Our Corner of the World

January 11, 2011

2011-01-11T21:04:00.001-05:00

Happy 1-11-11! A few inches of snow fell today - the kids watched it and Kendall couldn't wait to go outside to play.

January 9, 2011

2011-01-10T10:03:00.000-05:00

A picture taken with Kendall's camera. She requested this photo to send to Aunt Bev & Uncle Jim (the coloring book & pencils were a Christmas gift from them).

January 8, 2011

2011-01-10T10:01:00.000-05:00

While we took down the Christmas tree, Jacob spent about 3 hours building a super-duper paper airplane. With bombers and missles, of course.

January 7, 2011

2011-01-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

Can you tell the season? Yes...winter = dry hands! This is the normal stash next to the kitchen sink these days.

January 6, 2011

2011-01-10T09:59:00.000-05:00

Gymnast Kendall.

Januray 5, 2011

2011-01-10T09:58:00.000-05:00

Time to see the real doctor! Jacob has been complaining of chest pain off and on for about 10 days. Everything checked out fine...Dr. Clark believes it to be heartburn.

January 4, 2011

2011-01-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

If only going to the real doctor was as much fun!

January 3, 2011: Game Time

2011-01-03T21:01:00.000-05:00

Kendall received Scrabble Junior for Christmas. We have played it 10,548 times since.

January 2, 2011: Time to get organized!

2011-01-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

Anyone else have nests like these?

January 1, 2011: Happy New Year!

2011-01-03T20:55:00.000-05:00

Kendall looking 'fancy' for the new year!

Well, So Much for THAT!

2010-10-06T16:28:00.000-04:00

OK - so I didn't do so well, updating the blog over the summer. Ugh! I think I'll do my daily photo post again in 2011. In the meantime, I'll just post random pics and thoughts, as time permits.

I had my 2009 posts printed into a hard-bound book and it is awesome to look through. I printed it through www.blurb.com - actually the "techie" term is "slurping." So, I *slurped* the blog into a 220 page book format. The kids love looking through it. I love that it keeps those memories FRESH. I am regretting my lack of blogging in 2010.

There's always next year!

June 21, 2010

2010-06-21T22:41:00.005-04:00

Hello.....long time, no blog! The bliggity-blog will be updated with a picture, daily, through summer. Details to follow.

For now, I leave you with today's pictures. We spent the first day of summer, appropriately, AT THE POOL! Lisa was gracious enough to invite us over today for a fun-filled afternoon. The kids are much more independent in the water this year - it was actually a little relaxing. Enjoy!

Kendall, poolside

Jacob in the deep-end

Snack time!

The Gang, candidly in action

The Big Cooking Day

2010-03-08T14:52:00.015-05:00

The idea of cooking a big batch of meals and freezing them has intrigued me for quite a while, even years. (remember that Leanne Ely menu I shared, Christine & Lisa?) Anyway, I had yet to do it. Well, I got a good cookbook and a Sam's Club membership with best intentions. Then, Lisa shared an awesome website with me: http://www.onceamonthmom.com/. It fulfilled my need to be guided step-by-step! :) It has the recipes, the grocery list and very detailed "cooking" instructions to make best use of your time, ingredients, and cooking utensils.

I did my cooking on February 24 using their February menu, while Mark was out of town. I even wore an APRON for the first time - I got it, after all, at my bridal shower almost 14 years ago! :) Here's the breakdown of what I did:

I chose 12 recipes of the 15 menus for the month of February (I skipped the soups, pizza dough, and tuna casserole). The recipes are meant for 4 entrees to be split between 2 cooks. So, I cut the recipes in half and basically had 2 entrees of each recipe.
I purchased $160 of groceries, including some freezer friendly container/bags.
I prepped the night before: chopped 9 cups of onion, green peppers, and tomato. I also made the pancakes (1/2 banana, 1/2 chocolate chip) the night before. I also cooked 6 lbs of chicken and 5 lbs of ground beef in 2 crockpots overnight. This took about 1.5 hours.
On "game day," I baked and cooked for about 10 hours in total, making 15 dinners, 26 breakfasts (the pancakes go a long ways and they are awesome), and 18 lunches/light dinners. This works out to be $2.71 per MEAL of four servings. Not bad...however, side dishes are not included. I also made the granola....a very yummy topping on yogurt.

The ironic thing is Mark came home from his business trip with 2 smoked trout and 1 smoked pheasant, all frozen. I was able to squeeze those into the freezer, too!!

So far, the food has been great. The Pork Roast with Apples & Pears is awesome. The Curried Chicken Tidbits remind us of our favorite Thai recipe. I've been eating the Stuffed Pancake Cupcakes and Beef Empanadas for breakfast and lunch, respectively.

I did mess up a couple things: The Easy Taco Bake just didn't turn out right. The topping never baked like it should. I also misread the quantity of soup in the Sue Sue's Casserole, so I have a note to add more when I go to bake it. And, I was short on ground beef. I cooked it all at once, but the recipes called for 1 or 2 lbs. at a time. I am not sure how much COOKED ground beef equals 1 lb. However, my last recipe to use the beef was sloppy joes. So I just cooked up another pound when we ate them last week, added it to the prepared sloppy joes, and it was perfect. Very good.

The website has published their March menu and I am considering cooking it once the freezer empties out a bit. The menu/instructions are made for 2 people to work together, so maybe I can convince Lisa to do it with me next time!

Here's some pictures:

Kendall helping with the Beef Empanadas

Trays of Stuffed Pancake Cupcakes...ready to be flash-frozen.

March 8, 2010

2010-03-08T14:26:00.004-05:00

Obviously, I'm not keeping up with the 365/daily blog like I did last year. I am working on getting the blog printed into a hardbound book. I will post those pictures when I get the book finished.

The month of January and February were spent battling my back issues. At points, I couldn't walk. Mark had to help me in the bathroom (ugh). I still am not 100%...even slept with a pillow beneath my knees and motrin last weekend. I should go see my family doctor to get an opinion: physical therapy (Christine) and an inversion table (Joe and cousin, Brad) have been suggested to me as well. I have not returned to the chiropractor...I'm just not fully comfortable with that solution. The most odd thing is that my right leg has been numb for about a month now. Yes, I know, I should be calling the doctor rather than blogging! But, I am functional and can do most things with caution.

Kendall and Jacob have started swimming lessons. Their second lesson is tonight and they are very excited to go. We ended up getting a family membership to the YMCA. I can envision swim, dance, basketball classes are in our future.

Jacob is enjoying school and has grown taller recently. Oh, and we got his feet measured for shoes a couple weeks ago and his shoes jumped 2 sizes! I even let him ride his bike last week to a neighbor boy's, Frankie's, house. He did not have to cross any streets and I can see the back of the other boy's house from ours. Frankie's mother did tell me that she was on the lookout for him to come over and saw that he went up the sidewalk of the wrong house - right next door! I guess the houses look different when Mom isn't with him! :)

Kendall has a little playmate, Lauren, in the neighborhood. Lauren is a little porcelain doll! She and Kendall play very sweetly together and enjoy their time together about once a week or so. Kendall is still dancing her heart out when she can. And, you can either find her in a swimsuit or a frilly dance dress most days....when we're at home, of course! She cannot wait for warmer weather to play in the sandbox. She asks me constantly if it is warm enough to do that.

Mark is enjoying the basement. He hosted a poker night with some coworkers a few weeks ago. He either plays wii (Guitar Hero) or watches TV down there most nights. He is also looking forward to golf season starting next month.

That's the update for now. I am going to post about my big cooking day next. :)

January 15, 2010

2010-01-15T21:23:00.000-05:00

The kids ended up staying the night last night at Grandma & Grandpa C.'s. This morning I re-injured my back (that was just getting better) trying to clean the shower. Ugh. It's the same spot that I hurt a couple years ago - I definitely remember! It spasms if I move a certain way or breathe too deep.

I decided I would try massage therapy today. I really think it helped the area that I hurt last week - it seems to now be completely gone. But, it did nothing for this morning's injury - it was cramped up during the massage - of course, they want me to come back in a week or two! I hope to be completely healed by then. Meanwhile, I am really getting tired of sitting around. The house is getting dirtier and I'm getting flabbier!

Tonight, Jacob and Mark watched Transformers 2. Kendall and I weren't interested in watching it, so we played Hungry-Hungry Hippos and Guess Who. Fun was had by all!

January 14, 2010

2010-01-15T21:11:00.000-05:00

We celebrated my birthday early with family. Dad is leaving on a 10 +/- day snowmobile trip to the Upper Penninsula of Michigan, so Mom threw a party before he leaves.

January 12, 2010

2010-01-15T21:07:00.000-05:00

I've been hungry for a pineapple upside-down cake and made one today (and thought of Grandpa P). This little baking was all my back could handle and I down for the rest of the day. I hurt my back a week ago, on January 5, and I am patiently waiting for it to get better. Everytime I think it's better I "do" something and it's bad again. Christine called with some P.T. advice (thanks!) and I'm hoping it's better by week's end.

January 11, 2010

2010-01-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

Jacob finished one of his Lego sets he got from Santa today. It was a good-sized helicopter. He still loves to play with his Legos, either in sets or free play.

January 10, 2010

2010-01-15T20:58:00.000-05:00

Mark took this picture while I was at the grocery store today. I think this dance leotard needs to go into the "too small" bin!

January 9, 2010

2010-01-15T20:55:00.000-05:00

For some reason, this moment struck me as cute. Either that Kendall has her 5th outfit on of the day, which is a pretty dress and sweater, or the fact that she's clearing her own plate after dinner like a big girl.

January 7, 2010

2010-01-15T20:52:00.000-05:00

It started snowing today and by the time all was said and done, we had about 5 inches. The kids enjoyed playing and shoveling the snow.

January 1, 2010

2010-01-15T20:46:00.000-05:00

Our New Year's Eve was a quiet one. I actually woke up for the Big Apple ball drop - the TV woke me up, then I rolled over and went back to sleep. Mark is feeling better, but I am fighting a nasty cold. Sleep was more appealing than staying up - I think we're getting old!

Today, we met Grandma & Grandpa P. at the new Lucas County arena to watch our high school hockey team play Mark's alma mater. The new arena was very nice, the game was fun to watch, and we ran into some family friends. We, then, went to Grandma & Grandpa's for the annual ribs and sauerkraut dinner. Yum!

November 4 - Present

2010-01-09T22:08:00.001-05:00

Well, it has been a while, my friends! I got off track and once one, two, three weeks passed without updating the blog, it became too daunting a task to tackle amongst the holidays (in my mind). I am a bit laid-up for a few days with a bad back, trying not to do things I shouldn't, so I thought it was a perfect time to update the old blog.

We took 2,343 pictures in 2009....mostly thanks to keeping this blog. I continued to take pictures during my 2 month absence, but not with my normal diligence.

This happened to be my last photo taken in 2009:

December 27, 2009

2010-01-09T15:59:00.001-05:00

Joe, Kim, and kids came over today. We ordered pizza, the kids played, and we all had fun. We got our Guitar Hero band out and hooked the Martines family on it! We played (mainly the adults) for hours! Good thing Grandma & Grandpa were here to keep an eye on the kiddos! :)

December 25, 2009

2010-01-09T15:53:00.000-05:00

The kids actually slept in today! We were about to wake Jacob up at 8:30 when he came sauntering down the stairs.

The kids were lucky enough to get lots of presents from Santa. Glitter Glue was on the top of Kendall's list and Legos were most wanted by Jacob. We got the kids some clothes (Kendall now has a shirt that says "My Daddy Rocks!") and video chairs.

Grandma & Grandpa C. came over this morning and we opened their gifts. The kids had SO many presents! The highlight was the frogs that each of the kids got! Now we have to figure out what to name them.

We headed over to Grandma & Grandpa P's house in the afternoon. Joe, Kim, and kids arrived from Illinois and we spent the rest of the evening opening presents, eating a ham dinner, and catching up with each other.

ALL CHRISTMAS PHOTOS CAN BE SEEN HERE.

December 24, 2009

2010-01-09T15:44:00.000-05:00

It's time for the Christmas Eve festivities at Aunt Bev & Uncle Jim's. All Christmas PICTURES are HERE.

Unfortunately, Mark is feverish and not feeling well at all. He ended up staying home and sleeping. Hopefully, he'll feel better soon.

December 22, 2009

2010-01-09T15:25:00.000-05:00

Jacob discovered that if he piled some snow onto the driveway, he can sled quite a ways down the modest slope with a running start.

December 20, 2009

2010-01-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

I do not want to forget to mention that we got a NEW CAMERA. Mark ordered it new from eBay. Our "old" Kodak camera is exactly 5 years old! It has been such a good camera...I could always depend on the quality of pictures from it. We went through a spell of sending it in for repair, but other than that, I never used another camera that I liked better. So, we stuck with Kodak on this purchase, too. Mark thinks the 14.1 megapixel, HD photos will look great projected on the big screen in the basement!! :)

Mark is beginning to "move into" the basement. He brought down his two electric guitars and his amp from storage and set them up in the basement. He started to play through some of his music. It was the first time the kids ever heard him play. They were in awe! :)

December 19, 2009

2010-01-09T15:16:00.000-05:00

Today was the first measurable snowfall. Jacob and Kendall headed out as soon as they could to play.

December 18, 2009

2010-01-09T15:10:00.001-05:00

Kendall's preschool Christmas program was today. Jacob did not have Kindergarten, so he was able to attend and sing along with the songs! The grandparents were there, too, and Kendall really did a good job singing and doing the choreography! For a treat afterwards, we all had lunch at McDonald's.

Tonight, the kiddos went to Lisa and Alan's house while Mark and I finished most of our Christmas shopping. We even squeezed in dinner at Ralphies. Here's a picture Lisa scrapped of the evening.

December 12, 2009

2010-01-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

We were excited to have our neighbors, Sydney & Zack, over tonight. Lisa & Alan did some Christmas shopping and will watch our kids next weekend - very nice!

We had pizza for dinner, played some games, and watched some Christmas shows (pictured).

December 11, 2009

2010-01-09T14:06:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Mark's birthday a few days early tonight with the all the parents. I fixed a pot roast that always seems to turn out really good.

December 8, 2009

2010-01-09T14:02:00.000-05:00

The kids and I went to the Manor House today. Each holiday season the mansion is decorated to the hilt and tours are free. The highlights were an American Girl holiday display for Kendall and a huge train set up in the basement for Jacob.

My highlight was running into my elementary school principal, Mr. Cothrell. He has a mind like a trap and remembered me. He even asked if we were still living in Chicago...I corrected him with Connecticut. And, he knew I was in the field of accounting....hmmm, wonder if he ran into my mom? :) Well, not recently, since he also asked how Chance was doing in Archbold. It was nice to see him, introduce him to my kids, and reminisce a little bit.

December 5, 2009 (continued)

2010-01-09T13:53:00.000-05:00

Tonight was Mark's company children's holiday party at the Imagination Station. Sometime in the late afternoon, Jacob started complaining of a sore throat, headache and an earache that brought him to tears. Mark took Kendall to the party and I stayed home with Jacob.
Kendall and Mark had a great time...Kendall saw Santa and played for hours.

Jacob and I had an equally good time. I popped popcorn and we watched the last half of Home Alone on TV - Jacob thought that was hilarious. It helped cheer him up. Then, Santa Clause 2 was on - we watched that and played with Legos.

December 5, 2009

2010-01-09T13:45:00.000-05:00

Lisa came over this morning and graciously & patiently took 48 pictures of us for our annual Christmas card. With the exception of Jacob's, these are good pictures I didn't include on our card...thought I wouldn't be redundant in the photos!

December 2, 2009

2010-01-07T13:08:00.000-05:00

The carpet is in! It is so nice and soft, we really want it upstairs, too! Notice that Kendall already "moved in" with her pillow in the middle of the floor.

December 1, 2009

2010-01-07T13:06:00.000-05:00

Happy December. Just a picture of the ledge above our front door. That is my favorite area to decorate - it is a happy scene and gets me in the Christmas spirit.

November 30, 2009

2010-01-07T13:03:00.000-05:00

Kendall had another school field trip today. This time, we went to the Valentine Theater to see "The Night Before Christmas."

November 28, 2009

2010-01-07T11:57:00.000-05:00

The Chrismas decorating begins!

November 26, 2009

2010-01-07T11:54:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving at Grandma & Grandpa C.'s.....

November 25, 2009

2010-01-07T11:52:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving at Grandma & Grandpa P.'s. All the kiddos were there.

November 22, 2009

2010-01-07T11:49:00.000-05:00

The final doors, slated bi-folds for the furnace room, are stained and installed! These turned out to be trickier than expected - the door frame dimensions were smaller than the doors required. Mark had to trim the doors to fit.

November 17, 2009

2010-01-07T11:46:00.000-05:00

Kendall and Jacob "built" their own train!

November 13, 2009

2010-01-07T11:42:00.001-05:00

Kendall had a school field trip to the newly, re-opened, Imagination Station downtown Toledo. Since Jacob was off school, so he was able to attend, too.

After Imagination Station, we walked along the Maumee River/Promenade Park. It was such a sunny, gorgeous day - I took some scenic pictures of the kids.

November 11, 2009

2010-01-07T11:39:00.001-05:00

Day before yesterday, we finally made our decision on what countertop material to use. The process was so quick: yesterday the templates were made and today the finished countertops were installed! Wow! It really does finish off the cabinets.

Now, when Mark got home from work, he discovered some chips, unlevel surfaces, untightened screws, etc. That kind of tarnished the experience, but the countertop people are coming tomorrow to fix everything. I think they were rushed during the install.

Jacob has his Kindergarten parent-teacher conference tomorrow. I'm not expecting any surprises. The other day, on November 9, we dropped Kendall off at school and in the car Jacob asks me how many days are in the month of November. I say, "30." He then asks what day it was and I say, "the 9th." Then, he mumbles, "We have 21 more days in November." His mother thinks he's pretty smart!! :)

November 7, 2009

2010-01-07T11:32:00.000-05:00

Well, I discovered that Wal-Mart was having a one-day-only sale today which included an HP laptop for an untouchable price. The sale started at 8am, so I was at Wal-Mart at 7:15am and was 17th in line! They brought out a whole pallet of the laptops at 8am and I was home by 8:30 with my new laptop. However, Mark says I can't open it until I officially get refunded my money from the sour eBay purchase...that should happen any day! - I hope!

November 6, 2009

2010-01-07T11:28:00.000-05:00

Jacob had a great idea - he made a thank you note to Mark for the basement. I believe the kids enjoy the new space as much as we do!

Picture taken just after Jacob gave Mark his card.

November 5, 2009

2010-01-07T11:18:00.005-05:00

Aunt Bev had an impromptu party to celebrate the finish of their kitchen renovations. They had their cabinets refinished, new countertops and a large center island installed. It is beautiful!

November 3, 2009

2009-11-03T21:06:00.001-05:00

Jacob was rocking out to "The Joker" by the Steve Miller Band on Guitar Hero! I have some awesome goodies to scrap this with...I can't wait to get my laptop so I can work more comfortably on my stuff. Today marks 2 weeks since I purchased it on eBay. It's a long story, but the seller left on vacation thinking his assistant would mail it out. The assistant didn't. He just arrived home from his 'holiday' and will ship it out tomorrow. But, get this, he won't 2nd-day-air it because it's too expensive. Well......I replied back to insist his "assistant" make up the difference in the shipping cost! Ugh. I'm not sure what kind of feedback to leave. I guess I'll determine that when I actually get the thing....

We are getting more quotes on countertops downstairs. Mark is finishing up the flooring tonight, so I'll be on clean-up duty tomorrow.

I'm anxious to watch the news tonight to see how all the elections turned out. I'm thinking there will be a clear, conservative message delivered in the way of local, state, and national elections. I'm especially curious for the NY-23rd district outcome. Christine, is that your jurisdiction?? I've been meaning to look it up, knowing that it's upstate NY...

Until tomorrow.

November 2, 2009

2009-11-02T21:00:00.001-05:00

Jacob got his glasses today!

November 1, 2009

2009-11-02T20:59:00.002-05:00

Today we celebrated Grandma P's birthday a little early.

Mark almost finished the basement floor. He figures he only has 4 more hours to go and it will be done.

October 31, 2009

2009-11-02T20:56:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Basement Update

2009-10-30T22:26:00.001-04:00

The Pool Table is in Position!

And, it wasn't pretty...

October 30, 2009

2009-10-30T21:06:00.001-04:00

Kendall had her Fall Party today, with a costume parade and songs, and a gym full of craft and activity tables run by the moms. It was tons of fun. Grandma P's costume (lamb) was a hit. However, the dress drew so many compliments! Kendall and I ran errands all afternoon and everyone we made eye contact with had something to say about Kendalls halloween/Hello Kitty dress. It was just too cute!

Mark took today off to start on the main part of the floor. He wants to move the pool table back into place yet tonight since we're renting the dollies. The first picture was taken at 5pm. The second picture, from about the same perspective, was taken at 8:15pm. He has the rest of the weekend to finish: the playroom, storage/bedroom, and down the hallway. He's doing a great job! I've got the easy job: feeding him and keeping his water cup filled. :)

October 29, 2009

2009-10-30T21:00:00.001-04:00

Soo many pictures! We rented dollies from Mason's Billiards and Barstools to move the pool table out of the way. It was kind of scary seeing it hoisted up like that. We should have cleaned up Mark's jack for the photos! :)

Then the kids and I carved our pumpkins tonight. I actually bought a pumpkin carving set with the little knives and scoops. Oh, my goodness! Why didn't I do that years ago! Carving and cleaning out the pumpkins was a breeze! I even did one of the design patterns that came with the set and carved a cool cat on Kendall's pumpkin. We lit the pumpkins up to "test" them out and the kids were thrilled. Halloween can't come soon enough!

October 28, 2009

2009-10-28T22:17:00.001-04:00

Mark is anxious....he's supposed to wait 48 hours to let the laminate get acclimated to the environment. Well, I guess he just couldn't wait any longer!

Kendall had picture day at school. Jacob and I surprised Mark with a visit at his work. We then shopped both Gymborees in the area looking for particular things on behalf of Kim for Kennedy(and Kendall and Jacob!) and ran into relatives: Uncle Euie and Aunt Sally and cousin Linda. :) The lady who came out and measured 10 days ago for carpet and countertops finally stopped over this afternoon with her estimates (that's the last we will be seeing of her). A neighbor girl (Izzy) came over to play for a little bit. Fixed a good pork chop dinner. I had a great time at book club tonight.

It was a busy, fun day. We'll see what tomorrow brings...

October 27, 2009

2009-10-28T22:06:00.001-04:00

Well, I borrowed Dad's big pick-up truck and went up to Adrian to purchase our laminate flooring! Good thing Dad's truck is 'Heavy Duty'....it was filled up! And, it was very nice of Dad to show up, unannounced, just as Mark was getting home from work to help carry it all down to the basement.

I picked up Jacob from school (but couldn't find him - long story). Then, we had an impromptu photo op. in our leaves. The kids had a blast burying each other and jumping into our little pile, over and over! What fun!

October 26, 2009

2009-10-28T21:57:00.001-04:00

Jacob had an eye exam this morning. He failed the vision screening twice at school, so we were notified by the school nurse of a potential issue. Yes. He needs glasses. He is +4.50 in one eye and about perfect in the other eye. That is what is called having a "lazy eye" (refractive amblyopia). He gets this from his mother, who gets this from Grandpa C, as well. We picked out some eyeglasses in the afternoon.

Jacob just thought he was pretty cool to wear special 'shades' while his eyes were dialated! :)

October 25, 2009

2009-10-28T21:48:00.001-04:00

Yesterday brought us Jacob's last soccer game - and it was the first that he didn't score at least one goal. Way to go, Jacob. It was such a fun season to watch Jacob improve and get aggressive.

Yesterday afternoon was Uncle Les' memorial in Pittsford, MI. We mingled a bit with family (why don't we get together more often?) over desserts at the church.

On the way home, we stopped at a large flooring outlet in Adrian. We brought a bunch of samples of laminate flooring home to see what matches the best.

Today, Grandma & Grandpa P came over and we just lounged. I've been fighting a cold and have felt yucky, so Mark actually did the "necessity" grocery shopping. What a guy!

The kids had fun helping clean and organize in the basement (photo).

October 23, 2009

2009-10-23T21:29:00.002-04:00

Today was uneventful. The weather was dark, dreary, rainy, cold. I cleaned the house and did lots of laundry. Leftovers (the delicious pork roast) for dinner.

Mark laid the laminate pad down the hallway and in the bar/eating area tonight. I did get a call back today from Megan's uncle who installs granite (not laminate!:) ) and worked up an estimate for us. Of course, it's a lot of money. Of course, it would look beautiful. Of course, we will continue pricing other options. Still waiting for Perrysburg Floor to call back with pricing....hmmm...

We'll see what tomorrow brings.

October 22, 2009

2009-10-23T21:24:00.002-04:00

Mark started laying the underlayment pad for the laminate floor in the basement today.

The kids and I went over to Grandma & Grandpa P's. While we were there, we made a side trip to the flooring place that they have used recently in all their renovations. I got some prices on carpeting and a general range for the laminate. For some reason, we haven't heard back from the woman who came out on Saturday to measure for carpet, laminate, and countertops from Perrysburg Flooring. She mentioned that she would get back to us with a price by Tuesday. Maybe she's taking her time, working up a REALLY good deal! :)

October 21, 2009

2009-10-22T07:33:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIM! (my wonderful SIL)

Both kiddos had school today, I tried to catch up on some laundry and straighten up the house. The weather was beautiful, so the kids played outside after school - it felt so good. Tonight was bunko, which I forgot about as I put a pork roast in the crockpot this morning. I didn't eat the whole meal, but the roast was sooo tender, it cut and melted in your mouth like butter. I have yet to figure out why some roasts cook up like that and others are like a sole of a shoe...one of life's mysteries! :)

I was off to bunko....Michelle always hosts the October bunko because she goes ALL OUT at Halloween....fully decorated to the hilt. We were to wear a costume and I went as the Swine/H1N1 Flu. Kendall colored my pig ears for me.

October 20, 2009

2009-10-20T21:34:00.003-04:00

It was a beautiful day today - perfect for pumpkin picking! I DID find that farmhouse (Co Rd C (aka Archbold-Whitehouse) & 5-1) and bought all our pumpkins for 10 cents/pound. Now, he didn't have huge ones, but they were just fine for us. The largest weighed 22 lbs. The kids had fun picking them out. Oh, and I must retract from my earlier post: the owner has a full set of very nice teeth, just a little scruffy!

Aunt Bev called before we left and invited us over for lunch with her and Uncle Jim in their newly remodeled kitchen. Perfect timing! Kelsie was there, too. The sloppy joes and other goodies were delicious. The kitchen was fabulous. And the kids gobbled up their ice cream sandwiches. Thanks, Aunt Bev!

As we returned home, Grandma & Grandpa P. were just walking up to our front door. Perfect timing, again! Grandma P. brought over Kendall's Halloween costume that she made: a lamb. It is adorable. Kendall had it on tonight and looked very cute. Thanks, Grandma!

I also purchased a used laptop on eBay tonight. Oh, my! Now, I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that it's a good one....it was $80 less than the average selling price of 42 laptops I have "watched" on eBay over the last 5 days. Hmmm....we'll see how it is when I get it! Again, fingers crossed!

(I also fixed the photos on last week's post of Kendall's field trip...the pictures were erroring.)

October 19, 2009

2009-10-20T21:16:00.002-04:00

<---Photo of Jacob's drawing. It looks like the car is running into the guy, but he says, "No, the man owns the car." I helped in Jacob's classroom today. It went well and was very interesting to observe the children, the classroom, the teacher.

It was our turn to "boo" the neighbors tonight. Kendall was sooooo excited and couldn't wait for it to get dark (at 7:30pm, I'm sad to point out). I had to peel Jacob away from Guitar Hero (he was playing with Mark). We all had fun sneaking up to the 2 houses, leaving our treats, ringing the door bell, and RUNNING! Kendall was especially good at this....the kept hushing Jacob so that we would be quiet and not get caught. However, her light-up sneakers were kind of a give-away! :)

October 18, 2009

2009-10-18T22:06:00.004-04:00

Right before bed tonight, our doorbell rings. We were "boo'd!" Someone left a bucket of awesome goodies and ran. Now, it is our turn to "boo" a neighbor (or two). We've been boo'd every year, even before Jacob was born, and I have yet to find out who it was. They are very sneaky! Jacob & Kendall are fighting over who we will "boo." We might have to have a coin toss in the morning to decide...then, I have to shop!
The kids are yelling, "Boo!" in the picture. :)

It was a pleasant day for Jacob's soccer game. Mark mowed the grass and stained more woodwork. He thinks he's officially done with the mouldings.

The Boo poem:
BOO
The air is cool, the season is fallsoon Boo's will come to all.
The treat that came with the special noteIs yours to keep, enjoy them both.
The fun comes with friends like you, now copy this and make it two.
Then others here among our friends, will give warm fuzzies that will never end.
We'll all have smiles upon our face,no one will know who BOOed each place.
Just one short day to work your fun,or a big ZAP will strike, SO RUN!
And don't forget a nifty treat,like something cute or something sweet.
Please join the fun, let's really hear it,and spread some Boo's and lot's of spirit.

Directions:1. Enjoy your treat.2. Place the picture of your BOO on your front door.3. Now you have 24 hours to copy this twice, make 2 treats and 2 BOO's and secretly deliver them to 2 neighbors who do not have BOO on their front door.4. Then watch how far this spreads by Halloween.

October 17, 2009

2009-10-17T22:54:00.002-04:00

Does it count that I'm posting pictures from LAST Saturday? This was the girl's-get-away, as photographed by Angel. The last pic looks like I am barely standing, but I promise, I wasn't that bad!! :)

The countertop/carpet lady came today to measure and brought samples of materials. All I can see is dollar signs!...though she will give us all the pricing by Tuesday. Yikes. Of course, the countertop we like is better than what's in our kitchen and the carpet quality seemed overkill to me for in the basement. I would love to have that carpet in my family room! We will definitely be doing some tweaking in materials and other estimates.

Mark cut all the baseboard molding today - until he ran out of it. Another run to Menards is on our schedule for tomorrow. Other than that, we had a quiet day at home with no excursions or other 'productivity.' I made tacos for dinner, so the kiddos were happy.

We'll see what tomorrow brings...

October 16, 2009

2009-10-17T22:45:00.005-04:00

Can you pick Kendall out of the crowd? The preschool classes had field trips to the post office and the police station today. Kendall said, afterwards, that it was a little boring. Honestly, I think the kids were too young for such a field trip. Kendall actually suggested, "going to see flowers or butterflies" as a better field trip. I agree!

Mark came home from his trip around 2pm. Our appointment with a countertop/carpet lady had to be postponed until tomorrow, so we went to a flooring "outlet," Home Depot, and the Andersons to get some ideas for the basement. It seems we are on the home stretch now.

October 15, 2009

2009-10-17T22:32:00.003-04:00

Jacob bought his lunch today, making it two days in a row (remember, he goes to school every other day). OK, maybe his lunch account will be drained sooner than I thought! :)

Mark is gone for work, so we headed over to my parents tonight. They fed us and I helped Dad put one of his cars on eBay. It's a 1953 Jeep Willys military vehicle that the McClure (Ohio) fire department used for brush fires/snow plowing since 1976. The truck has an interesting history and paperwork (if Dad can find it :)) to document it. Within a 1/2 hour he had a few bids.

October 14, 2009

2009-10-14T20:42:00.002-04:00

We are on our second batch of Halloween candy! I love this time of year when I can get the Palmer's bulk Halloween chocolates at Meijer. You can choose a variety of gross body parts (my favorite is a big hairy ear) and other Halloween themes. Yum! Tonight after a good dinner, Jacob asked if he could have an eyeball and some lips for dessert. Any other time of year, that question would be pretty far-out!

Kendall and Jacob were not getting along today. Kendall came to find me and her story went something like this, "I want to be the boss. Jacob won't let me be the boss. I have a game and I want to be boss. Jacob doesn't want to play it. He says I'm little and he's a big boy. But I'm a big girl and want to be boss." Oh, boy.

Jacob's kindergarten teacher called tonight and I'm going to help in his room on the Monday's he has school. That should be interesting! I'm looking forward to it.

Mark ate dinner with us and then left for two nights for work. Sooo, I put the kids to bed early, got my p.j.'s on, and opened a bottle of wine. Next, is to read for a while. ahhhh....

When Mark gets home on Friday, we have someone coming in to measure the countertops and flooring for some estimates. Woo Hoo! I have to give Mark credit - he's been working in the basement until about 10 or 11 every night. It is really starting to come together. Just about all the base boards and other misc. molding/woodwork is done. There's one cabinet door (back of the audio cabinet) that he's trying to figure out. I have uploaded recent basement pictures HERE (scroll down to the most recent - doors/woodwork ones).

October 13, 2009

2009-10-14T20:33:00.001-04:00

This is how Jacob is supposed to sleep. Last night he slept-walked. He's done it a few times before without much ado. However, last night he proceeded to go to the bathroom in our kitchen garbage can...he lifted the lid like he does the toilet seat! Mark and I were a bit shocked...Mark yelled and woke him up. I guess you're not supposed to do that, but in the 'heat of the moment' it was the only reaction we had! After doing a little research online and posting a question about it on Facebook, it now seems like this is very common in boys. Hopefully, we'll grow out of this soon!

Speaking of growing, Jacob also went to Nathan's house right after school today. That was a first. He's such a homebody that he usually just wants to go home after school(and have Nathan come to our house). I'm glad he finally felt comfortable enough to leave me at the bus stop and go home with Nathan. Also, he bought lunch in the cafeteria for the first time today. Again, his comfort level is building which is a good thing. However, school lunches cost $2.25 - seems expensive to me! At this rate, though, it will take him all year to use up the $20 I put on his lunch account.

October 12, 2009

2009-10-12T21:04:00.004-04:00

I'm filled with fond memories of Uncle Les, who passed away this afternoon, and loving prayers for my cousins, mom, and aunts. The events of the day pale in comparison.

October 9, 2009

2009-10-10T07:42:00.001-04:00

Rain, rain go away!
We want to see Haley crowned today!

We ended up skipping the rainy football game, but caught up with Haley at Clark & Sandy's house. She was ecstatic to be homecoming queen, following in her sister's footsteps. :)

Kendall is V.I.P. (Very Important Preschooler) next week in class, so she brought home Teddy for the weekend. Teddy will be joining Kendall on all her fun adventures, we are to take pictures, and record what Teddy did in a journal to share in class on Monday. Kendall is thrilled.

I am "off-duty" 'this weekend - I'm going to a neighbor's lake cottage with 6 women. I am VERY much looking forward to it. And, I think Mark is looking forward to having the kids all to himself. He has instructions to take pictures for the bliggity-blog! :)

October 8, 2009

2009-10-08T21:05:00.001-04:00

Today was cold, damp, and blah! After Kendall and I ran errands in the morning, I had the perfect pick-me-up for Kendall: a spa treatment! (kind of) She's been asking for a bubble bath, so we ran a huge bath. She frolicked while I cleaned in the bathroom and filed my nails! After the bath, we slathered on lots of good smelling lotion. Then, I painted her finger and toe nails (which she requested a different color for each!). Finally, I blow dried her hair. It was a lot of fun, for both of us!

Oh, the final stop in our morning errands was to get some ice cream for being so good.....so, it was truly a good day! :)

October 7, 2009

2009-10-07T21:20:00.001-04:00

It was a math & science day today! While Kendall was in preschool, Jacob and I did a classic experiment: we threaded a straw with a 10 ft. string; tied the string, taut, between two chairs; taped a balloon to the straw; let go of the balloon and watched how fast the straw traveled between the chairs. Jacob is really interested in airplanes, so this "jet" action was right up his alley. Then, we progressed to taping the balloon to his paper airplanes, letting go, and watching them fly around the house.

Then, Mom & Dad C. stopped by tonight. Jacob showed off his math skills with Grandpa. A little algebra was thrown in for fun!

October 6, 2009

2009-10-06T20:42:00.001-04:00

Can you tell I'm not running? I'm keeping the blog up-to-date AND baking homemade cookies! (...and cleaning the house, and reading a book, and sewing miscellany projects, and...feeling guilty for not running!)

October 5, 2009

2009-10-05T21:02:00.001-04:00

Jacob was home from school, so we went to "Playground World" with playgroup in the morning while Kendall was at preschool.

This after noon, I tackled the laundry room....it is clean and sparkly now. It gets to a point where I leave the laundry room "angry" because it's such a mess. Ugh.

Then, we all went to the library. I didn't take our current supply of library books back - they aren't due for a couple weeks. I just needed to pick up "Finding Faith" by Jodi Picoult for the church book club. However, we left with another armload of books. Luckily, we keep pretty good track of them all.

Mark is installing molding around the doors that he and his dad hung on Saturday. It's looking good!

October 4, 2009

2009-10-05T20:54:00.001-04:00

Sundays are pretty slow-paced around here. We did head out to Menards and purchased oak bi-fold/louvered doors for the furnace room in the basement, as well as a faucet for the bar sink, and a bunch of molding.

At home, Mark worked out in the garage staining all of our wood purchases. I finally sewed up blankets for the kids. They've been waiting patiently for me to do that for them since they picked out the fabric a month or so ago!

Then, I helped Mark finish staining the louvered doors, which involved a q-tip to try and get in all the grooves and crevices.

Dinner was homemade chicken noodle soup. Yum!

October 3, 2009

2009-10-03T22:42:00.001-04:00

Wow! This weather about has me homebound! Cold. Damp. Windy. Jacob had to be at his soccer game today an hour early for team pictures. Jacob wasn't so bothered by the weather, he was running around scoring one of the two goals from his team! However, I was ready for a hot cup of tea when we got home after two hours on the soccer field.

I enjoyed my tea with Mark's mom. They had come over so Mark's dad could help hang the rest of the doors in the basement. While the men were working we took the kids to JoAnn Fabrics and to Toys R Us. I think I mentioned we resorted to bribery to help Jacob stop his tears at school. It worked and he earned his reward from Grandma: an army aircraft carrier. It was on his Christmas list last year, so he was thrilled.

October 2, 2009

2009-10-02T13:50:00.001-04:00

Just found this video of Jacob singing:

October 1, 2009

2009-10-01T22:04:00.002-04:00

Well, October is here and it sure did announce itself! Our weather has been unseasonably cold and blustery, down to 35 at night. I love being chilly at night and crawling into cold sheets! However, we did turn on the furnace last night....but kept it cool, just not "make-my-nose-run" cold. Fall is definitely my favorite season.

I did my seasonal decorating around the house. We will add our pumpkins a little later in the month. I'm hoping to find the old, rickety farmhouse (straight from a Halloween story) out in the middle of nowhere (well, between Swanton & Delta) where I found pumpkins for 10 cents/pound two years ago. Wow! The kids and I went traipsing through the country side last year with no luck of finding the place. However, I believe I passed it in May on my way home from Archbold. With any luck, we'll find it again....and the nice, old geezer (with no teeth) running the farm will still be around selling pumpkins!

September 30, 2009

2009-10-01T21:46:00.002-04:00

Now, onto Jacob's latest obsession: PAPER AIRPLANES. They are everywhere....on the floor, in the chairs, on the counter, behind the couch, on his dresser, in his closet, and on and on. I had him gather some up (yes, there are more!) and get a picture with them. To fuel the fire, he picked out some "how-to" books on building paper airplanes last week at the library. It is fun to have flying contests with all his different models.

Kendall was with me today as I got pulled over by the Maumee police. I turned left into a local gas station, across a double yellow line. The police officer pulled up behind me with lights flashing at the pump. Luckily, he just gave me a warning. You tell me there are no police/traffic violation quotas on the last day of September!

September 29, 2009

2009-10-01T21:42:00.006-04:00

The kids and I cleaned house this morning. Jacob picked up his room and vacuumed it. Kendall cleaned doorknobs. Everyone was busy! Then, in the afternoon, we busted out the paints and got the house all messy again! Jacob painted a huge picture of the lake.

Also, here's video of Kendall dancing today. She has moved on to other music. Note how she has the door to the office closed....I am literally a captive audience!

September 28, 2009

2009-10-01T21:19:00.005-04:00

Kendall's obsession: Dancing! She has mastered Beyonce's "Single Ladies" song. She found the music video online and plays it over and over again. She even points to her ring finger with the lyrics! I have no idea where she gets it from.

We went for a walk yesterday, Kendall and I. I asked her what way she wanted to go and she says, "The Beyonce way." Oh, my. Then, she was telling me we were on Beyonce Street. Oh, my.

September 27, 2009

2009-09-30T10:57:00.006-04:00

Race day. Lisa and family picked me up to go to the race...I wasn't sure if Mark was coming with the kids. There were 18,000 participants - 5,000 runners and 13,000 walkers. It was a big event. I ran really well for me: 29:21 (77th of 186 in my age group). Lisa ran with me and kept me motivated! At the end of the race, Mark and kids found me...I was so happy they came. What a good morning!

See what Lisa put on her BLOG.

September 26, 2009

2009-09-30T10:39:00.002-04:00

The golf outing went off without a hitch. I was at the church at 6am to pick up a donut donation and help load up a van going to set up the outing.

Jacob had a soccer game this afternoon. He scored one goal. He's doing really well and enjoys it. At last week's game, he scored 4 goals (I didn't have my camera). We were also running late to the game, so I packed a lunch. Well, a bee was on Mark's pop can and stung him in the lip during the game. It swelled up good, but was better the next day.

I'm going a bit backwards in my timeline (my fault for not keeping up with this daily!), but Mark and I had a date night last night. We finally made it to La Scola italian restaurant (we've had a gift certificate since Christmas) and we rented a movie: Twilight. My choice, of course. It was a good evening!

September 24, 2009

2009-09-30T10:35:00.003-04:00

The week has been full with meetings, preparing food, gathering door prizes, etc. for the preschool's golf outing Saturday. I'm also getting mentally prepared for the 5K Race for the Cure on Sunday.

Also, Mom P's first cataract surgery went well Monday. Jacob's soccer practice was cancelled Tuesday due to rain - however, we didn't know that since Jose did NOT correct my email address (ugh). I attended a book club meeting Wednesday at the church. Jacob had school pictures today.

Kendall and I ran errands and met up with Aunt Bev and Mom. Along the way, Kendall got a much-needed hair cut. She looks so cute and well-groomed! :)

While we were running errands, Kendall became thirsty in the car. She told me she was praying to God that He would give her water. She said she just knew that God would bring her water. And, He answered her prayers! I pulled through McDonald's and got a cup of water (and a sweet tea for me).

September 19, 2009

2009-09-30T10:30:00.001-04:00

We left in the morning for Daniel S's noon wedding in Marion, IN. The drive was about 3 hours each way. We rode with Mom & Dad and the kids did just fine. It was so good to see Uncle Jack and Aunt Sharon (in pic), as well as the rest of the family out there. Brad, my cousin and father of the groom, actually officiated the ceremony - so that was pretty special. The reception was so pleasant: at the bride's parent's country home with a nice tent (with dance floor!) and good food. The weather cooperated beautifully and it was a wonderful trip.

All the wedding photos are HERE.

September 16, 2009

2009-09-30T10:08:00.003-04:00

Just to follow up on yesterday's post: I called the "assistant" coach, Jennifer. She informed me that Jose, the head coach of the team, sent an email with the time and changed location for practice. When Jennifer forwarded the email, I found out why I never received it: our email address was all garbled! I let the coach know (nicely) to please correct it.

I had an eye exam this morning and was really looking forward to getting some new glasses. I just couldn't justify the cost, even after our insurance. So, I instead ordered a year's supply of contacts for under $20. Better deal....maybe next year on the glasses.

Tonight was bunko at Lisa's house. What a hit! I won big again....I swear I don't rig the results! I seem to win often.

September 15, 2009

2009-09-30T10:07:00.001-04:00

To start the morning off right, I decided to get fancy and cook an egg in the middle of a piece of bread. Neither Jacob or Kendall ate it! Go figure!

I attended the elementary school's parent meeting luncheon. I ran a little late and one of the only seats left at a table where I knew a couple faces was between the principal and superintendent. I was on my best behavior! :)

Jacob had his first soccer practice tonight. While at the luncheon, I talked to Mason's mom, Michelle, and found out that Jennifer (soccer coach) was also Mason's coach, so the kids are on the same team. Soccer was to be at 6:15 at the elementary school. Jacob and I got there right at 6:15 and we saw no other soccer team. I called Michelle on the cell and she said practice was at Jennifer's house and gave me the address...so, off we went. We arrived at the coach's house to find out that Jacob was not on her roster! We were with the wrong team! Two different Jennifer's (I should be prepared for this since I am a Jennifer)! Well, we were there and so Jacob practiced with Mason's team.

I will be calling our Jennifer tomorrow to see where we were supposed to be!

September 14, 2009

2009-09-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

We had a nice weekend with friends: me with Catherine and Lisa Friday night, then with Annette and her family on Saturday; Mark with Burly on Friday and Saturday. I was looking forward to a productive Monday, since both kids were in school. I had planned on running with Lisa, trying to really get geared up for the race in a couple weeks.

However, when I hopped in the car to take Kendall to school, it wouldn't start and my "message center" was saying all sorts of strange things. I thought the electrical system was going haywire...I called the dealership and they guessed it was the ignition system. Soooo, instead of running with Lisa, I waited for a AAA tow truck to come and tow my car to the dealership. Well, when AAA arrived, they tried jumping my battery and that worked!!! I was able to pick Kendall up from school, then we had the battery replaced (it was the original, 8 years old). Can you believe our battery is under the back seat?? When they removed the back seat, I was busy cleaning up barrettes, goldfish crackers, crayons, etc. from under it while they hooked up the new battery! :)

September 11, 2009

2009-09-30T09:53:00.002-04:00

Catherine's husband, Gar, received 4 Colorado vs. University of Toledo football tickets and asked if we wanted to join them. Well, it just so happened that Mark had already made arrangements to go to Burly's for the night and play in a golf outing. So, I invited Lisa to go with us and we had a great time. Gar had tickets because he was a manager for Colorado's assistant coach back in the day. I felt bad that UT stomped on Colorado! But the fireworks at half-time helped to lighten the spirits. Then, Catherine, Gar, and their dog, Molly, spent the night with at our house. The kiddos were happy to stay the night at Grandma & Grandpa P.'s!

Every 9/11, I say a prayer for our armed services and thank them for continuing to keep us safe.

September 9, 2009

2009-09-30T09:44:00.001-04:00

KENDALL'S FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! Kendall was so excited to start school (like her big brother). She is in the same room this year, but with different teachers and a different mix of classmates. She did wonderfully...she lead me to her room and never looked back.

September 7, 2009

2009-09-30T09:41:00.001-04:00

Happy Labor Day! Mark spent the day with his dad hanging the first two doors downstairs in the basement. Then, we went out to dinner at "Chowders 'N Moor" in Waterville. The food was very good and clam chowder is their claim to fame. We have been eating good this weekend. After Mark golfed with his dad yesterday, we had dinner here: bacon-wrapped fillets and shrimp kabobs on the grill.

September 5, 2009

2009-09-05T23:05:00.001-04:00

Mark took Jacob golfing today, back to Cottonwood (which I learned has more par 4 holes than par 3's). Jacob drove a ball to the green on one of the holes. And, his longest drive was about 115 yards. I don't know who has more fun: Mark or Jacob!

Tonight we ate at Sonic for the first time. The food was good and I had a cherry limeade chiller....that was REALLY good. Then, we headed to the weekly carshow in Perrysburg. It was a good day.

September 4, 2009

2009-09-05T22:57:00.001-04:00

We met Mandy and Frankie at the Toledo Zoo today. It was a beautiful day. We packed lunches and played the whole time in the new children's area of the zoo. The only "zoo" animal we saw in the 4 hours we were there, were the polar bears on our way out! The kids played on the playground, in the stream, in the sand, in the exhibits. They got their faces painted. Jacob climbed rocks. Kendall pet some goats. It was a good, tiring day! Luckily, I had plenty of leftovers for a quick, stress-free dinner when we got home!

September 3, 2009

2009-09-05T22:50:00.002-04:00

<---My first attempt at french braiding Kendall's hair. A few wisps were missed here and there, but we did go out in public with them - so not terribly bad! :)

Jacob had school this morning. He got on the bus and I could see the bus driver say, "Hi, there, buddy!" in a bubbly voice. Well, as Jacob walked past her, I also saw her grimace. Jacob sat in his window seat, face in the window, bawling. Oh, my goodness! Nathan, his seat-mate, had a look of, "what do I do?" I smiled and waved 'goodbye' to him and gave him thumbs up. The other moms/dads at the bus stop were just as heartbroken. He got home and had a great day - although he said he cried once. Hmmm...

Oh, when Jacob got off the bus...Nathan asked his dad if he could come over to our house. It was approved and I said I would walk him home in an hour. Well, I was working on the rock landscape project (which I completed!) and the boys were playing outside with me. After 1/2 hour, Nathan's dad came by to pick him up instead. Nathan and Jacob were chasing each other in the yard with Nerf guns. I could gather from Nathan's dad that this was probably not an approved activity/toy. Now, I'm wondering if Nathan will ever be allowed to play at our house again?! I guess if it comes up in conversation, I will offer to put the Nerf guns away.... Needless to say, as they left, I could hear Nathan breathlessly ask his dad if he could play at Jacob's house again sometime. (sure! because we have the forbidden toys! oh, no!)

September 2, 2009

2009-09-03T08:39:00.002-04:00

The kids and I picked up more landscape fabric in the morning. I got it all laid and got about 3/4 of the stone down! This picture was taken about an hour into the job. Good news: I should be done tomorrow with this. Bad news: We STILL have a huge pile of stone in our driveway. Bad, Bad news: Mark says he can't help me with it until golf season is over because the shoveling will ruin his golf swing. Oh, my!

After working with the stone for 3-1/2 hours today, I ran with Lisa tonight. She has a GPS watch that tracks your distance, pace, heart rate, etc. We ran the 5K distance in 32 minutes. We started off at a 9.5 minute/mile pace, then I died. We ended up averaging 10 min. miles. Lisa is a faster/stronger runner than me, so it was very "kind" of her to run with me! :) But, now I know what loop around the neighborhood is 3.2 miles (5K). I was guessing the distance prior to our run tonight.

The kids both have a nasty cough. They seem to be feeling fine otherwise. Hopefully, with some early bedtimes, we can knock that out of their systems.

September 1, 2009

2009-09-02T08:02:00.001-04:00

Wow! It's September already. Where did the summer go? I kicked off the new month attacking a flower bed in the back yard. We still have a pile of stone in the driveway - yikes! - that we need to get rid of. That is my mission this week. I will get another roll of landscape fabric and start on the stone hauling tomorrow.

Jacob said he cried today, right at the beginning of the school day. He seems to enjoy school and has no problem getting on the bus in the morning. He just has his "moments." I'm sure the momentary sadness will dissipate soon. (hoping!) Jacob was to have a playdate yesterday with Nathan, but that fell through at the last minute. Luckily, other neighbor kids (Izzy, Anna, Ashley) were out and he played at their houses instead.

August 30, 2009

2009-08-30T22:00:00.003-04:00

We had good intentions of taking a photo today. Mark took Jacob to Cottonwood Golf Course today to play their 9-hole, par 3 course. Jacob was in seventh heaven...he hit the ball very well, according to Mark. He even drove one onto the green, very close to the pin! Mark took the camera with him, but left it in the car.

There's always tomorrow!

August 29, 2009

2009-08-29T23:11:00.004-04:00

Well, here we are! After a month+ of lagging behind (since July 23 - happy reading for you, if you so choose!), I am finally updated with the bliggity-blog. I promise to take better care of her and update her daily. I think one of the reasons I fell so far behind is that I am running in the evenings, which seriously cuts into my computer time. Then, once I was behind, it seemed so daunting of a task to update it, which led to more procrastination. One of those vicious circles.

As for today, I couldn't let $20 burn a hole in my pocket, so I went out and purchased new running shoes. I wear such a small size (5) that my options were very limited. I even tried on children's Adidas (the man at the running shop looked them up and confirmed they were built similarly to the adult shoes), but I couldn't get past the pastel pink! :) I ended up with Mizuno. I ran very fast tonight and they felt lots more "grip-y" than my 10 year old pair - imagine that!

Kendall is suffering from a cold and a slight fever today (we discovered the fever AFTER returning from the mall - oops). She didn't quite have the same twinkle in her eye today, but she took a nap and got to bed early. The fever might be a side-effect from her vaccinations on Wednesday. Hopefully, she'll be on the mend soon.