09-30-12

Does shopping count as a day trip?!?

Bruce says fall is the time for hiking, but fall also seems to be the time for kids sports and sniffles and wanting to rest instead of recreate.

So we compromised with a shopping trip down to Lloyd’s Center.  Livin’ large on this last day of September…

09-29-12

Today was our second week of dump runs on our adopted block.

Since I am still learning, I learned that 10am is too early to do events.  We showed up, and the block wasn’t awake yet.  I felt guilty knocking on doors.  It was kind of fun to see the block slowly come to life, though.

And, three more loads to the dump today.

09-28-12

Total domination.

Bruce wanted his birthday gift to be an evening of playing Risk with pizza delivered.  We’re busy the next two Friday nights, so decided to do it tonight.

Killed my eating healthy, but nice end to a very long week.  Until the meltdown of course, when the first person got annihilated…

Happy Friday!

09-27-12

Wish I could figure out how to take photos from behind the wheel at high speeds… another travel day, I could have clicked the pretty sunrise, the cows in the pasture full of thick fog, or the terribly funny looking caravan of auto transports full of Smartcars.

Here’s a photo taken safely at home instead.  I really like Anastasia’s new swim team sweatshirt.  Although it should say Eat, Sleep, Swim, DO Homework, and Talk on Phone to be more accurate!

09-26-12

I’ve worked at the PeEll logging office the past two days.  As I was packing up my computer, I realized that I have been coming to this office for about 15 years, because I started when I was pregnant with Xander.

The little town of PeEll has not changed much over the years.  I did notice this sign that I had not seen before, though.

09-25-12

I didn’t make it, but Xander had a tennis match today.  RA Long vs. Mark Morris, Longview rivalry.  RA Long is used to losing; it’s always an uphill battle.  Xander id really well today though!

Set, Game, Match…

09-24-12

"One person's mess is merely another person's filing system." - Margo Kaufman

Ran across this quote, thought it had potential.  For a blog post.  Or maybe even a battle cry.

I’m a pretty organized person, but my scrapbook room and bedroom get pretty slobby.  Still organized (I know where everything is as long as people leave it alone), but a wreck.

Laptop for travel this week.  Exercise wear for squeezing in my 90 minutes of moving.  A green energy gift from a PUD presentation.  Shoes and necklace,  discarded as soon as I am in for the night.  A pile of mail I really should deal with.

Another busy week…

09-23-12

Ah, long day.

Xander and I went down to Portland to cruise through VegFest.  Ate lots of free samples, bought a few things, even talked to a few vendors.

Then we headed back to Longview for Anastasia’s sweet sixteen party.  We rented the Electric Bean for two hours of girly karoke fun.

Here’s Bruce Sr. playing paparazzi with Anastasia and Reagen.

09-22-12

Bruce has different wheels this weekend.  A big GMC that I can hear coming down the block before I can see it.  A church member loaned it to us to do dump runs.

A friend was teasing me that I had never been to the dump in Longview.  After going, I can see why Bruce didn’t want to take the trailer behind his station wagon.  Tight corners.

September Longview is offering a free dump run per household, and we used 3 coupons to remove some clutter from our adopted block.

09-21-12

I’m starting to get some energy back, but Anastasia came home sick from school.  Everyone in our family is feeling punky, except Xander.  Which is a blessing since he is usually the first one to get it.

Even my computer is sick – it caught a virus.  Amazing how much we rely on our computers, but managed an evening without it.

09-20-12

Is it Friday yet? Ha, not that I see any rest on the horizon for this weekend. 

Work is going well, getting through evening plans, things could be much worse. Energy level and motivation to move and eat well are just very low. 

As in, is there any chocolate in this house?!?

09-19-12

We seem to be at the stage of life of chasing school busses.

Anastasia went to Vancouver to a swim meet in one bus, and Xander went to a tennis match in Vancouver in a different bus. 

Bruce decided not to chase them down to Vancouver this time, but we chased them back to the school parking lot.  Not at the same time, of course, that would be way too easy.

09-18-12

When I woke up this morning I wasn’t sure I’d make it, but I felt better as the day went on, and as I kept sipping cocoa all day. 

 Didn’t want to cancel my evening plans – knocking door to door at our adopted block and open house at RA Long. I went through Xander’s schedule, Bruce took Anastasia’s. It was fun to meet his teachers. 

Happy birthday Mom Fischer!

09-17-12

I’m not sure what moves faster when she’s trying to get her dad to understand her out of left field stream of consciousness – her hands or her mouth.

We divided and conquered this evening, me handling swim practice shuttling and Bruce going to Vancouver for a tennis meet.

09-16-12

Happy end of the weekend…

Got lots done, ready to run for another week or so.

Sure enjoy this lingering warm weather, even if the sun is setting so much earlier now.

09-15-12

When Bruce is in the kitchen, he doesn’t want anyone else in the kitchen.  Not me.  I told the kids that meals would be at home this weekend, and a group effort.

Lunch:  “Anastasia, make cornbread for dinner.  Xander, assemble the pizza.  BBQ sauce, cheese, red pepper, zucchini, pineapple.  More cheese.”

Dinner: “Xander slice the cornbread and get butter on the table.  Anastasia, get drinks, napkins, and see if the coleslaw is still good (it wasn’t, but there wasn’t much to toss).  I’ll heat the chili.”

The cornbread was a bigger hit than the lentil chili, but then that is no shock…

09-14-12

Bruce is gone this weekend, so I’m on kid duty.  Both kids are home from the football game, so guess I can go to bed now.  As the kids get older, their activities get later.  A night person I am not.

Wish I could take a picture of noise.  I heard plenty of the game festivities from here.  But not much to photograph as I hang around the house alone.

Happy Friday!

09-13-12

Today (well, and yesterday!, I guess) work got a little short changed, but I’m sure I’ll more than make up for it in the next few weeks as deadlines quickly approach.

 Left early for a routine doctors appointment, went to a duplex for final walk through paperwork to move tenants in, then headed to Anastasia’s swim meet.

 Lots of cheering girls, lots of effort, and lots & lots of laps…

09-12-12

I decided not to exercise tonight.  Spending all day painting seems like enough activity.

I participated in the Day of Caring for the first time in Longview today.  Me and 500 other volunteers took a break form our normal jobs and spent the day helping the community.  I painted an exercise room at the local YMCA.

Can you find me in the photo?!?  I'm in the top right of the "I". 

“Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have.” - Margaret Mead

09-11-12

Does cleaning a duplex together count as a date?

We have new tenants moving in Friday, so we are on the final stages of Operation Clean.

Yippee.

09-10-12

Sweet Sixteen.  She chose teriyaki for dinner.  The Smiths brought red velvet cupcakes for the Master Chef finale.  Fun day, fun memories of the past sixteen years…

09-09-12

Happy grandparents day to all the grandparents out there.  And happy almost 16 to Anastasia, which brought the Fischer/Carasa clan this direction today.  Crawdad fishing and playground hopping with the munchkins.  And yet another weekend fades away…

09-08-12

What a disjointed day.  Feels like everything was done on a whim.  As soon as Anastasia woke up I asked her if she wanted to buzz over to Target.  Just home and over to the duplex to meet applicants.  No luck making chili for lunch because we seem to be out of lentils, Anastasia was so disappointed - NOT.  Xander asked if the guys could go swim at the country club, so I packed up a pile of paperwork and organized it poolside.  Bruce met me there when it got too hot to paint, with paint all over his mustache.  Dinner plans jumbled by another prospective tenant, Xander and I ended up enjoying sushi solo.

Maybe not linear, as planned, or super productive, but still a day off…

09-07-12

Anastasia seems to have bought a calculator that is smarter than her math teacher and father.  Bruce chose that one because it has an “advanced placement” sticker on it.  Trigonometry makes me shutter.

It’s Friday night, why is homework on the brain anyway?!?  Happy weekend!

09-06-12

Time to harvest the broccoli out of the hay bales.  We haven’t been eating broccoli as much as we normally do lately (a constant supply of zucchini from Donna, perhaps!), will be great to add it to a baked sweet potato tomorrow night.  Also harvested my first two zucchini tonight!

Don’t like that fall means winter is coming, but do like the bounty of the harvest.

09-05-12

The kids are being pretty non-committal about the first day of school.  Tight lipped, in fact. 

It seemed odd to have the house buzzing with activity again when it was time for me to leave for work.  And to run to sports events straight from work.

Tonight was Xander’s first tennis match, against Battle Ground.  He didn’t score much, but played Varsity.

Another beautiful day in the neighborhood…

09-04-12

A high schooler with a heavy class load?  Yes.

Still young at heart and excited about a new penguin lunch pack? Yes.

Ready or not, school starts tomorrow in Longview/Kelso!

09-03-12

The lake was really windy tonight.

If I didn’t paddle hard, I’d go backwards.  And leaves are blowing off the trees, plopping in my path.  Both are probably a sure sign that fall is in the air.

But, even a paddle board in wind is easier to negotiate and steer than a canoe!

09-02-12

Kicking myself for not getting more photos of Mom this weekend.  Carrying my camera around isn’t the same as taking photos…

Busy Sunday – hospital visit, snack at Dick’s drive-in, family BBQ, and canoeing at UW.

Oh, and a long apology filled game of marbles!

09-01-12

Not sure how to sum up today.

Happy to wake up realizing there were two more days left without alarms in the weekend.

Enjoyed a Nutella latte.

Frustrated by how fast time goes by.

Wondering if Xander has clothes other than his UW shirt.

Ready to head north tomorrow.