My poor husband. I make fun of him because he always wears work logo stuff on his day off. He puts up with so much!
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Finished Gingerbread Houses
Here's another shot of the houses. They're long gone by now so I'm glad I took pictures!
Troublemaker
Since it's the last day of the month, I figured I'd post some photos... This is my kitty. The epitome of curiousity killed the cat. She is trouble. We keep finding her on top of our kitchen cabinets, above our heads.
Pobby's Art
So, my brother has been perfecting his art lately. He does this work on metal with airbrushing and he's getting really good. He's taken classes and learned a lot of techniques. He definitely has some of the Thurston blood in him, even if he does like to draw scary skeletons! (He also does robots, space scenes, fire, and lots more...) He has recently been trying to get his name out there. He has painted people's tailgates, racing helmets, and has a job lined up to do an entire race car! We're pretty proud of him!
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Kids Thanksgiving 2006
The boys were with their mom for Thanksgiving, so we had a quiet group. Aren't Mason and Brittany getting big? Brittany is taller than Kayla!
Making Gingerbread Houses
Here's one picture of our fun. I have individual pictures of each kid with their house but I don't want to fill up my monthly limit. I guess I should just pay for the thing!
Sunday, November 19, 2006
A little taste of my childhood
Last week I committed to babysitting our friends two kids along with my own for last evening BY MYSELF. So, I figured I better plan something good for them to do so I wouldn't be chasing six kids around the house all night.
I decided that since I needed to make some cookies for Thanksgiving, I would make them gingerbread and then I could get the kids making gingerbread houses. I have fond memories of making our own gingerbread houses as kids, so I thought it would be fun.
I started Friday night making the batter. I doubled the recipe thinking that would probably be enough. I even cut out little forms for the individual pieces, so the cutting would go faster. I made them little so they could each have ALL the creative control. Something I've learned from having four kids: they all want to be in control, and make it well known loudly to me (and sometimes the neighbors I'm sure!).
After I got half way through the dough, (and realized I'd need another double batch, yuck!), I started wondering why I had committed to doing this for six kids, four houses would have been a little easier. And, I could have rented them a movie or something for Saturday evening. But, the kids had already been told so I soldiered on.
After I cooked all the house parts and made the incredibly sticky icing, I realized that the act of actually putting the houses together might be a little too hard for the kids. It was even tough for Phil and I to do it together (Yes, he got dragged into it). So, we assembled six houses on little plates. The I panicked because I was running out of powdered sugar and wasn't going to be able to make enough icing for the kids to decorate their houses. Poor Phil had to run to the store right before he had to be at his poker game to get me more sugar.
When the kids arrived, my kitchen looked like a sack of flour exploded in it. Dirty dishes everywhere! Do you remember in Sleeping Beauty, how the kitchen looked after Meriweather attempted to make a cake and they started fighting over the color of it with their magic wands? Mine looked worse! Anyway, at least the table looked nice. Six little houses set up with carefully organized candy dishes set around them. I also made the kids their own little sandwich baggies of frosting with the corners cut off. I thought the worst was over...
Actually they did very well, it was just incredibly messy. Most of the kids were able to decorate with just a little instruction from me. Jackson (who's three) and I shared a house and decorated it together. I was even able to step back a little and take a few pictures. I'll post them on here next weekend. I have to finish the roll in my camera, which I will do on Thanksgiving day, before I can develop it. Yes, I haven't made the jump to digital yet. But I'm waiting for the camera I want to come down in price.
I won't go into the clean up except to say, it's Sunday afternoon, and I still haven't finished. I told myself, next year, I'm buying the kits! Phil wrote me a sweet note, telling me he appreciated all the time I spent to share something special with the kids. Isn't he great? But I still never want to see another gingerbread house as long as I live. Maybe by next year, I'll be up for it again....
I decided that since I needed to make some cookies for Thanksgiving, I would make them gingerbread and then I could get the kids making gingerbread houses. I have fond memories of making our own gingerbread houses as kids, so I thought it would be fun.
I started Friday night making the batter. I doubled the recipe thinking that would probably be enough. I even cut out little forms for the individual pieces, so the cutting would go faster. I made them little so they could each have ALL the creative control. Something I've learned from having four kids: they all want to be in control, and make it well known loudly to me (and sometimes the neighbors I'm sure!).
After I got half way through the dough, (and realized I'd need another double batch, yuck!), I started wondering why I had committed to doing this for six kids, four houses would have been a little easier. And, I could have rented them a movie or something for Saturday evening. But, the kids had already been told so I soldiered on.
After I cooked all the house parts and made the incredibly sticky icing, I realized that the act of actually putting the houses together might be a little too hard for the kids. It was even tough for Phil and I to do it together (Yes, he got dragged into it). So, we assembled six houses on little plates. The I panicked because I was running out of powdered sugar and wasn't going to be able to make enough icing for the kids to decorate their houses. Poor Phil had to run to the store right before he had to be at his poker game to get me more sugar.
When the kids arrived, my kitchen looked like a sack of flour exploded in it. Dirty dishes everywhere! Do you remember in Sleeping Beauty, how the kitchen looked after Meriweather attempted to make a cake and they started fighting over the color of it with their magic wands? Mine looked worse! Anyway, at least the table looked nice. Six little houses set up with carefully organized candy dishes set around them. I also made the kids their own little sandwich baggies of frosting with the corners cut off. I thought the worst was over...
Actually they did very well, it was just incredibly messy. Most of the kids were able to decorate with just a little instruction from me. Jackson (who's three) and I shared a house and decorated it together. I was even able to step back a little and take a few pictures. I'll post them on here next weekend. I have to finish the roll in my camera, which I will do on Thanksgiving day, before I can develop it. Yes, I haven't made the jump to digital yet. But I'm waiting for the camera I want to come down in price.
I won't go into the clean up except to say, it's Sunday afternoon, and I still haven't finished. I told myself, next year, I'm buying the kits! Phil wrote me a sweet note, telling me he appreciated all the time I spent to share something special with the kids. Isn't he great? But I still never want to see another gingerbread house as long as I live. Maybe by next year, I'll be up for it again....
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
My love
Yesterday was our anniversary. Can you believe it's been two years already? Thought I'd share a picture you might not have seen... Love the Texas hair...
Monday, November 06, 2006
Decorating Awana Cars
The kids get to make cars in their Awana youth group. They're just like the boyscout's pine box derby cars. They'll be racing this Saturday. Andy made a Dodge truck, Kayla a dolphin, Jake Knight Rider, and Wes a car with a skull (which looks more like a sun to me, but what do I know!). We'll let you know if we have any prize winners!
Friday, November 03, 2006
Have you ever...
My cousin, Lisa posted this list today and I thought it was interesting. Probably only because I can say, "Hey! I did that!." Anyway, I totally copied her post and just made my own changes, sorry Lisa!
Here's a list of some things one might have done in his or her lifetime: the ones I've done are highlighted and I put little parenthetical notes beside some of them. It's kind of long but it's interesting--and we all know it's fun to learn new things about each other! If you decide to post this on your blog, leave a comment with a link to it!
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (a little one)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (oh, hell no!)
(I don't know what happened to #7??)
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a major sports game (Does college baseball count?)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (My wedding, but I'm a light weight and I hadn't eaten most of the day!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run (I was lucky to HIT the ball!)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (it involved alcohol, still count?)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (Not for an entire day, but we used to do an hour or so. So fun!)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (Thank you Phil!)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign (It counts!!! It was a stone with a name on it from our local mini golf place)
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (and my DVD's, and my books, and my socks...)57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (BADLY!)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (Does speaking count? Damn I hate that!)
85. Been to Las Vegas (Before I was legal!)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date (Can't lie, but hey! I was a good girl!)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation (I knew enough to communicate very little in Spanish)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror (I count attending the midnight showing in scary Berkeley! I was 17!)
96. Raised (raising) children (child)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived (I've had some very close calls)
105. Written articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (My boss' cat, eeewwww...)
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (Yummy!!)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (I think every kid in our town did)
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read 136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (The kids in Mexico spoke no English and I spoke VERY little spanish)
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (Thank you Dad!)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (rear-ended someone)
150. Saved someone’s life
Here's a list of some things one might have done in his or her lifetime: the ones I've done are highlighted and I put little parenthetical notes beside some of them. It's kind of long but it's interesting--and we all know it's fun to learn new things about each other! If you decide to post this on your blog, leave a comment with a link to it!
01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (a little one)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (oh, hell no!)
(I don't know what happened to #7??)
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise.
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a major sports game (Does college baseball count?)
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne (My wedding, but I'm a light weight and I hadn't eaten most of the day!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run (I was lucky to HIT the ball!)
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking (it involved alcohol, still count?)
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day (Not for an entire day, but we used to do an hour or so. So fun!)
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer (Thank you Phil!)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk.
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign (It counts!!! It was a stone with a name on it from our local mini golf place)
46. Backpacked in Europe.
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (and my DVD's, and my books, and my socks...)57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (BADLY!)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient site
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (Does speaking count? Damn I hate that!)
85. Been to Las Vegas (Before I was legal!)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date (Can't lie, but hey! I was a good girl!)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently well enough to have a decent conversation (I knew enough to communicate very little in Spanish)
95. Performed in Rocky Horror (I count attending the midnight showing in scary Berkeley! I was 17!)
96. Raised (raising) children (child)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived (I've had some very close calls)
105. Written articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth (My boss' cat, eeewwww...)
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (Yummy!!)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (I think every kid in our town did)
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read 136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (The kids in Mexico spoke no English and I spoke VERY little spanish)
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts (Thank you Dad!)
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (rear-ended someone)
150. Saved someone’s life
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Change is good, right?
So I've gotten very bored with my background but have been scared to change it. Now I know why! I had forgotten how many changes I made to the original one. And now, a year later, I don't remember how to do anything! So bear with me while I get it working right! Not today! I've been working the 3am shift all week and my body is screaming for me to sleep! I can't think straight and can only imagine what I would screw up!
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Kayla
As promised! Ok, I felt wrong bringing my camera into her actual class. I don't know if it would have disturbed them. So I took this shot before we went. She loves the class, especially tap!
Playing with my camera...
I took a self portrait to give to Phil for our anniversary. It's a surprise, shhh..... Two years next week! It's flown by!
Kids at Apple Hill
We went to Apple Hill this weekend. It was fun. It's a two hour drive from our house and a great day trip. The kids got to hand pick their own apples. They also had pumpkin patches, corn mazes and farm animals. For those of you that aren't from our area, it's a group of about 30 farms, mostly apple orchards, that are open to the public. Very cool. I would highly reccommend going to anything like that. There's something very special about eating fruit right off the tree! The kids you don't recognize are Andrew and Elias, Vickey's boyfriend Patrick's boys...
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