Sunday, September 30, 2007

Halloween

I saw on BelleNoelle's blog a post about Halloween costumes. She rocks and makes all her son's costumes. I, on the other hand, am totally lame and buy all my kid's costumes (although, if you can guess the size your child will be next year, you can save a bundle by buying costumes on clearance a few days after Halloween)

If you have a desire to make costumes but no real ability (I can't sew a button on so making a costume is totally out of the question). You should check out Family Fun Magazine for some really great ideas. I haven't checked all of them on the website, but this month's magazine has some super ones that I could totally handle. The egg is great and if I hadn't already bought this year's costumes, I would seriously consider making that one for one of the kids.

Even though I buy my kid's stuff, I make my own. A few years ago, I went as a tree (no one got it and several asked if I was supposed to be mother nature). The next year, I went as mother nature and again, no one got :( Both years, I took grey sweats (shirt and pants) and dyed them brown (same set both years) and then hot glued on fake fall leaves. I also clipped the leaves in my hair to simulate a tree that was starting to lose it's leaves. For the mother nature costume, I wore a baby doll in a sling with my tree costume. With both costumes, I wore my brown Birks.

Last year, I went as an orange crayon. Grey sweats, dyed orange (love me some Rit dye) a piece of orange construction paper rolled into a cone and then stapled to an orange piece of paper made into a headband. Then I glued together 4 pieces of black construction paper and cut a big oval out of it. I wrote Crayola on it and was good to go! :) This year, I found some really cute animal faces/ears. It is a head band with ears and fur on it and has a little piece that goes down the face and has a nose on the end. I bought the lion ($3) even though Lizzie wanted "baby jaguar" (merow merow LOL). I'm going to rip the leaves off the tree costume and use the brown sweats with the lion face and I will be a lion for Halloween :)

A few points that my costumes must meet. They have to be comfortable. I have to be able to move and play and everything with the kids. They can't be scary or sleazy (I used to have a devil costume that won me more than a few costume contests because I looked like a whore in it) and they have to be CHEAP! I've wanted the Tigger costume from the Disney store for years, but it is at least $50 and I won't spend that on something like jeans that I would wear everyday so I certainly won't spend it on a once a year halloween costume.

Shake it baby

Watch all the way to the end.

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

books this year

I found a community on live journal back around the first of the year that was a 50 book a year challenge. I read all the stupid time and I have a fair amount of time to read so I figured I would have a go at it. This is a copy of the list so far. Obviously, 50 books a year was no sweat for me since it is just the end of Sept and I already have 55 books. I'd have a lot more if I could count all the fan fiction I've read over the last year (yes, I am a dork) but I don't think it really counts so I'll stick with published books

Living Large Various Authors
Candy Dipped Death Sammi Carter
Dead and Loving it MaryJanice Davidson
Derik's Bane MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and unappreciated MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and unemployed MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and unpopular MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and unreturnable MaryJanice Davidson
Undead and unwed MaryJanice Davidson
Full Blast Janet Evanovich
Full Bloom Janet Evanovich
Full House Janet Evanovich
Full Scoop Janet Evanovich
Full Speed Janet Evanovich
Full Tilt Janet Evanovich
Lean Mean 13 Janet Evanovich
Motor Mouth Janet Evanovich
Plum Lovin' Janet Evanovich
Twelve Sharp Janet Evanovich
A is for Alibi Sue Grafton
B is for Burgler Sue Grafton
C is for Corpse Sue Grafton
D is for Deadbeat Sue Grafton
E is for Evidence Sue Grafton
F is for Fugitive Sue Grafton
G is for Gumshoe Sue Grafton
H is for homicide Sue Grafton
I is for innocent Sue Grafton
J is for Judgement Sue Grafton
K is for Killer Sue Grafton
L is for Lawless Sue Grafton
M is for Malice Sue Grafton
N is for Noose Sue Grafton
O is for Outlaw Sue Grafton
P is for Peril Sue Grafton
Q is for Quarry Sue Grafton
R is for Ricochet Sue Grafton
S is for Silence Sue Grafton
Bite Laurell Hamilton
Cravings Laurell Hamilton
Super Mom Saves the World Melanie Lynn Hauser
Baby Laughs Jenny McCarthy
Confessions of a slacker mom Muffy Mead-Ferro
Confessions of a slacker wife Muffy Mead-Ferro
Double Shot Diane Mott Davidson
Born in Death JD Robb
Innocent in Death JD Robb
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets JK Rowlings
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows JK Rowlings
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire JK Rowlings
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azikban JK Rowlings
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone JK Rowlings
Hundred Dollar Baby Robert Spenser
Big Hair and Flying Cows Delores Wilson
Bridge to Terabithia Kathleen

Lost pictures, not as much

I'm so excited!! I didn't lose all my Santa Claus pictures! I just found some on my dektop that I had copied to a diffrent folder so I could upload them to my digital picture frame. The disk I was trying to use wouldn't work so I gave up, but never did anything with the folder. I don't have a lot of the pictures (only 5) but they were 5 really good ones and 5 is better than none! Yay!!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Making friends as an adult

I've noticed that I have a rather hard time making friends. I'm too much of a hippy for normal people and I'm too normal for hippy people. Some of you remember my post about leaving my playgroup because I felt like I wasn't alternative enough to be a part of that group anymore. It was nothing that anyone said, just a general feeling from some of the members of the group :( I joined a new play group and I'm not terribly happy with them either. First problem, they almost exclusively have young children. Most of the kids in the group are between birth and maybe 2. As far as I know, C is the oldest kid in the group and Liz is even a little old for most of the kids. In my old playgroup, the kids ranged in age from newborn (because someone was always having a baby LOL) to 15 (although she didn't really come to playgroups so the typical age was around 8 or 10) so there was always someone to play with. There were also like 8 babies born between May and Sept 2005 so there were TONS of kids Lizzie's age. The other problem is that while they have a boat load of meetings, I can't go to most of them because of timing. The ones I do get to go to, I see the same 5-10 people so it isn't really expanding my social circle to any great degree. There is also the issue of paying to be in a playgroup just kills me. I was hoping to meet more moms through the kids but that isn't working so well right now either.

Obviously, I'm not a typical mom. I'm sort of a free spirit (hence the blue hair) and I don't fit conventional SAHM standards. I wear camoflage shorts and Spongebob t-shirts and I have little girl who wears blue t-shirts and has short hair and generally doesn't look like a little girl. All the girls in Lizzie's classes are skirts and done hair and pink pink pink and their moms are the same way.

I've met a couple of cool moms through C's class so that is good, but Lizzie's stuff has been mainly a bust. There are a couple of people that I chat with (and one I would like to know better since she has a girl Lizzie's age and a 1st grader, which would be great and she seems vaguely hippy) but not anybody that I would consider a friend. Maybe the few that I chat with will develop into better friends as we take more of these classes. That would be cool.

One of the mom's in C's class suggested mothers and more. She is a member and she said that most of the members have kindergarteners and younger siblings, so perfect age group. Again, the idea of paying for a playgroup chaps me. She said the database and local referalls are worth it so I might have to check it out.

Lizzie's foot

I tried everything to get it to quit bleeding and nothing worked. I decided to take her to the doctor today since it has been basically oozing blood since Friday. They said there wasn't much they could do and it was a fairly deep cut so it would likely ooze for several days. They did say that it was starting to get infected so it was probably a good thing we went in. They recommended using really big bandaids and wearing slippers over it. I actually still have her Shoo shoos that we bought last year and they still fit (we got them on super sale so bought a couple of pairs in various sizes) so she is wearing them. It causes all the pressure to be around her ankle, instead of rubbing on the sore. As an added bonus, she can't pick at the bandaids with the shoes on.

New hair part 2

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I got bored so did blue yesterday :)

Monday, September 24, 2007

Friday fun

C came home from school Friday with a cut in his Xmen shirt. I asked him what happened and he said that he was cutting his paper and the girl next to him thought he was going to cut her paper so she cut his shirt instead. He claimed to have told the teacher and was told not to tattle. I emailed her about it and then approached her about it this morning. She said he didn't talk to her about it so she couldn't do anything. She did move the little girl and talked to her and her parents about it today so hopefully it won't happen again. Obviously, I was ticked because not only is it one of his favorite shirts, but it was only a few months old. Hopefully, this is the end of it.

Friday night, the kids were playing outside and they were pretending that the Power Wheels jeep was broken. Lizzie was pushing it while C sat in it. All of a sudden, he hits the gas. She didn't think to let go so he ended up pulling her across the concrete on her feet and knees until we could get him to stop. Her knees don't look too bad because she set her weight back on her feet so her knees just got little scrapes. The tops of her feet, on the other hand, are a MESS. On both feet, she tore the hide off clear down to bleeding. She can't wear shoes right now either. All of her shoes rub on the spots and everytime I put socks on her, it pulls the scabs off. I've been putting bandaids on her feet but she picks them loose. Last night, I tried putting gauze and tape on it, thinking that it would stay better since I could wrap the tape all the way around her foot. Only not so much. She screamed like I was trying to cut off her feet instead of putting a bandage on them. I left it alone today and every time she walked, she pooped the scab back open. By bed time, her foot was a bloody mess :( I got some liquid bandaid stuff at the drug store tonight and put it on at bedtime. It says it is waterproof and lasts up to 5 days. Hopefully, it will allow the scab to form and stay. Or at least keep it from bleeding all over the place all the time.

Saturday, September 22, 2007

ACDSee and scrapbooking files

I went through, over the last couple of days, and tagged all the scrapbooking files I was able to re-get. It was much easier this time around, since I only have a handful of things to tag. Actually, I just looked in my "paper" file and I already have 163 files in there. I've decided that I won't be downloading things all willy nilly this time around. I don't need all that crap! I had almost 2000 backgrounds before and probably didn't use 5% of them, if that. I can re-color a little bit now so I don't need all 16 million colors that the eye can see.

I am DIGGING ACDSee as well. I resisted it for quite some time because I had Picasa and they were really the same thing, right? Wrong. ACDSee is much better, much easier to tag, much easier to sort, much easier to move files, etc. The only problem I'm having is easily opening things into Photoshop. I can do the tools>open in editor>Photoshop but that is a pain. I marked it as default, but I would like to be able to double click on the item and have it open in photoshop, instead of the ACDSee editor.

I'm really hungry. Are you starting to see a pattern to my posts? I'm always freaking hungry! No wonder I'm 50lbs over weight. :( Hopefully I'll get over being sick soon and then I can start walking and doing pilates again.

Finally, the Illini won today. That is 3 in a row and the first conference road win in 14 years!!! Even the year we went to the Sugar Bowl, we still didn't have any road wins

Friday, September 21, 2007

Who's a dork?

I am, I am! I was flipping channels this afternoon looking for something to watch while Lizzie naps and I found Jeopardy! I was so excited I actually squealed LOL I LOVE Jeopardy and it makes me happy to watch it. I would love Jeopardy on DVD. That would just amke my year!

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Hm

I'm hungry. We ate dinner super early because we had a b-day party to attend at normal dinner time. The party was fun and the kids had a great time running around the park with all the other kids. This is the only time I have missed my old playgroup since I have left. The new group has lots of young kids and hardly anyone for C to play with. He hates doing anything with them so we generally don't go to stuff unless he is at school. Even then, Liz is almost too old for most of the other kids :( Ah well, I like all the moms I've met and even being a freak, I feel like part of the group so I'm better off at least. Talk about selfish :)

I feel like I should start tagging my entries in this journal. I can't scrap, although I actually feel slightly motivated tonight (talk about perverse LOL) so I should set about tagging things, either here or the few things I've dled in ACDsee.

Uh, there was something else, but now I don't remember. I think I'm going to play video games instead of something productive :)

Lost pictures again

Every time I reconcile myself to the loss of my pictures (dh has done everything he could and the only thing that is left is to pay to have it rebuilt with prices starting around $700), I think of another event that I'm missing pictures of. So I'm going to blog about the pictures that I've lost and hope that I will feel better about it by doing that. And these are just the ones I know about because I don't know for sure what dh has on his machine.

Most importantly, I lost the pictures of C's first day of K. I think I can recreate those since it was only a couple of weeks ago but that means we have to get to school early one morning this week. I just have to try and remember what clothes he wore that day.

Next up is the pictures from our trip to Santa Claus, IN. I was a month behind on scrapping so those pictures are totally gone. The only hope I have about recovering them is that they might still be on my card since it so recent but I've taken lots of pictures since then so I doubt I'd be able to pull off too many pictures. I had some really good ones too. The kids in the sleigh was cute, Lizzie laying the water was adorable. So gone. The kids had a good time so it is possible we could go back sometime but it won't be for at least a year :(

I've also lost all the pictures of our Kentucky trip. SO I have nothing from Dinosaur World or the Slugger museum or anything else. The only saving grace is that I had finished the scrapbooking for that trip so while the pictures aren't printable or useable, I still have them and can look at them. TG

I've lost pictures of our Atlanta trip as well. Again, I've finished scrapping those pictures and can see them if not print them. These pictures include the kids first plane ride set which is really sad for me.

I'm missing everything from Jan Feb and March of this year. I can't, off the top of my head, think of anything super important that happened those months. C and I did go to the "mother son valentine's dance" in Feb but again, I've scrapped all those pictures.

I'm also missing Xmas of 2006. Again, some cute pictures but nothing earth shattering and I did a lot of pages about Xmas so I still have some of the pictures.

There are also a bunch of pictures missing from last year. I don't know which ones and I'm having a hard time remembering what was done last year. Pictures would help jog my memory but it seems like I would have remembered if it was something major.

Evan, thank God had copied several months worth of pictures to his hard drive a few months ago. Because of this, I have saved Lizzie's second b-day, all of our vacation in Nov, C's 5th birthday, Lizzie's first birthday, among other things. I'm so thankful that those months have been saved. My mil is going through her computer to see what I have sent her that she could send back and I'm going to ask my mom to do the same thing.

Between the 2 of them, dh and my scrapbook pages, I have saved hundreds of the pictures that rightly should be gone. I'm going to be much better about backinig up from now. Maybe as frequently as once a week.

Alright, I feel a little bit better for having typed it all out and seen how much I could lost. I need to check because in typing this out, it looks like C's 4th bday might be gone but it and the santa clause pictures are the only ones that would be totally gone.

Blah

I'm really bored. Someone do something entertaining. I'm watching ANTM (my one reality show and probably the trashiest one out there LOL) so that is ok but I can't fast forward through the commecials. :( I need to put a VCR with a remote that works (this one has a missing remote) on my "list of things that are too expensive to actually get that I want".

I need to go find something to do to entertain myself while Lizzie sleeps :)

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Lost pictures

OH God, it just occured to me that I lost all of C's first day of K pictures! Now I feel sick all over again. I found that I lost a ton of vacation pictures but I managed to save both kid's birthdays and several Xams pictures (I lost all of Lizzie's 1st Xmas a year ago thanks to crappy software) so while I was terribly upset, I thought I had the majority of the milestones. I can't believe that one didn't occur to me.

I feel sick again :(

Monday, September 17, 2007

Breastfeeding rooms

http://www.thecowgoddess.com/?p=723

Being the punk-ass that I am, I never saw nursing rooms as a "you must nurse here" type of thing. I always looked at them as nice to have if you needed that sort of thing but not required. C went through a phase, shortly before I weaned him where any sound would catch his attention and he would turn his head to look at it. The problem was, he didn't latch off when he did it, thus stretching my nipple halfway across the room. That was when we started the "dark and silent" nursing sessions. Anyone that dared come in the house while he was nursing was subject to a violent beating! Nursing in public was OUT OF THE QUESTION. I ADORED nursing rooms during this time period.

I think too many breastfeeders feel persecuted and so feel that they must use things like this. I always felt it was my absolute right to nurse anywhere and everywhere that I went and if people didn't like it, they could just not look.

Once upon a time, we took C and A to the Children's museum in Chicago. They had a beautiful nursing room but I couldn't watch A and be in there and it wasn't "lets go to Chicago and sit in a nursing room" It was "Lets go to the museum". I plopped myself down in the middle of the young children's area (where I could see her no matter where she went) and proceeded to nurse until he fell asleep. No one said anything to me and I can't imagine anyone doing that (I wouldn't have stood for it and there would have been hell to pay had someone tried to force me ot move). Maybe people don't mess with me because my whole attitude screams "screw you" :)

Retro clothes

C has a retro family dance at school next month. I had thought that we would do a 50s theme because that would be easy enough for C. Jeans, a white tshirt and slicked back hair with his tennis shoes. No fuss no muss. Lizzie was going to be a little bit harder and I was thinking of buying her the 50s girl halloween costume with poodle skirt and all. Then I decided that I didn't want to spend that much money so I decided to do that 80s (because, hey, 20 years ago is retro right). I thought I would dress Liz in one of C's big t-shirts, a wide belt and leggings or leg warmers if I could find them. I can't come up with anything for C from the 80s. I was looking at Member's Only jackets and parachute pants on Ebay. There is nothing in his size that is even close :( I remember my brother used to wear crap like that all the time so where is it all now?

Maybe we'll just span the decades. C can do the 50s, Liz can do the 80s and I can do the 90s (since I never left grundge behind, that will be easy LOL) I could probably manage the 60s/70s as well, with a tie dyed shirt, jeans, and my birks. I used to have a "Broomstick skirt" that would have worked with my Birks but I don't have it anymore. I'd like to do 40s, since the clothes were so cool but that would require a major purchase since I have nothing that would work.

Want a date?

There is a little girl that lives near us that is a few months older than C. A used to come over and play a lot but recently she has had friends at her house so hasn't been able to come over as much. When she can't come over, she tends to hang around the fence chatting with C anyway. The other day, she is hanging out and I hear
A: mumble mumble mumble
C: I told you already
A: mumble mumble
C: I TOLD you we broke up
A: mumble mumble
C: I like girls that are sparkly all over, even their eyes
A: I have a sparkly black skirt
C: But your eyes still wouldn't be sparkly
A ran home for a little while and C came over by me. I asked him about the conversation (since I missed 90% of her side of it). He said "I want to date a girl with sparkles all over, even on her eyes"
ME: do you know any girls like that?
C: No, but when I meet her I'll know I'll like her
Me: Does O (a girl in his class at school) have sparkly eyes?
C: (his whole face lights up) No, but I could ask her if she would do that.

The next day, I asked him if he has asked O about sparkly eyes and he said "no she talks so much I didn't have time to ask her" ROFL

So my baby wants to date a girl that wears sparkly eye shadow and that is the final determining factor in whether he would like her or not :)

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Photowalking

I live in the most boring neighborhood. If our sidewalk was finished, it would have been better because I could have walked down the big street and maybe see some neat cars or something.

These were yesterday. Once again today, I left my memory card at home so I didn't get any pictures, although I found a much more interesting neighborhood today.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I like the low maintence yard. Cover everything in wood chips an dyou never have to mow!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Gripes and growls and banks

Photowalking pictures will be posted later. I don't feel like messing with them right now. I got a letter from my bank yesterday and I'm ticked. My bank is being combined with another (terrible) bank in town. Because the other bank has a bunch of branches, my bank had to get rid of 5 branches as part of the merger. I assumed they would just be closing those branches because we would be gaining so many from the other bank.

Turns out, they are selling those branches (actually already have sold) to another bank. Mostly, I ignored the stuff about it because I don't bank at any of the branches that will be affected. Then I got this letter last night (although I just read it this morning) saying that despite the fact that I have never even been to most of the branches (I think I've been to one once or twice) because they are scattered all over town, my account is housed at one of the branches being sold off. As a result, my account was sold with the building!!! I'm so completely angry about this. I use the bank I use because there is a branch 3 blocks from my house. It is easy and close by and I can walk there is I want to.

I have some other accounts at another bank that is nearby and if I could get logged in and see if they have online bill pay, I'd switch all my stuff there today. As it is, I will be finding a new bank. I did not consent to having my account sold to a new bank. I was willing to wait and see on the merger because I knew about it. This came totally out of the blue. And really, it isn't that they switched my bank without telling me. It is the fact that there are no good branches of this new bank. I'm not driving all over town for a bank when I had one I was perfectly happy with within sight of my house.

First, I'm calling my bank and throwing a fit. I'm going to be very sure to let them know that I'm leaving because of this. They should house the accounts in the main branch or the branch most often used. They shouldn't be able to just sell off accounts without telling people that it is happening. Finally, because they are FORCING me to change banks, they will be paying to get me all new checks and cards and everything else. I just have find a bank with online bill pay that has more than one location.

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Photowalking today

It was a bust yesterday. Lizzie was a grouch and started demanding a return to the car as soon as we took off. I walked around the block and decided to head home. We ended up spending the day hanging at home because she was such a grump.

Today she griped about it a little, but nothing like yesterday. We walked in the "bad" neighborhood today though so the pictures aren't that great. I tried to get some for the rule of thirds but I don't think they came out well. Also, apparently, my brain doesn't work like everyone else's because I don't find pictures that are off center all that appealling.

Fall leaves. I'm looking forward to more shots like this :)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Sun through the tree, I tried to blur the street names but I oculdn't get my blur tool to work so I just spray painted it instead.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Flag, I'm assuming it was supposed to be half mast. Either someone misjudged the length of the flag or the height of the pole or the flag slipped down after they lowered it

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Friday, September 7, 2007

Apology to ES and my fun at Payless

I snarked about ES and their prize in the ADSR. Then I found out that they are having some SERIOUS issues. So my coupon issue is minor and I feel like a tool for griping about it.

A couple of weeks ago, we went to Payless to buy some new tennis shoes for the kids. While I was there, I noticed a sign saying that the toddler sized Airwalk Croc knockoffs (dh called them Krocs LOL) were being recalled because the strap tab could pop off and pose a choking hazard. Both kids have a pair that were in the size range (although entirely too small for both of them now) and purchased during the time that the recalled shoes were sold. I finally got around to taking the shoes in tonight to get them replaced.

They determined they were recalled and told us to go pick new ones. C picked a Shrek pair and it was fine. Lizzie was the problem. There were NO Krocs in her size, AT ALL. There was only two pairs in a size that was bigger (not even the next size up they were 2 sizes bigger) and they were black racecars. Lizzie proclaimed them "blech" LOL I asked the girl if we could get a different pair of shoes since there was nothing for little girls and she said that was fine. Lizzie picked a pair of sparkly pink princess shoes (which I proclaimed "blech", but that matters not LOL) and we took everything to register to do the exchange. Lizzie ran and hid because she thought we were going to make her take her new shoes off! They had to call somewhere and get an authorization code and whatever so mom took the kids to the car, because they were getting antsy. They get the code, punch it in, scan the new shoes and tell me "your total is $17.89" WHAT! I think not. I brought in RECALLED shoes to EXCHANGE. I did not come in to buy new shoes because I just did that a few weeks ago.

I ask for an explanation and they tell me that C's shoes were only $5 and that because we picked non-Krocs for Liz that it couldn't be an even exchange. First of all, C's shoes were 14.99 when I bought them, not 5. Second, you people told me that I could get different shoes because you didn't have the ones I needed. They decide that they would give me the full credit C's shoes but still wanted to charge me for Lizie's. I said forget it, I'll go get the shoes and then I just want my money back. My plan had been to bring Lizzie in the store, sit her on the counter and tell them "you tell this baby that she can't have her princess shoes and you get them off her feet" and then let her scream the store down in a Lizzie fit. Lizzie's fits are enough to stress someone used to dealing with her. I figured they would relent, just to get her out of the store.

Instead, my mom went in and had at them. They told her they couldn't do anything but the manager would be in tomorrow. Mom says "well I'm here now, not tomorrow". They tell her that she can go over to the mall store and talk to the manager at that store. Uh, also not an option. Two kids, who are cranky and tired and ready for bed? So not dragging them all over town. The girls end up giving her the number for the other store and she talks to the manager. After explaining that whatever they sold the shoes for, they are now selling them for $19.99, so that is the amount that we should get for exchange since we can't buy them for the original price and also the princess shoes were only $17.99 so $2 cheaper, the manager agreed with her and they did an even exchange.

Lizzie is so excited about her shoes, she wanted to sleep in them. Boy did she kick up a fight when I took them off. I had to put them next to her bed and promise her she could put them on her feet the second she got up in the morning.

Also, I'm hungry. I didn't eat dinner because I had a frozen coffee thing that filled me up. I may go dig out a cheese stick or something and then go to bed

Photowalking

Photowalking became more walking and less photos today when I stopped to take a picture of some pretty blue flowers and my camera made this strange beeping sound. I opened the screen and was greeted with the message "no memory card found" I took it out to transfer yesterday's pictures and forgot to put it back in! ARG! Oh well, I found several things I want to take pictures of and I realized that as far as I walk each morning, I could nearly walk home. So Monday, unless it is raining, we taking the bus to school (city bus picks up across the street from my house and drops off right at the corner of the school) and then Lizzie and I are walking home.

Time to feed the beast and then nap. Yay, nap! :)

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Camera search

Since I've started photowalking, I want a pocket sized camera to tote around with me instead of my great big camera. I was just looking on eBay and they have the teeniest cameras I've ever seen! One is smaller than a AA battery. The problem with searching on eBay is you can't say "search 3mp and above". They give you less than 3, 3-4, 4-5, 5-6, etc. So, unless I limit my search to a certain MP (and potentially miss a stellar deal on something bigger), I'm stuck looking at junk like 1.3mp webcams. Also, I want something cheap since I paid quite a bit for my current camera, right before Xmas.

And really, in my little dream world, I would be able to find a nice DSLR (Canon, most likely) for a couple of hundred dollars and I would get that and make my current camera my "small one" and forget this whole quest for a baby-cam :)

Photowalking

I'm cold and tired and hungry. I ate soup for lunch, but I seriously need something else. Not enough time, because I have to leave to get C in about 15 minutes. No one is up though so I'm not sure what is going to happen. Typically, Liz goes with or stays home with DH. They are both asleep and if she wakes up and can't find anyone (she won't think to look in Evan's room) she will panic and that isn't good for anyone.

I need to go grocery shopping when we get back too. Then I think we are going to eat dinner out somewhere because I do not want to cook.

Anyway, on to photowalking. Much better neighborhood choice today. More fun things, although still no sidewalks. Low traffic, though so it was ok. Shorter walk today too. Fortunately not as hot, but by the time I was done yesterday, I was miserable so I decided to cut short today since it was still kind of humid.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

The next 3 are all at the same house. I thought it looked really cool

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Squirrel

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

DOF again!

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Pink Flamingos. Lizzie called them ducks and asked if she could ride on them. Then decided they were too small to ride :)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

I love this porch. Looks like a chateu (sp?)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Photowalking day 2

Look, I made the camera do DOF again! Apparently, if I zoom all the way in and shoot straight ahead, it forces DOF.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

There is a Harely parked next to the church. The pastor maybe?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Despite the haze, it was still crazy hot today. Heat is supposed to break tomorrow though

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Fall is coming, despite the scorching summer heat.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

This house was just completely overgrown. It was crazy.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Dead tree

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

This is at the church with the Harley. It thought it was an interesting policy.
ETA: The sign says "guest, senior and single parent family parking" and is about half a block closer than the regular parking lot.

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

More DOF

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

My partner in crime who, every time the camera comes out, demands "Mommy take my picture"

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

That is all. I had to walk a lot further to get decent pictures today. The neighborhood I picked, besides not having sidewalks, had cracker box houses and perfect lawns. Nothing worth taking a picture of. Photowalking may be at the mall tomorrow since it is supposed to rain :)

DPI - what size do you need

I ran across this while I was looking to see how big a 3 mega pixel camera could print. Since I've been doing the photo walking (which I did again today and as soon as I figure out where I laid my camera, I'll upload them), I was thinking about buying some cheapy 3mp that is smaller than my big 8mp. I need something that will fit in my pocket a little better.

I thought the scrappers might appreciate something like this. The image comes from the website below. :)




Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Not happy with Elemental Scraps

I played the ADSR season 2. It was fun but I don't know if I will do it again. I need a partner that works closer to how I work so who knows. I didn't win :( but with 180 some teams, I really didn't expect to. A lot of the prizes were coupons to stores, instead of just kits. That is fine, but since I don't go to the stores very often, I didn't have any idea what I wanted at any of the stores. I needed to find some time to sit down and really look at the stores to decide what I wanted. Well, I finally got around to that yesterday. I went through all the emails, one by one and went to the sites and really looked for kits. I spend close to two hours shopping for digi kits. Fish scraps and Oscraps were great. I found what I wanted, put in the code and went on my merry way. Then I spent a long time at Elemental Scraps looking for what I wanted. I put in the code and get an error that the coupon was expired. What? I haven't had it 3 weeks. I emailed the race host who told me to email the site directly. I did that and was told "sorry that expired Sept 1st" I emailed her back and told her that perhaps they should have made that more clear from the get go. There was no experation date listed in the email from the race host. I'm mad that I wasted my time looking for things I can't have and I made a point to tell her that I wouldn't be back to her site. I haven't heard back, but I'm sure she doesn't care. It is like I buy anyway, but that is so not the point.

In happy news, I got Glenda's "Sibby goes to K" kit for playing the DSD tailgate. It is freaking awesome! Bright bold colors, lots of back to school items, etc. It rocks :)

Thanks to Hummie and Glenda for doing this :)

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

Fall TV

I went through the TV list to see what I would be watching this fall. I made an Excel spreadsheet a couple of months ago with times of all the shows I thought I wanted to watch. There have been a few additions and now I have premiere dates so it is all good. I'm going to try and add it to my sidebar, if I can get the Excel file to upload easily :)

Vista

I was having a problem with my computer. Basically, I couldn't get to half my blogs and it was running crazy slow. I scanned it for viruses but it came back clean. I made dh scan it because I figured it was lying to me! It came back clean for him too :( Then he ran a check for spyware and it came back with 58 instances of spyware. Apparently, all the Google desktop stuff I installed was mucking up my system. Also Stumble upon was a big offender. Those of you that have should run a check for spy ware. So dh cleaned that all up and installed Vista. When I got my computer it came with a free upgrade to Vista. I've had the disk since Feb but haven't bothered installing it. There were lots of problems with it when it first came out (and if you ask my dh, the Macman, all windows products are nothing but problems) and I didn't want to mess with critical security flaws and stuff so I didn't upgrade. So he upgraded it for me and it now runs much faster. Dh says I'm not allowed to install anymore programs without his permission because he is tired of cleaning spyware of my computers. :) I have to restart to install all the updates, but it appears my blog issue is corrected. Yay, I can read Hummie's blog from my laptop again and I won't accidently post stuff like 10 times because the other pages keeps loading.

The only problem is that my touch pad scroll bar doesn't work anymore. I use that stupid thing all the time and it is bugging me that it won't work. Dh says "it is just drivers" (which is his answer for everything being former tech support LOL) and then left to go meet with his boss. I'm not sure what drivers I need or where to get them so I'll have to wait until he get home to fix it for me :)


In other news, I painted my fingers and toes blue and both kids decided they needed blue paint as well. They are so funny

Hummie made me do it - Photowalking

Well, her posts nudged me in the direction. Dropping C off at school is fine. Getting anywhere after the fact is a nightmare. You can't get across any of the major roads because it is 7:45 and everyone is trying to get to work. So today, I just left the van parked at the school and Lizzie and I want for a photo walk around the neighborhood. We have time to kill in the morning anyway and it cooler at 8 than at 2 so a good solution all around. Getting home was a piece of cake at 8:10 :)
On all the pictures of the houses, I blurred house numbers and phone numbers (lots of for sale signs). I didn't figure the owners would be thrilled with their houses being posted on the internet, competely with number.

Without further ado - pictures :)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Cute car, see the happy face?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Look at my DOF! I probably couldn't recreate that picutre if I tried but there it is :)

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

My photowalking buddy

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

A sprinkler running by the park. Texture anyone?

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

The next 3 pictures are of cute little cottages all in a row

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Maybe another post tomorrow if we decide to walk instead of going to the park :)