Darn Squirrels!

I love feeding birds and love bird feeders.  This one is outside my office window (my office is in the formal living room space)

Does that look like a bird? (dang, I need to clean that feeder…:/)

I’m pretty sure that’s not a bird….

Here he is 30 minutes later….Yes, still at it, just moved to the other side!

I should just accept that I am indeed an avid squirrel feeder and just move on…. Hope everyone is having a happy Tuesday!

New Patio Cushions

Remember when I said I had ordered new patio cushions? It was a while back.  They came from Target and I thought I had found a heck of a deal.  
We used them for the first time during Peter's graduation party and by the end of the day they were all flat!  FLAT!  I was so upset. I never had really bought cushions from Target, I usually got them from Local specialty stores like Forshaws or Seasonal Concepts, but I have bought cushions from discount retailers for some odd chairs that we have outside and have never run into this problem.  Anyway, dh said they had to go back, me of course feels like they have been used, tags removed and shouldn't go back.  I lose and he returns them!  Long story short, I ordered new ones from Frontgate and they arrived today!

Nice Sunbrella Fabric that I suspect I will get years of wear out of. Color is called Gingko.

The table while naked

These are made really well and include a zipper for easy cleaning along with velcro ties.

I'm really pleased with how they look and because I was already all hot and sweaty since it's 90 here today, I went ahead and  unpacked the Melamine dishes that I bought in the spring from Target.  I don't normally care for plastic dishes, but Jack and breakable do not go together with flagstone.

Not bad for Melamine eh?

I left them set out for dinner tonight so I need to get off here and get cooking!  Happy Evening Everyone!

Organization 101.....my way...

Years ago....maybe 1983, I stumbled upon a book titled  "Sidetracked Home Executives" written by Pam Young and Peggy Jones. (btw...if you're familiar with "Flylady" on the internet, she was sort of a spin-off from them, with their blessings of course.)



These two sisters had me laughing my way through this book. I read it and enjoyed it, but as I recall I didn't really implement any of their changes and certainly not the 3x5 box and cards. Jump to mid 1990's, I had 4 kids that didn't pick up after themselves, a husband that was always at work or traveling, and one big messy house!

By the 90's the "Slob Sisters" as they came to be known, had moved into the internet world as had I. I found there site online, met other S.H.E.'s and made my fist card box. It was just a plain old black speckled, plastic index card box, but I had ordered their system with nice printed cards and I was on a roll!  Mind you, my house was never terribly out of control, nor was it dirty...but the kids left there stuff everywhere all the time just assuming I would pick it up, and I was terribly unorganized!

So I got organized one drawer at a time as my worst weakness is drawer shoving, (actually any storage space I can shove something into will do) I think I have 6 junk drawers in my kitchen even now. All that means is when I don't know where to put something I shove it in a drawer ( or cabinet or closet...).  Hence the reason I'm writing about this....

I digress...sorry, enter the "Infractions Game"! Oh, this did the trick! I gave each of the kids a sheet of those little round florescent stickers with instructions to stick them on anyone's stuff that they found laying around, and then go write it on a list I hung on the frig.  Infractions cost you money. I don't recall the amount now but it seems it was .05 cents.   At the end of the week, we added up the amounts owed, everyone paid and the person with the least infractions got all the money. If you were really messy it ended up taking much of your allowance for the week, so it didn't take long until none of their things were laying around, nor mine ( I was included in the stickerfest).  The game had worked to make everyone accountable for their things. I was relieved, had a lot less work and we had a tidy home finally.

A few years ago I made up a new box....

It looked good...but really I missed a lot of the pre-printed cards. It sits on a little ledge in my kitchen...sits there looking pretty sort of like a "decoration"....:-/ but that's about it.  I'm the type of person that needs mental stimulation to get me going, similar to how reading everyone's blog does for me.  They inspire me to get things done!

Enter a blog I found the other day that is selling this exact idea, only cuter than I have ever seen nor have been able to do myself!  The site is called  Spring Clean, Year Round , I also have the blog listed in my blog roll.  If you want to see these cute organization boxes, you'll have to go to her blog because I didn't get permission to show any of her work here.

I ordered one of their creations today and am VERY excited to receive it! And no, I didn't really need a new box but she does the chore cards up so cute I'm sure to want to clean something...right? ;)

I'll keep you posted after it arrives and I try to implement some changes around here!

Jack's gone back to pre-school...

I can't help it, I'm very sad today.  When we sold the Coffee House back in October, we took Jack out of pre-school.  I've just loved to death spending all of my time with him for the past 8 months, but with him being more or less an only child along with us living in a very mature neighborhood with next to no children, he was getting lonely.

I tried buying a dog...it sort of worked. He now has someone to wrestle and fight with (yes, he fights with his dog). Still though, he wanted to go back to school and he misses being around kids.   He actually misses it.  So Mon., Wed., and Friday's he will be at pre-school.

He turned 5 this past May and is old enough to go to kindergarten this year, but from my past experiences with raising my other boys I have decided not to start him until fall 2011.  I've wrestled with this decision as many of the kids I do know of, that have late birthdays are starting this year, but all the advice I'm gathering says that I am more apt to make the mistake in starting him too soon rather than too late. As a parent, I really hate having decisions to make that will effect him so profoundly.

Sooo....my next decision will be whether or not to have him go full time in the fall. I'm going to let the summer play out, then maybe I'll know what's best for him...or me!  I know I'm going to blink my eyes and I'll be throwing his graduation party...:(

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Holiday Weekend...Graduation Party Style

It is Memorial Day weekend, but this year we did a college graduation party for my son Peter.  He's been asking me for this party for the past couple of years in anticipation.  I'm the Mom that doesn't let the kids have party's. I'm the Mom that is too afraid of confrontation with the neighbors, local police or anyone else that might complain about a bunch of 24/25 year old's having some fun a bit too late into the evening, but I'm happy to say I relinquished and planned the party.

Ya, I know it looks a lot like Elvis... but no, this is Peter in High School. He's a performer, always has been...always will be!

Ok, just kidding around, more current picture of Peter

"The Cake" depicting his 3 degrees.

And the catered food....(because I was too pooped out from the previous two party's and the Coffeehouse debacle! Tons of BBQ....more ribs than I've ever seen at one time!  We had beautiful weather and these kids (grown-up kids) were all really great guest!  Jack was swimming all day and we had expected him to sleep like a log last night, but instead he was restless all night. I'm guessing just too much excitement for a 5 year old in one day!  No more graduations for at least 13 years....:)  Thank you to everyone that came and helped celebrate with us!  The day would not have been complete without you!  I would have posted more pictures but I'm thinking not everyone wants their face on my blog...