Happy Easter

Easter-W2, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

I hope everyone had a lovely Easter today! We are egg-hunted out over here.

Skating Party

We had a skating party on Friday as the last celebration of the girl's 8th birthday. My sister, 2 girls from work, and I all chipped in and rented out the rink for 2 hours. It was really fun. I was a little worried about the twins. I had no idea how they would do skating. They did great! W was trying to get up and get going before I had even laced his skates. They both just took off. We had to keep getting on to W because he wanted to skate on the rink instead of the carpet. Thankfully they have a carpeted walkway that goes all the way around the rink. So a good time was had by all. M was surprisingly taken with the whole skating thing. He usually has a tantrum when he hurts himself, so I was a little worried about what would happen when he fell down. Splitcat got him on video.

Candle light breakfast

Candle light breakfast, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

The power went out the other morning right as it was time to get up for school. Of course, it came back on just as it was time to leave. We had fun having breakfast by candlelight. I was a little sad when the lights came back on. It was really quiet without all the electricity.

Looking Glass Clock

Looking Glass Clock, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

I don't usually post my crafts here, but I really love this one. It's a clock that runs backward. I made it for a swap on Craftster. Click on my Flickr to see what else I made. I am pretty proud of the stuff I made for this swap. I didn't want to give any of it away! It was an Alice themed swap.

Baby Lady

I seem destined to be the baby lady. I quit my job this year, ready for a break from the crying and diaper changing. They've been through 2 teachers already. Now, it's back to me. I will only be working Mon and tues(until my boss can find a replacement), so it's not too bad. There were just 2 babies, now there are 3. Hopefully I won't get too bored. So, no more spending all day watching Netflix or playing on POGO. It's back to the grind for me.

February has been a busy month. I've been busy crafting for swaps over on Craftster. I'm in an ongoing embroidery swap, did a Wall Art Swap and I am finishing up an Alice in Wonderland Swap. I am enjoying it. The kids have been out of school all week this week for winter break. So that's been exciting. Splitcat is assistant coaching middle school boys soccer this year, so we haven't really seen much of him lately. He's also been busy collecting coins for pennies for patients. Their school was 5th in the nation last year for donations. He told the high school he would shave his goatee if they raised a certain amount of money. Today is the last day and they need to raise another 4,000 or so to make it to his goal. However, that's how much they raised last year on the last day. So splitcat may have to shave this weekend. He's only shaved it off once since I've known him, and he did it over winter break and grew it back in so no one at school saw him beardless. I think it's funny that his students want him to shave.

The weather has been amazingly beautiful. We've been playing outside alot.(photos by splitcat)







Well, I am subbing today, so I must go gather the troops and take myself to work. Thanks for stopping by. Will update on the whole beard thing.

Well, January is nearing its conclusion. It's been quite a month. We spent almost a week completely iced in. Thankfully we never lost power or anything. And splitcat had the foresight to go grocery shopping before all the crowds hit, so we had enough food and such. All in all it was a pleasant time. I kind of hated that everyone had to go back to school. The worst part was that the garbage didn't come for 2 weeks. But it worked out because splitcat had to clean up the garage to get out the extra garbage cans.

While we were iced in we celebrated the boy's tenth birthday. He thought missing school was a great way to spend his birthday. He also had to miss his scheduled dr's appt. He was devastated. The in-laws braved the icy roads and brought him(and us) some Dunkin Donuts(his favorite treat). We also made a cake and gave him a book about weapons. Last night we went out for pizza with splitcat's parents and he received a nintendo DS Lite and a couple of games for it. Next weekend will be another party for splitcat's extended family, and sometime in February I am going to take him and his boy cousins out for the day.

He is growing into a fine young man. He is still struggling with school, but his appetite for knowledge is pretty voracious. The highlight of the past few weeks for him, though, is that splitcat is letting him play Medieval II: Total War. He has been playing an older version of civilization, so we thought he was ready to move on.

He is a funny, funny kid. In the car on the way to the pizza place last night, we passed a house that had horses in the yard. One of the twins yelled out excitedly that he saw some cows, so he was quickly informed that those were horses. Which led the boy to make a remark about how cows had lots of "pee-pees" but that milk came out of them, not pee. We quickly informed him that those were called udders(I guess I need to get him a book on animal husbandry). Of course, a general discussion broke out about the word "pee-pee." His sister(of all people) informed us all that they were called "weiners." (and yes, we were laughing really hard in the front seat). And in his most authoritarian voice, the boy said, "Actually, the real word is......(dramatic pause)....the Urinator of Doom."

In other news: the bible study I attend has started back up, so I now have something to do that involves people over the age of 10. I am amassing quite a pile of stuff to send to the thrift store. It's taken me a really long time, but I almost have my stuff down to a manageable level. Now, if I could convince everyone that they only need 7-10 changes of clothes, I would have a lot less laundry to pile up everywhere.

Happy New Year

I am happy to report that we are all feeling much better. Antibiotics are wonderful things. Splitcat, the twins, and I all ended up on them. One of the twins is still coughing, but otherwise well.

We had a white Christmas here in Ga. The last measurable snow on Christmas day was in the late 1800's. There was a small amt in 1993. I remember that one because it was splitcat and I's first Christmas together. I think everyone had a nice Christmas--aside from not feeling so well(it at least kept us from overeating). I finally got new dishes(the light turqoise ones-they are more a robin's egg blue). I've been looking for new dishes for two years, and splitcat didn't have any objections, so i went for these. I still need to get a few more, but I have enough to use for now. From splitcat I also got a new iron(I asked for one), a new watch, and ironically, another new watch from my mom(if you don't follow the links, the watches are from the same line from fossil-one says hope, the other peace). Those were the big things I received.

Last Tuesday we were able to go to the Ga Aquarium with our two older kids, and splitcat's Sister, her daughter and his brother's son who is in from out of town. It was SOOOOOOO crowded, but we still had a pretty good time. We got lucky and were able to watch one of the general feedings in the big tank and watch the fish go a little crazy. I could have sat for hours watching them all swim around.

Tonight I find myself having another New Year's Eve alone(well, the kids are here, but they are in bed). Splitcat got a last minute invite to the Chick-fil-a Bowl a the GA Dome with his family. His nephew is in the marching band at FSU, so they are all going to see him play his last game(he should graduate this year).

So...it's a New Year soon. Hope you all have a Happy one.

Prayer Request

For my few readers out there, I would like to make a prayer request. We are just about all sick. I have been sick since Thanksgiving with a bad cough and on Sunday it turned worse, and I went to the dr. yesterday and I have bronchitis, a sinus infection and a double ear infection. Splitcat is currently at the dr. with the twins, one has sinus issues, the other a really bad cough. And splitcat is also sick with a bad cough. We were both sick with fevers yesterday, but I was ordered to do nothing but rest(I had a 102.2 fever by the time I got home from the dr.), so poor splitcat has been having to take care of everybody. The boy has a mild cough, and the girl is well. So I would appreciate any prayers for us. I am starting to feel better already but still don't feel terribly well. Thank you.

And if I don't get a chance to post again this week, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas.

Why I Don't Do Christmas Cards

Afer about 120 pictures, I got a few usable ones. Here are my favorite unusable pictures.

Johnny Flynn and Laura Marling - The Water

I know I am a little early, since I usually post music on Saturday. BUT I JUST FOUND OUT JOHNNY FLYNN WILL BE IN ATLANTA NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I MUST GO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I need a babysitter for next thursday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!(preferably someone free, ha ha).

Okay, sorry, I got a little excited there. I've been waiting for him to come to Atlanta for a couple of years now.

Smile!

Smile!, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

One of my Craftster and Flickr friends started a new group on Flickr called No Frown Found Friday. This is my entry for the day. I wish I could say they are all still smiling, but M(the blonde one) has been awake since about 2:30 this morning. He woke me up every hour or so to change his movie for him. He's been whining for about 10 minutes now about really random stuff. I see a nap in the near future, for both us.

All 4 kids are fighting off something. We've had runny noses and slight fevers, so I let everyone stay home today. Splitcat has to stay late tonight for the football game, so we may go meet him later for a late lunch/early dinner. If everyone is feeling better. Although on most days I am happy to send everyone off to school, there are days that I like having everyone near me. Today was one of those days. I like to have them near so I can ambush them with hugs and kisses. Tell them how much I love them. Of course, these are things I do every day, but it's more fun when everyone is already in a good mood from staying home from school.

I decided before I even had kids, that I would not be obsessive about attendance. I had perfect attendance for about my last 6 years of school, and it really did nothing for me. I learned when I was a full time worker that it was better to stay home and recuperate when not feeling well than to go to work sick and infect everyone. So I give my kids the same grace. Hopefully by Monday we will all be ready to face the world again.

So, if it's Friday, and you are reading this, smile(they are infectious), give someone a hug(they just might need one), tell someone you love them(for extra points,tell your parents, nothing makes me happier than to hear my kids say I love you).

Happy Birthday to Splitcat

Happy Birthday to Splitcat!

We had a family party tonight. I made fried chicken and mashed potatoes. This was the first time I have tried fried chicken. It turned out quite tasty. We had cupcakes for dessert, then we took splitcat's present (a fire bowl) outside and had a fire and made s'mores and roasted marshmallows. I still smell like smoke, and it feels so right. I have really missed the outdoors in the past few years. Hopefully we will have lots of fun this fall making fires and spending time together as a family.

I am looking forward to spending many more years celebrating with splitcat.

Rainbow

rainbow, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

It finally rained today. It's been a while. It was one of those weird days where there was blue sky, sunshine, and rain. I kept an eye out for rainbows all day. After dinner, I looked out the twins window and saw one. It lasted a really long time. I did doctor up this photo a bit because the sky was such an odd color and I was standing in the garage because it was still raining. So my colors were all screwy. The sky was not quite this blue, but more grey.

Happy 15th Anniversary

Happy Anniversary, Splitcat.

NEWSFLASH--Updated

Splitcat just called from school. He was just interviewed by Janine Turner on the Constituting America Tour. I can't tell you why yet. But they may post the interview online. We don't know. He didn't know they were going to be there today until school was almost out. They weren't there for him, but he was involved with why they are there. I will tell you why as soon as I can. Well this post is about as clear as mud. But all will eventually be revealed.

Update. Okay, it's been officially announced, so I can share. One of splitcat's students won in the video category of this year's contest. You can see her video on the CA website. There is a link on splitcat's blog.

Birthday Time

4/365, originally uploaded by Fiorinda.

Sunday was the twin's 4th birthday. Can you believe it has been four years already? We celebrated with McDonald's and Cake. Lots of Disney paraphernalia(Toy Story and Cars are their current favorites).

They are beautiful boys. M(the blonde one) is extremely talkative, inquisitive, and very much like his sister(moody is the nicest word that comes to mind). They play together most days. W is a loner, you are not always sure what he is talking about when he decides to actually say something. He loves Lego with a passion that equals that of his father and older brother.

I love my boys. I get as many hugs from their little arms as I can.

Twins Room Makeover

So, we have finally gotten around to redoing the twins room. They have been sleeping in the living room most of this year due to window issues(we are finally having all our windows replaced! yay!). This room used to be a rather Eeyore blue with their white cribs. Now, we have big boy beds thanks to my mom and the Salvation Army Thrift Store. I had a fabulous trip to Ikea a couple of weeks ago and found the bedding and way too much other stuff.



Below: The closet. Still working on this one. The little dresser is from Ikea. We hope to get the larger one eventually.


Below: Light fixture also from Ikea(I had way too much fun there). They love it. W spent at least fifteen minutes turning it off and on saying, "It's morning!" when he flipped it on, and "It's night'" when he flipped it off.

Below: A happy boy in his new bed. He has slept in his bed every night since we set it up! yay! I get my living room back.


I still have a ways to go decorating. I am making art to put on the walls, so expect periodic updates. I also want to buy posters from here. I want this one , this one, or this one. The first one is a must have. It is exactly what I've been looking for in a larger poster for their room. Plus, W has a new obsession with all things space.

Play Time

My grandmother took the kids and I out to lunch at McDonald's today and then to the secret park. I forget how it came by the title of "the secret park," but I think it had something to do with the fact that every time we go, there is no one else there. So here are some pics from our adventure.

Stairs

Stairs, originally uploaded by splitcat.

I was going to try to get a photo of her today, but her cousin is over to play, so i am stealing this one from splitcat. He is good a capturing her. She is much too like her mother in some ways, but still her very own person. She is so lovely, so demanding, so sweet, and so obnoxious. yes, she is definitely a girl.