One year here...where has the time gone?

We are now entering our second year in our house in Wisconsin. We are quickly moving into the "we've lived longer in this house that we don't yet own than in the one we DO own" phase of our lives (sort of like when people realize that they have spent more of their lives together than they have apart...)

Anyway, I dug up the pictures from our deck as the seasons have changed over this year in THIS house and some of the pictures over a few seasons at the OTHER house. Quite a difference, don't you think? The funny thing about the first pictures is that I never set out to take a picture of each season...it was just so nice to HAVE seasons again that we found ourselves taking pictures of the beauty of change.

June 2009...first days here...

Bad storms rolling through in July 2009

October 2009
Christmas Day 2009
March 2010
June 2010
June 26th, 2010...a year later...corn this year, soybeans last year :-)

April 2008...our first house, in Georgia

May 2008, in the pool already!

Still in the pool in June
and July of courseToo hot for outside in August but September we ate outside a lot...and the pool suffered :-(
Middle of October...beautiful weather...notice the lack of jackets on my children...

Beginning of December...very green...definitely not white...

This picture was taken at the beginning of January! Not in Wisconsin :-)

So the one time it snowed in Georgia while I lived there, I wasn't even present for it! But I didn't get photo evidence for future proof :-) That was at the end of Feb/beginning of March.

Beginning of April...i don't even remember what he needed to do that got him so messy :-)

The girls were playing inside but you can see how beautiful it was outside in May of 2009...

Beginning of June 2009, right before we moved...probably the last time Loran mowed the yard...we mow every week here...there we probably mowed once every two or three weeks :-)

Slow going with a lot to do

I always have tremendous plans for the summer. I will eat better, move more. I will read a book, do a puzzle, read to the girls more, go to the library (which we did pretty well in Columbus), walk the dogs, plant a garden, organize the house in preparation for busier time.

I am so behind in so many areas and it just makes me want to do less. I should be getting more done because Julia is here to play with the girls but I am so overwhelmed by the myriad of small tasks to do that I just don't do any of them.

I don't let myself get discouraged like I used to with all of the amazing things that all of my amazing friends are able to accomplish. I try to remind myself that we are all human and I am sure I do good things too :-) But I still think about people I know who would do any of the things on my list better...and then I drag my feet.

I need a routine, even for the summer but routines have never been easy for me to stick with. So far this week I have walked two mornings in a row, so that is good. I have managed to keep my flowers alive by watering them every day when it isn't raining. Also good. I have to remember that today is only the 8th of June and some kids are just getting out of school! I have lots of summer left and if I complete one task at a time, I will complete them all. Now for the tough choice...which one to start with?

Orion, the mighty hunter...EWWWW!

I had the windows and doors open, hoping there would be a nice breeze. As I am feeding the girls their breakfast, there is a LOUD commotion outside the porch door...and Orion, the mighty hunter, brings in a VERY LIVE BIRD!!!
He ran downstairs with it and I spent the next 30 minutes trying to keep him from finishing it off and trying to get it out of the house. Mission accomplished but it has a broken leg. The windows and doors are now closed and the A/C is on. Last year: mice and a frog. This year: a bird and...who knows? Well, I really don't want to know because EVERY time has been when Loran has been gone except the first mouse carcass he placed on the kitchen floor while we were eating last summer.

Orion was proud of himself. I am questioning having an indoor/outdoor cat during the spring/summer months.

To Do List

Put the girls down for a nap...it's already 2:30pm...and you know, I just don't feel like it today. Maybe we'll just try an earlier bedtime. Or maybe I'll get lucky and Lillian will climb in my lap in another hour and we can watch cartoons and I can snuggle with her. Yeah, I would like that. I am enjoying this summers off thing. For today.

Finish the garden. It's a big pile of dirt and it looks like rain. In fact, the forecast is calling for rain tonight and tomorrow. So I could finish moving the dirt, but then I wouldn't be able to plant anyway because I think I would run out of time. My flowers in the front need the rain so I am really hoping for rain. Besides, I promised Julia that I would let her help me plant. I bought a blueberry bush and a raspberry bush. Plus I have strawberries that will hopefully come out of a hanging basket. And we have apple trees. We will have more fruit in our diet I hope!

Finish the laundry. As it is with most people, it is clean, just not folded. It is on my bed. If I don't finish it, it will migrate to the floor. Maybe while the girls are playing in the toy room.

Hem and iron the curtains that are the door for Julia's closet. I've been meaning to do that for a long time. Maybe it will start raining soon and then I won't have an excuse to go enjoy the nice day and I'll get a few little things done like those curtains :-)

Make supper. Working has made me SO lazy in the kitchen. I used to love to plan and shop and cook, and now I just love to cook so there is no plan and there isn't much food because I don't shop as well as I used to. So when Loran asks what the plan is, I hesitate. He jumps right in with pizza or something we shouldn't have and I agree. Which is why the weight isn't coming off :-)

Write an article for AC. I have to write 12 a month and I am trying not to put it off, especially because we are going to be in Virginia at the end of the month. I like to write, even though I am nowhere near the writer that I wish I could be. I just work better under extreme pressure :-)

Put my elephant puzzle together. Because I bought it and I love puzzles. And I want to do something fun!

Watch one of our Netflix movies. We have had the Curious Case of Benjamin Button since March 1st! And Australia since April 15th! We have watched a few streaming movies with Netflix on the Wii but still...when we put the girls to bed around 9pm and each of those movies is almost 3 hours long, it is hard to want to stay up that late!

Scan pictures for Mom. She gave me three boxes. And I really am looking forward to scanning them. But I just need to start. And I am afraid to start because I know I will get sucked into the memories.

Organize my recipes. Just needs to get done so that I can get better at the planning thing.

Polish up my Intro to Dairy Science class. Somehow I thought I would get that done before Julia gets here. Now I am thinking it might wait until after she goes back in August :-)

Put together an Equine Management class for January. I am actually looking forward to this possibility. I did get my undergrad in Equine Science after all. It would be fun to use that knowledge. We'll see what the other profs have to say before I put forth too much effort.

Tip of the iceburg, as usual. I have crafts projects and photo albums that want my attention, too.

But I got the toy room clean so that the girls can mess it up again. Hey, it keeps them busy!

Awesome kids

Lots of girls :-) The #2 sista in my family has four kids: two step-daughters, one son (the only boy) and a daughter. #3 sista has two girls and, well, you know my kids :-)

This was the first Easter ever that all of the grandkids were at mom and dad's so there was an Easter egg hunt. While the men were out hiding eggs, the kids were instructed to wait on the stairs.

After Lillian found all of hers, I kept putting some on the ground for her to "re-find".


Ankica always has a good time hanging out with the older girls, especially Julia. And Julia...well, I can't say that this isn't normal look for her :-)

They pushed THAT button

I want to ask for a re-do of April. I was on a role with Weight Watchers. Until Easter and Julia's visit.

I was caught up with everything at work. Until Julia was with me for a week at work (and no, I am not blaming Julia...I let it happen and wanted to be an ear for her).

I had all of my housework in order. Until the weather started to get nice and I decided to try some raised bed flower gardens in the front yard.

I am behind and I am stressed out.

Yesterday my students embarassed me by not leaving any ice cream for the faculty. I thought they would have fun and make batches and batches of ice cream. They made three...one for each mega-group and then ate it all and left. Aargh...

This morning I went into class after another professor had given them their evaluation forms to fill out.

Why did they pick THIS morning to be so STUPID!

There were four in the back talking and taking pictures. There were others talking in not so quiet voices near the front of the room.

I have been a VERY tolerant teacher...and this morning I gave up. I was in mid-sentence and just told them I was done. I would put the rest of the slides on-line and they could read them for themselves because I was NOT going to try to talk over them anymore.

I almost let myself cry I was so upset.

Oh well...at least it won't change their evaluation of me...

The mantra of the morning

We are Arial, we are Arial.

I heard them fighting over which one of their cute little McDonald's mermaids would be Arial. They somehow came to an agreement...they would BOTH be Arial. It's amazing when they can decide on something like that and continue to play in harmony. They are only 2 and 3 for goodness sake!

Of course, it only lasted until Lillian bit Ankica because she wanted to watch Fairytopia instead of playing Arial.

Ankica comes running to me with Lillian on her heels, yelling "I won't do it anymore, I won't bite you anymore, Ahkeesha" (Sometimes Lillian likes to say Ankica's name in a baby voice and that is what it sounds like.

So Ankica said, "Okay" and they went about being Arial again.