tie dyed!

This was an absolutely adorable little craft to do!!!!! I can't believe I have never tie dyed before.....I've been near the process......but have never done it from start to finish all by myself!!!!...I thought it would be way messier!..my neighbor brought over her little girl and some cute, cute halloween cupcakes......and we got busy....the results were terrific!!!........the perfect treat to get into the halloween season!!

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fall favorites

It is officially fall..........I'd have to say it's my favorite season......I love them all....but fall wins by just a smidge.....here is my official fall favorite list for 2008:

1. Chilly nights......this ties directly into #"s 2 & 3...
2. bonfires
3. warm cozy sweaters
4. Chiefs football
5. leaves changing...falling....rustling and blowing along the street
6. squirrels scurrying
7. acorns!!!
8. pumpkin beverages.....and when a friend surprises you with the first pumkin creamer of the season.....it's heavenly!
9. actually pumpkin anything!!.....muffins , pie, rolls, bundt cakes......you get the idea!
10. soups, casseroles and crockpot dinners
11. A hike at McConnells Mill
12. cider and apple pie
13. my kids birthdays!!...I love planning the parties, making the treat bags, and getting their pictures taken!
14. mums
15. Trick or Treating and halloween candy!....now I know what my mom was doing after we went to bed on halloween night! :)
16. mums
17. this awesome cream cheese and caramel dip for apples!....my life changed forever when my friend brought this to a party a few years ago.
18. helping out at school for the parties
I savor these days........they don't last long!!!!......happy fall everyone!

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at it again!

I'm not a huge t.v. watcher....usually just The Today show in the morning for a bit....before Cubby puts on the "double circle" channel....that would be "8"...and Nick Jr.........and in the evening I flip around between HGTV and On the Record with Greta Vansustern........but over the past year or so I've had to get caught up on some shows.......24 was the first one.....I watched five seasons in about 6 months.........it was a marathon!!!.....I had the two disc plan from Netflix ....I also had it down pat....each episode lasts 42 minutes.....so if I popped it in by 3:45p.m. in the afternoon I had just enough time to watch it before the big kids got off the bus at 4...then along came Grey's Anatomy.....EVERYONE was talking about it and I couldn't just start watching it.......I had to get caught up before the season started.......so again I got them all Qued up over at Netflix and got to work.........well......Brothers and Sisters is the latest ...another reason my laptop is wonderful...I can take it upstairs and get my jammies on and watch my discs in bed!...I watched season one at the beginning of the summer and was taken back when I found out season two wasn't available until this past Sunday.......well....then the new season starts this Sunday!!!!......I got disc one in the mail yesterday and I haven't had a chance to start it......there are 4 episodes on the disc so I better get busy.....I may have to break down and watch season three as it comes along, because I don't want to have to wait until next summer to get it at Netflix!!......and on top of it all I had to miss the season premiere of Grey's because I had to pick my hubby up at the airport tonight so I have to try and get that in before next week........wheh!!!......well, I did actually watch the first episode of the new series the Mentalist which started Tuesday night...so maybe I won't have to do the netflix thing for once........but did I hear it will actually be on on Thursdays at 9????.....same time as Grey's????.....that would not be a treat!

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making up for lost time

I can honestly say that until a few months ago I hardly ever bought ice cream.....it very rarely appealed to me except when I was pregnant with my first child.....if we were going to have ice cream we went out for a cone or sundae....I bought it for a few birthday parties, but I hate when it touches the cake and gets soupy.....so I quit offering it because I didn't like it...????...but something happened.......I started buying it for my family......and then one day I bought a half gallon of Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter.........I dug in and haven't stopped!!....I even had to buy an ice cream scoop because I was using a spoon and it wasn't working......I found this "shovel" and it's marvelous!!!.....I was getting this heaven-on-earth flavor at Superwalmart.....well, they stopped carrying it so I had to make a special trip to Giant Eagle...buying several at a time so I wouldn't run out....and watch out if any of my family had some......it's just for me!!!...luckily Walmart has it back....you can almost get 2 for the price of one!!......my own little treat after everyone goes to bed!.....good thing I go to the Y so much!!

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my perch

This is my little perch.....right at the end of my island.....I feel like I'm wearing out that end bar stool...maybe I should rotate them???....this has become my hang out.....we even conducted out tech meeting from here.....I thought once I got my laptop I'd be all over the place with it....but not so much......I've almost banned myself from taking it upstairs at bedtime....I was turning nocturnal and getting almost no sleep.....I'm realizing this is the most perfect spot for me.....I can do tons of stuff from my perch....check on emails, keep up with my blog, track ebay, do lots of googling, download pictures, create smilebox treats, and general computer work....I talk on the phone here, open the mail, go through the kids papers, watch out my back windows and keep track of my neighbors comings and goings, hop out to my deck to wave at friends and relatives walking by, I can keep and eye on Cubby as he plays in the great room and also watch things on the stove or in the oven...the laundry room is just a few steps away so I'm hopping in there all the time to fold or put things in the dryer......even at night I sit here when the house is quiet...I have the t.v. on and sit at my perch doing things on the computer...you'd think I'd move to the comfy chair or couch, but by the time I think of it it's time to unload the dishwasher, make lunches for the next day, set up my coffee maker and let the dog out----perch time is over!....I tried to set up that little desk area in my kitchen as my special spot...but the stool that is there is too low....and I can't see anything ....it still just gathers junk until I know someone is coming over and then I try and clear it off and throw everything into a laundry basket out of sight!.....you might notice the cute bag that I made at my sewing bee hanging on the back of the stool....this is pretty much where it stays with my knitting and a few magazines and snacks for Cubby in it to grab on my way out the door to football practice.....and to the side of my computer is my little food notebook and Sharpie marker.....I haven't been very diligent about writing in it lately and am trying to improve.....and I LOVE Sharpie ultra fine point black markers!!!.....I have them everywhere......in my drawers, purses etc....I even found the cutest tiny one to hang on my keychain!.....as you can see there is another little laptop next to mine....Cubby got this adorable Cars laptop from his friend Devin as an early birthday present......so now we work side by side.....this could very well become his perch too!!!!...I have noticed that I don't feed the kids at the snack bar anymore though.....there are only two available stools....Cub and I still eat lunch here together and the older two sit by themselves at the other end to eat their breakfasts.....but previously when my husband wasn't home I'd sit all three kids at the snack bar and then I would sit by myself at the table.....so that is one good thing....we all sit at the table together! Dinner time ...just like it should be!! What a treat!

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tech support

Wow!!...twice in one month!!!.......I'm loving it!!...our tech support meeting was a big success!!!.......a few problems/questions solved...mostly mine!!!...ideas shared, proposals pondered!!...yes! marzipan mom go for it!!!....a chicken and some pork chops pawned off....we're hoping the power comes back on soon for hope studios......and two little boys who may have graduated to real live friends and not stuffed ones or Star Wars heros.......I was a bit anxious about the store bought muffins and pumpkin bread I had to offer, but the meeting also produced a new obsession......amish friendship bread!!!......I've never heard of it before.....I got the in-a-nutshell explantion....I'm sure there's more to it and a history behind it and trust me, I'll be googling all that later on......but I am in heaven!!!!!......I love it!!!........and if it hadn't have been for all of the stuff starting to thaw in Jennifer Junipers freezer who knows if I would ever have found out about it!!...I'm sure there will be a post devoted to this at a later date.....I love that we have each other for questions, concerns and support because I know quite well that it is often hard to get it at home!....in a lot of areas of my life, not just the computer or my blog!......and I love that our meetings sound very important.....no one would know that they are just in our kitchens with Nick Jr. on t.v., baked goods and coffee!!......thanks again for the treat of spending time with you girls.......until next time!

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my camera

I have a great Kodak easyshare that I've had for about 3 years now....it's my first digital camera and I decided I wanted to jump into "digital" after I used my cousins at her 4oth surprise birthday party to capture all of the party moments for her.....I loved it!!!.....my husband got me the same exact one and it has been wonderful....mostly because it is so EASY to email the pictures to family and friends and also because if I have a question about it I can call my cousin and she always knows what to do.....my husband gets very testy with me when I ask for technical support with the computer/electronics and it's comforting to know I can bypass him for the most part....I've even helped friends and family make the jump to digital and have recommended the Kodak easyshare system....well, the past few weeks have been heartwrenching for me....my son's football games have started at 7pm, they are under the lights and I haven't gotten one decent picture!!...it's killing me!!!!!.....I've noticed lately my camera has seemed "tired".....and now I'm thinking it may be time to get a new one.......I need awesome pictures......I scrapbook!!!!!.....well.....a dear friend whom I've met through football has an incredible camera from Ritz and loves it...plus she can go up there or call anytime for help...they offer classes etc....but can I commit that much time and effort??...I truly thought I would go that route....but the drawback is how big and bulky it is...do I want to haul it around to every game, vacation, family function etc.......the pictures it takes are terrific though!!!.....but the other morning at coffee a friend whipped a cute little point and shoot out of her purse and snapped away effortlessly....I quizzed her on it and was ready to run to Bestbuy and buy one on the spot....well....I'm not super spontaneous, especially on a big purchase, and now I'm stuck in the limbo area of "chewing on it"...as I do....it is consuming my brain....it's really a question of lifestyle!......the convienence of a small camera.....or the thrill of the awesome pictures I will capture with the big honkin' one???......my friend actually has both......which is also another option!!!...whew!!!!....plus she gave me some pictures that she had printed for me and they are perfect!...crisp and clear!!....more agony about what to do!....but it is important to me to get one that someone I know has so I can get help from them!!!!.....well, we'll see........I'm going to look today after I drop Cubby off at preschool.....wish me luck!

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