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Finley is 6!

2012-01-28T15:23:00.002-06:00

the party started out with crying!!!!

the kids made pizzas

all she wanted to do was open her gifts....of course

Shannon free handed the Ugly Doll!! WOW

cake pop success!!

talking to daddy long distance ;(

a little party game...

even the adults tried

and the party ended with crying.....

this was taken on her ACTUAL birthday....

photobooth

2012-01-28T15:19:00.000-06:00

fun with photobooth.....even the babysitter gets involved!

and auntie em ;)

already??!!

2012-01-28T15:15:00.000-06:00

Its hard for me to believe that its the 100th day of school already....Finley is already more than half way through her kindergarten year....SLOW DOWN!!

The kids were to bring 100 items to school.....and they would re count them with their older buddies.

she chose gummy worms.....sour ones.....(yuck!)....this is what 100 gummy worms looks like....not much huh??

I asked her what else people brought...there were legos, pennies, beads, paper clips, kisses, dog food (yes dog food), m and ms and skittles....

First (and only??) snow

2012-01-17T21:23:00.000-06:00

Last week we had our first snow fall...maybe 4 inches. The day before it was 55...yes 55...degrees. Birds were chirping!! Galesburg hadn't had ANY measurable snow yet this year, the kids were so excited!! They were desperately trying sled.....

Jack just DIGS the snow....he eats it and runs in it and rolls in it....

He is also a mitten stealer and boot nibbler...making for playing in the snow extra hard. He spent most the afternoon inside....whiiining

were still here

2012-01-06T19:42:00.001-06:00

HOLY COW have i been avoiding uploading pictures....wow!! Lots has happened...weddings, 90th birthdays, school starting, halloween, thanksgiving, christmas, new years.....yeow!!

Here are 4...yes 4 from the holidays

HEAT wave OK

2011-07-18T19:46:00.009-05:00

Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin' down the plain

And the wavin' wheat can sure smell sweet

When the wind comes right behind the rain....

this was our forecast for our trip to Oklahoma....Hennessey, to be exact...to visit Sean's Uncle and his family....26 of us converged upon their "compound"....house, barn, bunk house, pond (very very dry pond), chickens, a rooster (good morning), rabbits and land...lots and lots of land. Filled with fishing poles, four wheeling, shooting guns, riding horses, egg searching, spider killing and eating. Plus a quick trip into Oklahoma City for an boot shopping adventure. Regardless of the heat....117 one day.....a dry, oven feeling, non humid heat....we had a GREAT time. The kids especially!!

Halfway stop for lunch and leg stretching......Kansas City
ALL were napping at this point....Sean included.....not me ;)
We rode horses....some of us for the first time.
some kids doubled up....

Sean and Steve actually took the reigns and RODE ALONE....needless to say, I think Sean wants a horse....just need some land to put one on....haha

some rode twice (mallory/kane)
some rode incognito....heh heh
There was a day of fishing...the (boys) kids fished at the crack of dawn with the dads. IN THEIR JAMMIES!!! The pond is sooooo dry. Most of what you see is the pond bottom. The 15 acre pond is now less that 1/2 an acre. Oklahoma is in a DROUGHT....they need water!!
kinda scenic....and BREEEEZY.....but a warm, almost hot breeze
....kari....note the horse pic. youre eyes closed, mals open.....this pic is the opposite...like momma like daughter
the fourwheeler....
even Abs joined in on the fishing...Kellan was there with Shannon, however they headed up for a snack.
Huck Fin attire....Sean toes are still reddish
the crew...note the jammies on the boys

the haul....which we ate for dinner.
proof of the heat. which was remedied by a water gun fight....

gun shooting....a 38 caliber, 22 long rifle, israeli made uzi, 22 caliber drum tommy gun....I only shot the 38 caliber and hit the target twice out of six shots....pretty good for a first timer.
Really really really good fried chicken....
which was featured on D, D and D...

royalty was even there
The Cattlemans club in OKC.....again, visited by triple D
Lamb Fries....google it.....Finley ate 3
the bunkhouse...where the boys slept...
we hope to return next year!! maybe when it is a little cooler!!

Cubs Baseball

2011-07-18T19:36:00.003-05:00

Braden was on the Cubs again this year....his last year of Rookie League....next year is The Minors...and kids pitch....

We had a great year....lots of wins and lots of hits on Braden's part. He has changed so much in a year!!

click on this picture and note his BUBBLE

see that girl on First Base....she was GOOOOOD!!!!

Our Baseball season has come to an end...just in time for a heat wave....back to the pool ;)

4th of July

2011-07-05T09:47:00.008-05:00

Happy Fourth of July

We hope everyone had a nice fourth of july, we sure did. The kids and Auntie Em and I headed out to the pool at 10...with hopes to leave about 1. It was a beautiful day....sunny and hot, but not sweltering with a breeze. Soon enough the pool was PACKED. We swam, ate, played in the bounce house and bounce obstacle course, played in some of the pool games and mom (me) even got in the dunk tank for a few dunks....FUN day!

Auntie Em and the goggled kids

Once Dad was home he and the kids let off some fireworks...all were legal, I think.....regardless, the kids love it!

(this was taken when neighbors were letting off LOUD fireworks...funny the kids expressions)

We capped off the evening with fireworks with friends!

We hope you all had a safe, fun, happy, family filled fourth!

zoo trip

2011-06-25T17:11:00.010-05:00

weather here in the upper midwest part of Illinois has been super springlike and not to summer-y the last week. plus, the pool we swim at has been "under the weather".... the pumproom got struck by lightening and has had all sorts of problems. needless to say, we needed some outdoor time....so we headed to Niabi Zoo (about 45 minutes away) for the afternoon...we love Niabi, not too big not too small. you can see lions, tigers, bears (oh my) and all sorts of other furry friends...and not so furry....think boa constrictors and anacondas.

perfect bald eagle

we always start by feeding the koi...

nasty creatures

we zipped through the petting zoo and "walk about" with the kangaroos and stopped to feed the birds....

this one immediately landed on my shoulder and continued to nip at my hair and collar...creepy

braden (not so sure of the whole adventure) even braved the feeding

finley, on the other hand, stood patiently.....

we toured the rest of the zoo...birds, giraffes, monkeys, lions, camel, tigers, leopards, bears, porcupines, etc....and finished with the carousel....JUST AS IT STARTED TO RAIN.

We headed out after the carousel (perfect timing) and headed back home. It was a quick and successful trip to the zoo.

phone pictures

2011-06-21T10:00:00.000-05:00

One of the pluses of an iPhone is you can upload your pictures from your phone to your computer rather easily....I did that this weekend and was laughing at all the different pictures on there....even more funny are the videos (usually filmed by Finley). Maybe i will post those on a different day....brady riding his bike (almost has it!!), finley singing teenage mutant ninja turtles, finley filming her toys doing random stuff, brady sneakily filming me talk to another mom during swim lessons, etc......

on the train coming home from chicago

jack in sunglasses

instagram Finley

instagram Megan

chicago train again

Finley thinking she is michael jackson in 'smooth criminal'

the kids sleeping in OUR bed while Sean was in Canada

instagram of Finleys bathroom floor

cousins eating icecream from the ice cream truck

funky shoes for the kids photo shoot

Whats on your cell phone???

finley fun

2011-06-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

June 3rd was All That Dances annual recital and Finley was pumped and ready to go....Her class was dance #2 of the evening.....we could have left after that. Afterall...it was 95 degrees that day and the auditorium was not air conditioned....but we toughed it out and stayed through dance number 15....

June 3rd also was Auntie Em's birthday....so after the recital we headed to dinner and Nana's for "cake".....Happy Birthday Auntie Em!

Her friend Kylie (family friend) was dance #3....

and here is a tball update.....she isnt doing so bad....quite the adventure the pre-K tball games....it is a free for all once the ball is hit....they should be wearing helmets on defense ;)

a glimpse of Canada

2011-06-19T23:19:00.009-05:00

Sean (and my father and brother) have been in Canada for the last week. Technically they fished for 4 days, but travelled for 3. Although we missed him lots...mostly about dusk till dawn...he assures me he had a FABULOUS time and caught lots of fish. So much so that he has dates already for next year. Here are a few pictures my brother took from his phone and emailed them to me. I am hoping to get more from my dad who had the official camera for the trip....

wordless wednesday

2011-06-15T16:50:00.004-05:00

end of the year interview

2011-06-09T16:41:00.001-05:00

So I stole this from a different blog....(see a pattern?? there are LOTS of creative people out there)

Any way....

INTERVIEW with FINLEY at her completion of PRESCHOOL!!

I am really good at: Dancing

I like to: Play with my toys

My favorite thing to learn at school: How to Count on the Calender

1 person who make me laugh: MOM

One word that describes me: Funny

I am really happy when: When I pet Jack.

I am really sad when: I see sad movies.

My favorite book: The old Lady who swallowed a Fly

My favorite TV show: iCarly

My favorite vacation: Disney World

I like school when: I get to Color

I don't like school when: Lunch

My favorite season: Summer

My favorite toy: Zoobles

Things that make me happy: Dad...he is funny

Things that make me mad: when brady doesnt share

Favorite sport: Catch

I like my Dad because: He makes me laugh

I like my Mom because: Shes cute (I swear she said that)

I like my family because: They are my favorite!

INTERVIEW with BRADEN at the conclusion of SECOND GRADE

I am really good at: video games

I like to: build legos

My favorite thing to learn at school: Math

1 person who make me laugh: Teddy

One word that describes me: Smart

I am really happy when: I get to tell people jokes

I am really sad when: When I get in trouble

My favorite book: Diary of a wimpy kid

My favorite TV show: Sponge Bob

My favorite vacation: Its a tie!! Grand Bear Lodge and Disney World

I like school when: Everything

I don't like school when: I have to eat Chef Salad.

My favorite season: Winter "snow"

My favorite toy: my plastic guns

What makes me happy: Everybody I love

Things that make me mad: When Finley talks too much.

Favorite sport: Baseball and Golf

I like my Dad because: He helps me with Legos

I like my Mom because: She bakes good cookies

I like my family because: They laugh at my jokes

So the moral of this post is to be able to do it at the conclusion of every school year....

summer list

2011-06-08T20:21:00.002-05:00

One of my MOST FAVORITE blogs I follow has an annual Summer List. We have made one before, however have slacked in recent years.... HERE is our first summer list

Half way through, Finley thought we needed a song break....seriously.
The finished list.....
WISH US LUCK!!!!

the jury is still out

2011-06-07T16:46:00.003-05:00

First of all.....Monday was the LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!! Whoo hoo!! That was Braden, not me...haha, I kid. We have lots planned...including making our summer list. We are making it tonight...should be an interesting one ;)

Miss Fin has informed us SHE wanted to play baseball too....so i signed her up for the Y tball instead of the league Brady is in. The Y has practice once a week and their games are Tuesday evenings. Since we weren't sure if she would like it, we thought the easier schedule was a better route....and as you can tell....the jury is still out...

lego night

2011-06-02T21:21:00.014-05:00

our family LOVES legos...even the girls. we recently got a few of the new pirates of the caribbean sets and decided to split up (think girls vs. boys) and put them together this week.

fins favorite is putting all the characters together...
jack was even nearby....dont be fooled by the chew toy...he tried to steal jack sparrow multiple times

...yes some of these are switched ;)

off topic....can you tell someones favorite ice cream flavor??

jack...

2011-05-29T09:00:00.001-05:00

Jack is 10 months old!! He is so excited that the weather is nice enough to be outside....all...the...time!! So are we ;)

Jack at Christmas...

spring happenings

2011-05-28T16:16:00.002-05:00

So its the ritual for every Catholic second grader...First Communion. Brady successfully completed his requirements (think lots of memorizing of prayers and the ten commandments) and was able to have his First Communion on May Day.

As quickly as the spring is passing us by, we did get some plants planted....
Which is great, because we have had some doozy storms!!

wordless wednesday

2011-04-12T18:03:00.002-05:00

backlog blog

2011-04-12T17:43:00.004-05:00

So I have been absent from the blog...not because we havent done anything, but because I didn't have the urge to tell the world. Since Disney we have celebrated both kids birthdays (Finley w/a Chinese party and Braden w/an Army party at the bowling alley), endured a Blizzard, celebrated Valentines day, a sneaky silly Leprechaun visited our house on St. Pattys day, Braden played a full schedule of YMCA basketball, the Superbowl and College March Madness occurred, Baseball Opening Day passed (go Yankees) and we have started baseball for the year.....thats just what I can remember!
We did venture up to Wisconsin to visit Seans brother and his family for his babe's, Abigail, baptism. Sean and I were the Godparents. Refer to Kari's blog to see the story unfold there.....but here are some of the pictures from the weekend....

This is Abby....the girl of the weekend!!

we love disney

2011-02-04T17:00:00.001-06:00

We ventured to Sunny CHILLY Disney World the last week of our extended Christmas break. This time the Renfroe side of the family took part. My parents, sister and brother hadnt been to Disney world in 25 years (only Magic Kingdom)....so it basically was like a first time trip. The weather was pleasant during the day, think high sixtys with a breeze, and chilly at night, think 40s with wind. We walked and walked and walked and everyone did great. I think the Renfroes enjoyed their "first" trip to Disney and Finley asked me last week if we could go back after Valentines Day....um.......

The Disney Marathon was going on when we were there...that was kind of neat. Makes me want to whip my legs in shape so I could do the 1/2 marathon next year. BUUUUTTTT I doubt that will happen...3 miles is enough for me these days.

Here are just a few pictures. I have a large cache of them, however hate to bore you.

Were all in the same boat....

2011-02-03T17:36:00.003-06:00

The official count in the paper today was 15 inches.....I know, I know, it doesn't look much...however it is drifted everywhere!!! There is one part in our back yard I stepped in that the snow went up to my mid thigh!! School has been cancelled for three days....kids are going stir crazy....im sick of making meals....we havent had fast food in days (which is rare for us).....we finally got out today and it was 6 degrees. There are mountains of snow EVERYWHERE in town....here are some pics from my house.

Across the street....the private plow had to be plowed out by apparently a city truck...

Finley is in a flowerbed and is almost level with the airconditioner
Drift outside a patio door...poor Jack...this hasn't been easy on the pets
Can you see how big that pile of snow is back there?? Thats from the driveway...the kids can't wait to sled down that!
The drifts are awe-some.
The groundhsaw did not see his shadow.....he is only 33 percent right....he is in Pennsylvania.....there is a chance of snow this Sunday and Monday....

fun ornament

2010-12-20T16:21:00.003-06:00

In a season of busy-ness....its always fun to try to squeeze in some crafts. The Kane girls were in town this weekend and I took this craft over to the kid's grandma's house to fill some time. Its really easy!!

I saw it on a blog....a little bit funky...and she got it somewhere....giving props where props are due.

I will say it was easiest with the bigger kids, although Mallory the 2 year old did fine. I do think an even larger ornament would have worked better with Braden.

Paint liberally their hands....

Place bottom of ornament in their palm and have them slooooowwwwly
Wrap their fingers around the ornament....the slowly un wrap.

Then comes the tedious part.....once dry, I hot glued felt as hats and scarves and used a sharpie for the face....be sure to write their name and year on the underside where the palm was...if you click on the below picture you can see the finished product better!

annual gingerbread houses

2010-12-18T09:02:00.002-06:00

We continued the tradition...actually we thought we could bypass it this year, buuuuuttttttt, Miss Finley reminded us we hadn't done it yet. Now, please know the kids start out strong ... about get one half of the roof done.... and decide there is other things to do which leaves us adults to finish the creation. Finley reminding us probably means that she wanted them around to eat the candy off of them. Last year she would pick a piece off each time she walked by....

Maddie and Emily working on Finleys
Finley at least hung around when she was "finished"...decided stacking Starbursts was more interesting...
The finished products. Marshmallow (our trusty elf) decided to land there this a.m. Finley's is in the foreground and Braden's is in the background.....wonder if we will do this again next year??

christmas craft

2010-12-14T22:38:00.002-06:00

I had lofty goals to do a craft a day this week. Started off well on Monday.....fell off the wagon on Tuesday.....and forgot that Wednesday and Thursday are super busy days for us. So for now, we will have just one craft this week. Brady and Sean were troopers, I lost Fin about 3 minutes into it....Spongebob was on in the other room and apparently it was a pretty funny episode.

I got this idea off the crafty crow.

Start by cutting white felt into 1/2 inch strips. We used 6 strips for the head and 9 for the body. Then various items for the eyes, nose and buttons.

Glue a line down a strip and start rolling. Repeat for the rest of the 5 strips and for the body.

Once both head and body are glued, glue them together....use fancy soup cans to hold together. While this was gluing, we glued on the eyes (colored brads), nose (orange brad upside down) and buttons (small pom poms). We let the body dry overnight. This a.m. I threaded some string through the head for the ornament holder.
Proudly place on the tree!!

Finley

2010-11-28T21:43:00.003-06:00

3 Funny "quotes" from her recently

me...."Finley are you crying"
fin...."no, my eyes are just sweating"

while outside putting up christmas lights.....fin...."I need to take my hat off 'cause Jack just ate some dirt"

while contemplating what she was going to ask for Christmas.....fin...."im sinking, im sinking"

all to which we just look at her, like, 'what?'

current christmas favorite

2010-11-28T21:41:00.001-06:00

A few Christmas seasons back I posted my favorite Christmas commercial (for there are tons)....it was an iPod Will Ferrell one....

Here is my current favorite commercial and it isnt even December yet. Actually, all the Target ads involving this kooky lady have been pretty funny...

TARGET AD

blog stalker

2010-11-13T06:59:00.004-06:00

I am a blog stalker, you should see my blog roll....and 90% of them are because of crafts....there is one blog I go to that showcases different blogs daily. Invision 12 thumbnails of different themes for the day....for instance....'daily d.i.y' or 'daily christmas wrapup'. Believe me....it gets the ideas going and basically gets me in trouble.
I am so ready to get my Christmas Craft on. The problem is, I see all these things I want to make, make them, then have no where to put it. Just ask Emily....I made her a cute mummy Halloween wreath....for her work office, not sure if she even used it.

So we come to this wreath which was on the blog previously mentioned!!

I sooooo want to make it, yet dont know where I would put it.....

If you would like to make it too....here are the instructions
CANDY CANE WREATH.

There is this one to.....using leaves....so neat!!

Where have YOU seen some fun Holiday crafts that you are itching to try??

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T19:09:00.003-06:00

Finley, perfect timing, fell asleep about an hour before we were to leave. This is how I found her....OUT on top of all the sofa pillows and a toy smushed up on her face. Once she woke, sweaty mess, she decided she didnt want to be Jasmine....she wanted to be a Groovy Girl (costume I bought AFTER Halloween last year for dress up)....Go figure.

Not bad accessorizing on the fly....

Not GI Joe...Army Guy

After Trick or Treating...Heading home. I was Velma and Sean was a Pirate (pretty authentic looking)

Quick Trip to visit Grandma!! (In hospital recovering from a broken Humerus)

House we visited last year with a cool candy dispenser talking thingy on the porch...

It was a perfect cool, crisp Halloween Night.

Pre Halloween Fun

2010-11-01T18:51:00.003-06:00

This weekend, the cousins came to town for an impromptu Halloween Get Together....there was apple bobbing, mummy bowling, Halloween Bingo, Mummy Wrap, cooking witches fingers and made pumpkin personal pizzas....ending the evening with carving pumpkins....It was a beautiful day and fun was had by all. Im just saying I DISLIKE blogger and its photo uploading craziness....out of order!!!! Is there a secret??

Mummy Wrap

Pumpkin carving

Notice it is ALL adults....the kids were long gone by now. Props goes out to Shannon and her job carving Coles Pumpkin.....he probably picked the most intricate of the options. She did great!!

Can you guess who is whos??

mine (apple corer expirement), Cole, Fin (same as last year), Braden, Kellan (minus the paci), Kane (Old School!)

Bobbing for apples....everyone succeeded....Cole got his in like seven seconds flat. Even Grandad gave it a shot.

Because Halloween is on a Sunday

2010-10-29T08:20:00.002-05:00

Obviously, Halloween is on a Sunday this year.....so Tap Dance this week the kids dressed in their costume during their weekly practice (Tuesday). The grade schools dont have school on Friday so the Halloween party was on Thursday....and of course we will dress up on Sunday!!

Fins tap class

Bradens parade....43 degrees and super windy=cold parade!!

Halloween Safety

2010-10-29T08:13:00.002-05:00

My Brother Lucas is a K9 officer/officer for the Macomb Police Department. After Braden's request, he came and talked to Braden's 2nd grade class about Halloween Safety. He did a great job and the kids seemed to like it....although most of their questions involved handcuffs and tasers....silly second graders!!

engagement excitement

2010-10-13T16:05:00.003-05:00

So we had a surprise engagement party....planned on the fly....and he proposed AT THE PARTY!!!

"what....i didnt shower!!"....
so happy!!
Happy Couple!! 10-22-11 I - CANT - WAIT !!

Congrats Emily and Matt!!

some more 'jack'

2010-10-10T12:40:00.002-05:00

So we have had 'Jack' for 3 weeks....he went to the vet for a check up and one week later had gained 2.9 pounds...he has figured out that when we put him in his crate at night and when we leave that it is time to rest....he has had minimal accidents in the house....he hasn't chewed up anything (yet)....he has not, however, given up on the kids. He thinks they are playmates or sheep. Constantly following them and nipping at their ankles. All that aside, we'll keep him ;)

finley and soccer

2010-10-10T12:31:00.002-05:00

So Finley is playing soccer, or should I say is spending Saturday mornings running. She LOVES practice and does quite well. The games, however, she just runs in wide arc-ing circles. The-whole-time. Yesterday, it was UNSEASONABLY warm...like 85 degrees....she was a sweaty mess. One more game and we are finished with sports for the fall....maybe we will sign up for some swim lessons.....

JACK

2010-09-19T17:05:00.000-05:00

We have been on the hunt for a puppy since July. We put our name in at a breeder in Oneida and our Puppy was ready to come home this weekend. We tried to keep it a secret from the kids as best we could....Braden knew it was coming, just thought it was Sunday...Fin just knew it was coming at some point. We scooted over to Oneida on Saturday to pick him up. He will be 8 weeks on Wednesday. He is a Blue Merle Australian Shepherd....his name is "Jack" (for Jack Reacher -- Sean's favorite Literary character and Jack Sparrow -- Braden's choice for a name....so we met in the middle on Jack).
So far, so good....I feel bad for the little guy...i think he misses his litter mates (we took him from 4 other buddies)

But he mostly has spent his time doing this..................

were going back

2010-09-10T13:25:00.000-05:00

To Disney World that is!!!
We booked our flights last night (good deals on Air Tran for those interested till 9-16)
The kids have almost a MONTH off at Christmas so we are taking a getaway....
It will be January.....yay for much cooler weather....and it is low season.....yay for much better rates.
We are going with the Renfroe side of the family....who haven't been to disney since like 1985.....
Needless to say....we are EXCITED!!

confessions

2010-08-18T12:16:00.003-05:00

I am here to confess some things that you may not know about me. I think you all need to write your own confessions too… no. I am not a priest. But this could be interesting. Got the idea on a blog I saw, forgive me for forgetting the name!

Bring on the confessions!

- I am not a patient person. I yell at my computer often, and refrain from yelling a lot. Sometimes I think steam will come out of my ears. Scary thought!

- I don’t like my impatience one bit.

- I love vacations/getaways, however hate the chaos that is packing and unpacking....

- I still think we need vacations, but maybe just over weekends as in short getaways. ;)

- My husband has the best smelling deodorant, and I tell him his armpits smell good every time we snuggle......Yes I am dead serious. Although he tells me that I would be singing a different tune on his last trip to Ireland.

- I think Facebook is great, but it can be like high school all over again. Drama, gossip, etc. I didn’t like high school.

- When my kids, parents or other sensitive ears aren’t around I cuss like a sailor.

- I like to cuss, it is so second nature that sometimes I don't realize I do it.

- Speaking of second nature, am I the only one that changes lanes and then cant remember if I looked in the rearview mirror because it is such a habit?

-I am still trying to decide what to do when I grow up.....

-I wish I could be more disciplined in the diet arena, anyone know of any 'tips'?

- I do not like politics one bit. At all.....period.

- I love hearing my husband talk about stuff. He has this huge cache of knowledge in his brain...so much I am amazed that he remembers the little things, like what night trash night is.

- I dont go to church......regularly. I like church, I do, I just feel like I need to go to church for the sins I commit during church......i.e., not concentrating on church.

- Im not a fan of overly judgmental people, insects or squishy tomatoes.

- I am a girly girl. I enjoy shopping for shoes and makeup. For they always fit ;)

- I have actually been reading a series of books and CANNOT get through the first chapter of the last book.....seriously, I am almost there!

- I love flip flops. I would wear them 365 days a year, however they do nasty things to my feet.

- My favorite sound in the universe is my children's laughs

- I have craft ADD

- I love blog comments, and wish I had more time to leave a comment on all of your blogs!

- My mom and sister are two of the greatest ladies I know.

- I think this confessions post is getting a bit long!

- I can count my TRUE friends on one hand, and that includes my sisters.....is this a good thing or bad thing?

-I could be termed a Hermit.

-If my uterus would allow, I would have another child in a heartbeat....but not taking that chance.

- I love New York City. I wouldn't want to live there, but it is a great place to visit!! Love the city!

- I am an easy going person.

- I have a reeealllyyy hard time saying 'no' to people....which lends me to be pulled in 70 different directions any given day.

- I love my job :)

What are some FYI's about you that we may want to know??

First Day of School

2010-08-16T12:52:00.004-05:00

So not sure what the format is here.....regardless....District 205 started today, a week earlier than previous years and thankfully the weather "broke" and it is only in the 80's.

Braden is the big 2nd grader and Finley is in her second year of pre-school. Both were excited and ready to roll!!

We will see how the week fares and I'll report back later. Its only the first day.

on to the next sport

2010-07-24T12:08:00.000-05:00

after a super wet season, including 6 rainouts to make up, the Rookie Cubs season came to an end. we may not have been the fastest or strongest team....but the kids certainly HAD FUN!!

although im not sure this is the correct form for a catcher....

fun in the sun...or the dark

2010-07-23T14:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday it was still 85 degrees at 8:00....and I was watering the yard....so the kids decided to join in.

Happiest Place on Earth

2010-06-24T20:07:00.005-05:00

So we ventured south a few days back for our summer vacation. We had gone to Disney World in 2007 with the whole Kane Crew. Last Fall we decided we would go back. All the kids would be at a good age....well the other two Kane girls (NOT ME) decided to expand their families by one. Kari is due the middle of July, and it was decided that a trip at that time might be too close to delivery date. Shannon is due the beginning of September and she was a TROOPER down there. Not to mention we chose the hottest week of the summer thus far to go. Temps reached 98 degrees routinely and the heat index was 108-110...not complaining, it is Florida in June. The kids were super and I think a good time was had by all. We chose to stay off the park again this year, might not be every ones preference, but for our party of 14 it worked great. We rented a home with 6 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, huge game room, pool, hot tub, washer/dryer, fully furnished kitchen and LOTS of TVs for the multiple tastes....although the NBA tourney was on most of the evenings.....
We were joined this year by the Reed Family...Rock/Kari and Mallory were missed....but there is ALWAYS next time!!

It was the last "Star Wars Weekend" of the summer at Disney Studios...so there were lots of Star Wars stuff going on...parades full of familiar people, character signings....we saw Boba Fett, Jengo Fett, Darth Vader and Chewbacca...

With Maddie there (The Reed's oldest who is our regular babysitter) the adults were able to go out to eat one evening sans kids!!
Lots of pool time....this one is for Shannon....look at his air!!
By far the best fireworks around!
Only rained one day on us and we were at Downtown Disney....we were soaking....so why not jump in puddles!!
Finley got to meet her FAVORITE princess!!
Not my idea, but Finley insisted that I get my face painted too....Meme did too, but my picture isnt very good.
Cinderellas Castle...another favorite of Finely's
We ran into "chip and dip" as my nephew cole calls them....
The fam on the Magic Carpet Ride
???Future Christmas Picture?????
I have a zillion pictures, these are just a few. We had a great time!! Hopefully we will head back in JANUARY!!

new project

2010-06-10T08:28:00.002-05:00

Its official....I am crazy. I have found YET ANOTHER cool craft my machine can do...
Mind you, it took me about an hour to figure out how to do it and complete the simple project...but I loved the finished project. I am hoping to embroider a name under this cute little birdie....Henry? (new baby to my cousin Caroline)
Abigail ? (expectant baby to my sister in law Kari)
Kellan ? (expectant baby to my other sister in law Shannon)
not to mention Jeanine (my hairdresser who is gonna deliver any day now)
THE POSSIBILITIES ARE ENDLESS!!

clickety clack

2010-06-04T17:00:00.000-05:00

Our FIRST experience with dance lessons this year is culminating tonight. They had a rehearsal last night and she did great....keep your fingers crossed tonight goes as well.

The whole class....i blurred the other girls faces out incase their mommas dont want them on the world wide web.

water bomb

2010-06-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day brought a impromptu visit from the Millers....it was HOT, we still have no stable yard but do have a nice back patio.....soooooo why not have a water balloon fight??

Getting SERIOUS

2010-05-20T11:27:00.002-05:00

So I have had multiple people from here and there ask me if I have a name for my "business". NO I dont.....basically because I havent taken it very seriously. Well, now I am getting serious....sorta. But before I get sorta serious, I need a name....so I can make labels, and hang tags, and a website (hint hint hint Kari).

This is where you come in......I am stuck.....I cannot come up with a name that I will like in 13 months from now. I dont want my name, last name, kids names, anything tagging it to me. It has to almost be generic....like Purple Pansy....or Blueberry Pancakes.....but it also has to have something that I can assign a image too....for instance a picture of a pansy on the tag.

I create ALOT....stamped necklaces, pins, burpcloths, key fobs, embroider, girls dresses, aprons, totebags, tile necklaces, small zippered pouch things, basically a random assortment of stuff so I cant get specific that way....see the delimma??

So if you can come up with THE PERFECT NAME...
you WIN!!

And your prize??

25.00!!

Who couldnt use 25.00??

Give me all you got!! Comment anonymously.....just be sure that I can get ahold of you if you win!!

Deadline is one week from today....MAY 27....

easy teacher appreciation gift

2010-05-06T17:05:00.001-05:00

Here is an EASY teacher appreciation gift....or for anyone.
All you need is some scrapbook paper, plastic frames, post-it pad, embellishments, and glue

Cut your paper to fit the frame (use insert for guide)...feel free to layer paper if you wish

insert into frame so that the base is like so (see below)

add embelishments and glue pad down.....voila! Cost ME 1.00 for the frame and like 4.00 for 5 pads of post-its. I had all the other supplies floating around the house.

no post in one month

2010-05-05T21:52:00.004-05:00

So I do have excuses for not blogging....
We have been super busy since Easter. A weekend trip to Champaign, Baseball practice starting, Funerals, First Communions, nice weather forcing us outside (ha), filling in more at Cooks and Company, school, life, laundry, etc....not complaining, know everysingle one of you is in the same boat...I just put blogging on the back burner obviously.

Bradens first hit of the season....

some of the 22, yes 22 Mothers Day orders I had

cute teacher project I want to do (in all my spare time)

pictures done....

my current motto

keyfob orders by this weekend

pile of new washed and folded fabric im dying to get into.....(again in my spare time)

doing laundry isn't the problem....its putting it away

rainy days

2010-04-08T06:58:00.001-05:00

A rainy day was forecasted for Wednesday (during Spring Break) so Nana and I ventured with the kids to the Quad Cities to go to Monkey Joe's again and possibly the zoo (yay) if the weather cleared. Well....needless to say, it rained the whole day. So after a few hours at MJ's we braved Chuck E Cheese.....we were there for at least 2 hours and were the ONLY people there. An added bonus....they were doing maintenance all the machines so they ALL WORKED!! We also met some friends there so it was nice for the kids to play while the adults chatted....who am I kidding, the adults played too!! The biggest hit were these "cheesy" i.d. cards for a token. They are little drivers license size cards with your pictures on it. I am a "VIP Diva".....your surprised?? Ha!! Then a power trip through Kohls...seriously....30 minutes, a drive thru Whitey's Ice Cream and back to Galesburg. Fun Day!!

not sure why this picture is to the left.....and it wont center???

Hello EMPTY monkey joes!!

annual strawberry pancakes

2010-04-04T12:06:00.003-05:00

Another "first time in a long time"...all the Burgland grandkids, significant others and great grand kids at grandmas for strawberry pancakes.....we actually have "reservations" so we all overlap. Georges crew at 9, Margies crew at 930 and John's crew at 1000. While we were all there a picure was a must!!
Kane family....in our Easter Best...hahaha

Mike, Caroline (and Baby Cormier) and Aunt Margaret
Luke, Rich and Amy...who had THE COOLEST shoes on today.
Hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday.

egg hunt

2010-04-04T12:01:00.001-05:00

Today was the FIRST Easter in a long time that it was decent enough for the Easter Bunny to leave some eggs outside. Northern Illinois is usually rainy, cold, damp, windy and wet on Easter. The kids were excited to have to "hunt" inside and out!!

eggs

2010-04-03T19:26:00.001-06:00

Like a majority of folks, this evening we colored some eggs. Actually it went quite smoothly and they all turned out real well. The secret is to go back a second time and re-dip. Makes the eggs more vibrant and the experience longer. My parents didn't have any plans, so they brought some Chinese food...yum and helped out. Well, dad helped. Mom, bless her heart, folded our laundry!! Thanks mom, that was super nice. Thanks dad, you were a huge help as well!

im at it again....

2010-03-29T19:24:00.001-06:00

any guesses?

pretties, blue hair and twinkletoes

2010-03-29T19:23:00.001-06:00

some pretties for st. pattys day

complete with belles of ireland

blue hair for school spirit week crazy hair day

and some 'twinkletoes' for our twinkletoe

the heart of the home

2010-03-22T15:19:00.005-06:00

For those of you who check the blog to see any home pictures.....here is your post. To most, the kitchen is the heart of the home. Our home is no exception. We built the home with the intention to have an, open, yet cozy kitchen area.

view from back hallway. straight ahead, through the doorway is my desk on the right, pantry on the left, butler pantry on the right a little further then the dining room.

half of the fridge and the "appliance garages". we normally have them closed, I just opened them to show you what is inside.

the range....i love it

view from range to living room
view from living room

another view

view from fridge corner...you can see the back patio and hallway to back entrance/garage

view from my desk (sorta). you can see the relation to the eating spot...and our plantation shutters which I am SO GLAD we did. really warmed up the area and didnt bog it down with a zillion window treatments.

so there you go....our kitchen

luck of the irish

2010-03-17T05:10:00.001-06:00

May Your Neighbors Respect You,

Troubles Neglect You,

The Angels Protect You,

And Heaven Accept You.

Happy St. Patricks Day!!

A Richardson Reader

2010-03-16T16:53:00.001-06:00

I was informed today that Braden was the first in his class to finish reading ALL 20 of his Richardson Reader books and answer all the tests for them!! Way to go buddy!! Who says a 26 week 2 lb preemie may not be a "student"!! You definately take after your father in the reading department ;0). We are PROUD!!

He got to go tell the principal and she COVERS them in these stickers....he will also get a medal and an "ice cream treat"....I think he zipped through them just for the treat.

Now that we're out

2010-03-10T07:45:00.000-06:00

For all of you that have EVER been in the 979 N Prairie St house...better known as our home for the last three years....but even better known as the Kane's house.....they are GUTTING the first floor and totally re-doing it. I haven't any "before" pictures, other that candids from years passed. But here are some in progress shots. These were taken this past weekend and I will try to get more this coming weekend. Our weekends have been spent helping them pack up their stuff and shuffle it around...some to our house, so to their front room, some in the dumpster. They are also leveling the garage and building a new one so we also were clearing that out.

original kitchen...future pantry/laundry room

same as above

current dining room looking towards back of house. There used to be a wall there.....future kitchen/into family room

current sunroom and tv room (where wallpaper is). Where the ladder is used to be a closet. in the future they will move one window to the right and put a fireplace between the two.

teddybear clinic

2010-03-04T07:54:00.000-06:00

When I say not much has gone on, I mean it....well a lot has gone on, however not much that is "blog" worthy. I think the next few weeks will prove to be different. Finley's preschool attended the "teddy bear" clinic at the local Junior College. It was done by the nursing students there. Quite neat....measure bear (or in her case her Ugly Doll), child, bear with child, learn about fire, first aid, teeth, nutrition, healthy heart, stranger danger, etc.....I swung through for a few pictures, but didnt want to stay the whole time. I think Fin participates more when "Mommy" isnt there!!

still snowing?

2010-02-22T07:40:00.000-06:00

I started my morning shoveling this....I am getting sick of shoveling.

It sure is pretty, however, getting sick of shoveling

Is thankful there was school today...we have tickets to Disney June 11th...getting sick of shoveling

....and.....our tv is out, DISH isnt "acquiring signal"....wonder why.....getting sick of shoveling

friday.....

2010-02-20T08:23:00.002-06:00

Today marks the end of my "day in the life...."

As you can see it is really not all that glamorous. Today was a day to attempt to get my craft room in order. I still had half of it in the garage, so my parents came over to help take it inside as well as move luggage, baby clothes, some entertaining stuff, exercise stuff and halloween stuff to the basement. We also discussed some future projects for the garage and the basement. I cant wait, they are all projects that Sean and I can do together!! I also went Excedrine Sinus shopping for the hubby and took it and a hot cup of tea up to him at work....yes, we are still cruddy. I also shopped for storage containers and an iron. Thinking about hitting the dollar store for big glass jars....have 2 want more. But they are like 12.00. I know that doesnt sound like a lot, but 5 more is 60.00....nice math, right?

I slowly have been dusting shelves and moving shelves and thinking. It is just like the kitchen, I have to think where the best place would be for these things. I am also thinking....still am....if I really will use some of this stuff. I went through a card making phase and have a small collection of rubber stamps. Not sure if I will use them too frequently. Same with the 30 lbs of scrapbook paper I have.....so for now I am keeping them. They may make a disappearance in the future. Maybe box 'em up and send 'em to the basement. Needless to say it isnt finished and it is on my adgenda this weekend....as well as finishing our closet and the garage.....we still have a few loads of garage stuff and such at the Kanes that we need to get out of there pretty quickly. They have some projects of their own going on over there that they need stuff cleared out.

A friend has asked me to make her kids a skirt off a pattern she has purchased. So i quick practiced last night....seriously took me 20 minutes for the skirt. There is a tie to go with, but haven't done that yet. Pardon the not matching shirt. We were just trying it on for size. I personally think the top ruffle is way too big. Oddly, the patter calls for all sizes to have the same size ruffle. So on the 7-8 size it will probably be fine, may want to shorten it slightly for the smaller sizes.
Craft room in progress..............

The stuff waiting to go in....please note that it is all in right now, not put away nicely, but our bathroom is clear.
What are your plans for the weekend?

whoo hoo

2010-02-19T13:50:00.002-06:00

Just a little excitement in the Kane family household.................HERE

Thursday

2010-02-19T07:19:00.004-06:00

So here it is FRIDAY reaaaallll early. I will recap Thursday for you....

UP, same type of morning, but after I drop the kids off I take Sean a book and some breakfast. I love doing stuff like that for him. I even threw a donut in the breakfast bag. It is just nice to see him at 915 on a Thursday morning in his element. Made my day.
Then off to Walmart...needed baking supplies. Due to a communication error I was afraid we wouldn't have a dessert at the luncheon I referred to in Wednesdays post....and a movie. So walmart was the store of convienence.
Flew home and started baking and chopping.....trying desperately to keep the kitchen not so crazy messy and keeping me clean for the meeting. 1145 I was out the door with enough stuff for 3 large salads, buttered bread and 2 white texas sheet cakes. Flew by Cooks and Company to take out the flowers and was at the meeting site by 1200................................................................................jump to 245, leave there go to McDonalds for the much needed diet coke, no Kari we didnt have Shamrock Shakes--they start tomorrow, and then to pick up Fin. In the mean time my phone went cukoo.....erased all my texts, however got the one that Braden was in the office not feeling well, looking like crap, but no temp. NIIIICE.

That is about the extent of excitement....ususal home stuff, homework, baths, playing, dinner, etc.

Here is the playroom above the garage....PARDON THE MESS!!!!!!!!!! Goal for this weekend, get it organized
looking from the playroom window directly across.....stairs to the right bathroom to the left

bedroom
bathroom
bathroom

Day 3

2010-02-19T07:02:00.004-06:00

****edited to add***** It was brought to my attention that I had stopped....So I checked and funny thing, I saved these posts to post in March....wouldnt that have been confusing***

So it is Hump Day here in the Kane house, the smooth slide towards the weekend. What is a weekend anyway? When you have a job that is 24/7....you are always a mom, right....and a husband that odds are will be working at the crack of dawn on Saturday and Sunday....the weekends are just like the rest of the week. Really.

I thought today was going to be a good cross the things off the list day, at least that was my intention, but noooooo, woke up with a head cold. Nothing major, but just enough to slow me down.
Same as yesterday, kids ready, medicated kids, forgot medicating myself (first mistake), ran kids to school, tanning bed....again, I know, I know. Then off to exercise (second mistake). I see a personal trainer VERY sporadically these days and he basically kicked my heiny today and that, mixed with my head cold put me down for the count. Home to regroup, with not much luck, then off to the grocery store. I am doing food for a ladies luncheon tomorrow and needed to get working on that.......blah blah blah

Here are some things that I had hopes of crossing off my list...

laundry
laundry away
CLEAN OUT MY CAR...looks like im living in there
jeans to tailor to shorten (flat season is around the corner)
make my monthly grocery list (stuff you need once a month...syrup, sour cream, etc)
collect all the legos that are multiplying in the tv room
shovel the drifted front walk
change the lone out lightbulb outside
shop for storage container for craft room
work on a skirt for a friend
work on a stamped charm for a friend
FINISH my closet (would take 1 hour if I would just do it)
organize downstairs laundry room
call about the humidifier
clean off my desk
pay bills now that the internet is up and running
get to the photographer to select some pictures of kids we had taken

So see...there are a zillion things I could be doing.....but hanging on the couch with the kids sounds so much more interesting.
Well were off...530 CCD and then Ash Wednesday mass at 600...
ON TO TOMORROW!!

here is a picture of the bookcases around the fireplace for Finleys birthday.....maybe i will take some blank pictures of it.

Tuesday

2010-02-17T04:51:00.001-06:00

So I decided that my daily life wasnt that exciting.....today proved to be no different. Up and getting ready, dispensing meds to all at home, making a lunch and breakfasts, out the door ALL THE WAY across town and then ALL THE WAY back (poor planning but we like it). Kids safely at school, mom in tanning bed....i know, i know, i know. Cancelled my personal training appt because I wasnt in the mood to be told what to do....walmart, gnc, pick up fin, tap dance, her hair cut, home for her nap, laundry, pick up braids, home to collect recycling.....that is where i am now. plans for tonight.....sitter taking care of dinner, hubby and i have a "date" dinner to go to, yes it's tuesday.....btw we had a GREAT time ;)

Have you seen these socks? I had heard of them, but living in Galesburg doesn't provide much of the new stuff. A friend who lives in NYC sent some to her sister who gave me a pair. I then found some at Toys R Us in the QC and got a pair for fin. 3 come in a pack...you chose the ones you want to wear. They have tights, outfits for babies, bedding, bags, etc.....Denim and Pearls...a boutique here in town now carries some, check them out!!

my dad had the afternoon off and came over to hang with Fin while I picked up Braden so I didnt have to wake her from her nap.....now he is doing some Lego's with Brady

Here is our "formal" dining room.....could eventually be a formal living/sitting room if we ever choose to. PLEASE NOTE....there are MINIMAL decorations/stuff. Note the hutch is EMPTY!!! All our stuff for that is in the basement, havent gotten it out yet. Just not ready.

day 1

2010-02-16T07:17:00.003-06:00

DAY 1

Monday...but not a typical Monday....it was Presidents Day, so the kids were home. This morning Braden had a dr. appt to do a well being and weight check for the medication he takes. I was going to work at Cooks and Company for awhile, like ive been doing every Monday, so the kids were gonna hang at Nana Margies. So we went to McDonalds...yes im a good mom, i feed my kids McDs on the run, dropped Fin off at Nanas, and flew to the Dr. We were there an hour to learn Brady hadn't gained any weight since August......good times. So he got the go ahead to eat whatever he wants whenever...calories, calories, calories. I wish someone would tell me that!! We ran back to Nanas to drop off Braden then I flew back downtown to Cooks. There I cleared Valentines displays, condensed the new Valentine sale stuff, did a few flower arrangements, took down the upside down Christmas tree and did a St. Pattys display. Then home I flew. Mom was at my house by now so Fin could nap......which she didnt....."im not tired". Mom left and the kids and I watched some tv for awhile. I then decided what to cook for dinner.....hadnt many options, so the grocery store is on the agenda today (tuesday) and headed up to the playroom to START to go through the pile that is Christmas, Fin Bday and Braden Bday gifts....made some progress. Made kids dinner, started Sean and I's, and then took the kids upstairs for a bath. Sean got home about this point (745 ish) and we headed back down to chill for the rest of the evening.....
Whew.....
On to Tuesday....

The picture above is of our back hallway where we hang coats/hats/scarves/bags.....shoes go here too. There are lidded cubbies in the bench and flip open cubbies above. We were going to do lockers, but felt they were too confining so this is a lockerless locker area.

success

2010-02-15T07:17:00.003-06:00

have you been looking for us? we've been here. just hunkered down at the house like most people.
i am 99.9 % percent certain that our internet problems have been fixed. a big shout out to office specialists here in galesburg for figuring it out. long story short....the router that was installed, NOT BY ME, was assigned a static IP address and as most peoples internet service is...it has a dynamic IP address. so when the internet provider would change the IP address, as it does every 3 hours, the router would lose the connection because it didnt recognize the new IP address. the people who installed the router came out here multiple times and reset the router...it would work for 3 hours, but they would be long gone by then. they are out of davenport so they would have to schedule sometime to come back. it was a weekly thing. they blamed the internet provider, the internet signal was strong to the house, it was frustrating. i finally called in a third party, kinda "non-partisan"....and here we are today...4 days and no interruption of service!!
needless to say i have lots of backlogged pictures.....thanksgiving, nana's birthday, grandads birthday, christmas, new years, the move, fin's birthday, braden's birthday, lots of snow, etc. maybe i will just start new.

Most recently...Valentines Day. Did you all have a nice one? Ours was quiet, but nice. We enjoyed dinner out on Saturday and a lazy day on Sunday. Sean took Braden to 'Percy Jackson........The Lightening Thief' and finley napped, so i enjoyed 2 hours of quiet yesterday afternoon.

Today is Monday, the kids are off from school...they are still in bed. Why am i up you ask, who knows.

Thus, today will begin my 'a day in the life' of this stay at home (kinda) mom.....hold on to your hats!!

Here is one picture I can get to fast......this is our day to day dining room...right off the kitchen.

dont give up

2010-02-10T10:08:00.002-06:00

so we are STILL having internet problems. lovely new house with crappy internet problems. the internet provider says they are good....the installers who did a whole house system thingy say they are good....REGARDLESS it still doesn't work. tomorrow a third party is coming in to do some investigating and hopefully will fix the problem. KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED.

TODAY is Braden's 7th birthday...Lucky Number 7. He has been lucky all his life, starting with his first breath. Feel free to revisit his beginning HERE.

So Happy Birthday Braden!! Have a great day at school. He took 24 FRESH long johns (his favorite) as his treat...I hope they dont send any back home.

So please check back....I so hope that my internet gets fixed. DONT give up on me. ;)

an experiement

2010-01-25T22:16:00.002-06:00

due to technical difficulties, we have no internet access at our house currently. i do, however, have a netbook (wireless) and can "surf the net" or more importantly, pay bills. i cant, or wont, upload my pictures to it, would rather to my base computer. therefore, i haven't updated the blog. who wants to read my blog without pictures. i read COUNTLESS blogs that do or dont have images and continue to read them daily. i dont know how some of those people do that...blog daily. they must blog like a weeks worth of blogs on monday to post all week. too much work for me.

a lot has happened recently....nana's birthday, thanksgiving, grandad's birthday, christmas, new years, moving, my dads birthday, finleys birthday...and countless other kodak moments. in all honesty, this blog has become kinda blah for me. i guess i think no one is reading it, and those who are--are family and see it in real time. i love my family. i think my kids are cute. i am,like most moms, biased. you all probably dont feel the need to see a picture of finley blowing bubbles or bradens lost tooth. maybe i use this blog to chronicle events instead of a scrapbook....because I dont scrapbook...but some days i think...really, does anyone care?

IF, and its a big IF, our internet is stable and working, i might do an experiment next week.

"a week in the life of this stay at home mom". nothing out of the ordinary special is happening next week, so you all will get a first hand experience at what my days consist of....its a forewarning. if you could care less...dont check back next week at all. i am going to TRY to update daily....hold on to your hats...im sure it will be riviting!! (can you sense the sarcasm?)

We're In, We're In!!

2010-01-07T09:00:00.002-06:00

So on Christmas Eve we "moved in"....technically we "slept in". We had been moving all our stuff with the help of our families the whole month of December with the hopes of being "in" by Christmas. Needless to say we have worked our tails off and I am sick to death of cardboard. EVERYTHING except for a few carloads (random toys, my crafting inventory and some odds and ends) is in the house. In the house, not where it is supposed to be, but in the house. The kids rooms are basically put together as well as the toy room and guest rooms. Sean office, our closet, basement and garage NEED SOME WORK. But that is ok!!! We are in and that is all that counts. There is still some odds and end indoor work to be done....the guys are here today installing our blinds and plantation shutters. The security people are coming tommorrow to finish that up as well as show us how to use our entertainment stuff...Outside still needs tons of COSMETIC stuff, but that will wait till spring. Due to all of this....we don't have internet so I cant upload any pictures, although I havent taken any of interest....too busy.
My thoughts are to show you the house via pictures soon. I also have lofty goals to get a "happy new years, happy new house" card out...as well as plan Finleys 4th birthday party with Bradens 7th right around that corner...as well as still unpack, shovel the drive, laundry, remember where I put things, organize my craft room, get the kids to school on time, remember to eat, try to exercise (my best stress reliever since I dont drink), more laundry, finish my closet (thanks em!!), etc. etc. etc.

We had a wonderful Christmas in our new home!! The kids were excited, Braden gets it, Fin is still on the fence. She has lived on Prairie Street since she was 6 months old, so it is the only home she has known. We spent the entire Holiday season with family....Sean's brother and sister and their families were here a bunch because Gran (Seans grandmother) and Sean's Uncle Ron and Aunt Joyce were here. My sister and brother and their significant others were around as well!! So it was a busy holiday season to boot!!
I hope you all had a wonderful, happy holiday season!!

Girls vs Boys

2009-12-14T13:55:00.000-06:00

SNOWBALL FIGHT

not lost

2009-12-10T07:42:00.001-06:00

yes im still here, no were not in the house, yes we are uber close, no im not stressing ;), yes we have grand plans to be "in" by christmas, no "Santa wont miss us", yes the kids are excited, no I am not finished with christmas shopping, yes we arent sending out christmas cards (new house, new year), no im not stressing ;), yes I am finding it hard to buckle down, no im not stressing ;), yes everyone is helping with what they can, no im not stressing ;).

Check back in 10 days, I may be singing a different tune!!

decisions decisions

2009-11-15T22:54:00.003-06:00

have you seen this light yet? it is the side entrance of the house......we are about 2 weeks from being able to move in.....so close that i am starting to FREAK OUT!!

So I am thinking I need a name for my "craft business". I know it really isn't a business and it really doesn't pay the bills.....but.....in case I ever want to really try to sell my "crap" I need a name.....any suggestions????

randoms

2009-11-01T21:04:00.002-06:00

While checking out Sarah's blog to see what her usually crazy Halloween costume was this year, i discovered that I had been tagged.....

The rules are: Copy and change the answers to suit you and pass it on. You must use only one word answers! Once you have filled it out you then pass it on to 6 of your favorite bloggers and alert them that they have been awarded.

1. Where is your cell phone? kitchen
2. Your hair? staticy
3. Your mother? creative
4. Your father? genius
5. Your favorite food? mexican
6. Your dream last night? broken
7. Your favorite drink? diet coke
8. Your dream/goal? HOUSE
9. What room are you in? family
10. Your hobby? creating
11. Your fear? helplessness
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
13. Where were you last night? trickortreating
14. Something that you aren't? brave
15. Muffins? cinnamon
16. Wish list item? HOUSE
17. Where did you grow up? Galesburg
18. Last thing you did? legos
19. What are you wearing? slippers
20. Your TV? random
21. Your pets? None
22. Friends? few
23. Your life? cluttered
24. Your mood? chaotic
25. Missing someone? no
26. Vehicle? changing
27. Something you’re not wearing? Bra
28. Your favorite store? tjmaxx
29. Your favorite color? Black
30. When was the last time you laughed? today
31. Last time you cried? often
32. Your best friend? Sean
33. One place that I go to over and over? Gale
34. One person who emails me regularly? Tracy Porter
35. Favorite place to eat? El Ranch

So I am going to tag......Alyssa (cause Sarah did), Kari (cause she might do this), Jen M (cause she won my apron), Deana (cause she has a new BABY GIRL!! Hi Tatum!!)

happy halloween

2009-10-31T21:54:00.001-06:00

full moon to boot!! great halloween here in the 'burg. super chilly, yet not freezing, crunchy leaves, lots of kids out and about, a full moon, and the Yankees waiting for us when we got done....plus it is "fall back" tonight...whoohoo!!

10 step program

2009-10-27T21:47:00.002-06:00

I read this on a random blog I check out for her crafts....it made me giggle....

I adore my kids, they make me laugh, teach me new things (or at least what I have forgotten), remind me to not sweat the small stuff, but there are days that are trying. Today was a trying day, but not because of the munchkins. Lesson 6 makes me laugh the hardest....although 5 is funny too!!

Thinking of Having Kids?
Do This 10 Step Program First

Lesson 1
Before you finally go ahead and have children, find a couple who already are parents and berate them about their...
1. Methods of discipline
2. Lack of patience
3. Appallingly low tolerance levels
4. Allowing their children to run wild
5. Suggest ways in which they might improve their child's breastfeeding, sleep habits, toilet training, table manners, and overall behavior.
Enjoy it because it will be the last time in your life you will have all the answers.

Lesson 2
A really good way to discover how the nights might feel...
1. Get home from work and immediately begin walking around the living room from 5pm to 10pm carrying a wet bag weighing approx. 8-12 pounds, with a radio turned to static (or some other obnoxious sound) playing loudly.
2. At 10pm, put the bag down gently, set the alarm for midnight, and go to sleep.
3. Get up at midnight and walk around the living room again, with the bag, until 1am.
4. Set alarm for 3am.
5. As you can't get back to sleep, get up at 2am and watch an infomercial.
6. Go to bed at 2:45.
7. Get up at 3am when alarm goes off.
8. Sing songs quietly in the dark until 4am.
9. Get up. Make breakfast. Get ready for work and go to work (work hard and be productive.)
Repeat steps 1-9 each night. Keep this up for 3-5 years. Look cheerful and together.

Lesson 3
Can you stand the mess children make? To find out...
1. Smear peanut butter onto the sofa and jam onto the curtains.
2. Hide a piece of raw chicken behind the stereo and leave it there all summer.
3. Stick your fingers in the flower bed.
4. Then rub them on the clean walls.
5. Take your favorite book, photo album, etc. Wreck it.
6. Spill milk on your new pillows. Cover the stains with crayons. How does that look?

Lesson 4
Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems.
1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh.
2. Attempt to put the octopus in the bag so that none of the arms hang out.
Time allowed for this- all morning.

Lesson 5
Forget the BMW and buy a mini-van. And don't think that you can leave it out in the driveway spotless and shining. Family cars don't look like that.
1. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there.
2. Get a dime. Stick it in the CD player.
3. Take a family size package of chocolate cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Sprinkle Cheerios all over the floor, them smash them with your foot.
4. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car.

Lesson 6
Go to the grocery store. Take the closest thing you can find to a pre-school child. (A full-grown goat is an excellent choice). If you intend to have more than one child, then definitely take more than one goat. Buy your week's groceries without letting the goats out of your sight. Pay for everything the goats eat or destroy. Until you can easily accomplish this, do not even contemplate having children.

Lesson 7
1. Hollow out a melon.
2. Make a small hole in the side.
3. Suspend it from the ceiling and swing it from side to side.
4. Now get a bowl of soggy Cheerios and attempt to spoon them into the swaying melon by pretending to be an airplane.
5. Continue until half the Cheerios are gone.
6. Tip half into your lap. The other half, just throw up in the air.
You are now ready to feed a 9 month-old baby.

Lesson 8
Learn the names of every character from all shows on PBS, the Disney Channel and Noggin. Watch nothing else on TV but shows from these channels for at least 5 years. (I know, you're thinking "what is Noggin?") Exactly the point.

Lesson 9
Make a recording of Fran Drescher saying 'mommy' repeatedly. (Important: no more than a four second delay between each 'mommy'; occasional crescendo to the level of supersonic jet is required). Play this tape in your car everywhere you go for the next four years. You are now ready to take a long trip with a toddler.

Lesson 10
Start talking to an adult of your choice. Have someone else continually tug on your skirt hem, shirt sleeve, or elbow while playing the 'mommy' tape made from lesson 9 above. You are now ready to have a conversation with an adult while there is a child in the room.

halloween has happened

2009-10-25T22:20:00.002-06:00

The first of many costume changes started tonight. We had a Halloween Party to go to tonight. Fin gets to wear her costume to tap class on Tuesday. Both kid's school parties are Friday and the actual trick-or-treating in Galesburg is Saturday.......

"Snake Eyes" from GI Joe....

"Jesse" from Toy Story II.....complete with a wig!

it's fall on prairie street

2009-10-25T22:17:00.000-06:00

i want a pair!

2009-10-22T16:42:00.002-05:00

they are for her Halloween costume....I can tell they will become a "staple" in her shoe wardrobe (she picks what shoes she wears daily).....I want some in MY size!

work in progress

2009-10-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

My current "work in progress".....after pics to come soooooon!

what to do with lots of apples

2009-10-19T22:30:00.001-05:00

Meme left these apples and they were going to go bad. So what does one do with apples? Make applesauce!!

18 apples made 4 pints.....not a lot. But tasty, might have to have some for a snack right now!

the official last

2009-10-19T22:20:00.003-05:00

Due to unforseen circumstances, Streators last football game of the season was heading towards a forfeit by the opposing team. Knowing that, we headed to Morris to see their last game of the 09 season.
Cole and Braden spent most of the second half digging for worms....Cole was keeping them "in my pocket, mom!"

Finley fell walking to the stands. Her hands were in her pockets...couldnt catch herself and now has a nasty looking nose....

the crew that was there after the game

Mallory was there....she needs a new hat Kari, the thing kept sliding up her head. She must be blessed with the same genes our kids have!!

Meme hanging with her grandaughters

Grandad and his grandkids!! We've had a blast Grandad!

spider song

2009-10-13T15:32:00.003-05:00

Finley's new song....

Im a little spider, watch me spin. I'll let you be my dinner, I'll let you come in.

When I spin a web to hold you tight. I'll gobble you up in one big bite!

adventure with a semi truck

2009-10-12T15:00:00.000-05:00

Mr. Kane's Nephew Joe (so Sean and Shannons Cousin) is in Galesburg for business reasons. He happens to be a truck driver and drives the mail currently from Galesburg to Des Moines. He came over this weekend while Steve/Shannon and Co. were in town to visit. He only has his "rig" here in town, so he comes over in it. All of us, except Meme and Grandad, have never seen the inside of a semi-truck so we of course HAD to check it out.....

Barely as tall as the tires
climbing in....with assistance

hanging out in the street while the kids were jumping on the bed and switching EVERY switch

we were there too.....

mayhem inside

"drivin" and Shannon dismounting....

getting ready to go for a ride...we think Joe is hiding

heading out. Joe took them around town and let them all honk the horn.....they had a BALL!!

fun with cake

2009-10-12T07:00:00.000-05:00

I made this the messy way....didnt trim the layers....and didnt have enough frosting.....ut boy was it cool to see and was YUMMY!!

Kane, the Next Iron Chef, decorated the cake for me!!

Oddly enough, all the kids had a different favorite color.....but they all tasted the same!

another "last"

2009-10-11T21:27:00.002-05:00

Sean's Mom and Dad are both retiring at the end of this school year. Mrs. from being the media specialist/librarian at Streator High School and Mr. from being the football coach/athletic director for Streator High School. For the last 18 football seasons, I have watched Coach Kane in some capacity. Our Fall is dedicated to travelling somewhere to watch his team battle another. I, have only been a part of 18 seasons.....almost HALF of his career.....40 years. Coach Kane has been a Head Coach for 40 football seasons. This is his last year and we went to his last Home game this past week.....
I apologize for the photos...I took my crappy camera due to the weather and it has a horrible flash for night images. It wasn't the outcome the Bulldogs were hoping for, however I am glad we went. I cannot imagine what is rolling around in Mr. Kanes head...what he will do on Sunday nights when he normally has to get back to work. Even better, Mrs. Kane. To be able to watch the football game as a "spectator" and not as someone involved, or with something at stake, or having to hear the comments of others. Bittersweet I am sure.

couple of hams....

proud daughter

The ENTIRE Sterling team hollered at Coach Kane and stopped him on the field. The ENTIRE team shook his hand......nice touch, class acts.

I, for one, Mr. Kane will really miss having someone to root for!!!!!!! It has been fun talking about the upcoming season, how practices/players are going, wearing school colors, and cheering you on!! However, you deserve some time to yourself......no more bus rides ;).

We Love You!!

fun halloween cocktails

2009-10-04T16:04:00.000-05:00

how FUN do these look like to make AND drink!!

silly photos

2009-09-28T20:04:00.002-05:00

can you guess who is who?
(braden, sean carrying a box on his shoulder, fin on my shoulders)

fin and i in the fun house mirror.

Tanner Pit Stop

2009-09-28T19:58:00.001-05:00

Sean had a weekend off so we headed to Streator after we picked Brady up from school to see the Streator-LP game. We took a pit-stop at Tanners Orchard. It was super quiet....Friday at 5 is a nice time to visit!!

We did all the usual, just didn't show you the pics.....fed the goats/llamas, corn maze, tried all the samples, ignored the kids pleas to buy the fake stuffed kittys, played in the sand, on the plane, on the boat, etc....

and this room is alllllmmmmmooooost finished. Actually since this photo was taken, the sink was properly installed as well as the faucet. The backsplash was also tiled and grouted. All that needs to be done is second coat of paint on the trim and to install the washer and dryer...oh yeah, a good cleaning too.

dancing devil

2009-09-28T19:36:00.003-05:00

So Fin's dance (tap) class is going well. It is 30 minutes a week and parents can only watch the last 5 minutes of the class. I am not sure how well she does (listening) because like all dance studios, there are mirrors EVERYWHERE. In typical 3 year old girl fashion, she enjoys her reflection in the mirror. I am not sure WHERE she gets that, right Mom? Anyway, they show us what they have learned that day at the end.....'Spunky Monkey'. I think in the last month they have learned 10 seconds of the dance....teee heeee heee. It is a nice time for me to chat with the other moms (at least 2 other Gale parents there), weed out my address book, clean out my purse, fill in my calendar, etc.

annnnnd, another favorite when we let her is watch DWTS. Last season I danced with her for EVERY SONG, which got tiring and wasn't condusive to accomplishing much. This season, she dances with Batman.....

and apparently is kissing him.....Sean and I have our work cut out for us.

Ireland

2009-09-13T16:35:00.002-05:00

Unknown to most of you....Sean was out of the country for 9 days. Way toooo long for me, however he had a great time, but was happy to be back home (so were we!!). He went to Ireland, how could he not have a great time? Here are some of his pictures. I am sure they are out of order, but wanted to share some of the beauty Ireland has to offer!!

extracurricular

2009-09-01T05:28:00.000-05:00

well, the time has come. the time to see if braden enjoys football as much as his dad and grandad do. galesburg's jfl flag football division is for 1, 2 and 3rd graders. braden, being the 1st grader, was able to play, he said yes, we signed him up....he is BY far the smallest kid on the team and almost the "slowest" runner...he has NO stride, his legs are short. but, our 26 week 2 lb preemie is out there trying his best to keep up. he may not play again next year (who knows), but he is making us proud this year.

up-downs...i didn't do one of these till high school....

blocking...another first grader, luckily they are close in size

the first game we saw a lot of this.....

and more of this...those darn mouth pieces

So what about miss fin you might ask....well aside from LOVING preschool (she even asked if she could on Saturday) she is starting dance (pre-tap....we didn't think she was the ballet type...) today. i just hope they dont let parents in because I will be CRACKING UP!!!

exactly how cute are these???? smallest size Payless (thank god) had

they are asked to wear "proper" dance attire

heaven help me

now THIS is how i would expect her dancing to look....as she referred to her legs ALL afternoon....i've got "LOCO LEGS"

anyone have any suggestions?

2009-08-31T18:53:00.002-05:00

I really, really, really, really want to put plantation shutters on the front/main windows of the house....in total it would be 13 windows and 1 double window. However, I know they are uber expensive. Lowes and Menards has them, as well as JC Penney. Does ANYONE have any suggestions on where to get a "deal" on them. Obviously at the end of the construction process there is little left in the budget for "decorating". We could wait to do the shutters after the first of the year, however I hate to "waste" money putting a temporary fix in them. So I am sending this out to all my bloggie friends.....please let me know if you all have any suggestions. Even if you never comment, now is the time!!

closer

2009-08-30T08:28:00.002-05:00

these days at "the house" have been a lot of finish work...notice the trim that makes up the "feet" of the bathroom cabinets.......also please notice the fine layer of dust on EVERY drawer
our appliances were delivered..they are ALL here waiting to be installed

doors are being hung as well...and trimmed out (except this one), this one is waiting for the hardwood to be down before they trim it out (upstairs).

i (we) are getting so so so so ancy!

birthdays

2009-08-30T08:24:00.002-05:00

So, not to bore you about my birthday, i will spare you all the details BUT ONE!! Sean had some cupcakes from our fun NYC trip sent in for my birthday. He had to order a dozen...so we froze 6 and have been picking at 6 now for almost a week. The Key Lime and the Coconut so far from the first 1/2 have been fan-tas-tic!!

there was a ton of dry ice in there...too bad I didn't have a Halloween party to go to...

"first day of school, first day of school"

2009-08-24T17:46:00.003-05:00

So today was the first day of school...Braden is now a 1st grader and Finley started 3-4yr old Preschool. The preschool Fin attends is M-F from 830-11 so I am childless for a few hours every day and today was day 1. One would think I would be JUMPING for joy, but I was lost. My mom called to see what I was gonna do and I had NO idea. Mind you, today was a 1/2 day for the graders (9-1130) so I couldn't have planned much. I was a little teary, which surprised me too. We will see how tomorrow goes....HERE is the first day of school last year. The kids dont look like they have aged much.

Headin' in. He was a little hesitant, however came out smiling, so that is good....right?

yet another craft

2009-08-21T20:26:00.002-05:00

so out of sheeeeeer boredom friday night, I whipped up a fluffy headband that I saw on another blog. what do you think?

might be kinda fluffy...but with a little tweaking, it just might be that fun thing to add to the outfit. definately need to make a mini one for finley and go that route!!

dragonfly

2009-08-20T16:50:00.002-05:00

look what I found in the backyard..............

ta da....

2009-08-20T16:43:00.003-05:00

pardon the mess.....

all the cabinets that can be set are set.
they are hanging lights/setting can lights/installing the oh so fancy fluorescent lights/setting switches and plug in thingys
notice the fab purple chandelier...yes that is my craft room!!

a glimpse of Sean and I's shower (not quite finished)

base moulding and window/door casement is being installed....as well as the doors!! All the upstairs doors are in. There aren't many downstairs doors so that wont take as long.

Appliances come next week, we meet with the landscaper tomorrow, the closet company is coming next week. The shutters and colums were delivered today and all the remainder of the lighting (except dining...I can't decide) was ordered today....lots of decisions made in the last 3 days....im exhausted.