My Power Increases

My blog power is widening! I would like to announce a new friend to the blogging world...Deena. You can find her at http://idontwannabolg.blogspot.com/ Please notice the "bolg". She mistyped and just went with it. Those of you who know her will say "That is so Deena!"

Homecoming

Last night was the big homecoming dance. I now have 2 kids in high school so we had double the fun getting all dressed up and ready to go. Here are the results...

And with their dates...

Back in the dark ages when I was in high school the homecoming dance meant walking from the football field back to the school where we danced the night away in our jeans and sweatshirts. How times have changed.

I think that I wouldn't have gone to the dance if it had been like today. I just wouldn't have been able to go out and buy a new dress and shoes for something like that. I will save my commentary on the state of money and kids in 2007 for another post. For now, enjoy the pictures of the girls in the dresses purchased for this dance, never to be worn again...

SMELLY

This weeks theme is smelly and this is the first picture I thought of. It was taken over the summer at a cross country party we held at our house. A huge storm came up and all the kids had to come inside to escape the rain, thunder and lightening. There were about 30 teenagers in all and this is just a portion of the shoes they all took off when they came in the house. I wish I had gotten a shot of all the shoes that were out on the porch too! (I have to admit though that I don't recall it actually being smelly but I may have just been occupied with other things with all those kids in the house!)

Must...Start...New...Project...

Ok, knitting plans. I know I have an inability to finish anything I start. I know I have a bunch of stuff just waiting for me to decide to pick it up and finish it. But I feel compelled to get started on the Zephyr Tree Jacket . Must order the pattern, must order yarn, must order a 20 inch circular needle, must order common sense.

I do work on things though. That ponchette of the disastrous gauge is almost done (for Claire).

Pretty lace edging.

And in other news...My son survived the sword fight and the H.S. band received a I (one) rating at the marching band festival last night!!! Great job!

Power

I am amazed at the awesome power I have over those around me! Melanie has decided to join the blogging world! Here is her blog http://www.livelovelaugh-melanie.blogspot.com/ for your viewing pleasure, but she seems to have missed the TAG part. She is however skilled at snagging pictures off from other peoples blogs.

Now we just need to get Deena going (I have a sinking feeling this may be a lost cause).

Tag

I have been tagged by Deanna so now I have to come up with 8 things you don't know about me but that I am willing to share with the world. Here goes...

1. I have earned a bachelors degree that I have never bothered to claim. Someday I will get around to doing the paperwork so I can 'officially' say I have that degree.

2. I am a HUGE procrastinator. (see above)

3. I always know where the exits are everywhere I go.

4. I dream of someday living on a sailboat.

5. I spend tons of time reading bike travel blogs. I really want to take a bike trip someday, but I am afraid I just wouldn't hold up under the dirt, cold and tent sleeping.

6. I have a belly button ring. (Yup, I'm cool like that!)

7. I have HORRIBLE eyesight. Without correction I would be almost unable to navigate through my own home.

8. I shave my legs EVERY day. I can't stand even one tiny bit of stubble on even the coldest of winter days.


There, more than you ever wanted to know about me! Since Deanna tagged all the blogging people I know I will tag a couple non-bloggers in the hope they will join us in the blogging world. Melanie and Deena

By the way, did you know that the blogger spell check flags the word Bloggers as a misspelling?

Proof

This post is being written to prove that I can write a totally Deanna free blog entry. I will not mention Deanna, Deanna's children, Deanna's husband, Deanna's home, Deanna's friends, Deanna's activities, Deanna's trips or Deanna's pets.

See, and you thought it couldn't be done.

Much Cuter Pictures!

Welcome Home Seth Kidus!!! Oh, Jamie, Deanna and Taylor too! (get used to that)

We traveled to the Detroit airport yesterday to welcome Seth home and to the U.S. He was so calm and sweet and seemed to be having a great time! His shirt said "So sorry to have kept you waiting" but he is SO worth the wait!

I should probably let Deanna be the first to put up pictures but Seth's fans can't be kept waiting. (He has paparazzi already!)

A Story in Pictures

'nuf said. (or maybe not...)

Long Lost Relatives

I finally met up with my long lost sister on Sunday and well as her family and my Uncle and Aunt from Florida. We had a nice visit even though it rained for the first time in MONTHS around here.

This is Melanie in her usual pose (her words).

We (Grandparents, Kids and I) had a fun trip to the museum yesterday. Can you pick out all the live people in the picture?

Eric narrowly missed being eaten by the dino!

By the way Deanna, please explain again how to delete pictures. As you can probably see I can't seem to figure it out.

Two

Two kids plus a parade equals TONS of candy...this is just what they could fit in their hands.




Today we went to another parade and afterwards to the township celebration where my kids were able to take a ride on an elephant! They were so excited. This picture was taken when the gentleman leading the elephant stopped it and told it to SMILE. She (her name is Laura) lifted her trunk and held still so I could get a couple of pictures.

Personality and Pigs

I got a bit distracted reading blogs today with a site that claims you can get insight into your personality by analyzing a picture you draw of a pig. Here is my piggy...her name is Daisy.




I found out I am pessimistic, believe in tradition, am a bit distrustful, stubborn, a good listener and my sex life is (um, none of your business)

So, what is your personality like according to a pig? http://drawapig.desktopcreatures.com/

I found the quiz at http://meeyauw.blogspot.com/ a fellow photo hunter.

Row (something in a)

Here is a picture I found of something in a row. It is my kids marching band performing on Memorial Day. My daughter is the girl with the piccolo. They will be performing again tomorrow for our town's annual Founders Day Parade. Maybe I'll get a picture of my son and his drum in a row too! Stay tuned!

Tiny

So today's theme is tiny...I had a lot of trouble thinking of a picture this week. I kept coming up with things that may be tiny, but are not good photo subjects- my patience, my willpower, my motivation. Maybe a picture of my waist or thighs? (JOKE)

The other day my kids came running in the house and insisted that I put a baby bird back into it's nest. I did it and (of course) forgot to take a picture of it. So in the baby bird theme here is a photo of a Mommy bird sitting on her eggs.


Now I am off to pick up Harry Potter and bury my nose in a book for the next couple of days! See, tiny willpower! Big motivation!

Here is my find for this week's theme...Fake! These toenails are not real...they have been applied to create the illusion of reality, but we know the truth! I will not reveal the name of this faker but she knows who she is. They do look pretty though!

Sweet!

So, it's not Saturday anymore but this picture is just as sweet today. This is a picture of my friend Deanna taken last week at her baby shower. She is so excited to be at the shower because it means that very soon she will bring her little boy home from Ethiopia!

I could have taken a picture of the the desserts at the party, but they are nowhere as sweet as Deanna. Of course the baby is even sweeter but she is keeping his picture out of the blogging world until he gets home!

It's My Birthday

So today is my birthday and here I sit browsing through blogs and trying to get inspiration for my own.

When I was younger I thought I would know so much by now...I have been sadly disappointed. It is so true that the older you get, the more aware you become of how much you still don't know. It seems that with every birthday I add to my list of things I haven't done that I would like to try and things I still need to learn. Is this a sign of awareness of my own mortality and the fact that the years seem to be slipping by? How each year brings me to the fact that I probably have more behind than in front?

I don't think that is it. I think that with age is coming a better awareness of the world and all it has to offer. I also don't feel OLD like I always thought someone my age should feel. I actually feel better and younger than I did in my twenties.

So for a awhile yet I can still describe myself as thirty something and to the years to come I say...Bring it on! Happy Birthday to me!

Here is a little something I learned through my browsing today:

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Mingle² - Online Dating

I also found out that:

61%

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So my day wasn't wasted! (Ignore the online dating part, unless you don't want to)

Shiny

This is my choice for the theme this week. It's our pool and I just love looking at the water...and swimming...and throwing kids in...

Youth is a wonderful thing. What a crime to waste it on children. George Bernard Shaw (1856 - 1950)

Ah, to be a child again...such a short time to live without worry and just abandon yourself to life. I think I need to spend more time enjoying the here and now and less time thinking about tomorrow.

I have a couple great role models to get me started!

Hair

When I saw the theme for this week I immediately thought of this picture. My son took it (and many others) last week after I colored my hair. I have to wonder how vain I am to have my 13 year old son take a bunch of pictures of my hair in different lighting conditions so I can decide whether or not I like the color!

Wildlife

I thought I would share a few pictures of the wildlife around my house. I live out in the country and you never know who will come to visit.

First, not so wild is the dumbest dog on the face of the earth, Jack. I took this picture after hearing horrible whining coming from outside. He had somehow gotten the bottom of the downspout off the house and onto his foot and leg. It is difficult to see, but it is completely wedged onto his front right foot. I absolutely couldn't get it off so we had to wait until my husband got home to get it off. We had a great time keeping him calm and off the leg for three hours!

This is one of the many skinny friends who has decided that the best place to live is in one of my gardens. We seem to be a bit overrun by snakes this year, so I am blaming the weeds on them. There is no way I am reaching my hands in and touching one of them.
This nice guy came over last night during my daughters 16th birthday pool party. I should have put something next to him for size, but believe me when I tell you he is really big. Over a foot long and he can really move quick!
I'll add more animal pictures soon...I know many of you love cats, so I'll be sure to get some pics of our cat up!

Back to hobbies...

One of my main hobbies is working out. I have drifted away so much in the last 7 months or so and I have been trying to get myself back into shape.


I decided I wanted to do a triathlon this year, so I dusted off my bike and started riding. Here she is, her name is Tillie because I ride 'til I'm tired. (no comments from the perverts please)

I know it's not a triathlon bike, or even a road bike, but I think it would do.

So, here I am, training away on my bike and practicing the ride immediately followed by the run when I discovered I can no longer even run a mile! How is it I can do an hour of step aerobics and not run a mile?

Anyway, switch gears, (pun intended) and I am going to work on my run with an eye to a 5K later this summer. Now that I've said it here, I must do it! Anyone want to join me?

What Happens in South Haven, stays in South Haven

I recently had a fun overnight to South Haven with the intrepid foursome, of which I am one. We really need to come up with a name for ourselves. Please feel free to comment with suggestions.



We shopped, ate, talked and did other stuff that I perhaps won't blog about now. (don't worry, nothing illegal or immoral went on...much anyway. LOL)



It was actually pre baby shower for Deanna as she anxiously awaits the day she will leave to pick up her new (darling!) baby son from Ethiopia. We know we won't see much of her after his arrival as she will totally drop us for him! (Lucky little guy!)



Ummm...that must have been someone else's lunch.

Girlfriend day!

I had a fun day yesterday in lovely Shipshewana, Indiana with some of my best friends. If that place isn't the crafty capital of the world I don't know where is.

I ended up with a few tomato plants and some pretties for myself and my youngest daughter.

We also had some wonderful hot pretzels from the world famous Jo Jo's restauraunt (I don't know if they are world famous, but they are famous with us) but I forgot to get a picture of them.

I did however (or one of us did- Deena?) get a stranger to snap a picture of us under the mixed nuts sign...aren't we witty?