Priceless Quality Time

I have been gripping to my classes in the last few days and today is T-Day.  I have 2 3.5 hour tests to take and if anyone catches me surfing, remind my ADD brain I have until Midnight to get them done.  I am sick over them and have come to the “to hell with it” attitude.  How sad. I am about 6 classes from a CPA.  So as a friend said the other day, I could use a prayer, a woo-woo or whatever…and then I am off of school for 10 days.  Next time I am taking only 1 class..and when it is all done, I am going down to the coast in Savannah or Flagler Beach in Florida and taking a 2 week vacation alone -and would love every minute of it.

                                                              

The main purpose for this blog is last night, on very rare occasion, Ron put the kids to bed.  It could be because I was in tears and studying and I think he felt bad.  He is working 14 hour days and I hate to say it, but I wish he did travel and come home on weekends.  He is so stressed with work and irritable, having him home at night, even at 9-10 pm, then leaving @ 5:30 to get into Chicago is too much.    I know we, being married,  have suffered.  The kids feel his stress and if he was home on weekends, we would definately see him more.  BUT…he read to Ryan and Jena last night a book called Bartholomew and The Bug by Neal Layton and the kids just loved it.

It’s Mulberry Time!

We have a neighbor that I am begging not to cut her tree down.  This year we put down a 30×40 tarp to catch the mulberries.  Yesterday resulted in 10 pints of jelly and a real nice batch of ice cream

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 Needless to say, my fingers are purple, my feet are worse, and Jena has purple spots in her hair…..But all worth it.  She doesn’t spray or use chemicals, so it is really ALL natural. yummm. 

 

Father’s Day

 

Father’s day was good. We took Daddy out for Lunch, made homemade cards, and hung out. 

Jena loved our lunch!!!! Thank God for Spray n’ Wash…….

 

The cards the kids made were cute.  Ryan told daddy he was a “perfect” father. 

This week will be hard. I have 2 finals by Thursday, then I can focus on more blogging.

no rest for the wicked..

I used to wonder why parents wouldn’t take their kids on vacation. I now understand.  No matter how interesting you make it, kids aren’t that interested in fishing when they are young.  I will consider a nanny next year…

the garden

Here are some pic’s of the garden:

This is blurry, but this is the onions, the tomatos, and the hothouse for the herbs

This is the thyme making its way out of the house.  Next to it is the basil I had to replant due to the dog making a nest in the seedlings.

Something is eating my Bok Choy in the lettuce area.  I haven’t found the culprit, but I am hatching the praying mantis’ and will find out.

 Below is my petunia’s on my table on the porch.

It amazes me what a week of no weeding will do.  I am struggling finding a place with organic hay to put into the garden for mulch this year.  I may be making extra of my own and offering to cut the neighbor’s grass for more…I am going to have to get up early tomorrow and make a dent in weeding. I have some small tomato’s on the plants and thank God that Blight hasn’t found them….cross your fingers.

vacation, a PETA moment and SAVE THE BLUEGILL

God bless the library.  I am on vacation but have to add a few pic’s.  I found a library and highspeed in a town with 1200.  Thank you….

 My daughter….we are fishing in Wisconsin and having just a grand time and then it comes to fish cleaning.  Jena and I went into the fishhouse with our stash of panfish and a few crappie.  She got up on her brick that has been there since I learned how to catch fish. She’s smilin and talking to the fish. I take out the filet knife and dive into filleting a fish and WHAHHHHHHH.  She goes nuts crying that I am cutting the bluegill.  I try to console her, while holding down the fish and knife, but she won’t have it.  I told her this one was dead and it was okay and she got louder and now the whole lake can hear her sobbing.  So we took the bluegills that were still alive and chucked them back into the lake.  My husband comes down from the cabin and just starts laughing his ass off that this is over saving bluegills.  So, he takes Jena out of the fishhouse, under much protest.  After the BAD filleting I did, I went into the house and she told me that we cannot eat any bluegills, cut any sides off the bluegills, but eat pumpkinseed, crappie, white sunfish, perch, and bass.  We are to throw back the bluegills.  Bless her little heart. I don’t know why I don’t expect it – she’s taking after me, but damn.  She said she will no longer eat any fish fry with bluegills……And she has told anyone in the whole resort to save the bluegill and throw them back…Thank you PETA for influencing my daughter.  More to eat for the rest of us.

Lillies from hell and man-eating grubs

We have lilies from hell.  I just planted 15 clumps of lilies on the empty bed at the end of the driveway.  I have been thinning them out for a month.  I am  going to just get a goat or something to eat everything.  The grubs….Someone, please enlightened me on how to get rid of them organically.  I fight every year with the damn grubs.  My son was throwing them up and hitting them with a stick and playing Grub Baseball today.  I am sure the Buddist’s are upset I am killing an animal, but they are destroying my yard.  Any ideas are welcome. 

My corn is nuts.  I went to take pictures and my camera is not working.  Let the hubby work on it.  I also built a raised bed today for the lettuce.  I don’t know how they will do, they are rabbit proof now, and dog proof, but we’ll see. Maybe we will get a Bumper crop…ha ha

 And if anyone need Thyme – I am your chick….I am running it over with the riding lawn mower; it’s growing out of the bed. I will be more than obliged to send some.  Will get pic’s before vacation…A much needed break, fishing, sleeping in, no telephone..no internet   

Vet bills….

How I love our dogs….but not today.  After the $200 yesterday and another $140 today, 2 dogs are up to date on their shots….Not even funny.  Taking Chunk to the vet is like getting a Camel to do the polka – not fun.  I love this dog, let me tell you, however 74 pounds of stupid pooch is a mess.  She is heartworm negative, thank god.  Been there with the old dog and don’t want to go through that financially or mentally again.