T shirts -trying to get rid of them

I bought 72 shirts for a Track/XC fund raising idea. I'm "official team fund raiser" - I take the title because I croke at being a recruiter. Anyhew, the idea was for "Create your own USM Spirit Shirt". I went to the trouble of cutting out 72 block letters to spell U-S-M  S-P-I-R-E-S for each shirt. Cut out large numbers for team sports, skull candy designs, bought stars, flowers and a bunch of foam letters to write names on the shirts and anything else the buyer could think of, along with rolls of contact paper to create their own design.

After two days of sitting in the hot afternoon sun with my boys at campus, we realized this idea wasn't going to work. The kids came by, said it was a great idea and then walked off. One who wanted to make a shirt, then questioned why I asked for money when we finished it. Oh bother.

Thank goodness the ladies from church are going to the Women of Faith Convention in KC. They helped me out by letting me make shirts for them.

Now I'm making a few more to get rid of the last 2 dozen shirts. Here they are.

We are Ambassadors for CHRIST.    II Cor. 5:20

 To God be the Glory   Great Things He Hath Done

 For God so Loves Me   - I Run   (with footprints)

THe shirts are $8.00  if interested. Give me a shout. Or let me know if you have a design you would like on a shirt. I'll see what I can do.

Stickers are sprayed over with bleach to bring out the design.

Have a great weekend.

Changes

Thanks for your prayers on our school situation. I feel like they have been answered. Today, we met with the school counselor at the local public school. Yeah! Can you believe it? After 10 years of homeschooling, we will be sending the two oldest to LHS.  Hawk wants to go back into 9th so that he'll be with his original class, and  next year as a sophmore he will have a chance to try football. He is the one that made the thoughts and prayers start looking like answers to our problems. He has always said (like me) that he wouldn't go to public school. In the last year, he has developed a desire to play football. I was shocked, but glad to see his eyes light up over somethings besides XBOX.
Herogian hasn't been as thrilled with the idea, but after the visit to the school today, I think he is more on board. He realized he will be able to do more in science lab than I can give him, and woodshop - made his eyes light up. The higher sciences and math will be easier for me with the schools help.
So, come January it will be Gluten and I at home with our four-year-old charge NC. I think Gluten will enjoy the time - it should take us less time to get his work done, he will be able help kidsit more (making $$). He is also looking forward to high school at LHS so he can try out for the soccer team.
For someone who knows not to say NEVER. I've definitely have had enough lessons on it.... plus here's another.

You don't know your missing something until it is gone. I'm missing the stress and worry that was building up over the boys educational path when I thought I was in charge of it. Letting God brings relief in so many ways. I'm looking forward to the future now. Sometimes it is hard to let go when you see the release as being failure, turning it over and looking at it differently (God's way) makes a big difference.

Here's a pic from today's activities around the house. Mr. Matt is giving lessons on plumbing to NC under our kitchen sink.

It's been so long since I was here

Physically and mentally.  I would think about posting and then go to bed.

We have been working around the house trying to get ready for winter. Two weekends ago, I decided to tackle the chicken coop door. A friend had given us a metal house door that would do a much better job than the 'cut out of siding door' that was the original on the lean-to. I yanked, hammered, cut and kicked, stomped and did whatever it took to get the wall out where the door needs to go. The concrete was crumbling on both ends and I wasn't sure just how I was going to get the door in, hold it in place and use the screwdriver at the same time. My neighbor came to my rescue. I asked her for a placement suggestion, since she had built her own coop. She then asked if I'd like some help. We had a fun time building the wall around where the larger door needed to go to fit under the slanted roof. we did a bit of framing and then stopped there.
We have to have the patio room jacked up on one corner due to settling with the dry summer. When the crew comes out, Mr. Wendtz said he would gable the chicken coop roof over the door for me. Yahoo. He is also going to fix a permanent doggie door down stairs so we can use the patio door again. THENNNNN hope I still have the picture for this. We are getting a bid on a reading nook for under the stairway. Here we go. He has the whole wal down stairs to use. The return air vent will just be moved to the top of the wall allowing the nook to be as long as we want it - 7 feet at least - I have tall relatives that I'd like to come visit. Each person in the family has already claimed this area as theirs, and we haven't even decided if it is in budget. Praying. Praying. Praying. I could so cuddle up in this area with my computer and get carried away writing.

Other stuff going on is planting 21 junipers, 4 fire bushes on the east hill out front, filling it in with mulch and outlining it with rocks. On the west side I put in a pallet pathway, a few different plants and flowers, mulched it this weekend and lined the edge with rocks. 5 truck loads of mulch were moved this weekend. Can you say 'my body is sore!'

The four year old that stays with us in the morning has become my digging partner for dandelions and chickweed. I jab the digging stick in, he powers it down and pops the weed loose. We do about 30 minutes outside each morning playing and digging as we wait for Dad to show up. He's been a great help in helping me find the time to do the weed pulling.

Would ask for your prayers on a school matter. Will let you in on it later, but afraid to jinks it if I mention it too much too soon. You know what I mean?

Calling Safety, shelves, and haircuts

"Come on, move your feet out of the way so I can sit beside you."
Gluten was homeschooling on the sofa and had stretched out to take up as much of it as he could. He pulled his feet back giving me just enough room to sit between his feet and the pillow. He tossed me his history book.
"I've got mine. You might need yours". I spun the book back through the air quick enough to land it on his bare belly.
It was review time of chapter three. Gluten does better if history and science are verbally reviewed daily. We started through the questions with only names of people getting him twisted. He'd flip through the pages checking bold face words and then give me the name. I'd ask if he was sure, causing him to actually read the passage to me to prove that he had the right one.
"What was the New England Confederation? Why was it formed?" I asked.
He thought for a moment, " uhmmm....safety!" 
"Yeah, defense, as in a military defense." I started to explain a bit more so it would stick with him. BUT, He was laughing.
"What?"
"I said, SAFETY, because I farted. I didn't want you to slug me. I didn't know I'd get a history question right with it." He was grabbing his stomach he was laughing so hard.
I just hung my head.

******
Pinterest is where I go to relax for a few minutes to an hour in the evening. Black shelves over the toilet in a small bathroom interested me. A trip to H.D. just happened to land into the errand schedule the other day for shelves and black supports.
Our master bedroom toilet is in a room by itself. A small room - actually 35 1/8 inches wide.

I thought I chose things to put on the shelves due to the memories, but I can't remember where two of the things came from. Geezuh! My dad made the wishing well out of walnut shells, the glass piggy bank beside it is from childhood, Commander likes marbles, and Spooners. The pictures on top were on the table at our wedding, the frame on the left is from a friend at church given to me during chemo, the green glass basket is from an aunt, and the picture of the boys was when we first moved to Kansas in 2000. We were stuck in Hoge Barracks for 1 month.

*****
Herogian asked for a haircut the other day since it has been so hot. He agreed to let me do it with the dog shears. Yeah - save that money! As the hair was falling, Hawk came around the corner to see what we were doing out on the patio. "Oh stop right there!" I was working across the top of Herogian's head. "Dad would freak if you left that part," said Hawk. Herogian felt the strip of long bangs and agreed. We left it. I wasn't going to be home when Commander came in, thank goodness. I did show Herogian where the clippers would be incase he decided to lose the bangs before Dad came home. I guess he didn't. This is his "School is driving me insane look" and it is what he greeted Dad with at the door.

The hair disappeared that night into a nice buzz cut.

Have a great Labor Day weekend. Thank the Lord for the blessing of rain. Pray for the relief for those suffering from too much of it at once.

Altrazerodrop shoes - Awesome

In '08-09 when Commander was deployed my feet started giving me pain while working in the back yard. Wearing muck boots without my orthotics in them - I thought was the problem. But fixing that issue didn't help.

It just kept getting worse to the point that I quit running in our neighborhood. It was embarrassing to run to the church 1/4 a mile down the road  and then have to walk back home because my feet were burning.

Later it was kneeling down on bent toes digging, or building the walkway would cause both feet to burn. The picture's date is July 2011, I just finished

this path to the back patio 2 weeks ago.

THen you probably remember in May - foot surgery on both feet to cut out nerves from between the 3rd and 4th toes that were the size of pencils stuck inbetween the tendons and doubling back on themselves. Oh and the allergic reaction. Oh Bother.

Well, we have made it to the end of August only after a wait of 4 1/2 weeks for these to arrive. They were on backorder.

Altra zero drop running shoes. As you can see from the side edge there isn't a big build up(inches) of cushion under the heels. That's why they are called zero drop. You actually run in a barefoot style of gait. Does it ever feel good! THe toe box is also larger so your toezies have room to spread out. This is super for Morton's toes and neuroma's - give 'em some room! My long old toes can now wiggle dance.

I started running again at the end of July and joined my friend Shannon on some of her runs. I wanted to stay up with her. My ego really didn't want to accept being at square one again with training, and tried to jump ahead. Well, I paid for that leap in the workouts. THe hills in her neighborhood are killers for knees and beginners at that. Then with the hard packed soccer field with clumps of grass sporadically growing - running strides down the middle of the field didn't help with tweaking the knee. IT Band tenderness, bursitis swelling, and pain sent me to the doctor. I took a week off, started back slow with a knee brace, walking most the time, and saving the jogging for races that I had already paid to enter. Tonight, my lookout on running has a smile again. It is because of these shoes. Just walking to the port -a- pot from the car convinced me to take off the knee brace. Walking a mile felt like I was holding the horses back. Picking up the pace on the straight aways at the track felt good -even though I was slow as molasses the foot strike was straight, balanced, no pronation to fight against, the knee felt great for the next mile. There was no clicking, catching, collapsy feeling from the knee for the first time in three weeks. I don't want to take the shoes off. My favorite workout is repeat 200's. They don't feel like a thing of the past, they are now in the future waiting for me.

Want to come run?

It still fits and other things

A dress on Pinterest caught my eye. I really liked it. a Titanic Vintage cream and green tea dress. While looking through my boards, I spied it again, then checked out the link with it. $173.00 for a dress - I don't think so, I know so, so, how am I going to get that dress made. MOMMM. Well that's how it usually would happen. It reminded me of my wedding dress - also a tea dress that my wonderful Mom made.
For the wedding I wore a cream satin slip under the lace, For a Christmas Party shortly after our wedding ( to meet Commanders side of the family) I slipped a red slip under it, and then for an Army banquet of some sort I wore an Infantry blue slip. Of course my mother made all the slips for me. Talent for sewing leaks out of her pores. She amazes me.
It has been twenty years since I found the pattern and asked Mom to make the dress, becuase I was sure I'd found the man I wanted to spend the rest of my life with. She was sure I'd found the only person to put up with me. She's right.
Here is the front of the dress. The lace in front had to be dyed in tea to get it off white to match the rest of the lace. I noticed with the picture that there are a couple of yellow spots on it now. Below is full length.

Here is a full length shot with the red slip under it. It need a little pressing since it just came out of the tissue paper and box, but I was pleased that it still fit. Thank you Gluten for cutting my head off (I asked him to) Can't wear this kind of dress without makeup.

A long with the dress, my mom crocheted a large doily to be formed into a hat, and also a smaller doily for the flower bouquet. Talent runs deep in the family. My sister-in-law did all the flowers for the hat, bouquet, and wedding. I still have both in the house. I'm happy to be coming up on 20 years with Commander. He makes my life exciting, full of laughter, and God centered. I'm also glad that I could still get into the dress.   But on that note, what would you do to a child that started gagging, saying "what do you have on? why are you wearing that? OH don't tell me, groce!"

I just didn't know what to say to their comments. Oh well, something will come to me when I least expect it and they won't expect it at all either.

Homeschooling year 10

This is our tenth year of homeschooling and the first year that I haven't been gung-ho and excited about it.I'm just glad God is in charge and knows the plans he has for us.
 I don't know if the extra hot, dry summer prevented me from doing the projects that I had planned to feel accomplished. Or, it might be that I was studying from April until July for the Level 2 coaching exams, and it doesn't feel like there has been a break. I don't know, but I feel irritable. I'm trying to keep it in check, but I know it is coming out. It is also from the knee pain I am dealing with and having to lay off running. I was enjoying running with Shannon.  This week I have been in a brace and taking anti-inflammatories. UGH. Next Saturday is a 6.4K that I already paid for. I hope to be jogging again by then. I can feel the frustration.

I kept myself outside today to hopefully burn some of it off. It was good to finally finish the walkway from the back gate to the patio. I think it has been three years in the making. I'll post pictures later, it started raining as I finished. Rain is such a blessing. I watched from the Dayroom window as the stepping stones were washed clean.

Hawk and Gluten came home with me from Pair Day early-(Pair Day - a gathering of businesses and anyone else, who wants to meet and greet the new soldiers coming to live  in the area for the year long school, set up booths for the soldiers and their families to walk by and gather information and goodies). Since they didn't want to stay and do community service, they 'were allowed'. ahemm, to mow, use the weed eater, set up two pallets at the trash can area as walls, paint them, pull weeds from the driveway, and use the blower to dislodge the dry leaves from the walkways around the house. I had to nix that job when Gluten decided to see how bare the ground really was - dust storm.

I must admit, I have been looking forward to one new item this school year. We get to kidsit a four year old bundle of fun. The boys will each get to spend about an hour out of the morning working and playing with Noah. He also has a preschool workbook that he starts the day off with us at the table. We won't get him everyday, so it will be special when he is here.

Have a great week. Thank you for stopping by our little place.