Lucky Me!

I have been having a hard time with my decision to step down from MOPS steering for next year. Not that I am second guessing the decision- because I still feel like it was the right thing to do- but because most of my close friends are going to be on steering next year and I was feeling out of the loop. Kicked out of the club. Call it either a lot of envy or a little jealousy. What ever. The hardest thing so far was that the steering team was going to Women Of Faith this year- and I SO wanted to be there. Well, lucky me! They had extra tickets and extra beds!!!!!!

I just got back from "The World's Biggest Slumber Party"!

Here are some of my girls, Terra and Tamara, who won't care that I got pictures of them in their jammies- BECAUSE THEY DON'T READ MY BLOG- at our posh Seattle hotel. Seriously, I slept like a queen!

And this is the closest I have ever been to a famous person before. I know I'm not in the picture. Frankly, it wouldn't have been possible to care less about standing next to Natalie Grant. But, I was close- behind the camera- while my friend Andreena got her autograph for her daughter.

Now, if it had been Sheila Walsh, I probably would have fainted. But that's just me. If I ever grow up I want to be Sheila Walsh.

Sorry I don't have a bajillion pictures for you, but I was busy being wrapped in Infinite Grace.

They're So Nice Like This

Par-Tay!

NO MORE PENCILS,

NO MORE BOOKS,

NO MORE TEACHER'S

DIRTY LOOKS!

Happy Birthday, Abigail!

This is what Abby looked like when she was still 5 years old:

And this is what she looked like the next day when she was 6 years old:

Here is a picture of her birthday breakfast:

And here we are having Red Robin for Birthday Dinner:

Happy Birthday Abby-Girl!

What Are They?

Are they socks with huge holes?

Or, are they holes with some shred of sock attached to them?

How Cool Is This?

I have been totally LUSTING for a coffee bar in my bedroom. I want to make my room into a retreat. Well, I went here last night and got myself a Senseo pod coffee maker for the $15 cost of shipping. All I had to do was answer their questions right. Coffee bar, here I come!

Summertime

Today is the last day of our state imposed 180 day incarceration. Yes that is what it has felt like this year. I always dread the end of the school year- not so much this year. This year I feel like we have done our time and now we are OUTTA THERE!
Enjoy the theme music.

Have Your People Call My People

OK, I made it through my 15 minutes of fame. I'm still the same girl- really. Lest you think I have been resting on my laurels, let me assure you I have not.

Sunday was a fine father's day. We met my parents at a new park that has a spray area. It was a great day for the kids to get wet. We gave Sebastian a basket of all of his favorite things to eat. He got: expensive cheese, Argentinian wine, fresh bread, and truffles. He always says that all you need in life is good bread, good cheese, good wine, and good chocolate. I also made him this:


Each of the kids gave him their arrow and I was standing behind him with the quiver. He scratched his head and said, "Now all I need is one of those holders- a watchmacallit."

A quiver.

Monday was spent with My friend Kelly. Thanks for the armoir and the TV, Kell.

Yesterday I ran around behind my two 2nd graders, kindergartner, and 3 year old at field day for 3 hours. We actually had to pop back home for longer pants and jackets because it was only 53 degrees outside! It was WAY boring- except the part where I dunked the principal in the dunk tank. I'm really glad I hit it on the second ball or I would have looked REALLY stupid.

Today I need to get ready because we a re having a "Last Day Of School" party tomorrow and in the evening I am having a Princess House party. Wanna come?

Maybe life will equalize soon. Maybe. Maybe not.

EK Inspired

This cuteness is made by a friend of my sister, Trish.

She's having a giveaway to celebrate her Etsy shop. Go check her stuff out.

I'm Almost Famous

OK, here's the deal:
I put a new hit counter on my blog. It's in the eighties now. Only I don't have the comment volume to match. What's up with that? So, for those of you who come by and never comment (Carlina), you should say "Hi" so that when I'm famous- and it's going to be soon, folks- you can say you knew me when.

**I just heard that I'm going to be famous on Monday, so you may want to get on the "I knew her when..." train before it pulls out of the station. Just sayin'.

Dads, Dryers, And Other Interconnected Randomness

Jonah- my beautiful 3 year old, who will always tell you he is 5 1/2- called Papa (my dad) the other day and asked if he could sleep at Papa's house. Of course Papa said he could.
I ran Jonah to Papa later that evening and he stayed with my parents overnight. In the evening the next day when it was time to go home, Papa put Jonah into the car and took him out to ice cream.
There's really only one place to get good ice cream near my parents and I have been there- once. They walked in and Jonah announced, "Hey! My mom brings me here!"
Tattletale.
After ice cream, Papa loaded Jonah up and headed for our house. About the time they got on the freeway Jonah hollered out, "Papa! Papa! Turn around! This is the way to MY home!"
My dad brought Jonah home. He's kinda funny. He stands there expectantly for a minute and says, "Well, Bye." and leaves- unless you can come up with a compelling reason for him to stay and visit for a while.
Remember that toilet in the hall at the top of the stairs? Well, here's what is there now:

Not finished, but functional.
I asked Honey to clean the lint out of the inside of the machine when he moved it, but in his haste to get the units functioning again, he forgot.
Only now, the dryer wasn't working quite the way it should.
I mentioned it to my dad. Yep, that's a good enough reason to stay and visit.

We took the front panel off and cleaned the fan and the whole underneath. We pulled the vent tube off the back and checked for an obstruction, but didn't find anything. Then we put it all back together. What a nice dad. Shh, don't tell my mom that he's so helpful.
Here's the best part of it all, though:


I keep a can near my washer and dryer for change that I find in the laundry. I usually pull a few quarters out each week. Here's the thing, though. Apparently the pennies and dimes are small enough to get through the lint trap or the seal somehow. There was $2.49 under there! In dimes, pennies, and a couple of nickles.

Thanks, Dad. The dryer seems to be working OK now.
I'm kinda itching to open the washer front....

Dinner Conversations

Me: Jesse, what do you have let for homework?
Jesse: I'm almost done with my handout, I have to list 10 facts about Greek food, and I have to make a Greek dish.
Me: What??!! It's 7:30! What do you think you can make tonight? Why am I just hearing this now?!
Jesse: Mom- DON"T YELL AT ME!!! I told you-
Me: BUT YOU DIDN'T TELL ME YOU HAD TO DO IT FOR TOMORROW!
Jesse: Well, I'm just going to make baklava with out nuts!
Me: You cant just make baklava... and you can't make it with out nuts. Baklava IS nuts....
Jesse: Well, what am I going to doooooooooo?
Me: We'll make hummus.

Yep, we made hummus. And I sent pita wedges to go with it.

Just For Debbie

Huumus Recipe:

I used this recipe with some alterations.

• 4 garlic cloves, minced then mashed
• 2 15 oz cans garbanzo beans (chick peas) drained and rinsed
• 2/3 cup tahini (roasted, not raw)
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pine nuts (toasted) and parsley( chopped for garnish)

I used about 2x the garlic that the recipe called for. I just peeled it and threw it into the food processor and let 'er rip. Fewer steps you know.

I didn't bother to rinse the garbanzo beans. Whatever. Also I saved the juice.

I bought a can of tahini. Who cares to make sure it is roasted. Really, people, I don't get that hung up. It was probably roasted.

I grabbed a small plastic lemon from the store and squeezed all the juice from it into the food processor.

Instead of water I just added the juice from the garbanzo beans and blended until I had the right consistency.

I totally skipped the garnish.

What ever. It was 10 and the kid just needed to be in bed- actually, he did most of the work. I just supervised and cleaned up. Normally, I would make him do that, but it was 10 and the kid just needed to be in bed.

New Friends

I have a new friend on the blogosphere (that I have known all my life). You should go say hello to my mom at Yes, They Are All Mine.
Go put out a big bloggy hello and make her feel welcome.
Now, Go.

Life And Death In A Small Town

Warning! We have experienced a death at our house! Read at your own risk!

Sparkle, our friend, has finally succumbed.
The family is thoroughly bummed.
Her dad offered to bury the fish-
But this, she just didn't wish.
Good thing the house is well plumbed!

Yes, it's true. One of the goldfish died.
We have a screamer folks. A real tantrum thrower. And bed time at our house is never short- or pretty.

Abby: "Scream-scream-screamy-scream-scream!"
Have I ever mentioned that she is high maintenance?
Me:*sigh* "Abby- get your butt in bed before I beat it!"
Abby: "Blood curdling scream!"
Dad: Charging up the stairs "There better be something REALLY wrong with you!"
Abby: "MY FISH IS DEAD!!!!!!"
Crap.

Well, we all gathered around the toilet to pay our last respects to Sparkle. That was the way Abby wanted to dispose of him- or her. Yep, that's right. Let the people at the city treatment plant clean him out of the filter. Not my problem any more. Gotta go clean the fish tank out now. Haggen is giving away free goldfish in two Saturdays. Gotta be ready, you know.

PTA Dance

So, unlike my sister, Trish who was the PTA TREASURER this year at her son's school, I didn't even join the PTA. But I did partake of their really cool end of the year dance. My kids always look forward to this thing. Last year it was a pirate theme, and the year before that it was a masquerade. This year it was a bona fide hoe down. My kids had a BLAST. We got there at 6:30 and closed the place down at 9.

Here are some pictures of my lil' doggies.

Have I ever mentioned how much I love my Sharpies? This is today's shirt.

I don't really love the littlest one the best, I just have to keep him with me...

And I don't really love the middlest one the least, she just wouldn't hold still long enough to be photographed.

Well, we're plumb tuckered out now, and we're gonna mosey on to bed now, but 'fore we do, y'all wanna give us a big "Yee-haw"?

Y'all Come Back now, ya hear?

When Your Ovaries Go "Ping!"

Every once in a while I look at someone's cute little baby and I go, "OOOOOOH...."
Then there are these times:
I babysat for my sister in law yesterday. She has a tyute baby, doesn't she?











It was so nice when he was like this:






Unfortunately, he spent a lot of time like this:











But there were good moments:




And the best moment of all:





And I'm pretty sure that my ovaries are not going to ping for a while!

I Had Conan's Love Child!

Ya Think?!

Trish Needs Your Help

My sister, Trish, is trying to win a Wii- just for having the cutest kid picture in the world.

And she does! Follow her link, and vote for her picture.

Our New Toy

We got a river raft!
And we got it wet on the Yakima River!
Before you pass out seeing all those babies in the boat- this is a class I river. That means still water all the way!

The pictures were taken by various children- unedited for your viewing pleasure.

The Secret's In The Sauce

Here's a fun new blog site created to showcase YOU.

Go check it out- cuz they're having an awesome contest right now.