We're Back...

Please appreciate this post.  It took forever because I put up so many pictures.  After logging 1000+ miles on the car (no thanks to yahoo maps which gave us wrong directions on more than one occasion), we have made it home. First off, we would like to thank our wonderful families for providing lodging and tons of yummy food!! You are always welcome here.

We started out meeting my nephew, Matthew, and his girlfriend, Allison, in Indianapolis for some of the best pizza on the planet at Bazbeaux on Mass Ave. Sooo good. Yes, I was hungry, but it really is yum-o pizza. Their cheesy garlic bread, also quite good.




We then headed to Ohio for two nights to visit with cousin T.J., Jenna, Ally, and Annabelle. You guys were awesome hosts, and we had tons of fun. It was great to play euchre again. The kids stayed up both nights until at least 11pm. They were in bed by 9pm, they just enjoyed the company of Ally and Annabelle. Needless to say it definitely started to show within 48 hours.

Lunch at the Park

Noah gives the girls a push on the tire swing

Cheers!!!

Fun in the Pool

I don't know what Noah's deal was... maybe the less than 8 hours of sleep??

I took this picture of Annabelle and just thought it was very cute so I posted it.

T.J. and Jenna watched the kids for us one night so Mike and I could meet Doug and Casey, Mike's sister, at the Cards/Indians game. Okay, I don't know who the guys were that showed up in the Cards' uniforms, but let's just say they were not performing up to par that evening. I am not used to seeing them get goose-egged. I guess the pitcher for Cleveland deserved the Cy Young last year.  (Game photos by Mike)

Progressive Field

Play at the plate...

You're OUT!!!  Heh, heh, heh... (that was the only play worth cheering about.) 

This, my friends, is called a brush back (or more like I'm going to take Albert's head off.)

Go Mustard!!!

Our final day with T.J. and company took us to the Cleveland Zoo. WARNING... ALERT... ALERT... DO NOT GO TO THE CLEVELAND ZOO ON MONDAYS WHEN RESIDENTS OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY GET IN FREE!!! It was sooo crowded. Typically, the zoo charges admission so on free days, it is madness. We did manage to eat lunch and get some Ben & Jerry's as well as visit the Dinosaur exhibit.

We don't have Koalas at our zoo

Jenna and I are ready to star in the next Jurassic Park movie!!

Can you tell my kids are a little leery of the dinosaur??

T.J., Jenna, Ally, and Annabelle

Group hug to say Good-bye

Next we had a brief visit with Grandpa Paradis and Ida in North Olmsted.  Grandpa had a great time visiting with Mike, and Ida kept the kids entertained on the organ.

When your hotel is only 5 minutes from a National Park (Ohio's only), you have to go check it out.  Well, there really isn't much to it except for hiking and biking trails.  I think Glacier Bay National Park (AK) was a bit more scenic.  It took forever to find a "National Park" sign, but we finally did and had to get a photo.  (I remember when we went out West (30 years ago) the "National Park" signs were huge, and we got a photo in front of each one.)

  

Finally, we arrived at Uncle Bill and Aunt Judi's house for a delicious spaghetti dinner.   We got to see Katie, Jessie, and Zack as well as their cousin.  (I feel bad, I can't remember her name.) Bill and Judi's daughter, Tamara, and her family came as well.  The kids had a great time playing with Tamara's daughter, Mia.  They also showed some interest in the baby kittens.  After a nice visit, we headed back to the hotel for a swim before leaving for home the next morning.  Thanks for the memories, everyone!!!

Can you tell our kids are seriously lacking sleep?

So close...

The next LeBron (we won't tell anyone he lowered the goal :-)

Tamara's family

Carlie and Judi have some play time

The Whole Gang

Summer Fashion Forecast

As most of you who know me know, I love Ann Taylor Loft. I would say at least 80% of my wardrobe comes from there. Thankfully, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law know this and keep me stocked up on gift cards. LOFT Trend Director Alia-Ahmed Yahia gave The Budget Babe a sneak peek at this summer's hottest trends. You will see in the video, she is wearing a pretty little dress. I just bought that same dress, but in a blue floral print, last weekend on final sale for $14.88. I think her dress is from the upcoming fall collection, so maybe the blue floral was from this spring. Who cares. It was less than $15!! Love the tunic, but I will wait till it goes on sale. I've got the white denim covered, but I'm not crazy about the hat. How 'bout you... anything you want to buy??

Cardinal Nation Update

It's been some time since I have given an update on Albert and the boys. Well, it's not pretty, and I am glad the Rockies are leaving town after winning three straight. Here are the current standings:











TEAM           W       L          %        GB
Milwaukee  33      24      .579 -
St. Louis       31      26      .544        2.0
Chicago        28      26      .519        3.5
Cincinnati    29      27      .518        3.5
Pittsburgh   26      30      .464       6.5
Houston       25      30      .455       7.0

It's not looking good, but at least we are ahead of the Cubs. Hopefully, they can turn things around as interleague play begins this week. And, I really don't want to go all the way to Cleveland to see them lose. (Photo taken by Me)

Sunday Seconds

Today's installment of Sunday Seconds comes from Texas Rangers' CF Josh Hamilton. If you do not know who he is, Josh was a top draft pick who, in the early 2000's, had a severe addiction to drugs and alcohol that caused him to be suspended from baseball. He now has his life together and made the All-Star team in 2008. Here is Josh's story...

The Work Continues

Actually, the work we were paying Mr. Jim to complete is finished.  I learned quite a few things while he was here.  For instance, the reason our light switches are only 3 feet from the floor is because back in the day, building codes in the area required that fire stops be placed halfway up the wall to prevent the roof from catching fire.  So, the switches were placed below the fire stops instead of above.  My skills at mudding and taping have vastly improved as well.  The big thing I learned is that if we ever move to a bigger house, it will NOT have popcorn ceilings.  It is a pain to scrape off, but if you want to pay me a lot of money I would help you scrape it off.

We just have a lot of sanding and painting to complete. And, the carpet will be put in on June 10th so we will finally have our bed back. Sleeping on the air mattress has caused me to definitely miss my sleep number bed. I am happy and satisfied with everything, and no more renovations will be taking place until student loans are paid off. I will post more updates once we get a little more painting done.

Before painting and sanding is complete...

After painting and sanding and crown/base moulding...

What a ceiling looks like after you take the popcorn off...

This will take some time to sand and paint...

If you have ever been in our house, you may remember the small door in our hallway that housed the switch for the old ceiling fan in our bedroom.  (I know, why would someone wire a ceiling fan into the hallway?)  Anyway, gone now... Whoo-hoo!!

7th Heaven

I finished this book rather quickly. Definitely better than the 5th and 6th installments. I guess the television series based on these books didn't do the books justice because I really think the concept is good. There is an underlying tone that I have noticed... rich people are evil (they are always getting killed), big business is bad. Whatever. At least the whack jobs that are committing the murders are brought to justice in the end (some of them.) Now, I must patiently wait for someone to return the 8th book in this series to the library. Because it is a "New Release", I can't put a hold request on it. Bummer.

Sunday Seconds

Our current sermon series at church is entitled "The Simple Path." The sermons have included video clips from an outreach program called I Am Second. I think for the next several Sundays, I will post some of the videos. You will see several familiar faces and get a glimpse into why they believe what they believe. The first one comes from Dallas Cowboys Tight End Jason Witten. Enjoy.

Free Chocolate is Here!

"Times are tough and we at Mars want to help. How, you ask? Every Friday through September, Mars will give away FREE* real chocolate to 250,000 people. That means you can enjoy your favorite Mars candy brands—M&M'S®, SNICKERS®, TWIX®, 3 MUSKETEERS®, MILKY WAY® and DOVE®— for free*!"

Actually, this promotion from Mars has been going on for several weeks, but I am telling you about it now because I have maxed out my freebies.  Didn't want the 250,000 of you who read my blog to beat me to the chocolate.  You can only sign up four weeks per household.  Anyway, to take advantage of this delish promo click here.

Thursday Thoughts

I received this email from my uncle. So, rather than forwarding it, I decided to post it here.  Enjoy.  It was written by Regina Brett and originally published in The Plain Dealer-Cleveland on Sunday, May 28, 2006...

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.

It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here's an update:

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.

35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative - dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don't ask, you don't get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Patterson Book Reviews

I recently finished the 5th and 6th books in the Women's Murder Club series. In my opinion, they were not as good as the first several. I think his assistant writer, Maxine Patero, is bringing in too much love triangle stuff into the mix. If I wanted to read a romance novel, I would read a book with Fabio on the cover. Get back to the "I can't believe they just killed off that character" theme. Makes for a much better page turner.

Carlie Graduates

My apologies for the delay is posting this.  Things have been quite crazy around here.  Last Thursday was Carlie's Pre-K graduation.  She still has one more week of school, but they mainly just have Kindergarten testing.  She had a special part where she said Ephesians 6:1, unfortunately we sat on the wrong side and got no pictures of that.  Carlie has learned so many things and is reading short books, telling time, and wants to tie her own shoes by the end of summer.  The pic with Daddy didn't turn out well so it isn't on here.  

 

GCA's 2 Prek-K classes.  Carlie is on the bottom right.

After receiving her diploma.

With Grammy and Pawpaw.

With Little Bro.

With me.

Her teacher, Mrs. O.

Friends, A.C. and K.P.

Work in Progress

So far things are going smoothly on the room makeover.  We did discover what was behind door #1 on our ceiling.  A big box not connected to the attic with a large slab of insulation.  Our contractor had never seen anything like it, and he has been building and remodeling houses for a long time.   Interesting.

Apparently the carpet has been changed a few times.

The secret behind door #1

The Bachelorette: Keeping My Word

Yes, it is that time again. Another ridiculous season of the Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise. I say "ridiculous" because after last season's scripted fiasco blew up in ABC's face, it is hard telling what they have up their sleeve this time. But, as I said when Bachelor Jason ended, I am not going to watch this season. In case you haven't heard, this season has not even finished filming, which leads me to believe ABC could go in all sorts of directions with this to give us a "shocking" finale. I'm sure they have paid Jillian a nice chunk of change to sign on the dotted line and take part in this. From the looks of the previews, the only prerequisite for the 30 guys trying to make a name for themselves in Hollywood is to look good with their shirt off. Enough about that. I took the liberty of finding a few of these hopefuls to blog about...

Jillian... we all know about her.

Mike.  Okay, I think this guy seems a little "too perfect" and looks to be as cocky as A-Rod, but he has two things going for him.  One, his name.  Two, he owns a baseball camp.  How cool is that?

Mike.  A break dancer.  Really?  Did you try out for "So You Think You Can Dance?" and get rejected so you thought this was the next best thing?  Or, are you hoping by appearing on Bachelorette that "Dancing With the Stars" will pick you up and add a break dancing element?

Greg.  The only reason I have him on here is because he strangely looks like a morph of Jason and Jeremy from Season Deanna.  Am I right?

Kipton.  If it wasn't for his name, this guy would be super cute.  Maybe he was named after a grandparent's last name or something.  And, he has the same haircut as my hubby.  I see him making it a long way unless he is a total jerk.  

Juan.  He's a general contractor.  Jillian's an interior designer.  They could have one awesome house if they got married.  And, he's from Argentina so he could have a cool accent.

Caleb.  Thought he was trying out for the David Cook (American Idol winner) look-alike contest.

So, that about covers it.  Since the likelihood of a marriage coming out of this is slim to none, I guess the main draw for this show is which one of these lads can ABC convince and pay enough to be their next Bachelor.

Sleeping on the Couch

Well, work on our bedroom is underway so we have been sleeping on the foldout sofa.  It hasn't been that bad, but it will be nice to have all the furniture back where it goes as well as having a 21st century bedroom.  We decided to go ahead and get the remaining popcorn scraped off in the kitchen/dining room areas so everything will be smooth.  Craziness to come, but well worth it.  I will keep you posted on progress.  

Tomorrow we will learn what is lurking behind door #1...

The only two lights in the entire room...

Don't ever buy a house with 30-year-old wallpaper.  The glue doesn't come off the wall.  Don't you love the hidden stencil that was revealed as well as the stylish wicker fan??

Happy Mother's Day

This morning we went to brunch at O'Charley's. The "Kids Eat Free Everyday" is a nice incentive. Carlie had her heart set on their mini blueberry muffins and had a near meltdown when she found out they had taken them off the menu. Gasp! Luckily they did have mini cinnamon sugar donuts with cream cheese dipping sauce that did satisfy. Guess who ate most of those? No, not me. Noah, plowed through them. I think there were 12. I looked down half way through my first one to see only three left and his face covered with cinnamon, sugar, and cream cheese dip.  That boy can eat.  

When we got home, we took a few pics outside.  

My egg and cheese brunch quesadilla... Yum!!

Ha Ha, I got the last donut!!!

Get your cinnamon and sugar paws off the donuts!!!

Maybe these are better than the blueberry muffins...

Just a Reminder

Today is...

National Day of Prayer

Photo from flickr.com

It's never too early to start, 

It's never too late to start.

He's always listening.

101 Things...

You should do with Your Kids Before They Leave Home. I am a little behind on my book review postings. Believe it or not, I have finished 2 more Patterson Women's Murder Club books and am currently reading the 5th in the series. Anyway, here is a sampling of some things to do with your kids before they leave home... (all photos from flickr.com)

35. Dance together in the ocean waves.

64. Pile up the pillows, dim the lights, and watch a movie.

79. Instill a passion for Thriftiness.

93. Model the value of hard work and self-discipline.

Derby Day

I could really care less that Paris Hilton will be at the Derby. If I were to wager, which I won't, I would put my money on Chocolate Candy. Why? Duh, chocolate candy is the best thing ever invented (besides electricity.) A little FYI, the horse is owned by Jenny Craig. Yes, that Jenny Craig. Odds are 18-1 so that's a big payout should you go with it. Can Paris Hilton spell "D-E-R-B-Y"? Something tells me she can spell Mint Julep.