Kimmee's Project365 2009

Day 171: Happy Camper?

2009-06-20T22:58:00.000-07:00

We took Jon camping as part of his Father's Day gift. It IS a gift, since I'm not much of an outdoorsy girl. Too many bugs for my comfort! For our first trip in the new-to-us pop-up camper, we chose a state park about 30 minutes away so if we forgot something it wouldn't be a strain to get it. That was a good choice, because Saturday turned out to be the hottest day of the year so far, and we ended up coming home for a few hours to swim in the pool, then going back to the campsite. The little girls had a fun time even though we forgot to bring their scooters. Here they are by the sign for a short little hike we took.

Day 170: Water, Water Everywhere!

2009-06-19T22:54:00.000-07:00

This afternoon I went outside to clean the cooler in preparation for our camping trip and couldn't get much water pressure in the hose. When I looked behind me at the road it was easy to see why. A water main broke outside our subdivision and we had several inches of standing water in the road! It took several hours to fix but by then we were gone camping. I did hear that some of my neighbors had water damage inside their homes caused by water shooting up through washing machines and dishwashers.

Day 169: Fit for a Princess!

2009-06-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

When we were at Disney World, Quinn admired the hairdos she saw on little girls who had visited the Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Bootique. She asked me if I could make her hair look like that, so I gave it my best shot. Her hair is so short that I couldn't put it on top of her head like the ones we'd seen, but it was still very cute in the back. Just add a tiny tiara and she's ready to go!

Day 101: Houseguests, the Human Kind This Time

2009-04-11T18:41:00.000-07:00

We have some more Adams at our house for a visit. Jon's brother and his family are here for a few days and we are having a great time. We don't get to see each other often enough since they live in Wisconsin, about 14 hours away. Jon and his brother Ed give me great hope for my girls. If Jon and Ed can fight the way they say they did when they were kids, yet grow up to be so close, I can hold out hope that Karis and Quinn will one day be friends. Here's Ed checking out the Wii. I like to say I married the younger and better looking brother. Love ya, Ed!

Day 100: Hannah Montana!

2009-04-10T18:38:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! The new Hannah Montana movie opened today! I took the girls to see it this afternoon and yes, I am not ashamed to admit that I LIKED it! Something about the whole phenomenon reminds me of being a kid and it feels good. After the movie I asked Karis and Harper to rate it on a scale of 1-10. Karis said 100. Harper said "infinity". I think they liked it too. :-)

Day 99: Backyard Egg Hunt

2009-04-09T18:34:00.000-07:00

Out of the kindness of her heart, Dana used her own money to buy candy and stuff some plastic eggs for Karis, Harper and Quinn to find. We hid them then let the girls loose to look for them. Unfortunately it didn't turn out to be the fun experience we had hoped for. Maybe they were tired or hungry or overexcited, but there was a lot of whining and complaining about who found the most and who didn't like the candy in the eggs, etc. Not much fun for anybody, especially the sister who bought all the candy. :-( Here's Karis before the whinestorm broke.

Day 98: More Gardening

2009-04-08T18:30:00.000-07:00

I probably got ahead of myself by planting my "garden" last weekend. I did take a shortcut by buying a tomato plant with not only blooms on it, but actual green tomatoes. Yeah baby! I'll be eating fresh tomatoes very very soon. Now the bad news is that you may notice this picture is taken indoor. That's because there is a freeze warning tonight. In fact all my plants are hiding out in the breakfast area for tonight.

Day 97: Another Houseguest

2009-04-07T18:26:00.000-07:00

Would you believe that we have yet another feline houseguest? Dana's boyfriend James recently moved back to Ohio to finish his education but he couldn't take his cat with him, so she's staying with us for a year or so. She's a sweet kitty and likes to have her tummy scratched, kind of like a dog. You can pet her head and she'll roll over for you to scratch her belly. Funny little thing. Dana named her Zarah although I'm campaigning for another name. I'm not winning at the moment.

Day 96: Esther

2009-04-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

We (as in the women of my church) started a new Bible study today. I'm almost embarrassed to admit that I have never done a whole Beth Moore study, at least not a whole one. I'm excited to get into this one because I've seen Beth Moore on video and she is hilarious! And Esther is a book that I haven't really ever read so it will be interesting to dig into it and see what's there.

Day 95: Garden Oddity

2009-04-05T18:19:00.000-07:00

I first noticed this tulip last year. We have a clump of them in our landscaping beside the house but this one seems to have separated from the pack and migrated into a shrub. It's lovely, sticking its little head out of the shrubbery, isn't it?

Day 94: Egg Drop

2009-04-04T18:14:00.000-07:00

LifeSong Church, where we belong, has a tendency to push the envelope on what might be considered "traditional" church activities. Our Easter Egg hunt today was no exception. In addition to hiding the eggs on the church lawn, we had a ultralight aircraft fly over and drop a bunch of little eggs with tiny parachutes attached. Sadly, the pilot overshot the target and most of them ended up in the woods. It was a memorable sight though! This is a picture I took of Q reaching for Dana's hand. I don't know what it is about the photo that I like, but I just love it.

Day 93: Going to See Big Eddie

2009-04-03T18:11:00.000-07:00

Day trip! Today we headed down to Columbia to the EdVenture museum. The centerpiece of EdVenture is a huge structure made to look like a boy, and his name is Eddie. Quinn is scared of him but Karis loves to climb inside him and check out his brain, heart and stomach. We spent the most time in the music room where kids can compose and play back their own piano pieces. I took this one of Karis so that when she gets famous one day I can prove that I knew her "when".

Day 92: The Big Gray Rat

2009-04-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

That's what Dana calls Chuck E. Cheese. We dropped some $$ at CEC this afternoon in an effort to keep the girls occupied. Spring Break sounds like a nice idea but by day 3 or 4 they are starting to get bored with each other. This is Karis enjoying the virtual roller coaster there, but her very favorite thing was getting the fake ID cards that identified her as a cheerleader, CSI agent, actress, etc. We have quite a collection!

Day 91: Told You I'd Do It!

2009-04-01T21:25:00.000-07:00

If you think I'm a little bit hair-obsessed, you're right. I can't do much about my wrinkles, and my makeup skills are minimal at best, but hair - that I can do. I've often said that the only reason I ever let my hair get any length at all to it is so I can cut it off and enjoy having more than an inch removed at a time. And I love a good razor cut! There's just something about that razor slicing through my hair that feels downright rebellious! I've been going to the same hairdresser for almost three years now and she knows what I like whether I can express it coherently or not. I don't like to wait for an appointment - when I decide I want a haircut I want it now. Laura is very good about getting me in on the same day and that's probably why I've stuck with her, considering that in the past I've been very fickle about who cuts my hair.

I've signed up to start subbing at the school and I needed something more low maintenance, or at least that's what I told myself. I think the truth is I just like to change things up.

Day 90: Mowing Season!

2009-03-31T20:11:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! Mowing season has begun in South Carolina. Jon came home from work, changed his clothes and started up the mower. There are some people in our neighborhood who take their lawns very seriously - I bet you know someone like that. Jon wishes our lawn were prettier but there's a limit to the time and money we'll spend on it. So here's Jon mowing the lawn. Yes, ladies, he's all mine, black socks included. Don't be jealous!

Day 89: Buh-Bye Hair!

2009-03-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

Karis' sensory problems make it hard to take care of her hair. The slightest tangle hurts like crazy, making her what we used to call "tender-headed". If she would let me braid it or something to keep it from swinging around and tangling, it would be different, but she doesn't like it put up. Her hair has the texture of cotton candy and gets ratty at the drop of a hat. She and I agreed a few weeks ago that she would get a haircut and she told me she wanted to wait til Spring Break. Today is the first day of Spring Break, so off to SnipIts we went! Here's the after picture. I think she looks adorable, and now she can brush her own hair in the morning before school. I think she ended up losing about 5 inches of hair!

Day 88: On the Road Again

2009-03-29T23:26:00.000-07:00

We were supposed to leave for Knoxville yesterday but after our PT rehearsal on Wednesday when we learned a new song for Sunday, I didn't have the nerve to tell Larry I wouldn't be there Sunday morning. Instead we decided to leave after the music, drive like crazy to get to my aunt and uncle's 50th anniversary party, visit with some friends, then drive back home. It was a lot of driving, but it was worth it. I hadn't actually seen my Aunt Frances, Uncle Claude and my cousins in about 10 years. Bad, I know. Anyhow, I wanted to be there for the occasion and we ended up being able to spend a couple of hours with them. After that we went to see our friends Pam and Doug, who fed us all dinner, then we drove back home. We took James with us for the ride. I took my camera and didn't pull it out of the case until we stopped at a rest stop in North Carolina on the way home. How sad!

Day 87: Excalibur Will Never Be the Same

2009-03-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

I got together with the Praise Team girls today to rehearse for tomorrow morning's worship service. Larry (the Worship Pastor) wasn't there because we (the PT) were the ones who called the rehearsal, not him. We give him a hard time about his wireless microphone because he's a little protective of it and anytime one of us gets to hold it (or, heaven forbid, use it) we make a big deal of it. We've been joking around about be-dazzling it one day, just for fun. Well, today someone brought some sequins and a couple of feather boas, and we decorate the mic and the stand it was on. It was a sight! I don't have pictures of it because I didn't have my camera on hand. In fact the picture of the day was swiped off my friend Amy's facebook page, but she didn't mind.

Day 86: Great Gator!

2009-03-27T19:18:00.000-07:00

Every month at Karis' & Quinn's school, each teacher chooses one child from his or her classroom who has shown good character, good behavior or most improvement. This child is named that classroom's Great Gator of the Month, since the school's mascot is a gator. There's a huge assembly once a month where all the Great Gators are recognized. They get a certificate, a cupcake and have their pictures taken. It's really a big deal. Today Karis came home and told me that she was the Great Gator for her class! She was so excited and proud, and rightly so. She told me all about how surprised she was when they called her name and that she didn't even have time to take her backpack off. What a great way to start Spring Break!

Day 85: Spring is on the Way!

2009-03-26T14:15:00.000-07:00

It's that time again! I get planting fever around the end of March every year and since the last frost might still be coming, I have to be satisfied with starting seeds indoors. Some of my seeds have sprouted and will need to be transplanted outside soon. Sadly, my husband won't let me dig up the yard so I put my veggies and herbs into containers on the patio. They still produce plenty, though.

Day 84: The Cookie Jar

2009-03-25T14:11:00.000-07:00

When I was in elementary school, I lived part-time with my Grandma Tunie. She was actually my great-grandmother and she was almost exactly 60 years older than me. I always say living with her is what made me so weird. She kept this cookie jar on her table and there were always cookies in there for me whenever I came home from school or later on, whenever I visited. She passed away in 1999 and when my grandmother asked me if there was anything of Grandma Tunie's that I would like to have, the cookie jar was the first thing I thought of. It now sits proudly in my china cabinet as a reminder never to forget my roots.

Day 83: Public Service Announcement

2009-03-24T14:02:00.000-07:00

Don't do drugs. Drugs are bad. Actually, I just got out of the opthalmologist's office, where she dilated my eyes. I took this picture in the mirror in my car. I can barely open my eyes because the light feels too bright. I hope it doesn't take too long to wear off.

Day 82: My Diva!

2009-03-23T19:17:00.000-07:00

Nearly every day when Quinn comes home from school she asks to put on her Halloween dress. Last year for Halloween we bought her this 60's looking dress that she just loves, for some reason. She says she likes the plastic rings on it. She likes to wear it with silver glitter tights. The hair barrettes are because she asked me to fix her hair, which usually involves pinning her bangs back, which usually requires many, many barrettes. She loves to have her nails painted and actually talked her Daddy into painting them for her yesterday! She was still for a minute too long this afternoon and fell asleep in the floor and like a bad Mommy I just left her there and took pictures of her.

Day 81: Goodbye, friend

2009-03-22T21:12:00.000-07:00

I ended up at church today three different times, for three very disparate reasons. First was the Sunday morning worship service. Then this afternoon I attended the funeral of a friend (more about that later). This evening I went back for a training sessions for children's ministry workers. Our friend Scott died this week from complications of leukemia. He was part of our small group, although he didn't get to attend very often due to his health. He was always so cheerful in the face of his illness. In fact, the very first time he came to our group he had his chemo pack on. Scott handled cancer with grace and I'm so glad I had the pleasure of knowing him as a friend. I'll miss him, but one day I'll see him again. He just gets to meet Jesus before I do.

Day 80: Nice Day for Kites

2009-03-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

My day started extremely early today. The yard sale went well - we made about $1300 and it was pretty painless. Our church had a kite day for kids and gave away free kites. The church is located on top of a hill and had a great breeze. I topped off the day by taking the girls to a birthday party at a local gymnastics facility. Time to fall into bed!

Day 79: PTO Duty

2009-03-20T19:05:00.000-07:00

I am the co-President of our school's PTO this year. I haven't done much to deserve the title - my co-President is a real go-getter and usually takes on most of the work. Tomorrow is our PTO yard sale at the school and we are hoping to make some much needed funds for our PTO bank account. Personally I don't like doing the door-to-door sales of wrapping paper and chocolate that many PTOs rely on. Our school was brand new this year and we're acutely aware that we as the PTO are setting precedents for years to come. So today I spent most of the day at school, sorting, pricing and moving donated items for tomorrow's sale. We had lots of help and were done by 5:00. Which coincidentally is the time I need to get up tomorrow morning....

Day 78: Hair Woes

2009-03-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

I am never satisfied with my hair for long. It's getting too poofy and I hate the whole blow-dry routine. It doesn't look good pulled back with a headband. Be watching for a new haircut. I can feel it coming on. Short and layered is sounding pretty good right now.

Day 77: Drought

2009-03-18T20:12:00.000-07:00

Karis has a project due tomorrow and true to form, we waited until the last minute to do it. They are studying weather in her class and they got to choose from several severe types of weather to do a report. She chose drought. Why not tornados or hurricanes? Anyway, it was hard to keep her from drawing all over the posterboard before she had a plan in mind. If I had let her she would have drawn all kinds of pictures on there, none of which had anything to do with drought. Maybe next time I'll get two pieces of posterboard - one for her to go wild on and one for the actual project. I thought it turned out very colorful!

Day 76: A New Season

2009-03-17T21:53:00.000-07:00

Softball season started tonight! Both girls did pretty well considering that it's Quinn's first year (and she's only 4!) and Karis has been off the field for 9 months. Here's Quinn digging in the dirt. Isn't that what the new players always do their first time on the field?

Day 75: Sort-of Sick

2009-03-16T12:52:00.000-07:00

When I went upstairs to wake the girls up this morning, Karis was coughing that barky cough that usually accompanies croup. I felt sorry for her and let her stay home, despite Jon's pleas to give her some cough meds and send her to school later. Obviously she didn't feel *too* bad because she was playing most of the day. I had to take both Karis and Quinn with me to the doctor while I had a TB test done in order to be a sub at the school. Karis waited outside the lab but Quinn insisted on being right beside me. Once she heard there was a needle involved and it was going into me and not her, wild horses couldn't keep her away! She was determined to watch, and she did.

Day 74: Restaurant Takeover

2009-03-15T14:46:00.000-07:00

We were invited to join some church friends at Elmo's (a local Mexican restaurant, more accurately named El Molcajete) for a casual birthday celebration after church today. As it turned out, LifeSong ended up filling about 80% of the tables there! We had so much fun! I love all our church family and because we're a smallish church (but growing rapidly!) you can safely invite almost the whole church to events like this. You'd think my picky eater (Karis) would have trouble finding something to eat here, but that child can eat her weight in chips!

Day 73: The Closet Purge

2009-03-14T17:45:00.000-07:00

Today I went through my closet, a daunting task. This is my shoe collection before I shipped about 12 pairs to the school yard sale. I ended up ditching about 1/3 of my clothes. I've lost about 40 pounds in the past year or so and there were so many things in there I just couldn't wear anymore. I've bought new stuff but never bothered to get rid of the old stuff. I spent the morning in my bra, trying on tops. I couldn't believe how many of the shirts that are now too big for me!

Day 72: Inside Looking Out

2009-03-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

And here's my view out the front door. That's the pool cabana on the right and my driveway on the left. I love that the neighborhood pool is just across the street! In summertime we keep our wagon stocked with our pool supplies and toys so when we go to the pool we just pull the wagon with us. So convenient!

Day 71: Outside Looking In

2009-03-12T12:45:00.000-07:00

I took this photo for the W&W weekly challenge. It's my (unadorned) front door. In the windows you can see a reflection of the pool cabana across the street.

Day 70: A Long Awaited Upgrade

2009-03-11T09:21:00.000-07:00

Guess what this is! If you said a laptop, you're only partly right. It's MY laptop! I bought a used one for myself (supposedly) a year or so ago and put it in the kitchen so I could check email and have a way to access the internet without closing myself off in the office down the hall. It very quickly became the "family" laptop. Nobody even asked my permission to use it! That wasn't a huge problem until other people in my house started saving their stuff on it. The poor thing already didn't have much memory (I didn't have a whole lot of money to spend when I bought it) and it gets eaten up quickly. We bought Dana a new laptop when she graduated high school in 2006 and she recently decided that she wanted a newer one, so she bought herself a new laptop last month and I inherited her old one. The screen was malfunctioning so I bought a replacement screen on eBay and fixed it myself. What I'd like to do is use my "new" laptop for digital scrapbooking and blogging, and maybe even creating DVDs (our desktop is too slow for that!) so I had to restore it to get all Dana's old junk off. I can't wait to start loading my own programs on there, although I'll probably end up having to buy more RAM to make them workable.

We Interrupt This Blog....

2009-03-11T09:07:00.000-07:00

... for a note about Wild Olive Tees. A friend just recently pointed me toward these oh so cool t-shirts. I think I'm going to have to have the "Sing Praises" shirt, since that's my thing.

http://wildoliveliveit.blogspot.com/

Talk about wearing your heart on your sleeve...and back...and chest. :-)

Day 69: Play Day

2009-03-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

We have a lovely neighborhood playground right across the street from our house. Even though we have a playset in the backyard, most of the time the girls would rather go to the "park" and meet up with the other kids in the subdivision. Quinn had a nice time on the tire swing and posing for pictures. I guess she's used to the camera by now. ;-)

Day 68: Naptime!

2009-03-09T06:37:00.000-07:00

Quinn doesn't normally take a nap, but there are days when she will fall asleep while watching TV on the couch. The time change has really tired her out and that probably contributed to this impromptu nap.

Day 67: Yum!

2009-03-08T18:34:00.000-07:00

I have been working on this gallon of ice cream for about two weeks now. I'm storing it in the garage freezer and maybe that's why the rest of the family hasn't found it yet. :-)

Day 66: Let the Sun Shine!

2009-03-07T18:33:00.000-08:00

As predicted, the temperature today is about 80 degrees. Sally Hannah Juliana is enjoying the sunshine while we're all outside with softball practice, wearing our pajamas to Bruster's for free ice cream, and grilling out.

Day 65: Onward from Upward

2009-03-06T18:31:00.000-08:00

The Upward end of season banquet was tonight. The entertainment was a ventriloquist, which fascinated Quinn, but not so much Karis. Later, though, Karis asked a lot of questions and I'm not sure she still quite understands how the puppet could talk!

Day 64: Snuggling Up With A Good Book

2009-03-05T18:29:00.000-08:00

Thursday nights Jon coaches and plays on a basketball team. His games are always at 8:30, which means the girls are in bed and I have to stay home with them. I don't mind too much because it gives me a chance to cuddle up on the couch with a good book. This is the one I'm currently reading.

Day 63: Melting Away

2009-03-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

The snow is starting to go away. By the weekend it's supposed to be 70 degrees! The girls went back to school this morning. School started an hour late but at least it was going on.

Day 62: Bored Already

2009-03-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

School is out again today for the snow, but mostly for the freezing over that happened last night. The roads are downright icy this morning! The girls are already bored - can you believe it? I think they would be happy to be at school right now. There's only so much Dora you can watch, I guess.

Day 61: Snowed Under

2009-03-02T13:38:00.001-08:00

And.... here we are, under about 6 or more inches of snow. We went outside last night to play in it and had a blast! I was too chicken to take my camera out there and get it all wet so I don't have many pictures from last night.

Day 60: Thundersnow!

2009-03-01T19:36:00.000-08:00

Oh the anticipation! Can't you just see it on Quinn's face? We're supposed to get 2 to 4 inches of snow this evening and tonight. It doesn't snow much in South Carolina so this is HUGE! Right now there are huge flakes coming down outside and we can hear thunder. The weatherman called it "thundersnow" and said it's a very rare phenomenon. And there's no school tomorrow - it's already been decided and announced.

Day 59: Back to Rocky Top... and McKay's

2009-02-28T23:35:00.000-08:00

It was time for Mom to go home today, sadly (at least for me). The trip was wet and chilly, but the little ones stayed home with Daddy while Dana and I and my friend Misty made the 6-hour round trip. We spent a couple of hours in McKay's, THE best used bookstore in the country and maybe even the world. :-) Here's some of my haul from this trip. Karis has been asking questions about Anne Frank and even though she's too young at 8 to actually read the book, I bought it for her anyway. I also picked up The Phantom Tollbooth, which is also too "old" for her right now, and a little play about Molly, the American Girl. Afterwards we had dinner with my sister before we headed back to SC.

Day 58: Family Day!

2009-02-27T11:25:00.000-08:00

Four years ago today, we were in a remote province of China called Guizhou. Around 11 in the morning, we stood third (or maybe fourth) in line with the other families in our travel group waiting for our baby girl. We could see her in the arms of a caretaker and we recognized her right away. I could see that she must have been in the hospital because although her whole head was shaved, she had a section on one side that was shaved closer than the rest and I could see the bump where an IV needle had been. I couldn't wait to get my hands on her! In honor of Family Day, I'm posting our referral photo of Quinn. I love you, sweetie!

Day 57: Quinn and Grandma

2009-02-26T13:24:00.000-08:00

Quinn's still not feeling well but she's enjoying having Grandma around. This is the two of them upstairs watching a movie this afternoon.

Day 56: Sick Baby!

2009-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Last night Quinn woke up with a fever, complaining that her ear hurt. That's usually a foolproof sign that she has an ear infection. Off to the Dr. we went this morning, only to hear that her ears are clear and she must just have a virus. She's complaining of a headache and a sore throat and just laying around on the couch. Poor baby!

Day 55: I Probably Shouldn't, But...

2009-02-24T22:07:00.000-08:00

This is my poor mangled belly button after my laparoscopic surgery today. I spent most of the day trying to sleep off the anesthesia. I had forgotten how much I detest that foggy feeling! And how in the world do they expect you to get yourself dressed and leave the hospital when you can hardly hold your eyes open?? Anyway, it amazes me that my doctor was able to complete a laundry list of "repairs" through that little incision. I'm a little sore and pinchy right there, and I feel a little bruised inside, but overall I feel fine.

Day 54: I Really Am a Rock Star!

2009-02-23T17:07:00.000-08:00

A little bragging is on the way! Yes, I really AM a Rock Star! At least, according to Disney High School Musical Sing It, I am. All those times Karis made me listen to the soundtrack have really paid off. :-)

Day 53: Ikea, Here We Come!

2009-02-22T19:06:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for this days for months now! The new Ikea in Charlotte opened on Wednesday and today was the day I made the journey to see it for myself. Until now the closest one was in Atlanta, three hours away. Charlotte is only an hour away. Woohoo! Mom, Dana, Karis, Quinn, James and I loaded up in the van and made the drive this afternoon. According to MapQuest it was an 89 mile trip. Well, MapQuest was not aware that the police were directing traffic at the exit ramp and made us go up ANOTHER 3 miles on the interstate and backtrack to Ikea. I figured there would be no parking spots left so I parked along the side of the road to avoid the line of traffic going in the parking lot, but as we walked across the lot we saw plenty of empty spots. The little girls were great shoppers, although it was helpful that they got to stay in the kids area for an hour. After we shopped, we had $1.00 ice cream at the Bistro and then headed back home. Here's some of our loot.

Day 52: Party Time!

2009-02-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Our house was full of rock stars this afternoon! Karis's birthday party was a blast for the kids AND the grown-ups. We played Disney Sing It and "did" hair and makeup for all the girls. Here's Karis in her rock star glasses grabbing a bite from the snack bowl.

I do wonder about RSVPs though. Are they extinct? Does anyone actually RSVP anymore? We invited about 8 girls and only 2 parents bothered to RSVP, and those didn't call until the day of or before the party. It's hard to plan if you don't know how many kids are coming, and even though there were only 5 of them, they had fun and I guess that's what matters.

Day 51: Marriage Conference

2009-02-20T22:00:00.000-08:00

Every marriage, no matter how stable, can always use a tune-up. Our church hosted a marriage conference this weekend so Jon and I went. We talked about the 5 love languages and what each other's language is (his - physical touch; mine - quality time) and how to learn to speak to each other in the best way. "Wuv... Twue wuv..."

Day 50: Eight Years Ago Today....

2009-02-19T16:14:00.001-08:00

...I was recovering in the hospital after giving birth to my precious Karis. I can't believe she's that old already! She's grown into such a caring and loving young lady. She's an excellent reader and although SID makes schoolwork a chore, she works hard to get her homework done in a timely manner. Karis loves Littlest Pet Shop animals and has about 200 of them, but she can always describe which one she wants next. For her birthday she wants the porcupine. I have a feeling she'll get it. :-)

Day 49: Over the River and Through the Woods

2009-02-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

Well, more accurately it would be over the mountains and through the woods. I don't think we crossed many rivers on our trip to collect Mom from Tennessee and bring her back here for a visit. My family is the one thing I've missed the most since we moved to South Carolina almost three years ago, but it's not the only thing. The drive takes about three hours, which is plenty of time for me to mentally peruse my options, since I can't possibly visit all my favorite haunts. This time I took a trip to McKay's, the fabulous used bookstore (which also sells CDs, movies and video games), and then I had dinner at Captain D's. I used to make a point of going to Krystal but we recently got one of those here. Ironically, I don't eat seafood at all - I go to Captain D's for the chicken!

Day 48: Ouch!

2009-02-17T16:03:00.000-08:00

I was at a loss for what to take a picture of today, then I remembered my trip to the hospital for pre-op testing this morning. I had to have some blood drawn for tests so I took a picture of a bandage. I surely wasn't going to take a picture representing the pregnancy test I had to take due to the nature of my upcoming surgery. I thought it was a riot that I actually had to take a pregnancy test (although I understand why they do it), considering that I haven't used birth control since 1997 and have only one child to show for it.

Day 47: Minor Celebrities

2009-02-16T16:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, we DID make the newspaper! This is the front page of the Sunday local section. We've been getting quite a bit of teasing about it.

Day 46: Bye-Bye, Belle!

2009-02-15T11:58:00.001-08:00

Our last remaining houseguest departed for Memphis today. Tracy's landlord would not let her bring their cat, Belle, with them to the new house, so Belle is moving to Memphis with Tracy's ex-husband. He was not able to come and get her until today so she's been staying with us for the last week. To be honest, she was a pretty good guest for a cat. She kept to herself mostly and her worst infraction was clawing at the upstairs couch, but she was considerate enough to stop if we caught her at it. ("Cat!!" was usually all it took) So today we said goodbye to Belle. I hope you have fun in Memphis and that your new home is as comfortable as can be.

Day 45: Happy Valentine's Day!

2009-02-14T14:54:00.000-08:00

On Thursday I read a blurb in the local newspaper about a barbecue restaurant that was offering a free Lovers' Lunch on Valentine's Day. The catch? To prove you're lovers, you have to kiss in front of your server for 20 seconds, and the servers use a stopwatch to time it. I happen to be married to a man who never met a PDA he didn't enjoy, and we're all about the free stuff, so we went there for lunch today along with Dana, her boyfriend James, Karis and Quinn. Before our server came over, we witnessed a smooch by the couple at the table next to us that ended up being captured by a photographer from the local paper. In the background of the shot was Karis with her hands over her eyes! A reporter came over and spoke with us for quite a while and took our names, so I wouldn't be surprised to find us in tomorrow's paper. And yes, the four "big people" ended up with a free lunch. Just for the record, 20 seconds is longer than you think! (Photo courtesy of James' cell phone - I can't believe I was caught out without a camera!)

Day 44: PureNRG

2009-02-13T23:12:00.000-08:00

Tonight was Karis' first ever fan event, meaning this was the first concert we went to for an artist SHE wanted to see and not one the adults picked. It was WinterJam 2009 and it included about eight acts, but the one she was wild to see was PureNRG. They were only the second act to perform and because they promised to sign autographs after the concert, we hung around for the whole thing. Poor Karis was sitting on the floor about to fall asleep while we were waiting at the merchandise table, but by George she hung in there and got her autographs. I kept telling her we didn't have to stay and she would growl back, "I want my poster SIGNED!" I was so proud of the way she boldly worked her way up to the front of the table to meet the group. I was worried that she might be put off or even afraid of the crush of people around the table but it didn't seem to bother her. I even bought her her very own concert t-shirt. I hope that she was able to look at these young teenagers and realize that she could one day fulfill her own dreams of performing, because she does love to sing and she's pretty good at it and that's not just my parental bias talking.

Day 43: Getting Crafty

2009-02-12T19:08:00.000-08:00

Karis' birthday is coming up on Thursday and I have been lax about getting the invites put together. Finally today Dana and I sat down and did the pasting/cutting/glittering needed to be able to hand them out, with only a week to go. Who ever said I waited until the last minute? In lieu of the expensive salon party she wanted, we are doing our own at-home version, complete with hairdos, makeup and karaoke-type singing with the Wii. It will most likely be a small crowd but hopefully it will be a good time.

Day 42: At A Loss

2009-02-12T05:51:00.000-08:00

I was busy all day yesterday and didn't see an opportunity to pull out the camera and take a POTD (Photo of the Day). I also didn't have any idea what to take a photo of, until I wandered into the W&W forum and saw the photo prompt. So.... here's a picture of the inside of my refrigerator yesterday evening. It's pretty messy, but God has blessed us with an abundance of food so I won't complain. It was hard to get a good angle on the thing because there's a counter right across from the fridge where I would normally stand to take a shot.

Day 41: Mesmerized by TV

2009-02-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well, at least she was mesmerized until she realized I took her picture! Quinn loves the cooking shows - Paula Deen is her favorite. Today we had DirecTV installed (which took forever!) and while surfing the channels we came across the Food Network. Quinn sat right down in the floor to watch as Giada made biscotti, totally absorbed. Maybe she is destined to be a chef one day! She sure does love to "help" me cook.

Day 40: The Bonus Room

2009-02-09T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is our bonus room, complete with cat on the sofa (left side - look closely). You probably can't see her very well, but that's Louise, who is almost 14 years old. We've had her since Dana was just six! The room looks pretty unremarkable until you realize that until a few days ago it was home to our friend Tracy and her two-year-old twins. On Saturday they moved into a home of their own and we reclaimed our bonus room. It's mainly used as an alternative TV/movie viewing room and the kids keep most of their toys in the closets up there. There is a bathroom attached which we let Dana stake out as her own, and she's glad to get it back. Next week I'm going to pick up my Mom and bring her back for a visit and this is where she'll stay, since this sofa folds out into a bed.

Day 39: Jon's New Toy

2009-02-08T15:59:00.001-08:00

My husband Jon grew up in farm country in Wisconsin and as a kid the only vacations his family ever took were camping trips. (He was also an Eagle scout, but that's another story.) We camped a little when we were dating and early in our marriage but after Karis came along, we didn't go at all. To be honest, I'm not much of a camper, but if the campground has indoor restrooms I can make the best of it for Jon's sake. For years he has admired camping trailers and pop-up campers, even "window shopping" at the local RV dealerships for fun. A month or so ago I told him that it was time for him to just bite the bullet and buy a pop-up camper. Karis and Quinn are old enough now to enjoy camping, and we can take some weekend trips for very little money if we're towing around our own lodging. After weeks of watching Craigslist and the newspaper, he finally found one that fit his budget. Today we had it delivered to our friends' home, where it will be stored when we're not using it. Jon is so excited he can barely stand it! I'm sure that very soon he will start researching nearby campgrounds so we can break it in.

Day 38: Chinese New Year

2009-02-07T20:52:00.000-08:00

Our local CNY celebration was held today at a school not far from our house. It's a joint effort of the Greenville Chinese Culture Association and the FCC. I really should have had two pictures for today because today was moving day. Tracy and the kids moved into their own place this afternoon. In fact, while I was at CNY with the kids, Jon and some friends were loading up the trucks and hauling things to her new house. Anyway, Quinn surprised me by using her chopsticks for some of her food, but she was so excited by the Lo Mein that she was mainly using her hands. She tried the egg roll but she loved the rice noodles and the Lo Mein! Later there was a Lion Dance and the red envelopes were handed out. There was a raffle with the grand prize of a flat screen TV and although I didn't win the TV, I did win a gift certificate for a facial (prize value of $65). By the way, the Chinese outift Quinn is wearing is the one that Karis wore when we were in China!

Day 37: Q, Q, What Begins with Q?

2009-02-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

Today was Quinn's "day" at school. Each week a child is chosen as the "Reader of the Week" and on Friday they bring in one or two of their favorite books, something for Show and Tell, and a snack that starts with the same letter as their first name. Now, you tell me just how many snacks you can think of that start with a "Q". Not many, right? Somehow it never occurred to us when we chose the name Quinn that we might one day have to come up with "Q" snacks. I knew our turn would eventually come so I had prepared a mental list of possible snacks, but for some reason I didn't discover the newsletter telling me that it was THIS Friday until Thursday morning. Jon had to be at school to hand out awards for the Kiwanis Club so he came to the classroom and helped me make fruit quesadillas (cream cheese and strawberry filling), which we served with Quakes (Quaker rice cakes) and Nestle Quik. Then I read Hello Ocean and Llama Llama Mad at Mama to the class. Quinn took in her purple spinning/singing octopus to show her friends, although she wouldn't talk about it. So this is me reading to the class, with a photo courtesy of Jon. You can see Quinn in the middle bottom of the picture wearing a pink shirt.

Day 36: Therapy Day

2009-02-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

Karis has Sensory Integration Dysfunction, or Sensory Processing Disorder, whatever you want to call it, and goes for Occupational Therapy once a week. Today was OT day. I originally took her in for testing when she was almost 5, because every other kid in her preschool class could at least attempt to write their name and she couldn't. She also had trouble holding a pencil and using scissors. A friend suggested the possibility of SID to me and once I read up on it, it sure made sense. It also made sense of some of Karis' other quirks: her extreme pickiness with food, her strange sleep habits, her fixations on certain toys/movies/animals, her insistence on wearing knit pants and avoiding jeans at all costs, her love of spinning and swinging, her inability to sit still for very long, and so many more. Karis has made great strides with OT and her fine motor skills are right on par with her classmates now. She still struggles with balance, coordination, and a few other things but not to the point that she can't function normally for the most part. Most of the quirks I mentioned earlier will probably always be present to some degree but OT helps her deal with them as much as possible.

Day 35: Homework

2009-02-04T12:07:00.001-08:00

Every household has its rules and one of ours is that homework gets done right after the girls get home from school. In second grade Karis doesn't have much homework - it can usually be done within 15 minutes. After that they have a snack and they can play until dinnertime. Today Karis had to write her 10 spelling words in ABC order and complete a long-ish math worksheet, which she's working on here. Some days homework is a chore, for them as well as me, but today Karis had it all under control. She did it all with minimal input from me. I was very impressed with the way she went right to work on that math, asked me if the first one was correct (it was) and did the rest like she knew exactly what she was doing. It's not always that easy for her.

Day 34: A New Do

2009-02-03T09:36:00.001-08:00

I've had my hair short most of my life; first as a child, because my mother said I kept getting gum and candy stuck in it, and later as an adult because it's just easier to care for when it's short. I have thick hair and while it has a wave, there's not enough curl in it to keep me from having to dry and style it, and it can be time-consuming. I found a flippy style that worked for me but after a couple of years wearing it the same way on and off I was ready for something different. My friends will tell you that I'm quite fickle when it comes to my hair, both color and cut. Last week I discovered that my layers had grown out enough to be shaped into a short layered bob so off to the hairdresser I went. I have had so many compliments on my hair since I had it cut! I might even let it grow a bit longer and see how it looks. (And can I just comment on how hard it is to take a good self-portrait? Sheesh! I must have taken almost 30 shots to get just one that I sort of liked.)

Day 33: Daily Routine

2009-02-02T07:58:00.000-08:00

This year Karis went to a brand new school and we were able to get Quinn into the 4 year old kindergarten there. They only admit 20 kids and they offer it first to the kids who need some extra help. It probably helped that I registered her early. I like that both girls go to the same school and that it's free, but I don't particularly like that Quinn gets out at 10:30 every day. It doesn't give me much time to get things done before I have to get back to the school. I took this photo looking toward the door where Quinn comes out while I was waiting in the pickup line this morning.

Day 32: Not. Interested.

2009-02-01T19:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, the Super Bowl is on TV. I honestly don't have a dog in that particular fight since I have no allegiance to either the Cardinals or the Steelers. If I had to pick I'd cheer for the Cards just because this is their first trip to the rodeo. So instead of taking a picture of anything to do with the big game, I took a photo of Karis' cat Sally Hannah Juliana, whose facial expression (if a cat can be said to have one) reflects my ho-hum attitude perfectly. Karis named the cat herself. Could you tell?

Day 31: Waiting

2009-01-31T11:48:00.000-08:00

Here's Karis waiting for her turn to cheer this morning. She was leaning on the goalpost with her arms wrapped around it. Notice how long her sleeves are. She resists my efforts to roll them up because she LIKES them to cover her hands. Quinn's squad cheers at 9 and Karis' cheers at 11, so Karis spends 2 hours in the gym waiting for her turn. That's hard for any kid but especially hard for one who struggles to sit still anyway. I played around with this one and used soft focus on it once I loaded it on the computer. I love to take photos of the kids when they don't know I'm doing it.

On a side note, I have almost 600 pictures in my January 2009 folder!

Day 30: Family Fun Night

2009-01-30T22:44:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had Family Fun Night at the girls' elementary school. Because I am the (ahem) C0-President of the PTO I was busy most of the night, setting things up, overseeing the karaoke machine, etc., but I had time to join in the fun. In addition to the karaoke, we did some group dances, played games in the gym, and then we ended the night with scooter races. Both of my girls chose their Daddy to push them, even though I'm lower to the ground and quite possibly faster because of that, but whatever. I'm not bitter or anything. ;-) Here's a shot of Quinn and Jon before the start of the race. All of the kids there had so much fun the principal wants to know when we're going to have another Family Fun Night.

I've Been Tagged!

2009-01-30T12:02:00.001-08:00

I've been tagged by Gayle. I'm supposed to go to the 6th picture folder on my computer and post the 6th picture in it. This could be scary, because like Gayle, I rarely delete pictures from my computer. Let's see what it is....

Aha! The folder turned out to be April 2006. It would have to be an "A" month since that's how I sort my photos and I'm sure I've got several for each month still hanging out on the computer. This is Quinn in her baby swing in the backyard of our last house in Knoxville, and she was a month shy of her 2nd birthday. This would have been around the time we were planning our move to the Greenville, SC, area, where we live now. Quinn always LOVED to swing and we had a wonderful playset there. We weren't able to take it with us when we moved because it was so big and heavy. I think this must have been when I got a new camera or something because I remember going out in the yard with Karis and Quinn and just snapping photo after photo.

Day 29: My "Helper"

2009-01-29T12:11:00.000-08:00

This is Quinn, "helping" me make cookies this afternoon. I use the term "helping" loosely because allowing Quinn to help me cook is like setting off a runaway train at the top of a mountain. She very quickly takes over! She's not content with the jobs I give her and she always wants to do more. You know the old adage, "Give them an inch and they'll take a mile"? That's Quinn. I let her stir and she wants to open the oven door. If we're involved in a cooking project I literally cannot turn my back on her. I just know that perseverance and determination is going to serve her well one day. It might even do well for her in a career as a chef, or a "cooker", which is what she says she'd like to be when she grows up. Well, at least that what she says today. Tomorrow it will be something different. And can you tell the child is a ham? What a pose!

Day 28: Pea Soup

2009-01-28T09:45:00.001-08:00

Forget little cat feet! This morning's fog came stomping in on elephant hooves! It was still thick at 11:30 this morning and made driving a little slower for me today. In fact, I ended up being late to pick up Quinn, something that's never happened before. The lady in the school office called me just as I pulled up in the parking lot to let me know that Quinn was in the office with her, waiting for me. I was afraid Quinn would be upset but she was fine, thankfully.

Day 27: An Anniversary, sort of

2009-01-27T21:39:00.000-08:00

If I had stayed married to my first husband, today would have been my 25th wedding anniversary. I can honestly say I am SO thankful that I am NOT celebrating my silver anniversary today!

On the other hand, today is also my and Jon's 12 1/2 year anniversary (we were married on July 27, 1996). Apparently when Jon and I got married it was exactly 12 1/2 years after my first wedding (January 27, 1984). Anyway, when I looked at the calendar this morning I remembered that first wedding anniversary date and I started calculating. These are my wedding rings and my 10th anniversary band that my sweet husband bought me a couple of years ago.

Day 26: "Fireproof"

2009-01-26T17:36:00.000-08:00

Jon and I discovered the movie "Facing the Giants" almost two years ago, when he lost his job. God really used that movie to speak to us at a time when we badly needed some hope. When we heard that the church responsible for making "Facing the Giants" had a new movie called "Fireproof" coming out starring Kirk Cameron, we made plans to see it as soon as we could. I think we may have actually gone on opening weekend. We ended up seeing it at the theater twice, and I think Dana has seen it three times. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. The local Christian bookstore had a special event tonight celebrating the movie's release on DVD tomorrow and five of the movie's actors were there to sign autographs and answer questions. Dana and James (her boyfriend) bought me an advance copy of the DVD and had it autographed by the actors. She even got to have her picture made with Bobby Lee Duke from "Facing the Giants"!

Day 25: Free Concert!

2009-01-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

If you're a fan of Christian music, you are probably familiar with the group Avalon. Tonight they put on a free concert in a town about 30 minutes from us, so Jon and I took the kids. I had seen them before but come on - free is free! Karis wasn't fond of the loud music but she enjoyed being with Mommy and Daddy. Jon ended up taking the little ones home early while I stayed at the concert with Dana (who drove her own car). After the concert they signed autographs and took pictures, so I now have a signed CD and a picture of us with Avalon. Maybe it's because I'm a singer myself, but I think it would be so cool to make a living that way! To sing AND get paid for it? A dream come true.

Day 24: A Teachable Moment

2009-01-24T10:46:00.000-08:00

My two youngest girls are cheering for Upward basketball this winter. Upward is a Christian based sports program that is intended to be a learning experience and not so intense. The emphasis is not competition, but equal playing time for all players and the opportunity to learn the game in a lower stress setting. What I failed to mention in my earlier post about Upward is that Jon is a referee for the games on Saturday mornings. He would like to coach a team but just doesn't have the time right now so he refs instead. Because this is Upward and not a rec league or competitive league, even the refs take time to teach as they are making calls. I had a hard time getting a picture of Jon during the games because he is constantly in motion. This one is a little fuzzy but it's the best I could do. I'm very proud of him and the way he invests himself into these little athletes!

Day 23: Elixir of the Gods

2009-01-23T15:15:00.000-08:00

Joe Muggs is the coffee shop in the Books A Million store and they have the most awesome frozen cappuccino in the world! Starbucks Frappuccino doesn't even come close! When we lived in Knoxville we were only about 2 minutes from a Books A Million and the staff in the cafe knew me by name. Most of the time they would see me pull into the parking lot and my Snow Joe would be waiting on the counter when I got inside. There were weeks when I was in there every single day. Now that we've moved, the closest one to me is a 15 minute drive away (in Greenville), too far to make a trip just for that, but there are plenty of other excuses to go out that way. Today I picked the girls from school and took them out to Greenville for haircuts. I had every intention of taking a picture of my cup before I drank any but I forgot to bring my camera into the store and I couldn't wait until I got back to the car to start slurping it down. Yum!

Day 22: Mrs. Sassy Pants

2009-01-22T10:01:00.000-08:00

This, my friends, is a rare picture of Quinn in the middle of a tantrum. She's 4 1/2 years old (will be 5 in May) and sometimes I think she just gets overwhelmed by life. She goes to 4K 5 mornings a week until 10:30 and she tells me she uses up all her "happies" at school and has none left for me when she gets home. There are days when, from the moment she gets in the van at pickup, she is demanding and edgy. Usually it's because she's tired or hungry or some combination of the two. This particular tantrum was triggered when I would not pick up her Icee and hand it to her. She asked me for it and because she wasn't nearby, I set it on the table where she could reach it. She wanted me to take it from the table and put in her hand and I refused, and off she went. She saw me pull out the camera and tried to hide. In fact, the next shot I got was her rear as she bent over the love seat to hide her face. Whenever Quinn gets, well, sassy, she calls herself "Mrs. Sassy Pants" so this must be Mrs. Sassy Pants times 10. At any rate, she must have worn herself out because MSP is now sleeping on the living room sofa.

Day 21: It's All About Mii!

2009-01-21T22:00:00.000-08:00

One of the cool features on the Wii is the ability to create your own digital alter ego, called a Mii. Whenever you log on to play a game or exercise, your Mii moves around onscreen according to your commands. This is my Mii. She's dressed in lime green so I can find her among the other 9 or 10 Mii's living on our Wii. Once I set myself up on Wii Fit and it calculated my BMI, my Mii got considerably rounder around the middle. By the end of 2009 my Mii should be much more proportional, if I keep working at it. Today the kids went back to school (yay!) so I was able to put together a 30+ minute workout without interruptions of "Can I play?"

5 Things I'm Addicted To

2009-01-21T07:19:00.001-08:00

Thanks, Marleen! (http://marleens2009photoadayblog.blogspot.com/) I figured I'd get this sooner or later. Hmmm.... 5 Things I'm Addicted To:

5. Facebook
4. Coffee, with lots of sugar and flavored creamer (hot, frozen - doesn't matter as long as it's sweet)
3. Reading (just about anything!)
2. Watching God's hand at work in my life
1. The love of my family

And now, to pass it on. I don't think I repeated anyone but if I did please forgive me.

http://allison365.blogspot.com/
http://365photoswithme.blogspot.com/
http://shanewithtime.blogspot.com/
http://shirley365.blogspot.com/
http://kelley365.blogspot.com/

Day 20: Snow Day? What Snow??

2009-01-20T19:05:00.000-08:00

You know, we bought the Wii on Saturday and I was SO looking forward to the kids going back to school today so I could use it without interruption for my Wii Fit, but what happened? There was a slight dusting of snow last night and the schools are closed! I'm sure they were trying to err on the side of caution but the roads in my area are dry. They got out early last Thursday, were out Friday for a teacher workday, then there was the weekend, no school on Monday for the holiday and now today. They're about to slip into summer mode. My kids hear "snow" and they are ready to play in it but sadly there was none of that today. I'm holding out hope for a real snow before winter is over this year.

Day 19: Now I Get It!

2009-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Today is a school and bank holiday, which means everyone except Tracy and the babies are home. Jon took Quinn out with him for a while, Dana went off to work and I'm home with Karis and Harper. After some Wii fun, they settled on the couch and I found a PowerPuff Girls marathon on the Toon Channel (both girls are PPG fans). With a bowl of popcorn in the middle, they are happy as clams! I started thinking about my 365 project and thought I might be able to get off a few good shots while they were staring at the TV. I was playing around with the functions on my camera and kept the camera on them waiting for a good shot. This one was a complete accident! If it had not been for the 365 project I would never have thought to get out the camera to record these moments and I would never had gotten this neat picture. I got so engrossed in getting a good photo that I let my lunch burn! Oh well. I can make another lunch but I can't recreate this photo opportunity.

Day 18: Date Night!

2009-01-18T22:29:00.000-08:00

A strange thing happened tonight: Jon and I managed to sneak away for some time alone. In the chaos that reigns in our house right now (Tracy and her three kids are living with us) it's hard to complete a thought, much less a sentence. We didn't go far, just to the Denny's about 2 miles away, where we ate a Hot Fudge Brownie and occupied a booth for much longer than our server would have liked. It was nice to be able to connect with each other and talk about more than just our kids and our schedules (although both of those things came up in conversation).

Day 17: "Wii" Have a Wii!

2009-01-17T14:59:00.001-08:00

What's that in Karis' hand? Why, I do believe that is a Wii remote! In fact, that is Karis' bowling form. She puts her whole body into it, which is the goal after all. After weeks of cajoling and deal-making, Jon finally consented to the purchase of a Wii. The most recent deal had to do with the closing costs on our refinance and since we had enough left from the amount we had set aside for that, he could no longer say we can't afford it. So today I had Dana call around a few local stores to see if anyone had it in stock, and lo and behold the local Toys R Us had some! We broke a few speed limits getting there but we had no problem getting our hot little hands on the Wii console. I felt like a kid with a new toy! Then I asked the cashier if they had Wii Fit and he said they had two of them left, so I bought that too. No more excuses for not exercising! Now if I can only get a turn on the darn thing...

Day 16: Dave Ramsey Would Be So Proud!

2009-01-16T12:17:00.000-08:00

We refinanced our house today, dropping our mortgage interest rate by over 2 points. We also went from a 30 year to a 15 year mortgage. Our payment went up a mere $50 per month and over the life of the loan we will save over $80,000 in interest! AND.... we saved enough on the closing costs to buy something I've been wanting ever since Christmas, but I'll save that photo for another day. This is our home, which we bought in June 2006. I'll go ahead and confess that I did NOT take this picture today - it was taken the day we came to view it for the first time back in May 2006. That's the realtor opening the door, and Jon is carrying Karis from the van. It's the nicest place I've ever lived and although it has its quirks, we love it here!

Day 15: KidSenses

2009-01-15T22:08:00.000-08:00

Today our schools had early dismissal in preparation for a 4-day weekend. Thanks, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.! I have too much going on tomorrow to do anything fun with the girls so after I picked them up today we took off for KidSenses in Rutherfordton, just over the North Carolina border. KidSenses is a smallish kids' hands-on museum/activity center and I figured that most school systems did NOT get out early like we did. It takes about an hour to drive there and we ended up with over three hours to enjoy all the fun activities. The girls had a blast! There was hardly anyone else there all afternoon so they ping-ponged from one room to another. Karis said her favorite was the bubble room, Harper liked the dentist's office, Quinn liked the grocery store, but they all three enjoyed the cafeteria and the stage. Personally, I liked Creation Station the best. I discovered that my little Karis is a budding Spielberg though. The three of them dressed up in costumes and presented us with a little play, which consisted of Karis whispering in Harper's and Quinn's ears to tell them what to say and do. This is a photo of me in the Kaleidoscope, taking a picture of me taking a picture of me taking a picture of me, etc.

Day 14: Mixing It Up

2009-01-14T12:42:00.001-08:00

For years I have wanted a stand mixer, but being the frugal person that I am, I know I would not get enough use from it to justify the cost of a nice KitchenAid model. Plus if I had an extra $250 just laying around I would buy a Wii instead. This Christmas Dana (in a roundabout way) bought me a new stand mixer from Target. Today was my first chance to use it. Quinn "helped" me make cupcakes for small group tonight. I enjoyed being able to add the ingredients without having to hold the hand mixer. Later we made some homemade caramel frosting and I let her frost a cupcake for herself.

Day 13: It's Tax Time Again!

2009-01-13T12:37:00.000-08:00

It's almost time to do those nasty Federal tax returns, which means it's time for my annual trip to the office supply store for TurboTax. Honestly, unless someone has a complicated tax situation I can't imagine any reason that I would pay someone to do my taxes. Then again, I'm a pretty frugal person at heart anyway. This time around I also picked up a new anti-virus program to take the place of my McAfee. It's not good for me to go into the office supply store because I'm a sucker for a cute pen or nifty notepads. Yet I can never seem to find a pen when I need one. How can that be?

Day 12: This Night

2009-01-12T22:34:00.000-08:00

Tonight was "This Night" at my church. It's an event for the ladies where we decorate a table, eat a nice meal and hear a speaker. I partnered with my friend Missi (on the left) to decorate a table. The guest speaker spoke about a horrible car accident she was involved in last year and described her recovery from the injuries. Her main message was, "God is in the details of our lives." Her story was full of what some might call coincidences but Believers recognize as God's hand at work. It reminded me of similar stories from my own life, times that seemed like "luck" or "fate" to outsiders but to me were just more examples of the kind of miracles God performs in my life every single day. Most of the time I just don't notice them, but when I do tune in.... Wow!

Day 11: Yuck!

2009-01-11T21:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture of where I spent the majority of my day: in bed! I woke up feeling a little icky (also known as "nauseous") but thought I could soldier through it and went to Praise Team practice anyway. I tried to eat breakfast in between the 1st and 2nd services but couldn't manage but 3 bites of my biscuit. We sang in the 2nd service and I sat next to Jon to hear the sermon, and it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. I just know the pastor was wondering how I could be drifting off to sleep during such a passionate message! We came home, I took a magic anti-nausea pill, and then I went to bed, where I stayed until about 5:30. I'm feeling better now and I'm actually hungry so maybe it was just something I ate.

Day 10: Upward!

2009-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of Upward cheerleading for my two youngest girls. It's actually Karis' third year being involved as a cheerleader for Upward, but it's Quinn's very first "team" experience of any kind. I wasn't sure how she would react. Despite her lack of inhibition at home, she tends to have stage fright when asked to "perform" in front of people she doesn't know. When the announcer introduced Quinn and she was supposed to run out onto the court, she walked instead and that concerned me a little. After a slow start though, she warmed up and started cheering with everyone else. I was very proud of her! At age 4, Quinn is the youngest girl on her squad and we actually had to ask special permission before we signed her up. Karis did a great job at the 11:00 game too and was more focused than usual. At the end of the game the cheer coaches give out individual star stickers (they put them on their megaphones) based on how the girls did that day. Quinn and Karis both got the gold star on their squads for "Best Cheer". They were very proud of their uniforms and insisted on wearing them the rest of the day.

Day 9: A little bit of sugar

2009-01-09T13:19:00.000-08:00

One component of Sensory Processing Disorder is difficulty with social skills. Karis struggles with understanding the ins and outs of friendships with children her own age, maybe because she feels things so acutely that she sometimes imagines insult where none was intended. It makes things even more difficult now that her best friend H. is living with us and Karis tends to want to play with just H. to the exclusion of all others, including (and especially!) my youngest daughter Quinn, and she expects H. to feel the same way. Today Quinn was napping when Karis and H. got home from school so the two of them had a solid hour to play as a twosome but when Quinn woke up I asked them to think of a game all three could play. (NOTE: Having an odd number of girls together to play is almost never a good idea. There's always an odd girl out.) H. was willing but Karis was not and ended up crying in her bedroom, thinking H. was mad at her. Nothing I could say would convince her otherwise. Another friend came over to play unexpectedly and three of the four girls went out to play on the trampoline, leaving Karis alone inside the house because she didn't want to jump on the trampoline. She loves to cook so I offered to cook something with her to help ease the pain a bit and she chose Fancy Pink Fairy Cocoa from her Fairy Cookbook. It was actually quite good once I got over the sugar overdose. And look - she's almost smiling!

Day 8: Will she or won't she?

2009-01-08T10:01:00.001-08:00

I know it's just plain old vanity, but I really cringe when I look in the mirror and see any new visible signs of aging. There's not a lot I can do about the wrinkles without some expensive plastic surgery and I can accept that. However, when it comes to the things I can fix, I usually don't hesitate. Last summer I took the plunge and got some serious highlights put in my hair. I'm talking platinum blonde highlights. I was afraid it might be too gaudy but as it turns out, I liked it a lot. I had them refreshed a couple of months ago and now my roots are showing big-time. So here it is, the dead of winter, and I hear from my "fashion consultants" that getting frosty blonde highlights right now may not be a good idea until there's enough sun that I could pretend they are natural. Something along the lines of not wearing white after Labor Day and before Memorial Day, I think. Whatever the reason, it's not "cool," and may even cross the line into "tacky" (the Southern woman's ultimate style insult). This presents a dilemma. I have weathered the invasion of the grays fairly well to this point but it appears that lately I am losing the battle and something drastic needs to be done. If I can't (or shouldn't) get heavy highlights, maybe I could go back to my (more or less) natural color for a couple of months and at least cover the gray. So here's a self-portrait that may turn out to be a "before" shot. Yes, my camera made it into the picture. It's doing most of the work anyway so I guess it deserves a little time in the spotlight. :-)