3-31-12

8:25am - 12:00pm

Just got back home from Jonathan's graduation.

Grandma and Grandpa came along as

well as Christopher.

We stopped by Taco Bell for lunch

considering we left school early with

kids not having any school lunch.
 I can't get videos to upload at the moment
from the graduation.

 Kids are now chilling in the house

on their computers.

It is so quiet in here for once, lol,

and kids are actually getting along.

Jonathan is one happy camper with

his computer.  He has waited so long

to have it up and running again and has

had to share another computer

with his brother for 8 months.

Yeah, there was a lot of arguments

between the two during that time.

Thank God it's up and running 

just as the first day of Summer vacation

is officially here now.

It will be a lifesaver for me at times, lol. 

I do have to kick their butts outside

to get some fresh air occasionally 

and tell them to play outdoors.

I'm a parent that doesn't like the kids

spending too much time in front

of tvs, game systems and computers.

I couldn't even tell you the last

time they got out the XBox or Playstation

to play them.  It's been awhile.

It used to be an all the time thing

but I see that I have broke them of the

game playing.  During school they were

only allowed to play the game systems

from Friday evening to Sunday evening.

No school nights!

I didn't get anymore done in the flower

garden yesterday evening.

I did get some newspapers from mom

though which she has been saving for

me so I can lay them in the flower bed as weed barrier.

All I can say is that these roses better grow

with all the time I have been spending

on their flower bed!!

Me and Tony spent time cleaning

up the back yard and mowing it yesterday.

Please send in some rain.

The back yard has turned to dust.

When running the lawn mower

all you saw was a dust cloud hovering.

My sinuses were so stopped up last

night from inhaling it all and

I kept sneezing.

We got our bird feeder refilled and hung

back up and enjoyed our evening

sitting in the yard watching the birds

with the cool breeze blowing.

Sure beat the 90 degree days we were having!

My goodness, what was that all about?

We had our first Goldfinch yesterday.

Was thinking I might try and find

a hummingbird feeder at a yard sale.

I have seen a hummingbird around

here the last couple of years when

I used to hang flower baskets

off the carport.

Last night I finally turned off our air

conditioner after having it run for about

5 or so days.  Now I have all windows

opened and fans running hoping

to cut back on some electricity costs. 

Well I'm going to chill for a few then might

go out and work in the garden

while it's nice out and get some paper

laid down and mulch started for

half the flower bed.

One day I hope to be done with this, lol.

It seems like it is taking forever.

I just want to make sure everything is done right.

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12:30 - 2:00pm




I got half of the flower bed edged then laid out
newspapers over top the dirt.
I wet the papers down so they wouldn't blow away.
Then I spread one bag of mulch in front
of each fence panel.

Gonna chill for the rest of the afternoon
before making supper.
Supper is bacon & sharp cheddar cheese
sweet italian bread pizza.


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5:30 - 8:30pm

 Tony worked on sanding the car.

And I was designated to start taping 
off the decals.  I did this the last time we did this.
Not fun.  
100 pieces of tape on the car, 100 pieces of tape,
take one down and stick it around,
101 pieces of tape on the car.
AHHHH!

And after doing this I started in on the
rose bed again.
I planted a Don Juan climbing rose with manure
and finished with newspaper and mulch.
I got 24 feet of flower bed done since yesterday.
Half way there, yeahhhh!

Gardener's hands.
Not sure why the call it a green thumb
when mine keeps turning black, lol.
I know I should wear gloves but mine
have holes in them already, lol.

Tony didn't find me too sexy covered
in manure/mulch, lol.
I said now if I was slathered down
in some black car oil all hunched over the hood of a car
he'd probably like that.
So what makes a difference.


Daylilies are starting to bloom.

I know it's supposed to rain overnight.
I still gave the flowers a little drink til then
to wet their whistle.

I've had a long and tiring day
and are ready for a hot shower
to get cleaned up some
then watch a little tv and hit the sack.




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5-30-12

Last day of school for one child.

Actually his last day is tomorrow but I'm keeping

him home to attend the graduation of the other

child tomorrow from elementary school.  Then tomorrow

is graduation at 10am and after that

everyone is home for Summer break.

My last day before having kids

home for three months.  

And of course I'm feeling like crap.

My stomach is in an uproar

making all kinds of eerie sounds

and is inflamed and throbbing to no end.

I've been up only an hour and half and have

already made four bathroom trips!

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8:00am

I started edging on the flower garden bed with a shovel.

You dig a little trench where your grass line stops

and your flower bed starts.  This will hold

the mulch in and keep the grass out.

After starting this it dawned on me I could

be using our edger instead so maybe this evening

I might give that a try to see how it looks.

Before

After

Tomatoes are doing great and starting to bloom.

Here they are May 9th after just planting them.

And here they are 3 weeks later May 30th.

I've had to twist them twice now.

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2:55pm

I'll be damned, a 12 year old kid fixed my computer
that has been out of commission 8 months.
He said it took all of an hour to fix it
by using a flash drive and it did NOT require opening
up the computer to do so.  This kid's dad works
for Best Buy and the dad's been teaching
him about how to work on computers.
This kid is not doing the greatest in school
and I told him he better get better grades
so he can go on to college or a trade school
and learn more about computers to get a good job.
I think that made his day because he
kept smiling ear to ear.


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3-29-12

Me and my honey went fishing this morning

til it started to spit rain.

From Hoover we went over to Sharon Woods

and walked the nature trail.

We had two bunnies playing on the trail

jumping in and out of the weeds in front

of and behind us.

Then we ran across this bird.

I thought it looked like a female turkey.

It had babies following it.

For lunch we went to Dominos

and picked up their $3.99 pizza.

We ate half of it then saved the rest

for the kids after school snack.

2:45 - 5:00pm

I drilled a hole in the bottom of a bird cage and set it

on top of the flower tower to cover

up the watering tube and to make it look nicer.

I got 7 rose bushes planted today.

We stopped in Menards earlier today

and I was able to pick up some cheap composted manure

for the roses.

I still have 8 more to plant but still have

part of the flower bed to dig up.

Then I will lay down newspapers for weed barrier

and then the black mulch. 

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5:30pm

I have just entrusted a 12 year old neighbor
(just turned 12 a couple weeks ago)
to take home my laptop to fix it for free! 
I haven't been able to use
it for about 8 months now due
to a password that got changed
and no one knows what it was changed to.
Kids will amaze you these days with
what they are capable of doing
so I hope he is able to do something with it
so we can use it once again.
That would be nice.

6:00pm

Supper-  burgers & baked beans.

My version of a veggie burger-

lean ground beef,
mix in-
Diced bell peppers, onions & portabella mushrooms.
Sprinkle with barbecue seasoning.
Top with tomato slices, relish, ketchup,
slice of cheese.

Oh yeah, either that was really good
or I was really hungry.



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5-28-12

7:00am

Got some more laundry started.

Figured I'd start my day early since

it was going to be hot again.

7:15 - 7:45am

I got 3 more holes dug for roses

for a total of 7 since yesterday, only 8 more to go.

And I dug up a little more grass.

Only 16 more feet of grass to dig up.

7:45 - 8:00am 

I rounded up a bunch of pennies from

our water jug piggy bank.

I put circles of pennies around beans

and pepper plants to keep the slugs from eating them.

Then I did a large rectangle around

all the radishes and carrots.

I also threw a few pennies in the bird baths.

It's supposed to keep them from turning green

and getting all yucky.

Tomatoes are coming along nicely

and getting bigger by the day loving the hot

and humid, sunny weather.

They have started getting their yellow flowers.

Almost time to get out the electric toothbrush

and start buzz pollinating them by lightly

putting the toothbrush to the backs of the flowers

to simulate the vibration of bees wings.

8:00am

I started cutting some rose clippings

and have them setting in water

hoping to get them to root to make new rose bushes.

I cut the ends at an angle,

sliced a small piece off the side of

the stem and then dipped it into honey

before placing in the water.

This is supposed to keep them 

from getting root rot or other problems.

Like my containers for the stems, lol.

I didn't know what to keep them in

and this cupcake, ice cream cone,

baking cups did the trick.

8:15am

After all this I worked up an appetite

and made me and the kids some

tortilla breakfast wraps.

For each one-

Fry two eggs in skillet,

Remove from skillet and place

tortilla in skillet,

place egg on half of tortilla,

then a slice of cheese, a little bacon & ranch dressing

and lastly some tomato slices.

Fold tortilla in half and fry on both sides. 

Yummy!

Jonathan got the idea for this breakfast

when he was looking through my .50 cent yard sale

book called 2011 Eat This Not That.

Well I'm taking a little breather for the moment

then will go downstairs and continue getting

my laundry done and get it hung outside.

Should dry in no time today!

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10:15 - 10:50am

 Went through a few more boxes of
Summer clothes in the basement and
weeded out ones that looked to small.
I've got about 2 boxes of clothes
to donate soon.

Got the third load of laundry in
with mostly the Summer clothes
I just dug out of storage.
Hung up a load of laundry on the line.
I had to undo my line and tighten it
some because it was sagging too low
causing some clothes to almost touch the ground.



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12:00pm


I checked the mailbox today.
I guess I hadn't checked it Saturday because
there was no mail yesterday or today.
We got our nascar tickets, woo hoo.
Now let's see if I can lose them between
now and Father's Day, lol.




-----------------------------------------------------------


12:45pm

A load of laundry taken off the line,
a load of laundry put on the line
and a load of laundry in the washer.
I can't believe I have been going non stop
since 6:30 this morning.

It's warming up outside.
It's 90 but feels like 93 with the heat index.

Got a box of clothes to donate loaded in the truck.
Still have one more box to fill.
Plus I'm giving mom the dish set I found
to take to her church (or my step-dad can).
Many senior citizens attend that church
and have a limited funds being on social security
so I though maybe someone would
like a "new" set of dishes that cannot afford them.

I just got supper put into the crock.
I'm making what I call Rib Busters.
I put a bottle of bbq sauce and some ribs
in the crock on high and will let it cook til
it is able to be shredded.
I'll spoon this over homemade mashed potatoes with skins.

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1:30 - 3:00pm


Me and one of the boys laid down and took a nap.
The heat will wear you out.

3:30 - 4:00pm


Got laundry down off the clothesline and brought
into house.  Brought up another load
out of basement and got them all hung up.
The last load for today.

4:30pm

Got some potatoes cut up and boiling.
The pork ribs are done.
Removed them from the crock
and they shredded so easily.
Spooned the bbq sauce on top
and stirred.

5:00pm


Tony just got home.
He is taking tomorrow off work.
We've decided after the kids go to
school that we are going fishing.
I need a break.  I've had a neighbor
kid in and out of our house today
to the point I'm ready to pull my hair out.
Why is it when kids come over they
all want to run around and act like
they have no common sense???


I got a bunch more pennies rounded up
for the garden to finish putting
them around my peppers.
Now I worry that neighbor kids
that come over will steal my pennies from my garden. 
I hope not.
If anyone asks I'll tell them it's
a wishing garden.
I wish for my plants to grow really well, lol.

The last load of laundry for the day taken down off the line.

----------------------------------------------


7:00 - 9:00pm


Took the kids to McD's for ice cream.
Stopped in Turkey Hill next door to get gas
since it was $3.45 and I got another
.20 cents taken off with my Kroger card making
it $3.25 a gallon.

Stopped by Tony's work because he
said someone moved out today and
got rid of a bunch of stuff.
We found a bunch of school supplies for
the boys from a calculator, ruler,
notebook paper, binder, clipboard, folders, pencils and dividers.

 
 A bunch of odds and ends.

 And lastly a jewelry box filled with
watch bands, two that are metal,
and two watch faces.

 Well all I am wore out and really tired
and ready for bed.  Boys go back to school tomorrow
and then Tony wants to go fishing.
Time for a little R&R.


Nighty Night.


 

5-27-12

10:00am

Got leftover deer roast in a skillet with

a little Italian dressing, butter,

mushrooms and onions.

I poured a smidgen of gravy overtop

with a couple dashes of worcestershire sauce

and are letting it reduce down a little

before sending in the hashbrowns

to fry it all up.

Will serve and top it all off

with some sharp cheddar cheese.

I love Bob Evans roast beef hash

and try so hard to recreate it by adding my touches to it.

It's gonna be another hot one today

in the 90's.  Won't see any relief from 

the weather til about Tuesday, yuck!

Everyone be safe this holiday weekend

and try to stay cool! 


Tony went to open all three pools at his work this
morning.  He wasn't supposed to open them
but no one would be at the property to open
pools til noon.  So being the nice guy he is,
he went over and opened them so people
could go swimming.
We have a problem with the pool that
we were at yesterday.  When we were there last night
I kept hearing people say the drain cage was open.
I tried to have Christopher look down at it
with his goggles on and he couldn't see it.
Then another gal put them on to look at it.
It was hard to see with so many people
in the water stirring it up.
If someone verified the drain cover being
open I would have jumped in with my clothes
on to try and fix it because it is a major
safety issue!  People have been known to
die because of getting stuck in pool drains.
They now require an updated drain cover
which all our pools have.
This issue was brought about minutes
before closing the pool last night so it 
was a good thing I got everyone out.
This morning Tony was able to see the drain
without the water being stirred up
and it is indeed open and the screws
holding it on have been broke off.
We have to keep this pool locked
and closed today and maybe longer
til we get someone out to fix it.
What worries me is that people
will climb over the fence to get in locked pools.
I'm not sure if the apartment complex is
liable for any injuries for people that 
do jump the fence when the pool is locked up.

---------------------------------------------------------------- 


12:00pm


Well I got our hotel booked for Father's Day weekend.
A two day stay in Swanton (Toledo), Ohio.
I got it for $55 a night.
It has a complimentary breakfast, 
an indoor pool and hot tub/jacuzzi and free wi-fi.
Much better than $100 to over $200 a night
within about 50 miles of the  Michigan race track.
I've never booked a hotel online before
and it was pretty easy.  
Usually I'm one that just stops in a hotel
and gets a room for the night if needed.
This time I wanted one with the price
we could afford and a guaranteed available room
considering how far away we are going.




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12:15pm




Starting on my laundry.
It'll be a great day with the heat to line dry it.
I am out of fabric softener and only have dryer 
sheets.  Well I'm not dryer clothes in the
dryer so what do I do?
I started taking a dryer sheet and throwing
it in the washing machine.
So far so good with not getting any static.




------------------------------------------------


2:25pm

Been working outside for last hour or two
getting my flower tower planter done and planted.
You'd be surprised as to how much faster
it is to make when your drill batteries are charged, lol.

Here you can see the 1/2" pvc pipe with holes
down the middle of the larger pvc pipe.
This will be the watering tube.

For now I placed the petunia flower tower under the trellis
that I plan to grow roses on.
Over time the petunias will grow larger
and fill in all the gaps and flow over the
sides of the planter.
I originally wanted to plant strawberries
in this but couldn't find any plugs.

Well I think I need to go take a shower.
I am filthy dirty from this project
and have sweat from head to toe.




-------------------------------------------------------


3:05pm

Got a shower.  Boy that felt good.
Now I'm back in the garden, lol,
starting to dig holes for the roses.
I haven't got the area for the flower bed
completely dug up but for the most part
it is.  I got 2.5 holes dug.
They each need to be about 18 inches
wide by 18 inches deep.  Not fun when
there is a bunch of larger rocks in the soil.






---------------------------------------------------




5:40pm




Back from Tony's work and a Kroger trip.
Why is it so many people have to be stubborn headed.
While doing an emergency call I noticed a couple
guys jumped the locked pool fence.  After Tony was
done with his call we drove by the pool to
tell those people to get out, the pool is closed
for a reason!  He threatened to call the police because 
neither one gave a hoot or attempted to even move
to leave.  You know if you jump a 
locked fence you are breaking and entering
or jumping and entering, lol.
Well those dudes refused to leave so we had to go
to the office and notify them.  One gal running the
office jumped in her car and went to the pool with us.
One guy left by the time we got back there.
I don't even think he lived there.
The office lady yelled at the other guy
telling him to leave immediately.
Tony unlocked the gate and the
guy finally left in a huff after a few minutes
 of confrontation.
I mean really?  In broad daylight he jumped
a locked fence, duh, ya think that might be illegal.   
There's two other pools to go to.
Yeah there are times you have to call the police
and thankfully we didn't have to this time.
I can't wait til after tonight.
I hate closing the pools with a passion!!
The pools are packed again today.




While in Kroger picking up a few things
Tony found a 2 pound package of ham
marked down to $3.00.  Was $6.59.
I've got this in the freezer for our trip.
I plan to make ham and cheese tortilla
roll ups to take to the track to eat.
Then the remaining ham can be used
for sandwiches back at the hotel.

 --------------------------------------------------------




6:00 - 7:00pm




I got 4 holes dug for roses
and almost all the grass removed from
in front of half the fence.

I still need some composted manure
for when I start planting the roses.
You put this down in the hole
with the dirt you've dug up.
Then once all that's done I plan
to cover everything with newspaper
to act as a weed barrier then place
the mulch on top.
I still have a long ways to go.

Looks like something from the movie Holes.
Not that I've ever watched the whole movie
only parts of it.  

Oh and here's the "A" frame trellis
I made for the cucumbers and vine flowers
from two of the trash picked trellises.
Tony liked my idea.
I have concrete blocks on both sides
to hold it in place.  Inside the blocks
I add soil and flowers that will
climb the trellis.

 I've noticed I have something muching
on some of my pepper plants and hostas.
I never see what's doing it.
I did a search and think it might be slugs.
I see them every morning on the sidewalks
when out at the bus stop so that's why
I suspect they are slugs in my gardens.
Slugs come out at night that's why we don't see them.


Here's some ideas of getting rid of slugs.

-take a shallow lid and fill it up with fresh beer
and place around your plants.  Slugs like
beer and when they drink it, it kills them.


-Place used coffee grounds around plants.


-human hair around plants


-vinegar in a spray bottle 


-pennies.  
place pennies in a circle around
the bottoms of plants.  The copper somehow
shocks them if the slug gets on them.
I'm thinking about trying this method and 
maybe the beer one.




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10:15pm


Just got home not long ago.
We let the kids go swimming about
an hour and a half.
It's a great way for them to wind down
and be tired right before bed.
 
Got all the pools closed with no problems.
Another maintenance guy who lives
on the property helped us.
He just got back from being out of town
this weekend or else he would have helped
the other nights.
Thank goodness that is over and done with.


I'm exhausted and feel like this weekend
has been a long one.  Tony has to work tomorrow
but the boys have the day off.
Tony will get a day off this week to 
compensate for working tomorrow.
We were thinking about having a mommy
& daddy day to ourselves before the
kids get out of school for the Summer.
We don't get that too often.


Nighty Night.




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