[Cowpernia]

What about it Kiwi?? Jammies or no jammies.

Did I tell you I'm not looking forward to today, tomorrow, next day, any day? DS has gone to the beach with lcp. He has some stuff in the trunk of my car. I think he has it all together but isn't taking many clothes. I bought him things like a stapler, toothbrush, paper/graph paper and he bought himself the same. Let this be a lesson.

I would like to be in my jammies.

[Kiwonk]

Originally Posted by Wabby

are you still in your jammies, Kiwonk?

uhhhhhhhhhhh, that was yesterday. I can't remember yesterday. I must have put clothes on, we went out and nobody pointed and snickered.

Last night was the last time DD will play and sing here in town before she leaves for college. A friend of ours opened up a neat little shop called Thirteen Moons a couple of months ago and asks people in to provide some music every week. DD performed during the week they opened as well. Yesterday she got paid for this. She played for an hour, which I think is the longest she's performed solo in a long time, and she was paid $25, plus people added tips of $10. Not bad for an hour's work, eh? Of course that doesn't count the preparation time. If only she could have performed a couple of times a week for the whole summer... Anyway she had a rapt audience the entire time, a bunch of kids from the high school (apparently she has a fan club ), BF and his parents, and a few other people. More than one person commented when she finished that she couldn't believe it had been a whole hour, it went so fast. Cool, eh

Oh yeah, she performed last Friday too, at a fundraising music festival they put on locally. There were about 8 acts, quite a variety, from DD and one other teenager, to middle-aged torch singers, to ancient scruffy guys with long beards and goofy stories to tell before they performed. Everyone was extremely good, although not all were to my taste. The event was so well done -- the sound system was perfect, the announcing was good, the lighting was good. DD got to do 5 songs and she just did the best job ever on every one of them. We recorded her performance and hopefully DH will get around to making DVDs of it and finally I will have something that will make sense to share with you all (you didn't really want bad video of her high school band concert, now did you?)

Originally Posted by Cowpernia

Kiwi, here's a quote from a letter sent to my by UF. "we know the risk to first year students concerning the misuse of alcohol is high. National studies show that the first six weeks of a college student's experience are critical for building the foundation for success and developing a lifestyle as a student at a university." Then they refer me a webpage..

Yeah, we've had that letter too. DD had to go online and take a little survey/test about substance abuse. Actually it wasn't so little; it took a long time. She had to do some parts over because she don't score well enough to count as done -- apparently she hasn't had enough experience with drugs and alcohol.... Or perhaps more likely she wasn't reading the info before she answered questions.

Originally Posted by Wabby

Kiwi, do you ever worry that Jett will hurt the kitty?

The cats are very good about running away and escaping from her relentless chasing, but when they are cornered, only one of them really fights back consistently. She will probably never get hurt by Jet, but the other one isn't so smart and might well get pawed to death. well maybe not to death... Jet is not a gentle puppy.

Kudos on the walking -- how's it going?

Sugar, I had no idea there was a desert in Canada. Glad you have returned from no man's land and are having a good time.

Here is how I feel about packing DD for school: I want to scream NOOO OOO OOO OOO OOOOOOO!
Not that I am doing any of the packing at this point. She has color coded computer printed lists that she is using and I am mostly good for saying things like "sure, go ahead and take that. And that. And that. Don't worry we'll buy some. No, no, I'll pay for it." I woke up at 4 AM this morning and couldn't get back to sleep for an hour because my brain is screaming.

Today I am attempting to clean the house enough for DD's friends to come over for a BBQ tomorrow (has been moved up). I would not even bother to do much cleaning, but BF's parents are coming and she has never been here before and the place is embarrassing enough as it is without it being filthy too. They are lending us a giant grill to supplement our POS one (think Piece Of S...).

I can't seem to finish this post. Somebody make me post it.

Oh Peachie, did I tell you we ended up buying DD a printer? I had looked at how she would be able to print when at school, and it didn't seem that bad to me. Basically she would have to pay 10 cents a page, but she'd have to take her zipdrive to the library or another place to do it. I think it would have fine if just for papers and stuff, but she does a lot of music printouts too and I have to admit that would be a big pain not to have a printer handy. So anyway we got all-in-one HP (scanner/copier/printer) at Sam's Club for $90. It has a kind of low, flat profile so it can be stashed on a shelf or under a bed or even stack stuff on top of it. I can't believe all the stuff she's going to have with her. Just like you said Cherry, it's nuts. Get a load of this list:
2 guitars, clarinet, violin, laptop, printer, 2 lamps, phone, wastebasket, laundry basket, a butterfly chair (folds up), a trunk, 2 underbed drawers, she wants to bring her big guitar amp which is the size of a trunk, not to mention all the school supplies, bathroom stuff, clothes, linens, small electronics etc. She's not bringing her stereo or a TV, thank goodness, or a hairdryer or iron, but good grief.

Oh Bagz, don't forget to tell me how long it took to bbq the ribs the way you made them! Thank you darling.

Kiwi

[Kiwonk]

I have a secret list of "other stuff" to put together for DD if she doesn't think of them, that I'll tuck in her things when we bring them (she will already be there when we show up with her stuff). I'm contemplating adding "a few fashion accessories."

kiwi

[Bagzz]

oh my lordy loo kiwonk---we were in halifax and i didn't get your request--i hope it's not too late but it likely is!!!----THE RIBS TAKE HARDLY ANY TIME TO COOK CAUSE THEY ARE BASICALLY SIMMERED FOR AN HOUR!!!--THAT IS QUITE LONG ENOUGH TO COOK THEM I AM SURE---so you just barbeque them to your required char-ness---did you marinate them in MY sauce????---you people are making me sad and nervous for your babes leaving the nest---it's no picnic but the stress of moving all that crap can take your mind off the pain!!! that is the one thing i am NOT looking forward to=---this time we have to bring down stuff for THREE people and i think we may have to rent a truck or a trailer or a cube van!!!!----i need to start excercising more--i think this oldness is Getting the best of me---i feel creaky.----cherry----start bugging us to join you ----WABBY,CONGRATS ON THE WALKING--I AM JEALOUS!!!!

[Cowpernia]

My baby (shown displaying his early interest in books) has been delivered. I told him I wanted to leave yesterday, get a motel and arrive at the U early. He wanted to leave late and spend time with lcp. So we agreed on 6:00 and about 5:45 I called him and told him to take his time, we'd leave in the morning. LCP called me shortly after and invited me to a file with them. The film was "Accepted" which they may have liked. It was sweet. DS held my hand when we climbed stairs in the theater and waited for me and LCP surprised me with iced Chai from Starbuck's. So this morning, he drove all the way to Gainesville and did well. Once there, he didn't like the congestion and wanted to stop driving. Still, he wants his car there. We got a dolly from the dorm, hauled the stuff in and I couldn't get away from him. His roomy is arriving tomorrow, a day late and I said over and over that I wanted to get on the road as the drive is long, the night is dark and the mommy is alone. Still, he didn't budge. So we went out, got Cuban food (delicous) and I dropped him off at his dorm. It left me with a good feeling. He wasn't rushing to get away from me. Not clinging but hanging on a little. But now I'm home and the place is reaaaallllllllllllly quiet.

[Bagzz]

OH PEACHERS!!!-- good for you--that sounds perfect!!!! especially sweet was the handholding in the theatre---i remember when we were in the parking lot of some mall
in Maine and he was leaning up against you and giving you a hug---he was the age my ds is RIGHT NOW----that seems like a minute ago,so i can imagine how it feels. the drop off was great too---just like you said----not clingy but just enough for you to know that he still loves his mom----does LCP go to the same school ??what did you think of the dorm rooms??? i know your place is quiet but you and ds can talk on msn,----dd and i do that as well as on the phone====after a while you just get used to it,but it certainly is a big change-----thinking of you and kiwonkers and feeling for yas alot----xoxoxo

[Cowpernia]

lcp goes to school about 3 hours farther down the road. I wish she was at his school so they wouldn't want to travel. His dorm is much more expensive than any other dorm at the school but it's the "honors" dorm so he doesn't have much choice right now. It was nice. The beds were really high. His was about shoulder height to me meaning lots of stuff can be put under it. Everybody has a desk and a little dresser and there's a sink in the room. Four boys will share a bathroom. There are GIRLS on the floor. I guess that's normal but seems odd to me. You need a key to get into the building, the same key to get on the floor and a different key for the room.

You know what ... I have this 7 year old cat who has never curled up by me .. til tonight. It came onto the sofa and lay next to me. !!! Weird. Then it saw I was knitting and attacked. That's not so weird.

I'll tell him we can talk on msn. He probably does that with lcp.

[Kiwonk]

Originally Posted by Cowpernia

My baby (shown displaying his early interest in books) has been delivered.

Oh my god Peachie delivered a baby! And the baby is sad to leave his mama! Why must every silver lining be full of cloud?

By the way DD wants that rug for her dorm room; when can you send it? That is an adorable pic.

I can't believe they charge different prices for different dorms! That's mean! It sounds a bit like DD's dorm, except for the sink. She has to share a bathroom with 3 or 4 other rooms, I think. And the floor is coed as well -- pretty much all of them are, some by room, some by wing or floor.

DS is lucky he gets to move in first probably, can set things up to his preference a bit before the roomie gets there. DD will not be able to. Almost all the freshmen have to wait until the 30th to move in, with the exception of a few kids who are in one particular special orientation program. And of course DD's roommate is one of those. So I guess she'll be there for several days before we can move DD in. She'd better be a nice accommodating girl or Mama Fierce will arrive with the trunks and crates...

This is going to be so weird because DD will be with her orientation program for 6 days before we get there with her stuff and move her into her room. I have a feeling she will be sort of "already gone to college" before we get there. The BF is driving her there Thursday for this program, and I'm really starting to feel crappy that we aren't driving down twice. But that's insane, right? This is going to be the week and a half that lasted a million years.

I think we ended up with a good phone plan for DD, although I don't care much for the cost -- all her incoming calls are unlimited, and the # is local to us, so we can call her for free any old time we want. She'll have to wait until 9 PM to talk endlessly to BF because he doesn't get free incoming calls until then. That sounds perfect eh?

Had an excellent party yesterday. Thanks for the suggestions, Bagz, we thought we would need a different method of grilling the ribs because our grill wouldn't hold more than about 3-4 servings at a time. But BF's family lent us their giant grill (also a tarp tent arrangement because it was pouring), some chairs, and even their "fire pit", not to mention 4 able-bodied young men to lug the stuff around (well, minus one bandaged hand...). Plus bf's twin was home for the weekend and made caesar salad for us all (he's in culinary school). Just about the time they arrived with their grill it clouded up and started to pour, which went on for over an hour, so DH started the ribs under the tarp. But shortly after the rest of the kids got there, it cleared up and we were able to eat outdoors. Twas fun, and the ribs were primo!

Oh, and I got the porch cleaned up nice enough to enjoy being out there (), plus the house was more or less presentable...

Kiwi

[Kiwonk]

Place I will be trying to stuff a bunch of junk into next week.

Her room is right next to the RA.

[Cowpernia]

Rooms cost differently because some have no a/c; some are actually apartments; etc. How is kiwiette going to live there without her stuff? It is quiet here. The cats are not even fun.

We got our phone plan based on lcp's phone plan. All calls to her and between us and .. I think .. to everyone else with cingular are included in the monthly fee.

DS is planning on fetching his car Labor Day. I'm suggesting NO but he's staying with YES. Must go talk to insurance guy.

[Bagzz]

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh you guys !!! it's all happening at once!!! the dogs and cats better start becoming more social!!!---the one thing i DID learn is how much FUN they will be having and missing us is quite low on the list,although it does happen a bit. how exciting for everyone. and exhausting. and life changing.it's a weird time of life. the good thing is,they DO return and make their messes and whatnot ,so don't despair----glad the ribs worked out kiwonk--your party sounded wonderful---as did your evening with dd singing!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO GET MY DVD!!! THIS IS EXCITING NEWS!!!!----peachers----one thing i would like about ds having his own car===that means he won't be travelling around with any old drunk driving student who can provide a ride!!!or taking the bus on dank evenings---it could be a good thing.

[Kiwonk]

Originally Posted by Cowpernia

How is kiwiette going to live there without her stuff?

She won't be living there that first week. They will be staying in church basements or people's homes or something. Be afraid.

We got DD on a family plan too. Just not our family. That makes a lot of sense, eh? DH's nephew has a family plan with his wife and mom (my SIL) so it worked out for her to join it. We would have done the family plan ourselves, but it cost so freakin' much compared to what we have now (Tracfones) we decided not to. The really sensible thing would have been to put her on BF's family plan, but there is no room on it; you can only have 5 phones on a plan. Then last night DH came up with a brilliant idea, unfortunately way too late: her friends were sitting around the fire talking about cellphones and 2 of them have tracfones and might be changing. It would have been perfect to put 4 or 5 of them on a family plan. Then they could have called each other to their hearts' content, day or night. Oh well, hindsight.

I made homemade chicken nuggets for dinner tonight. I was in the kitchen making dog biscuits (yes, really) and thinking about what to make for dinner when I realized that I could be making things that DD really likes before she goes away. Duh. DD has happy. And BF had seconds.

Of course I had seconds too. When am I going to learn?

Kiwi

[Cowpernia]

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hey will be staying in church basements or people's homes or something 


I had to read that twice because I thought it said she staying in church salads. What is wrong with me??? Honestly, I pictured her next to a cherry tomato and a piece of celery. It was a chef salad.

DS is not calling me. I am not informed about the roommate. I do not know what he did today. The cats are not more social. And so on.

Got my first call for substitute job and had to turn it down as it ends at 4:00 and I work at 3:00. Must speak to my boss tomorrow.

[Kiwonk]

You crack me up. I do the exact same thing, read something so entirely inaccurately that I can't even figure out why you saw it that way. Well, don't wait for the kid to call you -- call him, eh?

Bummer about the sub job -- you hate to be turning down jobs right off the bat, I'm sure. Life is so complicated...

k

[Schatzi]

Yikes Empty Nest Syndrome in Cowland... must be such a time of mixed emotions fer youse Kiwi... What exactly happens on that 3rd floor in the dorm? What exxxxactly is this "healthy living" designation? Peachie, I think you need to organize a social event fer the kitties.. Time to give em left over yarn balls to coax them into playin with you..