Its Already the end of August...

As excited as I am for the beginning of a new school year, I also am starting to grieve the end of summer. It sure has been a busy summer.  There was the filling in for support staff on vacations (for voa), there also was the summer school hours, and of course my new support staff for two young women who recently lost their mom to cancer.

It wasn't all work though, We've got to see a beautiful grandgirls more then we have in a while. With Bella's Birthday in May, Kate's in June, Angie's in July, and Scott's in August....well we got to see them at least once a month:)  I'm going to miss the sleep overs at grandma's & the visits. 

Anna & Tim got settled in their new home....and now have a zillion projects and ideas for it.  We got to see Josh and his new apartment in Burnsville.  Shaun has even dropped by a couple of times since he moved to North Dakota in April.  

I think for me the hardest thing is going to be when Al goes back on nights.  That get's old fast, when we are working different shifts...not complaining mind you as we are so Thankful that we are both working!  These are some of the hardest times I can ever remember, and I am 52 years old, or young, depending on how you look at it.

The nice thing is that the weather right now is spectacular! crisp evening breezes, lower temps and dew points.  The trees are just now getting ready to change their colors and put on a gorgeous show of color...goulash, chili, applecrisp, tatatot hotdish....hot cider, and bon fires with smores being enjoyed, these are all great things of Autumn that we will soon be enjoying.  I guess it is simply a trade off. We need the  balance in order to fully enjoy each.

Summer is quickly passing

You know summer is approaching in it's end when the aisles of target and walmart get stocked with discount "back to school supplies".  I love that commercial that came out some time ago, the one where the dad is riding the shopping cart like a scooter while tossing school items in at random.  The dad has a great big smile and the background music is singing "it's the most wonderful time of the year",{ a familiar Christmas jingle} All the while a school age boy and girl walk slowly behind the cart and gleeful dad, with this "I- am -deadman-walking" looks on their faces.  Trust me it is hillarious.

I am excited about a new school year, and yet, that means Al will be back on evening shift and I on days.  It also means my life will get a whole lot busier with adding a 40 hour school job to my 8 hour support staff job.  I do like the structure it gives my life though, and it helps me work out more, as I am in town every day and able to get to curves, where I work out or use the weight room at work.

I still have a month to lull around and enjoy the sweet days of summer.  I really need to take in a farmers market or two before they are done for the season.

On a positive note, I did get a lot of decluttering and organizing done around the house. Some long over due projects.  I still need to shampoo and clean the carpets,assist Al in getting the garage done with the recently acquired cabinets we are adding out there, and later when it cools down some we have to clean out and gut out the cabin.  What we have done so far amazes me when I open an organized closet or use our once neglected basement.  Oh I definitely need to dust....

Scott and Angie were here on a recent stay and helped me dust cobwebbs with the whoolly they had given me.....They both have allergies and they both were sneezing and suffering with allergy attacks.  Our new kitty was a part of that, but we also seem to live on a dust plain.   ( we live in the boonies on a dirt road in the front yard and a flooded wet land in the back yard)  needless to say it is a war against the elements.

Amazing Grace...I once was lost but now am found!

The last thing on Al & my mind would have been, "let's get a kitten" and frankly we didn't, it got us.  For about 2 weeks now, we have been hearing a crying kitten out in the weeds (the 6 foot high weeds where we don't mow, as we have 8 acres).  Then on Monday, I grilled chicken on the grill which is on the deck.  The crying was so loud that I said, "Al, there is that kitten again."  To which he said, "it's on the deck!".  And so with a can of tuna and a little coaxing....well you know what happened, we now have a kitten.

The thing is, we live out in the boondocks with a lot of predators....the fact that this kitten survived that long is Amazing...and that is what we named her, Amazing Grace! She was extrememly skinny and nervous at first, but soon calmed down and became loving and playful.

As you can see Grace is already right at home:)