Feb 15-20

Feb 15




Finally done with his awful sickness that slowed him down for
THREE WHOLE DAYS,

Rex put together his
super-duper Power Miner LEGO set.

He is very excited.

The best part is that when you turn the
big green wheel,
the cart is pulled up to the top and then
dumps the crystals into the truck.

And it came with carrots.

Because you need carrots to find those shiny crystals.


Feb 16



My favorite thing about snowing
is when it coats one side of a
completely bare tree.

The pictures never do it justice, but
this tree is just gorgeous.

On the left side
(with the other tree behind)
you can see the awesome contrast.


Feb 17




Apparently there was a
purple shirt memo
that went out before our evening get-together.

I just happened to fit in.

Interesting side note:
The lady on the right has the
same last name as us and
coincidentally has a son and daughter
with the same names as me and my sweetie.

Strange.


Feb 18



This one is hard to see,
but just beyond the road is a line of
grey and brown spots.

They are geese in the field.

A LOT OF GEESE.






This is a UPS truck
stopped at the

post office,

making deliveries.

I even saw the
man in brown
walking in the door.

Hmmm?


Feb 20




Leia is doing the hoola hoop.

SO HAPPILY!

And don't you just LOVE her shirt?

Feb 9-14

Feb 9





Belle walked up to me and says with a totally straight face:

Guess which hand has the straws!
(in the tradition of "where is the coin?")

We played this game for a few rounds with me
feigning stupidity and laughing hysterically.

Then she went behind me for a minute and came back
(obviously empty-handed)
and asked again.

She had tricked me by placing them on the counter behind me.

Silly little girl!


Feb 10




This is the day of the
BIG STORM.

The poor puppy DID NOT want to go out,
but eventually had no choice.

She returned (quickly) with
balls of snow
stuck in her long fur.

I'm torn between letting her keep her long winter coat and helping her look more respectable
(and smelling better)
by getting her hair cut.


Feb 11




Happy 8th Birthday, Rex!

Rex and his buddy were sitting at the counter
drawing
and
narrating

each of their stories to eachother with sound effects and all.


Feb 12




Belle has a look of complete happiness and fun on her face!

She loves her fun friend!

This picture was preceeded less than ten minutes earlier with

weeping and wailing

because Belle didn't want to give anyone else a turn on the
Sit N Spin.

The ABC song cured that and then
they came up with their own solution by
spinning together.


Feb 13




My sweetie got home from his trip to Chile today.

I got to leave the house after a
week of sicknesses and snowstorms.

This is our gourmet celebratory dinner of
Chinese noodles and sushi.

We even broke out the chopsticks
and fun little dishes.

Mmm.


Feb 14




After our time in Minnesota, we learned that grilling can be done in any weather.

We love using the grill,
even in the snow.

Here is my sweetie digging out a path in the 18+ inches of snow on the deck.

If you look closely, you can see that Amber is trying to catch the snow being thrown off the shovel.

This gets her in trouble sometimes when she is too close,
but she LOVES catching snow.

In the beginning...

19(!) years ago TODAY
the same cute boy came around noon
(on his way to work, driven by his dad)
to drop off some flowers.

With a TOTALLY CUTE card.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
I'm looking forward to tonite
To spend it with you.
(melt into a puddle)



Back-up a few weeks...

A series of fortunate events let to me walk up to the cute boy in the hall after school to ask him to the Coronation dance with me. Fortunately, the shock of being on the spot and not having time to think about the response led to a "yes."



So a fun group date (10 couples) was planned and the day had arrived, thus the TOTALLY GENTELMANLY cute boy with flowers showing up on that Saturday 19 years ago.

We had dinner with an awesome fancy menu
(that I still have, of course)
then went to the dance.




He grabbed my hand and held it the whole time.
Awww.
(he thinks I grabbed his, not so)

Afterwards we went to
The Sugar Bowl
for ice cream dessert.

It was great.

It was my very first (non)date.

It was the beginning of something very special.



And now,
19(!) years later,
here we are,
still holding hands

and debating about who made the first move.

Happy Valentine's Day

19(!) years ago today,
on Valentine's Day,
I got a very special valentine.



It was an awesomely huge
heart shaped rice krispy treat.

And a balloon.

And a card.


It was delivered after my bedtime
(probably around 8:30)
so I didn't get to see the deliverer
(it was a cute boy)
but my mom brought it to me in my room.

And took pictures.
(Thanks mom!)



I wrote about it in my journal.
(nearly the last entry)
I was so excited that he had spelled my name right.

A lot.



I still have the balloon and card in my scrapbook.

But I ate the yummy treat.
(and probably shared it with my sister)

May the Force be with you, Valentine

I just did a search for valentines for Rex.

"I'm a second grader, so I need some second grade valentines."

I searched some topics that he is interested in:

Clone Wars,
LEGOs,
Star Wars,
Indiana Jones.

I initially came up with

NOTHING.

But then I hit the

JACKPOT.


For you non-Star Wars fans,
this is Han Solo with the
bounty hunter that he shot
at the beginning of the first movie.

No grudges.
hehe.

Check out this blog of an awesome parent who cartoons valentines for his kids.

Click here to see last years' Star Wars valentines that the kids could color themselves.
(click and scroll down to valentine's day)

Click here for this years' whick are just more awesome with funny captions.
(here's a dawdler)

Needless to say, these are worthy of second grade.

Click here for a few for little princesses.

I LOVE THEM!

Play ball!

My sweetie put up this parking aid for his side of the garage.

While his dad was here,
he excitedly told me about someone he knew
who had improved upon the
"tennis ball on a string" method.



So, of course,
I figured out how to do it myself.



It looks cooler when the
car is driving in,

but, unfortunately, the car was on its way out when I
remembered to document my handiwork.
 

Feb 1-8

Feb 1



Leia

LOVES

rocking (and drama-ing) out
to the Taylor Swift songs
on Band Hero.


Feb 2



These are the girls in two

matching sweatshirts

that I got in my super deal at Kohls.com.

The one where I paid $4o
for just over $200 worth
of kid clothes.
(and free shipping)


Feb 3



Today I experimented with a teriyaki burrito.

I rolled up chicken
(crock-potted into submission in teriyaki sauce)
with rice and shredded cheese in a tortilla.

I think it is delicious.

My sweetie asked for taco sauce.

Huh?


Feb 4



Happy 4th Birthday, Belle!

Unfortunately since she spent the night puking
a few days earlier, she has been
feverish and lethargic.

The birthday festivities have been
postponed indefinitely.


Feb 5




The snow was supposed to start at 7,
but at 10:30 there were only a few flakes falling.

So, during the

"BIG STORM"

I took off for WalMart, where I joined
14 of my creepiest friends,
in a late-night

get-out-of-the-house-free

session.

The snow started while I was inside.

I found some AWESOME deals
(like a warmup suit for $7 for me)
and had fun driving
less than 4o mph
all the way home on the freeway where
I took this picture with my camera phone.

We ended up with less than 6 inches.



Feb 6



After shovelling out our

driveway and sidewalk,

my sweetie still had a smile on his face
(and no hat on his head).



Feb 7



Leia got a mini I-Spy game in her
Wendy's kids meal
and played through it all in record time.

So I got out our other I-Spy games and the kids had a blast

working together!!

to solve them.


Feb 8



At bedtime,
the kids were watching a movie that was almost over,
so I let them stay up to see the end.

During the credits there was some
rocking music.

The fun started with Rex doing the
air guitar
and then running upstairs for the "real" one.

I really wanted a picture of the air guitar,
but I was too late with the camera.

Dancing Princess Leia lived up to her name

shaking her hips around

and flipping her hair.

Belle was subdued, always keeping eye contact
to make sure Mommy was watching.

My Latest Projects - Garage Storage

When we bought our garage, it was naked.

Except for a tool holder thing on the back wall,
a section of peg board between the windows
and two really high, bright red skinny shelves.

Not useful storage.

Something had to be done.

A plan was formulated in my mind,
drawn up on paper,
supplies purchased,
slave labor recruited
and work began.



This is the other people's stuff in the garage. They did not accept our offer to include the ride-on mower as part of the deal and even unscrewed the bike and ladder hangers when they left.



Here is the wall stripped of the tool holder and prepped for the hanging shelves. I attached one side of the shelves to the back wall of the garage and the other end is suspended by chains attached to the ceiling.



This project could not have happened without my slave laborer,
grand-daddy-daddy.

My AWESOME in-laws were visiting for Thanksgiving
and each assumed helpful roles of
watching the kids
and
helping me with my projects.



We ran into a few hitches in the process with weird framing (sounds like a theme) and uneven walls, but it turned out great!

The shelves were just higher than the refrigerators were tall, and just as deep.



More invaluable help from my awesome father-in-law.



Here are two (of the three) complete shelves with stuff on them.



Measuring twice, cutting once!



Having a little chat as we finished up the final shelf.



The finished product.

Three shelves, three feet deep, with four feet of headroom, all the way across our garage. Storage de mais!



There is currently no real organization on the shelves since we probably couldn't fill it up
(or reach the weight maximum)
if we wanted to.



I also put together some shelves along the side wall to keep my tools organized. Once it warms up I will build a work bench and actually put the peg board to work.

And complete other projects that I am excited about.

My Latest Projects - Secret Room

Mommy's Secret Room
November 2009

When we bought our house, I was excited because there was a room in the basement that was separate from the main space. It was designated as my craft room,
or as we like to call it,
mommy's secret room.

Plans were formulated from the beginning for

lots of storage

and a

large workspace.

I had no idea that it would happen so fast.



First came the planning and convincing my sweetie that I was
confidant in my abilities
and knowledge to get it done right.

Then I peeled back to carpet to cut the carpet pad out and remove tack strips so the cabinets could sit on the solid concrete floor.



Next was more planning to see exactly where to put the cabinets.

Do the wall cabinets all line up with the top of the tall cabinet?
Do they go up against the ceiling?
How much space is usually between a counter and the wall cabinets?
What will need to be cut out to accommodate the intrusive AC pipes?

Then we realize that the base cabinets are designed for a
kitchen counter height,
not a desk!!!

They will have to be cut.

By me.

Let's go buy a router!!!

My router somehow did not complete the trip from our house in Florida, into storage for two years and then back to PA. We're not sure a which point it decided to jump ship, but it was
MIA on garage unpacking day.

Anyway, I got a new one
(upgraded, of course)
and got to work.



We had already bought all the cabinets and moved them into the basement, so we carried them back to the garage to perform the surgery. I cut off the top drawer of the cabinet so I didn't have to use a tall stool to sit a my desk.

PROBLEM SOLVED.



We ran into another little problem when there were no studs across the wall where I planned to hang the cabinets.

For some reason, whoever framed the basement put a header across the top of the wall, leaving just drywall where I needed to attach the wall cabinets.

So we moved the cabinets down four inches and went straight across the base of the header. This left the ugly AC pipes more exposed, but another

PROBLEM SOLVED.



Then came the countertop.

The 7 wall cabinets are 18 inches each, making the need for a 10'6" countertop underneath.

I found one that I really liked, but it was on clearance and wasn't quite long enough
(I was hoping for a 12 foot section, and it was only 10).

I went back and forth from multiple Lowes and Depots looking for the perfect countertop. Most were too yellow or too light.

Then I came upon one that I really liked. It was darker than all the others
(to hide glue spots and the inevitable marker mishap)
but still not a solid color.

I flipped it over to see what it was called and there it was:
Brazilian Granite.

Then I realized that it was the color of all our countertops in bathroom and kitchen in our apartment in Brazil.

Who knew?

Then I realized that the longest countertops came in 10 foot sections.

That was ALL of them, not just the one I loved.

Drat!

Another unforeseen problem.

We bought a 10 foot section and a 4 foot section of countertop and decided to make it work.

And it did.

PROBLEM SOLVED.

One last problem was power.
The outlets were beneath the desktop.

Us crafty types always have gadgets and some of these need to be plugged in.

So I bought a book and
read up on my electrical circuits,
cut a hole in the wall
and installed an outlet
(or 2)
above the desk.

FINAL PROBLEM SOLVED.



My sweetie installed
over and under cabinet lighting
on separate switches and I
trimmed out the cabinets
to get this final look.

I also have my HUGE file cabinet back to work, helping me organize my creativity.



We put the spare bed in the room so Amber has somewhere comfy to rest while I am creating. Also for kids or mom to watch the TV that dad
MOUNTED ON MY WALL.

And I have my favorite Brazilian art on the wall for inspiration.

My sweetie built a set of shelves in the closet to store some of my heavier supplies, too.

It is an awesome set up,
if I do say so myself.

Jan 25-31

Jan 25



Belle was so wiped out from our errands for the day that
she pooped right out
and slept in the car
(in the garage)
for about two hours.

Unfortunately, the garage light was not on
when she woke up so she began screaming and had to
snuggle on the couch to recover.


Jan 26



The only pictures taken today were of the various projects that have been completed lately in our house.

This one is of one section of wall in Belle's room.

We found wall stickers of
flowers
and
fairies
and
butterflies
at the dollar store and stocked up.

The cloud is something I made for a luncheon when Belle was a baby, but I've kept them
(there are three of them)
with the intention of using them in one of the girls' rooms.

It is raining
stars
in this case, but most the other clouds are raining
butterflies.


Jan 27



We have been enjoying ALL the birds that have taken residence in
(or have been flying over)
our town.

There are sometimes HUGE flocks or geese flying overhead
or gulls circling the WalMart parking lot
(why is that?).

Today, a flock of geese decided to land in our corn field.

It is so beautiful to see them circling lower and lower with their
wings spread out
landing or taking off.

Getting a picture is difficult, but they were so close today.

I believe these ones are taking off.


Jan 28



Leia has been doing a lot of puzzles lately.

This particular one has been completed at least three times this week.

It is a collage of
Disney character couples.

We were surprised that we couldn't identify some of them.

We have also done a small collection (4) of
Christmas puzzles
that we found at the dollar store.

We like them because they all have
snowmen.


Jan 29



This month, Chick-fil-A has been having
Tuesday night and Friday morning promotions.

Kids eat free every Tuesday, but they have had kid activities as well.

Last week was a snowman made out of a paper plate
and this week was an ice cream sundae.

Friday mornings,
which we heard about just in time for the last one,
they offered a free breakfast item - no strings attached.

This week was mini chicken sandwiches. Basically a nugget inside a tiny roll.
They were delicious.

There was also a bank there holding a raffle and handing out free drinks.

Even better, we ran into a bunch of friends
so the kids played and the moms chatted for about two hours.

We even received the
leftovers from the breakfast menu
once they stopped serving.

We got an additional box of hashbrowns and a breakfast burrito.

Cha-ching!

Oh, and the cow came out
(eat mor chiken)
for an appearance just as we were leaving.

Belle was so excited,
she said she wanted to give the cow a hug.

Leia was not so impressed as she hid behind mommy.


Jan 30



Rex was making car noises
- like he did when he was a baby -

while playing Mario Cart this afternoon and

turning his body as well as the steering wheel.

It is so much fun watching the learning curve at work.


Jan 31



Mom spent all day trying to hide in a
dark, quiet room with a

horrible migraine,

but she snuck out of her secret room once
and took this picture of the girls watching a movie in the basement.

Soooo exciting.