~TWLK Mom emerges from Softball Field!~

Craziness abounds here at Casa de Softball! I haven't posted because I just didn't think that there would be much anyone would be interested in reading - Mark, Matt and Lyss went on the Father/"Son" fishing trip to Jackman, ME last Thursday-Sunday, leaving the two younger girls and myself here. We had some fun together along with lots of softball an emergency trip to the dentist and a minor case of the stomach bug (both me!). We stayed up late, watched movies and laughed a lot - it is very funny when kids are old enough to "get" the humor in some Disney movies. For example, they decided to dig through the old VCR tapes and pulled out the Aladdin movies - for those of you who haven't seen these, Robin Williams is the voice of the Genie and he is hysterical. The girls laughed SO HARD, that I ended up laughing at them! They didn't remember the movies being that funny when they were little - they are definately growing up! *********************************************************** I won some goodies on EBay last week and received them in the mail on Friday - the picture on the left is what they showed and the picture on the right is what I received - a few extra goodies thrown in as a bonus! I love my new/old Darning eggs and all of the wonderful darning threads/yarn etc. Christimas in May! lol ************************************************************* While the girls watched Aladdin, I made some beaded scissor Fobs... *************************************************************** another pair of white baby socks and finished one more blue one. ********************8**************************** I also played with my Flickr badge a few weeks ago and uploaded more stuff. I have made the badge a "craft" badge, not just a knitting badge. After looking through it, I realized that until recently I didn't take many pictures of my knitted items before giving them away - don't you just LOVE digital cameras! ************************************************************** I picked up my Mother's Day Gift - a 4G MP3 Player (I attached a little glass Panda bead on the right so the kiddos would know it was mine) and got to play with that this weekend. I have my Diana Gabaldon Outlander Series loaded on it (unfortunately I had to load the abridged version as I doubt the unabridged would fit - I'd need an I Pod for that), and about 600 songs - I am MOST DEFINATELY good to go now! ******************************************************** Monday we had three softball games and didn't get home until almost 10 - yesterday we had one, and the Varsity are playing their last regular season game today, before the District Finals start. Nicole's Fibonacci Project made it into the Math Fair which will also be held this week! YAY! Em and Lyss have tournaments in Taunton this coming weekend, so I will have to pack up some knitting and settle in for some serious game watching! This weekend will be the easiest of the summer because the two tournaments are in the same town - Mark and I will be able to switch off games and get to see both girls play. *************************************************************** Well I'm off to get a hair cut, catch up on some laundry and MAYBE knit a bit! Have a great day.

~ A Little Bit of a Lot of Things ~

I hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day/Sunday/Weekend! It was a crazy busy weekend what with the Birthday dinner for Nicole - She requested Chicken Alfredo, Garlic Bread and I also made Pesto and Broccoli, along with a cake and her favorite Cream/Pudding Frosting! We were able to do this because her game was cancelled due to rain - she enjoyed her dinner and, at her request, Matt and Mike (Lyss's Prom escort) took her "extreme bowling" later in the evening. We will have a party with her friends as soon as it dries out and we can find a "gameless" day! Also adding to the craziness was the fact that Nicole had two large projects due this coming week, and with the game schedule and the Sports Banquet for Lyss this week, we knew that the finishing touches had to be put on them. Her friend/project partner came over and they finished up this one.... on Saturday. It is on Fibonacci Numbers, and I have to say that they had a fantastic time doing this project and worked incredibly hard on it. If the teachers and judges like it, then it will go to the "Math Fair". They are excited! I didn't get to take a picture of the "craft" portion of the second project which was on Hatchepsut the Female Pharoah. She decided to do hers as a type of clay image, so we used the same recipe that she did her Cuneiform project with and she molded, baked and painted her image. It came out very good and was on the same idea as the handprint molds the girls made me for Mother's Day (they were on a roll with the dough and had some fun for themselves after all of the hard work they did). As for Mother's Day.... The girls made French Toast and Bacon for me for breakfast (Dad helped a "little"), helped pick up the house and made me some beautiful and touching cards... and handprints.... The card on the far right is from Matt and made me laugh and cry at the same time, (it read.. "When the going gets tough... The tough call their Mommies" and the inside read, "Thanks for always being there, Mom") It was very sweet, but so totally him. Every time I've gone up to the college to pick him up, he has seen my coming down the very long hall of his dorm and yelled at the top of his lungs "MOMMIE! Hey Guys! My Mommie is here!" this never ceases to put me into hysterics, which no doubt is his goal - he truly is a funny guy! He also went out and bought me this gorgeous plant, made me an 8 CD compilation of 80's music, and bought me a lanyard from his college - my "baby" is growing up! Nicole made me this lovely decoration for my hutch! and I was given the go ahead to order myself the MP3 Player of my choice and purchase the Nanny Season 2 (which wasn't in stock when Lyss went to pick it up). I had my Parents and my Mother-in-Law over for dinner again (they were just here Friday night for Nic's Birthday dinner! lol - they tell me they like this restaurant and wouldn't mind coming every other night regularly). We all had a nice visit, I had a nap late in the day after they left (there are first times for EVERYTHING!). No knitting was done, but all in all it was a nice, albeit wet day. Massachusetts and New Hampshire have declared a state of emergency due to excessive flooding, schools in some towns have been closed for tomorrow, and they are worried about dams and bodies of water causing severe damage. From what I heard earlier, some towns have been evacuated. We have been lucky so far... even though it is raining heavily and continuously, our pump is handling it. The brooks that run along and behind my house are running furiously, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. It isn't supposed to stop raining until the middle of the week and it has been raining since last Monday - my yard is a HUGE mud hole! I forgot to share these pictures with you last week... As the girls were outside playing basketball, they noticed this little guy hanging upsidedown behind the hose which is attached to the side of the house. It is a baby bat. DH moved him to a safer spot (he never woke up!) and we assume he has joined the rest of his pals. I came across this little gem and after I answered all of the questions, this was the outcome. I guess I have chosen the correct color scheme for my blog! lol Your Blog Should Be Blue Your blog is a peaceful, calming force in the blogosphere. You tend to avoid conflict - you're more likely to share than rant. From your social causes to cute pet photos, your life is a (mostly) open book. What Color Should Your Blog or Journal Be? I'll leave you with a picture of the most laid back member of our family..... I give you..... Buddy! Stay dry, if it's raining, enjoy the sun if you have it, and have a nice Monday! (I apologize for all of the crazy formatting that has been showing up on this blog i.e., large font, small fonts, different fonts, some thing centered, some not - I have NO IDEA what bloggers problems are, but it is really starting to make me nuts! In any event, if it is hard to read, I'm sorry, it looks fine when I preview)

~Happy Mother's Day~

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Wishing all of my blog "friends" a very happy day filled with love and laughter!

~ HAPPY BIRTHDAY NICOLE ~

HAPPY BIRTHDAY Today is the "baby's" birthday. She was a "surprise gift" baby and has been that ever since! She never ceases to surprise me. She is 12 years old and I am struggling to figure out HOW THIS HAPPENED! She was a wonderfully happy baby, drank enough milk that I seriously thought about getting my own cow ;). Patti used to tease that she'd drink herself into a milk induced coma every night. (she still LOVES milk) She used her infant rocker seat until she was 3 years old (I had to throw it out while she was sleeping!) She was so funny with that seat - she would drag it into the middle of the living room, plop down in it like it was her own personal recliner and read a book, or watch a movie or just lay there and sing - need I say that she DID NOT fit in it, even a little bit! lol She has grown into a lovely young lady, sweet and kind with a great sense of humour and an innate sense of fairness. She has good friends, does fantastic in school and LOVES, LOVES, LOVES SOFTBALL. She is the starting pitcher on two teams and has been much sought after for others. She likes to sing, watch movies, play basketball with her brother and sisters, talk on the phone to friends, do her nails and SHOP! She tends to be on the shy side with people she doesn't know, but is totally unreserved with people she is comfortable with. She is a huge help at home, always lending a hand, mostly without being asked and she is most definately on the cat's "favorite people" list. He cuddles up to her like he's a baby. I have been truly blessed with all of my children and today we will happily celebrate another wonderful year in the life of our Nicole! Happy Birthday Sweetheart ~ I LOVE YOU!~

~Spring is Springing!~

Thanks so much for your kind Anniversary wishes! We had a nice anniversary, probably not as exciting a day as 20 years ago, but very nice anyway! We went out for a nice dinner, a few drinks, some laughs and "chatting" which we very SELDOM get to do anymore. I sometimes worry that when the kids are grown and gone that we will not know each other anymore, that we will wake up one day and realize we are living with strangers. Anyone else ever feel this way? In any event, the dinner was wonderful, and on our way home, I, on a whim, pulled into the bookstore, leaving dh in the car and bought myself an anniversary gift (any excuse right?). I bought a copy of Mason Dixon Knitting and have been enjoying it immensely ever since! I love the fact that the slip stitch dishcloth is in the book as it was the second dishcloth I ever made, but I of course, wouldn't have thought of making a rug out of these little squares! The twists on the log cabin blanket are fantastic and the fun of "listening to these great ladies "talk" makes it a great read" I knew it would be a good book as I have always enjoyed the blog. Kay and Ann's blog was one of the very first blogs I ever read (I believe the Harlot and Lolly were the others), but the book is FANTASTIC - it is fun to read and full of great ideas that aren't complicated at all. The wonderful kind of ideas that you can take with you to the ball field, knit in the car, play around with and make your own - I love it! Not a lot of knitting happening, working a bit on the honeycomb blanket and of course socks, but I haven't had a lot of time to sit and knit - falling asleep in the chair with knitting in your lap doesn't really count - does it? lol We have had lots and lots of games to go to, the girls are having a great time, I LOVE it that it is staying light out later and I have hope that the pollen count will come down before my head explodes like an overinflated balloon! I also have hope that the May Flies (those teen tiny, almost impossible to see little black flies that will bite you until you are screaming "uncle" at the top of your lungs) will meet an early demise! Poor Beau isn't immune to them either, his belly is all chewed up from just going out in the yard! We've had him to the vet a couple of times over the last few weeks as he is loosing his fur on his front legs. He has tested negative for any kind of mites, and antibiotics seem to be helping (they became infected), but it is still a bit of a mystery as to what caused it. There are buds on the trees, bees buzzing (I hate bugs) the tulips will bloom soon, spiders crawling (did I tell you I hate bugs) and as soon as it gets warm enough, the crab grass will grow and no one will know that my yard consists of rocks and dirt! This is the time of year that the "lawn service" companies call and ask if they can come and take care of your " lawn" - - these calls are my cue to laugh hysterically and ask them if they have EVEN bothered to DRIVE by my house? Their answer is usually no, and I can often get them laughing when I ask if they have something to spread to rid my yard of rocks and ledge! Dh has been busy refinishing the kitchen cabinets (they are coming out gorgeous) and has informed me that he has his LIST of outside projects to do for the summer! LOL (shhhhh - did I laugh out loud!) I'm thrilled it's the weekend, we have laundry, grocery shopping, school projects and softball (maybe some knitting time in there), warm, beautiful weather - sounds good! I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

~ 20 Years! OHMY! ~ & ~ Prom ~

Twenty years ago today I was married! Eleven months later I had my first baby - time sure flies when you are COMPLETELY EXHAUSTED ;) It has been quite a ride, with ups and downs, and twists and turns and 4 fantastic kids! It is quite amazing to me that twenty years have passed - It somehow doesn't seem possible. It seems like yesterday I was getting ready for my Proms, and here we were getting ready for Lyss' Prom... She looked absolutely gorgeous! The first time wearing a dress in 10 years and I have to say that it was well worth the wait! This was also the first time that her friends saw her with her hair out of its normal ponytail or bun! She had a great time and we have TONS of pictures. I won't put many up here, and none of her gorgeous friends (I'm just not comfortable posting pictures of other people), but suffice it to say that they were all stunning. They all met at the Gazebo in the center of town, which is a great place to take pictures. The weather was great, a little cool, but sunny and bright! The formal picture company also made a video that Lyss ordered - I'm just dying to see this one! ;) lol (Pictures are clickable) Beau seems to be taken with her too! Back into her regular clothes and as an added bonus, Matt came home for the weekend. The Varsity Softball Team won their 10th game which puts them into the SWCL-E District Finals - so needless to say they are all EXTREMELY excited! I am so happy for them all - they have worked so hard together as a team! Well, off to finish cleaning and possibly out for dinner for the anniversary! Enjoy the rest of your week!