Lucy, Claire, etc...

Lucy is still my favorite dog...


And the cutest one, too! Plus, I just cannot get over how friendly and loving she is, to everyone, including the cats. Lilly and Molly think she is great, even if Frida is still a little weirded out, and Annie is just plain not having anything to do with the whole thing! lol! Lilly and Molly also like the kennel, and are either inside it or on top of it all the time. I just wish I could get a picture of all 3 of them-Lucy, Lilly and Molly, all there at the same time. Here's one of just Lucy and Lilly:


And I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already! Tomorrow is the last day of school. Tomorrow is also the day for Kindergarten's program...some kind of Pow-wow. At least I don't have to go for lunch and eat the cafeteria turkey dinner! That's one thing to be thankful for!

Among other conversations I've had with the kids, there was one in which Claire was talking about wanting to go visit my Aunt Carol and Uncle Rusty. They have a big pond that my Uncle keeps stocked with fish, so the little ones can always catch something, and Claire wants to go fishing...

Claire: If I catch a fish...(she pauses, because something else has caught her attention)

Me: I'm not gonna clean it!

Claire: NO! We're not going to eat it or anything. I'm just gonna get one of Uncle Rusty's boards, because I know he has some around there somewhere, and I'm gonna nail the fish on the board and hang it on the wall!

Ummmm...anybody out there have some air-freshener they need to get rid of??? lol!

Conversations with Claire

*Just a quickie-because I keep forgetting!*

So...mom was here last weekend and we were working in the yard, planting some flowers. Mom had been using the hoe to 'chop up' the dirt, for lack of a better term because a farmer I am not!

When mom was done, she laid the hoe down in the grass, and eventually Claire came along and picked it up and said:

"Aw! You're a dirty ol' hoe, but I love ya anyway!"

I about busted a gut trying to keep it in...and I do know she meant "hoe" and not "ho", but it comes out sounding the same! And I am still laughing about it!

Because 2 Adults, 3 Kids and 4 Cats weren't enough...

We got a dog!

And I wonder why I never have time to sit down. Well, now I have to sit down a lot though...to cuddle with Lucy and all. Dogs like to cuddle a lot more than cats! Oh! And they like to be dressed up and wear clothes, too. Really. Just ask them. And they also love to have 13 year old girls paint their claws with bright red nail polish! rofl!

Don't ask me how this happened, because I really don't know. I never wanted a dog, and neither did Steven. We have been telling the kids "no" for years now. Then all of a sudden, I just had to have one! The only requirement was that it had to be female and small. So, I started "The Search". And there are so many cute ones out there! But, we finally found just the right dog for us, at the Animal Shelter in San Marcos. Lucy was one of 15-yes, that's right, 15!-Chihuahuas that had been abandoned in the Wal-Mart parking lot there. Fifteen Chihuahuas of all ages. Personally, I think someone decided to get a couple of dogs and breed them and make lots of easy money, then finally realized it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be, and just left them all there in the parking lot one night. Luckily they were rescued before any harm came their way. We went and visited with them and realized that Lucy was definitely meant for us! She is about 3 years old and has had more than one litter of puppies. She is so calm and quiet; she never ever bothers the cats; she RARELY barks (we've only heard her bark about 5 times in the 2 weeks we have had her)and when she does bark it's just for show-you know, that 'Chihuahua Attitude', she is so easy-going and never runs off...just an all-around great little dog! You know, I do believe that people, animals, things, etc...come into your life for a reason and right when you need them. I think Gayla sent Lucy to me. I lost Gayla forever and Claire to Kindergarten right around the same time, and suddenly found myself alone, with no one to talk to or interact with except the Scotch Tape I did have a long conversation with one day, and Gayla decided I needed a dog! lol! And although I still instinctively pick up the phone to call Gayla, I do think Lucy helps...and I can take her places with me, carrying her in her little baby carrier with her cute little clothes and blankets...although her little ears turn red when she starts getting hot in there, just like Ethan's and Steven's! lol! And when we are home, she is either right at my feet (I've actually accidently stepped on her a couple of times) or sitting on my lap the whole time. Definitely my dog.

*Really-I'm not insane. I don't think.*

So anyway, here are a few-okay, a lot-of pictures. And no, I didn't deliberately keep Ethan out of the pictures, it's just that by the time we got home with her after she had been spayed it was around 8:00 (because we had to stop at Target for cute stuff), about an hour and a half after his bedtime and he got out of the car and went straight to bed and we never heard another peep! lol!








She's a Daddy's Girl!



This is Lucy's kennel with the banner I made...it has her name on it, although you can barely see it. Molly the Cat also enjoys the kennel! She likes to get in it when Lucy is out. It's so funny the way she sits in there, though: absolutely straight up and looking around at everything like she may be interested in buying. It's hilarious!




There are no pictures of Annie or Lilly anywhere near the dog...in fact, we very rarely see Annie anymore at all! But Molly is just so curious about the whole thing! This first night, since Lucy was moving around too much for Molly to get a really good look at her, Molly just waited until Lucy was good and asleep, and then did a thorough checking out! lol!



Frida is just keeping her distance! However, she is coming around a lot more these days.


By the end of the day, she was one worn out puppy!



Of course, there has been so much going on around here I could never tell you everything, but, this is the biggest news by far. Well, that AND I got my hair cut! Maybe with all of the kids in school, I'll have time to do that on a more routine basis! Oh, I can give you a head's up on 'Future News'...my parents will be here tomorrow for the weekend or a month (however long I can talk them into) and Steven and I got tickets for the Spurs game Friday night!!! I haven't been excited about going anywhere in a LONG TIME, but I am sooooooo excited about this! I love our Spurs!

Oh, and of course, I Love Lucy! ha!

Just a quick update...

First of all, thanks for the well-wishes! The kids are doing better...Ethan is still on the mend, not 100%, but I am seeing progress. I'm still going downhill..."Walking Pneumonia"...what is that??? To me, you either have pneumonia, or you don't; not a whole lot of grey area, but, I guess that just means that you have pneumonia, but the doctor doesn't want to give you a hospital vacation. lol!

In other news, Steven and I had our 15th Wedding Anniversary yesterday! We got married on the 10th day of the 10th month at 10:00 am. Sounded like good and lucky to me, and it seems to have worked so far. We didn't do much because I haven't been feeling well, but, he did take the day off and we went to P.F. Chang's for lunch. Mmmm...I love that place! Before we went, we were thinking how nice it would be to eat like adults, without kids...but the whole time we were there, we were checking the time hoping we wouldn't be late picking them up from school! LOL! And OF COURSE a date for us wouldn't be a date without a stop at a bookstore, so we stopped off at Barnes & Noble on the way home. I picked up a Jane Austen novel, "Persuasion", and a book of Kate Chopin's work that includes her novel "The Awakening" along with some of her other short fiction work. I got home and immediately started in on the Kate Chopin book and had a hard time putting it down! After that HUGE lunch I was sure I would fall asleep, yet I was still going strong and blowing goodnight kisses to the kids from my chaise while reading. lol!

Steven didn't get any books but...he did look at a lot of books with pictures! Ha-haaa! Old joke of ours...he doesn't read anything that doesn't have pictures in it.

We also got an old Five for Fighting CD-America Town.


I don't know why it took me so long to get this one. It was made in 2000, and it is wonderful...I love every song! I think I tend to just get lost in whatever I'm listening to at the time, and in 2000 it was probably MatchboxTwenty, so this one slipped right by. If you like bands like Train, Matchbox Twenty, Sister Hazel, Maroon 5, that type of stuff, I think you would like this and I would recommend it...if there is actually someone out there even farther behind in musicland than I am!

And now I have 2 more hours before I have to pick up the monkeys, so maybe I'll have time to work in a nap...or some 'Law & Order'.

What do you do...

*If you aren't a mom and/or you get grossed out very easily, don't read. Because Ethan's lungs are gross.

...when your doctor insists that whatever you have is viral and you don't need antibiotics, but you are still running a fever after 3 weeks? And so is your son? Who is also coughing up mucus out of his lungs??? I did make another appointment with the pediatrician for him though...called yesterday morning but they didn't seem concerned in the least, so his appointment isn't until 4:30 this afternoon. My doctor said not to come back unless my fever gets above 101. So I'm living my life on the couch, dying, just wishing I could cough out some of the crap in my lungs, until my head can't take it anymore and I have to take Advil, because I want to let the fever "do it's job"...and this will go on for days until I finally break down, because it's only running in that 100 degree range. And apparently, 100 degrees isn't enough to kill whatever MegaGerm we have.

Really, I don't like going to the doctor because I don't want them to think I'm a whiner, but really...I need some advice here.

***UPDATE: Ethan's Rx...pneumonia. Ay yi yi!

"They say she used to be nice."

I've gotten a couple of super funny jokes in my email recently, and this is another one I've got to share! And maybe it's a 'cheater post' but, it makes it much easier to get something posted, so I don't have to think while I have The Plague. (And why am I the only one in my family who hasn't gotten rid of it yet?) Which leads to another question about moms...why can't we EVER call in sick???

This is also my message to the men of the world: Say NO to drugs and YES to chores! Because it's true...Mothers don't do spare time.

Why God Made Moms

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make Mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make Mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are Mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice
in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your Mother & not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?


Why did your Mom marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Moms & Dads?
1 . Moms work at work and work at home & Dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Moms have all the real power, cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's house.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

My Aunt Carol sent me this joke, and it is the funniest joke ever...especially if you read it with that person's voice in your head!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize
that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road
before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to
do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his
'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is
why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken
earn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm
going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the
road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road.
We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The
chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the
satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but
we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the
road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now
against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the
chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can
see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was
going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs
when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any
insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad?
Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been
told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the
plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends,
that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I
say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the
liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the
other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as
plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.
Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be
listening to the chicken tell, for the f irst time, the heart warming
story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to
accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads
together, in peace.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only
cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance
your check book. Internet Explorer is a integral part of eChicken. This new
platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^( C .. ...
reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road
move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your
definition of chicken?

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

Conversations with Claire

*Overheard between Claire and Daddy/Steven:

Claire: I know what the difference is between boys and girls.

Steven: What's that?

Claire: Well, guys only know about cooking and a little bit of cleaning.
Girls know about make-up and fashion. So, that's why they have
to have different bathrooms!

Steven: You're exactly right, Claire.


ROFL!!! You can guess who does the cooking around this house!

On another note: the two little children who I thought just had colds on Monday
ended up with a sick Mommy on Tuesday, and we've all been sick the rest of the week. I actually was/am sick enough that I went out and FINALLY got myself a doctor, since I haven't had one in the more than 2 years that we've been here. Apparently, we have a 'plague like virus' that won't go away...my words, not the doctor's. It is a virus, though, but I can't imagine that the plague felt any worse than this. I tried to send Ethan back to school on Wednesday because I truly thought he was doing better, but the nurse called and sent him back home because he had started running a fever again. They are doing good now, though. I thought I was doing better, but I was wrong. I thought my worse day was last Wednesday, when I had completely lost my voice. It came back...sorta...even though my mom said she didn't recognize my voice on the phone yesterday. Today, I somehow slipped into a virtual coma and slept until 5:00 PM!!! Totally and completely slept through and lost an entire day! Oh, and when I woke up, my voice was gone again. Ethan told me if I didn't drink so many Dr Pepper's I wouldn't be sick. Who does he think he is??? I called him a "blasphemous traitor" and told him that if there was any more talk like that, I'd have to kick him to the curb. He laughed and laughed, then suddenly got this serious look on his face, looked sideways at me and said, "Really?" LOL! When I said no and started laughing, he started laughing again, and told me to drink some orange juice. lol! Balancing right on that edge!

Now I've been up for 4 1/2 hours, and I think it's time for me to go to bed again. Sleep tight, everyone!

I've finally realized...

"Crazy" is my new normal. I always think it's crazy here and think to myself, "As soon as 'this thing' is over, things will quiet down." But as soon as 'that thing' is through, a new thing comes along. Today it came along in the form of 2 sick little ones: Ethan and Claire. Claire has come down with a bad cold/sinus infection or something; but Ethan is "sick" mostly because Claire is. He has had some problems with allergies, I think, recently though, so I have them both going to the doctor this morning. He can go back to school tomorrow, but I know I will keep Claire home at least another day...which will be kind of nice really. I miss the Old Days already!

Oh, and about the nun picture in my previous post...earlier this year I posted about Allison asking me if I had ever pretended to be a nun when I was a kid. Steven, my mom and I all about popped a gut over that one! rofl!!! My mom just happened to come across a picture of two nuns in the newspaper shortly after that, and took one of the nuns out and put me in! I still laugh every time I look at it, and I keep it on my desk. If you want to read the original post, here it is...http://lorilaurielauri.blogspot.com/2007/04/conversations-with-allison.html

Time to go get ready for the doctor...she might appreciate a shower.

I'm still here...

Having to take a little unexpected break from the computer as things are just too busy! They should settle down next week so, I'll be back!

Planning is in progress...

For a Fairy Party for Claire's birthday. Just realized she is having one of those the day before yesterday. I have all these ideas in my head, so I hope I have time to get them actually made! Does anybody know where I can find some little plastic fairy figurines? You know...like little Army men?

I've gotten some wooden dowels with stars on the end, some spray paints and all different kinds of ribbons to make wands with. There will only be a few...ok, 6, girls here, and I'm planning on making them very simple white cotton gowns with a fairy or two embroidered on the front (and I'm wondering if I should have some ribbons draping down the back) and hopefully Party City will have some rhinestone crowns, because Target sure doesn't! I still can't believe that. But, I did find some very cute little diaries in the dollar section at Target last night, and those will go in their goodie bags.

She really wants a sleepover, but, I also know that kids that age rarely make it through the night at someone else's house, so, rather than making a bunch of phone calls at 2:00 in the morning, we are just having the party until 10:00 at night, then they can all go home then. Allison and one of her friends will be doing the girls' make-up and nails, and I need to figure out some kind of movie for them. I was thinking Tinkerbell, but, then I remembered it isn't "Tinkerbell", it's "Peter Pan"! lol! But, maybe I can find something that is fairy related. AND, since I already have GOBS of beads and all of that stuff, we are also going to make bracelets. I just want to see if I can find a little fairy charm.

I think fairies need cupcakes, but Claire really thinks she needs just one big cake, lol! So, we found one of those, and I'll have to make some pink punch or lemonade or something...preferably with bubbles.

And moving on...I was a bad mommy the other day. Now I'm a bad daughter. My mom's birthday was yesterday, and I forgot to call! But I think I would have remembered if I could have stayed awake past quarter to five! Happy Belated Birthday, Mom! I have your present, and I'm trying to make the kids finish the one they started for Dad...then I can pack them up and mail them together. Maybe even by Columbus Day!

Conversations with Claire

With bonus: "Bad, bad, Mommy!"


It only took 2 days this year to get a call from the school. But it was because of me. I had fallen asleep on the couch after lunch...and about 20 minutes after I was supposed to pick Ethan and Claire up, the school called-of course they wanted me to come get them. lol!

Anyway, I get there and Mr. O had been talking with the kids, and Claire noticed he had this empty iced tea jug thing on his desk and was asking him about it. He told them he had (drunk? drank? dranken? drank up the whole thing? INSERT PROPER WORD/S HERE) the whole thing today.

Claire: That's an awful lot of tea! It's gonna make you have to go to the potty, so don't hold it too long or you'll get a bladder infection!

He was laughing so hard when he told me this...wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall in the Principal's office???

I'm too old for kids!

Well, sadly, since Dean didn't come anywhere near Houston, Dave decided he wanted his kids back, since he finished everything up in Chicago early. So the boys left today. I am wiped out, and my back hurts and the Aleve isn't doing anything to help it! lol! Now, if I can just make it through the weekend, school starts on Monday and I can be home all alone for the first time in over 13 years and enjoy the peace and quiet! : )

Guess what we are doing tonight? We are going to meet Claire's Kindergarten teacher! I don't think there ever was a kid more excited about starting school. This is her teacher's first year teaching...good thing she has Claire to break her in right! lol!

Tomorrow evening we get to meet Ethan's teacher. Found out she just completed her Master's in Education. Good thing too, because she's gonna need it!

As for Allison, her biggest problem right now is finding a cool tote bag. Apparently it's not cool if your mom makes it for you. But it is cool to go to Old Navy and get one just like everyone else's. She is the 'Anti-Me'. lol!

Really cool!

First of all, thanks for the birthday wishes! It was very nice...definitely much better than I had thought it was going to be.

And now, Gayla's sons and a nephew are here with us! Gayla's husband is in Chicago on business and wanted to get the kids out of Houston because of Dean...just in case. His nephew, Mike, has been staying with them since Gayla died to be there during the day and while Dave was gone. So, now they are all up in SA with us, and we've been making plans for the week...it's working out great for us because I don't think Dean's coming to Texas at all and we will have great weather. So, see yall soon!

Only 5, 4, 3, 2...

ONE more shopping day, everyone! While you are out running errands today, don't forget..."Tomorrow is Lauri's birthday!" LOL!


Oh, but Julie Panova, honey, mommie-in-law dearest: I got your little momento in the mail yesterday, and you have really outdone yourself, you c#nt!

To everyone else...please, please, PLEASE pardon my french! I have never said that word in my life, but it just so fits here.

He is soooooooooo lucky!

Last night I thought it would be a good idea to drink a glass of wine with my egg salad sandwich. I don't normally drink wine with egg salad, or even with dinner...I only drink it rarely, and usually that's because I'm at my mom's house and they are having a glass because she made spaghetti for dinner.

I only ended up having 1/2 a glass.

But I'm such a freakin' lightweight that 1/2 a glass was enough to do me in!

Apparently I passed out on my chase somewhere around 3-4pm...right after my sandwich and wine...and didn't wake up until 9:45! Yikes. By then, the kids were in bed and I could hear Steven downstairs putting dishes in the dishwasher. I needed a snack so I tried calling him, because I had been in the same position for those 6-7 hours and could not move at all. I remember calling to him, but he couldn't hear me, and I didn't want to yell too loudly and wake up the little angels. So I thought if I yelled out something funny, that THAT would get his attention...

ME: "Help! I'm your baby mama!"

*That is when I realized I was drunk.

**No response from Steven.**

ME: "HELP! I'm your THREE TIME baby mama!"

He finally came upstairs and (later said) he found me lying there with my arm up in the air like I was waiting for the teacher or someone to call on me. We then decided I needed the Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream that was in the freezer.

Right choice? You decide.

The next thing I remember is that I was in my bed, no longer on my chaise lounge, and I was in the early stages of vomiting. Like, it had made it to my mouth. I immediately sat up trying to stop it, and noticed that if I did end up barfing, it would be all over Steven's neck and face. Somehow or other, I was actually able to choke it back down and it stopped. Then I sat up for the rest of the night.

And THAT, my friends, is how much I love my husband!

My New Philosophy on Life

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming: "Woo Hoo, what a ride!"

A good one, no?

Onto other things:
1) It quit raining and damn it got hot!

2) My children are THE MOST expensive children ever made! And I'm not talking about things like having to have "The" designer clothes, or "Those" shoes. Y'all know me; I don't go for that. I'm talking about just basic living and keeping them alive and healthy expenses. That must have come from Steven's side of the family, because I didn't have these problems.

3) If Claire asks me one more time, "How many days until school starts?", I'm going to scream.

4) Oh, who am I kidding...I'm gonna scream anyway. I am one slammed door away from the psycho ward!

5) Tonight we get to meet McGruff the Crime Dog, and all the kids are gonna be finger printed. Like we'd have to worry. A kidnapper would have them for all of 45 minutes, be driven out of his mind and have his wallet emptied because
something would happen, and drop them off right at our doorstop ASAP! lol!

6) Really, they are not that bad. And one at a time, they are my dream child and I'm living my dream life. But, having all 3 at home and together all the time? Not so much.

7) Oh! Steven has an ulcerated uvula. Does that top a sinus infection?

8) OK-seriously-it's not that bad. And I'm laughing as I type this, so I hope you take it in the way it was intended!

9) Time for me to take a shower. I don't want to smell worse than McGruff the Crime Dog!

When-Your-SpaceBar-Doesn't-Work...

You-just-surf-around-and-make-stuff-like-this:

Ummm...HELLO?!? People who work at TNT!

The people who watch TNT during the day are probably people like me: Moms who are home with or without their kids, love 'Law & Order', and absolutely, positively cannot stand Soap Operas! So WHY ON EARTH are you suddenly programming freaking GOLF TOURNAMENTS during our Prime Time hours???

We can't stand Golf Tournaments, either! Besides, there is the Golf Channel just for that specific reason! To show golf. All the time. Twenty-four seven. All golf, all the time. Not to mention ESPN and ESPN 2. Plus Channel 26 (on my TV) that, I have no idea what it is, but it always has sports on. Mostly basketball, but, seeing as how the San Antonio Spurs have just recently reclaimed their title of World Champions of Basketball and are entitled to a little time off, probably wouldn't mind sitting down and watching a golf tournament themselves. So use Channel 26 even! Use all 4, PLUS interrupt the SOAP OPERAS for Christsakes! They provide nothing valuable to the community at all. At least we can learn some scientific stuff with 'Law & Order'.

Or...at the very least...couldn't you please, PLEASE wait until 'Charmed' is scheduled? Then interrupt all you want, by all means!

Please, please TNT...I beg of you down on my knees...bring back my 'Law & Order'. Otherwise I'm just forced into doing things like laundry and cleaning bathrooms and mopping the kitchen...and I've really had enough of that.

It's quiet again!

Aaaaaahhh! The girls are having their turn with Nana and Pop, so it's just me and Ethan here during the day. Life is so quiet with less than 3 children!

I'm going to spend this time trying to catch up on all the little projects I have going...a purse for a swap, curtains and things for my new studio, some little embroidery things for the laundry room.

Yes, I am going to decorate the laundry room! That poor room always gets neglected so I'm going to spruce it up a bit to be like the rest of the house. Steven painted it my yellow color (Sherwin-Wiliams Buttery) and added a big, tall cabinet. And, just because we don't have enough other things we need to spend money on, the old washer and dryer were dying a slow, painful death; so we put them out of their misery and got new ones. So now I'm doing a series of little vintagey looking embroidery patterns...the ones with little kitties, ducks and even elephants doing chores, specifically laundry. I also need to make curtains for the laundry room. I have the fabric-a laundry related pattern-but that's gonna take some thought...meaning math...with all the measurements and a thing to put the rod through and all that. So of course, I've been procrastinating. However I didn't waste any time in taking down the old curtains and using them in a crazy quilting project! lol! They were just the PERFECT colors!

Speaking of crazy quilting...it's something I've been wanting to really learn how...

*BREAKING NEWS***THIS JUST IN*
A few minutes ago I sent Steven an email about what I wanted for my birthday. It is something I found that is in the 'calamitykim' shop at Etsy. I think he found it, because I just got the little thing that pops up to let you know you have a new email, and it's to Steven's account and it's titled "Receipt for your payment for item # blahblahblahlongstringofnumbers". hee-hee!

*Back to our regularly scheduled programming...
Speaking of crazy quilting...it's something I've been wanting to really learn how to do for a long time, and I took a class on Saturday about it, with the GREATEST SEWING TEACHER EVER! I've taken lots of quilting and sewing classes so I know. This woman was great! Her name is Bobbie, and I took the class at Quilter's Point. The class was full of a great group of women, which is normal, but usually the teacher has no sense of humor what-so-ever. But Bobbie is a HOOT! A few of the ladies were super funny...LEAH..."hold me closer Tony Danza"...and I was cracking up all day long-which is something I really needed! I'm still laughing right now. And Bobbie was wonderful, and patient and kind! By the end of the class everyone was at a different stage, and she didn't even care. She just went around the room checking on everyone individually and helping with whatever they needed at the time. It was just great all the way around.

When the class was over I went out to sign up for another class she is doing, but she said she didn't want me to "waste my money on that class and not get anything out of it" because she said I already knew everything. She has another one though, in a couple of weeks that I asked about, and she said that one would be good for me because I would learn some new things. So, I'm going to take that one.

So this should have you all up to date with what's going on around here. Ethan and I are just gonna chill out this week, and he is going to let me work on things, right??? Maybe I can bribe him with the 'Harry Potter' movie....