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Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Happy Anniversary and Merry Thanks-giving
This week, six years ago, we moved into our house. It was so nice to be back in a house after living in an apartment for a year waiting for it to be built. The first morning in our house, I sat at the dining room table and soaked up the bright sun pouring in through the east window. The cramped apartment had one window and we ended up with houseplant casualties. What was supposed to be four months in a tiny place with three people and a dog turned into 12 months and four people and a dog. Thanksgiving week six years ago, we got the keys and started painting. Michael brought along his box of Legos to play with while we painted and Daniel was a month old so he slept. This is a favorite picture of our house because it is so "springy" looking. When things turn brown about this time of year, I like looking at the green plants and the sunshine.
Christmas creep!?! Yesterday I heard Christmas music playing on the radio station (isn't that supposed to start on Thanksgiving Day?). And there were no less than three houses on our block already decorated for Christmas! Today I went to Costco and Michael's and the parking lots were full. Regardless of what the news is saying about people hanging onto their wallets, I have not seen the evidence yet. Maybe it's the $1.75 per gallon gas. It's not even Thanksgiving (and even I like to have most of my Christmas shopping done by then). But I must admit, I started listening to Christmas music back in October. I got Sara Groves' new Christmas CD for my birthday, so I had to crack it open and give it a spin. It's a fun new album with new tunes on old Christmas favorites. She has a few originals as well, like "Toy Packaging," about the frustrations of trying to get a new toy out of it's packaging, and "To Be With You," reminiscing about family holidays. So... in the meantime, I'll get ready for a yummy Thanksgiving dinner and wait 3 more days to start decorating for Christmas.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
October Highlights...
Michael got to play soccer in the rain and he thought it was pretty cool. This was the week that we brought the snacks, so we also got to roll along the ice chest with our chairs, jackets, and umbrellas.
Tracy's BirthdayFor my birthday I thought it would be fun to get all the free restaurant food I could. I had already received a voucher for a free oatmeal at Starbucks, and I had a gift card that I used for a skinny caramel latte. Yum. I chose the dried fruit and brown sugar toppings. Then on my way out, I grabbed a bag of grounds for our compost bin.
Next, for lunch, I headed to Rubio's. You have to sign up online and then you get a free meal for your birthday. I chose the grilled mahi mahi burrito since I wouldn't normally order something like that. It was delish, but the fish was a teeny bit overcooked. I think I might like it better with a fried version instead of the grilled, but I knew what was coming up next for dinner...
After signing up online, Red Robin gave me a free burger basket. I got my favorite Whisky River Barbecue Burger, or whatever they call it. Michael was at soccer practice, so I saved half of it for him to eat when he was done and he gobbled it up.
And last, but not least, Cold Stone Creamery gave me a "like-it" size ice cream with one mix in. Cake batter ice cream with Twix bar mixed in. Mmmmm.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Moms In Touch
Today was another weekly Moms In Touch meeting where the moms from our school can get together in a home to pray for the students, parents and staff. The first time I heard of MITI (Moms In Touch International) was years ago when a parent of a high school student shared about it in church. But what's really funny is that she has a New Zealand accent and always said "Mums in Touch." And for a while, I seriously thought there was a group called "Mums in Touch." I only just found out that our school has a group back in May. It is run so great: exactly one hour long, come when you can, don't worry if you miss a week, no gossip. But the thing I like the best is that there's no "God Bless America" attitude. What I mean is, we don't pray for the school to be the best and win all the games and give glory to Clovis Unified, as though no one else is worthy of God's blessings. This is a time to sincerely pray for each staff person and the students and parents who need intercession. I've gotten to know a few other moms whom I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise. It's a lot of fun to minister with other moms from many different denominations.
Today was another weekly Moms In Touch meeting where the moms from our school can get together in a home to pray for the students, parents and staff. The first time I heard of MITI (Moms In Touch International) was years ago when a parent of a high school student shared about it in church. But what's really funny is that she has a New Zealand accent and always said "Mums in Touch." And for a while, I seriously thought there was a group called "Mums in Touch." I only just found out that our school has a group back in May. It is run so great: exactly one hour long, come when you can, don't worry if you miss a week, no gossip. But the thing I like the best is that there's no "God Bless America" attitude. What I mean is, we don't pray for the school to be the best and win all the games and give glory to Clovis Unified, as though no one else is worthy of God's blessings. This is a time to sincerely pray for each staff person and the students and parents who need intercession. I've gotten to know a few other moms whom I would not have had the chance to meet otherwise. It's a lot of fun to minister with other moms from many different denominations.
Tuesday, September 09, 2008
Careers are chosen early
Michael told me that he had to learn how to build houses so he could go to Africa and build houses for people who couldn't afford it. He wanted tools and he wanted his friends to learn, so they could go with him. I told him that an architect or engineer would be great for a job when he grew up. He used to draw "contraptions" even as young as four years old. But on to the bigger issue... "Michael, did you know there are places a lot closer that have poor people who need houses?" Really? "Yes, places like Mexico or even Canada!" No way. "But for Mexico you would need to learn Spanish." Oh, I know a few words. "And guess what? Pastor James knows how to speak Canadian, so he can teach you!" Awesome!
Daniel made a "first aid kit" last year at church. It's a white paper bag with die cuts of bandaids and a stethoscope. Inside, it has real bandaids, cotton balls, and cotton swabs. Currently, it is almost shredded and has had supplies replaced numerous times. He took it to preschool almost every day last year. Last week, Michael had a teeny tiny cut on his foot, and while he was showing me, Daniel ran up and peeled open a bandaid and stuck it on Michael's foot. He wants to be a doctor. I told him to make sure and go into a specialty where the hours and pay were good.
Michael told me that he had to learn how to build houses so he could go to Africa and build houses for people who couldn't afford it. He wanted tools and he wanted his friends to learn, so they could go with him. I told him that an architect or engineer would be great for a job when he grew up. He used to draw "contraptions" even as young as four years old. But on to the bigger issue... "Michael, did you know there are places a lot closer that have poor people who need houses?" Really? "Yes, places like Mexico or even Canada!" No way. "But for Mexico you would need to learn Spanish." Oh, I know a few words. "And guess what? Pastor James knows how to speak Canadian, so he can teach you!" Awesome!
Daniel made a "first aid kit" last year at church. It's a white paper bag with die cuts of bandaids and a stethoscope. Inside, it has real bandaids, cotton balls, and cotton swabs. Currently, it is almost shredded and has had supplies replaced numerous times. He took it to preschool almost every day last year. Last week, Michael had a teeny tiny cut on his foot, and while he was showing me, Daniel ran up and peeled open a bandaid and stuck it on Michael's foot. He wants to be a doctor. I told him to make sure and go into a specialty where the hours and pay were good.
Woo Hoo! Both in School!
On the first day of school, we had a Woo Hoo/Boo Hoo Brunch. I was definitely the Woo Hoo parent excited that both kids are now in school every day. Daniel enjoys his class and several boys from his preschool last year are in the same class. The first day, he was a bit nervous. Usually he is very independent and does his own thing, but that first day he didn't want to try anything new. Michael had a class full of 45 students, but now they are down to the mandated 37. He was sad to see a few friends get transferred to other schools and was pretty emotional coming home from school. Tim is back in school and enjoys the teaching part of it. He finished his 3rd year of doctoral studies and now is ready to start the dissertation phase. Tracy's school involvement is the PTC Treasurer and classroom volunteer.
On the first day of school, we had a Woo Hoo/Boo Hoo Brunch. I was definitely the Woo Hoo parent excited that both kids are now in school every day. Daniel enjoys his class and several boys from his preschool last year are in the same class. The first day, he was a bit nervous. Usually he is very independent and does his own thing, but that first day he didn't want to try anything new. Michael had a class full of 45 students, but now they are down to the mandated 37. He was sad to see a few friends get transferred to other schools and was pretty emotional coming home from school. Tim is back in school and enjoys the teaching part of it. He finished his 3rd year of doctoral studies and now is ready to start the dissertation phase. Tracy's school involvement is the PTC Treasurer and classroom volunteer.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Happy Anniversary In 13 years, we have remained BFFs, created two wonderful little boys, purchased 2 houses and 4 cars, loved 2 shelties, learned numerous ways to do-it-yourself, cleaned up more spit, puke and poop than I care to recall, pondered life's many decisions, and took many wild adventures together. Time flies when you're having fun!
Thursday, April 10, 2008
MCC Sale
We went to the MCC Sale last Friday night. The first stop was, of course, the fritter booth. While I stood in line, Tim took the boys over to get some hot dogs and we called Don and Phyllis with our German sausage order in another line. We all met back with food for dinner. I must say, the fritters were especially good this year... they were better than the last 2 years, IIRC. At the Ten Thousand Villages tent, I always buy a package of fair trade coffee. This year I was thrilled to find the "Bike Fuel" blend, so in honor of the recent bike trip, purchased this one. Also came home with some kettle corn. Jamie stood in line for zwiebach for an hour and 20 minutes! But rumor has it that the food ran out just after lunch on Saturday, so just another reason we like to go on Friday.
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Spring Break
During spring break, the boys and I went along on the high schoolers' bike trip from Santa Cruz to Morro Bay. We went along as the cooks and got to drive the RV. The first two nights were at churches, and the last 3 nights were in campgrounds. It was loads of fun and the hardest thing about it was packing up every night to stay at a new place. The students were a lot of fun and the boys enjoyed playing with them each evening. Here's the blog.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Library Elf
I just found a really cool website. Library Elf can send you email reminders of when your library loans are due and keep bugging you when they are overdue (if that's what you want). We go to the library about once a week and with videos (due in 1 week) and books (due in 3 weeks) that have a gazillion different due dates, it's hard to keep track. Add on to that, the Fresno County Library website is notoriously slow, and it's easy to procrastinate looking up all the due dates for lack of time. I've also tried the lengthy telephone response system, and the website is a teeny bit faster. So, at Library Elf, you just check if your library is supported, enter your account information, and tell it when you want reminders sent to you. How cool is that?
I just found a really cool website. Library Elf can send you email reminders of when your library loans are due and keep bugging you when they are overdue (if that's what you want). We go to the library about once a week and with videos (due in 1 week) and books (due in 3 weeks) that have a gazillion different due dates, it's hard to keep track. Add on to that, the Fresno County Library website is notoriously slow, and it's easy to procrastinate looking up all the due dates for lack of time. I've also tried the lengthy telephone response system, and the website is a teeny bit faster. So, at Library Elf, you just check if your library is supported, enter your account information, and tell it when you want reminders sent to you. How cool is that?
Saturday, February 23, 2008
This weekend's malady...
Today we spent 2 1/2 hours in urgent care to get a prescription for antibiotic eye ointment. Michael has pink eye, but is on the mend. Last night, the boys from the Bach Children's Choir sang the national anthem at the Falcon's hockey game. Later on during the game, Michael's eye started bothering him and by the time he got home, it was watering and full of eye boogers. And since our family has not had pink eye in several years, we were all out of those eye drops that most young families have stored in their fridge door. Had today been a warm sunny day, I would have been very disappointed. But since it was a bit rainy and windy, I did not mind the wait as much and was able to get halfway through "The Taming of the Shrew." Now that's a funny book! Michael also finished a Star Wars book and is ready to take an AR quiz on Monday to complete his quarterly goal. Tim and Daniel stayed home and cut down a tree that was starting to shade our solar panels. Maybe Daniel can help Daddy again when it's time to plant a replacement. Can't wait to see what next weekend has in store!
Today we spent 2 1/2 hours in urgent care to get a prescription for antibiotic eye ointment. Michael has pink eye, but is on the mend. Last night, the boys from the Bach Children's Choir sang the national anthem at the Falcon's hockey game. Later on during the game, Michael's eye started bothering him and by the time he got home, it was watering and full of eye boogers. And since our family has not had pink eye in several years, we were all out of those eye drops that most young families have stored in their fridge door. Had today been a warm sunny day, I would have been very disappointed. But since it was a bit rainy and windy, I did not mind the wait as much and was able to get halfway through "The Taming of the Shrew." Now that's a funny book! Michael also finished a Star Wars book and is ready to take an AR quiz on Monday to complete his quarterly goal. Tim and Daniel stayed home and cut down a tree that was starting to shade our solar panels. Maybe Daniel can help Daddy again when it's time to plant a replacement. Can't wait to see what next weekend has in store!
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Simple Pleasures
- Preheated blanket when I crawl into bed
- Sunset Magazine in the mail
- Clean countertops
- When Tim says, "Let's go to Sal's"
- Remembering to program the coffeepot the night before
- Waking up and STILL not catching the flu
- Hitting all green lights on the way somewhere
- Shopping at Costco at 10:00 a.m. on a weekday; filling up at the Costco gas station at 8:15 a.m. on a weekday
What's your simple pleasure?
Alison Krauss-A Hundred Miles or MoreTim brought back a few gifts for me and the boys when he was finished with his classes at Fuller. The boys each got Spongebob cups that flash with swirly straws. I got an Alison Krauss CD. It's really good, and if you can appreciate bluegrass/country music, you must run to your favorite music retailer and get this gem. Most of the songs are sad ballads, but don't let that scare you away. The music and production are outstanding. The critics didn't give it much of a nod, which usually means that the average joe will love it. Every time "Down to the River to Pray" comes on, Daniel says that's his favorite song. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
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