TILT {Todo iPhone Application}

I’ve had my phone for a few months now, and I’ve downloaded quite a bit of apps, including a couple of “to-do” apps (because I’m obsessed with list making). The two I downloaded were “Todo Lite” (the free version),  developed by Appigo. The other one was “Fliq Notes”, developed by MarkSpace. For whatever reason, I ended up liking the Fliq Notes more and deleted the other one. But a few days ago I got an update e-mail from Appigo, informing me of the release of “Todo 2.0.” After watching the tutorial video I decided to revisit their application.

I’ve been using it for a day now, but I’m finding it a lot more functional. My very favorite feature is the little red number that shows up on the corner of it’s  icon, indicating how many tasks I have left on my list. It’s the next best thing to having someone micro-manage me and give me verbal reminders. Every time I look at my home screen (which is VERY often) the little red number pops out at me as a reminder that I still have items on my to-do list. Suh-weet.

To share something you like or see other things that are liked, jump over to The Diaper Diaries here.

Sweetsauer Photo Hunt #1 {Final Cut}

Whew, I made it! I completed the first edition of the Sweetsauer Photo Hunt. Here are my entry photos. Jump over here to see the links to all other participants. If you want to vote, the polls will be open from May 1st – 7th. Thanks for stopping by.

1. Cool or interesting architecture (World’s Largest Egg, Winlock, WA)

2. A Sign of Spring (Colored Easter Eggs)

3. Something Musical (Lanikai Ukulele)

4. Something Sweet (Twilight edition Sweethearts)

5. Something Metallic (Hula Mints Tin)

6. A Landscape (Puget Sound from University Place, WA)

7. An Interesting Doorway (Doorway of a Bird House)

8. A Reflection (Washington State Capitol)

9. A Cemetery (Winlock Cemetery)

10. A Pair of Shoes (Einstein’s First Pair)

11. A Body of Water (Budd Inlet, Olympia, WA)

12. A Drink (Iced Hazelnut Coffee)

13. A Mosaic or Mural (Waimanalo, HI)

14. Rain (Rain drops on umbrella)

15. Classic Car-1970 or Older (‘31 Ford Pick-Up)

16. A Work of Art (Picasso’s Sidewalk Art)

17. A Church (Latter Day Saints Church, Lacey, WA)

18. A Statue (“Sharing” Lacey Timberland Library)

19. An Interesting Sky

20. Something in Motion (Picasso Spinning)

21. Lights at Night (The Monkeys’ Sponge Bob Night Light)

22. A Silhouette (Picasso on the swing with the sun setting behind him)

23. Something Historical-Pre-1900 (Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI)

24. A shot from an unusual perspective (Capitol Lake from a down low perspective)

25. Flowers (Flowers on a Dogwood Tree…I think)

26. Self-Portrait (Pink Monkey)

Thanks for looking. This was a fun project. I’m looking forward to the next one.

Mostly Wordless Wednesday {Missing the Sun}

Our warm weather has come and gone, and I’m longing for it’s return. Here are a few pictures looking back on those much missed days. How many more days until summer?

Costco Tour and Other Exciting Events

Yesterday was not one that can be categorized as uneventful. It started off with a Preschool field trip to Costco. Ooh, fun. No, that’s not sarcasm, it really was fun.

First thing’s first. We all had to don these lovely hair nets. Einstein calls it a “Chef’s Hat.” If he only knew just how unattractive they really are. I know, we look like a couple of dorks. But it’s blog-worthy, at least. HA, HA, HA!

The first part of our tour was the Food Court where the pizzas are made! The first thing I noticed when I stepped through the doors was how cool it was in the kitchen. I was very surprised. Our tour guide said it was to help keep the bacteria growth down, but I’d imagine the employees feel a lot more comfortable too. The ovens can heat the place up pretty quick.

The kids were able to make a pizza to eat at the end of the tour. The first step is pressing the dough. They have a pretty nifty machine that does the job in a couple of seconds.

Once the dough is flat they go over the dough with a spur-like tool to make little holes on it. Then it’s off to the next station where they spread the dough with pizza sauce. Once the sauce was on there, each child was able to spread a handful of mozzarella cheese. But first they had to weigh exactly fourteen ounces on the scale.

Then everyone helped put the pepperoni on the pie, and it was ready for the oven.

Our next stop was the bakery. Woo hoo! Sweetsville. My kinda place. We had to be very careful with our steps in this area because parts of the floors were very slick.

As you can probably imagine, all the equipment in the bakery were industrial sized. I mean look at these beaters and the mixer they attach to.

Then everything goes in the industrial sized ovens. Look at all those muffins baking.

When our tour was completed it was time for pizza and chocolate chip cookies. There was even enough for the adults. Yum!

Before we left Costco I had a little bit of shopping to do (no surprise there, right?). Then we headed over to Picasso’s school to register Einstein for Kindergarten. It was the first day and I wanted to make sure I was able to choose Einstein’s teacher and the days of the week he’d be going.

When we reached the school Picasso and two of his friends were having lunch in the Principal’s office. He was called in there for a little incident that happened on the bus last week Friday. I still don’t know all the details, and probably never will, but the Principal said he was getting to the bottom of it and was going to take care of it. It sounds like there are older kids “making” the younger kids do things they aren’t supposed to be doing. Picasso knows the difference between right and wrong. It’s just a matter of making good choices and not falling victim to peer pressure. We’ll see how this one plays out. Like I said the other day, just six more weeks of school.

But the excitement doesn’t end there. While I was driving home an older Chevy Pick-Up with a business magnet on it’s door (should I mention the name? Do I dare? Why the heck not? It was J&L Repair) nearly side swiped us while trying to switch lanes. Honest mistake, right? Whatever. Then they turned left at the same light as us and took off like a bat out of hell and was driving recklessly. Why didn’t I use my phone camera for something constructive? Like getting their license plate number? Oh well, at least nobody (namely, myself or Einstein) was hurt. My adrenaline was racing for awhile, though.

And that was our day. Well, sort of. My mom also came over and we worked on some things for the baby shower we’re having this Saturday.

Take Me Back Tuesday {Capitol Lake}

Wow! Was this really NINE years ago? This one was taken at Capitol Lake when my daughter, Tiani, was eight years old. EIGHT years old! It seems like just yesterday. But if you remember, I posted photos of my trek around Capitol Lake with Einstein just last week [here] and there have been a LOT of changes around the lake in the past nine years.

If you have a “Take Me Back” photo you’d like to share link up with NateandJakesMom here.

Friend Makin’ Monday {Senses}

This week we’re coming to our senses. We are listing four things we like, and one thing we dislike pertaining to the five senses. This is going to be a tough one. I may not come up with four for each category, but I’ll do my best. So here I go…

SIGHT

Like:

• Clusters of Clouds contrasting against the blue skies. Or just beautiful skies in general. Sunsets. Sunrises.
• Waves rolling onto the shore.
• Beautiful scrapbook layouts (I get my inspiration from the many talented scrappers out there).
• My monkeys playing nicely together.

Dislike:

• Litter on the streets. (Why can’t people just be responsible for our environment and throw their trash where it belongs.)

SMELL

Like:

• My favorite flowers (not the stinky ones). Pikake, Puakenikeni, just to name a couple.
• Any dish being prepared with garlic. Mmmmm, I love garlic.
• Freshly cleaned load of laundry coming out of the dryer.
• Fresh brewing coffee in the morning.

Dislike:

• Barf. Gross. Makes me gag!

TOUCH

Like:

• Sand sifting through my fingers.
• Hot water hitting my skin during a shower.
• Soft, silky fabric.
• Heat radiating from the sunshine :)

Dislike:

• My dry, scaly, alligator like skin.

SOUND

Like:

• Silence when I’m home alone.
• Rolling waves hitting the beach (so calming).
• Inspirational music.
• My monkeys laughing.

Dislike:

• BOOM BOOM music. I can’t stand it when it encroaches on my territory. Especially when I can feel the vibration. If people want to blow their ear drums out that’s their prerogative, but they don’t need to share.

TASTE

Like:

• Chocolate (that’s a no-brainer).
• Coffee (with cream and sugar, of course).
• Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream
• Garlic

Dislike:

• Beets (Ew, GROSS! Gag me with a spoon!)

 

If you want to make some new bloggy friends or see everyone else's answers jump over to All That is Good here.

SOOC Sunday {4.26.09}

This is my spring nemesis…pollen! I took this one a few days ago while dripping Einstein off at school. It’s a Nike shoe print in a thick layer of pollen. Sheesh. The stuff is everywhere! On the cars, on the roads. It even accumulates on my phone while I’m standing outside. Did I mention that I have allergies? Watery eyes, runny nose, burning sensation in my nose while breathing. It’s so annoying!

And here’s another pictures of clouds. I don’t know why I love taking pictures of them. Maybe because I like the contrast against the blue skies. Maybe because the soft fluffy mass comforts me. Maybe because it looks like a painting. In any case, I love cloud clusters and this isn’t the last cloud photo you’ll see posted here.

To participate or see more SOOC photos jump on over to Murrieta 365 here.

I’m off to church now. We’re doing things a little different today. We have different community service projects going on. Painting over graffiti, getting rid of scotch broom (those nasty yellow bushes that probably is the cause of all the pollen in the air. Count me out of that project), and various other projects. I’m volunteering in one that’s right up my alley called “Rip ‘n Roll.” We’ll be ripping and sewing together “bandages” for countries in need of them. I watched a video last weekend and got all the info, but I’m terrible at retaining that stuff. Anyway, I’ll be sewing.

Then later on this evening will be our church service. I won’t be able to make it, though. I have to get the monkeys at our pick-up point then take them to Awana.

Well, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Random Picture Challenge {4.25.09}

This is, yet another, new carnival that I’m participating in for the first time. It just seems like it could be fun pulling out a random photo from the archives. Not knowing what you’ll find. I hope I don’t find anything too bad. Like a picture of me without make-up. Now THAT would be scary. So today’s challenge is as follows…

2002
8th folder - July
25th picture
{if you don't have this far back pick the next closest year}

And this is what I found…

It’s my little Picasso Monkey when he was only seven months old! Aw, he’s so cute in this picture. That’s the smile that I try to capture when I take pictures of him (when he lets me).

I think I took this picture of him sitting on the office chair we had in Hawaii. He loved to roll that thing around. It was like a carnival ride. That kid can spin and spin and spin and not get dizzy!

If you want to participate or see more “random photos” jump over to “4 Little Men and Girly Twins” here.

Saturday Photo Hunt {Protect (ion)}

There are a few directions I could have taken this weeks theme. What do I think of when I hear “protect” or “protection?” Law enforcement. Helmets. Gloves. Insurance. Good Nights (I can’t wait until Einstein outgrows them!). But I decided to go with home security.

When we first moved to Washington we were living, temporarily, with my sister and she had Brinks Home Security. I liked the little “di di deet” noise that was made every time a door was opened. It helped me keep track of the monkeys. I also got used to the sense of security that goes along with having this system in place. So when we bought our own home I knew we had to have the same protection.

To participate in the photo hunt or see more “protect (ion)” jump over to tnchick’s blog here.

Company Girl Coffee {4.24.09}

Happy Aloha Friday to you! I’m always amazed at how fast the week zooms by. Come on in and pour yourself a cup of coffee. Let’s talk story for a while.

What are your weekend plans? I don’t know exactly what I’ll be doing, but I know I’ll be doing it in peace. The monkeys are spending the weekend with Grandma and Grandpa so I’ll have some “me” time. Actually, I need to work on the finishing touches of Kristy’s baby shower. I’ve been working on coordinating some games. There are so many to choose from! I was trying to select a few original games, but I think it keeps coming back to the traditional ones. I’m not going to reveal that, though. It’s going to be a surprise [chuckle].

Okay, so for the last four weeks I’ve been participating in my very first scrapbook layout challenge hosted by the wonderful ladies at Scrap Orchard and Gotta Pixel. It was a lot of fun and simplified the creative process. Basically they gave the participants a formula to follow for week one. Then revealed more of the formula for week two. Then week three. And, finally, week four. The key is we were only allowed to ADD things. We weren’t allowed to move things around. If you posted your layout to the gallery by the weekly deadline you were rewarded with a free kit! How awesome is that! And if you made the deadline for all four weeks you received (well, will be receiving because I haven’t gotten it yet) a bonus kit. So here are the photos of my progressive layout.

 

I’m pretty pleased with the final cut. It’s funny how just adding a few embellishments at a time (the formula) takes the pressure off of creating a layout.

Last night our church was hosting the showing of Dave Ramsey’s live feed video of “Town Hall for Hope.” They were broadcasting from Edmund, Oklahoma. It was a two hour delay for the west coast, but it was worth the wait (even with the audio difficulties they experienced). I know who Dave Ramsey is and listened to a few of his radio shows, but I had never SEEN him speak. He’s so charismatic and makes so much sense. He seems like a no nonsense kind of guy. One of his quotes that I will never forget is, “You can be sincere and still be stupid.” Makes sense to me. What do you think?  Okay, I guess you have to know the context in which he was using the quote—do the words “bail out” ring any bells?

I think the gist of the gathering was that although America is going through an economic struggle, there’s no need to freak out. The media is just adding to the mass hysteria making things seem worse than they really are. Don’t believe everything you hear because it may not be the whole story. You only hear what the media and government WANT you to hear. Be informed. Do your homework and do some researching of our own. Yes, I’m guilty of being ignorant because I’m just tired of hearing it. But it’s time for me to wake up and smell the coffee and plan for my family’s financial future.

Our church will be offering Dave’s “Financial Peace University” course this summer. I’m definitely going to be there. But for now I’ll listen to his audio book, “Total Money Makeover,” that’s been parked on my iPod for the past couple of months.

Well, I’m just about out of time. I have to get Picasso to the bus stop, then get Einstein to school. Then I’ll be helping in Picasso’s first grade class for a couple of hours (oh joy). Only about six more weeks of school [grin]. Then this afternoon I’ll be dropping the monkeys off with Grandma, and I’ll be home free until Sunday. No picking up after little people. Woo hoo!

If you want to visit with some of the other Company Girls jump on over to Rachel’s blog here. Have a great weekend. I know I will.

{TILT} Fiber One Chewy Bar

I’m quite sure that this one has already been posted on “TILT,” but not by me. This is something I picked up from the dollar store the other day when I was having one of my “I didn’t have enough for breakfast, get me something to eat NOW” fits. This was the healthiest thing I could find on the shelf. Each bar has 140 calories. I’m no nutritionist, but I think that’s pretty good. I love the texture of the bar. The chewiness. And those chunks of chocolate-mmmmm. Now that I know I love this I’m going to buy a bigger box and always have a bar in my purse for those times when I get hunger pangs, or have chocolate cravings.

To share something you love or see more things that are loved go here.

Pesto Garlic Chicken

On April 19th I twittered about making Pesto Garlic Chicken for Daddy’s birthday meal. It’s one of his favorite dishes, and one of the easiest to make. A couple people asked if I’d share the recipe. I guess it sounded ono to them too. So I decided to post the recipe (if you can call it that) here. It’s a dish that my sister, Kristy, actually showed me how to make when we first moved to Washington, and Daddy was hooked. If you want to go directly to the recipe then scroll down. I’m going to share some photos from Daddy’s birthday first.

Einstein helped me wrap Daddy’s present, then he helped Daddy unwrap it. How funny.

Picasso challenged Grandma to a game of Sequence, a family favorite. I’m not sure who won.

This is a cute check list that Picasso made. I think he’s picking up on Mommy’s list -making compulsion. But, hey, it’s a life skill that will come in handy.

Smile, Grandma Helen! This is Daddy’s Grandma.

Grandma said she’d bring dessert. She brought this monstrosity of a cake from Costco , and ice cream. We ended up sharing almost a whole cake with Einstein’s preschool class the next day. They loved that! And so did I. I didn’t want that box of sin sitting in my refrigerator for the next week.

Of course, we did have dinner first. The amazing Pesto Garlic Chicken and Pasta accompanied by spinach salad and cheesy garlic bread.

We were blessed with a sunny day so we moved the party outdoors. The monkeys took their roller skates out of hibernation and took them for a spin while Grandma and I worked in the yard.

Grandpa assists Einstein so that he doesn’t fall down. He still has his land feet and has to start from scratch learning how to skate. I guess roller skating for him isn’t like riding a bike.

Here’s the monkeys with Grandpa.

Picasso shows off his artistic talent. Hmmm, I wonder if there’s a way I could digitize this to use in my scrapbooking layouts?

And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for…the recipe. I don’t have a written recipe for this dish. I usually make it from memory, which means I sometimes forget ingredients. I’ll do my best to translate the recipe from my brain. I sort of tweaked the recipe that my sister gave me. But first a little caveat. This is NOT a “diet” friendly dish. And your house will probably smell like garlic for a couple of days, but it’s soooo worth it.

Ingredients:

1 lb. of chicken cut to bite sized pieces (I usually buy frozen boneless, skinless thighs from Costco, but my sister uses the frozen grilled chicken breast)

1 Jar of Pesto (this is the one that I buy from Costco)

1/2 a stick of butter

1 Cup of shredded parmesan cheese (give or take. Sometimes I add a little extra)

Minced Garlic (lots of it! Well, you can use as much or as little as you like, but I use a whole bulb)

1 lb. of Pasta (I like to use penne)

Directions:

1. Cook your pasta according to the package directions.
2. In a large pot, cook your chicken until it’s no longer pink, then drain.
3. Add your butter and continue cooking over medium heat until the butter is melted.
4. Add your garlic and stir in with chicken. I let the garlic cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Add your pasta to the pot and stir that around.
6. Add about half of the jar of Pesto and mix that in.
7. And last, but not least, add your parmesan cheese and (yes, you guessed it) stir that in too. Then turn your heat down to medium-low and let your cheese melt. Be sure to keep stirring your pasta so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of your pot.

And that’s it. Serve with garlic toast and salad and you have yourself a meal. I hope you enjoy it. Feel free to tweak it any way you want. Let me know what you think.

{Not Even Close to} Wordless Wednesday

Since I was planning on posting a couple of photos from yesterday’s trek around Capitol Lake for “Wordless Wednesday”, and I was planning on writing a post about it as well, I thought I should just combine the two. So you’ll be seeing quite a few photos today.

Einstein and I were out and about and decided, on a whim, to take advantage of the beautiful weather we were having and take a walk around Capitol Lake. There was also ample photo opps as well—I still have a few categories to fill for the April Photo Hunt that I posted about here. I only have one week left. Then I have to select, organize, and post the photos I’m using for the contest.

Here’s Capitol Lake with the State Capitol in the background.

Einstein strikes a pose in this one. He actually wanted to stand on the thing his foot is on (I have no idea what it’s called), but his paranoid mommy wouldn’t allow it.

This is the closest I’d let him get to the edge. My stomach literally turned when he got too close to the edge. Do any of you Moms know what I’m talking about? Or is it just me?

This is the gravel path that we walked on around one side of the lake. We didn’t go around the entire lake because we had to get back to the car before our meter ran out of time.

Here’s the view of the lake from the opposite side of where we started. We were parked next to that big building.

Another shot of Einstein and myself. It actually took me three tries to get it right(hahaha) . Einstein wasn’t too happy about that. Then I had to take one more with my iPhone to upload to Facebook. Sorry dude, but you should be used to it by now.

This is the halfway mark. The bridge right next to the train tracks. I’m so glad that this foot bridge was built. I remember walking across the train tracks, over the water, several years ago (these tracks are dormant). This was a very difficult task for me because I’m deathly afraid of heights. The bridge isn’t that high off the water, but just being able to see through the tracks made my stomach turn. The same feeling I got when Einstein got too close to the edge (haha). 

Once we reached the bridge we hiked back to our Durango. We had eight minutes to spare (suh-weet). We took a short drive over to Percival Landing and took this photo.

We planned on going to the Farmers’ Market, but they aren’t open on Tuesdays. Bummer. So we had TWO hours left on our meter. What a waste. Oh well. Then we met Daddy at Burger King. He treated us to lunch. And that was our beautiful day at the lake.

Today we’re back down to the 50s. I can only hope that it climbs back up to the 70s, but it’s not looking very promising.

If you want to participate or see more “Wordless Wednesday” photos you can do that here. Oh, and Happy Earth Day!”

Justice Served!

Okay, I’m a little elated right now because justice was served (for a change). Every single morning when I walk with the kids to the bus stop a vehicle comes blazing through our neighborhood in a big hurry. I gave her dirty looks (or, stink eye as we call it in Hawaii), but I think she was going by too fast to see.

This morning I (along with the other moms at the bus stop) was pleasantly surprised to see that a traffic officer was parked at our corner. After learning that more than a few cars speed down our main street he said they’d be patrolling our neighborhood on the look out.

In the middle of our conversation our daily speeder came down the street at her usual speed. She was clocked at 31mph in a 25mph zone. She had the look of a Cheshire cat on her face when she saw our friendly neighborhood Traffic Officer, speed gun contraption in hand. She had a disgusted look on her face as she was leaving (going the speed limit).

I know some of you may be thinking that 6mph over the speed limit isn’t so bad. That may be the case when you’re on the highways and byways, but when you’re driving through a neighborhood it’s a HUGE deal. You never know when a kid will dart out from behind a car, or just be crossing the street. Our main street has curves and view is limited at certain points.

Now you’re probably wondering if I abide by the speed limits. My answer is a resounding YES. You could sort of call it one of my pet peeves. And I’m especially cautious while driving through neighborhoods. You would think that would be an innate thing once you have kids of your own. You wouldn’t want your own kids to be in danger, so why put other families through that?

So what’s the moral of my story? If you drive through our neighborhood (or ANY neighborhood) you’d better check your speed because big brother will be watching you. Plus, we want our kids to be safe.

Take Me Back Tuesday

This is my very first time participating in this blog carnival, and it looks like fun. Several years ago I started to scan all my pre-digital photos but made only a small dent. This weekly carnival could be just the motivation I need to finish (or at least continue) what I started. If you want to know all the details you can go here.

This was the best photo I could find in a pinch. I have a very vague recollection of this day, preschool graduation day. But it takes me back to those carefree days of yesteryear. The days when all I had to worry about was myself. It was all about me, me, me. It was also the days when my birth mom was still on this earth. I think she went home to our Heavenly Father shortly after this picture was taken. Maybe I’ll share that part of my life in a future post. Suffice it to say that I was blessed with another mom who raised me and loved (and STILL loves) me as her own child. (Thanks, MOM!)

Fun in the Sun

I was going to drop Einstein off at school then run some errands, but when we got here we found out that the class would be spending the day out in the sunshine! I don't want to leave. I want to bake in the sun. So I think I'll just hang out here for awhile.

So while I'm here let me tell you a little story about how I made my baby fall this morning. We were walking back from the bus stop and I was trying to have some fun with Einstein so I stepped in front of him (something that I'm always getting after Picasso about because it could cause someone to fall). Guess what happened? Einstein tripped over his mommy's big foot and scraped his knee. I felt so bad about it. I've been appologizing all morning. You would think he broke a bone or something, the way he had been going on. He even wanted to skip school! But, being out in the sun seems to have taken his mind off his knee.

So now I'm going to join in the fun in the sun. Hopefully you're having nice weather wherever you are too.
-- Post From My iPhone

SOOC Sunday

Happy Sunday to everyone. Happy Birthday (42nd, NOT 43rd) to Daddy. {giggle} This entire year he thought he was already 42. Well, you’re actually a year YOUNGER than you thought you were, so Happy Birthday! Ha ha ha!

Happy Birthday to Claudia too (I won’t say which one ;>)! You’re like fine wine: you get better with age. Coincidentally, her birthday is the same day as Daddy’s, and her wedding anniversary is the same too. How funny is THAT?

Yesterday I took the boys to Black Hills Gym for a birthday party. The gym socks-like odor hit me in the face like a ton of bricks when I walked through the door.

The monkeys played on the gym equipment and ran around for about an hour before cake and ice cream. They had a lot of fun, and I had a few minutes to start reading our current book club read, “It Sucked and Then I Cried.”

I wasn’t going to start reading it until after I was done listening to “The Host” but since I just got it from the library I wanted to skim through and see what it was all about. I read the prologue and was instantly hooked. I was literally laughing out loud. Yes, there will definitely be some interesting discussion at our next meeting.

Okay, okay, so here are a couple of “SOOC” photos from yesterday.

To see more “SOOC” photos visit Jan’s blog here. Enjoy the rest of your weekend. We’re off to church then doing a little quickie house cleaning before our guests arrive. I’m making Daddy’s favorite, Pesto Garlic Chicken and Pasta, for his birthday dinner. It’s more like a late lunch, early dinner at 2:00 since the monkeys have Awana at 6:00. I’m sure I’ll have a few photos to post. See you next time.

***Answer to photo trivia: "My Cousin Vinnie"

Saturday Photo Hunt {Purple}

This week’s theme, PURPLE, was a no brainer. I recently took quite a few photos of PURPLE flowers. Don’t ask me what the names of the flowers are because I’m clueless in that department. I just thought they were pretty.

If you’re participating in the photo hunt feel free to leave a link to your PURPLE photo. And don’t forget to jump over to tnchick’s blog here to see even MORE PURPLE.

Company Girl Coffee {4.17.09}

It’s late in the day, so if you want to skip the coffee it won’t hurt my feelings. Come in, anyway, and let me tell you about my day.

I spent the morning with Einstein at his preschool. The class took a little walk up the hill to the elementary school. One of the fifth grade classes have been raising Coho Salmon and we went to see them.

The teacher and students were very welcoming. Einstein’s two buddies were very compassionate and helpful. They had the natural ability to make him feel comfortable. They could see that he’s very shy. But he actually conversed with them and even remembered the boy’s name.

Here are a FEW pictures I took during our trip…

Aren’t they tiny? I always imagine salmon already big enough to eat and just overlook their growth cycle. These salmon are about 90 days old from hatching, and will be released into a local creek next week.

When we got back to the preschool class I took a few photos of the Monarch Butterfly Caterpillars…

And baby lady bugs. Okay, I don’t know if they’re called “baby” lady bugs, but this is the stage before they grow their wings. Just looking at them makes me itch because they look like giant ticks.

The weather was half-way decent so the kids were able to play on the playground for a while. They even had peppermint flavored hot chocolate. Yum.

Sorry to inundate you with so many photos but, as you can see, we had a fun day. I hope you enjoyed your visit, and have a great weekend. The monkeys have a birthday party to attend tomorrow, and Sunday is Daddy’s birthday.

If you’d like to visit with some of the other Company Girls you can visit them here.

Oh, before I forget (which I obviously already did) Rachel is discussing “sanctuary on a shoestring” and how we’re all affected by the state of our economy. She’s asking us to give any tips that we may have. I’m not a wealth of information, but I want to be eligible for her contest {giggles}, so here’s my tip. If you have kids in grade school don’t waste your money on school lunches. Just make them sandwiches. It’s so much cheaper and the food doesn’t go to waste. Picasso can eat PBJs every day. I give him other options, but he always wants PB&J. It’s a lot more economical than spending in excess of two dollars for food he won’t eat anyway. We usually skim his lunch menu and highlight the days they serve his favorites. Like pizza (big surprise), but for the most part I try to pack his lunches.

Okay, okay, I’ve kept you long enough. Talk at you later.

Things I Love Thursday {Truvia}

It’s that time of the week again. Time to share THINGS that I love. Today’s thing that I love is Truvia, the new artificial sweetener. Up until I finally found it at Wal Mart I had been using Splenda because it’s the only artificial sweetener that is, both, calorie free (in theory) and doesn’t leave a nasty after-taste.

I’ve been using the Truvia for a couple of weeks now and love it! One packet provides the same sweetness as 2 teaspoons of sugar. Splenda claims to do the same thing, yet I always used 5 packets for my daily coffee. (By their math that would be TEN teaspoons of sugar in my coffee.) I’m only using one packet of Truvia. I think that will save me some money and trips to the store to restock.

I don’t know about the other sweetener that’s stacked next to the Truvia in the photo. It’s also derived from the stevia plant like the Truvia product, but it has 5 calories per packet. I think it was also more expensive.

Truvia even has recipes for smoothies and baked goods on their website. I haven’t tried any yet, but I see that happening in the near future.

What do YOU love? Share it with the rest of us here at The Diaper Diaries.

Wordless Wednesday

Hau’oli La Hanau Kristy!

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, Happy birthday dear Kristy, Happy birthday to you!

Just want to wish my sister a happy birthday! See you tonight for some birthday pizza!

Credits: Quick Page Layout by Lori Barnhurst

Tackle It Tuesday {Haircut}

Daddy was complaining about Picasso’s hair getting too long so I gave it a little trim yesterday. No, I have no training and it shows. But the last couple of times I took him to a “professional” to get a haircut it looked bad. So my thoughts were, “Why pay someone $13 for a bad haircut when I can do it myself for free?” So that’s what I’ve been doing.

Since I have to set up my barber chair in our kitchen that also means I have to vacuum the floor after I'm done playing barber. I figured that since I had my floor attachment connected I may as well vacuum the floors in the house, including the floor in our laundry room . And since I'm in the laundry room, I may as well vacuum the lint trap in our dryer. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a before and after picture of that, but I did it (after thinking about it for months now).

And, without further adieu, here are the before and after pictures of Picasso's haircut.

Did you tackle anything this week? Head on over here to share or read about what others have tackled.

Weekend Wrap-Up {4.13.09}

It’s been a weird day. I was planning on posting earlier today but had problems opening my blogger page. I couldn’t open ANY blogger pages. Maybe Google was having issues? Who knows? But I’m back up and running.

Yesterday was another wet and rainy day in Washington. The monkeys and I went to church in the morning. The service was immediately followed by an egg hunt for the kids.

As soon as we walked out of the sanctuary and into the corridor you could spot colorful plastic eggs all over. Each child received a plastic bag to collect their eggs in. It was a mob of kids at first. They were all over the place. When things slowed down, the monkeys wandered around looking for stray eggs. And guess what? They actually found more. Picasso found one in a trash can. There were eggs hidden under cups and in empty creamer containers. It was amusing to watch. I’d say they found more than their fair share of eggs out of SEVEN HUNDRED.

Shortly after we got home from church we headed down south to spend Easter with family. We took a little detour through the town of Winlock, where Daddy grew up. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a few shots for my April Photo Hunt.

Then we headed across the freeway to Toledo. The monkeys went straight to egg hunting as soon as they walked through the door. They found all 24 plastic eggs. Then I hid them again for them to find. Then Picasso hid them for Einstein and me to find. Then Einstein hid them for Picasso and me to find. It was fun.

As usual, I ate way too much food. We had ham, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, macaroni salad, and deviled eggs. Followed by strawberry cheesecake, chocolate cake, confetti cake, and ice cream. I didn’t eat EVERYTHING on the menu, but I ate more than I should have.

The monkeys returned to school today after their week long spring break. I spent the morning at Einstein’s school to help out a little bit with their egg hunt. The rain literally put a damper on things. I got a few good pictures of Einstein, though. I think today was the last of Easter celebrations until next year.

I hope everyone else had a great Easter. Here is a little slide show that I threw together using Smilebox. I wanted to test it out on my blog. Let me know what you think.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Easter! {SOOC Sunday}

Happy Easter, everyone! I just wanted to make sure I got that out before we started our day and let it get away from us. I also wanted to share a few photos that I took of the monkeys coloring eggs yesterday. No, we didn’t go all out and color two dozen eggs. We kept it low key this year because I didn’t want to be stuck with the task of finding creative ways to use boiled eggs. The monkeys each colored five eggs, and that seemed to satisfy them.

Saturday Photo Hunt {Triangle}

 

This week’s theme is “triangle,” and it was a tough hunt for me. I finally came across this one of my Aunty Pi’ilani’s custom drum that she made. Do you see the triangles?

Here’s a full view shot of the drum with other Hawaiian instruments.

If you’re playing along with the photo hunt today feel free to leave a link to your photo here. I’d love to see what your “triangles” look like. If you’re not participating but would like to see more photo hunt posts you can visit tnchick here. Happy hunting, everyone. And have a great Easter.

Dragonball Evolution {Review}

I had no idea what to expect when I took the monkeys to see Dragonball Evolution today. My very first thoughts when I saw the trailer was that it looks cheesy and the main character looks nothing like the character in the anime version. I also read a few negative thoughts and reviews leading up to the movie. The most memorable comment was that this movie is entertaining if you’re a five year old. Well, at least one of my monkeys fits into that category. But what about if you’re seven, or thirty-something? What does age have to do with it? I’m not ashamed to say that I thought the movie was awesome and so did the monkeys! I don’t care what everyone else says. When the DVD is released in a few months we’re going to own a copy.

Okay, I don’t know if you’re a Dragonball fan, or if you’ve ever heard of it, but my monkeys are diehard Dragonball fans. Here’s a little bit of proof. The boys have all the seasons of Dragonball and Dragonball Z along with some of the extras. There are more DVDs behind the ones you can actually see. Picasso is now coveting the Dragonball GT series. Again, if you’re not a fan this is probably all going over your head.

Anyway, I’ve actually watched some of these DVDs with the monkeys. I really enjoy watching them. They’re packed with action and just enough comedy. I’m not sure how close the movie interpretation is to the cartoon series, but it all seemed familiar to me, so I’d say pretty close.

So what is the gist of the movie? Goku is raised and trained in martial arts (not sure exactly what kind) by his grandfather, Gohan. Grandfather gives Goku Dragonball #4 on his 18th birthday. This is number 4 out of seven existing Dragonballs. Alone, the Dragonball is useless, but together they are powerful. The person in possession of the Dragonballs will be granted one perfect wish. As you can imagine, that wish can be used for either good or evil.

And speaking of evil, Picalo (the evil factor in the movie) is also in search of the seven Dragonballs. It’s a race to see who can find them first. That’s all I’m gonna say. If you want to know more you’ll have to see the movie. I give this movie five bananas. By the way, if you do see the movie be sure you don't leave as soon as the credits start rolling. There's a little bit more to the movie that suggests a sequel.

Just a little side note. The theater we were in was at the end of the corridor. And right across the hall was another new release showing. Just a little something called “Hannah Montana the Movie.” If you’re part of the human race then you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you don’t, maybe this will refresh your memory.

Is it coming back to you now? A mob of young girls poured out of that theater when the show was over. I think I can count the total number of people that was in our theater on two hands. Well, Hannah Montana is okay if you’re into that sort of thing. But I’m not. I guess I’m more into the boys stuff since I’m raising two of them.

Company Girl Coffee {4.10.09}

Yay! It’s Friday. Come on in so we can talk story. (Well, I’ll be doing all of the talking.) But feel free to pour yourself a cup of coffee. Maybe one of these days I’ll get a Keurig coffee maker and you’ll get a fresh cup every time.

What are your plans this Easter weekend? We’ll be driving down south to Toledo, WA to spend time with Daddy’s family. We haven’t been down there in awhile, so it should be a nice drive.

I can’t wait for the boys to open their Easter baskets. I got a Spectacular DVD for Picasso. He still loves that musical and watches it all the time. Once he opens the DVD I’ll be hitting the delete button on our DVR box. It’s taking up precious space.

Then for Einstein I picked up the new Adam Sandler DVD, Bedtime Stories. The monkeys ask me to buy it every time they see it in the stores. I got so tired of hearing it that I almost told them that they’ll be getting it for Easter (but I didn’t).

Yesterday we went to my cousin’s baby shower in Auburn. It was a nice little gathering. There was the usual: food, cake, and games. I almost made a clean sweep of the games, by the way. Out of five prizes I won three. I was making up for all those times that I lost. We’ll see just how long these two plants survive under my care.

Here are the two hapai (pregnant) mamas. That’s my cousin on the right, and my sister, Kristy, on the left. Their due dates are about a month apart. They’re BOTH having boys. My, how they’re growing.

One baby shower down, one to go. I won’t have to travel so far for the next one because we’ll be having one of Kristy’s baby showers here at my house. Yes, I did say “one of” because Kristy is blessed enough to be surrounded by people who love her. She already has two other showers on her calendar. What a way to start off motherhood.

Here I am with the two preggo ladies. I feel so thin next to them. LOL. Just kidding.

Here’s my mom and Kristy. Say, “cheese.”And here are the monkeys. They kept themselves occupied with their Nintendo DSs for most of the time (until they took a little brake to eat). That pretty much sums up yesterday. I came home from the baby shower with more than I went with. LOL! And now we’re headed to the theater to see the much anticipated Dragonball Evolution movie. Thanks for stopping by. If you’d like to visit with some of the other Company Girls jump on over to Rachel’s blog here. If I don’t see you again before Sunday, have a very Hoppy Easter!

Spring Break {Day 3}

Why does the weather forecast need to be accurate on the days that the weather stinks? We had temperatures of at least 70 degrees from Sunday through Tuesday. Yesterday it dropped right back down to 55 degrees. Definitely NOT park weather. Not for me, anyway. The monkeys could care less about the cold.

It would have been a perfect day to see the new Dragonball Evolution movie at the theater. But noooooo, they (whoever “they” are) had to push the release date back to Friday.

So we went to my bible study in the morning (as planned). The monkeys played in one of the classrooms during my study. Then we ran a couple of errands.

Since we were out an about I thought I’d improvise and have lunch at McDonald’s so that the boys could burn off some energy on the playground equipment afterward. Luckily, they didn’t spot the Spring Carnival that was going on across the street.

I don’t mind taking the boys to play at McDonald’s because it gives me the opportunity to sit on the sideline and relax for an hour or so. I was just bummed that I didn’t have my iPod with me. Why is it that I bring it with me wherever I go except on the days that I could really use it? I could have started listening to The Host. I had a book to read, but nothing that could have kept my attention for more than ten minutes.

So here are a few pictures from yesterday. (I’m getting better and better at aiming the camera.)

The monkeys pose with Ronald.

Picasso comes down the slide backward. What a goof!

Einstein takes a breather. “You better get out of the way before someone comes down!”

And here’s a little piece of art drawn by Picasso at the end of a good day. I love all his drawings. He’s so artistic.

Today is day four of Spring Break. We’re just hanging out at home until it’s time to go to my cousin’s baby shower. Tomorrow we’ll be seeing Dragonball Evolution (unless they pull another extension at the last minute).

New Yoplait Containers {Things I Love Thursday}

I know,this is sort of a strange thing to love, but I was just so fascinated and thrilled by it. I had to share.

I bought a case of Yoplait yogurt from Costco last week. (I’ve been trying to eat healthier breakfasts.) All this time I’ve been dipping my spoon into the container then resting it on my plate. Can’t have my yogurt container tipping over creating a mess. Yesterday I unconsciously did it different. I put my spoon back in the container and let it rest on the edge. Then it dawned on me that the container didn’t tip over. So I did a little experiment. I ate the rest of my yogurt, emptying the container, then put my spoon back in the container. Even with the container being completely empty it didn’t tip over with the spoon in it. I was amazed. I wonder if that was one of the purposes for the new container design? Who knows. All I know is I LOVE it!

If you want to see other things that are loved or want to play along, you can visit The Diaper Diaries here.

Spring Is In the Air {Nearly Wordless Wednesday}

Here are a couple of pictures I took on Sunday. The first day we had temperatures exceeding 65 degrees. The first time the monkeys visited the park in I don’t know how many months. Keep them coming please! 

Sunshiny Day {Keep ‘Em Coming!}

I can’t believe this amazing weather we’ve been having for the past couple of days! It all started on Sunday when we had 72 degrees of blissful heat (This is a treat for a place that has been getting 35 degree arctic temps). We had a repeat yesterday so I took the monkeys to the park for a picnic and to play.

Here they are setting up our picnic table.

Picasso is enjoying his PB&J sandwich in the warm sun.

Einstein isn’t enjoying the sun so much. He says it’s too bright. So he covered his head with his towel. “Ah, that’s much better.”

And here are the monkeys on the playground equipment.

There’s the smile that I love to see!

Here’s one of Einstein and me. I’d say I’m improving on aiming the camera at myself. Don’t you just love that goofy face that the little monkey is making. He just pulls them out of a bag at the drop of a dime.

And here’s a shot of the lake by the park. The boys love to go by the water to throw rocks.

Today feels like it’s going to be another warm day…LOVE IT! We’ll be out in the yard stacking wood (oh, joy). Then maybe we’ll make another trip to the park if we have time.

SUV Wash {Tackle It Tuesday}

We’ve been blessed with glorious warm weather the past couple of days. Could it be that our long awaited spring is finally here? One can hope, but I wouldn’t hold my breath because the weather forecast for Wednesday is rain (AGAIN!).

Our poor, neglected Durango has been begging for a wash for months now. So I took advantage of the warm weather to do just that. I even had a couple of volunteers.

Here’s the before picture. You can see finger imprints in all the caked on dirt.

And here is the after picture. All nice and shiny.

And in case you were wondering…yes, we did wash the entire Durango, and not just the part I took the picture of. See…

And here are my little monkeys helping with the task.

The Durango should be good to go for another six months. Did you tackle any projects this week? You can go here and tell everyone all about it.

Friend Makin’ Monday {Fuzzed Up}

Most of us know what makes our friends happy, but do we know what makes them frumpy? That’s the question Kasey at All That is Good is asking. After all, we don’t want to to things to offend our friends and jeopardize that relationship. So…

Today’s task is to list 10 things that just gets us fuzzed up, ruffles my feathers, gets on my nerves, pushes me over the edge, makes me see red…you get the idea.

Here’s my top 10:

1. LIARS! Well, just last night at my bible study class we were talking about this. We all tell little lies once in awhile. A normal person would probably lie for self protection, or a similar situation. So I guess I should clarify by saying CHRONIC LIARS definitely rub me the wrong way. I know a couple of them, but I won’t mention any names.

2. I can’t stand it when people make plans with you then don’t show up without even a courtesy call. Or they say they’ll call you on a certain day to make the plans but never do. What’s up with that? My time is valuable, so don’t waste it!

3. I can’t stand it when people are more focused on talking on their cell phone and less focused on their driving. Come on people, you’re holding up traffic. Just make your move already. Not to mention that you could cause an accident.

4. I can’t stand double standards. ‘Nuff said.

5. I get annoyed when I want to go on the computer but somebody else is on it. I’m impatient that way. I need my fix and I need it NOW.

6. I can’t stand solicitors who knock on my door. Do you people NOT see the “NO SOLICITING” sign on the door? This means YOU! I’m not in the mood to give you money today or any other day. What do I need to do? Put up a flashing neon light?

7. I can’t stand people who think they’re better than everyone else. I prefer humble people.

8. I hate picking up after everybody else in my house. They all leave trails and migrate their messes throughout the entire house. What am I, your maid? Don’t answer that.

9. I don’t like being around people who use foul language. Especially when every other word is “F” this or “F” that. I know I’m not the most articulate person in the world, but I’m sure you can think of nicer words to use. And, FYI, it’s not very attractive.

10. And last, but not least (It’s only my top 10)…I can’t stand when I run out of wine and I just gotta have a glass. Especially at the end of those long, rough days.

So what “fuzzes” you? If you’d like to participate visit Kasey here for more details.

April Photo Hunt Challenge {FUN}

I just learned about this photo hunt challenge that looks like a LOT of fun. It’s a little bit different from the Saturday Photo Hunt because your photos need to be taken between April 1st – 30th. That means I have some catching up to do.

Kristi has a list of 26 specific things (to be interpreted by the photographer) to snap and post by April 30th. Voting will be involved, so stay tuned. If you want to play along, visit Kristi here for all the details. If you’re not going to play along, feel free to vote for me :)

SOOC Sunday {Blue Skies}

Here’s one that I took with my iPhone the other day. While I love my iPhone, I’ve never really been impressed with it’s camera. It takes average photos out in natural sunlight, but indoors? Forget it. That’s why I was pleased with this one. I was taking a short walk to the mailbox before meeting Picasso at the bus stop and didn’t have my camera with me. Can you believe that? I usually NEVER leave home without my pink cam. Not even for a short walk. Luckily, I had my trusty old iPhone with me to shoot the blue skies.

Can you see any abstract shapes in the clouds? I see some sort of winged creature (almost lamb-like) with its wings spread upward.

If you’d like to participate or would like to see more “straight out of camera” photos you can go here.

Self Control? What Is That?

This afternoon the boys and I helped Aunty Sandy celebrate her, much anticipated, retirement. Here she is with my mom.

We had dinner at an eat until you go into a coma all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet. I think I celebrated too much (as usual). I had my mind set on eating one plate of food. This was the result. I think I may have stacked my food a little too high.

Then, when I was done with that I had some dessert. I don’t know how they made the custard tart, but it tasted like they scooped yellow colored mayonnaise into a tart shell.

Picasso had a little bit of dessert, himself. That’s about ALL he ate. He didn’t like any of the food he put on his plate. I let him indulge himself because he had to get his Grandma’s moneys worth of food somehow.

Since Einstein didn’t want to go with Aunty Kristy to get his dessert he had to wait for me to finish eating. He had a long wait. I had a lot of food to eat. When it was finally time, this is what he got.

By the time he got his dessert, Picasso was long finished with his. He was hinting about how much he liked the brownies. I asked him if he wanted to get another one. He had a look of surprise on his face. He asked, “Can I?” I laughed out loud and said, “It’s called an all-you-can-eat buffet. That means you can eat as much as you want.” His face beamed. But I warned him to take only what he can eat. Here he is getting more brownies.

Kids are so funny. I guess I just presumed that he knew what a buffet was. He caught on quick, though. These two brownies weren’t his last. He made himself a THIRD plate of desserts before we left the restaurant.

Okay, so starting tomorrow I’m done with food going to try to eat healthier and exercise more. Maybe spend less time on the computer and more time on the Wii Fit. Yes, that sounds like a good plan [smirk]. I’m counting on you to smack me on the head hold me accountable. Just putting my plan in writing (even though it’s a little sketchy) will help with my motivation (maybe). We’ll see how it goes. But for tonight, I’m going to sleep on it and look forward to a fresh start.

Plumbing Is NOT In My Job Description

…yet, it seems as if I’m unclogging toilets at least once a week. The plunger is my ally. We’re becoming very intimate with each other and I’m not liking it!

What is it about boys? Well, one seven year old in particular. Does he use half a role of toilet paper during his visit to the porcelain throne? Does he do it on purpose just to make me work harder? Am I the only Mom on the planet that experiences this? Calgon, take me away!

Saturday Photo Hunt {Stripes}

I had to put some thought into this weeks theme. What has stripes? Here it is…”the emblem of the land I love, the home of the free and the brave.”

 

This is the McChord AFB Color Guard presenting the flags at a memorial service that I posted about here.

If you’re participating in the hunt I’d love to see your “stripes.” 

You can also visit tnchick to see more photos.

Company Girl Coffee {4.3.09}

This is a post on the fly because I have about ten minutes before I have to take Einstein to school. I can still offer you a quick cup of coffee, but you’ll need to take quick sips.

As we were walking back from the bus stop this morning I noticed more flowers sprouting out of the ground. They must have been planted by the previous home owners. The signs of spring are all around me, but I’m starting to feel delusional into thinking that spring is supposed to be warmer than what it’s been. Am I wrong?

I’m supposed to be helping in Picasso’s first class this morning, but Einstein’s class is going on a last minute field trip to see some salmon at the elementary school up the hill. I volunteered to chaperone. Not to mention the fact that I wanted to take pictures too. I hope this rain lets up for a little while because we’ll be going by foot.

I had fun at our book club “meeting” last night. The first thing I noticed was how slim Claudia is getting. {Claudia, you’re looking good, chica! I’m feeling a little inspired to get off my butt and get moving to shed off a few pounds myself.}

The second thing I noticed was this book sitting on the counter. My mom picked it up from Target for the book club since we were supposed to be discussing the rest of the series. Um, where’s MY copy? I guess I’ll need to take a trip to Target. Actually, I’m waiting for Claudia to hand it over so I can read the words instead of just salivate over the photos.

And here’s a quick picture I snapped of Davina and myself. “Say cheese.” I’ve never been good at framing myself in the view finder, but this one came out pretty good.

Okay, looks like my time is up. I’m sure I’ll have more to post about later today. Sorry for the quick visit, but I’ve gotta run. If you’d like to visit with more Company Girls, visit Rachel and the girls here.

P.S. If you spot any typos please don’t tell me. I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to proof read.

The Tenth Circle {Book Review}

Tonight is our book club meeting (YAY!). The last time we met was in November when we saw the midnight showing of Twilight. This evening we’re supposed to be wrapping up our discussion about the Twilight series in addition to discussing our current book of the month (or quarter, at the rate we’re going), The Tenth Circle by Jodi Picoult. It all depends on if these Twilight crazy ladies (yes, me included) can get past the HOT topic of Edward Cullen or not. Either way, I’m prepared.

I listened to all four Twilight audio books in the past week. I wrapped it up on Tuesday, then went straight into The Tenth Circle audio book, which I wrapped up a couple hours ago.

This is the second Jodi Picoult novel that I’ve read, and she seems to focus on situations that are difficult to deal with, yet so real.

While The Tenth Circle was about life changing events in a fourteen year old girl’s life, this is NOT a book that I would recommend for teenagers. It could raise too many questions or give them ideas that a young woman (or anyone with morals, for that matter) should not be contemplating.

It seems that the main themes for the two Jodi Picoult books I’ve read are the “what if” factor. “What if I hadn’t done this? Then these tragic chain of events might not have occurred. Things could have been different. My family would still be in tact. My children wouldn’t have been hurt.” Hind sight is 20/20. Our choices and actions have consequences, and Jodi’s characters seem to know this only too well and find out the hard way.

In case you’re wondering, I give this book five bananas (my equivalent to the star rating system). I’ll add this novel to my growing list of favorites. (Do you like how I added this month’s NaBloPoMo theme into this post?)

NaBloPoMo {April}

I haven’t participated in NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month, for you non-bloggers who were wondering), for a few months so I thought I’d give it a go for April. Can I post every day for thirty days? Most likely, but some of my posts will probably be superficial or uninteresting just for the sake of posting.

The theme for the month is “growing (up).” This is merely a suggestion and not a requirement. I won’t be talking about growing plants because I have a brown thumb. The only thing I’m capable of doing with a plant is kill it slowly. With the exception of this lucky bamboo plant that I picked up a couple of weeks ago.

The label says “A long lasting, easy care plant that isn’t fussy about light and is impossible to over water!” Perfect!

I bought a plant similar to this one in 2001 while I was pregnant with Picasso. It was still living when we moved from Hawaii to Washington in 2006. I ended up giving the plant a new home because I didn’t think of bringing it with me.

This is another plant that is safe under my care. Only because it doesn’t require any. I planted these mini daffodils two years ago and forgot about them. I remember them when they emerge from the soil in the spring. It always amazes me how low maintenance they are.

Maybe tomorrow I’ll talk about my growing faith, or my growing monkeys.

Wordless Wednesday {Rainy Day}

Just another rainy day in Washington.

If you’d like to see more “Wordless Wednesday” photos go here.