CLEANING DAY / BIRTHDAY PARTY

Cleaning:
Today was cleaning day after having Kara all weekend, and Autumn, and Tehya on Thursday and Friday. It just didn't seem like a good idea to clean with them here. I'd rather spend time with them doing things while they are with us. So after I got the dishes done, I painted the little wooden trunk I got at the thrift store, while Mike stripped the bed for me. We're going to use the little trunk in the fiver to sit the printer on behind Mike's chair. I think that the trunk is maybe 20 years old, but it wasn't in real good shape so that's why I painted it. It has some kind of woven fabric all around the sides, and must have had it on the top too at one time. Now the top is just wooden boards. It looks kinda like grass cloth. It has curved feet on the bottom of it. The inside is real plywood and it is very solid, so I think it was well worth the $5.99 that I paid for it. I'll post a picture of it tomorrow after it dries. I'm going to run the sweeper, and try to get a couple of stains out of our carpet, then clean the bathroom, and put the sheets back on the bed. I think that will be it for the day after I finish fixing the chicken and noodles for dinner.

Autumn's Birthday Party:
On Saturday Autumn's Birthday Party was a total success. The kids all had a great time! They played " Simon Says", painted the sun catchers I got, played a balloon popping game, busted the pinata, ate hot dogs & chips, and then cake and ice cream. I was busy doing face painting while they played Simon Says. It took a while as there were 16 to 18 kids there. It sure brought back some good memories of my child day care years. I used to do lots of crafts, and projects with the kids that I had in my home. I always had a blast with the kids and having them in my home was like playing everyday. I was very fortunate that I was able to do something that I loved for a job for 17 & 1/2 years. Being able to be with all the kids that I had over the years was an experience that I'll never forget, and I would still be doing day care if I hadn't had to retire at the end of 2000 for medical reasons.

Alum Creek:
Tomorrow we're going to go back down to Alum Creek in Columbus. We need to empty our tanks, so we wanted to go back down there one more time before we move back into the house until we leave in December. I am not looking forward to storing the fiver, and have had no trouble adjusting to living in it full time. It has been rather chilly in the morning's when we get up, and when we get back from Alum Creek we'll be working on our apartment in the 2 car garage. Another reason we chose to go to Alum Creek state park is that they have wifi, so I can still stay in touch with everybody. Also while we're there, we're going to go visit the people we gave our macaw Sunny to, and have a good visit with him too. I can't wait to see how he's doing. They call us every week and give us updates on him. I'm so glad that he has an awesome home with them. I think letting them have Sunny was one of the best things we could have done for him, and there's no one else that I'd rather see have him. We'll be coming back on Thursday, because the Bridal Shower for Mariah, Gary's bride to be, is that evening. So until we get set up at Alum Creek tomorrow afternoon...