I'm slapping these bad boys up here finally. It's all way overdue, I know. July was an awesome month. I got to hang out with a bunch of my Vox friends. First Hannah came to town, so Kelly and Jenny came down for dinner. Gary made his delicious steaks.
So, I realized that when I have nothing planned and the kids are gone, I really really miss them. The house just isn't the same. Honestly, I really like my kids, as much as they might drive me crazy sometimes.
Steve doesn't have any leave time right now so that leaves me at home while he is working. Thursday wasn't bad. I got to see Marlen for the first time in what seems like forever. I would've like to have stayed longer, but Thursdays are "TV Thursday" at my house. I make dinner for Rob, "the new girl", and Gary, then we talk and watch lots of tv. I got homein just enough time to run around like a chicken with my head cut off attempting to clean and cook dinner. I made a lovely chicken jerky on the grill (unintentionally, of course). We attempted to finish watching the Battlestar Galactica miniseries, but just weren't feeling it. We ended up watching the Colbert Report and calling it a night.
I quickly checked my Vox before bed to see if Kelly wanted to meet up for lunch and she was still ignoring me. That's when a light went off in my head and I realized that it's her "weekend" and she doesn't have internet at home right now! I gave her a call and we made lunch plans. It had been almost a year since the last time we met up! Seriously, I'm not letting that much time go by this time and it's not just because she gave me some Cadbury Flake bars and lent me some awesome books. Kelly is just one of those people that I feel like I've known forever. We talked and talked and then talked some more. We were going to watch a movie from her impressive collection (she has awesome taste in movies), but we were enjoying talking too much. Side note, Sam is ridiculously cute. I completely understand why Kelly is wrapped around his paw.
I could've hung out and talked forever but Steve made plans with Rob and "the new girl" to go to dinner and see Get Smart. Gary and the non-blogging brother, Dan went too. So I had to head home. We enjoyed an awesome dinner that included lots of high fiving over things like meatloaf and Good Charlotte. Ok, Gary and I were the only ones that high fived over Good Charlotte, but we like them and we make no apologies for it.
Get Smart was just good and funny. I didn't go in expecting anything but to be entertained and I was. It may have helped that I have never watched an episode of the old Get Smart, so I had no expectations whatsoever.
Today, Steve and I slept in. We have a cookout to go to later. It'll be weird to go without the kids, but I'm sure we'll have a good time anyway!
]]>For the sake of my friends, I hope the new tv season starts soon. My husband and his brother have taken to prank calling people and harrassing them with their bad foreign accents. If you enjoy that sort of thing, then PM me your number and I'll have them give you a call.
Also, I think I have raccoons living in my ceiling above my living room. Well, that or a rather large man.
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Nicole, Rob and Tammy have arrived with children in tow for our annual Labor Day festivities. Homemade pizza, guacamole, chocolate chip walnut cookies, and brownies have been consumed in large quantities, along with old Robin Eggs.
It's amazing what you find when you clean out your cabinets for the first time since Spring.
Since we didn't see each other at Easter, we had to take the opportunity to paint our lips with the robin eggs.
Seriously, the stuff you find on the internet is just amazing! Steve is completely perplexed.
Would you just leave us alone and let us enjoy the homemade guacamole?
So far, we have discussed whether the candy is Whoppers or Whoopers. (The girls say Whoppers, the guys say Whoopers. We win. They are outnumbered.) We have also decided that Tammy had a Tam-mullet back in 2000. We have photographic evidence.
Here Nicole is saying Tammy had just a little mullet. Rob looks quite skeptical. Tomorrow, the rest of the family will be joining us, so more pictures to come.
]]>A couple of weeks ago, I received a lovely package in the mail from Ms. Hannahbanana. It included many wonderful things. Most importantly, it included a package of Burt's Bees products.
Now, I've never used Burt's Bees lotions and potions and salves and lip balms. I usually use Bath and Body Works stuff, when I actually need hand cream or lip balm in the winter months. Then I had the skin at the side of my fingernail cracked and it hurt really bad. I was being a baby about it, whining that it hurt to whoever would listen to me then showing them my poor cracked finger. After suffering for several days, I remembered that along with the lovely lotions that I had been using, there was cuticle cream. In less than a day, my finger healed.
A couple of days later, my lips started cracking. Usually this doesn't happen til the fall at least. I broke out the Burt's Bees lip balm. Less than a couple of hours later, it was fine. My lips were kissable and soft again.
So once, again, thank you Hannah. No more of that Bath and Body Works stuff for me. This stuff must have some magic sort of dust or something thrown in it. Now I know why you sent it and you have me officially hooked!
]]>So I was on the phone last night with Jen. We were attempting to see if we could use up all of our minutes in one conversation. Steve called on his cell to let me know he was on his way home. I reminded him that he needed to pick up draino and a universal remote. Then I ditched him to talk to Jen some more.
Fast forward to an hour later (yes, I was still on the phone with Jen), Steve walks in with 2 bottles of draino and this remote*. Now Jen, you know why I was laughing so hard. I'm thinking the kids won't lose this one!
*Yes, it is a real working remote.
]]>I know we are all looking off to the side, but I really like this one.
For some reason, the guys didn't want to get all close and put their arms around each other for the picture.
Steve and I at the DC Improv. We saw Flip Orley, a comedian/hypnotist. It was a really great show.
]]>Wow, I feel like I've been gone forever!!! Such a busy weekend and this one is going to be pretty busy too. Liz and Alisa are back in New England. I drove them back up to the airport yesterday afternoon. They really need to move down here or something, because now I miss them, but I can't just see them, and that's not fair.
I'm feeling very uninspired as far as blogging right now, and I hate that. I'm trying to think of some funny story, some anecdote from the weekend, but my brain is fried. It was just an all around good weekend. Lots of food and talking, two of my favorite things.
I think I'll go and get these kids ready for school. Maybe I'll find my inspiritation while I'm digging through the sock basket. It's amazing the stuff I find while I'm digging in there.
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It's been a lovely weekend so far. I picked up Liz and her 2 kids, Robyn (7)and Marie (10) along with Alisa and her 2 kids, Aliyah (7)and Cohen (22 mo) from the airport Thursday morning. Liz lives in Vermont and drove down to New Hampshire to Alisa's house on Wednesday. Then they both flew out of New Hampshire on Thursday morning.
Thursday we did a little shopping, picking up things we had all forgotten. We didn't realize til we pulled up to Target that Liz was a Target virgin! I was so excited to be able to take her to Target for the first time.
We came back to the house after that and chilled. My friend, Lisa, drove down from Pennsylvania with 2 of her kids, Vayle (7) and Gracey (23 months). We had dinner, walked to the park, and spent some time just talking.
Yesterday, Steve took a day off work and played tour guide and official photographer for our guests on our trip to DC. We went to the Air and Space Museum, then the Lincoln Memorial, Korean and Vietnam Veterans Memorials, and had a picnic lunch by our cars.
Over the weekend, we have learned so far that Alisa was chased by a dwarf in a grocery store as a young child after asking her mom why he was so small and that Liz was in Fiddler in the Roof back in high school. They have all discovered how wonderfully disorganized I am after waking up before me and trying to find all the stuff to make coffee. Hey, I know where everything is, so in my own head, I'm organized, right? No dirt on Lisa yet, but we have the rest of the day to find out something!
Today we are going to grill out. The kids are hoping it warms up so they can swim, but you won't find me out there. That was is ice cold still. Now, I'm going to go take Steve a cup of coffee in bed so he'll get up and clean the pool and go get propane for the grill! It's all about the bribe. Maybe I should take him a bagel too!
]]>After two days of frenzied cleaning, my time is up. I have to leave to pick up my friends right after the kids hop on the bus. My goal this morning is just to keep the house looking decent while attempting to get five kids ready for school. Usually that leaves the house looking like a tornado went through it, but there is no time for straightening up after they leave today.
It sounds like the coffee is just about done. I need to get some caffeine in me before I fall back to sleep. I'll try to get a picture up for Art Show Thursday, but I can't guarantee it will be my art. Probably someone else's. Maybe I'll commission a drawing from Josiah. Ok, coffee's ready! I'm outta here!
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