, that it is safe to read now. OK? So those of you with strong constitutions may continue.....

Audrey
Audrey is doing great in school and is learning more and improving every day. One of her challenges has been learning to add "monkey tails" on her letters. And she's doing it! She is right where she should be as a first grader. She has proven to the teachers that she can count to 100, and we were told that very few students in her class can count that high. Audrey also told her teacher that she counted to 400 the other day "want me to show you?" ack!

Audrey is seated next to a boy who, ermmmm, has a hard time sitting and paying attention. Without any prompting Audrey has taken to reminding him that it is time to sit and pay attention, etc. I'm assuming she does this in a nice way, since the teachers were pleased. The student teacher says she catches her doing it sometimes and gives her a thumbs up. Which you know has just got to thrill Audrey to no end! It's so nice to hear about our kids being good, respectful, and responsible. Audrey is also now sitting by, and in reading group with, her best friend (and neighbor), but both teachers said that it hasn't been a problem at all---no excessive visiting.

Audrey has been journaling at night. Nancy gave her a diary this summer, and she's just started writing in it. And by writing I mean writing. Really! Just like her journals at school, she writes a sentence then draws a picture about it.

Emma
Emma is also doing great in school. Her teacher encourages students to come to their conferences, so we brought her with us. Her teacher started by telling all of us that he does not use conference time to discuss discipline, etc so the student doesn't have to worry about hearing any bad things. Well, unless they aren't doing well academically of course. And Emma has nothing to worry about academically. She's had to learn a few things specific to this school's expectations (labelling, organizing, different terminology and teaching aids). She'll be tested in Reading and Mathematics in the WASL, so that's what they are concentrating on. She reads at a 7th grade level; in one of the tests, the average is 190 and Emma is 215. The same test in math the average is 192 and she is 205. Algebraic Sense is the only area she needs to improve on.

Emma's teacher told her that she can be reading more difficult, higher quality books. He's not pushing her, but eventually if she isn't doing that on her own he will pick a book for her. They use Accelerated Reader; books are given an AR Level and a computerized test is available. The student chooses a book, reads it, then takes the test. The tests are worth a different amount depending on book difficulty. She's reading books with an AR Level of 3.1 to 3.8 and each test is worth 1 point. (the Zack Files books she's reading are worth 1 point, a Harry Potter book is worth 32 points) The teacher requires 4 points earned per month. He'd rather see Emma reading books with higher AR Level/Points Value than what she's reading now. I asked him about this, since it seemed last year Emma wasn't willing to read more challenging books because it meant fewer AR test available to her. He explained that in second grade the focus is more on quantity, but in third grade the focus is quality. So hopefully this will encourage Emma to spread out a bit in her reading. I'm especially glad she was there to hear all that.

I think that's about it.

End Parental Bragging

Holy cow my dog stinks! Sheesh! What has she eaten??? At least I'm no longer finding piles of diarrhea up here. How fun. We go from me bragging to my dogs bowels. Aren't you glad you stopped by??

After all that, what more is there to say?

Last Sunday we went to Cashmere to the antique malls. Apple Annie's is "70,000 square feet of no touch". So of course the girls were beyond thrilled! Many tears were shed, but no table was found. (have I mentioned that we are table shopping? ours will go to one of the Katana houses and we get a new one. oh the sacrifices I make!) I'm going to spend part of a day next week in Spokane going to antique stores there with my mom. I'm hoping I can find someone to watch the girls after school so I can shop longer.

I haven't been walking. I know, we were all just waiting for that announcement. No excuse really, just not doing it. I really should get back to it. I need to wear my fancy dress next month! Of course I've been afraid to try it on and see how it fits right now. David and Hazel are taking us and Hazel's kids to the Festival of Trees dinner. Sounds super duper fancy schmancy. Should be fun. I hope. We will have met Hazel's daughter, son and his wife the day before at David and Hazel's wedding. The girls will have a sitter while we are out. They'll be ring carriers at the wedding. Since the wedding may take place on a dock, we'll be praying extra hard that rings don't drop!

Well, it's half-days this week. So I don't have as much time to do, well, nothing before the girls get home. So I'd better get on it!

The problem with children is that you have to put up with their parents. ~Charles DeLint

I have my car back!

Yea!! My car hath returneth. I filled it with gas and added wiper fluid so that I would have no warning lights lit up on the dash. The ABS and Brake lights disappeared after the car's stay with the dealership's service department. And now that it's back from the transmission shop it doesn't tick when I drive it! Hmmm....where can I drive today?? Um, the school and library I guess.

Emma is Student of the Month for her class. This month is Trustworthiness. Last Friday at an assembly those students were announced. And today she gets to have a special lunch with the principal and counselor. She's excited. Audrey's jealous.

I told Emma I might have to make a surprise visit to her classroom to see if she really is trustworthy. I was filling out her Reading Log slip this morning and marking the "did not read" box when Emma tried convincing me that reading another student's shirt counted. I told her it was no big deal that she didn't read, but it was more important to turn in the Log slip. She agreed then said "well, I am the one who does the Reading Logs" (she collects and records them for the class). I had to laugh. Ummm.....Emma.....what's the first part of the word "trustworthy"??

We went out to dinner last night. There are not many dinner choices in Ephrata!! Emma loves Chinese food (Mommy Yum Yum's); Audrey hates it. Audrey loves Mexican food; Emma isn't a big fan, and she and I both had very disappointing dinners at Tequila's. So for evening dining (for the under 21 crowd) that leaves McDonald's, Burger King, Subway, the other Chinese restaurant, the taco truck by the overpass, the homestyle place that advertises a banner that they are open for dinner Tues-Sat but when I went in once I got strange looks and there were no employees in sight, and Basaltz--the nice restaurant in town. So we went to Basaltz. Now Basaltz to Katana is like The Keg to Red Samm--meaning: Justin is there a lot. Without his wife and kids. So last night we walk in and one of the waitresses tells him that another waitress had asked her if Justin was married. She said told him that he was and that the girls and I had just moved here. So there's a disappointed waitress! And I will be in there every day so I can find out who she is! Bwahahahaha!!! Emma told Justin that she wasn't surprised that someone liked him because, in Emma's words, he's a "hottie".

I've started putting out our Halloween decorations. I was worried because I couldn't find my little Halloween Sweet Treat village and my ghost holding the bubble light. Finally found them in a big box that was on it's side. Of course I'd only labeled it "Halloween" on the top. Oops. I told Justin I need to go to Target so I can get the girls Halloween shirts, and see what I hope to find on super clearance after Halloween. I think the nearest Target is in Wenatchee.

Tomorrow we're going dining room table shopping. Yee-haw. I think we're going to try and find antique stores, then look at furniture stores. We'll see how this goes. The girls are going to just love doing that!!

I realize it's not yet 11am, but I should probably go take a shower anyway. I've been even more pathetic than normal lately--if you can believe that! Today I'll get moving sooner.

I have more photos on Grave Addiction, you can see them here. And I even made it onto the very special thank you page (I'm down near the bottom). Now I just need to head over to the Stratford Cemetery--it's not too far out of town and looked like it might be a good, older cemetery to visit. I'd also like to play around with some of my pictures and print them. We'll see if I ever get around to it.

Squirrel Appreciation Week begins October 7th!

That wacky internet!

I must admit, it always surprises me a bit when I receive the same email from two different people within a day or two. You know the ones....the latest You Tube hit, the touching mother story, the petition to "sign". The other day I received the William Tell Overture singing mom from a friend, and a few hours later from my mother-in-law, and then a couple of days later from another friend. None of these people know the others.

Now this one made me smile. Justin's aunt sent me one of those "get to know you" emails. This one listed questions like "Two things you are wearing right now" "Two favorite pets", etc. And you know the drill: copy, paste, remove the previous person's answers, type in your own, then forward it to your friends, including the person who sent it to you. So of course I did. I sent it to a bunch of adults and a couple middle and high school age friends. A few days later I received an email from Emma's former piano teacher. It was that same "get to know you" email. I thought it was a little odd. Maybe she accidentally clicked on my name when she meant to send it to someone else (we've never exchanged emails like this before). So I scrolled down to see her responses and my eye caught something. " Joy Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again? ~Winnie the Pooh" Hey! That's my current email signature!!

Sorry, but I just really get a kick out of those wacky internet coincidences.

Hopefully I'll get my car back today. I need to go to the school and distribute the Book Order books for Audrey's class. And I need to get to the store--I only have one tea bag left. Yea! The guy at the transmission shop just called! Now to coordinate with Justin to drive me there...

I was flipping through a Rachel Ray magazine and found a fun gift idea for the girls. Personalized Fruit Roll-ups -- how fun is that? I'm thinking for Christmas, or for takeaway gifts at birthday parties.

I've started thinking Christmas already. Just with regard to presents. I have no idea what the girls want -- that isn't electronic or attached to a screen of some sort. Actually, Emma wants new roller blades and Audrey wants a scooter. I think we can handle those. Of course the My Twinn catalog came in the mail and the girls gushed over it. Neither of them are really into dolls, until they see something like that.

I suppose I should take a shower and talk to Justin about getting me to my car. With my luck, if I call him now he'd be able to take me right away. And again with my luck, I'll call him after my shower and he'll tell me the rest of the day is crazy and he can't pick me up. But at least at that point I'll be clean!

The Internet is just a world passing around notes in a classroom. ~Jon Stewart

Note to Self:

1. Do not stay up until midnight working on a puzzle and watching Ghost Hunters. It makes it even more difficult to get up in the morning.

2. Do not wear jammies all day. It may be comfy and cute (look at those gnomes!) for a while, but suddenly negative thoughts start pouring in. When that happens, it is probably best to shower and dress (not update blog which may result in further negativity).

3. When you put detergent in the dishwasher, either run it immediately or set the timer so that it will run at a later time. Otherwise, the soap sits in there until you decide to put some dirty dishes in there and discover that it is full---of dirty dishes that really should have been washed a while ago.

4. After posting pictures to the blog, do not sit for an obscene amount of time watching Blogger Play hoping to see the pictures just posted on the blog. This is especially true if already wearing jammies.

Catching up with pictures....

What's that on Emma's ear?? Why, it's a monkey earring! Yep. Her ears seem healed enough to start wearing earrings. That picture was taken yesterday morning. She has little heart with jewel ones in today. She's so excited!! But not thrilled that I make her wear her starter earrings at night. Tough noogies.

Did you know that if you put bubble bath in a tub, and then turn on the jets, you get lots and lots and lots of bubbles?? I found that out one night and shared my discovery with the girls. They had a good time!

Rain

It's raining here. I mean really raining. Not hard, pounding rain, but just rain. And a dark, cloudy sky that makes it look like it isn't going to stop raining any time soon. I think this is the third time we've had any rain at all since moving here on July 1st. Of course our sprinklers are still on...... Anybody else want to smack me upside the head for not seeding the spot where the pool had been?? And now the grass seed is in the back of my car. And my car is at Mike's Transmission.

Oh yes, the car saga continues. Yesterday I took it to Mike's. I'd called the day before to get pricing on a transfer case. He asked who told me I needed one, then suggested I bring the car in for him to drive and see if he could determine the problem based on the noise and hopefully not need a new ($1500 at the dealer, around $1000 anywhere online Justin has looked) transfer case. So I brought it in. He drove it. He said he'd never heard a sound like that before. Uh-oh. That doesn't sound promising. He brought it in the shop and listened to it---definitely coming from the transfer case, and sounds like something wants to blow apart. He highly recommends that I not drive it. So it's still there. Hopefully he'll be able to dig into it today. So now I have Justin's monster truck. eek

Audrey had her first Girl Scout meeting last night. Oh my. She was awfully quiet. Yes, I am talking about Audrey. She didn't know any of the girls, and some of the other girls do know each other. She'll make friends soon.

What a lucky thing the wheel was invented before the automobile; otherwise can you imagine the awful screeching? ~Samuel Hoffenstein

Just had to add this.....I minimized my internet screen and saw something unusual on my sidebar. I thought, wow, did I take a picture of a meteor shower? Uh, no. It's the little weather tag. I've never seen it show rain before. Usually there's a sun!

I'm not dancing any longer

OK, this is pretty big news.....I have made the decision to not watch Dancing With the Stars this season. I know, I know, this is crazy talk! But I had been enjoying not watching much TV, so I figured I would abstain from the one program about which I was obsessed. Of course that doesn't mean I'm not going to watch any TV. But at least this should help a bit. But don't tell the girls! I don't think they even know the show has started again. They were just as into it as I was!

Last week in my blog I mentioned that I felt there was a lack of communication with the school. Guess what came home in the girls' folders that day! Yup, the info packet and membership form for PTO and the newsletter from the principal. Also, Emma's teacher sent home a letter. So of course I signed up for PTO. They only have two meetings a year. We'll see what I get called upon to help with.

Emma had her first Girl Scout meeting yesterday. And Audrey's is tomorrow. Both girls are excited to be Brownies! And I guess I'm excited to have them doing it. I just have a feeling I'll get sucked into volunteering more than I'd like. I may have to draw the line at any camping though!! As long as the girls are happy, right?

Bad news for Emma!! Today she was supposed to be able to take out her earrings. So last night I took them out so we could see how they were doing and she could try putting earrings in. One ear is a little infected. So we'll keep them in another week or so and take them out every other day to make sure the ears are really getting cleaned well. She was really upset.

Last weekend we went to Spangle for my nephew's dedication. Gus is such a cute kid! Hmmm....I should have gotten an all-cousins picture. Emma, Audrey, Andrew, Amelia, and Gus. I suppose I could have gotten Kara's belly full of Madelyn in there too! It was fun hanging out with Wes and Sara (well, with Sara anyway---you know how Wes is!) and seeing some family. Didn't see Laura at all (she was working), and only got to see my Mom at the church, but Kara and Andrew, my dad, and grandma all came to the house for brunch following the service. The pastor even pronounced Gus' name correctly!

I went walking again today. I did one fewer cul-de-sac than last time. My back is a bit sore and I just wanted to come home and stretch. My new mp3 player arrived on Monday so I tried it out today. It's such a cute little thing! A lime green Creative Zen Stone. I listened to the first hour (of ten) of Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman. I charged my player when I got back--I hope that doesn't mess with where I paused it! I found I walked much slower while listening to a book rather than music.

Justin's dad is coming today, so I should work a bit more on getting the house ready. And maybe myself too. I also need to get more information on where to take my car to get fixed. Like I even know what a transfer case is!! Luckily other people do, so I've been making some calls. You know, when I'm not shopping online for a new car......

Each day, the American housewife turns toward television as toward a lover. She feels guilty about it, and well she might, for he's covered with warts and is only after her money. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966

Crusie & Kirsty

Have you read any books by Jennifer Crusie? I'm really enjoying her books. Her female characters are strong women often in their 30s, of normal size, and pretty darn lucky! No 20-something waifs here. You know how sometimes you read a book and just want to throttle the character? How many times have I thought to myself "if you'd just tell him the truth it would be OK, why must you try and 'fix' it in this sordid way?", and yet I still keep reading! With Crusie's books, I think more along the lines of "buck up and sleep with him already!" since the guy in question is often gorgeous, kind, generous, and a lover of woman of a normal physique. I just finished reading Bet Me and just had to reread the end scene again. It's been hard to get into this Iris Johansen book after that!

So that's Crusie. Now what about Kirsty? Well, they are actually somewhat related subjects. I read Don't Look Down a while ago and the main character listened to Kirsty MacColl--especially the song Us Amazonians. So I was on a quest to find her music. Found it. Like it.

(Regarding Don't Look Down, that book was a collaboration with Bob Mayer. An unlikely pair it appears, but who wrote a really fun book! Why unlikely? Read this.)

Yesterday I went walking (Kristi! Get off the floor! It's not that unlikely, is it? OK, I guess it is. Please, continue laughing.) and listened to Kirsty MacColl's Tropical Brainstorm. There were a few songs I didn't care for, but enough to keep me interested that I decided to walk long enough to finish the whole album. You should hear the girls and I sing Us Amazonians when we're in the car! Now that is an experience.....

I'm thinking this walking thing should continue. I walked up and down every cul-de-sac in our development twice. (Kristi! C'mon, you're going to wet yourself if you keep laughing like that.) It took me an hour. Of course I haven't done it yet today...... But I will! I think.

I bought a new, cheap, mp3 player to use for audiobooks. I am afraid that if just listen to music while I walk I'll start to sing. Bad idea. Why?
1) Nobody wants to hear my croaking
2) I'm sure if I did start singing I wouldn't be thinking and just sing whatever I'm listening to. Even if the lyrics are "she's hot she's hot she's hot/she's just a wild and wicked slut". And who can keep themselves from singing the refrain "sha-la-la-la-la get your rocks off baby"

So I'm sure you understand my plight. Now of course I have to pick my audiobooks carefully. Do I want something sad and wind up crying as I walk? Will people look at me strangely if I walk by them laughing while listening to a comedy. Or will I mutter to myself things like "if you'd just tell him the truth it would be OK, why must you try and 'fix' it in this sordid way?"

Wow. I should really find something to do with my time and stop obsessing about random things. Naw!

I was trying to daydream, but my mind kept wandering. ~Steven Wright

Just another day

It's just another day in the life of Joy. Not much going on, but since I updated my book list, I thought I'd post. Something......

Yesterday I helped out in Audrey's class for a while. I was with a group and one boy asked if I was someone's mom. I told him that yes, I'm Audrey's mom. A girl sitting beside him said "No wonder you're so bossy." Huh. Not sure about that connection. Is Audrey bossy? Or was this just an easy way to let it out that she thought I was bossy. And I am! Oh yeah!! I was telling the kids they needed to (are you ready?) do their work. So now if Audrey comes home and says she wants "K" to come over I'll know to direct her to another friend instead.

I've really been enjoying this school and the people who work there, but the lack of communication is a little frustrating. I noticed a sign on the door yesterday about choir auditions, but didn't take in the particulars figuring the girls would bring something home about it. I mentioned it to the girls last night and they said, "yeah, it's tomorrow". I try to avoid being a pest (I know, I fail miserably at that), but do I need to drop by the school every day and look for flyers? What has really shocked me is that there has been nothing from the PTO. By now you'd think they'd be pushing membership at the very least. Emma of course still prefers Bay View. When I said I'd found something I didn't like about the school she said "Just now? I've found 50 things wrong with it. Maybe we should move." I reminded her that she absolutely loves her teacher.

The weather is starting to change here. But it's still blue skies and t-shirt weather. It's been starting a bit overcast, but getting nice. Yesterday I was surprised that it was under 70* and I was still comfortable in pants and a t-shirt. Fall is my favorite season, so I'm looking forward to it. And I can't wait to get out my Halloween decorations!! I know, I have a little more time to wait on that one. But I do have my Halloween craft books and magazines out......too bad there isn't a craft store in town.

I'll have my first volunteer shift at the library on Friday. I'd better practice my alphabet.

Happily we bask in this warm September sun,Which illuminates all creatures...~ Henry David Thoreau

'Tis the end of summer

Yep, it's over. We put the pool away yesterday. Now we have a big brown patch in our yard that smells like poo.

We swim because we are too sexy for a sport that requires clothes. ~Author Unknown

Happy Anniversary!!

Yup. Twelve years ago today I donned my Gone With the Wind wedding dress and said I DO! Last night we celebrated with dinner at Tendrils. It's located near The Gorge Amphitheater at Cave B Winery. Beautiful location! Getting to the restaurant, we kept wondering if we were going in the right direction.....afraid we'd wind up in some Restricted/Winemakers Only area. But eventually we wound our way to the parking lot and enjoyed the easy walk past the Chef's Garden and grape vines to the Inn and restaurant. I'd called for reservations and we took the 5:30 option--the next one was at 7:30 and I figured with how many hours Justin has been working, and having been sick this week it would be best to go earlier. The dining room was empty when we arrived, but when we left it was full and kind of noisy. Justin's dinner was amazing!! He did the right thing in taking our server's advice and having the pork. We'd both been trying to decide between the pork and the lamb, so I ordered the lamb. It was very good, but after tasting the pork I just couldn't get excited about it. And yes, of course we enjoyed a bottle of Sagecliffe Cabernet. Yum!

So obviously, if we were able to go out alone we must have found someone to watch the kids! Finally!! I asked at the school office if anyone knew of babysitters. Lucky for us, the principal lives in our neighborhood and has a babysitting age daughter. Yahoo!!! The girls really enjoyed her too.

I updated my book list. It's kind of heavy on the Chick Lit right now, which I enjoy immensely of course, but still need to mix it up a bit. I really liked Paging Aphrodite by Kim Green. She's a great writer! Strong characters and I want sequels to both Paging Aphrodite and Is That a Moose in Your Pocket. I also just read Queen of Babble in the Big City. I really think Meg Cabot just needs to sit down and write more Queen of Babble books and forget about everything else!! C'mon Meg!! Get writing! I need more Lizzie!!!!!

The girls are still enjoying school. Tomorrow I'll help out in Audrey's class for the first time. I was supposed to go in last Monday, but I was sick....and so was Emma. I'm looking forward to helping out and meeting the kids. We'll see what I have to say at the end of the morning.....

It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. ~Rita Rudner

"Maybe Baby"

That's the book I forgot! It's by Lani Diane Rich. The female character's last name is Wiley and the male's is Maybe. Whew! I'm glad that's all been figured out. I was at the library today and that cover happened to be facing out on the paperback carousel nearest me.

The girls are still liking school. And I'm still liking my alone time. :) Today I wandered into a couple of gift shops in town and picked up the new schedule for the local art studio. I'm almost feeling like a grown-up! Now I just need to find babysitters so Justin and I can go out. Heck, our anniversary is coming up soon---wouldn't that be a nice time to go out??!?

Well, I guess that's about it. I was just so darn excited to find that book! I'm sure I'll discover a ton of books I want to read when I start volunteering at the library! But first I need to figure out when I'll help out in Audrey's and Emma's classes. About time I had a schedule!

Might we not say to the confused voices which sometimes arise from the depths of our being: "Ladies, be so kind as to speak only four at a time?" ~Madame Swetchine

The Life of a Recalled Toy

A bunch of Polly Pocket toys were recently recalled (little magnet that can fall out). And guess what, we had a few of those sets. So I told the girls and we started gathering them up. And now they are the favorite toy! Do I keep them? They are pretty safe around my girls, they aren't going to put something like that in their mouth. I'm afraid though, that once they do finally get tired of playing with them that I'll forget about the recall and donate it somewhere, putting lives in jeopardy!! OK, maybe not so much.

You know the phrase "don't know what you've got until it's gone"? I've been having some "didn't know I'd not had it until I had it again" moments. Like last night. We had lightning! I grew up terrified of it (OK, actually I was terrified of fire; didn't help that 4th of July when we were at the neighbors and Bert said "oh, looks like that one hit your house") but I really enjoyed watching it last night. You don't get that kind of streak lightning in Western Washington very much. Another thing I didn't realize is absent on the west side of the state: magpies. Yup, those big black and white birds that are all over the place here.

I spent my first two school days doing pretty much nothing. Today I should probably do something. Time to go return things at Staples, go to the Post Office, and and and.....who knows what!

National Waffle Week begins Sunday!

Back to School!!

Today was Day 2 of the new school year for the Rawls girls. Yee-haw! Justin was able to go into work a little later yesterday so he could be around for their first morning. I drove the girls to school and they took the bus home. Sounds like it was a good first day! For the first time in three years, Audrey did not state that "snack" or "lunch" was her favorite part of the school day! It was music instead.

Audrey made some new friends. But in typical first grader fashion, she didn't know their names. Emma said she didn't meet anybody. Today though, she came home and said she'd made two friends!! Both girls like their teachers and seem to be adjusting well to a new school and town.

I'm sure you're wondering how I did this morning getting them on the bus. I appreciate your concern.... The bus came early. Not super early, but before I had started a look-out. (the bus drives up the hill into our neighborhood, then stops at our house on the way back---just fine for watching the bus come and then heading out to wait) Luckily the bus driver called me to see if he'd be picking up the girls. So now I'll be looking out earlier. But....Audrey got off the bus today and said the bus would be ten minutes late tomorrow. Okaay....in the morning? afternoon? both?? Guess we'll find out tomorrow. I'm hoping that I can keep up with this new schedule, if for no other reason than to look at Kristi and say "Ha!". :) hee hee hee.

I watched Akeelah and the Bee today. Holy cow, did I bawl or what??? Was I supposed to cry like that, or was I overly emotional? Whatever the reason, it was a good movie. Glad I went ahead and watched it instead of returning it tonight unwatched. All thanks to Brian and his blog "Word Daze"!

If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers. ~Edgar W. Howe

How true is that??

Similarities in books

The Worthy was about fraternity hazing.

The Mangler of Malibu Canyon had beheaded bodies.

Size 14 Isn't Fat Either has a body without a head, and there's a teaser about fraternity hazing.

Anyone else sensing a theme here??


"Off with his head!"
--From King Richard III (III, iv, 76)

Waverly Cemetery Photos

I emailed some of my photos of the Waverly Cemetery to Grave Addiction and they were posted on today's update. Grave Addiction Update Look for number 15!

I found the pictures!

Emma's having fun tubing on Hayden Lake.

Audrey has fun too!

Here's my new computer background. I love old cemeteries! This one is in Waverly--you can see my dad or brother's combine in the background.

I just kinda liked how this one turned out. Too bad I never remember to turn off the date stamp on my camera! grrrrrrr


I'm glad I finally found these pictures. I think I need some computer help. Like making sure everything is where it should be and accessible to me. Maybe someday....

This is not going to be good for me.....

....or maybe it will. I called the bus garage yesterday to find out what time and where the bus will pick up the girls. They catch the bus down the street at (ok, give me a minute.....breathe deeply.....sip tea....pop a Xanax....ok, maybe not the Xanax, but they always do that in books!) 7:12 a.m. And I thought I got up early today when I stumbled out of bed at 7:30!!! Justin said something to the effect of "Golly, we can get up at the same time and have coffee together." Yeah right. It's going to be both of us in bed, staying in as long as possible, and then when one of us thinks "well, fine, if he/she isn't going to get up I guess I will so I can get in the shower right away" that's when the other one will get up out of bed (because he/she had been thinking of it mere seconds before the other one) and into the shower. I suppose I should start practicing this whole "get up early thing". I have a little time.... School starts Wednesday and I'll drive them that day.

Last night we attended the New Student Orientation at Grant Elementary School. It was great to go and see the school, find out about some of the programs, meet the principal and the intern principal and the counselor. Mr. Garcia, the counselor, is a kick in the pants. Sounds like he is extremely kid-focused and fun. He says when it snows he heads out to the field and helps kids build forts, he teaches students to sing the WSU Fight Song to teachers who are Husky fans, all sorts of fun stuff! Last night Justin said that Mr. Garcia's job sounded awfully tempting...(Justin's having a really stressful week at work; yeah, maybe even more so than usual)

So I mentioned the intern principal...Guess what. I went to high school with him. Brian Ellis, he was a year ahead of me. It's funny to realize that in a town this small (by some standards, although it's fairly good-sized to me) there are three of us who graduated from Liberty High School in the 80s/90s.

The lack of household organization is starting to drive me batty. I'm still using a card table for my computer (alas, that means no puzzles), my printer isn't even hooked up, and I have a corner filled with craft supplies and no place to put them. Yet. Add to that the mess of toys, and the boxes of games and puzzles that are still homeless. I shoved most of our movies into a three drawer bin, but there are still others waiting for placement. The good news is that it is no longer sweltering up here in the computer/TV/play room. I told the girls that we may soon be able to rent movies---and actually watch them! Oh, seating would be nice up here too. I reclined on pillows and watched a movie the other night (Take the Lead with Antonio Banderas, it was really quite good) until my buttocks fell asleep!

I updated my "Books I've Read" list the other day and realized I'd forgotten one. This is one of the many times I've wished the library kept a record of books I've checked out. I can't remember the title or author. And I tried Googling keywords and doing the same at NovelList, but came up with nothing. So if you know of a book about: a woman who owns a winery; the theft of a takapu (an endangered bird from "New Zealand"); it's a romance and a mystery; let me know the title! I think the character(s) have names that can have double meaning like "Trouble" or something (like the guy is Damien Trouble and the title is "Playing with Trouble", y'know, something kind of punny). Need to add the book I started this morning after staying up a couple hours last night to finish one. And then....I couldn't sleep!! I considered starting another book, but although reading might help some people fall asleep, it doesn't work that way with me!

Enough procrastinating! Time to pay bills, clean the house, shop for groceries (maybe even figure out dinner), and shop for school supplies and a desk and other storage. We're almost done with the school supply hunt, but for some reason I cannot find loose leaf paper at Wal-Mart. Isn't that something that is usually on pallets and set in the aisle right by the other school supplies?? Not in Ephrata I guess. Oh, I have laundry to finish too. Guess I have my day set!

The average, healthy, well-adjusted adult gets up at seven-thirty in the morning feeling just plain terrible. ~Jean Kerr, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, 1957

Oh my goodness!!! I am "average, healthy, and well-adjusted"!!!!

I have a "carpe diem" mug and, truthfully, at six in the morning the words do not make me want to seize the day. They make me want to slap a dead poet. ~Joanne Sherman

OK, had to pay homage to one of my top three movies of all time!!!!

But I'd gotten used to the heat.....

And now we're having highs in the low 80s? Brrrrr! OK, maybe not brrrr, per se, but it still doesn't feel the same. Guess that means summer is ending.

I took the girls to their new school yesterday. They'll be attending Grant. First thing I saw when we walked to the door was a flyer announcing the New Student Orientation on August 22nd. Of course I'm rarely aware of the actual date....so I panicked. Did we miss it? I hastily flipped open my Anne Taintor Engagement Calendar and was thrilled to note that we had not missed it. It's tomorrow night. Whew! The secretary and counselor were extremely helpful and very nice. As a bonus we met a first grade teacher in the hallway---won't know until Wednesday night if she's Audrey's teacher though. School starts next Wednesday.

The weekend before last we went to Silverwood Theme Park. And get this.....Justin took Friday off!!!! He even stopped answering his cell phone when I gave him the withering look of wifely disgust. We all went on Timber Terror---one of the big wooden roller coasters. Audrey and I vowed to never go on another one again. My shins still hurt! I felt like I was being pulled out of my seat, so I forced my legs under the car in front so that I could stay in and then clutched Audrey so she wouldn't fall out either. Yes, I know that we wouldn't really fall out. But that didn't stop me from being totally neurotic about it! Sheesh. Emma loved the roller coaster and she and Justin went on another one, twice. This one was metal and went upside down. They both said it was much smoother than the wooden one and easier to go on. Maybe next time. Yeah, right!

After Silverwood we stayed in Hayden with David and his friend Hazel. Wonderful hospitality!! And now we have a new obsession.....finding lakefront property. We don't need much---just some water access. I could sit on a dock and read all day. Aahhhh.... The girls wore their life jackets and swam near the dock. We took the boat out and the girls had a blast tubing. Yes, I do have pictures, but I seem to have experienced a large problem with my photos/computer today. Hopefully I'll get it figured out soon and can post some pictures.

Last week the girls and I went to Spokane to shop for school clothes. And get this....Emma got her ears pierced! Yeah, I know, I always said 12 or 13, but for some reason I changed my mind. I'm allowed to do that, right? OK.

I've raised a couple of city girl hicks. They were afraid of the combines when we went out to see my dad and Wes. But then at the mall they wanted to ride the escalators because they were so exciting! Funny kids.

Wes was harvesting right across from the Waverly Cemetery and I took some really great pictures--including some black and whites that I'm quite happy with. But again there's that whole Kodak/pictures disappearing. Gotta work on that. I was going through those pictures to send to the GraveAddiction website when it all went kaplooey.

On our way to the field Audrey said "I just saw a chicken cross the road! Or maybe it was a cat." Oooookaaaayy... On our way back I pointed out two pheasants to the girls. Audrey said, "That's what I saw!" Oh dear. A career in zoology is not in that girl's future.

Oh, Audrey also has a very cute new haircut! I was planning on posting a picture, but y'know....

I guess that's about it for now. Time to feed the girls and get them to bed (thier new bunk beds that is). We need to get in the habit of going to bed earlier. A lot earlier. But it's hard to make those changes.



Are you ready? August 22nd is Southern Hemisphere Hoodie Hoo Day!!!

Scouting.....

So if you don't hear from me for a few days, you may want to check Moses Lake. The girls and I are going to go over there after library today. I have no idea where I'm going! I found out yesterday that Wal-Mart here in town is out of kids lifejackets. Hence the need to travel. blech Moses Lake feels like one of those towns that's built at an angle. I don't deal well with that.

Wish me luck!

This week is Don't Wait! Celebrate! Week

Is Ephrata "home" now?

It's been a while since I've written anything here. Been a while since I updated my list of books too. I think I'm forgetting one after Pretty is as Pretty Does. By the way, don't read that particular book. A reviewer on the front cover called it "funny" but for some reason I didn't pick up a lot of humor in a book about a vain, self-centered young woman who has an affair less than a month after she gets married.

I finally broke down and bought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. I'm feeling rather sad at not being able to look forward to another book. But what do you think? Will J.K. Rowling do a spin-off? Take another character from the book and turn it into an all new best-seller? And if she does, would I read it? Hmmmmm.

We're starting to get used to living in Ephrata now. The girls have made some friends. We've met a couple of neighbors and they are all very nice. School starts at the end of this month!! That will certainly make some huge changes. I need to find out when the class information comes out---y'know, find out what time school begins and ends, which school the girls are in (for sure), where and when the bus comes. All those minor issues!

Time to be productive. Ha ha ha ha ha!! OK, time to drink tea. How's that?

Never kick a cow chip on a hot day. ~Proverb

I miss my floors!!!!

So we've been here what, just under three weeks? And I am so missing my concrete and laminate floors! Carpet is so frustrating. Well, not carpet itself so much, but what gets on it. And so far we've had:

coffee
dog barf
sick dog poo
cat barf
child barf (multiple)
sick dog poo (again)

The girls and I just got back from Wal-Mart with a Bissell SpotBot. I'm just sittin' here while it cleans the sick dog poo from the upstairs carpet. One spot is done (and appears to look fine) and I'm now hearing the beeps that stain number two is done. And now number three. After this I'll try it downstairs on the other stains too!

I've finished the first six books in the Harry Potter series. I'll be living in fear for the next who knows how long until I get to read the newest one. Why fear? I'm afraid I'm going to accidentally find out what happens in it! Childish, perhaps, but I really want to find out myself. Is Snape good or evil? Will Harry live? Will Tonks and Lupin have a double wedding with Bill and Fleur? Will Ron and Hermione finally confess their undying love for each other? So much to find out!!

Almost two. I should eat. But I really wanted to get these spots started first. Now I can eat!

Don't cook. Don't clean. No man will ever make love to a woman because she waxed the linoleum - "My God, the floor's immaculate. Lie down, you hot bitch." ~Joan Rivers

Harry Potter and the Joy of Reading

I'm almost done with Book 4 in the Harry Potter series! (thanks Barbara for giving them to me for Christmas) The final book is coming out soon. When I read the last one I wasn't able to enjoy it as much because I couldn't remember half of what had happened in the previous books! Not letting that happen again though. I'm doing my homework! Good thing the girls love to hang out in the pool so I can read. And read. And read.....

Well, here we are in Ephrata! Yup. Most everything is unpacked and quite a bit is put away. We even have some pictures up on the walls! And a bunch more leaning against walls that we might want to hang them on. It's not a quick and easy process y'know! I'm trying to do away with as many knick-knack thingies. I have great shelving in the guest room closet for candles, so that helps. I no longer have to figure out the safest way to get them into the cupboard when I don't want to display them. One thing that is bugging the heck out of me is the absence of my scale and bedside clock!! My newest theory is that it accidentally got put in storage in the other house (kind of like the two boxes of books that were supposed to go into storage and instead showed up here).

Of course just because I no longer live in Bow, doesn't mean I can't catch you up on what's going on there:
OK, funny thing happened this morning! Shock and surprise the J's water well went out again! I know, I know, don't ask! I have cursed all I can for the rest of the month in just a few short hours!
Anyway, I sat there in bed and thought, no biggie, I can go to the R's! So, off to the R's I go at 7:45 am shampoo and TP in hand (just in case you didn't leave any!).
It dawned on me just then that oh yes, O (house cleaner) was coming today, not to worry, she never comes before 9 according to Joy! 7:55 with a head full of soap, ding dong! Now I know I said earlier that I had sworn my share for the month but after that one, I felt I deserved to dip into August!
Luckily I left the bathroom door open so I shouted "Oh hi O! I'm one of Joys friends, I'll be out of here in 10 minutes!" Yea, like she had a clue as to what I just said! So, on my way out the door, thanking her under my breath for not calling the cops, I did laugh and say "your early today"! She laughed in her "I don't understand a word your saying so don't bother" look.
Add that to your blog!
Well, Nancy, don't mind if I do add that to my blog! I miss that neighborhood!!!!!

Tomorrow is Justin's birthday. Wow. That means a year ago we had the Hawg Roast. Now that was a good time! Of course I did a very very lousy job regarding Justin's birthday. Hopefully I'm doing better this year! (but without roasting a hundred pound pig in the ground)

Tomorrow I also get wireless internet. I can hear what you're thinking. "but, if she doesn't have internet then how can she be adding to her blog?" I'm using my laptop in the front room and very guiltily accessing the wireless feed from the neighbors. Fortunately that will end tomorrow! At least I hope it works....

Hopefully I'll have more to add soon. So far it's just been lots of heat, swimming, reading, and family here.

Do what we can, summer will have its flies. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

(July 10 is Don't Step on a Bee Day)

So how far behind am I?

I'm not even going to look. I don't want to know the date of my last blog entry. I know it's been a while! So, what's new, you wonder?

We're moving. It's officially official. Only a week and a half left here. And so much to get done! I really should be packing right now....

School is out. PTA is over for me. Well, not quite. I still need to type the minutes from the last general and board meetings. And get all the stuff to the new secretary. And get the website and book fair information to someone too.

That's really about it for now. Especially because I really need to be packing right now! Barbara came last week and got a ton accomplished. Now I'm trying to figure out what I can probably live without for the last week. The kitchen is almost completely done. I'm working on the computer/desk stuff next. I think. aarrgghhh!!!!

If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it. ~Olin Miller

At what point....

At what point during the filming of the movie Legally Blonde 2 do you think Reese Witherspoon said, "oh man, this is crap"? Not too long ago I bought a two DVD set: Legally Blonde and Legally Blonde 2. I'd seen the first one and been amused. I'd never seen the second one. Until tonight......

I really should have read a book instead.

A sequel is an admission that you've been reduced to imitating yourself. ~Don Marquis

But if they'd imitated themselves but had more Luke Wilson screen time, then we'd be OK.

Beauty Queen or Oompa Loompa??

Little Beauties: Ultimate Kiddie Queen Showdown. What the?????? Oh I loooove VH-1!! OK, these six year old girls have full make-up and wicked hair. They are wearing false eyelashes for goodness sake! Spray tans. $2000 dresses. Oh my goodness. So I'm watching this thing (Shear Genius is on in 15 minutes so I have to watch something)and I'm getting a bit freaked out. They don't look like girls. They don't quite look like women. What is it? Oh yeah, Oompa Loompas! But wait, what was that? A different look. Ahhh....a Who from Whoville.

Do you know what a flipper is? Fake teeth!! Yeah, 'cause heaven forbid a six year old not have a perfect full set of adult teeth. And yes, that is another $200 plus the $50 impression kit. Oh my gosh, did that mom just say her daughter needs "butt stick" to keep her six year old's cheeks in her bathing suit??? "I truly buhlieve in bribery", says another pageant mom. Well yeah, don't we all? But shhhh....we aren't supposed to admit it. So we have slutty six year olds and moms who are even frumpier than me. Blech.. Ready to find out how the parents, er, moms, get their girls all set for this event? Sugar!!!!! Pixie Stix!!! No wonder they need flippers.

Oh good. Shear Genius is on.

Against Him those women sin who torment their skin with potions, stain their cheeks with rouge and extend the line of their eyes with black coloring. Doubtless they are dissatisfied with God's plastic skill. In their own persons they convict and censure the Artificer of all things. ~Tertullian

Waiting for Gandalf

The wait is over! But alas, Gandalf is not his name. Instead, my brand new nephew is named Gustav Wesly. (I think. I kind of forgot to ask about the spelling and really can't remember how my grandpa's middle name--Gustav or Gustaf--was spelled.) But however it's spelled, Mom, Dad, Baby, and Big Sister are all fine. Yay!!!!

Wow. Two nephews in one week. My sister Kara left me a message that she has her son back. I couldn't understand part of the message, so need to call her and find out the details. Good news all around it sounds like!

Getting down on all fours and imitating a rhinoceros stops babies from crying. (Put an empty cigarette pack on your nose for a horn and make loud "snort" noises.) I don't know why parents don't do this more often. Usually it makes the kid laugh. Sometimes it sends him into shock. Either way it quiets him down. If you're a parent, acting like a rhino has another advantage. Keep it up until the kid is a teenager and he definitely won't have his friends hanging around your house all the time. ~P.J. O'Rourke

Mmmm....no title really.....

I wrote a great blog entry the other day. Pulitzer caliber! But you'll never get to read it, because my Internet Explorer decided to shut down. grrrrrr

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!!!!!

(that was for my sister)

So one thing I was writing about the other day is my newest televsion obsession. Yep, Shear Genius. It's a competition among hairdressers. They started out with twelve, and as of last night they are down to ten. They do two challenges each week. A "short cut" (which I thought the first week meant they were to design a short hairstyle, of course it irked me to see all these long hairstyles when I thought they should be short. I guess short just refers to the shorter amount of time they have to complete it.) after which they are ranked and the top stylist gets first pick of model for their next challenge. The elimination round. bwahahahaha! The first week the elimination was Hair Art. Last night they had models who showed up with a photo of a celebrity who's hair they wanted emulated. Some of it turned out good, some not so good. I feel like they need a third challenge in there. Or that the first one should have some more weight with regard to elimination. But that's just me. Until the execs at Bravo get in touch with me, I guess they'll just have to muddle through with what they have going now. sigh

Leavenworth Alefest is coming up. Yee-haw! Beer and brats! Come on good weather too! At least we are guaranteed good friends---that sure helps! Too bad some other friends of ours can't come too........(yeah, you know who you are)

Well, I've read a few of the 22 or so books I checked out from the library before they closed. Wonder how many I'll finish by May 21. Any guesses??

Nothing much else to say today.

Hair style is the final tip-off whether or not a woman really knows herself. ~Hubert de Givenchy, Vogue, July 1985

Finally---the second week of April!!!!

Why, you ask, am I so darn excited about the second week of April? Because this is the first week I've had in a while with nothing major happening. And it's likely to be the last week like that for a while too.....

Last week was Spring Break. So we just got over having an exchange student for two weeks on top of me helping with the teaching for that program, and now we're off to Spokane! Uh-uh, not so quickly! First, we buy a house. Yep, you heard (er, read) right, we bought a house. In Ephrata. Saturday morning we went to the house at 8am and by 10am we were writing up an offer. I'll keep you posted on the dates of the big yard sale!! The house is very cute. It's good-sized, but the way it's set up I'm not sure that all of our furniture will fit in it. And the girls will--gasp--share a room. They are OK with it. All we had to do was say the magic words: Bunk Beds.

After we bought the house we went to Colfax for my Granddad's memorial service. (my mom's dad) Very nice service with stories and a slide show. I swear in one of the pictures Granddad looked like Nicolas Cage---if he'd been cast in O Brother, Where Art Thou? that is. It's great to see all the family members that we never get to see anymore. When we were kids I'd see some of the cousins at the fair and Junior Livestock Show. Now it's only at weddings and funerals. Of course we heard the "we should get together at the lake" and "family reunion" phrases bandied about. We'll see what happens..... Guess it might be nice to move closer. We'll be two hours away instead of six.

The girls and I stayed with my mom until Friday morning. What a week! Andrew is still with his idiot father so we didn't get to see him, but I think we saw everyone else. My friend Amy had a baby last month so the girls and I went to her house for a couple of hours. The last time I saw her daughter was three years ago---in the hospital a day after she was born! It was great to see them. I'm so bad at keeping up with friends. I hope I redeem myself when we move!

Easter weekend we spent in Ephrata. We went to an Easter Egg Hunt in Moses Lake. Couldn't find one advertised in Ephrata, but found out the next day that there was one. Bummer. I think the girls had fun though. Emma got a prize egg and won a basket with a stuffed lamb and some candy. Justin's dad met up with us in Moses Lake for lunch and then we took him to see our new house. (the couple who we're buying it from are super sweet and very accommodating!) The girls and I left Sunday around 1pm. I was wiped out last night! However, that did not stop me from starting the puzzle I'd bought at a thrift store. It's a big mug of beer. We'll see how long it takes me to finish it.

Audrey has a doctor's appointment this morning so I'd better get her ready to go. Tomorrow I'll go to the library with a big list of books to check out. The library will close this weekend and then reopen in their new, big building in mid-May. So I figured I'd stock up. And it's less for them to move, right? So I'm being helpful.

There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse! As I have often found in travelling in a stagecoach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position, and be bruised in a new place. ~Washington Irving

"I couldn't put up with it"

That phrase was going through my head tonight and I realized that there are different connotations regarding it. (or maybe I'm just sensitive to hearing more behind it....) It can come through as a positive--someone sees you as stronger than they are. Or as a negative--someone is wondering why the heck you put up with something (or someone) and why you don't do something about it.

Now that's nothing that is really bothering me. It's just something I was thinking of tonight. Yes, I have felt I'm the recipient of the "why isn't she doing something about it", but it's definitely not an issue that will bother me too much! (at least not tonight....)

So, what's been going on????
For the past two weeks I've been an Assistant Teacher for a group of Japanese girls. It was great fun!! I really enjoyed myself and felt like maybe I did an OK job. Yes, the lead teacher did rescue me on more than one occasion, but I wonder if I would have figured it out myself if she wasn't there. Y'know, all that nervousness around the expert thing.

We were originally going to host one of the students, but then she dropped out of the program. I figured that was a blessing! The girls arrived on a Thursday evening and on that Sunday morning I had a call from the program coordinator asking me if I'd take one of the students. Her host mother had been in an accident Saturday night. So we had Sanae living with us for a while. A good experience, but a surprise!

Last week our school hosted a tour from the Missoula Children's Theater. This is such a great program!! Two actor/directors arrive at the school on Sunday/Monday and at 4:00pm Monday they hold auditions for a play. Ours was The Jungle Book. At 6:00pm they announce the cast. Our school had 97 students try out. And there are parts for about 55 or so. On the following Saturday they perform the play two times. Yowza! Emma and Audrey both auditioned. Audrey got a part as a monkey. Emma wasn't chosen this year (last year she was a Magical Mexican Jumping Bean for Jack and the Beanstalk and two years ago was a flower in Tales From Hans Christian Andersen). It was a little tough for Emma to accept at first, but she was OK with it pretty quickly. So we had a busy week with that too!

Tomorrow morning we will take Sanae to Burlington to get on the charter bus with the other 12 students and their escort and head back to Japan. Well, to go to Disneyland for two days first.....Once again, it was a great experience, but it'll be nice to kind of relax for a while!

Justin found a house he likes. We'll look at it together this weekend. Damn that reality!!! I guess it could really happen. We could move to Ephrata for a while. I feel like Wile E. Coyote with a sign "Yipes". How weird is all this???

I'm tired and I loathe and despise getting up in the morning. We'll see how I do!

We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend, so we buy ice cream. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Write more

OK, so maybe if I write in this blog more consistently I won't just write when I'm feeling all moopy. (I watch way too much Kim Possible with the girls!) Not that I'm unmoopy now, but maybe a bit less so than yesterday.

No new houses in Ephrata. But there are now pictures on the MLS of my brother and sister-in-law's house. I have them on my list of "favorites" and was taken aback when I was scooting through them today and saw a picture of a house I didn't recognize. Well, that I didn't recognize from the Ephrata houses on my list that is.

My moopiness is making me feel like we should just go ahead and move. But we won't really know exactly what is going on until the end of April, so by then I guess we might as well stay here until school gets out. Or we could get rid of the dog and cat and rent in Ephrata now and then buy in April/May when we know what's going on. I just feel like I need to step away.

My life expectancy is 71 years of age. Too damn long if you ask me! I finally got around to reading Sunday's paper and there was an article in the US Weekend (or whatever it's called)on life expectancy. It listed a site to go to and use the life expectancy calculator. www.livingto100.com My expectancy could be even lower if I'd remembered my cholesterol levels.

There's a PTA meeting tonight so I need to make copies of the minutes from the previous meeting. That and work on publishing student's stories in Emma's class. Then it's off to the grocery store! I have been eating like crap for months and months. And I'm really craving vegetables right now. Let's see if I am able to buy veggies and actually eat them instead of letting them rot in the fridge. Maybe I should focus on frozen instead.....

Think I'll peruse a few recipes before heading out. Just enough time to do so it looks like.

There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward. ~John Mortimer

Blah blah blah

That's how I feel today. Blah. And I've been feeling that way a lot lately. I mean, more than usual! Not sure exactly what is happening with me, but will try to remember to take all my meds now. If only the time release (one a day) pill wasn't three times as expensive as the "try to remember to take three pills a day" generic version. Hopefully that will help. Hopefully something will help. Until then I will try to avoid people and situations that may put me into contact with people. Easy, right? Ha!

I updated my reading list again. I removed a bunch---thought I'd just keep 10 books listed at a time. I can't wait--the library bought You Suck by Christopher Moore. I can't wait to read it! Only 100 pages to go in Goodbye, Jimmy Choo until I can crack open You Suck. Sounds like it's a continuation of Bloodsucking Fiends. I just need to get my hands on a copy of Fluke and I will be all updated with Christopher Moore's books. Time to make another library request......

Not much going on. Or at least not much that I want to discuss. The 13 students from Japan will arrive next Thursday. We are no longer hosting a student (two dropped out of the program and one of them happened to be ours) but I'm still going to help teach. I'm nervous and excited. Fortunately there's a real teacher making the lesson plans--I just have to facilitate what she has put together. We'll be meeting this weekend to go over things and make sure the other teacher and I aren't too freaked out.

No new houses coming up for sale in Ephrata. Well, at least none that appeal to us. We looked at nine in one day and two of them have potential. We still have another month before all this is in writing, so there's no hurry. Maybe over spring break we'll take some time to look at some again---and maybe there will be more! Justin and I started talking more about one of the houses he liked. We discussed having him look at it again (as we were trying to figure out where this fourth bedroom listed is). I told him that it would pretty much guarantee that the owners receive an offer over the weekend. It's happened a couple of times. A house doesn't seem to be quite right, then we start discussing what we could do to it and when we call our realtor we find out that there's been an offer. Messes us up but helps the seller! Wonder if we could market ourselves somehow.....

Wonder if I'll take a shower today. I guess I should.

Many of us go through life feeling as an actor might feel who does not like his part, and does not believe in the play. ~Mignon McLaughlin, The Neurotic's Notebook, 1960

Zowie

Looks like I haven't done the blog thing in a while. Sorry? Mmmmm....gonna update my books real quick. OK, done. Although I think I may be missing one or two. Wouldn't it be nice if you could call up your recent "items checked out" from the library.......

We looked at houses in the Ephrata area over the weekend. Is it too much to ask for a yard???? Maybe we'll be the only residents of Ephrata with a dog.

The PTA auction is coming up. I'm looking forward to it. Not sure if I can afford any of the auction items though! I was talking with someone today, wondering who are the people in our school district for whom it is nothing to pay over $1000 for an auction item. Personally, if we are going to spend that much money, we've done some research. It's not exactly petty cash at that point. But it sounds like some people on the committee know who these people are. So I guess they exist!

So I'm reading this book--Birdwing by Rafe Martin. It's a YA book. So far it's quite good. (I won it at a Scholastic Book Fairs Chairpersons Workshop) But it bugs me that in the story the main character's left arm is actually a swan wing. But on the cover of the book the right arm is the swan wing arm. Usually it's word stuff that gets me. Not Right/Left or North/South/East/West. Not sure why this bugs me so.

Speaking of word stuff. Did I mention that in the Bay View PTA Newsletter I had been using the wrong form of the word /to/? Yep. For at least three issue I used /to/ instead of /too/. How embarrassing! How can I ridicule others for their lack of English skills when I am lacking!?!? I've passed it on though....While waiting at a stop light Emma was reading the sign of a man on the corner. He stated on his sign that his wallet had been "stold". I was quite impressed, and pleased, to hear Emma comment on that "word". She knew it was incorrect. And she knew what word should be in place of it. Yay! She's not just a math girl!!!

Audrey is getting so much better at sounding out words. Not only is she better at that, but she also seems to....not mind it. Can't say she enjoys it exactly. But at least she's doing it and not throwing a fit!

I swear I thought I'd go to bed early tonight. Put the girls to bed around 8:30. Work on PTA stuff on the computer and go to bed early. Nope. Almost 11:45 and I'm still up. And I haven't worked on the PTA newsletter yet. Oh well. It'll all get done. Right?????

Ignorant people think it is the noise which fighting cats make that is so aggravating, but it ain't so; it is the sickening grammar that they use. ~Mark Twain