Does that mean that dinner was good ?

A child of mine( while eating pork steaks and parmasean rice for dinner)
Man, I'm glad that I'm not jewish !

Guess who sent this one ?????

Appreciated by the Tool & Die department.... the Engineering department.... not so much ( Thanks Mike !)

Christmas in July

Within the last few weeks I have received many Christmas in July ads in my in box. For the most part I have banished these ads to the delete bin but there were a few that I opened when I had a few minutes and decided to browse. Though I know that to most July is the absolute last month that one would be thinking of Christmas, there is something about the earliness that intrigued me. Now I am no stranger to starting my Christmas shopping( for the next year) on December 26th but I buy a few things , pack them away and by February, I am done until September. I always start my official Christmas shopping in September as that is when the kids have traditionally gone back to school. This insures that I have ample time to spend deciding what to buy and then I have traditionally put it all on lay a way so that I can make low monthly payments and best of all store it there until the week before Christmas. This plan has worked for me for all twenty years of my married life. Now however, lay a way is becoming a thing of the past. The stores say that most people prefer to use credit cards anyway. Besides the stores are fed of with people rushing in on Black Friday, putting 20 TVs and computers in lay a way( preventing others from getting the deals) and then canceling the lay a way ( who knew that they wouldn't have the $10,000 that they don't have now in a month )This leaves the store with an abundance of items that they must mark down the price and lose money on since everyone has already completed their shopping. Anyway I understand the situation, I really do but still what about people like me who use lay a way properly? Oh well, no sense in fighting it. Anyway, I guess that now that lay a way has died, more people are shopping in July, so I tried to conform. I looked at a few sites and even ordered a few Christmas related items and a gift or two. Still the feeling just isn't there. Perhaps I should stick with it and get the urge to put up a tree in September but I think I will just wait it out until September.After all last year Mike and I decided that the years of our children opening twenty five plus packages each was over and that we would buy each of them one or two bigger ticket items instead. This should make it easier to store not to mention that they would rather have a lap top than an etch a sketch and twenty little things anyway. It's new territory but I'll get through it ! Now should I order the fleece pajamas or the flannel ? It's so hot right now, who can imagine wearing either ? Oh Diane, there is no hope for you, is there ? Sigh..........................

I'm Wondering.....

How many days in a row can a Stay at Home Mom order pizza or take out for dinner before she is officially labeled lazy ????
Ummm not that I would ever actually do such a thing, I mean,ummmmm, well can't a Mom be curious without everyone condemning her ?

Happy Belated Birthday Clarissa

Back on July twenty second, while Mike and I were in Florida for our aniversary Clarissa turned four. Since she is a dog and didn't seem to care, we waited till last night to celebrate with the usual chocolate cake and ice cream for humans and doggy carrot desert and a small amount of ice cream for the K9s.
I can't beleive that it has been almost four years since Clarissa flew into our lives. It was also funny that last week we got two calls from people asking if we had any puppies.Perhaps we will have another litter soon. Here are some pictures
from last night

Boston Lobster Feast Kissimmee( Celebration) Florida

I'm Back !
Mike and I got home from our Anniversary trip early this morning. All in all the trip was wonderful ! One of the highlights other than spending two days kid less with my husband was our all we could eat lobster dinner. Honestly if you ever get the chance and like lobster, try this place. Though it isn't cheap ( regular $32 per adult)you can sign up for their Emails at Bostonlobsterfeast.com and they will send you coupons on birthdays and anniversaries for $25 per person. Word to the wise though.... Go hungry.Here are a couple pictures that Mike snapped with his cell phone.




Me with lobster # 2 or maybe three... I think I had four or five in all:-)

20 Years ago today...Two became one

Happy Anniversary Mike. I am so excited about our anniversary trip that even though I have to be up in less than two hours, I can't even think about sleeping.
I love you and always will!

Almost time.......

Well, I have already checked Mike and I in online for our flight. I have paid the bills that had to be paid before I go.I have bought all of the little things needed to go with us ( sample size toothpaste, shampoo, and so on). Michael has brought us suit cases from the basement.Yep, everything looks on track except.... I have not packed anything yet. Nor have I gotten food for the kids ready.Please pray for everything to all come together. I woke up with a headach this morning, that I am hoping to shake before I board the plane. See ya all in a couple days!

So much to do so little time

In less than two days Mike and I will be leaving alone for our almost two day anniversary trip. AS I mentioned before we ended up with flight credit after our August family vacation flight came down significantly in price so we decided to take this little trip back to Orlando, where we honeymooned twenty years ago. We have no big plans other than feasting on a lobster dinner but we are both very excited. Now is the fun part. I spent a couple hours yesterday catching up on laundry so that we had clean clothes which I now have to pack. My intent is to just stay casual ( you can't wear suites and dresses to eat lobster, ya know)so a pair of shorts and a shirt or two should do it. I also have some loose ends to tie up before we leave, you know, going to the bank, making sure that the kids have everything that they need, just that kind of thing. Soooooooooo If anyone has an open prayer slot, Please add us for not only a safe trip for Mike and I but also for safty for the kids who will be staying behind.

20 lbs of sour cherries

Yes I bought twenty pounds of sour cherries today. These are the best cherries ever for pie, cobbler, and just about any other baked cherry food that you can imagine. The only catch is that here in Ohio, they are only available at fruit markets for three to five days a year. The local fruit stores actually take reservations for buckets of this tasty fruit and without a reservation you may just be stuck using processed canned cherries from the grocery store. I know because last year I didn't reserve any because I thought I still had a container in the freezer. Turned out that I had strawberries ( that are plentiful here)in the freezer so I went a whole year without home made cherry pie . I did break down once or twice and bought canned cherry pie filling from the store but it just wasn't the same. I vowed that I would not let my opportunity pass this year and reserved 20lbs, which I picked up today. I froze two eight cup containers without doing anything to them and then made the rest (26 cups) into pie filling. I was surprised at how little 20 lbs actually was. This is why I am considering going back tomorrow or Monday and seeing if I can get another 10 lbs.Once all orders have been picked up, anything left can be bought by anyone and I did hear today that they did get a surplus in. Obsessed ? maybe but if you have ever had these awesome home made pies and cobbler you would understand.

Ansestory ?

Anticipation of an upcoming trip to the zoo ,as Mike puts it "to photograph family members", has a certain photograph of a certain family member circulating. And I thought my boys were the first family members to study martial arts.

Follow up to air show shuttle fee

A little less than a month ago I posted this post http://momofthreewithcockers.blogspot.com/2009/06/free.html
where I suggest that a local air show be honest that a $10 shuttle fee to get to the show is really a $10 admission fee in disguise. Well, I guess that I am not the only one who felt this way, nor am I the only one who spoke out about it, because guess what,it was announced this morning that ........ funding has been found to cover the transportation and that the show and shuttle are now officially free !
Now honestly, I realize that my little blog with it's ten or so readers probably never even got seen by anyone who would care but I can dream, right ? So anyway, I must now retract my previous post and talk about the coming of our areas truly free air show. I'll be there.... Will you ?

Another saga complete

Last week( I believe Wednesday), during one of those days where I was running around like my head was falling off, Our eye clinic called.It seems that the man who ordered Mike's new glasses wasn't just trying to keep me from complaining when he said he would put a rush on Mike's glasses, as they were in in one week three days instead of the customary two to three weeks.I almost felt bad for doubting him. Mike stopped on his way home from work that night and got them which officially ends the saga of Mike's cataract removal and recovery. To be honest this whole ordeal was tough on us .Not because it was that big of a deal but just because it took us by surprise. Who ever heard of a forty two year old needing cataract removal ? I mean yes it is routine for someone in their 80's but Mike is young. Here we have come to learn that his childhood eye surgeries damaged his eye and that damage forms callous.(cataract is callous of they eye)I have also been informed that i have the starting of a cataract over one of my eyes. My eye damage came in the form of a birth injury( so we speculate) that has left so much scar tissue that I have little sight at all in the eye. because of this, I will probably not opt for removal. Anyway, now that This saga is over, we can get back to living the young life. The only problem is that in our forties...... can anyone tell us what the young life is ?????
Oh well, we'll figure something out. In the mean time, we will just praise God for getting us through another of life's sagas.

Cindy with Chip and Dale

These two pictures were taken on our last trip to Disney. Chip and Dale were always favorites of Cindy's so she demanded a picture hugging each one.

Cedar Point's Mantis and My Boys

Robby and Michael are in the third row first and second seats from the right

Oh for shame !

I just got admonished via E mail for placing a "ridiculously low"($35 per day) bid for the rental of a Mustang convertible(or comparable) for Mike and My anniversary trip to Florida. It went on and on about how Priceline is not a game and how my posting of ridiculous bids hinder the process for those who take the site seriously. This hate mail further explains that my punishment will be not being allowed to put in another bid for said convertible rental for twenty four hours ( so I will have time to research the going prices and come up with a serious offer)
So as I hung my head in shame, I started researching other sites pricing....... And guess what ??????? I booked the same Ford Mustang convertible( or comparable) for the same two days ,for pick up at the same airport, for ....... Drum roll please...........$35 per day on www.Cheaptickets.com !

So to Priceline...... So sorry to waste your time with my ridiculousness. In the future I will research and check Cheap tickets before I make a bid. That way when you turn me down, I will know where go.


Sincerely
The renter of a Ford Mustang convertible( or comparable) for $35 a day

prepared ?

No matter where you live, there is always some sort of season where you must prepare. Here in Ohio we have Winter season which can ,with little notice, bring two feet of snow and ice on the roads. This can truly hinder attempts to get to the market, especially if weather conditions cause accidents, or ice on lines that knock out electric service. We also have tornado season here which can also keep you inside in the dark. Even those who may escape Ohio's tragedy seasons will probably face similar possibilities such as hurricanes, tsunamis, and other dreaded acts of nature.
So what can one do ? It seems amazing to me that many people can't see the obvious.A good friend for instance doesn't feel the need to even keep any back up hygiene products in her home. This friend buys one four pack of toilet paper at a time and doesn't add more to the shopping list until the family is on the end of the last roll. Yes some say but she can always use tissues, but she only keeps one box of those too and those don't get replaced until they are gone. No she doesn't have the clutter but gee what if the tissues and Charmin both run out during a storm ? I personally can't fathom such a situation.
I also recently talked to a family who only buys one or two days worth of food at a time. This family's Mother and Father take turns "picking up" enough food for the day , each day on their way home from work. Imagine a severe emergency where this family was unable to get out for two days,Would a few left over crackers sustain them ?
So what should one do ? If you keep too much you have to store it and what about spoilage ? So what is the right amount ? I probably am not the one to answer this as , right now I have 24 regular and 30 jumbo rolls of toilet paper. I also have nine boxes of tissues not counting the two that re open. As for food, lets not even go there. Let's just say that I keep two side by side refrigerator/ freezers and one huge freezer pretty full. And currently I am trying to use up as much freezer stuff as possible as I have committed to buying a side of beef by the end of summer. Yes I am probably way off the other side of the charts but where would you rather be? Though I personally know that I need to scale back, I would rather have too much than not enough. Where do you fit on this spectrum ? Do you run out and wait in line for hours when a storm is coming ? Do you set back and watch severe weather come? Do you run out but only grab a few things and slip through the express lane ? Are you happy doing things your way ? In the end I guess "to each their own" and if you need to and can get to my house,I'd be glad to lend you a roll of toilet paper and a dozen eggs until the roads get plowed

1 Trip to Cedar Point + 1 box of mini vanilla wafers( off the reduced rack at Big Lots) =

Simple hand feeding fun that even a sixteen year old enjoys. And Cedar Point is known for it's award winning roller coasters.... Imagine that !

So true !

While seated to view an ice skating show at Cedar Point on July 4th,an announcer gave the audience some ground rules. Nothing extravagant just the no video taping, no audience members on the ice kind of stuff. Then she got to the "please turn off your camera's flash" which was followed by"if you don't know how to turn the flash off, please promptly hand your camera to the nearest teenager, they will be glad to figure it out for you"

Sad part is that the night before Michael stayed up until 5 AM adding music to my I pod. Oh how I miss being in the young generation !

Happy Independence day !

You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4,
not with a parade of guns, tanks,
and soldiers who file by the White House
in a show of strength and muscle,
but with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees,
the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness.
You may think you have overeaten, but it is patriotism.
Erma Bombeck

Conngratulations to our new ShotoKan purple belt !

Though the belt has not yet been presented,Last Saturday Robby passed his latest ShotoKan test earning his purple belt.Though we were pretty sure of his passing, We were not told the official results until Monday. Congratulations Robby ! You work hard and it shows. Keep up the good work !