Break dreams

Good Morning! First time I've seen 5am in awhile. The boys got up to go fish and made so much noise I'm awake. I figure since I have to get up and go at 4 am tomorrow for the beach I might as well put in some early hours so I can sleep tonight. I've been staying up till midnight or later and sleeping till 8 or later. The girls sleep around all day and are out for the night be 10 then they are rearing to get up by 8. Stella's awake now. Shocking.

I have got to amp up the workouts this summer. I am constantly surprised at how little free time we have in the summer. You'd think since we aren't working out regular jobs we'd be left with tons of time but no. We are still hurrying around and fighting to get in bed at night. I'm sure it will change but I've been trying to get ready for the beach, the boys have been on 2 fishing trips already, I have another beach trip in July and they have another fishing trip. Sad to say we are going in such different directions this year but they want to fish and I, well, don't. When they were going to Key Largo I would trade some fishing time for some Florida time but not Lake Sinclair. Not sure I'd enjoy that much. They are waanting me to go this next time with them but I think not.

Yesterday I got to looking for last year's girls' beach trip scrapbook when I realized I don't have one! I have no pics from 2011 scrapped and not ever 2010 is done! and it's 2012! Wow I need to scrap like mad this summer and get caught up. This is insane.

Yesterday the boys continued getting their act together for tournaments, Hubs mowed (that takes forever) and Bubs finally detailed my car. Hubs then was need to take the pontoon up to help some elderly people from the local nursing home, Bubs had basketball and then they both had weightlifting, and we all finally met up for a concert planning meeting. Our church small group is bringing Building 429 to Blanchester in August. They are a large group so all the details are mind blowing. We have to talk to multiple agents, get prepared for 2000 people and then have faith the money will fall into place. So far it has. Amazingly people come out of nowhere to make this happen. Really praying that all the details will be covered. Lots of work ahead.

I finished The Seminary yesterday. That's the book my friend from church wrote and asked me to help edit. It was really good and I enjoyed it. I don't think he thought I'd find so much since when I called to tell him I finished he asked if I found anything. Yeah. 71 things actually. I hope he is still speaking to me after this. Students come in all the time and ask me to read things. They are expecting me to spew accolades. You got the wrong gal. I give an honest opinion. Not to say it isn't great! It is but I see errors and tweaks and if there is the opportunity to fix it, well I figure that's what you want right? I hope so.

The girls have gotten comfortable together.

Spring yard sale items

 Prom favors

 OOTD with scary hair

 The new girl got her pic taken by the resident 14 yr old.

 Some Pinterest in action

 Summer wedding OOTD

 One day I thought I lost Stella... found her, can you?

A trio of bunnies have moved into the field

 80% of their day

 OOTD for book club at MJ's

 the other 20%

 the girls see the bunnies who amazingly come to the fence to play!

 the girls realize they can't leave the fence

 so back to napping

And this my friend is how I plan to spend my entire break...

Wake Cup

Coffee disaster this morning. This year in addition to becoming G's good friend I've become quite the coffee drinker at work. Several of us chipped in to get a Keurig and I've branched out trying to find flavors I like. Truth be told my favorite flavor is any flavor of the creamers :) So I've made some coffee I had here at the house using the stovetop and just pouring boiling water over some coffee I've picked up at hotels. Good, good stuff. This morning Hubs is here so I had him get the coffee maker my mom kept here to make a big pot. My boss gave me a bag of Starbucks coffee beans for Christmas so I bought a coffee bean grinder I picked up this spring at the thrift store. I've used it before and taken the grinds to school to brew in my coffee pot there. No problem. So this morning I grind the beans and put the filter in the maker, pour in the water and turn it on. It heats up and proceeds to go everywhere. I mean everywhere. Apparently this is not the pot that goes with the maker and it didn't hit the right lever to let the water go into the pot. Stupid. So I guess I'm on the hunt for a new coffee maker. Something smaller and prettier would be nice. 


Yesterday I was able to get in my morning pages, daily readings,check pinterest and facebook before G called to meet up for lunch/dinner. (I also vacuumed the whole house and cleaned the bathrooms but that's no fun to talk about now is it?) The boys worked all day on their mess they created on the pool table. Most of it was fishing stuff they needed to repair for this weekend's tournament. Then they headed out to the Tuesday night tournament. I mean it's 5 in the afternoon but whatever. I was gone before they were. G and I met at LaRosa's and we tried the new Rondos. Spinach please! They are yummy. And I'm sure deadly don't let the spinach fool you. They are served with a big tub of garlic butter. Yeah. LaRosa's also added a 99 drinks menu. Love. It. Lots of regular drinks with cherry, vanilla and such you can add in. Vanilla Coke Zero please! It was delicious. G recommended the Lemoncello so I'll be back for that. I've been on facebook for several years now. No biggie. G has not. She is with John and several others of my friends who are so skeptical of it. They think it's like high school. I don't. Or maybe I just liked high school more than they did :) No, actually I don't think I use Facebook like most people. I check in to see what I've missed with people but the people who constantly have nothing to say I hide. They don't know so why worry. I like business pages and bloggers pages so I don't have to subscribe to their email and have it clogging up my email. Facebook lets me know of events I need to know about, news articles that are trending and see people's comings and goings. And yes S. I am interested in seeing that. I guess the kicker is to have intelligent friends who share your interests so you like what you see. Otherwise defriend them, hide them and get on with it!


Hubs just brought me a cup of coffee. Good man.


I'm gonna tell you a secret. I like to eavesdrop. It's true. I enjoy hearing Hubs and Bubs talk or just comment while watching a show. They are so comfortable together. Hubs said this past week, when they spent 8 days traveling together and fishing, that they didn't argue one time. Wow. They usually argue over laziness or lack of inituative or whatever. Nothing. For 8 days. 


Last fall I went to a conference and met Sara Darrer Littman. I'm just now sussing out my notes and I came across this quote about things that are difficult to talk about with your kids.
"It is so much easier to have that conversation within the context of a book!" So so true and one more reason we should read what our kids read.
Another thing she said was that her book stressed that there are two sides to every story...
that would make a good bulletin board. Beastly. Breathing under water. 


More notes sussing out...
You are never more like God than when you choose to love another. Your heart is revealed when you choose to love.
Do the will of God without regard to the fruit. 

Good Friend G

Good morning! It is starting to feel like summer. We were all home this morning with no pressing appointments so we slept in and then lazed around in bed. Bubs is still not up. Hubs has plans to clean today... yeah and I didn't even 'nag' him about it. Don't know what has gotten into him. I'm meeting some gals from beach house #2 after their meeting this afternoon. We plan to go to lunch somewheres close. It's been odd lately. This year G and I started to talk more with each other. Looking back I'm trying to remember how that happened. She came to teach here a few years ago and we talked some but we weren't close. Then she joined book club and we go to know each other a little better. Then last year in lunch one of our fellow teachers said she was moving to Chicago. G said she'd come and visit. I, being the fun loving traveler I am, said, 'I'll go!" And then this fall G came and said we were invited over labor day weekend. So we went. We talked the whole way  there and back and had a great time. Since then she comes in the library to say good morning, spends her planning chatting with me, eats lunch with me and we usually hang around after school to rehash the day. We invite each other to functions we hear about that we know the other would like such as the holocaust speaker this year, and the Christian concert. She offers me rides to and from work when the guys have stuff going on and I want to go home. We even took her camper and went camping over spring break. I hadn't really given much thought to how much our relationship has changed until I went a few days without seeing her.  I texted her about it and she said the same thing. Weird. So today we'll meet and chat and Friday we both head to the beach for the girls' week in the sun.

I really like these morning pages. I will continue them as much as possible. They give me a goal to start off the day and get down on 'paper' what's going on. That's why I started the blog. To get it all down, and hash things out. Tell details I want to remember. And then things got busy and I didn't take the time to do it. So I'm glad these are helping get me back to the basics.

For our anniversary yesterday we went to the steakhouse and a movie. Even with it being summer break we still were so busy we didn't get to just have a day but we squeezed it in. I needed to drop somethings off to a lady in Batavia. That was cool actually. She lives in the country and we talked goats, soap, and chickens for awhile. Then the steakhouse, which was subpar, where we ran into some students, of course. Had a nice chat with them and then headed over to the Christian book store to pick up a Building 429 disk since we will be hosting them in concert this fall. That's exciting! We've been negotiating with them so far but they've signed so now just details. Then I hopped over to Joanne's with my handy dandy coupon app. Love that thing. Very forward thinking Joannes! Then we headed home. The boys quickly left for weightlifting and I got busy.... sitting on the porch continuing my book. When they came back we headed out for the late showing of Men in Black 3. I snuck my coffee in but that wasn't too hard since we saw, literally, 4 other people in the whole complex. I enjoyed it. We watched it in 3D. No Salmon Fishing in Yemen but it was fun. Poor Tommy Lee though looks very, very ancient. 

I count it as a privilege

I will never again hear an owl and not think of Wesley. What a heartwarming little book.

Through our 'new' church I met Beth and we talked books. I suggested a few and brought her a few and awhile back she mentioned her husband, pen named Stefan, wrote a book. Well me being the reader I am I wanted to know how to get the book and asked a bazillion questions. Stefan then came and talked to me showing a mother's love for his book. He showed me the proof and we talked about $ and process. I told him to let me know when it was ready I would love to read it. Yesterday after church Stefan tracked me down and asked, "Are you a fast reader?" Absolutely. "Then take this and mark it up for me if you will. I need to make the changes before it goes back to my editor and I've read it too many times." I'd love to. So I got in the truck and read while Hub's drove.
Now when a student says they've written something and will they read it they really mean will you praise me for it. And 9 times out of 10 it is pitiful. So I was a little worried this would be the same since he was funding it himself and not going through a major publisher. I was WRONG. The Seminary, the working title, is good. Great so far to be honest. It's edgy and brings suspense in all the right places. I'm loving it. His writing is good as well as the theme. His characters are sharp and well rounded. Nice, nice job Stefan.

Yesterday a friend of mine who just started a business posted something business related on his Facebook. I noticed a glaring grammatical error and messaged his phone. We had a mini grammar lesson and he
edited the post:I would like to thank a Blanchester High School librarian who lives near a private lake who wishes to remain anonymous, for pointing out in my status above....its "their" winning bid, not "there" winning bid:)

That's funny stuff right there. I 'laughed out loud.'

Today is our 18th wedding anniversary. Big plans! Not. We are going to the steak house. With a gift card. Then Hub's has to go to work this evening in the weight room. I'm just ignoring the whole stepping back into football issue. Better that way I think. And now back to anniversary.
I can't believe it's been 18 years. That's how long I lived full time in the family home. Now I've been independent just as long. First I packed up my belongings and moved to the dorm then to the little house on S. Second St, then Blanchester, and now here. Time flies. I can't even remember not be a couple. We dated for a little over a year before we engaged and then we got married a little less than a year later on our anniversary date day. We had Bubs less than 5 years later. It's really hard to believe it's been 18 years.

Sermon yesterday was exceptionally good. We started a new series, T90X. Our minister is doing P90 X and he thinks there are similarities in how we should devote 90 days to Know, Grow and Go. We have daily devotional passages etc. Interesting. I'm overbooking my dailies here lately.

Morning Writing Pages
Regular Bible Reading
Workout
Daily Reading books: let's just say there are like 7 dailies

Happy balance is what I need.

I tried on beach clothes yesterday to continue packing for Friday. I'm really ready for the beach this year. I didn't get to go spring break. Too short. But on the flip side I have this week at Garden City with the girls and then a week in July with 3 other ladies at Hilton Head. I've never been there so I'm excited about that too. Yolanda, Louisa and Margie will be on that trip. I like all these ladies. Even on the Garden City trip there are 15 of us and I'm friends with all of them. Well actually there is a new lady in our house this year taking my favorite lady's place. I'm very upset my bestest mentor will not be joining us this year. Her health has progressively gotten worse. But there is something more going on I don't understand. Then another housemate of ours passed away in December. We did not replace her. That will be difficult to take really. She was such a presence. We really got along and she was funny and talkative and I knew the beach was the one vacation she took for herself. She lived with her mother and was never married, didn't have a lot of girlfriend's so this was a big week for her. I can't believe she's gone really. She was younger than me. When I celebrated my 40th this year, I thought of her. I doubt I'll ever complain about getting older I count it as a privilege.

Good Morning... pages 3

I missed those morning pages yesterday and when I remembered Cameron's words echoed in my head, "Morning pages are non-negotiable." Gonna need to remember to set time to do those no matter what.

Stella loves to get a piece of food or chewed up bone and throw it around. Fun to watch. Actually both these girls are fun to watch. I can feel my blood pressure lower the longer I sit still and just watch them. We are 11 days out of school and I'm just starting to relax. That's with being home for 3 days straight. I really need to relax some this summer. I forget how much of a toll the school year takes on me. And this was a GOOD year. It still brought lots of heartache with needy kids, fighting foster care, telling kids they're loved even when they do not have one parent who will fight for them, watching injustice in the system and threatened job security once again. It's exhausting and sad. But of course there's also those 'twins' I got to know this year that were so entertaining and who have such potential, and Bub's test scores that show real promise, innocent freshmen who came and camped out in my room and new teachers who came in and fit right in with fun personalities. So it evens out. This year more than most really. It makes me so angry when people imply we have it easy. Easy is a job where you don't worry about the welfare of your clients each and everyday. They come in well fed, loved and cared for and need you to give them something material. Ours come in so damaged and needy and we are expected to give them an education where the bar is set so high despite what they may have received in the past here or somewhere else. It's tough, exhausting work. I do love it though. I count it a privilege to be given this time to love and care for them AND to show them their potential. It's fun watching them succeed and waiting to see who they become. They overcome so much in four years.

This year Bub's will be in his final year in middle school then next school year we will start the four year journey of high school together. Scary and exiting. I can't imagine really. He's 14 years old. I hardly even get to see him he's so busy. Already the first day we were out and we were both home he came down stairs and said, "What's for Breakfast and can we go fishing?" I said, "Eggs and absolutely." We have a strict policy in this house; if he wants to spend time with us, we spend time with him. So all those plans I had for things to do, I put aside and we took the pontoon out with the girls. It was fabulous. Pics on yesterday's post. He has a Kings Island pass this year. Bought it himself. So although I had a KI pass for probably 7 years I'm nervous he's there without me, being ferried back and forth by kid's parents, etc. and wondering how much KI is going to make off of us this summer. And we don't get to be together. Poop. Oh well, growing pains. This year on my way to graduation I got a little teary eyed thinking about how I'm going to do this when Bubs is with me for HIS Graduation. How indeed. 

Night pages

So didn't get up in time to type morning pages since I got up, got ready and left to take the boys to Kings Island to drop them off for the day AFTER stopping by McD's to get them breakfast. I ordered the mango pineapple smoothie- wait i was wondering how many calories are in that thing....280. Not bad for breakfast but 60 grams of sugar and carbs. That's too much. Needs spinach to take that down a notch.
So ended up eating Bub's leftover McGriddle so it wouldn't go to waste then went to book club. At MJ's in Milford. Very nice but more food and drink. Then to a grad party. More food and drink. Yuck. Well yum but too much. Came home made some Green Tea and settled in for some blog lovin.

Yesterday I started my summertime workout and ouch today I am sore.
25 situps, pullups, pushups, (sec.) plank, deep knee bends and
full body stretches

We discussed Wesley the Owl at book club today and it was an ok discussion. Everyone enjoyed the book to different degrees but not a great discussion. Lots of talking around the table though.

Leaving for the beach in a week and heard today our car will be leaving at 4 am. yes 4am. so I'm trying to think of all the things i can do in that car for the whole day drive it will take us to travel stop for three meals and such.

sleep
magazines
books
fingerknit
ipad: books, movies, blog in notes, play w apps
ipod: music, pods
iphone: instagram, facebook, pinterest, blogs, go over reminders, twitter, scramble, words w friends, play w apps

Yeah I'm a little worried about all that time in one day driving/riding in the car. It'd be fine. Right.

You know what's ugly? Elbows. Elbows are ugly.

Almost three days? Really?

Morning 2 of Morning Pages... this is harder than I thought to immediately get up and type them out. A- people call before I can even get out of bed with a list of questions. B- it's raining and I need to cancel plans I've made outside. C-Tea or Coffee, the maid is out so I must make it myself. D- the pup's are adorable and giving me photo ops. 

Speaking of such, coffee with this french vanilla coffee mate is amazing. It can not be good for ya. Oh looky there it isn't. Poop.

I worked in the studio all day yesterday. Well I got distracted. Alot. Like I always do when I don't want to clean. But alas it is clean(ish). And today I need to finish up. Perfect day since it's rainy outside and the boys are coming home.

The boys have been gone for 7 days. I had big plans to deep clean my house. Instead I finally went to Ferrari's Little Italy, painted at art class, enjoyed the weather poolside, visited with my sister and her dogs, visited my parents, met a friend at Dilly Deli, watched Salmon Fishing in Yemen, spent mornings and evenings on the porch with the dogs reading and cruising pinterest and facebook, HOWEVER I have cleaned like a mad woman the last 2 days and there isn't a dirty article of clothing or a dish in my house. Until they walk in and dump a week's worth of fishy clothes on the floor.

Let's talk imprinting. That's the word Tim used when he talked about us getting Stella early enough. My expirence with the word imprinting comes from Twilight's Jacob so I thought it was odd to use that word. And yet... as soon as we got her she would stare into my eyes. She likes to come jump on me then just gaze into my eyes. Odd and yet I think that's exactly what she is doing. Imprinting. You are my mother. Hello.

Yesterday I listened to/watched the Pelican Brief. Forgot how absolutely wonderful it is. Then today The Fugitive. My how we forget all those famous people way back when. Cynthia Nixon, Susan Sarandon,  Jane Lynch, Stanley Tucci, wow.

I just realized I have not seen another human being in over 2 days. Tuesday I came home from dinner and a movie to an empty house. Wednesday I cleaned all day, Thursday I cleaned and then organized all day and now Friday I worked in my studio and am just waiting for the boys to return from their fishing trip. Humm. Didn't even realized it has been over 48 hours with just the dogs. Of course I talk to them and talk on the phone but no one has seen me.

Hoping to do more of this in the days to come...

 After watching Marina check out the catch...

 Stella does the same...

 I used the umbrella to shield my reading.

 Last lecture took us to Mr. Sushi for dinner and their wonderful Plum wine.

 Last Saturday Yolanda and I went to Ferrari's Little Italy for dinner with a Groupon.

 Then took an art class.

 On our walk some ducks were enjoying someone's pool.

 After graduation me and the girls headed to Yo's poolside.

 Her Hub's delivered Starbucks in the morning AND cooked us breakfast. 

 Marina waits for the OK to jump in.

 Refill please!

 Started this tome. How about that little heart leaf?

 Graduation went well. Of course we had our resident crazies and some harsh words from an uninformed person who made me so angry I almost quit. Then I remembered who I do this for and thought better of it. 

 Graduation is exhausting. 

 Met a friend at Dilly Deli and went to see Salmon Fishing in Yemen. Lovely film. I should go to see Mariemont films more often. 

 Stella's a fast learner. Sit on her feet she won't move.