Really??...Already???...

It snowed last night...

and it wasn't just a dusting.

We were rudely awakened at 5am when the power line in our back yard starting exploding...no lie. See, when it snows before the leaves have had a chance to fall off, the branches get too weighed down with snow and rest on the power lines. Bad stuff. Every time the power would come back on, shortly following there was a LOUD crack/bang/light up the sky BOOM that was not too far from our 8 ft wide bedroom window. CREEPY.

I was ready to pack up the kids and flee...

Thankfully, the power company was at our house within 5 min. of calling and came and cut down the branch.

You can see the line sparking when they touched it with their clippers.

The up side...fresh snow is beautiful. I kept thinking today how blessed we were to be ok after the mornings events. I also had a cinnamon candle burning and that, plus the snow made it feel like Christmas time. Which is a bad thing because I've barely scratched the surface with my shopping...everyone would have received framed pictures of the burning electrical wire in our back yard. Not such a great gift...

rainy day fun...

Fall has arrived. With it came wet, cold weather...and a little boredom.

We're trying to keep everyone entertained here (without countless hours in front of the tv, video games, etc. Dang it. I hate it when I have a conscious.)

Meet train track guy.

He has a cousin...block guy (that managed to escape a pic)

He did this all on his own.

Popcorn. LOTS of popcorn.

We glue it to paper, string it, and of course...eat it.

Skeleton guy craft.
We do this one every year. It's a hit. Just call me Martha.

And if your skeletons end up looking like this...

...even better!!

(and when your 5 year old blames YOU that there was no room left for a seleton head after HE put all of the stickers on, make sure you document it so as to torture him years down the road...along with all of the friday fashion fotos!!)

jeepers creepers...

...look who got new peepers!!!

He's very proud of his eye crossing abilities!


Isn't he adorable?!?

(this is Matt, by the way)

He was SOOOOOOO excited about his new glasses.

I can't even count how many times he said thank you (whew!)

He's pretty much thinking he's a stud.

I pretty much have to agree.

10 things I can't live without...

I was tagged by Jennie to list 10 things I can't live without. Let's be honest, most of these things I just would never want to live without.

Here goes...

#1

John & the kids.

BEST husband, BEST dad, BEST friend!

CUTEST, NICEST, BESTEST kids!

(they are all being neglected right now while I blog...)

My KitchenAid.

Not as cute as Barbie's, but does the job (a little too often...)
What more can I say?
Here, too.
LOVE this place and go there way too often (is there such a thing?)
My computer.
It all began when I learned to upload and attach pictures to an email.


I Google EVERYTHING. (except you...)
My brothers & sisters.
Aren't we a handsome bunch in our matching Easter outfits (hee hee)?!?!?
I'm the cute one in the front.


Exercise.

If you had told me a year ago that I would list this as one of the 10 things I couldn't live without I would have laughed in your face! I am officially addicted and actually LOVE it.

(No, this is not an actual pic from my step class, but wouldn't it be funny if it was!! hmmm!)

Alright sports fans...I tag Diane, Alison, Stacy (I know, I have no right since I didn't do your tag...), Marci, Kelley, Liz & Tristan.

Really, no pressure.

look who's coming to dinner...

T.V. Chef Barbie!!!!!!

That's right, she's here.

I posted here about my desire to make chef Barbie a new member of the family, and my wish came true thanks to Jennie!!

Barbie is amazing! She comes complete with a fully stocked kitchen with granite countertops, stainless steel appliances and my favorite...a little red KitchenAid mixer. She cooks, she bakes, she better clean up after herself (I don't need any more of that around here.)

She even has a T.V. show set. Man, I want to be her!

Jennie thought I should put her in one of my glass cabinets where I display some of my favorite things. So, I did. Barbie now sits prominently displayed. It's great until Lizzie sees her & wants to play.

And, yes...I have played with her.

around the hood...

Does your neighborhood look like this? (minus the snow, of course...)

Campaign signs strewn about?

Here are a few of my favorites...

This one takes the cake.

This house is behind me. I won't even begin to go into what it entailed to get this pic.

After several failed attempts on my part I sent out John to do my dirty work for me.

Need a closer look?

Someone really should take my camera away from me.

these are a few of my favorite things...

...like you care. Sing along with me anyways.

Roses.

I have "old lady" rose bushes in my back yard, and am one of the few people who likes them. They are all different colors. I cut them off, bring them inside and let them sit, even after they have dried up. The last bunch sat here for almost a year. It looked cool.

Indoor/outdoor rugs.

My new favorite thing. I order them from Ballard Designs. They are inexpensive, they have lots of different colors, patterns & sizes. My favorite thing about them is that they don't fade in the sun, and get this...you wash them by spraying them with the hose and letting them air dry. I have them all over my house.

Hooks.
I've ditched all of the towel bars in the bathrooms. No more towels in a heap on the floor, no more damp towels...I'm not really into decorative towel displays in the bathroom...so this worked perfectly. Bored yet?

The American Flag.

This was our first big art purchase as newlyweds (sweet, huh?) I've always loved it and always will. It's timeless. At a time when things in our country are not going so smoothly, this is a nice reminder of how truely blessed we are (I had no intention of going all soft here) I love any American flag, but I especially love this one.

If you were able to sit through this...wow, I'm impressed!