Awkward

So I kind of sent a photo of my family to AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com and they want to use it in a book. I have to ask my family's permission.

What do you all think? Would there be any weird repercussions? I thought it was only fitting for their web-site...

The even funnier thing is that I have others that may be even funnier in the ole scary family portrait folder on my computer. I just liked this one because it is supposed to be taken at the happiest place on Earth and my brother and sister look like there in, let's just face it, HELL.

Okay I Lied

Isn't it nice when you go to the library to pick up your books on hold and discover that a book (that you requested AGES ago)
that you can't wait to read is waiting?

Today I picked up Sew Darn Cute. And people, it is just that darn cute. Glancing thru at the stop light (bad I know) I want to make everything in it. I am looking forward to sewing again! Woot.

While I was at Micheal's this afternoon to replace the paint brushes my daughter ruined yesterday (argh) I saw this book Sock and Glove and rushed home to place a library request. I have a feeling Owen is going to be getting some very cute sock animals for Christmas. The animals inside are just as cute as the dog on the cover.

Meine Mutti is Back

After weeks of frustrating phone calls and begging my brother and nephew via facebook and phone to fix my Mother's wireless...my Mom is back in the 21st century. Huge relief.

At one point yesterday David suggested I hop on a plane and fly to Washington to fix the wireless, rather than go through another excruciating phone call with either my Mom or Dad.

Thank you God!

Back on Track

A few weeks ago I made a blogging promise to blog daily. Lately I have fallen short of the goal, but maybe, hopefully I am back on track.

I have too many things to be thankful for at the start of this week...a beautiful healthy family, our house in NC is closing in a few weeks (woot!), I have been doing great with my other goals of morning Bible reading and working out on our elliptical, and yesterday when we walked into church...drum roll...wait for it...people that I had met last week at VBS smiled and engaged us in conversation! We interacted with people at church! Big double woot!

This week's plans? Nada. We are meeting my new co-worker for lunch today, and my kids are BEGGING to go back to the Dayton Art Institute for their final scavenger hunt...so my Monday is planned. The rest of the week holds promise...I am severely burned out on sewing for some reason, so Hannah and I are making plans for fabric painting, batik, and more photography. Her last black and white/old school camera set of prints came back (man I need a scanner) and there were some wonderful stills. I will find a way to scan my favorite, a self portrait of sorts that she took of her feet and shoes (low black converse) in the grass. I LOVE it and may enlarge it and matte it for the wall.

Sam and I love this wonderful mixed media piece at the DAI and I have been saving paper garbage to make a small version. (Couldn't find the artist's name, but we will look today while there). We can do that this week too...

Two last things...

I R*E*A*L*L*Y want to get into a jewelry forging class (havent found one locally) but saw this interesting post about recession friendly jewelry...recycling old gold pieces into something new. Maybe next week.

Owie needed some dessert to go with his sandwich...I am thinking of options. Here are a few of the unfinished pieces I have made so far (felt sewing is therapetic and the only thing I like sewing.)

I H*E*A*R*T Google

I know it is the fourth, and I should be talking patriotism, but I really love Google. I think I am addicted.

Last night, after my post about the cupcakes, I was remembering a fictional book I'd read a couple of years ago that had recipes at the end of each chapter for yummy cakes. Within 2 minutes I found the title on Google and had a request in at the library.

This morning I started freaking out because I had a weird bikini line rash (Sorry TMI) and what did I do? Googled it. Found out that it isn't such a good idea to go months without changing your razor. Bacteria can form a crazy rash on your bikini line.
Ooops. Well, it saved me a $20 co-pay. Easy fix. New razor.

The other day Chloe's teeth were falling out, weird, I know. Well...you guessed it. I Googled it and found out that Shih-tzu's have notoriously poor teeth and they fall out.

I HEART Google.

Chocolate

Last weekend for O's birthday party my sister made these bad-boys for the adult dessert. (Photo stolen from the beautiful and talented Andrea-without her permission!) Laura got the recipe from one of her favorite books "A Homemade Life." The author had a wonderful blog called Orangette. I love her recipes.

Whilst my Mom was here she bought me a copy of the book. It is a nice read, excerpts from the authors life, each chapter with it's own recipe and tie to food.

Today, I doubled the recipe and made a huge batch of said cupcakes for our 4th of July parties. Two different kinds of chocolate (power and chunks), yogurt...etc. Man they are yummy chocolate goodness.

Tomorrow we are having D's family for lunch BBQ (including his Mom hopefully-first time she will have visited our new home and she lives 1.5 miles away) and we are going to a friends house to watch fireworks. I made enough cupcakes for both occasions (as well as tonight's dessert). Yum.

Movie and Trouble

Tonight was my second date with my neighbor Lynn. Of coarse both of us brought friends, but tonight was the night we went to see the movie "My Sister's Keeper." Let me just tell you A. the book does NOT match the movie apparently and B. Bring an entire box of Kleenex. My sister-in-law (my bring along friend) said at one point during the movie he had to pinch herself because she didn't want to start sobbing. I was so into the movie that I didn't notice all the sniffing until EVERYONE in the packed theatre was sniffing. LIKE CRAZY. Go see it!

Trouble? Oooooooo. My kids got in H*U*G*E trouble today. Ask my sister, it is not like Hannah is unfamiliar with trouble lately. (Yesterday she tried to burn the house down whilst baking cookies. I came upstairs to find a first level full of smoke, burned cookies, and two girls upstairs with their music so loud they could not hear me SCREAMING my head off calling theirs names.)

Anywho, today's trouble? My kids, using a combination of "Spy equipment" and just plain old second extension handset pick up eavesdropped on my phone conversations. At one point I said to my sister-in-law, is someone on the phone? It is kind of "echoy." I asked if anyone was on the phone repeatedly. No acknowledgement. So finally something dropped upstairs and I heard it quite clearly. My kids fessed up to everything, little turds. The whole "do I listen outside your door to your conversations?" lecture ensued. Willful disobedience. Their punishment? Sent to their rooms for the rest of the afternoon (a good 3 hours).

And then there we Five.

Tuesday H and I show up to VBS and find we have another child in our group. Tyler. About five minutes in Hannah and I both realize that Tyler is going to be a handful. I've been around enough kids to understand that this particular kid has an issue or two.

Cute as a button, but oh how he fixates. Whether it is the sign that our group sits next to, the bracelet we made in craft today, or the noodles lying in the grass at game time this kid has his hands all over everything. Today Tyler and I had a bit of a Come to Jesus when I asked him to give me the paper (cootie catcher foldable) in his hand so we could move on to the next activity. He looked at me and then looked back at the cootie catcher and continued to play. I asked again. Tersely. He kept playing. I went to take it from his hand, he moved it away staring me down, and my teeth started gritting. Give me the paper so we can move on to the next activity. This went on until I came a millimeter from loosing it and I grabbed it from his hand.

That my friends, is my beat me button. (Or one of them). I have asked you to do something/give me something and you are BLATANTLY disrespecting me and making my blood pressure raise to the point of boiling.

I am obvioulsy learning patience during VBS.