I hate the very bitter end of summer. The end of August depresses me. The fun of summer is basically over - just like my annuals. I dread the whole change in routine of school starting and sports and the last of the horse shows. But... once I get though September I seem to relax and start to enjoy fall. So in honor of my good mood (ha!) I thought I would share the ten things I love about fall.
1. Fall foliage. Nature's own art show. Every mid-October right around Morgan's birthday a neighbor's tree turns the most brilliant golden yellow. It's breathtaking when the sun hits it. I tell her it shines just for her birthday, and she smiles.
2. Apples. Just about anything about apples will do. Picking them, peeling them for pies. Yuummmm.
3. Warm days and cool nights. I don't miss the humidity of summer one bit of all - I love the clear, crisp air. It almost hurts your lungs when you run if it's cold enough out.
4. Fall camping. Some of our best camping trips have been in the fall. As a matter of fact, we are heading out tomorrow before the crack of dawn for New Hampshire!
5. Raking leaves. Yeah, it's hard work. We have almost an acre and lots of leaves. But I love making a mongo leaf pile for the kids to swing into on a rope swing.
6. Football. Dylan's doing really well this year, so the games are so much fun to watch!
7. Hot chocolate. Nothing hits the spot at a chilly football game like a Styrofoam cup o' hot chocolate.
8. Boots! Don't get me wrong, I love my flip flops in the summer. Probably have too many of them. I love my boots equally as much. I know fall is here when I can throw on my barn boots and jeans and not have hot miserable feet.
9. Soups. Just made my first batch of beef barley soup in honor of the cooler weather, and our camping trip.
10. Fall decorating. Not with store bought stuff, but the stuff that nature provides. Red berries like rose hips. Bittersweet vines wrapped around things. Ahhh... Earthy colors are my favorite, and fall is all about brilliant, earthy colors!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Friday Five
I think I like the idea of a Friday Five better than a Tuesday Ten. Why? Because it takes about half the time! Which is just about what I seem to have these days - half the time. So... Why am I so busy?
1. Work. I guess the day goes by really fast when you are busy. But lately it has seemed like my to-do list is longer than my days at work. Having said that, I really shouldn't complain. I make a nearly full time salary in 3 days a week.
2. Exercise. It's my "me" time. It's how I de-stress. And, honestly, I'd freak out right now if I was jiggly and wiggly and waddly along with being stressed.
3. Kids. Okay - to be more specific, their activities. Foot ball practice, foot ball games, lessons at the barn, 4-H nights. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade giggling with Morgan and her friend at 9:30 at night on the way home from the barn over Morgan's froggy mating call (it really was that funny). But jeesh, the activities just suck up so much time!
4. House stuff. We've scaled back the number of projects going on because the house is for sale, but right now I'm having a blast fitting rocks together "just-so" for the fireplace. It's actually mentally soothing to be focused on fitting shapes together.
5. Internet. The biggest black-hole time sucker. I probably could have had a basket of laundry folded, but here I am - at the 'puter with a glass of milk, slice of apple pie (thanks Bonnie for the suggestion!) and some down time.
1. Work. I guess the day goes by really fast when you are busy. But lately it has seemed like my to-do list is longer than my days at work. Having said that, I really shouldn't complain. I make a nearly full time salary in 3 days a week.
2. Exercise. It's my "me" time. It's how I de-stress. And, honestly, I'd freak out right now if I was jiggly and wiggly and waddly along with being stressed.
3. Kids. Okay - to be more specific, their activities. Foot ball practice, foot ball games, lessons at the barn, 4-H nights. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade giggling with Morgan and her friend at 9:30 at night on the way home from the barn over Morgan's froggy mating call (it really was that funny). But jeesh, the activities just suck up so much time!
4. House stuff. We've scaled back the number of projects going on because the house is for sale, but right now I'm having a blast fitting rocks together "just-so" for the fireplace. It's actually mentally soothing to be focused on fitting shapes together.
5. Internet. The biggest black-hole time sucker. I probably could have had a basket of laundry folded, but here I am - at the 'puter with a glass of milk, slice of apple pie (thanks Bonnie for the suggestion!) and some down time.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Today, I....
Drove the kids to school.
Went to extreme fitness class at the gym.
Went to Kristen's house to plan her pond.
Ran errands, including food shopping.
Picked up Dylan at school who wasn't feeling well (probably more of a hookey day with Mom).
Stopped at the barber because Dylan has school pix tomorrow and hey - why do things in advance when you can save them for last minute? Curse when I discover barber is closed. I REALLY wanted a flat top for his pix.
Went home and BBQ'd chicken and sausage. Which turned into a monster grease fire in the grill. That wasn't going out when the burners were turned off. Like serious flames higher than the grill top. I called the resident fireman at work, who first made me shut the propane off. Yeah, that was on my mind but wasn't sure how to do that and not get BBQ'd myself. Plus I was worried about the tank becoming a bomb. 4 minutes with the garden hose on spray (and watching the flames leap out the utensil drawer) worked. The ONLY good thing about this story is that I didn't have to call the fire department. 'Cuz they would NEVER let Mike live THAT one down.
Took a big sigh and looked at the clock. Grabbed the buzzers and whipped Dylan outside. I cut his hair ALL the time. So why should this be any different? Because school pictures are tomorrow, that's why. Buzzed the side of his head with a long #1. Grabbed the #2 for the top and it was giving me a hard time. The 4th pass it sounded really different - and then I realized the #2 fell off and Dylan had a nice chunk of nearly bald head RIGHT ON THE TOP FRONT OF HIS HEAD. SHIT. Start to cry. And realize that haircutting right after firefighting probably isn't the wisest of choices. Change buzzer to a short #1 and whack the hell out of what's left of Dylan's beautiful strawberry blond hair. At least they have re-takes in November. It should be back by then, right? Did I mention I actually cried?
Go to school, pick up Morgan. With Dylan. Text barn instructor and re-schedule lesson for Saturday because Mom's nerves are shot.
Hang with the kids, do homework, make apple pie with Morgan.
Dry fit a few more rocks for the fireplace and call it a night.
Went to extreme fitness class at the gym.
Went to Kristen's house to plan her pond.
Ran errands, including food shopping.
Picked up Dylan at school who wasn't feeling well (probably more of a hookey day with Mom).
Stopped at the barber because Dylan has school pix tomorrow and hey - why do things in advance when you can save them for last minute? Curse when I discover barber is closed. I REALLY wanted a flat top for his pix.
Went home and BBQ'd chicken and sausage. Which turned into a monster grease fire in the grill. That wasn't going out when the burners were turned off. Like serious flames higher than the grill top. I called the resident fireman at work, who first made me shut the propane off. Yeah, that was on my mind but wasn't sure how to do that and not get BBQ'd myself. Plus I was worried about the tank becoming a bomb. 4 minutes with the garden hose on spray (and watching the flames leap out the utensil drawer) worked. The ONLY good thing about this story is that I didn't have to call the fire department. 'Cuz they would NEVER let Mike live THAT one down.
Took a big sigh and looked at the clock. Grabbed the buzzers and whipped Dylan outside. I cut his hair ALL the time. So why should this be any different? Because school pictures are tomorrow, that's why. Buzzed the side of his head with a long #1. Grabbed the #2 for the top and it was giving me a hard time. The 4th pass it sounded really different - and then I realized the #2 fell off and Dylan had a nice chunk of nearly bald head RIGHT ON THE TOP FRONT OF HIS HEAD. SHIT. Start to cry. And realize that haircutting right after firefighting probably isn't the wisest of choices. Change buzzer to a short #1 and whack the hell out of what's left of Dylan's beautiful strawberry blond hair. At least they have re-takes in November. It should be back by then, right? Did I mention I actually cried?
Go to school, pick up Morgan. With Dylan. Text barn instructor and re-schedule lesson for Saturday because Mom's nerves are shot.
Hang with the kids, do homework, make apple pie with Morgan.
Dry fit a few more rocks for the fireplace and call it a night.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Fireplace progress
We made some visible progress today on our fireplace! I have a new found respect for masons... it isn't easy to get all the rocks to fit against each other and still have neat corners! We are semi-stuck on one rock, but a chisel and some more time will get us going again.
Before. It's a fireplace insert - just plain ole black metal. Blech.
Demolition and reinforcement.
Helpers! Dylan LOVED the veneer mix.
We have rocks everywhere! All over the family room floor, on the landscape trailer...
Five dollars if you can guess where we are semi-stuck. LOL!
Before. It's a fireplace insert - just plain ole black metal. Blech.
Demolition and reinforcement.
Helpers! Dylan LOVED the veneer mix.
We have rocks everywhere! All over the family room floor, on the landscape trailer...
Five dollars if you can guess where we are semi-stuck. LOL!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Blue Flag Football
Since so much of my blog entries seem to be dedicated to neigh-neighs (horses), that I thought I'd give Dyl his due. He is having an AWESOME year this year! The head of the football league was at our first game (this year we are THE team to beat!) and commented on Dylan's performance on the line. He said he needs him up in pads asap! Well, he'll be there next year.
Dylan on the line - second one in from the left.
It's worth double-clicking on the picture below to enlarge it and check out Dylan's face. He's so intense!
From practice the other night.
Dylan on the line - second one in from the left.
It's worth double-clicking on the picture below to enlarge it and check out Dylan's face. He's so intense!
From practice the other night.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tuesday Ten
The last few days have been a bit rough. Nothing like run over by a truck rough, but just blah. So, in a giant effort to cheer me up, I thought I would think of 10 things that make me happy.
1. Looking at old pictures. No one takes a picture of you sitting on the couch looking like you lost your best friend. They take pictures of happy moments like vacations and birthdays and other celebrations, or of pretty things. I love to look through my pictures.
2. Flowers. I'm a sap, nothing makes me happier than my husband or kids walking through the door with flowers. The husbands usually come from a flower shop. The kids usually come from my gardens in the yard. Both make me happy!
3. Exercise. Nothing takes the edge off like a good old run. Or wicked hard class at the gym. Which I have tomorrow at 9:30. I plan to "have at it".
4. Spending time with my kids. Tonight we whipped through homework and dinner, took the dog to the middle school near our house and just walked. We watched the older kids practice football. Dylan and I shot a few hoops... Morgan and I jumped curbs with Diesel. Good stuff.
5. A Clean House. I know it takes a lot of work on my part, but coming home to a clean and uncluttered house is... zen-like.
6. Talking to my mom on the phone. It's not as good as dropping by for a cup of tea, but since she lives about 500 miles away, a good chat on the phone works wonders. We usually end up giggling over something stupid like farts.
7. Talking to my sister on the phone. Gosh, I have no idea how many miles it is from NJ to Denver since I haven't driven it. She has, and may have an answer. And since my bank account really doesn't want me to fly to Denver for a cup of tea, we talk too. It's great to talk about the kids and husbands and just STUFF. I can't wait to see her in person in a few weeks!!!
8. Vacations. I might bitch and moan and groan about all the prep work, but the minute we hitch up the truck and hit the road I start knitting. And as the knitting turns into something and the miles go by, everything seems to just start to unwind and relax. We're heading to the Fryeburg (Maine) fair in a few weeks. Yeah!!!
9. The barn. Oh my, how is that so far down on my list? I love spending time at the barn. We recently came back from riding and went right to a football game. Some of Morgan's friends didn't want to play with her because they said she stunk. I told her it was the BEST smell on earth. Horses, hay, grain, poop, old leather all rolled into one smell.
10. Running with Diesel. Not really the same as exercise, it's kind of my time with my bud. Morgan walks him every morning before school. Dylan lays on him like a pillow when he's watching TV. He chases bears out of our yard inbetween. My time with him is our runs. He's so beautiful and graceful to watch - and just keeps going with me. We usually average around 4 miles.
1. Looking at old pictures. No one takes a picture of you sitting on the couch looking like you lost your best friend. They take pictures of happy moments like vacations and birthdays and other celebrations, or of pretty things. I love to look through my pictures.
2. Flowers. I'm a sap, nothing makes me happier than my husband or kids walking through the door with flowers. The husbands usually come from a flower shop. The kids usually come from my gardens in the yard. Both make me happy!
3. Exercise. Nothing takes the edge off like a good old run. Or wicked hard class at the gym. Which I have tomorrow at 9:30. I plan to "have at it".
4. Spending time with my kids. Tonight we whipped through homework and dinner, took the dog to the middle school near our house and just walked. We watched the older kids practice football. Dylan and I shot a few hoops... Morgan and I jumped curbs with Diesel. Good stuff.
5. A Clean House. I know it takes a lot of work on my part, but coming home to a clean and uncluttered house is... zen-like.
6. Talking to my mom on the phone. It's not as good as dropping by for a cup of tea, but since she lives about 500 miles away, a good chat on the phone works wonders. We usually end up giggling over something stupid like farts.
7. Talking to my sister on the phone. Gosh, I have no idea how many miles it is from NJ to Denver since I haven't driven it. She has, and may have an answer. And since my bank account really doesn't want me to fly to Denver for a cup of tea, we talk too. It's great to talk about the kids and husbands and just STUFF. I can't wait to see her in person in a few weeks!!!
8. Vacations. I might bitch and moan and groan about all the prep work, but the minute we hitch up the truck and hit the road I start knitting. And as the knitting turns into something and the miles go by, everything seems to just start to unwind and relax. We're heading to the Fryeburg (Maine) fair in a few weeks. Yeah!!!
9. The barn. Oh my, how is that so far down on my list? I love spending time at the barn. We recently came back from riding and went right to a football game. Some of Morgan's friends didn't want to play with her because they said she stunk. I told her it was the BEST smell on earth. Horses, hay, grain, poop, old leather all rolled into one smell.
10. Running with Diesel. Not really the same as exercise, it's kind of my time with my bud. Morgan walks him every morning before school. Dylan lays on him like a pillow when he's watching TV. He chases bears out of our yard inbetween. My time with him is our runs. He's so beautiful and graceful to watch - and just keeps going with me. We usually average around 4 miles.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Sunday, September 7, 2008
1st day of school...
Off they go... first day of school 2008! Morgan had to "curl" her hair with french braids, and even though she was (apparently) the ONLY girl in 4th grade to wear a dress, she still loved her dress. :o)
Other things happening around our home: pumpkins!
This is a baby pumpkins - it's about the size of a small apple.
And the bigger "Big Mac" variety. I don't think I'll have any record breakers, but they certainly will be big enough to carve and put out on our front step!
Other things happening around our home: pumpkins!This is a baby pumpkins - it's about the size of a small apple.
And the bigger "Big Mac" variety. I don't think I'll have any record breakers, but they certainly will be big enough to carve and put out on our front step!
Friday, September 5, 2008
Tuesday Ten
Shhh.... it's Friday. It's the first week of school. I thought of a top ten on Wednesday, and I'm just getting around to it today. So, what are the ten things I love or hate about school starting?
1. Mooommmmm, I don't know what to do. When school starts the kids FINALLY have something to do, and it's me wondering, "what am I going to do today?".
2. Not paying for babysitting at the gym! They really did enjoy their one hour play dates with all of their gym friends, but I'm $12 a week richer now that school started. Oh wait, I have to pay for lunches. sigh.
3. Quiet time. For Mom. No Spongebob on tv (gasp). No monster trucks PS3 games (gasp). Just.... quiet. Aaaahhhhhh.
4. Foodshopping. My family finally has food in the pantry and in the fridge. I hate foodshopping, I hate shopping with the kids even more. So I really didn't go much. Believe it or not, you CAN live off Sam's Club with maybe 2 side trips to the food store over the summer!
5. Tomatoes and Pumpkins. Okay, so they only thing they really have to do with school starting is that they are ripening in the garden at the same time.
6. Homework. Now comes the I hate part. I hate homework. Adults are enouraged to disconnect after a day of work, so why do kids have to do homeowork? Reading at night I'm totally okay with. Fighting and kicking and screaming over math sheets SUCKS.
7. Crazy sports schedules. Football and horse shows and practice oh my. Eating dinner at 5pm to make the field by 5:30 isn't very fun. And then they eat again when they get home!
8. Thinking of make ahead dinners. I'm a wing-it dinner kind of girl. And with 5pm dinners that Mike needs to be able to re-heat, I actually have to plan ahead. Time to dig out the good ole crock pot!
9. School supplies. Would you believe Morgan's wicked mean teacher (who as of Monday is no longer her wicked mean teacher) told her that her 2 subject notebook wasn't big enough? Hello - I don't remember seeing a size requirement. Whatever.
10. Bad teachers. Morgan got a "yeller" for a teacher this year. After 2 days of cowering at her desk, I yanked her out of the classroom. The Principal said she's discussed this before with the teacher. HELLO? How are these people still in the classroom? Oh yeah, tenure. &%#@*&^%
1. Mooommmmm, I don't know what to do. When school starts the kids FINALLY have something to do, and it's me wondering, "what am I going to do today?".
2. Not paying for babysitting at the gym! They really did enjoy their one hour play dates with all of their gym friends, but I'm $12 a week richer now that school started. Oh wait, I have to pay for lunches. sigh.
3. Quiet time. For Mom. No Spongebob on tv (gasp). No monster trucks PS3 games (gasp). Just.... quiet. Aaaahhhhhh.
4. Foodshopping. My family finally has food in the pantry and in the fridge. I hate foodshopping, I hate shopping with the kids even more. So I really didn't go much. Believe it or not, you CAN live off Sam's Club with maybe 2 side trips to the food store over the summer!
5. Tomatoes and Pumpkins. Okay, so they only thing they really have to do with school starting is that they are ripening in the garden at the same time.
6. Homework. Now comes the I hate part. I hate homework. Adults are enouraged to disconnect after a day of work, so why do kids have to do homeowork? Reading at night I'm totally okay with. Fighting and kicking and screaming over math sheets SUCKS.
7. Crazy sports schedules. Football and horse shows and practice oh my. Eating dinner at 5pm to make the field by 5:30 isn't very fun. And then they eat again when they get home!
8. Thinking of make ahead dinners. I'm a wing-it dinner kind of girl. And with 5pm dinners that Mike needs to be able to re-heat, I actually have to plan ahead. Time to dig out the good ole crock pot!
9. School supplies. Would you believe Morgan's wicked mean teacher (who as of Monday is no longer her wicked mean teacher) told her that her 2 subject notebook wasn't big enough? Hello - I don't remember seeing a size requirement. Whatever.
10. Bad teachers. Morgan got a "yeller" for a teacher this year. After 2 days of cowering at her desk, I yanked her out of the classroom. The Principal said she's discussed this before with the teacher. HELLO? How are these people still in the classroom? Oh yeah, tenure. &%#@*&^%
Monday, September 1, 2008
Life is Good
Muddy boots = a day at the barn. I couldn't think of a better way to spend time with my princess pine. 
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