Vivaaaaa Las Vegas!

We had SUCH a good time! The weather - mid to upper 70s every day and sunny! It made it SO hard to come back to the snow and cold we knew was here....

Saturday - we left Chi-town and flew west. We checked into the Hilton Grand Vacation Club - not bad, just a very cozy room. We drove out to Red Rock Canyon (see photo) BEAUTIFUL! For those of who live in the flat states, mountains are VERY exciting! It was worth every penny of our admission fee to hike a little and drive the 13 mile scenic route.

We certainly did our fair share of gambling and drinking while we were there (isn't that why you go?).

Sunday - We checked out of the Hilton; drove to Wynn for their brunch buffet. If you left hungry, it was your OWN FAULT!!!! The dessert room (yes, I said room) was incredible! We checked into the Bellagio - where they upgraded us to a junior suite corner room with a partial lake view. We could see a little of the fountains but the views of the mountains were amazing! We spent part of the afternoon exploring Bellagio and a couple of the other hotels. We saw "O" that night - we were quite disappointed in it. Very cool concept but the story was lost on us.

Monday - we slept in (ok, I did - DH went downstairs). We went "looking for breakfast" - which meant we walked around for about 4 hours taking it all in. (Yes, we did find McDonald's for breakfast). We visited the pool again that afternoon and relaxed. We headed out early evening to take in the evening "entertainment" (aka: Sirens of TI; Volcano at Mirage [being remodeled right now]; Show in the Sky at Rio [only runs Thurs - Sun]; so we headed back to Bellagio to catch a fountain show); then a big foofy dessert to end the evening.

Tuesday - packed; had Bellagio's breakfast buffet (YUM!). DH surprised me with a mini-massage and facial at the spa. WHAT A MAN!!!! Sorry ladies, he's mine! :D We took a snooze before check out. Then drove to Paris to check out the hotel and find one more dessert before leaving. Our flight home was with 28 passengers (including the crew from the 6:05 flight that had been cancelled)

I promised DH if he took this picture - I'd put it on my blog...this was my picture with the Chippendales.....

Proceed with caution!!!!!

Within 12 hours....Last night, I fell down our stairs - I'm lovely shades of black and blue. Then this morning, I burned my hand on the waffle iron. I'm a little leary to do anything for fear of injuring myself further.

I'm back!

Sorry - our lives have been a whirlwind the past couple of weeks. Between work, school, keeping the kids going where they're supposed to be going...whew! DH & I snuck away for a long weekend last weekend to Vegas. We had a great time and the weather was perfect!!!! (It snowed while we were gone) Thanks mom for watching the kids!

I will catch up with pictures over the weekend - have a good one!

What Eurpean city do you belong in?

You Belong in Dublin


Friendly and down to earth, you want to enjoy Europe without snobbery or pretensions.You're the perfect person to go wild on a pub crawl... or enjoy a quiet bike ride through the old part of town.

Update below......

Tuesday catch up - again....

Happy Veteran's Day! Thank you to any of you who do/have served and thank you to any of your family and/or friends who have done the same.

DS had a karate tournament on Sunday. He took 1st in his open hand forms event. He did not place in his weapon forms event. He did his best and that was all we asked of him!

Not much else is new - the weather has been COLD!!!!!!!!!!! Barely out of the 30s during the day. We had a few snow flurries over the weekend - nothing stuck but the flakes were in the air.

I had to do the dreaded this weekend - jeans shopping! Is there anything more torturous?! SERIOUSLY!!!!! After trying on I don't know how many pairs (all of which are made for someone with NO hips or who like to wear their jeans with their ass crack hanging out!) - I was getting frustrated. We finally found some at Kohls for those of us too uncool to wear "ultra low riders".

DH & I got a little Christmas shopping done on Sunday morning. Good start to things! Fortunately, we don't have too much to do this year.

Congrats to the Cubs' Geovany Soto for winning the National League Rookie of the year! WOO HOO!!!

Hope you had a good weekend and the week is going well, so far.

Catching up - finally....

Greetings! I know some of you (cough cough {marie...} cough cough) have been asking me to catch up. So, here goes...

First, thank you to those who stop by at least semi-regularly. I love your comments and it's nice to feel (sometimes) like life isn't quite as boring as I might think...

HALLOWEEN - our little "Belle" had a marvelous time trick or treating. The weather - couldn't have been better!!!! Mid 60s, sunny...super! Considering the week had started with highs in the 30s, we were slightly concerned. But Mother Nature came through!

Here is DS in his Halloween finery...

On a very sad note, my brother and his girlfriend lost their dog on Friday afternoon. He will be missed!!!!!

Sat., November 1 - welcome to a new month! The first thing DD asked was "How long until Christmas?" WHAT?! So I guess once the excitement of Halloween is over, on to the next thing....but come on, at least come down off the sugar high first! That evening we went to get groceries and guess what(?!) - Wal Mart was playing Christmas music.... I bought myself a new crockpot - and THAT was my excitement for that day! It's the little things in life...

Sun., November 2 - I made a pot of chili in my new crockpot (thanks, mom!). It was a hit in this house - it was gone by the end of the day. The temps were in the upper 60s - not complaints here! Other than that, the Bears won (YEA!). DS & I watched The Bucket List http://thebucketlist.warnerbros.com/ - we loved it!!!!!!! Laughed and cried our way through it.

Mon., November 3 - One day until election day. DD told us how the election works....

DD: John McCain and Rock Abomber want to win. People go into the little house (voting booth) and pick who gets to be re-present. I think it comes in a box.

Me: What?

DD: Re-present. You know, like you open.

Me: It's president, not present. President, it's a person.

DD: Ooooohhhh. Well, whoever wins gets to live in a big, white house.

If only 4 year olds ran the world...I'm sure we'd all laugh a lot more!

Tues., November 4 - ELECTION DAY! I hope you all voiced your vote - whatever it may have been. Good for you! We took DD with us to vote so she could see how it was set up - she was very quiet and got her very own "I voted" sticker. She was quite impressed with herself. Her class held it's own election that day between Mrs. Fox (DD), Mrs. Beaver and Mr. Bear. When I picked her up she proudly proclaimed "I voted for myself!" She lost by a landslide but I think everyone was ok with it. :-)

Wed., November 5 - DD's opening question in the kitchen.... "Who got bought for President, John McCain or Bara Obama (getting closer)?" After DH almost picked himself up off the floor - sorry, we both had to laugh over that comment. We told her that Barak Obama was going to be the next president. Her response "Oh. Can I have my cereal now?" Life goes on....

Fri., November 7 - Now that the temperatures have plummeted (complete with sleet and snow) it feels more like November. :) We took the kids to see Madagascar 2 last night - http://www.madagascar-themovie.com/. It was funny and DD didn't do too well, a lot of the jokes were over her head and she got a little bored.

Sat., November 8 - Still snowy mix today, cold and windy. Welcome winter! I finished my book today and I MUST say - you HAVE to read it! http://www.queenoftheroadthebook.com/orion-book.htm I haven't laughed that much reading a book in ages! Please check it out!

DH & I also started looking a photo Christmas cards....hopefully that will be taken care of in the next week - it's one of the things that always stresses me out!

Oh and I did get a couple of digital scrap pages done...

I hope you are all enjoying your weekend - thanks for stopping by!

Dashing through the leaves

Ladies & gentlemen - Christmas is coming!

Saturday morning (November 1) DD asked when Christmas was....sigh! It's going to be a long 2 months.

The TV commercials are in full swing now - it was bad enough in August.... "Oooo, I should ask Santa for that" is a common mantra the past few weeks.

And yesterday....the Wal Mart and Build a Bear Wish Books came in the mail. DH said DD sat on the floor almost drooling over them for over an hour last night. I fear what is on her "wish list" now.

Happy Holidays!

Life Lesson #783

A carafe of coffee spilled in the back of your van is a BIG mess!!!!!!!!!!!!

Catch-up Tuesday!

Friday afternoon, the carpet came!!!! It's down and our computer/craft room is functional!!!! WOO HOO!

Saturday, we had friends and their kiddos come to stay for the night. We had a great time and a nice visit. (She's starting to scrapbook too)

Sunday, was parade day! I didn't have my camera - sorry!!!!! DH & I were float judges so we had to be there early and worked with 3 other volunteers to look at them. It was SO windy (40 - 45 mph) and those poor floats were just falling apart! But there was a lot of creativity and time put into some of those and it was fun to be a part of it. We got to our seats a little before the parade started but had to run to get a blanket from the car. As I was heading back to where we were sitting, the color guard was coming through and it stopped me in my tracks to watch down the street as all those people got out of their seats as those flags went by. It made me very proud to live in this country. The parade was fun - the kids loved the bands. It sleeted during the parade. When we got home - it snowed. A lovely taste of winter....

It's been very cold the past couple of days - we had our first hard frost last night. No denying it, it's coming....

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Friday funny

Two brooms were hanging in the closet and after a while they got
to know each other so well, they decided to get married.

One broom was, of course, the bride broom, the other the groom broom.

The bride broom looked very beautiful in her white dress. The groom broom was
handsome and suave in his tuxedo. The wedding was lovely.

After the wedding, at the wedding dinner, the bride-broom leaned over and
said to the groom-broom, 'I think I am going to have a little whisk broom!'

'IMPOSSIBLE !' said the groom broom.


Are you ready for this?




Brace yourself; this is going to hurt!










'WE HAVEN'T EVEN SWEPT TOGETHER!'


..............
Oh for goodness sake... Laugh, or at least groan.
Life's too short not to enjoy... Even these silly
....little cute............. And clean jokes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds to me like she's ....... !
......been ....sweeping around!!!

A taste of autumn!

The weather has been perfectly fall here lately - 50s and 60s (but pretty cold [33ish] in the mornings). Pumpkin Fest is this weekend and we're hoping for a sunny cool day...

In the meantime, here are some fall pictures I've taken the past week.

Weekend review

It was a productive but WAY too short weekend! Friday night, I scrapped with some friends. I got a few layouts done (pictures to come). It was fun to chat, eat and scrap with others.

Saturday - DH, DS and I all had to work. My mom came and stayed with DD. Apparently, they had a very good time. Saturday night, I started moving stuff out of the back room of our basement to prepare for ceiling work and carpet installation this week. Yes, it was Sweetest Day but we don't do much other than to wish each other a good day. Oh and to DS's delight - Illinois kicked the snot out of Indiana. And to all our delight - our Huskies won their homecoming game!

The almost emptied, painted basement room.....

Running through the leaves!

Sunday - we emptied the back room by 11:30 a.m. Then it was bbq sandwiches for lunch and time for the Bears game. YEA, Bears! Since DD was a little wound up, she & I went out to look for Huskies for a couple of hours so the boys could watch the game. We had a great time and the weather was fabulous! The "castle" building is the oldest building on campus (VERY beautiful inside!) and DD almost fell out of the van gawking at it as we drove by it.

DD (squealing): IS THAT A CASTLE? DOES A PRINCESS LIVE THERE? CAN YOU LIVE IN IT?

Me: No, it's not a castle. There are no pricesses there. Sorry!

DD: That is SO cool!

Then we went to one of the historic home/parks in town and it was all set up for a wedding. She almost floated out of the van when she saw it.

DD: Are we going to the wedding?

Me: No.

DD: It's so beautiful!

Me; I know.

DD: Are you going to take pictures of the wedding?

Me: Not today. Just pictures of other things.

DD: Do you think we could walk by it?

Me: Yes.

We walked in front of the arch and she was just beaming!

I almost forgot, our "team outing" last Thursday. We had a perfect day - 60 and sunny. We stopped for apple cider donuts and warm cider - mmmm!!!!! THAT'S a breakfast of champions. Then it was off to the corn maze - we had a good time. I learned that giving a simple direction can be interpreted 3 different ways. Funny how everyone communicates just a little different....

Thursday ramblings

Yes, the weekend is JUST around the corner! Hang in there!

DD's daycare class had their open house last night. I love little kids singing! She's such a ham.... Thanks mom & dad for coming.

Today our office is taking a "team building" day. We are headed to a corn maze. The weather should be nice & hopefully I'll get some pictures taken.

The basement is progressing. DH has everything trimmed out and a small wall painted (so we could see how we liked the color - LOVE it!).

I am going to scrapbook with some friends tomorrow night and I'm really excited about it! I hope to get a few layouts done - there's much talking to be done, you know....

Have a good day and I'll catch you up with some pictures soon!

Zoo Day!

We took advantage of an incredibly beautiful day on Sunday and went to the zoo.

Can you find the giraffes? (There are 5!)

Happy Wednesday!

2 Peas Sunday Challenge & misc stuff

Are you good at remembering dates or do you write them on the back of your pictures?

I'm usually pretty good at a general time frame. If I have a calendar handy (and I try to keep a journal of things we do) then I can look it up. So, remember exactly? NO! :-)
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Even though the weather is a bit summerish this weekend - the trees are starting to turn - I can take NO credit for any of the photos in this collage - they were created using flickr. (You can click on it to see it larger)


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We watched a couple of movies yesterday/last night.

The Prince & Me

- it was a cute but predictable romantic comedy.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Don't waste your time and/or money!!!! It was BAD! The only thing we enjoyed about it is it was filmed at the resort we stayed at on Oahu and it was great to see other parts of it!

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Apparently when I changed my template - I lost my link list - hang in there, I will get back to your blog and add it if you were there.
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Enjoy the rest of your weekend! Thanks for stopping by.

Silly hat day

Apparently last Saturday was "silly hat day" at our house...

Week in review & secrets

Let's see.....

Saturday - my friend Edith got married. She was a beautiful bride and her groom, John, was very handsome. I wish them many years of happiness and joy! We made it to the reception. Dinner was delicious. We enjoyed some dancing and visiting. Oh, and the Cubs season ended pitifully Saturday night.



Sunday - we went to Kite Festival for about an hour before the skies really opened up. So we got some lunch and came home. We watched the Bears game. After naps, the sun was out, so we decided to take the kite to the HS and so DS could play some tennis with DH & I - needless to say, I am VERY out of shape!!!!! (DS took this photo)







Monday - my parents celebrated their 35th anniversary! Congrats and Happy Anniversary!

Tuesday - we went to the mall after work to finish getting the rest of DD's Halloween costume. It was pretty quiet there and many of the stores had their summer stuff on clearance, so we got DS some new shirts.


Today - DS went to play disc golf with 6 (yes - 6!) girls from school. He was the only boy. Does this worry a mother? YOU BET!!!!! Bear in mind, this is after he said to me last night (when DH was teasing him about the girl he went to homecoming with not wanting to go out with him again playing hard to get) - "Well if that's how she wants to be, she can go to the back of the line because there's other girls waiting." I almost died laughing! Tonight, he's out with "the guys" for their annual pilgrimage to the local corn maze. They have gone every year for the last 3 or 4 and they have a good time.

Other than that, it's been a pretty quiet week - thank goodness!

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My blogging friend, Emily, tagged me with "6 Secrets". The "object" is to tell 6 secrets and then tag others. So I will start with tagging anyone who reads this!

My secrets (don't hold your breath on these):
1. In high school, I thought I would play piano or keyboards for a rock star.
2. I have a half-written romance story. My goal is to have it "published" by the end of 2009.
3. I really love my jobs but...I am somewhat envious of stay-at-home moms/dads. It's one of those things I've never been able to do and probably won't be able to. I hope you know how fortunate you are! :)
4. I have started watching General Hospital again - thank you, Soap Net!
5. I try to be the "sophisticated" library employee and read classics and good fiction - but I REALLY enjoy a good trashy romance.
6. I am a TERRIBLE housekeeper! The floor gets swept and the counters get wiped down regularly, other than laundry - not much else is done on a regular basis. I hate to admit it! My mom raised me much better than that - sorry mom!

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Enjoy your weekend!

Post #350

Yes, that's right - I've been boring you for that many posts...

Nothing real exciting so far this week - thank goodness!!!! The wedding was wonderful on Saturday - a beautiful day and a very good looking, happy couple. We went to Kite Fest for about an hour on Sunday before the rain got too heavy. It was fun and DD loved flying her kite and looking at all the others.

We took DD to the dr this afternoon to have her eye checked. She has a small sty - we are told that warm compresses should drain it. Fun, fun! She's so patient....

I hope to get some weekend pictures up in the next day or two.

Hope your week is going well!

Think Pink!

It's October - National Breast Cancer awareness. I have created these (sorry they're so small but you can click on them to see them bigger) mosaics using some of the pink photos on http://www.flickr.com/ to create them.





And NO, I don't want to talk about the Cubs!

Saturday randomness

Just waiting for the Cubs game tonight....
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I finished a book this week: I loved it - it's the 2nd in a series.
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I actually did a little scrapping last night - I hope to post this weekend, because I'm hoping to get some cards done tonight...
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DH is working hard on the basement - hopefully the computer/craft room will be completed by the middle of November. The bathroom will have to wait...
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My friend, Edith, is getting married today. Unfortunately, due to a schedule mix up at work, I will miss the ceremony but we should JUST make dinner...
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I think that's about it for now. I hope you all have a great weekend!

A big, deep hole!

The Cubs have put themselves in a HUGE hole! 10 - 3?! Seriously! WTH?! They looked like Little Leaguers last night - pitiful.

So, now they are off to LA and if they lose tomorrow night - it's over. OVER! Do you hear me guys????!!!!!!

Happy October!

May you have another wonderful month and enjoy some "fall-ish" weather.

Well, last night's playoff game did NOT go well!!!!!! Mr Dempter (aka: Dumpster) pitched like crap! Excuse me, gentlemen, but you only have so many games before you are DONE for the season!!!! Get with the program. I hope Zambrano pitches better tonight. Oh, and another thing...I have a small wager riding on this series, so get your act together!!!! I do NOT want to wear a Dodgers hat!!!!

Other than the playoffs, it's been a pretty quiet week. Just work and baseball... The weather is very fall-like. Jackets are needed and the trees are turning.

I am hoping to get my scrapbooking mojo back soon! I have a layout that's been sitting on the table, unfinished, for 2 weeks now. I walk by it frequently but just look at it and can't seem to "make it work". My goal is to sit down Friday night and work on some cards and hopefully a layout or two.

It's Thursday and there's only 2 days left in the work week! Woo hoo!!!!

Have a great rest of the week!

YES!

There will be baseball in October in Chicago! :D


Thank you Cubbies for an amazing regular season - may this just be the start of more wonderful memories this season!

Bring it, Dodgers!

Give them wings

and let them fly. I'm sure that's in a song or a poem somewhere.

Reality check for mom! I realized when "the date" came to pick up "my baby" that I was going to have to relax and let it go. It was his 1st date! She's a nice young lady and DS had been looking forward to it this week. I got home LITERALLY 2 minutes before she got here - WHEW! (hated to miss that picture opportunity)

When she walked in the door, I saw 2 pairs of blue eyes twinkle, one because of "the sparkly dress" (DD) and one because of the girl in "the sparkly dress" (DS). So I only took a few pictures (with a few of our neighbors watching from their front porches) and as they pulled out of the driveway - I'll admit - I got a little misty and choked up.

To distract me though, DD threw herself down in the grass and cried because "she missed them". We took her to McD's for dinner and across the street that was a big group of kids all dressed for homecoming and she thought they looked "beautiful". She played video games and got her Wizard of Oz toy - all was well.

DS made it home by curfew - lucky for him. He reported he had a very good time and danced all night. Dinner was "ok" and her friends were "characters".

So, we have survived the 1st date. Does it get easier?????

A Friday funny!

I love Dilbert...



Have a great weekend - I'll update after we survive the weekend!

It's coming....

Yes, it is...and I can't stop it.

DS's 1st date. He has a date for Homecoming this weekend. I am trying to be cool and calm. We went and got his clothes and shoes tonight - he should be one good looking guy. Does that worry me? YES!!!!!!!! She's older and she drives.

(Deep breath....)

Okay, sorry! I have a few more days to pull myself together and act like a "normal" mom.

These are things that make me appreciate what my parents did - with 5 of us!!!! Lordy! How did they listen to us talk about our crushes and dates and not lose their minds? (or did they...)

CUBS WIN! CUBS WIN!

Hoping & praying!

Magic number this morning: 1!!!!!!! Please, Cubbies!
Song by Eddie Vedder




Enjoy Cubs fans!

4!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(you'll be sick of me in another week!)

The magic number is 4!!!!!! My Cubs beat the Booers last night - woo hoo!!!!!!! That's right - they handed Sabathia is first loss this season in a Booers uniform. (Excuse me a moment - HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!!! - ok, sorry!) Thank you Soriano for the homer - we would have been in DEEP doo doo without it.

Yesterday was declared Carlos Zambrano Day in the state of Illinois - after he pitched his no-hitter on Sunday. Congrats, Z!

(Remember, I don't have much of a life, so you're going to be hearing lots of baseball the next few weeks!)

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On another baseball type related notes: Cubs radio announcers, Pat Hughes & Ron Santo are both on the ballot for the Frick award. Vote often!

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Update on our ENT visit:
We received our order to go ahead with DD's CT scan. So once that clears the insurance "pre approval" we will set that up. Then comes the discussion on hearing aids.

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Happy Hump Day all!
Have a SUPER day!

GO CUBS!

Tuesday

Morning readers! :)

Well the rain finally stopped! The river across the street is over its banks and there are houses underwater. Fortunately, we have stayed dry through the storm. Thank you, Ike! For those who were in Ike's direct hurricane/tropical storm path, I hope things are ok.

Due to the rain, it was an uneventful weekend. It cancelled all of our plans - except work - but that's ok. It was restful.

6: 6 is the magic number for the Cubs! 6 is the magic number until the clinch the NL Central Division! It COULD come as early as Thursday. Zambrano pitched a NO-HITTER Sunday night against Houston - it was wonderful! Lille came pretty damn close yesterday - no hitter into the 7th. GO CUBS!!!!!!!

Not much else to say right now.
I hope you had a good weekend and a great week!

To my girlfriends....

I'm not a big fan of the video but I LOVE the song...
Leann Rimes' GOOD FRIEND & A GLASS OF WINE

Enjoy!

TGIF!

Oh thank heaven it's Friday!

We take DD to the ENT this afternoon. New guy - hopefully he can start lining up some of the testing that she is now old enough for to possibly determine the "cause" of her hearing loss. Of course, this appointment will lead to the one where we discuss hearing aids. But that is a topic (the financial end of it) that just ticks me off and I won't go into it here for fear of possibly offending someone... (maybe another day!)

The big rivalry HS football game is tonight. DS is going but weather permitting, we will decide about the rest of us. He is SO excited about it!

Tomorrow....hmmmm....oh, BIG book sale at the library! I have to work but will probably take some time to browse the selection. And if we can get some non-rainy time, I told DS I would take him to the tennis courts so he can watch his old mom stumble around and gasp for air. :-D

Sunday we are planning on going to the kite festival. Again, from the sounds of things, weather permitting.

For those of you in Ike's path - please stay safe and I pray for little or no damage and your safety!

I have a new challenge up today on my scrap blog:

Challenge U 2

Other than that, just cleaning house and laundry. Woo hoo!
What are YOU doing this weekend?

And a fun "start your weekend" photo:

Tuesday's almost over...

After fighting a migraine for 24 hours, I'm feeling much better again - thank god!

Garage sales/Saturday: YES! Spent about $35. We got DD a stack of clothes - including stuff from Children's Place, Gap Kids, a Lands End winter coat. I found a purse and a set of Friends DVDs. I worked the afternoon at the library - it was nonstop from 1:00 to 4:00 then it just dropped off. I guess everyone went home or to the bar to watch the Huskies.

Sunday: Fair Day! It was a beautiful day! We got down there and wandered through the livestock barns. DH had me going when he said he had bought a bunny. Yes, I was going to kill him. Then DS gave him away by snickering... BRATS! We walked through the arts and crafts buildings. Tell me this is not THE coolest wedding cake! Come on...admit it. :-) We ran into my brother "on duty" there and DD wasn't so sure about that at first. Then while DH & DS went to the demo derby, I took DD to ride - and she had a blast! We wrapped up the day at Sonic, because DH can't be out of town without finding some way to get there.... I swear, that man...

Monday: Came home from work early because of my head. I slept most of the afternoon away.

Today: Ahhhh, yes! Class ring day....so, we went and ordered DS's ring. Needless to say, it was more than we were looking to spend...BUT - he's only getting one so we figured this way he would get what he wanted to on it. All I have to say is, he better not be giving it to some girl and he better be wearing it. Merry Christmas!

2 Peas Challenge for Wednesday: What is something you would like to find at an antique store....
Hmmm...where would I start? I actually like to look for the old tin cookie cutters. I have found a few.

Hope you all had a good weekend!

I leave you with a couple more fair pictures....

Sunday a.m.

Morning!

Well so far, our sports teams haven't faired real well this weekend! Come on Cubs, you have to salvage this series!!!!!!!!

Garage sale-ing was great yesterday! We found tons of clothes for DD and a few extra "treasures" along the way too.

We are off to the fair today and I will try to post some pictures tonight.

Have a GREAT day!

My many colored weekend!

It's a sports filled weekend for us!

Tonight - Cubs v. Cinci (lost) - blue
HS football (lost) - orange
Saturday - Huskie football (lost) - red & black
Cubs v. Cinci (won!) - blue
Sunday - Cubs v. Cinci - blue
Bears v. Colts - orange & blue

Off to check out a couple of garage sales tomorrow morning. We are headed for our county fair on Sunday - praying the weather is good!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Sophomore!

WOW! Am I old enough to have a high school sophomore? ;) DS started school last week and has some more "challenging" classes this year - YEA!!!!!

This is the year of: class rings, driver's ed, "not being a freshman". He has decided he wants to play tennis this year. We were surprised but because he's wanting to participate in something - I'm not going to discourage it!!!!! So, we will see how it goes. And the class ring "open house" is next week - again, can't wait to see what that price tag will be.

Long ago, I was so happy when he got out of daycare and we didn't have to pay for that... Silly me, thinking it would be cheaper when he was in school! HA HA HA HA!!!!!!!

Happy September!

WOW - September! Summer is almost over...
Tonight's post will just be randomness, so here goes.

We had a GREAT Labor Day weekend! Saturday night was a bridal shower for my co-worker, Edith! It was fun and hope she enjoyed herself. Sunday was a family picnic/reunion with my dad's family. He is one of nine and they all showed up with children in tow - so it was a full picnic area. We had LOTS of fun and the weather was quite nice. Yesterday, the four of us headed to the zoo. Now - it was HOT yesterday and we were very thankful for the breeze that we did have.

Today - was almost a July type day - 90s, humid and sunny! WHEW! Tomorrow's forecast? Rainy and 70. Gotta love the Midwest - the weather changes constantly.

The great Halloween costume quest has begun. Oh, yes! Belle...DD wants to be Belle. My MIL made her a Belle dress, now we just have to find the gloves and shoes. So far, this has not been an easy feat - but we are NOT defeated yet!

The Cubs...oh boy! It was a rough weekend and I hope they can turn it around here REAL soon! 4 numbers came to mind over the weekend... (in a stage whisper) 1-9-6-9. That's all I'm going to say. So far (it's the 5th inning) the game is looking pretty good against Houston! Crossing my fingers...

I've finished another book (yes, I will soon be posting my summer readings) this morning. If you like a steamy romance, check out Carly Phillips. I finished

Hot Number

. Fun, easy romance to read. Thanks for another great book, Carly! (Like she'd read this...)

Hope you all had a great Labor Day and that your short work week goes well!
Thanks for stopping by and reading my rambling.
HUGS!

Sunday post #2 - scraps!

And of course, instead of actually getting more scrapping done - here I sit....

I would also like to encourage my scrapbooking/stamping readers to visit my other blog....

Challenge U 2

Thanks!

Go, Huskies, Go!

The red & black are back!

Sadly however, our Huskies lost to Minnesota last night. They gave it a good fight - since DH & DS had counted the game as "over" at the mid-point of the 3rd quarter. They only lost by 4. They gave it a great try and were ahead at one point that I was watching.

Hope you're having a great weekend - we're off to a family picnic today.

A book!

One of my library co-workers wrote this and I hope to give her a little more publicity. I hope you'll check it out!

http://www.lulu.com/content/3096135

(sorry - this whole adding a link thing just seems to be beyond me - copy & paste the link please...)

Have a great weekend!

Friday 2 Peas Challenge & a little commentary of my own

Words that inspire me....

This is a great one!

To name a few that inspire my creativity:

Love
Hope
Faith
Laugh
Family

Thanks, Sherry - this was wonderful and very inpsiring! :-D

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Scrapbooking - I used to ask myself WHY I did it. A couple of years ago, I desparately wanted to be on a design team or be published. I realized it was causing me to lose my focus. So, I stepped back from it for a while.
I have been scrapbooking now, because I LOVE it! It is a creative release for me. I scrapbook for my family. I scrapbook because I want to share the joy of it with others and hope they enjoy it as much as I do.

On that note, there is a new challenge posted over at my scrapping blog:

CHALLENGE U 2

I hope you'll stop by and play along! (the link is in the list on the right) ------------>

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Have a GREAT weekend! It's a holiday weekend and we'll be busy but I'll try to check in.

2 Peas Blog Challenge

The blog challenge for today is: Why is creativity so important?


Creativity is important to me because it's a stress releaver. I love to forget about work and life for a while, while I scrap or write or knit or whatever.

And if we didn't have some creativity and art in this world, it would be a BORING place! :) I am so grateful that there are people out there with talents - singing, dancing, painting, etc, etc.

I think EVERYONE is creative is some way!


Have a SUPER day!

Oh....and on another note - the Cubs are 31 (yes, that's THIRTY ONE) games over .500!

Our Saturday

DD &I went down to the end of our block to cheer on the runners in the 10K yesterday. Mile 5 sits right at the end of our block, so they have just about a 1 1/2 miles left. We're sitting there clapping and encouraging them - most of them would wave and say thank you. One lady looked at me and said "Aw, shut up!" Oooookay.... I thought the lady sitting across the street was going to fall off the curb laughing.


On to enjoy the rest of the festival today - hope the weather is decent.

U-S-A!

WHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!
I am truly enjoying the Olympics. I have had a good time watching the good ole USA win many times over. I find it exciting to watch all these amazing men and women - their physique, their ability - just astounds me! I hope I'm not the only one who will admit this, I've shed a few tears watching them too. The "struggle" that some of these athletes go through to get there or something goes wrong during their event. UGH! NBC did a closing "comments" the other night on some of the "little" stories - and the German superweight lifter that won the gold and held his wife's picture during the medal ceremony was touching, then of course good old Bob says "She had started a savings account last year to come to these games with her husband but was killed in an auto accident last year." Thank you, Bob - turn on the waterworks!
I have to say, in a way, I am glad they are ending on Sunday because I don't think I can take another week of staying up until 11 or 11:30 to watch them every night. I hope when they are in London in 2012 that the time thing will be a little easier...
While I was outside tonight with DD, I realized how much our neighborhood must have Olympic fever. There were a lot of kids out playing and I heard many cries of "He wins the gold medal" and "Now it's time for track and field". I had to giggle - it was fun!

Ok - just taking a scrap/Olympic break - back to it!
Have a GREAT weekend!

Scrapping!

I got some scrapping done this weekend!

Teenagers....

You know, just when I ALMOST forget what it's like to be a teenager. I see a teenager do something that makes me remember.
Remember:
Laughing with my friends about a stupid joke.
Giggling about some boy.
Thinking how "terrible" life was sometimes. (If I'd only known...)
Worrying about what to wear and if my hair looked ok.

Ahhhh....yes. Then I see my DS and his friends and see the teenage lifestyle from the "other" side. Boys! Oh, how different they are from teenage girls! Yes, I know they get all googly eyed over some girl and har har with their friends, but the drama is just not there. And I'm SO thankful! Because that, in about 8 years, I WILL have to deal with....

For now, I will just settle for my teenage girl memories and watch from the sidelines as DS goes through his teenage years.

It's ALMOST Friday!

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!

There's a new challenge on my Challenge U 2 blog (see link to the right) from Tuesday and there will be another one tomorrow. I hope you scrappers will join in the fun.

My sister came to visit Tuesday night. It's always great to see her. We did some knitting, visited, watched the Olympics. I finished my scarf. :)

Other than that, not much else is new and "exciting". I am hosting a crop this Sunday, so hopefully there will be more scraps to share next week.

Hope you're all having a good week!
HUGS!

Happy Sunday

I hope you're all having a great weekend. The weather here has been MAGNIFICENT!!!!! Sunny, lower 80s.

DD & I went for a bike ride to the park this morning then biked to where DH & DS are working today to have lunch with them. I think we went about 6 miles, altogether. Whew....

The Olympics are in full swing and we are having a lot of fun watching them. Go USA!!!!!!

I have started another blog for those who are interested in scrapbooking challenges: Challenge U 2 I hope you'll stop by and participate! The link is also at the right --------> (under You Can Find Me....)

I did get some scrapping done as mentioned before....

I am heading outside soak up some sun and do a little reading. Have a great Sunday!

It's Saturday!

I went to a crop last night and actually got some scrapping done! (I swear I get ADD at those things - wandering around, looking at what others are doing, shopping...) I got to use a Cricut for the 1st time - oh, man - now I REALLY want one!!! Anyway, I will try to get some pictures of the layouts I got done and get them posted soon!!!!!!!!

Yesterday, marked the 20 year anniversary of lights at Wrigley Field. (for those of you who store useless bits of crap) And TODAY - marks the 20 year anniversary of the 1st OFFICIAL night game at Wrigley Field.

What have you been reading this summer? I have gotten lots of reading done and hope to get a few more books read this month - you can check out my good reads list with the link to the right. If you're on good reads - let me know!

I have been posting a weekly challenge at 2 Peas every week for the past few weeks, but don't seem to be getting many takers, so if you are in the mood for a scrapbook challenge - check this out.... http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/mb.asp?

Hopefully the weather will hold out and DD & I can head to the park shortly to play for a while before work.

And just a little photo for the day, our kiddos on the 4th of July:

Have a great weekend!

Late as usual....

This kid.....

turned 15 on Sunday. He had a overnight party with his buddies. They seemed to have a good time and stayed fed.

Another year, and he'll be driving.....

Thank you Emily!

What a nice surprise. In the midst of moving madness I checked in on my blog to find this award...

I was nominated by http://justme-emilyp.blogspot.com/ whose blog I always look forward to reading!

The rules for this award are:
The winner can put the log on his/her blog.
Link to the person you received your award from.
Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
Put links to those blogs on yours.
Leave a message on the blogs of the people you nominated.
So...I nominate (in no particular order):

http://cheesepirate.wordpress.com/

http://andiesmith.typepad.com/

http://monicaskeels.blogspot.com/

http://scrappinjana.typepad.com/these_are_days/

http://loquacityoflatharia.blogspot.com/

http://melinaborrero.blogspot.com/

http://scrapchic38.blogspot.com/

I hope you'll check out their blogs and share the love.