Getting a New Door

So, due to a poking situation which discovered that the door frame was rotted out, we ended up needing a new front door. Thankfully, our handy neighbor (and friend), Andy, was willing to come over and help Russell install the thing.

(Megan's the photographer here.)

First they had to get it out.



It left a big pile of garbage...

Then they had to remove the window...

Actually, the window was better put in there than we thought it would be. We still have to replace the framing around it -- it needs to be special ordered -- but it managed to stay put while the door was put in.

Then, they put in the new door.


Then, because white is a boring color, Mom painted:

Voila! New door.


(Happy, happy.)

Roses

Megan took the pictures. I just stuck them in a purty mosaic.

Mom Ran a 5K!

Back over the summer, some friends from church got together to start exercising. I joined in on occasion -- once a week -- mostly for the companionship. Then, they started talking goals. One of the women -- Debbie -- was formerly a competitive runner (she's run a marathon), and started talking up a 5k. She convinced us all that we could do it... and so, we started training for the Race for the Cure.


(from left: Naomi and her daughter Rachel, me, Brenda, Stephanie, and Debbie)

Mind you, I don't think I've ever ran any length consistently before. Sure, I log a mile and a half to two miles a couple times a week, but that's alternating running walking (or, as I modified it over the summer: walk, jog, sprint. Lather, rise, repeat.) But, 3.1 miles? Without stopping? Could I do it??

Well, yeah.

(I'm back there... really.)


Sure, there were a couple of times I didn't think I could, when I wanted to stop and walk, but I didn't. I ran the whole race (in a respectable 36 minutes, too!). And the feeling when you cross the finish line, knowing that you accomplished something that you set out to do, is really pretty great.

In short: we did it!

Skating and Running

There was supposed to be a bowling, oh my! But that didn't work out.

Skating: our elementary school has skate nights at the local roller skating rink as a fundraiser. I've been avoiding them for two years now (ever since Caitlyn started), mostly because I just don't want to pay the money. Last year, Caitlyn took to going to them with her friend Merry, and had a grand time. Not that she could skate well, but she LOVED hanging out with her friends.

Anyway, Monday night was this year's first skating party. And Alison was just DYING to go. So, for family home evening, I took Caitlyn, Alison and Kristen over, paid the $18 (only $18? Wow!) and attempted to go skating. (Russell opting out because he doesn't skate, and Megan was too cool for an elementary school skating party.) Well, Caitlyn and Alison (and I: yes, I had a BLAST getting on roller skates. It's been years.) had a grand time. Kristen, we got skates for and she went once around the rink and called it quits. I sent her home 20 minutes after we arrived with the Austins (who just happened to be there). Caitlyn disappeared with her friends, and Alison and I kept going around and around. She got pretty good by the end of the night. Fun stuff.

The rest of the week was pretty normal. Girl Scouts on Tuesday; I need to have a better attitude about it all, because right now, it totally stresses me out. Eighteen 10-year-old girls are a handful, and I'm not even the one in charge! (I'm just helping.) There was piano, school, homework, sleepover with Merry on Friday (in which they watched Coraline -- even though I told them it was scary -- and stayed up late watching "happy movies" because it was SCARY.) There was supposed to be an Elder's Quorum bonfire/dinner on Friday night, but Friday afternoon (right after Kristen and I finished an outing at the zoo) it decided to pour rain. So that got cancelled. Then we got a call from a friend who was organizing a bowling outing (since we all had babysitters anyway). But, we got to the bowling alley, and there were too many of us and there weren't two lanes open right next to each other. So, we ended up doing the cheapest thing possible: crashing a friend's house (their kids are older, except for the caboose -- she's only one) and hanging out and talking. Fun times.

Then, Saturday, I ran the 5K that some friends of mine had talked me into. It was the Race for the Cure, and one of my friends has lost two aunts to breast cancer, so that was the one she wanted to run. Anyway. We all worked really hard to get up to running that distance (furthest I've ever run!), and amazingly, we all did it. Ran, had a grand time, felt proud of ourselves. (Pictures were taken, but as they weren't on my camera, I'm not sure when I'll get them so I can put them up.) Anyway... now they're talking about running a couple more 5Ks and working up to the 10K River Run (as part of the Wichita River Festival) next May. I'm dubious, but maybe I shouldn't be. Six miles really isn't that far. Is it?

The other big project was getting the new door installed. Andy came over and he and Russell ripped the old door out, and got the new door installed. The trick was the window above the door. We have to custom order the outside molding to go around it, so they didn't take that out. But, in the process of putting a temporary ledge in between the door and the window, there was a breaking sound and an "OH CRAP!" Turns out there were three panes in the window, and the middle one has a nice crack through it. Sigh. At least it's not the leaded part, and when we get around to ordering the molding, the window will have to come out anyway, and Andy knows a guy who can cut a new piece, or we could just lump the insulation and just put it back up without the middle pane. Oh, the joys of home ownership!

I did get the door painted a lovely red, but it still needs a coat or two. Then I'll take a picture (it looks so cheerful!) and put everything up here so you can see our new door.

I did make it to last night's broadcast (though not the dinner before hand, because Russell was off at Friends' helping out with homecoming), which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sometimes, I really love being a member of this church.

Today's been good, as well. Russell taught two-thirds of the Sunday School as well as Alison's Primary class. The talks were good, the music was nice... and now I'm looking forward to pork chops and a lazy evening.

Have a lovely week!

Working Backwards

Today's been nice -- we had stake conference, and while I didn't get a whole lot out of it (never do; it's the kids thing), some good things were said about humility and sacrifice. Oh, and a young woman in our ward, Marissa, played a lovely version of Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief on her violin.

Yesterday was pretty lazy. We went out to eat at Jimmy's Egg with Russell's parents, and then headed to the farmer's market. Food (and other things!) was bought at the grocery store. Things were fixed (hopefully) around the house (it's SO nice having an experienced homeowner kicking around the house for a couple of days... :-) . Holes were poked in the door frame, and a new door was purchased (we just have to get our friend Andy to come over and help put it in). Turns out that the wood's probably been rotting for years... On the upside, I'll get a red door with a window now. We went swimming at the hotel pool (but couldn't go in the hot tub because there was poop in it... ew...) and basically wore ourselves out. Then again, we might have been overly tired because...

Friday, we went to the State Fair (We took nearly 200 pictures!. We pulled the girls out of school, since Grandpa and Grandma were in town, and we got to the fair around 11:30. We did as much as we possibly could... watched pig races and equestrian acrobatics, saw the butter sculpture, went on the bungee trampoline things, rode a TON of rides on the midway, saw produce and animals, and ate way too much fair food. We also managed to squeeze in swimming later at the hotel pool. And then Russell and I went to a party for a friend's 40th birthday that evening while the girls watched a movie at home. It's a wonder we could even stand at the end of the day!

Thursday, was my birthday. It was a good day, too. I volunteered at the school in both Alison's and Caitlyn's class, went out to lunch with a couple of friends (which was fun, except that Kristen didn't want to stay as long as I did!), made a cake mess (which I threw out) and a cake. I also got lots of lovely birthday wishes from my real-life and internet friends, as well as some fun presents. It's funny that I stress so much about getting older, and then once my birthday's here, it's really no big deal! Grandpa and Grandma Fox came in, and the girls were beside themselves with excitement. And then once they got here, they talked endlessly, and all at once. We went out to eat at a local BBQ place (I wanted pulled pork) which wasn't nearly as good as the ones we ate at in Jonesboro. I guess I'm just Memphis BBQ girl.

Wednesday was a mostly normal day. Friends University decided to celebrate Constitution day on Wednesday instead of Thursday (much to my delight), so Russell was gone to school late. And then there was piano and YW... I'm sure there was something interesting going on, but really, it's too far back in my memory (have to get past the last few days, and I'm not sure I really can).

Same with Tuesday and Monday: normal, normal, normal. The weather's been gorgeous all week: cool, sunny, and positively fall-like. Which means, we've had the air off and the windows open, which is SO nice.

I think that's about it for us. Have a grand week!

Everything Else at the Fair

It really was a grand day: pig races, Equestrian Acrobats, food (and more food!), rides, animals, enormous pumpkins, butter sculptures... the only things we didn't see were the demolition derby, the rodeo and Huey Lewis and the News. I think we can survive without them, though. (This year, anyway.)

Of Course There Were the Rides

We spent WAY too much on the midway, but isn't that half of what the fair is about?

They Are SUCH Monkeys

Birthdays Happen

And I guess I had one.

Actually, it was a good day. Busy, but good. Russell's parents came into town (not to see me, really) and we went out to dinner (BBQ, but not nearly as good as Corky's in Memphis!) and then had a little "party" in which presents were opened and cake was eaten. (If you're interested, here's the story of my spectacular cake fail.)

Anyway. The girls helped with the presents -- Megan took all the pictures, which is why she's not in any of them!




And then we ate cake:

This is the plan B cake...

And then we did some hanging out until Grandpa and Grandma went back to the hotel.

(Megan likes this picture of Russell...)


It was a good day!

In Which We...

.... have two days off from school.

.... spend Labor Day watching So You Think You Can Dance on You Tube

.... spend the entire second day of the four-day weekend watching So You Think You Can Dance on You Tube.

.... we buy Catching Fire (thanks to a $25 gift certificate) and spend several days (one each for Megan, Russell and me) reading it.

.... get tired of rain.

... volunteer in both a Kindergarten and Fourth Grade class on Thursday.

.... have a day off because Russell took the girls camping

.... watch bad romantic comedies after chatting online with a bookish friend on said day off.

.... have fun at camping -- swimming and playing -- even if it is soggy and muddy (pictures here)

.... don't clean the house because of camping trip and expected visit of Russell's parents (will clean on Wednesday, in theory).

.... got Kristen evaluated by the speech person at Peterson. We'll find out in October what the results are.

.... do the usual stuff: work, school, piano.

.... forget that Megan has yearbook Wednesdays after school. Yay for cell phones.

.... find out that one person at AT&T was very, very nice to us and hope she didn't get fired.

.... bust the ring on our blender, and have to figure out where to order a new one.

.... are tired of picking peppers.

.... have a very slow week!

The Daddy-Daughter Campout

Or, "my night off"!

It rained most of the week, though it had cleared up by Thursday. So, when it started raining a bit on Friday morning, we all figured the camp out would be called off for the second year in a row. Thankfully, the rain didn't last long, and while it didn't clear completely up, it did enough so that the camp out happened! So, Russell (who loves his wife and his daughters), took the girls camping in the mud and muck and humidity. (He says it wasn't TOO bad.)

The best thing about the place that they went was the "lake" (big pond?) near the campsite, complete with dock/diving board, and fully-stocked boats and gear.


One of the big things this time was digging in the wet sand (Caitlyn's with Rachel -- on the left -- and the "other" Caitlyn)



Alison and Kristen all snuggled down for the night... Russell said they were good and actually SLEPT. Woot!


The next morning.... they ate breakfast, played in the lake some more, broke down camp and were home by 11:30, tired but happy.

I know she has a book. I can't see it, but I know it's there!

I have NO idea what look Alison's trying to go for here...


I'm glad they had fun! (I enjoyed having the evening and morning to myself... my Mom once said that the best vacation is when everyone else left and she got to stay home. I think she's right!)

Startin' 'Em Young

So, I picked up the phone yesterday to hear a little voice saying, "Is Kisten there?" It was Kristen's friend Sarah, who is not-quite-four. Too cute. In fact, so cute that I needed to run and get the camera to capture Kristen chatting on the phone like a true girly girl.



And, yes, she does wear leotards and swimsuits more often than she wears clothes.

On the Ball

Ever since I've been released from the Primary calling, Sunday mornings have been verifiably empty. So, since there wasn't breakfast to deal with this morning, Megan and Caitlyn are still lounging in bed, Alison and Kristen are playing quite nicely, and Russell's commandeered the laptop... what else is there to do but write my weekly letter?

Working backward...

Russell was gone to Toronto Thursday through Saturday for his annual APSA conference. Either I'm getting better at being a single mom, or it's getting easier, because -- aside from staying up too late and not sleeping well -- I did okay this time. Megan was a HUGE help, taking care of things at home so I could go to yoga on Thursday, grocery shopping on Saturday morning, and to meet a blogger friend Saturday afternoon. All of which helped my sanity levels. (Unfortunately, none of the movies I stayed up late watching are worth reporting about. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't.)

Russell had a good time -- he took the second cell phone, and then wrote panicked because he thought it was dead. Turns out he just didn't know how to turn it on. Thank heavens for teenagers and Facebook. But his conference was fun; he said he went back and for between really feeling like he fit in and having a grand time, and feeling like he was slightly out of the loop. Ah, well. I suppose not being at a high-powered graduate-degree-giving university has something to do with that.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful: library, piano, school, exercise. Oh, Kristen started preschool this week! She had a grand time the first day, on Tuesday, and was sad when it was over (it was only an hour). And Thursday, she was so excited, she didn't even bother to give me a good-bye hug! I'm glad we decided to do this for her; it's something that she really enjoys. (At least, for now, anyway.)

The weather's cooling off nicely, now: some of the trees already have leaves turning. I'm still suspicious, wondering if it's going to pop back up into the 90s or 100s again. Summer can't be leaving already, can it?

I think that's about it. Have a lovely week!

Another First Day

Kristen had a first day!! She started preschool at Alison's old school on Tuesday, and she had a GRAND time. No tears, barely even a hug, and off she went! She played with toys, had a snack, and played with friends... she's going to LOVE being in preschool this year.

More Low-Tech Twittering

And it was all fine and good until someone came along and started messing with it and Alison had a meltdown.... it has yet to reappear after that.