2nd Day of School

Good morning! The boys are finishing getting ready for school. We’re trying lunches from home again. Yesterday I was disappointed with how much food came home so today they have less. Amena slept in. When I got up at 6:00, I thought that she was in the bathroom with the light turned on but it appears that it was Laura. I got ready to and went out to milk and when I came in to check on how things were going, Amena told me she’d woken up at 6:10 because she forgot to turn her alarm on. I got her a lunch ready with enough extra for her to eat some on the way for breakfast and she made it out for the bus in time.

Doesn't she look excited? I caught her yesterday when she got off the bus for a couple of pictures.

In the morning yesterday I made cookies to take in to Joseph’s class. I made the recipe that Joanna tweaked and while the dough is heavenly, the cookies are really flat with chocolate chip mountains and are a bit greasy. I think next time more flour and/or less butter are in store. I’m not in a cookie making mode any more though so it will be a while before that is pursued.

When I got to the school to deliver the cookies and drinks, I went to where Ms. Mankowsky’s classroom, it had transformed to a classroom for special needs children. I had to go back to the office and ask where I might find the right room. Both are now down the hall where the 2^nd and 3^rd grade classrooms are. Quite frankly, I think they’ve got a better classroom now which is nice.

When I got home from delivering cookies, Laura and I went to Joann’s. I had six coupons to use plus a couple that Laura had. I ended up spending more than I wanted to but saved about a third of the total price. I now have everything I need to make the boys their Colonial period outfits. Construction will begin once I have tissue paper to transfer the patterns to.

We got home just before Amena got home from school. I got to work filling out and signing the papers she brought home because I knew that the boys would all have more. I don’t know why they don’t have this stuff on file. Some of it I understand for updating purposes but some of it is just the same old stuff that I’ve filled out already sixteen times since we got here. Now it’s twenty times. Considering that each child gets all the same papers (with a slight change for middle school) and there are a couple that I only have to fill out once because I can put all of them on one, and there are something like seven or eight different forms some of them with multiple pages, that’s a lot of paper.

When the boys got home, I had more papers to fill out. I have finally learned that it is a good idea to just get them done the day they are brought home because then it’s done and over. It seems like they all had a pretty good day. Amena didn’t have a normal day because they spent about an hour and a half in their first classes handing out paperwork and going over student handbooks. Today will be more normal I think.

The boys just left on the bus. It was a minute earlier today. Cedric’s goal is to make sure they are all out ready to go so the bus driver doesn’t have to wait for anyone here. He’s a super nice guy and he does wait for kids when he knows they’re coming. It does make life easier for me because it means I didn’t have to run a poky child or two to school several times during the last school year but I do think they tend to learn better to be on time if they get left home a time or two.

The amarillys is beginning to bloom. I am not a big fan of orange, but this really is lovely.

We didn’t go to church last night because the Young Women were coming here to help clean and do some moving around of things in the basement. They did a great job and made lots of headway. In spite of the fact that I really didn’t want them to come because I hadn’t gotten any of the preliminary work done prior to their coming and because my left ankle was killing me, I am glad that they did.

Jenny Whitcomb left me a lovely potted plant with a package of Lindt caramel truffles and a sweet card. The truffles are perfect because while I like caramel, I won’t eat them all in one sitting like I probably would have if they were chocolate. Yesterday was an incredibly hard day for me missing Daniel and it means an awful lot to know that there are those who are aware. Thank-you so much. I knew that the anniversary of the accident and Daniel’s birthday and Christmas would be hard, but no one mentioned that the first day of school would be. Live and learn, eh?

Up for today Cedric has a dentist appointment at 11:00. I’ll need to go pick him up from school by 10:30. He has a lunch with him which is good because he will miss lunch time at school. At 1:3 I have an appointment to see the nurse practitioner at the doctor’s office. I decided to go without ibuprofen yesterday and I’m fine if I’m up and moving around. Standing in one place kills. Sitting with my foot down kills. Much of the day yesterday when I wasn’t busy doing other things, I spent on the bed reading or on my laptop because on the bed is the most comfortable place to be and my foot/ankle doesn’t hurt at all then. This morning my right ankle looked almost normal and just had a little lump where the knot is just below my ankle bone. Even my left ankle looked pretty good; the swelling was almost gone. Just in the two hours that I’ve been up milking, getting lunches ready for children, helping them get breakfast, etc., my left ankle has blossomed. It’s ridiculous.

Paul didn’t get home until late because he went shopping. He said that there is no turbo in the bug because whoever put it in, used parts from China and they go fast. A new one would be in the $1000 neighborhood. I laughed. As much as I would like to have it, I think I’ll do without. Especially considering that the truck looks like it’s going to be about a $1,500 fix. What the heck is up with the vehicle situation, anyway?

It looks like we’re having a serious mist or really light rain outside; it feels really humid. I think I’m glad I had Cedric not take the goats out because if they were out, the likely would need to come in and I likely would be the one to get to do that and I just really don’t feel like it.

I am going to be off for now. Have a splendid day!