WHAT A WEEK!

Monday, August 31, 2015

I can't believe the month is over!  Time just flies on!  

Seminary went strangely today, mainly because the stake (and the Church) asked the Seminary classes to take a "pre-assessment."  This would have been better done at the beginning of the year, but we only got word last week.  So, this morning, in lieu of my devotional and a part of the class, we took the pre-assessment.  No student name goes on the paper, but my name does!  I have to send them to Salt Lake, where they will be analyzed and I will get a report with suggestions of doctrines & principles to focus on (supposed weak spots in the kids' answers).  It will be interesting to see.

The lesson ended up being VERY short.  Still, I managed to get in a point that brought the Spirit.  I just kind of skimmed over things and found the one thing I felt we should focus on.  I'm so glad I was lead rightly!  The point?  God is there, for us, even when we feel alone or uncared for.  It isn't a good lesson unless the Spirit testifies.

Walmart was another people watching event today.  Green bowler hat man was there.  His hair and beard continue to grow.  I had to maneuver around a lot of wheelchairs today; I even saw this poor bent-over lady pushing someone else!  I really felt for her.  Then, there was the guy in the frozen section who told me (a total stranger) how he was going to make homemade chicken noodle soup for his friend.  Weird.  Oh, and there was the twenty-someodd-minutes I spent talking with a fun sister in my ward.  Any wonder it takes me a while to get my shopping done?

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Seminary was not good this morning.  The Adversary is trying to keep the Spirit from our classroom.  The culprit?  Contention.  Sensitivity.  I had one student hurt (emotionally) and had to call them later to make sure they were okay.  I'm not sure if I need to do anything, say anything, or let them figure things out on their own.

I was supposed to go out to Walmart today with the RS President to get supplies for my Super Saturday class on Sketchnoting.  Yes, that was the class I taught at WOSC Kids' College this summer.  Four days of it.  Now crunched into an hour and a half.  This is going to take a little finagling.  However, the Pres. rescheduled me for tomorrow.  I think I'm going to veg a little.  Unwind.  Destress.

I roasted my own Hatch chilies today to make a chile relleno casserole.  I've done it before in my oven; today I tried it on my griddle.  I think the oven works better.  After they're roasted you put them in a ziplock to steam, which helps get the skins off.  Didn't work as well this time, so it took a bit longer to prepare.  Still, the casserole was good, especially with some homemade salsa on it (made that last week).

Wednesday, September 2, 2015

If you can believe it, Seminary was worse today.  I went home and cried.  We've got to get our mojo (read: Spirit) back.  I did some thinking and praying and had Ken give me a blessing before he went to work.  The rest of the day - pretty much - was tossing out my original lesson plans and doing something different.  A Conference talk, some videos, lots of scriptures...and more prayer!

This time I made it to Walmart to meet with the RS President.  Got our sketchbooks (found some very inexpensive ones $1.98 - trust me, that's a great price!) and some good black gel ink pens.  Compared to the crafts and such she's organizing, I'm easy!

Just so you know how marvelous a mother I am, not only did I make pancakes from scratch, but put BLUEBERRIES in them!  Well, some of them.  Analiese and Ken were not excited about the fruit (typical), so Jonathan & I had blueberries.  I asked Ken how his pancakes were (when he came home on lunch break) and he said, "They were pancakes."  Well, if he'd had blueberry pancakes, they'd've been much better, says I!

Thursday, September 3, 2015

Special lesson today in Seminary.  Did it do any good?  I don't know.  The ones who took it seriously always take things seriously and the one who didn't is the one oblivious to their own actions.  I hate drama.

I really need the weather to decide it wants to be fall.  Coming out of the car to go into the house - an activity that took mere minutes - I got four mosquitos bites on both ankles.  Really!  Bugs have been a big presence this summer.  Analiese showed me a fuzzy spider today that was hanging around the front door.  It's a little bigger than my fuzzy blues, and had a white stripe and a dot on its abdomen.  Eat those bugs, spidey!

Friday, September 4, 2015

I think we're all looking forward to the weekend.  Monday is Labor Day, which means no Seminary or school, and we all really need a break.  I even told Analiese "No Lessons!"  Next week is going to be crazy enough, we're going to need Monday!

I made my house smell marvelous today.  I have lots of ripe bananas and more blueberries in the fridge, so I searched Pinterest for some recipes.  I made Banana Blueberry oat muffins today.  They smelled great (of course) and are...okay.  They don't have a lot of sugar, which is good, but could use a little more.  I don't think it will stop Jonathan from eating them, though!

Boy, did we find the mothers of all spiders today!  These two girls were gigantic - about the size of the bottom of a soda can!  They look like alien spiders - there is no fuzziness about them.  They have built massive webs between the old dead tree, the fence, and my compost area.  I tried to get as good of a shot of one of them as I could, but didn't want to climb into the compost to do so!  I wonder if they eat hoppers....  Oh!  And don't tell Ken!  If he knew they were out there, he might never venture into the backyard again!

Saturday, September 5, 2015

Sleeping in is such a luxury.  I finally could sleep no more around 7:00 a.m.  Now, that may not seem like much to you, but that's an hour and a half extra for me!  So wonderful!  Ken got to sleep in a lot, too, which made me very happy.  His new position at Walmart means he that, even though his shift is supposed to end at midnight, if things aren't done, he stays until they are and that can mean 2 a.m. sometimes!  He's been very tired.

My egg gal came through for me today, too.  Only a dozen (but can you beat that for $2?), but her hens are getting older and not laying as much.  They are talking of getting new hens and, uhm, making chicken dinners out of the others.  Can you say circle of life?  I'd have to face the same if I ever got chickens.  Luckily, they know how to do it.  Actually, getting chickens is all the rage here.  Eggs in the store are outrageous and the difference in the store eggs versus home-grown are astounding. 

I played barber today.  Jonathan was ready for his haircut, which we do about every 3-4 weeks.  He has very thick hair, we call it "shaving the bear."  Ken has recently decided to have his head clipped like Jonathan's.  His work is hot and sweaty and his hair gets very oily, so this is a more practical cut for him.  Those clippers were a good investment!  But don't get any ideas about me doing it for a living.  That's all I can do - use the clippers.  Ask Analiese, don't put scissors in my hand and have me cut hair.  We have to pay for that, trust me.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Church was quietly average today.  Fast and testimony meeting was nice, Sunday School was great as usual.  Relief Society was very social today; it took a while to get to the lesson because everyone had something to share or say.  We're a pretty friendly group.

Analiese had been ill in the night, so she stayed home.  Because of Labor Day weekend, church numbers were small and there as only one young lady in YW.  Not surprising, we had lots of inquiries about my daughter.  But she's feeling better.  I don't know if she had an issue with dinner or a little bug.

NOT HAPPENING

I had typed out the whole week.  I had inserted pictures and links to three new recipes I tried this week.  And then...it all disappeared.  Gone.  I am tired, have dealt with headaches all week plus faced Shark Week.  I've been busy and running around all the time, and dealt with a cranky son and a tired, stressed-out husband.  I am still alive and will be glad to continue my saga.  Next week.

No Pictures - I'm Sorry!

Monday, August 17, 2015

Second week of Seminary, and I think I'm growing wiser.  Well, at least in the matter of going to bed earlier.  Being too tired is just crazy.  My allergies make it bad enough, I don't need to purposely wear myself out more.

Analiese started up the Homeschool PE group again today.  The gal leading it this year is super-sweet, I really like her.  They asked for a volunteer to help her, but there's no way I can.  I apologized to her, but this year Seminary is really absorbing my time.   She was sweet about it, but that's not surprising.  Still, I'll do what I can.

Went to water aerobics after a week's absence.  Those two guys are still coming; what a surprise!  I'd have thought the chattering biddies would have frightened them away by now.  Some of the conversations we have!  There's more women, too, older.  They don't move as confidently, they'll learn, but at least I feel younger being around them.

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Ken and I went out to lunch today for our "couple time."  Usually that's on Wednesday, but Jonathan has Institute tonight, which is usually FHE, so we swapped it for tomorrow, which is our usual Couple Night.  

We made sure Jonathan had his house key this time.  I told him I didn't think he's be comfortable sleeping on the front steps.  I guess that was motivation enough!  He came into my room a little after ten to tell me he was home safe.

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

My sleep was not uninterrupted last night.  A rolling thunderstorm came in early in the morning.  I woke up, listened to it for a bit, and then (luckily) went back to sleep.  But it also meant that rain came, too.  It was still going on full tilt when I went to Seminary.  Dragging myself from the car to the doors of the church in windy rain is not fun.  One of my students texted me to say she wanted in but didn't want to go into the muddy planter to knock on the window.

And I only had her, the one student, today.  Sadly, the other two - siblings - couldn't come because their mom's car was in the shop and dad was out of town.  I'd go get them, except they're on base.  Megan volunteered to go get them tomorrow, but I mentioned it would mean she'd have to get up earlier.  She rescinded her offer.

Thursday, August 20, 2015

No thunder or rain to keep me up or make me miserable last night.  I woke just fine to my alarm but must have zoned out in the shower - when I got out it was 6:05!  I try to leave the house by 6, so this was disturbing.  No vitamins, no juice, no nothing, just run out the door!

Only one student again today.  We are enjoying the one-on-one (at least I know she likes the attention), but I do miss the others.  Class participation is pretty pathetic in a class of one.

Friday, August 21, 2015

We're all back!  I was so happy to see all my (three) students, bright & shiny.  Well, sort of.  This is Rodeo weekend and last night was Military night, so the two who'd been gone were up late at the rodeo.  One nearly fell asleep during closing prayer!

Analiese spent most of the day in fear of the rain.  The youth were supposed to have a Back-to-School pool party at the bishop's house.  Rain would put an end to that.  She was just a little grumpy.  And for what?  There was no storm and she got to go swimming for nearly three hours (they did tell me she got out to quickly eat a hamburger).  There's nothing that kid would rather do than swim!

Ken was sleeping, so Jonathan and I had dinner at Braum's (brought home some ice cream) and watched TV like a couple of couch potatoes.  But with my busy-ness and all of his school and studying, we didn't feel like doing more than that!

Saturday, August 22, 2015

Analiese is working on Time Management for a Personal Progress goal.  I've purchased a planner for her (cheap school one) and today showed her about to-do lists: mainly, my big one for today.  The missionaries are coming to dinner, I had to get dinner in the crockpot, defrost some frozen peaches (for cobbler), make some rolls, meet up with someone at the church to practice a musical number, and study for my Sunday Seminary lesson with my homestudy student.  Plus, I had to pick up medication at Walmart, plus refill our water jugs and get some ice.  I have nothing to do!

Jonathan and Ken went home teaching, Analiese and I headed to Walmart for the quick shopping before I had to meet the young man at the church by noon.  Oh no!  I forgot about the rodeo parade today!  It goes halfway down Main St., turns east onto Broadway and goes past our house almost to the base by the Expo center and the rodeo arena.  It is nearly impossible to get home during that time!

I did squeeze through in time to get my stuff home and get me to the church, but on the way back from the church, I got stuck at a light while the tail end of the parade (literally, the horses were riding by) went past.  The real bummer was, I had wanted to see the parade.  I saw it last year, but I still like it.  I missed the longhorns!  Oh, well.  No good deeds, yadda, yadda.

I ended up not making rolls (bought them at Walmart instead - travesty!) But I did make a scrumptious cobbler with those extraordinary peaches.  I should have doubled it, but that would have meant I would have eaten more of it.  The temptation is too strong.  As it is, I cut a lot of the sugar out by not using pie filling or canned fruit, but the fresh/frozen in their own juices.

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Played the piano in sacrament meeting for the special musical number.  He sang "Secret Prayer" in Russian.  Knew the tune, not the words.  I trust they're similar to English.  Such a chatty day - everyone wanted to talk to me!  Late to Sunday School, delayed out of Relief Society, and forever setting up for Seminary tomorrow!

No, I didn't have the lesson again.  My homestudy student has decided - for now - to not do it.  His choice, I can't make him.  I'm sad, and I think he felt bad about it, but if he's not invested, he won't get anything out of it no matter what I do.  I've learned a lot about agency and learning in the last year.

Jonathan wore his suit again to church today.  He claimed it wasn't so warm (it wasn't), but there was an ulterior motive.  A couple of the girls from Institute came to hear the singer, and Jonathan was in impression mode.  One was VERY pretty, long chestnut waves and blue eyes.  Apparently, she's pressuring him to continue coming to Institute so she won't "go crazy."  Uh-huh.  He went to Lawton with some brethren in the ward this evening for a Stake Priesthood meeting and texted me on the way home.  Could we go to Lawton this Thursday so he could go to Institute?  He wanted to see his male friend from Duncan and...hey, he hadn't seen Brother Sturges in a while and heard he was a great teacher.  I mentioned the girl.  Then he got flustered.  Uh-huh.  That, too.  He's a normal, healthy male.  I'll grant you that.

BACK TO SCHOOL & SEMINARY

Monday, August 10, 2015

Tomorrow being the big day of "going back" to school/Seminary/lessons, meant that today was a get-er done kind of day!  Shopping, laundry, and the like.

On top of that, I had to drive in the evening to Frederick, a town 30-40 minutes southeast of Altus.  Dusten is my home-study Seminary student and he wasn't at church Sunday for me to give him his supplies and get him started, so I did today.  I am so grateful for my GPS!  Otherwise, all roads look the same - fields of corn, wheat, cotton or sorghum (I think) or cattle.  Also, driving through (because here some highways intersect small towns) unknown little towns on the way.  I get so lost without help!

I arrived at Dusten's grandmother's home where our lesson was to take place.  Sadly, I think if I have to go again we'll have to find another venue.  Why?  2 dogs, 1 cat.  I have enough allergies to deal with.

We're supposed to meet every Sunday after church in the Seminary room to have our weekly discussions.  He's not super excited about doing Seminary.  He's starting high school and is nervous about the workload, but I told him that my other students faced that their freshman years too.  I reminded him that he had an advantage - he could study any time of day he wants!  My other students come at 6:30 in the morning!

Also, he has vision issues and ADHD, so he doesn't focus well.  But we're going to give it a try.  His mom and grandmother are going to help him with the weekly lessons.  He's fairly newly baptized, so it is good for him to learn the doctrine more firmly.  We'll see!

Did you know you can buy hay at your local OK gas station? Yep, deer corn, too. That's what they use to lure deer to certain spots for hunting in the fall. Gotta love this place!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

It begins again!  No Jonathan, he's graduated (sad face).  Megan and Aurora now have a year's experience under their belts.  And we have a new student - Will, Aurora's brother.  He's a round-faced helpful chap (remember, their mother is from GB) and is very excited to begin this new adventure.  I hope I can keep that level of interest up.

I had to run home quickly (after dropping Megan off at school) to take Jonathan to the airport.  This year he goes all day - from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. - so I had to hustle to get him there on time.  This makes my punctual boy a little nervous.

After that it was home to start Analiese off on her new year of lessons.  We had to go through (almost) everything because she had several new subjects or curriculum.  Not only is she doing math online, now she does Spanish, science, and language arts on the computer as well.  She's enjoying the language arts because they're doing poetry and having her write some of her own!

We paused around eleven to go to someone's house for a Relief Society "back-to-school" brunch for the moms.  I figured they wouldn't mind Analiese, some sisters brought little ones.  It was nice to just sit back and chat a bit...though sitting down all of the sudden made me sleepy!

Home again for the rest of lessons and me studying for tomorrow's Seminary.  Then, pick up Jonathan, home to make dinner, etc.  Jonathan went off with a group of YA to go to Lawton to play games (I guess they had a water balloon fight).  Put me to bed early, I am tired!

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

Day two and I haven't lost anyone yet!  Ken was home to take Jonathan to school, luckily, so I didn't have to worry so much about getting home quickly from Seminary.

Here in the summer, big trucks will park in store lots and sell fruit out of the backs, especially watermelon.  Well, in the Dollar Tree lot a truck is selling peaches.  I love peaches!  I could not resist and bought two boxes.  Because I figured I'd cut them up and freeze them for later, I got a super deal on some bruised peaches - half off!  They gave me a piece to try - it ran juice down my arm as I moaned over the perfect sweetness.  Gosh, I love summer fruit!

So Ken & I spent the evening peeling (not so hard - dip in boiling water for about a minute, then in cold and the peels pretty much just slip off!), pitting, slicing and bagging.  Oh, the aroma was heavenly.  Jonathan had a piece and said that, while he wasn't usually a big fan of peaches, these were really good!  They were so big, they fit in my hand like a softball!  We bagged 24 cups of sliced peaches (3 bags).  A little was left in the fridge for me to indulge in as I see fit.  What will I use frozen peaches for?  Just wait until my birthday!

Thursday, August 13, 2015

I took an onion today to Seminary.  It was my object lesson.  The gospel is multifaceted and deep, you have to dig into the layers to learn more.  Then, I said, really it wasn't like an onion, because an onion gets smaller with each layer you get to.  Instead, it was more like the TARDIS from Dr. Who - bigger on the inside!  My kids are all into that stuff, so they appreciated that!

Ken took Jonathan to the airport again today.  I wish he could every day, but it isn't going to work that way and eventually he'll get another job that will take that time away from him.  Jonathan is just going to have to sweat it out and I will endeavor to leave as soon as I can from the church.

Jonathan went to Institute in Lawton this evening...and forgot his keys!  Not only that, but he ran late, too.  I was just in bed trying to get to sleep when he texted me with this lovely news.  Ken was fast asleep - he was going to Walmart at 11 - so I (grumbling) hauled my carcass out of bed to wait up for him.  I wonder if a night sleeping on the front steps would teach him to remember?

Friday, August 14, 2015

Last day of Seminary this week - we made it!  Well, it was a short week, but still.  I hope little Will has found Seminary to his liking.  He certainly is helpful.  He lets Megan in to the building (I keep the door locked for security purposes), erases my chalkboard for me, and takes things to the library.

I had slept poorly the night before (see Thursday) and so Ken kept an eye on Analiese and the laundry while I took a nap.  Still, she insisted that I read to her, so that had to wait.  Oh well, Momma's special job.  We're finishing up Anne Frank's diary for history (leftover from last year) and have started reading "A Study in Scarlett."  She's had the desire to read some mysteries, either Agatha Christie or "Sherlock Holmes."  I had the complete Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes, so we started there.  We've watched the BBC's "Sherlock" with Benedict Cumberbatch (under supervision, I realize there's some "interesting" parts), so she chuckles a bit at the persona of Sherlock.  The BBC people kept pretty well to the books!

Saturday, August 15, 2015

I am the unlucky soul who seems to not be able to get a full night's uninterrupted sleep.  This time it was my brother, Niles, texting me from Alaska at 1:30 in the morning - my time.  We're three hours apart, and I'm not sure he realized that.  Mind, I was in bed at 10:30 Oklahoma time, too, so I still wouldn't have appreciated a text then!  Time for a little talksie!

I went to a RS sister's house for about an hour this afternoon to learn to make homemade toothpaste. Basically, it's coconut oil (melted), baking soda, a packet of stevia (to offset the saltiness of the soda), cinnamon (anti-bacterial) and some essential oils (I used spearmint - yum!).  I had to take it home and put it in the fridge to bring it to paste-y condition.  It really didn't take long, but - of course - I had to stay and chat a bit.  Do you think we ladies can get together and NOT talk?

The major part of my day was Seminary planning for the week and, in particular, tomorrow.  With Dusten, my homestudy student, I now have six days of lessons instead of five.  Right now, I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by it all, but I hope to get into the swing of things and have it be a little easier and more smooth over time.  The nice thing is, that the homestudy lesson is kind of a blend of the week's lessons for the regular class, so I've done a bit of the prep already.  It's pretty much reviewing and thinking what will work for him and what needs a little altering.

My intention for dinner was chicken rice bowls.  The chicken was cooking happily away in the crockpot with the beans, corn, salsa and spices (yum!).  But the rice...rice and I have a long and troubled history.  It's not that I dislike rice, I like it, but I have the hardest time in the cooking process.  I know, me!  The cook!  Rice is my albatross, my thorn in my side.  Underdone, overdone, spilled all over, you name it!  Once I had a microwave that cooked it to perfection, but alas!  No more.  My current microwave is a behemouth that is a little too powerful for rice.  Anyway, tonight's issue dealt with my electric burners on my stove.  I have not adjusted well to electric burners...you can't see a flame like with gas and it's hard to adjust properly.  Well, I had the rice boiling and was going to turn it down...and instead turned the burner on behind it!  So, the high heat actually burned the rice down to the pan - what a mess!  SIGH.  We ate our chicken (still yummy) on tortillas.  

Sunday, August 16, 2015

I can't be tired just going in to church, but I am.  I was stupid and stayed up later last night.  When will I learn?

After meetings, I was supposed to have my first class with my homestudy student.  Unfortunately, the bishop has scheduled Bishop's Youth Committee meetings the 3rd Sunday of the month, and Dusten is supposed to be there.  There went that!  I had to wait anyway, Analiese is Beehive president, so she was in the meeting, too!

I asked my son today how the ordination of a new deacon went in Priesthood today.  You should have heard the scandalized "Mama!" (imagine it dripping and scornful)  "You know I go to Elders' Quorum now.  I've been going for months."  I tried hard not to laugh (the Mama was too much) and told him, "As long as I'm living, my baby you'll be."  No apologies!

INSANITY WEEK

Monday, August 3, 2015

From the start, I could tell this day wasn't going to go exactly as planned.  I woke up to find my daughter cleaning up water and putting a bucket in the hall in front of the bathroom.  Unbeknownst to me (and apparently the weathermen, because the Weather Channel said no rain until next Sunday) we had a rainstorm over head and it was dropping a lot of water.  Into my house.

It didn't stop there.  I had laundry from Friday still waiting for me to put away (explanation: Sometimes that doesn't get done on Friday if Ken goes to sleep before the laundry is done.  This time I was in Norman on Saturday and Sunday, well, we I don't do that stuff on Sunday) and Monday's laundry waiting.  I wanted to make some more muffins for the garage sale's bake sale this weekend...but first I had to shell half a cup of pecans, which is more work than you think.  And more of a mess.  Then, I realized, I had no eggs.  Oh, well, I still needed to go grocery shopping.  So, after going to the library (books are read and due tomorrow) and the bank, I went to Walmart.  Shopping is even more of a chore now because it's become My Food vs. Their Food and you can imagine which group is more tempting!  Plus, I still have to stay under budget!

Go home, put groceries away.  Schedule mirror repair on van for Wednesday with Ford dealer in town.  Whites for some reason are not clean, run them again.  Make muffins.  Maybe now I'll take a "break" and sit down and work on some Seminary stuff.

Tuesday, August 4, 2015

No rain today, and much work.  Immediately after morning family devotional, the kids and I went over to the houses (yes, two) to help set up the yard sale. Because of yesterday's (and last night's) rain, the tables were covered with plastic and tarps.   A sheltered area was bowed down with a heavy weight of water.  They were very happy to have Jonathan (a healthy young man!) to help, though he did get a good soaking trying to get the water off of the shelter.

Analiese and I spent several hours hanging and folding clothes.  There were so many boxes and bags of clothes!  We had clothes racks and ladders and a bazillion hangers, that weren't quite enough.  I made do by first taking t-shirts off hangers and folding them onto 3 card tables.  Still not enough hangers.  Next, tank tops, folded into a plastic bin.  Nope.  Shorts on a table, folded (they didn't stay on the hangers anyway).  Still not enough.  Bras, pjs, underwear on a table.  Then jeans folded on a table.  Still not enough, but it had to do.

Around one we bailed, it was SO hot, even in the shade.  That's okay, there's still so much Seminary work I needed to do.  Plus, my laundry wasn't put away yesterday.  And I had the Family Home Evening lesson to prepare.  

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

After a little fix on the van at the Ford shop, Analiese and I went back to the yard sale set-up.  Even more hot.  People are already coming by to look at stuff...and buy.  Our rule is, if they want to buy it even though the sale doesn't start until tomorrow...sell it!  Our stuff came out (a 4H-er brought a trailer to our house to take it.  Yes, we had clothes and shoes, but things that had to go to make room for the heirlooms from Arkansas went to the sale.  

By noon, we were feeling pretty worn from the heat.  I took Analiese and her friend, Charissa, to McD's for lunch - and not through the drive through!  We needed the a/c!  We did go back for another hour of torture, when I had to go home and sleep off a headache.

I felt better after a couple of hours.  Ken and I took the kids to Lawton for a fireside and we had our anniversary dinner, albeit three weeks late.  We went to this place that I had found online, a burger and beer place (no beer for us, of course) that was packed, including the parking lot.  My turkey sandwich on sourdough was okay, but the sweet potato fries were fantastic!  Waffle cut and with special garlic salt, they were the best I've ever had!  I could have had them and not the sandwich.  

Thursday, August 6, 2015

If you can believe it, today was even hotter.  There was a heat advisory on the weather app today. And the first real day of the yard sale.  Three days for a yard sale seems crazy, but one of our members is a yard sale specialist (not me - I hate them!) and she advised it.  Trust me, without naming numbers, even before the sale officially started, we made GOOD money.  

Today I worked on sorting books.  I took allergy meds before going, which was good, because books are musty and dusty.  People have given so many donations, that it has been a challenge getting it all out.

I quit again by noon and spent the afternoon working on Seminary lessons for next week.  Because I'm working off of an electric book on not a physical one, it's been harder to plan.  I can't write all over the pages, highlight like crazy and make plans.  Not easily.  I finally got through physical, if not spiritual, planning, but it was hours and I was finished for the day.  Ken was sleeping, Jonathan went to Institute class in Lawton, so I fixed some dinner for Analiese and myself and vegged in front of the tv.  Burned out.

Friday, August 7, 2015

We did NOTHING about the yard sale today.  I had a doctor's appointment (no worries, just a normal female-type exam) and other things to do, so I said no-go to the 4H group.

It didn't mean I wasn't busy.  After the doctor, I went to the church to do some more Seminary set up and make copies.  The road just before the turn off for the church building runs right in front of the high school here and the city was out repainting lines on the road.  It took a little maneovering to get around them and the local traffic.  

Monthly pedicure was next.  On their tv, the news said the heat index was 115 degrees!  Boy, was I glad for my decision to not be out in the heat.

Then there was Wal-mart for water and ice.  The water in Altus is yucky and borderline dangerous to your health.  We go to the store for it's water-filtering machine.  Lugging jugs of water around town isn't fun, but in this heat, it's vital.  The ice, too, because a) I won't make ice cubes out of Altus water (see above) and b) my fridge's ice maker isn't able to be used (location) and c) I won't use the precious jug water because I'd have to go to the store more often for refills. 

Analiese had her very first babysitting job this evening.  It was for a family in our ward with four kids, but no babies or diapers.  She's not ready for that.  It probably was more like a playdate, because the two oldest (twins) are only a couple years behind her in age.  Still, it gave the parents a few hours to go shopping without the kids and Analiese a chance to try her hand at babysitting.

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Last day of the yard sale - thank heavens!  Not a one of us really wants to do it again, unless we can find an indoor venue.  Just our luck, this was the hottest week of the year!

I didn't jump up to get there too early today, either.  I had some laundry to put away and I wanted Analiese to clean her rabbit's cage.  Plus, we had family devotional.  I think we made it there around 9:30.

All of the baked goods we made have sold.  My muffins were a definite hit!  Cold drinks were always welcome, too, so those side enterprises worked well.  It looked at first like people had hardly made a dent in our stuff (we had so much!), but by the end of the day, things were pretty well picked through.  All of my furniture was gone, half of the shoes donated were gobbled up.  At the end, we bagged some clothes for donations to various groups in town (the VFW, a nursing home, and a children's home) and then a guy came and took the rest of the stuff for us (probably for his own yard sale, but who cares?).

One thing that had been up for sale was a Wurlitzer electronic piano, still functional.  Analiese would play it from time-to-time so people could see it still worked.  When asked where she had lessons, I told my fellow 4Hers that I had taught her.  Then, they wanted to know if I would give their kids lessons!  I could...but I don't feel that proficient.  I had a year of lessons when I was 13, and self-taught for the rest.  My fingering is atrocious, though I am working to make sure Analiese gets hers right.  I'm still debating, it isn't the first time someone here has asked me to teach them piano.

FOR THE RECORD: I do NOT live in the boondocks!  Why this forceful statement?  Some people have made the impression that I do.  But I will tell you this honestly, tonight I traveled TO the boondocks.  I can now say I have visited the boondocks.  But I do not live there.

Here's the scoop: the kids were invited to a party with a young returned missionary in our ward.  I picked up someone else and proceeded to drive the kids towards Lawton.  Just passing the AFB south entrance, we turned left...onto a dirt and gravel road!  For twenty minutes, we traversed this barely-passable-as-a-road road and I feared that I might get a flat, puncture something else valuable in the car, or drive into a ditch!  Little Honda Civics aren't built for this kind of travel.  Jonathan said I was driving too slow...there was no way I was going faster!  I had to avoid ruts and bigger rocks and hope and pray that no one would come the other way down the road, forcing me to the side!

After what seemed an interminable time, I finally could turn left onto a paved road.  Ah, Civilization!  I now know what defines it...paved roads!  Still, we passed field after field of cows or cotton and eventually turned right onto another (paved) road...with no sign.  I get lost easily, this whole thing had me very nervous.  But apparently it was the right road and the second house on the left (the first was a big farm, so we aren't talking just a little drive) was the home of the party.

Getting out, Jonathan told me I could take the paved road we had turned off of straight and it would lead me to the Altus airport, from which I could easily get home.  Why didn't he take me that way in the first place??? He told me I was being wimpy, but I should have made him try to drive that dirt road!

Pick up was a little easier, except it was in the dark.  And, Iike I said before, no street sign.  I had done the Hansel-and-Gretel type thing when I'd gone home before and counted stop signs.  Three stop signs, turn left at next street, if you can find it in the dark.  I did, we got home safely, though my nerves were shot.  Good grief, I now know what the boondocks are!

Sunday, August 9, 2015

We had ward conference today.  The bishop gave a very good talk.  I like our bishop a lot.  He's so good with the youth.

I asked Ken to give me a blessing today.  My throat itches constantly and often I have itchy ears and eyes, plus sneezing fits.  We both feel it's the mold in the house causing it.  Solving that problem is going to take some time.

The kids and I went to visit the Box family on base this evening.  We had hamburgers and played games, which is something we all enjoy.  They are a fun family, the ones Analiese babysat for on Friday.  The wife is from Mexico, so we have talks about our experiences with language.  Plus, she thinks I'm funny.  We like each other.

I'm tired, though.  Big week, so much going on.  Adventures galore, and too much heat!  I'd say I'm looking forward to a peaceful, quiet week, but I know that isn't going to happen.  Back to lessons (Analiese), back to school (for Jonathan), back to Seminary.