Chloe's crochet work over the last year(ish)

Library Volunteer Recognition Program

Wednesday was the library's ice cream party for they junior and teen volunteers. Except this year it was a pizza party. We even saw a familiar face (the picture didn't take well, even though I had my flash out...oh, well).

Eudora! Again!

Victoria (Eudora's sister)

How I do love those girls!

We were thankful this year that Chloe was not sick. She missed her first party last year, so her actually being there this year was good. And to add to it, both Jesse and Chloe were recognized for their hours.

Chloe with her plaque and Jesse with her library flash drive.

I know the girls are still loving helping at the library. I also know the librarians love having them. The same night I was leaving Book Club and one of the librarians asked when the girls were coming back. They are anxiously awaiting their return. I know Ms. Pam misses them because she tells them every week. lol

This is also the only time, every year, we get to see Ms. Paula. Ms. Paula was at our library when we moved to Columbia. She is the one who noticed when Jesse was learning to read. She asked me after story time one day if Jesse could read. I told her she was learning. Ms. Paula told me Jesse was mouthing the words silently as Ms. Paula was reading. We LOVE Ms. Paula! And miss her too!

Ms. Paula couldn't believe how much they have both grown!

That was the highlight of our week. The rest of the week has been quiet. John was off Friday, so we ventured out into town to get a few things we needed. This morning (Saturday), John took the girls fishing. I slept since I didn't sleep last night. This afternoon I am meeting a friend for ice cream.

And that is all. Our life in a nutshell. Highs and lows are a constant. But I think that goes for everyone.

A busy week

John took some time off this week, Monday through Wednesday. Monday we loaded up, ourselves and the dogs, and headed to Sesqui. It is beautiful there. We do love walking the trails. We had lunch under the tall pines between walks. The dogs enjoyed themselves too. We even met up with a lady who works at the drill hall. One of her twins, Jessie Lynn, kept hugging Hank. He wasn't so sure what to do, but he was a good boy. Rosie loved the attention too.

Monday night I met my friend Lauren for coffee. I always enjoy our talks. While we are very different, we are very much the same. It is always nice to talk to someone who understands where you are coming from.

Tuesday was a quiet day. We stayed home most of the day. John and Chloe worked on her "corn field". The onions she planted last week have started growing, so she is really excited. Jesse and I read.

Wednesday, Jesse volunteered at the library. We left John and Chloe at home. But about 10:30, I looked around the library and there was Chloe coming toward me...they were bored. lol  They had gone to Michael's to get supplies to make Chloe a new PEZ dispenser display. They spent the day working on it. She was really happy with the way it turned out. Last night, I made it to my book club. I missed not being there last month.

Her other PEZ display is now being used for her holiday PEZs. She forgot to take a picture, but we'll try to get one posted soon. It is funny to see hearts and bats in the same display, but she loves it!

We also ran a few errands. Monday John gave the dogs water from his hands, so he decided we needed some kind of folding water bowl for the dogs for hiking. While we were out, we went to PetSmart to buy one. Chloe also wanted to buy a book for the book signing next week at the library. Since we bought her a book, Jesse got the newest book in her favorite series too.

Today has been quiet. The girls and I got our hair cut, school completed and soon we'll be getting ready for taekwondo.

The next few weeks will be just as busy. We have so many appointments, an art class, a field trip, parties and other things on the calendar; I just hope we don't miss accidentally something.

A week later and today is Easter

I know last weekend we did things, but right this second I can't recall.

Last Sunday, I got the call my Mom's cousin, Gary, passed away. He was sick when Uncle Carroll passed away. He spent is last couple of weeks being treated at Duke. His funeral was last Wednesday, so the girls and I went to Charlotte. The girls stayed with Grandpa while my Mom and I went to the funeral. Two funerals in a month, the same side of the family and the same church is just really sad. My poor Aunt Marion lost her brother-in-law then her son. So difficult.

John took the day off Thursday. Chloe and John started Chloe's garden. I believe she planted onions; they still need to plant her corn. I think they are planning to plant that this week.

Chloe in her brand new gardening hat.

Saturday, John and the girls went fishing. Then they went to the commissary. I got to sleep in!!! We also played an awesome game of Sorry!, which took forever! But was great fun.

Today is Easter. We went to Charlotte to spend the day with my parents.

Sharing pictures of the play with Grandpa.

Helping Grandpa make rolls. See how high the dough rose!

Silly!

Just being herself.

My awesome family!

Egg dyeing with Grandma.

 

An icky week

This week I've been feeling icky. I finally went to the doctor yesterday (I was holding out for Monday when I had an appointment, but I didn't make it). She confirmed what I already knew: my allergies are wonky and both my ears are "gunky". It just means more antibiotics for me. Woo...hoo. {sigh}

The girls are having fun at their rehearsals. Jesse is enjoying being "evil" and Chloe is loving seeing Gabby almost every night. They even got to go to taekwondo Tuesday night. All the students were sad to hear the girls would not be back until graduation, but excited knowing Master Mike was going to teach tonight.

I am getting ready for a funeral tomorrow. My cousin's husband passed away last week after a long battle of COPD. I liked Vernon. We didn't get to see them much, but I always enjoyed talking to him when we did see him. Some people make you smile and he was that way for me. Tomorrow I'm going down toward Savannah to say goodbye. John will fill my shoes here to get the girls where they need to be and when they need to be there. Your thoughts should go out to John. ;-)

I haven't mentioned this yet, but our daffodils are coming up. I do love this time of year when the green of the daffodils start showing. Some of them are about six-inches tall now. There was a lady (I believe she is one of the two Barbaras) at book club last night who was worried about her plants. I asked her what kind of plants. She told me daffodils; I explained they are suppose to come up this time of year and they should be okay with the cold.

I haven't talked about book club much, but I have to say I am enjoying it. The ladies are getting used to me, and some even know my name now. Mr. Jim, who runs the meeting, knows me too well. lol Ms. Regina cracks me. She was trying to get my attention from across the room last night to let me know she agreed with me. lol  I'm not sure anyone else heard my comment. There was a lot of talking at the same time last night. I will miss it next month, which is sad. Ms. Regina said I'd be missed, which made me smile. But I'll be at the theater that night for the last dress rehearsal.

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.

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 

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.

Pictures, as promised

I know my Dad has been looking for Jesse's crochet projects. But like I said, in another post, he did see a couple of them on Monday. Let me tell you this was not easy! She would finish a project then immediately start on another. And even though I'm posting some now, both girls are working on a project together so there will be another post later.

Anyway. It started with a pot. Well, it started with the plant in the pot, which in the beginning looked quite strange. I'll be honest, though, I love it! I think this one is totally adorable, but I like plants. lol



Potted plant

Now, this is no ordinary potted plant. Oh, no! Of course not, that would be much too easy. Here it is...growing. :)

 

 

Adorable!!! My Mom cracked up laughing when she saw this Monday; my Dad loved it too, but he didn't laugh nearly has hard as my Mom. She had me laughing!

 

Jesse's next project was a little simpler. Well, not really. Look at all the feet!!

 

Adorable ladybug

So cute! She gave this one to Chloe, and Chloe loves it.

Then she started making one that really looked weird. I mean w.e.i.r.d.! John and I were not sure how it would turn out, honestly. Jesse knew it would be great; she was correct.

Giraffe

Back of giraffe

Personally, the tail is my favorite. It is just too much!

 

Then came the one that really spoke to me.

 

Cup of tea

There are more pictures coming. I'm not sure how long until they finish the current project, but when they are done I'll tell you all about.

Never a dull moment

Today was one of those days where everything seems to go right. They are rare, but so worth the wait.

This morning the girls had to rise early. We actually did school work today. Normally, we have school one weekend a month (when John works). Poor girls they had to get it all done before lunch today. But they worked hard and finished everything I asked them to do.

Lunch was quick, and nothing to brag about. Unless you count the ripe avocados because they were awesome on my wrap! The girls both had ramen. (Not even close to my favorite...I don't even like the smell.)  Anyway. I think what made it better was the mail. They both received a letter from a Sanchez. They were very quiet on the car ride, looking at their letters.

The reason the girls had to work so hard then eat a mediocre lunch was because Chloe was going to a friend's house at noon. Last year during "Music Man", Chloe made friends with a girl named Gabby. Well, Gabby got sick before the show even started. She wound up in the hospital and never made it back to the theater. Chloe was heartbroken. But! They met up again during this show and now they are making sure they can continue contact. They have already exchanged emails and now phone numbers. I don't think they will go another year without talking again. lol

Jesse and I spent the time at Goodalle State park. It was beautiful! So quiet and peaceful. There were quite a few people there (at least 6 cars, which is a lot for this park). Many people were having picnics, some just letting the kids run and others were walking their dogs. Jesse swung while I just relaxed in my camping chair. It was perfect.

We picked up Chloe, then headed over to the auditorium at Camden High School. That place is gorgeous! Today was a three-hour rehearsal so I actually got to go home. The rest of the week you will find me in the right wing trying to coax 114 children to stay behind the line and stop them from talking. Wish me luck!

We went through a drive-thru coming home. It has rained all week (it seems) so John wanted the girls to be able to get outside with their pellet gun and bow tonight. They had a great time. I was inside working on a project listening to both dogs whine, because they could not go out too. Poor puppies. Not! This afternoon I forgot I had let Hank out. He was out for over an hour. I suppose he got bored because when I called him in he had "dirt" all over him. I tried to wipe him off with a moist paper towel to discover it was not dirt. Oh, no! It was poop! Really, Hank?! So to the bath he went. Crazy dog!

I think I can talk about it now...

John was taking pictures, Thursday night at Jesse's graduation, when the memory full message came on (I had not deleted pictures since our Florida trip before Thanksgiving-I really wish I had remembered to do that). I then asked Mrs. Tuba if she could take some pictures and videos for me, then her battery died. I asked Ms. Shondraya if she would take some pictures for me, then her battery died. Unbelievable! The entire day was like that with a list of items that went wrong, including a car trying to have a head-on collision with us on the to graduation. A creepy guy in the neighborhood, who said he was going to be there for three days, but never came back. (I took pictures of his car and his face from the classroom and dining room, so there is evidence of him.)

So anyway.

Jesse received her fourth degree black belt Thursday!! We are so proud. She is Master Mike's fourth student to receive this belt and the only female. She worked so hard for it. The new belt even came with new pants. They are white with a black stripe going down the outside of the pants legs. {giggle} I can't wait to see her in them tomorrow.

Rehearsals are going well, and about to seriously ramp up. Chloe has been the only one called so far, except the initial rehearsal when everyone was called. She is doing well, but nervous. This is the biggest role she has ever had and with so many lines! Jesse is looking forward to rehearsals tonight; their first for her scene. They are both excited about this show. I think it may go better than what it did in Columbia. I never saw it in Columbia, but I heard it was not so good from one of the parents of one of the actors in it. The show will be at Kershaw Fine Arts Center in Camden March 13-16, should anyone want to attend. I'm not sure when tickets go on sale, but you can check their website.

We spent Saturday at my parents' house. John switched his work weekends, so he could go too. He was glad he did when he found chicken and dumplings for lunch. He loves my parents' dumplings. lol We also did a little work around the house for them, not much but a couple of little things. And Jesse helped Grandma with a computer problem. Jesse is getting to be a real computer whiz.

Sunday was an adventurous day! We finally bought Jesse a compound bow we had been promising her since their Summer Day Camp last year. And Chloe got a pellet gun. They had so much fun yesterday in the backyard. Chloe was not too happy about having to leave for rehearsal, but they were back out there as soon was we got home. They did great. They made their own targets and everything (and no I didn't take pictures...I just emptied the memory...lol). They took turns using the backyard, safety third you know! (Love those Rocket guys.)

Today, school is going to be horticulture. We are going to start our seeds for the garden, then run a few errands. This afternoon, my plan, is do a little clearing in the backyard. Then Jesse and I will get ready for rehearsals. Fun day!

Update

So we tried to get the helicopter out of the tree the night it was caught in it and yesterday morning. It was just TOO high for us to throw anything or shake it out. Well, he had some high winds this morning and the winds knocked it out of the tree. The girls and I charged it this morning and held our breath while we moved the controls hoping to get it to work. It worked! I am hoping all is well with it and John can continue to enjoy flying his miniature plane.

"Stuck in Tree"

is Jesse's new name. Yesterday afternoon John got his miniature helicopter out to fly in the backyard. A little relaxing time for John. After a few minutes he let Jesse try. Now, some of you may not know our backyard has no trees until you get to the "back" of the backyard. But there is one tree all the way next to the fence on the side of the empty house. Of course Jesse puts the helicopter right into the tree. Not the bottom or middle but three feet down from the very top, out of range (somehow) from the remote and so stuck it won't budge, no matter what we throw at it or how hard we shake the tree.

I hope we can find a way to get it down today; a big storm is suppose to hit tonight then it will be toast, mechanically speaking. :( Poor John and poor Jesse, she feels awful about it.

So many things to talk about

I will start with the fact John has not been well. He has had a low-grade fever and stomach rumblings that are worrisome. I am hoping he will be his old self again tomorrow, but we'll have to wait and see. He may have to break down and go to the doctor, not that the "doctors" at Ft. Jackson will do anything for him.

We finally had the pictures printed from the play last week. The girls made their scrapbooks yesterday. Yep, the whole book. They loved doing it, but said it was a lot of work. I did not intend for them to do the whole book in one day, but they did. We didn't follow any rules (I don't think there are any for scrapbooking). I told them the books were theirs, to do with them what they pleased. They did. :)

This is Chloe's favorite page. This is Nicole, the Stage Manager.

This is Jesse's favorite page. My camera is not so great and neither am I, it says "That's my bad side."

Here is the front of the photo album I made. Inside the cover are scrapbooking stickers of theatre props. I was going to put that picture on here too, but every time I try to upload that picture somewhere it turns sideways. And here I cannot turn it back. :(

I was reading a new friend's blog tonight and she listed some things she wanted to do with her children this spring/summer. I thought it was a great idea to list things to help remember, so I'm going to steal her idea. However, my list is going to be very short. I really want, in the next few weeks, to start working on the bike trail I've promised the girls. John is still skepictal and does not believe there is enough room. He may be right; however, I have to try. I have to admit it is one of those things that popped in my head when we moved in and has stayed there. And we all know very few things stay in my head. I hope I can get some of the clearing done before it gets too hot. That will be about April. :)