The Jungle Book

Apparently I really need to keep my camera battery charged, we went to Emily first school play. She had been rehearsing for months for this! She and 14 other girls played the role of the snake.

The mic situation was a challenge, and following the story line was tricky as several scenes had been edited out. But Emily had a blast, and I was proud of her hard work. Also, thrilled rehearsals are finally over!

We sat the the back because our prepurchased tickets had been purchased too late to see anything. Hopefully next years play will be even better.

4 weeks to go!

These are so much cooler than when I was a kid!! Not only that, we have a waterproof cast!

Bob the Builder

Josh asked to go to bob the builder today. There is an exhibit at our air and space museum filled with fun construction gadgets,vehicles, homes, gardens, blocks, and tools! This place is truly paradise if you are three years old!

As soon as he found a construction helmet to wear he announced he was Bob and I was Wendy!

Health Updates

Well, it looks like we are trying to keep things exciting this month.  My back is doing much better.  I think the shot was a total success.  I have not had any pain in my leg or back since the shot, and I have been able to move freely and sleep however I want.  I also was able to get a bit more cleaning done, and I think I should be able to start doing a bit of exercising next week.  Just treadmill for now, no kickboxing or Zumba until I get the OK from the dr and PT staff.

So that was the good news...The not so good news is that we think Sydney has a small fracture in her elbow.  She started gymnastics this fall and Wednesday she fell from the beam.  She didn't seem too badly hurt at the time, no obvious swelling or bruises, but she has kept favoring the arm.  We took her to the dr, I hoped for a pat on the head and being told she was fine, but she got a sling, braces, and x-rays.  They did not see anything huge, but we have been told to keep her in the sling over the weekend, and head back in to Ortho on Monday since they saw what looks like a small fracture in her elbow area.  What my friend the ER dr told me is that she will be getting a full arm cast as a result just to be on the safe side.  Sigh.  Hopefully we can get her a hot pink one.  But I do wish I had gotten our holiday pictures done earlier.  maybe we can fit them in today before the cast!!

T-Ball

Apparently my little guy is quite the sports nut. I knew he loved things that rolled and balls of all kinds, but I had no clue he might also be good at them, say better than the average 3 year old. (I may be biased though) I'm not excited about becoming a sports mom, we have avoided at Little League after it flopped with the girls, and three seemed young to start sports teams with Josh. I'm willing to reconsider if he loves it that much! But still, baseball bores me to tears.

Here is Josh playing ball in the backyard and doing a good job too, he was with a friend this afternoon while I got my shot for my back and she took him out to play t-ball. She was impressed he could hit balls thrown to him not just on the tee. I got out Sydneys old t-ball gear, yes it's pink, and we have had fun lining up potential objects to smash. It also gives him a chance to practice counting.

Oh and we are pretty sure he is a lefty.

Karls job search

Karl has been trying to figure out what he wants to be when he grows up for the last few years. Today he mentioned he might like to be a vet. After I stopped laughing I mentioned normally vets love being with animals and don't have allergies. But he gamely attempted to convince me it could still work- he could wear long sleeves and avoid getting hives from exposure to dog fur.

Tonight - maybe 2 hours later- when our sweet and ancient cat mowed annoyingly and repeatedly about her dinner, he discovered that no, in fact, veterinary medicine was just not the career for him. Perhaps when she stops licking the cat food off her nose, he claims to just be helping her find the dinner he served her sixty minutes previously in her presence, she can give a cat shout out to cats everywhere and let them know they are safe. I think maybe she has kitty Alzheimer's.

Only 1 million more jobs to try out.

Back update

So, for those of you who don't know, I have a herniated disc in my back. It has caused numbness and pain down the left leg. It has caused some problems for me over the last few weeks. I went to the doctor yesterday and I have a epidural steroid injection scheduled for next Wednesday. They also only do shots wednesdays. I wish it was today, but I apparently can't take alleve for 5 days before the shot. Apparently it thins the blood and can cause problems. I wish they told me that fact 5 days ago!!

Happy Harvest!!

I taught a preschool lesson on harvesting today and happily that meant I could use my 3 little students to help me dig in the dirt for some sweet potatoes.

First let me say, I am not an avid gardener. I do it badly and only because I feel I "should" garden.
Happily the sweet potatoes were one of the few things I did not kill. They have been growing for months and I was able to pull up about 2 dozen of various shapes and sizes.

We brought a few inside and cooked up 1 for snack time. The 2 other boys happily ate theirs but Josh ran away and would not eat anything. So typical!!

Preschool

I have been doing a cooperative preschool with friends this year for Josh and November has been my Month to teach. Luckily there are only 3 little boys who get along fairly well! We usually end each preschool day with a romp in the backyard. It has really been fun watching josh and his friends learn letters and numbers!




Today we were going to make a handprint turkey, but that evolved into full on finger painting!



I think the plate was as fun to cover as the paper!



And then the usually digging for treasure!

School is Back

The girls went off to school this morning!! The house is so quiet without them. Josh may even take a nap on occasion now, who knows!



I didn't take any pictures but this one on my phone so I'll need to get them from my camera. They were nervous and excited. Their backpacks were so heavy though!

I'm glad we went to orientation on Friday. I have heard mixed things about Emily's teacher from other parents and I was apprehensive. Meeting her in person and sharing my concerns for Emily helped allay my fears. I hope that this year will go smoothly for her. She will be in Talented Music and Art this yet which should be a wonderful opportunity.

Sydney will be in the gifted program this year. So proud of her:). She did not get to meet her teacher Friday. She was out sick. That was very disappointing. We found the room and met the teachers aide, who let us know there would be a make up meet the teacher day for us. But Sydney was disappointed. Her teacher is rumored to be great though.

Here's to a wonderful new year!

More organizing mania

In a final get ready for school push my good friend and I tackled Josh's room. I will be doing preschool with 2 friends and needed the room to have a little more space to play if we use his room during preschool. I also needed to get the baby toys he doesn't use out if his bins, and get the too small clothes out of the closet.

We said goodbye to our pink dollhouse as well which was harder than I thought it would be. Josh had it since he liked to play with it when it was in the room with Emily and Sydney, but he didn't play with it in his room. His kitchen however gets tons of playtime!

I was thrilled to find he pulling out books to read now that the bookcase is more accessible and more willing to out his toys away in the bins. Now we just


need to maintain the order!

We also removed the changing table. He isn't potty trained, but he is so big it is not often used for diaper changes. So the floor will work for us from now on!

And most importantly to Josh, there is room for his train track!

Rocky and Bullwinkle

About a month ago Karl lost his marbles, I mean fell in love with 2 little sugar gliders and brought home the newest additions to the family. (Apparently my fault too since I did not stop him.) They are about 3 months old now and are bonding with us fairly well. They have not activated any prey urges in the cats or the dog which seems miraculous to me, but according to some websites they will bond with animals as well as people. Sadly they are illegal in some states. We are enjoying working with them each night to get them used to us and tamer. Rocky does not bite us as much anymore. She likes to taste her environment though. Bullwinkle is sweet and mellow. He will curl up and snooze anytime. He is the ultimate couch potato. Karl loves to carry them around in his shirt or pants pockets. Or the back or his polo shirt.





Rocky is really curious and will jump on all sorts of things to explore the house.












More fun pictures to come!

Sugar gliders are marsupials. They are Australian. They don't need to be feed insects. They are messy eaters, and fairly playful. They live 12-15 years. They are nocturnal.

Blissful neglect

There was so much stuff I should do, but during the storm I started this fun sewing project and had to finish it off today. I love how it turned out!


Yes I am a grownup playing with dolls. So what. I wanted her for about 25 years. I figure after all this time, I still want her, it is Not a phase! I love my dolls! I have Felicity on the left wearing her authentic colonial outfit, (gown, petticoat, and mob cap) and Samantha on the right shooting forward a century from her timeline to wear modern clothing. (Her hoodie/jacket was designed by me based on an actual jacket for kids:))

My favorite part is probably sewing tiny historical clothing. Did you know they did not use pockets sewed into gowns in the 1770's? They had a pouch/pocket tied to their waist and a slit in the side of the petticoat to access it under the gown. And don't get me started on historical underwear!! So interesting!!! The ruffles on her gown would have been from her shift and not necessarily from her gown. Who knew!! These are part of the gown though.



Emily says that since I have two dolls she and Sydney should have 2 as well.

We have power!!!!

Air conditioning and laundry!! I love you electricity!!!

We did not buy an ac unit, but I am sure the extra fans will be handy next time. It is great to know we know how to use a generator though.

Air conditioner

Apparently these are seasonal items. None available in town. We got a Dehumidifier and fans instead.

Day 3 hurricane update

We are still without air conditioning and power. Karl managed to get our generator plugged into the house so we could have lights and ceiling fans. We are cooking on the grill and hanging out at home, but we miss our comforts in life!! We are so grateful for our water pressure though. We still have easy access to clean water! Karl is off to return a bunch of hurricane prep stuff we did not use and get a window unit ac instead. With that, we will be sitting pretty!

Today we expect rain and thunderstorms so that will probably slow down workers getting power restored.
In the meantime, we are enjoying family time and getting creative for entertainment options.

Post hurricane

We made it through the night safely. The roof lost a few shingles, and the siding stayed in place. Our candles, lanterns and oil lamp were wonderful. Karl got the generator safely going around 8pm, and the fridge and freezer are fine so far. We also ran in a cord to charge phones and kids electronics as needed.
So now we will wait to see when electricity returns. The morning is absolutely lovely!! Sunny and breezy! We will open up the windows and enjoy some air!
Our worst damage came from our leaky window- new window mind you, which let about 8 gallons of water in. We are more concerned about damage to the wall, baseboard, and trim in the area.

Hurricane

So a hurricane is coming my way, and all the other times one has neared us we got a bad rain storm, but not massive issues. I think that will not be case this time. Landfall is expected in Virginia beach. That is not too far away from our house. We are doing all we can to prepare for the upcoming situation. We are headed to walmart one more time today to get some more things like candles and masking tape. I'm also making a huge pot of chili to have hopefully canned by this afternoon in case we need it. We will keep you all informed as best we can.

Spray paint remodel

I am sure this the improper way to go about this, but I got it done in a day!!

So my scuffed up mixer bothers me, but it works so I can't justify a new one. I have always wanted a red one, and happened to have a can of paint left over from another project. I decided to give it a whirl. I cleaned it and decreased it, and disassembled what I could. Then I taped up all the metal bits. I gave it a first coat, rubbed it down with steel wool and gave it a second. I assembled it a few hours later! Yahoo! Love the new look!!


Before



After


It Is not perfect, but it is a step up!!

Tae Kwon Do testing

Emily did an awesome job on her latest belt promotion! She is now a red stripe belt.( blue with red stripe running through it)






I of course forgot my good camera on test night!

Toothless and currently braces free

Sydney had an orthodontist appointment on Wednesday to evaluate her mouth. The dr rattled off so many terms to his secretary lady! We are still in a wait and see pattern with her and will return in 9 months. Her mission is too wiggle out her other 4 loose front teeth ASAP!

Mighty turtle defense unit

Lately we have had a lot of problems with Baxter barking his little head off at strange clumps of grass at odd hours of the night or day. When I went to investigate I discovered he is merely saving the household from scary attack turtles passing through the yard.

This morning we had one in the garden.


The turtle was not keen on being photographed. I'd swear it is the same one, but I can't be too sure.

I slipped him through the fence and he took off towards the marsh near the house.





Baxter is remaining vigilant on his patrols of the yard.

Potty training

So far so good with Josh! We have had 3 successful appointments with the potty chair in the last 2 days. Yahoo!

But he does not like his Thomas undies anymore. Sigh. He wants to wear jammies instead of a diaper. Whatever will get is there works for me!

Girls scouts

Last week was the end of the year ceremony for my little daisy and brownie scouts. They had such a good year, we will be repeating the fun next year. And I will be an assistant leader for Juniors. Sigh, wish me luck!!

Anyone know where to get magic patch? I have about 20 new patches to apply to their stuff!


See the paws?? She prances all the time, and going to the bridge ceremony was no
different.


New brownie/daisy patches


New junior patches


E- post bridge, now a junior:))


With her best friend.



With her sister



S is holding treats, and E wants them!

Busted yet again

The other day I heard a beeping noise coming from my fridge. Knowing that meant that Josh and the little boy I babysitt had opened it, I went to investigate. I found them busily tossing eggs on the deck. Thankfully it was outside, and the dog helped by eating much of the mess! At least it was not another 5 spice jars all over the house.

Basic understand

I asked Emily to pick something up off the floor Saturday. She picked it up and I left the room. A few minutes later, I came back and saw the item was now on the counter. Since it was her's I called her over to explain that I wanted her to not only pick it up, but take action and do whatever was necessary, whether that was to throw it away, or to put it away.
She looked mystified at this concept.

Apparently in her very literal mindset, that concept had not connected. While it was a shock to me at first, it made me chuckle later on.

Too Darn Hot!

Emily came home from school with an unusual report from the school nurse. Any visit to the nurse means a copy of the visit is sent home. Emily complained of pain and redness on her bottom. The poor girl had gone down the slide in a skirt, which would be fine except it slid up, and she got a wedgie, and then a burn. Welcome to summer!!
Needless to say, we are not photographing this.

Salt shaker

Yesterday Sydney sweetly helped fill my salt mill as a surprise for me. It had been empty for awhile and she wanted to help. She went with table salt instead of the normal sea salt chunks. When I went to pick it up and pit it away, all the salt came falling out.

Samantha cleaned up at last!

After about three weeks of waiting for the cleaner to work, she is finally restored to glory! Her hair is curled and shiny, her limbs are clean, and she has a lovely new outfit to wear complete with new underthings.

The girls are excited to play this weekend! Laugh if you must, but my inner child is delighted!!

Egg factory

The girl scout troop meets at a local methodist church. The church is doing an annual fundraiser this month and the girls got a tour and a chance to make eggs yesterday. It smells so good when you walk in the door! Yum! They loved making the eggs and were thrilled they got to take samples home. Sadly they did not get all flavors, so I ended up ordering a box. Yummy!!

Samantha doll at last

I have wanted an American girl doll got years! A few years ago the girls got them for Christmas, and I tried convince Karl that 3 would be better than just 2! Sadly he did not agree. Nor did he go for it for the next 4 birthdays and christmases. Sigh. So a few weeks ago I started stalking Samantha in eBay. And I got a used doll!! She arrived yesterday in really good condition. She had dry hair, and a few stains. The biggest issue was her loose legs though. Fortunately I had already learned what to do on YouTube. I washed her hair, then took her apart!! I fixed the loose legs easily and I'm working on a downy dunk to condition her hair as well as a special stain treatment on her fingers. After that I expect she will be like new. The girls hope to play with me and my doll tomorrow. Now she just needs some clothing!! Time to hit the sewing machine!

We had a quick fashion history lesson on Sunday which bored Emily silly, but Sydney patiently listened. Then I brought home a book from the library about the history of underwear and they enjoyed that. She does not get my fascination with "old" things, but will deal as best she can.






Downy dunk






Bangs trimmed a tiny bit to fix stragglers




Body soaking in the sun to help with stain removal. Towel covers the non stained bits to protect the vinyl.



Fingers were the worst offenders! Ink on the hand:(