These last few weeks have been same ol' same ol', but hectic.  Sometimes it is like I have my fingers in too many pies, but never quite enjoy the whole slice.  Not sure where that analogy came from, but it fits. Between the little patch projects to get into the house, Grady homeschooling, museum, and work, I am spinning, but these things  are all already worth it, or will be.

 Abby had a day in 1910 at a one-room schoolhouse.

    The west wall in the living room is finally finished.  Since this picture, I have applied 2 more coats of paint to cover the mud & tape errors.  The ceiling fan has been hung, the outlets had to be replastered because the rectangles were too big, and on & on.

My younger sister Robin had a birthday!

                Where a porch will be next year.

                                                                                  My dream porch!

  

Remember this insanity?                    It makes this look gorgeous!
Same view, different day!

 My cousin did some genealogy research on my father's side.  I am so excited to see what else she dug up.

Home school is going great!

Especially when we have class outside.

I like to try to explore no matter where I am, or at least see a little new/old bit of home when I am there visiting. So today I took a shot of California street near my old hometown.  I don't know how many hours I killed, and heartbreaks I shopped through in the many, many antique shops near this area.  I had plans to ride around in "the bottom," but ran out of time.  "The bottom" is the accumulation of backroads in my hometown that all veer near the river, and we grew up on that side of town.  Has a romantic sound to it, huh?

These 2 sweet girls each had birthdays this month, and so did my sweet step-dad, my brother-in-law, and my nephew Andrew!  If I left anyone out I am sorry, but I am on September birthday overload.

 The little bathroom is almost complete.

I realize these pictures are all over the place, but that is how life is right now!  

          We took a little road trip to my hometown this past weekend.  We visited with my mother, then went to a family reunion on my dad's side of the family.  It was great to see cousins, aunts, uncles.  When I am around the Scott side of the family, I feel like little Shelly-Lynn-monkey-tail again.   Grandma Scott is gone, but being with them makes her seem with us again.  They were a poor, but loving, sweet family.  They showed their love, and it was different on my mom's side of the fam.  They were a little rougher around the edges, and definitely more reserved with their affection.  I will always be proud of being raised an Oklahoma country girl.

5 of the 9 kids. 

 A beautiful view looking at Oklahoma from Texas.

Had some nature time!

Had a little fun with this dog's hiney.

Sneaked a picture of my dad smiling.  He did not go to his reunion.  Crowds are not his thing.  Even a crowd of people who love him.  Ironically, one of my aunts reminisced about him with great anecdotes about how he was as a kid, and it doesn't sound unlike now.  Daddy came by the reunion site 2 hours before people were supposed to arrive, "just in case".  We love him anyway.  

I spent Saturday night with Robin and her family, and Sunday with my cousins from mom's side of the family. We swam at the family pond, and held babies.  It was a great weekend.

     A picture of our first week homeschool mess.  We have already worked on 2 science experiments,  Grady has read a ton (for him), and we are flying through math.  He started 6th grade curriculum, but 5th grade math to catch him up. I also realized how inept I am at geography.  We are on a good roll.

     We picked out tile for the bathroom, and sheet rocked the west living room wall. I also started priming the kitchen cabinets.  Moving right along!!

     This past week has had a couple of new beginnings, and checking things off of lists.  I make up lists just to get to check them off...ooooooo.  One of the best feelings in the world.  Eat. Check. Drink. Check. Pee. Check.  So fun.      

     Anyway, I actually finished painting a few closets & bedrooms, & Tim finished the majority of the plumbing for the one bathroom we will share at first when we get moved into the house.  Next, we start the flooring & sheetrock in the bathroom.  

     We also began our first year of homeschooling our son. He is in the 6th grade.  If all goes as planned, I will homeschool both of our kiddos next year.  Today was the first day and it went great!!  We will see how our attitudes about it are around December-ish.  I also had to find out what the heck a predicate was.  Humbling.

     I also ran across this deserted beauty and got permission from the owner to wander around and take some pictures.  I wanted to go in, but chickened out. These places just scream, "stay out."  Creepy.

     This past week has been filled with a little of nothing & a lot of something.  I worked over the weekend.  I work in a hospital as a nurse.  Some days I am on the med-surg floor, others I am in ER.  I really do like my job & some days even love it...However, we do not get much done in the evenings on the house after working.  Other things going on this past 7 days or so;

Lots of painting!  This will be the kitchen.  Right now it is storage for all upcoming project (crap) supplies.

The living room.  Also storage for  projects right now.

 

 Of course, the Pepto-Bismol colored  room is Abby's :)

     We made a trip to the library.  I had a 29.00 fine.  Great.  Turns out I kept a book by mistake, so it was returned and they didn't make me pay all of it.  However, I wouldn't have minded working the fine off pretending I was a librarian for a day. I remember wanting to be a librarian,hanging out all day with all of those books.  Sounds heavenly.  But that was the days before libraries had internet. It wouldn't be the same.  We checked out a Pippi Longstocking DVD.  Wow, those are weird now.  She is a classic though.  Abby got a Junie B. Jones book, and the old Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz. Grady even got a book and "it is still a week until school mom."  I am aware of that son, but your brain will not implode if you read during the summer.   He is not convinced. 

 Did some bird watching.

 

     Took the kids to the water park.  I am sooooo over Summer weather.    Like before it began. So it was probably the last time for this year.  I just didn't feel cool in my lounge chair watching them play with my glowing white legs frying, with a t-shirt over my head to block the sun..I forgot a hat.  

Birds!!

     Occasionally, it is fun to take pictures of things other than house progress, (or lack therof), and the kiddos.  So it can be fun and a little challenge to take pictures of birds. 

     There is nothing creepier to me than a bird getting in your house, or the thought of one trapped in a room with you...but on a fence post, a tree branch, or in the outside air, bring it on feathered my friends.

Tweet.

Sisters

     Today I woke up in a funny mood.  I was feeling discouraged with working on the house, the heat, and general discontent with just days feeling at a standstill.

     I immediately texted my sister, and did not hold back on how yuck I was feeling about the sluggish progress, and general crankiness in my air.

      She came through as usual with words of wisdom, reminders of importance, and a stern kick in my butt.  I needed it.  Thank you Robin. 

 She is in the middle of my mama & me.

She is in the middle here too.

I am not sure how people get by without sisters. Robin is wise way beyond her young years, and tells it like it is at the same time being very sensitive to people's feelings. That is a talent.  My youngest sister Susanne (above on the right) is overseas.  We are 8 years apart, but she has done more living & good than most ever do. I love her and miss her, her husband & boys.  Some people just exude patience, & coolness and that is Susanne.  I am just not sure how people get by without sisters.

My mama will be another post completely  :)

     We left Thursday early morning to go to Branson, MO.  It is a good place to go to do a little of everything, 

( ie. shop & eat.) and it saved us a little money instead of going somewhere really far away,

 (ie: the beach or Europe) where we may have really liked to go instead.

      But Branson has some hidden treasures and great tourist attractions that are really, well, attractive.  An ahhhmazing scrapbook store, the Titanic Museum, and plenty of good places to eat.  There is a cute downtown with several thrift & antique stores, and we had a good time just being together. 

      In all honesty the kids would have had the same amount of fun if we had stayed at a hotel near home and let them swim non-stop. But us adults had fun sight-seeing  & eating.

     Having said all of that, it is time to get unpacked and get back to work on the house.

   
       Uggh.  I did not miss this.