Blog Amnesia

Usually when I don't post anything for a while, I am still thinking about how I should be doing it or what I could be writing about.  But lately, this thing has not even crossed my mind.  This morning I finally thought about it though so here we are.  I am obsessed with getting my acceptance letter for grad school. I got everything turned in way before the February 1st deadline and I was totally cool with waiting.  Until that deadline hit and now I have no patience whatsoever for them making a decision and  getting my letter to me.  I don't know how I went from completely cool and patient to total anxiety so quickly. Pretty much nothing else besides that crosses my mind so don't feel too bad, blog.  I know I will get accepted and I am pretty confidant that I will be getting an assistantship based on some information I've been gathering.  This is all great news but then it leads to other questions, mainly will I be offered a teaching or research assistantship?  And which professor will I be working with?  I also look at the class schedule for fall online several times a week.  Right now it is just the tentative schedule and I am so curious to see the final schedule so I can pick my classes.  It's not really a big mystery there either- I have to take 4 classes and 3 of them are already locked in for your first semester.  So I get to pick one class.  And I can't wait.  I am so excited.

I've noticed it has been snowing a lot here lately.  I swear we can't go more than two days without it snowing again.  Today is pretty warm (in the upper 40s) so we will get some rain first and then some snow.  Weather reports are all over the place with the amount we will get this time around.  I've heard everything from just 2 inches up to 8 inches.  With the rain coming down first, I can guarantee it is going to be a big old icy, slushy mess.  This is what it looked like on Monday and we got about 3 inches.

I'm guessing we will be in the upper range of that snowfall forecast because we haven't had anything like that yet this winter and we are most definitely due.  Rex's school is out on Friday anyways so that's nice.  I bet they end up canceling tomorrow too.  He better remember to bring his snow pants home this time so we can go play in the snow.  He left them at school all weekend so we didn't get to play in the snow on Saturday or Monday.  It was a bummer.

Rob finished up tiling the bathroom.  I don't have a finished picture to share right now but I will try to get one for the next post.  It looks beautiful but what a nightmare that shower project was.  First he installed a fiberglass tub surround and that was up for about 3 days but he didn't like it.  He didn't think it was strong enough or substantial enough.  He wanted to take it out and tile the whole thing so he did that.  Unfortunately, a couple of days into it, we all got strep throat.  He powered through as best he could to get it finished but we were out a shower for almost 3 weeks.  The guys were taking baths here and I was showering at the gym.  It was crazy.  My gym attendance has never been better though! So happy to have my lovely, newly tiled shower available now.

Sorry I don't have more photos or more stories.  It's been a pretty boring and quiet winter lately.  I think we are planning to go to the Twin Cities next weekend.  I haven't been there in about 5 years- I know I was pregnant with Wyatt at the time.  I can't even believe how long it has been.  We used to go up there all the time!  But with little kids who need naps, traveling seems like such a big production that usually isn't even worth it.  So glad they are getting older and can travel better now!

A Mid-Weekend Report

Rob has a three-day weekend and to him, that means it is time for a project.  Good thing for him we have a leaky shower that needs fixing.  He was having a hard time deciding if he wanted to just fix the 4-5 bottom rows of tile or tear out all the tile and install a fiberglass tub surround.  Go ahead and guess what we are doing.  Here's a hint.

Looks like we are getting a whole new tub surround!  He actually bought that last night.  I took this picture early today and by now, he has it all down to the studs.  The surround is actually being fitted right now and he thinks he can get it up on the walls tonight and then finish it up tomorrow.  That is excellent news since it is our only shower. I plan on going to the gym tomorrow morning to work out briefly and then get a shower.  I skipped it today and that is all I can take.  Hopefully I will be able to share the finished project on Monday.

Rex has a fever to make things even more interesting.  He is carrying around the official Blue Bowl we use for, well, you know.  I think every family has a certain tub or bowl for that when someone is sick.  He hasn't used it yet and with the bath all torn up, I'm very hopeful it doesn't come to that.  The tub could be functional pretty easily if we need it so that is some good news.

I'm excited about the new shower going in but I'm also really excited about the CSA I signed up for today.  I wish I could share a link to the actual farm but since I try to keep our location somewhat under wraps, that wouldn't be a very good idea.  I bought some vegetables from this farm at our farmers' market last summer and they were great so I'm very excited to be getting a whole box of veggies each week.  Last year was their first year and 18 of the 22 people they had last year signed up again so I thought that was a pretty good sign too.  I think it will be fun to get a variety of things I may not usually buy and have to figure out how to use them- kind of like my own Iron Chef competition.  Without any competition.  Hmm.  I probably needed a better analogy there.  Anyhow, looking forward to my first delivery in the second week of June!

A Bus Trip and Some Fish

Today was finally warm enough to take Wyatt out on a little bus trip around town- something I've been wanting to do for a while but, hello, we are not going out when it is like 5 degrees.  I decided we could take the bus to Play Pals and then ride it back home.  That worked out great and Wyatt had so much fun.

We used to go to Play Pals a lot during the summer but we haven't been back since school started last fall.  We were all sick for forever so we stayed home and now I'm scared about him picking up germs from other kids whose parents or daycare providers aren't as cautious as I am.  You've got to live a little though, right?  After we had that big adventure and got back home, Rob called and asked if we wanted to go out to lunch with him- duh, of course we do!  So we went and picked him up and had lunch with him.  You'd think with me being home for the last 5 1/2 years we would've done that a lot.  But we haven't.  This was a pretty rare thing for us.  Anyhow, today was a busy and really fun day around here.

I should probably write a little something about our two new friends in the house, Buster and Ethel.  A friend gave us a gigantic (55 gallon) fish tank recently and Rob has been working on it for quite a while, getting it all prepped up and ready for some fish.  We even bought one fish for it a month or so ago and it lived two days.  That was Lucho- he didn't turn out to be much of a fighter after all.  Should've named him Muerto.  Anyhow, Rob worked on the tank some more and Rob and Rex brought home two new fish this weekend.  I am so not into any of this but the guys all think it is great.  Here they are feeding Buster and Ethel for the first time.

I guess my big news for the past week is that I have jury duty. Not just any jury duty either- it is for the federal courts and is in Des Moines which means quite a bit of driving.  And it gets even better.  I am on the hook for the entire month of February.  I don't go every day but I have to call in each Friday and get my assignment for the week.  The instructions said that you typically serve 2-3 times during the month.  I'm hoping that means just 2-3 days.  The one good thing is that between being paid for service and mileage, I make about $80 each day I have to go.  It's extremely difficult with only one car and no family around.  Rob will have to take off work any day I have to go and he will be stuck at home all day with no car.  Thank goodness we only live a few blocks from Rex's school.  I don't know how we would manage if he needed a car to get Rex to school.  It could still be really cold though so say a prayer for them that they have warm weather on the days that I have to go to jury duty and they won't be outside walking if the weather is really bad!

New Year- Same Resolutions

I need to blog more.  Or at least on a schedule- that would be good.  I would really like to post something at least once a week.  I get discouraged though because I don't know how many people even read this anymore.  I sure don't get many comments and that is the only way I really have of knowing what is a visit from someone I know or who just stumbled across my blog because they googled "churchill hotel vanilla paint".  People losing interest is probably my fault though because I have been a blogger in serious decline for the last year or two.  So no more!!  Here is my post for the first week of 2014 and hopefully number 1 of at least 52 posts for the year!

I haven't shared hardly any of our Christmas activities so let's get to it.  The last week of school, Rex's kindergarten class did a performance in the school auditorium for their families and then had a little party afterwards.  I thought it was lots of classes and a whole big deal so I asked Rob to take off work early and stay home with Wyatt.  Well, it turned out to be only Rex's class and the performance lasted about 10-15 minutes.  I was really bummed because we all would have gone if I had known that.  Here are some adorable kindergartners- and as you can see, I was not the only proud parent snapping away with the pictures.



Once he was on break, it was time to do a little Christmas baking.  They helped until the first batch of cookies came out and then they were just cookie snackers and very little help.



We had a wonderful Christmas Eve over at some friends' house.  Their two kids play so good with our kids and it gives the adults a chance to just talk to other- and that is awesome.  I wish I had taken a picture of how beautiful it was that night.  There was just a little bit of snow falling and then the delicious dinner and great company.  It was just perfect- a little snow to really add to that Christmas feeling but not too bad to drive home in.  The next morning the kids woke up early (for the first time ever on Christmas) and got right to it.

Today was supposed to be Rex's last day of vacation.  It is going to be so cold tonight and tomorrow (with the wind chill it will be 40-50 below) that the school district canceled school for Monday. I'm more than happy to keep him home and stay in our nice warm house. Brrr!!