Never get done as much as I would like on the weekends. I always think having more people around will translate to more helpers. Wherever did I get a crazy idea like that?!!

As soon as the last two girls got on their bus this morning, I got to work. The laundry is washed and on the line (the morning rain gave way to a beautiful breezy day - yay!) I noticed the bananas had become ripe for baking, so I tried a new muffin recipe. One of my second daughter's teachers told her he'd have to request having her in class next year, so he could get some more of the pumpkin bread we gave out to the teachers for Christmas. I can take a hint, so whipped up that batter, as long as the oven was going anyway. He's been a wonderful teacher, so my girl will bring in a big loaf to him, along with the recipe (since my daughter wants to move up to 8th grade next year!) Now I'm 'thinking' of entering the disaster zone, I mean my youngest two girls' bedroom. I may need to ponder this a bit longer.

We're in our last four days of school, filled with end-of-year events. We have three medical appts this week - one I'll need to pay outright and two with co-pays. I work tomorrow morning for a bit at my school. My mom's care conference is on Wednesday. My youngest's class has an ice cream social, and my third daughter graduates from 5th grade on Thursday. I'm thinking I should enjoy my quiet Monday!

'Tis all for now...take care!

...and how did it get to be June already?!

Last week, I cleaned some very neglected parts of my house, and also worked as a last minute special ed sub at the Intermediate school, which makes for a rewarding, albeit exhausting, time. Tons of laundry went up on the line yesterday, as well as dropping off and picking up my husband's company van for some repair work ( he leaves for Fargo to install and program a security system tomorrow, and needs a properly running vehicle.)

The repair shop was near a Kmart, where I stopped to see if there was the kind of tops my mom likes to wear. The nursing home staff called during the week to say she's gained enough weight and needed some new sizes - she's still in the wheelchair with a sore healing on her foot, after 7 months, which accounts for this gain. My brother and I are meeting with staff on Wed for Mom's care conference, to see where we are with returning her back to
physical therapy. I brought the seven new shirts to her yesterday, along with my third daughter and her dog. Mom was having a fairly agitated day, and wanted to get up out of the wheelchair, which set off her alarm (which hardly helped the situation.) Not the most relaxing visit, but she loved the new shirts and enjoyed a walk outside to look at the flowers in the garden. I figured if I was pushing her around, she wouldn't try leaping out of the chair, and I was right. Phew, what a visit... It may be a long summer.

Medical issues of now two daughters are still weighing heavy, but I'm trying to focus on only what I can do at the moment, rather than look too far ahead. Well, I'm mindful of what the future holds, but with little that can be done, I try to not get myself too worked up with worry. Times like these, make hanging laundry on the line, or cleaning, or baking such peaceful, productive activities in my life.

Otherwise for today, we will work on getting my husband ready for his out-of-town work - he's hauling 12 boxes of cable, I think each holds a 1000 ft. I'll bake the weekly batch of rhubarb muffins - the good old plants still going strong. Of course, there's laundry to wash and hang.

I have a giftcard from one of my students for a local nursery, so I'll head over later and get some (few at their prices!) annual flowers for our pots. I have gardens throughout my yard that have perrenials, mostly divides from family and friends. I also fill in with lots of collected things, almost all free or gifts. Some ceramic and terracotta figures, birdhouses and garden stakes that the girls have painted throught the years, handprints in cement pavers, coal scuttle, old washbasins, odds and ends of marble - from my parents place before demolition (a previous owner was a headstone carver and brought home the leftover odd pieces to create pavers and a retaining wall.) Well, what I lack in flowers may or may not be disguised by my odd collection scattered throughtout the gardens, but I enjoy it all anyway.

What a loooong entry, too long! Anyway, I think it's time to get moving...take care!

...raining on my (laundry) parade. Well, most of what I washed dried fine on the line. I've relocated the woven table runner from the line to a series of hangers over the bathtub. The biggest quilt was almost dry, and is air drying across the dining room table. (Swatting away three curious kittens is the new game at our house.)

The living and dining room components are all clean - just need to put everything back together again. (Ha - right as I'm losing steam, but I will charge on, with a totally clean area in my house as the reward. I won't be taking bets on how long it all lasts...)

Still left to do - mix up some rhubarb muffin batter to start baking. I've offered the family other rhubarb options, but they can't seem to get enough of this newest recipe I found a few weeks ago. This is fine with me, as it's simple and quick to bake a bunch of muffins.

Dinner is our everpresent favorite, spaghetti.

'Tis all for now - take care!

...the cleaning roll, that is. Yesterday, the washing machine was in constant use. In addition to the normal laundry of the day, the covers on the couch and the pillows were washed, and hung on the line. I stitched up one of the covers, where it had split a seam. A bit more use left in these covers.

I also soaked two throw rugs in warm water and borax. Our senior citizen dog gets confused about whether to use those two rugs near the door or to actually go outside. She often chooses poorly. Spot cleaning only does so much. So, as a last ditch effort in making these rugs last a while longer, I tried the soaking. They are still drying on the line, but smell much better, and don't look the worse for doing this.

Today I'm going to hand wash and line dry the quilts that hang on the wall. Some are my husband's grandmother's that she made for him, and some are ones I've made through the years. I actually enjoy doing this chore. It's a bit of a job, but I love checking how each quilt is fairing up on the wall and making any repairs. Then, of course, they look and smell so wonderful when clean. We're having perfect weather for all this line drying!

The wonderful corollary to all this cleaning - who has time to go and spend money?? Enjoy your day - take care!

We got back from our camping trip over the weekend. Wonderful, relaxing time, though hot and humid. We were lucky to be able to cool off in the St. Croix River during the day, and only had one night where we sweltered a bit in the tents. We canoed a different portion of the river than previous years. We also met some very interesting (in a good way!) people this trip. I always marvel at how my family's and others' paths cross, with the river being the common factor to bring us all together this time.

In the last few days before the girls are off from school, I'm using the time to clean the house and clear out more clutter. I find it quite amazing how much there is given how little shopping we do beyond groceries. I guess it's part that my girls are outgrowing a lot of things and part that we are passing along a lot of pass-along things from others. Either way, we have enough, and it's nice to pass along the excess.

With our early exit of spring, we pulled out the window fans (we have some window a/c units, but using them in May is not even an option!) It's the season for closing the miniblinds to the sun, doing the hot chores in the morning, and just spending time out of the house during the hot afternoon hours - playing in the shade or at the beach, visiting the a/c library, running errands (well, probably not as often this year with the price of gas!)... Our hope is to not use the a/c units at all this year. (This is very possible, as we've only acquired the units in the last couple years - giveaways from a friend and from my mom's house when she went to assisted living - we just need some reminding of our old frugal ways.)

Well, off to hang more laundry on the line outside, plan a dinner that doesn't involve a campfire and clean while the temps are in the 80s with a low dewpoint - life is pretty good with a low dewpoint! Take care!!

My good old rhubarb plants are providing for today's baking. No complaints as of yet on another rhubarb recipe!

Have you ever had a piece of clothing so perfect that you can't imagine being without it? I have a navy blue nylon windbreaker that goes to mid-thigh. It cinches at the waist, has a hood and a double zipper (so it's easy to sit in), and washes up beautifully. I can wear it alone, or add a polar fleece for more warmth, and it keeps me fairly dry in rain too. Except for the definite winter months here in MN, I make use of it from April to November. I wear it everywhere I go to - church to rustic camping and hiking (I wouldn't wear it to a really fancy place, but 'tis not a problem I encounter of late!) I bought it a few years ago for cheap. Recently, I caught the pocket on a door handle, and ripped it off-seam. I am making the repair on it, which will be easy with the dark fabric. I love this jacket, and dread the day I will have to replace it! I wish I had the foresight to see how great this jacket would turn out to be; I would have bought a second one to stash away for if and when my old one needs to be replaced. Oh well, I'll just have to watch out for menacing door handles!

I've been spending the day puttering. A few odds and ends are getting done, and finally get to be crossed off my to-do list. My husband is at his parents, helping out on their spring-time list of chores. They invited us to have grilled brats with them afterwards. A good way to end a puttering sort of day! Take care!

Wow, May has gotten off to a busy start! Lots of appts and driving this week - dentist, orthodontist, two dr visits. Don't even ask about the co-pays. Oh well, all is going well, and that is nothing to complain about!

After working extra hours at work and making today's dr visit, I was wiped out. I so wanted to go out to eat! My husband worked a little longer today, so I had time to sit for a bit. That helped. Then my oldest had a friend come over. So I got up enough momentum to put some hot dogs on the grill, whip up a pasta salad and heat up some baked beans. I added some chipotle seasoning to some leftover sour cream, and served it with some cut-up vegies (our nod to Cinco de Mayo!)

I am trying to be more aware of using up the odds and ends that gather in my frig. Last year we had a teenage boy living with us, and odds and ends were never an issue. I tend to overbuy fresh fruit and vegies. I'm doing better with the fruit - using the more perishable early in the two weeks. But the vegies - well, I need to be more realistic of what we really eat, not just what I think we should be eating. I also liked someone's suggestion of looking at the day's start at what needs to be used up that day. I know, what a simple thing! Sometimes I think ideas have to hit me at the right time, and then whap me along side the head.

The weekend is looking to be one of the less busier this month. Our dog goes in to the vet for her annual visit. Then in the afternoon, she goes to get her annual grooming. If Maisy's up to it, I'll take her to visit Mom (it's her dog.) My third daughter has a girl scout field trip, and the oldest will be washing cars for a fundraiser at our local grocery. The rest of Saturday and Sunday are open, and predicted to be sunny and a bit warmer. I'll grocery shop, and then tackle some outdoor projects. Here's to making a dent in the to-do list! Take care!

I picked the first rhubarb of the season. With our recent rains, the plants tripled in size practically overnight. I'm making muffins for afterschool snacks and lunches.

When I got married in 1984, my rhubarb was divided from plants at my parents' place. The rhubarb was there when they bought the place in 1963, and I suppose could have potentially been around since the house was built in the early 1900s. Wow, historical and free - what a combination!

In a bit, I head to the school for an IEP meeting for my youngest. Chicken stir fry is on the menu for tonight. The three younger girls are all having their state exams, so no homework for them tonight. My youngest participates with a monthly bookclub in her classroom, and they have free choice with this month's selection. She chose Secret Garden, and we'll read it together and make a good start on it tonight. It finally stopped raining this afternoon, though it's still cloudy and chilly. Definitely a good cuddle and read night. Take care!

At least, the newly seeded areas of our lawn are getting watered well.

Today, we are thinking of making a run to donate to a thrift shop that benefits the mentally handicapped. We'll take a gander through the aisles - on the lookout for jeans and shorts for the girls mostly. I also like to look over the book section. We don't always find what we're looking for, but we're not desperate for anything either. It's fun to look, cheap to buy if something is found, and more importantly, we have left if what we're looking for wasn't found!

I always waiver between donating (and keeping track for tax time) and having a garage sale. It feels like everything we have has gone through the ranks of the four girls - can any of it be worth all that much to go through the effort of a sale?? I do know some people make a fair amount of profit at their sales. People wouldn't keep having sales if they weren't making money, right? I participated in our town' community garage sale several years back. I spent weeks culling through the corners of the house and garage, making things look presentable and pricing them low (25 cents was my favorite amount!) It rained. I made $10, and donated the rest for a lot more than that in tax deductions. A lot of work for little gain. I may have to come to terms with the fact that I may be severely garage sale challenged! (And leave the holding of sales to those who aren't!)

Enjoy your day..Take care!

It's a beautiful sunny day - just not very warm. Last night the temp was down in the 30s outside (60 inside this morning - heat is off, so piled on blankets!) We had 80 here a couple days ago! Ahh, Minnesota. At least, there was no snow like some in the west had. I wanted to hang the laundry outside, but with temps so low and hardly a breeze - wimped out and used the dryer instead.

Grocery-shopped yesterday for the next two weeks. I've been shopping every two weeks since January, and it's working great in keeping that portion of the budget down. I've been consistantly spending $200-230 for two weeks of groceries. This covers three meals a day for six people (bring lunches to school and work), some pet items (we get the majority of food and supplies at Petco once a month) and most of our paper, cleaning, and health/beauty needs. Previously, I spent $150-170 a week. So quite the savings! I've learned two things: 1) Shopping is not a favorite pasttime for me anyway, so I get to do it half as much. 2) The less time I spend in the store, the less I spend (I know, this one is very profound!)

Most importantly, the grocery savings have allowed us to fund a small emergency fund, have helped us to keep current with the medical bills of late, as well as, have let us up what we are paying monthly toward the cc debt (with no charges for almost a year, and consistent 'more than minimum' and some 'way more' payments, we are seeing progress!) It does feel good to be in charge of the finances, instead of the other way around. You all are good influences here!

I'm jealous of all the talk of gardening lately. Here in MN, after May 15 is when it's usually safe to plant anything not frost tolerant (and often there is still a lot of covering things up at night.) So I've raked, cleared the perrenial beds off, and planted our frost tolerant pansies in the wondow boxes of the girls' playhouse. Our trees have gotten so tall over the years, that I'm getting less and less full sun, and lugging vegies around the yard catching the rays of the sun is a less than fun activity. I was just reading in our community ed brochure that garden plots will go for $10 behind the school I work at, not even a block away. The $10 covers the tilling and fencing (very necessary - the school backs up to woods with deer, raccoons, rabbits and more.) Sounds like a good deal for a sunny patch and fresh vegies.

Another spring time thing to do at our house - clean the garage! I ended up piling in my mom's stuff from her move from assisted living to the nursing home. Decisions will have to be made. Then there is the yard and patio furniture to freshen up with paint. So far, only one chair needs a full paint job. This stuff is ancient - some were my parents' things, some even my grandparents'. I can only imagine how many times they've been painted over the years. But nothing beats how well they were made - steel and wrought iron - heavy but indistructible! And I still have paint leftover from last year that's still good.

Enjoy your day. Take care!

I just got back from my 1st Aid training renewal course. I passed the test (the preschool kids all continue to be safe in my care!) Plus I got paid time for the training. My husband and three of the girls stayed home sick today, but all are on the mend - just wiped out.

Since those who are sick are not feeling like eating much, I've been pulling out the frozen leftovers from the freezer. Today I brought some yellow split pea soup to work for lunch. My healthy daughter and I will have it for dinner too. The last few days we've had beef and gravy served over baked potatoes and another minestrone I tried previously (not as good as my current recipe, but tasted great as I didn't have to do anything more than heat it up!) As others here have mentioned, it's great to be using up the frozen food supply.
Nothing going to waste is nice.

The three younger girls and I are now off for Spring break through next week. My oldest in high school has a couple more days of school and then is off. My husband is taking off a couple days next week, so we can do some family activities. Otherwise, we'll be relaxing, playing, having friends over, going to dr and dentist appts (oh, yay!) and my personal favorite (ha!) - cleaning up around here (clutter and dirt are not our friends - it just looks like it lately!) So little paycheck, but time to get some projects done, or not. Time shall tell.

Tomorrow I have all four girls' school conferences, as well as my mom's care conference (she's in a nursing home with Alzheimer's Disease, and I'm her POA and manage her health care.)

Busy, busy. No time to be bored, that's for sure. Take care!

Having a lazy morning - make that afternoon already! After purchasing some snacks yesterday, we stayed home with the girls and played board games and watched movies. At about 11:30, we watched Dick Clark's Rocking New Year's Eve and the ball drop in NYC. The girls were re-energized at midnight, while my husband and I were practically snoring. We all slept in this morning. So, a good start to the new year.

On the money front (and it IS starting to feel like a battle of wills - those who want our money and us trying to keep it and, as you'll see, a bit of who's side am I on)...

Minimal spending since Winter break started, since we are needing to pay those medical bills over the next few months. Our treat (planned) was to go see Narnia. We don't see many films in the theatre and it was great. Otherwise we're hanging out, sledding, playing games and enjoying what we got for Christmas and some downtime before we head back to work and school.

On a not so fun note - yesterday's mail had a letter from the State of MN property tax department. It was a bulk sent out letter saying that property tax refunds were audited for years 2003 & 2004 and that many contained mistakes on claiming tax deferred income. I thought I did it right, but I'll check them over. Even if we owe back some funds, we never receive a large refund, so it wouldn't be horrible to have to pay back, just not particularly fun. The other event to happen involves our older van (93 Ford conversion.) The brake line blew out during our recent bout of snow while I was heading down an icy steep driveway and dummy me panicked and shifted into park so as to not go into the ditch and hit a tree. I saved us from the menacing ditch and tree, but my husband is still checking out the damage. Dumb, dumb dumb! On the good side (because that's the kind of person I am,) we usually use our 95 Plymouth Voyager for most of our driving due to getting twice the gas mileage the Ford does - so at least I wasn't in the Plymouth when I wasn't using my brain. Plus the Ford has some other big repair issues that we've been putting off making decisions on - well, maybe, just maybe I've made those decisions a tad bit easier. Still very dumb, but 'tis life...

Today, I'll head for the grocery store. I find it invaluable taking a few minutes to look at our week, the sales circular for the store we visit and plan out meals for the week, sometimes two. I keep a running list on the frig and finalize it before I go to the store. I've already done that, so I just need to go. Otherwise, just another low-key, just the way we like it, sort of day. Take care!