Back to School?

Gonzaga U College Hall. (Photo credit: Dena Rosko)

Is there any way to get everything done in a day that needs done? I probably shouldn't be complaining or even asking because I'm home all day; I should be able to get things done. Then I keep thinking about how the kids are all but grown up and will be out on their own soon. Then what? My husband seems to think I should go back to work, but I have no idea what I would want to do. It's not like I have some great career I want to go back to. I suppose I could go back to school like some of my friends are doing, but first I think I need to figure out what I want to be when I grow up. And both going to work and going back to school mean time away from home, and I keep wondering who's going to do my work. You know all the stuff that isn't getting done now? Even less will be getting done then. I know other people do it. Somehow.

One solution might be to look into Online master degrees from Gonzaga University. Of course, I'd have to get a regular degree first, and I'd still have to decide what I want to be when I grow up, but the idea of getting an online degree really appeals to me. It sounds like it's something that could fit into an already busy schedule. What I'm reading is that many of the top ranked programs are reluctant to go online because they feel that it diminishes the quality of the education. Gonzaga feels the opposite and believes that offering online programs gives busy professionals the opportunity to further their educations where they otherwise might not have been able to. The quality of the education must be pretty good, too because Gonzaga has been ranked one of the nation's best universities by The Princeton Review and Forbes Magazine.

Now, what should I be when I grow up? No sense in going back to school until I figure that out.

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Sharing My Google Reader

I just added a widget that shows the items I've shared in Google Reader. I've been thinking about adding one for a while, but then forget about it or can't find the page to get the code. The only problem is, now that it's on my sidebar, I realize that I haven't shared anything for a while, I guess because there wasn't much point in sharing if no one was seeing it.

Now that I've got the widget, I'll have to be sure to share all the interesting and helpful posts I read. They might just be something you're interested in, like Myrtle beach hotel deals, awesome giveaways, yummy-sounding recipes, or funny stories, so keep an eye on the widget in the sidebar to see what's catching my eye.

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Kitties and Stuff

I accomplished a lot today - folding towels, washing dishes, snuggling a little kitty, all kinds of important things. I entered a couple giveaways, searched some web directories, picked tomatoes from the garden, and made zucchini bread. There are a couple more zucchini out in the garden that will need picked before too long. The tomatoes taste good, but they're all cracked, and I have to cut a lot off of them because they get bad around the cracks.

There was quite a bit of the kitty snuggling going on. Weasley is still kind of skittish, but he's settling in well. He's getting used to us and loves to be petted, as long as we don't move too fast. I'll sit down next to him, and he'll just flop down on his side and purr and purr. Then he'll get up, walk around and rub on me and finally climb into my lap and settle down. I can't exactly get up and go do anything when he does that, can I? I figure if we give him lots of love and attention he'll settle right in and maybe even decide to be a snuggly lap kitty. Tillie's been pretty loving today, too - maybe trying to be sure we don't forget her. She was also less timid toward him, following him around while watching his every move and growling at him. The growling and hissing doesn't seem to bother Weasley since he was the runt of the litter and all the other kitties used to growl at him. He's used to it, and he's determined to be her friend anyway.

Weasley

Cory got a new kitty. He's been begging for one for ages, and I finally broke down and said yes. So now we have this little orange guy named Weasley.

Our friends Don & Peggy (of audiorescuers fame) picked him up at his old house and brought him here yesterday. Weasley was not a happy guy. First he was put in a cage and then stuffed into a pillow case - with some squirming, scratching, and escaping thrown in for good measure. By the time he got here, he was thoroughly traumatized. So we gave him a place to sleep, a litter box, some food and water, some cattle supplies. OK, you got me, no cattle supplies, but all the rest, and then we shut him in a mostly dark bathroom - and just left him alone for a while.

Since then we've been letting him out to explore and adjust to his new surroundings. He's a curious little guy who loves to explore and play. He would like to be friends with Tillie, but she's having none of that. She just watches his every move and growls. Hopefully she'll decide he's not too bad before too long - once she figures out that he's not going anywhere.

I Need a Nudge

I need to get back into the swing of things. I can't figure out how times goes so fast. I only posted here three times last week, and all my other blogs were completely ignored. Not only have I not been posting anything, I haven't been visiting anyone else, either - except randomly.

It's not that I don't have things I want to say and posts I want to make. I have several reviews to do, a giveaway I said I'd do, and some assignments that need done. I think I'm getting to them, but next thing I know, several weeks have passed, and I still haven't done them. And it seems the longer I go without getting things done, the harder it is to get them done at all - kind of like when you stop using the exercise equipment in your basement. The longer you go without using it, the harder it is to start up again, and before you know it you can't find the exercise equipment for all the stuff piled on top of it.

So, how do I blow the dust off the keyboard and get back to it? Any suggestions?

Netfirms Twitter Contest

I'm always entering contests trying to win stuff. Here's something I've seen several times today on twitter:

Win a #free iPod Touch or Macbook from the @Netfirms #contest. Domain registration services via Twitter http://bit.ly/yJfJK

It couldn't be easier, tweet to be entered into the Netfirms contest. You can tweet once per day to enter. Another way to enter is to register a domain via twitter. Didn't know you could register a domain through twitter? Neither did I, but with Netfirms now you can.

It takes some set up first. You have to register for a free Netfirms account and add your twitter information to your Netfirms control panel, and then you're good to go. You can register a domain from anywhere you can access twitter, even from your phone if you've got it set up, as this video shows:



So, when you're surfing the web or out on the town, and you suddenly think of the perfect domain name, you can register it right then and there. Simply send a DM to @Netfirms with the following: reg mynewdomain.com (replace mynewdomain.com with the domain you wish to register. If that domain is available, they'll send you a confirmation of the registration, for the low price of $7.95. And for every domain you register, you get an entry into the contest.

The Netfirms contest ends October 7, and you can tweet once per day.

What Next, a Log Cabin?

If you've been reading my blog at all this summer, I'm sure you've seen the big project for the summer - Jeffrey and Cory built a deck and pergola. I keep mentioning it because I absolutely love it. We have been using it as often as possible, grilling out, eating dinner out there, enjoying our coffee in the mornings. There are times I catch myself wondering, 'why didn't we do this sooner?' Cory has asked the same thing a few times.

The truth is that there were other things that needed done first - a shed built in the back yard, the basement finished so it can be usable (see previous post), stone walls put up for flower beds around the house. The shed and the basement Jeffrey basically did himself. He tried to get Cory to help him, but Cory wasn't really interested. Cory did help with the stones around the house, and this summer, with the deck, he helped a lot. He enjoyed it, too! So, yes, there were priorities, other projects that needed done, and we didn't want to go into debt just so we could have everything at once, but the main reason we didn't do this sooner was that Cory wasn't ready for a project like that - or at least he didn't think he was.

Now that we know he's good with a hammer and a drill, it's time to plan the next project, right? It probably won't be a log cabin, but Jeffrey was just saying the other day that he needs a bigger shed. Maybe a shed addition? After all, now we have all this deck furniture and the new grill that will need to be stored for the winter...

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Guess I Didn't Need Those Boots...

Last week I mentioned a certain website that was putting all UGGs on sale for 80% off. Now, the last few pairs of boots I've had cost $20 or less. Yes, I love Goodwill and clearance! But, the idea of saving 80% got me to looking at some of these boots, and I found some I really liked. Real suede, sheepskin, fleece, cushiony soles - they sounded really nice. So, this morning I attempted to buy some - only to be completely frustrated.

I put the boots I wanted into my 'shopping bag' then went to see if I could grab the pair Beth wanted, too. Hers weren't available any more, so I decided to go ahead and buy mine. By the time I registered with the site - as far as putting in my name and email and selecting a password - I got a message telling me that I requested 1 pair of the boots but they only had 0, please adjust the amount or remove the item. Huh? My boots were just snagged out of my cart! Did someone else get them?

I didn't think to screenshot the first time, but I tried a different size only to have the same thing happen:

I tried several more times, and just got messages that the item was not available or out of stock or else the server timed out. I guess everyone else was interested in saving 80% too.

Frustrating, but I guess that means I wasn't supposed to get those particular boots - and I saved myself $46.95. Maybe I could use that for some Dansko boots or the Ariat ones I was looking at last year? Or maybe I should just wear the $13 ones I bought at Walmart for a few more winters...

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 29

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

We went to the first high school football game of the year last Friday night.  Usually the band plays, but since school hadn’t started yet, they didn’t.  We went anyway since I bought the passes at registration, and it’s a pretty enjoyable way to spend an evening.  Cory, the only one who actually attends school there, stayed home. 

Our team did pretty well.  Sometimes the other teams are a lot bigger and better, and we all wish they’d take weight loss supplements, stop lifting weights, and skip practice for  a month or two so our team would have a chance.  This time, though, our team was ahead 13-0 with 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter.  And then the ref paused the game because of lightning – and according to state law, once the  ref mentions lightning, the game cannot resume for at least 30 minutes – from the last lightning strike.  It was still a ways off, and probably wouldn’t have even gotten to us until the game was over, but it was too late.  We decided not to wait around to see if the game would resume and just came on home, so I don’t know if they ever finished the game.

It was still a lot of fun, and I took some pictures of the sky, too – of course.

The moon was still visible, hadn’t even been covered by clouds by the time we left.  By the time we got home, the moon was gone, and it wasn’t long before we got some good rain – and sitting at home, inside where it’s dry, was much better than sitting out at a football game.  Definitely.

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Oh, the Things Kids Do

It's always amazing to see the things kids can come up with to get themselves into trouble. I watched a couple videos on YouTube this morning that feature one little guy who just doesn't learn. There was one called Kids aren't that smart - Bars.



And this other one about the boy and his cat.



The cat one really reminded me of when Beth was little and how she always wanted to 'love' the cat, even though he told her quite clearly that he wanted to be left alone, until finally he had to resort to biting her.

Of course the videos got me to wondering where this little guy's parents were - because he really could have used some supervision. Kids aren't always smart enough to know what's best, that's why they need two parents to take care of them! Unfortunately, unless you remember how to think like a kid, it's sometimes hard to imagine what they might do until they actually do it. At least it was for me.

What are some of the things your kids did that left you shaking your head and wondering why it ever entered their little heads to do that?

How He's Grown!

I always used to take pictures of the kids on their first day of school. Middle School started and that tradition somehow got lost in the shuffle of rushing out the door to catch the bus. But since yesterday was Cory's first day of his last year of high school, I thought it would be a good idea to get a picture or two, and then compare to his first day of kindergarten.

Here he is (along with his sister) on his first day of kindergarten in 1997:


and here he is yesterday on the first day of his SENIOR year:


All grown up! Where did the time go? He's still the same sweet, huggable guy - just taller, and his toys have changed a little bit, from Hot Wheels, blocks, and Beanie Babies, to computers, cameras, and video games. He's turned into quite a handsome young man!