I'm Back :)

We had a fabulous time at the lake. It was so awesome to be all alone with my honey. It was nice to talk without a loud bass guitar and many stereos blaring different music lol.

The weather wasn't so wonderful and it was cold, but we still had a fabulous time.

Friday we loaded up at the video store and ordered pizza. Doug built a fire in the fireplace and we cozied in for the weekend. We watched 3 movies on Friday. Deja Vu with Denzel Washington. SUCH a good movie. Hide and Seek, which was not my favorite, and The Holiday! Doug fell asleep during that one. It was a chick flick and so so good.

Saturday we woke to more rain and cold winds. So we watched more movies in front of the fire. We watched Blood Diamond. It was gripping and very sad to me that it was based on true events. We also watched Night Listener with Robin Williams and I thought it was rather weird.

I took a nap in the afternoon and Doug went to visit with the neighbors. About 5 the rain stopped and the sun came out. We grilled salmon and I made salads and baked sweet potatoes. We ate and then took a walk down the lake road. Doug fished for a while and I sat on the deck drinking organic decaf looking at the lake and reading. I am reading Mary Higgins Clark's I've Heard that Song Before. Very good! We played some cards and then watched The Break Up. I was so disappointed in the ending.

We slept in on Sunday and woke about 8:30 (sad that is sleeping in, eh?) The sun was shining and I was so thrilled. We cuddled in bed and then were lazy in our jammies all morning. We played cards and then cleaned up and came home.

We had a fabulous time and the kids had a fabulous time with their grandparents. It is so much easier to find people to stay with them now that they are teens. They were busy all weekend so it was so easy for my Gramma!

How was your weekend?

Thursday, Thursday!

I love Thursdays. Right now we're doing a 4-day school schedule. So that means no school tomorrow! Except for those ones that didn't get their work completed this week. So Jordan and Isaac have things to do.

Doug and I are going to the lake tomorrow, alone, WooHoo! We'll be home Sunday afternoon. My lovely Gramma is going to stay with the boys while we are gone. I am so looking forward to it. I've already done the laundry, grocery shopped so the boys have easy foods to prepare, and packed all but my toiletries. I am set to go! Now I just need my honey to get home. I am looking forward to spend some much needed time with Doug. I feel like we've not even talked in weeks.

What did we do today?

~School
~Weekly house cleaning chores
~Laundry
~Grocery shopping
~Run kids to the bowling alley
~Went to Kohls before coming home from BA. I am in search of a black sleeveless blouse and am not having much luck. Still no luck at Kohls.
~Will pick boys up from BA
~Allen and I will watch Survivor before going to the BA

It has been an awesome day. The boys all did their work and chores quietly and without being reminded over and over. Isn't that a lovely thing?

Doug should hear about the job he applied for by Monday. So I am thinking about that. I am anxious to have him home more.

I am still praying about school next year. Jordan will do the cyber school, but I just don't know about Isaac. I feel like I should continue hsing him. He really needs a lot of one-on-one attention. I'm not sure how the cyber school would work for him. I don't know how hsing will work if I have to get a job, even a job from home. I know from past experience that my body doesn't function well if I overcrowd my schedule. I just am not sure. I want to do what is best for him, kwim?

OK....I'm off to chat with Allen for a bit before Survivor. Have a blessed weekend and I'll catch ya Sunday night!

Tagged!

I've been tagged by MuddyBoots This meme has me sharing my reading list. You will see what superficial fluff I've been induldging in :)

Read within the past week or so:

Miss Julia Strikes Back by Ann B. Ross. I love the Miss Julia series. This is just the latest in Miss Julia's escapades. It is a quick, light-hearted read.

A Playdate with Death by Ayelet Waldman. This is the 3rd book in the "mommy mystery" series. It is fun and light. I don't agree with or care for the main character's view on being a SAHM, but the series is fun otherwise.

Wildfire by Nelson DeMille. I love spy espionage novels and this one didn't disappoint. Nelson DeMille is one of my favorite authors.

The 80/10/10 Diet by Dr. Doug Graham. This book explains the raw vegan, lowfat diet. I am attempting to eat like this and it was a very good read about nutrition.

Read to the boys for school:

The Hiding Place the story of Corrie Ten Boom. I am really enjoying reading this book aloud to the boys! So glad I saved it for the end of the year. I am tired of WWII battles and such. This is a heart-wrenching book.

Hiroshima by John Hersey. We just started this book and are only a couple chapters in. So far it seems to tell the story of 5 (or 6 I don't remember) people and where they were before/during and what happened to them after we dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. I am really enjoying this one also.

We'll read God's Smuggler next. I'm also looking forward to that one.

I never know who to tag. So, if you want to do the meme, please put link to it in the comment section. I also enjoy seeing what others are reading. I get great ideas that way!

An Awesome Day!!!

We have been having wonderful weather! Such a nice change from the snow we had the beginning of April.

The lawn was in desperate need of mowing at the cottage. So we did most of our school, had lunch and off we went to tend to the lawn. Everybody must take turns doing their part.

First Allen mowed the front and side lawns. While he was mowing I raked leaves, Isaac picked up the sticks and Jordan tried as hard as he could to start the weed eater. It wasn't working! So we skipped the weed eating. Isaac also got out the ladder and fixed the downspout covers that were blown down during a wind storm.

While Isaac mowed, I took Jordan for his first fishing liscense. Can you believe he is old enough to need a license?? And I forgot to take the camera to embarass him while he got it??

Me raking....

Allen mowing....

The dock doesn't go in for a couple more weeks, so Isaac sat on a bench to fish. He caught 3 fish today. Jordan waded into the water and caught 1. The race is on!
Isaac mowing....
Jordan mowing....
While Jordan and Isaac fished, Allen played video games. I don't know what happened to that child. He doesn't like to be outside and the lake isn't quite as fun for him as the rest of us.

I sat on the swing and drank some decaf and read a Miss Julia book.

We also had dinner up there tonight. I had pineapple and a huge tossed salad. The boys had frozen pizza rolls. Yep, I feed them well lol.

While I was editing pictures for this entry, I saw a couple pictures the boys took that made me smile. I just had to post them!

I knew there was a reason we called Isaac "Cousin It". This picture just cracked me up!

Man's Best Friend! Tucker misses Doug now that he is working so much. He is driving me crazy. He follows me around the house whining. He really does love Doug. He thinks he's a lap dog!

In other notes. I just finished 7 days of 100% raw eating. Well, there were 2 instances this week where I did eat cooked food. I am feeling pretty good. I had 2 days where I didn't nap at all. Today I didn't even feel tired. I was amazed to look at the clock at 1:45, while driving to the lake, and realize that I wasn't the least bit sleepy or in need of a nap. It was an awesome feeling.

Also, Doug is applying, road testing, etc., for yet another job tomorrow. It would be a local job and he would be HOME and he would be on DAYS! I am so hopeful that this one works out. I'll keep ya posted.

It's Friday!!!

I love Fridays! The end of the school week and Doug is home all day Friday, all day Saturday and most of Sunday! And today the sun is shining and the temps will be in the mid 60s. Sunny all weekend and working up to the 70s by Sunday!

I'm finally feeling rested from my trip with Doug. And I'm on day 3 of eating a 100% raw, low fat, diet. I am feeling much better today than yesterday. Yesterday I experienced quite a few detox symptoms. Shakiness and a killer headache were the worst. I am reading a book about raw eating by Dr. Graham called The 80/10/10 Diet. It is quite interesting.

Goals for today:

~Guys will clean out garage and make a few trips to the dump

~School the children, correct their work (I am not doing that enough this year), and make their assignment books for the rest of the year. Yippee! I can see a light at the end of the tunnel.

~Finish yesterday's laundry

~Make lunch. Grilling burgers and making homemade fries for the crew. I'm having some kind of fruit.

~Boys need to tidy the basement. They are having friends tonight. We'll make a fire, roast hot dogs and make s'mores. Then they're going to watch a movie. Doug and I will sit around the fire. I am so looking forward to that.

Our school year is so not what I envisioned it would be. Last year we had a tremendous year and I had planned that this year would also be tremendous. I think my high school expectations may be too high? How do ya'll handle correcting schoolwork in high school? Usually, I correct everybody's work every day. I sit down with that child and we go over all they've done. It was taking a LONG time to do that this year. I think that is part of what made me feel so burned out!

I think we are going to let Jordan and Isaac do the cyber school next year. Jordan will most likely graduate through the cyber school since he only has 2 years left. I am seriously considering continuing to hs Isaac after 1 year in the cyber school, and let Isaac finish 3 years of high school hsing, and Allen always hsing. I don't know. I just feel sad about not hsing. I also feel overwhelmed with schooling these boys al the way through.

So how is your school year shaping up??

I can't figure out how to post pictures IN the body of the text. They always pop to the top. Anyway, these are pictures from when we were driving around at 7:30 am trying to get from the hospital to the hotel. You can't really see, but those trees up ahead were lying across the road.

I'm home from going to work with Doug. It was not quite what I was expecting. I think it would have been much better if we didn't get stranded in a blizzard and be without electricity and up 24+ hours before getting to bed. But we're home. My fibro was horrible, which didn't surprise me. I'm in the middle of a big flare-up anyway. But Doug was disappointed and I felt bad. It was all I could do to function.

So we left Sunday about 5:45. We had to go to Ashland, PA. We should have been to the hospital with the coach set up (Doug transports a mobile MRI unit to different health facilities) and back to the hotel 8 miles from there by 2. All was going well until we were coming off of Rt. 80 to Rt. 81. As soon as he pulled onto Rt. 81, it was a total white out with huge amounts of snow falling and 50+ mph winds. It was scarry! He slowed down to about 25 mph. We finally made it to the hospital at 2:30 am. Doug had never been to this hospital and had no idea what the place was like. Well, he had to back up from a lower parking lot to an upper parking lot. There was so much snow and he couldn't get the coach to back up that hill. So the hospital called their maintenance workers out of bed to come plow. We waited 3 hours for that to happen.

While we were waiting, the power went out, but their generator kicked on. The power kept flicking on and off. Power in all surrounding areas was going out and transformers were blowing everywhere. It was crazy! This was a little, rural hospital. So after the 3 hours of waiting, Doug tried again and couldn't get the coach up the hill. So the maintenance people keep doing stuff, Doug makes phone calls to see if they want him to keep trying, etc.

Meanwhile, I'm sitting right by the receptionist. She keeps getting calls from people calling off work, trees are down, etc. It is 5:30 now. Finally, at 6:30, Doug was able to get the coach up the hill and able to start setting up. A man had come into the hospital to sit and wait. He was trying to get to work and couldn't get through. He turned around to go home and couldn't get back home. There are trees, power lines, and utility poles down everywhere. So he came to wait it out at the hospital.

Finally at 7:30, Doug was finished and we left to go 8 miles back to the hotel, or try to anyway. We spent an hour driving around on rural roads, back up down rural roads, and trying to find a way out. There was NO way out. I was never so scared. These roads were BAD and narrow, rural roads in PA...so very, very hilly! At 8:30 we were back to the hospital. They offered us breakfast. I was so hungry. I did eat many bananas and apples throughout the night, but nothing since 2:30. I was exhausted and hungry. Doug had been up since 7 am on Sunday and I got up at 8 am. We should have been long snoozing by then. So I split a breakfast sandwich with Doug.

The tech that was to scan on the coach was at the hospital we were supposed to get to. So at 9:45, he made it to the hospital. We scooted out of there right quick before anything else fell. While we were waiting, the hospital's generator gave out. They had no power. We were sitting in the cafeteria, which had a huge wall of windows. It was GORGEOUS! to look at all the snow. It was wet, very very very heavy, snow.

So we made it to the hotel and they allowed us to check in, even though they had no power. Ten min. after checking in, the power came on and we were able to shower before it went off again. We slept about 5 or 6 hours.We got up and I was starving, but still everybody was without power. The only food to be had was bags of chocolate covered pretzels lol. So we ate those and eventually were able to order a pizza; the most disgusting pizza I've ever eaten, but beggers can't be choosers LOL.

We were able to leave the hotel at 8:30 (Doug has to have 10 hours off), to go back to the hospital and get the coach and head to Reading, PA. I was never so glad to leave somewhere LOL.

The rest of the trip was uneventful, thankfully. It was very, very croweded in his truck. He only has a day cab, so no bunk and no leg room or anything. My legs were so so so so so so so sore from sitting like that for 10-12 hours on Sunday and again Tues-Wed.

I am very glad I went with him, but I don't want to go again any time soon lol. It made me realize how very hard this man works for our family. I am so blessed. I would not want to go out and do that every day. It was very boring to sit around in a hotel all day Tuesday. We were up by 8 and then he didn't leave again until 4:30. He stays in the same hotel every Monday night, so I met everybody that he always talks to. We did go to a restaurant I've never heard of before, Charlie Browns. I had the best hamburger I've ever had in my life! We also walked around a tiny, little mall. It was wonderful to have all that time alone to talk together.

A Busy Few Days!!

Once again I am posting how busy I am. Who isn't busy LOL? I am doing my best to stay off the computer Friday morning through Sunday evening. I do not want to spend time on the computer when my honey is home. I am having a hard time with him being gone this week. So I am kinda in a pity-party mood. It's better not to blog when I'm feeling sorry for myself LOL. So that's where I've been!

I'm still thinking about schooling options for next year. I know we won't be hsing Jordan or Isaac. I am torn over whether to send them to PS or to do the public cyber school at home. I just don't know. I am overwhelmed and burned out. One of the most desirable things about PS is that they will be gone for 5 hours a day. I am tired of single-parenting all week. I really would love a break. But, at what expense? There are the "what ifs". What if they get in with a wrong crowd. I'll be dealing with that alone, too! Not really a desirable option.

HSing is wearing me out. I am tired of making assignment sheets, hasseling kids to do their work, and correcting work every single day. The correcting of work wears me out. Not knowing how to help them with something they don't understand is wearing me out. I am just plain tired! How do you get past the tired thing?

I keep thinking if we take a year or two off, maybe I can pick back up. But I don't have all that many years left. Allen will be finished with school in 5 years! Isaac only has 4, and Jordan only 2.

I don't know why I'm posting this. I just need to talk it through with somebody I guess. Doug told me to go ahead and do whatever I want. I think he is getting frustrated with my waffling. So ya'll have to talk it through with me.

We finally! do not have snow today. And it was a whopping 37*F! WooHoo! We do have snow forecasted for Monday, again! This is the snowiest season on record. We've had 89" of snow! We didn't start getting snow until January! December was SO warm, record breaking warm! I would much prefer snow in December than April, thank you very much lol.

So that is me. I hope to be out of this funk soon. It usually takes me 5-6 weeks to adjust to a schedule change. This is week 3. I am wonder, "What the heck are you thinking God?" It's been a long 14 months and I would like my life to settle down!

Tagged! And I forgot about it!

My friend from over on the Sonlight Forums, TanyaRejoyce, tagged me on March 26th and I am just now getting around to it.

In accordance with “THE RULES” I must post said rules in my blog entry:
People who get tagged need to write a blog entry of their own 6 weird things as well as stating this rule clearly! Three people need to be tagged and their names listed. Finally a comment needs to be left on each tagged person’s blog…

I've put this off because I do not think I have any weird things about me LOL. I am a perfectly normal lady LOL.

I'll give it a good try though!

1) 80% of the food that I eat is raw fruits, veggies and nuts. I only eat 1 cooked meal a day. I do not eat any refined sugars, artificial sweeteners, preservatives, packaged foods, ingredients I cannot pronounce or refined, white flours. I do eat healthy, whole foods that are mostly cooked from scratch.

2) I cannot relax if my house is a cluttered mess. If Doug and the boys are gone for the afternoon/day/whatever, I must first whip through the house and red it up, vacuum and have it be all neat looking. Then, and only then, can I relax and read, watch movies or just do nothing!

3) While I like (no crave) a clean, organized house, I do not like housework. I do it, though, on an organized and daily routine. The best thing about a schedule or routine is that, say, if you see a mountain of laundry on the basement floor on Wed., there is NO need to stress out. Monday and Thursday are laundry days, so plan accordingly! So, Wednesday = no laundry and no stress LOL.

4) I like to be in control and I pretty much think I am always right. This, sad to say, is a family trait. My maiden name is Broadway. There is a saying in the Broadway family (coined by the people married to Broadways) There is the right way, there is the wrong way, and then there is the Broadway! which is the only way! Those inlaws are so darn smart! They also have this little "club" called the Broadway Annonymous club. At any holiday gathering, you can find all the married-to-Broadway people in the room. My step-mom will say, in a rather dramatic voice might I add, "I've been married to a Broadway for 20 gglllooorrrriooouuuusss years! And then they have the nerve to ask questions, such as, "With a raise of hands, who controls the thermostat in your house?" Well, of course, only Broadway hands go up LOL. You never would have thought that meek, mild, little ole me, likes to be in control, eh? lol.

5) Next to being with my family, reading is my absolute favorite thing to do. Now, that isn't really weird, right? But, I love, love, love to read. If I find a new author I like, I have to read ALL their books, in order written, right then! I've been known to read while standing at the stove cooking, while waiting for kids to finish math, and while riding in the car at night. The little bitty book light is the best invention!

6) Six things, eh? What else could possibly be weird about me? I just asked my kids what is weird about me. Allen said, "Juicing". I guess he does not think cucumber, celery, spinach and apples are something that should be a beverage? Isaac (the middle, complient, likes everybody to like him child), shrugged and said nothing! I love that boys! Jordan said, "Everything!" Then went to list all the weird things such as, "Makes whole wheat bread when we much prefer white", "sing every song off key and really bad!", and I quit listening after that LOL.

Who to tag. I never know who to say! So, if you've read this and would like to reveal your "weirdness", go ahead and consider yourself tagged!

Is it Easter or Christmas??



Well, we were having gorgeous weather! Tuesday it was 77* and sunny and we were wearing shorts and sleeveless shirts. Today is another story. Here is my backyard around noon. The table in the second picture, it now has 3" of snow on it! We have snow showers in the forecast through next Thursday!

My backyard. Notice the huge, fluffy flakes of snow! Our firepit is almost completely under snow in this picture. Now you can't even see it!

My swing where I like to enjoy coffee and time with the Lord during nice weather (which we WERE having!). That table now has 3" of snow on it! I cannot believe this weather.

We did have a nice, relaxing day today. I was at Curves first thing. When I got home, Allen was up and ready for weekly chores. So I dusted the downstairs and he vacuumed the downstairs, stairscase and hallway then dusted/swept his room. Jordan got up and did his room and mopped the kitchen floor. Isaac came home from my Gramma's around noon, and he then did his room and scrubbed the bathroom. I completely forgot the laundry today LOL.

I made the boys omlets and bacon for lunch (I did not eat that lol). I slept all afternoon. Oh, my mom and gramma were her for a few while I was making lunch, so it was nice to see them.

My girlfriend dropped by for coffee this evening. Her daughter had to be at the church for 2 hours, and I am only 5 min. from the church. So I took the older 2 to bowling, came home to visit with Marla, watched part of Survivor, picked up the older 2, finished watching Surviver and took a bubble bath. Everybody is getting settled into bed and I aim to do the same really soon!

What is your weather like?

Wow, it's been a few days since I've blogged, eh?

I cannot believe it is April already, either! Where is this year going? It has been very busy here since I last posted on Friday. I'm trying to stay off the computer Friday-Sunday while Doug is home. And then Monday and yesterday were so busy! So, here I am with quite a few days between entries. What have we been up to you ask?

Friday

Friday during the day Doug ran a few errands, I did some housework and made a meal, the boys finished up school before spring break. I think I napped in the afternoon. The weather has been all over the place and my body is in so much pain, so I have been listening to that and resting as much as possible.

In the evening we went to my nephews' birthday party. On the way we stopped at my girlfriend's Lia Sophia open house. She became a LS advisor a couple months ago and was trying to get another party submitted, so she had an open house all day/evening. I was her only guest! I felt so bad. So I took a catalog to the party and collected orders and stopped by on the way home.

We had so much fun at my sister's house. It was rather chaotic! She has 2 boys ages 8 and 6 and a daughter 4. She also invited some little friends, so there were many littles there. My other sister is in FL, so her kids weren't there. It was loud and crazy! It is the first time I thought to myself, "Boy am I glad we don't have any littles right now." I was so glad to realize that. I've been mourning not having any more children for years, and it is nice to be at peace with it, at least this month LOL. I was at a PC party earlier this week and there was a 4 week old baby girl. I was able to hold her. I only held her for a few min. before she became too heavy for my sore arms. I enjoyed oohing and aahing over her, but did not feel that empty, wish I had a baby, feeling that night either. Hopefully I am moving past that.

Allen had a friend spend the night. He was at the boys' party with us and just came home for the night.

Saturday

Allen had bowling in the morning, Jordan went to the bowling alley for fun and Isaac went home with my Gramma Friday evening. So I was home alone. I went to Curves and then came home.

Our prayer group had an Easter egg hunt for the children along with a bonfire/picnic. I didn't go, but Doug took the boys. I stayed home and napped. It was either go to the EEH or go dancing with my husband that night, I couldn't do both. So I chose a date with my honey.

I got up and was ready to go when Doug brought the boys home. We had a great time dancing and talking with our friends. It was super duper crowded on the dance floor, though. Not my favorite thing! We did end up leaving about 1:20 instead of waiting for the band to finish at 1:45 and Doug help them tear down/load up. I was too sore and tired to stay any longer.

Sunday

Isaac and Jordan were in a bowling tournament. So Doug, the boys and my FIL left here about 8:30. Allen and I went to church, stopped at the grocery store on the way home, and rested all day. It was warm and rainy in the morning, but by 4 the sun was out and it was so pretty! After church I put stuffed peppers in the oven and took a long nap.

Doug and the boys came home about 4 and we had dinner. We ate outside on the swing. The boys don't like peppers so they had to fend for themselves.

Doug left for work and we just hung out. That evening we watched Amazing Race. It is getting down to the end now! It is going so fast!

Monday

It was absolutely gorgeous outside Monday! It was sunny and about 70*. The boys and I went to the lake to clean the lakehouse and get it ready for a season of fun and relaxation. I cleaned for about 7 hours. Allen helped me inside. Jordan and Isaac cleaned the porch and deck and all the patio furniture. The ground was way too wet for lawn work, so we'll go back in a couple weeks.

We came home and I ordered the boys a pizza. I was in so much pain from all that cleaning, so I took a long, hot bubble bath, put on my jammies and settled in for the night, at 7 pm!

Tuesday

Yesterday I was up and at Curves by 7:30. Came home and got myself presentable. Isaac was doing work for my great-aunt, so I ran him to her house. My FIL picked the other two up about the same time to help him load and haul some wood. They brought 2 loads here. It is wonderful, already split and dried, firewood! While I was out, I ran to the bank and grocery store. I seem to be at the grocery store a lot this week! I must not have planned well.

Jordan and Allen ate lunch and then I ran them to my Dad's house to help him with lawn work. I had the afternoon alone! I did laundry (about 8 loads) and spring cleaned my bedroom (minus windows). I read a book and took a nap. I was up by 4 and the boys were home.

Jordan had small group at church. So while he was getting ready for that, I sat on the swing and read some more and drank coffee. I took him to and fro church. While he was there I finished laundry and made bread dough and after the first rise put it in the refrigerator. We will be having sausage and broccoli stuffed bread with tomato soup today for dinner. It is going to rain/snow, so the soup will be warm and cozy!

That's right, SNOW! We're having snow forecasted for the next 7 days! I hope my flowering trees are OK because they are already blooming!

Today we are going to do nothing. Well, Doug is going to go apply for another job before he heads back to work. The boys are doing nothing. I will cook, clean the kitchen, and all that jazz. I have 1 load of wash waiting for the dryer still. I hope to nap and I may call the doctor an make an appt. I am having much shoulder pain and I am concerned it may not be fibro. It's been 3 weeks now and it feels like I have 50 lbs. of sand hanging on my shoulder. I have pain shooting down my arm and back and my hip hurts. It doesn't feel like "just fibro". So I am considering that.

I also hope to figure out why my ww bread dough does not rise! When I made white bread, the dough would rise to the top of the bowl. Now that I'm making ww, the dough barely rises. I don't know what I am doing wrong. I use the correct temp. of water. I sponge the bread for 15 min. before finishing. I knead it in the KA. But still the dough doesn't rise and it is so heavy. Any breadmakers out there have any ideas for me? I am not milling my own flour, but I am using freshly milled flour from a co-op.

Well, if you've made it this far, I commend you LOL. Have an awesome day!