this and that

Well, I’ve been wanting to blog for a while; ever since I finished my last post, actually, when I realized I’d forgotten some important details. I’ve been sleep deprived all week, and the children are excited, and Bob is working nights. So not exactly a good atmosphere in which to sit and think at the computer for an hour or better.
But I’ve got to get it out. Forgive the hodge-podge nature of this post.
Last weekend Elijah got his 3rd tooth, and took his first step. Yes, he’s 7 months old.
Bob had off this Friday, which is actually Thursday night… Wednesday night he played basketball with some guys at work and someone bumped him just wrong and pulled his shoulder. The shoulder that he’s already been to the doctor for; the one that gives him headaches every day and keeps him awake at night. So most of his weekend was spent sitting still or getting massages.
I’d been wanting homemade ice cream for at least 2 weeks, and we finally had a plan. Taryn and I wanted to invite people over, but Bob didn’t, and I guess it’s just as well, what with his shoulder (and what follows). Friday was the big day; grilled cheddarworsts and hot dogs, homemade ice cream… Of course it turned cold and rainy Friday morning. As the cream and the meat were both dated Friday, we decided to go ahead with it. We bought ice and salt; I got the cream mixed up and into the maker. It started up a little slow, and smelled a little, but it was going. Until it quit. There was a little pop, and smoke came trickling out of the top of the motor. Sigh. I scooped it into a bowl and placed in the freezer, going by to stir every 30 minutes or so. Bob did grill the meat, and it was just perfect.
I’m wondering if I should change my blog description from “misadventures” to “great successes” – do you think it’d make any difference?
We’d all but decided to buy the place in Arkansas (double wide on 7 acres, cheap enough to be fixed up pretty nice), and were waiting for my MIL to get back from vacation to make the offer for us, when someone else bought it. Frustrating that realtors will work with other people, but not us. Accepted as God’s will.
We spotted another possibility on the other side of Springdale, MIL drove out and said it was really pretty and landscaped and she would keep the realtor’s phone hot until she got inside. Two hours later the realtor called her back and said it was under offer.
I dug up a couple of places in Oklahoma that my folks will try to get info on. They have called about a couple of places already, but their calls have not been returned. Anybody feel like driving to Missouri? There’s a 3000 sq foot house on 5 acres (more or less; can’t remember) in the middle of nowhere, that needs some work, for $35K.
Yesterday was Father’s Day. I made a two layer pie – chocolate pie with peanut butter pie on top of it. Except, when I got the cream cheese and sugar beaten nice and smooth, and was ready to add the peanut butter I realized we were out. So I packed up the children (in mismatched flip flops) and ran up to the store for peanut butter. Crises averted. Got that made and chilling while Bob slept. For dinner I’d planned his favorite (well, one of them) – Chinese Chicken. The thing about Chinese Chicken is, it goes really well with rice. The thing about rice is, last time we made some Taryn noticed there wasn’t any in the cabinet, but we didn’t write it down. We did have some rice noodles, so we decided to use that rather than go back to the store.
I’m thinking I really should sleep more. And maybe start back up with the vitamins.
I think I mentioned this on Facebook, but haven’t blogged it. I lost ANOTHER power cord to my laptop recently, and Bob nearly bought me a desktop instead. We talked it over, and decided I could keep my laptop if I’d use it on a desk. Lo and behold, the next day I saw a cute computer armoire for sale online. Now all that remained was a chair. We went to the furniture store, and after trying every desk chair they had, we went to purchase the chosen vessel. Except they were out. But we went back two weeks later and they had some, so now I’m at a desk. The children’s computer is also here, and half the time I go to type I start on their keyboard and wonder why it doesn’t work.
Less than 6 weeks to our big vacation. I found a beautiful walk we want to go on; recommended time allowed – 4 hours. Not sure Elijah can walk that far yet. Seriously, I’m not sure if we’ll attempt it, but it sure looks nice. I’m going to make lists for all 3 places, so when we are there we can just pick something off the list. This worked well on our last trip to the Cotswolds, as it satisfies my need to plan AND Bob’s need to go with the flow. So far, the hardest decision is whether or not to go into York. There is so much to see there, but it is sure to be incredibly crowded, and when herding 7 youngsters through a crowd it is hard to see the sights. We did pretty well in Lincoln last time, as most of our sightseeing was done after business hours, but then I didn’t make into all the used book stores…
Re: Father’s Day, I would have bought Bob a new lens, but we are calling the Mini his present. I only remembered to call my own father at 10:30, after I’d brushed my teeth for bed. He was quite perky and talkative, as it was only 4:30 there, but I could barely stand up straight.
After going to bed at 11, waking up once to feed the baby, and getting up at 5:30, I still can barely stand up straight. I’m ready for Bob to come home from his physical therapy so I can put him to bed and maybe take a nap with him. After that I want to go for a walk, as it looks to be sunny again today.