I Know It's Spring Because...

Tate brought this home...

... and put it in an aquarium by the back door.

From which it has already escaped.

My desire to weed the flower beds just took a dramatic drop.

BTW, it's a common garter snake.  Not dangerous, just...

... EWWWWW.

Simple Woman #61

Simple Woman

For Today...   May 10, 2010

Outside my window...   Wyatt, weed-whacking before we start school.  The white dogwood is now in full bloom and all around both of my windows.  It's like sitting in a cloud.  Currently, a very noisy cloud.

I am thinking...   life isn't fair.  Sometimes the lesson is to let it go and just manage yourself.  And sometimes the lesson is to speak out and confront what is wrong.  And it's not an easy thing to know which, when.

I am thankful for...   a good Mother's Day with family.  And chocolate.  And flowers.  And hugs.  And pizza, since Uncle Dave was hosting.

I am praying for...  this day to improve.

I am wearing...  jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt.  We've had a few sunny days (hallelujah!) but today is cool again.

I am creating...   I've been working on plans/schedule for next school year.  I like planning.  ;D

I am going...   to get school going, in just a moment.  Moms in Touch later today.

I am reading...  just finished Kinda Christianity.  Still laughing.

I am hearing...   the weed-whacker, someone else doing yard work up the hill behind our house, and robins.

I am remembering...   moving to this house.  My sunny, cheery yellow school-room was once my grandparents' bedroom.  It had black wall-paper with large pink and white roses.  All the woodwork was painted pepto-bismol pink... so pink it took several coats of paint to color it.  And there were heavy lined pink drapes that blocked out most of the light.  Ugh!  The boys were horrified when I told them that would be their bedroom!  At that time we painted most of it a light blue, with white trim and some yellow accents.  They loved it.  Later we remodeled and made it the bright yellow school room.

From the learning rooms...   the Cherokee Trail of Tears, multiplying decimals, Zulu pots, Nat Turner's rebellion, Rudyard Kipling, Frank Lloyd Wright (Kerry will be so pleased), and acids and bases.

From the kitchen...   leftover turkey I cooked on Friday.  Must make turkey pot pies for the freezer!

Around the house...  Tate is probably doing his folder work.  Gunnar is reading The Fellowship of the Ring.  He's finished The Hobbit and is working on the trilogy.  Yes, he's eight.

On my mind...  I wish I had a secretary.  Or better yet, a despachante  (look at the 3rd and 4th paragraph).

Noticing that...  If I do stuff, stuff gets done.  Conversely...

Pondering these words...   Because I said so.

One of my favorite things...  not having anywhere to go.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  this is the last week of soccer.  But, like I said, I'm not counting.  Six more practices and three (possibly four) more games.  On Wednesday we're going to the AWANA awards night to see Gunnar get his trophy.  He's done all the Sparky books twice.  I should count how many verses he has memorized, as well as the books of the Bible and he's done several projects.  We're very proud :D

Here is a picture I am sharing...

Go Moms!

..............................

Saturday Morning

*  Hallelujah, we have sunshine :D  It was especially welcome today, as we had to be out to the soccer fields around 7:30am.  Three games down, and one to go.  Gunnar's and Tate's teams won, but Wyatt's lost, with one of his players being taken away by ambulance after being kneed in the back by the opposing team.  Kind of put a damper on the morning.

*  Yesterday went great.  All the boys got along fine - as expected - and our friends did fine with counting their carbs and managing their insulin.  And I tried to keep a close eye on things without being (or making anyone else) neurotic about it.


*  In fact, the most dramatic thing about the day was a thunderstorm in the afternoon that we all had fun watching.  We're not prone to dangerous storms here, so we tend to enjoy the lightning.  And everything here is so wet and green and wet and lush and wet that there's not much danger of forest fire this time of year.

*  Kerry - thank you! - took my package to the post office for me.  I'm restraining myself (just a little bit longer) from showing you photos of a project that I'm just a little bit proud of, until it gets to my friend.

*  And - oh happy day - I have laundry on the line again.  Oooo, maybe I should do the sheets, too.  Just to get that wonderful fresh air smell :D

Random Friday Thoughts

*  At 8:12 this morning all three boys were outside, having a stick war.  Apparently the Trampoplians, tired of being perpetual victims, went on the offensive and mounted a counter-attack against Some-Area.  I have no idea what the outcome was, as I was busy hanging a load of laundry to dry, but no one is crying or bleeding.

*  True to PNW form, the boys are wearing shorts.  Never mind that it's 39F, the sun is shining. 
"Mom.  It's sunny.  We'll be warm enough."  Yah.  And those shorts look great with your fleece jackets and hats.  What can I say.  Fashionistas we ain't.

*  I read a hilarious book yesterday - just published.  Liked it so much I went to the author's website.  Found a grammatical error.  Emailed him to tell him how much I enjoyed the book.  Also mentioned the error on the website.  Because, you know...    As I lay down in bed I realized I had misspelled a name in the email.  Brilliant. 

*  The boys are asking me what time it is every 3 minutes.  Friends are coming at 9:30 and time has slowed to a glacial pace.  I'm a bit nervous, myself.  The boys that are coming are good friends and all get along well.  They also both have insulin-dependent diabetes and their mom is going out of town for a few hours.  I don't want to screw up.

*  My blog-friend Kristen has a little girl, Ella.  She has a stuffed lamb named... Ollie Baa Baa.

*  Plans for today... keep five boys busy and (relatively) safe, cook turkey, and dig out office.  Again.

Is it Just Me?

I hate junk mail.  Hate it.  Most of it goes right into the recycling.

The credit card applications really irritate me.  So I take the prepaid return envelope, stuff it full of other junk mail, and send it back.

You?

To Put it in Perspective...

Okay, for my local, in-real-life friends - you can skip this.  For my geographically far off blog-world friends...

We have a "Damp Marine Climate".  Heavy on the "damp".  But usually, usually, late April and most of May are lovely.  A real teaser for summer!  Sunshine, warm temps, (warm being a relative term), and melanin-challenged people walking around in shorts and tank tops with goosebumps the size of road turtles.  (Because, you know, we're all chronically low on Vitamin D and need to get recharged as soon as possible.) 

But it's just a teaser.  About the time Memorial Day rolls around, the rain comes back and we won't see much of the sun again until about the 4th of July. 

Then it's summer.  And it goes on well into September.

But this year is not following the pattern.  Not cooperating.

No snow to play in over the winter.  Plenty up in the mountains, but none down here.  The winter was so mild we called it June-uary. 

But now, when we should be having a lovely spring, we're not.  Snow in the hills, passes closed, and this morning... 37F. 

I'm just wondering what summer will be...

No Kidding

The clouds lifted just enough, right after dinner, to get a look at the hills.  Want to guess what I saw?

Yep.  Snow.

We are supposed to be a temperate climate!  You know, temperate, as in moderated by the ocean.  Yes, we are in the NW corner of the country, (excluding Alaska.)  And - yes, I can read a topographical map - my house is about 380' above sea level.  We've had ZERO "playable" snow all winter.  Much to the boys' dismay.  But I can see snow right now, down pretty close to 1000'.

In fact, the North Cascades Highway, which had just been cleared for the spring, and reopened... has just been closed again.  Not that I'm going anywhere.

Of course, all the boys have soccer practice tomorrow.

Right now, 45F and raining.  It must be the global warming.

Fun times!  *eyes roll*

Simple Woman #60

Simple Woman

For today...  May 3, 2010

Outside my window...  my computer is upstairs in a corner room, with windows on two sides.  Outside, the white dogwood is beginning to bloom, filling both windows with creamy blossoms.  It's kind of like sitting in a cloud.  

I am thinking...  HA HA HA!  Yes, it is beautiful, but it is also 47F/8C.  It looks like spring.  It smells like spring.  But it's October, in sheep's clothing.  Blowing and raining buckets most of the night.

I am thankful for...  well the good thing is that the boys don't really have 'spring fever' yet.

I am praying for...  more work for Kerry.

I am wearing...  winter clothes, people.  

I am creating...  plans, plans, plans.  We are coming down the homestretch in our school year.  (Don't tell the boys - I don't think they realize, yet.)  They had a PTO Day on Friday and I spent the whole day figuring out what we really need to do to finish this year, and then mapping out next year.  Woo-hoo!

I am going...  hoping to stay home all day :D

I am hoping...  for warmer weather.  Pllleeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaasssssssseeeee.

I am hearing...  quiet.  Blessed quiet.  The boys are reading and the wind and rain have died down.  But all of that is temporary, I'm sure.

I am remembering...  sunshine.  I know I've seen it.  (/sarcasm)

From the learning rooms...  Abolition, symmetry, prepositional phrases, place value to trillions, (no, we're not studying the national debt... though you may find this interesting), division, and maybe a pinata.

Around the house...  books.  Piles of books.  And some more books.

On my mind...  Gunnar, who is EIGHT, mind you, had decided to read The Lord of the Rings.  I wasn't sure he could do it.  Well, I know he could, but would he enjoy it?  So I suggested he start with The Hobbit and then re-evaluate.  He's finished that and is about a third of the way through The Fellowship of the Ring.  I'm impressed.

Noticing that...  Wyatt is having a very difficult soccer season.  He's on a combined U13/14 team, and his division didn't have enough kids for a U12 team, so there are a few of those boys as well, playing up.  Which means they have a very young team.  And most of the boys are fairly small.  And they're playing against giants.  Sometimes the other teams are a full foot or more taller than our boys.

We've lost every game but one.  And Wyatt is handling it.

So this is progress.

Pondering these words...  Philippians 2:14-15

One of my favorite things...  babies with bubble-cheeks.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  soccer, piano, soccer, AWANA, soccer, the library, soccer....

Here is a picture I am sharing...

 

I'm Excited!

Going here for a week in August...

... a vacation rental, in Lincoln City, OR.


And here for a week in September...

... Lincoln Rock State Park, WA.  (Near Wenatchee.)

And, for the record, we will vacation at places that are not named "Lincoln".
This is just a happy coincidence.
:D