April 2, 2015

Thursday 

I sat out on the porch this morning, in my hammock chair, reading. After breakfast I went to Walgreens and picked up Tommy's prescriptions. The band went to church to practice. I did school with the three youngest. 

For lunch I ate a big salad of kale and cherry tomatoes from my porch jungle. I also ate refried beans and an apple.

TJ dropped off the kids and he and Angelica went to their gig at Sloppy's. The big kids worked at church the rest of the afternoon, then went to youth group at the park, and played Ultimate frisbeei. 

I took the kids for a walk to Springer's and they sang. Charlie played his fiddle. When I got home I fixed the kids beans and rice and they both ate it all up. 

April 1, 2015

Wednesday

I went walking this morning. I wish I had more time to read. I made myself go. Didn't really want to. Came home and fought discouragement. Our house is soooo trashed. You can hardly get through the walkway at the front door. Kurt's camera stuff, Ed's merc stuff, shoes, garbage. :0( No one did the dishes last night. 

I swept around the kitchen table and washed it off. I spent 2 hours going over 2 algebra lessons and a quiz with Garrett.  I read with Charlie and he and Tommy did their schoolwork. I also worked on Ariel's dress some more. 

The band had a meeting at church at noon, then a practice afterwards. They were supposed to come home and do chores afterwards, but they didn't come home till it was time to leave for Schooner. 

Charlie was a brat. He spent an hour trying not to practice his fiddle. The band left about 4:45 for Schooner Wharf. I made Charlie ride with them and I left an hour later with TJ. I was able to sew a little longer before TJ and I left, but right before I was going to leave, Tom called me saying some exchange students from Germany would be at our house any second. The two girls are staying in Nina's room tonight and the 4 boys are staying at the church. 

Five minutes later I went to leave to pick up TJ and the Saturn wouldn't start. Some dumb security thing. The car starts but then stalls. Anyways, I switched to Ed and Nina's van. After I picked up TJ, the air in the van quit working. Grrr. It did start working halfway to Key West. 

It was nice being at Schooner's. I sat and knit. Watched Jake. It was fun. The night went by fast. Toko sang, and Jake, and Ian, and Naomi, and finally Charlie at the end. Lots of special guest stars. :0)

March 31, 2015

Tuesday

TJ dropped of Callie and Violet and they took Jake to the gig. He's in the band now, singing and playing mandolin. Nina brought Ariel and the two kids played ping pong and were very good at Blue Heaven. 

I took Tommy to the doctor this morning. He has an ingrown toenail that has been bothering him for quite a while and now it is infected. The boys started their schoolwork and I sewed on Ariel's dress. Tom got Kurt's car registered and Kurt and Jewel took Garrett, Tommy, and Charlie to gym class for me. They dropped them off, then went to Sombrero Beach in Marathon. I stayed home and watched Callie and Violet while sewing. They were both very good. Joe folded laundry. 

One of my teeth is bothering me. 

At 6:30 I went to Walgreens to pick up Tommy's  prescriptions, but the doctor never phoned them in. Grrrr. Since I was there, I bought Easter candy and stuff (for a million $). Now I'm ready for 14 kids and 2 extras. I felt horrible checking out though. There were many people waiting in line after me, and the young man kept asking for help, but there was only one girl to help and she couldn't speak any English, and she kept telling him "No."  Walgreens wouldn't hire Bob or the kids' friend Minoli. What are they thinking?

That ended up taking me an hour. I came home and started supper; rice , stir-fried veggies, salad, cantaloupe, and pineapple. That took 1 1/2 hours. The boys played hockey, came back at 9, and we ate. Charlie had a stomach ache and soaked in the tub, Tommy soaked his feet, I hid Easter candy, and went to bed. 

March 30, 2015

Monday

Looks like I was on vacation.  I haven't written for a week. Vacation? What's that? But I guess I was on vacation from writing. Nothing out of the ordinary happened, but I was just up too late every night to write.

Yesterday:  church, sewing, grocery shopping, made a huge Buffalo chicken lasagna and two ice cream cakes. The boys played hockey, then we ate and had a birthday party for Kurt, Aaron, and Jewel. We watched funny videos that the boys have made over the years. That is always fun. :0) Read to Charlie. 

 Now, back to today...

I went walking this morning and watered a few thirsty plants. I got Garrett and Tommy started with their schoolwork and then finished sewing Violet's Easter dress. It has lots of ruffles. Yesterday Kim was over, and she cut out Ariel's dress for me. So tomorrow I hope to get most of the sewing done on that. And the next day, Callie's dress. They are all the same dress pattern but different colors. Violet's is violet,  Ariel's is yellow, and Callie's will be pink. 

We left for Sloppy's at 3 so we could stop and meet people for a new gig. An accident happened in the street while we were waiting in the parking lot. 

The knitting needles I needed for Jake's sweater came today, so I knitted during most of Sloppy's, while sitting at the CD table. There were lots of fans there today. Nice! 

I forgot to mention that we have guests, Jewel and Emma. They came on Friday. I'm not sure how long they are staying. I haven't had a chance to ask anyone, but they are on spring break.

March 24, 2015

Tuesday

TJ dropped of his kids at 8:30 and picked up Nina to go play at Blue Heaven. Jake went to the gig too. Ian and Ariel were here. Ariel played nice with Callie, but Ian was bored till the other kids came back later. Ed dropped Charlie off at his fiddle lesson at 9 AM. Tom went to work at church at 10. Kurt picked up Charlie and took him and Garrett, Aaron, and Tommy to  Lower Sugarloaf. He dropped them off there with their bikes to go on a bike ride and bridge jump with the homeschoolers. A while later Kurt had to drive back down there and pick them up. 

Joe folded laundry till 4. TJ got back just before 4 and picked up Violet and Callie, and I went to Tai Chi. I picked up my produce afterwards and went home. I put the other lasagna (from Saturday) in the oven and threw together a salad and cut up cantaloupe, strawberries, and pineapple. 

There is cardboard all over the living room. Ed bought all this lighting stuff. It really is a mess. Shoes everywhere. We also have another ant invasion so I have ant poison akin there little road they have made in front it the bookshelf. It's a dirty mess. 

It's spring break. We had extra kids here late, jumping on the tramp and hanging around. 

Went to my room after supper, knit a few rows and read a chapter in "Tending the Heart of Virtue" before falling asleep.

Here's a pic of where the boys went today. The loop was the bike ride and then the brave ones jumped off a bridge. 

March 23, 2015

Monday

I went walking, and then couldn't decide what to do next. It's spring break here, and I had planned on doing bookkeeping all week, but Monday is my short day to get things done, since we leave for work at 3:30. So I did some school with the kids. 

Ed ordered a bunch of lighting things and they came today, 9 big boxes. Crazy Eddy. I made a giant salad and then we left for Sloppy Joes. It was busy and loud and fun.  Some old friends of Tom's from Orchard Park were in the audience. They stayed for the whole show and Tom sat with them while running sound.

It started to rain just as we pulled out and it poured while we drove home. I was scared my school books were getting wrecked at home because I left the windows open near the shelves, but Nina was home sick and closed them when it started raining in Big Pine. 

Everyone else was on their second wind when we got home but I went straight to bed.

March 22, 2015

Sunday

Went to church, Kim and Stevie came over, and I watched TJ's kids while he, Ang, Ed, and Joe played at Sunset Pier. 

After Kim left, I figured out how to watch the race online and the boys got it on the screen for me before they left for Schooner Wharf. I stayed home watching kids till Angelica got back from Sunset Pier. I quilted on Angelica's quilt while watching the race.

Tommy went to work, and after the kids were picked up I was actually home alone. That never happens! I didn't feel like making supper, so when Tommy came home at 8:30 we went to Boondocks for supper. Came home and did the dishes. Went to bed.