The Fiore Family

Crochet, I hate you

2012-01-17T16:19:00.003-12:00

Sunday night I decided I wanted to learn how to crochet.

I've never, ever knitted or crocheted and decided this could be a new night time hobby. (Anything to keep my fingers moving, so they'll stop transporting snack food to the whole in my head that keeps making me fat.)

I spent hours searching the web and Youtube and after watching this video realized that crocheting is TOTALLY my thing. Busy fingers, repetitive patterns and in the end you get a crocheted Doohicky something-or-other. PERFECTO!!

Monday I popped in to Hobby Lobby and bought my crochet domination supplies. An assortment of hooks and a pretty bundle of yarn. Later that night, I decided I'd give myself a few hours practice before I began the cute hat pattern I'd found.

It only took me an hour to realize, I can absolutely NOT crochet. Not even close. Everything from finding a way to keep the yarn positioned, to the correct tension, to making the stupid little loopy things, and forcing the hook through the right loop... I CAN'T DO IT!

It is the most frustrating thing in the world, to find something I want to do,
but cannot convince my fingers to do correctly.
Knowing I'm BAD at something makes one other thing perfectly clear:

I do not care how long it takes.. I am going to OWN crocheting.
I am going to learn this stupid skill if it kills me.
I will live, eat and breathe crochet.
My crochet hook will be a new appendage.
I will become one with the yarn.

And once I master it, I am going to crochet the hell out of everything I touch.
There are going to be doilies.
Maybe even some scarfs.
And hats, oh yes, there will be hats!

Stay tuned.

A toast for the New Year!

2011-12-29T17:58:00.002-12:00

And ye, who have met with Adversity's blast,

And been bow'd to the earth by its fury

To whom the Twelve Months, that have recently pass'd
Were as harsh as a prejudiced jury

Still, fill to the Future! and join in our chime,
The regrets of remembrance to cozen,

And having obtained a New Trial of Time,
Shout in hopes of a kindlier dozen.

-Thomas Hood

Christmas Morning

2011-12-27T17:30:00.002-12:00

Rather try and write a witty Christmas post,
I'll let the pictures (with captions) speak for themselves.

From our (disaster of a) home to yours:

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

The Stocking were Hung...

2011-12-27T17:23:00.003-12:00

Santa worked another miracle this year!

I He had all of the stockings stuffed and
was ~~in bed~~ back to the North Pole by 1 am!

He even got some great pictures of the stockings
before they were attacked the next morning!

It only took 10 years....

2011-12-13T19:32:00.008-12:00

Last year,
and the year before that,
and the year before that, and the year before that,
and the year before that, and the year before that,
and the year before that, and the year before that,
and the year before that, and the year before that,
I have spent every Christmas Eve in seclusion wrapping gifts
like a mad woman into the wee hours of the morning.

There is a good reason why there are never any pictures
of me on Christmas morning: I look a hot mess.
2-3 hours sleep doesn't look good on anyone.

This year, I am resolute.
After a decade of marriage, I *WILL* be awake
enough on Christmas morning to enjoy the festivities!!

And VOILA:

Those my friends, are presents.
Lots of them.
Wrapped and Ready.
And in our closet there are 4 paper grocery sacks
filled with all of the accoutrements Santa will need
to fill the stockings.

I am a rock star!

Post Thanksgiving Weekend

2011-12-03T19:56:00.002-12:00

The day after Thanksgiving, I forwent my usual midnight venture into the land of sales and instead we loaded up the kids, the pets and the luggage and spent the weekend in Asheville with Ed's parents.

It goes without saying that we had a fantastic weekend!

Ed Sr. spent the weekend cooking for us and Rody and I got to chat the time away!

My Ed and I were even able to put a rather large dent in our Christmas shopping without putting a large dent in our wallets!

I wish I'd taken pictures over the weekend, but it slipped my mind! (Surprise, Surprise right?)

But I did get these pictures of Dominick and Diana playing in the leaves:

Thanksgiving

2011-12-03T12:06:00.004-12:00

Thanksgiving, as it usually is, was a quiet affair in an intimate setting.
I'm not sure intimate is the right word, it sounds a bit too fancy,
a better choice might be squished.

Over the past few months the dining room has been overcome
by all of our different homeschool paraphernalia!
Trying to de-school only to have to re-school it seemed futile.

Instead, we put the leaf in the kitchen table and enjoyed our supper there!
And what a dinner it was! I made as traditional meal as ever there was: Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, monster salad and rolls and the little kids personal favorite: Sparkling ciders!

(They feel so fancy drinking from our wine glasses!)

Every single picture I took of the kids came out horribly dark,
and this is the best I could do with lightening it:

My famous sweet potato casserole:

Of course, after supper was done, everyone slowly trickled
away until only Brooke and I remained. She was just downright *thrilled*
when she realized that we'd be doing dishes alone.
What an angel! ;)

Regardless of who stuck us with the dishes (and I ain't namin' names) I can't help but be grateful for all that I have.
I have my children by my side day and night and they allow me to the distinct privilege of being their Mother, teacher and sometime slave-driver.
And in my husband I find one of my staunchest supporters and closest confidants.
I am truly blessed.

It was indeed a Thanks-giving!

Trick - or - Treat

2011-11-06T14:23:00.008-12:00

Come little children and gather 'round to hear the most
pathetically un-spooky story to 'ere be found!

It was a peaceful, calm night when we didst meet
in this beautiful neighborhood to trick-or-treat

The houses were lit with golden glow
and from home to home we all did go..

A mummy, a genie/gypsy and a Goddess did ride
in the hatch of the 'burban because it was much more comfortable than
jumping in out of their seats all nights.
(PS: as author I do not have to rhyme, this is a crappy Halloween poem, not the Iliad!)

The candy was divvied at the end of the night
M&M's, Mars, candy corn and ... Crystal light?
(Seriously! I think someone thought they were pixie sticks???)

Lucky for you this is the end of our story
No guts, no ghouls, not a single thing gory
Nothing to fear, not the simplest fright...
But a moral it does have:
Trick-or-treating with family.... is the best kind of night!

Et Tu Brookie?

2011-11-01T10:18:00.010-12:00

For weeks and weeks Brooke told me
that she wanted to be a cutesy-girly
version of the Mad Hatter for Halloween.
But when push came to shove,
she set her heart on this Roman inspired ensemble instead.
(I can't blame her, it's gorgeous!!)

PS: I'd like to think her study of Roman and
Greek Gods of late helped to influence her! ;)

The Gypsyish Genie

2011-11-01T10:17:00.003-12:00

I think this might be my favorite Diana costume to date!!

We found this weeks and weeks ago at TJMaxx and
Diana just knew it was the right choice.
We're still a little unclear as to whether it was supposed to
be a Genie (Pointy shoes) or a gypsy (Gold coins)
but either way, we DO know it was absolutely adorable!!

The Mummbie

2011-11-01T10:16:00.003-12:00

Mummy Costume
+
Zombie Make-up
=
The first ever Mummbie!

Carving Pumpkins

2011-11-01T09:52:00.007-12:00

I have a secret: I hate carving pumpkins with my kids.
Maybe it's because they are always overly ambitious with the patterns they choose,
maybe it's because I *always* end up having to finish the
three half-carved pumpkins left on the table by myself,
or maybe it's because pumpkin guts are almost impossible to clean up
after they've dried on the hardwood floors.
Regardless, I secretly dread it every year.

But, (and I'm sure you've guessed it) this year was different!
The kids did so much better! The pumpkin guts were cleaned up quickly,
the kids picked (or drew) their own EASY patterns,
AND they even finished them.... By themselves!!

It helps to have the the right tools of the trade:

Dominick, unsurprisingly, was the most enthusiastic
and started straightaway with very little help from me!

Diana did not enjoy the gutting, but managed all the same!

And Brookie, trying to lessen her pumpkin footprint, made her own litte workspace on the kitchen floor:

And behold: The Three pumpkins that I hardly no part in!!

Bonfire Night

2011-10-23T16:14:00.003-12:00

BONFIRE at the Cox's!

Ed and Janie know how to entertain and their autumn shindig was a blast!!
It was a great night and we left a very happy family!!

Lush surroundings:

Hayride:

Happy Children:

And a sweet reminder that we live in Tennessee:

Diana's Birthday

2011-10-11T09:57:00.007-12:00

Another year bites the dust.

Yes, Diana is 6.

It's hard to believe, but I assure you it is true!

Diana surprised me this year by requesting we NOT have a "friends" birthday party.
She said (And I'm quoting word-for-word here):
"I don't want a party! All my friends want is to go in my room and mess up my stuff."
It didn't matter that I assured her that I wouldn't let them in her room, she was unmoved.

And yet, despite her protests, somehow she ended up having THREE parties.
None of them big or fancy, but all of them perfect!

~ First, we had an intimate little get-together at the park.

This was a chance for Diana and her best friend Samantha to celebrate!
It was a gorgeous day, and the kids took full advantage of the weather.
After playing, Diana opened her gifts from Samantha & her family as well as
presents from Dominick and Brooke. ~

~Later that evening we had our own little family party at the house!
She opened gifts from Mimi & Papa Fiore and from her Mimi & Papa Odom
and then the gifts from her Dad and I.

I think the pictures speak for themselves!
She loved EVERYTHING!

________

~ Finally, we had another little family celebration in Asheville, NC with
her Mimi & Papa Fiore. My mom-in-law slaved over a hot grocery store
and served a beautiful (DELICIOUS) birthday cake, and she even made
her famous apple pie that we all love!

In Asheville, we took Diana to Build-a-bear to pick out a new birthday friend!
Her new bunny "Cutie" will always be a reminder to her of the great times we've
had celebrating her 6th birthday!!!

Field Trip!

2011-09-12T13:07:00.004-12:00

Last week was hard.
It felt like we spent every waking minute around the dining room
table deciphering school work. In truth we spent a max of 4
hours around the table each day, but it's just exhausting work.

To start our school week off right,
I decided that today
needed to be a down day. A day to read, play, color
and best of all... a day at the park.

The weather has been in our favor and it was
genuinely great to spend some much needed time outdoors!

Brooke can't seem to go anywhere without a book in hand!

Diana is still trying to master the monkey bars, but this IS the highest she's gotten to date!

The three best kids (and students) a mom could hope for!

Maiden Voyage

2011-09-03T06:01:00.003-12:00

Last Sunday we took
the boat out for her official "maiden voyage".

It was a gorgeous day, and we took full advantage of the fine weather.

We'd found a little lagoon the week before that we were eager to explore this time around.

We beached the boat, made lunch and spent hours swimming,
exploring and soaking up the sun!

Big Blue is Sea Worthy!

2011-09-02T16:17:00.008-12:00

Remember that boat we bought from Ed's brother?
If not, let me refresh your memory:
That boat we bought

Well... It's done!
Progress has finally prevailed.

If you were expecting some "before" pictures,
forget it. Ed was ripping out the interior before
I even had a chance to get the camera out.

(And then, staying true to form, I just forgot.)

So let's just enjoy looking at the finished product.

____________________________________

WHAT WE DID:

Very lucky for us, the deck of the pontoon
boat is aluminum and needed nothing.
The carpet *could* have been replaced, but it was in decent enough shape.
And truth be told, it was a project much larger than
we were willing to invest our time in this summer.
(Maybe next summer. ...Or the next summer. ...)

Unlike the carpet, the interior needed a major overhaul.
The wooden frames of the old furniture had rotted through
and most of the upholstery had splits and / or
tears in them that made them un-salvageable.

When I ordered the new furniture, I tried to keep it
as close, in color, as possible to the original furniture.
When all 30 boxes arrived I was thrilled to see that
it does actually look quite a bit alike to the furniture we'd ripped out.
(Only newer and shinier!)

(Random shot of the new interior)

The outside of the boat didn't need anything

more than a good pressure washing.
The pontoons cleaned right up, and the siding
just needed some soap,water and elbow grease.

(Random shot of the exterior)

It goes without saying that Ed had to give the boat
just a bit more power.
Our old boat walked on water with a 350 chevrolet engine, so
the dinky 70hp outboard on the pontoon wasn't going to cut
the mustard. Ed found a 90 that seems just right for how we
like to spend our time on the lake.
(But I'd be willing to guess that if Ed could have fit a 210 on
the back without sinking the stern, I think he would have!)

(Random shots of the motor)

Finally, Ed, Anthony and Dominick spent a weekend

building a support system for the cover that *should*
withstand any rain and future sleet or snow headed our
way this winter.

It goes without saying that we're pleased
as punch with our new aquatic ride.

Back in the Saddle!

2011-07-26T18:21:00.002-12:00

After a gentle nudge from Allison L. (Thanks girl!!)
I was reminded that the 3 people who still read my blog deserve updates! LOL

And update I did!!

You can scroll down the page or you can find each of the new blog posts right here!

#1: Hot Summer Nights

#2: Let Freedom Ring

#3: Out with the Old

#4: ABC, easy as: Over the Rainbow

#5: Old Friends come to call

#6: Ooooh Fuuudge

#7: Snug as a bug. If the bugs are trying to smother each other.

It's my new goal, to post at LEAST one thing each week, just to make sure I don't fall off the blog wagon again!!

Snug as a bug. If the bugs are trying to smother each other.

2011-07-26T18:13:00.004-12:00

"Oh, how do you sleep in the morning time
When all the world is still?
Do you lazily dream or wake up scream
at the children you want to kiiiiill??

Is that what you do?? So do I!"

This is what most mornings look like.*
Dom and Di know better than to try and crowd Ed, so they naturally find
that smothering ME is much more ideal.

And I wonder why I can't sleep anymore.

(*Diana has slept in her own bed ... all night for 7 days running.
I'm afraid to make it official yet, but things are looking good!)

Ooooh Fuuuudge

2011-07-26T17:57:00.002-12:00

I didn't know these pictures were even existence until recently.

Now, I'm not the overly protective type, but I think I relate a little more to
the Mom in "A Christmas Story" when it comes to BB guns.

But Dominick must have channeled his inner "Ralphie"
and somehow talked Ed into
buying him a BB gun.

While I still think he's going to take his eye out,
I have to admit that he's not a half bad shot!

Old Friends come to call

2011-07-26T17:22:00.004-12:00

One of my oldest, and dearest friends in the world is Eileen W.

I've had the great priveledge of calling
her my friend for the past 14 years.
She's seen me at my best and worst,
and all of the stops in between!

I was thrilled (giddy with excitement actually)
when I found that she and
her son could stop in and visit with us
for a day on their way through to
Princeton, NJ!

They were only able to stay 34 hours
(but who's counting?) and I loved every minute!

Here are some of the best pictures from her stay:

Brooke getting to know the boys:
( I think she looks A LOT like Caity in this one!)

Diana actually let Eileen french braid her hair!

I took Eileen, her son Julian and his friend Sergio to the Clinch Mountain Look-Out:

These are from the Panther Creek Look-out:

And of course, we had to take them swimming!

The boys aren't sure if they're water proof yet:

And little Diana:

ABC, Easy as: Over the Rainbow

2011-07-26T16:56:00.003-12:00

We finally got Diana's dance pictures back,
I may be her Mom, and I know that means I'm naturally biased,
but, come on!!! Do they come any cuter than this???

Tap costume.
Song: ABC by: The Jackson 5

Ballet costume.
Song: Over the Rainbow by: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole

Out with the old

2011-07-26T13:50:00.004-12:00

And in the with the um, old.

We've had the same boat for about 7 years now.
A beautiful 23' Wellcraft Eclipse that Ed has done an
excellent job of maintaining in near perfect condition.

Old Red:

After some thought we decided that the boat
was just too big for our needs anymore.
On a typical day to the lake, we really just like to swim,
float around in our tubes and BBQ.
And a boat of this size and speed seemed wasted on us.
Granted, the kids really enjoyed
being able to hide in the cabin if it rained,
but it doesn't rain often enough to warrant
keeping it for that reason alone.

So, we sold her! (And quite easily actually!)

Finding a new boat, however, was a bit trickier. We
decided that, for how we spend our time on the lake,
a pontoon boat was the best bet. The search was on!

If you've ever bought anything from a classified ad,
whether it's Ebay, Craigslist, or the Sunday paper,
you'll have learned that the "condition" of an
object is highly objective. It shouldn't be, but it is.
What one man thinks is "Well taken care of" will be
found by another to be: "Left-it-out-in-the-rain-without-a-
cover-and-a-racoon-made-a-nest-and-died-under-the-deck".
It didn't seem like we'd find anything that met our (Ed's) standards.

Enter the hero: My brother-in-law, Dan.
Dan heard of our dilema and came to the rescue!
Offering us his 1980-something pontoon boat at a price
even the tightest of tightwads could not have refused!
Yes!, he warned us, it was older, outdated and
needed renovations, but the engine ran, and
the "bones" were as good as they came!

With hopes high, we left the comfort of TN, to meet
the new boat, "Blue", in South Carolina!
About an hour into the drive, the Suburban started
to act a little wonky. Nothing spectacularly worrying,
but enough to make us all perk up. Luckily,
we made it to the Lake house without any further incidents.

Our luck didn't last. As Dan was backing the Suburban up to the trailer,
he ran the Suburban aground in a ditch that had
been covered by high grass. After some head scratching
he called a truck in to pull it out, and all was well.
For a short while anyway.

After loading the pontoon and securing her down,
we began the 1.5 hour treck back to Asheville.
I think we made it 10 miles before the Suburban
decided it'd lost the will to live and stalled.
On the highway. In the middle of nowhere!
(I don't say that lightly, I live in Rural TN,
I know "the-middle-of-nowhere" when I see it!)
So began the awful, hot, horrid, hilarious FIVE HOUR adventure back home!

One of many roadside stops!

If you're wondering why we didn't just
give up and call a tow truck.... we tried.
Numerous times. It was "easier", and I use the
term as loosely as I can, to nurse the Suburban back.
It was slow going, about 10 miles at a time, but we succeeded!

As for now, the pontoon has been stripped of it's former garb, and is being outfitted with all new goodies! New Seats, new console, new sound system, new bimini, new cover...the works!
And we'll STILL be thousands below what we
would have spent on a new (to us) boat!

I'll have more picture updates soon!

Let Freedom Ring

2011-07-26T12:36:00.006-12:00

The sun never seems to set on these long summer days.
After a full day of swimming and BBQing, we were
all pooped when it came time for the fireworks.

But we rallied and put on quite a show from our driveway!

Ed, Anthony and Dom were the masters of the pyrotechnics,
while the girls and I just played with our sparklers and
watched the show!

Di and Dom's favorite fireworks released little parachute men,
that they ran all over the yard chasing!

Brookie playing with a huge sparkler.

Toward the end of the evening, Diana and Brooke cuddled up and
watched from the sidelines!

Hot Summer Nights

2011-07-26T11:02:00.005-12:00

Have I mentioned before that I love our Tennessee summers?
Ok, so maybe it's been said a time or two or twelve.

This year, my new found favorite thing about summer is: Porch sittin'.
Ed put up a Gazebo type canopy on the back deck, and we've spent
many a night doing nothing butlistening to
the splashing of the kids in the pool,
the chorus of the crickets and silence of
friendly comradery while we sit in our loungers,
snack on our favorite cherries and catch up on our reading.

Swim, Swam, Swum

2011-06-01T16:07:00.004-12:00

After watching the kids play in the $24 inflatable pool
I'd bought a few weeks ago, Ed and I knew it was
time to spend a bit more money and get something just
a bit bigger that everyone could enjoy!

We knew this would take some doing, there isn't an inch
of land on our property that is level, but once
the excavator guy started doing his thing,
everything fell into place rather easily.

The kids were a little disappointed when they realized how
s.l.o.w.l.y. the pool began filling, but found plenty of ways to
entertain themselves in 3" of water.
(OK, who am I kidding... *I* found ways to entertain myself in 3" of water!)

We let the pool fill up overnight, and you'd have
thought it was Christmas morning with the excitement
buzzing around the house. At 9:30am I'd run out of
excuses and let the kids swim! It was freezing, but as
the day wore on and the sun did it's thing, it
was a little less freezing by the time they drug themselves in at 6:30pm.

Needless to say, as soon as dinner was cleared away
The Littles passed out promptly on the sofa.

It's going to be a great summer!

Brooke was one of the first ones in....

A game of Marco Polo....

I call this picture "The Albino and the Mexican"

And this one I call "Idiot who forgot sunscreen!"

Goodnight.

Brooke's Ballroom Recital

2011-05-30T17:59:00.005-12:00

When we made the decision to homeschool
Brooke this year, one of my greatest
concerns was finding ways to keep her busy.

Ballroom seems to be the best bet and bargain.
For $5 every week she attends a 90 minute class taught by
Ms. Allison and Mr. Ed. She LOVES this class, and it's
been a huge outlet for her. It's an added bonus
that almost all of the other students are homeschooled as well!

The Ballroom class performed three dances
Tango, Waltz and Swing to various songs.

Ed and I both agreed that seeing Brooke on stage,
looking beautiful and radiating confidence was a stellar treat!
We're hoping she takes the leap and adds a few more classes next year!
(Though she's already said she won't be giving up ballroom anytime soon!)

Brooke in stage makeup before leaving the house...

Outside the stage doors:

Giving a little spin (because I forced her to...)

Brooke with her partner, Braxton.

Brooke's Flowers from her Dad and I:

Diana Tap Recital

2011-05-30T17:53:00.002-12:00

Watching Diana learn to tap has been such a fun experience!
I'm not sure she knew what to expect in the beginning,
but she's definitely gotten the hang of it!

This years Pre-Tap Class danced to "ABC" by: The Jackson 5

(Of her two dances, this is the one I'm most looking forward to seeing on video!)

Diana and her Pre-Tap class waiting their turn ...

Hamming it up backstage:

Diana's Ballet Recital

2011-05-30T17:41:00.005-12:00

If you hadn't already guessed (By reading about it here and here)
Diana loves to dance!
She loved ballet so much last year that she was enrolled in
Pre-Ballet III this year and she also added a new favorite, Pre-Tap!

Her teacher this year, Ms. Heather, was just amazing!
I don't think I could possibly say enough kind things about her.
She is bubbly, talented, creative, patient, beautiful, and most importantly
(at least to Diana) She had the "most awesome-est"
job at Disney World playing Cinderella.

For this years recital, Diana's ballet class danced to
"Over the Rainbow" by: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole.
It was beautiful, adorable and absolutely perfect.

Diana in full costume before leaving the house:

Diana and her friends waiting patiently backstage.
From L-R: Victoria, Maggie, Abigail, Samantha and Di.

The girls right before they were ushered on stage for their performance!

Beaming after a dance well done!

Diana and Ms. Heather

COMING SOON: Recital Pictures

2011-05-29T03:05:00.002-12:00

Brooke and Diana's recital
pictures will be up in T minus
12 hours (or so) .... Stay tuned!!

Easter 2011 - Family Easter Pictures

2011-04-27T16:54:00.008-12:00

In an effort to redeem myself for neglecting Christmas Pictures this year,
I made sure to take enough pictures of the kids
in their easter ensembles to appease everyone!
(No easy task when Dom and Di stripped
down as soon as we got home!)
After getting the kids redressed and fed,
we spent a good half hour enjoying the
beautiful North Carolinian Mountain Air and got the pictures done!

The rest of the afternoon was spent being spoiled by Ed and Rody!
If it wasn't homemade Belgium waffles,
it was homemade peanut butter pie!
Dinner was a shmorgasbord of hot-0ff-the-grill
rotisserie chicken, ham, broccoli, cole slaw, fresh bread,
mashed potatoes, gravy and the piece de resistance: Monster Salad.

I have no complaints. The weekend (and the hosts) were wonderful!

Diana:

Dominick:

Brooke:

Ed and I:
:

<>>

Easter 2011 - Here an Egg, There an Egg

2011-04-27T16:31:00.003-12:00

Egg Hunting is only as fun as the egg hider is able to hide the eggs!

I thought ~~I'd~~ the Easter Bunny had done well enough, but it only took
the kids 10 minutes to hunt down 30 eggs. Dominick was quick to inform
me that "The Easter Bunny is losing his steam!"

The kids were excited to find (especially after last years fiasco) that
there were THREE golden eggs to be hunted. Each of the
eggs contained a different surprise, and it went over quite well.

(Psssh, ... losing steam my kneecap!)

Easter 2011 - Coloring Eggs

2011-04-27T16:22:00.005-12:00

This year for Easter, we were lucky enough to spend the
short weekend with Ed's parent in Asheville!

My mom-in-law, Rody, kicked the weekend off right and
had all manner of egg coloring paraphanalia ready for
the kids when we got there!

The kids dipped and dyed until their hearts were
content!!
(And didn't manage to stain anything... including their fingers!!)

Our walks are prettier than your walks...

2011-04-10T15:25:00.007-12:00

This morning Brooke and I went for our Sunday walk and ventured a little further from home than usual. OK, alot further from home!

We ended up walking a total of 3.36 miles and I'd have probably pushed to go farther had Brooke not insisted that we turn around. She's a smart cookie that Brooke! I'd failed to realize that the first portion of our walk (despite the peaks and valleys of the road) had a proggressive decline as we went. Which meant that the walk back was entirely up hill! It felt like death, but we did it!!

And like the title of the post suggest, I'm pretty convinced that our walk has to be prettier than your walk. With scenery like this, how could anyone choose to sit home on such a beautiful day?

Typical Tuesdays...

2011-04-10T15:20:00.004-12:00

Last week, after ballet, I'd loaded Diana into the car and was just about to head home when a friend called and told me she'd spotted Ed across the street. He and the Officer had that particular intersection shut down for about 10 mins, so Diana and I stopped to take pictures:

Then Diana decided that she needed to get her wiggles out:

... No Frills attatched

2011-03-09T19:43:00.006-12:00

Don't let the dimples decieve you...

THIS GIRL CAN ROCK!

JoJo our Walking Pup

2011-03-09T19:01:00.001-12:00

JoJo had his second visit with the vet on Tuesday and all is looking good!

His Staph infection is clearing up and he's put on some weight!
He's now tipping the scales at 2.2lbs. A porker to be sure! ;)

Puppy Math

2011-03-09T18:54:00.003-12:00

After our first visit with the Vet, he confirmed that the new puppy, JoJo, was , as we'd suspected, a Chihuahua mix breed. With the large eyes and the floppy ears, we'd already guessed as much, but the thing that had me curious were the markings on his face. They reminded me of our guard dog, Brutus, who is a Doberman mix as well. But the odds of a doberman and a chihuahua romancing each other seemed unlikely. But then I remembered that there is another dog, very small dog, who shares the same markings... The Miniature Pinscher. So I did some math... let me share:

What do you think? Could I be on to something here??

TuTu Beautiful!

2011-03-09T17:46:00.003-12:00

Every Tuesday, sometime just after lunch, Diana will ask me the same thing:

"Is it time to get ready for ballet yet?"

Even though I assure her that class doesn't start for hours,
she'll still retrieve her leotard and tights and lay them across my bed
so that they're ready just as soon as she gets out of the shower.

But despite her enthusiasm, her least favorite part of our
Tuesday routine is always the construction of her bun.
I've been doing her hair the same way for over
a year, but it still poses a challenge for her to sit still long
enough for me to do my thing.

When I announce it's time to go, she slings her ballet
box over her shoulder and marches out the door.

We're fortunate this year that both her tap and ballet classes
fall on Tuesday and are both taught by the same amazing woman, Ms. Heather.
(Whom Diana happens to adore!)

As luck would have it,
we were early to class this week and the studio was empty, so I took a few}
minutes to get some long overdue pictures of Di and her best friend Samantha.

_____

Getting ready to leave the house:

Diana at the bar:

Practicing the splits:
(Diana inherited the anti-bendy-Odom gene, so this is a pretty big deal!)

And my favorite picture: Diana doing her Plie at the bar:

Then Samantha joined Di at the bar:

And of course, what kind of ballerina doesn't know how to goof off??

Cruel and Unusual Cystems.

2011-03-02T16:42:00.013-12:00

It's 11:22 and I've just finished cleaning out the gaping hole just under my collar bone. I've also just finished with a pretty good cry. Partly because sticking hydrogen peroxide soaked q-tips deep into the hole really hurts, and partly because I know I have to do it all over again tomorrow, twice.

All of this because I had a cyst. A cyst on my chest which I'd lived with (quite happily in fact) for 6ish years. The cyst which had been about 1/2" wide and about 2" in length started to grow. And Grow. AND GROW. By the time my Dr.'s appointment came around the cyst had taken on the appearance of a giant, grotesque Easter egg. Dark purple on the bottom, red in the middle and flesh on the top. By my best estimations it was about 3" wide and 5" in length, and it really, really hurt.

Truth be known, if the cyst hadn't begun to abscess two weeks ago, I'd have gone another 6 years without having it looked at. It had never given me an ounce of pain or trouble and I had no intention of inflicting undue pain on myself. But that was then, this is now.

The Dr. recognized it immediately as a Sebaceous cyst and began a lengthly explanation of how and why it occurs. While I should have been listening with rapt attention as soon as he mentioned the part about "immediate removal" my eyes glazed over and I started having an internal anxiety attack. Before I knew it, I was lying on my back squeezing Ed's hand, and planning my escape route. There was no such luck.

The next hour and half involved some cutting and copious amounts of pressing, pushing, and packing. What will now be forever remembered in my psyche as the Trifecta of Pain. (There was also a lot of cussing, crying and caterwauling... the other trifecta of wimps worldwide!)

And the needles. So many needles. They would have hurt anyway, but because the skin was so incredibly infected and swollen, each pin-prick was like an injection of liquid lightning. Poor Ed is still nursing the nail marks on his right hand. (Speaking of Ed. He was amazing! He's almost as squeamish as I am, and he did an amazing job of keeping me calm and helping me through the entire ordeal. Huge Kudos to him for a job well done!)

The most horrid moments came toward the end, when the cyst walls broke the surface of the incision. There. are. just. no. words. But if I was forced to describe it, I'd suggest you cut a small circular hole in your skin and then reach in and try to extracate your colon.

When the proceedure was finally at it's conclusion and I'd lost the urge to walk toward the light, the Dr. confided to me that my cyst was the largest and deepest he'd removed in his years of practice.

I confided in him that I'd wet my pants a little.

Dominick turns Eight!

2011-02-27T14:22:00.004-12:00

Dominick is 8. (I know, I know, I know! But I've checked the math and it's true!)

I'll never get used to this. Waking up one morning, staring into the eyes of a child where I'd expect to find a snotty nosed (albeit adorable) toddler. How do they sneak it by us? It's one of Mother nature's cruelest tricks: turning our babies into independent children behind our backs! But I digress. Enough of my Mommy melodrama!

We had a great time celebrating his birthday! The night before, he lost his 2nd front tooth and the tooth fairy left a little extra birthday money as a treat! For dinner we made the famous "As-seen-on-iCarly-Bisghetti Taco's" and then finished it off with an amazing cake and great gifts!

Mimi and Papa Odom and Mimi and Papa Fiore made Dominick the happiest 8yr old on the planet by sending him exactly what he asked for: Birthday money. He was able to shop til he dropped and pick out exactly what he wanted!

(Don't mind the Christmas Wrap!)

Making a Wish:

Looks like it came true!

Another Winner!

This was one happy Birthday Boy!

Brooke's 14th Birthday

2011-02-27T13:28:00.003-12:00

On her 10th Birthday, she got a surprise.

On her 11th birthday, we had a girls day out .

On her 12th birthday, she had a party!

On her 13th birthday, we remembered how it all started...

And on her 14th birthday, we recycled an old idea,
and slipped away for a day of shopping: Just the two of us!

Top Gear Contest: My First Car

2011-01-27T16:10:00.009-12:00

TopGear is hosting a contest! The winner of which will receive a trip for two to London AND tickets to a TopGear Event! Could this get any better?? My two favorite things mixed into one fantabulous prize!! The contest? To write up to a thousand words about your first car!

(** To clear up any confusion this IS the long version of the story! The story I submitted on the topgear website has been condensed down to the required 1000 characters. **)

I didn’t start driving until I was almost 18. I didn’t start having car accidents until I was almost 18. Coincidence? I think not. “Accidents” may be too strong a word. I liked to call them “Incidents”. My parents liked to call them “Reasons we can’t have you on our insurance policy any more...”

I think back on this year as my “Blue Phase”, as I routinely left samples of my 1990 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera’s powder blue paint job on other cars, lamp posts, garage doors, and the occasional pedestrian. My neighbors think back on this year fondly as “Leslie’s Reign of Terror”. You say tomato, I say WATCH OUT I’M ABOUT TO RUN OVER YOUR MAILBOX!

It didn't help that my poor Cutlass had a blind spot the entire length of the passenger side of the car, since that’s the only side that I ever did damage to. I guess I was a really great judge of distance when turning left, but terribly bad at it when turning right. Hmmm.... I might have done well in NASCAR. Isn’t that really just a organization of guys who turn left really well? I digress.

If I pulled up to a car on my left, they’d look over to their right and see a pretty girl driving a sensible blue car. But, if I pulled up to a car on my right, they’d look over to their left and see a pretty girl driving a chewed up, battle worn, how-is-that-possibly-running, Mad Max inspired vehicle of destruction.

Her Majesty (yes, that’s what I called her) kept me safe for four years. Eventually, as life moved on, I had to leave Her Majesty behind. I’d just gotten engaged, and in the spirit of compromise, I agreed to give her up in favor of a car that featured two undamaged sides.

I'm older now, drive a nicer car and by all accounts have stopped running into things, but there isn’t a day that goes by, (especially when I’m turning to the right), that I don’t still miss her.

I wish I had a better picture than this, but you'll notice it IS taken from the driver side. In fact, I can't actually remember taking ANY pictures of her intentionally. The less evidence the better I thought! (I didn't even take this one...that's me asleep behind the wheel!)

It's A Fact

2011-01-10T08:56:00.003-12:00

A list of things I've learned today:

1. Snow makes everything more beautiful.

2. I = Principle x Rate x Time. I know this. Brooke knows this, heck maybe even Dom and Di KNOW THIS. After 2 hours of having this equation shoved down my throat, it has been forever scorched into my soul. Happy to Report though, that Brooke scored an 80% on her first of two quizzes on the subject!

3. Trying to explain communative property to a 7 year old is hard. Saying 12x2=24 is the same as 2x12=24 is much easier. He got a 100% on his quiz!

4. I love snow, hate driving on ice.

5. I suck at building fires.

Awesomeness... by: Brooke

2011-01-08T18:58:00.003-12:00

Kudos to Brooke for snapping what might be my most favorite picture of all time!

I'm showcasing this here, before I make it my Facebook profile picture.

Our Private Winter Wonderland

2011-01-08T17:45:00.006-12:00

If ever there comes a time when new fallen snow doesn't excite
every fiber of my being, I'll eat my hat!

As we'd expected, a storm blew through last night laying down
a nice soft blanket of our favorite white stuff.

Dominick was the first one up and out this morning,

After running some errands with me, Diana joined her brother...

We even managed to lure Brooke out for a little while:

I took the littles sledding:

and then they took ME sledding

Even Code-O enjoyed the fine weather

Later in the day, Diana had a meltdown

But recovered quickly

Dominick taught himself to snowboard... kind of.

And we ALL acted like snowy little goofballs!

I don't know what I'm doing here, but it's hysterical!

As the sun went down, we all limped back to the house.
Exhausted, but thoroughly entertained!

BEEP:

2011-01-05T19:17:00.006-12:00

Hello, you've reached the Fiore family, we can't get to the blog right now.
but if you leave your name and number, we'll be sure to wonder why you did so.

It's a New Year and I want to give the blog a new look and a little more TLC.
Unfortunately, over the past year, Facebook has stolen more of my time than I'd care to admit to, but I have plans to correct the error of my ways and come home to blogger like the prodigal daughter.

Give me a week and I'll have this old girl back on her feet!

New Years Resolution

2011-01-02T12:15:00.005-12:00

res·o·lu·tion /ˌrɛzəˈluʃən/
[rez-uh-loo-shuhn]

–noun
1. a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group. Compare concurrent resolution, joint resolution.
2. a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.
3. the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.
4. the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.
5. the act or process of resolving or separating into constituent or elementary parts.
6. the resulting state.

It's that time of year again. The time of year when people all over the world decide to improve upon themselves. I'm amongst the group of people who've singled out a particular part of my life that I'd like to improve upon. For the past few years, I've chosen the same resolution each year: Lose Weight. IF by February I'd lost 2 or 3 pounds, I considered it a job well done and moved on.

This year, I'm doing things different. COMPLETELY different. Losing weight is a thing of the past! This year I've decided that we're going to bulk up! Our savings account that is!
Bargain shopping is already an activity I enjoy, but I want to push the envelope even harder! I have a number in my head, and I won't rest until I get a statement from our bank showing THAT number (plus a penny) in our savings account.

I'll also be blogging about our frugalesque adventure, so stay tuned!

Holiday Projects

2010-12-31T06:43:00.002-12:00

As Eloise would say:
"I'm Rawther Proud of Myself!"

I've been cross-stitching the better part of 20 years, but I've never
actually finished an entire project. I have box full of projects
I've started but never finished for one reason or another.

In November, I found a sampler I really liked and started
working on it in hopes that I could gift it to my older
sister, Allison, for Christmas. If truth to be told, I never
actually thought I'd finish. I kept waiting for my trusty old ADD to
kick in and lure me away to some other 1/2 finished project. But each
night I put away the project just a little nearer to completion.

And then, to my (and everyone's) surprise,
all I had left were the french knots.
Ah, French knots, my old nemesis.
Many, many projects have been abandoned over french knots.

Thank Aida for Youtube!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uUjGJvVx2I

As I sat watching Poor Little Rich Girl on TCM I tied off another knot
and sat scanning the pattern trying to figure out what needed to be
done next when it occured to me that I was done!
An entire pattern, finished, with the right colors, the right stitches
and even the right name!

Betsy Ross, I ain't!
But I'd be lying if I didn't admit that I
was prouder than a peacock at a pagaent!

The finished product:

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-31T06:03:00.005-12:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS from our family to yours.

Every holiday season, about a week before Christmas,
I sit down and decide how I can better avoid the Christmas
Eve all-nighter I'd pulled the year before.
I resolve myself to have as many gifts as I can
manage wrapped ahead of time, have the stocking
stuffers seperated and organized ready to be dropped
at a moments notice. And I remind myself to buy extra tape
(as not to have to relive the duct tape disaster of '04)!
But most importantly, I want to be in bed at a relatively decent hour.

Yeah, it's never happened. Ever.

Every single year I am up until at least 4am, scrambling around
the house hunting down hidden gifts, more tape, more bows and generally
chugging enough coffee to keep Folgers in business for a good 6 months.

But the outcome is always worth the effort!
Watching the kids faces as they descend the stairs
and make their way to their stockings is as exciting
for me as I'm sure it is for them. And unlike christmas
mornings past, the kids did me a generous favor by staying
in bed until 8am. (I think Ed might have bribed
them in order to give me a few more zzz's,) Even more
surprising than being able to sleep in a bit, was the fact that
they made Christmas morning last into the afternoon.
There was no crazy sprint style gift opening,
but they kept a nice, slow pace which allowed them to
actually SEE what they were getting and from whom before
moving on. (I suppose this is one of the perks as the kids get older!)

Here are some pictures from our Christmas morning:
Enjoy!

Diana's excited expression after opening Dominick's gift to her: A Salon Stylin' chair

Brooke opening her gift from Ed and I: A purple silk Kimono

Dominick opening his gift from Brooke:
The Fast Lane Parking Garage (for matchbox cars)

Diana using her new Karaoke microphone

Brookie on Christmas morning!

Dominick taking his gift from Santa for it's first spin!

The tree be trimmed...

2010-12-05T14:02:00.004-12:00

The tree is trimmed!
As much as I gripe about having to decorate the tree,
I really do love the finished product.

There is something so magical about a Christmas tree.
The way the lights twinkle...
The ornaments that remind you of Christmases past....
The gold and the glitter...

It really is a testimament that this is the most wonderful time of the year!

How to decorate a 10ft tree in 50 seconds....

2010-12-05T13:45:00.005-12:00

OK, not really.

This bad boy took me about 3 hours!
And I'm not bragging ... I wish it had taken 50 seconds, or even 50 minutes!
But, apparently, I have ornament OCD and constantly placed, removed, replaced, stepped-back, removed, replaced, and approved each and every item...multiple times!!!

I like to think the finished product is worth it though!

Gobble, Gobble.... Sob, Sob.

2010-11-20T19:31:00.001-12:00

Before you begin this post, I'm going to ask that you push the
"play" button found below.

( This is definitely one of my more melancholy-
homesicky-will-only-feel-better-by-
torturing-myself-with-sappy-songs posts,
and it needed a fitting soundtrack.
It was written with a heavy heart and under such circumstances
I thought it only fair that I engage in some musical warfare:
You know, so that you can feel kinda crappy too! )
….

If there is, or has even been,
such a thing as familial starvation,
I'd be the first to admit that I am
suffering through it's pangs.

In other words: I miss home.
I miss my Parents, my siblings, my nieces and nephews,
and I even kinda miss the holiday chaos.
There is something to be said for spending time with
people who feel obligated to laugh at your jokes and tolerate
your children simply because you share a similar genetic makeup.

As this Thanksgiving Day approaches I can't help
but wish that I'd be one of the sets of many
hands helping to prepare my Mom's amazing
multi-course meal. The menu hasn’t changed
much in my 32 years and my favorite dish continues
to be our family's sweet potato casserole.
(A dish that up until our move to Tennessee
had always been my contribution.)
And I regret that, once again,
I can't be there to place it on the table.

It's been a long 5 years since I've been able to
share a Thanksgiving dinner with my parents.
I've been a trooper thus far, but for some reason,
this year, the separation is hitting me harder
than usual. What's worse is that my heart
seems to be experiencing some navigational malfunctions.
The reality is that my family will gather for dinner
some 1900 miles away in Saratoga Springs; at my
Parent’s current home. But my heart longs
for everyone to find their way back to the yellow
house on Marlberry Lane; their former home.
The home where our last complete family
gathering took place. I could rattle on and on
about all of the reasons why I hold
such a tender place in my heart
for the Yellow House, but I'll digress.
Suffice it to say, it was awesome, tangled
with happy memories and I miss it dearly.

In closing, I can only ask that, this year, as you sit down
to dinner together, please know that I wish with
every fiber of my being, that I could be there
with you!! And after dinner, when you play
"Hoowheat" and Balderdash, place an honorary
glass of eggnog and bowl of candy on the table in my place!
In exchange, I’ll remember all of you as
I’m scarfing down my sweet potato casserole!

The Nina, the Pinta and the my wild imagination.

2010-11-09T14:50:00.015-12:00

In Fourteen hundred and Ninety two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue...
in some REALLY dinky boats.

Betcha didn't know that part did ya?

Well, if you did, pat yourself on the back. because I, for one, did not.
For all of the talk about Columbus, I just supposed he'd have been
the type to stand on the deck of a massive, imposing Spanish war ship,
the wind whipping him the face as he clung to the helm! Admittedly,
that sounds a bit more like Jack Sparrow than Columbus, but you get my drift.

Turns out, Columbus, like most men, craved speed.
And big, massive war ships of his age, weren't big on speed,
but small agile ships like the Nina and Pinta WERE.
(The Santa Maria was the largest of the trio and was a cargo ship.
A big, heavy, slow cargo ship.
No suprise that Columbus always hated her.)
And to even further debunk my Columbus preconceptions,
there were no helms. Just a giant rudder type thingy t
hat the crew would have to maneuver to keep the ship on track!

For all of my initial shock-and-awe,
I can't deny that our homemade field trip was so incredibly fun!
Knoxville graced us with blue skies and cool breezes,
and naturally, Kellie and her kids were the best company!

Two of my sailors:
(Brooke did not want to wear a hat. Imagine that!)

The entire crew: Brooke, Dominick, Memphis, Samantha & Diana

Brooke and Dominick listening to me rattle on about Columbus.
Don't let their expressions fool you, they were captivated!

Diana and Samanta on board the Pinta.

Brooke watching the ducks swim past. (shudder...)

Ropes, Riggings & Other cool stuff:

The kids in front of the Pinta:

After our tour of the ships, the kids played in the waterfalls:

Brooke standing on the Volunteer Landing tile:

We ended our field trip with a picnic right on the water.
And of course, because we were in Knoxville, Kellie and I took full advantage
of the great shopping and bribed the kids into submission with some good ol' Krispy Kreme:

Happy Ha..lll...ooo..weee...nnnn!!!!

2010-10-31T17:17:00.001-12:00

Happy Halloween from our Ghastly Ghouls!!

Officer Dominick:

Starship Enterprise crew Member, Brooke

And our resident witch, Diana

MANY, MANY thanks to Sandra, Pete and little Brooklyn for hosting a most spook-tacular Halloween party!

The kids and I agreed that it was the best Halloween we've spent since moving here!
The food was great, the company better, and trick-or-treating in the haunted-mansion-mobile will be a VERY hard act to follow next year!!

And last, but not least, our jack-o-lanterns!!!

You are cordially invited...

2010-10-23T19:56:00.006-12:00

The invitations were sent:

The table was set!

The hostess was ready...

And at long last, the guests arrived!

Brooke, the young servant girl, did a delightful job of serving the "tea"!

And so, they drank and snacked and chatted:

Her friends were generous and the Princess was spoiled with many gifts:

To show her thanks, she served them cake and ice cream!

The day wore on, and the girls played, and laughed until they had to set off for their own kingdoms.

The Princess was sad to see them go...

It was a wonderful day and ended just as it should:
Happily Ever After!

Diana's 5th Birthday

2010-10-07T16:10:00.006-12:00

This Tuesday marked Diana's 5th birthday, but we didn't actually celebrate until Wednesday. And despite what my sister, Caity, thinks, I'm almost positive that Diana hasn't suffered any permanent psychological damage from our little white lie. ;)

She started her morning off with hot chocolate and pancakes and then went right to my bathroom to gussy up. She'd asked me weeks ago if I'd allow her to wear mascara on her birthday, and I happily obliged.

After her schoolwork was done, she and I went on a birthday shopping spree! Using her birthday money, she was able to pick out 5 things she wanted. (Courtesy of Mimi and Papa Fiore)

As soon as Ed came home from work, she was able to open her other family gifts, blow out the candles on her cake and relish in all of the attention a birthday brings.

And speaking of cake:

It was good!

I mean really, really good!

I made one layer of regular yellow cake, added cherry extract to the remaing batter for another two layers, whipped up some Jiffy Brand chocolate frosting mix and added my own homemade butter cream frosting for the finishing touch.
It's not exactly level and the frosting job could have been better, but the moist deliciousness of the cake made up for it's unflattering aesthetics!

Our First Autumn Homeschool Hike

2010-10-02T13:01:00.005-12:00

Diana, Brooke and Dominick on one of the Panther Creek Trails:

After a LONG, 3 hour hike, the kids jumped into the creek to cool off:

After the kids were sufficiently cooled down, I taught them the art of leaf rubbing:

2010-10-02T12:22:00.003-12:00

Against all odd's we are officially decorated for Halloween! Last year we forgot to do any decorating and only realized a day or two before the actual day. I was determined to get it done this year in enough time to sit back and enjoy the fruits of our labor.

Ed went and bought the hay, the kids were tasked with creating a scarecrow (of sorts) and I worked on assembling the witch. Ed hung the bats and ghosties later in the day. (I bought all of those at Pier 1 last year on clearance and forgot about them until the kids reminded me.)

Ed's Birthday

2010-10-02T11:57:00.004-12:00

We celebrated Ed's birthday this past wednesday, and as usual, he was impossible to shop for.

It's not an issue of trying to shop for a "man who has everything", it's rather an issue of shopping for a man who has everything he already wants. A thin distinction.

The only thing I could think to do, was leave it to the kids to decide for themselves what they wanted to buy for their Dad.

Diana bought him another pair of work gloves and wrapped them in red lame' fabric. Tre Chic!

Dominick found him a Harley Davidson Tee from.... MEXICO!

And Brooke gave him the funniest gift of all: If you were to ask Ed what he wants for his Birthday, Christmas or Valentines Day he always replies "A new butt, because mine has a crack in it". It doesn't matter that we've all heard it about a million times, it's his "g0-to" joke where gifts are involved. SOOOO... Brooke gave him EXACTLY what he asked for:

My band of Merry Weirdo's:

Sunday Well Spent

2010-09-12T13:01:00.006-12:00

'Twas the day before Monday, when all through the house,
Complaints came from everywhere (including the spouse).

Dad was sick of the whining, and I was losing my temper,
But I figured there was a solution just right for September.

So with Ed on his Hog, and I on my scooter,
We geared up the kids to go putz and pooter...

Then we motored and scootered till our derrieres were sore
And Eureka! It was working! It was curing the “bores”!

Rivers and Mountains, lake, pond and stream
Were just some of the highlights seen by the adventurous team

And we continued this trek ‘til our tanks all read empty
But it was worth it, in the end, to see smiles aplenty!

Raindrops keep fallin' on my head...

2010-09-05T16:31:00.003-12:00

Which would be fine if you're Burt Bacharach circa 1969.
But it's a very bad thing if you're me, circa now and standing in the basement and the raindrops smell suspiciously of peepee.

Long story short: The upstairs toilet overflowed and the water went south in a BIG way. It was a nightmare. In such a situation it is almost impossible to decide what to do first: Sop up the gallons and gallons of water on the hardwood floor in the bathroom to try and save them from warping or rush downstairs and sop up all of the gallons and gallons of water threatening to ruin your BRAND NEW CARPETING?

Lucky for us we have quick thinkers 'round these parts! While I did my best to de-flood the bathroom, Ed was already downstairs trying to soak up the water that had cascaded through the drop ceiling. AND HE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE A CORONARY!! (That's forward progress my friends!)

Once the majority of the water was as soaked up as we could get it, I went to town with my Bissell "little green" and got almost every drop of water sucked up out of the carpet!

The only major damage was done to the drop ceiling tiles, and I'm sure matching those up will be nightmarish, but considering what COULD have happened had we not acted quickly, we're pretty fortunate.

PS: Allie, I'm pretty sure that tops a bit of spilled milk! LOLOLOL

Diana's Girly Room

2010-09-05T15:22:00.004-12:00

Separating Dominick and Diana earlier this year was tough. They've shared a room for always, but Ed and I felt like it was time to give them their own breathing room. Dominick took over Christina's old room, and Diana kept the room they'd shared as their nursery.

The original room (as kind of shown in the photo) was done in blue & green with a barnyard border and themed room. The drapes from Pottery barn were a perfect match and we thought the room was gender neutral enough for a both Dom and Diana to enjoy. And they did, for 3 years.

BEFORE:

Trying to decide how to "girlify" the room for Diana was tricky. I was dreading repainting the room (which had been florescent pink when we acquired the house) and after weeks of looking at paint samples, my eyes simply glazed over. And, if I'm being truly honest with myself the thought of painting over that particular room gave me heart pangs. How do you paint over the last little thing you have left over from the "baby days"?

Luck, however, was with me! After scouring the Internet I came across an adorable wallpaper border that coordinated with the existing paint perfectly! My heart rejoiced: I would not have to paint over years of happy memories in the nursery. (And then Ed's wallet rejoiced: I would not have to spend his money at Benjamin Moore!)

After hanging the wallpaper, we moved in Brooke's old bedroom suite, bought some linens and TA DA: (There is still much to be hung on the walls, but we'll acquire all that along the way...)

AFTER:

And, of course, Lady Di loves her new digs:

Momma didn't raise no fool.....

2010-08-26T09:05:00.004-12:00

They say necessity is the mother of invention and last night I necessitated the need for a book light.
Ed was exhausted and I didn't want the lamp on the night stand to keep him awake while I read. I had my beloved BeamGenie handy, but I'd misplaced the ear piece attachment. That left me 3 choices.

Hold the light in my mouth
Use the 3" Velcro strap attachment to make a BeamGenie barrett of sorts or
Use the suction cup attachment and stick that sucker to my forehead

The picture says it all.

I know I should be mortified that my forehead is big enough to accommodate this contraption, but let me tell you something... IT WORKED.. I read for almost 2 hours and that thing didn't budge once!!

PS: Mike, if you're reading this, I'm free for the next infomercial should you choose to market the forehead/suction cup idea to the masses! ;)

My Man Gene... Part I

2010-08-26T05:04:00.006-12:00

Yesterday, I took the kids to peruse around at a local antique store. The store itself is as old as the goods they market, smells like the 70's and is a collection of stalls that offer everything from antique butter churns to collectible smurf lunchboxes. And it's a lot like going to Goodwill, in that you have to sort through the stalls to really find what you're looking for.

Dominick always wanders toward the collectible metal trucks, Diana usually skips over to look at vintage Barbies, and I found myself in the "antique kitchen utensils" stall. (You just can't find a good flour sifter these days...) Anyway, while I sorted through the ladles and graters and churns, a little black book caught my eye. It was about 4.5" x 6" in size and had the word "Record" written in gold on the front.

I was weary to pick it up thinking that maybe it was the record book for whomever operated that particular stall, but lucky for me the weary feeling only lasted a millisecond and was replaced by a much stronger sense of curiosity. So, with a quick look over my shoulder I reached down and picked up the little black book. I don't often go snooping around in other people things (OK, so not all the time) but after skimming the first page of the book I realized what it was: A Diary. The last time I'd actually gone looking for a diary I'd been around 15 and was trying to dig up dirt on my then 8 year old sister. (Not exactly the stuff of Anne Frank.)

But holding THIS diary was intriguing, the first page was written in a beautiful blue loping script and there in the front cover was a price tag. $3.00 to take home the diary with pretty handwriting. Three bucks didn't seem like a lot to ask, but the idea of BUYING someones innermost thoughts and secrets , while intriguing, seemed a little tacky, even for me. Which is why I hid it in my purse just as soon as I'd coughed up the dough for the little treasure.

The book is small, about 30ish or so pages and while I originally thought it was written by a women, it's actually the handiwork of a man called Gene V-----, and most of the diary is about his admiration and love for a woman called Linda.

Page 1:
November 03, 1981
The last few weeks have been miserable for me and my mind. Crazy things have crossed my mind I convinced myself that you no longer care or need my love any longer. But in truth, I know she cares and I feel to look at your circumstances.
Linda, I am sorry for doubting you so much at times but I care so deeply and at times it hurts so much.

November 04, 1981
Today, like many of the past few days, I am longing to be with Linda. Damn, how can a man stand and love someone so much and still know that in reality she can never be there always?
But today I have the hope of being with her and spending some time with her.
-Something happened tonight and we never had that time together. But I went to her home and she was as good as being with me. For as long as she is near me, I am being satisfied.

Am I the only one who's picturing Gene sitting in Linda's rosebushes peeping through her bedroom window spending "quality time with her?" I've only read page 1 thus far and Gene already has a 7 on my Creep-o-meter. Let's hope there is more to this story!! :)

Stay tuned in the upcoming days for more pages!

Your Daily Dose of Tears

2010-08-25T06:14:00.003-12:00

My dearest teenagerhood friend, Julisa, posted this today on her facebook wall, and once I was finished dabbing the tears away I thought it was precious enough to want to share with the masses. Or in this case, the 5 people who follow my blog! LOL

As Danny says this "stirred my heart":

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

I heart Stephanie Plum

2010-08-20T05:26:00.008-12:00

Last week, I was in desperate need of a new book and through dumb luck stumbled across "Lean Mean 13" by Janet Evanovich in a bargain bin at the grocery store of all places! The cover art was less than inspiring and I wasn't sure if I'd really be able to sink my teeth into it. 13 hours later I was thoroughly entertained and wanting more! Lucky for me, the book is just one of about 20 in a series featuring the hilarious antics of bounty hunter, Stephanie Plum. I've absorbed books 1-10 in the span of 4 days and I'm now nursing a permanent stitch in my side as a result from all of the laughing.

Now, being the uber dork that I am, I just HAD to sit down and scour the internet for the actors who would best portray the main characters for when the books become a huge cinema phenon! (Twilight ain't got nothing on this...) Probably, I'm a day late and a dollar short and there is a crack team of casting agents out there right now already doing this, but JUST IN CASE they need some help, here is my expert advice:

Stephanie Plum: Katherine Hiegl

Joe Morelli: Jeffrey Donovan

Ranger: Adam Rodriguez

Lula: Niecy Nash

Vinnie: Micheal Imperioli

Connie: Lainie Kazan

Grandma Mazur: Estelle Harris

Rex: As himself

First Day of School! First day of School!!

2010-08-09T06:44:00.006-12:00

If you hadn't guessed, today was our first day of school!

We've turned the dining room into a makeshift classroom, it's the only room big enough to accomodate three computers, books, binders, pencil boxes and the mountain of other paraphanalia that comes with homeschooling.

We had a nice big breakfast and then I got them started on their individual lesson plans. Brooke dove right in and and was able to get all of her lessons done in just a few hours. Diana also loved getting on the computer and completing her assignments, the only real resistance came from Dominick who just wanted to go outside and play with his friends. Once I explained that all of his friends were in school as well, he buckled down and got all of his lessons done. I have to tell you, that for about an hour while the kids were immersed in their studies, the house was dead quiet, and I loved every single minute. I was able to get the laundry done, get all the beds made and still had enough time to make the kids lunch before they needed my help with their worksheets. That, right there, is my kind of domestic bliss! :)

7 Random Thoughts to end July

2010-07-27T16:36:00.010-12:00

#1. HUGE Kudos to my amazing brother, Matt, for the the awesome wedding video that has been seen 'round the interwebs over the past week. We've all known he's a brilliant photographer / producer / director / butcher-baker-candle stick maker but it's extremely satisfying to see him finally getting the notoriety he's so long deserved. Being in a new city can be rough (See #4) but I think being "famous" in a new city will make it just a bit easier. If, by some chance, you've missed the much praised work you can watch it here: Wedding Music Video by: Matt Odom

#2. I can change a flat tire. In the dark. On the side of a busy highway. BY MYSELF. Well kinda, ...at least in theory!! We'll never know if I could have gotten that last stubborn lug off because the Marion County Sheriff's department stopped to help and rescued me in all my damselly distress. Never-the-less, I was proud of myself.

#3. My 3rd year of homeschooling will be monumental in that we'll be adding a 3rd student. Brooke surprised everyone when she asked to be added the roster. And I surprised myself when I realized how excited I was at the prospect! Our official start date is the 9th of August. Wish us luck!

#4. Earlier this month my eldest brother, Matt, left his long time home of Atlanta, GA and started his life anew in Venice beach, California. While I couldn't be be happier for him, his removal from the southeast United States means that I'm the only one of 6 Odom kids who can still call the Eastern Time Zone home. Years ago, it was Allison who held the title of being"Navigationally Challenged" living "all the way out there in Montana". Looking at a map, it's clear that the crown and sash have been passed down to me. I'll wear them with pride Allie!

#5. With the exception of Wipeout & Psych, there is nothing good on TV. I'm ready for the new fall lineup.

#6. Journaling has become a powerful new outlet. I didn't quite realize how much I had to say until I put pen to paper and let the words flow out. There is nothing eloquent or poignant offered up on the pages, but the process itself has curative powers that I take advantage of daily.

#7. Tonight I asked the kids if there was anything specific they wanted to learn about in school this year. Diana said "I just wanna learn to read!" Brooke told me she wanted to learn "real Japanese" and Dominick told me that he "needed to learn a lot more about Jedi's." I am pretty sure that I'm not allowed to incorporate Star Wars into the curriculum. ....Or I am?? ;)

Our 4th of July

2010-07-12T08:33:00.002-12:00

It's no surprise that we decided to spend our 4th on the lake, it is surprising that we didn't want to take the boat. We'd heard that the ramp would be crowded, and it was no lie. While there are usually 10-15 cars with trailers and MAYBE two or three cars full of families swimming, the numbers on the 4th were at least quadrupled.

We pulled in at about 10:30am and it was sheer luck that we were able to get a spot close to where we usually pull in. By noon, the place was packed. We're talking maybe 30 cars full of families swimming and around 75-100 cars *trying* to get their boats/jet ski's in the water.

The downside to all of this activity was swimming in "red water". Tennessee is chalk full of red clay, and the activity from all of the boats, jet-ski's and the sheer number of people swimming meant that the river bank was churning all day, producing water that looks kinda awful.

Point in case:

We didn't let it bother us though. We spent the day enjoying ourselves, gorging on food and by the time we got home, (Around 7pm) the kids were totally exhausted and sunburned, but the show had to go on! And by show, I mean more of Ed trying to set me on fire and less of things going "boom" in the air. After an hour of having my ear drums blown out by fireworks set upside in the canisters and having fireworks skidding across the driveway only to implant under my flip-flops burning my feet, I decided I was better able to execute a painfree enjoyable display. And it was, by all accounts, terrific!

Random lake Pictures

2010-07-12T08:22:00.002-12:00

We've been to the lake so many times this summer, that the pictures all start to look like one another, and it's sometimes hard to tell which happened on which dates. So I figured I'd just pull out some of my favorites and post them together.

Dom on the back of the boat:

Dominick and Ed enjoying the water:

Diana swimming to me and then to Ed and back again....

Brooke, about 5' under. Amazing how clear the water is....

Another picture to show how clear the water is:

Me, in my "happy place". No one enjoys our lake outings more than I do!

Cherry Meringue Puffs

2010-07-12T06:08:00.003-12:00

I've been watching my weight for the past few weeks (Aside from July 4th, a tragic day when I fell off the diet wagon so hard I broke my digestive track) and I've been trying to come up with low calorie, low fat snacks to replace all of the fatty baked goods I'm addicted to.

My favorite are the easiest to make and SO delicious, CHERRY MERINGUE PUFFS. These cookies are airy, sweet and crips and melt in your mouth like a roasted marshmallow! They are great for satisfying my sweet tooth without feeling like I've sabatoged my diet. If you're not a cherry fan, you can try mint, vanilla, almond, or lemon extract!

(Before getting popped in the oven)

Start by preheating your oven to 200 degrees, and cutting a piece of parchment paper large enough to cover the entire bottom of the cookie sheet you're using.

You'll need:
4 large egg whites at room temperature
1 cup of sugar
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/2 tsp. cherry extract

Cookie sheet
Parchment paper

Using an electric mixer (with a wisk attatchment) beat the egg whites on low-medium speed until foamy Add the cream of tartar and extract and continue to beat the whites until they hold soft peaks. Add the sugar, a little at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds stiff peaks. (The meringue is done when it holds stiff peaks and when you rub a little between your thumb and index finger it does not feel gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers.)

Transfer the meringue mixture to a large ziplock bag (or large pastry bag) and cut medium size whole in the bottom corner of the bag. Pipe cookies onto the cookie sheet, I make mine about an inch or so in size. The meringue's will NOT expand, so you can place them pretty close but not touching.

Bake for appx. 60-70 minutes The meringues are done when they release easily from the parchment paper. When the meringues are baked, turn off the oven, open the oven door slightly, and leave the meringues in the turned off oven for about another half hour.

ENJOY!

Swimming - Cherokee Lake

2010-06-28T12:53:00.005-12:00

It's June and you know what that means...

THE BOAT IS BACK ON THE LAKE!

If you haven't heard me say it every single summer for the past four years, let me reiterate:
I LOVE CHEROKEE LAKE!

The water this past Sunday was perfection!

We woke up Sunday morning rearing to go.

I'd packed a cooler full of sandwiches, watermelon and drinks and thats all

we needed to keep us entertained all afternoon!

Our able Captain:

Dom's End of Year Reports!

2010-06-24T13:09:00.003-12:00

I finally got around to printing out all of Dominick's end of year reports today and I am SO proud of my little man!!

Even though we don't technically use percentage grades yet, it was still really nice to see that both of our hard work paid off this year!!

Misc. Summer Pics

2010-06-22T10:36:00.002-12:00

Dom and Diana's new favorite activity is to take Ed's camera and take pictures of the house and pictures of themselves.

Diana has mastered what I like to call the "MySpace Face". (You know the one, lips to the side, head tilted, etc.)

But I thought it was funny, that both Dom and Diana wanted their picture taken with Ralph, and they both took their photos themselves!

Fathers Day 2010

2010-06-20T15:26:00.002-12:00

Tried and True Summer Fun

2010-06-17T11:44:00.005-12:00

One of my favorite swimming holes in Hamblen County is a creek at Panther Creek State Park.

I woke up this morning with no other objective than to get out of the house. After breakfast we loaded up Charlie and a small picnic lunch and headed to the creek. There were more people there than usual, and to our surprise our "usual" spot was already taken!! It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as we found a new favorite spot further down the creek. The kids had a nice shallow area to play in, there was a small waterfall nearby and our towels were under some beautiful trees that gave us cool shade all afternoon!

This was Charlie's first outing to the creek and he loved it! Brooke and Dom took charge of teaching him how to swim and keeping him entertained!

It was just a great day all around!

Summit ATA picnic

2010-06-08T16:46:00.004-12:00

Saturday morning I awoke knowing I had to get right to the grocery store. The kids and I had been invited to a picnic (hosted by Dom's Karate studio) and I'd offered to bring Pink Stuff. In order for the pink deliciousness to come out right it had to set for at least 3 hours or so.

I jumped in the car and headed to Ingles and got the four ingredients I needed. Jumped back in the car and was home in record time. I had two major problems right away. 1. I'd bought chunked pineapple instead of crushed and 2. the Cool Whip was frozen solid. NO PROBLEM I told myself! I popped the cool whip in the microwave on a defrost and began dicing the heck out of the pineapple hoping I could crush it enough to pass for what the recipe called for.

In case you didn't know (and I can't imagine how you wouldn't) Cool Whip does not defrost in the microwave. Ever. I retrieved a tub of melted, brownish goop. As soon as I saw it, I abandoned my efforts of dicing the pineapple and went back to the store, again. The cool whip was still frozen, but on the ride home I put it right on front seat and opened the sun roof and hoped it'd work. It wasn't exactly thawed by the time I got home, but it was thawed enough to fold into the rest of the ingredients. Crisis averted.

The picnic was a BLAST! We'd never heard of, let alone visited the park it was hosted at, and I was blown away! Settled in the heart of downtown, but with beautiful mountain views just about anywhere you looked! We got rained out in the end, but the kids had enough time to fill their bellies, get soaked and thoroughly exhaust themselves!

Diana endulging in some watermelon:

The water gun wars:

Diana not enjoying being soaked through....

Give a girl a camera

2010-06-08T14:09:00.001-12:00

I'm not sure when Diana comandeered my camera, but she actually did a pretty good job of snapping pictures from around the house! I started downloading pictures tonight and realized there were about 50 I didn't remember taking..... I figured it out when I saw the 'self portraits'.

Dom graduates to CAMO belt

2010-06-08T13:55:00.002-12:00

Last Friday, Dom graduated from Cheetah belt to Camo belt! He perfomed his 1-step and his form really well and at the end of the night was presented with his new belt. Receiving his Camo belt marks a big step in his ATA training as now he will begin sparring!

Dominick and his core instructor, Mrs. Cordry.

Right after graduation, with his big bag-0-goodies containing all of his new sparring gear!

The artist's perspective:

2010-06-08T13:49:00.003-12:00

Diana loves to draw and color. Give her a box of crayons and a pad of paper, and she's easily entertained for HOURS.

Today she drew these pictures and came running to show me....

Cinderella gets to look all beautiful, where as I look like I'm on a murderous zombified rampage... But hey, it's 'art' right?

Diana's 1st ballet recital

2010-05-30T07:30:00.004-12:00

On Saturday, the family loaded up and went to see Diana perform for the very first time in public!

(She's always putting on shows at home, but to see her on a REAL stage was a first!)

I wasn't able to sit with Ed and the kids, because I spent most of the day backstage helping keep the girls occupied while they waited for the finale.

Lining up to go on stage:

Diana waiting patiently

Pictures from the curtain. I wasn't able to use my flash so the pictures are crumby, I'm hoping I can steal some pictures from another parent!

After the show Diana took pictures with her teachers, Mrs. Becky and Ms. Kay:

Ed and Rody had driven over from Asheville to watch Diana and she was SO excited to see them! They weren't able to stay long, but it was long enough for Diana to be utterly spoiled by all of the attention and praise.

My new car!

2010-05-26T15:18:00.006-12:00

Tonight I asked Ed if he thought a car possessed the power to make it's driver prettier. He laughed and walked away shaking his head.

You too may have your doubts, but thats only because you haven't driven THIS car! It's beautiful inside and out and drives like a dream.

In the Suburban I felt like I could drive over anything stupid enough to stand in my way, Raw power at the tips of my fingers. After many years of toting around our kids and dogs, and hauling the boat to and from the lake, she's been given a much needed Hiatus. We cleaned her out, washed her up and she's now resting in the lower driveway. She's been a great truck and I'm glad she'll still be around when we need her.

The S500 on the other hand is an entirely different story, rather than wanting to conquer traffic, I slide in the front seat and feel like I should be actively trying to solve world hunger or writing a spirited concerto!

She's a beautiful thing!

My 600th Post!

2010-05-23T14:04:00.005-12:00

THIS IS MY

600th

POST!!!

Perfect park weather

2010-05-23T13:33:00.004-12:00

Tennessee has some weird weather. Over the past few months we've yo-yoed between days hot enough for the Sahari desert and nights cold enough for the Klondike. I think Mother nature has made up her finally and we've been enjoying days in the 70's for the past week. This fragile time between spring and summer is my favorite weather of the year. Hot enough to spend all day outside but cool enough that you won't break a sweat. It's also the perfect time to spend our days at the park!

There are two park we frequent in Morristown. The first is Fred Miller Park which the kids refer to as the "Scary swing park" because of THIS. The other is Cherokee park. We usually go to this park because of the sprawling green lawns, because it's gorgeous and almost always deserted so the kids can play in peace.

I only hope the weather stays put and we have at least another month of park time before it gets too hot to really enjoy!

Orange you glad.....

2010-05-17T06:11:00.002-12:00

We got our Citra-sippers in the mail last week and it's no surprise that they are a huge hit! It took the kids a time or two to figure out their best strategies for extracting the juice most effeciently, but now they know how to use them without any help from Mom!

The Citra-Sipper

2010-05-05T17:19:00.005-12:00

OH, HAPPY DAY!!

Over two years ago I posted this. I'd given up hope of ever finding one, but every once-in-a-while when I've too much time on my hands, I scour the internet just hoping I'll luck out. And tonight through a series of link jumps, look what I stumbled upon:

BEHOLD... childhood memories:

You can buy them HERE!
A 4 pack is less than 4 dollars. Consider it done! I'm going to order 8 and guard them with my life.

She's growing up....

2010-05-03T12:09:00.003-12:00

Diana is the youngest of my brood, and while I've rejoiced in the milestone's of my eldest child, I cringe a little as I watch my youngest reach those same milestones.

Sunday, Diana was invited to put together her best "fairy wear" and attened the birthday party of a ballet friend. She looked so darling, but as I sat sorting through the pictures today I realized her toddling days are at an end. It broke my heart a little. I want her to slow down and just be my baby a little longer. She'd argue that she HAS to grow up.. to "wear fancy high heels", but so long as she still has dimples on her sweet little hands, she'll be my baby!

I write, therefore I am...

2010-04-30T12:10:00.003-12:00

“What is a diary as a rule?

A document useful to the person who keeps it. Dull to the contemporary who reads it and invaluable to the student, centuries afterwards, who treasures it.”

-Sir Walter Scott

As a teenager I was actually quite good about keeping a journal. I tried to make an entry at least every day and at worst at least once a week. I wrote it as though I was telling a good friend about my day. Too my credit, I rarely "toned it down" and wrote as things happened, not how I wished they'd turned out. It's good for record keeping, but it keeps me from handing them over to my 13 year old to read. One day she can have them, but for now, they're locked away safely.

I lost interest in journaling after I got married, and tried a few times to keep an electronic sort of diary on my computer, but I'd always get sidetracked and the time lapses between entries was embarrassing.

Monday I decided to start again. I went out and found a be

autiful leather bound book and cut myself a brown ribbon page marker. It's amazing. I forgot how therapeutic putting pen to paper can be. I feel like I'm doing something eternal by simply jotting down the goings on of my daily life. In theory my journal could last for a hundred years. One day students may be reading "The Diary of Leslie Fiore". Anne Frank gave us insight into the Holocaust, Why shouldn't my diary be forever revered for the insight into my laundry habits and choice of shampoo??

Yanni makes me cry.

2010-04-19T17:11:00.007-12:00

Until today I thought there were only about 5 songs in my mental library that yeilded the power to reduce me to tears. I was reminded of #6 today. I was minding my own business and this certain song came on the easy listening station I had tuned in and before I knew it, I had a lump in my throat and teensy tiny tears welling up behind my eyes. I pushed them back and decided that instead of crying, I'd blog. Blogging cures everything right?

Picture it:

Jensen Beach, 1999, my "perfect boyfriend" has just broken up with me. I've been lying on my bed for hours sobbing my soul out, My Dad is in the kitchen playing with Brooke and my Mom is sitting on the end of my bed trying to console me.

ME: "Whhhhyyyyy..... wooooouuullddd.... heeeee.... dooooo..... thisss???"

Mom: "Oh honey, it's alright... are you, um, sure you didn't do something?"

Me: "MEEEE...EEEE??????????????????" (So high pitched dogs in the neighborhood were cowering"

Mom: "That's not what I meant, oh, I'm so sorry!! What can I do??"

Me: "NOTHING...Waaaaaahhhh...."

Mom: "You need to sleep for a little while"

Me: "Noooo... I... Don't...!!!!!!"

Mom: "I'll go get and get some nice relaxing music, I'll be right back!"

after a few minutes she comes back into the room, sets the CD player on my nightstand and plays this "uplifting ballad" to "soothe my broken heart" ...

I know Mom was trying to be helpful so I can't fault her (too much). What she thought was soothing music I thought was a fitting soundtrack for my emotional ruin. So, yeah, Yanni and I have history, OK? The long haired mustachioed man got me through that horrible night and I think I can say pretty safely I hadn't listened to him since. Here's to another 11 years of surpressed memories!

The Travel Bug...

2010-04-19T14:02:00.006-12:00

In my 32 years I've had all manner of illnesses, but none have been so hard to kick as the travel bug.

Right now I am here...

But I want to be here...

And while I'm venting, I'd like to take this opportunity to officially blame this sickness on my Father. Yes Dad, this is YOUR fault. You know what you've done! Taking me to all of those castles and palaces, toting us around Europe and opening our eyes to it's awesome Majesty. He created the sight seeing monster that lives within me. It's his fault, I'm sure of it! ;)

Our Classroom....

2010-04-19T13:12:00.003-12:00

Consider this my first real post dedicated to what we homeschooled today.

I've been very leary about posting anything related to how we homeschool simply for fear of judgement, ridicule, conflict or other forms of snarkiness. Homeschooling is a personal thing, and it's been my experience that people either love it or they hate it. And in most cases people hate it because "I knew a girl who was homeschooled and SHE hated it....". I'd no sooner want to have someone judge my homeschooling methods than I'd want to have someone critique my sex life.

But it occured to me today, that this is a HUGE part of the kids lives, and it deserves to be documented so that years down the road they'll remember what we did today.

SOOO, this is what a typical school day looks like in our house:

________________________________________________________________

This week we're learning about gardening and how things grow. Today, we read this book:

And then we pitted these avocado's and placed them in water to watch them grow. (Eventually)

Next we planted these seeds: Corn for Diana and watermelons's for Dom.

After a much needed Lunch break, I got Dom started on his computer work. For the "hard stuff" I rely heavily on a wonderful online curriculum.
It's animated and lively and Dominick loves it. I love it because it tracks everything he does, reports his progress and keeps him on the right track for his grade level. Today he finished a math lesson on Perimeter & Area and started a Language Arts lesson on Plurals "s and es".
To finish the day off the kids learned about mosaics and then were able to make their own by cutting up scraps of paper and adhering them to pictures they'd chosen.

THE END.

Charles In Charge

2010-04-19T12:43:00.002-12:00

Meet Charles Duke Perseus Theodore Beloo the V.

I've been wanting a Yorkshire Terrier for about a year now, but either they were too expensive (in excess of a thousand dollars) or they were, ..... wait, no... actually the ONLY reason I haven't gotten one has been due to the hefty price tag.

Imagine my delight when I found, on Craigslist, a woman looking to rehome her Yorkie Pup for a minimal fee! AND she only lived about 2 miles from the house. I went and picked up Charlie the same day and I couldn't be happier!

He's an amazing pup and just as sweet as can be!!

Happy Anniversary to US!

2010-04-06T16:00:00.006-12:00

8 years ago, in front of family and friends, I walked down the aisle in a beautiful white gown (a stretch, I know) and met my husband at the alter. We were married by my father and celebrated the union with our children. The night was a blur, but I remember feeling very settled, and very very happy.

We had just about everything working against us and I knew marrying Ed was a risk, but I feel that it has paid off in more ways than I'll ever be able to truly appreciate.

Ed is one of a kind. He's seen me at my best and regrettably at my very worst,and still manages to find my company satifactory. He has a temper worthy of an Irishman, but a capacity for forgiveness that boggles my mind. He lets me sleep in and makes me breakfast in bed and he doesn't laugh when my bathng suit is too small and gives me a permanent wedgie. He spoils me rotten but is the first to serve a reality check when needed. He is hysterically funny and a better story-teller than Aesop himself. His work ethic is unrivaled by anyone in our aquaintance. He works hard (and then even harder) at a career he doesn't even like to ensure we have a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and enough left over to splurge when we want to. AND he doesn't make me pay the bills! He doesn't heed any of my advice but he's always willing to listen to it.

It has been a long hard road for the two of us, but I know without the shadow of any doubts, that I made the right choice that day in April. If we have another 8 years that are half so fun as these last 8 have been, I'll find myself so truly blessed.

Pain, thy name be Slipper Socks.

2010-03-31T15:13:00.007-12:00

If you haven't fallen down the stairs lately, you may have forgotten just how badly it hurts to land bottom side down on the edge of a wooden step. My tailbone won't be able to forget for at least the next week.

I knew the slipper socks were a bad idea as soon as I spotted them at Old Navy. All stripey cuteness but two sizes too big. I reasoned with myself, that slippers don't really have to fit, I mean I won't be going in public with them and maybe, JUST maybe, the extra space would generate more heat (?) and keep my toes extra warm. Not exactly the type of thinking that can get a girl into Harvard, but it worked. I went home with canoe sized slipper socks.

As predicted they are super comfortable, but so big that in order to wear them properly the heel sits somewhere around my calf. It looks ridiculous, but my toes have been kept warm for weeks. In retrospect, I probably should have put them away as soon as the cat started attacking my feet in a bid to eat the dangling pom-pom's. A rational person would have saved their legs the abuse, but as we learned earlier, rational thinking isn't exactly my forte'.

The "accident" occurred last night. After putting the kids to bed I looked down and realized my feet appeared to be 3 feet long. As I walked my feet were sloshing around in the slippers (AKA canoes of death) like melted ice cubes in a cooler. In the ultimate act of laziness I decided to forgo pulling them up and headed for the stairs. I made it all the way down and then as I hit the first wooden step on the landing my world turned upside down.

I'm sure it was just a matter of me falling straight on my arse, but in my mind I did a Triple Salchow good enough to make Brian Boitano cry. As my tailbone found the edge of the stair it was a "CRACK" heard round the world.. Pain I haven't felt the likes of erupted from my butt in wave after wave of misery. And instead of screaming or cursing (my usual modus operandi where pain is involved) I actually thought "I'm alright! I'm OK. I'm alright, I'm OK" It's a technique I honed (much to my sisters chagrin) while in labor with my first daughter and it hasn't failed me yet!

So, what did we learn today? Buy slippers that fit or pull them before attempting to walk anywhere near or around stairs. And secondly, I'm an idiot.

FLORIDA: Meeting the Twins.

2010-03-21T09:28:00.004-12:00

One of the things I was MOST looking forward to on this trip was meeting the latest additions to the Maurer/Fiore/Thomas clan. Jaxon & Jaylynn. They are of course, absolutely DARLING!! Sadly, My camera battery died 5 minutes after we walked through the door, so I wasn't able to get any spectacular pictures of them, but you can tell from the few I did manage to capture that Jennifer, Jason and big brother Justin are so blessed!

We were originally going over for a BBQ but the stars just didn't line up and we were only able to stay a couple of hours. :(

FLORIDA: Happy Birthday to ME! :)

2010-03-18T15:39:00.003-12:00

11680 Days
1664 Weeks
384 Months
32 Years.

I didn't think Ed would be able to top last years "All day Shopping Birthday Extraveganza" but springing for a trip to Florida that just happened to fall on my birthday was pretty gosh darn awesome.

Yes, I was happy to see all of our old friends, yes I loved having a hotel room right on the ocean, were the five star restaurants a treat? You bet! But there was one thing that made this birthday (and trip for that matter) absolutely spectacular: GOODWILL. No, I don't mean like goodwill toward your fellow man, I mean Goodwill, like the thrift store.

As soon as we got into town I was itching to pass the kiids off to Ed and get to work on finding some bargains. And did I ever. The Stuart, Jensen Beach and PSL Goodwills are the BOMB. Yes, you have to dig a little and sort through each and every piece sometimes, but in the end I struck it rich. I hit the Gymboree/Baby Gap MOTHERLOAD, most of which still has the original tags on them. Woot Woot!

My name is Leslie and I am a Goodwill whore.
I stopped trying to deny it years ago.

BEST BIRTHDAY EVER! :)

Photo by Dominick Fiore.
He's got skillz.

FLORIDA: Bowling & the art of being exhausted!

2010-03-18T14:54:00.002-12:00

One of the highlights of this trip was being so fortunate to spend time with our old friends the Cristoforo's. Wednesday night we were treated to a DELICIOUS dinner in downtown stuart, followed by family bowling. "Uncle Mike" taught Dom and Diana how to bowl and the rest of us had an even better time watching them all get the hang of it!

Dom and Diana passed out promptly after the bowling, but I was sure as soon as we got back to the hotel they'd wake up. Not only did they sleep through the extraction from their carseats, they slept all the way up to the hotel, up the elevator, and even slept through their pajama-ing. It's been a LONG time since they've had so much action! LOL

FLORIDA: Fun in the Atlantic

2010-03-18T14:45:00.002-12:00

We were SO excited when the cloud finally parted, the winds died down (sort of) and mother nature gifted us ONE perfect day. The water was still frigid, but somehow Dominick and Diana braved the icy waves and had themselves some fun in the sun!

FLORIDA: Two little Bikers

2010-03-18T14:16:00.003-12:00

With nothing much to do with the Uber gloomy weather we brought with us from TN, we thought the kids might enjoy looking around the local Harley dealership. (AKA: Ed is itching for a new bike)

Dominick was quick to pick out a beautiful 3 wheeler for me and a nice little ride for himself and his sister, sadly (Or thankfully) Ed didn't find what he was looking for so the search for the "perfect ride" continues.