An every day sight...

DAY 91 - March 31, 2010



This is a sight I see every. single. day. So, why shouldn't it make Picture of the Day? We moved here in July 2006. We love our house and we love our neighborhood. There are lots of kids to for the boys to play with and we know their parents well enough to let the kids roam the neighborhood pretty freely. We take charge of the kids that are at our house and vice versa. It's a very comfortable place to live.

Getting crafty...

DAY 90 - March 30, 2010

It's craft night at our house tonight. We made yarn baskets...an idea I'd seen from one of the blogs I follow. People can be so crafty...I just don't know where they get the ideas or the time to do these things! This one looked easy enough and was a cute idea. It required lots of glue, some brightly colored yarn, and a couple plastic containers. Basically, the yarn is dipped in the glue and then strung over the bowl which has been turned upside down. When it dries the bowl is removed and you have a basket. It was messy but the boys seemed to have fun.

Time to get some money!

DAY 89 - March 29, 2010



I had a couple hours to myself tonight while the boys were hijacked by the Goldman's. We seriously love that we can exchange kids with them and the parents (well, at least one set of parents) get a break and the kids have a blast. Unfortunately, Doug was at work for the evening...why can't the kids get hijacked when he's off?!? Anyway, what did I do with my free time? What could be more fun than the grocery store and organizing medical receipts in the required way to submit a claim?! Here's the mess we've accumulated since January 1st. By the end of the night we had 18 pages of medical bills and prescription receipts ready to be faxed tomorrow. While the money is not "free money"...it is ours and I'm going to claim it!

More signs of Spring.

DAY 88 - March 28, 2010

Our trees are starting to get buds on them. I can't wait for them to get the pretty white flowers they get every Spring. I love the way our street looks when all the trees lining it are white. When the wind blows it looks like it's snowing.

The new Perry Township Constable.

DAY 87 - March 27, 2010

Today they held a caucus vote to fill the empty Perry Township Constable position as a result of the current Constable passing away in early March. David Taylor was the only person to file to be included in the caucus vote. So, it wasn't really a vote at all...just a motion to make him the new Constable pending the outcome of elections in November. After the motion David was sworn in to office. Here he is with Judge Spear making it official. His wife Sara is behind him as are his 2 boys, Adam and Evan. Unfortunately they're standing behind David and aren't visible in the picture. They're helping Sara hold the Bible to swear him in.

Keeping everyone occupied.

DAY 86 - March 26, 2010

We had heard that real sterilized bones were something dogs loved and wouldn't devour in an instant. Lilly LOVES to chew! We've got her rawhides and thought they'd last her a while. They worked to keep her occupied for a while but she quickly figured out how to make them flimsy enough and then the fun starts...she was trying to swallow the whole thing. We go the ones that were about a foot long and she might whittle them down to about 6 inches and then all of a sudden she'd try to inhale them. We didn't catch her one time and she completely swallowed one. We tried a trick the vet told us about...he said if she swallows something she shouldn't (which American Bulldogs are notorious for) we could squirt a little hydrogen peroxide down her throat and it would cause her to vomit. We tired it and it worked...as a result, no more rawhides for Lilly.

So, we bought this bone tonight. It's a real beef bone and is super hard. She's been gnawing on it ever since we gave it to her. By the end of the night she'd probably chewed on it for 2-3 hours and you can't even tell. I think we're on to something!

DAY 85 - March 25, 2010

Kaden had a field trip to the Children's Museum today. I was able to join them for the fun. Here is Kaden and the kids we explored with. Kaden and Kara (closest to us with the white shirt) were in my group and we hooked up with Anna (furthest one with the white shirt) and Jasmine. We had a great time and sure squeezed a lot into a couple hours.

I love a great deal!

DAY 84 - March 24, 2010

Toy Story 3 is coming to theaters in June...to kick off the excitement the Toy Story and Toy Story 2 DVD/Blu-Ray combo packs were available. Dawn clued me in to this deal and we took full advantage of it. First of all...each movie comes with both the DVD and the Blu-Ray Disc. We do have a Blu-Ray player so I'm anxious to see how good the picture is. An added bonus...EACH of these cases comes with a voucher for a free movie ticket to Toy Story 3. That means it's like getting $8.50 off again since I know we'll be headed to see this movie in theatres! Each combo pack was on sale for $23 at Target. If you bought both you took $10 off the total price. Then there were coupons you could get from the internet for $10 off each movie. Target will honor both since they're for separate items. Doug picked up the movies for me while he was at work. Yes, Doug went into Target with coupons in hand and got the deal for me. I greatly appreciate him doing that! Thank you Honey! Our first attempt to get them last night was a failure since our Target was completely out of Toy Story 2. Not really worth it if you can't get the bonus $10 off for buying both.

With our coupons and the discount Target gave for buying both at the same time, we ended up paying just $18.50 for both combo packs, tax included! On top of that, we're ahead of the game when we cash in our vouchers for 2 free movie tickets in June! I love a great deal! Thanks Dawn for the head's up!

Performance night.

DAY 83 - March 23, 2010

Tonight's the night. The Perry Township Music Festival took place tonight. The place was packed! There was an orchestra, a band, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade singers, a section of 3rd grade recorders, and a group of rythm instruments; all doing about 2 songs each. You probably can't pick him out here but Kaleb is in this picture with his crash cymbals. All the groups did a great job!

Practicing for their performance.

DAY 82 - March 22, 2010

Kaleb was participating in (well, he was chosen for) a township-wide music festival. Tonight was the practice session for the band. I went to the top of the bleachers to get this shot so I could see the whole group. Kaleb played the crash cymbals and the triangle on one song and then the snare drum on the other.

Feeling old...and..."in the morning, I'm making waffles".

DAY 81 - March 21, 2010

I used my waffle maker again this morning. I made a huge batch of waffles so we could have some left over for quick breakfasts. I love this little waffle maker the boys got me for Valentine's day but it only makes 2 waffles at a time. It takes a while to make a bit batch but saves so much time on the weekdays and offers something other than cereal or pop tarts for the boys and Doug.

DAY 80 - March 20 - 2010

Kaden had a birthday party at Wheels of Wonder, a roller skating rink here in town. Kaleb and I decided to stick around and skate ourselves. Man, am I old! How did I do that every weekend in Junior High? I don't think I did that bad really but I felt very uneasy for the first 30 minutes or so...and after about an hour my ankles were hurting! The pain eventually went away and we had a great time skating together. The boys just finished their roller skating unit in gym so they were really confident on their feet and moved pretty quickly.

Birthday "surprise".

DAY 79 - March 19, 2019

Tonight we celebrated my good friend Joann's 40th birthday. She doesn't turn 40 until April 3rd but this was to be a surprised party for her. Her sister Jackie was even planning on coming in from Kansas City and Joann knew nothing about it.

This week brought about some sadness though for their family. On Tuesday night Joann's mother went into the hospital. She's been having some health problems lately. She passed away the morning of March 17th.

Luckily Joann's sister Jackie was able to catch a flight and made it to the hospital in time to see her mom before she passed. Joann also has another sister Janet that lives here in town.

The 3 of them and their families made the necessary arrangements through the week. Joann's sisters decided to tell her about the surprise limo ride and party they had planned for Friday night. The 3 of them decided to move forward with those plans as that's the way their mom would have wanted it.

Here is the group at Ike and Jonesys downtown. Joann is 3rd from the right.

The Tin Man.

DAY 78 - March 18, 2010

We went to my nephew Nick's play tonight at Southport Middle School. He was the Tin Man in The Wicked Witch of Oz. It was a really good play and I was completely surprised at how good the acting was. You could tell those 6th graders really took this play seriously. There's Nick on the left hanging with the cowardly lion, the scarecrow, and Dorthy.

Sleepy Doggie!

DAY 77 - March 17, 2010

Lilly was SO SLEEPY tonight! She curled up on her pillow we put in the "king chair" and was out for a good couple hours. Kaleb was saying goodnight to her before he headed up to bed and she didn't even move...just opened her eyes for a few seconds.

A little reminder...

DAY 76 - March 16, 2010

Today when I got up I noticed this little guy sitting on my bathroom counter. Kaleb got me some butterfly earrings from the Christmas shop at his school a couple years ago and this is the package they came in. I keep them in the bee box in my jewelry drawer just as I got them. Every once in a while he'll ask me to wear them. It was so sweet to walk in and see the bee sitting in the counter; Kaleb's way of saying "Can you wear the earrings I got you?" Needless to say...I wore them today at work. One of my coworkers even commented on just how cute they are. I just love that Kaleb has such a tender heart!

Randomness...

DAY 75 - March15, 2010


We got Chinese takeout tonight for dinner. I'd been craving it so that's what we decided on. I really liked Doug's fortune...can you read it? It says "Stop searching forever. Happiness is just next to you." What a great fortune! Of course, I happened to be standing right next to him when he opened it!

DAY 74 - March 14, 2010

Another day...another hospital ER visit. Doug's potassium was low again today causing him to realize all too quickly that he needed to get in. He really didn't want to go but we both realized he needed to. He hates to go because it is always an ALL DAY trip. The potassium is an IV and has to go in slowly. On top of that they always do several tests before they even start the IV. Of course, they have to do blood work which requires them to wait on the results before they can move forward as well. After being there all day he was finally released. Those days really take a lot out of you...and I wasn't even the one in the hospital!

DAY 73 - March 13, 2010

Today we got a little start outside in the yard before Doug had to go to work. We worked in the mulch beds cutting back the grasses and picking up the pieces along with the leaves and other junk that gathered through the winter. Doug also stirred around the mulch giving it a fresh look.

Lilly's treats...

DAY 72 - March 12, 2010


Nothing too spectacular today...just a picture of Lilly's treats in the cabinet. She gets one usually when she comes in from going outside to go potty. She knows it too...if we forget she's usually hanging out at the pantry The container is something Kaden saw around Christmas time and wanted to get her for her gift from him. It works out perfectly!

Meeting Daddy for dinner...

DAY 71 - March 11, 2010


Tonight we met Doug for dinner at Brozzini's Pizzaria. Doug likes it and introduced it to us a while ago. The 2 times we've been there Kaden has chosen the Fettuccini Alfredo for his meal. The "kids" portion is large enough for an adult to eat...needless to say Kaden always has some left to bring home! Here he is trying to cool it off...you can't tell but it was so hot it was steaming!!

Kaden's "special meal".

DAY 70 - March 10, 2010


Kaden had a coupon from one of those "reward" books he got a while ago. His coupon was for a "special meal" just for him. His "special meal" is pictured above. Yep...he wanted O's, a candy cane, and some Orange Crush in his special glass he got a while ago from Debbie (a good family friend I've known my whole life). He also wanted it on the little tray in the great room watching what he wanted on TV and with Lilly in her kennel. Who would have thought that cashing in a special meal coupon could have come with such a simple request. How could I turn down his request!

A little green...and a little gold.

DAY 69 - March 9, 2010


The very first signs of Spring. These lillies are in the back yard in a little bed we have by the stair of the deck. The very first hint of green is coming up. I noticed them just tonight and thought what a fitting picture for today! Hurry up Spring...it's been a long winter!

DAY 68 - March 8, 2010

The boys got coupons for free fish at the Spring Fling a few days ago. It was the usual "throw the ping pong ball in the fish bowl" game but you didn't win a fish that night. Instead you got a coupon to get a gold fish from a local pet store. Sooo much easier than giving (or getting) a fish that very night. Luckily we already have a fish tank (with an ever decreasing number of fish) so we cashed in 4 tickets tonight (yep...they got 8 all together!). These are the cheap-o fish but they like them. Here they are checking out the tank they get to choose from. We pretty much suggested colors (orange, orange and white, or all white) they wanted the clerk to fish out for them and went from there.

A team effort...and a magical night.

DAY 67 - March 7, 2010

Today we had a campaign meeting for David Taylor. David has decided to join together with a couple other people running in Perry Township and create a "Perry Township GOP Team" kind of campaign. I was in charge of taking pictures of the 3 of them...both separately and together. Here they are...David is on the right and is running for Perry Township Constable. Dan Moriarty is running for Perry Township Trustee and Bob Spear is running for Perry Township Judge.

DAY 66 - March 6, 2010

Here are the remnants from my surprise date night last night. Doug did the sweetest thing...he planned a whole date night for me. It came complete with an invitation that said it would be semi-formal and that we would need to leave by 6:30pm. He had even arranged for the boys to stay at his parents' house. I needed to run them over there because he had something he had to take care of downtown at the same time. I got all dressed up and he was ready to go but would change into his suit after he returned from downtown. When I returned from dropping the boys off he met me at the truck and we headed out. He drove through the neighborhood as we sometimes do. Then he turned into our drive again and said "Well, I guess you know now we're not going anywhere." and we went inside. He took both phones and turned them off and brought me into the kitchen where he had a candle lit dinner all prepared! There was salad, bread, an entree, and dessert. He had a flower and card waiting at my seat and even poured my wine for me. He had thought of everything...all the way down to having custom playlist of music going from the computer! After dinner there was even dancing!! The night wasn't over after dinner and dancing either...he had picked up my favorite candy and had a couple movies (yes...even "chick flicks") that I could choose from.

It was truly a magical night. I was so surprised by all the thought he put into the evening. It made me feel very special. We had such a great time...it was even quiet enough and so non-rushed that we were able to have a full conversation completely uninterrupted! I will remember that night forever! Thank you Honey!! I love you!

By the way...Doug didn't really have anything he needed to do downtown after all. It was all a ploy to get me out of the house so he could get the house ready!

Spring Fling...

DAY 65 - March 5, 2010

Tonight was the Spring Fling at school. This is an annual event they PTA puts on for the kids and their families. They have games and food in a sort of indoor carnival atmosphere. The school mascot is the bulldog...could there be a better mascot?!? As you can see...the even had some bulldogs make a guest appearance so the kids could see them and pet them.

Sweet surprise.

DAY 63 - March 4, 2010


Doug surprised me with some chocolate tonight. Not just any chocolate either...Ghiradelli Chocolate! I don't ever have Ghiradelli chocolate...my splurge comes only by way of the free samples they give at the Ghiradelli Chocolate shop in Downtown Disney. On top of this yummy surprise he even got me my favorite...chocolate with peanut butter filling. YUMMY! Thanks Honey...I love you!

Slowly fading.

DAY 62 - March 3, 2010

The snow is slowly fading. We're getting some sun and some warmer temps which is really nice. All that's left of the snow in the yard is this pile that was mounded about 4 feet high as a result of our nice neighbor plowing the mound of snow left by the snow plows cleaning off the street. Next will be green grass and I'm so ready for that!

Dang cold sores!

DAY 61 - March 2, 2010

I HATE cold sores. I get them every now and then and they seem to be getting worse. I used to get them one at a time...but now it seems they come in pairs or even 3's...ALL AT THE SAME TIME! I am just getting over a cold and 3 of them popped out over night. I immediately grabbed the cream the dentist prescribed me and started using it. I always have it on hand...in my purse, at work, it helps if I can put it on at the moment I feel one coming on. It helps but does not completely prevent the pain and nuisance of the dang things.

Grab and go...

DAY 60 - March 1, 2010



We went to the grocery store tonight. The boys usually help put groceries away after we're home. Kaden's job is to open up the snack type things and put them in the pantry. We've got these wire baskets so he'll separate out the pudding and applesauce, fruit snacks, and 100 calorie packs so they're ready to grab. He's also responsible for putting breakfast bars and pop tarts in there after he opens each box and tears off the flaps. It's nice to get help from the boys after shopping trips! It's also nice to have a pantry filled with things that are easy to grab!