Hello Mr. Postman! **updated**

I just got a package today. I love getting packages in the mail. Well, it doesn't have to come through the post office for me to love it. I'm not predujice, I love all delivery vehicles that stop at my house! Today, however, the package did happen to be given to me by the post office. 'What is it?', you ask? Well, I'll tell you this.....it came from Hawaii!!!

I recently did a trade, a barter if you will, with Wendy. I made Wendy 20 cards for one of her poncho-style beach towels in the form of a very fun shark! Of course I took pics to document this fun event.

This is a sample of what I made for her



And this is what she made for me (well, ok, it's really for Caleb!)


Didn't Wendy do a fabulous job?? Caleb loves his new shark towel (can you tell by his very pleased grin??), and I do too! It was a very successful trade, don'tcha think?! It's a win-win if you ask me! I'm thinking the towel could make for a good Halloween costume too, hmmmm......may have to get a couple more for the girls. The only problem is that I'll have to decide which creatures to get!

Wendy makes these towels (hooded or poncho style) in different variations for sale or trade! You can go here to look at some of the other towels she makes or to contact her if your interested.

I wouldn't be opposed to doing another trade as well, if anyone is up for trading for something.

**if you can't think of anything to trade....the cards are for sale as well. A buck a card, plus a couple extra for shipping.

Dodging the Bullet

I had a startling conversation with Caleb today. It went like this:

Caleb: Sometimes you're terrible (he said with his silly grin)

Me: What?!??! (inwardly I'm grasping for some other meaning than terrible or awful 'cause he's too young to have figured me out already, right??)

Caleb: Sometimes you're terrible. And sometimes you have a tail! (as he starts to giggle)

Me: Wha..? Ok. (phew! He's just being silly and hasn't really figured me out yet!)

Get the Door.....It's My Groceries!

It's summer vacation and I have absolutely no desire to take all three kids with me to the grocery store. None. So, I recently took advantage of a one-time offer for free delivery from a local grocery store. The only catch was that I had to have an order over $50. No problem, that's too easy!

I made out a menu for the next two weeks and made my grocery list. From there I selected the items I wanted online and submitted my order. Again, too easy!

From there I chose my delivery 'window' and waited. Shortly before Ryan came home yesterday my groceries were delivered. Just in time for dinner!

When I was online submitting my order I saw what the delivery charges are. And I must say that they are not what I thought they'd be. It was actually a reasonable price! It works like this...there are two delivery 'windows' to choose from. The first is a two hour window, the other is four. The two hour window cost $9.95 and the four is $7.95.

I think this will save me embarrassment and frustration with taking three kids shopping. And considering I saved $14 with the store's club card saving, I will take advantage of grocery delivery again. For sure!

YouTube Tuesday

Too bad that Ryan and I are nearing the end of our stroller days, we'd have given these guys a call!

Suggestions Box...er, Basket

We had guests earlier this week and as I readied the house for their stay I came across this delima: what does one put in the bathroom for items or 'supplies' that a guest will need or want during their stay?

I have a small basket in the kids/guest bathroom that is perfect for putting these kinds of items in. I'm just not sure what to put in it!

Back in April when a friend of mine stayed with us for a week I happened to have on hand some small sample packages of shower gel and lotion, so I put them in the basket for her along with a bar of soap (in case she didn't want the shower gel) as well as some wash cloths.

I didn't have anymore girly things to put in the basket this time. But this time was different anyway since it was a couple that was with us. I didn't have much, so I put in an unopened bar of soap along with some lotion and body spray (and wash cloths). Ok, so I guess I did have some girly things! The problem now is that I have a almost new bar of soap in the bathroom that does not look appealing to the next guest. Who wants to use a used bar of soap when staying with someone??? Ewe.

So, I would like some ideas of what I should get for my future guests to use. Fill my little basket with your suggestions and advice!

YouTube Tuesday

I've seen several videos on YouTube that I thought were hilarious. So, I thought I'd share them with ya'll (yes, I just said y'all) I'll try to post them on Tuesdays, 'cause, again, I'm at a loss for inspiration so I thought I'd spread it out since at this point I only have a few in mind. We'll see how long this series lasts.

This video is my most favorite YouTube video 'Ask a Ninja'. He has a whole series of videos but I'll only share the first one and let you enjoy the rest if you so choose. Without further ado, here is Mr. Ninja.

Ah Ha! So That's Why!

The problem with doing all the laundry and putting it all away is this.....I then realize that I do not have enough hangers! This is the reason that the laundry rarely gets completed in its entirety. That's my story and I'm stinkin' to it.

Brain Teaser

I received this little brain teaser/test via email and thought it would make for a good post (and because I am sorely lacking any other inspiration). I actually did not do as bad as I thought I would, I scored a 14. Let's see how well you do!

This is based on U.S. info, so use all lobes of your brain. This can be more difficult than it looks - it just shows how little most of us really see! There are 25 questions about things we see every day or have known about all our lives. How many can you get right? These little simple questions are harder than you think-- it just shows you how little we pay attention to the common place things of life.

Put your thinking caps on. No cheating! No looking around! No getting out of your chair! No using anything on or in your desk or computer!

Can you beat 12 ?? (The average is 7) Write down your answers as you go. Check answers (on the bottom), AFTER completing all the questions. REMEMBER - NO CHEATING!!! BE HONEST !!! That means no looking at your phone or anything on your desk...

Here we go!

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom?

2. How many states are there in the USA ? (Don't laugh, some people don't know)

3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty 's torch?

4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell 's soup label?

5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them?

6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg? (Don't you dare get up to see!)

7. How many matches are in a standard pack?

8. On the Un ited States flag is the top stripe red or white?

9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial?

10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?

11. Which way does a "no smoking" sign's slash run?

12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial?

13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons?

14. Which way do fans rotate?

15 How many sides does a stop sign have?

16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side?

17 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel?

18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil?

19. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing?

20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package?

21 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark?

22 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats?

23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits?

24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip?

25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise?

******************************************************************

ANSWERS

1. On a standard traffic light, is the green on the top or bottom? BOTTOM

2. How many states are there in the USA ? (Don't laugh, some people don't know) 50

3. In which hand is the Statue of Liberty 's torch? RIGHT

4. What six colors are on the classic Campbell 's soup label? BLUE , R ED , WHITE, YELLOW, BLACK & GOLD

5. What two numbers on the telephone dial don't have letters by them? 1, 0

6. When you walk does your left arm swing with your right or left leg?
RIGHT

7. How many matches are in a standard pack? 20

8. On the United States flag is the top stripe re! d or white? RED

9. What is the lowest number on the FM dial? 88

10. Which way does water go down the drain, counter or clockwise?
CLOCKWISE (NORTH OF THE EQUATOR)

11. Which way doe! s a "no smoking" sign's slash run?
TOWARDS BOTTOM RIGHT

12. How many channels on a VHF TV dial? 12 (no #1)

13 On which side of a women's blouse are the buttons? LEFT

14. Which way do fans rotate? CLOCKWISE AS YOU LOOK AT IT

15 How many sides does a stop sign have? 8

16. Do books have even-numbered pages on the right or left side? LEFT

17 How many lug nuts are on a standard car wheel? 5

18. How many sides are there on a standard pencil? 6

1! 9. Sleepy, Happy, Sneezy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc. Who's missing? BASHFUL

20. How many hot dog buns are in a standard package? 8

21 On which playing card is the card maker's trademark? ACE OF SPADES

22 On which side of a Venetian blind is the cord that adjusts the opening between the slats? LEFT

23. There are 12 buttons on a touch tone phone. What 2 symbols bear no digits? * , #

24. How many curves are there in the standard paper clip? 3

25. Does a merry-go-round turn counter or clockwise? COUNTER

A World of Hurt

Whoa boy am I gonna be in pain in the morning! Ryan and I played racket ball last night then did a little weight lifting. We did another round this morning too. This is where the pain comes in. We have not played racket ball since before Mae was born and neither of us are terribly active. I am already feeling sore in odd places. Who knew your bum could hurt?! Well, I'll be feeling it even more come morning when I try to get out of bed. Oh yeah, not looking forward to that.

The Newly Refurbished Window

Can anyone tell me?
Does anyone know?
How does one make
a double-wide window?

First you take out a tooth,
from the top front is best.
That’s how Mae did it,
but that’s just my guess.

Next out to come
is the tooth that’s next door,
But you’ll have to stop there
and not pull anymore.

Now the window’s complete
with an extra wide view.
Mae did it herself,
but that much I knew.

4100 Feet of Gratitude

We made it! Many thanks to all who prayed for our return trip. There was some fussiness but overall it was an easier flight than the first one. Our flight was over an hour late leaving but Isabel finally went to sleep shortly before take off and managed to stay that way for most of the flight (much to everyone's delight!).

The time spent in Modesto was a whirlwind, but we enjoyed our time with family. Let's see.....Thursday night was the graduation one of Ryan's 'little' brothers. Then Friday night was the celebration dinner. Saturday was spent lounging around a pool with my sister in law and kids while Ryan helped my dad pour concrete. Ryan did get to enjoy some swimming pool goodness later in the day. It was nice to have that bit of time with him and the kids. Then on Sunday Ryan and I left early to head to the airport where I dropped him off so he could return home and go to work the next day and not take any more vacation time. I drove back to Modesto and relaxed for a couple hours before I had to get ready for a wedding of a good friend of mine. My mother and Ryan's sister accompanied me to the wedding (thanks ladies, your company was much appreciated!). We stayed for a few hours at the wedding then had to leave so I could pick up my children at my mother in laws. Monday morning was not too rushed as we had to get our things together and go back to the airport by 11:00. We were all home by 7:00 that night. See? A whirlwind of time in Modesto. But well worth the time and effort!


The kids really enjoyed the time in the pool on Saturday. Caleb has been dying to use his new swim 'gobbles' and this was his first chance to do so. Mae got to use hers too! I am surprised that she actually held her breath and put her face underwater so she could check them out! Way to go Mae!!! And Isabel, well, she is a water maniac! She's scary actually. I stood in front of her at the bottom of the steps as she was on the second one, and she would walk off the step away from me and out into the pool as if she could swim!!! At times she would tolerate an inner tube and would have nothing to do with floaties or a baby inner tube. She's crazy, I'm tellin' ya! I'm glad that Ryan was able to join us at the pool and experience some Isabel water craziness before she grudgingly went down for a nap. It is just something that is better experienced than told about.


My friend's wedding on Sunday was beautiful! The ceremony and reception was at an old inn. The colonial brick house was built in 1863 (I think) and the grounds had huge flowing trees and beautiful flowers and bushes. The garden setting was perfect for Laura's wedding. It just seemed to suit her. Oh! And I loved the butterfly that flitted about during the ceremony. You can't pay to have that kind of ambiance. I also liked their vows. They used the book of Ruth for inspiration and said to each other 'where you go, I will go, and your people shall be my people, and your God will be my God'. I have never heard that used in a wedding before, and I like how appropriate it is for a marriage. After the delicious dinner, I was able to talk ever so briefly with my friend and get a picture taken before we had to leave. Her dress was gorgeous, of course, and she was a beautiful bride (even down to her flip flops!). I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to attend and witness her weddinge. God is good!

Now we are back home and wrapping up the school year. As of today there are 5 school days left. *sigh* How ever did I manage before Mae was in school everyday? I just don't know, but I'm about to relearn it!

The Traveling Family

Whew! Yesterday was a doosie! We all were up and out of the house by 8:00 and headed to the airport. We are in good ol' Modesto for one of Ryan's brother's graduation and a wedding of a good friend of mine. This is the first time that we have flown for this kind of trip since we moved last year. Usually we drive, but we had some airline vouchers that needed to be used or lost.

This is also the last airline trip that Isabel will be a lap child. Hallelujah! I don't think I can handle another trip like this with Isabel on my lap (or with her being passed back and forth between isles to Ryan and I). Yes, she was the horrifically screaming child on the airplane. The flight was not completely full and one couple sitting in front of us got up and changed seats! Not that I blame them. I didn't want to sit near Isabel either! The one good thing was that it was a relatively short flight. She was also the child that screamed bloody murder in the terminal in San Fransisco when the milkshake was taken away. Whoa boy, never mess with her milkshake!

The other good thing was that all else went well. Our luggage all arrived as it should and the other two kids were well behaved. The tricky part will come on Monday when I have to do the return trip without Ryan! Prayer will be much appreciated.

The graduation is behind us now, it was last night. Thank you Mom and Dad for watching the kids so we didn't have to drag them to the ceremony! The graduation dinner will be tonight and the wedding will be Sunday late afternoon. It will be a whirlwind trip, but it'll be worth every moment spent with family!

Mae's Window to the World

Mae has finally lost her third tooth! This latest one once resided in the top front, but is no more. It had been loose for months now but in the last couple weeks Mae has really worked it. I thought yesterday, or last night, would be the time it would finally come out. I was wrong. Instead of Mae coming out to have us congratulate her on her latest loss, she came out crying! And this was not a whiny little fussy cry, it was a something-is-wrong cry. She had worked the tooth so much and pulled on it that it started to bleed a lot. She did complain of a bit of pain but I think she was more afraid of what she was doing. So she laid on the couch with a boo-boo bunny on her gums (it's a little bunny that is big enough to hold a non-melting ice cube) to make her feel better and to help her to calm down. I looked at the tooth and it was literally hanging by a thread! It was no longer in line with the tooth next door and the top edge of the tooth could be seen! It was not pretty, let me tell you. This morning Mae hardly ate any breakfast and barely a snack at school. She couldn't. That silly tooth got in the way! For lunch I made her a smoothie. At least she was still able to use a straw! But I did tell her that if the tooth was not out by dinner that I would pull it myself (I was not making smoothies for dinner and the girl needs to eat!). After nap I restated the ultimatum. It must have worked, for a few seconds later there she was all smiles with a gap-tooth grin! Finally!!! Yes! Praise the Lord! (I really did not want to pull it)

So, here is a self portrait of my girl with her new 'window' to the world as well as a little poem I wrote for her. I started writing her poems for her missing teeth and gave them to her along with her tooth gift under the pillow. I sorta set a precedent with the poems so I can't not do it now! It's not the best but I think she likes them.

One more tooth is out and gone

The next is coming, it won’t be long
To tell the truth I thought it’d never come
But I was wrong
And you were brave
When out that hangin’ tooth did come
Between your finger and your thumb!

7 Things Enjoyed On My Weekend Away

Ok, ok, ok! I've been waiting for a friend to email a couple pics from my weekend away, but I'm obviously not getting them (unless I harass her one more time, and I will) so I can no longer put this off. I'll post the pics later if/when I get them. For now, here is a quick little recap of all things fabulous about my weekend away.

1. After Ryan dropped me off at the airport I could not help but have a big 'ol grin on my face when I thought about what I was doing (traveling with NO KIDS!!! and visiting great friends).
   
2. Reading, uninterrupted, in the airport and airplane. Knowing that the screaming baby a few rows away or the other child being walked up and down the isle was not mine.....priceless!
   
3. Staying up late in the hotel talking with friends I've missed so much!
4. Sleeping in the next morning and no children to feed and dress (or tell to be quiet so I can get a few more minutes of sleep).
5. Shopping with friends (the two just go together so well).
6. Long car ride back to Michigan. At least it used to seem long to me before, but this time we talked all the way home.....did it really take us 2 hours?? (how fast were you driving Noelle??)
   
7. Being able to visit the church we were a part of. The new building was so nice, too bad Ryan didn't get the chance to see it finished! It was also nice to worship with the church again. There is just something special about that group of people, and we miss them all.
8. Hanging out in Michigan with much-missed friends.
9. Spending a couple hours with relatives before heading off to the airport (thanks for the breakfast Mike and Karen, the blueberry pancakes were delicious!)
10. Seeing happy little faces (and one bigger one) in the airport back home.

Alright, so that was more than seven. Oh well. I can't be expected to list only seven things when it comes to a ladies weekend away, now can I? I didn't think so! *big grin* The only thing now is convincing my fabulous husband that I need to do this sort of thing on a quarterly basis. Any ideas how I can do that??

Totally Cool Cake!

My sister in law, Carrie, made this awesome cake for Isaac's birthday yesterday. Then my brother took a video of it and posted it on YouTube. I couldn't not post it on my blog, now could I? Absolutely not!

Here it is!



Is that a cool cake or what? This is what my brother had to say (or wrote) on YouTube about the cake; 'This is a cool birthday cake that my wife made completely from her own imagination. Inside the cake is a small jar with some water and dry ice for the smoke effect'. Carrie always seems to make creative cakes for the kids birthdays. She's just a cool mom like that. I wanna be like her when I grow up!

**In the video, Isaac (the birthday boy) is the one in the blue shirt (the one making the silly face!) and Alec is the bigger brother. Too bad Steve didn't get Haylee in the shot, but you can hear her in the very beginning.

Happy Birthday Isaac!

Today is my nephew's birthday. He is now a great big 6 year old! I mailed his gift on Tuesday and it should have arrived yesterday, but he has to wait until tonight to open it (I think). Sorry bud, I'm tellin' what it is......you're just gonna have to wait! hahaha

Happy Birthday big guy! We hope you have a fabulous birthday! See you next week!

May Movie Log

The movies for last month were:

1. Curse of the Golden Flower (Chinese film about a doomed royal family. Good movie, but odd considering it was a Chinese movie)
2. Glory Road (Oops, we've seen this one before!)
3. The Pink Panther (Predictable slap stick comedy. Entertaining, was ok.)
4. Love's Long Journey (This is book #3 in Jeanette Oke's Love Comes Softly series. I have seen the first two movies and they are ok. I like to watch movies from the books I've read. These movies don't follow the book exactly, which kind of bothers me, but it was entertaining enough for an evening without my husband.)
5. Love's Abiding Joy (book #4 in the Oke series mentioned above. was ok)
6. Newsies (family movie night! I have the cd in the truck and the kids have their favorite songs and sing along when they can, so I thought they might enjoy seeing the movie. Mae watched the whole thing and now asks or tells me what is going on when she hears the songs in the truck. Caleb followed the movie for the most part. They've watched it a couple times already, so I guess they liked it!)
7. Thr3e (I read this book too, but didn't finish the movie. It wasn't done very well, which I knew ahead of time and rented it anyway, but it turns out that I wasn't in the mood for it at the time.)
8. One Night With the King (this is the story about Queen Esther and I loved it! Esther has always been one of my favorite stories in the bible so I'm not surprised that I liked the movie so much! The first part of the movie is about how she is chosen Queen...so much better than The Bachelor! The movie was well done and I recommend it!)
9. Failure to Launch (Typical romantic comedy with too much 'stuff' for my taste. I did finish the movie, though I shouldn't have. It had it's funny moments but that's not what I remember about the movie. Too bad.)
10. Flyboys (this movie was based on a real group of men that were among the first to learn how to fly and become fighter pilots in the first world war. the movie was ok. the story line was interesting but the acting left much to be desired.)
11. World Trade Center (good movie, well done. It certainly was not a light hearted movie but they did a good job of telling the story of these men and how they survived. I'm still in awe that anyone even survived, it is a testimony of God's grace amidst the tragedy of September 11th.)
    

My favorite movie of the month was One Night with the King. I re-read the book of Esther and discovered that some it was added in to make the story more appealing, this would include the romance between King Xerxes and Esther (no surprise there really). As long as I'm on the subject, there were also a number of years between the time Esther was crowned queen and the time that Haman ordered the annihilation of the Jews in the kingdom. I enjoyed the movie regardless and still recommend it.