365 Project - Day EIGHTY

Boy have I been slacking on this.

We had a yard sale at our old house this weekend. It was multi-family, which makes for a lot of stuff and good advertising. Much of Thursday was spent gathering crap together and going down to set it up. I helped my mom set up a lot of her stuff for most of the afternoon. She had the remainder of her friend's estate that she was doing her best to sell. I only had a few things - mostly clothes. We purged SO much when we moved last year, then we also had a yard sale shortly after we moved into this house last year, so things were pretty weeded out. Therefore, I didn't have much in the way of merchandise. Regardless, I spent the day Friday tending to customers and merchandise. Saturday was much the same, but in between I took Jack to a birthday party while. Then there is the clean-up after the sale is over.

Yard sales are just plain exhausting. One thing I love about them is the people that come to the sales and the things they say. It's quite the people watching event. Fun stuff!

Yesterday, Justin turned 18. Jack told one of the boys at the birthday party that his oldest cousin turned into an adult....as if he went through some metamorphosis. It was cute.

Donna knew that the Clearwater Casino in Suquamish (north of Poulsbo) would allow 18 year olds to gamble. So a group of us drove Justin and his friend (who also recently turned 18) to the casino for their first trip. Justin had a great time and came out $35 ahead. He and his friend got these nifty bags for having their birthday this month and Jim even got one too for having a June birthday. It was fun, but a long drive...I would totally go back though. I'm a sucker for Indian casinos.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY NINE

Today, I got a great picture of Mazie looking out the front window. She was watching Jack ride his bike outside and was making sure he steered clear of her bike.

Usually when I turn the camera on Mazie, she musters a crazy face that I like taking pictures of, but I equally love these rare moments when she's just being still and observant.

Plus, she just looks golden to me.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY EIGHT

Na na na na....na na NA NA...HEY HEY HEY....Goodbye...

Yep, there goes the Ford (Found on Road Dead) (Fix or Repair Daily) (Failure of Research and Development). It's off to the repair shop to fix the oil cooler. Thank goodness for my dad (pictured - in yellow) and his steadfast commitment to AAA. He thinks he's bucking the system by telling them he needs a tow. Hooray Dad and thanks for getting the damn truck down to the shop. It's not my favorite thing to ride in, but the minivan will not tow the bomb shelter that is our trailer. And, I hate paying people to repair a vehicle. I guess this would be our contribution to the economic stimulus package.



Also today, we went to the Wild Waves/Enchanted Village water/amusement park. The kids and I got season passes this year and this is the first year since high school that I've actually donned a bathing suit and joined the kids. All the kids pictured above were in our little group, except for the boy in blue.

I wasn't about to wear a bathing suit until my friend Leanne said, "I just wear shorts and tank tops and mingle amongst the tiny 14 year olds - it's not my kids' fault I look like I do. They just want me to play with them...". So, off to Wal-Mart I went last night to hook myself up with some men's swimming trunks. And I went in the water. And we all had a blast. AND - just as anticipated, I'm cowboy-walking this evening with some chaffing issues. It was worth it.

Oh, and today was my brother's birthday. Happy 28th Travis!

365 Project - Day SEVENTY SEVEN

"Mom, I broke 5 fingers...look how much it hurrrrrts..." Mazie says as we're waiting for Jason to figure out a plumbing configuration. Jack and I had already perused the lawn and garden section. I picked-up a peony on clearance and a honeysuckle vine.

Yep, we're at Lowe's for our 'cram before camping trailer fix-up' trip to the store. Now, our gas water heater is kaput and we're installing an electric one Mike picked-up at a garage sale for $10.

We own a lot of these little elbows that were purchased and never used. But, we always go back for more. The trailer got brand spankin' new plumbing last year to replace all the old copper that kept fizzering.

Gotta love a 68 Aloha trailer. It's kinda like the 6 year old pictured above; cute, but a pain the ass sometimes.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY SIX

Today we celebrated Father's Day. Well, I don't know if you can exactly call this one a celebration. It's more like a recognition of sorts. There was a big elephant following everyone around all day. This should have been Brian's first father's day. A significant day in the life of a new dad. I'm angry and sad that he's not here to enjoy it. For sure he would have waltzed in the room, with a strut only Brian could produce, with his chest puffed up a little more because he'd proudly be carrying his girl in his arms.

Well Brian, you and Kelby made a beautiful person. She's bright-eyed and gifted. Thank you for letting her into our lives...

On a lighter note, my dad is officially a Croc-wearer.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY FIVE

I believe this cake signifies the end of Justin's graduation celebration. Like the cake states, congrats to you Justin, you made it.

Now his mother can relax a little and not focus on the graduation anymore. Justin is a pretty lucky kid; as usual, his mother went all out and made it a memorable moment in Justin's life.

Good job Donna, you raised a good boy and made him into a great pre-man.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY FOUR

How the hell my kids were able to drum up this many worms in the middle of a 75 degree day is beyond me. I do know there was a hose involved and the backyard. There were lots of screams of accomplishment and nervous laughter that accompanied the feat.

Their haul of 25 worms was impressive. They said some of them were even stuck together. Mazie surmised they were making more worms. Her intuition is scary.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY THREE

Jack gets a haircut. We thought the initial cut made him look a smidge like his grandpa. Plus it was fun to have a Mr. Whipple for a minute.

He likes the way this haircut feels under his hand and I've been thanked numerous times for the haircut. My sister thinks the finished product makes Jack look like a character from the movie The War...I agree.

365 Project - Day SEVENTY TWO

Last day of school. It finally arrived. The kids pictured above were all first graders...except my kids, who straddle the grade. Jack was a 2nd grader and Mazie a kindergartner. The premise of this picture was to take it of the kids on their way out of Discovery Primary. The first graders will now be distributed between 2 schools to complete 2 through 5. Mazie has one more year here. The hope is to include this photo in the first grader's senior graduation slide show. So, my kids will miss the bus on this one. That's ok though - because they will be at that particular graduation because 2 of their cousins are in that class.

Now begins the days of sleeping-in and the kids fighting more than usual about more of nothing.

365 Project - Day SIXTY THREE through SEVENTY ONE

Wow.

I'm so sorry blog. You must have thought I abandoned you. I did stray, but with purpose.

I spent days 63 through today either packing or recovering from the trip to Nacogdoches (nakadochess), TX... Jason's mom and her boyfriend live on a 70 acre farm just outside of Nacogdoches. The Nacogdochians that live there abbreviate it as Nac. So, since I've spent a few nights there, I believe I can call it that too. If only for the sake of simplicity.





On this approximate weekend every year, the people of Nac celebrate the super antioxidant blueberry by holding a festival, affectionately known as The Blueberry Festival. The festival was replete with just about anything deep fried you could imagine; oreos, twinkies, corndogs, fries, potatos, bacon...it was a smorgasbord of any food you could possibly want from a fair or festival. There were also inflatables for the kids, a petting zoo, live bands, blueberry pie and blueberry cobbler judging, eating contests, a hot rod show and a dress-up in vintage attire parade. Also present were the sponsors of the event handing out free bottled water at every corner. There was also a representative from Nestle's hispanic division giving out free hispanic popsicles (I had a tasty coconut one).



All this coldness and hydration was necessary because it was 96 frickin degrees out with about 90% humidity. This extreme climate was no place for a plus size woman. My sunscreen melted off my skin and exposed it to the death rays of the sun. Even though I painstakingly applied spf 70 before I stepped-out of the air conditioned sanctuary I call my hotel room.



Now, on a positive note, Nac is one of the most architectually fascinating small towns I have visited. The streets of the original downtown are still made from the same brick that was laid down 70 some years ago. The buildings of downtown are the same ones designed by a German immigrant in the late 1800s. It baffles me as to how these buildings can stand there in the changing temperatures after baking in the Texas sun all spring, summer and fall. The architecture of the buildings is jaw-dropping. The homes in the town designed by the same architect are huge, extravagant and decorative. They were also built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. I believe that maybe the humidity has its merits here and the swelling of the wood keeps the structures standing up. They were beautiful and I wanted to walk around and look at them all. I just couldn't stand to be outside.



It was nice to see Jason's family; his sisters, nieces and nephews. My kids had a blast playing with their cousins and with the animals on the farm. There were many goats, chickens, dogs and cats. Mazie was fascinated with the bug wildlife as there were many bugs that we just don't have up here.



Our hotel was pretty sweet too. It was built in 1955 as a fancy resort to draw people into the town. It was easy to imagine women in their modest swimming suits lingering by the pool holding martini glasses and cigarettes in the long slender holders. They would stay there during the day while their powerful husbands made cattle deals in the hotel lobby.

It was a long trip to get there. 4 hours on the plane and another 4 hours in the car from the airport. I would go back again to the little town, it was fab. Not sure if I would go in June though.



(this poor dude got smashed in the door of our hotel room - apparently in June)

365 Project - Day SIXTY TWO

A little ice cream before bed. My daughter waits until 8:58pm to tell me, 'Dad promised we could have desserrrrrrrt.' What's a little ice cream? Sometimes it's much easier to relent than to fight. That's also when I can have some ice cream out in the open without the kids asking me for bites.

Yep, Mazie is wearing a propeller hat. She kept telling me to wind her up.

365 Project - Day SIXTY ONE

2 down, 30 to go.

She didn't want the tooth fairy to come that night because if you lose your tooth at school, you get a fancy plastic necklace to store your tooth in.

She's gunning for the necklace, so she'll take the tooth with her on Monday.

That's my girl.

365 Project - Day SIXTY

Today the kids each had Field Day at their schools. Field Day consists of activities outside for most of the day. There's also a barbecue with the school lunch version of a hamburger (yuck) and popsicles for all at the end of the activities.

Above is a picture of Jack on the noodle hurdles, which he did about 17 times. Below is a picture of Mazie running the track. She ended-up running 2 miles! In like 25 minutes! It was unbelievable. She hates this picture, but I really love her hair on the up-bounce. She reminds me of a Barbie...

365 Project - Day FIFTY NINE

Today, Justin and I went out to take the last of his graduation pictures. I can't believe this kid is graduating this year. In three years, this means I'll be funding a trip to Reno for him. About 10 years ago, I wrote a pledge on a napkin that I would take Justin when he was 21. He's kept the note all these years and I know he'll redeem it when it's time.

We were able to take some great shots. While this isn't one of the best, I love that Justin has aspirations to be an Adonis gleaming in the sun...everyone should take a picture with this pose.

Oh, and on a good note - the AC is fixed in my new van! Yippee! The rental that I drove around today in the hot weather was a Kia Sedona. It was nice of them to upgrade me from the Pontiac G6 I had last time. The only downfall was the Sedona reeked inside of nursing home. It was terrible and I had to have all the windows down anyway to air it out. I think a previous driver got mad and peed in the backseat. It was something awful. So, I'm extra happy to have my own van back that's slowly absorbing our own family smells.

365 Project - Day FIFTY EIGHT

Jack jammed his finger today during recess playing kickball. No, that's not a trick of the lens, his injured thumb is really that much bigger. I'm sure tomorrow it'll be really purple as it was already turning that way before he went to bed. He was having a hard time with the pain so I gave him some ibuprofen and then I had a bright idea. For most kids, even the most minor in injury, but big on drama cuts can be remedied with a mere band-aid. So, I decided to go to Walgreens and get Jack one of those finger splints and some tape. I would have never guessed that his face would light up the way it did when I brought that sucker out of the bag. Bigger injury, different band-aid, same theory - bingo!

Also tonight was the 19th (?) Annual 2nd Grade Pig Play. These kids have been working on this play with their teacher since before Christmas. The play had to be postponed from its earlier date because of a birth in one of the teachers' family. Well, it was worth the wait. The Pig Play was quite entertaining. Most of the kids seemed focused and had a good time.

For Jack, this sort of performance was agonizing. He hates singing. He hates dancing. He hates plays and memorizing things. He prefers wheels and speed to stand out, not cabaret. This has been Jack's m.o. since he started preschool at the age of 3. He would not sing in group circles. I tried teaching him kiddie songs - he really didn't care, nor would he be caught dead singing them. So, getting up on the risers and performing in front of all the parents was not his cup of tea. He muddled through though and I'm glad he stepped out of his comfort zone for this.



And here's a video of Jack singing one of the last songs. He's really squirming here and it's obvious he can't wait for the damn song to end.

365 Project - Day FIFTY SEVEN

So, Donna and I were sitting the the local Albertson's parking lot chatting this evening. We were going to go to the mexican restaurant there and celebrate the end of our final PTA meeting of the year with a couple of cervezas. Well, we stood outside the door and heard a lot of people who got a pretty good head start on us, so we went to Taco Bell instead, which brings us back to the parking lot.

Anyway, we're sitting in my van talking, when out of the sky, falls what I thought was a bird. It hit my windshield with a thud and landed underneath the windshield wiper. I sat up a little and looked over and figured out it was a ginormous moth.



I have caught moths like these before and saved them on a foam and pin suspension contraption. After a while of being blasted with the fan that cools the living room, they tend to disintegrate. The wingspan on this moth is roughly 4.5 to 5 inches. It's hurkin!

FYI - It's a polyphemus moth.

365 Project - Day FIFTY SIX

I love peonies. If I could have a yard full of peonies I would. I guess I could; no one is stopping me. I get really excited when they bloom because it seems like they take forever. These massive blooms popped-out over the weekend thanks to the sunshine we've been having.

The thing I like about peonies is they are well-rounded and comprised of many layers; kinda like me.

On another note, I walked the Milton Trail with Kelby and her friend Jen and their babies. Little did I know when I replied to Kelby's text this morning that it would be such a long distance. 5-ish miles. It took 2 hours to complete the 'go to the end and come back' trek. This got me worried. Jen glibly mentioned that they would only give us 4.5 hours to finish the half marathon that we're all signed-up for. Well, anyone with any elementary arithmetic skills can do the math on this one. I'm a little worried.

And, I was a little tired when we got home. I made spaghetti dinner, fixed my plate, got my frosty mug of iced tea and then this is what I did.



Yep, I put the parmesan cheese on top of my iced tea instead of the spaghetti. Genius!