An Unexpected Break...

Taking a little break from blogging...will be back on Monday!

4 Thumbs Up!

Jas made lunch for Jack the other day and Jack said, "This is a 4 thumbs up lunch, dad!" "How's it 4 thumbs up," asked Jas...so Jack showed him.

Two thumbs up....pretty normal.
 

And then the toes went up, too.  AHHHHH!!  Jas and I were so weirded out!

Check out the angle on those toes!! How does he do that?

Ouch!  If I tried that, I would totally cramp up!!
But, it does pull at my parent proud strings!!!

Jack Playing Ball...

Jack started playing basketball a couple of weeks ago.  This is the first game I have been able to attend because Sam has had his basketball games at the same time. Since Jason is Jack's coach, he goes to jack's games and I go to Sam's games.  Sam and I were pretty excited to watch Jack play some ball!!

Jack loves basketball! 

Sam is the post for his basketball team. Jack got a rebound and his elbows came out...just like Sam does when he rebounds.  Need to remember to mention to Jack that he doesn't need to be so aggressive!

His dribbling has improved greatly from last year! The kiddos will dribble, stop, start dribbling again, stop again and then they may just walk to the place were they would like to take their shot.
This age is so fun to watch!!!

Dear Lord..please just let the ball fall into my hands.

(Jack was reading along as I wrote this post.
 His "take" on the pictures are included in the parenthesis.)
(Jack's version: He just wanted to catch the ball coming out of the hoop.)

Everyone..Let's do the wave!

(I'm going after the ball!)

Now for some rebound faces....

(I'm just taking a deep breath.)

Um...I really don't like this kids armpit in my face.  Kind of gross.

(I just wanted to get the ball)

aarrrrruuuuhhhh...I am a zoooombie.  Give. me. the. baaaaalllll.

(Mom! I'm stretching for the ball and my face stretched, too!)

 \
Hmmm..it might come my way, but I really don't want it to.

(Again, I am just trying to get the ball!!!)

Jack did make shot during the game! Nothing is better then the humongous smile that is on Jack's face after he make s a basket...and his little gallop in his step down the court is pretty awesome, too.

(I was very very very happy!)
We were too, buddy!!

Silly Girl...

Poor Moose..ever since she got herself so sick from wandering off and eating, who knows what, I am so gun shy to just let her out on her own like I usually do....or did. I 've tried putting  her on her leash to take her out, but she tends not to do her duty but would rather go for a walk.  I have tried letting her out without her leash and follow her around, but then she looks at me like...are we going for a walk or she chases a squirrel.

So I got a tie up thing.  It's horrible!  She just look at me like this...she doesn't like it either. I've only used it two times. UGH...what's a girl to do..get invisible dog fence for three acres!!! Hmmmmmm....

Moose supervised me while i took down Christmas decorations.

"Hey boys!  I TOLD you these are all my pelts, so just back off!!"
Doesn't she totally look as if she is talking!!!

At times, Moose is so lazy.  She wanted to beg for some food, but her head.....was.....so....heavy.....

Oh dear.  I am one of "those" dog people.

40 Bags in 40 Days Update...

NO JUDGEMENT ALLOWED!!
I am happy to report that I am doing pretty well with my 40 bags in 40 days.  I must admit, I do not do a "clean out"everyday, but when I do clean out an area, I count it towards my 40 bags. As of writing this post, I have cleaned out eleven areas.  Yea me!! I am now going to share with you the cleaning out of my make up bag...bags.

Well, from the looks of it, I have saved every make up bag that I have ever been given from the make up counter. Others also believe that I need make up bags, so I take them and say thank you.  Over time, I have collected loads of bags.  Above, shows a few of them.  The large black bag is full of trial make ups.  A weakness of mine!

This little green bag is my "just in case bag" I take with me when traveling.  It contains items that I might need or I might not need.  I guess I thought I might need at least two contact cases, two razors, three sets of ear plugs (???) and loads of band aids. 

Again, NO JUDGEMENT ALLOWED!  I dumped the above black bag and this is what it contained...TONS of trial size make up, shampoo, lotion and other great and exciting things that are perfect for when traveling...though I wouldn't use all of this if I traveled around the world for a year. 

I really didn't even know where to start, so I decided to put like things together. This is a great sorting and cleaning strategy...for most things.  Any way, in this picture, you can see that I have a selection of make up brushes, facial items (cleanser, wrinkle preventer and fixer) and check out all that eyeshadow in the top right corner! You would think at one time I was a disco queen!

This pile contains all the trial size shampoos, conditioners, body washes and lotions.  WHOA! Super clean girl!

I view this as an issue...empty eyeshadow cases. Bone dry eyeshadow cases.
 
And not just one...but two bone dry eyeshadow cases.

Once I sorted through items, this is what I kept.  It all fits neatly into my travel case.

 

These are the extra shampoos, conditioners, body washes and lotions I kept. 

From all that make up, I kept a couple eye shadows, mascaras, bronzers and lipsticks. There is still that off chance I may wear lipstick someday instead of chapstick!!

These are the only facial items I kept.  The others were dried out or old. Ewwww.

I kept two small make up bags...just in case!

This is my throw away pile. 
One more bag to add to my 40 and it does feel good to throw things out!!

Currently...

This is a class that I will be teaching tonight at Memory Bound...there are a few spaces left and I would love for you to join us!  Let me share a little background about the class... 

We will be creating the "guts" for a "mini" project life binder to record stories and pictures for the year. The pages we create will fit into a Simple Stories binder of your choice!

 I have finally decided that I am going to use the 8x6 binders, from Simple Stories, for my scarpbooking this year.  The last two years, I have attempted a 12x12 album of project life and I fizzle out about four months into the year.  I become pretty overwhelmed due to the fact that there are 16 pockets to fill for the week and I found myself keeping EVERYTHING to fill the pockets and it got to be too much.  I did more collecting then scrapbooking.

In the binder that we will be creating tonight, each month includes a "Currently..." journal page to record the different things your are "doing" that month. For example, with "enjoying" I would say: dice with friends, candy crush and starting my new scrapbook for the year!
 Needing: to start to exercise again..it ain't pretty!!
Watching: the first season of Sons of Anarchy.
Avoiding: anything that has to do with working out!
Eating: everything and back on Starbucks!!

I like the idea of currently because we change so much through the year, it will be fun to look back on in the months to come!  I have the boys answer these questions at times and then create a fun scrapbook page with the list and a picture of themselves.  it cracks them up rereading the lists from years (like two years!) ago!
 

I love the idea of project life especially with the different options in page refills. The 8x6 Simple Stories binder also has different refill options, but just in a smaller size. Much more "doable" for me. I have the control over how many pictures I want to include...

For the class, you will receive a multi pack of assorted photo page refills to include in your binder!

There are loads of envelopes included in the binder to keep memorabilia.  You can tuck items into a pocket instead of having to scrap each thing!  Much more my style at times!!

 

I received a Fuji instamax camera last year for Christmas and I haven't really used it, due to the fact that I worried about the cost of the film...I have only used one pack of film for the entire year and I LOVE that camera!!  What a waste...use the film...I can buy more!!

 Polaroids are HUGE this year in the scrapbooking world, which reminded me of my camera, so I pulled it out and I have really enjoyed using it...and the pictures fit perfectly into the smaller refill page pockets!!

Banners are another big trend in scrapping and it continues to grow this year!  So, of course I had to include banners in the journal for the class. I used the EK banner punch..super easy!  Now I just need to find a hexagon punch!

The top layer shows one of my favorite page refills. The top two pockets are 4x3 and then a 4x6 pocket at the bottom. LOVE THESE!!  Again, the class is tonight and would love to have you join us!  Lots of fun people have signed up and it will be a great way to spend your Friday night!! 

I have been working on some pages for my "mini" project life album that I will share with you next week!

Poor Moosie May...

Last week was quite the week for Moose.

Last Tuesday, she wondered off and was gone for over two hours!  I had no idea where she had gone, so I drove around and still could not find her. Thank goodness, hours later, she did finally show up on the front porch.  Unfortunately, she was not herself.

On Wednesday, she laid around and laid around. She was so not herself...she just laid around and slept.  I started to worry about what she may have gotten into on her little adventure.

On Thursday morning, she woke  me up at 3:30 am.  Moose has NEVER woken me up since we have had her. She has the bladder the size of Jupiter, so I figured she must really need something.  She couldn't wait for me to let her out.  Jason got up at six and she needed to go out again!  I fed her breakfast and then went off to work.

When I got home from work, Moose had gotten sick and had an accident on the floor...her poor tummy!!  That is SO not Moose. I called the vet and they told me to stop feeding her and to bring her in the following morning.

She didn't get sick again, but continued to have diarrhea (is that too much information?) 

On Friday, we headed to the vet and told him about her adventure.  He agreed that she probably did pick up something...what it was...that will remain a mystery!  He did give her a shot so she wouldn't be nauseous or throw up again (unfortunately, the shot is not approved for humans!) and some pills for her other issue.

Side story:
When taking the boys to school, Jack asked if I would be willing to go buy a thing for one of his video games while he was at school. Sam turned around and said, " JACK, are you kidding?  She has a sick dog at home that needs a little TLC!" )

Happy to say, that in 24 hours our Moose is back to being her old self.
I hope this is the only vomit and other "issue" that I must care for the rest of the flu season and too bad that dogs can't get a flu shot! And too bad we humans can't get the anit-nauseous shot form the vet!

Waiting to be Read....

This is the stack of book on my nightstand that are being read and needed to be read!

I just finished reading Where'd You Go Bernadette? by Maria Semple. Here's a review from Amazon ( I thought I would give to much away!)

Bernadette Fox is a wife and mother with anxiety issues. HUGE anxiety issues. It's so bad that she hires an offshore resource to handle her day-to-day errands - the ones she doesn't have to show up for in person. The less she has to deal with people, the better!

She wasn't always like this. In fact, she used to be a rising star in the world of architecture, back in the day. A genius rising star. Then something happened, and Bernadette ran from the world.

Her husband Elgin still loves her, and her daughter Bee thinks the world revolves around her, so Bernadette doesn't have any complaints. Until things spin out of control, and Elgin decides an intervention is necessary before it all goes to hell in a hand-basket.

Then Bernadette disappears.

I really enjoyed how this book was written. It is actually letters and emails that Bernadette's daughter is reading in order to figure out where her mom may have gone. At one time you read an email how the parents of the school were getting together to discuss how to get more parents to attend the private school.. The next part is a note sent home from the principal apologizing for the disastrous meeting and how to watch your child for PTSD.  It is a very cleverly written book and I would recommend this one to anyone who needs a fun easy read!!

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Another book I just finished was The Twelve Tribes of Hattie which is Oprah's latest book choice.

I have mixed feelings about this book. Here is an overview from Amazon:

In 1923, fifteen-year-old Hattie Shepherd flees Georgia and settles in Philadelphia, hoping for a chance at a better life. Instead, she marries a man who will bring her nothing but disappointment and watches helplessly as her firstborn twins succumb to an illness. Hattie gives birth to nine more children whom she raises with grit and mettle and not an ounce of the tenderness they crave. She vows to prepare them for the calamitous difficulty they are sure to face in their later lives, to meet a world that will not love them, a world that will not be kind.

the first chapter, which is told from Hattie's perspective, was heartbreaking and I couldn't put the book down.  I found that each chapter is a short story told from the perspective of one of Hattie's nine children. I loved the short stories...each one grabbed my attention, but I was left  wondering what happened to that character later in life. At one point, I wondered if the author would put out additional books, finishing the story of some of the characters.  But, I like when I get to the end of a book that things are all tied up...good or bad...but needs to have an ending. I would give this book 3 1/2 out of 5 stars.  It is worth reading, but be prepared, that the stories don't have a solid ending.  

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I am just starting Still Life by Louise Penny...a quick preview from amazon:

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montreal. Jane Neal, a local fixture in the tiny hamlet of Three Pines, just north of the U.S. border, has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it’s a tragic hunting accident and nothing more, but Gamache smells something foul in these remote woods, and is soon certain that Jane Neal died at the hands of someone much more sinister than a careless bowhunter.

Doesn't this sound exciting!! I'll let you know what I think!

 

 

A Basketball Weekend...

We spent a majority of the weekend at the basketball courts! I got a new lens for Christmas, so I thought I would try it out at this game. It is a mega zoom lens and I need to get the hang of holding it steady!!

The first team we played had some very tall young men.  Notice how Sam is jumping to block the ball and this kiddo is barely on his toes!! 

Sam got to do the jump ball at the beginning of the second game.

 

 

 

 

Oops...a little over the back foul.

 

I like this picture, but you can see how I need to hold the camera steady!!

I love the reaction of the bench watching a great play by their teammates!