Pardon the Pink....

But I wanted something "Springy"

I am hoping that the cold weather comes to and end soon and we are back to Spring temperatures!

I've Got Cookies!

I've got Cookies, I've got lots and lots of cookies!

Always one to support a worthy organization, I bought 10 boxes of Girl Scout cookies from our friend's daughter, and she just dropped them off a few minutes ago.

I am in Thin Mint and Tag-a-long heaven!!!

Note to self....increase exercise to account for crazy cookie intake!

We're Going to Disney World!

Yes, it is true.

The other morning, when I was supposed to be sleeping in, my darling husband came upstairs to sit on the edge of our bed.  That means one thing - he wants me to wake up, but does not want to be accused of actively waking me up on a day when I get to sleep in.

The reason?  He decided that morning that he wanted to take the girls to Disney World.  Yep, that woke me up all right!  I have been wanting to go for about a year, but we were waiting for a good time.  Finally, he decided that this was a good time, and really, with all of the Disney deals you can get, and our penchant for driving hundreds of miles with little to no prior planning, going to Disney seemed, well, logical!

So, we are heading down in September, after Hailey goes back to school.  We are only staying for 3 days, but will visit my family as well, so in all we will be gone for about a week.  I am SOOOOOOOOO excited!

I think 3 days is good.  We want to go for a bit longer, but that might wait until next year or the year after when the kids are a little bigger!

Interesting...

I am not a good housekeeper. I admit it.

But what is it about "snow days" that it causes me to channel my inner June Cleaver?

It isn't snowing today, but it is really cold and icy, so schools are closed, and the girls and I are going to hang out at home. They are happily playing together, and I am compulsively cleaning. Clearing the clutter, vacuuming, dusting. Removing pictures from shelves and dusting behind them, vacuuming under the furniture.

Perhaps it is the idea of spending the entire weekend in the house that forces me to make it liveable? Who knows!

This afternoon we are making cookies, I have already taken dinner out to thaw (Salisbury Steak - how 1950's is that!) and am tempted to put on a dress and heels before Russ gets home just to complete the picture!

A Girl's Girl

I am not, nor have I ever been a "girly-girl". As a kid, I played baseball on the driveway, made mudpies in the backyard, and as my Mom always says, the first dress I wore was at my wedding! Okay, there was my First Communion, but you get the point.

So, being the mother of two girls, I have had to learn a lot, especially since Hailey is most decidedly girly. Dresses, princesses, feather boas, pink and purple - you name it, if it is feminine, she loves it. Well, we have finally gotten to the point where Hailey's hair is manageable enough to start with ponytails and pigtails. You see, Hailey loves her curls, and for the longest time did not want to do anything to her hair for fear that she would not have it curly.

Welllll, now her hair is long enough that it can be pulled back into a ponytail and still be curly, and I don't think I have ever seen her so excited! Of course, now this opens up a whole new category of female accessory - the "hair holders". While I may be content with an elastic band, or maybe a barrette if I am feeling fancy, that does not sit well with my diva daughter. Ribbons, bows, flowers, and "Mommy , pleeeeeeease can I have some purple sparkle lipstick? Pleeeeease? I love you Mommy".

Who knows, maybe I will learn a thing or two from her!

The "Chesapeake Primaries"

I got to go and vote today. Honestly, it is one of my favorite things to do - I really believe that ANYTHING can happen on Election Day!

I also have to hand it to the Democratic Party - regardless of what your political views are you have to respect the fact that one of the major parties in the nation has put forth a black man and a white woman as candidates - finally, we have caught up with the rest of the world. These two people, who even just 15 years ago would have gotten nowhere are the front-runners for the nomination.

Who will win? Who knows. Right now, it is too close to call. But, it doesn't change the fact that for the first time in my young life, I had the opportunity to vote in an historic election.

Go Democracy!!

Ketchup

As you may imagine, we had a lot of fun at the chili cook-off! Little did we know that would be the last time we left the house for awhile!

For the last week and a bit, we have all been battling illnesses. Fevers, stuffy heads and noses, and an all-round general unhappiness.

We are finally on the mend thought! Everyone is back to normal activities and I am glad to be out and about on a regular basis!

So, there is nothing else exciting to add, unless you want to hear about my week sacked out on the couch, or if you want to calculate how many trees were killed in the production of Kleenex consumed by the family!

And The Award for "Most Creative" Goes To...

Yes, believe it or not, I won an award yesterday for my culinary greatness.

Stop laughing.

We were invited to a chili cook-off yesterday at the home of one of Russ's co-workers. Always up for a social event, we decided to go, even though we (I) knew very few people who were going to be there!

So, my point is that it was a chili and dessert cookoff. While some say I make a mean pot of chili, I decided to go for dessert instead. Aiming for the award in the "Most Creative" category, and wanting to make something kid friendly, I made Oreo creatures.

Yep, a catepillar and frogs made out of Oreo cookies, with some flowers and patches of grass thrown in for extra color...



Yes, I won the award for "Most Creative" in a landslide election. Of course my competition were a lot of store-bought desserts!

Oddly enough, the other couple that I knew there (that I wasn't meeting that day!) won the award for "Most Creative Chili". We laughed - they have never made chili, so they brought tortilla soup!

Looks like the newer employees are the more creative ones! Or, at least their wives...