A Bittersweet Night

It hit me tonight. As we all gathered on the back porch, making Welcome Home signs for Paul, I realized that it was the last night like this. After 6 months of sharing dinners, listening to Blues Clues in the background and the general noise of the Nuthouse, it would all change tomorrow.

No more hearing Tate shout, "TA DAAAAA!" as he showed me whatever delighted him. No more running in the door yelling "Grammy!" with his big hugs and loud kisses. I will pass the frozen waffles at Meijers and tear up and no one will know why. We will stop eating white rice 100 times a week and start throwing away leftovers. I know I will start looking for a little lunch partner about 11:30...maybe one who really likes broccoli.

If I start singing "You just got a letter...." people will think I am crazy.

Andy and Catie will be lost without Cat's Taxi service, which was at their beck and call for 6 months. She was a pretty easy mark. They had it made! McDonald's runs, "I forgot my homework" runs, go to the mall, get a haircut, pick me up from...whatever! They were just plain enjoying each other. We all knew it.

I told Cat tonight that although I have certainly had my crabby days in the past 6 months, I have always had her company. We bickered little and loved a lot. We shared a tough time and made a good summer out of it. God knew what he was doing. He put us together and then brought Paul home safely, so they could be a family again. It is how it should be, but it still makes me sad. It doesn't even make me feel better now that I can go back to smoking in teh house! My back porch got winterized, thanks to Cat!

I will just miss them desperately.

Chin Kids Miserable

Nothing makes a Chin kid more miserable than helping Mom do any kind of house WORK! Since I am trying to get ready for a yard sale and have health issus that do not permit me to handle the physical labor, they are out of luck!

The idea began as Catie and I were discussing her life's dream to go to Disney World. We set a budget for the trip and began to plan how we could save for it. She asked me if she could have a yard sale and get rid of all her old toys that she has outgrown. I agreed and then began thinking about all the junk we have accumulated over the years. Hmmmm




So I began cleaning house with a mind to remove any items that were no longer used and things I am just plain tired of dusting. THEN I thought of the crawl space....that dreaded place that all Chin Kids hate to go! It began filling in 1995 when we moved here and most of the items put in that day have remained there since. Each kid along the way stashed and stored old items as they moved away. It was the one place they know NEVER changes.

It has now been filled to the point that you cannot get in.

On Sunday afternoon Cat volunteered "Ok, Mom! I feel sorry for you. I am going in the crawl space." She is my hero.

About 2 hours later the family room was filled with JUNK! Joe was sorting through about 1000 VHS tapes (we told him NOBODY wants them!) and deciding which ones to KEEP! She had found what appeared to be some kids' "fort" set up in the back, complete with a cot to sleep on, a wing back chair, blankets and even a couple of FULL bottles of foul smelling liquid. (Don't ask).

Cat goes home daily with a haul. She has found toys for Tate that I saved from the boys, items to scrapbook with, a lamp, in addition to HER box in storage.

2 sewing machines, computer monitors, video games, cassette player, books and magazines galoere, an aquarium set, artificial trees, dolls and toys all came out. I finally parted with a suitcase that was my mother's (early 1900's), boxes of memorabilia were sorted and we even found a $50 Savings Bond from Deb and Jim given to Michael on his baptism day (tucked inside a baby card).

Catie has worked like a dog to help. Mike and Andy are miserable and keep saying "WE don't want to go to Disney World!" I don't care if they sit on Knight Street forever....they ARE going to help. They have broken down boxes (Joe had at least 10 large computer boxes from computers that have long since died). They have hauled more trash than the average trashman this week.

So the back porch is full. Now they have to set up tables and cart it all out. They are NOT happy boys. TOO BAD! HA HA HA!

CATIE MEETS DOG THE BOUNTY HUNTER!

Everyone at the Nuthouse enjoys watching Dog the Bounty Hunter, but Catie absolutely LOVES "The Dog" and his family, Beth, Leeland, Duane Lee and Baby Lisa. Joe, Mike, Andy and Cat were in Ann Arbor yesterday and called to tell us he was signing books. They later reported that the lines were hours long, so although Catie begged, I refused to make the drive.

Catie then got online and found he would be appearing at Borders Books in Taylor, MI on Saturday at noon. Yes, I would take her. She was so excited that could not sleep last night. We got up and headed down (we thought we were early) and found that over 500 people were ahead of us. You had to buy a book, get a ticket and wait for your group to be called just to stand in line some more!

Then Dog and Beth were an hour late! We had a good lunch and waited patiently.

We first caught a glimpse of Beth heading into the crowd after a bathroom break and Catie began to squeal with delight.



As we struggled to survive the crowd for FIVE HOURS, Catie kept trying to SEE Dog or Beth, only to turn around and find Beth scooting behind us trying to get to the ladies room. FINALLY, the moment came and she got the autograph....She says it was DEFINITELY worth it!

Not working?

We highlighted Catie's hair this week, so she could look like her idol, Hannah Montana (from Disney TV). Here is she, holding a pic of Hannah. We did pretty good, huh?

As I ran back looking through the posts of July, I realize why I am so tired! Take off work and rest???? Well, even though I have not been "working", just keeping up with this family is work!

I have spent more family time this month than ever in my life and it has been WONDERFUL. We began the month with Dave, Maryann, Steve and Elizabeth, which leaves me wondering why we don't do it more often. By the 9th we were into full scale birthday week with Cat, Tate and then Nick. Lots of parties.

By the end of the month, I am actually school shopping, since Catie can't wait. It's ok, since I am getting in on early bargains. Andy is off to camp this week and needed stuff and college classes do start in August for Mike.

Hopefully, August will bring more summer rest as we head north for a week at a cottage on the lake. I am ready for that rest!

Busy KID Week!

You will see pictures here on our busy week between a visit with Nick and Cam, a trip to the Skate Park and Catie's adventure at Vacation Bible School.

Catie and Nick had a great time at the Skate Park, although they were humbled by the older kids who were unbelievable on their skateboards. They climbed into the "bowl" and began to skate around, Catie pretty carefully after her recent fall. She is still covered in Band-Aids!

Nick got new Heelies for his birthday and I told him I hope his Dad isn't ready to clobber me if he is soon sporting scraped knees and Band Aids. Of course, he had no fear and was ready to take right off.

We got to see Cam and of course, he had that ready smile of his, which I couldn't resist. Catie also posed in her costume for Vacation Bible School. Their theme was SonForce Kids, based on the Mission Impossible Theme and they all dressed like spies. We had fun hunting through the dollar store for the right gear. She looked great!

A New Life

It took a very long time for me to give in an accept the fact that I should not be working. The pain has been gaining on me for the past 2 years. However, it always seemed as if the right thing to do was to get up and get to work.

One day I was talking to a friend about the fact that God certainly seemed to be sending me more than I could handle lately. He asked me if I thought God was trying to tell me something. I thought about that comment a lot over for days.

On the Monday after I returned from vacation I was aching so badly by noon that I could not believe the difference from the previous week when I was resting. Catie was calling every hour and as my patience wore thin, it hit me. I could no longer deny what God and my doctors were telling me. I needed to be at home.

In the past few weeks I have experienced a metamorphosis of sorts. I woke on Monday mornings longing to put on a suit and head to work. Instead, I poured the first cup of coffee and headed instead to Vacation Bible school with Catie. I got to see the smile on her face as she made new friends and take pictures of the kids. I could no longer stand on my feet for hours and run the kitchen, but I could snap the photos and help the mentally challenged child to find his room.

Catie took a bad fall on her Heelies and scraped up what seems like every part of her body. I feel good every time I am here to inspect those cuts, clean and re-bandage her. It feels like love, because it is.

I have had the time to take rides with Andy and hear a lot of things I would not have heard. (I also convinced him to let me dye his hair back to normal, thank God.) I have had time with Michael to talk about college and life in general, in between his job and band rehearsals, because I am home.

Cat and Tate have kept me company and I got to teach him silly things like making big loud noises when we kiss or how to push his train. I figured out that "Toe Toe" meant that he wanted Blues Clues on TV by sitting with him and watching it with him until I heard the puppy make the same sound as "Toe Toe". We spent a week working on that one!

I was able to be here for Nicholas on his birthday, help Catie plan her Kool Aid stand and encourage her through some difficult pre-teen moments. For the first time in years, I wasn't too tired to join Joe for dinner and a movie on a Friday night. That alone seemed like a miracle since I usually head right for the couch to ease the pain and refuse all invitations.

Tonight, Nicholas put an ice cube down the back of my shirt and last night Tate squirted me with the hose, laughing in delight. A month ago I wouldn't have been laughing as I was just too crabby from being in pain. Those little boys make me laugh a lot now.

Our house is the neighborhood hangout and in addition to my own kids, I have had some great conversations with the various boys that seem to nearly live at my house. They are some great kids.

I won't lie. I very much miss heading off to work. However, I have found that there were a lot of very important things that I was missing and didn't even know it.

ANOTHER July Birthday.....Nicholas!

July is a big month for birthdays in the family and we celebrated the 3rd one tonight when Nick arrived just in time for his favorite birthday dinner.....Shepherd's Pie! (Joe groaned, but ate it anyway). Of course, we finished off with cake and ice cream and tonight a was Harry Potter cake with 4 different ice cream flavors.

Nick had wanted Heelies for a long time and you can see his reaction when he opened them.


Nick is 11 now and wanted to light his own candles. He learned the HARD way that you light the ones in the front BEFORE the back when the flames got too hot on his fingers and Papa helped finish.

Nick got some new Action Figures from Aunt Cat and Tate who joined us for a birthday dinner. Grandma Bustamonte sent a Nick some money and I promised him a shopping trip tomorrow to complete the birthday loot. After cake and ice cream, Nick headed out with Andy to learn to roll on the new Heelies, followed by trapoline jumping and dip in the pool. He and Catie finally wound down by 11pm when we insisted that bedtime had long since passed.

Good thing we have no more birthdays till September when we start the next round of Cameron, Joe and Andy (wonder why the clusters?), as I am almost sick of cake!

PARTY!

It was time to PARTY and no one can have more fun than a bunch of Chins! Cat had planned an afternoon at Birchfield Park for Saturday, but threats of rain caused us to postpone until today. Tate loved the balloons on Saturday and has been enjoying his birthday all week.

We arrived at the park and found it was beautiful and filled with wildlife. Tate enjoyed an afternoon swim and then decided that he didn't want his clothes back on. Aaaahh, the beauty of being 2 years old and loving to be naked! He decided to RUN from Cat to avoid pants.... Speaking of the wildlife, in the middle of the party a very LARGE deer came running through, quite close to us. Catie and Alexis had to be stopped from chasing the big Goose, that we were sure was about to turn around and attack. Catie had already injured herself on her "heelies" and had to be bandaged from knees to shoulders. Luckily, that was the only casualty of the day, although Tate and Daniel were quite daring on the jungle jim. Thanks to Uncle Andy for swing pushing and scooping children off the playground.

We enjoyed barbq chicken (or Baak/Baak as Tate calls it), and Tate's very favorite chocolate chip cookies. The kids were much more interested in playing on the playground and running through the park.

By 6pm Mr. Tate was ready for night-night after a great day in the park!

Happy Birthday Tate!

On July 11, Tate turned 2 years old. It seems like just yesterday that Joe and I were racing toward St. Louis for the birth of our grandson, when we got the phone call with the baby crying in the background.....we were stuck in a traffic jam in Chicago.

Those 2 years went so quickly! We didn't get to spend as much time as we would like with him, but due to the misfortune of Paul's deployment, we have been enjoying him these past couple of months. We understand his language (for the most part) and yesterday I figured out that "Toe, Toe!" means he wants to watch Blues Clues.

His actual birthday was a bit on the quiet side with our gift of a Thomas the Train and a morning of watching him play. Party is on Saturday at the park, with all his cousins and uncles. Pictures will be forthcoming, of course.

Happy Birthday Cat!

The cupcakes were glowing and everyone was singing, except Tate, who was watching his favorite Disney show and not willing to leave for cupcakes. Catie and I had the best time of all....we shopped all day!

Catie knew she wanted to buy Cat the cupcake tower and had planned it for weeks. It was at Michael's, which meant I had a good excuse for another Michael's trip. That is worth at least 2 hours! We headed out at 11am and just made it home in time to deliver the groceries so that Joe could cook Cat's requested chicken stir fry. (yech, but it WAS HER birthday).

Sunday in Ann Arbor

Cat wanted to visit Ann Arbor for her birthday treat. Actually tomororrow is her birthday and we will have Chinese food, per her request. Today, more specifically she wanted to go to Zingermann's Deli to eat. We left home, after Tate's nap at 2pm and soon entered the most interesting deli I have ever visited. SO much food in SO little space!

The food was great, although people are lined out the door waiting for a sandwich, but it was worth the wait. The atmosphere makes it an experience, with the outdoor tables, kids play area and 2 restaurants side by side serving some really good food. Tate and Catie enjoyed the day, complete with helium balloons for the kids.

We then moved on to Trader Joe's a specialty grocery store. The prices were unbelievable(reasonable) , considering the foods that they carried.

Let's see, Joe and I came home with bread, gourmet butter, bruschetta spread, sweet potato chips, Trail mix, candied almonds, shrimp, oatmeal/cranberry cookies, jelly beans, organic oranges, gum, fresh ground French roast coffee, organic soap and shampoo, vitamins....well, you get the idea!

I began ripping bags open on the way home. Could not wait to sample some of the good stuff we bought. When Catie asked, "What's for dinner?" I just looked at Joe and we both groaned.

GREAT 4th of July!

4th of July is the traditional Uncle Dave and Aunt Maryann holiday (in addition to Thanksgiving). UD did not disappoint the kids who were waiting for the BIGboom (see above). AMA made her famous pasta, fruit and cucumber salads...mmmmm, too bad Andy left one on the counter all night during a midnight snack!

Then there was the BOAT! The adults enjoyed an evening cruise with a few beverages and Jimmy Buffet playing away as the fireworks went off in the distance. THAT was a great 4th of July memory.




The next day UD took the kids for the wild ride and turned them loose on the jet ski while Maryann and I relaxed at home in the air conditioning with all our scrapbook paraphanalia. Great pages WERE created. Of course, we ate and ate and ate....

Those 2 men CAN cook and Maryann and I really do not mind sitting all weekend with our scrapbook stuff, while they feed us!

Maryann and Elizaeth decided to teach Catie to play softball. This is not a skill that I can pass on to my dear granddaughter. She loved it so much that she can't wait for Spring to sign up, especially after watching Elizabeth (the pro) play a game on Thursday night. Steve hung out, watching the world go by and providing the support (i.e. running to the store for more coffee, taking out the mounds of trash and pop cans). Josie and Rocky went along for the ride and Buddy the BIG Lab was extremely tolerant of the little ones running around HIS house.

Back on the home front, Mike and Cathy took care of the rest of the "farm". Paco apparently gave Cat a few days of hell. He growled at her repeatedly, even with food. At one point she had to get a blanket and drop it OVER him in order to pick him up without getting bitten!!!! Her quote, "I HATE THAT DOG SO MUCH!!"

All in all, we had a good 3 days of relaxation that was much needed, thanks to the Alberts, who do know how to run a great luxury hotel! Great company, food and all the boat rides you want!

Good Weekend!

Poor Tate! Cat bought a new bed for her use while here, intending to give it to Tate for his "Big Boy Bed". He is brave and not afraid of anything, so he was determined to climb on that BIG bed. After watching what he went through (we were laughing pretty hard) Cat decided to return the bed. By that time, Andy had tried it out and now I have to buy the bed! Back to the store, Cat!

After church and one of Joe's Sunday breakfasts (homemade waffles...mmmm) we all had the same idea....DO NOTHING! What a great Sunday concept! The boys adjourned to their rooms and computers for an afternoon of gaming, Catie went off to play with a girlfriend and Joe went to the pool.

Now some would think he was working as he began his pool cleaning process. We know different. He loves that ritual. Every night after work, get the hose, fool with the filter, vac the pool. Then the final moment...sit on the deck and fall asleep to the sound of the water. The miracle is that nobody bothers him! He can disappear out there and no kid will come close because they might have to work.

Cat, Tate, Catie and Mike O went off to the DAM Festival again for a bit while I fooled around organizing my scrapbook stuff. Then I decided the floor should be scrubbed in the basement. Now with my health issues, I cannot do it, so Michael was elected. Since he didn't get up for church he was already in the doghouse, so he didn't even argue. However he did show me a novel way to scrub the floor....
SITTING ON A CHAIR!

The DAM Festival

The only Eaton Rapids on Earth is what the signs coming into town say. Now, in addition to that claim to fame, the town now claims, "The Dam Festival". The kids LOVE it....they must say it 100 times a day. "Are we going to the damn festival?" Then they giggle at being allowed to swear.

Joe, Andy, Catie and I attended the opening last night and listened to music along the river. Catie was selling cold drinks for the Wrestling Club, dragging a cooler through the crowd to help send Andy to camp, while Andy lounged and listened to tunes. She played with the kids, got chased by a boy with a spider and had a generally good time.

Today, Cat, Tate and I attended the Arts & Crafts show, ate ice cream in the re-created Miller's Dairy ice cream parlor and just hung out at the DAM Festival. The fun runs through the 4th and Eaton Rapids can probably claim the only DAM Festival on earth too!

June 2007-Summer As It Is Meant to Be!

The month of June has been wonderful. We have enjoyed family and been EATING and EATING. From the Pig Roast to the daily meals that Cat and Joe dream up, it has been an epicurian delight.

Catie had a Kool Aid stand with 2 of her friends and made $19.02 in 4 hours. Joey and Mike-O went on her field trip to Michigan Adventure and had a great time. The kids have had a ball on the trampoline and the pool is up and running. Sidewalk Chalk and Bubbles have provided afternoon entertainment.

The pool is up and running, FINALLY. It took what seemed like a million dollars in chemicals and hours of sucking the leaves out of the bottom, but the kids are enjoying it now.

We had the experience of having SEVEN puppies, which have all found homes (Thank God)except for Minnie, who is waiting here for Laura, Alexis and Daniel to pick up. Within 24 hours, by word of mouth, all the pups were GONE!

Deb and I are knitting and trips to the yarn shop are frequent. Depending on how my hand holds out, I may have an afghan to cuddle up with. Either way the yarn shop trips are fun.

We taught Tate how to eat corn on the cob. (Daniel was an expert and his eyes lit up at the sight of it.) Joe and Daniel cuddled up on the hammock with the 2 chihuahuas to sleep off last Sunday's dinner. So from Cat's cupcakes and cookies to Joe's pig roast and daily grill, June has been one delicious month.

The Paul Doll

I saw a TV news show that showed women making Daddy Dolls for children of deployed servicemen. They gave the toddlers the dolls after their fathers left and each of them were delighted. I decided to make one for Tate.

Well, not such a successful project. Tate first saw it and said "Da Da!" then he went back to watching TV, occasionally looking at the doll like he wasn't quite sure this was right. My boys decided it was downright "creepy" to have Paul in miniature, sitting on the chair in the dining room.

Cat cracks up laughing every time she looks at it. OK, that is one expensive project that was a bust. I think I will stick to Scrapbooking.

My Little JUNK FAIRY!

When we moved to Charlotte, we met Bernice. She was a very colorful part of the town and there was no one in Charlotte who didn't know her. Bernice was an elderly woman who wore a coat 365 days a year while combing the town for.....JUNK! She collected cans to return for cash and was often seen picking through the trash. If you stopped to talk to her (and Joey often did) she would tell you she had been "working hard lately" and sometimes said she had "worked overtime".

When Cat went to high school she began wearing some really interesting outfits. We began calling her "Bernice", but it didn't deter her. She was often seen wearing her Dad's old cashmere overcoat with a skirt made of blue gauze material from a re-sale shop with a colorful scarf tied in her hair. She became addicted to JUNK!

Karen always used to laugh and say, "My sister can go through a pile of junk, whip together an outfit and look like a million bucks every time."

Well, yesterday Cat found her own version of HEAVEN! We went to lunch and decided to tour the shops of Eaton Rapids. She was enjoying herself and then she found her store...THE JUNK FAIRY. We stepped inside and found a narrow path among the piles of objects that ranged from interesting antiques to downright JUNK!!!

Cat wound her way through the 3 rooms and 2 cubby holes and began to giggle. She looked at me and said "I feel my Inner Bernice coming out!"

She was piling up JUNK with a grin on her face. It was all priced under $1 and she was finding things like 30 year old Pyrex bowls, cake pans, a necklace and her treasure of the day....a metal star cookie cutter! Her grand total of expense was about $8 and she had 3 bags of treasures. I HAD TO DRAG HER OUT!

So if Cat is missing, she is probably in the land of perpetual Garage Sale!

Tate and Papa

Tate greeted Joe tonight with a very loud and excited, "PAPA!!!!" He was so truly happy to see him that it was impossible not to stop and just enjoy being a grandparent. Very quickly Tate ran to get his new car to show Papa. His Mommy had made a big purchase (50 cents) at a garage sale today and it needed a little minor repair. Tate and Joe worked on it together.

The Back Room

13 years ago when we bought the house, we were thrilled with the "almost finshed" back room. It began as a deck, then the guy who owned it hired a contractor to enclose it. His plan was a 3-Season room.

Roof on, walls up....we figured add the ceiling, floor and drywall and we would have a very large family room. We talked about it, dreamed about it, talked about it some more and some more. We had countless offers of help to finish it, but something always got in the way.

Last week as I was washing dinner dishes I saw Joe carrying drywall in the back door. What in the world????? Yep, he was going to do it! I could not believe it. I just stayed quiet. (I know no one believes that one)

The subfloor went in pretty quickly, then the drywall began going up. I was in shock. So were the boys when Joe made them come out and help him hang drywall. They knew this "Dad Tone of Voice". It means, "DO NOT ARGUE. JUST DO IT!" Not only were Mike, Andy and Justin out there, but Cat was helping tape, mud and sand. By Friday night, Cat and Joe were painting. WOW!

We plan to hire a friend to finish the ceiling, since even Uncle Dave said "dont do it, Joe" but we are sooooo close. We still have work to do, but it looks great!

Graduation Photos

Mike found a VERY old picture of me on the day of MY Open House. It was taken in front of My Mustang with diploma on the hood. It didn't take 2 seconds before he was posed the same in front of HIS Mustang, diploma on the hood. If you notice, he had fun posing EXACTLY the same.