angel's wings and other things

i have finished gabriel's wings for the children's program at church. monkey gets to be gabriel- i am way more excited than she is. of all the angels to be he's the one or maybe michael, but he isn't really in the nativity story. here is a pic of them.


i have been working very steadily on christmas presents for my friends and fam. there are some of you that i don't know which ones you would like. if you have not already asked and i don't know what sniff and color for your soaps and what color for your washcloths, please let me know. big 'uns should be picking up her pink vanilla scented soaps to go with her pink washcloths this afternoon. sniffs available for the soaps are: vanilla, lavender, and peppermint. colors available for soaps are: red, green, blue yellow, purple, orange, and any color that can be procured using the colors mentioned above. colors available for washcloths are: yellow, blue, pink, green, and red. pattylicious i know you prefer purple in color, but there are no purple cloths also what sniff would you like. i made a ton of these items, so if you would like some let me know. also, food gifts will be available after christmas. woo hoo. i included some pics of the cloths and soaps.
the lilttle purple blobs are really purple lavender scented frogs. these are my fav.
apparently the soaps are also good for eating. her highness grabbed one and promptly began licking it. so much for washing her mouth out with soap.

hello

i was recently contacted by a friend that i haven't heard from in roughly 13 years. it was so awesome to hear her voice and catch up with her. she asked the same question many of my old friends have asked "why are there no pictures of you?" i gave her the same response i give everyone else "because i woke up one day and i was gigantic". seriously, once upon a time i was scrawny skinny, and then i got married, had in-laws who hated me and made it their daily chore to make me crazy. oh yeah, i also had two kids. because she asked here are some pics of me. most of them are pretty old.

this is me on the day finch and i renewed our vows. 3 yrs ago.
i made the dress.

this is me and the hubby this past summer

this is adara and me getting my ring from WT. 3 yrs ago

there you go. i will attempt to let other people take some pics this christmas.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

those of you who know me know that i really enjoy this time of year. at my house santa still comes. we very much believe in his/her presence. on christmas morning before we open gifts we read from the bible the story of Jesus' birth. i have explained to monkey that he wasn't born on dec 25, that just happens to be the day we celebrate it. kind of like when we have her birthday party the weekend before her birthday. i know that the reason we celebrate His birth on dec 25 is because of the romans who were trying to convert my pagan ancestors in the british isles. i know that the christmas tree is the modern version of the very pagan yule log. anyway, this sunday the preacher had a sermon on the true meaning of the holiday season, yeah i know hannukah was here before christmas and so was yule. then on monday i got this email and i thought that i should share it. hope you guys enjoy and here are some pics of my christmas elves decorating the tree.


Dear Children,

It has come to my attention that many you are upset that folks
are taking My name out of the season. Maybe you've forgotten
that I wasn't actually born during this time of the year and
that it was some of your predecessors who decided to celebrate
My birthday on what was actually a time of pagan festival.
Although I do appreciate being remembered anytime.

How I personally feel about this celebration can probably be
most easily understood by those of you who have been blessed
with children of your own.

I don't care what you call the day. If you want to celebrate
My birth, just GET ALONG AND LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Now, having said that let Me go on. If it bothers you that the
town in which you live doesn't allow a scene depicting My
birth, then just get rid of a couple of Santa's and snowmen
and put in a small Nativity scene on your own front lawn. If
all My followers did that there wouldn't be any need for such
a scene on the town square because there would be many of them
all around town.

Stop worrying about the fact that people are calling the tree
a holiday tree, instead of a Christmas tree. It was I who made
all trees. You can remember Me anytime you see any tree.
Decorate a grape vine if you wish: I actually spoke of that
one in a teaching, explaining who I am in relation to you and
what each of our tasks were. If you have forgotten that one,
look up John 15: 1 - 8.

If you want to give Me a present in remembrance of My birth
here is my wish list. Choose something from it:

1. Instead of writing protest letters objecting to the way My
birthday is being celebrated, write letters of love and hope
to soldiers away from home. They are terribly afraid and
lonely this time of year. I know, they tell Me all the time.

2. Visit someone in a nursing home. You don't have to know
them personally. They just need to know that someone cares
about them.

3. Instead of writing George complaining about the wording on
the cards his staff sent out this year, why don't you write
and tell him that you'll be praying for him and his family
this year. Then follow up. It will be nice hearing from you
again.

4. Instead of giving your children a lot of gifts you can't
afford and they don't need, spend time with them. Tell them
the story of My birth, and why I came to live with you down
here. Hold them in your arms and remind them that I love
them.

5. Pick someone that has hurt you in the past and forgive him
or her.

6. Did you know that someone in your town will attempt to take
their own life this season because they feel so alone and
hopeless? Since you don't know who that person is, try giving
everyone you meet a warm smile; it could make the difference.

7. Instead of nit picking about what the retailer in your town
calls the holiday, be patient with the people who work there.
Give them a warm smile and a kind word. Even if they aren't
allowed to wish you a "Merry Christmas" that doesn't keep you
from wishing them one Then stop shopping there on Sunday.
If the store didn't make so much money on that day they'd
close and let their employees spend the day at home with their
families.

8 If you really want to make a difference, support a
missionary - especially one who takes My love and Good News to
those who have never heard My name.

9. Here's a good one. There are individuals and whole
families in your town who not only will have no "Christmas"
tree, but neither will they have any presents to give or
receive. If you don't know them, buy some food and a few
gifts and give them to the Salvation Army or some other
charity which believes in Me and they will make the delivery
for you.

10. Finally, if you want to make a statement about your belief
in and loyalty to Me, then behave like a Christian. Don't do
things in secret that you wouldn't do in My presence. Let
people know by your actions that you are one of mine.

Don't forget; I am God and can take care of Myself. Just love
Me and do what I have told you to do. I'll take care of all
the rest.

Check out the list above and get to work; time is short. I'll
help you, but the ball is now in your court. And do have a
most blessed Christmas with all those whom you love and
remember:
I LOVE YOU, JESUS

ready or not

you may not be impressed by the first photo, but it was a first for me. these are the first rice crispy treats that i have ever made. yes, you may be surprised that i have never made these. i know it was a wee bit of a shock for me too. i made them the week of thanksgiving, so i felt the need to put fall like sprinkles on them. they didn't last very long. i have since made several batches of these overly sweet delights. i made some with strawberry marshmallows and they were fab.



here is my super helper. she was responsible for the pink salad. she also helped with the pumpkin pie, stuffing, and several other crucial turkey day foods. she helped my mom shape all of the rolls, and she did an excellent job with the tea ring. having her help is really exciting for me because by the time i was 8 i was in charge of the pecan pie making. i'm glad that she enjoys cooking.


although she didn't get to help make much she was the official taster of all things. my granny made this apron for my older sister about 36 years ago or so. mimi brought the head gear for her heiness. my thanksgiving head gear was provided by the princess mindy. sorry no pics of it, i don't like to be photographed. the blue smear on her cheek is from the crispy treats made with fruity pebbles.
isn't this how you're supposed to eat olives? later in the evening the cowden clan came over and she and XXX were putting them on their fingers. it was really cute.


they are called stockings. she thought that meant that you were supposed to put them on. we got the house decorated for christmas. while team gator was terrorizing the stores team dunkin was enjoying a fire, pancakes, cocoa, and decorating. i had several other really awesome photos, but alas i could only upload 5.


we had a great holiday. my uncle roy and his wife came down from OKC and we had a lovely visit with them. my brother and his wife didn't make it up due to the inclement weather. my sister only made it for about 6 hours on turkey day. this wouldn't be nearly so aggravating, but she spent a week with one of her friends in lubbock. it is always nice to know where you rank in priority. any way. monkey had a great birthday. she got the harry potter books, all but the last one. she has made it to chapter 5 or 6 already. pattylicious got her some really great books and a beautiful bookmark. monkey got tons of clothes and 2 new pair of tennis shoes. she also got this great pair of pink pjs with matching slippers, her highness has already claimed them as hers. for those of you who follow the avatar she got the entire second season. for those of you who don't follow it, you really should it is an awesome cartoon. we own season 1 and 2, and have season 3 on dvr. all in all it was a great holiday. the week started out with a little gifty in my mailbox from the princess mindy. it was this adorable little note book. then there were thanksgiving parties at mdo and monkey's school. i got to spend wednesday with pattylicious and my mom came over later and we got to spend most of the holiday with her. big uns and biker came over and we played uno all night. it was a wonderful time. hope your holiday was equally wonderful and blessed.

hey there

wow, it has been busy around our house. we had a wonderful turkey day. i hope to have a bit more time on my hands tomorrow, so i'll put pics up. hope everyone else had a great turkey day. a big thanks to all of those who were super supportive of the family issues around turkey day. i'm glad that i have awesome friends.

tag i'm it.

1. The phone rings, who do you want it to be?
my hubby

2. When shopping at the grocery store, do you return your cart?
yes, people who don't suck, and don't blame it on the kids in the car. i park next to the return area, so this isn't a problem.

3. If you had to kiss the last person you kissed, would you?
yes, she's so cute with her curls and kissy face. i'm talking about her highness by the way

4. Do you take compliments well?
not really, i tend not to believe that people really mean them, unless they are about my kids, and i know they rock

5. Do you play Sudoku?
i did and then my brilliant hubby said no this is how you do it, so now i refuse

6. If abandoned alone in the wilderness would you survive?
i hope so, but why would i be abandoned? is someone plotting against me that i should know about

7. If your house was on fire, what would be the first thing you would save?
the girls, i would love to rescue the photos, but the girls are most important

8. Who was the last person you slept in the bed with?
finchy

9. Who do you text the most?
i don't

10. Favorite children's book?
where the wild things are

11. Eye color?
hazel green

12. How tall are you?
taller than bonnie not as tall as finch

13. If you could do it over again, start from scratch, would you?
please see the post beneath this one

14. Any secret admirers?
yes, johnny depp is secretly stalking me.

15. When was the last time you were at Olive Garden?
wow, it's been a long time. i guess when we went with big 'uns

16. Favorite ex..?
josh utay or danny bigler. both were great guys.

17. Where was the furthest place you traveled?
kenya

18. Do you like mustard
yes, especially on bierox

19. Do you prefer to sleep or eat?
yes, but i don't recommend doing them at the same time. it really is a choking hazard

20. Do you miss anyone?
yes, several people

21. Can you do splits?
yes i can

22. What movie do you want to see right now?
shrek 3 and saw 4

23. What did you do for New Year's Eve?
made hard candy and hung out with big 'uns

24. Do you think The Grudge was crappy?
it wasn't nearly as scary as the ring

25. Do you own a camera phone?
no, i own the free phone from sprint

26. Was your mom a bitch?
not really, just absent

27. What is the last letter of your middle name?
a

28. Are you hispanic?
no, i'm beige. yes, i am hispanic

29. How many hours of sleep do you get a night?
usually about 7

30. Do you like care bears?
Yes

31. What do you buy at the Movies?
usually we get a popcorn, cotton candy, and a cherry coke

32. Do you know how to play DDR?
could you repeat the question please

33. Do you wear your seatbelt?
yes, and so do my children. we don't drive around out of our carseats, other than the time big 'uns had to rescue me and her highness off the side of the road when i twisted my ankle.

34. What do you wear to sleep?
a smile

35. Is your hair straight or curly?
wavy

36. Is your tongue pierced?
no

37. Do you like Liver and Onions?
do you know what the purpose of a liver is? eww gross

38. Do you like funny or serious people better?
serious people who are funny, yes they exist

39. Ever been to L.A.?
No

40. Who is on your mind right now?
finch

41. Any plans for tonight?
finish picking up the house for turkey day, make a puppet, make cranberry relish, have a delicious dinner and rice crispy treat, i think that's it.

42. Whats your fav. song at the moment?
don't have just one.

43. Do you like chocolate?
the darker the better

44. What do you and your parents fight about the most?
not really, my mom is passive aggressive and my dad is no longer in my life

45. Are you a gullible person?
no

46. Do you need a boyfriend/girlfriend to be happy?
no, finch just wouldn't understand if i got a boyfriend and well it really isn't hereditary.

47. If you could have any job what would it be?
owner of a bakery/coffee shop.

48. Are you easy to get along with?
probably not. i tend to be a wee bit opinionated.

49. What is your favorite time of day?
All of it.

50. Are you generally a happy person?
i try to be.

ok i tag leah, pattylicious, and natalie if you're reading this

regrets? no pay it forward

ok, so big 'uns asked: Ok, if you could name on regret, and you can't go with that BS of I have no regrets...what would it be and if you were magically taken back in time and you know what you know now...would you change the things that you did?

really the no regrets thing isn't BS. since you insist i do have one regret, but you already know it. i regret letting my sister talk me out of culinary school. not only did my sister never had my best interest in mind, she doesn't even know me well enough to claim that she did. as far as going back and changing it, i don't know. i am truly hesitant to say yes. i am happy with where life is right now. if i knew how things would have turned out if i had gone, then it might be different. now for those of you who don't know about my "no regrets BS" here it is: i truly believe that we end up where we are supposed to be. most of you know that i HATED living in caldwell, but if i hadn't i wouldn't have met some people that i feel honored to know. i wouldn't have met finch, and i wouldn't have the girls. who knows i might really have been a famous actress. i'll never know, so i am content with how life turned out. even my sucky childhood has helped me become the person i am now. it has taken my a lot of maturing to get to this point in my life, but it really is the truth. to like who i am and my life i have to accept the past both the good and the bad.

on a different note i am doing a pay it forward exchange. i copy and pasted the blurb from princess mindy, so i wouldn't mess it up.
I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

so let the games begin. the gift you send need not be homemade if that would be easier on you.

a few answers

well i only got questions from princess mindy. her questions:
what is you favorite food thing to make?
good question, although there is really not just one answer. most of my favorites are attached to memories, for example i love to make pecan pies, i don't eat them, but i love to make them. they were one of the first things i learned how to bake. by the time i was monkey's age i was responsible for the pecan pie at gatherings. i love to make sugar cookies, they remind me of my friend bonnie, who i miss terrible. tamales are probably the closest i can get to a fave food to make. we started the tradition of tamale christmas when monkey was 1 month old. they bring back many happy memories, and as she gets older she helps make the tamales.

what would you fix for me if i was coming to dinner?
another excellent question. if you were coming around christmas you would get tamales by default, but you would also get homemade sangria. any other time of the year you would get what was served. just kidding. if you were coming for some form of family gathering you'd probably get chicken tacos, homemade tortillas, homemade refried beans, and all the other trimmings. i hear you like red velvet cake, which happens to be my favorite as well, so we'd probably have one of those. well as long as you don't ask me to put cream cheese icing on it. i hate cream cheese. truth be known if we're having guests i usually ask if they have a request for dinner and fix that, as long as it isn't something really gross like liver and onions, i just can't go there.

well those were the only questions i received. although she will probably kill me i did want to let everyone know that pattylicious is having twins. i can't tell you how excited i am. i figure that if she's having twins then i don't have to. also if anyone knows where i can purchase ceramic slip in the local area i would appreciate a heads up. we are trying to get our craftiness for christmas started. if anyone else has a question let me know and i will do my best to get to it.

tag i'm it

I was tagged on myspace to give 10 random facts about myself. here goes
1.my right ear is pointed. i used to hate this about myself, but now i think it's pretty cool.
2.i lived 4 years at a children's home in canadian, tx
3.i LOVE to dance, and once thought i was pretty good at it.
4. the theatre was my first true love,and until i went to WT i thought that i was awesome at it. if it hadn't been for finch i would probably have moved to NY years ago.
5. i really want more kids
6.i miss my brother more than he will ever know
7. sometimes i wear my tiara around the house for no other reason than i want to.
8.the sexiest thing about my husband is that he is smarter than me.
9. i hate to sing in public, but love to sing.
10. i hate to be touched.

i tag big uns, princess mindy, and leah.

i love this season

i do love this time of year. i love the cool air, not the blowing wind, but really who's complaining. i love the food, chili, chicken and dumplings, stews, soups, i know that these foods are available to be made year round, but they taste better when it is cool outside. i started the first round of wassail today. the house smells of apples and cinnamon which is quite nice i must say. i got an order for a red velvet cake for a lady in tulia. i love to bake and have been told that i do it quite nicely. i have begun the purchasing of stuff for turkey day. it is very difficult to stick to a diet of any form during this time of year. as soon as i finish this post i am headed upstairs to get a few knitting projects down. also i am hosting a christmas party on December 15 at 4 pm. all are invited. i haven't decided if i will do tamales or not, but i probably will. also the ladies christmas tea is on dec 8 at 11 am if anyone would like to go let me know so i can pick up some tickets. i'm going to be a princess mindy copier. they say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery by the way. if anyone has a question to ask please do so. i will be answering them on friday. she did this on her blog and it was way cool. i'm looking forward to your questions. we still haven't seen anything of ella. there are a couple of black objects on the interstate, but i can't bring myself to go look. :(

back from stephen kingville

we had a great trip to pville (perryton not plainview). the girls and i headed out of happy after monkey's wonderful veterans day program. all we did was to hang with mimi and watch movies. her highness and monkey did major snuggling with the mimi. i noticed something this trip that struck me as strange. this is the first time that my mom's house didn't give me the creeps. most of you know that my mom lives in my grandparents old house, and some of you know that it has always given me the creeps. i have nightmares about this house since i was like 4. for some reason it didn't bother me at all this time. my aunt sue came to visit on sat afternoon, but she left early because one of her monstrous Pomeranians bit monkey. it didn't break skin, but it bruised pretty bad. when we got back finch told us that the girls had gotten out on friday while he was gone. mulan was hit by a car and we can't find ella. they have been running the interstate for about a week now. short of chaining them we couldn't figure out how to keep them in the yard. monkey was terribly sad at the bad news, but she perked up when i told her that she could help bathe bruno and that he could be an indoor dog again. it's always nice to go visit, but it sure feels good to be home. i hope everyone had a great weekend.

silence is golden

well, the house is strangely quiet other than the sound of me typing. her highness is sleeping, monkey is at school, finch is at work, and pappy left this morning. i have almost finished packing for the weekend trip to pville. i'm going to pick up my grandparents china, so that i can use it for turkey day. monkey has her veterans day program at school this afternoon, so i need to be packed and ready to go before then. i'm getting really excited about turkey day because it looks like both my brother and sister will be joining us this year. of course our holidays are always open to anyone who needs somewhere to celebrate. i hope everyone has a great weekend. i'm going to finish packing for the trip.

and the answer is

a friend of mine sent out a survey, but instead of answering questions about you, you are suppose to answer questions about the person that sent it to you. i have gotten it back from 2 friends from middle school, and i haven't laughed that hard in months. just thought i would share

creativity

it has been a while since i did anything truly creative, unless you count my budget. i was intending on using my MDO days to get some crafty things done, but instead all i do is clean the house. i admit that it is nice to pick something up once a day instead of 12. i feel the need to get back to my old crafty self, so i hope that as the days get shorter and colder i will be able to get some crafting completed. i am hesitant to sew myself anything due to the weight loss. just because i know how to tailor a garment doesn't mean i want to. i think that i will begin to just go through the craft boxes and complete what has been started or purchased. i have several knitting projects that i would love to complete in time for christmas. also, sometime this month i hope to purchase some slip for my ceramics, so if you happen to be near and want to make something send me a shout. i gave big uns a few pics so she could scan and send to some of her contacts. two are of my favorite grave. i know it sounds odd, but when i was in england i saw the most amazing crypt in st. paul's cathedral. there were two angels with swords resting at the door of the crypt. it was amazing. while looking for the pics i ran across a bunch of pics that i had forgotten about completely. i think that i will attempt to put them all into albums, so i actually know where they are. anyway the laundry beckons to me.

so much to say

i had so many different titles, but each one was for only one thing i wanted to put in here. it has been a while since i posted, so this will be a little long.

first my mom officially has a nickname. when monkey was born my mom decided to just be grandma. monkey was alright with this, so grandma she has been for nearly 8 years. this weekend she came to stay with us and her highness has given her a nickname. we were all sitting eating breakfast and she began to point at one of the pics on the wall and say "mimi". i didn't know what she was talking about until she pointed at my mom and repeated "mimi". my mom is now mimi.

i got my envelope in the mail from the swap, and it was awesome. i do mean AWESOME. it had a quilting book with designs and patterns, an article/how to on quilt binding, a giant pincushion that she made, a little book of stories, some awesomely cool fabric, and tucked inside their own little envelope were two cadbury bars. i got addicted to the fruit and nut one when i was in england my senior year. i was so excited that i opened the bar and shared it with the fam. her highness was very excited.

halloween was very exciting in our house. finch went as a punk. for those of you who have met my hubby you know that he is sooooo far from punk that this was a big stretch. it was also a learning experience for him. he was amazed at how he was treated. not only did the general public think he was a menace, but people who knew him were hesitant. monkey went as the blind bandit from the avatar and her highness went as well a princess. we went trick or treating with the church and had a great time. we rode on a trailer that had hay bails for seats. we stopped by big uns house to trick or treat and her highness decided that she would rather stay there than go with us. when finch got her out of big uns arms her highness began to scream at the injustice that had been done to her. i almost forgot one of the funniest things that happened. we went on a field trip with monkey to the corn maze, but it was really cold and windy. the teachers decided to take the kids back to school early and just let them watch movies. i told the teacher that i owned a couple of halloween child friendly movies and that i could take them to the school if she wanted. this was agreed on and finch ran the movies to the school. he said that he could read the principal's lips saying "what the h*** do we have here?" as he approached. when finch greeted him and he realized who was beneath the mohawk and trench coat he was very friendly. i thought it was hilarious.

all in all it was a great week. i leave you with a pic of the hubby.

she's back

apparently the monkey had a great time in OKC visiting my uncle and his fam. she got to watch movies and play games. of course the grandmas always enjoy getting her for a weekend. the grandmas are my mom and her sister. they are identical twins out of a set of triplets. when monkey was little she met my aunt sue for the first time and decided that she was grandma sue. now we just call them the grandmas. we had a relatively uneventful weekend. we had pizza night with the cowden clan as usual. then we just kind of hung out saturday. the hubby went to work sat afternoon and her highness and i went to visit pattylicious for a few hours. finch's dad and his good friend tony stopped by for the evening to rest before heading to idaho to hunt. big 'uns came by and had chicken and dumplings with us last night. we had jello beans for dessert. she is particularly fond of them, so we made them just for her. now i am listening to the sound of a darling little girl who refuses to nap. hope everyone has a happy halloween and a great week.

finished

i finished my envelope and sent it out yesterday. i wanted to do more stuff, but alas i ran out of room. i hope she likes the things i sent. i finished the narnia series, they were awesome. her highness has her "pumpkin party" at mdo on tuesday. i'm in charge of the cookies. i am so excited. there are only 8 kids in her class, so i will try not to go overboard. the hubby and i are in discussions about expanding the clan soon. in case anyone wondered to pay out of pocket for a pregnancy will only cost us $7500. that is if we pay in advance. if we wait until the end of the pregnancy to pay it will cost around $10,000 to $12,000. that is if you don't need a c-section. those cost a whole lot more. i will let you know what happens. hope everyone has a great hump day.

pictures and a few random thoughts

ok, so i wanted to put some of the pics up from the cowden/dunkin clan trip to the "amazingly fun farm". here the dunkins are riding the cow train. her highness is sitting on daddy's lap and monkey is riding in the back. the two cowden kids were in the front of the cow train.


here are the cowdens on the hay ride over to the pumpkin patch. can't you see the excitement on their faces.



random photo of my brother's grooms cakes and one of the wedding cakes. i think they're pretty.

this is the wee highness posing as pumpkin head. isn't she funny.
so, all day yesterday her highness would announce "pee pee" and dash for the bathroom. about 1 of 4 was the real thing, but i'm not complaining. the problem was that she didn't want to wear a diaper. no one else who goes potty on the toilet wears one. you see the logic. for those who are wondering, although i think the ankle should be ready for my 3 mile walk, it has other ideas. come on 6 days is enough time to heal. the fam went shopping on saturday to get me a bday gift and i was thrilled. i got an electric roaster and a hand mixer. please don't think i'm being sarcastic, i really am tickled pink. now i can do the turkey in the roaster and have the oven left for stuffing and rolls. woo hoo. anyway, i'd love to stay and blog, but the house needs to be cleaned. hope everyone has a great day

quick note

this is just a quick line to tell you what happened not 30 minutes ago. her highness patted her diaper and announced "pee pee". i quickly took her to the bathroom where i quickly disrobed her of her jammies and her diaper. she sat down on the potty and actually peed. is it too soon to be excited? i'm pretty sure it was a fluke, but i am still thrilled. i will try to post more later. woo hoo

all quiet on the home front

well, i just wanted to put a little note up to say how much fun i have had stuffing my envelope. i have enjoyed myself immensely. usually the only time i get to really craft is when i need to. other wise my time is largely controlled by the fam. i hope to have everything finished this weekend. then i can put it in the mail on monday. it is kind of funny that the lady i got in the swap is a southpaw, so are my hubby and eldest child, the youngest is still using both. for those of you with children, do you ever get up a little early on saturdays just to have the house to yourself? i love the peace of a quiet house. i also love the sounds of a full house. hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend.

home is where the heart is

last night i answered the phone when big 'uns called expecting a fun but probably short phone call, it was 9:15 after all. anywho, as the call progressed from silly people acting silly to what her plans were this weekend the conversation got much heavier. she and biker will be getting there angel from the angel tree, they are both way excited. the HOG club's angels come from one of the local children's homes. i offhandedly made the remark that it was wonderful that they do this, but do any of them keep up with their kid through out the year. as many of you know i spent 4 years of my childhood in a children's home, so this subject hits way to close to home for me. anywho, it was a great discussion about what life is like for most of the kids in these homes. most of the club is surprised when the kids ask for things like belts, socks or simple cheap toys. most of these kids came out of ugly situations in which the necessities weren't met much less the niceties. as i got to thinking about the discussion my mind wandered to my own children. they have never known what it is like to wonder about your next meal, and i am glad. i am glad that my daughters have only known security and love. sorry this blog was a little deep, but i really wanted to clear my head. i am working hard to get my envelope stuffed, but there are a few things i want to "craft" for the envelope. hope everyone has a blessed weekend.

a birthday thought, or two

when i was in college, the first time, some friends and i put together wish lists. on these lists we included things that we wished were reality. in honor of my birthday here is my wish list.

I WISH:

that abuse was punishable by death.
the size of a woman's brain mattered more than the size of her waist.
for people to see God's love in me.
that friends acted like friends all of the time, not just when it was convenient.
for my children to know what real love is.
that women understood that we are often our own worst enemy.
that all children could understand unconditional love.
that parents understood how precious childhood really is.

now a short list of thanks
I AM THANKFUL FOR:

fall, i hate the hot weather.
a husband who can do just about anything that he puts his mind to.
kisses from children who love me no matter how bad of a mom i think i might be.
friends, always. those that are close and far away.
my health, i know it sounds corny, but really i am.
my education, i might be just a housewife, but i'm glad that i am an educated housewife.

viva las vegas

ok, this may be short because her highness could wake up any minute. this is my blog on the vegas trip. the hubby was in class from 8:30 to about 5:30 everyday we were there, so i got lots of me time. i read some great books, walked the strip a few times, and wandered the expo floor looking for freebies. on friday i stood in line for several hours waiting to get an autograph for the monkey. vanessa hudgens, gabriella from high school musical, was at vision expo doing autographs. i knew that the monkey would be thrilled, so there i stood waiting for her autograph. we had a lovely dinner Wednesday night at the grand luxe cafe in the venetian. we went to the hoya hospitality room thurs and fri night. we had gelato and watched the fountains at the bellagio. friday night after the hoya room we went to the marchon party. we only stayed for a little while, but it was great. they had an elvis impersonator and a shakira impersonator. some lady flashed elvis and he got "all shook up" and forgot the words to his song. we had a really great time, but we were glad to be home. we missed the girls terrible. monkey met us at the airport and dashed to us to give us hugs as soon as she saw us. then on to get her highness. she was delighted to see us, but wouldn't let us out of her sight. in fact sunday morning i had to stay in the nursery with her so she would stop screaming. she did really well yesterday with MDO. no crying until i picked her up in the afternoon. well that is the readers digest version of the trip.

tag i'm it

i was tagged, not sure what that means, but i think i'm suppose to fill out the 4 things list and post it. here it is. for those of you who are curious, we had a great time in vegas. i don't gamble and that makes it a little better for all involved. pattylicious took wonderful care of her highness and grandma and the monkey fared well.

4 jobs i've held

domestic goddess
box office manager of blinn college
short order cook
cashier

4 films i could watch over and over


tombstone (you're a daisy if you do)
if lucy fell
fools rush in
XXX (vin is hot in this movie)

4 shows i love to watch

moonlight (comes on right after ghost whisperer, and it is fab.)

CSI: Vegas

ghost whisperer

Criminal minds

4 places i have lived

happy, tx

winona, tx

brenham, tx

mc dade, tx

4 Favorite Foods

how do you choose just four?

oranges
chocolate
dessert (just about any)
bbq pizza

4 Favorite Colors

Yellow
Purple
cobalt blue
green

4 Places I Would Love to Be Right Now

where i am

with my friends

with my family

snuggling w/the hubby in front of a warm fire

4 Names I Love But Would/Could Not Use for my Children

i don't have any names that i just absolutely adore, but wouldn't name my children.

i think that i am suppose to tag other people, but i'm not sure so .... i tag leah and pattylicious

so much to say

where do i start? tomorrow we go to vegas, woo hoo. i am really excited, and i hope mine and pattylicious' friendship can survive her keeping aislyn for almost a week. the monkey informed us yesterday that she has the highest reading level in the class. not bad for the little girl who three weeks ago had the lowest reading level in the class. sunday the cowden and dunkin clan are going to go to the corn maze and pumpkin patch at the amazingly fun farm. i went with the girls on saturday and we had a blast. some of the pics are below. the radio station KGNC was there and the monkey informed me that i should sign up to win the $100 they were giving away. i humored her because let's face it if it wasn't for bad luck i would have no luck at all. well, i'm glad i listened, I WON! what else? her highness is learning more signs everyday. she can now do : more, please, a version of daddy and mommy, cookie, eat, bird, cat, and i love you. if any of you live in the amarillo area, the corn maze is an absolute blast. it is about a 45 minute walk if you don't get lost. then you can take the hayride to the pumpkin patch, it's roughly 4 acres. there are all kinds of different pumpkins and when we go next week we are loading up on them. i hope everyone has a great week.

this is a corn cannon. the person helping with the cannon puts the corn on the cob in the cannon, then the person who is shooting the cannon pushes the button and sees how far it goes. monkey had a blast.

this is the girls in the maze. monkey led the way through. we had a really good time, but it was terrible windy.

the cow train. when her highness fell asleep monkey rode it and said it was a blast.

monkey being cute.

me and her highness having fun.

banned book week

today begins banned book week 2007. i have a link to the site at the top of my blog page. if you haven't read Fahrenheit 451 by ray bradbury this is the perfect week to read it. the title refers to the temperature at which paper will ignite. it is a great book and it warns of the perils of banning books. i don't think that it will get quite so severe, at least in my lifetime, but i want to do my part. practice your freedom read a banned book. if nothing else go check the list out. you might be surprised by some of the books on the list. i know i have read several that are on the list. anywho this is a short blog because i am getting everything ready for our trip to vegas next week. woo hoo.

a blanket for baby

my sunday school teacher had her little girl on monday. she arrived 5 weeks early, but is doing very well. they are hoping to bring her home today or tomorrow. my teacher asked if i could make the wee one a comforter for her crib. here it is finished.

it was nice to have the sewing machine out, so i think i will begin sewing for the family again. hope everyone has a great weekend.

our house

we have been slowly rearranging and fixing our lovely home. what was once the dining room is now the living room. what was once covered in several layers of funky flooring is now hardwood. anywho, the room is not finished completely, but this is what it looks like.






i also wanted to brag on my hubby. the other night while sitting in the yellowish green chair in the picture above, a giant spider fell from the ceiling. most of you know that i am horribly arachnophobic. anywho, this giant spider falls not two feet from where i am sitting, and i begin to squeal like a little girl. my husband, the mighty slayer of saber tooth spiders, leaps into action. he grabs the bug spray and soaks the fierce creature. then he smashes it, to make sure it is really dead not just faking it, then wipes it up and throws it away. then a day later another saber tooth spider gets into the house and my husband bravely smashes it flat. it is so nice to have someone around to kill the scary spiders, so i can stand on my chair and squeal like a little girl.

finished

the cakes are finished. i am not entirely happy with the result, but i will deliver them this afternoon anyway. here they are.





the two brown cakes are cappuccino cheesecakes.

love my life

i hope everyone is having as splendid of a day as i am. the baking of baby shower cakes is going well, and the wee one is napping. the eldest of wee finches now to be nicknamed monkey. the youngest of finches will now be nicknamed her highness. monkey took her AR test yesterday on Ramona, and she got a 100. we are so proud that she is doing so well. yesterday afternoon she got the last 3 of her 6 teeth worked on. i went and weighed in yesterday and i have lost 32 lbs. since february. the vegas trip is in 3 weeks. i am getting really excited about it. although her highness has been more attached lately than ever. i fear that pattylicious will not want anything to do with me after 3 days alone with her. speaking of pattylicious, i had lunch with her yesterday. we had subway, and i took her an apple. i thought the humor of taking the teacher an apple wouldn't be lost on her, and it wasn't. when i was getting ready to leave, her class began to migrate in. where i was sitting they couldn't see me until they walked into her office, and i scared several of them that walked in. i didn't intend to, but apparently someone you have never met before sitting in a chair that is usually empty is somewhat frightening. one of the girls asked what grade i was in, and she was serious. i laughed so hard. i hope she gets an A in pattylicious' class because she made my day. tonight is pizza night i am very excited. hope everyone has a great weekend. a quick shout to one of my dear friends who reads the blog "hey bonnie, love you".

another one bites the dust

well the eldest of the wee finches has finished another book. last night she ran into the kitchen where i was sitting talking to pattyliciuos on the phone, and she proudly proclaimed that she had finished Charlotte's Web. it has be so amazing to watch her grow as a reader. when you ask her a question about the book she tells the answer in such an amazing way. she acts as though she was in the book. this is so wonderful because when i read i feel like i am in the book, so i think it is great that she feels the same way. tonight she will start the magician's nephew, the first book in the narnia series. she is way excited about it. tomorrow i will go to the library and get her another e.b. white book and another ramona book. i will also go purchase the next 5 of the magic treehouse series. the littlest of baby finches was at home with me yesterday due to severe allergies and looking like Quasimodo. whenever she gets a mosquito bite it swells, and she got one on that little patch of skin between her eye and eyebrow. when it swelled it made her look like the hunchback of notre dam. i also wanted to be a big copier and do a thankful list. i have seen these on a few different blogs and think that it is time that i do one as well.
I AM THANKFUL FOR:
1. my God, it is wonderful to be loved unconditionally

2. my family, they love me as unconditionally as is humanly possible

3. my old friends, it is good to be reminded of where i started and how far i have come

4. my new friends, although it seems that i should have known them longer, a few of the chosen few have even moved into the family realm.

5. peace, the kind that only comes from knowing where you have been and that your past does not define you, it simply help make you who you are in spite of it.

6. teachers, be they sunday school or the kind you find in schools. with out the teachers i had i would not be who i am. thank you mrs. goforth, my third grade teacher, for instilling in me the love of math, and for being a genuinely good person. thank you mr. higg, for giving me the love of theatre. there are many more teachers that i would love to thank, but the list would get really long.

7. babies, what a great way to start humans, God really got it right on that one.

8. music, all types. i love music. i love to sing and dance.

9. myspace, with out it i wouldn't have found some of the people that i had lost touch with after school.

10. mail, i love getting and sending mail. how lovely it is to get something other than a bill in the mailbox.

i like the idea of thankful lists, tune in next month for a new one. hope everyone has a great hump day.

a day to remember

my dear sister in law has some wonderful links on her page. i found this site on the page of real learning. this link is to a children's book about 9/11. the story is beautiful, and i wanted to share it with you. below is the website.

www.abcurtiss.com/graphics/books2/l_chapel/little_chapel1.htm

rainy day

i love rainy days. this weekend was wonderful. pattylicious and i hosted a shower for jaci and it went very well. pattylicious does the best party grub. garlic dip (her own creation, and it is fab), ranch dip, apple berry salsa, homemade cinnamon tortilla chips, veggie tray, pigs in a blanket. it was wonderful. the grandma came to stay with us for the weekend. pizza night was a blast. i tell you what i have a great life. this coming weekend pizza night is at our casa. then saturday i will deliver 2 cheesecakes and a chocolate cake to a baby shower, then on to pattylicious' house for the surprise party. i am way excited. the eldest of the wee finches finished ramona last night. it was so cute she came running into the living room with this huge grin on her face. she promptly proclaimed that she had finished ramona and that ramona was not really a pest, but that girl with curly hair was. for those of you following the drama at her school, she brought home a higher level book on friday. woo hoo. anywho the wee one calls. hope everyone had a great weekend.

been awhile

hello, my loyal followers. i know it has been a while since i updated, but in my defense i have been very busy. as most of you already know we are rearranging the house. we have almost finished the new living room, and only have 3 things left to move. the play room is still being worked on. who knew that the girls had so many toys? this weekend is the baby shower for jaci. i went on Tuesday and helped her rearrange her house. wow, that was a lot of work. i went roller blading yesterday, and it felt awesome to be active. well, mostly awesome i went a little too hard, too fast, and threw up all of my breakfast. i took the next round much slower and easier. the youngest of finches is enjoying mom's day out. she gives me hugs and kisses then says bye and runs off and plays. the eldest of wee finches is doing good in school, but has hit a bit of a snag with the teacher. last night was not pretty at out house. finch took one look at the book she brought home to read and nearly fell out. it was called where is baby bear? it may be a second grade level book, but she is reading Ramona the pest w/o any issue. finch felt compelled to call the poor teacher, have i mentioned that she is a substitute? in order to keep his temper in check while getting his concerns about our little ones education conveyed, he decided to send an email instead. any who things are good and busy here. i am hosting a "Surprise Party" at pattylicious' house next Saturday if anyone is interested. hope everyone has a great weekend.

sweet finch

finch wrote this for me for valentine's day. i have a copy that hangs on the fridge, and whenever i get frustrated with him i read it and i remember how much i love him. i thought that i would share it with you, i asked if i could, so that you can see what a sweet guy he really is deep down inside. hope you enjoy.

Sometimes at night, when I close my eyes,
I start thinking of you and then ask myself, why?
Why do I love you? I think and I smile,
because I know the list could run on for a mile.
The whisper of your voice, the warmth of your touch,
so many little things that make me love you so much.
The way you support me, and help with my emotion,
the way that you care and show such devotion.
The way that your kiss, fills me with desire,
and how you hold me with the blaze of a fire.
The way your eyes shine when you look at me,
here with you forever is where I want to be.
The way that I feel when you're by my side,
a sense of completion and overflowing pride.
The dreams that I dream, they all involve you,
the possibilities I see and the things we can do.
How you finish the puzzle that lies in my heart,
how so deep in my soul, you are the most important part.
I could go on for days, telling you how I feel,
but all you really must know is my love for you is real.

myspace

ok, sorry i know two posts in one day, please forgive me. i am curious about something. why is it 10 years later people decide that they want to be your friend? what the crying myself to sleep the final year and a half in high school wasn't enough for them. they need to hunt me down and torment me more? for those of you who were my friend then you know i'm not talking about you. i'm talking about the jerks who called me the "lesbian thespian" and other fun things. the ones who tied dead rabbits to the back of my car. why do they invite people like me to reunions? is it so they can continue the hell? sorry, i just needed to vent. thanks. quick note to this blog. as many of you know i attended two high schools. the first in gladewater wasn't that bad, and i do miss a good majority of my peers. caldwell however, not so much. i do have several dear friends from this school, but for the majority well you read the blog.

more reading fun

most of you know that i LOVE to read, so i am thrilled that the wee finch has devoured the 5 books that we got her on monday. i went today and got the next 5 in the series. i also went by the canyon library to look at their selection of books. to my surprise i found that they have the AR list for our local elementary school. this means that the wee finch can read books that she enjoys and get points for them at school. you have no idea how excited i am. i have gotten many ideas from my dearest sisters, neither is really my sister. one is a very dear friend and the other is my dearest in law. i loved the ramona books and snot stew, i'm new to piggly wiggly, but i am currently reading it. not joking. i like to know what my kids are into. also, my weight struggle has taken a turn. i am gaining weight again. this is simply because this summer has been rough. i have enjoyed my extra time with the cowden clan, but it seems like everything else has been tough. i began again today to regain some of my motivation. i figure i have lost 30 lbs. the last thing i want to do is regain it. especially since i got rid of my fat clothes. thanks much for the advice and yes leah, ramona is like several little girls that i know :) hope this week finds you in good spirits and surrounded by love.

reading

school is officially here. the eldest of the wee finches started yesterday to second grade. i still don't feel old enough to have a second grader. when she got home from school, she had the customary paperwork that needed to be filled out and sent back. being the good mom that i am i filled it all out and sent it back with her today. while reading a note from her teacher that had listed some of her goals for the students reading, i saw that they were going to be doing chapter books. the eldest of wee finches has tons of books, but alas no chapter books. we made a trip to town after school to purchase some that come highly recommended by pattylicious. we purchased the first five of the magic tree house books. by the time the eldest of the wee ones went to bed she had read the first two and half of the third book. now this might not seem like a huge accomplishment to some, but that is around 160 pages in about an hour and a half. that is quite impressive to me. she is loving the books, so it looks like tomorrow i will be purchasing some more of the books. if anyone has a suggestion about other books for a second grader let me know.

love

WORD OF THE DAY- confabulation: familiar talk.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/love
while trying to find a good word of the day i decided to look up the word love. WOW. the site listed is where i looked. there are so many meanings and i have felt a good many of them. the last several days i have been pondering some of these experiences. for example, when i was in the children's home we sang a song that said "and they will know we are christians, by our love, by our love. yes they will know we are christians by our love." really, how awesome it would be for someone to say "you are such a loving person you must be a christian." instead of "wow, i thought most baptists were hypocrites." "are you sure your baptist? you don't seem to be close minded and ignorant." when did these descriptions take the place of the one in the hymn? i didn't get the memo. while watching the two wee finches play i thought to myself "now that is love". each of them so innocent and they were just laughing and playing. it was really an awesome moment. i know that we all make mistakes and fall short of the glory of God, but why do some 'upstanding' members of churches feel the need to fall so far from any description of love?
while we are on the subject of love i want to say how wonderful it is to be loved. i am loved by God, finch, the girls, my fam (well most of it anyway), my true friends (you know who you are), and slowly by myself. it has been a struggle for me to love me. the other love has helped me with this. i am slowly beginning to see that i am lovable and i should have the decency of bestowing upon myself that which i give others. the wee one beckons from her bed. have a great weekend.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT- in the words of Herbert Agar "The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which men prefer not to hear."

what do you want to be when you grow up?

WORD OF THE DAY-desideratum: something desired.

never in my wildest dreams did i think that this is what i would be doing when i grew up. come on i was smart, funny, good looking, and had the whole world in front of me. then i met this guy and we got married. then we had the most miraculous thing called a baby. suddenly all of the things i was going to do seemed unimportant. here are some pics of my beautiful girls at play.

if you look really hard you can see the nipple she has tried to attach to the coke can. she tried this on an entire case of fresca before she gave up. she would calmly pick up the can, put the nipple on top, and attempt to drink the soda. as she began to realize that it wasn't working with this can she moved on to the next. this continued for a good part of the afternoon. i had no idea that having kids and being a housewife could be so amusing.



that would be tea that she is pouring into the wee cup. i have adored a good cup of hot tea ever since i went to england in high school. when we lived in canyon my hubby would send me flower bouquets that were arranged in tea pots, so that when the flowers had faded i could enjoy a pot of tea and remember them. a while back my favorite in law sent me a tea pot it is lovely and had i zoomed back a wee bit farther you could have seen it too. anywho, the last several days in the afternoon the eldest of wee finches and i have been enjoying "tea parties". these are complete with cookies. yesterday she was drinking her tea faster than i could pour, so i put her tea in a little pitcher and let her serve herself. i hope to continue these parties when school starts by having them when she gets home from school and before homework begins.

i thought that both the word of the day and the food for thought were fitting for the mood. i never new that this is what i wanted to be when i grew up, but i'm sure glad God knew. there are days when being a housewife feels like work, but there are more when it feels like play. i am so grateful that my husband is willing to forgo on certain material things so that i can stay home with the girls.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT- in the words of Evan Esar "Play: Work that you enjoy doing for nothing."

time flies

WORD OF THE DAY- nonage: a period of youth or immaturity
where did the time go? the youngest of the wee finches is 18 months old, the eldest of the wee finches is starting second grade, and the hubby and i will celebrate 9 years together this fall. the above picture is of the eldest wee finches on her first day of school. i know that i am far from being old, but on certain days it is hard to believe how big the girls have gotten. this is probably because i don't think i'm old enough to have girls that age yet. as school approaches i am wondering how it will go. will it be like kindergarten, and be horrible for all involved? will it be like last year, and be a wonderful experience? only time will tell. before i know it this year will be over and a new year begun.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT in the words of Roger Allen "In case you're worried about what's going to become of the younger generation, it's going to grow up and start worrying about the younger generation."

my beloved

WORD OF THE DAY- nuptial: of or pertaining to marriage.

it occurred to me on friday, that i don't often write about my beloved. for this i would like to apologize. we have our tifts, but we love each other dearly. he is truly the embodiment of love. i am often heard to complain about his lack of emotion, which is true, but he does love me. in fact he probably loves me more than i deserve. he puts up with my whining and complaining. he also supports me in all of my efforts. when i decided to loose weight this past february, he was my biggest support. this is even though he has never thought me fat. he has always found me attractive both physically and mentally. this is an amazing thing in and of itself. yesterday i really wanted to get my craft things organized. he immediately began carrying boxes and helping me to get my things organized. i know that he probably had a list a mile long of things that he wanted to do, but instead he did what i wanted. he is the best and i wanted to let everyone know that. there are so many happy memories that i could share, but it is late and he is back from church. i hope next week is wonderful and brings happiness into your life.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT in the words of Oscar Levant "Happiness isn't something you experience; it's something you remember."

pictures wonderful pictures

my friend Jaele insists of taking pictures whenever we go to visit. we got to see her during our trip to pville, and here are the pictures she sent. enjoy.

the eldest of the wee finches. isn't she beautiful.

the youngest of the wee finches. isn't she sweet.

i know another picture of me. whatever is becoming of my hiding out until i'm skinny mentality.

i love this picture. i feel this way most days.

my beloved. isn't he handsome.

i hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and if you have nothing else to do i hear this weekend is happy days. that is our local festival in the town w/o a frown.

some photos for my fans

aren't they beautiful. they were sitting rocking together and singing. i thought to myself, this is why i'm a housewife.

one of the few photos of me. the eldest of the wee finches took this pic. isn't she an awesome photographer.

yes that is a giant piglet that we are holding. there is a very sweet story concerning that piglet and my hubby. if anyone wants to know it send me a shout.

welcome back

ok, so we spent the weekend in pville with mi madre, and we had a good time. there was plenty of work to be done, and it was 102 the entire time we were there. the girls got a good visit in with the grandma and i got to see an old friend as well. while we were in pville fixing some electrical problems, my mom's fridge went kaput. yesterday we headed back to pville to fix the fridge only to realize you can't fix a compressor with a relay. the fridge is less than a year old and this is the second time it has gone kaput. needless to say the hubby was immediately on the phone correcting the problem. we arrived home last night at around 11. we are all very sleepy today. the littlest of finches has no intention on taking a nap today however. the eldest of the finch children took some really great pics yesterday, and i hope to get them posted tomorrow. i hope all of you enjoy this little ditty, and now i need to clean my house. oh, not that i forgot, but i wanted to save the best for last. it appeared as though my trip with the hubby to vegas was not going to happen. my mom will not be able to watch the littlest of finches due to health issues, so i didn't know what to do. my dearest friend pattylicious immediately stepped in and said "i'll keep her." keep in mind that she has two darlings of her own and teaches high school theatre. i love her so much, she is awesome and we should all bow before the magnificence that is pattylicious. i hope that tells you all some of the gratitude i feel towards her. pattylicious you rock.

have a great weekend

sorry this will be a wee bit short. i am attempting to get the family of finch packed and ready to head out to pville for the weekend. we have a fun filled weekend of rewiring my mom's house ahead of us. now i know all of you are jealous that you won't be a part of the fun, but maybe you will have as much fun as we are having in pville. have a blessed weekend and remember, there is no cell service in pville.

deep thoughts from shallow minds?

WORD OF THE DAY: fractious: tending to cause trouble; also, irritable

today is going to be a great day, just continue to repeat this and it will come true. sorry feeling a wee bit pissy. it could be the lack of sleep, or the just general distemper i tend to get from time to time. anyway. pattylicious's house was fab. we had an absolute blast. the eldest of the wee finches is headed of to see grandma for the weekend. i have a party at big 'uns this weekend. then church and begin again another great week. woo hoo. sorry, i'll stop the piss and moan now. FOOD FOR THOUGHT: in the words of Vicomte de Chateaubriand "You are not superior just because you see the world in an odious light."