The weekend was fun stuff... The homecoming game was a blast, I really enjoyed watching my niece in her element. She loves to cheer and she works hard at it. It meant a lot to her that we could come and watch. The team lost the game but the cheerleading was pretty awesome.
I really enjoyed the time we had while the eldest was home from college... when she and her sister werent being snarky with each other that is. I had this image in my head of us all being a happy little family and actually enjoying time together. Forget that the girls squabble a lot... and hubby had to work.. and the eldest was missing her boyfriend... but heck... how could i have been so delusional... sheesh. All in all it was a wonderful time, we went to the game... went to hubbys parents house for dinner on sunday and spent time with family, the girls and i watched movies on monday... and leen and I went to have coffee with my sister on tuesday while maddy was in school and made banana bread. All in all it was nice (when i wasnt wincing from listening to one or the other roar)
We are waiting to hear back from the real estate dude about our house down south. He is going to call and discuss what he thinks we can get for it if we put it up for sale. I hope he hurrys... I am tired of waiting *smile*
Guess thats all from this neck of the woods...
Wishing you a day of peace...
~Regi
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Strange dog...
I am sitting at my computer, reading quilting blogs, dreaming of actually doing some quilting and all of a sudden the dog starts going ballistic. Barking ... growling and he is doing this while facing the wall. I look over to where the intruder just has to be climbing through the wall and all i can see is the laundry room garbage bin.... no different then usual. Well actually there is one thing different... i put a liner in it. So i walk over ... put the bin on the ground (I keep it on the counter otherwise the smart arsed dog chews on dryer lint) and he gets even crazier. He is crouching... growling... barking... backing away just getting totally carried away. I bend down and touch the bin "come here Jasper... its just the laundry bin" and he starts to creep forward... and then starts barking again and the pitch is getting really high for him. So i reach down... take the liner out of the bin and hide it behind my back... he creeps/crawls over and sniffs it... nudges it with his nose and then goes to lie down.
Everything is once again... right in his world.
I love this dog, even if he is slightly crazier then me.
Everything is once again... right in his world.
I love this dog, even if he is slightly crazier then me.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Where has the time gone?
Ok I see by the date on my last post that its been some time since I updated this thing. Do I feel badly about that? Yes and no, yes because there is so much to tell you and it will take forever to get it all out. The highs and lows of the move, how it felt to take my firstborn to college and leave her there... the drama of being pulled over by the state policeman... how well Maddy is adjusting to being back in a public school atmosphere... and the joys of living in the country. The no part is due to the whole "blogging without obligation" thing i have going on in my sidebar... who ever thought that up was a sheer genius *smiles*.
The move:
Hah... i say that so calmly... as if its done. Well get that fool idea out of your head right now, the move is not over. Oh we had a good start, tons of boxes, two trips with the moving van, gosh we were so exhausted after that weekend, but a large percentage of our stuff was up here in the new place. However... we still have a basement and garage full of stuff. We are going to attack that in a 2 part effort... another rental of a moving van... and the rental of a dumpster. The dumpster will only be on the premises for 10 days, and we will fill that sucker as full of crap as we can. Not that i have crap in my house... but, well ok... after 11 years in the same place... we had some crap. Then the moving van will take care of the remainder.
Selling the old house:
We have a bit more work to do to get it ready for sell... at this point I am almost willing to just let the thing go to the first person who walks by with a 5 dollar bill and mild interest. Ok ok thats a bit of an exaggeration there... but I dont plan to hold out for top dollar in this economy. Hubby on the other hand is expecting a bit more and unless one of us is swayed over to the others point of view I forsee stormy clouds heading our way. But like many storms I know we will eventually sail out the other end into blue skies and so on... (after he finally figures out that his brilliant, adorable, incredibly talented wife was right all along. hahaha) Just a bit of mild humor there... ahem!
College:
We tried our best to do everything we could to get Eileen ready for college. We went to summer orientation, read everything we could get our hands on, discussed meal plan options with her... supported her in her course choices... everything. We listened to her fears, cheered with her when her roommate called... stayed up with her when she couldnt sleep... but we forgot something kind of important.
We forgot to get ourselves ready for having a child go to college. We forgot to prepare ourselves for that long walk back to the car after leaving our firstborn in a strange environment. We didnt think about what that long drive home would be like, the sleepless nights wondering if she was sleeping well, staring at a plate of food wondering if she would like anything they served... looking at the carton of soy milk in the fridge and knowing that none of us would drink it and she wouldnt be here to do so. Its like a part of you has gone missing...
6th Grade:
I loved homeschooling Maddy. Sure there were days that we both ended up frustrated... but all in all it was a rewarding experience. The decision to put her back in public school was an incredibly hard one. We have overall had a wonderful experience. Ok so the whole getting up at quarter to 5 to catch a bus that got her to school 30 mins early was a bit of a headache... but over the past several weeks we have done what we could to make it all work for us. For the time being Miss Maddy is driven to school and home again. I dont have a job yet and this allows us some extra time in the morning to sleep in a bit, and not have to be on anyone elses timeframe except our own. (with the exception of course of being at school before the bell rings) She has an awesome advisor team... and her core teachers and I are feeling our way about... its kind of strange... but we will make it work.
Dah State coppah:
long story short... over due inspection sticker... drivers side window that was stuck... his little visit with me on the side of the road cost us 133.00 bucks which led directly to a new car. weird eh? See I tried to get the dang thing inspected and it was going to cost us 2300.00 bucks... there were so many things wrong with it. Now we are driving a toyota corolla and loving it.
Life in the country:
So many things different. Cant run to the store real quick anymore to grab something i forgot... its an hour round trip and thats if i dont get out of the car lmao. If we lose power... we lose water... and we lose the ability to flush the toilet, though our neighbors were so very helpful on this front. " take a bucket down to the lake and get water to flush the toilets" hahaha So now we have bottles of tap water under the sink in the bathroom for just such an occasion... we labled them "potty h2o". We get all of 5 channels on tv with the antenna... and on a sunday afternoon we get football, football, baseball, lawrence welk and one other station and i dont remember what they were playing. Its a bit like culture shock I guess... Wheres the green mountain coffee at the gas stations... Wheres the flipping food channel? ...what do you mean no pizza delivery?
There is so much more to tell you but I am drawing a blank... and i seriously do need to get something posted...
~Regi
The move:
Hah... i say that so calmly... as if its done. Well get that fool idea out of your head right now, the move is not over. Oh we had a good start, tons of boxes, two trips with the moving van, gosh we were so exhausted after that weekend, but a large percentage of our stuff was up here in the new place. However... we still have a basement and garage full of stuff. We are going to attack that in a 2 part effort... another rental of a moving van... and the rental of a dumpster. The dumpster will only be on the premises for 10 days, and we will fill that sucker as full of crap as we can. Not that i have crap in my house... but, well ok... after 11 years in the same place... we had some crap. Then the moving van will take care of the remainder.
Selling the old house:
We have a bit more work to do to get it ready for sell... at this point I am almost willing to just let the thing go to the first person who walks by with a 5 dollar bill and mild interest. Ok ok thats a bit of an exaggeration there... but I dont plan to hold out for top dollar in this economy. Hubby on the other hand is expecting a bit more and unless one of us is swayed over to the others point of view I forsee stormy clouds heading our way. But like many storms I know we will eventually sail out the other end into blue skies and so on... (after he finally figures out that his brilliant, adorable, incredibly talented wife was right all along. hahaha) Just a bit of mild humor there... ahem!
College:
We tried our best to do everything we could to get Eileen ready for college. We went to summer orientation, read everything we could get our hands on, discussed meal plan options with her... supported her in her course choices... everything. We listened to her fears, cheered with her when her roommate called... stayed up with her when she couldnt sleep... but we forgot something kind of important.
We forgot to get ourselves ready for having a child go to college. We forgot to prepare ourselves for that long walk back to the car after leaving our firstborn in a strange environment. We didnt think about what that long drive home would be like, the sleepless nights wondering if she was sleeping well, staring at a plate of food wondering if she would like anything they served... looking at the carton of soy milk in the fridge and knowing that none of us would drink it and she wouldnt be here to do so. Its like a part of you has gone missing...
6th Grade:
I loved homeschooling Maddy. Sure there were days that we both ended up frustrated... but all in all it was a rewarding experience. The decision to put her back in public school was an incredibly hard one. We have overall had a wonderful experience. Ok so the whole getting up at quarter to 5 to catch a bus that got her to school 30 mins early was a bit of a headache... but over the past several weeks we have done what we could to make it all work for us. For the time being Miss Maddy is driven to school and home again. I dont have a job yet and this allows us some extra time in the morning to sleep in a bit, and not have to be on anyone elses timeframe except our own. (with the exception of course of being at school before the bell rings) She has an awesome advisor team... and her core teachers and I are feeling our way about... its kind of strange... but we will make it work.
Dah State coppah:
long story short... over due inspection sticker... drivers side window that was stuck... his little visit with me on the side of the road cost us 133.00 bucks which led directly to a new car. weird eh? See I tried to get the dang thing inspected and it was going to cost us 2300.00 bucks... there were so many things wrong with it. Now we are driving a toyota corolla and loving it.
Life in the country:
So many things different. Cant run to the store real quick anymore to grab something i forgot... its an hour round trip and thats if i dont get out of the car lmao. If we lose power... we lose water... and we lose the ability to flush the toilet, though our neighbors were so very helpful on this front. " take a bucket down to the lake and get water to flush the toilets" hahaha So now we have bottles of tap water under the sink in the bathroom for just such an occasion... we labled them "potty h2o". We get all of 5 channels on tv with the antenna... and on a sunday afternoon we get football, football, baseball, lawrence welk and one other station and i dont remember what they were playing. Its a bit like culture shock I guess... Wheres the green mountain coffee at the gas stations... Wheres the flipping food channel? ...what do you mean no pizza delivery?
There is so much more to tell you but I am drawing a blank... and i seriously do need to get something posted...
~Regi
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Our Weekend...
Have you ever had one of those Starbuck's double shot energy drinks with guarana? I tried a mocha one today... boy howdy was that thing good. Unfortunately... too good... and I drank the whole thing, at 5:30, quarter t' 6. So now its 12:11 am... and I am *boing* wide awake with no signs of slowing down, actually my body is exhausted... its my brain that is wide awake. So... what do i do? Log onto my blog to let the world... well that teeny tiny part of the blog-o-verse that reads my blog know how our weekend went.
Saturday we went to lowes and got drywall to finish up the bathroom, and boy.. we had so much fun with that trip that 2 hours later we went back. That time we got ceiling tiles and mud (cause I forgot to mention to the dear hubby that I was almost out *smiles*) We worked on the bathroom trying to beat the storm when his parents showed up to drop off some stuff. Wish the visit could have been longer but we had so much to do and the sky was getting darker and darker. Luckily we were able to get almost all the drywall up before we had to wrap for the day. Electrical storms and powertools do not mix well =P.
Sunday we got up, packed stuff in the car and went to visit the new house. Its truly lovely! The owners are very very nice and seemed excited to meet us. We didnt get to meet their cat but their dog Lady who is 16 years old was very tolerant of our young pup and said pup actually behaved himself rather well ( I think he was only at half energy due to the length of the ride.... lol). She only barked at him at the end of the visit and we were told it was because she was jealous of all the attention "he" was receiving... so we made sure to give her even more lovens... she was so sweet it wasnt hard at all to do. *smiles*
The house is awesome... I know we will be very happy there and I just cant wait till we are all settled in our new home. Today was pretty much a trip up to sign the lease, show us gals the house, and we dropped off a few things for Paul as he will be staying up there this week as opposed to a hotel room. We made sure to take a table into the house first and we enjoyed our first meal there together. We also each took one thing for the house to kind of let it know what to expect from us *laughs* Paul took his chess set, Maddy, one of her favorite fairies, Leen took one of her buddhas, and I took one of my windchimes. I think the house likes us *wink*
Guess thats it for now, hope you all had a wonderful weekend...
~Regi
PS... think i am gonna fit in well in our new neighborhood ... she (the landladyess ) invited me to a class she was holding in her back yard tomorrow night... meditation with crystal bowls. Its amazing how the universe works isnt it? I so cant wait to move!!!!
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Around and around we go...
Todays list of "things to do"
~shower
~pack
~sand the walls in bathroom from H E double toothpick
~take eldest to doc and see if I can convince her to do the meningitus (spelling?) shot today as opposed to taking her back a week from friday. This way i dont have to listen to her moan about a shot for 7+ days
~pack (yes i said this already... so? have you seen the amount of crap we have accumulated in 11 years lol)
~call and get electric switched into our names on new place
~research internet service in new home
~research phone carrier (we are going to need one as cell phone coverage is pretty terrible there)
~pack (did i mention that we are pack rats?)
~write a nasty note to hubby and suggest he come home and pack and I take a mini vacation
~call bank
~call around for a moving van
~call and make arrangements for Jasper to go to doggy camp this weekend
~return overdue library books
~grocery store
~hire a taxi so that when i go out tonight... after attempting all this stuff... i dont have to drive on the way home if you get what I mean.
ok so im kidding about the last one.
*smile*
~shower
~pack
~sand the walls in bathroom from H E double toothpick
~take eldest to doc and see if I can convince her to do the meningitus (spelling?) shot today as opposed to taking her back a week from friday. This way i dont have to listen to her moan about a shot for 7+ days
~pack (yes i said this already... so? have you seen the amount of crap we have accumulated in 11 years lol)
~call and get electric switched into our names on new place
~research internet service in new home
~research phone carrier (we are going to need one as cell phone coverage is pretty terrible there)
~pack (did i mention that we are pack rats?)
~write a nasty note to hubby and suggest he come home and pack and I take a mini vacation
~call bank
~call around for a moving van
~call and make arrangements for Jasper to go to doggy camp this weekend
~return overdue library books
~grocery store
~hire a taxi so that when i go out tonight... after attempting all this stuff... i dont have to drive on the way home if you get what I mean.
ok so im kidding about the last one.
*smile*
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Update on us...
We took lots of pictures of the house we looked at on Sunday but have decided pretty much we wont be taking it. The biggest reason we said no was heating that house would cost an arm and a leg and perhaps a torso or two. The pellet stove not only wasnt in yet... but they hadnt ordered it. So that would mean the house was heated entirely with propane and its one huge house. The fireplaces dont work at all and it was very ramblely... rambly... spread widely out... sheesh!
I fell in love with it though, it had so many period features. Beams to hang flowers and herbs to dry, cast iron bathtub, original pieces in the fireplace to hang pots on to swivel them into the fire... a iron box built into the hearth to bake bread... the history buff in me cried... "Mine... mine... all mine" *smiles* But, the mom inside me looked at how the house was laid out, the distance between the rooms, the various problems that still hadnt been fixed and put her heels into the ground and said no way! So I listened to the mom in me. *cries*
We have 3 other houses we are in contact with owners about... Paul is looking at one on friday before he heads home. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and I know that the right place will come along eventually.
The bathroom is coming along slowly but surely now. Packing is progressing ... the list of things we want to do to the house is shortening every day... so things are moving on that front.
Eileen has finally gotten to talk to her roommate at college, which has set her mind to rest on that front. She has put in notice at her job ... and she is engaged.
Yes.. eileen, at the ripe old age of 18 is engaged.. her young man spoke to Paul and I before he asked her, assured us that they were definitely waiting till after college graduation to get married, but that he was joining the national guard and wanted to make a commitment to her before he made the commitment to them. She is happy, looks at us as if we are insane if we even mention waiting till after grad to get married... "of course we will mom... sheesh!" so things are ok... but scarey on that front. Not sure I am ready for my child to be engaged, I really wanted both my girls to get out there and taste life a bit before settling down, and I am worried too about Shaun and being in the national guard. He however feels strongly that this is something he needs to do. Not only to help the two of them financially... but to be there in support of our country. I know my father would like this kid... Wish he and mom were around, they would be so tickled with all their grandkids.
Maddy says she is excited about going back to public school... but I feel sad about it. I seriously enjoyed homeschooling her, and feel its a wonderful option in todays world. I have struggled with this decision for some time now... but we are going to give it a try. We have heard wonderful things about this school, it will give her a chance to meet kids in this new place we are moving to where we know no one. It will remind her what public school was all about... and if for any reason it doesnt work... we know homeschooling works for us. Hopefully this time we can find a support group we feel more comfortable in. The old one was nice but we just never clicked. Maddy herself has already requested that we continue studying things on our own... she really liked the whole child led education, we spent a heck of a lot of time on colonial new england and the revolution... not because I wanted to... but because she was absolutely fascinated with it. Anyways... as soon as we know for sure we are moving into the district I will call and make an appointment for a tour and any testing they might need to perform.
Maddy's first day of school will be Aug 27 (paul and my 20th anniversary) and Eileens first day of college is Aug 29th.
Paul is still loving his new job... the company puts him up during the week in a hotel so he has a lot less commuting to do... but its still a long haul for him, and we definitely miss him being home during the week. I cant wait till we are all living in the same space again.
Guess thats all from this front...
~Regi
I fell in love with it though, it had so many period features. Beams to hang flowers and herbs to dry, cast iron bathtub, original pieces in the fireplace to hang pots on to swivel them into the fire... a iron box built into the hearth to bake bread... the history buff in me cried... "Mine... mine... all mine" *smiles* But, the mom inside me looked at how the house was laid out, the distance between the rooms, the various problems that still hadnt been fixed and put her heels into the ground and said no way! So I listened to the mom in me. *cries*
We have 3 other houses we are in contact with owners about... Paul is looking at one on friday before he heads home. So I am keeping my fingers crossed and I know that the right place will come along eventually.
The bathroom is coming along slowly but surely now. Packing is progressing ... the list of things we want to do to the house is shortening every day... so things are moving on that front.
Eileen has finally gotten to talk to her roommate at college, which has set her mind to rest on that front. She has put in notice at her job ... and she is engaged.
Yes.. eileen, at the ripe old age of 18 is engaged.. her young man spoke to Paul and I before he asked her, assured us that they were definitely waiting till after college graduation to get married, but that he was joining the national guard and wanted to make a commitment to her before he made the commitment to them. She is happy, looks at us as if we are insane if we even mention waiting till after grad to get married... "of course we will mom... sheesh!" so things are ok... but scarey on that front. Not sure I am ready for my child to be engaged, I really wanted both my girls to get out there and taste life a bit before settling down, and I am worried too about Shaun and being in the national guard. He however feels strongly that this is something he needs to do. Not only to help the two of them financially... but to be there in support of our country. I know my father would like this kid... Wish he and mom were around, they would be so tickled with all their grandkids.
Maddy says she is excited about going back to public school... but I feel sad about it. I seriously enjoyed homeschooling her, and feel its a wonderful option in todays world. I have struggled with this decision for some time now... but we are going to give it a try. We have heard wonderful things about this school, it will give her a chance to meet kids in this new place we are moving to where we know no one. It will remind her what public school was all about... and if for any reason it doesnt work... we know homeschooling works for us. Hopefully this time we can find a support group we feel more comfortable in. The old one was nice but we just never clicked. Maddy herself has already requested that we continue studying things on our own... she really liked the whole child led education, we spent a heck of a lot of time on colonial new england and the revolution... not because I wanted to... but because she was absolutely fascinated with it. Anyways... as soon as we know for sure we are moving into the district I will call and make an appointment for a tour and any testing they might need to perform.
Maddy's first day of school will be Aug 27 (paul and my 20th anniversary) and Eileens first day of college is Aug 29th.
Paul is still loving his new job... the company puts him up during the week in a hotel so he has a lot less commuting to do... but its still a long haul for him, and we definitely miss him being home during the week. I cant wait till we are all living in the same space again.
Guess thats all from this front...
~Regi
Friday, June 27, 2008
A gaggle of girls
Miss Sarah came to stay with us for a few days this week while hubby was up in Winthrop. I truly love this kid... and have since the day she was born. She is my sister's oldest child and happens to be almost exactly 2 years younger then my oldest. She has the prettiest dimples and when young they could get her out of all sorts of trouble.
Last night we were waiting for hubby to come home from work. He had stayed up near winthrop for the last several nights but decided to come home at the last minute so we waited supper for him. The girls were all outside with the dog waiting patiently. They wrote welcome home dad on the driveway in chalk... chased each other... sat in the road and giggled while waiting to see a particular van pull onto our road.
"Is that him? I think its Dad... no its the wrong car. Is that him? Maddy dont push me... Dang it... where is he? Oh look its a car... is that him? Sarah dont step on my drawing" Anyways it was very cute to watch... Finally Hubby arrived and I bet he was a bit surprised to see the gaggle of girls lined up and waiting on him *smiles*
The two oldest dyed each other's hair, they all have done each others make up, gone shopping at the mall and out to lunch, watched movies till they fell asleep in the living room at 1 am, slept in late, loved on the dog... giggled, fought, smiled, whispered, and just made me grin watching them.
I really can't imagine anything better then a gaggle of girls.
Last night we were waiting for hubby to come home from work. He had stayed up near winthrop for the last several nights but decided to come home at the last minute so we waited supper for him. The girls were all outside with the dog waiting patiently. They wrote welcome home dad on the driveway in chalk... chased each other... sat in the road and giggled while waiting to see a particular van pull onto our road.
"Is that him? I think its Dad... no its the wrong car. Is that him? Maddy dont push me... Dang it... where is he? Oh look its a car... is that him? Sarah dont step on my drawing" Anyways it was very cute to watch... Finally Hubby arrived and I bet he was a bit surprised to see the gaggle of girls lined up and waiting on him *smiles*
The two oldest dyed each other's hair, they all have done each others make up, gone shopping at the mall and out to lunch, watched movies till they fell asleep in the living room at 1 am, slept in late, loved on the dog... giggled, fought, smiled, whispered, and just made me grin watching them.
I really can't imagine anything better then a gaggle of girls.
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