I use to go walking three times a week with a friend. We planned on keeping it up after school got out. Guess what. I think we have been once since school let out a month ago. Things have been crazy!
I don't think they are going to slow down much either. Still, it's better to keep busy than be bored and lazy. There haven't been many opportunities to be bored and lazy.
It hasn't all been bad. In fact, we've had some really fun things going on, but that doesn't keep it from being crazy.
The two kids are healed nicely from having their tonsils out. That's good to have done. My oldest son went to scout camp and had a blast. Peanut has kept me on my toes cleaning up messes that go way beyond the ordinary messes of everyday life. I'm getting excited for grad school, but I'm not sure what I need to be doing to get ready for the start of the semester. They are going to want money at some point. Monsoon season has begun, but I haven't seen more than 10 drops of rain.
Funny, all this craziness going on and I can't think of anything to blog.
Well, watch out for future blogs, I'll be doing some pictures. What of? Wait and see.....
Monday, June 28, 2010
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Weaving
I've been weaving as much as I can lately.
I'm taking a class at the local art museum and have learned a few tricks that have already made things much easier. For me, getting the massive amounts of yarn onto the loom was a multi-day task because I ended up with everything in a tangled mess. Now after my class, I've learned how to keep things fairly organized while taking it from the warping board to the loom.
So, at home I just took something off the loom and have started a new project. At class I've got something interesting going on too. One or two more class periods and I might have that project completed. I'll be able to start a new one. I don't know what I'll do with it. At 17 inches wide, it's not wide enough to be a shaw or wrap, but what am I going to do with a table runner? I could place it on the table, but the kids or the dumb cat would pull it off. I really need to remember to take my camera with me to class so I can show you what it looks like. It's pretty, but I just don't know what I'll do with it.
I'll get some pictures of other recent projects up soon.
Today, however, I'll be cleaning my house. My parents come in tomorrow for the weekend and I need to get the house spic and span. Again, I'm not sure why I work so hard, my kids will have it destroyed by this evening. Oh well, I try and that's the important part.
My oldest son just had his 12th birthday! He is about an inch shorter than I am and his feet are bigger than mine (and I wear a size 10 in women's). His voice is getting deep, but when he is playing chase with the cat, he can still yell like a little girl. (hee hee hee) I can't believe how much time has passed. Scary to think about, but in four years, he'll be driving!
I'm taking a class at the local art museum and have learned a few tricks that have already made things much easier. For me, getting the massive amounts of yarn onto the loom was a multi-day task because I ended up with everything in a tangled mess. Now after my class, I've learned how to keep things fairly organized while taking it from the warping board to the loom.
So, at home I just took something off the loom and have started a new project. At class I've got something interesting going on too. One or two more class periods and I might have that project completed. I'll be able to start a new one. I don't know what I'll do with it. At 17 inches wide, it's not wide enough to be a shaw or wrap, but what am I going to do with a table runner? I could place it on the table, but the kids or the dumb cat would pull it off. I really need to remember to take my camera with me to class so I can show you what it looks like. It's pretty, but I just don't know what I'll do with it.
I'll get some pictures of other recent projects up soon.
Today, however, I'll be cleaning my house. My parents come in tomorrow for the weekend and I need to get the house spic and span. Again, I'm not sure why I work so hard, my kids will have it destroyed by this evening. Oh well, I try and that's the important part.
My oldest son just had his 12th birthday! He is about an inch shorter than I am and his feet are bigger than mine (and I wear a size 10 in women's). His voice is getting deep, but when he is playing chase with the cat, he can still yell like a little girl. (hee hee hee) I can't believe how much time has passed. Scary to think about, but in four years, he'll be driving!
Saturday, June 19, 2010
It's time for Random Photos!
Mutant gummy bears! This is a regular sized gummy bear next to a mutant! The mutant was left in a cup filled with 7up for more than 12 hours. (Mutant gummy bears taste terrible!)
My water bottle dilemma. Living in the desert, I have a fear of something happening to the water supply. I can't throw away water bottles. I always keep a supply of water bottles in the fridge and freezer for outings on hot days, but these are the left over water bottles that I don't have room for in the fridge or freezer. There is more than 20 in that picture. I don't know what to do with them, but I can't toss them either. They are taking over my kitchen counter, though! (BTW, they are all filled with water.)
My water bottle dilemma. Living in the desert, I have a fear of something happening to the water supply. I can't throw away water bottles. I always keep a supply of water bottles in the fridge and freezer for outings on hot days, but these are the left over water bottles that I don't have room for in the fridge or freezer. There is more than 20 in that picture. I don't know what to do with them, but I can't toss them either. They are taking over my kitchen counter, though! (BTW, they are all filled with water.)
My bathroom counter. Do you see that mess? Only the mousse is mine. The kids have their own bathroom, but all of their toothbrushes are in my bathroom. There is a doll, a beanie baby bear, kid necklaces, and a variety of other things. You can't see it, but on the far side of the sink, there is a 6 inch spread of toothpaste across the counter - courtesy of Peanut.
I hope you enjoyed a little glimpse into my summer life.
House dreams
I dream about houses a lot. Last night I had another house dream. I love those dreams!
Last night's house was large, but I didn't realize how large until I got inside. There were two kitchens each one had two stoves. Think of the meals that could be cooked.
The house was a maze of large rooms, small cozy spaces, and closets all over the place. There was even a long hall on the second floor was could be used as a gallery for art work. I found a perfect room for my looms and instead of a closet for food storage there were large rooms that could be chosen from. There were enough bedrooms and large rooms that I could have about 20 kids in the house without crowding.
The back yard was large, had various levels and terraces, a walking path through a nicely landscaped area, and plenty of grass for the kids to run through.
It was a great house!
Last night's house was large, but I didn't realize how large until I got inside. There were two kitchens each one had two stoves. Think of the meals that could be cooked.
The house was a maze of large rooms, small cozy spaces, and closets all over the place. There was even a long hall on the second floor was could be used as a gallery for art work. I found a perfect room for my looms and instead of a closet for food storage there were large rooms that could be chosen from. There were enough bedrooms and large rooms that I could have about 20 kids in the house without crowding.
The back yard was large, had various levels and terraces, a walking path through a nicely landscaped area, and plenty of grass for the kids to run through.
It was a great house!
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Tonsils Out
Yesterday, two of my kiddos got their tonsils out. What a day!
My son has had the hardest time with recovering. He is just in a lot more pain or seems to be. I joked with Hubby that it's because he's a guy and just can't handle the pain as well as our daughter. :)
My son has basically stopped speaking. He is afraid it will hurt, and maybe it does, but he won't even try to speak. He does hand signals and a lot of pointing.
Poor kids, it wasn't easy and the next few days will still be sore, but it's worth it for them. They won't gasp for breath at night, they will be able to swallow foods better and the doctor told me they will have more energy because they will be getting good night sleeps. I also hope this helps with the colds they seem to have constantly. My daughter was sick with a cold from September to May.
I'm so glad it's over with.
My son has had the hardest time with recovering. He is just in a lot more pain or seems to be. I joked with Hubby that it's because he's a guy and just can't handle the pain as well as our daughter. :)
My son has basically stopped speaking. He is afraid it will hurt, and maybe it does, but he won't even try to speak. He does hand signals and a lot of pointing.
Poor kids, it wasn't easy and the next few days will still be sore, but it's worth it for them. They won't gasp for breath at night, they will be able to swallow foods better and the doctor told me they will have more energy because they will be getting good night sleeps. I also hope this helps with the colds they seem to have constantly. My daughter was sick with a cold from September to May.
I'm so glad it's over with.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
How did Colorado know?
Colorado knew I was coming. I've spent 20 years longing to return to Colorado and see the beautiful Rocky Mountains. It hurt me to know that I probably would not see it again because the state had no appeal to my husband and so we would never vacation there.
Well, through a long set of circumstances, we drove Colorado this weekend from the north state line to the south state line. I could hardly stand the thought of driving through the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
Colorado knew I was coming. For the entire trip through the state, it was cloudy. Low, dark storm clouds covered the entire state. I never saw a single mountain. Not a one. Can I tell you how upset I was? I cried. I cried driving from Denver to Raton, NM.
I spent 20 years dreaming of returning to my favorite state and never saw the one thing I wanted to see - the Rocky Mountains.
Colorado knew I was coming. It knew that if I saw Pikes Peak I would never return home to the desert. I guess it is just as well, but I sure am upset about it.
Well, through a long set of circumstances, we drove Colorado this weekend from the north state line to the south state line. I could hardly stand the thought of driving through the most beautiful places I've ever seen.
Colorado knew I was coming. For the entire trip through the state, it was cloudy. Low, dark storm clouds covered the entire state. I never saw a single mountain. Not a one. Can I tell you how upset I was? I cried. I cried driving from Denver to Raton, NM.
I spent 20 years dreaming of returning to my favorite state and never saw the one thing I wanted to see - the Rocky Mountains.
Colorado knew I was coming. It knew that if I saw Pikes Peak I would never return home to the desert. I guess it is just as well, but I sure am upset about it.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Happiness
For various reasons I've been quite interested in happiness lately. I've been reading books, articles, talks and scriptures related to joy and happiness. It's been fun.
One rule of happiness I've learned is "be true to yourself."
I have found this to be quite easy to do in some areas of life and hard to do in other parts.
I'm one of the few women in America that hates the Twilight series. It is easy for me to say, "No, I don't want to see the movie," or "No, I'm not reading the final book" (or any sequels or prequels.) It's easy to stay true to myself. I don't have to like what other people like. If I don't like the fad, I don't have to follow it. I remain happy.
What is hard is when it is related to church social functions. I've become quite anti-social in the last two years. I really don't like being in a crowd of people, especially women. Every time you get a group of women together, the topic always turn to weight and loosing weight. I'm heavier than most of the women I know, so when they talk about loosing weight, I feel terrible. If they feel the way they do and they aren't nearly as heavy as me, I can't imagine what they must think about me. I know I'm a horrid blob. I don't need to be reminded when I'm already self conscious in a room of people who are skinnier than me. Why should I go? There is no reason. I feel worse for having gone than I would have had I skipped the entire thing. But then, I feel guilty for not going to a church social function. I'm not true to myself and I'm not happy.
If I'm true to myself in such times, I would never attend, but that makes me a bad person too. So, I'm working hard to realize that being true to myself means that I don't have to like social functions because others like social functions. I need to be true to Molly.
What does make me happy? Good music (I've always got music going), old movies, working on projects, creating things, a green forest, peace and quiet. Hmmm, I'm feeling happier just thinking about those things.
One rule of happiness I've learned is "be true to yourself."
I have found this to be quite easy to do in some areas of life and hard to do in other parts.
I'm one of the few women in America that hates the Twilight series. It is easy for me to say, "No, I don't want to see the movie," or "No, I'm not reading the final book" (or any sequels or prequels.) It's easy to stay true to myself. I don't have to like what other people like. If I don't like the fad, I don't have to follow it. I remain happy.
What is hard is when it is related to church social functions. I've become quite anti-social in the last two years. I really don't like being in a crowd of people, especially women. Every time you get a group of women together, the topic always turn to weight and loosing weight. I'm heavier than most of the women I know, so when they talk about loosing weight, I feel terrible. If they feel the way they do and they aren't nearly as heavy as me, I can't imagine what they must think about me. I know I'm a horrid blob. I don't need to be reminded when I'm already self conscious in a room of people who are skinnier than me. Why should I go? There is no reason. I feel worse for having gone than I would have had I skipped the entire thing. But then, I feel guilty for not going to a church social function. I'm not true to myself and I'm not happy.
If I'm true to myself in such times, I would never attend, but that makes me a bad person too. So, I'm working hard to realize that being true to myself means that I don't have to like social functions because others like social functions. I need to be true to Molly.
What does make me happy? Good music (I've always got music going), old movies, working on projects, creating things, a green forest, peace and quiet. Hmmm, I'm feeling happier just thinking about those things.
Friday, June 04, 2010
I wish I had my own room
Most of my growing up years, I had my own room. I spent most of my time in my room listening to music, reading, doing puzzles, and of course homework.
I wish I had that now(my own room, not the homework). I'm an early riser and these days I get up at 5:30 to go exercise. So, to make sure I don't disturb Hubby, I have my clothes out in the living room and I sleep on my alarm clock so I don't disturb him when it goes off.
I'm often back from exercising before he wakes up. I would love to go shower, but I don't want to go in to the bedroom and make noise while he is sleeping. I don't think that is very nice of me to do. So, I wait and by the time he gets up, all the kids are up and I'm in full swing mom-mode. So, often, showers either don't happen or they happen at odd hours.
My Hubby's computer is in our bedroom. The kids play their games on it most of the day during the summer time. So, there is always a kid or two in my room. (Another reason it's hard to shower any time of the day.)
So, I don't get to shower when I need to or when it is convenient for me. I work around everyone else. I don't have a place to go be alone any time of the day or night. No where to read quietly, write in my journal, or get dressed. I wish I had my own room. It doesn't have to be big or fancy just a place to call my own with nothing in it that would attract the others.
Oh well. In that dream house of mine, I'll have my little room. My own little room.
I wish I had that now(my own room, not the homework). I'm an early riser and these days I get up at 5:30 to go exercise. So, to make sure I don't disturb Hubby, I have my clothes out in the living room and I sleep on my alarm clock so I don't disturb him when it goes off.
I'm often back from exercising before he wakes up. I would love to go shower, but I don't want to go in to the bedroom and make noise while he is sleeping. I don't think that is very nice of me to do. So, I wait and by the time he gets up, all the kids are up and I'm in full swing mom-mode. So, often, showers either don't happen or they happen at odd hours.
My Hubby's computer is in our bedroom. The kids play their games on it most of the day during the summer time. So, there is always a kid or two in my room. (Another reason it's hard to shower any time of the day.)
So, I don't get to shower when I need to or when it is convenient for me. I work around everyone else. I don't have a place to go be alone any time of the day or night. No where to read quietly, write in my journal, or get dressed. I wish I had my own room. It doesn't have to be big or fancy just a place to call my own with nothing in it that would attract the others.
Oh well. In that dream house of mine, I'll have my little room. My own little room.
Thursday, June 03, 2010
One week down
So the kids have been out of school for a full week now. Can they go back?
Summer chores have been assigned. The older boys have been swimming three times at various pools around town and spent an afternoon hanging at the mall together. Squirt guns have been shot in and out of the house. We've picked five cherry tomatoes from our garden. We've watched a couple of rented movies. There has been lots of playing, lots of cleaning, and a few tears from the smaller kids. I'd say the first week of summer break has been a success.
One of the things the kids can do on their Bingo chore/project chart is fix one new recipe. They have all put it off and today they have all asked if they can fix something for lunch or dinner. YEAH! I might not have to cook today. I have a feeling I'll have to do a lot of cleaning in the kitchen this evening, but I won't have to cook!
I've been so uninspired lately with dinners. I feel like I cook the same things over and over, just in different variations. (Is "different variations" redundant? I think so.) I got some great new cookbooks from a local used book store. I just need to go through them, pick a few and try them out. Once in a while I come across a gem recipe that becomes a family favorite. But, today that is the kids job. I'll let them go through the books, pick the meal and cook.
Summer chores have been assigned. The older boys have been swimming three times at various pools around town and spent an afternoon hanging at the mall together. Squirt guns have been shot in and out of the house. We've picked five cherry tomatoes from our garden. We've watched a couple of rented movies. There has been lots of playing, lots of cleaning, and a few tears from the smaller kids. I'd say the first week of summer break has been a success.
One of the things the kids can do on their Bingo chore/project chart is fix one new recipe. They have all put it off and today they have all asked if they can fix something for lunch or dinner. YEAH! I might not have to cook today. I have a feeling I'll have to do a lot of cleaning in the kitchen this evening, but I won't have to cook!
I've been so uninspired lately with dinners. I feel like I cook the same things over and over, just in different variations. (Is "different variations" redundant? I think so.) I got some great new cookbooks from a local used book store. I just need to go through them, pick a few and try them out. Once in a while I come across a gem recipe that becomes a family favorite. But, today that is the kids job. I'll let them go through the books, pick the meal and cook.
Tuesday, June 01, 2010
random and shelves
We had a fun weekend. It's fun having Hubby home for three days. In those three days he managed to help two people move and visit some other people. There were times I wish he could have spent more of the holiday with us instead of with others, but I'm so happy he is willing to help others. He's a good example to the boys.
We invited a family over to dinner. Only the dad and a couple of the kids came. The others pleaded headaches and didn't come. I was slightly insulted, but what can I do about it? Nothing. They missed a great BBQ feast.
I've been meaning to get stamps for 3 weeks now. I hate going to the post office, but I never remember when I'm at the grocery store. I'm just going to have to suck it up and go to the post office. Some letters can't be delayed any longer.
My husband and I have very different decorating ideas. I think I've mentioned this before. The funny thing is, he has very different tastes from himself. He likes Egyptian and he likes fantasy fairies. They don't go together at ALL. We got a new bookshelf over the weekend (free!). It's very nice looking, so we put it in the living room. He stuffed as many books as possible on three of the shelves. He really wanted to put in the pretty coffee-table picture books we have. That's fine, but then he added some lesson manuals and paper backs that just don't look good. At least, to me. I would rather see a few of the coffee table books placed off to one side of the shelf and some to the other side of the shelf on a different level (if that description makes any sense). Then, the side without books could have a pretty decorative nic-nac, sculpture or framed picture. On the top shelf he has left me some space for my bells. He would like me to cram as many bells as I can on the shelf. Instead I choose 10 of various sizes and arranged them artfully. A small row of metal bells on the front row - two are from India and one is from Korea. Then a row of medium sized bells and in the back a row of taller, larger bells. I won't be sticking any more on the shelf now, but it gives me the freedom to rotate bells throughout the year. I totally forgot I have some Christmas bells that I haven't seen in 15 or so years (since I packed them up when I moved out of my parents home). It will be fun to display them this coming Christmas season!
No point to the shelf thing. It's just a funny observation I've made about the way my Hubby and I decorate. Maybe I'll take a picture of the shelf so you can see what I'm talking about. I'd love to hear with others have to say.
We invited a family over to dinner. Only the dad and a couple of the kids came. The others pleaded headaches and didn't come. I was slightly insulted, but what can I do about it? Nothing. They missed a great BBQ feast.
I've been meaning to get stamps for 3 weeks now. I hate going to the post office, but I never remember when I'm at the grocery store. I'm just going to have to suck it up and go to the post office. Some letters can't be delayed any longer.
My husband and I have very different decorating ideas. I think I've mentioned this before. The funny thing is, he has very different tastes from himself. He likes Egyptian and he likes fantasy fairies. They don't go together at ALL. We got a new bookshelf over the weekend (free!). It's very nice looking, so we put it in the living room. He stuffed as many books as possible on three of the shelves. He really wanted to put in the pretty coffee-table picture books we have. That's fine, but then he added some lesson manuals and paper backs that just don't look good. At least, to me. I would rather see a few of the coffee table books placed off to one side of the shelf and some to the other side of the shelf on a different level (if that description makes any sense). Then, the side without books could have a pretty decorative nic-nac, sculpture or framed picture. On the top shelf he has left me some space for my bells. He would like me to cram as many bells as I can on the shelf. Instead I choose 10 of various sizes and arranged them artfully. A small row of metal bells on the front row - two are from India and one is from Korea. Then a row of medium sized bells and in the back a row of taller, larger bells. I won't be sticking any more on the shelf now, but it gives me the freedom to rotate bells throughout the year. I totally forgot I have some Christmas bells that I haven't seen in 15 or so years (since I packed them up when I moved out of my parents home). It will be fun to display them this coming Christmas season!
No point to the shelf thing. It's just a funny observation I've made about the way my Hubby and I decorate. Maybe I'll take a picture of the shelf so you can see what I'm talking about. I'd love to hear with others have to say.
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