More Snow and Gift Baskets

In April we have an In Service Day at work. Each area has been asked to donate a gift basket for a door prize from the committee coordinating the event, so I created a list of gift baskets with what would go in them and as I think about it, my list keeps growing. I have one for coffee lovers or tea lovers, boys or girls activities for travel, sports, hobbies (such as knitting... that was for you Denise), stress relief, and even dieting to name a few themes. So I went to the dollar store today to get this basket "rolling" not knowing which direction it would take in the theme. Well, I ended up buying the basket, peat moss, some garden tools, flower seeds, a little hat, gardening gloves, a little garden novelty sign with the sun, moon, and stars on it etc... so it has begun to become a "gardening gift basket". We can add some plants, a gardening magazine, and some puning shears etc as we go. I will take a picture of it as we build it for fun.

Dave and I went to dinner after dropping off the boys last night. He had fish and chips... which I wanted but steered away from by having a soup and salad. Because it has been cold here, I had hot tea rather than anything cold. Can you imagine? It is how many days past Easter and I have been seeing more snow than I saw in the winter. At least it hasn't been staying around. It pours down like white rain... big and wet flakes. It is a mess to be out in and more wet than rain is when you walk in it. I keep thinking it is Jack Frost's grand finale like when we have an "Indian Summer" at the end of summer before fall begins.

Have a good evening. Hugs

Day Three - More Snow

The boys are here! Now I won't feel so lost without them for tonight and tomorrow. I picked up Riley and Brady from school. They were glad to see me and I was REALLY glad to see them. We got home and they played with their toys they have here for a while. Then I entertained them with the internet and YouTube. The love to go on Thomas the Train to do the games and activities. It keeps advertising the DVD "Alvin and the Chipmucks" on the website when the switch games, which is annoying. (By the way, Riley and I saw the movie and it was very cute. However, we didn't see the last ten minutes of it because the emergency alarms went off and we had to leave the building. The theater next to ours had water coming down from the ceiling. Later I found out some teens had did something to make the sprinkler system go off.) They wanted to show me the Gummy Bear song on You Tube that Kari and they found... it is at the moment their favorite song. If you check it out, be careful because she says the song gets stuck in your head.

Mark Twain wrote a short story about a jingle rhyme (they had no radio, TV, or internet then but I guess could still get the problem by reading) getting stuck in "his" head called Punch, Brothers, Punch. You can read it by clicking on the title of the story; it doesn't take long and it is funny how the poor guy finally gets the jingle out of his head.

Anyway, I took the boys to breakfast and they serve the boys Gummy Bear pancakes where we go. Bears for the eyes and a worm for the mouth. That was exciting! I had oatmeal which wasn't very exciting but good.

By the way, it began to snow again this evening after we got back. So this would be actually "day three". I hope you are having a good weekend and it looks more like spring where you are.

Day Two - More Snow

Daffodils and Snow?

Yesterday there was snow on the ground when I left the house. Not much snow but enough to cover the ground and the grass. The streets were clear, thank goodness. So I headed out to the community breakfast in Renton about 15 miles away. Only a block or two away there wasn't any snow at all. You wouldn't have thought that snow had been falling at all. Later that day in Tacoma while I was at another education fair, I guess the snow began falling again while we were inside. However, when I came out to go home there wasn't any snow on the ground and the sun was shining. Go figure?

This morning all was good until around noon. The snow began to fall again and it fell for hours. It didn't "stick" at first but after a couple of hours it became cold enough for the snow to stick. I started to worry that we would have to go home early so that I could get the boys. Kari, however, was in the valley where the boys were and it wasn't snowing there. The daycare workers were not experiencing what I was in the hills. Weird huh?

I am thankful that it is Friday night and that as I write this the boys are playing trains around me on the floor. All feels right with the world for the moment.

Dave is tired because they have been moving his office. He will be working only 2.6 miles from the house rather than 15 miles (30 miles round trip). That will help with gasoline with the price of gasoline going up. Here in Seattle I bought gasoline tonight for $3.29 per gallon at ARCO (which I sometimes think are not giving us what we should get at the pumps). It was below two dollars just a couple of months ago. It changes so much I can't keep up. Mom said that they are paying $3.56 per gallon in L.A.. So we are doing a little better.

Pat Cashman

Today at the breakfast we had the opportunity to hear Pat Cashman as the keynote speaker. Pat Cashman is a local celebrity that has been on TV and on the radio. I personally have seen him a few times since I've been in WA. Once I received an award and he was the one that presented it to me. He is a very funny guy. There is a link to his website you can go to by clicking on his name.

I haven't forgotten the pictures. I will put them up for Sunday Snapshots I think, so I will have something. Have a good evening.

Spring Snow... Oh No!

Surprise!!! Snow is falling here in Seattle. Although it is spring, winter is trying to hold on. When I went outside to get into my car around 5pm tonight, it was snowing. American Idol just finished at 10pm and it was still snowing. I don't know what this means for the morning commute. I have to be at community event at 7 am in Renton (15 miles away). This should be... as they say here... interesting. Good night.... Hugs

Boeing Job Fair

One of the biggest, if not the biggest, employer in these parts is Boeing. We have Microsoft too and many others but Boeing is Big. If you have a job there, you are doing well. They have facilities in Auburn, Kent, Renton, Seattle, Everett etc. A few years ago, Boeing wasn't doing well and they had a giant lay off. There were people at our college for worker retraining for months and months. One lady was in tears before me because her life had been turned upside down. (Life will do that to a person) These people had worked most of their adult working life there and then suddenly found themselves without a job, identity, a way to pay for their house or car, etc. I had to take this poor woman in the back offices to talk with her and to calm her down. While I talked with her, I quickly found out what other opportunities at the college she could take to help her get through this difficult time. She went into Physical Therapy Asssistant... and her face on the day she graduated was the very opposite of the one that I had before me the first day. Smiling from ear to ear.

Anyway, Boeing has been getting many contracts now (it is announced on the news whenever they get a new one) and their need is great to hire employees to build these planes. So, one of our college branches in Kent hosted one of their Job Fairs yesterday. They had four or five sessions and I presented to those in each session in regards to being a life long learner and about an opportunity of getting funding to go back to college for training. If these people get hired at Boeing, Boeing gives their employees the opportunity to take classes and pays for it, no matter what class they want to take. Some employers only let an employee take classes that will benefit the job they are in, but not Boeing. They will let you take Basket Weaving if it is basket weaving you want to take.

I hardly sat down yesterday. So I came home and headed for a bubble bath. I didn't have the boys (or even one of them) last night... so I soaked. Then I went to bed. Dave was watching Jerry Seinfeld. I thought it was a TV show rerun but it was a DVD. I realized it when the second or third show began without commericals. Hmmmmm... Time to go to bed.

I have been feeling a little down when I don't have Riley or Brady here. It seems like such a big change to not be making sure that routines are being followed and checking on them through the night etc. I have tears come up in my eyes when I check on them in the night and discover that they aren't in their beds here. It was hard when it came to making sure they were well while Kari was away because I did most of the work and play with them. Then we got into a routine etc. Now that Kari has them more, it is now hard for me to switch back. I bring this up dear friends so that you might pray that I can make this transition smoother.

Have a good day... I haven't yet put up the pictures but I will try to today.

Short Weekend

It seems like it was such a short weekend because we were so busy. Easter Sunday we dressed for church and went out for breakfast. Nothing exciting... I had oatmeal to keep from eatting things I shouldn't. The church that Susie attends, Faith and Victory Church, doesn't have childcare today so we decided to attend a different church in the area that we have heard of called Riverview Community Church. With kids that are ADHD, not having childcare is really hard on us. Also since Kari (and probably me too) has ADHD, she gets overwhelmed... so it is best just to try to do things that will only benefit everyone.

I have pictures to share but I will have to post them later. I am getting ready to go to another college's Spring Tour, only I am a presenter this time. I will be at that college until 12:30 pm today.

I had Riley over night and he doesn't have daycare today since they have teacher training. I will have to drop him off at Kari's on my way to the college (which happens to be a mile away from her place).

So until later, have a great day. HUGS to all.

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter!!! Hope you have a blessed Easter with your family and friends. HUGS