UGH!

Just an update...... This week everything seems to want to break.... the central vacuum, the sparking microwave, and the mother-of-them-all my LAPTOP.  As we speak I'm trying to get my data recovered off of my fried mother board.  I am so disturbed that my 3 year old HP is destroyed.  NEVER... NEVER.... again will I buy any HP computers.  What a joke!  I have just ordered a Dell and hopefully it should arrive within the next 15 days.  Merry Early Christmas to me.  Just what I didn't need to spend my paycheck on! UGH! I'm not sure how much blogging I will do in the meantime.  I have a scrapbook weekend next week... unfortunately I have no recent photos to edit or print...  not sure how productive that weekend will be :(

More Fall Photos....

We were out in the backyard a couple of weekends ago working on Amanda's school project.  The weather was great and the trees looked so pretty I couldn't resist taking some fall photos.  I made her take a break from working to climb up the tree.  She looks so cute!

Then it was Nicholas' turn to climb the tree...... and he wasn't even getting in trouble.... and I wasn't yelling for him to get down.... so he thought that was great! (We were literally 2 feet off the ground :)

Can you see the family resemblance?  I can't.....

 

More smiles..... I will take it when I can get it......

So this is the real reason we were in the backyard.  Amanda was attempting to earn money to help her class adopt an 8 year old child for the holiday season.  She and her classmates had to earn money doing extra chores, write a summary of what they did, and then share a photo with the class.  She had to have proof that she raked the leaves.  She conned Nicholas into helping and the two of them cleaned up the backyard very well.  They filled a bunch of pumpkin bags full of leaves that we left on our porch for Halloween. 

All their hard work in the shape of leaf-filled-pumpkins!

That same afternoon we decided to head to the pumpkin patch.  Unfortunately this year it was going to cost us $32 to get a ride to the patch and then $20 + for the pumpkins.  The cider mill was charging crazy new rates.... we informed the kids they had to choose the 5 dollar pumpkins at the entrance of the cider mill.  Amanda was not happy with this option.... but I was much happier with $50 in my pocket.  You can buy a lot of donuts and cider with $50!

So many to choose..... where is that perfect pumpkin?????

After much pleading with the kids..... they posed for this shot which will have to do.

I forgot about all the demands placed on a first grader.... reading, writing stories & poetry, math, money, wall words, science, and oh yeah.... lots of extra projects.  I have had to Nicholas has had to make a family tree, a writer's notebook, and of course this pumpkin project complete with a written page summarizing what we he did.  Well, first he glued on the eyes.

Next, I hot glued the bandages while Nick wrapped the mummy's head.  I must have burned my fingers  4 or 5 times.  You are suppose to put your finger in ice water if you accidentally get hot glue on yourself.  (It doesn't help.  The ice just shocks you, as you unstick your  fingers that have been glued to the gauze or each other!)

Ta Da!  Nick's mummy pumpkin came out great!

And finally.... just playing around in photoshop...... this was a quick one......