You Know It's Not Good When They Tell You To Sit Down

The stove repairman came on Monday and the diagnosis wasn’t good. It was the 130.00 part that was bad and the supplier was out of that particular number. It was going to be weeks before they got one from the warehouse and then another week or so before it finally made it to the repair shop. Then it was going to be around $75.00 to install it plus the $50.00 for the diagnosis.

We called the insurance to see what they could do. After we met the deductible we risked loosing our premium discount that we just received from not turning in any home repairs.

!!!!

????

So we weighed the option of ordering the part, waiting it out and then holding our breath to see if anything else would go out on it since it is around six or seven years old and evidently passed it’s prime.

Thing is I really liked that stove. It still looked good and it had performed so well for so many years. But in the end we opted for a new one.

This new one looks almost identical to the old one just without any stainless on it. It’s all black. It is the same brand as the old one.

I hated to spend the money for the new one but we needed an oven and on the plus side we had biscuits for supper last night (we haven’t had them since late June) and boy were they good!

Until next time……Kristi.

Warning: Murky Water Uh... Politics Ahead!

The following report is just one of many on ABC News. There's a new one every week about Hunger at Home. People in our own country going hungry and malnutrition in American children during this current "recession".
I have my own theories about this recession, the debt crisis, that wascally wabbit, silly rabbit, trix are for kids, and everything else under the sun but that's for another sermon. Today is just to bring you snippets of news that you might of missed and piece them together with a needle and thread.....

By DAVID MUIR
Aug. 24,2011
The McKimmons girls in Arkansas pray before each dinner, grateful for every meal. Michelle Sutton near Atlanta sacrifices her own food for her boys. And 10-year-old Jahzaire Sutton in Philadelphia has a nearly empty refrigerator.
In every corner of the country, a portrait of hidden hunger has now emerged. The recession has pushed 2.4 million more children into poverty. Seventeen million children are "food insecure," meaning their parents often don't know where the next meal will come from.
Simply put, one in six Americans don't have enough food.
Dawn and Michael McKimmons live near Fort Smith, Ark., and have moved into a trailer to save money. Dawn works at a hotel, while Michael delivers pizzas. They have taken whatever jobs they could find, but it is still not enough to feed the family.
They make do with help from their local food bank and try to shield their three little girls from the daily struggle.
"I hear my kids ask me, 'Mommy what's for dinner?' And I sit there at times, I sit there and kind of just pace back and forth thinking to myself, 'Oh my gosh, what is for dinner,'" said Dawn.
Outside Atlanta, the Suttons slipped from the middle class when Bob Sutton's concrete company went under. Michelle Sutton said she used to be a typical soccer mom, but not anymore. She told ABC News that her 11-year-old son hugged her and said, "Wow, you feel skinny."
Dr. Mariana Chilton, founder of Witnesses to Hunger, says the recession has hit the middle class hard.
"People who have been middle class who are now struggling to put food on the table are feeling an enormous amount of stress," she said. "They are starting to experience the pain of poverty, of what it's like to be poor."
In Philadelphia, 10-year-old Jahzaire Sutton knows it's the end of the month, when the food stamps have long run out.
His mother is trying to finish her degree so she can find work.
When asked what is toughest for him, Sutton said, "When I eat, and my mom doesn't. She sacrifices."
Before the recession, 26 million Americans were on food stamps. Today, that number has grown to more than 46 million, or one in seven Americans.
Sutton says he wants to be a senator when he grows up and has even written to Sen. Robert Casey, D-Pa., to ask for help.
Without a car, Sutton and his mother are forced to walk to Rite Aid to buy food. Rite Aid is the closest store, but it is often too expensive and there is no supermarket nearby. Walmart is their best alternative.
St. Christopher's Hospital in Philadelphia is ground zero for hunger. The emergency room might see 250 children a day, and up to half are hungry.
"They don't have the growth that they should," said. Dr. Chris Haines, ER director at St. Christopher's Hospital. "What disturbs me is that your brain grows much in your childhood, and nutrition is what's important to your brain's growth."
Tom Lesher, who brought his grandson to the hospital, has been out of a job for 18 months.
"Things are going to get tough," he said. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't find a job."

The following was in the news a few weeks ago.

Barack Obama launched his taxpayer-funded campaign bus tour today.

Even some of Obama’s fellow Democrats have expressed frustration that the president has not promoted plans to boost jobs growth more aggressively. Republicans blasted the trip as a taxpayer-funded “debt end” bus tour and hammered Obama over high unemployment, record national debt and the flagging economy.


And this:

At his rural economic forum in Iowa Tuesday, President Obama exhorted the need to boost the manufacturing and export of U.S. cars and trucks to create jobs.
"We've got folks in America driving Kias and Hyundais. I want to see folks in Korea driving Fords and Chryslers and Chevys," Obama said, drawing applause.
"I want to sell goods all over the world that are stamped with three words: 'Made in America.'"
But it turns out the president's new custom motor coach comes stamped with a brand that's located someplace else: Canada.
The $1.1 million jet-black rumbling bus that has been carrying Obama through the Midwest this week was designed in part by Prevost, a motor coach manufacturer based in Quebec. The New York Post was first to report this, and Provost officials confirmed this fact to ABC News.
The U.S. Secret Service said it purchased the vehicle from Hemphill Brothers Coach Co., which is based in Nashville, Tenn.
Hemphill, which declined to discuss the presidential bus or its business generally, assembles custom motor coaches and customizes the interiors before selling the finished product directly to individuals, businesses or the government.
"We just make the shell. We don't know anything about the end user," said Christine Garant of Prevost.
Several industry sources speculated that Hemphill may have installed an American-made engine, such as a Detroit Diesel, in the presidential bus, though that could not be immediately confirmed.

The service acquired two of the new campaign-style buses last year as additions to the government's protective fleet. Could the government have purchased a bus that was made entirely, or almost entirely, in America? In theory, yes.
The only U.S.-headquartered coach manufacturer, Motor Coach Industries, based in Schaumburg, Ill., also builds the country's only "buy American compliant" coach, the majority of whose parts are made here, an MCI spokeswoman said.
It's unclear whether the Secret Service considered this option.
The presidential limousine, nicknamed "the beast," was made by Cadillac, a General Motors Corp. brand, in 2009.

Just saying..........


I try not to talk about this stuff too much.  But sometimes it's like a belch, you just gotta let it out!  Next time I'll take a Tums and keep it to myself.  (fingers crossed)

Until next time........Kristi.

Update on a Monday

A weekend update on a Monday!  Imagine that!  Makes more sense than the Tuesday updates I've been doing doesn't it?

I have been after the guys for a new family pic since spring.  Our old one looked too much like winter with the long sleeves.  So now that fall is approaching we have a summer pic!  Our timing is off to say the least. :)
We were all dressed in the same sort of colors and heading out to a dentist appointment and I snagged them.  Can't you see the joy in my son's face?  Ha!
 I had the camera all set up and then told him I needed him outside for a minute.  I knew better than to tell him why, I never would have gotten him out the door!

Here's a genuine smile!  He didn't know I took this one!

Charlie bush hogged the field.  Now we can get back to pushing dirt, finally! 

Then this sweet man took the tractor over to our place and got the corner that was aggravating me.  The property isn't on us but it looks like it is since I mow some of it.  And it just looks messy and looks like I'm too lazy to mow all of it!  Now it looks better.  He also got some of the hill at mom's trailer; as much as he could without running off in a gully.  Hope I can keep it cleaned off now until we can do our dozer work there. 

We went to Jackson on Friday.  I went material shopping and all I came away with was sticker shock.  I know the price of products has gone up but eight dollars a yard for flannel?  But on our way home we stopped by our local Wal-Mart to pick up a few items and low and behold they are bringing back yard goods!  They took it out when they remodeled and now they are putting 'by the yard' material back in.  I was so happy and excited.  Also I noticed their flannel was a little over two dollars a yard.  Big difference!  Plus I don't have to drive an hour to get to a fabric store anymore. 

I have been sewing; trying to get some of my projects done and out of the way so I can start another, more useful sewing project. 

Once I have the details done I'll post pics.

I would still like to start quilting one of Mom's tops but that's gotten pushed to the back burner right now. 

And speaking of burners, the guy will be here today or tomorrow to look at my oven.  And give us the diagnosis and prognosis.  Basically he's going to tell us if it is a sixty dollar problem or a hundred and twenty dollar problem. I know which one I would rather it be but I'm not holding my breath either.

Zach had an eventful weekend.  He shot his 308 deer rifle and done some mechanic work on all his dirt bikes.  Plus he got them out and rode them.  I need to get little red out (my 150) but I'm pretty sure she's going to give me "what for" for letting her sit all year.  We need the field fixed so badly before winter to let them stretch their legs.

Bowie actually played with a ball this weekend.  Then proceeded to demolish it.  Oh well, progress is progress I guess. 

Upcoming:
stove repairman
school and housework as usual
new sewing project to start
shed to clear out for patio furniture and grill
run new air line in shop
run wiring for water heater timer
blog about more things frugal

Have a great day!  

Kristi

 

Picture Thought

The quilt tops.  Some need to be restitched and all three are stained, but don't they look pretty on the line?  As if that's all they needed;  to once again see the sun. 

Weekend Update

Hello everyone! Hope you had a great weekend.

We managed to get few things done around here in spite of all the overtime Charlie worked. He replaced two boards on two different sets of steps leading off of the deck. Ah! How nice it is to just walk down with the clothes basket instead of playing hopscotch over the sap covered boards. Pure bliss!

With all the overtime he worked, I got to work on my sewing projects. But instead of just completing one I worked on multiple projects while I had one color thread on the machine. It only takes a minute to retread the machine but I figured this way would work too.

Here is the Halloween banner all but finished. Just have to tack on those leaves you see on the hat. They are pinned in place just waiting. But I said I was only working on it when he worked overtime so it’s sets there waiting, waiting , begging to be finished! J

I still have to sew a ring on the back to hang it with. We’ll be going to Jackson the 29^th of September so I’ll hit the Hobby Lobby there and pick one up. Also hoping to hit the fabric store while I’m there.

Brought out Mom's quilt tops this morning. From what I can tell so far all three have stains on them. So we’ll launder them and see what we can salvage.

I made a batch of homemade doughnuts over the weekend. They were yummy! So yummy I made myself sugar sick! Lol!

Speaking of homemade I finally broke down and made homemade baby wipes. I’ve seen the recipe for years but the wipes we buy are so cheap to begin with it didn’t make sense to make them. That is until this weekend when we discovered that there weren’t in fact any in the cabinet like we both thought! Since I had everything to make them with ,(baby wash, paper towels, baby oil, and water ) I whipped up a batch. But cutting the roll of towels in half was not whipped up at all! Had I just used a sharp knife it would have went better. But the only one’s sharp enough were the deer processing knives and I didn’t want to dull them. So me being a “thinker” and all I went out and got a hack saw. Yep the picture that just popped into your head just about sums it up. Trust me.

When I finally hacked my way through that sucker, I had paper towel lint all over the kitchen and myself. I had worked up a sweat and my arm was wore out! The bits and pieces that accumulated on the counter would have been the envy of every mouse in a hundred mile radius. I got it done though and I like them so far. They’ll work in a pinch. (note: I had the baby wash already because that’s what the vet told us to use on the dog, and I omitted the baby oil.)

In case you want the recipe:

Homemade Baby Wipes


Half a roll of paper towels

1 cup water

1 TBSP baby wash

½ TBSP baby oil

Put roll of towels in Tupperware bowl with lid or reuse round wipe container. Mix up water, wash, and oil. Pour evenly over towels. Close up let sit ten minutes. Flip and let set upside down for ten minutes. Set upright , remove lid take out cardboard tube. (this came out surprisingly easy on my roll) Pull wipes out from center just like the store bought kind.

Well the clothes line is completely full and beans and sausage are cooking in the crockpot. That translates to “We are very blessed”. Hope you all have a great day. Love.

Because I Hate To Leave Things Unfinished......

Remember this post and this one?

Remember the ones with missing before pics?

While going through the files on the computer I stumbled across them. 

So here you go since I know you were disappointed before...hahaha!

Picture Thought

Words

Remember my post a while back about houses being alive with the energy of it's inhabitants? If not you can read it here: More On Dabble

I heard reference to a poem the other day and looked it up.  It said what I was trying to say but so beautifully. 

THE HOUSE WITH NOBODY IN IT

by: Joyce Kilmer (1886-1918)

HENEVER I walk to Suffern along the Erie track

I go by a poor old farmhouse with its shingles broken and black.

I suppose I've passed it a hundred times, but I always stop for a minute

And look at the house, the tragic house, the house with nobody in it.

I never have seen a haunted house, but I hear there are such things;

That they hold the talk of spirits, their mirth and sorrowings.

I know this house isn't haunted, and I wish it were, I do;

For it wouldn't be so lonely if it had a ghost or two.

This house on the road to Suffern needs a dozen panes of glass,

And somebody ought to weed the walk and take a scythe to the grass.

It needs new paint and shingles, and the vines should be trimmed and tied;

But what it needs the most of all is some people living inside.

If I had a lot of money and all my debts were paid

I'd put a gang of men to work with brush and saw and spade.

I'd buy that place and fix it up the way it used to be

And I'd find some people who wanted a home and give it to them free.

Now, a new house standing empty, with staring window and door,

Looks idle, perhaps, and foolish, like a hat on its block in the store.

But there's nothing mournful about it; it cannot be sad and lone

For the lack of something within it that it has never known.

But a house that has done what a house should do, a house that has sheltered life,

That has put its loving wooden arms around a man and his wife,

A house that has echoed a baby's laugh and held up his stumbling feet,

Is the saddest sight, when it's left alone, that ever your eyes could meet.

So whenever I go to Suffern along the Erie track

I never go by the empty house without stopping and looking back,

Yet it hurts me to look at the crumbling roof and the shutters fallen apart,

For I can't help thinking the poor old house is a house with a broken heart.

Update

I purchased a fall candle yesterday and yes I’m burning it right this moment. Fall is here. You can breathe it; can feel it in the air. I’ve been in denial regardless of that feeling, telling myself that it’s too soon. But spring sneaks in every year and just when we finally declare it here, summer heat sets in. I don’t look forward to winter, I dread the cold so that’s why I’m appreciating this cool breeze we have been experiencing and trying to acknowledge fall in spite of what the calendar says it is.

In other news, this weekend found us rather productive. Chuck finished the piece for his dad’s backhoe. Again it looked great and I have pics but they are on his phone, on him, at work, not here.

Charlie learned to backflip. He started in the pool and just last night took his act to the trampoline and nailed it! Congratulations to him! Knew he could do it!

Bowie, our wild dog, has come a long way this week. He comes up to me for petting now and I can run my hand all the way down his leg to his paw. That has sort of been my meter to judge his trust. He used to only let me go a few inches before lifting his paw and stepping away. Now I go all the way down and he just wags his tail. My goal is to get a collar on him, we still have a ways to go. So wish me luck!

I started my sewing project. A new Halloween door banner. It’s really cute. I’m only working on it when Chuck works overtime. That way it doesn’t interfere with daily life around here. Plus I’m bad to let my hobbies take precedence and let important things slide.

One thing I would really like to do is make a quilt. I’ve never done it. I come from a long line of quilters and most of my childhood evolved around quilting in some form or another but I never attempted one. And confession time here (I sort of have a distaste for taking perfectly good fabric and cutting it up just to piece it back together again) Umm hmm. I know. But that’s me for you. But I don’t have a very big supply of scraps so if I want to make one I guess I’ll just cut up perfectly good material and go to therapy afterwards.

Wonder if Dr. Phil ever done a show on Mad Hatter Quilters…?....just a thought.

I have three quilt tops in storage now that Mom made. They just need to be quilted. I glanced at them yesterday and noticed that one was stained pretty badly around the edges. I could cut it down and make more of a throw type size for the couch or cut it even more and make a lap throw and give to her for Christmas. She could use it this winter in her wheel chair. After all it is her creation.

Considering she has three good sized tops in there, I would say she enjoyed piecing one more than quilting it.

We are talking about composting. Again. We have talked it before and started piles before but this time we are considering a more organized compost. I already have dirt and mulch piled up from what I save when I took up the flowerbed from around Mom’s trailer. It’s in a spot close to the shed that house the shovels so that they would be in easy reach for mixing it. All we need are pallets to form a box to keep it contained. I don’t want some huge operation. Just simple, moderate.

Moderation is a wonderful word isn’t it? One sadly lacking in our area lately. But then again that’s another soapbox for another day.

Currently the yard is mowed, the running is over for a few days and school is scheduled. The budget is still looking good and the pantry is suffice if not ample.

I leave you with a few verses that helped much this last week.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Isaiah 41:10

For God is not the author of confusion but of peace….1 Corinthians 14:33 (NKJV)

Frugal Hodge Podge

My stove is out again and that’s not news to some of you. This is however the first time it went out since being out of warranty. That being the case I am in no hurry to have it fixed since it will be an out of pocket expense. That and it’s still so hot here and humid that I only use the oven for cookies and the occasional pie. Everything else gets made in the crockpot to keep from heating up the house. Baked potatoes and casseroles get made in the crockpot over summer. Also, some desserts and I’ve even made pumpkin bread in it before. So we aren’t pushing to get it fixed right away.
My absolute deadline is winter. 

On another note we are tightwadding again and one thing we caught ourselves doing over our surprising spendthrift spring was eating out. A lot. A frugal no-no. We knew it was a no-no yet did it anyway. Can’t think of anything to cook? Let’s head to town and eat! Embarrassing to admit but true. But like I said we are back on the straight and narrow now. And having fun with it again. It doesn’t require a lot of time just some planning and forethought.
The other night we came in from working late and needed something quick to eat because we were starving! So I glanced in the pantry and frig and decided on cheese omelets. We were eating fifteen minutes later. We couldn’t have drove to our little town and ate that quick. It’s ten minutes away and the only eating places there are diners and that would have taken awhile. Did I mention we were starving? The only other option in small town is the deli at the gas station and let me say that at that time of night the selection would have been severely limited as would the quality. Plus there would have been the ten minutes back to the house before getting to eat it.
So the omelets were the best option and very delicious if I do say so myself.
On Saturday we woke up early and got to work in the yard and when it started getting too hot to be out we came in for breakfast. A late breakfast. It was ten so I guess it was brunch. But everyone wanted scrambled eggs sandwiches so ten minutes to the table and again satisfying and cheap.
Then I took five minutes and threw in the ingredients for a casserole in the crockpot and headed back outside. When lunch rolled around it was hot and ready and the leftovers served as supper.
Again tightwadding is just using what you have and avoiding eating out and wasting gas making impromptu runs to town.
A little planning and forethought and sometimes a little ingenuity is all that is required to save money, save time, and save our hips from eating over priced and over processed food.
Until next time…. Kristi.

Warning: Another Deep Post

This is the way Bowie eats.

Looks lazy doesn’t it?

Actually, it’s practical. He’s so tall, it’s easier for him to eat this way and not have to bend down so far.

There’s a lesson in there, don’t judge a book by it’s cover, or how about don’t worry what other’s think and do what works for you. (this said from the white elephant in every room she's ever been in)

;)

Have a great weekend everyone!

Until next time…..Kristi.

Off Schedule and Feeling Fine

Guess you’ve noticed that I have been posting on off days, posting more than once in a day, posting late in the day, etc.

I’m just posting. How and when I can. I put a schedule on myself when I started because I knew that I would more than likely stick with blogging that way but lately I’ve felt boxed in with that schedule. Like I can’t add something on the spur of the moment or that I have to juggle posts into the next month because I wanted to add something unexpected today.

Who wants to live like that?

I prefer freedom.

So please excuse the mess around here while I haphazardly bring you my life.

Powdered Milk

I realize not everyone is a fan of powdered milk. My husband is a prime example of this. I grew up drinking it and liked it probably due to the fact that my mother made it seem like such a special treat. That mixing up milk to drink was a rarity few people got to experience. The rest of the population had to drink jug milk. Clever on her part don’t you think?
I tried introducing it to our family and immediately it was rejected. So I tried the sneaky practice of mixing it half and half with whole milk and again it was rejected as less than superior but admittedly drinkable in this form. I ended up keeping some mixed up in the frig just to cook with. When milk shot up to $4.00 a gallon  our household was going through three jugs a week. That runs into quite a bill very quickly. At the same time my husband found out that his sugar tended to run high and had to cut back on his simple carbs and milk was on the top of the list. So that paved the way for us to go cold turkey on store bought milk and make the switch to powdered. Dry milk drinkers we became and haven’t looked back since. That was several years ago and we adapted well. I love not having to worry about running to the store each week on a milk run. We always have milk because dry is so shelf stable and it is one of my most important staples in the pantry. I love the price too. Great for cooking and just plain guzzling!

Webcams and Texts Don't Mix!

"A webcam plus a text does not an easy video make." - Confusedwomanous.

Did you catch yesterday's update video?  No?   I'll wait while you do.

Now you may ask yourself, "Just what does it take to make an update video?"

  Apparently eight takes in this house. The first two takes went well but I wanted to fine tune it and not repeat myself so much. So after I felt I had it all down in my head the way I wanted it I tried for my third attempt. That’s when the phone starts going off. I close the message so it doesn’t go off again but now my train of thought has went out the window. The same window in which I wanted to hurl my phone before the day was through! Thus the fourth try was a fail. Now we come to the fifth and I’m ready but the phone goes off again in just about the same exact spot as it did in number three! Evidently they didn’t like being ignored! Imagine me having something other to do than text around here! The audacity! But that’s me for you; a real rebel! Finally after three more attempts I hit publish and didn’t look back.

Anyway said all that to introduce my blooper vid.

Hope you find it more amusing than I did.

Gray Days has Email!

On the Straight and Narrow Tightwad Road Again

We have been closet tightwads for what seems like forever.  About ten years ago we got serious about it and were well on our way to being debt free.  Then business ventures took us in a different direction and we sort of put thrift on the back burner.  I still cooked from scratch but we went back to pretty much being spend thrifts and the scary thing is we didn't really realize it.
Now we seem to be back on track.  And once again I remember why we were so successful at it the first time because it's FUN.  You are forced to be creative and make do.  To me that's fun.  Where's the fun in running to the store and buying something when you can be creative and discover you have some pretty ingenious ideas floating around in that head of yours. 
So from time to time when an idea is a success I'd like to share that with you on here. 
Let's face it in our economy these days we need all the help we can get so let's share our ideas and keep motivated.  Who knows maybe we can have the government deficit problem solved in no time flat.  Not that Washington is asking us lay people but that's another post entirely!  ;)
Until next time........Kristi.

The Pics I Promised

The pieces Chuck made for the bulldozer.

House Project Picture Thought and Miscellaneous

This is a mixture between an update and just a FYI I guess.

I would like to make more journal entry posts than I do. I’m sure your eyes and ears would appreciate a break from the soapbox I seem to stay on.

We worked over the weekend on that stubborn bulldozer or should I say that bulldozer with the stubborn tube. Charlie has taken it off no less than twenty times I’d say and cut the old braising out and rebraised it and again it would crack. Finally his dad decided he’d take a crack at it and he made it look really nice but again it leaked. Once was enough for his dad so they brainstormed and came up with the idea of using a hydraulic hose instead of a tube and Charlie would machine new ends just like on the original tube and his dad would weld them on. Plus making new ends meant Charlie could make the o ring size to one that would be more readily available. Because we spent more time and gas on finding the special o ring to fit the original tube than I care to think about.
Charlie worked all last weekend on the pieces and his dad welded them on Monday and they installed it and so far no leak. Thank goodness!
Let me just take a minute to say that my husband has been machining for several, several years. Most of our married life and he never ceases to amaze me. He has a talent for it because he never went to school to learn the trade, he just picked it up on his own. He’s made several things at the house to replace worn out pieces and every time I’m reminded of his gift. It’s one of the reasons I married him. He reminded me so much of my father whose motto was” why hire it done when I can try to do it myself?” I inherited some of that from Daddy. I remember as a young girl about my son’s age I had a project I wanted Dad to do but he stayed so busy. So one day I decided I would try to figure it out myself. And I did it. Without any help from him. I remember the feeling of pride I felt that day to know I accomplished it on my own. So I have spent most of this week praising Charlie for the job well done on those parts he made. I have pics to post of it once I can get them off the camera I’ll post them on here. Gotta brag on him a little longer! Like this is the first time he’s done this…. I mean the man does it for a living! But I tend to take that for granted and I’m making up for it.

Now he has got to work on his dad’s backhoe and get it running. That is his current project out in the shop. So while he is working out there I plan on getting the shop office cleaned up and vacuumed; ready for colder weather. The tanning bed is out there and I only use it during winter so I want it ready. That nesting feeling again I guess.

After the backhoe is fixed I hope we can fire up the bulldozer and get some yard work done and the race track finished. It’s been so long since we have rode dirt bikes I’ll have to relearn and considering I was lucky to learn in the first place this could be interesting! Heehee!

I’ve also had the urge to break out the sewing machine lately. I have a Halloween banner that I could work on but I guess I’ll see how school goes first.

We’ve spent this week getting back in the habit of being a slave to the clock. With school back in session I didn’t want to throw us into shock, so we started out with two subjects on Monday and have added one or two everyday so by the end of the week we are in full swing again. That has worked out well so far. Today is Thursday and we finished up in two hours and we only have Spanish to add tomorrow. So it’s working out well. I won’t plan on getting it done every day in two hours but at least we know it’s a possibility in a pinch. That may work out well in our visitation each week to the Manor to see Mom. I hope so.

As far as the rest of this week I have grocery shopping to do, go see Mom and a few errands around town. Hopefully I can get that done tomorrow.

We still have to hang a clothesline inside some where. My hanging space in the laundry room is limited and a take down clothes line inside will be a big help on rainy days. Plus will keep me from using the dryer and heating up the house and raising the electric bill.
He installed my new clothesline outside to replace the old ones. Now I don’t have to check the window every ten minutes holding my breath to see if the old line broke and my nice clean clothes are on the ground shading the ants out there! I would still like to have a line across our deck for sheets. It’s all I can do to get a king sized sheet on the line and keep it from dragging the ground. Lol! So that would be handy. He’s planning on making it a put-up-when-you-want-to-use-it line and the post would pivot and lay down beside the deck; hidden when not in use. I’m telling you the man is a genius!

Well that’s enough rambling today. Hope everyone has a great weekend and we’ll see you here on Monday!
Until next time...Kristi.

Picture Thought

::!! Happy Birthday !!::

 Happy 37th Birthday and many more!

We Love You!

The Circle Will Not Be Broken

That time again.  When most  are groaning and staggering out of bed.  Trying to dress while squinting in the bright light of day.  Breakfast being eaten and teeth being brushed simultaneously.  Fingers having to be pried off video controllers and pushed kicked and screaming out the door.

It's the same every year.
The words never change:
"I don't wanna go back to school!"
 "Summer can't be over yet!"

And then he consoles me and says, "It'll be alright Mom.  It's only for ten months."

Some how that doesn't help.