Make a Smilebox slideshow

I have had such a feeling of peace the last week. I am relieved that our home repair is finally done and we can pick up the pieces again. I am relieved that our nation will be lead by a calm, intelligent and rational leader who may actually seek a peaceful place in this world for our nation and restore our dignity. And we got to scream our heads off on the roller coasters at Six Flags this weekend - how cathartic!!

The kids are big enough now to ride almost everything, so we can go together as a family - reminds me of coming here with my family when I was just a little older than Bekah. As you get older, you notice that your highs and lows are blunted - slights or hurts that would have devastated you in younger years roll off your back, but at the same time you rarely feel moments of joy in the same extreme, either. That is one thing you can recapture on the rides in an amusement park! I guess sometimes it takes being hurtled into the air at 70 mph to shake off your cares and make you feel REALLY alive! Unless I'm mistaking dizziness for happiness . . .well, whatever!

vegetable art

These are Bekah and Ryan originals . . .I'll let you guess which pumpkin was designed by whom. (Hint: the one on the left is a cat)

Autumn in Austin

Sorry its been so long, little hectic around here! We had Mom & Dad down for a wonderful visit in October. The week went by so fast, but we got in our usual visits to Whole Foods Market, Half Price Books, and a new regular, the Round Rock outlet mall! We also stopped to have breakfast at the Bluebonnet Cafe in Marble Falls one morning on our way to Fredericksburg. Yummy biscuits and gravy, even the kids cleaned their plates. As you can see from the pic, they are proud of their pie, and rightly so . . .we came back to the cafe that same afternoon to buy a lemon cream pie to take home! We also got to have lunch at Maria's Taco Xpress one afternoon, which Mom & Dad had seen on the Food Network. Good tacos - we tried the barbacoa, the al pastor (my favorite) and the picadillo. They just serve the tacos in plastic baskets with lots of napkins, which we took out to the funky courtyard and ate at picnic tables. So to sum up, we shopped, we ate, we played, we drank coffee, we talked . . . and then they were off back to Arkansas and we were back to work. I'm so glad they finally got to see Texas when it wasn't 100 degrees every day.

It's finally feeling like Autumn! We had a cold front blow in today, and it's supposed to get down to 49 degrees tonight! I had to pull out the kids jackets and jeans for the first time since, I don't know, MARCH?? I wish I could say the trees were changing color, but no such luck. We did manage to decorate for Halloween last weekend and buy the kids' costumes. Ryan is going to be the Red Power Ranger, and Bekah is planning to be a "Rocker Girl". She has designed her costume from things she already had in her closet. I'll post photos so you can see how it turns out!

And of course, the day before Halloween is Ryan's 6th birthday! After having to move our stuff all out of the living room and master bedroom for our foundation repair, we decided to really get serious about decluttering and downsizing. And, that includes the kids. They have so much stuff, so many more toys than I ever had! It's gotten to the point that we've asked for no gifts at his birthday party. He gets so much from family alone, we decided that's enough!

Early voting started Monday here and I went directly after work. I have seriously never been so excited to vote in all my life. The lines were already long - I can't imagine what it will be like on November 4th! No matter who you're voting for, be sure you get out there and cast your ballot - it really is one of the greatest privileges of freedom.

I am trying to put my money behind my beliefs - I have purchased a CSA subscription (Community Supported Agriculture) from a local farm. Here's what I got in my first box! I admit, it's been a challenge getting my family to eat unfamiliar veggies (eggplant? roast it with lots of salt, pepper, and sprinkle with parmesan cheese!) The okra? Bread it and fry it up, of course!

With all the food-borne illnesses lately and just the overall healthier lifestyle of eating locally and in season, I decided to take the plunge. It's definitely more expensive that buying produce at the store, so I'm determined not to waste a bit of it. That could be a challenge. I've never cooked a pumpkin, but I plan to this weekend! I also got a bag of butterbeans, which the kids did not like at all but Rodney did. Smother them in zucchini relish and put on top of cornbread, what's not to like?

Homeschooling has definitely been a challenge this last couple of weeks. The kids have been dragging their feet, complaining and whining, and generally driving us to the point of considering putting them back in public school. Finally, we took drastic measures - no unsupervised TV, and no video games, until we see a BIG improvement. I just knew that would cause much rending of clothing and gnashing of teeth, but amazingly . . . no. Instead of asking to watch Spongebob, they've been playing in their rooms, drawing, building with Lincoln Logs, even composing a song on Bekah's keyboard! I feel like an idiot for not thinking of this sooner. I have to give my husband credit, I thought it was too drastic and would backfire, but it seems to be working!!

Although when we were talking it through, and realized how much more free time we would both have if the kids were in school. . . sigh . . .I have to go back to my homeschool discussion group to remind myself why this is the best choice for our kids. :O)

My house is back in a state of disarray, since we had to pull up the laminate floor to allow the foundation repairmen to dig big holes in the foundation, can't wait for that mess. Fortunately, our friend Landon pretty much lives with his girlfriend at this point and has offered us his house for the duration. That could be a fun adventure, he lives in central Austin so we can take advantage of the local restaurants and parks while we're down there.

Belated Happy Birthday to my sis-in-law who just turned the big 3-0! Wish we could be there to celebrate with you. I know what she's saying right now, "All you have to do is move back to Arkansas . . ." she never gives up! :)

I am so excited because I have finally learned how to upload pics from our camera, and how to put music on my MP3 player! I may have finally entered the 21st century.

Labor Day weekend was fun, we had our own little "staycation" as they say, complete with shopping, bowling, a cookout, football and playing in the park. Saturday we cooked sausages on the grill, I made my sister Kate's baked beans (which were a huge hit!) and banana pudding squares for dessert . . . Brian came to help Rodney and I root for the Longhorns, and brought along the beloved Tayci for Bekah to play with. While the grownups drank beer and watched Colt McCoy lead the Horns to victory, the girls created a club in Bekah's room with Ryan occasionally visiting between rounds of Spongebob on the Wii. Brian's in-laws had come up from Beaumont in anticipation of Hurricane Gustav, thank goodness it turned out to be relatively minor and they were able to go home safely.

Sunday I took the kids to see "Kung Fu Panda", which despite my loathing of Jack Black, was actually a very entertaining movie. Monday we took the kids bowling (as you can see) - all of us got a strike except Rodney, yet he beat us all, go figure. After Ryan's strike, he turned around and yelled "YEEEEAAAAHHHHH" in this deep man-voice that put us into hysterics! After bowling we ate the famous cheese enchiladas at the Dart Bowl diner. I will be dreaming about those for weeks to come, don't they look fabulous? And the best part is, they are served with Texas Toast to sop up all that lovely chili gravy. MMMMMM. Not ready to go home yet, we took the kids to a park that's in the neighborhood we dream of living in someday. The supposed decline in housing prices never touched this part of Austin, unfortunately for us. But, with the big foundation repair project looming (they start in October!) we decided we better focus on fixing up Rancho Beeber for now.

End of summer . . .in theory, anyway

Well everyone's back to school, even my kids in the "Happy Kids Academy" (their name for our homeschool) and I'm having my usual misgivings. I know I can give my kids the kind of education I want for them ( a classical one) and that there are so many reasons, social and educational, that my husband and I have made this decision for them. But darnit, I love back to school shopping! Deciding on that first day of school outfit, the new lunchbox, backpack, supplies . . .my kids don't know the excitement and joy of getting ready for a brand new year. Not that they seem to care, and when I ask them if they want to go to public school, the answer is an unequivocal "NO!" So I'll get over it, and remind myself that they are still so young and I don't want to turn them over to the "system" just yet . . .

I do feel sorry for the kids I see waiting at the bus stop so early in the morning, looking half asleep still and already so terribly hot . . .it's still close to 100 every day and I keep asking my husband, "why do we live here again??"

Anyway, if I sent them to public school, could they be playing Spongebob on the Wii at 10:00 on a Wednesday? (Is that a good thing?) They are way past grade level in all their subjects so I needn't worry. Except that I'm supposed to start my third grader on Latin this year, a subject I never learned in school, so we'll be learning together. I admit, I am totally intimidated by that. I'll soldier through and I'm sure, kvetch about it here!

The only reason I'm letting them play anyway is that it's Daddy's poker night, which means goof off night for Mom & the kids! They get to eat sandwiches or cereal for dinner, then play Wii until bedtime while I catch up on my BBC America shows (Top Gear, Skins, Gavin & Stacy!) and now, of course, blog.

Bekah wants me to write that she has spent the last several days inventing "characters" for her future movies, website and video games. They are very detailed, all having names and characteristics assigned to them. She has already decided that she wants to be a movie director when she grows up, live in Tokyo and adopt 2 children. Ryan, my five year old just wants to be a construction worker and marry me. I wish it could always be that way :O)

Better get these kids to bed, and I can go watch Joe Biden's speech at the Democratic convention.