Been a Long Time Since I Wrote this Blog



Time really got away from me as I had not realized how long it has been since I updated this blog.   Upon finishing Camp NaNo I became more obsessed with writing and editing novels than blogging.  Lots of things have happened with the boys and their lives which has also pulled me away.  I will provide a few bullet points from spring through summer.

 

We made a trip to Grand Rapids to check out GVSU and see the uncle.

 

 

Walked over to the fishladder and to the GVSU Graduate buildings.  Fox and I also did a tour of the undergraduate campus.  Later in the day we checked out the Gerald Ford Museum.  Seems there was a little dissention amongst the cabinet! 

 

 

Since Ben and Ethan are not going on the school trip to Washington DC we did a trip on our own hitting the Point before the holiday weekend when it really starts to get busy.  This was Ethan's introduction to roller coasters and he did awesome.  We rode 10 coasters in under five hours!  Even got our girl to come along for a day of fun.

 

 

Did a lot of gardening this spring/summer.  Good therapy.

 

 

You never know who or what you'll come across in the garden.

 

 

Ethan did middle school track.  Fox started high school track but dropped out mid-season.  He just wasn't getting the times he wanted and was over it in general.  He worked at Honeyflow in the spring doing pruning and whatever else was needed.  Ben worked his first season as well.  Next year Ethan can be part of the crew too.  In addition to track Ethan also played rec baseball again.  Ben did rec soccer as well.

 

 

 

Ethan took 4th Place at the Middle School State Forensics tournament at Wayne State University.  He also got to go to Exploration Days for the first time on the Michigan State University Campus.

Fox received his ACT scores - he got a 31 overall which is awesome!  He also attended the Northwood University LAB Free-Enterprise Camp.

Benjamin attended the Engineering Camp at Lake Superior State University this summer.  They are still doing an amazing job there and many of the same people are involved.  Fox came with me to pick Ben up and the counselor recognized him!  Of course you don't meet many people named Fox.

Ben had a good time at camp but still isn't sure about what he wants to pursue as a career yet.  He has toured the Ed-Tech building for our district and is possibly interested in computer hardware or small engines.  However the only other interests he dabbles in outside of school and soccer is video games!! 

No one participated in the 4H Fair this summer.  It was nice to have a break and I tackled a major renovation project in the house.

 

That pretty much takes us up until Fall 2014.  Fox is a Senior this year and we've done many college visits and had discussions about early enrollment.  More updates in the next post.  Benjamin is a high school Freshmen and seems to be adjusting well to the new routine, keeping his grades up, and staying out of trouble.  He played soccer for school this year on the JV team.  Ethan ended up going in for seated classes in the middle school for 8th grade but he did try an online class, German IA.

iAm Counting Down

Outside my Window: Nice and sunny but still on the cool side.

What's on my Mind: Taming the teenage boy.  All the boys have gotten a bit attitudal lately, everyone's a wiseguy, a commedian, a master negotiator, it can be a bit overwhelming when you're outnumbered.  I swear if I hear "yep, just a minute" again while 20 minutes goes by and you haven't done the chore I've so kindly reminded you of, or the dishes/wrappers/glasses sit there on the table that I've told you to clear off ....  My solution, the xBox360 has been put away, until I get a little more respect around here!

Thankful for: The end of school being near.  Hoping the final report cards are Aces and looking forward to a summer respit.  It's been a long year.  Below is a picture Ben took on his class trip to Lansing, it is the original Spartan statue that is now inside the stadium.  He thought it was pretty awesome.

Creative Endeavors: Aaaahhhh.

Latest Project: Still gardens and lawns.  Much to do.

My 3 Sons: Ethan and I went out to Midland this weekend with the North Branch Recreational Baseball group for a Youth Clinic and Great Lakes Loons game against the Lansing Lugnuts.  It was a fun day although very windy and chilly for the first weekend in June! 

Fox and Ethan are signed up to do the North Branch Cross Country Camp next week.  They will meet three days after school then the last two days in the morning.  Ben is refusing to go, in fact he is giving me grief about running cross next year.  I gave him a pass on the camp but am sticking to my guns on running the season.  It will be the one and only year that all three boys can run for school teams.  Both he and Ethan will be middle school, the next year when Ben goes into high school he will play soccer in the fall and won't be able to run.  That's all I ask is one season, one year, with only one sport to deal with!
The first Born: Getting ready to host a murder mystery party on the property....this ought to be interesting.

Employment News: Same ol'.

Hoping to Improve: My running schedule.  Since the 5K race the last weekend in April my miles have greatly diminished although I have gotten on the trail for a quick mile run at least once a week.  The Freedom Run in town is coming up the first weekend in July, I'd like to run it with the boys if I can get back in the groove.

Food for Thought: Focusing on the breaking of old habits gives them far more attention than they deserve. The only way to get rid of an old habit is to carefully construct a new one and never give the old one another thought!  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

Last Words:

iHear the Sounds of Summer

Outside my Window:  Birds singing, geese honking, tadpoles swimming, pigs snoozing, no breeze, perfect temperature, it's a beautiful thing.

What's on my Mind:  Summer plans for the boys and what I hope to accomplish around the property. 

Thankful for: Time.

Creative Endeavors:  Campfire skits.  Our theme this year is "Larger than LIFE" and everything is about games, for the evening skits we're going with "Are You Smarter Than a Counselor?" and "Cabin Feud".  Alex is going to be my coordinating assistant.

Latest Project: Weeding gardens!  So far I've gotten through the Gramma Garden, both Hosta Gardens, and made significant progress on the Perennial Mix Corner in front of the house.  Still have two jungle areas to tackle plus dismantling an entire perennial holding area, shifting all plants to other beds.  Fun times.

My 3 Sons: Fox took the AP World History exam and felt pretty good about it afterwards, unlike many of his classmates, not sure if that's a good sign or not.  He also told me had the highest score on the Psych pre-test and the second highest on the post-test.  Hhhmm.  Still struggling with discomfort in his legs. He opted out of Regionals to give an underclassman the chance to run who had been having a better season.  We've been to the doctor and got x-rays hoping to get things under control soon.  He will run at the last TVC on Wednesday.

Ben has been getting some decent time out on the field, scored a couple times, and assisted a few.  The coach is not always organized about how he rotates players which causes some bad playing at times.  He had fun for the most part though, we'll decide what to do for next year later.  Last game tonight!  Friday his Environmental Science class went on a field trip to Kettering University to participate in the Flint River GREEN Student Summit 2013 which "provides youth the educational opportunities to understand, improve, and sustain the water resources in their communities."  Schools from Lapeer and Genesee county participated, each doing a class presentation in the morning and then attending breakout sessions throughout the day such as Sewer CSI, Meet the Macro-Intertebrates, Being a Bee Keeper, Chevy in the Hole!, Incredible Edible Plants and Paddling the Flint River.

Ethan has some pretty intense coaches for baseball this year.  At first he felt quite humbled, going from playing all the infield positions and doing some pitching last year to basically being put in the outfield.  We talked about it, and knowing that he's playing with a team made up mostly of last year's All-Stars, he needs to look at it as a chance to bring his game up.  No matter where he plays he plays his best and has definately gotten recognized for it.  He's shown some hustle and helped get the out on many plays plus the batting is starting to click in and he's gotten a few out there to get on base.  They brought him in for short once too. One of our NB-JV players helps with the team and has been very encouraging to all the boys, he's given Ethan some tips that really got great results.

The first Born: Making plans to shift to a two-bedroom apartment when their lease is up. Adding a roommate will bring down costs for all, they've been negotiating house rules....

Employment News:  No comment.

Hoping to Improve: Recently I stumbled onto a show called Eco Company.  It's a youth oriented show about environmental activities around the country.  This has brought me back to thinking about reducing our trash.  We do recycle but plastics of many kinds are what challenge our ecological future, make that product packaging overall.

Food for Thought: We are all quite willing to learn the fuel and maintenance requirements of a new car. Why do we resist learning the fuel and maintenance requirements of our own bodies? If your car falls apart from neglect, it can be replaced. Your body can't.  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

Last Words:

iDk

Outside my Window:  Rain again!  April showers are in full force this year, nearly every day last week it rained, there were a couple days of sun and now wetness once again.  Booo.   Hiss.

What's on my Mind: To many things that are negative and frustrating, working hard to move past, not dwell, and find ways to stay uplifted.  How am I doing with that?  Depends on the day.

Thankful for: Baby bunnies and my doggies.  They're soft and fuzzy and love you no matter what. 

Creative Endeavors: Finished my first read and mark edit of my NaNoWriMo novel.  Now to pull it into Scrivener and really get busy.  I realized there is much detail I'd like to add.  When getting the idea out originally I just worked to get the basic concept down now that it is out, time to go through and embelish.

Latest Project: Still working on the Pig Pen, hoping to pour cement this weekend and got a lead on some used equipment.

My 3 Sons:  Track  -  Baseball  -  Soccer  ....  and away we go!  My spring trifecta is in full swing.  Fox did well in his first track meet. He got a 2:29 on his split in the 4x800 relay, not sure of his times on the Mile and 2-Mile.  Ethan's buddy on the next street is on his baseball team which is fantastic since we can help each other with the driving.  Ben and I went to the Space Camp meeting yesterday and got all the details about the travel and what to expect on the trip.  It all sounds super, I wish I could go with him.

Fox and Ben have been working at a vineyard the past few weekends pruning.  Great opportunity and for them, good money.  While they're gone Ethan is working with me around the property.  All three of the boys also spent two and half days working down at the shop with their dad during spring break doing some inventory and organzing of parts. 

The first Born: The second job idea didn't work out but she has been working fill-in manager shifts at various locations.  Fun.  Working on her first grown-up purchase on her own of some new/used tires for her vehicle.  More fun.

Employment News: Due to scheduling issues I am no longer at the greenhouse.  It's a good/bad thing.  I've been picking up substitute teaching jobs again but still looking and hopeful to find something regular.  Found out about a position that I would really love to do but the reality of it is the schedule would not work with my life right now, as it would entail lots of late nights and crazy hours so I decided not to even apply for it.  As much as I want regular work it is really important to me to be available for my boys since the time I have with them is getting shorter and before I know it they will be graduated and off on their own so I want to do as much as I can with and for them now. 

Hoping to Improve:  Ah, my life in general..... and my training schedule, got another 5K race coming up in a couple weeks!

Food for Thought: Being picky about what you eat is a sign of self-respect. Not only is it OK to be picky about what you eat, but it is also essential to the process of becoming naturally slim.  ~Ten Habits of Naturally Slim People

Last Words:

Fantasy Island

Baseball opener I did not bring my camera.  Ethan was relieved.  This is from game 4 I believe, at bat, playing first, and pitching!!  He is very excited about it, so far, so good.  Fox has completed his last track meet, got his best 2-mile time at Regionals, with an 11:38 and that was coming in dead last.  Not sure what his best 1-mile was since he didn't always run it.  I think it was 5:08 at the last invitational.  Got his letter of acceptance for the biodiesel program at MSU with summer. Woot!

Finally having a chance to get out and gussy up the gardens, felt inspired to begin a gramma garden expansion project.  I have four areas around a tree I'm developing, this one was started but never measured out fully to match the other squares.  I have many perenniels in another area that are from the garden at the house I grew up in.  When mother sold the house I grabbed several varieties but I wish I would have procured more knowing that the guy that bought the house let it all go and eventually made the area a patio!  All the plants that are in there now are from the Grosse Pointe house, and again I wish I would have pulled more because the current owners pulled all the flowers in the backyard, made one part a deck, and put in Arbor Vitea bushes as a fence, exactly like what mother pullled out originally! Ugh.

The little guys and I rode the rails into Lansing for a family adventure with Granpa Q.  Fox "teened" me and didn't end up making the trip although I had purchased a ticket for him!  When I say "check with your teachers and find out what's going on that day," I mean it.  Due to academic commitments it was not a good day to 'skip.'

But the rest of us had a great day in the capitol.......

.....details to follow soon.

Growing Pains

Pig Weigh-In was this past Saturday.  Needless to say things didn't go exactly as I had planned.  The thought was that we would coax the swine with feed to walk up a ramp of a couple boards into the back of the pick-up truck.  One was willing enough to do so but halfway up it started to slip and we couldn't keep it on the board to continue the journey.  So, I ended up picking up all the hogs, one of them twice because the gatekeepers failed me, and lifted them onto the truck.  Got them down to the Fairgrounds, timed it at a lull so we were in and out being that we just had them tagged but did not put them on the scale.  Getting them back off the truck was another adventure with poop and puke added into the fun.  In hindsight we should have used the long trailer but it's all over now.  I estimate them to be in the 80-90 pound range.

Also on Saturday was the Wild Lapeer event on the Chatfield School/Willows campus and the Ponds and Prairies of Oakdale.  We had a respectable turnout overall considering there was much going on that weekend, with a festival at Mott College and a carnival at the American Legion Hall which were on either side of us.  The boys helped with the 4H Project Clover booth and got considerable donations althought we haven't gotten the final tally yet, it was enough that made it worth doing and helped get the word out about it.  The Flint Crepe Company had some wonderful selections on their cart, offering crepes made with organic and locally bought ingredients, there were many things about the Flint River, and I made a contact with some ladies from the Lapeer Conservation District to set up some workshops and classes with the Academic Enrichment Company.

The Funny Face Alpaca exhibit was a huge hit as people clamored around to get a good look at the animals and have a pet.  The Organization for Bat Conservation from the Cranbrook Science Center did a wonderful presentation although I only heard if from a far as I helped at the dock doing pond dipping but I did mange to come over at the end and get a quick pic.  I was excited to get a close up shot of an owl they brought for the falconry presentation before they got started.  What a gorgeous creature.  The surprise discovery was when I went to get a photo of the fly fishing demonstration.  By the time I got there he was packed up and gone but a beautiful blue heron was hanging out on the side of the river right in front of the pavillion.  Observed it for a bit until Ethan came running up behind me yelling which scared it up into a tree which we then stayed and watched it from there for a while.  I've seen herons many times around my ponds on our property but never got to see them high up.

I got shifted from disc golf duty to pond dipping last minute after someone bailed.  I've seen this activity at several ecology and nature centers so it was no touble for me to take it over.  My first "customers" were kids from North Branch, one of which was my friend Faith whom I had the pleasure of canoeing with at the Camp Lael field trip last year and also saw recently at the Willows outing.  She and her sisters spent quite a while with me looking at things under the field scope.  I had another young man come over later in the day that was a very determined "critter finder" and his efforts were rewarded greatly as he discovered many pond creatures others hadn't.  We pulled lots of frogs eggs, had a few sightings, but no one was successful in capturing one.

Chatfield School 5th and 6th graders ruled the workshop as they hosted Bluebird House building made possible by a Toyota Tapestry grant for Habitat Restoration.  All the materials were free and the students put together some great materials to explain which birds were 'good' and which needed to be discouraged from the area.

Other demonstrations included Barb Barton, an endangered species biologist with the Native Wild Rice Coalition who demonstrated the steps for processing native wild rice: parching it over an open fire, dancing or jigging to remove the hull, winnowing the chaff and cleaning.  Quite the process however I don't know if this was as big a draw as the organizers thought it would be.  There was also an interactive story put on by The Superhero Training Academy which was relatively engaging from the boys' report, and of course hand-churned ice cream!

The best part of my day however was getting out in the canoe with my boys.  I love canoeing and really need to start doing more of it, especially now that the boys are old enough to really help handle the boat.  There's something about just floating along the water, it's quiet, it's peaceful, and you never know what you'll discover along the way.  I am going to make it a point to explore the Oakdale property more this summer both on foot and with my bike to get to know it more.  What a wonderful natural resource right in the heart of Lapeer.

Friday and Sunday were also the Lapeer County Concert Choir performances.  My dad and his wife came out to the evening concert which I greatly appreciated seeing as no one else I invited made it.  Most never even acknowledged the invite which I find a bit rude and disconcerting but whatever.  I had a 'solo' in the gospel number "Be Thou Faithful", really liked how it went on Friday but the Sunday version not so much, that one oddly enough got a standing ovation, go figure.  Ethan, Ben and I also snuck in a showing of The Avengers, straight up version, which was very entertaining.  I don't think I could have handled that much action in 3D, seriously!  Love, love, love Robert Downey Jr., he is the man!  Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner was also notable, and although I'm not a previously professed ScarJo fan, she definately brought it!

What's up for the Partons?  Baseball games start this week for Ethan.  Finishing up soccer games and sponsorship sales.  I'll be subbing three days for the middle school special ed teacher as she makes the trip to Washington DC with the 8th graders.  Marketing is out for the AEC Summer Program and hopefully registrations will start streaming in.  Click HERE to see the schedule.  Also planning a day trip to Lansing with the boys, helping with the LVLC Open House, and TREK trip with Ethan's class.  Rock On!

Small Wonder

Our babies are finally here! Sunday we picked up our three piglets from a breeder in Columbiaville. Benjamin and I went and made the selections while Ethan was at baseball practice. We ended up going with the Duracks, which are a light brown color and don't show marks as easily as the traditional pink ones. Chose two girls and one boy. They weighed in a little lighter than I was hoping for but they have good composition over all. Ben's pig is the boy, Rocky, starting out at 45#, Ethan picked the 47 pounder and named her Chewbacca, or Chewy for short because she's nibbler, and mine is 50 Cent (say it street) who hit the scale at 50# on the dot. She is the friendliest of the trio, always the first to come up to you when you enter the pen. They have all adjusted well, eating good, drinking regularly, playing around in the pen, grunting happily, and frolicking about. Today we even started to work with them a bit on getting them to walk next to us using a stick to direct them....long way to go but the earlier you start the better. B & E have been very good about getting up and taking care them before they get on the bus, I go out and do a second check, then they do afterschool duty and nighttime lock up. They seem bigger already and it's only been four days!

Fox has been off to a great start for his Freshman track season. His training has been very consistent, he even runs on the weekends to keep up his endurance. The Shaklee vitamins, Physique Shakes, and Performance Drink really make a difference, he hasn't been as sore or fatigued. He has improved his times at every meet, the best so far being a 5:39 in the 1-mile and a 12:04 in the 2-mile. He's also been invited to the first two TVC (Tri-Valley Conference) Meets which is pretty awesome as a freshman because each school can only bring the top 2 or 3 runners in each event. The picture on the right is the start of the 1-mile at the Brown City Invitational last week, the runner from Cass City is blind, the guy in the gray shirt is his tether. It is always amazing to see athletics with physical challenges perservere, everyone always claps and cheers them through the finish line, very heart-warming.

Ben and Ethan had a whirlwind start to soccer. First practice was canceled due to sleet, second practice was at an earlier time and several players didn't make it, then they had their first game last Saturday and skunked 'em 8-0. After getting 5 goals in the first quarter coach pulled back her best players for the second and third, Benny put another goal in during the third. For the fourth quarter she put a couple back in their regular spots and two more goals went in. A parent from the other team started getting beligerent and made all the kids feel bad from both teams. Our kids weren't playing aggressive at all, but if the ball is there and the other team ain't bringin' it, goals get made. There are a couple team that skunk us, that's just how it goes. Ethan had his first baseball practice on Sunday too but had to miss Tuesday's because of soccer practice. We'll have a couple weeks of overlap but the schedule should work out fine overall.

Little bit of backtracking now. I rushed off to Chicago the day after the drama production and never did post pictures or an update. It went really well, the one actress I was concerned about with memorizing came prepared and presented lines strongly, they were a couple line jumps with the older group but they moved right along and got themselves back on track easily. The younger group did well too, "Tea Party in Wonderland" had a minor line skip and I had to give them a feed to put them back on track because it really threw them for a loop but other than that they did awesome. Top left picture is from "Tea Party in Wonderland," top right is "Fish School," lower photos are from "While Shakespeare Slept," then the group shot to the left is me with the older crew. Last is a quick collage of some photos Rob took in Germany, they weren't the greatest because one, he was using his iPhone, and two he's just not that great a photog (sorry honey, but you can fix anything, I know :). Bottom left is the little town they stayed in, above that some street artists in Cologne, middle is at the Cologne Cathedral with street actors behind him in the white outfits, lower left bulk Legos (sadly no purchase was made).

What else is new? I have become involved with the committee for Wild Lapeer, an annual event that takes place at the Chatfield School and Mott CC-Lapeer Campus, to highlight organic processes and businesses. This year there will be a woman demonstrating how to process wild rice, a falconer, a presentation from the Cranbrook Science Center (OBC) on bats, bluebird house making, hikes through the Oakland Cemetary, alpacas, and more! This week I am helping with some field trips at the Willows, update in my next post. Keep it real people.

Quickly Slipping Away

Today's mandala was captured from Moment to Moment blog, if you'd like to see more of their gorgeous creations and their process click HERE.

Finally made it to one of Ethan's baseball games since many times Ben is playing a soccer game or has practice on Tuesday's at the same time as Ethan's games Alex has been helping me out by taking her little bro to baseball while I take the other to soccer. Thank you. I finally made it to a Friday game, they did really well and it is always interesting to watch the kids pitch to each other. We've got three boys who are working on their arm. Ethan has been practicing his pitching at home but during games he usually plays shortstop or midfield. He's sportin' some seriously long skater boy hair right now but a hair appointment is made and he is looking forward to cutting his luscious locks. I can't believe how much it grew since the beginning of the school year!

Fox's track season ended on a bit of a bummer, they went all the way out to Carrollton for the Tri-Valley Conference, warmed up, lined up for the first race (2-mile) and then came a rumble of thunder so rules say the meet must be postponed for a certain amount of time, so they sat on the bus and waited only to have the officials make the difficult choice to cancel the meet since it was continuing to thunder and it was raining. However, the last meet he ran, Lapeer West Invitational he had a phenomenal showing, he came in 2nd in the 1-mile with his best time ever...5:56.....Woot! The kid who won was one of those runner savants that stayed a half a track ahead of the group the entire race, so it was on. It looked as though Fox was going to come in third but on the last quarter mile he poured it on and whizzed passed his closest competitor for a great finish.

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The school year is zooming to a close with many final presentations, honors night, concerts, etc. This week Ben will go to Otter Lake for his Trek Adventure Field Trip at Covenant Hills Campground and participate in a variety of team building activities including the Zip Line! Ethan will go to Bay City to the planetarium with me as a chaperon and then on Friday I get to go with Ben's class to the Art and History Festival between the Chatfield School and Mott CC campuses to see some amazing art and a civil war reenactment.

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Ethan was assessed for band this past week and although he insisted prior he wasn't interested in being a part of it he is now talking about playing trumpet. I still want him to continue with his guitar as well and I'm concerned about his practicing habits which are a bit lax to say the least. I'm glad he's excited about it but I told him we'll wait until Fall to make the final decision. Ben will continue with percussion next year; the bands did an informal concert for the elementary to get them jazzed up to be in band and Ethan was so proud he told all his friends his brother was playing the bass drum and bells. Fox will however, say goodbye to his Euphonium for high school since it's really not his thing as you can tell by his D+ because he never practices or turns in said practice sheets which is the majority of their grade. He's As and Bs in all other subjects. Oh well, we all can't be Branford Marsalis.

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After several summers of neglecting my gardens I have finally got my mojo back and am enthusiastically working my way through my perennial gardens and getting them in tip top shape. When things begin to bloom I'll share some pictures and maybe even some before and after shots. It is incredible to think that will all the different varieties of plants I have around here I've never purchased any perennials. But this year I treated myself to a few new purchases. Davelin Farms had the most gorgeous Bleeding Hearts for only $6 a pot and I've always wanted to add them to my Hosta garden so I bought three (you know you're always supposed to plant in odd increments) and they look awesome in their new home. I also bought a vibrant red Asiatic Lily that I just couldn't resist. Instead of planting a vegetable garden I'm doing salsa ingredients in big containers. Next summer I'll probably dive back into a big veggie garden but it's not time yet.

I leave you with a little bit of my own yard art, a view across my pond. Have a fantastic Memorial Day everyone!

NEXT!

Ben still hasn't practiced with the team yet but they played their first game Saturday before last and won 3-1. Ethan has had one baseball practice so far but not sure what will happen tonight since thunderstorms are expected. They already canceled the track meet in Millington but Fox still stayed after for practice. Rain is anticipated for most of the week, this will be great if the weekend is nice, it will make things more easily pullable in the gardens if you know what I mean.

This weekend we had a family outing to the Flint Youth Theatre to see a production of "To Kill a Mockingbird." It was excellent as was to be expected and a nice afternoon out together, we even had the "diva" with us! Not many places you can see quality entertainment with a family of six for well under $100.

Alexandra is excitedly finishing up her second college semester with most of her finals under the belt but just a couple make-up quizzes in guitar to take care of and then freedom.... till fall. Ta ta for now.

Jeepers!

Starting out with a hopeful "Spring Mandala" however our weather here in Michigan has not been cooperating. This weekend Rob and I went out to dinner for our anniversary which was not very well timed as a consistent snow fell throughout Saturday evening while we mucked our way to The Melting Pot and back. Good food though. The week was pretty mellow, I worked pulling some video entries, got a few areas organized in the house, took Ben and Fox for haircuts (Fox even got some highlights), fit a couple workouts in, and subbed in the middle school one day.
Friday I picked up the older boys from school at 2:35pm and we stopped by the Thrift Shop before heading over to the elementary school so I could be the Mystery Reader in Ethan's class room and then do baseball sign-up afterward. What did I delightfully spy there?! This fantastic coffee table, in terrific shape, minimal scratches, legs all tight, couldn't pass it up....guess how much....$30, sweet! Ben grabbed a Wheel of Fortune game for $.50 and Fox some jeans and a flannel shirt, $.50 each.

For Ethan's class I read two large Golden Books that I had from my childhood, "The Big Tidy-Up," and "The Pink Elephant with Golden Spots." The kids enjoyed them both; afterward I had some time to chat with Ethan's teacher and several of my 'kid buddies' as they got ready to dismiss for the day. After school we got Ethan signed up for baseball...he'll finally be in kid pitch this year. Plus Fox talked to one of the coordinators about training and working as an umpire. He was told they will be posting a notice about the one-day clinic coming up soon, so be on the lookout. The guy who's in charge is also Fox's track coach, which will be ramping up on the 23rd of this month.

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Fox has also been putting the final touches on his first Sales Pitch for forensics, selecting New Balance running shoes as his product. He still needs to gather his props together and I purchased a couple pairs of NB shoes off ebay for cheap that he can use and wear.

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Benjamin is also working on a project, applying to go to Space Camp. He wrote an essay, collected the required three recommendations, and hopefully will make it to step 2, a personal interview; four students will be selected to attend camp in Huntsville, Alabama this summer, on complete scholarship. This is a huge step out of his comfort zone, first off being away from home by himself, and also flying, but he is determined to get there so I hope his efforts are favorable.

After months in a culinary slump I've had a resurge thanks to this fabulous book. I've tried several recipies, some I'd adjust a few things if I made them again but others are terrific as-is. Last night I made the Saucy Skirt Steak with Orange-Spice Sweet Potatoes, used a nice cut of venison backstrap in place of steak and was very pleased with how the sauce turned out with my long-neglected food processor. I've really got to use it more often. Plus I made steamed asparagus with it. Yum!

Alex is enjoying her spring break this week after performing well on all her midterm exams. The boys will have a half-day Thursday and no school Friday due to trimester break. But we'll keep busy helping a friend move into their new house. I leave you with an intriguing concept from the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, the 'Hug Shirt'. Interesting idea but I'd rather get mine the old-fashion way, from the ones I love.