Couldn't hold out forever

In the fall of last year my youngest daughter (6 years old) stated she wanted her ears pierced. So I looked around at different places to take her with a reasonable price. While we were in Washingtonville at dance for my oldest daughter (8 years old), while walking down the street, I noticed a sign in the window of the barbers...ear piercings. So I asked the youngest if she wanted to go check it out. So we went in and asked how much it would be to pierce both ears. $25, now that is reasonable. He~Allen~the barber, he showed us the earrings and she picked out what she would like, then he asked if she was ready to do it now? She shook her head..."No, maybe next week, we will come back next week!" So we went back the next week and she bravely sat down on the chair. Asked if it was gonna hurt?! Just a little pinch. She looked up at me, I assured her that it would be just a little pinch. So to distract her, he asked her some questions about what she liked to do, what her favorite things were? First earring in, she looks at me and said that did hurt and almost jumped out of the chair. I looked at her and carefully and lovingly said, "You need to get the other one done too, or you will be lopsided!" She said okay. By now the first ear started to calm down, she was ready! Second one in...that one did not hurt as much. Yeah! All done! She smiled and got up from the chair put her head in my stomach trying not to cry. I think she was a little more scared than hurt.

Afterwards we showed her older sister. I asked her if she wanted to get her ears pierced, "no, no thank you" she replies. I would ask her on occasion if she wanted her ears pierce, we even went to visit the barber to check it out, but the answer was always the same: "No, no thank you." Every now and again the youngest and I go visit the barber while waiting for her sister at dance class. He remembers her and asks her if she still likes her ears? He told us that one of the guys that works for him was so impressed how well she did while getting her ears done, he got his done too...I think secretly he was not to be outdone by a 6 year old! :-)

Two weeks ago, after dance class my oldest declared she wanted her ears pierced while her sister was at her dance class. So while sister was at dance we walked into the barbers and asked if he had time to pierce her ears. He seemed pleased she finally wanted to bling her ears! She sat down in the chair, picked out her earrings and grabbed onto my arm, she was ready! He asked her questions trying to distract her...First ear done..."That hurt a little but, not so bad." Ready for the second. Done. Yeah!

I guess she could not be outdone by her little sister any longer!

:-)

Being positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

What happened, where have you been?

Some of you have probably been wondering: what is going on with the stampinbeautylady? Well, as you may remember, when I posted my first few blogs, I decided I wanted to talk about positive things. I still want to do so, however, I have been finding it hard lately to find some positives, so I have chosen to post nothing at all...and it has been eating away at me. Why? Why am I not finding something positive to post? Really quick: I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed over the past few months. I have not been very motivated to delve into much of anything, except what is necessary to get through the day.

A friend of mine had mentioned to me that, while facebook is a great place to reconnect with lost friends and families, it seemed most people post how wonderful and perfect their lives are; how great things are with their families! I know I am guilty as well...wanting to post only the positive things happening in my life in my blog. Most, (I say most lightly, as some do post more info then I'd like to know, LOL) people do want to share the all the wonderful things in their lives. Is that such a bad thing?

Maybe?!  I know that life has it's ups and it's downs, it is difficult to forget about the negatives; not sure why that is, but it seems the negatives like to stay with us for a while. When we read and see our friends with these great lives, doing all the great things, having a wonderful life, we are left wondering: what am I doing wrong, what is wrong with me? You know what? Nothing! Nothing is wrong with you! You are doing nothing wrong! Let's see if we can think of it this way...our friends and families are sharing their happy moments with us because they are having down moments and need to write about the good to turn the negative around! Got it?! This may or may not really be the case, but this way of thinking may just be what we need to help us feel better about us!

With that said...I think that there are times when we need to share our downs. Let our friends know that our lives are not as perfect as we may sometimes portrait. And that everyday is not as grand as we would hope it to be!

Trying to be positive without being negative!

In Rock Tavern,
Laurie

Pancakes for Breakfast

Whole Wheat Oat and Honey

I  make pancakes for breakfast at least 2 to 3 times a week. Years ago my in laws introduced me to Kodiak Cakes/Baker Mills "Whole Wheat Oat and Honey Flapjack and Waffle" mix. Really like the idea of whole grains AND I love pancakes and waffles. When a recipe calls for water I substitute milk. I have done this for years, I find it makes whatever I am baking just a little bit moister and flavorful. Valentine's Day rolled around and I thought "how do I make a heart shaped pancake"? Then I remember several and I mean several years ago I purchased wood handled nonstick black metal hearts just for this purpose. I had forgotten all about them. I also have round ones for eggs. So, this year on Valentine's Day I made heart shaped pancakes for the girls for breakfast before school. One girl likes blueberries in hers and the other does not. I did not realize how easy it was to do. Now, when I make the girls pancakes for breakfast, they are heart shaped!

Being positive from Rock Tavern,
Laurie

Getting my son's car ready for deployment!

My son Nick came home for Christmas. He was scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan shortly after he got back to Texas. He needed (mostly wanted) to store a few items here, one of which was his car. He packed it so full, the only room left was for the driver! He proceeded to drive his car from Texas, with a short stop in Atlanta to visit Aunt Cinda & Uncle Ben. He then headed north, with another stop in Virginia to visit with his Uncle Larry & Aunt Susie. Before he left the DC area he was instructed he must meet with my Cousin, who was recently approved and promoted to Brigadier General. GO ARMY! Her and her husband took him to lunch at the officers club. What a great treat that was! He had a great visit! Next stop would be home.
I was so glad to see him. I had not seen him for over a year. The next day he unpacked his car into the basement. I could not believe his car had that much room for all the things I saw. He was able to visit with most of his friends, play WOW and other various LAN games with them till all hours of the night, in the basement, where they could come and go with ease. He had a great time! The month went by and it was time for him to fly back to Texas leaving his belongings and car here.
After a few days of being back, he was told he and a few others were not deploying after all. Now, his car, computer and other various things were here in New York. That is a problem! He really wanted his computer...how to get him his computer, without totally breaking the bank. Then there is the issue with his car, he now has to catch a ride or walk everywhere, the travesty. My father voluntarily has agreed to fly here and drive his car to him in Texas! Problem solved. 
I thought it would be good to get the car checked out with our mechanic to make sure it was travel worthy. I opened the door and OMG, what a mess! I could not let my father drive Nick's car in this condition. I could not even sit in it without feeling like I was getting dirty. Yikes! After several hours of vacuuming and wiping down, it is now sitable. Couple of  things I would still like to do is spot clean the carpets and defog the headlights. And of course the inspection!

Being positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

Best Host City for the Super Bowl!

Best Host City for the Super Bowl

When I arrived at the airport, while walking to ground transportation, I was greeted by approximately 15 - 20 people/volunteers saying “Welcome to Indianapolis, have a super day!” As I looked around, the entire airport was filled volunteers with Super Bowl XLVI signs welcoming everyone that pasted them. What an amazing first impression while walking through the airport, having total strangers enthusiastically welcoming you to their city. Driving from the airport to the hotel I noticed billboards with Super Bowl XLVI logos everywhere. A section of downtown was closed to traffic, for the Super Bowl Village. There were signs for different routes for the traffic named “The Super Route” and “The Bowl Route”.  Every business I saw on my way to the hotel had signage supporting Super Bowl XLVI. (Later in my trip I was told that even the museum got in on the Super Bowl action and placed hat and scarfs with all the different NFL teams on the dinosaurs and animals!) After checking into the hotel, I took a walk around downtown. Every building had some kind of Super Bowl XLVI sign. Even the step risers had the signs and logos for the super bowl.  The streets were filled with volunteers saying “Have a Super Day!” I was able to walk to the SB Village, it was only two blocks from my hotel. 

There was a Zip Line right down the middle of the street, with a small football field under it.The Convention Center had the Super Bowl Experience. There were several food tents and outdoor bars. There was an ice sculpting table, a tent with Indy Cars supporting Giants, Patriots and Super Bowl XLVI. There were two stages with scheduled concerts from performers like LMFAO. Luckily the weather was very comfortable, however if you did happen to get cold there were warming seats and heaters placed in different areas of the SB Village to keep you warm. One of the hotels near the SB Village even changed their name to “Bud Light Hotel”. The city  had amended the street names to represent all the NFL Teams. There was so much to do in the SB Village. Downtown Indianapolis has these covered walkways over the street between buildings connecting a very large 3 story indoor shopping mall. I could walk from my hotel to the mall and eat lunch in a restaurant a block away without ever going outside. On game day, I was able to walk to "Lucus Oil Stadium", it was about 5 blocks from the hotel. Every thing you needed and wanted to do was all located in walking distance. This is my second Super Bowl, but my experience in Indianapolis will always be remembered as the "Best Host City Ever".

Being positive in Rock Tavern,

Laurie

P.S. It was even that much sweeter that the Giants won!

It is snowing!

Winter as been very mild here as far as snow goes. So this week when we were being told we would have snow, I was a little skeptical. Tuesday when we were called (5:15am) by the school district to notify us of a two hour delay, I thought, wow, we have snow. When the sun came up I noticed that we had about a dusting to an inch on the ground (I guess the schools needed time to clear sidewalks and parking lots to be sure no ice was built up). We were again warned Thursday that we would be getting more snow. So on my way home from gymnastics, it was snowing, our street had at least an inch...The thought of another call from the school district at 5am in the morning ran through my head. The girls get to sleep in a little and I will get a little extra time in the morning before having to get them ready for school. I woke up about 4-4:30am. I moved the phone closer to me so it would be easier to answer when it rang. I waited and waited and waited some more. The phone never rang! Once the sun came up I realized that the snow had melted from the roads, driveways and sidewalk overnight. No delay! Schedule was as usual. The reports came in that we would yet again have snow starting very early Saturday morning and going into the afternoon. I anticipated a light coating would be awaiting us once the sun came up. When I looked out this morning, Wow, we had about 2 inches of snow on the entire ground! I know when the girls woke up by the excited squeals heard from the upstairs! It has been snowing lightly since.

Three times is a charm, or is it three strikes and your out!?

Being Positive in Rock Tavern,
Three times is a charm!
Laurie

All the guest have gone home

Well, it is Friday and my last guest has left and gone home. It was great having 5 extra family members visit for the Christmas vacation. The first to arrive was my mother, she flew in from Florida. My in-laws arrived a few days later on a train from California via Ohio. My son drove from Ft. Hood a few days before my father flew in from Florida. I am glad we were able to comfortably accommodate all. The weather remained mild for December. Santa came on time, although it was touch and go if that was to be the case. And the New Year came without a hitch.

Now that the house has no more guests, I will be packing away the decorations that I was able to put up this year myself (all except the lights on the house, hubby did that), getting caught up on laundry, dusting, and other various household chores I put off so I could visit.

My goal for this year is that I will attempt to blog more about what has happened here in the House of Walden.

Being Positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

My First Quilt Project

Somewhere around about six or seven years ago, I started a small quilt project. I had received a mixer

for my kitchen and thought it would look better if it was covered. I took measurements, picked out fabric and designed my project. Knowing little about quilting, I had NO IDEA what I was getting myself into. I pieced together the pattern I decided on,

Pinwheel

 then sewed those pieces together to make the pattern fit the measurements needed to cover the mixer. I then put the batting in between the front and backing I picked out and pinned them together. I ended up with five rectangles.

one of these for the top

four of these for the sides

Several years passed because I was uncertain as to how I was to "quilt" them together. I had somewhat of an idea as to how I wanted to connect the five pieces, but still was not sure. While my mom was visiting I asked for her assistance. She was glad to help, but had no idea how we were going to connect all the pieces together either. Needless to say with her suggestions and coaching I am pleased to say it is finally finished! I want to stress that I am a complete novice when it comes to sewing. I do understand the concepts as I am a paper crafter and I do a little scrap-booking. I think what I am trying to say is I am very pleased that it turned out as well as it did. I now have a cover for my mixer!

Positively pleased in Rock Tavern,

Laurie

Xmas Instead of Christmas?

"Xmas" used on a Christmas postcard, 1910

This is such a busy time of year for all. So when I can take a few shortcuts...especially when writing, as my handwriting is not legible for most. The thought of having to write more letters seemed almost painful. When I was younger I used (and today still often do use) Xmas in place of Christmas. I had never put much thought into it, as it felt natural to do. Recently it came to my attention that some found this offensive, I had not found or thought using Xmas offensive. After I read a post from a friend discussing this very thing, I did a little research. I did not have to go very far as Wikipedia is the first link that popped up when searching the subject and found it very informative. Here is just a little bit of information I got there:

The word "Christ" and its compounds, including "Christmas", have been abbreviated in English for at least the past 1,000 years, long before the modern "Xmas" was commonly used. "Christ" was often written as "XP" or "Xt"; there are references in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle as far back as AD 1021. This X and P arose as the uppercase forms of the Greek letters χ and ρ used in ancient abbreviations for Χριστος (Greek for "Christ"),^[2] and are still widely seen in many Eastern Orthodox icons depicting Jesus Christ. The labarum, an amalgamation of the two Greek letters rendered as ☧, is a symbol often used to represent Christ in Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christian Churches.^[18]


 For more reading on the subject go to:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xmas

Being Positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

My New Job

The past few weeks have been a blur. I have been trying to figure out what to write about and still be positive. Okay, so here goes.

Some of you know that I started working a part time job about the same time that school started. It is a win win for me and the place in which I work. Gymnastics was a big part of my life growing up. I ate, breathed, and slept gymnastics. After I got "too old" (16years old) for the sport I started coaching. Took a break for a few years and found myself back in the gym somewhere in my early twenties coaching again. This was back before my Army days ~ which is another story!

My two daughters are in gymnastics and have been for some time now. My littlest started when she was about one and a half years old ~ she wanted to do what her sister was doing! I wanted to share with them the love I had/have for the sport. I started them in a place called "The Little Gym". It was a great program. Introduced them to the sport in a fun friendly environment. They loved it! Soon, they were both asked to be in a higher level class ~ plus they both got to be in the same class together ~ great for me, only one trip a week to the gym! About a year and a half the place closed down, so I had to find another gym. Walked into "Gym Kids, Inc". Looked around and got a good feeling about the place. Lots of equipment and the owners seemed pleasant.  I was a little disappointed when I could not put them in the same class together, I had to make two trips to the gym once again. Well, about 9 months into the program they were both invited to join the "Golden Group". A more advanced class that met for one and a half hours a week. Yeah, back to one trip a week to the gym. This summer they joined the "Copper Team". Back to two trips a week to the gym. It is so exciting to see how much they have improved and how much they really like doing gymnastics.

About a year or so ago I had inquired what it would take to be a coach these days. Things have changed quite a bit since the 80's. You now need to become an instructor member of USAG and should be "Safety Certified", which requires you to go to a class and pass a test on safety. At the time I had inquired we were trying to sell our home in Washingtonville, get ready to move into our new home; that was going to be ready at any time, and the gym needed a coach that could work numerous days a week ~ in which I was not prepared to do, plus the girls were all ready in other activities. So, I put it out of my mind. The first week of the new gymnastic semester, I noticed that the gym was a little short on coaches. The following week I received a phone call from the owners asking if I would still be interested in coaching. I would need to be there just the days my girls were. I would be assisting the other coaches. And I would get paid. I was thrilled at the chance to be in the gym again after all these years, plus I was already there watching my girls learn. After a few weeks, I was asked how I was feeling about being there and if I was getting comfortable, I was feeling great! Then, they asked me to become a USAG instructor member and take the "Safety Certification" course.

I remember sitting in the lobby watching, not only my girls but the others, saying to myself "point those toes, straighten your knees, squeeze those buns, arms by your ears, head up, don't look at the ground" ~ trying to coach the girls from the lobby! I am so excited be be back in the gym coaching!

Being positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

So proud of my son Nick!

My son, Nick during his senior year in high school was not sure what he was going to do after he graduated. He looked into going to college: he needed to find a college, a place to live and a job so he could eat. He looked into the military: Where everything would be provided for him: he would get the training for his career (as an added bonus it was in something he enjoyed(computers)); have a place to live; be fed 3 meals a day; and have clothes given to him ~ all the while getting a pay check too! Sweet! Win, win for him and the Army.
He joined the Army in July of 2009. In October of 2009, we flew down to Ft. Benning, GA to see him graduate Basic Training. It was awesome to see him march up the field. He looked so mature. From there he then went on to AIT (Advanced Individual Training) in Ft. Gordon, GA(which is where I went for my AIT as well, my school was right across the street). He did so well during this training he was recommended to be a part of a specialized company of soldiers in the SatCom field. There are only 3 companies that do what he does.
In July 2010, he was able to come home for a few days before he had to report to Ft. Hood, Texas. Shortly after he arrived a couple of his friends drove his car to him from NY. He visited his Oma, aunts and uncles in FL around the holidays. In February, my husband took him to the Superbowl in Dallas; this summer, his grandparents (my parents) visited him for about a week; just this past weekend, he and his roommate went to the Blizcon Convention in California, where he met up with another high school friend and my husband. While in Cali, his grandparents(my parents) took him and his friends to lunch, where he enjoyed his first Maitai! I can not put into words how proud I am of him. And what a great man he has turned out to be! I miss him dearly, since I have not seen him in over a year. Hoping he gets to come home for the holidays this year, before he ships off over seas! Love you Nick.

Still being positive from Rock Tavern,
Laurie

Our cats

When we moved into our new home, we decided to put in some cat doors in so the cats could get out and in of the house; In our other house we had to let the cats out and in by opening a door for them(what a pain). It took Lenny a few days to figure out how to get through the door(I had to push and pull him in and out for those days!). Bella, she caught on pretty much right away, no fear. She knew where the food was! This has made such a difference. They can come and go as they please! We actually have two cat doors: one in the door from the house to the garage, where the food and litter box are ~ this was the first door we put in, as I did not want the litter box in the house; the other in the garage door to the outside of house. Both doors have a slide that you can close; if we don't want them to go outside, we can keep them in the house with access to their food. And if for some reason we don't want them inside the house, they still have access to food!

This has proven to be a great tool for us. As you may or may not know, cats love to bring you gifts! You know the kind: mice, birds, snakes, rabbits, etc. Some alive and some not so alive! Now, I was a little suspicious the other day when my Lenny was sitting staring under the fridge. Then proceeds to walk the walls sniffing all along. He was looking for something. Ummm. The next morning I find the not so alive remains of a mouse, oh good at least he caught it! Yea! So why is he still walking the walls looking, Ummm. As I was getting a trash bag out of the closet yesterday morning, out runs a little mouse, so he had two toys/gifts he brought in greeeaaat. So the littlest child and I proceed to catch the little rodent and release it in the field across the street(after cleaning the floors and making sure there were no more!). So, back to the great tool. To let the cats know, that as much as I like them to have their free reign, I also do not want the gifts they bring. After such events as this one(and there have been many others)If they are not in the house when I am ready for bed. The door from the garage into the house gets locked and they get to stay in the garage/outside for the night. If they are in, then I lock the door from the garage to the outside, so they are unable to go out and bring more gifts!

The cats really like that they can come and go as they please and I no longer have to let them out and in. And I believe they really enjoy being able to bring in toys from the outside and have the room to play with them as well! (Boy, am I glad I have hard wood floors throughout the house, much easier to clean).

I realize now ~ I traded opening doors for the cats to cleaning up after they bring me gifts!

Still being positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

Yeah...About yesterday!

About yesterday, all the cleaning and errands, well I did not get as much done as I was planning. Usually, I dislike when the best laid out plans don't work. Fortunately, for me I had a great day! I got one load of laundry in the wash, made a few phones calls(2), loaded the truck(I call it a truck because it is not a car but an SUV, easier to call a truck) with what I needed for errands. While pulled of the side of the road to punch in the address of where I was going(since this can be dangerous while driving) my husbands calls. He has a break between meetings and wanted to know if I could meet him for lunch!?? Well, not for nothing but, my errand could wait. Not very often does this happen ~ I get to have lunch with my best friend! After a great lunch, I ran not only the errand that I had postponed, but was able to squeeze in another one before I had to get home to pick up the girls from school. Which is a another crazy schedule, I am sure I will post about another time! Nothing like the best laid out plans taking a back seat to spending a few moments in the middle of the day with someone you love!

Still being Positive,
Laurie

Tuesday Already!

Wow, is it Tuesday already?! Watched a little of 60 Minutes on Sunday after the game. Andy Rooney, retiring, WOW!!!. I remember watching him growing up. I looked forward to the end of the show to hear what he had to say, and loved it! Something that stuck with me Sunday was something Andy said, something like "there is so much going on today that anyone could write about it." So true. Made me think of my blog, why am I having such a hard time writing something here. Maybe, just maybe I have so much to say I don't know where to start? Yep, that sounds good! LOL Yes, there is a lot going on in the world today. Lots of news about all kinds of people. And so much going on in The House of Walden as well. Girls are off to school, laundry, floors, dishes all need to cleaned!? How in the world will this all get done? And get a little of me time as well? Oh, does blogging count as me time? :-) Ok, check "me time" is done. Now off to do the house work and errands, they are not getting done with me sitting behind the computer! Until the next time.

Being Positive,
Laurie

Getting Organized (yea right!)

Hello again, finally. I know, I know it has been too long since I have posted. I am going to try to post more often. (Being positive!)

I thought I was fairly organized until this morning when I went to make a deposit. You see I need to find all my checks that I get from my Avon customers, so I can pay my Avon bill, so I can place another Avon order for my customers. Simple right?!? Well, let me tell you this was no easy task for me this morning. Usually, when I get checks I put them on my desk, right next to the monitor (which is in my new office specifically for my Avon business(supposed to make having this business easier, all in one place)). After collecting the envelopes with checks and loose checks, I review them to make sure I have all of them. One is missing! Crap! So I proceed to look in my vehicle(which is in serious need of cleaning(on to do list)), not there. So I look on the counter desk in kitchen(currently cleaning/organizing), not there! OK, so where in the world could it be??? I go back out to the vehicle with flashlight to look under seats, in cracks that it could have fallen in, still not there! Crap!  Phone rings, it is one of my customers wondering if I am still going to deliver her Avon? While I am explaining to her that I was looking for a check (so I could make a simple deposit) I knew I had and that was why I had not gotten there yet, riffling my desk(which in worse shape then my vehicle!) yet once again, AHHH there it is! Success! Tell her that I will now be there shortly right after I fill out the deposit slip.

So driving to make the delivery, go to bank, cleaners, another delivery, post office, I get to thinking...can someone be too organized? Am I really that disorganized or just going over thinking? So with this in mind, I now believe I need to make a list of things that I need to do(on to do list).
Moral: I need to organize my organize~

People in my picture

I was asked today...who is in the picture? From left to right: Rhapsody(the short one), My Mom(Barbara), Me, Diane(close friend of family), Samantha (the other short one), My Aunt Cinda, and Amy(my nephew Evan's mom). This was taken while we were in South Carolina at my nephew's Army Graduation from Basic Training("WOOHA"). We were at a BBQ Restaurant called Little Pigs Barbeque, which was featured in the magazine "Southern Living" not too long ago, stating best BBQ in Columbus, SC.

Barthle Family ~ Family Tree

Alright, I want to share with you that my father has a web site. He has invested many, many, many years developing this awesome site by inputting information about his father's side of the family. It is amazing how many people run across his site and email him with information to fill in the blanks. And it all starts from a man named Andreas or Andrew Barthle who was born on November 16, 1802 (or maybe even 1801, records are a little sketchy about that date) and passed February 6, 1891. Get this, he was married 4 times! He had 3 sons and 1 daughter. My father has filled in the branches of this tree over time with the help of a lot of Andrew's descendants. This is quite an accomplishment. I have a link to where my branch has grown in this huge tree trunk at the bottom of my blog. For those who are interested in checking out this two century old tree here is the link to where Andreas or Andrew started this amazing family ~ Barthle Family - Family Tree

Love you dad, you rock!

Being positive in Rock Tavern,
Laurie

1 week, but who's counting!

It has been 1 week since I started this blogging thing. And I only have 2 posts! LOL I always think of  things to say but when I sit down at the computer to type them...everything goes out the window! I am still trying to figure out what I am wanting to blog about and what I don't. What I do know is that I want it to be a positive not a negative blog. We often read/hear too much negative in our lives ~ so my first goal for this blogging thing is to only post positive things. OK so 2 posts that is more than none - positive! Cool so far go good!

New topic, should I start a new post...? So see my next post for the new topic!

No school due to flooding/road closures

Received three phone calls from the school district today. First one telling us about the 2 hour delay due to weather. From what I understand second one was a back up because some of the calls were not going through because of the flooding. The third to cancel school! Today would have been the third day of school. What a way to start the new school year! Girls were saddened to hear about the flooding (especially Sammie, she was concerned about the people, and rightfully so(I heard they were evacuating the trailer park yet once again)) and that there was not going to be school. They both enjoy school and have been looking forward to going. I was looking forward to some needed food and supply shopping without kids. With all the flooding I am not sure I want to venture out!

1st day blogging

I have no idea what I have just gotten myself into here, but my friend is doing it so I am jumping off the roof with her. Kids are at school. I just placed my Avon order for this campaign and was reading the news feed on Face Book and ran across her blog. So here I am. Ummmm. Well I think that is it for now. I will try to write something more later. Later? Well that could be today, tomorrow or next week. Not sure yet but am willing to keep you informed.