A day with Payton...

Last night was not a good night for me. For some reason the light in our bedroom kept coming on all night long. Now mind you it had no effect on Beth, but it kept waking me up. It is set up on a remote, so we are not sure why it does this. It never dawned on me to turn the light off at the switch, but will make sure it is off tonight. So needless to say when Payton arrived at 7:20 I was still sleeping. But it did not take long for me to hear him and get up. We all had breakfast and again I had to go water the grass this morning. I wish someone would send rain our way. After watering we headed to the outlet mall. I needed a new pair of shoes. I was not able to find a pair I liked, but as I was looking I saw Beth putting shoes on Payton. He came racing around the corner to show me. They were shoes that flashed when he ran in them. They looked so cute and he loved them. So he got a pair and I found nothing. Oh well shoe shopping again tomorrow. He was so tired and almost fell asleep on the way home. We had not had lunch yet and I wanted him to eat before going down for a nap. Once home I quickly fixed him hot dog with mac and cheese. He ate most it, but was so tired. Beth put him down for a nap and within 5 minutes he was out. Maggie had to pick him at 2:30 as he had a doctor appointment today. Before he left Beth put his new shoes on and showed him how to jump and make them flash. He ran tot he kitchen and stopped in front of the refrigerator and started jumping. He was looking at the reflection of the flashing light in the refrigerator door. He was so cute. He did not wait to leave and we knew he must of had a good time. We so enjoyed having him and spending time with him before we leave for Alaska.

Shopping day...

There was 30 degree difference from yesterday to today. They claim we got rain last night but if we did it was so mall that it did not leave much trace. So off to water the grass I went. This is getting old fast. But never fear we are to get rain the next 3 day, but I am not holding my breath. So off to King Of Prussia we went to shop for Payton's birthday. So what do you get a 2 year old that loves cars and has 50 thousands of them? We looked at educational stuff and he is not really old enough for anything that we wanted to get, so on to the fun things. After spending about an hour be finally settled on a few things. Can't tell you cause we want want them to be a surprise. But will provide pictures Saturday of them. Since my DVD player for some reason stopped working downstairs, Beth was oh so kind as to take the one out of the bedroom and move it to my room downstairs. Little did I know there was a method to her madness. So off to Best Buy we went to replace the one in the bedroom. After entering Best Buy and heading to the DVD department, her plan was revealed - A Blue Ray DVD is what we needed. NEED no way, it was a WANT. Now mind you we have no blue ray disc and they cost more than a regular DVD. So after a conversation with the sales guy, it was determined that the LG blue ray was wireless and you can download Netflix movies from the computer for a monthly fee. Not what I had in mind when we entered Best Buy. So now we will get rid of the movie channels on cable and join Netflix. Not sure if we are saving here, but Beth was happy when she left carrying the Blue Ray DVD player. That is all that matters. We then headed over to the bird feeder store. We needed a baffle for the bird feeder post out front. The one we have now the squirrels us as a spring board to get to the other bird feeder, so it is of not use. And of course picked up a couple more small bird feeders. I spent the rest of the day doing laundry and Beth cut the grass. We have Payton tomorrow, so we can spend all day with him and not do chores. Today's picture is of a cardinal on our bird feeder.

Another hot day...

Today was about the same as yesterday. Sunny, in the low 90's, but at least there was a slight breeze. We finished unloading all the dirt from the truck early this morning. Beth began cleaning around the pool pump and I worked on cleaning the house. Who was the smart one here I ask you, the one inside or the one outside???? We had our second Phillie's game tonight. We sat in the left center outfield seat. They were great seats. It was still 85 degrees at first pitch but with a good breeze. Phillie's won so it was a great game also. They had the World Series Trophy on display. You could have your picture taken with it, but the line was way too long to stand it, so Beth did the next best thing she stood next to the rail and had someone snap a picture of her and the trophy. We are going shopping tomorrow for Payton's birthday. He will be 2. He is all into Dora this year, so maybe we can find something with Dora on it. Kyle has a game tomorrow night, so we will celebrate on Saturday. He will not care nor will he know the difference.

A do nothing day...

It was too hot to do anything today and we were both sore from yesterday. So we went to see Dr. Bill at 9am for adjustments. Beth had an eye appointment at 11am, so I went to Wal-mart for a few things then back home. Beth spent the afternoon play Pogo and I did some scrap booking and watched TV. It was 91 here toady and will be the same tomorrow. I now have to water in the morning and at night if we are to ever have grass and we sure don't want to waste our efforts from yesterday. As our friends would say, You have nothing better to do you are retired. Today's picture is of an American Goldfinch that came to our bird feeder.

Dirt Dirt Everywhere Dirt

What a hot and sunny day it was today, 88 degrees and very sunny. So of course we picked the hottest day to play in the front yard with dirt. Beth went to church and I began my morning watering. After breakfast, Beth began cutting the front yard and I began loading everything we would need for filling the holes into the back of the truck. We started the processing about 11am. We started with the bank in the yard which needed the most attention. After that we started driving up and down the yard stopping about every 20 feet to fill holes. We finally finished about 3pm. We both were so tired, hot, sunburned, and sweaty that we went to Rita's for water ice. Boy what a job, but I am glad it is done. We still have about 1/4 of the dirt left, so we will finish unloading it tomorrow in the back year. Good thing we see Dr. Bill tomorrow for adjustments, they are much needed. The picture today is of Beth and Payton playing in the dirt pile at the baseball game yesterday. Sure could have used some trucks like that to help us move the dirt around.

Kyle's baseball game

What a great day today. The sunny was shinning bright and the temperature was in the low 80's. I can truly say it was not my fault we bought plants today, but I would be lying. They had all the rose bushes out and they looked so great that we ended up getting 3 new ones. And wile we we at it we also got 3 Columbia bushes. We will not plant them until we get back so they will be sitting in the Ellington nursery. Beth cut the backyard and I went to get a load of dirt. We will start the hole filling in the morning. Yea... We went to kyle's ball game which started the same time as the NFL draft. Never fear thought, I took the satellite radio so I could listen to it and watch Kyle's game. The Rhotinis also came. The kids had a great time in the dirt pile and Kyle did a great job catching, but his team lost. We then went to DJ and Maggie's for dinner. then home for a much needed soak in the hot tub. The first picture is Payton, Jo, and the twins playing in the dirt pile, the second picture is Kyle catching and the last one is of Payton. And

the Phillies came from behind in the 9th inning to tie the Marlins and the won it in the 10th, even though Lidge made it a little bit too interesting by loading the bases with 2 outs!!!

Busy Busy Day..

Beth had a hair appointment at 9am this morning and we have been on the go since then. It was such a great day outside. Sunny and warm all day. We had a list of of about 8 places to go and finish most of then by 1pm. Beth's mom came over for a visit and to pick up her items we got for her at Sam's. We had a meeting at the Rhotini's to talk about the Disney trip in January. There look to be about between 12 - 16 people going. Sounds like we will have a great time and still have a lot of planning to do. I am looking forward to the Draft tomorrow. Can't wait to see who is going to what teams and to see how the Eagles and Chiefs do. We have decided to add a picture each night along with the events of the day. That way everyone has a chance to see them. This was taken at Disney last Christmas and seem appropriate since we were talking Disney all night.

Chill day...

Today started out as a sunny day but the wind was blowing so it made the temperature feel a lot colder than it was. We had Jojo again today after school. We started working on the front yard. there were several tree roots that needed to be removed so we could add new dirt and plant grass. After working on them for a hour or so we determined that we were going to need more than the 3 bags of dirt we had. So tomorrow we are getting a truck load and will drive around the yard and fill holes. Kinda reminds me of the asphalt trucks that drive around filling the pot holes. Should be a fun day. We were able to attend Kyle's baseball game this evening. Maggie and DJ both had to help with team things, so we watched Payton. Well Beth and Payton found a hugh mound of dirt to play in. Boy was he mess after playing in it for 2 hours. Glad he was going home with them. Kyle did really well batting and catching. He is so much more focused this year and doing well so far. Boy was it cold after the sun went down. This picture was taken on our last cruise at Half Moon Cay in the Bahamas, just seeing it reminds me of how hot that day was.

A Boring Day

Today started out sunny but turned damp and rainy by the afternoon. But I was able to take some pictures before we left to run errands this morning. Our prime rose that we planted last year, never truely died out so they are looking real good for this early in the season.

We are getting our stuff ready for Alaska, we leave in 3 weeks. Jeanette will have us completely packed before we hit 1 week. We picked up UnderArmor pullovers today at the Outlet. They will be nice and warm, without the bulk and take less room in the luggage. We have pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact that we will be paying the second checked bag fee, but we still have to leave room to bring stuff back with us that we have purchased on the trip.

Funky Day...

Today was one of those days where the planets were not alined right or something. Beth woke in one of those moods. Nothing really wrong but just not feeling herself. Then we picked up Jojo from school and she was a pisser also. She would not take a nap and was just a jabber jaws all day. Then Dawn called and said the twins were in pissy moods too. So I am blaming it on the planets not being aligned and will wait to see what tomorrow brings. I like this shot of the tulips. They are so colorful, I thought I would share them with you.

Rainy again..

Today was rainy and on in the mid 40's. So it was a perfect day to get back in to he exercise mode. So off to the basement I went at 8am for a one hour workout. Boy did I feel it afterwards. After breakfast, it was laundry time. I think every pair of jeans we had were dirty. Beth had an eye doctor appointment at 11am and while she was at the mall she wonder into Sears. She found winter coats that were regularly $99 on sale for $20. So she got her one and her dad one. Can't beat that price. She also got me a fleece pullover for $5. It will come in very handy in Alaska. Had a hair appointment this evening and boy was it time. The gray was really showing and it was getting long. The picture is our new weeping cherry tree we planted out front last year. It is very colorful.

Flowers

Today was another great day. Most of the flowers were in bloom and very colorful. Beth finished cutting the back yard (weed wacking and spraying the property line with a kill all) and I was relegated to cleaning the house. I went to the nursery looking for peony bushes ONLY. Well that did not work so well. We kept telling ourselves that we were not going to buy any flowers until we get back from Alaska. And so far we had done very well with that idea. However being left on my own at the nursery was not a great idea. Peony bushes were not available for another 2 week and so I was just going to LOOK and the flowers just seemed to jump into my cart and the next thing I know I was checking out with flowers we were not going to buy. So much for that idea. Lucky it was only a few. I am not allowed at the nursery any more until we get back. Beth made a great dinner. I know and disbelief that she cooked. But she makes a great string beans and ham. Yum Yum...

Information day...

We traveled to Allentown this morning for information on our Alaska trip and boy are we glad we went. We have a 6 hour layover in Seattle and we have to pack land clothes separate from cruise clothes because we can only take one suitcase on the land tour and the rest are sent to wait for us at the ship. I was not going to pack as early, which I know is a surprise to all, but with the separation of suitcases I can not wait until the day before to pack. We did finish looking at the excursion and settled on the ones we want. We have to call and schedule some and the rest we can do on-line. We had lunch at Long John Silver. They have the best chicken planks. We were not able to make it back for Kyle's baseball game but he sent me a text and said they got their butts kicked. We will hopefully get to see him play Thursday. Beth cut the front yard and will do the back yard tomorrow. I want to get grass seed on the hill out front before the rain hits tomorrow afternoon. Today was a great day. Sunny and high 70's. Shorts and t-shirt weather

The Great Outdoors Or Busting Your Butt In the Yard

Today was another fabulous spring day, Sunny with the high in upper 60s with a slight breeze. Only one thing to do with a day like today, yard work! Our property borders a township park in the backyard. The layout is our yard, the park woods which goes about 50 yards back before it slopes downward another 50 yards, to a walking path around a spring feed pond and then the rest of the park. The property line was a mess of sticker plants, wild vines (some poison ivy) and scrape trees that grow really fast and can take over an area in no time. We cleared about 5 ft back where the stickers where hurtful when I would cut the grass. Pruned any branch that would be in my way and then chipped everything. I now need to spray the area with a kill everything spray to keep it clean. There is still one section that needs to be worked on but there is only so much that can be done in day. Luckily my Mom stopped by around luchtime and gave us a good reason to stop and clean up for lunch. After lunch I thought about getting on the mower and cutting the grass but that idea went away when I decided to drain the hot tub. The hot tub water reached the point that I couldn't keep it clear anymore, so it had to be replaced. Since I was draining it, we replaced the filters in it and cleaned all the walls. We only filled it about a third before we left to have dinner at the Rhotinis with JoJo, Dawn, the boys and Bonnie and Lorraine. It was a nice evening with friends, which is always filled with laughs.

Finally a sunny day...

The weather was great today, Sunny and low 60's. I began by pulling all the weeds from the butterfly bush area. I hate thistles. Then I placed all the flower pots on the pool wall. They look so bare without flowers in them. But we are not planting until we come back from Alaska. Don't want to have to depend on the house sitter to water them. Our tomato plants loved the warm weather. They were so not happy with 30's and 40's. Beth picked up JoJo again after school. We had lunch of Easter leftovers and Beth hurried off to the neck doctor. JoJo went down for a nap. Beth returned from the doctors with a clean bill and no more physical therapy needed. Spent the afternoon talking about whether to drive or fly to KC for the American Royal BBQ Contest, the first weekend in October. Think we are going to drive. It is a whole lot cheaper than airfare and a rental car. Also talking to Deb about getting Chiefs tickets for the Giants game when we are there.

Handy Andy...

We spent the morning at the Rhotini household. We installed straps to the back of the boys dresser. They are taking all the clothes out of the drawers and it is only a matter of time before the monkey in them take over and they begin to climb. We also installed a shelf in their room to hold their piggy banks. Beth filled and spackled the holes where the gate was in the living room. We also measured for cabinets that we will be installed in the garage. After that Beth had to go to the post office and mail her taxes while I began making our Easter dinner. We had ham, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, deviled eggs, mandarin orange salad, and rolls...Boy was it good.

Not a lot...

Not a lot to write about today but if I don't put something down my mom will think something is wrong. She enjoys reading the blog and looks forward to it every night. She wants me to set her up one but is having a hard time coming up with a name. So when she has given it considerable thought she will have just the right name and we will be off creating. ('Blog By Bonnie' or 'The Ogle Oracles' are Beth's suggestions.) Today was a rainy gray day. Beth picked up JoJo at school and Kim came by to get her after lunch. We did go out and get our 4th suit case so we are ready for the Alaska cruise. Not an exciting day.

Finally finished..

We finally finished the border around the blood grass today. It took us longer than expected, but I think it turned out nice. The colored balls give the area color during the day and are solar lights that change colors at nite. We could not finish the far end due to the fact that we found another nest of baby bunnies and did not want to disturb them. So in a couple more weeks we will finish the very end. We will put out the honey pots on the wall and fill them with flowers as soon as we get back from Alaska. More pictures to come later.

Happy Easter..

Beth was up early to go to 8:30 mass and I took advantage of a few more winks. We then headed to the diner for breakfast and found it was closed. So we ventured down the road to a new placed that opened a few months ago. We both had eggs in order to compare it to our favorite diner. Well let's just say we will not be back. Coffee was not great, eggs and potatoes had no taste, bacon was not greasy. So home we went for a few hours before going to pick up Beth's mom and dad for dinner. We arrived at their place and found her dad was not going. He had a headache, but we all believe he just did not want to go. So off to New Jersey we went. We arrived a little after 3pm. Dinner was ready a little after 4pm. We had ham, lamb, salad, potatoes, squash, and delved eggs. For dessert there was cheese cake, fruit tart, and chocolate trifle which we made. It was a really great meal and a great day with family.

Easter Egg coloring...

JoJo arrived about 4pm today. She is staying the night with us as her mommies went to a concert. We asked the Rhotinis to join us for pizza and to color easter eggs. We were not sure what to expect with twin 2 year olds and color dye. They all were great taking the eggs and plopping them into the different colors. They were not much for writing on the egg but would rather poke holes in them. Beth always claims there is never enough eggs, but, I made 2 dozen this year. The three of us hit the hot tub for a nice relaxing soak before bed. What a great time we had.

Spiders..

Today was the slave boy's last day of work. So we got up early and began working outside. I wanted to get the most of my last day. We had some old solar covering by the pool pump that was falling apart. I had him cut them into smaller pieces and put them into trash bags. Now mind you the boy is afraid of spiders and can spot one a mile away. So off to the task at hand he went. I began working on the brick edging around the blood grass and was hoping to finish it today before the rain hit the next 2 days. But between telling Kyle what seemed like 50,000 times that there were no spiders in the covers and to get back to work and to stop texting his friends, I got very little done. I had another chiropractor appt. today at 11am. If you have never had lower back problems you are lucky. This feels like someone is pinching your hip all the time. The doctor said this is moving in the right direction. At least it is not pinching my butt any more. So I told Kyle if he did not finish his job he had to stay home and no Sonic for lunch. He had one last piece and he said there was a spider as big as a baseball on it. Now mind you we were talking about spiders at dinner last night and he asked me if I was afraid of them. I said the only kind I did not like were wolf spiders. If you don't know what they look like, they are about the size of a baseball and are hairy. See where I am going. So this spider he sees was the same in his mind and he was done. I went down to see it and there was a spider but it was the size of a pea. So I stepped on it and we both finished putting the last piece in the plastic bag. Off to the doctor's office and to Sonic for lunch. Beth took her mom to Ikea and was to have the boy this afternoon for her fun. She called me about 1pm and said she was not feeling good and would not need Kyle. So after going to Lowe's, I took Kyle home and returned home to find Beth sleeping because of a migraine. Tonight was the last Thursday steak dinner for lent. Thank god Easter is Sunday and meat on Fridays can resume.

First of the many..

The day started out very busy. Beth had physical therapy at 8:30 and I had a dentist appt. at 9am. I also had a chiropractic appt. at 11am. I told Kyle that he had the morning to himself and that he was going to work this afternoon. After lunch Beth began working on the first grass cutting of the year. To her it a choir that must be done the next 7 months. Not something she looks forward to. I reminded kyle that he needed to begin cleaning on the downstairs floors. In true fashion he though I was kidding and kept on watching TV. Well to his dismay, he was grounded from the TV the rest of the day. Boy was he not happy, but I did get the downstairs floors cleaned. Boy will he really be disappointed tomorrow when he has to get up early to get things done outside. Only one more day left to use him as I see fit...LOL

Frozen...

I was a very cold day today. No rain but cloudy overcast gray day. Since it was not raining, it was time to work outside. I had Kyle pick up all the stick in the yard. He was good for about 3 hours doing that and that was all. As soon as I started getting text messages and phone calls from his friends I lost his attention. But he did finally finish both the outside and inside the fence area. I was able to start working on removing the old mulch from the blood grass plants. We wanted to replace the border with brick and us the rubber tire mulch. Beth was at her mom's again for another computer lesson. The resolution some how got changed on her machine and she could not read anything. We was able to fix it and was back home by lunch. After lunch we finish about a third of blood grass area. We had to leave about 3:30 to drop Kyle off at home and head to the Phillie's game. It felt like we were going to an eagles football winter game. Temperature was in the middle 30's and the wind was blowing hard. And to top it all off the place where we loved to get cheese steaks was gone. So we settled for trying a new place and the cheese steaks were not good at all. The game began with a home run on the first pitch. Should have know from then it was going to be a long game. We left cold and sore in the 6th ending with the Phillies losing. But the car was so much warmer.

Rain Rain go away...

Nothing but a rainy gloomy day all day. Does not help to have a slave boy if it is raining and can't do anything out side. Still calling for more rain tomorrow. Guess we will have to find something to do inside. We have the Phillie's game tomorrow night and looks like it will be cold and wet.

Spring,,,

What a great day today. The weather was great. Middle 65 and very sunny. I needed to finish pulling all the dead leaves and tree limbs from Pooh's corner flower bed. As I was raking the leaves I turned over a baby bunny nest and one bunny came tumbling out. So I oh so carefully pushed him back into his hole making sure not to touch him with my hands. He ( I say he like I could tell but we will call him he for now) was so very little with not fur and his eyes were not open. He was so very cute. After finishing the weeding and making sure not to disturb the nest, I put peat moss down. I then planted 2 more tomato plants. We will be in big trouble if all of them produce. Beth was working on vacuuming the pine needles from around the pool. We had lunch outside, fried chicken, pasta salad, and deviled eggs. We knew the sofa was being delivered around 3pm, so we moved the chair and sofa to the road and put a free sign on it. Well it only took 3 hours before someone can by to claim it. I am sure the trash man is happy it is gone also. The color matches the room nicely. Kyle is on his way over after baseball practice. He is on spring break and will be staying with us this week. It is so great to have a slave boy, although he would disagree. The forecast is not great for this week for getting stuff down outside but we will make do with what we can. We have our first Phillie's game Tuesday night and they are calling for rain and 32 degrees. We will dress warm and are so looking forward the cheese steak sandwich there. Best around...

Moving day...

For several weeks now Beth has complained about the sofa and not being able to put the foot rest down. I will admit that the move from KC was not good for the sofa. So we decided that today was the day to go and LOOK at new ones. We headed to the DUMP which is a furniture outlet warehouse. Beth had seen one there she liked when DJ and Maggie bought theirs. SO off we went to LOOK. They had a lot to choose from. Beth wanted one that had the electric foot raise on it. They only had 2 of them. The first one a brown leather movie theater type with 3 seats and cup holders. It was a five piece set. It was not real comfortable to sit in and seemed a little small. The second one was a coco brown theater type with 4 seats (a middle loveseat with singles at each end) and cup holders. It was really nice and comfortable. The salesman came by and gave us the usual sales pitch, but also said that there was probably a scratch somewhere on it so we could have an additional 10% off. Well so much for just LOOKING. So we purchased it and with the amount we saved, we had it delivered. So it will be here tomorrow, which means we had to get the other one out. So after sliding and tugging to get it the old sofa out the door, we finally managed to get it loaded on the back of the truck and into the garage. We will set it by the curb tomorrow with free sign on it and if it is not gone by Monday morning , the trash man will take it. So now we are off to the hot tub to soak our aches from moving today.

A day with Dawn..

Today was a Sam's club day. We asked Dawn to go with us since she has now joined the ranks of the unemployed. She arrived around 10:30 and we headed to Reading. We started by going to lunch at Olive garden. I had my usual - soup, salad, and bread sticks. You just can go wrong with that. Beth had the same except she got the bruschetta. It was Friday and she can't eat meat, so she made up for it with the appetizer. Dawn had salad and bread sticks. After we finished, it was off to Sam's. We usually take orders for our friends and family when we go and judging by the list we had we needed to get a flat bed cart for shopping. Since Dawn was a rookie at power showing with the Ellington's, I think she was surprised at how much we got and how it all fit in the trunk. After Sam's, we stopped by the outlet mall to look at suitcases. We will need one more big suitcase for Alaska and wanted to check out the prices. After unloading the car at home, Dawn headed home and beth and I each took a nap. A day of shopping can really wear you out. It was a great day and we hope Dawn can come out and play more !!!

Not much...

Not much going on today.. We picked up jojo from school and had lunch with her. We planted tomato and strawberry plants and are hoping for a big crop. Suppose to rain tomorrow so wanted to get everything done outside just in case it did.

Rainy Day...

The forecast called for rain all afternoon, so I took the opportunity to spread grass seed. Beth had a doctor's appointment at 10:30 to get her second shot in the neck. She is feeling about 80% better and we hope this will be the last one. With this said she had to take 3 Valium before the procedure, so needless to say she was of no use all afternoon. After the procedure we came home, had lunch, and she crashed into bed. The rain was falling so no more work outside. I went to Kohl's to look at t-shirts and other things for the Alaska cruise. Found a few things and headed back home. We spent the rest of the day watching it rain and doing nothing...