Week 43

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  Here we are in the last week of October and the last week of the high school water polo season.  Sections are coming which is exciting.  I can't wait to see how our boys do.  November is going to be a big month.   November--really?!  Yikes!

Here are last week's shots:

Day 293- Monday, 10/20/14

I was given this box of See's candy by a group that toured our lab, and Brandon was thrilled I brought it home to share.   "Life is like a box of chocolates.  You never know what you're gonna get."  LOL! Brandon found out this out quickly.

Day 294- Tuesday, 10/21/14

It's karate night, and Justin has been working on collecting stars in Jujitsu.  I finally got a couple sewed on his gi this past weekend.

Day 295- Wednesday, 10/22/14

Yes!  We have some fall color.  I love the red leaves best.  It would be nice to see more yellow too.  I think the colder temps are helping add color to our neighborhood.

Day 296- Thursday, 10/23/14

Speaking of colder temps, the pets are seeking out human warmth and they usually flock to the person already snuggled in a blanket.  They boys are thrilled because all summer the cat has refused to sit with anyone but has now he's changed his mind.  Bella is easy--she's always up for attention.

Day 297- Friday, 10/24/14

It's a busy Friday which started out with a little low lying fog--another sign of fall in these parts.  Then I dropped the 2 younger kids off at school before heading out with Tyler's team for a water polo tournament.  Today we had beautiful weather with lots of warm sunshine which was perfect for polo.

Day 298- Saturday, 10/25/14

Water polo day #2 and it's pouring rain.  What a difference a day makes.  Today was not the best day to be at the pool but polo happens rain or shine.  Thank goodness for parkas and pop-up tents.

Day 299- Sunday, 10/26/14

It feels good to be home for the day.  We got our sunshine back so John worked in the yard while I did laundry and Helped Justin make nachos for dinner.

That's it!  Thanks for stopping by and see you next week in November!  Stay safe this Halloween and happy haunting :0)

Week 42

Welcome back and happy Tuesday!  We're finally getting our house back in order after replacing windows.  That seemed like a bigger ordeal than I was expecting, but it's over now, and I don't have to squint to look through the film between the panes of my glass windows anymore.  My favorite part about the new windows is that they can be opened in either direction which comes in handy for different areas of the house.  With fall and winter upon us we should also be able to save some energy by losing less heat through structurally sound windows and frames.  Bring it on!  As of now it's still pretty warm so we'll enjoy the windows being open to let in that fresh autumn air.

Take a look at last week's pictures:

Day 286- Monday, 10/13/14

We tried a new fruit for snack today.  I'd seen star fruit on cooking shows and heard of people using it but hadn't seen it in stores until this past weekend.  Of course I had to pick one up, and the kids were super intrigued.  They couldn't wait for me to cut it open.  Sadly it got mixed reviews and actually looks much cooler than it tastes.  Oh well, we tried!

Day 287- Tuesday, 10/14/14

They started replacing our windows today.  It was strange to be in the house when all the windows were removed especially upstairs.  It was like I had vertigo or something.  This will be a two day job, and in the meantime my house is in shambles with pictures off walls, no blinds, and furniture scattered about.  I can't wait until it's over because it's really hard to relax and feel at home when the place is a wreck.

Day 288- Wednesday, 10/15/14

We're still dealing with the window replacement at home, but I escaped for a few hours to run into work and read some slides.  I've been spending a lot of time on this microscope lately.  We have about 3,500 horse samples tested and read out but still have another 2,000 to go.  The goal is to be done by the new year.  It actually felt good to get away from the chaos at home and get back to a normal routine and unaltered surroundings even if it was work.

Day 289- Thursday, 10/16/14

Study hard Tyler.  It's midterm time at the high school and at least he has his room somewhat back to normal so he can focus.  There's a new window there giving him lots of natural light.  Sometime this weekend we'll find the time and energy to get the blinds back up.

Day 290- Friday, 10/17/14

It's not truly fall until there are pumpkins near my entry.  These are a few of them we picked up at the pumpkin patch over the past weekend.  The window workers moved them aside to keep them safe, and today I put them back where they belong.

Day 291- Saturday, 10/18/14

Tyler and I went with some of the water polo boys to UC Berkeley so we could watch the PAC-12 game between Cal Berkeley and UCLA which was a fun experience.  It's great for them to see how the college level kids play.  After the game we grabbed some lunch and then walked around campus a bit.  It was a gorgeous fall day.

Day 292- Sunday, 10/19/14

We found this green hat for Justin's Riddler costume at the Spirit store last week, but it was missing a small but important detail so I found some purple felt and decked it out the proper way.  Justin loves it and can't wait for Halloween.

That's all for now.  Hope to see you next Tuesday.

Week 41

Happy Tuesday!  It's a crazy day here.  My house is a mess while we have our old windows taken out and replaced with new ones.  I really wish this didn't need to be done, but all the seals are broken on our old windows and the frames are starting to disintegrate so it is time.  I'm hoping it will help cut our energy bill and also reduced some of the dust.  We'll see.  So I'm home for the day as the project gets started.  Hopefully we'll have all our new windows in by later tomorrow and rain won't be a factor.  Go figure that in a drought we finally have rain forecast for the second day of our window install.  It's a big job too with over 25 to replace.

Enough of that--here's what went down last week:

Day 279- Monday, 10/6/14
It's Monday night lights with water polo under the full moon.  We played McClatchy so it was a late game but a good one.  Connie got a nice picture of Tyler during his 5-meter shot, and I tried to capture the atmosphere of playing at night in the second shot.

Day 280- Tuesday, 10/7/14

Dinner's on!  It's rare these days to find the time to actually make a real meal.  It's nothing fancy but at least it's not pulled from the freezer and just reheated in the microwave.  I really need to get better about planning ahead especially on those super busy nights.

Day 281- Wednesday, 10/8/14

They brought in a Spirit Halloween store this year so the younger boys and I checked it out after an ortho visit. They both found the costumes they were looking for so we're set.  Oh and no water polo today-game was cancelled after the other team forfeit.  Looks like I'll be able to make a home cooked meal again.  I think tacos are in order.

Day 282- Thursday, 10/9/14

The weather has been so nice in the evenings.  It's still super hot during the day but it cools sooner now that the sun sets earlier.  Brandon was itching to get out of the house after working hard and finishing a  power point book report so we walked the dog together.  It's nice to have such eager walking buddies.

Day 283- Friday, 10/10/14

Justin is such a character.  All of my boys love Oreos. I'm pretty sure it's their favorite go to cookie, and I wanted to capture that so Justin volunteered saying he had the perfect "longing for Oreo face."  LOL!

Day 284- Saturday, 10/11/14

I'm having lunch with Tyler.  He had another long volunteer morning this time at the plasma center for BloodSource in Roseville so when he was done we decided to grab lunch at Mel's Diner.  He's having a San Francisco deluxe burger on sour dough bread with bacon, cheese, and avocado. Great choice, and he finished it in record time!

Day 285- Sunday, 10/12/14

Today the Wong's joined us at the local pumpkin patch.  We went through the corn maze, the kids climbed the pyramid hay stack, we picked pumpkins and then hauled them home.  Back at our house lunch and drinks were in order. It was a nice way to spend our Sunday.

Wait!  One more:

October's Family Photo

It seemed only fitting to get a family shot at the pumpkin patch.  It was nice and sunny out but VERY windy which is why we were pretty much done after this.

Ok, that's a wrap! Thanks for stopping by and see you next Tuesday.

Week 40

Hello and welcome back.  Happy Tuesday!  We had a great week here last week but are now missing those cooler temps.  It's down right hot again with temps in the mid to high 90's.  We need a good delta breeze and some crisp fall air.  I'm so ready for that.  It's hard to enjoy fall when it doesn't feel like it at all.  We might as well start using the pool again.  Let's get this heat out of our system, shake things up, and bring on the clouds.

Until then here's a peek at last week:

Day 272- Monday, 9/29/14

Yesterday we had dinner with some good friends, and I was able to get a much needed haircut and color.  It's been way too long and it's perfect timing for the change in seasons.  I really need to do a better job of taking care of me.  So many other things come first that I often forget about what I need.  The next thing on my list is to get back into a regular exercise routine.

Day 273- Tuesday, 9/30/14

Call me crazy but I love this and think its cool that I work for a school that has a toxic garden like at Hogwarts or something ;0)  I pass by this impressive collection daily moving from building to building and it always makes me smile.  What a great teaching tool not only for the students but pet owners, current veterinarians, and the public in general.  I recognize so many plants in here that are seen in everyday landscaping and then marvel at the odd and interesting like this red prickly that I've never seen before. It for sure looks toxic--most of the others not so much.

Day 274- Wednesday, 10/1/14

Happy October!  Justin posed with the monthly marker and a couple pumpkins for me just before I headed out for Tyler's game up in El Dorado.  River City had another great win and then all the boys stayed to watch the girls' game which was pretty intense.  Tyler was able to get some homework done while looking on as the girls fought until the bitter end.

Day 275- Thursday, 10/2/14

Brandon was more than willing to help fill the fall candy dish this afternoon.  Candy corn is a must this time of year.  I guess I should get this boy a watch.  He's been drawing one of his arm the past couple weeks and then he's writing his mile time from school on the other arm.  Boys!

Day 276- Friday, 10/3/14

I told you I was going to take a picture of my calendar.  October is going to be a super busy month.  So much for taking better care of me.  As usual there is no time!  At least we have some fun family things lined up.  That's what I enjoy most.

Day 277- Saturday, 10/4/14

Here's my super exciting Saturday.  There wasn't much going on so I tackled the laundry since we won't be home tomorrow.  At least after that John and I were able to escape for dinner and drinks with some friends.  That's the way to end the day especially a day full of chores!

Day 278- Sunday, 10/5/14

Go Niners!  This was a really hot and long but super fun day spent at the new Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.  We took the whole family and had great time.  It's a wonderful place, and we watched a close game with the 49ers finally winning in the end.  The first picture is before the game started which is why there are so many empty seats.  It was too hot to sit there if you didn't have to.  The second picture was towards the end of the game and you can see how well the stadium filled up.  I've never seen so much red in my life!  

That wraps up another great week.  See you in the next one.