20 things I would like to do this summer

Michael says I am a planner. I say if you don't set some goals and make a plan life will pass you by. This is a list of 20 things I would like to do this summer.

Take a hike
preferably where I can bird watch.

Read a good book
I just finished Angels and Demons a great suspenseful mystery. I would love to find a good biography or a realistic fiction.

Make Real Lemonade
Summer just doesn't seem like summer until you've had a nice cool glass of real lemonade. Try this recipe:
Peel three fat lemons. Cut them into smaller pieces. Drop the pieces into a blender with 1-1/2 cups of sugar and 1-1/2 cups of water. Use the blender to chop until coarse, then strain into a pitcher. Add ice cubes. Adjust as needed.

Host a wedding.
I know a given, but if I put it on my list. then it is one thing I will check off for sure.
6/29 Wedding is coming along well. I have had a couple tramatic times but SO far so good.

Go on a Field Trip
Remember the time you were reading about the art museum that wasn't far from your home? Summer is the perfect time to explore all that your community has to offer. How about visiting an aquarium, aviary, or zoo? Or try your state capitol building.

Visit Yellowstone or another national park.
One of my second graders went there over Memorial Day and with the help of his dad created this awesome video he shared with the class.

Go to a "Drive-in" Movie
Tucker wanted me to add this one to my list. Unfortunatly I will probably fall asleep during the movie.

Ride my bike daily.
Hopefully this one will help me loss some weight before the wedding.
6/29 We bought a recombent exercize bike and Michael and I are both riding it. I also walked everyday this week with Melodie.

Have a Yard Sale
Or a least make a run to Goodwill and the dump. I have got to clean up this junk.
6/29 I have been to the dump so many times since school was out. I think they are considering reserving a stall for me. The back yard is really starting to look good. I even promised the boys that as long as I live I will never ask them to put in another pond.

Eat Homemade Ice Cream at Sunset

Attend a Concert in the Park

Learn Something new.
I signed up to take 9 tech classes maybe I will become tech savvy after all.
6/29 Well, I didn't make it to the tech classes but I have been working on a new curriculum for our green team and garden class next year.

Visit an Amusement Park
This one I might have to put off until November when we go to get Dallas.

Attend a Festival
I hope I don't have to count Maple Valley Days or I hope Maple Valley Days is much better then years before.

Shop at a Farmers' Market
I love the one in Kent or Renton.
6/29 Maple Valley started a farmers market this year and I went on Saturday. It was Awesome! I got some plants, some huge onions, pickles garlic, and beautiful flowers.

Pick Fresh Fruit and vegetable
You should see my garden!
6/29 Last night we have peas, lettuce, radishes, zuccini from the garden in our salad. I am going to post a picture because I really can't believe how good it looks.

Clean the garage!
My goal: To be able to once again park cars in the garage.
7/11 Well I started today and I am making at least two dump runs tomorrow. It is amazing what you find when you clean the garage. We found two MAdame ALexander Dolls, an electric typerwriter, 6 camping chairs, a garbage disposal, two childens car seats, and huge bag of stuffed animals.

Reorganize maybe a better word would be organize my school files.
There is no organization now.

Make quilt
6/29 THe top is done now I need to put it on the quilting frame. For Rachel's shower we all wrote our names and a message, then I sewed it into a quilt.
Blog more!

April Fool's

Note to self: Never plan a field trip for April Fool's Day! Planning a field trip on April Fool's day is setting yourself up to be a fool. April 1st my second grade class was scheduled to go on a field trip to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. All the early planning was going so smooth; I should have know that something was waiting around the corner. I could take 10 chaperones and I had 17 volunteers. No problem the coordinating teacher told me we will have three buses and plenty of room for all to go. Great! Everyone is happy. Including the mom that wouldn't let her children go if she couldn't go. We might lose them! Of course this same mom paniced on the bus when her child moved to the back with a friend and she couldn't see him. Of course there was no way this child could have gotten off the moving bus. Does that mean that she lost him? Back to the events of the day. We all gathered in my room and took attendence then headed for the buses. Two buses! Did I mention it was snowing!

Yes, big fluffy flakes had started to fall at about 6:00 a.m. and it was 33 degrees. The bus barn had wrote the transportation order for two buses. so we were short lots of space. We called the barn and after aurguing who had made a mistake and old e-mails being sent back and forth they decided we did order three buses and sent one over. Thirty min. late we leave the school in what would normally be a picturesque winter snow storm. We arrive at the zoo and it is also snowing in Seatlle. It is really cold! We start to see the exhibits and we are lucky that the rainforest exhibit and the reptile house our part of our tour and heated. The kids are having a great time. We eat lunch, everyone orders hot chocolate, and then start to gather groups for our 1:00 departure.

All is going well. No one is missing and the busses are loaded. Two of the buses start right up but the third one will not turn over. We try everything. We finally decide to cram as many people on the two working buses as we can and head home. We manage to get all but 16 people on the buses. It is not a comportable ride but at least they are going home. I stay behind with the remaining 16 chaperones and kids. The bus barn sends out a mehanic from Maple Valley to jump the bus. Why don't the buses carry jumper cables? He arrives about an hour and a half later. We are waiting on our cold bus. Then we start the drive home in rush hour traffic. The funny thing is everytime we had to announce that there was a problem all the chaperones thought we were going to say "April Fools". Guess we fooled them.

Doing the right thing is anything but easy!

Michael went to the doctors on Friday because he has been having really out of control blood sugars and balancing problems. His nurse was so discouraged and frightened that she started to cry. That really got his attention. They have put him on the South Beach Diet and it has really been a struggle. ( he has only been on it for 36 hours!) He has really gotten used to esting what ever he wants and then chasing down his blood sugar with insulin. Well, that is killing him. I think he finally understands just how unhealthy that is. You really can't have your cake and eat it too. Even smiling food couldn't cheer him up. He is really trying now so I am hopefull.

It is President's Day and the school district calls it mid winter break. Where most get the Monday off we get the whole week. So being the planner that I am I sat down and made a list of the stuff I wanted and needed to get done. The list is actually enough work to keep a small army busy for about a month. After working all day Saturday and Monday we finally were able to check the first item off the list. The flowering trees around the front of the house were so overgrown but i kept rationalizing that I was not knowledgeable enough to prune the trees. I finally decided that I could afford to have someone do it and I couldn't replace the trees if they died so I started pruning. Four trips to the dump later are trees are pruned. The last ones I did look better then the first one but I think they will survive and fill in where I cut out too much.

My next project is the laundry room! There are cupboards in there I haven't even opened in four years. My goal is to get rid of everything; Halloween costumes from the past 20 years, old computer parts, food supply item well past their prime, and all that junk you keep knowing you will need it someday. Maybe I even get inspired to paint and wallpaper.

With the possibility of teacher layoffs I have really been force to inventory our food supply. We were really good to work on it when the kids were small but lately it has dwindled down to lots of beans, instant potatoes, and wheat. ( lots and lots of 30 year year old wheat) Last week I ordered a 1/2 a beef to be delivered in the fall. The kids thought that was gross but I bet they eat the steaks and roasts. I am also trying to build up my canned goods, rice, and important stuff like cake and brownie mixes.

Tucker birthday is the last day of the month but we are having a party tomorrow because it is easier for me with no school. At first we talked about 4-5 friends coming over for an x-box party. Then last night I ask him to give me a go over plans so that we would have enough controllers and I could order the food. The guest list has grown to 9 and he tried to stretch it into two days but fortunately his dad was in the room and put an instant day moratorium. Our final agreement was the 9 could come from 4:00 - 9:00 and then two may stay over night but must leave by 1:00 the next day.

Trevor is working again. It is not in appliance repair no one will hire him with his current driving record. But he is working in a sweat shop that makes camping gear, they also have government contracts for gear. They make camping pillows, sleeping bags, mats, etc. One of the teachers at school was going to donate her van to charity and found out that Trevor really needed transportation so she gave it to him. His friends of course tease him about his mini van; not your most manly car. At work he can make some pillows for himself if he brings in his own fabric. so the other day he went to the fabric store and purchased some fabric. When he came home with this large sack of fabric we all just cracked up. We pointed out that not only does he drive a mini van, but now he is visiting the fabric store. What's next weekly pedicures?

Dallas is doing well. He has a companion that he doesn't like because he does follow the rules. But I encouraged him to find just one thing he does well and build on that. He is back in Inglewood and since a lot of the sisters know him he gets lots of dinner invitations. I can't believe he only has 9 months to go. I hope that we can go to California and pick him up at the end of his mission; Tucker would really enjoy that. We will just have to wait and see if we can afford it.

Rachel is in full wedding mode. Her style is completely different then Julienne's. Where Julienne made custom wedding invitations that were very unique; Rachel was thrilled with the first ones we saw on the Internet. It will be an outdoor wedding, hopefully in the afternoon. My girlfriend offered her house which is on Lake Sawyer just a few miles from the house, and thankfully the guest list will be about 100 instead of 600.

Julienne is doing great; she was over for dinner last week. She stays busy sewing, and working two jobs. She is very talented and seems to be very happy.

Well if I am going to get anything done on my list I had better get busy.

Help from Above

Just about every Sunday I have this personal struggle. Wouldn't it be nice to just stay home and get something done. There is always wash, dishes, school work, or yard work that is piling up. Then I think of my kids and the responsibility of setting a good example. So I get ready and go to church. Once I am there I am fine. I guess by then Satan gives up trying to keep me away. As I was sitting in Relief Society today I realized how much at peace I was. I wasn't stressed about the jobs that are left undone and I had felt the Spirit and had been comforted. Today we had two great lessons; one on receiving personal inspiration. We need to: Listen, be humble and teachable, read our scriptures, ponder our questions, ask for guidance, and put ourselves in a place where we can receive direction both physically, emotionally and spiritually. One comment that really meant a lot to my given my recent trials, was that we are all given trials and we must face them head on with faith in our Heavenly Father. Often these trials carry lessons that Heavenly Father wants us to learn. If we give up or avoid these lessons we are missing out on an opportunity to grow in the Gospel. Sometimes I feel that I am on a crash course on life lessons; they keep coming one after the other with little time in between crisis'. Obviously, I have a lot to learn! In Relief Society we talked about President Monson's council to the sisters Pray earnestly, Serve willingly, and Study diligently.
We have a new bishopric and they are such good men. I feel they will be guiding us through some tough times.
On to a new week at school. This week we will probably start video taping in my classroom. I have a set of parents who are very concerned with their child. They are having a difficult time accepting that he may have learning difficulties. The district has agree to video the class so they can get an idea of the things that are going on in the classroom. Bummer I am probably going to have to wear a dress all week. Good thing I went to church!

Gotta Vent

Wow! I need to get back to work. I know Karen would wonder what is wrong with me but I go to work to help me deal or maybe to hide from my problems. It started snowing on Monday before school was out for Christmas Break. We only went to school on Tuesday for a half day then we were off for break. So when we finally get back to school we will have had a 3 week break. Of course we will have to make up those days at the end of the year which means we will go to school most of June. Unfortunately with the snow we were house bound so I took advantage of that and got all of the gifts wrapped, baked cookies, cleaned house and even finished a quilt. Then there was the problem of finishing those last minute Christmas Presents. I had to put chains on my truck to go to Walmart! Finally it was Christmas and we had a great time. Julienne and Lief spent Christmas eve with us and we watch a movie (White Christmas). Rachel and Will came over Christmas day for awhile and then came also for dinner that night. We talked to Dallas Christmas morning and he seems very happy. We are celebrating this Christmas that Trevor is with us and has for the most part fully recovered.

Now for my vent.
Now the top ten reasons I need to take Valium. ( not really mom!)

1. Trevor has met a girl on the Internet and would like to go and meet her. Sounds normal until you hear that she lives in Slovakia. Of course he really wants to go regardless that he is on unemployment, has a lot of debt from the accident, and going to a foreign country!!!! EKKK! I keep talking, trying to reason, now I am just praying for divine intervention.

2.Trevor went snowboarding this morning, he bought a helmet but I just keep having nightmares of him back in the hospital with a new head injury. I visualize him with a shaved head, and that probe that looks like a radio antenna sticking out of his head. I wish I could just stop worrying.

3. Michael and I have been invited to a dinner party tonight. It is the ward high priest group and it is at a retirement home. It is kind of like getting those first mailings from AARP. I just throw those away and say that they are mis-addressed. But I am really struggling with this dinner tonight. I just hope that the main topic of conversation is not recent operations, or aches, pains, and bowel problems.

4. Rachel is getting married Aug. 1st 2009. We are happy for them. Suddenly, there is the stress of preparing for a wedding. We went wedding dress shopping last week and of course found the "perfect" dress. About $1,000.00 later we are the proud owners of a onetime wear dress and rhinestone tiara. That doesn't include the shoes, veil, or jewelry.

5. Diabetes / Depression is a terrible disease. Michael does well if he goes to work but when he is at home he is either in his room in bed or watching a movie. He has great difficulty dealing with any stress, especially kid stress. He really has no burning desire to go to work and will rarely work a five day week. It is lonely but I stay busy with the kids and trying to keep the house in working order.

6. We are in that life cycle where all of your appliances are starting to wear out at the same time. The dishwasher died just before Christmas, then out of sympathy or in grief the oven has decided to work if it feels like it. Of course, our resident appliance repairman wants us to buy one of those new fancy ovens that are reprogrammed with 200 recipes. Ya right; you still have to chop, peel, organize, and prepare and then this high priced oven sets the time and temperature. Luckily, all of the new fancy ovens won't fit in the opening of our built in oven, so that is a blessing because we can't afford the new fancy ones any way.

7. Next week I need to take Trevor to an attorney to discuss bankruptcy. He really doesn't want to do it but he has no choice. We are really trying to get all of this accident behind us; all in the healing process. I pray I don't ever have to do this again.

8. School has its stress also. I have 22 great parents who love me but of course you can't please everyone all of the time and I have one couple who hates me. They have gone to the principal to complain and fortunately she is in my court. I really appreciate how professional and supportive she is. So now I have to choose; do I just ignore this kids behavior issues and let him just slip through the cracks and his third grade teacher can deal with him and his parents; or do I continue to voice my concerns and try to get him some additional help despite the parents disapproval?

9. I teach Relief Society this week, I like my calling but the week before my lesson I spend a lot of time rewriting and stressing about my lesson.

10. Finally, New Years resolutions. Yuk! How am I ever going to fit all those self improvement plans into my schedule.