Bar Stools

My newest purchase is a set of four bar stools for the kitchen. They are wrought iron(or wrought iron looking) with a wooden backrest and a moss green padded seat. SOOOO much more comfortable than an unpadded, backless stool! I know I should learn how to add photos so I could show you all, but it's not going to happen today. Anyway, now I can have people over and we can lounge around the bar in comfort. I think it's time to have a bash. A barstool warming, or something?

Remodeling

Clint is such a stud! Last weekend he built these awesome post/columns in the front entry. This weekend he built a back deck. How cool it is to have a builder for a husband! Now we don't have to use scaffold ramps to get to the doorways! And there is room outside my mud room door for people to take their shoes off before they come in the house. Hooray!!!

Clint looked mighty fine framing in the sunshine with no shirt on. Lusting after your husband is a great feeling...

Poor Munchkin

Munchkin (our 9 month old Miniature Schnauzer) is not herself. She could barely get around yesterday. It's as if she's in a daze. Then I remembered she was vaccinated on Saturday. Could she be having a reaction to the vaccine? Why do I vaccinate my dog when I don't vaccinate my children? I did think about it prior to getting it done, but I've heard such nasty stories about rabies, parvo, and distemper. She's feeling so rotten, she's not even barking:(

I Overdid It

Ok. Running 4 miles after a 4 month break was a really bad idea. I hurt in all kinds of places, some of them quite surprising. Like my shoulders. Who knew your shoulders were involved when you're running?! I think I'll cut back by a mile or so. After I recover.

Fair Season

The girls created a fair this weekend. Complete with rides and games. Attendees had to buy tokens to play the games, and earned tickets toward prizes. When they had enough tickets, they could choose a prize from the prize table. I won a matted print of a wild animal. Very cool.

Running

I've been so good about going to the club 3 times a week, but I'm not getting the results I wanted, and it takes up so much time, so I decided I need to start running again. I decided this two weeks ago, but each morning I managed to talk myself out of going. Too cold, too windy, too late in the day, I'm great at coming up with excuses.

Today, I finally did it! And I was able to run as far as I'd been running when I stopped last fall (just a lot slower!). I'm very excited. It's a great way to start the day. It must be the endorphins or something, because I'm in such a great mood now, it's not normal. Yes, as much as I hate to admit it, my normal personality seems to list to the slightly negative side, at least at home with my family. But I'm working on it.

Procrastinating

I hate those jobs I need to get around to doing, but really don't want to do. You know, the kind you keep putting it off?

I need to clean out my file drawers. I've needed to do it for about 2 years now. Sure, every now and then I throw away stuff that I come across that I wonder why I ever saved. But a lot of my saved paperwork is business or tax stuff. I used to box it up at the end of each year and stick it in the garage in case we ever got audited. But the last couple of years I've just been procrastinating! Now my file drawer is so crammed I can't get to stuff easily. I need to purge the old files!

But I don't want to! I want to scrapbook, or read a book, or blog, or bake something yummy, or start working on my disaster of a yard! Sigh.

Jack's Back

We're getting into the swing of this babysitting thing. Today Rhiannon is taking a turn babysitting Jack. Linda needed a babysitter for an extra day, and Shelby didn't want to do three days in one week, so Rhiannon offered.

Shelby had him for two days last week. She already has $100 that she wants to put in the bank. We took Jack to the park with us on Friday. As we get used to having an extra child, it gets easier to just continue with life as normal. And I'm so glad the girls can earn some money!

Spring Cleaning

Yesterday the girls and I cleaned the house. Not just a quick scrub and vacuum, but wiping down cupboards, dusting light fixtures, de-cobwebbing the ceilings, and even cleaning the fridge(ok, that wasn't planned, but the spilled milk and root beer was so gross I had no choice!).

I LOVE a clean house. Especially now, with the sunny weather, we can open the windows and let the fresh air in, and it's so bright, and airy, and uncluttered. It just feels good to be here, and that makes me want to do fun stuff. So today, I can play!!! Yipee!

Scrapbooking, or Why I haven't been Blogging, Part 2

Somewhere along the line I became taken with the idea of having all our family memories preserved in beautiful albums that are a joy to look through. When I was a child, my sisters and I frequently pulled out the family albums to reminisce about fun times; maybe that's why I value the concept.

I had always kept my photos in albums (you know, the cheap ones with sticky pages & magnetic plastic). Then, about 6 years ago I found out about scrapbooking. I was drawn to the idea of not just putting your photos in an album, but cropping and editing them, using only the best parts of the best photos, and adding titles and comments to the pages. It seemed like a great way to preserve those cherished memories.

So I bought a kit at Costco and dove right in. At the time I was a year behind in getting my current photos into albums. I loved the result, and became addicted, as scrapbookers do, to trying the new techniques, embellishments, and do-dads.

I hoped to eventually transfer photos from my old albums, which are now known to deteriorate photos, onto new, beautifully journaled pages. But life was busy. Every time I got "caught up", getting current photos into the album, I would quit scrapbooking for a year, and then have a backlog again.

Eventually, I didn't enjoy scrapbooking anymore; it felt like a task, a chore. I had this unattainable goal I wanted to reach, and it felt like I would never get there. While I was proud of each page I completed, it felt like a drop in the bucket.

This winter, I started scrapbooking at the cabin. There's lots of free time up there, and my wonderful husband was always willing to load 3 storage totes full of stuff into the truck to lug up there and back, even if I didn't get around to working on it. I think it was Clint who convinced me to try scrapbooking up there. He feels bad sometimes that he gets to spend time pursuing his lifelong dream, and I don't have the same opportunity (well, I don't have a lifelong dream, either, just lots of little dreams).

I've continued to scrapbook since returning from the cabin. I've discovered that since the house is bigger now, I can leave my stuff out without it getting in the way. I'm trying to let go of seeing it as an unfinished project. Instead, I'm trying to see it a bit like life. It's an ongoing activity, one that doesn't really have an end. Instead of spending a month each year working on it, I can do it a little at a time, when I have the chance.

I really do enjoy the opportunity to be creative, and I love working with the photos. Maybe someday I will be fast, but for now each page unfolds slowly.

It's a learning experience. Having a project waiting in the corner tempts me to neglect my responsibilities, as does the computer, or a really good book. I have to discipline myself to take care of business before I do the fun stuff. Each day I have to choose which extra thing I can do. Will it be computer? Scrapbook? Remodeling? Taking the girls to an activity? Having to choose is the hardest part.

Blogs and Kids

I know several of us were surprised that my blogging kids were linking to my friend's blogs, and perhaps a little concerned about what they might be reading. As it turns out, only Shelby has had any interest in reading others' blogs. We discussed it, and I decided that I am comfortable with her doing so.

I do not expect others to censor their blogs, nor would I wish them too. I think if some of you would rather Shelby not read her blog, you should let her know; you can trust her to respect your wishes. She and I decided that if she reads a post that seems inappropriate or makes her uncomfortable, she should skip it. I feel that I must trust her to make her own decisions about what she is comfortable reading. She loves being able to blog, and I can't see anything wrong with her hearing the stories of others.

In my opinion, the content I have observed in the blogs I have been reading is always candid, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, sometimes raunchy, sometimes clever and sometimes mildly inappropriate. I think my 9 year old would find it intensely boring. But for my almost 13 year old, perhaps it's a glimpse into a future she sees as not very far off.

It certainly isn't any more questionable than what kids are talking about in middle school. In fact, it's not unlike many of the conversations we have at home, where the kids may possibly be listening.

There are a few things I choose not to put in my own blog. Like not making nasty statements (well, not too nasty, anyway) about people I'm mad at because they may someday read my blog. Like not being too critical of my family because they may read my blog. Like not expressing just how mad I am at my husband sometimes because it makes me sound small and petty ( I wouldn't care if he read it, though!).

But I'm not planning to leave out sexual innuendo (if I ever post any), bad language, adult humor, or general griping and complaining about the happenings in my life. Because that's what makes blogging fun!

Home Improvement or Why I haven't been Blogging Part 1

I convinced my husband that it's time to finish our remodel. We started building an addition last January, and planned to be done in 6 to 9 months. We got a long way, and it looks awesome, but progress ground to a halt in late fall when Clint had several out of state tournaments. Then, work and holidays were the priority, then snowmobiling season and a lengthy family vacation at the cabin...with one thing and another, it's been months now since we've worked on a single remodel project.

Don't get me wrong...It would be great to get out and enjoy the beautiful spring weather, go to the park and enjoy some family outings, but I just want to get this house finished! I feel like I can't move on to any other projects, fun or otherwise, until we get this one done. I feel guilty pressuring Clint to finish; he would be happy to leave it as is indefinitely. But he will begin traveling soon, when fishing season starts, and I will be home alone amongst the unfinished projects, feeling irritated.

So last weekend Clint installed the tile around the new jacuzzi tub, and started to build concrete forms for the front porch. I spackled and sanded the door casings to prep them for painting.

This weekend Clint poured the concrete front porch (I got to help, wearing rubber boots in 10 inches of wet concrete, shoveling and pushing the stuff into place!) Saturday, and Sunday he started to build the front columns that hold up the entry roof. Saturday I grouted the tile after helping with the concrete(Clint helped me grout when he was done with concrete). Sunday I painted eleven door casings.

Clint was amazing. That guy can really build. It's hard not to be impressed with someone who knows what they are doing. And I know I'm so lucky because he can make this beautiful place for us. I'm jealous, too, because his efforts create this big, admirable structure, while my painting project, which kept me working about three hours longer than him, results only in white door casings. It's definitely the worst task I've undertaken since we started the remodel. Boring, time consuming, and not a visible change, yet still necessary. I would have put it off, but we hope to begin installing the wood trim soon, and it would be a nightmare to have to tape off the trim to paint the casings.

Next weekend we are supposed to start either the floor (wood? vinyl? laminate? we don't know) or the wood trim (doors, window sills, and baseboards), but we haven't purchased materials for ether project yet...

Blogging

I was afraid to start a blog because I thought I would spend too much time on it. Glad to see that hasn't come to pass. Instead, I'm doing the opposite. I generally have a blog post rattling around in my head as I go about my daily business, but never seem to get to the computer to spit it out! Maybe I need to set up a scheduled time to blog...

So, is it better to blog a little bit every day? Or is it post 3 or 4 entries at a time? That seems to be what I've been doing...but maybe it's too much?

A Customer Service Story

I HATE lousy customer service. Having worked for many years in retail, I learned what good customer service was, how easy it is to give it, and how it can ultimately increase your business' profitability to let the customer be right.

We've been members of Columbia Basin Raquet Club for 9 months now. I really wanted to get into shape, the girls wanted to swim, and they were offering a great deal with no joining fee, so we joined, intending to make the club our "main" activity. Since then, we have experienced several incidents at the club that make me wonder if they understand how to provide good service. This is the latest.

In the new "Cyber Cafe", they provide half a dozen computers for members' use. Your first 15 minutes are free, and after that it's $2.50 per hour. The girls begged to use the computers, so we signed the agreement and let them try, on condition that they never use them for more than 15 minutes. I was so paranoid about them losing track of time and getting charged $2.50 that I have never let them use the computers unless I know we will be on our way out of the club in less than 15 minutes.

When I got my bill this month, I had been charged $2.71 each for Rhiannon and Gillian, for computer time. I called Billing; they referred me to the Deli Manager, who never called back. I stopped to talk with her about it in person, and she pulled the records for that day and determined they had never signed out. Turns out the sign in sheet is how they determine charges for the computers, and if you don't sign out, you are automatically charged for an hour. I explained to her that it was an oversight on their part, that I never let them use the computer for more than 15 minutes, and asked her to waive the fee. She refused. I asked her if there was anyone else I could speak to about it. She said she would talk to her boss and get back to me.

A week later, I got a message on my machine telling me they had decided to offer me a "compromise". They would take one of the two charges off, since "the two children combined probably didn't use up more than an hour of computer time".

Their offer of a compromise irritated me. Could they really want to make $2.71 more than to leave their members feeling like the club cares about them? Could they really think that they are creating a satisfied membership with meaningless offers of commpromise? After stewing about it for a couple of days, I realized I would not be able to stop obsessing about it every time I enter the club unless I tried again.

So I called the club manager and talked to him about it. I understand now why the club is not more into customer service, because he's definitely not a people person. I pointed out to him that the agreement that I signed did not state that they would be charged if they failed to sign out, nor did the cafe personnel when I asked them to explain the procedure for computer use. They do have signs on the computers stating the policy, but I had never used a computer myself. Had I known the rule, obviously I would have either asked the girls if they'd signed out, or would have checked the list for myself. He asked if I understood the procedure now, and if I was sure they had not used the computers for more than 15 minutes. When I said yes, he grudgingly said he would have the second charge removed. No "I'm sorry for the misunderstanding", no "We want our members to be satisfied", nothing. Just "Do you understand now?" He snidely asked me how I thought they were tracking the computer time, if not by a sign in sheet. He seemed unconvinced when I responded that it had never even occured to me that they might track time using the sign in sheet, that I figured the deli personnel were monitering it, since members could easily alter their time on the sign in sheet.

I should have felt great when I got off the phone. After all, I saved myself $5.42 in bogus computer charges. But instead I just feel disappointed, knowing that while I got my way, they still don't see the big picture.

Shelby the babysitter

Shelby has her first official babysitting job! Does this offically make me old, now that my daughter can babysit other people's kids? She's been watching her siblings when I have to run to the store or the health club for a while time now, but only recently started talking about the possibility of babysitting for others.

I'm so proud of her. I was talking with our 4H leader, who mentioned she had to work the next day and didn't even have a babysitter. Shelby politely piped up "Excuse me, but I can babysit for you!" Talk about taking advantage of an opportunity when it presents itself!

Jack is a sweet little 3 year old boy. He gets along well with Tamzin, and seemed to feel comfortable with Shelby right away. She was tired after her first 8 hour day of catering to his every need, but still wanted to babysit again the next day. Today she's learning to pace herself by letting him fnd his own activities sometimes instead of always participating, and by cleaning up finished activities when he's busy with something else.

I haven't had to do much more than make suggestions or offer encouragement when it seemed needed. It's great to see her succeeding in her new endeavor(but I am glad she has this first job here at home where I can observe!).

Gillian turns Nine!

After MUCH anticipation, Gillian's 9th birthday finally arrived. She was so excited! Even an advance trip to Chuck E. Cheese the week before couldn't stem the counting of days and frequent comments about how excited she was!

Her big gift...drum roll please...a Gameboy SP...sound of crashing cymbals!!! How happy she is to be able to closet herself into a corner and play games all day! And when she gets tired of playing with her three new Gameboy games, she can play our new computer game, The Sims!