This weekend is garage sale weekend in Sioux Falls. There is a huge area on the West side of town, which is apparently known as "Kingswood" and every year, tons of people put out their cast-offs in a "one man's trash is another man's treasure" kind of way.
Last year, I went with Matt's sister Rena, without really even knowing what an event I was attending. This year, Aunt Heidi took a day off from school on Thursday and came over
from Mitchell with one of her friends.
I did not actually do any garage sale-ing myself, but here's the benefits of it for our house:
Heidi brought a huge garbage bag full of Rylie's cast-off clothes - with more clothes than we could wear if she changed clothes twice a day all summer long! Awesome! Then, I got Xander & Maia's cast-offs all together, and will send them home with my friend, Amy Lu from Sheldon. This is so much easier and cheaper than trying to find all these things individually. I like the trickle-down system.
I've even been able to send some of my clothes that I've aged out of over to niece, Cassie, who is now tall enough to wear some of my clothes- and young enough for them to look appropriate on her!
Now all I need is for some trendy, thin person to start giving me their old clothes... Maybe I will have to hit a few garage sales after all...
Saturday, April 28, 2007
School Musical and Other News
Thursday evening was Xander's All City Elementary School Musical: "Little Red Riding Hood."
This is quite an undertaking, the entire elementary school is in a musical every year. The Kindergarten through 3rd grade act as a "chorus" and each class dresses as one of the characters in the play and helps them sing their songs, so the Kindergarteners were all dressed as either Little Red or the Huntsman, the first grade (Xander's class) was the "life of the forest"- so they were trees and flowers, the second grade were grannies and grampas- they all wore grey t-shirts, had "age lines" painted on their faces, and the girls had shawls and shower caps on, while the boys had grey in their hair and wore little half-glasses. The 3rd grade was dressed in wolf costumes.
My camera didn't take very good pictures in the dark auditorium, and I didn't actually bother getting any pictures of the actors up on the stage (4th and 5th graders), but here's some of the forest. I did the intricate artwork on the cheeks of the girls! (It's great, I know. I'm up for an Oscar)
Megan & Molly
Julia
The 3rd grade wolves -complete with glowing eyes!
In Marion house news, we now have renters with their stuff in the house, I have received the paperwork and the first rent check, and the place is ALMOST livable. The back window was fixed, the plumbing replaced, the water heater installed, but now we have to update a little bit of electrical so that the water heater can be used. A pretty easy fix, I'd do it myself if I was there, but will once again have to call on the kindness of friends to finish the work.
In Sioux Falls house news, after offering and counter-offering all week, Mom & Jim finally settled on a price for the "fortress" as we affectionately call it. We are looking at a move-in date of July 1. Should be a busy weekend. We get to do a church service at Falls Park that morning during an event called Artfalls. We will accept help with moving! :)
We're pretty excited to get into the bigger place, though the idea of a larger rent payment, coupled with significantly lower lesson income for me, as well as starting Maia in preschool in the fall and picking our student loan payments back up has me a little nervous- but God has proven himself faithful time and time again, so I should stop worrying.
Yesterday, Mom was in town for an awards ceremony, and she came by afterward and we picked up Xander after school then went over to Falls Park for a couple of hours. Xander wasn't sure how much he would like Falls Park because there's no playground equipment there, but he entertained himself playing on the rocks quite sufficiently. Grandma treated us to ice cream for supper at the Overlook Cafe. We had a good time and were bone tired when we got home. At least I was, Maia was wound up tight. She took a nice long bath, splashed water all over the bathroom, and then went to bed without too much fuss when we got home.
We're thinking we might go back to Falls Park tomorrow afternoon and have a picnic when Grandpa & Grandma Eitemiller come over for the day.
Dad & Marie are coming for church tomorrow morning, so that will be fun. Of course, tomorrow is one of those days when we will go without a practice because we couldn't find a time to do one this week. Hope we don't suck.
Today is supposed to be "sleepin' in day" at our house. I woke up at 5:30. What's that about? The kids are making noise in their room- started about 7:40, and Matt's still zonked out. He has the whole day off (well, almost) and we might try to go for a family bike ride this afternoon. I have not actually ridden a bike since before I got pregnant with Maia. We'll see how long I last. At least Xander will be riding too, so I'll see if I can last longer than him. Doubt it. Maia gets to ride in the trailer. Lucky.
Guess it's time to round up the troops for breakfast.
This is quite an undertaking, the entire elementary school is in a musical every year. The Kindergarten through 3rd grade act as a "chorus" and each class dresses as one of the characters in the play and helps them sing their songs, so the Kindergarteners were all dressed as either Little Red or the Huntsman, the first grade (Xander's class) was the "life of the forest"- so they were trees and flowers, the second grade were grannies and grampas- they all wore grey t-shirts, had "age lines" painted on their faces, and the girls had shawls and shower caps on, while the boys had grey in their hair and wore little half-glasses. The 3rd grade was dressed in wolf costumes.
My camera didn't take very good pictures in the dark auditorium, and I didn't actually bother getting any pictures of the actors up on the stage (4th and 5th graders), but here's some of the forest. I did the intricate artwork on the cheeks of the girls! (It's great, I know. I'm up for an Oscar)
Xander and buddy, Isaac
Megan & Molly
Julia
The 3rd grade wolves -complete with glowing eyes!
In Marion house news, we now have renters with their stuff in the house, I have received the paperwork and the first rent check, and the place is ALMOST livable. The back window was fixed, the plumbing replaced, the water heater installed, but now we have to update a little bit of electrical so that the water heater can be used. A pretty easy fix, I'd do it myself if I was there, but will once again have to call on the kindness of friends to finish the work.
In Sioux Falls house news, after offering and counter-offering all week, Mom & Jim finally settled on a price for the "fortress" as we affectionately call it. We are looking at a move-in date of July 1. Should be a busy weekend. We get to do a church service at Falls Park that morning during an event called Artfalls. We will accept help with moving! :)
We're pretty excited to get into the bigger place, though the idea of a larger rent payment, coupled with significantly lower lesson income for me, as well as starting Maia in preschool in the fall and picking our student loan payments back up has me a little nervous- but God has proven himself faithful time and time again, so I should stop worrying.
Yesterday, Mom was in town for an awards ceremony, and she came by afterward and we picked up Xander after school then went over to Falls Park for a couple of hours. Xander wasn't sure how much he would like Falls Park because there's no playground equipment there, but he entertained himself playing on the rocks quite sufficiently. Grandma treated us to ice cream for supper at the Overlook Cafe. We had a good time and were bone tired when we got home. At least I was, Maia was wound up tight. She took a nice long bath, splashed water all over the bathroom, and then went to bed without too much fuss when we got home.
We're thinking we might go back to Falls Park tomorrow afternoon and have a picnic when Grandpa & Grandma Eitemiller come over for the day.
Dad & Marie are coming for church tomorrow morning, so that will be fun. Of course, tomorrow is one of those days when we will go without a practice because we couldn't find a time to do one this week. Hope we don't suck.
Today is supposed to be "sleepin' in day" at our house. I woke up at 5:30. What's that about? The kids are making noise in their room- started about 7:40, and Matt's still zonked out. He has the whole day off (well, almost) and we might try to go for a family bike ride this afternoon. I have not actually ridden a bike since before I got pregnant with Maia. We'll see how long I last. At least Xander will be riding too, so I'll see if I can last longer than him. Doubt it. Maia gets to ride in the trailer. Lucky.
Guess it's time to round up the troops for breakfast.
Sunday, April 22, 2007
Dainty Daughter
Today, Maia is having a tea party with her Disney Princess tea set. She's so dainty. She plays with this tea set all the time, but I noticed that she had real milk in her cup this afternoon. I asked her how she got milk in her cup, since she's still using a sippy cup. I wondered if maybe she was shaking the milk in one drop at a time?
No.
She went over to the table, got her sippy cup, sucked on it and got a big mouthful, then spit it into her tea pot, then poured the milk into the cup and drank it. Then she gave a nice big fake burp.
Isn't she sweet?
Monday, April 16, 2007
Fun Easter Weekend
Spring is back! Here's the view out our front window today:
Much better!
It's a week after Easter, but my family got together to celebrate last weekend at Mom & Jim's. Casey, Heidi, Rylie & Chase came down from Mitchell, and we had a fun time. Grandma loaded up some easter eggs, and we had two hunts, one for Chase & Maia upstairs, where the eggs were pretty easy to find, and one for Xander & Rylie downstairs where the hunt was a little more challenging.
Saturday afternoon, I went swimming with Grandma, Heidi, and the kids at Yankton's Summit Center, which is a really cool rec center with a nice, kid-friendly pool. Chase showed his true colors, he's going to be a little fish just like his dad. While Maia was still standing about 4 feet away from the pool, edging her way closer a half-inch at a time, her younger cousin (by about 3 months) barreled into the pool and plunged his head in almost immediately! He sure keeps his mom on her toes!
I came to the realization that my swimming suit is older than Xander, and maybe it's time for an update. Even though I can get one from Matt at Scheels for employee discount, I may still find a better deal at Wal Mart. We'll see.
Latest on the house news. We are hoping to get renters in the first of May. That's coming up fast! I don't have the lease papers or the first check from them yet, so it all kind of hinges on that. A couple of wonderful friends in Marion are fixing up the pipes and the broken window from the break-in, and only charging us the cost of supplies. What great guys!
We're in the process of refinancing the house to try to lower the monthly payments, but when Matt talked to Dave (who fixed the window) last night, he said that another Marion friend, Jonathon, might be interested in buying the property from us to use as a rental... so we'll give him a call tonight.
As long as everything's coming up roses, here's the rest of what's going on. My mom thinks maybe buying an investment property in Sioux Falls- a duplex with one unit as a 3-bedroom, might not be a bad idea, so she and Jim are coming up to take a second look at a place over near the intersection of 26th street and Southeastern, which our family looked at with Mom last week. Jim will do the fine-toothed comb inspection, then we'll see where they stand.
The house is kind of utilitarian from the outside, but it's really nice inside. The link above shows pictures of the inside of the 2-bedroom unit only, which is really nice. But the 3-bedroom unit is laid out pretty nicely for our family's needs. (Room for a family of 4 plus a grand piano). It would actually have a little more space than our house in Marion had, and it's a lot newer. Never been painted- except boring old white. I asked a few times about painting the apartment, and I think Mom thinks I want to paint the whole thing day-glo green or something. Jim says the walls can be taupe and the ceiling stays white. That's it. Lucky for me, Heidi did such a nice job with paint color in her house that I might be able to influence my landlord to let her come and help me pick out paint colors!
A move would mean a higher rent payment, even with a break for managing the property, and we have to consider that our student loans will come off deferment (again) in the Fall, plus Maia enters preschool in the fall... so we're back to tight budgeting again, but the allure of more space is probably worth it.
So that's the latest. I never have short blog entries like other folks, huh? That's probably why I'm so infrequent in my posts!
Here's some cute Maia pictures. Enjoy!
Much better!It's a week after Easter, but my family got together to celebrate last weekend at Mom & Jim's. Casey, Heidi, Rylie & Chase came down from Mitchell, and we had a fun time. Grandma loaded up some easter eggs, and we had two hunts, one for Chase & Maia upstairs, where the eggs were pretty easy to find, and one for Xander & Rylie downstairs where the hunt was a little more challenging.
Saturday afternoon, I went swimming with Grandma, Heidi, and the kids at Yankton's Summit Center, which is a really cool rec center with a nice, kid-friendly pool. Chase showed his true colors, he's going to be a little fish just like his dad. While Maia was still standing about 4 feet away from the pool, edging her way closer a half-inch at a time, her younger cousin (by about 3 months) barreled into the pool and plunged his head in almost immediately! He sure keeps his mom on her toes!
I came to the realization that my swimming suit is older than Xander, and maybe it's time for an update. Even though I can get one from Matt at Scheels for employee discount, I may still find a better deal at Wal Mart. We'll see.
Latest on the house news. We are hoping to get renters in the first of May. That's coming up fast! I don't have the lease papers or the first check from them yet, so it all kind of hinges on that. A couple of wonderful friends in Marion are fixing up the pipes and the broken window from the break-in, and only charging us the cost of supplies. What great guys!
We're in the process of refinancing the house to try to lower the monthly payments, but when Matt talked to Dave (who fixed the window) last night, he said that another Marion friend, Jonathon, might be interested in buying the property from us to use as a rental... so we'll give him a call tonight.
As long as everything's coming up roses, here's the rest of what's going on. My mom thinks maybe buying an investment property in Sioux Falls- a duplex with one unit as a 3-bedroom, might not be a bad idea, so she and Jim are coming up to take a second look at a place over near the intersection of 26th street and Southeastern, which our family looked at with Mom last week. Jim will do the fine-toothed comb inspection, then we'll see where they stand.
The house is kind of utilitarian from the outside, but it's really nice inside. The link above shows pictures of the inside of the 2-bedroom unit only, which is really nice. But the 3-bedroom unit is laid out pretty nicely for our family's needs. (Room for a family of 4 plus a grand piano). It would actually have a little more space than our house in Marion had, and it's a lot newer. Never been painted- except boring old white. I asked a few times about painting the apartment, and I think Mom thinks I want to paint the whole thing day-glo green or something. Jim says the walls can be taupe and the ceiling stays white. That's it. Lucky for me, Heidi did such a nice job with paint color in her house that I might be able to influence my landlord to let her come and help me pick out paint colors!
A move would mean a higher rent payment, even with a break for managing the property, and we have to consider that our student loans will come off deferment (again) in the Fall, plus Maia enters preschool in the fall... so we're back to tight budgeting again, but the allure of more space is probably worth it.
So that's the latest. I never have short blog entries like other folks, huh? That's probably why I'm so infrequent in my posts!
Here's some cute Maia pictures. Enjoy!
Baroque hairstyle:
Dinosaur in a dress...
Tuesday, April 10, 2007
Hey! What Happened?!
This is the view out our front window today.
Hard to believe that just 24 hours ago, Xander spent 2 hours on his bike tirelessly going up and down our short driveway.
Sigh...
It's not too cold, and I'm sure the snow won't last long. I'm glad I didn't plant any flowers or anything.
Stupid weather.
Hard to believe that just 24 hours ago, Xander spent 2 hours on his bike tirelessly going up and down our short driveway.
Sigh...
It's not too cold, and I'm sure the snow won't last long. I'm glad I didn't plant any flowers or anything.
Stupid weather.
Monday, April 09, 2007
Easter Pictures
Here's some pictures of our Easter festivities.
Turns out, Maia doesn't like jelly beans, only chocolate. This morning, I found a nice half-chewed jelly bean lodged firmly in the carpet not far from where this picture was taken.
We had church early, only one service at 9:30 instead of our usual Good Shepherd at 9:00 and Mercy service at 10:45. We came home and the kids got to have an easter egg hunt with Dad doing the hiding while Mom cooked dinner. It wasn't a very long hunt, considering Matt hid all the eggs in the living room... granted, there's not a whole lot of other options if you want to find the eggs - the kids' room is too messy, our room and the bathroom would have been acceptable, but the basement was definitely off limits! We were interested in finding the eggs sooner rather than later! Xander found many more eggs than Maia, not a big surprise there!
The kids had a babysitter Saturday night, because Matt & I went out on a date! They dyed Easter eggs together, but the eggs never got put back in the refrigerator, so they went bad overnight, and didn't really appeal to us as deviled eggs, even though I went through all the trouble of making them. Yum. Rotten deviled eggs. But they were pretty!
Our date was fun, as a Christmas/Valentine's gift to each other, we went to see Blue Man Group, How to Be a Megastar 2.0. It was really fun. That's some wacky performance art!
The kids got bikes for Easter. Matt was itching for them both to have nice bikes. Never mind that neither one of them can ride a bike yet... Xander got a cool BMX bike,
...but he's not ready to go without training wheels yet. Hopefully by the end of the summer. He spent a lot of time out on his old bike yesterday and today practicing up and down the driveway.
Maia got a precious little 12" Trek in metallic pink with streamers on the handlebars and a basket on the front. She knows how to sit on it and looks like she'll just take off, but she can't figure out how to make her legs do the right thing. I'm sure it's really amusing to watch either me or Matt hold onto her feet and try to show her how to pedal while following along. Rather an awkward posture. The weather certainly wasn't very warm, so we bundled everyone up and rode bikes in our coats!
Turns out, Maia doesn't like jelly beans, only chocolate. This morning, I found a nice half-chewed jelly bean lodged firmly in the carpet not far from where this picture was taken.We had church early, only one service at 9:30 instead of our usual Good Shepherd at 9:00 and Mercy service at 10:45. We came home and the kids got to have an easter egg hunt with Dad doing the hiding while Mom cooked dinner. It wasn't a very long hunt, considering Matt hid all the eggs in the living room... granted, there's not a whole lot of other options if you want to find the eggs - the kids' room is too messy, our room and the bathroom would have been acceptable, but the basement was definitely off limits! We were interested in finding the eggs sooner rather than later! Xander found many more eggs than Maia, not a big surprise there!
The kids had a babysitter Saturday night, because Matt & I went out on a date! They dyed Easter eggs together, but the eggs never got put back in the refrigerator, so they went bad overnight, and didn't really appeal to us as deviled eggs, even though I went through all the trouble of making them. Yum. Rotten deviled eggs. But they were pretty!
Our date was fun, as a Christmas/Valentine's gift to each other, we went to see Blue Man Group, How to Be a Megastar 2.0. It was really fun. That's some wacky performance art!
The kids got bikes for Easter. Matt was itching for them both to have nice bikes. Never mind that neither one of them can ride a bike yet... Xander got a cool BMX bike,
...but he's not ready to go without training wheels yet. Hopefully by the end of the summer. He spent a lot of time out on his old bike yesterday and today practicing up and down the driveway.
Maia got a precious little 12" Trek in metallic pink with streamers on the handlebars and a basket on the front. She knows how to sit on it and looks like she'll just take off, but she can't figure out how to make her legs do the right thing. I'm sure it's really amusing to watch either me or Matt hold onto her feet and try to show her how to pedal while following along. Rather an awkward posture. The weather certainly wasn't very warm, so we bundled everyone up and rode bikes in our coats!
Saturday, April 07, 2007
Black-Eyed Sweet Pea
We had our Good Friday service last night, a combined Mercy/ Good Shepherd service. We did a very traditional Tenebrae Service. It was neat. New friend, Darla helped with singing, and did an excellent job. Along with the many hymns we led together, she sang Samuel Barber's The Crucifixion, and I sang Peter Willams' Agnus Dei, which is actually a choral piece, but it translated nicely into a solo. At the end of the service, I couldn't find the notes to start an unaccompanied "Were You There," and there was no nursery for the kids, so they were a bit distracting, but in general, it was a great service. Pastor Shel even got a complimentary e-mail afterward from someone who rarely has nice things to say. How 'bout that!
Afterward, we went to Scheels to visit Matt because he has worked so much this week, the kids haven't had much chance to see him. On our way out, Maia face-planted on the entryway carpet. She's got a nice shiner now. Just in time for Easter! Poor baby!
She's still got a pretty good attitude, though. A little cranky this morning, so I gave her a little Ibuprofen to take the edge off.
Afterward, we went to Scheels to visit Matt because he has worked so much this week, the kids haven't had much chance to see him. On our way out, Maia face-planted on the entryway carpet. She's got a nice shiner now. Just in time for Easter! Poor baby!
She's still got a pretty good attitude, though. A little cranky this morning, so I gave her a little Ibuprofen to take the edge off. 
Monday, April 02, 2007
Unexpected Healing Moment
OK, so today I was at the grocery store, and I ran into my first college roommate. I haven't talked to her since about halfway through our year together as roommates.
Yeah, we did not have the best freshman roommate experience with each other.
Seeing her today was so weird! We both knew the other one was in town somewhere because she overheard one of my student's parents (who later told me about the conversation) talking about their daughter's "fabulous voice teacher, Amy" at kids' swim lessons last summer. She did a little asking and sure enough, it was me! HAHAHAHA!
ANYWAY, I saw her in the grocery store today and she came up and hugged me and we caught up with each other a little bit, then she said, "I just want to apologize for being a crappy roommate!" I said, "I was a crappy roommate too!"
It was so cool! Not that we were horrible shrews to each other at age 19, but the apology and healing part. And the fact that horrible shrew-like people can grow up to become loving and forgiving and... well, just different. Walls just came down. I love how God is continuing to heal past hurts in my life and shore up things I didn't even realize were still issues. Cool.
Thanks God!
Yeah, we did not have the best freshman roommate experience with each other.
Seeing her today was so weird! We both knew the other one was in town somewhere because she overheard one of my student's parents (who later told me about the conversation) talking about their daughter's "fabulous voice teacher, Amy" at kids' swim lessons last summer. She did a little asking and sure enough, it was me! HAHAHAHA!
ANYWAY, I saw her in the grocery store today and she came up and hugged me and we caught up with each other a little bit, then she said, "I just want to apologize for being a crappy roommate!" I said, "I was a crappy roommate too!"
It was so cool! Not that we were horrible shrews to each other at age 19, but the apology and healing part. And the fact that horrible shrew-like people can grow up to become loving and forgiving and... well, just different. Walls just came down. I love how God is continuing to heal past hurts in my life and shore up things I didn't even realize were still issues. Cool.
Thanks God!
Saturday, March 24, 2007
Ready For Some Good News?
I rented our house yesterday.
(Insert Hallelujah Chorus here)
We rented it for significantly less than we are paying for it, but it's also kind of a ministry opportunity for us, and we're very excited about not having to foreclose on it (an imminent outcome, I'm afraid)
The renters are a young family, the wife/mother of which is a former student of mine (Krystal A.), and we're so glad to be able to help them out! We're having them sign a one-year lease, so we'll see where we stand next year at this time. I think they would like to buy the house, but can't secure a loan right now, so we'll see if they can next year.
Today was painting day at Mercy/Good Shepherd. We spent about 3 hours there and painted the nursery. It's MUCH more colorful now! Each wall is a different shade, 3 colors of orange, one blue and the little bathroom is lime green (my handiwork) and the crib room is a nice, gentle "go to sleep blue." Got to hang out with friends from church and had a good time working.
Maia couldn't stay out of the room (the kids came with me because Matt went out for a bike ride with the "big dogs" this morning before work- he'll probably blog about it), and wound up ruining a cute outfit with orange paint (why she couldn't lean against the blue wall, I don't know), but otherwise the kids were great for us.
When we got home, I put some fresh clothes on Maia, and she looked down at her skirt and said, "Oh! It's gorgeous!" The words this kid picks up! She uses both "beautiful" and "gorgeous" correctly, and at the funniest times!
We had some friends over last night, and the kids went down to the basement to play because they are fascinated with our vast labyrinth of boxes and toys that predominate down there. One of the favorite things for this pair of sisters (ages 4 and 8) to do is drop things down the laundry chute- toys, books, blankets, etc. I knew that, but what I didn't realize was that the 8-year old was taking random toys from upstairs, packing them in boxes and hiding them behind the water heater! I discovered it after they left last night (Xander helped me find my laundry sorting bins, which she had hidden in the same place), so we found toys that had been missing for at least 2 months. Like Christmas again!
(Insert Hallelujah Chorus here)
We rented it for significantly less than we are paying for it, but it's also kind of a ministry opportunity for us, and we're very excited about not having to foreclose on it (an imminent outcome, I'm afraid)
The renters are a young family, the wife/mother of which is a former student of mine (Krystal A.), and we're so glad to be able to help them out! We're having them sign a one-year lease, so we'll see where we stand next year at this time. I think they would like to buy the house, but can't secure a loan right now, so we'll see if they can next year.
Today was painting day at Mercy/Good Shepherd. We spent about 3 hours there and painted the nursery. It's MUCH more colorful now! Each wall is a different shade, 3 colors of orange, one blue and the little bathroom is lime green (my handiwork) and the crib room is a nice, gentle "go to sleep blue." Got to hang out with friends from church and had a good time working.
Maia couldn't stay out of the room (the kids came with me because Matt went out for a bike ride with the "big dogs" this morning before work- he'll probably blog about it), and wound up ruining a cute outfit with orange paint (why she couldn't lean against the blue wall, I don't know), but otherwise the kids were great for us.
When we got home, I put some fresh clothes on Maia, and she looked down at her skirt and said, "Oh! It's gorgeous!" The words this kid picks up! She uses both "beautiful" and "gorgeous" correctly, and at the funniest times!
We had some friends over last night, and the kids went down to the basement to play because they are fascinated with our vast labyrinth of boxes and toys that predominate down there. One of the favorite things for this pair of sisters (ages 4 and 8) to do is drop things down the laundry chute- toys, books, blankets, etc. I knew that, but what I didn't realize was that the 8-year old was taking random toys from upstairs, packing them in boxes and hiding them behind the water heater! I discovered it after they left last night (Xander helped me find my laundry sorting bins, which she had hidden in the same place), so we found toys that had been missing for at least 2 months. Like Christmas again!
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Spring Break
Ahhh!
This is so nice! USF is on spring break this week, and I haven't had a job that really made a difference at spring break before (except at Hanfield, when I had to work harder because a good portion of my volunteers took a vacation!), but since I have 15 students at USF, this week is significantly less busy.
How nice!
Let's see... updates.
The house: We MIGHT have a rent-to-own potential buyer on the line. A former student, Krystal Arce and her sweet little family of 3 need a place to live starting the first of May, but aren't in a situation to finance buying a home just yet, so we might try to work something out with them. Of course, that means that we have to get caught up on house payments and replace a few pipes and a window. We're not going to do all that until we know which direction they are for sure headed. Anyway, you can pray about that...
Maia is still our little princess. She decided she wanted to cross genres and be a princess pirate last week. We thought that was amusing:
Isn't she dainty?
I've also discovered that she doesn't necessarily need the TV playing all the time, the CD player will suffice. So, I'm currently listening to cheesy nursery rhymes for the second time this morning. We listened to the Veggie Tales Jonah soundrack before that, and she loves the Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid soundtracks we keep in the car. She likes to tell me what's happening during the incidental music. She's got a really good ear!
Monday, I got a perm, and Maia had to sit through 2 hours of self-entertainment at the beauty shop, which she did really well. Afterward, we went next door to Shopko to get some school stuff for Xander. I should never go there because they have Payless Shoes right in the store. We wandered over to look around (like a magnetic attraction), and Maia got her heart set on a pair of pink sparkly "fwop fwops." (flip-flops). So we now have pretty pink fwop fwops to wear. She's in them 24-7 if at all possible. She was pretty mad when she had footie pajamas on yesterday morning and couldn't wear her fwop fwops. It wasn't long before she was out of those jammies and wearing only a diaper and fwop fwops.
Potty training? Not yet.
Xander's news:
Xander's in a fun drama group after school on Wednesdays this semester, called FLY. They use drama games and role playing to help kids use positive language in relationships (avoiding fights and working things out constructively). They do a little play at the end of the semester. He loves it. I love that he comes home in a good mood on Wednesdays!
He also decided that maybe he might want to take voice lessons and sing something on my studio recital in a couple of months. We'll see if that goes any better than piano lessons did (we've suspended piano lessons indefinitely).
Xander was tested for his reading level at school and tested at the 97-99th percentile nation-wide. He's reading at a 4th grade level. I'm not surprised, I figured he was pretty high up there. He's sitting just average on the other skills of first grade, like writing, math, etc. He has learned how to burp on command, another important first grade boy skill. He learned that at church. Nice.
One of Xander's best friends, Isaac, from school had a birthday party last Friday evening. It was a "ball" party, and each kid was supposed to bring a ball to exchange at the party in lieu of gifts. Every boy would come with a ball and go home with a different one. That was a lot of fun, they had the bash at the gym at Central Baptist (possibly the biggest church in town). And Xander says he ate 3 pieces of pizza and was still hungry enough to eat a whole happy meal on the way home (really? Xander?). He enjoyed the whole experience until he realized that he wasn't giving a gift to Isaac. He REALLY wanted to get him a Bionicle, and was totally bummed that he wasn't allowed to give him a gift. "What kind of birthday party doesn't have presents?!" I told him that maybe his mom and dad were trying to teach Isaac about materialism and being satisfied with the toys he already has (which is plenty- I've seen his room!). It gave him something to think about anyway.
I have been very busy with lessons, and am trying to close out my jewelry business. I am going to have a going out of business sale next month sometime. Last chance for catalog orders and I'll be selling off a lot of my samples. Not the ones that I wear all the time, of course. I mean, I got into the biz in the first place because I love jewelry!
We had a vocal festival in Sioux Falls with students of SF teachers last weekend. I took 5 students, and they all did pretty well. It was the very first time in competition for my oldest (22) and youngest (5th grade) students, who both held it together remarkably well, I also took a 7th grader and two college students. My college guy blew everybody away with "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. I wish I could take credit! He's only had 4 lessons with me!
Our judge for the day was Darla Earnest from Vermillion. She and her husband are coming up from Vermillion to Mercy on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. He is the head of the musical theatre department at USD and they're both radically talented. We had lunch with them after church Sunday at Bracco (very good!), and really enjoy them both. They're not only very gifted, but really neat people. Darla was a great judge for the kids on Saturday, and she was able to work with each of them a little to pull more out of each student. Mostly stuff that they get out in the studio but haven't learned to transfer to performance yet- but using slightly different terminology and methods. It was a good experience for everyone.
Tuesday, I had Division I Solo & Ensemble contest for my high school students. I had 3 that went, and I played for them all. They all scored I's this year - yey! I also got a phone call from a Washington HS student (not mine) Monday evening at about 9:30 asking if I could accompany her the next day... the time didn't work for me, so she was up a creek without a paddle. Plan ahead, girl!
Matt's loving his job- mostly - and gets to go to visit the Trek factory next week for Trek University. He's pretty excited about that! We had to break down and get a second cell phone so that we can communicate while he's out of town for 4 days. Luckily, we know a phone guy (my dad) who came over to the house and got us all set up this morning. That meant that I had the house cleaned before he got here at 8:30, so I only have to keep up with my little princess tornado to keep the place tidy for the rest of the day!
Oh, you can email if you want Matt's phone number. I don't suppose I should post it here. I'll update our Plaxo account, so you might get an automatic update.
That's what I can think of to update for now. Thanks for reading. :)
This is so nice! USF is on spring break this week, and I haven't had a job that really made a difference at spring break before (except at Hanfield, when I had to work harder because a good portion of my volunteers took a vacation!), but since I have 15 students at USF, this week is significantly less busy.
How nice!
Let's see... updates.
The house: We MIGHT have a rent-to-own potential buyer on the line. A former student, Krystal Arce and her sweet little family of 3 need a place to live starting the first of May, but aren't in a situation to finance buying a home just yet, so we might try to work something out with them. Of course, that means that we have to get caught up on house payments and replace a few pipes and a window. We're not going to do all that until we know which direction they are for sure headed. Anyway, you can pray about that...
Maia is still our little princess. She decided she wanted to cross genres and be a princess pirate last week. We thought that was amusing:
Isn't she dainty?I've also discovered that she doesn't necessarily need the TV playing all the time, the CD player will suffice. So, I'm currently listening to cheesy nursery rhymes for the second time this morning. We listened to the Veggie Tales Jonah soundrack before that, and she loves the Beauty and the Beast and Little Mermaid soundtracks we keep in the car. She likes to tell me what's happening during the incidental music. She's got a really good ear!
Monday, I got a perm, and Maia had to sit through 2 hours of self-entertainment at the beauty shop, which she did really well. Afterward, we went next door to Shopko to get some school stuff for Xander. I should never go there because they have Payless Shoes right in the store. We wandered over to look around (like a magnetic attraction), and Maia got her heart set on a pair of pink sparkly "fwop fwops." (flip-flops). So we now have pretty pink fwop fwops to wear. She's in them 24-7 if at all possible. She was pretty mad when she had footie pajamas on yesterday morning and couldn't wear her fwop fwops. It wasn't long before she was out of those jammies and wearing only a diaper and fwop fwops.
Potty training? Not yet.
Xander's news:
Xander's in a fun drama group after school on Wednesdays this semester, called FLY. They use drama games and role playing to help kids use positive language in relationships (avoiding fights and working things out constructively). They do a little play at the end of the semester. He loves it. I love that he comes home in a good mood on Wednesdays!
He also decided that maybe he might want to take voice lessons and sing something on my studio recital in a couple of months. We'll see if that goes any better than piano lessons did (we've suspended piano lessons indefinitely).
Xander was tested for his reading level at school and tested at the 97-99th percentile nation-wide. He's reading at a 4th grade level. I'm not surprised, I figured he was pretty high up there. He's sitting just average on the other skills of first grade, like writing, math, etc. He has learned how to burp on command, another important first grade boy skill. He learned that at church. Nice.
One of Xander's best friends, Isaac, from school had a birthday party last Friday evening. It was a "ball" party, and each kid was supposed to bring a ball to exchange at the party in lieu of gifts. Every boy would come with a ball and go home with a different one. That was a lot of fun, they had the bash at the gym at Central Baptist (possibly the biggest church in town). And Xander says he ate 3 pieces of pizza and was still hungry enough to eat a whole happy meal on the way home (really? Xander?). He enjoyed the whole experience until he realized that he wasn't giving a gift to Isaac. He REALLY wanted to get him a Bionicle, and was totally bummed that he wasn't allowed to give him a gift. "What kind of birthday party doesn't have presents?!" I told him that maybe his mom and dad were trying to teach Isaac about materialism and being satisfied with the toys he already has (which is plenty- I've seen his room!). It gave him something to think about anyway.
I have been very busy with lessons, and am trying to close out my jewelry business. I am going to have a going out of business sale next month sometime. Last chance for catalog orders and I'll be selling off a lot of my samples. Not the ones that I wear all the time, of course. I mean, I got into the biz in the first place because I love jewelry!
We had a vocal festival in Sioux Falls with students of SF teachers last weekend. I took 5 students, and they all did pretty well. It was the very first time in competition for my oldest (22) and youngest (5th grade) students, who both held it together remarkably well, I also took a 7th grader and two college students. My college guy blew everybody away with "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables. I wish I could take credit! He's only had 4 lessons with me!
Our judge for the day was Darla Earnest from Vermillion. She and her husband are coming up from Vermillion to Mercy on Sundays and Wednesday evenings. He is the head of the musical theatre department at USD and they're both radically talented. We had lunch with them after church Sunday at Bracco (very good!), and really enjoy them both. They're not only very gifted, but really neat people. Darla was a great judge for the kids on Saturday, and she was able to work with each of them a little to pull more out of each student. Mostly stuff that they get out in the studio but haven't learned to transfer to performance yet- but using slightly different terminology and methods. It was a good experience for everyone.
Tuesday, I had Division I Solo & Ensemble contest for my high school students. I had 3 that went, and I played for them all. They all scored I's this year - yey! I also got a phone call from a Washington HS student (not mine) Monday evening at about 9:30 asking if I could accompany her the next day... the time didn't work for me, so she was up a creek without a paddle. Plan ahead, girl!
Matt's loving his job- mostly - and gets to go to visit the Trek factory next week for Trek University. He's pretty excited about that! We had to break down and get a second cell phone so that we can communicate while he's out of town for 4 days. Luckily, we know a phone guy (my dad) who came over to the house and got us all set up this morning. That meant that I had the house cleaned before he got here at 8:30, so I only have to keep up with my little princess tornado to keep the place tidy for the rest of the day!
Oh, you can email if you want Matt's phone number. I don't suppose I should post it here. I'll update our Plaxo account, so you might get an automatic update.
That's what I can think of to update for now. Thanks for reading. :)
Thursday, March 01, 2007
The First Snow Day of the Year
Considering where we live, it's surprising that we didn't encounter our first snow day until March 1st. This morning, I got up, checked several different websites to see if school was cancelled (one said yes, but three others did not), got the kids up and took Xander to school only to discover that there was no school today. A nice surprise (though not completely unexpected).
Thursdays are Matt's day off (as of last week), so he gets to enjoy the snow day with us.
It also happens to be payday, and I needed to get groceries anyway, so I joined the throng heading to the local grocery store and muddled my way through every aisle to try and get my regular bi-monthly shopping done. I chose Hy-Vee over Sunshine, even though Sunshine is closer, for several reasons: the produce dept. at the Sunshine just down the street is horrible, and their grocery selection is limited. Also, Hy-Vee has drive-up service, so I didn't have to wrestle a grocery cart out into the slushy parking lot.
Our family's snow day activities include:
Dressing up as/ watching "Snow White"....
Playing computer games....
Laying on the couch with a sore back...
and coloring hair.
Matt & Xander have decided to do a "Star Wars" marathon this afternoon. I'm in an interesting position between the two TV screens to hear "Star Wars" and "Snow White" at equal volumes. So I hear things like:
SNOW WHITE: (Singing) Whistle while you work...
C3PO: R2D2, where are you?
DARTH VADER: Where is the ambassador?!
SNOW WHITE: ah, ah, ah! Not under the rug!
Just seems weird.
Other events in store for the day, house cleaning, making supper (going to try to FINALLY get our upstairs neighbor down to join us for a meal... we're all trapped inside, no excuses this time!) maybe take a nap... try not to drive each other too crazy. Play games, play dollies, draw some pictures... stuff like that.
Looks like we'll get to stay in tomorrow too, if the weather people are right. We'll see how positive the attitudes are by tomorrow evening! Luckily, it looks like the weekend will clear up and we'll have an uneventful (weather-wise, anyway) week next week.
Thursdays are Matt's day off (as of last week), so he gets to enjoy the snow day with us.
It also happens to be payday, and I needed to get groceries anyway, so I joined the throng heading to the local grocery store and muddled my way through every aisle to try and get my regular bi-monthly shopping done. I chose Hy-Vee over Sunshine, even though Sunshine is closer, for several reasons: the produce dept. at the Sunshine just down the street is horrible, and their grocery selection is limited. Also, Hy-Vee has drive-up service, so I didn't have to wrestle a grocery cart out into the slushy parking lot.
Our family's snow day activities include:
Dressing up as/ watching "Snow White"....
Playing computer games....
Laying on the couch with a sore back...
and coloring hair.
Matt & Xander have decided to do a "Star Wars" marathon this afternoon. I'm in an interesting position between the two TV screens to hear "Star Wars" and "Snow White" at equal volumes. So I hear things like:
SNOW WHITE: (Singing) Whistle while you work...
C3PO: R2D2, where are you?
DARTH VADER: Where is the ambassador?!
SNOW WHITE: ah, ah, ah! Not under the rug!
Just seems weird.
Other events in store for the day, house cleaning, making supper (going to try to FINALLY get our upstairs neighbor down to join us for a meal... we're all trapped inside, no excuses this time!) maybe take a nap... try not to drive each other too crazy. Play games, play dollies, draw some pictures... stuff like that.
Looks like we'll get to stay in tomorrow too, if the weather people are right. We'll see how positive the attitudes are by tomorrow evening! Luckily, it looks like the weekend will clear up and we'll have an uneventful (weather-wise, anyway) week next week.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Spring WAS on its way...
Last week, the weather was beautiful. The snow was almost all melted off, the smell of spring was in the air... it seemed like we had seen the last of the white stuff for the year.
Then the weekend hit.
I took the kids down to Mom's place in Yankton Friday evening. Her church was hosting a Beth Moore simulcast Saturday morning from 10-4. I knew from watching the forecast that I was taking a chance, but figured if I stayed on the major highways on the way home, I'd easily be able to make it back from Yankton. I sort of forgot to take into account that I'd have to go back out to the hill country to pick up the kids before leaving town. That's where the problems struck.
Turns out our nice little Aztek doesn't handle the snow very well. It's got traction control, but not 4-wheel drive, and apparently that makes a difference. I couldn't make it up the last hill to Mom & Jim's so we had to back down and park at the horse campground at the bottom of the hill and hike to where we could get cell phone reception (not too far), so that we could call Jim to come and get us (the pickup had no problem negotiating the hill).
The snow trickled down in beautiful, fat white flakes at the rate of between 2-3" per hour until sometime after sundown. When all was said and done, it looked like there was at least a foot of new snow on the ground. Sunday morning, Jim went out and shuffled up and down their steep driveway with his new snowblower, doing both his and the neighbors' drive. Mom & I were put on deck shoveling duty. The weight of a foot of snow (deeper where it drifted) was not good for the decks. We decided that it's a much more enjoyable job to do together rather than alone.
Their road was not plowed out until Sunday at 3:00, and then we had to dig the Aztek out of his parking spot before leaving for home around 4. Got home around 6, and there were some pretty slick spots even on the interstate between Vermillion and SF.
Today was nice again, and a lot of snow melted, but I guess it's going to hit again tomorrow. Boy was my upper back feeling all that shoveling on Monday! The nice thing is, we can accept this snow with hope. It's not even that cold. You know we're getting to the end of winter when you're glad that it's warm enough to snow!
In other news:
Matt seems to be enjoying his new job, though he's glad he's got a flat commission rate for a couple of months while he's in sales training. He's excited that he gets to go to Madison, WI to tour the Trek bike factory at the end of March. We might try to make it a family vacation. He's supposed to find out the feasability of such a proposal by the end of this week. He's getting bored with his necktie selection, so I went and got him a couple of new ones the other day, which he appreciated.
Lessons are booming right now. It seems weird that last year I was just getting started with my home studio. I currently have 27 students between home and USF. I have 15 at school, and am going in 3 days a week. Wednesdays are my long day, I have 10 in a row (no lunch break), then go pick up Xander & Maia from school and daycare, then one more lesson before coming home. Mondays I have 2 at school and 3 at home in the evening. Tuesdays I have 2 at school and 6 at home after school and again in the evening. And Thursdays I only have 3, but it's my commitment day at Xander's school, so I'm there all afternoon, come home, do a few lessons, eat a slow-cooker-prepared meal, then we're off to praise team.
Fridays are my day off. Whew!
You don't care. But that's what my life looks like right now. I notice an absence of jewelry shows. I should probably get on that...
Some pictures of late:
Thanks for the Valentines Cards, Grandma Marie. Maia loves stickers. She has to either wear them...
or stick them on the nearest surface...
Xander stuck all of his on the mantle of the fireplace. His are still there. Maia's got removed by dinnertime.
We got to get outside and build snowmen last week when it started to get warm before the weekend's big snow...
We named the little one, Xander and the big one, Daddy. After building the "Xander" snowman, while the (animate) Xander & I were working on the bigger one, Maia walked over to the little snowman (about the same height as her) and said, "Well hello snowman Xander. Do you want to play Xander's Gameboy?" I guess that's what Xanders do.
In classic snowman fashion, they were just a couple of snowy lumps and a pile of mittens and hats by the next afternoon.
This is our latest brush with fame. Check out Matt's parents in the Des Moines Register! For those of you who are not local, this is Iowa's largest newspaper. I used to deliver it when I was in jr. high/ early high school.
I made Maia take a nap this afternoon. It is currently backfiring on me. Usually on Tuesday nights, I can put both kids to bed at 7 before my evening lessons begin. Tonight I did that, and around 7:40, they came out and Maia announced, "I not take a nap!" Xander felt that he couldn't sleep without Maia in the room. I tried very hard to get him to go back to bed, but he just couldn't sleep without her across the room. I finally discovered that if I put a blanket on the bed so that it LOOKED like she was there, he would go to sleep. Maia, however is still going strong at 9:00.
*sigh*
Maybe she'll take the hint when Matt & I go to bed. He'll be home soon.
Luckily, neither one of us has to deal with her tomorrow. It's Apple Tree day (that's her daycare).
Then the weekend hit.
I took the kids down to Mom's place in Yankton Friday evening. Her church was hosting a Beth Moore simulcast Saturday morning from 10-4. I knew from watching the forecast that I was taking a chance, but figured if I stayed on the major highways on the way home, I'd easily be able to make it back from Yankton. I sort of forgot to take into account that I'd have to go back out to the hill country to pick up the kids before leaving town. That's where the problems struck.
Turns out our nice little Aztek doesn't handle the snow very well. It's got traction control, but not 4-wheel drive, and apparently that makes a difference. I couldn't make it up the last hill to Mom & Jim's so we had to back down and park at the horse campground at the bottom of the hill and hike to where we could get cell phone reception (not too far), so that we could call Jim to come and get us (the pickup had no problem negotiating the hill).
The snow trickled down in beautiful, fat white flakes at the rate of between 2-3" per hour until sometime after sundown. When all was said and done, it looked like there was at least a foot of new snow on the ground. Sunday morning, Jim went out and shuffled up and down their steep driveway with his new snowblower, doing both his and the neighbors' drive. Mom & I were put on deck shoveling duty. The weight of a foot of snow (deeper where it drifted) was not good for the decks. We decided that it's a much more enjoyable job to do together rather than alone.
Their road was not plowed out until Sunday at 3:00, and then we had to dig the Aztek out of his parking spot before leaving for home around 4. Got home around 6, and there were some pretty slick spots even on the interstate between Vermillion and SF.
Today was nice again, and a lot of snow melted, but I guess it's going to hit again tomorrow. Boy was my upper back feeling all that shoveling on Monday! The nice thing is, we can accept this snow with hope. It's not even that cold. You know we're getting to the end of winter when you're glad that it's warm enough to snow!
In other news:
Matt seems to be enjoying his new job, though he's glad he's got a flat commission rate for a couple of months while he's in sales training. He's excited that he gets to go to Madison, WI to tour the Trek bike factory at the end of March. We might try to make it a family vacation. He's supposed to find out the feasability of such a proposal by the end of this week. He's getting bored with his necktie selection, so I went and got him a couple of new ones the other day, which he appreciated.
Lessons are booming right now. It seems weird that last year I was just getting started with my home studio. I currently have 27 students between home and USF. I have 15 at school, and am going in 3 days a week. Wednesdays are my long day, I have 10 in a row (no lunch break), then go pick up Xander & Maia from school and daycare, then one more lesson before coming home. Mondays I have 2 at school and 3 at home in the evening. Tuesdays I have 2 at school and 6 at home after school and again in the evening. And Thursdays I only have 3, but it's my commitment day at Xander's school, so I'm there all afternoon, come home, do a few lessons, eat a slow-cooker-prepared meal, then we're off to praise team.
Fridays are my day off. Whew!
You don't care. But that's what my life looks like right now. I notice an absence of jewelry shows. I should probably get on that...
Some pictures of late:
Thanks for the Valentines Cards, Grandma Marie. Maia loves stickers. She has to either wear them...
or stick them on the nearest surface...
Xander stuck all of his on the mantle of the fireplace. His are still there. Maia's got removed by dinnertime.We got to get outside and build snowmen last week when it started to get warm before the weekend's big snow...
We named the little one, Xander and the big one, Daddy. After building the "Xander" snowman, while the (animate) Xander & I were working on the bigger one, Maia walked over to the little snowman (about the same height as her) and said, "Well hello snowman Xander. Do you want to play Xander's Gameboy?" I guess that's what Xanders do. In classic snowman fashion, they were just a couple of snowy lumps and a pile of mittens and hats by the next afternoon.
This is our latest brush with fame. Check out Matt's parents in the Des Moines Register! For those of you who are not local, this is Iowa's largest newspaper. I used to deliver it when I was in jr. high/ early high school.
I made Maia take a nap this afternoon. It is currently backfiring on me. Usually on Tuesday nights, I can put both kids to bed at 7 before my evening lessons begin. Tonight I did that, and around 7:40, they came out and Maia announced, "I not take a nap!" Xander felt that he couldn't sleep without Maia in the room. I tried very hard to get him to go back to bed, but he just couldn't sleep without her across the room. I finally discovered that if I put a blanket on the bed so that it LOOKED like she was there, he would go to sleep. Maia, however is still going strong at 9:00.
*sigh*
Maybe she'll take the hint when Matt & I go to bed. He'll be home soon.
Luckily, neither one of us has to deal with her tomorrow. It's Apple Tree day (that's her daycare).
Friday, February 16, 2007
Happy Valentines Week
My Valentines Day was not the best day ever. It wasn't the worst, but it was filled with inconveniences. I guess that's part of life.
It started with Matt & I trying to rouse and EXTREMELY crabby Xander out of bed. Maia got up no problem but it became apparent after a short time that she was not feeling very well. Just a cold, but the very beginning part of one, and she was pretty droopy all day.
Xander was just plain mad that he had to get out of bed ("It's not FAIR!") and didn't seem to care that it was Valentines Day, or that there was a party and special "Gala Banquet" for lunch. Just wanted to sleep in.
Too bad.
I drove Xander to school in our little Neon ("Maggie" as we affectionately call her), and though I had just had the oil changed the day before, noticed that she was not running the best. Then the oil light came on, and it started to smell. This can't be good! I ran home, got Maia, and figured I had time to zip over to the quick oil change place to make sure they got everything plugged back up, because the lake of fresh oil in the driveway was a pretty good indicator that there was a significant leak.
My PLAN was to have them fix their mistake, take Maia to daycare and then go teach lessons at USF for most of the rest of the day. I stopped in at the school to make sure of the time of my first lesson (9:30) beforehand, which backfired on me, because a student snuck in at 8:55 and signed up for a 9:00 lesson (she didn't get one).
Unfortunately, neither did my 9:30 because the problem was significantly larger than a loose oil filter. The quick-change place couldn't take the car apart far enough to figure out what the problem was, so they suggested that I take it to a dealer. (Read: spend big $$$). They also did not recommend that I drive her. That's convenient...
I did not buy this car here, I bought it from a small used car dealership in Marion - kind of along the lines of the "Wanna buy a watch?" guys in New York City (I've bought one of those too). But the Saturn/ Cadillac/ Pontiac dealer that we bought our Aztek from has always treated me fairly without making me feel like a girl. So I called them and they said they could look at it, told me to have the quick-change guys just fill it up with oil and dribble all the way across town to their shop.
So I did. I had decided by this point not to take Maia to daycare, because she was just hanging on me and feeling miserable. They wouldn't want her there, and she just needed her mom (I recognize the co-dependence). So I stopped at the house and picked up some stuff to help her get through the day- a couple of coloring books, a favorite storybook, her blanket, some food, etc. Left a little puddle in the driveway, then buzzed across town to the Saturn place.
They had a shuttle that would take us to USF in time for my next lesson (11:00), and Maia hung out with me all day. She spent some time looking at her coloring book (not coloring), some time sleeping on our coats in the corner of my office while I taught lessons, and some time on my lap. She really wasn't a problem at all. We all had great sympathy for her.
I finished early (1:30- usually 2:00), but hadn't heard from Saturn yet, so I called them and left a message that I was ready for pickup.... almost 2 hours later we finally got picked up, and went back to pick up Maggie. Turned out a gasket (not the head gasket) dried up and fell out. I guess it's kind of common in that engine. Apparently an important part to have... The part cost about $7. The labor cost $150. I'm in the wrong gig.
Meanwhile, Xander had gone home from school with a friend, and I thought for sure he would be in a better mood when I went to pick him up.
No.
I let him play there until 4:30. When I went in to get him, he cried, yelled at me for "forgetting his Bionicle" to take to Isaac's house, complained all the way to the car, and when I asked him how his class party was, his reply was "it wasn't any better than any other day, except we got to have ONE piece of candy at the very end of the day." I didn't bother asking about the Gala Banquet.
We got to go to a friend's house for dinner that evening. Our small group had a gathering, and there were quite a few of us there. Very fun, but the kids were so tired we couldn't stay long.
The positives about Valentines Day: I got chocolate. That can fix a multitude of problems. Or at least mask them. Matt was so thrilled with his gift (we gave ourselves a $14 spending limit)- he got chocolate and beer. He was the envy of every guy at work. I got chocolate and bath stuff- lotion, body wash, etc. We both enjoyed our gifts.
Also, it wasn't as bad as the year when Matt & I were dating and I broke up with him a week before V-Day and he had already gotten me a gift. What a rotten person I was!
The saving grace of this week is that Bruce & George (Matt's folks) called yesterday and asked if they could take the kids for the weekend. We have a 5-day weekend from school, no school Thursday, Friday or Monday- Happy Presidents Day! At first we were going to only send Xander (cousins Cassie & Lexi were going too) because Maia was not feeling too good, but this morning, I called them and begged them to take her too!
AHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh!
I'm feeling a little guilty about how happy I am that Matt & I are without kids for 3 WHOLE DAYS!!!
AND we got our tax return today. Things could be a lot worse.
Here's hoping we'll appreciate the kids more when they come home. And thank you, Grandpa & Grandma!!! Hopefully they'll be less horrible for you than for us.
It started with Matt & I trying to rouse and EXTREMELY crabby Xander out of bed. Maia got up no problem but it became apparent after a short time that she was not feeling very well. Just a cold, but the very beginning part of one, and she was pretty droopy all day.
Xander was just plain mad that he had to get out of bed ("It's not FAIR!") and didn't seem to care that it was Valentines Day, or that there was a party and special "Gala Banquet" for lunch. Just wanted to sleep in.
Too bad.
I drove Xander to school in our little Neon ("Maggie" as we affectionately call her), and though I had just had the oil changed the day before, noticed that she was not running the best. Then the oil light came on, and it started to smell. This can't be good! I ran home, got Maia, and figured I had time to zip over to the quick oil change place to make sure they got everything plugged back up, because the lake of fresh oil in the driveway was a pretty good indicator that there was a significant leak.
My PLAN was to have them fix their mistake, take Maia to daycare and then go teach lessons at USF for most of the rest of the day. I stopped in at the school to make sure of the time of my first lesson (9:30) beforehand, which backfired on me, because a student snuck in at 8:55 and signed up for a 9:00 lesson (she didn't get one).
Unfortunately, neither did my 9:30 because the problem was significantly larger than a loose oil filter. The quick-change place couldn't take the car apart far enough to figure out what the problem was, so they suggested that I take it to a dealer. (Read: spend big $$$). They also did not recommend that I drive her. That's convenient...
I did not buy this car here, I bought it from a small used car dealership in Marion - kind of along the lines of the "Wanna buy a watch?" guys in New York City (I've bought one of those too). But the Saturn/ Cadillac/ Pontiac dealer that we bought our Aztek from has always treated me fairly without making me feel like a girl. So I called them and they said they could look at it, told me to have the quick-change guys just fill it up with oil and dribble all the way across town to their shop.
So I did. I had decided by this point not to take Maia to daycare, because she was just hanging on me and feeling miserable. They wouldn't want her there, and she just needed her mom (I recognize the co-dependence). So I stopped at the house and picked up some stuff to help her get through the day- a couple of coloring books, a favorite storybook, her blanket, some food, etc. Left a little puddle in the driveway, then buzzed across town to the Saturn place.
They had a shuttle that would take us to USF in time for my next lesson (11:00), and Maia hung out with me all day. She spent some time looking at her coloring book (not coloring), some time sleeping on our coats in the corner of my office while I taught lessons, and some time on my lap. She really wasn't a problem at all. We all had great sympathy for her.
I finished early (1:30- usually 2:00), but hadn't heard from Saturn yet, so I called them and left a message that I was ready for pickup.... almost 2 hours later we finally got picked up, and went back to pick up Maggie. Turned out a gasket (not the head gasket) dried up and fell out. I guess it's kind of common in that engine. Apparently an important part to have... The part cost about $7. The labor cost $150. I'm in the wrong gig.
Meanwhile, Xander had gone home from school with a friend, and I thought for sure he would be in a better mood when I went to pick him up.
No.
I let him play there until 4:30. When I went in to get him, he cried, yelled at me for "forgetting his Bionicle" to take to Isaac's house, complained all the way to the car, and when I asked him how his class party was, his reply was "it wasn't any better than any other day, except we got to have ONE piece of candy at the very end of the day." I didn't bother asking about the Gala Banquet.
We got to go to a friend's house for dinner that evening. Our small group had a gathering, and there were quite a few of us there. Very fun, but the kids were so tired we couldn't stay long.
The positives about Valentines Day: I got chocolate. That can fix a multitude of problems. Or at least mask them. Matt was so thrilled with his gift (we gave ourselves a $14 spending limit)- he got chocolate and beer. He was the envy of every guy at work. I got chocolate and bath stuff- lotion, body wash, etc. We both enjoyed our gifts.
Also, it wasn't as bad as the year when Matt & I were dating and I broke up with him a week before V-Day and he had already gotten me a gift. What a rotten person I was!
The saving grace of this week is that Bruce & George (Matt's folks) called yesterday and asked if they could take the kids for the weekend. We have a 5-day weekend from school, no school Thursday, Friday or Monday- Happy Presidents Day! At first we were going to only send Xander (cousins Cassie & Lexi were going too) because Maia was not feeling too good, but this morning, I called them and begged them to take her too!
AHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh!
I'm feeling a little guilty about how happy I am that Matt & I are without kids for 3 WHOLE DAYS!!!
AND we got our tax return today. Things could be a lot worse.
Here's hoping we'll appreciate the kids more when they come home. And thank you, Grandpa & Grandma!!! Hopefully they'll be less horrible for you than for us.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Stir Crazy
Xander stayed home from school on Thursday and Friday, and pretty much acted like a potted plant for 3 days. Both Maia & Xander had nasty head colds, but I found it interesting how they responded differently to the same virus.
Xander got all pale and limp, turned green a few times, tried unsuccessfully to throw up, went to bed early, got up late and stayed in one place for most of 3 days.
Maia went insane. She loved the sound of her funky new voice, so she coughed and sang and made funny noises in her croaky little voice. She had an energy overload, and requested about 300 times to go outside and play in the snow (the answer, an emphatic "NO!"), and "helped" me in the kitchen doing dishes, making brownies, etc.
Maia also chose to take medicine out of a medicine cup instead of a dropper for the first time. She used the dropper to drink water (one teaspoon at a time). Soon they'll both be driving. *sigh*
Both kids seem to be feeling better today (Monday morning), so all told, things could have been a lot worse! Our friends, James & Tina are heavy in our prayers for their son Alex, who is in the hospital with a bone infection. Please join us in praying for them.
Neither Matt or I caught the cold the kids had (knock on wood), but that doesn't mean I haven't been lazy. I have. Sadly, I suppose I'm going to have to get myself off the couch and go outside and play with Maia in the snow today- provided we still have any left. I think it rained last night. I'm just glad it's above freezing. First time in about a week and a half! Balmy!
Matt starts his new position as Bike Manager at Scheels this morning. For various reasons, he only slept about 4 hours last night, so he should be a walking zombie by the time he gets home.
We have our first full staff meeting at Mercy tonight. We will meet with Lee & Crista Saeger (youth), Amy & Charles Miller (children), Shel & Anne Boese (senior pastor) & I don't know who else. Maybe more. We don't have the best staff communication really. So far.
But things are going really great at Mercy, and I have to say, I love this church. It's messy and small and doesn't have money to throw around, but it's loving and worships with abandon, and it's all "post-modern" and such. Solid leadership and theology, humility, missions-minded, lots of baby Christians and lots of very mature ones as well. Good stuff! Plus, they have this awesome band! We're blessed to be a part of the work going on at Mercy.
Xander got all pale and limp, turned green a few times, tried unsuccessfully to throw up, went to bed early, got up late and stayed in one place for most of 3 days.
Maia went insane. She loved the sound of her funky new voice, so she coughed and sang and made funny noises in her croaky little voice. She had an energy overload, and requested about 300 times to go outside and play in the snow (the answer, an emphatic "NO!"), and "helped" me in the kitchen doing dishes, making brownies, etc.
Maia also chose to take medicine out of a medicine cup instead of a dropper for the first time. She used the dropper to drink water (one teaspoon at a time). Soon they'll both be driving. *sigh*
Both kids seem to be feeling better today (Monday morning), so all told, things could have been a lot worse! Our friends, James & Tina are heavy in our prayers for their son Alex, who is in the hospital with a bone infection. Please join us in praying for them.
Neither Matt or I caught the cold the kids had (knock on wood), but that doesn't mean I haven't been lazy. I have. Sadly, I suppose I'm going to have to get myself off the couch and go outside and play with Maia in the snow today- provided we still have any left. I think it rained last night. I'm just glad it's above freezing. First time in about a week and a half! Balmy!
Matt starts his new position as Bike Manager at Scheels this morning. For various reasons, he only slept about 4 hours last night, so he should be a walking zombie by the time he gets home.
We have our first full staff meeting at Mercy tonight. We will meet with Lee & Crista Saeger (youth), Amy & Charles Miller (children), Shel & Anne Boese (senior pastor) & I don't know who else. Maybe more. We don't have the best staff communication really. So far.
But things are going really great at Mercy, and I have to say, I love this church. It's messy and small and doesn't have money to throw around, but it's loving and worships with abandon, and it's all "post-modern" and such. Solid leadership and theology, humility, missions-minded, lots of baby Christians and lots of very mature ones as well. Good stuff! Plus, they have this awesome band! We're blessed to be a part of the work going on at Mercy.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Snowy Fun
The last week has been snowy but fairly warm. Nice enough to even get me motivated to get the kids up and outside. It also helped that Grandma Marilyn got Xander new snowpants and boots on Monday and brought them up Monday night. Maia & I went out and found a pair of "Cinderella" colored boots for her Monday afternoon, so they're pretty well set.
Maia & I went out on Tuesday and she played with a sand shovel in the backyard while I scooped a little snow off the driveway and sidewalk. That kept her entertained for a long time.
On Friday after school, we went and picked up Xander and then headed out to church because they not only have sleds we can use, but a nice hill to use them on. Maia fell asleep on the way there, so Xander played by himself on the hill for a while until she got up about an hour later.
I was sitting in the car warming up and keeping a sleeping Maia company while I watched Xander play. He laid down in the snow- probably to rest- quite a few times. Once after a particularly nice wipe out, he flopped down in the snow and made a snow angel. At least, that's what he was trying to make. What do you think?
I'm thinking it's more of a snow octopus?
After Maia woke up, I bundled her up and we took the other sled down the hill together a few times. Xander wanted to see if it would work to get all three of us on one sled, which we then did until little Maia was just shivering and it was time to pack it up.
I didn't get any pictures of Maia on the sled because I was always with her. I got the honor of carrying her back up the hill every time too! Got a good cardio workout, huh?
Here we are back in the "warming house" (AKA church) after all the fun.
Today, the wind changed, and we have a high of 15, which we reached by 9 am, then it's just supposed to get colder for the rest of the weekend. All of next week looks pretty cold too, so I'm glad we got out when we did.
Maia & I went out on Tuesday and she played with a sand shovel in the backyard while I scooped a little snow off the driveway and sidewalk. That kept her entertained for a long time.
On Friday after school, we went and picked up Xander and then headed out to church because they not only have sleds we can use, but a nice hill to use them on. Maia fell asleep on the way there, so Xander played by himself on the hill for a while until she got up about an hour later.
I was sitting in the car warming up and keeping a sleeping Maia company while I watched Xander play. He laid down in the snow- probably to rest- quite a few times. Once after a particularly nice wipe out, he flopped down in the snow and made a snow angel. At least, that's what he was trying to make. What do you think?
I'm thinking it's more of a snow octopus?After Maia woke up, I bundled her up and we took the other sled down the hill together a few times. Xander wanted to see if it would work to get all three of us on one sled, which we then did until little Maia was just shivering and it was time to pack it up.
I didn't get any pictures of Maia on the sled because I was always with her. I got the honor of carrying her back up the hill every time too! Got a good cardio workout, huh?
Here we are back in the "warming house" (AKA church) after all the fun.
Today, the wind changed, and we have a high of 15, which we reached by 9 am, then it's just supposed to get colder for the rest of the weekend. All of next week looks pretty cold too, so I'm glad we got out when we did.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Highlights
This week was better. I'm glad. I was so bummed for a while there.
Highlights from this week include a big one, Matt got a promotion at work. If you read my blog, then you probably read his, but the story is there.
He was so happy when he came home from work last night. He told me he didn't know how much he really wanted it until he thought they were going to offer it to someone else (he had himself pretty well convinced by the time they called him up to the office to talk to him). I thought it was a lot like a pregnancy test, but he didn't get the connection.
Xander only had 3 days of school this week, thanks to Martin Luther King on Monday (NOT replaced by a Native American holiday in SD this time), and teacher inservice on Tuesday. One of his friends called and invited him to the indoor ice skating rink on Monday and Tuesday. We couldn't make it on Monday, but we went on Tuesday and had a lot of fun. Xander's never been ice skating before, so I figured it would be a day of a lot of falling down and frustration and anger for him. I tried to warn him ahead of time, but then they had these cool "walkers" there, which are just what they sound like: an iron construction with a wide base that slides along on the ice in front of the skater, helping them get comfortable (and stay upright) on the ice. I had rented skates for myself in an effort to help Xander learn the ropes, but he hardly needed me at all. I probably went around the rink 3 or 4 times total, and once or twice to help him up when he collided with his friend (who is a very aggressive skater who plays hockey and takes no notice of the fact that he's only half Xander's height). He had a great time, and I even remembered to take my camera, but alas! The batteries were dead. So, no pictures.
On a less interesting front, got the paperwork rolling to get our house in Marion refinanced. It is currently on a 15-year loan, so the payments are ridiculously high for such an inexpensive house, but we're working on getting it stretched out to a 30-year loan so that we can save about $150 a month. Oh, and of course, be saddled with the house for 30 years in the event that it never sells.
We got our Aztek back this week after about a week's worth of repairs at the body shop. It looks and runs as good as new, though the "Change Engine Oil" light is on about 2 1/2 months prematurely. Have to check into that and hope it's nothing more than an oil change.
I started 2 new students in my home studio in the last couple of weeks. They're both going to be fun to work with. I'm up to 12 students at home, and either 10 or 11 at USF (classes start in 2 weeks- they had a January-term) so I'm pleased about those numbers. And enjoying teaching. I really only dread one or two lessons a week. That's way better than dreading all of them!
My new job at Good Shepherd (see previous post) started last weekend. I was warmly welcomed by all 23 people there, and they were very appreciative of someone up front singing the hymns into the microphone. I was told that my speaking needs to slow down. SURPRISE! This week I get to play piano and lead, so I've been practicing my hymn playing and attempting to sing all the right verses at the right times. I woke up this morning with "Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing" stuck in my head. Can't say that's happened to me very often! I've spent a little time organizing my thoughts and getting things figured out, then we'll start visioning for direction with Pastor Shel and making modifications in the service to make it better. It's an interesting challenge, because I know how to do the "contemporary" worship service thing, but the traditional service is a little different, and I want to do it justice.
This is not interesting, but our toilet broke this week, and it was fixed within 48 hours. I like that part of not being a homeowner. Actually, I like a lot of parts about not being a homeowner so far. Especially things like not having to scoop snow or mow the lawn or pay for repairs. Nice.
We're just going to have a lazy Saturday here with the kids. Probably try to get out of the house at some point, but the 3 of us are still in pj's at 9:30, while Matt took the Aztek in for the final part to get replaced (it was a slightly wrong color). We had praise team practice Thursday night, which meant 4 late nights in a row for the kids. We need a lazy day.
Oh! Today is my Grandma Leigh Anne's 90th birthday! She's not having the party until August because she figures that's a better time to travel in SD. I'd worry about her optimism if she wasn't so spunky! Happy birthday, Grandma Leigh Anne!
Highlights from this week include a big one, Matt got a promotion at work. If you read my blog, then you probably read his, but the story is there.
He was so happy when he came home from work last night. He told me he didn't know how much he really wanted it until he thought they were going to offer it to someone else (he had himself pretty well convinced by the time they called him up to the office to talk to him). I thought it was a lot like a pregnancy test, but he didn't get the connection.
Xander only had 3 days of school this week, thanks to Martin Luther King on Monday (NOT replaced by a Native American holiday in SD this time), and teacher inservice on Tuesday. One of his friends called and invited him to the indoor ice skating rink on Monday and Tuesday. We couldn't make it on Monday, but we went on Tuesday and had a lot of fun. Xander's never been ice skating before, so I figured it would be a day of a lot of falling down and frustration and anger for him. I tried to warn him ahead of time, but then they had these cool "walkers" there, which are just what they sound like: an iron construction with a wide base that slides along on the ice in front of the skater, helping them get comfortable (and stay upright) on the ice. I had rented skates for myself in an effort to help Xander learn the ropes, but he hardly needed me at all. I probably went around the rink 3 or 4 times total, and once or twice to help him up when he collided with his friend (who is a very aggressive skater who plays hockey and takes no notice of the fact that he's only half Xander's height). He had a great time, and I even remembered to take my camera, but alas! The batteries were dead. So, no pictures.
On a less interesting front, got the paperwork rolling to get our house in Marion refinanced. It is currently on a 15-year loan, so the payments are ridiculously high for such an inexpensive house, but we're working on getting it stretched out to a 30-year loan so that we can save about $150 a month. Oh, and of course, be saddled with the house for 30 years in the event that it never sells.
We got our Aztek back this week after about a week's worth of repairs at the body shop. It looks and runs as good as new, though the "Change Engine Oil" light is on about 2 1/2 months prematurely. Have to check into that and hope it's nothing more than an oil change.
I started 2 new students in my home studio in the last couple of weeks. They're both going to be fun to work with. I'm up to 12 students at home, and either 10 or 11 at USF (classes start in 2 weeks- they had a January-term) so I'm pleased about those numbers. And enjoying teaching. I really only dread one or two lessons a week. That's way better than dreading all of them!
My new job at Good Shepherd (see previous post) started last weekend. I was warmly welcomed by all 23 people there, and they were very appreciative of someone up front singing the hymns into the microphone. I was told that my speaking needs to slow down. SURPRISE! This week I get to play piano and lead, so I've been practicing my hymn playing and attempting to sing all the right verses at the right times. I woke up this morning with "Oh For A Thousand Tongues To Sing" stuck in my head. Can't say that's happened to me very often! I've spent a little time organizing my thoughts and getting things figured out, then we'll start visioning for direction with Pastor Shel and making modifications in the service to make it better. It's an interesting challenge, because I know how to do the "contemporary" worship service thing, but the traditional service is a little different, and I want to do it justice.
This is not interesting, but our toilet broke this week, and it was fixed within 48 hours. I like that part of not being a homeowner. Actually, I like a lot of parts about not being a homeowner so far. Especially things like not having to scoop snow or mow the lawn or pay for repairs. Nice.
We're just going to have a lazy Saturday here with the kids. Probably try to get out of the house at some point, but the 3 of us are still in pj's at 9:30, while Matt took the Aztek in for the final part to get replaced (it was a slightly wrong color). We had praise team practice Thursday night, which meant 4 late nights in a row for the kids. We need a lazy day.
Oh! Today is my Grandma Leigh Anne's 90th birthday! She's not having the party until August because she figures that's a better time to travel in SD. I'd worry about her optimism if she wasn't so spunky! Happy birthday, Grandma Leigh Anne!
Friday, January 12, 2007
Another New Job
Am I getting in over my head here?
Yesterday I was offered and accepted another job (this makes five paid jobs if you're counting- a lot for a stay-at-home mom).
I am now going to be the music pastor for Good Shepherd Community Church. This is not as conflicting as you might think.
Good Shepherd is the church that owns the building where Mercy Church meets. They have a small, older congregation, who prefer a traditional worship style. GS lost their pastor last month, so our pastor, Shel Boese, is currently serving as their pastor. He's interested in revitalization, not just doing life support, so the goal is to get this little church brought back to life, while maintaining a fairly traditional service style.
When the musicians from Good Shepherd were asked what they thought needed improvement, one of the first things that came to light was that they need a song leader for Sunday mornings. The other thing that seemed obvious is that these 3 pianists/ organists do not want to choose the music, just to be told what to do.
So my job is to pick the hymns each week and lead them on Sunday morning. SO FAR...
If I understand right, some members of the congregation have approached Shel about the service being more "blended" in style. We'll see what comes of that. The thought being of course, attracting young people. But if our buidling is going to attract "young people" with more modern music, they're going to come to Mercy. My thought is that we should do traditional well. There are a lot of people who are attracted to that. Even some young ones! :)
So, we'll see what comes of all this. It really doesn't mean much more time commitment for me- just have to get to church an hour earlier on Sundays (and frankly, getting the family out the door by 10:00 every Sunday feels so LAZY after so many years of 7:30 am!) and work with a few more people. And get to know ANOTHER new congregation. But I think it'll be OK. AND it's a little extra pay. Can't complain about that. We'll see how I feel about it in a few months.
Yesterday I was offered and accepted another job (this makes five paid jobs if you're counting- a lot for a stay-at-home mom).
I am now going to be the music pastor for Good Shepherd Community Church. This is not as conflicting as you might think.
Good Shepherd is the church that owns the building where Mercy Church meets. They have a small, older congregation, who prefer a traditional worship style. GS lost their pastor last month, so our pastor, Shel Boese, is currently serving as their pastor. He's interested in revitalization, not just doing life support, so the goal is to get this little church brought back to life, while maintaining a fairly traditional service style.
When the musicians from Good Shepherd were asked what they thought needed improvement, one of the first things that came to light was that they need a song leader for Sunday mornings. The other thing that seemed obvious is that these 3 pianists/ organists do not want to choose the music, just to be told what to do.
So my job is to pick the hymns each week and lead them on Sunday morning. SO FAR...
If I understand right, some members of the congregation have approached Shel about the service being more "blended" in style. We'll see what comes of that. The thought being of course, attracting young people. But if our buidling is going to attract "young people" with more modern music, they're going to come to Mercy. My thought is that we should do traditional well. There are a lot of people who are attracted to that. Even some young ones! :)
So, we'll see what comes of all this. It really doesn't mean much more time commitment for me- just have to get to church an hour earlier on Sundays (and frankly, getting the family out the door by 10:00 every Sunday feels so LAZY after so many years of 7:30 am!) and work with a few more people. And get to know ANOTHER new congregation. But I think it'll be OK. AND it's a little extra pay. Can't complain about that. We'll see how I feel about it in a few months.
Sunday, January 07, 2007
Mystery Solved
OK, so a couple of months ago, we found out that our Marion house had been broken into. The back door had a pane of glass broken out of it, then "they" reached through and unlocked it and walked right in.
We sent a friend over to investigate and see if he could see anything that had been damaged, he said everything looked fine. We sent someone else over to board up the window and sweep up the glass, and that's where we stood until today.
Well, today another friend went over to winterize the pipes (which should have been done last year) so that we wouldn't have to keep the furnace running and pay ridiculous gas prices so that the pipes wouldn't freeze. He went to do that, and realized that someone had stolen all our copper pipes.
WHAT?!?
Who does that? Apparently, these thieves have figured out that these older abandoned homes are a gold mine - rather a copper mine- because copper is selling for -I don't know, a lot per pound.
So, it may not be as easy to move someone in as we thought. This same friend, a real live plumber- will be happy to do the repairs for us, and replace the pipes with a kind that won't get stolen. The nice part is, they ruined the water heater when they did this because they emptied it without shutting it off, thus destroying the elements inside. Nice. And it's a rented water heater.
I'm really sick of this house.
We sent a friend over to investigate and see if he could see anything that had been damaged, he said everything looked fine. We sent someone else over to board up the window and sweep up the glass, and that's where we stood until today.
Well, today another friend went over to winterize the pipes (which should have been done last year) so that we wouldn't have to keep the furnace running and pay ridiculous gas prices so that the pipes wouldn't freeze. He went to do that, and realized that someone had stolen all our copper pipes.
WHAT?!?
Who does that? Apparently, these thieves have figured out that these older abandoned homes are a gold mine - rather a copper mine- because copper is selling for -I don't know, a lot per pound.
So, it may not be as easy to move someone in as we thought. This same friend, a real live plumber- will be happy to do the repairs for us, and replace the pipes with a kind that won't get stolen. The nice part is, they ruined the water heater when they did this because they emptied it without shutting it off, thus destroying the elements inside. Nice. And it's a rented water heater.
I'm really sick of this house.
Friday, January 05, 2007
OK, So the House
There's the latest on the Marion house:
I quit making payments. I have now missed two. This means that the bank will surely foreclose on me before long, right? I don't like the idea of foreclosure, it seems irresponsible, plus it will really mess up our credit for a while, but I am starting to run out of options.
So the other day, I get an email from our friends Adam & Ronda. They are faced with a horrible situation there in Marion. They have intentionally chosen to live in a very rough part of town in order to minister to the people there. They do a fantastic job at it, and the fruit of their labors, while sometimes hard to see, is so worthwhile.
A few years back, a community organization built a home for Adam and Ronda that was such a blessing to them! They got to live in a brand-new house- even if it is a bit on the small side- and I don't know all the financial details but I know they got a really good deal on the place.
Unfortunately, that really good deal is going really bad. The walls in their house are cracking and it looks like their foundation was poured incorrectly and the house will soon be unlivable.
And here's the stinker: the community organization that built this home for them no longer exists. It dissolved a few years ago, so there is no one to hold to their workmanship.
Marion is rallying around Adam & Ronda, and several people have approached them about applying for an Extreme Home Makeover, but some wonderful friends came up with the idea that if they were able to get one thousand people to give $50 each, they could give Adam & Ronda a pretty nice house to live in. You know, kind of do our own Extreme Home Makeover. (By the way, if you're reading this and want to contribute, send checks to Hanfield United Methodist Church with "Community Housing" in the memo line. In this link, Ronda is the singer in the top left corner!)
So in the meanwhile (this was in November), I said to myself, "Hey, we've got a house in Marion that no one is living in. Why not at least offer it?" I wrote to them an offered our place as a refuge for them while they're waiting for a new house to be built. The biggest problem with our house is that it's not in their neighborhood, so they lose out on the ministry they do.
Well, Ronda emailed me Monday night and said things are starting to get out of hand at their house, and wondered about taking us up on our offer. I told her where to get a key and they went and looked at the place this week. She said it's not in too bad of shape for being empty for a year and a half. (She MUST be desperate!)
They are going to try to get things straightened out at their place- they feel like they can't leave until enough money is raised to demolish the current house and begin work on the new one, so that they don't have to lose out on more ministry time than is necessary. But they could be moving in as early as this month, and at the most in the next couple of months.
I told her I totally understand the "living in a state of limbo" thing, and whenever they can get in, the place will be ready for them.
So, now I have to catch up on two months of house payments that I've missed. Plus pay the deductible on the car (see previous post) AND January is the month that USF is on J-term, so I don't teach there this month, which means no paycheck from there this month, which will be a significant dent in the ol' income.
The good news is: and I mentioned this in the previous post as well, we got a couple of nice gifts that were unexpected this week, and that will help pay for the car at least. I've got the utilities all up-to-date and have a request in to the bank to help us get our monthly payments reduced by refinancing the house out to a 30-year loan instead of the 15-year one that it's currently on.
BUT everyone is healthy, and God is good. Things could be a lot worse! :)
I quit making payments. I have now missed two. This means that the bank will surely foreclose on me before long, right? I don't like the idea of foreclosure, it seems irresponsible, plus it will really mess up our credit for a while, but I am starting to run out of options.
So the other day, I get an email from our friends Adam & Ronda. They are faced with a horrible situation there in Marion. They have intentionally chosen to live in a very rough part of town in order to minister to the people there. They do a fantastic job at it, and the fruit of their labors, while sometimes hard to see, is so worthwhile.
A few years back, a community organization built a home for Adam and Ronda that was such a blessing to them! They got to live in a brand-new house- even if it is a bit on the small side- and I don't know all the financial details but I know they got a really good deal on the place.
Unfortunately, that really good deal is going really bad. The walls in their house are cracking and it looks like their foundation was poured incorrectly and the house will soon be unlivable.
And here's the stinker: the community organization that built this home for them no longer exists. It dissolved a few years ago, so there is no one to hold to their workmanship.
Marion is rallying around Adam & Ronda, and several people have approached them about applying for an Extreme Home Makeover, but some wonderful friends came up with the idea that if they were able to get one thousand people to give $50 each, they could give Adam & Ronda a pretty nice house to live in. You know, kind of do our own Extreme Home Makeover. (By the way, if you're reading this and want to contribute, send checks to Hanfield United Methodist Church with "Community Housing" in the memo line. In this link, Ronda is the singer in the top left corner!)
So in the meanwhile (this was in November), I said to myself, "Hey, we've got a house in Marion that no one is living in. Why not at least offer it?" I wrote to them an offered our place as a refuge for them while they're waiting for a new house to be built. The biggest problem with our house is that it's not in their neighborhood, so they lose out on the ministry they do.
Well, Ronda emailed me Monday night and said things are starting to get out of hand at their house, and wondered about taking us up on our offer. I told her where to get a key and they went and looked at the place this week. She said it's not in too bad of shape for being empty for a year and a half. (She MUST be desperate!)
They are going to try to get things straightened out at their place- they feel like they can't leave until enough money is raised to demolish the current house and begin work on the new one, so that they don't have to lose out on more ministry time than is necessary. But they could be moving in as early as this month, and at the most in the next couple of months.
I told her I totally understand the "living in a state of limbo" thing, and whenever they can get in, the place will be ready for them.
So, now I have to catch up on two months of house payments that I've missed. Plus pay the deductible on the car (see previous post) AND January is the month that USF is on J-term, so I don't teach there this month, which means no paycheck from there this month, which will be a significant dent in the ol' income.
The good news is: and I mentioned this in the previous post as well, we got a couple of nice gifts that were unexpected this week, and that will help pay for the car at least. I've got the utilities all up-to-date and have a request in to the bank to help us get our monthly payments reduced by refinancing the house out to a 30-year loan instead of the 15-year one that it's currently on.
BUT everyone is healthy, and God is good. Things could be a lot worse! :)
What a Week!
Happy New Year!
On New Year's Day, 2007 (Monday), I hit a deer with my new car. I've been told that now I'm a member of the "deer-killers club" I think that distinction should stay with those who intentionally kill deer, like my brother (by the way, what happened to the little kid who used to faint at the sight of blood and threw up in the theatre when Luke Skywalker's hand got cut off? Now he's skinning deer? Eeech.)
Back to my topic
I had gone down to my mom's for the day in Yankton because, frankly, the kids were driving me nuts, and I needed to go to a place where they are loved, otherwise I would go insane. We didn't decide to go visit until about lunchtime, and it takes an hour and a half to get there. The kids played, watched TV that they can't watch at our house, and entertained Gramma Marilyn and "Gramma Jim" with their... energy. After supper, we were packed up to come home, and only 3 miles away from their house, a stinkin' deer suddenly appears in front of me. APPARENTLY it's mating season, which makes them do stupid things (I could go on a tangent here...notice my restraint).
So, I pulled over and checked, and the right front headlight is all smashed and hanging by wires, the grill cover broken to bits and there's a dent in the hood and front quarter-panel. THANKFULLY, no window damage, the airbag didn't deploy and the engine is not damaged at all.
After a scare like that, I didn't feel like I was in any condition to drive the rest of the way home, so I called Mom & told her I'd be coming back to spend the night. Incidentally, I saw 4 more deer cross the road before I made it back to their house. I was tempted to hit them just for spite at that point, but opted not to. I'm not a nature lover right now.
Spending the night without packing for it was fine for everyone except Maia. Mom ran out an got a package of diapers at a gas station, but the poor baby didn't have her blanket (codename: "geep." I don't know why. That's what she started calling it a long time ago and it stuck). The thing that's important about Maia's blanket is that it's fleece with a satin binding all around it. She sucks on the satin as a comfort measure while she sleeps.
We tried giving her a fleece blanket and a satin coverlet, but all of them were wrong because they weren't pink. Finally, Mom found a 2'x2' leftover scrap of fleece from one of Maia's little blankets, which Maia reluctantly accepted as an alternative to the real thing. Well, she was sleeping in just a shirt and a diaper, because I hadn't packed pajamas, so I was trying to cover her up with another blanket along with the little pink one.
That stinker! She insisted on "my bwanket pink!" repeatedly. I thought I had things under control when I shut off the lights and we started to say our prayers and I subtly covered her with the green fleece blanket. I forgot, however, that for some reason, Maia associates Baby Jesus with the lightbulb in the ceiling. So when I said the part of her prayers, "I love You, Jesus," she says, "Where's Baby Jesus?" I go over and turn on the light, when she immediately notices that she's not covered with only "Bwanket pink" and goes into another round.... and these are not quiet protests this child makes. If you've ever been around her for long, you'll know that about her.
She even woke up once in the night to complain about "bwanket pink" which I tucked back around her before she went back to sleep.
I didn't get much rest that night. I was really tired, and fell asleep OK, then woke up and decided to start worrying about my insurance rates going up, and the classic: our Marion house. If ever I don't want to sleep well, start worrying about the Marion house, which has been empty for a year and a half now. (this issue is a whole 'nother post) I tried my best to cast my burdens on Jesus- heck I hurled them at him! Take them!!!
Anyway, the engine of the car was not damaged at all, so Jim cut the wire holding the headlight in and sent us on our merry way. When I got to Sioux Falls, I called Progressive, and I have to say, I've had a pretty good experience with them so far (haven't seen a rate change yet. I'll be sure to mention it when I do). They were quick to say that their first priority is to get me back on my feet (or wheels, I guess) again as soon as possible. They have a network of auto shops that work with them, so I picked one and a representative met me there the next morning. They did the estimate at the same time as the body shop- saves a lot of time- and have been in contact with me about how long this will take.
The damage estimate is $3800. My deductible is $500, so I guess I should count myself lucky. I was not sure where this magical $500 was going to come from, but here's the GOD PART:
God has provided an additional $380 this week. Gifts from His people. I guess if you complain loud enough, people will try to help.
Thank you, God's people, for helping us!
You, know, one thing that I've tried to stay consistent on during this last year and a half of limbo and turmoil, is tithing. I remember very clearly the maxim, "If you think you can't afford to tithe, you can't afford NOT to tithe." (~Pastor Tim)
God is faithful. We haven't seen direct monetary provision like this from him every time, but sometimes.
OH, and this is too amazing to pass up. Matt got rear-ended in the Neon on his way home from work on Tuesday night. Luckily, it's no big deal, just bent the license plate up a little, but we found it interesting.
Hold loosely to the things of this world. That's our lesson for the week. There's more to this story, but this is already too long of a post, especially with no pictures. I'll write about the house more later.
On New Year's Day, 2007 (Monday), I hit a deer with my new car. I've been told that now I'm a member of the "deer-killers club" I think that distinction should stay with those who intentionally kill deer, like my brother (by the way, what happened to the little kid who used to faint at the sight of blood and threw up in the theatre when Luke Skywalker's hand got cut off? Now he's skinning deer? Eeech.)
Back to my topic
I had gone down to my mom's for the day in Yankton because, frankly, the kids were driving me nuts, and I needed to go to a place where they are loved, otherwise I would go insane. We didn't decide to go visit until about lunchtime, and it takes an hour and a half to get there. The kids played, watched TV that they can't watch at our house, and entertained Gramma Marilyn and "Gramma Jim" with their... energy. After supper, we were packed up to come home, and only 3 miles away from their house, a stinkin' deer suddenly appears in front of me. APPARENTLY it's mating season, which makes them do stupid things (I could go on a tangent here...notice my restraint).
So, I pulled over and checked, and the right front headlight is all smashed and hanging by wires, the grill cover broken to bits and there's a dent in the hood and front quarter-panel. THANKFULLY, no window damage, the airbag didn't deploy and the engine is not damaged at all.
After a scare like that, I didn't feel like I was in any condition to drive the rest of the way home, so I called Mom & told her I'd be coming back to spend the night. Incidentally, I saw 4 more deer cross the road before I made it back to their house. I was tempted to hit them just for spite at that point, but opted not to. I'm not a nature lover right now.
Spending the night without packing for it was fine for everyone except Maia. Mom ran out an got a package of diapers at a gas station, but the poor baby didn't have her blanket (codename: "geep." I don't know why. That's what she started calling it a long time ago and it stuck). The thing that's important about Maia's blanket is that it's fleece with a satin binding all around it. She sucks on the satin as a comfort measure while she sleeps.
We tried giving her a fleece blanket and a satin coverlet, but all of them were wrong because they weren't pink. Finally, Mom found a 2'x2' leftover scrap of fleece from one of Maia's little blankets, which Maia reluctantly accepted as an alternative to the real thing. Well, she was sleeping in just a shirt and a diaper, because I hadn't packed pajamas, so I was trying to cover her up with another blanket along with the little pink one.
That stinker! She insisted on "my bwanket pink!" repeatedly. I thought I had things under control when I shut off the lights and we started to say our prayers and I subtly covered her with the green fleece blanket. I forgot, however, that for some reason, Maia associates Baby Jesus with the lightbulb in the ceiling. So when I said the part of her prayers, "I love You, Jesus," she says, "Where's Baby Jesus?" I go over and turn on the light, when she immediately notices that she's not covered with only "Bwanket pink" and goes into another round.... and these are not quiet protests this child makes. If you've ever been around her for long, you'll know that about her.
She even woke up once in the night to complain about "bwanket pink" which I tucked back around her before she went back to sleep.
I didn't get much rest that night. I was really tired, and fell asleep OK, then woke up and decided to start worrying about my insurance rates going up, and the classic: our Marion house. If ever I don't want to sleep well, start worrying about the Marion house, which has been empty for a year and a half now. (this issue is a whole 'nother post) I tried my best to cast my burdens on Jesus- heck I hurled them at him! Take them!!!
Anyway, the engine of the car was not damaged at all, so Jim cut the wire holding the headlight in and sent us on our merry way. When I got to Sioux Falls, I called Progressive, and I have to say, I've had a pretty good experience with them so far (haven't seen a rate change yet. I'll be sure to mention it when I do). They were quick to say that their first priority is to get me back on my feet (or wheels, I guess) again as soon as possible. They have a network of auto shops that work with them, so I picked one and a representative met me there the next morning. They did the estimate at the same time as the body shop- saves a lot of time- and have been in contact with me about how long this will take.
The damage estimate is $3800. My deductible is $500, so I guess I should count myself lucky. I was not sure where this magical $500 was going to come from, but here's the GOD PART:
God has provided an additional $380 this week. Gifts from His people. I guess if you complain loud enough, people will try to help.
Thank you, God's people, for helping us!
You, know, one thing that I've tried to stay consistent on during this last year and a half of limbo and turmoil, is tithing. I remember very clearly the maxim, "If you think you can't afford to tithe, you can't afford NOT to tithe." (~Pastor Tim)
God is faithful. We haven't seen direct monetary provision like this from him every time, but sometimes.
OH, and this is too amazing to pass up. Matt got rear-ended in the Neon on his way home from work on Tuesday night. Luckily, it's no big deal, just bent the license plate up a little, but we found it interesting.
Hold loosely to the things of this world. That's our lesson for the week. There's more to this story, but this is already too long of a post, especially with no pictures. I'll write about the house more later.
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