pools and pianos...

So we emptied the pool halfway. Mike was so frustrated because he put so much time, effort, and money into getting this "free" pool to work. Well, more like to get the water to NOT be brown. SO he emptied half of it last night, and has decided that for an hour every day, he is going to connect the hose from inside the house to the pool. Water coming directly from inside the house is filtered, and thus will be CLEAR. Though by this morning, the entire pool managed to empty, so I don't know if a valve or something was left open on the pool itself, but the rest of the water leaked out. What a pain anyhow. I'm so over it. But of course the kids are disappointed. Mike figures with the cool weather this week, there wouldn't be any swimming anyways, so let's try this filtered water thing out. Hopefully that'll do the trick. I never had a pool growing up, and while I probably wanted one when I was younger, I was never a swimmer or water lover anyways. I definitely never thought we'd have a pool. But when something's free...what do ya do? Try it out I guess.

Which leads me to a MUCH more exciting freebie. I happened to go on our church/new school website to check out registration info, etc. There I found a post for a FREE piano!!! Yes, a free piano. The school is giving it away, for no charge. The reason?? They just don't have a need for it; the 7 & 8th grade teacher doesn't play the piano (that is the classroom it was in). Every other room already has a piano, or uses the internet/smart board to access hymns (I am a bit shocked by that...so parochial teachers are no longer required to play piano, or what?? Technology...) SO, I went to look at it today, expecting I don't know what. But I loved it!! Yes, it's big. But it plays beautifully, didn't even sound like it needed to be tuned. It definitely needs to be refinished, but I don't even care. I'd be in no rush to do that. A free piano. For those who don't know, I am a self-taught piano player. In my parents' last house, a piano came with the house (so, that was approx. 1993 or so when they bought that house I believe). While my Aunt had taught me the basics, I listened to songs I loved and my Dad would buy me cool sheet music (Tori Amos, for example) and I would play till I could get it right. I am so excited!! I've been dying to play again; it's been almost 10 years... And Kaycey wants to take lessons. Conveniently the new school offers lessons by two different teachers: either during the school day or after school. We chatted with the principal (he's also the 5 & 6 grade teacher) and his wife (Maddie's soon-to-be preschool teacher). They are so nice! Not that we ever had direct run-ins with the principal at the public school, but even just in passing she was not particularly friendly. I really feel good about the switch. Kaycey and Cal still do not...

ups and downs

Up: Had an awesome night Friday! Yes, it's true...I'm crazy. I went to see NKOTB again...but we are saying it's because my Mom really wanted to see them and didn't go to the other shows with us (my Mom took us 20 years ago to our first New Kids concert!) This one was the best one so far. I know everyone is thinking, OMG, Whacko!! But seriously...we had pretty good seats, but the best part was they set up 5 stages in the walkway one row ahead of us, and the boys performed there for a bit!! We were FEET away! My sister almost had a heart attack. I should've taken a picture of her. I swear, I wish I could go to a concert like that every week. To sing along to songs you know and loved 20 years ago, remembering the dances, and just listening to my sister and cousin reminisce is so much fun. I just can't get enough of it. It makes me so happy! I know this picture is a little fuzzy, but I didn't zoom in at all; they got this close to where we were sitting!!!

Down: Got home around 2:30am, tired, headache, and had to work the next day. I still feel icky.
Up: Went to the campground to see Mike and the kids yesterday. Maddie had a blast! Mike really wishes he would've taken her along all weekend.
Down: I got super sunburned, and I don't even know how. I don't swim, I had a towel over my legs, and wasn't outside for all that long. I am usually a stickler for sunscreen, but maybe in my exhausted state, it slipped my mind. My arms and portions of my legs are now the color of lobsters. Ouch.

Up: I have a new niece (Mike's brother and wife had #3 over the weekend).
Down: They didn't tell the name till she was born...the name was on my top 3 (has been since we had Maddie) : ( Mike says who cares, because ours is going to be a boy. 3 days till we find out!!! Honestly, if it's a boy, I think he will remain nameless forever.

So that journal I am keeping...it really is not a journal. More of a one-liner kind of thing. Just things I hear or randomly remember and I don't want to forget. One I wrote down today: Maddie singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" in her own way..."Girls just wanna have fun at the park" (she really thinks those are the words!!)

murky water

So last summer I had won a pool in a raffle. One of those pools that have a filter, a cover, a ladder, but you take down at the end of summer. I had no idea what a pain in the butt it would be to have a pool. We went back and forth about whether or not to bother putting it up--for one, wherever we'd put it would destroy a chunk of our lovely green grass; for two, I fear the neighbor kid jumping in at his leisure. Anyhow, we put it up over the weekend. I bought every chemical possible for it. Even though our little test kit says everything is A-OK, the water is brown. Yuck. We have well water, and the iron concentration is very high (the water in the house goes through a powerful recirculation/filtering system in the basement, so in the house the water is fine, water coming from hose does not go through the basement system). Hence, the brown/orange water. This stinks!! The perfect week for swimming and we are stuck staring at the pool, hoping for it to clear up. Mike went to the pool store with sample in hand, and purchased something to help clear it up. While now you can at least see the bottom of the pool now, it is still very yucky looking. Poo. We're not sure what we'll do if it doesn't clear up. Lots of people out here have pools, but we found out several of them (inground pools) get theirs filled by a service. Guess I shoulda just sold the pool on ebay or something!!!

follow up to comments

Okay, so maybe there is a better way to do this, but I don't know. I wish that as follow comments were posted on blogger it sent an email to let you know. I mean, I would love to respond to comments, but where do I do it?? Just email each person?? I'm not sure. So, I thought I'd make a few comments on my own after reading some recent comments on my blog. Maybe there is a better way to do it, but I don't know about it.

So, yeah...sometimes I wonder if I'll make it through a day. So thinking about ten years from now...hmmm. That was a very aspiring and "feeling motivated" kind of day. After working my tail off cutting grass and cleaning the garage yesterday literally all day, I wondered if I would make it till this morning!! There's so much I want to do, but wonder if I'll ever have the time to do it all...

Minnesota would be a great place for a little place on a lake!! Land of 10,000 lakes, right?? : )

Camp Phillip is through the Wisconsin Lutheran Synod. They even offer scrapbooking retreats now!

I do really love the name Grayson. And besides, it's so cool that it's my Great-Grandma's maiden name. I totally think Lola is adorable!!! It seems like Ava is getting kinda popular, but we have an Ava on Mike's side of the family, too. I suppose with Mike's big family it might be hard not to have a name double up somehow at some point! On his Dad's side between Mike's siblings, his Dad's sisters and brothers, their kids, and grandkids, there are 30 kids under 16. Several of the names are in the top 10 for most popular, so I don't really worry about that, since we likely wouldn't use them since they are so popular in the first place. But there are a few names in the family we do like, probably wouldn't use...Mike's one cousin has 4 kids, all named after presidents. I like all the names, too. McKinley, Grant, Harrison, and Madison. Mike's cousin is Lynsey, and we've always loved that name. Anyhow, Christina, I really got a kick out of Brock Lee...did Rich really not think about the green veggie? : )

When we get to painting the porch , I found out we are going to actually remove the sections of posts and spray them with paint instead of undergoing the tedious task of hand painting it all. I have a slight feeling I still would maybe finish it faster if I hand painted it instead of waiting for someone to take off the sections and spray them...

As for cleaning...I am by no means sloppy (yikes, right now I am a cleaning machine and that never happens); if you come over, my house will probably appear pretty clean at most times--esp. the kitchen because that's my favorite room in the house (okay, clean other than the kid stuff all over the place). Just don't open closets or miscellaneous drawers : ) I save way too much, don't want to part with it, just don't know where to go with it all (mostly papers 'n stuff like that).

Okay, just thought I'd add my two cents to everything : )

Off to bed, way too late. My back feels like someone punched me. Guess I worked too hard yesterday.

cutting grass...and cable...

I am pleased to announce I cut grass for the first time in my life yesterday!! We have a riding lawn mower, so that made it a piece of cake. I really enjoyed it. Until I ran over the cable line that was never buried. Oops. Goodbye internet and cable!! Mike has the wireless internet rigged somehow right outside the window (usually it goes through our basement). We'll fix it eventually, I'm sure. So much for me cutting grass, I guess, at least until the line is fixed and buried!!

I am exhausted today!! I can hardly stand up! After cutting the grass yesterday (which took probably 1 1/2 hours to do the back yard, which turned out to look like a lovely zig zag/curly-Q pattern) I cleaned half of the garage. Friday I cleaned our bathroom from top to bottom. This "nesting" stuff has really struck, I think! I better keep with it while I feel like doing anything!!