Abby had a "show and tell" activity on Friday...teacher asked her to bring 3 things that showed something about herself. She choose: Her road trip scrapbook, her play microphone and her camera. Of course, I knew that she'd come home with a few new flicks in her camera! Her teacher was nice enough to snap a pic of the class...then offered to snap one of the two of them. So here's a pic of Abby with her teacher:



The first week of school is in the books. A routine is starting to be established and I'm figuring out the whole "pick up" thing. It's quite a nice time of solitude, I must say...sitting in the "line" with nothing but the hum of my engine choking away gas at $3.75 a gallon. My new goal in life is to try to be first in the pick up line. Each day this week I would go a minute or two earlier but could never get that first spot! The closest I've gotten is probably 10th. I notice that the higher grade pick up line (they get out 30 minutes AFTER the kinders) is starting to queue up before I even get to the kinder line! So you have people sitting there for an hour...I don't get that. Of course in order to be first in line, I may have to get there an hour early. Oh the sacrifices...we'll see just how bad I want it.


The new Club Amaro is slowly but surely being established. Mike went and got the contents of our storage unit and placed everything in the garage. Today, I took advantage of our state's "no sales tax" day and purchased 3 major appliances and a guest bed. On top of no tax, the appliances were 10% off...yay! We still haven't started the process of boxing stuff - it's still a little too painful to think about. I may go over to the house and put some batteries in the smoke detectors. Yeah, that will definitely push the progress meter forward. We are praying that somehow a little man would come and paint our office before we move in. I know how Mike and I are - once that office furniture gets in there, forget it...it's hunter green and harvest gold crackle forever! Complete with "books" wallpaper strip) see this picture for a refresher.

There are all those little things that you need to find out when you take over a house...here are some of my current questions:
1. How in the world do you use a riding mower?
2. What in the world is a water softener, why do I have one and do I need to touch it?
3. How do I light the water heater pilot light (NO the gas company will NOT come out and do that here....TITO, WHERE ARE YOU??)
4. Where is the filter on that monster air conditioning unit outside?
5. Which of these 8 light switches turns on the light?

I remember when we sold Charlotte Ave...I made this awesome document for our new owners...I put EVERYTHING in there, right down to the name of our mailman. I had a tidy little folder with all appliance documentation and other information of note. And, I even left a nice gift basket as a housewarming gift! All we got from our sellers were cobwebs and a riding mower (sans instructions). I think there was a pamphlet about the stove and dishwasher - but that's it! Oh well...

That's it for now...I'll try to come up with a post that's not related somehow to school or house stuff. It's sort of our life right now, I'm sure you understand.

tax free love,
k