Overheard at Dinner.......

Nicholas: Dad never cooks dinner.

Amanda: That's because he's never home for dinner and............. he doesn't know how.

Nicholas: Uh... Uh.... He is 40 years old. 40 year olds know how to cook. (Can you hear the implied. DUH?)

Me: I think you should cook for your family when you grow up. It will make your wife happy. (My future daughter-in-law should thank me now.) What do you think you will cook?

Nicholas: I will make Cotton Candy!

Oh BROTHER!!!!!!!!!!!

Life in Photos

So I really don't feel like writing. I will say that life has been filled with playing, chores, tennis, sickness, new brakes, new satellite service, some deceit, sickness, snacks, skype, giggling, baking, nightmare brownies, exercise, work, homework, .....and so it goes....... Here is our life in photos lately............

Saturday, Jan. 10. Maureen said I needed to be in more of the pictures along with Steve. Voila! The self-timer. Steve is not here, but how about my stand-in Amanda.


With the self-timer you have no idea what is going on in the picture............

Do you see what I mean?

Sunday, Jan. 10. So here is the elusive Steve Herdoiza and Gabby.

Monday, Jan. 11. I didn't have a photo of the day so Mo Mo made it on Skype.

Tuesday, and Wed. Jan. 12 & 13
Check out the cool Cheez-it crackers. This is a favorite after school snack.

The crackers are just like scrabble tiles.... Can you see what it says? Silly Boy!

Thursday, Jan. 14. A candid shot taken by Amanda Grace.

Friday, Jan. 15. Look what I have been up to all week.... Trying to improve my poker skills....

Sat. Jan 16. The cutest little girl ever! She always has something in her mouth.

Sun. Jan 17. For the most part.... a very HAPPY baby.

Monday, Jan. 18 A tribute to Martin Luther King. Nick participated in a peace march at school.

Tuesday, Jan. 19 Aunt Michele sent some Christmas presents..... She made scarfs for everyone and knitted this beautiful sweater for Gabriella.

Wed. Jan. 20 Nicholas gets a stomach bug and is up with Mom at night. Here he is sleeping on the couch... home from school on Thursday. I pray no one else catches it!

Thursday, Jan. 21. Amanda is germaphobic..... and rightly so..... that poor girl has been through a lot of sickness as a little girl..... can you see her bedroom door?

The sign reads:

Friday, Jan. 22. I haven't taken a picture yet. I don't know what lies ahead. There is never a dull moment around here. Nick is home from school and I have a Brownie meeting in a couple of hours. We shall see.....Until later........

A Downpour.....

So when it rains..... it seems to be a downpour here......

Just after Christmas our dryer quit drying clothes. It was easily repaired with a $180 service call. Merry Christmas!

Last weekend Brad fixed my brand new elliptical so it doesn't make noise (yeah Brad) and the boys wired my basement for t.v. However, my t.v.'s upstairs have not been working since. Coincidence? I suppose. The dish service guy asked me if there have been any new installations, to which I reply NO and vehemently shake my head. It just doesn't work anymore! A tech will be out this week to change the receiver. Until then, there is no t.v.

Did I mention my garbage disposal is broken? Dad and I changed it once at this house. (Well Dad did the work and I supervised.) I have lived here 5 years and this week it decided to rust through. Yep, a rusty hole in the garbage disposal. I'm putting off this repair and starting a compost pile instead. Isn't that the green thing to do?....and my tomato plants and flowers will flourish next year!

Then there was the biggie! My lovely Honda..... which I do love.... died at the bus stop. Well, it was only the battery that died. Once again, Dad comes to the rescue. We took the car in and the battery had to be replaced..... for $210. And oh yeah did you know that my transmission needed to be flushed, the brakes flushed, and I needed new rear brakes for another $400. That is not to mention my air bag sensor that is malfunctioning that is $306 to replace. Needless to say, the brakes will be fixed on Monday... not at the dealer, and I will decide about the rest.

Sooooo.... I'm glad Steve and I are working so we can pay for all these fun repairs. Now do you see..... when it rains, it downpours!

Wednesday, Jan 6. These pictures don't do Gabby justice. This is what she would look like free falling out of an airplane, waiting to pull the rip-cord on her parachute.

Can you see her in free fall..................

Thursday, Jan.7. Our back ordered American Girl accessories came today. Amanda was so excited her American Girl doll Amanda would have a new best friend, SUGAR.

These are more photos from Thursday. The kids were so excited to play in the snow. We were all hoping for a snow day on Friday, but no such luck.

Friday, Jan. 8. We are growing out our bangs this year. Bangs are so last-season!

Saturday, Jan 9. Dad was making fun of my slow cooker bags. I've cooked stew and chicken cataccori (?) in it this week. The slow cooker bags make clean-up sooooo EASY. Since I didn't clean up after dinner last night..... that is what I'm going to do now. Clean up my mess. I would say... give them a try. You won't have to let the pot soak or anything.

Until later.......

Motivation, Dancing, and Photo of the Day

So......... Gabby is napping, I just threw dinner in the crock pot and it is time for me to start cleaning the house............... or I could blog before picking up Nicholas from school.

I was thinking about MOTIVATION the other day. As I pulled out of my subdivision, trying not to slide, inching my way ever so carefully out onto Pontiac Trail, I have to pause a moment as traffic clears. I wouldn't want to hit the biker that is coming down the road. You heard right. There was a guy riding a bike, with pedals, down Pontiac Trail. He had snow tires on the bike and a helmet with goggles. He was definitely dressed in winter gear. As Margaritaville is playing in the background of my cozy remote-started car, I check my temperature gauge. It is 17 degrees outside! This guy is C..... I almost said the crazy word. He is nuts!

Then I got to thinking. Isn't it funny... what motivates people? Why is this guy riding a bike to work or anywhere? Is he protesting gas prices? He doesn't own a car in these economic times? This is the "green" eco-friendly thing to do? He can't stand working out at the gym? He all around just enjoys winter?

You won't catch me leaving the house to get the mail on a 17 degree day. I guess we are all motivated by different things and that makes us unique. I believe there has to be some personal benefit for us to get motivated. Just why are some of us more motivated that others? That is a question best left for the psychologist to answer..............

So that is my nutty biking story........... Now for something that truly put a smile on my face. Playing around with Steve's new ipod touch I found this video. I think my generation will love it. It reminds me of every high school dance, wedding, or fraternity party I've been too....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg

And finally photos of the day......

Sunday, Jan 3. I know, boring laundry.... but that is what I did on Sunday.... A lot of LAUNDRY!


and here is Gabby helping my fold the laundry........

Monday, Jan. 4. Gabby was cracking up at Nicholas being silly......... I kinda missed the cracking up photo, but she sure in enamoured with her brother.....

Tuesday, Jan 5. My Amanda Grace............ okay.... so it was a photo from Sat.( shhh... don't tell)

Until later...................

And so begins Photo of the Day...........

Soooooooooo, remember that photo of the day thing. Here is #1 from Jan. 1st. My 2 favorite princesses...

And then today I had to resort to bribery............. and I took about 100 pictures. That means I could be ready for the next 100 days. Maybe I'll just share this one. Photo #2 for Jan. 2. She looks like Cindy Lou Hoo from the Grinch that Stole Christmas with those EYES!


But it really isn't fair to only share Gabby..... so here are a couple more and then you will just have to wait for the next 3 months!



Until Later..............

Revised Goals 2010

So I just looked back at my goals from last year when I posted them on Jan. 4. How did I do? 1. Blog more... I don't think so. 2. Learn something new. I learned how to fix my screen door and how to cook a turkey. 3. Take a class. I took a digital one on-line. Does that count? 4. Spend more time with family and do less chores... Not so good. 5. Procrastinate less. This is still a work in progress.................

So what have I come up with for 2010.

1. Eliminate the word CRAZY from my vocabulary. This is the year to work on calm. When people ask me how I'm doing I want to say peaceful. Everything is calm. I will try my best to get rid of the word crazy. No more chaos in 2010.

2. Learn something new AGAIN. There are so many opportunities. (I think tonight I learned how to wire cable in the basement with the help of Brad and Justin. Now I can watch TV as I work-out on my new elliptical.)

3. Take a class. I'm really hoping to improve my photography, photoshop, cake baking, tennis, or scrapbooking skills this year.

4. Spend more QUALITY time with the kids and Steve. Steve and I have been good with our 20 minutes a night. I hope it continues in the new year. I want to have more shared time with the kids that does not involve homework or driving or discipline.

5. Read more. I'm so excited I read 20 books in 2009. I'm hoping for 25 this year.

6. Improve my poker skills. I must work on perfecting my poker face, controlling my emotions, and I hope to pick up a copy of poker for DUMMIES (and this fulfills the read more goal too.)

I think that is a good list to begin the New Year. I will have to check back to make sure I stay on track. As a side note, I'm thinking of the picture a day project again. I've taken my photos for today but I don't think I will post each and every one. Last year I made it until March.... then the baby came..... we will see what happens this year.

Hope everyone sets some new goals for themselves. I am off to bed. Until later............

Happy New Year!

Soooo... a new look for a new year. I hope everyone is busy writing resolutions or as I call them "goals" for 2010. I want to compare my list with last year.... but that will be another post. I hope to blog more in the coming year so look for more frequent updates. Right now Gabriella is napping and I have just spent the last hour performing my site makeover. That is why this post is so brief. I'm off to relax..... until later.... enjoy the Christmas photos!