Good friends...

DAY 211 - July 31, 2009



Kaden has been wanting his friend Ashley to come over and play for a couple weeks now. We finally got it done and she came over tonight. She got to our house at about 5:00pm and they were so excited they could hardly stand it. I made breakfast for dinner complete with pancakes, sausage, and scrabbled eggs. As soon as we were done they skidaddled off to play while I got a couple things done in the front yard. As soon as I was done it was time for swimming! They had a blast playing in the pool while I tackled the weeds in the unfinished part of the back yard. Her parents came by to pick her up at about 8:30 which was much too early according to them. It won't be long and they'll be out playing at recess again together since school starts in just 4 short days.

Decisions, Decisions...

DAY 210 - July 30, 2009

We participated in the summer reading program at the Indianapolis Library this summer. We do this every year...the boys and I get points for reading, listening to someone read, and reading to others. Tonight we cashed in our points and the boys had to make their decision on what they wanted to get. As it is with these things...there's always the usual trinkets that break in the first week (if not before) but we also got some good coupons for the IMAX theater at the State Museum as well as free bowling, mini-golf, and laser tag coupons. They each got a couple books and, of course, some of those "trinkets". We'll see how long they actually last!

Sporting the 3-D glasses...

DAY 209 - July 29, 2009


We rented a movie tonight...last time we were at Family Video Kaden saw the movie Coraline available in 3-D and he's been asking to rent it. We didn't have much to do tonight so I told him we could get it. Here they are sporting their 3-D glasses...there's a reason it's them in the picture and not me! Those things are not very attractive are they?!? Oh well, it doesn't really matter...what matters is that they liked the movie and had a great time with it. I'm not sure how many times I heard "Wow that was cool! Did you see that Mom?" but it was a whole bunch!

School supplies...

DAY 208 - July 28, 2009

School is fast approaching...the boys start next Tuesday, August 4th! Can you believe it? We went to Walgreen's tonight and got most of their school supplies. Again, I cashed in with a great free $25.00 coupon for filling a prescription. We put it to use today as well as used their great buy 1 get 2 free sale to get their things. I'm also hoping that I've bought enough to last us the school year and give me something to "donate" since that always seems to happen...and when it does the supplies are no longer on sale. Of course they want "sharpened pencils" and the pencils are hardly ever sharpened. Can you believe the boys were actually excited about sitting down and hand sharpening them? Kaleb needed 72 and Kaden needed 48...that kept them busy for a while!

No Jetson's here...

DAY 207 - July 27, 2009

Well, not a terribly exciting picture at all but this is one of the instruments I use at work every day. It's called a Tecan (basically that's the name brand) and it's actually a robot. It does the work for me transferring liquids from one "plate" to another mixing the right amounts of the right things in the right order. This is not your "Jetson's-like" robot that does all the work for you though...I can't make this thing start up and then walk away only to do something else. I have to "babysit" the instrument and add things as necessary. I also have to make sure the tips used to transfer the liquid are all there all the time as used tips are disposed of and new ones retrieved. As these things go, it is rare for something to "go wrong" where I must replace a tip or fix something while it's running. It's only when I actually walk away that something goes wrong. And if that happens there's a good chance that it'll ruin my assay and I'll have to start it over. so...there I sit while it does it's thing!

When I think of summer...

DAY 206 - July 26, 2009



It's summer time and I love Strawberry Shortcake in the summer! We were going to have a cookout yesterday but the weather was cruddy so we postponed it until next Sunday. I had bought some strawberries and shortcake thinking it would be good for the cookout...instead we had it tonight. Man, was it good!! Guess I might just have to go back to the store for more strawberries and shortcake so we can have it again next weekend...

DAY 205 - July 25, 2009

We had to work out at the Republican booth today at the Marion County Fair. The kids did really good and didn't ask all morning about riding rides, playing games, and buying food...well...they asked some but it wasn't "too much" and they understood that we weren't really "going to the fair" but rather stopping out to work only.

We did all get an elephant ear and share it as well as let them each choose one ride to go on. They chose the Moon Rocket...basically a roller coaster track that goes in a circle. The ride goes back and forth until it's going all the way around. It stops at one point so the cars are completely upside down and then goes the other direction. Here they are making their way but haven't quite gotten upside down yet. As you can see by their faces, they both loved it!

I also took a few minutes to walk around with my camera and get some random shots of the sites on the midway. I've always loved the color at the fair...here is one of my favorite "extra" shots...I've always loved the Ferris wheel and it looked really pretty with the blue sky behind it.

Easy Bake Oven

DAY 204 - July 24, 2009



Poor Kaden...he got this Easy Bake Oven a couple years ago for Christmas. We made a couple things but he really wanted to make something else and has been asking this summer. He was up early with me today and, while I was making breakfast, he decided to make a little cake. He did it all himself for the most part and was so proud! The frosting included was chocolate and, as he said when he was little, "I no like chocolate." so he was worried about what he would be able to do with it. I didn't have any cake frosting on hand so we improvised with the powdered sugar frosting we make for decorating Christmas sugar cookies. Secretly I wondered if it would taste good on a cake but he liked it. He chose to make it bright orange and ate almost every last bit of it...he did save a small bite for Doug, Kaleb, and I so we could taste it. I worried for nothing about the icing...it tasted just fine.

Finally!

DAY 203 - July 23, 2009

I've been fighting with our gazebo cover ever since we got it. This year it's simply refused to stay on the frame like it needed to. I tried a simple fix that turned into a disaster...I tried to sew velcro inside to attach it to the frame. Only after sewing on 12 sets of velcro and putting it back on the frame did I realize I'd sewn one of the velcro pieces on backward so it did not attach like I wanted it to. It worked for the time being but wasn't very pretty.

While the boys were in Iowa I stopped and picked up some small chain and figured I could sew that inside the cover and clip the two ends together around the frame. I found the clips when Mom was in town with the boys and she and I set down to sew in the chain. It really went fast with the two of us working together and we were done in about 45 minutes. I finally got it up on the frame and it looks like it's actually going to work. The best part is that it's holding nicely and come winter, I just have to unclip the chains and remove it. I'm always amazed that things like this quit working for one reason or another far before they are actually worn down enough to need replacing. I'm sure if I'd just given in to buying another new one I would have had the same problem with it not staying on in the wind and the rain. Now...problem fixed!

A new place in town...

DAY 202 - July 22, 2009

A new place is opening up tomorrow and we were lucky enough to get a free pass for a sneak peek. It's called America's Incredible Pizza Company and is similar to Chuck E. Cheese but is geared toward mostly older kids. Our neighbor gave us a free pass to get the whole family in for a free buffet and $10 game card each. It worked out to us having 4 hours of fun with a $37.00 dinner and $40.00 in play money all COMPLETELY FREE!

They have a really good buffet with so much more than pizza...they've got everything from make your own tacos and nachos, pasta, "home cooking" like chicken and mashed potatoes, hot dogs with all the fixings, a terrific salad bar with tons of options to put on it, lots of deserts and yummy cinnamon rolls, and of course over 10 kinds of pizza...with the option to request EXACTLY what you want on a pizza and they'll make it for you!

The game area has some really neat and "new" games...of course there's the usual skee ball and things like that but some are really neat and different. They also have indoor bumper cars and go karts on small tracks, a mini golf course, mini-bowling, and some simulator rides. A pretty fun night but I'm sure glad it was all free for us!

Preparing for school...

DAY 201 - July 21, 2009

I had some free money in the form of a $20 coupon to spend at Old Navy that was going to expire on the 31st of this month. The boys and I made a quick trip to the mall to see what we could find. I was in hopes of getting some dress code shorts or pants for them. As I figured, nothing fit Kaleb well. It's either too long or too tight as always seems to be the case with Old Navy pants for him. We still get the best fittings things at Target where he is concerned.

Kaden was able to find 2 pair of shorts; one khaki and one navy blue. They've added navy bottoms to the dress code this year. It will be a nice change not to have to wear khaki all the time for them. We also got a couple of CHEAP pair of sunglasses...Kaleb's were $4 and Kaden's were $2! They will sure come in handy on our Disney vacation coming up in September!

DAY 200 - July 20, 2009

The first day of Music Camp for Kaleb was today! He's been looking forward to this all summer. He goes everyday over the next 2 weeks from 2:00 - 2:45pm...that schedule is quite interesting to make happen since we both work during that time! He chose to play percussion in 5th grade and finally got his percussion kit today. It came all in a nice backpack type case and contained the stand, the drum pad, the bells/xylophone, and a pair of both drumsticks and mallets. I'm not really sure how he'll be able to get this thing to and from school along with his regular backpack that holds his laptop. It will be interesting, that's for sure, since this percussion kit is VERY HEAVY! I'm hoping that the school has things there to practice with and this kit can remain at home for practice.

KT's big surprise and the Smiley Morning Show.

DAY 199 - July 19, 2009

The radio station I listen to (99.5 WZPL) has the "Smiley Morning Show" that I listen to every morning. They often have "listener parties" where they host an event and get to know their listeners. Today they hosted a "Junior Listener Party" at Ellenberger Park. They had some fun activities for the kids and they got to meet the hosts of the show. We took Kaden's friend Jacob West with us and headed over for a few minutes. Here are the boys and I posing for a picture with the whole crew. You know who we are so the cast, from left to right, is: Weedman, Dave Smiley, KJ, and Mindy Winkler.

DAY 198 - July 18, 2009

Kaleb has been planning a big surprise for us for about a month now. He came up with this all on his own and even paid for everything. Our first stop was the Dollar General and everyone got to pick out a candy with a limit of $1.00. We made our choices and then headed to the next stop. We made an exception this time around and let Kaleb sit up front to give Doug directions. After arriving he informed us we were going to go to a movie...Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. He handled everything from giving the tickets and ordering the popcorn to picking the seats and deciding who should sit where. Mom was still in town after bringing the boys back to Indy so she was able to go as well. Kaleb did a great job with the plans and really put a lot of thought into it. He is so caring and always wants to do special things for us. We had a great time and I know he enjoyed every minute of it.

Another death in the celebrity world...

DAY 197 - July 17, 2009



Kaleb has recently been watching "Pitchmen"...a reality tv show where famous tv salesman Billy Mays and his friend look into products that people have invented trying to find the "next big thing" to manufacture and sell. The celebrity world has been hit hard recently and June 28th was no different. On this day, Billy Mays was found dead in his home. No foul play is suspected but the loud talking salesman's death added to the list of celebrities to pass away in recent weeks. Kaleb called and asked that I DVR "A Tribute to Billy Mays" on July 9th while he was visiting in Iowa. He was very interested in Billy Mays' death and wanted to be sure to watch this show. He sat down tonight and tuned into the DVR'd presentation...he asked that I make this the picture of the day.

They're home!!

DAY 196 - July 16, 2009

After 2 weeks of being away at Grandma's house (not to forget spending time with Grandpapa and his side of the family in Beatrice over the 4th of July) the boys are finally home! The car had barely stopped and they were opening their doors and rushing out to give me hugs! I love that feeling!! We brought their things in quickly and then headed down to Logan's to meet Doug for dinner since he had to work. We caught up with them and heard all about their trip over dinner. Doug had to get back to work so we shot this quick picture and headed home ourselves. It's so good to have them home again! We both missed them so much!

Lasting forever, at least in a photo...

DAY 195 - July 15, 2009

Doug went out back for a few minutes tonight and came in with the most perfect lilly ever seen. I told him this had to be the picture of the day...he was unimpressed...but I took the lilly outside to get a picture in the natural light and this is how it turned out. Actually, I took quite a few different shots, angles, and backgrounds. I thought this one did it the most justice. It's really beautiful! When I was done with my little photo session I brought it in and put it on the counter thinking it would stay nice and crisp through the evening. Nope...no such luck! Within about an hour it had wilted and it's petals that were nice and thick and strong withered away to thin mush. Oh well, here it is and will last forever in picture form.

Picture-A-Day Album

DAY 194 - July 14, 2009

Well, it's Tuesday night...only tonight and tomorrow night before the kids get home. I had these grand plans of getting caught up (some) on my Picture-A-Day album. Those plans fell through with other things going on and needing to get done while the kids were away. I took a couple hours tonight to work on it a little. I did get quite a bit accomplished on my journaling cards and photos. However, I'm no where near close to being current! I enjoyed myself with some DVR'd TV I wanted to catch up on...if only I had more nights like this!

Baby Ducks and Black Tie Attire.

DAY 193 - July 12, 2009





We have baby ducks! I came out onto the porch this morning to grab the paper and checked on the momma duck as I have been doing almost every morning since we realized she'd nested in our shrub bed. To my surprise I found 10 baby ducks sitting where she usually did. They must have hatched overnight or early this morning. Momma duck was sitting close by but got a bit startled when I arrived. She quickly got close and watched her babies very closely. I grabbed the camera and snapped lots of pictures as she walked around a bit with them then headed across the street to the pond. They were so cute following behind her in a line! Unfortunately she left one egg in the nest. She must have known that little one wasn't going to survive.

DAY 192 - July 11, 2009

Tonight was the Black Tie dinner for the Young Republican National Convention. It was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and was a nice evening. I enjoyed getting dressed up with Doug for the night since we rarely do anything like that. The speakers for tonight were President George W. Bush's former press secretary Ari Fleicher and Indiana Congressman Mike Pence. We spent the evening at the event with Chris and Christina Swatts and had a good time with them.

Too Funny!

DAY 194 - July 13, 2009

Remember the baby ducks that were the picture of the day yesterday? Well, they "flew the coop" and we hadn't seen them since yesterday. Doug called me at work today and told me he'd found the baby ducks...they were in our pool! In the entire time we've had the pool we've never had any ducks or geese or anything really in the pool other than the people that belonged in there. I guess it was really only a matter of time though. Today was the day I guess because the babies and momma decided to go for a swim. The only issue is that the babies couldn't get back out! Doug tried and tried with our skimmer net but those critters are fast! I tried as well without success. I decided they needed some type of "ramp" to get out so I made one using a towel and our pool noodles. I put the noodles from the edge of the pool on the concrete and draped the towel over them making a ramp from the water to the concrete. Then I shooed the ducks toward the "ramp" hoping they'd get out. The first time (key word "first") it worked great and the momma jumped out followed by 8 of the babies. Two of them were left behind because they slipped off the towel and couldn't figure out how to get back on it. While I was tyring to get them directed back toward it they only kept moving further away until the momma started freaking out. She was of course trailed by here 8 babies as she looked over the edge of the pool and then jumped in to try to stay with the 2 stragglers. Needless to say, it would have been comical to watch me try to get this to work. I straightened out the towel ramp and hoped they'd all get out safely a 2nd time around. It worked...all 10 were safe and sound and collapsed with momma in one of the near-by bushes in the back yard. They stayed there for a couple hours and then they were gone. Guess they made it out of the backyard the same way they got in...we're still trying to figure that one out!

We finally got a flower!

DAY 191 - July 10, 2009

This is Kaden's sunflower. They had a science night at school quite some time ago and got to plant a few seeds to bring home in the good 'ol Styrofoam cup. Both he and Kaleb had one that grew in the windowsill for quite some time. It finally got big enough that we put it in a little pot on the front porch. They continued to get taller and taller an finally produced a bright yellow flower. Kaleb's must have given all it had to get that flower out because it quickly quit and just dried out. Kaden's is still going strong and looks like it might even give us another flower.

The "flying wedge"...

DAY 190 - July 9, 2009

For those of you who don't know, the NCAA Headquarters are located in Indianapolis. They also have a museum called the "Hall of Champions". Doug's been working on one evening event for the Young Republican National Convention that met in Indianapolis this year. His event was called the YR Fest and was a big welcome bash held at the NCAA Hall of Champions. He really put in a lot of work and the night was a huge success. Here is the "flying wedge" football formation that caused concern in football's early days resulting in safety standards beginning to be established in the game.

A quick errand...

DAY 189 - July 8, 2009



What better to do on a kid-free evening by myself than clean out the fish tank?!? It was in desperate need of a little cleaning and scrubbing. After I was done getting everything all scrubbed down and the water changed I went to change the filter components only to find I had only 1 of the 3 parts I needed. Off to PetCo I went to pick up the other 2! I guess my work paid off because it really made a difference...so much so that Doug even noticed and commented that it looked much better.

Paying tribute...

DAY 188 - July 7, 2009



What a day for pop culture...Michael Jackson's public memorial service was today. They filled Staples Center in Los Angeles, California awarding tickets to those lucky enough to win them from the Internet. On top of that, the service was live on TV and several movie theaters throughout the country even played it on their screens. It was a tasteful celebration of the man and his contribution to music. Sure, there is a lot of drama surrounding him but I did enjoy watching it. At this particular moment his long-time friend Brooke Shields is paying tribute to him. I particularly liked the way the picture of Michael Jackson was on the screen and reaching his hand out. It looked as if he was trying to than her for the things she was saying.

A lot to catch up on...

DAY 187 - July 6, 2009

Tonight was my first night home without the kids. Doug was at work and I took the opportunity to run some errands. After I was done with what needed to be done (primarily finding a dress for the upcoming Black Tie dinner for the Young Republican convention next Saturday) I took about 20 minutes to wander aimlessly around Archiver's. It was nice to look around at nothing in particular and without kids there being "bored". I didn't buy anything but did enjoy the time

DAY 186 - July 5, 2009

This is where Doug and I stayed this weekend. As you can see, I didn't think to take a picture of the sign as we entered upon our arrival. As a result, it's the picture of the day taken as we drove out on our way back to Indianapolis. We had a great weekend away and enjoyed sleeping in, playing some blackjack, getting massages, and just spending time together.

DAY 185 - July 4, 2009

We arrived yesterday at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Indiana. We took some time away just the two of us while the kids were visiting my family for a couple weeks. This resort was recently remodeled and was really neat. The big front porch was subtly decorated for the 4th of July weekend and has lots of big rocking chairs for relaxing.

DAY 184 - July 3, 2009

When the boys and I met Mom in Peoria to do the kid hand-off she brought me a bunch of my "keepsakes" she'd been storing. We took a few minutes to look through them. This puppet is something I'd gotten YEARS ago and used to love. I played with it all the time. As you can see, Kaden also got a big kick out of it. They enjoyed going through some of my old things. It was fun to see those things again...they definitely brought back some memories.

Headed out...

DAY 183 - July 2, 2009

Today is the day I took the boys to Peoria, Illinois to meet my mom. We'd have dinner, catch up a little bit, spend the night, and then get up the next morning to head out. She heads to Des Monies and I head back to Indianapolis. The boys will be gone for 2 weeks this year. That's really a long time for us but we knew they'd have a good time. The first few days they would be with my Dad and travel to Beatrice, Nebraska for the 4th of July with his side of the family. My Aunt Vicky always has a family reunion type event at her house. This year she said she counted 36 people staying there. They fish on the pond, ride in the paddle boat, hang out, eat, and just enjoy their time. They were SO EXCITED to have the boys there this year. And I was happy they got to spend an extended amount of time with my Dad and his side of the family, most of which they've never met...

Cheesesticks anyone?

DAY 182 - July 1, 2009


Wednesdays this summer at Arby's means deal night. We don't go every week...in fact, this is the 1st time we've participated. On this night they offered a free Beef-n-Cheddar (my fav sandwich there) with the purchase of a drink. We stopped in for dinner on the way home from picking up the boys from Mrs. Amy's. Kaden, the picky eater, doesn't like the roast beef sandwiches much so he opted for mozzarella sticks for his dinner. Add in some fries and a vanilla shake and he was in heaven!