Robin's Nest

Good Morning! It is Baby Day! My bag is packed and ready to go. Mom can't have snacks and things but the rest of the "birthing" team shouldn't suffer! The doctor is predicting a quick appearance by Madison, I am prepared just in case. DH will be in charge of the girls and big sister at the little house. He is not all that excited with this duty but hey it's a job! With our oldest grandchild we didn't even get a phone call that it was happening! So it is nice to be included... no matter what the duty. This post will be in two parts, maybe more, but for now only two are expected. Well, I don't want to be late for my duty! Oh I almost forgot! My coworker beat us to the delivery room... now I have to finish her kid's blanket while waiting for our kiddo to make an appearance...  The cup is hard to read but the Grand adventure is about to begin!

Weekends are just too short! Years ago our local school district went to a four day school week. I was not a happy camper. Numbers 7 and 8 were in junior high/middle school at the time and it really infringed on my work schedule. It didn't take long before we all adjusted to the new routine and it was nice in a lot of ways. More weekend time to do things. Fast forward 15 years and it is numbers 9 and 10 in school 5 days a week (in a different district). I have a love/hate relationship with the weekends now.  With the two younger ones, I rush around to get ready for Monday on Friday night it seems. Inevitably I miss something crucial that gets addressed Monday morning. While homeschooling, two years ago, it was definitely more relaxed even with work. There was flexibility that public school doesn't provide. Homeschooling doesn't come with free "babysitting" though and right now that is essential. Although I am not currently employed outside the home, I do inten

Today there is heat in our new home! No stove, no refrigerator, but there is heat! That is important when you are unpacking boxes or just loading boxes into the house. We don't have an "occupancy certificate" yet so we cannot "live" in the house. We can stay in the camper across the way if we want. But there is still so much to pack at the little house it seems silly to do that. Plus it is flipping cold out east. The wind is blowing hard here in town so it is probably worse out there. Today I took 7 boxes out to the house and DH was putting light bulbs into fixtures about the house. We looked around a bit, out the windows and upstairs. I mentioned that I would miss not having a southern exposure window on the first floor, but that having one in the basement and on the second floor really did make me happy. He, for the first time since buying the house, expressed regret at rushing to bu y this one so fast. It took me by surprise a bit. I never expected to hea

Today is lay off day at my son-in-law's workplace. I am sure he is a bundle of nerves. They have a new baby coming Monday, and they are just in their new house not even a year and they have a car loan and credit cards... Frankly, life is a scary place right now. Everyone has to come to work and then alphabetically, they will be called out for a review. If they let you stay after the review then you are safe until next year. Otherwise, you are walked out of the building after the review by the CSPD and security. What a way to start your day! He stated even if he gets to stay he is on the hunt for a new job. I don't blame him. I suggested aviation... he is afraid of heights. Well, there is ground crew... or gate agent. I enjoyed that position. It has all the same benefits as any other position. Plus your feet are firmly on the ground! Well, time for a prayer and crossing my fingers! His time, by last name is 0840... He made the cut for this year or 6 months!

Good Morning! It is quite chilly this morning! This week my daughter and I had been discussing ways to exercise in this chilly weather. We have a zoo pass and she and her daughter headed there on Monday morning to test the challenge out. It was too cold for her daughter. Each morning since has been the same or chillier.  Zoo walking has been put on hold. The other night while fighting to get to sleep, it dawned on me that we could just go to the base and use the indoor track. Without too much more waiting that is what we have decided to do. Logistics is now our only challenge. Well that and what to do with the young kids. When I first brought the puppies home I thought eventually we would take them on walks and that would help me exercise more. Of course, being out on the plains there are coyotes and other wildlife to consider. But now we are in town and there is the challenge of the youngest child and leashes. Long story short, she constantly plays with the leashes and hides them

Here it is the middle of January and I have only packed two more boxes. That is a pitifully low amount. In my defense, I was in a seminar almost all day. Tomorrow I have a writing class scheduled and a Taekwondo class. I'll be busy but I will not be in the stores spending money! Yesterday evening I went to Walmart to get yogurt for lunches. I left disappointed in the available choices. There weren't any Yoplait blueberry or peach quart containers. So I settled for a box of the snack size. When I arrived home and started putting the items away I discovered that two of the 16 were cracked in the box. The packaging was incredible, like taking a new toy out of a container. I cannot imagine how two containers were able to crack! But I needed the item for lunches so that is how it goes.  I can make my self feel better by continuing to cook out of the freezer and lessen my moving load. Tonight's dinner was the leftover roast made into beef stew and garlic cheese bread. I was t

Not even the middle of the month and I am already slipping down a slope on the resolutions. Eh, I won't beat myself up too much as it won't do any good anyway! Alas, I am not totally behind. I did complete the birthday list. I also managed to give the recipient her gift... I did forget the card. We went out to dinner on her birthday to coincide with dinner with the girls from work. Also, the pantry has been inventoried and we have been using things out of it instead of buying more. Freezer cooking is going okay but not perfect. A lot of things were used for the baby shower but I did have to buy fresh meat and a few other things. So that kinda wrecked my "once a month for each store I shop at" plan. I won't give up on that because it was an exceptional month. Yesterday, I took a friend and we went to visit my little lady in the skilled portion of our old work. It went smoothly until just before we decided to leave. As we approached the nurse's station my ol

This is probably not a hard choice for some. But it was for me. I had six bananas that were totally black and I am so tired of sticking them in the freezer. That is what I do. Oops! No on e ate the bananas again this week so toss them in the freezer and "save" them for baking another day. Today was different. I am trying to use up stuff so there is less to move. This means no more bananas in the freezer. Banana Nut muffins sounded awesome! But the girls don't eat the nuts so they have to be just banana muffins. That's okay I'll just stick a praline on top of a few and call it good. I don't have a good muffin recipe so while reading someone else's blog I noticed she was making muffins and they were banana muffins! Here is the link!  https://www.littlehouseliving.com/banana-crumble-muffins.html Of course you should read the recipe to make sure you have all the ingredients, but if you forget, like me, they still taste great! I didn't have the topping

There are still a few things left to do to get the baby shower ready. And there are still kids underfoot, in fact there is one extra. Thank heavens it is only one extra! I need to pack treat bags for the kiddos, with the kiddos present... should have bought extra candy. Oh well, one of the older kids will be here soon. We still need to get stuff to the shower location this morning. My idea was to have this about 1pm, but my son-in-law wanted it at 1100. Probably, interferes with a football game or something. Now that baby showers are no longer a "women's" event you have to have games that the men will enjoy. So what is wrong with having the shower during a football game? You could say whoever yells the loudest or doesn't yell is the winner!  Now showers are a family affair and this one will be smaller than the shower for the previous kiddo. In fact, the initial guest count was only 60. It is difficult to have a prize available for all the potential age ranges and

This post is off the subject of my life. It is about a longtime acquaintance. I don't dare say friend. Although, in some ways she was a friend. Not the kind you ever confide in, or ask a favor of, or count on to show up to work. So really more of an acquaintance that you know way too much about. Her life choices are very different from what my "norm" would be. In short, if we hadn't been thrown together by work we would never have met. If she hadn't been dead set on having a "friend" in her supervisor it would not have happened. Yes, part of it is my fault, I tend to "rescue" way too soon. That alone needs to go on my "resolutions" list for 2020! Anyway, She has struggled for the last four years, financially and emotionally and physically. I can help with the financial and so I did. That is not always a good answer. I can help by babysitting so I did. Emotionally, I am not so good at. Maybe it was the years in the Army. Maybe it w

It is too early to think about anything important. In fact, I want to just vegetate... If I do that it will not be good I am sure. I can hear DH starting to wake up in the other room. So my solitude will be interrupted soon. Oh and here comes a little person up the steps with a stomp in her step that would scare the giant that Jack dealt with. I have added a new goal to my ever growing list. Patience. Whether I purchase it, steal it or learn it, I need more! It has been a little over a year since the house burned down. The 8th, also the "move in" date has come and gone. It was the same weather wise as last year. Warm all day and cold into the night. It was hard to visualize all the activity over again in my mind. Maybe it is best not to. I don't get depressed or anything like that but it is gone and there is no bringing any of it back... so why mull it over? Plus there are so many things that need "doing".  Today's list is just as long as yesterday's

The last few weeks, minus the Holidays, have been spent packing up the little house. My there is a lot of stuff! As I look at what we need versus what we have I know there is too much already. Okay below is the table that cannot stay clear... that is about the best it gets unless the kids are at school :) Below are two chairs that I bought to use for the girls to sit at the island in the new kitchen trash on the chair and counter already and we don't live there yet :( O h well, it is time to plant the seeds for garden starts and I know there is a bag or two of "dirt" somewhere in this little house. Not to mention the just plain everyday dirt.  The packing continues as does the meal planning. Today's menu included oven roasted chicken legs. Only problem is no recipe. So a quick Internet search and this recipe sounded pretty good. Here is the link https://www.africanbites.com/baked-crispy-chicken-legs/ To be totally honest all I saw was "crispy ov

Does it really matter what you call it? To some it does. The idea that you make small changes and call them resolutions can make you feel you are accomplishing something. For years I was told to make small goals and check them off your list. If you get them done then you have made progress, however small it may be.... Yay! But what if you make really BIG goals or resolutions? Or as my former boss use to say BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal). I remember that we used to sit in morning meeting and listen to him be all fired up about what new goal corporate has set for us. Most of the time we were rolling our eyes and thinking this guy is nuts! Okay, he is nuts, but not because of that. What if he was right about setting big goals? We didn't always meet them, but most of the time we did. Mostly because we wanted him to backoff, but that didn't happen. He was running a business though, so kudos to him for making the money goals he wanted. His goals were money focused and in business

As the day progressed and I made my to do list, it dawned on me that soon the kiddos will be back in school. This "vacation" we did not go do anything special. I mean in the way of traveling or the aquarium, things of that nature. Soon the kiddos return to "school" and I will need a routine. There won't be anyone to yell "quit fighting" to.  I had an impulse idea to go visit my sister but that fell through. Perhaps on the next "vacation". There is still time to visit the aquarium. Today we have a craft planned and it is a short day for my daughter at work so we will stay here. Perhaps we will get to the aquarium before the break is over.   Most of Christmas is packed! DH will carry it in the truck and put it in the basement of the new house. I headed to Lowe's to make keys for the little house and I got Veteran Parking!!! That is the first time since the signs went up that I was able to park in one! Of course I had to document it w

Why yes, yes I am! My birthday list is complete! The first birthday up is the 10th of the month. Yes this month! An updated address book would be a very good thing for me to have. I will get working on that. It will have to wait until tonight to get started. I was casually making my list for today. You know the one... the must do, wanna do, might do and don't wanna do? Well, anyway as I pondered my tasks, a dirty spatula jumped up out of the sink and smacked me! The nerve of the dishes around here! Not only do they multiply without considering who is going to wash them, they demand attention! So just to spite them I WILL put them on my daily list! Today is trash day around here and at my daughter's home. We share trash service with her. They have 2 cans and only use one so we offered to split the bill and use the other can. Probably sounds cheap but it is $2 more a month for her second can and it would be $23 a month for one can for us with new service. So second on my l

It is the last weekend before the balance of the school year begins. Scary that it is only a few days until the next grandchild arrives and all the moving takes place. I had plans to sort through the girls' closet and eliminate clothes they don't or can't wear, but then I realized how much there is to do in that area! Holy cow! How do we accumulate so much, so fast?? Time to declutter and try not to add more in the next month! This month we (I) are (am) trying to cook out of the freezers and pantry only. The reason is simple, less to move to the new house when the time comes. Also I am packing up small things that are not in use and sending them out with DH each day. That should also lessen the load when the time comes.  We also plan to replace the carpet in this house once we have most of the things moved. I would like to find something a bit darker than what we have. That way the dirt might not show as quickly.  There has been the idea floating in my head to have an i

As January continues, I think of more things I can attempt to work into my routine to improve organization of my "stuff". The question is do I save these for 2021? Or do I implement ASAP? So rationally it should be ASAP. I mean really, what makes me think I will even remember the ideas in 12 months? That said this week I have worked on saving the economy and getting a few little gifts for the very young kids in our lives. (Cheaper than keeping the whole kid and sometimes a lot more fun!) Instead of rushing to pack up Christmas I went to the store to get some Dr. Pepper for DH and some Vernor's to keep on hand for the "sick" days. Ginger ale always seems to help a little. Best to have some on hand rather than run out to the store last minute. While perusing the aisles to see what remnants of the Holidays remained, I thought of one of my resolutions. The Birthday list. While I normally only purchase for the kids in state (the rest can get a gift card or cash). S

Hi! I have a goal for 2020!!! Yes, Yes, I am behind in the "resolutions" department. That only affects one thing in my life ... It will take a bit longer to forget them and move on! My goal is one craft a month! Yes it is a lofty goal! Especially for January since deciding it later than the first, I will lose a few days. This month though it will be two baby items. Mostly because I know of two babies that are due soon. Now to decide if the projects will be sewn or crocheted. That will cut down on my assembly time too. Decisions, decisions. Another "resolution" is to only go to Costco once a month. I know that sounds too lofty. Really though it shouldn't be. We only buy paper towels every 3 to 6 months, and butter and whipping cream vary quite a bit. Plus, if I am not getting all the cream used for whatever reason, it then gets turned into butter and goes to the freezer. Same for any vegetables that we buy there. They end up getting shared with others, fro

Good Morning! Happy New Year! The day came early, like 0001, kind of early! It all started with great intentions. It always does. Today was earlier than usual. Yesterday, we went out to save the economy on our way back to house the youngest decided she wanted play at her cousin's house. Sounded like a good idea, one less argument in the car. After dropping her off, number nine and I headed to the Bx and commissary. Halfway through the trip, that one declared she could "walk no longer" her legs were too exhausted from so much shopping! There was still the need to have keys made for the little house. Long story for another post...  I decided it was easier to go do the rest of my errands without company, number nine got to go home and watch movies with DH. After checking on the youngest and finding she was still playing without fighting, I headed out to finish my errands. Two hours later I checked on her again only to find she wanted to "spend the night". Hmm...