This week the kids have been in Camp and Mom has been enjoying some time to herself doing the things that kids hate to do like shop! So this morning a friend and I decided that we would get on the train and spend the day in where else but Venice! Yes, it still amazes me that I can just jump on a train and in less than an hour I am in Venice.
This makes about the 10th time that I have gone to Venice since we moved here over 1 year ago. It's funny, I never get tired of going. And what is funnier, is seeing all of the tourists there taking pictures and etc. and me thinking in my head, wow....I am not a tourist here, I am actually a local that lives here! How funny.......who would have ever thought!
So my friend and I had a wonderful time, we shopped for Murano jewelry(and yes Mom you may get a piece for Christmas or your Birthday), had lunch and the best lemon slush that I have ever had.............it was so warm in Venice today.
So now I am home, tired and ready for bed, thinking about the last day of Camp for the kids tomorrow, Hubby is taking the day off and we are off to Verona for the day.
So move over Juliet, I've got my own Romeo!
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Nectarines or Peaches
I am on a roll after my trip to the Commissary today! For those of you not in the military, the Commissary would be our grocery store and being here over seas, it's our only place to get groceries! Unless of course you want to go off Post with the extremely high Euro rate, but still they don't have all of the same food as the Commissary does, you know the things we Americans use! Anyway, let me tell you all about it.......
When you walk in our Commissary, the first thing that you see is the produce(it's like that in almost all Commissarys). So I see a big white sign in front of the PEACHES that says: 4 for $1.00. So I tell the Princess, humm, that is a good deal for the Commissary, so I think that we'll get 8. Got them, put them in a bag and put them in the buggy. Then I see another white sign that says Cantaloupe, 59cents. I say to myself, I know that they don't mean 59 cents, it's more than likely 59 cents a pound. So I grab one and put it in the buggy. So we shop and get a few more things and then we go to check out. Now let me just tell you that ALL of the employees in the Commissary here in Italy where we live are all Italians, except for the two managers, this will help you with the rest of the story. There is a law that says that they have to have so many local nationals working in all American Facilities on Posts in Italy. Anway...
Now we are at the check out. I see the checker scan the cantaloupe then I see that she had already scanned the PEACHES. So I look up at the screen and I see that she rang up the PEACHES as NECTARINES. So I grab the bag of PEACHES and tell her that they are PEACHES and not NECTARINES. She tells me NO they are NECTARINES I tell her NO they are PEACHES.(listen folks, I am from the South I know the difference between a peach and a nectarine, if it's got fuzz on it, guess what, it's a peach if it doesn't, it's a nectarine) She continues to tell me they are NECTARINES I tell her they are PEACHES. I tell her that they are PEACHES and that the sign said 4 for $1.00. Then I ask her what the cantaloupe rang up for a pound, she tells me 89 cents. I tell her that the sell sign said 59 cents. So.......she calls the produce person, whom is also Italian. So she comes to the register and now, the checker, the produce person and oh yeah, the BAGGER are all talking in Italian to eachother about MY produce. Helloooooooooooo, I am standing here, ENGLISH please in a POST STORE!!!
So the produce person tells the checker that no, the sign for the PEACHES says $1.49 a pound, I tell her NO it says 4 for $1.00. Then she says YES, the cantaloupe is 59 cents a pound. So, I tell the checker to keep the PEACHES and rescan the cantaloupe at the right price. Oh yeah and the checker said OK, she'll put the PEACHES back!! Oh but it gets better!
So then the checker goes and says, well I shop here too, so I know the prices, I tell her that I shop at the Commissary weekly and that I am not STUPID that I KNOW what the sign said that I CAN READ!! So I pay and then I go with the Princess to see the white sign that was at the PEACHES and guess what.......it had been removed..............I think that I was right after all!
Oh boy I am counting the days when I DO NOT have the only option at shopping at the Commissary! A place where I can get double coupons and get buy 1 get 1 free items! The Commmissary is a rip-off to us that live over seas serving our country! I will not be shopping at the Commissary where we will be moving too. Less than 90 days till we move from here, you bet I'm counting the days!
When you walk in our Commissary, the first thing that you see is the produce(it's like that in almost all Commissarys). So I see a big white sign in front of the PEACHES that says: 4 for $1.00. So I tell the Princess, humm, that is a good deal for the Commissary, so I think that we'll get 8. Got them, put them in a bag and put them in the buggy. Then I see another white sign that says Cantaloupe, 59cents. I say to myself, I know that they don't mean 59 cents, it's more than likely 59 cents a pound. So I grab one and put it in the buggy. So we shop and get a few more things and then we go to check out. Now let me just tell you that ALL of the employees in the Commissary here in Italy where we live are all Italians, except for the two managers, this will help you with the rest of the story. There is a law that says that they have to have so many local nationals working in all American Facilities on Posts in Italy. Anway...
Now we are at the check out. I see the checker scan the cantaloupe then I see that she had already scanned the PEACHES. So I look up at the screen and I see that she rang up the PEACHES as NECTARINES. So I grab the bag of PEACHES and tell her that they are PEACHES and not NECTARINES. She tells me NO they are NECTARINES I tell her NO they are PEACHES.(listen folks, I am from the South I know the difference between a peach and a nectarine, if it's got fuzz on it, guess what, it's a peach if it doesn't, it's a nectarine) She continues to tell me they are NECTARINES I tell her they are PEACHES. I tell her that they are PEACHES and that the sign said 4 for $1.00. Then I ask her what the cantaloupe rang up for a pound, she tells me 89 cents. I tell her that the sell sign said 59 cents. So.......she calls the produce person, whom is also Italian. So she comes to the register and now, the checker, the produce person and oh yeah, the BAGGER are all talking in Italian to eachother about MY produce. Helloooooooooooo, I am standing here, ENGLISH please in a POST STORE!!!
So the produce person tells the checker that no, the sign for the PEACHES says $1.49 a pound, I tell her NO it says 4 for $1.00. Then she says YES, the cantaloupe is 59 cents a pound. So, I tell the checker to keep the PEACHES and rescan the cantaloupe at the right price. Oh yeah and the checker said OK, she'll put the PEACHES back!! Oh but it gets better!
So then the checker goes and says, well I shop here too, so I know the prices, I tell her that I shop at the Commissary weekly and that I am not STUPID that I KNOW what the sign said that I CAN READ!! So I pay and then I go with the Princess to see the white sign that was at the PEACHES and guess what.......it had been removed..............I think that I was right after all!
Oh boy I am counting the days when I DO NOT have the only option at shopping at the Commissary! A place where I can get double coupons and get buy 1 get 1 free items! The Commmissary is a rip-off to us that live over seas serving our country! I will not be shopping at the Commissary where we will be moving too. Less than 90 days till we move from here, you bet I'm counting the days!
Monday, July 28, 2008
FOR TODAY MONDAY, JULY 28, 2008
Outside My Window ...the birds are chirping and sun is shining over the beautiful Italian Dolomite Mountains.
I am thinking...that I really have to get my lesson finished tonight for in the morning!
I am thankful for...a wonderful day of shopping with a great friend.
From the kitchen...there are lots of leftovers to be eaten from the Princess's Luau birthday party such as ribs, burgers, corn on the cob and potato salad and of course birthday cake!
I am wearing...black capris with cherries on them and a green shirt.
I am going...on a date with my hubby tonight to dinner.
I am reading...Frommer's Italy.
I am hoping...that it doesn't get too hot this week.
I am hearing...someone in the kitchen getting a snack!I think they're in the cookie jar!
Around the house...there is loads of laundry to be done!
One of my favorite things....is having my morning coffee sit in my rocking chair on the front porch.
A few plans for the rest of the week...make a trip to the library, go commissary shopping for groceries and go to Venice with another great friend on Thursday!
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...Can't wait til we go camping again in Pisa!
I enjoy reading the simple woman's blog, you can too, http://thesimplewoman.blogspot.com/Sunday Surprises
Sunday was definitely an afternoon of rest in this household yesterday, we had a busy week this past week and after Church and lunch yesterday, we all four came home and just crashed! Until that is we had a little surprise......
The Princess and the Bookworm were in the pool for the majority of the afternoon on Sunday while Mom and Dad were inside watching a movie. Dad decided to go and check on the kids. When he came back in the house through the garage door, in darted our cat, Milo, whom is 5 months old and is actually the Princess's cat. Anyway, he darted in and stopped right by the couch. WE ALL looked at him for he had brought us a prized possession, a bird, in which he had just caught! Yes, a little bird in his mouth and in my HOUSE! So, Dad opened up the front door so that Milo could go back out, with the bird! The Bookworm was so horrified that Milo had captured a bird and felt very sorry for the bird. So Dad had to be the Hero and get the broom to make Milo drop the bird. Needless to say the bird was already dead, but we didn't tell the Bookworm that.
Yes, it was definitely a Sunday of Surprises!
The Princess and the Bookworm were in the pool for the majority of the afternoon on Sunday while Mom and Dad were inside watching a movie. Dad decided to go and check on the kids. When he came back in the house through the garage door, in darted our cat, Milo, whom is 5 months old and is actually the Princess's cat. Anyway, he darted in and stopped right by the couch. WE ALL looked at him for he had brought us a prized possession, a bird, in which he had just caught! Yes, a little bird in his mouth and in my HOUSE! So, Dad opened up the front door so that Milo could go back out, with the bird! The Bookworm was so horrified that Milo had captured a bird and felt very sorry for the bird. So Dad had to be the Hero and get the broom to make Milo drop the bird. Needless to say the bird was already dead, but we didn't tell the Bookworm that.
Yes, it was definitely a Sunday of Surprises!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Luau
The Luau is over.......from 4-7 we had 7 Pre-teen girls at our home! The Party was wonderful, Mom and Dad enjoyed ourselves too. It was fun! The bookworm was entertained with a friend that he invited over, they stayed in the pool most of the time. His friend is spending the night over tonight, they are playing X-Box as of now. Dad has had his bath and is in the bed watching his favorite show on DVD, The King of Queens and Mom is fixing to finish this Post, jump in the tub and go to bed!
Recipe
Yes, once again I did not Post yesterday, so here is yesterday's Post today.
So, the final planning and buying for the Princess's Luau has been done for her party on Saturday. Here is the menu for her party, requested by the Princess. Dad will cook ribs and hamburgers, Mom will fix german roasted potato salad and corn on the cob and bbq style beans in the crock-pot, plus we'll have chips and salsa and lays and a tropical punch that Mom is making for her coconut shell cups, oh yeah and then add the birthday cake and ice cream. I think we have enough food for the party and dinner for the next two or three days!
So for today, I thought that I would share a yummy recipe with you.
BBQ Style Beans
1/4 cup water 1/2 cup honey 1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup 1/2 cup BBQ sauce 1 lb. ground beef, cooked&drained
1 envelope onion soup mix 2tbsp. prepared mustard
3 cans(15oz.)pork&beans 1 can(15oz.)kidney beans
Place all ingredients in the crock-pot and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!
So, the final planning and buying for the Princess's Luau has been done for her party on Saturday. Here is the menu for her party, requested by the Princess. Dad will cook ribs and hamburgers, Mom will fix german roasted potato salad and corn on the cob and bbq style beans in the crock-pot, plus we'll have chips and salsa and lays and a tropical punch that Mom is making for her coconut shell cups, oh yeah and then add the birthday cake and ice cream. I think we have enough food for the party and dinner for the next two or three days!
So for today, I thought that I would share a yummy recipe with you.
BBQ Style Beans
1/4 cup water 1/2 cup honey 1 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup ketchup 1/2 cup BBQ sauce 1 lb. ground beef, cooked&drained
1 envelope onion soup mix 2tbsp. prepared mustard
3 cans(15oz.)pork&beans 1 can(15oz.)kidney beans
Place all ingredients in the crock-pot and stir. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. Enjoy!
Friday, July 25, 2008
Cleaning
Last night I was so tired that I went straight to bed and didn't Post anything on my blog. So here is yesterday's Post today.
I awoke yesterday morning and began my journey of cleaning the downstairs. The upstairs was cleaned on Saturday, so all that was left was the downstairs. I began at 8:30 and finished at 5:00! Yes, you read that right! I can honestly say that you will find NO dust anywhere downstairs. I even detailed cleaned the laundry room! And I got all of this done while we had workers here for two different work orders. One was an electrician to fix our ceiling fan in the kitchen which was broke and the other was the painters to paint the upstairs foyer where our upstairs air-conditioner had broke and leaked. Oh yeah, they also painted the Bookworms one bedroom wall where his lava lamp(red) exploded back in the Fall! No more red lava lamp explosion on his wall anymore. I have to admit that it looks funny now that all of the walls are once again the same color! The Bookworm hated to see it be painted over, to him it looked like a paintball fight in his room!
So now I have one whole complete clean house and I am a happy Momma!
I awoke yesterday morning and began my journey of cleaning the downstairs. The upstairs was cleaned on Saturday, so all that was left was the downstairs. I began at 8:30 and finished at 5:00! Yes, you read that right! I can honestly say that you will find NO dust anywhere downstairs. I even detailed cleaned the laundry room! And I got all of this done while we had workers here for two different work orders. One was an electrician to fix our ceiling fan in the kitchen which was broke and the other was the painters to paint the upstairs foyer where our upstairs air-conditioner had broke and leaked. Oh yeah, they also painted the Bookworms one bedroom wall where his lava lamp(red) exploded back in the Fall! No more red lava lamp explosion on his wall anymore. I have to admit that it looks funny now that all of the walls are once again the same color! The Bookworm hated to see it be painted over, to him it looked like a paintball fight in his room!
So now I have one whole complete clean house and I am a happy Momma!
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Homeschooling....Again
After Summer, the kids will not return to DODDS(school on post), they will once again stay home and we will Homeschool. They are happy to be returning home to school and I have to admit that I am excited about it as well. Plus, with our move in a little over 3 months, it's definitly the right choice for us this year. I can't see them starting school on Post and then pulling them out to move and then putting them in another school to just move at the end of May again anyway! Too much, that's just too much for the Princess and the Bookworm. If I school them at home, they will have a stable school environment while we move. And for those of you thinking what about socialization, my ? to you is, what about socialization? My children do not need to be in "school" for socialization. They participate in Sports, Arts, Bible Study, have friends over, etc. So I am not worried about my children being socialized. I have found that when I put them in the DODDS school here on Post this past school year, that they bothed picked up a lot of things from kids or "friends" at school that they have never heard of or said before! Plus Highschool Sweetheart and I found ourselves having to talk about a lot of things to the Princess and the Bookworm before we were wanting to talk about them. Soooooooo, Homeschooling works 4 us!
The only thing that I am finding quit difficult this year is what Curriculum I want to us. In the past years of Homeschooling I have used the Abeka Academy, and that is what I was going to use this year too, but for the past couple of days I have been looking around online, and I am beginning to rethink my decision on using Abeka Academy. I definitely want to use an Accredited Academy or School. So today I checked out SouthEast Academy and Grace Academy. Both of these are accredited and both offer on-line classes, unlike Abeka, Abeka only offers DVD classes. I know for sure that I want to use either DVD or on-line classes for the Princess, she is computer savy and it would really appeal to her. On the other hand, I do not know about the Bookworm, should I still use regular paper books with him....or go online....or DVD, I am not sure.
Oh what to do?!?!?! I know that God will provide the answer to what to do, it definitely will not be in my time, but His.
The only thing that I am finding quit difficult this year is what Curriculum I want to us. In the past years of Homeschooling I have used the Abeka Academy, and that is what I was going to use this year too, but for the past couple of days I have been looking around online, and I am beginning to rethink my decision on using Abeka Academy. I definitely want to use an Accredited Academy or School. So today I checked out SouthEast Academy and Grace Academy. Both of these are accredited and both offer on-line classes, unlike Abeka, Abeka only offers DVD classes. I know for sure that I want to use either DVD or on-line classes for the Princess, she is computer savy and it would really appeal to her. On the other hand, I do not know about the Bookworm, should I still use regular paper books with him....or go online....or DVD, I am not sure.
Oh what to do?!?!?! I know that God will provide the answer to what to do, it definitely will not be in my time, but His.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Terrific Tuesday
Today was a terrific Tuesday. I have one commitement that I must do on Tuesdays till the end of August, and even though I had it today, it was still a terrific Tuesday. The kids and I woke up at our usual time on Tuesdays, and started our day. After Mom's commitement, we then met Dad at the Commissary for lunch and picked up items so that I could prepare meals for today and tomorrow. After the Commissary we came home and well, just did whatever. I woke-up with a headache this morning so Mom sat on the couch and took a nap, something that I never do! I awoke to a head feeling alittle better.
The Princess was suppose to babysit this evening, but it got canceled. She has another babysitting job on Friday evening. She is really starting to make the dough on babysitting. She was really excited, yesterday she was able to put her name on the American Red Cross Babysitting Referral List at CYS on Post!
The Bookworm hasn't been much of a Bookworm lately, he's been vegging on X-Box! Oh well, at least he does read when he gets in his bunk at night. It's how he can fall asleep, reading! He loves days when we do not have to go anywhere, and the rest of the week looks that way!
HighSchool Sweetheart has just really realized that we will be moving in about 3 months! Now he is really in the mode of PCS'ing and all of the "must do's" before we go. Not only the things for us in order to move like car shipping and movers, but things at his work and planning his Change of Command.
Wow....our tour here is almost done....can it be......have we really been in Europe for 5 years.....am I EVER going to see ROME!(you know it's the last place to go on my list)
The Princess was suppose to babysit this evening, but it got canceled. She has another babysitting job on Friday evening. She is really starting to make the dough on babysitting. She was really excited, yesterday she was able to put her name on the American Red Cross Babysitting Referral List at CYS on Post!
The Bookworm hasn't been much of a Bookworm lately, he's been vegging on X-Box! Oh well, at least he does read when he gets in his bunk at night. It's how he can fall asleep, reading! He loves days when we do not have to go anywhere, and the rest of the week looks that way!
HighSchool Sweetheart has just really realized that we will be moving in about 3 months! Now he is really in the mode of PCS'ing and all of the "must do's" before we go. Not only the things for us in order to move like car shipping and movers, but things at his work and planning his Change of Command.
Wow....our tour here is almost done....can it be......have we really been in Europe for 5 years.....am I EVER going to see ROME!(you know it's the last place to go on my list)
Monday, July 21, 2008
The Vet
This morning I had to take the cat and dog to the Vet. The cat needed his 2nd booster and the dog needed another micro-chip. The one that she has is from Poland and we do not have any idea what company it is with, so we decided that it would be best to get her another one since we will be moving soon. And just in case she gets lost, they'll know who she belongs too!! Anyway..
Of course I left an hour early for our appt. Our appt. was at 9, so I left at 8. Plugged in the GPS and off we went...Mom, cat, dog, the Princess and the Bookworm. We get to our turn and there is a detour. OK, no problem, they are cutting down trees and detouring us. OK, so the detour puts us on a one rut road. Oh yeah, a one rut road! So I am driving the van on this one rut road, and did I mention it's in the middle of a field, and I am praying to God the whole way that I do not meet another car! Thank you Lord for answering my prayer!! So we finally get to the main road that we are suppose to be on, get to the big traffic circle to make our turn and low and behold, it's blocked, we can't go the way that we are suppose to go! Now what!! Good grief!! So I pick up my cell phone, call the Vet and tell them the deal and ask for help for another way. Oh yeah, and I tell them that we will definitely be LATE, it was 8:45 at that time! So I follow her instructions to go back to the round-about at the Autostrada and I take the road adjacent to the road that I took before. Oh yeah, plus I hit detour on the GPS to see what it said to do. We went a way that ended up being a lot better than our regular way! We made it to the Vet eventually, LATE, but only by 10 minutes........go figure! Patience is the key word for today, even though several "detours" were thrown in front of me this morning on the way to the Vet, I knew that there was no reason to get all anxious and in a flurry because we would eventually get there.
"Let us run with PATIENCE the race that is before us." Hebrews 12:1
Of course I left an hour early for our appt. Our appt. was at 9, so I left at 8. Plugged in the GPS and off we went...Mom, cat, dog, the Princess and the Bookworm. We get to our turn and there is a detour. OK, no problem, they are cutting down trees and detouring us. OK, so the detour puts us on a one rut road. Oh yeah, a one rut road! So I am driving the van on this one rut road, and did I mention it's in the middle of a field, and I am praying to God the whole way that I do not meet another car! Thank you Lord for answering my prayer!! So we finally get to the main road that we are suppose to be on, get to the big traffic circle to make our turn and low and behold, it's blocked, we can't go the way that we are suppose to go! Now what!! Good grief!! So I pick up my cell phone, call the Vet and tell them the deal and ask for help for another way. Oh yeah, and I tell them that we will definitely be LATE, it was 8:45 at that time! So I follow her instructions to go back to the round-about at the Autostrada and I take the road adjacent to the road that I took before. Oh yeah, plus I hit detour on the GPS to see what it said to do. We went a way that ended up being a lot better than our regular way! We made it to the Vet eventually, LATE, but only by 10 minutes........go figure! Patience is the key word for today, even though several "detours" were thrown in front of me this morning on the way to the Vet, I knew that there was no reason to get all anxious and in a flurry because we would eventually get there.
"Let us run with PATIENCE the race that is before us." Hebrews 12:1
Sunday, July 20, 2008
The Princess is Now 12
Today, Sunday, July 20th, the Princess awoke to being 12 years old. She had a wonderful birthday with lots of gifts, and lots of calls and e-mails from family and friends. Homemade waffles were fixed for breakfast along with fresh strawberries, maple sausages and orange juice. Of course the Princess had a candle in her waffle! We then got dressed and went to Church. After church we went to eat at one of the Princess's favorite Chinese Restaurants. The meal was very heavenly! We then came home and opened presents. She received a lot of nice gifts from family: money, cards, a necklace from Grandparents(which is shown in the above picture), Clemson flip-flops, Facing the Giants movie(a must see if you have never seen it, a very good outreach Christian movie), a new watch, and from Mom and Dad an IPod! Yes, an IPod, she was very shocked and had no clue. Her MP3 player has seen better days, so it was time to replace it, the glass was broken on it, definitely a hazard. So she got a blue IPod from Mom and Dad. After gifts it was time for cake, icecream cake. Of course it came from the Commissary, but it was very good. Cake was eaten, and then it was time for just hanging out on the rest of this very nice, beautiful, blessed Sunday. Next year........13.......I think I'll have a heart-attack when that happens!Saturday, July 19, 2008
Sad Saturday
Today was a day of sadness knowing that this would be the last day that the Princess would be 11. Tomorrow she will wake up and be 12! Boy how the years do fly by. I remember as if it were yesterday when I had her. 21 1/2 hours of labor and 2 hours of pushing! NOT FUN!!! The Princess weighed in at 8lbs.11ozs and 21 1/2 inches long. Born at 1:49 am on Saturday, July 20, 1996 while we were stationed at Ft.Rucker, Alabama. I can remember the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics were on the television. Oh yeah and I have to tell you that the morning that we got to the hospital, which was on the 19th, all the HighSchool Sweetheart could think of was getting me situated so that he could go and get BREAKFAST! Yes, you did read that right! Thank God I had my Mother there and I wasn't all alone! She soon realized that in the early morning chaos of getting to the Hospital, she had one blue flat on and one black flat on her feet! It made us all laugh, we still like to talk about it and I love giving my HighSchool Sweetheart a hard time about the breakfast deal! He'll never be able to live it down!
So yes, tomorrow she will be 12. No more getting into the Post Movie Theater as a child paying the kids admission. But oh yes, to getting put on the American Red Cross Babysitting List that she has been waiting to get put on ever since she took the Babysitting Course back in the Fall. Our little girl is growing up, but that is what she is suppose to do. With our love and guidance and a whole lot of direction from the Lord I know that she will grow up to be a remarkable young lady.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 21:30
So yes, tomorrow she will be 12. No more getting into the Post Movie Theater as a child paying the kids admission. But oh yes, to getting put on the American Red Cross Babysitting List that she has been waiting to get put on ever since she took the Babysitting Course back in the Fall. Our little girl is growing up, but that is what she is suppose to do. With our love and guidance and a whole lot of direction from the Lord I know that she will grow up to be a remarkable young lady.
"Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not depart from it." Proverbs 21:30
Friday, July 18, 2008
Fabulous Friday
Today was a Fabulous Friday. It all started with the kids and I being able to finally sleep in for a change! Ever since Summer has started, we have yet to be able to sleep in. I have to admit that I slept till 10:00 and it felt good! Then I had a day of doing absolutely nothing! I made a point of doing, nothing today. It's been along time since I have had a day of not having to go any where and to do nothing! So the kids and I just hung out all day today at home.
Highschool Sweetheart came home at a nice time today from work and he grilled steaks for dinner and we added them to the baked potatoes that I had baked. It was a wonderful dinner. The steaks were so moist and tender and the potatoes were big and so good since I baked them in the oven. I put a little olive oil and sea salt on them and then wrapped them in tinfoil, put them in the oven and baked them for about 2 hours this afternoon.........perfect! I also managed in my day of doing nothing, to make a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It was divine!
The Princess and the Bookworm, have been faithfully doing their chores lately, which is really nice. Every day they take turns, setting and clearing the dinner table. It really is a big help to Mom. They of course have other chores that they must take responsibility for and do too. Like feed the cat,dog and bird, take out the trash, put up the clean dishes from the dishwasher, etc. It was brought to our attention by the Princess and the Bookworm that they needed to start getting allowances again.(We use to give them half of their age in allowance every week)We informed them that we all live in our house as a family and each family member has their responsiblities in the house in which they must take care of, therefore there is no allowance. We also informed them that they do not need an allowance because generally if they want something, they usually get it, unless it is just a really extreme request for something. Which that really rarely happens, they are very good kids and they do not ask for a lot.
The Princess's Birthday is on Sunday. She is the oldest and will be turning 12! She is really growing up. She recently started kidsitting and has made well over 100 dollars for the same kid. She has a regular sitting job on Tuesdays and Thursdays and gets paid 6 dollars an hour! So, she gets paid 18 dollars a day which is 36 dollars a week. Pretty good! She wants to save her money for her own laptop, and the rate she's going, it want be long before she'll be able to get it! So, tomorrow the Princess has a friend meeting us at the movies and then the friend will spend the night and go to Chapel with us on Sunday and then we will go take the Princess out to one of her favorite restaurants for lunch......Ming Ching. We'll come home and have icecream cake and open presents. Then in the evening I am sure that there will be calls from Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. The Princess is having a Luau Birthday Party next weekend and has invited 6 of her closest friends over. She wants Dad to grill ribs and burgers, Mom to make my famous German roasted new potato salad and her brother, the Bookworm, to be the little server and serve tropical drinks in coconut cups that we ordered.(they of course will contain NO alcohol!) It should be a fun time, our little girl is growing up!
Well, should go for now, nothing is on TV here tonight as usual, so I am going to take a very long hot bath and then curl up in the bed with a good book, or maybe a sudoku puzzle! Till tomorrow!
Highschool Sweetheart came home at a nice time today from work and he grilled steaks for dinner and we added them to the baked potatoes that I had baked. It was a wonderful dinner. The steaks were so moist and tender and the potatoes were big and so good since I baked them in the oven. I put a little olive oil and sea salt on them and then wrapped them in tinfoil, put them in the oven and baked them for about 2 hours this afternoon.........perfect! I also managed in my day of doing nothing, to make a strawberry cheesecake for dessert. It was divine!
The Princess and the Bookworm, have been faithfully doing their chores lately, which is really nice. Every day they take turns, setting and clearing the dinner table. It really is a big help to Mom. They of course have other chores that they must take responsibility for and do too. Like feed the cat,dog and bird, take out the trash, put up the clean dishes from the dishwasher, etc. It was brought to our attention by the Princess and the Bookworm that they needed to start getting allowances again.(We use to give them half of their age in allowance every week)We informed them that we all live in our house as a family and each family member has their responsiblities in the house in which they must take care of, therefore there is no allowance. We also informed them that they do not need an allowance because generally if they want something, they usually get it, unless it is just a really extreme request for something. Which that really rarely happens, they are very good kids and they do not ask for a lot.
The Princess's Birthday is on Sunday. She is the oldest and will be turning 12! She is really growing up. She recently started kidsitting and has made well over 100 dollars for the same kid. She has a regular sitting job on Tuesdays and Thursdays and gets paid 6 dollars an hour! So, she gets paid 18 dollars a day which is 36 dollars a week. Pretty good! She wants to save her money for her own laptop, and the rate she's going, it want be long before she'll be able to get it! So, tomorrow the Princess has a friend meeting us at the movies and then the friend will spend the night and go to Chapel with us on Sunday and then we will go take the Princess out to one of her favorite restaurants for lunch......Ming Ching. We'll come home and have icecream cake and open presents. Then in the evening I am sure that there will be calls from Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles. The Princess is having a Luau Birthday Party next weekend and has invited 6 of her closest friends over. She wants Dad to grill ribs and burgers, Mom to make my famous German roasted new potato salad and her brother, the Bookworm, to be the little server and serve tropical drinks in coconut cups that we ordered.(they of course will contain NO alcohol!) It should be a fun time, our little girl is growing up!
Well, should go for now, nothing is on TV here tonight as usual, so I am going to take a very long hot bath and then curl up in the bed with a good book, or maybe a sudoku puzzle! Till tomorrow!
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Swim Lessons
These past two weeks the kids have been enrolled in swimming lessons. This year both of the kids were enrolled in the same class! So everyday we have been up at 7:30 and out the door by 8:30 to get to swim lessons by 9:00. Some mornings(every morning) the kids would say, Mom do we have to get up?! My answer of course would be, YES, so get up, brush your teeth, throw on your swim suit, eat breakfast, grab your swim bag and lets GO!! Once we would get to swim lessons, they were glad that they were there. Their last lesson was today, and both passed to the next level, level 5. Hip-Hip-Hooray kids! They were both so proud and once we were in the van on the way home they informed me that we could all three sleep in tomorrow morning!
Busyness
I wasn't able to post yesterday, this week has been well, lets just say busy! Too busy! If you remember I posted the other day about being too busy! And yes, I have stepped out of some of the things that have been making me to busy and that have been taking too much time away from my kids and my husband! One of those commitements I was committed to had me busy doing something for it every day this past week. It was too much, and with us on the verge of moving, I had to step-down. It was hard to do, but with God's help, I did it. I was able to spend the rest of yesterday with my kids knowing that there would be no more busy Mom for them anymore! What a relief! And when I told my husband and kids that it was over, you should have seen the smiles!!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
People
Isn't it funny how many different kinds of people that you meet and the friends that you make. I mean I have lots of friends and they are all different. I have PWOC friends, Church friends, Homeschool friends, Soccer Mom friends, Unit friends, Soldier friends, Non-Church friends, Neighbor friends, Italian friends, German friends, Family friends, Dance Mom friends, Blog friends, Friend of a Friend friends.........the list goes on and on.
I am glad that God made not one person alike and that we are all different......I don't think that the world could handle two of me!
I am glad that God made not one person alike and that we are all different......I don't think that the world could handle two of me!
A Crisp, Clear Day and Commitements
Today was a very crisp, clear, beautiful day. There was no humidity today, the skies were painted a gorgeous blue and the Italian Dolomite mountains were able to beam their beauty. I love it when the weather here is not beaming hot and very humid! Today was the right kind of day for me. A day full of swim lessons, commitements and errands too, not to say the least.
I find myself a lot these days wondering why I do half of the volunteer things that I do. Wait a minute, I already know the answer to my own question.......I just love to do! But lately, I've been praying about my doing, and it has got to be cut, at least half of it. With me Homeschooling again this year and getting ready to PCS in November, the doing has to come to a minimum. Family must come first, after God of course, and that is the way that it has to be. Somethings will not be hard to say no and quit, but others I am not so sure of.
On another note.....moving is always so exciting. When you move, you start all over again. New home, new friends, new Church, new schools(unless you Homeschool), new commitements! When you are in the Military, it seems to never end, the circle never ends. But I wouldn't change it for the world!!
I find myself a lot these days wondering why I do half of the volunteer things that I do. Wait a minute, I already know the answer to my own question.......I just love to do! But lately, I've been praying about my doing, and it has got to be cut, at least half of it. With me Homeschooling again this year and getting ready to PCS in November, the doing has to come to a minimum. Family must come first, after God of course, and that is the way that it has to be. Somethings will not be hard to say no and quit, but others I am not so sure of.
On another note.....moving is always so exciting. When you move, you start all over again. New home, new friends, new Church, new schools(unless you Homeschool), new commitements! When you are in the Military, it seems to never end, the circle never ends. But I wouldn't change it for the world!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
RFO(Request for Orders)
Yes, you read the Post right and you are not dreaming! My HighSchool Sweetheart(names not used for identity purposes) received word a few weeks ago that we will be leaving our tour here in Italy early. He received his RFO on Saturday, so hopefully this week, he will have his orders. We will be headed to the Career Course in SC for 6 months and we do not know as of yet where our follow-on assignment will be. So, early November we should be on a plane with a one way ticket back to the states, with our zoo in tote....1 cat, 1 dog and 1 parakeet!
We have lived in Europe for 5 years, and we are all four ready to move back to the states. Alot has happened in those five years. The kids were so little when we moved to Europe, the Princess was only 6 and the Prince was only 4.....now the Princess will be 12 in less than six days and the Prince is 9. We want say how old Mom and Dad are, but I will say that we are 5 years older than we were before we moved here!
As you can imagine, parents and especially grandparents are happy at the announcement of our return. We too are happy and can't wait to shop at all those wonderful stores that we have missed and to eat at our favorite restaurants once again. You can only shop at the PX or order things from online for so long! And not to say the least the food court and the PX and Burger King we never want to see for about a million years when we return! I think I hear Chick-fil-a calling my name now!
We have lived in Europe for 5 years, and we are all four ready to move back to the states. Alot has happened in those five years. The kids were so little when we moved to Europe, the Princess was only 6 and the Prince was only 4.....now the Princess will be 12 in less than six days and the Prince is 9. We want say how old Mom and Dad are, but I will say that we are 5 years older than we were before we moved here!
As you can imagine, parents and especially grandparents are happy at the announcement of our return. We too are happy and can't wait to shop at all those wonderful stores that we have missed and to eat at our favorite restaurants once again. You can only shop at the PX or order things from online for so long! And not to say the least the food court and the PX and Burger King we never want to see for about a million years when we return! I think I hear Chick-fil-a calling my name now!
First Blog,First Post
I am very proud to be writing my first post on my first Blog! I have been wanting to start a Blog for a very long time, and I actually finally got around to it! Life as a SAHHM can be very hectic and demanding and well add that we are in the Army on top of that and you can say that we have one very interesting life! But I wouldn't have it any other way, I know that this is what God wants us doing. You can't go wrong in life if you have God as your Pilot!
As I write this, believe it or not, but I DO have clothes washing! And you ask did I say a prayer as I was putting my kids clothes in the washer? Of course I did. I've gotten so in the habit of doing it, that it just comes naturally for me. Although this evening I did do something different, as I picked up each individual piece of my kids clothing, I named a blessing that each one of them have blessed me with or that I have tried to bless them with. You should try it sometime!
What a long day this has been! We started early this morning with swim lessons, then I had a PWOC Executive Board meeting, then we registered for soccer, then ran errands at the PX, managed to spend some time at the Post Library and eventually we ate lunch! Needless to say when we got home the kids just crashed and spent some time doing things they wanted to do, like play X-Box or watch alittle cartoons on TV. What did Mom do when she got home today......work on things for our PWOC KidzTime Summer Bible Study. I am not yet done, I still have somethings to cut out, but it shouldn't take me long.
With that I will close for now, give my husband a call, and go walk the dog!
As I write this, believe it or not, but I DO have clothes washing! And you ask did I say a prayer as I was putting my kids clothes in the washer? Of course I did. I've gotten so in the habit of doing it, that it just comes naturally for me. Although this evening I did do something different, as I picked up each individual piece of my kids clothing, I named a blessing that each one of them have blessed me with or that I have tried to bless them with. You should try it sometime!
What a long day this has been! We started early this morning with swim lessons, then I had a PWOC Executive Board meeting, then we registered for soccer, then ran errands at the PX, managed to spend some time at the Post Library and eventually we ate lunch! Needless to say when we got home the kids just crashed and spent some time doing things they wanted to do, like play X-Box or watch alittle cartoons on TV. What did Mom do when she got home today......work on things for our PWOC KidzTime Summer Bible Study. I am not yet done, I still have somethings to cut out, but it shouldn't take me long.
With that I will close for now, give my husband a call, and go walk the dog!
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