Let the flowers bloom...please

I am very happy to report my hostas are coming back out, along with my hydrangea. They are on the side of the house I am rarely on, so I've been a little afraid of looking to see how it was going over there. I was more worried about weeds. There are a few, but not to many.

Three of my azaleas are back. One was on the wrong side of my hydrangea tree last year and just didn't get enough water. I didn't realize it until it was too late. :(  But the hydrangea tree is all green again too.

I had another idea this afternoon. (Not sure where they are all coming from lately, but I'm not going to complain.) We were going out to dinner tonight and I looked at the flower bed at the outside corner of our fence and thought it would make a great bed for azaleas. I told John what I was thinking and to my amazement he quickly agreed. Yeah! So, while we were out tonight we bought two more azaleas. I am going to move the one beside the hydrangea tree and that will give us five for the bed. Not enough, but a start.

I am very sad to report my irises did not come back this year. My Dad and I were talking about them the other day, and today, and we just have no idea why they did not come back up this year. I'll have to figure something else out for that bed. :(

Some of the girls plants from last year actually survived. I'm not sure how many, I have not been out there yet, but they tell me some are popping back up. I am taking over the girls gardens. Well, not fully. But I'm going to help them redesign them.

John is taking over my vegetable garden. I'm not sure what, if anything, he is going to do with my strawberries and blueberry bush but we'll see. I am excited to see what he is planning. We have discussed it a bit, like he is taking over, but not really what he plans on doing. I'm sure it will be great whatever he does.

Gumption.

Yes, on rare occasion I do find myself with some gumption.

The back story is rather boring, but I suppose you need to hear a bit of it. You see I don't like our upper kitchen cabinets. I'm sure I have complained about them previously. They are just too tall. I have to get a step stool, just to reach the second shelf. It is a bit ridiculous! I have tried talking John into taking them down. However, his response is, "where will everything go?" Excellent question. And one I do not have an answer to, which is why they are still there.

John and I spent all last week discussing the kitchen. We talked about painting the bottom cabinets, removing the cabinets, and so many other ideas. Then there were the pots. I have not mentioned John bought me new pots in January or February. Our old ones were peeling (the non-stick) and that is just not healthy. They are a beautiful shade of blue and I love them! However, I hated where they were in my cabinet.

My pots and pans were in a pull out drawer, that was a bit too small for all of them. And trying to get one out, or in after being used, was never easy. There is always something on the counter, so I couldn't simple set one thing down to get to another. It was driving me a bit batty. John had suggested a hanging pot rack, but for me to reach that it would have to be very low. Then last Friday night, a thought occurred to me. There is a white table in our dining room (since Jesse decided she no longer wanted it in her room, a few months ago). I never did like the white table in that room, but I had no other place for it. Or did I?

I put the white table in the middle of the floor under the kitchen window. I took all the blue pots and pans, and the one red one, and placed them on the table. The table is shorter than the old microwave stand and narrower. I can still stand right in front of the lower cabinets to get things out, or in, and my pots and pans and so easy to get now.

Ahh!

I'm sure my parents will recognize the table. My Dad and I bought it years ago (I believe I was in high school). I wanted to refinish it, but never did until Jesse wanted it in her room and painted white. I think this is one of the objects I just won't be able to part with at any time. I love this table and now its purpose is clear.

Another zoo trip

Yep! We went to the zoo...again. John promised Jesse a couple of weeks ago he would take her back so they could do the new rope thing. And to try the new mini donuts. You see when we went two weeks ago it was Senior day for Ben Lippen (a local private school). We were told by someone the Seniors received coupon books and inside was one for the mini donuts. The Seniors devoured every donut in the zoo by 11am!

Monday we went back. However, Jesse decided she was not up for the rope thing just yet. I think she needs to sit with it for awhile. It is the height thing for all of us. Funny how it does not stop her from climbing the rock wall though.

Her favorite part is coming down. Wierdo!

Chloe loves the carousel. And of course she HAS to feed the giraffes.

It tickles!

We did have the mini donuts. We all agreed they were good, but so not worth five dollars. We also stayed away from the gardens this time. I didn't want to take a chance, with Jesse since she was not 100% yet.

Dad's birthday

Saturday we went to spend the weekend at my parent's home, to celebrate my Dad's birthday. We took up a cake from Tiffany's (of course!). It was perfect for Dad because it was covered in flowers. And, as usual, it was delicious.

John and I bought Dad a new magnifying bar. It is a small hand held bar that magnifies two to three lines at a time. Of course, Dad knew he was getting this one. While I was up last week, my Dad and I were talking (while at the hospital) about the book he had ordered a month ago. The book had finally arrived with the tinest print! Dad was saying he wanted a new magnifier, but not a whole sheet. When I saw the bar, I thought it would be perfect. It even lights up!!

The girls gave him a new hummingbird feeder. Not just any feeder. A feeder that sticks to the window. It even has a moat, to drown those pesky ants! He was going to put it on the kitchen window, but I suggested the living room window. I'm not sure where he wound up putting it, but I'm sure he'll enjoy it.

Happy birthday!!!

Happy birthday Dad!!! We are hoping he had a good day even though he had to spend some time at the hospital. We went up this weekend to celebrate, so I'll try to post a few pictures later.

AND happy birthday to Sonny!!! We hope he had a good birthday too. ;)

A First!

Monday morning I left my post as Mother and Homeschool Mom (and Taekwondo instructor). I left those positions for two days! Yes, I left John alone with the girls, and the dog, for two entire days. I went to Charlotte to take my Dad to his appointments Monday and Tuesday.

When I arrived home last night, everyone was still alive and the house had not been totally destroyed. However, it was noted to me that an hour-and-a-half before my arrival, the house was a disaster, "it was all hands on deck" to get it cleaned up. :)  I did notice the dishes in the sink were still wet when I came in, but I was grateful they were washed.

Of course, John had to live up to the "fun parent" persona he has created from himself. He bought them more LEGO mini figures, Chloe "glasses", Nestle cookies for lunch on Monday, pizza for dinner on Monday, electronic putt-putt all day Tuesday, and Firehouse Subs for dinner Tuesday. Truly I cannot compete with him. I also found this on the breakfast bar:

John's new deli sign

There is no competition, he wins! :)

NOTE: I added photos of the new bar stools below.

The cafeteria has reopened!

The girls were sad to lose their cafeteria when we donated our bar chairs a few months ago. John had decided they were too tall (the backs) and distracted from the kitchen...or something like that. Anyway.

John and I have been discussing what kind of stool to put there for awhile now. I knew I saw one somewhere I thought he would like, but we couldn't find it. I know IKEA used to sell one, but when we went a month ago they did not have one like we wanted. Yesterday, we set out again to look. We started at Target, of course, and found just what we were wanting. But they only had one! Of course! ;)  Today, we went to another Target and found our second stool.

It is a bit modern, especially for us, but the girls are loving them already. I predict when school is back in session on Wednesday (I am leaving home a few days, so I know John won't do any schoolwork), that two girls are going to want to eat in the cafeteria.

NOTE: The girls used them the first time on Tuesday (before school started back) with John while I was in Charlotte. :)

Our day out did Jesse in!

We had such fun at the zoo, then of course, the bottom fell out. That night Jesse ran a low-grade fever that had passed by morning. However, Tuesday she had a runny nose and a cough. I tried the following day to take her to work at the library, but when we got there she was just tired.

By Wednesday afternoon, her eyes were gunky and pink. I feared pink eye. I took her to the doctor Thursday morning, no pink eye but two ear infections and a sinus infection. I blame the hill at the amphitheater they rolled down on Monday. She'll be on antibiotics for two weeks and Claritin until the end of April.

In case you were wondering, yes, this puts us four days behind in school. :(

I love spring. ;)

A day out

Monday was John's day off. As usual, by 10:30am he was bored. By 10:50am, we were all loaded into the car heading out to the zoo. We haven't been in awhile and knew there were some new additions to it that we wanted to see. We were no longer bored. ;)



It was sitting on Jesse's head.

As promised!

AND on the day I promised them. LOL

Here is Jesse's drawing for the play for CCT STAR's Talent Show in April to benefit Oliver Gospel Mission.

Jesse has already been asked by several people if she traced the map. I thought I would include a picture of the globe she used to draw from, with the picture she drew. Obviously, no tracing was involved. She did, however, do this picture different than most of her artwork. This one she did in pencil first, then traced it with the pen. I think she did very well. And I have to say I'm glad she didn't make the US in the middle of her map. I think most would, but she tends to think outside the box. And since this is for a charity organization I feel it was more appropriate this way.

What a weekend!!

Yesterday, we had our second meeting of CCT STAR. The students chose their charity, Oliver Gospel Mission. And they chose the winning artwork for the cover of the playbill. Jesse's art! I cannot tell you how happy that made her. (I'll post a picture of it tomorrow.) Now, all I have to do is keep it safe until late April when it will need finishing touches and off to the printer it will go. No problem. Right?! {fingers crossed}

Today, we went to Kershaw Fine Arts Center to see my friend Candy's directorial debut. The show was fantastic and we all had a great time. They did Aladdin. John was worried it would be the same show our nephew, Lawson, was in last year, but it was a totally different script. No musical, just hysterical! We can't wait to see what her next show will be. :)

Catching up #7 - A little something more for our calendar

Of course our calendar is already full!! And yes, we just added something else to it. (Go ahead and laugh now.)

I mentioned this briefly a few posts ago (the one for Beauty and the Beast). We are going to be part of a charity organization through Columbia Children's Theatre, called CCT S.T.A.R. (Student Thespians Achieving Results). I love the idea of this program, though admittedly we don't have a lot of extra time these days.

The first meeting was in February. And the first show is going to be with just homeschoolers. Mrs. Pamela's thoughts were we (homeschoolers) have a more flexible schedule and can meet on days others cannot. Since the first show is going to be in May, she wanted to have some flexibility with the meeting dates. During (or after, I'm confused a bit here) the show, the program will be opened up to all those who would like to participate.

The first show is going to be a talent show. Our girls are going to do two skits. One skit they are creating with friends of theirs (yes, they have some) about "the other dwarfs". They are still working on a skit, but I think it is going be pretty good. The other skit will be just Jesse and Chloe doing an "invisible woman" skit. I don't think they have started writing it down yet, but they have been working on ideas during car rides. Both should be fun. I cannot wait to see what the other talented students are going to come up with, but I know it is going to be a good show.

Now, you ask, "what charity are you supporting"? Well, that has not been determined yet. We have a meeting this weekend. The students are suppose to give a presentation for the charity they would like to support. After all the students give their presentations, a vote will be made and then we will know what charity we will be supporting. (Don't even ask me if they have a charity or a presentation yet! And Mrs. Pamela wanted it by today!!!) {sigh}

Right up Jesse's alley is a contest for the cover of the playbill. I have to admit I really love Jesse's idea. Those will be voted on Saturday also.


The talented crew of students for our first show!



Our fearless leader, Mrs. Pamela

I hope now you see how busy we have truly been here. I admit after typing all of these updates I undersatnd why I'm ready for another vacation! :) And I'm not done updating you yet. :)  Still a bit more to come, then we can get back to here and now. :)

Catching up #6 - Dad's blanket

I know I posted this on FB, but I never did here so Dad would not see it.

During the craziness of January, with all the theatre rehearsals, taekwondo classes and everything else I was trying to get done, I decided to make my Dad a blanket.

The treatment Dad is on, and the fact he has little blood, means my Dad stays cold. Well, honestly I could not let my Dad be cold. Yes, they have blankets in the house, but none made by me for Dad. So, early in January I started a blanket. I was really hoping to have it done by the weekend of the performance, so Mom could take it home with her. Well, I almost made that deadline, but then bronchitis reared its ugly head and I just couldn't focus on the blanket.

I did get the blanket done for a our trip up to see Dad in early February. It was the first time since Christmas we got to go up. (Play rehearsals were on the weekends too for this show.) I think my Dad liked the blanket. I made it blue, his favorite. I tried to make it long enough to cover those long legs of his! He did use the blanket that day as a pillow; we left it on the back of his chair. :)

Dad with his new blanket



Rosie just adores Grandpa!



Grandpa is always amused by Chloe.

A little something new

I have been working, most of the day, trying to get you guys caught up on what has been going on here. If you are my friend on FB, then you know it has been one thing after another, after another. {snicker} Anyway.

About a week ago, John and I had both had it. I mean neither of us could take it no more. Out the glasses in the kitchen went! ;)  We finally got tired of looking a yucky looking glasses. They were clean but still cloudy. We just replaced the cloudy ones last year with nice new ones. The new ones already looked bad. Enough was enough! We made a big decision. I have not regretted it. Well, yesterday morning when there were no small IKEA cups for my milk, I tinged on regret, but quickly put it aside.

Here is what we are using now:

I believe you can easily see the theme here. :) Everyday is a vacation in the Morgan household!

Catching up #5 - Pinkalicious

CCT's production of Pinkalicious was on the 16th (at least the one we went to was on the 16th). As always, we had a great time!

I tried very hard to get ONE good picture of everyone in the cast. But Elizabeth's and Matt's pictures all turned out blurry. If a video didn't take three days to upload, I'd sure post one!

Catching up #4 - Valentine's Day

I admit we have never celebrated Valentine's Day much, just John and myself. However, if you have read this blog for awhile you know John came back from the war zone on Valentine's Day, so it has special meaning now.

That being said, we always do something special for the girls for Valentine's. This year was no different; however, this year I got very lucky! You see our girls are collectors. Jesse has an adorable collection of rubber ducks and Chloe loves PEZ dispensers! I think that will be enough to explain the pictures. What I did not get was a video of Chloe jumping up and down like a crazed lunatic. lol



Chloe with her PEZ dispensers: Phineas, Ferb, and Perry

 

Share!!!



Jesse and her ducks: Santa, Mrs. Clause and a duck sticking out of a Christmas package



Chloe actually made this a day or two after Valentine's but I thought it should be posted.



Of course, the girls had to share the chocolate with John and myself; we thought that was only fair. :)

Catching up #3 - A "pink" kind of day

I admit my planning for February 9th was a bit premature. However, it had been a crazy couple of weeks, we had many places to be earlier in the week and I knew I'd need a "break" from school "work". Therefore, we spent the day prepping for Columbia Children's Theatre's production of "Pinkalicious".

I am the first to admit I had never heard of the book until they posted they were doing the production back in the fall. I still did not make time to look at the book or anything about it. I decided that would be our "break" from school work. We checked out all "licious" books the library has: Pinkalicious and Silverlicious. We read Pinkalicious first. Then the girls donned their aprons and baked up some pink cupcakes. While they baked, we read Silverlicious. Chloe frosted the cupcakes and Jesse dressed them up with pink sprinkles.

A most enjoyable day!!

Yes, the girls made them all by themselves. I cannot tell you how grateful for boxed cakes I am!! lol  The girls had a blast and we all had the chance to enjoy sweets just for us...for a change. :)

Catching up #2 - Daffodils

I posted awhile back our daffodils were blooming. I also noted I would post pictures soon. So much for soon. :)