it's almost bedtime...

& another day has come to an end. the kids were late getting home from school, they had a subsitute bus driver, & the town kids got to ride the whole route. Kevin went to Des Moines to pick up his new shoes & inserts the foot dr. made 4 him, then Katie & I walked a lap at the park with him, & Kate shot hoops, it amazes me that she can make them in the basket that is so far over her head!
we're thinking of headin' east this summer, if $ allows....Tennessee. Graceland, civil war battlefields, Ripley's Aquarium, Memphis Zoo....
KJ has HDC band auditions Weds.
Kate & I have a Brownie meeting tomorrow after school. I'm taking my half day off. I feel like I've earned it! Pigs can really run you ragged.
Kevin goes back to dr. Weds. to see if he'll release him to return to work Thursday. His limp is barely noticable now.

Fred Claus

the perfect holiday movie! after I got home from work & Kevin rested up from deer hunting on his still sore ankle, we hustled around, ate supper @ Pizza Hut (KJ & I love stuffed cheese crust), saw Fred Claus, did a famous deb "what the heck we're this close to the grocery store" Hy-Vee run, then came home. we got home 11ish, so put away the freezer stuff, the rest can wait till I get home from work today, unless someone gets bored & does it. (same with putting away laundry & cleaning floors!)
I got The Nativity Story on dvd, I wanted to see it last Xmas, but no one else wanted to go with me, so will try to watch it this holiday. We bought the Betty Crocker gingerbread mix so Katie & I can make a batch of cookies when we get around to it. This summer I bought the seasons of Futurama & Family Guy on dvd that had my favorite xmas episodes on them, will have to find them & watch them, too....plus all the holiday essentials....The Christmas Story, Nightmare Before Christmas, Christmas Vacation, Jingle All The Way, the Santa Claus movies, Unaccompanied Minors, Badder Santa, & Deck the Halls when it comes out on dvd.
I'm ready to throw up the tree & decorate, there are already outside displays up in Mercer, but Kevin & the kids protested. KJ reminded me that Thanksgiving is the next holiday. We'll just see....(but 1st I really have to clean those floors...)
I even bought a xmas seek&find book---I keep a stash @ work 4 my breaks...the mindless activity keeps me from thinking (much like my mindless job), but now I have one for home when I'm drying cast iron skillets on the stove, cooking, etc.
the school xmas concert is shaping up, too, the band is working on music, the kids are learning songs....something about Elfis. (Elvis).
KJ's wreck book is coming along 4 drivers ed....a few more pages of unfortunate vehicular crashes & he'll be set. We're at the point now that I'm happy to see a bad wreck...usually the worse it is, the longer the clipping is. It seemed like we had a million clippings, but you start putting them on 8x11 pages, & they don't seem nearly so impressive!
should take my handful of nutritional supplements & cold meds & hit the highway. I have always thought of "going to school" to get another job at some point in the vague future, I had always thought nursing, since that is a job I could get in the area, but have lately been thinking more of computer/business....also a job I could possibly get around here, with better hours & possibly holidays off. (like I'm ever going to go to school anyway.....might as well dream creatively...I'd really like to be a history teacher or an archeologist or work in a book store!)
There is a cool old building on the Mercer square that you'd probably have to win the lottery to make usable, it would be a cool site for a book store, but I don't think a town of 3oo some has much need of a bookstore...it'd probably be hard to convince authors of note to come for book signings, too....

a busy week....

last nite was a mandatory "3 hour" benefits meeting, starting immediately after work, so I didn't get home till about 8:30p.m. not my idea of a fun day---but did the mature thing & signed up 4 insurance & 401k & extra life under the new plan (our company was bought 4 the umpteenth time) like a good mother---kevin said kate was really wanting me---she went to bed on time---all was well---till she woke me from my triaminic cough & cold grape haze with the flu---she had a rough nite---then stayed home today & rested. after work today kevin & I went to princeton & picked up the girl scout candy order---then he sorted & kate & I double-checked. by the time we were done, it was too late to call some of the moms since I knew some of the girls go to bed at 8p.m. will call from work tomorrow. there is an athletic booster meeting tomorrow nite---I missed the 1st one since there was a GS leader mtg @ the same time.
yesteday kevin went to des moines & got fitted for a brace of some kind. he wants to take kj up there & have him evaluated, too. then kevin bought a huge lightup grapevine buck deer & snowflake lites. he has also been working on my car. kj worked at the student council blood drive yesterday, & kevin donated.
need to clean up the remnants of kate's bday party & get ready 4 the "sew much fun" brownie meeting here next tuesday...am seriously thinking of putting up the xmas tree while I'm in the mood.
finally got a chance to peek @ the My Twinn doll we got kate 4 xmas---it has her hairdo, almost her eye color, the sprinkle of freckles, the little scar on her lip---can't wait 2 have her portrait done with the doll @ jody's---just hope she is happy with it!

Happy Birthday Garrett

Katie's last party guest left a little after 11a.m, a couple of hours later we picked up Kelsie & Breanna & drove to Corydon to their classmate Garrett's party. Katie bowled a spare! Then we went to Pamida & Hy-Vee & let the girls play at the "castle park" for awhile. Garrett was happy with his big bag of gifts from Katie---a re-inflating whoopie cushion, squeaky rubber chicken, silly string, flarp, fuzzy dice, etc. His mom came into the hospital in labor the day we took Katie home.
Katie has definitely had a loooonnnnggg weekend. And throw in daylight savings time on top of everything else...

Academic Team

the HDC meet was Saturday, & now the season is over. KJ correctly answered 3 questions! The coach took them to Pizza Hut afterwards to celebrate. I was very proud of KJ for joining the team.
KJ constantly amazes me, he was so very shy when he was young, I remember in 2nd grade when the teachers aid was so excited that KJ got in trouble for talking in class, since they could barely get him to say anything. And he's been in Honor Choir, Drama, & now the Academic Team, all involving getting up in front of people & calling attention to yourself. It is so cool to watch your kids grow & change...

The Spa Party

We ended up with 5 guests...Kate left the party at one point, Kevin & KJ were going to the movies & drove by the park at the edge of our yard, she was sitting alone on a bench, Kevin pep-talked her into going back. Good mom that I am-I was getting the salad supper ready & didn't even know she was gone. The main problem I think was that she had worked so hard on the whole spa theme...& her friends are really more interested in playing babies & house. We muddled thru, everyone ended up with a gift bag of soap, bracelets, & perfume that they made. And I don't think that Katie was any more miserable at this party than she has been at any other....(I hope!)...altho this is the first year she's run away...
I'll do what I always do, the film will come back, I'll scrapbook it, & tell myself what a resounding success it was & get on with my life. Otherwise, I'd be certifiably insane. Somedays I fear I have already reached that point...
Next year she wants to throw a Halloween Birthday Party for her whole class in the basement....

happy birthday, Katie!

Katie turned 9 today. They had a day off school for teachers inservice. She opened one present while I was @ work, then the rest when I got home. She asked 4 Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen dvds...I got a bunch, but not the one she REALLY wanted...so back to amazon.com I go. Baked her requested giant birthday cookie, & the brownie pie for her spa party tomorrow. did massive house cleaning. I think we're ready (as ready as we'll ever be). Kate found more things today that she wants to squeeze into her party. The girls will make their own vial of perfume, friendship bracelets, a scented bar of soap, & their own "brand" of soda pop. We have 4 invited guests (the kits we got make 5.) Will be the smallest birthday party in a long time. Hopefully will be more fun 4 Katie....