This is Ds spring break. I'm not really into the whole thing anymore...we were going to Walla Walla for a visit/wood pick up but my poor uncle had emergency appendectomy, which had complications resulting in another surgery, needless to say not a good time to go.

Also it snowed so much here we can't get out of the driveway (very well, actually it is possible). But I am REALLY unmotivated! Our taxes from 06 are STILL not done, we are discussing whether to use my "business" expenses or not. I guess last year when Js CPA auntie bailed us out, she did use my mileage and some expenses. But this year J refuses to call her (or anyone else) to assist us. He thinks his time is best spent learning to become a CPA himself, I guess. So he now is making me insane with endless questions about taxes. You'd think he would figure out that having SOMEONE ELSE be the focus of my wrath would be good for him...but no.

Anyway, I suppose we will eventually figure it all out (we're down from a $20000 bill to $200) and then we can *start* on the 07 taxes! Yay. I can't believe we don't just pay someone to deal with all this. What a nightmare.

And now D has refused to help with his chores, so I told him he couldn't do any of the fun stuff we planned for the week. (IMAX, library, museum) Of course this is a WAY worse punishment for me than him! But I can't just let him sit around while I do all the work. I suppose there was a good way to handle this, but I didn't figure it out. Must find rock to crawl under - hope to survive week of bored child at home and grumpy husband doing taxes.

church humor

This was hilarious - probably won't be as funny written down but I have to try!

Today we got to church (only about 10 minutes late) and D went up for the Children's sermon. The pastor asked "Has anyone here ever been late for anything?"
D raised his little hand and called out "I am late for school almost every day!"
The congregation chortled.
Pastor commented "I see your mom is all red over there", and my darling child said "No, no - my DAD takes me to school!"
Louder laughing.
Pastor says "Well, we shouldn't throw them under the bus like that" (I am in tears laughing so hard)
D pipes up "I don't take the bus."

This is way funnier if you know all parties involved. Needless to say, lateness is a topic of relevance at our house. hehehe

Snow!!!

Ok, maybe if you live some places big snow in late March is no big deal - but here it is unusual; especially since we had NO snow on the ground yesterday! It has been pretty balmy all of March. I guess all the people getting a head start on getting their snow tires off are sorry now. (like us!) So this is our back deck, the cats are very annoyed. Also I had just put out the hummingbird feeder (which is currently frozen solid, with tiny drifts of snow on it). J finds this hilarious and insisted on several pics. I guess he wants to see them with their tiny little bird snowshovels...

Easter pics

Here is D in his suit (no tie, but one must pick one's battles!) for Easter - I thought he looked great! This is last year's suit, still too big so maybe it will fit again next year. His favorite thing in the basket was the Tube-o-rats...I just don't understand.

Biggest Loser

Ok, I am hooked on this show! I really like some aspects of it - how even the people who everyone has given up on can make a positive change in themselves. But I HATE the "game" part, where they vote people off, and have "alliences" and stupid gameplay.

This week I was so happy because the 4 guys finally got broken up - the two girls both did great!!! I would love to see a female win the big prize. Even though I liked Dan, the guy who got voted off, I think it will be good for breaking up that "us vs them" mentality.

Sick sick sick

Well, D went back to school today after being sick for 5 days. Coughing etc. Seems great now. Yay!

All my friends are sick! C fell in Paris (what a place to fall), and 10 days later got an xray to discover she broke her foot. K has been wheezy and feeling awful for weeks, to find she has walking pneumonia. And my sweet Uncle D had an emergency appendectomy that apparently got infected, hopefully not too badly. I hope the karma around me isn't gearing up for some big event. Best of luck to you all in recovery!!!

sick sick sick

Well, the fake pinkeye episode turned into the creeping crud - don't know what it is but it's bad! Been up for two nights with wheezy boy, nothing is worse than when he is just exhausted from breathing, and nothing seems to help. Hopefully they worst is over.

So D stayed home from school again today, we did a bunch of online shark quizzes. Fun. I know far more about sharks than the average joe. Yesterday was Easter - poor D came into our room and pointed out the bunny had not come...I said that since we live in the country the bunny doesn't come until after church (nice one mom)! I hadn't even gotten a basket or anything, so I stopped at Freddy's for 10 minutes on the way to church (barely making it in time for rehearsal). I got home first and hid the eggs like a crazed person and threw all the purchases into an old basket - my mom is much better at the whole gifty thing! But since D's favorite thing was the $1 Tube-o-rats (yes, plastic rats) I guess I'm not going to fret too much about the basket.

colored eggs

D and I colored eggs yesterday - he was home from school on a fake pinkeye problem (by the time I realized it wasn't actually pinkeye, I figured we'd just stay home). J's new work takes Good Friday off, so he was home too! D was really into green, teal, turquoise, blue etc. We did get one yellow and one reddish egg. I wish it had worked out to do our group egg dying with friends, but schedules were too complicated.

After the pinkeye problem, the nurse had suggested he might have been sick, or allergies. So I didn't really pay much attention to his lowering voice towards bedtime, but during the night we had croup-y coughing. Terrifying - really nothing worse than lying there wondering if your child can breathe. Last time he had croup we spent two days in the hospital, but we survived the night and I think things are looking better.

The other weird thing is that we had a blizzard yesterday! It snowed about 5 inches - and we had NOTHING before, people were taking off their snowtires and planting things in the garden - I had just put out the hummingbird feeder (which looks really hilarious with drifts of snow on it). Then it (mostly) all melted. We now have our own personal mud pit/driveway, I spun about 125 degrees trying to get out (and covering the car with mud. Cool.

Concert and aunties

In addition to all my musical junk (see wildreeds), J had a concert tonight in the band. It was hot (weirdly so, something must have been broken) and they had a lovely tribute to Mark Williams, our friend and former bassoonist who was murdered last January. He wrote lots of music, mostly for jr hi band, and I guess his method books are widely used all over the US. But they played three of his pieces, which sound pretty impressive but are easy to put together and cleverly arranged. Anyway, to me it was the high point of the concert. They also played an arrangement of Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man (apparently in a somewhat lower key than the original, but it sounded pretty good!) a medley of horror tunes and Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries (both conducted by students), and other band-y stuff. The oboe player did a fine job, I guess he is a junior in HS! This is my first concert I haven't played since we got married. Wow.

Even more fun is that Auntie C (really J's cousin's wife) was here on a business trip, and we went over to her hotel to go swimming. Sadly, the hot tub was out of commission, but we played in the pool until D was getting blue (just slightly) and then he had a hot bath. Then we went across the street for Mexican food - yay! J joined us in his tux for a bit, he even had a beer before he had to get to the concert, but we stayed and while D drew a giant lobster, C and I had a great conversation. Fun fun fun. Wish our families lived closer!!!

so much stuff

Well, the ball was a huge success, I actually hope we do it again next year! I would like to get tix and at least eat (who knew there would be a 5-course meal from the ritzy CDA Resort???) with Jim; and make our neighbors (and maybe even some reletives?) come too. Fun fun fun.

The off to BOise, WAY too early. I was tired all weekend, but it was really fun to see old friends and meet some great new people too. My original trio guys were so familiar but just more themselves than 15 years ago, and the other players were both very good musicians. I played ok, not fab, but at least I don't think I sucked! Wish we had been able to do some more interesting music, but this "pick up" stuff was fun. The kind of thing for "any combination of instruments in any key". I guess I'll just have to go back!

My MRI report was interesting, the cartlidge is scraped and bunched up right where it hurts, so there ya go. But there is also a benign cyst inside the bone, which they said I must go to the foot specialist to discuss. So I am off to them next week. Whatever.

Jim is playing with my bells on Palm Sunday (Mar 16) and he came to rehearsal last night, it was just great! I was very proud. This Sunday a touring bell choir is coming from Boise area (wacky)to play at my church - of course I have another gig that afternoon to complicate matters, but I am excited they are coming. Trying to plan the (vegetarian!) dinner and a trip to the LaserQuest for them while I'm at Whitworth. AND since I can be at bell rehearsal next week, I'm trying to get E to conduct, throw him a bone at least since his life sucks right now, but he keeps missing rehearsal! Argh. It will all work out.

Tonight is Whitworth at St. Georges (read:FAR) then being hopefully not too late for Orchetra in CDA. Taking D and dropping him with daddy somewhere in between! Should be interesting...