Feeling old...

We have gotten 6 high school graduation announcements this year from kids of our friends. Friends who are our age. It makes me feel really old. I mean, how can any of us have children that are 18? Never mind that I am technically old enough to have children who would be graduating from college. No, I can't be that old - I only have a 7 year old, right? Guess I'll feel 'really' old when Little Miss does graduate from high school...

Just when I started wondering...

what I was going to do with my free time now that American Idol is over, my husband informs me that tonight we can replace it with the NHL playoffs.

Since I was rooting for the Capitals and they have been eliminated I have lost interest but I am sure my husband will try to restore it tonight when the Blackhawks and Red Wings play.

I'll try to act interested. Really...

Thought for the day...

When trying out a new restaurant,

visit the restroom first.

It will tell you all you need to know.

~From Life's Little Instruction Calendar Volume XIV

Shopping finds..

I made a trek to Marshall's today to see if this top was still there. I had it in my stack to try on a couple of weeks ago and when I was done trying almost everything in the store in my size I realized I forgot to try this on. Since I wasn't about to go back into the fitting rooms to try it on I decided to leave without it. Then I thought about it for 2 weeks. So back I went today with Little Miss in tow (my mom went, too). Luckily they still had it, I tried it on, it fit & looked cute so I got it. My husband even liked it.
I only recently discoverd "Vineyard Vines" and just love their things. It was a steal at $29.99.

The other reason for the shopping trip was to get Little Miss a bathing suit, a 'two-piecer' as she would say. She is one of the few girls in her group of friends who wears a 'one-piecer'. So since she is getting to the age where she likes to be like the other girls (it's too early for that, isn't it?) she has been asking for a bikini. Um, not gonna happen here at age 7. But my husband and I talked and decided that a tankini would be a nice compromise. Off we went today to pick out the two-piecer of her (kind of) dreams. Kohls had a great selection at 40% off (I question their 'sales' -I mean is anything ever NOT on sale -but the end price is usually good)- so she got a cute tankini for $24. It even has a little rhinestone etching on the front, left side of the bottoms. She is all about the rhinestones. She looked SO grown up in it!

After we hit Marshalls and Kohls we headed for Target. Our Target has a little eating place - you can get sandwiches, salads & Pizza Hut pan pizzas. In an effort to keep our eye on the shopping goal we ate at Target. Their California chicken salad is not so bad. After lunch we started shopping. Little Miss immediately let us know that a trip to Target is not complete without a visit to the toy department. Alrighty then. Ten excruciating minutes in toys it is.

Since a post by me would not be complete without a complaint I would like to mention that I am not happy that our Target has done away with most of its smaller bottles of detergent. I should have known something was up when my Purex Free & Clear in the convenient 50 oz size was on 'clearance' two weeks ago. Now they have these jumbo size bottles. Target people, if you are listening: Anything bigger than the 50 oz bottle does not fit in the cabinet above my washer & dryer, which is where I store my detergent. And I have little space on the floor in my laundry area. Luckily, after looking for a few minutes, I spotted a bottle of All free & clear 'small & mighty' - perfect.

Most people I know are thrilled with the larger sizes of products. Not Debra (of course!) Besides my parents, we are the only people I know that do not belong to Costco or Sam's Club - even my grandparents belong to Costco. I have even had people ask how we manage without belonging. We are a small family and we really don't consume alot. We don't drink sodas so we don't need jumbo cases and bottles of drinks, we don't eat a ton of processed food so we don't buy chips, mixes, etc., we don't use alot of paper towels (about a roll every 2-3 weeks), I use vinegar to clean so don't need gobs of bargain cleaning product packs. I do think we could fetch some bargains on meat but I am not going to join just for that. Our local grocery runs good sales on meat and I just keep my eyes open for them. And that's how we survive without Costco...

Happy Homemaker Monday...

On my bedside table: 'The G-free Diet' by Elisabeth Hasselbeck

On my TV: ESPN (my husband is home today!)

On the menu for tonight: Off the grill: steak, salmon, corn on the cob

On my to do list: laundry, swimming w/ Little Miss

New recipe I tried last week: Nothing new but I did make homemade pancakes (no mix!), banana bread and cake. See, I do cook!

In the craft basket: nothing

Looking forward to: the first full week of summer vacation - no schedules! :)

Homemaking tip of the week: You can cook your corn on the cob in the microwave. Keep them in the husks and cook one piece for 5 minutes. Add more minutes for more ears. Last night I did 3 for about 10 minutes. Take the husks and silks off right before serving - use a potholder to keep from burning your hands. An added benefit: you save lots of water by not boiling them!

Favorite Blog post of the week (mine or another): This one is great for all us moms out there!

Lesson learned the last few days: Sometimes it IS 'just me'. People might be aggravating and a pain in the neck & complain a lot but they have no clue they act that way. It just seems to bother me & I need to get over it.

On my prayer list: The men and women who have served & are currently serving our country so that we may have our freedom.

Devotional, Scripture reading, key verse:

John 14:27 - Jesus said, Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Join Sandra at Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Would you like to buy a raffle ticket?

If you have read my blog more than once you know my dislike for fundraisers. Thankfully, I do not do this for a living. Our hockey league is selling raffle tickets ( they are raffling off a 50" LCD flatscreen TV). The proceeds will go towards paying off the cement for our hockey floor. Not doubting that it is a good cause.

Anyway, all the tickets didn't get sold by the players so it was decided that the kids would stand outside one of the grocery stores last night from 6-8 and sell the rest of the tickets. Luckily, my husband went with Little Miss. I had to draw the line somewhere. And this was it. I have done my time (really, it 'doing time' must be similar to standing outside in the 100 degree heat in your hockey jersey trying to sell tickets to people just trying to buy beer for the weekend). So when the car rolled up at 7:38 pm I tried to think positive - 'wow they sold the 300 tickets in record time'. NO, they sold 5 tickets. Ugh. My husband was not happy. Don't blame him.

Little Miss has a pool party/sleepover today/tonight. We drop her off at 11 am and pick her up at 11 am on Sunday. It's like a vacation! We are supposed to go out with friends for dinner tonight but their son threw up last night so it's up in the air. He probably is sick from standing out in his hockey jersey for 90 minutes in the 100 degree heat so hopefully all will be well when it's time to go out.

School's out...

for the summer! Today was the last day of school. I think the kids are ready for it and I KNOW the moms are. All of my friends have said they are ready to have a more relaxed schedule and not have to run out of the house at the crack of dawn (well, 7:45 anyway) to get to school. We even thought it would be fun to stay in our pajamas well into the day. Yes, that sounds good. Little Miss has requested 'Mickey Mouse' pancakes for the first breakfast of summer vacation. Sounds good.

Being the only child and very social I need to find a good balance of keeping LM busy but not getting overscheduled and stressed out. She is generally not content to stay home every day like I am. She is good for a day and then is itching to get out (just like her dad). We are going to sign up for our summer reading program at the library. That is always a fun-filled time. They have story times, movies, games, etc. All at no cost which is right up my alley. I have also signed her up for tennis lessons. It's her first try and we'll see how she likes it. It's for five weeks, two days a week. And on Thursday mornings our new movie theater is showing kids movies for $5 for, get this, TEN movies. Again, right up my alley. I think that will keep us busy enough but, hopefully, not too busy.

Yes, he did...

WIN!!

Yippee!!

Happy Homemaker Monday...

On my bedside table: The new 'O' magazine.

On my tv- nothing now

On the menu for tonight: pork tenderloin

On my to do list: I am working at my husband's office today so that's it.

New Recipe I tried last week: None - no surprises there!

In the craft basket: Nothing right now.

Looking forward to: Thursday - it's the last day of school. 'No more pencils, no more books...'

Homemaking tip of the week: Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

Favorite Blog post of the week: This one. Love money saving grocery ideas. And this one. Anyone who has had to deal with infertility will like this. Have a tissue close at hand for the video.

Favorite Photo of the week:

After our hockey games yesterday Little Miss & I went to Old Town Scottsdale and stumbled upon the 'Arizona Lucky Ducky Duck Derby'. The dads and boys went to the hockey store and lunch so LM and I had a girls afternoon. It was so fun and better than our original idea (the mall).

Lesson learned the last few days: Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.

On my prayer list: In honor of the last week of school: all the teachers out there.

Devotional, Scripture reading, key verse: Remember & revere the hard times, for they will become the stories you most like to tell. ~H Jackson Browne

Join Sandra at Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

Parenting styles...

..or lack thereof.

This weekend we were out of town for the last hockey tournament this season. It is bittersweet since the tournaments are fun, we have a great group of kids and parents. I will miss seeing them. What I will not miss are the practices in the 100 degree weather. October will be here soon enough and we will start again.

I am constantly amazed at the behavior of the sibling of one of Little Misses teammates. Let's call him Eddie (as in Haskell). Eddie is 5 1/2. Old enough to know how to behave but young enough to still need some supervision. His dad, Mr Haskell, lets him run around like a wild animal, not reprimanding him once. Eddie climbs on anything he deems climbable, has selective hearing like you've never seen and barks orders at his dad. Mrs. Haskell does not come to the tournaments because she 'hates hockey' (the words of Eddie's brother, the hockey player). The other parents have noticed Eddie's behavior & Mr. Haskell's reaction (or non-reaction) and don't like at all. The other siblings of the players can behave themselves and don't cause any problems. Yesterday, Eddie spilled a soda in the 'player and coaches only' section of the rink. Mr Haskell was nowhere to be found. That's just one of his many antics over the past few days.

So, I am wondering, why are there some parents out there that don't see what their kids do & if they do see it, they think it's OK, or worse, cute? I happen to be good friends with Mrs. Haskell and we have known the boys since they were babies. I am dreading this summer because although I would like to see Mrs. H, I don't want to deal with the hellion child. Most of my friends have boys so I understand the 'boys will be boys' thing and this is way more than that. It's a total lack of discipline by the parents. I am old enough to know that no good will ever come of me saying something to Mrs. H - as long as I want to continue to be friends with her, & I do.

Has anyone else ever had to deal with this? Is there a good solution, other than a big glass of wine???

A Slippery slope?

Little Miss had her friend 'M' over the other day to swim. They are best friends and 'M' is moving this summer to another state. 'M' is the first girl friend that LM has made on her own. Meaning, I was not friends w/ her mom first.

So, the girls get their swim suits on and head out the door. My husband says,'is that a tramp stamp on 'M's back?
'A what', I say?
'A tattoo on her lower back.' says my husband.
'Surely it's not. I'll check.' I say.

I go out with the girls and notice the tattoo. So I ask 'M' if it is a real tatoo. She assures me that it is one of the temporary ones. Thank goodness for that.

Even though it is temporary I still don't like it. Will she want a real one next? She's 7. Thankfully, LM didn't say anything to me and I am not even sure she noticed it. These kids are just growing up way too fast. And it's not really their fault most of the time. I mean, a 7 year old doesn't drive herself to the store to buy a temporary tatoo. I just keep wondering what the rush is to have these girls looking and acting (trying anyway) like women. There is plenty of time for that when they are older, much older. Not 7. Or 8. Or 9. I know I am old fashioned but I hope it pays off in the long run. It's just all too much...

Go ahead, make my day...

I was walking back to my car after dropping Little Miss at school yesterday when I ran into a parent of one of LM's friends. She wondered if LM was going to another friend's upcoming slumber party. I was in the middle of saying that yes, she is going when the mom stopped me saying how good my face looked and wanted to know what I use on it. WOW! 'Thank you', I said (I use L'oreal Skin Genesis Pore Minimizing Gel Cleanser-in the pink bottle-nothing fancy). The funny thing is that I was on my way back home to get on the treadmill and had not taken a shower yet and only had sunscreen on, no make up.

Yes, that made my day...

Idol Recap-Top 3

Last night was the top 3- Adam, Danny & Kris. As you can imagine they all did really well. I am not sure that it matters at this point who wins, although Adam is clearly the judges' favorite and they did everything in their power to stress that point last night and sway the millions of voters to call in for Adam. So, if all the viewers followed their lead Adam will be in the finals.

I really like Adam. He has talent for sure and seems like a really nice person. I want to like his music. However, I don't see myself buying his music, ever. I am just not a hard rock type of girl.

Danny is more my style although I feel like all his music sounds the same. It's good, just all the same. But he has a really strong following and that could keep him going into the finals. I don't think he's a shoe-in though.

Kris is definitely the dark horse in this competition and he proves every week that he deserves to be here. His performance of the Kanye West song 'Heartless' was great. I don't think I have heard the original but my husband says it is totally different from what Kris did. Randy said it was better than the original. Quite a compliment. That performance kind of reminded me of last year when David Cook did Mariah Carey's 'Always be my baby'. I loved it when he did it but I hadn't hear Mariah's version. When I did hear her version I was astonished that it was the same song. Hated her version, loved his.

I think most people would say that the finals will include Adam and Danny but I am not so sure. They all deserve to be there and it's really anyone's game at this point. I think any of them would make a wonderful American Idol.

That being said, I think it is safe to unveil my favorite because I know that some of you are dying to know. haha So here you go. My favorite Idol this year is:







KRIS!!!

And that concludes the Idol recap for season 8 (thank heavens, right?) The finals should be a fun show for sure.

Happy Homemaker Monday...

On my bedside Table: June's 'Good Housekeeping'. (I finished 'Firefly Lane' by Kristin Hannah - it's really good. I highly recommend it.)

On My TV: Nothing now

On the menu for tonight: Quesadillas & salad

On my to do list: work on spring cleaning, change sheets, wash sheets & towels

New recipe I tried last week: none

In the craft basket: teacher's gifts

Looking forward to: Helping in Little Misses CCD class - they are making rosaries.

Homemaking tip this week: With summer coming and the heat along with it, I find I can keep the house cooler if I do my baking in the early morning & run the dishwasher overnight.

Favorite blog post of the week: Sarah's post. It actually was a post from the week before last but I read it for the first time last week & it is so wonderful I thought it worth mentioning. Take a look - she has a great blog!

Favorite photo of the week: none

Lesson learned from the last few days: Just because you can doesn't mean you should.

On my prayer list: My cousin & my dad who had their first Mother's Day without their moms (who were sisters).

Devotional, scripture reading, key verse:

Job 31:6 - Let me be weighed on honest scales; that God may know my integrity.

Join Sandra @Diary of a SAHM for Happy Homemaker Monday.

"I'd like a confident answer...

on who is bringing me home today", says Little Miss this morning. Alrighty then. Where does she get this stuff? (I carpool with another mom and we have a schedule for taking the kids to school but sometimes it changes and this week has been wacky for her so we've been taking it day by day.)

Last night was the American Idol top 4 results show. Allison went home. I was sad to see her go but honestly I would have been sad no matter who went. My favorite is still in the running. Maybe keeping my mouth shut about who I like best is working - yeah, right, that's it.

I am still spring cleaning albeit very slowly. Hopefully I'll be ready to show some pics in a day or so.

May is turning into one crazy month. The days are getting filled up on my calendar all too quickly. Speaking of calendars, who thought it was a good idea to make a calendar that doesn't have the previous month & following month (in smaller print) on the same page as the current month? Debra thinks it's not such a good idea. And I have two calendars like that.

I am off to the bank and to manage my little renovation project. I swear, it's just like TV - people don't show up when they say, they don't do what they said they would, they finish half the job, don't communicate (a biggie for me) - yes, it's just like on HGTV Just call me Lisa LaPorta...

A sin?

Little Miss mentioned that her CCD teacher told the class that it was a sin to watch certain TV shows.

Little Miss: "Miss Anne says it's a sin to watch 'The Simpsons' & 'Family Matters'."

Me: "Do you mean 'Family Guy'?

LM: "Maybe."

Me: "It must be. 'Family Matters' is a nice show. Did she say any other shows were a sin to watch?"

LM: "No. She didn't say anything about 'Rugrats' or 'Fairly Odd Parents'."

Me: "Well, her list is a lot shorter than mine."

Idol Recap-Top 4

Tonight was Rock night. All in all it was a good night for performances. I think Adam and Allison had an advantage since it was their genre. A first tonight -duets - Adam & Allison sang together and so did Kris & Danny. Of course, Adam & Allison owned that. The rest of my opinion:

Adam- Great performance again. Sang a Led Zeppelin song with which I was not familiar. Judges loved him.

Allison- I loved this performance! She sang a Janis Joplin song and did a great job. Judges liked it.

Kris- Sang 'Come Together' by the Beatles. I really liked what he did with it - judges, not so much.

Danny- Sang 'Dream on' by Aerosmith. Not my favorite performance of his. Rock is just not his thing. Judges agreed although they said they liked the risk he took.

Who goes home? I think the bottom 2 will be Allison & Kris (although I think Danny should be there based on tonight's performance.) Kris will go home. But again, anything can happen. Remember, this is the week that Chris Daughtry went home in season 5. So, there will be no surprises if someone else goes.

Speaking of Chris Daughtry: he will be performing on tomorrow night's show. CAN'T WAIT!

Spring Cleaning Party...

It's that time of year again! Spring Cleaning. Starting today. I will be taking pictures (even though the 'before' photos will be down right scary - consider yourself warned!). There's alot to do around here but I am up to the task.

Visit Simple Mom for some good spring cleaning advice. And stop by to see me tomorrow and see what I have accomplished.

Happy Homemaker Monday...

On my bedside table: Don't you just know that 'Firefly Lane' is still there!

On my TV: Tivo'd "Numbers"

On the menu for tonight: Quesadillas, salad

On my to do list: Change sheets, wash sheets & towels & most likely, a Home Depot Run

New Recipe I tried last week: None

In the Craft Basket: The last of the Mother's Day gifts

Looking forward to: Summer Vacation - only 3 weeks left of school.

Homemaking tip of the week: Use butter & margarine wrappers to grease pans. I remember my Grandmas doing that so it goes way back - nothing I figured out on my own. :) Works like a charm.

Favorite Blog Post of the week: One Fabulous Mom just had a beautiful baby girl and she writes about the 'Dark Days of Motherhood'. You know, the stuff no one, not even your best friend, tells you about regarding what life is like during the first few weeks after your baby is born. It will bring back memories of those sleepless, frustrating nights and you will want to call your friends who are pregnant and gently remind them what it's like so they don't feel all alone.

Favorite photo of the week:

Little Miss watching a movie with 'Matthew' - yep, that's the girl doll's name. Notice the pink sparkles in her ears? Stickers that Little Miss is using for earrings for her dolls. Very creative.

Lesson learned the last few days: Things don't always go as planned. A little humor will go a long way.

On my prayer list: Family

Devotional, Scripture reading, key verse:
Hebrews 4:16 - Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace to help in time of need.

Sandra at Diary of a SAHM hosts Happy Homemaker Monday. Pay her a visit.

My new love(s)...

No, not this one (well maybe)....

But this one. I am the proud owner of this electric pepper mill, with light. It is the neatest thing. Our waitress used one @ lunch one day and I was fascinated. My friend J got one and I mentioned to my husband that he should consider getting one for me (I was thinking it would be a great Mother's Day gift), but my dad beat him to it. Just push that little button on top and, VOILA, you have pepper! LOVE it!!!

(You can find it at Crate and Barrel)

And, this one...I have been a Pottery Barn type of girl for what seems like forever but I have been getting the West Elm catalog and am in LOVE. Some of the things are a bit modern for me but for the most part it's just really cool, contemporary stuff. I am currently in the market for a new rug for under my coffee table & have found these 2 that could work. I am leaning towards the botanical one but like the red accent on the zig zag one. Any opinions out there?
I have red accents in the room and I will be getting my chair and ottoman covered in red when I save for it - the ottoman is an odd size so I will need to have it re-upholstered as opposed to slip covered (which was my first, more cost effective choice). When I really get into this project I will post some pictures.

I know I still have some kitchen pictures to post from, let's see.. December. I am still trying to get things 'just right' for the reveal. :)