So here is what has happened lately...I haven't been able to post pics tonight, except for the necklace ones so I will just tell you about my days.... Sunday was a real exciting day. We finished our new room for starters!! YEAH!! It looks soo beautiful! And the best part about it is that we did it ourselves. Sure it is a little uneven at a couple of tiles, but it is amazing to me that Mike built a whole room for our house. Yes, he had some help from Denny and his own Dad. But a ton of it was done by himself and I am so proud that he finished it. It is a great addition to our house! Also, now I finally have a place to hang my Harry Potter Posters! After that we rushed to get ready for a Halloween party we were hosting Sunday night. I had to dash off to get Greg and Karen from the airport in the middle of getting ready for the party! When we got back to the house we immediately started partying. We had the Schraders over and Em invited her best friend from school, Becky. Cousin Sailor also came over with her dad Mike and Mike's Mom Judy (Judy, aka, Denny's cousin, aka, the lady that married us). Sailor is so stinkin' cute! Anyway, Jen, Katie and I planned for weeks for this party. I really like Halloween for some reason so I wanted to just get a bunch of kids together and do some fun games and activities and foods! So, we did. We bobbed for apples, felt fake body parts, painted faces and pumpkins, made caramel apples (in case you hadn't heard about our sink) and played games. Karen taught the kids a new game, I don't really know the name of it but the kids loved it! They played it over and over again. We also played musical chairs, which I love to watch! All the kids got a treat bag when they left. I had a great time and I hope everyone else did too.
Monday was Mike's B-Day. I tried to post some pics but no luck. I made us all dinner, chicken marsala. Then we had some cake right before the girls went to bed. They were really excited to help Mike open his present from Grandma. My mom got him a few new work shirts and some soccer shorts. He got a Hawaiian shirt to wear too, since his work has Hawaiian shirt Fridays.
That brings us to Tuesday, All Hallows Ween. Paige and Soph had a little party at school so we went up there at 9am, after dropping them off at 8, and watched them walk around their school in their costumes. Some parents are so lazy. One poor kid just had a T-shirt that said "I'm a baseball player." I guess we are just so lucky because we have a nanny that can make us fancy costumes. Needless to say, our kids were the best dressed in their class. I didn't really get to see the other classes, the parade was so quick! We went back home after that and got ready to go to the dog beach. Katie, Jenna, Gibbs and my mom came with us. It was of course another gorgeous day. Karen took care of Boda and I had Loki. They had on their long leashes so they could run around. They swam forever and chased the ball. We had a great time. Hopefully we'll go back! After that I got my paycheck from school, of course I looked awful since I had just come from the beach and I think I saw all of the teachers I sub for when I ran in to grab my check!
On to nap time...Greg, Karen and I swam in the freezing pool (w/ the dogs) while the girls napped at Grandma's house. Then Greg and I went back to my house to wait for the delivery of a new dresser for the bedroom. It looks so good. Don't worry, I'll post a pic! After nap we carved pumpkins, trampoline, dinner and yes, finally, we trick-or-treated. The girls did a lap around Jen's neighborhood (she has sidewalks so everyone goes there!). They each got 3 pieces of candy when they got home and were rushed off to bed. Oh, and Karen and I dressed up as robots from Eurotrip. Let's see, did I miss anything?? Good night!

As promised, pics of our necklace making....Better late than never! The girls had a blast, thanks for sending those! They made enough necklaces for all their friends!

Party

The party was fun for everyone, the aftermath not so much. Melissa ran the dishwsher and it started backing up into the sink. I took the trap out and there is nothing int here, so it's something clogging the drain beyond the trap andthat's not good. Liquid Plumber is on the case, so we'll see how that goes. I have a suspicion that it's the caramel from the caramel apple making tonight. I'm not pleased.

I'm doin' alright, getting good grades...

Em just got her first report card this week...

It's nights like tonight when I am so glad I live in Florida. It is so gorgeous out. I just had to take the dogs on a quick stroll down the street to pee cause Mike is working on the tile so I couldn't go through the porch. It was the most pleasant walk I have ever had w/ Boda. I tried her NO-Pull harness on her and it was like walking a normal dog. Which is to say she didn't pull my arm off. While she has gotten much better anyway, it is never easy starting out on a walk because she is so excited to be out walking that she is like Road Runner gearing up to lose the Coyote. Meep Meep. Anyway, we took a stroll down by the lake (retention pond) and the temp is perfect and the wind is so...windy. We had a nice night tonight. The boyz came over with some pizza around 5 and had a picnic in the "clubhouse." Then they jumped on the tramp for a while before heading home. Then the girls and I started cleaning the bathroom for our guests that are arriving on Sunday. Their bathroom is a disaster cause I hate cleaning bathrooms. But I got down on my knees and was scrubbin'. I can't wait for our guests to get here so I can go for a walk with them! Mike won't let me walk but for a few minutes by myself because he doesn't want me to get murdered. Anyway, after we cleaned the bathroom and part of the living room we started watching "Monster House." It was pretty cute. The girls really liked it because they watched the whole thing. Usually they'll get up and roam the house. After that they went to bed with no whining, so that was nice. That always puts me in a good mood. Now, it's off to finish the laundry so I can clean the house all day tomorrow....BOO! But YEAH for guests!!! Can't wait to see you guys!!!!!!!!!

Cookie time! We made delicious cookies at Jen's the other day. They were soooo good, oh, did I already say that? They were cute too. Then Jen made us some more spppoooooky pancakes! BOO! Scared ya didn't I????

Beautiful Glenda the Good Witch.

Dorothy and the Witch face off...

Now, if only we had a scarecrow, a tin man and a lion....HHMMMMMMMM, I wonder where I could find one of each of those......

Halloween Preview

The costumes arrived from Grandma Nanny today. Paige got a Dorothy wig, Sophie got a crown and wand, and Em got the Wicked Witch.

There is a random pic of Sophie, just for everyone to stare at before they look at the Heroes trailer below... You know it's the highest rated new show for the year, don'tcha?

Hollywood to the rescue...

Thankfully, some more Hollywood types and athletes have crawled out of the woodwork to let everyone know that stem cells are Satan's work. Patricia Heaton, Jim Caveziel, Jeff Suppan , Kurt Warner, and Mike Sweeney (who keeps the bench nice and toasty for the Royals) have filmed a commercial to try to counteract any influence Michael J Fox may be having in the Missouri election. I really appreciate the input from a bunch of healthy people who don't suffer from any affliction that might be helped by stem cell research. Their moralistic compassion is overwhelming, and I can't help but be thankful that I have them there to explain to me what I should think about the important issues. Ass-tards. Plus, it's been proven that God hates Jim Caveziel, so what does he still need to run his mouth for? He got struck by lightning while filming a movie in which he PLAYED JESUS!!! Hmm, maybe you aren't the right guy to be speaking up for God on this one. At least Jeff Suppan is in the World Series. I mean, if that doesn't qualify him to talk stem cells, what does?

Since MJF started his charity work for Parkinson's he's raised over $80 million for research. But to be fair, Patricia Heaton IS the spokesperson for Albertson's grocery stores, so that has probably done a lot of good for the world too.

Delta was a go for launch, or something...

Tonight we had our first night launch in quite a while. It was a Delta 2 carrying a pair of satellites to study solar flares. Here are a couple of 30 second exposures showing the rocket. The brighter one shows the trail with the strap on boosters and the dimmer one is after the boosters were dropped. The little hitch on the end of the rocket trail is camera vibration from the shutter opening. I have a light tripod and didn't use the remote, so that's what I get...




Then we were going back in and Melissa heard something by the oak tree next to our driveway. Looks like one of the neighbors wanted to see the launch with us.

Rush Limbaugh should stick to what he knows... shoveling oxycontin into his fat gullet.

I was going to post about that fat turd Rush Limbaugh mouthing off about Michael J Fox, but I don't want to be all political on here. Then I was going to post a youtube video where someone had taken that "I just called to say I love you" song and played it over the new MJF commercial since his head was weaving around like Stevie Wonder, but I like MJF so I didn't want to do that (even though it was kind of funny). So ultimately, I decided to post this video, which clearly and scientifically shows the method that advertisers used to coerce Greg into being an Acura lover. It may also show where his love of tuxedos originated, but that link hasn't been proven yet. Caco In-teg-era indeed, sir.

Look out folks, she is bringing some sexy into my kitchen. The girls were super siked, for a total of about 5 hours, when I brought home these leg warmers. (Target, the one spot). Only one dollar!!!! They wore them all day and they looked sooo cute. Em really got into it. She even wore the black ones, I was shocked. Sometimes you can see her ethical dilemma fighing inside her head....do I choose pink or do I choose matching?? Choosing black obviously meant (that day) that she was choosing to match. Matching hardly ever wins. Pink almost always wins...unfortunately....

Um, where exactly is that finger headed?

Uh, Thank You!

Why I gotta wear a shirt all da time?

Happy Birthday to Sara!

Here is an old picture of me, Sara, and Kevin. I blurred him because he knows the internet is nothing but a breeding ground for pedophiles and I don't think he would have approved of his picture being posted. Anyway, today is Sara's birthday, so this is what she looked like back in the day when she was a little kid...

Leslie Nielsen... what an actor!

The Best of the Barnacle

Greg sent a link over that is along the same lines as the David Blaine clip. If you've seen Dane Cook do his stand-up routines, you'll get it.

I donate money every year to the firehouse. In return you are sent a coupon for a free 10x13 pic. You have to go down to the firehouse to get the pic taken. This is my third year doing it and I always see owners and their dogs down there. Well this year I decided to take my dogs w/ me too. Mike didn't really want to do it (he had just flown in from California) and the girls were a little hyper (it was 4 o clock in the afternoon on a friday), so I piled Loki, Boda and Mom into the car. She was in charge of the treats and squeaky toy! Anyway, they turned out pretty good. Mom ended up taking the girls with her own coupon. They looked gorgeous that day. I blow dried their hair and we bought them matching shirts. Sophi was not sure about the whole thing so no smiles from her. Sorry I had to post it in such a ghetto style, but I don't know if I have scanning capabilities at this house or not ....

I donate money every year to the firehouse. In return you are sent a coupon for a free 10x13 pic. You have to go down to the firehouse to get the pic taken. This is my third year doing it and I always see owners and their dogs down there. Well this year I decided to take my dogs w/ me too. Mike didn't really want to do it (he had just flown in from California) and the girls were a little hyper (it was 4 o clock in the afternoon on a friday), so I piled Loki, Boda and Mom into the car. She was in charge of the treats and squeaky toy! Anyway, they turned out pretty good. Mom ended up taking the girls with her own coupon. They looked gorgeous that day. I blow dried their hair and we bought them matching shirts. Sophi was not sure about the whole thing so no smiles from her. Sorry I had to post it in such a ghetto style, but I don't know if I have scanning capabilities at this house or not ....

People, if you are not watching the CW's SMALLVILLE, then you are crazy. I think you know who I'm talking to! Tonight was one of the best shows to date. Although, I didn't cry. BUT...TWO superheros found each other out and it was sooooo awesome. I love it when men get together in cute outfits to fight crime!!!!! There is nothing better, not even a slutty med student who can't choose the right boyfriend to save her slutty life!!!! BOO YAH!!!!

OK, Paige is the funniest person ever. We were just picking out school clothes for tomorrow and I held up these pink windbreaker-type pants.
"What about these pants Paige?" I asked.
"I can't wear those. I would bring sexy back if I wore those." Paige replied, totally straight faced.......

After the beach it was off to the fish camp for dinner. Mom has always wanted to go to a fish camp so we decided to make her dream a reality. The place was empty and we sat outside so the girls got to be a little loud. The food was ok, I had a bbq sandwich. But the scenary was awesome, literally. Huge vessels, maybe cargo vessels, passed by non-stop during out dinner. It took us so long to eat because we had to keep stopping to stare at the boats and birds. We were on the St. Johns River, in case you were wondering. Stephanie was staying at the Mayport Naval Station for her business trip. We also drove around the base showing the girls the battleships in the water at the naval station. I think they were pretty impressed. We couldn't take pics though, top secret.

After cake we went for a walk on the beach. It wasn't the best weather outside, drizzling the whole time, but the girls had a blast. Upon getting to the beach, Sophi promptly marched down to the water's edge, hiked up her skirt and peeed right thru her underwear. I gently reminded her that she was in fact wearing underwear and not a bathing suit, otherwise that would have been a great trick.
Em took the pic of Steph, mom and I.

Yesterday was my mom's big 6-0 birthday! We ended up driving up to Jacksonville to spend the afternoon and evening w/ Aunt Stephanie who was there on business. It took just under 2 hours to get there and it was right on the beach. We had such a great time, you know how the girls love hotels!! We brought a cake that I had made my mom the night before. Angel food with a homemade strawberry glaze. Luckily her and Jen like the same cake so I am a pro at making it by now! Em decided she is now capable of holding and extremely long and sharp knife to cute with! We are in the hotel room here, getting ready to enjoy a predinner piece of cake!

Now, you might look at this pic and say "Hmmm, Sophi looks pretty, but dirty. Why would Melissa post this pic of her dirty child?" Well, the answer is this. This is how my poor baby came home from school today and I would like to get some thoughts on what you other mothers and fathers would do. This is not a one time event either. Although I have said something in the past about dirty faces I guess I am going to have to say something a bit more directly. It is hard because all the ladies at the school are my friends. I have worked w/ them a lot and have gone there for 3 years now but the school is slowly declining. Anyway, the director is out on maternity leave and I hate to call and bother her but.....I ended up talking to the lady that is currently in charge this morning. She agrees w/ me, surprise, they all agree w/ me all the time but nothing ever changes. She assures me she will say something without singling me out. But seriously, how do you handle that situation? Please email your thoughts or post a comment....and don't even get me started on the butt wiping situation.....

I don't know if you all got a chance to see this on the "old" website so I thought I'd repost it...

David Blaine, I believe in you. Your magic is real

These guys found a way to make David Blaine even more annoying (and somewhat gayer).

G-Pa at "Da Moorket Place"

That's how they would say it in Bowie now. Back then it would have just been the market Place. Anyway, this is an OLD picture that was just published in the illustrious Bowie Blade newspaper. My grandfather is the second from the left. He used to own Belair Liquors in the Market Place shopping center. The store was back by the movie theater/arcade area, although I guess both of those are gone now too. Back then the shopping center wasn't enclosed in the center. Just kind of an open courtyard in the middle. The merchants from the shopping center gave gift certificates to the 4,000th Belair family to move in to Bowie. I think now when you move to Bowie they give you some complimentary body armor.

So stupid

I can't figure out why our pictures aren't posting correctly when we host them on our ISP server, so here is a blogspot-hosted site so at least the pics should work. I have to try to finish the tile so I can't mess with the web page all day! Here are some pictures...