I haven't blogged in a while, but we've been doing lots of really neat things. Just as an example, this coming Monday, aside from all of our regular stuff, we have art class followed by writers' group followed by lunch followed by Knitting Group and Lego Group followed by Group Violin followed by violin lessons. Somewhere in all that is dinner. Not every day is like that (this homebody would lose her mind) but here and there, we have lots of fun classes, groups, and outings. We also, thankfully, do have a lot of down time, too. I love that.
Surprising
Mark's best friend from high school, Mike King, has moved to the East Coast for good. He now lives in New Jersey, about 2.5 hours from us, and is a hop, skip, and jump from Manhattan. The guys have already talked on the phone and visits and trips are already in the works. We're thrilled.
Exciting
Call me a nerd, but one of the most exciting things about parenting to me is seeing kids' reading and learning take off. Thing 1 has always been a big reader. She reads voraciously and we can hardly keep up. And she is constantly writing stories. Thing 2 has been reading for a while and his reading has really taken off this past month especially. He reads so well and so much! And he is also writing lots of stories! He has recently read (and twice more re-read) a 115 page book and is so proud of himself. We are, too.
One of Thing 2's book piles around the house
Thing 1's headboardInspiring
It's like the universe is sending me idea upon idea for my novel and I can hardly wait for November 1st to get started on NaNoWriMo. My notebook of ideas keeps filling and filling!
I got my copy in the mail(from Better World Books -- LOVE that site!)
and have already read it and gotten PUMPED for the challenge.
We've registered on the site
and can hardly wait to start!
Hospitable
We love visitors. And we recently were visited by my Mom for a couple of weeks. Jim actually drove her down and picked her up. We never get to see Jim for long enough, but we did manage to get in a game of bowling . . . Wii style. Very fun.
Wii bowlingTheatrical
I directed my first play. Thing 2 debuted in his first play as a guard. And Thing 1 participated in her 2nd play as Inkantadora (witch) and Cindy (play on Cinderella). Mark did the lighting and generally helped me keep my sanity. "Holka Polka!" (a mixed-up fairytale mystery) was a smashing success and I could not be prouder of how the kids pulled it off--it exceeded all expectations, especially since I had no idea what I was doing. Thank goodness for help from a real live director from the local community theater as well as parents and kids pitching in and being so creative and supportive and helpful.
The cast of Holka Polka
Between the group and Mark and my Mom,we got lots of beautiful flowers after the show
Delicious
We really do enjoy good food. We love to eat out, but we're really trying to pay down debt, so we've been eating out less and cooking and baking more. And my oh my, do we make yummy stuff!
Crab Pretzel -- giant soft pretzel smothered in crab dip and melted cheese(Okay, this one we ordered while my mom was here).
Our homemade lasagna filled with various meats and veggiesand served with our homemade Italian artisan loaves
Outdoor Summer Barbecues!
Homemade Pizza Dough and Toppings
Middle Eastern Rice with black beans and chickpeasserved with pita bread (or na'an), chopped onions,
Greek salad (romaine, tomatoes, feta),
and all served with creamy Greek yogurt sauce with spinach. Yum!
Frustrating
We are in the process of painting our carriage house/barn. The city is cracking down (read: fines) on messy-looking yards and buildings and ours was in desperate need of a paint job (and we can't afford siding), so we got started on the colossal project. The carriage house is 2 stories high and just generally HUGE. And someday we wouldn't mind moving the clinic out there and expanding it to include more patient rooms and a yoga studio/group room.
We had several painters come out and bid on the job. The estimates ranged but most were around the same cost (right around "yikes!"), but one of them was ridiculously high (try 3 times "yikes!" making it "Are you insane?!"). One guy came along and said he didn't do bids but told us his hourly as well as an estimate of how long it would take him. Never again will we do this! Bids ONLY. You can get so messed over by hourly estimates like this.
Based on what he told us, we figured that even if he were wrong and it took DOUBLE the time he thought, he'd still be cheaper than the rest, so we decided to go with him. NEVER AGAIN, do you hear me? NEVER again on the hourly estimates. Bids ONLY.
Everything he thought would work hasn't and he's found new jobs along the way. Don't get me wrong, he's doing a great job and it looks fantastic, but ugh. Every hour that he's out there just makes my stomach hurt.
AND. He belongs to some sort of cult? Religious group? Something? He has a very long white beard down to his waist. The neighbors down the street tell us that Santa is painting our barn. He has missed I-can't-tell-you how many days due to religious festivals for feasts of tabernacles and the like. We've had numerous days where he hasn't shown up nor has he called us to tell us as much. He makes us nervous--he works by himself and goes WAY up high on his ladder--no scaffolding--(he's insured and bonded).
He thought he'd paint each side ONCE after scraping it -- paint and primer in one. Well, that wasn't working, so it needed a primer coat (yes, the job just got 4 times as long). But okay, 2 coats per side. Well, the paint-and-primer in one wasn't going on dark enough (it really wasn't) and was looking pink rather than barn red (ugh, why did we go with red?!). So now it needs 2 more coats per side (the job just got 12 times as long). We considered switching it to white, but since he'd already done one side completely (and he'd have to redo that one), we figured out that it would only save us only one coat's worth of work, so we carried on.
Yesterday, as Mark weeded the garden, the painter remarked to him, "If Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, you wouldn't have problems with weeds."
--blink. blink.--
Just paint the barn, please!
So the barn isn't painted. During his most recent 8-day religious feast (which was more like 12 days), Mark and the boys down the street painted more of the barn to hurry the job along (which frustrates me because we hired the guy so we wouldn't have to worry about this!). We are, however, grateful for our friends who are truly there to help us out. We ordered pizza for lunch and made a mini-party of it.
Anyway, discouraging and stressful.
And don't get me started on how we are STILL dealing with adjusters over the front fence--I'm so annoyed by the fact that the side still has a crumpled mess of antique fence and we're still dealing with paperwork.
That said, when it's all done, it will look nice. And the barn is looking amazing. It really is.
Our big, red barn
We are in the process of painting our carriage house/barn. The city is cracking down (read: fines) on messy-looking yards and buildings and ours was in desperate need of a paint job (and we can't afford siding), so we got started on the colossal project. The carriage house is 2 stories high and just generally HUGE. And someday we wouldn't mind moving the clinic out there and expanding it to include more patient rooms and a yoga studio/group room.
We had several painters come out and bid on the job. The estimates ranged but most were around the same cost (right around "yikes!"), but one of them was ridiculously high (try 3 times "yikes!" making it "Are you insane?!"). One guy came along and said he didn't do bids but told us his hourly as well as an estimate of how long it would take him. Never again will we do this! Bids ONLY. You can get so messed over by hourly estimates like this.
Based on what he told us, we figured that even if he were wrong and it took DOUBLE the time he thought, he'd still be cheaper than the rest, so we decided to go with him. NEVER AGAIN, do you hear me? NEVER again on the hourly estimates. Bids ONLY.
Everything he thought would work hasn't and he's found new jobs along the way. Don't get me wrong, he's doing a great job and it looks fantastic, but ugh. Every hour that he's out there just makes my stomach hurt.
AND. He belongs to some sort of cult? Religious group? Something? He has a very long white beard down to his waist. The neighbors down the street tell us that Santa is painting our barn. He has missed I-can't-tell-you how many days due to religious festivals for feasts of tabernacles and the like. We've had numerous days where he hasn't shown up nor has he called us to tell us as much. He makes us nervous--he works by himself and goes WAY up high on his ladder--no scaffolding--(he's insured and bonded).
He thought he'd paint each side ONCE after scraping it -- paint and primer in one. Well, that wasn't working, so it needed a primer coat (yes, the job just got 4 times as long). But okay, 2 coats per side. Well, the paint-and-primer in one wasn't going on dark enough (it really wasn't) and was looking pink rather than barn red (ugh, why did we go with red?!). So now it needs 2 more coats per side (the job just got 12 times as long). We considered switching it to white, but since he'd already done one side completely (and he'd have to redo that one), we figured out that it would only save us only one coat's worth of work, so we carried on.
Yesterday, as Mark weeded the garden, the painter remarked to him, "If Adam and Eve hadn't sinned, you wouldn't have problems with weeds."
--blink. blink.--
Just paint the barn, please!
So the barn isn't painted. During his most recent 8-day religious feast (which was more like 12 days), Mark and the boys down the street painted more of the barn to hurry the job along (which frustrates me because we hired the guy so we wouldn't have to worry about this!). We are, however, grateful for our friends who are truly there to help us out. We ordered pizza for lunch and made a mini-party of it.
Anyway, discouraging and stressful.
And don't get me started on how we are STILL dealing with adjusters over the front fence--I'm so annoyed by the fact that the side still has a crumpled mess of antique fence and we're still dealing with paperwork.
That said, when it's all done, it will look nice. And the barn is looking amazing. It really is.
Our big, red barnEngaging
We had a great September getting ready for and attending the National Book Festival. This month's focus is Portuguese and we're all having a lot of fun with that. Daily, our language skills increase and it's exciting and fun.
Beautiful
There are so many pictures I could share. Not included are many more beautiful pictures of the gardens, butterflies, and potato sack races and hula hoop competitions with friends. Click to enlarge:
Our yearly tradition of enjoying
Community Days at the Hershey Gardens
(and celebrating friendship)
Expensive
Mark and I both got new glasses. It had been over 4 years and ours were VERY beat up. Remember, Mark's had gotten knocked off of him by a wave in the ocean. We didn't give up looking (though it seemed near impossible they'd return to us) and, miraculously, they washed up within an hour and a half. But the shells and rocks weren't kind to them and he's been dealing with very scratched up glasses for years. The optometrist is wondering how Mark doesn't have near-constant headaches from them.
Mine had that anti-reflective coating on it for driving at night, but it didn't take in one spot or something (what a pain!) and so I've been looking through a bubble-like cloud of purple for the past couple of years. Basically, it feels like no matter how hard you try, you just can NOT clean your glasses well. Never again! New solution? Just don't drive at night.
Anyway, we've been putting off getting new glasses (obviously--it's been over 4 years) because of the expense. We've had several big expenses set us back this year (family reunion, yard and business expenses, etc.) and we kept pushing back getting glasses. We finally could stand the annoying lenses no longer.
So, we went to Sears. They were offering various packages like 2 pairs of glasses for $99. Ha. What a joke. By the time they add on all the extras that aren't included in that deal and all of the expenses that don't pertain to the glasses included in that deal and the warranty and all the fine print stuff that isn't readily shown on the poster ads and all that jazz for both of us . . . KA-CHING! $644 later, we walked out feeling a bit dazed by the total. Or maybe it was the old glass lenses. Hmph.
Musical
We have such great teens in our homeschool group and neighborhood. I love that our kids have these teens as friends and role models, too. They are amazing, GOOD kids. I love that our kids hear these beautiful 17 and 18 year old girls say, "Oh, I'm way too young to even think about dating. I have so many things I want to do in life and I'm getting ready for college." They see the boys stand up for themselves and their values, being respectful, giving service, learning new skills, having an open-minded attitude, and saying things like, "I hope they know that not all musicians do drugs, because we certainly don't. That's not something we would do." I love these kids! We invited a bunch of them over the other day to play Beatles Rock Band. It was really fun.
Beautiful
There are so many pictures I could share. Not included are many more beautiful pictures of the gardens, butterflies, and potato sack races and hula hoop competitions with friends. Click to enlarge:
Our yearly tradition of enjoying Community Days at the Hershey Gardens
(and celebrating friendship)
Expensive
Mark and I both got new glasses. It had been over 4 years and ours were VERY beat up. Remember, Mark's had gotten knocked off of him by a wave in the ocean. We didn't give up looking (though it seemed near impossible they'd return to us) and, miraculously, they washed up within an hour and a half. But the shells and rocks weren't kind to them and he's been dealing with very scratched up glasses for years. The optometrist is wondering how Mark doesn't have near-constant headaches from them.
Mine had that anti-reflective coating on it for driving at night, but it didn't take in one spot or something (what a pain!) and so I've been looking through a bubble-like cloud of purple for the past couple of years. Basically, it feels like no matter how hard you try, you just can NOT clean your glasses well. Never again! New solution? Just don't drive at night.
Anyway, we've been putting off getting new glasses (obviously--it's been over 4 years) because of the expense. We've had several big expenses set us back this year (family reunion, yard and business expenses, etc.) and we kept pushing back getting glasses. We finally could stand the annoying lenses no longer.
So, we went to Sears. They were offering various packages like 2 pairs of glasses for $99. Ha. What a joke. By the time they add on all the extras that aren't included in that deal and all of the expenses that don't pertain to the glasses included in that deal and the warranty and all the fine print stuff that isn't readily shown on the poster ads and all that jazz for both of us . . . KA-CHING! $644 later, we walked out feeling a bit dazed by the total. Or maybe it was the old glass lenses. Hmph.
Musical
We have such great teens in our homeschool group and neighborhood. I love that our kids have these teens as friends and role models, too. They are amazing, GOOD kids. I love that our kids hear these beautiful 17 and 18 year old girls say, "Oh, I'm way too young to even think about dating. I have so many things I want to do in life and I'm getting ready for college." They see the boys stand up for themselves and their values, being respectful, giving service, learning new skills, having an open-minded attitude, and saying things like, "I hope they know that not all musicians do drugs, because we certainly don't. That's not something we would do." I love these kids! We invited a bunch of them over the other day to play Beatles Rock Band. It was really fun.
Here are a few pictures from our Rock Band Teen Party
Discouraging
Yesterday, we pulled up our student loan information because we've been paying them down for almost 3 years and were excited to see what kind of a dent we've put in the overall total. Turns out? Not much of a dent. It was terribly deflating to see what little impact our monthly payments have made in all this time. Sometimes it seems like it will take forever to pay them off.
That said, we are still grateful for our education and skills and so so grateful for the path it's put us on. We love owning our own business and couldn't be happier with our clinic. We're thrilled to have the ability to do what we do. We wouldn't trade it. We ask ourselves now and then if we'd ever trade it for a "normal" 9-5 work-for-someone-else scenario and the answer is a categorical no. We're happy. Not bad to go from "discouraging" to "happy" in one section, eh?
Yesterday, we pulled up our student loan information because we've been paying them down for almost 3 years and were excited to see what kind of a dent we've put in the overall total. Turns out? Not much of a dent. It was terribly deflating to see what little impact our monthly payments have made in all this time. Sometimes it seems like it will take forever to pay them off.
That said, we are still grateful for our education and skills and so so grateful for the path it's put us on. We love owning our own business and couldn't be happier with our clinic. We're thrilled to have the ability to do what we do. We wouldn't trade it. We ask ourselves now and then if we'd ever trade it for a "normal" 9-5 work-for-someone-else scenario and the answer is a categorical no. We're happy. Not bad to go from "discouraging" to "happy" in one section, eh?
Action-Packed
We attended a party with some friends of ours who take Tae Kwan Do and both kids broke boards!
Tae Kwan Do!More to come. I've already started the next installment of "Life can be" to catch up on some of what we've been doing . . .
