Surprise Delivery

This morning we had a usual Thursday school day despite a yardsale going on at their house.  I was surprised to see their vehicles parked in front of our house and lots of other vehicles in front of theirs when I looked out this morning.  They decided to take advantage of a sunny weather prediction for today and tomorrow and have a couple of days of yard sale at the end of this week and then have another couple of days of yardsale next weekend, too.  They stayed pretty busy most of the day...at least when I looked out!

Isaac had his long time and he and I continued to sort and take apart K'nex.  What a job.  We are nearing getting them all apart and back in their designated boxes once again.

I ate a quick lunch after school and then got ready to head to the church library.  While I was getting ready, I got a call from our kitchen contractor's assistant saying that she was heading to the cabinet making shop to pick up a board with the stain on it that I had chosen and going to bring it by for my approval.  I wasn't expecting that.  I do like the color that our cabinets will be and gave them the thumbs up.  Maybe things are really getting underway!

Woody and I headed off at the same time this afternoon.  He went to the pharmacy to pick up a couple of prescriptions and I headed to the library at church.  Donna and I did maintenance and then worked on choosing some books for our next book order.  Buying books is the best think about being a librarian...I think!

Woody managed to get the lawnmower cranked up for it's one time of running today.  He also worked on getting a hanging basket ready for me to fix it up with a new liner and new plants.  It was another nice day.  We did get a few sprinkles this afternoon and a few claps of thunder, but not enough to affect the ball games.

Joy and Esther both played this evening.  Joy's team lost and Esther's team won.  Both were good games.  Joy got to pitch again.  On Tuesday, Joy "took one...well, two for her team.  She pitched and ran in to cover home plate and collided with the runner and skinned up her elbow.  She finished out the inning and then was first up to bat and she got hit with a pitched ball.  She was a bit sore yesterday after all that!  She did a great job pitching that night, too...only two scored off her in the inning that she pitched.  The final score that night was 12-12 and they didn't play to break the tie.  Tonight Joy got a great base hit in her first at bat.  Her team was hitting, but unfortunately the first pitcher for Joy's team was into hitting the batters so they got runs from stealing bases and being hit by balls!  Esther also got a good base hit tonight and scored the first run for her team.

We are home from the game and settled in for the rest of the evening.  I'm going to look at my piece of stained wood again and then read.  Woody is reading and has the TV going.  Typical evening with two ball games thrown in!

Wet Wednesday

The day started out sunny, but before the morning was over showers had moved in.  I didn't realize it was raining because I had been reading with the children.  I just noticed that it kept getting darker in the living room where we were reading.  When Joy headed home I realized that it was raining.  Esther, Isaac, and Joseph joined Elijah for his long time.  It was time to sort the K'nex and take them apart once again.  We have lots of K'nex which is a good thing when it comes to being able to build more than just a couple of things before you run out...but is also a bad thing when you just keep building and building and building because you can without taking things apart...because it is a rough go when it comes to having to take apart so many things at one time!  The four kids and I went at in a big way and we got quite a bit done, but not totally organized yet, nor totally taken apart yet.  My fingers get sore taking things apart and it is a good way to break nails!  The school year is coming to an end (next week is last week) and I want them undone and organized so they can have fun with them this summer if they feel like building with them.  I also want them contained when I need more space for stacking up kitchen things as I have started putting some things in the living room.

Woody headed out before school was over this morning to go to his Oncology appointment for his anemia and B-12 shots.  He also saw the doctor today and the doc was quite pleased that Woody's anemia numbers are going up (a good thing).  The doc thought it was because of the shots and Woody is crediting it to the fact that he is back to eating more meat.  I have a feeling that it is a combination of the two.  After his appointment, Woody ran an errand for me and bought some fresh corn and apples and blueberries (staples for him...that fit into his kidney strict diet).

I spent time making more decisions about the kitchen this afternoon.  I had researched range hoods and decided to go with a different one than I had chosen at first.  So called the appliance salesman this afternoon to change that on my list of appliances. And, I also got an answer back from the contractor about the shelving in my lower cabinets...which meant making a change in what he had planned...but nothing that will set the project back.  He had regular shelves in the few lower cabinets that I will have, but I wanted pull-out drawers in the cabinets.  We just don't need to be down on our hands and knees getting to the back of our cabinets like we have to presently.  Lately when I get down on my hands and knees to get something off the lower shelves, I keep thinking to myself that I will be so glad when the shelves pull out.  So I'm glad that I realized that those in the plans weren't pull-out and that we have rectified that.  I "think" that is the final change!  All this is starting to wear on me.  I just want to get it started so it can get completed!

Busy Continues

Here's a picture of Nathan and Kathy and family taken on Mother's Day.  

We are about to head off to the ball park.  Both Joy and Esther have games tonight at the same time.  Their fields are close to each other so we can go back and forth between the two games.  I decided to go on and blog before going.

Woody managed to get the lawnmower going to mow as much as the mower will allow for one day.  I had school.  Today was Esther's long time.  She painted and while she painted I looked through a few other tubs...at least I didn't find anything broken today.

I got back the prints for the kitchen after the remeasuring took place last week. I have sent them back
approved with one question asked.  I'm ready...hope that they are too!

After lunch, Woody and I went plant shopping...hoping to find some after-Mother's Day bargains.  Those bargains didn't seem to be out there yet.  We did find to plants that we rescued from the back of Lowe's that were bargains.  And, found a couple of others that we got.

I cooked a rack of ribs for supper tonight.  I made them with a rub of many herbs and spices so that Woody could have them since they are salt free.  They really did taste good!

Monday...Again!

Tonight's photo is one of the roses on my rose bush.  I thought it appropriate to post it tonight as it is the rose bush that friends gave me after Mother died.  I always think that it is neat that it blooms every year around Mother's Day.

We had a fairly quiet day yesterday.  Melany and Erin paid us a visit a few weeks back and we celebrated several things late and several things early...one of them being Mother's Day.  Nathan and family had a graduation party for the daughter of one of Nathan's friend's from grammar school days. The whole crew came over after they got home and brought me a gift.

Today we were back to a school routine...closing in on the end of the school year...only this week and next and it will be summer vacation!  Joseph has been working on a big workbook of mazes, number do't-to-dots and ABC dot-to-dots.  Today he finished it.  Good job, Joseph...274 pages of puzzles!

Joy had her long time today.  She painted.  While she painted I went through some more things looking for  items to donate to the neighbor's (Nathan and Kathy's) yard sale.  I had a bell that I wanted to put in the yard sale, but when I found it, it was broken...and it was a thin glass bell...so a bit of a mess of little pieces of glass in the bin it had been stored in.  I got that thrown away and then did find a few other things to donate...so all was not lost getting into that bin!  

Woody got the lawnmower going this morning and mowed his daily small portion of the yard.  He also planted some cherry tomato plants that I had started in my hydroponic grow light inside "garden."  He took his friend to an appointment and also visited with a couple of friends who are sick and/or recovering from surgery.  He even volunteered to vacuum the family room when I ran short of time prior to school this morning.  Not a task that he had done much since his surgery!  This evening he is at the Furnace Room Prayer meeting at church.  He has had a busy running around day.  I have just had a busy day at home!

Saturday

It has just been "one of those days!"  We have stayed quite busy.  Woody did manage to get in a time to go to the library...his Saturday norm.  I thought that I would get up and do some cleaning before starting to work on the veggie trays.  Got the cleaning started, but after several interruptions, I put the cleaning off till this evening and got busy with the veggie trays.  They both turned out looking good enough to eat...hope that the recipients felt the same way about them!  Several friends dropped off the food for our friend and family's "after the funeral" meal.  A little before 2pm Woody and I headed off to the church to pick up the rest of the food for the meal.  We then went to our friend's parent's house and delivered the food and attempted to get it set up cold food in the fridge and hot food in the oven.  That accomplished we headed back into town.  We decided to stop at our house and retrieve an umbrella as it was threatening rain.  I grabbed the umbrella and then we headed to the funeral home.  We got there at the end of the visitation time, spoke to family members, and then went in for the funeral.  Our Sunday School class is so good about providing food for families when the need arises.  I am so blessed to be a part of such a great group.  We truly look out for each other like we would for a family member.  We are there for each other through thick and thin!

Now I'd better go finish the Sunday School lesson so I don't let these special friends down in the morning!  I'm sure that Woody has had his lesson for his boys prepared for days now!  I did get my kitchen floor mopped just before I came up to blog...so that cleaning goal got met for the day along with cleaning the downstairs bathroom.  That's it for me for tonight...except for sitting here in my chair and finishing the lesson!

An On-The-Go Friday

Can you find two horses in this photo?  You might have to click on the picture and make it bigger.  They're not real obvious...yet framed...there's your hint!

I got up this morning and fixed our breakfast.  I went with Woody to do our weekly shopping this morning.  Woody did our shopping and I shopped for the meal that our Sunday School class is doing for a member of our class and her family for after her mother's funeral tomorrow.  Several in the class gave money for the meal and I did the shopping.  This afternoon I have been gathering food items together so Woody and I can deliver the meal tomorrow afternoon. I cut up veggies for a veggie tray, etc.  I think all is gathered either in a laundry basket (non perishables) and the perishables are gathered in the refrigerator.  All I have left to do is assemble the veggie tray and then pick up other's food at the church tomorrow afternoon and then deliver the meal.

Woody did our shopping with me and then brought me home and he headed off to pick up his friend to take him to do his shopping.  When in "resting mode" I worked on Sunday's Sunday School lesson. Still have more work to do on it.  I also dozed off one time when I was in "resting mode" which wasn't my intention!  Isaac came over to do his long time with me that he missed yesterday so I attempted to come back to life.  He just wanted to start reading another of Thornton Burgess' books.  These are books that I remember my mother reading to me when I was his age.  I enjoy reading them again with the grandchildren.  One day years ago I found quite a number of them at Walmart for 50¢ apiece.  I have read them with several of the grandchildren.  So they were worth the price! I walked a couple of things over to the neighbor's house for their yardsale that got moved off till Memorial Day since this weekend's weather was so iffy.  This way I can continue to gather more things to add for hopefully someone else to discover as a treasure.

I'd better get back to the kitchen...not finished there yet.  Need to freeze broth and finish cleaning up the mess that I have left down there. Then it is sitting time in my recliner, I guess working on the Sunday School lesson if I can keep my eyes open!

Different Thursday

I got up early and got underway with cooking.  And, cooked until it was lunch time.  I made the recipe that w have been using for years to make pulled pork.  It takes a bit of effort, but we think that it is worth when the cooking time is finished.  I made a double recipe as I am taking part to a friend and her family and we will have some too.  It takes a lot of skimming of fat and a long cooking time, but definitely the end product is worth it!

When I was just about finished, I got a tornado warning on my phone.  Woody had the TV on and was watching the paths of the storms.  The warnings that I had gotten were for three counties...two that just about touch where we live.  Kathy and Nathan and family came over since our bathroom safe place is larger than their pantry safe place.  I'm glad that we didn't have to all pile in since I think that we would have been packed in like sardines!  After it was evident that the storm wasn't heading our way, Nathan and Kathy left to go to a meeting and Woody left to go for his bloodwork appointment at his nephrologist's.  He was back home an hour later.  The kids stayed at our house and filtered back home one or two at a time after their folks got back.  All kinds of activities were going on...some were doing school, some were just hanging out...some ended up doing art work...some played with Osmo...some got their screens once they were through with school work.  I just let them do their thing as I cleaned up my messy kitchen.

There are times that I wish that I was cooking in my new kitchen and then times like today that I would have liked to be in the new kitchen, but was sort of glad that I wasn't as this recipe does create a mess.  Woody and I both attacked it and it is looking more back to normal.  The kitties wede happy with my cooking.  I took out a little treat for both of them from some of the scraps that I pulled off that weren't desirous to stay in the pulled pork!  But they were desirous to the cats!

No yardwork for Woody today...it started raining sooner than we expected and when it did stop, it was very wet.  We mainly got rain and not a lot of wind like was predicted.  And, our one warning didn't pan out...thankfully.  Our town's warning system never went off...just our phones.

We are both settled in for another quiet evening.  I keep thinking that it is Friday night since we didn't have school today. My students went to a prayer breakfast at church this morning.  Which did help me as I really did need a good length of time to cook and it was better for me to cook early in the day before I was worn out from daily activities!  And, I still got to spend time with the grandchildren...this time all seven were over here.  Most of the time we don't get graced with the presence of the two high school grandchildren!