Happy Birthday, Brother

My youngest made this birthday card for his brother (spelling & grammar all his doing):

Dear (Travel Trailer),

I just wanted you to know how much I love you so that is why I gave you this gift because soon is the day God gave you to are family (I wasn't their yet) on (inserted date of birth).

YOU are a blessing!

P.S. I hope your not a Ovaltine TM.

SOOOOOOO SWEET!!!!!!!! I only wish he acted like he loved him this much ;-)

I didn't understand the P.S. so I asked him about it. He said, you know, Ovaltine, the chocolate drink he likes.

I said "Yes, I know that, but I don't understand what the P.S. means." He said "Don't you get it? Ovaltine. Oval Teen." (his brother turns 13 this birthday). bahaha! Oh. And then there's the trademark.

25 Days of Christmas ~ Movie Schedule

Click

here: 25 Days of Christmas ~ Movie Schedule on ABC Family

And they're like me! Getting a jumpstart on things ... the movies have already begun!

Family friendly movies -- woo hoo!

Christmas Photos 2009 ... DONE

Yeay. I can check something off my "to do" list! You know there are only 48 more days until Christmas, don't you!?

There was a time when I NEVER wanted to get a family photo taken because ... well, it's A LOT of work! Especially with 2 infants! Not to mention, fighting with my hair, figuring out everyone's coordinated wardrobe, and so on.

Then I stumbled upon an "ah ha" moment! Decided to eliminate one stressor and get the family photo done on the same evening as my "November haircut".

Well, the kids are older ... and I'm here to report that there are just as many stressors now as when they were 1 & 2 years old!

Today was a DAY! Horrible from the minute I woke up. There were issues and more issues and then a few more issues!

But the infamous Family Christmas Photo is DONE! I've had better and I've had worse. Not thrilled with my hair. Wish the final product had a different background and background color. Wish we were positioned differently in the final product (rather than our shirts being: print, print, solid, solid, I'd have preferred: solid, print, solid, print so it doesn't look so lopsided).

At least it will be a constant reminder that we're not perfect! :-p

I wanted to start writing our Christmas letter tonight, but I sat here for an hour - completely uninspired. Nothing creative is coming to me. I think it's going to be hard to top last year's letter, where I went through the alphabet, A-to-Z listing events that happened throughout the year. That was fun. And would you believe, almost everybody said afterward "I didn't realize you were doing the alphabet thing until I was on letter T or so!"

Writing our Christmas letter is one of my very favorite things. I almost think about it all year long. But this year ... I'm blank. I'm beginning to wonder if blogging & Facebook has used up all my written words for the year?! Kind of like when RV comes home from work and has already used up all his alotted words for the day.

Grrrrr ... on both counts!!

Solomon's Uncle Willie

Actually, I'm not exactly sure what the relation would be, so we just went with 'uncle'.

Meet Willie:

No, he's NOT ours, but we sure wish he was!! Even my highly allergic Pop-Up said "I wouldn't mind some cuddly time with that one!"

He's the new, adorable kitty of my dad & stepmom, and here's his adoption announcement (an email from my dad, introducing him to us!):

We added a new member to our family this afternoon.....

His name is Willie, named after my father. Willie was at the Humane Society Animal Shelter and his birth date was August 14th, 2009. (August 14th was also my mothers birthday). Willie is a Siamese Blue Point/Mix.... a handsome male and was one of a litter of four. Willie is a playful kitten but also loves to cuddle. He spent some time exploring his new home today and took over the TV remote control. Right now he is relaxing in my chair.

Welcome to the family, Willie!

Christmas Tour of Homes ~ Announcement

VERY excited about the Christmas Tour of Homes this year -- and its new host: The Nester!

Here is some information about it: 2009 Christmas Tour of Homes

On 12.14.09, The Nester will put a link on her page ... then all you do is sit back and click away -- I LOVE seeing how others decorate their homes!!!!

You've got 6 weeks -- wanna join in the fun?!? I'd love to see your tree & home!

Christmas Card Carousel ~ Mark Your Calendars!

I'm VERY excited that Faith is hosting another Christmas Card Carousel this year!! Last year was soooo much fun!!

Check it out by clicking here: Faith's Blog ~ Info On This Year's Carousel!!

I hope you will come over and browse the cards - and add yours to it - after 12.16!

It's just like BooMama's online Christmas Home Tour (which by the way, is being hosted by The Nester this year at www.thenester.com ) Don't miss it!!!!

Christmas cards are one of my MOST favorite things of the season and I LOVE looking at everyone else's!!! Don't disappoint! ;-)

Pumpkins ... and Christmas trees?!

Haha! Those are bananas hanging there - but it kinda looks like a crescent moon outside the window!

We usually celebrate by carving pumpkins with Miss Michelle - but she was helping a friend move this week and couldn't join us. The boys kept saying "it's JUST not the same without her!!" all. night. long. I'm surprised they didn't trip over their bottom lip! Pencil us in for 2010, Chelle!! Please. I'm begging you!

No, your eyes are not deceiving you. Those are Christmas trees in the background! What can I say?? I married Mr. Christmas!! He and his mom seem to have a little competition going, to see who can get their Christmas stuff up first every year. The boys definitely inherited a love of Christmas. See that 12' tree? My 2 boys decorated every last bit of it, and have done so for at least 4 years - all by themselves! I'm so glad (that they love Christmas). I had horrible Christmases growing up ... and am so glad they'll never know what that's like. And if it means celebrating Christmas 3 months out of the year, eh, so be it. The stuff usually doesn't come down until February! LOL!

November & December are so incredibly crazy-busy around here, that we decided a few years ago to put the tree up in late October - after rushing to get it done one year in mid-December and then we couldn't even enjoy it, because it was over. So, now we're early birds!! (tweet)

The pumpkin on the left is Pop-Up's creation. He calls it his "pumpkin, in a pumpkin, on a pumpkin" - or something like that. :-D

Hmmmm, which surprises you more? Our candy bucket or our Christmas tree?

Agh - I wish I knew how to rotate that picture. Facebook make things SO much easier to rotate!

Long time, no post!

Poor, neglected blog! Wow - I knew it had been awhile, but didn't realize THIS long.

Earlier this month, we traveled to Maine to camp with my dad & stepmom. Had a GREAT time! We were gone for just about 2 weeks. The foliage was almost at peak - just gorgeous!

I will try to get some pictures posted here in the next day or so.

My BLUE and RED ribbon winners ...

The results are in from our participation in the 2nd County Fair of the season:

Pop-Up thought something with a farm theme might have a better chance of winning a ribbon ... and he took home the BLUE !

It's a little hard to tell, but he has corn growing in the field behind the crooked fence (my 2 favorite parts of the painting!)

Travel Trailer was hoping to place better in this fair ... but at least he's consistent, with his bird painting winning its 2nd RED ribbon of the season:

He also entered an apron that he made in a sewing class -- John Deere fabric -- hanging behind him in the below picture. He won a RED ribbon for that, also.

They also entered:

Pop-Up: green beans he grew in the garden, and a piece of pottery (3rd place/WHITE ribbon winner) and a pencil sketch of an antique car (3rd place/WHITE ribbon winner) - I forgot to take pictures of them, but will add later.

Travel Trailer: entered a pencil sketch of a cardinal bird

They've had a lot of fun with their County Fair entries ... and are already looking forward to working on more projects to enter next year!!

A little something for the NEXT County Fair ...

Pop Up was happy with his 5th place ribbon (see entry below dated 7.26.09) ... but he thinks something with a farm theme will stand a better chance of winning at the NEXT County Fair -- in 2 weeks, about 30 minutes up the road.

So, this afternoon, he whipped out this micro-painting ... it's about a 4x6 size:

See the corn behind the fence & windmill?? I love the crooked fence!

When it's properly framed, I'll post another picture ... I just thought it was cute, so snapped a quick photo.

County Fair

SEE UPDATES BELOW:

It's time for the County Fair AGAIN?!? Seems like just last month when I posted about last year's corn-on-the-cob eating contest & rodeo!!

This year, we are exhibitors! If only I'd have known sooner -- that if you pre-register and enter any of the competitions ..... such as:

fine arts ~ water color painting, oil painting, pencil sketches
photography
needlepoint
collections (we saw stuffed animals, matchbox cars, stamps)
scrapbooks
baked goods
canned goods

... you get admission to the entire fair ALL WEEK for $5!! But noooooo - it cost me almost $70 for our pre-purchase week-long passes. :-( At least I'll know next year!!

These are the watercolor paintings the boys entered.

Travel Trailer's is 4 birds in a cherry-blossom tree (a cardinal, blue jay, carolina chickadee and eastern bluebird).

Pop Up wanted to exhibit a different painting (of donuts) -- but alas, this is the one his mother made him enter. He was none-too-happy about it either, despite the smile. He painted a potted african violet - I suggested a darker color for the leaves, but he wanted NO advice - as usual! ;-)

UPDATE: This is the fair's red-ribbon 2nd place winner!!

UPDATE: This is the green ribbon -- 5th place winner!!

He thinks a "farm theme" would have a better chance of winning, so tomorrow, frantically begins work on his entry into the next county fair (that starts in 2 weeks).

And with that, we are geared up for a week's worth of good, old-fashioned fun!! I think we'll probably be there most every night. Can't miss the: demolition derby, motorcycle stunt show, outhouse races, OR the bull riding/rodeo!! Yee haw!!

See you there??

A Successful Sale!

STUFF is taking over my life! Our house was getting WAY too cluttered, and since - eventually, if we could ever sell this place for a fraction of what we have in it - we want to downsize ... we recently started weeding through it. Ok, that -- AND Dave Ramsey said we had to raise $1,000 fast!

The simple -- if "simple" is what you call hauling 5 separate loads of STUFF an hour away to your mom's house (because she has much more traffic on her road) - over a month-long period of time ... SIMPLE -- well, then the "simple" solution would be a Yard Sale.

Actually, we had TWO Yard Sales in the last month. Here is the evidence of the second. The first was so busy I didn't have time to take any pictures.

Here we have:

Bins of boys clothes - size infant thru 8/10. One lady came through and bought a whole bin (size 5) for a bulk-rate. That was simple! I only wish moms of other sized boys would have done the same thing:

My 1st son's crib. Silly me - I had to go cry in a corner of the garage as it was being disassembled and hauled away. So many memories tied up in that beautiful crib. From years of infertility, to the loss of 3 babies, to our firstborn son. I just can't believe that little babe is taller than his grandma now. Time -- it's moving FAST:

The SUPER nice, very expensive "Baby Jogger" stroller. Used ONLY at Disney. And even at that, it was still cheaper than renting a double-stroller there on our many trips. You look like that surprises you?!? That thing glides like it's on ice! LOVED that stroller! And now it looks like I'll have to learn how to "Craigslist" just to get rid of it. :-(

Videos, anyone?! Apparently nobody wants this form of media anymore. I think we have represented here -- almost every "Magic Schoolbus" episode ever created, every "There Goes a ... Boat, Spaceship, Train, Race Car, and every other form of transportation created by man" episode, and don't forget all those "Thomas the Tank Engine" videos. Perhaps the library would like a donation??

Sweet Rewards! Both boys worked hard to weed out their old, outgrown toys. Each earned about $75 in the past two yard sales combined. Yesterday, my little redhead, used his $75 toward the purchase of this spiffy new bike. He needed it, as he bumped his knees on the handlebars with every turn of the pedal on his old one:

And someone (with blonde hair) got a little jealous that I didn't blog about HIS new bike -- he would like it duelly(sp?) noted that he ALSO spent $75 on HIS bike. I forget the occasion, but I think it was for his birthday about 6 months ago. So, in order to have a more peaceful household, I present to you ... BOTH bikes!

There. Now life is fair. Until the next episode of "Sibling Rivalry" rears its ugly head! ;-)

Oh - I was just reading over this before I clicked "save" and saw that I mentioned Dave Ramsey wanting us to put $1,000 in the bank. We did raise about that much - between the 2 sales - but, as luck would have it ... dontchaknow that just last week, my car needed repairs (first time since we've owned it) to the tune of $750!!? Speaking of life being UNfair .....

Siiiigh!

Free Family Movie Festival - all summer!

Click here: Regal Cinemas FREE Family Film Festival

All summer long, across the U.S. ... Regal Cinemas are showing FREE movies --

Rated G and PG!!!!!

Showings are: 10 am on Tuesday & Wednesday mornings.

Click on the link above to see what's playing in your state!

Selections include: The Tale of Desperaux, Space Chimps, Curious George, Horton Hears A Who, Madagascar 2, Kit Kittredge: American Girl, Spiderwick Chronicles, Everyone's Hero, Kung Fu Panda, Star Wars: Clone Wars, Charlotte's Web, Barnyard, Pirates Who Don't Do Anything: Veggie Tales ....... and more!

Thank you, Holly - for the heads-up!

Thanks, Dad & Pat!

Thank you, Dad & Pat -- for the flowers:

... and for forcing me to clean off the table ... and close the trash can ... and get the towel off the floor ...

But really -- I should have been the one sending you flowers!!!

Love you!

Strawberry Picking

Look what we did today:

And what fun it was! Perfect weather - and when the breeze blew, it smelled like strawberry potpourri! Mmmmmm!

But I think we picked berries that were too ripe. Or at least, they're turning to mush awfully fast, now that they're home! They sure looked BEAUTIFUL on the vine, though!

Tonight we had chocolate fondue with strawberries. Not sure what we will do with them tomorrow - maybe strawberry shortcake?

We only picked about 8 pounds. Still ... I hate for them to rot before our very eyes!

But it was a fun family event for the afternoon!

Oh -- and here are some "Strawberry Factoids" ... since you know it was educational ;-)

* strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside

* the average strawberry has 200 seeds

* strawberries are a member of the rose family

* The U.S. is the top strawberry producing country in the world, followed by Spain

* 94% of U.S. households consume strawberries at least once/year

* strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in spring

Do you Roku?

Do you know about Roku? A friend just introduced me to it today.

www.roku.com

You buy the Roku box for $99 (one-time fee) ...

... then ... for as little as an $8.99/month Netflix subscription -- you can download an UNLIMITED number of movies & TV shows per month! Including History Channel, Discovery Channel, etc. All you need is a high speed internet connection.

Over 50,000 movies to choose from.

$8.99/month -- what a deal!

Thanks, Suzanne for the info!! You really are the Queen of Bargains!

Kids Bowl Free

A friend just told me about this:

www.kidsbowlfree.com

Kids can bowl up to 2 free games/day all summer long ...... see if there are any participating lanes near you!

No Foolin!

Tis true. It's April 1st. But this is NO joke.

If you know me - surely you know I LOVE Disney!!! Now you can, too!!

http://disneyworld.disney.go.com/special-offers/

Disney just announced its FREE DINING for August 16 - October 3.

Starting at $58/person per day -- price includes:

* Hotel accomodations ON Disney property
* Theme park admission
* Free Dining -- 1 counter service meal (burgers, chicken, etc); 1 snack credit (popcorn, drink, or ice cream) ; AND 1 table service meal at almost any Disney restaurant in/near any of the parks - each & every day!!!

For $58/person per day! It almost costs me that much to live at home! Maybe I'll move to Disney. I've been wanting to do that for a long time anyway!!!!!!!

Anyone know about Nikken?

Does anyone know about Nikken water filtration systems?

I'm just starting to think about them, but really am not very knowledgeable yet. Don't know if it's a lot of hype, what the health benefits are supposed to be, what they claim it filters out & adds back in, etc.

I'm on the front end of investigating, and thought maybe some of you could help me along?

Have you used it? Noticed any difference in health? Do you have to do any of the other "Nikken" type things as well -- or is the water enough? ;-)

Or is another type of filter just as good'?

I'd love to hear any of your experiences, if you've heard anything negative, and so on.

Thanks!!!

A Couple o' Limey's!

We just started using Homeschool In The Woods' Time Travelers history curriculum (THANKS, Angel, for pointing us in that direction!). Decided to start with the New World Explorers. We're just on the 2nd lesson, but WHAT FUN!!!

The little redhead is VERY excited about eating those limes in a few seconds:

Today we studied about the "Life of an Explorer" ..... the food they had to eat, hammocks & items for trade, disease, jobs of a sailor, free time & mutiny (a crime punishable by death).

We learned that scurvy was a common illness, due to lack of vitamin C. Fresh squeezed lime juice became the most efficient way to combat this dreaded disease, which gave way to the nick-name "limeys"!

I think if we'd have had a gallon of it, he'd have gulped it right down! Look at his shirt -- even Goofy looks perplexed by him!!!

This one HATED it! They are ALWAYS, ALWAYS the complete opposite of each other - an art I think they take great pleasure in perfecting! I wish I'd have had my camera ready for the reaction. I captured it a little too late:

That was fun! And just about the speed of an experiment that I can handle! :-D

Tonight, after dinner, we're going to work on tying knots (dad has the rope in his truck, or we could do it now) and drying fruit (needs to dry overnight for 12 hours).

They're looking forward to experiencing more of the sailor's life!

The Home He Had Always Dreamed Of

The boys are taking an Institute for Excellence in Writing (IEW) creative writing class. This week's assignment was to write a take-off on the story of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf". The requirements are to include:

* an -ly adverb

* who/which clause

* strong verb

* quality adjective

* because clause

........ in each of the 3 paragraphs

Travel Trailer struggles with creativity -- much like his good ole Pa! I can't relate -- because, have you noticed -- hello -- I LOVE to write!!?? After struggling all afternoon with him, I was ready to pull my hair out, so declared that I was done, and he would just have to work with Dad on it after dinner --- since they deserve each other! haha! My pet peeve with RV: he too often substitutes the word "whatever" in every-day conversation when he's too lazy to search for a proper and/or descriptive word ... but anyway ... back to the issue at hand:

I'm not quite sure who contributed more - I'm just glad it's done! Actually, I think it was a joint effort. I'm so proud of both of them -- because I know this stuff doesn't come easy for 'em. So, just thought I'd share:

The Home He Had Always Dreamed Of
by
Travel Trailer

The year was 2009 in the windy city of Chicago. It was a bitterly cold and snowy day. There was a pack of dogs which loved to play in the snow. One of the dogs, who was named Solo, stood guard while the other dogs scavenged for delicacies like hot dogs. The leader of this pack was Friday because he was the strongest. (if it was my story, the strongest would have been named "Atlantis" or "Hercules" or some other strong name ... but it's not my story and I'm resisting the urge to pipe up ... so Friday, it is!)

Sometimes Solo got lonely when he was on guard duty and he would cry out “Dog catcher!” Then all the other dogs would scurry to the meeting place. When they arrived, they found out that there really wasn’t a dog catcher and they told Solo not to shout “dog catcher” again. So Solo didn’t shout “dog catcher” for a couple of months, but then he got so lonely again, he decided to call “dog catcher” once more. The whole pack came running to the meeting place. Imagine what they must have thought when they found out that there was no dog catcher. They were very annoyed because one of the dogs who had just found a big juicy sausage, had to leave it in all the excitement. The other dogs told him to never shout “dog catcher” unless there really was one.

Solo was on his usual guard post when he spotted a real dog catcher and gave the alarm, but no one came because they thought he was playing another trick. He kept calling and calling even though no one paid any attention. When they finally came, they found that Solo wasn’t there any more, which caused them to be heartbroken. He had been captured by the unpleasant dog catcher and taken to the pound, where he stayed for a few days before a family came and gave him the home he had always dreamed of, far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, just on the outskirts of town.

And the real shocker -- we're done several hours before having to run out the door to class. Unlike when I'm in charge! :-( I could get used to this!!!!

Cherry Blossom Festival

I'm very excited! About 20 of us (so far) from our old Singles Ministry ~ where RV and I met 24 years ago ~ are gathering together next month to go to the National Cherry Blossom Festival.

I know it will be a certified ZOO with all the tourists ... and I admit I wouldn't go within a 50 mile radius of the place ordinarily, with just the 4 of us, but somehow, going as a "group" makes it sounds much more memorable & enjoyable.

And besides ... has there EVER been ANYTHING more spectacular and breathtaking?!

Here's hoping I can learn to use my new camera between now and then ... cuz I sure haven't in the LAST 6 months!

80% off again at restaurant .com

Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale again ..... code: MENU

Go get some of those $2 vouchers worth $25 ..... I am!!!!!

Restaurant .com ~ I triple heart you!

Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale (thru midnight tonite). 80% off code: DINE

Run, do not walk !

I bought several $25 gift certificates there for $2 (at 80% off their reg. price of $10)

Tried a new pizzeria tonight in a neighboring town. I feel like I robbed 'em blind ;-)

We spent a total of $14 and got:

large 2-topping pizza
two (2) foot-long steak & cheese subs
HUGE spaghetti dinner with salad & bread
3 sodas
---------------------
$37 total before discount
- ($25) restaurant.com certificate
$2 cost of $25 certificate
no tip as it was a self-serve pizzeria
---------------------
$14 total cost to us ...... for 2 tables FULL of food. We brought home a whole large pizza (minus 1 slice) and half of the spaghetti for another meal!!

I think they have restaurants nationwide that participate. It's a great way to try a new place. Tonight we had some of the better pizza & spaghetti we've had at joints like that - and we'd have never have gone if not for the $25 off dealie-o!!!!

And now I'm off to buy some more $2 certificates that have a $25 value!!!!! They don't expire for a year!! Most require that you spend a minimum of $35 - but even then, you're only spending $12 out of pocket (plus tip) total!!!

Thank you, restaurant.com !!!!!

If you miss out on this particular deal, no worries -- I think they often have 70% off deals!!!

I have several friends who use this site quite frequently - and am glad I finally started checking into it myself!!!

He says the darndest things!

I love my little Pop Up! (age 10 ~ but always, always wise beyond his years!)

He just bounced in here and said:

"Poor Solomon (our dog) ... doesn't even know death exists!"

Then he turned around, carefree as ever and bounced out, saying "I'd hate to be like that!!"

LOL!

Yep, he's my deep thinker! I know some 60 year olds that don't even think like him!

Happy Valentine's Day to you!!

Thank you, Papa John's! Isn't their <3 shaped pizza the cutest? Someone is a marketing genius! While the guys enjoyed these CUTE pizzas (there was a pepperoni one, also) I had an Amy's gluten-free frozen pizza ... don't waste your money on that one - it was disgusting!

The boys had a basketball game this afternoon ... it ended in a tie ... 29-29. Really good game! Travel Trailer got a couple of baskets! Pop Up is still hoping he makes one before the season is over!

Then we headed to WalMart & Lowe's - where we got a Purple Martin birdhouse. The boys want one so that the birds will eat all of our mosquitoes this summer (and I'm on board with that!) ... Lowe's had the best deal on one that we've seen ($41). They say it can be difficult to lure Purple Martins to it - and keep other birds from claiming it first. We'll see how that goes. But since we are armed with several books on "how to lure Purple Martins" ... I'm sure it will be a sweet success. Haha!

Papa John's delivered 2 of the cutest heart-shaped pizzas! The boys are now wondering how they did that -- is there a heart shaped giant 'cookie cutter' that they use, or what? Cuz they were perfect!

Just finished watching "Nights in Rodanthe" - and while it didn't have the best message (since she was still married and all) ... it did have a surprise ending. I don't think Monica would like it.

Guess that brings you up to speed on Valentine's Day 2009 from our house.

I hope you & yours had a LOVEly (ha, that just came to me) day!!!

The Great Backyard Bird Count ~ 2009

Click here: The Great Backyard Bird Count ~ February 13-16, 2009

You can count for as little as 15 minutes for 1 day - or more, if you like.

Coloring handouts, tally sheets, submission info, and more at website.

Become a little scientist for a day!