Bunny stuff, singing stuff and a very silly doggie!

Easter is nothing but a family holiday in this house. We don't go to church and we don't celebrate the rising of anything except the sun for another day. But we do the other usual Easter stuff that involves egss, candy and a very looked-forward-to bunny! Let's start with the eggs. The week before Easter was Spring Break, so the girls did some sleeping-over at friends', cousins' and grandparents's houses. They also hosted some of their own sleep-overs. In the shots below, we see the girls, my niece and nephew, Sonja and Max and my other "niece", Kaydence all decorating some eggs for the big day. I boiled three 18 packs of eggs and set the table up with newspaper and lots of dye....and let them have at it!

L to R: Drew, Luci, Sonja, Kay and Max with their creations!

When Easter finally arrived, here's what the bunny left them! Candy, of course, but also some make-up, toys, jewelry and a couple new ipods! The girls left the bunny some cookies, which were gobbled up by the time the morning arrived! The girls also each wrote the bunny a note wishing him a happy Easter! He wrote them back wishing them the same!

Checking out the loot!

Again this year, the weather cooperated enough to allow an outdoor egg hunt! They needed jackets, but at least there wasn't any snow!!

Last week was Drew's spring concert. Here, she models her new concert dress, shoes and jewelry! She is a stunner, as usual!

Waiting in the high-school auditorium for her turn on the risers!

Sonja and Luci wait patiently in their seats for Drew's turn!

Miss Shorty in the front row, as usual!

In this shot, she was turning a wheel on a stick. 3 others did as well to emulate a large vehicle as they sang Chitty, Chitty Bang, Bang.

After the concert, the girls all posed together.

Drew will turn 9 in just a few short weeks, while Luci and Sonja are both 6. And yet, the 6 year olds are both taller than the 9 year old!

Dean hopped on the 4-wheeler to drag the harrow rake around the yard to pull up some thatch and Mr. Darcy chased after him. Dean was a little concerned that he'd hurt himself, so he reached down and scopped him up to the seat. After a little while, he decided riding was a much better deal than running!

What a goofy dog!

I arrived home today back from my chorus' regional competition in Syracuse. Our chorus nabbed the 2nd place win for the Small Chorus Category!!!!! It's not a 1st place win, but we're still very pleased as we raised our score about 20 points or so from last year's score!! The winning chorus (from Saratoga, NY)performed phenomenally well and deserved their victory!! Beating out all the rest of the small choruses (about 15 or so in our region) is not too shabby at all and we are deservedly proud of our achievement!

On the weight-loss front, when I last stepped on the scale, I found I have lost 57 pounds! Of course, I have yet to try it again after this past weekend of eating and drinking! Ha ha! Tomorrow, it's back to the grindstone when my work-out partner and I meet up at the gym again!

I'm skipping out on the quotes today, I am bushed from my mini-vaca from home and my bed is calling! Goodnight!

Poor Tooth Fairy!!!

Hmmm, am wondering about the wisdom of the trading of money for teeth...Luci did it again! The very next day after losing her other top baby tooth, she came to me and said, "Mommy, look how loose THIS tooth is!!" I peered in her mouth, grabbed the indicated tooth and gave it a little wiggle. It was by far the loosest tooth she has ever had! I checked all her teeth the night before and it was the wiggliest of her remaining choppers, but it was by no means as loose as it was now! She must have been reaming pretty good on it all morning! So, I tied the string around it (absolutely NO hemming and hawing this time!!! Ha ha!) and one little tug was all it took! I didn't even yank, just pulled a bit and out it popped!

Of course, she requested and received another $5 and now she is richer than I am!!! What a kid! Just waiting for her to come say, "I've got a loose tooth again!" any day now! Pretty soon she won't be able to eat!!!

The Tooth Fairy strikes again!

Luci has had a loose front tooth now for months. I always reminded her to wiggle, wiggle, wiggle...and she would for a few minutes and forget about it again. I wasn't in a hurry to get this thing out of her, I knew it would go EVENTUALLY even if she never touched it. But last night, I got a bug up my butt to finally get it gone and talked her into letting me give it a yank. She hemmed and hawed for quite a while doing what a 6 year old does best, but eventually she gave in and let me try it. I wrapped a double piece of dental floss around it THREE times...each time the floss broke when I pulled. So I broke out the big guns and tied a thin length of ribbon around it, not really thinking it would stay put. But it did and out popped that stubborn tooth! As usual, Luci shed not a tear and giggled at her reflection in the mirror even as the blood oozed out of the gaping hole left behind! The defensless victim was no match for the ribbon!

As usual, the Tooth Fairy received an explanatory note from Luci, telling her the date and time and how much money she would like in return. On the outside of the envelope, are Luci's decorations and greetings.

The Tooth Fairy indeed came last night and left Luci her $5 that she requested. The Tooth Fairy has gotten very generous in her old age...I used to get a dollar, and even THAT was a lot back then when most kids were getting just a quarter! The Tooth Fairy is also going broke! Ha ha!

Today's Quotes:

Losing baby teeth were a part and parcel of one's life - a symbol of growing up, and it is the tooth-fairy that makes this otherwise dreaded and painful process an exciting one - something to look forward to. ~Mansi Maheshwari

The tooth fairy teaches children that they can sell body parts for money. ~David Richerby

Updates

Well, not too much going on right now, which explains the lack of posting! And no pics in this post, just a quick update on life in our neck of the woods! The weather is SLOWLY starting to feel like spring around here. The days are creeping into the lower 50's which, though not terribly warm, is a much welcomed relief after this seemingly never-ending winter! I have appealed to anyone looking for some extra cash...I'll pay a small fortune to hire a hitman to "take care of" Old Man Winter! The old geezer is too stubborn to die!! I'm sure we'll see more snow before he finally relinquishes his hold on the North Country! Today is rainy, a sure sign of spring! And though I don't consider a cool, rainy day by any means wonderful, it is surely better than cold and snow! Luci's class held their annual class play, the same play Drew was a part of in her first grade year...The Three Billy Goats Gruff. Like her sister before her, Luci was chosen to help make the props and set for the play as opposed to acting a part. She wanted to play the Little Billy Goat, but they chose another kid. A good lesson in "you can't win 'em all!" Anyway, we went to see the short but sweet production and she didn't seem to be upset about not being able to act in it, so it was a success! Maybe in her 2nd grade class play she'll be able to play a part! We're looking forward to Spring Break starting this Friday. The girls' school gave them 2 unused snow days back, so they are off on Friday and they also get the Friday before Memorial Day weekend off as well. That'll be nice as we can add it to our already booked camping trip! Speaking of camping, we have booked Mem Day weekend at one of our fave campgrounds that's not too far a drive from home and we've also booked a weekend at Jellystone in Mexico, NY. As yet, we have plans but have not booked yet a trip to Enchanted Forest/Water Safari in Old Forge, NY and also a trip to Ausable Chasm in the Adirondacks this year. Here's a place I've always wanted to visit and never have, so that'll be exciting! As for Spring Break, we're not going anywhere exciting, as usual, but I DO look forward to shutting the alarm clock off for 10 days! My Sweet Adelines chorus is gearing up for our annual regional competition in Syracuse, NY at the end of this month. We've worked very hard, and are bringing 2 brand new songs to the stage, so I'm not sure how we'll finish. The odds are stacked against us for winning First Place with new songs, but we'll try our best and maybe surprise ourselves! My sister-in-law, Tina, has taken the plunge and decided to join the chorus! I'm happy to have a companion during my 40 minute commute to rehearsal and I hope she loves it as much as I do! She just joined, so it is too late for her to be able to compete with us this month, but she'll be coming along to see what our competitions are all about and to root for the home team!!! We'll be rooming together, so that ought to be lots of fun, even if we don't end up winning! I'll bring the wine and we can either celebrate or commiserate together! Ha ha! Update on the weight-loss front...my plateau has seemingly decided to end as I have now lost 53 pounds!! That's a 35 pound loss since joining the gym in October 2010!! Not too shabby for a 40 year old! It'll be interesting to see what weight my body decides I should be! I've already bought a bathing suit in a size too small in anticipation of summer, but it wouldn't hurt my feelings if I never got to wear it because it ended up being too large by the time swimming weather arrives! :-) Ah, the tricks I play with myself!! It'll be money well-worth spent if that happens, if only for my self-confidence! Hopefully my next post will have pictures...maybe of day trips we decided to take during Spring Break??? We shall see! Until then..... (I'll skip the quotes today!)

March Musings

Well, it's officially spring! Too bad it doesn't feel like spring! It's still in the 30's here, and though the snow is all but gone, it is still chilly. Patience is a virtue, they say, but I guess I'm not very virtuous because I have cabin fever in the worst way!! Each winter I go through sees me with less and less patience for the snow and cold during such a LONG winter as we always have. I dream of a warmer climate, but it is just that, a dream. Dean will never leave his job up here, nor his family, so here I am stuck...in a cold, frozen tundra until mid-May when the temps finally start resembling something akin to warm. SIGH!!

In brighter news...I'm still enjoying going to the gym (amazingly!!) and it has really paid off thus far! Since 08/09 I have dropped a total of 49 pounds!! I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that I really DO wear a smaller size!! FOUR sizes smaller, in fact! When I first bought a pair of pants in my new size, I thought it was just the brand but that I was probably a size bigger in other brands. On a recent shopping trip for jeans, I brought 3 different sizes in with me to the fitting room. As it turned out, every brand I tried on was the same new size! I didn't need the 2 larger sizes I brought in!! I am VERY pleased with my progress...though I have been plateauing at the 49 mark now for weeks! Methinks it's time to step up my workout again!

Anyway, onto the picture portion of my post! The girls' school celebrated Dr. Suess' birthday with a week-long reading party. The Wednesday of that week was deemed Wacky Wednesday and the kids were encouraged to dress wacky. Luci got right into it and here's her outfit!



Drew, as she ages, becomes more reserved. She opted for a Halloween tee and striped pants, but wouldn't let me make her hair crazy. She's growing up, I guess!!

My workout partner, Sue, is the Pre-Kindergarten teacher at the girls' school. The teachers were also encouraged to get a little wacky and here's what she came up with! She poses with Randy, one of our camping buddies.

After school got out for the day, I took Luci's hair out of the 4 crazy buns I put it in and this is what her hair looked like afterwards!

2 wweekends ago, the girls' Girl Scout neighborhood hosted a swim ingathering. Luci was supposed to go, but she caught the local flu-bug and was left at home in tears and with a nsty temp. (Thankfully, her only symptom was a 6-day long temp!) So, I brought Drew and she had a great time.

Thursday, the 17th, was my birthday. Not just ANY birthday, but my 40th!! Yikes! I am getting old!! Ha ha! Anyway, since getting my Pandora bracelet for Xmas, getting gifts for me has become a little easier for everyone! Here's the charm Dean gave me. It is not a Pandora, but rather a Silverado charm. Buddha sits atop a Murano glass globe. I LOVE this!!!!

Tina had the same idea, but she got me the Pandora version Buddha!!

And Julie got me this Pandora "Best Friends" charm! I was definitely feeling the love by my friends and family this year!!

This past Saturday, we all went out to a local dive to party! Here's Julie and Sue getting their groove on out on the dance floor!

Julie and Al doing a wheelchair dance! Many years ago, Al lost the use of his legs due to a motorcycle accident. But he has weathered the storm pretty well and is as happy as he was before his accident thanks to lots of family and friend support! When I was in high school, I had the biggest crush on this guy! Julie used to date his older brother and that's how we met. I have a picture of Al and I holding hands at a beach, but we never did end up dating. Anyway, he's a great guy who is lots of fun!

The next day, the girls' school hosted a family swim day at the high school. So we grabbed Sonja and even Papa went!

Sonja dons some floaties!

Dean gives Luci a toss into the air!

An underwater shot of Drew. Drew finally got brave enough to give up the floaties and learn how to tread water. She is quite proud of herself!! (I think she was a little embarrassed watching a Kindergartner swimming in the deep end without floaties!)

Today's Quotes:

One good husband is worth two good wives, for the scarcer things are, the more they are valued. ~Benjamin Franklin

When you look at your life the greatest happiness are family happinesses. ~Dr. Joyce Brothers

A blessed thing it is for any man or woman to have a friend, one human soul whom we can trust utterly, who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults. ~Charles Kingsley

Happy Gotcha Day!!!

How in the world did eight years fly by so quickly????? Our oldest daughter, Drew, was placed in our arms for the very first time on March 2, 2003!!! What a joyful cryfest that was!! I remember every detail so vividly that I just cannot believe it was so long ago!! Happy Gotcha Day, Drew! We love you so much...even more so with each passing day!!

A little work...

Living in the North Country means dealing with all kinds of weather. In the winter, there's snow and ice and in the spring it's mud. We finished the addition on the house back in '08 (or was it '09??? The memory isn't so good anymore! Ha ha!) Anyway, the hardwood flooring in the kitchen by the back door...the door we use most often...has taken a beating with all the water from shoes. So, we decided to install a tile entryway. Here's the before shot. We took down the baseboard trim and you can see where Dean has cut the wood where the tile will be. On the right, you can see the tiles I picked out. They are slate, and I love the colors!


Here, Dean has removed the closet door (we have included a closet reorganization in this project, as you can see it was desperately needed!)

Wood gone, and tile backer board has been placed.

This is the part where I took over. I tiled the bulk of our master bathroom and found that I happen to be pretty good at it, so I volunteered to do this job as well! Tiles have been laid with spacers and we're just waiting for the adhesive to dry.

Here is the finished product! Grouted, sealed, trim replaced and painted, doors painted and the closet has new shelves and bins installed, but I didn't include them in the picture. I LOVE how it turned out!! This picture doesn't do these slate tiles justice!! Might just have to do this to the other two doors eventually!!

Today's Quote:

The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work. ~Emile Zola