Sometimes things just happen!

2010-10-22T14:59:00.002-04:00

I'm going to go ahead and pretend that it hasn't been 5 months since I last blogged.....

So it's time to close the pool, well, that's easy to say isn't it? but i was told that you can't just take all the water out of the pump and throw a cover over it and call it 'winterized'. NO! you have to kill all the algae that's been growing for the past month or so...yeah. Well, 10 gallons of bleach later the pool water is now blue (not clear but blue). Now comes phase 2, baking soda. By the way, there seems to be a limit to the amount of baking soda that you can buy before you get weird looks.....I think that it's about 60 lbs but I'm not quite sure. (?) I told Chris that we were going to go swimming one more time before we closed the pool. It's been about 78* during the day so it is possible.

Tonight is our little elementary school's homecoming. :) My little Melia is a cheerleader and seems to have a little admirer from the football team. awww. I find all of this very fascinating, the whole cheerleader/football player thing. I was in the marching band so I got to see such things. It's high school all over again! LOL. Anyway, tonight is the dance and tomorrow is the big game! I love our home games! Go team!

Some Ranting and Raving

2010-05-21T16:52:00.003-04:00

It's that time of year again....end of course tests! These tests are pretty much a reflection of how well the teacher is teaching and then how well the student grasps the material. With that said, THERE IS WAY TO MUCH PRESSURE PUT ON OUR LITTLE 3RD, 4TH, AND 5TH GRADERS!!!! Every year Sydney becomes a stressed out mess! This year is no different. She took her Science EOG (end of grade test) and scored a fantastic 99%! She's an A/B honor roll student and has no serious problems until this time of year. Well, today I get a phone call from the guidance department at the school. They said that Sydney had a melt down in class because, Sydney's words, "she made a stupid mistake". She was excused to the bathroom to collect herself but when a teacher found her she was on the floor rocking back and forth and saying that she hated herself! (poor kid!) I know that Sydney goes through this every year but the school seems to get really concerned and we go through all the bullshit of talk about counseling and talk of home life and any major changes....yeah, that's it...every year at this time our home life falls apart but all the rest of the year we're just fine......hhhhhhhhh!!!! I'm just so tired of this run around crap! I know my kid and she's just stressed out about the testing, but there seems to be a team of people that don't trust me or her. I keep telling them to just let it go, let her work through it in her own way but all they want to do it keep talking about it which bothers her/embarrasses her and makes her even more upset and then they think she has more of a problem! I'm all for the help if there were a serious problem but this is just what happens every year when the teachers put the pressure on about the EOGs. Did I mention that the test scores help the teachers keep their jobs? Yeah, it's real cut throat for everyone...nice.

Butt Drugs!

2010-04-12T17:24:00.002-04:00

For all my health needs I turn to Butt Drugs!

I got pranked!!

2010-04-01T11:41:00.005-04:00

Last night Mr. Cat went outside for his usual pounce-on-bugs-in-the-yard excursion and was nowhere to be seen when I put Melia to bed (he sleeps with her). Well, it came time for me to hit the hay and still no cat. I was not in the mood to stand outside calling, "kitty, kitty, kitty, kitty!" in that higher tone of voice in which you call a cat, nor did I wish to sound like a crazy person for all the valley to hear, so I just went to bed. I figured it was a warm night and he could just camp out somewhere. I got the girls up and off to school, did my normal morning things, and still no Mr. Cat to be seen. I asked the dogs to go find the cat but they just looked at me like I was ridiculous and were no help whatsoever. I got a little worried that Mr. Cat had gone off somewhere and was in trouble! So I did the whole, "Kitty, kitty, kitty!" in the higher tone of voice in which you call a cat....still no cat! hummm...this is not good. I went into Melia's room to turn off her fan, went up a few steps of her bunk bed (so I could reach the switch on top of the fan that is sitting on her dresser) and Mr. Cat jumps up from the bed and I was like, "Holy Moses!!" and I nearly fell to the floor!! He then starts purring and pacing back and forth obviously very proud of himself for pulling off this funny April fools day prank! After I got over the initial shock and rush of adrenaline I had myself a good little chuckle! Oh, Mr. Cat!!

Need A Laugh?

2010-03-03T18:34:00.002-05:00

I was just 'cleaning up' some of my bookmarks and came upon this. Thought I'd share it with you! Seems to cheer me up when I'm having a tough day. I hope it does the same for you...

Turns out I'm a Baboon

2010-02-12T19:39:00.002-05:00

I took a personality test that my sister Marsha took (she was a sheep) and it turns out I'm a baboon. Go figure! :)

http://animalinyou.com/results.php

The Baboon

Aah, the lighter side of the animal kingdom. It takes brains to be quick witted and amusing and the baboon has plenty of them. But, these are also affectionate creatures, and if you were to watch a family of baboons at play, you'd be struck by the relaxed attitude and the constant touching that goes on between them. There is also a very clear hierarchy in the baboon family. Parents rule the roost, ever ready to teach and chastise misbehaving youngsters, and the husband assumes his role as dominant male. But the ideal of all work and no play makes the baboon's skin crawl, so games and lighthearted fun remain the primary focus of its genteel life.
Baboon personalities come in all shapes and sizes, but are usually powerfully built smaller individuals with bright appealing eyes. Intelligent and shrewd, they are highly adaptable individuals, and as students of the lighter side of life there is nothing they enjoy more than indulging in complicated practical jokes or impromptu comedic performances.
Arguably, they are neither handsome nor plain, and their robust personalities are engaging and charming. Little value is placed on physical exertion and they have a tendency to gain weight in later life. Their most noticeable physical characteristic is an elastic and expressive face, and with their animated communication style they delight in being the center of attention.
Intensely social animals, they work hard to maintain their large, well-run families and insist on order in their households -- brooking no disagreement from their mates or children. They'll never back down from a physical confrontation, although they are rarely aggressive towards members of their own family. When threatened, they are formidable fighters and even larger animal personalities think twice before initiating conflict.
Disdain for physical work leaves them dissatisfied with manual labor unless it contains a strong creative component. In fact, the Kung people of Southern Africa believe that baboons are able to talk but are careful not to let people hear them, lest they be made to work. However, their curious nature makes them perfect for investigative work or journalism. Ultimately however, they only find true happiness when performing as comedians or actors. They function best during the daylight hours, preferring to spend nights quietly in the company of their family.

The Most Useless Machine Ever

2010-02-06T18:15:00.003-05:00

If only the music came with this little machine, I'd play with it all day! It's like the thing does NOT want to be turned on and if you keep flipping that switch then he will just keep coming out and flipping the switch the other way...he's stubborn like that!

Guy: "ON"

Machine: "OFF"

Guy: "ON! ON!"

Machine: "OFF!"

Guy: "ON! ON! ON!"

Machine: "OFF!! Dude, quit bugging me!"

Things got worse...

2010-01-25T21:21:00.006-05:00

So things with the driveway got bad. People/me/Terry kept getting stuck and the driveway became impassable. Well, it has been at least 15 years since the drive has seen any new layer of gravel. We got 13 inches of snow before Christmas, a bunch of rain, and it's been freezing and thawing ever since. Something had to be done! So, I bit the bullet and hired my man Terry to reinvent our driveway. (how else can I get him to finish the pool deck?? ;) ) He pulled out the posts (that Chris has been meaning to pull out for years) and moved the drive over about 30 feet and is going to put ditches on both sides, which should solve the washing/draining issues. Terry made all the arrangements to have about 50 tons of gravel delivered to build up my drive. He spent 9 tractor hours (that's how he's payed after all) pushing dirt around enough to have the gravel dumped. Luckily, he likes me enough to only charge me half price. (good to have friends who know how to do stuff I always say) Here's a picture of the progress. When I woke up that morning Terry was just a plowin' away and there were 3 dump trucks just waiting to get at it.

At the end of the day though, it looked just AWFUL! basically like the above picture! Everything was covered with the classic red Carolina mud. Boo hiss! I felt like, OMG "I spent $1,500 for this????" BUT...we got a hard rain that washed all the mud off of the pricey rocks that I had put on the drive and the driveway is actually passable now and looks like something has been done to it. After things dry up a bit we'll get another load or 2 of gravel and then some crush'n'run dumped on top and then we should be set for the next 15 years!(?) Again, it is all looking great in a birth-is-messy sort of way.

Pool Deck and Driveway Issues

2010-01-20T12:59:00.007-05:00

Construction on the pool has begun! The deck wraps around the back half of the pool and is going to be 8 ft wide. It looks much bigger, wider, and is pricier than I expected but is exactly what I wanted so...I'm happy! All the space under the deck will be mulched and used for storage of pool equipment. I've hired my friend Terry to build it since I've seen his work and he's such an anal perfectionist. (exactly the type for a job such as this!) It took him and Carlo about 6 working hours to get it framed up and during this time he asked me why I couldn't just have a square pool because he would have been about half way done by now!? Look, he knew what he was getting into! He drew up the plans for cripes sake! I told him just to be quiet and get on with it. LOL. Yup, that's how we roll! Anyway, things are looking great, in a birth-is-messy sort of way.

I seem to be losing my yard, but hey, less to mow right? That pile of stuff in the bottom right is a pile of mulch. We need more....lots more.

I'm in no real rush to get the deck finished because, well, there's still about a 6 inch layer of ice floating around on top of the water and I/we don't plan to become part of any polar bear club any time soon!

So while construction continues in the backyard, major construction needs to happen on my driveway! OMG it's never been this bad!
Piles and ruts of icky, sticky, red Carolina mud!
I don't know who, or how, or how much it will cost (basically the details), but I know it has to be fixed! Ok, here's the problem:

the construction/dug up yard + the mud in my driveway

+ two smallish dogs who like to frolic = serious (red) dirt/mud in my house! ugh!

Just picture eight of these (but much dirtier) jumping onto the couch, bed, anywhere they please....

But my dogs know the drill. I stop them at the door and say, "hold up!" or "hold the phone!" or "back the truck up!". They know my tone and Max just stops and Tater...well, she's working on it. So, if they're outside and I'm not ready for them yet I shut the door in their face and they will give me the what-do-you-mean-I-can't-come-in-right-now? look. They completely understand when I come back to the door with my sleeves pushed up or, worse yet, a towel! ooooo... Yup, they know that if either of those things happen it's feet cleaning time! If the feet situation requires, I snatch them up and plop their little rumps on the side of the sink and they get a feet bath! Max will sit very quietly. I like to think that he is thinking, "I love you, thank you so much for caring for me." but what he is probably thinking is, "Oh man, this is so degrading!"

I sure can't wait until things dry up!

Name Tags

2010-01-15T22:07:00.002-05:00

Today I went into work as a shadow....ooooo...creeeepy! So, during my time there I basically just watched the experienced people prepare tax returns. It was great and I learned a lot. (people itemizing and all that) This has been the first job that I've had where time actually flew by! The best part of my work day (yeah, I have a "work day" :) ) was that I got an official NAME TAG! (it's the small things really) This name tag is magnetic! The name tag itself has a metal strip on it and there's a magnetic strip that sticks onto the name tag through your shirt, so much better than the pin type! so cool! AND it has MY name on it stating that I'm a tax preparer! I know!! can you believe it??? how super fab is that? ::giggles::

So, after 'shadowing' I now feel great/confident and really excited about doing it on my own. Did I mention how everyone in the office is really nice? In fact, Sandy (the office Accountant) made chili that tasted like heaven! I'm so happy with my job!!!! I once had a job as a cashier in our local Ingles and I absolutely HATED that job, lasted all of 6 weeks! I was afraid that I would never be happy working out 'there'. Well, as it turns out I will be! yay! I'M SO EXCITED!

New Job

2010-01-14T15:51:00.005-05:00

About a year ago, after I graduated from GWU, my aunt Meda suggested that I talk to a woman that she goes to church with who owns a Jackson Hewitt about the tax class that they give every year. So this summer I went in and had a job interview with the office manager, Stacie (a true gem of a lady!) and got some info about starting tax classes. Long story short, I took the class and got the job! Yay! (not everyone who takes the class gets the job.) It kinda felt like back in high school when I went out for a part in a play...I got the part, I got the part!!! Yeah, it was like that. So I had to go out and buy new clothes for my "work wardrobe" because no jeans allowed! I went shopping and was very successful! (that's a rare occurrence) I came home with 3 pairs of slacks (LOL! slacks...haha! sorry that's a word that older people use and now I'm using it. ::giggles:: ), a sweater, and new (high heel platform type) shoes. The shoes were a must because well, I'm short and the pants weren't so I pretty much NEED the platform type shoes. Funny thing is that when I come home and take them off I feel SO short, like I've come down a few stories! Anyway, I've been in training for the past week. The super fabulous thing?....I actually get PAID to learn things! again I say...YAY! Well, today I passed all the state required tests and tomorrow I get to shadow people and Monday....I get to be the one on the other side of the desk (dressed all professional) and looking like I know what I'm doing! Things are going great!

I'm so glad to get out of this house and join society again! It got to the point where I would wake up, take the kids to school, and sit in front of the computer until I finally got around to take a shower. Of course there's always laundry, dishes, yada, yada, yada....you know, all the bitch work (yeah, I said it). BOOO!!! I'd clean the house but to no real end! The kids come home and put their stuff everywhere anyway (not to mention the blanket fort that is always in the living room!) sigh. Needless to say, I'm enjoying this new era in my life!

Another Interactive Adventure with Chad Matt & Rob

2009-12-21T22:09:00.003-05:00

The Murder...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BNGhSk_gamk

I had some trouble loading the video but here's the link. Take a look...it's like one of those create you're own adventure books from days gone by.

Surprised Kitty

2009-12-01T13:35:00.001-05:00

Surprised Kitty

The Farmer's Daughter

2009-11-25T00:44:00.004-05:00

catchy little tune!

Family Pictures

2009-11-23T18:25:00.014-05:00

We had our family pictures taken by a wonderful photographer, Brian Streett. It was such a fun day and the pictures turned out better than we've ever had done before! Actually, we've never had a family picture taken but we're VERY happy with them. Chris and I had our picture taken with Sydney when she was a baby but the four of us have never had photos taken all together so this was a real treat! We went to South Mountain State park and it was a gloomy day I'll have you know, but it turns out it's perfect for photos! Yay! So, we sat on rocks and walked around acting "natural" which is really hard to do when you know that your being photoed! I posted most of the pictures on FaceBook and played around with some too. This is my favorite of me and Chris. It looks great in color too.

Our little Sydney Liz is growing up.

and the camera loves her.... Truely lovely...and so interested in the world.

I played around with this one. I put a teal tint on it. This is Sydney if she was in the Twilight movies....

Melia has the most expressive face I've seen on such a little person. One minute she looks like she has the powers to kill you and burn down your house... the next she is melancholy in the woods...or a thinking little cutie...but all the time lovely.

Just Cute

2009-11-12T23:45:00.002-05:00

No real story here just cuteness. It used to be that these two wouldn't lay anywhere near each other and now...awww...

Runaway Train

2009-11-12T23:00:00.005-05:00

This is Rosanne Cash's 'Runaway Train' that I woke up to the other day. It drove me CRAZY because I could NOT figure out how to find this on YouTube! I kept getting other songs about other runaway trains. Well, I finally asked my good friend Kenneth about the song and he knew all about it, who sung it when it was recorded and on and on...funny he's a HUGE 80's hair metal guy, but he seems to be a whiz on any type of music trivia. I should have called him the first thing that morning to ask who sung it! Next time....

I still have no clue who runs that neighborhood....

Alarm Clocks

2009-11-09T11:14:00.004-05:00

Chris and I have a sort of alarm clock system. His clock is set about 10 mins fast (something about tricking his brain to think that it's later than it actually is....whatever) and mine is set on regular time. His alarm is set for the radio and mine is that annoying buzzer and we each take turns pushing snooze until it is actually time to get up. Well, this morning his alarm went off and it was a female country singer singing, "our love has turned into...." then he pushes snooze and I sing (although half a sleep) ...."a runaway train". Now I'll have THAT song in my head for the rest of the day and I'll search all of YouTube to find the artist and hear the entire song so that one phrase doesn't drive me mad. (who sings that song anyway?) Then nine minuets later the news comes on, "...The van was found to have musical instruments and police also found (they said the weight but like I said before I was half asleep) heroin. (they said some other words that I don't remember) "and the neighborhood is run by....." THEN HE SHUTS IT OFF! Who runs the neighborhood???? Is it the cops? a gang? the neighborhood watch? WHO? I ask Chris, "who runs the neighborhood?" He says, "I don't care. I shut it off." WHAT?! how is it that he isn't even a little curious?, how can he hear half a story and not wonder about the rest? So, I'm left wondering and pondering....who runs that neighborhood? where is that neighborhood? what happened to the van filled with heroin??? Why do we have this stupid alarm clock system anyway?!
BTW~ Rosanne Cash sings the song runaway train. took me until 10:25 pm to find out

Lazy days with Mr. Cat

2009-11-04T16:05:00.004-05:00

Melia has a cat. Yes, the cat is most definitely Melia's. He sleeps with her, he follows her, and he purrs whenever he is around her. He is definitely her cat. His name was originally Smokey and has since changed to Mr. Cat. It seems that all of our pets get their name changed, actually it's a family tradition. You name your pet then give them a nick name and the name just sticks. My sister Marsha is the best at this. She once had a black cat named Licorice and the
cat ended up with the name "Moose". The cat lived a really long time and turned psychotic...just FYI. But I digress, as of late Mr. Cat is going through a growth spurt....he eats and sleeps...and grows....Last week he was racing around the house, would stop and then just jump in the air and then run away, you know, normal cat behavior, this week.....snooze city!He's really cute and we have no problems with him at all! A big difference from the cats that Chris and I got when we first got married! We had weird problems with them! Our girl cat had some crazy bowl problem where she would spray crap all over my kitchen! I had her checked by a vet and she was perfectly healthy but would have crazy crap attacks all over my kitchen! WTF? She soon became an outside cat...no such problems with Mr. Cat.He does have an appointment on Monday to get fixed and declawed.....it will take him awhile to forgive me for that, I'm sure! He still has issue with me for the ear drops! Man, cats are ornery!

But he's cute and sweet and soft and fits in perfectly and we love him!

Space Dog

2009-11-03T22:11:00.003-05:00

This is Max. He is not leash trained. He does not like leashes. He does not like string that looks like it could be used like a leash. He's my buddy and respects me...we have an understanding, I'm in charge and he conforms....mostly. Well, Melia got some glow sticks at school and I thought it would be cute/funny to make Max a 'space dog'. He didn't think that it was that great. "Why are you doing this to me? You really think this is cute? I'm not moving until you take this thing off of me. I give you 5 seconds to take you're little picture and then I'm out of here! You understand that I'm not chewing the crap out of this thing because you said 'no' right? otherwise I'd be all over this thing! I don't like this."

"You're seriously going to blog about this aren't you?"

Yup!

Letterboxing on Holloween

2009-10-31T15:17:00.005-04:00

A few weeks ago I heard about letterboxing from my facebook friend Laurie Eller. It's a type of treasure hunt for letterboxes that are hidden in different places all over the US. So, I checked out my area online and discovered there were a lot! We went to two different ones today in cemeteries. What better time than Halloween to go hunting through a cemetery or two right? The clues took us all around the cemetery and into the woods. Here's Sydney looking in the pile of tree limbs for the box. It was only lightly raining but it added to the mysteriousness of the day. The girls really enjoyed following all the clues, rain and all.
We saw this really creepy stone. Looks like a Hollywood movie prop.

Just a normal Halloween day walking through the grave yard. While we were there we came across the grave of one of Sydney's classmates that died last year. His name was Ayden Crawley and he accidentally hung himself from a tree in his backyard, so sad.
Well, it's still raining and doesn't show any signs of stopping...should make for an interesting time trick - or -treating!

Pirate Day....Argh!

2009-10-29T13:49:00.005-04:00

Today was dress like a pirate day at Salem elementary school. Just pay a dollar and the kids get to come to school dressed up like a pirate! (kinda like casual Fridays at work) Melia was all into it! It's amazing...I didn't know that I had pirate clothes just hanging around the house but the outfit turned out great! Melia enjoyed the 'finger hook'! LOL!

I told her to make sure she keeps the bandanna over her forehead or else she might look like a cleaning lady! hehe. She looked at me weird.

Mutant Ladybugs

2009-10-21T21:23:00.004-04:00

Once upon a time (within the last 15 years or so) the farmers in our area were having problems with a sort of fungus or something destroying their crops so the scientists discovered a mutant ladybug that would eat the fungus and not harm the crop (or so the story goes...). So now every late October and the weather is nice we are bombarded with mutant ladybugs between the hours of 2 -5 p.m. We're not talking your adorable, bright red, cute little lady bugs here. We're talking about big, dull reddish brown, stupid mutant ladybugs. When I say bombarded I mean BOMBARDED! Just to step outside those suckers land all over you and in your hair and try their darnedest to follow you in the house. Once, at about this time of year, we painted our large oil tank outside and by the time we were done it was covered with said bugs just a wigglin and a squirmin away. Serves 'em right if you ask me. Anyway, outside is not the only problem. They crawl through any little window screen space and walk all over the windows and fly in crazy circular patterns above the lamps bashing their little bodies on the ceiling....very annoying! The most humane person will take a glass of water and gather the suckers in it and pour the water outside and save the bug. I am not one of those people. I get the vacuum out and suck them up, which is easy if they are just wondering around on a flat surface but it's trickier to suck up a free-flying one that is flying in a circular motion! You see the extension rod on the vacuum is only so long and pulling on it to reach the ceiling to chase down a bug is very tiring and takes determination! (and it probably looks totally ludicrous to anyone watching and not ticked off at a bug) Not only are these bug annoying because they attack you and crawl all over the house but they leave a very stinky stink if you tick them off. The smell is a sort of cross between metal and rotting...no, it smells like rotting metal (if that were possible.) So, every year they crawl out of hibernation, mate, and annoy us like crazy....thanks scientists!

Mindless Ramblings

2009-10-20T10:40:00.005-04:00

I spend most days being followed....I get up to do something and have at least 2 little critters at my heals wondering what I am going to do next. Fluke could really care less but Max and Tater notice my every move. When I go outside to the barn or building Tater will jump up and down at my side and I swear she is thinking..."where are we going? what are we going to do? I bet it'll be fun!? where are we going? oh, boy!" then she'll spot a grasshopper and run to chase it. In the evenings Max will come and sit at my feet and just look at me. He'll tilt his head and talk with his eyes, "you're going to do something interesting aren't you? Isn't it time for you to go to the bathroom? I'll follow you and make sure that everything is safe. It's dark in there you know!" Max, my ever devoted body guard wants to be the first in a room, or won't leave the door if it is shut (no matter what side of the door he is on!) A shut door some how creates little paws that appear under the door, just making sure that I know that they are there. You know, moral support.
Tater loves to keep tabs on the neighborhood (from inside the house). She'll start with a small bark and then break into a full fledged rampage! "I heard something about .4 miles from the house! I must go check it out and let everyone know that I heard it! I must go!" So out she goes and runs around and barks randomly.
I took the girls to the eye dr. for their annual eye exams. I went to the eye dr. at the super-duper deluxe WalMart in Hickory.....SOOOOO much easier than the dr. that is in town! First of all, the dr. in town is so booked that it takes nine (9) months to schedule an appointment and then it takes four (4) weeks for the glasses to come in and there are only a few frames to choose from. What a hassle and so I said forget that! errrrr.... Melia got her eyes examined (well, they actually took pictures of her eyes) in Pre-K and they recommend getting her to an eye dr. Well, they (the eye picture people) harassed me to see if I had taken her to get her eyes examed for months until I told them to basically buzz off. So, Melia wanted glasses and Sydney couldn't didn't want to waste her time with another eye exam. I made an appointment and took them in and come to find out that Melia doesn't need glasses (she was rather disappointed, let me tell ya) and Sydney's Rx changed a bit. So, Sydney picked out really cute purple frames and they arrived in a week! OMG, this was SOOOO much easier than the other BS I/we had to go through! Plus these frames (which were only $9!!) are guaranteed for a full year!
Now Sydney is stylin in her cute and trendy purple frames, short hair cut, and Old Navy wardrobe (we did some fall clothes shopping, had a good time too!).
Yes, my Sydney has hit her tween years. She is 10.5 going on 16...we even put her boobs in training! (don't tell her I'm letting all of you know) She is counting down the days until middle school and lockers. I'm looking forward to it also (not the locker part...well, you know what I mean). I really enjoyed middle school and I think that she will to. She's in the stage where I still exist but I need to keep my distance. She's always been a touch-me-not but now there is added eye rolling. hehe! Ah, the days of adolescents!
We, well Melia, now has a cat. She named him Smokey but I call him Mr. Cat and now everyone calls him Mr. Cat so that is his name. (I need to change his name at the vet's office) Anyway, he was going to be a mostly outside cat but he has become a full fledged inside cat because any pet that I invest $$ in at the vet is going to be well taken care of. I took that little guy for his shots and a check up and we walked out of there with vaccines and tests from everything from rabies to leukemia! (because who wants a cat with leukemia? the radiation treatments alone would kill him and who wants a bald cat?) He had ear mites and I had to put drops in his ears for 5 days. I still don't think he's forgiven me for that...you know how cats can be. Next is getting him fixed and declawed mostly because whenever we play with him we look like scratching posts....we must fix that!
And that's pretty much it peeps! Until next time...

Snail Love....

2009-09-19T21:08:00.005-04:00

Awww, snail love...:)

and I love this song....

C'mon It's funny!

2009-07-16T01:16:00.002-04:00

Getting married in a park you take a chance....

A Day at Kool Park

2009-07-15T22:02:00.003-04:00

We had a fun day at the Kool Park in Hickory today. Sydney of course, hit the high dive first thing and she said that she wanted to beat her record of 11 jumps, well she did! I asked her on the ride home and she said that she jumped 25 times! sheesh! Next year it will be 51! umm...maybe 30.

Melia enjoyed the bigger part of the pool more this year. She learned how to turn front flips under water and was simply ecstatic! We found a nice shady place (far away from the bee ridden trash cans!!!) and had a picnic.
Both girls had a grand time!

Sydney made a friend and the three girls went down the water slide backwards choo-choo style.

Doggy Place Mat

2009-07-09T14:14:00.005-04:00

I was at Wal-Mart yesterday and decided that my dogs deserve a little more class, so I got this doggy 'place mat'. My dogs are messy drinkers and the floor under the water dish was getting very dirty/nasty and this helps with that. I want to get a steam mop soon because my floor is practically impossible to get really clean (Carolina clay is a bugger!). Nice huh? I think so! It's the little things that make a big difference.

New Pool

2009-07-09T12:03:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the guys from Ken Ray Pools came and put up our pool! It's an 18 foot round above ground pool. I was amazed that it only took one day to put up! They did a great job and I am just loving looking at it, it's so nice! We should be able to get into it later today after the guys come back to make sure the pump runs smoothly. It took about18 hours to fill it up with water.

They got to my house at 8:00a and when I woke up at 9:00a this is how far they got. First they scraped the sod off with the bobcat and then put a layer of gravel dust/sand to level out the circle. The main guy (in the hat) I forgot his name, said that there isn't a level yard in Burke County. lol.

Then they put down a circle of what looked like roofing shingles to bolt the track for the outside of the pool. The outside of the pool was all one piece that they rolled out and bolted together. The whole process was very interesting.

Then they set out those side braces, and put in some more sand inside to make the bottom level.

I didn't see them put in the liner, they were just to quick I guess. There were so many different liners to choose from so I just went with the one the guy said was the most popular and the prettiest. He was right. I am very happy with it!

Then they hammered on the top rim.

Here she is! The ladder is really cool. The outside ladder part flips up and can be locked so no one gets in, which will be great until we can get a deck put up. (They do that in the off season.)

I should have moved the poll. lol. Ohhhhh, aaawwww!

After the deck is up I want to do some landscaping. I'm so happy with the pool!! Yay!

The Beach...Again

2009-06-24T13:26:00.008-04:00

Last weekend my girls and I went to a beautiful 10 year vow renewal ceremony on the beach for my bff. The trip was an adventure for sure (365 mile drive with just my girls made me a little nervous) and the ceremony was simply beautiful. The beach was lined with houses and the beaches were very private, a much different atmosphere than the commercial Myrtle Beach. It was nice. The girls enjoyed making sand castles and the beach had lots of shells to gather.

We got to hang out at the beach all day before the ceremony. You can't beat a nice relaxing day at the beach!

The vow renewal ceremony was just lovely! Teena and Brian walking the isle...

Teena gave Melia the special job of "shell girl" (instead of flower girl) She felt soooo special and happy to be involved! The girls gathered the shells earlier that day and picked out just the right ones. Melia handed out the shells and we all threw them into the ocean as a part of the ceremony.

Here we are with the "newlyweds"....

The pictures that they had taken were just so beautiful! So I snagged some to put here. These guys are so great...

This is one of my favorites! I love the look on Brian's face and to see Teena laying in a white dress in the sand and surf is just not something that you'll see very often!

A beautiful smile!

2009-06-18T12:57:00.004-04:00

Today Sydney got her braces off! She had her teeth cleaned just a few days ago so she has a beautiful gleaming smile!

What her smile looked like one year ago...

And today!....

Her back teeth are still coming in so the orthodontist put in a semi permeate retainer that is glued to the back of her front top four teeth. I'm glad it's glued in there...it won't get lost or thrown out that way!

Beach Trip 09

2009-06-16T11:55:00.008-04:00

This past weekend we went to Myrtle Beach, SC. We had a great time! Our good friend Ken came along with us so I got to have the back seat all to myself. (easier to catch some Z's!) This was my view on our way there.

Peace up!

We set up the car DVD players and the girls watched some videos and watched the scenery. They traveled really nicely this year. The trip took us about 6.5 hours.

This was my view of Chris. Don't you love the fuzzy handcuffs that I have on the mirror?

We stayed at a nice hotel along the coast but our view was a side view of the beach. It seems that you either get a nice suite with an OK view or a nice view with an OK suite. A suite works best for us because we like to bring some of our own food.

This was our hotel looking at it from the beach. The kitchen faucet was a bit loose so Chris tightened it up. Such a handy man to have around!

We don't have any palm trees at home so I always like to get a picture of some. They seem to grow were it's really hot, sandy and flat....not a place I want to hang my hat permanently.

We stayed on the 14th floor and spent a lot of our time in the elevator.....picking people up and dropping them off.

I really do wonder why hotels don't have buttons for the 13th floor. Does that mean that the 14th floor is the actual 13th floor or is there a floor that they use for something else? Could it be a floor to another dimension? weird...

When we finally did make it off of the elevator we had a grand time swimming in the ocean. The water was a great temperature and the waves were the perfect size for some boogie boarding. Sydney and Melia caught some serious waves...

Melia found a friend to play with in the sand....

I love how this picture turned out of Sydney! It's really hard to tell how the pictures look because the sun is so bright!

Ken and Chris pretty much looked like this during the day...beach bums!

The hotel had a lot of nice pools.

The main pool had a swim up bar....

Me and my girls with their new sunglasses!

I had Chris take a picture of me as proof that I was actually there on vacation and not just as a photographer. Ta-da!

The beach can really wear you out!

Had to stop at Wal-Mart before we went home....

I came home exhausted but this is only the beginning of our summer. We will go back to the coast this weekend to see a good friend of mine renew some wedding vows, Sydney has camp, we're going up to PA, the list goes on and on....just hope we all make it with our sanity!

Baby Jibber Jabber

2009-06-05T18:34:00.003-04:00

Let me just say that Laurie Eller has a fabulous blog that I follow daily. She makes beautiful beads and jewelery! Well, I was looking at her blog and saw this precious clip one of her friends gave her. This baby girl has obviously had a great day and wants to talk all about it. Some great things happened and Momma was there too! LOL! Reminds me of when Sydney would go on and on at about this age.

Thanks Laurie for the great clip!

Melia's Graduation

2009-06-05T14:27:00.013-04:00

Today Melia graduated from pre-k! yay! The class sang some songs for all the parents. It was so darling! Awww....

I was sitting on the front row (I'm a dedicated parent. lol) so it took two pictures to get the entire class.The class is very unique. There are 3 little deaf boys, all have their own interpreters, 2 kids who have deaf parents, and 3 kids who have parents who are teachers (the principle's son is in the class also). It's been a wonderful year in a wonderful class. Melia opened the program with a welcome....wait for it.....

I'm not quite sure how I have the tallest kid in the class? Seriously, she'd like 4 inches taller than everyone else!

Then they sang a song with sign language. You can tell who uses sign language at home! lol. so cute!

They also got to demonstrate a song that they learned in kindermusic. This is an African song game. The kids loved this...

Melia getting her diploma from Mrs. Isbell.

A proud moment...::sniff sniff::

The class...

Cute chipmunk

2009-06-03T17:40:00.002-04:00

This little guy is just too cute! I want one!

Dog Squats

2009-05-27T15:59:00.001-04:00

Our pool exploded and the clouds were pretty

2009-05-26T21:43:00.007-04:00

It has been raining, and raining, and raining. Well, our pool didn't fair very well because the ground sank beneath the legs... It put up a good fight, became lop sided and then exploded. The kids of the neighborhood enjoyed it for a few swims. This afternoon Sydney noticed a leak (more like a mini fountain) so I duct taped it (because Red Green seems to know how to fix things with duct tape and they seemed to work. :) ) I had a gut feeling that I needed to just give up on the P.O.S (piece of shit...yeah, I'm ticked) so while I was looking on-line for the price of above ground pools I hear a "whoosh" yeah the pool exploded all over the already soaked yard....I laughed so I wouldn't cry. The little hole became a 5 foot hole, and gushed out a bunch of water, OK, all the water.....

"Hey Pa, let's go out to the Wal-Mart and get us a swimmin' pool" (run away Pa, run away fast!)...yeah, that'll be worth it! NO! it will look like this next year!

After our pool exploded all over our yard, I noticed that the clouds were just simply gorgeous!!! so I took some pictures.....

So, our pool exploded and clouds have silver linings...or are just really pretty.

Why We Have A Deck

2009-05-22T20:02:00.007-04:00

Why do we have a new(ish) deck? So we can hang all the towels of course!

The neighborhood children came over to swim. I went out to check on them and they seemed to be having a really good time so I jumped in with all my clothes on! They were totally surprised and we had a really good time! (I rock!)

I recently found Max's old collar and decided that he needed to wear it....he hasn't been too thrilled with my decision. He seems to resent me for domesticating him. Just look at the humiliation in his eyes....poor guy.

And Tater is doing really great!! She has the 9 lives of a cat...well, 7 now. She's a strong chick! Yeah, she's gorgeous.

What's Growing On

2009-05-20T14:57:00.004-04:00

I thought that I would show off my potted plants because they are doing REALLY well! Yay!

The yellow flowers have been kinda choked out....oh, well.
These yellow flowers are doing a little better...

The pot by the back door isn't filling out as much really but that's probably just because of the type of plants.

Family Genes

2009-05-17T23:45:00.002-04:00

Tonight as I was putting Sydney to bed (way to late by any parents standards). I watched as she checked all the things that needed to be checked....you know, if everything was in order. She has to check if her school things have been signed....five or six times! Are her things in order??? Did she put her laptop (yes, I got her a laptop from a friend for her birthday...) and all the things that go with it, in their proper places, and so on. Well, as I was putting her to bed tonight, I remarked how she was just like her grandparents (my parents) ANAL! Not to mention my grandparents (her great-grandparents) and her aunts and uncle (basically my entire side of the family) and she says to me....now write this down because it's priceless..."We're only anal because we care." LOL. Out of the mouths of babes...
A place for everything and everything in it's place.

A graduation

2009-05-11T20:39:00.004-04:00

Today I had the great honor of attending a long-time friend's graduation. Teena and I were in high school together and we've just recently been reunited (thanks facebook!). After all these years we are still bff's...aren't we cute? I'm so proud of her!

Congrats Teena!!!!

Cat in a suitcase

2009-05-07T13:58:00.001-04:00

5:32 p.m.

2009-05-06T17:35:00.005-04:00

I've been quite board so I decided to take pictures of what happened at 5:32 p.m. here at my house. Turns out it really isn't all that boring! I looked outside and the trees were swaying in the breeze, but this is a still picture so I guess this is just a picture of it growing...

Tater was relaxing, turns out she's REALLY long....

Then the dogs were lazily playing.....

Melia got all dolled up (she's practicing on high heels)...

Sydney was walking around....
and that's what happened at 5:32 p.m.

Good ol' Tater and some horseback riding

2009-05-03T19:15:00.004-04:00

Well, Tater is back to her playful self as of this morning. She is eating and drinking like normal and has put on a few ounces. She weighed in at 10 lbs when she went to the hospital. Now, you need to know that she is about 14 inches tall and nothing but legs and a few ounces is completely noticeable on her. I tried to take some lively pictures of her but all she wanted to do is lay down and spread her legs for a good rub down. :)

Miss leggy herself! lol
Boy, Max is really content now that Tater is back! AWWW!

and Tater is content just to feel better! She is such a fighter! GO GIRL! If she were a cat she'd only have 7 lives left....let's hope she uses the next 14 years to use them up!

When I took Fluke in to get her shots Max tried and tried to get into the car. I think that he felt a little abandoned. Tater was gone and now Fluke was on her way out...OMG! He wasn't that comforted when I told him that I'd return with Fluke in tow in about an hour. He probably heard this..."blah,blah, Max. blah, blah, blah, Fluke. blah, blah, blah, good boy! blah, blah!" and I drove a way. Needless to say, he was happy to see her about an hour later. All is good with my pups.
Next thing...
Melia loves horses and riding on them, good thing because that's Chris' favorite thing! Sunday is the best day for riding and Melia got to drive the mule herself! yay! Spanky is about 17 years old and about as rambunctious as a turtle, so he is the best animal to learn on, well almost. You see he likes to walk a few paces and then stop and admire life's beauty (I guess that's what he's doing) so Chris taught Melia that you need to make him go! Yeah, and they traveled about 10 paces and Spanky decided to enjoy the view!...again. LOL

some instruction.....

Melia got a few rounds in the yard without Chis holding on, but it was s-l-o-w going...LOL!

Homecoming

2009-05-01T19:34:00.005-04:00

I went in to check on Tater this afternoon with the girls and found that they had taken her off of the IV! I was so happy! I could actually pick her up and hold her! Yay! They said that she was ready to go and acted like she missed home. Unfortunately, little Oliver (the dog suffering from Provo in the cage below Tater) didn't make it. :( Max and Tater were so happy to see each other and get to play again. The vet bill was surprisingly reasonable she was in the pet hospital for 3 days and 3 nights, sent home with a round of antibiotic, and is alive all for $375. Well worth the money. Oh, and another accomplishment is that this is my 100th post! Thank you all for keeping up with my life! LOL

Video of Cockatoo Dancing

2009-05-01T08:11:00.001-04:00

Have you seen this??? Way to cute.....the aawww of the day.

A Better Day...

2009-04-30T12:23:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I took Max in to the vet to get him vaccinated and look in on Tater. She looked really bad. :( She was rather lifeless and didn't want to be bothered. Today I took Fluke in to get her up on her shots and then looked in on Tater. She looked soooo much better! She was sitting up and had a slight sparkle in her eyes. She was happy to see me and had been eating and drinking a little. She had a cute bright pink bandage with dog prints on it. I thought it was a nice touch, kind of like the colorful bandages they give kids in the hospital. The vet said that they were going to change her medication for vomiting since she was having a slight problem still keeping food on her stomach. The vet also said that it was good that Tater hadn't had any diarrhea during this whole ordeal, which means a faster recovery. If all goes well, Tater might be coming home some time tomorrow afternoon. (keep your fingers crossed and all the thoughts and prayers coming) Now all the dogs are vaccinated and up-to-date with all their shots. ::phew!:: There is one other little pup at the pet hospital named Oliver going through the Provo treatment. I think that he's also doing well. He looks a lot like Max and is just the sweetest little guy. I didn't take any pictures because I don't really want to remember a sickly looking Tater. Anyway, I think that she's over the worst of it all but not out of the woods just yet.

After I got home from all my running around I saw a Ginny in the tree....

And boy are they annoying! Just imagine 4 of these guys sitting outside your bedroom window screaming their heads off while you try to sleep! errrr....

Not the best day....

2009-04-28T23:47:00.004-04:00

A few days ago Tater wasn't acting like herself. She didn't want to do her usual 8:00 a.m. romp-and-stomp around the house with Max. Then she lost her appetite. So I made an appointment to take her to the vet. Well, when it came close to time to take her to the doctor I couldn't find her. Chris found her sitting by the barn all hot (it was about 85* out) and we were worried. She ate some and licked at some water and went to lay down. After he found her I rescheduled her appointment for the next day. Well, that night she went and drank some water and then jumped up on the couch and I sat on the floor in front of her and, the poor dear, threw up all the water that she had just drank. BIG RED FLAG!!! I made sure to keep her in the house the next morning so that we could make it to her 11 a.m. appointment. The morning of the appointment I went and installed some Norton software on mom's computer and I told her about Tater and her hydration issues and mom mentioned parvo.....uh oh. I remember Marsha's hard time with the dreaded virus, and Tony with his issues with parvo... NOT GOOD NEWS!!! Needless to say that I was distraught when I took my little Tater to her appointment. Thoughts of having to put Tater to sleep to keep her from all the treatments ran through my head!!! Well, when I got to the vet's office there was a nice older lady in the waiting area with a cute little white dog (you know the kind you carry around with you everywhere?) and when she saw me teary-eyed holding a very sick pup she also became teary-eyed and tried to make me feel better, which she did. (nice lady) Anyway, the doctor tested my little Tater and she tested positive for parvo.....great... I opted to admit Tater into the pet hospital and have an IV put in. The vet said that she hadn't lost a puppy due to parvo who was admitted to the hospital....I still broke down....this is Tater we are talking about here! While we were waiting for the doctor to examine her, I was holding Tater in my arms and she layed her head on my shoulder and I had the thought, 'I saved her one time (the rest of the litter died) I'll be damned if I'll let parvo take her'! I also promised her the night before that I was not going to give up on her, and that I would make everything all better. I haven't felt this way since Sydney was just born and had to stay in the hospital an extra few days. (I didn't leave her either)
Medicine has come a long way and now the treatment isn't all that bad. I called this evening and Tater is doing ok, she's resting nicely and no vomiting or diarrhea. It will take a few days for my little one to come home. Max misses her. He took out a toy and started squeaking it in front of me and when I threw it he just looked around wanting someone to play with....we all miss Tater. ::sigh:: Max has an appointment tomorrow to get his parvo booster (I'll be dammed if he gets sick!) and I'll see how Tater is doing then. Not the best day.

Sydney's Birthday "Party"

2009-04-27T08:47:00.011-04:00

For Sydney's birthday this year I encouraged Sydney to just have one or two friends over for a slumber party instead of the whole pricey, stressful (at least for me) traditional party. It turned out FABULOUSLY! Sydney's bff, Makenna, came over and Chris and I took the girls out to Pizza Hut. They had their own booth. Chris and I felt like we were just on a chaperoned date. lol.

After pizza we went and played putt-putt. The girls had never played before! Can you believe it?? Needless to say, everyone had a great time.

There wasn't any water going through the water falls, but the little water that was in the pools was FILLED with tadpoles! All that black is the tadpoles. I would love to do a time laps video and watch all the little frogs that hop out of there!

It threatened to storm on us but just made for a very nice lightning show.....and a nice sunset.

After we were done outside we went in to play some arcade games. They had a Tarheel basketball game, which Sydney loved....go figure!

Then they got to play some Guitar Hero....

We didn't do the birthday cake until lunch the next day. I bought a little cake and had some script put on it. It turned out real sweet....

Red Green

2009-04-21T14:43:00.001-04:00

I can't believe that I missed the Red Green duct tape signing! bummer!

Red Green reminds me of dad....makes me smile:)

Indoor Skydiving

2009-04-14T19:06:00.005-04:00

The last day of our anniversary trip we did something like this...well the beginner version... I want this job!!!

Just for Beauty....

2009-04-11T19:02:00.005-04:00

This afternoon Melia and I headed off to the grocery store and I decided to stop by Lowes and look into the large flower pots that I want to put on my deck. I had checked out the large pots at Wal-Mart so I had an idea about what I wanted to get. Well, I priced the pots at Lowes and they were twice as much!!! So we headed to Wal-Mart and I bought 2 smallish pots, 12' diameter, and one large pot, 24' diameter. I found that Lowes had arrangements already put together for pots. Yay! That saved me a lot of looking!

Our back door (the one most used) was less than welcoming. I'm embarrassed to post this quite frankly.

It took Chris, Melia, Sydney, and me about 15 to get the porch cleaned up and the flowers planted and now I am proud to have people come to my back door. The pot by the back door turned out to be my favorite. Geraniums are my least favorite flower and this pot has 3 pink ones, but they will look very nice here. Melia was a big help with the shopping, planting, and watering and is looking forward to all the watering this summer! It should be fun watching the plants fill in.

The Sky

2009-04-06T22:55:00.004-04:00

This evening the sky was simply gorgeous! Gorgeous and friggin COLD!

This one is my favorite.

Our Anniversary Trip

2009-04-06T19:42:00.021-04:00

On April 4th Chris and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary! We took a weekend trip out to Gatlinburg, TN and had a wonderful time. Gatlinburg is a 2.5 hour drive from home and was quite enjoyable since the weather was so nice. Our first stop was a place called Wonder Works. The outside of the building is upside down and the inside is 3 floors of lots of different exhibits.

The lobby of Wonder Works
There was a space room with flight simulators and this cool space suit.

There was an art floor with optical illusions. One piece was particularly cool it's made of iron...
Then when you turn the overhead light on it, this is what the shadow looks like....cool!

When we were done at Wonder Works we found a room at the Clarion, which was walking distance from all the shops and attractions of main street. We were greeted by this guy (I think it was suppose to be a bunny) I should do this with our towels and wash cloths....yeah, right!
And I felt great knowing that the strip of paper was put on the john for our protection.
I just though that this looked silly.We had a great view of the Smoky Mountains!

Once we got situated in our room, we went out and hit the streets. I had to get a picture of Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurant.....Bubba was Forrest's best good friend!

And we found a happy place....:)

This guy made me smile, I guess this was One Happy Place....lol We made our way down to Ripley's Aquarium....such an awesome place! We went to the aquarium at Myrtle Beach last summer and just had to check this one out too. We saw big catfish (though not as big as Chris thinks! LOL).
This picture turned out really cool...
While going through the underwater tunnel, a fish caught my eye (it freaked me out actually!). It looked like it was sitting on the outside of the glass. I thought, "Holy crap!!! Loose fish!!!"
Kitty tells me this is a cuddlefish....odd looking fellow.
And then we saw the creepiest mothers!!! Spider Crabs....OMG! These guys were 3 feet wide (at least). The lighting didn't help the creepy factor! The video needs music, I know, just hum some sinister music.....

The Jellyfish were just so pretty....(someone answer that child!!!) Again, needs music, ummmm...hum some very lovely music for this one.

I had never seen a stingray dance like this guy before....go ray, go ray, go ray it's your birthday! .......Party music obviously!

We had dinner at a nice little cafe/pub. There was live music and a nice view of the street below, good for some people-watching.

Chris' meal came with a fried pickle of all things! Huh!

Our waitress was very nice and took our picture.

Still in love after 11 years of marriage.....aawwww!

The next day we floated in a wind tunnel like skydivers! I purchased the video and I'll share that sometime. Fun! Fun! Fun! We are exciting people I tell ya!

Then we went home.

The End

Num num num!!!!

2009-04-03T22:57:00.004-04:00

AAwwwwwww!!!! I didn't realize how much of an animal lover I actually was/am until I started to blog....wow! Kids and animals seem to be my main subjects, but who in their right mind doesn't think that watching little hamsters eat is not just the cutest thing???? (probably the lady standing on the chair!) I just love to watch rodents eat!

I'm 30!

2009-03-24T13:26:00.007-04:00

Saturday was my 30th birthday so on Friday I went out with two of my good friends. We went to eat at a restaurant called Fatz (there used to be a restaurant next to it called Slims! LOL) Good friends, good times, and good drinks!

Me and Teena.

Teena's husband, Brian, took some really good pictures of us.

These girls are hilarious.... We went back to Teena's house and played some Rock Band....this was my first time and it took lots of concentration! Love the look on Felicia's face! Too funny!!! LOL I don't think that we will be doing a tour any time soon. It felt like we were back in high school, which is the last time the 3 of us got together. You can't beat a girl's night out!
And today I got some highlights put in my hair. Charlie always does the greatest job.

Really Cool!

2009-03-09T09:22:00.002-04:00

What will they think of next??

It's a Ruff Life...

2009-03-03T00:31:00.003-05:00

I was about to go to bed, took a look at my couch, and realized that my dogs have it so hard....

Chris says that they are spoiled.....I just don't see it. hehe....Doesn't every dog fall asleep on a blanket on the couch???

Kids in the snow

2009-03-02T23:08:00.005-05:00

I did get some pictures of the girls in the snow. Sydney made a "portable" snowman. LOL!

And Melia braved our steep hill in the backyard!

Kids....Sheesh!

2009-03-02T22:57:00.004-05:00

You can supply your little girl with a $200 Barbie dream house....

And she'll bring home a Styrofoam box, color it, and play with IT more! Will I never learn? LOL!

Snow!

2009-03-02T11:35:00.005-05:00

Last night it snowed! We got about 5 inches. Yesterday (Sunday) Chris got called into work to help put chains on the town trucks. I'm glad he has a job that he really likes and finds interesting! Here are some pictures from around my house...

My kids have discovered that snow looks a lot more fun on TV. Snow is hard to walk in, cold when it gets in your boots, and hard to make into a snowman! But it is very exciting to look at and you don't have to go to school!

Just FYI...Today is grandma's birthday and she is 85!

Life is Good!

2009-02-28T21:17:00.003-05:00

Tater likes to chillax on my bed...and from the looks of things, life is smooooth sailin'!

From the looks of her ears she might be part rabbit!

High Water Bill? Have A Cat??

2009-02-28T20:41:00.003-05:00

I just had to post this again....classic!

Technology can be confusing!

2009-02-17T00:26:00.002-05:00

A New Door

2009-02-15T15:54:00.006-05:00

Today we went out and bought a new back door. Our old one was just worn out. It wouldn't close unless you slammed it and then Max would just walk up to it and push the door open...errrr. Our old door was your typical solid mobile home door...

See how the stupid thing wouldn't latch? We had to put a sliding lock on it to keep it shut. So, we obviously couldn't lock it with out sliding the one lock and then going out the front door (which locks)

The new door has a window! Aahhh...and is white on both sides...aahhhh!

But, unfortunately the new door is white and the window lets in sunlight which shows how incredibly dirty my walls have become!!! Who did that? and why hasn't the maid cleaned that?

Cats are so cute...

2009-02-07T23:20:00.001-05:00

awww.....LOL!

Dog Bones

2009-02-03T22:10:00.004-05:00

My neighbor Robert raises pigs, has them slaughtered, and gives us some of the outcome. Well, I cooked up some parts (I'm not sure what parts???) Most of what I cooked tonight was bone, so after we scraped the meat off of the bone, it went to the dogs.

I had to separate Max (he's a thief!) from Tater so I built a not-so-great-but-will-do-the-trick wall of kitchen chairs...

Tater really enjoyed her share!

Then Fluke appeared and wondered what was going on so I gave her some of the good stuff. I felt confident in Flukes ability to hold her own against Max so the two of them were in the kitchen. Fluke can really tell Max where to go, and to stay the hell out of her way! LOL (She's such an ornery old cuss!)

Pore old biddy doesn't even have all of her teeth...
Don't bother feeling sorry for this guy!
He gets his....yeah, when I leave the house I find things on the floor that WERE on the kitchen table! errrr...he looks so innocent...but OMG is he loyal to me, never leaves my side! He is my buddy....the stinker!

The Party!

2009-02-01T17:04:00.016-05:00

Yesterday was the big shin-dig! Melia and 13 of her closest friends (LOL, I don't even have 13 close friends!) all got to play at Bouncin' Kids. All her friends had a fab time! I think that this clip sums up what the kids got to do...

Sydney really enjoyed the big bounce around. She and Little B played in there a lot. Sydney did some tricks...

and then her legs stuck up! LOL!

I couldn't get any good pictures of Little B because she never is still, but I did get this one...
One of the inflatable slides was a giant dinosaur and I thought it was most funny that some of the kids were climbing into the end...nice....! This is Zoey looking into the dino butt!

While the kids were playing, us adults got to sit around and visit. I got a nice picture of mom...

Melia had lots of fun on one of the slides!

After an hour and 45 min we went to the party room. The employees set up the room and even passed out the pizza. I didn't have to do anything. There was a huge inflated chair that the b-day kid sits in to open the presents, it was really cool. I took my turn sitting in it!

And Sydney, too!

And Melia, posing!...

Everyone had a really good time! Here's a nice pic of all the kids around the chair...

Unfortunately, everyone that I am close to had to leave early. Mom went to Hickory to get together with some friends, Chris and Sydney had to get to her basketball game, Lynda left with Becky (Little B had a slight injury tyring to get to the presents) so I felt a little out of my element. You see, half of the parents were deaf and I found myself at a loss. (I so need to brush up on my sign language!) Everyone was very nice and I think that we all got our point across in our communication. One of the dads offered to take pictures while Melia opened the gifts. (I was so grateful!)

There are a few kids that are deaf and others only have deaf parents, so it was a little confusing...I just tried to communicate with everyone as best as I could...what else could I do? After all the guests were gone I loaded up the car and paid the bill. I was a little overwhelmed by the entire experience so it wasn't until I got home that I reviewed the bill. We had a 14 kid party with 3 pizzas (pizzas are extra $) but they only billed me for a 7 kid party with 1 pizza! I'm not quite sure what happened but I saved about $60! I'm not going to argue.

After the party Melia and I headed off to Sydney's Basketball game where we saw Melia's friend (who was at the party) and they came and sat by us. Kierra (Melia's friend) was absolutely tired until she saw Melia. Kierra's parents are deaf and, I must say, 'talking' with them was much easier for me at the game than at the party. It's easier to communicate when there are a lot of big body/facial expressions.

I took some pics of Sydney's game (she's in the front of the pic, #30)

Sydney's game went into overtime, and it was a real nail-bitter! Unfortunately, they lost 9 to 11 but it was a great game!

Melia's Birthday

2009-01-30T18:42:00.008-05:00

Today my baby turned 5! I spent the day making lasungna (a labor of love) and birthday cake and wrapping presents. I took some cupcakes to Melia's class and all the kids were very excited about the big party tomorrow! After the girls got back from school, Sydney and I hid Melia's presents. (a long time family tradition) The hunt for presents is the highlight of a birthday! Appliances are a great place to hide! It took two times looking into the dishwasher for her to find her new Build-a-Bear game for Nintendo DS! lol

I didn't go crazy with the presents because she'll get plenty tomorrow. She was very greatful for what she did get, which is always nice.

When Chris came home we sat down to a nice family meal, the first time in.....um....lets see it's now 2009....well, anyway it's been a long time! I found a few decorations and we all had a nice dinner. We talked about our day and everyone had great manners! An extraordanary dinner experience, I can't get over it!

The girls played with Melia's presents while I got everything ready...

The 'few' decorations...lol

Sydney actually got some time to play around with her dad...look at that smile!

Then we had cake! Chocolate with chocolate frosting! yummm!

With star candles

And we topped it all off with a song. Instead of a picture I took a video clip...(love tecnology!)

A busy day

2009-01-29T22:42:00.005-05:00

This morning Little B came to visit me while Lynda went to a Dr. appointment. Little B is talking a lot more. Lynda told me that Little B went to bed last night saying, "Aunt B house...bath. Aunt B house...bath." Needless to say that when I keep Little B during the day (when my kids are gone) I let her play in the bathtub. I think its great because it keeps her busy and she thinks it's great because, hey, what 2 yr old doesn't like to play in the tub? She comes out of the tub all wrinkly and I always threaten to eat her fingers! Cute kid!

After B left I headed out to the hot tub room to workout on my elliptical. I have a 30th birthday coming up in 8 weeks and I want to fit in my pants! I also want to have family pictures taken this spring and I want to look good. I have a closet full of nice clothes that I can't seem to squeeze all of my body into, and I will not buy bigger clothes...period.

Well, before I knew it, it was time for kids to be home. Sydney had a skate night for school. It's a reward for all the students that reached their reading goal for this nine weeks. This was the first time she reached her goal and she was very proud. So, I dropped her off, and Melia and I went to the grocery store to pick up some cupcakes that I will take to school tomorrow for her birthday. (I told Melia not to go to bed tonight so that she would stay four, but she told me that she would still turn five even if she stayed up all night. lol.) Sydney had basketball practice after skating so Chris had to pick up Sydney from the skating rink and take her to practice and then I pick her up from practice. ::phew:: I stay home to put Melia to bed because basketball practice is from 8:15 to 9:15 p.m. Needless to say that Sydney was exhausted when she went to bed and so was I! Drop them off, pick them up, take them here, take them there, and then put them to bed! Can anyone say, "Mom Taxi?" lol (Marsha, I don't know how you dedicate yourself to it all the time!) During the blurr of the day, Melia brought out one of her doll beds and Tater decided that she liked it very much....

She looks like a psycho dog! but we love her. Today she learned to jump up on the couch, which saves the aggravation of tyring to catch her (she jumps around A LOT!) and pull her onto the couch myself. One of her favorite things to play with is the eyeball off of her toy flea, which she has in her mouth in this picture...or maybe it's a pull string that turns on the light in her eyes?! LOL!

Then when I wanted to take more pictures of her, she started to lick my camera! She's gorgeous...

This has been a busy day, and it will be a very busy weekend. Tomorrow I cook birthday cake and lasagna! yum...

Natures Beauty

2009-01-28T18:09:00.004-05:00

The girls were sooo excited that it had started to snow...Melia would have watched it all night!

We got all of about 2 inches, and out near town they only got a dusting. The kids were already out of school (yes, they would cancel school for this little bit of snow) so there won't be any make up days.

It really was quite pretty...

The snow was gone in two days. (yay!)

The sunset was so beautiful this evening....

I've been busy planning Melia's birthday party on Sat. All 14 children (or rather their parents) have R.S.V.P.ed! Wow! I've never had 100% turn out for a party before! It's going to be at a really cool place called Bouncin' Kids. They have a bunch of inflatable slides and jumpy things. A big bonus is they supply everything but the cake! ::phew:: Should be a great time! I'll LYK.

It's snowing....

2009-01-19T19:20:00.001-05:00

OMG it's snowing here in western North Carolina!..... we might get a total of 3 inches by daybreak!

Times, They are are a'changin'!

2009-01-16T21:43:00.005-05:00

A quick note... I now have to yell at Sydney (9) not because she is acting out or a bad kid but because she is listening to her ipod! You could say to her, "You're shoes smell like really bad garbage!" and she would dance around and say, "What!?" and so the conversation would go. Actually it could be quite funny....you could yell anything you want to....I love the whole growing up thing!!! She rolls her eyes when I sing the songs that she is listneing to. LOL! I am so uncool, which is so funny!

It's Darn Cold!

2009-01-16T21:21:00.005-05:00

It is quite frankly COLD! the high today is 29 degrees and for NC that's cold! Last night it was single digits (low of 7) and almost froze our pipes and tonight is suppose to be colder. The only reason (I believe) that our pipes didn't freeze last night is because our bathroom faucet is leaky...all the time! for the past year we've meant to fix the dam thing but it never gets done. On top of it all, Melia has been home with a serious cold. We (Melia and I) have been snuggled up on the couch under MANY blankets all afternoon watching movies like "SpiderWick Chronicles" and "Night at the Museum". Then she got tired and fell asleep....

Poor dear, she should be feeling better soon. At least she doesn't go back to school until Wed. The Dr. said that it wasn't anything serious, just the common cold. Man I hate winter! Thank God everyday is just one day closer to spring!

Tater

2009-01-13T00:30:00.007-05:00

My little Tater has found the coveted place in front of the heater. Usually Fluke sits there when it's cold but Tater has found that this is the place to be when Fluke isn't around....

My little darling is very good at peeing on the puppy pee pads but leaves crap all over! err! She's only 3 months old so I cut her some slack. :) I believe she thinks her name is 'Tater Gorgeous' (I tell her she's gorgeous all the time) but she does come to just plain Tater. She also thinks that she is as vicious as a doberman and gets really mad at fleas (no matter how I try to get rid of the fleas she always seems to have one that just won't quit). She seems to be growing (much to my dismay) and doesn't exactly fit the spot by my laptop anymore. She kept chasing/biting my fingers when I would type!

She is now more comfortable laying between my legs on the other side of my laptop (which is a perminate fixture to my lap)...looks comfy!

All-in-all she's one good pup!

Life in general

2009-01-10T19:12:00.004-05:00

It's been awhile since I blogged so I'll catch you all up. Christmas was good, after all my shopping, money spending, boxing, wrapping, and placing the presents under the tree, the girls took all of seven (7) minuets to open all the gifts....wow. I got Sydney a wii and Melia got the baby that she had been wanting along with most all of everything else that they wanted.

Also on Christmas day we put our trampoline back together. The wind had blown the entire thing into the woods and bent up the frame pretty bad. We now have the trampoline securely staked down with rope and twisty stakes, like the ones you use to stake you dog in the yard. It's a good thing too because the wind really whips around here in the winter! Actually it whips pretty hard in the fall, winter and spring but not a lick in the summer....sux!

I finally got around to cleaning out Melia's room. Sydney has outgrown Barbies and Melia really wanted them all moved into her room. That meant a serious clean out because her room is about the size of a large walk-in closet. I didn't take any before pictures, just look at the after pictures and imagine stuff everywhere.

All-in-all I took out 3 bags of trash (little toys and crap that accumulates), a very large bag of stuffed animals and extra dolls, and a little tykes doll house. It took me four hours to go through all of her stuff, I even cleaned out her closet! Melia has not missed any of the things that I took out, mostly because of all the 'new' Barbie stuff. She was very pleased with her 'new' room.

Everyone Should Get A Moose

2008-12-31T00:47:00.003-05:00

and learn to speak Scottish! (I think)

The Chrismas Play

2008-12-23T16:21:00.004-05:00

Last Sunday night my girls were in the Christmas play at our church. They were kings/wise men because our church seems to have way more girls than boys. Sydney was decked out in purple and ivory and Melia was well....from China I guess.

The kids sang a little...and Melia attacks!

My first Christmas get together

2008-12-23T16:00:00.007-05:00

Last night I hosted my first Christmas get together. It went really well I think. My mom, my grandparents, my aunt Nadean, and my brother's family all came for desert and exchanging gifts. The menu was small, Jell-O no bake cheese cake, and Jell-O peanutbutter desert. Yumm! The kids were loud and crazy... as were the adults! LOL!

A rare moment when my brother doesn't run away from a camera!

Melia was very helpful with the party, she is a natural hostess.

Mom and Sydney...

Overall, the evening was a big sucess and everyone agreed that I should do this agian next year. (I wasn't so sure...I didn't know that these things take so much work! LOL)

Television Man

2008-12-20T15:51:00.001-05:00

I did it! I did it!

2008-12-18T15:48:00.004-05:00

Well, Monday was the big day...Graduation! There were about 300 of us graduating. I must say that I giggled to myself seeing all the professors walking in with their brightly colored robes and weird shaped hats.

The cap made me look bald, but other than that I felt great! (See Sydney hiding behind me? lol)

And so now it's off to work...

Go Heels!

2008-12-14T17:27:00.022-05:00

Yesterday we went to Chapel Hill, NC for the annual coach Roy Williams kids basketball clinic. We left early (7 a.m.) and drove 3 1/2 hours while the kids watched Elf and Everyones Hero on the DVD players that hang on the back of the front seats. (makes traveling easier) We stayed in a nice hotel with a beautiful view of Home Depot. Suites are great because you can bring your own food to fix it in the kitchenette and the kids get their own TV.

We went early so that we could go to a woman's basketball game. We had a good time. Melia liked the cheerleaders, I enjoyed the pep band, and Chris and Sydney were enthralled in the game. We all like the fight song. (Not the best video but it gives you an idea what the game was like)

Sydney got her picture taken with their crazy Ram mascot. A cute story; Chris was at the consession stand and the Ram came up to him and started pushing on him so he started pushing back and the Ram fell on the floor and started flailing around....so weird!

Then Chris and Sydney went to the boy's game that evening. Melia and I didn't go because it just wouldn't be worth the money so we went window shopping, checked out the hotel gym, and watched the game from the hotel. Well, Melia fell asleep and I got on my lap top (love the free wireless internet access) and the game was on....it was a good evening.

Sydney all ready for the game....Go Heels!!

I tried the glasses on too! (my serious look)

The boy's won the game, hit 100 points in the game, and at the next game (Thurs) Tyler Hansbrough will break the record for most points scored. Which brings us to the clinic. Every year the coach, Roy Williams, hosts a clinic for kids 1-8th grade to have a chance to shoot some hoops with the players. The kids loved it and the parents LOVED it, cameras flashing, crazy moms harassing the players for pictures, and so on. Coach Williams makes it a point to tell all the parents to stay the hell out of the way (in no uncertain terms LOL) The group of kids was about half than that of last year, which was great because the kids could spend more one-on-one time with the players. The clinic was held at a different time and was not advertised except for a small anouncement on their website so it was mainly repeats from last year...good for us. :)

Sydney had the most fun playing in this gym with the hilarious Will Graves and Deon Thomson. I tell ya, these guys are real cut ups! They go around singing songs, dancing and making faces, funny guys! In another part of the clinic the kids got to ask the players some questions. I just want to know what they major in and how they get their work done with their schedule!

Here's Marcus Ginyard...

and Ty Lawson...a fav!

And of course Tyler Hansbrough...(rather a doofis. imo :) )

At the end of the clinic the kids got to got a chance to get the all-coveted autographs. They had a limited amount of time and Sydney got all but a few! (she was so happy) We will frame the poster that she brought home. Here she is with Danny Green. (with a boo-boo from last night's game)

and Tyler....

Attending this clinic each year helps Sydney realize (hopefully) that these guys are real people and that they poop in the toilet just like we do. :)

Great comercial well, not so much...

2008-12-13T19:20:00.003-05:00

According to this commercial, here are the reasons you should shop at Norton Furniture:

1.) They'll give you credit even if you don't know what credit is.

2.) You can count on the fact that the owner's name is Mark.

3.) Giant tuxedoed frogs often relax there.

4.) Except when concealed men with hedge clippers go on the attack.

Memorable quote: "Now, seriously. If you can't get credit in my store," (coffee break) "you can't get credit anywhere."

A visit with Santa

2008-12-11T21:57:00.007-05:00

Today it rained...a lot. I picked the girls up and we headed to the mall to see Santa! The rain ended when we got to the mall so we didn't get drenched like I was afraid we would. So, Santa comes to our house on Christmas eve. We leave cookies on a special "Santa plate" and milk in a special "Santa cup" and this year we will leave a special mixture of carrots, apples, and sweet feed for the reindeer in a special "reindeer pail". This will probably be Sydney's last year to do the whole Santa thing. She has hit her tween years. (between child and teen, fyi)

Sydney Elf

Melia Elf

Becky Elf

The mall has the best Santa that I've ever seen in person. Melia immediately ran to him and gave him a big hug! She gets the miss congeniality award!

Sydney is a little more reserved....

Sydney got the bands on her braces changed today to red & green....

Melia likes Santa hugs best...

And then we saw this really cute Santa bear in a store along the way...

Jozin z bazin

2008-12-10T23:41:00.004-05:00

This song is about Bigfoot...I think....the subtitles help...lol

Hamster on a Piano (eating popcorn)

2008-12-06T18:22:00.002-05:00

Finals

2008-12-06T17:41:00.004-05:00

Today I took two final exams. They were in Global Understanding (world history after 1945) and Hispanic Culture (self explanatory). Well, I had to drive an hour to get there, take my first test, and wait 4 hours to take my other! So, during these 4 hours of being alone in a town that I am not familiar with, I grabbed some lunch (close to the school), sat in my car, did an online puzzle, twiddled my thumbs, and chatted a bit with other students. I felt so much happier on the drive home because these finals were over! So here's a video you can get up and dance to! Only one more class to finish, let's party!

A little video

2008-12-04T10:07:00.003-05:00

I thought that I would test out the video feature on my camera and the dogs were cute.

You know it's Chistmas when comercials for the clapper come on TV!

Rainy Sundays

2008-11-30T20:10:00.003-05:00

Not much going on. We went to Hickory (20 miles away) and ate some CiCi's pizza, went to the tractor supply store (but they don't sell actual tractor parts, believe me I looked!) you know, the usual rainy Sunday afternoon. Chris got some gloves that he can wear while using a pencil and the girls and I picked up some chew bones, a pig's ear and some toys for the dogs, a tick and a flea! Tater liked the tic...the white thing is the flea. They really aren't big toys, Tater's just small...

The interstate was bumper to bumper and it was rather rainy, but we ate good food and spent a nice day together.

I'm a dog person and we put up the tree!

2008-11-29T22:40:00.007-05:00

Through the years I've become a dog person... there so darn cute!!

Max is so loyal and Tater is always underfoot...she really likes to play with Max, just the way that Max "plays" with Fluke. lol. You see, Max has become less of a puppy and to see a puppy want to chew on his legs is just plain funny! (payback for Fluke!)

Max was wondering why I wasn't taking pictures of him so he got in front of the camera!

"Look at me! Take a picture of me!"

We put up our Christmas tree. Actually, we got a new Christmas tree...the new tree is great and all that, but our old tree had such personality! It was a little sad and leaned to one side but...it was our tree for 10 years. So, it's taken a day or two for this new tree to grow on me. Now I think that it is a very nice tree.

It's actually quite pretty...

Anyway...we're in the Christmas spirit and we have cute dogs!

Thanksgiving

2008-11-28T17:56:00.007-05:00

We had a nice thanksgiving meal at Tony and Lynda's. Lynda fixed most all of the food. (I brought the veggie casserole and some cool whip.) The kids had a great time and the food was fabulous! I took a picture of the turkey

before....(picture perfect!) Mmmmmm!

and after...lol!

Chris carved the turkey and mom set the table..

and the girls waited...

We had a really good time!

Our New Addition

2008-11-24T14:45:00.007-05:00

About 2 months ago I let my neighbor Robert know that I wanted one of his puppies (his little dog was pregnant). Well, the momma dog had them under his house and he thought they had died in the cold but that wasn't the case. I don't know if Fluke is pregnant or not (she's menopausal) but we'll give away any pups she does have and then get her fixed....I don't want to go through a dog in heat again. Back to our new addition...she's about 5 weeks old, and reminds me of our childhood dog Pixie. Our little pup's name right now is Tater Tot or Tots. I'm not sure if that will stay her name, we have a tendency to give nicknames!

first thing I gave her a bath...

I'm crate training her because I have found that that is the easiest way to house train my dogs. Right now we are going through the most disgusting part, worming, eewwww! Nothing like spaghetti poop! She's just getting used to the whole crate idea but she'll come to like it just like Max did. In fact, when I was cleaning the bedding to go into her crate Max crawled in!

I think Max will love to play with her in a few weeks

She loves to be with people and sit beside me while I'm on my laptop...so cute!

Not a fighting chance

2008-11-22T22:58:00.007-05:00

This morning my girls and I woke up early (8:45 on a Saturday is early) and we went and saw the movie Bolt. It was great and in 3D! I paid out my nose for it though (well, I wasn't expecting to pay as much as I did anyway). Oh, well, we kept the glasses! Then we came home and both my girls took up the computers! lol. What am I in for???

Melia was on Noggin...

And Sydney was using my laptop to look up some important Tarheel info....

We missed the game last night. Yes, it is that time of year. The time of year for pure excitement, I assure you! Go Heels!!!! I have never seen a little girl get so involved with a college basketball team! She knows the players, their stats, and their injuries....and sympathizes GREATLY with them. Last year as a Christmas present we went to Chapel Hill, NC where we went to a game on Friday night and the next morning Sydney got to be on the court and shoot baskets with the beloved Tarheel players (Tyler Hansbrough especially!) The coach hosts a time where kids can pass a few balls with the players and even see the practice room. Then they get a chance to get some autographs. We had a great and memorable time and plan to go back this year. College basketball brings out the passion in Sydney to say the least. Last year Tyler had his nose broken right before playoffs! Sydney was devastated (I mean REALLY devastated!)

An injury, by a Duke Blue Devil! (the teams are arch rivals)

He had to play the last few games with a mask, can you imagine??

So I upgrade our tv subscription to get the games (for about 3 months) and our conversations are filled with the plays of the games. Over these past two years I have come to look forward to college basketball. A crash course: Duke (although a world renowned school to study med) is not as great as North Carolina Tarheels when it comes to basketball! Carolina State is nothing to be concerned about, and UNC will make it to the final 4 again this year. The two schools (Duke and UNC) are only miles apart! That's why they are such rivals, I'm sure! I feel like I'm back in high school! Whatever thrills my kid thrills me! Go team!!! LOL! Football for some, basketball for us!

Signs

2008-11-21T18:27:00.005-05:00

Man it’s a good thing this place opened. My Elves are getting to be a handful!

"Ya'll don't come back now, ya hear?"

Yeah, after 100 years of rain this place might experience some flooding.

Where the deer and the children roam (freely).

Is this a warning sign? Is he dangerous? Is he hiding in the woods?

Hamsters are Cute!

2008-11-21T16:33:00.001-05:00

I love hamsters! This is just one fast hamster! If only that other guy gets out of the way! lol

Good Things!

2008-11-20T21:37:00.006-05:00

Yesterday was the Science Fair and.....Sydney got 1st place for her class!!!! Wha-Hooo! Most of her teachers thought her project was discusting (in a good way) lol.

The ribbon has priority on our fridge :)

A girl named Kristin won first place overall. She gets to go to regionals. Her project was testing wood glue and how well it holds, good project. More good news...Chris got his CDL class B license! (which means that he can legally drive the big trucks just not pull a trailer) The license means a 5% raise and doing cooler things on the job. It's almost time to put up the town's Christmas decorations. We'll see how he does....lord knows he doesn't put them up at home! lol

The Time Machine

2008-11-19T13:55:00.002-05:00

I just learned how to add YouTube video's!!!! Take a gander at this adventure.....

Tidbits

2008-11-18T12:20:00.000-05:00

My life is not that exciting (I like it that way) but I find that a lot of little tidbits happen. We got a new trampoline. The old one came apart after 2 years and about 1,000 hours of kids jumping on it. Seriously, kids jump on it about 2 hours a day so we get our money's worth. I have yet to tie down the bottom part of the net. (today is windy...lol) The girls got their school pictures back...well the proofs anyway. So I took a picture of the pictures. Sydney looks like she's thinking about turning into a teenager :) I love watching them grow up!

Sydney turned in her science project the other day. It turned out really good. Tomorrow is the science fair. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for 1st or 2nd place...

We added a few pictures of bacteria from the Internet on the middle panel to fill up the empty space, and it was a nice addition to the whole project.

I watched Little B the other day while her mom ran some errands. We went to Wal-Mart and then she played in the tub....little buns!!!

The girls love to play horse and run around and act all crazy.

Here's the thank-you picture Melia drew for our neighbors. They weren't home when we took it over so we left it on their door...I'm sure it made them smile!

I decided that a picture of me was long over due, and since I was having a pretty good hair day I'd take a picture of myself. So, hear I am!

Today I watched it snow! The clouds covering the moutains in the distance is snow coming down. (the best kind of snow...the kind that is miles away!)

(18 days left of classes and 27 days until graduation day!)

The Nicest Things

2008-11-11T19:13:00.000-05:00

Well, Fluke is in heat so we have MANY dogs just hanging around just waiting for her to come out. It's all good because I would like a puppy out of Fluke and a cute neighbor dog named Bobby. I plan to get Fluke fixed after the puppy business is over, even though she'll be 11 years old. I don't want to go through all this crap again! Errr....the dogs keep me up all night! So, the kids were jumping on the trampoline and Melia put her shoes on the ground while she jumped. Kids being kids, she forgot all about her shoes until I saw one laying on the ground and I looked all over for the other but no shoe. I went up to the neighbors, who have a few chocolate labs, to see if one of the dogs carried it home. It happened with Sydney's shoe. I found it all chewed up but wearable. The owners hadn't seen the shoe so we went home. Get this, a few minuets ago the guy came to the door with new shoes for Melia! How nice!!! I told him I couldn't except them but he insisted (they don't have kids but know it takes a lot to raise them, he looked happy just to give them) and said that if his dogs are bothering us just let him know. Melia is making a nice thank you picture that she will take up to our neighbors tomorrow after school. So nice!

Bacteria!

2008-11-07T18:37:00.001-05:00

I believe that we are done growing the bacteria for the 4th grade science project. The most interesting bacteria came from under Sydney's finger nails. Most of it was, as best as I can describe it, stringy and swirly.

The bacteria from her nose was most interesting because it has many different stuff growing. I have no idea what in the world it is. The experiment is only to find out what bacteria grows the fastest.

We took a sample from behind her ears. It was slow growing and looks a lot like the sample Melia took from her hands. I ended this experiment at 10 days because I saw what looked like mold growing on the dishes and I didn't want that to get in the way of her experiment. (If I'm wrong here please let me know)

The mouth sample is what surprised me the most. I expected to see a lot of bacteria growing on here, but it's relatively good. I thought that it would be cool to get a sample from a horse mouth, a dog mouth, maybe even a pig mouth, but Sydney wasn't on board with that. (It is her experiment after all!)

Sydney took a sample from between her toes and we were not disappointed.
It grew real fast and then not much happened, with the other dishes not much happened and then they turned colors. That's bacteria for ya!

So her hypothesis was correct, foot bacteria grows the fastest. I would have liked to find out what kind of bacteria we were growing but that takes a lot more testing and she's only doing a 4th grade experiment. Now we just need to graph the results. I think that I'll let the dishes be and look at them later and see how nasty they turn out. Fun, fun!