October is Here

Everybody has settled into the school routine.  I have pretty much accepted that my life will never be routine.  That makes everything easier.  

Les and I survived two "Back to School" nights.  Lacey is doing very well in school.  She loves being part of a large group of children.  Recess and physical education are her favorites.  Her English is progressing incredibly quickly.  She can recite rhymes and speaks in complete sentences.  Her understanding of phonics amazes me.  For example, she can list about 10 different things that begin with the letter "B."   Today she wrote letters to me and Cassie.  She had "Mommy" written on the outside of one envelope, and "Cssd," written on the outside of the other.  Inside, she had placed drawings with our names on them.  I'm guessing that she'll be reading soon.

Lacey and her favorite sport - eating potato chips!

Cassie is enjoying 4th grade more than she thought she would.  She is making new friends and has helped some of her classmates organize a club.  I believe she is the "creative director."  Our friend, Maria, gave Cassie an easel and a set of oil paints.  Cassie went right to work, letting her talent flow.  Cassie is also busy writing a play for school.  And, she has been rehearsing with a group of young violinists that will play Christmas carols at the Festival of Lights in December.

The artist at work

We finally had the kitchen floor redone.  The tiles have been breaking for the past six years.  Our house was in upheaval for 10 days and most rooms are still covered with a powdery white dust from the construction.  But, as you can see from the before and after photos, it was worth the effort and wait.  Cassie and I saved a box of broken tiles for future craft projects.  Well, I'm supposed to wait 28 days before washing the new floor so that the grout can thoroughly dry.  During the following 3 hours, muddy feet made about six sets of tracks across the floor and two glasses of milk were spilled.  I did a quick wipe up with paper towels and told everyone that I refuse to be coerced into washing the floor before its time.

Before

After

The orange doors

 Over the weekend, I painted the pantry doors.  They are sort of a dark, country shade of orange.  This is the same color that I had used to paint the kitchen chairs.  I don't have the time or money (frankly it's a money thing) to tear off the faded wallpaper in the kitchen and redo the walls.  This was a much cheaper option - it cost me one can of paint, a little cajoling to get Les to agree, and a couple hours of labor.  We hung the doors today and I think they look great. 

 

In the midst of the construction, we celebrated my birthday.  The state of the kitchen was a good excuse to eat out.  We enjoyed a delicious seafood dinner and wonderful behavior from both girls at Red Lobster.  Here are a couple pictures of me with the girls.  I would be the one wearing the princess crown.

 October is notorious for blowing germs into our household.  I refilled all the allergy and asthma medications, hoping to deploy a good defense.  Thursday afternoon I had to pick up Cassie from school.  The verdict from the nurse was "croup or bronchitis."  I took Cassie home and discovered that the basement was flooding.  Did I mention that we were in the midst of a downpour?  Gee, I had thought that the new sump pump we installed after the fire in August would have done the job.  I took Cassie to the doctor on Friday and she does have bronchitis.  When I had her prescription filled, the kind pharmacy employee took a good look at me and asked if this wasn't my fourth visit to the pharmacy in as many days.   I responded that yes, now that I thought about it, I had made four consecutive trips to the pharmacy.  The lovely lady continued, "Now, Mrs. Minihan, I surely hope that Cassie is feeling better.  But, it seems to me that you're the one who's going to be needing rest."  A little sympathy is always nice.

Staying home with Cassie on Friday gave me a head start on cleaning the kitchen.  I basically had to wash everything in each drawer and cabinet, and the entire contents of the pantry.  I discovered that, thanks to Les' enthusiastic and vigilant shopping, we have three bottles of Worchestershire sauce; about four gallons of white vinegar; six containers of Wasabi paste; three bottles of red vinegar; and at least two gallons of olive oil.  I guess we are ready for the next flood.

So, our house if full of life, and that life is good!