This is me at 31. :) I personally don't feel old and so hitting the "thirty-somethings" is not a big deal.

So Jim and I decided that we would go to the corelle outlets and get some more dishes for the house. We had a few casulaties since we got our set two years ago and I wanted to make sure I had enough for everyone at Thanksgiving.

Long ago, I decided that I was not going to invest in good dishes and everyday dishes. It's a lot of storage issues and to my frugal side, it seems like a lot of money to waste for dishes to sit not being used.

So I decided to search for the perfect pattern that I could use all year long and I finally found corelle pattern that I loved:



It was brand new in 2006- and popular. Both good signs that I'd be able to get replacements if needed. So we went to the outlet in order to bump our service for 12 up to a service for 16.

Imagine my shock when that pattern was in the back of the store and on clearence. Because of a manufacturing issue- they are no longer making them. Are you kidding me???

Good grief. I was so bummed, b/c our option was now to have a mix and match set, to buy another new set, or to try and find out if I could get it online.

Ugh.

So I went online and because they are discontinued, I got them at a really, really good price, and I stocked up on them so if there are a few more breaks it won't be a big deal.

So that made me happy.


And then we went out to eat. Shady Maple Smorgesboard gives you a free meal on your birthday and it just so happened that my birthday fell on their all you can eat seafood night. It was the first time we had been there and man, was it good.

I couldn't ask for a better birthday. :)


I'm still working on the pictures from the trip. Here's a few I have done. I'll post more through the week.

Home at last.

We came, We saw, We took lots of pictures.



This was my take on the dancing Matt Video. And just for the record Movie Maker is being stupid and cutting off my subtitles in the processing. Don't know why, but I can't seem to fix it. I'll have to see if there is an fix for that later on, b/c I've noticed it did it before too.

I'll post more later. We're going out for my birthday and I'm getting some more dishes! Yea!

ETA: You really must visit the blog site people on email. Not only is there a cool video but I was playing on Photoshop and made a blog banner from one of the hundreds of pictures we took. That won't be on the feedblitz email, so what are you doing still reading this? Click the link!

So many of you know we have 2 cats. One is a complete indoor cat and the other is a wild man. He doesn't like being inside all the time. Finn is so funny. He walks with us as we walk the dog. Sometimes he comes back inside. Sometimes he stays outside and we often see him with 2 or three other cats in the neighborhood.

Well, 2 days ago, he went out for the afternooon walk and didn't come home that night. We didn't see him all day yesterday and with all the storms it's not like him not to come home.

Today, the kids were very upset. We are leaving for our trip in less than 24 hours and they are very concerned that Finn is not here. In my mind, I'm preparing myself for the inevitable, and that he's not coming home. I've dealt with Pet death before and so I was bracing myself for the worst.

But when all three kids realize that Finn is missing, all three start hysterically crying. It broke my heart and I cried right along with them. I explained how there only God knew where Finn was at that moment and suggested that we pray and ask God to bring him home.

Abby was too upset- she was hysterical at the thought that shew as the last to see him and was blaming herself for him being missing. Lilly did well- she's has the gift of jab, and can talk to anyone, God Included. Caleb told me he doesn't know what to say. So I told him, just ask God to bring Finn back home to us. So this is what I hear.

"God, I miss Finn. I want him home now. Bring him home now. Amen."

I kid you not that I looked up after he was done and there in the sliding glass door is Finn waiting for someone to let him in.

I got goose bumps. Caleb asked for him to come home now and it was an immediate. After being away over 48 hours the cat came back just then. What an awesome expierence for him.

We all did a dance of joy and hugged the kitty that we all thought was lost.

And now we can go to DC knowing that Mr. Gryffindor will be safe at home.

An accidental Stinky and Bubs Experience

So my friend Erin has a blog with a weekly post called The Book Experience with Stinky and bubs

You can read about it here if you want. But the basic gist of the blog is reading a story and doing an activity based on the book. A very cool mom thing to do.

However, as I read about how she wants everyone to join in on the fun, My head came up with excuse, after excuse why I shouldn't. Our kids are older, there is a five year gap from the youngest to the oldest, and there is a lot going on this week with appointments and packing for our trip.

Sometimes Life has another plan in mind. And So, a completly random, not planned incident happened in our house this week- and wouldn't you know it, I have a stinky and bub-ish type post.

Here's my story:

We have a garbage disposal. IMO, it's the best thing ever made. I hate cleaning out the dish strainer and the disposal just eats up the goop and my fingers never have to touch it. The only down side is that they get stinky some times.

So, I poured a box of baking soda down the drain and let it sit. Then I had Caleb and Lillian come over to the sink and let them watch as I made our little sink become a mountain of white lava. I poured in the vinager and Lilly was totally amazed. It was bubbling and she was totally impressed.

The boy was not.

In fact he was quick to point out the the baking soda and vinegar trick was old news.

He runs upstairs and pulls out the book he has been reading;



Then he points out the pages that he read the night before about all this stuff and that it was all stuff he already knew. He knew it would happen and why it happened, because in the book they explained why, unlike my garbage disposal cleaning out experiment.



And so it's offical. Cool mom has been replace by Captian Underpants in Caleb's eyes. I guess I knew this day would come eventually.

And so That is how my version of the stinky and bubs book experience. A little backwards and upside down- but yet, it seems to fit our lives lately. :)

It's official, the kids are fish.

Some park pictures

I've had these sitting around for a while and thought I'd share them.


Today is pool day and, so we're getting ready to leave soon. The boy is now brave enough to swim and jump in the deep end, so hopefully I can get some good pictures of that.

That's all!

The lazy, hazy days of summer...

Not much is going on around here. It's been pretty low key around here. It's too hot and sticky and so we've been hanging out in the Air conditioning more than I'd like.

The kids are still reading. Yesterday we checked out 67 more books- a new record for one day. :)

We had a virtual birthday party for Lucy- who's birthday is coming up soon and we won't be able to be there to help celebrate- (which BTW was a lot of fun and took up a whole day)

Abby went to her first moonlight swim that the Township Anti-Drug Assiocation put together. She was out till 10:30- a first for her.

We are still working on the wall, we've got about 3 rows on the first level installed.

Plus we just signed the paper work to have new siding, new windows and a new slider to be put in sometime next month! Woo-hoo. No more drafts all winter. :)

Otherwise, I'm getting us ready for vacation. I'm trying to be super organized and get lists together and pack all next week rather than pack in a day and forget things.

In the mean time, I'm always looking for some fun things to do while we are on vacation and this video totally inspired me:




Granted, we are not going to be traveling around the world, and our visit is only for 48 hours in one city However, it has some of the most recognizable landmarks in our country. So I'm excited. Putting together a fun video montage will give me something to do on the three hour trip back home.

That's All!

The bookworm in me is doing the happy dance

I couldn't sleep and was up early today. We are going on vacation this month and I'm looking for some good books on tape that will help pass the time in the car. So I'm searching Amazon.com I Love amazon because I can find what I'm looking for easy and in categories, which is something you can't do on the library website. Then I just log onto the library and put it on hold rather than buy it.

Anyway, I'm up here on the computer, and it's really early and Jim is still sleeping and I'm browsing titles when My eyes caught a glimpse of some pre-orders. I totally woke Big sexy up, b/c I gasped so loud and had to hold back my excited squeals of joy. Two of my favorite series are coming out with new books. These are books that I've been waiting a long, long time for.

I am SO excited.




I read my first Artemis Fowl book when I was on bed rest with Lilly's pregnancy. It is one of my all time favorite series ever. Aretmis is this super smart rich kid who discovers a world of underground fairies. But these faires are not your girly girl kind of fairies. They are part of the Lep-recon unit, which is pretty much an underground CIA whose sole purpose is keeping the human world from knowing that fairies exist.

An awesome, awesome series. It's very exciting that I'll be able to put this book on hold in this week's library trip and hopefully I will be able to beat the rush and get a copy of it sooner rather than later.

And even more exciting is this one:



We watched the movie Eragon and Although it was good, it was no where as good as the books. The characters have so much more vibrand and real on paper than they are on the big screen. It's pretty much the story of a world where there are dragons and dragon riders and the whole battle of good versus evil make it an epic adventure.

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy and see how this trilogy ends. Jim is reading Ergon, Abby's reading Eldest and I'm done and waiting for them to finish.

His books are one of those that I can't put down till it's done. I read the previous two in less than 18 hours. I LOVE books like that.

For now, That's all

Photoshop fun.

We ordered photoshop with our new computer and I've been tinkering around with it. THis is one program that there is so much you can do and so many steps that I'm not sure I can teach myself. I'd love to take a class with it, but that's not going to happen, so I've been finding tutorials on YouTube that have been helpful. It's easier to get the hang of things after watching someone else do it first.



This was a picture jim took of Jess and Mally. Lovely shot except for the foot coming out of his head. So I watched a tutorial on the clone stamp tool (which I would have never figured out on my own... ) And so here is how it turned out.

I still wasn't exactly thrilled with it. I think the eye is drawn more to the pink in her shirt than it is to the subjects them selves. And it needed to be cropped (and cropping is not so simple in PS for some reason. It's not like Picasa at all- I'm sure it will get easier with practice though)

So this is what I finally ended up coming out with

And then I worked on this one just to see if I could remember what I learned without cheating and looking it up.

took me a while, but I'm getting there.


Not too bad for my first real PS experience. :)

Virtual Art Show Day three

And Last but not least:




Again, email people click the link to the blog to see it. :)

Virtual Art Show Day Two

Caleb's mosiac most definatley has a story behind it.

So without further adu- here is the story behind why his mummy ate Lilly:



*email people-click the link to the blog to see the video*

Virtual Art Show Day one

Here is Lilly's paper mosiac work.








There is so much going on behind the scenes, that I decided an interview with the artist would be fun. Email people, click the link to the blog!



Enjoy!

Coming soon

So the kids have been busy with an old paper pack of mine. It started out as mosiacs (like mine above) but it turned out into a whole lot more.

So I decided to have a virtual art show and post it all on the web for everyone to see how extremely talented my children are.

:)

I know you all are so excited, you won't be able to sleep in anticipation. LOL

Could we find a more suitable back pack? I think not.

So, Lilly is heading to kindergarten this fall, and it's been in the back of our minds that she is going to need a back pack. She has Abby's old Kim Possible back pack that would do, but when you are a third child and constantly getting hand me downs, it's nice to make sure that on special occasions she gets something all for herself and not something her sister was into 5 years ago.

And we decided that first day of Kindy was one of those day.

So we were at Target and it's not quite back to school season, yet they had an isle with some back packs in it that were on sale.

And we couldn't let this one pass her by. This back pack screams Lilly and she is in love with it- and can not wait for school to start so she can use it.







That's all!

Patriotic Tattos

Happy Fourth Of July!

I'm totally not posting the typical red white, and blue

Nope, We decided to celebrate the fourth a little different this year.


Robot Style. Enjoy




(email people click the link to see the video. )


Happy birthday America!

Allergic to ducks? Are you kidding me?

So, today was a good day. We went for a walk at the lake and I remembered to bring some bread to feed the ducks with.

So, Kathy and the girls were with us and we were having an awesome time.




There was this one pig of a duck that kept following her around and would fly up and take the bread out of her hands. (which is what he was doing in the picture below.)



Anyway, we have to go to the store and Abby starts getting itchy. By the time we get to the car she is covered in hives.

Where her skin was covered it was fine, but if it was open, it had hives all over. So we start thinking of all the things she ate, and of course this happened after the doctors office closed for the fourth and wouldn't be open again till monday. Then it hit me. It was the ducks! It had to be the ducks. It was the only new thing & It the rash was only where her clothing wasn't.

I had to stop and get some benedryl on the way home and I've been forbidden to show pictures of her on the blog, sorry.

Anyway, Half hour after the first dose, the redness started to fade and get better.

Who knew you could be allergic to ducks.

Summer vacation- week three

Ok, so we do weekly library runs- so it's no surprise that we worked library day into our summer schedule.

The county has a summer reading program. You read 5 books and put those books on a list and hand it in. It's a neat program. For each sheet you hand in you get either a bug-buck- which you can save up over summer for a really nice tee-shirt or bag, (which Abby is doing) or you can get a token for a gum ball machine that is loaded up with tiny junk toys for immediate satisfaction (which both Caleb and Lilly are doing)

The libraries in the county then put these slips they get in over the summer and they have a drawing at the end of the August for a lap top. Most years it's just one lap top, but this year, they are having two. Let's do the math. There are about 15 libraries in our county- hundreds if not more kids in each one doing the reading program- for 2 laptops. Yeah. Chances are they are not going to win this thing.

And my kids are convinced that they are going to win this thing. Never mind the fact that we have 2 lap tops as it is, one is completely for their use. Nope, they are certain that they are going to win this *brand new* lap top upon which they think then they can each have one in their own rooms. (which is so not going to happen, but this is what they are planning on)

And so we go to the library and this is what we end up bringing home:



It's the biggest haul of books we ever brought home for one week. For last week they each handed read 15 books. (which is 45 books all togehter!) Caleb is reading to Lilly so they both get the book on their entry. Then Abby started reading to both Caleb and Lilly so all three can put down the same book. They want to win this laptop and and willing to do what it takes to get as many chances to win. I could not fit it all of the above books in our library bag- I had the bag and all three of us had a handful of books to carry. It's absolutely crazy.

But, hey. They're reading and they're having fun- and even if they don't win the laptop they are staying out from under me all day long and PLAYING NICE TOGETHER. There's no way I'm gonna burst that bubble.

We're Having Pies for Dinner?????

Yes, we had pies for dinner. Hamburger pies. The kids could not wrap their brains around the idea and all day long they kept saying I was being a bad mom, b/c I let them eat pies for dinner. But eating pies for dinner is not why I blog. Nope. Something even more unusual happened today


They were made by the boy! He is generally not interested in the kitchen area unless it's to eat food, and so when he asked to help make dinner, I let him go for it- as it is not a likely that he will be asking anytime soon.






Yum, yum, Yumm-o! :) And our little chef ate 4 pieces.... That's pretty much half a pie. (and then I wonder why our food bill is so high lately)