Today

We are good.
Miss Brunette missed a group project yesterday.
Now, she has to do it alone.
I am off to get a list of various colors of Play-doh.
She tells me that she made the Principal's List.
Woo Whoo!
Blonde Girl is driving her crazy,
so she is going with me.
I also need to find a Hawaiian themed dress.
Blonde Girl hates to shop.
I am only going as far as Ross.
We are having a big party for my teaching partner's big birthday.
That is why I need a dress.
I don't wear that much print,
certainly not Hawaiian.
Love Man had a procedure on his veins.
He is doing fine.
We are counting the days until he is back in the Valley of the Sun.
The dogs are fine.
My dumb neighbor has chickens,
yes chickens,
in his back yard.
The dogs have gone insane barking at them.
It is a new trend here,
harvest the eggs and kill scorpions.
I will not take part in this trend.
I am surprised he is getting away with it.
Wait until the Homeowner's Association finds out.
Sometimes I feel as if I have never left Iowa.

Behold, Behold

Pot #2,

as purchased at the auction for $250.

Miss Brunette does not feel well today.

I am taking her to the doctor later this morning.

Blonde Girl felt she should also get to stay home.

She went to school,

grudgingly.

This is Miss Brunette's first absence of the year.

We really don't get sick.

I think I made them sick a lot when I first starting working at SRP.

Now, we rarely get sick.

Blonde Girl has only missed two days.

This and That

Okay, I did spend the better part of Friday grouting that dumb pot.
I still need to clean it up a bit, but it will be done this week.




.
The girls were busy as usual.
Blonde Girl and Miss Brunette had playdates on Friday
The Green Machine won their soccer game.
We went to church, bought groceries and household items.
Blah, blah, blah.


It has been terribly windy,
the desert is starting to bloom.
This is our purple sage.

Tomorrow is the Day

Tomorrow, I am tackling the pot.

The Cactus is Blooming

This is the cactus that is in the pot.

That fell off the saguaro,

when one of its arms fell.

We planted it in a large white pot.
Love Man was worried about the soil and thought we should re-plant it,

which is not that easy because of the needles.

It is now blooming!

Look at the blooms.

The saguaro flower is the state flower of Arizona.

The saguaro cactus is also protected by the state.

Today's Routine

We all got up at 6:00 a.m.
I had showered the night before and washed my hair to save time.
I made sure the girls were dressed.
Beloved Niece and I left for the airport at 6:27,
we intended to leave at 6:15.
The girls wanted to know,
"since we are dressed could we go back to sleep."
"Yes, until 7:00"
I drove Beloved Niece and DROPPED her off at the airport.
She went in by herself and called me once she was past security.
I, by this time, was driving home.
Miss Brunette called,
"She is not listening to me".
I think she sometimes gets a little "power mad".
I told her, "I am almost home"
Miss Brunette phoned again, "She is throwing lemon slices at me".
Another use for those lemons!
I got home,
all was well.
The girls finished eating.
Beloved Niece called to say she was boarding.
Miss Brunette's friend arrived,
she walks with us to school.
We left for school.
As I was leaving LOM Elementary,
Miss Brunette ran after me.
"I forgot my flute!"
I walked home.
As I was walking home,
it dawned on me,
that as I locked the house -
I did not bring the key.
I broke into the back.
All doors were locked.
You will be happy to know if the doors are locked,
you can only get in by breaking a window.
I did not break a window.
Then, I remembered the key that was under one of my front-yard pots.
I was back in the house.
I dropped off the flute.
I went to Circle K for a large diet dr. pepper.
I went to work,
only five minutes late.
Another day.
Work was fine.
One boy told me his dad slept naked.
The others chimed in as to how their dad's sleep.
I told them,
I was sure their parents would be happy they had shared this information and I laughed.
The boys laughed.
I came home.
I am alone in the house for the first time for about two weeks.
I tried to fall asleep on the sofa,
but the phone kept ringing.
Love Man called.
Someone called,
but I could not answer it in time.
Now, I am waiting for the girls to come home from school.
Homework.
Dinner.
Bed.

Springing the Break

We have had a great time on break.

If only Love Man were with us for the entire time.

We have shopped at all the bargain places,

Old Navy, TJ Maxx, World Market and Ross Dress for Less.

It was dress week at Ross.

We also went to the Pointe twice,

it is my country club.

We saw movies, went to my favorite hamburger spot,

went to the Farmer's Market downtown and generally had fun.

We skipped church and are all tan.

There was a lot of wind the other day.

It knocked four of the six remaining lemons to the ground.

Then, the damned neighbors lemons blew of their tree and into our yard!

We were laughing about the fact that we can't get away from the lemons.

I did paint some of my yard furniture.

I also re-purposed a broken wind chime and hung the parts in my lime tree.

We also bought jewels at the Dollar Tree and scattered them under our trees.
They look totally nice.

I wish Spring Break would last another week.

Okay, Okay

The comment section is back.
Click the green comment area under the posting,
then you can put in your email or anonymous or http address and leave a comment.
No one was leaving comments,
so I got rid of it.
You are a very observant group.
So, now that is it back leave a comment,
sign it with your name or initials (please) so I know who you are.

Kicked to the Curb

Love Man, no need to worry,
I schelped the garbage can to the curb.
It is full of about a million juiced lemons.
Then we have a lot of lemon tree branches and leaves.
Not to mention,
wood from the broken part of the bed.
I fully expect the City of Phoenix sanitation people to yell at me
because I didn't saw the wood in half.
Neighbor John mentioned that,
as he was wondering rather comically why I was photographing my garbage can.
It takes all sorts.

Seeing Yellow

They were selling these cute daffodils at Safeway,

not in water.

I have never seen them like that.

I took them home and in a couple of days,

beautiful blooms.

I really don't like the color yellow.

But, it is nice in daffodils and YES,

I have to say,

lemons.

Will You Just Look At This?

Our Corona lime tree has tons of blooms.

Okay, I am not sure if it is really a Corona lime tree,

but it produces limes that you use in Mexican beer.

Therefore, it is a Corona lime tree.

It has tons of blooms!

The entire tree is covered with them.

We usually get maybe 12 limes.

Enough.

Love Man said the beer in the house will have to match the limes.

Party!

Reducing the Number of Lemons

Love Man trimmed the lemon tree.
He cut many branches.
But, once these trees start producing tons of lemons,
there is no stopping them.


The girls are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Beloved Niece.
Her plane is delayed due to the GPS system not working properly.
That is important,
the passengers must change planes.
She is going to be about an hour late.



I need to put the cover on our pool to warm it up.
Not that that would deter the girls.
They have been swimming on and off since February.
They are insane.
I won't get in until the water temperature is 85 degrees.
I have my standards.

Guess What?

Guess what I have been doing?

Yes, that is one gallon pitcher of lemon juice.

Eight quarts of juice,

twelve pints of the stuff,

and I have seven bowls of lemons left.

Not to mention those on display in a lovely bowl.

Five lemons are left on the tree for Beloved Niece to pick.

Love Man trimmed the tree to make it more tree shaped.

I hope he was generous.

Spring Break and the Sun

We are good.

The girls and I are officially on Spring Break!

Miss Brunette did get the problem with her math grade sorted out.

Many of her assignments were not recorded.

The teacher only counts one missing.

Miss Brunette insists that she did it,

I told her to let it go.

Her grade is back to an A and the quarter ended on Friday.

Blonde Girl is already plotting how many sleep-overs she can have.

Love Man returns to the Northwest on Monday.

But, before he leaves he is going to sand Pot 1.

Beloved Niece arrives on Tuesday.

Love Man is in the House

Heee's back.

We ran errands today and had fun.

The girls were THRILLED to see him.

He is presently sitting out in the sun.

In - n - Out

It seemed like a sort of In-n-Out kind of night.

We dined there after soccer.

I am now officially on Spring Break!!

The girls are looking at two more days of school.

Love Man flies in tonight.

Love Man is bringing one pint pitchers that I saw in the Post Falls, ID Walmart.

They may only be available there and desperately needed in the kitchen at SRP.

Oh the glamour of it.

He was delighted for the errand.

The kitchen coordinator is picking them up in the morning.

The Adventures of a Mosaic Pot

This pot will be rehabbed and grouted in preparation for its new house.

I am going to sand it,

maybe that will take some of the junk off.

Who knows.

Love Man has another project!

Miss Brunette came home from school so upset.

It seems she is getting a D in math,

according to her midterms.

The teacher notes 23 missing assignments.

SHE NEVER TURNS ANYTHING IN LATE.

So, we dug through papers and the garbage trying to piece all of this together.

Why wouldn't the teacher call and say,

"I notice your daughter who has been getting an A all year is suddenly getting a D,

with many missing assignments."

It is her math teacher,

not her main teacher.

I just wanted a little peace in my land.

Another Pot?

There was a disagreement over the pot.
The winner of the pot thought the auction was over.
Another Mom is our class got the pot for $250.
We might be making yet another one!
This pot thing may never end.
I will talk to the new owner about a photo of the pot.

Some of Our Fabulous Items

Forgot my camera last night and didn't get a picture of Pot 2.

Emailed the lucky bid winner and I sure she will send it.

It looked amazing once the grout had dried.

The Sales

The garage sales were great.
We had a fabulous time and saw about every person we know.
Here is what we purchased. . . . .
Love Man will receive a sand wedge and a Nicholas big-headed club.
Apparently, there is this lawyer who gets paid in golf clubs when the clients can't pay.
He was selling about 200 clubs in sets and ala' carte.
It was wild.
They were all inventoried.
I phoned Love Man to find out what he needed.
He charged me $8 each for clubs that sell for hundreds of dollars apiece.
They were used, but maybe only a couple of times.
Also, a push golf caddy that folds up, $3
Blonde Girl got a pack back,
which she didn't need.
A pencil case.
Clip fake-diamond hoop earrings!
A brown and white chihuahua Webkinz,
without the codes to play on the computer for $1.
Webkinz apparently wash well,
it has already been in the machine.
Miss Brunette got a lovely evening bag that she can take to balls.
Those were her words and plans.
I got black oven mitts and hot pads, $1.
Hot rollers, which I bought for the clips and then found out they had never been used.
They were still rubber-banded in, $3.
A lovely large terra-cotta pot,
which we will always use, $3.
The best, brand new John Mayer and Five for Fighting cds $1 each.
The seller downloads them and didn't want the actual CD.
They had tons.
A Little Tikes grocery cart, for community week at SRP, 2.
That I could be reimbursed for!
A book, "Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind" for a quarter.
I think that is it!
We spent a total of $36.

Red Alert, Red Alert

I just returned from the auction.
Would have stayed later,
but girls were calling me wanting me to come home.
The pot sold for $220.
There is also interest in pot 1,
so maybe we can rehab it.

I Always Said I Was Craft Challenged

The pot is finished.

We got it finished and grouted,

spending the better part of the morning working on it.

I was going to take the girls over to see it,

but it had already been picked up.

Today is the MV Garage Sales.

Yipee!

I have gotten some fabulous things over the years,

I will take photos of the pot 2 at the auction tonight.

I will also take close up photos of pot 1.

We are still going to grout it and it will reside at my house.

My partner wants me to buy the pot tonight,

if the bids are low.

I will keep you posted.

Here are some examples of some of the loot I have acquired at the MV Garage Sales.

Free, originally brown.
Miss Brunette loves it.
It was at the end of the morning and the guy said "just take it"

Actually some great brand.

It was $11 and the Wizard of Odz lamp repairer offered me $100 for it.

I paid $11.
See the pictures on the wall?

The pictures were Miss Brunette' s LOM 3rd grade county fair project.

She got third place,

beaten out by pictures of dogs and puppies.

I don't think the judges believed she took them,

they are really great pictures of the wash across the street.

I love this.

I couldn't fit it in my car,

so the owner drove it to my house in his truck!

Naturally, I painted it Italian Green.

I bought two of them.

Tags were still on.

Why do people impulse purchase chairs?

Not the dogs, the green chair.

I have also gotten tons of platters, misc. serving pieces, a music stand, and other household things.
This chair is very Pottery Barn.

The dogs love it.

I woke them up taking this picture.

Work and Work and Work

Have finished pot number two.
Tomorrow I am going back to school to grout both of them.
Hopefully, nothing tragic will happen to mosaic pots overnight.
Been so busy this week,
I have not juiced any more lemons.
They are waiting for me on the tree.

I am a Pansy

I think the P-O-T is fine.
But, the elder members of my tribe think we need to re-do it.
My ex-teaching partner was awful,
so I am going with the flow.
I get to keep the pot.
The new one is better because we are making it with grout.
It does look better and someone will pay a lot of money for it.
I worked on it forever today.
I will work on it tomorrow.
The auction is Saturday.
If I were queen of the school,
I'd just go with it.

The Rock

Big news, they are selling Diet Dr. Pepper in the coke machine at work.
I have been asking for it since 1999.
Who drinks regular Mountain Dew?
That is a man's drink.
Only one man works at our school.
And, I happen to know he drinks Diet Dr. Pepper.
Everyone was congratulating me and giving me high-fives.
Okay, we are easily entertained.
But, if you are ever bored at a party,
talk to a teacher.
They are a lot of fun.


Bad news, the pot we have been tirelessly making for the SRP auction must be redone.
Apparently, the MAN at the Home Depot told me wrong.
We have to start all over.
I could have screamed.
This screwed up pot is coming home with me after we grout it.
I am sure the outside elements will knock some of the compound,
that will not come off, away over time.
It looks fine from a distance or in this photo.
However, people bid a lot of money for this stuff.
We are having a special emergency-pot-making-session after school tomorrow.
The auction is Saturday.
I am not sure if I am going.
It won't be as much fun without Love Man.

That Special Time of Year

I am beginning to juice the lemons.
The branches were starting to hang down.
I juice 3 bowls per time.
I think my goal this week will be 3 bowls a day.
I have not made a dent in the lemons.



I do have it down to a science.




See the bowls!



I now have 1 1/2 gallons of lemon juice.
I think I am going to freeze them in ball or kerr jars.
I have them from my mother giving me canned tomatoes.


My are now making lemonade all of the time.
We sweeten it with stevia.
I like the liquid the best.
It is a natural plant extract.
It is awesome,
without the sugar.


My Lemonade

2 cups of lemon juice
16 cups of water
4 - 6 drops of stevia


Enjoy!!!!!

Sun Time

My neighbors John and Carol would be so happy.
They love these flowers and have them everywhere,
when they are in season.
They started cropping up all over our yard and in some our pots.
Love Man thinks they are weeds.
I don't even know what they are.
I will have to ask them.
While they are blooming they are pretty.