The Clan of the Fish

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Ella and Lily sitting on the stoop in Winona MN
A scenic overlookHaving lunch at the beach
At the park with LA and Esther

We had a good trip. Ella really enjoyed seeing her pals and says she misses Lily and Izzy very much. Izzy is the Stwalley's cat. It was a long drive, and I must say that Ella did a fantastic job dealing with the time in the car. Thanks to the pals who put us up for the overnights and fed us super good food. Steve, I still think you should let me pay for the Thai food!

The start of another work week

Time to pack up the car with toys and games! We are heading into work... Ella managed to handle last week, but I fear this week will not go as smoothly. She is really beginning to miss all the friends and play time at school. Only four days till we are on vacation. The Levelwinds will be here Thursday for a sleep over and Ella is really excited about playing with Henry. I wish they could stay longer than just one night... Our travel plans have been settled and we are looking forward to visiting friends in Minnesota. We head to Winona on Saturday morning to stay with Lily then head to Minneapolis on Monday to see the Stwalley's. We'll be home Wednesday for a little travel break and to pack up for our camping trip Saturday the 26th. Busy. Fun. I am looking forward to it!

Dinner Out

By now you might have noticed that there are two fairly consistent things around the Hardy House: 1) Ella loves to cook and 2) I love to post pictures of Ella cooking.

The weather has been so great that we decided to have a picnic in the back yard, It was a really fun time.

We set up the card table and Ella set the dishes out then sat down to enjoy the sunshine and soft breeze. What a nice way to relax and enjoy our yard!

Ella really enjoys making rice salad. She used to not eat it - she preferred all the ingredients separate - but when she makes it she sees that all her favorite stuff is mixed in, so now she thinks it's delicious!

See? What a happy little girl!

Baubau enjoyed it, too, because he could run around under the table and get snacks.

Ouch

My sides hurt. My tummy is sore. My legs ache. Why do people exercise? It is much more pleasant to pretend the muscles are not there.
Ella and I are going to do more exercises today. I hope I can do the sit-ups... Or get off the floor when we are finished.

The start of Ella's summer vacation

It's going to be a busy juggling act for the next four weeks.
The good thing about this is we will not have to pay the $300 a week for Ella's day care expenses, the bad thing is that she could get very, very bored and I may become quite frazzeled.
Following some good advice from Chris, I got up early today to do a little exercise. Just some squats and leg lifts, but at least I can say I did something. I may try to squeeze in some sit-ups right now. I don't like sit-ups. My tummy roll gets in the way. That is the very reason I am going to do them. Hopefully they get easier over time.

A lovely anniversary and lovely daughter

This is our sweet princess. She had a delightful evening at our friend Justin's house playing with baby Anabel while Ron and I heading out for dinner at Koreana.
It's been a long, long time since I have had Sushi! I am a bit of a Sushi snob after so many years living in Seattle and having super good super fresh access to fabulous culinary delights.



Here is our yummy appetizer: Crabby Spring Rolls. They were divine.




And super good Miso soup. It was perfect.





Ron had Tempura and he really enjoyed it.
I opted for Sushi and Sashimi combo platter that was very good, but not as perfect as everything else. But very good. And very pretty. Of course I could not eat the whole thing, but I gave it a good try. I know, some may think that eating that much raw fish is not for them, but it was my anniversary and I loved it!


I am looking forward to another fantastic year with my wonderful husband and daughter. Did I ever tell you how much I love them? And how fortunate I feel to have them both? I must be the most lucky woman in the world!

Happy Anniversary!

I love you Ron.

Does every post have to have a title? I can't think of one for today.
My big push at losing the rest of my weigh before my shopping trip is NOT GOING WELL. I have lost all ambition and hope. I think I am stalled out on WW and need some crazy new plan. It's been so hot that I have not wanted to exercise or be anywhere near the outdoors. I have been biking or walking to work, but the constant threat of thunderstorms has had me riding home in the car with Ron and Ella instead of risking getting her soaked or hailed on. Part of my failure has to do with my albatross, whom I have named "Really Good Beer", and the other is the loss of my constant partner in this mission, Liz. When I started on the WW plan last October I was all gung-ho and had the General & Liz by my side. So I need a new strategy and a new support group. And less beer. I gained five pounds over the fourth of July holiday and have not been able to lose it. I am thinking of joining an on-line group that costs $4 a week. Or maybe going back to WW meetings. Things are going to be more difficult this next month when Ella has no day care and therefore my days are less routine. See, routine is good for me. I wonder how the general manages it running that daycare out of her home.
On the positive side of things: today's high is supposed to be mid-eighties and no thunderstorms! I have to walk into work because I left my bike there on Tuesday (rain and hail in the afternoon) but Ella and I should have a nice ride home. If the weather is good on Friday I'll pack a picnic and we can ride to the park to play and have lunch.
I need to get the treadmill set back up. I stored it away when we started working on that guest room thinking it would be finished in July. I should just put it in the empty, half finished room, and use it for 30 minutes each morning before work. I used to do an hour, but my work schedule has changed and now I open then center every day, so 30 minutes is all I can squeeze in. But I could do the other 30 in the evenings... I'll have to ask the family what they think of that idea. What would be super great is if I had a walking partner. A pal who is willing to go for a walk with me every evening around 6:30. Then if E wants to come along she can ride in the stroller or something. And I would not be tempted to have those evening beers. Hey, maybe Ron would be my walking buddy?
Instead of walking I blogged this morning. Blogged about how I should be walking. Man, I gotta prioritize! I'm off to get ready for work.

August 1

It's hot, it's humid, and we are supposed to have a bog ol' storm tonight. I am looking forward to it, except for the leaky roof. "What? Leaky roof?" You say... "I thought you fixed your leaky roof!" Yes, yes, yes so did we. But, alas, it is not fixed at all. We have a new set of twins! Matching leaks in our bedroom and Ella's. I think we need to just hire someone to come and tear off the whole roof and start over. Perhaps a reputable contractor? With actual skills? Our roof was slapped on by some roving crew a few years back after a series of hail storms damaged many roofs in town. They did an extremely poor job.

I have some great news: Ella and I have a week off! Who wants us to come visit? We are available from Thursday, August 17th at 4PM through Friday, August 25. I think Jenny and the gang are coming through Oshkosh the 19th so we will want to be home for that... But if someone wants to feed us and play with us any other times during the week we would be happy to oblige! I am thinking of looking into a train ride or something. I think Ella might like to travel by train.

Ella's day care is closed from August 7 throught Septmeber 6. I hope I can set up enough fun things for her to do at work with me. It could suck really bad if I am not prepared. Anyone have any ideas? Fun but not too messy arts and crafts?