Hell....

I have this list of items that really "grate my nerves" or "get my goat" or makes me " see red" like these 4 items.



1:  Carpet.
It is very lovely when brand-new.  So soft under the feet.  So nice to lie down on when watching TV or whatever.  It is all fun and games until someone spills a whole cup of Sunny D and doesn't tell you about it until days later.  Or when you are trying to potty-train a cute puppy.  Or when a child tracks mud and other grime from outside.  I know we could have avoided a lot of the muck if we had the "no shoes inside" rule or didn't get a puppy....but I like wearing shoes and love my dog and children....plus I didn't want to stress over the floors anymore than I had to!!


When my parents built their house in 1980 my mother wanted all hard-surface floors.  NO CARPET.  I never understood until I had my own home.  We built our house in 2002 and went ahead and had the carpet put down because it was included in the price...but we knew eventually it would be trashed.  A few years later we got hard wood.  Best. investment. ever.  I respect the "no shoes" rule at other people's houses and have lots of respect for their clean carpets!  

2.  Grout
Ok...so a few years ago Richard and I (mainly me) installed our own tile in the kitchen and sunroom.  HUGE project.  never do it again.  unless I have to.  Saved thousands though and only messed up once....which you really can't do since it is permanent...but that isn't my complaint.  The grout.  It gets dirty so easily.  Yes...i sealed it.  twice.  If I could change something it would have been the color I chose.  Our tile color is a little lighter than this picture but the grout was about that shade of beige.  In the beginning you could see the dirty grout...but now as I look around it all looks the same dark brown/ dirt color so it is OK:)  I don't notice it as much.   I have looked into cleaning products but that will not last that long.  looked at better sealants and/or staining it another color ....who cares, right?

3.  Holly Bushes
Sure...they are cute when they are small(just like a puppy) but they grow up(although my dogs have stayed cute!).  And before you know it...the 14 holly bushes that were planted along the front of your house are  thick and prickly and overgrown and taking over your sidewalk.  As they got more mature they were very difficult to control and i swear they grew overnight.   Oh...and trying to haul away the clippings....torture.

So what are your options?  Hack away with a dull shrub trimmer  and lop off the bottom branches?  Try to shape them but cutting away so much that it looks like a midget tried to prune them....so you just cut it down to the ground level?  Or borrow a chainsaw and cut them all down while laughing maniacally?  All of the above.

The ONLY good I saw from these devil-bushes was keeping away the riff raff like in this picture  (when I was googling a picture of the bushes this came up...."ways to keep your house safe"...it looks like 2 teenagers trying to escape...not burglars!


















4.  Weed Eaters or String Trimmers

Oh...this is making me 'see red' and I haven't even written 20 words!  Imagine your yard needs to be mowed....and you know those places where the lawn mower just won't reach...no matter how many times you back up and bump the swing set and almost run into the house?  Those places the need a string trimmer?  Ok...so imagine you have just spent an hour mowing the lawn and are ready make your yard sparkle by taking care of the trim work.  You make sure the trimmer is gassed up....have pushed that little bulb 10 times...moved the choke to 'full'....done all the steps and then start pulling.  nothing.  you go through the steps again and start pulling.  oh...you get excited because it starts to cough and then it dies.  once again all the steps and it starts!!!  angels start to sing.  Ok....so you move the choke down to the "run" position and it dies.  Imagine doing this for 20 minutes. Oh...yes it did eventually run for about 5 minutes and then die....so i would have to start. all. over.
I have never "screamed out of frustration" so loud-and so many times-  in my life!  I didn't even care what the neighbors or the missionaries thought.  Oh...and when you do get the demon started and then the string runs out...what now?  Try restringing it.  Just try.  Aint' that easy.  And then you remember how much you paid for this machine....putting up a little more money to get one that would start each time.  geesh.  Makes me want to put down astro turf like they do in Florida!

So there is my list of items that are probably in Hell.  Carpet, Holly Bushes, grout and String Trimmers.  The end.

School Already....YAY!!

Yes. School is back in session!  I love the summers.  I especially loved the independent age of Fia and Nate this year because I could keep my teaching schedule without worrying about them being bored at the gym while waiting on me!!  So it was SOOOOOO nice when they could stay home and mindlessly waste brain power in front of the TV and computer while I was off galavanting in town!

But alas...that fun had to end.  School officially started Friday August 5th.  Big milestone for Sophia because she was going to Middle School(new school, teachers, people, rules, etc) and for Nate because he was going to be all alone at the elementary school.  Thankfully he has a reputation at that school...one that has earned respect from the teachers.  Doesn't that face just scream 'respect the Nate'?

(and it is the i-may-scowl-but-i-really-dont-hate-you-or-mean-any-disrespect reputation')

Turns out I stressed out WAY more than they ever did.  Nate had no qualms about being the only Villamor at school(can you see his 'i can handle this' look on that face?....or is that the 'i hate school and i hate pictures' face...or maybe it is the 'can i watch TV' or 'can i have ice cream' face.  He has so many it is hard to tell).  Sophia was a little nervous but walked into LCMS like a big girl and had to fight off her Daddy wanting to walk her inside!  I could tell I stressed out too much when i was so exhausted Friday night.  I was so relieved when the afternoon rolled around and I saw that they both survived the first day(Nate actually got an award for following directions the best on day 1!)...when i saw they were OK i relaxed a little and man was I tired!

Sophia loves to pose....see her bent knee?   so big!

Registration was a zoo that took 1 1/2 hours to complete and we left the school hot, bothered and with a messed up schedule and had no idea when school started/ended.  So i was soooo excited when she got in the car and told me about her new schedule-complete with chours!  And her best friend was in all her classes.  And her friend from Junior University was in her classes and her boyfriend-stalker 

wasn't in any of her classes!!  It is going to be an awesome year!!

SOphia is the best at keeping traditions.  I started making a school bus cake the night before school started back when Fia went to K.  She has made sure we have done it ever since! It is fun and yummy!

I just included this one to show the world what a beautiful smile Nate does have!  I hope he shows it more in pictures this year....yeah right!(this was taken in 2009)

wounded Warriors

The first weekend in May i participated in a 50 mile bike race to support the Wounded Warrior project. I have ridden on the road a couple times last year and loved it. So fun. 

There were 2 distances you could sign up for....25 and 50 miles.  Hmmm...i haven't been on the bike in a year which should i do??  50 of course!  I was a little worried about how my butt would handle it since i hadn't been on the road this year but I had nothing to lose and there are always motorcycles or fire trucks ready to take wimpy-riders back to their cars if they have to stop;) 

Here are my fearless riding buddies. Mark(far left) finished his race in @2.5 hours. He was going for speed and didn't stop at the rest areas at all-he was 4th overall. Jody and Susan and I took all the stops and finished in @4 hours:) The stops were at mile 10, 25, 35 and 50. We needed each one. The only bad part was the traffic. We were riding through Alphraetta, Ga on a Saturday morning @830am. There were lots of traffic lights and stop signs. That was pretty frustrating but on the 2nd loop we had it down. It gave us LOTS of opportunities to practice clipping in and out of our bikes! We all felt pretty confident about that and i felt more confident with riding in a group and with cars around(although that still frightens me !)

THis race was also a hand-cycle race. The proceeds benefitted the Wounded Warrior project-they help the wounded soliders when they come back from war.  These riders were the true athletes!

There weren't many who did the 50 mile race.  It was a down-and-back course so after we rested and started back we realized not many were going out again.  There were 3 of us and along the way we caught up with this guy.  Jerry.  Like Susan said-it was nice to have a man around!  He said he enjoyed riding with "tough girls"...that's right Jerry! Don't mess with shorty(look how short I am!!)  When we rode in for our finish everything was almost packed up. There were less than 10 volunteers left and they did clap for us but I wanted more of a welcome! They had already deflated the start/finish arch (pic 1).  The free massage-person had already left!  All the good snacks were gone!  Oh well....it was a fun day and I did fine!  Now I want to do a Century ride this year!!

Cricket

August 8,1995- March 18, 2011

Well...we finally got the courage to let Cricket go. It was so very hard to do. The kids don't know yet...they just haven't noticed that she isn't on her chair. I am avoiding that conversation.

Cricket wasn't sick like other dogs who have to be "put down" which made this decision a little more tough.  She was still eating and would use the bathroom outside when we put her out there.  These were always the signs that let you know your animal was alright.  But she couldn't see, hear or smell.  She couldn't find her way around the house or outside.  We kept her in the chair most of the day so she wouldn't wander the house.  But if we weren't around to get her down when she needed she would fall as she tried to get down.  Last night we came home to find her wandering the house which meant she fell off the chair again.  After cleaning up her messes I found her in the middle of the sunroom floor.  She was trying to go somewhere and just got too tired to keep going I guess.  Richard and I just looked at each other and knew today would be the day.

I started crying when i made the appointment.  I cried when we walked into the vet.  I cried when the Dr. walked into the room.  I cried when they gave her the sedative(just to relax her before the final shot).  Then she calmed down and went to sleep.  It was nice to hold her like this.  She hasn't wanted to be held or cuddled for SO long.  About 5 minutes later the Dr. came back in and administered the shot that would stop her heart.  I didn't cry much anymore.  I felt peace.  I think I am a little numb right now and i know it will be hard again when we try to explain it to Fia and Nate...but until then I think i will enjoy the lull and take a nap:)

Cricket was our first baby.  She was loved by so many....she was never the stereotypical small dog.  She wasn't nippy, didn't bite and put up with A LOT of attention from little kids, a cat and a few puppies we brought into our lives.  Oh... and she was the BEST bed warmer.  She had this ferocious growl when she would play tug-of-war that made everyone pause.  I think that was one of Granny's favorite traits of hers.  She was the best traveling companion and loved to hear the words "want to go for a ride?".  When we would travel to Alabama she  would curl up on my chest.  It was a balancing act but not a dangerous one.  I had taught her how to turn on the blinker and wipers so actually she was a big help.  She never mastered shifting gears though.  :)

Obviously death is never easy and the pain is unique but it was for the best.  It is amazing the bond that forms between and animal and their human companions.   Cricket will be deeply missed by so many.

Dear Nate

Dear Nate,

Why did you have to grow up? Why didn't you listen to me when you were 3....i specifically told you to stop growing up!!

Sigh

You know how my belly hurts when i see your sores...like the small blister on your collar bone that was caused by the hot popcorn kernal that flew out of the popper when you thought it would be funny to lift the lid?? And you know how you like to show me your boo-boo's to make me wince...which makes us both laugh?

It is so very hard to look at these pictures. It makes my belly hurt. Why do you enjoy hurting your mother like this?

What? You don't know how to stop doing it? It is fun to make me furrow my brow in pain? Well...i know how you can stop. Quit growing up please. Then I won't have to find pictures like these in my closet, frown and grab my belly because it is hurkin'.

Love,

Mom.

summer breeze....

Last night I was looking through our pictures and came across these. It hurts to look at these. So i decided I should blog about the hurt.

Sophia got this $20 Barbie tricycle when she was potty-trained...or maybe it was when she gave up her pacifer...but anyway she was 3 when we bought this for her. She LOVED this trike. LOVED it. She rode it until the wheels cracked. She cried when I threw it away.

When we built our house in 2002 we were able to hand-pick our lot. We purposefully chose this lot for the cul-de-sac. It is the perfect place to ride bikes, play ball, etc. We spent many days out riding our bikes and enjoying the weather.

Sophia loved to feel the wind in her face -as you can see in the sequence of the pictures. See the determination on her face in the first one....she is trying so hard to get enough speed. In the 2nd shot she is letting up on the speed and tilting her head back.....

Ahhhhh.....eyes closed...basking in the cool breeze. If you look closely you can see her squishy forehead. I loved kissing that forehead. Now it isn't so squishy:(.

She still loves feeling the wind in her face. When we pull into our neighborhood she will stick her head out the window. So next time you see us coming down Sweetwater Court look for Sophia's head out one window and Obie's out the other!

Nate

recently we were struggling with Nate to fix his hair daily...when he wakes up it looks like a rat's nest. he has no problem with it looking like this and his argument was it was his hair and he should be able to look like he wants. well...son...not when it looks like that! he can cut it if he wants. once he found out that his best friend Jacob isn't allowed to wear his hair messy he stopped fighting me. here is a recent conversation we had while I was applying some curl creme...

Nate: "Mom. You know why I dont' like my hair?"

Me: "Why?"

Nate: "Because it rhymes with 'girls' "

Me: "What? it does?"

Nate: "Girls-Curls"