Days Go By

School starts tomorrow!

2011-08-21T21:21:00.002-04:00

I can't believe tonight is a school night. Where in the world did the entire summer go? We've done a lot of great things this summer and had a great time, but now it's time to gear up for another school year. This is how we spent our last week of summer vacation.....

Monday - Waterpark
Tuesday - MagiQuest (Denis came with Matthew & Pierson came with Andrew).
Wednesday - Jim & I golfed 9 holes with Matthew & Andrew (ironically on the day we found out that Island Green golf course could close). At night, the boys went to BINGO with Grandma and Jim & I went to Anthony's for dinner.
Thursday - The boys & I went to the free movie in the morning (Legends of the Guardians) and then did a little more school clothes shopping. Later in the day, we went to the open house at the elementary school, then went to dinner @ Red Robin. Afterwards, we tried to go to Wonderworks (it was too busy), but we walked around Broadway at the Beach and the boys shopped in the MagiQuest store.
Friday - Beach day!
Saturday - I took the boys back to MagiQuest & we went to Cicis for dinner
Sunday - The boys & I went to the waterpark.

It was a fun week, but now it's over and we'll look forward to next year. School is out on June 1st, so we'll have all of June & July, then some of August. I look forward to all the fun stuff we'll do next summer, too. The best part of living here is that we can still go to the waterpark (for two more weeks) and can continue to go to the pool & beach until the weather gets too cold for it.

Come to ScrapChicks for a weekend crop!!

2011-07-15T15:39:00.001-04:00

http://www.scrapchicks.com/forum.php

2011-05-02T21:30:00.002-04:00

10 on 10

2011-04-12T13:00:00.010-04:00

My friend, Monica, from ScrapChicks told me about this challenge to take 10 pictures on the 10th of the month. I decided that I really wanted to do this and I took all of these pictures on Sunday, 4/10 (the day of the final round of The Masters). Jim called me "Allen Funt" :)

10am - Clipping Coupons from the Sunday paper....

11am - Watched "You've Got Mail" on TV before the golf started.

12 noon - Jim was watching The Masters on his computer because it wasn't being aired until later in the day (which I think is total crap. LOL)

1pm - Had to photograph Cowboy, our houseguest for a few days (my parent's dog.)

2pm - I had a sweet tooth and decided to make a cake. I was watching The Masters in the background.

3pm - The boys wanted a few old VHS movies, so I took them to the storage unit to find them.

4pm - I had the urge to photograph a few of the Easter decorations I put up last week.

5pm - Time to decorate the cake (again, you can see that I was still watching The Masters in the background)

6pm - I started playing Solitaire on the computer again. Yes, I'm obsessed again. LOL

7pm - Time to walk the dog again. I like having him around, but I'm not a fan of having to walk him so much.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-02T13:46:00.003-05:00

Wow it's 2011.

I feel like the holiday season came up on us really fast, then whizzed right by. We've had a great couple of weeks doing a lot of family oriented things. It was a great holiday season, but now I can't believe it's January.

The boys go back to school tomorrow morning and we're all going to be shell shocked at getting up early. We've slept in every single day for the past two weeks and it'll be hard to break that habit. Getting back into a routine will be good for all of us, though.

I hope to keep up with my blog in 2011. I don't want to say it's one of my new year's resolutions (because I tend to break those), but it's on my "list" of things to do better with in the upcoming year.

Pictures of Sara's Wedding Dress

2010-07-29T10:04:00.001-04:00

Here are pictures of Sara's dress. We figured this way people could look but it wasn't plastered on facebook where Kevin might see it. He actually saw my post that said "picture to follow" and he asked me not to put pictures of Sara in her dress on Facebook. Aww!

Happy 14th Anniversary

2010-05-19T15:45:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was mine & Jim's 14th Wedding Anniversary. How did 14 years pass by already? I just love that man so much and I love our life together. Andrew took this picture of us before we went out to dinner at our favorite Myrtle Beach restaurant (http://www.thoroughbredsrestaurant.com/home.html). We got a complimentary glass of champagne with dinner. We enjoyed the Caesar salad (made tableside) and then the Chateabriand for two, also made tableside. Yummy!

Imaginisce Scrapping Products anyone?

2010-05-19T15:42:00.000-04:00

Want to win some fun new scrappy products? Then check out Sarah's blog! http://redoaklines.com/

Want to win a Cricut Expression?

2010-05-05T12:32:00.001-04:00

If you do, then check out this site!

http://www.cricutholiday.com/2010/05/our-gigantic-national-scrapbook-day.html

More New Disney Layouts

2010-04-28T09:27:00.006-04:00

I'm still working on the 2008 album. I should be done with these albums soon. Fingers crossed!

New Disney Layouts

2010-03-28T12:59:00.002-04:00

I've been working on more Disney layouts for out Sept/Oct '08 trip. I really would love to finish them soon so that I can then start on the Jan '10 trip pictures. LOL!

Christmas Card Photo Outtakes

2009-12-13T12:21:00.004-05:00

We had fun taking pictures of the boys down at the beach last Saturday. Here are some of the outtakes.

Recent Layouts

2009-12-08T10:14:00.001-05:00

I thought it was a good idea to share some of my newest scrapbook pages! I'm really trying to get through a bunch of our Disney pictures from Sept/Oct 2008 since we're going back next month (Jan '10). Yay!

ReNew

2009-12-08T10:11:00.001-05:00

I've seen people chose a "word" for the new year and try to have it have meaning throughout that year. I haven't done this yet, but I think I'll try it on for the year 2010.

I've chosen the word "ReNew". On our car ride up to NC this past weekend for Sara & Kevin's engagement party, I saw a sign for recycling that said "ReDuce, ReUse, ReNew". The bell went off in my head that ReNew was a great word for me.

ReNew old friendships.
ReNew Relationships.
ReNew my commitment to losing weight.
ReNew my faith.
ReNew my love for scrapbooking.
ReNew my passion for life, in general!

Time to stop neglecting my Blog!

2009-12-08T10:10:00.001-05:00

I really want to make a commitment to posting on this blog again. I've said this before, but I'll say it again that I enjoy going back thru my own posts here and seeing, reading, etc... I need to get back to this as something fulfilling and not a chore. I can upload pictures now, so I think that will be very helpful in getting me to WANT to post more.

Win a Cricut Gypsy!

2009-09-25T12:35:00.003-04:00

Gypsy by Cricut

I saw the tutorial video on this machine a few weeks ago and thought it was awesome! I don't think I'll win, but what the heck, might as well try! :D

Ugh.... computer problems!

2009-09-24T08:32:00.002-04:00

So I've decide I want to keep up with my blog. Thank you to Erin, Eleni and La for your encouraging words. I realized that it was one of the first times, in my adult life, that I was really journaling what was going on in my life and I didn't just want to stop doing it.

Anyway, now I have computer problems. One of the ways I like to blog is to post pictures. It's probably my fave way to blog & journal. I'm a very visual person. LOL. But my stupid computer won't let me upload pictures here to Blogger. I also can't upload pics to yahoo or photobucket. Wahhhhh!

I think we're either getting someone to fix this computer (yet again) or getting a new one. I can't deal with computer problems when it's my lifeline almost every day. DH bought himself a flat screen TV, so maybe it's time for me to get a laptop? ;-)

To Blog or not to Blog?

2009-09-17T09:44:00.003-04:00

I've been a horrible blogger and I've been asking myself these questions a lot lately. Do I enjoy blogging? Do I want to keep up with my blog? Should I keep on blogging? Hmm. Then I realized how much I enjoy going back thru the posts & pictures from last year, so if I keep slacking this year, I'm really going to miss a lot. All that said, I'm going to try to blog again. :)

I'm back online!

2009-07-13T09:33:00.001-04:00

Ahhhhhh.... can I tell you how good it feels to be sitting here back at my computer? But it's also weird to have computer access here in the Myrtle Beach house for the very first time ever! LOL.

Getting the cable internet guy here was no small feat for some strange reason, but he came this morning and I'm all hooked up. I'm also not sharing with the boys right now - they have their Wii and DS's right? ha!

Okay so I might not blog for awhile, but I had to do a blog post.

Taking a Blog Break!

2009-06-23T09:32:00.002-04:00

It's not like I've been keeping up with my blog or anything, but I wanted to say that I was going to take a break from blogging for awhile. There's just too much to get done for me to worry about my blog. I've even got pictures to share, but no time to get them up.

I'll be packing, packing, packing... also trying to see a few friends, but then packing. I am heading down to Myrtle Beach sometime in the next week (which is the norm in the summer anyway). So much to do... so little time!

My Scrapbook Helper

2009-06-05T14:47:00.003-04:00

Well maybe she's not really helping, but she wants to be right in the thick of things! She first decided that she was going to nap inside of of my plastic drawers. She was lying right on my pictures & paper, but that's more my fault for leaving the drawer in the middle of the table. Then, she was poking around all of my stuff and was trying to chew on my embellishments and paper. Oh such fun. She's just too cute, though! :)

Kitty & Scrapping!

2009-06-03T12:56:00.004-04:00

I have 2 things for today!

#1 - It's a rainy day & DH is still away, so I'm gonna scrap for the rest of the day. Soccer will be getting called off and I'm just going to chill with my scrapping stuff and keep working on our Disney '08 layouts.

#2 - Does anyone remember when I took a picture of Daisy inside Andrew's Venom mask? She was so cute and fit right in there. Her eyes were also so blue. Well yesterday she tried to play in the mask again, but her whole hind end was sticking out and it was just so funny. She's such a playful kitty! This is my blog entry from the fall about Daisy & the venom mask (there's a picture).... http://lisa-daysgoby.blogspot.com/2008/11/venom-kitty.html

Engaged!

2009-05-30T17:34:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Sara & Kevin who got engaged last night! Kevin asked Jim last weekend for "Sara's hand in marriage", so we knew this day was coming. Sara called us both last night and was very excited to share her big news! Kevin proposed to her at The Melting Pot. He was very clever and had a tray brought over with rose petals & a ring pop, but then pulled out the box with the real ring in it. Aww!

The Homework Helper

2009-05-26T15:50:00.002-04:00

Does anyone remember when I posted a picture of Daisy "helping" with homework a few months ago? She was so small back then! She still loves to sit on the counter when the boys do their homework and usually she sits right on their papers. In this picture, she's sitting on Matthew's binder.

Me & my Honey

2009-05-25T09:23:00.003-04:00

We went to a wedding last weekend and got these two pictures of us. I seem to take a ton of pictures, but never seem to get enough of me & Jim or of our family! Next time, right?

New Hair 'do!

2009-05-06T22:14:00.002-04:00

So I finally went to the hairdresser today to get a real hair cut. I haven't been there since Sept, I think. I'm so bad about stuff like that and need to go more often. Anyway, I told her to cut off length (believe it or not, she took off 4") and I also told her I wanted some more layers cut back into it. I was talking to her about how I hate all the volume and poof/frizz and she decided we needed to use the flat iron on my hair. I really had no idea what I'd look like when she was done, but I'm so pleased with the result. It was almost weird to see myself in the mirror because I looked so different! My kids were a little freaked out (because I looked so strange to them) and Jim was funny about it (he liked it, but it was also so different to him). He started calling me "Felicia" as if I was a new girl. LOL. I even went to Walmart and bought myself a flat iron so that I can try to recreate the look on my own. Wish me luck! ;)

Once again.... I'm a bad Blogger!

2009-05-04T21:34:00.003-04:00

I really have not done a good job with keeping up on my blog, have I? I can see that people are still visiting my blog, too, so double shame on me.

I'll share a few pictures.... Two are of Daisy trying to sun herself in the side kitchen window. She thinks she can go outside, but we tried to let her on the deck and she took off within about 2 minutes. She really had no sense of what to do, so she'll have to stay indoors at all times. Another picture is of Matthew and the garden hose. Two weekends ago, we had temperatures in the 90s (yes 90 degrees in April, go figure), so the boys had gotten out the sprinklers, the hose, etc... Matthew decided to wrap himself up in the hose. Silly kid!

I promise to be back with more pictures to share this month! I won't go so long between my blog posts.

Girls' Weekend Away!

2009-04-16T11:42:00.002-04:00

I'm leaving today for a scrapbook weekend crop. I love going to these things! I will be meeting my friend, Ellen, for the very first time. We met online when we were pregnant 9 years ago and meeting face to face is going to be awesome. Actually, all of the women I am going with this weekend are people I met online - isn't that wild? We're going to laugh, sing, scrap, eat, drink and be merry. LOL! I hope to have my computer back by next week with everything up and running again, so that I will be able to share some pictures.

It's all because of facebook.....

2009-04-14T16:39:00.002-04:00

I've decided that I'm now a bad blogger because of facebook. I am on facebook all day long and I really enjoy it, but I've blogged a lot less because of it. I love that I've reconnected with so many old friends on FB, but again, I blog less. It seems easier to share pictures over on FB, but I write more here on my blog and discuss the pictures more. I really should get better at blogging again.

That said, I actually have a few pictures to share and can't right now because the computer is being fixed. I'm using the old computer, but it doesn't have the slots to just stick in your memory cards and I cannot, for the life of me, find the cord that came with the camera, so I can't connect it up to download pics off of it. Oh well!

So I guess I just needed to ramble a bit? Thanks for reading, if you do! :D

The Furry Patient

2009-03-29T11:16:00.003-04:00

Miss Daisy was spayed & declawed on Thursday. She's been more than fine since coming home & honestly, she acts like nothing ever happened. She's one of the best patients I've ever known! She was helping read/eating the newspaper this morning for Jim, so I had to include that picture, too. She's getting so big (She's over 6 months old now). She really seems to be very happy that she's back home with us. We definitely missed her because she had to stay overnight on Thursday and it was really weird when she wasn't here. We love our Daisy!

I finally got new glasses!

2009-03-24T22:45:00.001-04:00

Not only are they new, but they're definitely a bit of a departure for me. I love the shape & I love the color. I didn't want to go too bold with the color since I wear them every single day. They're a little tight and they're bugging me behind the ears, though, so I'll go back to the eye doctor tomorrow to get them adjusted.

Signs Of Spring

2009-03-21T16:24:00.002-04:00

Normally, with a title like that, you'd be expecting some flower pictures or buds on the trees. But no... you're getting Daisy pictures. Why? Because the darn cat is in heat and she's just 6 months old. She started acting weird yesterday - the first day of Spring, ironically. She has her butt in the air all the time, she makes these weird, funky mewing sounds constantly and she's obviously uncomfortable. She's also affectionate and will beeline for any door that she thinks she can get out of. It's rather humorous and slightly disturbing all at the same time. LOL! So being the loving mom that I am, I got out the camera last night and took these lovely pictures of her for posterity. Thank God she's getting fixed on Thursday!

Go Green!

2009-03-18T13:28:00.004-04:00

We really didn't do a lot to celebrate St. Patty's day yesterday, but I got an idea from a scrapping friend to make green pancakes (Thanks Sara). The boys thought it was so funny that I could just put food coloring in the batter and Ta Da! We had green pancakes. LOL.

Four Eyes!

2009-03-17T08:43:00.004-04:00

First of all, I've been a horrible blogger and I need to do a much better job at posting things here again.

Well it's been all about the glasses here lately. Andrew finally got his sport goggles (second pair of glasses to wear during sports activities). Matthew went to the eye doctor for the first time and had to get glasses, too. He has to wear them all the time and the poor child got bifocals because the muscles in his eyes are a little weak.

For the picture where Andrew's wearing his sport goggles, the boys found Jim's old bandanas and thought they'd look really cool wearing them. They were more than happy to pose for the camera. Can you tell (by the short sleeves) that we finally had a spring day?

I also went to the eye doctor last week for the first time in over 2 years and my new glasses are on order. I'll definitely post a new picture when I get them because I was adventurous this time and got a funky style vs. the same old same old. The lady actually told me my type of glasses were out of style - she was nice about it, but OMGawd! I've never been a trendy girl anyway. LOL.

Real Men Wear Pink!

2009-02-23T10:49:00.003-05:00

For those of you who know Andrew, you know that he hated pink (or so he said) & you're probably laughing at this picture. When he was little, he told his one cousin to take off a pink shirt because boys do not wear pink! He had a serious aversion to all things pink (or even purple) because they're girly colors. Well, we went shopping the other day and he saw this shirt. He had to have it. We were skeptical, but he was really funny about it and had to wear it to school today. I can't wait to hear what kind of comments he got!

If you click on the picture, you can see it larger and maybe read the shirt. It says....

I wear this shirt to annoy you.
Smart people wear pink
My Dad did the laundry.
I make this color look good.
It was my last clean shirt
Rock stars wear pink
Pink is the new black
My Mom made me wear it.
I'm a movie star.
Tough Guys wear pink!

A Tale of 3 Mugs

2009-02-20T08:54:00.004-05:00

At first, I was only going to do "A Tale of 2 Mugs", but then I realized that I had to have a separate mug for hot tea. LOL! Here are my mugs.... the cream colored, woven one is the coffee mug I use every day in PA. The striped, multi-colored mug is my every day mug when I'm in Myrtle Beach. The chipped, blue, winter-scene mug is my "hot tea" mug here in PA. Can you tell I'm particular about my mugs? Notice how they all have to be tall ones? I definitely need to scrap about this some day. :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-15T22:14:00.002-05:00

I'm a little late with this post, but better late than never. LOL. We had a very nice Valentine's Day at home. The boys got a few small presents from us and they gave me a card. Jim gave me a dozen roses & I gave him a box of Turtles (candy). We made some Valentine's Day cookies & cupcakes. Yum!

Signs of Winter

2009-02-11T14:04:00.003-05:00

I've always been excited to grab my camera and take pictures of "nice things" like when spring comes around and everything starts to green up again. This got me to thinking because today it is 65 degrees outside - yes in February in northeast PA. It's weird to me, for it to be this weird and it's melting all the snow. I feel bad for my boys that the snow is almost gone because they love to sled and quite honestly, if we move, it's not going to be like this for us next year. So I decided to go outside with my camera and take some pictures that vary from what I normally like to shoot. I also thought my blog needed a new entry. LOL

Daisy the SunBather

2009-01-31T14:42:00.001-05:00

So do you think she *should* be sleeping in the middle of the kitchen table? umm no. Does she look comfy? Yes she does. Did she stay in this position long enough for me to snap some cute pictures? Yes she did. As if she was posing for me? LOL. She's such a kook & such a turd who's always up on something. Guess the sun spot was too much of a temptation for her?

Snow Pictures

2009-01-30T09:29:00.003-05:00

I have a bunch of snow pics to share! The boys had off from school on Wednesday and then Thursday (because everything iced up). They had a great time yesterday going down the side yard on their saucers.

Daisy Antics

2009-01-27T10:40:00.002-05:00

She's getting so much bigger. She's getting into a lot of different things now. A new favorite thing is to jump up on top of my scrapping stuff (far side of the kitchen) and try to eat the fibers hanging from a decoration. The last thing I need is for her to start puking up this stuff! Ewwww. You can see the mischief in her face, can't you? Is it bad to admit that I want that tiny kitten back again?

I've been a bad blogger!

2009-01-26T13:06:00.002-05:00

So I was so impressed at how good I did with blogging in 2008 and then I think I've been terrible at it so far this year!

So I'm sharing my favorite layout that I've done this month and a link to all my other creations.....

Lisa's Scrapping Layouts (the new ones start down in the 9th row, 4th page in). Thanks for looking (if you do). :D

My Scrapbook Helper

2009-01-19T19:02:00.002-05:00

I've been busy scrapbooking and guess who's very interested in what I'm doing? She loves to eat/bite my paper and really loves it when she can steal a strip of paper, then run away with it. In the one picture, she's "wrestling" with a strip of scrap paper. In the other picture, she's sitting on/in my letter sticker crate. She also bites the packages of my letter stickers and pretty much thinks that anything she can get her hands on is a new fun toy. She's cute, but also a pain in my butt. LOL

Away in a Manger

2009-01-12T21:36:00.002-05:00

Daisy is a nut! She has to get into everything, like the naughty little kitty she is. As we were putting away the Christmas decorations the other day, she crawled into the manger and wouldn't get out. She thought the moss was extremely fun to play with and must've thought she had a nifty new house. ;-)

Need a Daisy Fix?

2009-01-07T21:29:00.002-05:00

I thought my blog needed a new Daisy fix! She's almost 4 months old and she's getting so big. She doesn't really look like a kitten to me anymore, but then I see a full grown cat and realize that Daisy has a long way to go. She's such a fun cat - her newest favorite thing to do is to chase balls around the house, especially the kitty ones with bells in them. We just made her appointment to be spayed and to have her claws taken out (I can't wait for those to be gone so that my hands don't have scratches on them anymore). That won't be until the spring, though. So how big does she look to you?

Lots of Christmas Pictures!

2009-01-05T23:07:00.002-05:00

I uploaded pictures on facebook and then realized I could share the links here. I don't want to post too many photos right on my blog.

Myrtle Beach Christmas Pictures.... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=197732&l=dc491&id=822255516

PA Christmas Pictures.... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=191726&l=d2895&id=822255516

New Year's Eve Pictures.... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=197730&l=712ac&id=822255516

New Year's Resolutions!

2009-01-05T09:26:00.002-05:00

Well it's time for me to put this into writing!

#1 - Lose weight! Get healthier is more important, though, but I need to shed a few pounds, once again.

#2 - To downsize & purge! We have so much crap in this house that needs to be dealt with. I need to especially get into the attic and get rid of old stuff.

#3 - Teaching Matthew to ride a 2-wheel bike! He's been so worried about falling and I've just let this go, but I have decided that every child needs to know how to do this, so I'm going to put some extra effort into making this happen for him.

#4 - My scrapping goal is 365 pages (I didn't quite make this number in 2008).

#5 - To keep up with this blog. :)

#6 - To get my pictures organized. DH got me an external hard drive, so I need to really work on getting everything backed up and printed.

So here's to an active & productive 2009! Cheers!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2008-12-25T18:24:00.002-05:00

Well this will be my very last entry for 2008. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a safe & happy New Year's. Today (Christmas) was a wonderful day and I'm sort of sad it's almost over, but I'm looking forward to our trip to Myrtle Beach tomorrow. We'll be there until 1/3 and we get to celebrate Christmas with Sara (my stepdaughter), my parents and then with my sister & her family. Gotta love stretching out the holiday over another week! LOL.

So I'll leave you with a picture of silly ole Daisy who's tuckered out and stretched out on the couch after a long day of playing with wrapping paper, playing with her new toys, trying to steal food off the counter and just enjoying being the fantastic little kitten that she is!

Here's to 2009!

Before the end of 2008....

2008-12-23T22:37:00.002-05:00

I have to take the time to do this blog entry.....

A little less than a year ago, I decided to make a New Year's resolution to start a blog and keep it current. I remember brainstorming the whole drive home from Myrtle Beach over what to name the blog (details details!). So here I am, about 12 whole months into it and I can say that I'm pretty proud of myself. I blog every month (maybe not in July when I was away? Maybe I blogged when I was home that one week for the Springsteen concerts). I had fun blogging. I had fun sharing photos. It was and still is exciting for me to read the comments many of my blogging friends leave for me with each post/entry. I tend to blog pictures more than just thoughts & words.

Today is 12/23... tomorrow our festivities will start (Christmas Eve spent with Dh's dad & Stepmom), then the big day is Thursday. Oh how I love Christmas. Oh how the boys love Christmas. Oh how Jim loves Christmas! We love spending the holiday here in our PA house, then hopping in the car the next day to head down to Myrtle Beach. We'll put the tree up down there and then celebrate with my parents, my sister and my sister's family. It doesn't take much to get us to draw out the holiday as much as possible. LOL.

So before I no longer have the chance to get online and post this, I decided to make this blog entry tonight. Merry Christmas to all my blogging friends. I hope you all have a fun New Year's Eve. (raising my glass)... Here's to a wonderful 2009. Maybe it be a happy & healthy one for all of us. ~Lisa

What are my favorite subjects?

2008-12-22T15:26:00.003-05:00

The boys and the kitten, right? So how about a picture of both? Or all? LOL

I was wrapping gifts on Sunday and when I cut off the first strip, Matthew put it on his head and an idea was born. Make Indian headresses out of the strips! So Andrew had to have one, then I got to listen to them "woo woo woo" all around the kitchen for awhile. ;)

Today, while I was finishing up a few homemade gifts, Daisy just got right onto my Making Memories cutter and made herself comfy. She looked too cute and I had to take a picture.

Dreaming of a White Christmas?

2008-12-21T22:47:00.001-05:00

This is too cute!

http://www.aroundmd.com/whitechristmas/

Finally.... we got some SNOW!

2008-12-20T11:31:00.003-05:00

We had our 4th snow day yesterday, but it was the first real "snow day". The other 3 days were all about mixture junk, ice, etc... Nasty! It was so nice to finally have real snow. It started at 9am and pretty much snowed all day long. Jim even stayed home from work, which was a good call since they closed his work at 12pm and he would have spent most of the time in the car trying to get home in the mess! We had a great day - we baked cookies, watched some movies and just enjoyed the day. :)

Kitty vs. Webkinz!

2008-12-18T16:49:00.002-05:00

I was talking on the phone with Linda, when I saw Daisy coming down the stairs with this white, Seal Webkinz that belongs to Matthew. I started cracking up and had to get my camera. It took awhile to get some decent shots, but you can see that Daisy is carrying it around in her mouth, wrestling with it, hugging it, etc.... Too funny! I threw in a picture of her sleeping for good measure. :)

Single Digits!

2008-12-16T20:10:00.003-05:00

There are only 9 days 'til Christmas! Wow, where did November and December go? Why didn't I start all of my holiday prep (including shopping & our Christmas cards) wayyyyy back in September? lol. I've been trying to enjoy everything and not be stressed. I'm doing a decent job with that. So how's everyone else doing? I'd love to hear something positive that's going on in your lives this week and before Christmas, so please share!

She'll eat anything!

2008-12-09T17:13:00.002-05:00

Daisy is a funny cat. She loves food. She loves people food. We have gotten her where she doesn't always try to steal food from us, but she's still a sneaky little devil some days. Tonight, Matthew was eating buttered Italian bread and Daisy decided the small hunk she got her paws on was now hers. She "fought" with this bread in the kitchen for awhile and pretty much just ate the butter off of it. She's such a goof!

Homey the Clemson Santa Claus

2008-12-05T16:36:00.001-05:00

Andrew "dressed up" in this outfit yesterday and was all proud of himself. He reluctantly posed for a few pictures by the tree, but you know I had to have a picture of that get up! I also thought it would be nice to have a picture on my blog that wasn't of the kitten. LOL

Christmas Getting to Know You

2008-12-05T10:04:00.005-05:00

Feel free to borrow this idea for your own blog! :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Mostly wrapping paper, but a few gift bags when convenient
2. Real tree or Artificial? Real (blue spruce) here in PA - artificial in MB
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the first weekend in December, but we got ours last weekend when Sara was still here. We'll put up the MB tree on 12/27. lol
4. When do you take the tree down? 1-2 weeks into January. 2nd weekend if I had my way. We take the MB tree down at Easter.
5. Do you like eggnog? Nope. It's yucky.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? My turntable and anything Barbie related.
7. Hardest person to buy for? Jim
8. Most you've ever spent on a Christmas present? I'm not even sure! Probably a watch I bought for Jim a few years ago. I like a lot of smaller gifts vs. big ones.
9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a white one made by AVON
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail
11.Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A set of bowling salt & pepper shakers
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life or Holiday Inn. As for specials, I love The Year Without a Santa Claus (love the meiser brothers!)
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sometime in fall.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope, but I'm thinking about doing something with the salt & pepper shakers. Does anyone want them? LOL
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Baked Cream Cheese & Almond Crescent Cookies
16. Lights on the tree? Large, colored ones here in PA. Small, white ones in MB
17. Favorite Christmas song? I can't name just one. "Baby Please Come Home" by U2. Santa Claus is Coming to Town by Bruce Springsteen. I love any/all traditional Christmas songs. I love them all.
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Stay home, but leave for MB the day after.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Yep - Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen & Rudolph
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel here in PA. Star in MB
21. Open the presents Christmas eve or Christmas day? We open on Christmas Day. Jim & I wait 'til later in the day, though.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Items being out of stock and finding a parking spot.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We buy dated, ceramic handmade ornaments and they are my favorite ones.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? We don't eat a real dinner - just lots of appetizers and yummy things. Bring on the spinach triangles, leek soup dip, baked cream cheese, shrimp cocktail, etc... burp!
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Sex and the City DVD, a new Cricut Cartridge, the 2009 Passport (Disney Guide book), a Disney strap for my camera, Rascal Flatts Greatest hits CD, some new fuzzy socks and PJ bottoms, scrapbook stuff (of course!).

Homework Helper?

2008-12-03T21:47:00.000-05:00

Daisy is just too funny. She wants to be right in the middle of the action. Today, she decided she was going to lay down in the middle of Andrew's homework. She was either right on the sheet he was writing on or lying on his folder. I added in a few other new photos of her, too for good measure. ;)

New Daisy Pics

2008-11-30T21:22:00.003-05:00

So Daisy has been wtih us for 6 weeks now. She's definitely gotten bigger and it makes me sad that she's not that tiny little thing anymore. It's actually amazing how fast they grow. She's a really wonderful cat. She lets the boys hold her, even when she's sleeping. She really took to Sara and her boyfriend, Kevin, who were just up here for the Thanksgiving holiday. She loves to play and we are really thankful that she's a part of our family.

I have to say that the picture of her sitting there, belly up, is one of my favorites. It's so hysterical that she would just sit like that and I was lucky enough that she didn't move when I ran to get the camera. We were joking that she looks like she wants to scratch, drink a beer and switch the channel. ;)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2008-11-27T09:18:00.002-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I hope you all have a wonderful day.

Our plans include watching the Macy's Day Parade, watching a few football games (Go Cowboys), eating a lot, playing some games, enjoying having family together for the day, etc...

I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful that we're all happy & healthy. I'm thankful for quality time spent with family during the holidays.

So pig out, enjoy the day & be thankful!

Things I've done in My Life....

2008-11-25T21:50:00.003-05:00

This was something we did on Scrapfreak today and I wanted to share here on my blog. Thank you Kristin for the idea! I also thought it would be nice to have a "non kitty" blog entry. LOL.

The things I've done are bolded. Umm, if any of you know of things I *have* done, but I forgot about, please let me know. ::: snicker :::

1. Started your own blog - well yeah!
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to DisneyWorld (never to Disneyland, though) - I've been to DisneyWorld over ten times. Woo Hoo
8. Held a praying mantis
9.Climbed a mountain
10. Sang a solo - visions of elementary school chorus!
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty - school class trip
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. seen the Mona Lisa
20. Slept on an overnight train - the autotrain to Florida!
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill - oh heck yes.
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run - I loved softball!
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelos David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling - snorkeling in Bermuda was awesome.
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater - The Ledgewood drive in!
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check - no comment. lol
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy - I've got my teddy bears.
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial - 8th grade trip to Washington, DC
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle - my dad was driving it!
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car - I've had 5 new cars. :)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox - I was in 3rd grade and my brother also got them. We drove our mother crazy!
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Cyndi Lauper when I was in highschool.
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby (or two)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day - I used to read Danielle Steel books on the beach when I was a teenager and I'd polish them off in a day.

She's almost 10 weeks old!

2008-11-20T22:00:00.010-05:00

I thought it was time to write up a bit of an update on the kitten vs. just sharing another picture. So I'm going to share a bunch of new photos & also write a few tidbits about our furry little girl. We adopted her almost 4 weeks ago. Where did 4 whole weeks go? She definitely looks bigger to us now and has a maturity about her. She seems to really love living here. She is all over the house and turns into "Schizo cat" sometimes where she just tears all over the place. She'll play with pretty much anything and likes to steal things (she stole an almond from me one day and she'll eat the paper while Jim tries to read it). She likes to get under the covers with Jim at night. She's a little rough with our hands and doesn't know that we're not her toys. She loves to eat and will even steal, then eat pieces of pasta! She goes nuts for any meat and loves eating leftover chicken. This has led to a bit of a round belly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She lets the boys play with her and isn't always scared off by their antics. She wants to play a lot - in the one picture she was trying to play with me as I was putting scrapbook pages away and she's biting her own layout as I was sliding it in the page protector. In another picture, she's peeking out of the box that was part of Andrew's magic kit - she loves to go in one end and out the other. She'll do flips in the air to try to get this seagull that's on the end of a stick. She still climbs up me and the boys call me the "Statue of Mom" since the cat acts like she's scaling a building. She's been such a wonderful addition to our family and I love that she loves us as much as we love her. :)

Daisy & the Boys

2008-11-14T19:44:00.001-05:00

The boys were just hanging out on the living room couch playing Nintendo DS and Daisy got up between them. She decided to snooze while hanging out with her "Brothers". Jim saw them and said "That's a cute picture", so I had to get the camera and take one. You can tell she's getting bigger, huh?

She wants to be a Parrot

2008-11-12T15:58:00.003-05:00

Daisy likes to climb up me (she'll jump on my leg and claw her way all the way up). Yes I have many scratches on my body. Or sometimes she'll jump on me from the counter. Then, she'll sit up on my shoulder like a parrot. She's actually going to get too big to do this very soon (which will make me sad). She's growing up way too fast.

Venom The Kitty

2008-11-11T14:42:00.002-05:00

Here is Daisy playing inside of Andrew's "venom mask" (it's a character from Spiderman). She was so funny going inside the one end and out the other, especially when she'd come out the mouth side (with the big ugly tongue). She's such a hoot to watch.

Think she's spoiled yet?

2008-11-10T09:21:00.002-05:00

We went to Petsmart on Saturday and spent $85 on pet stuff. Trust me, we could have spent way more. lol. We were going to buy her one of those kitty condos, but man those things are pricey. We ended up with this soft pyramid thing - it has a ball hanging from inside and she goes in there to play, but she won't sleep in there like Andrew wants her to. She's a feisty little one now and she was running in and out of it while I was trying to take these pictures. You can see that she's ready to pounce in the one picture. She's really getting big already, but she's maturing in other ways that are fantastic to watch. She loves to run from room to room like a banshee and she loves to play. I just wish she'd stop trying to eat & scratch my hands - it hurts! I really love that she's starting to purr all the time. :)

My little, furry Scrapbook helper

2008-11-07T15:24:00.001-05:00

Whenever I'm scrapping at the counter, Daisy gets very curious about what I'm doing. She cries to get up and she checks out all my stuff. Today, she decided that my Stickles looked quite interesting and they became fun for her when she realized the bottles would roll. She's just too darn cute and yes, I know, she shouldn't be up on the counter. ;-)

Me & Daisy Jane

2008-11-05T22:02:00.004-05:00

Well I've shown you a few pictures of Daisy so far, but none with me in it. The boys helped me take a few pictures tonight and I thought I'd share. This little fur ball is so lovable. She will just cuddle up on my lap and fall asleep when I'm on the computer. She'll let me carry her around in the crook of my arm & she'll sleep sometimes. She doesn't even mind being on her back. She's just too cute!

It was the Pole's fault!

2008-11-04T16:28:00.004-05:00

Last night, when I picked up DH's prescription at CVS, I scraped the yellow pole as you enter the drive thru lane. It's on a bend and I had cleared it past my door & didn't realize I was too close. When it was our turn to move up, I was shocked to hear the scraping sound! I was seriously upset and had a lovely crying fit over it (once I got home). Dh wasn't mad, but he's enjoying making fun of me (told me I put racing stripes on the car). It was a good opportunity to talk about how moms make mistakes, too (the boys were in the car with me when it happened. **** sigh **** I have an appointment tomorrow afternoon to have it looked at and hopefully it'll be good as new before I know it.

1 Week Later

2008-11-02T21:26:00.002-05:00

Do you think Miss Daisy has settled in? This is Daisy hanging out with the boys in the living room tonight while they were watching The Disney Channel. She's such a stinker and right before I took this picture, she was trying to bite their hands. She's already getting bigger and we've only had her one week!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T22:36:00.002-04:00

Whew! I'm actually glad it's over! I look forward to Halloween every year because I loved it as a kid and I love going trick or treating in our neighborhood. After school, we carved our pumpkins and got them situated on the front stoop. Around 6:30, the boys got dressed up and we walked around the neighborhood with two other friends & one other mom. We ran into so many friends & neighbors, which is always fun. Andrew had to show off his "wings" that popped out for everyone. lol. Jim stayed home and gave out candy. We guestimated that he gave out about 70 candy bars this year with plenty of leftovers (like I need all of that in the house? Ha). I'm posting a few pictures including one of Daisy since she had to get in on the Halloween action. :)

She's into everything!

2008-10-30T17:22:00.002-04:00

Daisy is into everything! She's such a social girl and wants to be in the thick of everything. If she can't get up by herself, she will climb up me (by holding onto my clothes). This is Daisy with Jim last night - she was literally falling asleep on her feet, but wouldn't go lie down in her bed. She had to stay where everyone else was. Too cute!

Look where I found Daisy Jane...

2008-10-28T23:04:00.002-04:00

She was sleeping with Matthew! I couldn't resist going downstairs, grabbing my camera and snapping a picture. She loves to snuggle! The best part is that Matthew has never really been "sure" about having a cat and he's not a huge fan of dogs. Today, he really seemed to bond with Daisy and to see the smile on his face, earlier in the day, when she was playing with him & allowing him to pet her was priceless. I bet they become fast friends! :)

Learning Mommy's Bad Habits Already

2008-10-27T14:27:00.003-04:00

Lookit Miss Daisy Jane wanting to do everything I do today. She's figured out how to get up on the computer all by herself and has even tried out the keyboard. She wanted up on the counter to see what I was doing when I was trying to scrapbook. She's a very curious girl. :)

Andrew got Glasses!

2008-10-26T12:04:00.001-04:00

Andrew had been squinting for awhile, but then the school nurse tested him and he failed. So we went to the eye doctor last week and Andrew did very well. He picked out his frame, which are Power Ranger ones (they are black with blue on the arms) and he also got a very cool case. He's still getting used to the idea of having to wear them, he's getting used to wearing them and he's getting used to taking care of them. We think he looks very handsome.

Meet Daisy Jane!

2008-10-25T17:31:00.004-04:00

Well we knew we were going to get a new kitty, so today was the day. Jim found an ad in today's classifieds for "long haired kittens, all female". Perfect! We called and they said they had 3 females and we could come & see them around 4pm. Perfect! We got there and one of the kittens was super skittish & cried. We knew it wasn't going to be that one. There were two others to choose from, one was mostly calico and one was striped, but with some orange/brown on her. We loved the stripe one and she seemed to have a great temperment. So off we went (and yes, they tried to get us to take more than one. LOL).

We discussed names in the car. We had talked about naming her Daisy - somewhat for the Disney theme, somewhat cuz it's cute. We kicked around a few other names.... Ariel, Princess Aurora, Tinkerbell, Jasmine, Tiger Lily, etc... but Daisy stuck. Then we were thinking Daisy Jasmine, but it didn't flow well enough. Then I thought of Daisy Jane - for those of you who are old enough to remember, it's a song by America, which was one of the first CDs Jim & I listened to a lot when we first started dating. So Daisy Jane stuck, even though I'm probably the only one who'll keep the middle name. Jim said she could be DJ. lol

We got home and showed her the new catbox (we had gone to WalMart in the afternoon to buy all new cat supplies.). She is a bit more skittish at home than she was at their house. She's not quite sure what to do with herself and basically tried to hide for awhile. Andrew got out a new cat toy (it's like a fishing pole thing with a bird on the end), but she wasn't interested. Then, we found a toy mouse, which was an instant hit. After that, we got out some ribbon and she really came out (from behind the couch) and started to play a lot. After about 20 minutes, she passed out. LOL. Isn't she adorable?

Backyard Fall Fun

2008-10-23T17:17:00.004-04:00

I couldn't resist taking some pics of the boys this afternoon. They love playing in the backyard and they were more than happy to throw some leaves around. We aren't yet at the point where they could rake up a big pile, but maybe next weekend the leaves will start to fall more consistently. I'll be very sad when the leaves are gone, though.

Is it just me....

2008-10-22T22:05:00.002-04:00

or did blogger change the way you look at comments? Even the way you post a comment is different. Why do they have to mess with something? I hate change, can you tell? Carry on! ;)

Apples, Pumpkins, etc....

2008-10-19T13:26:00.005-04:00

Yesterday (Sat 10/19), we went out for the day! It was a 50/60 degree day (just like Jim likes it) and there was hardly a cloud in the sky. First, we went to Windy Brow to get some cider, an apple crumb pie, some cider donuts and to pick our apples. We took the tractor ride out to the orchard and found some great apples (empire - my fave, winesap - Jim's fave, and some red delicious for the boys). Andrew found a "Hidden Mickey" in the apples, so I had to take it's picture, of course. We even saw a few goats while we were there (they *really* wanted our cider donuts, but there's no way I'm sharing one of those with a goat! LOL)

Next, we headed over to Lentini's in Newton, NJ to get pumpkins. We got 4 pumpkins, saw some pumpkin catapulting & sling shotting, saw a pig race and the boys went through the gigantic corn maze.

Afterwards, we headed off to Hackettstown, NJ to eat at an old favorite restaurant, Pietros. Oh wow is the food fantastic there and we have tons of leftovers to eat today. I can't wait to dig into the Tortellini Alfredo. Yum!

All in all, it was a wonderful Saturday and we all had a great time. We had "movie night" later in the evening and watched "Delta Farce" together (not exactly a very good movie, but there were a few funnies).

What a Glorious Fall Day!

2008-10-15T13:53:00.008-04:00

Today was absolutely beautiful outside. I drove into NJ to go bowling and was astounded by all the wonderful colors I saw along the roadside. As I drove home, I got the idea to go home & grab the camera, then come back out and take some pictures. I took pictures at the Delaware Water Gap and also by a little waterfall near our house. I'm really happy with this pictures and need to take more one day with people in them! :)

My Newest Layouts

2008-10-14T09:38:00.002-04:00

21 of these are from last weekend and the others are ones I did in September 2008. Thanks for looking, if you do! :)

http://picasaweb.google.com/loopner67/ScrapbookLayouts#

Back from the Cozy Crop

2008-10-12T22:19:00.002-04:00

Wow, what a wonderful weekend. I went to a scrapbooking crop on Thursday and got home around 6pm this evening. I can't say I don't miss my family, but I love going away for these weekends. The laughter is probably my favorite part. We ate wonderful food, had a massage on Saturday, did some shopping, laughed a lot, had fun singing, shared stories, scrapped, took a Christmas card class, laughed some more and just had a great time. I was sad today, when Linda had to go home early because she was sick, but other than that, it was truly a great weekend. I even got to see a Buggy (horse & Buggy - we were in Amish Country). We want to go back in April and again next October. I'm definitely hooked on these smaller, more intimate crops and it's so great to know I'll have the opportunity to do one in the spring this year. Yay!

Going to a Scrapbook Weekend

2008-10-09T07:51:00.001-04:00

I'm leaving today around noon to head out to Lancaster, PA for a scrapbooking weekend. I get to spend the weekend with Linda, Jo & Tammi and then I finally get to meet my friend, Nicole, in person. HOORAY! We always have such a great time on these weekends. It's nice to get away. :)

More Disney Pictures

2008-10-07T12:45:00.003-04:00

I put a bunch of pictures on a picasa web album so that I didn't upload too many here on my blog and jammed it up. LOL. I hope this link works.

http://picasaweb.google.com/loopner67/DisneyWorld2008#

Back From Disney World

2008-10-06T12:58:00.003-04:00

Wow, I can't believe our trip came and went already. That's always the way, huh? I have a lot to write about and will probably set up a separate area to do my Disney Journal for this trip - I wrote every night in a journal so that I could remember all the little details & write a trip report. Actually, I still need to write up the last day and should go do that now so that I don't forget anything.

So it's back to reality, no more Disney Magic right now. BUT, we took advantage of a BounceBack offer and booked a trip for next September at the Wilderness Lodge. We liked the Beach Club, but we can't wait to return to The Lodge!

I'll have tons and tons and tons of pictures to share very soon. :)

Old Disney Pics!

2008-09-26T15:27:00.002-04:00

I found a thread on the DisBoards with old pictures from Disney World. I *had* to dig out a few of my own. In the "group pic w/Mickey", I'm the one with the Grody to the Max shirt on. LOL!!! That was taken my soph. year in HS - 1983. The other picture was taken on my HS's senior trip to WDW - we did "grad night" in the Magic Kingdom and it was only graduating seniors in the park from like 10pm until 4am in the morning. It was really fun. Go ahead - make fun of my clothes, hair and glasses! :)

One More Day!

2008-09-26T09:51:00.002-04:00

Only one more sleep and we'll be flying to Orlando! I cannot wait until we check into the Beach Club and get a chance to go exploring all over the grounds. I'm excited & nervous. When you put this much planning into a trip, it's kind of weird when the trip is finally here. I have to pack, pack, pack today & I hope I don't forget anything, but like my friend Cindy says, just throw a few things in the bag and buy what you need when you get there. LOL! This might be my last blog entry for awhile.

2 more days to go!

2008-09-25T13:49:00.002-04:00

Packing, shopping, checking lists, obsessing...... This is what's going on with me right now. In exactly two days, I will hopefully be in Orlando and we'll hopefully be checked into the Beach Club. WOO HOO!

Mickey is waiting for us!

Party Pictures!

2008-09-21T13:17:00.001-04:00

Pictures from Andrew's 8th Birthday Party.

One More Week to Go!

2008-09-21T13:09:00.003-04:00

Only six more sleeps and my family will be in WDW. Now that the birthday party is done and over, I can fully focus on Disney planning. That's pretty much all I'll do this week to get us completely ready to leave next Saturday. I'll double check our plans, make sure our advanced dining reservations are firmed up, put another request on our reservation about the room (I want a newly renovated room since they did some upgrading recently at the Beach Club), shop for essentials, pack and just be doing the happy dance about going! This picture is from our countdown calendar that is 3/4 checked off now. Yay!

My baby turned 8 today!

2008-09-19T20:16:00.004-04:00

I can't believe Andrew is 8 today. How can 8 years have passed since this little man came into our lives? He came in with excitement - getting pneumonia and having to stay in the hospital for 9 days. He's still adding excitement to our lives every single day. He's such a smart, witty boy and I'm so proud of him. I'm posting a few pictures from today. We opened gifts here at home and we went to Friendly's for dinner. Yes, the waiters sang to him and gave him balloons. Very fun! You'll be able to see in the pictures that he got a new Nintendo DS for his birthday (it's a Pokemon one). He was super happy and also loved his Star Wars socks & Magic Tree House books. Matthew gave him the Lego Indiana Jones game for DS. I think it was a great birthday for my little dude (who'd be angry if he heard me call him little).

Have you ever....

2008-09-14T16:06:00.003-04:00

had times when you feel like you have nothing to write or post on your blog? I wish I had new pictures to share, but I don't. I wish I had something witty or funny to share, but I don't. lol. I could blather on about Disney planning, but you're all sick of hearing it and most of you don't even understand my obsession. wink! I could tell you that we won a soccer game last week, but then lost one on Saturday. You win some, you lose some. I'm getting sick of the politics of coaching, though. ** sigh **

So what's up for this week? Planning Andrew's birthday party which is next Saturday. Making sure I do the shopping for his presents & whatever food we'll need. Continuing to make sure all the details for the Disney trip are in order. Continuing to make sure all the details are in place for a weekend crop I'm attending from 10/9 - 10/12 (yes, right after we get back from the Disney trip and I finally get to meet my very good friend, Nicole, in person!!!). We have Open House at the boys' school this week also & I look forward to meeting their teachers, seeing their rooms, etc... We just finished helping Andrew make a "gas station" for his first 2nd grade project. Well I could take a picture and share that, now couldn't I? brb.... Okay, so I hope you enjoy the picture!

I'm gonna go back in the living room and watch football with Jim now. Bye all! ;)

Bowling!

2008-09-10T13:44:00.003-04:00

So I bowled today (2nd week back) and we did pretty well. We won all 4 games, which was a miracle considering last year we did so bad in the beginning and then played "catch up" all year long to not end up at the bottom of the barrel in standings. lol. I bowled a 143, 147 and a 160. After our regular games were over, myself & one of my teammates decided to "pre bowl" for when we'd be out. I'll miss bowling on 10/1 when we're in Disney (I've mentioned that we're going back to WDW, right? Bwahahahahaha). Well..... I will be modest and say that I rocked my prebowling games! Yeehaw. I bowled a 173, a 213 and then a 170! I had a great series and will get my pen or keychain for my 200 game at the end of the season. It felt great to get a 200 under my belt this early in the season! Yay. :)

Scrapping Scrapping Scrapping!

2008-09-08T16:47:00.005-04:00

I've been scrapping my brains out this past weekend and loving it! I haven't even been scrapping Disney pictures even though I need to put the finishing touches on the April '07 albums (have I mentioned a million times that we go back on 9/27?). Anyhoo... here are some of my recent layouts. Thanks for looking!

First Day of School

2008-09-02T09:19:00.004-04:00

Wahoooooooooooooooooooo, the kids went back to school today! It wasn't easy having the alarm go off this morning, waking up the boys who are used to sleeping in, getting them breakfast, through their morning routine, take 1st day pictures and up to the bus stop on time! DS#1 was a major pain about his shoes & that put a serious damper on the morning. I didn't get a picture of him getting on the bus because he was not cooperating and was a crab master. DS#2, on the other hand, was ready & raring to go!

The Bronx Zoo!

2008-08-31T22:57:00.010-04:00

So we wanted to do something fun over Labor Day weekend and came up with the idea to go to the Bronx Zoo. I had never been and DH had only been when he was younger. Our boys were more than happy to go - they love to see NYCity, even if it's just the skyline from the car. I'm posting quite a few pictures. Some aren't so great because there's plexiglass between people & animals in quite a lot of the exhibits. The one of the black panther is interesting - it was yawning! Oh and there are quite a few animals missing because my camera battery died during the day and I couldn't photograph the gorillas, the giraffes, the polar bears, etc... Wah! I still got a lot of great pictures. There are also no pictures of me. C'est la vie!

Time for the Disney Countdown!

2008-08-24T23:13:00.004-04:00

Disney planning & Disney obsession is in full swing at our house! I threw myself back into the planning last week to get my mind off the cat dying and because we had some reservations (meals) that had to be taken care of. We are about a month & a week away from our next trip (9/27 - 10/4). The boys and I created our countdown calendar that we'll start using next Sunday when we're 4 weeks out. The boys go back to school on 9/2 and imagine how fun it'll be to meet the teachers and tell them that in 3 weeks, the boys will be out of school for a week? LOL! Oh and check out the crazy eyes I'm getting while taking pictures.... umm, this phase had better pass by the time we get to Disney since I'll probably take 800+ pictures this trip. Bwahahahahahaha.

Check out my Outlaws!

2008-08-19T11:01:00.003-04:00

For the very first time, the boys did an "old time photo" when we were in Myrtle Beach. They wanted to wear Cowboy Gear and they wanted to hold guns. LOL. I have other pictures with a gun (one of them in the jail, the other outside holding the gun as the jailer). This one was just too cute and I had to share!

R.I.P. Miss Cleo

2008-08-17T10:58:00.004-04:00

Our beloved cat, Cleo, died this morning. We are going to miss her so much. Jim & I have had her ever since we moved in together in the Fall of '93 and we're a little shaken that she's just gone now. She was such a wonderful house cat... very loving, she loved to "make bread" on us, sit with us, play and she even tolerated the boys a lot more towards the end (when she mellowed out). She was probably 17 years old and lived a long, happy life, but we are going to miss her dreadfully and I can't seem to shake this sadness right now. This picture was just taken two days ago out on our back deck. Cleo was always up for a few photographs and I liked to think that she posed for me. :)

Back home for Springsteen.....

2008-07-30T11:12:00.002-04:00

and to spend some quality time with my Dh alone! Monday was a whirlwind day. I dropped my boys off at my parents house in the morning, my dad took me to the Myrtle Beach airport and I flew up to Newark, NJ. Jim picked me up there and then we headed right to Giants Stadium. It was so wild to come from MB, see the NYCity skyline and then be at Giants Stadium. We tailgated and our friends, George & Mary, joined us in the parking lot. We went into the concert around 7:30, but Bruce didn't go on until around 8:35ish. What an amazing concert - probably the best I've seen and this was my 5th time. He sang Thunder Road and I was just so thrilled (It's my all-time fave Springsteen song to date). I cannot wait to go back again on Thursday (7/31) to see him again. I hope that he changes up the set list enough to make it different, but not too much. Our set list (from Monday's show) is at the bottom of this page... http://www.brucespringsteen.net/live/2008setlists.html

So I'm home here in PA for a few more days and even though I'll miss the boys, it'll be nice to have this time with just myself and Jim. We have the 2nd concert tomorrow night, we are golfing on Friday, going out to dinner with friends, etc... I head back down to Myrtle Beach on Sunday morning and then will be home for good somewhere around 8/14.