Bad Names for food, Super Bowl, commercials and mittens.

It is freezing here today. -15 when I got up and it's up to a balmy -7 at noon.  I'm not leaving the house.

I saw weird food commercials this week.  The first was for dinner ideas using Chunky Soup. Dinner in 4 minutes- Make a plate of instant mashed potatoes,  heat a can of chunky Sirloin Burger Soup and dump it over the top for a fast dinner.  Gross. I hate instant potatoes and a can of soup over that just makes me gag. I guess they have lots of ideas, soup over rice, soup over noodles. Just doesn't sound good to me. I want my soup in a bowl for lunch. Dinner soup must be homemade!

Another commercial this week prompted me to ask, "What's with stupid food names?" Ad agencies need to quick thinking they're so clever when they aren't. Someone actually thought that a product called Anytizers was a cool idea. Really??? While they were at it they decided that Quesadillas  should be called Quesadippers.  I like Quesadillas and their Quesadippers look good but I won't be buying them, just on principle. 

Speaking of commercials, my favorite commercials of the year are this Sunday during the Super Bowl. I record the game just to be able to watch the commercials. Don't get me wrong. I like watching the game but if I'm going to leave the room during the game, it won't be during the commercials. My favorite are the Budweiser ones with the horses.

I have watched more TV this week because I've been knitting a pair of mittens for one of my girls. I got one done and the other is started. They're really cute! I got the pattern on Ravelry. If you knit or crochet you need Ravelry. Tons of patterns and lots of fun tools to keep track of what you've made, the yarn you've used and notes.  Lots of free patterns too!!!!




Get Random yourself over at The Un Mom!!!!

Bad License photos, Biting and 50!

I'm not the only random person in my family. Here's my son's new driver's license picture.

Yep, he intentionally grew a mustache and shaved it to look like this just for his driver's license? He's guaranteed to never get a warning, if he's pulled over, with this pic.  I'm so proud!! His girlfriend wasn't quite as thrilled since she had to hang out with him for a few days as it was growing in to look like this. He did shave it off as soon as he got back from the DMV. He only wanted to look creepy for the picture not in real life.

Over the holidays my daughter, Sarah, and I were driving down our street and we passed another car. It was being driven by the younger sister of one of her best friends. Sarah turned to me and said, "You know, she's really nice now that she doesn't bite!" I laughed so hard. This girl is 17 and hadn't bitten anyone in at least 10 years. You can't say Sarah doesn't forgive...the forget part, not so much! 

I am trying to shoot a picture a day with my camera. I'm failing horribly. I end up taking any old shot at 11:30 at night just to take one. I really need to set aside some time each day to do this.

I forgot to mention last week that I had another birthday. I actually had a big birthday. I turned 50!!!  2 weeks ago. I really don't feel any different and it really hasn't been any big deal. I will say that I don't feel 50. It's very weird. I still feel like I'm in my 20's or 30's then I look int he mirror and wonder who the old lady is. You are only as old as you feel. I'll keep telling myself that! I do wonder what I am going to be when I grow up........ I might need to work on that. Time's running out.

Head on over to The Unmom and get random yourself!

Random Tuesdays!!!! Christmas was fun!

After a long fall I feel like I can blog again!! Not only that but what better time to start back up that on 1/11/11 at 1:11!!!!
A lot has been going on the last few months. My youngest headed off to college. She loves it and we are loving being empty nesters. It's nice to go where we want when we want and eat what we want again.

The only thing I do miss is having someone to hang out with in the evenings. My hubby is an early to bed guy- When we dated, he used to drop me off by 11pm. He likes to go to bed between 7 and 8pm and get up between 3 to 4am  and I like to go to bed between 11 and 12 or 1am and get up between 7 to 8am!! When we were first married I would go to bed with him and then sneak out. Now I go up to read with him and then leave once he is tucked in. It works for us! It's just not as much fun making fun of people on TV by yourself!

I started working. Perfect job doing video editing for a market research company. I work from home but the hours are either perfect or hell. For now it's great and helps bring home the bacon. I just wish the company was a bit more organized and would plan the work flow better.

I actually got Aaron's Christmas stocking finished. It was close but it was hung by the chimney with care.

 

Christmas was amazing!!!! We celebrated on the 27th once Laura and her husband Mike got here. As my youngest said, " Christmas is in here (tapping her heart) not here (tapping her watch)" Corny but true!!! We have a Christmas Eve tradition of eating fondue in the family room while we open presents. Here are a few pictures from the evening.




 
We had so much fun that week, we laughed so hard our stomachs hurt and ate a lot of cookies. As my oldest. Laura, said on her blog  I may have gone overboard with the cookies!!! We played a ton of games from Nerts to a really fun trivia game called Bezzerwizzer. Horrible name- really fun game!!
We spent 2 days at the cabin where there was actually a little bit of snow, spent time with friends, shot a lot of guns and all around had a blast. It was so nice having all of them home for the week and being all together. I miss spending time with all of them. We also had a wonderful time getting to know Tom's, girlfriend, Aaron (yes, Gina, I spelled it right). She's amazing and we can't wait for some wedding bells sometime this year. No pressure, they brought it up not me!!!!

Now that the older kids have headed home I'm thinking that Seattle is just way to far away!

My new favorite app for my iPhone is the one I used to take the Christmas pictures posted above.
It's called Hipstomatic- With a swipe of the finger, you can change your lens, flash, or film. Each adds a unique touch to your HipstaPrint. You can mix and match to get the look and feel you want. I love the retro feel of them. So cool man!

Head on over to The Unmom and get random yourself!

Random Tuesday!! Bear Bolts, Aspens and Whorrible clothes.

Last week I actually bought a little notebook so that I could write down the funny things that I hear, see or someone says. I forgot to put it in my purse so I have to go with what I remember......


I was in Target with one of my funny friends. You know the kind of person who says funny things off the cuff without having to think about it, that kind of friend. Anyway, we were walking past the Junior section and there they were, lace leggings. They were on a rack with a lace tank top. Gina without even thinking says,"Those are whorrible with an emphasis on the Ho". I have to agree. Who would wear those? Even under a short skirt they would just look trashy. The tank you could get away with but not lace leggings.



There was a great lightning storm last night without any rain so I got my camera out to take some shots.  
One of my son's friends says it looks like a bear. I just thought it was a cool lightning bolt. Looks like a got a bear bolt.


We are getting ready to go to  Parent Weekend next weekend. I'm looking forward to it. We got an out of the blue phone call asking if we'd like to join the president of the university in his box for the football game on Saturday. Being the trusting person I am, NOT, I immediately thought, How much is this going to cost me? By asking a few more questions I found out that they invite parents to every game chosen at random and since we are one of the very few out of state families coming in for the weekend, they asked us. It should be fun! Football and free food what's not to love. I need to brush up on my players and info about their team.


We drove up to the mountains to see the leaves today. They are gorgeous this year. So many different colors of gold not just yellow. God is a wonderful creator of beauty!!
 
 Hey, would you please take the time to do 2 things.

I could really use your votes for the Pillsbury Crescent Contest. 

Click the button at the top of the page and vote for the Zippy Chicken Packets! Thanks!!!

and then head on over to Keely for some more randomness.  

Random Tuesday- I'm Published!, Redneck Repairs, Advantages of an Empty Nest and a Sloppy Drunk- Oh wait that's my roommate!

My friend, Elizabeth, let me know that my recipe is in this month's issue of Rachel Ray magazine. How fun is that! It'll also be in Taste of Home magazine in October. Don't forget to Vote for me- if you feel like it that is!!!! You can click here or on the header at the top of the page. You can also enter to win $5000 for yourself all with one click. I'm the Zippy Orange BBQ Chicken Packet recipe.

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. That makes me the mother of an inventor!! My son's side mirror got taken off by a bus. It was going to cost around $300 to fix so he came up with his own solution.

Yep. Zip ties and a $2.99 hand mirror. I'm so proud. His comment was Take that Ford!!!
His repair reminded me of the site There I Fixed it- Redneck repairs? If you haven't seen it you should check it out for a laugh. 

Look at this one . Someone's going to die or need an ER with this set up!!! The good news is that they won't drown, they'll die long before they get to the water!What do you want wanna bet it was dads, babysitting the kids while mom was out, that came up with this brilliant idea. I bet a few beers were involved in it too.

Or how about this vehicle, it's just like a mullet haircut.  Business in the front and a party in the back!!!

see more There I Fixed It

We went to the Taste of Colorado yesterday. Perfect weather, lots of crowds but some great food and lots of good people watching.

Welcome to college. My youngest daughter's first week at college is over. So far so good for her classes but not so good with the roommate. On Friday night Sarah went to bed at 11, at 1am she gets a phone call. It was a guy calling on her roommate's phone saying come get your roommate at our frat- she's sloppy drunk. Sarah got 2 friends to go walk with her the 3 blocks over to this stupid frat house, to help walk her drunk roommate home. My daughter got her back to the room, into bed, laying on her side and went back to sleep.  The best part was that Sarah wa leaving the next morning to go somewhere early so she woke her roommate up at 7am to tell her that she's 17, a freshman in college and it's time to grow up. That she'd (Sarah) always be there if she was really in trouble but she needs to learn to make better decisions and  getting fall down drunk at a frat is not one of those good decisions. I was proud of my daughter for watching out for her but she shouldn't have to be a mom to her roommate. Why are freshman roommates usually such a  disaster? One week down 30 to go!

We have really enjoyed our first week as empty nesters. I did cry the day I got home from dropping her off but since then I've been weirdly happy. It was amazing to not have to go to back to school night at the high school. I will admit that I felt a little left out. I mean, after 12 years of going to it it did become a part of our lives but I got over that feeling really fast! Yep not missing it very much at all. It's so nice being able do things when we want, not be held hostage by a else's schedule and it's nice to fix foods with mushrooms, which are the one food that none of the 5 kids will touch.  I've missed them.  There are a few other bonuses that we can't discuss. Sorry kids. I'll be paying for therapy for years now!!!

Have a random Tuesday and head over to Keely's at the UnMom to post your own random thoughts.

Randomness- From the Grand Canyon to San Diego in Pictures

Last week I was on the road driving with my daughter to San Diego. We took the long way so that she could see the Grand Canyon. It was worth the extra 5 hours or windshield time! 3 days and 26 miles total.

We stopped at Arches National Park in Utah on the first day.  It's a beautiful park with very cool rocks that look like things other that rocks.

This rock looks like it's giving us the finger! That or telling us that we're number one!



 A small Asian kid screaming!
 

How about some rocks that look like a line of elephants!

The Grand Canyon is so awesome that you really can't even describe it and pictures can't begin to show how amazing it really is. Here's my daughter standing at the side of the canyon. There was no railing right here, just a straight drop off. She was 8 feet away from the edge but I kept telling her to not step back and to watch were she was standing. Yep panicked just a little. There were tons of people there and some of them were laughing at me! Didn't care- let your kid stand on the edge.....and fall!!!!


We stopped for lunch on old Route 66 and ate at a place that had the best pie we've ever had. She had chocolate peanut butter and here's my Chocolate Raspberry. It was sooooooo gooood!!!!!!!! Fluffy Chocolate cream over a raspberry cream filling with fresh raspberries in it and all on homemade flaky as can be pie crust. They have 22+ homemade flavors every day!!!!!! I wish I lived closer!!!

Driving through Arizona it was hot. I mean really hot. Even my car thought it was hot with a capital F. 

Here's my randomness- Out there in the middle of nowhere, near Kingman, AZ was an airplane graveyard. Just row after row of old airplanes baking in the sun.

FYI- from Moab to Palm Springs there is almost no cell service. It's a little scary driving on 2 lane roads through the desert with a town every 90 miles nothing in sight, 112 degrees and no cell service but we made it!! 

My husband flew in and met us in San Diego, we got her all moved into her dorm- good thing her roommate likes pink, said our goodbyes and headed home!
Now you head over to Keely's and post your own random thoughts, pictures or anything!

Random Tuesday- Her bags are packed she's ready to go... Fried Fair Food, Bingo and Cows

Well the bags are packed, the car is loaded and we head out to Cali tomorrow morning.  My baby's got it all together. I will say it's easier to pack for weather that's the same all year long than a place with different seasons. She's very excited to start college a little nervous but excited. I'm just a little sad but will get over it soon. I am looking forward to setting something down and no one moving it. That or it will prove that I'm really scatter brained and have been forgetting where I've been putting things all these years. Hmmmmm

We went to the county fair in Nebraska last weekend. It was a blast!!! We ate lots of fried fair food like funnel cakes, Indian Tacos and ribbon fries.



We also played a few games of Bingo!  Bingo at the county fair is a big draw. The Lion's club bingo building is always packed on all 4 sides with about 100 players a game.

To say we were lucky would be an understatement. My daughter won 6 times, I won twice and her friend won twice in 2 days. Here they are after win #10!!! It was almost humorous. We'd win within a couple of game of sitting down- every time. We won 5 out of 10 games we played the first day alone. In a small town people don't like the out-of-towners to be the big winners. We got some dirty looks and some great prizes.

My inlaws live in a very small town and are cattle ranchers. Sarah's friend had never been up close and personal with a cow. I think cows are dang cute. Dumb as posts but cute. This one was in field in front  of the house.

The other big fun at the ranch was going to Alco and the girls found self inflating whoopee cushions.

I know they're heading off to college but they spent literally 4 hours playing with them on Friday afternoon. They'd sit on it or squeeze it until it made the farting noise and then lay on the floor and laugh and laugh. It was hilarious!! We played with it on the way home too. It's really funny to set one off in a bathroom stall and then stroll out looking all innocent.  We were behaving like 12 year old boys but I really haven't laughed that hard in ages.  Why are fart sounds so funny?

From laughter to tears. I'm really worried that I'm going to make a fool of myself by crying all the why home on the plane, Saturday. I better go pack some tissues. Now who moved them?

Head on over to Keely's to post your own randomness. 

Random Tuesday- Surgery, recovery and a county fair!

A week ago Friday, I took my daughter to the doctor to have them look at a lump in her neck that we've all been watching for a couple of years. It'd gotten bigger so it needed to come out. Talk about fast, she had surgery 3 days later. She had a rough first week with pain and nausea but the worst is over and now a week later she has a 1 1/2" scar to show for it! Hadn't planned for it to be that soon but I'm glad it's out before she heads off to another state for school next week.

I need to go buy waterproof mascara. Judging from the tears that have already started this week, I'll be needing it for the big drop off in Cali. next week.  I don't know why but it's so much harder to think about dropping her off that far away than it was bringing my other kids to school an hour away. I really didn't go visit them at college very often, maybe a couple of times a year, but it was knowing that if they got sick or needed me, I could be there pretty fast. This whole long distance thing is not sitting well at all!!!

One thing I am finding is that it's not as much fun to cook for two people. I'm so used to cooking for 8 to 10 that cooking for two just doesn't seem worth it at all. I wonder what my husband would say if I quit cooking all together?

We're off to the county fair in Nebraska this  weekend. I love the county fair. It's small town America at it's best. Carnival rides, rip off games and the best Fair Food around; Funnel cakes, Indian Tacos, ribbon fries, and fresh squeezed lemonade. My plan is to play lots of  25 cent a game Bingo at the Lion's Club booth and lots of catching up with family and people I only see at the fair. Toss in a parade where they throw lots of candy and prizes and a town BBQ put on by the Cattleman's Association and what more could you want from a weekend? I married into the fair but can't imagine living without it.

Head on over to The Un Mom to link up your randomness this week!!

Random Tuesday- Maggots on Planes and trying not to cry on planes!

I saw the most disturbing show on the news last night about the animals, bugs and germs on airplanes. If I saw a mouse or maggots on a plane I think I'd freak out. So gross.

We waited in line 27 minutes for frozen yogurt at Yogurtland last night. I wish I could say it wasn't worth, it but it was. It really was. Plain tangy yogurt with fresh raspberries, strawberries, kiwi and blackberries. Delicious.

The only thing better than that might be the margarita pop cycles that a friend told me about. You make your favorite margarita mix and pour it into small dixie cups with a stick or a pop mold and later you have an adult frozen treat to enjoy on a hot evening.

I finally got my yellow lab trained to run out to the mailbox, get the newspaper out of the paper box and bring it back into the house to me and then go back out for the second paper. While it's a great trick during the summer, it's an amazing trick when it is 10 degrees and snowing!!! Yep!! The good news is that she loves doing her job. She sits by the front door in the morning until I let her out to fetch it. I love it even more than she does especially when it's raining or snowing.

We leave in 3 weeks to bring our youngest to college. I want to cry just thinking about it. Tears of joy over how wonderful it will be for her and tears of sadness that my day to day job will be forever over. After 27 years of being on "Mom Duty" 24/7 my job will be over. Yes, I'll still be a mom and be there to help, love and support them but the house will be empty and far far to quiet. I remember thinking when they were little that the day to day exhaustion and mess was never going to end and wishing that I could just go to the bathroom without someone knocking on the door asking me a question. Now I got that wish.  While I'm really excited for what the next stage will be, I'm really sad that this wonderful stage is over. My husband doesn't quite get it but he wouldn't because this wasn't his life all day everyday. He does understand that it's hard for me. I just hope that I don't completely embarrass myself on the plane flying home by sobbing out loud or screaming if I see a mouse. I've got to remember to pack some tissues though!!
Get randomness for yourself by linking up over at 

The next 2 days I'll have posts on how to get your student ready to head off to college. Stop in and get the list!

Random Tuesday- Coffee, Ammunition and Pillsbury Brand Ambassadors

It's Tuesday and since I've been such a blog slacker I thought I better get back in the habit of posting and get Random. Get Random yourself over at hosted at The Un Mom!

We had a fabulous trip to Greece and England. Great food, fun new places to see and a really special time with our youngest daughter/high school graduate. We have really enjoyed these trips with each child and I for one am sorry that this was the last one.

All my kids were in from Seattle, for a wedding last weekend. In preparation for their visit I cleaned the house and more importantly, I cleaned the front door. Yes, they would be coming and going through the garage but it seemed really important at the time to clean the outsides of the front doors.  It's all about priorities! Or would that be a mental illness????????????

On our way to the mountains 2 weeks ago we passed a small coffee shop in a very small town. I wish I'd brought my camera with me to take a picture of the sign out front. It said:

Coffee

Espresso

Ammunition

I guess that the ammo is for those people who haven't had their morning caffeine yet!

All I can say is that the iPad rocks. It was the perfect thing to travel with. Email, internet, photo storage, games, movies and books all in an nice size package. I was worried that once we got home I wouldn't use it as much but the opposite is true, I may be using it more than my laptop. I'm in love!!!!!!!!!!! I am kind of an electronics nerd. I guess that's what 29 years of marriage to an electrical engineering major will do to you.

About a month ago, I filled out an application to be a Pillsbury Crescent Roll Brand Ambassador. I thought it sounded fun. I figured that they got thousands of applicants and that would be that. Well, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call from them and I was one of the 100 quarter finalists. I did a phone interview with her and had to send in a picture of myself and 2 of my favorite original crescent roll recipes: one special occasion item and one main course. Both had to be prepared in 30 minutes or less- including baking time!!!! Harder than it sounds. I sent in my 2 recipes and photo. Last week they called to ask me for one more recipe. It seems that I am one of the 12 semi- finalists. They will be picking 4 out of the 12 for a national campaign and national vote. I would LOVE-LOVE-LOVE to be one of the 4 but I'm trying so hard not to get my hopes up!!!!! I'll let you know how it goes. I'll either be leaping for joy or dripping tears onto my keyboard when I let you know the results! 

One of the recipes I submitted was this one! 

Apple Rosemary Blue Cheese Bites

Warm apple slices with blue cheese and pecans and a hint of rosemary, all wrapped up in a flaky crust. Perfect for a cocktail party or as an appetizer before a special dinner.

1- 8 oz. package of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
2 large golden delicious apples- Peeled, cored and sliced into 8 slices each
4 oz of crumbled blue cheese
2 TBS of cream cheese- softened
½ tsp fresh or dry rosemary chopped fine
¼ cup of chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

• Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
• Grease a cookie sheet or line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Peel, core and slice your apples
• In a small bowl stir together the blue cheese, cream cheese, nuts and rosemary until the mixture hold together.
• On a piece of parchment or plastic wrap, unroll the Pillsbury Crescent Roll dough and Divide into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle into half for 16 smaller triangles.
• Spread 1-2 teaspoons of the cheese mixture on the wide end of a triangle and wrap around an apple slice.
• Place on the prepared baking sheet
• Bake in your preheated oven for 20 to 22 minutes or until they are golden brown.

Serve warm or room temperature.
These can also be made with fresh pears instead of apples.

"My Mother-In-Law was a professional wrestler" and other funny comments

I had 2 plumbers working at my house a while back. As they were heading out to the truck to grab a part, I heard one of them say to the other, "Oh, yeah, my mother-in-law was a professional wrestler.....!" WHAT??????? I really wish I could have heard the rest of the conversation but they closed the door before I could hear anymore. 

I took all day getting caught up on my blog and getting posts ready to post while we're away. I feel like shouting- I'm Back!!!!!!!

My daughter's boyfriend decided 3 days ago that he was starting to like her too much and since they will be going to college far away from each other that they should break up now....A WEEK BEFORE PROM?????!!!!!!!!!! Seriously what an idiot. Could he not have waited a week?  Thankfully, she has some darling girlfriends who she's going to go with!

I have a friend who's quite the fashion diva. She helps people with their wardrobes and outfitting them. If I have to go anywhere nice she helps me pick out my outfits. She's one the nicest people I know plus she makes some of the funniest comments.  Here are a few things she's said recently:

• See that woman?- What Stacy and Clinton do in a whole day, I could do in 20 second with a wet washcloth. In reference to a woman with WAY too much makeup on. 
• If the tribulation happens during a Girl's Night, some of us are going to miss it because we're too busy talkin'.
• A good pair of shoes can make up for anything except for a bad haircut. Isn't that the truth!!!!
• This was a miracle because a miracle is when a Georgia girl can get you home through a Blizzard. Said after driving a group of friends home from dinner in a true blizzard.

It must finally be spring. The hummingbirds are back. They arrived 6 days later than last year. Yes, I keep a database of the arrival and departure dates for the different species that come. Can you say NERD? Yep you can and I am!!! 

My mom is coming in 5 days which means spring cleaning is in full swing. They'll be here for a week and the day they leave is the day we leave for a 12 day trip. I have no idea when I'm going to pack.  Oh Update- They come in 3 days and will be here for 10 days. I'm not ready!!!!!!!!!!!


We have a tradition when a child graduates from high school, that summer we take them and one of their friends to England and to one other country of their choice. We've done this with each of our kids. We get to see new places and things and it's an experience to share with only that child. It's been a very special tradition that I'm so glad we started. We save up for the trip for the 3 years between each kid.  We'll go to London for just a couple of nights (so expensive in the city) then head out to small bed and breakfasts in the countryside then we fly to the other country they choose and do the same there.  They've each chosen a different country so we've seen a lot of different places. France, Spain, and Sweden. This trip, our youngest picked, Greece as her other country so we'll be spending some beach time on some of the small islands- away from the city riots over finances, which are hopefully over.  Now if the Icelandic volcano will cooperate and quit erupting so that our flights won't be cancelled we'll have a perfect trip.

Take some time and  Get  random yourself over at The Unmom!

Random Tuesday- Wedding is over!

It's Tuesday and it's random.
We just got home from Seattle. My oldest daughter got married on Saturday. The wedding went so smoothly and turned out just exactly as they wanted! Yay!


I'm so tired that I did nothing yesterday and today I've done nothing except laundry.
If you have a child getting married the one thing I would do is give my camera to a friend and have them take photos during the entire event. As the mother of the bride you don't have time or think about taking pictures yourself. I'm waiting for their friends to post pictures to Facebook.

I only cried once on the wedding day. It was before every one got there. I just needed a cry to release some tension. My friend Gina gave me permission to cry for 30 seconds then I was fine. I didn't even cry during the ceremony. The pastor who married them knows them really well and had lots of funny and sweet stories about them. It was a really fun day.

We had a candy buffet as part of the reception. It was a huge hit. It had 10 different candies, that were the bride and grooms favorites.

We had Skittles, Hot Tamales, Peanut M&M's ( I got them after Valentine's day so that they were all pinks, reds and whites, Swedish Fish, Pink and white grapefruit slices, peppermint pillows, Sour Patch Kids, old fashioned candy sticks and Diams. We bought containers at Ikea and plastic scoops from the container store.  Delicious!!!! The flowers for the reception and wedding we got at Pikes Market. They were so beautiful. Sadly we didn't find any unicorns.
A fun time was had by all.

Why is it, no matter how old you get, your parents can still push all your buttons and drive you crazy? I got so mad at my folks and my in-laws on the wedding day. They announced that they were going to go take a drive past the bride and grooms' new house. I explained that the groom was going to be home and to NOT stop and bother him. He was trying to get things done before the wedding and didn't need people barging in. I was VERY clear!!!! What did they do?????.........stopped by the house and spent 20 minutes getting a full tour. The groom was none too happy. He just didn't need to be giving people a tour and visiting when he was getting ready. It was selfish, rude and inconsiderate and I was really pretty ticked off and disappointed, as was the bride and the groom. Age grants you some concessions but not the right to totally disregarding a very specific request. Makes me mad all over again just typing this.

I just found a great iPhoto plug in called Impressions  You can get it for free or you can buy the license. The free version allows you to add a personalized watermark on one photo at a time while the license allows you to batch watermark. I love it.

Get Random Yourself at The Unmom  

Random Tuesday and apology for being a blog slacker!

Ok, Ok I know I have been a complete blogger slacker and I do apologize! I mean to get a post done and then I run out of time or am too tired to type so please forgive me and I promise as soon as the wedding is over to get back at it.

I've been preparing for my oldest daughter's wedding, which is this weekend. Since it's in Seattle and we leave tomorrow, everything has to be ready! I think I have all of the small details  taken care of. Things like this info. pack that I made for all the out of town guests.  It has the information for the big events plus maps on the back of those cards to get people there. I stuck them into cut off penny candy bags. Were they necessary- NO. Did I do them anyway- YES!!!
They wanted a candy buffet at the reception so I found those small penny candy bags and I stamped them with the jar logo that my daughter used on her invitation.Necessary- NO, did them- YES. Cute- You Bet!!  I think they turned all out pretty good. It is going to be a  relaxed, casual wedding. I love that!!
We are so excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomorrow I'm flying with my friend Gina, one of my daughters, and two of the bridesmaids to Seattle. I hope we can contain ourselves on the plane. We can get a little loud. We're renting a car and going straight to Ikea for lunch and shopping. The bride and my son will meet us there. It going to be a really fun few days before the wedding. 

Last weekend was a prom for my youngest daughter. It was her date's prom, her's is in 4 weeks. I can't believe that her senior year is almost over. She and her date looked so cute!  They had a ton of fun and BONUS-I got to practice making boutonnieres for her and her friend's dates in preparation for the wedding. 

The only bummer from the night was  someone landed on her foot- hard while they were playing volleyball at after prom. It's hurting more and more so we're off to the Urgent Care for an x-ray this morning. Needless to say- even if it's broken, she said that she's not getting a cast before the wedding. Priorities people. Thankfully, (for me-not her) Gina got to check out and review the urgent care center they just built near us. She liked it. Of course she had her own priorities for her son's visit.  You can read more about that on her blog. 

It seems like it was just September and the school year was starting. Now we're a month from the end of school, the wedding is here and the empty nest is looming.  I really need to figure out what I want to do, now that my job of mom is going to be over. After 27 years it's weird to think about what I want to do. I have many ideas but don't know which direction to go in. I do know that God has a plan and right now that's what I'm counting on. I just wish he'd just tell me what to do instead of me trying to figure it out. It'd be so much easier.

I am addicted to the Facebook game Mahjongg Dimensions . I have to  limit myself to a couple of games a day or I could play all day. It has provided much needed escape when I've needed it most. Challenging enough to clear your mind of everything going on and not so hard that you get frustrated. It's perfect!!!!

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