Busy, Busy, Busy!

The last few days have truly been something of a blur, and I've fallen a bit behind in doing my daily pictures. Let's see... What's been happening?

Wednesday was the last day of school. Technically, it was only a half day, as the kids got out a little before noon. To celebrate, Erin and I went to Farrell's with some friends for lunch and (of course!) ice cream! The girls were so excited to be ending their respective grades (Erin and Lauren ended 4th, Katie ended 2nd), and our waitress announced it to the entire restaurant, only adding to their giddiness.

On Thursday, Erin's Girl Scout troop had their final awards ceremony of the year, followed by a pool party. Erin was so excited to get her hard-earned awards, including her Junior Aide award!

On Thursday night, Jim's sister Ann arrived for a visit from Toronto, and yesterday (Friday) we decided to go down to Sea World for the day. What a fantastic time! We saw the Pets Rule show, finally saw the Shamu "Believe" show (which was awesome!), and rode both of the water rides, getting completely soaked in the process. It was all such fun! Erin was especially happy to have someone go on the Journey to Atlantis flume ride with her (Jim wasn't too keen on that one - LOL!), and I'm sure if we'd had the time, she and Ann would have ridden it over and over again.

Tread on This

A month or so ago, as I pulling out of the garage, Jim bent down and looked at my front tires with a look of concern on his face. I hadn't noticed it before (duh, I'm a woman!), but they were really worn. Very surprising, seeing as my car at the time had less than 9,000 miles on it. Hmmm... Well, things like that tend not to get better, and this weekend, we got my little hot hatch new tires. Now, that might seem like a silly thing to take a picture of, but it's so nice to look at those front tires now and not see the wear markers!

No More Pencils, No More Books

Around here, school starts relatively early (right after Labor Day), but goes really late. It's the price we pay for having a full week off for Thanksgiving and two full weeks off around the winter holidays. Erin's last day of school is actually this Wednesday (and they get out at 11:50am that day), but today was the last day that she had to schlep her backpack to school. It came home weighing about a ton, and I'm almost afraid to open it and see what's in there. But I do know this... We're both very excited about the summer being so close that we can just about taste it!

Lap It Up

Today was the last Friday assembly of the school year at Erin's school, and I stuck around to see what would happen. One of the topics covered was the awards for this year's Running Club. Each of the kids that participated was wearing their bibs, showing off the number of laps run on one side, and the "medals" (stickers) earned on the other.  Erin was very proud of herself, earning a gold medal sticker for running 45 laps in the five weeks of the event. When I got a close look at her bib, I loved seeing the words of encouragement that the coordinators had written on it. What a fantastic idea to motivate the kids to get moving!

Remote Farm

I've heard quite a few people saying that remote controls are just too confusing. Ha! They should try to get OUR living room set-up to work! We literally have five, yes, FIVE! remote controls that make the various black boxes do what they're supposed to do. From left to right, #1 controls the BluRay/DVD player; #2 is for the TV, but is usually only used to switch components; #3 is the all-holy DirecTV remote; #4 controls the PC that runs the audio software (written by Jim!) that controls the (duh) audio, and is used to control the system's volume; and last but not least, #5 is for the AppleTV. Wow... I guess this is what happens when you marry an audio-geek. I'm always pleasantly surprised when I want to watch something in the living room and I can actually make it all work right. But most of the time, when left to my own devices, I'm perfectly happy watching in our bedroom, which thankfully runs on just one remote. Oy!

Erin's Turn Behind the Lens

As I've been working on my photography skills this year, Erin has been working on hers. She loves using my camera, and enjoys taking it out and practicing shooting anything that will sit still for her. Today, she asked if she could use the camera with one of my macro filters on it while we took Molly for a walk, and went to town on our neighbors' roses. When we got back inside and looked at the pictures, I was floored!  The kid has it!

Meet Dave

A few weeks ago, Erin (and all the other 4th graders at her school) put together self-sustaining aquariums in jars as one of their projects for the school's Open House. In each pickle jar was a plant, a snail, gravel and a guppy. Joy. We brought Erin's home, and she promptly named the guppy Larry. Larry lived in her room, eating something that would grow on the plant. Or not. Because yesterday, Erin couldn't find Larry swimming around in his jar, and I found his tiny form floating at the bottom of the tank. Erin was quite sad at losing her newest pet, so Jim (being the great Dad that he is!) said the she could get a new betta to replace him. We'd had a betta before, in New Jersey, and I have to say - for a pet, it required very little attention. So last night, off to PetSmart we went, and came home with Dave, who is now living quite happily on Erin's dresser in the spot formerly inhabited by Larry's jar. Welcome to the family, Dave! We hope you like it here!

Making a Splash

Yesterday was a furlough day for Erin at school, and we decided to make our first trip to Sea World in San Diego. Oh, what a wonderful day! We hadn't been to a Sea World park since we visited the one in Orlando when Erin was just 4 years old, but the one here totally lived up to our expectations! We saw their new show, Blue Horizons, which was spectacular, as well as the Pets Rule show, which was such fun and left us wondering just how they train the dogs and cats (and pigs!) to do those things. We checked out the shark and penguin exhibits, and rode on the Wild Arctic ride. Erin (somehow) convinced me to ride on the Journey to Atlantis flume ride, where we got a little wet. We met up with a few of Erin's friends for lunch, and all went on the Shipwreck Rapids ride together - where we got drenched! (So glad we thought to bring a change of clothes!) It really was an incredible day, and we can't wait to go back!  This is just one of our pictures, of a pilot whale in the Blue Horizons show. The rest of the day's pics are posted here, if you'd like to take a peek!

Make Me!

On Sunday, when we had lunch with my wonderful friend Michelle, she gave me a wonderful gift bag, including a box of Williams Sonoma sugar cookie mix. All week, the box has been sitting on the counter (my plan was to make them tomorrow, after our supply of Toll House cookies from earlier in the week was gone), but this morning I came down to find a not-so-subtle hint on the stove.

Cute.

So, this afternoon, Erin and I set out to make the cookies. The directions were easy enough: Take enough butter to fill a bathtub, cream it, add the mix, add two eggs, and bake. Erin was on decoration duty, and did a fantastic job with the sprinkles that Michelle had thoughtful included in our goody bag. They already looked good enough to eat, and they hadn't been baked yet!

I will admit, though, these babies took a L-O-N-G time to bake. The box said 12-13 minutes. I took them out after 18, and they were just starting to get brown around the edges. Obviously, I had to try one to make sure they were done enough (it was a sacrifice, but one I felt I had to make for the good of my family). I'm pleased to report that they were simply scrumptious. Jim and Erin will conduct their taste tests after dinner, but I'm confident that they'll agree with me.  Thanks, Michelle!!!

Leaving a Legacy

One of the first thing I noticed about Erin's school the first time I saw it was the obviously student-made tiles that are affixed to the wall out front. They're wonderful, and I've spent some time looking at them. They were created by students over 10 years ago, and we've all wondered if the school would ever repeat the activity. A few weeks ago, it was announced that the school would have a tile "fun-raiser" again, and hundreds of students jumped at the chance to leave their mark on their elementary school. Tonight was the night, and Erin couldn't wait to go. She decided on what she wanted to paint, and as soon as we got there, she got down to business.

As the tiles were completed, they were put on display while they dried before being taken off to be kiln-fired. It was such fun to see the works of art created by our wonderful students and families!

After creating their masterpieces, Erin and her friends Becca and Kaela looked at the tiles that had been made the last time this was done, finding names of teachers that are still at the school today. We all can't wait to see where the new tiles will be placed!

Areas of Dense Fog

When we first moved to Orange County last year, we really didn't know what to expect, other than abundant sunshine. So you can imagine our surprise when toward the end of May and all through June, we woke up to cloudy skies every, single day. We soon learned that it's called "Gray May" and "June Gloom" around here, and it happens when the marine layer of fog moves onshore each night and sticks around for most of the following morning. Yes, folks, it's actually fog, not drizzly clouds. Definitely takes some getting used to, but by the end of June, these gray mornings end and we're back to the sunny, warm weather that this area is known for. In the mean time, though, when the forecast calls for "areas of dense fog," we know that they're really talking about here. Right HERE.  (BTW... If you look closely, you can see that there's actually a hill at the end of our street. Really! There is!)

Really...?

I can't help but think that it completely defeats the purpose of washing clothes when Mia insists on christening them when they're fresh out of the dryer. In a way, I can't blame her. My lovely, white pants were still warm from their tumble dry, but still...

Reunion

A few months ago, I got an email from a friend I haven't seen in quite a few years saying she'd be in San Diego this weekend for a race, and could we maybe get together? I was thrilled. Michelle and I had worked together eons ago - I was in the New Jersey office and she worked at the company's headquarters in Charlotte, NC - but have managed to stay friends since I left the company in 2002. In 2004 and 2005 we saw each other at professional conferences, but since then, our communication has mainly been through email and Facebook. Well, today was the day for us to see each other again! Jim, Erin, and I drove down to San Diego this morning, and picked up Michelle at her hotel. We drove to Del Mar for lunch at the Waterfall Terrace restaurant at the L'Auberge Del Mar hotel, and then to Dog Beach for a visit to a special park there. It was such a fantastic afternoon! It certainly didn't feel like we hadn't seen each other in five years (although last time she saw Erin, Erin was not even four years old yet!). I hope we can manage another visit soon!

Substituion

This morning, I went on a baking frenzy. I baked Toll House cookies (much to the absolute delight of both Jim and Erin), and then, when Jim informed me that his stash in the freezer was almost depleted, decided to make him muffins as well. The first rule of cooking, as everyone knows, is that you should measure out all of your ingredients first. That's one lesson that I totally admit to not always adhering to. So, it was only after the batter was nicely mixed together and I was ready to add the blueberries that I realized I didn't have enough blueberries. Oops. Thankfully, I had some raspberries in the freezer, and  used some of those as well. It made for an interesting and colorful looking mixture. I only hope they taste as good as they look!

Taming the Nemesis

Back in early March, I posted about my battle with the scale and my renewed journey with Weight Watchers. I'm still at it, and am thrilled to report that I'm making progress! A few weeks ago, I got my 16 week award/charm, and last week, I hit my first 10% goal, receiving a key chain! I'm really proud of myself for sticking with this, and although I don't lose a lot (or lose, period) every single week, I'm relearning the skills and habits to live a healthier life. Plus, it's nice to be able to fit back into some of my smaller clothes. I still have a ways to go, but I'm feeling optimistic that I'll hit that goal!

Now, no POTD-taking experience in this house is ever easy, and today's was certainly no exception. As much as Miss Puss hates to be the focus of my lens (ha... pun very much intended!), today she seemed aggravated that she wasn't my main subject, and insisted on getting in the way as much as possible. There's no satisfying her, is there? But honestly, laying on my subject doesn't earn her any brownie points. Do you know how hard it is to clone cat hair off this placemat?

Busy, Busy!

During Erin's Girl Scout meeting this afternoon, I found myself looking at the back of her vest, which displays the "fun patches" from activities that the troop has done this year. I was amazed at how many of them there are, just from this one year! They've done everything from gardening to tours of restaurants and radio stations, and participated in events like our town's holiday parade (boy, what a stormy, wet day that was!) and the Council's annual International Food Fair (we represented the Bahamas). Each of these patches represents a fun-filled experience that Erin has been able to attend, and each carries with it memories that I hope will be with her for a long time. I can't wait to see what the vest looks like at the end of next year. Wow!

The Joys of Diagnosis

For the last few days, I've felt really lousy. At first, last week, I thought it was allergies, but then it migrated to my chest, I started losing my voice, and I developed a horrible cough that likes to come out at night. I'm in a self-imposed exile to the guest room, and still manage to keep Jim awake. Finally, I went to the doctor this morning and got the diagnosis I was expecting: a(nother) sinus infection. Ugh. But the upside is that I now have the drugs that will hopefully have me feeling better really soon and sleeping some at night, both of which will be quite welcome! Bring on the relief!

Cuddly Prop

We've definitely been enjoying our new iPad, and most evenings find us playfully arguing over who can use it next. The only problem is that the case hasn't arrived yet, and frankly, it's awkward to type on it when it's flat on one's lap. I have found a practical and useful solution, though! The cat! She loves to curl up on my lap when I'm in the living room, so I just put her to use and have her prop up the iPad. Most of the time, she's asleep enough that I doubt she even notices. Good kitty!