Blame It on the Rain

Wasn't it Milli Vanilli that sang "Blame it on the Rain"? That has nothing to do with anything, but I'd like to blame it on the rain for my lack of motivation last week. This week's cool, dry temperatures are giving me nothing to blame, so I better get something done this week!

On Saturday when the rain finally broke (but still threatened) our family felt like an adventure, so we headed to a park we aren't too familiar with; Devou Park. It was nice to get some fresh air and let the kids run. We attempted a family picture with the skyline in the background, but you can see for yourself how successful that was:

Anyway it was a nice time as a family.

On Sunday Brad and Noelle went on a "date" together. They went rollerskating while Sadie and I hung out at home. The Children's Ministry at church had rented out the rink for 2 hours so we thought this would be a "safe" time for Noelle to try out rollerskating. It also had me reminiscing about the many times our church rented out our local rink during my childhood.

When Brad and Noelle came home I was excited to hear what Noelle thought of her first roller skating experience. Her reply was something like this "I liked the food best." Apparently, once she got the skates on all her confidence and excitement drained away. The evening was saved with a hot dog, popcorn and blue slushy. But overall, it was still a good time spent with Daddy.

With all the rain we've also sprouted a whole bunch of I-don't-know-what. They're in our front flower bed which previously had flowers in. I'm assuming they are Cosmos sprouts (the flowers that we planted there in the summer), but we'll give them a little time just to see what they turn into. We figure they'll get too cold pretty soon.

Happy Juice and Fat Straws

Simple pleasure make every day a little brighter. This Spring we discovered the generic brand of Crystal Lite. (basically sugar-free Kool-aid) Brad's favorite is the fruit punch flavor. After a few weeks of seeing Brad drink a lot of it, Noelle asked him why he was always drinking the red juice. Brad said it was just a happy drink.
From then on we called this drink "Happy Juice". We've also discovered 2 mixed drinks, using Happy Juice as a mixer - Fresca with Happy Juice and Ice Tea with Happy Juice.

Sadie especially likes the Fresca mixer. She pronounces Fresca as "Sucka" so the official name is "Sucka with Happy Juice".

I'm more of an Ice Tea and Happy Juice kinda girl - due to the caffeine and all.
I also have a fondness for fat straws, which McDonalds excels at. This cup originally contained an iced latte, but I couldn't part with the appealing cup and fat straw so it's been keeping me hydrated with many a drink. Simple, I know.

A Work in Progress

Brad has a good bit of time off this month and Behr paint was on sale at Home Depot last week. The combination has put us into "project" mode. Unfortunately we are completely inept at picking paint colors. So the paint sale has come and gone and our house has become a paint palette.

After sampling 4 Behr paints and still needing something just a little different, I went to a local paint store and got some personal help. The "paint man" was so generous to loan us his entire color wheel. NOW I think I know what we're getting...you'll just have to come back for the "after" picture. (yes, I know the picture of the girls is sideways. I'm waiting on a good family picture to put there. It could take a while)

Here's Brad's project. This use to be the nursery and it will become the guest room. There's a lot of patching that needed to be done here.

And since the mattress and box-spring are out of the guest room, Brad created a little fort for the girls to play in while we're busy with our projects. We just set the mattress on top of 2 cabinets in the basement and...instant fort. They added the accessories - sleeping bags, books, etc...

Recycling at it's Best

Do you have several bulletins laying around from Pastor Brad's latest sermon series, "Hot Buttons"? Would you like to find a way to reuse them and create a better world... or at least a happy spouse?


Brad found a very creative use for these extra bulletins that got rave reviews from the recipient:


I think this could work in any home, no matter how big a lie it is.
...perhaps waiting for a that special person on their pillow
... or on a bathroom mirror

I'm sure Pastor Brad would be pleased to know all aspects of his sermons are being put to good use.

Sadie's world and Noelle's world

Sadie has adjusted remarkably well to not having her sister home most mornings. I think she enjoys having all the dolls and stuffed animals all to herself. This is what she spends most of her time doing:

I'm pretty sure I did the same thing when I was a little girl. These 2 dolls were actually mine, so they are enjoying another generation of playing on the steps.


Noelle seems to be making all kinds of friends at school and on the bus. As she was walking towards the front of the bus to get off this afternoon I saw a boy lean into the aisle to hug her. Hmmm...I thought I'd ask a few questions over lunch.

Me: I think I saw a boy hug you before you got of the bus.
Noelle: Yes, that's Avery
Me: Is he in your class?
N: Yes
Me: Does he hug everyone before they get off the bus?
N: No

Ok, so Noelle has been at school for less then 2 weeks and boys are already hugging her. I suppose this is only the beginning.