Peace out

I'm off, y'all. ATL is my home base for the next 5. Not bringing the laptop wit me, just chillin.
Martha, I'll hit yo tag another day.

Peace out.

(See? Tragically suburban and still hip! How does she do it?)

Never going to be a morning person

OK, I don't really get this whole "morning person" vs. "night owl" thing. See, I've never been a morning person, but as I get older the "night owl" has also vanished from my personality. How can that be? Is there a classification called, "Really more middle of the day, even better with a nap" kind of person?

I got up this morning, and it's my day to drive the carpool to the tech center. (You know, in lieu of a private school, or moving to the area in question) I was REALLY sleepy, so I hopped in the shower hoping it would wake me up. It didn't, really, but at least the shower was out of the way.

Problem is, I'm so used to taking my shower later in the morning (or early afternoon - as those of you who know me are going to shout is the real truth), now I keep looking at the clock thinking, "I have got to shower before DH gets home." Then it hits me, I've already showered.

Early onset Alzheimer's, or just 42 and confused?

Anyway, the moral of the story is that it never pays to get going too early in the morning. It just throws off the entire day.

Anybody score World Series Tickets?

BESIDES MY BROTHER, that is??!!!!!!

Sister, Sister, Brother, and myself agreed to go in on tickets so that my dad could go to see his Rockies play in their first world series... IF one of us could score the tickets. Thanks to my brother my dad is going to the World Series for the first time in his 81 years - and he has been a faithful Rockies fan since their inception.

My brother and dad will be at the Sunday game (game 4?). They have two tickets in a suite. How cool is that? AND, since they got the tickets at face value, it isn't even like the 4 of us kids have to come up with a fortune.

My brother? ROCKS!!!

Update on the Ebay thing....

OK, my 4 items sold for a grand total of: $90.89 (not including shipping)

Think I should print a copy of each sale out and deliver them personally to the ebay store near here who wouldn't sell my stuff for me because they thought it wouldn't sell?

(insert evil laugh here)

Pardon me while I rant

To the Parents of the filthy little street urchins children who come in contact with my daughters on a daily basis,

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for being the cause of an upsurge of family togetherness we here at the Morrison household have recently experienced. However, family time for us is usually more enjoyable when one or more of us is not moaning in discomfort on the couch, or afraid to leave the bathroom for fear of not being able to get back there quickly enough.

My DD1 has now got strep and coxsackievirus (which has resulted in herpangina and high fever). Of course, coxsackievirus is VERY contagious, so my DD2 gets to share in the fun. Hers has manifested itself in herpangina, a high fever, and hemorrhagic conjunctivitis. (If your response was "ewwwww", you hit the nail on the head.) Now, this in itself might not sound that awful to you - as a single sickness doesn't really interrupt one's life for more than about a week. However, your viral carrying unwashed offspring kids have given my kids several viruses and or bacterial infections in the last few weeks, which has resulted in my being sick for 6 weeks, and has cost us upwards of $75 in doctors' office visit co-pays, and $40 in prescription costs to alleviate either the nasty bacteria or horrific viral symptoms such as not sleeping for 4 days because DD1 couldn't lie down and still remain breathing at the same time.

I am working with my children to wash their hand whenever possible. I insist that their teachers keep hand sanitizer in a handy location and mention it's use several times a day. But you know what I do that y'all don't seem to understand? I KEEP MY KIDS HOME WHEN THEY ARE SICK because I know that kids are kids - and don't wash their hands often enough if an adult isn't right there to remind them to do so. I do not let them go to school with a fever. I do not let them go to dance class when nose and eyes are running uncontrollably. I do not let them play soccer when I know the running will cause them to start coughing uncontrollably (again) in to the faces of the other players.

Please, for my sanity if nothing else, stop infecting my family. Because I? Am QUEEN of revenge...and no one is capable of spreading germs like a secretious 4 year old! (Which, as luck would have it, I happen to have!)

Consider yourselves warned.

Ebay

Those of you who know me know that I love Ebay. LOVE IT! I have bought lots of stuff – books, kids clothing, toys, house wares, etc., and I could spend hours searching for obscure things that are for sale. I am highly amused by ebay, and think it is a wonderful invention.

That said; I am a person who (even though I buy from ebay) should NEVER sell things on ebay.

Why?

Because I become a woman obsessed.

I obsess over how many people have viewed my items. Are the pictures still showing as well as they did yesterday? Why aren’t they bidding on my stuff yet? Don’t they know that there are only 6 days left on the auction and this is PRIME STUFF? Stop “watching” my product and JUST BID ALREADY!!!

Now, I may be overly a bit hypocritical. I myself own what is known as sniping software. (You enter all the information and the software goes in at the last 15 seconds of the auction to bid for you.) Some people think this is cheating. I don’t. Auctions are competition, and it’s not like they’re doing random tests on the winners to see if they used power bid enhancing substances. (Which in reality would be what? Coffee?) It levels the playing field for those of us who cannot spend those last 10 minutes of each and every auction they enter to bid over and over again in hopes of winning. Also, because I tend to get a little caught up in the Auction Action, I find that I overbid if I don’t use my snipe software to control my top bid amounts.

But should other people use this? Maybe… but not on my stuff! I want to see bids out there. I want the excitement of watching my shower curtain (new in package) fly past $4.00 to $5.95 that first day!

Stop me before I sell again!

You’d think I’d have a fighting chance once in a while

I’m getting closer to being 43 years old than I like to admit, and have had at least 2 colds every year of my life since birth. Probably twice that, actually. Now, as I understand viruses, once you have them you develop immunities towards that specific viral strain. Yes?

My daughters have YET to bring home a virus to which I am immune. Have all the colds I experienced as a child left the country? Do they live in Estonia now, infecting 40 year olds there, while their germs are now around this side of the globe? Will that particularly harsh cold I had when I was 9 head back this way to torture my children in their 50’s?

I realize that there are literally thousands of different types of viruses out there, what with mutating being such a popular viral Olympic sport. But come on! NOT ONE that I’ve already had has been around in the past 7½ years?

These upper respiratory germ killers that I have been cultivating for my entire life? Useless. Absolutely useless. Every time one of my kids starts to get stuffy, it’s only a matter of time before I’m right there with them.

Cough cough.

Snuffle.

AAAAUUGGGGGHHHHHHH.

From Antique Mommys blog

"So I ask you, if you were ridiculously wealthy, what is that one (just one) extravagant thing you would have?"


Dodi's response: A live in maid / cook. (She / He can live in the toy room!)

And you? What would your extravagant thing be?

The Fundraisers start early in Cherry Creek!

DD2 is doing a preschool fund raiser? Who knew about these? Have preschools in CC always done fundraising?





Anyway, at least it's a good one. It's........ (drum roll please)............

BUTTER BRAIDS!

Butter Braids are so yummy and gooey and delicious. The perfect treat when you have the neighbors over for coffee. Also, the holidays are coming up - nothing impresses a mother-in-law more than a freshly baked pastry for breakfast or brunch. How about a new Thanksgiving dessert tradition? Hey, maybe you could try leaving something original for Santa this year? The possibilities are endless!

Anyone need to stock up? I could mail to Aussie, but they'll probably thaw and spoil on the way! (Plus, I don't think they make a Vegemite Butter Braid!) I think I have a week or two to take orders. I'll even have DD2 bring the order form around to you for signing.



Big Love!

Do you read The QC Report?

OK, if you have children and they have ever been sick you MUST read this blog entry on the QC Report.

She is a wonderful writer! This post had me laughing out loud.

Say Goodbye to my little G rating!

OK, this? Probably the funniest thing I've seen in a while. (My comedic sense is obviously VERY upper class and refined!) Look closely. It took me a second to figure it out. (My dh? Got it immediately!)

Spamalot

OK, I'm sorry Mrs. Nielson... I loved it. LOVED.

It was so darn clever, and I laughed so hard. It was like a two tiered plot, in that they told the Monty Python Holy Grail story, with all the wonderful whimsy and british humor you expect - but they also wove in satirical references to other big musical productions and they seemed to totally fit in to the chaos that is Monty Python. It was fresh - and I didn't think that was going to be possible. I was delighted, and DH even liked it. (He's not much of a theatre guy.)

I would see it again in a heartbeat - because I think I was laughing so hard in spots that I missed some really great stuff.

I really wanted to get the soundtrack and the killer bunny slippers - but we're on a budget. Damn!

Hopefully she'll recover from the shock

DD1 loves banana chocolate chip muffins. Love may not be a strong enough word.

I had some aging bananas on the counter, and after she went to bed the other night I thought, “hmmm, I’ll bet she’d love it if I surprised her with banana chocolate chip muffins in the morning.” (DH is out of town, so I don’t have anyone to talk me out of it.) So I start down the list of muffin ingredients. Flour, sugar, vanilla, and eggs. Those are a given. We always have those. And baking soda, another staple. Butter? We’re out. We do have some Crisco though, so that’ll work… and what is that behind the Crisco? Brown sugar, and it’s soft!. Rock on! Mashed bananas? My bananas are getting so old they’ve practically mashed themselves. Why don’t I bake more? I seem to have all the ingredients. Chocolate chips? Well, hey look at that – right there in the pantry of doom. Who’d of thought? Baking powder. Oh. Problem. Can’t I just use more baking soda? Suppose they probably wouldn’t have listed it separately if it didn’t really matter. The odds of me having baking powder? Not great. I’m just going to rummage in the cupboard above the stove… HEY! I have Baking Powder! And it’s in a can that has never even been opened.

The Gods are smiling down on the Morrison household – all the ingredients are here in my house. I would have never believed it, I can actually bake something without making a special trip to the store. Now, some of you may take things like this for granted… but some of you don’t live in my world. My world is never so simple.

I bake up the muffins.

They turn out perfectly. (Another thing that wasn’t a foregone conclusion!)

DD1 wakes up in the morning and is totally thrilled by her breakfast surprise. (DD2 hates muffins on general principal, which is weird for her since they are composed of refined carbohydrates. Her main food group.)

DD1: “Mom, I didn’t even see you buying muffin mix at the store.”
Me: “I didn’t have to. I actually baked them from scratch.”
DD1: “No, these are good.”
Me: “Thank you. I really did make them myself.”
DD1: “Well, it’s good. You need to get some more of that muffin mix.”

Martha Stewart? No.
Me? Yes. And even I can make some darn good muffins if I just stop to look around the kitchen once in a while.

Need my neighbors help

Been a while since you've had a family portrait done? Here's the deal: I need portfolio material, and I'd need permission to use your portraits on a website next year. If you'd like me to shoot a family portrait for your Christmas cards this year, I'd love to. No charge, but you'd have to pay for the cards yourself! I will give you the pictures (retouched to your liking, as in I can make you younger or thinner if you are in to that kind of thing - like I am!) to you on a CD, and recommend a company to do the photo cards for you, or you can do the Safeway or Walgreen's photo cards. I will shoot in any location you choose - but if you want a shot in the mountains you'll have to let me ride up with you. I know where a few locations are that might be neat here in town.

Seriously, I really need you guys. I can either do photos of the entire family, just kids, or just individual shots of kids and create a collage for you. Let me know if you are interested and we'll come up with something that is perfect for your family.

Come on, it'll be so fun! Help a sister (wife) out! Tell your friends that don't read my blog (so, that means tell everyone, because almost nobody reads my blog!). My goal is 10 finished portraits for card use, or you could print and frame them to give as gifts if you like, I can have them professionally printed for you at cost.

Enough begging yet?

Maybe I'll let her grow up just a little bit...

DD2 has been bugging me to cut her hair "short" ever since her sister got her hair bobbed earlier this summer. I really thought it would pass if I could just get her in to preschool and she could see the other little girls with longer hair.

Know what? It didn't pass. Every day she would ask me, "Can I get my hair cut short today?"

Every. Single. Day.

So, on Monday I surprised her. "Can I get my hair cut short today?" "Yep! You have an appointment at Lollilocks at 11:10."

She was THRILLED. Smiled the entire time she was getting her hair cut, as I quietly wept inside my head - a little harder each time one of her baby curls hit the ground.

So now, I present to you the NEW and IMPROVED DD2! (Of course, just like any hair cut, I'll never be able to get it to look like this again!)

If you're looking for some good blog reading

I found a new blog that I am loving going through and reading. She is a wonderful writer, and her posts - for the most part - speak to me. I laugh out loud a lot, and sometimes she has brought me to tears. If you have time on your hands, and are one who likes to find a good blog and like reading through their older posts I highly recomment Antique Mommy.

She seems like a girlfriend. She has the soul of a true "sisterwife". (You Big Love fans know what I mean by that.) Trust me, Lois isn't easily moved by others!

The Meanest Practical Joke

http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1774718

(Forgive me, but my blog will not let me embed this video. Probably nothing I'm doing wrong with the Html... that just wouldn't make any sense!)

Anyway, this is the best practical joke I've ever seen. So very mean and truly clever.

God, I wish I had thought of this first!! Sure, he'll probably burn in hell - but it would almost be worth it.

(There goes my karma alarm again. Dang, if I could only manage to be nice for two days running my karma would be in a lot better shape!)

All Ages Admited

Apparently it is now OK to expose any one of any age to the words "nude", "bitches", and "f**k", because my blog got a G rating.
Also OK? Governmental Conspiracy Theories and the knowledge that Santa isn't real.
Feel free to let your emergent reader have a go - I'm G Rated!

I think I like her better in prairie skirts and high collars

What I don't have? Is Big Love for this outfit. Just sayin. Thats all.

A strange thing happened on the way to the land of Nod…

Background: When daughters get tucked in at night, we snuggle for two songs. During the first song, they can talk to me and ask any questions or voice any concerns they might need to get off their mind before sleeping. (As they are 7 and 4 we’ve yet to encounter something that could not be answered in the space of a couple of minutes – at least enough of an answer to give then enough peace to sleep.) Now, on to my entry.

I’m tucking in the girls last night, and have a brain full of cold medicine, so maybe this incident isn’t as weighty as I happen to think?

DD1 always gets her snuggles second. (Just because, that’s why.) During her first song she turns away from me and states, “I just feel like something bad is about to happen.” I’m intrigued. “Like what? Soccer won’t be fun? You might have a bad dream? You might not like lunch tomorrow?” “No,” replies DD1, “Like someone bad wants to take over the whole world.” Oh. Don’t I feel foolish? “Well, honey, I don’t think anyone really wants to take over the WHOLE world.” DD1, “Why not?” Me, “Umm, well, I find taking care of a family of 4 to be somewhat overwhelming – I can’t imaging being responsible for 5 billion people.” I smile, so she knows I’m being silly – and usually this just makes her smile too and we’re done. Not tonight. DD1 then asks, “Mom, what is a puppet master?” (Wha? Where exactly is this going?) Me, “Remember when we saw ‘The Sound of Music’, and they put on the puppet show for the dad? The people who were making the puppets dance were the puppet masters.” (thinking to myself: Is this even remotely correct?) Daughter, “You mean those puppets with strings? What are those?” Me, “Marionettes.” Daughter, “How do the puppet masters know how to make them dance?” Me, “I imagine it takes a lot of practice.” Daughter: “Maybe we’re the puppets with strings. What are they again?” Me, “Marionettes. And, no… we’re not someone’s marionettes. There are no strings on our arms and we possess free will.” (Running through my head: Please don’t ask me about free will. Please don’t ask me about fee will….) Daughter: “If we were they could make us fly. They could make us do anything.”

From the other bed pipes up DD2, “God runs the whole world. He created it.”

DD1, “Oh, right. Good night mom.”

Is my daughter, at age 7, really starting to fear governmental conspiracy theories? Or is that the cold medicine reasoning for me?

This? Is why you cannot do drugs when you’re a parent. I suppose I always knew that – but who knew that Alka Seltzer Plus could skew your perceptions so drastically?

And, lastly, I think I’m going to let DD2 run the Q & A from now on. She seems surprisingly insightful!

8 things meme

I've seen this before on random blogs - but I saw it on a blog today where the person had made one change. List 8 things about yourself, but make one of them untrue. Let's see if you can guess which is untrue!

8. I have over 40 first cousins

7. I have an art degree

6. I speak passable French

5. In college, pledges of our sorority were afraid of me.

4. I love historical fiction

3. My husband and I were married on a Friday

2. There are no nude pictures of me

1. my favorite flower is a lily

So.... how well do you really know me? I'm going to email my 4 friends now and issue the same challenge to them. (Ok, I have a few more than 4 friends... but only 4 that blog. That I know of.)

Are you ever too young for MP3 technology?

OK, let me start this entry by giving you some background. DD1 was brought up on music such as "The Wiggles", "Greg and Steve", "Raffi", "Sesame Street", etc. until she was well past the age of 5. Then, because she was outgrowing the preschool stuff, I let her listen to Radio Disney once in a while... but still playing the preschool stuff most of the time because I figured DD2 deserved the same excellence in parenting that DD1 had. Monitor what they hear and see - and hopefully it will do some good. (Not that I didn't let them watch Shrek, or anything pg... but you get the idea.)

Guess what happened? DD2 decided along with DD1 that the preschool songs bit the big one, and only wanted the more modern Disney exposure. (Hillary, High School Musical, Hannah, you know - the TWEEN music.) So much for protecting DD2's right to excellent parenting - - she is now very put out if we pop in "The Wiggles", and it's much easier to drive without the tantrums that withholding Radio Disney causes.

I got Husband an IPod for Christmas last year. He had a small MP3 player before that, so he LOVED the 30gigs that the IPod provided. Music, movies, etc. Managing his music inventory is now a hobby of his. This left the old MP3 player not being used. Cue DD1 entering second grade - and us thinking it might be fun for her to have the MP3 player loaded with the tween music that she loves. Maybe I can steer DD2 back the way I want her to go.

(You see where this is going, yes?)

DD2 will NOT be steered back to preschool music.

NOT. INTERESTED. Thank. You.

Now she screams that sister has something so very cool of her very own - and by saying "she screams" you should read that as: "a high pitched noise capable of shattering glass is escaping from her lungs and my ears are starting to bleed."

So, I have an idea. I will not get her her OWN mp3 player... but I will lend her mine. Filled with music that is acceptable - even some Aly and AJ.

She is in heaven. DD1 is OK because her mp3 is hers, and DD2's is only borrowed from Mom. DD2 is in heaven because she thinks now she is just as hip as big sister. Mom is in heaven because my ears have stopped bleeding. Dad is suspicious that Mom gave in to DD2 at too early of an age, and that we should have waited until she was a bit older.

He's probably right. But there is only really so much screaming I can listen to before I'm going to have to up my prozac dosage - - and do any of us really want that?

It is true, the second child has a much more "relaxed" upbringing.

First child: rigid nap schedule, gymboree classes, all new outfits at just the right age, fully monitored visual and audio input.
Second child: They nap around older sister's schedule, we pay attention to them during sister's ballet classes instead of taking them to gymboree class, they wear the hand-me-down when they fit... hopefully it's the correct season, and they pretty much get to watch and listen to what big sister watches and listens to.

It is probably a good thing Husband and I stopped at two children. If this were to continue I can only imagine that the fourth or fifth child would have had their ears pierced in utero, would have known all the words to, "It's the best of both worlds" instead of "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star", and instead of "Baby Einstein" she would watch "High School Musical" in her bouncy seat. And I probably wouldn't be sitting next to her talking about the colors and music. I'd be screaming for DD1 to get in to the family room and watch the baby.

I personally am the youngest of six children.

I? Could have been raised by aliens and my parents wouldn't have minded.

I Predict

My friend sent me an email that we were supposed to fill in with our answer and then pass it on. Well, most of my friends (all what? 4 friends that I have?) usually hate to get these kinds of emails - and I do too. So, I thought I'd blog it. If you want to also blog it - the more the merrier.

What is it that you predict?

Seems like a broad question doesn't it? Well, my friend predicted that shoulder pads would be back in within 5 years. So, I guess they're not looking for something really deep and meaningful here... so I predict:

Stainless Steel Appliances are on their way out, in favor of newer more innovative metal finishes. Dark Bronze, Brushed nickel, etc. I think stainless has gone as far as it's going to go - and will go the way of avocado green in that it will say "early 21st century" like pink said "50's" and avocado green said "70's" Granite is also going - but will never disappear. Quartz is the big up and coming popular counter top treatment. Polished concrete may also become popular.

Not that any of this should mean anything to you. I hardly have a decorating degree, or great taste for that matter. It's just what "I predict..."

That's all. You can get back to your life now, and thanks for stopping by.

Big Love,
Dodi

Lois and the Back to School Supplies

Tomorrow is DD1's first day of second grade! Holy cow, I am not ready for that! Emotionally, that is. Physically we have everything we need to get her off and running - - but that wasn't the case earlier today. Let's backtrack, shall we?

Friday night was the family back to school picnic. (Yea!) Got to meet her teacher. (Yea!) Heard all about the curriculum. (Yea!) Saw old friends. (Yea!) Went to pick up "The Box" that I had ordered last spring. (Boo!) Why Boo? BECAUSE IT WASN'T THERE! Now, if you don't know what "the box" is, it's the magical box of all the correct school supplies that the PTCO organizes for us every spring for the following fall. It has everything, and it's at a very good price - so this year I was going with "The Box." Everyone always raves about how "the box" had saved them time and how "the box" was so easy. I was looking forward to it - I had even throw away the supply list that was mailed to me... confidant that "The Box" was going to be waiting for us on Friday night.

My packet of information was there. No Box.

Track down the PTCO lady who is in charge of organizing "The Box" shipments. I am not on the spreadsheet, so no box was ordered. She asks me if my payment has gone through. Ummm, well, see I'm not normally that attentive to the mastercard statements. I glance to see if the charges all look like something we might have actually charged - but I don't really download the specifics to my brain. So I can't tell her the answer. She gives me the big "eye roll" (and I assume this is the same eye roll taught to ALL PTCO members nationwide, so I'm sure you've seen it if you've had to deal with them at all), and says, "Then I'm not sure there is anything we can do for you, but I'm looking for someone to take over this position - and if you think it could use improving you're more than welcome to have the job." Excuse me? I wasn't even my usual patronizing self - I was being polite and she gave me the eye roll and "the speech". (Now, I'm plenty familiar with "the speech", having been on pool committee for a number of years I've been know to give "the speech" a time or two... but only when truly warranted... usually.)

Now, I'm pissed off. I look at her and reply, "Actually, I don't see myself as a PTCO member in that capacity. I'm more of a people person." But, truthfully, its not really her that has me all po'd... it's the fact that the weekend before school starts I have to begin my search for school supplies. Crap! You know all the good stuff is gone - and that I'm going to have to visit 3 stores to get everything on the list because Walmart is sure to have only half the stuff, while Target will have about a third, and Office Max will be my expensive last resort "go to" for the missing supplies. AND, don't bother shopping in the part of town that is closest to my house - because school started here over a month ago, and the stores are now on to Halloween with BACK TO SCHOOL dwindled to one crummy isle next to the clearance summer toys.

But we managed to get her supplies. All of them. For only about $5.oo more than the box would have cost me if they had actually not lost my form.

Next year, I'm finding out who "The Box" mom is, and I'm handing her my form in person. AND, I'm never going to volunteer for that position because they weren't nice to me.

That'll show em! You don't eye roll the master and get away with it!

P.S. For those of you who watch Big Love on HBO... I took the sister wife quiz and the wife I'm most like is Lois. LOIS! And, those PTCO bitches better know that you don't f**k with LOIS! I'll throw a can of peas at their heads!

Am I anti-social?

I have been so very out of touch lately it's weird. I'm one to withdraw anyway, when I get anxious or feel overwhelmed. But when I spoke to my friend MM this morning I realized that I haven't really been "in contact" with any of my close friends in, like, a month or more. When did I turn in to this really anti-social character? I, admittedly, have a problem in that I like to "cocoon" in my house. I literally never get cabin fever, can go days without leaving our house/backyard. Blizzards? Don't really bother me - unless there are no chocolate chip cookie fixins... then we have a problem! But, even in periods where I am not really out and about so much, I manage to keep in contact with my friends. Email and the phone.

I suppose it is good that school is starting. This will force me to deal with others on a daily basis again - it's too easy for me to just fall off the face of the earth.

Shouldn't that bother me? That I'm OK without "non family" human contact for a month? Sure, I read blogs and leave comments - but that really isn't the same as spending time with people. Am I an example of what is going to become of us as our lives get even more technologically involved? Remember those sci-fi scenarios where people were contained in their pods and lived through their computers? Is that me in a few years? Will I be one of those freaky hermit people? Like, Howard Hughes - but without the wealth to back up my description of being merely "eccentric"?

Hmmm. I'll let you know if and when I lose the desire to shower. Y'all know how important my hair is to me. When that goes then it will be time to call the men in the white coats!!

(OK, it's not like I'm agoraphobic or anything, just really lazy sometimes!)

How much do I love our new camera???

OH MY GOD, it's awesome! Haven't had much chance to play with my new Photoshop CS3 yet... but I can't wait!

The best thing about a digital SLR? NO shutter lag like a normal digital camera. Love. Love. Love. Mrs. Nielson, you were so right!

The Storm last night

Last night we had a gorgeous storm. Beautiful lightening, crashing thunder, pouring rain. Our new roof is working perfectly, so I love the rain again. What ruined this magical experience for me? Our boxer panting in my left ear for the entire storm. He hates lightening and thunder… so he took me down right with him.

This was a horrible experience on so many levels! He devastated the cozy feeling that I get from being safe inside while nature goes crazy outside, dog breath does little to relax me, and the ghastly repetitious panting noise was enough to drive me crazy.

For future reference, how much Benedryl can you safely give a 70 pound dog?

(Is that bad?)

Post that goes with picture below

Highlights of our Family Getaway

We were in cabins. Lovely little cabins with running water (hot and cold), indoor plumbing, and we didn’t have to sleep on the ground.

The horses that live on the property came to our door every morning to see if we had any carrots or apples we weren’t planning on eating. The girls were squee with excitement over this!

Our friends, J.S. and A.S. and their children were so much fun to hang out with I completely forgot I hate the out-of-doors! (Well, the wilderness out-of-doors anyway… I’m all for the neighborhood pool out-of-doors)

DD1 got completely soaked and muddy playing in the stream with our hosts daughter on our first afternoon and was darling in her happiness. She also likes to fish with her Daddy, and while DD2 isn’t ready for stream fishing yet she does like to pick wildflowers for her mom. DD1 and her dad finished a 5 mile hike together, and were muddy and laughing upon their return.

DD2 will go on a "nature walk" to pick wildflowers for mommy... but will NOT go on a "hike". It can be the exact same area that is being covered, but you must call it a walk, not a hike. Go figure.

Side trip to Pagosa Springs was wonderful. Our friends daughter had been on the TV show “What Not To Wear” earlier this year so we got to watch a DVD of her show. It was very funny to see. Also, my friend S.Mc. took me on a great tour of the town in her convertible BMW. Top down, beautiful summer day, charming mountain town… the only way to tour.

DD1 saying to my friend S.Mc. as she sprayed “White Diamonds” perfume, “Hey! I know what that smell reminds me of!! OFF BUG SPRAY!” (God, you have to love their innocence, don’t you?)

I can do without any more excessive time in the car this summer. Two long car trips are plenty. But, as usual, the girls were great travelers and it was great to get away from the stress of everyday life. Although, coming home to everyday life was fantastic (especially since my new Harry Potter was waiting on my kitchen table for me)… and to quote a more famous Dorothy: “There’s No Place Like Home!”

(Note: my real name is Dorothy. Just in case you didn’t already know that. It’s not something I advertise!)

Mountains Summer 2007

Mountains Summer 2007, originally uploaded by anniesmum.

Off to camp!

....and by "camp" I don't mean the kind where mom and dad send the kids off for 10-14 days of wilderness experience while we stay at home having romantic dinners and such. Oh no. We are going camping as a family adventure. (Because, and those of you who know me can vouch for me here, I am ALL ABOUT the outdoors! Not.) I'm talking about the kind of camping where we go without showers for 4 days, have a wee bit of suspicious "crunchy" in our food (which really bother me in the eggs, but not as much in the burgers. Go figure.), and instead of perfume we all smell like bug spray for the entire outing.

At least husband will be doing the cooking. He fancies himself as quite the camper / fisherman.

We will be in cabins, so this is a plus. However, the cabins have mice, which is a minus. But the mice are pretty cute, plus. They only come out at night, neutral. They are noisy at night, minus. The cabins are charming, plus. They have electricity and running water, plus. We are going with a family that I really really like, plus.

We haven't been camping in two years. The girls are two years older, and should be easier this time, right?

I'll let you know.

We'll be back next Thursday. (We're taking a little side trip to see friends in the mountains after the camping trip... which explains the extra days.)

Have a great weekend. I'll be thinking of you all taking showers and staying clean. (And, believe me, some of you come off better in this mental picture than others!)

Adventures await us! Let's fish!