..Lunch..

I've been making some of the best salads lately and always try to make them look pretty! I know..GET A LIFE right?... now keep in mind that I love salad dressing so I know there is a lot but at least I'm creative with it. This salad unfortunately does not include anything from my balcony garden although I'm getting ready to pick another cucumber. This is spinach, zuchini, onion (from my daughter's boyfriend's mom's garden <---did I word that right), crushed croutons, mozzarella cheese and honey mustard dressing. YUM !!

Artificial Meets Real..

We have an artificial Ficus tree on our back porch which is now encased with a growing vine (Morning Glory?), which reaches all the way up to the balcony above. The leaves blend in so well, you have to get fairly close up to tell the difference.

The 2nd photo is the actual vine and flowers close up.

Ouch....

My youngest has only been at college a week and it is costing me plenty~!

For one who is trying her best not to charge anything new (me), I had to break my own rule and run it up more than I like. But she needed another
textbook and then with her car problems, turned out she needed a battery
and radiator as there was a crack in hers that the mechanic pointed out.
So much for having her car checked over really well in June when it was
in the shop. I don't think it was checked as well as I had hoped!
Anyway, such is life but I hope these extra expenses slow way down
to an occasional thing.

This morning I got some cleaning supplies for the bathroom including Tilex
for the tub areas. It really works well! I was pleased with the results and am glad got all the bathrooms clean. The one my youngest used should stay clean pretty well now since it won't really get used unless she is home.

In between phone calls from my daughter about her car woes, I made a batch
of Dog Biscuits that I got from Peddlers Paws . I love being a rep for them! I also love the Peddlers Kitchen dishes (also a rep of course). The other night I made the Quick Lasagna which tastes really good for only taking about 20 minutes.

Murphy's Law....

We are in a record breaking drought here in this part of Texas. I'm talking about a D4 Exceptional (and not in a good way) Drought condition which is the worst one on the chart with very little rain in at least 2 years. Last night, it was a typical night, I had turned the sleep timer on the TV to 30 minutes, and started drifting off to the monologue of Craig Ferguson, only to get startled by hearing the wind whipping around outside. Crap...NOW it has to rain. See it is not just rain which I know we desperately need, it is what comes with it - the wind, thunder, lightening; nothing like that to get our furkids upset. Obi jumped up on the bed panting in my ear and shaking all over. Shelby paced the floor and started crying. Then that got Merlin barking downstairs. All that noise made Kaci want to come out of her kennel so she started whining. UGH! I laid there in bed wondering 'WHY NOW?' Mother Nature must find this FUNNY!?!

I ended up going downstairs and putting Shelby in one of the kennels. She started barking but luckily after ignoring it a while she stopped. Then by close to 1:00am, the storm was finally moving on and I was able to get to sleep. But of course I woke up tired today and of course it was sunny and calm today. Grrr...

Anyway a week at college and my youngest has car trouble already. She can't get it to start. It bothered her some because I think she was thinking that she'll never get home again. But she is going to try to get it fixed tomorrow (possibly the battery). We were trying to figure out whether we got one for her car since getting it 2 1/2 years ago but with 4 vehicles in the family we just are not sure. I have all the receipts from the repair shop for her car, but sometimes hub went to the auto store to get batteries and those I don't have record of. Either way, she'll get it squared away. A little early for a lesson in dealing with having her car in college, but it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Time to relax...T G I F!!!

My other one..

I'm been mostly blogging about my youngest going to college but I do have another daughter who just earned her Bachelor's Degree a few weeks ago. She is the one who went to college one day and barely came home to visit after that. She is getting married in March and has plans for grad school in a year. She came along with me to take the youngest to college last week. Damn it still seems like it has been at least 2-3 weeks since then!

Anyway she is very creative with beading and jewelry and now has her own Etsy store. Here's the link YoungandBeadiful and here are a few pictures of her work..


I'm glad she is doing this. She is very good at making jewelry especially things with beads and I had told her years ago she should sell them! What do you know! Once in a while kids DO listen to us~!

Wednesday...that's it?

It feels like my daughter has been at college for a few weeks already. Except for the fact that I'm still doing some of her left behind clothes in the laundry, it does seem like a lot more than 4 days since I said goodbye to her. Oh and if you're reading this dear youngest daughter, sorry about your yellow tank top. The strap got hung up on the agitator and unless one strap being twice as long as the other is a new fad, you won't want it back.

I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually. Even the dogs are not used to her being gone yet as every evening when they hear anyone outside, they think she is finally home and start barking. Then when the door doesn't open they finally settle down again. Believe me, 6 dogs barking causes a lot of commotion. Here's a picture of them all together for a holiday photo.

My hubby is watching WipeOut and cracking up. I don't find it funny. I guess it is a man thing. It isn't that I don't like slap stick because I can barely contain myself when I see someone trip, but this obstacle course mishap show, well just isn't for me.

Off to watch something else now that Wipe Out is done.

some days..

...I won't feel like blogging but don't worry, I'll be back when that is the case. Yesterday I didn't get any creative urge to write. Had a rough work day and just could not get my mind out of the clutter.

The Internet is such a wonderful thing. I was chatting away with my youngest last night on my computer, finding out about how her classes are, what she was doing, and did she feel overloaded with homework yet. She seems to be doing fine although admitted to being a little homesick. That's okay. That's normal. I'm a little sick for her to be home too although I do notice the kitchen counter is staying cleared off, just as I left it. :)

Saturday's Pics

Here's a few photos of our college drop off day...Here she is standing in line for her for her books...the next one is her getting impatient and hungry...next is one of her and her boyfriend who is also going there...and big sis in her dorm room...

Day After...

I woke up today wondering what day of the week it was. Ever
have those days? It took me a few minutes to get my
brain functioning.

Didn't take me long to remember it was going to be a day
of Firsts. Today was the first day I didn't have to make
sure I left enough milk for my youngest's cereal..the first
day I didn't have to wake her up by opening her door and
asking her if she was going to sleep all day..the first day I
didn't have to sweep her room for dirty clothes to add to
the laundry...and the first day I don't have to wonder what
time she might be home. Hm....maybe I CAN get used to
this. :)

I was busy today with tons of cleaning because it was way
overdue and with 6 fur kids the house never stays clean.

I got to my youngest's bedroom and decided to spend some
time in it, partly to feel like she was still home and partly
because it still was extremely cluttered. I mean, it didn't
even look like she really left! As I grabbed a box and started
putting hair bands, loose photos and other things in it that
were piled on everything with a surface, I was reminded
of some great times we had. Beautiful dance recitals and
competitions with both girls, exciting football games where
she danced at halftime with the school dance team, and
other great memories.

Didn't get the entire house 'white glove' clean but it was
a major improvement and I got to relax a little bit too!

All in all not a bad day of Firsts.

TODAY

Got daughter to college today. I'm tired so not writing a ton.
Trip went fine, she's doing fine (yes I already called to check in),
I'm doing okay, still feels weird like she's going to be home any
minute from a date.

Nice ride home with other daughter catching each other up
on things..

Off to hit the sack...maybe catch some Saturday Night Live
(although it just isn't as good to me as it was back in the 70's).

Nite..

Night before...college

Here I am writing the night before my youngest goes to college. I'm sitting here thinking we're forgetting something, but honestly if I stop and think about it, what all does she really need in order to get started?

Pay Tuition/room/board - check mark
laptop - check mark
clothes on her back - check mark

That is all that she really needs to get started. Well that and a pad of paper and pen, if they even still take notes that way in college now.

This is where I say, "Where did the years go ?" But go, they did and I remember a few times when both girls were young wondering when I would be done with diapers and then it was, when are they going to be in school?..and so on. But then there was the learning to drive, when I got some gray hair, and then there was dating and staying out until later than 10 pm. That is when time really flew. Seemed to start out moving slowly and then sped up through the years. But in the end time went just as it was meant to and it is just my perception about how fast it went that is skewed.

Have I done a good job getting my youngest ready for college? I think so, I hope so. She'll be fine!! ....it is me I'm worried about ;-)

College Text Books

It is no surprise to me that college books cost so much. They were pretty expensive for the times back in my day too. What has changed so much is the means to getting those required text books that you have to get for classes - no excuses.

Kids today are really spoiled!

They sign up for classes online, which takes them to the next screen which selects the books they will need, which they select to pre-order. Then all they have to do is go to the campus bookstore and pick up their box of text books.

30 years ago, my brother showed me the secret to getting my text books. The key to that secret was getting to campus a week before classes started. I could line up on the first day the books were available at the door of the bookstore to get a decent spot so that I didn't have to spend hours more in line in the store when the doors opened. There were stacks of books everywhere but going early meant I generally got all the books I needed and out of the way, before the campus got flooded with everyone else who arrived a few days before classes.

I remember seeing lines going out the door and then some, and seeing so many kids get frustrated because by the time they finally got up to the counter, half the books they needed were out of stock. Back then, that was the true sign of the beginning of college for a freshman!

My daughter is not going a week ahead of time and classes start Monday. So if the bookstore is closed this weekend, she may very well still have to stand in line next week at the campus bookstore to get her books, (tee hee, freshmen!)

...one day closer...

Tonight was the Walmart run before college night. We got some things that I know my daughter would be wishing she had within the first few days at college if we didn't pick them up tonight. We got some things like a clothes basket, toiletries, laundry detergent, and of course snacks. I normally do not shop at Walmart as I feel they are choking out any competing small businesses, but when there is a bunch of different things to get and I really need to watch the cash outlay these days, that is the place of greatest return on the dollar.

My daughter is lucky I'm thinking ahead for her. When I went to college I only recall taking my clothes, toothbrush and a few treasured things. I remember trying to get enough coins together to buy a box of detergent from the dispenser the first time I really needed to do laundry. I need to remember to tell her NOT to wash anything in hot water or use the highest setting on the dryer or risk some of her clothes getting ruined. I shrunk a favorite sweater of mine doing that, or maybe I won't say anything so she can find out for herself...after all kids like to be independent in college right? :)

We didn't load up with too much as she can always gets things after she is there. She is lucky again because she will be able to drive her car around and not be stuck on campus like I was. I didn't really mind it much because everything I needed was within walking distance.

I know I'm going to worry about her driving around and trying to put it out of my mind. I've been okay with it so far as she hasn't been allowed to drive more than around town for the most part. One accident during her permit was enough! Hubby gave her instruction last night about how to check air in her tires and such, but I'm secretly hoping she'll park her car at college and leave it put until she comes home for a weekend. :)

Yay!

I have always told my kids that they can do anything they really want to do...case in point, I started a balcony garden this year. This is the first time I have ever tried to have a vegetable garden on the balcony but I started out several things as seedlings which looked wonderful by the time I was planting them in the pots placed along the balcony. Despite over 50 days of 100 degrees or more this summer, I continued to water the garden. So much of it has burned up, dried and just gave in to the summer heat.




But....I kept at it and low and behold a beautiful cucumber is almost ready to pick!
So satisfying! Yay me for not giving up! I'm glad I can be an example for my kids!

Getting ready..

When I was grocery shopping yesterday, which by the way I hate to do, I picked up a few things for my daughter to take to college that I thought would be useful. I got a box of tissues to use when she is crying so much because she is home sick, a 12-pack of toilet paper because we all know you can never have too much toilet paper which she can also use when the tissues run out from her crying so much, and a box of those cereal n' milk bars that can be a quick substitute for breakfast if she doesn' t have enough time to eat because she spent so much time crying for home and needs to just get herself together enough to get to class.

Honestly, I'm sure there are folks who are gathering supplies to the hilt but I remember the size of the dorm rooms and although they are nicer than the ones I lived in while at Purdue, they are not THAT big.

Some readers (if there are any that read this), might be thinking that I'm going to be an empty nester in a few days and this is hardly a countdown. I'm sticking to my story though that it is not truly an empty nest until the kids have moved away for good (or at least a few years).

I also can tell my daughter will be back often for weekends because she isn't doing what my first one did before leaving for college. That one pretty much packed all the things she treasured most, her favorite clothes and all of her CD's, and had tons to take to college including a really heavy, big trunk (like the ones that are at the bottom of the sea with buried treasure in them). Yes, she was going to college and not looking to come home to visit, unless she had to for the obligatory holiday visit. It isn't that she doesn't love us, she just has been a very independent gal and always more mature than her years. She is now planning a wedding with her boyfriend whom she has lived with for over 2 years, so that puts a definite lid on it.

No, my youngest spent the evening visiting her boyfriend while she only has some things ready and most of them were gifts for going away to college like towels, sheets, storage boxes. She has no plans to pack up her room, so as I sit here smiling, I know she will be back and this blog will be a long Countdown.

5 days to college...

..starting now..

I'm at a weird place in my life right now, although I am sure it is not weird or strange for those who have already experienced it - the empty nest syndrome...

My youngest is getting ready to go to college this weekend to start out her college life... - sigh - I remember those days with fond memories. Road trips out to Indiana where my siblings and I attended college, sometimes taking more days to get there than planned due to car problems.

But anyway, this isn't about my college days but rather a countdown to being a total empty nester, which won't be until my youngest graduates college at the very least!

My thoughts, musings, troubles, heartaches...everything will get blogged to help me cope through this 'passage' of life that is just something that is to happen...

until later..