So Excited!

I have been a wee bit quiet on here the last couple of days because I am working on something big, well very big for me at least.

I am going back to school!!!

I have been knocking around the idea for a couple years, but never really decided that I was going to actually do it, but something changed a couple weeks ago and I have been on a mission! Today I take my placement exams, which has me nervous and excited. Nervous because of the math, I can do it, but the practice questions in math that proved to me how removed from school I have been. The essays and reading will be a cinch for me, I could rock those with my eyes closed. I am excited because the test is the last big hurtle before I am official registered and can start enrolling for classes later this month. I still have to wait on my high school transcripts to arrive to turn in and have to take a advisement class next week, but those are no biggie.

Soon, I will be a student again. Focused on my goal, and keeping a handle on all my regular life, including work. Which I am okay with. Just need to remind myself of that in a couple months.

Have I mentioned how excited I am?? I am buzzing like a live wire today!!!! I have been planning out the classes that I want to take, trying to make sure that they all fall into my academic plan to transfer to UTSA in 2 years. And let me tell you, so much has changed in college, everything so far has been online, from the enrollment process, to registering for classes, to today's test, to ordering books, all online. Yay!

So, once this enrollment process is complete in the next two weeks, I have two months till classes start, to get as much done here at home that I can. I want to reorganize and clean and finish home improvements, I want to make lists, and complete taxes and sell some stuff laying around. I want to tidy it all up so when classes start I have zero distractions. Yeah right, life is a distraction, but I can at least get the objects in our home in order. Two months, ready to watch me lose my head in excitement for a while?

November Goals

My goal list for this month is a bit full, but there is a big reason for it. More on that to come later.

Home

• Finish Painting Downstairs, this is my focus this week!
• Finish Organizing my office.
• Sell Items from office
• Price Attic insulation

Food

• Meal Plan each week
• Make and freeze cookies and or dough for the holidays
• Inventory Pantry

Personal

• Peter Bible study twice a week
• Personal time with God daily
• Organize study guides and books

Garden

• Build two new beds
• Build second layers for two older beds
• Create a frost cover for garden beds
• Start compost bed with kitchen scraps, pumpkins will be my big boost for this one!

Health

• Hour on the Elliptical 2 times a week
• 30 Day Shred 3 times a week

Money

• Update Budget Weekly
• Finish the new budget cash flow report for both businesses
• Finish organizing receipts
• Stay within our monthly grocery budget!
• Track personal cash spending, use Money book!

The Christmas Prep

• Purchase some Alex gifts
• Address and Stamp Holiday cards
• Sort through holiday decorations for items to toss or donate
• Finish 4 crafty gifts

Autumn Holiday Close

• Put away all autumn decorations
• Inventory decorations
• Label storage crates.

October Goals, Let's see how I Did!

All right, October has come and gone with a whooooosh! Now it is time to see how I did with the goals I set for myself at the beginning of the month. I really enjoyed this format and found myself doing things JUST to be able to cross them off. :) Guess that is how goals work right?

Okay here goes with the check list!

Home
Finish painting the Downstairs ( ugh, no comment)
Purge and organize my office ( this is in process and I will totally be done next week, so excited!)
Decorate for Fall
Organize kitchen appliances and storage in pantry


Food
Make a list of easy sauces (Just didn't get to it)
Purge Freezer and Reorganize
Inventory Pantry (started, but I need to devote a day completely uninterrupted to do this)
Clean fridge!

Personal
Peter Bible Study twice a week ( got it done about once a week, need to start up my morning devotionals again)
Thirst Bible Study weekly ( not even started!)
Finish Omnivores Dilemma ( picked up a new book instead)

Garden
Build second layers on two beds (Nov. for sure!)
Build two new beds (Nov. for sure!)
Prep one bed as a winter compost bed
Plant Mums in front yard for Autumn (Casey exercised husband veto on this one)

Health
An hour on the Elliptical 4 times a week ( HA! I am so bad)
Do 30 day Shred 3 times a week

Money
Update Budget weekly
Create new budget report for businesses (started but ran into some coding issues, still working on this one)
Organize business receipts for the summer (started! but not complete)
Stay within monthly budget for grocery! ( we went over by $75)
Track personal spending of cash money ( wasn't horrible with this, but I need to use my money book again)

The Christmas Prep
Make a Holiday budget!
Price Alex gifts
Purchase some Alex gifts. (Nov. is out gift purchasing start!)
Work on craft gifts
Organize Holiday Closet
Overall I got a lot of it done, some areas I just need to focus on ( like health and personal). I hated not being able to cross things off just because they were not completely done yet, just more motivation to do it! Look for Novembers goals tomorrow! I WILL get more done next month. :)

Halloween DayBook!

FOR TODAY HALLOWEEN October 31, 2009

Outside My Window... It is sunny and clear, and cool. Perfect 'ween weather.

I am thinking... about my October goals and new November goals to post.

I am thankful for... RAIN, my new hello Kitty blanket, awesome time with awesome friends, the feeling this holiday season is giving me.

From the craft room... still organizing and purging, love clearing shelves and walls and filling garbage bags.

From the kitchen... homemade pizza tonight!

I am wearing... jeans and perfect fit tee.

I am creating... piles, lists, a micro managed Christmas gift list for a kiddo, and inventory lists for each upcoming holiday. I hate over buying.

I am going... trick or treating, a neighbor is BUILDING a haunted maze in their yard today!

I am reading... My bible, An Echo in the Bone, and tons of blogs.

I am hoping... for a well managed week. No wasting time!

I am hearing... a Ghost Hunters Marathon

One of my favorite things... our Spooky Town Mantel.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Monday: Home.
Tuesday: Work from Home
Wednesday: Home
Thursday: Home
Friday: Work
Saturday: WURSTFEST!
Sunday: Home

Carousel

I went to a wedding once as a child, the wedding was for a friend of my moms, a lovely woman named Kathleen. She was always the height of fashion and style. And she would sneak me candies when I was at my moms work. The reception was held at her parents house, out in the backwoods of Fallbrook or San Marcos or Del Mar. I was bored out of my mind as kids usually are at events that have nothing to do with them, that was until I spied something magical at the end of the property. Kathleen's parents had purchased years before the original carousel that use to sit at the end of the Oceanside pier, and now it resided down a small slope with a forest of trees surrounding it.

I walked between those old tired and worn out horses and sea monsters and sled chairs. There were crunchy leaves beneath my feet and spiderwebs hanging from the poles. But it was in an entirely different world then the very 80's party that was above me at the house. This carousel was a time machine to the beach and sun and sand and bathing suits not made with spandex. It was a piece of my local history, resting quietly away from the sea, slowly rotting into the forest around it. The carousel was divided into four different seasonal themes. There were horses with garlands of spring flowers permanently woven through their manes, and Tigers with snow clotted on their paws and holly on their backs.

I think of that carousel sometimes, of how the wood was weathered and the paint pealing, but if I tried only a little bit I could see it as it was meant to be, shiny, colorful and in use. My mom found me sitting in the nook in the very center of the carousel with my back to the spotted mirrors. I was imagining what the carousel would have looked like whirling around me. All of those seasons turning forward, spinning by so fast into the next.

As I have gotten older, my days feel like that imagined carousel turn, just peeling by so quickly, blurring into the next, with small details popping out of the daily smear. If I stand in the center of it all and focus on one day, one time, and turn my head with it as it moves by, that smidgen of minutes slows and comes into focus. I can follow it, watching it's moments and small details with ease. Soaking up the day instead of letting it blow by me. Focusing on its purpose, relishing its small delights, like fresh vacuum lines in the carpet, the crispy edges of newly turned leaves, the chill that rests on the windows in the mornings, and the squish of feet into slippers.

I have been focusing on the carousel this week, watching it spin and stepping on to ride each day. Life has been colorful and with purpose and savored like it should be.

The night before

We have good friends coming into town tomorrow, which makes tonight the night before. Which means I have turned into a crazy bitch. Truly... mean Nicole to the hilt. But we have put up pictures that have been down for 6 months, I bought the perfect frame for a long ago gifted poster, I spray painted old frames and rehung them, we have grocery shopped, prepped the guest room, super vacuumed, are about half way through last minute laundry, and need to finish the bathroom tonight.

And I have to work tomorrow and the next day. Which means Casey is on house duty tomorrow and on Friday he is treating our friends to a great tour of our home town. But come Friday night, after Alex is dropped off at my parents and I have battled traffic to get back home, I will be in full friend party mode.

I can't wait.

*whisper* omg it was scary...

Okay so one of my goals for the month of October over on the right, was to clean out our fridge and clean and organize our freezer. I knocked out the freezer a week ago in 15 minutes, it was easy peasy and had only one thing thrown away, an odd bag of tropical fruit that was questionable.

I cleared lots of stuff off the front of the fridge, but it is hard to get rid of it all cause it makes me happy.

Which left me with purging and scrubbing the fridge, something I hate to do because it is difficult to get the shelves out of the fridge and honestly we had a mess happen a while ago that I just didn't want to think about.

Loads of meats! Not a lot of veggies since we like to eat them fresh.

Today was the perfect day to get in there, take everything out, and scrub. We have friends coming this weekend to stay over and since the fridge is always in plain sight, I thought I might as well get it over with today. It is rainy and dreary and I had more then an hour to kill.

Everything was removed one shelf at a time, the expiration date was checked, it was either chucked or wiped down, and then the shelf came out for a major scrub down. I busted out my Pampered Chef scraper ( which is one of my all time favorite cheapo purchases!), the scrubby pads, lots of soap and got to cleaning. Once clean I dried the glass shelf off and then tackled the walls and tracks of that shelving area.

Its CLEAN! And organized, now just to keep it that way.

One shelf at a time I cleaned it up, straightened it all out, and realized how much salsa we have in there. I also got a really good idea of what we need to eat and what we do not need to buy again.


I think my favorite shelf is the bottom one, Wine RockStar and Vanilla Creamer, what more could I want. Oh! Applebutter, that is down there too!

The doors were super easy, all most as easy as the fridge. Can you tell that we are a sauce/condiment family. Sauces make everything tasty.

My number one reason for doing this mega purge and scrub? If the health department came and did an inspection, my kitchen would have been shut down! Eekk! So horrible to even think about!

Which leads me to ask you, Would your kitchen pass a health inspection?

October goals, let's talk about them 10 days late

I just spent 30 minutes digging around in my garden beds, prepping one for a huge batch of leafy greens, another for onions/scallions/and the like, and the other was just some weeding and thinning of my latest plantings. While up to my wrists in freshly turned soil I realized that I have yet to blog about the goals I established for myself for October.

I was inspired by Kim at The NewlyWoodwards to goal out each month. As soon as I revamped my layout, I posted my October goals in the sidebar on the right. At the end of the month I will tally up how well I did.

So let's review!

Home

• Finish painting the Downstairs
• Purge and organize my office
• Decorate for Fall
• Organize kitchen appliances and storage in pantry

Food

• Make a list of easy sauces
• Purge Freezer and Reorganize
• Inventory Pantry
• Clean fridge!

Personal

• Peter Bible Study twice a week
• Thirst Bible Study weekly
• Finish Omnivores Dilemma

Garden

• Build second layers on two beds
• Build two new beds
• Prep one bed as a winter compost bed
• Plant Mums in front yard for Autumn

Health

• An hour on the Elliptical 4 times a week
• Do 30 day Shred 3 times a week

Money

• Update Budget weekly
• Create new budget report for businesses
• Organize business receipts for the summer
• Stay within monthly budget for grocery!
• Track personal spending of cash money

The Christmas Prep

• Make a Holiday budget!
• Price Alex gifts
• Purchase some Alex gifts.
• Work on craft gifts
• Organize Holiday Closet

Is it cold yet?

Penny wants to know when it will be cold. Me too Penny, me too.

That one voice

I have been hearing one voice daily for about 17 years. That of my alarm clock. One day 17 years ago I decided that I needed to have an alarm clock that would wake me up to my favorite track on a favorite CD. So I trotted my butt down to JcPennys, and ORDERED from a CATALOG my alarm clock.

#1: Did you catch the order/catalog bit? Anyone else remember the huge storage and bin areas at JcP's for the catalog pick up area? Catalogs rocked.

#2: Yes, I am still using the same magnavox alarm clock, only thing that doesn't work is the radio because my cat in college chewed off the antennae. And it is huge.

#3: Okay, so I don't hear it every day.

Anyways, same voice most mornings, telling me to haul my ass out of bed. But lately, my brain isn't allowing my ears to hear that voice. But at the same time my brain is telling my hands to hit the snooze and shut that old voice up. Which translates into = I have been waking up late. Usually to a string of curses coming out of my mouth. I actually yelled Oh Shit on Monday morning. And I wasn't even that late, it was a Panic tourettes.

So this morning, we needed to be up early-ish. I wanted Alex to take a shower in the am, eat breakfast here, ride the bus, and have time to eat another breakfast at school if he wanted too. All because of a stupid state math test today.

Enter Voice #2, my Blackberry alarm. It wakes me up to the tune of "antelope" and didn't have a snooze. Or so I thought, because my brain figured out that if I just slap the keyboard, snooze goes into effect. *sigh*

But I still got up, which means I haven't tuned out this new voice completely. I think I might need to move my alarm clock all the way over to the other side of the room. But then I am sure to break an ankle doing morning acrobatics trying to shut it up. Trade offs...

New Fence!

This week we got a new fence installed. We had been pricing fences for years, the lowest quote we had found was over $5,000, did I mentioned that we have a very deep property? But then our neighbors got a discounted rate through the company their son in law works for, so we jumped on it!Our old fence was a horrible cheap basket weave that was getting ready to fall down. In some cases it did fall down. It was an easy escape for the dogs. They could climb over it, crawl under it, or just knock it down if they really wanted too.
So the crew came out and demo'd it all in one day, dug new post holes, leveled the ground, destroyed some Chinaberry Trees ( which we hate), and four days later...

We have a new fence! We opted for a gate in the back to the greenbelt, just in case the girls ever get out again, and to make it easier to keep the greenbelt easement maintained. We are so happy! It feels great to have a sturdy fence to keep our girls in and people/critters out. Yay!

This was the last item on a list we made the week we moved in, five years ago, of things we wanted to get done. Now on to a new list! Thanks Casey for all the work you did to pay for the fence, you ROCK!

Shedding the Old

I am making some changes to my blog layout. Please bear with me while all the kinks are getting worked out. Thanks!

A list

I am recovering from a nasty cold, not the flu because it has only lasted a day, but man alive it wasn't fun. things to accomplish this week:

• Finish painting ceiling ( A MUST DO!)
• Pick paint color for main walls.
• Figure out the next step in Entrelac.
• Decorate for Halloween
• Plan this month's scout meetings.
• Hang pictures.
• Start Christmas giftie list
• Prep for Garage Sale.

Always Sometimes Never

I Always:

• use Chapstick
• kiss Alex goodnight before I got to bed myself
• sleep with my Gagoon
• delete the recording from the DVR right after watching a show
• cook way to much food

I Sometimes:

• read celebrity gossip sites
• get embarrassed for cartoon characters
• daydream about Disneyland
• get on the ground and wrestle with all the dogs
• drink more than one cup of coffee

I Never:

• think we have too many dogs
• bite my nails (so glad that I stopped years ago!)
• eat olives, yuck
• will forget how Casey and Alex laugh together
• doubt the therapeutic qualities of trashy TV

FOR TODAY September 21, 2009

Outside My Window... It is sunny and clear, and cool. Autumn is officially one day away!

I am thinking... about Betty who slept on the couch all night and who is sleeping more and more.

I am thankful for... Casey's local gig this week, so nice to have him home at night.

From the craft room... No crafting, but MAJOR purging as I am prepping for a garage sale where I am going to unload lots of crafts.

From the kitchen... Comfort Foods, made Beef stew and Risotto this weekend.

I am wearing... PJ's still

I am creating... piles and price stickers

I am going... no where, Alex is home sick with a fever, sore throat and sinus issues, poor bug.

I am reading... My bible, doing a couple studies and LOVE it.

I am hoping... that Alex is feeling better and fever free this afternoon.

I am hearing... Alex's TV and Legos clattering together.

One of my favorite things... my new juice glasses that my mom scored for a steal.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:
Monday: Home.
Tuesday: Home

Wednesday: Home
Thursday: Home
Friday: Work

Saturday: Raingutter Regatta

Sunday: Home

Picture to share:

Alex at the breakfast table really early this morning. I figure I can at least try to get one solid meal in him before he passes out for the rest of the day.

Power to the Budget!

I am obsessed in a game, Budget Wars. No really, its just me crunching numbers and making everything fit in our current budget. I have also drafted a new bare bones budget to be ready for lean times (which we know are coming) and to see how much "extra" I/we really spend each month. It was sobering because even at the bare bones level, I could/can shave off a couple hundred more if we really had too.

Let me back up a minute, to a not so distant past, I use to hate to Budget. I was "afraid" (my own word) of the money, and of figuring everything out, and how to track it all, and of just doing it. But a couple months ago we got the new version of Quicken, and I have been a tracking fiend since then. Everything is entered, categorized, budgeted out, and tracked to the penny. I have been pulling reports and income sheets. I have been forecasting and planning and aware of our future money status. It has been EMPOWERING. Seriously, the best game I have ever played.

This Budget Game has not only helped me to have a handle on our finances, but it has opened up communication with Casey that wasn't there before, it has lowered stress levels, and it has shown me where I need to stop blowing money (like everywhere). I have learned so much about our money habits, our businesses, and how to eat like a King on the cheap.

Which has been the newest part of the Budget Game, this weekend Casey and I have broken down every meal we have eaten and priced it out per person, or what we could have spent on it if we had not eaten out. Pretty darn amazing when I can see the meal in front of us only cost $2 a person and that it will last for two meals. I now want to calculate how much Alex's lunch box meals cost each day. :) Because I really want to know how much that Ham Sandwich costs.

I have also been looking to the future to events we know are coming up and that we have more then a couple of months to plan for, things like Christmas, Alex's birthday, a vet appointment for Betty, Christmas cards, HOA dues, Pool Chemicals for the rest of the year, etc. It's awesome, at least today it is. I love feeling like I have control of the hard earned money Casey brings in, and how quickly it leaves our hands.

Thanks Casey. :)

Betty Watch

We are on Betty Watch here at home.

We shaved Betty early this week, shaved off piles and piles of fur to not only cool her off but to get a good look at her body. Sweet Betty has so many new growths on her, down her back, more on her belly, and huge growths on her leg and neck.

In just 5 days she has lost weight, had many episodes of bloody stool and vomiting. She sleeps all day, with small periods of happy Betty time. She shakes and shivers, and has a hard time calming down before sleeping for hours on end. The vet says that she is not in pain yet, but we will have to make a decision soon. Sweet Betty, we love you.

More then you ever wanted to know, A Confession

Okay ya'll you are going to get details today of my butt. Yes, the thing I sit on.

First let me tell you about a conversation Casey and I had today solely because of what happened. We have come to the conclusion that I am a Body Klutz, I am forever doing something to hurt myself or blur my vision or break a toe or get attacked by an iguana, point is I am always saying Ow. Casey on the other hand is an object Klutz, he breaks things sometimes fresh out of the Christmas box, or he drops things or loses them, objects should run for cover when Casey comes around.

Okay back to the butt. I hurt a part of my butt today (HA the whit is slays me and soon you will get why I am laughing, come back and read this first sentence again after you read the rest of this paragraph, HA a part!). See my butt has a dimple right at the top of my crack. Sorry, see, I told you you would learn intimate details today. But anyways, the dimple, its there, its cute (really it is) and today I gave it a contusion.

Basically what I did today was plop my ass on the ground and didn't notice the hard plastic Rubbermaid drawer that was open and somehow the sharp hard corner of that Rubbermaid drawer Contused my butt Dimple. And it HURT like you wouldn't believe. I immediately got up, jumped up and down and cried over my butt. I woke Casey up because I was whining over my dimple while I was trying to get a good look at the damage in the mirror. He, who is married to this Body Klutz, barely cracked an eyelid to ask if I was okay and did I need emergency care (he is an old Pro). Really all I wanted was sympathy because there is not much to do for a butt dimple contusion, except pity me.

Finally the ache and pain lessened to a dull roar, I was able to go about my day. But tonight while I changed into my Pj's, I twisted around to see my dimple in my vanity mirror and it looks like a darn two year old swirled red and purple markers into my butt dimple. Luckily for you I have an aversion to posting pictures of my admittedly adorable butt dimple on the Internet, so you don't get to see the damage. But at least it is pretty damage right? Think it will scar!?

Two ladies

Can you see the two cloud ladies having a conversation?

A Long Weekend Love

Three days just sounds so much better than two days. I am right? Three days FEEL better than two days. On that I know I am right. These three days really feel like the end of summer to me. Our temperatures are still high, our AC is on all day long, you could fry an egg on the hood of a car, but today (for me) is the final day of summer.

We went Halloween shopping this weekend, and came away with a huge list of things we would like to add to our collection this year. I have started a fall knit, and have a pile of them que'ed on the chair next to me. I am searched for an open salon all day because someone decided to cut his own hair, but all were closed to enjoy today as much as we have.

We gave many many baths this weekend, mostly because Penny decided to play with a skunk, but also because it is warm enough that the dogs won't hate the cold hose, but love it instead. The garden is being prepped for a very late Fall crop, hopefully they will last through Thanksgiving. Green beans, squash, pumpkins, spinach, chives. And then the weather can turn to frost and cold snaps all it wants. Or I should say, All that I want.

This weekend of family and days and sleeping in and coffee fastings and red beans with rice and The Phantom Tollbooth and us squeezing the last bit of summer flush from our days. Perfect. It has all been perfect.

The Reality of Living with Dogs

Yeah I am going "there"! This is the contents of today's vacuuming session. The majority of that is dog hair from our Cockapoo Betty and black Lab Bella. Those two are lucky we love them so much. :)

PickUps

It's Friday, which is my pick up day. The day that I travel the house, room by room, putting away all the many things that find their way to ports of far. How yarn ends up in Alex's room and fliflops in the bathroom I will never know. But it is the day to return them to they home ports. The day to pick up decide if it really needs to stay, toss in to appropiate piles, put away what is staying and whisper promises to never ever let the scatter get to be so bad again. But every Friday it is the same.

My day is filled with picking up, cleaning, cooking, and organizing. A perfect day.

Loft

Alex and I were in the car, driving down the farm road. The air outside held just a hint of the coming Fall. That hint drifting through the late summer heat, cool and wispy, quietly insistent that it is on its way. Days of early dusk, smoke, comfort foods, blazing colors, and whispers of scary things are just a calendar page away. We crave these things, these changes. Summer has been to long, to stifling, it has been to much of a good thing.

We were both in that lovely quiet stage that occurs when you know you are all most home, but there is still time to relax and be lulled by the drive. The sunlight was crystal clear and golden, the evening still had a couple hours of light and heat. Still so many minutes to be savored and enjoyed before bed wrapped us up tight waiting for another day. Then off to the right a loud smack and pop. A pigeon had hit our windshield, its force colliding with our forward motion. The glass held a perfect dust smudge of a wing, body and head. Feathers and gore fluttered and blew in the wind. Looking behind us in the rear view mirror, a feathered body tumbled and rolled on the ground. She was lost to this world as quickly as could be.

I have been feeling like that image I have of the tumbled feather body rolling on the ground. I feel like I am low to the ground, pressed into the soil, without a wind to guide me up. I feel flustered and ruffled and with an ugly smear on my life. I have been struggling trying to get up, lifted, and out of the road. I crave a breeze to change my direction. I want a North wind to blow into my life and clear the dust and webs. I keep looking, searching, praying for a golden wind to follow. Anything to get me where I need to be.

Just what I need, a list!

Actually a couple lists!

Quick thoughts:

• Old old friends who have come back into my life this past year make me feel warm and fuzzy. Thanks friends.
• I have picked up knitting again after my summer heat hiatus. Have a yummy project on my needles that I can't wait to wear!
• Dogs make everything better.
• So does really good risotto leftovers.
• I need a facial, maybe I will bust out the goods tonight to lay one on.
• Have been feeling fall in the air these last two days, actually it has LOOKED like fall but FELT like summer. Which means a change is brewing.

A to-do list for this coming week:

• Clean, reorg and purge my office. It is a nightmare.
• Frog any knit projects that are not complete.
• Finish painting the downstairs ceiling.
• Plant a late fall garden.
• Clean and reorg the pantry, again, it is a disaster in there.

Okay, time for nighttime tea!

Risotto, the new way to meditate.

Tonight's dinner was fabulous! It was creamy and cheesy and spicy sweet and perfect. The minutes spent stirring the risotto at the stove were a great way to destress and zone out after a hectic afternoon at the doctor and then rush hour traffic. Recipe is from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazines, Nov 2006. I made some changes which I put in bold.

*******************************************
Ingredients
Serves 4
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, in juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
3/4 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
1 small onion, finely chopped
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine ( I didn't have any so I just added some of the tomato broth mixture at this point)
1 bunch flat-leaf spinach, (10 to 14 ounces), washed well, tough stems removed, chopped (about 7 Cups) I only used about 5-6 oz and I didn't bother trimming stems
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving (optional)
2 tablespoons butter

Directions
In a small saucepan, combine tomatoes (with their juice) and 3 cups water ( I used fresh chicken stock it made a HUGE difference). Bring just to a simmer; keep warm over low heat.

In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium. Add sausage and onion; season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up sausage with a spoon, until sausage is opaque and onion has softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Add rice; cook, stirring until well coated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine; cook, stirring until absorbed, about 1 minute.

Add about 2 cups hot tomato mixture to rice; simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until absorbed, 4 to 5 minutes. Continue adding tomato mixture, 1 cup at a time, waiting for one cup to be absorbed before adding the next, stirring occasionally, until rice is creamy and just tender, about 25 minutes total (you may not have to use all the liquid).

Remove pan from heat. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, and butter; season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately (risotto will thicken as it cools), and sprinkle with additional Parmesan, if desired.

Things I am currently Crushing on.

It's Thursday, not Friday (boo!), so I need to share some of my current crushes right now.

The music, the Video, makes every morning awesome


The history, the process of getting into Heaven, the love, Damn Lisa See can put a great spin on a ghost/love story

Coffee, good glorious coffee.

Seriously, love this, I am thinking a self stocking stuffer!

Love this blog and what she did to her kitchen cabinets, I am totally doing this.

This first week back to school has gone great! Alex and I have fallen into a morning routine with out any issues. Homework has been a little bit of a struggle, but that is what the first week of school is usually like. This week has been like a mini vacation for me, next week will send us all back to the grind, Casey on a trip, Alex in school, me back to teaching a handful of days. Our schedule has become incredibly full all ready this year, every single day there is something for someone. I all ready long for Christmas break. But in the mean time, i am going to enjoy the cooler mornings, my family being all together for dinner every night, and mornings to myself.

Penny Medicine

Casey hurt his back this week, hurt it enough that he spent an entire day in bed, flat on his back with as little movement as possible. I found Penny giving him a dose of her loving.With Bella down below close enough to lick any hands or elbows that came close to the edge of the bed.
Archie and Sammy were running around like the loons they are.

And Betty was just trying to figure out if we had gone downstairs yet.

Letter to Alex

Dear Alex,

Here we are all ready in another school year, but this time you are going into fourth grade. I know I say it every year, but how did that happen so fast? Time really does fly when your child is growing up. I have noticed over this summer that you are maturing so quickly, both physically and mentally. Your body has stretched to show us a hint of the height you will reach, your shoulders have lost their slimness that you always had, and are now muscular and defined. You are still whip thin, but getting the swimmers body that you deserve with how much time you spent in the pool this year. I have never seen a kid who loves being in the water so much!

School work on the first day!

This summer we had to travel through a litany of medical tests and procedures for allergies, hearing, vision and the dreaded dentist. You have been awesome through all the appointments we had to go to. Even the dentist which you were worried about. The dentist was a great reminder to you that if you forget or shirk your responsibilities, like brushing your teeth, then you will have to pay the price later. For you it was two fillings and one tooth pulled, but not nearly as bad as they originally said it would be. And let's not forget how crazy funny you were with laughing gas, brought me to the point of tears. :)

Regardless of the mistakes, we are so proud of you and of how you have handled all the change. You are a master teeth brusher now. You take your allergy meds, which there are so many of, like a champs because you know that it won't last for very long, just long enough to get you through it.

A teacher treat! She has got to be nice if you got a bag of Lucky Charms on the first day!

Alex, this past year has brought many changes to your personality, things that we see as parents that you might not be aware of. You are DARING, love to try new things, even pushing through your fear this past year to get to the good parts. You love your friends, and have learned to be aware of their needs. You and Austin have grown really close, and have both struggled through this separation. But when you two are together, it is like a day was never missed. You have been making new friends, friends who are nice to you instead of you always trying to chase after the kids who are mean. I know you are just trying to show them that you are a great friend and trying to win them over, but in life not everybody will be your friend. You have learned to read the signs and move on to others even though I know it has hurt your feelings a little bit. But mostly I am proud of how you handle dealing with them AFTER the rejection, you treat them nicely, you still prove what a great guy you are, and most of them have come around to now wanting to be your friend. Good job buddy! Speaking of buddy, I have been trying not to call you my baby any more, I know, I know, your are 9, but you will always be my baby. So I have started to call you Buddy, even though I slip up most times. Just remember that Buddy is just as special as Baby to your Mom.

Your silly smile, it is hard to get you to smile nice at the camera anymore.

Alex I wish and pray for a fabulous new school year for you! You have a new class with new kids. Your teacher is great, steady and firm, fun and caring. You have a whole year to reach your goals, make new friends, and learn so much. You are still a crazy funny kid, which we love to see and always laugh over. Just remember when to be crazy funny and when to follow the rules. We are a family of rule "benders" and we hope that we have taught you when to notice the breaking point, just don't use those new skills on us Buddy! *grin*

Finally a nice smile.

You have two years till Middle school, two years till lockers, 6 different classes, band, more homework then you can imagine, and no recess. Two years Alex to enjoy, learn and grow. We love you and will do everything we can to make these last two years in Elementary School fun and exciting, but don't try to grow up to fast. Enjoy this time, have fun and use your imagination! Bury yourself in books, Cub Scouts, bible studies and friends. Make the best use of every minute of your day and lay yourself down at night with your mind full of all the new things you have learned.Rest easy in knowing that your Mom and Dad will always be there for you to help with homework or friendwork. You are deeply loved Alex, beyond the Moon and the Stars.

We love you Alex!

Mom and Dad

Melting Really Slowly

Jellyfish at Seaworld

It has been incredibly hot here in Texas. Now I know that hot is one of the first words to come to most people's minds when I say the word Texas, but really it is HOT here this year.

The sunsets burn every day. Because here in Texas the hottest part of the day is right before sunset. This strange land has done something wild with the sun and the way the earth absorbs the heat. It's like the broiler turned on right at the point of the day when you wish for a cool breeze.

Penny with no Shame.

The dogs have been miserable. Don't we all wish we could lay about exposing our hot parts to the little breeze that is available. Shhh, just between me and you, We do it too. But our breeze comes from inside the house, right underneath the ceiling fan. And you are lucky if you can score the ceiling fan and the AC vent at the same time. There is a reason we have Siesta. We need to reinstate it this year.

We spend tons of time in the pool. But there is not much relief when the water is 90+ degrees. It is like being in a spa without the bubbles. But it is always more enjoyable when you have a cool drink and a Lab who just learned how to take a flying leap into the pool on command and only on command. Bella has finally found her thing.

Lucky Bug got my freckles and his Dad's ability to tan.

We have ventured to SeaWorld, just to stand under a massive bucket every five minutes and get drenched. The sidelines are littered with parents sitting our asses in the water while our kids run amuck in the water plaground. And then we all plod happily to the bucket drop zone when the bell starts tolling that sweet wet relief is coming. SeaWorld trains Humans too.

But relief is coming soon. School starts on Monday, which means Fall is right around the corner. I pray for cold fronts and ice and fires in the fireplaces and heating my house through cooking. All warm things.

FaceBook has been killing my Blogging Mojo.

That's it. I am blaming Face book. It is a huge waster of my time. I check it a crazy amount of times during the day. Except for this past week, I have slowly been weaning myself from the crazy updates, the minutia of other people's crap, and invites to a game I will never play.

In hindsight I needed this summer off from publicly documenting. I needed to turn inward, to journal and study, to reach out to new friends, to spend my days with books and pen and paper. But I have been hearing my blog call out to me. Not a nice, friendly soft Hello. But a loud and insistent

HEY YOU!

So here I am again, words pouring from fingertips instead of tumbling out of my pen. Pictures have been taken, just to post here. Conversations have stuck in my mind, just to retell here.

Tomorrow will hold another post. But tonight is for me to lay in the bath and have private mental conversations with future posts. I can't wait to share them here...

I want to be ready

The calendar has flipped over to August and I have new routines on my mind. School is in less than 3 weeks and I am ready to get back into a school year routine. I am ready to get back into meal planning. I am ready to manage a bulging calendar of work/school/scouts/family/life. And let me tell you, that calendar is going to be crazy! In order to make sure I don't lose my mind and drive my family to murder, I am drafting a couple lists of things to do.

School routines

• Start easing into an earlier bedtime.
• Re-establish a nighttime routine for Alex
• Start laying clothes out for the week.
• Ease into more substantial breakfasts, no more cereal and yogurt. I need to switch Alex over to his school time eating schedule.

Meal Planning

• Take stock of the pantry and freezer.
• Clean both pantry and freezer.
• Plan a couple weeks worth of school lunches.
• Plan a couple weeks worth of dinners.
• Make and freeze a couple quick meals for that first week back to school.

Scouts

• Plan in detail the next four months of meetings.
• Have our back to school meeting with kids and parents.
• Prep handouts/posters/record tracking forms.
• Make sure all our events are in our family calendar.

On top of all these things that I want to do, I have a new MAJOR HAVE to do change. Alex has recently been tested for allergies and we have discovered that he has major reactions to 8 of the 60 panels that he was tested on, mostly bermuda grass and dust mites. Which means, House cleaning needs to step up. I am a lazy duster, truly only do it when I finally notice it. Eepp! We need to purge the clutter from his play room and bedroom just to lessen the surfaces and items that turn into dust collectors.

And have I mentioned that I haven't finished painting yet either?? Dang, I have alot to do!

A Public Service Annoucement

Ability to

There are few things we love more then the freedom that owning our own businesses give us. Casey has a large block of open time before us, and my work schedule is light through the week. Which brought us to the past Monday morning, sitting around the breakfast table, I wanted to go for a ride, Casey has always wanted to go to Shiner. So we packed a lunch, gased the car, loaded the iPod and cameras and DS into the backseat with the kiddo.

And we just went.

We drove through some of the most beautiful country I have ever laid eyes on. Country that makes me lust for land, for the ability to grow and raise what we want on that land. Lust for space and small towns and simple life.

With all this vast open range in front of us, the idea of subdivisions and crammed cities and metros just left a bad taste in my mouth. But for the day, this one day, we were out. We arrived in Shiner Mecca, set out our picnic, took pictures and talked and toured the perfect example of a small business keeping all its employees and making money in the current economy.

As we drove home through farmland listening to the Ting Tings I happily thought,

Life is Really Good.

SlumberDay

Last night we were all up late. Late airport trip, late night TV, late dinner for Casey, late to bed when it is closer to morning then night.

Late in Bed, time together, tangled sheets and pillows, fans blowing, night vision... but then a sharp headache, that worried me, so I stood by ready to help if needed. Worried.

Enter a lazy morning, where the time on the clock is minutes from a double digit. Time in Pj's with soft light, closed curtains, small bird cheeps from the nest outside our window. We rise, wake Alex with belly rubs and back scratches. Make breakfast and biscuits. Explain comedy that is not quite low enough for him to get.

Then we return to bed because the pups want to snuggle in the sheets. The flannel and cotton promise cool coverage. He slumbers. I rise. Putter around, but keep returning to the bed to rest and doze and touch an elbow or side. Bury my face into Archie's fur, roll into Casey arms, laugh with Alex over his comedy.

Rise again, while he sleeps wrapped in green, and the boy stands next to me asking me how to make his armpit fart. Our SlumberDay.