And round we go again

It was another weekend filled with football, baseball, dog walks, and kitchen remodeling.

Full steam ahead

Wow. Somehow I made it to Friday. The worst part is next week I'll be in Orlando and it'll be even crazier. Yikes. At least we have the weekend ahead. And at least C-man does not have strep. (I took him for a rapid test last night to make sure.) And the weather is gorgeous. (Which means I'm running my bees another week. No frost = make the honey, ladies!) And my kitchen is getting mudded and sanded. (Drywall stuff) And Beerman made it home from his travels to Washington. So that's all good.

Deep breath. Football, baseball, paint buying, laundry, and packing ahead!

Thirsty Thursday

• I should probably drive north to see my bees this weekend because I haven't been there in 3 weeks. I've been debating whether leaving them for just one more week would be best to let them store what they can. After all, it's been in the 70s. But then I wonder if I should just harvest a little now and let the rest be theirs. Oh, the life of a first-year beekeeper is so unknown.
• The sunrise was amazing this morning. It is one great thing about fall. Spectacular sunrises.
• Beerman comes home today. Apparently to some drywall mud duties. That doesn't sound like fun at all.
• I have to order floor tile for the mudroom. Or closet. Or whatever it is we've created.
• C-man's favorite movies are currently The Waterboy and the latest version of The Longest Yard. Football really has taken over our lives. I don't know what he'll do in November.
• I'm breaking in another pair of shoes today. I know I've said it before, but there really needs to be a better way to do this. Ouch!

You can take your pumpkin spiced latte...

These days, I'm spending my time drowning my child with elderberry syrup and Advil so he can function; searching the entire city for the right shade of Old Masters Wipe On stain; special ordering kitchen doors at 8 p.m.; doing non-stop laundry for a kid who wears a school uniform during the day, sweaty sports clothes in the evening, and another set for bed; sneezing; and working like a crazy person for this major event I have to be at in Orlando next week. It wouldn't be so terrible if I could sleep at night. But melatonin, valerian, tramdol... nothing is doing it lately.

Honestly, you can take your fake pumpkin spiced everything and your Fall. I really just want to keep my summer!

Quietly busy

And here we go again

• I didn't go see my bees this weekend. I probably should have, but am really hoping there's enough goldenrold and field radishes  to get them through another week of honey making.
• I have to travel for work next Monday morning, but hopefully I can get up there on Sunday and harvest a little of the sweet sticky stuff. Not too much, because I don't think there is a lot to take. But just a little to make it all worthwhile.
• For those asking for a taste or a bottle, I really, really want to tell them to go spend thousands of dollars and tend their own darned bees. (That may be a beekeeper's version of, "Get off my lawn!")
• Maybe next year I'll have a surplus, but this year I'm going to be Stingy McStingy.
• C-man has started playing his trumpet. I can still play a scale. I was pretty impressed with myself, since I hadn't touched the thing in 20 years. I hope he enjoys it.
• In kitchen news, I think I picked out the backsplash and paint. This is good, because I'm terrible at this. Plus, what I really wanted (cute, tiny tiles) Beerman said "Absolutely not" to. (He doesn't want all the grout). So it's a compromise of subway sized tile and a strip of the tiny tiles.
• In other kitchen news, Beerman spent the weekend insulating the ceiling. I may have been freezing in the cold rain watching baseball on Sunday, but at least I wasn't doing that.
• After last night's loss, I think it's time to switch Harry's collar over to the Packers. Then again, after yesterday's loss, maybe he should go naked.

Let the craziness begin

The weekends really do go by too quickly. C-man has a cold, and I think my little snuggle face gave it to me. (Sitting in the cold rain at baseball today surely didn't help.) Not a great way to start a crazy work week before I have to travel. So tonight is grilled cheese and tomato soup and bad TV and early bedtimes for everyone!

Another Saturday, Another Game Day

Another weekend, another football game. The Jr. Knights won again. But between the rain and I don't know what, it wasn't pretty. C-man is not feeling well at all. It's just a cold, but you could tell he just wasn't playing very smartly on the field. Not bad, just not himself.

But he did get to be a captain. They lost the toss, but that's okay. It was still cool. And Beerman fulfilled one of our volunteer requirements by working the chain gang. He found it interesting that I signed up, but he was the one who had to do it. One of the perks of marriage, I suppose.

TGIF like I mean it

Dear Friday. I've waited all week for you. Maybe this weekend I'll have a chance to clean up the house (at least what I can) and do the laundry. I am debating whether I should wait another week before checking on my bees. I've never gone 3 weeks without peeking in on them, but am not sure what else I can do for them if I'm not going to pull the honey supers yet. (Because if I don't pull the supers, I can't start feeding, or I'll just get stored sugar water. And don't want to risk harvesting that!) C-man has a football game tomorrow and a baseball game on Sunday. Beerman is going to insulate the kitchen walls while Rusty is gone. And I think we all deserve a little sleep in time. Oh weekend, I'm so glad you're here.

Thursday Thirteen Things On My Mind

1. Work continues on the kitchen. I came home to a plywood floor yesterday, and it was amazing. You know, it's the little things.
2. C-man had football photos last night. Nothing like a bunch of 9 and 10 year olds acting tough for the camera. It was adorable.
3. I got some new shoes for work. They're really cute, but I'm in the "breaking in" stage.
4. One day, shoes will come already broken in to your foot. I sure hope that day is soon.
5. C-man has his first band class today. He chose the trumpet. He can't bring it home for a few weeks (they don't want them practicing the wrong stuff). I'm going to have to say that's a splendid rule.
6. Although, I am looking forward to seeing if I can still play the darned thing.
7. I went to pick out tile and back splash last night and feel more confused than before. I am terrible at this color picking out thing.
8. After his agility class tonight, I'm taking C-man for a hair cut. While I wish it would be a giant shave of that head, it really is going to get rid of that last layer on the bottom that is straggling there.
9. I should probably get up north and see my bees this weekend and determine whether I should start feeding them. I'd really like to wait a couple of weeks to see if they can make any more honey. The good news is the hive that I'm most worried about is the type that needs less honey for the winter. So that's a little consolation.
10. It's the middle of September, and I realized this morning I'm still wearing August's contacts. Now I have the internal debate whether I stretch them another two weeks or just wear a pair for two weeks. The latter option is probably the healthier one.
11. Coffee is a really good thing these days. Fall is always a tough time for me, and sleep just has not been coming. But the coffee sure has.
12. The Tonight Show's lip sync battles make me laugh.
13. Is it Friday yet?

Wishful Thinking

• It was 41 degrees this morning. How are my bees going to make enough honey for 0the winter if it is already close to freezing?
• I have to pick a kitchen wall paint color and backsplash. I am so bad at this.
• What's difficult is Beerman has requested I not do the teeny tiny tile backsplash I really like because it's harder to clean.
• I'll be really glad when it's all decided and done and I love it. Because I'm going to love it. Every. Damned. Decision.
• It's half way to the weekend. I miss the Geico camel.

Randomness

• My right eye has been twitching for several days. I'm one 'youbetcha' and a family snowmobile brawl away from being Sarah Palin
• I got assigned to run the scoreboard and time for one of C-man's football games. Um... Could there be a worse person to do that?
• I had my winterizing my beehives lesson last night. I pretty much learned I shouldn't take any of their honey and should start feeding them again. Darnit.
• There is a release date for the next James Bond movie. That makes me happy.
• Anytime this weird low weather front wants to move on, I wouldn't mind. I don't know what I'm chugging more - ibuprofen or antacids.
• Football picture day for C-man tomorrow. Now the big question is, which socks will he wear?
• They're wearing pink socks in October, and he's thrilled because it'll match his already pink skull cap and mouth guard.
• There really isn't enough coffee in the world.

Not such a fun day on this Monday

• After last night's complete lack of sleep due to pain, I am thoroughly motivated to try something new. And despite my 3 a.m. tears and vow to go back to the doctor, my minimally more coherent and highly caffeinated mind thinks pharmaceuticals are the wrong way to go. I think I've got to do a stupid cleanse again. Not that it helped me with the arthritis all that much, but it dropped a bunch of weight so I could move easier. And that definitely helps. Ack.
• My fall harvest bee class is tonight. I've been really excited for this class, but wish it weren't tonight because I'm so tired.
• I think I need to get up to my bees next weekend to steal any honey I'm going to take and set them up for winter.
• We have a mudroom framed out in the kitchen, and the electrical work is almost done. Bring on the duct work!
• So far, while it's not great having my kitchen torn up, it hasn't been the worst thing in the world. After all, I am getting a new kitchen out of this deal. It's kind of hard to complain about that.
• I signed up for the Jingle Bell Walk for Arthritis again. November 2nd. Let's do this thing!
• I wonder if anyone would notice if I napped under my desk today?

Chaos-ish

So Sunday has been its usual chaos plus around here. I can't believe how quickly it flies by. I guess the front yard will get mowed sometime this week. After work and beekeeping class and football practices...

It's Saturday, so it must be football

It was a big win day for the Nicolet Jr Knights. They beat the Mequon team whose high school it feeds always wins state tournaments. So that was nice.

C-man was tough, and made some good tackles. One even forced a fumble. (They recovered it, but still, pretty darned cool).

In other news, the kitchen is getting framed out for the mudroom. Tomorrow, it's floor ordering and baseball watching.

Nostalgia

I'm not typically an incredibly nostalgic person. I like moving forward. I like learning new things. I like thinking about what's possible. So maybe it's the change of seasons. Maybe it's some of the things that have been happening around me. Maybe it's seeing my kid race out to the bus, all arms and legs and muscley boy with deodorant in his bag for gym class.

But I've been feeling quite, well, nostalgic. The kind where I wonder how things would be different if I could go back and do it differently. The kind where I miss having so much in front of me that there simply was no back to look at and question if it was the right path.

This is a new feeling for me, because this isn't typically who I am and what I'm about. And I've never been one of those, "Everything happens for a reason" people. But like everything, it's a transition I suppose I need to embrace. Because there are no mulligans in life. That's probably for the best, after all.

This stuff today

• Oh my gosh, the Brewers actually won last night. As the saying goes, even a blind squirrel gets a nut sometimes.
• I don't understand all these "Thank our Vets" messages today. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all complaining about those who serve in the military. I'm just confused at why, all these years later, we continue to confuse our military with an act of terrorism.
• It's almost unfathomable that it's been 13 years since that day happened.
• C-man has speed and agility class tonight. Tuesday night after this class, even though he was all sweaty, he decided he hadn't worked out enough and went for another 1/2 mile run after. We'll see what happens tonight.
• I really need to start working out, too. He is unknowingly shaming me with all this activity.
• The fall harvest session for my beekeeping class is Monday night. I'm so glad I get to go and ask a bunch of questions. I'm quite nervous about my winter preparation and if these bees have enough stores, especially since it was in the 40s this morning!
• Tonight is band instrument pick out night. I thought we had another year before this started. C-man is leaning toward a trumpet. At least I'd be able to help him, I guess.

Hump Daaaaay!

Between the stormy weather, the allergies, and this stupid bee sting that developed into a pretty giant welt on my left thigh (No, I am NOT allergic, and have not become allergic, nor will I ever be allergic), I'd really just like to go back to bed. But, there's work to be done and a parent meeting to attend at school tonight, and football practice to get to, laundry to be folded, beehives to worry about (with a tree that folded over on top of them due to the latest storms, and are probably on top of them due to the current ones), and a kitchen to be wired. (I'll let you determine which of those I'll be involved in.)

At least it's Hump Day!

Stingy

• Fall bees are stingy bees.
• Stingy bees hurt and create softball sized welts in your left thigh.
• You know, hypothetically, if someone had been dumb enough to go into the first box of an angry beehive just because she wanted to check on the honey stores.
• This hypothetical sting would also make someone very sleepy.
• Or maybe that's just having a major headache and having slept like poo. Who can tell?

Another week ahead

Oh September

Oh September. You bring school. You bring football. You bring a kitchen renovation. And you bring fall season baseball. I really need to get to see my bees and harvest off some honey, and I don't know when it'll even happen. I'm definitely struggling with keeping it all together.

Tacklemaster

Today was C-man's first official tackle football game. He did pretty well, blocked well, and even had a great sack. The team had a chance to tie it up to go into overtime and chose to kick instead. They missed the kick, so lost 12 - 13. (That poor kid who missed the kick was devastated.)

In other news, the kitchen is moving along.

Into the blue

The weekend is almost upon me. And I'm so glad for it. I don't think I'm going to get to see my bees this weekend, which is disappointment. Between football and the church picnic, there's just no time. I guess they'll have to go 3 weeks without me messing with them. But not being on the road will be okay too. I think I just need to find some solitude this weekend. And maybe some laughter. I could use some laughter.

Thursday Thirteen Randoms

1. The power went out as I got out of the shower this morning.
2. My "natural beauty" is pretty horrific today.
3. Not having coffee in the morning might be the scariest thing, however.
4. The Packers play tonight. Just in case you were wondering where we'll be at 7:30 tonight.
5. Unless we still don't have power. Then you'll find us at Buffalo Wild Wings.
6. The kitchen is down to the bare essentials now. Even the old wires are stripped.
7. My job this weekend is to go through all the tubs of kitchen things and pull out the essentials to stock my fancy garage kitchen.
8. You know, the kitchen right next to the bumblebee nest. Because I'm a sharer.
9. My new microwave should arrive today, so that's something.
10. Our 48" range is ordered too, so hopefully that shows up in good time.
11. I have to fill out a "family recipe" card for a work wedding shower. Would a Brandy Old Fashioned recipe be out of line?
12. C-man's first football game is this weekend. Oh, he's going to have so much fun.
13. Speaking of that, Beerman has to work the football chain gang the following weekend. Good times.

This, that, and all the other stuff

• The bus comes 10 minutes earlier this year than it has in previous years. This makes Beerman and me cheer with delight. C-man still can't get his act together in time and was racing for the bus again today.
• He declared his teacher to be "phenomenal". I'm not sure how you determine that after one day, but it's a good start, at least.
• I've had terrible sinus headaches and ulcer pain lately. I'm sort of a mess.
• As of yesterday, football practices went down to 1 1/2 hours 3 nights a week. This morning, we got an email from the coach asking to bump them up to 2 hours by starting at 4:45.
• Seriously, who can get out of work, get their kid, get their kid dressed in pads, and then get them off to practice by 4:45? Oy.
• But C-man did think practice was way too short last night. Unbelievable.
• The good news is we got an email later in the day telling us they were just going to extend practice to 7 instead. Whew.
• My honey extractor came yesterday. It's so shiny and beautiful. Now I just really hope I get some honey to spin out in it.
• I'm really glad it's a short work week.

Off to 4th grade

The kid hasn't been entirely thrilled about going back to school. I guess 4th grade is the time when the luster falls off the whole school thing for us. I remember hating 4th grade. It definitely was my worst teacher in grade school. She was an awful teacher and read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books to us instead of teaching anything - books we'd either read or had no interest in ever reading at that point. And then there was the Wisconsin chapter. The one where we had to build those stupid books with 3 pictures of tilling fields and 3 actual dried maple leaves and 5 pictures of corn in fields. What a dumb project.

Anyhow, I digress. C-man's bus showed up a little early. And he wasn't all that thrilled to get his act together on time. And we were trying to get his lunch together, not knowing where we'd stored his lunch bag or aluminum foil or anything else we needed. So that combination ended up with a few blurry photos of him as he raced off to get on the bus, and then one shaded face one as I made him do a quick turnaround before he got to the street.

Let the school year begin.

Last summer day

It's the last day of summer vacation. The kitchen demolition has begun. C-man has new shoes and new uniform pants and a giant backpack full of crap I don't believe he will ever use. But that's how it goes. Out with the old, and in with the new. It's all just gone too quickly.