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.

Creative Climate

This winter continues to be relentless, the snow, the ice, the extreme cold, and some major winds have been taking its toll on everyone's spirits and pocketbooks.  Cars don't want to work, pipes are at risk of freezing, our one hot water heater never stays lit for long because the wind keeps blowing it out which is very aggravating.  Hubby has tried many things over the years to combat this problem but nothing seems to work.  It's just been an endless stream of challenges for everyone. 

I've hardly subbed at all because we've barely had any real school days.  So my time has been spent revamping the house and doing some repurposing and preparations for house projects when the weather breaks.  We've got a lot of deconstructing to do before we re-construct.  Mostly this entails packing up stuff and moving furniture.  I have half of the house neat and organized the other half is the "in progress" side. This is nothing new to me since I've always seemed to live some sort of double life. [smile, wink]  Also, decided to relieve some boredom by doing a repurpose project, painting and changing out knobs on an old dresser from my mom's house that is now the "credenza" for my new office space.  What do you think?

I know the color choices are a little out there but I like it.  And this is my new office space.  I've been working to get organized and move into a more professional attitude with my goals for writing.  Got a new laptop and have been relearning the most basic functions on this newfangled system that you're forced to have on your computers.  Arg.  Also loaded the Scrivener program and files for two novels I've composed and am in the process of editing, polishing and completing.  Honestly for a few days there I never felt so stupid in my life when came to navigating through this new set up but I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.

My brother sent me an awesome book for Christmas called "the War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles" by Steven Pressfield which is absolutely fantastic and just the shot in the arm I needed.  The first section talks about the 'resistance' or basically all the big and little things that keep you from that creative goal.  "It's not the writing part that's hard. What's hard is sitting down to write. What keeps us from sitting down is Resistance."  I've just entered the second section "Combating the Resistance" and again, great stuff.  Also came across an article in a Writing Basics magazine about tips for success, Number 1: Never do laundry!  Meaning don't think you're going to "just throw in one load" because it will escalate from there and the next thing you know you're reorganizing your kid's closet instead of writing.  I've been trying to write daily, something, either for the novel, a grant, my journal, random articles, or this blog post.  Something.  Anything.  Even if it's just one page, one paragraph, one sentence, just write words on the page.  They may turn into something more concrete later, they may not.  That's not the concern at this point, the idea is to just keep the creative outlet open and flowing.

What's coming up for the Parton gang next month?  Fox will be visiting the Wayne State University and Saginaw Valley State University campuses for Model U.N. events.  Ethan will be polishing his Poetry piece for the Bronco Bullpen Forensic Tourny and making his debut at the 3rd Degree Burns Annual Fundraiser, and Ben will continue work on Team #5201's robot (Spartonix)  that will need to be bagged by mid-month.  And hopefully we'll all be enjoying some kind of break in this tundra-like climate we've been having.

I leave you with a little writer's humor. 

Stay Warm.  Stay Safe.  Stay Grateful.

iCelebrate America

Outside my Window:  Blue skies, thin white clouds, and lots of sun!

What's on my Mind: How do you define happy?  Can you be happy in an imperfect situation?  Do the behavior and actions of others affect your happiness?  What are the ways that help contentment remain through all senarios?

Thankful for:  A beautiful day and an awesome 4th of July Parade!  Old time cars, Veterans, high school band, horses, motorcycles, tractors, dancers, civic groups, everything you need for a wonderful hometown celebration.  Fantastic firework display in the evening as well.  Nice job North Branch Days Committee!

Creative Endeavors:  Worked on a few more collages for my Fair entries.

Latest Project:  Started a major repair project.  There was once an old chimney for a wood stove on a platform at the entryway of the house.  Rob knocked out the top of the chimney long ago but the hole in the ceiling remained.  I finally took on the challenge with Fox's assistance and a quick consult from my father-in-law and neighbor.  Biggest pain was the styrofoam insulation balls that come cascading down from the attic!  Knocked out a wall to have easier access since I was working over the stairs.  Got the drywall up eventually.  Phase 2 complete for now.

My 3 Sons:  My baby boy is now one step away from teenagerness, turning 12 today! 

July is camp / camping month.  Ethan is doing the 4H Overnight Camp and assisting me during Day Camp, Fox is counselor-ing at both camps, during that same week Benjamin will head to Alabama for Space Academy.  Then Fox will be traveling to Grand Valley State University for a cross-country camp, the younger boys and I will probably do some enrichment activities in the area during drop and pick up.  And to top it off they will all spend the last week in Port Austin with gramma and grandpa as is tradition. 

The first Born:  Back on closings lately, still mumbling about wanting to get back in school but no major movement made to get it happening yet.

Employment News:  << cricket, cricket>>

Hoping to Improve:  My training schedule.  Doing the Freedom Run tomorrow with Fox and Ethan but don't feel very prepared....it will be what it will be, for me.  Hope the boys have a great run and get some good times.

Food for Thought: "To change the printout of the body, you must learn to rewrite the software of the mind."  ~Deepak Chopra, M.D., Perfect Health

Last Words:

iSaw the Signs

Outside my Window:  It's been quite sunny lately with spatterings of rain, temps have been in the 80s all week.

What's on my Mind: Oh so many things.  Spoke with a lunch lady from one of our schools and asked if they are allowed to even cook for the kids anymore?  Like if someone donated meat to them that was raised locally to use.  All the food in the schools is "government packaged" to meet all the required "standards" and is basically warmed up and put out.  Wow, how sad is that.

The lack of success in my veggie garden is annoying.  Things are growing nicely then a critter comes in and feasts!  My corn and zucchini still look untouched but the beans, spinach, and peas gots wiped out.  Used to have a kitchen garden up by the house, perhaps I need to work closer in again.

Finding ways to keep my boys on track when it comes to their schooling.  We had some dips in grades and I don't want that to become a habit.  I know they are capable of better and sliding will not go on for long.  There's a fine line between nagging and encouraging.

Thankful for:  Having the time to get things done in my gardens and around the property.  I have a row of beautiful perenniels that got overtaken by grass and trumpet vine that was finally conquered.  Ben and Ethan rescued an area of hollyhocks, helianthus, and rose of sharon and pruned two humungus spirea. Got a great deal on impatient flats and added some color to the shade and gramma garden.  It may seem like a small thing but gardening represents a type of progress to me at this stage in my life.

 

Creative Endeavors:  While Fox was up at grandpa's property helping with the cabin construction I took the opportunity to clear out his room and remodel.  We had changed out the windows a while back but they were never framed in, plus there was some drywall issues to deal with.  I had a great time transforming the room and finally getting it finished.  This room is on its third metamorphesis, it was Alex's bedroom at one point and then my office before it became Fox's lair.  Still working on some finishing touches but the result has received favorable compliments.

Latest Project:  Ethan and I built this cage frame from scraps of wood Rob brought home from the shop.  The rabbits are getting to the age the genders need to be separated.

My 3 Sons:  Fox worked all week and the younger two for a couple days helping grandpa build a cabin on his property.  I hope they were good workers.

My relentlessness on putting the video games away for periods of time has prompted the boys to find other interests one of which is Dungeons and Dragons.  I'm all for it, let the imaginations run wild! 

Ethan did not make the All-Star team but it's fine we're all ready for some down time to putz around at home.  Ben is starting to make sure he has everything in order for Space Camp and has been invited to be in the 4th of July Parade with the other crews.  He said he would do it.  Both of the boys have also helped with the 4H Feeds Families Committee by giving presentations at the Freemasons and Knights of Columbus meetings to raise funds to use at this year's Fair.  Fox is going to present to our orthodontist who like to support 4H each year as well.  We're still waiting to find out about some grant money.

The first Born:  ...just got a letter sent to the house from BK Main Office.  I let Ethan read it to her since we were driving....it was to announce she is getting a raise and to thank her for her hard work and loyalty.  Sweet! 

Employment News:  Summer vacation.  Working for free.  Workin' on me!

Hoping to Improve:  Still contemplating the "Garbage Project".  So many products, so many processes.  I admire Alex's vegan loyalty, it is not easy to change eating habits especially when you live with others beside yourself.

Food for Thought: "Why don't I do things I say I want to do?" The answer is in your subconscious beliefs. Learn how to detect these sabotaging beliefs and how you can change them.  ~Ten Habits of Natually Slim People

Last Words:

All in the Family

Well, winter finally decided to kick in her for awhile after some great warm weather days, got cold, got snow, now it melted and our driveway is a big muddy mess! Lots of fun.

I am moving ahead with my house projects although not at a very fast pace, still some painting to do in the kitchen and then I'll post a picture. Finally got the manufactured "buttoned up" and put in some track lighting with the help of my dad (thanks!). Robert has also been working on his own projects around the property and house. Three truck/trailers were on the property when we bought the place but after a few hard working weekends for Rob and a couple cousins....

we now have two and some extra cash. Woot!

Fox and I have been doing some research on biomedical engineering programs, which is what he is interested in pursuing, even found some awsome summer programs. There's a month long one at the University of Pennsylvania that sounds fantastic but it is extremely pricey, basically like paying for college classes, go figure. Found one through UofM Ann Arbor that is a little more reasonable but applications were due today so I think we missed the boat on that one. This summer he will be doing drivers training anyway so maybe we'll shoot for next year. He's also been meeting with the high school guidance counsel0r about testing out of some classes and taking a few online to get ahead on his required classes so he can have more advanced classes in before he graduates. I'm starting to become more knowledgable about alternative options in the public school and I'm hoping Fox will be the one to take advantage of it. He already watches classes online in his spare time, why not get credit for them. Next week he gets his braces on.

Benjamin had a great time at 6th grade camp, his group had nice warm weather so they didn't do the winter fun they normally do like sledding and stuff but they still had plenty to keep them busy. He is also enjoying archery and doing lots of reading....usually has three books going at once. Favorites include anything by Rick Riordan, the Nate books, the Artemis Fowl series and he's on the third Hunger Games book.

Ethan has been having some difficulties lately setting his priorities which sadly is being reflected in his grades. He is such a social and active person that getting things done in a busy classroom is challenging for him. Plus, when he is home after school and I'm not around to keep him on task that darn gaming system and television always draw his attention. One good thing with him though is he loves to get outside and shoot the BB gun or sled.

Piglets are on reserve and the boys are doing extra work to help pay for their half of the costs. Pick up date is April 15, Yeehaw!

Alexandra just started assistant manager training at the BK Lounge and is back in the swing for Winter classes but has some issues to deal with concerning Mott's highly inefficient accounting/financial aid system. After a series of unfortunate events it looks like she may be moving back in at the end of the month, no fault of her own. I told her she's welcome to and it probably is for the best so she can start saving some money before transfering schools in the fall. I applaude her efforts to be independent and have supported her but sometimes we have to revamp our plans.

Rob is doing the best he can at the new job but he really hates it. Later this month he'll be going to Germany but I will not go with him as originally planned, just not the right timing. In order to open up more employment opportunities he is actively investigating going back to college, has his transcripts, and knows where he wants to go, just need to get the ok from his bosses to leave early a day or two so he can get to class. He's put in the request but so far they haven't given him an answer. This is something I've hoped he'd do for years....everything happens for a reason, perhaps it now time for him to complete his higher education.

Finally, Rob and I have health insurance so I have been an appointment making fool, did the dentist, eye doctor (made the jump to bifocals but after three days with them I'm still not sure if I like them), regular doctor (all good so far but waiting on some blood work results), and next week I get to go have my first mamogram, a "well woman exam"....Amen! Starting this weekend I will be teaching a drama class in Lapeer at the Pix Theater which should be fun and I just booked train tickets and hotel for my trip to Chicago with Ethan. We talked about a lot of other possible trips, Boston, Mesa Verde, DC, but he really wanted to check out the Windy City.

So that's what's up at the Parton house hope all is well with you and yours.

N112211

Where have I been? What's going on? Nowhere. Not Much. But a lot.

Finished up XC season. Fox got his record best time at Regionals, Godells State Park. I just happened to get up to the finish in the first group and got close enough to catch a picture of him coming through the finish! Sweet. 19:55 is a great time but when we went to the Fall Sports Banquet and got his stats the official time came in at 19:49, even better! He also received the "Rookie of the Year" Award for his consistent improvement and dedication.

We actually got a couple windows changed out before the snow flies. This should help our heating bills tremendously as they were hideously old windows that didn't even stay closed properly. Very glad to have that off the to-do list, now I'm looking forward to a full-gut reno on Fox's bedroom, probably won't happen til summer though. For the time being I just got the wall patched up around the new window. I'll also be working on some projects in the kitchen over the winter break, drywalling and retiling the counter tops using some salvage tile I got from my dad.

Does this look gorgeous and delicious!? Been trying to eat heathier. My new rage lately is Watercress. Read an article about adding more vitamins and nutrients to your diet with greens. Watercress I like because it doesn't change the flavor much, you can throw in with anything (as I did on my nachos above), and it has a ton of nutritional value. Looking forward to trying Krispy Kale.

We're at a lull in our activities at the moment. Ethan is doing 5th/6th Grade Basketball. Fox is laying low. Ben is waiting for Archery Club to start up after the first of the year. My school choirs are off to a good start with about 40 kids at the lower elementary and 12 at the upper. Next weekend is the Lapeer County Concert Choir performance which I am looking forward to and then a short break before we begin rehearsals for the Spring concert. We've also been invited to sing at the Festival of Choirs in March and at a Ladies Luncheon for a church in Caro. My online class is done, I learned a ton, now I need to try and put it into action and look for some grants. Going to hold off on taking another class for a bit.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Killin' Clutter

The days have slipped away quickly and I didn't realize how much time had passed since I blogged last. Having less stuff has been my main focus lately as I've decluttered several areas of the house and taken a couple loads to the Thrift Shop and a lucative trip to the dump with truckful of scrap metal. But the end unfortunately is not as near as I'd like, there is much more to go through and donate, sell, or scrap as we prepare to dive into some massive house projects. Along with the decluttering I've begun to slowly implement some of the Feng Shui concepts into arrangements of some rooms. The entire process has been very refreshing and I'm looking forward to having even less!

The boys and I checked out Farmology, an educational program about agriculture which is funded by The 100 Mile Meal, a fantastic concept that entailed collecting donations of food, herbs, and cooking materials from within 100 miles of Lapeer county. Our 4H club donated the pork, and there was a collection of winter veggies (rutabaga, parsnips, carrots and potatoes), a fantastic coleslaw, squash, biscuits, apple cobbler and blueberry cobbler for dessert! Delish. After we ate we made our way through the exhibits that were hosted by local farms and kids from FFA (Future Farmers of America). I would have joined FFA just to get one of their awesome blue corduroy jackets. The best part was when we got home and I tried on my new, cozy, alpaca wool socks.....aaaahhhh.

In between days of decluttering I also did some subbing in the middle school (science & math) and the elementary (begindergarten, art and special ed.). I don't know which is more challenging the youngest kids or 8th graders, probably the older kids because they know better but they don't really care. This past Saturday the Lapeer County Concert Choir had a retreat at the Chatfield School to prepare for our Spring Concert, it was a fun time and we got a lot accomplished. During our break I had a moment to wander around the school which now goes up to 8th grade and I was really impressed with some of the projects they were working on in the upper grades. I'm seriously considering putting Ben and Ethan in for the lottery draw to attend there for middle school. I know North Branch is doing the best they can with what they have to work with but I'm really concerned about some of the things I've seen in the middle school and think Ben may do better in a different atomosphere. We'll see if they get drawn and then decide from there. For the 2011-12 year we'll stick with where we're at cause they'll both be in the upper elementary together and Fox will shift to the high school so I won't really have to deal with middle school.

As I was be-bopping through the house the other day I noticed this sign on an empty cupboard, not sure exactly what the game was the boys were playing but it must have been pretty intense to need a 'panic room.' This made me chuckle. The cabin fever has been pretty severe this year and their imaginations seem to be a bit foggy as they more and more opt for tv, computer, or 'battling' (fake fighting) which drives me crazy! Since the weather has eased up I've been kicking them outside more but they never seem to stay out for long, although Ethan has been heading out on his own with his BB gun to shoot birds, which I'm a little torn about.

Yesterday's pig club meeting was the most informative yet, we learned about what to look for in selecting a pig, how to set up their housing, and the proper way to feed them. We've decided not to buy a pig this year but work on getting an adequate set-up in place first and participate in fair as observers so we'll know better what to expect. The leader said this is fine to do. Update on the Space Camp contest, Ben did not make it to the interview round but will definately try for it again next year.

Fox participated in his first forensics meet at Anchor Bay High School this past Saturday, he scored better than I thought he would have since he was extremely unprepared in my eyes but he seemed to pull it together enough to get some positive feedback. He was pretty resistant to doing it in the first place but when Rob picked him up at the end of the day Fox's first comment was "well, I didn't hate it as much as I thought I was going to." His next chance will be after the break at our North Branch home meet, hopefully he can step it up a notch for that one. He's also starting track this week.

Next week the boys will be on their spring break, originally we planned to go down to Florida to visit Rob's parents but then decided against it because of the gas and distance. Instead Rob and I will continue the 'have less stuff' movement and a few small projects, hoping to even get started on some outside tasks if the weather cooperates. Plus Rob was in Idaho for far longer than he had anticipated on a work project and is happy just to be home, thankfully he did figure things out with some help from the techs in Italy and left Idaho with everyone at the shop much happier.

Less is more......

Movin' On with Life

Fox Robert is away at Lake Superior State University this week for a Robotics Engineering Camp. We haven't heard a word from him so I'm taking that as he's having a fantabulous time. My dad was kind enough to drive him up there for me on Sunday "on his way" to spend a few days at an old stomping ground, Harbor Springs. Early tomorrow we'll head out to Sault St. Marie to pick him up and check out their final demonstrations. I'm excited to see what they created. From there we're going to spend a few days at Rob's uncle's cabin outside of Grayling.

The second week of creative arts camp was extremely hot which put a damper on our outside adventures. The days were split up differently too with my new teaching partner. We had a huge span in ages which made it challenging, from first graders to sixth graders and they stayed mostly together this time instead of working in two groups. One day I brought in a bunch of building toys and challenged them to make inventions and everyday objects with them. They dug it.

The school of rock outing is always a big hit. This time all 14 were in the same band but we kept rotating so everybody got to try several instruments, again they did "Wild Thing."

One morning we ventured out briefly to do some rubbings for an art project. Around the corner from the center is a house my aunt and uncle used to own back in the day. That was a lifetime ago when I was still in school myself. Love this blue and gray combo, cute door for a garage.

There has also been some headway made on a few house projects, with a new (reclaimed) doorwall going in and some siding (also reclaimed) finally going up over the ugly old bare wood. Next a couple new windows and we'll finish siding the back side.

The boys have been putting in some hard work in between watching cartoons and playing video games. They've raked, moved wood, piled wood, tended the fire and burned brush, weeded, hoed, and the older kids mowed.