Perspective Is a Funny Thing!

So tonight I did a Neighborhood Watch BBQ.

Last time I did one I was really discouraged and thought that if I didn't get more of a turnout this time I would just stop doing them all together.

Perspective is a funny thing though.

Last time we did the BBQ on a weekend and I felt like few people showed up because they really weren't that supportive.

This time we had fewer people, but I wasn't nearly as put out... why? Because it was a weeknight (I know some people work later etc), school is starting soon (aka "Ahhhhh I forget to buy my kid a backpack!!!"), and fall coming soon ("holy crap... I need to start thinking about Halloween Costumes already!").That and some of the faces we saw there where new, so that was encouraging!

And maybe it also had a bit to do with the fact that there's not expected to be another neighborhood thing until Spring...

Yeah, that could be part of it too. :) Oh, and the fact that we finally raised enough funds to get some signs put up... YAY!

Hoping it will start to feel like summer...

before I have to start doing school shopping.

Last weekend I went to Boise for a Bloggersnacker with some of the FMH women... it was an all weekend long thing where you bring yourself and stuff to spend the night and of course some munchies. It was really fun and I really wished I could stay all weekend long, but alas I had to be home by Saturday night due to the Neighborhood Watch BBQ that I was in charge of. So I ended up leaving the delightfully hilarious FMH ladies with whom I wish I had gotten a chance to know better, really early in the morning (well, really early if you have stayed up till 2 the night before...) in order to get back to IF in time for the BBQ without konking out on the long (and might I say BORING) drive home alone from Boise.

The BBQ turned out okay I guess. At the moment I'm rather frustrated with my neighborhood. They say they will support you in something and then don't follow through. I'm having a bit of difficulty finding anyone willing to make it so that if I NEED to skip an event I can... and needless to say, donations toward the signage are going rather slow. Honestly there are a lot of houses in our neighborhood, and all it would take is 20 of them donating $5 to get the signs up... Ya, it's going slow, and I must say I'm rather underwhelmed. If I don't start seeing more support from my neighbors I think that I may just come to the conclusion that most of them aren't interested in having a neighborhood watch (some are interested in it mind you! just not many) and I will bag it. It's not worth the time and effort working on things that people aren't interested in or willing to support. Let alone the fact that I'm having everything translated into Spanish and not ONE Spanish speaker has shown up to either of the events. Why am I doing this if no one is benefiting? I regretted not staying at the Bloggersnacker in Boise.

Monday I went to the Chiropractor and got my back adjusted, then Wednesday I called and canceled further appointments until I can afford them. Started to seriously consider going back to school... and was going to start looking into it yesterday but got distracted somehow. Which happens often do to the kids asking to go do something like this:

 or this:

:) They are sweet and I love them to death....

Today is the last day of Goober's Summer School. He was behind in reading so they asked if he would do summer school, which actually I would prefer simply because me keeping a schedule for him and I reading to each other is a bit of a mess... and often doesn't happen. I know.... bad mom. Anywho, with summer school he was less likely to get any farther behind than he already was so I jumped for it.

Well, today is the last day, and I had a Dermatologist appointment to get to this morning. I didn't realize that Goober was likely to get out early today until he told me last night. So I let him skip out on school, because honestly, I was worried he would come home when I was gone to my appointment and totally freak out. My friend Erin watched them while I went to my appointment.

I love having friends that I trust with my kids and that I don't feel like I'm imposing on when I do. Plus, she has dogs... which Turbo HATES, but which are good for him because he really needs to learn to be okay with them. Erin is sweet and manages to keep him untraumatized. They are sweet dogs too, so he has absolutely no reason to be afraid....now I just wish he would internalize that!

The doctor froze off two spots on my skin so now I have ouchness, but I'd rather that than cancer... Thankyouverymuch. Fair skin can suck.

So anyways, June was nuts and I felt like I hardly had a moment to think let alone relax! Hopefully July will be better and I will find that the kids don't pick on each other to the point that my sanity goes out the window. I really need to look into when the Library does "reading time" and when the pools next session of lessons are even though I'm not terribly sure we can afford it this year. It's a safety thing though, so I really really WANT to afford it for them.

Tomorrow our family is going to my parents house for our annual fireworks! My parents get fireworks for the group, we have a BBQ then light them off, when they are done we move to the back yard and watch their little towns fireworks because the view is really good :) It's wonderful to be able to do that, if my kids get too droopy I can always go lay them down inside! As always the weekend of the 4th is always a bit insane, this year our city is moving the celebration from the 4th to the 3rd because the 4th is on a Sunday (don't ask me... I don't really get why celebrating our Independence is not Sabbath worthy... ) so because of that my parents little town moved theirs to the 2nd because they don't want to have to compete with the bigger city (now, I DO get that).

I don't know if we will be going to the parade or not... mainly because if the kids are up late the night before they may be a major handful the next morning, but we will see. I would really like to go.

Anyhow, that is that.... as they say. Oh! and I taught myself how to do a 4 strand braid. Yay me! lol

Neighborhood Watch program

Okay! So I said this week would be busy but I didn't realize I needed to schedule out 2 weeks from my little va-cay!

Last night was the Neighborhood Watch meeting that I trapzed all over the neighborhood for...I was really worried that I would have only about 3 people show up. It would be just my luck to get shin splints handing out fliers and then have no one show up. Can you tell I was nervous about it?

Anyhow, the turn out was actually pretty goof for putting out the fliers a week in advance without the meeting time on them! There were probably about 25 people there and the officer that did the presentation said he was impressed because the last meeting he had gone to for a larger neighborhood then ours had only had five people show up! Not only did people show up, they seem eager to help out. YAY!

So in 2 weeks time we scheduled a neighborhood BBQ so that we can hopefully get to know who ALL of our neighbors are and not just the ones that are well organized. :) Hopefully I can get THAT organized alright without spending an arm and a leg on it... wish me luck!

Sorry, been a little busy!

Recently I left me house to go shopping and saw sights like this:

Around my neighborhood.

Ya, not fun. I'm glad it's not on my property, but I don't want to wait until that happens to start doing something about it! So I've been trying to organize a Neighborhood Watch to get rid of this crap or at least to be able to keep this kind of stuff from escalating!

Needless to say there is a bit of organization involved... have to get an officer to the meeting, have to find a place for the meeting, have to find someone to translate fliers (because there are non-English speakers in the neighborhood)... etc etc.

Looks like the soonest I can get the meeting going is in June. Hope things don't get to bad before then!

Wow, I knew the renters were "Special"

I just didn't know HOW special. Apparently the "No Trespassing" sign duct taped next to the garage and the dead lawn should have raised my eyebrows a little more... mmmm. There was more to the story then just not so great neighbors... they got the front page story here in the local newspaper. Yes, they are that special... maybe this is why I haven't seen them or their kids in over a week.

Great Neighbors

Today we had some of our neighbors that we don't know really well invite us and our kidlets over for a barbecue and a kids get together along with some other kids and families.

I've been meaning to get to know these neighbors better for a while and just never really could find a good opportunity to invite them over... so I'm glad they thought of us this weekend.

The kids had a blast in the water and lunch was wonderful and the company was great.

It's always good to get to know people better and to get to know new people. I have to say it was a really enjoyable day! :)

Ok, what gives!?

Ok, here's something I noticed the other day... in our culdesac alone we have 4 houses up for sale. I even took a picture of it... I circles the "for sale" signs so you would be able to find them easier.

Now notice the mailbox with the blue arrow? That is a lone home not for sale in the midst of all this... OK Tandee! What Gives!? :) either your house has major B.O. that is driving the neighbors away or it's time to put up a sign.... any sign. I think it's time for a sign.... A "Not for sale" sign would be downright hilarious. :)

The Girl(s) Next Door!

OK, so Tandee's girls are way cute, and I got a couple of cute pictures of them while I watched Taylor and Emmrie today. I thought this was probably the best way to get those pictures to her if she wanted them.

On The Market

So, we put out house on the market yesterday. Now I just have to figure out how to keep the house clean enough to show 24/7! Hopefully this will be our last move for a while. I told Jer when we first started building houses to sell after 2 years, that as soon as our children were in school I would be dead sent against moving any more. Next fall G will be in Kindergarten so hopefully we won't have to move again for some time after this move.

I'll be sad to leave our wonderful neighbors and ward. The people that have surrounded us during our time here have been absolutely wonderful! I hope to be able to keep in contact with many of them after we have left this house, we most certainly are not leaving the city, hopefully the change of neighborhoods isn't too much of a challenge. I'm hopeful that the next neighborhood and ward might be able to hold a candle to this one. I have never been in a more friendly, accepting, and giving neighborhood in my life. This includes the one I grew up in.

This being the case people may wonder why we are selling. Well, our finances and other life situations are leading us down this road. I think that if it were ment to be Heavenly Father would certainly let us stay. But I don't think that this is the case. I guess you never know what may happen... He knows what is best.