Have Plenty of Flower...but I Need More Flour

Bethany got to experience her first percussion ensemble practice Thursday night. It was 2 1/2 hours long. She will be playing bells. She seemed to really enjoy herself. I'm just glad to hear that this one boy that was a grade ahead of her that she seemed to be smitten with the year before, has dropped out of band. Otherwise she would have been at those percussion practices with him for hours. I wasn't too fond of him...he wore weird clothes and did weird things with his hair. I said something to her about him quitting band. She just shrugged and said, "he was weird anyway." whew.

The church softball team won their game Friday night 21-19. The team they played was the league leader. With this win, our team and that team are tied for first place. TJ only got to be up to bat once. The pitcher walked him becuz he couldn't pitch to him. You know, TJ isn't all that tall and on top of it, he crowded the plate. The pitcher threw his hands up in the air and said, "Just take your base buddy." Troy only got one time up to bat, too, but he struck out. He said he swung at the wrong kinda ball. I think it would have been okay if he had put a wee bit more 'umph' behind it. He played catcher for the last half of the game.

Going into the bottom of the 7th our team was up by 8 points. Then the other team started coming back. I held my breath cuz I thought our team was going to pull a 'Cavs'. But their batters wanted to hit homeruns and hit too many fly balls. We have a pretty good outfield. The guy playing first base for the last couple of innings worried me. I think he greased his glove!

The kids took Max to the dog park this afternoon. I have taken him there a few times this week. When I took him there was only one or two other dogs there. He was a little timid at first but he was learning how to 'socialize'. The kids said that today there was A LOT of dogs there and Max had himself a great time. They played catch with him and he was running and jumping with the other dogs. I think he is probably in doggy heaven when he goes there.

I have been digging and transplanting and getting rid of weeds and excess plants around here. I took all the bleeding hearts from the back of the house and planted them in the front where everyone can see them (they are HUGE!) I also transplanted some butterfly bush to the front. The wild geranium plant is too big for the place where it is so I have another spot to put it out where the sidewalks come together at the corner. Since digging up and getting rid of the yucca plants in that garden, there is a big empty space.

I tell you one thing, when I came in, and after my shower, I was moving very slow. I always do after digging out there. But I felt worse this time than any other. Troy gave me some Advil and that made a HUGE difference! What a relief. He says he takes it everytime he goes golfing. I AM only 48...right? Feel more like 78.

Wait..I can't say that. The guy that coaches our church softball team is 78...and he plays too. He goes golfing with Troy. He golfs at least 3 times a week. When he plays ball, he can RUN! I don't believe I have ever seen a guy his age that moves like he does. Heck, I don't see many guys MY age that moves like he does!

Tomorrow morning, before the heat hits, I will be out there in the back yard with the shovel again. I want to finish getting things cleared out before the next round of thunderstorms descends upon us. It may be a bit late, but hopefully this coming weekend Troy can get the tomato, squash, and cucumber plants in.

There is one really nice thing about all these plants this woman put in...she has 4 rose bushes (of varying pink hues) planted by the side windows of the Florida room. When I slide those windows open that perfume wafts in and it is wonderful! If the wind is blowing good enough, it will blow across the pink carnation plant out by the sidewalk, then through the roses and in through the window. Even Max will stand there with his nose in the air sniffing when the wind blows in. He must like the smells cuz he will close his eyes and keeping sniffing as if to say, "Ahhh, this is better than when the grill is going." LOL

Troy has been grilling. He grilled up some steaks on Friday night. Saturday evening, Amy and Amber were here for dinner. We had grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. They couldn't wait to dig in. I had also baked some cookies and they pigged out on those. I guess all that walking up town and back made them pretty hungry. LOL

This is Bethany's last week of school. TJ is still working on stuff. His English teacher never quits. He also has a few projects he is finishing and has until June 9to get them in. There are also a few final exams. He is trying to finish the year with some really good grades.

I am STILL sending out resumes. I put in for an HR internship with a big company... but they are located at the southern end of Dayton. Not sure if that will work out. I also applied for an administrative job with a large medical equipment company in the next town. Hey...I'm trying for just about anything at this point. Things are tough. I have been out of the work force for quite a while and there are LOTS of experienced ppl out there vying for these openings.

All in God's time...He will give me the right job at the right time. It is up to me to keep trying.

Getting There

Friday night was a pretty good night. Bethany went swimming at Amy's then spent the night at Amber's. They made s'mores. Our church had a softball double-header. TJ and Troy both played. The first game they won 11-2 and the second game they called off early becuz our team was ahead 19-7. I guess the rule is that if one team is 11 points ahead by the bottom of the 5th, the game gets called. TJ and Troy both scored in that one...TJ had a hit but Troy got walked becuz the pitcher didn't know how to pitch to a left handed batter. LOL The boys both had hits in the first game, too, but didn't get the chance to make it around the bases.

Saturday, Amber came and spent the day here. Her family all had places to go and she and Bethany were bored so they took a walk uptown and back. Troy was playing golf with the guys from the church. I was baking and doing laundry and cleaning (I really know how to live it up!). TJ went to the Reds/Indians game with his friend Steven and his family. He had a pretty good time...especially considering he was wearing an Indians shirt in Reds territory and the Indians WON!

Today, there was a big farewell dinner after church for Kirsten and Wes Deskens. They have both grown up in that church. They are my and Troy's ages. Wes had a job for many many years with one of the airlines at the Dayton Airport. The airline made the decision to close down their hub at this airport and in order for Wes to keep his employment with them, he had to be transferred to Austin, TX. They have a daughter that has one more year of school to go. I had gotten to know Kirsten a little but she is rather quiet. Wes is more boisterous and makes himself known. They have given a lot of time and energy to the church.

After the dinner, TJ went off to Ross' house (one of the boys at the church that is also on the softball team) and Bethany is off at Amber's again for a cookout. That leaves me and Troy awaiting the Cavs-Magic game.

Bethany would have been in the parade in the morning but since she is taking percussion lessons, and hasn't had enough, the band director told her she didn't have to play her trumpet either and just skip this parade. I guess I will use her trumpet and play in the church orchestra.

Not sure what all else this week will bring. Hope it brings a sign of a job for TJ and myself. Bethany has 8 more days of school. Technically, TJ has until June 9th BUT half of his teachers are not giving out anymore work or tests after May 29th. So he will have little to do after this coming Friday.

Hope everyone has a good week!

Same

It has been more than a week since I put up a post. Look at it this way...'no news' is 'good news'. I don't have anything to add. The same things are going on.

I am still putting out applications and the kids are still in school. TJ is still playing on the church softball team, Bethany is still taking percussion lessons, Troy is still doing a wee bit of traveling.

This has been a very wonderful week, weather wise. I have been trying to undo all the garden problems. I had been making some great 'headway' with it until we got days and days of rain. Now it is worse than before I even started. "have shovel and hoe, will travel". More and more plants and flowers keep springing up...things I didn't even know were here!

The irrigation system guy came yesterday and moved the sprinklers off the backdoor neighbor's lawn. Hopefully that will make him happy. It SHOULD have been done a decade and a half ago!

Okay...back to my job searching. This is getting tedious and I wonder if it will ever end.

Happy Mother's Day!

A MOTHER’S PRAYER
Father in heaven:
You have given me the privilege of being a mother—
You have entrusted these precious children to my care here on earth -
You feel that I am the best person to love, nurture and teach them—
You have confidently placed this heavenly treasure into my trust—
Thank you, my Father and my God.
Thank you—
For choosing me—
For giving me this opportunity—
For being willing to help me especially -
When I get impatient, angry or disappointed,
When I get frustrated, make mistakes and need forgiveness.
Thank you for your forgiveness and love—
Thank you.
I pray—
Help me to teach my children how special you are,
How much you love them and want them to follow you;
Help me to be able to show them personally how I love you
And how I accept your forgiveness
By how I love and forgive them.
Help my children to become young people and adults
Who will be able to depend on you
As they commit their lives to follow you.
Amen.
Copyright by June Friesen 5/09

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Our church league softball team played its first game Friday night. Since TJ is a new comer, along with another boy from the church, they didn't play any defense but they got to bat. TJ was 2 for 2 and scored on his first hit. He also did an unintentional slide to first base on this second hit...yikes! I got the mud out of his shirt. LOL But he felt good about it all!

Now that school is winding down for this year, the band is getting busy. Bethany has a concert on Thursday night, contest on Friday night and they will be going to Kings Island on Saturday. She also has her percussion lessons on Wednesday night. Not much down time for her! She is getting excited!

Tomorrow Becky wants me to come over to her house. I promised to bring her some extra plants in the backyard that she wants...let for me to take care of!

Wednesday TJ and I will be on the MySchoolMyChoice chartered bus heading to the State House in Columbus for the rally. He is not happy with having to get up quite so early in the morning to catch the bus but I think he will like the experience. It is a great up close and personal view of democracy in action!

Troy's week is in flux due to some problems that some customers are having with some equipment. He is unable to do a solid schedule for where he is going to be when.

I am still applying to jobs. sigh...someday!

The neighbors behind us finally got a survey done on the land and NOW we can plan our fence project. We might not get it up right away, but it will get there. Just glad not to have to hassle with those ppl anymore. They had to put a new roof on this weekend, too, becuz the big wind storm we had last September (October?) caused some damage.

The Kyles across the road came home this last week. They were the ones that had a tree uprooted in their front yard during the wind storm. Yesterday it was quite windy too. I saw him in the front yard and ran over and said, "you came back just in time for another big wind!" He just laughed and said he wasn't giving up another tree.

It is very sunny today and the winds have died down. Max ate his breakfast with me in the Florida room. Troy made it, we ate it! LOL

This and That

Bethany made it through the Relay for Life. She just didn't make it through the overnight camping! TJ went to the fairgrounds with Steven becuz Steven had to run his part at 1 in the morning! They no sooner got home when the phone rang and it was Bethany. TJ and Steven drove back out to the fairgrounds and picked her and her stuff up and brought her home. It was pretty cold that night!

The garage sale didn't go as well as I wanted. We did not sell the cooktop and oven. I had to put them on Craig's List. Haven't gotten too many inquiries, yet.
Hope I do soon!

TJ is going to get a lesson in 'politics' up close and personal. Next Wednesday he and I are boarding a charter bus and heading into Columbus to the Ohio State House for a rally. I belong to a group called MySchoolMyChoice and they are hosting a large rally of parents and students from charter schools and online education. Governor Strickland is cutting the education dollars to those types of schools so drastically that it will put a lot of them out of business. None of it makes sense becuz if the students can't go to a charter school or an online school then they will HAVE to go to the public schools and it will cost the state just as much. It is just a ploy by the Teacher's Union to get bodies back into the public schools. Teachers from private charters and online schools do not have to belong to the State Teachers Union. The Union wants more students in the public schools so that the public schools will need more teachers...and that means more union dollars. The unions run the government.

Okay...enough of my soapbox. It just aggravates me. Can you tell?

Troy has been in Indiana most of the week. Friday night is TJ's first church softball game...maybe. If the weather cooperates. Friday morning he is going to help (and so am I) unload the truck from Second Harvest that provides canned food for our church food pantry. Troy is supposed to be the one doing it but...he's not here. However, Saturday morning, Troy is going to be over in the church kitchen helping to make lunch for us women for Mother's Day. Even though it is a Mother's Day luncheon, the daughters are allowed to go so Bethany is going with me.

I must go. My across the road neighbor, Becky, is coming over soon. I think this is the first time I've ever had 'coffee' with a neighbor. She just seemed so excited about it. I don't think she gets out much when she isn't working.