We're Home Once More

Lissie, the girls and I left the 110 degree temps of Knoxville behind yesterday for the 100 degree temps of Blacksburg.  We made a pit stop in Corryton to visit the Oakes Daylilly Festival (joy of joys! but, oh my the heat!) and then drove on.  As we traveled, I became more and more convinced I simply needed my own bed and my own home.  The thought of unloading, unpacking and getting comfortable for all of one night only to have to repack and reload and then UNload and UNpack once more when we got home quite frankly, wore me out. 

So, I stopped in the 'burg long enough to bathe the girls and get them in their pj's and we were on the road once more where I got home to 95 degree temps at 9:30.  Excellent. 

Big storms rolled through around midnight and there's tons of debris in the yard, but overall, no problems.  B kept my hanging baskets alive (yay!) and made sure the buns' litter pan was kept fresh (thank you!).  He's a good guy. :o)

The girls are having a down day, as am I.  It's too hot so I forewent the FM and I'm currently sitting on my duff doing nothing.  It's rather lovely, actually.  I can make a mess in my own home.  ;o)  I have to pick up pottery from Lil's party, and I have to get fixin's for dinner (a big fat Greek salad and hummus with homemade pitas), but other than that, I want to veg.  Too bad I have laundry to do...:o( Buuuuut, it means I have clothes to wear, right? :o)

I have photos to share and stories to tell but those will have to wait for another day.  I feel a slug day coming on. ;o)

We're Alive!

The girls and I trekked to the 'burg for our annual trip to Knoxville to visit with GF. We spent today having breakfast at Gillie's and visiting with GG and Bill. Tomorrow fins us hitting the road and traveling into K'ville. It'll be my first trip there since losing Aunt Susan in April. I'm anxious to see GF and visit with him as it is so hard losing a child. He's not only lost a child, but also his wife just as few years ago. I know he's lonely and hope our visit can help alleviate some of that loneliness if even only for a little while. The plan is to take him out to dinner tomorrow night. Then, Wednesday, we'll be visiting a science and discovery center and will take him to lunch. Thursday, we'll visit a children's museum and again do lunch. Friday sees us visiting the Oake's daylily festival and heading for the burg with the the girls and I returning home Saturday. Whew! B's at home with the kitties, bunnies and Holly doggie, holding down the fort. Some miserable and destructive storms raged through Richmond and onto our neck of the woods, leaving a mess in their wake. B informs me we're okay and that even my hanging baskets weathered the storm. Mom and Dad were returning home from a weekend visit with GG and Bill, and I was so worried they were going to be driving in that mess. Mom said I64 stopped dead--both lanes--so she and Pop exited and came home another way. If I understood correctly, the road was shut down when a tree fell on a truck. Oh my. :o( It looks like there's clear sailing ahead for us tomorrow, though. I'm fairly certain we'll be stopping by the rocking chair store in Bristol for lunch (oh how I love me some rocking chair store!) and then another stop at th big guitar. Needless to say I've made this trip quite a few times in my life. :o) I hope to be able to post tomorrow and the rest of the week, but it depends on the available wireless networks. :oS Pictures will be posted once I'm back in w'burg. For now, I'm simply looking forward to visiting with GF and spending time with Lissie and my girls. :o) P.S. although apparentl py I'm able to type this up on the iPad, I'm going to have to try to figure out how to include paragraph breaks...so sorry. :oS

Painting the Patio

Well, the day started with a bang--quite literally.  The garage door fell off its tracks and wouldn't go down.  This was a problem since we had swim practice and I had errands to run.  I took Lil to practice (locked the door to the house and asked neighbors to keep an eye out--when you promise a two year old "pool water" you don't reneg) but skipped the errands.  We were going to go to Kidsburg so I had to revise my plans for the morning. 

We got home and I threw the girls in the back with the wading pool and bowls and cups and got to work on some sidewalk paint (I had pinned the idea last year from this source).

I made the colors nice and intense (yes, I still had blue food coloring, if you can believe it!) so they would show up well when they dried.  I mixed everything outside to avoid any messes in the house. 

I put one heaping tablespoon of cornstarch in each cup and then added at minimum 10 drops of food coloring.  I then added enough water to make a nice paint consistency paste.

(Are you surprised I did this?  I mean, come on, it's ME. ;oP)

We took a break so Lil could stand next to the volunteer sunflower that just bloomed.

I'm fairly certain the girls had loads of fun and cleanup was a breeze.  I hit them and the tin with the hose.

Nice and colorful. :o)

We visited the pool again this afternoon while Brien fixed the door--he came home early to specifically work on it.  I love getting out to the pool for an hour in the afternoon.  The pool membership was a BRILLIANT idea! :o)  We go for an hour and come home and everyone sleeps well that night. ;o)

Speaking of sleeping well, I sure as shootin' am now that I'm getting up at 5:30.  I did walk on the nature trail this morning and was so happy to be back on it. Here are a few of the pictures I snapped. 

See that brown splotch in the trail?

So elegant.

There's a little brown cotton tail along the side of the trail there.

Isn't it gorgeous?  The water was obviously cooler than the air (it was close to 80 at 6:00 this morning.  Insane!)

Can you see the deer hiding in the reeds?  Isn't camouflage amazing?

Isn't he beautiful?

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Sparklies:

1.  "Pool water".  We've had such a grand time at the pool.  I have no idea why we didn't do this years ago.
2.  Dinner with Nana and Pop.  We finally got to celebrate Father's Day with Pop. :o)
3.  My walk this morning was so peaceful and rejuvenating. 
4.  A box load of cookbooks arrived on my doorstep yesterday.  They are chockablock FULL of awesome vegetarian recipes.  Thank you so much, Jaydee (and Lou)! :o)
5.  The girls have been playing so beautifully together the past few days (and now I've absolutely jinxed myself...).
6.  Fireflies.  There is something so amazingly wonderful about fireflies.  I can't imagine not having them on a summer night.

No milestones.


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I don't remember how long ago it was now--one, two years?--that I first saw "Dancing Matt".  This video is the 2012 incarnation of "Where the Hell is Matt" and it brought such a smile to my face I had to share.

We're all the same, aren't we?  I think we sometimes get too tied up in our differences.

Photo Dump

So, I finally downloaded all the photos on my phone.  Time for a photo glut.  But first, let me say I had so much fun with my boy last night!  :o)  We got to BG, it was practically empty and only had to wait 30 minutes to ride Verbolten (what a ride!!).  We rode Apollo's Chariot and Alpengeist as well.  I desperately wanted to ride the Griffin, but it was down and out for the count and we saw a guy getting kitted out in a harness so he could head up to fix it.  For those of you not in the know, the Griffon is incredibly tall and I sure wouldn't want to be the one to have to climb up to fix it. :oS

We moseyed through the park and then headed to (of all places, lol) CW.  I've never been there after dark and enjoyed my stroll down DoG Street.  I'm thinking B and I must take a Ghost Tour and visit one of the local taverns in the evening--there's such a different feel about the place at night.  I'd also like to check out the DoG Street Pub that just opened on the corner of DoG Street and Henry. 

I was up at the crack of dawn (a time I've not voluntarily seen since I was working...) again today and on DoG Street less than 9 hours later. ;o)

Speaking of morning constitutionals, I've decided I'm back to the nature trail on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Now that it's just me and not Beanie (who much prefers the goings on in CW to the non goings on on the nature trail), I'm anxious to see how summer looks on the trail. :o)

Now, to those photos. :o)  The one up there is from the mini pedi I did the other day.  Beanie insisted she needed a bit of polish on her piggies as well.

I went out to water the plants on the last day of school and came inside to find this.  Can I just tell you how happy that makes my heart?

My little adrenaline junkie getting her first taste of the bumper cars.  She insisted.  We were afraid her legs wouldn't be long enough to reach the pedal.  It was a near thing.

The stroller twins.  "Bubble Guppies" was the show du jour.

May I just tell you how odd it was to see NO ONE around the Governor's Palace?  There are always folks out front.  We were there so late no one was out and about.  The Palace was closed and they were all out on DoG Street.

I tell you what, I may be getting up a the butt crack of dawn, but I sure am seeing some stunning sights.

 Look at that sky. :o)

See, I'm up and out earrrrrrrrly.  Look where the sun is.  It's a great time to get out and take care of my gardens.  There was a gorgeous spider web between the hanging baskets.  I hit it with the mist as I was watering so I could attempt to get a decent photo of it.  You may have to enlarge the photo to see it.

Isn't she lovely?  This basket makes me so happy. :o)

We made it to the pool this afternoon.  Bean got up from her nap demanding "pool water" since I had promised swimming this afternoon.  We were there for about an hour and a half and I'm fairly certain they wore themselves out. :o)

Silly girls. :o)

This is NOT the tree frog that was sitting in the middle of my kitchen floor.  This guy is teeny tiny--check out the screen to frog ratio for an idea.

Oh, and here we have me pinned to the spot by the boys. That's my leg they would be lying on either side of.  :sigh: 

And, yet another tree frog.  They're coming back!! :o)

And, here's a card I made a while back but failed to take a photo of.  I was in the offudio the other day and found it.  That would be cellophane tape taping that ribbon down.  Bitty was worried the ribbon was coming off so she taped it down for me.  Doh!  There's no peeling that tape off.  None.  It will come off the ribbon but pulls the print off the DSP.  :oS  I couldn't get angry because she was just trying to help.  :sigh:

Now, if you will excuse me, I have a phone call to make.  I missed my anniversary serenade yesterday and need to call Mom and Dad so we can rectify that.  I told B I didn't think we were officially passed our 13th year because we weren't sung too. ;o)

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Sparklies:

1.  The girls and the pool.  There is such pleasure there.  I'm enjoying it as well.

2.  The girls got B's skin tone and not my Day-Glo pasty whiteness that likes to burn.  They are the most lovely golden brown color, and even with sun scream are bronzing like toasted marshmallows.

3.  We hit the VLM this morning.  I LOVE having passes so we can go for a bit and then head home.

4.  Lunch with B.  Since we were down in his neck of the woods anyway, we met up and the girls got to see their daddy.

5.  The house has been quite comfortable with the a/c set at 74.  This is a huge relief given it hit close to 100 today.  Even now at 8:45 it's 86 degrees.  :oS

No milestones.

13 Years

June 19, 1999 I (according to Brien at least) trembled my way down the aisle of my church and married the man I loved. 

We've done so much these 13 years.  There have been highs and lows and the dailiness of living.  We've welcomed three beautiful daughters into our lives and said goodbye to one far too soon.  We've lost grandparents and friends.  We've moved three times (and I'm NEVER moving again.  Gah I hate moving!), and have settled in a wonderful neighborhood with fantastic neighbors and friends. 

One of those neighbors will be babysitting for us this evening as we head out for an evening of fun and frolic.  Yes, that's right, breaking with tradition, we will NOT being going to dinner and then to either Lowe's or B&N.  Instead, we're going to BG so we can ride roller coasters! :o)  Hee hee! I'm giddy as it's been a long while since I last rode a roller coaster (okay, okay, I lie.  I rode the Loch Ness Monster Sunday...but still, prior to that it was a long time) and desperately want to ride Verbolten.  I'm wondering if I should take some Dramamine before we go, though.  I'm not as young as I used to be and find I'm far more susceptible to nausea than I once was, :sigh:.  Oh well.

It should prove to be a fun and rather carefree evening as we leave Alex in charge of the girls and head off.  We could use a bit of fun around here as we've become rather stuffy of late.  All this grown-up stuff and adulthood and parenting can be draining and I find I'm a huge killjoy.  Spoot.  I don't mean to be, but I get so wrapped up in being the responsible mommy I find it difficult to move beyond it sometimes and forget we are allowed to have fun and laugh and occasionally make messes at the dinner table. 

I simply want to be with my sweetie and walk around holding hands and having a good time together.  That shouldn't be hard to do. :o) 

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Early Sparklies:

1.  Lil practiced her "starts" today for swimming.  She was put in a lane and had to jump off the wall.  She was petrified but did it.  I was SO proud of her.  She has an overdeveloped sense of self-preservation and her sister's is underdeveloped...
2.  We are all signed up for the summer reading program.  Yay!
3.  Making plans to take GF to a couple museums next week.  :o)


No milestones.

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Most importantly of all, Happy Birthday, Lissie!!! :o)  I've been playing The Beatles all day. ;o)

Making Plans

Ah, look at this girl.  Look at how much she has grown and changed over the course of the school year.  The first day she was a worried wreck.  Friday she was excited and ready for summer to begin (although quite sad she'd be saying goodbye to her two teachers). :o)

With summer starting and the end to my school year routine, I knew I would be at sixes and sevens if I didn't get a new one in place shortly.  Additionally, it became quite clear today that without some sort of behavior system in place it was going to be a LOOOOONG summer and I was going to wind up losing my mind. 

With that in mind, and with the knowledge I typically like to sit on my duff and hide out in the A/C during the heat of summer, AND knowing how Miss Bean likes to get out and about, Lil and I sat down and created a couple of very important documents today.

The first was the rebirth of her behavior system.  Because she was in school during the day, I didn't really need it at home.  With school out and Lil home all day long, I knew we needed to fire it back up.  Ellie is on the "three strikes and you're in your room for two minutes" system.  Lil being older is able to handle something a bit more sophisticated.  We revamped her consequences and rewards and tied it into her nickle allowance system.

Then, I had Bitty list all the things she wants to do this summer ("go to the beach, see wild cats and wild dogs, go to museums, play with friends, do arts and crafts and that's all I can think of, Mommy") and I made a list of those activities I felt to be required (grocery shopping, summer reading program at the library, my walking/running time, daily chores) and we created a schedule. 

I got up at 5:30 this morning so I could meet C at CW.  With the girls out of school and the summer heat getting ready to crank up, we decided it would be best to get out early, before B had to leave for work.  I have to say I was none too pleased when the alarm went off, and yet, once I had a hit of coffee (on my way over) and was out in the beauty of the early morning, I felt wonderful.  Well, that, and I did two 11:00 min/miles. :o)  I'm not sure if Michelle will want to join me on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but I'll still be going then.  If not, she and I can walk while the girls are at swim practice in the morning. 

Which reminds me...Lil swam the length of the pool this morning!  She did 75m--two lengths on her front and one on her back.  I'm SO proud of her!  Her confidence is growing by leaps and bounds and she's truly swimming. Incredible!

command center central

As for me, I feel such a sense of relief knowing I have a plan and routine and place.  Whew!  If you click on the middle image, you can enlarge it to see our plans.  Since we paid for a pool membership, I'm planning on spending every afternoon we can there.  Ellie loves the pool, Lil now loves the pool, I love the pool, so why not go?  Plus, going after nap when everyone is refreshed and recharged is ideal, especially since the sun is less intense then. Sure, it'll make getting dinner together a bit more challenging, but I'm up to it. ;o) 

I'll do Mommy School on Monday and Wednesday and we'll be doing math, science, reading and writing.  Tuesday, Thursday and Friday will still see reading and writing time, as that is so key.  Now all I have to do is plan out what we're going to do...But hey, one step at a time, right?

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Sparklies:

1.  Getting my plan mapped out.  I can't tell you what a huge burden has been lifted.  My days simply flow better when I have a course of action (you can take the teacher out of the classroom, but...)
2.  Miss Bit's swimming prowess.  She'll be competing in meets before you know it!
3.  Lil received some Orbeez for her half birthday from Sadie and we're growing them.  They're so cool!
4.  Getting up and out early this morning.  The world is still so fresh and new at that hour--not to mention bright.  Sheesh! ;o)
5.  There was an accident involving one of my daylilies which resulted in a scape loaded with buds breaking.  I put it in a vase without much hope and lo and behold, I've had a new bloom every day.  :o)

No milestones.

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Swim meet this evening so I'm posting early today. :o)

Father's Day 2012

Jess, Bob and the kids came down this weekend, and Lissie and Paul drove across the state and we had company for three days.  Well, really, Friday evening to this evening.  But still.  We had company and it was delightful.

Ella stayed here with us while J, B and the two littles stayed at a hotel (J's allergies to the kitties aren't pretty).  Mom and Paul stayed here as well, and we had quite the time this weekend.  There was swim practice, the swim team spaghetti dinner and then more swimming Friday night.

Saturday saw us heading out early for a paint on pottery party for Lil's half birthday.  We came home to have fun times in the sprinklers and just running around the yard being kids.  Then there was dining al fresco (that sounds so much fancier than saying we ate outside ;oP) and s'mores over a fire to finish out the evening.

This morning Liss and Paul rolled out before ten while the rest of us headed over to Busch Gardens for the day.  Seven hours later I'm beat.  I'm feeling pretty badly for Bob and Jess as they still had to drive home.  :oS 

This was the first year in a long long time we haven't done Father's Day with Pop and it felt weird.  While we had a wonderful time at the park (it was 75, partly cloudy, breezy and low humidity), I still felt bad for not being with Dad today. :o(  I can't help it, it's how I'm made...

I think B had a decent day. What man wouldn't enjoy spending hours at a theme park with tens of thousands of other folks and getting wet on the log flume?  ;o)  Nah.  He got to spend loads and loads of time with his girls (the youngest of whom is a pure adrenaline junkie and rode everything we found she could ride--up to and including the tea cups twice). 

He's in the same place I was on Mother's Day, though.  I was hoping it would pass him but it's not.  He's having a down yo this evening thinking of Miss Monkey and missing her terribly.  His fix is to watch "The Pink Panther" (the Steve Martin one from 2006 as the two of them watched it over and over when she was in the hospital that June and she cackled every. single. time. the "poot" scene came on) but we can't find it anywhere in the house.  I'm really upset because I can't make it any better and it hurts and it sucks.  It sucks so much.  Mother's and Father's days shouldn't be spent without your babies. 

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Sparklies:

Tons and tons but I'm needed to head out and pick up some grub for my honey. :o)

June 15, 20012--The Last Day

Tomorrow (or today if you're reading this June 15) is the last day of school.  Unbelievable.  This school year has simply flown by.  I was so desperate for it to begin--Lil and I were continually at loggerheads and driving each other batty.  She needed to go to school, for both of our sanity. 

Now, I simply can't wait for tomorrow to be over.  I'm ready.  I've packed my last lunch (again, I know it's a simple thing, but drat it all I LOATHE packing lunches.  At least I got a system down for it--pack Lil's lunch when I was making lunch for Beanie and me) and it's in the lunch bag ready to be consumed, after which all the cute little bento boxes will be put away for the summer. :o)

I'm ready to not be so on top of an early bedtime (think 8:30 instead of 7:30).  I'm ready to have lazy days and easy afternoons.  I'm ready to relax and let go for a bit. 

Being home has made things so much easier.  I've been home if the school needed me in an emergency.  I'm here in the mornings to put her on the bus (at 9:00!) and get her off at 4:15.  I'm home during the day so I can do cooking and cleaning and taking care of things that need taking care of instead of racing around trying to find the time to do so after I leave school (at 4:30 or 4:45 most afternoons).  Nor am I racing around to get the girls, get dinner cooked and get them into bed.  Things are more sedate, and given B's crazy schedule the past few weeks, it's been nice to be home and have that stability. 

Although I'm looking forward to Lil being home, I also know I don't want her to lose all that great info she learned this year.  I'm thinking I may need to set up Mommy Summer School two days a week, and we'll be doing reading all summer long.  It's all about use it or lose it and I don't want any "losing" to be taking place.

All of which means I need to come up with some sort of summer schedule.  I thrive on routine, and if the mama's happy everyone is happy. ;o)  I'm not going to worry about it just yet--I'll give it some thought this weekend.  For now, I'm planning on enjoying the fact tomorrow is the last school morning of the year.  I'll send Lil to school with her thank you cards for her teachers (complete with gift cards) and tell them how blessed we were to have them in our lives this year.  Lil has truly had a marvelous Kindergarten experience and I couldn't be happier. :o)

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Sparklies:

1.  I found a Father's Day gift for B.  Hooray!
2.  Lil's room is clean.  It was an endeavor and we were both miserable by the end, but it's done.  Whew!
3.  Early release today meant Lil had time after school to play with Alicia before swimming.
4.  Speaking of swimming, I hear from Bev and Michelle Lil is coming along beautifully and she should be moving to a lane for practice before we know it.  Hooray, Bitty!!
5.  Cheese Shop for dinner.  YUM!
6.  Yard work was done this morning under cloud cover and low 70's temps.  Yay!

No milestones.

Tink-UH-Bayell

Nana and Pop very generously took care of the girls and Holly while Brien and I were off having adventures with gnomes.  ;o)

I had B call Friday evening to see how bedtime went (what can I say, I worry, and Ellie is rather attached to me) and was told I hadn't packed appropriate pj's.  You see, Ellie is a huge fan of her super fuzzy fleecy blanket sleeper and I haven't been able to put any other jams on her for the past month.  As I'm sure you are aware, it's HOT here and those are not the most appropriate jim jams.  But, in an effort to keep the peace, I packed those pj's.  Nana was afraid Ellie would sweat to death (and she does indeed get quite sweaty in them) so she sent Pop to the store to pick up some more summer-friendly jammers.

Being the wise soul he is, Pop picked up matching Tinkerbell pj's.  I know it's hard to tell from this photo, but Ellie is in love with those jams.  In. LOVE.  Yes, a capital l-o-v-e love.  I saw them and knew she would be living in them.

While I won't allow her to wear them as street clothes, the child insists on putting them on for nap.  Then, we put them back on again at bedtime.  "uh-Tink-UH-bayell!"is a common bedtime cry around here. 

It was wonderful leaving the girls with Mom and Dad.  There's nothing like leaving your children in a place you know they will be cared for and showered with love and fun.  As I might have previously mentioned, Miss Bean is a water hound, and Miss Bit is finding her confidence growing with each trip to the water.  Nan and Pop very wisely took the girls to the pool both Saturday and Sunday and wore the girls out.  There is nothing more draining than playing in the water and sunshine.  Beanie slept like the dead that night. ;o)

Both girls had such a wonderful time Ellie forgot to ask about me even once.  Oh, wait, Pop says she did mention me one time.  That's it.  Hooray! That means some day, when Mom and Dad have recovered from their adventures with our darlings (and our darling pooch who is NOT a good house guest and insists upon getting up before the crack of dawn), they might be willing to do this again some day...;o)

In other news, I'm just starting to get a feel for this whole "swim team" thing, and I have to say I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed.  Holy smokes!  I'll be donating concessions (not a big deal, I can make and wrap desserts) and time (this is where I'm worrying--I'm sure handing out ribbons isn't that big a deal.  However, timing is another matter altogether and I've never timed a thing.  Gah!!)  I'll do my best, though.  I'm all about being a team player and doing my share, and if Lil becomes a proficient swimmer through being a member of the swim team, excellent. I just have to get over my anxiety of the unknown.  I'm just so afraid I'll mess up. :oS  I'm also concerned about Ellie and being able to keep an eye on her when B and I are supposed to be working.  Hopefully the swim team folks are like a giant family and will look out for one another, right? :oS

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Sparklies:

1. 

Even though my walking buddies deserted me the past three days, I've still been out getting moving.  Ellie and I had a lovely time today and I got in quite a bit of running.  Yay!  Don't you just love the young oxen up there?  (As a quick word game aside, does anyone know the other two English language words that end in "en" to make them plural?)

2.  Even though I posted them over on FYB, I still wanted to have them over here.  My current daylilies:

Lil's Frankly Scarlets are surely that.  Whew!

This is Autumn Wood and I think I may need about 100 more of this one.  It is so gorgeous!

Strawberry Candy.  I'm a sucker for a ruffled edge.  Who knew?

Even better?  This ruffled edge is colorful!

The converted fountain-to-flowerbed.  Lil is loving all those red daylilies in there, and the Strawberry Candies provide a nice contrast.  

3.  I gave myself a mini at home pedi.  I used a scrub and then slathered my feet in lotion and stuffed them in plastic Tarjay bags and covered those with socks.  Just as I finished doing that Carlos appeared to do the lawn.  He must have thought I had rocks in my head or something.  But, hey, what do 14 year old boys know?!? ;o)  Oh, and my feet?  Soft like buttah. :o)

4.  Brien finally has a phone in his current office.  Whew. 

5.  Sparkly red piggies. :o)

No milestones.