2009 in Pictures

Day 364/5

2010-01-04T12:18:00.000-08:00

ARGH!!!!!! On July 15th, I messed up the days. It's killing me not to go back & fix them all. This truly is day 365!!! I'm going to try to leave it alone. TRY being the operative word. I am moving on to a new blog so I might be able to leave it be. But, I'll always know......

Anyway, on to the final pic of the year:

You'd think that for New Year's Eve I could do better than this. We're not partiers! We don't go anywhere NYE. We did go out to Imo's for dinner & I guess I could have taken a pic of that since it's becoming the Ferguson NYE tradition but, I didn't. We went to Office depot to look for a new printer for me. In the parking lot there was a Beatle Bug. Inside the bug, there were these two little sweeties. I had to take a pic of Scotties in a Beatle Bug!!!

I did have to "alter" this pic. As you can tell, the glare on the window was really severe. I did an auto fix is PSE but that didn't help. I used a warm filter (not sure what it did but it looked better than w/o the filter) and then an "equalizing" filter. It made the puppies better to see. I need to play more with my PSE!!!

For 2010, I'm doing a new blog. To follow, go here

Day 363

2010-01-04T12:05:00.001-08:00

Nick and his girlfriend exchanged Christmas gifts today. Adrianna came over and spent the day
playing video games with Nick. They had a good time. (Do you notice Jack in the corner, looking out his window?)

Day 362

2010-01-04T12:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of the last post, I thought I'd show a "jack-wrap". LOL (My PSE won't fix kitty "red" eye. LOL)

Day 361

2010-01-04T11:16:00.001-08:00

On Facebook, I'm a fan of Jack in the Box restaurants. Jack posted that he was bringing back the Jumbo Jack combo which is a hamburger, fries, drink & 2 (in)famous JitB tacos! YUMMMM! I told Scott we'd have to plan a trip to JitB sometime in the next few days. He checked their website & it also advertised the special. He suggested TONITE and, even tho I had planned on making Chili for dinner, I didn't argue. LOL

We went to our closet restaurant, no go. They didn't know anything about the special and refused to ask the manager or anyone in charge. Scott refused to eat there. We checked another JitB and they too had not heard of the current special. Scott refused to eat there. I suggested Taco Bell (although I do not particularly like TB) We went there & ordered our meals. The cashier informed us that we were the 100th order of the day and our meal would be FREE!!! We also ended up w/3 extra tacos 'cause they made a mistake! Woohoo. Still want the JitB deal but it's cool that we got FREE FOOD!!!

Day 360

2010-01-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

This cat has been around the neighborhood for MONTHS. He/She doesn't appear to be a stray but I have no idea where he/she belongs. Maybe he/she IS a stray but is visiting Sherri's home for wayward cats (my friend who lives in the neighborhood has a "family" of strays that she feeds and, when she can catch them, "fixes") Anyway, we refer to this cat as "Jack's Girlfriend" although I don't see any LOVE between the 2 of them. Jack goes nuts when he sees her/him and he/she does the same. He/she's snarling at Jack thru the window here.

Day 359

2010-01-04T10:42:00.001-08:00

My MIL got me the snowman on the left. Of course, if Eveline has it, Aunt Jackie probably had it FIRST!!! We went to Aunt Jackie's the day after Christmas 'cause Roger & the girls were in town so we all wanted to get together. Nick spent most of his time in the kitchen as the only other boy there is 4. No one for him to talk to. I came in to get a shot of him & it looks like he's wearing the Top Hat!! At least it "goes" w/the omni-present red hoodie!!!

Day 358, Christmas!!!

2010-01-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

It wasn't much but we DID get my White Christmas!!! It was soooo pretty w/lite snow falling all day. Not much along the lines of accumulation but it was still nice!

Here are some other pics:

Scott's Mom, Amy (future SIL) and his broth er, Jack (yes, the cat was named after Scott's bro, LONG story!)

Day 357

2010-01-04T08:55:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas Eve Tradition: McDonalds. Since I'm always the one to cook a big dinner for Christmas Day, I don't have the time (or the fridge space) for a big, fancy dinner on Christmas Eve. So, a few years ago the tradition was born. I'm sure the kids that have to WORK are not thrilled w/our tradition but my kids LOVE it (and all their friends are super jealous!!)

This year, the tradition almost had to be altered. Uncle Jack was coming in on Christmas Eve at 3:45 and bringing his new fiancee! It would be tight to make it to the airport, pick up Jack & Amy, get them to Scott's Mom, pick us up, get to McDs & eat before they closed at 6! Then, the unthinkable happened: Snow in Midland and Dallas!! The flight was delayed until 4:15. Then 5:11, then 6. Ok, we'll go BEFORE we pick them up! Worked out PERFECTLY. I got my pies baked & even had time to bake off all the rolls. Had our McDs and picked up Jack & Amy w/o any further problems.

Day 356

2010-01-04T07:10:00.001-08:00

Silly Kitty

Day 355

2009-12-23T04:36:00.000-08:00

Last basketball game of the year (not the season, more games in Jan & Feb) so no time for dinner tonite. Got home & popped us a big bunch of popcorn to munch on while watching TV. I LOVE LOVE LOVE popcorn!!!

Day 354

2009-12-23T04:29:00.000-08:00

Nothing like waiting 'til the last minute, huh? I FINALLY got the kids together to get a pic for the Christmas cards. Then, my printer wouldn't print. Forget it, I'll just take the pic to Walgreens. I uploaded the pic & when I went back to get the prints, half of Nick's head was cut off! I got a refund, went back home & uploaded the ORIGINAL, not my cropped, edited version, made the changes & sent it for printing. They won't be done until 8pm?!?!?! Oh well, FINALLY got them & finally got the last of my cards OUT!!!!

Day 353

2009-12-23T04:18:00.000-08:00

We got a dusting of snow yesterday. I figured it would all be melted by 10am. Instead, it stayed all day as the temps didn't rise much and the sun never came out. It's still here this morning & it's flurried off and on all morning. We're supposed to get more next week!! Yea!! WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!

Day 352

2009-12-23T03:59:00.000-08:00

I love snow on a holly bush. What could be more Christmasy?

Day 351

2009-12-20T07:23:00.001-08:00

Ok, Becca took this shot, it's a pic of the shelf above my table in the dinning room. As I posted it, I notice what looks like "texture" on the wall behind the shelf. I'm guessing it has something to do w/the light from the multiple bulbs in the chandelier but it still looks freaky!!!

Weird, now I don't see the lines. Nevermind!

Day 350

2009-12-20T07:18:00.000-08:00

A twist on the Pbutter Cookeis w/a kiss in the middle. They never worked well for me. First the kiss always fell off. 2nd, the were very difficult to store (which contributed to #1) and finally, there was not enough chocolate for each bite of cookie; you ended up w/more pbutter than choc. This may fix those problems. The dove square is not as tall, is wider & will lie fairly flat in the tupperware. Also, dove is ever so much yummier than kisses!!!

Day 349

2009-12-20T07:12:00.001-08:00

The upstairs tree.

Day 348

2009-12-20T06:04:00.000-08:00

While my dad was in town, I thought I'd have him do some routine maintenance on my car. The garage wanted $145 to change my antifreeze. Dad did it in less than an hour for $10. Thanks dad!!

Day 347

2009-12-20T05:59:00.000-08:00

Becca's last Christmas present. Used my to/from tags from Christies swap.

Day 346

2009-12-20T05:49:00.001-08:00

The reason my parents came up was to help Steve with some of the plumbing on his new house. They got alot done. I think the house is really coming together. I can now at least figure out what's where. Hmmm, I was thinking I was jealous of Kevin & Steve getting to building their own houses but Wayne & I had our houses built for us too. I guess mine was just done too long ago. LOL

Day 345

2009-12-20T05:44:00.001-08:00

Spent the day icing & sprinkling sugar cookies. These are my all time favorite cookies!!! Oh the sugary goodness!!

Day 344

2009-12-20T05:37:00.000-08:00

Waiting. No, not for Santa. Waiting for my parents to arrive. They are coming up from Bolivar, MO to help Steve for a couple of days. This time, they are not staying with us but in the Holiday Inn. The kids are hoping to get to go & swim in the indoor pool!!! They are coming here first 'cause it's too early to check into the hotel. Looks like even Jack's excited.

Day 343

2009-12-20T05:30:00.000-08:00

Made peanut brittle today. I LOVE the way it changes from a clear liquid to a tan solid when you add the butter & baking soda. I love peanut brittle!!!

Day 342

2009-12-18T07:29:00.000-08:00

Worked today for the school. Thought I'd take another last sad pic of the tree for the year. It's been quite a year full of photos. Should I continue it for next year???

Day 341

2009-12-18T07:17:00.001-08:00

I'm getting a HAM for Christmas???? Actually, I'm fairly certain it's my new tape dispenser gun! Rumor has it that they come wrapped only in bubble wrap, not box. But, I still think it looks like a giant ham.

Day 340

2009-12-18T07:14:00.000-08:00

Snow was in the forecast last night. Becca was really hoping for the 2" they originally thought would hit. We got a dusting instead. Oh well, plenty more time for snow days ahead!

Day 339

2009-12-18T07:11:00.000-08:00

Took Scott to a baseball card show today so he could pick out his Christmas gifts. I did it by myself last year but he stress of it was too much!!! I think I WAY overpaid for the card I bought last year so I let him come this year & negotiate the price. It worked out GREAT & he was able to complete his set of 1959 cards!!! Woohoo!!!

Day 337

2009-12-18T07:05:00.000-08:00

Oops, got the days backwards. Out of order!!

The city of Hartford decorates its streets for Christmas. This seems sooo old fashioned to me & makes me all warm & fuzzy. I love to drive thru the streets & just admire it all. Reminds me of being a kid when MORE towns did this kind of stuff.

Day 338

2009-12-18T06:53:00.000-08:00

Ooops, got the days out of order. Could fix it but it would take too long.

Day 336

2009-12-18T06:42:00.000-08:00

I've had these snowflakes for years but have never got around to putting them up. Finally, this year I did. I think I LOVE them!!!! I wish I had bought MORE.

Day 335

2009-12-18T06:36:00.001-08:00

The front gutters needed to be cleaned. Scott borrowed his mom's ladder & got 3 steps up before he freaked out. Nick said he'd do it. Nick got to the top & got it done but was a little freaked by it too. The only thing that got him thru it was the ok to throw the gunk on his dad. Goofy guys!

Day 334

2009-12-17T13:23:00.000-08:00

Nick shooting a free throw. Somehow, he got fouled and got to take 2 shots. He made the first one & missed the 2nd. He was THRILLED!!!

Day 333

2009-12-17T13:19:00.001-08:00

Scott & I went out Christmas shopping today. This is our view at lunch. Of course, in the pic you can't see the St. Louis Arch. It's just under the umbrella in the center of the pic. Tried to circle it but the circle just obscured it.

Day 332

2009-12-17T13:17:00.001-08:00

Very odd

2009-12-17T09:12:00.000-08:00

I added a pic to my craft blog & it worked fine. Why would one work & not this one. Weird. Will try again although it'll lock my computer up again if it doesn't work. Let's see.

Ok, what's wrong now???

2009-12-13T11:16:00.000-08:00

I can't find time to explain my pics but I was going to post them anyway. Now, for some reason, I can't even post the pics. If I hit the add pic button, it freezes up my whole internet. Go figure! I'll shut my computer down & try again later.

For Angie

2009-12-05T06:25:00.000-08:00

I really like this hotel chain but they don't do much to fancy up the TP. LOL

Day 330

2009-12-05T06:14:00.001-08:00

Day 329

2009-12-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

Day 328

2009-12-05T06:05:00.000-08:00

Day 327

2009-12-05T05:59:00.000-08:00

Lemon Meringue Pie

Day 326

2009-12-05T05:52:00.000-08:00

Day 325

2009-12-05T05:49:00.000-08:00

Day 324

2009-12-05T05:47:00.000-08:00

First Date

Day 323

2009-12-04T14:08:00.001-08:00

The Twilight Girls!

Day 322

2009-12-04T14:02:00.000-08:00

Day 321

2009-12-03T08:18:00.001-08:00

Day 320

2009-12-03T08:15:00.000-08:00

Day 319

2009-12-03T08:08:00.001-08:00

Day 318

2009-12-03T07:12:00.000-08:00

Day 317

2009-12-03T07:04:00.000-08:00

Day 316

2009-12-03T07:03:00.001-08:00

Day 315

2009-12-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

I'm not giving up......

2009-12-03T04:32:00.000-08:00

.....yet?? LOL I'm going to just post the pics. I will come back & explain them to y'all later. Otherwise, I'll NEVER get caught up!!!

Day 314

2009-11-20T20:38:00.000-08:00

Where's Jack? Silly kitty.

Day 313

2009-11-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

Can't you just see him saying "I know I'm not supposed to be on the couch but it doesn't matter as I could KILL you easily while you sleep!"

Day 312

2009-11-20T20:26:00.000-08:00

Nick goofing around w/his Halloween candy. Does he LOOK like Edw Cullen???

Where'd my "promises promises" post go???

2009-11-20T19:40:00.000-08:00

Argh!!! This computer is driving me NUTS. I really need to do a restore. I thought I posted a promise to get caught up but my internet locked up & I had to refresh. Guess I lost that post.

Day 311

2009-11-15T08:56:00.001-08:00

Is this the last of the pretty leaves?? Some sort of rose kinda flower that is technically on my neighbors property but since the branches and thorns always attack me when I'm trying to mow, I'm claiming the pretty leaves as MINE!!!

Day 310

2009-11-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

Getting to be a little too late in the year for much color on the bluffs. Driving to stamp camp!!! Yea!!

Day 309

2009-11-15T08:47:00.000-08:00

Pretty sunset on my drive home....

Day 308

2009-11-15T08:41:00.000-08:00

I'm hosting some ATC swaps. Becca decided she wanted to make some ATCs too. Everyone in the swap will get an extra from Becca!

Day 307

2009-11-15T08:38:00.000-08:00

Update on the BCA tree. Almost all the leaves are gone. I guess it's next pic will be covered by snow?

Day 306

2009-11-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

The moon rising while waiting for Nick to get out of basketball practice. The time change has really messed with my whole schedule!!

Day 305

2009-11-15T08:34:00.001-08:00

The leaves that still remain on the tree in the front yard.

Day 304

2009-11-15T08:28:00.000-08:00

Jack, watching leaves outside the door.

Day 303

2009-11-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

Today was the BCA Varsity v Alumni game. Since this was first year as a Varsity player, it's the first year I went. Most of our varsity players graduated last year (hence, Nick playing varsity, lol). So, we're having a building year. If this game is any indication, this year is going to be HARD. The size difference between the kids that graduated a year or two ago and the currently players is AMAZING!! I hope our boys will have a growth spurt. SOON!!! I have no idea what the final score was 'cause the guys keeping score decided to add about 25 points to the varsity score & they "won" by about 2 points. The funniest thing: Jacob Gray (8th grade) playing against his dad (BCA class of 86!!)

Day 302

2009-11-15T05:11:00.000-08:00

How about a little tour of my Halloween House?? Let's start outside: There are lights in the bushes and lights on the dusk to dawn light too but I guess I didn't get pics of those. I also never got around to buying "real" pumpkins this year. But, this is my front door. The ghosts to the left or on the right side of the door and the ghost below is on the left. I LOVE the hanging ghost that's in my tree. I bought him on a whim one year from the garden store at the corner of my neighborhood. The kids have lights in the windows of their rooms. They pretty much NEVER remember to turn them of in the morning so they are on 24/7. LOL

Coming in the front door, these are in my foyer. My MIL got me the witch one year for my birthday. The rusty Halloween sign was a Target clearance!

This shelf is at the top of the stairs. I waited & waited to get the witch. Target had TONS & I knew I could get it for 1/2 off the day after! Into the living room.

The dining room shelf:

These guys are in my kitchen windowsill. The garland I showed a few days ago is above this window. It's been so warm this year that the fan was in the window for most of October.

The doors: Nick's, Becca's and the bathroom (I guess I need to find a spooky for Scott & my room?)

And, finally, the basement:

If I have time before Thanksgiving, I'll take pics of my fall decor then.

Day 301

2009-11-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

This is our candy tub! We don't give out Trick or Treat candy anymore and the kids don't go door to door either. A few years ago, I got sick of the "bussed" in kids that come to our neighborhood. I told the kids that I would give them $$$ to not dress up & we'd buy a "good" candy assortment. It worked. Now, I get all the chocolate I want (Take 5s are only available on holidays now!!) and the kids are happy!!

Day 300

2009-11-09T08:55:00.000-08:00

This house is right in our neighborhood. They moved in a few years back & started doing cool things to their yard for the holidays. Makes me smile to drive by it everyday!

Day 299

2009-11-09T08:47:00.001-08:00

My kids have always referred to this has as the "pumpkin house". They used to do more and used to always have festivness on the "gates" flanking their driveway. I guess they are getting older and don't do as much anymore :(

Day 298

2009-11-09T08:36:00.000-08:00

I'm going to take you on a tour of some of the houses that decorate for Halloween. Some of them, my kids have loved for years. This one is in Roxana. We've been enjoying it since Becca first started at Bethel. They used to do MORE decorating, if you can believe it. Last year, they had a giant spider on the roof. They used to decorate their backyard but since they put up a privacy fence, I don't know if they still do or not. The side yard is decorated too, complete w/a vampire looking dude looking out the side window.

Day 297

2009-11-09T08:31:00.000-08:00

Went by my brother's house today. It's still not a house but you can tell at least what the basement's going to be like. It was sooooo nice out there. Started to spit a bit of rain but still a nice day. He's going to love living there I'm sure!

Day 296

2009-11-06T11:10:00.000-08:00

The carpet in Scott's office is wet. It STINKS too!!! No matter what we do, we can't get it dry (probably 'cause it just keeps raining & raining here). We finally decided that we had to pull the carpet up. The carpet came up fine, we put it in the garage to dry (we think we might be able to reuse it once the basement has been fixed. The pad, no such luck. It just came apart in our hands as we tried to pick it up. This is half the room, standing water! Now, we have to hope that it stops raining long enough to let this water dry (we did use a shop-vac & picked up over 5 gal of water!) and then rain again to see where the water is coming from. What a mess!!!

Day 295

2009-11-06T09:46:00.001-08:00

Another trip to Target today. Gotta check out what Halloween stuff is left and what new Christmas. Scott threw this spider at me & it stuck to the cart. He's kinda cute in an ugly sort of way (the spider, not Scott). No, I didn't buy him. I don't do "scary" Halloween, mostly "cute" Halloween.

Day 294

2009-11-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

The kids went to their pediatrician today for flu shots. Usually, they get the flu mist but they were out of the mist. The kids had to get real "shots"!!! They were not happy. (If you described them as acting like 2yo babies, you wouldn't have been far off!) They tried to convince me that, since they had been so brutalized, I should not make them go back to school. I said no. They said that at the very least, they should get ice cream from Sonic. Well, that means I could get a Diet Coke so, I agreed. Jr. Candy Sundaes for them, Route 44 Diet Coke for me. They went back to school a little happier.

My life is too complicatd

2009-11-06T07:23:00.000-08:00

Shouldn't be so complicated that I can't manage to post ONE picture per day. Especially given the amount of time I spend (waste?) on the computer, right?? I have pictures, they have been resized & watermarked and are ready to put on here. I have NO IDEA why I haven't managed to get them here. I will, I PROMISE, get them done this weekend & do better about keeping this updated day to day. My poor craft blog has been TOTALLY ignored for MONTHS. I'm going to a all day C'mas card stamp camp tomorrow so maybe I'll get some of that done!

Day 293

2009-10-23T11:48:00.000-07:00

Wet highway to the kids' school. Another day of rain. Another day of a wet office...

Day 292

2009-10-21T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is a house I drive by daily on my way to pick up the kids. I don't know how I got this shot. I was just taking random shots thru the sunroof. I like it. I don't like the fence tho, it's covered in moldy, mossy stuff.

Another random shot here. I know it's totally out of focus but I thought it was funny. Looks like my Cubbie antennae ball is looking at the speed limit. Yes, I know I've got a twisted sense of humor & NO ONE else will find anything funny about it.

Day 291

2009-10-21T13:23:00.000-07:00

Buy one get one free coupon for a Blizzard. Expires today. Guess where I went???

Day 290

2009-10-21T11:22:00.000-07:00

Weird day today. I did a little laundry but, spent most of the day asleep!! I was sooooo tired. at about 3 or so, Scott decided he wanted to go to Target & I had to go with him. He had a coupon for the movie "the proposal" that expires TODAY. Well, the Target in Alton didn't have the movie on Blu Ray. He suggested we drive to Edwardsville & try the Target and Best Buy there. I explained that I had to get home to make dinner. If he wanted to go, we'd have to eat out. Even tho the kids & I had eaten every meal out since Wednesday, he agreed.

These are cheese curds from Culvers. Becca gets curds w/her meal & Nick & I get fries. We dump them in the middle of the table (Scott doesn't share w/us as he hates curds!) and we all share. I prefer the cheddar, Becca doesn't care as long as they are small and I really don't think Nick eats the curds at all, he just likes to share. LOL

We did finally get the movie at Best Buy. Target had it but would not accept the Internet coupon. Best Buy took it w/o a problem. I also found Risky Business on BD for $10!

Day 289

2009-10-21T11:08:00.000-07:00

It's official! I want to move to Sycamore, IL. It's the cutest town!! It seems like every house we passed had pumpkins and/or halloween decorations. The heart of town is old but out where we stayed, there are lots of shops & resturants. I didn't see a mall but, there was no shortage of shopping opportunities. Next week, they are holding a pumpkin festival. Wish I could be here for that. Maybe next year, the tournament will fall on the SAME weekend???

The girls won their game! And, they presented the trophy right after the game so Becca made the pics & we STILL got an early start. The trip home wasn't so bad (probably 'cause I got more than 4 hours sleep the night before!)

I will say I'm glad I got to experience a championship season & a championship game. But, the down is WAY DOWN!!! It was hard to take such a tough loss but, wait 'til next year!!!

Day 288

2009-10-21T10:49:00.000-07:00

Last VB pic, I promise!! Unfortunately, that means I'm going to have inundate you w/pics of Jack again. LOL

The girls won 2 games yesterday. A win today would put them in the Championship game. Unfortunately, the other team was TOUGH!! They killed us in the first game. We made dumb mistakes & they were flawless! We hung in there for the 2nd game but, in the end, they were just a better team. All the Bethelites were very sad. I guess we thought we were better than we really were. We do have another game tomorrow for 3rd place. We're going to leave town as soon as that game is over. We'll miss the trophy ceremony but, we gotta get home!

Day 287

2009-10-21T10:39:00.000-07:00

We stayed in a different hotel than the rest of the girls. Scott had points & we got all 3 days FREE!! Anyway, 3 other school participating in the tournament were also staying at the Holiday Inn Express. Becca thought she should let them know that Bethel was staying there too so she put this sign on our door. She expected the the Soccer boys that were there for their tournament too, would rip it off. But they didn't. Even tho there were ALOT of teens in the hotel, they were very respectful, and after 9:30, quiet.

Day 286

2009-10-21T08:25:00.000-07:00

Leaving today for Sycamore, IL for the VB tournament. If we win, we're state champs & get a banner for the gym. I only got 4 hours sleep last night and I'm not the best at staying awake behind the wheel. We'll see how it goes. We leave at 12:30 from the school. Scott's out of town so it'll just be me, Becs & Nick. Poor Jack will be home alone until Friday when Scott gets home from Iowa.

Day 285

2009-10-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

The last regular season game. Becca started for the JV & played the whole game (Trish making it up to her that she forgot to play her AT ALL in the last 2 games!) JV still lost both games but they played better than they had all year. I'm sure that's 'cause Becca was in! LOL Varsity won both their games handily & Becca got to play in both too. I'm sure going to miss VB practices and games. NOT!!! Glad to have our evenings to ourselves. At least until BB starts the first week of November.

Day 284

2009-10-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

Columbus day, no school. Back during the summer, Becca won a $25 gift card to AMC theaters. There is not an AMC in town but there's one in Creve Couer, MO about 40 minutes away. Becca wanted to see Toy Story on the "big screen" so we went to the 1pm show today.

The movie came out when Becca was just a baby so the first time we saw it, it was on video. It was so different to see it at the theater. It's still completely amazing!! So realistic. The 3D was not that great and honestly, gave me a headache. Hope when it comes out on Blu Ray, it'll be "normal"! I'm not sure that these movies have come out on DVD. Even if they are, we hoping that when TS3 comes out next year, BD of 1 & 2 will come out then! Pixar ROCKS!!!!

Day 283

2009-10-21T07:31:00.000-07:00

Haven't been out to my brother's property in a while. Dad wanted to know where they were & I was curious too. They have the footings in & the forms are ready & waiting for the concrete walls. Gave me a little better idea of how the house was going to look. While I will envy the completed house, I do NOT envy the work it will take to get there. He's hoping to have the outside mostly "done" by December so he can work on the inside stuff as time permits during the cold, winter months. He's hoping to be in the house by Easter. Good Luck!

More pics are coming

2009-10-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

I really do have pics taken everyday. I just haven't downloaded the ones from last week nor have I cropped & resized the ones that are already ON my computer!!!

Day 282

2009-10-16T06:24:00.001-07:00

Birthday celebration dinner tonite at Chillis. These are berries on a tree outside the restaurant. I thought they looked cool!

Day 281

2009-10-16T06:16:00.000-07:00

HAPPY 13TH BIRTHDAY NICK!!!

Nick had 5 boys over for his birthday. They ate pizza & chips & M&Ms, played video games, watched movies, ate pancakes & cold pizza for breakfast. I think they all had a good time & I KNOW Nick had a good time. Glad they only turn 13 once. LOL

Day 280

2009-10-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

This looked much better in real life. This is the view from my front porch at about 7am.

Day 279

2009-10-15T19:41:00.000-07:00

"fake" pumpkin on my front porch. Spooky!?!?

Day 278

2009-10-15T19:24:00.001-07:00

More volleyball pics. I sure wish I could get better pics. Becca got to play ALOT during this game. The other team was NOT that good. Becca did very well. I wish she could play this much in ALL the games.

Day 277

2009-10-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Today is my Mother-in-law's Birthday. We took her out to Pasta House. The kids & I got our usual toasted ravioli but the were BURNED and very hard to eat. We tried to get them re-done but the manager told us their fryer was broke & had been for a month. She could redo the order but they probably wouldn't be any better than what we got :( Bummer. My MIL loved her dinner tho & that was the whole point, right?

Day 276

2009-10-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

We needed some more Halloween lights. Scott doesn't like how only the orange lights show up. So, when we found purple LED lights at Target, we bought them (they were pricey but I don't think they are supposed ever burn out!) They are BRIGHT!! But, they are a nice touch to our outside Halloween decor!

Here's me being stupid, playing w/my camera. Cool!!!

More promises!

2009-10-14T06:36:00.000-07:00

I'm leaving today the Girls State VB tournament. If I find a free minute, I've take all my pics and will get y'all updated. Sorry for the LONG delays (sometimes, life sucks. Even when you're not working all day!) Thanks for sticking with me (that is if anyone HAS stuck with me. LOL)

Day 275

2009-10-05T08:27:00.001-07:00

We WON!!!! We won our first 2 games yesterday pretty easily (Becca only got to play in one game :( ) but the 3rd game against the Pekin Warriors was a KILLER. First game, we lost 23-25. Second game we scratched our way to a 25-22 victory. The way the tourney was set up, if you split the series, points counted to see who won. We won by one point!!!

First game today was against Twin Cities (Festus/Crystal City, MO) and I believe this is their first year to field a VB team. They are a decent team but we had more experience. Becca should have been able to play in this game but, for whatever reason, the coach didn't put her in.

Pekin came in 2nd in our pool & played the other #1 team and beat them! So, a rematch of last nights squeaker for the championship. We won the first game but lost the 2nd. That forced a game three. We assumed that it was to 15 as is the norm. We got to 14-13 and we tipped the ball over the net & they missed; yea, we win 15-13. Well, depth perception (& hope) makes you see things different. When we tipped, it went down on OUR side & the score was 14-14. A few minutes later, it was 17-15, we won! Uh, no. Since it was the championship, the game apparently it goes to 25. We finally won it, 25-20!!! Happiness ensues!

Dinner at Outback (celebration of the win & my b'day!) rounded out a perfect day!! We have 3 more games and then the state championship!!! Can't wait!!!

Here's the whole team & the "cheer boys" who came along to cheer the girls on to victory! (Notice, Nick's not there. He only came to the 2 games he was FORCED to. But, he wants to go to State 'cause he thinks he'll get to sit in the hotel all day playing video games. Won't be happening!!!)

Day 274

2009-10-05T08:23:00.000-07:00

Today starts the Mississippi Valley Tournament. MVCS is our closest rival. Last year, they were REALLY good but most of their team graduated. They are still good, don't get me wrong, but we are BETTER. LOL Today, we play the 3 teams in our "pool"; there are 4 teams playing against each other in the other pool. Tomorrow, we play the best of the other pool (assuming we win all our games today!) and then play for the championship. GO LADY KNIGHTS!!!

Day 273

2009-10-05T08:03:00.000-07:00

Today is my birthday. Scott is out of town so we're not going to "celebrate" until the weekend. Scott told me I could open my presents but I thought it better to wait (although that big box is my Ott Lite & I want it NOW!!!!)

Being alone all day, I decided no housework, no laundry, only crafting! Well, I did finish the last 1/3 of a set of ATCs and came up w/a plan for Sherri's C'mas CJ but not much else. The kids & I went to DQ for dinner & then to Walmart for groceries. Not a bad day and I have 2 more "celebrations" to follow.

Day 272

2009-10-04T04:50:00.000-07:00

I have always LOVED magazines!! I'll read just about anything if it's in mag form. I'll even read "NEWS"!!! I especially love craft & decorating mags!! Well, over the summer, I was reading books from the library. My mags got kinda ignored. I just set them in a basket & figured I'd read them when I finished a book. Well, I didn't. They just piled up & piled up. So, I've decided not to get anymore books until I get a handle on these mags. We'll see how long it takes......