hulse

hulse

Friday, September 23, 2011

let the battle begin

our bookclub pick this month...
(i am almost finished with it, even though we had bookclub last night!)
i like this book, but it's put me in the fighting mood.
it's all about this lady trying to get her son to his "rightful" place in life, on the throne as king of england.
let's just say, she doesn't go about this task in a kindly manner.

we've been having some issues with ella's school bus this year. 
the bus has always (since afton started kindergarten 6 years ago) picked up and dropped off at each driveway on our street. 
the first day of school this year, they dropped a bunch of kids off at the fire hydrant a few houses down. 
i thought maybe it was just a mixup for the first few days.
after the second day of this, another mom and i called the bus people to let them know what has been happening and to please be sure to drop them off at our driveways, as usual.
we don't have sidewalks on our street.
so in a few weeks when the leaves, and then snow, pile up on the side of the road they'll have to walk in the road to get home.  
the bus dept informed us that this was the standard rule that should have been enforced all these years.
so another neighbor is a police officer for our town.
he is also a parent.
he has called the bus supervisor, gotten on the bus a couple of times to talk to the driver, and even driven in his squad car with his uniform on to talk with the school district about this safety situation.
again, "sorry that's standard procedure".
feeling as if i should be queen of england, i emailed our new superintendent.  
that's right.
he had the assistant superintendent call me this morning.
apparently, this is just the way it's going to be.
our next step is to go to the school board.
really?
can't they just pick up the 5 kids at their driveways that don't have a sidewalk?
i suppose i'll have to get a petition started.
maybe afton can make some posters. (hee, hee)
i really do try to get along with others, but i might have to start a fight on this one.
the trumpet is sounding...

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Saturday, September 17, 2011

mmmmmm...

i'm happy to report that our pta board meeting went very well.
no crying.
no yelling.
no catfights.
i'm willing to bet these treats contributed to the niceties of the evening.
here are the links to the recipes.
chocolate chip, peanut butter and pretzel cookies.
from sugarcooking



mini chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter ganache and milk chocolate drizzle
from food network

and the HUGE hit of the night...
(i couldn't find a real and true picture to convey the goodness)
i found a quick recipe in the latest martha stewart living (p. 62, bottom) for kettle chips with parmigiano-reggiano.
these were the first thing to be eaten.
here's how you make them.
spread one large bag of kettle chips on a rimmed baking sheet.
bake at 350 degrees for about 6 minutes. when oil starts to appear.
meanwhile mix together 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano-reggiano, 1/2 tsp paprika, and 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper.
remove chips from oven and immediately sprinkle with cheese mixture.
fantastic!

Friday, September 16, 2011

what's goin' on...

yesterday i did zumba for the first time. 
let's just say...
i laughed a lot!
 i've also been spending time here...
 miller tennis center
afton is taking tennis again this year and is really doing great!

ella is spending two afternoons a week at this place.
stumpfs gymnastics
she LOVES gymnastics! 
especially when she gets a new leotard.
(totally takes after her mom)
we're going to violin lessons after school today for our aftie, the violinist.
she is sooooo excited that her cousin calli is starting violin.
marmee thought that calli and aftie could play a duet with cousin taylor accompanying them on the piano.
we'll give it some time.
i offered to have our pta executive board meeting at my house tonite. 
the suggestion was made to have the meeting at the library, but last time we did that, people ended up yelling and then crying. 
that's all i'm saying.
so, i will hope to sweeten us all up wth these ridiculous pretzel, chocolate chip, peanut butter, sea salt cookies.

as for this guy...
he's rackin' up the skymiles so we can go somewhere warm and sunny when the ugly winter hits.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

idaho!

the hulse girls went to visit idaho this summer!
 waiting for our plane
 gg picked us up in boise
he also found two other cuties at the airport and decided to bring them home too!
we were so excited to see calli and teags!
 marmee took us to the pottery place to paint.
 marmee helped the girls make pillowcases for "dean's kids", which is a charity our family started in honor of my gramps (my mom's dad, dean).
 we went to the twin falls county fair and rodeo.  yee-haw!
marmee and gg spoiled us rotten with all kinds of delicious food, although i'd opt out of the fried oreos next time, and even feathers for our hair.
the little turkeys all played games and were super disappointed when they didn't win.
luckily gg had more money and they finally won a fabulous prize.
and let us not forget the animals.  these funny little goats flocked to wherever the food was. 
i even got a little nip in the bum from a goat i didn't realize was behind me!

a super-great, super-fun trip!!!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

seriously?

i cannot believe that a new school year has begun!
this little lady is in 2nd grade.
she already loves her teacher. 
"she's soooo nice, mom!", said ella.
she has two best girlfriends in class and a new friend she sits next to that she met today.
a very good first day for our little belle!
 as for this grown-up girl...
let's just say that middle school suits her well!
she l-o-v-e-d her first day outfit and felt very grown-up.
the shoes are super-cute, with a leopard print.
a fantastic day for this girl who now has a locker and switches classrooms!