Outdoor Living

The past few weeks I've been working hard getting the outdoors ready for summer. With less than 15 days left of school - I want to be ready. So recently Kevin and I decided that it was time to actually purchase patio furniture....After 12 years in this house we needed something to call our own! When we moved here in January, 1995 we were lucky enough to be left with some treasures! You know the round metal white table - though ours was more rust colored than white. I found a great table cloth for it and put a slit in it for the umbrella that was left - a nice yellow vinyl one!... That spring while out doing the Saturday morning yard sale excursions I found a great wicker set in a natural tone - I painted it a great green color with my Wagner sprayer - it set me back $20.00, or $5.00 a piece. I definitely got my monies worth on that one as it only went to the dump this spring.... So needless to say we were in the market for a new set. We have a large brick area and also a separate summer porch. My dad helped me last week with the annual haul out of the summer porch - I pull everything out of it and hose it down. I have always done this myself as I was able to move the furniture on my own - we now have bigger pieces and I can't do it anymore. It too is all brick and screens all around. Unfortunately in the winter it becomes the storage for outside things and gets really grungy. There is nothing better than sitting in there with the morning paper and my morning yogurt. We have a great wicker set in there that was Kevin's mom's set. Not my favorite pattern on the fabric, but it is a great reminder of her and when Kevin's brother and sister visit we like to sit out there and reminisce....

So we recently went to a birthday party and were outside and I noticed their new patio furniture (it was cousin Amy's) and had to ask where they got it. She told us KMART - which I knew over the years I've been tempted by there selections. So I said to Kevin one day last week that I'd really like to get a new patio set - which I'm certain I've probably said it at least 11 times in the last 12 years. My annual spring nag! I asked him if he'd meet me at KMART to look at this furniture - of course he was more along the lines of show it to me online.... I was able to find it and he too liked it. It has these great tile pieces instead of a glass table top, the cushions are pretty neutral and I love the chair style. So one day on my way home from picking the kids up from school he called to say that I should go home, get the truck and head to KMART and pick up the furniture I wanted - call it my "Mother's Day Gift" he said.... He'd meet me at home and start putting it together. Yeah!....

Now this is were the story just gets interesting.....The kids and I go to KMART and head right to the patio furniture section, we walk around looking for someone to help us - of course know ones in the general vicinity. I do see a gal in the Health & Beauty section putting things on the self and I track her down. I indicate that I'd like to purchase a patio set and could she help me. Or course you know the answer to this - no, but she'll page someone to help you. So I plant myself near the phone that she has just paged from and wait......and wait......and wait. She pages someone, she pages the manager, she pages customer service, she pages the "runner" - all who ignore her pages as I continue to stand here. After the fifth page I told myself that at 4:10 I was walking out. At 4:10 that would be 30 minutes of standing there - too long. And of course just as I'm ready to walk off the girl comes back up and says "well I guess I can page someone again", to which I say "please don't - I've waited here too long I'm leaving now". Of course she did not reply to this and went back to what she was doing. And naturally I have to walk past the customer service desk to get back to my truck - and since I do have my kids with me I'm really containing myself, but I do stop at the counter and tell the young man that I have just been waiting by the patio furniture waiting for someone to help me and that I think it's ridiculious that someone should have to wait over 30 mintues to get some help. And why after 5 pages has know one come to help me. Ridiculious! So sorry I'm not spending my money here! To which I walked away at this point with my kids trailing behind me. So I get the kids back into the truck and Kyle says to me "Mommy why did you say that to that guy". So I told Kyle that I was upset that I couldn't get anyone to help me. Kyle then proceeds to tell me that the guy told him "to get out of my store and don't come back" And I'm like WHAT? So Karlee and Kyle explain to me that as they walked past this guy behind the customer service counter at KMART that he tells them "to get out of my store and don't come back" with a wave of his hand shooing them out - I'm am floored! And thinking what do I do now. I know I can't go back in there and give him whatfor - I have my kids with me! Not a good example! So we head home and Kevin is not 5 minutes behind us. Of course the first thing out of his mouth is "where's the furniture". To which I say "Well wait until I tell you this"..... I give him the abbreviated version and he says fine I'll go down there to get it. And of course I'm like you couldn't pay me to spend a dime in there. But I did like the set - I'm weak! And also thinking do I pass this opportunity by - he said yes - how many years would I have to wait to hear it again!....

So every night last week Kevin spent time putting the furniture together. A little bit each night. He apparently can get the service when needed. He did call KMART on his way out the driveway and the manager met him at the front door! How special.....The unfriendly guy wasn't behind the counter when Kevin got there and he didn't appear until the end - at which point my son pointed to him and said to the manager - "that's the guy who was mean to me". Kevin did have some satisfaction in the "deer in the headlights" reaction from him! It doesn't pay to be mean to anyone! I wish I could say it ends there - but not! When we pulled the last chair out to piece together it was damaged, as were a few tiles and the table top had a split in it. So Kevin boxed those back up and took back down there to be exchanged. I'd like to say this was a good experience for him but can't - I'll give you the short version. I called him at 4:25 on Saturday to ask him when he was coming back - he'd been gone for quite some time - enough time for me to wonder when he was coming back. Anyway he said to hang on as a gal had just come up to him to let him know what was up, this is what I over heard on my end - "it seems the guy that was looking for your table got off at 4:00 and he's left". Priceless huh! The best part though is that my family made a special "Mother's Day" dinner for me and we all ate outside on the new furniture! I was telling my family this story on Saturday and mentioned that I'm not really a frequent KMART shopper - only when I've forgotten that one of the kids has been invited to a birthday party and we need a gift. The toy section is in the front of the store - convenient. However at this point I'm steering clear. Thanks anyway, I'm sticking to Target!

What a Muffin

And here's the recipe to go with it.....These are very tasty. My daughter likes them - Kyle ate it but then threw the last bite away saying he was full. The same boy who would eat 4 waffles for breakfast every morning if I let him. At first he was full of praise....Then in the last bit of conversation he threw in that he liked the chocolate chip part but wherever the zucchini was he didn't like that part.....hmm........I giggled with that one! Funny guy!

Zucchini Muffins

3 cups shredded zucchini (3 medium)
1-2/3 cups sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
3 cups whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup (approx) mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (optional)

Move oven rack to low position so that tops of pans will be in center of oven. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Put muffin papers in muffin tins.

Mix zucchini, sugar, oil, vanilla and eggs in large bowl. Stir in remaining ingredients except chocolate chips. Add chocolate chips last after all other ingredients are well stirred.

Pour mixture into muffin cups about 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake 12-15 minutes. Use a toothpick to check if done; should pull out clean. Cool completely.

Store at room temperature for 4 days or refrigerate up to 10 days.

Makes about 2 dozen depending on fullness.

Media Clip

I saw this link on another blog I was reading and clicked on it not realizing that in not more than 90 seconds or less of watching this clip I'd be in tears. Wow! Very powerful.... I guess having a 6 year old it hit me hard. It makes me very thankful for the people who serve in our armed forces. It's too bad we don't have more people stepping up to the plate to eliminate the burden that to few families suffer with. I'm not interested in weighing in on this debate other than to say how sad it is that children have to suffer this way. And this little boy is one of the lucky ones - he's parent came home! And thank goodness for that....

Camellia's!

Picture of the house from 1966

This I know is a full double
As is this one....

This is the only one (above) that I know the name of - It's called Mother of Pearl and it is absolutely my favorite of all the 60+ we have in the yard....
And this would be a speckled one

When we moved here 12 years ago we had over 100 Camellia's and Azalea's - we've lost a couple of the Camellia's and a good portion of the Azalea's over the years. We had these two great big Azalea's by the front door - someone once told me they were bigger than ones you see at Chico State. There were and still are very old plants in our yard. We have the good fortune to live in the house that Kevin's mom grew up in. The yard is so established with so much greenery. I have a picture from 1966 and you can see when the Magnolia tree was only about 20 to 25 feet high and all the Camellia's lined up along the south side of the house, they are still there. It's pretty amazing - there really are not that many changes from the picture. Here I'll scan it and download it..... Oops! They don't go where you want them to, do they. Well there you go. I guess now I'll have to stand in that spot or there about I suppose, because in 1966 I was not born but I bet I could get pretty close.....And give you the same shot as it is today. I love the awnings on the windows. From the picture you can't tell the house was a great yellow and not our boring gray. My mistake. But since the house needs to be painted, I'm thinking it needs a happy yellow again! Well I guess I've gotten my fill of spring and the yard. I'm not much of a green thumb. I leave that to my sister. But I do love the camellia's. I guess because they come out when it's still winter. They are the first inkling that spring is coming. I can stand at the kitchen sink and see color everywhere. They do brave the cold too. And this year we had a very good and long season with them. We've had them since Christmas time and some are still going. And the Camellia's are so much less work than the roses - and I've noticed they are coming out in full bloom too!

A Belated Spring Post

This tree is truly a treasure in our yard! It's a Japanese Magnolia -

or sometimes called a Tulip tree - at least from what I'm told

I took these pictures the first week of March because I was so excited to have the opportunity to enjoy the blooms - and then it just got a little crazy! We had the school auction where I helped on the committee. Then Omega Nu had there big luncheon with Biba the following weekend. And then the next weekend I was out of town in Modesto for a luncheon - Omega Nu again. I came home that Saturday and started packing for our week up at the lake. I went with the kids to the cabin for there Easter Break. We had a very relaxing time - lots of walks along the beach, a little bowling and so forth. It was so peaceful and quite. There wasn't a single boat on the lake until Thursday. Kevin was able to come up on Friday - but he brought the rain with him. Which was just crazy as we'd had such wonderful weather the whole time! So now we're back once again in the thick of it. We have baseball 3 times a week and Karlee has reading 2 times a week. 'Tis the season....

I've had thoughts of posts but haven't taken the time to make them. But I did clean out the linen cupboard in the hallway, cleaned Karlee's room, cleaned out the big hall closet by the front door and cleaned up the laundry room. All very good things for me these days. I made another trip to the thrift store for a deposit today and have another bag for some friends. I guess you could say I've been hit with the Spring Cleaning bug. Though I can't say my house is any cleaner - just purging some! It seems it's always a work in progress these day - but I'm making some noticeable changes - at least for me! And that's what really matters right... I've had a mental list of things to do recently and have been disciplining myself with computer time. It just didn't seem right to spend the few hours each day that I have lurking around the blog world - when I still had my taxes to do, needing to balance my checkbook that I hadn't done since Aug - what's that like, 8 months - yikes! But they are all done as of Thursday - and we filed our taxes today! No biggie! Procrastination at it's worst I tell you! But I do see the light at the end of the tunnel! I'm going to try and upload some other photos I took earlier in the month from our yard. And I'll try to update my other blog - since I've read a few more books as well.

Hitting the Slopes

I was so incredibly impressed with my kids this weekend. We took them to Boreal to ski. And they did so good! Something I never did as a kid. It was great. We got them up at 5 AM and left the house about 45 minutes later. They were tired but never complained. We tried getting them to nap in the car - but they wouldn't hear of it. And then we got to the hill and they skied for hours! Karlee got to take a semi-private lesson due to lack of participants, just herself and a girl two years older. And Kyle did the Kid's Park class, a large group broken down into smaller groups. I was so proud of them. They rode the chair lift by themselves and skied down the hills. It was great fun! I was talking with Karlee before her lesson and said "so what life skills should you use today Karlee?" And she said "perseverance" and I said "patience". And then I said "can you think of one other?" And she said "Pride" and I was thinking wow! It wasn't what I had expected her to say - but it made me feel really proud of her myself. And now reflecting back on it I have to say it's great that she's found something that she has confidence in doing.

So we all made it home in one piece - exhausted but good! Kyle was the only one to sleep on the way home and it was only for about 1/2 hour. Kyle and I were a bit sunburned on our faces too! As much as I'm enjoying these beautiful days I hope we get the chance to get another ski day in before all the snow goes away again.....!

I'm Tired.....

I had a really rough night last night....To much going on I guess. I've been overbooked and running ragged. I guess it's affecting my sleep. That or the fact that Kevin came home last night after being gone since early Saturday morning. He had gone on a fishing trip to the Smith River again. So I guess after 4 nights alone - which now that I think about it I wasn't really only except the first two nights. The 3rd night I had my youngest come in around 1:30, and on the 4th night my oldest arrived with a tummy ache after repeated trips to the potty and then the youngest was there about an hour later. I have to say with Karlee I never really mind because I can probably count on both hands how many times she's come into our room in the night and she's 8. Now Kyle his is a totally different story. He'd be there every night if he could. We have been laying down the law for about the last 5 years - oops! He's 6...... Just kidding (okay, maybe slightly). He goes in phases. He really hasn't been in during the night for a couple weeks. I think he tunes into the fact that dad is missing and I need company. It always starts the trend again. I had a while back said no more sleeping in my bed and said he could sleep on the floor next to me, but he can't wake me up. That way I'm never surprised when I put my feet down in the morning and I don't feel carpet. And so last night having Kevin back must have thrown me off. I was awake from 1 am to 4:30 am - that I know of.... Of course the other obstacle is the dog. She's been back in the house for about 3 or 4 months - and she's on thin ice with me. I'm really trying for my families sake to keep her in. But lately she wakes me up sometimes 3 times in a night. And this is after I've let her out before going to bed. I think she just likes checking out the yard. It's driving me crazy. I can hear her wondering around the house on the hardwood floors and drives me nuts! So of course last night I finally drifted off about 3:30 and was startled awake with someone standing over me.....I just moaned and said "no, no, no. You go back to your room, mommy can't sleep and you are waking me up - go back to your room, I love you son - but you have to go to your room". And then I told Kevin that he had to deal with it. Which meant following behind Kyle and turning off all the lights he turned on to get back to his room! But you see Kevin couldn't hear me because his snore machine was making soooooo much noise that he hears nothing. Sometimes I wish for the snoring again. That thing can be so noisy. Kevin insists it's white noise. But I'm hear to tell you it's not! When that thing is pointed in your direction about a foot from your face - it is not white noise. It's really like a persistent wind blowing above your head. The thing needs to be glued in place at night, because when it gets moved just a hair - it starts howling. So I'm a bit grouchy today - and Kevin's solution was that I take the kids to school and come home and go back to bed......Yeah right! Since I have such a life of leisure, maybe I'll stop off at the store on the way home too and get some bon bons!