Maamoun Madness

2012-01-01T20:31:00.001-06:00

Family Photo Shoot, Fall 2011

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Summer Finally!

2011-06-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

Rawia's Soccer Season

2011-06-11T18:55:00.000-05:00

Rawia played for the Spartan JV team this year. It was a COLD season, but she REALLY enjoyed it!
Here are some of the highlights from the season.

BURRRRRRRRRRR! :)

Memorial Day Weekend!

2011-05-29T21:31:00.003-05:00

Saturday night we took Papa out for dinner. We all had a great time. Ahmed and I learned LOTS!

In the car, ready to go to town for dinner. We were all really hungry. Papa and I sat in back and enjoyed the ride. Ahmed graciously drove us.

Ready for some steak at Grizzly's. After Ahmed and I had finished our steaks and Papa was still working on his, I told him if he couldn't finish it all, we could surely get him a box, not that there was any rush, we didn't need to be back at work until Tuesday. His reply was that if we had the time, he thought he had a little more room right over "here" and he pointed to the right upper quadrant of his abdomen. I think we were done with our steaks first because Papa was entertaining us with his stories while trying to eat his. :)

On the way home, we stopped at the Windmill on Hwy 13 and took pictures. No sooner did we get out of the car and in front of the windmill, than it started to pour rain! It doesn't look like it from the pictures at all, but it was POURING rain. We had a beat it back to the car pretty fast, where we got to enjoy a nice rainbow, of course! ;)

How can you beat this?

Number {4} of 12 in 11 Challenge (yes, I know I skipped 3!)

2011-04-24T19:51:00.000-05:00

Actually, if you've been paying attention, we kind of skipped the rest of March and almost all of April too! Not really, but boy, where does the time go?

Oh yes, FBLA meetings, State meets, Mock trial meets, now soccer (and that's just for Rawia).

Honors Choir and an upcoming dance recital for Maddy and gearing up for soccer for Ali.

Various Birthdays, out of town weekends, a play at The Guthrie, a multitude of exams and other commitments. Research papers are being worked on while courses are being taught and a contract was renewed.

Yes, life goes on and Spring has FINALLY arrived.

Ahmed has a new lens for his camera and has been freezing at Rawia's soccer games and practices a few nights a week.

I really should give him the password to this blog.

I promise I'll catch up soon.

But today we went to Barker's Island where I was the willing subject so he could play with his new lens. 300 feet he told me. But the magnitude of what that really would mean to me didn't sink in until I saw the pictures.

I should have taken a hint when he asked me if I wanted to put on more makeup - more color, before we left the house. "No silly!!! I said, it's Sunday and we're just goofing around!"

In the spirit of which I like to do things, (because I like to laugh at myself), I not only post the really nice shot he got (and okay, he's got some pretty kickin' software he manipulates it with too), but some of the outakes and CLOSE ups too.

Our first beautiful weekend day!

My Chief Photog

Birthday Dinner at Hanabi

2011-03-06T18:08:00.000-06:00

I went out for dinner on Saturday for my Birthday with Heidi at Hanabi. Had to take this picture of "my" name on the chalkboard. :) This young man prepared our sushi as we sat at the sushi bar. He was very intent on his work and we did not distract him at all!

Here was our dinner. The Phoenix Roll and the Mango Roll. It was DELICIOUS!

Number {2} of 12 in '11 Challenge

2011-03-04T05:01:00.008-06:00

Yeah, this pose will be a GREAT idea!!!!!

Month # 2 of the challenge. This month I did a little flirting with my Mac. Of course I had to put on a little music. Kind of like taking a whiskey shot I suppose. A little Lady Gaga playing. "What ya doin' in there, Ang?" STUDYING! I'm STUDYING! I'll be right out!!!! :)

Even though I'm posting this in March, the photos were taken on 2/27/11. I swear! And yes, I took them "myself". I'm still good with the challenge. Notice a pattern here? I seem to leave this until the end of the month. I plan to get more creative and have others in the photos with me. I just find that the months get away from me FAST! DRAT! It's the end of the month! My photo submission! My personal challenge that I committed to! That no one cares about or knows about or will remember but ME! :)

I just had my drivers license renewed at the DMV last week and after I left, I wished I had done something quirky like this - looked up and to the corner with my eyes. How often do you have to whip out your license? And who really cares? Darn - Oh well - in 2019 hopefully I'll still be SPICY and think of it then and plan ahead when the DMV attendant says "look straight ahead". :)

An interesting time

2011-02-28T22:12:00.001-06:00

In addition to Ahmed's normal lecture schedule (Marketing courses), he's been asked to speak for an International Studies Course twice now - 2 hours doing a Q & A session on what recently went on in Egypt. Some students not enrolled in the course have asked if they can sit in on the session.

More recently, Ahmed has been asked to guest lecture for a Sustainability Management course to discuss the recent protests across the Middle East and how the situation will impact the price of oil and ultimately our gas prices here at the pump.

Its' a very interesting time, indeed!

It's almost March!

2011-02-26T09:08:00.005-06:00

Boy, have I been neglecting my Blog. I'm sorry. It's been SO busy. I know, it's a bad excuse.

It seems like I get one exam done and I have to just study like crazy for the next one.

Ali and Rawia are signing up for next years' classes and taking Advanced courses. They have me signing something every week for them. Rawia continues with FBLA. Ali has a busy social life and is gone a lot lately. Rawia continues to babysit occasionally.

Maddy had "The Movie" this week at school (about puberty) but had no questions for me when I asked her since I had bought her the American Girl book about this stuff quite a while ago. But she was happy to score another mini deodorant out of the deal from school. :) She cracks me up!

Ahmed's calendar is full of speaking engagements regarding the Egyptian Revolution and the current Oil/Gas prices due to the current Middle East situation, i.e. Egypt/Syria for example.

We are a busy family and barely are in one place at the same time, but we are all still here.

I'll post a few random pictures from recent activities. None of them are of us all together, but we all sleep at home and say "good morning" "good night" and "how was your day?" :)

Maddy and her dear friend, Noor.... just being cool.

Maddy and I at Pizza Luce' for breakfast. Our favorite breakfast spot!

Maddy doing homework in my office. I'm sitting across from her studying. She got stuck and I (Mom of the year that I am) said "why don't you Facetime your Dad and ask him to help you" - so I could continue to study myself. She has her iPod touch in her hand. If you want to learn more about FaceTime, check out this link. The Apple videos take a really long time to load. You need to wait until the black bar loads across and the video will start automatically, but it's well worth it. This is how Maddy and I communicate each night she's at her Dad's and she communicates with her Dad this way too. We really enjoy FaceTime. :) We love Apple products. So, in this picture, her Dad's face is on the screen of her iPod touch she's holding in her hand and her Dad can see her face also. If you already understood this, I'm sorry to bore you with this lesson. :)

Another picture of Maddy and Noor. This time they were at the Symphony. I know, what kind of symphony is this? It was a Pops Concert. ABBA Mania! It was AWESOME! Heidi had four tickets for her Birthday in early February and decided to take Maddy and myself along with herself and Noor to the concert. It was a really fun night! The show was amazing, the girls had a blast and at the end for the last few songs, several people who could not contain themselves went to the front of the auditorium and danced. Our little girls joined them. We were hoping they would not get trampled. They survived. They were obviously having a really great time!

*** please excuse the red/white eyes - it's the best my phone could do.

Rawia - hanging out with her Dad at UMD. I LOVE this smile!

Ali at UMD. Picture taken in Ahmed's office. "Property of Superior Spartan's" :) Love it!

Celebrating Freedom the night President Mubarak stepped down after ruling Egypt since October 6, 1981. (the day Anwar Sadat was assassinated in a Coup) I really thought he'd hang on. I think Ahmed did also. I was in disbelief when I heard the news at work on this Friday, 2/11/11. 18 days after the people started to protest. Most people don't know how it all started. Do you wonder how it all started? How hundreds of thousands of people showed up in Tahrir Square (which isn't a square, it's a big circle, and was extremely hard HARD to cross in 2004, when we tried to get to the Egyptian Museum) on January 25, 2011?

There are a couple of key people that set things in motion and Ahmed is way better at explaining this than I am, but key people to read about are Wael Ghonim and Klahed Said. Facebook had a lot to do with bringing people together, hence the internet being cut and Ahmed not being able to reach his family on and off during the "revolution". The power of these people was amazing!

I posted this 3 minute VIDEO on Facebook on 2/12/11 for my American friends to watch. It's really moving. I encourage you to watch it. Here is the status update that went along with the video. I wrote... "Stunning video and nice summary (for lack of a better word) of the past 18 days in Egypt. I stole this from my BIL's wall. The song is so pretty. My husband said it's from 1973, from the Egyptian war with Israel. It's a nice tribute to some of the many people who gave their lives in this cause. Plus, the Egyptian flag is SO gorgeous. Proud to be married to an Egyptian. :) Praying for a smooth transition. Peace."

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T07:16:00.000-06:00

I thought a picture known as "The Kiss that ended the war" (in 1945 between a sailor and a nurse in Times Square marking the end of WWII) would be a GREAT way to celebrate Valentine's Day! The photo is, perhaps the most famous kiss in the world.

We all know it, right? It was published in Life Magazine.

The famous nurse is Edith Shain, who passed away this past summer (2010) at the age of 91. The sailor, we may never know. 10 different men claim to be the sailor that kissed Edith Shain. But there was probably a lot of kissing going on in Times Square during this celebration.

Regardless, it remains one of my favorite pictures of all time.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Maddy and Noor

2011-02-08T07:25:00.000-06:00

Maddy and Noor spent most of their time together Saturday sitting on the love seat playing on their iPods, teaching each other new Apps to download. It was a very subdued Saturday for them. Kind of strange. SO grown up! So quiet. So polite at lunch.

But right before it was time to leave, things returned to "normal" and out came the "props".

I like them both ways!

Number {1} of 12 in '11 Challenge

2011-01-31T22:30:00.003-06:00

Well, here it is... just a little over an hour to spare before it will be February. But if there's one thing I do well, it's work with a deadline! I believe I committed (at least in my mind) myself to this self-portrait challenge. Boy, did the month of January ever get away from me! I can't believe it's gone!

Did you know that a self portrait means that you actually have to click the shutter yourself? I did NOT when I even let the THOUGHT of this self portrait challenge pass through my mind. I just thought I'd allow a photo to be taken of me once a month. Hmmmm. But then I got to thinking. And I wanted to do this right if I was going to do it at all. This was much more involved than I imagined. What really constitutes a self portrait?

I got to know my camera's timer. It's good to know how to use it. :)

So, for my first month's submission, this picture pretty much sums up my life right now. Studying. Tonight I celebrate passing my first Nursing Health Alterations Exam with a 92%.

Play Date

2011-01-28T05:57:00.000-06:00

Charlotte came over to play American Girl dolls last weekend. I really wanted to study and this kept Maddy busy and we have really been wanting to have Charlotte over. She was a very nice guest. Have I mentioned how much I like her dimples?

Maddy is twice Charlotte's age. Maddy being 10 and Charlotte being 5. Maddy mothers Charlotte. It's kind of sweet and Charlotte tolerates it well.

Notice my "new" hand me down Corelle dishes? When I served Maddy's pasta this way one other day (plate underneath the bowl) she said out loud "Oooh, I feel fancy!". Well, isn't that what life is all about anyway? Feeling fancy. If she feels fancy from the Corelle dishes, then Amen! :)

When lunch was almost over and Charlotte said she was done, Maddy said "how old are you, Charlotte?" And Charlotte told her she is 5 years old. Maddy said "then you need to take 5 more bites". And so Charlotte tried to do that. I haven't used that trick with Maddy for a LONG time. Yep. She's twice Charlotte's age. And using it to her FULL advantage. And she winked at me a lot over Charlotte's head and told me how cute she was. :)

New Years Eve Sleepover

2011-01-26T05:45:00.001-06:00

Teagen, Meradith and Madison on New Years Eve. They insisted on sleeping in "the cave". They were also pretty sure they were going to stay up until midnight. They were equipped with sour candy in case they got sleepy. Of course they didn't make it. But they had fun trying.

Chance made us Cousins. Hearts made us Friends.

Almost 40 years later.....

2011-01-23T07:43:00.002-06:00

I just wanted a nice picture with my OLDER brother.

Todd, did you smile nice for that last picture? Yes, I smiled just like THIS!

Let's try it one more time. Smile really nice, Todd!

*no one was injured during this photo shoot

yes, our Christmas really WAS Merry and Bright!

Once Upon a Toothless Grin :)

2011-01-17T06:33:00.000-06:00

This is Charlotte. She was on a REAL mission on Christmas. She was working on getting her first tooth out. She didn't enjoy hearing my ideas about tying a string around both her tooth and the doorknob and slamming the door. I sure hope I didn't give her bad dreams!

Exactly two days later, on December 27th, I received a text message from Chris with this photo attached. A VERY proud Charlotte, indeed! With one less tooth and probably a little cash in her pocket.

LOVE those dimples! WAY TO GO, CHARLOTTE!

Christmas Continues

2011-01-13T05:38:00.002-06:00

Teagen, Meradith, Rawia, Madison. Patiently waiting to open gifts. So hard to wait.

Our newest addition, Charlotte. We were so THRILLED to have her join us this year! I believe we overwhelmed her when she came in the door. She brought her brand new American Girl doll that Santa brought her just that morning! And all 6 of us converged on her when she walked in the door and all started talking to her at once.....

This was the result of my endless continuing questions in the living room. I've gotta get me one of these invisible shields! They work GREAT! :)

The grill master opening his meat thermometer. Teagen patiently waiting.

Todd was really excited about his bag. And whatever else was inside.

Mom and Dad really adored the picture Rachel had taken of the three of them. It turned out really sweetly.

RaeAnn puts up with our craziness year after year so patiently. :)

*Note - yes, I realize this post lacks wit. :)

A New Year..... New Possibilities!

2011-01-11T07:34:00.007-06:00

I'll admit it, I'm a little late getting REALLY excited about the new year. I was doing FINE. We moved the TV out of the living room and I was ELATED. (thanks for helping with yet ANOTHER project, little brother!) We're enjoying the fireplace so much more and it was a SWEET change for us. Especially me. I couldn't be happier with our GROWN UP living room.

But when THIS GIFT fell into my lap last Thursday, well TAKE MY BREATH AWAY!

I just might start blogging beyond Christmas now!

My camera broke last May. I took 99 pictures at Maddy's dance recital. On the 100th picture it would not shoot. Ahmed tried to have it repaired for me, but to no avail. I LOVED that little Sony Cyber Shot! LOVED it! The way it fit in my hands. It was MY camera. It was perfect.

It's gone. I haven't been blogging.

I've been spending HOURS emailing pictures from Ahmed's laptop to my Mac so I could blog Christmas. They are HEAVY pictures from his new Nikkon.

I can borrow the Nikkon when I want to, but that's not the same. Not spontaneous.

Enter this little sweet camera. 7.1 megapixels. 18X zoom. Me. In. Heaven.

I'm even contemplating a photo challenge for myself for 2011. A "12 in '11" if you will. 12 self portraits in 2011. We shall see. Self portraits don't all have to be of my FACE. They may all be of my FEET. I was inspired by a fellow blogger named Julie Kittredge.

Oh, and I'm hoping to use more glitter on things this year too. :)

Let the Christmas festivities begin.... well.....

2011-01-09T15:03:00.002-06:00

I know - Christmas has actually been over for QUITE a while, but we have a LOT of pictures. Like 400 of them! I'm NOT even kidding! So, sit back, relax and get ready for some Christmas posts. :)

Ahmed and Ali relaxing before the meal and just being... well, Middle Eastern men. Middle Eastern men NEVER help or ask if there's anything they can do to help with the meal. :) At least mine don't!

Papa carving up the Prime Rib. Yumzo! It was delicious!

Thank you Mom for making such a lovely meal! It was DELICIOUS! Here is what she was saying to me as we posed for this picture.... "I don't have any lipstick on". Neither did I. :)

Do I have the cutest sister with the cutest smile EVER? YES! and dimples!

She was diligently getting that horseradish out and I was just horsing around (as usual!).

These two look like trouble!

Were there even any little kids at our Christmas? hee hee

Oh What a Night!

2011-01-03T20:55:00.004-06:00

Todd with that award winning smile of his!

Rachel, no doubt fact checking something on her smart phone, that her older sister said - making sure it's FACT!

Ahmed's and mine dinner. This is how the surf and turf looked this year. Very artfully presented. A new chef at the KGC for sure. All about presentation and it was DELICIOUS!

Does anyone remember what this was called? It was the first course and was intended to start your taste buds a - working for the meal. If anyone wants to chime in and *gasp* register with an email account and actually leave me a message on the blog and tell me what this was called - we all enjoyed it - the first one to do so will win a prize. I'm not sure what yet. I really cannot remember what it was called. I even tried googling it. But I can call KGC to find out if you're right if you take the trouble to leave a comment! *GASP!* Good luck! I'm guessing I won't have to come up with a prize OR call the KGC. But it was an interesting first course. :)

Our Chief Photog! He doesn't mind all the grumbling. He keeps shooting the pictures anyway! Thanks honey. You da best!

Mom and Dad, 43rd Anniversary! Wow!

I smile because you are my sister..... I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it! ---- Author unknown

Todd and RaeAnn enjoying melba toast and horseradish.

Kitchi Gammi Club/CP's Birthday

2011-01-02T20:48:00.005-06:00

Could it be I haven't updated the blog since September? What in the world have I been doing?

I'll start with 12/21. It was Chris' 29th Birthday (though he looked 19 in his argyle sweater) and it was also our night to celebrate Mom and Dad's 43rd anniversary at the Kitchi Gammi Club. It was a lovely evening!

Some good shots of Chris and Staci before dinner.

So sweet. I think they got some coaxing from the photographer. I'm not sure though.

Aaah, his Birthday cake was served! So lovely!

Then his sisters had to come and ruin it! :) What was the "thumbs up" sign all about, anyway?

It was an absolutely LOVELY evening. Thank you Mom and Dad!

Thanksgiving Weekend Fun

2010-12-05T07:47:00.003-06:00

What fun we have when the guys go out of town! ;)

Yes, I'm an Iron Girl!

2010-10-06T21:01:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, 9/26/10, we woke up at 4:30 a.m., drank some coffee fast, ate some peanut butter toast and grabbed a banana, slathered on the sunblock and pinned on our race numbers. We left the condo by 5:30 to join 989 of our closest friends at Normandale Lake in Bloomington, MN to "rack our bikes". We had to be done with that by 6:30 a.m. We were ready to race.

Ready to RUN 2 miles, then jump on our bikes and ride 22.7 miles around Bloomington, MN and then rack our bikes once more and RUN 2 more miles around Normandale Lake ONE more time - just for fun, on ultra rubbery legs, let me tell you!
But I did it! I achieved my personal goal of running the entire time. The two miles before the biking was no problem. The two miles after the biking I knew would be a challenge, but I took it slow and I did it! NO walking! I passed quite a few people who were walking, and I was passed by a few people who were able to run faster than me in the end. But that's okay. It was a very individual race. I did all of this in 2 hours 31 minutes. I was hoping for 2:30. It's okay. Next year. :) If I look a little more tired than some in the picture, it's because 2 of them had started 10 minutes before me due to age, so were in different waves. So, they had 10 minutes to relax and I had just run in when this picture was taken. The other two also had 10 minutes to relax, but had started with me. They are just stronger than me. :)
After the race, we returned to the condo and had a nice relaxing time in the hot tub before showers and then Thai food at Sawatee in Downtown Minneapolis. Just a few blocks from the Metradome. We were HUNGRY!
I bought Maddy this T-shirt and I told her she can wear it as PJs if she wishes, but she said she'd like to wear it to school the next day if that was okay. Of course! I was quite happy about that. :) She came downstairs the next morning with a turquoise long sleeved t-shirt on underneath it, matching hair ties, earrings, black leggings and looking oh so cute. Ta-Da is what she said. :) Notice her cute new glasses too. She was all too happy to strike a pose on her way out the door to school.

I told her if anybody tries to mess with her, remind them that her Mom's an Iron Girl. ;)

Here we go!

2010-09-25T06:38:00.003-05:00

Heading out this morning for Bloomington for our packet pick up. Me and four friends who have committed to this Duathlon.

Leaving Duluth at 9:30 this morning. Haven't slept a wink since 4 a.m. Suspecting tomorrow morning will be much the same. With more jitters. :)

My sweet co-workers gave me a card yesterday they all signed saying "consider yourself believed in". A "you can do it", "way to go", "you go girl" kind of card. And a ring that says "Nothing is impossible". I was deeply touched.

My family also keeps reminding me "you got this thing". :)

Better finish packing.

American Girl Store

2010-08-22T07:48:00.003-05:00

In July, Ali and Rawia went to visit their Uncle and Aunt in Ohio. We drove them to Minneapolis to the airport to catch their plane. They were very excited for their trip. :)

We went to the Mall of America first and had a quick lunch at Chipotle, our favorite place. Then we got them off on their flight.

We didn't have enough time before their flight to visit the AG store, so we actually went BACK to the MOA so Maddy could visit the American Girl store at her leisure. She had some Birthday money to spend. (Thanks Nana and Papa!) She went through the entire store, which is two stories and it took about 1 hour for her to see everything. Twice. For this trip, she brought "Kaya" along.
Here she is, in front of one of the many "Kit" displays. Kit was Maddy's very first American Girl doll. Maddy also has Ruthie, Kit's friend. The displays were really adorable!
Another Kit and Ruthie display. Notice that Kaya is dressed in Kit's outfit on this particular day. A new dress was bought at the AG store and Kaya was changed into that in the car on the way back home. :)

Staycation

2010-08-08T18:44:00.007-05:00

In July, I took a week off and we mostly had a relaxing week around home. The best part was Maddy didn't have to go to Barnyard Buddies all week! :) Tuesday we spent the day with Nana, Meradith and Teagen at Amnicon Falls etc, which was a FUN day! I forgot to take any pictures of course.

Wednesday we spent a rainy day with Heidi and Noor. We started out at Pizza Luce for breakfast. Yumzo!

Then moved on to the Children's Museum.
The girls got the idea to hang their tickets from their glasses.
Had a get a picture of the gift shop sign!
Maddy and Noor made these fun girls out of popsicle sticks and googley eyes, markers, yarn and pipe cleaners. So much fun!
Then we played for a long time with these twisty sticks. Heidi spelled out each girls' name. Isn't this lovely?
On to visit the trains. They sure were neato! :)
Love this OLD taxi!
Our last stop was at Hell Burger on Canal Park. Formerly called Hell's Kitchen. Maddy wasn't entirely sure we should go inside because of the name. She thought she was doing something very wrong. Once we convinced her it was okay. The girls came up with the name "Beep Burger" so as not to say Hell.

Here they are playing a game of Clue while waiting for our burgers. The food was EXCELLENT! I cannot wait to go back!
Oh, the girls thought they were SO funny after they had figured out the game and were a bit more comfortable at "Beep Burgers". I think Mrs. Peacock did it in the Library with the Candlestick! :)
One more quick picture outside. Such a hip place. 3 really awesome places visited on this day. Staycations are FUN! :)

Dream. Nest.

2010-07-18T11:04:00.005-05:00

I spend WAY too much time online looking at other people's blogs for creative ideas. I would love to make a hideaway for myself like this one. Mmmmm hmmmm. Even in a little corner of the basement. Wouldn't it be cute? In the back yard would be cuter - under a tree, but what would the neighbors think? I have enough doors to make it so - and probably windows too. :)
Yummy rusty metals.
Cute DREAM banner. Hey, I could make one of these myself... TODAY!
Glitter in salt and pepper shakers. I do that! Note to self - keep eyes peeled for fancy salt shakers with dome tops and fancy little vintage tray for keeping them all together. :)
What a cute little composition book. I have a blank one of those in my office right now - I think.... or did one of the girls take it? Great idea for a composition journal! :)

Where do you get your inspiration from?

A look back in time

2010-07-11T18:26:00.003-05:00

When my office was neat.... Just kidding! It's been a year since I've been in my office and to celebrate I tried to clean up a bit on Saturday morning. Now, on Sunday night as I look around, I really cannot tell I cleaned up.

Here is what I can see....

Skip-Bo cards on the desk from a game played with Maddy last night.

Maddys Nintendo DS Charger.

A couple of magazines.

3 containers filled with daisies lovingly picked by Maddy (love this!),

a few littlest pet shop pets (Maddys)

a damp towel thrown on the floor from after Maddy's shower after we returned from the beach today, (i better pick that up off the hardwood, huh?)

the beach bag,

some stuffed animals (????),

some clothes,

a Microbiology book,

some cafe curtains waiting to be hemmed - I don't own a sewing machine - I really should put them in a drawer somewhere,

some anti itch cream for Maddy's bug bites,

a 401K statement

and a bowl from the cereal I just ate for dinner because all the steak was gone when I got home from the beach. But that's okay. :)
Here is another picture I came across. This one makes me smile. It was around midnight when I was painting this radiator. One year ago last week. Should I paint it or not? What a SILLY question! It's not a decoration for pete's sake! Help it blend into the wall the best it can! Of course you should paint it! But I wasn't sure. Not until I started. And then I remember grabbing my camera. Back when I had a functioning camera? I really should get that fixed! As soon as I was this far - I knew I had done the right thing and cannot believe I even CONSIDERED leaving it cream to stand out like a sore thumb! ha ha ha What WAS I thinking?

French Lark Spur Giveaway

2010-07-06T07:48:00.002-05:00

Oooh La La! Another giveaway! This time it's at French Larkspur. If you go here and leave a comment, you'll have a chance to win three wonderful prizes. ALL of them. Including the adorable zinc pitcher shown here. Good luck!

The last Peony and some daisies

2010-07-05T10:15:00.005-05:00

This is the last peony of the season in my yard. It's always a very sad time for me. I can't believe it's over. As someone pointed out, they work all year long to give us that show for a few weeks. It was lovely. Thanks!

Loving this little vase from my Mom. Thanks Mom!

And here is a handful of daisies that Maddy picked for me on Friday. I found a salt shaker in my office that wasn't occupied by glitter. I like to keep glitter in salt shakers - It's a great way to use glitter. Anyway, loving this sweet little bouquet in this little shaker. Maddy picks me daisies a lot. Love them. Find them wilted all around the house wherever she sets them down. And she hands them to me and I stick them in my hair. How can you not love daisies?

Remind me why I wanted to be a nurse?

2010-06-30T22:22:00.003-05:00

Because I'm not having any fun studying Microbiology and this isn't making ANY sense. :(

Why didn't God give me a Science brain OR a Math brain? Hmmmmmm.

Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Book Giveaway

2010-06-28T08:05:00.002-05:00

There is a fabulous giveaway going on here if you'd like to check it out for the chance to win Rachel Ashwell's latest book. It's FABULOUS by the way. I have it right now from the library and have renewed it. F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S! There are several ways to win - one is by leaving a comment on the blog post.

Deadline is 6/30, which is quickly approaching! Of course if you win the book, it can definitely reside at my house. I'll proudly display it for you and enjoy pouring over it often. We could have joint custody.

Good luck!

Blooming

2010-06-23T07:18:00.004-05:00

We have some nice things going on in the back yard if you can walk around all of the thistles that are as tall as you are! I gave up on the thistles - the view from the alley - they are giving us even MORE privacy. :) But if you come around the back, we have a few nice things going on.

I cut a new rose daily (that's about how long they last until they shed their petals, but they smell GREAT!) and stick a few daisies in for a really cheery bouquet.

Bloom. Grow. Shine.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-21T07:41:00.003-05:00

Happy Father's Day to two great men. Two Bank Presidents on opposite sides of the globe. Two Fathers. Two Grandfathers. One I never met, only heard great things about. The other who encourages me to this day.

Love you Dad.

Wish I could have met you Fathi.

Happy Father's Day.

A summertime Saturday

2010-06-19T21:01:00.002-05:00

Finally a day nice enough for a lemonade stand.
No one stopped to buy any, but the girls still had fun.
After a nice steak dinner on the grill, the kids made s'mores.
Yep, a very nice summertime Saturday, indeed.

Hope your weekend was equally nice. :)

Cabinet Re-Do Finally All done!

2010-06-09T12:42:00.002-05:00

Remember this? Found it in my alley? Was pretty dirty. Smokey. A good vinegar wipe/rub down took care of that.
Ahmed going out of town another weekend and pressuring me for his parking spot back took care of the painting job. Oh, how I deliberated. I felt guilt. I found the patent on this little baby. It was made in 1905! Wow. 105 years old! Brush in hand, once I got the 5 gallon bucket from little bro open (a job in and of itself - whew!), after the first few brush strokes, I heard police sirens and giggled. They were COMING for me! I turned up my iPod and kept on painting. I wasn't sure I had done the right thing. Not until I started to paint the cute legs!
4 coats of creamy paint later. It's actually been sitting here for some time, but I just moved my bird houses onto it today while taking a study break. And the book underneath? From Mom and Dad's trip to Door County in 1998. :) Sweet! Nests on top from my walks.
Click on picture to enlarge. His and hers birdhouse. Old birchbark birdhouse. My favorite pink birdhouse with metal roof. Underneath right drawer are 4 old door knobs and some large pine cones. Yep. One man's trash. One gal's treasure.

Back to Microbiology. :)

Trying on new glasses

2010-06-05T11:47:00.002-05:00

Does she need them? No. :)
Do I WANT her to have them? YES!

They are SO stinkin' CHEAP for her age! $29 for the lenses! I won't even embarrass myself by telling you how inexpensive these frames were! Wow, wish mine were that inexpensive. My lenses alone are $170! Poor vision will do that to your pocketbook! :)

So, whenever I have to stop by the vision center, and this time it was to order myself some contact lenses, I make Maddy try on new frames. I don't think she enjoys this process as much as I do. :)

I want her to have EVERY color. They are so stinkin' cute! Well, maybe it's just HER that's so stinkin' cute. What do you think????

Happy Memorial Day Weekend, Aman

2010-05-30T08:36:00.004-05:00

Aman, you are terribly missed and most likely getting lots of visitors this Memorial Day weekend, including Ahmed.

This picture was taken on June 20th, 2009. If we had known it was our last day together before your diagnosis in August, surely we would have stayed over night like you and Julie thought was the plan. We would have taken all the kids to the zoo like you guys wanted to do.

I wouldn't have insisted that we didn't pack anything (we hadn't, but could have gone to the store, right?). I wouldn't have used the excuse that I needed to study for my Anatomy and Physiology exam. I mean, I did need to study for that, but I didn't do that well in the class anyway. Time was precious. We just didn't realize it.
Your grilling that day was superb as usual! You did not disappoint. :)
The girls look SO serious in this picture, but really were having a great time. This day is a GREAT memory!

At your Funeral service in March, I cannot tell you how many times I heard the phrase "lit up a room with his smile". Whenever I feel sad because we don't get to see your magnanimous smile here any more, I feel a bit better when I think of how much your Dad is enjoying seeing it again. :)

Happy Memorial Day.

You may say I'm a dreamer

2010-05-20T06:41:00.003-05:00

But I'm not the only one! I hope someday you will join me.... and the world will live as one.

Oh wait.... if you all join me (junking) there will be less (junk) for me! So, never mind. Just keep thinking I'm crazy, okay? :)

Look-y what I had to practically drive AROUND to get down my very own alley!!!!!

This super cool old Victrola cabinet! How cute is it! I wasn't 100% sure. Went back to inspect it after my walk when it was almost getting dark and yep, it was sturdy and in pretty good condition sans doors which I plan to remove and sand that area down and of course paint the entire thing creamy. I won't paint over this inside cover however. Want to preserve this .
Victrola Victor Talking Machine! Name cracks me up! :)
Here it is all at attention with its doors and top closed.
Hole on side where the crank used to be. :) How cute is THAT! You can bet I won't be filling that hole!
Love it's legs! Especially the front ones! And this little baby is sturdy sturdy sturdy!

So, had to walk back down the alley home - tail between legs - to ask for help in carrying it home. That went like this because I could see Ahmed reclined on the sofa with his laptop.....

Me: Honey (very meek, mild mannered, little voice (very very unlike me) can you help me carry something?

Him: What is it? More junk? (He knows me so well, but I can hear him getting up from said sofa)

Me: Well, yes, but it's a really quality piece and I think I could make it very cute.

Him: puts on shoes w/o any complaining and chats while walking down the alley

Me: Can you please whisper - I don't really want the neighbors to see us taking this. (why and HOW do I still have ANY pride left????)

Anyway, it's already aired out quite a bit of the terrible smokey smell and I'm sure this weekend it will get lots of loving attention. I can hardly wait! Stay tuned!

Finally a Junking Project!

2010-05-16T09:12:00.008-05:00

Well, I finally finished my first semester of Nursing School and got to do some junking. It was neighborhood cleanup also, which was great timing! Here is what I made......

I found this great screen with a little scallop design to it leaning up against someone's garbage can. I had a great idea for it!
First I cut the screen out of it with a utility knife trying to stay close to the frame. I used a pair of pliers to pull the remnants of screen out. This part was by far the most irritating part of the project! Next, I rolled out some chicken wire I purchased at Menards (who knew Menards carried chicken wire?). Maddy was my little helper. She wasn't real fond of the project. She preferred to use her hoola hoop. :) I wrestled it in place and got it stapled and then hammered down. I stapled all around and used wire cutters to trim all around it.
Then I sprayed it off good with the hose and scrubbed it with a wire brush to get any dirt off of it, then sprayed it with a can of black semi gloss spray paint. Ahmed pointed out that he'd be shot if he spray painted something on our lawn. :) That lawn should be cut within a few hours of typing this post if all goes well. :)
Here is final product after fussing with it touching up paint here and there and I sprayed the chicken wire too to match - preferring not to leave it shiny silver.
Here it is hung on the wall in the breakfast nook. Maddy helped me get it straight. We just eyeballed it. Yucky plaster wall! Forgot how yucky those are to nail into!

Here is my little helper. She ran and got the tag I drew on Friday night and put it up on the new bulletin board. I drew a little pink dress on it. :) I'm very happy with the project and how quickly I cranked it out. :)

Cost of project:

Screen - FREE

Chicken Wire - roll of 3' X 25' $9.98 (i used hardly ANY of that roll so far)

Can of spray paint $2.47

Dance Recital 2010

2010-05-09T10:03:00.003-05:00

Nice looking group. :)
Strike a pose.
Shooting guns - makes everyone giggle a bit. :)
Great looking group. These girls were a lot of fun!
Having a very fun time!
Posing for the professional photo.
With friend, Hope. They danced a duet together.

A quick Preview!

2010-05-05T07:21:00.001-05:00

Here is a quick preview of what I SHOULD be blogging about.

I have 3 final commitments at school. A 4 hour exam this morning, an online exam on Friday night and a skills check off on Monday morning.

Expect more pictures from the dance recital soon.

Happy Sunshine!

Mom, can I play with your phone?

2010-04-25T10:05:00.002-05:00

While I was driving, Maddy asked if she could play with my phone. There are a lot of games on my phone. She does that sometimes. That's what I assumed she was doing. But when I plugged my phone in to charge it, these photos were imported.

Taking self portraits is always a fun time!

And a picture of "Daisy", her latest Webkins. :)

Hope your weekend was surprisingly nice!

Some cute Chicks!

2010-04-17T22:57:00.007-05:00

On Saturday, I took the girls to see the chicks that a co-worker just got. Mmmm were they cute!
The girls loved LOVED holding the chicks. They are so tiny and sweet. :)
And squirmy! Hard to hold onto.
Then outside to feed the big chickens. They really liked the bread!
Nice, neat and orderly lines there. Not sure what Rawia said to get them to line up that way. :)
Can I throw just a little more bread? Please!?!
Gather 'round ya'll! DO - SI - DO!
Inside the coop - this one was working on laying an egg. We even got to take home a carton of farm fresh eggs. Cannot wait for breakfast tomorrow!
Aren't they somethin'???
And isn't this BACKSIDE cute? Was not an easy shot to get. These critters are pretty darned fast!

Hope you had some time to get out and shake your tail feathers this weekend!

Hugs -

Reading Twilight

2010-04-15T07:19:00.002-05:00

Maddy is reading the Twilight series. Here she is finishing up "Eclipse" and now she's reading the 4th book, but I cannot recall it's name. :)
Aaah yes, a picture is worth 1,000 words. I only needed two. "Breaking Dawn" is the name of the 4th book. And on this day she wore her Twilight T-shirt to school also. :)

Job Shadow Experience

2010-04-13T06:04:00.000-05:00

For a school assignment, Rawia needed to job shadow someone. She really wanted to job shadow an attorney. She was fortunate to be able to shadow an attorney's assistant.

I think this is my favorite picture of her EVER. Love it!
She called me when she was done and I picked her up in downtown Duluth. It was a good experience. :)

Spring Break

2010-04-09T22:16:00.002-05:00

On the Friday of Spring break, Ali and Rawia were with Ahmed at UMD. Maddy and I ran a few errands, stopped by work, an antique shop, ate at Texas Roadhouse and then stopped by Michael's.
It was a really yummy day. :)

Hoppy Easter!

2010-04-04T10:12:00.008-05:00

1908 Chick pulling flower cart.

If this doesn't just put a smile on your face, then nothing will. How precious! LOVE it! Aaaah, baby chicks!

And here's another.... "Easter egg rolling at White House, 1911." Harris & Ewing.

Was ecstatic to find this picture. I had just read an article this morning about egg rolling on the White House lawn and how it's been a tradition since 1878. You can read the article here if you wish. This year the tickets were distributed via an online lottery to allow people from all over the country a chance to participate in this American tradition if they wanted to. (Sorry Dad, the article is MSNBC. That's my default for my LIVE email account and I DO love it. :) I love all that's left - especially my left handed Mum. Plus, I TOTALLY think their reporting on this story was FAIR.) :)

I particularly loved reading how a child could not get in without a parent and visa versa, so in the 1930's, children would scam a quarter out of an adult (who also wanted to get inside) to get them to take them inside - then the child got in, and the adult got to see the meticulous lawns of the White House. It's very rare to have access! One child earned 5 quarters, which was enough to pay his room and board for the month for him, his mother and siblings. Then the police cracked down on that. :)

Read the article if you have a moment. It's sweet.

Hope your Easter is also.

Good Grief!

2010-04-01T20:52:00.005-05:00

With time, women gain weight because we accumulate so much

information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more

room, it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren't heavy,

we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today,

when I look at my butt in the mirror, I will think, Good Grief, look

how smart I am!

Must be where 'Smart Ass' came from. :)

Maple Syrup Time!

2010-03-31T19:52:00.003-05:00

These pictures were taken with my phone. Hence, the poor quality.....

It's Maple Syrup time at NES! I am so glad we managed to get these pictures after dance class Monday! Maddy was very happy to show me "her" trees. This is a project that only the 4th grade at NES does.
Mmmmm - how does it taste? Kinda like water?
The tubing was off.... good thing we checked on it! :)
Checking the tubing on the other bucket. Just needs a bit more tweaking.
The very next day after these photos were taken, the sap was boiled. Fact: It takes 10 gallons of sap to produce one quart of syrup! Wow, huh?

Happy at Hanabi

2010-03-28T19:45:00.005-05:00

We went to Hanabi for Sushi to celebrate our 7th Anniversary on Sunday. It was WONDERFUL and I thank Ahmed for being a trooper, a champ - and trying it. He'd prefer to have a large steak, but we had a blast with this new experience. I was too busy indulging myself to take pictures of him, but he managed to get a few (always!).

Here we are eating Edamame (steamed soy beans in the pod lightly salted - yummy) and Shrimp Wasabi. Mmmmm Hmmmmm.
Had to take a picture of our main course. Isn't the presentation awesome!?! I ordered the Mango Roll (with the yellow mango on top in the above photo) which is Fresh mango and avacado wrapped around tempura crabmeat and apple with mango sauce on top. YUMMMM-O! Ahmed ordered the Phoenix Roll, which is Spicy tuna crunchy wrapped around shrimp tempura and mango with tobiko on top. Also YUMMMMMM-O!

For "dessert" - ha ha, we ordered King Crab Sushi. Yummmy! :) It was all very delicious and a great new thing to try for our anniversary.
On the way out we spotted this adorable little Mini Cooper . Aren't these the cutest little cars? I say I really want one when I graduate and am an RN, but I know I'll still have kids to haul around and it's not practical, plus won't fit any cute tables or hutches that I find kicked to the curb or at estate sales, which is where I plan to spend more of my time after I'm done studying. But it's fun to dream, isn't it???? They even have special mirrors with the British flag on them. Yeah, pretty sure Ahmed wouldn't endorse that upgrade since I've officially broken the mirrors off of two of our vehicles while backing out of various garages. :)

Hope your weekend was equally nice.

Hittin' the books hard

2010-03-24T06:51:00.000-05:00

On this particular night, we had a role reversal. Maddy was sitting in my spot and I was in her spot across from where I usually sit. The spot where she sits and does her art. Maddy was chillin' on Webkins instead.

I was settling down the night before my dosage calculations exam. I was going over drip rate calculations (IV drip rates) etc. I needed 100% to pass it. If not, I needed to "remediate", get a tutor, get signed off and reschedule to re-take the exam.

Well, I did not pass with 100%. I found out on my first day of Spring vacation from school that I got a 95%. So, I will have to remediate. But after the initial disappointment over getting one question wrong and thinking how it is probably something stupid that I did - like a decimal point in the wrong place..... well, that decimal point could kill a patient, so I have come to terms with this process and am anxious to find out which answer I answered incorrectly. I want to get on with this and re-test. I know I'm not the only one who didn't pass with 100% on the first try, but it stung.
I also had chapterS in this big book to read, so made another cup of coffee to settle into that.
Maddy provided a little extra inspiration and encouragement for me.

This was on Friday, 3/19. I was able to take one day off from work. Maddy made me promise that I would not study on my day off with her. We spent the day together and it started out like this.... so relaxing. We didn't care that the sun wasn't shining. It was OUR day and it was GRAND.

Back to the grind now. Was a great break for all.

Backing up to my Birthday

2010-03-23T05:14:00.000-05:00

What a GREAT Birthday month I've had! I've been spoiled rotten and have loved every minute of it.

Ahmed ordered this book for me. I saw it and really wanted it and I'm thoroughly enjoying pouring over it. It's very inspiring.

This is a picture of sushi rolls. Heidi and I were out to eat at Hanabi. An awesome new sushi restaurant in Duluth. Awesome!!!!! Click on the word "Hanabi", above to check out their website, photo gallery and menu. It was AMAZING! One of the surgeons gave me a gift certificate to go back to Hanabi, so Ahmed and I are going to celebrate our anniversary there next weekend. I can hardly wait! YUMMMM-O! I'm pretty sure I could eat at Hanabi every day for lunch and dinner without getting tired of it!
This was waiting on my desk on my Birthday. What a cute watering can! It's now gracing the breakfast nook with some silk flowers in it looking awfully cute. :) I had a gift certificate in there to get my hair cut and colored and other amazing gifts. Thanks girls!
Ahmed took me to Texas Roadhouse for my Birthday dinner on my Birthday. It was an AMAZING meal! Hmmm, can you tell I LOVE food? Ha! Again, click on the link above to be directed to their website. It was delicious. 1 hour and 45 minute wait. We did call ahead seating and once we got there waited about 25 more minutes. We were still within our 1 hour and 45 minute wait. We ordered this yummy flowering onion - or cactus onion I believe they call it there. And we both had delicious steaks. We left so full! No, I didn't ride the saddle. :) They have this saddle on a sawhorse on wheels and bring it all over the BUSY restaurant and you get to sit on it and have everyone yell "Yee-Haw" if it's your Birthday. I said I'd just take the ice cream dessert, thankyouverymuch. :)
Birthday gifts in the back seat of Heidi's van. Lots of fun ME things in there. Cute tissue paper, huh? She took me to Caribou at Mt Royal for Birthday coffee and muffin.
This little "rooter" from a co-worker. I hung it between the kitchen and breakfast nook and cut a start to an ivy and put it in there. Sweet.
While Heidi and I were at Caribou, Maddy and Noor were making me this great card. It's the BIGGEST card ever! And they cut out 37 blue candles on it. Heidi quickly told them it should be 38 candles, so they corrected that. :) I put the Country Living magazine in the picture for scale. They were VERY proud of it. It was sweet.

Rawia made me a LOVELY dishcloth out of really springy colors and presented it wrapped on my Birthday morning. So sweet!

Thanks M & D for the Birthday gift also. Loved it! :)

Thanks everyone for spoiling me so much more than I deserve.

Cousin Craziness!

2010-03-19T21:28:00.007-05:00

Cousins playing games at the dining room table. First they played Sorry, then another game (my mind is blank of what Maddy told me it was - ha ha) and now Memory. I can hear Teagan laughing the most and the loudest. I love hearing little girls giggle. AMENDED TO ADD: WELL, IF I HAD JUST LOOKED AT THE PICTURE, I WOULD HAVE HAD LESS TROUBLE REMEMBERING THE GAME THEY TOLD ME THEY PLAYED WAS CANDY LAND!!!!

In this first picture, Teagan is being crazy and silly and making that face on purpose. :)

Here Teagan isn't trying to be silly, but I think I caught her as her eyes were closing.

Rawia said "please no pictures" and refused to join the girls for a picture, so they joined her. Great shot, huh?

A Giveaway

2010-03-18T06:56:00.004-05:00

Tracey, from Notes from a Cottage Industry is hosting a giveaway for the above items through Saturday (The first day of Spring!!!!). Be sure to head on over to her blog and leave a comment to be included in this wonderful giveaway!

Just click on the highlighted words above and you'll be taken to her really dreamy blog.

Hugs and Happy (almost) Spring!

Play Date

2010-03-02T05:27:00.001-06:00

Playing "Apples to Apples" in the Saleh's dining room with Maryam (center) and Noor (left). What do YOU like to do for fun?

Thankful

2010-02-27T09:22:00.003-06:00

I found this in Maddy's folder from school one day. It's definitely a keeper. And look how great a mark she got on it! You can always click on an image to enlarge it. :)

Valentines

2010-02-24T05:07:00.000-06:00

Maddy wanted to make airplanes again this year - thankfully. So, it didn't take me ANY time. I just had to purchase the supplies and Rawia and Maddy made these on a Friday night while I studied.
Maddy wondered (again) why she is the only kid in her class that makes homemade Valentines?:)

Studying Multiplication Flashcards

2010-02-23T04:53:00.000-06:00

She loves math ALMOST as much as her Mama does.

Doesn't she look like she's in pain? There are about 5 multiplication problems she doesn't have memorized, so we're working on those. They are the tough ones like 8 X 7, 9 X 8 etc etc.
She had just about had it - and HATES math, but I tell her how important it is - you'll need it your entire life. And once she learns these, she has them in her memory and doesn't have to think about them.
But it's really painful to get them memorized. :)
Something she does quite a bit is flip up her glasses by the back of her glasses by the ear. :)
And I think we're all done with flash cards for the night. Will try again in a couple of days. Anyone else want to quiz her?

On my first day of school....

2010-02-22T06:32:00.005-06:00

1/13/10.... I woke up to this note from Maddy..... Can you see the shooting star? Isn't she SWEET!!!!!!??????

And cracked a "double yolker" for my breakfast. I took it all as a great sign and so far it has been a really nice experience. :)

Dr. Cuddles.... the PhD kind of Dr.

2010-02-17T05:48:00.000-06:00

I thought this was so sweet. While studying my Pharmacology on Thursday evening, I looked up and saw Maddy doing this across the desk from me.

She told me this was Dr. Cuddles - the PhD kind of Dr. Wonder how she knows about PhD kinds of doctors? :)

She was taking his apical pulse (listening to his heart) and if she remembered to make a "Z" pattern across his chest while listening to the Aortic, Pulmonic, Tricuspid, and Mitral valve "areas", then she will be able to pass one of the skills I need to check off on this coming Monday morning. :)

Sorry - couldn't resist....

2010-02-16T05:46:00.002-06:00

Hope you're having a GREAT week so far! :)

p.s. I can tell jokes like this, since I'm married to an arab. I have more rights than you do. :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T05:54:00.000-06:00

Anatomy of a heart, from a vintage nursing anatomy book (complements of the Graphics Fairy).

Hope you have a fantastic Valentine's Day.

To make you smile

2010-02-08T05:52:00.001-06:00

...so early on a Monday. :) How can you NOT smile at these "sisters in a car" (complements of the Graphics Fairy). I'm really going through withdrawals from not junking or antiquing. This picture sure helped. :)

Have a blessed week!

ME - being NAUGHTY at work!

2010-02-04T06:20:00.000-06:00

So, our Botox comes on Dry Ice. :) It's kind of fun stuff. I put the Botox away on Thursday and left the dry ice in the styrofoam cooler. When I returned on Friday, it wasn't melted. I put it in the sink (I know!) and ran water over it and fooled all my co-workers - something about scalding hot water and they ALL fell for it.

Then I quickly scooped it out of the sink (with paper towels) and disposed of it properly. I started to imagine it getting small enough to fit down the drain and then sitting in the little curved "trap" underneath the sink and bursting the pipes. Pretty sure that would NOT be good. But oh what fun Dry Ice is!

Snowshoeing on a Saturday afternoon

2010-02-02T06:18:00.000-06:00

Snowshoeing on a beautiful Saturday afternoon at Nana and Papa's cabin.
A quick stop at Nammy and Papa's house.
Maddy got to tell Nammy about the spelling bee the following day and Nammy told Maddy she used to be a good speller too.

The spelling bee

2010-01-30T20:00:00.003-06:00

I know. I know. First of all, I've been MIA a bit, but hope you understand. :) Secondly, I totally FORGOT my camera for Maddy's spelling bee. But in my defense, it was only my 3rd day of school and my nursing instructor graciously allowed me to miss class to attend said spelling bee and I was still getting used to the whole backpack thing! :)

Snapped this picture with my phone. It's better than nothing.

Can you find Maddy? Middle row. Third from left. Striped sweatshirt. She was VERY VERY nervous. The boys on both sides of her were GIANTS - probably 8th graders. She was competing against 4 - 8th graders. She was the last 4th grader standing - made it to round 3 against all these kids - got out on the word IMMATURE. She spelled it IMMITURE. Now she will never forget how to spell it.

Friday night crafting

2010-01-19T05:39:00.000-06:00

Maddy grabbed a clothespin, a feather from her boa, some yarn, googly eyes, a paper water cup/snow cone cup and some craft sticks and went to town on this teepee and person. She was quite pleased with her creation. I think it's pretty darned good myself with doors that can be open or shut depending on the weather. :)
The artist herself.
And back to the recorder. Enough of a break. Hope your weekend was crafty. :)

A Friday night concert

2010-01-18T06:34:00.000-06:00

Maddy got a recorder at school last week. It was $2.25 not very well spent. She plays it in the car (I allow it) and has really REALLY mastered "Hot Cross Buns". I bribe her with games - skipbo or whatever - to get her to stop practicing. She's really gotten good and is enjoying it though all kidding aside.

Rawia brought her flute home on Friday night and helped Maddy practice. They came to my office at 8:00 for a concert. Hot Cross Buns. Hot digity dog! In different keys at the same time. Darlings. :)
Serious musicians after a grueling concert. Or I guess I just forgot to remind them to smile.

Chandelier Love/My Brother, My Hero

2010-01-15T05:47:00.000-06:00

What will Santa bring for Ang? Chris was scoping out the weather really. Not my chandelier.
Aaaaaah, my chandelier. My beloved chandelier. How I cannot wait to have you hanging in my office, lighting my days and my evenings. I would attempt to install it myself I announced. After all, it would come with directions, wouldn't it? I'd give it an honest to goodness attempt. I had Chris' ladder I announced.
"And MY phone number", HE announced.
Well, this is as far as I got. I poured over those directions. They made me shake! I brought in the ladder. I put it together as much as I could. I removed the plastic. I shook over the directions once more. I went and took a nap. I removed the old fixture. (making it more difficult for when CP did come to bail me out - oops - hard to tell which breaker to flip when I've already uninstalled the entire fixture. Oops.) I texted Chris out of frustration after looking at those directions yet again. He was watching football with friends, but would be "happy" to come after work on Monday. What a nice brother!
It took about 90 minutes and lots of laughing, but we finally got it. Chris got it. I was the one who handed him stuff. And giggled. And took pictures of him, which he LOVED! I told him "I tried, I did - I REALLY tried and wanted to do it on my own". He looked down at me from his post high on the ladder (his) and said "Ang, I am barely doing it". HA - it was not the easiest install, but it was a good time. Thanks Chris!
Here is that masterpiece hanging above me once again messy desk. Isn't she beautiful? It really really makes this room. Dad came by the next night with a dimmer and installed that because oops - I mentioned it. Now it's perfection! For the first couple of days at work, I could not wait to get home and be in my office with my new chandelier and snowman quilt (honest). It's lovely and girly and sparkly and reflective and bright, or dim - whatever I'm in the mood for.

Sighhhh - my office is now complete. Thanks to everyone involved. My parents for giving it, my brother for installing it and my Dad for installing and purchasing the dimmer. Perfection!

Oh, and Chris also rescued me on New Years' Day when I ran out of gas up by Sam's Club. It wasn't my fault - honest. My gas gage registered over half a tank. Tried to walk to a gas station, but they only offered pay at the pump. I needed a gas can at this point. The inside was closed with a sign that said "CLOSED - Happy New Years!" After no one answered at home or on Ahmed's cell and Heidi could reach no one either, we thought to call - who else, but our hero Chris. And he was there within 20 minutes with a gas can and a grin.

Could you use a little more Christmas? :)

2010-01-14T06:22:00.000-06:00

This will be the last of the Christmas pictures, I promise. I did learn something new from blogger tonight. Well, I'll know FOR SURE when I hit "publish" if it worked to let me do ALL of these pictures. I thought 4 was the limit, but I found I can go back in to add more after I upload 4. We shall see. Enjoy.

Dear Mom, I'm sorry we were never at a great angle to take your picture when you were opening your gifts. :)
My beautiful snowman quilt (made by my extremely talented Mom) that now hangs in my office. It's amazing! Chris was in a pouty mood, so we covered up his face with a cheery snowman. Kidding. I think we did that when he was 6 for a family photo op. :)

Dad checking out the Anne Murray concert DVD in one hand and the iTunes gift card in the other. Can't go wrong there. Lots of listening enjoyment from the kids.
Mom's coupon to go to Glensheen. And she DID choose me to go with her! We had a fabulous day today (1/9/10) at Glensheen touring the fabulous mansion. Thank you Mom (so much) for going with me!
Sisters showing off our new Crocs. We are spoiled in pink! Funny guy Chris is giving the thumbs up for the picture. :)
Dad with his new sailboat from his employees. It's so cool. We cut off the bottom of the boat a little in the picture - sorry. I cannot remember what stone it's made from, but it's an amazing piece!

Okay, enough Christmas for a while, eh?

First day of Nursing School!

2010-01-13T06:40:00.001-06:00

Oh gosh. Oh my. What have I done? What was I thinking? Here is my stack of nursing books for the first semester. Who is going to read all of that?

Today is my first day as a bonafide nursing student. For almost the last two years I have been chipping away at classes I needed to take outside of the actual nursing program while waiting on the waiting list for my turn in the RN program. In hindsight, I wish I'd been a bit more aggressive as I'll have classes to take over the summers.

I'm cutting back to 24 hours/week at work and told the family they are on their own to feed themselves for the coming months. I will have to pretend I don't see the dust bunnies and the dust or the tub that needs a scrubbing. If you stop at my house unexpectedly, be prepared for a sight. Oh, and wish me luck and pray for me please. :)

p.s. I won't be able to update the blog often either.

Christmas Day Continued

2010-01-12T06:09:00.003-06:00

More images from our fabulous day.

Looks like Papa's saying COOL YULE. :)
I love this picture of Maddy. Taking a moment out of the madness.
Ahmed opened his gift and LOVED it! It's a map of the world with little markers to show all of the places he's been. Christmas Day night he hung this in his office and marked all the countries he's been to. He's missing two of the 30, so had to consult his passport I believe. There is a plate on the map that says "Ahmed Maamoun's World Travels". Very cool. Thanks M & D!
Applebee's gift card. He took me as his date. :)

Christmas Day

2010-01-11T06:18:00.004-06:00

Some random shots of Christmas Day 2009.

Ali showing off his new flannel pillow case. All kids came home and put their new pillow cases on on Christmas Day night. Cozy!
Sniffing a beautiful candle from my little snister. :) The scent is called "Driftwood and Dune" and it is yummy. I've been burning it in my office.
Ali got an ornament from Nana and Papa. A snowboarding bear. Very cute! He keeps all his ornaments in his room on his shelf all year. :)
Rachel (snister, snissy, snis) with her simply ADORABLE snowman quilt from Mom. Wow. What talent. And LOVE those colors. But, not as much as my snowman quilt. I'm a BLUE girl. :) Rachel reported having her quilt hung up on Christmas Day night as did I.

Christmas Morning Continued

2010-01-10T06:14:00.003-06:00

Just before going to Nana and Papa's for Christmas Day.
Maddy and I with Kaya.

Christmas Morning!

2010-01-09T06:42:00.000-06:00

Opening gifts on Christmas morning. Maddy got an Eiffel Tower to go atop her dresser (once her room is clean).
Ali is already modeling his new PJ pants and slippers and comparing softness with Rawia's pants.
Maddy's new PJs. She's definitely growing up. She was with me when I bought them, so she picked them out. She is EXTREMELY fussy over how things feel, so her input was important. She could not WAIT for Christmas to open her PJs.
Santa brought Ali and Rawia Rubik's Cubes. So far I can get one entire side of the cube the same color. I think that's as far as I got when I was 9 also. :)

Maddy Made

2010-01-08T06:17:00.000-06:00

This is what Maddy made me for Christmas at school. Her teacher cut the log into pieces and drilled a hole for the candle. It was really cute. In the first picture you can see she even added one of her little pet shoppe guys for the pose.
We really enjoyed eating by this candlelight this holiday season. :)

Snowman Quilt

2010-01-07T06:44:00.000-06:00

My talented Mom made me this incredible snowman quilt! It has the cutest button eyes and metal snaps for it's mouth. I ADORE it! It was hung up on Christmas Day night. It's in my office. So adorable.
Click on any of the pictures to enlarge them. It's an amazing addition to my office.
This was another Christmas gift from my parents. It's a nurse snow globe and it will inspire me for the coming 4 semesters. I will leave her out the entire time and lean on her during rough stretches. All other Christmas things are put away, but my nurse snow globe is still on my buffet. :)

Thanks Mom and Dad!

Holiday Recital for Jazz Class

2010-01-06T06:35:00.000-06:00

On one of those busy weeks right before Christmas, Maddy had her Holiday Recital for her Jazz Class. Click on any of the pictures below to make them larger.

Here she is (towards the right) in her "I sparkle" Red T-shirt.
And here she is - 4th from the left.
And again, 4th from the left kicking up a storm!
More kicks and turns and all around great dancing!
And even a smile. Looks like fun! Great job Maddy!

New Years 2010

2010-01-05T06:16:00.000-06:00

Since I'm a little overwhelmed by Christmas pictures, I'm skipping to New Years, but will get to Christmas eventually.... never fear. :)

On New Year's Eve, Ahmed and I headed up to BlackBear Casino for their New Year's Eve Seafood Buffet. We knew we were in for an adventure. I had heard the horror stories of a 3 hour wait and the unbearable smoke, but we decided that an adventure for us it would be and we'd go anyway. I ducked out of work at 3:00 and we arrived at the casino at 3:40 to stand in a line for 40 minutes to get a pager. Then we were told it would be 1 hour and 45 minutes of a wait. We started to wander around, to check out the casino and try hard to avoid the smoke. Ahmed paused for a photo beside a King Tut slot machine.
While waiting in a very quiet non smoking area partitioned off by a very short piece of glass (HA HA) I got the brilliant idea of us trying to get a picture of ourselves. This occupied our time for a good 25 minutes. Suddenly the pager went off. A mere 65 minutes after receiving it! Yahoo! We bee-lined for the Buffet!
Here is Ahmed's first plate. It was DELICIOUS honestly! I'm not sure if we'd do it again, but it was a fun experience and a great way to spend 5 hours together! :)
My first plate. I took WAY too many items with breading on them. They were SO delicious, but I filled quickly. After this plate, I mostly concentrated on the crab legs. They were good!
Here was our "garbage pail" full of crab shells and shrimp shells etc. It was probably a gallon bucket. Fun Fun time!

Happy New Year!

Kitchi Gammi Club

2010-01-01T19:52:00.003-06:00

On 12/22/09 we went to the Kitchi Gammi Club to celebrate Mom and Dad's 42nd Anniversary. It was a lovely evening.

Here we are before ordering dinner.

And a picture of just the girls. :)

They talked me into this picture. It was with my 22 ounce Ribeye! It was delicious! I had a lot of help from the professor in the eating department on this evening.

Ahmed cleaned up that bone better than ANYONE at the table. He's a good arab boy. :) Very little waste.

Thanks Mom and Dad for yet another lovely evening! It was fabulous!

It's always something!

2009-12-29T07:09:00.002-06:00

Last Monday morning, I woke up to a hissing sound in the kitchen and water spraying under the kitchen sink. Water everywhere! Water dripping into the basement. Not good. What a way to start a Monday morning!

The first thing I thought of was we need to call a plumber. Then I got my wits about me and turned off the water. :) Then I turned it back on to see where it was spraying from. It was spraying from that water line. The cold water line. I didn't realize there was one for each? But it seems that may be how it works.

Anyway I took a picture with my phone and cleaned up the water. After work I hit Menard's in search of what I needed and prayed it would be easy and go well. I walked in to start dinner and had a BRILLIANT idea! I called Ali up from his video game and gave him two wrenches. He went to work.
I did not take any pictures of Ali working on this plumbing project. His first ever! I thought that may make him crabby. He bumped his head about 4 times and was really tired from trying to loosen things.

In the end, he was triumphant and replaced the line and I could see a sense of pride on his face. And I realized I had given him a gift. The gift of learning. Learning to be handy. When you come from a country where labor and help are so cheap and people are starving, you generally give someone else a job and don't learn to do anything handy yourself.

I picture Ali in some apartment some day (please God) with some guy friends replacing a leaking water line under the sink. He'll know exactly how to do it! :)

p.s. Yes, I'm aware we don't have base trim in our kitchen. Someday maybe.......

End of Semester for Ahmed

2009-12-23T07:07:00.001-06:00

I need help from Ahmed so I know what classes these pictures are from, but here they are.

And a celebratory staff lunch.

Lighting the Advent Candles

2009-12-22T06:53:00.000-06:00

I cannot tell if this was week 1 or week #2. I'm thinking it was week #2. Anyway, it's been a good ritual with Maddy using the candle I lit with a match to light the other candles in succession. And trying to reflect on giving rather than receiving.
Getting ready to blow it out I believe. Love the hat.

Kaya - an American Girl

2009-12-20T21:21:00.003-06:00

I truly thought we would get away with having a non American Girl Doll Christmas, but I was wrong. Maddy reads all the AG doll stories and a couple of months ago started to say "I sure hope Santa brings me Kaya for Christmas, she's SO brave!" Oh boy.... We still are believing that Santa is REAL and we want a Kaya doll. Sighhhh......

Well, long story short.... Kaya is on backorder at the American Girl website until February, 2010. Wonder why? So, onto eBay we searched. We hunted, we deliberated. Then when I gave the nod, Ahmed went in for "the kill" and had it here within a few short days! Above you can see the dress. I added the blue and red beads as there was a minor "stain" on her dress. But get this.... I was on the AG website looking at ideas for the necklace I was going to make for Kaya/Maddy and I saw the dress pictured on the website had the EXACT same stain! Go figure!
Here is Kaya posing on my desk modeling her new double stranded necklace (of varying lengths thankyouverymuch!) that I made for her.
Here is Kaya dressed in her deer skin dress complete with beads covering a stain and her new necklace, which doesn't come with the basic doll when ordered - it comes with her "accessories" which we all know get SO pricey!
And finally, Kaya models her entire ensemble, complete with the piece of leather I found to tie around her waist (her belt was missing) and leftover lengths of the leather to tie in her braids. I cannot BELIEVE I found that piece of leather I was looking for! Life is good. :)

If you wish to see Kaya on the AG website and check out her STAINED dress for yourself, you can click HERE and read her story too. When I saw the "stain", I rubbed it and rubbed it with a wipe, so the leather was then "worn" looking and beading was a necessity. :)

P.S. One day while Maddy was talking about Kaya and Santa, I asked her how she'd feel if Santa found her a gently used AG doll that some other little girl was done playing with as Santa also needs to recycle just as we do. She said that was just fine - as long as it was Kirsten or Kaya - preferably Kaya. ;) So, Kaya will be hanging out of her stocking this year. No box, just Kaya as is - ready to be loved.

Hip Hop Share

2009-12-19T19:23:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday night, the girls got to share what they've been working on in their Hip Hop class. Quite frankly, Ahmed was less than impressed since the part of the dance they learned lasted all of 26 seconds. He questioned me on where I'm spending our hard earned money. :)

Here is Rawia after dancing for 26 seconds. :) No, seriously... I made them keep doing it - I'd say "again, again, again". :)
This all took place in one of the racquetball courts at the Y.
Maddy and Hadeel after dancing for 26 seconds.
The entire group - including dance instructor, Rachel.

p.s. How do I know it was 26 seconds long? Because Ahmed shot video of it thinking he had about 5 minutes of song/dance to record and thought he'd wander back and forth to get Maddy on one end and Rawia on the other. Much to our chagrin, it was over in 26 seconds. You can see the entire video here. :) If that doesn't work, email me at amaamoun@live.com and I can email you the video.

Don't Go Down to the Basement

2009-12-16T20:34:00.003-06:00

By Madison Gross

When I went down to the basement I started to feel queasy. It was almost pitch black except a dim light coming from a little window. It was stragly quiet except for the sound of the laundry machine. I was just about to go into the sauna room when out of nowhere came out of nowhere came my big sister yelling, Boo!

Boy, was I mad.

(as written by Madison for school on 12/16/09)

I think we may have a little Jane Austen in the making. :)

A Snow Day!

2009-12-15T16:36:00.003-06:00

Last Wednesday was the first SNOW DAY of the year! Just for Maddy though. She spelled out these words with the scrabble tiles after she discovered that school was cancelled! :)
Even though it was cold, she wanted to bundle up and go out to play.

She had a nice time. It was a surgery day for me, meaning I didn't have to be there for patient care until about 11:30 when surgery was over, so we had a really nice leisurely morning at home with hot cocoa and playing in the snow. :)

Some Recent Quotes

2009-12-10T06:34:00.000-06:00

I definitely hear some not so nice things from these three when they are together - especially when we are in the car or another enclosed space. :) But recently, I have heard some nice comments too. Some of them just plain old funny.

Ali got a new winter coat as the sleeves of his coat from last year were too short. It was just in time for this cold snap (they call winter) that has recently arrived. While heading to his friend's house to play video games the other night, he put on his new jacket and said "it's awesome - THANK YOU!"

The day after Thanksgiving, Rawia said "I wish we could do it all over again today". My feelings EXACTLY! We had such a great time with our family appreciating our many blessings and playing some fun games too!

The day before Thanksgiving, I had a chemical peel at work (one of the many perks of the job) and my face would start to peel on Friday I was told. Friday, Saturday and Sunday my skin peeled and came off in sheets. Friday the girls and I did lots of playing of games in our PJs and put up the Christmas tree. While playing Bananagrams with the girls, my face was peeling and when I moved, a piece of skin fell on the table. I didn't think anyone noticed. Maddy said "Mom, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but a piece of your face just fell on the table!"

Hope you're having a great week!

Dancing at Winter Fest and a Christmas Band Concert

2009-12-08T06:25:00.001-06:00

On Thursday we had a busy schedule! Maddy had a "Holiday Dazzle" at the UWS Winter Fest at 6:30 and Rawia had to be at SMS for her band concert at 6:30. Ahmed took Rawia and I took Maddy. Here Maddy is before dancing with 4 of her fellow dancers. Among them is Sydney Anderson and Addy Hellard.
Mrs. Clause introducing the dance group. Their song was "All I want for Christmas".
Maddy dancing up a storm and enjoying herself! The pants had to be black, the shirts white and the santa hats were a bonus when we arrived. :)
As soon as Maddy's dance was over, we scooted to SMS to catch the rest of Rawia's band concert. I managed to get her to let me take a picture of her and her two band friends after the concert. It was a really nice night.

So Big!

2009-12-07T09:13:00.001-06:00

When Maddy and Rawia were trimming the tree, Maddy brought this ornament in to show me. She had made it at Barnyard Buddies when she was quite small. She could not believe how little her hand had been! I could not believe she was wearing fake nails this weekend! ;) Time flies.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

2009-12-05T08:29:00.000-06:00

How lovely are your branches. On the living room floor? :) I'm pretty sure I have NEVER had my tree up this early. The day after Thanksgiving it was a last minute thought in the EVENING. I asked the girls if they were up for it. They were. They put up the tree almost completely without my assistance.

From bringing the box up from the basement, to getting the branches into the piles based on color, to vacuuming up after and putting the box away. A small amount of assistance was needed with the lights, but decorating was all up to them again.

Me? I was updating this blog while they did it and playing Christmas music for them. :) It's nice to have it up. Thank you girls!!!!!

Making Squash

2009-12-02T08:26:00.000-06:00

Maddy REALLY wanted to help with the squash once she smelled it baking. She kept me on track when I would have rather not dealt with it. She scooped out the seeds once I had cut the squash in half and then she wanted to mash it.
She did a GREAT job with the squash and said she may even TRY some this year as she was the one who helped with it, but I did not see her take any. :)

Maddy also helped me on Thanksgiving morning make the Pumpkin Pie and Rawia helped me the night before with the Pecan Apple Upside Down Pie.

After Dinner Games on Thanksgiving Day

2009-11-28T06:22:00.001-06:00

My two favorite girls. :)
Playing Pictionary Jr.
One of the many times the directions were checked.
Playing Wig Out! This game gets REALLY loud. :) No wonder Papa and Ahmed were mostly hiding in the living room.
In awe of Uncle Chris and his card dealing skills. Where did he get so good?

A fabulous time was had by all who played. Thanks Nana for having so many wonderful games. The girls are hoping Santa brings Wig Out. He just might.

Bananagrams on Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T20:10:00.004-06:00

Before Thanksgiving dinner the kids played Bananagrams in the living room.

Nana has some AWESOME games to play. :)

My new favorite gadget

2009-11-26T20:06:00.000-06:00

Oh. My. Gosh. I'm in love with this little guy! It has revolutionized the way I make and drink my coffee. Can you SEE that froth!?! And that's using SKIM milk!

I put a small amount of milk in the bottom of my mug - enough to cover the bottom - times two - and then froth away. Add a squirt of my hazelnut creamer and pour my coffee into it. It looks just like this and tastes every bit as yummy as it looks! This thing rocks! It is from IKEA.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-25T20:10:00.000-06:00

This is Tom. We had a day of crafting at Beth's, but of course I forgot my camera, so have no pictures of the girls playing with their pinecone people or making the cute turkeys. Maddy put the special dots of glitter glue on - such a nice touch!
The face is an acorn, in case you cannot tell.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Whistle While you Work

2009-11-23T20:01:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we all needed to do chores. Rawia had a super busy schedule and Ali slept the day away, so Maddy ended up being the only one to accomplish her chores. The others will have a list for after school tomorrow. No worries.

I have never had Maddy vacuum for me before. But, she tells me she does it at her Dad's house, so I thought we'd give it a whirl. She did a FABULOUS job (honest) and even moved the chairs away from the table to vacuum the rug well. She was all too happy to dust with a rag in the living room too. Wow. A cheerful helper! I'm just not used to that. :)

I got her set up and going and then heard this kind of noise/howling that I didn't recognize. I was afraid she had run over her foot or was just a little afraid of the vacuum, but when I investigated, I found that it was her SINGING while vacuuming and all was well. What a happy little worker bee.

Once done with this chore and wrapping up the cord, she said "Now can I go read, Mom"? Sighhhh - I suppose so. :)

Life is Messy

2009-11-22T19:34:00.004-06:00

Saturday was a little messy. (warning, this will be a LONG post)

First, we went for haircuts at Auntie Rachel's. While Rawia was getting her hair cut, I read/studied my Anatomy/Physiology. I didn't get that much accomplished. Too much fun to be had. Too much gabbing.

We left and did a couple more errands. We were on a pretty tight schedule and I had it all planned out to the minute. Rawia and a friend were seeing the Twilight movie at 1:00 and I wanted her there at 12:30 as I anticipated a lot of people.

We still needed to get home for a quick soup lunch before I drove Rawia. As we were driving, I handed Rawia my phone and asked her to call her friend Macey to tell her we'd pick her up at 12:20. I pulled into the library to park. Both girls had things to return and had a list of books they wanted to check out. :)

Rawia was chatting away with her friend and as I parked, I didn't realize the called had switched over and it was Auntie Rachel saying I'd left my anatomy book at her salon. It's ALWAYS something I'm forgetting these days! I assume Rawia is still on the phone with Macey and then she says to me "you forgot the book". Now, I'm a little frazzled at the moment with the schedule and my deadline for school and I'm of course thinking LIBRARY books and don't even know for sure that she's talking to me.

She tells me again... It's auntie on the phone and you forgot your book there. My 3rd favorite four letter word came out of my mouth. (in case you're wondering, my 1st favorite is junk and my 2nd favorite is free)

Rawia didn't respond. Maddy sucked in lots of air and probably slapped her hand over her mouth. I shouldn't use such words.

There goes the timeline.

So, with a blown timeline, we hit the drive thru and after picking up the Anatomy book, I stopped at a mailbox so Maddy could mail a letter she was excited to mail. She had never had this experience. Mailing it herself. I stopped on the corner of 21st and Hammond. I'm telling you this - you'll find out why - because you might want to use ANOTHER mailbox right now. :)

I pulled over, put on my hazzards and instructed her on going to the other side, and after it goes in, opening it up again to be sure the letter went inside. (see Mom and Dad, I was paying attention!)

Anyway, she stepped in IT and IT was messy. God had a sense of humor on Saturday and was trying to remind me why we should not use such words I think. We didn't realize the mess until we were home but then spent the next hour (okay, I was the only one who spent the next hour) cleaning up the car, the sidewalk, the patio, her shoes and my shoes. Yep, I stepped in it - what she tracked into garage after getting out of car. Unbelievable.

We are all clean here and found a new use for a used up toothbrush before you toss it - to clean out the cute little designs in the bottom of her shoes - under hot running water in the utility sink.

Sighhhh.....

Life is messy part 2. This messy was much easier to deal with. :)

Recently I had picked up for about $1.00 a little mix for making chocolate cookies. It had a bat cookie cutter attached, which is what I really liked. Well, Maddy of course found it and really wanted to make those. I said SURE - trying to be the fun Mom that I yearn to be. But then I realized I had eaten the last 2 eggs for breakfast. We needed one egg.

I told her if she really wanted to make the cookies, she could call our neighbors and see if she could borrow one egg. She did and went to get it using her very best manners. I was in the kitchen. She walked in the back door with her egg. Took off her shoes and SPLAT. All I heard was (through semi - quivering voice) "I am SO dead!" ha ha ha

No tears were shed. No use. I told her if she still really wanted to make cookies, she could call back to the neighbors and tell them what happened and ask if she could borrow a 2nd egg. (good lesson). She did that and CAREFULLY brought it home. She said the neighbor was chuckling. :)

Evidently I sighed while coming up the stairs after cleaning up the 1st egg. Maddy said I must be frustrated from spending all my free time cleaning up after her. :)

We made bat cookies and she frosted them. I am a fun Mom.

The end.

Apple Pecan Upside Down Pie

2009-11-19T06:13:00.003-06:00

Or Pecan Upside Down Apple Pie. However you want to say it, it was yummy.

I used a refrigerator crust (keeping it simple). In the bottom of the pie pan, you lay down a mixture of chopped pecans, brown sugar and melted butter. Then you proceed as you would a normal pie - with your bottom crust, fillings and top crust. Bake. When you flip it out of it's pie pan and onto a serving tray after cooking, you have a nice self glazing pie. Yummmm.
Here's the picture right out of the oven before flipping it over. It was a good recipe test.