Let it be over

I don't really know what to write about today. The hub has been working on the bathroom, probably more than her should. I hope he won't regret it in the morning. Hopefully his back will cooperate for a bit. I have kind of been off my game today. Couldn't sleep last night and I have been a loopy mess all day. I did manage to clear out the paths going down in the woods so the kids won't be swallowed up by the weed monsters when they go to play. It was getting kind of horror movie-esque down there since we have been concentrating on tearing out and building up of a bathroom and a kitchen. We spent a torturous amount of time at the kitchen/bathroom/lighting store today. S stayed home since she still feels awful. Surgery is July 8...we just keep telling her that. The youngers went with us. They got to have fresh baked chocolate chip cookies from the luxury model kitchen out of the Viking oven that probably costs more than our house. They got to see fancy steam baths and showers that we can only hope to have in a house someday. They played with this:



It was a control panel for specialty lighting, steaming, music and television for your bathtub/shower. Bathroom video games. Whatever gets them through the day.

Hopefully the electrician will come this week and get the process started. It kills B to not get to do the work himself. He knows how, but his back cannot take it. It will make us all feel better to have the house put back together. The sooner the better!
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Working it out

Another short post from a sleepy mom. I've had lots on my mmind and not much time to sit and process it. I got to spend a couple hours with my brother. We had a beverage and a bowl of pretzels. We just sat and worked it out. What is it? Just worked all the "its" out in my current thought queue. Tomorrow will bring with it a new list of issues, but it was nice to have time with my brother. The hub was tired from his day and just wanted to watch some hockey and soccer. I am grateful for his willingness to let me escape. He's a good egg.

I am exhausted now. Time to go work out my problems over two pillows and a blanket.


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Battery's Dead

Short post tonight. I have a bit of a tummy ache. It might be due in part to the fact that our house feels like 5,000 degrees. I cannot get cooled off. This has seemed to be the way of the day. I got in the car today at one of my stops to find the awful clicking sound that comes with a bad battery or alternator. As I discovered this, thunder and rain started. My friend went to locate jumper cables and we googled jumping a battery. I can do most everything else basic to emergency car repair, but I totally blanked on my father's lesson about jumper cables. The car got started and I went on my way. It seems a bit coincidental that I had an oil change yesterday and rebuffed their advances to give me a new battery. I won't accuse anybody of foul battery play, but it is one of those things that make you go "Hmmm." The hub took care of things and I transported the athletes where they needed to go. I will be very interested tomorrow to see if my windows go up faster now that we have a new battery. We may have a whole new life to this car.

Time for bed and some Tums. Let's hope for a very boring sleep tonight. Tummy calm down.


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Profiling at the dog park

After torturing the children on their summer break with a trip to get an oil change, I took them on a promised trip to the dog park to wear Copper out. SInce we are not members of a pool and live in an old neighborhood without one, we have to get wet by other means...those means being sweating profusely in an unshaded dog park. There were several cars in the parking lot, so the potential for playmates was high. Once we got through the gates to enter the actual park, a stout, solid dog with a creepy growl and a very sharp and menacing collar came to express his opinion. Needless to say, I changed direction and took her to the empty small dog side to avoid a midday mauling. I'll admit, I saw the breed and the overkill collar and made a decision. Guilty of dog profiling. It paid off. We made the right choice.

After about a 70% dehydration set in, we dropped the dog off at home and ran to the bullseye store to buy a Slip and Slide. No pool means desperation on a mom's part. Nothing says fun like careening down a wet piece of plastic while the dog snaps at the little sprinklers popping up, occasionally catching a toe here and there. What I failed to realize, even after seeing that the slide was 16 feet long, was that my oldest is about 5'2" and that doesn't leave a whole lot of length to get up much speed. I told you, I'm not good at math...especially when delirious from dehydration and overexcited children. Luckily the size problem did not really bother them or the dog. She even got on the actual slide a few times. I think this was purely accidental as evidenced by the look of terror in her hazel eyes. Oh well. They were all more than adequately worn out by the time dinner hit. Worth every penny.






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Strawberry meals forever

We took advantage of a nice afternoon to head on over to our local fruit and berry patch to get some strawberries. Pickings were a bit slim as this is the tail end of the season, but we were determined to find some. Dennis Fox, the owner, instructs the kids every year on how exactly to pick the berries. He makes sure they know not to pick any berries with green bellies. If they have a green belly, they are too young and will cry for their mommy...so you'll have to put them on your pillow at night so they won't be scared. Mine have never forgotten that. So many times this afternoon they said, "Green belly...he'll cry for momma!". It took some work, but we got probably two and a half buckets worth. They were pretty small little guys, so it was tedious. After having a fresh fruit slushy as an afternoon snack/refresher, we went home to decide what to make with all the berries. The kids quickly lost interest in anything other than eating the berries, so I got to work:



After the berries were hulled and smashed and cooked and dosed with some stuff, they turned into this:



We are set for freezer jam for the summer. Yay! I tried to make a strawberry cake like a friend had done. It was a concoction that did not turn out as I had hoped. The kids will enjoy it as a treat. Being a jam person or simply and strawberries and Cool Whip kind of gal, the cake was for the kids anyway.

Blueberries and blackberries come in within a month. The kids are ready to get picking again. Anybody ready for some pie?
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Location:Montrose Rd,Knoxville,United States

Dirt and dust all over the place

On this Memorial Day while we should have been honoring those who lost their lives in service to our country, we were instead torturing our children at Home Depot shopping for gardening and remodeling supplies. I was thinking about the many people in my life who have served our country and fought to keep us free and safe. As I planted the new veggies and herbs in the garden, I kept humming the different theme songs of the different branches of the military. I had Billy Joel playing on the speakers, but "Wild Blue Yonder" kept going through my head. The hub has spent most of the day knocking a wall down and reframing parts of the walls in the bathroom. He also clonked his head on a piece of wood and took a chunk out of his head. After that, we took a break and went to the festival in our local park. The kids got to jump with little bungee things and cooled off with homemade ice cream.

I am grateful to my great aunt and grandfather and uncles and cousins and friends who have all served this country and allowed me the freedom and luxury to have a home and life and peace of mind. They can never be repaid for their service. I just hope to honor them as best I can.


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Introducing the classics

It is a kind of damp Sunday evening here and the kids are winding down for the evening. They are all in various states of not feeling great due to the dreaded East Tennessee allergies and are really just wanting to snuggle up with us. This gives us the perfect opportunity to show them movies that are important to us for one reason or another. Tonight's offering is "O Brother Where Art Thou?". We've had to explain a few terms and expalin that a car didn't really hit a cow in the road, but they are enjoying the music. That sure pleases me.

A very early birthday present and fulfillment of a year long promise came true for G today. Now that her feet have taken a little break in growing, we purchased her some footwear she has wanted for a long time:



We realize that her pedicure needs some help, but I love her choice. Lovely color. She was quite pleased with her new acquisition. It's the little things in life.

I hope everyone has a nice and restful Memorial Day. We will be making a trip to the cemetary to put flowers out and pay our respects. So grateful for all those who have served to keep our country free.
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