Our Small Town in on the Map

The little town that I live in has a little excitement this week. Okay, for a town our size, it's a really big deal. The Food Network show Restaurant Impossible is coming here. Robert Irvine and his crew will be redoing a local restaurant. The show will be purchasing all their supplies from local retailers. Katie works at the only home improvement store, so she is hoping to catch a glimpse of someone from the show.

A few days ago, the local newspaper had a story about the television show coming to town. I was telling my children about the news and everyone was talking about it when Steve mentioned that he had know that the show was coming for awhile. His girlfriend (who works at the restaurant) told him and he didn't share the news with us! Mike and I were hoping to get reservations for the grand reopening, but he will have to work that night. Maybe we can go next week to see the changes.

After Mike came home from work tonight, we drove by the restaurant to see if anything was happening. There were a couple of tents up and a tool trailer was on the premises. A security guard was patrolling the area. The renovation will begin tomorrow, with the grand opening on Friday. I plan on driving by the restaurant a few times during the next couple of days to watch the changes.

How to Have a Memorable Memorial Day Weekend

Many people spend Memorial Day weekend going to their loved-ones graves, having picnics, swimming at the lake, boating or camping. We don't do any of those things because my husband always has to work everyday of the weekend and all day on Memorial Day. This year, the kids and I had made a few tentative plans. Nothing special, just playing volleyball in the backyard, cooking out and having a bonfire. We didn't follow through on any of our ideas. Instead, we had a very memorable weekend. If you too want to experience a truly memorable weekend simply follow these simple instructions. It is very helpful if the temperatures are in the mid to high 90s with lots of humidity.

Friday Night: Serve a delicious cold supper of fresh strawberries, Gouda and Edam cheese slices, salad, carrots, celery, green peppers, French bread and bananas. Don't take care of the dishes following supper, wait until around midnight when your are tired and careless. Take the 9 the banana peels, the lettuce core and the green pepper cores and put them in the disposal at one time. Tun on the disposal and wait for the disposal to clog the kitchen sink. Continue to add water and run the disposal, hoping desperately that the extra water will help move the food through the pipes. Turn off the disposal in despair. Walk into the bedroom and wake husband to tell him that you blocked the drain. Husband should promise to look at drain before leaving for work in the morning. Do not run the dish washer. Allow the food to harden on the dishes over night.

Saturday Morning: Husband should haul himself out of bed after 6 hours sleep and try to fix the drain. The drain will slowly empty now. Husband will leave for work after saying that he will bring home some good drain cleaner when he comes home. Wife should be told to go ahead and use the sink. Run the dishwasher. Turn on clothes washer. Both sinks fill up in the kitchen and almost overflow. Turn off dishwasher and leave food residue to continue to harden on dishes. Turn off washing machine and allow clothes to set in the water in the machine.

Saturday Afternoon: Force children to clean their bedrooms. Take several large garbage bags of trash or junk out to garbage can. Trash can should become full and several bags should be set near the trash can on the ground.

Saturday Night: Husband will arrive home after working 14 hours. He should have stopped at the store and picked up liquid fire drain cleaner. After pouring the cleaner down the drain and waiting the required 20 minutes, husband will realize that the drain is still clogged. Husband should now use auger or "snake" on drain, then pour more drain cleaner down sink. Sink will not work. It should now be after midnight. Husband and wife should fall into bed exhausted. Kitchen should be a disaster zone. Dishes should be piled up on all counters. Laundry room should begin to smell musty.

Sunday morning: Husband and wife should awaken to smelly house. Husband will now add drain cleaner a third time. After waiting another 20 minutes, the drain will begin to work. Husband and wife should be thrilled that it isn't necessary to call in a professional plumber. Husband should go to work. Wife will restart dishwasher and fill sink with soap and water to start hand washing some of the dishes on the counter. Child should restart clothes washer. Remaining children should finish cleaning their bedrooms. Oldest child should walk to the basement and notice huge pool of water on floor. Humongous pile of bags filled with out of season clothing should be drenched. Cardboard boxes holding household goods and electronics should be soaked. Smell should not be pleasant. Now is the appropriate time for the wife to call the husband at work. Husband should drive home to deal with main pipe in basement. Laundry and dishwasher should be turned off in the middle of their loads.

Sunday afternoon: Husband will now cut out main pipe in basement. Pipe should be old iron pipe from when plumbing was originally added to home. Children and wife will now begin bringing stinky bags of clothing and household goods out to front porch for sorting. Do not deal with the basement items inside the house, smell will be very unpleasant.

Husband should make multiple trips to local home improvement store for parts. Wife should have small reserves of patience. Children will melt away and disappear from sight and out of the reach of mother's voice. Temperatures should hoover around 97 and humidity should be high. Finally, husband says that leak is fixed and all water sources are available for use. Turn on washing machine and dish washer. Continue to sort out stinky clothing into piles to pitch without washing or to wash and store. Search diligently for a couple of children to put together tent to hose off and air dry.

Husband will continue to drag never-ending piles of boxes and bags to the porch for the wife's sorting pleasure. Husband will then begin washing floors and walls of basement with bleach solution. Wife will run endless piles of laundry through washer and dryer. Children will continue to hide. Darkness will fall and husband and wife will fall into bed exhausted.

Monday: Husband will go to work. Wife will complete kitchen cleanup, then return to washing clothing and sorting household items. Clothing will be hung on clothesline to dry. Son will prepare delicious dinner and daughter will clean kitchen.
Two daughters will earn $3 selling weeds flowers to passing cars. Wife will decide to end her work day at 6:00 when every muscle in body begins to hurt. There will still be many more hours of work to be done on Tuesday, but the Memorial Day weekend has been one that no family member will forget.

On Wednesday, wife and children plan to celebrate the clean basement and return to normalcy. Maybe we will even go to the beach.

Things Accomplished in the Last Week

*Deck moved to another place in the yard. I was sore for two days after Mike, Amy, Joe and I moved it with the help of a carjack.
*Moved rose bush to front yard.
*Mowed lawn.
*Trimmed along house, fence line, shed, and swing set with yard trimmer.
*Weeded the flower beds surrounding 6 large trees.
*Weeded small garden in back yard and perennial bed along side of house.
*Killed grass growing between blocks of sidewalk.
*Dug up ornamental grasses and replanted near property line.
*Planted Vinca Minor and Vinca Major in the bed near the patio.
*Removed debris that was under the deck before the move.
*Laid mulch around new plantings.
*Attended choir concert
*Attended karate testing for Paige and Allie
*Dropped Joe off at the school for the state track competition. (So proud that he qualified.)
*Brought Paige's captain's bed up from storage and put it together in her summer bedroom.
*Moved Allie's bed into Katie's room
*Moved Amy's bed into Madelyn's bedroom.
*Took down my craft table and put it into storage.
*Visited my mom.
*Visited Mike's mom
*Attended an open house.
*All other normal tasks were completed.

I'll be so glad when we get the rearranging completed and I can finish sorting out all household items for our huge sale. Less clutter always makes me happier.

Next week, we will continue to finish up the outside siding replacement and begin prep work for painting the exterior of the house. I will also plan to paint the dining room, family room, kitchen, downstairs bathroom, and living room. The garden should also get planted. Maybe all those interior rooms won't get finished in one week. :)

It will be good to have so many projects finished!















8

Letterboxing

Mike, Katie, Madelyn, Paige, Allie and I went to see my mom for a belated Mother's Day visit. The weather was beautiful, so we decided to try for one of the letterbox series planted near my mom's house. There are three series in the area, so I asked Mike if he preferred dealing with potential ticks or potential snake sightings. He thought that ticks would be better for me. The walk was gorgeous. There were tons of birds, wild flowers and butterflies. Katie decided to wait in the Mountaineer while we boxed because she didn't want to ruin her shoes. We found what I believe was the correct location for the first box, but couldn't find the box. The box was near a tree out in a field of tall grass. Everyone searched diligently, but without success. When we returned to the path, Madelyn noticed a tick on the hood of Allie's hoodie. We knocked it off and continued on our way. There were a couple of steep hills and curves through grassland and a small wooded area. We located the box and logged in. The hiding spot was unique and made everyone smile. We retraced our steps and continued our search for the third box. I think we were in the right area, so we began to search for the two trees that had fence growing through them. There was a lot of tall grasses and some May Apples that we walked through to get to the fence line. We couldn't locate the box, so Mike suggested that we back up a little in case we had traveled to far. There were a few trees in the fence line that we located next to a loosely piled group of fallen trees and branches. Mike approached the pile of branches and heard something move. He took off running at a fairly quick pace. (Madelyn said it was almost, but not quite as quick as my Snnnnaaaaakkkeee run from last summer. Time was running short, so we decided to return to the car. About 2 hours later, we discovered a tick on Paige's back. Luckily, it hadn't attached itself yet, so we were able to brush it off. Yuck! Maybe the snakes would have been a better choice. We plan on returning in the late fall, when the ticks have died off.

It's All In The Point Of View

Conversation from our recent picnic. The two youngest girls packed the lunches. Mom: Why did I get the sandwich with all the heels? Alison: What are heels? Mom: The ends of a loaf of bread. Paige: You didn't get the end of the loaf. You got the beginning!

End of the Year and Mom Needs a Break

We're starting to see the end of our homeschool studies and various activities for the year. Many things will end in May; the rest will end in June. Keeping track of everyone's schedule is pushing me to my mental limit. Unfortunately, my stress level isn't being handled as well as it should be. Here's a few examples of my recent over-re-acting and the events leading up to my poor behavior. Saturday began with an early morning eye doctor appointment for Steve to replace the glasses that were lost in the ocean a few weeks ago. We arrived and I filled out the forms. The assistant spent her time answering the phone and then complaining to me about the irritating "old lady" on the phone. The woman WAS annoying (she called the office 6 times during the hour that we were in the office), but the assistant made me uncomfortable with the way she spoke disrespectfully to and about this elderly woman. Eventually, I said. "She probably keeps calling you because she can tell that you are irritated and she doesn't trust you to return her call. She's obviously worried about her upcoming eye surgery and isn't seeing well. Maybe if you were more sympathetic, she would leave you alone." The assistant didn't have any further conversation with me. I should have kept my opinions to myself OR been more tactful in my comments. We will probably find a new eye doctor. After returning home, I picked up Madelyn and Joe to go to Madelyn's cheer competition. There was a lot of road construction on the highway and in Grand Rapids. I was cut off in traffic several times. The Magellan kept taking me to roads that were closed. My head began to pound. After several near accidents, I began speaking to the other drivers. Not loudly. Not using profanity. Simply telling them that I had the right of way and that they should get off their phones and look at the road. Joe finally looked and me and mentioned that we do have a horn that I could honk. I didn't want to make more stress for other drivers and my mumbling was relieving some stress, so I continued my comments. Before we eventually reached the venue, I guess my mumblings were getting louder. Madelyn suggested that we roll the windows down, so the other drivers could hear me. Oops! Today, we had a hectic day of schooling, housework, laundry, and transporting teens around town. Steve was annoyed with me because I couldn't drive him to work. I had to pick Joe up from the high school after track practice. The team members are supposed to be picked up at the field-house. There are two gates to enter/exit the parking lot by the field-house. One of them is always closed and the traffic is crazy. Imagine 75 cars all trying to enter and exit through the same entrance. During track meets, the lot can only be entered by paying a $4 fee. The high school and middle school both have their meets on the same field. Usually, the attendant lets the high school parents enter the lot without paying a fee, if they are only picking up a child. Today, we were not allowed to enter the lot. There is a small space (enough room for 6-7 cars) before the enclosed parking lot. It was a disaster! There were cars waiting on a 60 degree incline waiting for their high school track member. Both sides of the highway were blocked by people double parking to pick up their children. The parking lot is empty. I'm eventually parked in on all four sides. There is a least one fender-bender accident. After waiting for 20 minutes, I approached the parking attendant and ask about the change of rules. She said the school was concerned about possibly losing revenue by letting parents enter to pick up their children. I told her that this new policy was dangerous and not very well thought-out. She mentioned how important it is for the school to pick up as much income as possible. I told her that the new system was asinine and walked away. My tone of voice wasn't confrontational or loud. My statement was absolutely true. Someone is going to be seriously injured. BUT, I should have kept my mouth shut. It wasn't the attendant's policy. She already HAD to know that the new system was a disaster. I did nothing to make her day any better and added to HER stress. I am ashamed of myself. I will be spending the next few days biting my tongue, instead of pointing out the failings of others. I certainly have enough things that I do wrong. I'm sure that I probably irritate people frequently. The split second of euphoria for speaking my mind is not worth the several hours that I have spent regretting my big mouth.

The Avengers

The Avengers came out Friday morning at 12:01 a.m. Being really cool parents, Mike and I took all the children at the first showing. It was a really nice evening out. The movie was excellent and something that everyone enjoyed. More importantly, it was a night that the kids will remember because of the novelty of a mid-night show on a school night. I took the older children to the mid-night showing of Harry Potter, but this is the first time that everyone was able to go. Allie fell asleep briefly, but was so happy to be included as a big kid. It was 3 a.m. before we got home, so I didn't plan on doing any school on Friday. Joe didn't have anything exciting going on at school of Friday, so I let him stay home. I hate it when public school tries to interfere with family fun. :)

Hole in the House

Mike, the kids and I cut the deck off the house about a week ago. The siding needs some work before we paint the house. Mike discovered a way to repair the damaged siding, which he has been doing for the last few weeks. AFter the deck was removed, Mike began to jack up the house so we can replace the sill. After removing the sill and siding, we have a large hole running the length of our family room. It will take a few weeks to raise the house enough to install the new sill. Our backyard looks like a war zone and the side of the house looks pretty bad, but it will be so nice to have the family room wall level and be able to paint the exterior of the house. Patience isn't my strong point, but I'm trying to focus on the end result. It's been hard to decide what colors we wanted to use. Our house is currently a light blue/gray. There are several white houses near us and we don't want to blend in with the houses on the block. We decided on a medium tan for the siding, a deep tan for the foundation, white windows and soffets and facia, medium brown for the front porch and decking, and a warm burgundy/red for the doors. I hope we like the colors once they are applied, because it's going to be a huge job. Mike will be painting the roof-line and second story. I'll be painting the first floor, porch, deck, and foundation.

I'm Still Here

It's been awhile since I posted. Lots has been happening, but I just haven't felt the urge to write about anything. Since Google forced me to the newer account, I'm finding it difficult to locate my blog and it's one of the things that falls to the side. Paige and Allie were in their Karate tournament a couple of weeks ago. Last January, the tournament was held in a high school gymnasium. There was enough space for the various groups to have their skills tested. The entire tournament area was visible from the stadium seating. This time, the tournament was held in a large hall. There was enough room for the tournament and adequate seating space, but all the seats were on the same level. The tournament was not visible to the audience. By the second group of testing, all the parents were kneeling or standing in the aisle trying to take pictures. Allie did exceptionally well, winning 3 first place trophies and one second place trophy. She also was in a very small group of competitors. There were 5 other little girls in her group. Paige was in a huge group of 14 other children. There were 3 girls (one who must have topped 200 pounds) and 11 boys. She was by far the smallest child in her group. She won a third place trophy. I was really proud of her tenacity during the tournament. After each disappointment, she went back a tried her best. There were five children in her group who didn't win anything. I was also very proud that she continued to be supportive and happy for Allie, who continued to return with trophies. It was a tough day for Paige, but she has the heart of a lion and has been practicing everyday for "next year's tournament." When I enrolled the girls in karate in October, I asked if I needed to purchase ghees or could they use the plain white ones that they already owned. The coach said that as long as they did not have any other dojo listed, the plain white ghees were fine. The girls competed in these uniforms in January. There were several other children wearing white ghees as well. At the recent tournament, my children were the only competitors in white. After Allie walked up on stage to collect her first trophy, the new head of the karate organization told the coach that my girls would be disqualified at each event, unless they were wearing black ghees. The coach approached me and explained what was happening and said that she had it under control. She ran out to her car and loaned my children black ghees so they could compete in the rest of the tournament. I didn't have a problem purchasing new karate uniforms. I was upset that there was a change in policy shared that information. During the tournament, I observed that two of the judges were wearing exactly what my girls were disqualified for wearing. It kind of sent a mixed message. We were so thankful for the girls' wonderful coach who saved the day. It would have been a sad trip home without her. Madelyn has had multiple extra practices and clinics for cheer-leading. We have competitions next weekend and then have a small break until the state meet. I'm tired of all the driving and killing so much time in small towns with no where to go. My Kindle has been getting a ton of use while I waste full days while Madelyn practices. Steve has been working a lot at Dairy Queen and having lots of extra practices and performances for choir. He's running into some scheduling problems between his job and choir performances. The choir director has changed times of performances a few days in advance and the boss at Dairy Queen won't give him time off at the last minute. I understand both people's opinions, but what is Steve supposed to do. His director will fail him in choir if he misses a performance and the Dairy Queen boss will fire him if he asks for days off or needs a schedule change. I feel sorry for Steve, but this is something that he has to handle on his own. Joe is running really well in track. He's moved up to the third best distance runner on the team. The two faster runners are seniors and have been running for several years. It's been fun to watch him build strategies to move up on the team. Joe is now less than 5 seconds behind the second fastest runner. It won't surprise me if Joe passes him before the end of the season.

Allergy Relief

My husband and children suffer from several allergies. It's fairly easy for them to ignore the winter allergies, but once the pollen levels rise, they are miserable. A couple of weeks before Easter, I noticed that none of the children could make it through the church service without getting more Kleenex. Easter Sunday was dreadful for the children due to the large number of lilies around the altar. I really hate to give my children allergy medicines because we have noticed that the children need stronger medicines over time to get relief. The children seem to develop a resistance to the lower dose medications. Last summer, I read an article that suggested using local, unpasteurized honey instead of antihistamines and other medications. Amy tried using a teaspoon of honey each day on toast. After about 3 1/2 weeks, she no longer needed medication. The honey helps a person's immune system develop antibodies for the pollens in the area. It is extremely important that the honey is gathered within 5 miles of the user's home. The younger children began taking honey this week. Hopefully, we will be able to stop purchasing and using allergy medications soon.