On Thursdays I get up at 5:30, wake up Della, and then we prepare for a long day: I drop her off at the State Lab about 7:15 (after she stops by 7-11 for her essential coffee), and then I begin the trek up 66 to Fairfax. Today the trip to the pottery class took the whole 2 hours I have allotted. I just couldn't do this 5 days a week, even 3 days a week. I'd find another job, or move closer.
Pottery class is rather intensive. If you aren't feeling great, you probably won't do well at your work. Not only do you have to feel creative, you have to be up for the physical work and the hustle of sharing facilities with all the other people. It wasn't a good day for me today! Hannah has been taking the same class but she's stopping after this session, and I'm considering taking a break for the winter session. January through March pretty well covers the bad-weather days around here, and maybe I could get some other creative things done at home.
My schedule this school year has been working well:
Monday and Tuesday no on-going committments; we try to stay home and get lots of school done.
Wednesday the girls have writing class, and then we do all the Warrenton/Bealeton errands. Yesterday we also added in a couple thrift shops, since I had a dinner all made up, but that made the day a little TOO long.
Thursday Della and I are gone all day; Esther stays home, looks after all the animals, and has every-other-week piano lessons. She loves having some time to herself for reading and Facebook, but sometimes she gets a little lonely I think.
Friday we either stay home and do more school, do something social, or run bigger errands. Tomorrow we have to look for coats for the girls. They both had the bad taste to outgrow their good coats, and the thrift store coats aren't fashionable enough. Odd, we can find other types of clothes we like at the thrifts.
Ansil's having a hard time at college, 90% of it being Organic Chem.
Rebecca and Josh are buying a house!
Laura, poor dear, has been having big dental work done.
Seb, Della, and Esther are going to a dance this Saturday.
All for now!
Still Homesteading After All These Years...
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
30 Years and Counting
Hello, all, thank you for the calls! Dad went off "to do errands" and 3 hours later came back with flowers, a card, AND a decorative item from Hallmark. Which made me laugh a couple years ago I was talking with the manager of Midas and he said, "I love that Hallmark shop. You can always find something for your wife, have it wrapped, and make it home in time for dinner."
We spent the day doing things around here...couldn't take the day off from school since Esther needed to finish her essay about Siamese Cats. So we just went ahead and did the rest of school. For me, that means reading the devotional with the girls and doing history. They do the rest themselves. For history we just started a DVD course "The Later Middle Ages" taught by a W&M professor; I also bought a couple other DVD courses to supplement-one on the Popes and the Papacy, and one on Great Authors of the Western World. We're just going to watch some of those for history, and Della will watch some for background as she does some of her reading list.
I am really enjoying using these courses now that all the students are old enough (though Esther still thinks they are kind of boring).
We had our first frost Oct 19-I brought in the last peppers, tomatos, and basil. There are still some young greens in the raised beds, but don't know if they will produce anything. We haven't had more than 1 rain for a month.
Laura, where are the pictures?
Rebecca, I am reading the Elemental Masters books of M. Lackey and two in particular are good: The Serpent's Shadow, and Phoenix and Ashes, should be read in that order. Of course you do have to wade through the soapbox lectures on women's equality/socialism, but they are fun books!
We spent the day doing things around here...couldn't take the day off from school since Esther needed to finish her essay about Siamese Cats. So we just went ahead and did the rest of school. For me, that means reading the devotional with the girls and doing history. They do the rest themselves. For history we just started a DVD course "The Later Middle Ages" taught by a W&M professor; I also bought a couple other DVD courses to supplement-one on the Popes and the Papacy, and one on Great Authors of the Western World. We're just going to watch some of those for history, and Della will watch some for background as she does some of her reading list.
I am really enjoying using these courses now that all the students are old enough (though Esther still thinks they are kind of boring).
We had our first frost Oct 19-I brought in the last peppers, tomatos, and basil. There are still some young greens in the raised beds, but don't know if they will produce anything. We haven't had more than 1 rain for a month.
Laura, where are the pictures?
Rebecca, I am reading the Elemental Masters books of M. Lackey and two in particular are good: The Serpent's Shadow, and Phoenix and Ashes, should be read in that order. Of course you do have to wade through the soapbox lectures on women's equality/socialism, but they are fun books!
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Back home again
It's Sunday night. The past few days I have been in Newport News seeing Laura, and Annapolis seeing Grandma, and Fairfax seeing Hannah, and I'm REALLY done with driving for the next two days!
Today Dad and I went to Lowes and bought a new fridge. The circa 1987 fridge in the kitchen is starting to have troubles, so I've had a stainless steel one picked out for several months. This weekend they had a tax holiday for energy start appliances, and Lowes had 10% off and I had an $89 rebate card from when we bought the freezer. So we did shave some off the price.
We also looked at flooring. The carpet really needs to be replaced in the living room/office area. I just can't figure out what to put in that wouldn't clash with the hallway (one kind of wood) or the fireplace room (another kind of wood).
Talked to Ansil, Hannah, of course Laura this weekend. Didn't hear anything from Rebecca. (If you are reading this, honey, hope things were ok for you this weekend-call me!)
Della and Esther and Dad were at a goat show this weekend. Seb went with me down to see Laura and her friend Rachel. They are looking for houses close together since both their husbands are going to be stationed out of Langley AFB for the last year of PA training. It's a nice place down there (but you certainly have to pick your neighborhood).
Grandma and I did some more beading. I made a necklace of Czechoslavakian glass that she had found to match a blouse I'd bought. Grandma's into making blouse and necklace sets. It's really nice to fit the length of the necklace, as well as the colors, to a particular top.
All for now, darlings.
Today Dad and I went to Lowes and bought a new fridge. The circa 1987 fridge in the kitchen is starting to have troubles, so I've had a stainless steel one picked out for several months. This weekend they had a tax holiday for energy start appliances, and Lowes had 10% off and I had an $89 rebate card from when we bought the freezer. So we did shave some off the price.
We also looked at flooring. The carpet really needs to be replaced in the living room/office area. I just can't figure out what to put in that wouldn't clash with the hallway (one kind of wood) or the fireplace room (another kind of wood).
Talked to Ansil, Hannah, of course Laura this weekend. Didn't hear anything from Rebecca. (If you are reading this, honey, hope things were ok for you this weekend-call me!)
Della and Esther and Dad were at a goat show this weekend. Seb went with me down to see Laura and her friend Rachel. They are looking for houses close together since both their husbands are going to be stationed out of Langley AFB for the last year of PA training. It's a nice place down there (but you certainly have to pick your neighborhood).
Grandma and I did some more beading. I made a necklace of Czechoslavakian glass that she had found to match a blouse I'd bought. Grandma's into making blouse and necklace sets. It's really nice to fit the length of the necklace, as well as the colors, to a particular top.
All for now, darlings.
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