January Summary Page

January 31, 2009

Could it be the end of January already? Hard to believe. In retrospect, the month has gone by quickly. I missed a photo here and there, but, all in all, the month was documented.

Today was a slow Saturday. I feel like I'm getting the kids' colds. This afternoon, Jacob pulled out his 100 piece Star Wars puzzle and it took him about 45 minutes to put it together - with a little help from Kendall and me.

Kendall loves dressing her self in the morning. However, she tends to wear ALL GREEN and the greens really don't match. We are starting to call
her "Green Bean." I guess that nickname is not as bad as her other: "Beefy."

January 30, 2009

TGIF! The movie night a couple weeks ago was such a hit, we did it again. We popped "real" popcorn and hunkered down to watch "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull." Kendall ate popcorn and played dress-up for most of the time, but Jacob enjoyed the movie - even the scary parts. When I put Jacob to bed, he asked if we could have movie night all the time.

January 28, 2009

About 8" of snow fell overnight and through the morning. Schools in the area were closed. The kids helped me make teddy bear cookies for Kendall to take to school tomorrow in celebration of her half birthday. Since her birthday falls in the summer when school is not in session, they celebrate half birthdays. Grandma P made teddy bear hand puppets for all the kids in her class! My intentions were to put a bag of Teddy Grahams in each puppet, but with all the snow, I didn't want to make a special trip out to get them today. I checked my recipes and had all the ingredients on hand to make cut out cookies, instead - even a bear cookie cutter - who knew?! They turned out very good. I put 2 cookies in each puppet along with a sheet of stickers that Grandma also gave us. I hope Kendall's classmates enjoy them!

January 27, 2009

As I reached for my salsa last night, I realized that the bottom door shelf of the refrigerator is mine. I seem to stash all my "goodies" there: coffee creamer, salsa, 2 bottles of wine, a bottle of beer, and long island iced tea. Now, before you call an intervention for all the alcohol, I must explain that one bottle of wine has been there for 1.5 years (Mark brought it back from Italy and I never seem to have a "special enough" occasion to open it), the long island iced tea is from last summer, and the bottle of beer is really Mark's - Sam Adams. So, see, it's not as bad as it looks! :)

Scrapbooking Class-Week 2-From Lisa

My friend (a.k.a. neighbor, children's-clothes-swapper, blogger, digital scrapbooker, bunko partner, playdate hostess) is also taking the online digital scrapbooking class. Her layout this week included Jacob and Kendall. It turned out really, really good! Admire it here.

Scrapbooking Class-Week 2

January 26, 2009

Monday, again. Here's just a photo of my morning necessity!

January 25, 2009

Sunday was our catch up day. Mark worked on some wiring in the basement. I did laundry and squeezed in some scrapbooking time while Kendall napped. We ended up going to Best Buy at about 4:15 in the afternoon and picked up McDonald's and Big Boy for dinner on the way home.

For some reason, Mark grabbed the camera while I was reading a book to Jacob. I'm not sure why, but it served as my picture for today.

January 24, 2009

Ahhh....Saturday! The weekends are great! Even better when the kids spend an afternoon at Grandma and Grandpa P's. Jacob was so excited...even counting down the days...because he can play the Wii at their house! Of course, Kendall was happy as a clam doing art projects, playing with playdough, and generally having Grandma and Grandpa's attention.

What did Mark and I do? Well, we went to Menards and Home Depot, getting an idea of what we want for flooring, fixtures, and countertops in the basement. We did purchase a vanity light for the bathroom and came home with lots of samples and brochures. Now, if only we can find an electrician to keep the project moving along.....

No, this photo IS NOT our basement! LOL However, we liked this flooring. Of course, it was the most expensive flooring we saw, so now we are hunting for knock offs and look-a-likes!

January 23, 2009

Can you believe I missed a photo on my birthday (1/22)? I had good intentions, though. I had someone take a picture at our neighborhood "Ladies Night Out" with my phone. Well, if you know my history with cell phones, you know I am a bit inept. I never "saved" the photo taken, so it is gone forever...

Mom stopped by on my birthday with some flowers. How nice was that? She hoped Mark didn't get me a bouquet, too! Ha! Ha! They are beautiful and are still very nice 5 days later. Thanks, Mom!

January 21, 2009

Well, I didn't take a photo yesterday....what a slacker I am! :) So, I am posting two pictures today.
My wonderful in-laws got me a cordless Shark sweeper for my birthday. Well, after lunch Jacob asked if he could use it and I said, "Go for it!" He swept the kitchen and kept on going: family room, living room, upstairs bedrooms. Finally, he ran the battery charge out! Then, he got my "real" vacuum out and swept his room (it was nice to see him pick up his toys in order to vacuum!) and our bedroom over again. Meanwhile, the Shark sweeper recharged for a few hours. After baths, he wanted to sweep AGAIN! "Sure!," I say. Oh, and while brushing his teeth he proclaims that he wants to be "a man who sweeps rooms and the president of the United States" when he grows up. (cute!) He proceeds to sweep again upstairs and downstairs and, hesitantly, lets Kendall use the sweeper a little bit. I told him to go around and count the rooms he swept and I would give him a penny for each room. He thought that was the greatest thing! And, I hope this phase lasts!

After lunch today, Kendall told me to come see something. I followed her into the family room and she led me to a big protrusion under our berber carpeting. At first, it startled me to see such a lump under the carpeting and I thought to myself, "What crawled under there and died?" Well, then I remembered that last night Mark was fiddling under the floor joists right in that area down in the basement, getting prepared to mount his theater screen. He confirmed that fact when he got home from work and said there was a nail that was in his way and he "pushed" it up last night, not realizing that it came up through the family room floor. He "pushed" it back down and all is right in the world again!
(note the very clean carpet from all the sweeping going on here!)We will see what tomorrow brings...

Scrapbooking Class-Week 1

I'm taking a 4-week digital scrapbooking class, the second class in a series, at http://www.jessicasprague.com/. I just finished the first week's lesson and thought I would post it. Thank you, Mom Puls, for emailing me the photo. I had different intentions for the picture, but my lack of experience and knowledge led me to change the outcome of the page.

January 19, 2009

It was a busy day! The neighborhood playgroup came to our house this morning at the last minute (we had 9 children and 4 moms). Then, an electrician came during Mark's lunch hour to give us a second bid on the basement wiring. Mom popped in to drop off things I left at her house from the birthday party. A dear neighbor, Angel, came by with an early birthday card. The twin girls across the street, Anna & Ashley, stopped by to play with the kids. Kendall did not nap, despite signs of an impending cold. I tried to start my digital scrapbooking class, unsuccessfully. And, I made a very delicious dinner! Amidst the activity, I did not snap a photo, but Kendall colored a picture that I'm posting. Kendall is very artsy and loves to paint, color, draw - but in a messy, 3-year-old way. This morning she colored this picture and I asked her, incredulously, "Did you color this?," twice. She did such a good job...it's the first coloring she's done that doesn't look like scribbles. She was very proud, and so was I! So, I'm hanging it on our "virtual refrigerator" for all to see.

January 18, 2009

Mom & Dad hosted a little birthday party for me. Fun was had by all! All the grandparents were there, as well as Aunt Bev and Uncle Jim. Thank you all for sharing the evening with us!

January 17, 2009

I am cheating a bit...I actually took this picture on January 16! Kendall came downstairs in the morning, very proud of dressing herself, right down to the shoes. I thought she was very colorful!

I took no pictures today. Mark spent his time working in the basement and snow blowing the driveway. I spent my time meeting a good friend, Annette, for lunch and running a couple errands. The kiddos hung out with us and entertained themselves!

January 16, 2009

Jacob had a scheduled day off from school today; however, with the sub-sub-zero temperatures, I'm sure school would have been cancelled. It seemed all of NW Ohio was in hibernation mode today. It was a productive day of thorough cleaning (a.k.a. moving the furniture to clean!), laundry, and toy sorting. I cut Jacob's hair late this afternoon and gave the kids showers as my pizza dough was being prepared in the bread machine. Mark has something against my bread machine - he offered to bring McDonald's home from work. After dinner we had a movie night, watching Kung Fu Panda, hence the photo below. It's not really a picture I took, but it documents the event of the day. :)

January 15, 2009

In lieu of a photo, I found this word art to mark President Bush's farewell address. Click on it for the source blog. Plus, here is another quote I also found by Mike Warren:

In the end, the government under George W. Bush succeeded in its most important role: since 2001, we have been kept safe at home, able to go about our lives. We go to school or to work, we spend time with our families and friends, we worship in peace; we go to sports games, see movies, volunteer for others, pursue our own understanding of happiness. We are the luckiest people in the world, and other people hate us for it. They are willing to kill us over it. After 9/11, George W. Bush refused to allow that to happen on our soil again. We owe so much, and I am ever grateful.
Thank you, Mr. President.

(OK, OK, I forgot to take a picture today.... :) ) We will see what tomorrow brings....

January 14, 2009

Aunt Bev sent the kids a card with a sheet of smiley-face stickers in it, with one sticker missing. The card reads, "One smiley face is missing because I was wearing it on my nose!" Then, of course, the kids had to immediately put the stickers on their noses (and mine). Fun was had by all! Thanks, Aunt Bev!

January 13, 2009

We are getting ready for some arctic temperatures over the next few days. Thursday night is to plummet to -18 degrees; warming to -1 on Friday. I expect schools to be cancelled due to the extreme temperatures. Here are icicles on the house, as a physical sign of the cold. I don't think this is a good sign, having our eaves dammed up and iced over. We might have to do something about that!

January 12, 2009

Grandma and Grandpa stopped by today while running errands. Jacob and Kendall showed them all their Christmas presents, including Jacob's camera. He took several pictures and I thought this one of Grandma was cool. The flash on the camera is really bright and over-exposes many of his pictures.....it actually had an interesting effect on this one.

January 11, 2009

After 10 inches of snowfall in the area, we met our dear friends at the sledding hill at Side Cut MetroPark. It was actually the first time Jacob and Kendall went sledding! All the kids had a lot of fun - and so did I! Now, we might need to invest in better sleds!

January 10, 2009

Mark's weekends are put to good use working in the basement. He seems to be enjoying the project and said that, after the work he has done, he feels like he can do anything. It's good to see such confidence. He did wire his audio receiver to the computer (see previous post here), and as you can see, he is in seventh heaven listening to "his music" while working on the basement electrical plans on the laptop. He has found a few internet-based radio stations that play '80's rock/hair band music. :)

January 9, 2009

Jacob's class Christmas program was scheduled for the last day of school before Christmas break. Well, due to snow, school was cancelled, so the program was postponed until today. Then, I wasn't sure if we were going to be able to make it since Kendall got sick in the morning before breakfast. She seemed fine and ate a full breakfast without any "after-effects," so we attended the program, trying to keep Kendall away from other folks (sorry Grandmas and Grandpa!).

The program was great - the classes sung their songs and the teacher's did a very cute "12 days of Christmas" skit. I have to admit, it was strange hearing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" on January 9, but it's just a reminder to keep the Christmas spirit alive all year long.

My video camera's batteries died on me even before the program started. I was able to capture a still frame from the video I did get of Jacob walking into the church to begin the program.

Update on the Lack of Updates

Well, our office has been completely dismantled for the last couple days. We had to move the computer desk, which is no easy task, in order to get to the right spot to drill a large hole for several wires to the basement: cable, USB, and CAT-6 wires. We have somewhat put things back, although Mark is not done with the wiring. The room is still in disarray, but at least the computer is hooked back up! :) Mark did succeed in hooking his audio receiver in the basement up to the computer via a wireless USB connection. He is quite happy to listen to his playlists and internet radio down there while he works. I will catch up on posting my daily photos tomorrow. Until then, stay safe and warm!

Basement Project

We started finishing the basement back in 2003, the winter after Jacob was born. The lack of time and working on Mark's '68 Mustang diverted the project for several years. Now, we are back on track and I'm really proud of the work that Mark has done. It is impressive that the plumbers who came yesterday were the first (of many to come!) hired contractors. Now, some finishing decisions are starting to be made, like light and bathroom fixtures and flooring. Here are some photos of the current state:

Kendall volunteering to help:

January 8, 2009

In our process to finish the basement, we had a group of 4-5 plumbers in yesterday to rough-in the plumbing for a bathroom and bar sink. The job took them about 4 hours to complete. A couple of the water lines were not exactly where Mark wanted them, but we can work with it. It is exciting to see the progress. Now, we just have to find an electrician and finish-drywaller for our next steps.

Until tomorrow...

January 7, 2009

Kendall is my little helper. She is always at my side whether I'm cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc. She even volunteers to do windows! This morning she helped me put together a crock pot meal. She was a very good listener and was patient while I peeled carrots and potatoes. Now, if only she would EAT some of it at dinner!

January 6, 2009

The photo may not look appetizing, but the scrambled eggs for breakfast today were sure good! This is an unusal event, me fixing eggs for breakfast, so I grabbed my camera. I'm the heat and serve or cereal type of gal. Recently, I read in a magazine that oatmeal and scrambled eggs improve your mood - something about the combination of fiber and protein. Well, I'll give anything a chance when the doldrums of winter are about to set in!

January 5, 2009

This is the last bit of Christmas decoration in the house. The photo cards we receive are always the last to come down. The whole family loves to look at them and they hang on our front door, right at the base of the stairway, so you always take a quick look as you come down the stairs. I love them....they may be hanging there for a while.

January 4, 2009

Anna, a neighbor friend who lives across the street comes over to play every couple days. Sometimes her twin sister Ashley accompanies her, too. The kids just love having her visit....she plays so well with them and they always have a good time. Today was filled with Star Wars video games, a tea party, playing super spy and hide & seek. We always look forward to spending time with Anna (and Ashley, too)! Meanwile, I was able to get all of our Christmas storage boxes organized and put away, the house swept and dusted, and laundry put away.....I even had time to publish this blog and read the Sunday paper. Yes, Anna can come over any time! :)

January 3, 2009

Here is more of an ordinary photo. I received a breadmaker for Christmas and Mark believes that I will quickly tire of it. Well, I'm trying to prove him wrong by baking a new loaf every day or so. Today was Honey Wheat. It really looks (and smells) good....I'm looking forward to eating it tomorrow.

Today was spent taking down the Christmas tree and other decorations inside - what a massive undertaking. Mark helped and convinced me to re-label every branch of the tree (90 of them!) with our label maker. The original labels were falling off and it was hard to tell where the branches went when I put the tree up. I didn't take pictures of that process because I was too busy. However, Jacob took pictures with his camera...I should upload his photos!

Until tomorrow........

Happy New Year

Well, I have decided to embark on a new project this year: it's called "Project 365." My quest (and New Year's Resolution) is to take one photo each day. It can be of anything and I think the more ordinary, the better. I figure it will fulfill all my interests: journalling, blogging, digi-scrapping. I'm not very organized yet and don't know if I want to post individual photos each day, or do a weekly page of them. I'll take it as it goes. Meanwhile, I will post my first 2 (un-photoshop'd) photos.....




I almost forgot to take a picture my very first day of the project....how bad would that be? Definitely starting off on the wrong foot. Anyway, I got a picture of Jacob sleeping last night. We had our annual New Year's dinner at my in-laws and had a lot of fun on their Wii. I think it tuckered out both Jacob and Kendall :)

Today, I snapped a shot of Jacob putting together one of his Christmas presents: a K'nex ferris wheel. Wow! It was more complicated than Legos, so he needed help with it, but did a good job assembling it.

We shall see what tomorrow brings!