Seahorses two

And even more pictures of my new seahorses.

My new seahorses

Yeah they're here! I'm so very excited! I'll get better pictures soon. But here's from this morning.

Song share

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We're done!

It's official we are all moved out of the old house. It's cleaned and inspected and we passed unbelievably with flying colors and we do not owe a penny. I was sure that we would for the blinds alone what is it with kids and bends/breaking the blinds to move them out of the way to look outside, or is it just mine? After the girls went to bed John and I broke out the celebratory bubbly we've been saving for tonight. It was nice to sit back and relax. Tomorrow is soon enough to tackle all the boxes, bags, sacks, and assorted totes that we used to move. While I would love to tackle the front porch that can't be first on my priority.

Recipe share galore

Cherry Pie

Serves: 16

This tangy pie is a tasty reminder of summer all year long.

INGREDIENTS
2 (9" each) pie crusts (store bought or homemade)
2 (16 oz. each) cans tart cherries, packed in water
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon margarine

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Drain 1-cup of liquid from the cherries and pour into a saucepan. Mix the cornstarch and sugar together, then stir into the liquid and add margarine. Bring to a boil over medium heat and stir, until thickened, for one minute. Remove from heat and stir in cherries.
3. Fit a 9" round pie pan with one crust, and pour cooled filling into crust-filled pan. Fit either lattice-worked top or full top over pie, using margarine or egg to seal edges while crimping together. (If using double crust, make five slits in top of crust for steam to escape.)
4. Bake about 60 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. If the crust begins to brown too quickly, cover around the edges with aluminum foil.

NUTRITION INFO (per 1/8 of pie slice)
Calories: 151.6
Fat: 5.9 g
Carbohydrates: 24.1 g
Protein: 1.2 g
--------------------------

Cantaloupe Crush

Snacks

Whether you're suffering from nausea, heartburn, or just in need of a cool and refreshing snack or breakfast idea, this is the perfect nutritious pick-me-up. Leftover shake can be frozen in pop molds or 5 ounce paper cups with popsicle sticks.


This is a SparkPeople.com Recipe (what's this)

Ingredients

1 cup cantaloupe cubes 1/3 cup pineapple chunks 1/4 cup orange juice 1/2 cup frozen or canned peaches 1 teaspoon sugar 3 ice cubes

Directions
Whirl all ingredients in a blender until smooth.
------------------------------------------------

Easy Zucchini Parmesan

Snacks Vegetarian Snack
Submitted by MATCM81

This quick and healthy snack tastes like a gormet side-dish, but just takes minutes to prepare! And as a bonus, it's an easy way to get the kids to eat their vegetables.

Recipe Added to SparkPeople.com (what's this)

Ingredients

Zucchini, 1 cup, sliced Parmesan Cheese, grated, 1 tbsp I Can't Believe It's Not Butter, Original Buttery Spray, 10 sprays Non-stick cooking spray

Directions

Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil, then coat with some non-stick cooking spray. Place the zucchini slices out on the pan, then spritz with them with the butter spray. Sprinkle on the parmesan cheese and then pop it in the oven. Broil for a few minutes - until the cheese starts to brown. Enjoy it while it's warm!
Make a larger batch for a delicious and healthy side dish for any meal! Your family will love it!

Number of Servings: 1
-----------------------------

Low-Carb Crustless Quiche

55 Minutes to Prepare and Cook

Ingredients

1 cup (not packed), non fat cottage cheese 2 cups egg substitute, liquid (Egg Beaters, or whites) 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked, chopped 1/2 cup ham, extra lean, (5% fat), diced 1/2 cup Cheddar or Colby Cheese, Low Fat, shredded Salt & Pepper, to taste Cooking Spray

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a pie dish sprayed with Pam or other cooking spray. Place on cookie sheet in oven. Bake approximately 45 minutes or until center is just set.
Makes 6 servings.
Variations:
Substitute different meats, cheese, and veggies such as:
turkey bacon, sausage
reduced fat swiss, mozzarella, or feta
spinach, peppers, onions, asparagus

Number of Servings: 6

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user CHESSMANS2000.
Number of Servings: 6

April showers & April Flowers

The past couple of days there has been a break in the thunder and rain so we have taken the opportunity to dig up our current garden and plant it at the new house. I have to say it makes it look very cheerful and welcoming over there now. We transplanted two big rose bushes - we're really hoping that they make it, 5 hostas, and 4 pink snapdragons. We also bought two more rose bushes as well. Plus there's my pots of flowers that I haven't put into the flower beds yet.

Cause it's funny

What Theresa Means

You are a seeker. You often find yourself restless - and you have a lot of questions about life. You tend to travel often, to fairly random locations. You're most comfortable when you're far away from home. You are quite passionate and easily tempted. Your impulses sometimes get you into trouble. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are wild, crazy, and a huge rebel. You're always up to something. You have a ton of energy, and most people can't handle you. You're very intense. You definitely are a handful, and you're likely to get in trouble. But your kind of trouble is a lot of fun. You are the total package - suave, sexy, smart, and strong. You have the whole world under your spell, and you can influence almost everyone you know. You don't always resist your urges to crush the weak. Just remember, they don't have as much going for them as you do. You are usually the best at everything ... you strive for perfection. You are confident, authoritative, and aggressive. You have the classic "Type A" personality.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What John Means

You are fair, honest, and logical. You are a natural leader, and people respect you. You never give up, and you will succeed... even if it takes you a hundred tries. You are rational enough to see every part of a problem. You are great at giving other people advice. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are truly an original person. You have amazing ideas, and the power to carry them out. Success comes rather easily for you... especially in business and academia. Some people find you to be selfish and a bit overbearing. You're a strong person. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What Genevieve Means

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are very hyper. You never slow down, even when it's killing you. You're the type of person who can be a workaholic during the day... and still have the energy to party all night. Your energy is definitely a magnet for those around you. People are addicted to your vibe. You tend to be pretty tightly wound. It's easy to get you excited... which can be a good or bad thing. You have a lot of enthusiasm, but it fades rather quickly. You don't stick with any one thing for very long. You have the drive to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Your biggest problem is making sure you finish the projects you start.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

What Gwendolyn Means

You are deeply philosophical and thoughtful. You tend to analyze every aspect of your life. You are intuitive, brilliant, and quite introverted. You value your time alone. Often times, you are grumpy with other people. You don't appreciate them trying to interfere in your affairs. You are very charming... dangerously so. You have the potential to break a lot of hearts. You know how what you want, how to get it, and that you will get it. You have the power to rule the world. Let's hope you're a benevolent dictator! You are friendly, charming, and warm. You get along with almost everyone. You work hard not to rock the boat. Your easy going attitude brings people together. At times, you can be a little flaky and irresponsible. But for the important things, you pull it together. You are very intuitive and wise. You understand the world better than most people. You also have a very active imagination. You often get carried away with your thoughts. You are prone to a little paranoia and jealousy. You sometimes go overboard in interpreting signals. You are balanced, orderly, and organized. You like your ducks in a row. You are powerful and competent, especially in the workplace. People can see you as stubborn and headstrong. You definitely have a dominant personality. You are well rounded, with a complete perspective on life. You are solid and dependable. You are loyal, and people can count on you. At times, you can be a bit too serious. You tend to put too much pressure on yourself. You are relaxed, chill, and very likely to go with the flow. You are light hearted and accepting. You don't get worked up easily. Well adjusted and incredibly happy, many people wonder what your secret to life is. You are a free spirit, and you resent anyone who tries to fence you in. You are unpredictable, adventurous, and always a little surprising. You may miss out by not settling down, but you're too busy having fun to care.

What's Your Name's Hidden Meaning?

Best Ever Banana Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter

2 1/8 cups sugar

3 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas

Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1(8ounce)package cream cheese, softened
• 3 1/2 cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• chopped walnuts

Directions

1. 1

   Preheat oven to 275°.

2. 2

   Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.

3. 3

   In a small bowl, mix mashed banana with the lemon juice; set aside.

4. 4

   In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

5. 5

   In a large bowl, cream 3/4 cup butter and 2 1/8 cups sugar until light and fluffy.

6. 6

   Beat in eggs, one at a time, then stir in 2 tsp vanilla.

7. 7

   Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk.

8. 8

   Stir in banana mixture.

9. 9

   Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for one hour or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.

10. 10

    Remove from oven and place directly into the freezer for 45 minutes.

11. 11

    This will make the cake very moist.

12. 12

    For the frosting, cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth.

13. 13

    Beat in 1 tsp vanilla.

14. 14

    Add icing sugar and beat on low speed until combined, then on high speed until frosting is smooth.

15. 15

    Spread on cooled cake.

16. 16

    Sprinkle chopped walnuts over top of the frosting, if desired.

Lady Pandora's Box

Cause you know I had to share my cute baby. Especially since I was finally able to put a top knot and a
butterfly clippie in her hair.

Free items

Are they trash or treasure?
I have a metal storage shed that I have been trying to give away for the past week. And so far everyone that I have contact with seems to not want it. Or just plain not showing up when they say they would. It's been so frustrating. So do you think it's better to attach a price tag to something to to just try and give it away for free?

Chicken Strogranoff

Chicken Stroganoff

6 to 8 servings

Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: Low 6 hours, High 3 hours

Ingredients

• 2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves and/or thighs
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 10 3/4-ounce cans condensed cream of mushroom soup with roasted garlic
• 1/3 cup water
• 12 ounces dried wide egg noodles
• 1 8-ounce carton dairy sour cream
• Freshly ground black pepper (optional)

Directions

1. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine the chicken pieces and onion. In a medium bowl stir together the soup and water. Pour over chicken and onion.

2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 6 to 7 hours or on high-heat setting for 3 to 3-1/2 hours.

3. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain. Just before serving, stir sour cream into mixture in cooker. To serve, spoon stroganoff mixture over hot cooked noodles. If desired, sprinkle with black pepper. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Banana Cake recipe share

Had to share this recipe, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Banana Cake

12 to 16 servings Prep: 20 minutes

Bake: 35 minutes

Cool: 2 hours

Stand: 2 hours

Ingredients

• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 3)
• 3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk*
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs

Directions

1. Grease and lightly flour two 8x1-1/2-inch or 9x1-1/2-inch round baking pans or grease one 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set pan(s) aside.

2. In a large mixing bowl stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add bananas, buttermilk or sour milk, shortening, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined. Add eggs; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into the prepared pan(s).

3. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 25 to 30 minutes for round pans or about 35 minutes for 13x9-inch pan or till a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool layer cakes in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove layer cakes from pans. Cool thoroughly on racks (see tip, page 000). Or, place 13x9-inch cake in pan on a wire rack; cool thoroughly. Frost with desired frosting. Makes 12 to 16 servings.

*Note: If you don't have buttermilk on hand, substitute sour milk in the same amount. For the 3/4 cup of sour milk needed, place 2-1/4 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar in a glass measuring cup. Add enough milk to make 3/4 cup total liquid; stir. Let the mixture stand for 5 minutes before using it in a recipe.

Leadership quote

Found a neat quote on leadership that I wanted to share.

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it. ~ Dwight Eisenhower

Clicker Liquor Training

Saw this in one of my email lists and thought it was to cute to not post.
LIQUOR TRAINING

Now clicker training's quite the fad.
Results from some are not too bad.
The concept stemmed from Pavlov's hound
Responding to some special sound.

The dog would start to salivate
Before he got the food he ate.
The modern click does much the same.
Enhancing our dog-training game

By causing Fido's hopes to raise--
Anticipating treats or praise.
Sometimes you click to no avail,
And other methods also fail.

No matter how you plead or shout,
Sometimes the dog just won't put out
When asked to sit or heel or stay,
Thus giving you a rotten day.

It makes you feel quite like a fool,
And then you start to lose your cool.
But if your methods fail for you.
There's something else that you can do.

Try "liquor training", that's its name,
To help you with your dog-sport game.
"How does this method work?" you ask
Well, first you get a little flask

Containing gin or other booze
Of any kind that you may choose.
Each time your dog decides to goof,
You take a sip of 80 proof.

It helps the handler to relax
And minimize the stress attacks.
When handler's mood is more at ease,
The dog may sometimes try to please,

Or, then again may still refuse
To mind his training P's and Q's.
But whether foul results or fair
When you liquor train -- you just don't care.

Author Unknown

Zoo trip

I took 93 pictures but I couldn't upload them all. I now understand why people who can afford have multiple cameras for their different lens. It would be much easier to switch cameras then to keep switching lens. However, I have to say I had an absolute blast! The zoo was fun, but we'll come back on a warmer day that won't be so cold and sprinkling.

Tidewater Orchid Society Spring Orchid Display

Saturday, March 15 & Sunday, March 16

Celebrate spring with an extravagant display of exotic orchids. The Tidewater Orchid Society is holding its Spring Orchid Display at the Virginia Zoo on Saturday, March 15 and Sunday, March 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Hundreds of unique orchids from across the world will be on display, and Tidewater Orchid Society members will be on hand to answer questions about growing orchids

My beautiful girls

Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

Another recipe share - things that just sound good to me. How about a recipe from Chef Robert Irvine?
Chicken Cordon Bleu Burgers

2 tsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling. 4 slices Canadian bacon.
2 lbs Ground chicken breast. 2 tsp Paprika.
2 tsp Poultry Seasoning. 2 tsp Calgary Steak Seasoning
1 Shallot, finely chopped. 4 Deli slices Swiss cheese. 2/3 c Mayonnaise. 3 rounded Tbsp Dijon mustard. 2 Tbsp Freshly chopped tarragon leaves. 4 Kaiser rolls split and toasted. 8 Leaves lettuce. 1 Vine ripe tomato, thinly sliced. Preheat grill pan, or large skillet to medium high heat. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and Canadian bacon. Warm bacon and caramelize it at edges, 1 to 2 minutes on each side. Remove to a piece of foil. Fold foil over loosely to keep warm. Combine chicken, paprika, poultry seasoning, grill seasoning, shallot. Score meat with the side of your hand to separate into 4 equal amounts. Make 4 large patties, 3/4 to 1 inch thick. Drizzle patties with oil and place on hot grill pan, or skillet. Cook until chicken is cooked through. Top patties with reserved cooked Canadian bacon and Swiss cheese. Cover loosely with tin foil. Turn off pan and let cheese melt. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, tarragon. Slather bun tops with sauce. Place Cordon Bleu burgers on bun bottoms and top with lettuce and tomato. Put bun tops in place.


I will have to play the recipe as I'm allergic to some of the things that are in there. I love Chicken Cordon Bleu so I'm very excited to try this out burger style. I'll update this once we try it out.

Tip Top Melon Sherbet Recipe

Tip Top Melon Sherbet Recipe

1 pound of juicy, extra-ripe, orange-fleshed melon
1/4 cup mild flavored honey (needs to be fluid, and you might use a bit less depending on the sweetness of the melon)
1/2 cup organic whole milk
generous pinch of salt

Cut the melon flesh from its rind into a medium bowl and puree with a hand blender. You will need 2 cups of puree.

Add the milk, and salt. Now you want to sweeten to taste. If your honey is in a solid or crystallized state you need to dunk the jar in a bowl of warm water until it is liquid again. This way it will mix easily with the rest of the ingredients. Start by blending in 2T. of the honey and taste. If you think the mixture needs to be sweeter, add more honey. Keep in mind you want the honey to bring out and complement the flavor of the melon, not overpower it.

Pour into an ice-cream maker, and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Serves 4 to 6.

101 Cookbooks supplied the recipe, I can't wait to try it out in our Ice cream ball.

Making Ice Cream & Having a ball

Daddy, the girls and Pandora took part in making ice cream - I was in charge of pictures. All that is required is a rolling motion for 30 minutes. Thanks to Mom for the awesome Easter present - we did the mint chocolate chip
and here's our recipe:

Mint Chocolate Chip

1 quart of Half & Half
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar

Add 1⁄2 teaspoon mint extract
1/3 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips
Green food coloring

We have a Play and Freeze Ice Cream maker (Ice Cream Ball) the Mega size - which the site makes a quart but we found it makes more ice cream which is never an object to a family of four. Or anyone, right?

Northern Family

It's true that I come from a northern woodsy family. Mom and I recently went a bit wild shopping on Amazon.com where we were equally excited over a log splitter as a 12 cup food processor. I guess you never do outgrow your roots as I am just as excited for her. The log splitter reminds me of the line from Lady and Tramp where the Beaver using the muzzle remarks "Gee that works swell."

Recipe share: Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake
Prep: 1 hr. 15 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
Cool: 10 minutes
Stand: 10 minutes

View Nutrition Facts
Ingredients

* 3 eggs
* 3/4 cup butter
* 3 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
* 2-1/4 cups sugar
* 1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
* 1 1-oz. bottle red food coloring (2 Tbsp.)
* 1-1/2 cups buttermilk
* 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
* 1-1/2 tsp. vinegar
* 1 recipe Buttercream Frosting

Directions

Let eggs and butter stand 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 8 x 1 1/2-inch round baking pans; set aside.

In medium bowl combine flour, cocoa powder, and 3/4 tsp. salt; set aside. In large mixing bowl beat butter on medium-high 30 seconds. Add sugar and vanilla; beat until combined. One at a time, add eggs; beat on medium after each. Beat in food coloring on low.

Alternately add flour mixture and buttermilk to egg mixture; beat on low-medium after each just until combined. Stir together baking soda and vinegar. Add to batter; beat just until combined.

Spread in prepared pans. Bake 25-30 minutes or until pick inserted near centers comes out clean (cakes may appear marbled). Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes. Remove from pans; cool.

Prepare Buttercream Frosting. Place layer flat side up on plate. Spread top with 3/4 cup frosting. Stack layer, flat side up; spread top with 3/4 cup frosting. Stack final layer, flat side down; spread remaining frosting on top and sides. Makes 16 servings.

Buttercream Frosting: In medium saucepan whisk together 1-1/2 cups whole milk, 1/3 cup flour, and dash salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes more. Transfer to small bowl; cover surface with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until cooled (do not stir). In large bowl beat 1-1/2 cups softened butter, 1-1/2 cups sugar, and 2 tsp. vanilla on medium 5 minutes until light and fluffy and sugar is almost dissolved. Add cooled milk mixture, 1/4 cup at a time; beat on low after each until smooth.

Recipe share: Butterscotch Peach Pie

INGREDIENTS:

* 3 1/2 cups sliced peaches
* pastry for 2-crust 9-inch pie
* 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* dash salt
* 1/4 cup butter
* 2 teaspoons lemon juice
PREPARATION:
Place peaches in pastry-lined 9-inch pie plate. Combine the brown sugar, flour, and salt in a saucepan. Add butter. Cook, stirring constantly, until thick and smooth. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice then pour over peaches.
Make a lattice-style top crust. Bake at 425° for 25 to 35 minutes.

*To make a lattice top crust, cut dough into 1/2-inch-wide strips. Arrange dough strips across top of filling. Form the lattice by arranging more dough strips at right angle to first set of dough strips, weaving the strips if you wish. Trim dough strips even with the overhang on bottom crust. Tuck ends of dough strips and overhang under; press to seal. Crimp edges.

From About.com Southern Food

The first step

of an addict is admitting to an addiction if I understand the whole 12 step thing correctly. And I Orchid am a Sims 2 addict. But I really don't plan on doing anything about it. lol I figure as addictions goes this is really fairly harmless and not hurting anyone. I came to this realization last night when hubby came home and fell asleep in his chair after dinner and when I finally woke him to go to bed I said that I figured that his status bar had needed a little charging.... and dang him he made me repeat it too! It was embarrassing and what made me come to understand that I am addicted.

Back from the middle ages

Whee!!!!!!!! The bliss of finally having power and water and both at the same time. I have finally crawled out from medieval times and into the 21st century.


Thank you to the power company for the temporary fix and then thank you to the maintenance people for fixing water main.

On to a different topic found this and thought it was cute.
For Gigi:

• Your baby's birthstone is Opal (Hope)
• Your baby's Astrological Sign is Libra
• Your baby's Flower is Calendula or Cosmos (White, Yellow and Varied)

For Gwenie:

• Your baby's birthstone is Sapphire (Clear Thinking)
• Your baby's Astrological Sign is Virgo
• Your baby's Flower is Aster or Morning_Glory (Brown, Deep Blue)

Surgery Day *Post Dated*

* Posting Date this a bit to try and keep things in order.

It was a very stressful day but she came out of the surgery really great. In the end she needed something stronger then regular Tylenol but the operation was a success. They also did allergy testing while she was under general - and my poor baby. I am disappointed in the fact that the cheer gym that is suppose to be like a family did not call to see how she did even though there is the last competition of the year on the 8^th. Neither did hubby's work nor did our few so called friends in the area. Perhaps I expected to much? I just thought that naturally they would call. We're all suppose to be a family here while we're all so far a way from our other families. Enough this is to depressing.

Hubby and I did not do her any favors in the genes we passed on to her. We now have a whole list of things she's allergic to but are lucky in the fact that while she has inherited my green and growing bit, if you know me you know what I'm talking about, she isn't allergic to any foods which I am very happy about. Unfortunately she is allergic to the cat. The good news is that they can give her some kind of allergy drops - not shots - so we can keep him. Yeah for Smaug. The poor up a tree cat that was rescued in 98. Speaking of Smaug seems like he's learning to accept his sister - if a recent snuggling session on the wash pile is to be believed.

Competition photos

Trying out a slide show since my good friend Mandy uses them so much and they look great. Hope this turns out for me.

Goof balls

Is there any more to say then just two sisters being goof balls in front of the camera?

Run through

Ok so some of the pictures aren't the best but here's a few from last night's extra practice run through. The squad looks pretty good, and I'm excited to see how they do on Sunday. The stunts looked awesome last night. Keeping my fingers crossed that I will be able to take pictures at the competition - I've asked and looked on the website and so far I think cameras are going to be allowed.

Gwenie's Camera

Gwenie is very proud of her camera and is constantly taking pictures with it. I'm trying to keep up with her on downloading and saving them all. Last night I surprised her by making a pink beaded neck strap so she doesn't have to worry about dropping her camera. Plus it's pink and all who know Gwen know how much she loves the color pink.

For the interested parties the camera is a Nikon coolpix L11 6 Megapixels, 800 ISO, 2.4 inch LCD, 3x Optical zoom.

Feeling creative and loved

Keeping my fingers crossed that it goes through this time. Here's a little example of me feeling a bit creative and going crazy at a new bead store I discovered. The first picture isn't the best but those are real garnets with a garnet colored crystal and jet black beads, it's for my mom. The green necklace is freshwater pearls with crystals and a large stone pendent. And then mine is purple and white pearls with crystals and a purple stone. And the last picture is a close up of my new orchid. Yes it really is that lime green color and I love it! The blooms are huge and I've never had this type before. Looking forward to learning more about it.