Almost the middle of June

I am trying very hard not to think about the fact that nine weeks from today will be the last day of summer break.  I mean, come on!!!!  That is longer than most women have for maternity leave.  There is still plenty of summer to be enjoyed.

And that is good, because I don't feel that we've done much enjoying.  I was sick the first week.  Thomas was sick this week.  Catherine has had the same thing this week, although to a much lesser extent.  And all three weeks have been filled with Thomas's summer health class (which is much more difficult and time consuming than we had realized).  We've had the joy of purchasing a vehicle (while it is fun to drive, the purchase part is not necessarily fun), and Andrew made a quick trip to his parents with Thomas.  Catherine took the ACT and was studying for that, and of course had a work schedule.  I am still pining for that day when there is nothing on our calendar, but I don't really think we are going to get that.  I suppose I should be grateful for that...these are all mostly things of opportunity!

Today, the weather is absolutely, gorgeous.  Stunningly fabulous.  No a/c is needed, and if you happen to be sitting right in front of the fan you might even be chilly.  I have an appointment this evening, but I am hoping Andrew and I can hang out on the porch/patio for a bit this evening and soak up the wonderful weather!

Saturday morning shopping and saving

I think we all know that I am not really a shopper, and certainly not on a Saturday!  However, Catherine took the ACT and had to be in the neighboring school district by 8:00 this morning.  I decided I could run a few errands after dropping her off since I was sort of half way to some of them anyway.  Since it was so early, I was fairly confident I could beat most of the crowds. 

Last evening, I actually went through some of my craft ideas.  Every year I find fun things that could be made as gifts, but by the time I think about it the season has come and gone.  And not to mention, I never have the specific supplies I need on hand.  So I actually made a list last evening of things I wanted to purchase.

It turned out to be a great day of saving as well!  My first stop was Target, where I wanted to buy some cat litter.  The cat litter itself was not on sale, but if two were purchase, a free gift card was received.  And since I use my Target credit card, I save 5%.  So even at regular price, it is cheaper than purchasing them at my regular grocery store. 

My next stop was Kohl's.  As luck would have it, I had a 30% off code.  I found some athletic shorts Catherine could wear, a few t-shirts for everyone, and a new swim suit for myself.  I found a new sun hat and sunglasses also, so I am ready for the season!  The best part was that I found a couple of items on clearance and they still take 30% off of those prices.

The last stop was Hobby Lobby.  I had spent yesterday afternoon working on my scrapbooking.  I wanted to restock a few supplies, as well as purchase some supplies for the crafts I had looked up last evening.  The scrapbooking supplies ended up being 50% off, so I really made out there!  I am so excited to be able to get to this project after I pick Catherine up this afternoon.

I really enjoyed my shopping this morning, and I'm especially thrilled with all of my savings!

A great night for front porch sitting

Today was a really lovely weather day.  I was able to get two loads of laundry hung out to dry, and I'm always grateful for that.  It wasn't overly warm and humid, and there was a good breeze.  In fact, it is a lovely evening for Andrew and I to sit outside and enjoy a beverage.  Unfortunately, he is at his parents' house tonight and won't be back until Sunday.  I have encouraged him to make whatever trips he feels are necessary this summer.  He was originally planning to leave yesterday, but with Thomas not feeling well and the water issue out front he decided to wait until today.  I never love him being gone, but I completely understand.  I've done some scrapbooking and Catherine and I are just hanging out.  This evening though, I really miss him not being here so we could enjoy the beautiful weather together!

Two weeks into our summer

It really is hard to believe that school has been out for two weeks.  We have done absolutely nothing fun and exciting as a family.  After being sick for a week, I finally began to really feel better on Sunday...just in time for Thomas to start to cough and hack.  With today being a solid day 4 of that, Andrew took him to the doctor.  He has a sinus infection, which I suspected.  However, I am not one that rushes to the doctor for such a thing these days because I am not in a huge rush for antibiotics that may not be necessary.  His cough was getting to be such though, that I thought it wouldn't hurt.  Andrew and I both had clear lungs through our entire illness, but not Thomas!  They are on their way home with antibiotics and steroids.  That child always manages to get it good!

We also had an interesting moment earlier today.  Andrew had been out on a bike ride and came home to tell us about the water in the street.  Sure enough, a water pipe had burst and was gushing everywhere.  It started out about four feet high, and quickly grew to gush around 30 feet high.  I have no idea how, but they managed to fix it without creating a huge mess or turning off the water altogether.

Andrew was supposed to be on his way to his parents today for a quick visit.  However, we weren't sure what was happening with the water, and Thomas was supposed to go along but obviously didn't feel well enough.  Not sure if he will feel well enough tomorrow or not, but Andrew decided it would just be better at this point to head out tomorrow.

Hopefully we get to start doing fun things soon!

We are no longer a mini-van family

Andrew and I finally had time to do some real car shopping this afternoon!  Although I prefer being able to haul more people with a third row and have extra cargo space, with Robert being in the Navy I knew that was no longer really necessary in our house on a daily basis.  We also recognized that the prices on vans are higher and gas mileage is lower, causing even more expense.  However, as my aunt pointed out, a family never really outgrows the need to haul things, so just getting a car didn't seem to be the best thing either.  We had also come to realize how much we love having a Honda in the family, and the CR-V seemed to be the best choice for our family.  And after three hours at the car lot, that is exactly what we have!  We didn't get a great deal, but we did get a fair deal and maybe even closer to a good deal, and most importantly, we really, really love the vehicle.  It is absolutely wonderful to have this behind us!

The tornadoes that hit a week ago

I haven't really talked about this except briefly.  Last Monday I went to bed very early because I was so sick.  When I got up Tuesday, Andrew mentioned I should call my mom.  She said everyone there was fine.  We turned on the TV, in other areas things most certainly were NOT fine.  As the week unfolded we learned that the region had been hit by 15 tornadoes that night, two rated EF-3 and one reached EF-4.  It's real people.  We are now that area people talk about on the news.  We are now that area where it will take months and years to rebuild, not just days.  In fact, it was this past weekend before many people had power restored, and that is still not completed.  In some places it is just completely impossible to restore power until other infrastructure is re-established and debris is hauled away.  The impact of this devastation is wide-spread.  Not only are there impacts to those directly hit, but in some cases people no longer have jobs (at least currently) because of buildings that were destroyed.  We can't forget this next week or the week after or the week after that.

After we left my grandmother's birthday celebration on Saturday, we wanted to swing by our former town and attend a graduation party.  I knew we would be near some destruction, but didn't realize we would be "in" the destruction on the drive there.  I was completely unprepared for what we witnessed, and we weren't even in anything that was particularly hard hit.  Everyone is right...the pictures really don't do it justice.  Honestly, it is terrifying and astonishing.  And again, it wasn't the worst. 

G.G. turned 90

Yesterday my maternal grandmother turned 90.  My cousins hosted a lovely afternoon that was shared by all three of my grandmother's children, five of her six grandchildren, and nine of her ten great-grandchildren.  Of course Robert wasn't able to be there, and one of my cousins had a family emergency with her father (no longer married to my aunt) and couldn't be there either.  Some of my cousins put together a "trivia" game about G.G.'s life, and we all shared lots of laughs.  It was truly a lovely afternoon, and we all enjoyed getting to spend the time together!