Got Milk?

It would sure go good with all these cookies!  :)  Conor's birthday is Saturday so I made some cookies for him to take to school to share with his classmates on Friday.  Chocolate Chip Cookies with icing, sugar sprinkles, and a sugar decoration.  I'm sure the teacher will wait until the end of the day so that the kids go home to bounce off the walls. 

I made two trays full so that there would be plenty to share with his classmates as well as other teachers.

This is a first for me - each item has to be individually wrapped, so I had to go out and get some Ziploc bags to put them in.  That wasn't required last year, or if it was no one told me about it.  It actually makes it a bit easier to transport because if they are not in the bags I'd have to put them in Tupperware and not stack them for fear of messing them up. 

Tomorrow I will be working on the cake for his birthday party on Saturday.  LASER TAG!!!  Woot, should be fun.  I'll try to get some good pictures and videos of it.  I've never been so I'm not sure how it works.  :)

HAPPY FRIDAY!  Happy day-before-Conor-turns-8! 

Public Service Test: Does chocolate milk aid in cleaning?

I had a thought this morning - "Could chocolate milk be used as a cleaner?"

So even though I had just gotten Jeff to agree to go do some Christmas shopping (!), I decided to test the thought and poured some chocolate milk on my kitchen floor.  A half a roll of paper towels later, I came to the conclusion that it does NOT.  Although, if I had bought the "quicker picker upper" maybe it wouldn't have taken so many.  Who needs to make things easier?  Certainly not me. 

Anyway, after getting the mop out and mopping the kitchen floor - including moving the stove because there was some under there, too - I decided that maybe it does aid in cleaning.  It made me clean the entire kitchen floor, plus under the stove, when I really hadn't planned on doing that today. 

So, in conclusion - if you really weren't planning on mopping your floor and moving appliances around to get under them as well, just pour an entire glass of chocolate milk on the floor.  It helps motivate you, even if it doesn't aid in the actual cleaning. 

Now I have to hurry and get ready to go shopping before Jeff changes his mind!

How do things get in my head?

As I was getting ready to take a shower last night, I realized I had the Gilligan's Island theme song running in my head... and I had not looked at anything that reminded me of it, or heard anything about it.  I have no clue how it got there, but I couldn't make it stop!  So what could have possibly triggered it? 

Ever have that happen?  What goes on in YOUR head? 

Breakfast

Today, my guys made me breakfast... almost in bed, but not quite - their activities woke me up.  Conor served it to me - with a towel hung over his left arm and the plate (or whatever he was bringing me) he carried with his right hand.  First course was bacon, eggs, and toast.  Then he brought me a glass of orange juice.  Next, he brought me a bowl of homemade hash browns.  Still with the towel over his arm.  He went back to the kitchen saying, "Pancakes are coming, ma'am."  He referred to me as "ma'am" the whole time, like he was my waiter.

"I can't eat pancakes too!  It's too much!" I protested.

"Too bad!" was the reply from the kitchen.  (Jeff)

So, Conor was back in just a couple of minutes with a pancake.  I did my best, but couldn't finish it all.  My usual breakfast is coffee... and that's it, so it was a bit of a shock to my system.  It was all WONDERFUL, though. 

Now, I have that "full" feeling and the sudden urge to go back to bed!  Thanks, guys!  What a great start to the day. 

Audiocave

I have been trying to help Ceara like books more. She is supposed to read a certain amount for school and she doesn't enjoy reading as much as she should for a teenager. In an effort to help her, I have both the book and the audio for Frank McCourt's Angela's Ashes. She has been enjoying this book with me out in the mancave on weekend when we can hang out.

Recently, I just got a nice little space heater for the mancave for these chilly November days. It was hard to get Ceara to come out here because she hates to be cold. I thought with the extra incentive of heat - I could get her to come out to listen to more about Frankie. We couldn't just leave him in the middle of the Atlantic on his way to Ireland! Anyway, as it turns out, maybe the mancave is a little too cozy. Well have to learn more about the McCourt's adventures after a little nap.

Halloween Weekend

The soccer tournament was last Saturday (Oct 30th), and Conor's team lost the first game so there were no more after that.  The game itself was hardly a tournament by any standards.  Not that I didn't enjoy cheering for my son, and watching his team try so hard - I did and they did.  However, if they are going to have tournaments and go through the motion, they could at least supply referees who know a little bit more about the game than the 6 and 7 year olds playing.  A little consistency would be nice.  I won't go off on a rant, although I really could, but two things stick out for me.  First - the opposing team got the kick off at the start of the game and also at the start of the second quarter.  I specifically noticed this because when they kicked off at the start of the game I commented on how well they handled the ball.  When they lined up for the second quarter and kicked off again, I questioned whether anyone was paying attention.  Second - in soccer, you are supposed to switch sides for every quarter, which has irked me the entire season that our particular league does not enforce it.  Anyway, at the tournaments, they initially started out switching sides.  First and second quarter were played on the correct sides of the field, however the third and forth they did not switch and the refs did nothing.  They barely watched the game from what I saw. 

I did not make a scene, I didn't expect much from the tournament and I got what I expected.  Anyway, soccer season is now over.  Conor's team did an excellent job and did not lose any games all season.  They did tie one, but the others they won. 

Trick or treat was Saturday night in our parts, and since we moved to the middle of nowhere where no one trick or treats, I made arrangements to go to a friend's house. Conor was a Knight of sorts.  He used the sword, shield, and helmet we bought him at the Renaissance Festival along with a Knight shirt from a costume in a bag we got him.  I had originally thought I would make something, but time is passing so quickly and it all snuck up on me, so we went to the store THAT DAY and found one costume that would do the job.  Unfortunately, it was not his size, but I was able to do a little creative ripping to make it look just fine. 

What's that?  You'd like to see a picture?  Yeah, me too.  I didn't take any, though.  I think Jeff may have taken one on his phone, so we'll have to check on that later. 

Amanda lives in a cul-de-sac and had set up a table with chairs in the road and had a fire pit set up behind it.  The neighbors all came out as well and we had several candy giving people all right there for the kids go trick or treat.  The men took the kids house to house, while the women stayed behind to pass out candy.  Amanda had made White Chicken Chili (sooooo good!) to share with everyone, and various people brought sides and desserts.  I made Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping and cut them into bite size servings.  They were a huge hit. 

After trick or treat was over, the kids went in the house and watched movies and played Rock Band on their game console, while the adults gathered around the fire to talk.  As the fire died down, we move into the house where we found the kids with their candy dumped out on the couch and several empty wrappers.  We left around 10 and Conor complained of a stomach ache on the way home.  So of course I blamed the candy - "That's what happens when you eat too much candy..." - which, really, he hadn't.  His empty wrappers equated to that of a regular sized candy bar, so I hadn't been too upset with him.  However, I did think that maybe the sugar was to blame for his stomach problems. 

He was on the couch and feeling queasy when we got home, so I put a trash can there - just in case.  And boy was it ever needed - but the aim didn't work out and it wasn't used.  So, after round 1 clean-up involving shampooing my carpet at midnight on a Saturday night, I put down towels around the trashcan.  Those would have helped had he been able to even move for round 2 - he was asleep and woke up vomiting on the couch / blanket / pillow.  Leather couch, so at least it was something I could wipe off rather than have to shampoo it out.  Everything cleaned up, laundry started, exhausted, I went to bed around 2am.  He is a little boy, his stomach had to be empty by now, right?  Wishful thinking.  I was woken at 3:30am by Conor who had climbed into my bed to tell me he had other problems - the other end kind of problem - and he ended his sentence with vomiting on my bed.  I jumped up and said "GET TO THE BATHROOM!" and he was on his way... leaving a trail of vomit on the floor as well.  So, I stripped the bed - it did not soak through to the mattress, thank goodness - and got the carpet shampooer back out.  Jeff was in his Man Cave and I texted him and said something to the effect of "GET IN HERE NOW!"

Hey, if he's going to stay up all night, he can do it in the house to keep an eye on Conor.  We cleaned everything up, started another load in the laundry, and I went back to bed and left Conor and Jeff watching a movie in the living room.  I don't remember what time I got up, but I spent Sunday doing laundry and cleaning the majority of the day while Conor slept.  Jeff and I both ended up catching the same bug later in the week - but he was in Atlanta when his hit.  Not a pleasant experience!

So, that was our Halloween weekend.  How was yours?

If Brad can I can!

This is what Jeff looks like answering the door to get the pizza.















"Hey Buddy! Keep the change!"

Let's be frank and honest

I'll be honest, you can be Frank, OK? 

Jeff ordered pizza last week.  It was around 1am and cold.  He was in his man cave and came into the house to put on a fuzzy pink bathrobe to get warm.  The pizza guy knocked on the door and he insisted on answering the door - with the pink robe on.  Even though Ceara offered to get it.  The pizza guy was like "Do you have the card you paid with?"  Jeff didn't - he had left it in the man cave - and the pizza guy was like, "Oh, that's OK...here's your pizza, have a good night."  All said while backing down the porch steps.  I think he wanted to get far away from the strange man in the pink fuzzy bathrobe in the middle of the night...

Conor's soccer team won league champs, so they are going to the playoffs!  He got a trophy today after his last game for the regular season.  I was thinking that soccer was done for the season - not that I don't love it, but I will love it much more when he is a little older and they all know what they are doing on the field other than bunching up in a group and blocking each other from doing anything with the ball.  Yes, I love that he plays, I enjoy watching them play, but really?  Tournaments for 6-7 year olds who get confused by which end of the field they are supposed to be on so they don't switch sides like they are supposed to?  I think they are a little young for tournaments, but... we'll do it anyway.  So, next weekend we get to go to soccer games on both Saturday and Sunday, possibly 2 games on each day depending on how they do.  Plus we will have Trick-or treat, and he was invited to a Halloween party at a friend's house.  So, it will be a busy weekend!

There is a caterpillar taking up space above my eyes and I HAVE to find the time to wax.  In addition to that, I have other hair removal problems going on with the fact that I haven't shaved my legs in I don't know how long.  It's so bad that it doesn't even tickle anymore when I wear pants.  I think I need to make it a point to stop on my way home and get some Nair so the hairs will stay gone for a few days... besides, one razor may not be enough to complete the job!

This month is just the beginning of the busy season, the holiday season I adore, so I will have to make sure to find more time to actually write posts here! 

I'll be sure to update you when I get the unwanted hair growth under control.  Be reassured that there is NOT a situation going on under my arms, though.  I have kept up with that!  ;)

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my mom's birthday and we celebrated by going out to dinner at Lonestar.

Since we have moved to a house just 4 doors away from Mom, I see her a lot more than I used to, and it has been wonderful.  She rides up on the 4 wheeler through the woods to have dinner with us a couple of nights a week, or just to sit out on the deck and talk.  I love it.  Especially with Jeff in another state, Alli at work most week nights, and Conor playing with Tray, it's nice to have someone to sit back with and talk. 

Thank you, Mom, for everything you are and everything I am.  I love you!  Hope you had a great birthday!!  :)

Ohio Renaissance Festival 2010

Dances from Terpsichore - Bransles de Villages New London Consort From the Album Sinners & Saints: The Ultimate Medieval & Renaissance Music Collection

Check her out...

The Daily Rant is in Italy.  I'm so jealous.  She just got there, but I'm sure there will be a ton of awesome pictures up soon.  Or maybe after her trip - I don't know that I would take the time to blog if I were in Italy! 

It's Monday...

I had a great start to the week because I went to bed at 9:30 last night and got up a lot earlier than usual this morning.  I had EXTRA time before I had to wake Conor up, and before I had to leave for work.  It was quite nice, I must say. 

In the last year or so, I have been given extra work at a steadily increasing rate and it has not yet stopped.  So I feel like I'm always forgetting about something and having the weekend to not even think about work doesn't help my Mondays.  Because while I used to not stop thinking about work, I've learned to just leave it there now.  Just when I think I'm feeling comfortable with the work I'm doing, they throw a wrench in it.  I'd really like to find another job, not because I want to leave this one so badly, but so I could possibly negotiate a raise.  I have so much work I do for so many different branches in our company - I don't know that anyone else would even know how to do my job if I left.  With their current "be happy you have a job and don't even think you are going to get a raise" attitude, it doesn't make for happy employees when they lay people off and then just pile work on the employees left behind with no additional compensation.  In addition to that, my boss - who used to appreciate me and tell me how much he appreciated me - was promoted to be over another branch and he's so caught up in that, he barely notices me anymore.  He's only in the office one or two times a month, if that.  Today was very busy... very, very busy.  My early start helped, but I ended up working late, too. 

Onto more cheery topics... errr more Monday stuff. 

I wrote last week how I was reading The 39 Clues to Conor, and I wanted to get more of the books because I, uh, finished the two I have and I want to read more.  I actually finished the second one the day after reading the first.  Since they are kids books, they are fairly easy for me to read on my own. 

I went to Amazon and also Barnes and Noble (because I have a gift certificate there) and then decided it would take too long to get them, so I didn't order any.  I then proceeded to go to my local Walmart over the weekend and they had EVERY book except for #3 - the one I'm on.  I then decided I really don't need to buy them (lack of space and all) and I went to our local library at lunch today.  They don't have ANY of the books, but the neighboring town (which partners with our town's library) has 1 of each volume.  I didn't have time to go there though.  I also looked for some other books that I had listed on my phone's memo feature that I wanted to read.  Not one single book was available that I wanted.  Which made me sad.  I don't know if they are having funding issues or not, but now I want to go buy the books and donate them after I'm done reading them.  If I ever find them in stock anywhere that is. 

So, if I would have just ordered them from Amazon or Barnes and Noble, they would probably already be here. 

I then went to a local chocolate factory - because I had time, and because I was craving one of their specialties - and I was the only person in the shop.  I had time to spare (I was on my lunch break) so I looked around a little bit before picking up my favorite.  I went to check out and there was an issue with the receipt paper - it wasn't turned on, so she wasn't sure if my card went through or not.  It took a good 25 minutes to figure it out and get the paper to reprint and that made me late back to work after lunch. Not too bad, just about 10 minutes. 

So, that was my Monday.  My work Monday anyway.  Everything was surprisingly calm when I came home.  The kids had already fed themselves - Alli ordered Chinese food - so I didn't have to cook.  Conor had a friend over, so they were playing outside and I just vegged. 

Now I'm going to go watch some TV with Conor and do some more relaxing... this post may be all over the place, but... I don't really want to correct it right now.  It fits in with the rest of my day.

Hope everyone had a good Monday!  Mine was hectic, but I'm oddly relaxed now.  :)

The 39 Clues

A few months ago, OK more than a few... March to be exact, I won some books from Jenn at Juggling Life that I thought Conor might be interested in.  They were shipped to me in a very timely manner and I received them... then started the whole moving process so the books got packed away and it took us years, err I mean months to move. 

The books I won are the first 2 books in a series called The 39 Clues:



Conor and I started reading the first one Monday night and boy am I hooked.  They are aimed towards a bit older of an age group than Conor, but he is enjoying them too.  They are definitely books that will appeal to boys, and also girls! 

The first night I read it to Conor right before bed time and I didn't want to stop after he fell asleep.  I read on a chapter or two telling myself that it would make reading it to him easier if I knew what was happening.  I made myself put it down before I got too far ahead. 

The second night I read it was last night.  I kept reading LONG after Conor fell asleep.  Until, ummm 2am actually, when I finished the book. 

It has mystery, it has adventure, it has characters you love and characters you hate, and characters you are suspicious of... everything a book / story needs to keep a reader hooked.  I had never heard of these books prior to Jenn posting about them, and when I finished the first book I immediately went to look to see how many were in the series and if they were all available yet.  There are 10 on Amazon, and they have a nifty little box set of all 10 - which I would totally buy if I didn't already have 1 and 2.


The main characters are a brother and sister duo (Dan 11 and Amy 14) who lost their parents and although they come from a huge, rich family, they have only each other to count on. 

So, if you have any kids and want to get them into reading - this is a good series to start them with!  Conor is only 7, and I think he is a little on the young side for this book, but he is enjoying it. 

And I'm uhhhh, well much older than Conor and I enjoyed the first book enough to sacrifice sleep to finish it.  I must say that I am looking forward to the remaining books and finding out what the treasure is at the end of the clues! 

Jenn does a book review / giveaway almost every Monday.  You should check her out and see if there are any books you are interested in.  Since I hadn't even started the books that I won from her, I didn't feel I should enter any more until I did so.  I would feel so bad if I won another one and hadn't finished the ones I won before!  There are quite a few she has reviewed that I have noted for future reference, though.  You know, when I have more time to read.  Like in the winter months coming up!  :) 

Fall

Chock Full

Back

So much that I could have / should have / wanted to tell you over the past couple of months.  Who knows how much I will remember now? 

Like the time I went to get the check engine light on the truck checked out, and I had been listening to the BeeGees on some random station.  I went in and the guy came out to hook up the device to read the error and he turned the car on and Celine Dion was blaring out of the speakers.  HOW EMBARRASSING!  The truck's radio has some issue with the volume knob - it has so low that you can't hear it, and really loud so that you can't hear anything else.  It was on the really loud setting. 

We are all moved now, except for 2 large items that I have yet to get from the garage of the old house.  That's not to say we are unpacked because we have so many boxes - but no where to put the stuff we have yet.  We will eventually.  That's the breaks moving to a smaller house.  However, I gladly give up the extra space for all the happiness of being here.  We have trees, and a back yard.  A deck with a grill and patio furniture to hang out on, eat, talk, enjoy the weather.  A place for Teddy to run.  Woods for Conor to play in and get dirty - like all little boys should.  A fire pit to have bonfires. 

Conor is doing well in soccer - they have won all but 1 game, and that one was a tie.  He likes being a defender - was very proud of the fact that no goals were scored against them for the first 3 or 4 games. 

Ceara is doing pretty well in school - she has started reading a bit more than she used to and that makes both Jeff and me happy.  She hasn't enjoyed reading in the past and I'm hoping she starts to love it as much as I do. 

Alli has begun her senior year in High School, she is still working, and she has a pretty steady boyfriend - Jon - who we all love (should that be whom? I never get who/whom right!).  I am also trying to select a photographer to get her senior pictures taken.  Nothing like last minute, right?  Procrastinator who?  Anyone have any suggestions / recommendations?

I'm not taking many pictures - mostly because I don't have my camera set up to charge at the new house yet.  I do take some with my phone.  Like this one:

I woke up one morning to find this on my refrigerator. Yes, that is the kind of humor that goes on here!  Although it wasn't any of us, we tease Conor that he is the one who did it.  So that causes him to insist that it wasn't him, and Jeff to try to reason that it was him.  It's a funny conversation.

Mostly I have been taking pictures of stuff to sell on Craig's list.  Most of it has sold, but I still had to put a little bit in storage.  Not the storage you pay for, but a shed at my grandma's house until it does get sold.  I had 2 garage sales, then gave everything that remained to charity.  I needed it gone for my own peace of mind. 

I got a "new to me" car, of course, after Alli totaled mine.  It's a Kia Sedona.  I like it, and I don't like it.  I like how roomy it is.  I don't like the gas mileage.  I don't like how it has already broken down and had to be towed to the dealer for service - bumper to bumper warranty my arse.  Wiring problems apparently aren't inbetween the bumpers.  I got that covered because I had just bought it, but now I just don't like them.  The first and last car I buy from Matt Castrucci Automall.  I know "honest car sales people" is an oxymoron, but I really hate being lied to.  "It will cover anything that isn't normal maintenance/wear and tear like break pads, batteries, etc" was a total lie.  Wiring for the cooling system is not what I would consider normal wear and tear. 

Jeff is working out of state again, so he's only here on the weekends - if then.  Sometimes he is gone for 2 weeks at a time.  He has been in Georgia for most of September, and he will be moving onto Tennessee and Alabama in October.  He forwarded me an email today from his employer offering permanent jobs in a list of cities where they have brick and mortar.  He asked which city I would be interested in moving to.  The thought of going through another move - to another state - is not a happy one.  Heck it took us 2-3 months to move 5 miles!  Needless to say, we aren't interested, but I did daydream a little about giving my notice at work.  :) 

OK, I have to get to bed now.  Hopefully I will be back to writing semi-regularly again now that things are calming down. 

Hope all is well with you all! 

Monday Spikes

Don't you know it's Monday?!?

Soccer Season begins...

Conor closing in

Conor Kickoff

You don't know what you have...

Until you move.  It's amazing what we have accumulated in the 6 years we have lived at our house.  Still sorting and trying hard to let go of things that I don't absolutely need.  It's hard.  That is why I haven't been posting much.  I've had one garage sale already, and will be having another one as soon as I get through the rest of the stuff. 

I made a significant dent in it tonight. 

Conor started 2nd grade last week, and Allie started her final high school year today.  Both are doing well and enjoying school so far.  Ceara started last week as well, but she hasn't returned any of my calls for me to see how she is doing.  She's a sophomore this year.  All of my kids are growing up!  :( 

Conor started soccer a few weeks ago - around the first of August - and his first game is this weekend. 

I have a ton of books to get rid of... some of my favorites, too.  We just don't have room to keep them all.  And I can always go to the library to get my favorites when I want to read them again.  I've gone through them 3 times, each time getting rid of a few more - even though my heart breaks to.  I don't want to put things in storage. 

I've listed and sold several things on Craig's List, and will be putting some smaller items on there and/or Ebay sometime soon. 

Once things calm down a bit, I'll be able to post more.  Until then, I hope everyone is doing well!

Conor's new haircut...

And being goofy.

Sitting on my current bed - my bed is at the new place, so I sleep on this mattress until I get my other stuff moved.  Yes, it does have a snowman sheet on it... that is all I could find! 

Now he just has to get a tan on the sides of his head to match his face.  :)

Being Funky, Funkifying, ect

I won a one year BeFunky from Jenn over at Juggling Life!!!  So funky pictures are incoming!  As soon as I get done with all the moving and can sit down at the computer to play with some pictures!  

I'm so excited to play with it!  Thank you, Jenn!!  :)

Speaking of moving... it is a PAIN!  I was cleaning at the new house last night and got a splinter deeply embedded in my finger.  Of course it is in my right index finger, and I'm right handed, so I was unable to remove it after several attempts with my left hand.  My mom tried as well, but was also unsuccessful - so I'm trying to use some Ichthammol Ointment - aka drawing salve.  It is like black tar and it stinks!  But if it works, I"ll be happy!  Mom had some at her house, then I went to CVS this morning and got myself a tube as well.  According to the people on Amazon who reviewed it, it should work.  I'll just have a stinky finger for a little bit. 

Now I"m off to do some more packing / moving.  I took a nap tonight and slept way too long.  It was too hot to work in the garage, so I'm going to do it now - at night. 

Have a good week!  :)

Sometimes the words are needed

I would just like to publicly state that I love my Mom.  She retired in 2007 and even before that she was always there for me in any way she could help.  Now that she's retired, she keeps Conor for us a lot more - saving us from having to send him to a sitter.  She takes him swimming, or to Kings Island, or just plays with him.  She also is keeping one of the bunnies that Alli brought home from school. 

We are currently moving and she has helped so much in getting everything we have needed taken care of for us.  We needed the shed moved, and she got me a number for a guy who turned out to be amazing at moving sheds through tight spots. 

She keeps Conor when we need to get something done that is better done without him.  She takes Alli to work, or picks her up when we are unable to get there.  And those early morning shifts when Alli has to be at work at 5am or 6am - she makes sure she is there on time. 

Whenever I'm feeling stressed, or down I know I can call her and she will make me feel better.  She is an amazing person, and I feel so blessed to have her as my Mom.  I truly appreciate everything she has done for me and I hope she knows that I love her more than words can possibly say. 

Ahead of the storm

Conor and I went to our new house tonight and watched UP with Jeff.  When we went to leave, the wind was blowing very hard and lightning filled the sky.  It had not begun to rain, though.  We drove home and when we got to the end of one road, to the left it was raining hard, the road was wet; and to the right it was dry.  Our path was to the right so we got home before the rain started.  I grabbed my camera to take a little video of the lightning.  It was very cool!

Happy Birthday, Barb! (belated post)

As I mentioned before, we had Barb's birthday party at the house we are moving to.  Jeff made one of his new concoctions - Chicken, peppers (red, yellow, orange and green), water chestnuts, pineapple and seasonings put into aluminum foil and cooked it over an open flame.  It turned out pretty good.  We also had a fruit tray, fruit dip, water melon, cantaloupe and ... was there something else?  Is my memory THAT bad? 

It was a little bit hot out, but not too awful.  We were able to sit out on the deck and eat. 

Ceara had gone to a wedding earlier in the day, and she looked beautiful in her dress. 

I was taking pictures with my camera, Barb's camera, and Barb's cell phone so she could send pictures along to Naomi and Mindy (her daughters, for those who don't know) because they both live out of state and were not able to come to the party. 

Jeff and Conor made her a humming bird out of wood - I do not do a lot of free-hand drawing, but I did draw the bird with the flower from a picture Jeff found on the internet. 

It didn't turn out too bad, and I modeled the cake after the one they made.  Of course we had to have chocolate, too.  What's a birthday party without chocolate cake? 

Not really a birthday party at all if you ask me.  Or any of the other people there as well... pretty much all chocolate lovers.  I'm not as big of a chocolate lover as the rest of them, but that chocolate cake is sooooo good, if I do say so myself.  Hey, it's not like I'm taking credit for writing the recipe - I just follow it and the result is always amazing. 

Barb's birthday is actually on the 22nd, but that was a Thursday, so we had the party on a Saturday.  We declared it her birthday week, and she continued to celebrate after our party as well.  Spending time with friends - going out to lunch and to the movies... 

Happy Birthday!!  We love you!! 

July Re-cap

The final day of July brings me getting ready for a party we are throwing for some friends.  It will be good to finish this not-so-great-month with laughter.  There are a lot of things that have happened this month that I did not blog about. 

The first thing being my grandma.  At the beginning of this month - July 2nd - she was in the woods clearing a fallen tree when she fell and broke her hip.  My uncle was with her and took her to the hospital.  I've written a few posts about my grandma, but no where near as many as I could.  She is such an amazing person - I love and admire her so much!  One day soon I will tell you more about her.  She had to have hip replacement surgery on July 3rd - my birthday.  She made it through the surgery, thank God, and is still in therapy.  She is doing well, though. 

Then I had my surgery - and a horribly painful recovery.  I am so glad the worst of that is over.  I went for my follow up yesterday and he said I"m 99% healed.  And the mass they removed was benign - a result of chronic infections - so that is good news.  :)

Then Allie wrecked my car on her way home from work.  As a result of that there were frustrating dealings with my insurance company and searching for another vehicle.  It all got settled in the last two days.  I got another car on Thursday night and settled the insurance Friday. 

One of the bunnies Allie brought home from school for the summer had babies - 6 of them!  So we now have 2 adult bunnies, 6 babies, and one Chinchilla.  Anyone want a baby bunny?  They are really cute, I'll share pictures soon!  They will all go back to the school soon - less than a month - and we will be back to just a one dog family.  :) 

In the mist of all of this we are trying to pack and move, sell a lot of our bigger items on Craig's list, and get ready for a garage sale too.  We had to find someone to move our shed - that was a little stressful, but turned out great after it was done. 

We also had several parties.  One for my birthday, one for Allie's birthday, and one for Barb's birthday.  Then the one today!  Yes, I do have pictures to share, but haven't had the time to do it.  Yes, I could be doing that now instead of this post, but it's so much easier to just write instead of editing pictures and posting them! 

So, it has been quite the busy month here.  I'm hoping for a much calmer, quieter August. 

Now I have to get started on the desserts for the party!  Hope everyone is having a great weekend! 

Boys are so different!

Having 2 teenage girls has not prepared me for a little boy.  Tonight we went car shopping and he went with us.  He had opinions about everything, of course.  Pointing out all the cars he liked, and he has expensive taste!  He's certainly not shy either, he talked up the sales guy a lot.  Asking him his favorite drink, show, all kinds of stuff.  Right before we left he told the sales guy, "If you were a kid, you would be a good friend."

I don't think he stopped talking all night.

What I didn't anticipate, and apparently it's a new thing he has picked up from somewhere... Jeff and I were standing outside talking and Conor said, "There's a fart coming... here it comes... (he farted) I didn't even hear it!"  Then he proceeded to fan it towards us. 

I don't remember either of the girls ever did anything similar to that. 

The call you don't want to get

A little after midnight I got a call from Alli - crying, telling me she was in an accident.  On her way home from work, an animal ran in front of her and she swerved.  She ran into a parked car.  She was driving my car since I have been banned from driving for 2 weeks because of my surgery.  Although I'm OK to drive, I haven't needed to. 

Both air bags deployed, but she is OK.  That is the most important thing, and I thank God for that.  The car is replaceable, she is not.  I also appreciate the two policemen who responded to the crash for their kindness and patience.  They were very nice, explained everything, answered all of my questions and made sure Alli was OK and understood what to expect when she goes to court. 

There were also two guys who stood outside their houses and as we left they called out, "Glad you're OK honey," to Alli.  The car she hit was that of her friend's uncle - who is currently on vacation somewhere. 

I haven't called my insurance company yet, I think I'll just wait until tomorrow to deal with that.

Update to add pictures:

My car:

The air bags:

The other car - the blue one in front of the Jeep:

I went to the tow yard to take the pictures of my car - one thing that bothers me is that the car is sitting there, unlocked, for anyone to take anything out of it.  I took stuff from it and no one ever came out to see what I was doing.  I realized that I need to go back because I forgot to empty the glove compartment and the console in the middle of the seats.  I don't know what is in there, but I do know there is stuff in there.  I won't get the word on whether it will be totaled until Monday or Tuesday. 

About Mel Gibson

I may be blasted for this opinion, but... I'm still going to post it!  I will say I have NOT listened to any of the audio, nor have I read many articles about it.  Why not?  Because the people writing those articles have no idea what is going on in his personal life.  They do not live with him, they do not know him personally, they are speculating.  And that audio?  I'm sure that whatever it is, it is only a portion of the conversation.  Who knows what the person recording it was saying to him to get him to say what he was saying.  People do make mistakes, and when you are emotional you can SAY a lot of things that you don't really mean - out of frustration and anger.  From what little I have read - headlines, small blurbs - this is a girlfriend trying to keep him from seeing his child?  Or use the child  to get money from him?  I don't know. 

People may think that I'm naive, but I don't assume the worst in people based on people feeding stuff to the media.  Who knows what was edited out?  His ex-wife, who probably has more reason to resent him than anyone, is sticking up for him.  Knee jerk reactions... people need to not jump to conclusions when they do not have all the facts.  And unless you know these people personally, you do not have all the facts.  Not only that, but it is not my place to judge him.  He is an entertainer, I like his movies.  That's the only opinion I have about Mel Gibson.  The rest is not for me to determine.

Just my thoughts and opinion. 

Another knee-jerk reaction?  Forcing someone to resign based on an edited video from 24 years ago posted on the Internet!  You would think that they would do a LITTLE more research into it before asking someone to leave their job. 

A Few of My Favorite Books

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole is one book I have to list as a favorite.  I like to actually read books, but Jeff likes to listen to books on CD or an iPod.  I believe that comes from his many years of being an over the road truck driver.  He would go to the library and get books on tape or CD and listen to them as he drove.  He is the one who introduced me to this book, and he had me listen to it.  Thus, I must recommend that you listen to it if you have the choice.  The narrator does an amazing job of changing his voice for the different characters in the book.  You will laugh at the characters and the entire story line.  






Many of you know that I am a huge fan of John Grisham, and really - I love all of his books.  Playing for Pizza is one of my favorites because the setting of the book is in Italy, and Italy is one place I would like to go before I die.  Grisham took me to Italy in this book, but I still want to see the real thing!  It is about football, but you don't have to love football to love the book. 









Southern Fried Divorce is another book that I listened to rather than read.  I must say, at first, the narrator's voice was a tad irritating but it grew on me and I grew to love it.  The book will make you laugh out loud, and it also has a few good recipes in it, so have a paper and pen ready if you listen to it because some of them sound so good you may want to make them!  I'm not sure what I was expecting when I read this - but it was nothing like what I expected.  It was better.   








This was also a way for me to test out the new and fancy linking from Amazon!  Hmmmm, I may have to do some give aways of the books I have but need to find a new home for since I need the space!  Stay tuned.  :)

I thought I was through with these posts!

Today was a pretty good day - after a pretty slow start this morning, I was lying in bed and decided to do a mind over matter thing and get up and DO stuff.  So.  We sold Conor's bed so we went out to the garage to get it all ready.  After that we went to our other house, watered plants, cleaned a bit, then went home because I felt I needed to rest.  I took a small nap - my sister came by and it woke me up, so we discussed dinner.  Now, today is the first day I have eaten anything solid for a while.  Over the week I did try to eat a few things with very unsuccessful results.  I could eat a 1/4 of a sandwich if I tried - then my mouth and jaw would start hurting and my throat wouldn't be able to take anymore.

So, we got Cracker Barrel - I got mashed potatoes and dumplings.  The mashed potatoes didn't taste right to me, but I'm expecting food not to taste right for a while.  The dumplings were good, though, so I ate maybe 1/2 of those and a biscuit.  It wasn't a horrible experience - getting better at swallowing. 

I was so sure it was getting better!  I went to bed and didn't take a pain killer.  That was a mistake, I woke up about 1AM in pain so I took one and went back to sleep.  Around 2:30 I woke up - sorry for the grossness - and threw up... a lot.  It hurt.  So. Bad.  I made it to the trashcan for the first couple of times, and then ran into the bathroom for the rest.  I was at the sink rinsing my mouth out, and I started getting dry heaves.  Jeff came in the bathroom and wanted to help, but couldn't do anything to help.  I was rinsing my mouth out, tears streaming down my face, I asked, "Why is this happening?!" and in my head I heard the response of a friend of mine "Because of your behavior yo" - and I also thought that Jeff would say it too, because it's just a thing we do... from this skit on Saturday Night Live.  http://www.hulu.com/watch/143263/saturday-night-live-hip-hop-kids-bear-cave

Around the 4 minute mark - that is the part I am referring to right now, but there are a lot of times that different parts of this skit are brought up in conversations.  It's funny, to us at least. 

So, I managed to stop the heaves - I brushed my teeth twice trying to rid my mouth of the taste.  Jeff got me some Sierra Mist to drink, at my request, thinking it would help settle my stomach.  I took a drink and it burned the hell out of my throat.  So now I'm relaxing with a glass of chocolate milk, making sure it's all over before I lay down again.  I'm afraid to take another pain killer - I'm not sure if I threw the other one up or not, and I don't want to take another one so soon after that last one... I think I'll just take some Ibuprofen.  So, I had a horrible ending to a pretty good day.  The best day so far during the recovery was capped by the worst night so far during the recovery!  I'm almost afraid to hope for better tomorrow!  I don't know if I should report this to the doctor or not - my throat was bleeding, so I don't know if that's OK or not.  I pray this does not cause a setback!

Sorry if I grossed you out - just documenting the recovery! 

I've only had one other surgery - long, long ago. I had my gallbladder removed because I had gallstones. I remember the day I came home from the hospital - I was alone at my house. My mom had Alli who was around 3 years old at the time. I was in bed all day, sleeping on and off, watching TV. I believe it's the only other time I've really been on pain killers for an extended amount of time.

The TV show I was watching? QVC. And they were doing specials on quilts that day. The "Today's Special Value" was a quilt, and then they had a few hours throughout the day that showcased quilts. I love quilts. I was on pain killers. Do you know where I'm going with this? Yeah, a few days later I received my NINE quilts via UPS delivery. Yes, I bought 9 quilts. At that point in my life I lived alone with Alli. I had no need for 9 quilts! I ended up sending 6 back and keeping 3. One of them was my favorite quilt of all time, I kept it for years until it fell apart so much that I finally had to let it go.

So tonight, I took a pain killer, and laid down to go to sleep. I turned the TV on to watch until sleep took over and what channel did I end up on? QVC. I have not ordered from QVC for years. I watched a presentation and suddenly I can't imagine NOT getting a really cool cup - spill proof. They come in a variety of colors, and they come in sets of 2. So I kept watching, trying to talk myself out of them. I don't need more cups! I'm getting rid of stuff, not buying stuff! But I really could use them. And since there are 5 of us, I would need to get 3 sets of 2. Should I get all the same color? OR different colors for each person?

I got up, came to the computer to place an order, and remembered the quilts. Instead of ordering the cups, I wrote this post. I will schedule it to post later since I already posted once today... but I need to get back to bed and TURN THE CHANNEL!

Hey, it's not a post at 3AM!

I spared you my 3AM post last night, mostly because I didn't want to get out of bed. I took a pain killer, rolled over and did my best to go back to sleep.

I got brave last night and asked Jeff to get me a plain hamburger from Wendy's. I thought, "Hey, it's pretty soft, and it sounds good, and I can at least TRY." Wasn't a horrible idea - I did manage to eat a quarter of it - but it was too much work and it wore me out trying to chew and swallow, so I gave up and drank the milkshake he had gotten me as well.

I can't say the pain is better per se, but I believe I reached the peak of the pain and am on my way downhill to being healed. I hope so anyway. It seems a little tiny bit better today.

Something I've gotten to enjoy while being off is Ellen. I have always loved Ellen - I think she is a wonderful human being. Beautiful, kind, generous, funny - I really admire her. Her show is on from 4 to 5 here, so I won't be able to watch it once I go back to work. I think this video is hilarious - Ellen scaring Taylor Swift.

Another thing going on around me as I sleep is sorting / packing / moving. I can't participate much right now, but we are trying to get ready to move - as most of you already know anyway. We are selling a lot of stuff, possibly having a garage sale next weekend - if we can get it together by then. So, everything around here is in varying stages of mess. Some sorted and boxed, some sorted and stacked, some ready to be sorted, and lots left to go through.

Everyone is excited about the move - you've seen pictures of our new back yard in the post about my birthday and we are looking forward to having little parties back there. I love it that we will have trees and space for Teddy to really run.

We are already planning a small party there in just a couple of weeks - Jeff has invited his friend Giselle and her boyfriend David to come over to hang out. We are working on a menu for the party - which will be Hawaiian. We're gonna do chicken and grilled pineapple, and still looking for some recipes. In searching for something to make, I came across a new blog that I really like that I thought I'd share with you. A Cozy Kitchen not only has some great recipes, but the writing and stories that are included are fun to read as well. So go on over there and see what you think! I think you'll love it, I know I do.

I kinda think a Hawaiian theme is a little scary for us to really pull off because David currently lives in Hawaii and will be flying in just to come to our party!! Haha, just kidding - he is coming to visit Giselle, it just happens to be at the same time as our party. Trying to come close to the real thing may be a little lame, but we are going to try!

I could never be a vampire

Have you read Twilight or seen the movie? No? I didn't think so. Most of the adults I know who read this blog haven't found the urge to read the vampire mega-hit miniseries. Or to run out to the movies to sit amongst thousands of teenage girls who squeal in delight every time Robert Pattinson or Taylor Lautner appears on screen.

Well, I did read it. Not just IT, but THEM. I read all 4 of the books and I enjoyed them. Yes I will admit it! I first went to see the movie Twilight with Alli - it had been out for a few weeks when we saw it, so we didn't have all the screaming girls in the theater while we were watching it. I hadn't even heard of it before seeing the movie and I had no idea it was based on a book. I love books, I love to read, and given the option I'd rather read a book than watch a movie. I also am aware that no movie will ever do a book justice. There is just so much more a book can tell you than a movie can - if movies were true to books, they would be at least 10 hours long and have a LOT more cost to them. So I do keep this in mind when I watch a movie. They have a time limit and a budget, so they have to cut some things and if the over all gist of the movie is the same, I'll forgive them.

Anyway! I saw Twilight, then bought the books and read them all, and then saw New Moon (2nd book/movie in the series). We made an evening of it - I bought tickets for opening night weeks in advance - Alli, Sara, and I went out to dinner and then to the movies to see it. It was a fun night with the girls, but I didn't like the movie.

All of this is SOOOO beside the point of this post. This is what happens when your sleep is wacky and you are awake and in pain in the middle of the night. You write these long, babbling posts to try to make ONE point. And here it is - THE POINT TO THE MADNESS: In the books, and in the movie, the main vampires are "good" vampires - they don't feed on humans. Thus they have an "ache" in their throats that they just learn to live with - animal blood dulls it, but does not erase it.

Maybe I'm just a big wimp, but having had this pain in my throat for 5 days now and I've come to the conclusion that I'm not cut out for being a vampire - at least not one of the good ones.*

*disclaimer: yes, I do know that vampires do not exist but I am in pain and cannot be held responsible for the thoughts running through my mind or the fact that I come to the Internet to share such thoughts with you. it is supposed to be funny, so just laugh at my pain and move on! even though I'm not laughing yet, I hope to eventually when the pain goes away!

Almost four days after having my tonsils removed

As I sit here at 3am, waiting for the pain medicine to kick in, I feel like a chewin' tobacco user because I'm dragging around a spit cup. No, I haven't taken up putting tobacco in my mouth and spitting in a cup, but because it HURTS SO BAD TO SWALLOW that I would rather spit in a cup than swallow it. I have to hold my ears every time I do swallow because swallowing causes extreme pain in my ears as well. It is like this every time I wake up - I have to relearn to swallow - it does get a little less painful the more I do it.

Now I have to go back to sleep and start all over in approximately 4 more hours. That is my sleep schedule since the surgery - 4 hour increments. As I don't particularly like taking pain pills, I try not to take them every 4 hours and I substitute Ibuprofen some of the time.

I know I was warned, but I didn't think the pain would be this bad.

Cool Art

So after all my travels recently, I have been exploring new art...well, new to me.
I have seen some Native art in Alaska and Hawai'i as well as Oaxacan art in the San Diego International Airport (a temporary display called "Hecho en México: Mexican Folk Art").
There are so many things I could describe but pictures are better sometimes.



















http://priscillakibbee.blogspot.com/2010/01/trip-to-oaxaca-what-did-i-buy-alebrijes.html








http://www.vivaoaxacafolkart.com/woodcarvings/woodcarving_pages/040p-oaxacan-animals.html

Artist: Armando Jimenez


http://www.vivaoaxacafolkart.com/Gallery6_oaxacan-carvings-armandojimenez.html
Artist: Armando Jimenez

http://tundramedicinedreams.blogspot.com/2008/01/yupik-eskimo-crafts.html
Tundra Medicine Dreams

http://www.litsite.org/gallery/index.cfm?fa=post-photo&photo=1093&contentid=2656
University of Alaska

http://www.longagoandfaraway.com/denise_and_wally.htm
Artist:Denise Wallace

http://www.susanmdailey.com/penguin_pattern.htm
Artist: Susan M. Dailey
I found this awesome pattern and Conor and I made this penguin with all these influences in mind. We will be painting the wolves soon!



The Yup'ik/ Oaxacan Penguin by Jeff and Conor




















Welcome to the Woodshop

Conor and Gage making Wolves

"It's going to be a mask...like this grrrr!"

A satisfied customer - Happy Birthday Allie