*tap tap tap*

Is this thing on?

I noticed it's been almost a month since I updated Ye Olde Blog, and I thought about waiting a whole month, but then I decided that it would just be too cruel to deprive you of my witty thoughts and insights that much longer.

Since we were last together:

- I went on a field trip with Madeline to the Georgia Aquarium in ATL
- I got a haircut
- school has ended for both me and the girlies
- we had the family reunion
- we've aquired baby chicks
- we had to buy a new computer
- I figured out how to stream Netflix, Hulu, Amazon VOD and all sorts of other channels through our Wii and onto the TV. As soon as this season of Gaving and Stacey is over we'll probably be cancelling the cable and saving beau coup dinero each month. (Maybe)

I'm hoping to spend this summer lounging by the base pool as often as possible, reading lots of books and eating lots of fresh fruits and vegetables. I'm not really all that interested in doing much of anything else. ;)

With that, I'll leave you with a few pictures.

Today

1. The zit on the side of my nose hurts so much that it's giving me a headache.

2. It's completely wrong that I have to maintain both anti-wrinkle and anti-acne skin care regimens.

3. File under "It Could Only Happen In The South": I was given a compliment on my Vera Bradley handbag while shopping for rainboots at the Tractor Supply Company.

4. All week the weather has been cold and windy and getting colder and windier. It was supposed to be leading up to last night when a combination of weather patterns would lead to a WINTERY MIX of snow, sleet and ice, thereby necessitating the cancelling of school.

Instead what happened was for the first time in over a week the temperature DID NOT drop waaaaay below freezing. What it did instead was say *just above* freezing and have the wind blow so much that the wind chill was 17 degrees all day. Ergo, no snow day. Not cool Mother Nature, not cool. Or should I say: NOT COOL ENOUGH!!!

5. Next week is Pajama Day at preschool AKA My Favorite Day of the Year AKA The Day I Missed Last Year Because I Had Pneumonia. What I sleep in will not work for Pajama Day. I went shopping at three stores today for new pajamas. Evidently fat people are forced to sleep au naturale because there were NO pajamas available for anyone over a size 14. And since I can find no new pajamas, I am forced to keep the muumuu I stole from my mother over Christmas.

So...October, is it?

When I bought our U2 tickets back in May, October seemed so far away. Now we're already half way through the month! Sheesh. I'm getting old if I'm constantly commenting on how fast time is going by! Wait, let me chase those pesky kids off my lawn. :P

So what's going on around here? School is good for all of us involved with a school. Madeline is loving her guitar lessons and her teacher says she is getting better every week. Isabella and I go over to the library for a "big kids" craft time while Madeline is at her lesson, and I'm consistently amazed at her "out of the box" creativity. She *definitely* gets that from James!

I've settled very nicely into the preschool year. I love my aide (she's a kindred spirit for sure!) and my kiddos are a fun challenge. It's definitely a different dynamic than last year, but I'm becoming a better teacher because of *this* class, and that's always a good thing. We're heading into the Halloween/Thanksgiving/Christmas AXIS OF EVIL (she said with tongue firmly in cheek) where the kids will be hopped up on sugar, consistently sleep deprived and totally out of any normal sort of routine. On the flipside, it *is* a very fun time of year, and I'm looking forward to it (for the most part).

James' VPP Program tenure in the Safety shop ended at the end of September, so he's now back to his regular Leaderman duties in the paint shop. While in the Safety Shop he rewrote and/or revamped over 200 procedure programs. He really impressed his supervisor and his supervisor's boss (i.e. the Colonel at the base in charge of the entire Maintenance Center) and I'm really, really proud of his hard work! He was also elected as Union Chaplain and as a Union Steward, which basically means he gets to say all the prayers at the Union meetings. I told him I thought it meant he should get his union dues reimbursed to him, but they didn't go for that idea!

All in all, things are pretty chill. It's almost my bedtime i.e. my favorite time of day! James just walked in the door from YM, so with that I'll say adios for the time being.

Hello Internet Peeps

Other than the annoucement that Tim Tams would be sold in the US again, nothing has been happening around here. Well, school has started again, but I can't say that 'excited' is the word I would use to describe that event. I like the lazy days of summer (and fall and winter and spring, for that matter!). I like doing things with the girls, and I can't say that I'm happy when they go merrily on their way at the beginning of every school year. But times marches on, even if I'm kicking and screaming the whole way.







School started for me, a well. I have a bigger class this year which means I have to make a few adjustments, and I also have a new aide for the year (my former aide's son is in my class this year, so we've been split up for the time being). My new aide is very nice, but it's always an adjustment working with someone new.

Other than that, life is plugging along in the Tree Fort. What's new with you?

Uh-Oh

I think it finally hit me yesterday what my life was going to be like for the next ten months. Yesterday I:

- got up at 6:45, started a load of laundry, had breakfast, helped the girls get ready for school, got myself ready, vaccumed the living room, tidied the girls' bathroom, changed the load of laundry to the dryer
- took the girls to school
- went to the preschool to continue getting my room ready, lesson plans in order, etc. Stayed from 8:30 till 2:15 when I left to
- pick the girls up from school for 3:00 dental appointment
- went to the chiropractor at 4:00
- went to the grocery store
- came home, made dinner, helped the girls with their homework
- cleaned the kitchen
- took a shower
- folded clothers that I had washed and dried earlier in the day while I watched the Olympics
- fell asleep at 9:30, still with the headache I had had since around 1:00.

And you know, that's not even a lot. I know there are hundreds of thousands of people who do ten times all that every single day. But for someone who's used to surfing the net all day and crafting witty blog posts it's going to be an adjustment! ;)

I think it will make me appreciate my free time even more than I already do. But working will also let us have a few little luxuries in life. Like, oh, say- a trip to Disney World? We've already made our reservations at Chateau de Volle for three days in October! My preschool follows a slightly different school calendar than the girls' school, and then we also have to take into account James' schedule. There is a three day weekend over Columbus Day that we are all on holiday, so we are taking advantage of it to go pay homage to the Mouse. YAY!

And finally, this was the scene at our house two weeks ago. One of our missionaries, Elder Parker, came over to do the traditional "Burning of the Suit" before he went home. Suffice it to say, unnatural fibers create a *LOT* of smoke! ;)