Here’s what’s been going on around Hammond River the last little while (this stuff is true…not like my recent Mark Twain post!).
1. Regular readers of this blog know that even though three of our four daughters are or have been cheerleaders, I’m not a fan. Anna’s first competition of the year was Sunday, and her team was so amazing, I actually stopped thinking about how much my butt hurt from sitting on the hard bleachers, and teared up a little! Here’s Hope and Jake before we left:
Hope and Jake before competition (photo by Jim)...apparently you can tie Jake's ears in a bow...
Anna’s team made callbacks for the first time in five years! I guess those ten hours of practice the week before competition paid off! Here’s the team during the routine:
Harbour View High Cheer team...Anna is the one under the middle red banner (photo by Jim)...
The girls were even better in the callbacks, but ended up fourth (several spectators around us were as shocked as we were…we thought they’d won!). We’ll get them next week!
2. Jim’s been buying camera equipment on Kijiji to keep up with the girls’ competitions…we met a guy in the Wendy’s parking lot on Monday night to buy a flash meter (Anna’s comment: “That wasn’t sketchy at all!”), and then drove to another guy’s house to pick up a lens.
3. Monday night, I learned that not having a plunger in each bathroom is a mistake…Hope flushed the toilet in the “kids’ bathroom” and it started overflowing. I panicked, and it took several minutes for me to turn the shutoff valve off. By the time I found the “good plunger”, Jim had already used the crappy one to unclog the toilet! Then I got to wash the mats and the dirty clothes which had been on the floor during the mini-flood. Note to self…do not put clothing in the dryer with rubber-backed bathmats…little balls of rubber will come off, and permanently attach themselves to very expensive hoodies…
4. Speaking of sewage, we found out this morning that the lot next to our place has been sold (bad news). This means that the landlord is redoing the septic field (good news!), but that our yard will be torn up (it will be flatter when it’s finished…good news), and we will lose the lilac trees by our back deck that the birds like to hang out in (bad news). On the upside, they will be redoing the driveway so that it actually drains instead of a 20-foot puddle forming in front of our garage every spring…the bad news is that the neighbours’ new driveway will be through our front lawn.
5. Hope made cinnamon muffins, but neglected to read the mixing instructions under the ingredients in the recipe. They tasted okay, but were rather lumpy and heavy. She redeemed herself last night with some delicious chocolate chip cookies, which she proclaimed were better than mine! I actually agree with her this time!
6. Anna baked chocolate chip muffins, and almost forgot to put in the chocolate chips…she ended up poking them into the individual muffins just before putting them in the oven!
7. Jim and I went to see the movie Source Code last night while Anna went to a school dance…I’m not usually a sci-fi fan, but I made an exception for the chance to drool over Jake Gyllenhaal. It was quite good, and had us on the edge of our seats a lot of the time. While we watched, I ate a couple of Lowney Cherry Marshmallow Creme Eggs…almost as yummy as Jake G.!
Jake with his "Source Code" co-star Michelle Monaghan...photo from tom-samp-journal.blogspot.com
8. Anna found out this week that a design she submitted for the Drama Fest at her school had been the one chosen for use on posters, brochures and T-shirts! Her teacher wanted her to submit a short bio to be included in the brochure…I wrote it for her. We’re very proud of her!
9. We’re hosting Easter dinner for the family at our house this year…Jim’s parents are serving Easter Breakfast at their church, and his mom says she’ll be too tired to cook. We’re still on the hunt for a turkey (Kaylee can’t eat ham)…will try to find one tonight. We also need to clean up our house for company! I’m looking forward to seeing everybody, especially my “Puddin’ Pop”!
"Oh, dear...how did that get there?" Elise tries fingerpainting for the first time...
10. I got a Facebook friend request from musician Thom Swift a couple of days ago…I “Liked” his fan page…maybe he read this piece I wrote about his concert last summer…
Herding Cats in Hammond River 
I’m getting hungry from reading this post. And tired. You are busy!
Easter dinner at my house, a quiet affair, makes me miss having extended family nearby. When my husband first dined with my extended family, he called it Eating with Vikings: there’s lots of food, lots of laughing, and lots of noise. I miss that. Anyway, I’ll do my best – breakfast at church and then dinner: ham, scalloped potatoes, salad, and pavlova for dessert.
Happy Easter, my friend!
This is a reversal for me, Leanne…for decades, I lived 1000’s of miles from extended family…it’s only in the last three years since I’ve been with Jim that I’ve been able to “share” his relatives. I love our family dinners! Also, now that I’m a Gramma, I host dinner at our house for Kaylee and her family. I’ve heard of “pavlova” but have never made it…will have to Google it! Have a lovely Easter…I’m sure W and V will do something to make it memorable! Wendy
I loved Source Code too!
Note to self: buy a plunger just in case!
Thanks, Melissa…we have four bathrooms, but not four plungers…hope you don’t have occasion to use a plunger any time soon! Wendy
Your girls are fabulous, but now all I can think of is chocolate covered Easter eggs.
I’m not surprised, Renée, with all the hospital food you’ve been exposed to…I hope you can find some chocolate somewhere close by… Wendy
Congratulations to your daughter. You’ve had quite the exciting week, with a full weekend’s worth of activity awaiting you. Sounds like fun!
Sorry about the septic issues. As you know, we dealt with our own septic issues last week. Rob is actually installing the baffle today. Yes – I decided to let him do it. Now, what to do with the $1600 we are saving! (kidding)
Happy Thursday, Wendy –
Lenore
Thanks, Lenore… Yes…having the septic field redone is a good thing, especially since we’re not paying for it! I’m going to miss the lilac bushes though, and our privacy once the new house is built next door! I hope Rob is one of those “handy” guys…good luck! Have a happy Easter! Wendy
Wow, ladybug, you have a lot going on over at your joint! I have to admit, I was a cheerleader in high school. I loved it. But if you ever call me on it, I’ll deny it fiercely – even though there are many pictures that clearly prove I was, in fact, a cheerleader. Congratulations to your daughter(s) — and, um… try to kep that man of yours away from those Wendy’s parking lots. You know what they say.
You do know what they say, right?
Cuz I don’t. I just figured you did. 😉
Thanks, Renée…I guess my biggest beef with cheerleading is the danger factor. At practice today, Anna was punched in the eye, had her flyer do a face plant in her boobs (luckily she’s well-endowed!), and took another blow to her chest. I’ve also seen kids in junior high nearly dropped on their heads in competition…scary stuff! Glad my kids aren’t flyers…wouldn’t be able to take that stress! Jim only buys camera equipment in the Wendy’s parking lots, because they have the best food there, of course! LOL… Wendy
Chocolate Covered eggs- Yum! Overflowing toilets-Yuck, Artist children-Yum, cleaning house for company-Yuck, New camera equipment-YUM, lost lilac-Yuck. Having a little one for Easter-Yum.
Sounds like life is a mixed bag of Yum’s and Yuck’s at your abode.
♥
Yums and Yucks indeed, Katybeth…Hope you and Cole have a delightful Easter too!
Hugs,
Wendy
Wow Wendy you are one busy girl. I remember all the hours of bleacher sitting during volleyball seasons. The volleyball moms joked about suing the athletic directors or coaches for our “bleacher butts” or at least see if we could get some financial compensation for any physical disability we incurred from the hours of sitting. No such luck!
Have fun celebrating and good luck with your turkey search. I saw two wild turkeys while traveling today if that helps:)
I actually took pillows for Jim and I to sit on to the last two competitions, Jeanne…helps a little…the competitions are a minimum of 3 hours…sometimes longer! We found a turkey tonight, although we paid too much for it…desperation has set in! Have a good holiday! Hugs, Wendy
I really enjoyed Source Code. I agree, very riveting.
Your posts read like a slice of life, something from Lake Wobegon. Charming, simply charming. What a wonderful family you have. 🙂
Thanks, Monica…glad you enjoyed the piece! My family is like every family…sometimes wonderful, sometimes not so much! Happy Easter! Wendy
Lots of things going on by the sounds of it. Gee, my life feels rather boring at this point. I worked all week, came home. Not much excitment in our household with the kids gone. Ah well, there’s always next week! 🙂
I could use a little bit of boredom, Laura! I can’t wait until cheerleading season is over in a few weeks, so that we’ll have more evenings free… Wendy
That’s a busy week around Hammond River. Hope and Jake look adorable and I know you are very proud of Anna. I’ve unfortunately learned the hard way too about washing rubber backed mats with clothing…big no, no! Have missed you and your blog. Hugs and Happy Easter to you and your family. ♥ Diane
I hope you’re feeling better too, Diane, and have a wonderful Easter!
Hugs,
Wendy
Lots of great stuff going on in your neck of the woods! Congrats to both girls. They should be proud of themselves. As should Elise. It’s not easy getting all that fingerpaint in just the right configuration. Maybe she could teach me a few techniques…
Thanks, Jacquelin…I haven’t actually seen Elise doing the fingerpainting yet…I hope she’s not like her Aunt Hope! She always hated getting her fingers dirty, and would daintily dot her painting when they fingerpainted at day care! I’ll pass on your congratulations! Wendy
I was just thinking yesterday about the hours I logged sitting on the bleachers watching various and sundry events. Hope your Easter is wonderful and relaxing with P. Pop and such, and no plumbing issues!
Thanks, Reeling! Hope you have a nice Easter too! Wendy
Busy days, lady! But it sounds as if your heart and home couldn’t be more full with lots of love and good things (except the overflowing toilet and the loss of the lilacs–booo)
otherwise, how can a person be so blessed!
Sounds like life is wonderful.
Have a great weekend and blessings
jane
Thanks, Jane…hope you guys have a Happy Easter too! Hugs, Wendy
What a talented family you have! Do you loan any members out to bake for others, I really want muffins right now, even lumpy ones.
I would have gladly given you Hope today, Jess! She was Queen of the Whiners! Wendy
So nice to get back to reading and catching up on some of my favorite blogs. You’ve been busy as usual. I have been out of town and out of touch for two weeks. Hope to post soon on all our adventures.
Glad you’re back, Jeanne! Looking forward to hearing about your trip! Wendy
I still twitch when I hear or read the word “Cheerleading.” The benches and bleachers still bear my butt imprint. But I have 1 daughter – my condolences to your never ending cheer exposure with your 3! UGH, twitch.
Glad you could sympathize, botut…I think this will be the last year for Hope for cheerleading…the thrill has worn off for her. Anna will definitely be doing it again next year though. Brianna didn’t do it this year because the coach at her school wasn’t very nice (Hope had her last year). It would be nice to have only one set of practices and competitions to go to… Thanks for reading! Wendy
Your Mark Twain post wasn’t true? This is the last time I use your blog as source material when helping my son write a report for school.
Sorry to burst your bubble, Paul! At least the Twain quotes were real…I do try to be historically accurate! Thanks for reading! Wendy
I am going to see Source Code today. Glad you liked it. But I won’t be drooling over Jake Gylen-somethingorother 🙂
Not that there’s anything wrong with that, Clay… Wendy
Ah, a fellow cheer mom..I was so reluctant, I tried my best to talk my daughter into running cross country instead of cheering. She was a flyer, quite tiny and the girls dropped her several times. I was getting nervous, and quite frankly, tired of hearing, “Come on, you guys!” But, looking at your pic of the competition brought back many memories, especially since I coached the team when she was in 4-6th grade. How funny they let me do that..lol
Have a wonderful Easter, Wendy!
Vickie
Wow…you let your kid be a flyer, and you coached the team? You are a brave woman, Vickie! Have a Happy Easter! Wendy
Hard to know what judges are looking at sometimes isnt it? Its got to mean something that other parents think your squad was winning
I found out afterwards that there was only a 3-point difference between the teams that came in first and third, so at least it was close! We’ll get ’em next time! Happy Easter, Oma! Wendy
About that friend request from Thom York: When I first got on Facebook, I became “friends” with a singer I like a lot. I figured, it’s probably not him, it’s probably just his people, but I thought being his “friend” on Facebook would give me a heads up on when he’s finally going to release a new record. It turns out that instead of recording, he’s spending all his time playing Mafia Wars. (I swear I posted this comment a couple days, but it didn’t show up. Weird.)
I wondered too, Todd, although Thom’s local, and pretty down-to-earth and approachable. He’s way too smart to waste his time on Mafia Wars… Wendy
Hey Wendy! I feel rather like the Easter Bunny these days…popping in after long absences and playing catch up!! Hope you had a good Easter 🙂 I didn’t realize Turkey is an Easter bird too. Thought it was for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I just caught the trailer of Source Code today…made no sense to me at all!! But Jake G is drool-worthy 🙂
Jake looks darling in his bow! Was he cool with it? And i would love to see a bow on Puddin Pop would have been fantastic as well if she likes that sort of thing 🙂
Hugs, H.
I’m playing catch-up myself today, Harsha, after Easter weekend…normally I would have made ham, but Kaylee is having trouble digesting red meat, so that’s why I did the turkey. Will try to get a post up later today…catching up with bookstore work as well! Hugs, Wendy
There sure is a lot of baking in your house.
I tried out for cheer leading in high school but never made it. I love a good Sci-fi movie but Jake G is not my cup of man tea.
The frequency of baking is evident in my waistline (or lack thereof), Colleen! I only went to the movie because it had Jake G in it…I’m not a sci-fi fan at all (but Jim is!). Different strokes for different folks, I guess. Thanks for stopping by! Wendy
Nice job. You have a great life – makes for good blog fodder, doesn’t it?
Thanks, Hook…my life is pretty good! Wendy