Easter!

Yes, I REMEMBERED to bring the eggs today!

We had a great time decorating them.

Please, enjoy the pictures of some of our creations!

Huh?

Why am I blogging in the middle of the day? Why am I not doing a project with the kids? Why are they watching TV instead of doing something more productive like I would usually be doing with them on rainy days like today?

Why?

Because I had another aluminum pot moment today. That's why!

The cake pops project didn't go well yesterday so I decided to have them color eggs after all.
Last night, C dug out my Easter stuff from the basement while I hard-boiled 18 white eggs.
Everything was ready.
I brought newspapers to protect the work area from the dye.

Why then are we not dyeing eggs right now?

I FORGOT TO BRING THE EGGS!!

The End Part Was Yucky!

That was the answer I got today when I asked Colin to tell me about the movie his family saw this weekend, "How to Train Your Dragon".

I thought he meant that there was blood and guts or maybe there was some pooping/vomiting scenes that one might find pretty yucky.

Nope.

The yucky stuff , he told me, was yucky stuff that his mommy and daddy do sometimes.

WHAT?!?!

I thought this was a kids movie!

That's when Kaya told me, "the boy and girl falled in love. They kissed."

Oh!

PHEW!

Aluminum Pot Moment

Several years ago, a study came out claiming that there was a link between Alzheimer's Disease and the use of aluminum cooking pots.

I'm not sure whatever became of that study or if it was even true, but T called me today alerting me to something I did and I'm blaming it on the fact that, in my lifetime, I have eaten quite a bit of food that had been cooked in aluminum pots!

I sent her 3 used, music CDs for Carlotta that had children's songs/lullaby's on them. Or so I assumed!

Actually, the 3 CDs I thought I was giving her are still here, in my CD player! The ones inside cases I gave to T and Carlotta were... Christmas songs by Bing Crosby and Burl Ives!

Oh no!

Just another aluminum pot moment!

Chilly

It was chilly today.

That fact didn't deter the young child from seeking out the biggest, deepest, muddiest puddle of water to play in while waiting for her siblings school buses to arrive home!

Of course, had the buses been on time, she would've stayed clean, dry and warm! But even the best behaved, most obedient child will give into temptation after 45 minutes! And her babysitter (me), could only repeat herself so many times.

Boy, she had a great time though! She didn't seem to care that she got colder as she got wetter.

And what did she want for an afternoon snack?

A grape POPSICLE!!!!!

Front Row Seats!

Awesome seats!

B, Ruth and I could see everything and every one!

No, we weren't at the Celtics, Red Sox or Patriots!

We were somewhere even better!

Where were we?

We had FRONT ROW SEATS at...

Drumroll please.........................................................................................

OK that's good enough.......

C's induction into the NTHS!

Good Job C! Now you'll have 2 sashes to wear on graduation day!

Guess.

---{---@

A _____ by any other name ... ?

Tango

When we moved here, our neighbors lost their dog to old age. They replaced him with a GIGANTIC puppy, named, Tango.

Over the years, I've observed them trying to train him to stay within their yard. For the most part, they were successful. He does use a HUGE chain because they don't want to take any chances of someone getting hurt by him.

On the rare occasion that he gets loose, well... you should see C run! Or she cowers in the kitchen until he's tied up again. He begins his morning around 7am by barking loudly, not for very long, but LOUD!

Of course, now he's even bigger than he was as a puppy.

I was outside shaking rugs out off the deck today. He had gotten off his chain and was VERY curious to see what I was doing. He was good, not crossing the property line, but he was close and barking.

This sparked the interest of my cats.

Both of them sat on the windowsill overlooking his yard. Gracie got bored quickly, but Zee sat there for a long time. She's heard him barking before, but now he was close enough to be seen. Her head kept tipping to one side then the other as she tried to figure him out.

Once she decided he was no threat to her, she jumped down, found Gracie and they began wrestling.

My day is good.

Mmmmm! A Taste of Summer

Coleslaw.

The salad I associate with SUMMER!

It's creamy, crunchy and goes with everything at a BBQ.

My mom taught me to use only mayo and celery seed on shredded cabbage and carrots. I liked it OK.

At seafood restaurants, I was introduced to what cole slaw COULD taste like, though there are some that I don't like the taste of very much.

Ruth makes a yummy slaw, with the apples and raisins. To me however, it tastes more like a dessert salad.

I've tried the pre-made coleslaw dressings from the store with varying results. No clear winner for my tastes.

Today, with summer in the air, I tried my hand at making a homemade cole slaw dressing. I like it! It needs to sit and meld the flavors for about an hour, but I believe I have made a winner!

It's creamy, sweet, tangy and has the celery seed flavor I enjoy.

Yum.

When everything is mixed well, cover and set in fridge for at least an hour. The longer a slaw sits in the dressing, the LESS crunchy it becomes, so serve it when it reaches your desired crunchiness.

DRESSING

1- 1/4 cup mayo

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/3 cup white sugar

1/2 teaspoon celery seeds

salt and pepper to taste

COLE SLAW

1 medium head of green cabbage, julienned (though I prefer diced)

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned

1-2 carrots, grated

1/2 sweet onion, minced finely

Stop. Enough is Enough.

And you know who you are!

Just stop it!

Thank you.

My Advice For Future Parents

IF you ever feel the need to have children... only have ONE. Though having no kids might work out better. And you'll be wealthier.

No one prepared me for the constant competition between children about which of them has had the most money or time spent on them by their parents and when! They tend to think the other one is more favored, lavished with money and spoiled more than they EVER were! No amount of proof or debate make them believe otherwise!

I'm always getting blasted for spending money or time on one kid especially when the other one feels it wasn't "deserved". Are they the parents? Why can't they be happy with what time they have with us, earn & save their own money and get on with their life? Who cares if we spent more on one kid than the other last month? It all equals out somewhere down the road, right?

I love my girls. I love them differently. But both are LOVED A LOT and unconditionally!

However, I wish they would stop feeling entitled to our time and money. We help out because we want to... not because we're supposed to and IF we can afford it.

So please stop whining and complaining! It's NOT a contest!

A Wish...

Blow the eyelash away and make a wish.

That's the legend I was taught as a child and passed on to my kids.

Today I told Kaya about it since she had an eyelash on her cheek.

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and blew.

What would a 3 year old girl (who has and gets everything she wants) wish for?

"I wish I was a REAL Sleeping Beauty".

Love Her!

I love bragging about my grandchildren! I may have mentioned that in a previous blog. T has sent some of the pictures that were taken of her daughters while they were in the NICU in Charlottesville, VA.

Since I can't get the pictures from Walmart until they see the copyright release, I'm posting pictures of the girls, Carlotta and Evergreen.

These pictures are my favorite ones!

Too cute!

C! Guess What This Is?

(=^-^=)

Well?

NO LAUGHING AT ME!!

I used my Gogo's money from eBay on an outdoor pen for my cats.

YES, MY CATS! I told you NOT to laugh at me!

The thing finally arrived (shipping time?... well it got here so who am I to complain?) and it was perfect timing too! The weather today has risen to over 60 degrees, sunny, dry and just plain nice!

Now they can come outdoors with us when we do yard work! Though not when we use the mower! No material on earth would be strong enough to contain them if they were near a running mower!

How did they like it? Gracie cowered every time a car drove by and Zee kept sticking her nose in the corners hoping to find an exit. I think they like it. I do.

The Trap Is Set!

We made a Leprechaun Trap today!

We try to catch the little sprite every year in the hopes of getting his real gold pieces. Alas, he always escapes and drops the gold foil chocolates instead. He leaves a gift sometimes. Last year he left the kids their own St. Patty Day Hot Wheel cars. This year, I suspect he'll leave them a sticker book from their favorite movies.

Of course, if we do catch him, I know he won't be as cute as the wee lass in the picture above! Or as adorable as Carlotta as seen in the newest pictures posted on her mothers Facebook page.

Roads are still closed or flooded around us, but passable on the Raymond side. I saw Heathers blog with the pictures of her flooded yard and said a silent prayer of Thanks that our house, as wet as our basement got last night, was not even close to what she had to endure!

Good Luck Heather and Cathy!

Got a Towel? Or Two?

The Northeast is being pounded for the 3rd day with water from the sky! Lots of water! The neighborhood we live in has only 1 road bringing us to civilization. Prescott Road allows us to take a right to Epping and Rte 101 or a left, which takes us out to Raymond and Rte 107. The Lamprey River and many of its streams flow close to this road.

This morning, the Epping side was closed due to overflowing. The Raymond side had a high water warning posted. There was about 2 inches of water flowing over the road. As I drove to work, I took no less than 5 detours due to roads being closed.

The school dismissed early. Some town roads and bridges are in danger of washing away.

Coming home early, I stuck to the main roads and fared slightly better.

At 3:15pm, the Epping side of the road was still closed and the Raymond side has about 4 inches of water flowing swiftly over it. I made it across though I could feel the water hitting the bottom of my car. C is home safely. Now, once B gets home, my stress levels will come down and I will feel safe.

The best feeling in the world to me is knowing those who live in my house, are safely IN the house during bad weather.

I Didn't Know...

I didn't like High School. However, I enjoyed History and learning about events that happened WAAY before me.

Today I learned some "new" history. Eleven years after A. Lincoln was buried in Springfield, Illinois, there was an attempt to STEAL his body! Two counterfeiters were hoping to hold his body hostage in order to get a fellow counterfeiter out of custody. They paired up with 2 other "bad guys" who were actually informants for the Secret Service. The Secret Service and Pinkerton agents who were there to help arrest the grave robbers ended up having a gun battle between themselves in the cemetery which allowed the robbers to temporarily make a getaway!

Why didn't this little tidbit of info ever come up in my history classes? There was a Presidential election happening that night in 1876. It took over 4 months to straighten out that fiasco. Rutherford B. Hayes won in the end. Oh yeah, the grave robbers got a year in jail. There now are stricter laws and punishments concerning grave robberies due to these guys getting such a lenient sentence.

Lincolns tomb was rebuilt in 1901. During 1876 and 1901, his coffin was moved and buried in various places within the tomb and its basement about 11 times! Finally, his son, Robert, insisted that in the newly rebuilt tomb, they dig a 10 ft hole with a steel cage holding his fathers coffin/body and then fill it in with concrete.

It's rainy and cold today. All there is to do is watch the History Channel. So, now you know something that you maybe didn't know earlier today!

Just For C!

(o_O)

o

SURPRISE!

8-)

COOL!

Overheard

SpongeBob Squarepants.

I don't see what the fascination is with this cartoon character.

The kids LOVE him and the others creatures on the show.

I think Kaya's in love with the square one! She thinks I should love Mr. Krabbs because I told her I like to eat lobster!

I heard the 2 younger ones laughing about something funny during an episode today. I guess Kaya didn't get the joke (she was only laughing because Colin was laughing) so she asked her brother what SpongeBob meant "when he say dat".

"Oh, Kaya. You just don't understand about life!"

No joke! That was his answer! He's 5. These kids crack me up!

My 1st "to nonie" Video!

Here is a video taken and sent by T to me on 3/10/10! Yeah! I got pictures without having to go to Facebook!

I love this video.

.

Three Year Old Logic

Kaya doesn't remember T, but since I talk about T a lot, she thinks she remembers her.

She knows I have another daughter other than C and that my cat, Gracie, has a name that rhymes with T.

She knows cats have multiple babies (2 litters in her house) and that T was pregnant with multiples.

She gets these facts mixed up sometimes. She thinks all the events that happened with Evergreen and Carlotta were Gracie's, not T's babies. Conversations take on new meanings until I remember she's talking about T, not my cat!

She knows that sometimes babies die and return to live with Heavenly Father. She reminds me that her moms baby died and now their baby has a new friend in heaven because T's baby died too.

Which brings me to her most recent logic.

During lunch, she saw my cell phone screen saver picture. It is of Evergreen, sleeping. I love talking about my grand kids, even to a 3 yr old. We talked about the recent events (T is Gracie to her) and what we were feeling. Then her eyes lit up!

"I have a great ideer, Miss Jen! I gots a Baby Alive doll upstaahs. She eats and poops like Gracies baby, Charlotte. I get her for you so Gracie can have 2 babies again! 'Kay, Miss Jen?"

I know that T keeps her babies alive in her heart and memories, even more than I do, but that concept is lost on a 3 yr old. She believes she has solved a problem. She spent the next hour in her room looking for the doll. Too cute!

T, I love you! This post was meant to make you smile, maybe chuckle. If it doesn't, let me know and I'll remove it. \m/ (rock on)

Freeze, Mista!

Here's an adorable picture of Colin dressed as a police officer. He was quite pleased with himself for having arrested C and shackling her in handcuffs! He won't admit it, but he has a tiny boy crush on C! I know of no one else he will put on PANTS for or as he walks by, asks with an upward tilt of his head and eyebrow, "Hey! How you doing?" (like Joey does on Friends). His mom says he was super excited that C was coming to play with him.

Dress-up day is a big deal for all the kids.

WHY?

I have 3 trunks full of STUFF (clothes and accessories) for them to scrounge through, to try on or to role play. They can only get a dress-up day if I have some help (thanks C) to carry the boxes out of my house, into the car, out of the car, into their house, clean up the stuff, back into my car and finally, return the boxes to the upstairs closet.

So needless to say, dress-up days are few and far between!

What is Kaya's favorite costume? A Tinkerbell costume, complete with wings! Problem is that she loves her Sleeping Beauty nightgown SO MUCH that she can't bear to be out of it for very long. So there are NO pictures of her in any dress-up clothes. We were too slow with the camera!

A Mispronounced Word That Made Me Laugh

My phone rang this evening.

It was my mother in-law.

"What time is C's indictment?"

My daughter is not being indicted,

thank goodness

She is being INDUCTED into the National Technical Honor Society on March 23rd!

Mother in-laws can be funny at times.

Planets are NOT Aligning!

Things aren't coming together to allow us the time and money to visit Carlotta and her parents in March as I had hoped.

Things will get better in time, but for now, having spent more than we had anticipated this last month (though we are very happy we had it to spend and give), we feel that we should wait to visit.

This means we'll miss her blessing. That saddens me to no end. But I know that we're doing the right thing by not putting ourselves into further debt.

I hope T understands. After all, we're paying her loans and if we visit now, the 1st thing I'd stop paying in order to afford the trip, is her loan.

Then, C is being inducted into the National Technical Honor Society in the middle of that week. I want to attend as it is her senior year. I've been so occupied with T and her babies. I need to show C some attention too.

Then, there's my health. I'm finding that the long driving trips are wreaking havoc on my immune system, weakening them so I catch all manners of sicknesses. I don't like being sick.

So we will wait, save our money and clear our schedules for another visit at another time.

Who knows, maybe our savings will be used to bring UP their family for C's graduation in June!

Forty Plus Degrees and Loving It!

I'm feeling better. Nose and chest still feel congested, but I can deal.

It's 48 degrees and I have 2 windows open! It feels good to have fresh air in the house! The cats are loving the outside smells. The chipmunks are helping keep the cats amused. I wish I had more energy to light a brush fire and rid our yard of unwanted limbs. Maybe B will help.

T sent me a text picture of Carlotta. Her cheeks are pinch-able looking cheeks now. I'll see her soon!

C had her 1st police pullover yesterday. She got off with a warning. I hope this little incident reminds her NOT to speed!

I love the cool breezes in my house. Only in New England can it be 40 degrees and it feels like summer!

Still Sick

Slept a lot today. Chills. Achy joints. Hot flashes. Dry mouth. Chapped Lips. Coughing. Stuffed and runny nose. Just yucky!

T called on her way home from hospital with Carlotta! Yeah! Baby is home with mommy and daddy.

Nothing exciting going on. Good night.

Queen of the House!

Well, apparently it's NOT me!

I've just come into my office to check stuff out on the computer. GRACIE is sleeping in my chair! WHAT'S UP with THAT? She has a nice padded bench next to the window and it's near the computer.

She doesn't NEED my chair!

I have nudged her, picked her up off the chair (she jumped back on) and scolded her to get down.

She will not move!

I'm perched on the edge of my chair writing this blog entry while I wait for my Nyquil to kick in.

For those who are wondering what DECA is... I forget what the letters mean (C, can you tell them?) but it is a national marketing group/club for young, inspiring entrepreneurs or business people. They hold a mock marketing conference each year in every state. The winning team of each state will compete in a national contest. C's team came in 2nd. There are also individual role play contests where one pretends to pitch business ideas or something to that effect. C won 3rd place in the NH contest. She was also accepted into their honor society.

Nyquil is affecting me now. GOOD NIGHT! good night gracie! She's still on my chair!

Sick

Yes, I am sick. B brought germs for a good head cold into the house and then proceeded to use up ALL the Nyquil. No notification to me that I needed to buy more! When I began to feel sick last night and needed to sleep, Oh well! I suffered! I have my own stash now!

Out to dinner with Sue and Gary now. I hope I can stay awake. C did awesome at her DECA conference. She came in third place individually then her team came in second. If the 1st place team can't make it to the finals in Kentucky, her team gets to go in their place. She got more money in scholarships, loves her new job and is having a very good week!

Give Me My Treats!

It's been a while since I've posted about my cats. Zee was my hero this morning. She saw a spider in the bathroom and after playing with it for a bit, she dispatched it for me.

I continued to get ready for the day and I noticed that Gracie had begun her "posing". Whenever she does this, she is really telling me she wants treats!

Until I have new photos to post of Carlotta, my cats will have to do.

ENJOY!

Spring Is Coming... I Hope!

Today was an indoor day. It was cold. Snow was falling (not sticking) and there was a chilly breeze. Even though I'm usually hot (thanks menopause), today I was cold.

Last weeks wintry, windy, crazy weather knocked over several groves of pine trees in the back woods of Krista's house. Huge pine trees are on the ground leaving shallow holes and showing the large, intricate root systems. Perfect for exploring and practicing with our metal detector. Mother Nature has given us lots to do in the warmer weather. IF it gets here!

I can't wait to take some more "Nonie" (I like this spelling of my new title) pictures to post.

I love looking at T's photo albums of the babes. But I want my own pics, taken by me, with my own captions and stuff. That way, it will feel more like bragging to me. I'm finding out that I like to brag about grandchildren. Go figure!

Not to worry though T and C! I still like bragging about you, but I complain about you too! There's no complaining about grand kids!

New Collections & Stuff

Well, it had to happen. The boys are bored with Gogos. My collection stops. I've earned over $100 on the 8 duplicates I sold on eBay.

Their new thing?

Mighty Beanz.

Same concept as Gogos but have accessories like a Flip Stick. It's a portable handheld "track" on which your Mighty Beanz can perform stunts, with your help. The Mighty Beanz look like a slightly larger version of the medicine capsules I have to take.

No, I won't be collecting this item.

They also want to start collecting Ugli Dolls!

Not me!

My newest collection is Playmobil toys. I have a small collection of knights, pirates, ships and dragons but since learning T was having girls, I began collecting "girl" friendly sets. There's a unicorn castle and a mermaid kingdom. Kaya gives these toys a thumbs up. I can't wait to see Carlotta play during one of her visits to NH in the future.

T writes that she passed a baby bath class today. Carlotta enjoys being in water.

I hope that B is staying on top of the schedule of "paperwork/funds due" for SNHU and is assisting C with getting things done!

Isn't She Loverly?

I know many of you are wondering what little Evergreen looked like during her short life.

Out of respect to my daughters wishes, I will never post videos or pictures I took during my visits that would show the lower half of her body.

She did not have what people would call "regular" legs, but Evergreen was far from being a regular girl. I LOVE her beautiful legs and toes! T mentions in her blog that Evergreen had the most beautifully formed feet and they were ticklish. I concur!

So, if you noticed, I didn't say I would NEVER show what her face looked like! I'm Nonnie now, so I have to show off my grandkids! Evergreen had a calmness about her, so sweet! So much like her mother, T.

I shot this video of Evergreen on Tuesday afternoon. I was almost out of battery power and memory in my camera. Her eyes are open and she is looking around, listening to all her relatives talking in the room. This is my favorite clip. Enjoy!