Sunday Showw Off

I could really get used to this winter thing.

Ok, maybe not. But I figure that maybe if I'm nicer to Mother Nature, she'll return the favor and stop dumping all this snow on us. Honestly, there's no where to put it anymore when we shovel! But there is one nice thing about all this snow...

Playing in it!

I was shocked to hear that Chris was joining us in playing in the snow! Because of the extra man power, we built not 1 but 2 snow people!

Ok, technically 3.
If you look real close
you'll see a mound of snow next to Little Dude.
That was the snow kid he built.
Apparently snow dad and snow mom need a baby!

We also got into a huge snowball fight! It started in the back of the house, then we took a break for snow person building. And then it started back up again. At first I was taking pictures of the kids ganging up on Chris, aka the bad guy according to Little Dude. Then they turned on me and I was the target from all 3 of them!

It really wasn't fair because
the boys were using shovels to throw snow at the girls

Just when I thought Chris was about to go in, he went to the backyard and started making the biggest snowball I have ever seen!

It ended up a little bigger than this
because it was then rolled to the front yard.
At one point Little Dude was digging a moat around the ball.
He called it a fort.
I called for him cuz I couldn't see him.
He stood up and all I could see
was the top of his hood behind this big ball!

And just to prove that I was indeed out there all bundled like a fool helping to build and throw...

FYI~ sweatpants over jeans is NOT comfortable!

My mother-in-law got me this sign a few weeks ago for my birthday. It was meant as a Christmas present but got lost in the back of her closet. Oh well. I'm guilty of stuff like that, too!

just in case you can't read it...
It's snowing black and gold!

Until next time....

Summer Lovin'

Guess what? It's snowing! I know, shocker, right? I am over this whole winter thing, so I thought I would take a trip back into the good ole days o' summer.


6 years ago we took our first official family vacation to Chincoteague Island, VA. Have you ever heard the story about the horses that cross the river every year? Ya, this is the place where it happens. Unfortunately it didn't work out where we could vacay the week of the horse crossing festivities. Maybe someday.

Anyway, our first trip, GG was 2 years old. Unfortunately she doesn't remember this trip much. We returned the following summer and she remembers a little from that trip. I remember my feet getting burned like never before. Apparently when you're 8+ months pregnant, you're really susceptible to sunburn.

Ok, really, back to my photo strip. The first picture, well, it's really self-explanatory. The girl wanted to go to the beach! The second one is GG exploring the sand and trying to bury herself. In the 3rd picture, we found a sand crab! I went to Nags Head, NC many times as a kid and that was my favorite thing to do on the beach. So of course I had to teach my little girl how to find the little buggers in all that sand!

The last picture is my absolute favorite! It's GG and her dad walking hand-in-hand towards the ocean.

Hopefully some day we can take another trip to the beach. Little Dude has no idea what the beach and the ocean look like except in pictures or on tv. He would have a ball digging! Well, I guess technically he was at the beach. Remember I did say we went when I was very pregnant. But that probably doesn't really count, does it?



Until next time....

It's So Hard to Say Good-bye

Twice a year I participate in a children's resale event. I sign up as a consignor so I can get rid of stuff that my kids no longer wear or play with. I can also buy them a ton of "new" clothes without spending a fortune. I don't make a ton of money, but every little bit helps, right?

It's always hard for me to go through the kids' old stuff. I look at the outfits and remember that they wore that shirt for this event. Holiday and other special occasion outfits are always the hardest to part with. Going through the toys is even worse. Sometimes they're dinky little toys that one of them played with but it's no big deal to part with. For the most part, the kids help me go through their toys and are fine with "giving" them to another child. For this particular sale, I came across a certain toy that I shed tears over as I packed it up.

This picture is courtesy of Google.
If I pulled out the real toy to take a picture
Little Dude would want to play with it.

So now you're probably thinking that if Little Dude would want to play with this toy, than I should probably keep it. That was my first thought, too. He absolutely loved this toy, but when I was researching the original price of it so I would know how to price it for the sale, I saw the age recommendation. It's 12-36 months. The boy is 4 1/2 - technically too old for the driver toy. The other thing is, I packed this and some other toys away in the basement a few months ago. In those few months, Little Dude only asked what happened to it once. I told him that I thought we gave it to another little boy because he was too big for it. Little Dude accepted that answer, moved on, and hasn't mentioned it since. This makes me realize that I am doing the right thing by entering this toy in the sale. Little Dude has so many other toys, and really, he is too old for the driver toy. But still, it's so hard to say good-bye.




I'm linking this up with Follow Friday, hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families, and Midday Escapades. So if you're stopping by from that, thank you. I hope you stay a while!

Until next time....

Gadgets Aren't Always What They're Cracked Up To Be

Gadgets are definitely not hard to come by in this house. I guess when you marry a geek, gadgets are part of the whole package deal!

Last Christmas, Santa finally brought GG the DS she had been asking for for close to 2 years.

Apparently that was such a tall order
that Santa felt he needed a nap

Anyways, this DS has become my life-saver! It helps to make the drive to get the old man from work much more tolerable. She is so busy playing some game or another that Little Dude leaves her alone. That means no fighting. And Little Dude usually ends up falling asleep. That's an extra bonus! At least until after 10 at night when he finally falls asleep. That's when I regret him sleeping in the car.

Last year for her birthday, GG got yet another gadget. Her BFF gave her a Barbie Girl mp3 player. This thing is pretty cool. She can load a good bit of music onto it. It also comes with all kinds of accessories because you can change Barbie's clothes.

On a side note, she was listening to her music in the car this morning. Suddenly she exclaimed that Barbie had lost her pants! And the truth behind who Barbie really is has been revealed!

Back to the music... she loves listening to this thing. But I have learned that it is NOT a life-saver for me when driving. Or anywhere else for that matter! I love GG. She is so sweet and imaginative, but the girl cannot hold a tune to save her life!

Feel lucky that all you get is a picture
And not a video with sound!

Until next time....

Challenge #2My "Buff"on

Supah Survivor challenge #2 was issued last Friday. I will admit that this one was a little harder for me than the first. I mean, the first challenged I had to use my mad crafting skillz to make a Valentine. Easy peasy! This challenge took a little more thought and work.

I had to create a button that represent myself. Here's what I came up with...

<center><a href="http://www.theumbels.com/2010/02/challenge-2-my-buffon.html" target="_blank"><img src="http://i452.photobucket.com/albums/qq250/smiles4jude/Buttons/Teabutton.jpg" /></a></center>

Why long island iced tea, y0u ask? Well let me explain...

I'm sure you're all aware that there are a lot of ingredients in this drink. Like the drink, there are many parts, ingredients if you will, that make up who I am. I can be sweet and quiet. I can also be loud and bitchy. All of the ingredients in this drink work well together, thus creating something very good. I can also use all the different parts of me to work well with others.

Stirred, not shaken... let me explain that. When something is stirred, the ingredients move in different directions causing them to mix together properly. I can also move in different directions in order to help myself and others reach a goal. Shaking things usually causes a mess and if you shake me up... well, it's not pretty. I may only be a teeny bit Irish, but that teeny bit has quite a temper!

If the different parts of me are stirred together the right way, I can accomplish any challenge placed in front of me.

But like a Long Island Iced Tea, in the end, I will kick your ass!



Until next time....

So What

Wow! It's Wednesday. That means it's over the hump day.

Wait, strike that!

What I meant to say was it's Chief's bloggy-carni-meme day!

Go ahead, click it!
You know you want to.
After you read this, of course!

The other day my husband opened the dishwasher to get one of his favorite cups for some juice. He quickly closed it and said that the dishes in there were dirty. Fast forward a few days hours...

He opens the dishwasher to get one of his favorite cups for some juice. What he said was, "That stinks! But I can't run it cuz it's not full yet."

My response... "Ya, sorry, I didn't get to the dishes today. I'll load it up and run it in the morning."

What I meant to say after his comment on the stink was repeated numerous times was... "You think it stinks so bad in there but it's not full enough to run? Then why don't you take the dishes that are in the sink, put them in the dishwasher, throw some soap in, and turn the mother truckin' thing on!"

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Last Friday, I joined up with Amy and Lori for their Family Friday. Here's the post if you missed it. But to sum it up, when I was little (around 7 or 8), my dad used to take me to the bar with him. This was one of the comments...

Lovely post. Times sure have changed. Though, I wasn't even born then and don't visit a Bar now... lol

The picture looks great. Memories, they are the happy ones worth sharing...!

When I read this, I smiled and laughed it off. What I meant to say was, "Look, you little ankle biter! I do appreciate you taking the time to read my story and giving me a compliment, but you didn't need to make me feel old in the process!"

Looking at it now, I'm back to laughing at it. I guess I was just in one of those moods on Friday. Maybe I was having a senior moment or something!

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Sadly, these were the only What I Meant moments I could come up with for the past week. But then my husband had to go and give me blog material do something silly.

My fingers seem to have ADD or something when it comes to the radio. I switch back and forth between a million stations. I hate commercials. Well, that and the DJ's on my favorite station are not always kid friendly. Ok, they're rarely kid friendly! Anywho, I come across Pink's So What. I'm really starting to dig her music so I left it on.

Song's over, flip a few more stations, hear a few more songs. Lo and behold I come across So What on another station. Of course we have to listen to it again!

After we get home, I'm checking my email while dinner is a-cooking. I hear him walking up the stairs humming some Pink. I pop my head up the stairs and ask if he was just humming a tune. He says he was humming the silly song we heard in the car (gasp!). "Ok. Just making sure I'm not hearing things" is what I said.

What I meant to say was... "HA!! You're singing a girl song!"

Keep in mind, Pink and most of my other musical selections are so far from his taste it's not even funny. I mean, that would be like me singing along with Def Leppard as they sing about sex and girls. Oh, wait! I do sing along with Def Leppard!


Until next time....

Post-ItsThe Olympics

And while I'm on the subject of
Supah's Survivor Game...

Click, Read, Laugh!

Until next time....

Need a Laugh?

I have to take the car in to get inspected today. Unfortunately I have to take Little Dude with me. Please pray that I don't kill him, he doesn't burn the place down everything goes well.

While I'm away, here's a few things to make you smile. Have a great day!








Until next time....

The Girl in the Bar

Keeping up with the Schultz Family and the Peterson Family have teamed up to do Family Friday. I really like doing this because it gives me a chance to relive and share past memories and experiences.

I so wanted to participate this week, but I was drawing a blank. Suddenly it hit me. I'm not sure why. Maybe because my mom and I have been talking about my Dad lately. Earlier this month was the anniversary of his passing.

Here's a funny story about me and my dad from back in the day...

I think this picture is from when we would take day trips to the lake.
We would pack a picnic lunch and after we ate
we would head to the lake to play and swim.

But this is not the story I want to remember today.

There was a bar my dad used to go to. Sammy O's. I've heard the owner's daughter now runs the place. Not sure, but I always say I want to stop in. Nostalgia, I guess.

When I was younger, 8 or 9 years old, my Dad would take me to the bar with him.

Yes, you read that right. Back then there weren't age restrictions and what not like there are today.

In this bar there was so much for me to do. And some people to help feed my addictions. You see, I loved to play Ms. Pacman and darts. There was an older man that was always at the bar. He would give me a roll of quarters just so I could play some games. If I wanted to play darts, I would have to stand on a chair. I wasn't too bad for being a little kid! At least that's what I thought then. I also loved to drink Shirley Temples ~ obviously non-alcoholic! I do believe it was Sprite, cherry juice, and a cherry in it. Sammy O would usually give me an extra bowl of cherries, too!

So my love for video games and cherries... I blame it all on my dad, Sammy O, and the old guy with the quarters!

This is not a memory that I can relive through my own kids. Rules have changed, and probably for the better, but if someone gave me daughter a bowl of cherries and a roll of quarters... Well, she would just be beside herself!



I'm also linking this up with Follow Fridays, hosted by One 2 Try, Midday Escapades, and Heart Make Families.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed my story!

Until next time....

Do You Use One of These?

In yesterday's post I mentioned that there are still cars in my neighborhood that are buried under snow. Lots and lots of snow! We got about 2 feet on Feb. 13th (biggest snow storm in these parts in 17 years). Since then, there's been another foot or so on top of that. Just imagine your car buried under all that plus whatever the plows pushed into it!

Over the past week I've noticed more and more things showing up in the streets.

image courtesy of Google

Parking Chair <---Click to read somewhat of a technical definition on Wiki. And it's not just chairs. I've seen cones, garbage cans, and recycle bins People can be rude and trust me, I know rude. I went grocery shopping last night! But anyway, as scarce as parking spot are these days, especially around GG's school, it amazes me that people respect the chair. If you dig out a spot, stick a chair or some other object in it, you can claim that piece of the road as yours. It makes me so glad I have a driveway! At the moment it's a skinny driveway and we have to shimmy our way up to the house between the vehicles and the wall of snow, but at least we have one.

And while I'm educating you on my city, here's some more nifty little facts.

How to make a left turn~ If the light turns green, you're the first car and trying to turn left, you make your turn before the oncoming traffic starts to go.

Dumb Laws from the state~

It is illegal to sleep on top of a refrigerator outdoors
You may not catch a fish by any body part other than the mouth
Dynamite is not to be used to catch a fish
It is still illegal to bring a donkey or a mule onto a trolley car

Those are just a few dumb laws. If you want to read more, go here to check them out. Or look up your own state!


If you didn't already know, then I'm sure you've figured out where I'm from. But just so you know, don't bother trying to stalk find me. I have a guard "dog"!



Until next time....

Shout Outs - WIMTS

Look at all this snow! Isn't it beautiful?

It's been snowing almost nonstop for over a week now! There's so much for the kids to play in! And by the way, that pile next to my shovel IS how much we got. That pile wasn't moved there.

Ok, really, if you've been reading my ramblings for a while (and fyi for anyone new) you know I would never in a million years say something like this.

What I really want to say every time I look outside or go outside is this...

There is so much friggin snow! I'm tired of looking at it, I can't shovel any more. My arms hurt from trying to toss it over the mountains that are taller than my 6 foot husband. My legs now hurt from walking up our hill. I can't drive to get GG from school because there's nowhere to park. All the spots are full of mounds upon mounds of snow. But it is kind of funny that underneath some of these mounds are cars that were never dug out from the BIG storm on the 13th! I do not pity those fools. Should have been out there with the rest of us digging and cursing.

Anyway, not everyone on our hill has cleared their sidewalks and walking uphill in the middle of the street with a 4 year old is not fun. Not all drivers like to move their too big cards over! What I really need is a permanent vacation! Is anyone doing a giveaway for one of those? Cuz if you are... Sign. Me. Up!!! I wonder if any of Supah's sponsors for her Survivor game are giving away a house that's located somewhere, anywhere warm? Hmmm...I'll have to investigate those awesome people some more! Look over on the left if you want to check them out as well.

Sorry. I really didn't want to think about the snow anymore, but it's just getting ridiculous!


parenting BY dummies is having a Blog Dog contest. Crazy me dug up a few pictures and submitted them. I figure if I win, great. If I don't, no biog deal. I'm not always good at contests and like I always say, if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all. But it is a funny contest.

I know, I'm being rather blase about the whole thing, but what I really mean to say is...

GO VOTE FOR #4!!!!!
click to go vote for me please!

To Chief, who's in Mexico as I type ~ I hope you're enjoying your vacation. I want to hear all about your good times when you get back. While you're there, have some Mexican food for me. Or maybe tequila. Unless you're like I am when it comes to tequila. That was a bad, bad night with a few bad days that followed. But I'll save that story for another day.

While I really do mean what I said about Chief having a great vacation, I really meant to add this...

I was at Pennys a few weeks and saw some ginormous suitcases that I could definitely fit in. I have no problems squeezing in a tight place and riding in the underbelly of a plane if it means my final destination is warm and sunny. You could have taken me with you! I can be low maintenance. I wouldn't get in the way. I promise. Just don't verify that low maintenance stuff with my other half, k?

Ah, free Wednesday therapy!
I feel so much better now.
You should give this carnival a try
Or at least head to Chief's page
to read about other bloggers free therapy.

Proofreading this post for the millionth time cuz I'm anal like that I realize there's quite a few shout outs in here. I figure I might as well throw in one more for good measure.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, and I hope you do, is show me some love in the form of comments, visit Chief, and then head on over to visit Amber. I love her blog - it's cute! And she can help you get an awesome looking blog. Go check out her design blog while you're there!

Until next time....

Survivor Valentine

I realize that not everyone reads a post on the actual blog itself, so maybe you missed this.

I'm playingAnd this is who I am

<---Over there are the sponsors for the game. Go check 'em out!

Every week there is a challenge we have to complete. This first one is to make a Valentine for our host, Harv...

I would love to make a card for the entire Team Villains because I love you all. Our team rocks and rocks hard! But you see the thing is, um... num num num, um, well... let's just say I was a little hungry and am now out of glue and glitter.

But, Harv, my love, I did finish your extra special Valentine. That's how I worked up such an appetite!

Valentine's Day can be so blue
So I made a frog for you!
To find your bliss
Give your frog a kiss.
His mouth will open wide
To reveal your prize inside.

A beautiful princess
In a lovely pink dress.

Until next time...