Dogs don't like it much more than snakes ;)

Every dog I have ever had has hated the camera. Some of them were even terrified of it. I wonder why?? It's not like they have ever been beat with one or anything (well... I assume not... hardly any of the dogs I have owned in my life were with me since puppyhood) And Geesh... In this house you think they'd get used to it!! Of course, in THESE particular photos.... it may not be the camera as much as it is the fact that he has ripped the eyes out of yet another stuffed animal...which he knows very well is a "no-no" -but just can't help himself ;) (note how he holds it down by the tail so there is NO chance that peacock is goin' anywhere!) The toy basket down here is like a sick, twisted basket of toys missing eyes and limbs.

Anyhoo... Kind of a boring week. Scrapbooked a bit yesterday and today. Hadn't done that in awhile, so that was fun. My layouts are over there on the left <--- in my flickr badge. Looking forward to Jerry's birthday party this weekend. I am just looking forward to getting out of the house and spending time with adults! The kids have been particularly annoying this week... not sure if it's me or them ;) Sean has been oppositional and defiant a lot more than usual. He usually has like 1-2 time- outs a week. This week he has had 1-2 time outs by breakfast!! I think he is bored. It has been too buggy for him to play outside. Jessi has also been a handful the past couple weeks. Those hormones are definitely starting to kick in because she is like a raw nerve walking around the house just waiting to get upset at something ...or someone... usually ME. Good times. Good times. If this is a preview of the teen years.... YIKES.

PSA: Snakes do not stay still for photographs

The BEST RIB RECIPE EVER!!

Rick (now officially dubbed "Hero of the Day") made these tonight and they are UNBELIEVABLY good! We used country ribs because they are on sale this week for 1.19lb ;) ....and Sweet Baby Rays Sauce because after last summer of experimentation we learned it's the BEST for chicken and pork!! (For beef the best is Cattlemen's Classic... if you were wondering ;) )


Prize Winning Baby Back Ribs

Enjoy!!

It's only 1130am!?

How is it even possible that it's not even noon yet?? This morning after Rick went Turkey hunting, we had breakfast and coffee (sans kiddos ...since they spent the night at B and Grampa's last night). Then we headed out to pick up the kids and take Jessi to her friend's house in Bangor for a Birthday party. After that we went to the cemetery to 'visit' Rick's grandfather. On the way home Rick veered off to his secret spot near where his grandparents used to live where there is a HUGE patch of Lily's of the Valley.... my FAVORITE flower. He picked me a whole bunch of them :) We passed by an antique shop and I ran in to see if they had any cute vases for my flowers. That store is AMAZING!! I got the CUTEST little jar that was formerly known as a honey jar for $2. I love it!! I will DEFINITELY be back to that place when Rick and Sean aren't in car waiting for me and I have time to explore!! After THAT... Rick veered off AGAIN to his parents house where he cut me a bunch of Lilacs... my OTHER favorite flower!! LOVING him today...and every day :)

Where they are....

Camping in the backyard (more like the front/side-ish yard... but that doesn't have very good flow ;) ). We had a campfire and roasted marshmallows. Then Jessi and I got the blankets all set up and I headed inside to let them have at it ;) Jessi has already come to the window once to whisper to me (sitting comfortably INDOORS)... "Is there really anything out there that will come eat us? I'm not too sure about this anymore." LOL I assured her that nothing out there will eat her... maybe WOUND her a little... but not eat her. She didn't see the humor there..lol! Let's hope that Daddy has enough sense not to tell any ghost stories.

Apple Blossoms

Our land is surrounded by apple trees and I LOVE IT!! The best time of year is when they are blossoming! They are so pretty and smell so good! I wish the apples were good eating apples... but you can't have it all, can ya? ;)

Finally Ready to...

-spend less time on the computer chatting at scrapbook.com.
-NOT know exactly why Rosie O'donnell and Elisabeth Hasselbeck are fueding and exactly how Rosie feels about it.
-have a much less familiar relationship with my couch.
-not wake up in the morning knowing that I have NOTHING TO DO today.
-have to get up and get dressed and GO!
-have daily adult interactions with more than 2 people (no offense Rick and Nicole ;) ).

This SAHM gig has been wonderful. I love that I have been able to be home with my kids during their important first years. And I never thought it would happen, but I am READY to get OUT THERE and DO SOMETHING!! Tomorrow is Sean's kindergarten screening. Next Friday I have a meeting about my internship at the Eastern Maine Agency on Aging and I CAN'T WAIT!!

Disclaimer: This does blog should not be interpreted to mean I that won't spend the day crying on the day I put my baby on that yellow school bus on August 29th. Nor does it mean that I won't be complaining in future blogs when I am having a hard time adjusting to my new "busy life."

They played RIGHT into my little plan ;)

While I cooked dinner, THEY....

The Ripple Effect

Ever since 'The Osbourne's" and a magazine article in a Home Dec mag where a woman described how she loved having a couch in her kitchen/diningroom because the kids would snuggle up on it in their blankets in the mornings while she cooked breakfast... I have REALLY wanted to have a couch/loveseat in mine!

This morning I started my monthly "let's see what the monster under the couch has sucked up" mission. That mission then turned into...
-Hmmm... maybe I should move the fishtank like I have been wanting to....
which turned into having to mostly empty it and 'may as well clean it' since I am emptying it anyway to move it...
which turned into well I already have the couch all pulled out and apart, maybe I should steam clean it and wash all the cushion covers and let the cushions sit out on the porch to air out.

I thought I knew where I wanted the fishtank... but the more I thought about it, the more I didn't want it there. Then I decide to put it against my blue wall because then everyone can see it and it will be easier to clean (plus the whole blue=water thing ;) )... but then what will I do with all the other furniture???

So..... That turned into a complete furniture re-arranging/super cleaning session. A session where the "couch in the kitchen" lightbulb came on! Rick has always complained that he hates being all the way across the room from me in the evenings. Solved that problem too!

The Osbournes and the magazine chick have a more "Pottery Barnish" look going... but until I have a "Pottery Barnish Budget" this will have to do ;) Moving the couch in there also caused a ripple effect of Super cleaning and table shrinking (leaf removing).

I really think I like the livingroom like this!! It looks much less cluttered. I would love love love to have new furniture in here, but that is not in the cards for awhile... and that's ok :) My next goal this week is to FINALLY put up the window valances that have been sitting in my closet for about 8 months...lol!! And sometime this month I want to fix the legs on the 'kitchen couch', and try and make it a little less 'sinky' so that people don't feel like they are going to fall into an abyss when they sit down on it..lol! I also have a couple artsy projects in mind for the walls. I think I am done for today though!

Daddy's Home!!

...and he brought the campin' spirit with him!!

And I was DELIGHTED to learn that I could have 4 toasted marshmallows for only 2 points!! So I got to get in on the fun and am still under points for the day :)

Party Animals!!

This was the scene by 830pm. LOL

Today is a 'chill out at home' day. It's dismal and cold out. Jessi has Liv over to play, but she won't be staying over as we have banned Saturday night sleepovers due to Sunday grumpiness/napping (nap on Sunday means going to sleep later) and then EXTREME Monday morning grumpiness!

I found the BEST BLOG this morning!! It is ENTIRELY devoted to CUPCAKES!! HELLO!?? How wonderful is that!! There are so many great recipes I want to try... I think the first will be the SMORES cupcakes-- although they look a bit complex!! I will have to wait til next Sunday though since I kinda blew through my extra WW points the past couple days... so no Sunday cheating this week!!

Daddy's gone away.....

Renting a movie and having a slumber party with just the 3 of us (and every blanket and pillow and large stuffed animal we own) in the livingroom is MUCH better than.... "I miss Daddy.... When is Daddy coming home? .... I wish Daddy was here to tuck us in...." blah blah blah. ;)

Hope Daddy is having as much fun in that unheated camp on this cold rainy night. I have a feeling he is ....it's not often he gets a night out with the guys!!

Been Scrappin'

It had been awhile... so I thought I should mosey on into my scraproom and get some stuff done!!

I did a couple for the Scrapbook.com contest for the Clean and Simple category and the Funny category. You can enter up to 7 LOs, I am not sure how many I will enter. I have one for idea in my head that I need to put on paper and that will make 3... that may be it... maybe ;) I love entering contests because the guidelines always inspire me!! I don't dare post the LO pics here because of the contest rules, but you can click the links if you wanna see 'em :)

I also did this one... just for fun :)

...and this one was an excuse to play with Photoshsop... Before I created this LO I edited the photo in photoshop using the "cartoon action" from Action Central to make the photo look like a comic book photo. I then had it printed out as usual.


To create the LO I used Black Bazzill and Basic Grey for the background paper. I printed the title right on the background in black with a Spiderman free font. I then used a white Sakura Souffle pen to make the title stand out. I then dripped drops of watered down black paint on the LO and blew on them with a straw to get the effect I wanted. Then I had to be done scrapping for the day because all the blowing made me dizzy and then I got a headache...LOL!!

I LOVE my new method of scrapping/picture storing!! Now I only scrap my FAVORITE pics, but the rest are right in the album too for everyone to look at! No more pictures in boxes waiting...and waiting... for me to do something with them.

Grampa just picked up Sean... so I am off to hit the showers! Today is weigh-in day at Weight Watchers! I have stuck to it for a WHOLE WEEK ...if you have been reading this blog for any amount of time you realize what a big deal that is...lol!! According to my scale here, I have lost 8 pounds this week!! LOVES IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They just love their nature

Sean is becoming QUITE the little fisherman! I think he will be outfishing his Daddy before his age reaches double digits! ;) ;) Today Daddy taught Sean how to bait his own hook and take fish off the hook.

Once they got home Sean got another lesson... this time on how to clean a fish.

Sean was so proud of his HUGE TROUT! "IT'S A CORKER, MOM!!!" He even called his grandparents and made them drive over to see it...lol. They were glad to oblige :)

Jessi is at school today again til 5 for her babysitting course. After that Daddy is picking her up and they are going fiddlehead picking. Again with the nature. I never in a bazillion years would have thought that I would be a woman with dead fish in my sink... deer meat in my freezer... and a family that is happiest when they are outdoors! I am an INDOOR girl!! How did this happen?? I guess opposites really DO attract ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

My Mom. She's everything a mother should be. If you need someone to talk to, or a hug, or a beer, or some crack ...she's your goto gal! ROFL!! She really is great though! How many other Mom's...that don't actually drink or smoke... would pose for a photo like this one ;) My mom is a great mom! She is funny, silly and a great shopping companion! I was a horrible, wretched beast as a teenager. Back then I never in a million years would have guessed that I would look forward to a 3 hour phone call from Mom every week! I'm sure she never would have guessed it either ;)


Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!

P.S. THESE are the flowers I wanted to send... but Chris insisted we go in that other direction :) I guess he's right... flowers do 'just die'... but if you want, you can print them out and put them in a frame on your table....lol!! Maybe even spray the frame with a little perfume ;) ;)

Impromptu coastal jaunt