Our last week before crazy!

This last week was our last week before Wizard rehearsals begin.

Monday, we took Chloe to see Dr. J. about braces. He said her mouth looks great, so she is on there growth program. She'll go in every once in awhile just to make sure she is still going down a good path. She is excited to be a patient now; we think she'll be able to enter the monthly contests now.

The rest of our week was the usual: taekwondo, volunteering and school work. I spent a great deal of my time working on a high school schedule. I think we've mostly narrowed down everything for Jesse's freshman year. We still have to order books, but we are mostly there. I think.

Friday we had Meet the Masters. It was the first Meet the Masters we had since, well, I don't remember. That long ago! I enjoyed it because the tables and chairs were already set-up when I arrived. Usually we arrive ten minutes early and most everyone else is ten minutes late. Friday, we were the last ones there. We were two minutes early! And the tables were set-up!

Today, the girls went to a birthday party at HiWire. I don't think I will ever go back there on a Saturday again. They have a volleyball league so we had to park across a three-lane road at Academy. Unreal! But the party went well. Chloe, however, sprained her ankle. She is not a happy camper right now.

Not what we planned

Originally, we planned to visit my parents today. But Dad didn't have a good night, so we'll go another day.

We came up with a couple of options, before deciding to take the bicycles to Fort Jackson. We didn't decide until about 10am, so we stopped by the girls' favorite place to grab food at the fort...the gas station. We enjoyed our lunch by the lake. It was a beautiful day!

After lunch, the girls and I rode our bikes. I was glad John was there to help me with the seat on my bike. He finally got it fixed; we still need to adjust the angle of the seat. The place we went was terrific. It is a small lake with a circle drive, about a 1/4 of a mile, and a playground. And when we arrived we had the whole place to ourselves. We enjoyed the peacefulness.

John smoked some ribs for dinner. As always, they were terrific. We always enjoy it when he decides to cook on the grill. I'm glad he bought a new one last spring. He needed a new one and he has loved this one. He's one happy hubby.

Spring cleaning??

Today, we did a bit of spring cleaning. I do realize it is the middle of winter but it seemed like a good time. It was time to spray the house for bugs. No, we haven't had any and personally I'd like to keep it that way.

Chloe has been working on crocheting a gift for a friend's birthday next week. I hope she gets it finished. She doesn't seem to like how the legs look.

Jesse cooked dinner tonight. We had mashed potatoes and hamburger steaks cooked in a mushroom sauce. I'm proud that she wants to try. Chloe will be cooking dinner next week. They asked to have nights when they could cook by themselves; I'm not going to say no to that.

I did get out this morning to a solo romp to Tiffany's, while the girls and John went grocery shopping. I managed to get some papers graded and created a history test.

The Wizard of Oz cast list is out!

I checked my email this morning just to see if the list was out. They said it would be out by 3:30 today. The list had already been emailed. There the three of us were: Jesse behind my chair, Chloe leaning over my chair from the sofa and me in my chair with the laptop. We were all a twitter that was sure.

Chloe had wondered, for weeks, if she would get the same part she had in Columbia (for the same play). I didn't think she would, but I tried not to assume anything. Jesse was focused on one thing. We sat there scrolling down the alphabetical list looking for the M's. There it was! Gabriella Mason as the Red Storyteller. (Chloe's best bud.) Then there was Chloe Morgan as the Purple Storyteller. They are together again. I think Candy has something to do with the fact those two are always together. Next. I wasn't sure she would get it. Jesse really wanted a particular part. And she had it. Jesse Morgan as the Wicked Witch of the West! They are both so excited and looking forward to the first rehearsal in a couple of weeks.

New experiences

Today, the plan was originally for me to take the girls to a movie. However, I thought the movies would be a bit crowded, being a holiday, and I wanted to spend some time with John. So we changed our plans.

Instead, we went to make a few returns/exchanges. By the time we arrived back home, we were all quite hungry. John recommended a place he has tried to get us to eat at for awhile. It is a place near one of the military facilities John often has meetings, so he has eaten there often. This place is...unique. It is a gas station, deer processor, restaurant, flea market, and it has a meat counter. You know the old-fashioned meat counter where you pick your meat and they cut it. I told you it was unique.

The girls and I loved it. Most of us had fried chicken, which was really good. Jesse had teriyaki chicken, which she loved. And we were quite happy we finally gave in and went. Chloe even bought a scooter to be her new "project".

We even went by the RV place we've going to for awhile. They have one I like. John likes it too. But we are not ready yet. I hope when we are ready they will have one we like.

A day for waiting

How did we spend our Sunday? The girls decided early today they wanted to try making doughnuts from the Bread cookbook. We now know there is a lot of waiting for doughnut dough to rise. They started this morning before lunch, and finally cooked them tonight just after five. I understand why homemakers had to be homemakers back in the 19th century, everything to so long to finish. They were terrific. Just what we need, to know how to make doughnuts at home. lol

On that same note, if you are a fan of The Little House on the Prairie books check out "The Wilder Life". I haven't read it, but a friend of mine is reading it. It is written by a woman who grew up loving the Prairie books. This book melds her love of the books with her life. My friend is loving it.

 Today was the first day, in awhile, the girls were able to jump on the trampoline. So while dough was rising, they would go jump for a bit. I think they had a pretty good day today. And tonight is some of their favorite shows.

Mid-January already?!

I cannot believe we are already in the middle of January. Unreal.

The girls auditioned for the Wizard of Oz Monday night. This will be Jesse's last play with this group (K-8). She can still choose to audition for the high school student shows, but so far they have not done one that she wanted to do. The cast list comes out this week, so I'll keep you posted.

We went to the dentist this week and found out Chloe needs to see an orthodontist sooner rather than later. John is not too excited about having two girls with braces at the same time. He was hoping to have a little break between the girls. Oh, well.

Wednesday night, while I was at book club, the girls decided they wanted to make cupcakes. Jesse found a recipe online. They were delicious!

The girls and I actually skipped taekwondo Thursday night. We went shopping for John a new shirt and tie for a funeral we were going to attend on Friday.

Today, I went out to breakfast with a couple of friends. We haven't gotten together in months (as the lady at the bakery reminded me). Okay, we haven't seen each other for the sole purpose of sitting and chatting. It was a good visit. I suggested we gather monthly. lol 

A quiet Sunday

This was John's weekend to work, so the girls, the dogs and I went to Charlotte to visit with my parents. The girls showed Grandpa how I taught them how to play Rummy. They played for more than an hour. Dad and I spent part of that time making a chicken pot pie while chatting. After lunch, Grandma played the girls in Sorry. I'm not sure who won, but I do know they had fun playing.

John is tired of the cold. I think we all are. I keep thinking of the vacation we were going to have in warm Florida. I hope the thoughts will keep us all warm since we won't be able to go. We'll get back there...one day. lol I think a trip to Donut Man would really be great.

I didn't post last night, but I did want to mention the girls made granola bars last night. It was the same recipe they made before, but they tweaked it. It was delicious!! I have even put it on the menu again next week for breakfast. You have I've met quite a few people (upper teens into early twenties) lately who cannot cook at all! I want our girls to be able to feed themselves, so we are going to start working on that more. Don't get me wrong, they can cook. They are able to follow recipes, use the oven and everything they need to do. They just need practice.

Never a dull moment

While I have been mulling things over for a few years now, I honestly had not written down any information (except a list of books to read) for high school for the girls. It dawned on me Sunday, Jesse will be starting high school when we start the new school year in June. Are you kidding?!

So, with that in mind, I called a "teacher work day" for Monday. I spent the morning grading papers, then doing research that afternoon for high school. I have a few things pinned down but not nearly everything that needs to be done. I did some more reading this morning while Jesse volunteered, but I'm not satisfied with what I found. I'll keep researching.

Yesterday, on our way to a doctor's appointment in Sumter, we passed Shaw Air Force Base. One of the jet pilots was practicing maneuvers. Wow! We were early for our appointment, so we pulled over to watch for a bit. They are amazing and the sounds are incredible! The girls had a great time watching. I could still hear the jets, in the distance, while we were in the doctor's office. I really do love being this close to all the military facilities; there is just so much to see and do.

I have a taekwondo story. I always tell our students to practice with all their muscles, because, while I hope they never need to use their skills, they made need to defend themselves one day. During our break, one of students had to do just that. A pick-pocket had taken his wallet, but this 14 year knew just what to do to get the guy to the ground then get help. While I wish he had not had the experience, I'm grateful he knew what to do and was safe in the end.

The difference a year makes

One year ago today, Hank joined our family. We were all a little unsure. Not sure where things would go. Anytime you get a new dog there is a learning curve for all. The dog needs to learn your rules and you need to learn the personality of your new dog. We spent the first month doing those things.

Now, we cannot imagine life without him. He is a bundle of energy! He is loving, always giving kisses. He follows me everywhere. When we get up in the morning, he won't leave our bedroom until I do. lol 

We look forward to all the upcoming years with both our loving doggies.

New things

We started our day with me going to the commissary. Woohoo. After they put the groceries away, we went to the bowling alley at the fort. They have updated the building more since we were there last. It is really nice, but we hate they don't open the snack bar until way too late (1pm on a Saturday is kind of dumb). We were all quite hungry (and very thirsty!) so we headed to Popeye's for a fried chicken fix.

I'll admit I get big ideas often, but life gets in the way to do some of them. A few months ago, I bought a new cookbook for bread. Not one for bread makers, but a cookbook your grandma would have used. Then I purchased some large kitchen towels to use just for making bread (you know, to cover the dough while it is rising). The girls have been after me ever since to make bread. However, this is one project we never started. Today, the girls finally made bread. Okay, they made pretzels. John chaperoned, just to make sure they were doing okay. Some pretzels had salt and some with cinnamon and sugar. They were awesome! In fact, I believe there are only two left. They became dinner. lol

Tonight was Chloe's favorite game night...Scrabble. I'm not sure what she loves about Scrabble, but she asks to play it often. John won. Jesse was second. Chloe was third. And I came in last. As my Dad would say, "my hand is a foot". I just couldn't pull any decent letters from the bag.

A friend of mine posted an article on Facebook tonight about a homeschool boy in Texas. He is thirteen and has a business of his own. He makes things. Understatement. He lathes bowls, pens, seam rippers and other things from wood and antlers. Everything was simply beautiful and inspiring. His web page is:

http://handcraftedgifts.us/

Even if you don't want to buy anything, I suggest you check out the site to see what this young man can create.

A new year - 2015

We spent last night at home. We always spend New Year's Eve at home. It is what we enjoy: relaxing, quiet, and family. And then right after the new year begins you can go right to bed. lol

Today, we had lunch with the Morgan's. We had the chance to catch up with a couple of nephews and our niece, something we wish we could do more often. Oma had great fun sharing stories about the girls when they were little; John slipped out of the room before she could start talking about him.

I plan on spending the rest of the day relaxing. lol