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A page to pass the time

Things aren't looking to quiet down soon enough around here, so I thought I'd post a recent layout to pass the time.

 

These photos were taken back in December 2007. (I've been revisiting some old photos lately.) G & E used to love getting buried in a mound of stuffed animals. I love the way the pictures turned out. Reminds me of a shot in "ET" when he was camouflaged in a closet full of stuffed animals. Anyway, I kind of like this very simple layout.

(Paper and elements from Out of This World Friday Freebie Add-on - Creations by Karen.)

Things are crazy as ever around here. I'm starting to feel the effects of... (bear with me...I love bullets!)

• spending five days a week at the soccer fields (this week it's only four...woo hoo!)
• preparing for a major purchase that will change the way we live our lives (more on that when it's official)
• a couple of health issues for E and me (lots of doctor appointments lately)
• vet appointments seemingly every week (Molly's thyroid, arthritis and weight; Maddie's incessant chewing/licking)
• a bully on G's school bus (who unfortunately lives on our street)
• work deadlines
• unusual preparations to start working with a new client
• my lifelong priest retiring
• getting back into the school-year schedule (especially the after-school schedule, which often cuts my work day by 2.5 hours and forces me back to a working-nearly-every-night-too schedule)
• a strong desire and no time to do lots more scrapbooking
• a strong desire and no time to do another installment of my digital scrapbooking how-tos on my good ol' blog
• a strong desire and no time to update my blog with lots of pictures of our recent trip to Colorado
• a strong desire and no time to get in shape (wish I had time to work out!)
• a strong desire and no time to learn more about photography, especially photo editing, as I'm getting ready to weed through thousands of pictures from summer (I am, though, getting ready to start a 9-week class I'm very excited about!)
• a strong desire and no time to get together with friends more often, some of whom I haven't hung out with in weeks or months
• a mild desire and no time to clean my house, which is way out of control lately.

Anyway, I'm also starting to get worried about the H1N1 flu, which has hit an elementary school in a neighboring town and resulted in 54 absences in one day. It also has been confirmed at a good friend of mine's daughters' preschool in another neighboring town. Hitting too close to home. Making me worry. I'm good at that. :o)

So anyway, it feels good to make lists when I'm stressed, so getting this down is actually therapeutic for me. I also love to look back on things like this and remember what my life was like in this little snippet of time. So someday I'll hopefully be able to look at this list of things on my mind and know that I made it through just like any other old time. Hopefully I'll be looking at it from the beach or somewhere else where I'm doing nothing but relaxing! :o)

Pumpkin pickin'

Just a layout share before I hit the hay. Photos from a few weekends ago.

Here's the journaling:

Beasley’s Orchard is one of our favorite fall destinations. We wait for AppleFest in October and then head to the orchard for a hayride, apple cider and, of course, pumpkin pickin’. This year, the pumpkins were absolutely enormous, so it took us quite a while trekking down many aisles before we found pumpkins you both could lift on your own. The three pumpkins in the picture at left are the ones we finally ended up with. You both surprised us by picking small pumpkins, and I got the other one, just so we’d be sure to have something to carve at your nana’s pumpkin-carving party. • This is one of my favorite photo opportunities of fall. I love these pictures. I especially love the shot of you, G***, that shows your personality so clearly and the sweet one of you, E***, crouching by your pumpkin. You’re both at such cute ages! I love you! • 10.12.08

Hope you're all enjoying fall! We are loving the warm weather in Indy. We'll enjoy 70s for one or two more days, and then the storms will come Thursday and the cold will set back in. I heard the high is something like 48 on Saturday. Ugh. So we're enjoying the fresh air and open windows for a couple of days. Hope you're all enjoying yourselves, too.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow if you haven't already! :o)

Missing my work buddies

(Sorry, no picture today. Don't have time to find and edit one. But I'll try to keep the text short so your eyes don't go crazy and get bored on me.)

Yesterday, as G was finishing his after-school snack and I was trying to squeeze in some more work time, he walked over to my desk, sat down on my pile of scrapbook travel gear next to my chair and asked me, out of the blue, "Mom, sometimes do you miss your friends at work?"

What a wise little comment to come out of my 6-year-old's mouth. I was kind of taken aback.

I told him I did (more on that later), but this was the perfect chance for me to explain why I work at home: to have more time with him and his sister, to be able to get him off the bus, help him with his homework and get him a snack. He recently told me, "You always have to work," and it was clear to me that, even though I'm at home more often than his daddy, in his eyes, I'm the one who's "always working." Of course it would seem that way. After all, the 2.5 hours after school that he's home before his daddy, I have to work. I take a break for an hour to get him off the bus, get him a snack and get through homework, but after that, it's to his room for quiet time while Mom works. Then I frequently make comments on the weekends about having to work during the kids' nap times, and I frequently say stuff about having to work after they go to bed at night. So of course that's not helping, either. It's made me wonder sometimes if this is the best arrangement for him. I know it is for me. But I don't want him growing up thinking Mom was always working. What to do?

Anyway, his comment yesterday has had me thinking today. I do miss my work friends. Many of them I still see occasionally or talk to on a regular basis, but working at home frequently gets lonely. There's only so much personal interaction you can get through e-mail and phone calls. I miss hearing my coworkers' idle chatter in the background while I work. I miss going to lunch with my work buddies. I miss being able to take a break and walk around the corner for a pick-me-up gab session. I miss talking with people who have the same frustrations and who get the same highs as I do with this job.

Still, I have to focus on the positives. I love my job. I love being able to avoid the gossip and politics (at least for the most part) that come with any office environment. I love being able to focus my energy and my time on the creative side of communications -- the design, photography and writing, especially -- that I love, without having to spend so much time in meetings and doing budgets and dealing with employees and interns. So there's plenty to enjoy. Sometimes, though, focusing on the positives is tough. And that's where I am today.

So that's all for today. Just jotting down my thoughts. Some day I'll look back on my blog like I do my scrapbooks, and I want to be sure it reflects more than just my kiddos (although I love them to pieces). I want it to be a real documentation of my life. Today, what feels oh-too-real is being lonely in a quiet house ... although Molly, Cole, Lucy and Jack (my animals) are welcome company.

Miscellaneous Monday

Here's a short update. There's more going on...but not much time to share all of the boring details!

• Sunday School teacher...me? I know, weird, right? I have to say I have never thought this would be something I would do. I mean, it's crossed my mind before, but the thought never stuck around long. I like to do things I'm good at, and Sunday School lessons don't fit that bill. Let's just say I'm not very smart when it comes to Bible stories. I'd fail any Bible quiz out there. I don't remember much at all from the many years I was in Sunday School as a student - other than memorizing the Lord's Prayer. (It's weird, but I can picture where I was sitting at a round table in the exact room at the Apple House when I learned that. The things that stick in my mind, I tell ya.) And even though I worked for a large church for a year and a half and heard stories about every day there—and now that church and another are two of my biggest clients—they just don't seem to stick with me in much detail. It's not for lack of interest, though.
  
  Anyway, this morning as I was dropping off G and E for Sunday School, the Christian formation director snagged me and asked if I'd be interested in teaching the preschool-kindergarten class. I hesitated. Noticeably. She said, "Just think about it." I said, "OK." And I walked my distracted little self over to the church, which was unusually packed today. Chad was painting the interior of his mom's house, so I was alone with my scattered thoughts. But I couldn't help but catch little fragments of things that were obviously meant to catch my attention. The first hymn had some verbiage in it that I don't remember specifically, but it was enough to make me think, OK, I get the hint. Then the congregation joined in the reading of a Psalm (#119: 33-48) that said something about not hesitating to do something for reasons of selfish gain. (I'm too tired lazy to go look it up right now.) Well, that's exactly why I've been hesitating. I am selfish with my time on the weekends. It just goes too fast, and I'm committed to so many other time-consuming things that I've been avoiding adding something along these lines. THEN, Father John, God love him, did his entire sermon on the fact that it's our job to tell the story of Jesus to the next generation. We're storytellers. That's our job. (Both literally and figuratively in my case.) Seriously, God. I get the hint. So I stopped that same director on her way out of the service and gave in. "I'll do it," I said. She hugged me. I was proud of myself for getting over my selfishness and going for it. Yet mad at myself for getting my already-stressed self signed up for something else. I need to focus on the positive, though, right? It's a good thing. And I should have fun, right? Bible stories, snacks, art projects, sweet little kiddos...what's not to like? Even better, it's E's class. And even better still, only two kids showed up for her class today! (Last year, the same class had more like 9 or so each week. So I'm not holding by breath.) Plus, there are three other teachers for the class, so we should be teaching just once a month. I can do that.
  
  I'm a little nervous about this. I'm hopeful, but nervous. It just doesn't seem like "me," you know? But it's a challenge that will hopefully be good for me. I loved working for a church (aside from all the politics), so this is a good way for me to get involved in my little church on a level that includes more than just attending on Sunday morning. Who knows? Maybe I'll even learn some people's names. (I've only been attending regularly again since 2004, and it's a small church...about time I learned some more names! I think we all just come for Father John and leave without interacting much. Kind of sad, really.)
  
  OK. I've babbled enough about that.
• Little Riley. I've been thinking about my friend Becky a lot lately. She just sent me a note about her little 4-year-old son, Riley, who has juvenile diabetes. He's the little guy on the far left of this picture of Becky's kiddos. (I apologize for the poor quality. My scanner is pooped.) The poor little guy has had to endure more than 3,500 finger-pricks and more than 2,100 insulin injections in just the year and a half since his diagnosis. Becky and Brian weigh and measure everything he eats, and they have to check his blood levels constantly, even when he sleeps. Riley often asks his mommy, "When is my diabetes going to go away?" or "When am I not going to have to deal with this any more?" Becky has to look into his hopeful eyes and give him bad news. It's a tiring process for such a little one and his family, and yet he is smiley and full of laughter. And Becky manages to see the brighter side of things, knowing there are many devastating diseases in the world, and this one is manageable. Still, it affects the family on an almost hourly basis.
  
  Becky and her family are going to walk for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation on Oct. 18 at Military Park. I am going to join her team. If you know Becky from any of our Saturday scrapbook adventures (for which, BTW, we are WAY overdue), please keep all of them in your thoughts and prayers. If you want to help their team, send me an e-mail at corie at corie communications dot com. (Yes, there's a reason I do it that way!)
  
  By the way, I met Becky through another unfortunate experience she and her family endured. Their third child, Abigail Hope, died just a few hours after birth due to a disease called anencephaly. They knew throughout most of their pregnancy that their daughter would not survive for long, and yet Becky carried her little miracle and savored every kick she felt, every hiccup, every nudge of the elbow inside her belly. When she was born, she wanted to make sure Abigail lived on. Abigail became one of the first infant organ donors at St. Francis. Their story touched me so deeply. Part of that was because of their powerful faith and hope, and part of it was the timing. I met Becky when I wrote a story about her for St. Francis' newsletter and worked with her to share her story with several television stations in Indianapolis a few years ago. (Her story was very public at the time, so I don't think she'll mind my sharing it here. It's actually quite inspiring.) During the time we were working on this, I found out I was pregnant with my first child. As any mom knows, stories of children dying or being injured are 1000 times worse when you have a child of your own. Suddenly you can imagine (although we'll hopefully never really know) what that mom is going through, and it breaks your heart into a million little pieces. You're never quite the same. That's how I feel about Becky's story. But man, she's a trooper. Despite all she has been through, she always has a positive attitude and can see the brighter side. I admire you for that, Becky. And I want to stand by you in this walk as you fight for Riley. Hang in there, girl. I know your daily life revolves around your children, and you are such an angel for that. You're a wonderful mother.

Well, I have other miscellaneous thoughts, but that should do for now. I need to go to bed! It'll be another round of early mornings for me this week (I hate seeing 5:00 on the alarm clock) as I am still working on three deadlines for tomorrow, one for Tuesday and one for Friday. I'm really looking forward to the weekend!

Have a good week!

She's resting easy now...

...in Hawaii on her honeymoon! I can't say that I'm not jealous. Some sunshine and relaxation sounds pretty darn good right now. But I'm happy for her. She deserves it!

"She" of course is my sister, who, along with her new hubby, tied the knot this past Saturday at our childhood (and my current) church. It was a beautiful wedding, as expected.

I have just finished wading through about 400 photos from the big day (and the day prior) and have a few to post. I know some of you have been eager to see them! [At your service, Margo! :o) ]

I have some photos of the whole hairdressing and make-up experience, which I haven't decided if I'll show just yet! We took "before" pictures, and I for one looked AWFUL. I never go anywhere without my hair fixed (or at least attempted) and make-up. :o) The after pictures are OK, but you can see the result in the rest of the pics!

Note that I was in the wedding, so I didn't get the pleasure of taking many photos on this day! I didn't want to lug my big ol' camera and follow the real photographer around, let alone the fact that I was IN most of the professional photos. So there aren't any of the pretty portraits here. We'll get a CD of the images (or at least Erin will), so I'll hopefully share those later. Thanks to Chad, Margo (reception) and a couple of others who grabbed the camera and got some good shots of the evening for us!

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My family and sister enjoy a little celebratory (and nerve-calming) champagne before the big event! (I did take this one.)

Here we are waiting for Erin to come down the aisle. That's (from left) me, my sister Margo, Father John, his son Josh, Eric, Justin and Matt. In the front pew is (from left) my stepmom Anita, my grandma and my mom. The boy in the foreground is my sister Margo's (officially a half-sister) half-brother. (Don't ask!) We consider him related!

Dad looking handsome as he awaits Erin's entrance. My former stepdad David walked her in and half-way down the aisle. Dad finished and gave her away.

This one was a bit fuzzy (weird lighting + slow shutter speed + motion = fuzzy photo), and they were mostly in the shadows, but I wanted to include it anyway.

Erin and Eric exchange rings.

The guests had already left for the reception, and Eric and Erin came back to the church for more pics. After those pics is when this photo was taken - on their way to the reception for real this time.

I did manage to get this shot of the kiddos before we left the church. They looked soooo nice all dressed up! So did my hubby, as you'll see in a later picture. (The green barn behind them kind of clashed with their outfits, hence the b&w. Now that this is posted, I see that it could stand a little more contrast!)

E and E (or E-squared as one E calls them) gave it to each other...

...and they danced (I did get a few shots from the reception, I guess).

The sisters...a nice shot. A keeper, for sure. And there's G, waiting to give me bunny ears in the first shot he has a chance. He managed to get it done! (It was a HORRIBLE picture of me, though, so it went right into my Mac's trash can!) I tell ya, nothing like seeing 300 pictures of yourself in a sleeveless dress to make you want to lose some weight (especially when you're always standing next to skinny sisters)!

By the way, Margo and I even got over our serious dislike of public speaking and gave little speeches for Erin. That's the first time I have ever done that, since we were "co-matrons of honor." I have never been a maid (or matron) of honor before, so that was fun...albeit a little nerve-racking!

It's not too often I get to dance with my dad. Always a pleasure. Reminds me of that heart-breaking Steven Curtis Chapman song, "Cinderella." Makes me cry every time!

Our kids really came out of their shells at the reception! They were dancing -- and I mean really dancing -- the night away. Even E, who is normally extremely shy around any more than one person at a time, was breaking it up on the dance floor. She and my cousin's little girl had a grand old time together. G and E danced until the very last song (which was meant for Erin and Eric, but they were dying to join them).

G said he hated the slow songs and only wanted to dance to "rock and roll." I didn't even know he knew what "rock and roll" meant! He has got some serious moves, I tell ya! He was going crazy! (Wish I had grabbed a few pictures of his dancing. Someone else got this one on my camera...thank you! I wasn't thinking!)

Chad and I got a few dances together, too. We even got to dance to our first-dance song from our wedding nine years ago, which was really nice.

And a formal occasion wouldn't be complete without a family picture. This one will be one of my favorites of all of us for a long time, I think! (Thanks, Margo!)

Erin and Eric, you had a beautiful wedding, and I wish you both an equally fantastic marriage. May you enjoy many happy years together!

Her last fling before the ring

My sister is tying the knot this coming Saturday, and as all good brides-to-be must do, she enjoyed one last fling before the ring this past Saturday. We went to Buca di Beppo...

... where Erin got some funny and flirty gifts ...

... (can't show those here!), where the wait staff made her stand up while they sang "Going to the Chapel" and where we stuffed ourselves silly. Then it was on to Howl at the Moon...

... a dueling piano bar that played "songs you know by heart," mostly from the 80s and 90s. (These piano players were incredible. If you've never been there, go. It was a lot of fun, and I have never been one for the bar scene.)

I can't say for sure, but I'm fairly certain Erin had a good time, too.

These are my two crazy sisters. They made fun of me quite a bit over the 24 hours we spent together, but I love them anyway. :o)

I'll save some of the really interesting pictures for Snapfish, for any of you family members who might be looking for those! I'll spare Erin. :o) Post a comment for me (at the bottom of this message) if you want to be included on that list!

Thanks, Margo and Erin, Lori, and everyone else who was there, for a fun evening.

Best of luck to you and Eric, Ernie! We're looking forward to the big day this weekend!

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(Edited: This paragraph was screwy when I posted it originally!)

I have lots of pictures I want to share from the past few days (E said goodbye to some favorite teachers and friends and changed classrooms at day care today, G finished day care today, we met G's first-grade teacher and visited his room tonight, Chad and G started a new season of soccer last week, we went to our good friends' daughter's fourth birthday party on Saturday, we went to the state fair late last week, and I have a bunch of cute general pics of the kids I want to share), and we have a busy week coming up (G starts first grade tomorrow, my dad and stepmom are coming to stay with us late this week and this weekend, and of course, my big sister is getting married...whew!), and I still have to work, so I'm not sure I'll have time to update my little blog. It might be next week before you hear from me again! So have a good week!

Life in a barn...just too much fun

It's something we don't do often enough—visit my good old friend (and college roomie) Carrie and her family—but we were fortunate enough to get out there to visit them this weekend. And we had so much fun!

Carrie and her hubby and two kiddos live in a barn that has been fully finished into very nice living space (on the second level). But what made this visit so much fun, especially for our kiddos, was what was outside the barn. Their 50 acres includes a pond (maybe two?), creek, fields, woods ... and lots of animals! They have chickens, turkeys, several cats, some kind of baby birds/fowl (can't remember what they're called!)—and even a baby deer.

Even though we were tired before we got there after our big garage sale on Saturday (which went well, by the way), and we stayed well past the kids' bedtime, we could have stayed there much longer. The kids, especially G, just couldn't get enough of the animals. It also helps that Carrie's son is the same age as G, so they were having a great time!

Here are some of my favorite pics from the day.

 

G got pretty good at catching the chickens! It was just too cute to see him chasing them around the pen. A (Carrie's daughter) was an expert at it. Apparently she spends every day out there and has done a heck of a job taming the critters!

 

E never got quite to the point of completely comfortable with holding the chickens, but for her to get this close was a huge deal. She's just not generally fond of animals running wild. She usually wants to be held (and Chad and I did a fair amount of holding her before she got to this point). But she got two hands on the little things a couple of times, so that's pretty cool. She just didn't want us to let go!

That's Carrie's son, W (she's like me and likes to keep the kiddos' names under wraps). He, like his big sister, had no fear and even picked up the chatty ducks! They were generally pretty quick to wriggle free, but we did get this shot. I love his expression!

A couple more of G's catches:

He worked so hard to catch all seven of these smaller chickens and line them up on the tree branch. It's funny, but each one stayed perched up there for quite a while.

   

He even caught one of the ducks for a short time!

This little girl had a powerful sucker! She may be small, but she's mighty! Her name was Beauty, I believe.

Doug got a new toy this day, so we got to go for a ride in it. The kids loved this! Like a little roller coaster in the country, taking rides through the field. A little off-road rumblin'...fun stuff. (Doug wasn't thrilled about having his picture taken! Neither was W!)

I don't think they wanted their picture taken, but I'm glad I got this shot! Sorry for all the camera-in-the-face shots, guys! But thanks for humoring me a little! :o)

Oh, and before I forget. Our evening was topped off with this:

Doug and Chad kept hearing something and couldn't figure out what it was. Then it caught Doug's eye - they were hearing the bursts of heat from the hot-air balloon that was landing in the field next to their house, right over our shoulders and over a small hill, not 100 yards away from us. We jumped into Doug's new toy and took off to get a little closer. I've never been this close to a hot-air balloon before. It was pretty cool.

Thanks, Carrie and Doug, for a fun evening! Hope to see you guys again soon.

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Edit: Oops! Posted one pic twice!

Weekend wrap-up

I know it's Tuesday, but I'm just getting around to wrapping up our weekend. It's been busy around here. Because I worked about every free moment I had over the weekend, I decided to take today off. For one thing, we had dentist appointments (four, back-to-back-to-back-to-back) this morning, so half of my day was shot anyway. For another, I wanted to keep G away from school if possible, since today was to have been another pool day for him. And we know how I feel about that. (If you don't, read these posts: first and second.) So it was a much-needed free day for me.

I've spent much of this afternoon working on our garage in preparation for a big garage sale we're having on Saturday. Yea! Our goal is to get at least one of our cars in the garage for the winter. We shall see. Anyone need a slightly-faded blue couch and love seat? I'll make you a really good deal.

But now, G's trying to get his nap, and he's bound to wander around the house if he knows I'm outside, so I am killing time inside avoiding work and trying to get some blogging done. I just got through some pics and thought I'd share.

Our friends, Kevin and Kelly, and their three and a half little ones came over on Friday night. They stayed late into the evening, so by the time we got around to trying to take a group picture of the kids (a tradition of sorts for us), it was way past bedtime, and it looked something like this:

Can you count all of them?! There were five kiddos, all moving in different directions! I love that picture!

We finally got some control, although, even with many different shots of the scene, we didn't get any with all of the kids looking at the camera and smiling. This is as good as it gets:

They're still pretty good-lookin' kids, I'd say.

Backing up a bit, we went back to the fair last Thursday night. The first time we had gone, the rides weren't open, so we had an excuse to go back. This was the first year G rode a big-boy ride. He picked one that would have made me sick, but he absolutely loved it: The Rock 'n' Roller. Loud music (E with her hands over her ears while we watched), lots of hills, fast speed...the whole bit. He even put his arms up in the air for their final circle. I didn't get a good shot of that, though. Bummer. Here he is in all his glory.

E picked a much more sane ride for her mommy. We took the ferris wheel—her first time up to the top of such a big ride. She loved it! I was reminded that I don't much care for heights. :o) And that's Chad's finger, in case you were wondering which car we were in on the way to the top! Clever, honey!

I also went scrapbooking all day on Saturday and got nine pages done. Yea! Not bad for slow-poke me. Meanwhile, Chad and the kids went all over town, including to two parks, Target, the bookstore, Grandma's house, McDonald's and Dairy Queen. They'll probably want Mommy to go away more often!

Random thoughts galore today!

My mind has been distracting me today. There are at least a hundred things on my mind. Thought I'd jot down a few, and then maybe I'll have a better chance at focusing on my work.

• The day care drama continues. My friend Michele sent me a note today about what she witnessed at the local park this morning. She was visiting with her kiddos, and G was there with his lovely day care. Let's just say there might as well have been no adult presence there. These kids are 6 years old. Get with it, people. I'll share her note with you all later. My gosh.

• We're looking forward to a fun evening with old friends tomorrow. Our friends Kevin and Kelly, and their three (and a half) cuties are coming into town for dinner and hanging out. We can't wait to see you and catch up, guys. Let's hope for some sunny weather!
  

• Somehow I need to find time between now and tomorrow to clean my house. (I know, Kelly! You say don't worry about it...but you know I have to at least try! I won't subject you to it as it is right at this moment. It's not pretty.)

• Deadlines, deadlines, deadlines. I have too much on my plate this week. But I'm squeaking by. Staying productive (although my mind's been wandering as I've tried to write an article for a local magazine today).

• As much as my family stresses me out  (as everyone's family does, I think) sometimes, at least I have a family, and I didn't spend my childhood feeling like no one loved me or wanted me. That article I mentioned? The woman had NO family from age 7 to 21. Watched her parents have physical fights. Heard her mom ask her brother to load the shotgun so she could kill her father. Taken into custody of the court. Completely abandoned by her mother. Separated from her siblings. Father had no interest in taking her back. Became a child servant on a farm. (Interesting story. Find her book, I Was a Waif and Child Servant...No Regrets, by Joyce Robinson, online at www.authorhouse.com, or watch Mooresville Magazine for my story, out Sept. 1.) My life? Could have been much worse. Thanks, Mom and Dad (and everyone connected to them - steps, sibs, etc.), for wanting me (although I'm sure you questioned yourselves sometimes).

• Is a good preschool program more important than quality care for my child? Why should I have to choose between the two? Is it time to move back to our beloved old day care?

• Man, I really need to get some sun (and get rid of my farmer's-tan shirt lines) before my sister's wedding in four weeks. Could stand to lose a few pounds, too. But who am I kidding?

• I'm only making $13 this month after paying for day care and all of its activities. Is working 128 hours worth $13? (That's 10.15 CENTS an hour. Thank goodness this is the worst month of the year for that. G will be out of day care very soon!)

• Only NINE more days of day care for my oldest child! Woo hoo! Six years of paying out the wazoo and dealing with occasional terror teachers, and it's almost over! Yea!

• Thank goodness for all-day kindergarten. By the time my daughter gets there, it should be standard for everyone. One less year of day care. My goodness.

• Can you tell day care is consuming my mind today?

• Get off the darn blog, Corie, and get back to work!

Gotta go. What's on your mind today?

Where have we been?

It's been another busy week! Wondering if we fell off the planet? We didn't. Here is a glimpse into what we've been up to.

First, while Chad was still on vacation, we visited my sister and her family. We must not have been interesting enough for this little guy. How sweet is he? (He's my nephew.)

We also made it to the good ol' Hendricks County Fair. It's a family tradition. My boy G got a new cowboy hat from Daddy when he came back from Colorado, so he fit right in. Of course, we had to have our corndogs and chocolate milk shakes. Yum!

I love the chocolate ice cream smudge on the nose!

E wasn't much for walking on this day, so we didn't get many shots of her "visiting" the animals. Strollers, animals in cages/pens and dark barns don't go well together for photos. BUT, I got at least one, and I love it!

She wasn't feeling much up for pictures, anyway, as you can see:

And that little treasure (the pic above) was shot by this little treasure (not bad, Bud!):

If we do anything interesting this week, I'll share later. But honestly, this week is more likely to be consumed by work, work, work! Deadlines galore! But I do have an all-day scrapbook day on Saturday. Can't wait!

Enjoy the rest of your week!