Last season game

Tonight is Buddy's last game of the season. We are all sad about it around here. It is an 8:00 game- which is perfect. The temps. cool down, the lights come on, and you feel like you are a part of something special. We all carry our camp chairs and sit by the dug out fence - waiting for the boys to do their thing. "If you bring them, they will come".... The boys are at home tonight and get to use the 3rd baseline dug out. Just like watching a good movie, we can eat candy and popcorn. Can I wax sentimental any more? I will have to get a hold of myself!

End of July

It is the 30th! Wow! As they say...how time flies when you are having fun. This has been a summer of fun- that is for sure.

It is early (8:00am.) and Buddy is already outside shooting baskets. I suppose he is beating the heat by playing outside this early. Martha is still sleeping. We are in a late night/sleeping in pattern. This will have to change in a couple of weeks, when school starts. I still get up to see Steve off for work, so I'm not getting to sleep in! Someone has to make the donuts..(lunches!).

I've ordered all my books for school. I should be getting a couple shipments in the mail this week. I love getting the new books. It is also a time when the kids are really interested in looking at them. After that, they don't care! :o) I am going to a 4-H planning meeting this afternoon. I am considering being a part of heading up this new organization in our area. I think the projects would be perfect for Martha!

Speaking of Martha, she tried to make brownies last night without any eggs. It did not turn out like she planned! She got online and found egg substitutes and tried using corn starch and oil...what a mess. She doesn't know it yet, but she is going to have to clean out the pan. The chocolate goo is cemented to the pan. It was good experience, though! She won't do that again. :o)

We learned a little about painted turtles last night. Buddy told me that he and a friend had a painted turtle that they were taking care of at his friend's house. They are so cute and make good pets...I have been hounded about buying a swimming pool for the turtle. I can only handle so many pets, although, I almost did take this matter up with Steve- which means Buddy has done a good job of selling his case. The turtles eat meat, lettuce, earthworms, and bugs. The actually are very good about eating almost anything. They bury themselves in the mud and hibernate over the winter. Buddy and his friend named the turtle Steve. I guess it is a good generic name!!!

Enjoy the last days of July! Have a great week!

Only one more game to go...

Here is the Thursday update! I am sure you are all so excited about it...Teehee!

Buddy's team won! They are 8-5 and in 5th place. It was a good game. He pitched strikes tonight, and had a Fielder's Choice and one good hit. We are all sad to see that there is only one more game left next Tuesday. We are so thankful to all of you who came out and supported Buddy. We enjoyed watching the games with you!! After his last game, his team will be in a 3 day tournament. I will let you know if they make the finals!

Martha got some boo-boos this afternoon. She had a hard fall from her scooter- she was going too fast on the wet road. We have her all bandaged up, but an arm and leg look a little tough.

We had some rain today. I can't remember when it rained last. I almost didn't recognize it! What a blessing!! Maybe I'll see a few more green sprigs shoot up. It will take a while before there is more green than brown.

I hope you all had a good day! The air smells fresh tonight. So nice.

Waiting for the sun to shine- NOT!

It is a good day to be indoors. What a hot day. My thermometer is in the shade and says 100 degrees. I don't think it is exactly right, but it has to be close.

Buddy won his game last night. He pitched one inning and was up to bat twice. He got hit with a ball, and got a base and the second up he struck out. They are now 7-5. Steve came early and helped some of the boys warm up in the batting cage. They enjoyed that. We had some friends join us- can you say "twist cone"? I should have taken a picture of the ice cream faces! Those pictures would be much better for the Dairy council to use for advertising then milk mustaches on celebrities.

I got a new pair of flip flops today. Those things are killers on the feet. I don't think a Podiatrist would recommend them. Why do I continue to buy them, then????? When will flip flop mania run its course and what did they do before flip flops? Inquiring minds want to know!

Monday, Monday

We are starting another week. Boy, did that weekend go by quickly- and we didn't do much of anything!

We have a week of sports ahead for Buddy and some girl time planned for Martha.

Buddy has 2 Basketball lessons on Monday and Wednesday of this week, and Baseball on Tuesday and Thursday evenings. He has his last two 6:00 games this week and two 8:00 games next week. We are almost done with Little League. Steve took Buddy out for baseball practice yesterday and helped him work up a sweat. I was told that batting gloves would really help out the game, so I splurged and got some batting gloves- we'll see what happens!!! ;o) He had one basketball lesson this afternoon- a private one-hour lesson with a college coach. It was a lot of fun to watch. Buddy learned how to shoot one-handed and how to practice some of the fundamentals- dribbling, etc. It is up to him, now, to practice until it becomes instinctual!

Martha received her Trixie books in the mail today and didn't waste time ripping open the box. She is starting with Trixie Belden and the Mystery off Glen Road- book #5. Will Trixie solve the mystery? Will Honey lose her temper? Will Di get lost? I have no idea what I'm saying, but I'm sure the book will answer all your questions!

Hmmm..what other news? Oh, I went 30 miles an hour in a 35 mile an hour zone for a good half-mile just to irritate an impatient woman tailgater. Have you ever done that? I waved my fist in the air and went real slow. She kept wiping her bangs off her face, so I know I got to her. Don't mess with Texas. This is the passive aggressive way to handle people like that.

This week I am boycotting baking/cooking on the oven. The 90+ temps make it hard on the 'ol air conditioner and pocket book. I am thinking of easy meals- egg salad? french toast? chicken salad? Any ideas? Target now sells 7th Generation dish liquid so if you want to help keep phosphates out of water and lakes, please buy this product!

Steve has a predictable week of work ahead. Last week, his trivia team got 1st place. What brainiacs!

Well, I am rambling so I better go. I will keep you posted as the week progresses. Hope you all have a good one!

And the rocket's red glare, buncha bombs in the air..

I am doing my traditional post-game recap. It is almost 11 pm and I'm tired. However, news must get out while the brain has the details.

Buddy update: They are now 6-5. They won their game tonight 11-4. Buddy was awesome and "on". He got 3 hits, 2 of them really belted out there. He pitched a good 2 innings to start the game. The coach came up to me during the game and said what a nice boy Buddy was. He asked me what grade he was in and what school he went to. It was very kind of the coach to show an interest. This is the only time I was secretly rooting for the other team. They have lost every game, and I was willing to sacrifice our win for them. The boys on the losing team were awesome- so kind, so well-mannered. After 11 losses you'd think they would act negatively and sorry for themselves, but they didn't. Even their parents seemed to be so kind and supportive. More lessons from baseball.

Martha is a reading maniac. She has read 3 Boxcar Children books in the past week (and that is with a busy schedule). She is getting a shipment of Trixie books next week and can't wait to get her hands on them. She already told me she wants to stay home next week so she can read her books. I am proud of her! I never would have imagined her interest growing so much with reading books. She has had good friends, like Lollie and Violet (I'm using this until I get a better name), to encourage her.

Steve has been walking around singing songs. The kids and I are living normally, doing our every day activities and he is walking around the house singing, out loud, as if he is the only one here. I caught Buddy singing the Star Spangled Banner in the living room by himself. I was out on the deck and heard him switch over to his falsetto (sp?) voice. (around the time the rockets had a red glare and the bombs were bursting in the air) He takes after his father on this one. You should read all the verses to the Star Spangled Banner sometime.."their blood has wash'd out their foul footsteps' pollution"...O...K.....

Time to get everyone into bed. Best wishes, sweet dreams.

Pretty much a blow-out

Here is my update from tonight's game- it was a blow-out. Buddy's team lost 11-1. Our team was ahead by one run after the first two innings, but it would appear that they were just warming up. The other team hit well and scored all 11 runs in the 3rd and 4th innings. I was more disappointed than Buddy, who was rationalizing the loss. Oh well. It is true- you win some, you lose some. We seem to be hanging in the middle of the pack on that score. Our main consolation was the return of our team pictures. I had to get a button of Buddy and we even ordered a couple extra for the grandparents...although, I am not sure if I can part with a single one. They may have to wrestle it from my hands. I can still say it- he looks so cute!!!!! The pair of cleats really adds that extra something.

There you have it. We are going to the lake tomorrow to cool off.

Have a good day.

Some sentimentality....

The weekend is over, the week has begun. (can be sung to the tune to "Morning has broken")

Here are the words in case you get on a role: Morning has broken like the first morning; Blackbird has spoken like the first bird. Praise for the singing! Praise for the morning! Praise for them springing fresh from the Word! 2. Sweet the rain's new fall sunlit from heaven, Like the first dewfall on the first grass. Praise for the sweetness of the wet garden, Sprung in completeness where His feet pass. 3. Mine is the sunlight! Mine is the morning, Born of the one light Eden saw play!Praise with elation; praise ev'ry morning, God's recreation of the new day!

I love that hymn!!! If you don't know the tune you have to click on this link (do it on your second tab, so you can read my blog and hear the music at the same time!) http://www.cgmusic.com/cghymnal/others/m/morninghasbroken.htm

My good mood is not a result of ANYTHING- in case there are those of you who wish to draw strange conclusions. :o)

We have 8:00 games this week for Buddy. This is tough for visitors, but I look forward to sitting under the lights.

Martha has an orthodontist appointment mid-week. We are almost at the 1 year mark. She has been a trooper. Braces are one of the only inventions that still seems to come from the dark ages. Just look at them sometime.

We are expecting heat for the next few days. I must be diligent to water my flowers. It would be a shame to lose them in July. I have never been able to keep up watering for a garden. July was always the month when the heat would win and my plants would succumb to a slow death by dehydration or crowding out by weeds that could withstand summer heat. I am thankful for and happy to support my local farmer's market.

I will try to put out an update after Buddy's BIG game tomorrow. I hope you all have a great day and great week!!!

End of week update

I can smell Friday coming! Hooray! I think I will start keeping track of the miles I put on the van each week. This week was all driving-Driving to the park, driving to movies, driving to appointments....ugh! I am glad tomorrow is not full of driving.

Did we have a good evening, you ask? Why, yes, we did!!!! Buddy's team won, putting them at 5-4. They have a winning record! Buddy got on base 3 times- one walk, one hit, and one painful hit on his forearm by the ball sent him to 1st. The coaches bat him 3rd, which is very nice. They expect him to get on base so that the 4th batter can bring him home. He was the starting pitcher and allowed 0 runs, 2 walks and struck out 2 guys for his 2 innings of pitching. The final score was 17-2!!! All the guys were on a hitting streak and wacked the ball well. Grandma and Grandpa- you missed an awesome game. Our boy was on!

The kids have enjoyed some time with their friends. We are in the process of picking names for them- so stay tuned! Martha has had some "play time" (sorry, Martha, for the more childish description!) with several friends. There was talk about Violet, Hermione, Elizabeth, and Cho. This is what summer is all about. Buddy played with his good friend, Nemo. They are such a pair. Nemo lives within a 5 minute drive, so that is easy for me. They are digging a hole to China. If they don't make China, they are hoping to hit water.
I am thinking about sending a canary down with them.

I had my monthly crack-the-back routine. It seems to be a help. My Chiropractor has an amazing memory of all that I tell her, so maybe her help is more along the lines of a Psychiatrist. Two services for the price of one- an excellent deal.

I've lived off of fresh raspberries, blueberries, and cherries this week. I think it is starting a detox process of some kind! I HAVE to get my fill before my diet is all apples.

Hodge Podge's friend has recovered from his dental work. He is taking his antibiotic and appears to be feeling well. We found out he lost 2 pounds! We are almost half-way to our goal. It sure takes discipline to keep him from eating. I know people have their own metabolisms that affect their ability to lose weight..I wonder if dogs do too? Pretty soon we will see a "Curves for Dogs" in each city. Remember, it was my idea first!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Thanks for stopping by. Feel free to comment, if you can. Next week Buddy plays the #1 team in the league..it should be thrilling. Steve plays trivia, too. As always, I'll keep you posted!

Monday musings

Did you have a nice weekend? I hope so.

I just got back from a good walk/ride combo. It is a lot easier to work out when the temperature isn't so high. It is a beautiful evening here. Buddy, Steve, and a couple of neighborhood boys have been playing some basketball in our driveway, so they are also getting some good exercise.

It was a big day for Hodge Podge's friend. He had an early appointment at the Vets this a.m. for prep. for his dental procedure. I scheduled him for a major dental cleaning (scraping). My vet recommended this- just a one time event around the 5-7 year mark. Hodge Podge's friend was showing some decay and the vet ended up pulling a tooth that was ready to fall out- so the timing was just right. I'm glad it wasn't a tooth that he used for chewing- it wasn't one of his precious molars! ;o) Anyway...my friend is recovering tonight. He is wobbly and looks kind of funny- like he is not all there. I am getting a look that is slightly glazed over. He did eat some food just a little while ago. I will see if it stays down. Poor puppers! I think Steve is a little jealous of all the attention my friend is getting. I better even that out a bit.

We are getting ready for Steve's parents to arrive tomorrow. Buddy has a big game and so we thought we'd increase the cheering section. His team is in the middle of the pack and we are hoping for a couple of wins this week to improve team morale.

Martha had a good time playing with her friend recently. A good friend is a real gift- and this special friend has been a true gift to Martha. I do feel sorry for her friend's brother who gets played with like a rag doll and dressed up. He is starting to figure out how to protest all of this, but the girls still enjoy themselves.

We are half-way through our study time in the book of Colossians. It has been interesting for me. I am learning things that I never knew were in this book in the Bible. It is awesome. You never know what you might dig up, and you can't know unless you give it a try.

This past Saturday was so hot, we hooked up a sprayer attachment to our hose and had fun cooling each other down. We all ran around in our swim suits and enjoyed getting sprayed- drying off-getting sprayed-drying off-getting sprayed-drying off...........It was like being at the beach without the beach or the lake.

After the 4th recovery

We have another wonderful summer week under our belts. They are slowly slipping by. There were 2 main events this past week, group camping from Sunday-Tuesday and celebrating the 4th with family members who stayed with us from Tuesday-Thursday. I have awakened this morning with a slight non-alcoholic hangover feeling. You would not believe the laundry pile I have. I am hoping I can get dressed this morning.

Camping was a lot of fun. The kids and I joined 2 other families from our homeschool co-op and had a 14 person group camp experience. It was primitive, with one vault toilet and one pump for water. (you couldn't even turn a spigot, it was a real pump). Half way through our adventure it rained for several hours. The kids were just great and found ways to make it fun. We went on a great boating trip up and down the Mississippi. Buddy and his friends spent much of the time fishing off of the beach near our site. One poor Northern (I think) was caught and released. I don't believe in catch and release- either you eat the thing or don't fish at all. What a joke- the fish is pulled out of the water for many minutes, the hook is ripped out of its mouth or gills and then put back to go live a happy life. Yeah, right. Sorry.....
The children (all 8 of them) entertained us with stories, jokes, and drama. We played a new game called "Mafia" -which was a blast!! It is a great game for around the campfire at night- and easy for the adults who don't want to get out of their chairs. (like me!) Martha was especially keen on the drama and stories and Mafia games. We also visited an Ecodome. This is a home that is built to be totally "Green". It has composting toilets, solar/wind power, etc. Steve and I have always dreamed of living in a Geo-dome and it made me even wish for it more! I am sure all the local building codes make it virtually impossible to try something lilke this.

Our 4th celebrations with our relatives was also very nice. We spent the 4th at a nearby lake. We swam, ate good food, and enjoyed the gathering of good friends with good conversation. Buddy got a whopping headache and a couple others weren't feeling well, so we were unable to stay for fireworks, but it was still very nice. Yesterday, our group went to another unique county park for a swim. We wore ourselves out hauling floaties, towels, and coolers-but wouldn't have done it any differently. I think Buddy and myself are a shade darker after all that sun.

Steve has been listening to Dennis Prager (a very interesting talk show host). We have been having a great time discussing (it is not fighting...but, rather, an energetic exchange of ideas) some of the topics. We can download the programs onto our MP3 players, enabling us to cut out all the commercials, etc. He talked with the author about the book "Rethinking Thin". It was very interesting- one point of the discussion was that not everyone can reach that perfect thinness- and that genetics and physiology prevent it from happening. It was great. Prager also discusses religious issues. If you want to expand your thinking, listen to someone that is very intelligent and reasonable- but challenging, then this would be for you!!

Those are the highlights of the week. We are so thankful for all our friends and family who made it a week of summer bliss. This upcoming week we are back to baseball updates, a Harry Potter review, and hopefully some tackling of the monstrous pile of clothes in my basement. Hope you all have a good weekend!