Easter pics

My dear friend Donna reminded me that I never did post Easter pics. So, for your viewing pleasure I've included pictures of both kids egg huntin', a picture of Monkeybutt with an egg (we actually colored eggs this year. My friends, I had never, before this year, colored eggs with my kids. Have I mentioned MB's almost 11?), and a picture of Easter kitteh...

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It's been awhile since I've posted any pictures. I just wanted to demonstrate my son's wicked climbing prowess (he conquered that rhino), my daughter's fab fashion sense...and look at how absolutely adorable my cat Finn is...

Cold feet

That title actually has no hidden meaning - I have really freaking cold feet. It's, like, 55 degrees in the house and I refuse to turn on the heat as it's supposed to be in the 60's by Tuesday. Refuse! So all of us are sleeping in piles of clothing and blankets...I've been reading the girl child the Little House books lately (we are on chapter 14 of Little House on the Prairie); this can give her a taste of 19th century life. It's actually been quite fun (reading these books, I mean), revisiting a family I loved as a child. The first several chapters of Little House in the Big Woods describe stocking the house with food for winter. They skin and smoke venison, and they describe the entire process of butchering a pig. I'm reading about the joy of blowing up the pig bladder and batting it about like a balloon, when I look up and ask the Girl if she minds what I'm reading. She looks at me like I'm crazy and replies, "it is where meat comes from, Mom." O-K. My daughter apparently will not become a vegetarian anytime soon.
So I've been worrying a bit about the Monkeybutt. I mean, he's doing well enough in school, he's playing baseball and loving it...but he has very few friends. He had a bit of a falling out with his best friend, and they are not hanging out anymore. And I don't have any problem with that. This "best friend" has become rather sneaky and mean lately...he likes to see fights develop, he'll ditch MB if someone more interesting comes along, and he's become rather into "cool". I think MB's better off without him, honestly, but that leaves him with nobody in the neighborhood that he gets along with. I'll be honest, my kid is not always the easiest kid to get along with, he has no interest in being cool, and he's never been the sort of kid to have a ton of friends. He does have a few kids at school he hangs out with, he gets along well with his baseball team, and he and this guy from his old school still hang out on days off - but none of these kids are a bike ride away. And his best friend is in Texas. How do you teach a kid to be a bit more social? Should I be worried? I've freaked out about this before and things got better - but he's older now, and...I'm just concerned for my kid's happiness. I hope this all calms down.
Yesterday my mom took the kids for the night. Studmuffin and I did the grocery shopping, cooked dinner, entertained each other for a little while (wink wink)...and then nothing. He watched TV upstairs and went to bed, I scrapped a little and watched TV downstairs. I found myself missing the kids. It's not like we had nothing to talk about or anything, but we haven't been alone, in the house, for over three years. Perhaps it will just take some practice?
Anywho, I must be on my way. Get my freaking freezing feet under a blanket somewhere...third pair of socks...

Friendship, connections, independence...

For the second time - I have composed a long post and lost it before I could post it. I am starting to get very frustrated. I suppose I will have to take precautions.
For the last time, I will attempt to relay the past week or so...
Went to a movie last Saturday with a friend. Movie was ok. Friend was great. I am really enjoying having friends to see movies with. I did not have many friends in Chicago - have many friends here...very happy. Oh, the movie was "The Other Bolyn Girl."
Sister got engaged. Not particularly happy about it. Husband kept me awake all night, worried and angry. Decided not going to allow sister's decisions to affect my family. I can support her and not her choices.
Last night Mom blew out a tire. Called all freaky like. Went and changed the tire. (got help from nice passer guy when I couldn't find the right place to jack up the car, but that was it) I changed it myself. Haven't changed tire in 16 years. Proud and independent woman.
Not supposed to rain today. Hoorah!

Happy happy spring!

I love spring. It looks like it may even start acting like it soon. Here, from my seat in my writing dungeon, I can see a corner of lovely blue sky and fluffy white cloud. It's a bit chilly, but the sun is shining, and nothing is frozen, so we are good.
I hope all who celebrate it had a Happy Easter. We did, it was lovely, with lots of family and friends and chocolate. I worked hard and cooked a lot, but it was worth it. The fact that today I am still clad in pajamas and have barely moved my rear from chair or bed is making up for it.
I shall post pics of egg hunting later, but for now, I must get back to the kiddles. It is the first day of spring break, after all.

Big Snow

Any of you living in this area can attest to the fact that we had over a foot of snow dumped on us between Friday and Saturday mornings. Serious snow. Snow like I haven't seen since I lived in Chicago. Like, years ago. I can't say I was thrilled, I am not a winter lover, but I had to suck it up and traipse around looking for sleds, as our one was not going to cut it. I finally found a place and picked up two new cheap plastic tobaggans. (one even looks tie dyed - pretty wicked). Anyway, so Girlchild and I get home Friday around noon to wait for the Monkeybutt - who was being released from his educational prison 3 hours early. The Studmuffin comes in the back door, all but radiant in his obvious joy, shouting, "let's go!" I informed him, he must wait for the boy to come home, so he shovels down various plastic containers of leftovers while rambling on about this very "cool" racing sled he picked up for $50 at the sports store (so now we have 4), and whining about the fact that I refused to go. May I repeat, I am not a winter lover. The boy arrives home, they all suit up, and out they go. 1 1/2 hours later, they are home. That's with a stop at the grocery. Studmuffin said it was cold up there. Duh. Lightweights.
Anyway, Saturday was another day full of snow. I spent the morning shoveling - managed to clear 3/4 of my significantly sized driveway - when my new very best friend (sorry Toad) arrived on his 4-wheeler and suggested he finish it. I was all for that. I enjoy shoveling, but that was a wicked lot of snow. I am the first one to make fun of boys on their toys - there are 7 neighbors on this street alone with 4-wheelers, and we don't exactly live in the country nor do we get more than a few days of snow a year - but I was loving that machine on Saturday. Anyway, I spent the rest of the day playing Wii with the fam and scrapbooking. I got most of my wedding album done. Feeling pretty fabulous about that, and I'm having to hold back from finishing it, as I have an overnight crop this Friday and I need something to do for that. I'll have to post some pages later, I'm pretty pleased with my progress. It was funny, I'm go to this website, Two Peas in a Bucket (if you're a scrapper, check it out, lots of fun), and one of the woman there started this Scrap Secrets blog - similar to Post Secrets - where you design and send in a postcard with your deepest darkest scrapbooking secrets, something you could never tell your non-scrapping friends. One of the secrets mentioned she wished she could get married again so she could scrap the wedding. And I totally understood that this whole weekend - my pictures from my wedding sucked. I was not a scrapbooker, I was young and trying to save money, and I totally scrimped on my photographer, who ended up biting. My sweet cousin had me shoot her wedding, and I don't know who fabulous the pics were, but she at least got most of the shots she wanted because she made a list of exactly what she wanted. I would so do that. Maybe I would have gotten a few pictures of my husband and I at our wedding. And less pictures of the cleavage of one of the guests (the photog. got smashed 1/4 through the reception and started taking some very odd pictures.) I would be a total photo tyrant now...but I would get what I want. So...I've had to be extra-creative to make the crappy pictures look better.
Anywho - yesterday we went sledding. I definitely need to work out more...climbing that hill over and over wiped me out, and my quads are killing me today. But in a good way. And almost all the snow is gone now. I was tromping around the backyard today in snow boots and a sweatshirt (and pants), it was so warm, but still slushy and wet. That sounds naughty.
I think that's enough for today...this is longer than my average schpiel. And I want hot chocolate. Have a nifty evening...
ooh - I did take pics, by the way. Expect those later.

My Studmuffin is the Neatest...

So, he did something to the computer...and somehow managed to get things working again. I very quickly backed up all my pictures onto a disc. I am so very much happier.

I spent the rest of the morning thanking him...wink wink.