Musings by Melissa

I am soooo not ready for back to school.  Oh, I know the stuff has been in the stores for months already.  I’ve walked past rows of paper, pencils, lunch boxes, and backpacks.  I’ve seen ads for graphing calculators, ipods, and Sony VAIO.  The back to school clothes, fashions, and haircuts have been plastered all over as well.  Oh, I am so not ready.

Of course, I’ve purchased all the books we need for school this year.  (We homeschool.)  And yes, we have started a bit.  The kids have all done a math lesson or two, just to get the feel of their books.  They know what’s expected of them in most of their subjects.  But still, I’m just not ready.

Although, I will admit, the cooler weather is helping a lot.  When it’s 90 degrees, who can concentrate on schoolwork?  But now that the weather definitely has that autumn feel, I am reminded of all the projects I wanted to get done before the snow flies.  And so, we’re not really doing school today either.  We’re washing bedding, chopping and stacking wood, gathering sticks, cleaning up the garden a bit, and making that list of things we need to get done yet before ol’ man winter comes knocking on our door.

~sigh~

Yes, I guess it is time for fall.  Good bye, summer!  ~sniff, sniff~

Yup, we did it.  We signed on the dotted line, and we bought new windows for three of the rooms in our house.  We did a bunch of research online, and I think, hope and pray that we’ll be pleased with our purchase.  We spent a bit more than we had anticipated, but isn’t that always the case?

We went with a company that gets a good price on a good window because they buy wholesale lots of windows.  We are able to get the size we need and the color we want (the trim).  But the prices seem quite a bit cheaper than other comparable windows on the market.

And so, now we wait to hear from them to find out when their installer can come out and measure our windows exactly.  Then they’ll make the windows and install them.  Wayne’s happy because he won’t be doing the installing himself. 

I’m relieved to have the decision behind us.  Now it’s just a matter of getting them installed before the snow flies so we can stay a bit warmer this winter!

Well, let the research begin! Ugh! Purchasing new windows for our home is almost as hated a task as purchasing a new vehicle. Ugh! But, our house really could use new windows. Some of them are pretty bad. None of them clean easily. And only two of them are fairly air-tight.

The problem is that we have two dozen window in our house (including the two garage windows). That’s a lot of windows! We don’t have enough in savings to redo them all, so it’s a matter of picking where we want to start. Decisions… decisions…

Today we stopped by Lowes to see what they had and what their prices ran. As I walked by the Moen kitchen faucets I couldn’t help but think how much easier our kitchen project was in our old house.  First we did this, and then we’d do that.  Yes, it took awhile, but this window project seems daunting.  Terms like aluminum-clad, sash, jamb, and vinyl are running through my mind.  And I never did get a good answer as to what kind is best, let alone which brand.  ~sigh~

And so, let the research begin.  Have you ever replaced windows?  Were you happy with what you purchased?  We’d like to get these installed by the end of the year so we can qualify for the tax credit.  So, it’s a decision I’d like to make fairly soon so we can get them in by the time the snow flies!

Yesterday I ran across a site that told me how to make fun symbols!

To do this, make sure your num lock is on. (Some laptops have a blue FN key that changes some of the letters to numbers.)

Then hit ALT with the appropriate number:

1 for ☺
2 for ☻
3 for ♥
4 for ♦
5 for ♣
6 for ♠
7 for •
8 for ◘
9 for ○
10 for ◙
11 for ♂
12 for ♀
13 for ♪
14 for ♫
15 for ☼
16 for ►
17 for ◄
18 for ↕
19 for ‼
20 for ¶
21 for §
22 for ▬
23 for ↨
24 for ↑
25 for ↓
26 for →
27 for ←
28 for ∟
29 for ↔
30 for ▲
31 for ▼

The numbers do keep going, but those are just for things you can make with the shift key. Have fun with this!

I found a way last year to get Alicia to learn her multiplication facts without me being the bad guy!  Timez Attack is a great (FREE!) game.  She actually enjoys playing it.  You can play it at www.bigbrainz.com.

I’m now looking for something to help with adding facts.  If anyone knows of anything, please feel free to let me know!

Thanks much!

I’m not sure what it is.  Maybe it’s the fact that we got away for a week with our church family and did a little camping.  Maybe it’s the cooler, fall-ish weather.  Maybe it’s the fact that September is hardly a week away.  But whatever it is, the travel bug is biting me, and it’s biting hard!

I’m not sure what our travel plans will include next year.  There’s a chance we may be going to California for a wedding.  (That’d be a fun vacation!)  So, until we hear for sure about that, we’re putting next year on hold.  But that still leaves this year!  ~big grin~ 

Wayne will be going to Canada fishing in a few weeks.  He’s been looking forward to that all year.  And we’ve been planning on taking the kids to the UP.  (For you non-Michiganders, that’s Michigan’s Upper Penninsula!)  There’s a lot to do there, and we haven’t been to the UP since Alicia was in diapers.  So, it’s been awhile.

But because there’s a lot to do there, it wouldn’t be a very relaxing vacation.  Some vacations are the “see and do as much as you can so that you can experience as much as you can in a short period of time.”  And other vacation are “do nothing.  Relax.  Come home refreshed and ready to resume life again.”

And that’s when I began to wonder if we shouldn’t look into renting a house for a relaxing vacation.  Of course the first thought is where would we rent?  And then I saw an ad for a beach house.  Ahhh… Doesn’t Outer Banks vacation rentals have some beautiful places?!?  A week spent on this porch with a good book (or two) would definitely be beneficial for the soul! 

The kids could play on the beach, and I could join them from time to time.  I think it would be relaxing for all of us.

Ah, my dream is shattered.  The laundry needs to be folded, the dishes washed, the kids fed, and the garden weeded.  Someday…

September 18th is the date of our Women in the Outdoor Event.  The planning committee decided that this will be the last time we put together such an event.  So, if you’ve ever wondered what we’re about, or if you’ve been putting off joining us, don’t hesitate any longer.  Please go to http://gvwito.freeshell.org/ or email me for more information.  We’re also on Facebook!  (Women in the Outdoors — West Michigan)

Okay… I’ll admit it.  I’m tired of hot, humid weather.  My dear husband washed all the windows in our bedroom last week, but there’s so much “fog” in them that you’d never know he spent hours working on them.  ~sigh~  I suppose that’s a good sign because it means our window air-conditioner is working well enough to make a difference.  At least it’s keeping it nice in the basement.

But honestly, I don’t feel like I’m making any forward progress on my to-do list for today.  Every time I cross something off, I think of two things to add.  And while I’m tempted to call Royal Caribbean and try to forget my to-do list for awhile, I think the best thing to do is to just keep plugging away at it.

And so, on that note, I’m off to pull my 50 weeds for the day…

Alicia’s birthday was a couple weeks ago, and for her birthday I made her a swimming pool cake.  I even made little people for it out of frosting.  They were floating in the pool on frosting inner tubes.  It was cute!  She loved it!

She got lots of nice stuff for her birthday, too.  While she didn’t get a ls2208, she was absolutely thrilled with her new fan!  She’s also excited about her new books and all her new cake decorating stuff.  Unfortunately, it’s a bit too hot and humid to turn the oven on so that we can play with her new “toys,” but we’re eagerly awaiting cooler weather so we can transform some cupcakes into genuine works of art.

Happy 10th Birthday, a bit late, dear Alicia!

Tomorrow is election day.  We can exercise our right to vote without fear of intimidation.  What a blessing!

For many of my friends it will also be a blessing in another way.  Because their phone numbers are “listed,” they are getting half a dozen political phone calls every day.  Ugh!  That’s about as bad as dealing with most car insurance companies!  And I admit, it will be nice to not have a mailbox full of political ads. 

But then I think of my friends in Africa.  They have elections on Wednesday.  They will be voting on a new constitution.  The new constitution is not a good idea, but if it is voted down, rioting will be the result.  My friends have been warned by the US embassy to have enough food/water in their home for two weeks.

Doesn’t it make you glad to be an American?!?  So, get out there tomorrow, and VOTE!