Saturday, March 22, 2014

Out with the old

Spring is finally here and that calls for something new. I decided to start another blog that will showcase our funny quotes. For years we've scribbled them on poster boards here at the house and then I've transcribed them to this blog once the poster board was full. Then we hang them in the basement for visitors to enjoy.

Well, the ceiling has sprung a few leaks over the years and some of the poster boards have gotten dripped on and the ink has run. They're looking a big pathetic, to be honest. My plan is to get them all retro-written onto this new blog and then print them off into a fun coffee table book. I'm not sure how long said plan will TAKE, but I'm going for it anyway.

The new blog is already linked to this one, and vice versa. You can find the link in the panel to the right of these words under the heading Telling It Like It Is. The official address is here and I hope you enjoy it.

What have we been up to, since I haven't been blogging? I believe we've only had two school cancellation days this month, right in the middle of last week as we got pelted with 8+ inches of snow on Wednesday and then endured a frigid Thursday. All of the snow is almost gone, except the once-huge piles by the driveway and mailbox. Everyone is relieved.

Last night was our elementary school's last movie night of the year, and it was Carrie's last for forever at that school. Next year she'll be off to the junior high and will be too old for such things. However, last night both big kids had a great time watching "Frozen" with their friends while huddling in their sleeping bags. They came home singing and full of popcorn.

We've been eagerly watching our returning feathered friends. A pair of cardinals have been visiting for the last month or so. The killdeer came back the day before those 8+ inches last week. Probably see Goldfinches any time now. Red winged blackbirds visited our feeders after the snow and were joined by a handful of starlings and some field birds that I don't know names for. Squirrels don't live in our neighborhood because our trees aren't mature enough, but I've seen them dashing all over downtown. And we finally caught the mouse (or A mouse, more likely) in the garage who'd been pilfering seeds and snacking in my car. Grrrr.

We are one week away from the last grading period, the spring concert was a success, and blizzard bags are due to come home to help everyone catch up on missed work from this horrid winter. It was nice to have Grandma Barb and Pap visit in time for the concert. Liam's class sang and Carrie's string class performed three songs. Their next concert will be in May and instead of plucking, they'll be using their bows. I think it was a nice birthday event for Grandma Barb, and we had a tried-and-true cake recipe that I substituted butterscotch pudding into, to rave results. She even had a visit from our friend Patti and those two chatted the afternoon away.

We've been partaking in Shamrock Shakes from McDonald's and the assorted treat from Mr. Freeze, which is open, yes. The kids were befuddled on St. Patrick's Day when they poured their own white milk into their cereal only to discover the milk in their bowls turning green. Good times.

Karate is going well. They have practice 2-3 times a week and I can't say enough good things about the establishment. I already posted on Facebook about how professional, friendly, courteous, and patient the staff is with the students. Truly a respectful atmosphere, and they explain directions and cause/effect in a clear manner that the kids can easily understand. We all love it. Definitely worth getting rid of cable for. I'm looking forward to Damon beginning his classes once he's 4 and a half. There are some tiny people in class!

It has also been a sad winter here as we've said goodbye to several friends who've passed on. Dada lost a coworker a few months ago and has had two coworkers lose their mothers this month. A friend from the Cathedral passed away and my camp director from Lambec joined his Father in Heaven. Rita's father in India had a stroke and quickly declined. She flies back from the funeral trip today. A mom from my moms' group's grandfather passed away. A college roommate's older sister was struck by a car and killed while she was jogging. What a miserable winter.

And yet, with the coming of spring, the new babies are arriving. Baby Addison next door is three months old already, but there is a new baby girl across the street, and our sweet friends in New York, the Columbias, have just had baby Calvin. There are plenty more on the way, and I'm looking forward to lots of snuggles!

Tonight we'll go to our usual church service and tomorrow it's my week in the nursery. Soon it'll be spring break so I fully expect more snow. It IS Ohio, after all.

Have a wonderful weekend and don't forget to check out the new quote board over at Telling It Like It Is !

Wednesday, March 05, 2014

New Email Message

New Email Message
To: Jesus
From: Mama

Dear Jesus,

If Care Bear is this much of a dork at age 10, what are the teenager years going to look like?



*BING*

You have one new email.
To: Mama
From: Jesus

Dear Mama,

Good luck with that.


************************


The big kids have started karate. At least twice and up to three times a week they have class, in which they also need to wear their uniform (called a gi) and turn in their time cards so that they get credit for said classes. They've learned a few blocks and that when they yell, "eye-yah" that it's like putting a period at the end of a sentence. No matter how many moves you have in a series, the "eye-yah" comes at the very end. It's been a handy tool for proofreading language arts homework, as in, "Carrie, you forgot your "eye-yah" and you also need your capital letter." They seem to be very much enjoying themselves and we're hopeful that the discipline of karate will permeate the rest of our lives.

I say hopeful because today Carrie came home from school in this 23 degree weather with no hat. And with no viola, for the 3rd day in a row. And a weekend in which she didn't bring it home on Friday. And her concert is in two weeks.

We won't mention how much we're hoping for focus and discipline for Liam, as well. (His spring concert is also in two weeks. Same concert. He'll be singing, she'll be stringing. Hehe!)

On another topic, I got to have my very first art lesson yesterday. It ran from 6-9 pm at a local foundation which hosts all kinds of classes. I was one of eight ladies who'd signed up. In my case, I'd BEEN signed up by my sweet husband who thought it'd make an excellent birthday present. He was right. It was originally scheduled for last month, but we'd had predictably cruddy weather and they decided to reschedule rather than have nobody show up. 

At any rate, I enjoyed myself while learning about light and shadow, different hardnesses of pencils, practicing drawing what I REALLY saw instead of what I thought I saw, and using a knitting needle to measure proportions. I kept thinking how much I wish I could have taken the class with my Grammy, and how much she would have enjoyed it. The other ladies worked in various other art forms from quilting and knitting to photography and watercolors.

I am being summoned to play a quick game with Liam before dinner, so I must dash. Stay warm and safe and... Liam added "lovable", so lovable it is. Stay warm and safe and lovable! =)

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Titan sized doldrums

Still haven't worked out how to post pictures, sorry.  Honestly, I've been too cold/frozen/bored/overwhelmed to look into it all that hard. The last time I checked, there was an 8-10 step process to do it instead of clicking one icon and having the site do it for me, and I'm too lazy to go through that many steps for every single photo... Truth hurts, I guess.

The big kids have started karate lessons. We are hoping that it will give them exercise, confidence, a knowledge of self- defense moves, and an improvement in FOCUS. Those of you who know our big kids know how big of a deal that would be. So far, they've had two private lessons and two large group lessons. They are loving it. It's fun to see them so excited about something.

My brother and his wife were supposed to spend the weekend with us, but good old Winter Storm Titan had to go and blow smoke so that now he has to work tomorrow. Stink, stank, stunk. We are all bumming that we don't get our time together. Would have been so fun to have them!

Must go collect our Girl Scout cookie order for the masses. Be well, everyone, and be careful shoveling!