End of the Run...24

So, my favorite-most-ever show has come to the end of its run.

Finished.

No more.

All done.

The clock has stopped.

Sigh.

Thank you, Kiefer Sutherland and the rest of the cast from the past 8 seasons!

Thank you, FOX Network! Thank you, writers, directors, camera men, makeup people, producers, etc.! Thank you, ALL!

What a wild, wonderful, and awesome ride it's been!

* * *

I'll miss our Monday night 24 viewing "parties," but I'm looking forward to seeing Jack Bauer on the big screen!

Wooooo-hoooooo!

Returning the Favor-ites...

I cannot tell you how psyched we are to be watching our favorite series again!

It seems like such a LOOOONG time between seasons, and yet it's so worth it to be able to watch it non-stop from now until May.

That said, the weeks between episodes seem to dawdle a bit...though I don't really want to rush time.

Such a quandary...such fun!

So if you call us on a Monday evening...please, just leave a message. *wink-grin*

Ticking Clock...

He's BAAAA-ACK!

Friday Funnies

The following is meant for entertainment purposes only...it is not an endorsement of any kind for any political figures. It's just a bit of silliness.

Enjoy! And have a funny last Friday BEFORE 24 returns!!

Wordless Wednesday

10-on-10 Jack Bauer Style

ONE WEEK MORE...

One Month More!!!

Only one -- count it -- one month to go until the premiere of Season 8 of 24!! We're wildly, I mean, mildly excited here............... Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Monday Musings Betwixt Seasons

Happy Monday! My first Monday post in a loooong time. And Happy End-of-Summer-Beginning-of-Autumn!! Yay!

Wow! I cannot believe we're entering the last quarter of 2009 already. Is that really possible?

I love this time of year. The crisp air...the colorful leaves...needing warmer clothes but not heavy ones yet. Pumpkins, caramel apples, sunshine through the leaves. Mmmm...

Life has been moving incredibly fast at the moment. I know. I know. That isn't physically possible, but it sure feels that way.

Ethan had a fun first birthday, I think. We certainly had fun celebrating it with him. We're all still reeling at the idea that he's actually a year old...12 months...365 days. It seems like we only just met him...yet, like we've always known him, too. He's walking really well now and has a real "swagger" to his stroll. He's also trying to run, but he hasn't mastered the whole stopping thing so he's still a bit unstable on that front. He likes to dance and "jump" (with his feet on the ground still, of course), too. It's funny to watch him. Like our own baby entertainer.

Emily has started her 10th year of dance. We're not sure she's enjoying it quite so much these days. It's much more intense -- which you'd imagine at this level -- and we're thinking her interest might be waning a bit. We'll see. She's in the "middle school" of our cyber school which means she has four teachers to report to and actual assignments to do that will be graded. The work is challenging, but she's rising to it which is good. Just like it's hard to imagine Ethan is 1-year-old now, I'm finding it hard to believe she's in 7th grade...and soon will be 12!!!! Egads.

U9 soccer is proving challenging to Edward, too, this year. As far as we're concerned, his team is doing fine. The coaches and some of the other parents may disagree, but you have a lot of skill levels coming together on a team. We think he's still enjoying it, but we'll see when it comes time to sign up for the spring season. Ethan and I take Edward to his practices, and I think Ethan is enjoying playing with the extra balls he's finds. He even tried kicking it last night. Edward has a good handle on third grade already so we think he'll do great this year.

In other news...

A little less than 3 1/2 months until Season 8 of 24 starts!! Yippeeeeeeeee!! Yayayayayay!! Yeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaw!! Ahem. We're mildly excited here. Rumors have been flying that this may be the final season. It makes sense...but saddens us, nonetheless. Continuing on the Kiefer front, Monsters vs. Aliens comes out next week. If you haven't seen it yet, do so. It's a fun -- and really cute -- movie. And some really creative juices went into making it.

And at the typing of this particular post I think I'm nearly caught up on my blog. With the busyness of traveling and starting school and "birthdaying," I'm afraid it got a little neglected. Still, it feels good to catch up...

And with that I'll bid you adieu.

Friday Funnies

More Muggy Monday Musings

And then there was one...

One Monday left in July that is.

Happy Monday! The final one in July. Next week is August... already.

And it's a muggy Monday, that's for sure. I think traditional Summer finally decided to arrive. (And I, for one, would not have been disappointed had it decided to stay away this year.) Sigh.

We've had lots of thunderstorms lately...so the gardens are filling with lots of weeds. Ugh. I guess it's time to spend some quality time in the flowerbeds.

The kids chose to make some homemade gifts for Ethan, and Edward finally got the chance to finish his: a fringe-edged (Is that even a word? It is now.) blanket. Emily had started hers -- a mini scrapbook -- before he was born last year and has already enjoyed sharing it with him. He "thanked" -- rewarded -- both of them with plenty of happiness at their thoughtfulness.

Speaking of Ethan... The kid is ready to take off...literally. He has been sneaking unassisted steps here and there, and today he took three steps from me to the table. It was like "look, Mom, no hands." Egads. I'm definitely not ready for that stage just yet. Neither of my older two were climbers...and I'm very worried that once he gets his sturdy legs running this guy might be different. But he's growing and changing and chatting up a storm now so there's no holding him back. It's really exciting and fun to watch. Well, from his siblings' point-of-view anyway....my mommy-view is having to quell alarms that keep going off in my head as I remember the older two...

August is ramping up with activities. Our church is holding an "adventure camp" the same week as the Reading Fair...so the kids will be pretty busy that week, I think. Then Emily has another visit to the spine doctor in Wilmington, Delaware, just to check on her scoliosis. She's grown over 5 inches since last October, so we're hoping nothing has changed too much. We also have our annual 4-H club picnic, which comes in the form of a night swimming party.

Stuart and I will resume our "Monday Movie Night" tonight with a selection from the library again. I think we might watch the newest Indiana Jones movie though he's already seen that so we'll see. I have to remind myself of the joys of borrowing movies for free from our local library. In our effort to save money, we sometimes forget that you can't get much cheaper than free. *wink-grin* My laundry folding time has found me just finished with Season 1 of 24 again, and now I'm rewatching Season 7. It's fun to see the huge changes in the main character, Jack. I can't wait for Season 8!

Speaking of shows... Stuart introduced me to a fantastic new show on the Syfy channel called Warehouse 13. It's awesome. Check it out online for free. We watched all three episodes and now we have to wait until later in the week for the next new one. Sigh.

Still, good things come to those who wait.

Until next Monday...ciao!

Coos and News on Monday

Happy Monday to you!! The middle of May already. Really. No kidding around. Egads!

I'm listening to my baby sing and "coo" (though he sounds nothing like a dove) nearby. He has lots to "say" and sing about...he has my family's "chatterbox" genes. Not sure if that's a good or bad thing. *wink-grin*

Today's the day! The DAY! THE day! It's finally time for the 24 Season 7 finale...Yippee!!!! I say finally and yet the months have been speeding by so quickly it's kind of surprising that it's here already, if you know what I mean. We find out all the secrets and answers to this particular season...hopefully wrapping up some loose ends. But it is 24 and that means nothing wraps up prettily. And that's not a spoiler. I have no idea of what happens tonight...except I do know some of the characters who are returning next season. Phew.

Edward had another soccer game yesterday. He did...well, suffice it to say, he wasn't focused in the slightest as he skipped -- yes, skipped -- to his position on the field, laughing and playing with his one teammate who was equally oblivious to the fact that there was a soccer game in progress...and then he did his silly dance whilst "keeping" the goal. Not that I have a problem with skipping or dancing. Not in the slightest. But there's a time and a place. I'm just saying. It's not the kind of scene you'd see during European football matches...not that he's professional or even heading that way.

Another little bun-bun joined our family last Thursday. I've dubbed it "George" (even though we don't know the gender yet). He/she/it was born to Audrey and Jack. I'm not sure why she only had one kit -- since most Holland Lop does have 3 or 4. But it was her first time. Whatever the case, it's early days where baby bunnies are concerned, but we're excited to have another potential furry friend in our midst.

I've managed to begin piecing back together my wallet. I got a new license and replaced my credit cards. I have to get new insurance cards and library cards and shop club cards....but all in due time.

School is wrapping up quickly for the kids. Edward is finishing his subjects rapidly and will fill in the rest of his hours with music, projects, and experiments he didn't have a chance to finish. He's done very well with his 2nd-/3rd-grade curriculum -- surprising us especially with his composition skills. Emily has a bit more than him to finish, but she's winding down, too. She seems to be enjoying history again -- now that she's in the "modern era." She learning all about '80s and '90s at the moment. It's fun "reliving" it with her...giving her an insider's view of it all.

We're pretty certain Ethan has hit another growth spurt. At just 8 months old, he's almost toddler-sized now, I think. *grin* He can roll over when he wants to and is trying to get up on all fours to rock or crawl. He loves to stand -- with support, of course -- and BOUNCE. The kid was born to bounce, I think. Tigger in a human suit. I'm afraid he's nearly too heavy for his in-the-door bouncer, which is sad since he loves it so much. And he's a huge fan of "Daddy" and squeals with sadness if he hears him but isn't with him. It's very touching. The teeth are there but not quite popping through yet. Sigh.

Off to do my Monday chores. Enjoy the beginning of the week and the 24 finale-- if you're a fan. And I think it's trying to sunshine.,,,we can hope?

Post-Mother's Day Musings on Monday

Happy, happy, happy Monday! A kind of gray and chilly one here. But it is Monday...our second one in May already.

A belated Happy Mother's Day to all of my mommy-friends out there! Hope you enjoy our special day.

My weekend started off on a somewhat frustrating note...and it was mostly downhill from there, I think. (My poor family! They tried...mostly.)

Friday evening was supposed to be Edward's soccer practice. I have a mental block on activity times this year and had to keep reminding myself all day that he had practice at 5:30. So finally figuring out something light, easy, yet nourishing, to make for dinner, I managed to get it made and in our bellies with 5 minutes to spare...meaning we'd be only a few minutes late. Well, we got there a few minutes late all right, but there was no practice since there was a three-day soccer tournament for the older players. Oh, well. C'est la vie.

Heading home, I decided to stop at the store to get some things I needed for the weekend. Unbeknownst to me, I somehow got separated from my wallet somewhere between the checkouts and our car. I didn't notice this until Saturday afternoon.

Whilst all this was happening, my beloved was flying (or trying to fly) home from Houston, where he spent the past 7 (count 'em) whole days away from us. Sigh. (I know. I know. There are many wives and kids who have to be apart from their honeys for much, much longer...we were weak this time.) Anyways... His first flight -- which would have gotten him into Philadelphia sometime after 10 p.m. -- was scrapped due to a "broken plane," and a new plane was ordered with a new departure time that would get him into Philly sometime after 2 a.m. I catnapped between calls but decided to wait up for him to arrive home after 4 a.m. Not my best plan, but I'd missed him so much...and had way too much coffee by that point. He climbed into bed around quarter-to-five, and I decided there was little point since our little guy would be waking up for the day between 6:30 and 7. Two hours (possibly) of sleep does not a nice mommy make.

Plus, Emily had tryouts for her ballet school's "jr. company" at 9:30 a.m. There was no way I wanted to oversleep that. So Saturday morning was a bit of a fuzzy foggy blur...until I realized that I'd lost my wallet. Somehow knowing that you've lost what is basically the "heart" of your purse (and life) makes your senses go on high alert.

We searched the car. We searched the house. We searched the yard. We called the store. Stuart and the kids even drove around the parking lot of the store, hoping beyond hope that if it was dropped that maybe someone didn't notice it. But no soap.

Ah, well. I've begun the arduous task of rebuilding my wallet. In time, this will just be a "bad memory" blip on my life's timeline.

The wallet incident and extreme tiredness factored into a somewhat disheveled and less-than-ideal Mother's Day for me. It was not that my family didn't try, per se, and they did give me some awesome gifts and very thoughtful cards (their excitment ahead of time was contagious!). Edward added to my glass fruit collection with a marbleized "lemon." *wink-grin* He also gave me a "growing angel" and a cat statue that is perfect for remembering him and his love of cats. And Emily gave me some beautiful pink silk flowers, a very colorful windmill flower for the garden, and some yummy cookies. Both kids made me some coupons to use for things likes hugs, kisses, and gumballs. Ethan picked out something by telepathy. He got me a fun game to play with him. My gift from Stuart will arrive on the 19th in the form of 24 - Season 7!!!!! Yippee!!

Speaking of 24... Another exciting episode tonight. My fingers are already fearful of being eaten. Next week is the season finale already. Yikes. I wonder how they're going to get Jack out of this one. But enough on that. I feel my stomach already trying to tie itself in knots.


We dedicated Ethan at church on Sunday. As with a lot of Protestant denominations, our church follows Jesus' parents' example of dedicating Him to the Lord. We don't believe it suddenly makes Ethan into a saint or saves his soul, but we presented him to God and pledged before God and our church to teach him the ways of the Bible, God's Word. It made it extra special to do it on Mother's Day and have my parents be there.

And speaking of Ethan -- who is nearly 8 months old -- he's working on cutting his first tooth (you can just about see it), crawling, rolling over, and clapping. Busy guy, huh? That's exactly it. I really feel like babies get "ants in their pants" around this age, and suddenly the content little one who sat on a blanket and chewed contentedly on toys wants to go, go, go!! Ethan is immensely curious about everything. He always been observant, but now his head is constantly spinning around, as he tries to see what's on every wall and every shelf. He keeps us laughing and smiling.

That joy is a gift all in itself.

Have a happy Monday!

The-More-the-Merrier Monday Musings

Big cuz, little cuz. Ethan with his 6'5" cousin Erik (15).
Happy Monday to you! The final Monday in April. Doesn't seem possible, does it?

We had a very warm (read: HOT) weekend in this part of the world. While we were thankful for the sunshine and warmer weather, it would have been nicer for the temperatures to stay a little more seasonal.

Emily got to take a field trip with her co-op class last Wednesday, and Ethan and I tagged along. We went to Brady's Village Art Gallery & Rock Shop in Morgantown. Some very dear friends of ours own it, and it's attached to their house. We've been to their house several times but never to their shop. It was lots of fun to see them again and admire all the rocks and artwork in their little shop. If you're in the area, stop by and have a gander. It's well-worth it.

Ethan continued showing his newest talent this weekend. He's taken to "singing" at the top of his lungs. Yesterday, he even waved his one hand in the air and lifted his head up. Both kids have been debating each other on whether he'll be a dancer or soccer player when he's bigger. I told them he'll be neither. He's going for opera.


Edward had his first soccer game of the season yesterday. It was a slower game due to the fact that they set up "zones" for the kids to play in to prevent the soccer "amoeba" that comes from all the members of the same team playing against each other....and that it was SO hot. Edward managed to get a goal and was promptly rushed off the field in the throes of a mild asthma attack. His coach said he [Edward] was so determined to get that goal even though he [his coach] could see him flagging. We celebrated with ice cream, of course. *wink-grin*

We had photos taken for the Reading Eagle this weekend for a special section they're printing to highlight BerksParents.com. And since I'm one of the two bloggers on there, we get to be featured. Wow! Wooof. It's quite an honor, to say the least, but also very odd for me, too. Last Wednesday, the special features editor (also a good friend of ours) called and interviewed me on the phone. She also mentioned the photo. When I called to set it up, I felt so strange and kept remembering when I did that as part of my job. The photographer came on Saturday afternoon -- our choice of times -- since I knew that the baby would have had two wonderful naps and be well-fed and happy. Well, "two out of three ain't bad." He was well-fed and happy, but he only slept for about an hour...in the morning. Sigh. Still, he behaved himself which was all that mattered. (He's quite the photobug, I think.) I thought the photo would be a posed shot of us just sitting under our little dogwood tree or something similar. But the photographer said he was supposed to get a shot of us doing something "familial." Hmm... That was harder than it would seem. We dug out some Popsicles and bubbles and sat on the front porch and visited with him. The kids also drew with chalk on the sidewalks and played baseball. Hopefully, he got something that was "family-like" enough. I felt rather red-faced by the end of it...not being a photobug in the slightest.

Speaking of red and faces, we managed to get a nice sunburn yesterday whilst watching the game. It was that hot. And it's only April. Yikes.

And speaking of heat, 24 is definitely "warming up." Only 5 more episodes (4 more weeks). Egads. We end each week with our stomachs in knots and our fingernails a bit shorter (despite our yummy pretzel treat). We've also been catching Season 2 of LIFE. If you haven't seen it, watch it!! You can watch the whole season for free online at nbc.com. The characters are brilliant, and the storyline just different enough to make it compelling and really enjoyable.

Here's hoping for a cooler day? Enjoy your Monday!

Bouncing, Springing, Hopping Monday Musings

Happy Easter Monday!

Ha! I did it! I broke my enslavement, bondage, captivity with alliterative Monday titles...and I also discovered thesaurus.com. Cool site! *wink-grin*

Anyhoo. We had a busy holiday weekend, cleaning up leftover chocolates some stuff around the house, dyeing and eating Easter eggs, and eating chocolate getting ready for Easter.

We decided to send the kids on a treasure hunt for Easter instead of an egg hunt. We thought we'd come up with some exceptionally hard clues, but the kids had them figured out within minutes. We think they really enjoyed the Easter "Domos" we gave to them in lieu of more, ahem, traditional stuffed bunnies or chickies.


I think they're cute...not in a cuddly way, really. But cute, nonetheless?

We dyed eggs on Saturday evening. I cooked 2 dozen and each of us got to color/decorate/dye six of them. The only problem? Now the kids have a hard time eating the ones they made. My solution? Take a photo of them before they're eaten. Perfect, right? A win-win all around. So I'll have 24 closeups of decorated Easter eggs on my hard-drive. Not a bad tradeoff to keep the kids from saving their eggs forevermore. Gotta love technology.

Ethan seemed to enjoy his first Easter. He got a bunch of fun little goodies -- none of which is made of chocolate (shucks!!) -- and got to dress up just like his big brother. He also got to wear a number of bunny items, including the cutest bunny hat. No doubt, he'll protest the pics we have of him wearing it in, oh, I don't know, about a decade. Still, we enjoyed it!


Another exciting, daunting, eye-popping, exhilarant episode of 24 overhangs, awaits, looms. Jack has been exposed....oops! No spoilers. Suffice it to say, we'll be on the edge of our seats (again!). We've got our pretzel bits soaking, and we'll be cooking them just before the show so that we have hot, nibbly things to eat instead of our fingernails. I've been rewatching the earlier seasons again while I fold laundry during the week. I'm at the end of Season 1 and cannot bring myself to watch the last 15 minutes...even though I know exactly what happens...Sigh.

I had lots of other fun tidbits to report, all of which I've forgotten now, so I'll end this with the hope that you enjoyed your Easter Monday.

Musings and Mussiness on Monday

Ethan doing his best Jack Bauer impression with Build-a-Bear sunglasses
I know. I know. I'm a "slave" to this silly Monday alliteration stuff. Still. It fits.

Happy Monday to you! The very first one in April!

Only a few people were fooled by my April Fool's joke. Shucks. I was hoping for a slew of you. I thought I'd totally "get" you with that great ultrasound photo from Google images.

Sigh.

Life should be slower this week.

I'll pause to stop laughing and catch my breath.......................

Well, in theory, it should be quieter and slower. We're on our Easter break. But, sadly, dance class and our homeschool learning group don't take breaks for school holidays. So we're still committed to those this week. And we have 4-H tomorrow night. (We're heading to a rabbitry about an hour away. It should be interesting.) But not having to do official schoolwork will be nice. I still have all the household chores, laundry, and meals to do... so no break for me. Waaa-waaa! Poor Mommy... *wink-grin* I'm also hoping to start (I use this word tentatively here) Spring cleaning...by pillaging the house of the mountains heaps piles of junk that have taken over.

24 is getting more and more exciting...though my nerves are having a hard time keeping up with the week-to-week viewing. I'm really not sure how we did it years ago when that was the only option for watching our favorite shows. And if you missed a show? Well, that was it until you might catch that episode by accident in the reruns. Now we have all sorts of online viewing options in addition to catching reruns... and/or buying the whole season on DVD later on. Ain't technology amazing?

Speaking of technology, we got to chat "live" with Stuart's parents in England yesterday. How cool is that?? We were so excited! We even chatted some more this morning. And all for FREE! Thank you, Skype! It was so much fun to see them in person! I think the kids would have kissed the computer screen if I'd let them. *grin*

And back to 24, we started seasoning and cooking our own pretzels for the occasion. (It's a bit cheaper than chicken wings.) So far, Stuart has enjoyed his immensely. I burnt mine last week. But it's still in the experimental stage. Once I figure out how to do mine, I think they'll taste phenomenal.

Edward's Spring soccer season should be starting up soon. He's really excited. Hopefully we started his allergy medicines soon enough to keep him from having any asthma attacks this year. Ugh. Stinking pollen.

Stuart and I head to...West Chester to see a Rocco concert this Thursday evening. My dear, sweet, loving, wonderful oldest sister and her hubby have offered to watch the three munchkins to allow us this treat. I'm a bit surprised by the venue, being that West Chester isn't any kind of metropolis, but it is a college town so maybe they have a method in their madness? Think there's a Hard Rock cafe there?

Well, the little "man" is awake and singing to me, hoping I'll come and get him for his next installment of formula.

Have a wonderful Monday!

On Maniacal Moments and Monday Musings

Happy Monday to you! The final Monday in March. Amazing, huh? We're over a quarter of the way through 2009 already.

Life was a bit slower last week though at times it didn't feel like it. I guess that's due to having every day scheduled by a 6-month-old's feeding/napping times.

I spent Friday afternoon all alone in a hotel room. I'll pause and let that sink in...it's still sinking in for me.

I took a bubble bath, watched some of Season 1 of 24, did a bit of writing...

Then my friend Angel joined me around 6 p.m., and we had some dinner and watched a few movies in between chatting and snacking. We didn't go to bed until 3 a.m. It was truly a treat of a night.

Yet, while it was fun to be away, it was nice to get home to my happy tribe. I guess I missed them afterall. *wink-grin*

We had a fluke storm yesterday afternoon, complete with melonball-sized hailstones. The next day, there were reports of a tornado nearby. Wowzers!!



24 should be interesting as usual tonight...though I'm not sure what's going to happen to Jack. (Are we ever sure?) I just don't trust the writers.... I'm soaking our pretzels a bit earlier with the hope that they'll absorb the sauce and be even tastier.

We're hoping to catch the new Monsters vs. Aliens movie soon. It looks really funny! And, of course, my main reason for wanting to see it has nothing to do with the voice of one of the characters, right? *grin*

Have a super, wonderful, fantastic end of March!

Motionless Monday Musings

I know. I know. Another stretch. But I'm hoping...and praying...and eagerly anticipating...a quieter week this week. Sigh.

I don't know how our lives get so busy, but it happens, and then we're left spinning wheels, trying to keep up.

Happy happy happy Monday to you! The beginning of a brand-new, spanking-clean week. Yeehaw! And Happy Spring to you, too! Finally! Now maybe it'll warm up a little?

Last week was a blur at times, to say the least.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had PSSAs, which in and of themselves aren't much but require us to go to another site for drop off and pick up. When you homeschool, you don't usually go anywhere for schooling so we're not used to the loading and unloading and reloading of the minivans throughout our normal day. The social side of Emily enjoyed herself immensely. She has made some really nice friends through these tests and that really helps ease her anxiety about taking them. (Well, seeing all her friends added together with all the treats we slip into her backpack...) Next year, Edward will join her in taking the tests.

I still had to teach my journalism class at our homeschool co-op on Wednesday, at a facility about 30 minutes from home. Since drop off for Emily was 9 a.m., we skipped the beginning of co-op and drove the half-hour to teach for an hour and drive back home. Edward made his own newspaper while he visited my class. Emily's done the same thing before when she's sat in on my class. They're amazing kids, really. Naturals in the newspaper field.

St. Patrick's Day was a hoot for us. Even though, Stuart is pure-blood English and, according to my dad, there isn't any Irish ancestory on my side -- despite the few Scots who fled to Ireland during the persecution of the Covenanters in the 1600s (I think) -- we celebrated anyway. Any why not? Stuart came up with the idea of corned beef tacos with "Irish" toppings such as cabbage. They were very yummy and enjoyed by all. We all wore green and listened to Irish music all day, too. Very memorable for all involved.

Another new 24 tonight. Each episode has been nail-bitingly exciting...so I'm sure this one won't disappoint us. Stuart and I have a new tradition to combat the rising costs of wings: pretzels. We now season our own hard pretzels and bake them in the oven...just like the wings. It's perfect. Much cheaper and very tasty. Plus, the crunchiness of the pretzels helps to save our fingernails as we watch the varied adventures of Jack. *wink*

Saturday found us at the Greater Reading Expo Center for the annual Pet Expo. We'd never been there so it was an interesting experience. We took four of our rabbits to share at the Berks County 4-H Rabbit and Cavy Club exhibit. The bunnies got lots and lots of pets and strokes and pats that day. I think they enjoyed it though they were more than ready to get back to the quietness of their usual surroundings. Still, it was fun to share our love of our cute, furry friends with the visitors at the expo. We're looking forward to doing it again next year. While we were there, we did a bit of wandering and saw some of the other creatures on display. There was an exhibit of rescued tigers and nearby our booth, a corral of alpacas, amongst the many other animals you could see. Well-worth a visit if you're in the area next year.

An Emily-ism: I love when the kids use words incorrectly -- not because I like them to get stuff wrong -- just because I think it's cute to see how hard they try to use "grown-up" words. The other day, Emily was explaining about an article she'd read telling of a dog that could smell a person and know that he/she had cancer. "I think it's cool that the dog was psycho," she said in amazement, meaning, of course, that the dog was psychic. We chuckled. But then again maybe it was both? Our dog can be pretty "psycho" at times...especially with all this Spring fever stuff going around.

Enjoy your Monday!

Measured Monday Musings

Okay. Okay. A bit of a stretch for my musings title today. But I have testing on my mind. Tomorrow and Wednesday, Emily will be taking her PSSAs. She's nervous (apparently it's "tradition"), but we know she'll do fine and have A LOT of fun in the process. The teachers do fairly well at keeping the kids entertained and focused during the testing, but it's a loooong two days for everyone involved.

So Happy Monday to you! The day after the "ides" of March. Yikes! After reading the history of Julius Caesar, I'm not so keen on that day. Tomorrow is St. Patty's day...and we're all ready with our green gear. We've even planned a new menu for our celebrations. Usually we have green eggs and ham -- a tradition since the kids were very small -- but we decided to notch up our feast this year with...wait for it...ready? "Taco-the-mornin' to you" (Stuart's catchy name for the recipe)...corned beef tacos with cabbage instead of lettuce. Sound good?? We'll let you know. I've got a box of green-sprinkly donut-holes if the experiment fails. *wink-grin*

New episode of 24 tonight!!! And may I say that Jack is indeed back. True to form, we last saw him running down an alley, fleeing from.... Aaaaa! No more spoilers...I promise!! Monster vs. Aliens arrives in theatres soon. We're going to see it in our local IMAX theatre. I think it will be awesome! But then isn't everything that has Kiefer in it like that?

We celebrated Ethan's half-birthday on Saturday. He had a fun day, complete with presents and a candle in a half-a-cupcake (that he only got to see not taste). The day before, the kids were very anxious to buy him something at Babies R Us and then wrap it for him. (I love that about them. They just love to spoil him!) We finished off the day with his very own birthday adventure to Build-a-Bear where he picked a soft and fuzzy black bear that we named "Sammy." It was perfect since we'd earned a $10 coupon for anything in their store...and the bear was exactly that. Afterwards we met up with my sister and her hubby and had some dessert. I think he enjoyed himself...well, I know we did.

And on that note I hope you enjoy your Monday!

More Meager Musings on Monday

Happy Monday to you!

<-- We took this a week or so ago when Stuart was holding him, trying to help him "wait patiently" for his bottle. Ethan just couldn't make it. We loved his hands.

Nearly the "Ides of March"... which means that Ethan is nearly...6 months old!!! It's amazing to think our little "Tiny" is going to be a half-a-year-old already. His first "half-birthday." I'm sure we'll take lots of pictures.

We had a tremendously busy week last week... And, sigh, I'm very very glad it's over. Stuart was away for the week in *sunny* Denver (think 75 degrees F, eating dinner outside the restaurants, etc.) while we got 6-10 inches of snow dumped on us. Welcome to March, everyone? Still, it did warm up by the weekend, and we enjoyed opening the windows and airing the house.

The kids and I (and the dog) headed down to Rehoboth, Delaware, on Thursday and Friday to stay with my 87-year-old grandmother who hasn't been doing very well. A week earlier, she found out she had pneumonia and a heart that's (as she said the doctor put it) "shot." She's on oxygen at home and probably will need it for the rest of her life. We were hoping to give my mom and aunt a break...and bring my grandmother some cheer. I think we accomplished our "mission." *wink-grin* If you think of her, please pray for her.

We enjoyed a two-hour 24 episode last Monday night. Well, I say "we," but it was really just me since Stuart missed it, being in "Mountain Time" and not knowing when it would be on TV. We watched it on Friday night after we got home. Well, I say "we," but it was really just "he" since I fell asleep about 15 minutes into it. I guess I should have had wings -- or at least some popcorn -- to help keep me awake. Still, they were another awesome two episodes, though they left me worried about who might be "killed off" next. (No spoilers here...just a "gut feeling.") We'll find out tonight!

Anyways...

Back to the grind. I have a mountain of laundry (again!) to scale and conquer. And students to prod and poke and cajole. *wink*

Enjoy your Monday! Ciao for now!

Monday Musings Marching In

Happy Happy Happy Monday to you! The very first one in March!!

And, wow, did it start out like a lion. At least six inches of fluffy, white snow plunked down on our area this morning.

Dumb groundhog. [Insert Yosemite Sam mumbling here.]

Of course, all the schools were closed for the day. But not ours. Mwa-ha-ha-ha. In fact, I had my kids double up their lessons today since we have a lot of busyness coming up later in the week. Mwa-ha-ha-ha! Still, we'll be finished our lessons in May while the rest of the schoolkids are sweating through into June. *wink-grin*

Anyways...

There's a 2-hour 24 tonight! Woooo-hoooo! But, alas, all the wings have been eaten. Stuart and I decided to try baking the wing sauce on hard pretzels instead. We usually dip pretzels in it afterwards...and this might be a cheaper alternative to wings...and save our fingernails from the stress of the show. The "Jack-slap" scene was awesome last week. Renee really let him have it emotionally. It was well-written and well-acted. And lest people think I'm into abuse or something I was excited for the scene merely as a means of seeing some of Jack's past brought back into the storyline....that's it. Really. Nothing else. Absolutely nothing. Well, seeing him get smacked (even by a woman) was refreshing since none of the "baddies" can shoot straight, and he's becoming a bit of a "super hero"...or a 1950s cowboy (the only one who can shoot and hit anything).

We were chatting with the kids about video games last night, and my hubby mentioned something about a princess which brought to mind (who knows why exactly) the very same type of person in the game "Donkey Kong." I was telling the kids how this blonde-haired chickie sat at the top of a tower (end of the level) shouting "Help!" through a word bubble. Stuart and I were chuckling at the memory when Emily looked at us in surprise and said, "You know about 'Donkey Kong?'" Um...yes. We played the original game, complete with ladders and a big gorilla....back in the...'80s. Yikes. Does that make us old?

Dumb question.

Well, I finally updated my blog to include all the posts from two weeks ago to today. Have a gander backwards if you so desire. Lots of good photos of our now-8-year-old and our nearly-6-month-old with their beautiful older sister.

I will endeavor to keep this current. Life has a way of overtaking me sometimes...which adds to the clutter in my brain.

Enjoy your Monday!