Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Wednesday 12/31/08 Happy New Year!!!...

Happy New Year!!! Have a safe and happy holiday.
We had a quiet day. We had rented movies from the library yesterday, so we watched them today. I put plastic on some of the windows. If we don't move by this spring, I may replace another window.
The kids didn't have any New Year's resolutions this year. I usually have a lot...but this year I just want to help the kids and move.

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Tuesday 12/30/08 the last full night of 2008...

This is the last full night of 2008. The year has gone by so fast.
I bought calenders for next year today. It is amazing how many appts. we have already.
The weather has gotten relatively warmer, it is thirty degrees. I need to put plastic on more of the windows.
I think that the next big project for next year is to paint the living room ceiling. I have been putting it off because the couch will need to be moved.

Monday, December 29, 2008

Monday 12/29/08 programming, friends and hats...

William has downloaded a new computer program, Linux, I think that that is it's name. He is going to try to start programming in that language. He really wants to learn to program. This is a good time to try, since he is out of school for a while.
The girls had the neighbor girls over for a while. The group never sat still. They started a movie and then went to another room. There was a lot of laughter.
The snow has melted, and the rain has stopped.
I have started crocheting hats. I was getting board making blankets.

Monday 12/29/08 finishing one year, and starting another...

These are the fun days...between Christmas and New Years. The kids are out of school and get to play, the world seems more magical. We have shared with others at Christmas, and will celebrate the past and what is to come on New Years. I like to make a list of things to do over the next year, and to look back and see if I have accomplished anything over the last year. We have come a long way, William started college, Maggie and Beth are both in Junior High, and I feel very ready to move, the house is in good shape.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Saturday 12/27/08 resting and warmer weather...

We relaxed today. It was nice to not have anything set that we needed to do. We played games and watched movies. It was about sixty degrees out. Everything was melting. The yard was so wet, like a sponge, and the road was full of water...it had all been ice before. I think that tomorrow it will be about forty deg. and then back to the thirties for next week.

Friday, December 26, 2008

Friday 12/16/08 Christmas and Thank-you cards...

We had a fun Christmas. My mom and brother came over and spent some time with us. The present that the kids were the most taken with was the Cube World. It is a plastic cube that has stick people in it. They can be stacked together like an apartment complex and the stick people will go and visit their neighbors. Some of it is OK, sometimes they get mad at each other and fight...so it is not for little kids. It is interesting to watch. The kids got some gift certificates, so we went to a few stores to redeem them. Better to go now while the sales are going.
When we came back, the kids and I wrote out our Thank-you cards. It is nice to have them done.
I hope that everyone had a Merry Christmas!!!

Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Wednesday 12/24/08 Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas!!! May all of you have a safe, happy and prosperous 2009.
I need to wrap the presents tonight. I don't know how I got so far behind. Next year I will start sooner. My Mom and brother are coming over at seven AM to have Christmas with us. We do have a large family, but we are the only ones who live in this town. We call or e-mail everyone else.
We went to the Christmas program at church tonight. It was fun to see all of the little kids on stage. I will miss it when my kids aren't in it anymore.

Tuesday 12/23/08 ornaments and warm weather...

The Christmas shopping is done, but we still need to make the ornaments. The ornaments are on the dining room table. We need to get colored pens and color them. William usually doesn't want to participate in this, so the girls and I do one for him. The weather is supposed to get to about forty degrees today and melt a lot of the snow. If it does, I hope that a lot of it drains away so that when it re-freezes tonight we don't have really thick ice.
The kids are really excited for Christmas, and for being off from school for a while. This is such a fun time of the year.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Monday 12/22/08 dresses and snow...

We found Beth's dress today. It was hard to find one that didn't look like a prom dress. Tomorrow we will color the ornaments, and on Wednesday we have choir practice early in the day.
I have heard that it will be a white Christmas. I am hoping that it will not be as cold as it has been.

Monday 12/22/08 candy canes and holiday preparations...

We went out yesterday to hang candy canes on peoples doors to invite them to our Christmas Eve service. It was so cold. We were out for about twenty minutes, and were cold.
Today we need to find a dress for Beth, and if we can make ornaments for the tree. I hope that your Christmas preparations are going really well.
The first weekend in Jan we are...hopefully...going to volunteer at the Food Bank. I am really excited.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Saturday 12/20/08 cold weather and preparations...

I am sorry that I am late with this blog. We made the Christmas presents yesterday, and got two dresses. Beth still needs one. We also started the cookies. We will finish them tonight. It is really cold. Winter came in early and hard this year.
Everything should be done for Christmas. Today we are going back to church to hang candy canes on peoples doors with notes to invite them to the Christmas Eve service. Then we can come back and relax for a while.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Friday 12/19/08 crunchy snow and plans for the weekend...

A storm came in last night. There was snow and then rain, and then it froze. What a mess. It made the snow crunchy on top. Beth said that her favorite part was walking on the snow and having it break under her. She was so excited. The eyes of a child see many wonders.
Tomorrow we are going to have the kids make their Christmas presents. Then we are going to get dresses for the girls. William already has a suit. I asked him if he wanted a Christmas tie to wear. He said ''no'' very quickly. Then we are going to make cookies. We each also need to make an ornament for the tree. This will be a full weekend. The kids are so excited. The girls are out of school for the holiday also. Maggie is happy to have more time to read and Beth already misses all of her friends.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Thursday 12/18/08 snow and hats...

We went outside to play today. The snow was too fluffy and dry to have a snow ball fight or to make a snowman. The kids made a hill out of snow. They shoveled the front yard, and the sidewalk. The neighbor kids came out, so they shoveled their sidewalk and grass for the snow. The snow was hauled in a wagon and on sleds.
I am starting to crochet hats. Tonight was my first try. I started to late, so the hat won't be finished tonight.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Wednesday 12/17/08 Christmas...

There was no more snow today. I think that it may all melt later this week. I have made a list of things that need to be done before Christmas. It is a lot longer than I thought it would be. I did cross one thing off today. Most of the things will be done this weekend...like the kids making Christmas presents and all of us making ornaments. I need to buy more film for the camera.
William is enjoying his vacation. I think that he is reading.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Tuesday 12/16/08 snow and Christmas cards...

It snowed today after we got home. We drove home with no snow, but an hour later, everything was white. We went out and shoveled. Now,looking outside, it is all covered up again.
The Christmas cards are almost done.Cheer, cheer...I need one address, and they can go out tomorrow. Maybe next year we will have moved and then I can address them sooner. Maybe.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Monday 12/15/08 broken tooth and rain...

William re-broke a tooth. He had broken it when he was in grade school. At that time they said that it would need repaired again in ten or fifteen years. It has been about that long and it broke off. We went to the dentist today to have it repaired. I was hoping that with all of the new technology the new repair would last a lifetime. They said ''no'', it would last another ten or fifteen years.
It rained last night, and then got really cold today. The water from the rain on the top of my car beaded-up and then froze. It looks like art on the roof of the car.

Monday 12/15/08 presents and ornaments...

I need to get one more present, then I have Christmas done...everything still needs wrapped. The kids have decided to write everyone a card for their gift. We will probably do that next weekend. We also make an ornament each year. Each person makes one. Lately they have been wooden designs that we color with markers, or sparkles. Then we put our initials on the back with the year. It is fun to see them all on the tree each year. William sometimes doesn't do one...so we do one for him.

Saturday 12/13/08 winter boots and vacation...

We bought boots today. It is a relief to have that done. I guess that we are not late, winter hasn't even started yet. When we got home, the girls wore their boots in the house, to get them worn in a little bit.
Today was William's first day of vacation, he looked very relaxed. I didn't get the Christmas cards finished today, maybe tomorrow.

Friday 12/12/08 snow and school...

It snowed today. For a while it was almost white-out conditions.Then it stopped. The forecast is that it is going to get warm on Sunday, and all of the snow will be gone.
William is finished with his finals. He looks happy. It will seam strange not to take him to school each day. I take a picture of the kids on their first and last days of school each year. Then when they are grown, the pictures can be put into frames and we can see how they grew.

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thursday 12/11/08 weather and to-do lists...

We have started to receive Christmas cards. I still need to write out eight cards. We do have the stamps now. I will write them out this weekend. The warm weather a few days ago melted all of the snow, now it is just cold. We went outside to play today. It felt good to get out into the fresh air.
The other day I found my list of things that I wanted to accomplish before winter got here. I was able to cross off a lot of items.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Wednesday 12/10/08 selling goldfish, winter boots...

Beth wants to start a business. She wants to sell goldfish. When we buy crickets for the frogs, the tank of feeder fish is next to the crickets. Beth has been looking at the fish for a long time. She is now going to go to school and see if she can supply the goldfish when they have a fair, and to ask her friends if they would buy a fish from her. I said that she should get a note from her friends parents before she delivers any fish. The fish are ten for a dollar. Beth has already named the first ten. She hasn't bought the fish yet, but she has the names ready.
The kids tried on their boots today. William's fit, the girl's don't. Maybe we can get boots this weekend. If we wait too long, they will be all sold out.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Tuesday 12/9/08 giving...

My kids and I have been loaning money...25 dollars at a time...to people in other countries at www.kiva.org. We haven't given a lot, when the person pays the money back, the kids and I pick a new person to give the money to. It is cool to see the people that the money goes to and read about how they want to change their lives. It is inspiring. We don't make any interest, but it is so nice to be able to help someone. There are people that don't pay the loans back, but most of them do.
I heard today on the World News that there is another site where teachers can go and post their needs, like paper and pencils. I am going to get onto the website tonight and see if it is something that the kids and I should do. It is at www.donorschoose.org.
It is a balance to teach the kids about making sure that they pay their bills...and take care of themselves...and give to others. They can't neglect themselves to help others, but they should be happy givers too.

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Monday 12/8/08 rain and game night...

It rained today. The snow is probably all melted by now. It is going to get cold tonight and make ice...and then it will get warm, in the forties. I spend a lot of time driving slowly.
We had game night tonight. We like to play Blokus. We are getting "Apples to Apples" and a second game for Christmas. I don't know the name of the second game yet.

Monday 12/8/08 Christmas tree...

We put the Christmas tree up on Saturday. We re-arranged the furniture and brought up the boxes of decorations from the basement. Last year we had a problem with the tree tilting to one side. This year the kids tied it to the base with twine. It felt really sturdy. I hope that it stays up. We have two trees, so we have two tree tops. We couldn't find the correct top, so we decided to put up the incorrect one and add a lot of decorations and lights. We all put up the lights...we all stand around the tree and pass the lights around the tree to each other. This year Maggie and Beth are tall enough to reach almost to the top of the tree. When we plugged in the lights only two strands turned on...we forgot to test them first. We decided to leave all of them on and to re-arrange them so that the tree was covered. Next we put on the ornaments. Most of the ornaments must be in storage, usually the tree is covered. The tree looks great, but it has considerably less ornaments than it would normally have. I guess that this is better if someone is looking at the house, but it seems a little empty to us. When we were all done, we found the correct tree top of the tree in the bottom of a box. We decided to leave it there. While we decorate we have Christmas music playing on the radio. It adds a nice spirit to the room.

Saturday 12/6/08 roller skating...

We went rollerskating yesterday. There were a lot of kids. They were mostly junior high and senior high age. There were a few younger and older ones. The music was ''today's''music. There wasn't one song that I knew. The events were similar to when I was young. There was a backwards skate, a girl only skate, a boy only skate, a couple skate...another big difference was that last time a lot of kids were playing the games to get tickets for prizes. This time only one or two kids were playing the games, but a lot of kids were sitting on the floor by the game machines. They were all talking and having fun, on the floor.
The kids faces looked so young, like they didn't have a care in the world. I want to enjoy life that much.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Friday 12/5/08 snow, roller skating and school...

It has started snowing. At first is was so light that I needed to look twice to see that it was really snowing. Now the snow is a bit heavier. We may have one to two inches of snow tomorrow. Tonight we are going roller skating. The girls are very excited. I need to finish putting up the plastic on the windows in the living room before we put the Christmas tree up.
William is finishing a paper that is due next week. He is almost done.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Thursday 12/4/08 weekend plans...

The girls are going to go roller skating with their friend tomorrow night. Saturday we are going to put up the Christmas tree. William has finals next week...he has already taken some this week. We still need to try on boots, I can't remember to have the kids do this. This is the last winter item that we need to get. The Christmas cards aren't finished. I need to get Christmas stamps. It sounds like a long list, but as soon as the tree is up, and the boots and cards are done, we can all relax and enjoy the season. I hope that all of you have a restful month.

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Wednesday 12/3/08 day off and volunteering...

William had the day off today. I think that he did homework. The girls and I got more crickets for the frogs and then went to their choir practice.
I want our family to volunteer. I called the Food Bank to see if families can help. They said that they are open one Saturday a month and we would be welcome. I think that we will wait until next month, William has finals next week and I don't want to pull him off track. I am very excited about doing this.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Tuesday 12/2/08 decorating...

We started listening to Christmas songs on the radio today. We are going to try to put up the Christmas tree this weekend. Sometimes it goes up really easily. The tree just stays in the stand...and sometimes it doesn't. We start early in the day to put it up, in case it isn't an easy year.
It snows a little bit each day. The snow hasn't stuck to the ground yet, it is just pretty floating in the air.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Monday 12/1/08 other houses and windows...

There are forty-two other houses in my area that have four bedrooms and are in the same price range as my house. I was going to look them all up on the computer and see what features they have, but instead I am going to make this house the cleanest house on the list. I can't make this house into something that it isn't, but I can make it clean.
The plastic has fallen off of the window in my room. It needs to be taped back up. It is nice that the kids windows have been replaced. Their rooms are warm and they can look through their windows year-round.

Monday 12/1/08 snow and playgrounds...

It snowed yesterday. There was no accumulation, but it was pretty to see it fall from the sky. The Christmas cards are almost done: one needs an address, and eight need the paragraph about the kids written onto them. Oh...they all need stamps.
I think that I am going to start taking the girls to the park at night after school to play for a while. After dinner it is so dark and the neighbor kids aren't out. This would get us some exercise.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Sunday 11/30/08 blogging, TV and moving...

OK...I have not been blogging consistently. I am going to try to blog earlier in the day. I have been waiting to blog until I get everything else done, then I am too tired. I will move it up on my list and see if I can regain the consistency.
I watched Kenneth Copeland on TV this morning. He is always good at recharging me.
I lowered the price of the house yesterday. It would be great to be moved before the end of the year. I would like to get the girls in a new school at the beginning of the new quarter. I hope that this works.

Saturday, November 29, 2008

Saturday 11/29/08 shopping...

I went shopping yesterday. I think that this is my first ''Black Friday" shopping trip. The parking lot was really full. I have never seen the parking lot so full. I was worried about how long the lines would be. There were two carts in the cart area. There were enough people there that I had to go slowly down the isles, but the crowds weren't huge. Everyone was filling their carts and some people had arm-loads of items. The checkout lines were long, but the wait was only about ten minutes. From what I have heard from my friends, this wasn't normal. But it was fun.

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thursday 11/27/08 Thanksgiving...

Happy Thanksgiving!!! We had a lot of fun today. The kids helped to prepare the meal. I always want to try to make a new dish, but I don't get out any new recipes. Maybe next week I will get out the cook book.
We have a white piece of cloth that we write what we are thankful for on each Thanksgiving. We use permanent marker. (If you do this, put some newspaper under the material. The ink can go through to the table underneath). We write our names and the date by what we wrote. Then years from now, we can see what we had thought about in the past.
The kids helped to put the left-overs away. It is always fun to see how they will work together. When they were young, the girls looked up to William. He would ask them to get him a lid for a container or put something away, and they would do it. Now, they all think that they are in charge. One will say to the other, "I need a lid for this container", and the other will say, "yes you do". They were all putting a left-over away and didn't want to leave their spot.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Wednesday 11/26/08 Thanksgiving break...

William has been on Thanksgiving break this week. Yesterday he walked to the mall and stopped off at a store on the way. He said that he walked for four hours. He enjoys walking and doesn't want to get his drivers license. If he rides his bike, then he needs to get off of it at each intersection and walk it across. He is careful about this because he was hit by a pick-up truck a few years ago. His leg was broken. Now he is more careful. William says that it is faster to walk than to get off of the bike at each corner. Also, I don't think that there are any bike racks at the mall. William wanted to buy a new computer game during this break.
The girls have off Thursday and Friday.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Tuesday 11/25/08 Thanksgiving and game night...

OK, its one day until Thanksgiving...mom has brought over the turkey for me to cook...she is bringing the pies and green bean casserole and rolls with her on Thanksgiving day...we are making the mashed potatoes and stuffing and sweet potatoes. It is not too late to buy the ingredients. We can get them tomorrow...peal the potatoes together tomorrow night (we always peal the potatoes as a family...it is our tradition) and put the potatoes in water in the fridge overnight. and make the rest of the food in the morning...we should be OK. I won't panic yet...
Tonight we had game night, we played Blokus.Then I put plastic on some of the windows. The rooms always feel so much better after the plastic is up.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Monday 11/24/08 windows and houses...

The bathroom window now has plastic on it. The upstairs is now done!!! If we weren't going to move, next I would have gotten a new screen door for William's room and replaced the bathroom window and the girl's closet windows. It would be nice not to have to put plastic on anything on that floor.
I am going to lower the price of the house after Thanksgiving. I am hoping to move before Christmas. Can a sale be completed that fast? I am tired of having half of our things in storage.

Monday 11/24/08 raking leaves...

I'm sorry that I didn't post on Saturday, the electricity went out on our street that night. It came back on in the night, but too late to post. I need one of those phones that connects to the Internet so that if the power does go out, I am still connected.
We raked the back yard this weekend. The kids and I raked all of the leaves to the front curb. The kids are so much older now and were very helpful. Maggie and Beth like to be in front and rake the first parts of the pile to the curb. William likes the end so that he can do the detail work of getting the last leaves into the pile. The yard is green again.

Friday, November 21, 2008

Friday 11/21/08 library movies and house cleaning...

We went to the library to get movies today. They had a lot fewer VHS movies. I asked them if a lot of people were checking out movies today. They said that they are phasing out the VHS movies, and selling them. They will be replaced with DVD's.
When we got home, the kids and I started to clean the house. They vacuumed the rooms, and I washed the bathrooms and mopped the floors. The work is easier when a lot of people are helping and there are movies at the end.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Thursday 11/20/08 neighbors and Thanksgiving...

We went outside to play today. The neighbors were out raking their yard. It was so nice to see them. We are a close neighborhood. In the summer we are all outside a lot. It is difficult in the winter when we don't see our friends as much. We took the neighbor girl with us to pick William up from school. It was a night that he had a test, so he was late coming out. We had her call home to say that she was OK and we were waiting for William.
We need to get ready for Thanksgiving this weekend. I still need to finish the Christmas cards...I would really like to send them out just after Thanksgiving. You know...if I spent as much time addressing them as I do writing about addressing them, they would be done. I should buy the stamps tomorrow.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Wednesday 11/19/08 screen doors and choir...

In William's room he has an outside door with a screen door. Today William and I put plastic around the screen door. It is an old screen door that doesn't keep out much of the cold. The door is on the second floor in the back of the house, so very few people will see it. I will try to put plastic on the rest of the windows this weekend.
The girls had choir tonight. They like to sing. It is very casual, they get a lot done, but it is not tense, the kids have fun. I think that they enjoy seeing their friends as much as they like singing.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Tuesday 11/18/08 crickets...

We got more crickets for the frogs to eat today. We buy fifty crickets at a time, then we don't need to go back as often. We feed the crickets carrot shavings. In the summer we also feed them grass.

Monday, November 17, 2008

Monday 11/17/08 flu shots, homework and plastic on windows...

We got our flu shots today. Maggie had a lot of homework to do tonight, we have a new educational computer game that Beth played since she didn't have any homework.
It has turned colder. I need to put plastic onto the windows. I called the real estate lady and she said that it would be OK. Then people would see that they would need plastic on these windows too. She didn't think that it would hurt the sale of the house. I wonder...as soon as the plastic goes up, will we start top get people coming over to see the house again?

Monday 11/17/08

It has been snowing here for three days. The snow is not sticking, but it has been snowing. The kids get flu shots today.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Sunday 11/16/08 signing up for classes and "Bratz" dolls...

We signed William up for his next terms classes yesterday. It was a lot easier this time, since we have signed him up one other time. Then we went to get him a winter jacket. We went to the mall. I don't think that there is a recession in my town. The mall parking lot was full. It took a long time to find a parking spot. Also, everyone that we saw coming out of the mall was caring a package. Usually when there are rough economic times, no one has bought anything, they are all just looking. Yesterday, they were buying.
We literally went into every store in the mall that sells men's clothes to look for a winter jacket with a hood that does not come off (no zippers or buttons) and does not have any fur around the hat. William does not like the fur, he thinks that it looks like a girls jacket. We couldn't find a winter jacket. Last week when we went to look, we went to four stores. We were all tired after looking at the mall, and still didn't have a jacket. Beth had received some money for her birthday, so she wanted to go to another store to spend it. She had seen an MP3 player...is that the one that music can be loaded onto?...so we went to look. It was a store that we had gone to last week for winter jackets, but since we were there, we looked again...you never know, more jackets may have come in. We found a winter jacket for William. Cheer and clap... Beth decided that she didn't want the MP3 player. so she bought some "Bratz" dolls.
Have you seen the "Bratz" dolls? They are the ones that the feet come off and you can put different feet on them. Then the child doesn't have to slip the shoes on and off, they just put on different feet, that already permanently have shoes on them. It is really freaky to go around the house and see these stray feet laying around, or to see these dolls without feet. The new dolls have legs and feet that come off. The doll then had from its stomach up attached. The one that Beth got has three sets of legs. So we have two sets laying around without a body. This is even freakier. Maggie had the two sets of legs dancing, one set had ballerina feet and the other were regular with every day shoes on. Beth likes them. They come with lots of clothes.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Saturday 11/15/08 birthdays, Christmas cards and busy weekends...

We had Beth's birthday party last night. She is twelve years old now. Beth has grown about two and a half inches in the last year. She is as tall as William was at eleven. Right now she is my most petite child...I don't know if she well end up that way.
I started the Christmas cards last night. They all have our return address on them. I have written the note that I want to put into all of the cards, but it still needs written into each card. I decided that this could wait for another day. Maybe I will put all of the stamps on next.
Today we need to get William registered for the next term in college, get William a winter jacket, and get haircuts. The weather is turning chillier and it is raining.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Thursday 11/13/08 this weekend...

The weather was spring-like today. It started off chilly, and turned out to be beautiful. We will need to go to the library soon. The kids are almost done with their books. We don't have much planned for this weekend. It may be nice to rest.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Wednesday 11/12/08 pictures...

I like to change the family pictures around the house now and then. We have a lot of pictures, but they are in photo albums. To get some of them seen, they are rotated in the picture frames in the house. I was hoping that the kids would look at the pictures and recognise that they are different, but they don't. So after the pictures are changed, I take them around and point out the new ones, and answer any questions that they have about who is in the pictures or where we were. It is like having a rotating picture show.

Monday, November 10, 2008

Monday 11/10/08 decorations and weather...

We still have our Halloween decorations up. We need to take them down. Maybe tomorrow. The kids had a good day, they were warm in their winter jackets. The weather turned cold so fast. I am ready for spring.

Tuesday 11/11/08 board games and Christmas cards...

We had game night tonight. We played "Blokus". It is a board game where each person has pieces that they take turns adding to the board to see who can find a place to put all of their pieces. Beth had a plan this time on how and which pieces to use next...Maggie made lawnmower noises. Have you guessed yet that Maggie is the class clown? It was fun.
Tonight I am going to start filling out the Christmas cards. I found a new saying to put on my computer. It is ''You choose what to do with the time that you are given" It is from "Lord of the Rings". Making all of the lists in the world won't help me if I don't choose to get anything done.

Monday 11/10/08 winter jackets...

We found winter jackets for the girls this weekend. William couldn't find one that he liked that had an attached hood, so we will keep looking. We also now have hats and gloves for everyone. They have last years jackets, but they will be too small soon.
We went to my mom's house to see my Uncle and Aunt for a short while yesterday. We couldn't stay long, the kids go to school today. They are leaving today (Monday), it was so fun to see them.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

Saturday 11/8/08 busy weekend...

We had a busy day. My Uncle and Aunt came into town last evening. They are staying with my mom. We went to see them today after lunch. We went to the park and then went and had ice cream, then went to mom's house for an hour, then went out to dinner, then went back to mom's house to talk and relax. It was fun, but full. It would be nice if all of the relatives lived closer. They are leaving on Monday morning after breakfast. We are going to give them some of our snowdrop bulbs to take back home.

Friday, November 7, 2008

Friday 11/7/08 frogs and flower bulbs...

We cleaned out the frogs container today. It was chilly out so we sat on the kitchen floor with newspapers under the container to clean it. The hardest part is catching the crickets. They must be put into a separate container before the big container can be cleaned out.
We also dug up all of our snowdrop flower bulbs. They are the ones that bloom in January or February. When they originally came, they were planted about a foot apart. Now each one has multiplied so that each one is a clump of about ten bulbs. The bulbs need to be dug up and carefully separated. Then they can be replanted. In another five years, all of them will be about ten bulbs. It is better to separate them each year...but we didn't. It will be nice this winter to see so many flowers.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Thursday 11/6/08 pictures, papers and decorations...

The girls had school pictures today. They were very excited. William has had to write a lot of papers for college recently. He does most or all of his writing at school. He has been very busy with college. He looks pleased with the challenge. We haven't heard back from his "first choice" college yet on if he was accepted ...so he will register here at the Community College for next term.
We need to take the Halloween decorations down. It is time to get ready for Thanksgiving.

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Tuesday 11/4/08 tag and decorations...

The weather was great today. I had my winter jacket off.The girls played tag today. Today they are running down one side of the street and crossing to the other side and running down it, playing tag as they go. It looks more like they are running track.
We need to put the Halloween decorations away, Thanksgiving will be here soon.
Maggie and Beth switched jobs today. Maggie will now put dinner away and Beth will feed the crickets...that feed the frogs. This is a permanent switch. They are both sure that their new job will be easier than their old one.

Monday, November 3, 2008

Monday 11/3/08 Christmas cards...

I have found my Christmas cards for this year. The next step is to start addressing them. OK...actually...I found them about two weeks ago. Now each day I stare at them. If they aren't addressed soon, they won't be ready to be mailed right after Thanksgiving. Maybe this week.
Beth's Birthday is in November. Her present is now in my room. It needs to be near me so that it can be wrapped without the kids seeing where they are kept.
We have birthday's in September, October and November, also the holidays Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The end of the year is very full for us.

Monday 11/3/08 crochet and dinner...

I have started to crochet again. It is nice to have a warm Hobie in the winter. I like making the blankets. Since I can't match colors, picking yarn is frustrating, but after that, making the blankets is fun.To pick yarn, I either have all white boarders, or ask someone in the store to help me.
We eat dinner together. It is great to see the kids, to hear about their day. We talk about what is coming up that we need to plan for or things that happened that day. We are together at other times of the day, but only at meals are we all seated facing each other. The day's interruptions (friends, phones, homework...) are all gone, and we can talk.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Saturday 11/01/08 Birthday party...

We had William's birthday party today. My mom came over, she is the only one in the family that lives in town. William likes pie instead of cake, so we had apple pie and Recesses Cup ice cream. The pie had nineteen candles on it. This pie had the lattice top (crissed crossed top, not a full crust covering), which was easier to put nineteen candles into. Last year we had a pie with a full crust...when we put eighteen candles in it, there wasn't anything left of the top crust. After the pie and ice cream, we measured William on our measuring stick. We use a separate piece of wood, not a door frame. Then if we move, we can take it with us. William hasn't grown in the last year, but he does look taller. I think that it is because he is more mature now. We always have the presents last, then they can play with them without having to stop to have"Happy Birthday" sung to them or to be measured.

Friday, October 31, 2008

Friday 10/31/08 Halloween...

The kids went trick-or-treating tonight...the girls went, and William decided to stay home. They had fun, seeing all of the kids, getting candy, looking at peoples porch decorations. The record for candy at our house is five or six gallons of candy (we store it in gallon size Ziploc bags). Tonight they got three gallons. We guess that it is lower because William didn't go with us. On our street, the neighbors said that they had two trick-or treaters, if you include my two girls. Some years we have had as many as thirty kids, usually we have about ten kids. If we all go out we leave a bowl of candy on the front porch and the lights on.

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Thursday 10/30/08 carving pumpkins...

We had a busy day. The girls and I carved pumpkins after dinner and picking William up from college. Beth started carving her pumpkin and named him "Bob"...but then she realized that the pumpkin looked more like a "Joe". Maggie wanted to see the legal papers for the name change. I carved one for William. He is older now and doesn't participate in everything any more. While we carved the pumpkins, the girls played in the seeds. It was a lot of gooey fun. Tomorrow, we get Halloween candy, and have dinner and trick-or-treat. Saturday, we have a dentist appt., and William's birthday party. This has been a busy week.

Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Wednesday 10/29/08 church...

William didn't have school today, so he stayed home. The girls and I went to church tonight. Usually on Wednesdays they have kids choir and dinner. But tonight, they had dinner and a slimefest. They must have invited all of the town, there were a lot of families there that I didn't recognise. Maggie went as a witch and Beth was a princess. I usually take the pictures of the events, but they were short one person so I helped. I had the booth where the kids got pretzels and marshmallows and gum drops and they could make things out of them. The pretzels get pushed into the marshmallows and gum drops to build things. The kids built a lot of houses and letters..."L" and "T" were the favorite, and one child built a helicopter. In the end they can eat their creation, throw it away or take it home. We had fun.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Tuesday 10/28/08 cat slippers and runny noses...

Beth had her cat slippers on today. She found that if she pulled her pant legs over the top of the slippers, it looked like the cat had a hat on. Beth thought that this was a riot. I think that we may be making her cat slippers hats soon.
Maggie is getting over her cold. William, Beth and I are now sniffling.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Monday 10/27/08 Homework and Halloween...

William finished his paper this morning in the computer lab at school before class started...well...he said that he was only a few minutes late for class. He did a good job.
It is getting closer to Halloween, Maggie has the sniffles, Beth is starting to sniffle, William is even sniffling. They need to be healthy before Halloween. Sometimes it rains on Halloween.

Monday 10/27/08 library and college...

We spent a lot of time this weekend at the library and the college. Maggie needed more books, so we went to the library. While we were there we rented a lot of movies. William had a paper due so we went to the college so that he could type it...we are out of ink, or he could have typed it here. Beth loves to go to all of these places and see more people.
This week has a lot going on: William turns nineteen, the girls have school pictures, Halloween, the girls have a Halloween dance at school..there is probably more, but I can't think of anything else.

Friday, October 24, 2008

Friday 10/24/08 snow shovels and Christmas cards...

We bought two more snow shovels today. The last time that we got shovels was when the kids were very young. So we have small shovels. Now, when it snows, we can all use a full size shovel.
We got out this years Christmas cards. One night I will put all of the addresses on them.Another night I will put our return address on them. I like to send them out right after we finish the Thanksgiving leftovers. If there is time I will add a short note about our family to each one. I write the same note on all of the cards. It would be difficult to think of new things to say in each of the cards, so they all get the same note. Last year the cards said...William is choosing a college, Maggie loves having a locker at school and Beth loves being the youngest. I am not sure what this years note will say.

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Thursday 10/23/08 trips and winter jackets...

The girl's school is talking about taking the kids on trips this year. They are talking about the sixth grade going to Washington DC and the sixth, seventh and eighth grade going somewhere else. Last year they had a meeting about the seniors going to New York City, but there weren't enough kids that signed up, so they didn't go. The girls are so excited about taking a trip with their class.
We are going to get winter jackets this weekend. We are all looking forward to it.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Wednesday 10/22/08 bike tires and ice skating...

We got Maggie's bike back last week. The back tire had been bent when she went around a corner and hit a pothole. Maggie was OK but the bike tire was bent so that when she rode it the bike wobbled up and down like a clown's bike. The bike place was able to bend it back into place. I hope that we can go bike riding again soon.
When it gets too cold to go bike riding, we will go back to ice skating. There is an ice skating rink by us. We need to have the kids check their skates and see who has outgrown theirs.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Tuesday 10/21/08 Bringing things home from storage...

We went to the storage unit to bring home the winter blankets and my winter clothes. We had hoped that the house would sell by now and we could unpack at the next house, but that hasn't happened yet. We had kept the kids winter clothes at this house, only mine had gone to storage.
I took the blankets to the laundromat to wash them. They are too large for my machine at home.We don't need more blankets yet, but it will be good to have them when it gets colder.
We brought the witch decoration home from storage too. It is one of those witches that looks like it ran into the house. It doesn't seam like Halloween to me without the witch on the porch.We need to get some Halloween candy soon.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Monday 10/20/08 cutting the plants back for winter...

It is almost time to cut back all of the plants before winter. I don't want to cut them back too soon, if it gets warm again, they will all try to re-grow. I really don't want to cut them back twice.Because we have the house up for sale, we kept a lot of our bigger plants cut back this summer. This really made our yard look bigger. When we do cut all of the plants back, there won't be as much to do.
The rose bush clippings that we planted are doing OK. We planted seven cuttings: one sprouted, five are still green, but haven't sent out any shoots, and one died. I hope that they make it through the winter.

Monday 10/20/08 Brakes for my car...

My car's brakes started making noise last week. There are always so many questions that need answered when the car needs repaired. Will it be done in time to pick up the kids, or will it be done that day, how much will it cost, can all of the other things that needed to be done that day get done? I dropped the kids off at school and went to the car repair place. I had decided that if it was going to take too long, I could call my mom. I would rather be independent, but having to walk home or to call a cab didn't seam like a good idea. I started praying that the car would be done fast and for a low price. The mechanic looked at the car and said that it would be about $200.00 and would take an hour. I was so glad to have it done and have a safe car again.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Saturday 10/18/08 bird seed and waterdishes...

The birds have eaten all of the suet (bird food). They can eat a block of suet in less than two days. We try to put out more every week or two. One former place where we lived, we had an electric water dish. It plugged in and the water didn't freeze in the winter. We had it in the backyard . The birds and the other animals have a place to get a drink in the winter. At that time we lived in the middle of a neighborhood, so we had visits from birds and a rabbit.
I would love to have the water dish out here, but we live sort of close to a small amount of woods. I am concerned that all of the animals would come over to get a drink. I really don't want the ground hogs in our yard.

Friday, October 17, 2008

Friday 10/17/08 Shovels and perrenial flowers...

The weather is starting to get cooler. We need more shovels. We have one that is for an adult, one that can go into a car trunk and two for little kids. We need three more adult size shovels.
My friends and I were talking the other day about which flowers will grow in their yards. They both have a lot of sun, so much that their hastes don't survive. They want to plant perennials next year so that they won't need to replant each year. I told them about our Snow Drops that bloom in January or February right through the snow. We water them all summer...well we water the ground where the bulb is, and then in the winter when we are ready for spring, they sprout. I am going to take them some bulbs for their yard.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Thursday 10/16/08 New goals, leaves, and car wax...

Beth has a new goal. She wants to learn to cook. She says that there isn't anything in particular that she wanted to learn. She just wants to learn to cook. So far she can make Rice Crispy Treats. Beth says that she is happy with that, but she wants to learn more. Maggie's goal is to read more.
Maggie and Beth were in the backyard today playing. They have ''adopted'' a leaf and named it ''Leafy''.
I waxed my car the other day and missed wiping off some of the wax. I went around the car today and wiped those spots. I hope that it is all gone now.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Wednesday 10/15/08 school conferences...

We went to conferences at the girl's school today. They are in junior high, so we don't have a set time to see each teacher. There is a open block of time, and we go to teachers as we see that they aren't talking with any other parents. The teachers at this school are young, and full of energy. The girls are doing well in school.

William didn't have any school today so he stayed home. He really enjoys Wednesdays.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Tuesday 10/14/08 raking leaves...

The leaves in our neighborhood have started falling. The trees are partly green and partly a rainbow of color. The tree in our front yard has been cut down, so we don't have any leaves. The colors of the leaves on our lawn would be pretty, but I don't mind that we won't need to rake the front yard. In our back yard the neighbor's leaves fall into our yard, so we can rake them.
Before we decided to move, we had a compost pile in the backyard and we raked all of our leaves back there. We also raked all of our neighbor's leaves onto our compost pile. All of the kids in the neighborhood would come and help. No one had enough rakes for all of the kids, about twelve kids in all...so we used shovels and wagons too. We ended up with leaves everywhere, but we had a great time.

Monday, October 13, 2008

Monday 10/13/08 around campus and slow motion tag...

William is looking around the campus more. All of his classes are in one building. This building also has the cafeteria and computer room. He hasn't needed to go to any other building. He has found the library in another building, and the engineering building.
The girls played tag in slow motion tonight. Sometimes on bikes, sometimes on foot. It was very interesting to watch.

Monday 10/13/08 small pans ans apple festival...

We have been looking for a small black pan with a black lid to finish up our solar oven. We haven't been able to find one. All of the ones that I am seeing have long handles.
We went to an apple festival this weekend. It was so much fun to go somewhere new. They had old tractors, made apple cider (the tractors didn't make the cider, people did), and had re-enactments with Civil War soldiers. There were a lot of booths showing old skills, like candle making, tatting (it sort of looks like lace), bow and arrow making, etc. We were only there for a few hours, but we were all pretty tired when it was done. We liked the demonstrations the best. There is a general store in town that we did not get to see, and we wanted to rent a canoe, but they were closing when we got there. We need to go back to this town again soon and see these things.

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Saturday 10/11/08 Halloween planning...

We bought Halloween costumes for the girls today. Maggie didn't know what she wanted to be and Beth wanted to be a witch. They like to get costumes that can be warn over their winter jackets. Also, I don't allow any masks that could cover their eyes or any scary costumes. We are a PG rated, Walt Disney family. Maggie found a black cape, a wig and a really big purple hat. She is a funky witch. Beth found the same cape and a wig, but she didn't want the same costume as Maggie. Beth ended up deciding that because Maggie had a hat, their costumes are different. Neither of them wanted any more pieces for their costume, since the jacket would probably cover it up.
We also bought pumpkins. We got one for William too. He probably won't carve it, but we like William to know that we are still thinking about him.

Friday, October 10, 2008

Friday 10/10/08 this weekend...

We have not found the third frog yet...OK we didn't look. He is probably in the container. If he got out, he hasn't come out into the open yet. We can look tomorrow. We don't need to go to the library tomorrow. Instead, we should take Maggie's bike in to get fixed, and we need to get Halloween costumes and pumpkins. The weather is going to be so nice, I hope to play outside a lot this weekend.

Thursday, October 9, 2008

Thursday 10/9/08 frogs...

The lid to the frog's container was left open last night. We have one frog that jumps around a lot in the night and it got out. He (she?) was found on the kitchen floor. William put him back into his container. He hopped right into the water container. Tonight Maggie checked the cage to make sure that the other frogs were still there. She found a second frog, but not the third. He (she?) may be in the cage, but hiding...we don't know. We haven't found it around the house. I hope that the third frog is OK.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Wednesday 10/8/08 day off and Halloween...

William had the day off from school so he went to the library to do homework. The weather has turned nice again, so it was a pleasant walk.
We need to get the Halloween decorations out. It is getting late, and soon it will be too late. We need to get the girls Halloween costumes too. We should get them this weekend. We can get the candy too and put it into the freezer.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Tuesday 10/7/08 school and cold weather...

Maggie didn't feel good at school today, so I picked her up early. She is feeling better now, and will go back to school tomorrow.
The weather is still cold...to us...not to our neighbors, who are still wearing shorts. It is going to get warmer tomorrow, then we can go back to our spring jackets.

Monday, October 6, 2008

Monday 10/6/08 fixing glasses, new assignments and bike tires

Maggie and Beth both needed their glasses fixed. Maggie's nose pieces had both fallen off, and Beth's nose pieces were both bent. We went in today to get their glasses adjusted. It is nice now to see the girls with their glasses sitting in the correct spot on their noses. After we were done we had about an hour before we could pick up William, so we went to a park with a playground. It was a playground that had a large climbing area. Sort of a combination slide, with walkways and a fireman's pole and ladders etc. The girls had fun. They played tag a lot. We did go to the swings too.
Next we picked up William and went home. He said that he may not need the Forbes magazine article for his class any more. The class may be going onto another project.
This evening we went for a bike ride. Maggie went around a corner too fast and fell off of the bike. She is OK. The back tire on the bike isn't round anymore. The bike wobbles now. We will need to get a new bike tire.

Monday 10/06/08 crickets and rose cuttings...

We got more crickets on Saturday. This is a noisy group. They sing all night. When they stop singing in the morning, the birds outside are singing. I love hearing their songs. Our yellow mums by the front stairs have come in beautifully.
A few weeks ago, we took cuttings from my grandmothers rose bush and planted them. One has sprouted, and the rest are still alive...still green. I did a few things differently this time. After they were planted, they were given plant food. They were planted in an area that gets some sun and some shade, and they are watered with water that is not straight from the faucet. I heard that that water is too cold, and needs to set in the cup for a while to get to the temperature outside before it is given to the plants. Then the water isn't such a shock. I did water them every day for about the first three days, then I got busy with other things and they are now watered about once a week. It has rained some. I am so happy that one has sprouted.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Sunday 10/5/08 SAT test and errands...

I'm sorry, I tried to post last night, but was just too tired. William took the SAT test yesterday. He may need it for scholarships. While he was taking it the girls and I did some errands. We went to the library so that Maggie could get more books. She now has four books. She started reading one yesterday, and she seemed pretty interested in it. Beth also ended up with four books. Beth was only looking for one book, but it took Maggie a while to decide on her books and to have me OK them, so Beth spent a lot of time standing by the books with nothing to do. So she looked at books and chose some more. Also...we have now moved to the teen section in the library. They think that these books are so interesting.
When we were done with the library, we started looking for winter jackets. Some of the stores didn't have the jackets out yet, but they were having great sales on summer clothes. The rest of the stores had a few jackets out, but they didn't have attached hoods. We didn't get jackets yesterday. Then we bought some crickets for the frogs to eat, and went and picked up William. He said that the test had gone well.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Friday 10/03/08 Spanish, watches and memory...

Beth is teaching us Spanish. She really likes her Spanish class. It is amazing how many words that she can remember. She tells us the word and we repeat it. She looks so pleased that she is able to teach other people.
Maggie has a new watch. She is now our time teller. Sometimes she gives us the time once a day, sometimes every twenty seconds. Maggie gets really excited when the minutes change and she can give us a new time.
William has gotten a book on memory, how to remember more. One of his professors at school has told the class that someone has memorized a lot of the numbers in pi. So William wants to improve his memory too.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Thursday 10/2/08 cold weather and books...

It was chilly today. We were glad that our winter jackets still fit. The weather should get warmer next week. I will be glad to have warm weather again. The mums in our front yard are blooming. It is so nice to see the yellow flowers. It makes me feel warmer to look at them. OK...I'm a sissy. I like warm weather...70 deg. or 80 deg. is nice. It has been 50 or 60 deg. and I am cold.
Maggie has four books to read. She says that only one is interesting, but she is almost finished with it. When it is done, she will read the boring books. Maggie can't wait until Saturday when we can go to the library to get her more books.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Wednesday 10/1/08 dictionary and Halloween...

We bought a dictionary tonight. We know that we have one (or two), but we can't find it (or them). Maybe it has been packed. The one that we got is a combination dictionary and thesaurus. The kids have a lot of homework this year that they need it for.
We need to put up the Halloween decorations this week. William has decided to not go trick-or-treating this year. Maggie wants to go, but doesn't know what she wants to be. Beth wants to be a witch. She just wants a hat...one big enough to go over a winter hat, so that she can wear it if it gets cold. When the kids were little we used to make their costumes. We used wrapping paper, and tape, and boxes, and aluminum foil. Their favorite was to be a present. We cut a hole in the top of the box for their head, and holes for their arms. Then we would wrap the box in wrapping paper. It was so cute. If you do this , get a box that isn't too big or too small. If a big box is used, and the child trips and falls over, they can't get up. If the box is too small, then it is difficult to get the box on over their winter jacket.

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Tuesday 9/30/08 dry-erase boards and winter jackets...

Beth needed a dry-erase board for math class at school. We picked one up tonight. She thinks that they are going to use them to cut down on their paper usage. It kind of reminds me of when the pioneer kids had their personal size chalk boards.
We tried on our jackets tonight. It is going to get cold tomorrow. We have gone out to find new jackets, but the kids need jackets with hoods that are attached, not snapped on or zippered on. We have not been able to find jackets that they like yet. In the middle of winter, when it is really cold, the kids can put up their hood, over their hat, and have that extra layer of warmth. Plus, if the hood is attached, then it won't get lost. It is a bother to find a jacket with an attached hood, but we are always glad that we did.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Monday 9/29/08 playing board games after ice cream...

After dinner tonight the kids were joking around and wanted to know if they could have desert. We don't usually (or ever) have desert. There is nothing wrong with having desert. I just can't remember to buy it or make it. I knew that we had some ice cream left they they didn't know about...so I said yes. They were so surprised. We had some Rockey Road and some Mint Chocolate Chip, and four kinds of toppings and peanuts. There wasn't much ice cream, but enough to make us happy. We ate and passed around the toppings, and had a great time. Just before we started dinner, it started to rain. We decided to play board games this evening. This wasn't the best choice after ice cream, but it was fun. We played a few games of "Guess Who?" and then played "Blockus". The ice cream was in full force by the time that we got to "Blockus". (It is a fun game even if we haven't eaten ice cream.) The girls kept making their pieces into designs, Maggie likes to make flowers and Beth likes to make squares. We found one piece that looked like an antelope. We did manage to finish one game. It was a riot. Now and then it is fun to do something different.

Monday 9/29/08 driving...

On the way home on Saturday I asked William if he was ready to learn to drive. He said ''Yes.'' and was smiling. I am not ready for him to take the car, but I would like William to be able to drive. When we got to our driveway we pulled in and switched places in the car. William adjusted the seat and we discussed which pedal is the brake and which is the gas. He practiced going forward about two feet and stopping the car. William did this a few times up to the garage door. He needs to get a learners permit. Are the rules for getting a license any different since he will be nineteen next month? I would love to teach him how to drive a stick shift car. It is nice to know how to drive both kinds of car. The problem is that I have a automatic car.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Saturday 9/27/08 window shopping...

The girls went to the amusement park today, so William and I got to spend the day together. It is always fun to see what interests my kids.
We dropped the girls off at the church and then went to the library so that William could get a magazine article for his class. Next we went home for lunch. After lunch, we went to the mall to see the graphics on a new type of computer game, I think that it is called Blue Ray. The picture is computer generated, but it almost looks like live people, not cartoons. It is almost scary how close it is to real life. William also wanted to go to the bookstore on the other side of the mall. As we walked over to the other store, we stopped at a few stores along the way that sold electronic things, like robots and glasses that have television screens in them so that people can watch a DVD on them. Next we went to the bookstore. We looked at books for a while and then William bought a book. After we left the mall we went to the computer store to look at computer games. Last we got William a haircut. It was an exciting day.

Friday, September 26, 2008

Saturday 9/26/08 tempered glass and high school friends...

We picked up the tempered glass today. I called the company and they said that they understood about us getting lost. They gave me more complete directions. The glass is a rectangle, and bigger than we had planned on, but that is OK. If we get a bigger inner tube, this glass will fit nicely. Right now the glass is in the dining room. We still need a black pan with a black lid, and to cut the plywood piece. The plywood that we have is much too large.
William came home today and said that he has run into another person from his high school. This graduating class was only about fifteen people. He has three of them at the Community College with him. He likes seeing familiar faces.

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Thursday 9/25/08 tempered glass and long tests...

I called the rest of the local companies today to get the price of a piece of tempered glass for our solar oven. The last company that I called had a piece of glass that they were throwing away and they said that we could have it for free...the other companies were charging between 36 and 65 dollars. The lady said that we could pick it up today. She gave me brief directions. I didn't get the address from the phone book, or look it up on the Internet. It was in an area where we had lived and I thought that I could find it from the directions. The girls and I drove across town and couldn't find it. I called, but they had their answering machine on. I hope that they don't get rid of it, I can call them and pick it up tomorrow.
After looking for the glass company, the girls and I went to pick up William. He didn't come out at the normal time. We waited a half hour and went into where he usually sits to see if he was there. He wasn't. We waited another fifteen minutes. No William. Is he hurt, and he didn't have any ID on him to have me called? Is he in the library? I thought about a lot of things. Finally we went to the security building. They said that no one had gotten hurt that day or had been taken to the hospital. I said that we hadn't seen William, were going home to see if there were any messages, and would be right back. At home there were no messages. We were ready to go back to the college when William called and said that he had had a test that had taken him a long time to do. I was so relieved. We went back to get him.

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wednesday 9/24/08 future field trips...

In the local paper I found a list of places to take field trips with the kids. They had some ideas that I hadn't thought of, like petting zoos, and orchards to see cider being made, and factories, to see dolls or toys (or anything) being made, working farms, historical societies...the list went on and on. The web sites were also listed so I can get the hours and the times that they are open. It sounds fun...but with the library on Saturday mornings, and a bike ride in the afternoon...Church Sunday morning and playing in the afternoon, where do we fit it in? I will go on some websites and see what is offered, we will try to fit it in somewhere. We like going to new places.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Tuesday 9/23/08 Spanish homework and holiday decorations...

Beth had homework tonight. She had to write five sentences in Spanish. The problem was that all her class has learned so far are numbers, letters and food. We went on the Internet to get a few more words.
Our neighbor brought home another pumpkin to add to their Halloween / Thanksgiving decorations. It is a cute display. We have a witch that we put up for Halloween. It is one of the ones that looks like she ran into a wall. We usually put it up at the beginning of October. The kids all help to bring her out of the basement.

Monday, September 22, 2008

Monday 9/22/08 Kids and winter...

I have started washing the blankets so that they will be ready when it gets cold. They must be taken to the laundromat, they are too big for my machine.
I made a list Saturday morning of the things that need done before winter gets here...like trying on winter jackets...and then I managed not to do anything on the list. I did get some of the weekend jobs done...like making lunches...maybe next week I can look at the list again.
Beth got a lot of hair clips this weekend. She needs to practice using them before she wears them to school. So...Beth is putting them into her dolls hair.
Maggie is almost finished with her two new books. We may need to go back to the library in the next few days. She has decided to get longer books. Maybe it would be better for Maggie to get three longer books.
The leaves have started to turn colors. Since the big tree in our front yard is gone, we won't have many leaves to rake this year.

Monday 9/22/08 decorations...

One of my neighbors has put out their Halloween / Thanksgiving decorations. It is very festive, but it always makes me cold to look at it. They have a bale of hay and scarecrows and pumpkins. When their decorations go up I start to notice that the weather is getting colder.
Beth likes to take our tape measure around and measure all of the furniture. Then she goes around and tells everyone the measurements of all of the furniture.
Maggie is still playing with her Magnetix that she got for her birthday. Maybe she will get more at Christmas so that she can make larger items.
William has been doing a lot of homework lately. He looks very happy.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Saturday 9/20/08 Mums and candy choices...

The mums have started to flower. They are always so pretty. The hastas and the butterfly bush have almost finished blooming, so the mums are a welcome sight. We had a lot of rain last week, the grass is a lot greener.
Maggie has homework. She must ask twenty-five people what their favorite kind of candy bar is from the five choices. I think that some of the choices are: Hershey's, Reese's, and Crunch. I don't remember the other choices. Maggie must not be able to ask the kids at school, because she is asking the kids in the neighborhood.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Friday 9/19/08 weekend and playing tag...

We got all of our weekend jobs done today, now we can play all weekend. Tomorrow we need to go to the library so that William can get an article from Forbes magazine for school, and so that Maggie can take out two more books. If it works out, we can go for a bike ride too. Beth is having a sleep over at the neighbor's house, so we won't know until tomorrow how tired she will be.
The girls played tag tonight with each other until one of them made the flowers in the front yard it.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Thursday 9/18/08 solar ovens and school...

We have called two places to get prices for the glass for the solar oven. We thought that plexiglass would be better, because it wouldn't break as easily, but I don't think that it will let in enough sunlight. We are going to try tempered glass. It looks like the lead time is a week wherever we go, we just need to get a few more prices.
The trip to the amusement park was moved out two weeks. The girls are excited. So far the kids all like school.

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Wednesday 9/17/08 my car, weekend jobs...

My car was in the shop for the last few days. We borrowed my mom's car. Now that we are back in my car, the kids are missing the other car. They miss the power windows, and the power locks...is it because the doors need to be locked by the driver and the kids then have one less responsibility? I am glad to have my car back, it is very comfortable.
I can't seem to do my weekend jobs (like matching outfits) on the weekend...I like to play with the kids...so now I am doing the jobs on Wednesday. It is working out so much better. I have been exercising for five to ten minutes a day. It has made a difference.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Tuesday 9/16/08 crickets and Scientific Theory...

We got more crickets yesterday for our frogs. We have gotten used to hearing their cricket noise, and seeing the crickets running around the container. The girls were wondering if the last batch of crickets have left any messages in the container that says ''The frogs will eat you, stay away from the frogs!!!''
Maggie is studying Scientific Theory and variables. She has a test tomorrow. Beth has decided that she is a dependent variable, she depends on her parents, and brother and sister, and relatives, etc.

Monday, September 15, 2008

Monday 9/15/08 homework and solar ovens...

William and Maggie had homework tonight. William has a lot of homework and Maggie had a little. I think that William was doing Accounting...he was in his room so I didn't see the book...and Maggie needed to look up the definitions to her vocabulary words. Beth didn't have any homework.
I started to call around to find tempered glass for our solar oven. We decided that Plexiglas wouldn't let in enough sunlight, and we didn't want regular glass, so I am calling around to see if tempered glass will be more unbreakable, but let the light in.We measured the inner tube. If we get a glass that is about three feet square, it will be more than big enough.We still need to cut the plywood...we have a large piece of plywood in the garage...and get a black pan.

Monday 9/15/08 neighbors, pastimes..

There is a new neighbor moving into the house next to us. I thought that he was moving in last Friday, but it doesn't look like he has. We share a driveway with that house. It will be nice to have the lights on again.
Maggie is still playing with her birthday presents. She likes the Konnects the best. She likes to make a rope, and see how long it will get before it is too heavy for the magnets. Beth is writing words for new songs. She wants to be a singer right now. She has a notebook that she writes them in.

Saturday, September 13, 2008

Saturday 9/13/08 amusements and libraries..

The girls were going to the amusement park today. This morning they packed their lunches in paper bags. Beth wanted her hair up, to keep her growing bangs out of her eyes. So we did two french braids on top. Maggie likes her hair down. They put on suntan lotion. But...it was raining. It had rained last night. We live a few hours from the amusement park, so we didn't want to guess that the park was closed. William came with us to drop off the girls. He needed to go to the library. When we got to our church, they said that the trip was cancelled. The forecast was for rain all day. They would reschedule the trip. Everyone took it well. The girls wanted to know if they could eat their lunches now. We all went to the library. While William found his books, the girls read Garfield books and I read a magazine. It did stop raining this afternoon.

Friday 9/12/08 amusement park and bike rides...

The girls are going to the amusement park tomorrow with the youth group from Church. William doesn't want to go. The girls are so excited. We picked out their outfits tonight. They will pack lunches in the morning. Beth is growing her bangs out. She doesn't want to wear a head band and have to hold it on every ride, so we will braid her hair. Maggie usually likes her hair down. Maybe she will change her mind tomorrow.
While they are gone, I was going to have William and I go for a bike ride, but he needs to go back to the library to get a magazine and some books for his classes. If it doesn't take too long, then we can still go for a ride.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Thursday 9/11/08 birthday...

Maggie had her birthday party. Her grandma, my mom, came over. We had apple pie and ice cream...two of my kids don't like cake, so they choose pie. We have a six foot board that we measure everyone's height on at their birthday. We like to see how much they have grown. Maggie is as tall at thirteen as William was at fourteen. If someone grows taller than the board, we can put their added inches on the bottom of the board.
It is chillier out tonight. There is a slight breeze. The wind chimes on the front porch are playing slow, soft music and the flags are rippling in the wind.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Wednesday 9/10/08 dolls and houses...

Beth has been changing her dolls outfit every day. Sometimes she plays with her other toys, for now she is into her dolls. The outfit from today is put into the dirty clothes and a new outfit is put on. Her doll is carried around a lot. But...when Beth gets to a room to play, the doll is set on a couch or somewhere comfortable while Beth plays with something else.
Beth has decided to make a house out of cereal boxes. Tonight she cut the cereal boxes up to make the walls and started to tape them together. She wants the house to be about a foot tall. This house must not be for the favorite doll, because the doll is also about a foot tall.

Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Tuesday 9/9/08 rosses, school, birthdays and dollies...

The rose clippings that we planted are still alive. They are still green. We only remember to water them every other day.
William is getting more talkative about school. Every now and then he tells me about something that he learned in class. He seems very comfortable with the new schedule and classes.He has now started to look for financial aid for next term.
Maggie is very excited about her birthday. I am not sure if she is happier about the presents or about finally being a teen. I think that she is board telling every one that she is a ''tween''.
Beth is making out her Christmas list. She really wants a doll like her favorite doll. But she says that it would be nice if the new one is a little bit bigger than the old one. I guess that the new one will be older than the current one...the old one can stay the baby forever.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Monday 9/8/08 growing up...

Life goes on each day. The normal occurrences happen. We laugh together, we have dinner, we read at night, we fold clothes and play with friends. Then one day we look up and everyone is older. They have all moved into the next group. They are ready and capable. William needed an e-mail address to sign up for scholarships. Maggie turns thirteen this week, and Beth is done with Junior Church (when the grade school kids leave the service at church and go and do a craft or hear a Bible story for kids) she will stay with us during the whole service now. There aren't any tiny kids in my house any more. There are nice things about having older kids, there are no more bottles and everyone sleeps all night. I am glad that the kids are growing up, but I do miss having little ones, who need to hold my hand, and want to be at home. It is a joy to see the kids test their abilities and do well. I will need another hobby to fill up more of my free time.

Monday 9/8/08 projects...

We need to finish some of our projects. OK...I need to get the items so that we can finish some of our projects. First we need to finish our solar oven. We have the plywood and the inner tube. We need the Plexiglas (which we are substituting for the glass) and a black pan. The inner tube goes on the plywood and the Plexiglas goes on top, holding the heat inside the center of the inner tube, and the black pan absorbs the heat. We have found a store to get the Plexiglas from, and most stores sell black pans. Our second project is the solar panel. We got stuck on the converter. It is the part that goes in between the solar panel and the radio. It converts the energy from the sun to electricity. We need to find a small, cheap one. Boaters and RVers use solar panels, so a good place to look would be boating and RV stores. It will be good to get these first two projects done, so that we can go onto something else.

Saturday, September 6, 2008

Saturday 9/6/08 folding bike and rooting roses...

I have decided to return my folding bike. There are too many things wrong with it.I will buy another one from the local bike shop. When we had four bikes on the bike rack, it was too much weight on the plastic bumper. With a folding bike, one bike can go in the trunk. We love to ride our bikes, we will need to make something work so that we can continue riding.
We took some cuttings from my Great grand-mother's rose bush last weekend and planted them. I would love to have a few more of this rose bush planted around the yard. Also, if/when we move, if we only have one of this plant and it dies, well...we would have none. But if we moved a few bushes, there is a better chance that one will live. My Great grand-fathers rose bush has rooted almost every time that we have planted a cutting.

Friday, September 5, 2008

Friday 9/5/08 weeds and toys...

We have more weeds in our yard than we have grass. I don't want to use weed killer because it might be harmful to the kids. I pull the weeds, I rake the weeds, the weeds are still taking over. The weeds in this yard are green, so they look like grass. I need to go to the home improvement store and see if there are any non-toxic solutions to this problem.
We went to the store today to get William a new backpack. We ended up in the toy department. There were Legos and robots and dolls and Rubik cubes...We had a great time. William and Maggie like the building toys and Beth likes the dolls and dress-up toys. I am ready to Christmas shop now.

Thursday, September 4, 2008

Thursday 9/4/08 exercising...

I need to exercise more. I decided to start with five minutes a day, just after the girls go to bed...don't laugh, it is more exercise than I am used to getting. This is a quiet time, after the family things are done, but before I start my evening cleaning, etc. It has worked well, except that I do have a TV by my exercise machine and I always end up starting right when the commercials are on. I do feel better now that I am exercising. Maybe soon I will change to ten minutes a day.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Wednesday 9/3/08 school lockers and homework...

The girls have been in school for over a week. They now have lockers and are more used to their schedules. Beth wanted a locker so that she could tape her schedule to it. Then she would know which books she needed and when each class was.
The girls do have homework this year. Last year the Junior High and High School had study hall during the last class and could get their homework done. If they had a question, there was a teacher there that could help them. This year they don't have any study halls.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Tuesday 9/2/08 moving the pine tree...

We have a pine tree planted in the back yard that we take with us every time that we move. William received it on Arbor Day from his grade school. We planted it in the yard. Soon after this we decided to move. We were outside trying to figure out which plants to take with us. William looked at his pine tree and I asked him if he wanted to take it with us. He said yes. I know that pine trees aren't usually moved, but it was still so new, so I figured that if we moved it once, at this early stage, it would be OK. We took it to the next house, and when we moved here, we dug it up again. I am guessing that we have cut the tap root so it has stayed small, about three feet tall. It is very healthy.

Monday, September 1, 2008

Monday 9/1/08 holiday goal list...

I had a goal for my free time over the Labor Day weekend. I was going to write some thoughts down for future blogs. It was a nice goal and very simple. It didn't work. On Friday night I started a list of things to do over the weekend so that we wouldn't forget anything. Writing was on the list, as well as things like...play, match outfits, make sandwiches, etc. and really big goals that I want to do like clean out my closet. We did do the necessary ones, like match the outfits and make lunches, but then we started to play and do other things that were never on the list. We did weed the backyard and fill the bird feeder. I need my list, it helps me stay directed, but sometimes I don't finish it. Maybe next weekend I can look at this list again...or maybe I will make a new one.

Monday 9/1/08 birthday presents...

Beth and her friend across the street exchanged birthday gifts last weekend. Their birthday's aren't for a couple of months, but they had their gifts for each other so they exchanged early. Beth gave posters and pictures of movie stars from a magazine and she received a statue of a bird, over a nest. The nest is open on top so that items can be put on it...the nest looks like a gourd with holes in it for the bird to go in to make a nest. I think that it is ceramic. Beth wanted help to decide what to put in the nest...not a necklace or a toy, but something that says ''I'm older now''. I suggested marbles, to look like eggs. She said no, she wanted something that said that she was growing up. We decided on a list of things that Beth wants to do when she gets older: future goals, like driving and going out with friends. This idea made her happy.

Saturday, August 30, 2008

Saturday 8/30/08 frogs, matching clothes, liking college...

The girls cleaned out the frogs container yesterday. They put the three frogs in a different container and took another container outside to put the crickets in. They also found some baby crickets in the container.
Today we matched up uniforms for next week. Both of the girls are missing one uniform. We know that the clothes are in the house. It is very frustrating to misplace the uniforms. Some families loose one sock in the dryer, we loose whole outfits somewhere in the house.
William has said that he likes college and wants to continue on with it...instead of finishing this term and getting a job. So now he will start the financial aid search. He does look so content when he comes out of school.

Friday 8/30/08 showing the house, two scooters and seed pods...

The family that was going to see our house didn't show up. They had an emergency and didn't have our number to call us. They have re-scheduled to see our house next week. The kids were so helpful last night in getting the house ready for a showing.
Beth has been trying to ride two scooters at the same time. Her balance is good. When she gets them moving she can stay on and steer. The problem is that when she needs more speed, she doesn't like to take one foot off. Beth is still perfecting this skill.
Maggie found some seed pods on the hasta plants. I didn't know that hasta's had seeds. I thought that they only produced flowers.

Thursday, August 28, 2008

Thursday 8/28/08 evening adventures...

Today started out normal enough. Everyone got up for school. School went well. When we came home, we needed to have dinner, pick up William at college at 7:00, do homework, and play. There were messages on the machine. Someone wanted to wee the house in a half hour. Oh...also, Maggie had a project to do. A poster with information and pictures which she needed the Internet for. We had dinner, it had been made last night so we heated it up, picked up the house and vacuumed it quickly and went to the library. Beth and I read magazines while Maggie looked up information. We left there and picked up William and went back to the library. The family might still have been at our house. Maggie did the written part of her report and William, Beth and I read.Then we went home. I have not heard yet if they liked the house.

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Wednesday 8/27/08 radio...

It was hot last weekend. It hasn't rained here for about two weeks.Everyone's grass is turning brown. We try to stay in the shade as much as possible. The girls had their bikes and scooters out. One of the kids across the street now, sometimes, brings out a radio. Sometimes they listen to the music that I grew up with. I don't think that they realize that it is from way back when. If I don't sing out loud, they don't realize that I know the words, and they leave the music on.

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Tuesday 8/26/08 college and junior high...

William is enjoying college. He doesn't say much, but he looks happy. Yesterday when I picked him up after class, he got in the car and said in a cheery voice''Hi'', It was so full of..I had a great day..or, class went well...or, I made a friend...It was a happy, full, Hello. I waited for more. William looked out the window. He is a young man of few words.
The girls have started junior high. The school didn't have enough locks for their lockers, so they have brought all of their school supplies back home. They are hoping to have lockers in a few days.

Monday, August 25, 2008

Monday 8/25/08 school starts...

The girls started Junior High today.
We had everyone's clothes all laid out, and their snacks in their lunch bags, and their sandwiches made and in the freezer...but Beth had left her shoes at someones house from the weekend(she took her tennis shoes and her flip-flops, and only came back with the flip-flops). We didn't realize that the other shoes were missing until it was time to leave in the morning. We checked all of the shoes in the house for a pair that came close to her size. Maggie had a pair of high tops, Beth was able to wrap the laces around her ankles to keep them on. She said that the shoes fit pretty well. Her shoes were brought back after school.
We take a picture(or two) of the kids on the first and last day of school. When they are older I am going to put them all into a picture frame to see in pictures how they grew.
School went well. Maggie is used to changing classes from last year. It was all new to Beth. The day did go well. We got school supplies tonight.

Monday 8/25/08 birthday/Christmas list, gluing Popsicle sticks...

Last week at dinner I asked the kids to tell me the things that they wanted for their birthday's. They have birthday's late in the year. I can use the list for Christmas presents too. If the list can be made early enough, then all of the shopping can be done before the weather turns cold. I don't like to shop when it is cold out. They started out slow..."I don't know what I want''...''I only want three things''...but they soon got the hang of it. I like to have a decently long list so that there is a better chance that I will be able to find some of the things when the shopping begins. The kids rank the items when we are done so that I know what they would like to have the most.
Yesterday the girls decided to glue some of their Popsicle sticks together. Maggie has started building a house out of a cardboard box. The Popsicle sticks are going to be a shed for the yard. She is deciding if there will be one shed or two. Beth has a previous art project of colored stones glued to a piece of cardboard. She is gluing the the stones on that have fallen off. William isn't interested in gluing Popsicle sticks together any more.

Saturday, August 23, 2008

Saturday 8/23/08 getting ready for school...

The girls start school on Monday. They are very excited. We assembled their clothes for next week. This year they are wearing uniforms, so this is much easier...there are fewer decisions. They get all of their clothes lay ed out for the week. They put their pants down first and put the other clothes on top of them. When the pants are folded up it makes a nice neat packet of clothes. I keep the packets in my room and we get one packet out each day. Also, we make our sandwiches for the week and put them in the freezer. Most things can be frozen, like peanut butter and jelly and bologna and cheese. The only things that I know that can't be frozen are tomatoes and lettis and mayonnaise. The sandwiches are still OK on Friday. I also prepack the snacks into sandwich bags. The kids can choose what they want each night and put them into their lunch bags, and I put the sandwiches in in the morning. This frees up our evenings for homework and play.
If I have a chance I will plan the dinners for the week. We are almost ready to go outside and play.

Friday, August 22, 2008

Friday 8/22/08 William starts college...

William signed up for college last weekend. He is going full time at the Community College, and has finished his application to the college that he wants to go away to. William is a quiet, steady person. He never states the obvious, like that the weather is nice, because he says that people can look outside and see that for themselves. After we signed him up for classes, when we got home, he said ''I'm going to college'' in an excited voice. The happiness kept getting larger. He said that he was pleased, and on Sunday William told me that he was starting college the next day. After school on Monday, we waited for him to tell us how it went. Nothing. No information. We're girls, we like information and talking. William didn't say anything. So...I asked how it went. He said ''Fine.'' We spent a year on this, toured around five colleges and fretted about William and it is ''Fine.''. He has said that he has found the library and seen a friend from high school. William looks very happy. He was ready for college.
We had the sprinkler on today. Maggie likes to ride her bike through it and Beth likes to stand in it.

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Thursday 8/21/08 no chicken pox, Maggie's birthday plans, sports...

The child across the street does not have chicken pox!!! I am very happy. The doctor said that she was having an allergic reaction to something. It would be difficult to have the kids pulled out of school even before school had started.
Maggie's birthday is coming up. She wants Transformers and/or a harmonica (with directions). I need to get them this weekend so that I am ready. We can get the cake and ice cream later, but I like to have the presents ahead.
When school starts I want to put the kids into a sport. They were in basketball last year and they really enjoyed it. I think that it would be a great sport for this year too.
Beth has been drawing on the sidewalk. She has a few pictures. She likes to write all of the names of her friends and then color around them.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Wednesday 8/20/08 chicken pox???...

One of the neighbor kids across the street has something that looks like chicken pox. Her mom came over and showed it to me. She said that most of her kids, including this one, had already had chicken pox. Can people get it twice?My kids had it years ago. Can they get it again? It was very uncomfortable for them, they itched a lot. When they find out what it is, they will come back and tell us.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tuesday 8/19/08 bike riding with the folding bike, alarm clocks...

We went bike riding last weekend. The folding bike was good and not so good. It was so nice to not have to put four bikes on a three bike bike rack. But, the folding bike has easy close levers to hold the handle bars and seat in place after the rider adjusts them to the correct height...the levers slip. The handlebars weren't so bad because not much weight is put on them, but if I bumped them when I got off of the bike, they turned and were not at the correct angle to the tires. The seat also kept lowering. I am going to contact the company and see if they have a solution. It was so nice to be able to put the bike into the trunk and not to have to wrestle with the bike rack, that we will find a way to make this work.
My alarm clock still reads that it is January, but on the up side, the clock does say Saturday.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Monday 8/18/08 cooler weather, planting garlic, orange moons and atomic clocks...

It was cooler last night. Soon we will need to get the blankets out of storage. I am not ready for Fall yet. The kids are having so much fun bike riding and wearing sandals and doing all of the summer activities. I miss the flowers when winter comes. This year we will have some mums that bloom in the fall, and some snowdrops that bloom in January or February, right through the snow.
If we are still in the house when the ground is about to freeze, we are going to plant garlic. It grows over the winter...or maybe it just sits there and grows in the spring. In the spring the green shoots come up out of the planted garlic and when they die and turn yellow, the garlic is done.
I went outside tonight, the moon was out and it was orange. I don't know if I have ever seen an orange moon before. I was outside with my new atomic clock. I have one atomic clock...an atomic clock sends a signal to the national clock somewhere in the west and brings back the correct time. The clock is always set correctly, even during time changes (as long as the batteries are good)...but I needed a second clock in case I didn't hear the first one. I am not sure that it is healthy to have the clocks waves going out by my head every night every two minutes. I hope that it doesn't cause brain damage...but I am guessing that it is OK and have purchased a second clock. The second one hasn't sent out a signal yet. We have had it for about two weeks. I set the time, and thought that it would set the date. It hasn't. The directions said that if the clock didn't send out a signal, take it outside at night, that is when it would get the best reception, and leave the clock outside for two minutes. The clock and I were outside for four minutes. The date still says January. I did feel silly on the front porch with my clock...but the moon was pretty. I don't really need the date on this clock, my other clock has the date...so...I am not going to set it. I may set the clock outside another night.

Monday 8/18/08 reading, essay's, weather and showing the house...

Maggie likes to stay up at night and read. Sometimes she reads two books at a time...one book one day and one book the next. Beth finished a book this summer.
William has been working on his essay. He hopes to have it done soon.
The weather is starting to turn cooler each morning. I like the summer.
Someone came to look at the house last week. We haven't heard yet what they thought about it.

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Saturday 8/16/08 grass seed and sprinklers...

We planted more grass seed last week in the front yard where the tree was taken down. Some grass had sprouted from the last planting. If someone is two houses down from ours, that area looks like it has grass. But...when someone is right by it, there are a lot of bare spots. We have put more grass seed in and bought a sprinkler. This is the first time that we have ever watered the yard. It has not rained for at least two weeks. We watered two days straight. Then it started raining again, about every other day. I have put the sprinkler away.

Friday, August 15, 2008

Friday 8/15/08 goals and ponytailes...

On Friday's I like to look back at my week and see if I accomplished any...or all...of that weeks goals. Even if my goal was to play one week, I like to look back and see if I did it.I like to make goals for the weekend too. Then I can check on Monday and see if they were done. It is important to me to see that I am always making progress.
Beth had her hair in two ponytails today. Then later she changed to one. When the girls were young they used to have me do their hair...now they like to do their own hair. Kids grow up so fast.