End of March

March 29
The last brush with winter. Now go away, Jack Frost, you have worn out your welcome this year.


March 30
I am not sure why, but I loved the eerie feeling this shot gave me. I took it over the top of my roof into a hazy sky.


March 31
OK, so I'm putting this out there early, but it's a busy week. I finally snapped a pic of our new(er) vehicle. Yaaay!

Almost the end of March

March 25
Shona finally nagged me into opening a savings account for her. Now if I can just convince her it is for saving and not just a holding spot until she wants the latest toy that catches her attention. Wait until she finds out mom won't let her go to the bank for a purchase. Mwahaha.



March 26
The first thing to bloom on my property. I love the burst of color in my yard.


March 27
Mope city. I'm not sure what Bailey's problem was. She had a day where all she did was puke, but she's all better now. I find her gazing out the window often, but she won't go outside during the day unless I shove her out. Then when night comes I have to keep her in because she wants to go out and bark. Dogs!!!


March 28
Katy lost her Zune a couple of weeks ago. She has gone a little crazy searching and has cleaned her room with a vengeance looking for the thing. This evening, she asked Shona "If you were my Zune, where would you be?" and Shona said "Did you try your underwear drawer? Everything falls into it from the top of your dresser." Guess what? There it was. Katy was so ecstatically happy that she gave her sister a dollar for her new savings account and is letting her play on her PlayStation this evening. I just love it when my kiddos get along. :)

Still no pics of the new vehicle. I need to get it outside and snap some pics.

The Great Tire Curse and other musings

Catch up time, as usual! Things have been a bit hectic with the ER visits for Katy, DH being sick, the van breaking down and normal teen drama with Katy's boyfriend breaking up with her via text message while we were shopping for her prom gown. Ah, the joys of life.

March 16
My latest toy, the Making Memories shelf. It isn't quite as roomy as I'd hoped, but it does a great job of holding the things I do have. I wish I hadn't rid my stash of all the little glass bottles I used to have. I found it necessary to downsize and combine when I had to move out of my scrap room, but it would be nice to have those back now. Oh, well. Here is my shelf half full:

My enabler friends talked me into it and I have to tell them thanks. ;)


March 17
Shona decided the dogs needed something green to avoid being pinched. She made these adorable little crowns, which I had to record. I would love to have snapped a photo of them on the dogs' heads, but...well, we all know how well those crowns went over when actually applied to a real life situation. Enough said.


March 18
A random, silly monster face from Shona.


March 19
See the face theme going on here? Oh, and you don't want to know what that is on her head. Really, you don't. Suffice it to say we were in the bathroom where I was changing out the trash can liner. I think you see where this is going.



March 20
District competition is coming up soon and Katy is a little nervous. She keeps playing her music for me so I can critique her, but I think she sounds wonderful. Um, ignore the mess going on in the background. You never saw a thing.


March 21
The Great Tire Curse. With only one exception, every time DH and I have ever had to buy new tires for a vehicle, something horrible has suddenly befallen said vehicle. A truck we owned rolled in a horrible accident in the California desert two hours after new tires were put on. Our van's transmission went out right after we put new tires on it. Another car had the hood crunched in an accident. It doesn't even seem to be limited to the two of us. Last month, our bonus daughter crashed her car a few hours after putting a new tire on so it would pass inspection. My sister rolled her car two days after a new tire purchase. I could go on, because that's just a few of many, but you get the picture. Well, we should have known. About a week ago, the tires on our van were getting so bald it was beginning to wobble. Reluctantly, we shelled out $230 for a new pair of tires, and kind of laughed off the tire curse. One week later, the transmission blew. When I picked DH up from the tow truck, he even alluded to the Great Tire Curse. I don't want to believe, but it's hard not to when all the evidence points in this direction. If only there were an anti-tire-curse remedy. Just what does the universe have against rubber, anyway?


March 22
We finally have an actual medicine cabinet in the bathroom, and a new light fixture. The old one was so old that we could no longer find bulbs to fit. It was time to go. I hate the new light fixture, but they don't make the pretty ones extend far enough out from the wall to shed light on the mirror. Two teenage girls NEED to see their faces.


March 23
Speaking of two teenagers, it's amusing to note that in some ways they never grow up. These are their lunch boxes, and yes, they do take them to school and proudly eat out of them every day. As Katy says, that's how they roll.


March 24
Katy and I went to the dealer to clean out the old, tired van tonight. I think it was time for it to go. We have managed to get our money's worth out of it. The poor thing has over a quarter million miles on it, the paint is wearing off on the hood, and the wheel paint is chipping. Still, it got us through many years and for that I am grateful. It just wasn't worth fixing this time since it wasn't just the transmission. A starter, struts, transmission, belts, and probably two more tires...which of course would lead to another breakdown. I think we'll just take our chances with a newer vehicle. Stay tuned for the new four wheeled member of the family when we take possession of it this week.

Almost Spring!

It is almost officially spring and I just can't wait. I've even been wanting to play in the dirt and I'm not huge on gardening. Catching up with my Project 365:


March 9
An increasingly rare shot of my two girls together. And look, they aren't killing one another.


March 10
No one can really figure out why, but the snow shovel is still sitting on the front porch. Either we are afraid putting it away will cause a sudden, unexpected return of winter or we are too lazy to just put it where it belongs. I like to think the former, but I highly suspect the latter.


March 11
Our soup shelf, which has been used far too often lately. People in this house tend to want soup when they are ill, and I think we may buy stock in Campbell's Soup after this winter's run of the flu.


March 12
Katy was inducted into the National Honor Society on March 12th. Have I mentioned how proud I am of that girl? Did I mention she was so advanced and downright bored in her Chemistry I class that the teacher admitted her to Chemistry II to take simultaneously? And that she's getting an A in both classes? Ridiculously smart child. She definitely got the science gene from her dad.


March 13
Shona got a new umbrella for spring. She couldn't be prouder of that thing if she tried. Well, she did do battle with it when it hooked her shirt, but once she showed it who was boss, all was right again.


March 14
I just love bubble bath beards. They are so fun. I just can't figure out if this is supposed to be Santa or Colonel Sanders.


March 15
The one thing John's mother has instilled in Shona is a love of gardening. She absolutely craves dirt under her nails and putting plants to soil. It's a good indication you have a little gardener on your hands when you surprise her with a tray of plant starters and seeds and she screams like you just gave her a new bike. Once these take root we will be planting them in front of our house. John and I are also seriously considering a small garden beside the house just to give that girl somewhere to grow things.

Mar 5-8

Mar 5
This is Shona's newest critter from Build-a-Bear. Cute little lamb that she appropriately named "Spring"...so I guess you could say spring officially arrived at my house.


Mar 6
Mmmmmm homemade bread! I hadn't made any since the holidays, and the weather was so perfect I was feeling motivated.


Mar 7
After months of waiting and wondering if I'd ever actually see this in person, my Project 365 album appeared on my doorstep today. Hooray!


Mar 8
Even a pretty, shiny new toilet paper holder isn't enough to entice my family into putting the paper ONTO the holder. Apparently that is far too much work.

March 1-4

Mar 1
I'm into the whole recycling thing, really I am. But does it have to look so...trashy in my hallway?


Mar 2
Shona's artistic interpretation of her dad. It's fairly accurate.


Mar 3
I know, Shona, I feel the same way about spring coming. It'll be here soon!


Mar 4
The first wearing of flip flops. Definitely a sign of warmer weather.

Through the end of February

Seems like all I do. It's midterm week, though, so I needed a sanity break for a bit.

Feb 23
A random photo of my youngest rugrat.



Feb 24
My poor, neglected and now peeling rocker. I can't wait until it's warm enough to enjoy it again.


Feb 25
I am so addicted to "Ticket to Ride" that I have been slowly acquiring every version out there. If you can call having all but one within two months slowly. Ahem.


Feb 26
Action shot! Rinsing off the garden hook off my back deck. Shona was trying to make it look like the bird was using the bathroom, but she didn't quite manage it.


Feb 27
DH is the cook in the family. This is my idea of meal planning. It always works for me!


Feb 28
Poor Mandy. This just isn't the way to end the month. The worst part is she had just spent the day before putting tires on it and getting it inspected for its annual licensing. I think there is a tire curse. Anytime we buy new tires, something bad happens to vehicles.