football!

Tonight it begins.

High school football, that is.

Tonight, 14 yr old daughter will play at her first high school football game. I’m so looking forward to seeing her! I have such good memories of playing in the band, marching, contests, practicing, the friendships that were formed and lessons learned.

Every Friday night that there’s a home game or away game nearby, you know where we’ll be!

As far as I can remember, my parents attended every single football game that I marched in. Sometimes, Mom would leave and take my sisters home after half-time, but I could always count on them being there. Dad sometimes missed during hunting season, but only if he was out of state. I remember my grandparents coming to the games too. They’d just come for half-time and then leave.

I think my family will be attending quite a few of DD’s games, but I will be at every home game and the away games that are close by.

12 yr old DS has decided to play basketball afterall. He’d almost decided to not play because of his dad (played highschool, college and semi-pro basketball). I reminded him that no one here knows his dad, they just know him and they’ll be looking at him playing and nothing else. I guess he decided that this is what counts because now he is excited about playing.

September menu (a work in progres)

I’m attempting to get several weeks of meals into my freezer so going back to work will be a bit easier. Evenings tend to be hectic and having dinner pretty much done saves my sanity.

As I assemble the meals, I’m figuring out carbohydrates per serving and labeling the freezer bags. This way, we won’t have to pull out the recipes and mess with it at meal time when DD needs to give herself insulin.

So far, this is what I’ve made and put in my freezer:

Crockpot meatballs (two meals)
Porcupine meatballs (one meal – had it for dinner tonight and doubled it)
Chicken enchiladas (one meal)
Bagel Pizzas (12 pizzas made, 6 left – 48 more to make tomorrow)- this is mainly for after school snacking

To be made:

Taquitos
Calzones
Spaghetti sauce (two meals)
Taco sauce (two meals)

Need to bake ham – to be used for sliced ham dinner, bbq ham sandwiches, etc..

Need to bake turkey – to be used for any recipe that I could use chicken in – turkey pot pie, turkey noodle soup, turkey tacos, turkey enchiladas, turkey salad, bbq turkey sandwiches, etc..

I’m not sure if I’ll mix up the actual meals with the turkey and ham or just put it in bags either sliced or chopped. I don’t have much room left in my freezer at the moment.

perseverance is key, or something like that my plans have been foiled…

Nevermind.

After posting this, I thought I’d give it one more go. I dug out a different phone book, found a listing for a different store, called and HOLD THE PHONES! they have 2 basic bicycle repair books in stock! I’ll be going over to pick one up in a bit – before the rest of Oklahoma City figures it out & snaps them up!

It seems that bicycle repair is not a popular thing to do in the Oklahoma City area. Maybe because everyone travels by car, truck or bus around here. This is really not a bike-friendly community, in my opinion.

So, either that biking is not popular enough to warrant having a book in stock or no one is nerdy (like me) and needs a book to help them figure out what to do to repair their bike.

I’ve called the bicycle repair shop and 6 bookstores. None of them have a single book about bicycle repair. One of the bookstores has a book about motorcycle repair, but that doesn’t really apply here.

I’ll order a book, since all the online bookstores have about a million different book titles listed.

Looks like we’ll be visiting the full-service gas station after all in the next day or so.

Now if I can just get these wheels off the bikes!

Update: Got the book! Now we can learn to fix these flats. Can’t you hear my children cheering in the background?

Ha!

bicycle repair

My kids have flat tires on their bicycles (each bike has one flat).

I called around and found a full-service gas station that will repair the flats at no charge if I take the wheels off the bikes and bring them in with a new tube.

I have decided, though, that changing a flat on a bike is a good skill to have. I’ve called around and cannot find a bike shop that has repair classes. I was thinking that I’d sign us up and take the kids, the bikes and attend a class… or two.. or three. The bike shops have repair books for sale and said that the best way to learn is with a good book and a basic set of tools.

So, I’m off to the used book store to search for the recommended book(s).

This holiday weekend, my children and I will be learning the fine art of changing a tire and routine maintenance of a bicycle.

The kids will think it’s terrible, I’m sure, but I’m looking forward to it. It’s a skill they need and something I’d like to know more about.

Of course, if worse comes to worse and we absolutely cannot do it, I’ll take them to the full-service gas station and let them do it, but that’s a last resort.

Thursday Thirteen #46

thirteen plants that grow well in central Oklahoma

1. Coralbells
(aka Alumroot, Alum Root)

2. Flowering Crabapple ‘Robinson’

3. Hybrid Tea Rose

4. Desert Petunia
(aka Florida Bluebells, Mexican Petunia, Mexican Blue Bells)

5. Beefsteak Plant

6. Cockscomb
(aka Plume Plant, Feathered Amaranth (Plumosa Group))

7. Monkshood vine

8. Floribunda Rose

9. Blanket Flower
(aka Indian Blanket)

10. Shasta Daisy

11. Chinese Redbud

12. Garden Phlox

13. Greater Periwinkle

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Ender’s Game

by Orson Scott Card
This book was awarded both the Hugo and Nebula Awards.

I’ve just finished reading this book. I’m not usually a big fan of science fiction, but now I want to read all of this series of books. And other books by this author.

I saw just now when searching for more information about the author that a movie based on Ender’s Game and another book in the series is in pre-production. The images I created in my mind were so vivid. I hope the director of the movie is able to create this world (future earth and outerspace) well.

If you like science fiction, online gaming (specifically war-type games), or if you just enjoy reading, read this book. It’s well written and engaging from the very first chapter.

Jack of all trades…

yet, master of none.

Now I can add, “roofing experience,” to my resume. I must get it updated! ha!

A few days ago, Mom and Dad sent Jazzie’s doghouse home with me for Smokey. It previously had a corrugated metal roof, but it had gotten damaged and was removed, leaving only a wooden roof.

I was worried about the wood rotting (rain), so Dad sent me home with roofing shingles and a glue gun holder/dispenser thing. I went to Home Depot, got roofing cement and a utility knife (feeling like I was completely out of my element), came home and got to work.

My big stapler (5/16″ staples) did not work for holding the shingles (in addition to the roofing cement), so I used small nails to tack the shingles after gluing them in place.

I am proud of myself for getting this done and happy that Mr. Beware of Dog Smokey has a place to get out of the rain when he’s out in the backyard while we’re gone.

This is one of my favorite photos of Smokey that I may have posted previously. I cannot remember and don’t feel like going back to look.

Anyway, I love the irony of it. This sign was on the fence when we bought the house. The previous owners had a Pekingese, another breed that’s quite tough and scary, huh?

youngest daughter

I was just now looking through my photos and came across this photo of DD. She was at diabetes camp this summer when it was taken. It was the day of the Carnival and she had been voted Carnival Queen of her cabin by her cabinmates. The jester’s hat is her crown. All “royalty” wore a crown like this.

I love seeing the sparkle in her eyes and the big smile on her face. She just glows, doesn’t she?

featured!

My little blog is one of the featured blogs this week over at Thursday Thirteen.

Go on over and have a look!

Thursday Thirteen #45

thirteen happy things

1. Rain
2. First day of school
3. New notebooks
4. Freshly sharpened pencils
5. New crayons
6. Smiling faces after a day at school
7. Naps
8. Clean floors
9. Finding a new recipe that everyone loves
10. Reading a great book
11. Fresh flowers
12. Air conditioning
13. DD’s blood sugar in the goal range

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Paper, Plastic or Something Better?

I just read this article at about(dot)com about reusable shopping bags. The article has some good information and I encourage you to read it.

I’ve been using canvas bags and reusing boxes (for groceries) for quite some time. I’m not down to zero plastic bags, but my consumption has decreased significantly in the past couple of years.

Did you know that plastic takes 1,000 years to break down. Even then, it doesn’t biodegrade, it just breaks down into smaller and smaller particles of plastic.

How many plastic bags do you use? Are you willing to consider using less to help the environment?

updates: me, Smokey and the 504 plan

Me:
I went for my 3 week post-surgery check-up yesterday afternoon. All is well. Stitches are healing, less spotting, have lost 15 pounds since pre-op appointment the Monday before surgery.

Dr. W told me that I had adenomyosis. That diagnosis explains a lot of things. I was in pain all the time & feel better now than I can remember feeling after having the kids.

Smokey:
Since yesterday afternoon, our little Chihuahua, Smokey, has been sleeping a lot, not playing like he normally does, and had a warm nose. This morning, I noticed that his whole body was warm. I called the vet and took him in around 11:30 today.

The vet just called and wanted to know if there are any female dogs around who are in heat. She said that Smokey does not have a fever and that I probably picked him up right after he’d been sleeping and his body may have been warm from that. She said that wanting to “meet” female dogs could be the problem, or it could be that he misses the kids during the day when they’re in school, but that he doesn’t have a virus or bacterial infection of any kind. She’s updating his shots and is checking for heartworms so I can start him on preventive medication. I’ll pick him up in about 2 hours.

He was one year old in April 2007 and we got him in May 2007. I’ve not ever had a boy dog before that lived in the house, so I had no idea that hormones could effect them like that.

Good grief. I guess either I’m not very good company when the kids are gone or he wants a doggy girlfriend or both.

I’m going to get his appointment for neutering scheduled when I pick him up.

504 plan:
This afternoon, I met with DD’s school counselor, the head principal, the school nurse and DD’s teachers (except orchestra director, he’s at a different campus and the nurse will meet with him separately) about her diabetes management plan. They’ve all been given (by the nurse) information sheets about DD’s needs that I filled out before school started that included symptoms of high and low blood sugar, my contact numbers, and what to do if she has low or high blood sugar or if she is not able to care for herself.

We went over everything together and now DD has a plan in place called the Individual Health Services Plan for EPSDT School-Based Services. The principal said that I don’t need a 504 plan since I have this plan in place for DD and since the nurse and I have met with all of DD’s teachers.

I’m going to ask Auntie Crunch about the 504 since she’s a counselor in a school in TX and is over the 504 plans for her school. She knows a lot about this & can guide me a little. From what I’ve been told, DD does need one but school personnel sometimes don’t want to give them for students with diabetes.

Free chicken sandwich and soda!

I just saw this blog entry about a coupon for a free Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich and a medium Coca-Cola. So I signed up. I just love free stuff. Especially when it’s good free stuff & not a bunch of junk that I’d never use (I don’t sign up for those offers!).

Sign up for your free sandwich & Coke here.

the turning lane and the finger

Today, I was in a turning lane waiting for traffic to pass so I could make a left turn and a big SUV came up behind me. I guess the driver wanted to turn past the place where I was turning (in the next entrance) and sat there honking & flipping me off. Not only was he flipping me off, he was waving his hands all around & yelling while flipping me off. I was amazed. It’s not as if he could have turned if I had not been there. He’d still have had to wait for the same traffic to pass by.

In fact, I am still amazed by the behavior he displayed. I’ve not seen that sort of childish road behavior from a grown man in quite a while.

Whoever you are, Mr. Gold-Colored SUV who was driving near Tinker Air Force Base this afternoon, you should be ashamed of yourself.

Menu for the week

I made and shopped for my menu this weekend.

Monday: Smothered Porkchops (with orange and green bell peppers and mushrooms in the sauce) with cauliflower, broccoli and mashed potatoes
Tuesday: Grilled Chicken Parma with angel hair pasta and stir fried yellow and zucchini squash
Wednesday: Bacon Potato Frittata with spinach salad
Thursday: Greek Crock Chicken with whole wheat couscous and green beans
Friday: Crock Pot Meatballs with brown rice, steamed broccoli and green salad
Saturday: Pizza with spinach salad

Tonight I made blackberry cobbler for dessert. I had a recipe for Black and Blue Cobbler for the crockpot, but didn’t get it going early enough in the day to use the crock pot. I used only blackberries and baked it in the oven. It was so yummy with a little vanilla ice cream!