Another Special Weekend

SATURDAY -- FISHING TRIP TO LAKE MILLE LACS


On Saturday, my hubby, my dad and I went up to Hunter's Point on Lake Mille Lacs to go fishing with some friends. This trip was set up the night of our friend Chris' benefit and we were asked to go with. It was an interesting day. This is Chris' condensed version of our 4 hour trip:

One Boat

One Rock

One Broken Rod

One Heated Jacket

ONE FISH

One Awesome Time--PRICELESS

Yes, folks, only one fish was caught. There were 30 of us fishing and only one fish. For me the experience was more of being on the boat - or Super sized Pontoon as I like to call it. It wasn't a bad day weather wise. It got up to mid 50's and the sun was shining. But it was a little windy. Not too bad - when you're on shore - but out on the middle of the lake a windy day means a lot of waves.

When the boat was going from spot to spot I planted my fanny in the enclosed area in the middle of the boat. I found that when sitting on one bench I could brace my legs on the opposite bench and then I felt a little more stable. I don't like the feeling of having no control and boy was that boat a rocking. Even walking around the boat was crazy. I sat as much as possible. I told Jeff that now I know how Emma feels just learning how to walk!!

My buddy Roger brought Chris his motorcycle outfit that is electric. That's right - we plugged Chris into a battery and he was the warmest person on the boat.

Several of the guys caught the bottom of the lake. My dad was one of them. They all denied catching the bottom of the lake - instead they said that they caught a "Rock Bass".

Even though only one fish was caught, it was an amazing day just spending time with buddies, my hubby and the dad. I can now say that I've experienced fishing on Lake Mille Lacs.

SUNDAY - TIMOTHY'S BAPTISM

To Timothy, a beloved son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

2 Timothy 1:2

We all gathered at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Inver Grove Heights to witness our Little Man's baptism. He was in SUCH a great mood. He was just all smiles. He wore Tony's baptismal outfit - another month and it wouldn't have fit! It was a good day.

After the service, we all went over to my mom and dad's house to eat and celebrate the wonderful occasion. A big thanks to them for having us all over.

Two Things

First, I have a video to show. It's a clip of the Benefit for Chris a week ago. It was taken during the auction for his SSP HS Football Jersey. I don't want to spoil the end so I'm not going to tell you all about it. It is 9 minutes long and if you should choose to watch it I strongly advise that you have some Kleenex close by.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1yUZlkhQ3Q


Second, I found this link about the election that I thought was hilarious. Take a moment to read it and have a good laugh after a good cry.

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/10/14/sarah-palin-joe-biden-will-do-the-stevie-nicks-don-henley-classic-%e2%80%9cleather-and-lace%e2%80%9d/

A Week Of Special Events

This past week has absolutely amazed me. On Friday we spent the evening at the Croation Hall setting up for the benefit for our friend Chris. We spent most of Saturday and evening helping out at the benefit. We saw so many friends from our past - as far back for me as 1st grade! It was incredible how many people showed up to support Chris and donate to him and his family. The hubby and I were asked to participate in a fishing trip on Mille Lacs with Chris on the 25th of October and we are thrilled and honored to be a part of this group. It truly was an amazing day of hope, love and honor to a friend. Below is a picture of Chris with Jeff and some of our Buddies.

On Sunday, Emma started walking but the main event was on Monday. She's really cruising and we're having a lot of fun with her. I hope this video works.........

Monday was also an anniversary for Jeff and I. Our 24th to be exact. We spent the evening with our children and the grandbabies. We had taken a 4-wheeling trip a week ago so that was our celebrating. I can't believe it has been 24 years already and we are still just as much in love. I mentioned to a resident of mine that it was my anniversary. This resident was married for a long time and took care of his wife for many years before she passed away. Early August he married another resident. So when he asked how long I had been married I said 24 years. And then I asked him how many days has it been for him and he said he made it 90 days so he's past his probation period. hahaha Did I mention that he is turning 90 this Saturday?

This truly will be a week to remember................

Emma's First Birthday

Emma turned One today.

Her Golden Birthday.

We had a party at Great Grandma and Grandpa's house. Emma had a lot of family come to help her celebrate. She received a lot of nice clothes and toys. Even her cousin Timothy came to the party. I can't believe our little princess is already one. Boy, does time fly...........

The Great Pumpkin

Pumpkins mean Halloween.
Halloween means Fall.
Fall means Winter.
Winter means snow and cold.

YUK!

But with the bad comes some good - pictures - pictures of babies. Yeah!

We took the kids out to the Gerten Pumpkin Patch tonight to try and take some pictures of them in their costumes with the pumpkins as a background. I figured getting them all together in one place at the same time would be the hardest part. WRONG.

Timothy wasn't happy (which is VERY unusual.)
Emma found a pumpkin she wanted and she has spoken!!
And the twins didn't want to be pushed into having their pictures taken. (we asked Aidan to go sit down by Emma and he stated, "I sit here" and promptly sat his butt down in the middle of the sidewalk.)

Whew. Taking pictures of kids is not easy.

So without further delay here are a few of the better ones.......

Benefit

I spent the better part of the past week getting some things ready for my friend Chris' benefit. Chris has been a friend of mine since High School but I've known him and his family since I was little - he lived just 3 houses away. Jeff is also great friends with Chris - they played football together after high school and ran around with the same crowd. Chris was diagnosed with cancer a few weeks ago and we are trying to do as much as we can for the benefit. We know that Chris would do it for us - that's just the type of guy he is.

Jeff and I started working on a sign for our front yard last weekend and was finally able to get it up by Thursday. We live on a very busy street in our small town and I hate it - but I decided that being able to get this sign out - and thus the word - it is worth it to live on this street.

The benefit will include a silent auction, spaghetti dinner and raffles. I had an idea last week on how to make money in another way. Ribbons. It's all the rage. Only we are going to do Orange ribbons. Chris is known for the color orange. It all started years ago when he was always wearing the orange hunting hat. The idea was a hit and I found enough ribbon to make over 500 ribbons. I even have some ribbon left in case I need to make more.

Chris' friends that are organizing the event are being swamped with people wanting to help in some way. Right now they are saying that donations and prayers are what is needed the most.

What is a Friend?

A friend is always faithful to you, even during the bad times.
A friend is reliable..you can count on one to always be there.
A friend stays in touch, even though it may not be as often as you’d like!
A true friendship is enduring, lasting even when friends lose touch for a while.
A friend is always there for you when you need someone.
A friend is devoted to your friendship and will never do anything to destroy it.

I've lost one good friend in the month of September and just found out that I am losing another. I understand that friends drift apart - lives change - death takes away those you love.

Which made me ask myself: "What is a friend?"

What does it take to continue to be a friend? Is it constant communication? is it history? is it having things in common? or is it just being there when needed?

Can you call a co-worker that you only see during work hours a friend? How about a relative that you are close to? I'm close to my mom and daughter. Are they my friends? I'm close to my son, husband, dad and brothers in different ways. Are they my friends?

If I don't call someone in a few months - do I still have a right to call myself their friend?

If I don't have contact with someone for many years that used to be a good friend and all of a sudden they call and you catch up - are they still considered a friend? or are they just someone that you used to know once upon a time?

I'm trying to remember a saying but I can't seem to get it right. Maybe someone else knows the correct way to say it.

you can pick your friends but you can't pick your friends nose.

no, that's not it

you can pick your friends but not your family's nose.

no, that's not it

you can pick your friends, you can pick your friends nose but you can't pick your family.

no, that's not it

help....anyone? anyone? Bueller?

A Friend
by Sir Shotgun

A friend is the one who tells you the truth

regardless of the cost,

A friend will help you find the thing's

you'd given up as lost

A friend will never put you down

or make you feel alone,

He'll smile and try to comfort you

'cause together you have grown

A friend is the one who picks you up

when you've fallen on the ground,

A friend is the one whose voice

is a welcome, warming sound

So when you think you're on your own

and wish you had a helping hand,

Remember, a friend is the one who,

when you cry, will always understand

Because the world is full of people

who will laughingly pretend,

But, when it's said and done

you're lucky if you've got a friend…

last weekend's "project"

Every weekend I like to take something up to the lake to "work" on. Usually it's scrapbooking or a book, but once in awhile I'll take something else up. Last weekend I worked on painting some cement (that's right, cement) statues that the son had brought home a few months ago. It was an all weekend job because they needed so many coats of paint. Even the hubby helped but when the painting became more "detailed" he just watched and gave opinions when asked for them. ;)

Here is an "after" picture.

I'm still not completely done - I keep touching them up - but I may just have to say the heck with it and be done at some point. They'll be a nice addition to our flower garden in front of the camper. They should go well with the steering wheel from a boat, the two half dead tomato plants, and the many pieces of wood that Kobi has collected and when he is done chewing on them the hubby throws them in with the scattered flowers. (You don't believe me about the steering wheel? Well, I'll take a picture of the statues in the flower bed this weekend just to prove that I didn't make that part up.)

Relay for Life 2008 - The End

Mom, Kathy and I went to the final get-together for the Relay last night. I was watching Emma so we took her with. She was really good but she's at that stage where she wants to get down and run (crawl).

I like going. We do several fun things and it puts a final touch on the event.

We do things like:

• Find out the total amount collected.

• Eat Pizza.

• Draw for Prizes.

• Eat goodies.

• Bring food for the food shelf.

Did I mention the pizza? Yumm.

I won a prize again this year. If you remember the previous post I wrote about the Relay, I won a chance to pick any spot our team wanted. It was a great prize. This year it went to the woman who Kathy and I gave a hard time to. Humm.

Anyway, I won a Caribou Coffee coupon. I get a free coffee every month for a year.

I know there is a least four of you that are thinking - Yeah! Coffee!

Ya, I don't drink coffee.

Never have - Never will.

At least it was better than Kathy's prize - a coffee cup and a stick of some sort. And mom didn't win anything. Well, there was the eating of the pizza. Emma loved it almost as much as I did. And her mom showed up so I got out of feeding her messy pizza. But I helped - I made sure she had some goodies. Sugar is great for an 11 month old baby.

Not sure what I'm going to do with this wonderful prize that I can't/won't use.

Humm, I wonder if I know of anyone that likes Caribou Coffee?

a visit from "little man"

Guess who came to visit?


My little man Timothy.

When I saw Tony and Timothy for that 45 seconds yesterday I pretty much begged Tony to bring the baby by so that we could have some time with him. I may have said something to the effect of "I'll do anything.....".

That one might come back to bite me in the butt.

Luckily for us, Tony had tonight off and he was able to bring Timothy over for a couple hours. I understand that it is hard for Tony to bring him over - he works nights, we work days. We go to the lake every weekend, he works six days a week.

Anyway, it was a wonderful visit. I called Great Grandma and she came over right away to see him. He has grown a lot in the last month. He just turned 5 months on the 13th of August and he is just a little over 15 pounds. And is he long!! He has long legs, toes, fingers, arms and huge feet. GGma couldn't get over how long his legs are.

He's moving a lot more now and he is trying to crawl and he rolls over with expert efficiency. He's also found his voice. I think he's teething because he drooled more in two hours than I do in an entire night of sleeping! With the drooling and then the spitting up we went through two towels and a t-shirt in two hours. (see photo above).

Ah, the joys of a 5 month old.

a visit from miss emma

I picked up Emma from my mom's so that we could spend a hour with her. On the way into the house, Tony was just leaving with Timothy. I was able to get Timothy to smile just before Tony pulled away.

I cherish any time - even if its just a few minutes - with the grandbabies.

Emma kept us entertained the whole hour we had her. Basically, the hubby and I did a tag team sort of thing. I started supper while he watched Emma. I watched Emma while he changed his clothes and started the dishes. When I had to check on supper he would take over for me. We worked very well together and she only fell down a couple of times.

She entertained herself at one point by climbing into Kobi's kennel. (No, I did not prompt her - she did this all on her own). She had a lot of fun playing in it and Kobi didn't seem to mind. The two are really getting used to each other.

when the rain stops

I think the best part of a rain shower is after its done raining.

The rainbows.

The pretty clouds.

On Saturday we had a late afternoon rain shower and this is what we saw when it stopped raining.

The. Best. Birthday. Present. EVER!!

When the hubby and I got up to the lake on Friday and started bringing things into the camper I found this

on the kitchen table.

I've been wanting one of these since last February. It was just a matter of time before I purchased one - I was waiting for them to go on clearance at Wal-Mart.

But my mom and dad purchased it for me before I had a chance to get it for myself.

When I saw it sitting on the table I squealed - yes, I actually squealed - with delight. Of course, I had brought up some scrapbooking to do and Saturday I worked on getting some pages done so that I could play with my new toy.

It's perfect. Thanks mom and dad. You're the best!!!!

they say it's your birthday!!

Today is our baby girl's birthday! Following a tradition that my mom and dad started with my brothers and I, the birthday girl got to choose where we went to eat.

Perkins it was.

We were joined by my brother and his family and my mom and nephews. Amanda LOVES her birthday. Several years ago I gave her a birthday ribbon pin and she faithfully wears it every year. I wonder if she'll still love her birthday when she gets older?

Emma had a blast with grandpa - that girl has no idea the power she has over him. He's Mr. Tough Guy until he sees her and then "poof" - he melts instantly. He spent the whole time playing with her and getting into trouble. He fed her salad and a huge onion ring. Ok, she didn't eat the onion ring but she took a couple of nibbles. I can't tell you how many times he was yelled at by Amanda, my mom and I. He loves to try and get the kids into trouble. He reminds me a lot of my grandpa. My gramps loved to get his daughters all riled up by getting us kids to do things we weren't supposed to do. Emma is going to adore her grandpa just like I adored mine.

The kids were great, the food was yummy and we all had a wonderful time.

Happy Birthday Mana!!

Relay/Birthday Weekend (8/8-8/9-8/10)

I started out my birthday weekend by attending the Relay for Life event. For those that aren't familiar with the Relay it's an all night event at a track field. The object is to collect money for the Cancer Society and spend time reflecting on loved ones that have battled cancer. We spend the night walking the track, selling beads (that were collected at Marti Gras) and having a special night with family and friends. My nephew Andy came with us and he was our bead seller - he sold over $50 worth of beads!! I thinks he may be coming with us next year!

This was our 3rd year participating and I started out Friday morning helping my dad, aunt and uncle setting up our spot. We met at 9:00 and started hauling the tent, chairs and tables down to the field. After last years Relay a few of us went to a closing event and I won a prize that consisted of our team being able to pick "what ever spot we wanted" for the next years event. Lucky me!! I told my aunt, our captain and fearless leader, approximately where we wanted to be - by the bleachers so we didn't have so far to go to haul all of our stuff! When we got there that Friday to set up there was confusion with the map and we were pushed down to the back of the track - where we had been the last two years! Of course my aunt and I protested and while we were negotiating with TPTB, my dad and uncle sat quietly by just waiting for instructions. Eventually, we were given the spot that we wanted - lets just say that our family history of stubbornness was very useful.

The night was beautiful and we had a great time. Unfortunately, I had to go home early - but not until after pizza - to spend the night with Kobi and get some sleep so I could drive up to the lake the next morning. Sleep was not to be had - Kobi was a little restless after being home alone for 6 hours. I finally fell asleep around 2:00 and at 2:30 was woke up by a thunderstorm. I contact a cousin that was at the Relay and found out that they were getting a little wet. The night wasn't a total bust and I met some of my team at a local cafe for breakfast at 6:00.

After breakfast and unloading, my nephew and I headed up to the lake (he slept all the way - not sure why - after all he had been up all night and he walked 13-14 miles - what a trooper!). I had company coming, a work party to go to, not to mention that my class reunion was that night back in the Cities. What a way to spend a birthday. I never did make it to the reunion. I decided to stay at the lake - I was too tired to drive back and spend the night at a bar even though I took a 2 hour nap that morning. Andy on the other hand slept most of the day. He says he wasn't sleeping but as you can see in the picture - he obviously was.

When the hubby and I returned home on Sunday afternoon, Amanda, her Tony and little Miss Emma stopped by to spend some time with us. Em is really close to walking and I took her for a walk in the garage sale stroller I picked up a few weeks ago. She loved it and the hubby and I enjoy spending any and all time we get with them.

All in all it was a great weekend with family and friends. What else could one ask for on their birthday weekend?

Oh, by the way, the hubby got me a card and an ice cream cake for my birthday. I was going to take a picture of the cake before it was cut but no one wanted any - until about 9:00 that night and then they cut it without me! So I got a picture of a partial cake. He also got me a present. He gives me a hard time about this flower bed I have in the back yard. He calls it a "weed" bed - and he's right. I have a heck of a time with it so I decided a few months back to make it a flower/rock bed. I've been collecting rocks for awhile but I'm not making very good progress with it. Anyway, while he was out 4-wheeling on Friday with our brother-in-law, he found a great rock - and gave it to me for my birthday.

It's a beauty - isn't it?

The way I think of it is - hell, he was thinking about me. You have to take what you can get!

Weekend With Twins (July 26, 27)

The weekend of July 26-27 mom and dad brought the twins and Summer to the lake for the weekend. They truly are a joy. Both were very well behaved and they had a lot of fun (as did we!!). Summer is such a blessing to have around - she helps out so much with the twins and you never really have to ask her to do things. Of course the babies just love big sister.

They went swimming, played at the playground, sat on the swing with Grandma, went for a couple of boat rides with grandpa and tried avoiding Kobi as much as possible.

Nadia doesn't say much, but Aidan will repeat EVERYTHING you say - twice! Boy did uncle Jeff have a great time with him.

Jeff - "Aidan, did you poopie your pants?"

Aidan - "No. I not poopie my pants."

Of course, he did the same with Nadia but she would just smile and keep walking.

I think they had the most fun swimming at the beach.

Nadia would wade in the water a little bit and when she got a little braver she walked to the end of the dock. She was watching the big kids jump in and I know she was thinking about doing it. She was making me a little nervous. She is a lot like her mother in the clean department so while she was swimming she collected the weeds that were floating and put them into neat little piles on shore. She did a great job cleaning up the swimming area. Her favorite water toy was the gigantic dinosaur. Go figure!

Aidan didn't want to go into the water right away - he was content just playing with trucks and toys in the sand. Eventually, he went into the water and when he did he went full blast!! Summer and I couldn't get to him fast enough as he was going down into the water - face first! When we pulled him up we all laughed so that he wouldn't cry or be scared. He handled it well and decided that he probably shouldn't run that fast in the water.

He spent some time with me on the dock playing with a squirt gun I had found for him - and stupidly taught him how to use. He would squirt me and when I told him to stop he would say, "I sorry". After squirting me SEVERAL times and after each time saying, "I sorry", I said "no you're not!" and he said, "NO. I not sorry".

I didn't know if I should laugh or correct him.

Ya, I laughed.

(A delayed Post for sure - but I always say, "better late than never!". My internet at home is still not very cooperative. It works once in awhile but usually not for very long. We have someone coming to look at it tonight, so hopefully it will be more reliable. Without my computer at home I have to rely on my work computer and I don't have a lot of uninterrupted/down time to write up a post.)

Como Zoo

What would summer be if you didn't stop by Como Zoo at least once? We try to go every year - it doesn't always happen, but we try.

I snuck out of work for 3 hours the other day so that I could go with mom, nephews, sister-in-law, twins and niece. The nephews and niece had been there before but seeing the zoo through the eyes of 2 year olds was a lot of fun.

How many people does it take to handle twin 2 year olds at the zoo?

Well, there was 6 of us - thank goodness!!

They both thought the "big monkey" was pretty cool when he was outside and far away but when we went into the building and he walked past the window - well lets just say there was some screaming and running involved. Mom was able to grab Nadia before she fled the scene and I practically tackled Aidan before he was able to take off.

They weren't afraid of the big cats like they were the big monkey. Maybe that's because the lions were sleeping when we stopped to see them. I told Aidan that they were napping so he thought that we should all whisper.

How sweet can these two be?

Pretty gosh darn sweet.

Well, until the temper tantrums which, by the way, both threw at least one at some point in the day. Going to the zoo is a lot of work when you are 2 years old and when you run through the whole thing instead of riding in your stroller that can add to the exhaustion after a few hours.

The best part of the zoo was the butterfly exhibit. It was amazing and all the kids enjoyed it a lot. If you get a chance to go out to Como don't forget to stop at that exhibit. It truly is worth it. And don't forget your camera!!

Yumm.....Grandpa Jam

The hubby stopped at a strawberry patch last Sunday for me. I wanted some freshly picked berries so that I could make some wonderful Grandpa Jam (aka freezer jam).

There's nothing better!!!

I miss the gramps so much and I will always remember when I said good-bye to him before I left the farm he would say "Jeannie, go down to the cellar - there's something in the freezer for you". I would then bring that precious jam home and hide it from my kids so that I didn't have to share. Yes, I'm a terrible mother but hey, we're talking about Grandpa Jam here. It's every man for themselves!!

All those years that gramps was giving me that tasty jam that he made I always thought that it was his "secret" recipe. I even mentioned it in front of him one time and after he finished laughing he told me that yup, its such a secret that they put it on the back of the Sure-Gel box.

I was devastated!!

Here all these years I thought my gramps was the best jam maker that the world has seen. I mean, how many people do you know that keep jam in the freezer?

Anyway, a few years ago I begged my mom to make me a batch of jam to get me through the winter. Gramps had taught her how to make it and she was really good at it. Her and dad were leaving for three months to go south and I needed a jam fix.

She refused.

I panicked.

She told me there was no reason why I couldn't tackle making jam myself. That way when I ran out of it I could make my own.

So I did. And it was wonderful.

I made some on Sunday night and then sent a text message to both kids.

"I have a jar of Grandpa Jam for the first one to bring me a baby."

Actually, one batch was enough for all three of us but I thought I would use it as a little leverage. Tony's been over several times this week but has walked out without his jam. If he leaves it too long I'll have to claim it for myself.

I plan on stopping by that berry batch again this weekend and whip up a few more batches. It's a long winter and I'll need my jam to get me through it.

Thanks gramps for the wonderful jam. It will be passed on for generations.

Yes, I still exist.......

My apologies to the 3 people who read my blog for being away so long - 19 days to be exact.

Ok, here's my excuse - computer problems galore!! Not only at home - which is expected - but at work also. For over two weeks my work computer has been down more than it has been up. It was getting very frustrating and it seemed like there was no end in sight. When it was working I had to do as much as I could, as fast as I could before it went down again.

I have been informed from the IS department that things will be better from now on.

I can only hope......

Besides computer problems we also had 4 residents pass away in one weeks time. 3 in a 48 hour period.

When it rains, it pours.

But enough of bad, negative items.

The 4th of July was a wonderful time for me. I had Thursday and Monday (kind of) off and I spent 4 days/nights at the lake. The hubby and I had a very restful mini-vacation that we really needed. We also had visitors. Amanda, her Tony, Emma and Timothy came on Friday and stayed until Saturday early evening. It was wonderful to spend that time with the babies. It was great to have Amanda and Tony there too. Tony went fishing and Amanda caught up on some much needed rest.

Since then I have been trying to catch up on scrapbooking grandbaby pictures because I have more coming in the mail (if I get behind I'll never catch up!), taking Kobi for lots of walks, catching up on postings for my Picture a Day, and working on my OPAM - cleaning Tony's old room.

I'll be posting an OPAM progress report next week when my first month is up (with pictures). I doubt that I will be done with the project but I'm trying to accomplish as much as possible.

That's why we set goals, right?

Emma Update

She ended up in the ER last night and after being there for 4 hours the doctor had given her another dose of Tylenol and Benadryl. When those didn't seem to work they gave her a steroid. I don't know much more than that.

Amanda kept me updated through text messaging and I tried to keep busy while I waited for information.

I was a little worried.

But I guess that's my job.

Amanda called this morning and said that she was happy and playing. That's a good sign. The bad news is the doctor told her that it could take 1 to 3 weeks for the rash to go away.

I hope it's sooner than later.

Oh, my poor, sweet baby.

Amanda informed me last night that Emma had a rash. I suggested a cool bath and some Tylenol. This morning she called very early and said that it was worse. She had already made a doctor appointment but Emma was pretty cranky. I told her to do the same thing as last night and call me after her appointment.

Well, the verdict is - She's joining Grandma's club for those allergic to Penicillin.

Emma has been on Amoxicillin for a week and a half for an ear infection and for some reason she is now allergic to the medicine.

Poor baby just started feeling good again and now this.

Hopefully, the Benadryl will kick in quick and she'll be back to her cheerful self soon.

introducing Chip and an OPAM update

This is our lake neighbor "Chip". I know that he has a friend "Dale" but I wasn't able to get a picture of him. He stopped to visit last Friday when we first arrived and when Kobi finally noticed him instead of chasing Chip, Kobi sat down and just watched him. Humm. Maybe we'll see Chip again.........

OPAM #2 and #3

Way back in mid-May I decided- as an incentive to accomplish some goals -I would do "One Project A Month".

Last month (mid-May through mid-June) was surviving graduation and the party. And I did survive - barely.

Thankfully that project is completed and I can focus on another one. I've been debating what it is that I want to have as my next OPAM and I've finally made a decision. I have two rooms that need to be switched and updated. There is no way that I can do both in a month so I have to break my project up into two months.

The first month will consist of updating Tony's room and moving my scrapbooking items down into it.

The second month will be to update the spare room and make it a guest room/grandbaby room.

When I say "update", that consists of cleaning, painting, wood work repair, and decorating. And there is no way that I will be completing this project(s) by myself. The hubby knew he was doomed the moment I asked, "what do you think we should do with Tony's room?".

There are a lot of decisions to be made regarding the rooms but one step at a time. I don't want you to think I'm "exaggerating" on the work to be done so I plan to post before and after pictures very soon. Ah, something to look forward to.

"Plum" Craziness

Every June another edition of the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich is released and I count down the months/days until I can run to Target and buy it. I picked up number 14 this past Tuesday and I am very excited.

Janet Evanovich is my hero!

If you haven't read anything by Janet you don't know what you're missing!! Her books are easy reading and very funny and eventful. Once you start you won't be able to stop. Last year I finally convinced my daughter to read Janet's books and she had all 13 read in a week. Then she whined that she couldn't wait until the next one came out!

I will be spending this Saturday reading "Fearless Fourteen" while I sit next to the lake basking in the sunshine.

Oh, sometimes life is SO good!!

party humor

I forgot to mention in yesterday's blog what happened at Tony's grad party. His favorite food is Cheese Pizza Rolls. He practically lives on them. When I asked him what kind of food he would like at his party his only request was - Cheese Pizza Rolls.

"Not happening dude!"

Was my response. And his disappointment.

Well, his auntie/godmother brought a whole tin of pizza rolls - CHEESE pizza rolls. When I saw them sitting in the middle of the table I just laughed. And then I asked the question:

"Where are the chips?"

Her response: "What chips?"

I laughed some more. Then I explained to her that Tony will only eat the cheese pizza rolls with the chips. If you don't have the chips - you don't eat the pizza rolls. You have to have both.

She didn't believe me.

So, I called the kid in and showed him the pan in the middle of the table. His first response was "Cool!!" His second response was: "Where's the chips?"

More laughter from me. A look of astonishment from his auntie. Disappointment on the kid's face.

Out the door he went with truck keys in hand off to get some chips so that he can eat some cheese pizza rolls.

Believe it or not but those 90 pizza rolls went quick! Evidently Tony is not the only one that loves cheese pizza rolls.

recovery - sometimes it takes awhile

The party was a success and I (we) survived. I had taken Friday off to finish all the last minute details and a good thing I did! I'm not sure how I would have finished getting ready. Luckily, I had several family members bring bars and help out in various ways. To them, I will be forever greatful. It's just too hard to get everything done by yourself.

Tony had a wonderful time and was amazed at everyone that came to the party. He was very happy with it all and thanked his mom for everything she did for him. Those that attended the party were introduced to baby Timothy. He hammed it up as much as a tiny 3 month can. He's extremely facinated with ceiling fans - when they are moving.

Emma was also a ham with her pink sunglasses - but she wasn't feeling well and she did the best she could. Poor little thing has an icky nose and a bad cough that she got from her mother. At least they made the party and were able to spend some time with us.

Sunday I sent the dad and hubby off to the golf course for 18 holes. They fought me hard but eventually I twisted their arms far enough and off they went. I spent the whole day relaxing around a VERY quiet house. I did some time on the couch, cleaned up a little from the pre party preparations, spent a little more time on the couch, played with the puppy etc etc. I think you get my drift.

Evidently, Sunday wasn't enough time for recovery. I was extremely tired on Monday and Tuesday. I haven't been moving too fast. I'm hoping to be back to my "normal" self by Wednesday. hahaha

To everyone that teased us about becoming grandparents.....

This picture should tell you how we feel about that!!

About a week ago I wrote that Emma had started crawling and it would only be a matter of time before Amanda called and made some reference to her moving around. Well, the call came yesterday right before I left work. Basically Amanda is sick and she asked if I would pick up Emma and watch her for awhile. Amanda said, "She's destroyed my living room and I have no energy to stop her!".

I felt two emotions - I felt sorry for Amanda for being sick - and it was really hard to hold back the laughter after that comment.

When I arrived to pick up Emma I looked up at their deck and the glass door and there stood Emma peaking out between the blinds. I literally said to myself, "what am I getting myself into?"

Between grandpa and I we were able to successfully watch her for two hours and she only bumped her head once. While we both ran for her to pick her up and kiss her booboo, the dog decided to jump up to the counter and steal part of our dinner. He was quickly reprimanded and put into his kennel. This got Emma's attention and she promptly stopped crying. I put her down to play and instead she crawled right over to the kennel - pulled herself up - went straight to the latch and tried VERY hard to break Kobi out of his jail.

We sat in amazement.

So, grandpa let the puppy out and the two 8 month olds sat on the floor and played with each other while us grown ups had supper.

It was a wonderful two hours and when she started getting tired and whiny - she went home. You can't get any better than that!!

This is Why......

We go to the lake. Can you blame me?????

Weekend Update

The boys and David were at the lake again this past weekend. They had a lot of fun swimming and fishing. We had a fish fry on Sunday - David sure is good at cooking fish. Yumm!!

I had two grad parties to go to on Friday night so we didn't get to the lake until Saturday morning. Mom and dad had another grad party on Saturday so they didn't come up. Our good neighbor Frank met us when we arrived to tell us that mom and dad's awning ripped really bad during that Thursday storm.

Jeff lost the coin flip and called mom with the bad news. She took it well. Well, ok. Better than we thought she would. Just as a precaution, we took ours down when we left because we won't be up for two weeks. We're not taking any chances......

(now they're singing "Take me out to the Ballgame" --- I don't think they'll ever leave! Although the housekeeper just called last call and we have physically removed the wine so maybe soon...)