Sunday, November 30, 2008

The boy loves his trains

nu=3238>3<4>47;>WSNRCG=3233875442473nu0mrj.jpg">

Seeger has always been obsessed with trains. I remember when he was 14 months old and he would cry at nap time when I wouldn't let him sleep with his die cast Thomas the Train. (I had visions of him rolling over on it!) His love of Thomas helped him learn his colors and numbers and it has helped him begin to learn to read. I thought his love of everything Thomas might taper off as he got older but its as strong as ever.


Saturday, November 29, 2008

Melia's stocking

It's finished! I am not a sewer and aside from a few pillowcases, I have never made anything more than a regular rectangular shaped quilt. So I'm really proud of myself for trying something new, something out of my comfort zone. I did this project on my own, without a pattern, and as a result, there are some things I would do differently (the shape of the stocking for instance - the foot is too narrow!). But overall, I love how it turned out.


Friday, November 28, 2008

Nick's birthday

Last Sunday, we celebrated Nick's 8th birthday. He didn't have a party with his friends this year so it was a small gathering with his grandparents and cousins. Seeger, hubby and I made him a baseball cake (since he loves everything sports) and loved his presents, including all the Wii games he received.


Thursday, November 27, 2008

The Unknown Stuntman

It's been a long day - hubby and I have been cleaning the house and preparing to host a Thanksgiving celebration for my family. It's not until Saturday and we're estimating around 40 people. Hubby's parents were nice enough to invite us over for a small Thanksgiving dinner this evening though so at least I had some turkey today. My mom is staying with me this weekend and we're planning to tackle the crowds tomorrow morning. We plan to get up at 4:30 so I should be going to bed. Instead, I let hubby talk me into watching an old tv show from our youth. Do you remember it?

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Old Oaken Bucket day: the good, the bad, and the ugly...

The good: Tailgating with friends. Bethy and I invited all the IU and Purdue fans we knew to our tailgate. We had a blast (and drank a lot) and ate yummy food (and drank a lot) and played corn hold (and drank a lot) and at one point we both looked up and wondered who half the people were. Seriously, there were like 50 people at our tailgate!

The bad: It was freezing. FREEZING! Poor Nicklas and Seeger... they were so cold, they spent most of the time in the car with the heat running. Also bad, IU lost. Actually, they were creamed. It was a sad, sad game. (Luckily, I'd had all the drinks to numb the irritation a bit.)

The ugly: There are no words to describe. I'll let you see for yourself. Check out the boots in the last picture. They provided much entertainment for everyone.

Seeger and Nicklas trying to stay warm. It isn't even light out yet!
~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lindsey and Marty playing corn hole. The sun is finally on the rise.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bethy getting ready the food ready.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Me with Bethy and Jules.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Who are all these people?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

No caption needed...

Twilight thoughts

I have to chime in with my thoughts on the movie, Twilight. The following post contains spoilers so if you haven't read the books or watched the movie, you should stop reading right now.

I understand the movie was done on a pretty low budget and I'm trying to take that into consideration. And I guess for being low budget, they did a pretty good job.

(But really, why low budget? It was so clearly, plainly obvious that this was going to be a huge hit. I have a hard time believing they couldn't get the monetary backing they needed to do it all proper.)

1) Overall, I thought the movie was okay. There were parts I liked and it followed the book fairly well. But there were also parts I didn't like. I really thought the script and acting didn't delve enough in to the characters. But hubby (who hasn't read the books) saw it with me and he picked up much more than I would have thought. So I guess my expectations were high going into it.

2) I hated the music. HATED it.

3) I hated the special effects. What was with the weird speeding up of the Cullen's walking? I realize as vampires they are fast and it's important to show this but I don't think the effects really showed this. I would have preferred to have the Cullen's disappear and reappear.

4) I don't think Kristen Stewart did a good job portraying Bella.

5) They didn't show enough of the vampires "special skills".

6) Jasper freaked me out. I know he was supposed to struggle to restrain himself around Bella but really, the 3 second blip they showed of him almost made me laugh aloud. And he didn't look like a beautiful vampire. He looked like a freak.

7) Edward wasn't nearly as glittery as I would have thought. And they were supposed to be in this beautiful meadow with full on sun shining down on him. Not a random break in the trees.

8) The tracking scene was way too short. You didn't get the sense of despair and fear Bella was feeling. And the fact that it was really tough for her to get away from Alice and Jasper wasn't played out.

9) I know I'm getting nit-picky but Bella wasn't nearly clumsy enough.

10) I'm all for a multicultural cast but really, the demographics in Forks were not realistic.

11) The girls sitting behind me in the theater were annoying. They kept laughing at inappropriate moments. I'm not sure they were even watching the movie. (I know this isn't really related to the movie but it definitely affected my overall experience.)

Things I liked....

1) Robert Pattinson = Edward Cullen = Awesome.

2) The movie really captured the dreariness of Forks.

3) Charlie and Carlisle. When I first saw Carlisle, I wasn't convinced but the more they showed him, the more I liked him.

4) Jacob Black. I can't wait to see more of him. (I may have to change to Team Jacob in the next film.) Oh and Billy Black too!

5) Alice, Alice, Alice. Ashley Greene did an awesome job with her visions.

6) The tree climbing. I thought it was a great portrayal of the magnitude of power and ability Edward has.

7) The ending because it definitely left me wanting more. Despite everything, I'll be excited to see New Moon when it comes out. (And knowing how quickly they'll play everything out, I'm hoping I won't have to endure months and months of annoying "Oh woe is me" Bella. Skip that and get the juicy Jacob stuff.) And I can't wait for more Rachel LeFevre. I've been a fan of hers and she wasn't show nearly enough in this first movie.

8) Did I say Robert Pattinson? Oh, I did? Well, it's my blog so I'll say it again.

RobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinsonRobertPattinson

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

High water times

Nicklas may or may not have gone to school today wearing Seeger's pants.

You may know that he gets himself ready in the morning. He has to be on the bus at 7:10 but I don't leave for work until 8:00. So he gets up on his own at 6:15, showers, gets dressed and ready. Sometimes I get up with him, sometimes I sleep until its time to head downstairs for breakfast. Today was a sleep-in day.

(Cuz hubby and I went to a concert in Indy last night and didn't get home until 12:30. What? I need my beauty sleep!)

So once Nicklas was ready, we made our way downstairs in the dark. Seeger was still sleeping and I didn't want to wake him by turning on the hallway light. Nicklas was seated at the counter before I turned the lights on so I didn't even notice what he was wearing. He had his breakfast while I watched for the bus to come. And when it did, I stood at the door and handed him his coat and back pack. And as he was running down the driveway, I thought something looked funny about his pants. At first, I thought he'd accidentally tucked the leg bottoms into his socks.

(He's not the most observant dresser. Seriously, the kid put his shirt on backwards every day until he was six. But then, I often do the same thing so I'm not one to make fun. But at least I realize it and fix it. Anyway....)

And as he made his way to the bus, I realized the pants weren't tucked in the sucks. They were just too short. It took about three seconds of my just waking up mind to realize why. I think my 8 year old is wearing size 5 pants. I wouldn't be as convinced except he did comment this morning that some of Seeger's underwear were in his dresser. There must of been a switcharoo when their clothes were last put away. I'm blaming hubby. He was the last one to do the laundry. (Poor guy, he's all awesome cuz he did laundry and now I'm making fun of him in a public forum. I love you hubby!)

I briefly thought about dropping off some new pants for him change in to at school. But I decided it would be a good life lesson for him to walk around in his high waters. (And so what if his teacher and the other parents think he comes from a destitute family that can't afford new clothes.)

Knowing him, he won't even realize it.

Monday, November 24, 2008

Busy weekend and no time to write

It was a busy weekend, full of lots of activities, but right now I don't have much time to write much less post some pics. A quick recap, we unexpectedly spent Thursday in northeastern Indiana for a funeral (drove there and back in a day), Friday was a regular work/school day but we had to pick up $800 worth of boy scout popcorn, then go to a work dinner (host bar - bonus!) and hubby took me to see Twilight. The alarm went off at 5:30 am on Saturday so we could get up and tailgate for the Purdue/IU game. It was lots of fun but VERY cold. I had a bit too much fun before the game so a friend took Seeger and me to her house to hang out. Saturday evening was poker night (bad move on our part, we were exhausted and a little loopy) and Sunday evening was Nick's birthday party for the family. We had to go the grocery store, finish buying his presents, wrap his gifts, and make and decorate his cake. Oh and cook for everyone. We got it all done and somehow managed to watch Thursday's episode of Survivor (the funniest episode EVER). It was a fun - but exhausting - weekend.

I have so much to do at work today and tonight hubby and I are going to see Susan Tedeschi in concert. (And I just found out Seeger has some sort of weird rash so I'm taking him to the doctor.) So the only real reason I'm posting is because of my NaBloPoMo commitment. I hope to write a "real" post tomorrow. Must get to work - cheerio!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Seeger's haircut

Seeger got a haircut. And I hate it. For the record, I LOVE Seeger's hair. I know many people who don't but it's amazing how many compliments I get from strangers about how much they love it. (These are usually complements from people in their 20's and 30's. I wonder if its a generational thing?) Anyway, this is a before shot. (Don't you love the picture he's holding? It's a train he made with finger paint at school. All the other kids spread the paint around, making messy scribbles. Not Seeger, he made a TRAIN. Cuz he's a rock star.)As you can see, it's getting a bit long. But it never looks good after it's just been cut so I've been putting it off. PLUS... now that it's getting colder out, the dry air means the curls start to go away. So unless I want to do Seeger's hair every morning, it's flat all day. But regardless, it was time for a cut. And now I hate it. It's shorter AND it's flat. Here's the after shot. (He's holidng an ice cream cone because last week at school, they studied the letter I.)


I'm thinking about chopping it all off. But I know I'll regret it.

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Beauty and the Beast

Last weekend, we took the boys to see a production of Beauty and the Beast, put on by the high school hubby teaches at. My MIL came as well. We were a little leery of the production as the last musical we went to see at the high school (Grease) was horrible. But overall, the kids did a great job. There were a few outstanding performances mixed in with several so-so performances.

Here's photo of the boys with their Grandma. They insisted on making funny faces. (I can't wait for them to get over that stage!)

Friday, November 21, 2008

Barnes & Noble book fair

All in all, the book fair was a success. Everyone but one volunteer showed up and the store was really pleased with the turnout. We had lots of activities planned.
Hubby blew up balloons...

I did some cheek painting...

(Apparently just painting a picture on the cheek is NOT facepainting. Who knew?)

Nicklas hung out with me most of the day.

He was happy to see his friend Hayden.

The first graders performed songs from their Veteran's Day program.

Lafayette city mayor, Tony Roswarski even stopped by to read to the kids.

All together, we raised $700 for Edgelea. Yay!

It almost makes up for the $160 I spent replacing my car tire which was flattened after running over something while driving to the book fair.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Golf and tacos

In an effort to maintain a somewhat frugal lifestyle, I decided to enact some rules regarding birthday's. Nicklas has always had very nice birthday parties. We go all out, inviting his friends and family and spending a fortune on food and decorations.

(For example, last year he invited his entire class to the movie theater. We spent less on that party than any other year. And 18 kids came!)

So I decided to cut back. The boys get a birthday party every other year. On their off years, they can invite a friend to spend the night and we'll take them to dinner and a fun activity. This past weekend, Nicklas had his birthday activity. He choose Monster Minigolf as his activity.

First, the silly pose...





This is much better!

And guess what he picked for dinner? After telling him he could choose anywhere, he narrowed his list down to Texas Roadhouse, Sonic, and Taco Bell. (Hubby was secretly rooting for Mountain Jack's.) He picked Taco Bell.

TACO BELL?!?! Don't get me wrong... I like me some taco's every now and again. But if I could choose one meal for my birthday, I'd come up with something much better than Taco Bell!

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Project updates

I'm still trucking along on the stocking project for Melia. Over the weekend, I cut it out, layered both sections, and quilted it. I free motioned the red area because Melia's mom loves that style of quilting. I sewed the garland on the tree and tried to figure out how I was going to do Melia's name. I was originally thinking of appliqueing it but since the construction is taking much longer than I expected, I think I've decided to free motion her name in cursive writing. Tonight, I'm going over to my friend Christy's to get help with embellishing the tree. Christy is super creative and she has lots of beads I can add. It's almost ready to be put together!!




I also started a new quilt top. I should probably finish quilting the Kaffe Fassett quilt but I needed a break. I'll finish it before the new year though. The stashbusting contest is nearly over so I need the points!!! Anyway, now I'm working on a Bulls-eye quilt. Several stashbusting friends have done them and I thought I'd give it a try. You cut out several different fabrics in three different sizes.


Then you sew them (on top of each other) on a large block. You leave a quarter inch seam around the circle which will give the block a frayed look.


That's as far as I've gotten but once the blocks are complete, you cut them into fourths (smaller blocks), mix up the blocks, and sew them back together. So you end up with your circles again but each quarter is different. You end up with 12 different primary fabrics and four different background fabrics.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Not feeling well

My Seeger is sick. His teacher called this morning and said he was complaining of a stomach ache. So now I'm home with him and he's content to just lie on the couch and watch tv. No food, no toys, no books - just his baby bear and thumb.

What did I get myself into?

So you know I volunteered to organize a book fair at Barnes & Noble to benefit Nick's school. I had grand plans of lots of activities that would draw parents and the kiddos to the store where they would purchase arm loads of books (the school received 20% of every purchase if the customer mentioned the fundraiser.) Getting readers wasn't a problem. Several teachers and parents volunteered. And the music teacher planned a performance with the first graders.

But I wanted more. I wanted balloons and crafts and facepainting!
I couldn't find anyone to do the balloons or facepainting. Ever determined, I decided to tackle both myself. (How hard is to draw a couple of balloons on a cheek afterall?) Hubby agreed to blow up balloons with the helium tank I rented. (I didn't even have to beg!) The night before, I practiced on Nicklas and Seeger.

Yeah...

Okay....

Alrighty, then.

So it's a good thing I practiced. I was a little better the next day. (But not much!)

Monday, November 17, 2008

Flat Stanley's first trip

We received our first response to Nicklas' Flat Stanley project. The following is from hubby's cousin:

Dear Nicklas:
Thanks so much for sending me down to Florida. I had an awesome time. The mailman
delivered me just in time to take part in all kinds of fun activities. One of the first things I did was go swimming and I soon found that I liked riding on the surfboard the best.

Soon after swimming, I spent most of my time playing with two huskies. One of them is named Alexander and the other has the same name as you only he spells it differently(Nicholas). Below is a picture of Nicholas and me. I understand you have met these huskies before. They certainly remembered you.

I heard a rumor that your Dad’s favorite hockey team is the Detroit Red Wings. Well, guess what? The Detroit Red Wings were playing the Tampa Bay Lightning during my stay, and since Tampa is not too far away from Orlando, I went to the game. Although the Red Wings came out sluggish and quickly fell behind 2 to 0, they soon started doing better and ended up winning the game 4 to 3.

Another highlight during my stay in Florida was seeing the space shuttle launched into orbit. It was launched at night when it was dark outside and even though I had my picture taken with the shuttle in the background, it was too dark to see anything. Since I wanted you to see what the space shuttle looks like when it launches, here’s a picture of a shuttle launch that happened about a year ago. Trust me, it is much more exciting to see in person than in a picture.


Of course, no trip to Orlando would be complete without making a visit to Disneyworld. I had so much fun at Disneyworld that I sure hope you can go down and visit it again sometime. I know you really like it.
PS: I’m not sure how you’re going to handle this but while I was visiting Florida, the people I’m staying with introduced me to a great college to go to when I graduate high school. It’s called the University of Kansas and they have this bird called a Jayhawk that is their mascot. I know this may not be popular with your family being true Indiana Hoosiers and the rest of your classmates probably being Purdue Boilermaker fans. I’m not really certain what it means, but they kept talking about recently winning a football game at something called the Orange Bowl and they were really proud about winning some big basketball game called the National Championship.
However, I am so happy now being a Jayhawk that I proudly wear a Jayhawk sticker on my shirt and have decided this is where I am going to go to college! Hope you consider going there someday.

Again, thanks for sending me to Florida.

Flat Stanley

It MUST be Monday

Nicklas is upset with me. I won't let him read the sports page in the morning while he's eating breakfast. It's because he reads instead of eating and then he never finishes his food before it's time to wait for the bus. So I've told him that he has to eat first and then he can read the sports page. And while this has helped him get more food down, he still barely finishes in time and rarely gets the sports page.

At school, he's working on a project about Ben Franklin. He brought him his research this weekend and spent Sunday reading it. But I realized this morning that he didn't touch the book he has from the library. He was complaining about not having enough facts to answer the required questions and I reminded him about the book. I asked that he read it on the bus this morning instead of Harry Potter. He complained and said that at school, he's only allowed to read Accelerated Reading books. I emphasized that I was talking about the bus, not school. He told me I must be seeking revenge on him. (I'm not sure why I would need to seek revenge, but whatever.) I told him that I was simply trying to make sure he did his required school work. He left in a huff.

Five minutes later, Seeger asked for some cereal for breakfast. I gave him a bowl filled with Life and milk and he freaked out on me because there wasn't the proper mix of dry Life on top of the milky Life.

I can't believe I'm actually looking forward to going to work this morning.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Playing favorites

Seeger has always been more attached to me than hubby. I'm the one he goes to when he's hurt. I'm the one who builds his train tracks. I'm the one who plays games with him. I'm the one who does craft projects with him. But I've noticed a change lately; a shift in family dynamics. Hubby is the one that can make him instantly laugh. Hubby is the one who tickles him and plays chase. He's the one who wrestles with him and plays sports. And often, Seeger will go to hubby instead of me. I have to admit, I'm pretty bummed about it. Seeger's my baby and I'm not ready for him to grow up. And I'm not ready for him to not need ME. (I'm guessing this is difficult for most moms.) Hubby used to complain about Seeger's favoritism. And while I felt bad about it and would tell him its not a big deal, secretly I was glad the roles weren't reversed.

I already feel like I've lost Nicklas. He's consumed with sports lately. All summer, he kept track of the records for each MLB team. He religiously reads the sports page and he spent Sunday flipping between football games. He's so INTO it. And it's something he and hubby have in common. He rattles off random statistics and historical facts and I have to pretend like I care, like I'm interested. But I'm not. I could care less. (Luckily, he doesn't realize it. Yet.) I don't have the ability to sit and watch sports on tv. (But hubby does.) I try but I don't enjoy it. (But hubby does.) If it's a live game, I'm into it. (But hubby is even MORE into it.) But I have to have the right atmosphere. (Hubby doesn't care about atmosphere.) If not, then I get bored. (Hubby never gets bored watching sports.)

So I've lost Nicklas (although I'm secretly hoping it's a phase he'll grow out of. That happens to boys and sports, right? Oh, I guess not.) and now I'm losing Seeger. I suppose losing is the wrong word. It's just that I'm no longer as important in their world.

I told hubby the other day that it was either time for another baby or we need to buy a puppy.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

It's bucket time...

Next Saturday, my friend Beth and I are planning the last tailgate of the season. It's the conclusion of the football season for both Purdue and Indiana - the Old Oaken Bucket game. This year's game will be at Purdue (Beth's alma mater) and she has several friends coming from out of town. I'm trying to drum up as many Hoosiers to come so we aren't too much in the minority. If you're in town for the game, please join us at the intramural fields.

Last year's game was great. IU's victory was the culmination of an amazing tribute to Coach Hepner (who passed away from a brain tumor prior to the start of the season) and it resulted in the first trip to a bowl game since the early 1990's. Even the Boilermakers were happy for the Hoosiers. (For an excellent recap of the game, visit this blog.) But it's a new year. With both teams at 3-7 for the season (we'll see what happens after today's games), both sides will be hoping to possess the bucket as it will be the only thing to brag about this season.

Hope to see you on Saturday - go Hoosiers!

Friday, November 14, 2008

They grows up and they grows up and they grows up

Winter is nearly here. After a gorgeous fall which consisted of above average temperatures and the prettiest colors of this decade, I walked to my office today and nearly slipped on some ice. I pretty much froze while tailgating on Saturday and I couldn't feel my toes until they'd been under the heater of my car for two hours. I've sent the boys to school in their winter coats this week. Everyone around campus is wearing their hats and long scarves. Perhaps the biggest sign of graduation from autumn to winter are the bare trees who have finally shook themselves free of leaves.

Hubby and I spent Sunday raking and blowing the remaining leaves from our yard.

For the first time this year, we let Nicklas and Seeger stay in the house while we worked on the yard. In the past, we felt like they weren't old enough to be alone in the house. After spending the morning blowing and raking (and blowing and raking and blowing and raking) we went to fix them lunch. As they were finishing their macaroni and cheese, I decided to try an experiment.

"Nicklas and Seeger, dad and I are going to go back outside. When you're finished with your lunch, I want you to put your dishes in the sink and wash your hands and face. Okay?"

I heard a mumbled yeah and sure so I continued.

"When you've done that then you'll be ready for Seeger's quiet time."

(We don't really make Seeger nap anymore but we have him go to his room for quiet time. Sometimes he plays with his toys, sometimes he lays on his bed sucks his thumb with Baby Bear. And sometimes he falls asleep.)

"Okay," the boys replied.

"So Seeger, when Nicklas says it's quiet time, that means you need to go upstairs with him. He'll get you Baby Bear and give you kisses. And Nicklas, you need to be nice to Seeger and help him get ready for quiet time. Okay?"

Hubby and I headed outside. About ten minutes later, Nicklas came to report that Seeger was refusing to go to quiet time.

"He says he wants to stay downstairs and watch Spongebob instead," Nicklas complained.

"Nicklas, tell him that if he goes to quiet time, he can maybe watch Spongebob after. But if he doesn't go to quiet time with you, tell him that mom said he won't get to watch Spongebob for the rest of the day."

That must have worked because Nicklas never came back outside. And when we finished around 2:30, Seeger was upstairs in his room for quiet time.

My boys are growing up.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Barnes & Noble book fair

If you happen to be in Lafayette, Indiana on Saturday and you're interested in doing a bit of book shopping, please stop by the Barnes & Noble near Tippecanoe Mall. The store will donate 20% of all purchases made with the below flyer. Proceeds will go to Nick's elementary school. I'm organizing this years event and I've worked hard to line up a great schedule day of activities. I'm hoping to get lots of people through the door and raise lots of money for Edgelea. (Plus I want to outdo last year's organizer because she thinks working moms aren't as capable as stay at home moms. So annoying.) You HAVE to have a copy of the voucher in order for Edgelea to get credit. Now go make your shopping list. Pretty please??

Stick figures and scribbled tummies and Baby Bear

I promised in a previous post that I would get an image of Seeger's artistic talent in drawing human figures. So here is a picture he drew of his Uncle Mike. I'm please to show off the scribbled tummy; found in ALL of Seeger's people drawings (not just the ones of me.)


FYI, Seeger insisted on having Baby Bear be in the picture.

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Mouse

Seeger loves to find objects to take to school for the letter box. (This week was H so he took a Henry the train, a heart, and Harold the Helicopter.) He rarely thinks ahead but the other day, he decided that when it was time for the letter M, he wants to take a mouse. Knowing he couldn't take a real mouse, he decided he wants to take the toy mouse that he plays with at my friend Beth's house (she has a cat and he likes to play mouse catch Princess.) And Beth, being the awesome friend she is, gave him a brand new toy mouse so he would be ready for the week his class does the letter M. (I told you we're on H, right? It will be late January before we hit M.) She didn't want to send the old mouse with Princess germs on it. ("I didn't want Mike to have some terrible allergic reaction," she explained.) And she told Seeger he could keep the mouse.


And he LOVES it.


I asked him what the mouse's name was. "Mouse," he said like I was silly for thinking otherwise.


He carries Mouse around with him everywhere. He talks about it's blue body and red nose and black eyes and he asks everyone to tell him how cute it is. He carries it in his pocket (and sometimes he wants me to carry it in my pocket.) He's very proud of it. He wants to show it to everyone. The other night, we went out to eat and he told the server all about the letter M, and the mouse that Beth gave him and how he was going to take it to school for the letter box. (The poor server just wanted to take our drink order.)

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Long live the Cullens


Finally. Finally, I did it. I finished the Twilight series. It was wonderful. It was frustrating. It was awesome. It was maddening. It was beautiful. It was agonizing. And I loved every minute of it.

(Well, almost every minute. There were those few minutes in the first half of the second book when I thought, come on already, get over it Bella!)

I have yet to hear from someone who hasn't loved the series despite the odd storyline of a teenage/vampire/werewolf love triangle.


As much as I'd love a fifth book, I'm happy the series is over. (Although I love that Stephenie Meyer has left an opening for a Nessie spin off.) When I'm so into a book like Twilight, it consumes my time. I can barely tear myself away from it to feed my kids (and I end up eating Doritos and drinking Diet Pepsi because I don't want to waste time cooking for myself). So my laundry has piled up, the bathrooms need cleaning, and hubby is probably annoyed with my two word conversations. I've finished the series and left Forks. But only temporarily.
The movie comes out soon. (Check out the bottom of this blog.) Yay!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Stanley is flat - again

Nick's class is working on a Flat Stanley project. (They also went to the Flat Stanley musical.) For those not familiar with this, students create a Flat Stanley (a paper cutout of a boy) to mail to someone at a far-off destination. The recipient is asked to take Flat Stanley somewhere unique or fun in relation to their country/state/city/town. Then they are asked to mail Flat Stanley back with an object/picture of said country/state/city/town.



Each student in the class was asked to send their Flat Stanley's to two people. By Thanksgiving, the class will receive their Stanley's and in December, they will learn about his adventures. Nicklas chose to send his Stanley's to my aunt in New York and Mike's cousin in Orlando. He's eagerly anticipating Stanley's return!

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Quilts of the past - round 2

It's time for my next installment of quilt projects of the past. (Don't you just love this NoBloPoMo thing? It's got me posting EVERY DAY. Fun times.) These are a few quilts I have on display in our house. (I'm running out of wall space but luckily, hubby is still supportive of my habit. But we might need to buy a bigger house. Just kidding. Mostly.)

This pattern is called Crazy 8's. I made the top in one day. It's currently in our dining room (which is actually our living room right now but that's only temporary.)


This is the wedding quilt my MIL made for hubby and I. I love scrap quilts. And I love the log cabin pattern. There is so much you can do with it!

And this is in our downstairs bathroom. I love the 3D look of it. Those pieces are by far the smallest I've ever worked with.