Miscellaneous January

These are just some more misc. pictures from January.

I caught Levi putting together this kitten floor puzzle we have from when the girls were little. He really likes floor puzzles, so when he remembers we have them, he goes to a corner someplace and puts one together.
Working hard....almost finished!

Whoo hoo! He finished! Great job, Levi! :-)

Another day, I heard my boys and one of the neighbor boys making a lot of racket outside, so I peeked out the window to see what was going on. They were taking turns running and jumping onto then off-of the trampoline we got Levi for Christmas (so he'd stop jumping on my couch!!).

Indy is running to the trampoline...

Then off he goes!

You can see Levi in the background of the others, with his arms of victory in the air. lol

And, there goes the neighbor!! (Please don't get hurt!! )

I finally stopped taking pictures through the window screen and went out the door. They were only too happy to show me their accomplishment!

Indy

Levi

Neighbor (Yes, I know his name, I'm just not telling you. ;-) )

Then, a couple days later, I found yet another Like Father, Like Son picture. Here Nicky and Indy are actually sleeping after church!! Too funny!

The End of the Year

The boys "helped" Daddy fix the lawn mower. Ashton loves taking pictures of herself....why? She's 15, that's why! lol

Nicky's 42nd birthday on New Year's Eve. He got this funky hat from my mom. He loves it! Thinks it's super cool. So, he's showing it off. Happy Birthday, honey!

What a cutie! Reading glasses and all! Love the hat, btw. :-)

What I Did

Last week one day, I was starting to make a list of things to do today, but decided that I get too frustrated when I seem to work all day long and at the end of the day, the house looks like I haven't done a darn thing. So, instead of making a list of things to do, I decided to make a list of things I've done. So, here's the list. And, I know there are a few things I didn't add, either because they were too little, like picking up misc. toys or pieces of paper or because I forgot them once I went to write down. But, here's the things I did get written down....

Did 5 loads of laundry
Changed the a/c filter
Made laundry soap
Changed kitchen lightbulb
Washed my hair
Worked on my virtual farm
Checked & answered emails
Downloaded songs to itunes from cds
Killed bugs
Took out recyclables
Emptied boys' clothes bag from St. Augustine trip and put away
Picked up cups from around house
Worked on bills
Called Dr., insurance company, a couple bill companies
Worked on school with Savannah
Picked up living room
Took Savannah & Ashton to school, at separate times
Took Levi to golf
Did school with Indy and put Levi on cpu for letter practice
Worked in garden with boys
Cooked breakfast, lunch, and dinner for family members
Picked up bathroom...again
Meeting in evening

I know there was more, but I couldn't remember a couple things. Oh well. At least you get an idea of what kinds of things I do in a day. I think that's why the stuff on my list doesn't always get done. There was a lot of things on this list that I wouldn't have on my "to do" list, like change the kitchen lightbulb. So, are you the same way? Do you find yourself not getting your "to do" list done? If so, make a list like I did, of things you actually did. You'll be very surprised! :-)

Home Again, Home Again...

Today is Monday and we got home late, late Saturday night. Yesterday was just kind of a blur with unpacking and readjusting back to home. Nicky has been working up a storm on the tile in our living areas and it looks great! He got a lot of it done and I'm so proud of him! Sunday morning we all slept in, even Nicky. He was pooped and when he woke up, he commented that he couldn't believe he'd slept so late. I told him he was probably more tired that he thought and needed the sleep. He said, "Maybe. But, I think it's because I knew I didn't have to get up and do something around here. It was like I had a big load lifted off my shoulders, having you home." Awww....isn't that sweet?? He really missed us all. :-)

This morning the boys kept asking to have a friend over. I told them no because we had a lot to do, plus the tile can't be overused until Nicky gets the last coat of sealer on the grout today. Anyway, I told them that they were used to having their cousins around to play with, but now they'd just have to play with each other. They hemmed and hawed, but finally started playing together. I later caught them playing Capture the Flag....inside the house!! You know those little American flags that are in classrooms? Well, we have two of those, so they each took one and hid it someplace for the other one to find. I was washing dishes and Indy passed by me and hid his in the laundry room. A few minutes later, Levi comes in the kitchen and asked Indy, "Where is your flag?" He couldn't find it and wanted Indy to tell him where it was. Then Indy replied with, "You tell me where your flag is and I'll tell you where mine is." Wow. That's real intense, strategy-filled Capture the Flag, huh?? lol They're so funny.

In other news, apparently, late last week sometime the power went out for a few minutes and Nicky didn't know it and the outside freezer went off and didn't come back on. Yesterday afternoon, I went outside to put some trash in the trashcans and decided just to check on the freezer. It was completely defrosted. Not a hint of ice anywhere. And, yes, there was food in there: a lot of game, some froze dinners, and some butter and cheese. Thankfully, due to the frozen juice and gatorade bottles we keep in there for just such and emergency, the food hadn't actually gone rancid, but it wasn't cool either. So, needless to say, we threw it all away. Ugh. Today I went out there and cleaned it all out with bleach and the hose. Man, that's a bummer. But, I washed and refilled the gatorade bottles and put them in the bottom and restarted the freezer. It should be good now, but I'll check it soon.

Well, I guess that's it for now. Still unpacking and doing laundry and getting the house back in order. It's wonderful to vacation, but it's always wonderful to come home, too!!

June First

Today is the infamous June First. Why is it infamous? Well, if you've read my blog for more than a year, you know that June 1st is the beginning of Hurricane Season. Ugh. I don't think I really need to say anymore about that. If you want to know more about that, you can look at my archives for June 1 of last year....and the year before....and the year before, etc. The End.

I think I'm a little funny. Each month I change all my calendars, as everyone does, but I also update all my "monthly" decorations around the house, including tablecloths. I just love the change of "seasons" around here. Actually, I really do like to do the changing seasons thing, even though our "seasons" are a little different here than around the rest of the country. I have this preschool decoration, which is a big tree with 4 different looks, one for each season. I just LOVE changing it! As a matter of fact, I even keep it posted up on the door in my laundry room so I can look at it often. I have no idea why. I just like it. Anyway, on the first of June, September, December, and March, I change it for the ensuing season. Today I put up the summer one. I'll show you the others when they come, if I remember, but in the meantime, here's this one....

Isn't it cute??

Also, the beginning of June marks the beginning of the rainy season around here. We've needed rain so badly, and in the last week or so we've begun to get our daily afternoon thunderstorms. In a way it's really nice, but the best thing is this....

These are my lilies in my front yard. I really like them because since I have such a "black" thumb and seem to kill every plant I touch, these somehow survive me. lol I think it's because they're from bulbs that are protected under the ground. When the weeds get too much and I haven't taken proper care of them, Nicky will just mow over the whole thing, lilies and all, and yet, they come back again in just a few weeks. I just love that!! lol

These big, bright pink ones are from the house I grew up in.

These littler, pinkish/purplish ones are from the house Nicky grew up in. Pretty cool, huh??

And, the final thing about June 1, is that today is the day Nicky buys his hunting license for this coming fall. He's always happy on June 1! :-)

See? June first is a very "special" day around here. Plus, we always say it's the beginning of summer, even though the first official day is June 21. So, we're off and running into summer! Have a great one!! :-)

Happenings

Big Mac has been making himself right at home at our house. Nicky does really like him, even if he complains about him! lol Mac thinks he's a lap dog. At 17 months old, he's still just a big baby and he really does act like it!

Here is a tank Indy made one day. It's obviously made of an old cereal box and some legos and some pens for the flag staffs and a pencil for the gun. Since we really don't have room to keep such a great project around, we decided to just take a picture of it so he could remember it. He did have fun making it though. He always makes these kinds of tanks and such of old boxes, milk jugs, and just about anything else he can find. He's very inventive and sometimes surprises me.

A Praise

Last November, the a/c in my car went out. This was a bummer, but not miserable since the weather was starting to "cool down" anyway. I decided to wait til we got the tax check to fix this. Then, early in March I had to get my brakes done, so while I was there, I had them check out the a/c and tell me how much it would cost. Can I just say, "Argh!"

They did a diagnostic, which cost me, then they decided my blower motor needed to be replaced. The part was about $8o, but with the labor, it would cost about $250. Can you believe that?? I was so upset. Plus, if it's not the blower, it would be something major and would cost a LOT more. Oh well...gotta do it....summer's coming. So, I spoke to Nicky and yesterday, I finally took it in. I've been praying and praying that it was only the blower and not something major like the compressor or something.

They ordered the part from a dealer, since they didn't have it in stock, but it was the wrong part...of course. So, after 3 1/2 hours, they hadn't even started and were waiting for the right part to come in. When they got it, they put the blower in and it didn't work. This means it was something else. Oh, man! They called me and said they needed to do another diagnostic to see if it was a switch in the system somewhere that had blown out. I ok'd it and they got to work. Finally they called me back to say it was ready, about 2 hours later. It turned out to be a switch, and not my blower at all, which was cheaper. Whoo hoo!! And, since they had already taken the car apart and put the new blower in, they just left it in even though mine was working ok, and they didn't even charge me for that!! Now, my car is about 5 years old, so the blower was gonna go sometime anyway, so this is a great thing. Once it was all said and done, and they applied the $10 off coupon I had, my total was about $206.... $4o cheaper than first quoted!! Yay!!

I was sooo happy to ride in the car with the windows up and the a/c on yesterday, mostly because it was sooo quiet inside the car!! Plus, even though it's been in the 70's yesterday and today, I'm sure this is winter's last hurrah, and after the high of 95 degrees we had Monday...yes 95 degrees (!), it will be nice to have the air working as the weather warms. Whew!

God was merciful and not only let the car get fixed with nothing major, but it was even cheaper than originally expected. How cool is that? Don't you just love when he "winks" at you like that?? Thanks, God! :-)