A Lesson Learned...

My mom gave the girls a book a while back. "Fold a Banana" It's a book of things to do when you are bored. We flipped through it a little, and I wondered about my mom's sanity a little. The girls got the book out again yesterday. Of course they got this book out just about an hour before Justin and I needed to leave for an event.



Sorry, it's hard to read this but it says "Open everything". And they did. They opened all the drawers in Emma's dresser.

Check out what happened!

See the white shards of pottery? That would be the big piggy bank. Luckily it was empty.

So the girls learned a lesson! Oh my....

I Know You Want to Know...

...what did I think of Twilight (the movie)??

Possible spoilers. I don't know what I'm going to write!!!!

Hmmmm...

OK, right now I want you to regress and think about The Flintstones. You got it? OK. Now think about when Fred drives his car--y'know, the feet on the ground and the sound it makes? Yeah. That's what I/we thought of the "special effects".

So, the "special effects" certainly leave something to be desired. I truly hope that will get much better for the second one. (yeah, I'm sure there will be a second one--did you doubt that?)

We all know that a book is highly preferable to a movie version. So I'll spare you all the "but the book was so much better" comments. But overall it was a good movie. Viewers could pretty much see what happened in the first book and be ready for the second.

Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes. ~John LeCarre

Las Vegas!

Chris, Chad, Heather, Holly, Justin, Laura, Joy, Bud

We enjoyed a yummy meal! Our last night together in Las Vegas.

Chris, Justin, Bud, and Chad

Our first night. Woo-hoo!

"Look Ma, no hands!"

Five boobs.

More Mudgy & Millie

Everyone enjoys Mudgy & Millie!

Why yes, I am beautiful. And yes, I did know my mother was taking this picture. So yes, I posed.

Audrey with Mudgy. This is a sight you will not often see....Audrey wearing a sweatshirt--and with the hood on even! She must have really been cold!

Mudgy & Millie

We had a great time in Coeur d'Alene with David and Hazel! We followed the path of Mudgy the Moose and Millie the Mouse. Great statues set up around town with a book (and lots of signs) as a guide. Of course we had to pose the girls on all of them!

Here's the first statue we went to. We realized later that it's actually the last one in the story. Oh well!

Mudgy, Millie, Emma, and Audrey at the lake.

I tried putting more pictures on this, but not all of them went through. I'll post the others separately...

Happy Almost Halloween

Don't worry, this blog background will go away soon. I just had to be a little witch-y for a little while.

Hold on, man. We don't go anywhere with "scary," "spooky," "haunted," or "forbidden" in the title. ~From Scooby-Doo

The house moved!!

Here's the boom truck, ready for action. The truck was hooked to the house; the truck would stay in place with the boom winch pulling until the house was too close--then the truck was moved forward.

This is the foundation onto which the house will be pulled. The day after the big event, Allen and Justin spent most of the day under the house getting everything done.

Of course nothing was going to go wrong.... But just in case the house started to slide backwards this was in place.

Does Justin look official or what??

The house move/The moving house

I was hoping to just have a visual of this (video) instead of trying to write it out, but since it hasn't happened yet I guess I have some 'splainin' to do.

It's not our house. Our friend Allen Danskine built a house (well, he's built three; we're living in number two) next to the foundation on which it will rest. Why?? A few years ago Allen and Laura bought a house. A nasty, stinky, foreclosed mobile home on a beautiful spot. Allen pretty much gutted the mobile and made it livable--and quite nice. So does this mean he's built four houses? But I digress.... Instead of building the house somewhere else on the property, he decided he wanted the house right where the mobile is. That's fine and dandy, but where do you live while you're building? Hmmm.... They lived in the mobile, and built the house on stilts next to it. Do not try this at home! Allen is a professional engineer. And all-around great guy. So the idea is, using winches (wenches will be watching) and the boom truck, they will roll the house onto the foundation. Yeah, I know! That's why I'll be taping it. I mean, just the idea of it rolling like that is enough to want to save it for posterity! Everybody seems to think I'm going to tape it in case there's a big problem. Oh! I forgot to mention, Allen and Laura have been living in the new house for a while now. It's totally furnished, cabinets are in, stuff is hanging on the walls...

So does that clear things up? I'll be sure to take some pictures to post here. It's nice that the boom truck is being used for something more than our giant Christmas-light-Christmas-tree.

Today was the first time I had to have volunteers in place for something at school. It was individual pictures and I had four people in place to help. Um, one I got just this morning when I walked into the school. I was amazed at how stressed I felt about all of it! But of course everything went beautifully. And yes Mom, I did tell them about the snotty nose picture of me in second grade or so. Forget making sure the hair looks good--check the noses! I had my picture taken too for a volunteer badge. I. Am. A. Bimbo. I have a brown shirt that I wear over a turquoise tank top. For some reason I put on a plum colored tank top instead. I did not realize my mistake until I was leaving the school at 11:45! I hope I didn't look hideous..... Luckily the picture is mainly of my head.

Yikes! QuoteGarden won't open. Guess no quote today.

I have only myself to blame

I can't blame anyone else. It all comes back to me..... Let's start at current time:



Joy is obsessed with Facebook



Joy joins Facebook



Joy reads that Kimm is on Facebook



Joy finds Liberty High School Class of 1988 20 year reunion page



Joy Googles Beth



Joy reads a comment on her blog from Beth Anne



Beth reads about herself on Joy's blog



Beth Googles herself



Joy writes in her blog and mentions Beth Tensfeld







See? "Joy writes in her blog". Now I'm staying up late trying to locate old friends/acquaintances and respond to those who find me. I'm being labeled an "old hag". I'm becoming obsessed with people I used to know and trying to figure out how to locate them. And I'm really, really enjoying myself! I keep laughing....the phrase "oh my goodness" has become a part of my breathing.....I'm feeling bad about not keeping in touch with people after high school and college and work. And I'm having so much fun! It's like every reunion you've ever dreaded....but then enjoyed.


Every parting is a form of death, as every reunion is a type of heaven. ~Tryon Edwards

The house hasn't moved

Well, the house didn't get moved yesterday. They're going to do it next weekend instead. The girls had fun playing in the foundation though!

I'll give more information as the week goes on.....

Random Comments

I have this blog set up so that when I get a new comment, I receive notification on my gmail address. What a shock yesterday when I had a comment on my "Things I Will Miss About Ephrata" post from Beth Tensfeld! When did I last see her? Eighteen years ago or so? Of course I Googled her.... And found the web page for her 1988 class reunion. I got to vicariously find out what some of her classmates are up to now. Fun fun! I really have to wonder if Liberty High School Class of 1989 will have a 20 year reunion next year. I won't be surprised if that one just slides right under the radar...

So after reading the comments on the Class of 1988 page, I decided to check out Facebook. Now I'm on that, but I'm not sure why yet. William had suggested a while ago that I join---but I hadn't looked into it yet. I'll keep playing around with it for a while. We'll see where it goes.

Now I just feel like Googling everybody I know. Yeah, it wouldn't be the first time...

Fall is officially here! I love this time of year. Yeah, I'm sure pretty soon I'll be missing the sun, but right now I love the cool fall weather. Of course right now Justin and Allen are likely hating this weather! Today is the day the house moves. Yep, the house will move. Physically! The girls and I are supposed to go there in a couple hours to watch this happen. My video camera is charged and ready! Hopefully nothing exciting will happen.

Bittersweet October. The mellow, messy, leaf-kicking, perfect pause between the opposing miseries of summer and winter. ~Carol Bishop Hipps

I've become one of them.....

Yes, it's official. I have started reading the Twilight saga by Stephenie Meyer. I really didn't know much about it other than the covers looked a little too mature for all the teenage girls reading them and it's about vampires. Justin read an article about the books and was shocked to hear I had not read them. (this was especially surprising in light of my recent genre of choice) So I borrowed the first two from a friend and I'm hooked. Sheesh! I read the first one Saturday and Sunday morning and finished the last bit of the second one when I got off work today. I'm dyin' for the next two!! I've already cursed Patti for getting me started..... But at least it will be over soon. Surprisingly, I even kind of want to see the movie! In the theater even!! I've never wanted to do that with Harry Potter. Wonder why this is different? Wonder if I'll actually go to the movie? Since I go to movies oh so often.....

We're going to Vegas baby!! And I'm determined to look good. Well, at least not as blubbery as I look now anyway. I started Weight Watchers last week (say it with me "again") and I've been staying on track pretty well. Hence the hunger pangs I'm currently experiencing. But I should show a loss on Thursday of around 3 pounds. A friend is joining too so we can support each other. And compete against each other too! Hopefully that will help me. I was stressed about a recipe I figured points on last night. I entered all the ingredients into the Recipe Builder on WW's site and it came up as 6 points per serving. Not too bad. After I ate I realized that it actually served more so it changed to 4 points. But then I remembered that it called for 9 1/4 ounces of tuna but I'd put in two 6 ounce cans instead. Suddenly it came to 14 points per serving!!! Whaaa??? Was I originally looking in the wrong place on the screen? I can't believe I just had a fairly small dinner for a total of 18 points. Yikes! I was honestly wondering if I shouldn't barf some of it up! Before I went to bed I looked again and noticed that when I was re-entering the information I didn't change cups into ounces. So 12 cups of tuna is a little more than 12 ounces I'd have to say. Heck, if I'd realized my mistake sooner I could have had a glass of wine!

The girls are doing great in school. Emma ran for ASB Representative for her class. Two are chosen, and she won the Alternate position. There were actually quite a few who ran. I'm so proud of Emma for actually trying this. It's not quite typical for her to do that. Audrey is a Student of the Month for October. This means we all get to go to the school Friday morning for a cinnamon roll breakfast and watch Audrey get a certificate. Will I have pictures to post of this? Who knows.... Audrey is going to start meeting with the school counselor and Speech Language Pathologist. For a couple years now Audrey has had kind of a stutter when she talks. It's happening more often now and becoming more apparent. I talked to the SLP and she went to the classroom to observe Audrey and noticed it right away. She thought she also appeared anxious, so we'll combine speech with working with the counselor on ways she can help her anxiety. Hopefully the combination will help to calm her down a bit and ease her speech. I'm excited for her to start.

Justin is really enjoying his new job. It's still pretty slow for him so far, but as he learns more he'll get busier!

It's Bingo Night at school tonight and I'd better get ready to feed my family before we go. I'm not sure that we should subsist on popcorn and water only....

Widgets Went Awry

Oops. I changed my blog template and lost my widgets. Of course there's lots of info on Saving/Backing-Up your blog and widgets, but virtually nothing on actually restoring them! So I've started over again. And I also switched to a background designer with templates that will support widgets. Er, not support, since the other one did that too. But actually keep them instead of deleting. We'll see how this one works out.

Since I've been messing with this for a while now, I actually need to get off the computer and do other stuff. But I knew that if you showed up here and saw my book list dramatically reduced and other stuff quite likely missing you might get worried and demand to know what happened. Now you know. I'm impatient. :)

A bit of a week

Yeah, a little more than usual went on this week.

Let's see....

Monday I started my new job. I'm officially the Family Involvement Coordinator at Bay View Elementary. Most people seem to be happy about this. Including me! But of course the few who feel the need to justify this as a "job" seem to poke at me a bit more. I did not apply for this as a way to make money. I did not apply for this as a "job". I applied for this position because the school and PTA have this position set up to support the teachers, staff, PTA, etc and I want to help this. I want the PTA to be strong. I want the teachers to feel free to teach because somebody else is helping to make sure the grunt work is getting done. I want to be involved---feel involved. OK, and so the stipend is nice too..... But you know that whoever works as the Family Involvement Coordinator (can I just call it FIC?) will be working more than the three hours/school day. Whether it's at the school or at home you know more will be done. And not so much as "it's my duty as FIC" but more of "even if I wasn't in that position I'd still do it to help".

Tuesday Justin and I celebrated 13 years of marriage. Wow! I feel way too immature to have been married that long!

Emma and Audrey both had friends spend the night tonight. Whew. Just go them to bed around 11:00. I know, I should have done it sooner. But we needed to paint nails and watch Eight Below! OK, maybe not. But it was fun! Remind me in a month and a half when Emma is planning her birthday party to not suggest a slumber party. Same goes for Audrey's February birthday. Aww, I suppose it wasn't that bad. I mean, I had wine!

The top five acts in America's Got Talent have been decided. Alright, so maybe that's not a huge deal. But darn that Nancy for getting me hooked! I tell ya, if Nuttin' But Stringz wins, we may have to book a trip to Las Vegas and watch them perform!

I guess that's really it. Pretty pathetic that those items constitute "a bit of a week".

A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person. ~Mignon McLaughlin

Cows

Yes, I grew up on a farm.

Yes, we raised cattle.

But I swear ours were never as noisy as the ones down the road!

Between the moo-ing and cock-a-doodle-doo-ing my head is buzzing!

If happiness truly consisted in physical ease and freedom from care, then the happiest individual would not be either a man or a woman; it would be, I think, an American cow. ~William Lyon Phelps

Procrastination

I am just so darn good at procrastinating! Here it is 10:19am, I've been up and showered since 7:00am, and have done pretty much nothing. Still have boxes to unpack and cupboards to sort out. Floors to clean. Resume and cover letter to write. Bills to pay. And yet here I am, updating my blog with essentially nothing to say.

Yesterday I tried to add a new gadget onto my blog and the "Add a Gadget" box was missing. So I changed my template back to an official blogger one and was unable to change it back to a LeeLou template. So I have this one instead. Whaddya think? Does it look writer-y?

Yes, in the opening paragraph I did mention writing a resume and cover letter. I can only imagine your reaction. Please, you may close your mouth now. That's it...pick your jaw up off your chest. Good. OK, are we ready? The PTA has an opening for a Parent Involvement Coordinator and I'm applying for it. The resume isn't required, but I have much more fun writing that than I do writing the cover letter. I guess maybe it's easier to mention what are possibly good things about myself in bullet form, but much harder to actually write sentences about it. I need to have the letter in by September 10th. Hopefully I'll have it all done enough for Justin to look at it tonight and give me his opinion. The position is Monday-Friday 8:30 to 11:30. Yes, it means I'll have to be up and showered (and dressed, duh) and have both girls ready all by 8:20ish. I know, it wouldn't be a bad idea to get up and ready early every morning. I'm doing good on that so far!

Hmm...have I put things off long enough?

Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. ~Robert Benchley

First Day of School

Audrey started second grade on September 3rd. Think she has a funny smile? She's trying really hard to show off her newly missing tooth! Audrey's teacher (Mrs. Miller) asked her if she was scared. Aud replied that she was not and Mrs. Miller told her she should be. hee hee hee I met Mrs. Miller about 8 years ago at MOPS.

Is Emma really a 4th grader?? Yikes! She was a bit nervous. Sounds like the day went well though. She made a new friend named Tia. She was excited to meet another Tia since that is her cousin's name and I don't think she's met any other girls with that name. So now here's where it becomes weird.....Tia in Em's class has lived in Jakarta Indonesia! (for those of you wondering why this might be "weird"---that's where Cousin Tia lives right now)

Two happy girls on their way to school! The first day is always nice. Everyone has first day jitters and gets up really early. We were ready in plenty of time for me to drive them to school. Today the girls made it to the bus on time and I had even taken a shower! Of course I'm sure every day we'll wind up sleeping just a liiitttlle bit longer. No! No! Mustn't do that! Must awaken early! Oh who am I kidding?

I guess school is really the only big excitement right now. We're still slowly putting things away in the house. Justin worked on the garage quite a bit. He said he didn't put anything away yet, but has it all set up where things should go. It looks great in there! And yes, the Mustang looks lovely in there too. That heated garage will certainly make car work more pleasant this winter!

On Monday Justin and I tackled some of the excess growth in our landscaping. It's amazing how much changes in a year. I was so excited to see how big my hydrangeas had become! I'd wondered if they'd ever really do much. There's still so much to do---mostly inside the house. Many things are at the point of "OK, exactly where do we want this rather trivial item?" I have the most amazing kitchen! But I'm waaay too short to reach many of the cabinets. So I still have plenty of space in the upper cabinets---I just need to figure out which items I use so rarely that I won't mind climbing the big step stool to get to them.

I don't have anything else to do today, so in theory I should get a lot of our things put away. But in reality?? Ha!

You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. ~Clay P. Bedford

Hooooommmmeeeee!!!!!!

Yep, we're really here. Home! We're experiencing a bit of a weather shock though. Didn't we just come from temperatures in the 90s?? Now we have rain and temps around 60. Bizarre! Of course with my excessive weight gain over the past year, I have no long pants that fit. Luckily I went to Goodwill the other day while Audrey and Emma were with friends--now I have three pairs of jeans! Now if I could just convince myself not to eat....

We're getting unpacked. I just have one box of kitchen stuff to find homes for, and the junk drawer/phone stuff needs to get sorted out. Upstairs is massive chaos! All my craft supply bins are scattered about. The computer is set up, but all the things that need to go into the desk are still in boxes. We sold Audrey's huge dresser before we moved last year (obviously didn't expect to return so soon), so I'll figure out what to do with some of my things and give her my purple dresser for a while. Once we get that downstairs for her we can really work on the girls' rooms--putting away clothes, finding space for trinkets, etc. Next will be hanging things on the walls. One of these days it may look like we really belong here!

Lucy is loving living in a giant mud pit again. Happy Dog!

School starts on Wednesday. The girls are both pretty excited. They can't wait to see their friends again! They both have some good friends in their classes. Tonight is the PTA Back to School Ice Cream Social. Hopefully by going to that I can figure out things like....what time school starts....you'd think I'd remember that after only a year. But I guess not! I'm wondering if there's a letter from the school spinning in the black hole of mail forwarding....

What do you think of the new blog template? I finally clicked on the ad for LeeLou Blogs on Alecia's blog. Guess what? It's a site filled with great free blog templates! Any bets as to how often I will change the template?? I'm not completely thrilled with the left alignment. It was set as centered for some reason (the designer wasn't sure why) and I used the directions on the site to change it to left alignment. Now it looks cut off. Maybe I'll just deal with the silly centeredness.

I suppose I should be working on setting up the house. We just finished playing a game of Skip-Bo. It takes a looong time to play a game with two easily distracted children! Holy cow! Justin and I might have to play it alone tonight just to be reminded of how easy and fun it can be.

Always strive to excel, but only on weekends. ~Richard Rorty

Things I Will Miss About Ephrata

1. Friends

Yes, I know, I've complained all year about my lack of friends here. But I did meet some great people through Justin's work, the school, and library and feel like if we'd stayed longer more of them would have become friends. Or maybe I just have this fantasy of having "book friends", or more likely "British book friends". Not like a Book Club, but having friendships like the ones I read about. Women getting together for coffee, lunch, plotting revenge, covering up crimes, shopping, etc. Oh wait! I did go to a movie with a friend this past year. Haven't done that since I went to Dead Poet's Society at The Garland Theater in about 1990 with Beth Tensfeld. I kind of felt like a real grown-up with a life. No children were involved in the screening of that movie night.



2. Grant Elementary School

How lucky were we to enroll the girls in this school last year? I mean really, a school as great as Bay View? (because yes, we are looking forward to returning to BV) The staff and teachers were phenomenal. Friendly, helpful, grateful, all sorts of great -ly and -ful words! Both girls did great. It'll be interesting to see how Audrey does with handwriting since they learned D'Nealian this year. Emma's doing cursive now so it shouldn't be a big change for her. But will they ask Audrey to now remove her "monkey tails"?



3. The library

Not only because I didn't have to pay to use it. (yes, I realize I still pay for it with my taxes, blah blah blah, but I'd rather do it that way) I had so much fun volunteering there and chatting with the staff. Yes, I know, chatting rather too much! The access to books was outstanding! I think 28 libraries are in the North Central Regional Library as well as the mail order book department. I've gotten pretty much every book I've wanted. There are a few series I've gotten hooked on (you can probably tell from my book list), and absolutely none of the authors I've been reading like that are available at the Burlington Library. None! No Kelley Armstrong, no Lori Avocato, no Kerrelyn Sparks, no Marilyn Pappano...



4. That certain smell

I have no idea what it is or quite how to describe it. It arrives in the late afternoon/early evening on the hot early summer nights. You know how you can smell rain? Well this is almost like you can smell plants growing. Not the flowers, but the actual stalks. It feels like I'm smelling a field of wheat mixed with wildflowers close in together. Did I smell this growing up in Spangle too? Is that why I notice and like it? The nostalgia?



5. The cute downtown

Downtown is home to lots of gift type shops. Jewelry, home decorations, Webkinz, lotions and soaps, books, and whimsy. Just cute enough to take friends and family to when they visit. And it's easy to park! Sure Burlington has a downtown, and maybe it's even cute, but all that angled parking freaks me out. It's bad enough that I'm often about to hit somebody coming out of a parking space, I really don't like being the one backing out!



6. The lack of rain

Can you imagine a summer where you could plan an outdoor activity pretty much any day and not worry about it raining on you? And in the fall and winter the sky can actually be clear and blue. I've thoroughly enjoyed the fact that I don't need to wipe Lucy's paws each time she comes in the house. However, this lack of rain does mean an overabundance of dust.



Well, that's about it. What a strange year! It started out with me sure we'd hate it, suddenly realizing that I really really liked it, then going back to the "what on earth are we doing here" feeling, and finally thinking that it could be a good place to be for a few years. Of course that last one happened to coincide with Justin switching jobs.



That was certainly a good procrastination moment! I suppose now I should start filling some boxes. I hate moving. I hope the next time I move it's in a body bag.



The best things said come last. People will talk for hours saying nothing much and then linger at the door with words that come with a rush from the heart. ~Alan Alda

I think it's really happening

We're actually moving! I mean, I realize I've known about this for a few months. But still! Of course now I'm heading into panic mode. And believe it or not, my panic is not necessarily regarding the packing portion of the move. It's all the stuff I'm normally quite good at that has me freaked. Because I haven't done anything about it. What am I normally good at? Setting up/cancelling utilities and changing addresses. All those great things that I can do instead of actually packing!

Justin has started his new job and is liking it so far. Today is only Day 3, so it could change....

The girls are at Grandma Sugar's house until we get moved. Thanks Barbara and Del!! I've been able to pack up their bedroom completely. Well, OK, not completely. But I'm getting there. I talked to the girls last night and they are having a blast. Lots of time on the boats, playing in the fort, swinging, bike riding, sewing, and just plain having fun. Audrey stepped on a nail under the fort, but she's doing fine now. Grandma got it all cleaned up. And since she's only 7 her tetanus shots are up to date!

Last Saturday night we went to the Tom Petty concert at The Gorge with Dan and Nancy. It was very fun! The best part of course was seeing D & N. Before we left for the concert we had a few people over for clams and crab. The best part was serving those two yummies to people who'd never had them before. At least not like this! It all went over fairly well I'd say.

I have no idea why I'm awake right now. You know me, I can usually sleep in quite well. (hey, maybe I actually have two things I do "quite well". I wonder if there are any others) Despite going to bed late last night I was wide awake at 7am. I really do need to train myself to get up earlier---especially with school starting soon.

I think I've procrastinated long enough. Time to shower so I can make my zillions of phone calls and pack some boxes. I may actually have this house packed up by the weekend. I've never accomplished that with any of our moves. I sure hope this is the last move.....ever!

Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. ~Robert Benchley

The End of an Era

Today is Justin's last day at Katana-Summit/T BAILEY. It would have been 13 years in September. That's a fair run I'd say! He's so looking forward to starting at Transpac Marinas in a couple weeks.

The house is still not sold. But we have a move-in time for our other house. Our renters will be able to move into their "mother-in-law apartment" just before August 23rd-ish. Unless of course they are lying to me and they'll actually be homeless until their house is done and I will see them lurking in the blackberry bushes behind our house. We're excited to have them as neighbors! At their house around the corner, not in our bushes.

Tonight our realtor has an Open House scheduled. I've known about this for a while, so obviously I've taken that time and cleaned house. Ha ha. Ha ha ha. Ha ha ha ha ha haha. Whew. OK, any of you who actually know me realize that there is no way I would have done that so "early". I mean, I have 8 hours to completely clean the house today. Oh, and get my hair trimmed. And take Lucy to the groomers. And pack! Yep, pack for the weekend in Oregon. I suppose I should also do things like feeding and caring for my children.

So here I am writing in my blog instead. I've never claimed to be smart!

Unemployment diminishes people. Leisure enlarges them. ~Mason Cooley

We're considering the two weeks between his jobs leisure. When he's not packing up all his tools and stuff to move anyway.

Yearly Yak

Today was the Katana company bbq. All four of us attended, and I commented more than once on how nice it was to be there and not home with a barfing kid. Yup, jinxed myself! So once again Emma and Justin are at the post-company bbq gathering and I'm home with a sick Audrey. Poor kid. At first we thought it was just heat and whininess, but it doesn't seem to be going away. At the bbq she kept complaining of the heat and wanting to go home. Whine whine whine. Nothing but whining. So we headed out to the car when it was all over and she threw up a couple of times. Then we couldn't shut her up! All the way home, blah blah blah happy happy blah. Then again later, as soon as she's done getting sick we can't get her to be quiet! Hopefully nobody else in the house will get this. This time.....

Wes, Sara, Amelia, and Gus were here last night and this morning. Gus hates me. And Wes loves it!! One of these days.......

Justin only has nine more working days left at Katana. He plans on taking a week or two off before starting his new job. Our big stress right now is this house in Ephrata not selling. Of course our other housing stress revolves around just when we get to move back into our other house!

Audrey asked me to sleep with her in the guest room tonight. I think it's time to get myself ready for bed. Of course once I go into my bathroom to do that, she'll wake up and be sick again. That's how it works, right?

If I had my way I'd make health catching instead of disease. ~Robert Ingersoll

Possible Reasons Our House is Not Selling

Some possible reasons why people are not clamoring to buy our house:

Beezely Hill is actually an active volcano, the likes of which has not been seen since Pompeii. People do not want to move to a town that is about to be decimated.

Cross B Estates was built on an old Indian Burial Ground. Film crews for Poltergeist Ephrata: Sage, Sun, and Spirits are requesting the area be untouched during this time. Unfortunately, this is an independent film and funds are not available to purchase the "for sale" homes in the area.

Unbeknownst to us, we are currently starring in a reality tv show. The premise: a family thinks their house is for sale, but nobody is coming to see it. How long will it take before they crack?!?

Also unbeknownst to us, Lucy is a vicious guard dog and will not let anyone near the house or the flyers. Realtors fear for their lives.

Wednesday is Snake Day

Last Wednesday Lucy caught a bull snake in our yard. And here it is, Wednesday again and there's another half-dead bull snake in our yard. Lucy certainly had fun whippin' that puppy around like a chew toy! Of course the poor thing (snake) isn't completely dead but I can't quite convince myself to throw it out of the yard. I can get within a couple feet of it (toes curled into my heels) but that's about it. Justin had better come soon!

I have bangs now. Most of you know I've been letting my hair grow. My last haircut was in the middle of November. My hair is about to my collar (if I wore shirts with collars) and curly. Weird, huh. I've been putting the front back with clips, but was getting tired of that and thought it looked too young with my grey temples. So now I'm trying bangs. What I really should do is just cut it all super short again!!!

We had a great Fourth of July weekend in Coeur d'Alene with Justin's dad, et al. Emma learned how to water ski! I have some video of it that I'll put on the blog later. And yes, also the video of Emma's piano trio.

The girls want to go swimming, so I'd better get out there. Luckily the snake is off in the grass and if I look toward the pool I may not see it very well. eek

I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy. ~W.C. Fields

Emma's Recital

Emma had her piano recital Friday evening. She did a great job!! All the students did well, but of course we're partial to Emma's performance. I convinced Justin that we needed a new camcorder so that I could email videos and upload them to my blog. This is my first try--I hope it works!

I know it's hard to hear her (but she was so much louder during the performance than she was at the rehearsal); her songs are Theme From Symphony No. 5 by Peter Tschaikowsky and Music Box Rock by Willard A. Palmer. My mom and Justin's dad were both able to attend. Yay! Emma's other guest was "Nanny" Kay from the library. She's the reason Emma spoke as "loudly" as she did. I'd told her how darn quiet Emma was and she threatened to shout "What did you say Little Girl?!?!" if Emma wasn't loud enough. Scared Emma enough that she made sure she was audible.

Justin and I (yes, even I) worked on the Mustang this weekend. Justin pulled out the engine while I was at a candle party. My "work" consisted of pulling off the bumper, trying (and failing) to remove a few bolts, and handing Justin tools. But I got dirty!! Not as dirty as Justin of course. Most of the exterior hardware is off in preparation for painting. The interior looks different! We removed the seats and carpet. Wow. This is all going to look great when it's done.

Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without. ~Confucius

Boat (still) for sale

I’m not pretty. I realize this. I may not be pretty, but I am strong. I am dependable. I am safe. And I will be good to you.

I’m not some flashy boat that you own just to brag to your friends that you have a boat. I’m not a trophy boat. I’m more than that. You expect more of me, and I expect more of you.

You have a four wheel drive truck. And you use it.

You work hard. And you use your free-time to the fullest.

Being on the water is a pleasure. For you and for me. Your happiness makes me happy. I enjoy being with you on the water. I love the splash of beer on my deck as you thrust a cold, brown bottle into your buddy’s hand so you can grasp your pole and reel in the fish fighting against you. I’m happy listening to your conversations; about family, work, and fun and smelling the cigar smoke wafting in the air. And then I hear those magical words: “time to bring in the crab pots”. The rhythm of pulling. The excitement. The wonder. And then I feel it…the crab claws tickling me. And I hear the pleasure in your voice. Oh how I love those days!

It may sound as though I’m only here for men. But it’s not true. My current owner bought me so that his wife and young children would feel safe on the water. I’ve done that, and I’ve done it well.

So you might be wondering what brings me here to Craigslist. If I’m the perfect boat, why does my current owner feel he needs to get rid of me? Let me tell you his story. He fell in love with me before I was ready for the water. He agreed to take me home with him once I was ready. He was so excited! Living in Anacortes was heaven. All he could think about was taking me to Washington Park on the weekends and launching me into that cold, welcoming water. But by the time I was ready to go home with him, he’d bought a new house. Not as close to the boat launch. And this house needed more care on the weekends. The entire family was happy to stay home and enjoy this new neighborhood. It became more difficult to take me out. But of course things could change! The landscaping would be established. All those “new house” issues would be taken care of. He’d be back for me! And then things changed….

Work changed. No longer was he able to work close to home and enjoy the weekends. Now he was working four hours from home and only coming home on the weekends. That meant that his precious time at home was spent on upkeep at the house and on spending what little time he had with his children—and that often did not include me.

So now I am all alone. My owner and his family have had to move. And I’m just not the right boat for their new home. Of course I’m sad. But I’m happy that my owner and his family are together again. He is too. But I know he’d also like to see me happy. I haven’t been out on the water in so long. I hope that you can help me. That you can take me home and play with me. All you need to do is contact my owner. I want to meet you. I know he wants what’s best for me, and maybe that is you! So please contact him; even if the price seems a little bit out of your range. You never know what might happen…..

1980 24.5’ Wellcraft Sportsman
Cuddy Cabin (all cushions intact)

The following were new/newly rebuilt in 2003-2004 and have been subject to fewer than 35 hours:

1989 200 HP Mercury motor and 1988 25HP Mercury
Canvas
Gauges
Fish finder
VHS
2004 Galvanized King trailer

Pretty Boys of 1988

21 Jump Street "Best Years of Your Life Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt!!! OK, Brad Pitt just looks silly. But my Johnny looks wonderful, especially when he's deep and introspective like in this episode.

Wow. Between 21 Jump Street every weeknight at 9pm and New Kids On the Block making a comeback I am a happy wom, er, girl! Now I need an asymmetrical haircut, a neon sweatshirt, huge plastic earrings and the tightest stirrup pants I can find!

Doug Penhall: This guy's the worst burglar I've ever seen.
Tom Hanson: Hammered.
Doug Penhall: Pickled.
Tom Hanson: To the gills.
21 Jump Street "Best Years of Your Life"

Allow me to introduce.....

.....my new toy! er, project.

As you can see, she's going to need a little TLC.

OK, a lot.

And then a little more when that's done.

Check out that sunshine glinting off the bumper!!

Definitely in need of a new paint job. I'm picturing something shiny and metallic. Still blue of course. Although Auds and Ems keep talking about bright pink. I'm pretty sure Justin and I (and everyone else) will win this one!

I don't know if I've ever wanted to wash a car. Need to, yes. But actually want?? Hmmmm... Maybe I should see a doctor.

There is a road from the eye to the heart that does not go through the intellect. ~Gilbert Keith Chesterton

If it did, I wouldn't have this car!

Mustang Joy

Yep, you read me right. Mustang Joy, not Mustang Sally. And why is that??? Because Joy now owns a 1965 Mustang!!! Can you believe it? I can't either. But it's true. Of course it's going to take a lot of work before you can see me cruising in it. But you know it will be worth it!

I've always wanted a Mustang. My dad had a 1967 (blue with blue vinyl hard-top) and my aunt had an orange 1965. Now I have a blue (Caspian Blue at that) 1965. I don't know why it's always been my classic car of choice, but it has. I can't wait to have it all done. I'm pretty sure Justin is looking forward to having a car project like this too.

Hmmm...since I'm already blogging I may as well continue. But not for too long. I do need to sleep eventually. At least Justin's dad arrived tonight and he'll take the girls to school in the morning. That gives me an extra 45 minutes!

So what else is new?

Not much really. School is out next week. You know how much I like to sleep in, so of course I'm looking forward to doing away with a morning schedule. There may be a few activities here and there, but nothing daily. Whew. I like to sleep. (so why am I not in bed now, at 11:09pm)

Ahh, but now it's time to sleep. Good night.

Take most people, they're crazy about cars. They worry if they get a little scratch on them, and they're always talking about how many miles they get to a gallon, and if they get a brand-new car already they start thinking about trading it in for one that's even newer. I don't even like old cars. I mean they don't even interest me. I'd rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God's sake. ~J.D. Salinger, Catcher in the Rye

Attack of the Cheese Zombies

Did I catch your attention? I just get tired of my boring blog titles! I had to ask the girls last night if they still loved me even though I totally forgot to make their lunches. The one school lunch both girls absolutely can't stand is Cheese Zombies. Sorry kiddos! I'll make it up to you...tonight is fast food night! Also known as "Thursday".

So, what's new, what's new......

Oh yeah. We're moving! Yup, back to Bow. Justin has accepted a fantabulous new job with an amazing company in Anacortes. So we get to move back to the land of trees. And mud. Not looking forward to a muddy dog again. But looking forward to not having to dust every time I turn around. I'm hoping that everything will work perfectly: our house will sell, but we won't have to be out until the end of August. Why is that, you ask? Well, because the summer in Ephrata is hot, hot, hot. (and by that I mean the temperature) I want the girls to enjoy the pool every day (and I get to enjoy my new lounge chair and many many books). Also, we don't have a house to move into in Bow yet. Our renters will be done building their house in mid-late-August. Uh, yeah, that's cutting it a bit close. But I'm just certain it will all work out! Right??!!?? Justin isn't so sure about my plans. He wants to get over there and start working. Well that's just fine. The girls and I are used to spending the weeks alone. And it's going to be much easier for Justin to find a place to live for a month or so than for our whole family including a dog! It'll all work. Yep.

Only about 13 days until school gets out. Zowie! I'm Field Trip Goddess the next two Fridays. Tomorrow I'll be with the 1st graders when they go to the library (my favorite place) and to the Ag Extravaganza sponsored by Ephrata FFA (my favorite organization) (well, not that particular chapter per se, but as a National Association). Whee! Then next Friday I get to go to Grand Coulee Dam with the third graders. Last time I was there was probably....1982 maybe? I hope I don't get bus sick.

We went to the races at Ephrata Raceway Park Saturday night. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I didn't dislike it. A couple of the drivers work with Justin, so it was fun to feel like we "knew" some of the people on the track. Of course the two guys raced against each other (and a school bus---that was Auds and Ems favorite) so I didn't know who to cheer for.

We had hot weather last Saturday. Nearly 100 I think. So we put up the pool. Of course you know what that means.....the hot weather is gone! The girls went in the pool on Sunday--it was around 85 out, but breezy so didn't feel as nice. Since then it hasn't been much above 72. Of course we have the whole "if you build it they will come" phenomena occurring. Sorry daughters and neighbor kids, just because the pool is up and full of water does not mean it is automatically warm enough to swim! Nor is it warm enough for Joy to sit near the pool and watch you. And no, Audrey, adding together the ages of Emma and Alexis does not make them an adult.

You know, if I were to ever actually put my mind to something and work I could actually accomplish things. Crazy concept I realize, but still..... With that said, er, written, I shall now take a shower and continue the decluttering of the house. Can't sell a messy house, right?


Ambition is a poor excuse for not having sense enough to be lazy. ~Charlie McCarthy

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm just going to play with my Webkinz that Audrey gave me for Mother's Day. I have so much sense! And absolutely no ambition...

Fun in the sun

Well, we seem to have finally gotten over winter. It's 84 degrees right now and I have a sunburn. I helped with the bike rodeo at school this morning. It was fun and very easy. The hardest part was driving Justin's truck there with the bikes, then knowing I need to go back at 2:45 to take the girls and bikes home.

There's some serious nest-building going on at our house. I'm watching birds with beaks stuffed full of grass and weeds and who knows what.

I really don't know that I have much to say today. I just knew it'd been a while since I last updated this blog. Other than my book list--I've been trying to stay on top of that. Hmmm...speaking of books.....I think I'll eat some lunch and read!

Heat, ma'am! it was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones. ~Sydney Smith, Lady Holland's Memoir

What? Wednesday?

Is it really Wednesday already? Tomorrow I will take Justin to the Tri-Cities (or one of them anyway, I guess I'll find out which one tomorrow) so he can have LASIK eye surgery. I know.... ewww! They even have a viewing area. Blech. Yes, I will have a book with me.

But which book shall I take? I've been reading kind of a weird genre of books lately. I'm not embarrassed by my book choices, per se. I guess it's sort of a guilty pleasure. I suppose paranormal romance could be the category. I've always liked ghosty stories, but now I seem to have made the leap to vampires, half-demons, werewolves, guardians of the Goblet of Eternal Life, dragons and their slayers, etc etc. Actually, I think Justin is the one who is embarrassed! One of the books in my "to be read" pile has a manly, naked chest on the front. Maybe that's the book I should take tomorrow! Actually, I'll probably still be trudging my way through Love and Other Near-Death Experiences. This author was recommended on the website of Christopher Moore (absolutely the funniest author ever) as one to read while waiting (impatiently) for another Christopher Moore book to be published. It's a good book, but I've been in a rut of quick, funny, weird, romantic books so it's hard to read a "real" book. Hmmm....how many authors could I offend with that statement? Um, none since they don't read this blog.

The WASL is over so I go back to helping in Emma's "class" on Wednesday mornings. I'm not really in the classroom, I usually make copies, grade papers, or work one-on-one with students who need more help. This means most of the kids in Emma's class know me, but I can't put names with their faces most of the time. Audrey's classmates on the other hand....I definitely know them!

Audrey lost another tooth. She finally fulfilled her dream of having Mr. White pull it. Well, it sounds like "flick" is more accurate than "pull".

I'd better start getting ready if I'm going to make it to Emma's class at 8:30. I'm also hoping to put in an hour or so at the library. Otherwise I won't be in until Monday or Tuesday and my basket will definitely be full! I've barcoded all the adult and teen paperbacks and yesterday I started on the children's paperbacks. The end is in sight! I also need to make sure I have enough time at home to straighten up before Justin's mom comes this afternoon. She'll be here to take care of the girls and get them to school tomorrow so Justin and I can leave in time. There's just nobody here that I feel I know well enough to ask for help with this. But you know back home I'd have no trouble! (this is where Kristi and Nancy sigh with relief that we aren't there right now)

Always read something that will make you look good if you die in the middle of it. ~P.J. O'Rourke

(I don't think that'll happen with me)

Just another entry

Take a look at the date on this photo. What's with snow in April????

The snow is gone and today we have rain. Wow, it could almost feel like we're back "on the coast". Except for the lack of trees.

Last weekend we went to an auction. I bought a Bunco Party for 20 couples. I don't even know 20 couples around here! I'll definitely need to import some when the time comes for the party. It's one of those things that sound like it would be a lot of fun, but then when I really start thinking about it (after I buy it of course) it doesn't look quite as good.... Where could I host an event with that many people? We would need some tables. And who the heck could I invite? And what would we do with the kids while it's going on if we have it here? Oh well. It's not like I have to figure it out right away.

Emma and I had a difficult morning. Audrey got up first and was in the tub. I finally roused Emma and told her to get her clothes together, brush her teeth, etc while Audrey finished and then she could take a shower. Of course I had a screaming urge to use the bathroom, so wasn't around to supervise. I came out and Emma is lying on the couch with the flashing Rudolph nose on (Justin found it in the pocket of the coat he's wearing in the picture---wonder when he last wore it) (the jacket, not the nose). I started pulling the nose off her and the strap must have caught on her earring and she started yelling that it hurt. She took it the rest of the way off and it went (further) downhill after that. Tears, yelling, "you're mean", "I want to go back to Bay View so I don't have to get up at 6" --um, you didn't get up at six it was after 6:40-- "well, in the sixes", begging for forgiveness, hugs and I love yous on the porch. Hopefully she'll feel better.

So a couple of weekends ago I had a breakdown. I have no idea what triggered it, but Justin found me in the back of the closet curled up on shoes. As you can imagine, it freaked him out considerably. Also our two friends who were over are now afraid to come back to our house. Of course Justin tried to talk to me about it the next day. He knows me better than that. Even if I knew what was wrong I probably wouldn't tell him. Because that would make it too real. And once something is said to another person I know that someone else knows, and I then have to try and go through life knowing that someone else knows something negative about me and I have to wonder how much that will color their perception of me and whether or not that knowledge will come back to bite me. This is why I chose to not confront or talk about a problem I have with somebody directly to that person. If we don't talk about it, I can assume that they are over it or were never bothered by it in the first place. Right? Completely screwed up thinking, I know. But it's the only thought I have.

Anyway, the other day it dawned on me that a large part of why I behaved the way I did was hormonal. There still must have been something to trigger it, but I haven't remembered that. (And no, I'm not trying to.) I miss the days when I was on The Pill. My body just chugging right along. Then after Justin had the Big V I stopped taking them. And I discovered ovulation. And it hurt!! Well, it no longer hurts, but looking back over the past few months I realized that my "PMS" feelings occur during ovulation. Not always to that awful extent Thank God, but at least I can warn Justin ahead of time.

OK, so has there been anything good lately? I guess I'm just feeling bogged down in the bad stuff right now. I really should blog when I have something good happen. How many times have I thought, "ooh, I need to write about that in my blog" and then by the time I do, I've forgotten what it wanted to share.

We went to a movie last Sunday. Nim's Island. It was pretty good. There was a lot of information and character development in the beginning. And then it felt like the director decided that they needed to hurry up and end the movie because it's a kid's film and they can only hold their attention for so long. So the end seemed a bit abrupt. But by then Audrey was squirming in my lap and saying she wanted to go home so it was OK to end. We very rarely go to movies. The last one we saw with the girls was The Game Plan, I went to a movie with a friend a while ago (I haven't done that in nearly 20 years---I've never really had the "let's go to a movie" friendship I guess), and I have no clue what the last movie was that Justin and I saw in the theater. There are a few out or coming soon that look good. Maybe I can convince Justin to take me to one. Ooh, maybe this weekend! I'll have to see. Wish me luck.

I got a call last night asking if I would help serve lunch at school today. Normally lunch is served by 3rd and 4th graders, but since they are taking the WASL this week the parents are stepping in. I signed up to help tomorrow, but was also a fill-in last Wednesday. I should probably work on taking a shower and getting dressed. But my robe is just so darn comfy! I don't need to be there until 11. Plenty of time!

No matter where you go or what you do, you live your entire life within the confines of your head. ~Terry Josephson

Spring Break pictures 4

Is this a Bad Mommy Moment?? A stormy morning. But the last morning, so we have to let the girls boogie board. Right? What an amazing sky and surf!

Audrey rides the wave!

And she rides it a bit farther.

And all the way to the end!!!

Spring Break pictures 3

This doesn't need a caption, does it?

A boy and his dog.

The Crab!!! The Crab who likes to buy souvenirs. Really really really likes to buy them....

OK, and so Mom likes a big sale at the Claire's Outlet in Lincoln City. But who can pass up a purple fancy mask for 50 cents????

Spring Break pictures 2

See that second house up the hill? The brown-looking one above the one with the green roof? That's where we stayed! Umm...angle down to the right to the base of the trail we took to the beach.

Remember the kid-sized wet suits I mentioned? Here are the girls wearing them. Justin didn't have a wet suit, but did have his rubber boots on. So when Audrey "almost drownded six times" he was there at the ready to get her.

I have the camera. Therefore, I get to take pictures of the weird stuff I draw in the sand. I just need to figure out how to turn this kind of drawing into my tattoo. Help.

Why is it that we visit the tidepools on the chilliest day of our vacation?? Well, the chilliest other than the last day that is. We had fun checking out all the cool creatures in the tidepools. Mostly anenomes---green and a couple of pinkish-purple. Also a couple sea stars and a sea urchin among the mussels. Lots of wet feet and fur.

Spring Break pictures 1

We bought the kites at Costco a while ago. It was driving the girls crazy that we were "saving" them for our vacation. Justin put them all together. We eased our way down the trail to the beach to fly the kites. We had lift-off!

And less than ten minutes later Justin and I are holdng the kite strings because the girls are bored.

See this rock climbing?? That is exactly why Joy held the camera all week! Hmm...climb the slippery rocks or stand on the beach with a camera in my pocket. Yep. I know which one I'm choosing.

Audrey had a great time wading in the surf. Up to her ankles. In her shoes. Hey!! That's my hat!

OK. So it's not exactly an artsy fartsy shot, but I just really like this picture of Emma drawing in the wet sand.


I'm pretty sure I can't post too terribly many pictures at a time. So I'll do four at a time until I feel I'm done. Is that OK with everyone?