Photo Hunt

This weeks theme is flexible. I was trying to think of some of the everyday things we use that are flexible. What I came up with was some of the Bungee Cords that my Hubs keeps in his garage. The kids will pull these out and attach all sorts of things to the back of their bikes or Power Wheels trucks. They stretch them out pretty far but they always go back to normal. Pretty great invention if I say so myself.

Then as I was going through some of my old photos I came across this one of fire hoses folded neatly in the firetruck. I think they are pretty flexible considering the extreme amount of water pressure flowing through them. After they are all done they fold up so nice and neat.


For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt

Little Miss Independent

I have a very independent three year old. K. is the type of child that once she makes up her mind, then there is no going back. It was a great trait when it came time to potty training. She decided that she didn't want to wear pull ups anymore and that was that. She was done and only wore big girl panties after that.

K. has now decided it's time to be a big girl again. She went to bed Wednesday night telling me that she wanted me to take off the training wheels on her bike. I said okay we will try it out tomorrow and put them back on if you want. She just informed me that no she wouldn't need them anymore. So yesterday she reminded me that I needed to take off the little wheels on her bike. I took them off and then we began to work on riding her bike like a big girl. She had a few spills but never cried or got upset. She finally figured it out after about twenty minutes and was riding on her own after that. She still doesn't have the starting or stopping down yet (which is why my back is so sore today). But she said she'd learn that today along with the turns. Yes, my three and a half year old is very independent. Hopefully today I will be able to actually get some pictures of her riding on her own.

Just one more milestone to remind me how fast my children are growing up.

I've had it up to ear today

I know I am a dork using the whole here and ear wordplay. But I really have had it up to ear today. Hoss woke up with a bad ear infection which meant another trip to the Dr. But as I'm getting dressed, Baby A. comes up to me mad cause her new earring (as of last week that is) has been pulled out. By K. no less. So then I had to strip the bed (the one I just changed the sheets on) in order to find the missing earring and couldn't. So I give up and find another earring to put in her ear. Naturally it is a different size gold ball but it's all I had. Once I get it in I find the missing earring. No big deal I think, I will just take the small one out. But no matter how much I try, I can't get the darn thing off. And since I didn't want to mess with her ear anymore than necessary, I leave Baby A. with a mismatched set of earrings. For the time being. Maybe I should just let K. take this one out for me. Oh wait, I haven't remade the bed yet, better do that first so I can tear it apart again looking for the earring. Yep, I've had it up to ear the ears today.

Ah how we have fallen back

I must say that the fall back time change has been a good thing for us. The reason is simple, it's easier on the kids. My oldest son can now ride his bike to school in bright sunlight versus the sunrise. Which is a great thing as far as safety goes.

But the really important good change for us is at night. It has been so great that it gets dark earlier. We get the kids inside at an earlier time. We eat dinner at an earlier time. The kids get bathed earlier. And the best part...drumroll please.... the kids go to better earlier. Which means that there is more adult time. Yes, I can honestly say that I'm very glad that we have fallen back this week.

Wordless Wednesday

Another beautiful fall rose.

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Is It a Bad Thing if..

instead of just washing and changing the sheets and towels on your beds you just run to Target and buy some new ones? It really kind of defeats the purpose since I am so freaked out about unwashed brand new things that I won't be able to use them until they are washed. But once I finally do get around to finally washing them, then I'll be able to enjoy them. Now I just need to find some new laundry hampers for the kids rooms and new bathroom trash cans.

Just one more way to avoid doing laundry.

Looky What I'm Learning

I'm finally trying to figure out all this photo editing stuff that everyone else seems to know how to do. I'm a bit of a slow learner since if it involves using the computer I will let Hubs figure it out and then explain it to me. That way I don't have to strain my brain or anything serious like that. This is also why my cool digital photo picture frame is still not on my mantle. Maybe I'll tackle that one next. Then again maybe I'll just pay better attention next time he tells me how to do it. But anyways I digress once again. Photo editing... my pictures... oh yeah.

Here is a picture I took this past summer of one of my Purslane flowers. It's a very pretty hot pink which I love.

But I'd wanted to get just the flower part and nothing else. So I spent some time finally playing around. I realized that I could trim the picture. Wow.. what a concept. So I trimmed. Then I added a bit of color saturation. Then I realized I could put text on the pictures. So I did, not that I'm a professional of any sort mind you. But since I figured out how to do it then by gosh I was going to. So now this is the end result.

Tell me what do you think? Are you completely shocked and awed that I am even excited about this bit of photo editing that any third grader can probably do. I mean it really is pretty easy stuff and I don't know why I haven't done it before. And I'm really not sure why I'm so excited about finally doing it now, but I am. Anyways, if nothing else, it gives me another chance to look at my pretty purslane flower this winter.

Announcing the Winner

Wow, I had close to two hundred entrants. That's just way to fun.

The winner of my earring and necklace set is

Laurel Wreath over at laurelwreathsreflections

I will be trying to contact you soon to figure out the details of shipping it to you.

Thanks to the rest of you for playing.

Photo Hunters

This weeks theme is classic.

The first thing that came to my mind was our friend Janne who came to the US from Finland and wanted to buy himself an old Cadillac. He would be able to restore this classic car and then take it back to Finland where he would be able to enter it in the American Classic Cars Competition over there. He found one while he was here and he spent many hours restoring his "classic baby". Here is an old Buick that belonged to another friend of ours.



During our time we lived there we went to a couple of car shows. For my husband and I, it was just cool to see the old cars. But for the Finns that we saw at the car shows, it was more than just cool. They were really impressed by them. This is because it's harder for them to get them over there anymore due to regulations required of a classic car. Here are a couple of pictures of the "classic" cars we saw while we were living in Finland.





We even saw some classic foreign model cars (these were of more interest to my husband and I then the American ones).



We also saw some classic tractors (who knew people actually cared enough about tractors to put them in a car show).


And some classic steam engines.


So there you have it, many examples of classic machinery. Hope you liked it.

For other views on this week's theme visit TNCHICK.com or PhotoHunt

Wordless Wednesday

Warning: Sitting to close to the TV may cause your eyes to bulge out.

For other WW click here or else you can click here .

Fall Y'all Giveaway

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. I WILL PICK A WINNER LATER ON TODAY AND POST IT. THANKS FOR PLAYING.


Like I've mentioned the Fall Giveaway is in full swing. I've entered lots of them so far and have been thinking of what I can add to the list.

I have finally decided on a necklace and pierced earring set. This set has some pretty lavender stones in a silver setting and chain. So if you like it then let me know.


I will leave this giveaway open until Nov. 2 and will chose a winner after that. This giveaway is open to anyone. I feel bad that so many of the international people are being left out, so enter away. Just leave me a comment (one per person) and be sure to leave me a way to get in touch with you either through your blog or email.

Head on over here to see what other giveaways are going on.

Planting time

It's that time again. Time to get ready to plant the flowers for fall and winter. And while the Vinca is still full and pretty, it was starting to show some signs of yellowing around the leaves. They just don't do as well once the cooler weather starts. So yesterday I had my sweet husband do the dirty work of pulling them up. He was very opposed to this since he thinks along the lines of "leave them in until they die completely". But he did it anyway. So this afternoon I had the help of K. and Hoss and we just finished planting two flats of pansies. They were also way to much help with it came to watering them. This is their favorite part of helping mommy's flowers. They are now in the ground and will have plenty of time to get established before the first real frost comes to our area.

Now all I have to do is replant two flats of my pinks (or dianthus) that my husband so kindly killed with weed poison at the end of the summer. I'm still not sure how he confused these pretty flowers for weeds but that's another story I guess. These are in the back yard so it's easier to plant them. The kids tend to wander off and play in the back, instead of helping me plant. These too should have plenty of time to get established before they die off for the winter. They will come back in early spring and surprise me with their pretty colors once again.

I'm still considering planting some bulbs also but haven't decided on which ones. It will probably be the daffodils since they do really well in this area. I always love seeing them in other yards and think it's time I enjoyed them in my own.

Fall Y'all Giveaways

The Fall Y'all giveaway is in full swing. So head on over here to see all the free goodies people are giving away. It looks like a long week for the fingers.

Fall Into Reading- Code Talkers

I decided that I would go ahead participate in Katrina's Fall into Reading over at Callapidder Days. I don't have an actual list created of what books I'm working on yet but thought I'd at least review the ones I finish.

I just finished Code Talkers by Joseph Bruchac. It is a novel about the Navajo Indians during WWII and how they created an unbreakable code. Since I've always been interested in history, this topic caught my attention. I had heard about them before but didn't really know much about them. While it is a work of fiction, the historical facts in the book are completely true. The details were not so great that I actually got bogged down, which is quite possible when your talking about war battles.

The story begins with a man telling his grandchildren about what his war medal is and what it took to earn it. The main protagonist is sixteen year old Ned Begay who was forced to go to a boarding school as a young child in order to learn how to become more "Americanized". He and the other Navajo children are forced to speak English only and not speak their native Navajo language. They are constantly reminded about how worthless it is to just be an Indian during this time.

When the war breaks out Ned is able to lie about his age in order to join the Marines and thus become part of a select group of Navajos who are fluent in both English and their native language Navajo. These men create their own code to be used during the war out of common words that are assigned to military terms. They then go on to train new men and add to this unbreakable code every few months. These men had to commit to memory everything they were learning and were sworn to secrecy. They were never aloud to speak of this code existence until 1969, almost twenty five years after the war ended.

The Code Talkers were vital to the many battles that were fought in the South Pacific and saved countless lives in the process. They helped to take back the islands of Guam, Okinawa and of course Iwo Jima. They were highly valued because of their ability to pass on information so quickly. Their fellow Marines and soldiers held them in very high esteem because of this fact until the war ended.

This story ends as Ned returns back to reservation after the war only to realize that he is once again considered a second class citizen because he is an Indian. All the pride that these code talkers had at being able to use their native language to help serve their country was sworn to secrecy. No one had any idea of the service they had performed.

While there are alot of details in this novel about war, you are primarily drawn to Ned's character and his emotions he felt during his life. He is a very likable character and you can't help but share his pain and joy. This is truly a story about hope and tolerance and how we should learn to just accept people and their differences instead of trying to wipe them out.

Photo Hunters

This weeks theme is pink.

With two girls I have plenty of pink to chose from. Especially when my oldest loves to wear the color pink. So I decided to use a photo of my daughter dressed in pink. But why stop there, we have somehow been given three pink big wheels of varying sizes. In this picture you will see my oldest daughter playing eenie meanie miney mow to decide which pink big wheel she wants to ride on. Meanwhile her older brother is patiently (or maybe not) waiting for her to make up her "pinkin'" mind. Somedays it's just so hard to be a boy in this house.


So that's my choice for this week. For other photo hunters visit TNCHICK.com or click PhotoHunt

Happy Birthday to Me...

Happy Birthday to me. Happy Birthday to me, so bring on the well wishes...I'm a hundred and three.

No really, I am not a hundred and three..yet. But my brother seems to think so judging by the card with the grim reaper on it. Some people just need to be reminded that they are older than you. Sorry to toot my own birthday horn but if I don't then no one will ever even notice. And I certainly can't have that, that would be very depressing. So save me from the depression of getting older and realizing that I now have to bake my own cake, since mom isn't close enough to do it.

Maybe if I'm lucky, I'll get a night off from the kitchen. And in case your wondering (or if your my husband who can never seem to remember my exact age) I am thirty five again this year. I liked it so much last year I thought I'd do it again.

Wordless Wednesday

Her first taste of dried corn.

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Because Once is Never Enough

I took the girls to the Pumpkin Patch this morning with our playgroup from church. It traditionally is a very hot and sunny day when we go on this outing. Today broke with tradition and the girls actually needed to wear sweaters. So for once it felt like fall at the Pumpkin Patch. The only bad thing about the weather was the strong wind. But the girls didn't seem to notice it much until it was time for our picnic. They enjoyed playing with the pumpkins or as A. likes to call them the balls. I had a horrible time getting them to emerge from the bounce house and only succeeded when K. had to go to the bathroom and of course they enjoyed their hayride.


It really surprised me that they weren't a bit more bored with the whole pumpkin scene since we went as a family on Saturday to another Pumpkin Patch where they got to ride a train. But of course they just take it all in stride and assume that everyday will be a visit to the Pumpkin Patch from now on. In all honesty I think I now have enough pumpkins in my front yard to be officially declared a pumpkin patch. Since we always let the kids pick one small pumpkin I think we are now at about ten pumpkins. They are all of various sizes, shapes and condition. Some of the smallest of them have been used as a bowling ball a few times so they really are showing their wear and tear. But what else am I going to do with all these pumpkins? Anyway the children always have fun and by the time next year rolls around I will have forgotten all about the wind and will be ready to do it all again.

Halloween Treat

I received a Halloween treat from Hootin' Annie this week. For no other reason than I happened to visit her blog and leave her a comment. She is passing out treats at random to bloggers that she doesn't know until the end of the month. She is hoping to have her treat passed on to other bloggers that we don't normally comment on or really know. So in keeping with her idea that is what I am going to do. For more info on how this works just visit Hootin' Annie. You can join in the fun at any time if you like.

I am going to pass this on to A Marathon Leap. I have been reading her blog about training for the Chicago Marathon but never left any comments. Initially, I was just drawn to what kind of person actually decided to do this sort of training and how intense the training schedule would be. But then she started to post pictures of the most divine looking cupcakes along with her training and so I was hooked and I continued to read. I was really disappointed for her when the Chicago Marathon was cancelled due to the heat before she was able to finish. But she has now signed up for a new marathon later in the year in Las Vegas just so she can reach her goal of completely a 26 mile marathon. Such dedication and drive to reach her goal deserve a Halloween treat.

So thanks to Hootin' Annie for the treat and I hope that A Marathon Leap enjoys her Halloween treat.

Hitter of the Month

Z. loves to play baseball as I'm sure the few of you that know me in real life know. Well he is actually pretty good (in my opinion anyways). But now he has been awarded the Hitter of the Month at the Baseball Academy that he goes to. Just another way for me to brag on my boy, I know. So just bear with me and grin and bear it. The month will soon be over.