Spring Fever...

Last week: record cold.
This week: record warmth. Forecasting 70s and sunshine through the first half of the week.

The air has that smell of Spring and everyone is shedding layers and soaking up the sunshine. It feels good. But, we've all lived here long enough to realize nothing lasts forever when it comes to the weather. So, we try to enjoy it while we can.

Thing Two rode his bike to school.
Thing One opted to walk. That's because he's discoved when he walks, he can bring his game boy. And unlike his momma, he can multi-task pretty good: and manages to play one last game before heading into school while walking. It is sort of win-win situation.

After school, they both played hard with their pals: again, out in the backyard.

And well, with all this fresh air and outside play, they both willingly take their showers and fall fast asleep with not one extra ounce of energy left to protest the end of the day.
And that...makes me one HAPPY MOMMA!
Yeah yeah...I will try to remember to take some pictures of the Things enjoying the great weather!

Maybe you CAN judge a book by the cover...

I finished reading "Tuscany for Beginners" by Imogen Edwards-Jones. I picked it only because it looked to be about the right size for me to tackle and the cover looked interesting. It turned out to be a pretty good book. A light read, didn't require a lot of thinking on my part but I was able to put it down and pick it back up as my schedule allowed.

The primary character in the book, Belinda, opened a B&B in Tuscany after fleeing England following a very upsetting divorce. She views herself as being pretty close to perfect: between her knowledge of the Italian culture and community to her gracious skills as a hostess. She really has it ALL together...if you believe her journal entries. Then, the author switches gears and tells you the rest of the story. I found this to be a rather interesting way to develop a character and give her depth. Seeing how she views herself compared to those around her. And I wonder: is she REALLY that delusional?

Which got me to wondering...am I delusional on such a level? When I blog, am I reporting only the rosy side of things? Perhaps...but that comes more from my knowing that once you post things on the Internet, it is a whole lot harder to issue retractions. I have consciously tried to keep things here upbeat. Which explains why some times there is a LONG lag between postings. Momma always said "if you have nothing nice to say, say nothing"...and that is especially true when it comes to the internet. In my daily life, I don't think I'm delusional. But, I wonder, if I were, would someone have the guts to set me straight? IF I had a "belinda" in my life...would I be able to tell her "hey, chickie, knock it off". I'm not sure I would be able to do that.

So, there you go, even in the midst of moving, I managed to find time to read a book. Hmmm...maybe I am the all that girl in the neighborhood? If so, would someone please tell me to knock it off?

Before, During and After in living color

We started last Thursday looking like this:

Bad blogger that I am, I didn't think to start taking pictures until after they had loaded up the first floor. Sorry, this is all so new to me.

And next thing I knew, I had this mess to deal with

But after a long day of hard work, I am now able to sit back and enjoy my new CRAFT ROOM! Yeah! Now I have no excuse not to get crafty!

Operation Relocation...

WOW! Almost a week since I've blogged? That has to be a record!
When I last popped in, I was preparing for Operation Relocation. Surrounded by boxes, my head was spinning with the never ending TO BE DONE list. I couldn't sleep, knowing all the work that was waiting for me. The forecast was for cold and snow!

So, here's an update...

• Box count: one. Yep, I"ve got just one box left sitting here in my craft room that needs to be loaded into the file cabinet.
• Rooms left to be organized: One. The craft room.(notice the pattern, eh? Yes, I saved the best for the last!) And considering this place has 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and your usual kitchen/family room/living room, well, you can imagine how busy we've been. But then again, I am a Martha and organizing is our strength.
• Sinks that had to be relocated: One. Yes, the prized sink had to be disconnected and moved because Elsa is just too darn long and wouldn't fit into the garage. Hubby was a determined man yesterday, moving the sink. But, now the girls are tucked back into their home and all is well with the world of cars. The Mystery Van remains outside, but at least she's off the street.
• Amount of snow that fell: Thankfully, just one inch or so. It got too darn cold to snow. As a friend called it, it was "Gunnison cold"...referring to a town up in the mountains that gets really cold and stays that way all winter. And yes, indeed, it got really cold and stayed that way. A record was set on Saturday night: MINUS 13 degrees. Thank heavens for flannel sheets and a functional furnace.
• Houses left to be sold: One. Anyone want to live on Ireland Street? I've got a great house to show you!

So, as you can see, Operation Relocation has almost come to an end. It has been ONE amazing and busy month (as we just toured the house for the first time one month ago), but I'm so excited we took this challenge on. Now, lets get back to our regular scheduled life....
Photos will be posted once I find where I stashed the transfer cable!

Love Actually

I will happily admit that I hate repeats. TV reruns are a bore. I've rarely read a book more than once (the only exceptions are Memoirs of a Geisha and the childrens books I find myself reading over and over to the Things at their special request). Watching a movie that I've already seen is a sure fire way to put me to sleep. The exception is the movie Love Actually. I could watch that movie over and over and each time take away a different lesson. And my favorite song within the movie is "All you need is love. " If I"m feeling down, it is a sure fire way to get my mood pointed in a more positive direction.

Now, I'm no hopeless romantic. Of course, I know you need MORE than just love. But, with the love of your family and friends, really, you can achieve all those other things that you need in your life. I am so very blessed with a loving and dedicated husband, two happy little things that remind me each day what my purpose in life is, and a circle of friends that extends far beyond what I ever dreamed I would be blessed with.

So, this Valentines Day...take a moment to give Thanks for all the gifts in your life and remember...love actually is all you need!

Bookworms

Honest, the above photo is not staged. Both Things enjoy a good book. They get that from their parents! But, lately, I've struggled to find that "good book" that I enjoy. And it isn't for lack of trying

First, I tried to read a book that came highly recommended by a friend. The Little Classroom with the Big Personality by Fran Hunnisett. The topic is something near and dear to my heart so I thought for sure I could get through this very short, but non fiction book. Nope, half way through a page, my eyes would get heavy, my arms would get weak and I'd be ready to fall asleep. I think it is a psychological carry over from my college days where I had to read various textbooks. I just couldn't get past my issues about it being nonfiction. So, I set the book aside and started to read another book, recommended by yet another friend.

This book, Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, proved to be a good book. It would make a great book for a book club discussion. So that I could sit there and rant about the basic premise of the book. You simply DO NOT GIVE away your child...no matter what disability that child is born with. With that being the premise of the rest of the story, and me being so passionately opposed to the actions taken by the central male character....well, for the next 400 pages I really didn't care how much sadness he endured...he had brought it on himself by changing the course of his life and that of his wife's through his selfish act. Yeah, yeah yeah, tell us what you REALLY thought of the book Martha! :)

The third book I tried to read this past month was called Wicked by Gregory Maguire. It is another book that falls outside of my preferred genre of either murder/mystery or chick lit. This one was labeled by the library as science fiction/fantasy. I figured since I was familiar with the basic concept of the story (just who is the Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard of Oz, and how did she get to be that way?) I could muddle through it in hopes of expanding my pretty narrow reading scope . I tried. I really did. But, then I got sidetracked with moving and the worries of that and I just didn't have the energy left to work through reading a book that is written in a style signficantly different from what I am used to. And, with 40 some others waiting patiently at the library for their chance at reading this book, I returned it without finishing it. Perhaps once the dust settles on our move I will try again. I was liking what I was reading. I just found it required more concentration and effort than I could spare right now.

Friday, I grabbed a book from the new fiction section of the library based solely on its cover and title: Tuscany for Beginners. On the cover is a comment from Candace Bushnell (author of Sex in the City) that says "Absolutely hysterical, I could not put it down." I figured I was at least back in my own comfort zone for reading. We shall see how this one goes...

Lets get our act together, ok?

I'm beginning to wonder...is ANYONE out there doing what they are supposed to be? I know I have slacked off in a major way in terms of getting ready for the move. So, no, I'm not doing what I"m supposed to do. Thing One would rather play on the computer then get ready for school. Thing Two is realizing his classmates cause trouble and he has to suffer in the group consequences so he's starting to question why he needs to behave when he ends up losing priveldges regardless of how he is behaving. Hubby's customer seems to have misplaced an invoice that payment was due on two weeks ago. Our insurance people had no problems cashing our premium payments but still say we aren't covered because they don't know how much our dental coverage will be. I should add that we declined dental coverage, so the amount due is zero: but I'm guessing that they can't make that conclusion without proper authorization. And, so what, if you don't have the cost for the dental, at least activate the medical so that I can in turn call in Thing One's prescription. The Telephone customer service agent couldn't figure out how to get our phone service transfered in a timely manner. Yet, when I turned on the tears, suddenly he could get a service tech out next Friday morning. And Finally, the ten day forecast is calling for SNOW next week on moving day.

So, I think it is pretty safe to assume that most of us are off our game this week. I'm hoping to get back with the program tomorrow. Lets hope the rest of the world joins in!

100 Days of Fun...

Yesterday marked the Things 100th day of school. For second grade, well, it was just another day, much to the disappointment of Thing One. But for kindergarten: it was a day worth celebrating!

Thing Two was giving me a bit of an attitude about what he wanted to make for his 100th day project. Mom's ideas were either "BORING", "Nah, too girly" or "just plain goofy mom". So, I suggested we google and find other ideas that aren't from Mom. That seemed to do the trick. He found an idea for a fruit loop flag and we were all set.

Until yesterday, when he blew my crafty cover! He said to his teacher: "Do you want to know how we made this flag?" Cautiously, she said yes. He said "Mom got it off the internet!"

Oh well, at least he said WE...pointing out that the project was a joint effort even if Mom didn't come up with the idea all on her own.

Now, off to modify the valentine project as I mistakingly used PINK for the paper choice. Oh so not a good thing when you've got boys!

The Power of Observation

Sometimes my boys simply amaze me with their observational powers. And other days, well they just sort of state the obvious. This morning was the latter. Thing Two was grumbling about having to wear jeans. He doesn't like the snap part. I then pointed out to him that these were his favorite jeans "you know, son, the ones with no snap". His reply goes in the priceless category: "Ah, Thanks Mom, it doesn't get any easier than that, does it?".

Saturday we celebrated the Year of the Dog by attending a lion dance at an area restaurant. As always, the food was delicious, the dance was intriguing and the gathering of old friends to celebrate the dawn of a new year: well, that falls under the pricelss category!

Keeping our eye on the sink...

Or the prize...but well, for hubby it is the same! You see, our current home doesn't have any sort of mudroom or utility sink. When he works on the cars, he has to wash up in the hall bathroom. And although he is very good about cleaning up his mess, it is still a hassle. That garage sink is something he's really excited to have.

We're knee deep in the process of packing and moving. Not a single room is in order which is really bugging my inner desire for order. We did manage to make a HUGE dent in the basement: which resulted in a trip to the Landfill (Note to self and any other curious locals: When trying to locate the address of such facility: it isn't called a dump anymore. They call it DADS and yes, they charge double for any uncovered loads!) A trip to Goodwill is planned for Monday as the back of my van is filled with stuff that others can probably use (a portacrib anyone?). The crawl space of our current home has always been the black hole of our place: stuff we don't want to decide whether to keep or save: gets "temporarily" tossed into the crawl space. In some cases, temporarily was defined as 7-8 years!

And a final note to self: Marthas who have descended from the crafty side, should consider NOT moving in the early weeks of February. There is so much fun to be had in the craft room: between making stuff for Chinese New Year, to helping a kindergartner design his 100th day project to the much anticipated exchange of valentines. Sure, we can always buy the valentines: but if you find that to be the solution that makes you happy...then you probably aren't a crafty Martha type!

The Studious Thing

I just talked to Thing One's special ed teacher. She said "I've got to tell you what Thing One said on Tuesday". Uh oh, never good when they start a conversation like that. When you've got a quirky kid, you just never know what they might announce to the world!

In celebration of Red Ribbon Week, they had a guessing contest: how many fireballs are in the jar. Winner gets the contents. Thing One insisted he couldn't participate because "I didn't study last night, Ms. Beth, I'm sorry!". She tried to explain the concept to him and he stood firm on his: I didn't study, I"m not able to guess."

Yes indeed, every so often we get a new chuckle from his quirks!