It's about time...

...for something to happen that's interesting enough to post about.
No such luck.
But I'll post anyway.
I spent Saturday night at my first 20 year class reunion of the summer. I went to school through the 8th grade in my hometown. It's small enough that they invited anyone that they could locate who'd been in the class. When we moved away, it was only 17 miles to the north, so I was frequently back to visit friends. The reunion for the class I graduated with is in August.
Sunday we drove. A lot. We cruised from my folks in extreme SW MN, to the southern 'burbs of the Twin Cities, then it was a speed run to the office supply store, then home 2 1/2 more hours in the van. With no AC. Yuck. Gotta get that looked at.
Got to IM a bit with Alex today, and get a ballpark estimate on her arrival (3rd wknd of August).
Now, it's off to tame the laundry dragon. If you don't hear from me in a few days, it won.

It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye...

...or breaks a nose, I guess. There is a sad old hideabed on our porch. Last night we had some storms roll through, producing some lovely lightning. I pulled the bed out and flopped thereupon with the iPastor to watch the light show. Before too long, we were dogpiled by the three awake Things and, fittingly enough, two of the dogs. All was well until, siblings being as they are, the giggling gave way to some roughhousing. One reflexive kick later and Thing 1 went squealing to the kitchen with a bloody nose. Before too long the squeals dissolved to giggles, and after spattering me with snorted blood at least once in a fit of laughter, we got the bleeding stopped and the floor mopped and life returned to what resembles normal around here.
***
Yesterday's Netflix gem was a little Irish film called Waking Ned Divine. I never got the chance to see it when it came out a few years back. It was a fun little flick, worth an hour and a half of your time.
***
We spent the bulk of our Sunday at the park in Montevideo for Nina's benefit picnic. She had a blast, and it was amazing the people that little girl has touched in her 8 years. Friends and coworkers of her parents, most of her school, all of our church, people from EF, and perfect strangers who saw a poster or read about her in the paper packed the park for food, games, carriage rides and music. The Things and I, and even iPastor in a rare appearance, performed along with several other groups and a soloist over the course of the day. There wasn't a dry eye in the park when Nina got up to sing "My Savior, My God" with Thing 2. I'm a pretty proud wife/mama today, it was a great day for Nina, too. Thing 4 provided entertainment by raiding the goodie tent for cotton candy about a dozen times. My cafe employers were running the tent, and I warned them I would be missing work if I had a kid with a tummyache today. So far he's still sleeping off the sugar crash. I have a feeling Nina slept like a rock last night, too.
***
Our church is on deck to serve coffee at the little community center today, then it's back on the hamster wheel for us. The kids are working odd jobs to pay for camp, iPastor has been bumped to full time to help his supervisor cover for one of the other plants they guard, I'm on all week, and I have the first of two class reunions this summer on Saturday. If it's a bit scarce around here, we'll catch ya on the flipside.

***

Someone sent these pictures from the picnic Sunday.

Who can I make cry today?

Besides me.

8th Grade formal on the last day of school. Next year Thing 1 is officially a high schooler. She's at orientation for her first payroll job (McDonald's) today. *sigh*



Where are you going my little one, little one
Where are you going my baby my own
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of the door
Turn around (turn around)
Turn around (turn around)
Turn around and you're a young girl
goin' out of the door

Where are you going my little one, little one
Dirndls and petticoats, where have you gone
Turn around and you're tiny, turn around and you're grown
Turn around and you're a young wife with babes of your own

Where are you going my little one, little one
Where are you going my baby my own
Turn around and you're two, turn around and you're four
Turn around and you're a young girl going out of my door

Two go out, only one comes back...

While cleaning out the outdoor toy bin, we came across a couple of kites that had been languishing far too long. The kids earn reward points at our Sunday night kids' program at church, and are able to redeem points for goods, these kites included. There was a stiff breeze this afternoon, following a squall and a downpour, so we decided to give the kites a try. One was too small to get much loft from the strong wind. Perhaps a tail will better balance it. It was fun for some short-string stunts, though. Sponge Bob and Patrick adorned the slightly bigger one, and it took off in the breeze easily. After a good half hour passing the kite around, Thing 2 lost it from her grasp and it bobbed and soared along the current in the air. Thing 2 followed after it for a good half a section. It reminded me quite a bit of myself in a cow pasture many long years ago. I was able to retrieve mine way back then, but she couldn't locate where hers finally went down. I watched her disappear over a knoll, then a few minutes later, reappear running between rows of new corn, learning a lesson about letting go. It was a lot of energy to expend on a two-bit kite, but she gave it a try and gave up when it became more than the kite was worth. Even with the loss, it was a good bit of fun for as long as they've lain unused in the porch.

School's out!

From a long weekend to a long week. After four days off, Tuesday was a little hard to take, but I managed to slip right back into the old rut and get to work. This week includes a groom's supper and wedding dance, so it'll be nice to see Sunday roll around.
***
We did a bit of rearranging on Monday, and so far the rest of the week I've made no real progress, but haven't backslid either.
***
The kids are done with school until August. Countdown until the first cry of "I'm bored"...
***
Under "C": "I have tater tot gravy in my ear."
***
I don't drink a lot of "road coffee." My schedule allows me to have coffee at home or work. Occasionally, if we're on a long drive or traveling at odd hours, I'll take my chances with a cup of convenience store java, but those times I usually opt for my beloved Starbucks Double Shot Espresso and Cream which I blogged lovingly about at the blog the domain ate last year (lots of caffeine packaged in four bladder-friendly ounces! hooray!) Recently, I needed java at an odd time, and swung through McDonald's drive-through. I had a surprisingly lovely cup of coffee. Small, three creams, just right. Just a handy tip for you coffee lovers out there.
***
Well, back to work now. You all enjoy your weekend off. Don't mind me. Really. I'll be fine.

Sick days

Heard at a friend's house, for the "C" file:

"Nice booger."

***

Actually got a fair bit done yesterday around the house while managing to laze around a bit for recuperative purposes and take in Grad party #1 of the weekend. The general ache has subsided somewhat, but I still wasn't up to hanging around outside in the wind and bluster at a campground. After church today, we stopped by the Evil*Empire to pick up various accoutrement and a card for Grad #2. We arrived at their home to find it empty, but there was a young lady there looking just as perplexed. We tracked them down on the cell phone at their church instead of home (well, their kid that graduated last year had his party at home; I didn't bother looking that closely at the invitation.) The young lady and we took great comfort in each other making the same mistake, and were told that someone else had called from the wrong church, so it must have just been a confusing day.
We returned home in time for coffee time and King's Kids at church, then came home, baked a cake and had a fire in the pit and good conversation around it. I should stay home sick more often. The flu-like yuck has been replaced with a more cold-like yuck. I am losing my voice and the family is secretly rejoicing.
I did manage to croak through a song at church today. I had arranged a replacement to take my turn at special, but it didn't pan out so it was fortuitous that I stayed home. Nina's still doing OK, but her grandma is having health issues now. It's just one thing after another for them. The song I chose for today was, not entirely by coincidence, a song by Casting Crowns about ministering to others in difficult times. Sometimes events transpire that we as people of faith have a hard time understanding. The trite "bad things to good people" scenario doesn't even begin to cover it sometimes. In his lyrics, Mark Hall reminds us that we do not have to explain why things happen, we just have to love people and take care of them. I wasted a bit of time off looking for a legal music widget to play this for you, but instead, you just get the lyrics.

Love them Like Jesus

The love of her life is drifting away
They’re losing the fight for another day
The life that she’s known is falling apart
A fatherless home, a child’s broken heart

You’re holding her hand, you’re straining for words
You trying to make - sense of it all
She’s desperate for hope, darkness clouding her view
She’s looking to you

Just love her like Jesus, carry her to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves her and stay by her side
Love her like Jesus
Love her like Jesus

The gifts lie in wait, in a room painted blue
Little blessing from Heaven would be there soon
Hope fades in the night, blue skies turn to grey
As the little one slips away

You’re holding their hand, you’re straining for words
You’re trying to make sense of it all
They’re desperate for hope, darkness clouding their view
They’re looking to you

Just love them like Jesus, carry them to Him
His yoke is easy, His burden is light
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus

Lord of all creation holds our lives in His hands
The God of all the nations holds our lives in His hands
The Rock of our salvation holds our lives in His hands
He cares for them just as He cares for you

So love them like Jesus, love them like Jesus
You don’t need the answers to all of life’s questions
Just know that He loves them and stay by their side
Love them like Jesus
Love them like Jesus

It's always something...

A couple of weeks ago we had planned a visit to Omaha for a graduation. We would also drop in on Cliff on the way. A couple unexpected bills made us have to cancel the trip. This weekend, friends of our are camping at the state park near my hometown. We were going to "camp" at grandma's (HDTV and beds inside: my kind of camping), join our friends to visit and play at the park, and get down to the cemetery to decorate. iPastor has been battling an ear infection for two weeks. I had hoped he would be feeling better for the trip, but not so much. Then yesterday I woke up with a fever/chills/ache/nausea version of the crud that's going around. So we will spend out weekend at home instead. We're both feeling a bit better, but still not up to travel and socialization. We have a couple of graduation parties to visit, but those can be short & sweet. Maybe we'll get something else done around here. One kid wants to play musical rooms again, so we'll maybe get her settled in.

***

Another to file under "C"

"Pick up your lizard and put it away."

***

Well, you all enjoy your holiday weekend, hopefully without driving up the demand for gas. That means no RVing, boating, plowing, four-wheelers, wet jets or NASCAR. Have fun with that.

File under "C"...

...for "Conversations only heard in homes with small children:

"Get your fairy out of my oatmeal."

***

Otherwise, the girls and I lived through a day-long,, two-show, dance extravaganza marathon, and we are done with that for the year. iPastor, on the other hand, still has to edit, dupe and ship the video. Hopefully that will be a much less complicated process this year.
Now we are back into the rut, and I am re-determined to continue with the clutter busting. We just signed on for our fifth exchange student (Hi Alex!) from EF (which we highly recommend, both the experience and EF, at least our local branch rocks!) Although I always hope to improve my home just for my own comfort and my family's, the impending arrival of a new kid in August gives me a deadline of sorts. I feel this way every time, and I always make some progress, if not huge strides, so here's hoping...

Now it's off to work again.

Bo-ring

Life in my comfy rut plods along as per usual. The end of the school year is approaching at a frightening rate. One of the signals of this is dance recital, which happens tomorrow. Firestorm is the official videographer of said event, but this year, the Minnesota Scottish Fair unfortunately moved to the same weekend. iPastor is the regional commissioner or grand poobah or whatever of the Minnesota chapter of Clan MacDougallso his loyalties were a bit divided. He swapped labor with one of our trusty occasional camera ops, and will head off to the Fair while someone else runs the cam for once. I won't have to run a camera either, so for the first time in seven years, I will not have to watch the show through a viewfinder. Cool. Now I have to buy a ticket...
Nina seems to be responding well to chemo. She was almost her normal self last week at church. She still has a long road ahead, but hopefully it will all go this well.
With that, I leave you to go get all the little dancers settled in for their beauty rest. G'nite!

Nina update

Nina's folks put up a page for her at Caringbridge.org. Her site name is ninabuchanan. If you want to send a special little girl some internet love, go check it out.

Lum nips

So, two visits to the dentist in two days. I (finally) had the last two wisdom teeth out, and about 5 other fillings. It's a good thing I'm typing this, because my mouth is still too slack and numb to form coherent words. The aftershock from yesterday's visit was minimal, and the two other extractions I've had with this dentist were painless, so I'm hoping the record holds. Otherwise, I'm starving, but can't hold food in my mouth without it sliding out the front just yet.

Thing 4 was bitten by something in bed that left a nasty ol' welt on him the size of a silver dollar. iPastor took him to have it checked. Other than itch, it didn't seem to be bothering him, but it looked awful. That stuff creeps me out. Waiting to hear about that. (update: Doc says keep an eye on it. Duh.)

Been trying to get out in the yard as much as possible. Having a couple days off for the dentist freed up my afternoons a little. I'm enjoying the nice weather. I'd like to get my garden in soon, but it will have to wait until I have some cash to buy plants.

Well, I'm off to putz in the yard and hang laundry on the line, until my mouth loosens up enough to eat.

A very blustery night

I could have told you last night would be windy. I have an awesome pink crabapple tree. Ever since I started this bloggity thing, way back in primeval old Blogger days, through a domain that dumped us for excessive spam traffic (hey iPastor, we still need a refund from those guys, we paid for ten years...) and back to Blogger again, I think I should post a picture of my beautiful flowering crab. Every year when it blooms, it is absolutely gorgeous for about ten minutes, then we get wind and/or rain and it's gone. It bloomed Friday. Last night we had sustained straight-line winds of 25-30 with gusts over 60 for about 6-8 hours. This morning at about 7, the dogs went haywire and the wind switched from the south to the east and kicked up for about half an hour before dying down to a stiff breeze. There are trees down all over, but our yard is OK. We have shingles in the yard and a broken window, thankfully one of the old storm windows. A friend at work lost her roof.

I should get out and work on cleaning up the yard a little bit, but I just got done clearing that path in the basement, so I'm taking a little break. iPastor and the Cosmic Junkie are on their way back from the Home Despot with a new washer for Mama Goose! Woot! I'm livin' civilized again!

In other news, iPastor and I went completely insane (again) a couple of weeks ago...



...and brought home Polly, aka Polly Lobster, aka Polly Piddles. iPastor mentioned once that he'd love to have a beagle if we ever got another dog. After we got the cockers mostly settled in, someone posted Polly on Freecycle(tm). We're suckers.


That brings the canine population to three...



See that black and tan boy, Tiger? I started giving them a scissors cut, because I have been too cheap on time and money to get 'em to the groomers, but I wanted them to be able to see and not overheat. Anyway, the B&T is almost the same color as the red now with his coat trimmed. I think he's what they call "sable" but I'm not really certain with the whole Cocker terminology thing. The vet thinks the red is actually red sable as well. I don't care, I'm lovin' 'em, not showing 'em. We're really working on training the dogs and people to a potty and play schedule. I think Polly's got a bladder the size of a walnut. She pees every 20 minutes, but never very much. iPastor dutifully went off to buy dog food, but missed the trusty farm store by a few minutes. So he popped across the street to the Evil*Empire, and came home with a bag of Ol'Roy. I have NEVER smelled anything so vile as those dogs on cheapo food. Blearg!

My new washer is here, and we have to do some strong-arming of a corroded spigot, so I will leave you now and head to the basement. Toodles.

Perspective

Initial reports from Minneapolis Children's are encouraging. The doctors feel Nina's got excellent chances for full recovery. She's got a long road ahead, though. She's already started chemo. If she feels well enough, she can meet her class at the zoo for her field trip Friday. Please keep the prayers going. The family also cares for a disabled grandma at home, and has been doctoring Nina's little sister quite a bit lately as well. I am amazed at their resilience, and their commitment to each other over the past few years' challenges.

Yesterday, our old washer finally died. The poor old thing has been rigged and fiddled with for so long, it finally gave up the ghost. I think we'll have to wait until Sunday to make a trip to Home Depot for a new one. Those folks are foolish enough to give us credit! It means foregoing a new mower this year, but the neighbor already volunteered to do that, as she's scrounging for summer work, so it all works out in the end. It seems he washer always dies when the laundry pile is knee high. As I went to the basement and made the discovery yesterday, I was starting to get that feeling of disgust/dismay at the mess before me, and I stopped and remembered my healthy, noisy, PITA kids. My life is fine. A trip to the laundromat never hurt anyone, and the dryer and clothesline still function perfectly. Thing 3 asked this morning what detergent I used to make her clothes smell so good. Just the sunshine...

Now I suppose I'd better go fold and put away the first batch. Gotta clear a path to put the new washer in.

Pray for Nina

Our friend's 8-year-old daughter has just been diagnosed with leukemia. This is the cherry on top of several other health and caregiving issues for them. Please pray for Nina's health and her family's strength.

May Day!

So, a moment to catch up, perhaps?

Chronology is out the window here. We'll be time shifting all over the place.

First off, women's retreat was lovely, the drive to Austin was not. There is no real expedient route from the WC part of our fair state to the SC or SE. Many of the US highways have been upgraded to 4-lane; many others have not. Most of the state roads seem to have been planned to get from one US highway to the next. In a nutshell, it took 4 hours to go 150 miles. Yuck. Once there, we had a delightful time. We had a n awesome speaker on words and how we use and abuse them. We also had ample time to hang out and do girly things. I have nail polish on for the first time in, um, I can't remember. The drive home sapped the life from me, and I crashed for a power nap. Rested and renewed, indeed.

Today was mayday, so the Things and I hastily made baskets in the car this morning, and Thing 4 passed them out. May baskets used to be an after-school activity in the neighborhood where I grew up. We'd tape ribbon handles on dixie cups, load 'em with candy and pass 'em out. We never got into the sneaky stuff, we'd usually meet up in a gang outside and trade, then take any extras around. One of the aforementioned girly events was thrift shopping, and I hit a sale and got a whole batch of little wicker baskets for about a dime each. Beats monkeying with tape.
Our after-school hours are monopolized with dance today, so iPastor and I drove (how lazy! but we were hauling putzy little baskets) around the neighborhood to hang them on doorknobs.

Thing 4 was just getting a handle on the "ding dong ditch" methodology.

Sometimes, however, stealth went out the window, such as when the little yardapes were outside.




We took a basket to where the seniors have coffee every day, and he did get "caught" and kissed. He didn't quite know what to make of that. It got the folks buzzing about Maydays past. iPastor says they actually brought little baskets of the dixie cup kind to school much like a Valentine party, and they had a gym teacher who made a big deal of setting up a maypole.

More to come later. iPastor and the Thing have gone off to deliver one more basket and have coffee with friends. I need to get ready for work!

Whiz bang.

Another week? Dang. Let's see what I got for y'all...

Um, not much.

I have given notice at the bar job. I am too old for this. Waitressing is fine; I love Job 2. Smoky rooms, late nights, and mouthy drunks have sucked the life out of me. I'm done. I will be going back to class this summer, and something's gotta give. I still need a second job, but I'll find something else.

Otherwise, been busy working, walking dogs, and enjoying the spring weather in the yard a little bit.

Now I need to go pack for women's retreat. I'll catch y'all on the flip side.

Chirp Chirp

The snow melted, and the temps have been decidedly more spring-like, so I've been spending a fair amount of time outside and not at the computer. Today is a pretty day, but the breeze makes it a bit too cool for a weenie like me to want to spend any real time out there, so I'm back to grace you all with my presence.

Yesterday was Thing 3's spring concert for school. They gave a little program about a bullfrog who bullied all the animals in the swamp. When they needed someone to sing for the swamp concert, they asked the bully-frog because they heard him sing in the shower, then he was friendly. Moral: if you want the lead in the show, bully everyone until you get it. Seems to work in real life...

I have been working since Easter with no full days off. I will work until April 27, when I go to women's retreat. I'll need it. Dang those bills, anyway.

I should now go feed the Things. You all have a delightful day!

My, how the days do fly...

So I hope everyone had a blessed Easter while I was spacing off. We had a lovely day. iPastor came in when the alarm went off and said, "Christ has risen, and that noise means you should, too." He was on a roll, as I stumbled to the bathroom he quipped, "...and you think YOU feel like death warmed over..." What an acrobat, walking that fine line between irreverence and blasphemy with such skill. Whoever says God doesn't have a sense of humor never looked too closely at a platypus. iPastor is fond of saying a guy couldn't walk around the desert with 12 other guys and not tell a few jokes around the campfire. As long as we're down this path anyway, my favorite has to be a Christmas card I once saw with a disgruntled Mary standing in her living room with the door ajar, and the caption, "Jesus Christ, were you born in a barn?"

I woke Monday with yet another cold, probably contracted from Thing 4's perpetual snotty nose lately. We seem to have had more than usual of the bugs this year. None of them has gotten really bad, but we just can't seem to shake 'em, either. Oh well, some time out in the fresh air should help, if it would EVER QUIT SNOWING!!!! Three inches of slushy crap overnight, which means crunchy crap today. Yuck. The buzz has been more on Friday, but TWC says only 41 and windy. That might be miserable, but actually helps dry things out a bit. Friday also happens to be my 16th wedding anniversary, which is neither here nor there, but I thought I'd toss it out there for ya.

Well, I'd better go walk the dogs before they explode and dry shirts for work. Have a swell day, all.

Winter, Round 2

Last Monday it was 77 degrees and sunny out. Yesterday it snowed. Today is windy and cold with intermittent patches of snow and sun. Springtime in Minnesota, as per usual.

Had a day off from both jobs. Thing 4 had preschool screening, in which all the teachers and nurses made me feel SO much better by saying things like "I can't believe he's grown up this much already!" and "I remember when he was just a baby." So do I.

I followed this up with a trip to the dentist, where I confirmed what I already was pretty sure of; I'll soon have two teeth pulled and one fixed. Blech. I topped that off with a deep cleaning under the gums, so a good time was had by all.

iPastor treated us to lunch and we came home to watch "Thank You for Smoking." Wicked funny.

I had many ideas of depth and candor to share with you all today, and I can't think of a blessed thing now that I am seated at the computer. So I guess I will go work on making my home a lovely and comfortable place for the family, or at least scrape the top layer of scuzz off and see to it they have clean underwear.

Whirlwind

iPastor and I both worked 'til the wee hours Friday nite/Saturday morning, then hauled our collective butts out of bed and into the vangina (it is pear-shaped and carries my kids, non?) and headed off to the big Cities. We took the south route in, opened the door and dumped our kids off on the flyby with friends in Savage; then we hustled up to the Capitol for Tartan Day ceremonies. Any excuse to hang out in a room full of kilted men is OK by me. Yummy.
I was about to riff on how its hard for any guy to make a kilt look bad. Then I found this site. Sorry. I still assert that when they're worn CORRECTLY, a kilt can look good on a man of any size, shape or age.

Due to moving inside the rotunda, the ceremony was shortened by at least half, so we were back on the road to Savage within the hour. We somehow managed to find gridlock on a Saturday, and made a twenty minute (on a normal Saturday) trip in 45. We fed the kids and let them loose upon each other. Our hosts had been invited to the Buffalo Tap to celebrate a friend's new job, so we headed out for really good food (try it if you get near the south 'burbs--ask for JoAnn) and shenanigans. Karaoke was sung (on a bit of a rinkydink system, and the KJ needs a few lessons in running a pro show) cards were played, and the proverbial good time was had by all. We loaded up the kids and headed home, arriving at 4am to discover the dog-walker had fed the dogs about three times what they normally get in a day and their room looked and smelled like a cattle yard. Gonna have to come up with a plan "c" for dog maintenance when we're away.
Rolled back out of bed in time for church, Palm Sunday brunch and Easter egg hunting in the snow. Yes folks, it is Minnesota and if you don't like the weather it will change in five minutes.
Now that the festivities are over, I think will grab a Sunday nap, then go buy groceries for the week.