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Home > Archive: August, 2010

Archive for August, 2010

August is one big checklist....

August 22nd, 2010 at 02:13 pm

Medical appointments - check!

Fall sports forms filled out and signed - check!

School supplies bought - check!

Each of the girls to the store for essentials for school - check!

Help my oldest get packed and ready for college - check!

Clean my in-laws basement level and clear out their closets - hey, not on my list, but what the heck, check and check!

Intense bout of 'clear the clutter' at our house - feels so good and check!

Haul my and my in-laws' clutter to the donation destination - yay and check!

Get ready to head north to camp and bring our daughter to college this week - crazy, but check!

Get husband to install new brakes and rotors on the second car heading north and distract his thoughts on why the heck the oldest needs to take so much stuff - check, check!

I think this is why I'm always so ready to have us all go back to school :-)

In financial news - we found out this week what my oldest is receiving for financial aid - not as much as last year, but it'll work out, as her living expenses will be a lot less (dorm last year vs. off-campus this year.) She also rented most of the textbooks online through Chegg, and the one book she couldn't find to rent was cheapest to buy through B&N. So we over halved her book costs this year. (We'll be geniuses by the time my youngest goes to college!)

With all of the school related purchases, I made a very concerted effort to reign in other areas of cost, and it worked....I should do it more often...

We've been eating through the cupboards and freezer, which were in great need of their own decluttering. I went to Sam's Club during their open house event earlier this month, and was impressed enough to buy a membership again (had one many years ago.) And since that shopping have only bought some produce and milk during the school shopping treks with the girls.

We've been so busy with our stuff and helping the in-laws (mom-in-law has been in her home for a week, with a slew of home-visiting nurses and therapists making it possible!) Low-key and -cost things are what we've been craving, like swimming at the beach, taking neighborhood walks or bike rides, and library visits for books and dvds. Time together always gets so precious when back to school is bearing down on us, esp. with my oldest heading back to college.

Scratch what I said above, I'm not ready to let go of summer quite yet;-)

Enjoy your day!

August Rush

August 3rd, 2010 at 03:47 pm

Woke up to wet, drippy fog - luckily it's burning off in the morning sun. I hung out some laundry already, with another load to wash and hang out in a bit.

It just sounds like August outside! The cicadas are out in full force. It's promising to be another hot and humid day - one to be spent at the lake again this afternoon!

We bought some corn at our favorite stand after swimming at the lake yesterday, and it was too hot and humid to even do anything with it (no ac at our house, with temps in the 90s and dewpoint in the 70s.) We splurged and went to the local Subway and hung out in their ac for a while, then took a little drive in our the van's ac.

Today has a plan though... we will shuck the corn this morning, and then cook it tonight on the grill. When it's corn time here, the corn is the meal, maybe with sliced tomato on the side. I'm not sure if this is done anywhere else but here, but that's what I and many here grew up with :-) This is after spending the bulk of the day in the lake of course! We get a little wacky in this heat. It's supposed to get better tomorrow....


Yesterday I did wash and hang out two rugs that are inside our most often used side door. I thought they were goners, but figured that I'd take the chance running them through the washer. They look like new, and the backing held up. No new rugs needed at this time!

There's something about August to put the rush on all of those summer projects. Currently in the works, a bookcase that I use in my bedroom needs to be painted. It came from my mom's house back when we first moved her into an assisted living in 2004, and the paint job on it probably was a good 20 years old then...it's time to remedy this! We also have an old park bench that is in sound shape, but getting rattier each passing summer. Nothing a little paint won't improve!

Next on the list...all I can say is that my husband is running for cover, as we're moving onto the bigger two-person projects!

Enjoy your day!