Milwaukee film premiere

Just returned from a 3-day trip to Milwaukee, with my first night visiting an old friend and my second night in downtown Milwaukee. I went for the film premiere of the "Allowed To Birth" documentary. It was so fun to dress up and be all fancy!

I'm glad to be back home and not driving. Between the trip to Chicago and then, a few days later, the trip to Milwaukee, I'm ready to stay put.

Dio was trying on clothes for the Homecoming dance...which led to the kids pulling out all sorts of things from our closets. Inga and Ivy both tried on my wedding dress! Fun times.

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Soccer and storms

Ivy's team was partway to their soccer game when the bus turned around. Storms were forecast so the game was cancelled! Eric was halfway there as well. And we got hit with a big, but brief, downpour.

Inga's team decided to wait it out, so they started 45 minutes late. They won 7-1, with Inga scoring 4 goals in the first half. They played mostly junior varsity in the 2nd half because they were so ahead.

I went to Chicago yesterday to celebrate the launch of a new direct-entry midwifery program at Kennedy-King College. A brainchild of Star August Ali and the Black Midwifery Collective, this program at a local community college will train home birth midwives. Really amazing work! The event was attended by all sorts of dignitaries, including national, state, and local politicians.

It was a lot of driving in one day! And I have another big drive ahead this weekend when I head up to Milwaukee.

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Outdoor embroidery

I'm attaching this large embroidered applique with invisible thread. I discovered that it's so much easier to do outdoors--I can actually see the thread when the sunlight hits it!

It was the big annual music and food festival across the street. We love soaking up the atmosphere.

Dio took the SAT this morning. We were out the door by 7 am. He said it went ok. We had to get his fingerprints done again (the last time, his first and last names were switched). While I was waiting for Dio, I went to the Habitat Restore (donated home supplies, some used and some new) and found a light fixture and two motion detectors for the carriage house. Then I went to a big antique/consignment store next door until it was time to pick him up.

On the drive home we talked about what he wants to study at university, what he wants to do with his life, his goals for job/career, etc.

Inga had a game this afternoon. The weather was amazing--sunny but not too hot. Her team didn't play very well especially in the first half. Inga scored the only 2 goals in the second half, plus another beautiful header that was not counted for some reason. They ultimately lost 2-5 but at least Inga got some good action in. Eric was so frustrated! He totally stresses himself out when he watches soccer games. Honestly, it's better if I don't sit by him because then it stresses me out.

After soccer, we relaxed and then some of our friends stopped by to pick up extra cherry tomatoes. Inga and Dio ended up going over to their house for swimming, dinner, and kitten snuggling until late this evening.

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Toilet diving

For months, the toilet in the kid's bathroom has been plugging. Every. Single. Time.

It started when our house was being rented. My maintenance guy went over, used every chemical known to human kind, remove the toilet, and snaked the drain all the way to outside the house. Nothing. No reason for it not to flush.

It kept plugging.

We got back to the States. It kept plugging. Even a small bit of toilet paper would refuse to go down. Water would slowly leak past and with 4-5 plunging sessions, the water would eventually grudgingly clear.

I was talking with my maintenance man today, saying, "I bet that there's something stuck in the trap of the toilet. This happened to my dad back when my sister was baby--he had a toilet that just wouldn't flush, tried everything he could think of, and finally took the toilet out. there was a spoon wedged deep in the siphon."

So tonight...I geared myself up and stuck my hand down the toilet. Yes, the joys of being an adult. Just about 1" in, I hit something almost completely blocking the passageway from one side to another. I worked at if for a while until I got it loose.

Voila. The culprit. Exactly the right size to fit the entire width of the toilet siphon and not budge.

 

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So what else is new? We all got woken up at 3:30 am by a tremendous flash of light and thunderclap. I never managed to fall back asleep. There were thunderstorms on and off the rest of the night, but nothing quite as loud as what woke us all up.

More storms rolling in throughout the day. On the up side, it's a great time to pull weeds because the soil is soaked and loose. I did a bit of weeding this evening.

Oh...and it's our 28th anniversary today! We went out to eat at a local Peruvian/Mexican restaurant. We don't have any fancy places to eat in town, but this one is decent for basic dishes and tacos.

Dio, Inga, and Inga's best friend went to a football game and then to a restaurant. I love seeing them do things together. Ivy is at a sleepover. We have soccer games (Dio) and soccer practice (Ivy and Inga) tomorrow. Dio sprained his ankle today, so he probably won't be playing.

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Storms

Dramatic thunder and lightning, pouring rain on and off today.

Lots of meetings with HVAC companies to get quotes for heating and cooling systems. I am THIS CLOSE to DIY'ing the mini splits. I know I can do it and the cost would be 1/3-1/6 of what I'm being quoted.

Breech work today was video editing, textbook editing, online course module editing.

I did a bit of gardening until the rain made me go inside...did a bit of sewing and now I have new bedroom curtains!

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Customer service

There are a lot of things messed up about the USA. But customer service is great.

I bought a hammock & stand for our backyard, and it arrived with a broken hammock bar. I ordered a replacement hammock and I got send another entire set!

I bet I can make a new wood bar....so that gives me 2 hammocks for the price of one!

Ivy had a soccer tryout at a club 1+ hour away. They arrived 10 minutes early...and no one was there. Apparently they cancelled the tryouts and forgot to tell Eric! (Maybe due to the heat? Both Inga and Dio had indoor practice because it was a "condition red" day today and too hot for outdoor practice.)

Ivy decided to stay in 8th grade and not move up to high school. Lots of going back and forth but unless she really truly wanted to move up a grade, we didn't want to push her.

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It's hard to wrap my head around school already being started! And all 3 kids have soccer practice right after school, so they don't get home until 6 pm.

I'm redecorating my bedroom a bit. I don't want to repaint the walls, but I'm changing out the bedspreads, curtains, and lamps and painting the side tables. I had a bedspread that I sewed about 15 years ago and I've had to repair it a few times. It's ripped so many times now that it's time to retire :)

Lots of video editing today. Always something to keep me on my toes!

Our amazing repair guy / brick mason / handyman is starting work on the carriage house. Plumbing and electric is the first order of business. There's just one more wall to frame. Then inspections...then insulation and wall finishing.

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I love Midwestern rainstorms! Dark skies, thunder and lightning, rivers of rain going down the streets.

 
I had grand plans to weed the gardens but the rain got in the way. Instead, we did some attic organizing, going through boxes in our storage closet, organizing the kids' memorabilia, and throwing away or donating things we no longer needed.

What does everyone do with memorabilia going back to childhood? I suppose I could digitize some things, but that's not always realistic with objects that aren't just papers. Eric and I each have a few boxes of things from childhood, anywhere from journals to boy/girl scout badges to photos pre-digital cameras.

It was fun to pull these old things out. It's amazing how much you forget about your own life.

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