Trying To Keep Up

This last week has turned my little world somewhat upside down.

Football has begun.

Monday - Friday, 5:15pm - 7:30pm...for the WHOLE month of August and into September. Once school starts they cut back to 4 times a week.

Sadly, I had hopes that my bambino wouldn't like it. Isn't that awful? But he loves it, more and more each day, so it looks like we will continue the European way of life and eat supper at 8pm.

Yesterday we snuck off to the local water park for the day...and the only picture I took was of Brian eating his pizza. The rest of the day I was under an umbrella relaxing...and wondering what in the world I was going to feed my family for supper late that night.

Sigh.

Today is one of those crazy busy days...we need to go buy Brian's football gear (for a million dollars, thankyouverymuch), shop at Costco and Claro's, change sheets on beds, cook something that can be eaten in shifts, clean up the house and sit at football practice.

And then?

The cousins are coming to town tonight from the desert, so my houseful of boys will double for the weekend.

That's alotta testosterone, batman!

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A Little Giveaway!

*****And the WINNER is...Laura! WooHoo! I'll stick it in the mail to you in the next few days!

(And to Maria...I loved all 81 of your emails as to why you should win. You kill me!)

Yep...a little giveaway, just because.

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A 1 inch sterling washer, stamped with the words LIVE LAUGH LOVE and strung on a 20 inch sterling ball chain.

For free.

FREE.

To enter, just leave a comment here or shoot me an email by tomorrow midnight. I'll pick a winner Thursday morning.

Home To Mama

Sure enough, as soon as I posted to Facebook about my missing kitty, Mollie hopped over the fence.

She was spooked and very, very thirsty.

But home.

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I'm thinking that she got locked in someone's garage overnight...which is better than getting locked in a coyote's teeth.

(forget that I just said that!)

We had a weekend full of company...my in laws were in town. Yesterday was a day full of cousins and playgrounds and food and sunshine and fun.

And today was about fixing a website and gardening and cleaning and a basketball game and the very first football practice.

And tonight is about The Bachelorette, which is currently TiVo'ing and waiting for me to start it. And about an amaretto sour, which is waiting for me to drink it. And a BLT, because I picked 30 POUNDS of tomatoes today, that is waiting for me to eat it.

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Mail For Matthew

Usually when Matthew leaves for his summer tour, we are only able to keep in touch via text messaging...he doesn't take a laptop and that whole practice all day, perform and then drive all night thing makes it hard to find time to talk.

But this year, they are having a mail stop in Niagara Falls, NY.

They are still a far way off, performing in Georgia tonight, but we've been sending little packages and letters to him.

We included this picture of his brothers missing him SO much...and keeping all his stuff company while he is gone.

While the cat's away, the mice will play!

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And sadly, speaking of cats...Mollie (the black one) didn't come home last night, and she still hasn't shown up this morning. I am scared because a coyote attacked my neighbors cat last weekend.

I know it is only a cat, but she is really special to me...so if you could say a little prayer (yes, for my cat) that she would come home, I'd appreciate it.

And back to the above photo...Matthew told Brian to not even LOOK at his piccolo trumpet and that NO ONE should even TOUCH his laptop, earphones, bear and sunglasses while he was gone.

But it was just tooo much to resist.

Miss you, Matthew!

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Last Year

One year ago today, we were in the midst of a home remodel...complete with no electricity to a large chunk of our really tiny house.

At this time last year, I thought that it was SO not worth it...not worth the dust and the money and the noise, but time has a way of healing all those negative feelings and turning them into something I can just smile knowingly about.

Would I ever want to remodel again?

Nope.

But it was worth it.

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Lots and lots of tomatoes, plus a huge bowl of grapes from a neighbor.

I'm packing up a box for Matthew, which I'll ship out tomorrow to Niagara Falls...they will be there later next week. He is performing in Tennessee tonight, Alabama tomorrow and Georgia on Saturday.

Crazy.

Alex finished summer basketball and has only weekend tournaments until school starts. Brian finishes summer band tomorrow with a pizza/ice cream party...football starts on Monday.

I have a bunch of things to add to the shop...earrings and charm bracelets, which I'll put up once the website updates are finished this weekend. And then we'll have a free necklace giveaway in celebration of...summer?

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Cats, Boys and Tomatoes.

Just because it's been awhile since I've gushed about my cats, here they are.

With scary, flash induced eyes.

But aren't they just so purty?

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The youngest shrub, all dressed up and ready for his concert. Don't let him fool ya...he digs dressing up. Really.

I had picked up Alex from practice and he could barely get in the car...if you know him at all, you know that it is alarming if he shows/admits to being in pain.

It's not a good habit, by the way, to not stop until you are in debilitating pain. And it drives your mother crazy.

Apparently he was having back spasms for awhile, but waited to tell me till he could barely walk. Lovely.

So we detoured right to our favorite chiropractor, who had to do some laser stuff, among other things, and he got him moving...but it's bad.

Doesn't slow him down, though...in fact, he just played a game. Spasms and all.

SIGH.

So we met up at Brian's concert which was AWESOME. So fun...and so fun to see Brian finding that something that he really likes doing.

And this picture kills me...Alex looking like, well, Alex and Brian looking like a business man.

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This morning on the fence around my garden was the scariest, scariest, scariest, scariest spider ever. Ever. Ever.

With a big 'ole egg sack.

So I handled it in a mature way...doused him with snail killer and then used a shovel, while screaming (because screaming really does help!) and jumping up and down.

In flip flops.

Picked a bushel load...btw, how many tomatoes are in a bushel? load of tomatoes.

Yum.

I did decide to weigh them...21 pounds worth.

That's a lotta tomatoes!

I need to go pick up some pictures and something to grill for dinner...M has requested protein that needs to be cut with a knife. No problem, but there will be a tomato (or two) on the side.

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Oh, and Matthew is in Tennessee today. And took the storms from Arkansas with him...

Girl Time

Lunch with the girls...Sheila and Amy.

Basically it was a hoot-fest...a time where we laughed hard and loud and long.

It was a hoot.

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Brian is off to summer school...the big concert is tonight. Matthew is currently in Arkansas with all the big, scary storms; he is also performing tonight. Alex had an early morning game yesterday and has a long practice today...but will most likely sleep all the way up to the time he has to leave.

I love teenagers.

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Oh, and that guy that I like so much went back to work yesterday. His summer break has come to an end...and I am bummed, so I cleaned out the linen closet.

I figured we would be a little sad together.

And I think it worked.

Family Supper

After church yesterday, we visited the In n Out drive thru...and Alex ordered a ginormous coke.

A few years ago, some study that our government undoubtably spent trillions on came out that said sugar doesn't affect kids.

Yeah right.

I would've lent them my son for the test...put him in an enclosed vehicle, give him a large sugary drink and watch what happens.

Could've saved us taxpayers a lot of money.

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Our clansmen from the neighboring town came for a visit...all 5.45 of them, for a little pool time.

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Alex took charge of Logan and together they made trouble.

Lots and lots of trouble.

We ate a nice, light, summery meal (not) and then had storytime.

Razored and skateboarded and played...oh my!

As for this morning...M took Alex to his game across town and Brian just got picked up for summer school.

My house is quiet.

Utterly quiet.

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Changing Things Up

Same old me...brand new design.

Let me know what you think.

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The Weekend Has Begun

We had a family movie outing yesterday...minus the eldest son who is blowing his bugle somewhere in Texas, and went to see Harry Potter.

And while I loved the movie, I came away feeling a bit disappointed...and Alex, who hasn't read the books, had a hard time following it.

But the company was fun. And the food, which we picked up at Chik Fil-A and shoved in my purse was yummy and fried. Sorry AMC, but we did still buy our drinks and a popcorn from you.

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Mid-day movies always screw up meal times for me...I'm just not hungry enough for supper at the normal time.

But tell that to my houseful of boys.

So, I roasted up some potatoes and some sausage and some fresh green beans and called it a day.

But for me...it was all about this. Fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from my garden, fresh mozzarella and a drizzle of olive oil.

Sigh.

This morning in an attempt to beat the heat, I weeded and pruned and watered on the early side.

Oh, and picked. And picked. And picked.

And hello? See that little acorn squash in the corner? Ummmm....he is an intruder because I am fairly (like 100%) positive I planted not a single acorn squash in my plot.

Not a one.

But he grew anyway, and tonight will be roasted with a little butter and amaretto. Yep, he will.

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Oh, and there'll be earrings in the shop soon. So all who've asked, they are coming.

The rest of today belongs to basketball. Love that. Matthew is in San Antonio for the next 2 days competing...he says it is hot and humid and he is loving it. I love that, too.

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Laugh the Day Away

Sometimes you just need a double date to Cheesecake Factory with people you really like.

Or don't really like, because it really doesn't matter when you are at Cheesecake Factory.

Just kidding.

We really do like Ron and Christy...a lot, and had a great time hearing their stories. Great time...I mean, they have been married for 50 (yes, 50!) years!!

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It was still fun even after our server dumped a huge iced tea into M's lap.

Huge iced tea. IN. HIS. LAP.

Lovely...and a note to all servers - IF by chance you dump a HUGE iced tea INTO someone's lap, you should at least offer a free piece of cheesecake for dessert.

I'm just sayin'.

We came home, swept the floor and Karen came a'knockin'.

Glad we swept the floor.

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Threw her outside to a table of boys (Alex seems to have a crew at supper each night) and tried to fatten her up some.

But alas, it was salad...cold salad, plus hot chicken.

My vice.

That guy that I like so much, who spends much of his time shaking his head at the things that fly out of my mouth.

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I always like to shake things up a bit at some point...like forcing people to do yoga to ABBA music (oh wait...that was the night before and I am still recovering) or serving a funky dessert.

Like s'mores.

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And then my boy started texting me...they had just performed and were driving to their next stop, with hopes of sleeping a few hours before rehearsing all day. And performing at night.

Repeat.

Sure do miss him...but am so glad he can have this experience.

Oh...and we finally watched the season finale of Desperate Housewives. We might actually catch up on all our shows by the end of summer!

Just some stuff

1. Alex had a great game yesterday. His team was down by 2 with 2 seconds on the clock. He went up for a 3 (the silver lining to his knee injury...beautiful 3 pointers because for 6 weeks that was all he could do), missed and is fouled..and then goes on to make all 3 of his free throws. Fun for everyone to watch except for his mother, who is not strong enough. At all.
2. Matthew landed in Tulsa, drove to Dallas, ran a couple of miles to get used to the humidity and performed last night. Tonight is a show in Houston.
3. I spent all morning filling jewelry orders, including making a beautiful pendant for my sister in law...which I then ruined. This self taught soldering stuff is not working for me. At all.
4. I removed 8 bags of books (early readers and chapter books...Joanna, do you want them?) from Brian's bookcase and am about to list the bookcase itself on CraigsList. I am in a purging kind of mood.
5. Drove carpool this morning and then to downtown Santa Ana to pick up Brian's birth certificate...the office was empty, so I was in and out in less than 5 minutes.
6. Made a brownie pudding the other night and last night watched 3 males attack what was left with spoons. Classic.

7. Took Brian to the pool to swim with friends and realized once I was there (and talking with someone who I don't know all that well) that A) I have not yet showered today, B) I haven't put in my contacts yet because I have been soldering (see #3) and my glasses count as safety goggles, C) I am pretty sure that I haven't as of yet put on any make-up, D) I am wearing gardening clothes...which in real life resemble my pajamas and finally E) I ate nacho cheese doritos (sad, but oh so delicious) for lunch and we all know what those do to your breath.

Oh well.

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See You Soon, Matthew

Matthew is off and running...well, actually, he is on a plane to Tulsa right now, but tour has started.

He's done this so many times that he has it down and was packed and in bed last night by 9pm...he is still recovering from a horrible case of the flu, but he did manage to sleep for awhile before leaving at 3:00am.

Yawn.

They perform tonight in Dallas and so begins their 10,000 mile journey on a bus...sleeping on gym floors along the way. Oh, to have a body that can handle that kind of schedule.

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I sure am going to miss him. The other night he caused this to happen...and if I hadn't called him out on it, probably would've left it. All night long.

Oh...and here is his duet. He's on the left...

This morning I made blueberry pancakes for that guy that I like so much. It's summer after all and in all honesty, I am bored silly.

So I am cooking a strange bunch of things...like pancakes. And brownie pudding. And zucchini bread.

Someone please come over and eat all of this stuff!

Kenzie played again yesterday morning, hurt finger and all. She is amazing (well, she comes from really great parents) and I have loved being able to spend time with her this weekend.

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My garden overfloweth...so much so that each one of my tomato cages has completely collapsed under the weight of all the fruit that is growing.

And I am NOT complaining one bit...last night I made BLT's, minus the B and the L. For reals. Oh, and I made a roasted tomato marinara and tonight will be a roasted tomato basil soup.

I'm also catching all sorts of people leaning over the sink eating these puppies like apples, with juice dripping down their chins and elbows.

Love that!

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Tired

Yes, I am tired.

It was a FULL weekend between a basketball tournament (they won tonight against one of the big private schools...a really big deal!), a drum corps show last night (Matthew had a solo...woohoo!), and catching as many different parts of MacKenzie's softball tourney ( I think I saw like 45 minutes of most of her games) and having only one car all weekend...well, I am pooped.

Pooped.

That guy that I like so much made a comment last night that our house looked like a locker room.

And sadly, he was right.

Matthew, who is leaving in 2 days for a month (and will have only 1 laundry day), has never really unpacked from last weeks tour...so his stuff is kind of everywhere. On top of that, Alex did his annual room shoveling out and dumped everything he no longer wants in the hallway. And left it.

Ugh.

But his room is spotless.

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We just have not been home long enough to do more than shower and sleep that fall into bed exhausted kind of sleep.

Tomorrow I drive carpool for summer school, watch Alex's 10:00am game, drive the carpool home and then....THEN I have an afternoon/evening off.

I think I can make it. I think I can make it.

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On Friday I did get some new stamps in the mail that I had ordered...and I love, love, love them.

Nothing like a simple, big letter!

I have so many pictures, but this one is to prove to that guy that I like so much that his car will continue to drive even if the thing-a-ma-bob says you should be completely out of gas.

Sorry, honey.

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Oh...and this is our life right now. Fresh from the garden tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and balsamic vinegar...with a little kosher salt, please.

Summer is officially here.

Took a while, but it is here.

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And now...I am going to fill my tub with hot water and soak.

For days.

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