The Clan of the Fish

I hope these work for you!

Home

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?

The last day of July

Hard to believe August is on the doorstep.
We had a busy weekend of not doing much bet doing a lot all at the same time. I did some pretty major cleaning in my kitchen and living room. Ron was home to keep the wee one busy while I busted a power move on the floors. They were getting really bad. This summer it has seemed impossible to keep up with the up keep. Ron is trying to get some organizing done in the computer room today and then I should be able to finish the house work tonight. It's gonna feel good to have a sparkly clean abode. I always feel more peaceful in a clean house.
Ella and I took a trip to the paint store and I think I have found my color for the guest room. I need to paint all the trim still, and may wait to take my paint samples to the fabric store before my final color decision. I want to see if there is some really great curtain fabric first. I may find something so awesome that I chose a wall color to match the fabric. It's kind of fun to do a room however I want. I wish I had an IKEA so that I could find a groovy comforter cover and matching curtains. I'll just have to make do with what Oshkosh has to offer. Unless we plan a trip to Minne sometime soon..... Hmmmmmm. That's something to think about. We are supposed to head that way sometime in the next month or so. And it will probably take me that long to sand and paint the baseboards and install the quarter round trim. Oh, and I have to paint the doors upstairs, too.
Bah, I keep going around in circles in my head. I am getting dizzy.
It's really hot outside. My cats are shedding too much.

Report to the General

Uh, General? Are you out there anywhere? I think you abandoned your troops in the field... Oh well, I'll continue reporting because it's helpful to me.
Today I weighed exactly the same as Monday. How can this be? Dunno. I was very extra special disciplined for 5 days. BUT the good news is that I am NOT going to get discouraged because I've all ready told myself that I must "stay the course" (I feel like such a republican when I say things like that, yeesh). Just because the scale did not show me results today it does not mean my plan is failing... Tomorrow could show me great results! So onward I go. 15 pounds and 9 weeks to go.

Long Emergency

It's a good thing there is no such thing as Global Warming or a fear of running out of fossil fuels. Otherwise I might be a little concerned about the 90 degree temps way up here in Wisconsin and the rolling blackouts affecting many regions in the U.S. If anyone wants a good read about these issues I recommend The Long Emergency by James Howard Kunstler.
I struggled through another day of discipline and good choices. 4 days till August. I know I will not make my goal for the month, but I am feeling much more in control this week. I've got to keep going, one day at a time, and I'll get there. I need to start using my muscles more and get a little bit of strength somewhere in this floppy noodle body. Chugga-chugga...

A Note to Blogger

I am feeling a little dissapointed with the template options. I want something more me... Perhaps I'll attempt to create my own.

Mid-Week Madness

There is no madness, really, I just could not think of anything else to call this post. As I was looking through some pictures to send to my cousin this morning, I realized that I completely forgot to post these pictures from Clio's birthday party two and a half weeks ago. Ella just had to wear her crown to the party...
This is Ella between her favorite Oshkosh Kids, Madison and Clio.
And this beautiful shot is from our ride on the carousel. I was standing between Ella and Clio and was lucky to capture some super happy beautiful girls.

Okay, on to other things. Yesterday afternoon Clio's mommy called and asked if Ella could play and join them for dinner. I said "Absolutely!" Clio has been on vacation for a week and Ella has been missing her best buddy. So Ron was gone all night at a politics gathering and I had the chance to finally get some work done in the Neptune Suite. I got ALL the trim pulled up that had been glued down with huge oozing glops of silicone and could not be painted AND I used a gallon of primer and completed one coat on the walls. Next up is to finish removing the silicone from the baseboards and floor (it was really gooped in there. They must have used a whole tube for every strip) and do some sanding, caulk around the window, and paint some more. It sounds like more labor than is... It is just really hard to find the time. Ella is scheduled to go to Clio's for about three hours on Friday so I hope Ron doesn't get roped into any meetings and can help. Six hours worth of effort would get a lot done.

OH, I almost forgot to mention that I had another very disciplined day yesterday. That's three in a row. Chugga-chugga-chugga. I feel like the little engine that could trying to scale a mountain. But I'm not delivering a car full of toys. Just a gift for myself.

Tuesday

Okay, yesterday I was very disciplined. Very. I feel good about that.
Unfortunately I did not get much sleep due to troubled dreams, my daughters nightmares and my husbands snoring. I moved Ella in to the guest room with me around 1 and tossed and turned till 5 or so before having a fitful sleep till 7. Big Sigh. Ella continued to have bad dreams. What was going on last night? Ron said he slept terrible, too. Maybe it was the thunderstorms or humidity? Thankfully E is perky today.
I am interviewing a student for a job opening we have Fall semester and I hope it goes well. And that I am alert and focused.

Monday means a fresh start

Yes, it is time for new beginnings. My personal goal deadline is fast approaching and I have a LOT of work to do. LA, do you have any tummy strengthening exercises you like best? Or a whole body workout that does not require weights? I just don't have any small ones and no money to buy them. Only 10 weeks left.

What am I thinking?

Ron says I have the word "sucker" written across my forehead, but it's in special ink and only shows up under a black light. He may be correct.
Jasmyn was here until 11:30pm last night. I know there was a pretty good reason for her mom to be almost 5 hours late in picking her up, but I am not sure how soon I'll be repeating that favor. Ella and I had a fun day, though. We made decopage drums out of old coffee cans, wrote a book and colored the pictures, played with Janetta, went to visit dad at the library, read books and snuggled. This morning we worked a bit more on her book, but I am a little sleepy. Ron's off to his student groups weekend-long meeting. I hope they get done early today.

Report to the General

General Ma'am: +3 and deeply saddened. Also menstrual and cranky. I think it's all related.

This is a picture of Jasmyn. She is three months old and our very special guest for the day. Her mommy had to go to Chicago this morning and wont be back until about 7 or so tonight. So Ella gets to play big sister all day long. I am sure I'll take more pics later today, but Little J is asleep right now.Oh, I have a guest blogger now. Ella is going to help me write the rest of this post. We are babysitting. I really love baby sitting today.

I took this picture of my mommy. I think it is cute.

This is me and Captain Jack. I am making pirate faces. Arrrrrhg. Swap the deck, matey. Hoist the sail. Shimbery Timbers. Land HO!

Okay, guest blogger is gone. She likes to talk pirate and we encourage her. It's really good to learn a second language when you're young.

I hope ya'll have a great weekend!

One Hot Weekend

It was super hot this weekend. That does not happen very often in this part of the world and I must say I prefer cooler temperatures. I think it has a lot to do with: a) over a decade of living in Seattle; b) I aint as young as I used to be; and c) I am fat.
Ella and I were solo this weekend (Ron had a whole weekend of business to attend to in Richland Center) and so found ourselves out back in the "splashy" pool quite a bit. I was taking pictures of my wee lass and then decided to join her for some wet fun. Well, Ella wanted to take my picture, too. I am not quite sure what I am thinking to post it, but here it is. A beached Mommy Whale in the kid pool. I am hoping that by next summer I am not so whale-ish.
Ella and I also made muffins for daddy and got a little party ready to celebrate his return home. All but one muffin was gone by the time he got home. Perhaps this is why I am so fat? Just kidding! Ella ate them all. We played "birthday Party" and she kept making wishes and blowing out the candles.
Although we missed Ron terribly, I must say that E and I had a great time this weekend.