My friends

Whew! (And yes I know I still need to post Halloween.)

We were at Wal-mart yesterday, picking up a few groceries. Now, I will explain this...we have a lot going on this week; therefore, some of our meals (that I was purchasing) were...well...boxed. Ugh!!! We were almost done when I ran into an old friend from taekwondo.

We haven't seen Victoria in a couple of years, so running into her great. But I noticed she was looking at my cart, probably because Chloe was in it, but I felt I had to say something about the food. She said, what are you talking about that is good food! Well, I felt better...for a couple of minutes.

We said our goodbyes then went to another aisle to look for one more item. At the end of the aisle we ran into Galina, from taekwondo, go figure! We were talking and I noticed she was checking out my cart. So, how did Galina respond? She said, "just go cook!"

I love my friends. LOL

Vices

I believe I am like most people, in that, on the days when I accomplish many tasks before I feel great. On the days, when nothing really gets done, I feel like a failure. I don't recall if I have mentioned here or not that in June I was put on some meds for my head. In May, I was very close to a complete mental breakdown. While I cry at commercials and songs, and so many things, I don't usually breakdown when someone ask me how I'm doing. That was how my May ended.

We've been adjusting to many things around here the last year and I think May just kind of topped things off for me. My Dad's health, of course, has been on my mind. I think he is doing better. His numbers are doing well and he hasn't had a blood transfusion in a few months. He was getting one every month at the beginning of the year, so I think he is doing better.

We have also had some family issues we've been working on that kind of managed to attach themselves to explosives at the beginning of the year. We are currently still working on things. And while some have improved, I feel others have worsened. No, John and I are great. No worries there!

The one big thing that is bothering me now is I'm now out of meds. No refills. I could probably call the office and get a new prescription, but I'm thinking I don't want to do that. I really want is to find a way to deal with all the stress we are going through without medication. Risky I know but further down the road would be so much better.

Yesterday the girls and I spent the day working on some things that have been stressing me around the house. It hasn't been "Hoarders" bad, but bad for me. In fact, the other day when I mentioned I'm a neat freak John laughed. I think he has forgotten my normal tendencies. Since we had children I've had to do a great deal of adjusting to the new "norm". Eleven years later, I still don't like it. So, yesterday the girls and I worked on a few of the major issues.

First, we rearranged the classroom just a bit. You see our classroom is also the gym, John's office, and the craft room. I stay away from the office and the gym part as much as I can, but the craft part was bugging me. Since we put in the girls new desks, I have wanted to move their school bookcase. We switched the school bookcase and the craft pantry. Now the crafts are closer to my desk and the girls books are in front of their desks. Somehow in my head it just makes more sense that way.

We also did a lot of general cleaning. Jesse still does not sleep through the night most nights, so having a clean floor all over the house is essential to me not hurting myself at night when she calls me. It also just looks better. I keep reminding the girls our neighborhood is filling up and one day we'll be at the point (hopefully) that friends will just drop by to chat or play. I don't want us to be embarrassed by our home. Somehow I think this just bothers John and myself and the girls could careless, but I'm still hopefully one day they will see it our way.

My friend, April, pointed out last week that while stress can be dealt with by medications it helps to find a way to relax. She is so right! I am really hoping to start yoga soon. I've been saying that for quite sometime now, but I finally have a place downstairs where I can actually do it and not be in the living room. Since we rearranged furniture a few weeks ago, there is plenty of room in our bedroom to stretch out. I even talked to John the other day about me having fifteen minutes everyday with no interruptions so I can meditate. I'm working on getting things together for all this, but I'm hoping by the end of this week I'll start with everything. Yeah!

Halloween: I'll get pictures posted soon. Today, we are baking two batches of cupcakes for the CCT S.T.A.R. after party, and working the show this afternoon. So many things to do. lol

Struggles

I remember when I was much younger my Mom telling me, "as you get older time will go by faster." She wasn't wrong; however, she left something out. When you have children, you sometimes wish time would stop.

Admittedly, I have never been fashion forward. Ever! I have family who would vouch for this. My children are a totally different story, which is funny because they homeschool. I think part of it is their artistic sides. Jesse's sense of fashion is very much like those graphic artists I used to work with at the ad agency. We actually just bought her a new winter coat over the weekend. She picked it out and I have to say it fits her personality to a tee. Her new thing is scarves; I think she feels she cannot compete with Chloe's fedoras so she found her own thing. ;)

Chloe, on the other hand, definitely has her own style. She loves her new high top Converses and her fedoras. She too picked out a new coat. I really didn't think she would pick the one she did, but it too suited her. And she gets so many comments about her fedoras, just yesterday at McDonald's the lady behind the counter said, "I like your lid."  It took Chloe a minute to figure out what she was talking about. lol

The struggles comes from John and myself. We are now struggling with the reality of our girls growing up. They have their own opinions, and neither are shy about stating them. We've gone from buying them toys to buying the electronics, pocket books, and fishing rods. Some days I just want time to stop. More time to enjoy them while they are home. More time to bake and laugh. Some days I just have to pause and take it all in. There are days when I'd like to turn back time, but knowing we cannot just makes today more precious.

Group project

Okay, a family project. This weekend we finally worked on reorganizing the garage. We've talked about doing it for months, but who really wants to be working in a garage when it is 90+ degrees? Um, not us. ;) 

I have to admit I thought we were simply going to "clean"; however, that is not exactly what happened. We actually moved almost everything in the garage. My potting bench now has a new home...far, far away from John's tools. All of John's toolboxes are now together. All of his gear is now packed away, until needed.

We still have to work on the garage a bit more, but most of the big projects have been done. All this is really left is taking the trash, unpacking two boxes and finding a new home for a couple of mid-sized items. John and I are both exhausted but happy to almost be done.

Now, I'll admit I had wanted to "accomplish something" this weekend, but the garage was not it. I was really hoping to get through all the "arts/craft" drawers upstairs. I really think we have too much stuff we don't use but I won't know until I can lay my eyes on the actual stuff. Maybe I can find time soon. :)

Poof!

Seems like every year I think, "this year we are finally going to get in ninety days before Christmas." Then, Poof!, October, November hit and all of us come down with some kind of sinus stuff. We were out two weeks ago with everyone down. Last week Jesse was working on bronchitis, or walking pnemonia (the doctor couldn't hear anything in her chest, but she was coughing up stuff); therefore, this week she felt awful and was on another round of antibiotics. This weekend was my turn.

I just finished my antibiotics yesterday then this morning (3:45am) I woke up to the right side of my head hurting. I haven't felt like anything today, so nothing got done that was suppose to get done. I also didn't get to arrange the classroom, or living room, like I was hoping. There is always next weekend though.

So we are sitting here, in the classroom, on Sunday night trying to finish a couple of things that were never finished last week. I don't even want to think about how many days we've lost. We'll just have to make them up next semester.

Chloe's out of book experience

I'm sure everyone some people were wondering what Chloe was up to, while Jesse spent the day sewing. Well, here is her story:

Chloe has been wanting to carve a pumpkin for the last couple of years. Two years ago we carved real pumpkins. Such a mess!! She asked John last year if they could do another, but they never did. This year she started asking again a few weeks ago. Over the weekend, John relented. However, she had to agree to do a "craft" pumpkin, rather than a real one. She agreed.

We bought a pumpkin at Target, then John helped her get started. She spent most of a day working, ever-so-carefully, on her design. This is what she accomplished:



A kitten on a jack-o-lantern, carved into a pumpkin.



Chloe with her artwork.



Lessons...not book related

Recently, Jesse has been very interested in craft projects of varying types. She has crotched a pair of socks, made two duct tape pumpkins, worked on her drawing and a few other things I cannot think of right now. Anyway, after helping John sew the curtain for the Halloween decorations in the living room, she really wanted to sew a new apron for herself.

Her old apron still fit width wise; however, it was way too short. The initial plan was to add to her old apron. The old apron was a cream color with black butterflies. John and I both thought she should stay in the classic mode, to match the apron, but after fifteen minutes of her looking (and picking out fabrics) we decided she should probably just make a new one. She did finally pick a fabric and notions for a brand new apron.

The last two days she has been constantly asking if we could make the apron. Today was her lucky day (it rained all day). Now, she is in the kitchen wearing her brand new apron and making a cake with her sister...who is now asking for a new apron of her own. lol