YouTube Tuesday

If you are a frequent flyer or have flown in the past few years then you'll appreciate this video! Enjoy.



**thank you Rose for showing us this clip, it's great!!! (I may have to post the other one you showed us that night...stay tuned!)

Birthday Babe

Today is Isabel's 2nd birthday. It's hard to believe that my baby is now, offically, a toddler and no longer a baby. She'll always be my baby, no matter what!

So in honor of Isabel this day I will blow up her birthday balloons to cover the floor and bake her some little cakes. We will keep it low key simple as we celebrate her tonight. Next weekend we'll celebrate a little more with family when we are in Modesto. I'm thinking we'll go to a park late afternoon or early evening and have cake and ice cream while the two year old plays and gets dirty. What more could a baby turned toddler want?!

Est. July 13, 1996

Today Ryan and I celebrate our 11th anniversary. Wow. Eleven years! It seems that a lot has happened in the past 11 years. The Lord has been gracious to us in many ways. For one, if it were not for Him we would not be celebrating today.

Our first year of marriage was difficult, to say the least. If it were not for each of our relationships with Christ, and our commitment to him, either of us would have walked away from the other at one point in that first year. We've gone through a couple other 'rough' patches since then, but the Lord continues to show his grace to us.

Eleven years and 3 kids later we have managed to grow closer to the Lord and closer to each other. Ryan is my best friend. He gives me wise counsel, makes me laugh, and thinks I'm pretty. Ryan is my husband, he is my love.

So today I thank the Lord for his grace, mercy and love in our lives. I thank Him for helping me to let go of myself and to trust him with the course of my life. And I thank Him for my husband, whom I love and cherish.

I thank you, Lord, and praise you for the marriage that Ryan and I share today.

Happy Anniversary Ryan!

Another Tooth - Gone!

Yes, Mae has lost yet ANOTHER tooth. This makes five within 10 months (three of which have been in the last 3 weeks)! I never knew one could loose so many teeth in such a short amount of time. I have set a precedent for writing Mae poems when she looses a tooth. Do you know how difficult it is to write poems? Well, it takes time for me, and I'm in a pickle here! It wouldn't be so hard if she'd just space out the tooth loosing a little more! *big grin* Oh well, she is worth it. Who knows, maybe she'll look back and treasure these little poems that I stay up late at night writing for her? Hey, it could happen!

Before I unveil my latest poem I'll give a little background on the story behind the latest tooth escapade. First of all, this tooth has been loose for months now. And even more so in the last couple weeks. This tooth has been literally holding on by a thread (or is it a nerve?). Mae probably could have pulled the silly thing last week. Easy. I don't know which is more stubborn. Mae? or the tooth? My vote is Mae.

Your so proud
And I’m so glad
That you finally pulled that tooth!
I thought I’d never see the day
I never thought I’d here you say
“Look Mom, I pulled my tooth!”
But here it is
and there’s the proof
Yes, you have finally lost that tooth!

My Bargain Template!

Sooooooo????? How do I look? What do you think of the new me? Does this template make me look fat?

Kim, once again, has been an inspiration. A couple weeks ago she started changing her template and it made me want a new one too! I mean, come on Blogger, the templates to choose from are a tad boring. I wanted something new, fresh and unique. So, I went online and searched and searched and searched! And today I finally found a site that had a lot of free templates to offer (at least ones that I liked!). Yes, I'll admit it. I'm cheap. The word free will, in most cases, win my attention every time!

Are you, too, interested in changing your look (for free)??? I found my template here, and there are others here, here and here*.

Here is something to keep in mind if you do decide to change your template. If you are with Blogger and have a beta account then you will most likely want to keep it beta. If so, then make sure that your new template is in an XML format. That way you can make changes to your template (ie. add links to your sidebar) just as easily as you can now. If you choose a template that is not an XML then you have to do your changes the old fashioned way, which is mess with the html code.

Ok, I'm done. I'm off to enjoy my new look!

*this last link only offers about 3 XML templates, the rest are in the 'classic' template form.

Eight Little Things

I was tagged by Bringing Good Home for another meme. I guess I have to reveal eight things about myself. Here's the rules....

…Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

I wonder how long it will take me to come up with eight things? Let's see....

1. I used to looooove the color blue
2. but now it's red
   
3. tulips are my favorite flower
4. I share my birthday with my friend Chris (although she is one year younger)
5. I learned how to drive on a stick shift
6. I currently drive an automatic and it is the first non-stick vehicle I've driven/owned, ever.
   
7. I have lived in three states (California, Oregon, Michigan)
8. This Friday I will have been married for 11 whole years.

Ok. That wasn't too difficult. Now I have to spread the love and 'tag' eight more people. Hmmm, whom shall I choose? Oh, I know! In no particular order, other than randomness....

Amanda at Oh Amanda
Cat at MommyCat
Wendy in her Tiki Hut
Mary in Mary-land
Heather, the Orchard Girl
Chris, at The Mayne Events
Jenn at her Ivy Six Pack
and
Kim, whom has been self diagnosed with Temporary? Insanity

There you go, ladies, you've done been 'tagged'. So, in your not-so-free-time go post 8 things about yourself.

Clean Up on Isle Four!

I went to the gym today. The kids came with. That was the good thing, that I went to the gym that is. Our gym has childcare up to age 12. Another good thing.

So, I check in then proceed to the kid check-in counter. They have this huge nifty room for the kids. It has a McDonald's size play structure, 4 video game stations, a tv, and two craft tables among other toys to play with. Also in this room is a waist high gate that keep the kids contained.

Here's where it gets interesting.

I decided to lift Isabel over this gate instead of unlocking it and letting her walk through. I thought this was a good idea. It wasn't.

As I was lifting her over and setting her down I had to let the gate support my weight for a bit. Bad idea. The gate could not support me so it stripped itself of its hinge screws and completely came off from the wall causing me to drop Isabel and fall on top of the gate! Isabel was fine, just a little shaken and confused. I, on the other hand, had other issues.

'Are you alright mam?'

'Yes, I'm fine, but I may need some stitches for my pride.'

YouTube Tuesday

I saw this on someone else's blog (I don't remember who, not one of my 'regulars'), so forgive me if you've seen this before. I thought it was worth repeating!



Is this guy for real?? Oddly, I think he is! I'm not sure if I should laugh my head off or be in awe. Well, I think I'm doing a little of both.

What's Missing From This Picture?

Caleb's fish, Fisher Eater, is no more. The worst part is that I think it is my fault! A friend was going to take care of him while we were out of town so I put him in a vase for easier transportation and I think the temperature of the new water did him in. I knew about this but did it anyway. I did try to make sure that the water was as luke warm as possible. And to my credit (sort of) he had survived the transfer many a time in the past when changing his water.

It happened Saturday night after Caleb had already gone to bed so we waited until morning to tell him. I wasn't sure if he would care since he didn't pay much attention to the fist anymore. But he was very sad when he heard the news. He didn't believe Ryan at first, he thought it was a joke. But he observed the non-moving fish laying on its side at the bottom of the vase and was convinced.

Caleb was very sad but did not cry. Poor guy. We'll get him another fish after we get back from camping. Caleb says he going to pick out a red fish this time. I just wonder what he's going to name it!

Our Resident Photojournalist?

The other morning I got up and did not find Caleb watching PBS as usual.

"Hmmmm, where could he be? He isn't still sleeping is he?!", I thought to myself.

So I went on a seeking mission where I found him in his room taking pictures with our camera. Later, as I was looking at some pictures I had taken, I came across the ones he had taken that morning. Here is a little sample of what he shot that morning. I say little for he took several!




What do you think? Maybe he has a future as a photojournalist???

I Can't Believe I'm Writing This Post, Kind of Post

The other day Mae asked Ryan the question. You know, the question we all dread as parents. The question that asks more than we want to say. The question that causes blushing and avoids eye contact.

Daddy, how did the baby get in Mommy's tummy? (ominous foreboding music played here)

Yes, that question.

I can say this, I am so ever grateful that she asked Ryan and not me! Ryan did a great job (again, glad she asked him!). He used specific words including, but not limited to, 's*x' and even 'forenication'! Ryan did the best he could to explain to her that it is was created by God and is something that is to occur between married people.

This conversation occurred while we were driving so I had the advantage of not having to worry about hiding my reaction to everything. But I don't think I did so well in hiding my nervous laughter (I tried real real hard to not laugh out loud. real hard!)

I'm not sure she understood too much, but Ryan told her that maybe the next time she asked she would understand more. Hopefully that won't happen for a while. Like maybe when she's twenty five (and married!). It'll make much more sense then. For sure.

Keeping an Eye on My Kids

Last week I had to take Miss Isabel to the doctors office. While we were in the waiting room (filled with toys) waiting for Isabel to be called back into the exam room I saw a sign on the door. It read:

Unattended children
will be given an
Espresso
and a
free puppy!

Um, yes, I was watching my kids.

June Movie Log

Here's what we saw last month:

1. Casino Royale (I'm not much of Bond follower but this movie was pretty good! The movie was about Bond as he starts out as a double-0 agent, so he wasn't as suave and confident as the character typically is. It was good, I'd recommend it.)
2. The Queen (It was.....good. I wasn't blown away and I wonder why it received so much praise. Helen Mirren did a good job of portraying Queen Elizabeth and it seemed to be true to the actually events. It does help answer some questions as to why the monarchy responded the way they did to Diana's death.)
3. Deja 'Vu (Mr. Washington is at it again! The story line was, let's say, odd. I didn't know that this movie bordered on sci-fi. It doesn't seem to matter much though, Denzel is just so cool, I'd watch just about anything with him in it! So, if you like action, mystery and a dash of sci-fi then I'd reccommend this film.)
4. Stomp the Yard (the dancing was cool. The story line, not so much.)
5. Miss Potter (this was the story of Beatrix Potter, author of the Peter Rabbit stories. I enjoyed the movie very much. It was a delightful little movie of how she got her books published as well a little romance thrown into the mix. Yes, I used the word delightful to describe the movie!)
6. Bleak House (this was a BBC production and, as always, they did a great job. The movie was based on the Charles Dickens novel of the same name. And since it was 3 disks long we watched it over a 4 night period. It was fun to have something to watch for a week and it gave us something to talk about....like what exactly was going on and what we thought the outcome would be. The characters were well developed in this tragic tale, and I highly recommend it!)
7. DreamGirls (Hmm. It wasn't quite what I thought it was going to be, but it wasn't bad. Long. But not bad. And I must agree....that Jennifer Hudson was pretty good too!)
8. The Wild (our latest family movie night flick. I can sum this movie up in one word...LAME. Even for an animated kids movie it wasn't good. I don't recommend it. Lam-o.)

This month my favorite movie was Bleak House. I enjoyed the character development and the mystery. Because it was a long movie it was hard to turn it off each night and not watch one more episode.

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.

7 Random Things

I was tagged by Diane for this meme. Here's the rules:

Give 7 random facts about yourself. Those tagged need to write on their own blog those 7 facts as well as the rules of the game. You need to tag 7 others and list their names on your blog. You have to leave those you plan on tagging a note in their comments so they know that they have been tagged and to read your blog.

1. I am eating toasted English muffins with peanut butter right now.
2. I haven't had a hankerin' for those in a long long time (usually when I'm pregnant)
3. No, I am NOT pregnant.
4. I finally went to Trader Joe's after having lived near one for almost a year!
5. I got a half gallon of milk for 89 cents!
6. and the English muffins
7. I'm hoping that now that I've been to Trader Joe's that I can keep myself from going every week (going to Costco is enough!)

Well, I don't feel like 'tagging' 7 people. I know, I'm not playing by the rules, so sue me! However, if you'd like to snag this meme then go right ahead!

The Day Has Come!

Today is the day! In just a few hours I will greet the babysitter and walk out the door and begin my weekend away! I've been looking forward to this weekend for months now and am so excited that the day has finally arrived.

My plane leave at 4:30 this afternoon and I'll arrive in Chicago shortly before 11:00. My friends will pick me up and we will stay in a hotel tonight. Then tomorrow we will stay in the Chicago area and do what ladies do, you know, shop! We may even take in a movie which we've been known to do on our ladies trips. After we're done perusing Chicago we head back over to Michigan where I'll spend the rest of the weekend visiting with good friends. I'm especially excited about Sunday when I'll visit the church we attended while living there. They finished a building project shortly after we moved so we never saw the finished product. Then come Monday I'll head back to Chicago to catch my flight home. I'll be home in time to tuck the kids into bed after giving them some little treats I hope to pick up while I'm gone.

So, Wednesday I pulled out my suitcase and threw a few things in and in just a bit I'll finish packing. Let's see if I have everything....

clothes..........check
toiletries.......check
travel clock...check
ipod................check
book...............check
no kids...........double, no triple, check!

Ah.....this weekend is going to be grand! I'll tell you all about it next week and maybe post a few pics too! Hope you all have a great weekend!

What to do? What to do?

I have a delima. My wedding ring is broken! The band has cracked all the way through at the bottom of my finger. It has done this before but it was thought to have been resolved when I had it repaired last year. As it is now, I can't wear it or it will certainly snag on something and I could loose it. I could get it fixed, again, but that would only delay another repair, right? Ryan and I have talked about getting new rings at some point but I'm pretty sure that now is not the time. He recently asked me if I would mind not having this one anymore and use the stones in it for another ring. I'm still thinking about that. I'm not too terribly sentimental but something just doesn't feel right about not having ones original wedding ring. I know, it's just a thing, but still! A part of me wants to keep it but then another part says it is just a ring and nothing in our marriage will change just because I no longer have the ring we said I do with. A new ring would be nice though. Our 11th anniversary is coming up. But something also tells me that a new ring isn't something that is traditionally celebrated at this milestone.

Since I can not wear my wedding band and announce to the world as I pass by that I am taken back off buddy, I am now wearing another ring (yes, I am one hot mama....phhht!). The picture isn't that great but it was the best I could do. This ring was given to me by my husband a few years ago when he was in Brazil. So at least it is a ring that he gave me but it doesn't exactly say wedding ring either. I have issues with this ring as well. The metal is thinning at the bottom of the band, so a crack is bound to happen in the near future. Right now it is doing a good job of holding the place of my missing wedding band, although it could use a good cleaning. How does one clean a silver ring anyway? It's not like I have any tarnish remover just laying around. Is there any household stuff I can use to shine this thing up??

In the meantime, I am pondering the design of a new wedding band. For when we do finally get around to looking at new rings that is what we'd like to do, design new ones (well, 'cause that is what my husband does, he's a designer so why not create our own special-to-us rings?!). So, I'll just to peruse some pretty rings online and get some ideas.....'cause nothing says Happy 11th Anniversary like a new ring!

A girl can dream, can't she?

A Birthday Celebration In Numbers

20 cupcakes for Mae's classroom
4 icing colors
1 pink swirl of accent icing on each cupcake
20 gumdrops (1 for the top of each cupcake)
3 mini cakes (instead of one big birthday cake, the cake won't last very long this way, do you blame me?)
1 plastic table cloth
1 big fat black sharpie to write birthday message

17 cuts to above-mentioned table cloth
1 'Happy Birthday' curtain
2 people to hang it
2 trips to Target to scout out and then buy birthday bike
20 minutes finding and securing a hiding spot for birthday bike in the garage
16 prayers that she won't find it!
2 packages of 25 count multi-colored balloons
48 balloons to cover living room floor (1 broke, the other had a hole)

30 minutes to it took to blow them up
5 minutes to regain consciousness from lack of oxygen to my brain
4 hours of sleep lost getting everything ready for the morning
5 presents for the birthday girl
75k number of times the birthday girl had to be told that it was not time to open them
1 pink and purple candle in the shape of the number six
1 birthday song sung
1 very happy, very pleased six-year old!

Worth all the trouble, time, expense and lung capacity?

A b s o l u t e l y !

My Birthday Girl

Today I’ll celebrate my little girl
I’ll watch you dance and sing and twirl
For on this day six years ago
You began your life, began to grow
And I’ll love you more than you will know.

Today I’ll pull out your baby book
just to peek, just to look.
I’ll want to see all the sats
and remember where you were at.

Today I’ll think ‘wasn’t it the other day
when I first saw the face of Mae?’

Today I’ll remember the very day
on that blessed day in May
that you came and changed my name.

I know I’ll never be the same.

Today I’ll recall many things of you

The things you’ve done, the things you do
The things that are unique to you

Today is a day of joy and praise
And as my voice to you I raise
In song and voice to you I'll say

Happy Birthday, my precious Mae!

Seeking Forgiveness

I had a difficult day yesterday and didn't handle some situations very well. The kids were driving me crazy and we all miss the man in our house. I felt bad about how I responded to the kids so I went in to talk to Mae about it after bedtime.

Me: I'm sorry I was a big fat meanie. Will you forgive me?

Mae: You're not fat.

Well, not exactly the response I was looking for...but thanks for the compliment.

I Think I can, I Think I Can!

Ryan was gone for most of last week and is gone some this week too, so these two weeks have been more on the difficult side for me. I do have many good things to look forward to, so today that is what I will focus on. These are the lights at the end of my tunnel:

1. I get a few hours to myself tonight as the kids will be with a couple from our bible study. Alone time....what's that? and what will I do? Oh...the possibilities are endless. The problem is deciding what to do!
2. Ryan comes home from Spain!!! (did he get me something? probably not, but that's not the point. it'll be great to have him home again!)
   
3. Mae's birthday! This does mean that I have lots of balloons to blow up, a doorway streamer curtain thingy to make and put up, 20 cupcakes to make, and present shopping to do....but I will focus on the joy of such an occasion instead of the details.
4. I get my haircut on Saturday! I am growing my hair out a bit and right now it is getting quite shaggy so it will be great to get it cleaned up a little. I look forward to the shampooing too, but what lady doesn't enjoy a good shampoo job when getting their hair done?
5. Mae's birthday party is next week. She is going to have so much fun with her friends doing some kind of craft at Michael's. All I have to do is bring the birthday girl and a cake, they do everything else!!!
   
6. Next weekend is my long-awaited ladies trip to Chicago to see my good friends in Michigan. I. Can't. Wait. I get giddy with glee just thinking about it!!!

That's pretty much it. Not too much, but I am pleased with these few things I have to help me stay positive. I can survive these next few days, right? I think I can, I think I can, I think I can......

The Bearing of My Soul

My friend Deanna tagged me for this meme. I guess it was about time, I think I've tagged her a few times in the past. Anyway, the point of this meme is to bare my soul, as Deanna puts it, and disclose the contents of my purse. I think you'll find that my life is as boring as the contents within my daily bag. Here goes!

This is my purse. Boring, but basic, black. It goes with everything and doesn't show dirt. For what it is, I like it. The shoulder strap is short and causes the purse to fall right at my elbow (makes it easy for slingin' around). I know, black isn't always in season but I'm not the adventurous type and have never bought anything but a neutral colored purse. I like small purses. I don't carry much so I do not require a large bag. In junior high a had a purse that was pretty close to measuring 3x5! I didn't carry much then either! It is as small as I can get away with. I don't care for the need to have one, but have one I must. I'm tellin' ya, guys have it easy with getting away with a wallet that folds up and fits in their pocket!


This is my new wallet. I did get a little adventurous last week when I bought it, notice the pink stitching?! When opened up you would see that the entire inside is hot pink! Whoo-hoo I'm livin' on the wild side! Just a little side note here....the last wallet I bought was 14 years ago (yes, it was black too). The other nifty thing about this wallet is that is comes with a detachable strap so that I can carry just my wallet if I choose. I don't know that I'll ever use that feature but the strap is in my purse for just such an occasion.


The next few items for your viewing pleasure is the transaction register for my checking account, a Starbucks gift card I got for Christmas this past year (no, I haven't even used it yet. I'm not much of a coffee drinker BUT I do like their vanilla frapaccinos, so I'll use it this summer for sure!), and the little plastic container holds my, let's say, feminine products for those inconvenient moments of need.


Inside my purse is a little pocket that is to be used for a cell phone. As I do put my cell phone in that handy pocket I also stuff it with other little things that would otherwise clutter the inner cavity of my purse. The little bits of clutter include, but not limited to; my address book, business cards, pictures (isn't my once-a-baby-boy cute?!), and eye glass cleaner/wipe (I have a thing about dirty glasses)

There's my cell phone! I like the wallpaper I chose for it. Do you like the fishies?? I also keep a pen in that handy little pocket. I don't like being without one! Then I keep my chapstick in the zipper pocket, can't be with out that either!


So there you have it. My soul for all of blog-world to see. Now, if Mary, Amanda, and Jenn would like to play then consider yourself tagged! This was a handy meme, it gave the the chance to weed a few things out! Thanks Deanna!

More Smoothies

We are in the zone! The Smoothie Zone that is. I went to Costco yesterday and picked up a huge bag (like I really have a size choice at Costco) of frozen strawberries so we are set as long as I have fresh bananas on hand. The kids (and I) are loving them for lunches and after dinner treats!

I've given up on giving Isabel her smoothie in a sippy cut without the stopper inside. The smoothies are just too thick to make it through the tiny holes in the lid. So Issy just gets hers in a mug instead. She's doing pretty well, considering she's almost two! Can you tell??!

Open Season

Mmmm....look what I had for lunch today!!! It was sooo good! The weather is warming up and today just seemed to scream out for a delicious strawberry smoothie. So I obliged and made some for myself and the kids. No one was disappointed, well except for maybe Isabel since she didn't finish her hot dog. But she's not all that acquainted with smoothies yet so she doesn't quite know what she's missing!

Summer is the perfect time for smoothie makin'! I usually make mine with orange juice, one banana (or two, depending on how many people I'm making them for), then I throw in some frozen berries. The best smoothie I've made I used a juice blend of orange, pinapple and peach (or something like that, but it definitely had peach! that was the key ingredient to this successful smoothie!). I made it a few more times after that, but then the store I bought the juice concentrate from closed and I couldn't find it in any other local store! I'll have to look for it again now that I'm in a new area with more choices.

I'd better stock up on my smoothie ingredients 'cause I'm thinkin' it's officially Smoothie Season!

Daily Trivia

Yahoo! is an acronym for "Yet Another Hierarchical Officious Oracle."

Fact-o-rama? Or Crap-ola?

Ok, so this is really coming from tomorrows daily trivia question calendar that graces our counter (among, many, other things!). I didn't care too much for today's so I skipped ahead! I'll post the answer tomorrow (so Wendy will have plenty of time to read this post and make her guess!) *big grin*

I'm out of ideas for what to write about today. Maybe I'll come up with something as I run some errands and go to the park for lunch with the kids and a new friend? Let's all hope so, for I fear I'll loose my loyal 2 readers!

Movie Log

It was a busy month last month, so we did not have to opportunity to watch many movies.

1. Lost season 2 (I managed to finish the second season but now I find myself wanting more and I have to wait for the dvd release of season 3!!! I only hope they release it soon after they finish airing it this month, because I want to be all caught up before season 4 starts in the fall. Do you think it'll happen??)
2. Barnyard (Antoher family flick night. The movie was humorous and we all enjoyed it...except maybe Ryan who fell asleep on the couch, it was a long week.)
3. The Notebook (Good love story. We only skipped over two steamy scenes, but otherwise it was a good movie about love through a lifetime.)

See, only three movies and really only one that we watched together. Hopefully we will get the chance to watch more together this month, but I doubt it since Ryan will be traveling a lot.