try this out

THE LITTLE BUGGER IS HARD TO BEAT! Santa Checkers

JUST FOR SOME FUN...

Mom sent me this in an email. I figured I could adapt it to my blog. Type your sentance in the comments, it's pretty fun!

I jumped on a phone, becasue I'm NOT crazy.....

Pick the month you were born:

January-------I kicked

February------I loved

March--------I karate chopped

April----------I licked

May----------I jumped on

June----------I smelled

July-----------I did the Macarena With

August--------I had lunch with

September----I danced with

October-------I sang to

November-----I yelled at

December-----I ran over



Pick the day (number) you were born on:

1-------a birdbath

2-------a monster

3-------a phone

4-------a fork

5-------a snowman

6-------a gangster

7---- ---my mobile phone

8-------my dog

9-------my best friends' boyfriend

10-------my neighbor

11-------my science teacher

12-------a banana

13-------a fireman

14-------a stuffed animal

15-------a goat

16-------a pickle

17-------your mom

18-------a spoon

19------ - a smurf

20-------a baseball bat

21-------a ninja

22-------Chuck Norris

23-------a noodle

24-------a squirrel

25-------a football player

26-------my sister

27-------my brother

28-------an iPod

29-------a surfer

30-------a homeless guy

31-------a llama



Pick the color of shirt you are wearing:

White---------because I'm cool like that

Black---------because that's how I roll.

Pink-----------because I'm NOT crazy.

Red-----------because the voices told me to.

Blue-----------because I'm sexy and I do what I want

Green---------because I think I need some serious help.

Purple---------because I'm AWESOME!

Gray----------because Big Bird said to and he's my leader.

Yellow--------because someone offered me 1,000,000 dollars

Orange --------because my family thinks I'm stupid anyway.

Brown---------because I can.

Other----------because I'm a Ninja!
None----------because I can't control myself!



Now type out the sentence you made

It's Dec 21, How excited are

your kids?? Alex is so excited, he can't stand himself! He has been counting down, and getting into the "shopping season" himself. Myself, it has been a busy few weeks.
We got the tree and got it up and decorated. Hassle free this year. Not sure what we did right, but it was an enjoyable tree experience.

we took the kids to see Santa. Man, talk about anticipation!! When he asked the kids what they wanted, Alex rattled off a list a mile long. Kimberly told him one thing, and Ethan looked at the man in red like he had three heads. I am not sure I could be a mall Santa...(Even if I were the right gender) If I think about it long enough, I will go into convulsions, so I will let someone else do that job, I'll just take the pics.

not to mention, they cost an arm and a leg to purchase. OY! 21.95 for 2 5 x 7's. Sheeish. I remember when Alex was little, you could just "visit" santa, and mom could take all the pics she wanted.....egads.
ok, next on my busy, busy schedule... torment PEtie. I know I post a lot about the cat. And, I can't just post about the kids, so this is whet I did, I boutght him an elf costume. He was not HALF as amused as I was.lol He had the hat and collar on for about 2.5 seconds. look closely at his paw, you'll see him giving me a furrry middle finger!
and lastly, I took the kids to get their pictures taken for christmas. I will say thing, they looked great! The boys wore their suits, and Kimberly wore the dress she wore in the wedding. (her wedding dress) I have no photo to show you, since they would not let me take pics in there.....
so for now, I have 4 days to finish baking, finish christmas presents, and wrap the ones for the kids. Anyone want to help with the wrapping??

it's the season

for miracles, and a little bit of humility and compassion. I read this post, for a gent, who is sick and needs some good wishes. I got it from Jada (thanks jada!) from SCS. Here's the deal-io. It was the goal on scs to send Nick at least 100 cards of get well wishes, and give him the courage to get through these next few weeks. His story is truly amazing, and he is an awe inspiring individual. I am posting a link to his caring page, so you can see for yourself. So, if you can take a moment, and send soemone a holiday wish, who could REALLY use it. Him and his wife and their two little children. SHould you choose to visit his page, keep a box of kleenex handy, the strength he has exibited, will move you!
check out NICK

eta: Nicks info.
Nick Graham (Family: Katie, Evan and Nate)
960 Westwell Run
Alpharetta GA 30022

so, what do you get, when

you take a fat,lazy,freshly woken up from an afternoon slumber kitty, and a bunch of birdies out for an afternoon lunch? Stuck... LOL. Yup. Petie woke up from his snooze and ypwled at the door. We let him out, since it was afterall, the afternoon. He spied the birds in the tree, on the feeder. He did the whole hiney wiggle, get ready to attack stance (but his bloomers kept wiggling, long after the hiney stopped. Obviously, he hasn't called Jenny yet). With skill and grace, to charged at and scaled the tree. Rather well, I might add. He was after those twittering little birds. I think he thought he was going to get a snack. What did he get? Bark up in his manicure. lol He kept climbing. and climbing. We stood at the front door, and watched. Then he stopped. There was a chickadee flying around him, giving him what for, for disturbing her lunch.( apparently she has not met petie-turned-chain-saw ) or those of you who have not been to my house, know that the arbor you see in the photo is about 7 feet below the tree branch where Petie is perched. (I never claimed my cat was smart. Funny, outrageous, and a *bit* tempermental, but never smart) This is where the hubs and I shook our heads, and called him a dumb ass and waited for him to try and come down, with out breaking his little petie neck. I am suprised that the branch held all 11 lbs of him, and did not strain under the weight.

the Ick had landed...

yup. Alex came home from school two days in a row and told us that kids had vomited in the lunchroom, class room, etc.
last night, he came home from school and sat on the couch. (OY) for those of you who know Alex, know he is not one to sit still.... He asked to lay on my bed..... (again, he only lays down under protest...)
it started around 4 30, until around 12 30. I am hoping he is ok today, he doesnt want to eat or drink anything. I did buy icepops and jello for later, when he feels better....~sigh.one down, two to go.....

If Petie were a bum...

this is what he would look like, sleeping at night. minus the comfy couch of coarse....

and, he would have to use a different paper, I dont think the hubs would be willing to give up his favorite tool paper....

"Nut-trackah's"

as Ethan fondly refers to them.

thought you might like to see what all the fuss was about. This is one collection, that does not include the 2 other shelves.....

Let the Frenzy begin...

so Thanks giving is over. One large 23 pound bird and a house full of comapny later, I am ready for the Christmas season. This was kicked off for me, by shopping on Black friday. I love watching all the insane people out there on that one day. I got up at 4:15 a.m. (yes, that time DOES exist, and I saw it) and I was very amused to get my sister and my nephew up at that hour. (they are NOT morning people). I kept referring to it as "fun friday", since black friday seemed a bit harsh. lol
Dana played at a bar called "Big Heads" on Saturday, and on SUnday, we put up some decorations. The trains are up and running in full force. They look cool, and the kids are thrilled for them to be up and running. I put up all 80 gagillion nutcrackers I have. As much as I joke about having so many (thanks Mom) I actually like them. They do look kind of cool. I for get the exact number, I lost count after 90. They have become a tradition in our home, and the kids get excited seeing them come out every year. what are your traditions?

The story of Petie

Many of you know how Petie came into our lives, but some of you don't. I thought perhaps I should share our story, as I think it is sort of special, not the typical "i got this kitty at a breeder, or a petshop, or some kid at kmart was giving them away" kind of story.
in October of 2006, my FIL suddenly passed away. October 3. :( It was unseasonably cold up in the poconos then, probably in the 40's. Not the norm, even for the artic tundra up there. When we buried my FIL, it way a cold, blustry day. As we were standing graveside, infront of the casket, this beat up Monarch butterfly flew (rather warbly like) to the flowers and he stayed there. It did not leave, until we all did. Odd, but it was colder than blazes, maybe it was seeking shelter from the wind?
fast foreward a year, to 2007, october 3.
I find Petie, under Dh's firebird. I pick him up (ok, there was a long process, to extraxt said kitty from the back axle, and a 6 ft woman shimming UNDER said firebird to rescue said kitty but that is a story in of its self) ANYHOW, I gave him some milk, and fed him, and I sat on the deck cuddling with him, the whole time trying not to get attached, because I was not so sure that dh would be very receptive to add another kitty to the three we had. Ok, so as I said, I was sitting there petting him, and inbetween he and I a beat up, Monarch butterfly flew, rather warbly like. I looked up at the sky and I said "all right dad, I get it, we're keeping the cat." So, there it is, the story of how Petie barged into our lives. (He's been barging ever since) lol.
he is dozing next to me, rather happy, since I just gave him some cat food (from the can) which he never gets, but needs for his medicine.
I have enough stoires of Petie to write a book. lol- anyone ho owns at cat- scratch that, any cat that ons a human has enough stories to fill a book.....
p.s.- when he was little, you could radio Moscow with those ears!

Petie + Vet =

DISASTER! On Friday, Petie needed to go to the vet. His eyes were weepy, and the third eyelid was visible. I thought it was just a kitty cold, but.... i wanted to make sure.
I do not have a kitty carrier. (DUH!), so I put a dog leash on Petie, and a death grip hold and mom and I ventured to the vet's. Not so bad, Petie was actually good in the car, he just stood on my lap. (good kitty).
Enter the vet....
since I did not have a carrier, one of the techs put him in a room, so I could fill out the paper work. Mom offered to wait in the room with him. I bring him in, unhook the leash, and walk out. A few moments later I am ready to go sit with him. I look through the little glass piece in the door, and mom just pointed up. Huh? So I look up, and sure enough, there is Petie, perched on the top of the cabinets.-looking all kinds of pissed off, let me add.
I open the door, and went to the counter. I called him and patted the counter, and he came down from his perch. (Good kitty.)
as soon as my back was turned, He hopped right back up to where he was. (bad kitty)
The tech comes in with a step stool to reach him. (apparently not everyone is 9 feet tall like me) so I sit and watch. As she climbs up, petie's ears flatten. I mean, I did not know ears could get that flat. As she reaches for him, he rolls backward, into the corner of the wall, so he is hard to get. (bad kitty) she gets the scruff of his neck, and is sliding him foreword so she can get a better grip on him, bring him down to the counter and take some vitals. I hear this noise, this low guttural growl. Yup, it came from Petie.(bad kitty) MY PETIE. My sweet, bird catching, mouse hunting Petie. Now only did he growl at the tech, but he hissed and spit and I think he would have tried to smack her, but since she had his scruff, he was not able to move the arms real well.she plops his chubby butt on the scale. He weighed in at 10.14. Yowza. Fat thing. all the while, he is growling at her. She decides she has all the information she needs, and she leaves. I think that I can bring some type of comfort to my recently violated kitty, I pick him up and move to the chair I was sitting at. He hissed. He spit. He dug the ever lovin snot out of my hand. I released him off my lap and he jumped up on the counter, just as the vet came in.
If petie thought he was violated before, he was in for a HUGE surprise as far as what would happen next. The tech (a less timid one) came in with the vet. She was trying to hold him still so the vet could look in his mouth. (mistake, big mistake) Petie turned in to a fuzzy chain saw. All the while growling, hissing, spitting, and smacking at anything he can reach.(bad, bad kitty) The tech releases him, and the vet is trying to soothingly talk to him (he was giving her a furry middle finger...)
the tech comes back in, this time, armed with Kevlar gloves. You know, the kind that they use when going after wild dogs? Police training? yup. those. She puts them on, and tries to hold Petie. (activate chainsaw mode again) she leaves the room, and comes back with a towel. They throw that over Petie so he can "hide", all that did was provide him some further ambush.... he is holding him, and out come two buzz saws. scratching and growling... (bad, bad kitty). The tech made a move, and he got her again. this time he snagged her shirt. Now, Petie is on the counter, under the towel, one arm hooked into her shirt, the other one looking for something else to snag. Now, at this point I feel like I should do something to help the already bleeding tech. (he got her arm)I stand up, and walk to where said chainsaws were poking out. now, I know he is thoroughly pissed, and will strike me as, well, so I stretch my arm out, and push her shirt down away from the claw and run for cover. They finish with him, then tech leaves and the vet tries to talk to me over a VERY angry, growly Petie. I asked her if I could have a cardboard box carrier that they had, since there was NO WAY I was going with in a foot of him. The Kevlar clad tech brought in the box, set one very pissed off kitty inside and closed the lid. (phew).
it all boils down to... Petie has a kitty cold. And we found out he has a split personality!

Ethan and Pig

are three today. Three. Wow. three. We made a cake earlier today. I borrowed a cake pan from my friend Megan, and tried my hand. Tried and failed. Two things were awry. 1. I over filled watch of the little cup cake pieces, and they all kinds of cooked together. No big deal right? I could cut them down. OK, #2 is where the REAL trouble started. Let me preface this by saying it is a silicone pan. I turn it upside down on the bakers rack and was going to pop out the pieces. seems simple and easy enough, right? WRONG. I forgot to spray the pan with Pam. My friend Christina was HIGHLY amused by this fact....she informed me, that was a part of baking 101.... back to the drawing board. (OY)
Try #2, I got this:

this is what Ethan did tonight.

nice, huh?

ETA: Beth and Jay stopped by, and jay applied Derma bond!!! Jay and Beth are both EMT's. Phew. Thanks Guys!!!

there are not

many days left, that the leaves will ACTUALLY be on the trees. For the time being, I will enjoy it. We walk home from school almost every day, and today, there was a spot I saw that I just had to stop and take pics of the kids. It was this really pretty maple tree, which was a great shade of gold. If my children were darker, it would have been stunning. by darker, I mean hair color. The little n=boy I watch had dark hair, and his pics came out great.
Yet I digress.
In other mundane-ness, this would mark the first day, that Kimberly has left her socks on ALL day. Shaking my head, b/c she is usually barefoot the minute she gets in the door. goofy kid. Tonight, I made brownies, nestlie toll house pie and dinner. Well, ok, I make dinner EVERY nite, so tonight was no different. Dana is going to pick up ice cream on his way home. YUM.
Tomorrow, we are having dinner with Keith, Jen and Phil. I made my sauce the other day, so we are having "Italian night"- I will make chicken parm, we will have meat balls, sausage, short ribs and eggs in the sauce. Gluttony all around. Maybe I'll save some pie for then.... NAAAAAAHHHHHHH.
Hope your weekend is filled with yummy goodness! :)
And, what post would be complete with out at least a pic of Petie??

I went

to the grocery store, for the fourth time this week... I needed milk and such. Anyhow I have the two little ones with me, and we went home. I get them in the house and I had a few bags in my hand. I go outside to finish taking it the est of the bags. Kimberly came to the door and called my name, so I reached into the back of the truck with out looking. All that was in ther ewas groceries, right? WRONG! It kind of startled me when i put my hand into something fuzzy. Crap, now what? I jumped and yanked my hand out, just too see Petie sitting on his hind feet, with his paws on the back of the hatch. He jumped into the truck when we went inside. (I forgot he was out there)<>
This was almost as funny to see, as him jumping in the pile of leaves I raked up. I swear he is NOT a cat. he is alien... or somethin'....

so, I was

making my homemade pasta sauce tonight. I make it from scratch. Well, ok not like Patti does with the smushing and cooking of tomatoes, and all. I buy the ingredients and then go from there. Yet I digress. I had spaghetti for dinner with the newly made sauce, and while cleaning off the dining room table, I came across Kimberly's new barbie. It didn't belong on the table, so I tossed it on the couch. Fast foreword to dinner clean up and now time to process the jars of sauce, I walk into the living room, on my way to get a dish towel, and this was the site I see:
Lover boy and his new dream girl~! Looks like he has her right where he wants her!

14 Quarts and 3 pints of sauce later, I am sitting with my feet up. petie and his new girl are in his crack den down in the basement, currently toes up form the cat nip high. it's good to be the king, no?

ever have one

of those days, when things are just crazy, and you feel like you are at the end of your rope? That was me on Sunday. It was a day of craziness, and then dh had band practice. Super. I love that Dh plays in a band, and he is VERY good at what he does, but Sunday an extra set of hands would have been fabulous. I made dinner and while cleaning up, I hear a commotion in the living room, and a bunch of giggling. Usually, when all three are giggling, they are up to something.-and it usually isn't a good thing. I was getting ready to yell "hey, what's going on in there" but I decided, save the vocal chords and like a sane person, walk in and see what is going on to cause fits of laughter. Alex greets in at the edge of the living room, laughing and saying "mom, we're the three witches!" "get it three WHHHHITCHES??" (no, I didn't get it) but could not help but smile to see all three of them, with hats on their heads, and pretending to fly around the room. No matter what, they were the cutest little witches!!

Happy Birthday, Baby.

Five years ago today, I was in the hospital, recovering from a c section, and holding a beautiful little girl. Well,ok, not holding, since I had anestesia, I was not aloud to have her by my self for 24 hours, incase something happened. BUT, she was in her isolet, next to my bed, until the nurses wheeled her away. I remember feeling blessed and overwelmed over having a girl. Would I ever live up to being a good mom? Would she like the same things as me? would we get along? Would I botch things up beyond repair? I was good with having a boy, they are a easier breed when they are little. I thanksed my lucky stars after a difficult pregnancy that she arrived, all 7lb 5oz of her, perfect, formed and healthy. We fell into a routine rather quickly, although I thought she would never sleep through the night, it took her until 4 1/2 months to hit 12 lbs. It all worked out just fine. :)
Five years later. man, they went by in a blink. Today I have a little girl with attitude in spades and independance enough for a small country. There is something that melts my heart, everytime I hear it. It's when she calls me Mama. I don't know where she picked that up from, Alex and Etahn do not call me Mama. Dana doesn't call me Mama (excpet if it is hot mama, and that is NEVER in front of the kids lol, I know, I know TMI.) Mama, I scrap wit jew? mama, I love you. Mama, I need hep. Mama, I stamp wit jew? Mama, I can do-it-my-slef! (there is the independent streak) Mama, am I a princen? (princess) Mama, I'm a badadina. (ballerina)~sigh.
mama, you're the BEST cooker, EVER! (only when I cook plain pasta noodles for her, no sauce no meatballs- in that order)
Don't get me wrong, there are day when I would like to pull out every strand of my hair, one by one, but not always. I think that comes with being a mom.
Today, I made her a cake-pink. her favorite color. Then I frosted it purple.(her other favorite color) thought you might like to see her cake- it was Dana's idea to put on 36 candles. And just for the record, I forgot the ice cream for this too!!!

B.R.A.T.

That's right, I said it. BRAT. Petie is a big, fat BRAT. (OK, maybe not so fat)
Yesterday, I made myself a nice ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. My neighbor came over to give Kimberly a card for her birthday, and when I answered the door, Petie scooted in the house. It wasn't long after that, my neighbor left, and there was a "crisis" with Kimberly and a dolly she has. (The dress would not go on) so, I went to her aide, and when I came out of her room I saw this:
the little bugger was eating MY lunch! do I ever eat his lunch? NO!!! Good thing he"s cute.

so, every time

we go some where and Petie sees us outside, he decides he is going to show off. This past Saturday was no different. I put the kids in the truck, and turned around to go back on the sidewalk. When I did, I saw Petie race up the willow tree in the front yard. He scaled the trunk with ease, and then he started to climb out the one branch. It was not a super huge branch, but a small one. The whole time I was watching him, I saw him teeter back and forth the whole time I was thinking I would see him fall and test the whole "cat's land on their feet theory" but that was not the case. He got the the very end, and started back down. I ran into get my camera, so you could see how insane he was, but by the time I got back out, he was almost down.
notice the concentration on his little face...

Once at the bottom of the tree, he gave off this aloof indifference attitude.

that is, until Dana opened up the front door and shook the kitty treat bag... I guess every man has his price, no?

Happy halloween...

it is 7:11. We have been out, tricked and treated and now we are home. We are now enjoying seeing all the dressed up kids. Kimberly was a witch, and a very cute one at that, and, highlight of her night, she got to wear REAL "lipsticks"... Alex, was Beetle juice, and Ethan instead of being a "pooky pider" decided he was going to be a kid. lol. It worked. There's always next year. Of coarse, what would Halloween on Elm street be, with out trick or treating for the adults?? How about a shot of wild turkey and a beer chaser?? (how bad can it be, really?) That's my neighbor Phil. Gotta Love Elm street. Any occasion is an excuse for a few shots and a few beers. Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Mother's day....you know, the non traditional holidays. Oh, let's not forget President's day. And, I must say, arbor day is way under celebrated.....- just sayin'. Petie is ticked off, because he is now held against his better judgement in our bedroom. He is being held captive, not because I am afraid someone is going to harm him in any way, but last year, he would hide behind the willow tree, and attack the halloweener's. I swear he is manic. I mean seriously. How many cats attack little harmless kids in costumes?? Petie. All I can do is just shake my head.

this is a bit late, but...

better late than never...

When Ethan was sick, he was sent flowers by his grandma. He LOVEd the planter. It is a car, that actually works. The plant is on my kitchen counter, since that did not hold as much appeal (sorry mom). It also had an alligator on it as well. The alliator is on his shelf. the car is played with every day. :)

so....what

type are you???

You Are Candy Corn

Your Halloween personality is whimsical, colorful, and creative. You see Halloween as a time to get your creative juices flowing. Each year, Halloween can't start soon enough for you. You tend to go all out for Halloween. You decorate like crazy and always dress up.

What Halloween Treat Are You?

blog candy

overload! I saw this one, and it is super ca-ute. Oh my cup-caked goodness!!!
check out these eyeclopse night vision giveaway... kinda cool!check out bitten by books herecheck them out...and thanks Pam, for the links!

Ethan's harum

of pigs... He got a collection, and they are well loved.... Hope shnnon is enjoying her mixer as much!

aren't

cats supposed to AVOID water?? Silly cat, there was a water bowl filled with fresh water in the kitchen. Was that good enough for Petie?? Noooooooo. He yowled at the back door to go out. I opened it, and he hopped up on the table outside. You can see by the container, it is rather full. it was that was yesterday. The goofy thing paws the water- I mean submerges the paw int he water, then puts his nose in (usually to far, and gets a nose full of water) then he drinks. Part of me would love to be invisible, and just set him off balance to he ends up in the water....
yesterday, he did this with the container of water, then jumped and tried to attack the umbrella. That backfired on him, since that was very wet as well, and he got doused with water! serves him right, for attacking things he ought not to be attacking!

hey- check this out...

it is the cutest little necklace, and if you go here you can see it. you need to see the other beads, they are adorable!!

On other news, Ethan seems to have come out of this just fine. Breathing treatments are finished, and he is bouncing around like normal. I can't believe he and Kimberly have birthdays coming up int he next few weeks... amazing how time flies, no??

I need to upload some pics, my friend marlene gave Ethan some of her daughter's pig collection, and his crib is filled, and he needs them all to go to bed at night. Tell Shannon, they are well loved. ALL of them.lol
I am going to go searching for soem blog candy, so you should be seeing some links soon!1

R.A.D....

nope. I don't mean "like totally rad man". I mean Restrictive airway disease. That's what they told me yesterday Ethan has. This is going to require a few weeks of nebulizer treatments. He was wheezing yesterday morning, so I called the ped's back and they told up to come right in. As soon as we went into the room, the nurse asked a few questions, asked me to remove his shirt, had a look stated "he needs to be seen NOW!" and left the room. a swarm of Dr.'s came in to have a look. stethoscopes were flying, watches being checked... and me sitting in the thick of it all, with my heart in m,y feet wondering what was wrong and why was no one saying anything. As soon as some of the commotion calmed down, they spoke to me. (finally). The average little kid takes 30 breaths per minute. he was at 76. his pulse ox was 92. (I inadvertently told dh is was 62...oops) and it needed to be 98. the veins in his neck were bulging out each time he took a breath. so they told me we were moving into another room, and they would give him a breathing treatment. They did that, and he started to breathe easier, and he relaxed against me, on my lap. We took tha machine home and all them meds. (albuterol, pulmocort and steroids) to be able to do this every 3 1/2 hrs. (except when he is sleeping, unless he wakes up) Each time we have a breathing treatment, he sits in my lap, and when I turn the machine on, he puts his face in the mask and sits still until it is done. (no bribing necessary) Of coarse, pig needs a hit too.
lol
he will be fine, and his breathing is easier today, not quite so labored. We go back to the ped's tomorrow, to see if they will start to ween him off. He is still coughing pretty good.-he has laryngitis and fluid on both his ears..., so I hope to see a big improvement today or tomorrow.. Poor little guy!!

ever had this happen to

you/or your dh?
Mine LOVES the Redi-whip in a can... He always opens the fridge, takes out the can, puts it in his mouth, and takes a healthy squirt of whipped cream in his mouth. He will continue with this activity, until the whipped cream is gone....
let me rewind a bit. Yesterday, while at the grocery store, I bought this can of pancake batter. I thought nothing more of it. I went to class, and when I came home this is the conversation that took place...

DH- " what the hell is this??" (hold up can)
me- "it's pancake batter, why?"
Dh- "it's just WRONG!! Who puts pancake batter in a redi-whip can?"
Me (suppressing a giggle) "it was marked on the can, why, what happened?"
Dh-" I went and tried to squirt some in my mouth, and all I got was this raw-egg-baking soda crap!"
ok, I will admit, at this point I started to laugh. I mean all out laugh till I almost peed my pants laugh. Once I could contain myself, he went on...
Dh-"I thought b/c you forgot the ice cream for my birthday (bad wife that I am) that you wanted to surprise me. then I put this crap in my mouth, and it was not pretty."
me- in peals of laughter- I just held up my hand, and said "well, you should read the labels"
dh- "I shouldn't have to read a redi-whip can, it should have whipped cream in there. who was the jack ass that had the brilliant idea to put pancakes in there? That is just mean."
at this point, I was still laughing at him. Yes, at him, not with him, not beside him, at him. Somehow, he didn't find it half as amusing as I did. wonder why.

we went to the

FISh hatchery today. Marlene and Beth were right, it is a very cool place. The kids had a ball!!
Marlene, is that one pic of you and stu taken by that big tree that is there?? I thought I recognized it. lol
we fed the fish, which were VERY hungry, and the kids liked when they would flip to get the food.

we packed a picnic lunch. They liked doing that. what a fun day, and it was beautiful!!!
leaving you with a picture of my boys... my two very sweet, very handsome boys. Made me all teary. reminiscient of days past. I see them as buddies now, I hope they remain best buddies.

Ethan found a dandilion too. I know I said it was the last pic, but he was just so cute, trying to blow it.

try this

and see if YOU can do it...

ball thingie...

I think that

I got the link thing all figured out. (crossing my fingers)
Not much has been going on here, just the normal rat race.
Alex had his 7th birthday this last Saturday. man I can believe he is 7 already!!!! Kimberly will be 5 soon and Ethan 3. Egads. How do they get older when I stay the same?? lol

The kids are off tomorrrow, and it is supposed to rain. UGH. I will only have one other boy, other than mine. I had planned to go to the lake. I may have to bug marlene, and find out where the fish hatchery is. I think they would like that.

On some fun news, Peppermint Mocha creamer is out not. HEAVEN!!! So excited. But now that you are all reading this, I am sure you will run out and buy it, therefore leaving a shortage once again. It is *almost* as good as a Starbucks peppermint mocha... Oh, and speaking of Starbucks, did you know that a cup (tall) of starbucks coffee had 330 MG of caffiene?? A pepsi only has 33. Holy crap!!! No wonder my heart races after drinking one of their coffees.... lol That won't stop me, I will now know where to get the caffiene jolt!!

the blog candy I have posted in previous links, I cannot take credit for, I got the links from Pam's blog, who I met through another message board. (Thanks Pam!!)

last night, dh came home with a present for me! It is a tower that holds 12 x 12 paper and other assorted things. So excited. I am going to spend some time in my scrap space today after I take the kiddies to school and work on organizing it!! :) I'll do my paper tomorrow. -and no, nothing has changed, I am still doing papers last minute, and doing well on them!

that's about it for the mundane-ness here. Nothing whitty to say, of fun to report....

here are some more.

i AM NOT SURE WHY the links won't work..... rats, but try this site.

http://meholder.blogspot.com/

this one is nice too.
www.stempelelfejayjay.blogspot.com

and I found this one...
http://stamptillyoucramp.blogspot.com

blog candy everywhere...

so I have spent my mornign surfing around, trying to find some blog candy, and find it I did.
check it out...
https://www.blogger.com
and this one...
http://www.donaldas.blogspot.com
and more candy...http://www.dolliedewdrop.blogspot.com
check this one out...http://www.creatiefonline.blogspot.com/2008/09/eindelijk-finaly.html
holy hangler and stagler batman...http://www.mar1ene.wordpress.com
how about this one?

Karen's wedding

was absolutely beautiful. She looked lovely, and had a very nice day, despite the rain. -which had stopped mid morning. It made for some great pictures, with the grey back ground, the lighting was great. I got a few good shots in the 300 I took. Not to much to say today, so I will leave you with a few of my faves.
first, here is the bride and her flower girl.
now, fast forward 20 years.... wonder what she will look like standing next to her daddy...

Pig made it to the wedding and the reception.
he had a good time. He is quite the party pig. And, last but not least, Alex and his grandmas.

what a handsome date he made!!

an update

is coming... I have to upload my pictures, and I finally found a cord. Today is going to be a busy, crazy day. So... hang with me for a few, and I promise to show you some really cute pics...

oh, and I

forgot to add one little thing. Petie stayed out the other night, all night long. This is a picture of him, I would say about 5 minutes after he came in...

good news...

finger is just badly bruised!! Poor little thing, she is still in some pain, but it ain't broke!!!

UGH...

I have been super busy, not a dull moment here, in the Wilson house. First last weekend, we picked up our new truck, and man, is it pretty!! I am loving the Sync feature it has. Our phones are "blue tooth" (what ever that means, dh told me) and anyhow, our phone is now "synced" up to the car. I push a button, and the lady that lives in my car tells me to say a command. I say dial, and then the # and wah-lah. I am now talking to someone through my stereo. hmmm... It is neat, in a creepy kind of way. Since when did cars get so smart?? We are still getting to know the little nuances of the truck but it is fun. :) We also got 6 months of free Sirus radio. It's O.K., not sure if I am that impressed.
second, I met the dean of the masters program. She was very nice and we decided I will be studying "TeSOL". That is teaching students where English is not the primary language. What that will do for me, is to give me different teaching strategies in the diverse classroom. Let's face it, the class rooms are not all white these days. It will also make me more marketable with a Masters. It is a ton of work, but I do like being back in school.
(did I JUST utter that??)
third... I have been making jelly like mad. I made grape and apple. It came out ok, I am waiting for it to "set". Jelly takes a bit longer than jam. while I was making the apple jelly last night, Kimberly was helping. She was getting me the apples from the table of the deck. Well, while she was walking out she closed the door, and her little hand got slammed in the door. She caught her middle finger, her ring and pointer. The middle one is the one that took the brunt. Her little finger is swollen (and a LOVELY shade of purple). Today, she is going to the peds to make sure there is nothing wrong with it. OY. -Did I mention she is in a wedding this weekend??
fourth- Dana is coming home on Friday for good. It went by quickly.
Fifth, Alex is having a b-day party on the 4th. I need to figure out what to do with several little people for 2 hours. Any ideas?? Pray to the God's that it is sunny. Ohhhh Beth..... :) :) :)
ok, that is enough of the mundane. Just thought I would update.

cans cans everywhere.

today....
7 pints of cinn applesauce. 14 pints pears, and 8 pints of peaches... I still have one bag of apples, and half a bushel of peaches. I have only about 2 pints worth or pears.... AND, for the love of all that is holy, I am out of jars. Phew. AND, today, I get the brilliant idea that I need to have my carpets and furniature cleaned... WHAT was I thinking???? My Ass is damp. he said it would take 4 hours to dry. 4 hours my eye! My recliner is soppin, and the sofe is damp. The love seat is fine, I didn't get that done, next time. I am pooped. I did a few loads of wash in there too. Not many, just two.
Marlene, I have no idea how my HDL got so high, but it is still with in range. I have no idea how I got any of the #'s I got...
and for those of you who want some, canned goodies are in!!
Tomorrow, I may make peach jam, I think I have some jars for that.
I gunna drop over now. Going to hunt up Petie and go to bed!!

busy, busy, busy...

Last night, or let me rephrase, yesterday, I picked apples with kimberly and ethan. No pics, dana has my camera... Anyhow, we picked cortlands and macintosh. YUMM-o. last night, I put up 12 pints of apple sauce. I have 2 more bags yet to do. (OY) I also bought a box of pears, and a box of peaches. I will get to them today.- In addition to, cleaning out the truck for the big swap-in on Saturday. It actually just needs to be vacuumed. Exciting stuff, really.
I got my results from my blood work yesterday, and all my #'s are great! BP is 92/58, sugar is 85, cholesterol is 163, HDl is 61, LDL is 89 and tri's are 64. Not to shabby, so this means I can get life insurance!!! lol
Dana comes home tomorrow night, so that is exciting as well. It will be nice to see him, although it will be a busy weekend with running around. I will be able to see some of the pics he took, as well as get my camera back. I can't tell you how many tim es this week I went to grab it to take a picture. Oh well, I wanted dana to be able to take pictures to show the kids where he was.
other than that, nothing to exciting.

Big Boy

Dana called yesterday, and told me he was going to a train museum. He was going to see a train called the "big boy". There are only six left in the world, and Green Bay had one of them. He also said that he saw a train the Eisenhower rode in while touring Europe. The train could do 120. Amazing. I only have this one photo, for now.

they get you coming and going...

three years ago, we leased a truck. It was (is) a pretty blue truck, loaded to the hilt. There is not one more option you could put on this truck, and we ave loved it. I have never been attached to a car,but this one, I am. There are memories in this truck. Some really good, and some not so good. Our lease is up on Oct 14. So, we decided that we ad two options. 1. (nd one we both thought would work best) buy the one we have. Why not, right? It has everything we want. Anyhow, I called Ford today, and they will finance it for 36 months. Ok, my residual balance is 18,500. They told me my payment would be 733.00 for 3 years. Are they flippin' nuts? Who does that? So, then I called my local dealer, and got a better deal. We are getting a new one, and we are financing this time around. The payment with an extended warranty will be 526.00. not really the dirrection we wanted to go, but whatever. It will have that new car smell (which we both love) and it is Dk. cherry red. (not to be mistaken with street walker red) We will pick it up on the 20th, when Dana flies home for the weekend. He will leave ont hat sunday for another week, then home for good. We are going to a wedding on the 27th, his neice, and kimberly is her flower girl. I am sure I will have lots to post about that!
time to get the kiddies from school.

he left on a jet plane...

Yup. Dana is in Wisconsen. he left yesterday,a nd will be there until the 26th. Alex misses him soemthign terriable, and it hasn't been 24 hours yet. (poor guy)
My classes start tonight, I have been taking an Ethics and Philosophy class for about a week now. It is interesting, to say the least. Tonight, is another class although, I forget the name of the class...(I haven't looked at the book yet) so we'll see. It feels weird being back in class, even though I have been going for eons. It was nice to have a break!!!
kind of boring on this end today, maybe later something will be worth blogging about! :)

Shelter from the storm...

so, I always blog about Petie. Sometimes, I even blog about the kids. I seldom blog about Puff. Puff and Herman (his brother) were born the day we got married. We kept Mama, and her 4 babies. We lost Bandit this past spring, and the other two, a while ago. So, now we have these two "old men" They are going to be 14 next month. Anyhow- most of the days, the "boys" (as I have always called them) spend the afternoon sleeping in the mulch in my garden. Puff, however, has found a new local. He sleeps on the roof of the garage. It is pergect for him- he has the eve to protect him from the weather, he has the shade of the blackberry bush. (For those of you that are going to, or have recieved a sprig of said bush, beware.- just sayin' is all, don't say I didn't warn you. I too started out with one harmless sprig-thanks, Julie)
Right now, as the world gets ready for hurricane what's-her-name- Puff is hunkered down on the roof. It is raining at a pretty good clip here now, and he is nice and dry.

it's JUST a mail box....

or is it?? for all of my SCS lurkers (all 2 of you), this is where I send and recieve all my happy mail. :) Consequently, I recieve my bills there too. :( It also doubles as a fort for Petie. he had to showhorn himself inside, but it is a fort none the less. He had great paw-snagging vantage. he is at the perfect height to sniff the zinneas growing in my garden. His fort keeps him protected from the elements. The willow tree beside the box provides ample shade. What more could he ask for you ask? (maybe a lean-to for skinning his mice) lol.
I cannot take credit for these pics, dh did them. He was watching the older two, while I gave Ethan a bath. (I missed the fun of King Petie) While in the bathroom, I hear this blood curdling shreek. (that was from Kimberly) any how, apparently she was trying to play with Petie in the mail box, and he scratched her. She was fine, but.. I think she was his first victim from his fort...
AND- today is Peties birthday. He's one. :)

First day of school

dawned bright and sunny. The kids were excited. I was excited. It was a strange day- Kimberly went to preschool, Alex went to first grade. It was just Ethan and I for the morning. We waited for the bus, and while waiting, I took these:
Kimberly, refusing to smile, ticked that she could not wear her sandles, waited impatiently for the bus. I load her on the bus, and walk the boys to school. We walked this road a million times, since we take the kids there to play all the time. This time was different, he was going to be there ALL day.

With him, I remember bring him home, and taking the laundry to hang outside. I remember hearing the bell, and all the kids playing. I remember thinking "will this squalling pink blob EVER be old enough for first grade, and will he EVER stop eating every 2 hours? OY. It is very surreal that today was that day.
after taking Alex to school. Ethan and I went to the grocery store. SOme of the employees that i see all the time inquired where the other kids were. I was still pretty stoked that it was just me and Ethan. Bring the groceries home, and put them away. While doing so, I hear the same bell I have heard for years, but this time, I knew MY baby was on the playground. His voice was making up the plethora of noise that was coming from the general direction. Was he happy? Was he playing with anyone? What did he have for lunch? did he actually EAT lunch? I get Kimberly off the bus, and feed she and Ethan. When I can stand it no more, (and it is time for us to go get hair cuts) I pack the two little guys in the truck, and go look at the school play ground. -thinking to myself, I just need to see him out there, running around. Nope. No luck. I hardly saw any of the other kids, Well, giving up, I go get hair cuts. (which is a whole NUTHER saga...)
Good news is, I survived. Of coarse he survived. This was the conversation we had last night at bed time:
A: "Mom, school really knocked me on my butt"
Me: "oh, how so"
A: "well, it was REALLY, REALLY hard"
Me: " that's ok, you're not expected to know it all today"
A: " I don't think I want to go back to school"
me: " well, look at it this way- I am still in school"
A (grins at me) : "is it hard, mom?"
Me: "nope. it's just like first grade, only I don't get to color."
A: " WELL, just so you know, I didn't get to color much today, either."

After a few hugs, he was ready for bed. I think he'll be just fine. I'll be just fine. - come talk to me when Ethan goes, I'll be a blubbering mess...

Tagged, I've been tagged.

My buddy Beth tagged me, and this is what I am supposed to do...

So now its my turn!! Just follow the rules below and let the person know you tagged em! 1. Link to the person who tagged you 2. Post these rules to your blog 3. Write 6 random things about yourself 4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them 5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog. 6. Let the tagger know when your entry is posted.
Six random things- they may be tough to come up with (most of you who know me, know I *can* be random. I am mostly concrete sequential so, but here goes...

1. I coulda' been a mob wife. I so coulda been a mob wife. ~sigh
2. If I were a muppet, I would be a cross between Bunsen Honeydew, and Beaker. I would be cute like Beaker, but smart like Bunsen.
3. I think cats are far superior than smelly 'ol dogs, even if I do own two. Petie is a prime example.
4. I want to be reincarnated as a squirrel. But, not ANY squirrel. I am going to wire a tree with 110 before I die, so in the winter I will be a *toasty* squirrel.
5. This is way harder than I thought, I am pretty mundane, compared to those who answered before me.
6. Family Guy TOTALLY rocks.

Ok, now that you have my *randomness* I will inform Beth that I did the facts. I will tag Cyndee, and well, I am not so sure! I will post some later, if I think of someone else!

We watched a car parade last night.

have you ever watched a car parade? I mean, there is a car show this weekend in McCungie, and the folks that are in the show, line up, and they parade their cars before the show. It was neat. It was not as long as I thought it would be. The show is HUGE. Hundreds of cars. I thought I would see hundreds of parading cars. But, what it was, was a night out with friends. That was the fun part. The kids loved the show. Well Alex and Kimberly did. Ethan was not fond of all the beeping, and the revving of motors.
we won't be able to see the show this weekend, we won't be around. We are going home for a bridal shower, and to pick up my Mother in law. She will be here next week.

it there ever an image

that each time you see it, you have a sense of peace, and nostalgia?
this post is a bit late, but better late than never.
In May, we went to Cape May. It is my faovrite place on the planet. Ok, maybe that isn't true, St. Thomas is my favorite palce and Arube. So, lets go with it is my favorite place in the U.S. Aside from the beach, I love Mugs.-and Washington St. Square. Every time we go to Cape May, we go to Mugs. (only the best bar on the planet.)-and they have good food too. We spent 4 days there. We went to Mugs the first day. (yum) and to the light house, and to the beach... and to Washington St Square, and ... we went all over God's acre.
The image I was referring to, it the clock. I love that clock. I am not sure why, but I do. nothing witty this morning. Just the mundane!