Second Generation

Merry Christmas! Typing on my second generation MacBook. I had a tragic, very unfortunate event with the first edition. Who thought being in a hurry with a full cup of Starbucks coffee in front of your computer and turning around to plug something in could lead to such disastrous results. I was sick. It is bad to love a thing as I did my MacBook and then to kill it. I decided to take my punishment with grace and not complain that I didn't have a full functioning computer. I shared our OLD home pc which sputtered and clogged when more than one application was open. I had to take my punishment. Then.....enter my knight in shining armor.

To my surprise {really - we vowed to stay on our Christmas budget}, Rod gave me a MacBook and I actually cried. It is a thing, yes, but one of my favorite things...maybe thee favorite. {although I love the convenience of a car, coffee pot, iron, electricity and indoor plumbing} Okay, I exaggerate...but I do LOVE IT {in the way I'd love a thing}.

Ihope only good comes of it - I will try. Merry Christmas to all!

Regarding Dinner

Taking into consideration our carefree vacation, my guilty purchase, rising price of everything, driving the Boss Hog of gas guzzlers, and trying to live the way we're meant to, we have set a weekly spending limit.  It still allows for some eating out (strategically planned), but we have been writing down all expenses big and small.  On paper we have seen a lot of waste.  This has been happening... "what the heck, I spent $16.00 at Panda Express for lunch when I could've boughten a book?  Should I really spend this $3.99 to download a scrapbook swirl?  Dear, did you really need to purchase the 'Mercedes' of balancing cartridge assemblies?  Hmmm, that Starbucks really adds up over a week's time.  Do we really need this prescription?"  (just kidding on the last one)

So I'm getting dinner ready last night when DH comes home from work.  He watches me open the can of Anderson split pea soup, cook the spinach ravioli from Costco that he really doesn't like, open a can of green beans, defrost the loaf of french bread we've had in the freezer for 4 months and says, "mmmmm."  I told him "well our taste buds are used to restaurant quality but this ain't no restaurant."  We sit down for dinner and he tries his pea soup (again, not his favorite), and he says, "is this like a person in a job he hates and he intentionally messes up so he can be fired?"  He said it with his usual humor and I literally laughed so hard I almost pee'd my pants.  ...and in that moment I reminded myself of my Mother.

A Moment in Time

I took these pictures while the girls swam yesterday.  I love how the pictures allow time to stop so we can catch those brief, usually unnoticed moments.  I read at Creating Keepsakes (video section) about shutter speed.  The higher the number the less blurry action shots you get.  I took these with our new camera (Canon Rebel xti) we bought just before our vacation.  My sister did catch that the pictures looked different.  I have been feeling very guilty about the camera.  So much that I have kept the box, all tags and every piece of plastic each part came in, just in case.  Bye, bye to the idea of a digital video camera.  I guess it's back to our "retro" VHS video camera model and the video capabilities of our free camera.  Actual live video is so overrated :)  You can read about the steps that led to the camera here and here.  

I have so much to learn.  It was fun trying just one function.  Here's the pictures from yesterday:  

A captured moment of time with my camera bag.  I'm sure eventually the guilt will pass too and I'll take off all the tags and throw away the plastic bags.  I hope this was the right decision.

Summer Favorites

It was 106 today and it was hot!  At one point my car temp reached 120, then 111, and settled at 108.  I never saw 106.  When it gets this hot every degree matters!   Here are a couple of my favorite Summer things that keep me cool.  

I love my new 'Adara' Crocs.  They're cool, so comfy and more feminine then the pair I had last year.  Crocs are so easy, we all have a pair.  I love them in Summer!

This was such a great book.  (Sign up at audible.com to get one book a month for $7.49) Recommended by a friend on my Sister's site.  Laundry and picking up the house is so much easier when you're listening to a great audio book on your ipod.  It's a great story!

These swim shirts from Land's End are great for little swimmers that like to stay in the water longer then their skin can take.  They provide UV protection and guard the lightest skin tones!

Burt Bee's Lip Shimmer has a light feel, moisturizes, adds a little Summer color, and has a fresh minty fragrance.  It's light enough to add without a mirror.  I like 'rhubarb' and 'nutmeg' of course.

My Sister's family got Swingball for Kaye when she turned 11.  We all love it.  This got the kids outside during breaks for a quick "p.e." session.  Friends like to play when they come over too.

When you're all done with a fierce battle of Swingball, there's nothing better then a snowcone.  We love the 'Icy Treats' ice shaver from Hamilton Beach.  It's safe enough for the kids to make their own.  Cee got this for her bday last Summer and enjoyed making all the kids snowcones at her bday party.  This is not your Snoopy Snow Cone maker, it's fast, shaves large amounts at a time, and the blades don't dull.  A great Summer gift.

Stay cool!  

How Much He Believes in Me

Looking for a little motivation, in the way a classic youngest child would do, I asked DH what he would give me if I woke up first thing in the morning and walked on the treadmill and ate Kashi for breakfast for 30 days.  "A new car" he said.  Now, he's not in the market for a new car, we both really like our car with the exception of it's rate of gasoline consumption, so this only indicates his sad level of belief in my discipline.  If I wanted a new car I should've tested him, but I don't.  What I do want is a digital video camera so we can store events on the computer.  So it's a deal.  He thinks he won't have to buy me one.  So far I've completed 5 days in a row - 25 to go.  We do have an exception when we travel away for a couple of days...but apparently then I have to do sit-ups.

Okay, so my system is not used to all this Kashi.  The day after my first serving, Nutmeg, our chihuahua was sitting on my lap.  My stomach and digestive system were rumbling (not in an outward motion), squeaking and turning.   All of a sudden I had a big rumble and she got so scared she darted off my lap, ran a few feet and looked back.  That's how powerful the stuff is.  I hope my body can adjust.  Maybe walking and Kashi are a bad combination, but it's too late - I must endure.

On that topic, this is something I overheard from one of my family members this morning (who will remain nameless), "whew, I think my coo has allergies."  

(In Portuguese "coo" is a word used for your behind.  Not sure if I have the spelling right.)

Oscars in Review

Man it takes up a whole day to watch the Oscars these days.  Whew, hard work.  Kaye and I mainly watched together.  She helped me take notes and gave me her opinion (reminded me of my Mom and I watching Miss America).  I wonder if this has any merit at all?  So, I better just call it my break and the kind of fun you'd have as a little kid, doodling on your folder (sort of worthless).  So, here are our winners: 

Best Dressed - Keri Russell

Most Dramatic - Heidi Klum

Most Stunning - Katherine Heigl

(a better picture of her)

Most Classic - Nicole Kidman

Worst Dressed  - Diablo Cody (I wanted her to win though)

In the spirit of high school I also wanted to award in the following categories:

Scariest:  Tilda Swinton

Snottiest:  Laura Linney

Most Real:  Katherine Heigl

Most Fake:  Jennifer Garner

Grumpiest:  Summer Phoenix

Why am I finding him so attractive:  Viggo Mortensen

I Now Understand the Hype:  George Clooney

Still Don't Get It:  Colin Farrell

Most Likely to be Posted on Refrigerator as Inspiration:  Renee Zellweger

Most Need of a Stylist:  Saoirse Ronan (her Mom slicked back her hair with a rubber band)

Nicest Guy but Worst Look:  Daniel Day-Lewis

What is He On?/Party Crasher:  Gary Busey

Tomorrow I'm down to business! (really)

A Few of My Favorite Things

A few of my favorite new things...MacBook, my Valentine coffee mug with coffee in it, my leopard reading glasses (gag gift from my Sister on my 40th, which I use), Becky Higgin's card ideas and an afternoon free to play around on the art table.  These birthday thank-you's are long overdue.  I'm a bit under the weather today, so what better day to make a card and send your sweet germs along with a belated thank you.  Don't worry though, I still have to address and mail them, by that time any germs will have long died.   Here are two of my favorites:

Of course I like the one that is green and simple.

This one had the most detail but I like it too - especially on the white.  Tomorrow is the Academy Awards, I couldn't have picked a better weekend to be sick.

Attention Thieves

Today I surrendered a bit in the fight to keep my children's attention.  These things aren't bad, but how much will they steal from their focus on things that are enriching?  They love Webkinz, a stuffed animal with a code into a virtual computer world where you can grow your own plants, buy gifts for friends, design rooms, and earn points for shopping.  This grabs their attention for hours.  I have to limit their time of course but if left to themselves I'm sure they'd entertain themselves for days.

The second and more concerning on a different level was the Hannah Montana 3D concert in the movie theatre.  We went this afternoon and paid a hefty $15 for each ticket!  DH was smart enough to request that I take them.  For $30 Jae and I had a little afternoon nap.  I think Hannah Montana is harmless enough it's just that they become so attracted to the clothes, the tv show, the songs.  It makes them grow up too fast.  Now tomorrow maybe I can attract them to some soap making, yarn spinning and yodeling like proper homeschool kids.

We Love Wii

This Works because it provides fun family time.  Unlike watching a movie, we can interact with each other and get up off the couch!

Our gift to all three girls this Christmas was a Wii.  It was challenging finding one during Christmas but with determination DH located a store expecting a night shipment.  He got in line at 4:30 am to get this.  It has proved well worth the effort.  In case you don't know, Wii is a wireless interactive game made by Nintendo.  You control the player through your movements, not just your thumbs.  
One of the fun things is creating your own player in Mii.  We each have our own as well as some of our guests' favorites.
After dinner we hold family tournaments.  Everyone gives their all!  You actually feel some physical effects too!  I had tennis shoulder the week after Christmas.
We have a little fun, a little exercise, some hand eye coordination, little friendly competition (usually), and some nice family time.  

The problem for my family is they just can't beat me ;)  Go see some great ideas at Shannon's Works for me Wednesday.

Clean Floors -The Easy Way

To my surprise I received a Roomba from my DH this Christmas.  It really has made a difference in our floors.  Clean floors make a whole room look fresh.  I love the idea that it does the work for me while I concentrate on something else.  I like to run it in another room while we homeschool.  It is a little loud in the same room, like your Mom vacuuming under your feet.  I usually do the schoolroom when we're finished working.  I keep it on charge when not in use so it's ready to go when I need it.  When it senses a lot of dirt it will circle the area until it has cleaned everything.  You can imagine it does quite a bit of circling under the kitchen table.

It works well on both carpet and hard wood and can easily transition in a room with both.

I have the model that comes with virtual walls to keep Roomba in one room.  You choose the distance of the laser and set it down where you want it to turn around.  The kids and the pets love to see this.   It took me a couple of times to work out a few quirks with it such as battery life (I thought it would run 6 hrs but really runs about 2-3), brush cleaning, and taking away the easily removable items so it can clean more thoroughly.
I was thrilled with this surprise gift...but when I celebrated my birthday a few weeks later and received this from my DH, I started to wonder.  He's not the type to be bothered by dustbunnies or clutter so I think it just may be attributed to his male mind...naturally he analyzes, categorizes, and develops so he must of saw my excitement with the Roomba and said "hey, I'll hit a jackpot again."  He made up for it when he took me to get a MacBook the next morning.  I do like this too for quick pet hair clean-up and the car.  Very powerful and not so hard on the eyes in the corner of the room.
Go see the great ideas at Shannon's Works For Me Wednesday.

Mac It Is

Turning 40 made a little easier by a stellar gift from DH. Not that I twisted his arm or anything. We went Mac because first, we always drool when we go into the Apple Store, it's user-friendly reputation, high quality, affordable, and DH can test some Mac applications on it for his sidework. So far the differences have been easily adaptable. The screen is amazingly clear -

"I Love it-Love it-Love it" as "Helen Madden, the Joyologist" would say.