get a load of this ... literally!

i have a few friends that have been telling me about this for a few months and i'm sorry that i didn't act on it sooner!

bountifulbaskets.org

this picture is missing the 5lb bag of potatoes that was included ...

the idea is that we all contribute to buy produce in bulk and then we divide up what is purchased and come away with an awesome deal!!
i paid $15 for all this!!

i did not fully understand until i saw it for myself.

this is not the dregs of the supermarket ... it's not gleaned ... it's produce from charlie's produce and it's all great stuff.

granted i didn't get to pick and choose what i got and i now have an egg plant (that i'm going to use ... not sure how - but i'll learn!) and cauliflower and 6 kiwis ... but these are all wonderful foods that my people will eat or at least try!!

check it out!

bountifulbaskets.org

the wheels on the bus ...

stopped here for him!

Ammon was so excited to hear that he could ride the bus to kindergarten!

today was his first ride ...

what a big boy ... sniff.

i had a teary-eyed walk back home with Easton saying, "are you happy crying mom?"

which made me laugh ... because really - who sad-cries about their kids riding the bus to school?

sniff ... me.

i think i can, i think i can ...

organization.

a word and a way of life that escapes me ... i talk a big show about what i want to do to organize my life and how i am working toward it ... that i am 'going to' get there and that 'one day' the planets will align in such a way that my house magically cleans and organizes itself.

i read blogs and see pictures of 'before and after' the blogger gutted and organized ... people painting their walls ... repurposing old furniture ... building in shelves ... labeling bins ...

i want that so bad ... i want order ... i long for it ... i pine for it ... i dream about it.

i need to start praying for it ... "and bless me that i can get off my duff and get this house in order so that when the Savior knocks i won't have to say, 'one minute please ... ' then turn and shuffle papers, toys and junk out of the way so that He can get in!!"

and while i'm at it (since i know that He really does care that i'm stressed out about my home and He loves me enough to help me figure this out) maybe i'll just eat this elephant one bite at a time ... cut it up into bite size pieces and gnaw away at it.

Heaven Help Me - i want to follow the instuctions given in Doctrine and Covenants 88:119

i even stitched this myself to remind me ... don't worry that it's been on my wall for 2+ years now and i'm still not there ... and don't even worry that i have been talking about this forever and harping on my kids to keep their rooms clean and mine is the biggest disaster area ever!

with all my new found free time (while ammon's at school and easton sleeps) maybe - just maybe - i'll be able to bite off a chunk here and there ...

say a little prayer for me.

"bye mom!"

it was almost like the heavens knew just how i was feeling today ... a little weepy, misty eyed, and drippy.

we were up at 7:30 - easton came out of his room just as i was headed in to wake him ... "i was going to lay by you ..." he said.
"i need to wake up the girls, you go crawl in my bed and i'll come lay by you for a minute."

so he did and i did and we laid there for a minute and then i said, "are you excited to go to school??"
"do i get to wear my new clothes and shoes?"
"yes, let's go get you dressed and ready!"
so we did.

everybody but ammon was dressed and eating breakfast by 7:50 ...

he doesn't have school until the afternoon ... so he slept in and stumbled downstairs just in time for scriptures at 8:10 ... then it was "brush teeth, brush hair, grab your backpack - ammon get dressed ... no not in your school clothes yet ... "

and suddenly we were a flurry of action to get out the door!

we arrived at the girl's school at 8:50, i parked ... left the boys watching the Cosby Show and walked the girls to the covered area to wait, stood with them for about 5 minutes, gave them hugs, took a few pics (we decided to get the ones with teachers after school) and then they were all "bye mom!" not a tear to be seen from them ... no biggy mom ... see ya! (sniff ... sigh)

then we were off to deliver the newest preschooler!

miss maryanne was there for a pic and then he was in - backpack hung, shoes off, sitting on the blue polka dot - "bye mom!" no clinging to mom, no tears, no "stay with me for a minute" ... (sniff)

ammon and i hustled off to the Y for zumba and then home for a quick shower and then to a 30 minute meeting and then pick up easton, eat lunch, and get ammon in his school clothes and shoes, "grab your backpack and get in the van!"

we parked and walked to the kindergarten corral where they were all lined up ... girls in one line boys in the other (the boys significantly outnumber the girls) and wait for mrs. cummins - she greets each kindergartener and then they head into class and again, "bye mom!" no clinging, not a tear, he turned and waved as he headed off to school ... (sniff, sniff)

easton and i head home ... just the 2 of us again ... lo and behold it's quiet time ... we read 2 stories and then settle in for a good nap ... ahhh ... this is the life!

i did the dishes, mostly cleared off the kitchen counter, emptied the dishwasher, sorted the kids inboxes to make room for the onslaught of papers i'm anticipating (and it's a good thing since i got 3 of everything!!) and then had to wake easton to go and get the kids.

it was a lovely first day of school and like the weather - i dried up by the time school was out ...

first day of school eve

is also the last day of summer vacation and the day we get to meet our teachers and deliver our school supplies ... the day we pick out our outfits from the new school clothes - down to the shoes, we know what we're wearing tomorrow ... and the day after that ... and even the day after that!

this summer has been fairly uneventful ... lazy, laid back, slightly boring - but the good kind.

as i look back at the last 11 weeks (yes, that's all we got ... so short!!) we have had some schedule free days, followed by some lethargic days, followed by sluggish days ... the kind where we barely get out of bed before it's time to get back in ... when we flop from the bed to the couch ... when showers are few and far between and going outside isn't an option due to the weather ...

we had some hectic days, followed by some action-packed days, interspersed with some tiring days, when we traveled to UT thru ID and back and rode our bikes everyday, went to the gym for exercise and swam until we were beat but we stay up until way too late just because we can...

and even now as i listen to the rain fall outside and remember that elyssa's soccer practice was rained out this evening... i can't imagine that summer is really over, that we are back to scheduled days and routines and bed times.  we have to abide by rules, we're required to do homework, we're obliged to attend functions and we make plans to follow through.  structure.  calendar.  agenda.  organized.

that's what i look forward to the most in the coming months.  getting in the groove.  finding my niche.  making a plan - albeit flexible to an extent ... but having a scaffolding to guide my slightly scattered brain.

i have printed an enormous calendar for september and october ... i'm working on color coding, menu tweaking, and schedule planning and when it's all filled out and a thing of beauty i will take a picture and share. 

so as the book of summer vacay 2010 closes, the equally exciting sequel is only beginning.  cross your fingers that we can make it happen - start tomorrow on the right foot ... get out of bed on time, eat a healthy breakfast, brush teeth and hair (preferably separately), get backpacks and lunches ready, smile for a few pictures and head off for another first day! 

look out world - here we come!!

Our Rainy {Labor} Day

we brought out our own blue sky for a picnic at grandma and papa's lot

and then spent a couple hours at the
Skater Appreciation Day at the Skate Deck
(we can't pass up $2 admission days)

and then headed home for some spaghetti and watermelon dinner then our dad gave us father's blessings in preparation for the upcoming school year.  can it really be that time again?!

carnies at heart!!

 

who knew a foam nose and some funny glasses could be so entertaining!?

bedtime ...

these 3 boys got haircuts tonight
don't they look handsome!?

this boy likes to have both of us lay by him
we have designated 'sides'
and dad has to have his whole body on the bed

he likes us to lay close to him
closer ...

this one doesn't always want his mom to love on him so much
but he always says "i love you too" when i tell him i love him!

he allows me to lay by him every once in a while ...

but he always has to have dad lay by him.
they talk about the day, football and motorcycles ...
it's his favorite time of day, i think,
no fighting for time with dad!

one last warm day?!

we took our summer's last dip in the pool up at Grandma and Papa's lot!

(maybe ... i'm still crossing my fingers we get a few scorchers in September) 

The Evergreen State Fair!!

we took advantage of the free kids day at the fair and used our bogo adult admission coupon in our entertainment book and got everybody into the fair for ten bucks!!  we watched the lumber jack show and then saw a man on a flying carpet doing magic tricks and got an upclose look/tour of the first aid trailer (cuz abi cut herself helping the magician cut some magic rope with some really sharp scissors...)  the boys rode the carousel and the girls rode the ferris wheel, we ate some cotton candy, saw some animals (darling baby piglets!!), and ended our fun (short) day at the fair with ammon shooting 100 bbs at a target, easton riding the carousel (again) and the girls on the big swing ride!  we didn't get any smiling rocks or buy a hot tub but we had a great time!!

Our state fair is a great state fair,

Don't miss it, don't even be late.

It's dollars to donuts

That our state fair

Is the best state fair in our state.