Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Burnin' Minutes

I swear time flies even faster in the Summer. It must be the sun. :)

I just wanted to check in and let you know that we are all well, just busy. Sydney celebrated her 3rd birthday this weekend. We went to the zoo and had a great time.

I'll fill you in later. I've got to run. :)

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Happy Father's Day!

Today is a pretty funny day. Not thinking about it being Father's Day, Marc got us tix to see Tim McGraw. He is not exactly a fan and we ended up going to one of my favorite restaurants for lunch. Hmmm...odd. Sweet, eh?

So, while mom and Tom keep the babes, we'll hang out together and spend some much needed alone time. It is amazing what a conversation can occur when you are both well rested and don't have the sweet interruptions. It is a nice treat, but I'll be anxious all day tomorrow to see my babes come home.

I,thanks to the joy of antibiotics, missed out on the family BBQ last night. I ended up lying flat in my mom's chair trying to will the icky away. They also have a Bose sound system and it took me about thirty minutes to figure out how to turn the sound on. Funny huh? What can I say, I'm a one remote kind of girl.

Well, we are off to buy b-day presents for Syd who will be turning three this week. Wow!

Also, Nate, who just turned five months on Wednesday, is trying desperately to crawl. He's doing a funny snake-like slither right now to get to things he wants. I would bet it will be less than a month before he figures it out.

Happy day to all the dads out there and to my stepmom, Jenn, who has a birthday today.

Saturday, June 14, 2008

Stepping Up Our Green

For the last few years, I've become increasingly more aware of our environmental issues and, thanks in part to Jess (bet you had no idea how influential you are) and Alyssa, I've become more proactive. I have taken only baby steps compared to some, but we're moving in the right direction. We've:

-purchased a 30 gal recycling bin that lives in my kitchen pantry. I was shocked to find that we nearly fill it over the course of a week.

-placed small recycling bins in the basement and bedroom levels (great for convenience and well-hidden).

-purchased reusable grocery bag that we use for EVERYTHING (lunches, school toting, recycling from work, carrying donations to goodwill, etc.).

-obtained an extra laundry bag from the cleaners to be used as a cover instead of plastic.

-collected hangers for return to cleaners.

-started a compost bin. This is probably the most fun, excluding the garden. How fun is it to kick around a big trashcan? It is the coolest! Also, it catches sooo much waste
(Veggie and fruit peels, newspapers, egg shells, toilet and paper towel rolls, etc.).

-watered our garden and compost bin with a watering can, instead of using a hose.

-been diligent about conserving power in our home. I used to be a horrible offender by leaving all the lights on, running the d/w constantly.

-we've stopped using paper plates for grill outs and purchased inexpensive plasics from Wal-mart that we can reuse.

-stopped running the water to rinse our dishes for the d/w and have gotten into the habit of filling the sink a bit.

I'm sure there are a few other small things. We also are in the process of:

-purchasing a clothes dryer for the deck (Don't gasp. It folds up for closet storage).

-purchasing reusable snack containers to use instead baggies.

-purchasing some sort of rain collection containers for our downspouts.

-possibly purchasing a solar attic fan.

-conserving energy by biking to work. This applies to Marc. Last year, he biked to and from work three days a week, but the unseasonably warm temps have hindered that.

-swapping out all of my traditional cleaners for greener ones.


We actually have a lot of ideas, but getting it all together seems to be a bit of a challenge, but we're working on it.

I'd love to hear what you are doing. Then, I have more new things to try.

Saturday Fun

It has been a pretty busy week this week. The only reason I get to tell you about it is because I am hanging out at the doctor's office.

We rec'd a call from the school on Monday. The principal informed us that Nate's eye was yucky and that he might have pink eye. Marc picked him up and took him to the ped. It wasn't his normal dr. She examined him and determined that it was not pink eye, but irritated and mildly infected. She gave us antibiotics and told us he was not contagious. So, back to school he went.

Marc worked his night job a few days this week and had a ball game. The kids and I watered our blooming garden, played games and ate. That seems like all we can do during the short weekday evenings.

I'm really so thrilled about our garden. Thanks, Jess for the suggestion. So far, it has been such an easy bed to maintain. We've only pulled out a few baby weeds here and there, which most likely would'nt be there, but a robin has built her nest under our deck and she likes to fly from it over to the fence next to our garden. She's also been spotted perched on them. We suspect she may have tampered with our seeds, actually Marc suspects. Growing tall now is our corn, tomatoes, cilantro, basil, cucumber, green beans, anaheim pepper plant and our radishes and swiss chard have started to make an appearance. We're waiting patiently for the rosemary, lettuce, carrots, potatoes, jalapenos and mixed hot peppers to show. Oh yes, and the mesclin. We have quite a mix for a mid-size suburban townhouse. If it works, I've got my MIL on the list for next year's growing season. We've talked about adding two more next year, but we'll see.

Today, after I leave here, we are headed to Tom and Mom's house. Granny and Don will be there. Then, we'll head over to the Ball's. Oh yes, the reason for the visit today, pink eye. Well, that is sure what it looks like and what a coincidence after Nate went in on Monday. Of course, it wasn't pink eye remember?

Well, turns out I have a big fat sinus infection and PINK EYE! I tell you, these babies give my immune system a workout. At least I am fortunate enough to have access to health care. Thank goodness and that, in the grand scheme, is natta.

I hope you all have a great weekend and I'll check in later.

Monday, June 9, 2008

Trapped in Rerun Hell

No, I'm not referring to summer tv. Although, it too can be frustrating.

Have you ever watched the same movie over and over again just wishing the main character would change something to get a different result? You know it isn't going to change, but you hope anyway. This is how I feel.

I keep reading the same script while telling myself to change the lines. Only I can rewrite it and I don't like the current result so, WHY don't I??! How do I?

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Yay! Signs of Life!

We discovered this morning that our corn, beans and something else (can't remember w/o looking at my map) have taken off!

Now, we have to keep our new babies from predators (i.e. birds, rabbits and SYDNEY). I'm so excited. I'm a nerd.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Myrtle Beach 2008

Here are a few pics from the beach, including me as a biker babe! :)


















































Thursday, June 5, 2008

Do I Dare?

This past week has passed so quickly I can hardly believe it. It is true that time flies when you are having fun and I've had nothing but fun this week. Well, as much fun as one can have at work.

I came down with a nasty migraine and cold last Wed. Ick! I was so glad it was all pretty much gone by Monday. I'm still a snotbox, but no worries.

I dare say it, but part of the reason my recovery was so speedy is the fact that Nate has suddenly started sleeping through the night!!! Not even a week ago he was getting up several times a night. Please don't let it end. I feel like a whole new person, as you can imagine. That is the most fun of all huh?

Then, following in Jess G's footsteps, we planted our square foot gardens. Syd had a ball and so did we. I can't wait to see what comes out of it. I do not have a green thumb at all! We planted tomato, cucumber, hot peppers corn, radishes, beets, several lettuce varieties, rosemary, basil, cilantro, swiss chard, etc. I am waiting with anticipation to see what takes off first.

I saw 'Sex and the City' this week! Yes, my first theatre movie in...??? I think it was 'Knocked Up.' That was last summer! Anyway, the movie was so cute. We had such a good time.

The weekend plans aren't set yet. I really have a lot of cleaning up to do, but I'm sure we'll find time for something fun too. The heat index is supposed to reach 105 tomorrow so, we most likely won't be outside. I thought we might hit a museum. After all, we have so many of them here.

I hope you have had a great week too! I wish you a great weekend!