Today Chris had warned me that he probably wouldn't get much work done at the office. So, I was prepared for his talking to himself, using reams of paper and his quick/short responses to me. Hey, we've been married for 11 years and have worked together for 5 of those. Tonight, Chris was so nervous that he couldn't eat anything but a Pop Tart for supper. Then he was all stressed out because he forgot to get a watch battery for his watch, which he was going to use for coaching. We had both decided to drive to practice because he was going to get together with the assistant afterwards to discuss any changes they may need to make. I parked closest to the field (where there are signs posted and have been know to give tickets for doing this) and cut across an empty lot so if we had to carry up the big orange water cooler that we wouldn't have to carry it very far. I got into town and Chris called ~ I asked him if he put in the van the big green Dick's Sporting Goods bag that had the cups for the water cooler and he did not. . . Luckily, since he had just been on a business trip last week, there was still almost a full case of water in the back of the van. Tomorrow, we'll remember the cups :~) Despite what Chris saw as setbacks, practice went very well. Apparently the first couple days are chaotic like this.
Chris and Taite have taken a break from conditioning because last week Taite complained that his heel hurt. Tonight after practice, it was hurting again. . . It doesn't matter what shoes he is wearing, they always seem to hurt his heel. We'll be taking him into the Dr. tomorrow, but he is already devastated that he won't get to play. We are trying to comfort him, but until we know for sure what is wrong, he may not be able to play. His only complaint tonight was that practice was boring because they didn't get to hit anyone or do real tackles. Coach said that will come tomorrow :~) Maybe tomorrow I'll take some pictures too ~ I'm a bad mom ~ I took the camera, but it's so much nicer to sit and chat with other moms ~ hehe.
Monday, August 31, 2009
OMG ~ I think I just got my exercise for the day from laughing!
Steph sent me this video to watch and it's hilarious! Can you imagine what this little guy will look like when he's older and has had a few???
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azhgVB5uXlo
Seriously, my stomach hurts from laughing!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azhgVB5uXlo
Seriously, my stomach hurts from laughing!!!
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Mmmmm. . .
I have to admit that I hate (well, strongly dislike) these unseasonably cold days we've been having, but it does get me excited (yes, just a little bit) for cozy sweaters, warm fires and comfort food! After a week of cold days (or so it seems) today I made a typical "cold weather" meal for us. It was cheesy potato soup with warm biscuits. I find that I enjoy making food when I can start with a recipe, make some changes and still come up with something that is delicious! Today, I started the soup by simmering the veggies in chicken broth and then decided to add some white wine. When we were camping once, this guy was constantly grilling the most heavenly scented food all weekend! Of course, we were kind of "pulled" towards him and we found out he indeed was an excellent cook and that's because he was a chef! He gave us a tip to never cook with wine that we wouldn't drink! Makes sense, so because of that, we always have to have wine on hand ~ LOL. Okay, we do occasionally run out, but we try to not drink it all ~ hehe. Here is a picture of the lunch we enjoyed. :~)
Oh, and I have another tip. If you make soup or something and it made wayyyy too much, just freeze it! We have many gallon bags of frozen foods that we got sick of eating leftovers, but knew we would enjoy another time, so the freezer is our friend. Just make sure you label it because no matter how well you think you'll remember what it was, you probably won't :~) It really doesn't matter what kind of base you had in your soup, either and hey, look at it this way; you were going to throw out the leftovers anyway, so if you can get a quick last minute meal out of the leftovers later down the road it's a win-win!
Oh, and I have another tip. If you make soup or something and it made wayyyy too much, just freeze it! We have many gallon bags of frozen foods that we got sick of eating leftovers, but knew we would enjoy another time, so the freezer is our friend. Just make sure you label it because no matter how well you think you'll remember what it was, you probably won't :~) It really doesn't matter what kind of base you had in your soup, either and hey, look at it this way; you were going to throw out the leftovers anyway, so if you can get a quick last minute meal out of the leftovers later down the road it's a win-win!Here is the recipe for the dip I made on Friday night:
Chorizo Bean Dip
1 lb ground beef
1/3 lb chorizo or spicy pork sausage
1 medium onion, chopped
1 env. of taco seasoning
2 cans (16 oz each) refried black beans (I'm not sure how these would be different from regular, except they cost more)
1 cup (4 oz) shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 jar (11 oz) salsa
2 cans (2 1/4 oz each) sliced ripe olives, drained
2 cups guacamole (I bought a refrigerated cntr and called it good ~ not sure how much was in it)
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
1/2 cup minced fresh cilantro (I didn't have any, so skipped it)
3/4 cup jalapeno-stuffed olives, sliced (again, I'm not sure these were worth the $6 I spent on the small jar, I think you could also use chopped jalapenos or chilies)
Tortilla chips (we used pita chips from Sam's and they were good and less fat than tortilla chips)
1. In a large skillet, cook the beef, sausage, onion & taco seasoning over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. (we added the taco seasoning after draining, so we could rinse off most of the grease).
2. Spread the beans into a greased 13 x 9" baking dish. Layer with the meat mixture, cheese, salsa and ripe olives. Cover and bake @ 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until heated through.
3. Spread guacamole over the top. Combine the green onions, sour cream and cilantro; spread over guacamole (this didn't spread so easily since the guac kind of melted being spread on the hot stuff, so next time, I'll just stir the guac with the sour cream, onions and cilantro since it all gets mixed together anyway). Sprinkle with stuffed olives (or one of the other choices I mentioned, or you could leave out for a not so spicy dip ~ the jalapenos were the only hot thing in this dip). Serve immediately with tortilla chips. Refrigerate leftovers.
We had a half a pan leftover after a night of munching by 12 adults, so next time, I'll make the meat and freeze half of it because the rest of the ingredients would be simple enough to split into half, so we don't have to bring so much home.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Lots of Stuff!
Here's the deal. . . when I upload pictures to the blog, they are never in order and today I just don't feel like putting them in order, so I'll describe what each one is and hopefully you can follow along ~ hehe
Lovin' My Lil' Green Tractor!!!(there is a country song about a Big Green Tractor and Chris told the boys that he likes that song now that we have a green tractor and the boys quickly pointed out that the song refers to a "BIG" tractor and ours is not big! hehe)
Yesterday afternoon, I decided to split some flowers. So, I hooked up the garden wagon to my tractor (I think Chris will have to get his own LOL), filled up a tote with water for after transplanting, loaded my tools and dug up some flowers (hence the post yesterday). I didn't get nearly as many done as I had hoped, but as I went along, I did some weeding and cleaning up around the yard (we had burned some boards in the fire pit that had metal in them and I had picked that out, but never threw it away) and it was VERY convenient to throw this stuff in the bucket of the tractor. When Chris came home (I didn't even come close to separating all the flowers I needed too because I am out of space for them!) we had a tree to move and he wanted to try out his idea for using the pallet forks he made to dig the hole. Here is the trees new home ~ the pallet fork thing was PERFECT!!!
Since this project didn't take much time, we decided to see if we could move the big overgrown weed/bush on the corner of the house. It really is a bush, but grows so big and it was too close to the house that it needed to be moved. After several attempts to lift it out with the forks, we finally decided to see if we would have any luck with the Bolles' method (tie a chain around it and pull it out!). I did organize these pictures because I didn't want you to see the end result and then how we got there :~)
Here is the truck after we successfully got the bush pulled out of the ground. To the left, is the corner the bush was growing around. In the picture, the dirt that looks like it is pointing towards the truck is about how far out the bush was growing in that direction and about 5' (at least) on either side of the corner!
To pick up the bush after pulling it out, Chris used the forks (again) :~) and they worked beautifully! We decided to use this large bush to kind of hide the gas tank from the back yard. Once it fills in, I think it will be perfect!!!
Lovin' My Lil' Green Tractor!!!(there is a country song about a Big Green Tractor and Chris told the boys that he likes that song now that we have a green tractor and the boys quickly pointed out that the song refers to a "BIG" tractor and ours is not big! hehe)
Yesterday afternoon, I decided to split some flowers. So, I hooked up the garden wagon to my tractor (I think Chris will have to get his own LOL), filled up a tote with water for after transplanting, loaded my tools and dug up some flowers (hence the post yesterday). I didn't get nearly as many done as I had hoped, but as I went along, I did some weeding and cleaning up around the yard (we had burned some boards in the fire pit that had metal in them and I had picked that out, but never threw it away) and it was VERY convenient to throw this stuff in the bucket of the tractor. When Chris came home (I didn't even come close to separating all the flowers I needed too because I am out of space for them!) we had a tree to move and he wanted to try out his idea for using the pallet forks he made to dig the hole. Here is the trees new home ~ the pallet fork thing was PERFECT!!!
Since this project didn't take much time, we decided to see if we could move the big overgrown weed/bush on the corner of the house. It really is a bush, but grows so big and it was too close to the house that it needed to be moved. After several attempts to lift it out with the forks, we finally decided to see if we would have any luck with the Bolles' method (tie a chain around it and pull it out!). I did organize these pictures because I didn't want you to see the end result and then how we got there :~)
Here is the truck after we successfully got the bush pulled out of the ground. To the left, is the corner the bush was growing around. In the picture, the dirt that looks like it is pointing towards the truck is about how far out the bush was growing in that direction and about 5' (at least) on either side of the corner!
To pick up the bush after pulling it out, Chris used the forks (again) :~) and they worked beautifully! We decided to use this large bush to kind of hide the gas tank from the back yard. Once it fills in, I think it will be perfect!!!
A set up of our rig. Don't ya love it???
This is why we couldn't pull this out with the forks. The roots on this thing were HUGE! There were many that were over 1" wide and one was cut off and it was running along the foundation of the house, which I'm sure is not good, so we were glad we got this out of there.
This is why we couldn't pull this out with the forks. The roots on this thing were HUGE! There were many that were over 1" wide and one was cut off and it was running along the foundation of the house, which I'm sure is not good, so we were glad we got this out of there.
To start on the hole, we used the forks to break up the dirt. . .
And then the bucket to scoop out the dirt. I was the "runner" on the ground. To switch between the bucket and forks, just two pins have to be pulled and then you lift or let down the loader (depending on if you are picking up or dropping off) ~ SOOO simple!
After the hole looked to be the correct depth, Chris picked up the bush with the forks again, this time slipping them on either side of the base. This (again LOL) worked perfectly!!! He lowered it a little into the ground, got the roots situated, added some dirt, lowered a little more and gave it a lot of attention, so I sure hope it grows! We had to put the "corner" side to the gas tank because as you can kind of see in the picture there is actually an indent where it had grown around the house. . .
And this is it's new home ~ doesn't it look nice??? It looks a little lopsided, but what wouldn't with where it was growing?
School is Getting Near!
On Wednesday afternoon, Grandpa Tom came through and brought us fish and then took the boys school clothes shopping (yes, I went along!) I dread this time of year because picking out jeans for the boys is awful! Two years ago, I made just under 10 trips to Kohl's to exchange jeans I had gotten for Taite because they didn't fit right. Well, GUESS WHAT??? Now, Levi's has the normal size 10 slim, 10 regular and 10 husky (for example), but then they also state what the waist and leg sizes are ~ just like men's jeans! This is super convenient because we would find a size that fit, but if the cut was different (carpenter, slim fit, etc.) then the jean would fit totally different! Now, we can look for just the waist and leg size, so no more guessing!!! We found some jeans that fit Taite perfectly! Brayton, another story. I found jeans that would be long enough, but even the slim had at least a 1" gap at the waist, so we had to go to Gap again this year and he was happy because they still have the button looking closure that is actually a hook in the back, so he doesn't have to worry about having to go to the bathroom. They also found shirts, sweatshirts and Bray finally got a Vikings jersey. He was so excited and when I got home, I looked at it and they had forgotten to take the ink thing off! UGH! I was stressed because I've heard about places not taking that off even if you have the receipt, but the guy didn't even look at the receipt when I took it back. He just apologized and removed it! All that stressing for nothing! Oh, they got shoes too. I asked Bray what kind of shoes he would like and I picked out a pair of Adidas or Nike and he's like, no, I want this kind:
I was totally surprised, but I guess I just buy shoes on clearance and have them around so they can grow into them. I have never bought any like this before and I probably won't be allowed to buy shoes for them when they aren't with, ever again :~)
Here are the pair that Taite picked out. The shoe on the right is one I've bought on clearance and he "grew into". Well, not quite yet. Since he wore those (on the right) and they are a little big, his heel has hurt. Chris is very concerned because FB starts on Monday and he doesn't want his star player (I added that hehe) to be injured already!
We had to cut our supper short at Applebees because the PTO was putting on a Welcome Back to School party. The boys were so excited to go and knew they would see all their friends! Taite went to play soccer with some other boys (after the high school team was done practicing) and Brayton wandered around and wandered around trying to find a friend to play with. He did have one awkward moment with his friend Aubrey, but she was already playing with another girl, so they said 'hi' and then looked at each other for a few seconds before Aubrey and her friend took off running. Bray looked over at me, with this pitiful look that he didn't know what to do ~ I felt bad for him. Needless to say, not one of Bray's friends showed up, Taite scored 2 goals and I signed up for the PTO (or is it PTA?) and we left early because Brayton started crying due to nothing to do. Of course Taite felt bad he was having fun and apologized to Bray for not leaving sooner (isn't he sweet? I love their brotherly love!) I'm sure school will go much better ~ we have meet the teacher on Tuesday afternoon.
I keep forgetting to post that I finished this bag. I think it turned out soo cute! I made the strap a little longer (I forget how long though) but still decided that I need to keep some of these new so I can sell them :~) I did figure out the stitch that I said no handle would ever have again that I did on Monica's bag was the SMALL version of this stitch on this bag! That's why it took me sooo long to do! Won't make that mistake again!
On Wednesday afternoon, Grandpa Tom came through and brought us fish and then took the boys school clothes shopping (yes, I went along!) I dread this time of year because picking out jeans for the boys is awful! Two years ago, I made just under 10 trips to Kohl's to exchange jeans I had gotten for Taite because they didn't fit right. Well, GUESS WHAT??? Now, Levi's has the normal size 10 slim, 10 regular and 10 husky (for example), but then they also state what the waist and leg sizes are ~ just like men's jeans! This is super convenient because we would find a size that fit, but if the cut was different (carpenter, slim fit, etc.) then the jean would fit totally different! Now, we can look for just the waist and leg size, so no more guessing!!! We found some jeans that fit Taite perfectly! Brayton, another story. I found jeans that would be long enough, but even the slim had at least a 1" gap at the waist, so we had to go to Gap again this year and he was happy because they still have the button looking closure that is actually a hook in the back, so he doesn't have to worry about having to go to the bathroom. They also found shirts, sweatshirts and Bray finally got a Vikings jersey. He was so excited and when I got home, I looked at it and they had forgotten to take the ink thing off! UGH! I was stressed because I've heard about places not taking that off even if you have the receipt, but the guy didn't even look at the receipt when I took it back. He just apologized and removed it! All that stressing for nothing! Oh, they got shoes too. I asked Bray what kind of shoes he would like and I picked out a pair of Adidas or Nike and he's like, no, I want this kind:
I was totally surprised, but I guess I just buy shoes on clearance and have them around so they can grow into them. I have never bought any like this before and I probably won't be allowed to buy shoes for them when they aren't with, ever again :~)
Here are the pair that Taite picked out. The shoe on the right is one I've bought on clearance and he "grew into". Well, not quite yet. Since he wore those (on the right) and they are a little big, his heel has hurt. Chris is very concerned because FB starts on Monday and he doesn't want his star player (I added that hehe) to be injured already!
We had to cut our supper short at Applebees because the PTO was putting on a Welcome Back to School party. The boys were so excited to go and knew they would see all their friends! Taite went to play soccer with some other boys (after the high school team was done practicing) and Brayton wandered around and wandered around trying to find a friend to play with. He did have one awkward moment with his friend Aubrey, but she was already playing with another girl, so they said 'hi' and then looked at each other for a few seconds before Aubrey and her friend took off running. Bray looked over at me, with this pitiful look that he didn't know what to do ~ I felt bad for him. Needless to say, not one of Bray's friends showed up, Taite scored 2 goals and I signed up for the PTO (or is it PTA?) and we left early because Brayton started crying due to nothing to do. Of course Taite felt bad he was having fun and apologized to Bray for not leaving sooner (isn't he sweet? I love their brotherly love!) I'm sure school will go much better ~ we have meet the teacher on Tuesday afternoon.
I keep forgetting to post that I finished this bag. I think it turned out soo cute! I made the strap a little longer (I forget how long though) but still decided that I need to keep some of these new so I can sell them :~) I did figure out the stitch that I said no handle would ever have again that I did on Monica's bag was the SMALL version of this stitch on this bag! That's why it took me sooo long to do! Won't make that mistake again!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Flowers, anyone?
I am dividing my lilies and will give away what I don't want and Amber doesn't use. So
far, I have about a 1/2 a yard wagon thing full! I've only divided 2 spots to get that many. Let me know if you want some, we'll be around all weekend. I just can't guarantee they'll grow, but hey, it's worth a shot!
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Not much. . .
I don't know if you read them or not, but I really do like the quotes that are on the side of my blog. Here is the one that was on when I came to it and it made me smile ~ hope it does the same for you!
When I look at the smiles on all the children's faces, I just know they're about to jab me with something.
Homer Simpson
Yesterday on Ellen (I had it on while doing stuff around the house) she had a religious author. He was a little different from her usual guest because he was so somber, but I liked a quote he said (it was said by someone else and I'm not even sure I have it exactly correct, but it went something like this) "Resentment is like drinking poison in the hopes that it will kill your enemies". To go with this, he is trying to get every human to take a vow of Non-Violence and we can create a peaceful world one person at a time. He was really very interesting to listen to.
Yesterday was also my first "work day" with Chris gone on his last long business trip for awhile. I got some things checked off my "to-do" list, which was good because I was very nervous since I'm doing "Chris' job" and I don't do that often, so my fear is I'll mess something up!
The boys found it very funny yesterday that a pair of Bray's white underwear were washed with the reds and are now pink. . . I think Taite laughed the hardest, but that was probably just because they weren't his!
I have to say "Great Job, Mom" because for over a month now, she has been walking and is now fitting into (with extra room, too, I'd like to add) "old" clothes!!!! You know what kind of clothes I'm talking about ~ the ones we all have in the back of our closet with the hopes that someday we'll fit back into them!! You GO Girl!
Today Grandpa Tom is coming to bring us fish!!! Yeah!!! He went fishing in Alaska and happens to be coming through the area (well, he's actually headed to the Cities, so this is a little out of the way) to bring us some fish. We love food in the freezer!! Guess I'd better go get the tank filled for the grill (on Sunday the boys and I cooked chicken legs on the grill and just as I was spreading the BBQ sauce on them, the gas ran out ~ it seems to be a thing with me when I grill!)
For Labor Day weekend, we are getting together with a high school classmate of mine and her husband (Chris knows him from the specialty grains industry). The only problem is that we didn't plan this in advance and to find a place that takes reservations and has 2 openings, is difficult. Now, yesterday, Chad (the husband) called Chris' cell and said that another guy (from the industry) is coming up from Omaha to camp too (they just tent). It's funny because some of you might remember when the boys were little, we actually went to Omaha to see about a job for Chris there. This is the same guy who Chris would've been working for. I think it will be sooo fun if we can get it all figured out because his wife (Greg's ~ the guy from Omaha ~ are you still with me here? hehe) took me shopping and stuff when the guys talked "business" when we went down there and she was very easy to get along with! Wish us luck :~)
When I look at the smiles on all the children's faces, I just know they're about to jab me with something.
Homer Simpson
Yesterday on Ellen (I had it on while doing stuff around the house) she had a religious author. He was a little different from her usual guest because he was so somber, but I liked a quote he said (it was said by someone else and I'm not even sure I have it exactly correct, but it went something like this) "Resentment is like drinking poison in the hopes that it will kill your enemies". To go with this, he is trying to get every human to take a vow of Non-Violence and we can create a peaceful world one person at a time. He was really very interesting to listen to.
Yesterday was also my first "work day" with Chris gone on his last long business trip for awhile. I got some things checked off my "to-do" list, which was good because I was very nervous since I'm doing "Chris' job" and I don't do that often, so my fear is I'll mess something up!
The boys found it very funny yesterday that a pair of Bray's white underwear were washed with the reds and are now pink. . . I think Taite laughed the hardest, but that was probably just because they weren't his!
I have to say "Great Job, Mom" because for over a month now, she has been walking and is now fitting into (with extra room, too, I'd like to add) "old" clothes!!!! You know what kind of clothes I'm talking about ~ the ones we all have in the back of our closet with the hopes that someday we'll fit back into them!! You GO Girl!
Today Grandpa Tom is coming to bring us fish!!! Yeah!!! He went fishing in Alaska and happens to be coming through the area (well, he's actually headed to the Cities, so this is a little out of the way) to bring us some fish. We love food in the freezer!! Guess I'd better go get the tank filled for the grill (on Sunday the boys and I cooked chicken legs on the grill and just as I was spreading the BBQ sauce on them, the gas ran out ~ it seems to be a thing with me when I grill!)
For Labor Day weekend, we are getting together with a high school classmate of mine and her husband (Chris knows him from the specialty grains industry). The only problem is that we didn't plan this in advance and to find a place that takes reservations and has 2 openings, is difficult. Now, yesterday, Chad (the husband) called Chris' cell and said that another guy (from the industry) is coming up from Omaha to camp too (they just tent). It's funny because some of you might remember when the boys were little, we actually went to Omaha to see about a job for Chris there. This is the same guy who Chris would've been working for. I think it will be sooo fun if we can get it all figured out because his wife (Greg's ~ the guy from Omaha ~ are you still with me here? hehe) took me shopping and stuff when the guys talked "business" when we went down there and she was very easy to get along with! Wish us luck :~)
Saturday, August 22, 2009
I will start way back on Thursday night. . .
My mom and I were going to go to a Ladies Night at the local car dealership. They were going to have prizes, food, wine (really why we went ~ hehe!) and seminars. When we first got there, a lady was in the food line behind us (she was by herself) and thought we could be "best buds" until she starts off on her rampage. . . The Cash for Clunkers was a terrible program (yada, yada), the money the city wants to spend on the road over somewhere (yada, yada ~ I tuned her out after the CFC ranting started), the redoing of the Civic Center was stupid (yada, yada) and there may have been another one that I didn't catch. By this time we were up to the food (finally!!!) and I squeezed in to get a plate (they were at the end of the table that the woman behind us, who was now between us, was bellied up to) and then stepped out so mom could get a plate, which she was squeezed out and couldn't get some of the first foods and I didn't get a napkin or any silverware. Needless to say, we found an occupied table to eat at so Soapbox Woman couldn't join us! We went to a seminar and it was kind of boring (how to get financing) and when we came back to the general area, mom saw a lady who they used to play cards with in Card Club, Jan. Jan was nice, but her friend Laura ~ she was a BLAST!!! It must be something about the name because all the Laura/Laurie/Lori's I've ever know have been fun people!!! I truly believe that names do carry certain characteristics for the most part (most Lisa's are brunettes. . .think about it!) and Laura/Laurie/Lori = FUN! We drank wine and chatted and laughed A LOT with Jan and Laura and the night turned out to be fun. PLUS, if I ever have to go to the Police Station in the Government Center ~ I will not be afraid! I will get to see Laura! Haha! Okay, I do have to tell one embarrassing thing that happened. . . There were two women working at this thing and one of them was Alex Morgan (super cute, BTW) and she was walking around among the crowd and turns to mom and says "Oh, I recognize your name! Hi Linda, I'm Alex" ~ geez ~ this is because Alex works at Y105.3 and mom has won on their games/call-in's so many times, the guy has actually invited her to tour the radio station! I was slightly embarrassed by that one :~)
Oh, I forgot to mention how Thursday night all worked out. . . Chris had football handout again, so he couldn't take the boys and I checked with mom to see what dad was doing. Well, he was going to look at a combine, so I told her unless I left the boys with Great-Grandma, I couldn't go to the Women's thing. Mom called dad's cell phone to see how far away from home he was because she would ride along with him since I didn't have a place for the boys to go. Well, maybe it didn't come out that way because dad showed up here and said "I'm supposed to take the boys with me?" Um. . . The boys were all excited to go with Grandpa, so, whatever works. As they were all getting situated in Grandpa's truck, mom called over to see if dad was at our house ~ yes ~ she called him to tell him she would ride with him, but wasn't very clear so he picked up the boys and it all worked out. Except ~ the guys (dad and my boys) didn't get home until 10. . .
On Friday morning, there was a garage sale listed with "football equipment" so I was sure to get there when it opened! I got pads and a helmet for Brayton! All for $20 and I thought that was a good deal. . . Well, the helmet is a little small and doesn't fit Bray very well (he already has a bruise on his forehead) and the pads were cheaper if I'd have gone to Goodwill ~ same pads, better shape for $3.99 ~ dang it!!! Oh well, the boys were very happy on Friday! Here is a picture of Brayton playing Legos in his pads.
I think this last week was the week of really good deals for me! Here are a pair of shoes I got at Saver's when I was in town with the boys on Tues or Wed, whenever that was we were on a football search (went to Savers, but not Good will that day ~ dang it!). I paid $7.49 for these shoes ~ obviously never been worn, but I didn't recognize the brand, so I looked it up online and found these same shoes in black for $84.99! Love that kind of deal and they are SOOOO comfy!
Then on Friday when mom and I did a little more garage saling after finding the FB pads, I found an unopened box of Legos ~ Star Wars no less, for $8. Found the same set online for $64.99
The last good deal was a set of Zymol (I think that's spelled right) car detailing products. I found a similar set online that didn't have as much stuff for $60 and I paid $5 for the whole set I bought.
After garage saling on Friday, I got the camper cleaned up and staged because a guy had called and said he was coming from Brainerd to look at it! Yeah, our first customer! We've had many people call and say they would come another day, but never do. I just want to say if you've looked at other used campers, you will NOT be disappointed by the cleanliness of this one! This guy said he did some research after deciding to come down and his truck couldn't pull our camper ~ WELL, THEN, DON'T CALL US AND TELL US YOU ARE COMING TO LOOK AT IT! I had put the awning out and everything! I had to put that away so I could get the truck back into the shed and couldn't get the stupid awning to roll up correctly, so I left it! Dumb thing. . .
When the rain finally stopped on Friday afternoon, the boys couldn't wait to go outside and try the pads out. I heard a lot, and I mean A LOT, of loud "cracks" of pads hitting pads and helmets hitting pads! I went out and took a couple of videos, but they were getting kind of tired. I'm not sure what they were practicing, but they "got it" and were enjoying it (until Brayton's forehead was bruised and now we have to find a better helmet or take a break).
My mom and I were going to go to a Ladies Night at the local car dealership. They were going to have prizes, food, wine (really why we went ~ hehe!) and seminars. When we first got there, a lady was in the food line behind us (she was by herself) and thought we could be "best buds" until she starts off on her rampage. . . The Cash for Clunkers was a terrible program (yada, yada), the money the city wants to spend on the road over somewhere (yada, yada ~ I tuned her out after the CFC ranting started), the redoing of the Civic Center was stupid (yada, yada) and there may have been another one that I didn't catch. By this time we were up to the food (finally!!!) and I squeezed in to get a plate (they were at the end of the table that the woman behind us, who was now between us, was bellied up to) and then stepped out so mom could get a plate, which she was squeezed out and couldn't get some of the first foods and I didn't get a napkin or any silverware. Needless to say, we found an occupied table to eat at so Soapbox Woman couldn't join us! We went to a seminar and it was kind of boring (how to get financing) and when we came back to the general area, mom saw a lady who they used to play cards with in Card Club, Jan. Jan was nice, but her friend Laura ~ she was a BLAST!!! It must be something about the name because all the Laura/Laurie/Lori's I've ever know have been fun people!!! I truly believe that names do carry certain characteristics for the most part (most Lisa's are brunettes. . .think about it!) and Laura/Laurie/Lori = FUN! We drank wine and chatted and laughed A LOT with Jan and Laura and the night turned out to be fun. PLUS, if I ever have to go to the Police Station in the Government Center ~ I will not be afraid! I will get to see Laura! Haha! Okay, I do have to tell one embarrassing thing that happened. . . There were two women working at this thing and one of them was Alex Morgan (super cute, BTW) and she was walking around among the crowd and turns to mom and says "Oh, I recognize your name! Hi Linda, I'm Alex" ~ geez ~ this is because Alex works at Y105.3 and mom has won on their games/call-in's so many times, the guy has actually invited her to tour the radio station! I was slightly embarrassed by that one :~)
Oh, I forgot to mention how Thursday night all worked out. . . Chris had football handout again, so he couldn't take the boys and I checked with mom to see what dad was doing. Well, he was going to look at a combine, so I told her unless I left the boys with Great-Grandma, I couldn't go to the Women's thing. Mom called dad's cell phone to see how far away from home he was because she would ride along with him since I didn't have a place for the boys to go. Well, maybe it didn't come out that way because dad showed up here and said "I'm supposed to take the boys with me?" Um. . . The boys were all excited to go with Grandpa, so, whatever works. As they were all getting situated in Grandpa's truck, mom called over to see if dad was at our house ~ yes ~ she called him to tell him she would ride with him, but wasn't very clear so he picked up the boys and it all worked out. Except ~ the guys (dad and my boys) didn't get home until 10. . .
On Friday morning, there was a garage sale listed with "football equipment" so I was sure to get there when it opened! I got pads and a helmet for Brayton! All for $20 and I thought that was a good deal. . . Well, the helmet is a little small and doesn't fit Bray very well (he already has a bruise on his forehead) and the pads were cheaper if I'd have gone to Goodwill ~ same pads, better shape for $3.99 ~ dang it!!! Oh well, the boys were very happy on Friday! Here is a picture of Brayton playing Legos in his pads.
I think this last week was the week of really good deals for me! Here are a pair of shoes I got at Saver's when I was in town with the boys on Tues or Wed, whenever that was we were on a football search (went to Savers, but not Good will that day ~ dang it!). I paid $7.49 for these shoes ~ obviously never been worn, but I didn't recognize the brand, so I looked it up online and found these same shoes in black for $84.99! Love that kind of deal and they are SOOOO comfy!
Then on Friday when mom and I did a little more garage saling after finding the FB pads, I found an unopened box of Legos ~ Star Wars no less, for $8. Found the same set online for $64.99
The last good deal was a set of Zymol (I think that's spelled right) car detailing products. I found a similar set online that didn't have as much stuff for $60 and I paid $5 for the whole set I bought.
After garage saling on Friday, I got the camper cleaned up and staged because a guy had called and said he was coming from Brainerd to look at it! Yeah, our first customer! We've had many people call and say they would come another day, but never do. I just want to say if you've looked at other used campers, you will NOT be disappointed by the cleanliness of this one! This guy said he did some research after deciding to come down and his truck couldn't pull our camper ~ WELL, THEN, DON'T CALL US AND TELL US YOU ARE COMING TO LOOK AT IT! I had put the awning out and everything! I had to put that away so I could get the truck back into the shed and couldn't get the stupid awning to roll up correctly, so I left it! Dumb thing. . .
When the rain finally stopped on Friday afternoon, the boys couldn't wait to go outside and try the pads out. I heard a lot, and I mean A LOT, of loud "cracks" of pads hitting pads and helmets hitting pads! I went out and took a couple of videos, but they were getting kind of tired. I'm not sure what they were practicing, but they "got it" and were enjoying it (until Brayton's forehead was bruised and now we have to find a better helmet or take a break).
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Yesterday
Well, yesterday was another day spent in town. The boys went with me because we were on the hunt for equipment for Brayton and shoes that fit for Taite (we had a pair, they just were too big). We had to be to Honda at 10 (remember ~ so they could do the stuff they didn't do the previous day) and were late for that, but I didn't feel too badly because we shouldn't have had to go back anyway. On the way, Taite told me that I needed to stay off my phone because my speed had fluctuated between 70 and 65 miles per hour. . . Um, the fact that we had changed roads and the speed limits were different had been lacking in his observations ~ so, I had to point them out! That's all I need is Taite telling people that I talk on my phone while driving and drive all different speeds! At Honda the boys both had a bag of popcorn when we got there and we waited only for about an hour. Of course when the guy brought our keys he had to tell me that they cleaned out a bunch of dust from the tires and we must've "thrown a weight" at some time, so they balanced the tires ~ maybe they "threw the weight" when they took the tires off to rotate them because they didn't drive like that when we brought it in the day before. . . Whatever!
I went to Shopko to return some things and to exchange some others and the lady at the c/s desk was obviously having an off day because when I came back to do the exchange, she totally didn't remember me! Not that I'm a person who gets forgotten, but when I gave her my receipt (same one I had the returns on) she was thoroughly confused and asked me if we had already done this. . . Um, no ~ I just returned the shorts that were still on the counter behind her. It should've been a sign to me.
We decided to try B.B's Pizzaria which is right near Shopko ~ it was very good pizza, but I was tempted to order the pitcher of beer that was on special during the lunch hour.
Brayton has been whiny lately after we changed his allergy meds (after seeing the allergist again). We were giving him 2 puffs of a ^$#$*@ steroid (I have no idea how to spell it. . .) in the morning, so he wouldn't have any spells where he can't breathe. Well, the Dr. said we should split up those puffs, so there is one in the am and one in the pm ~ this does NOT work for Bray!! He doesn't sleep well when we give him that at night and hence, the continuous whining. So, for our sanity, we will disregard the Dr. suggestion.
Then, as we did more driving, Taite had even more "suggestions" for my driving. . . By the time we got to Dick's Sporting Goods on the south end of town, I was ready to go home! Oh, did I mention that it started to pour during this trip?
Oh, and we stopped at Play It Again Sports again hoping that we could find some shoulder pads that would fit Bray and were cheap ~ no luck. The new ones were $30 and the used were only $5 less, which was not what I was looking to spend. So, to make him feel better, I mentioned that Sylvia (my cousin who has 2 boys ~ much older boys) thought she might still have some pads around and she would look for sure. Wrong thing to do ~ he asked me about every 20 minutes (no lie) if Sylvia had said anything ~ did we have to go to Sylvia's house ~ where is Sylvia's house ~ is Sylvia home from work yet (I told him at one point that Sylvia wouldn't know because she had emailed when she was at work to get him off my back only to have him start asking again at 5:30 when will she be home. . .) It was a loooong day!
So, to relax last night, I did some sewing. I wanted to finish my Breast Cancer Awareness purse, but I got close, just didn't finish it. It was a good end to the day, however.
This morning we had our treadmill replaced and everything is good! Sports Art truly stands behind their products and the guys at Total Health in Rochester are WONDERFUL! They helped us to get our warranty claim on the broken frame of our treadmill all worked out AND they delivered it (got SA to pay for the delivery too :~) Gotta love it!) Other than this, I am just dreading the next work week when Chris is gone and I am in charge of getting all these original documents to the correct places all without a hitch or the world will come to an end :-) Okay, not exactly, but the customers think that's what will happen and it's all on my shoulders! Guess I'll go home and watch blindfold musical chairs on Ellen today! I LOVE that game on her show!!
I went to Shopko to return some things and to exchange some others and the lady at the c/s desk was obviously having an off day because when I came back to do the exchange, she totally didn't remember me! Not that I'm a person who gets forgotten, but when I gave her my receipt (same one I had the returns on) she was thoroughly confused and asked me if we had already done this. . . Um, no ~ I just returned the shorts that were still on the counter behind her. It should've been a sign to me.
We decided to try B.B's Pizzaria which is right near Shopko ~ it was very good pizza, but I was tempted to order the pitcher of beer that was on special during the lunch hour.
Brayton has been whiny lately after we changed his allergy meds (after seeing the allergist again). We were giving him 2 puffs of a ^$#$*@ steroid (I have no idea how to spell it. . .) in the morning, so he wouldn't have any spells where he can't breathe. Well, the Dr. said we should split up those puffs, so there is one in the am and one in the pm ~ this does NOT work for Bray!! He doesn't sleep well when we give him that at night and hence, the continuous whining. So, for our sanity, we will disregard the Dr. suggestion.
Then, as we did more driving, Taite had even more "suggestions" for my driving. . . By the time we got to Dick's Sporting Goods on the south end of town, I was ready to go home! Oh, did I mention that it started to pour during this trip?
Oh, and we stopped at Play It Again Sports again hoping that we could find some shoulder pads that would fit Bray and were cheap ~ no luck. The new ones were $30 and the used were only $5 less, which was not what I was looking to spend. So, to make him feel better, I mentioned that Sylvia (my cousin who has 2 boys ~ much older boys) thought she might still have some pads around and she would look for sure. Wrong thing to do ~ he asked me about every 20 minutes (no lie) if Sylvia had said anything ~ did we have to go to Sylvia's house ~ where is Sylvia's house ~ is Sylvia home from work yet (I told him at one point that Sylvia wouldn't know because she had emailed when she was at work to get him off my back only to have him start asking again at 5:30 when will she be home. . .) It was a loooong day!
So, to relax last night, I did some sewing. I wanted to finish my Breast Cancer Awareness purse, but I got close, just didn't finish it. It was a good end to the day, however.
This morning we had our treadmill replaced and everything is good! Sports Art truly stands behind their products and the guys at Total Health in Rochester are WONDERFUL! They helped us to get our warranty claim on the broken frame of our treadmill all worked out AND they delivered it (got SA to pay for the delivery too :~) Gotta love it!) Other than this, I am just dreading the next work week when Chris is gone and I am in charge of getting all these original documents to the correct places all without a hitch or the world will come to an end :-) Okay, not exactly, but the customers think that's what will happen and it's all on my shoulders! Guess I'll go home and watch blindfold musical chairs on Ellen today! I LOVE that game on her show!!
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
The Excitement is in the Air!
Today we had to drop the Honda off for some warranty work and an oil change so we decided to take the other van and run errands so no one had to sit and wait for the Honda. Our errands included getting the rest of the football pads/equipment. We tried Play It Again first and ended up deciding to come back (it was on the end of town that the van was on) after looking at Dick's Sporting Goods (where we had coupons for). They are having a special deal on Saturday that BKM Youth Football gets 15% off their purchase on Saturday (in addition to the regular football coupons), but since we were in town today, Chris wanted me to call and see if they would honor that pricing today ~ of course they would! So we picked out some items at Dick's (pants ~ 2 prs, one with pads in it and one you had to buy the pads separate and a helmet) only to get to the register to have them tell me they don't know who I spoke to (a whole hour may have passed from when I called to when we were there. . .) but they would only honor this price today and I was not to tell anyone. Well, geez, of course I couldn't remember the name of who I spoke to on the phone ~ "let that be a lesson!" So, we did end up going back to PIAS and bought another helmet (used) that Taite said fit better, a chin strap and we even found Chris a set of pads for $15! He was quite excited. So, the too large helmet we ended up with last night, will be put to good use! The only problem is that we have one very disappointed little boy who would LOVE to put on the pads too and practice ~ we have bets on if Bray could take Taite down and Taite is the only one who thinks he couldn't. hehe So, the search for some used small pads is on. Of course they have all kinds of them in the cities, but that would kind of defeat the purpose of finding "cheap" pads! So, here are some pictures and a video of today's goings on. Oh, and I forgot to mention, this all took way longer than we had anticipated, so when we finally picked up the Honda, Chris was furious to find out they didn't do half of what they were supposed to and after they rotated the tires, they didn't balance them, so it drives terribly and I have to take it back again tomorrow! I tell you what, that place must have file on us about a mile long. . . It was only last fall that the service mgr. was a jerk to me and Chris called in to chew some butt and that ended that!
Trying to get the mouth guard fitted ~ PLEASE disregard the mess in the back ground! Remember, we were in town all day!
Chris got to dig out his practice jersey from high school. Brayton is wearing it with the cheap pads that need to be cleaned TERRIBLY! Chris said they smell bad and we'll need to soak them good and pressure wash them ~ should do the trick!
Proud as a peacock!
Here are the stinky pads. . .
My Football boys. . .
Here is a video of the first big hit. I had to record it because Chris said he was going to lay Taite out as hard as he could :~) He did take Taite down and Taite's response was "That was fun!" (just in case you can't hear the "mouth guard" talk hehe)
* * * *Please note, the video was taking too long to process ~ like hours! so I will try that again separately.
Chris got to dig out his practice jersey from high school. Brayton is wearing it with the cheap pads that need to be cleaned TERRIBLY! Chris said they smell bad and we'll need to soak them good and pressure wash them ~ should do the trick!
Proud as a peacock!
Here are the stinky pads. . .
My Football boys. . .
The first padded "practice" ~ just a quick one tonight.
Chris showing Taite to work on his tackling form.
Here is a video of the first big hit. I had to record it because Chris said he was going to lay Taite out as hard as he could :~) He did take Taite down and Taite's response was "That was fun!" (just in case you can't hear the "mouth guard" talk hehe)
* * * *Please note, the video was taking too long to process ~ like hours! so I will try that again separately.
Monday, August 17, 2009
Football Schedule
Hi,
I thought I would post the game schedule before I forget. All games are played at the fields north of the Kasson pool. If you would like to "follow" the Gold teams progress, you can check out the website for the BKM Youth Football at BKMyouthfootball.com and at the top, click on schedules and then it will give you a breakdown of each month's schedule. I'm not sure where you will find their record (wins/losses) but you can look around and I'm sure they'll have something :~)
Sept. 12 @ 8:30
Sept. 19 @ 8:30
Sept. 26 @ 9:45
Oct. 3 @ 9:45
Oct. 10 @ 8:30
I thought I would post the game schedule before I forget. All games are played at the fields north of the Kasson pool. If you would like to "follow" the Gold teams progress, you can check out the website for the BKM Youth Football at BKMyouthfootball.com and at the top, click on schedules and then it will give you a breakdown of each month's schedule. I'm not sure where you will find their record (wins/losses) but you can look around and I'm sure they'll have something :~)
Sept. 12 @ 8:30
Sept. 19 @ 8:30
Sept. 26 @ 9:45
Oct. 3 @ 9:45
Oct. 10 @ 8:30
What's up. . .
So, Saturday night we ended up at mom & dad's for an impromptu steak dinner cooked over the fire pit. Boy was it yummy!!!! Chris had been working on a set of fork lifts for the tractor (welding them ~ he bought a kit off the Internet and had to weld them) so I went to tell him we were eating over there when he told me he had a little accident. . . He picked up one of the forks and went to step over the other one when he tripped, fell and hit his chin on the support thing that the forks hook onto (it's all steel, so that about sums up the damage!) after hitting his chin, he fell back, hit his head and dropped the fork on his foot/leg/groin. I felt super bad because we weren't home (most times if he is working on a project, I'll sit and chat with him or help him, but this was a welding project), but he said when he regained consciousness, he hurt ~ badly. Before we went to eat, he was going to take a shower, but to get his boot off, we had to find a flat screwdriver to wedge open the things on boots that you hook the laces over ~ they were smashed shut when the fork fell on his foot. Despite his pain and not feeling so well, he was very glad we went for supper because it was sooooo good! Dad took pictures of the cooking process and Taite asked him if he had a blog he was going to post them on ~ hehe!
Tonight everyone was pretty much all smiles ~ it was equipment handouts for football. Other than one over sized helmet, it went well. Taite had trouble finding a helmet that fit (well, there was one that was brand new, but how would that look ~ the coaches kid having the only new helmet?) so this one big guy put one on and pressed down super hard and had Taite see if he could turn his head and called it good; despite the 1 1/2 inch gap in the back of his head to the back pads of the helmet. . . Chris was not happy about that because at the Kasson equipment handout, they have to be there for 2 hours again ~ not like Taite wants to sit there, so that will mean I'll have to drive up to that one too. I'm not sure, but I think some of the kids will have cauliflower ear from trying on helmets :~)
Tonight everyone was pretty much all smiles ~ it was equipment handouts for football. Other than one over sized helmet, it went well. Taite had trouble finding a helmet that fit (well, there was one that was brand new, but how would that look ~ the coaches kid having the only new helmet?) so this one big guy put one on and pressed down super hard and had Taite see if he could turn his head and called it good; despite the 1 1/2 inch gap in the back of his head to the back pads of the helmet. . . Chris was not happy about that because at the Kasson equipment handout, they have to be there for 2 hours again ~ not like Taite wants to sit there, so that will mean I'll have to drive up to that one too. I'm not sure, but I think some of the kids will have cauliflower ear from trying on helmets :~)
Friday, August 14, 2009
Things we have learned this week:
1. A Magic Eraser does not make for a good "sponge" to wash the car (the boys were "helping" last Sunday while we mowed by washing the Saturn ~ good thing it was only the Saturn!)
2. We need to drive the truck more (with an additive in the fuel) or trade it for a gas model.
3. The Stewartville pool is an excellent place to take the kids on a warm afternoon. The prices were excellent and they enjoyed all areas of the aquatic center today!
4. Insurance companies (Medica) will screw you every time! (pardon the french) This is the first year in 4-5 years that we have met the deductible after Bray's surgery this spring and in July they raised our premiums (not unusual, that happens almost every other month anywhere from $20 - $120/mo) and our deductible, so now we haven't "met" our deductible (again) so we have to start paying out of pocket (again). . . Not sure how they get away with that crap!
5. School is quickly approaching and I still HATE school supply shopping!
6. I am not made for early morning football drills (Chris said he needed an assistant).
7. You are never too old to be let down (Chris was supposed to meet with the asst. coach last night and he never showed and didn't call. . .)
8. A night laughing with an old friend is always a good time! Thanks Laurie!
9. I LOVE playing games and laughing with the boys! Mom bought a math type version of Sequence and is letting us borrow it because it is perfect for the boys' ages right now (in fact, I had mis-calculated some of the equations). It was so much fun and we had a lot of good laughs. I hope they keep some of those happy memories for when they are teens and will swear they don't like us :~)
I'm sorry I don't have many pictures on here lately, it's just a pain to save them to my computer and then to upload them to here. Not that I have taken many, I just don't like putting them on ~ hehe. I was going to take pictures of the boys at the pool today, but I couldn't get the zoom to work, so I scratched that because there were so many kids, it would be like a Where is Waldo kind of picture LOL
2. We need to drive the truck more (with an additive in the fuel) or trade it for a gas model.
3. The Stewartville pool is an excellent place to take the kids on a warm afternoon. The prices were excellent and they enjoyed all areas of the aquatic center today!
4. Insurance companies (Medica) will screw you every time! (pardon the french) This is the first year in 4-5 years that we have met the deductible after Bray's surgery this spring and in July they raised our premiums (not unusual, that happens almost every other month anywhere from $20 - $120/mo) and our deductible, so now we haven't "met" our deductible (again) so we have to start paying out of pocket (again). . . Not sure how they get away with that crap!
5. School is quickly approaching and I still HATE school supply shopping!
6. I am not made for early morning football drills (Chris said he needed an assistant).
7. You are never too old to be let down (Chris was supposed to meet with the asst. coach last night and he never showed and didn't call. . .)
8. A night laughing with an old friend is always a good time! Thanks Laurie!
9. I LOVE playing games and laughing with the boys! Mom bought a math type version of Sequence and is letting us borrow it because it is perfect for the boys' ages right now (in fact, I had mis-calculated some of the equations). It was so much fun and we had a lot of good laughs. I hope they keep some of those happy memories for when they are teens and will swear they don't like us :~)
I'm sorry I don't have many pictures on here lately, it's just a pain to save them to my computer and then to upload them to here. Not that I have taken many, I just don't like putting them on ~ hehe. I was going to take pictures of the boys at the pool today, but I couldn't get the zoom to work, so I scratched that because there were so many kids, it would be like a Where is Waldo kind of picture LOL
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
It's Been a Long Time
Well, actually, just a week, but we did manage to go camping in that time and what time we had. . .
I will back up a little first to tell you about Chris' football coaches meeting. His team is the only one with an assistant coach and no helper and his is the only team that has 5 kids who can only be on the line due to their size ~ so much for the teams being divided up evenly by their age (even the other coaches couldn't believe Chris' team had 5). He is keeping a positive attitude and looking for any helpers. . . His assistant coach is very nervous and can't believe Chris is the head coach and hasn't coached before ~ well, duh!!! He knows how to play the game, just hasn't coached. Sorry, it kind of strikes a nerve because when I worked at the daycare, there was another "teacher" who constantly asked if they were looking to hire a replacement for me because I didn't have an early ed degree (pretty sure I could teach the kids how to write their letters and cut!)
This weekend we went camping in Preston (well, it's actually a newer campground just outside of Preston a mile). The others from our "camping group" had prior commitments so it was just us. That worked out okay because on Saturday it was so hot, we sat in the air ~ there is a little creek/stream that runs along the campground, but it had rained 1 1/2 inches or more in the area that morning, so we weren't real excited about the boys being in it. Our weekend went very well and Chris even slept good in the camper so Sunday we decided we weren't going to rush home, but ended up ready to pull out at around 9:30. This turned out to be a good thing because a mile from the campground, while going up a hill, there was a loud "pppssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh". No warning lights came on and there wasn't any steam being released, so we were kind of at a loss. We pulled off the road and Chris looked at the engine ~ it looked fine. So, we got back on the road only for him to say "something just doesn't sound right". So we pulled off again and he pulled the air filter to find a hole in a hose (now, don't ask me which one. . .). Of course we didn't have any duct tape and could only find electrical tape. So, Chris used that to cover the hole hoping it would hold for a little while. It didn't last long ~ we made it to Fountain, about 6 miles away from where we were and it actually blew long before we got to Fountain. We had a nice open parking lot that we pulled into and Chris looked at everything again. He ended up cutting off the long part of a rubber glove and using the rest of the electrical tape (no stores in Fountain to get duct tape) to fix 'er up again! This time when that failed, it didn't make near as much noise and we made it home. During all of this, there was never a warning light or anything on the truck saying there was trouble.
When we finally got home, we decided to leave everything out and we'd get the mowing done. Except the electricity was off and we couldn't get the overhead door open on the shed. . . While Chris worked on that, I push mowed around some things and then he got the door open. I was quite impressed with how he handled everything (sometimes he gets so stressed out. . .) and that helps tremendously!!
So, today I dropped the truck off at the Ford dealer (they said the repair would be under warranty) and said I would wait for it by walking to do some errands. I didn't get very far when he called to say that the truck would take much longer and he had a rental car ready for me. . . So long story short, the truck will be done tomorrow and we have to run something in it so this doesn't happen again ~ something blew because it's a diesel and not worked hard enough.
Chris is late for supper tonight because Nisshin (who we work for) is stopping all shipments with their largest supplier in the US. . . Not going to be a good night!!! Wish us well, or let us know what jobs are available near you!
I will back up a little first to tell you about Chris' football coaches meeting. His team is the only one with an assistant coach and no helper and his is the only team that has 5 kids who can only be on the line due to their size ~ so much for the teams being divided up evenly by their age (even the other coaches couldn't believe Chris' team had 5). He is keeping a positive attitude and looking for any helpers. . . His assistant coach is very nervous and can't believe Chris is the head coach and hasn't coached before ~ well, duh!!! He knows how to play the game, just hasn't coached. Sorry, it kind of strikes a nerve because when I worked at the daycare, there was another "teacher" who constantly asked if they were looking to hire a replacement for me because I didn't have an early ed degree (pretty sure I could teach the kids how to write their letters and cut!)
This weekend we went camping in Preston (well, it's actually a newer campground just outside of Preston a mile). The others from our "camping group" had prior commitments so it was just us. That worked out okay because on Saturday it was so hot, we sat in the air ~ there is a little creek/stream that runs along the campground, but it had rained 1 1/2 inches or more in the area that morning, so we weren't real excited about the boys being in it. Our weekend went very well and Chris even slept good in the camper so Sunday we decided we weren't going to rush home, but ended up ready to pull out at around 9:30. This turned out to be a good thing because a mile from the campground, while going up a hill, there was a loud "pppssssssssssshhhhhhhhhhh". No warning lights came on and there wasn't any steam being released, so we were kind of at a loss. We pulled off the road and Chris looked at the engine ~ it looked fine. So, we got back on the road only for him to say "something just doesn't sound right". So we pulled off again and he pulled the air filter to find a hole in a hose (now, don't ask me which one. . .). Of course we didn't have any duct tape and could only find electrical tape. So, Chris used that to cover the hole hoping it would hold for a little while. It didn't last long ~ we made it to Fountain, about 6 miles away from where we were and it actually blew long before we got to Fountain. We had a nice open parking lot that we pulled into and Chris looked at everything again. He ended up cutting off the long part of a rubber glove and using the rest of the electrical tape (no stores in Fountain to get duct tape) to fix 'er up again! This time when that failed, it didn't make near as much noise and we made it home. During all of this, there was never a warning light or anything on the truck saying there was trouble.
When we finally got home, we decided to leave everything out and we'd get the mowing done. Except the electricity was off and we couldn't get the overhead door open on the shed. . . While Chris worked on that, I push mowed around some things and then he got the door open. I was quite impressed with how he handled everything (sometimes he gets so stressed out. . .) and that helps tremendously!!
So, today I dropped the truck off at the Ford dealer (they said the repair would be under warranty) and said I would wait for it by walking to do some errands. I didn't get very far when he called to say that the truck would take much longer and he had a rental car ready for me. . . So long story short, the truck will be done tomorrow and we have to run something in it so this doesn't happen again ~ something blew because it's a diesel and not worked hard enough.
Chris is late for supper tonight because Nisshin (who we work for) is stopping all shipments with their largest supplier in the US. . . Not going to be a good night!!! Wish us well, or let us know what jobs are available near you!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Nothin' much
So we haven't been doing a whole lot of anything. Chris left for a short business trip to Chicago on Sunday and so that meant trips to town! :~) LOL
Sunday I made the boys come with me, but as a reward, we cooked brats over the campfire. I found some wonderful deals at Goodwill! I went looking for a cute hooded sweatshirt and came out with 2 jackets, 2 hoodies and one reversible vest. All for only $16.99! The one jacket I found is from Coldwater Creek and will really just be for fun ~ it's bright yellow and has 3 big buttons on the front and it's an a-line style. The items I found were a Eddie Bauer maroon fall jacket, a Columbia hoodie and a cute pink Addidas hoodie that says "sample" on the tag, so maybe it's a one-of-a-kind!
Our campfire turned out to be somewhat of a challenge. I thought the wood we had from the trees we trimmed about a month ago would be dry enough, but they weren't even close! We decided to go "steal" some wood from a pile at Great-Grandma's house that has been there forever and I've never known anyone to use it. I bought blueberries in town and got some for Grandma too, so when the boys put wood in the van (the old van), I took Grandma her blueberries. When I came back out, the boys informed me there were bugs on the wood (as we watch them crawling around the van. . .). I didn't panic, but took the wood out and tried to kill the bugs I could see ~ they were the creepiest I've ever seen! They had pincher things on the front AND back of them. We threw the wood on the ground before putting it in the van, just to make sure the bugs fell off because they weren't crawling out of any holes, they were just "on" the wood. Taite would only ride in the front seat on the way home, in case the bugs made it up to his seat ~ as if they would seek out humans when they could hide in dark places. After about 5 trips for newspaper and 1/2 hour, we did get the fire burning and burned enough so it was just perfect for roasting brats. We brought the ketchup out to the fire and didn't use plates either. I just didn't feel like it :~). When we were done with them, I found S'mores items in the house and camper so we had dessert by the fire too. A good time was had by all and the boys thanked me at least 3 times ~ gotta love being the best mom ever. . .okay, I can dream at least!
Yesterday I had an eye appt and got my haircut. My eye appt. was just to confirm that I do, in fact, have allergies. The first time I was told that, I didn't "get" it because I didn't have a stuffy nose, or watery eyes, well he told me yesterday that I have ocular allergies, which makes sense. Guess I have to use eye drops and he gave me a sample of the OTC brand, but I don't know how long it takes them to work, but I really want them to because the prescription of Patanol costs $80-$90 for this little tiny bottle (we're talkin' the size that you would think is really a sample, but it's not!!!) The thing with the OTC drops is they sting so bad! The eye Dr. said his grandson had used the OTC drops and complained that they stung, but they didn't really believe him, since he's 6 and might be exaggerating ~ I'll have to remember the next time I see him that they really do!
I got my haircut at a new salon so I was a little unsure, but you have to have the mindset that "it will grow back". Actually, the girl did a really nice job and she layered my hair more in the back so it will lay a little flatter. You know it will be good when she says that we have the same kind of hair and cowlicks in the same spots! I thought for sure my haircut was noticeable, but since no length was cut off, I guess it really wasn't. Chris couldn't tell at all that I had it cut ~ guess we'll see if he notices a difference when he runs his fingers through it! Hahaha!! That was a joke ~ he never runs his fingers through my hair! hehe
Taite is still staying on top of his conditioning and he has goals set for himself and he looks great! Amber commented a couple of times last night on how much he has slimmed down too, so I shared that with him as motivation. His goal is to be in the 80 pound range on the scale. He's down to 96 or 94 right now, so he's doing great. He's happy that he has "obtained" some muscles in the process too. :~)
Just when we think Brayton is doing well. . . Tonight Chris had to give him Albuterol because he sounded terrible and was having trouble breathing! This summer has really been crappy ~ we have the 3rd coldest July in history, allergy "season" just never goes away and we haven't camped except once a month! We are hoping to go this weekend, but Chris keeps telling me little things like "it's going to be a scorcher on Sat." that make me think he doesn't want to go. . . Oh well, I am motivated to go, so we'll see. . .
Tomorrow night is his first Coaches meeting. I hope it goes well and he is only nervous I think about the part where he has to say his name and tell his coaching experience ~ none! I keep telling him that the guy they paired him up with also has 2 boys and they are both in our boys' grades. Hopefully they hit it off because it would be fun to have friends with kids the same ages and them being boys!
Well, I suppose, I have bored you enough!
Oh yeah, remember to kiss and hug those you love ~ make sure they know how much you care for them! I hate reading the news and I hated even more to read about the 8 year old boy from Plainview who "died peacefully in his mothers arms surrounded by his 2 sisters and his father". Made me cry for him and his family, but say a prayer for them and our continued health. God bless!!!
Sunday I made the boys come with me, but as a reward, we cooked brats over the campfire. I found some wonderful deals at Goodwill! I went looking for a cute hooded sweatshirt and came out with 2 jackets, 2 hoodies and one reversible vest. All for only $16.99! The one jacket I found is from Coldwater Creek and will really just be for fun ~ it's bright yellow and has 3 big buttons on the front and it's an a-line style. The items I found were a Eddie Bauer maroon fall jacket, a Columbia hoodie and a cute pink Addidas hoodie that says "sample" on the tag, so maybe it's a one-of-a-kind!
Our campfire turned out to be somewhat of a challenge. I thought the wood we had from the trees we trimmed about a month ago would be dry enough, but they weren't even close! We decided to go "steal" some wood from a pile at Great-Grandma's house that has been there forever and I've never known anyone to use it. I bought blueberries in town and got some for Grandma too, so when the boys put wood in the van (the old van), I took Grandma her blueberries. When I came back out, the boys informed me there were bugs on the wood (as we watch them crawling around the van. . .). I didn't panic, but took the wood out and tried to kill the bugs I could see ~ they were the creepiest I've ever seen! They had pincher things on the front AND back of them. We threw the wood on the ground before putting it in the van, just to make sure the bugs fell off because they weren't crawling out of any holes, they were just "on" the wood. Taite would only ride in the front seat on the way home, in case the bugs made it up to his seat ~ as if they would seek out humans when they could hide in dark places. After about 5 trips for newspaper and 1/2 hour, we did get the fire burning and burned enough so it was just perfect for roasting brats. We brought the ketchup out to the fire and didn't use plates either. I just didn't feel like it :~). When we were done with them, I found S'mores items in the house and camper so we had dessert by the fire too. A good time was had by all and the boys thanked me at least 3 times ~ gotta love being the best mom ever. . .okay, I can dream at least!
Yesterday I had an eye appt and got my haircut. My eye appt. was just to confirm that I do, in fact, have allergies. The first time I was told that, I didn't "get" it because I didn't have a stuffy nose, or watery eyes, well he told me yesterday that I have ocular allergies, which makes sense. Guess I have to use eye drops and he gave me a sample of the OTC brand, but I don't know how long it takes them to work, but I really want them to because the prescription of Patanol costs $80-$90 for this little tiny bottle (we're talkin' the size that you would think is really a sample, but it's not!!!) The thing with the OTC drops is they sting so bad! The eye Dr. said his grandson had used the OTC drops and complained that they stung, but they didn't really believe him, since he's 6 and might be exaggerating ~ I'll have to remember the next time I see him that they really do!
I got my haircut at a new salon so I was a little unsure, but you have to have the mindset that "it will grow back". Actually, the girl did a really nice job and she layered my hair more in the back so it will lay a little flatter. You know it will be good when she says that we have the same kind of hair and cowlicks in the same spots! I thought for sure my haircut was noticeable, but since no length was cut off, I guess it really wasn't. Chris couldn't tell at all that I had it cut ~ guess we'll see if he notices a difference when he runs his fingers through it! Hahaha!! That was a joke ~ he never runs his fingers through my hair! hehe
Taite is still staying on top of his conditioning and he has goals set for himself and he looks great! Amber commented a couple of times last night on how much he has slimmed down too, so I shared that with him as motivation. His goal is to be in the 80 pound range on the scale. He's down to 96 or 94 right now, so he's doing great. He's happy that he has "obtained" some muscles in the process too. :~)
Just when we think Brayton is doing well. . . Tonight Chris had to give him Albuterol because he sounded terrible and was having trouble breathing! This summer has really been crappy ~ we have the 3rd coldest July in history, allergy "season" just never goes away and we haven't camped except once a month! We are hoping to go this weekend, but Chris keeps telling me little things like "it's going to be a scorcher on Sat." that make me think he doesn't want to go. . . Oh well, I am motivated to go, so we'll see. . .
Tomorrow night is his first Coaches meeting. I hope it goes well and he is only nervous I think about the part where he has to say his name and tell his coaching experience ~ none! I keep telling him that the guy they paired him up with also has 2 boys and they are both in our boys' grades. Hopefully they hit it off because it would be fun to have friends with kids the same ages and them being boys!
Well, I suppose, I have bored you enough!
Oh yeah, remember to kiss and hug those you love ~ make sure they know how much you care for them! I hate reading the news and I hated even more to read about the 8 year old boy from Plainview who "died peacefully in his mothers arms surrounded by his 2 sisters and his father". Made me cry for him and his family, but say a prayer for them and our continued health. God bless!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
