STUFF AND NONSENSE

Monday, June 18, 2018
We had Ken's Fathers' Day "dinner" for lunch today since Jonathan had to work yesterday and this afternoon. We'd been marinating rib-eye steaks in Italian dressing for a week and he grilled them...to perfection. You really ought to try steak (chicken is good, too) that way. It was succulent! He also grilled potatoes, which is my favorite way to eat a baked potato, and I roasted some broccoli in the oven with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, and Parmesan.

We topped our meal off with the chocolate icebox "cake" that I'd made over the weekend.

It was all so very flavorful and delicious, but we were nap-ready by the end of it. Too bad, I still had grocery shopping for the week to do and laundry. And Jonathan went off to work with a VERY good meal!

Tuesday, June 19, 2018
Obviously, it's summer. While Ken was up early to go to work and I was up answering the call of my bladder, the kids weren't up until at least an hour and a half later than that. Must be nice.

Analiese and I met with her new EPIC teacher for the first time at the library today. Our old one is now a "principal" for EPIC and is actually over this one. So, at least, I can contact him if I'm not satisfied. But the new guy seems to be pretty with it, even if still a little new to the charter school. His strength is math, which is what I need for her.

At this point, with big summer activities calmed for a while, I have to come up with things to keep Analiese occupies. I don't want her spending all of her time on the computer or watching TV. We want to go back to walking, which means not sleeping in so late because I want to walk before the day heats up. I've given her one special assignment already: straighten out the bobbins and spools of thread that got all tangled in our move. I had a difficult time finding things last week when I was working on her trek skirt.

Trying to study scriptures: Jonathan is not helping!

Wednesday, June 20, 2018
I've already messed up the getting-up-and-walking plan. I awoke at 9:30 after a fitful and interrupted night's sleep - the menfolk were up early and were NOT quiet. Analiese wasn't too disappointed, though, because we had a small rainstorm this morning. Convenient.

I made blueberry muffins - and the resulting mess - for our breakfast-for-dinner this morning so as not to have the hassle of doing it during the warmest part of the day. I got flour all over the floor, streusel all over the counters, and fresh, exploding blueberries all over the oven. But by dinnertime, it was all made up for in fabulous, homemade flavor!

The rain, having spent itself out this morning, did not mar the pool party the YW and YM had at a member's home this evening. I went to pick her up, spending an additional hour there chattings, and off-handedly mentioned that my daughter would be the last one out of the pool. She was - she's a veritable fish! She loves to go swimming.

Thursday, June 21, 2018
After taking Jonathan to work this morning at seven, I proceeded to go to Norman to the Institute for a Seminary workshop. We were given our summer "homework" to prepare us for next year's course of study: Doctrine and Covenants. There's so much additional church history information on the Gospel Library app that we need to explore to help enrich our lessons and their studies!

I stayed afterward to confer with the secretary, who is also my technical "consultant" for online seminary. As usual, nothing stays static: I will be the online teacher now for four stakes - Lawton, Norman, OKC, and OKC South. Before you begin to worry about overload, let me tell you some of the parameters and rules we've set down. The class is capped at fifteen and each student much meet ALL of the technical requirements - no more weaseling out of the camera - and they must be diligently attending, reading and doing assignments. We have too many kids on the waiting list who want the opportunity to learn. It's a rigorous (the Church's words, not mine), yet rewarding program and those who dedicate themselves to it should be able to reap the blessings of it! It's not about being snobby or elitist, it's about being fair. The kids who will really dedicate themselves to it should have it. There are other resources available for the others, don't worry.

Friday, June 22, 2018
I had another day of chauffeuring. I took Jonathan to work at a quarter to seven just as a rainstorm began. That continued as an hour later I took Analiese to TB for a short online training while I went across the road to Walmart to get something I needed for dinner. Then I picked her and and we went back home.

She had changed her clothing and we had just finished her daily workbook assignment (for the Seven Habits for teens that I had purchased) when Ken called. He was down people; she was needed for an 11-5 shift. That left me at home alone for a few hours working on laundry and prepping for dinner with the missionaries. And getting a little nap! Then I was back out again to get Jonathan at three.

I asked him to pick up Analiese at five because by then I was in serious dinner-cooking mode. Plus...I was heartily tired of driving like a yo-yo!

I couldn't get a good close-up, but all of these birds sitting on the power lines outside my house are Mississippi kites - a predatory bird related to hawks. For some reason, they like hanging out here! 

Saturday, June 23, 2018
A brief, but powerful, electrical storm accompanied by strong winds knocked our power out in the middle of night. I woke up when Ken's phone rang with TB wanting to know what to do. I felt a headache coming on, took some Tylenol, and went back to bed!

Jonathan took the car to work today, so I hoped Ken didn't need me for a bank change run or Analiese because I had no transportation. Usually, TB lunch hour is when they hurt the most for people, so by 1 p.m. and having had no phone call, I figured we (and they) were fine.

I am using my talents to pet two rabbits at once. If I don't, Alice - the white and black one - will pick on Pom (grey & fluffy)!

We were all home for dinner tonight - a rare occasion. Ken had got home around four and Jonathan was off at five. I had dinner ready shortly thereafter and we actually all sat down together! With us running in all different directions these days, you never know when we will be able to do that!

Sunday, June 24, 2018
Jonathan had to be at work this morning by six, so he took the car. That meant that Analiese and I had to go with Ken to church when he left for his morning meeting around eight-thirty. Analiese just curled up on a pew and took a nap. I wasn't so lucky; my body doesn't cooperate like that. So I just did a little work in my planner and waited for church to begin.

Third hour, during RS, was interesting as we discussed the concept of ministering. I think we came to the conclusion that we should just love each other as Jesus did, serving as we saw needs, and dispensing with any pride, insult, or preconceived notions. I'm starting to feel more like the group: at ease, smiling, joking, and sharing with the other sisters.

Analiese had a YW presidency meeting and Ken had Branch business to do, so we stayed about an hour longer after church as well. Just before we were able to leave, a heavy electrical storm came, accompanied by a downpour. Did I know it was coming? Did I have an umbrella? No! Ken went and pulled the van up closer to the front doors and we made a mad dash, getting wet in the process.

DOMESTICITY

NOTE: I was an extraordinarily lazy person this week. I did not write in my journal, which is where I get the information for my blog. So now (Sunday) I am stuck trying to pull things from memory. Some days, you get what you GET!

Monday, June 11, 2018
Ken spent a good bit of the morning getting the tire on the Honda fixed. Well, that was actually the easy part; Walmart found a nail in the tire. The hard part was getting the spare on the Honda so he could drive it to Walmart. Nice for his day off, huh?

We also had to return the rental car. It was sweet, but expensive. Fun time's over, time to get back to work! We saw the registration was almost up on the van, so we went to the Tag Agency (DMV) to get that fixed before Ken did a quick visit to TB and we went grocery shopping.

The sister missionaries came to dinner tonight. I fixed taco salad, a nice meal for a warm day. I don't assemble it, though, and let everyone choose what they want. Some of the pickier members of my family like it better that way.

Tuesday, June 12, 2018
I've been putting it off, using Girls' Camp as an excuse, but I've run out of time. I HAVE to finish Analiese's skirt for Trek. She leaves on Thursday!

Why the procrastination & trepidation?  I'm am not the world's best seamstress, not even close. I sew very little and haven't touched a machine in a couple of years. Plus, to make this more difficult, I am working without a pattern...even without Pinterest instructions! I saw this pattern to make a pioneer skirt out of a bedsheet on Pinterest, but I couldn't access the website! So I fudged it. I found a flat sheet on clearance at Walmart, did some serious cog-turning thinking, and hobbled together a skirt. How hard could it be?

I had decided that I would use shirring tape instead of elastic for the waistband. In retrospect, that was not a good decision and she had difficulty keeping her skirt up, even with the waist ties. Luckily, she had a second skirt she'd borrowed from someone else and dealt with the one I made the best I could. I managed to get the cutting and the waist and the side seam taken care of today. But it HAS to be done tomorrow!

Tonight was a TB family affair! Ken had the kids inventory the stuff in our back area (now nearly filled to the ceiling with cups, lids, straws, napkins, etc.) while he and I put price stickers on signs for new items coming out this week. He can't pay us for it (well, Analiese could be), but we were promised a free meal.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018
So you know what I did today. I finished the skirt, the ties and the bag for hanging off the waists of the skirt. The ties weren't easy, at least, the turning right side out. But they weren't not as bad as the loop I made for the bag to hang off of a button I sewed on each waistband. It was so tiny, it was nearly impossible to turn right side out. In fact, I redid it once, making it a little wider. As it was, I sat in front of the TV with the fabric in my lap, working it right side out. My hands ached after that!

For the record, I got it done. Not even close to perfect. But I got it done and it fit, sort of. Enough for her to use for one day, I suppose. Not a masterpiece.

Thursday, June 14, 2018

I got up around 6:15 to take Analiese to the TB parking lot where we were meeting with the Altus ward people going on Trek. I am not sure she even gave me a goodbye, just packed her stuff up in their van and left. Sigh. What's the big deal about mothers anyway?

Ken went to work at ten; Jonathan was supposed to be off work but got called in. What was I supposed to do? I drowned my sorrows in housework: I sanitized and cleaned the kitchen sink, swept and mopped the office area, dining room and kitchen, and vacuumed the house. The Queen of Domesticity, I am!

Actually, Jonathan came home about five hours later and we watched a movie and ate TB. Yeah, our payment for Tuesday night. Jonathan tried a couple of the new things; I just stuck with some personal favorites. Though TB gets old...fast.

Friday, June 15, 2018

Another thing to do today that I've been procrastinating - the bathtub needed recaulking. It was coming off and the mildew level was rising...gross! So one of my "while-Analiese-is-at-Trek" plans was to recaulk the tub. Jonathan took off the old caulking and left the rest to me.

That was more "fun" than I expected. For one, I had to clear away extra bits of caulking left behind. And then, the mildew. I was rinsing underneath the edges of the siding over and over just flushing the stuff out. It was really nasty. You'll have to take my word for it because I did not take a picture.

I also decided to use a bleach-and-water mix to spray in those cracks really good to get everything. I don't want to just cover up mildew. I sprayed several times, leaving the bathroom clear for hours to sit (no ventilation, so I wasn't going to stay in there). I eventually decided to leave it overnight to completely dry before caulking it in the morning. 

I made a lemon-blueberry oven pancake for Jonathan and I for dinner tonight. Easy and tasty. After all my bathtub work, I really didn't feel like cooking dinner.

Saturday, June 16, 2018

After breakfast, after my shots, I bearded the lion in it's den. Okay, I caulked the tub. For the first time. In my life.

Of course, I'd read up all about it on Pinterest on several sites. I don't go into new ventures uneducated. I had my gloves, my caulking gun, a damp rag, and a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol (so caulk won't stick to unwanted areas). What a mess! (Good thing I put on my yucky paint clothes.) I put the bead (their terminology) on fairly straight then, with the gloves on, I smoothed it down the best I could. I did pretty well, I think. There was only one tough area, where the siding didn't sit flush with the wall; that took a little creative maneuvering and extra caulk. It's not a professional job, but I don't think it's bad for an amateur. The most important think was that everything was sealed tight. 

It was supposed to only need to set for thirty minutes, but I gave it a couple of hours before Jonathan took a shower for work. It seemed to hold.

Analiese came home (with Ken, they dropped her off at TB and he was still at work) around four-thirty. She was red and tired, but supremely satisfied. She sat down and took off her shoes...and socks. When those came off, a cloud of reddish dust floated up!

Then she remembered...she forgot her trash bag of dirty clothes in the van. That meant a hurried call to the couple and arranged to meet them at a stop on the freeway to collect it. Ken and I left Analiese home to get a shower in my newly caulked tub. It was a twenty minute drive out and back and then a stop to get pizza for dinner. Because there's no energy left in anyone to make dinner. As it was, I still had to go to the kitchen and make dessert for Ken for Fathers' Day: A chocolate-chocolate-chocolate-chocolate-chocolate-chocolate dessert. Seriously. Can't celebrate anything for him without some chocolate; I may have overdone it this time.

Sunday, June 17, 2018

So I told Ken that his Fathers' Day presents were 1) the chocolate dessert and 2) I caulked the tub (so he didn't have to). Well, there was a third: I spoke today in church.

Ken was conducting the meetings for June. He wanted me to speak along with himself. I thought I was going to get out of it because of Stake Conference until he realized he didn't have anyone for Fathers' Day. Lucky me. I haven't spoken in the Branch to date and hadn't minded a bit. But he got me for today and asked me to talk a little bit about our family in way of introduction as well.  So I did, but tried to emphasize Fathers' Day more. I spoke about the need for fathers and how our Father in Heaven is our best example of fatherhood. I think it went okay.

Other than giving him a card, though, we didn't do much celebrating at home, though we got to Skype with my Dad and Mom in California. Ken had some branch ministry errands to do after church and Jonathan had to work this afternoon. Tomorrow, for lunch, we're grilling steaks and potatoes, I'll oven roast broccoli, and we'll have that rich dessert.  It'll be midday because Jonathan has to work again in the afternoon.

Though, Ken did have fun this evening with a snow cone machine that Jonathan purchased for him for Fathers' Day. It's just the goofy, childlike, fun sort of thing that Ken loves. He works so hard, he's due a little fun !

GIRLS'CAMP

Monday, June 4, 2018
This morning I did a last load of laundry for last-minute parking. I took a last allergy shot, too. I won't take another until after camp. My allergist said not to worry about it. It's too much of a hassle, especially since I have to refrigerate the vials.

The ward girls all met at the church at 12:15 and we left at 12:30 for camp. I've never gone such a short distance for girls' camp. It was a little over 30 minutes away!

Most of today - what there was - was settling in, decorating the cabin,

introducing the theme, and picture-taking. The theme is "Strong"

with the scripture coming from Philippians, The song they used came from the church youth theme this year.

I'm in the fourth year cabin with Analiese. We have twenty-one girls, plus the YLees (youth leaders) and five adults. Plus, we're sharing the cabin with the third-years and their leaders, who don't have too many girls.

NOTE: These girls are eating CONSTANTLY. They have brought big containers full of snacks and beauty products. Silly girls!

Tuesday, June 5, 2018
Last night was awful! My neck and back were not happy; the air mattress wasn't as comfortable as I'd hoped it would be. It didn't help that a couple of giggly girls kept whispering for hours after lights out. I tossed and turned and this morning I ache all over!

The girls had a workshop after morning clean up. Talking about "strong," two sisters used rocks to represent strength of faith. Then everyone painted rocks with inspiring messages on them

. The YLees had the girls next, with an intense scripture study of Matthew 26 and the Savior in Gethsemane. They were to read and write down feelings, testimonies, and impressions in their journals.

By noon, I was really feeling it in my back and neck. I got stiffer and the agony grew through KP, fire cooking, and the service project. Finally the YW president said she could see the misery in my eyes and sent me home. I wasn't thrilled, but didn't see how I could continue. I went home, took a nap, cried in the bathtub (pain & sadness) and Ken came home with a burrito and moral support for me. My bed never looked so good!

Wednesday, June 6, 2018
I was up a little before seven. Besides a shower and breakfast, I decided to take my allergy shots since I was home to do it. I didn't want to take everything back with me, but I assembled what I thought I'd need for today. After Jonathan and I chatted for a bit, I drove off back to camp.

My back was still touch-and-go, but I was careful. All the girls in camp were bussed to Elevation - a trampoline, rock-climbing, obstacle course place. The fourth-years told me it was my job to take pictures; I got tired just watching them have fun!

There was more fun tonight as each year presented skits they had created based on the camp theme. I had brought face paint for the fourth-years to use with our skit. They enjoyed figuring out what to do with it.

All of the skits were highly amusing. One of our girls had a blow-up sumo suit that she brings every year and brought down the house!

Another girl acted as an EMT in the skit and had fun making ambulance noises and dragging girls off the stage!

I don't care for driving on country roads in the dark. I am paranoid some deer is going to jump out in front of me. The roads are narrow, too, and have no lighting beyond my headlights. Oh, and the headlights coming from the opposite way. Some of those vehicles were big rigs and huge trucks. The road didn't seem large enough to the both of us. Nerve-wracking! The best thing of the drive was the lightning bugs.

Thursday, June 7, 2018
I was so tired this morning.  I didn't want to get up and dragged my way to camp with a Dr. Pepper step in between. The Elixir of Life was called for today.

It was a damp-ish morning with off-and-on rain and thunder. For the most part, they kept all of the girls in the cabins, the mess hall, and the pavilion in order to keep them dry. The big activity for the morning was a self-defense workshop. The girls were particularly interested to know what to do should someone grab their hair.

Analiese models my bee hat.

After that, the rain began in earnest, marked with lots of lightning and thunder. They ended up keeping all the girls in the mess hall after lunch to do crafts

My hat was very popular!

Cute 4th year!

together until the rain let up...around three p.m. I had to guard the doors to keep them from going out into the wet. Heaven knows I could visualize myself getting struck by lightning and lying in the gravel and mud.

This evening was bishop's night

President Gerlach swinging the girls on the tire swing.

and testimony meeting. Poor Analiese - at one point she left the meeting to go the bathroom, slipped on a muddy floor and coated her shoes, legs and shorts in red, sticky mud. She didn't hurt herself, didn't seem terribly embarrassed, and took it all in stride.

Friday, June 8, 2018
I took Jonathan with me this morning to pick up the ward girls from camp. We got there a little after nine, which didn't please Analiese. She wanted us there earlier; but they didn't even dismiss everyone until after ten. The nice thing was, the drive was very short, and even though everyone was very tired (they last night of camp they all stay up late), they all stayed awake on the way home. I got home to start laundry and assemble a small grocery list for the weekend. However, I found myself nodding off over my notepad!

I did my shopping and managed to stay awake. Analiese went in to work for a couple of hours herself. I didn't want her doing more than that because of camp fatigue. She didn't want my frozen lasagna, though, and came home with a TB burrito. That's okay, Jonathan finished off her portion.

Saturday, June 9, 2018
Ken needed me to go to the bank to get change for TB this morning. He had to wait, though, until the rabbit cages were cleaned. Analiese cleans them, but I have to bunny-sit while she does.

Analiese was supposed to babysit a four-year-old boy while his father went to a stake meeting, but Ken was desperate to have her work. So I watched the boy myself instead. He colored, played with my yoga ball, and smashed potato chips for me for dinner. Luckily, Jonathan came home from work and tossed a ball around with him as I finished putting dinner together. He wasn't sure what to think of Jonathan at first, but when they became playmates, he was fine. Alice, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with an energetic little boy who kept dashing about. I'd brought her out for him to see (Pom's too nervous) but she just spent the entire time hiding under the sofa.

Sunday, June 10, 2018
Jonathan was going to take the Honda to work, but found a rear tire flat.  He ended up taking the van. This meant Analiese and I had to go with Ken to church and wait while he attended his branch presidency meeting.

We had stake conference, but didn't have to go to Norman. The stake broadcasted the session to the other church buildings, which meant we could watch it in Chickasha.

I had my little buddy from yesterday sit next to me. He colored and played on my tablet quietly. But I didn't last the whole time. I'd been sick last night and my stomach started misbehaving during conference. After three trips to the bathroom, I had to have Ken take me home to get medicine and go to bed. I had thought I just had a problem with something I ate yesterday. Do I actually have a stomach bug instead?

CAMP PREP

Monday, May 28, 2018
Analiese finished her online TB training this morning. Ken said he'd never seen anyone do it so quickly and accurately - even with things she hadn't been through yet - even for himself! In fact, he said she probably did better than he did!

I have a slight toothache coming on. A visit to the dentist is probably in order. I really don't have time in the next two weeks to go; so I hope my tooth will behave itself for the time being. (Eye roll here.)

Our grocery shopping trip today had a lot of camp necessities thrown in. All of my sunscreen and insect repellent at home had expired. The stuff doesn't last forever, unfortunately. I tried to get some repellent that doesn't smell so much. Aerosols and perfumes really choke me up!

Tuesday, May 29, 2018
I finished my first set of allergy vials the middle of last week, so I went to Norman this morning to get the second lot. It's a little stronger formula, so I start back at a smaller dosage and build up as I go along.

After a little camp shopping, I made a stop for lunch on the way back home. What happened next I call an OK Experience: I listened to four older men talk about how they get rid of animal pests. One said he took his grandson's BB gun and shot mockingbirds that kept trying to attack him and his wife when they went outside (defending the nest). Then he elaborated on how it was effective keeping cats out of his planters, too! Only in OK! Hilarious!

Overpass in Norman, OK

Just as I was getting ready to assemble dinner and shove it in the oven, Ken texted requesting Analiese to work from 5-10 at TB. She had been looking forward to the recipe I was trying out, so I put it on hold. Jonathan and I had to settle for frozen pizza.

Wednesday, May 30, 2018
Analiese and I drove nearly two hours to Altus today for a visit. Analiese spent the day at a friend's house from our old ward. I went to the library to see Janet (ex-boss) and the library staff.

It was nice to visit with everyone. I got to see their summer program displays for the new reading program: Libraries Rock! I also met the gal who has replaced me; Janet says she's working well. Then Janet & I went to lunch and had a lot of catch-up time.

The only thing that marred the day was the extreme heat and driving for hours in a car with no air conditioning. We got home totally wrung out and exhausted. But the day wasn't over, Analiese had YW and I had to go to do another lice check. I slipped out for a moment, though, to go to Walmart and get ice cream bars for everyone. I needed cooling off!

Thursday, May 31, 2018
My busy day got busier as decided to make that trip to the dentist. The pain is under a crown with a root canal on the bottom left side. They discovered an infection and are sending me to an endodontist to take care of it. But...it has to wait until after camp. I'll be surviving on Tylenol for pain.

After my appointment, I went home to meet with my co-cabin mom from the branch. We worked on our "goodie bags" for the fourth year girls. They are teal bowls with tissue, a nail polish (in either teal or coral), some Hawaiian punch packets that mix into bottle water, and a hand mirror that reads "you're strong" (from the theme).

We're also giving them leis as they come into the cabin.

The sisters came to dinner and really loved the French Onion Chicken Casserole I made. So did the kids. Jonathan came home from work and gobble up his helping! We also had more ice cream bars, which were greatly appreciated. This heat is a killer!

Friday, June 1, 2018
Analiese had a friend and her brother come over this morning. Along with Jonathan, they spent a few hours playing games and noshing on animal crackers. We also introduced them to the bunnies, which were a big hit. I'm glad she's made a friend in YW here. They have a lot in common and are constantly gabbing about it - drawing, Marvel, manga (anime), etc.

It became a kind of impromptu game day for them. When the friends left, a friend of Jonathan's wanted to Skype and play D&D with them. My kids are bigger nerds that I ever was!

Analiese went to work this evening, so it was just me and Jonathan. We rented "Justice League" from Redbox and had more fun mocking it more than anything else. DC is really a Marvel wannabe. The film was very formulaic, dull plotted, and the jokes fell flat!

Saturday, June 2, 2018
Alice decided to chew on the edges of my journal pages this morning while Analiese was cleaning the cages. I kept moving it further away from her, but the sneaky fur ball kept trying to reach it. Finally, I had to put it up high..try and get that!

I spent the more part of today gathering and packing. Analiese and I are sharing most of our toiletries; there's no need for both of us to carry things. I'll have a few last-minute things to pack Monday morning, but that's it.

I made some banana-coconut muffins this afternoon with ripe bananas I had on hand, They turned out moist and tasty, but were very messy. Lots of crumbs. Sometimes, when we're shopping, Ken wants to buy a muffin mix...but homemade aren't hard and taste so much better!

Sunday, June 3, 2018
I did NOT feel good this morning. My tooth ached, my head ached and - even after a full night's sleep - I felt exhausted. Was I coming down with something?

Ken sent me back to bed. Me: "But I have camp tomorrow." Him: "Exactly!" I slept all three hours that he and Analiese were away at church. And felt like I could sleep more afterwards.

The headache was persistent all day and only dimmed at dinner. Ken had invited the sister missionaries over and we didn't have much in the way of leftovers. But I had the makings of spaghetti in the cupboard, so that's what we had. And more ice cream bars.

Analiese went to the church to see the online fireside with President Nelson and his wife. I think it's so cute (maybe wise, she's a brilliant woman) to include her in so many things. I watched it at home. He is so inspiring and had some great goals for the youth to achieve. I hope they all appreciate how invested he is in them!