of the two, went to his new home today. His gift to us was a flare up on Samuel's hands and I got an asthma attack. But we still wish him well.
Within minutes he had a new name, Patches, and was being duly loved by the littles of the family. We are grateful for their willingness to adopt him. He needed more attention than any of us could give him.
Now it's just the two stupid cats. Ai yi yi.
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Random. Show all posts
Monday, February 18, 2013
Friday, February 15, 2013
The older two guys.....
head off on a youth ski trip tomorrow. This is a first for them. Can you say "pervasive excitement"? Honestly the house is fairly pinging with the rush of teenage hormones that can't wait to not sleep for the next 96 hours. Next week was not an "off" school week, but I'm all ready re-thinking the strategy of trying to teach history and literature to the freshly glazed from ski trip teen.
Brick wall::Forehead.
I will not ever regret the luxury of flexibility that homeschooling provides. Nev-ah. There are plenty of other things to regret in the moments of mom angst, but not the flexibility.
This morning we had to spend some time getting those last minute things as in underwear, socks, an extra sweatshirt, jeans, sunscreen. It's like going into the grocery store for eggs and milk and peanut butter and leaving with cinnamon rolls, frozen pizza, and havarti cheese.
We always hit the Goodwill store for trips like this. Very frequently I have found jeans and sweatshirts for the boys that grow an inch a week. It seems. Today we scored on the sweatshirts but bombed on the jeans. Kohls had the jeans. Wally World had the socks and underwear.
Thankfully the boys kept an attitude of "get'er done" with the trying on and choosing and checking out. Too much shopping with them or with me and we all break out in hives and unfriendly temptations.
I am excited for them to have this opportunity and will spend the majority of my weekend praying that they return with all of their bones intact. And obviously that they learn from the speaker who I understand is Ah-maz-ing. Watch out West Virginia, about 100 youth are about to descend upon your mountain slopes.
Brick wall::Forehead.
I will not ever regret the luxury of flexibility that homeschooling provides. Nev-ah. There are plenty of other things to regret in the moments of mom angst, but not the flexibility.
This morning we had to spend some time getting those last minute things as in underwear, socks, an extra sweatshirt, jeans, sunscreen. It's like going into the grocery store for eggs and milk and peanut butter and leaving with cinnamon rolls, frozen pizza, and havarti cheese.
We always hit the Goodwill store for trips like this. Very frequently I have found jeans and sweatshirts for the boys that grow an inch a week. It seems. Today we scored on the sweatshirts but bombed on the jeans. Kohls had the jeans. Wally World had the socks and underwear.
Thankfully the boys kept an attitude of "get'er done" with the trying on and choosing and checking out. Too much shopping with them or with me and we all break out in hives and unfriendly temptations.
I am excited for them to have this opportunity and will spend the majority of my weekend praying that they return with all of their bones intact. And obviously that they learn from the speaker who I understand is Ah-maz-ing. Watch out West Virginia, about 100 youth are about to descend upon your mountain slopes.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Saturdays are for prepping..
prepping for lessons for next week's homeschool, prepping for any Bible teaching I am doing, and most of all prepping for all of the next week's meals. Thankfully, I've started sleeping in on Saturdays to give me the extra stamina I need for all of the day's prep.
Today included finishing up the week's menu which contains a birthday dinner for Matthew, a dinner party for 14 on Tuesday, and the regular stuff of the week. Two shopping trips, one to Sam's and one to Publix, garnered the necessary essentials. And then some.
I had a Bible lesson on Hebrews 1-6 to finish that took up about two hours and then it was into the kitchen for the cooking. I was able to prepare three pounds of green beans, the sausage spinach stuffing for Tuesday's party, an Italian cream cake, two batches of brownies, garlic chicken, rice, and do some other basics that will help ease the week's workload.
I still have kale and bok choy to make for the week's vegetables and the fridge is full of thawing venison, chicken, and pork for other meals. Tomorrow will be my day to rest and study though so more meal prep will have to wait until Monday morning.
As I've written previously, returning to work even part time has been quite an adjustment. For years I've had an alarm on my watch that goes off at 4:00. I call it my location alarm. It's a reminder at 4:00 to look and see where I am at in the day and decide what else needs to be done in regards to dinner. Although some days that 4:00 alarm has served to remind me that dinner needs to be decided.
With work though, the 4:00 alarm isn't enough. I'm tired by that time of the day from work and so if there is not some ease in all that has to be prepared for that night's meal, my family is likely to get a hodge podge of cereal, instant mac n' cheese, and cheese toast. Enter my Saturday prep.
Today was full of some extra desserts that had to be made but usually I reserve the day for cooking as much of the meat and veggies and starches that will be served during the week. Meatballs can be made and cooked ahead; chicken thawed so it quickly cooks on its serving day (just make sure it's still within date). I like to prepare a bit pot of rice and potatoes that can be easily warmed up. And I do as many vegetables as I can. That helps me stay on track with right eating and taking things to work.
The full load of prep on Saturday has given me new appreciation for Sunday's rest. There is a spiritual metaphor in there somewhere but tonight I'm just tired from a hard day's cooking. But that's okay, today's cooking means less stress in the week. That's a great exchange for one busy mom.
Today included finishing up the week's menu which contains a birthday dinner for Matthew, a dinner party for 14 on Tuesday, and the regular stuff of the week. Two shopping trips, one to Sam's and one to Publix, garnered the necessary essentials. And then some.
I had a Bible lesson on Hebrews 1-6 to finish that took up about two hours and then it was into the kitchen for the cooking. I was able to prepare three pounds of green beans, the sausage spinach stuffing for Tuesday's party, an Italian cream cake, two batches of brownies, garlic chicken, rice, and do some other basics that will help ease the week's workload.
I still have kale and bok choy to make for the week's vegetables and the fridge is full of thawing venison, chicken, and pork for other meals. Tomorrow will be my day to rest and study though so more meal prep will have to wait until Monday morning.
As I've written previously, returning to work even part time has been quite an adjustment. For years I've had an alarm on my watch that goes off at 4:00. I call it my location alarm. It's a reminder at 4:00 to look and see where I am at in the day and decide what else needs to be done in regards to dinner. Although some days that 4:00 alarm has served to remind me that dinner needs to be decided.
With work though, the 4:00 alarm isn't enough. I'm tired by that time of the day from work and so if there is not some ease in all that has to be prepared for that night's meal, my family is likely to get a hodge podge of cereal, instant mac n' cheese, and cheese toast. Enter my Saturday prep.
Today was full of some extra desserts that had to be made but usually I reserve the day for cooking as much of the meat and veggies and starches that will be served during the week. Meatballs can be made and cooked ahead; chicken thawed so it quickly cooks on its serving day (just make sure it's still within date). I like to prepare a bit pot of rice and potatoes that can be easily warmed up. And I do as many vegetables as I can. That helps me stay on track with right eating and taking things to work.
The full load of prep on Saturday has given me new appreciation for Sunday's rest. There is a spiritual metaphor in there somewhere but tonight I'm just tired from a hard day's cooking. But that's okay, today's cooking means less stress in the week. That's a great exchange for one busy mom.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
So, my email was hacked....
It was a mess. I had to shut everything down. Change all the passwords. Delete the entire account And start over.
Boy, was I hacked. Really hacked. As in the meaning of the word before it meant messing with someone else's computer, passwords, internetial life.
Sheesh.
So, now I think the mess is finally cleaned up. My password is so tight that I am not sure I will remember it past the second day. I wrote an encrypted note to myself to help me remember it. But I can't remember where I put it.
When I find it, I probably won't remember my encryption.
Sheesh.
Nothing but hacked.
Boy, was I hacked. Really hacked. As in the meaning of the word before it meant messing with someone else's computer, passwords, internetial life.
Sheesh.
So, now I think the mess is finally cleaned up. My password is so tight that I am not sure I will remember it past the second day. I wrote an encrypted note to myself to help me remember it. But I can't remember where I put it.
When I find it, I probably won't remember my encryption.
Sheesh.
Nothing but hacked.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Computers are for geeks...
was the pronouncement of my junior year in high school. I remember our new three city combined high school boasting that they would be offering a computer class where students would learn to write code.
Several of us who were not overly excited about the combining of three local high schools into one simply thought that it was more of the administrative hype related to trying to get three separate student bodies to act as one.
Not only that, but who in their right mind wanted to stare at a boxy green screen and write computer code? Typing seemed to be the much wiser choice. You will always need to know how to type.
Fast forward fives times five plus a year reunions later (ack!) and computers have overtaken the world! Okay, not that extreme but computers are as much a part of my daily life as cleaning the kitchen. Which is a lot of my daily life. And at some point I realized that while I can operate my computer, I'm probably not utilizing all of its bells and whistles, also known as app-li-ca-tions like I could be.
The day before Black Friday, formerly known as Thanksgiving, now known as Grey Thursday, I convinced my dad to go stand in line at 5:30 a.m. at a PeachMac in Atlanta to try and buy a MacBook Air for me. I was going to be in S.C. where there wasn't a PeachMac store. He for the adventure and leverage of it agreed to be my buyer. Number twelve in line but number six for the magic ticket and voila! I was the proud new owner of a MacBook Air.
Six years previously I had made the switch from PC to Apple and knew I was not going back. Being from an all PC family though, my learning curve was disjointed and slow and full of errors. Stumbling through I depended on google and youtube to figure out several things and calls to my Mac loving friends for the rest.
With this new toy in hand, I signed up for the program that granted me 52 hours of computer instruction. Woo Hoo! A class a week so I could finally know what I was doing. So every weekend, I show up at the PeachMac with my computer in hand for one to one tutelage on the ins and outs of operating systems, software, and applications.
I'm there with the grandmas who were given iPads for Christmas by well meaning relatives who have no earthly idea how to turn the thing on let alone email or FaceTime or use a productivity app. But they know how to play solitaire, yes indeedy, they do.
Anyway, it's an eye-opening experience to have the computer tech half your age (at least) teach you how to make a movie with the video that your 14 year old shot with the camera you still don't know how to use. Humbling is only one word for it. Enlightening and energizing would be more words to use. The lesson being to me that you really are never too old to learn. I may forget some (a lot) of what he shows me, but my brain is working to acquire some new skills for 2013 which is not a bad thing.
Plus, that typing class? Well, obviously it paid off because you have to be able to type to blog.
Several of us who were not overly excited about the combining of three local high schools into one simply thought that it was more of the administrative hype related to trying to get three separate student bodies to act as one.
Not only that, but who in their right mind wanted to stare at a boxy green screen and write computer code? Typing seemed to be the much wiser choice. You will always need to know how to type.
Fast forward fives times five plus a year reunions later (ack!) and computers have overtaken the world! Okay, not that extreme but computers are as much a part of my daily life as cleaning the kitchen. Which is a lot of my daily life. And at some point I realized that while I can operate my computer, I'm probably not utilizing all of its bells and whistles, also known as app-li-ca-tions like I could be.
The day before Black Friday, formerly known as Thanksgiving, now known as Grey Thursday, I convinced my dad to go stand in line at 5:30 a.m. at a PeachMac in Atlanta to try and buy a MacBook Air for me. I was going to be in S.C. where there wasn't a PeachMac store. He for the adventure and leverage of it agreed to be my buyer. Number twelve in line but number six for the magic ticket and voila! I was the proud new owner of a MacBook Air.
Six years previously I had made the switch from PC to Apple and knew I was not going back. Being from an all PC family though, my learning curve was disjointed and slow and full of errors. Stumbling through I depended on google and youtube to figure out several things and calls to my Mac loving friends for the rest.
With this new toy in hand, I signed up for the program that granted me 52 hours of computer instruction. Woo Hoo! A class a week so I could finally know what I was doing. So every weekend, I show up at the PeachMac with my computer in hand for one to one tutelage on the ins and outs of operating systems, software, and applications.
I'm there with the grandmas who were given iPads for Christmas by well meaning relatives who have no earthly idea how to turn the thing on let alone email or FaceTime or use a productivity app. But they know how to play solitaire, yes indeedy, they do.
Anyway, it's an eye-opening experience to have the computer tech half your age (at least) teach you how to make a movie with the video that your 14 year old shot with the camera you still don't know how to use. Humbling is only one word for it. Enlightening and energizing would be more words to use. The lesson being to me that you really are never too old to learn. I may forget some (a lot) of what he shows me, but my brain is working to acquire some new skills for 2013 which is not a bad thing.
Plus, that typing class? Well, obviously it paid off because you have to be able to type to blog.
Monday, January 17, 2011
If a cat supposedly....
has nine lives, then why the heck would they need Young Again Cat Food? Is nine lives not enough times to be young again? Or does each life a cat has actually make him/her feel older?
Does the Young Again Cat Food kick in at a particular one of the nine lives or affect all of them? The ad guarantees no more fat cats. Shouldn't the name be Thin Again Cat Food?
Aren't some kittens chubby? Roly poly? Aren't most really old cats fairly thin? Or is that just the diabetic ones?
These are the things I want to know. That and why can't I keep a poinsettia alive longer than a month? Maybe they have Young Again Plant Food?
A lot comes through my various subscriptions to grocery deals and coupons and money saving tips. This one today sparked my thoughts. Oddly. Randomly. Erratically.
You're welcome.
Does the Young Again Cat Food kick in at a particular one of the nine lives or affect all of them? The ad guarantees no more fat cats. Shouldn't the name be Thin Again Cat Food?
Aren't some kittens chubby? Roly poly? Aren't most really old cats fairly thin? Or is that just the diabetic ones?
These are the things I want to know. That and why can't I keep a poinsettia alive longer than a month? Maybe they have Young Again Plant Food?
A lot comes through my various subscriptions to grocery deals and coupons and money saving tips. This one today sparked my thoughts. Oddly. Randomly. Erratically.
You're welcome.
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