Back to the Routine!

As we are starting the second week of school, it seems my life has taken on a familiar run of events. Get up, shower, get the girls up, fix them breakfast, get dressed, make sure the girls are getting dressed, fix lunches and then off to school. This is the same routine I have done since Haley was in Kindergarten...but hey, it works!

After school is when it gets really fun! Mondays, we go to the grocery store. Come home, put the groceries up and then it is bathroom cleaning time. I hate to clean the bathrooms more than anything, so that is why it is the first room of the week! Tuesdays are kitchen days...the second worse room to clean. Wednesday is piano and church night. That normally takes the afternoon up, so I don't do any cleaning that day. Thursdays are living room days...the girls can pretty much clean the living room by themselves, so I normally supervise them. Friday afternoons, I go to the Glass Shop, write checks, pay bills and do the deposit. Rule for Friday at our house is "Momma doesn't cook." My girls can tell you that! We will normally go eat somewhere, or order something.

Don't forget all the daily stuff like homework, practice piano, cooking and cleaning up supper...It just never ends! I like having my routine back. During the summer I just say, "It can wait until tomorrow" guess what? It never gets done!

On a last, off the subject note, I am asking that you pray for Winna Wilson. She is in Lubbock in the hospital. They are not sure what is wrong, other than her kidneys are trying to shut down. They also think there are some "hot spots" from her breast cancer 12 years ago. They will be putting stints in her kidneys tomorrow to see if that will help. As of now, she will be in Lubbock for an undisclosed amount of time. This woman means so much to me, and has been a big part of my life since I was in Jr. High. Winna is a big influence on my life, not only did she teach me to love piano, but she also taught me about faith and how God loves you, even when you don't think he is around. Now my children are taking piano from her and just love her to pieces! I know one day they will realize that Winna just doesn't teach piano, she teaches you about God and how he gives you talents to use while we are here.

Bella, Bella

Yesterday evening we came home and I just kept noticing that Bella was not moving from the spot she was in. She was being very quiet, and kept pulling on some loose rope from her bouncy rope. Well, this got me wondering, so I kept watching and noticed she would fall asleep in that spot...which is not normal, when she naps she is up at the top of the cage, and she was toward the bottom. Robby got up, opened the cage door, and when she tried to climb up the back of the cage, she couldn't! Her little foot was tangled up in the rope! I hurry out to the garage and get a tint knife, and Robby gets her cut loose from the big rope and gets her out of the cage. I start cutting the knot off from around her foot, and her little toes were cold. The problem was we didn't know how long she had been caught...neither one of us went home for lunch, I came home for a little bit before I had to go back to school, but I couldn't remember exactly where she was. We just held her the rest of the evening, and when we put her back in her cage she kept favoring that one foot.

We decided we would wait until tomorrow to see how she was acting. In the morning she was still favoring the foot. Robby called and talked to an Aviary Vet in Amarillo and he wanted to see her just to make sure there wasn't anything major going on. So at lunch we decided we should take her to the Vet. So Robby takes off to Amarillo with Bella. Once they get there, the Dr. looks her over and says she has probably just strained some of her ligaments, and her foot is a little swollen. Now, Bella has a prescription of Celebrex to take for several days...in a way that is just funny, I have taken Celebrex for my knee!

The good news is..Bella is going to be fine, and is healthy..the Dr. said she should live a long and healthy life!

The First Day...

Well, we made it through the first day. Haley really enjoyed 4th grade and the changing of the classes. She was real nervous about that, but she handled it really well! And of course she made a new friend...and then went and helped find her mother after school was out. That is just typical Haley! After school, she said "I really like Mrs. Manley, Mrs. Self is just cool because she's Abbi's grandma, and Mrs. Keys just talked and talked and talked!" I thought that was funny!

Of course Auzlyn just lllloooovvveee'ssss Mrs. Atchley. Her words exactly...she drew the love out for about 5 seconds. Auzlyn made a new friend, also. The new high school assistant principal's daughter...She said she was just too sweet, just like me! Mrs. Sanders stopped me in the hall and said, "Let me tell you what Auzlyn just said" In my mind, I am thinking "there is no telling!" She said that she went into Mrs. Atchley's room, Mrs. Atchley introduced her to the class, and Auzlyn..in Auzlyn sassy style, says "I know her, I've been to her house!" Like she was all top dog because she had been to the assistant principals house. I wish I could have been there.

My year really won't start until tomorrow...I didn't have any students today, so I worked on scheduling ALL DAY LONG! But I will have my little darlings tomorrow! All in all, it was a great first day.

Accomplishments while my children have been gone..

As many of you know, my mother took my girls and my 3 year old niece on a trip to Gallup to meet up with some cousins from California. Well, they will be back tomorrow, so I thought I would jot down what I have accomplished over these last few days.

Wednesday I worked and we ordered from the United Deli for supper.

Thursday I went to Quanah for a meeting, came home home and cooked Chicken Fried Steak with gravy and new potatoes for supper...Quite delicious if I do say so my self.

Friday I got up, went to the Glass Shop and wrote checks and did the deposit...like any other Friday. Robby and I went to El Sombrero for lunch and then I had to go to school to meet a student. Friday night we ordered Thai Kitchen and watched National Treasure: the hidden book.

Saturday we got up and went a played golf. I had a horrible round, but it was fun. It was the first time in a while that Robby and I have played together. We were through around 3:00, grabbed a sandwich from the Grill on the Green. For supper that night, we had chips and homemade hot sauce...very yummy!

Today, I went to church, came home watched the race, then watched the end of the PGA championship. Still cannot believe Tiger got beat...and now I am fixing to cook cream cheese jalapeno burgers. I have never cooked them before, but they sound very good!

My accomplishments include only cooking 2 meals...playing on the computer...watching TV...and playing golf...a very successful week in my book!

It has been quiet around here, and I am ready for my girls to get home! Tomorrow they will be here and start fighting all over again! I have to admit, I do miss the fighting!

Pack, Unpack, Repack

These last several weeks we have been going and going! Just trying to get in as much as possible before school starts back :( Well, we got back from Colorado on a Sunday...the next Friday, I was packing again to spend the night in Wichita Falls and go to Castaway Cove. The girls had a blast there, and Robby and I did, too.

The next weekend we actually stayed home..I got some stuff cleaned out and finally painted Haley's room. It is painted, but we still don't have it completely decorated yet, so I'm not going to put any pictures up until we are completely finished...which may be next year.

Even though we didn't go anywhere that weekend, I had to pack Haley for church camp. They had fun, except for when the van broke down about 5 miles outside of town. That is a story they will have forever!

Haley got back from camp..got her unpacked and then packed us all for Amarillo. This is our annual school shopping/Wonderland trip. Both the girls actually rode the roller coasters! Auzlyn loved them...Haley was not to impressed, but she did ride them a couple of times. The whole time she had her head buried either in Robby or me the whole ride. She was a good sport about it!

So now I am unpacking again and packing the girls to go with my mom to Gallup, New Mexico. They are leaving on Wednesday afternoon and won't be back until Sunday or Monday. They are meeting some cousins from California to go to an India Ceremony thing...They will have fun! You need to pray for my mom because she is taking all 3 girls by herself!!

Then, it will be time for school to start...but I do have a comp day for the 21st...So I may try to talk Robby into going to the lake one last weekend before it all ends!!

The Last Weeks of Summer

Every summer I do the same thing...I have all these projects I want to do around the house and I wait until the last 2 or 3 weeks of summer to do them. Well I have done it again! I start out and say, oh, it can wait until tomorrow...but guess what, tomorrow is here! So if I get no other projects done, I will get Haley's room painted!

We were going to paint her room last summer, but thanks to the lovely Father's Day storm, it didn't happen. We are almost ready to paint. As soon as she wakes her little hiney up, we are headed to Walmart for tape, drop clothes, caffeine, and other miscellaneous supplies we may need. Her room will be finished by this weekend.

Haley leaves for Church Camp on Monday, so I have to get all of her stuff ready and packed for that...what is really bad is her sleeping bag is in the trailer, and the trailer is down. We are going to have to pop up the trailer just enough to get her sleeping bag out.

I also need to go through the girls clothes(and mine) and see what fits, and what doesn't so we can go school shopping next weekend. I don't mind shopping for clothes for the girls, but Robby is always there and rushing us! He'll say, "Do you have to touch every item of clothing in the store? Aren't you through yet? Oh my gosh, can ya'll just hurry?" He is going to have to learn that when you have 2 little girls shopping for clothes, who are growing up, and forming there own opinions, it is going to take a while to find the right clothes we need for school. But I don't say anything to him, because he is there, shopping with his girls, and I don't ever remember my dad shopping with me. Plus, he carries all the cash.

Well, Haley's up, fixing to head to Walmart! Have a great last couple of weeks of summer! I'll post pics of Haley's room when we are finished!