Pancake Breakfast

This morning the ACA PTO had its first breakfast "eatsie's night". In case you don't know, "eatsie's night" is when ACA converges on a restaurant and the place donates a portion of the proceeds back to ACA. As the name would imply, they are usually at night, during the week. However, Applebee's has a deal where you sell tickets, give them back $2 and you keep the rest. It's all you can eat pancakes, sausage and drinks. They only give you 1 sausage per plate but, it was enough to last through the pancakes. Teachers, staff and PTO Board members served as waiters/waitresses, busboys, table cleaners (as well as some 6th graders - Carter Poe rocks as a busboy) greeters, floaters and money takers. A good time was had by all.

We showed up earlier than we wanted to on a Saturday but it was for a good cause. Madeline got to try on Mr. Simon's chef hat...
And here's Mr. Simon (the Principal) all dressed up in his chef gear.
One of our first grade teachers, Mrs. Sullivan, trying her hand at waitressing.
I have to say that all our teachers and staff who volunteered their time on this Saturday morning did a great job. I heard no loud crashes, no complaints and everyone really enjoyed the "eatsie night". Thank you, everyone!

Wow!

OK, so there's alot of stuff going on, most of it making me very tired.

First, the new job. Very wonderful job. It's fast paced. I answer phones, questions, "cure" sick children or send them home (what I wouldn't give for a school nurse) help the teachers with stuff, it's just never ending and that's the way I like it. I love the people I work with, I get an occasional hug from my kids or those who I know and in general just enjoy the heck out of it.

It hasn't been without controversy but I won't get into that. Hopefull it's passed but you never know. And, just for the record, it's nothing I have done but the actions and offensive (toward me) words of others. My mother and husband wisely suggested (demanded) I not get in the thick of it and I am the better person for it. The controversy has shown me who my friends are and what wonderful friends they are. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger, right?

On to bigger and better things.

Anna has adjusted well. She loves going to Elaine's house. Her name comes out more like "Lynn" than Elaine but I know who she's talking about. She loves Ben and Gavin and in general loves being over there. Maybe because she can walk in the house without tripping over something. I hope to remedy that here tomorrow.

Conrad starts working Saturdays tomorrow. Yeah for the paycheck, boo for the time away from family and help with the house. We'll survive that. His birthday was Wednesday.

If I were to write him a letter or a memory page like I do the girls, it would go something like this:

Dear Conrad,

Who knew when we met 16 years ago that our lives would be forever entwined? You are the love, strength and light of my life. The person I go to when things get rough, my shoulder to cry on, my favorite friend to laugh with and I would rather spend time with you than anyone on earth. My favorite times with you are when we are sitting outside "talking story". I never get tired of hearing about your life before me, shocking though some of it may be, and am glad you decided to make me a permanent part of your life 11 years ago. I haven't regretted one minute of it.

Never once have I doubted your love for me. That's HUGE.

I love the fact that when I really grumpy for no reason you know I probably need to eat or sleep. I appreciate the fact that when I do need to sleep, most the time you let me. Well, I guess I understand why when faced with the alternative.

I also appreciate the fact that now that I'm working you're not overly upset at the state of the house. Probably because you know I'd tell you if you don't like the way it looks, you're arms aren't broken - clean it yourself. I also appreciate the fact that you knew it was important to me to work and this job (although a couple of years early) was the perfect one for me. Thank you for your support.

You make me laugh. You make me want to be a better person. You make me see the good in me. You even make me see when I'm overreacting to something stupid. You also accept my apologies when I am less than who I can be.

If I can even do half of what you do for me, I will consider myself a success. I love you and am glad you love me.

All my love,
Your wife.

Well, it would go something like that anyways. Hope you're all not going into diabetic shock right now. If so, drink some orange juice. Or better yet, hoist a margarita in my darling husband's honor.

Madeline lost another tooth this week. Yep, the tooth fairy made a visit to our house.

The new-to-me camera is working, but the dock isn't, so tomorrow I'm going to sit down, in between cleaning, and post some pictures from Aaron and see if I can just connect the camera via the USB cable that I have. I'm sure it will work.

Be looking for a new post tomorrow! If I don't, you'll know I got really into the old housecleaning...awww who am I kidding? I'll be posting.

FYI: The song playing is the song Conrad requested to play when he calls me on my phone.

New job pics!

As promised, here is a picture of me at the new job. I'm the first people see when they come into the school. For some, that's OK, and for some? I'm sure they'd rather see, oh...some beautiful blonde, buxom thing. But, I'll have to do.

Me at my desk!
This is my "partner in crime" Jackie. She is the sweetest thing and knows OH SO MUCH MORE THAN ME! She really is a fountain of information. And, the best part? She loves chocolate and Dr. Pepper! Were we a couple made in heaven or what?
One of the perks of the job is I get to see most of the teachers at some point during the day. We do have a wonderful staff of teachers at our school. I knew this because I've been the PTO President, however, working with them has been a great thing because I get to see them "in action". This is Mrs. Reller. She's a sweetie! And those things she has in her hands? Griffin Bucks. Just in case you've heard me talking about them before, that's a good look at 'em.

Oh, and news on the Aaron front. They posted the jobs for the first productions and he is Master Electrician for the first one and Master Carpenter for the second one (Romeo and Juliet). I can't remember what the first production is called. But, we'll be there!

WooHoo! Go Aaron!

pictureless musings

Another day, still no pictures. However, I understand my "gently loved" camera is on it's way. WooHoo!

So, tonight I did what I knew would be coming. What I knew eventually would happen someday, given my "plumpness up top". We went shopping for bras for Sadie. Oh, yeah. It's happening. My little girl is growing up. Share it with me, internet friends and family, let's celebrate. I think.

Let me tell you a little something about shopping for bras for 9 year olds. They don't size them like us wiser ladies. I felt so pleased that I had thought to measure her before we went. Very proud of myself, I was. Until we got to Wal-Mart (no, no Victoria's Secrets here - we're redneck women). The smallest they came in was a 30A (not what Sadie measured). However, we "tried it on" and it fit so we got it and another one. She's so pleased. I'm so unsure of my feelings. What a year for me with changes! One son off to college, one daughter off into bras...

...and then there's this little monumental change. I got a job! I will be working at the school (ACA) as the receptionist. I'll essentially have the same hours as the girls and Anna (as I've already told you) will be well taken care of. So it's an exciting yet tumultuous time. Lots of changes and growing.

I'll try to get Ms. Jackie to take a picture of me at the desk on Monday morning and post it here.

Be on the lookout!

Anna's first day of school

Hello All,

Since my camera is broken I'm going to link you to my friend Elaine's blog so you can see Anna ready to go to her first day of school for this year. Elaine is keeping her while I work (no I don't know if I have the job yet, I'll keep you posted) so she took her to school yesterday along with Ben and Gavin. Here's the link Elaine's Blog

On the camera front, Auntie B has offered one of her many cameras to me so I can continue my bloggin. Thank you, Auntie B!

So, on another note: Don't you think I'm shooting low? I mean Sarah Palin was a PTA President and look at her now! She's the running mate of John McCain! Me? I'll be the receptionist at my kids' school. Not a lowly job, by any means, and not mine, yet, either. However, I'm going to have to give this some serious thought! I mean, Vice-President of the United States........

OK, also, I'm glad Louisiana is OK. Granted, alot of destruction but not nearly as much as feared. Way to go, LA! However, now I'm hearing grumblings that too much caution was taken. PEOPLE! DO YOU HEAR YOURSELVES? Too much caution? Get over it. That's all I'm saying about that.

That's all for today. I'll try to get the pics of Conrad "fixing" my phone on here tomorrow. I took them on my Iphone. Love that thing!

Finally, a new update

Well internet friends and family, the time that I was fearing has come. My camera has stopped working. Conrad took it to Galveston with him and the girls last weekend and magically, it stopped working. I will let him work on it because he is a miracle worker and will probably fix it, even though he knows nothing about cameras (especially digital ones).

So, I will wait to post the few pics they got from the coast until next week. I think that when I post those it could be the end of pics until I get a new camera or this one fixed so I am delaying it. Please bear with me on that one.

In the meantime, odd news: I have actually applied for a job and it looks promising. This job is as the receptionist at the girls' school. While it's 2 years earlier than I anticipated, Conrad and I agreed that it is the perfect job for me because I will have the same hours/days as the girls and have summers off. In the meantime, finding a place for Anna was a scary idea.

I called my Mom when I heard about the job and asked her to pray for doors to be opened. In the back of my mind I kept seeing my friend Elaine's face and name and something (God) telling me to call her. Well, lo and behold, imagine this...God was right. She said "yes". Not just to keep her but to take her to school (her boys go to the same school) how wonderful is that? If that's not a "God opened door" I don't know what is. I can't imagine a more perfect scenario. Elaine if you're reading this...THANK YOU FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! I know Anna will be in great hands and she is excited about going to "her friends'" house next week.

I will be doing this job this Tues. and Thurs. and then if I get the job, (not if - WHEN!!!) I will start the next Monday.

So, that's the big update from here. Again, I will keep you posted. And who knows, if I get the job, maybe I'll just buy myself a new camera. After all, you'll want to see me at my new gig, right?

Move in Day at NSU

Move in day was here. Saturday morning we all got up with a sense of anticipation of getting Aaron settled in and on his way to a degree in Theatre Arts. Me? I had all that and a sense of loss.

Granted, Aaron doesn't live with me most of the time, but I still love him and miss him when he's not around. I felt the "out-of-the-nest" feeling most parents get when they send their children off to college. I also felt odd for feeling that. Was it really any different than sending him back home to go back to high school? Yes. This time, I was sending him off, ON. HIS. OWN. to make new friends, to make his own schedule (around his schooling, of course) to find his own way in his own way. A huge step for anyone and here I was, the parent assigned to this duty. Don't get me wrong, it's a duty I gladly accepted. One I hoped would come my way. I just didn't expect the feelings that came along with it.

Luckily, I had Mumsey, Auntie B., Pamela and Greg to help me and Aaron through. I think Aaron was fine with it all, but, of course, in Scrivner fashion, we made it into a production, one I think Aaron could have lived without but weathered it like a trooper anyway.
This is all us Scrivner women with Aaron (Gregela is taking the picture) before we moved Aaron in.

I apologize for the size of the pics. Pamela had to send them to me via e-mail because I sent my camera with Conrad and the girls. Pics should be up from their trip later.

A little explanation is in order here. The NSU mascot is a Demon. Yes, the NSU Demons. So their "rally cry" is "fork 'em Demons" with this little finger sign. Most people think of it as the longhorn sign but, for us it's a demon fork. So, if you see me do this to you, take it as a compliment. teehee
Gregela goofing with Aaron.
They had tents set up all over the place with people offering water, help moving in, help with other information, it was a very welcoming environment, I thought. Except for the glich that Aaron didn't get the dorm/wing he wanted it went rather smoothly. He's in a brand-spanking-new building that no one has lived in yet so that's kinda cool. He's just not with his theatre buddies. But, I'm sure he'll figure out where they are and spend plenty of time over there.
This is us riding the elevator up to his 3rd floor room.
And this is his room. It actually looks better than this, already. We had all his stuff put up and out and in and wherever it needed to go. A trip to Wally world for things we forgot and he was in for good. We all said "good-bye" and left. Me, I didn't cry until I hit the hallway because I told him I wasn't crying. But, I did.

Aaron, I wish you all the best at college. I hope you find a great group of friends who also have their feet firmly planted in good things. I hope you study hard even though you don't want to. I hope you play hard because you can. I hope you work hard in the theatre because you enjoy it and most of all I want you to remember these next four years as a growing experience for what life will bring you. And, I hope life brings you joy and everything else good. Good Luck, Aaron!

And, remember. I am proud of you.

First Day of School 2008-2009

First day of School!!!!

Here's Sadie on the first day of fourth grade. She has Mr. Eisenhower (husband of Madeline's first grade teacher last year) and is excited about it. As you can see in the picture the ACA PTO added lunch boxes to the Spirit Shop this year, she chose the "earth" colored one.
Here's Mads in all her first day of school glory. She chose the "toxic green" lunch box. Can you say "extreme differences" in sisters?
I had to run (OK, I walked) down the hall so I stuck my camera in Sadie's room and got her sitting down to her desk with all her stuff.
And, when I poked the camera in Mads' room, she was already hard at work.
Very exciting stuff, this first day of school. I'm so happy to have them back to school. Anna starts on Sept. 2. I'll catch some pics of that, too.

Anna's 3rd Birthday post

Today is Anna's 3rd birthday. The house is all atwitter with excitement and her sister, Sadie, has already made brownies - all by herself - for her. Anna must have helped lick the spoon and bowl though because the spots you see on her in this picture are all chocolate. And she held up that knee to make sure I got it in the picture.
Three years ago at this moment, Jon, Mom, Aaron and I were sitting around playing cards, I think having some lunch just waiting for "that" moment when I knew we would need to go to the birthing center.

Conrad might have been playing cards with us, my memory is a little fuzzy but I know he was here.

Then eventually we went over to the birthing center and "God Bless America" the rest is history.

And now we have this lovely child who brightens our day, every day. She will now wrap her arms around you, spontaneously, and say "Mommy, I love you". If that doesn't make you want to forgive the impishness that dominates her life, I don't know what will.

Just a bit ago, I walked into the kitchen, where Sadie was making the brownies and I hear a spraying sound and Sadie tells Anna not to spray that. Anna says to me, "Mommy, Sadie is spraying this". So far, the truth and untruths are not real clear to her. It will come. Although sometimes she'll tell me someone is "wying" (her "l"s aren't too good yet, either).

She repeats everything you say and is very instructional. She'll tell you all the steps for something or tell you just how she wants things.

Ketchup is her favorite food and she'll eat most meats if it has ketchup on it. If I would allow it, she'd have ketchup on her sandwiches, but I cannot, will not allow that. It's an abomination to sandwiches everywhere.

She doesn't always warm up to people right away. Poor Elsa, she's been loving on Anna for a year now and Anna still won't give her the time of day. But, she will talk about her and remembers that she gave her a really cute pair of pants everytime she puts them on.

She's very independent, as we try to raise all our children to be - if for no other reason than the fact we like not having to get up on Saturday morning to pour a bowl of cereal - and I have no doubt that she would not starve to death if for some reason we were the only two in the house and I was medically or otherwise unresponsive for 24 hours. She'd find some food. Better yet, she'd probably find a way out of the house and go across the street and, if a car didn't run her over, get my neighbor Lisa to wake me up.

She prefers no clothes to any clothes and only wears underwear because we insist. But, she knows when she looks good and says "how do I look?" when she is dressed. And she loves sunglasses. Especially ones that actually fit her.

And as I am typing this she is recounting something she has just seen. I don't know what it is but I can tell because she said "the kids do this" and she's rolling around on the floor. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure I want to know.

I am really having fun watching her grow and hear her voice and see her personality. I think we're in trouble with this one. She'll get away with alot more than her sisters, probably, and I don't think that will be in her good interest but it's probably going to happen. We will try to be vigiliant to the contrary but if 3 years of history bears out, woe be unto us.

Happy Birthday, my precious Anna. I'm so glad you're here.

NSU!

Aaron flew in on Wednesday afternoon and we left from the airport to drop the girls off at Autumn's (our niece) house and on to Shreveport we went to spend the night. Our ultimate destination was Natchitoches (pronounced nakodish for all you Texans and other outlanders) for Aaron to audition for a scholarship at NSU (Northwestern State University - the one in Louisiana). When we got to Mom's the first thing I noticed was the odd arrangement of her shoes in the doorway of her room. See for yourself...
However, we decided it was odd enough that we wanted to add ours to the collection.
Yep, those pink ones are mine. Autumn had a pair of crocs (real ones) that she didn't care for and she gave them to me. I LOVE THEM!!!!! And, yes, I can tell a difference in real ones and not real ones. Real ones almost feel like your barefoot.

The next morning, as we were getting ready to leave, Mumsey asked me if I had seen her bird. I hadn't been there lately so I said I hadn't. On the fan on her patio, a bird has built a nest and laid at least one egg. It has already had one baby up there and it's already grown and gone. Now she's on number 2. Honey, I got her beat to heck and back. Try 5!

The bird is on top of the straw on top of the fan. You can't see it's head, just it's body.

When we got to NSU, Nikki (I hope I spelled that right) the best recruiter at NSU took us to the theatre building and we met the head of the theatre department (I hope that's his title - if not, it should be). He took us on the tour of the department then took Aaron for his audition. While Aaraon was doing that, we went back to Nikki's office and filled out all sorts of forms. Turns out, Aaron got an out-of-state tuition waiver because of his SAT score and his GPA. WooHoo! But, wait, it gets better.

When we went back to get Aaron, we went into the office of Dr. Burrell (I'm assuming he's a Dr. because most people in his position are, sorry if I'm wrong) and he told us he was going to give Aaron the biggest scholarship they give to Theatre Tech people. Theatre Tech people are people in the theatre who are backstage making the people on stage look good - lighting, sets, costumes, etc. We were thrilled. And he made it sound like they were thrilled to have him. Well, my goodness, who wouldn't be? They seemed impressed with his portfolio and happy he wanted to go there.

So we went for a celebratory lunch at Merci Beaucoup and this was my meal...

It was a baked potato smothered in crawfish etoufee topped with a fried jumbo shrimp. YUMMY!

After lunch, we went and toured where Aaron will live. Yep, this is his dorm.
It's very nice inside. It's a 4 person unit, 2 people to a room with a living space between the two with a fridge and microwave. He'll be on the CAPA wing (creative and performing arts) so he'll be around others who are involved in the area of study he's in. Very cool.

This is Nikki, the best recruiter at NSU. Thanks Nikki! Defy Gravity!

Oh, after we talked scholarships, Dr. Burrell invited us to stay for the dinner theatre production they were having that night. We had a great seat and at our table were also the freshman advisor, the director of the play and the reigning "Lady of the Bracelet" (Miss NSU) and her friend. What a nice group of people, Mandy (LOB) was a very down to earth sweet girl who I wouldn't have known was in pageants until someone randomly brought it up, asking her if she had done any pageants this summer. Then we found out all about LOB and such. There really is a bracelet that she wears and apparently it's really big.

During the meal and intermission, all these kids in the theatre program kept introducing themselves to Aaron and telling him how glad they were that he will be there this year. That made quite an impression on all of us, making us feel a little famous.

The play was "Sylvia" about a man who brings home a dog and his wife is NOT happy about it. The dog is played by a person and talks and does dogish things like fetching balls and sniffing crotches. (If you are easily offended, please skip this part) The young lady who plays "Sylvia" came and introduced herself to Aaron and was talking to him for quite some time. I finally remembered to take a picture and after, they both looked at me and I said to her "I'm going to need you to sniff his crotch". She was a little aghast at that and Aaron was totally embarrassed as was the rest of my family. Personally, I thought it was funny. And, after the production, I apologized to her (again) and she told me then that she thought it was funny. Won't it be awful if that is Aaron's future bride and the first words I said to her were I'm going to need you to sniff his crotch? Hey, you never know.

That's her in the white sweater. (pre-embarrassing mother comment)

After the production, they put up on this screen animals that are at the humane shelter that need adopting. These two kitties came up and we started clapping in glee and everyone around us thought we were crazy until I said "my sister just adopted those kittens yesterday". Then they were all impressed. I think it's safe to say that NSU is impressed with our whole family. Well, maybe not me...
This is Mandy (the aforementioned LOB). I couldn't resist taking a picture of her and her shoes.
Here's a close up of those ruby slippers. Make the picture bigger so you can see the sparkles on them.


All in all, it was a great (long) day at NSU. Aaron is now a demon. Yes, that's their mascot. Their fight slogan is "fork 'em, demons" while giving the longhorn sign (yeah, it's supposed to be a fork but all you Texans know the longhorn sign). I'm so proud of him and happy that he's happy about where he will be matriculating (how's that for a college word?). I'll keep you posted on his progress.

Car wash

In anticipation of a trip later this week to Shreveport with Aaron, I cleaned out the van today and then the girls helped me wash it. Then, Sadie had the bright idea to have a car wash for the whole neighborhood. I figured, heck, it's 106 degrees outside, water cools you down, it'll keep the girls occupied, it's a win-win. Sure, have a car wash. She wanted to charge $5 but I told her anyone could go down Collins and get the machine to wash their car for $5 so they (Sadie, Mads and Olivia) decided on $1. Mr. Ricky was their first customer and he paid them $2. I think they told him $2 and he paid it but on the sign they made, it was $1. Anyway, they ended up washing 6 cars and made $19. So, as you can see, nobody only paid them $1.
This is them washing "Uncle Stacey"'s car.

They did a good job. I was official "rinser" and "dryer" since I was the only one who could reach the windshields and I didn't want them forgetting to turn off the water.

And now a bit of randomness...Can anyone tell me where the clip for my hair or the other 5,489 ponytail holders that have lived in my house for the past however many years have gone? I can't find one anywhere. It's driving me crazy. And, while my hair isn't that long, it's too long to be down on these 106 degree days.

Sunday visit

Yesterday, Conrad went and picked up Richard (his younger brother) so we could all go visit Peggy. Richard gave Anna these sunglasses. She loves them and thinks she is "all that and a bag of chips plus a pickle" when she has them on.
When we got to Peggy's place, there was a group singing, playing guitars and in general being very lively. Peggy went and sang with them for a few minutes. She's the one in the hat and vest.

After that, we sat and chatted and Peggy showed Richard her room and while they were gone doing that, this lovely lady came around...
Her name is Doris Madeline Hudson (OK, her middle name is not Madeline and her last isn't Hudson, but in case someone uncivilized reads the blog I didn't want them to have her full name) and she came up to us and just started talking up a storm. She asked our names a bunch of times and how old Anna was about 20 and when Madeline walked up, Doris had found a friend. Madeline wasn't afraid of her in the least and would actually talk and interact with her. I'm sure most children who go up there aren't like that. However, Madeline grew up going to nursing homes with me so she's used to the people who reside in them. She knows they're not scary, just old and happy to see young people. I love that about Madeline. She let Mrs. H kiss her cheek and talked to her for a bit. It was lovely to see.

Then we took Peggy for ice cream. When we got back, she wasn't quite remembering where her room was but was sure she would be able to find it even though I offered to take her there. She also didn't remember that she'd just eaten ice cream. That made me very sad. Not that she forgot the ice cream but that she'd forgotten already. Keep her in your prayers.

And for any family members with your doubts about where Peggy is, please know that she seemed perfectly fine and seemed happy with her surroundings although she was excited to go somewhere when we signed her out.

As I knew it would be, my question about the bird was answered surely and swiftly. The very first answer came from my sister and I will share it with you because it made me smile.

That is an immature cardinal, my bird-identification-challenged sister. I say immature as in "young," not as in foolish, though I will say that getting caught by a cat was not the smartest thing to do...I suspect he's still not good at flying which is why he got snagged. I'm afraid I don't have high hopes for his survival either, but then, one never knows...

Thank you, all who responded. I don't know the fate of the bird, I saw it hopping around yesterday. In my world... (you're gonna love this!) he hopped to the bird infirmary where he is being treated for dehydration, starvation and a good scare. His wing is healing nicely with some stablization and antibiotic ointment. He should be released tomorrow or the next day.

At it again

I was sitting at the computer, doing something life changing - I'm sure, when I saw Rosie, aka "bird maimer", with something substantial in his mouth. Yep, another bird. This time it wasn't a Blue Jay. I'm not sure what kind of bird it is, if any of you have a clue, feel free to let me know.
I, of course, always pick them up with bags so as not to get my smell on them. This one seemed to be an adult so there isn't the whole parent-not-wanting-it-because-it-smells-like-us thing going on.
I know this picture is a little blurry, but, it shows it's color alot more than the other pics I have.
We put it outside so it could do whatever it needs to do to survive. It has a hurt wing and is bleeding a little and it hopped around in an effort of finding a hiding place. Unfortunately, all the hidey holes it found are also favorite spots of our cats. I don't have high expectations for the survival of little bird but, we've at least gotten it away from Rosie (for the time being).

Did I shave my legs for this?

OK, so I hear the water running in the bathroom and that's never a good sign. I enter, begrudgingly, and find Anna at the sink, also never a good sign. She is washing a Webkinz, which I have told them a million (no exaggeration) times to not get wet but somehow, always, there is at least one wet Webkinz in our house.

So, we squeeze out the Webkinz and I, yet again, reprimand about getting the Webkinz wet. Then I notice the razor as she is telling me that her leg hurts. I ask her if she has used the razor and she tells me "yes, to get the peanut butter off my leg". Oh my goodness. When I asked the question, I thought the answer would be yes. I just didn't think it would involve peanut butter.

Obviously, there is still peanut butter on the right leg and on the left you can barely see where she sheared off a little skin in her first attempt at proper leg hygiene (on the fatty - like there's fat - part of the calf). Frankly, she did a better job at her first attempt at shaving than I did. I remember a huge piece of skin coming off my shin bone. Remember that, Mumsey? Ick, I get the heebie jeebies just thinking about it.

When you opened this update up, "Did I Shave My Legs For This" should have been playing. Wendy, you can see her blog here figured out how to put music on hers and I'm trying to but haven't perfected it yet. You'll know when I do!

Enchanted

I am truly enchanted with Enchanted the newest Disney movie out on DVD (and Blue-Ray for all you techies out there). I did not go see it in the movie theatre but I wish I had. It is a fairy tale for all ages.

It is animated in the beginning and then goes to real-life (well, as real-life as movies are). Madeline got the DVD for her 1/2 birthday party last weekend and we had TiVO'd it but now they can watch it in the living room, although except for the sleepover this past weekend, that hasn't happened. We all watch it in our room and enjoy every minute of it. Anna really likes it and calls it "chanta". This is my favorite scene. If you plan to watch the movie, I apologize for letting you see this already, but it so sweet.

I was afraid I wouldn't be able to put it on here or find it anywhere but, my goodness, YouTube has EVERYTHING! Thanks YouTube!

Oh, and, Nancy, the lady that Robert (Dr. McDreamy) introduces (she has black hair and dances with Edward, Giselle's prince) played Elphaba (the Wicked Witch of the West) in Wicked on Broadway. Just a little FYI for you.


It just takes you back to when you first danced with your "true love" and that mushy feeling in your stomach. I love movies like that.

Owwies

Anna got a big ol' knot on her head tonight. She was walking in Mr. Ricky's yard and tripped and hit her head on his cement bench. Massive knot ensued. You can't tell from this picture how big it was but it was huge! She actually didn't cry as much as I would have if it had happened to me but if we ask, she says it hurts and did NOT want the ice pack on it. I'm sure she would have gotten a stitch or two if we had taken her to the ER but I think she'll appreciate that scar later in life. Blood wasn't profusely flowing so I think she'll be alright.

Blue Jay Festival

Saturday must have been "Blue Jays Learn To Fly Day". We had Abby and Katelyn spend the night with us on Friday and Saturday morning they found a baby Blue Jay that had fallen out of it's nest, almost ready to fly. They wanted to take care of it and had it in the aquarium that sits outside for such occasions. They even wanted to get it some bird seed (even though I told them they still eat worms regurgitated from their parents). They weren't willing to do the worm thing so bird seed it was. I let them walk up to Save-A-Lot with Andrea to see if they or Dollar Tree had any but, alas, no birdseed.

While they were gone, I went outside and parental looking Blue Jays were out there swooping, carrying on like they were looking for their baby so I brought the aquarium out to the front yard so they could find their baby. The cats also found it...

This is the baby, up close. I think it's very pretty.
We finally left it on the ground so the parents could find it and actually, we thought we had seen it fly up to our neighbors roof so we thought all was well until...That same neighbor, Mrs. Ruth called and said there was a baby bird in her backyard, and asked if the kids would like to take care of it. So, now we have the bird back. We gave it water and it looked as if it might have fended off an attacker or two. It died about 10 minutes later. After a proper burial in the backyard, the girls were off onto the next project.

Then...Madeline comes running to me saying "Mom, Mr. Ricky's back yard is infested with Blue Jays and there's a baby bird out of it's nest and Rosie got it!". Oh yeah. That's always good news. So, we couldn't find Rosie which probably meant he brought it in the house. I went into my room and this is what I saw...

That bird was not happy to be in the clutches of Rosie (imagine that!). So, being careful not to get my smell on it (not thinking my smell was all over that bed), I picked it up with a plastic bag and brought it outside and let it go. It eventually hopped across the street and I have no idea where it is today. In my world, the parents found it and taught it to fly and all is well with the world. I love my world, sometimes.

This video is of Anna talking to Blue Jay #1 of the day. Too cute not to share.

Update

I could't resist putting this picture of Anna on here. Sadie took it yesterday while they were playing "Queen and princess have a picnic". They dressed up in their finery and had a picnic in the front yard. I thought this was a precious picture.

On to the update... This is the nuclear wasteland that was our oven. Notice how even the light is covered with soot. It has what looks like cobwebs and everything. Totally nasty. While I was at the store yesterday, I bought some Easy-Off (makes oven cleaning easier - tell me you didn't sing that!) and planned to spray it in there last night and let it do it's job while we slept (you'd think I wouldn't do that but...

I had a PTO "workshop" last night and while I was gone, my sweet husband sprayed down the oven. When I got home, he let me watch Josh Hamilton (of the Texas Rangers) absolutely SMASH the home-run derby record by hitting 28 home runs (the previous record was 24) while he sponged out the oven. I would see Josh hit another home-run and run in and tell Conrad "you wouldn't believe how far that one went!".

I will tell you he had already watched the home-run derby but told me that he didn't remember what happened, leading me to believe that our Josh didn't fare well. When I was watching, I thought surely he remembered this but updated him frequently anyway. I finally figured out that he wanted me to be surprised. What a sweetie. However, he Tivo'd it for me and Josh took so long with his turn that I didn't even get to see the second round so I went to bed not knowing if Josh had won or not. I saw that it came on again at 2am so I Tivo'd it and first thing this morning, I turned it on and what it recorded was the recap, not the actual derby. So I finally gave in and just listened to the guys on ESPN sing our Joshy's praises. Go Josh Hamilton! What a lovely come-back story. If you don't know it, just google his name and I'm sure you'll read all about it. By the way, he did not win the derby, he tired himself out in round one.

Back to the oven...This is what it looked like after Conrad cleaned it. Notice the heating element is broken into pieces. That's why the bottom is not clean, Conrad figured no point in cleaning it if we can't use it. So, now I have to figure out if we can get an element for this dinosaur of an oven. If not, I think a whole kitchen remodel is in order. Yeah right!