Wednesday DECLUTTERING!

[Heather W]

This Week's Challenge: Kitchens! Clean up, clean out all areas including food storage like pantries, frigs, and freezers. Make something new, bake something fun!

School Challenge: School flat surfaces

Inspiring Thought: The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator. - Louis Pasteur

For me today:

• bake cookies
• school
• school planning
• pack a box- and get it to the PO
• start a pork roast
• tidy the kitchen
• read aloud
• Halloween prep
• recycling out to the curb- for tomorrow
• two bathrooms
• studio time
• blog work
• pick up R- she has a lot to do this week and wants to work in her home studio (she is faster here)
• watch the first Harry Potter movie and have snacks and candy- unsure if J will go Trick or Treating. He'll need a costume.

Yesterday I managed to fold a lot of laundry and get my chicken broth filtered and cooling on the POH. It was 34* when I set them out so perfect to cool and prepare for the freezer over night. I also did a lot of uninterrupted writing last night. Cool thing, I made my own field guide to microscopic pond organisms! As in, I drew them myself and inserted them into a chart. A little science teacher fun for my blog!

The sun was glorious all day yesterday and I just enjoyed it wherever I was!

Today it is mostly cloudy with some bright spots and by later today it will be raining. And the rain will stay with us for many days again. Stink!

Have a fun-filled Halloween!

[Jen in OK]

Good morning!

I'm glad you got some sun, Heather!

We are finally home all day today! I'm thrilled! I literally do not have to get in the car until after lunch tomorrow!

*laundry--going now
*ironing--hopefully enough for a few days
*salt dough maps
*communication rally work
*kids' bathroom
*PTE for the next few days--and grocery order if needed
*trick or treating

We'll put on some Halloween movies while we're doing some of this, too. And enjoy being home!

Have a great day today, friends!

[Paige P]

Good morning, all

Jen -- HURRAY for a home day -- you need one!!!

Heather -- for productivity! Sounds like you got great things accomplished!

Robin -- so funny -- when I was reading your post from late yesterday, I read that you had a HORSE in your mudroom I re-read and then saw it was a "SAW" horse! HA!!!

Lindsey -- you're staying busy -- sounds like things are going well! When might you come back to the US for the conference? Soon?

Here:
* I'm doing better this morning -- I DID go back to the dr yesterday afternoon, and he added an ear drop (antibiotic and steroid) to my regime. I used it last night, and for the first night in almost a week, I slept ALL night with no ear pain Whew! It's still there, but it's definitely better!
-- school this morning
-- M's going to teach piano and help clean til lunch
-- not sure of K's school schedule -- maybe we'll have time to work on some scholarship stuff -- that application has to be finished by mid-Dec, but as soon as we can get it done, the better off we are....
-- work on TRAILER -- we're leaving for camping right after coop on Friday. K's working tomorrow, and M and B are going to Frozen on Ice with friends, so it'll be just ME most of tomorrow. I need to get things accomplished TODAY!! I need a menu for the weekend, I need clothes done, I need linens load, I need to start putting food, etc., in the trailer. LOTS to do there -- that's a BIG thing for today.
* cook for tonight -- we're going over to a friend's who lives in a neighborhood, and she's having a party for trick or treating. I'm making sausage dip and am taking chips. We'll leave here about 415, probably.

So, a FULL day

Hope ya'll have a great one!

[MichelleTN]

Happy Halloween


Heather -- YAY for writing fun!!

Jen -- YAY for home day!!!

Paige -- YAY for feeling better

Today is cloudy, slight breeze & 64. Suppose to get heavy rain later. If fact we are under a flood watch.

Today:

• sheets
• final clean out of my car
• go get truck??
• help ds1??
• vote
• general picking up
• kitchen - it looks kinda bad
• photo work
• decent supper

Ds1 boss has an appointment today. Ds1 is suppose to mow the yards on this street then load a bunch of junk on the mower and go several blocks over and do some tree trimming. I am thinking about going to go get the truck and take ds1 to the place then just sit in the truck and read or work on my lists while he works.
While we are out we can stop and do early voting.

We only had the 1 trick or treater last night.

Have a GREAT Halloween

[Robin in Colorado]

Good morning! We have snow on the ground and wet streets, but it's melting. It's gray out.

Heather, that sounds like fun, working on your field guide.

Jen, what Halloween movies do y'all watch?

Paige, you never know. With me it could have been a horse. Do you have any clove oil? I use it for ear pain, rub it along the jaw and on the mastoid bone. It helps. Glad you had a better night!

Michelle, sitting and reading sounds fun. Take some nail polish too! In case you want a little car mani-pedi.

So, we have school to do. And I have a cake to bake for our church's thing tonight. There will be a cake walk. Boyo made a pumpkin spice cake yesterday, I am making an apricot cinnamon one today. Mostly we will be home doing home stuff. Lots of laundry, etc.

I got a lot done on the columns. I'm heading downstairs to make my final push now before we start school - just a little tweaking. Hopefully I can finish! If so, I'll come back and post pictures.

Enjoy your day!

[Jen in OK]

Paige, I'm glad you're feeling better!

Michelle, you've already had a trick or treater?

Robin, we usually watch The Haunted Mansion and Halloweentown...and whatever random stuff we pull out. Last night we watched Charlie Brown all together when dd and I got home from class. Usually we watch quite a few movies or TV specials, but this year we've had so much going on we haven't. I'll have to pull Christmas movies early so we don't lose out! The kids also said something last night about watching Scooby Doo.

*laundry is done
*breakfast is made
*started potatoes baking (we're having baked potato soup tonight)
*unloaded the dishwasher

I remembered we need to finish out art project from last week and have tea time, so we'll do that and wait on salt dough until tomorrow. I also need to add the kids' sheets to the list. I think I'll go ahead and put on the flannels.

[Angela Rose]

Happy Halloween!

CH1: I have been cooking from the pantry/ freezer this week and that will continue through this weekend. IT has made me realize that I need to clean out my freezer!

CH2: Our flat surfaces aren't too bad right now, but we will tidy up.


Oh man! This fall, our schooling has been so interrupted! I keep telling myself, "Just keep swimming!"

Hannah's softball game went until 9:30 last night. The temperatures were in the 40s and all the parents were freezing! The girls were starting to get cold too although some of them were on the field in just their sleeveless jersey's. The game was part of an optional tournament. Hannah's team won last night which means they also have a game on Thursday.

so far:
everyone was slow again this morning.....
breakfast
Bible reading
laundry
school

up next:
lunch
more school
quick run to buy candy - I didn't buy it early this year, because Dan and I always eat it!
dinner?
heat up some spiced cider in a crock-pot to take to our friend's for trick-or-treating. They are going to set up a warm cider station in their culdesac.

- - - Updated - - -

Jen - We watched the Charlie Brown movie on Monday with my MIL. Enjoy your day at home!

Robin - Your cakes sound yummy!

Michelle - Have a great day!

Paige - I am glad you got some relief!

HW - Your pond field guide sounds very cool, I will have to check it out!

[Jekka Renee]

I still have 10 minutes so I can say Good morning! I feel better today after not eating wheat yesterday. I will hopefully be back to normal soon.
So Far:
Meeting with mortgage lady - we had some things she needed for mortgage approval and a general where we are at meeting. It went well.

Umm, that's about all I've done. I'm home and my kids are up s we are going to have a fun halloween time - we will leave in a few hours. I don't know that I'll do much work other than daily things.

heather: your microscopic pond study is so fascinating! I love your science teacher additions!

Jen: I am shocked to hear of your home all day statement! Wow.

Paige: I'm excited your ear pain went away! Hoping it stays gone for camping.

Robin: Your cake walk sounds yummy. Enjoy.

[MichelleTN]

Jen — we are suppose to get bad storms and flooding this afternoon/tonight so our town changes all Halloween activities & trick or treating to last night. I only had 1 trick or treater all night last night.

So far:

• morning stuff
• my bed stripped, sheets washed & back on bed
• boys beds stripped, sheets washed & drying
• regular laundry started washing
• cleaned out car
• went got truck
• cleaned out & cleaned truck...it was nasty, still needs vacuumed but at least shook out mats
• washed dishes
• vacuumed living room and couch...under cushions
• ds1 & I went & early voted
• took ds1 to limb trimming job

I am sitting in the truck now while ds1 finishes up his job. Voting office is between our house & this place and it wasn’t busy so we stopped on way. Parked to leaving was less than 10 mins.

It started a heavy sprinkle right after ds1 started trimming. He just kept working. He finished the 2 trees by door and cleaned up. Rain had about stopped. He said. I am just going to finish my job since I am wet.

A few mins ago he came by the window getting stuff out of the truck. He said Thanks for doing this & sitting here. I said...no problem..grinned & add.. I have been sitting here working on my lists of things that need to be done around the house. Your name is on a quiet a few. . He grinned and walked off

[Jen in OK]

Angela, we're having a just keep swimming fall, too! And realistically, the spring will probably be the same. But we're all looking forward to more time at home next year when these classes are over, so I think that's been good to know that they do appreciate being at home.

Jekka, Im' shocked, too!

*read to the kids
*ds worked on math
*played Word Around with dd
*got clean sheets on kids' beds and washed old ones
*made lunch
*made tea time treat

The kids chose to watch Halloween shows from The Backyardigans and Max and Ruby. I could probably still quote a lot of these shows. After they eat we'll break and work on communication rally stuff for a while and then maybe watch something else in the late afternoon. I love these kinds of days.

- - - Updated - - -

Jen — we are suppose to get bad storms and flooding this afternoon/tonight so our town changes all Halloween activities & trick or treating to last night. I only had 1 trick or treater all night last night.

That makes sense! We may have rain tonight, too, but I don't think it's supposed to be too heavy. At least I hope not!