That thing called Rhythm

Ok, so I think I am starting to find a bit of a rhythm, but there is still a ways to go to be totally in it. I think one of the problems is that there is some serious organizing that needs to get done in this house, but with the beautiful weather we have had all week  so far, I can't justify spending it indoors organizing. Speaking of which, I need to get this post written quickly so that we can enjoy the outdoors some more today. I may also do another blog post tonight highlighting our adventures from today. This post was supposed to be written yesterday, but I ran out of time before having to head out to work. So anyways, one of our favorite things to do outdoors is to take our dog to the dog park. Everyone gets to run around and we have a very happy dog at the end, so that is exactly what we did the other day. I also have been cooking and baking a lot more, which is helping with that rhythm thing. I made cheesy grits, eggs, and a bagel for breakfast yesterday, Banana nut choc chip muffins, a delicious egg, avocado, tomato sandwich on a jalapeno cheddar bagel that was homemade and sold to me at the Tailgate market, and I also made some ice cream mix to be frozen today. The flavor is Hibiscus ginger...we'll have to see how that goes. There is a recipe for chocolate lavender ice cream that sounds divine as well...that may be the next one to try. Ok I'm off to prepare our picnic and enjoy the rest of the day outside. Have a lovely day.
Peace, Yasmin

All was well in the house, and then a tree fell...

Hello, hello my friends. Life has been hectic as usual. I have been working a ridiculous amount of hours, which is great for now since we are going on vacation soon, but I am somewhat exhausted. I am looking forward to getting into the rhythm of summer time. My rhythm that I was hoping to start today was slightly thrown off by the tree (apparently two trees, we just found out) that fell against the house at 3am this morning. It had been raining all day yesterday and we are guessing that the ground just got so wet and soft around one tree that it made it fall and it took another tree down with it. After that, this momma could not go to sleep for the worries of a tree coming through the kids' room and taking them both out...I know a little morbid, but unfortunately things like this do happen and as their room is an add-on, I feel that it is not quite as sturdy as the rest of the house. Ok off the bad and onto the good summer things...Ashleigh graduated 4th grade and we have been enjoying yummy summer foods and beer, glorious beer. I made vegan herb potato salad, sweet organic corn with Amish butter, and sliced some fruit. My free rose plant finally bloomed, the variety is called Ketchup and Mustard. By the way, that tree took out all of my potted veggies on the back deck...I guess I will be starting from zero once again, boo. The beers I have been enjoying are Bell's Oberon and an India Red Ale that my boss brewed, it was delicious. One other thing that we have enjoyed is our dog, Molly, barking at her own reflection in all of the glass doors, hilarious I tell you.

Hopefully there will be no more trees falling against the house in the foreseeable future and I can start to truly enjoy this break from school. Ta ta for now.
Peace, Yasmin

It's summertime and the livin's easy...

Hello friends, sorry it has been quite a while since I have posted. I have so much content from the time that I was absent, but I had absolutely no motivation for writing. Sorry folks, but sometimes we need a break from these things. Let's see what has been going on while I was away...lots of school, I got an A in Chemistry and a B in Anatomy and Physiology 1, I took and passed my Nursing Aide 1 State Exam on the first try...woot woot. I am back at work full time for the summer, and dear hubby is also working this summer so that we can stay afloat financially. So needless to say there is a lot of juggling and separate shifts, so that we can keep the kids out of way too expensive summer camp. The kids get out of school in a week exactly.

This 10 year old graduates 4th grade next week....you might ask why there is a graduation, well here where we live, they have decided to build a transitional school that houses just 5th and 6th graders to relieve some of the overcrowding in the area schools. My daughter is very excited about the possibility of being in the same class next year as her best friend that went to a different school in the area this year. She will be finishing 4th grade with straight As and I am so proud of her. The little man is doing well as well. He jumped from a non-reader at the beginning of the year to a level D, which puts him at the end of Kindergarten level. We have decided that it would be most beneficial for him to repeat 1st grade and to try to overcome his dyslexia issues. The school has been great about getting him extra attention and he spends a little bit of time almost everyday with a special ed teacher. I am so proud of the strides he has made as well.

So it seems that we may have skipped over Spring and jumped right to Summer. What does summertime mean for us...it means making the most use out of summer berries by making muffins, mint infused ice cubes, water with lemon and mint, Begonias, Sun Tea, easy dinners out, easy meals in. The meals pictured are pesto pasta with eggs on top, grilled tomato and smoked gouda sandwich with an easy tomato balsamic salad, and spinach artichoke dip for our meal out. Once the kids are totally out of school, I will be home during the day Monday through Thursday...I look forward to that. I have lots of plans of cleaning, organizing, crafting, hiking, swimming, etc. It is going to be a good summer...and now off to work.

Peace, Yasmin

 

This Moment

Joining in with Amanda over at SouleMama today for...{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
If you are compelled to do so, please share your moment in the comments section.
Peace, Yasmin

Earth Day

Just a quick post, as I am busy getting ready for last exams and finals. Phew. About two and a half weeks left, that is it...and if all goes well, my class schedule for the fall semester is pretty sweet. I may actually have a full day off, with no classes or work. Like I said, we shall see. So, I wanted to share what we did on Earth Day...which was Monday, right? The days are melding together. The kids had school and so did I, so they didn't get home till close to 4pm, but it was a beautiful day and I wanted to do something outdoors for Earth Day. I took the kids and our dog, Molly, to Mills River Park, which has a beautiful dog park. We brought along Rian's new skateboard so that he could finally try it out...let's just say that he has a long way to go until he can ride it smoothly. We had a skateboard when we were kids, but I can honestly say that I don't remember the mechanics of riding one. Hopefully he will eventually pick it up naturally. I do have some fun news...tomorrow is my graduation from the Nursing Aide class and we are having a potluck party. I am making lasagna and maybe some other things as well. I'll try to take some pictures. Ok, time for sleep so that I can have the energy to cook most of the day and do some homework as well.
Peace, Yasmin

Spring Birthdays

On April 8, my little man turned 7. I know I know, it has been over a week and I haven't posted anything about it. Well, life has been super busy. I am coming to the end of my NA class and I also only have three more weeks of school, which means finals are right around the corner. Yup, busy. We had a pretty low key birthday. Jason was at school all night on that Monday, so I took the kids to a place called "Mountain Play Lodge", where there are bouncy houses and play areas and dress up. They had a ton of fun and afterwards Jason was able to join us for Rian's choice of a pizza dinner out. I wasn't able to make anything for him, but we did get him some sunglasses and a skateboard, which he has been asking for a very long time now. Anyway, low-key just the way I like it. We ended the night at one of our favorite place, the bookstore, to eat a big slice of Cheesecake Factory cheesecake, yummm.
Peace, Yasmin
P.S. I can't guarantee that I will post regularly in the next couple of weeks, but I will try.