School Is Back in Session

I started my post last night, but was just too tired to finish. Getting up early for the first day of school kind of did me in!

Sunday Homer brought me a load of rock. I'll pick out the bigger ones for filling in the cracks on the pond and then spread the rest out. More work (that, honestly, will probably be finished next year as winter is rapidly approaching)!

There is a fire near here on military land (about 14,000 acres so far) that isn't being fought. The winds were blowing it in on Sunday, but it's cleared up now.

The flowers look great and now each night they call for a chance of frost. Our summer is really being cut short this year.

Olivia went on a play date Sunday and then her friend visited here with her brother and mom until late that night around the fire. Gee.. they weren't picking my flowers were they?

Monday was spent clothes shopping with Elijah because he's always all about waiting until the last minute. Tuesday was the first day of school. Olivia chose to wear a skirt the first day. Kind of a weird photo, but there is a white tank top under the green sweater-thingy. She looked very nice and was pretty excited.

Lucas bought 12 t-shirts for school and then wore the dress shirt that I tried to get him to buy more of! Figures. He was excited, but nervous because it was going to be a new teacher. It went great, though. This teacher also taught Nick in Kindergarten and Elijah for two years in a K/1st combined class.

I was so sweet how he put his arm around her... and no, I didn't prompt him to do it.

They wanted to show off their Hello Kitty and Spiderman backpacks.

I love that the bus comes right to our home. Makes life so much easier when it is really cold out.

Emily's dad works early in the morning and she doesn't start school until 9:30am so they are dropping her off here at 6:40am. She can go back to sleep, I wake her up at 8:00 and then drive her to school on my way to the gym. Yes, you heard me right, I went to the gym. I've had the membership for a long time now, but never use it. Yesterday I went and walked on the treadmill for an hour. I loved the atmosphere and sweating, but not the time it takes. When I got home it was 11:00am and I felt like I had missed so much of the day. It would be so easy to bag it today, but I'm telling myself that being healthier is more important.

Emily had a rough start to Middle School. Apparently, she was throwing up all day Monday and she wasn't feeling so hot when I took this photo. Sick to her stomach and bags under her eyes. I felt so bad for her, but she said by 11:30am she was feeling a lot better.

In the last 19 years of having kids I've only ever been alone in my home a couple dozen times when the kids were with Grandma Debbi. This is going to be a whole knew deal for me and I'm sure some days it will be lonely, but I'm really looking forward to working on my home.

Yesterday I picked tomatoes for salsa.

They were roasted for easier peeling.

 So was the pepper. I also threw in a red pepper as I have so many.

An awful lot of work for 8 pints! Chopping seeming kind of pointless as it all ended up "mushy" anyhow. I think next time I'll just throw it all in the food processor and not waste so much time. I hope it's good. I will try a different recipe if I get enough for another batch.

I also picked Nasturtium leaves for pesto then realized that I didn't have enough walnuts. I'll stop at the store on the way home from the gym this morning.

I did it! I grew cantaloupe in my greenhouse just like my mom did when I was little. Hers were much bigger. Mine were small, but very sweet. Maybe it's the kind I planted? Who knows, but I was so excited to have been successful.

Last night while cooking dinner Homer called to say Cody, Trudy and Nevaeh were on their way up. Glad I had extra chicken on the stove. :)

Andrew moved his stuff back into the yard. Even set up a giant white tent this time. I give up. It's obvious no matter how rude and disrespectful his father doesn't have a problem with it. Maybe it's not so much my home and I just live here and have to learn to deal with it. I try really hard to not care, but I don't have a career or a life outside of this two acres and disaster of a house so it's hard. Feels like I'm being pushed out of my own home which if Andrew had his way he'd do it. I'm going to go to the gym and work out extra hard pushing all the "bad" thoughts out of my head. No sense in dwelling on what I have no control over.

Today is Homer's 50th Birthday. Some friends wanted to come over to celebrate, but like last night, you never know when Andrew will show up and Homer will drop everything to help him so I bagged all our plans. Especially when we had guests the last time he stood in our yard acting like a jerk. It was embarassing for me. So I guess we are going bowling if nothing major happens between now and then. Ug! I hate being a Pissy Polly! Makes me not like myself!!!

Got Elijah off to his first day of school. In the past I spend all day every day anticipating the phone ringing because it often does. He finds one way or another to get into trouble. I am going to work really hard to not let that stress into my life this year. I told him this morning that he is a few months away from 17 and as hard as it is (with his various issues) he's got to try harder to grow up and follow ALL the rules. I've resigned myself to the fact that I cannot control him in that environment so if the call comes, then it comes. It would be disappointing to see him kicked off the football team for something stupid or kicked out of school, but it is what it is. He's been given more chances than he deserved. Now it's time he accepted some responsibility. Let's pray he's matured. 

Olivia and Lucas just left on the bus and Emily is drying her hair. Ooops.... I forgot to wake Nick so I can drop him off at work when I drive her to school (the brakes are out on his van and until he stays home long enough to help change them it will sit in the yard). 

Well... if you survived my ramblings, thanks. Some days a person just has to talk. :)