Smart Dog?

This morning, just like every other school day, Tucker accompanied us to the bus stop. He did the usual sniffing and loving and then the bus came. Our bus driver Norm, a lovable Santa-like guy, was not driving the bus. Tucker gave a couple of deep barks and started for the bus door. It seems that he noticed Norm's absence and wanted to warn the kids!

More on the Floor

It's official, the family room is the only room left to finish.

I think there will be some flooring leftover. Perhaps we will continue the saga upstairs!!!

Final Day in Beaufort

Our last day with Larry & Nancy was spent enjoying the outdoors.
We went down the street (walking distance) to the dock to do some crabbing.

CJ caught 3, Steve got 1 and I got 4.

While there we got to watch the fighter jets as they were coming around for a landing.

On the way back to the house we stopped to say hi to a couple of alligators living in one of the ponds,nice neighbors but not real talkative!!!

We made a stop at the Gay Fish Co., so that CJ could continue his seafood fest. We picked up some scallops and fresh caught shrimp to serve with our crabs from earlier.

What a great way to wrap up our trip.

Thanks Loepers for a great Spring Break!

Seafood Boy

Remember when CJ wouldn't try new foods? All of that has changed. On this trip he has had Charleston shrimp and grits, oysters, steamed clams and shrimp. While not a fan of OldBay he loves steamed clams and shrimp. He definitely took advantage of the all you could eat buffet!

Hilton Head

Any time spent on the beach is a good time! CJ brought his army men and created the Battle for Hilton Head. Larry helped out by bombing the soldiers with 'shells'.

Out on the Boat

The guys went fishing and Nancy and I enjoyed the sites.

The fish were hiding, the dolphins and pelicans were not. A pelican spotted us and came in close hoping for a free meal. It was amazing seeing him come in for a landing.

We also got to see a couple of dolphins up close. They were swimming beside us and under the boat. It was amazing, they seemed to be having as much fun seeing us as we did seeing them.

On the Deck of USS Yorktown

Docked at Charleston, SC are a battleship, Coast Guard cruiser, submarine and an aircraft carrier. While the other ships were interesting the aircraft carrier, USS Yorktown, held the most interest. Because of the immense size, we had to keep reminding ourselves that we were on an ocean going vessel not standing in a large building! CJ is standing at the front of the ship and behind him is the new bridge over the Cooper River.

Mmmm...

Can't you just smell the salt in the air?

A Riddle

Momma always told us not to draw on the table so when given the opportunity we take it. While waiting on dinner (and enjoying some microwbrews) Steve drew this picture and asked us what it was. Any ideas?

Mary's Little Slice of Heavan

This is Charleston's Shrimp and Grits. I had read about it and wanted to try it. It was wonderful beyond all expectations. The grits were buttery perfection, the shrimp was fresh and yummy and it was all smothered in a spicy sauce that makes my mouth water thinking about it.

Best Friends

The

pictures

say it all.

The Work Continues

The new floor is making its way to the family room. Steve says he can see the light at the end of the tunnel. The hall and the kitchen are almost done, the floor is down now the baseboards and quarter round need to be installed.

Little Bites of Heaven

The mini brownies are favorites around here. The idea came from MaryKate who made them at Christmas. It was then that C.J. decided they were little bites of heaven. I made some for bunco and some for the boys. Steve and C.J. ate just as many as the Bunco Ladies.

I Can See!!!

I finally gave in and got bifocals, three years after the eye doc first suggested that I might be needing them. Only it wasn't the doc's 'suggestion' that convinced me. I didn't have any problems with the fine print, as long as CJ was around to read it for me!!! Now I can read all by myself.

The Concept of Time

The mornings are full of reminders of how much time there is until we need to be downstairs, done breakfast, or at the bus stop.
It always seemed to surprise C.J. that time had passed since my last time statement. So I bought him a watch.
This morning after breakfast he looked at it and realized it was just about time to go to the bus stop. I am not so naive as to think that this will be the end of my 'nagging', but I can always hope!

Swimming Video

A Good Deed

On Saturday, while still full from pancakes, we encountered a wild swan at the front of the subdivision. As we were coming home, we noticed a big white bird laying on its back flapping its feet. Realizing that most feathered friends flap their wings not their feet, we knew something was wrong and stopped to help.

Steve was able to turn the swan over and get him to a sitting position. We found out from a someone else that three swans had been flying together. This one hit the overhead wires and crashed in the field.

After many phone calls it was decided that the swan needed to be brought to the hospital. The swan had other plans, he hissed and grunted and took on an aggressive posture. Not wanting to tangle with an angry swan we left him with the promise to check on him regularly.

Checking on him proved pretty easy. As we came to the subdivision entrance we would check the traffic, if it was slow we knew he would be there. And, he was there for a long time. Our last sighting was at 5:15, 5 hours after we first saw him. When we came back, with our pal the vet, at 8:30pm, he was gone. With no evidence that he became dinner for our neighborhood coyotes, we are hopeful that he recovered fully and has found his friends.

Saturday Morning Breakfast

We were happy to support local youth soccer this weekend. Especially since it involved entertainment, a full belly and no cleanup! With my second and last final done (yep an A in both classes), we headed off to the middle school for an all you can eat breakfast of pancakes and sausage. The entertainment was the pancakes or rather the pancake maker. Chris Cakes makes the pancakes and if you want one you have to catch it! Fortunately he's really accurate, but you have to be paying attention. A few were dropped and that was part of the fun.

Fun with the Carnahan Boys

Today I picked up CJ and his pals Matt & Tim from school and went to a local retirement home to play chess. The event was set up by our former CubMaster, Jane. Only a couple of residents stopped to play a game, the others wandered by and smiled. The boys all enjoyed playing against a tremendously talented chess player, he played the 4 boys all at one time!
Getting together with Matt & Tim is never complete without playing at one house or the other, so back to the Ziejewskis for some dinner and fun. They are a delight to watch and listen to!!!!

Hmmm....

With the time change for Daylight Savings Time we have had some trouble getting up on that first Monday morning. This past Monday was no exception. Thoughts turned to how we could have prepared for it better. Those thoughts didn't get very far, as I was stripping C.J.'s bed I found his DS and games hidden under his pillow. Maybe it wasn't the time change that made him tired!!!
He has since left it at a friend's house, now he will get a good night's rest.

Progress!

The new floor is coming along nicely. The house feels so much cleaner. And, it looks more like us each day!!!

Selling my wares!!

Tonight I posted stuff for sale on Craigslist. I struggle with donating vs. selling, so we'll see how it goes. CJ was excited to see his games listed. He is already planning ways to spend the money he'll earn.

Chess has become a favorite of CJ's. He and his friend Matt met with the Principal at school to ask permision to begin a chess club. She was impressed with the boys planning and granted their wish. The club started today with at least 10 kids. They held it in the Library during recess. The next meeting is Thursday.

C.J. the fish is getting to be quite the swimmer.

January 2009

Steve's Birthday

January is Birthday Month!!

CJ turned 11 and got a new bike. He also got to play in the snow! He celebrated with birthday cookie for several days.

Then came more snow!