As Promised

Pictures from yesterday.

Our little garden.



And the front of the house with the three hanging baskets.



Grace, Tristan and Ethan during our hike.



And a goofy picture of me and Esmerelda (my new car) - taken by Tristan - yesterday morning, before I even had my contacts in.



I have some neat scenery pictures too, but they will have to go in another post.

The agenda for today?

I've got to go get groceries at Fred's, fill up the gas tank, stop at Costco for Red Bull, check the Thrift Store for roller blades, hang up the hummingbird feeder, plan the menu for the week and get the house picked up.

Grace has T-Ball practice tonight and opening ceremonies in the morning, which I need to videotape if Joe can't make it. We will have a game or practice (or both) sometime this week - I still don't have the schedule.

I have a stamping party tomorrow afternoon (Me Time!)and I'm helping Dawn host our group's card swap on Wednesday night. I need to cook and prepare for that. Grace also has her Cubbies awards ceremony on Wednesday night - a half hour before the party.

Joe won't have a day off until at least a week from now and I need to get my poop in a group for the next week to save my sanity. At least what little I have left.

The Early Birds

We were up and out the door this morning before 9 am.

We hiked out by the Glacier with Dawn and kids. What a wonderful morning! The sun was out, it wasn't too hot yet and the kids did great. I will have pictures this afternoon. We had the trail to ourselves going out and passed a couple people on the way back in, but the parking lots were full and there were cars down the side of the highway when we left about noon.

Last night was Grace's last club night for Cubbies. She got all of her patches and such for the awards ceremony next week. Oddly, she was very clingy when I dropped her off. Joe got home about 7:30 pm and I went back to get Grace.

Tristan was asleep minutes after getting tucked in, but Grace held on until 9:30 pm. I went to Dawn's about 9 pm, to place my order from Land's End (new swimsuit and flip-flops) and by the time I got home at 10 pm, everyone was in bed. I was asleep as soon as I got comfortable - pretty much instantly.

I made the pork roast into chimi-changas last night and they were VERY tasty. I saved half of the shredded meat for BBQ sandwiches tonight. I also made some bread (3 loaf recipe) and we had fresh (warm) bread with honey-butter for our afternoon lawn-snack. I was really happy with the results and it will be a permanent addition to my recipe box.

I've got to go scrounge something for lunch and then I'm going to take a little quiet time. The kids will want to go out and ride bikes this afternoon and I have some stamping to do with Dawn later.

What I'm really wishing for is a nasty storm so I can get a nap...

My Eyeballs Hurt

We have been outside so much this last few days that I am sunburned and I ache right down to my eyeballs. I have fallen asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow the last two nights - NOT to the amusement of my dear husband, who would like an evening companion.

The kids have played in the hose and with buckets of water. We had a bee (HEWGE!) in the front window yesterday. I am putting on and taking off bike helmets and sandals more than I can keep track of. The shorts are out and being worn. There have been snacks on the front lawn for the last 4 days because it's too nice to go back inside.

This is so unusual for Juneau in April, but I'm loving it!

I'm still struggling to get caught up on the laundry. I've got 3 loads left. Dinner is in the crockpot, but we had ice cream instead. The roast will wait for another day. I got last summer's vacation pictures sorted (part of the digital mess) and the one's I was missing have been ordered from Snapfish. I downloaded the last bunch of photos and burned them to CD this morning, so I might get something posted on the blog soon.

Glorious Sun!

It was so sunny yesterday (and warm!) that I actually got a sunburn. OK - not really hard for me, but we *were* outside most of the day.

We had our first coffee/muffins on the porch, followed by a shopping trip to Fred's to get soil and a couple of hanging pots. Joe built me a small garden box and we planted all of the seedlings we had started inside. Grace had her first T-Ball practice in the afternoon and we grilled with Dawn and Rob for dinner in the front yard.

My cold was almost gone yesterday and now we are all coughing again this morning, so probably no church. BUT! the weather is sunny and clear again, so we will be enjoying it while it's here.

We are re-thinking the summer trip Down South and will probably push it back to late September/October. I don't want to leave when the weather is good here. I would rather visit other places when the rain starts here and we need a break. It might even be as late as next January. In the meantime, we are looking forward to fishing, camping and doing all of the summer Alaska stuff.

The Road to Hell...

Yada, Yada, Yada. Where does the time go??

I've been so scattered the last two days that I even missed Amazing Race last night.

Everyone getting sick was NOT on my agenda for the week. The kids have been whining and generally miserable, but are still playing well together. Joe has had a bad week at work and it only seems to be getting worse. He really needs to start taking his days off. I am starting to get the cold the kids had and the computer seems to be just as moody as everyone else in the house.

We've also had sideways rain for two solid days. That puts a damper on the yardwork and outdoor playtime. I'm so ready for summer and the tulips still haven't started blooming here.

On to the good stuff.

With the computer having a fit, I managed to get my card swap cards (8) done and finished the stack of Mother's Day cards (18) last night after the kids went to bed. I also got a three-hour nap yesterday afternoon. Pez nailed it - my Me Time has been productive, just not on the computer.

So, while the computer is cooperating, I've got to tackle the photos and print some craft ideas.

Much Better...

today!

The last couple of days have been chaotic - if only in my own mind. I tend to get a bit nuts if I don't know the details/plans of something, even if it is totally out of my control. This week was a week of loose ends.

Just from the last post -

Tee-Ball -- This has been solved and I don't have to coach. There was a shortage of adults to coach and the threat was some of the kids wouldn't get to play. I was willing to coach if that was the only way Grace was going to get to play. Thankfully, I got a call on Friday night and she is on a team, with a coach I think I can get along with. (Read: She seems to be as meticulous and anal about schedules and information as I am.) So the upside is, Grace will be playing on the Rockies and we will have a schedule as soon as Coach Nicole has it. Maybe a day before the first practice. I totally wish I was kidding.

Kindergarten -- We are getting closer to a solution. I have agonized about public school for months now and I'm just not ready to hand my baby over to the school system here. So, we checked into the private schools and we looked hard at homeschooling. I got info from the K-8 Christian school in town, but their day is really long and there were a bunch of other things I didn't like about the set-up. Our church has a Kindergarten and Grace is #31 on the list for an enrollment limit of 30. This is really my first choice, but if she doesn't get a spot, I will be homeschooling for Kindergarten for sure.

Joe is no longer sick, so that means I'm getting a good night's sleep again.

We successfully switched the phone over to the other company in town. I'm now on DSL, instead of cable modem for internet and the best part is I don't have to deal with the *other* company. Well, I still have cable with them, but it's hard to mess that up.

We are not going to be moving when our lease is up at the end of May. Our current lease switches to month-to-month automatically and my stress about having to find another place before the summer season is gone. Our hope is to eventually buy this place and fix it up, but right now, I'm just happy not to have to pack everything up again.

The weather has been getting better and better. Today, after church, we picked up Joe and ate our lunch at the Glacier. The temp is about 60* - all the windows are open and the kids are playing outside. I've taken the opportunity to clean and vacuum the downstairs and I'll be moving upstairs in a little bit. We have been spending so much time outside that the inside is falling apart. If I can send the kids out and get the big stuff done before Dawn gets home from church, I'll be ahead of the game for this week.

I'm going to try to update everyday this week - my Me Time has been slipping lately. I need to fine tune my schedule because I feel so much better when I get a break. I'm trying to work in the gym/exercise and date nights too, and I'm having trouble finding the right fit. I'm going to have add a garden soon, as well as Tee-Ball. I'm pretty sure I see Flylady back in my future - as much as I hate the email overload.

I'm off to tackle the upstairs and plan something for dinner. Hope you had a great weekend!

Hangin' On

What a week!

It seems that I have been busy all.day.long.

I'm trying to deal with Kindergarten issues, Tee-Ball, cable TV/internet stuff, trying to get outside as much as possible when the sun is shining, church revival services in the evenings, Fishing Guy being sick and all of the *other* stuff that comes with having a house and a family.

Hopefully, I'll be in a better mood to actually share some of the details tomorrow, but right now I have to go find something to feed the family for dinner...

More good weather

And less time to blog...

Thursday night we had our first BBQ of the season. Started a fire in the backyard and roasted hot dogs and had 'smores. Yum!

Grace had her first bike crash and ended up with a fat lip and some scrapes on her chin and cheek. Tristan picked up a random dropped coal from the fire and burned three fingertips, right as we were about to start cooking hot dogs. Both kids are fine now, but it was a rough afternoon.

Friday, I saw my first Orca swimming in the channel on our way to Jumbo Gym. Very cool! That is definitely a perk of living here.

Saturday, I ran to JoAnn's for the last day of the sale and a few last items and to the post office (finally!). Grace had a birthday party to attend, so Tristan and I went to Costco for our "Mom Time." I ended up staying and visiting with the other moms at the party for two extra hours while the kids all played and then we headed home for a quiet family evening.

Today, we actually made it to church. No one is sick or hurt! Joe finally went up to the front with me for membership and I am relieved. It was starting become a sore subject. There is a revival speaker this week, so we went back tonight for the evening service. I think we'll go a couple more times this week, but probably not tomorrow.

Monday is Book Night and Joe works late. So, we celebrated my Pseudo-Birthday with pizza and cake today. Dawn and family came over about 7:40 for cake, after we got back from church. Dawn got me some retro lunch trays that I had been eyeing at Fred's. Very nice! Now if the weather holds and I have some sun tomorrow, it will be everything I wanted my birthday to be.

Thirty isn't looking so bad. *winks*

Clear and Sunny

It finally feels like spring has arrived in Southeast!

We spent most of yesterday outside and woke up this morning to sun pouring in the windows. Pure heaven! Summer here makes the winter worth it.

I have plans to shop the big sale at JoAnn's this morning, stop at the Post Office, get some groceries, baby proof the house (in order to watch the neighbor kids tonight) and attack the ever-growing pile of laundry.

I played with my fonts yesterday and made a master list for my notebook. I'm finished with all of my sewing obligations and I'm switching over to scrapbooking for a while. I have some cards to make and some neglected stamps to play with too.

Good Monday?

It's really sad when you are excited for Monday, because the weekend was THAT bad.

There was a Poker Party on Friday with some of Joe's fellow managers (and one wife and 2 kids) from work. I found I really have nothing in common with the other mom, since she would rather have been getting drunk with the guys. The end result was my basement smelling like a bar and Joe puking sick. I was the responsible adult and I took care of the kids, didn't drink and had a fine day on Saturday, while everyone else had hangovers. Small victories. Sunday, I woke up with some gastro-intestinal bug (Hello Daylight Savings) and after an adventure in the bathroom to start my day, I spent the rest of the morning in bed.

So, the weekend recap. I got nothing accomplished and we would have starved if it wasn't for the suply of chips from the Poker Night and Dawn feeding us dinner last night.

I'm looking forward to a less exciting week this week. If only the planets will align for me.

My back pretends it's better and then flakes out on me from time to time. I have a bajillion loads of laundry to do, the cleaning of which depends on my ability to lift anything over the weight of a feather. I would just get out of the house for a while, but no one has any clean pants. Maybe in a couple of hours, providing that the dryer keeps working.