My first day of school

Yesterday was my first day of school, and I have to say it felt good to be back! I have two classes that should be fun and interesting on MWF and only go from 10:00-12:00. On Tuesdays I go from 10:00-7:30 with a break from 2:30-4:30 and on Thursdays I go from 10:00-2:30. Of course I already have homework (reading) and I'm sure it will pile up pretty fast. But that's okay. I did take a very heavy load this semester, 16 credit hours, but since I am not (currently) working I should be okay.

Eline went to a friend's house yesterday evening and had a great time. Her friend's grandparents are actually from Holland and speak Dutch. They are also Catholic, as Eline is. She had a good time but came home very concerned about LDS men having more than 1 wife. I had to assure her that it's no longer acceptable and that it hasn't been for at least 100 years! Seems the old guy is very anti-LDS and felt the need to fill Eline with all kinds of misleading information about the LDS religion. I told her I have a book that has lots of information about the LDS church and their beliefs that I would let her read.

I am glad that she has friends and is keeping busy. Her friend, Christine, even came and picked the girls up for school today so they didn't have to ride the bus.

Well, I'd better get my lazy butt in gear and start getting ready for school. It's actually only 7:30 but I want to get at least some of my reading done before school today, and get some laundry started as well.

My scrap room!

First let me say that if you haven't read my blog in a while you need to check out the previous post which is full of photos. This will just be photos of my scrap room, so if you aren't interested in that sort of thing, just skip this one!

My friend, Michelle, came over and we reorganized my scrap room. I had my basement painted, along with a bathroom renovation, a couple of weeks ago so my scrapping stuff had been out in the garage for quite a while. I finally have most things sorted and it's crazy how much stuff I need to get rid of! Anyway, here are the photos with commentary:




Here is my computer desk and you can see my new Silhouette on the right, sitting on the iris cart.













This is the right side of my room. I have loads of photos, memorabilia, themed paper and embellishments, foam stamps, sewing machine, albums, etc. stored here. You can also see my pen storage on the left side of this photo. It's actually a wine rack with plastic glasses in it, filled with my pens. The thing on the wall is an Indonesian puppet cut from chipboard and intricately painted. I got this when I was overseas several years ago.









This is the left side of my room. I have a great poster from a Wash. winery, my Air Force teddy bear, Xyron, magazines, adhesives, embellishments, photo storage, cardstock and pattern paper, cards and envelopes, etc.









This is my work table. You can see my new rail system from IKEA. I love it. It holds my rub ons, stickers, and loads of other stuff.










Here's a closer look at my long rail. Yes, I did drill a hole through my paper cutter.










This is my shorter rail, which holds my tool like scissors, reading glasses and smaller embellishments. The whole system, including both rails and all the baskets cost less than $25!







Here are my purchases yesterday. I didn't spend much, thank goodness, and the IKEA catalog was free!










Here is the first thing I cut with my new Silhouette! Pretty, huh?

Loads of photos

I am going to over load you with photos today! So here goes!





This is Eline's room. Turned out pretty nicely, I think.
















Chelsea making a sign for Eline's arrival.














At the airport.














Eline at "home" for the next 10 months.














This is Chelsea playing on her high
school soccer team.
Unfortunately they didn't win.














Eline mowing a lawn for the first time in her life! Chelsea is really happy to have someone to share her least favorite chore with!









Chelsea on her first day of high school. That's her truck "Maria" in the back.
















Eline on her first day of American High School.










My two high school girls. They are both so beautiful! I am going to have to watch out for boys this year for sure!










And lastly, this is the sky a few evenings ago. As you can see the clouds show the potential for a tornado. Fortunately it cleared up soon after.

First day of school over and second day has just begun!

Well, we had mixed reviews of the first day of school. Chelsea had fun seeing old friends and new ones. No complaints about her classes, yet. She already has projects to work on. My least favorite: collecting bugs for biology class!

Eline likes her sports class but isn't that excited about Sign Language and wants to drop her English class. She says the boys in that class are too big and talk tough. I think dropping it is a good idea, for a different reason. They will be studying Shakespeare and reading classic novels and I'm not sure her English (although very good) is good enough for her to be able to read, interpret, and write reports without a lot of extra tutoring. She is going to see her counselor today to see if she can get that changed to something else.

Eline is also unhappy with her lunch time with starts at 10:45 and runs for about 45 minutes. She says it's too early and she isn't hungry. Yesterday the girl who agreed to have lunch with her walked her around rather than eating. I talked to her about not expecting people to give up eating lunch because she doesn't want to eat. When she got home from school she made herself a big snack and then didn't eat dinner. Of course she was hungry around 9:00. So I had to be the mean "mom" and tell her she could have a small snack after school but if she doesn't eat dinner then she cannot have another meal later in the evening. I don't let Chelsea do this so can't have exceptions for Eline. My neighbor found another girl to eat with Eline today, and I told her she had to eat something. The high school has lots of choices so even if she has a small salad or fruit that's better than nothing. So we'll see. I think this could all be nerves which is completely understandable.

My friend Michelle came over yesterday and helped me organize my scrap area. It looks so much better! I am going to take photos later so will upload them. She gave me some homework to do, sorting through embellishments, memorabilia and photos, so I need to get that done later today. This morning I am scrubbing my tile floors and cleaning the grout. I usually us a Swiffer mop to clean my floors but about once every 3 months I get down on my hands and knees and scrub the floors. The Swiffer is quick, but doesn't get the floors as clean as I'd like.

School starts tomorrow!

I am glad school starts tomorrow. My girls will have something besides the computer and TV to keep them busy. The girls went to Lagoon on Sunday and I enjoyed a nice day alone. Haven't had much alone time lately!

Yesterday we went up to the school and went through each girls schedule twice, so they know where there classes are tomorrow. We met a girl who is a Senior to eat lunch with Eline tomorrow, so hopefully that will work out. Several of Chelsea's friends also offered to sit by her, so at least she won't be alone, but I'm hoping Eline makes friends with some Seniors soon. I think she is tired of hanging out with 14 year olds, and I know Chelsea wants to spend some time alone with her friends also. So far they've gotten along. Let's hope it stays that way.

Chelsea has a soccer game this afternoon, so we are getting ready to go watch. It is only supposed to get up to 89 degrees today, which will be much nicer than the 97 degree days of last week. This will most likely be the last Tues. game I'll get to see because next week I start school and have class from 10-7:30 on Tuesdays. That makes me sad because I've never missed on of Chelsea's games before, unless I was out of town. Not much I can do about it now though, and soccer will be over in a month, so no use trying to rework my schedule at this late date or drop the class. It's a film class so on days when we are just watching movies, I'll see if I can rent it to watch later.

Well, I'm off to sit in the heat to watch a great soccer game.

TGIF

Yesterday we went to Spanish Fork for Chelsea's soccer game. What a long drive, at least 1.5 hours. The varsity team won but the JV team lost. Chelsea shot 4 times but didn't make any goals. She was nervous, I think, to be playing on a high school team. Eline thought they played very well for Americans. :)

Eline has been surprised by lots of things here. She thought all Americans ate huge breakfasts, with eggs, sausage, hash browns, etc. She was happy to find out we didn't eat like that, except on rare occasions, and even then it was more likely we were eating that way for dinner rather than breakfast.

She loves the sunsets. She says they are much more beautiful here than in Holland.

We stopped at IKEA on the way home and she showed me her bedroom furniture, which her parents bought for her from IKEA in the Netherlands. She bought some Swedish chocolate and I bought some long, wavy mirrors for the girls' rooms. I'd love to be able to afford to empty out my house and start over will IKEA furniture and accessories! I took her to eat at Sonic for dinner. She asked why they make everything so big in America. She ordered a Sonic Cheeseburger-the regular size one- and thought it was huge! She also tried tator tots. She said, "I think I do like these!"

We went to the commissary (grocery store) on base today and she saw several items that looked familiar. We bought a few items and will buy more when we go back in a week or two. On our way home this afternoon it poured down rain. In fact it pelted rain so hard it hurt when we got out of the car. I still have loads of stuff in my garage so couldn't park in there. I did pull the back of the car up to the garage door so we could get the groceries out without getting too wet, but when I went to move the car so we could close the garage I got soaked! It was nice to have some rain, can't remember the last time it rained here. It also cooled things off which was nice. Unfortunately it didn't last long and the sun is out once again! I can't wait until the high temperature is 80 degrees, and it is crisp and cool in the mornings!

Chelsea and Eline are going to one of Chelsea's friends house to watch movies and hang out. There will be 10-14 kids there and Eline is nervous about meeting them. I am sure she will do just fine. I'll report more on that later.

Fun day yesterday!

We had a fun day yesterday. We picked up my friend Wendy's son, Tyler, who is 7 and took him with us to SLC. Wendy is looking for a job here and it looks like she found the perfect match, so she took the day to look for a private school for Tyler.

Chelsea, Eline, Tyler and I went first to Summerhays Music to pick up Chelsea's clarinet. It cost almost $100 to get it repaired. Wooden clarinets are a real pain! The repair tech said it seems that the wood is finished shrinking and it shouldn't need repair again for cracks. Good thing because that expensive clarinet just keeps getting more expensive!

After that we went to the Gateway mall. Both girls did some school clothes shopping and Chelsea just dreamed about the day when she has a job and can buy anything she wants. I'll let her dream about that a little while longer. Little does she know it doesn't really work like that. Eline had never been to a Taco Bell, but wanted to go so that's where we ate lunch. She seemed to like it well enough. She worries about getting fat, though so doesn't eat a lot. After that we came home because Chelsea had soccer practice. Oh, almost forgot, we also signed Eline up for AYSO soccer for the fall and spring. This is another way she can get to know kids around here, plus get some exercise so she doesn't gain too much weight. I guess the Exchange program people told her that most kids gain around 20 lbs. in the year they are in America.

Last night Wendy took us all to dinner and we had a fun time. When they lived here several years ago Chelsea always called Tyler her little brother, because they spent a lot of time together. So last night Chelsea said, "Now I have a brother and a sister!" which seemed to make both Tyler and Eline happy.

Today we are going to watch Chelsea's first high school soccer team. She is on the Jr. Varsity team and is happy because she gets to play forward, which is her favorite position. Hopefully she'll get to play today, since she's missed the whole first week of games.

Eline is here!

We picked up Eline on Saturday. We love her! She is such a nice young woman. She is homesick, which is to be expected, but she is starting to adjust. She is outgoing and friendly and her English is very good. Since she has already graduated from High School in the Netherlands she gets to take a bunch of fun classes here. She is taking Sports, food and nutrition, photography, psychology, travel and tourism and a bunch of other elective courses.

I am also signing her up for a COED soccer team which should keep her busy. She hopes to join some clubs at school also. Guess I'll be busy driving, although I am sure she'll make friends with other Seniors and most of them will be able to drive.

It is too hot here for her so we are hoping it will start to cool down soon. I hope so too, as my electric bill is very high this year.

Chelsea is busy with her high school soccer team and I will be seeing her first game on Thursday. Hopefully she'll get to play because she was gone all of last week so she missed 3 games.

Chelsea absolutely loved her mission trip to Seattle. She said it was one of the best weeks of her life. She's learned a lot about the homeless and now looks at them very differently. She would like to go again next year.

Chelsea and Eline get along very well and enjoy watching TV and listening to music together. I hope that continues. The more we get to know each other the better it gets. I know there will probably be some problems but I do think this is going to be a great year for all of us!

Chelsea's Home!

Chelsea came home last night. It sure was good to have her back! She said her mission trip was the best time of her life! We were up until 2:30 talking. I can't wait to hear more of the details. She said she is going to camp again next year even if she has to pay for it herself!

Eline comes "home" today. There is still much to do and the house is still in disarray, although it looks like the basement will be finished today. That is, everything except putting the family room together, which will mostly happen tomorrow evening when friends are available to help with the heavy work.

Well, much to do and only a short time to get it done! Later, Mary

Busy!

The guy who is working on my basement fixed my lawn mower and I learned how to mulch the grass! Can't believe I've had that mower and never knew how to mulch. The front lawn is looking shaggy so I may need to mow that this evening or tomorrow.

Last night I went to get some vinyl for my new bathroom and Chelsea's truck broke down. Fortunately my neighbor, Earl, came to my rescue. He took me to Home Depot to get the vinyl while I contacted my insurance and arranged a tow truck. Fortunately I got the towing protection when I insured the truck. Looks like it needs either a fuel filter or a fuel pump. It will be awhile before that gets fixed though because I need to pay for this basement first!

I have about a half hours worth of work in the basement before I can put down the plastic and cover the windows for painting. It probably won't get painted until tomorrow, so hopefully it will still be done by tomorrow night so I can get most of the big furniture back in. My scrapbooking stuff will have to wait a little longer so I can sort through it all. I have way too much stuff!

I am moving a book case from my room to Eline's room today and then getting a small table so that I can set up the computer in my room. I really don't want it there but the only other option is the dining area, and I definitely don't want it there. There will also be another computer in the family room. With 3 users in the house we need at least 2 computers. On my wish list is a laptop, but that will have to wait.

Eline left the Netherlands today and will spend a couple of days in NYC getting an orientation from our host company, AYUSA. Her mother sent me a sad email. I dread when Chelsea goes off to college, so I can't even imagine what it would be like to send her to another country for 9 months.

Well, I have plenty to do today so I'd better get started.

Home alone!

Chelsea left for camp. I took her to the church for a "lock in" Saturday evening and they left around 4 am Sunday morning. She started getting cold feet about going on Saturday, but she decided to go, and late Saturday night she called and said she was glad she decided to go. She just made the HS soccer team and will miss the first 3 games. This is also her first year not going to "traditional" camp. She is going on a mission trip to Seattle to work in a homeless shelter, rather than spending time at the camp, swimming, singing, and hiking. She decided to do this trip in order to help others. I think the unknown about what she'd be seeing and doing on the mission trip scared her a little. I'm proud that she decided to go, though.

Eline's room is pretty much done, with the exception of decorations. It looks pretty bare right now, but I want to give her the opportunity to decorate it how she wants. She'll be here Saturday afternoon, so I need to make sure everything is ready for her.

Several friends came over last night and emptied my basement in a matter of 20 minutes. I can't believe how quick it went. Putting it all back in won't go so quickly because I'm rearranging everything and it will all have to be cleaned as well. Can't wait for the new bathroom to be done. All is supposed to be complete before Saturday!

I was mowing the lawn this morning and my stupid lawnmower quit! The rope won't pull at all. So tonight I'll be trying to figure out what is wrong with it. I hate when stuff like this happens.

I went to a promotion ceremony for a friend of mine. I had a great time there because another friend was introducing me to a guy and his wife and he asked if I was her sister! I just laughed because I am 15 years older than her. When I said I wasn't and that I used to be her first sergeant in the Air Force he said, "I could've sworn you were her younger sister!" His wife nodded in agreement. I told them they were my new best friends!

When I got home my house was hot, which scared me because I was afraid my A/C wasn't workig. Thankfully the problem was that the power had gone out for awhile so I'm sure the house heated up quickly from that. The power just went back on about 10 minutes before I got home so it will most likely be a warm evening. Hopefully it will cool down outside tonight so I can sleep with the windows over again!

Well, enough for today. I'm off to help myself to some sushi and white wine for dinner, then to tackle my lawn mower!

The Dr. Called

After getting mad, I finally got my Dr. to call me. It seems there was lots of scar tissue and my bowel was twisted almost to the point of obstruction. The spot on my liver looks like a hemangioma to her, but since that's not her specialty she took a photo for the gastroenterologist to look at. So today is a good day. I am feeling lots better, but am still too bloated to wear my regular clothes.

Chelsea and I are minutes away from completing the extensive paint job on Eline's room. We will both be glad to finish that. I did all the trim work and Chelsea is doing the rolling. It looks really nice and I just hope Eline likes it.

This weekend Chelsea leaves for camp and I need to empty out my family room to get it painted, along with the new bathroom. If anyone wants to help just give me a call! I know I sure could use it. Everything is covered with dust from concrete work, sanding and sheetrock, so it all would have to be moved to get cleaned anyway. This way the basement will be all white, look much better and I'll just move things back in as I get them cleaned.

We are going to be busy today getting stuff for Chelsea's new soccer team and cleaning Eline's room once all the paint is dry. Then I think I am going to take it easy for awhile! Yeah, right!

By the way, today is my parents 49th wedding anniversary. Wouldn't you know it but I forgot to mail them a card. Well, they can join my two sisters-in-law and my niece who also didn't get a card from me this month. Sorry! I have been thinking of you all! I promise!

So Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad. Happy belated Birthday, Tammy, Dianne, and Samantha! Love you all!

Chelsea is a Lady Royal!

Chelsea made her high school soccer team after three grueling days of tryouts! I am so proud of her! She was sure she wasn't going to make it so it was wonderful when she came home tonight and said "I'm officially a member of the Roy High soccer team!"