2012- Week 34

1. Monday was my first "at home" day so I decided it might be time to start working on some schooling with Link.  We read a kid's book on gardening and then picked green beans.  Some of the highlights were watching Sesame Street's " Pinball 12" and working on a clock to figure out "O'clock." 

Link is going through a phase where he says he never has fun when you ask him.  So Cheri titled this one "Link and Taryn Not Having Fun."

2. Choreography for the musical all week.  Fun.  I love dancing.  My friend, Cheri, is the choreographer.  Link went to their house on Tuesday to play.

3. Agnes tried out for cheerleading.  I can tell she is getting a little comfortable with us because she practiced her cheers in front of me. 

Look how nice our new roof is!

4. I complained about the sloppiness of our basement and some other little things done in our house, so JP our contractor came to "talk with us."  He basically told us to go to hell in a very nice way.  Oh well, there is a lot of great work he did too.

Agnes will totally realize I read her blog when she sees this photo, but I just love it.

5. Agnes had her first sleep over on Friday.  They went to the host family of Laura, the German Exchange student.  Robin is the same age and a host sister from the area.  Camilla is an exchange student from Denmark.  I think they had a great time. 

Bryce got a iphone for work, so hello well documented life.  S'mores in the rain.

6. We went to a bonfire at Leslie and Adam's house with lots of other friends.  Even though I love that family I am not sure how well our family fits in there, still.  I think Agnes felt the awkwardness.  She is a lot like us and didn't feel like she really fit in with the teens either.  Plus it rained, so we had s'mores under umbrellas.

Sitting on the dock of the bay.

7. On Sunday was a foreign exchange family picnic at Backbone.  It was nice.  We made kumla, which is one of Aggie's favorite dish, a potato dumpling.  I don't think I got it quite right, but she still liked them.

8. We skyped with Agnes' parent on Sunday.  They were very nice.  I think they were sad that she is not homesick at all.  Maybe she will be later.  Although we are trying, we are not providing the structure older parents often do and she might miss that sometime down the road.  We have helped her study some.  Helping a non-native English speaker with vocabulary words is very difficult.   Like I referenced the indomitable snowman for the word indomitable and she said in Norwegian they just call him the terrible snowman.

9. I worked a bit in Prairie this week.  Finishing up my VISTA position and starting my Farm 2 School position.  I had to go get fingerprinted on Tuesday, which meant Monday night was hours of looking through boxes for my ss card.  Bryce was the winner in finding it.

I met Tracy (middle) at the Gay's Mills Fair.  She and her family are from Dubuque.

10. We have a new renter at Whimsy Market.  A Girl's Bling moved in and they look great.  I hope the store proves to go well for them.

2012- Week 33

Link and Aggie riding a fish at a Wisconsin Cheese Shop

 1. We picked up Agnes from the airport on Monday morning and brought her to Elkader for school orientation and to show her around town.  We were a little late but she wasn't fazed.  She and Link are already best friends. 

2. On Tuesday I taught Garden Group for Anna while she looked at a house.  Then I brought Agnes with me to Gay's Mills for an art project I led.

3. Agnes and I went to Batman on Monday night.  Bryce went on Sunday.

4. Since we have been living in a hotel all week I have been riding to play practice with Joeann Tesar since we are both traveling from Prairie.  She is a riot. Ella Hein joined us too.

5. On Saturday we moved back home.  The house looks nice but there are still some things that need work.  They will be done before October I am sure.

6. Agnes had her first days of school on Thursday and Friday.

2012- Week 32

 1. We moved to the hotel.  We are at Windsor Place.  So far, we have had to go to Elkader every day, so maybe not the greatest idea.  BUT, I have had to work in Gay's Mills often this week, so at least it is a little closer.  And there is a pool, maid service, cable tv.

2. Michelle Turkle Smith is sitting our cats.  She gives us daily photos and updates which is great.

3. Oliver practice started.  I had to re-audition and now I have a small solo part.  I am the strawberry seller in "Who will buy?"  And my costume is NOT ugly!!!

4. Crawford County Fair was this week.  I did Face to Face judging with Cloverbuds and led demonstrations in robotics, science, and nutrition.

5.  Amber's Bachelorette Party was this weekend.  We went to Lost Island water park, Texas Roadhouse and dance clubs- Voodoo and Jokers. 

6. We were able to add wood flooring to our house work with no extra cost. 

7. Bryce went paint ball "ing" with Paul and his groomsmen for a bachelor party. 

8. Agnette e-mailed us saying she would arrive MONDAY.  Since I am writing this late, she is already here and she is great.

9.  At the Crawford County Fair I met a person from Dubuque who makes baby stuff.  She is interested in renting at our store and she seems much better than the last person I contacted.

10. Bryce, Link, and I had a fancy meal at the Angus Supper Club.  It was delicious. 

2012- Week 31

I got lost in the business of the month, so this week will also include some 2 week old highlights that are new to you.

1. Link turned 3.  We had a great super hero birthday party at our house on Saturday followed by the Sweet Corn Days parade.  We followed it up with a family party at my parents on Sunday.

2.  Aunt Amy and I threw Amber a Pampered Chef party.  She had to cook the meal for us.  Amy made a chef hat with a veil that was awesome. 

3.  I took over Whimsy Market as a sole proprietor.  Already had one heartache.  I had a girl from Strawberry Point who owned a store say she was going in with me.  We cleared a space and put her on the calendar to work.  She never came.  She hasn't answered a call or an e-mail.  So now I have 2 spaces to rent out and no workers.

4.  We packed up our entire house and we are now on the way to living in a hotel for 8 days while they work on several projects.  And then they pushed it back a week so we have been living in utter chaos. 

5. We went to Micky's birthday party.  She turned 5.  We also met my high school friend's (Kate) son, Abraham.  Fun to have an Abraham and a Lincoln together.

Abraham

Lincoln

6.  I applied for the AmeriCorps Farm to School position through the Extension Office where I work, only with a different department and I got it.  So starting in August 19 I will be part-time.  Yippee.  And I will be focused on being the connection between local farmers getting their food into the school cafeterias.  This position has a 4 year possibility.

 7. We are scheduled to get a foreign exchange student next week.  Agnete is 17 and from Norway.

8. Charles Schiller passed away.  I met Charles before I met his daughter, Leslie, who is now a good friend of mine.  Charles wrote for the paper, he currated the 1st art show Bryce and I were in, in Elkader, he was a volunteer in my art program, he was my reference on many a resume, he was just a great person who loved culture.  He went to McCalister and loved talking about the Twin Cities with me, even though we went to college 50 years apart.  I will miss him dearly. 

9. With all the big things happening right now it is hard to remember the little things, like a good lunch, etc.  But I did try the Chicken Salad at Simply and I about fell off my chair it was so good.

10. COTR donated $500 to the skatepark in exchange for us having volunteers to work the water/pop booth.