Hi from Cinci!

I had no time yesterday to ever turn on the computer! Between returning the rabbit, dropping off the dog, and checking on Papa Jim, we were hustling to get out the door!

We made it to Cinci, for Evan's soccer tournament.

Let's see, it's 9:30 and it's already been a full morning!

-woke up at 5:45 for the first game. I use 'woke up' loosely, because I never went to sleep. I dozed on & off but never realy slept. I'm a little on the tired side.

-had an entire cup of coffee dumped on me by my daughter on the soccer field.  One very trashed white sweatshirt, one very soaked captain's chair, one very wet pair of underpants = one very unhappy Mom.

-we won the first game, 8-3 (I think). Evan scored 2 goals & played almost the entire game.

-Just for added fun, I started my period too. Nothing like menstruation + porta potties.

Our next game is at 1:40. I am going to bed.

It's a beautiful Saturday!

Happy Belated Easter and other stuff

I was too lazy to take the time to post on Easter, so I have a few pix to share. We had a nice, sunny day. It was much needed. I am really getting sick of the April showers. Those had better be some swell May flower, I tell you.

The Easter Bunny was very good to the kids...lots of goodies in their baskets. They also had to find 50 eggs hidden out in the yard. They only found 49, so we have one rogue egg out there somewhere.

Hi Shadow! We are bunny-sitting for some friends on vacation, so we had an actual bunny on Easter! How's that for cool.
Emma in the sweater she swore she would never ever wear.
Bart got the kids a mini laptop, and Evan has pretty much been toting it around since. He spent a few hours composing a story...
Boston Creme cupcakes. Always good to have on hand.

Today is my birthday (woo hoo). I have one piece of advice for you-try to avoid having a birthday when everyone is home on break. Everyone has been gettig on my flippin' nerves all day. I can't wait for school to be back in session. Seriously.

FO-Emma's watermelon socks & day two

I don't have much knitting to show for the week, because lately everything I have done has turned to sh@t! I won't admit to how much frogging I have done recently.

I made her a much fancier lace sock and it was gorgous, all finished with the ends woven in and everything...but it didn't fit her foot. I made a womans' small, but the sock didn't have a lot of give. I can't bring myself to rip it apart. Yet.

These are a cuff length basic 4x2 rib pattern with purl gussets, for added texture.

The yarn is from Miss Babs, in the watermelon colorway. I love her yarn, and will gladly use it again! In fact I hope I have enough left over to make myself a little something. :)

Day two of break has been less painful than day one. We watched The Day The Earth Stood Still last night, early-ish, and the kids' got a good night's sleep. They were still up at the crack of dawn, but at least they slept better. Evan played with a friend, we did some of the necessary housecleaning for tomorrow, and I baked cupcakes. And angelfood cake. Took Em to get some new cleats, gave her & her BFF Anna mani-pedi's, and now am ready to collapse.

We ran into Anna's mom @ the sporting goods store and she was saying how bored Anna was as well, so I convinced Em to get over herself and call her (Emma was annoyed with her over something), thus ensuring the rest of break will be much better now that she has someone to hang out and commiserate with. Thank God, because I was going to have to strangle her.

Have a Happy Easter!

shoot me now

Day one of Spring break

Emma is beyond bored

and Bart is tearing up the house. It's gonna be a long 10 days.

dog gone

Look what I found this morning!

I got up to take Evan to school, and let Buddy out. He was taking his usual 6 hours to sniff every inch of the yard, so I was outside in the cold trying to coax him back in (didn't work. never does). And this big dog comes galloping at me through the trees, wagging his tail and smiling. I think he was happy to see a people.

Dog has no collar, but it's obvious he's well cared for. He smells like he just had a bath. He is sticking to me like glue.

I somehow managed to get in the house and grab a leash, which was not easy seeing as he decided he wanted to go in NOW. He let me put it on him with no problems. At this point I need to take Ev to school and I don't know what to do with this pup. I tried to put him in the garage but he kept foloowing me out, so I decided to just take him in the car with me.

Turns out big dog is a big sissy and won't jump into the Hummer. I had to lift him. Seventy pounds of unfamiliar dog I am lifting here!

When I got home I called the non-emergency police line, and they took my info. Now we wait.

Buddy and Ben were both less than thriled to have an interloper in their domain. Especially one who quickly polished off all remaining traces of dog/kitty food in one fell swoop. But he was a good boy, and we live on a busy corner without fences; I wasn't about to let him run around or try to tie him to something.

I dressed and we headed out for a walk, hoping to find his family. We got one house away before the police officer called to say his owner came in, and was ready to come get him.

They were from out of town and the pup went out to do his business and wandered off. The man had been searching for 2 hours- his wife was ready to kill him.

And we were having an adventure.
Goodbye, big dog!!

p.s. I never had a dog that drank out of the toilet before. What a riot!

horn in F

I wanted to title this post 'horny girl', but didn't want to receive hate mail about the appropriateness of such title and my 11 year old daughter. I am a model of restraint.

Today her biggest wish came true and she got to bring home her french horn. Ever since she signed up for band she has talked about the day she'd get to switch instruments. Today was the day. The music store delivered her mouthpiece yesterday. Today she got her sheet music and horn. Very heavy horn, I will add.

Only 3 kids switched to french horn, so they all get an instrument at school, and one to keep at home. Her home model is a litle beat up, but it's free. We had to rent the trumpet, but she gets 2 french horn's and we don't have to rent even one. Ok. We do have to have music lessons for an undetermined amount of time, until the teacher feels she is caught up with the class. It's a whole new world for us. Nobody in our home plays an instrument, or ever has.

Em's confidence is a little shaken because she's having a hard time reaching all the buttons, but I'm sure by the end of the weekend she will have it down pat. And it will stop sounding like a dying walrus, like the trumpet did at first.

I am so proud of her dedication!

random Wednesday thoughts

-This is the first day in 5 that I haven't woken with a ginormous headache. Yesterday was particularly rough. I had to double medicate to make it through the day and was a virtual zombie all day. Stupid Michigan weather.

-April already? Seriously?

-Ev asked me this morning if today or tomorrow was a half day, and I panicked (I am famous for not knowing what the hell is going on). Lucky for me, that's next week. Because we all need a few half days before spring break. Ha

-Speaking of spring break, we are Papa sitting. My Mom is flying west to take care of some things pertaining to my Grandmother and my Stepdad can't be left alone. I don't know what to do to entertain the kids for that long, much less him. It will be interesting to say the least.

-We will be traveling to Cinci & Columbus for 2 soccer tournament during this time.

-Emma will miss her first two games because of this. Great.

-Bart has been working hard on finishing things up in the kitchen. Here is a sneak peek of his special project:

-Evan is having a reaction to something and his entire body is covered with a fine layer of rash.

- I ordered some Moo prints and actually have a plan to scrapbook them.

-The ducks are back. This morning there were 3 males sitting on my neighbor's roof, scouting out the area. I know they are just waiting for me to not be looking so they can jump into my pond.

-while making sure there were no duck feathers in the pond I discovered something else:
-it looks like he is swimming above the Titanic! I really need to go to the pond store and get some of the good bacteria stuff to get rid of the sludge.

-I am so ready for the weather to start acting spring like! I am trying to be patient...

-Downloading lots of good music lately, my 2 faves today being Lily Allen's version of Womanizer and Gomez' Little Pieces. Love love.

-Facebook just informed me that Barack Obama & I are related! I'm sure he has nothing better to do than search for distant relatives via the web.

Happy April fool's day!