World Wide Rolves

Coconut!

2012-01-22T03:11:00.001-06:00

Drinking out of a coconut is something she really wanted to do on this trip.

Not For Sissies

2012-01-20T13:54:00.001-06:00

Almost to the top of Diamond Head Crater.

We Kayaked To The Other Side Of The World

2012-01-18T10:40:00.001-06:00

The Captain Cook Monument sits on British soil- that totally counts.

Chillin' At The Luau

2012-01-18T00:14:00.001-06:00

Looking at pictures while waiting for the festivities to begin.

Volcanic Steam Vents

2012-01-12T15:41:00.001-06:00

Eight

2012-01-05T22:27:00.001-06:00

Happy Birthday, punk.

Before The Year Ends

2011-12-31T16:20:00.003-06:00

I've been putting this post off because I was unsure of what I should say, how I should say it...just how I should share the awful news that my sister, the Beloved Aunt Amy passed away in October.

It's been so very sad, and yet...ALS creates such a long slow decline that by the time she passed away she was already gone, in the physical sense, from most events...so this didn't feel like our first Christmas without her because it's been a few years since she'd been to Christmas. The biggest difference was that I wasn't emailing her photos from our family holiday get togethers, and school events...I couldn't resist posting some on her Facebook wall though.

Mostly, we're all just glad that she's done with ALS...but I didn't want the year to end without remembering her here.

Santa Likes 'Em Fresh

2011-12-24T14:31:00.001-06:00

We're not above bribery around here.

2011 Christmas Card

2011-12-24T12:08:00.001-06:00

Family Ornament Pictures Christmas

Create unique Christmas cards with Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Tree Shaker

2011-12-14T23:13:00.001-06:00

Last Saturday had possibly the best weather we've ever experienced while Christmas tree shopping.

Disassemble

2011-11-29T16:11:00.002-06:00

An old stereo bit the dust last weekend.

E3 and Rob conducted the autopsy.

Soccer Star

2011-11-22T11:31:00.002-06:00

E2 has worked her way through the Knights of Columbus soccer challenges from our local council, to district, and regional - winning as she went.

Last weekend she tried her foot at state...

...and brought home second in her age division!

Soccer is her new favorite sport.

Pausing

2011-11-19T06:30:00.001-06:00

We've had to pause to let life go about it's business...

...and to rake leaves.

Flowers

2011-11-01T23:49:00.001-05:00

Topping Off

2011-10-27T15:44:00.001-05:00

Topping off my 5th gallon, that is.

One Of The Best Things I Learned From The Internet

2011-10-20T21:02:00.001-05:00

An ironing board makes a great adjustable-height workspace.

'Tis The Season

2011-10-13T14:43:00.002-05:00

One of the many seasons where I try to shoot a moving target.

Sunny Sunday

2011-10-02T22:29:00.001-05:00

Day After Blogging

2011-09-20T18:45:00.005-05:00

*Kind of like Live blogging...only from my DVR instead of live.

Dancing With The Stars is back! I'm trying to catch up on last night's episode before tonight's begins - there was a DVR crises here last night as we had the Cardinal's game, the Rams on Monday Night Football, DWTS, AND The Sing Off. Our DVR only records two programs at once. So, we recorded football and DWTS, and watched The Sing-Off while checking in on the Cardinals.

Really tv people, there's something be said for carving out your own spot in prime time instead of all this competition stuff.

Anyway - so far I'm impressed with Nancy Grace's dance - she just looked so happy.

What does it say about my watching history that I saw the start of Elisabetta's dance and thought "Len's not going to like that." That doesn't mean I watch this too much, right?

It doesn't sound like theyre dancing again tonight before the first elimination. I prefer getting to see the contestants in two dances before they give someone the axe and I wish they would do that every season.

Brooke seems to be a little more comfortable - FINALLY.

Hope looks like she's going to be a good match for Maks.

Does anyone else find themselves rooting for the professionals? Like, some of them are so familiar that I just want them to win for once. Maybe it's because I don't know many of the contestants.

Dang, I've got a DVR crises again tonight! Glee, Parenthood, DWTS, and Rob and E1 are AT the Cardinal's game sitting a little ways up behind home plate. They want me to record the game in case they're on tv, but the DVR is saying there will be a conflict. Stinking DVR's - suck you in with the convenience and then make you feel like you need More, More, More.

Hey, J.R. Martinez is pretty good - keep your feet on the floor Karina!

I think it would really suck to be the person who has to run the judges scores from the judge table back to wherever they run it.

I mean, how many DVR's should a person/household need? How am I supposed to get sucked in to any of the new fall shows if I can't manage the shows I currently watch on the DVR we have? I think TV execs need to plan the schedules better.

Ricki Lake has 'beautiful lines'.

Hmmm, looks like I may have to explain 'transgendered' to my children this season. Although, at the rate we're going, they'll be too busy to ever watch tv with me this fall. Dang punks.

Not bad, Chaz Bono. Think he'll dance to I Got You Babe this season?

Those poor people have to hike up all those stairs after dancing to the point of being out of breath! Do they figure they'll be running on adrenaline and won't mind? Sheesh.

Must go now - will be up all night trying to catch up on my DVR'd shows.

Another

2011-09-14T13:09:00.001-05:00

Something else we did Labor Day Weekend.

A New Frontier

2011-09-13T19:29:00.001-05:00

What we did on our Labor Day weekend...

...and by 'we' I mean our kids, because the we that is Rob and I kept our feet on the ground.

Faster

2011-09-09T11:59:00.002-05:00

Rob added some memory to our computer and using it now feels like this:

What I Learned From Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone

2011-09-01T13:42:00.003-05:00

I've started re-reading the Harry Potter series. Of course, I read all seven books a few years ago, and then re-read books six and seven before the movies were released...heaven knows I've lost track of how many times we've listened to the audio books (we love Jim Dale!).

This time around, I decided to jot down the many pearls of wisdom found between the covers.

There are some things you can't share without ending up liking each other, and knocking out a twelve-foot mountain troll is one of them.

"It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that."

"After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure."

"...the trouble is, humans do have a knack for choosing precisely those things that are worst for them."

"Always use the proper name for things. Fear of a name increases fear of the thing itself."

"The truth. It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution."

"...to have been loved so deeply, even though the person who loved us is gone, will give us some protection forever. It is in your very skin."

"There are all kinds of courage. It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends."

~ all of the quotes are from the ever-wise Albus Dumbledore.

Hacking My Way Through

2011-08-30T12:58:00.002-05:00

I think I'm on the backside slope of a cold...I say think, because every time I feel like I'm doing better I spend the next day...or even that afternoon, feeling like crud. I've been trying to power through it today, which pretty much guarantees I'll feel like roadkill tonight donchathink?

It reminds me of an office I worked in where my office was across the hall from the bathroom. This is a great thing when you're pregnant - practically instant access is good!

It's not such a great thing when someone is ill, and can be slightly mortifying on both sides when you offer to grab someone a 7-up or something to settle their stomach...and they realize you heard them right as you realize they didn't realize hurling can be heard outside the bathroom. Watching Ally McBeal never prepared me for such awkwardness.

But! The reason it reminds me of that job is because one of the administrative/secretarial/assistant ladies was (as far as I could tell) a life-long smoker. At least once a day, usually mid-morning, prior to her lunch/smoke hour, she would make her way into the bathroom and proceed to attempt to expel her lungs...and perhaps some other organs as well...by means of a hacking, hoarking cough that would make Garfield and Puss-n-Boots (Shrek version) VERY proud.

Removing herself to the restroom was a nice gesture, to the other employees...but that was usually when I would have a strong urge to go...do, or find, or see...something else...in some other part of the building.

Here's to hoping my cough ends soon, and that my lungs remain inside my body. I've never smoked, so the odds should be in my favor...right?

Through The Web

2011-08-25T20:07:00.001-05:00

Right after I took this, my foot somehow dislodged the bottom anchor of the web. I'm a spider home wrecker.

We Want To Be Butterfly Catchers

2011-08-22T13:07:00.003-05:00

The day before school began last week, the girls and I headed over to the St. Louis Zoo. Look what we found on the way!

It's the Mary Engelbreit butterfly! Remember I mentioned the butterflies last fall or winter?

We missed their Springtime display, but reportedly some of them are back out as permanent decorations around the city like this one.

I hope to get my hands on a map!

Permanent Fixture

2011-08-14T17:05:00.001-05:00

Our air bed has been out since the weekend before school dismissed, back in May, when E1 had a friend sleep over. It's become sort of like a futon at this point.

Rain

2011-08-12T17:59:00.001-05:00

I Told Them To Leave A Trail Of Breadcrumbs

2011-08-10T21:03:00.001-05:00

And Then She Got A Cheetah

2011-08-09T15:41:00.003-05:00

E2, playing a game on her Ipod: Geez! How many little old ladies are visiting my zoo?

Me: How do you know they're little old ladies?

E2: Well, they have those walker things...and gray hair...

(shows me the screen, and sure enough, little walker-pushing gray-haired, dress-wearing people all over)

E2: Those are little old ladies, right?

Me: Yep, sure looks that way. Maybe there's a senior discount.

Wish List

2011-08-06T23:32:00.001-05:00

The Bug That Took Over A Strip Mall

2011-07-29T13:34:00.001-05:00

In Dreams

2011-07-28T23:01:00.001-05:00

Me: E2, it's time to get up. Basketball open gym today.

E2: Nooo, I'm not done fixing my dream yet.

Me: Fixing your dream?

E2: Yeah. It didn't end the way I wanted it to- I'm trying to fix it.

Children's Museum 4

2011-07-22T13:45:00.001-05:00

Yes. That's a turkey.

Children's Museum 3

2011-07-21T14:12:00.001-05:00

Children's Museum 2

2011-07-20T15:10:00.001-05:00

Star-studded.

Children's Museum

2011-07-19T14:31:00.001-05:00

Runner bean hide-out.

Tranquility

2011-07-18T12:40:00.002-05:00

You totally can't tell it's miserably humid, can you?

Finding Our Way

2011-07-14T14:18:00.008-05:00

We found a playground! E3's art teacher said she thought there was a small playground by the Campus Apartments, but "that's way out there". Today we were early for E1 and E2's drop off and took a drive there.

In better weather it would be easily walk-able from campus...but with the heat and humidity we've been having, even though today was a bit cooler than the past three days, I chose to drive there. And we did, after dumping the two all-day campers at the curb of the library.

There was playground frolicking, followed by a walk along the path that borders the lake...and then our 30 minutes was up on the parking meter. So, we headed back to campus to park and go on a nature walk.

E1 & E2 went on this same walk as part of their recreational activities yesterday and told us all about it. It was quite lovely, and we even came across something E3 had been wishing for earlier in the week.

Shoo Bee Doo Wop

2011-07-12T13:30:00.001-05:00

I couldn't come up with a good title - sorry.

The girls are all at camps this week at a local University. For the next two weeks E1 and E2 are in an all-day creative writing camp, and they alternate between writing classes and recreational activities. Today is a swimming day.

E3 is in a storybook art camp this week and a different art camp next week. Her sessions are only 3 hours each afternoon and she's bummed she doesn't get to swim today. Instead, after we dropped off her sisters, we went to Target for some household items and got her new flip flops to replace the ones she was wearing...because the ones she had on her feet were about a 1/2-inch too small for her actual foot. Then, we stopped at Borders and tracked down Ivy and Bean Take Care of the Babysitter - #4 in the Ivy and Bean series. She still wished she could get wet and we decided the Quad/Plaza/Courtyard/Whatever they call that area of campus needs a splash fountain - E3 feels strongly that college kids would still like to get wet on hot days like this.

Tomorrow we may find the lake...maybe. I don't have many options for cleaning her up after to make her presentable for class. We'll see.

Yesterday, after we left E1 and E2 with their group, she and I sat in the library for a while. I took a few classes at this University back in the day and the first floor of the library is vastly different than what I remember. Computers, and tables at which a person can use their own computer, as far as the eye can see. It surprised me, but it's not really all that surprising, you know? What WAS surprising was that the computer users had drinks right there next to the computers, and were even EATING while at the computer. As someone who worked in the library when I was in college I'm AMAZED they even let food and drinks in the building. That's why there are water fountains - water that is far far away from the books...and electronics.

Speaking of water fountains...they have water fountains here with a separate spout for refilling your water bottle. Just hold the bottle up to the sensor and it goes to work spilling water into your bottle - while displaying the count of plastic bottles that have been saved from the landfills due to reusing bottles instead. Kinda cool.

The library is still quiet, but not as quiet as I remember. No one complained when one of the computer user's cell phone kept chirping to alert her to a new text, and another person walked right past me wishing someone on the other end of her call 'happy birthday'.

Something that hasn't changed? People still sleep on whatever comfy furniture they can find.

It was a bit intimidating trying to find my way around - construction and/or remodeling have changed things enough that many areas are only vaguely familiar. Even E1 and E2 agreed that the food court in the university center was "confusing". However, there were many people - just yesterday alone-I guess they could recognize a lost newbie easily enough - who took a moment to say 'hi' and ask if they could help me find something. Nice.

July 4th By Glow Necklace

2011-07-08T15:56:00.001-05:00

Baggies

2011-07-06T11:25:00.001-05:00

Didn't plastic sandwich bags used to be called 'baggies'?

My kids protest when I call them baggies (spellcheck wants to change that to 'maggots'), but I know several people- my age and up- who also call them baggies.

What say you?

Catching Up

2011-06-30T15:00:00.002-05:00

Good gravy...has it been that long? I believe I've reached new levels of slacking.

I've plenty of excuses, but none you want to hear...so ONWARD!

Are stores still trying to sell us Maxi dresses? They've been around for, what, almost three years now. Is anyone buying them?

I loved, loved, LOVED Oprah Winfrey's Master Class series. I took notes!

I've read Water for Elephants, The Help, and Theodore Boone Kid Lawyer, and loved every one of 'em.

I'm procrastinating on blogging (obvs.) and inputting the school calendar for next year...and cleaning off my desk.

I promise to be back soon though...I need something to do while I procrastinate editing my field day photos!

Chain Reaction

2011-05-24T12:50:00.001-05:00

Field trips are fun.

Meanwhile, Back At The Homestead

2011-05-16T12:26:00.002-05:00

What IS that, you may wonder...

What some Moms won't do for their kids...

Make that Mom AND Dads.

Life List #36, with a side of #17

2011-05-10T12:40:00.005-05:00

Number 36 on My Life List is Visit New Orleans...number 17 is setting foot in all 50 states. I just love it when a plan comes together.

Rob's conference was held at the (MASSIVE - it goes on for miles, literally) New Orleans Convention Center, which is in the Warehouse District.

Just down the street from our hotel was a Wyland.

One of my fellow conference spouses expressed disbelief that so many restaurants and shops had the old brick walls just...exposed. She must not watch much HGTV.

Sculpture.

Nature.

Apparently even the little Geico dude goes on vacation.

I forgot to pack sunscreen and had to buy the $9 tourist bottle, but it was worth it.

Coming Soon

2011-05-06T12:02:00.002-05:00

I swear, I'm working on it! At this point though, I may just post a photo each day rather than try to upload in small groups.

Life List #17 - C'mon Baby, Drive South

2011-04-20T11:51:00.009-05:00

Drive South was one of many songs running through my mind as we headed out of town for Rob's business conference. This year we were bound for New Orleans and left a day early to break up the drive.

We spent the night in Memphis.

Rum Boogie Cafe is still our favorite. Gumbo, catfish, and live music - yum.

The next morning we set off for New Orleans. We stopped for gas before we got back on the interstate only to realize we were already in Mississippi; they're missing a 'Welcome to Mississippi' sign somewhere.

So - new state alert for the Life List! I thought it would be fun to stop for lunch in Jackson, all Johnny Cash-like, but had failed to research anything before we left. Instead we used restaurant finding apps, and after a little wandering around found George's Museum Cafe.

There's a sign in the cafe stating it's rumored that George Washington slept there.

If that cat could talk, what tales he'd tell...

But the cat was cool and he never said a mumbling word.

We walked through the museum courtyard to stretch our legs a little...and because Rob went a little crazy when he saw chicken fried steak and gravy on the lunch line...and I went a little crazy with a slice of pecan pie.

It's a nice little 'good old days' kind of place that probably sees a lot of school field trips, but that day it nicely served the purpose of adding another state to my list.

Scenes From My Backyard

2011-04-19T19:34:00.001-05:00

I'm totally putting off editing a bunch of pictures...

Swinging Through

2011-04-14T14:30:00.001-05:00

Looking For Real Food

2011-04-04T19:42:00.002-05:00

They're crossing bovine and human DNA for heaven's sake! Things are moving closer and closer to Idiocracy every day.

Art As Fashion

2011-03-28T19:19:00.003-05:00

This rare artifact was unearthed recently in a closet clean-out event:

by E1, circa 2004

I started laughing as I pulled it out of the deep recesses of E1's closet. Then she read it aloud and started laughing...and I laughed even harder. Tears streaming down my face laughter. I remember the day she brought this home from her Brownie Scout meeting and the thought that crossed my mind...which was, 'Oh, I hope she doesn't want to actually wear that anywhere.' We felt it should be photographed for posterity.

zoo

2011-03-15T08:11:00.007-05:00

Illinois Schools observe Casimir Pulaski Day in early March. Missouri Schools don't. Therefore, it's a perfect day for us to go to the zoo!An extended family member was in Children's Hospital, which borders the east side of Forest Park, so we stopped there first for a quick hello visit.

The penguins were enjoying the sun.
There was a party in Hippo Harbor.

The elephants were front and center.

The river otters were show-offs.

Backstroke!

The stalker chickens are still there. Did I mention the stalker chickens after our last visit? The last time we were at the Children's Zoo there was a new addition - chickens. E1 and I were convinced they were stalking us, as every time we turned around they were THERE. It seemed as though there were even more on this day.

Some people think the reason we go to the zoo is to play on the playgrounds.

Once around on the Zoo Train.

We sat in the WAY BACK and got to say "All Aboard!" at all but one stop. I think the two other people riding the train appreciated it.

Busch Three

2011-03-15T07:30:00.009-05:00

The girls and I gave Rob a tour of New Busch Stadium for Christmas. I knew it was something he'd enjoy since we'd also toured the previous Busch Stadium and it was something we could do as a family, and...I used a Groupon for it - SCORE!

As a side bonus, touring the stadium was also #51 on my Life List.

We got to tour the Cardinal's Dugout, and the fancy restaurant that leads down to the fancy-has-waiters green seats, and the big fancy party room/box.

We saw the old score boards, frozen in time, never to have someone behind them changing the scores as games are played.

The party room boasts a collection of World Series programs.

The stadium has two tours at 11am, and two at 1pm, and all four tours were sold-out this day.
They expect it to continue that way until the home opener on March 31st.

The stadium still has lines that mark where left, right, and center field used to be in the previous stadium, and several copies of this plaque showing how the new stadium overlapped the old.

There is quite a collection of statues of previous Cardinal players.

We parked across from the TUMS building, which isn't really related to the tour but I liked the sign.

A Few More Stragglers

2011-03-04T15:32:00.003-06:00

Pieces keep falling out of the tree when it's windy.

Stinkin' squirrels.

It's Wednesday Already

2011-03-02T07:49:00.004-06:00

This whole Charlie Sheen thing is getting so weird. I would think it's hard enough to see a loved one spiral out of control, much less to see it happen on national television. It makes me wonder what Brittany Spears thinks about all of it.

I'm looking forward to the return of Dancing With The Stars, as usual, especially now that we have a DVR and 'missing' a broadcast will be easier. I caught the end of the line-up announcement the other day, where they were just listing the participants, and stopped to watch so I could let the girls know who would be involved...except there's no one that they will recognize. I think every season there's fewer 'stars' that I recognize.

Speaking of the DVR - my reliance upon it has caused me to lose track of what night/time my favorite shows are on...sort of like how cordless and cell phones have caused us all to not know anyone's phone numbers from memory anymore.

The new Volkswagon mini-bus doesn't look as spacious as I remember them being...does it only seat six? I think it needs to at least seat eight or ten before it can be called a 'bus', don't you?

Since my cold last week my left ear has felt clogged - almost like a pressure thing from flying on an airplane. I took the advice of my Facebook pals and started some decongestant...but so far it's not helping. I look forward to hearing normally out of that ear again soon.

Do you have a favorite website for travel deals? Is there one that watches all the other travel sites...like I could put in my dates and qualifications and it would alert me just for those? In related news: it makes me inordinately happy that we will NOT need one single car seat for our Hawaii trip.

Amanda Seyfried was on Letterman last night, and she was...completely not what I expected. She was more immature than I expected her to be, and quite guarded with Dave.

I sorted through my Yahoo email account this morning, and as usual as I was waiting for it to log in I scanned their 'Trending Now' box. I'm always amused by the randomness of the items there and today was not disappointing: Melissa Gilbert, Sirhan Sirhan, Bristol Palin, and car sales were included in their top 10 trending topics. Heh.

Dentist this afternoon - fingers crossed for no cavities!

I Don't Think That's How They're Using It

2011-02-25T23:28:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, from across the room, I heard one of the girls* mentioned to my Mother-in-law that they had seen an ad on TV about something to keep a person from getting pregnant...

E?: You just squeeze it and then you can't get pregnant.

MIL: You'll have to ask your Mom about that.

Me: ??

I had no idea what she could be talking about...Pajama jeans, maybe?

~~~~~~~

Tonight, as I was getting ready to head out the door to meet Rob for dinner and PBR in St. Louis, TV going in the background, girl-child talking to me about something, she interrupted herself to point out the commercial on TV...

THAT'S the thing! See, you just squeeze it and it keeps you from getting pregnant.

It was a commercial for an IUD.

~~~~~~~~

Later, at dinner, I relayed the story to Rob...including how I explained that you don't just squeeze it - they squeeze it in the commercial...I guess...to show that it's flexible? But that it gets inserted into a woman's uterus to keep her from getting pregnant.

Rob: And she was okay with that? She didn't ask anything else?

Me: No. But can you imagine? Just give that little thing a squeeze and you don't get pregnant?

Rob: Right. Like an Easy Button.

*E left anonymous to protect the innocent.

Joining The Food Revolution

2011-02-23T09:18:00.004-06:00

I don't remember what inspired me to request Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution cookbook...oh, yes I do! I flipped through the cookbook while at the bookstore one day, and since there were only a couple of recipes that I thought that would work for us, borrowing the cookbook instead of purchasing it seemed like a better plan.

One of the recipes that looked tasty, yet simple (my two favorite qualities in a recipe) was Ground Beef Wellington. Since this is Ground Beef Wellington, I'm curious to know what Beef Wellington is usually made with. If I had to guess, I'd say beef tenderloin, but I'm too lazy to research it right now.

A quick search did not reveal his recipe, so you may have to request the cookbook from your own library. It was simple...but I still forgot to add the frozen peas. I don't like peas, but I got some for this recipe and figured I could pick them out...and then I didn't remember them anyway...I didn't miss them though.

Here's what it looked like as it went into the oven.

And here it is after I pulled it out of the oven.
I guess I didn't seal the bottom seam well enough, because some juices leaked out - not a lot, but it was noticable. The meat inside held it's shape very well - I expected it to crumble as I sliced it open, but the slices held together nicely.

It was really good - just delicious. The girls...if I recall correctly, E1 liked it...E3 as well...but I think E2 tried to dissect it (she does that with a lot of things though). Rob enjoyed it, but feels it would be even better with gravy .

He thinks that about a lot of dishes though.

Crazy Vacation Planner Lady

2011-02-22T09:43:00.005-06:00

Over the weekend I got back on a roll with researching the Big Island of Hawaii. We're planning a future trip there.

I checked out this book from the library last fall, and a few months later grabbed the newest edition of it for my very own. I used a similar book when we visited Kauai - they're great for pointing out the lesser-known, often cheaper, but still neat things to see.

[I'm considering requesting their book on Oahu as well, even though the couple of days we'll be on Oahu are nearly completely planned already. I might come across something super cool that we've never seen or tried before.]

Somewhere in there I started to feel anxious that we're not going to have enough days on the Big Island to see EVERYTHING...and it made me wonder if this amount of research - which has become fairly standard for any family vacations we plan - is average or sort of over the top.

In the past, I've made a list of ideas...or a 'wishlist' of things we might like to do or try. In the case of Kauai, I organized it by area of the island because I'm...weird. I think when I finally shared the list with Rob and his family members they probably thought I'd lost my mind and was creating an itinerary that we'd never be able to manage. In hindsight, I know if I was the recipient of that 'helpfulness' I would have bristled and speculated as to why someone was trying to harsh my vacation mellow before we ever arrived.

This time, I'm most concerned with sharing my research with my immediate family so we can skinny things down to what is most important to us. After that, we can throw it out there to our other travel companions. It's the Big Island though - volcanoes, astronomy, Southern-most point of the U.S. - and it's BIG (duh), which means more travel time to see what we want to see.

I don't plan quite this much when it's Rob and I going - mostly I try to find good food when it's just us.

Is that amount of research over the top? Do you like to plan, or just wing it?

Life List Add-Ons

2011-02-15T11:30:00.001-06:00

I've got a few more things to add to my list:

Spend the night in a tree-house (I had a link for this somewhere...).

Listen to all of Maggie Mason's song links from her 1,000 song project.

Attend a Cardinal baseball game in every National league stadium, and a game in the American League stadiums.

Witness a flash-mob, live and in-person.

Try acupuncture for migraines/cluster headaches, and stress reduction.

Quesadilla Salad

2011-02-11T13:47:00.004-06:00

Last summer or fall, the girls and I spent a day shopping with my Mother-in-law. Now, usually a shopping day with my girls means lunch at St. Louis Bread Co. (Panera for you non-locals). However, since my Mother-in-law was along for the ride I took the opportunity to insist that we dine in a restaurant with a 'real' waitstaff; where we wouldn't have to carry our food on trays or bus our tables afterwards. We chose Chili's because of location, location, location - it was directly in our path of intended stores.

That day, I enjoyed Chili's Quesadilla Explosion salad, marveling at how something that seemed so simple could be so darn tasty...and then couldn't get it out of my mind. So, I made up my own recipe.

You'll need lettuce. The first time I made this I used Iceberg. However, I've recently discovered Romaine hearts and love that one will make enough dinner salad for the five of us and the other two in the package will stay fresh longer than other washed lettuce or greens. I don't know why that is - I just know I'm throwing less rotten greens away and we're eating salad just as frequently, if not more frequently than before.

So, lettuce. Also, a diced tomato, and crunchy tortilla strip salad toppings. Chili's used a "citrus balsamic" dressing. I found spicy ranch dressing and called it done.

You'll also need some cooked chicken (about 2 cups), canned corn, and canned black beans. On my restaurant salad, my chicken was warm...when making the salad at home it just felt right to warm up the corn and beans as well. I used a small (8oz or so) can of corn, and about 8oz of the black beans as well. For the chicken, everything from leftover rotisserie chicken to the Hormel pre-cooked chicken strips work great.

Tortillas and cheddar and/or Monterrey jack cheese make swell cheese quesadillas to accompany the salad.

As long as the chicken is pre-cooked, this is a really easy dish to prepare. The girls have no interest in it whatsoever...beans, tomatoes...corn on a salad? Which just means Rob and I don't have to share.

If I have cilantro, I add that to the finished dish as well. This particular night I did not have any, which is sad because I really love cilantro.

I think it would also be good with a little red onion, or maybe some chopped avocado...or perhaps just guacamole on the side.

The best part, is that using the amounts that I do and splitting it between two of us (which is plenty, I assure you), the salad is about 800 calories less than the restaurant version.

Tasty, tasty.

The Schwinn Is Gone

2011-02-08T12:38:00.001-06:00

We traded him in for a treadmill.

I used The Schwinn a lot more when we had it out in the TV room and I could watch TV while riding. Then we had a family party and moved The Schwinn into the office to get it out of the way...and, later, cleaned out the office and realized we had plenty of room in there for the bike AND the treadmill we decided to borrow temporarily from Rob's parents.

There's the borrowed treadmill peeking into the right side of the photo...and the extra fan, propped up on a empty box because The Schwinn's fan seemed to be aimed at riders who are six feet tall. Short people aren't supposed to sweat, who knew? Oh, and random weights on the carpet remnant to try to eliminate bumps. We are fancy, in case you didn't gather that from the paneling and wall-board.

Turns out, entertainment is kind of essential for me to use exercise equipment. I soon took to propping the laptop up on the treadmill's dashboard to watch episodes of my favorite TV shows online.

Recently, the in-laws mentioned they wanted their treadmill back...and Rob has been using an elliptical machine and a treadmill when he works out at the gym. Our basement ceiling is too low for your average elliptical machine, so the search for a treadmill began.

We found at our local Play It Again Sports. Even though they mostly deal in used sports equipment, they also carry a line of new treadmills and other exercise machines...or something. When placing it in our space, we faced it in the opposite direction that our previous machines faced and now I can watch TV episodes on the desktop computer - so I'm not hassling with carting the laptop around.

We haven't named it yet, but we may go with the obvious "Horizon"...

...or maybe "Big H".

Life List #16

2011-02-02T22:53:00.008-06:00

Life List #16: Make inspiration file, with notes, on computer for kitchen/living room remodel.

I finally took this one on a couple of weeks ago and scanned all the magazine pages I've torn out over the years. Tonight, I stepped it up and created a Flickr photo set of the file I created; photos I've found online and in magazines that I liked for one reason or another.

Some of the scanning got a little wonky.

Despite eliminating quite a few photos before scanning - I couldn't remember why I'd pulled them out - I still have many that I can't put my finger on why I chose the pictures I have, other than I like the overall feel of the room pictures.

What I CAN tell you is that I seem to have a thing for white bead board.

The Sky Is Falling: Sleet/Ice/Snow Edition

2011-01-31T20:19:00.003-06:00

A winter storm is headed our way. Rain, then freezing rain...or maybe sleet? Then it's going to leave us at least an inch of ice, maybe more! And then snow! Could be one inch, could be 18"!

GET READY!

I had a couple of errands to run today, before the storm (whatever it may be) arrives, so I don't have to go traipsing out in the mess. I had a plan. A plan to get those errands taken care of, do the usual weekly grocery shopping, and the ever-present laundry, dishes, try to recover from the weekend before next weekend arrives.

Then two kids stayed home sick. And needed appointments at the doctor.

So my day was more like...scarf down breakfast, do dishes, call doctor, start laundry, run errands, text home to have one kid make sure she and the other kid are both ready to leave for the doctor's office. Stop home to unload errand items, take kids to doctor. WAIT. See doctor, grab lunch, stop at pharmacy/grocery to pick up meds and stuff on weekly grocery list (all those other panicked shoppers were STRESSING ME OUT man! I just want my stuff!) Stop at home to unload groceries and leave kids unpacking to go to the meat market, gas station, and post office. Return home to find oldest kid sleeping, and youngest playing quietly. Send youngest to bed for a nap (if you stay home sick you have to nap, says Mama), and close eyes for 15 minutes. Middlest daughter returns from school with bulging backpack (homework for three!), so drive her over to fill-in for oldest's doggie duties (letting dog out after school). Return home, thank middlest for her helpfulness and let her pick a snack, look through sick girls' homework. Remember the laundry, switch and start a new load. Oldest wakes after 2 1/2 hour nap. Star dinner. Youngest wakes after 1 hour nap. Homework. Dinner. Dishes. Fold and put away laundry.

So, I'm not really up for panicking all chicken-little style, you know? I'm going to inflate the air bed in case the power goes out and we have to sleep by the fireplace. That's it. The weather is the weather whether I panic or not.

So My Socks Don't Get Wet

2011-01-26T10:35:00.003-06:00

Sledding, as viewed through a lens, is much more comfortable than doing the actual sledding.

Downhill sledders at the ready!

Sometimes nature tries to compete with the sledders...my camera kept trying to focus on the tree...and I kept hoping the tree limbs would courteously lean out of my shots.

Then it's back up the hill.

Look at the two precious little Boo-Boos huddled together while they wait...I'm not sure what they were waiting for, and I never did find out...

I just went back inside to warm myself by the fire.

Reading Bender

2011-01-19T11:11:00.007-06:00

I've been swept away by young adult fiction lately. I think the last grown-up book I read was the second book based on the TV show Castle - Naked Heat. How's that for deeply intellectual? School book orders, where all the cool people now obtain their books.

I moved on to finish the Ghost Girl (this link has sound) series I began reading when E1 borrowed them from a friend. Both were equally entertaining, but maybe a little less so than the first book if only because I knew the general gist of the story background.

From there, I moved on to one of E1's choices The Gallagher Girl Series. Since we already had books 1-3, I was assured reading material for an extended period of time, right? Except young adult fiction, unless it's something mucho big like Harry Potter*, isn't usually all that much in the way of loads of pages to read.

Really though, this series is super cool and very entertaining - a secret spy school for girls! HI-YA! E1 received the fourth book as a Christmas gift, which we both soon devoured...only to be crushed by the news that the fifth book in the series won't be out until early 2012. ARGH! She and I agree that is an unreasonable amount of time to wait before learning Cammie's fate. I may try to track down The Heist Society, which sounds like the alter-ego (in book form) to The Gallagher Girls.

Next, it was the first of the two books in The Sisters Club , books I ordered -because three sisters that form a club? Yep. I've only read the first book, despite having both on the shelf, but it was cute and I think my girls, especially E2 and E3 will find it very entertaining.

Finally, a few days ago I started one of E2's selections, Flipped (I couldn't find the author's website), now a major motion picture! The first chapter was a bit slow to start for me, but last night I picked it up again (cable went out, so I couldn't watch Parenthood) and got sucked-in big time. I haven't finished it yet, but I'm really, really, really enjoying it. I think I'll finish it today. The book I've linked to is what we have from the school book order, and it includes photos from the movie. Unfortunately, the photos are in the middle of the book...so I've avoided looking at them so I don't spoil the ending for myself.

Although not Young Adult fiction, I have been reading Ivy and Bean books with E3. We gave her the first one at Kindergarten graduation, and she received the next two books as birthday gifts from her sisters. I'm trying to put in more time there, because girlfriend is convinced she doesn't read very well even though she SO DOES.

E3: I can't read chapter books.
Me: Yes you can - remember Lost In The Snow? You read almost half of it before I started reading it at bedtime.
E3: Yeah, but I had to skip some words I didn't know!

Perfection, it is her nemesis.

*Totally worthy of mucho bigness, by the way. In fact, I'm still waiting for J.K.Rowling** to write Hogwarts - A History so we can all know as much as Hermione does about Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

**E3 recently learned J.K.Rowling is a woman...E3: I thought a boy wrote Harry Potter. (big satisfied smile at the realization).

Rule Reminder

2011-01-17T10:23:00.000-06:00

A year ago we saw this sign at The Magic House in St. Louis. I came across it today and thought I'd throw it up here again. January is a good month for such reminders.

Seven

2011-01-10T09:02:00.000-06:00

E3 turned seven last week!

It's Time

2011-01-07T20:37:00.002-06:00

When the creche is visited byVampires, Gloria the Hippo, and Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog...

it's time to shut things down.

Electrical Fusion

2011-01-01T21:29:00.008-06:00

We decorated the tree in the front yard again this year, as we have every year since we moved in some 15 years ago on a hot summer day. By 'we' I mean Rob and the girls.

But this year, things took an ugly turn. This year, the girls walked in after school one afternoon with two bulbs in their hands that had been snipped off at the base of each socket- on both sides of the socket.

Teeth marks on the socket led us to realize it was the squirrels. The squirrels we feed so they will leave the bird feeder along (most of the time).

They started with the newer, green-colored wires...but the carnage continued as they worked their way through those strands and moved on to the older sets we still had from the house purchase.

Clearly we've been allowing them to make the rules for too long and it's time to end their days of gluttony.

One of the last hold-outs in a long line of holiday decor victims.

How do we get a hawk to come live in our trees?

Happy New Year's Day!

2011-01-01T21:25:00.000-06:00

We'll Take Mysteries Of Peanut Allergies For $200 Jack

2010-12-30T17:02:00.004-06:00

It happened at a Christmas party with Rob's extended family a couple of weeks ago...

We arrived at the party fairly early that day - that morning we helped set up for the Church Christmas play, then the girls had play practice, then we popped back home for some lunch and a little down time before heading to the party, after which we would be heading back to church for the Grand Performance of a cute little play called The Baddest Angel Band.

After unfurling the foil from the cookie plate and tortilla pinwheels we'd brought, E3 and I wound up perching on the two stools at the kitchen island. Bellying up to the bar of snackage, we were. As other guests arrived,I scoped out what food they'd brought... asking, where necessary, to check their packages of chips or crackers, or what ingredients were in their dish. As a courtesy, I also sampled each dish, because YUM.

I sat there, with Niece R on my lap, snacking away and patting myself on the back for more or less accidentally nabbing the best seat in the house for both getting first shot at everyones goodies AND for policing the snacks for possible peanuts. E3 sat there too, seemingly in a competition with Niece R to see who could eat the most fresh fruit.

After a while E3 began to complain about her eye, saying it was burning. Figuring it was pineapple juice, I advised her to stop rubbing it and just blink a little. The third or fourth time she mentioned it, I suggested she go find Rob and ask him to help her flush her eye with water. She did.

(I drive myself crazy, when looking at my children's illnesses in hindsight, because in the moment I always seem to think they just need to suck it up and deal...they're probably overreacting. When will I learn that my kids very rarely overreact and that I should suck it up and deal with the situation at hand?)

She returned to her stool, and it wasn't long before she was talking about her eye again, complaining that it was still bothering her.

What does it feel like?

It feels itchy.

I told her to look at me and gave her a good once-over. Her left eye was red, from where she'd been rubbing it. There was one small hive just above her eyebrow. Crap. I deposited Niece R on my stool.

Let's go get your allergy bag.

Uggghhhhh!

I just want to give you some Benadryl.*

In the bedroom where our coats, and her bag, had been left I began digging around for what looked like our stuff. As I pulled out the Benadryl, Rob's Cousin K walked in and I filled her in on what was happening. Cousin K, a Registered Dietitian, raised her eyebrows and agreed that Benadryl was a good plan...and commented that if this had to happen, we were in the right place. In addition to K, who works for a children's hospital, there were also two Registered Nurses and a doctor in the house.

E3 knocked back the recommended dosage. I watched her like a hawk. I brought the allergy bag back out to the kitchen with us where I re-examined the food. E3 had been eating fresh fruit - pineapple, grapes, blueberries, strawberries. In front of her was a bowl of fruit salsa with cinnamon-sugar sprinkled tortillas. Everything else nearby was, as far as I could tell, peanut free.

I asked E3 if she'd eaten anything from the dessert table in the other room. Our tray of safe cookies were there, but there was other stuff on the table that I knew was not okay for her (I always bring a plate of safe desserts to parties like this because it's easier than asking everyone else what kind of cookies, brownies, candy they brought and what the ingredients are).

She said she hadn't.

Cousin K and I were at a loss as to what could have caused the reaction...and I'll probably never know. It's maddening. I was on edge for the rest of the night, but the hive eventually disappeared and she said her eye no longer itched.

The experience reinforced my belief that we need to stay on our current path of peanut product avoidance, no matter how tempting it may be to loosen-up just this once - yes, even that package of non-peanut stuff that says it was processed in a facility that also processes peanuts. Because if they're going to give me that knowledge, I'm a fool if I don't use it.

*Not a paid endorsement, but just a big ole BOO-YAH to those pre-measured spoon things because they rock.

I Think We Covered It All

2010-12-28T18:49:00.011-06:00

Holiday Concert...

One of 30-some cuties singing some songs.

Trumpet

Holiday programs can take a long time...

Clarinet

Check.

Christmas Play...

Cutie pie extra in nearly every scene.

T.V. Announcer - hawking Tommy's Turkeys...gobble gobble!

Enthusiastic Christmas Play Planner...did she mention the acrobats?

Check.

Christmas...

Pioneer Woman shirt!

Revolving Shoe Tree!

Belgian scarf!

Check.

I'm ready to commence some serious hibernation...after New Year's...and a certain someone's 7th birthday...

O Christmas Tree

2010-12-21T22:35:00.002-06:00

Pouring rain makes for a quick tree-finding experience.Rain, rain, go away!

After some time drying out, the tree gets some lights and decoration begins while a drip-catching blanket is still arranged below.
It's all good in the end though.

Flashmob Friday

2010-12-16T22:10:00.003-06:00

Hey, look at that! I'm still here! Snow, or really ICE, days are going to do me in...tomorrow is the third day off school this week and it's messing with my plans, man.

Back, But Not Really Refreshed

2010-12-07T14:43:00.006-06:00

Look, look, look down below - Erin from BlogHer gets the hat tip for educating me on how to adjust the YouTube link. I am delighted, I tell you, because that has always bugged me.

How is your holiday planning going? I've got my schedule planned out - a list of dates and what food/gifts need to be ready by then - and still, when Rob mentioned an upcoming meeting where he needs to bring a dessert I was all, "Wait - that's Monday?!" I need to start plotting out my days between now and the holiday crush...it helps me pace myself and not run around like Chicken Little.

Have you noticed the groovy music during the (thankfully, free of crazy-lady) Target commercials? I realized the other day that they have free downloads of the tunes on their website and I've been enjoying them ever since.

Behold, the craftiness of my daughters:

They made these themselves at a make-and-take event, and I think they did a bang-up job.

Friday Flashmob: Maybe The Start Of A Regular Feature

2010-12-03T09:10:00.012-06:00

Because who doesn't get goosebumps from a good flashmob? Big meanies, that's who.

I can't help but watch that and wonder if any of those singers were NOT part of the original group of singers but couldn't resist the urge to stand and sing along.

Blame It On The Myst

2010-11-28T17:28:00.002-06:00

That's why I broke my posting streak last night. We returned home after the Christmas parade last night, started a fire, turned on Elf for the girls, and began playing Myst again. We went to bed around 12:30...and I didn't even realize I'd missed a post until this morning.

Dangnabit.

Thanksgiving Part Two

2010-11-26T23:31:00.001-06:00

Yesterday we had Thanksgiving with Rob's family. Tomorrow we're dining with mine...and I'm bringing the pie. My house smells SO good right now.

It was nice to have today as a break between the two parties.

Tomorrow night E2 and E3 are in a Christmas parade with their girl scout troops. I'm hoping we don't freeze while watching them and that they don't freeze while riding on their floats!

I'm off to dream of pie...

They're On A First Name Basis

2010-11-25T14:19:00.001-06:00

Thanks for the holiday, Abe.

Favorite Things

2010-11-24T20:08:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, Mir posted some of her favorite coffee mugs. I was inspired to snap a photo of our Hawaiian mug collection. They're delightful for hot chocolate or tea on cold days.

Rambling On - TV Edition

2010-11-23T23:04:00.004-06:00

I am pleased with the finale of Dancing With The Stars. What is most disappointing is that Bristol Palin didn't up her game earlier in the season - had she kicked it in sooner I would have been truly torn as to who I wanted to win. She could have been more of a contender is all I'm saying.

I think this was one of the best season finale shows ever. The returning contestants' dances were entertaining and I liked that they did the eliminations right at then end...remember the year Layla Ali was on and she got booted and then the other two couples still had to dance or something? This was better.

Tonight's episode of Glee was fantastic. I don't want to give too much away for anyone who has not watched it yet, but I think they're doing a great job of dealing with timely topics while still keeping their goofy humor intact.

I usually watch Parenthood on Tuesday nights as well, but I'm skipping the recording for now to watch Jimmy Kimmel Live to see the Dancing Winners.

Did I mention that we took a step into the modern era and done got ourselves a DVR? I love how easy it is to record programs, AND that I can record by series. It allowed the girls and I to do something fun tonight, and come back home and watch my Tuesday night line-up. I know, you all are there already right? Still, I'm downright giddy.

Throwback

2010-11-22T22:21:00.001-06:00

Scene from my roommate Laura and I's dorm circa 1989.

Softie, Jim, and George

Send Brain Food

2010-11-21T20:42:00.004-06:00

Rob and I started playing Myst IV Revelation a couple of nights ago and it's kicking our butts. We haven't even made it through our first world yet, we've found no 'revelation' as to where our link to the next world is. Rob's Krypto skills helped us power up our current world, and my time in the trenches of the PBS years watching Sagwa the Chinese Siamese Cat helped my mimic the calligraphy of the language in our current world.

We're currently stuck in a fireplace trying to figure out a chess-like puzzle.

Weekend Update

2010-11-21T00:10:00.001-06:00

I've put more money in jukeboxes (do they still call them that?) in the past 36 hours than I have in the last 13 years.

I am master of the party playlist.

Bowling

2010-11-20T19:30:00.001-06:00

I'm at a bowling fundraiser, as a spectator.

How's your Saturday night?

Lucky Thirteen

2010-11-19T16:44:00.003-06:00

Today the McCaughey Septuplets turn 13. Thirteen!

I was pregnant with E1 when they were born.

That's how mothers world-wide mark the timeline of their lives you know, by whether they were pregnant or which milestone their babies were at at any given time.

E3 was born just months before the Goesslin Sextuplets.

E2 has no 'famous' multiple birthday buddies, to my knowledge.

Anywhoo, I distinctly remember being pregnant with E1 when news of the MacCaughey Septuplets hit the news. Why do I remember this? Because from that moment on I got a lot of, "Just think! There could be SEVEN babies in there!"
I maintain that I was not THAT big.

Going Into The Closet

2010-11-18T18:50:00.004-06:00

These are not excerpts from the next episode of Hoarders.

It's our storage closet in the basement, also known as The Secret Mommy Closet. You see, I hold the key (the closet door locks), and I'm pretty much the only person who goes in there...mostly because the thought of anyone rifling through that stuff makes me quake with fear.

It's an organized mess, really it is.

It could be better organized though. A couple of weeks ago I tackled a portion of it - the tubs of girl clothes- and got those reorganized and labeled.

I also got the holiday decorations sorted.
It's the generally miscellanea that is my biggest obstacle. Some of it is on hold to be donated, and others is awaiting further sorting. However, unlocking that door is like ringing a dinner bell, like inviting ants to the picnic, like...a mosquito's reaction to me stepping outside in the summer.

The girls, they swarm. They can't resist that open door...our Christmas decorations!...the softball helmets!

Alas, I fear it will forever be a work in process.

Return To The Hut

2010-11-17T21:54:00.003-06:00

We made our first dinner outing to Pizza Hut this school year, courtesy of the Pizza Hut Book It Program. Once again, we went to our favorite Hut - the one with the Trivial Pursuit cards on the tables. Sadly, E3 has mostly moved beyond her amusing answers of days gone by; tonight she was all about being able to take a turn reading the questions. Which meant I didn't get to guess answers for those because I had to help out on some more challenging words.

No, tonight the highlight was our server. He struck me as possibly a new-ish employee, and the place was a bit slammed with take-out orders...like, there was a line waiting to pick-up and pay and people were carrying out six pizza boxes at a time! Apparently one of the local schools was having a fundraiser.

As it was, we were one of very few tables occupied in the dining area but the workers were hustling and bustling. I forgot to say I wanted salad when placing the order and Server nicely stopped me at the salad bar to ask if I wanted to add a salad to my order, and verified our pizza order for the third time (seriously, Buddy, just write it down already)..oops. He delivered E2 and E3's free personal pan pizzas first, and then made a second trip to refill E2's root beer and bring out the pizza E1 and I ordered. On Server's return trip to our table the pizza paddle tipped and 2 or 3 slices of our pie went SPLAT.

I laughed. I couldn't help it - it was something that I could easily see happening to me. He gave us that pizza and said he'd make another one as well. By the time I snapped-to and realized how much pizza we were going to have, the replacement pie was already in the oven. I resigned myself to taking it home, unsure of when we'd have time to eat it in the coming days.

Another Server brought the replacement pie out on the paddle and asked me to make room for it on the table. We hadn't come close to finishing what we had...not such an observant crew tonight. I requested it be boxed AND asked for a box for what we already had...and left SPLAT Server a nice tip for my laughing.

Anyone want a slice of pepperoni, sausage, and onion stuffed crust?

Bank On It

2010-11-16T20:12:00.002-06:00

What a local bank was tossing out during the Veteran's Day Parade last week. That's my kind of humor...and the candy was good too.

Dancing Buisness

2010-11-15T19:17:00.002-06:00

Can we all agree to send Bristol Palin home tonight? She's a sweetie, yes. But she HAS expressed her home sickness... And, she is not as good of a dancer as the other remaining contestants. It's not a political issue - it's about dancing skills. Agreed? Okay. So, let's let her go home and smush her cute little baby's cheeks.

I'm voting for Jennifer and Derek. WOOOOOO! Kyle and Brandy are on their own from here on out.

Loner

2010-11-14T07:46:00.000-06:00

Veteran's Day Weekend

2010-11-13T15:19:00.001-06:00

A Satisfying Evening

2010-11-12T23:07:00.003-06:00

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,
followed by
the last half of Hairspray,
followed by
Oklahoma.

All by the fireside.

We've Got Butterflies

2010-11-11T06:51:00.000-06:00

First there was a Cow Parade.

The Tulsa Zoo had Penguins on Parade.

Southlake, Texas has the Southlake Stampede.

Next Spring in the St. Louis area, we'll have Wings In The City.

If you click on 'gallery' on the top right of their webpage, you'll get to see all the butterflies...it's difficult to say which is my favorite. I can't wait to see them around the city next Spring!

Deep Thoughts

2010-11-10T20:58:00.002-06:00

It's not about what you had, but what you gave.
It's not about how you looked, but how you lived.
And it's not just about being remembered.
It's about giving people a good reason to remember you.

from Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley

Scattered

2010-11-09T19:52:00.007-06:00

Today at the mall: Excuse me. Do you know if Olga's is this way? Add that to my approachability score.
Can anyone clue me in to the marketing...or merchandising...or whatever...strategy is at work in Hollister stores with the darkness, over-fragrance, and LOUD music? The live web cam from the pier in California? SO awesome. Why must they wreck it my having the music so loud that any interaction...from their, "Hey. What's up?" to any final transaction at the cash register must be practically shouted. It's like they're forcing their customers to interact in ALL CAPS.
I wish Oprah was on earlier in the day in our area - it looks like she's having some great interviews during this last season of the Oprah Winfrey Show. She's on during dinner prep time.
Rob and I ate a The Olive Garden tonight, because that's how we Midwesterners roll sometimes when we're too lazy to venture farther than across the parking lot for dinner. We had a most delightful server who not only encouraged us to pester her serving partner with requests just to liven up their slow evening, she shared with us their new program to cut down on wasted food - which is why they now bring out less salad and bread sticks at a time. They will refill both as needed/requested - and as our server pointed out, it gives you fresh salad and warm bread sticks each time instead of letting the salad wilt and the bread sticks get cold at your table- but, this greatly reduces the amount of un-touched salad and bread sticks they have to throw away...AND the servers get to choose which charity will receive that savings.
Rob's going to complete the online survey on our receipt and give Server J good marks...and if we win the $1,000 we're going back and leaving her an even bigger tip than we left tonight.
Last night during Dancing With The Stars Judge CarrieAnn and Professional Dancer Maks had words about the length to time spent dancing during their 'instant dance'. I agree with CarrieAnn - Brandy and Maks should have spent more time dancing.
I think it's well past time for Bristol Palin to go home. Last week, I was sincerely wanting her to go just because she was so sad over being homesick. But then Rick Fox was eliminated...after Audrina Patridge the previous week...and it's not that I think Rick or Audrina were going to make it to the end...but I DO think they were each better dancers than Bristol.
Last year our school started a new program of selling poinsettias to student's families - and then using them as decorations for the Holiday concert before sending them home with us at the end of the performance. It's a neat way to get pretty decorations for the concert AND our homes. We got the order forms last weekend...the concert is only about 3 weeks away...it was 75 degrees today. This weather is continually fooling me into thinking the holidays are farther away than they really are.
I need to start my list of people...teachers, etc...that we need to remember for the holidays.
Parent/Teacher conferences tomorrow.
We're celebrating Veteran's Day by attending the local parade (E1 is participating with the school band), and having steak sandwiches for dinner.
I 'stole' the book E1 borrowed from her friend and I'm reading it before her - it's Ghost Girl by Tonya Hurley. So far it's pretty good.
ARGH! Bristol didn't get eliminated tonight.

Note To Self

2010-11-08T23:58:00.001-06:00

Watching Dancing With The Stars while blogging seems to be the only way you remember to vote. Next week, turn the laptop on so you're not blogging AND voting at the last minute.

Go Jennifer & Derek!

Birdhouse Renovation

2010-11-07T13:11:00.000-06:00

Hula, Baby

2010-11-06T14:06:00.000-05:00