Independence Day Weekend!

We had Honey's daughter, E, this weekend, which is always fun! My girls were all over her, and the poor baby didn't know what to do about it! Of course, Little Sis had some problems sharing her toys and being asked to be the "big sister" and letting E use the toys. Little Sis is used to being, well, the little sister, so it's going to take some getting used to!

Here are some pics from the weekend:

Here are Big Sis and E dancing to the new CD I burned for them over the weekend. Honey gave them a CD Boom Box for their room, since Grandma gave the girls a bunch of cassette tapes (remember those??)

Here are the girls watching "Monsters, Inc." E asked to watch it, and then fell asleep. But, it was perfect. Dinner was ready by the time the movie was over, and E woke up right as the girls were finishing their dinner, so she was able to take her time and eat.

Here's E sleeping. She's so adorable!

Here's Little Sis watching the movie with all her babies.

Here's Big Sis being bored with the movie. She's been asking to watch "High School Musical," but the DVD is missing from the case. I have it on my list to replace it next time I get a chance. "Cars" is missing, too. :(

Currently reading - The DaVinci Code

I am currently re-reading The Da Vinci Code. I love love this book. I'm at the point where Langdon just went into the Louvre. I have to remember that this book is fiction. After I read it the first time, I researched the Knights Templar and all that other stuff in the book. If you've seen the movie, but haven't read the book, I highly suggest you read the book. It is so very much better.

Scrapbooking

So, I love the idea of scrapbooking. Looking at pictures and displaying them in fun and creative ways.

When Big Sis "graduated" from Kindergarten, my dad and step mom gave us a pre-made "school days" scrapbook. I find it absolutely adorable, but I can't find the pics I took of Alex's first day of 1st grade. I'm sure it's on my computer, so I'll probably upload it to Walmart.com and have it printed out.

Anyway, here are some pics of the first few pages where I've actually done something.

This is the front cover. Originally, it had a black background with white words that said "School Days" but I changed it to say "Class of 2019."

Oh, um.....2019??

This is the first page. I'm thinking I'll put a picture of Big Sis in Preschool on the yellow background, and her Senior pic in the green.
I just have to find the preschool pic on my computer!!

Here's the Kindergrten page. I'm sure I have another pic of her in Kinder (probably one from her promotion ceremony) that I'll put in the green at the top.

First Grade! I know I have a picture of her on her first day that will go in the blue. I even think it's in black and white. And the second set of pics, the "character pose" that was taken in the later part of the school year will go in the bus.

Second grade. She'll start on August 19. I will put a first day pic on the blue, and her school pic on the yellow. I will wait until the end of the year to make it final, just in case I have other fun pics to add. Especially since she'll be starting Girl Scouts this year!!

Fireworks for you...

I am very sad I won't be at Disneyland tomorrow, like I was last year. In fact, the only fireworks I'll be seeing are on TV! No fireworks in town, except for the sparklers I bought for the girls.

So, here are some fireworks for you to enjoy!!! Sit back and relax and enjoy the next 17 minutes of bliss......

Today....

...will be BUSY.

It's not even 7am. I've been up since 5. I finished "Something Blue" (more on this later) this morning. I've finished my homework that's due today. In about 20 minutes, I'll be leaving to go back to the old house to finish packing up the rest of my stuff, and to clean.

I have to pick up my paycheck today, too, and deposit that into the bank. Pay car payment and rent. Buy groceries.

My mid-term is at 6pm. I'm nervous beyond belief. I took this class last semester, and while I'm having an easier time with it this semester, I bombed the mid-term last time. I have an A in the class, so I'm not too scared, but I would love to KEEP my A!

Ok, so like I mentioned before, I finished Something Blue. I started it yesterday morning when I woke up, and finished it this morning, at 5:30.

What a fabulous book! I can't remember much of "Something Borrowed," but the first couple of chapters gives enough background information that I was able to enjoy the book. I felt like I *was* Darcy through the whole thing. About half way through, I was expecting an ending fitting for the Darcy we meet at the beginning, but was very pleasantly surprised by the ending Emily Giffin wrote.

I highly recommed this book! It's on both my BC and PBS bookshelves. If you want it, let me know, and I'd be more than happy to mail it off to you! Just a fair warning, though...keep some tissues handy for the last 3 chapters!

So, this will be the last blog from me today, unless I send something via my cell phone. Wish my luck on my mid-term this evening.

Oh, yeah....my girls will be home TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

To Be Read...

Yes, I know. I've posted, like, a million blogs today. What can I say? Honey's been sleeping for hours, I miss my girls, and I'm watching a movie. I'm bored.

So, here's my To Be Read list for the rest of the summer (ok, maybe that's being a bit ambitious...let's say before the end of the year).

In alphabetical order:

1. Angels & Demons by Dan Brown -- I've read The Da Vinci Code already. I've been told this one's pretty good, and that if I enjoyed TDVC, that I'd enjoy A&D.

2. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown -- yes, I know I just said I've read it. But I'd like to read it again, probably before I read Angels & Demons.

3. Dead Ringer by Lisa Scottoline -- Never heard of the book or the author. But while I was unpacking, I found it, in hard cover. I suppose I should read it before Swapping it, since I probably spent good money on it! Don't worry, you'll get a review once I'm finished.

4. The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold -- I think I've read this one before. But again, I found the hard cover while unpacking, so I figure I should read it.

5. Lucky by Alice Sebold -- this is apparently a true story about Alice Sebold's attack while she was in college. I've not read this one, but it looks interesting!

6. Naked Prey by John Sandford -- Another hard cover book I found while unpacking. No idea what it's about, but I'll read it anyway!

7. The Regulators by Richard Bachman -- ok, this is Stephen King using a pseudonym. I know I've read it before, but that was back in high school. So, I'll read it again. This one will probably stay in my permanent collection.

8. Something Blue by Emily Giffin -- this is the one I'm reading right now. Well, will start reading as soon as I can get off of the computer long enough to actually read it!

Also, I would like to re-read the Harry Potter books, starting with Order of the Phoenix. "Half Blood Prince" is scheduled to come out in theaters November 21, 2008, so I want to re-read it before that! And when Deathly Hallows came out, I read through it so fast because I wanted to know what happened!

So, who wants to start taking bets that I won't finish them all before New Year's Eve?

Why is it...?

That when you own a movie on DVD, you never watch it, but when it comes on TV, you will sit through it, commercials and all?

I'm doing that right now, with "Walk The Line." I own the DVD, and wanted to watch it the other night, but didn't. I watched "Ghost Ship" instead.

But it's on FX right now, DVD on TV, and I'm watching it. Everyone knows I hate commercials, so why am I watching it on TV? No idea. I love the soundtrack, though. I even have it on my iPod. I pride myself that I have Johnny Cash songs on my iPod, but then I have to remind myself that Johnny's not the one singing! Reese Witherspoon has a great voice, though. I like her. She's so cute!

I do this with a lot of movies. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl" is the popular one. "50 First Dates" is another. Both are shown on USA Network often, and I'll watch them, and record them on my DVR (*sigh* I miss my DVR), and watch them...when I OWN THE DVD!

What's wrong with this picture?

Where I'd Rather Be...

My little weather thing says it's 109 here in Borrego Springs, and 78 in Anaheim. 31 degrees?????

So, where I'd rather be right now?


Disneyland. Sitting next to the Rivers of America, enjoying a Dole Whip Float, listening to the music of New Orleans Square, watching the Mark Twain Riverboat pass by.

*sigh*

18 more days.....

Just finished: "Anyone But You"

What a great book! It's about Nina, a 40-year-old divorcee who wants nothing more than to get a dog. So she finds Fred. Fred then finds Alex, a 30-year-old ER doc who lives downstairs. It's funny, romantic, and sexy. I highly recommend it. It's not a huge book, I probably could have finished it in one day if given the chance. Maybe in just a couple of hours.

It's up on my Paperback swap bookshelf. If you want it, let me know! I have the option to "Mail It To A Friend." I don't know if this will give me a credit for another book, though! If you are a member of Paperback Swap, let me know, and I'll add you as a friend!

Up Next: "Something Blue" by Emily Giffin. I read "Something Borrowed" a couple of years ago, but I've started the first chapter, and it seems to give some background as to what happened before. But I love the idea: Woman cheats on man, so man cheats with woman's best friend. Then Woman gets mad. Just like a woman, huh? Double standards! LOL

Once I'm finished, I'll post a review. This one's not on Paperback Swap yet, because I'm afraid if I post it now, that someone will want it, and I want to read it! If you want it when I'm done, let me know, and I won't post it, I'll just send it to you.

Off to finish homework! Then, I have to unpack.

Have a great day!

Front Yard Visitors

So, last Saturday morning, I was getting ready to go back to the old house to do some packing. When we went out the front door, this is what we found.

Yep. They had just made themselves at home in the shade of our front yard!! I just wish that my girls had been home to see it! We haven't seen them lately, but the way they were just relaxing makes us think that they will be back. Honey's been busy cleaning up the front yard, so there is very little debris anymore. Now the bunnies have a place to relax!

BOOKS!

So, I've decided that in addition to blogging about my kids, C25K, and everything else, I'm going to start blogging about the books I'm reading. I haven't started reading anything fun since summer started, but I just pulled a pile of books out of the "stuff" I already have at the new house. I registered them at Bookcrossing, where you can catch and release books into the wild so others can enjoy them, too! You can check out my bookshelf by clicking HERE.



First book to be read:



Anyone But You by Jennifer Crusie. I've read some of JC's work, and I enjoy it a lot! So, I'm expecting to get this book done in the next couple of days, especially since I'm not finding anything exciting on TV during the day! :)






So, take a look at my Bookshelf on Bookcrossing. I have added the link to Bookcrossing AND Paperback Swap to the right side of my blog for your convenience! If you have any book recommendations, let me know. Also, if you register your own books on Bookcrossing, we can swap them!

Backyard Visitor

This little guy kept running across Honey's back porch this morning. The lizard is probably only about 4 inches long, including his tail. He was just outside the back door, on the welcome mat. :) Isn't he cute? I'm going to miss him, because he will run across every morning!!

A Day in the Life...

So, on my LaughingPlace.com Message Board there are some of us doing a project called "A Day in the Life of LP." Yesterday, those participating carried around their cameras all day and took pictures of what happened during their day. I didn't start taking pictures until after I arrived in Borrego Springs, when Honey and I went for our sunset walk after dinner. Here are the pictures that didn't make the cut.

Behind Honey's apartment. Nothing but desert....

The mountains that seperate Borrego Springs from the Coachella Valley and Imperial Valley.

Honey exploring the desert. There is a lot of debris back there.

The last of the wild flowers. This one didn't make the cut because the house behind it is in focus. I was using Honey's camera, so I was getting used to the settings.

More wild flowers. Again, not completely in focus, plus, the flash went off, making everything else seem darker.

Check out LVBelle's pics that didn't make her cut...she's much better with the camera than I am!

Busy Day!

Whew...today was one for the record books!

The girls and I woke up at about 8am. I fed the kids waffles, and folded some laundry I put on the line last night. At 8:30, it was already getting hot. Not warm...HOT. I did the breakfast dishes then started packing. I pulled some stuff from the laundry room, and then packed up the book case. Here's a packing hint: Do not put ALL the books from a book case into a standard storage bin. It's too heavy, especially when those books are text books!

Anyway, I finished that, then my honey called and said he was on his way. I finished getting the kids and myself dressed, and was brushing hair as he came to the door. Can you believe today was the first time he's ever stepped foot in my house?? Thanks to my brother, I wasn't embarrassed. :P

So we left. I checked the mail, and thankfully, my new debit card was in the mail. So we went to Walmart first, so honey could do his shopping and I could stop at the bank branch inside the store to activate my ATM card. We did some shopping, and I ended up spending $26 -- razors, toilet paper, trash bags, 3 bottles of water, a 12-pack of Coke Zero Vanilla, and more, but I can't think of it.

After Walmart, we went to Sizzler for lunch. What a great big lunch it was, too. I had a HUGE salad and some of the hot stuff from the salad bar (onion rings, corn poppers) and then some ice cream. Big sis even finished all her chicken strips and hers and my ice cream!

After Sizzler, we went to the mall. I had to exchange Big Sis' capris that the zipper broke. Unfortunately, I didn't have a receipt and they had already been washed a few times, but they exchanged them with no questions. I got one size bigger for Big Sis because they didn't have her size! 7 regular and 8 slim are the same in the waist, but longer in the legs. No problem, since they're capris, and she can roll them!

After the mall, we went to Home Depot so honey could get us a ceiling fan for our bedroom. Quick trip.

After Home Depot, I left to pick up my brother from Walmart (he took the bus in) and honey went to pick up the trailer from his friend's. We're borrowing it to make my move easier and quicker. By the time I got my brother and took him to his next stop, honey had already picked up the trailer and went to the mattress store to buy a bed frame for our new Cal King bed!

We then headed to the grocery store so honey could pick up his cold items, then headed back to my house. After we loaded up the stuff I packed up this morning, and we all cooled down a bit honey and I went to Circle K to get him a drink for the ride home and to fill up my 5-gallon water bottle for the cooler.

So, the reason why it was such a hectic day...it was 107 degrees outside, and I can't run my a/c when it's hot! My alternator gets over heated when the a/c is on, and stops charging my battery, making me stall. Wonderful, right? Thankfully, the girls are going to grandma's tomorrow for a few weeks, so I can live with no a/c when I'm driving.

My orientations for my online classes are on Monday, and after that, I'm going to honey's house, and won't be back down unless we're packing and moving. So, my car will get a nice break. And my drive up on Monday will be at night, since my last orientation ends at 8pm.

So, that was my Friday. Busy, huh? It's now almost 10:30, and I'm wide awake and enjoying the quiet!! :)

Happy birthday to Tena's little 'J', who turned 3 today! :)

The Importance of Extended Rear Facing

Take this to heart. Just because laws vary by state does not mean that physics does. Please consider extended rear facing your child. In fact, I insist on it...not because I'm trying to tell you what to do, but because I would hate for anything to happen to your child that could have easily been prevented!

She's awake!!

I took these last night, while Little Sis was in the tub. She immediately fell asleep after, and stayed in her own bed -- AGAIN!!!! -- all night until about 7am this morning! YAY!!

We were both being goofy..

More sleepy baby pics!

This was this morning, Big Sis was trying to wake up her sister, but Little Sis wouldn't wake up.

Edited to add: Little Sis slept all night IN HER OWN BED!!! Of course, I woke up at 6 with her in her bed. What's up with that?? She told me this morning she was crying so I came to bed with her. I don't remember. I just remember waking up freezing my tooshy off with both my arms numb from laying on them. But hey, she was in her bed ALL NIGHT! YAY!

My Sleeping Baby

This morning, Little Sis ended up staying asleep even after I got out of bed. She's getting better, she'll start off the night in her own bed, but at about 5am, she's in bed with me. Anyway, here are some pics of her:







And here's Big Sis, practicing her smile for pictures. I hadn't yet brushed her hair.

Such A Cutie!

Isn't She Adorable?

Another Day

So we went to Sea World today. It was only 87 degrees, but it was miserable. Usually, I'm saying "This isn't bad," since we are "used to" 100+ degree weather. However, it was so humid in San Diego today that I felt like I had sat in the Soak Zone all day!!

We got to the park, and it turned out that TODAY was the Fun Card blackout. I had a child's ticket that Big Sis won at the awards ceremony last school year, and I have a Silver passport. Damon bought a blackout ticket. No harm. The girls wanted to get wet, so I had brought their bathing suits.

We first went to Shamu's Happy Harbor. The only wet thing working were the guns on the boat. I guess I misunderstood, and yesterday (Saturday) was the last day for the wet fun. Oh well, they got wet and had some fun. We then went to Shamu's Believe, and Big Sis sat in the 4th or 5th row of the Soak Zone. Unfortunately, we were sitting on the far right of the stadium, so she didn't get wet at all.

After, we walked a bit, and then went to the Dolphin Show. Again, Big Sis was in the 3rd row of the Soak Zone. This time, she managed to get wet. After the show, we walked a bit more so she could dry off, and then I took the girls to the restroom to get them back in their clothes.

Little Sis by this time was starting to get a little fussy, so we got a churro, then went to eat. However, by the time we finished eating, she was just too crabby, so we left. It was about 5-ish. Not too bad. Five hours at Sea World.

On the way home, we stopped at Walmart so that I could get my workout clothes. I tried them on tonight, and I felt well supported. LOL I get to run a mile and a half on Wednesday. It's not that bad, since it's half the 5K I'm running in November. I'm looking forward to training for that. I also bought an arm band for my iPod and a stopwatch so I can time myself. I also bought a new pair of running shoes. I'm all set!! Hopefully San Diego will be a LOT cooler and a LOT less humid in November than it was today!!!

Hope everyone had a great holiday Sunday. I was thinking today, and upon realizing it was September 2, I also realized that it was a year ago today that my best friend Christina died. I kept thinking of her, and how horrible and tragic her death was to those who loved her. She's missed by everyone. So tell those you love that you love them. Because tomorrow may never come.