Free, Free...Set Them Free...

:::::::::::::Yesterday::::

I checked Eve out of school early for a dental appoint. She had to get 3 fillings on the right side. She goes back next week for the 2 on the left. She is one brave girl. I told the dental assistant I need some of the nitrous oxide for my house, so the kids would laugh at my jokes. That comment made Eve laugh...but, of course, she was breathing in nitrous oxide at the time.

:::::::::::::Reading:::::

I am reading Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. I am surprised how much I am enjoying the writing style. I'll let you know what I think of the whole thing when I finish.

:::::::::::::Psych:::::::

I laugh out loud multiple times during each episode. I had to wipe my monitor down after the most recent episode that I watched on HULU.com. The 80's reference to Webster was a riot. My guess is the writers are my age. Check out the show for some crazy stories and laughs.

Later, gators!

Some Snow Fun

Just a few pages of things the family has been doing lately:















Book reviews later. Smiles!

Settling Into a Routine

_{Credits: template by Pattie Knox, papers from Primavera kit at Catscrap, Font: DJB MANDY by Darcy Baldwin at The Sweet Shoppe, and arial}

Things are getting to be a little easier with getting the kids up for school. Eve has lost her angst about going to school. Everyone gets dressed, comes down for breakfast, then brushes their teeth when they are finished eating. All work is to be finished and signed the night before to make the morning go smoothly. I'm sure that there will be kinks, but the majority should go okay.


I will be helping out in the school library bi-monthly, which should be fun. Helping kids find books to read just sounds cool to me!

I am, also, the yearbook advisor. I sent out my first email to the volunteers to find out what each one was willing to do. I am meeting with the art teacher this morning, as well, to pick his incredibly creative brain.

We went to curriculum night for grades 3-5 to see what the teachers planned for the year. Michael went to Noah's class and I went to Rachel's. I was impressed with the teachers and believe they are top notch.

:::::::::::::Maintaining:::::::

I walked 6 miles to compensate for doing nothing on Sunday. The weather was really cool. There were a bunch of walkers in the morning. I went right after Aaron's bus left. I had a nice stroll to the top of the subdivision with Sherrill, Nick's mom (friend of Aaron's). She was taking their new puppy, Chrissybear, for a walk. Sherrill is so fun to talk with and it was nice company.
There were a few park regulars, but there were a couple I haven't seen in a week, so I guess their schedules have changed. I smile at everyone who will make eye contact with me and the funniest thing was this young jogger would smile back. The 4th time he passed me he put his hand out, so I gave him a high-five. On the 5.5 mile point of my walk I saw him running through the woods and he said, "See ya later!" He made me laugh because he was in such a good mood. It seems like too many walkers and joggers put on such a serious demeanor like they are at work, or just plain miserable. It was nice to see somebody enjoying themselves and being equally as friendly.

:::::::::::::Dentist:::::::
It is cleaning day for me, so after my meeting with the art teacher I'm off to the dentist.


Peace out!

A Walk Down Memory Lane...

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.

:::::::::::::::::::::::Book Review:::::::::::


The new installment of the Sisters Grimm stories was a crowd pleaser at our house. We finished reading the last two chapters last night and the kids were cheering and asking questions, eager to find out what happened next. The kids loved having Robin Hood and his Merry Men in this one with their fun lines and action scenes. The two characters that got the biggest laughs were Puck and The Mad Hatter. I thought the kids were going to lose muscle control during the court scenes with The Mad Hatter as the judge. Puck's choice for the body guard contingent to the Grimms is pretty hilarious, too!
If you have young children they would probably be rather frightened by some of the imagery and action in the book. I often was creeped out by the Grimm Fairy tales as a kid, so I find the twisted humor in this series cathartic. Noah noticed one inconsistency in the book that regarded a spell placed around Little Red Riding Hood. I told him that he should work as an editor, which led to...

Noah: What is an editor?

Victoria: Someone who looks for consistency in a book?

Noah: What is consistency?

Rachel, Aaron, Michael: "READ THE BOOK!"

We are so excited that Michael Buckley plans to write another story in the series! WOOT WOOT! I give Tales From The Hood 3 Fairy Godmothers out of 3!




Michael put some new podcasts in the mp3 player for me, yesterday. On my walk, I listened to Astronomy Cast's show on Galaxies.
I also listened to Wait Wait's show from 7/20 that featured John Waters as a guest.

:::::::::::::::::::Today:::::::::::

Rachel is going to the dentist to have her teeth cleaned. Yesterday, the orthodontist said she was looking good and that we didn't need to return until December. He tightened her appliance, we made a schedule, then went to do a little school shopping.

We stopped by Old Navy and Rachel found a cute skort, some cropped shorts with a tailored edge, and a couple of shirts.


Take care!

Brave Girl

:::::::::::::::::::Dentist::::::

Eve just got back from having a cavity filled at the pediatric dentist. They used orange scented nitrous oxide to prep her for the shot, and they used a mint numbing gel. She looked at me with a hesitant expression and her eyes got that glassy sheen from beginning to tear up. I asked if she was nervous and she nodded yes. She wanted to hold my hand, as opposed to me holding hers. I figure it gave her a small measure of something she could control. She rarely moved during the procedure. Her lip did slip into the little speculum that kept her jaw open and she would point at it with tears in her eyes. I was so proud of her as was the doctor. The novocaine is wearing off and she feels the pain. I can just hug her.


::::::::::::::::Cub Scout Camp:::::::

Noah is at camp for this week. It is a day camp so he goes in the morning and I pick him up in the afternoon. The theme this year is "Cubs in Space". What a perfect theme for my science guy.

::::::::::::::::Fun New Layouts::::::


<sub>Credits: Dawn Inskip's "Hush" kit, Embossed Letters (set 2)
Catrine: Laura Alpha
Font: DJB Donnar at www.thedigichick.com


Credits: Dawn Inskip's "Hush" kit, alpha from "Midnight Diamonds"
Font: CK Cursive



Credits: Dawn Inskip's Hush kit, Evitangel collab kit, Cartoon Caper kit, Make Believe kit, Typecast Alpha
Font: DJB MANDY by Darcy Baldwin at www.thedigichick.com</sub>

Take Care! :)

Meet "Carl" The Frog:

::::::::::In-Gathering Photo Excerpts::::

It's not the brass ring, but it will have to do. Rachel in her new swimming duds:




Rachel would like you to meet "Carl" the frog. She rescued him from an untimely chlorine related pool death:


This is an item from "Drama-In-A-Bag" where you have to create a skit with items found in a box or bag:


Rachel stated she was a "Wood Bee". She found this a very exciting thing:


Tie Dyeing T-shirt time:




This gorgeous hawk was hunting next to where we were canoeing:




:::::::::::::::::::::::Dawn Inskip C.T.::::::

Such fun new doodles created by Dawn:



My daughter, Eve, likes to dress up in her princess nightgown and mop my mother's floor. My mom thinks that is a grand idea, but Eve uses up all the cleaner in one mopping.
<sub>Credits:

Dawn Inskip: Cat and Mouse
Evitangel Collab
A Little Sunshine
Weather Station
Midnight Diamonds
Land of Make Believe
Typecast Alpha
NDISB: http://www.ndisb.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&manufacturers_id=58&zenid=e614c611a6d03cae2b306fb4e15b27ae

Treasures to Scrap: http://digistore.treasurestoscrap.co...acturers_id=20

ScrapScandiStyle: http://shop.scrapscandistyle.com/ind...acturers_id=43

digiscrapping.net

Darcy Baldwin: DJB SISSY and DJB Another Mandy at www.thedigichick.com</sub>

::::::::::::::::::::Summer Camp Sign-Up:::::

I am close to being finished with signing up the kids for things they wanted to do during the Summer.

Rachel: 1 week introduction to Drama
3 day Beginners Tennis to see if she wants lessons
1 week Budding Authors at Mercer University

Aaron: Scout Camp

Noah: Cub Scout Day Camp

Eve: Still up in the air, but maybe ballet?

:::::::::::::::::::::::::Book Review:::::::::::::



I, thoroughly, enjoyed going on this adventure with the Darcy's. Bebris continues her ability to weave a story that Jane Austen would be proud of, I think. Elizabeth is with child in this book and looking forward with joy and anxious anticipation to the new Darcy. The threads of the story include finding a doctor to attend Elizabeth, or use the local midwife, which is a fabulous story in itself. Another thread is finding a letter from Darcy's departed mother and it's suggestion of a missing artifact important to her. Another thread is deceit brought about for an unknown reason. Yet, another thread is a story of friendship of two woman. There is also a revealing look at the relationship of Darcy's parents.

I found this third installment my favorite, so far. If you are unwilling to let the Darcy's stay fixed in time, and yearn for another peek into their lives as they progress through time give this book a try.

::::::::::::::::::::Next Reading Book:::::::::::
This is the book I'm reading for our Friday Book Group. Every page has made my chuckle. I have never been an, official, teacher, but I have 4 kids and home schooled one of them. There is also the homework tutoring and kids at church. I was also a kid once and I remember doing some of those things or seeing other kids do what he describes. This is such a fun read.


:::::::::::::::Dentist Week::::::::

Aaron visited the dentist, yesterday. The outcome was no cavities! YEAH! But, he wants to put braces on Aaron because of the wide spacing between his teeth. BOO! Michael doesn't think Aaron needs braces. He stated that he and all of his siblings have the same spacing and they are all good looking. I did have to agree. We will still get a second opinion from Rachel's orthodontist.

Noah and Eve have appointments tomorrow. Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy!

Take care!

It's Here:

:::::::::::::::::::::::Album Cover::::::::

This is the album for my SIL. I really love how it turned out. I wanted to capture a Dr. Seussian feel.





::::::::::::::::::Pride and Prejudice::::::::

I had a fantastic time cuddled in my fleece blanket watching the mini-series, yesterday. Michael came home in time to watch a couple of hours of the show. We had to leave to pick up the kids from my stepmother's house. They would love to have stayed longer, but they had school today. The mini-series version is wonderfully crafted and a great period piece. The movie had a more refined air, then the movie version. The country gentry seemed more polished. That isn't to say that I preferred one to the other because of this. The gulf between the two world's seemed larger in the movie version due to the farm/old rambling house of the Bennett's. Both Elizabeth Bennett's had quick wit, clever tongue and captivating eyes that would temp and vex the Mr. Darcys. Both Colin Firth and Matthew MacFayden did marvelous jobs with a character who has lost his trust and patience with people in general. The movie version had to compress a lot of information about the cad, Mr. Wickham, that is more detailed in the series. The portrayal of the father in both versions is hilarious, but given more time for dialogue in the series.

Overall, the cinematography in the movie had me from the beginning, but made my heart race during the dance scene with Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth where everyone else seems to disappear from the room. I thoroughly recommend both versions. Romantic stuff, indeed.



:::::::::::::::::::::Dentist:::::::::

I am polished and flossed after a trip to the dentist office today. They said the choppers look lovely, but I have tartar below the surface that needs to be scaled. Yum! The kids all go to the dentist in May...should be fun! :)

Smiles...a bright and shiny one...at that!

Crazy Conversations and Funny Relatives!

I have so many cool nieces and nephews! Here are a couple of layouts using pictures provided by their mom, Melissa.





My niece, Kendall, dressed up as the Wicked Stepmother. She had to remember to stop skipping and singing because she was supposed to be "evil".

_{Darcy Baldwin: DJB GINAE, Stickbet Alpha at The Digichick
Sausan Designs: Oogelie Booglie kit, Needful Thing book, brush it alpha
Emily Merritt: Stitched Starburst, Tile Alpha
Weeds and Wildflowers: Layered Alpha doodle frame, Doodled Alpha star paint splatter
Catrine: Chalked Alpha
ELMD: Doodled alpha freebie
Michelle Coleman: Hand Stamped Alpha
Ida: Star Doodle
Mo Jackson: Moodle frame}


::::::::::::::::::::Some One Had A Baby, so...::::

that means LASAGNA, salad and French bread. Well, at our house, anyway! Aaron helped me gather the ingredients at the grocery store. Then, he helped me cook and assemble the meal. He, Michael and Rachel went to visit this very adorable baby to deliver the meal to his parents. I stayed home with my cold and Eve and Noah.

::::::::::::::::::::Dentist Welfare Fund::::::::

has been established. The Taylor Foundation has been asked to fork over their quarterly contribution to the Dentist Welfare Fund of Georgia. It appears that Eve has cavities between two sets of molars. This will require two separate visits, numbing medication and x-rays. Noah, fortunately, had a clean bill of dental health. I figure that .50 cents from the Tooth Fairy was well spent. Michael still has to make the appointment to have Aaron's tooth pulled. YIKES!

Rachel was supposed to get her braces off today, but the orthodonists father passed away and he will be out all week. She took the news in stride. So, next week she gets her braces off, then gets her teeth cleaned the day after. The week afer that she gets her retainer. And for good measure she gets her eyes checked on Friday after school. She says things are getting blurry, again!

:::::::::::::::::::::::::Book Fair:::::::::

is coming to the local school. Noah has supplied me with his list of demands requests. He said they only cost $12.99 each. There is a book about Transformers and a couple of other things. Rachel had one book she was interested in, but I misplaced the slip of paper. She has a great memory so I'm safe.

::::::::::::::::::::::::Conversations with Eve::::::::

I was driving Eve to school this morning and she told me about a girl in her class who kept scooting her floor mat away from the girl next to her. Eve told that she raised her hand and informed the teacher about this situation. So, I said: "You mean you were paying attention to what someone else was doing and not listening to the story?"

Eve: "I was listening to the story."

Mom: "How could you be listening to the story when you were busy paying attention to what everybody else is doing?"

Eve: "I have Two Eyes! I can do both at the same time!"

Well, boy howdy! Thanks for the information update!

Off to get Eveybug!

Later, gators!

Pleased As Punch...

with the children in Primary! They all sang so well for their families on Sunday. The sister playing the piano did a marvelous job making eye contact with me and had just the right subtle gestures. We were perfectly in sync. My anxiety was, happily, unfounded. Mom and Jim came and sat with us so they could hear the children. They were so pleased to get hugs and kisses from granny and grandpa. Afterwards, my mom ran home to do some things, then graciously came back to pick the kids up after Church. They love to ride around in granny's P.T. Cruiser.

When we went to pick the kids up from my folk's house one of our cult classic movies was on. When we told the kids who were in the back bedroom watching something on Disney or Nickelodeon that Murder By Death was on they rushed into the room and plopped on the couch asking granny to bring their lunch trays in so they could watch the film. (They are a bit pampered by my mom!) We all laughed and did lines from the movie. Aaron was the only one that didn't watch because he was playing on the computer in the bedroom.

My mom made some delicious tacos for dinner. She was shocked Aaron wanted some because he had eaten a lot just a few minutes before. He is a growing boy!

:::::::::::::::::::::Platelets:::::::::::

Yesterday, Michael did his routine platelet donation. The person who sticks in the needles was much more gentle than the one last time. He came home with another t-shirt from the Red Cross showing that he was a platelet donor. He joked that if this kept up his entire wardrobe would be from The Red Cross.

:::::::::::::::::::::Field Day:::::::::::

Today, Noah had Field Day at school. He knew I could only come near the end because I had an appointment for the Fall teacher conference with Eve's teacher. It took me 10 minutes to find him and I only stayed another 10 to take his photo. He was doing a great job from the things he had signed off on his card. I got to watch him do a sack race, sit-ups, and somersault before I had to run off. Aaron had to be at the dentist for a cleaning appointment and it is 45 minutes from the house.

:::::::::::::::::::::Eve's Conference::::::

The teacher said Eve spoke very softly in her class and her favorite thing is "Dramatic Play". In dramatic play Eve is only appeased as long as she is "the" Princess. There is one little boy in her class that will pretty much do whatever she says. My mom, jokingly, said, "She should marry him now! You never know if you will find another one like that!" :) The teacher said that Eve has difficulty recognizing D'nealian font, but not regular letters. My response surprised her. I told her that D'nealian is an archaic lettering form used by those teaching children to write with their quill pens, so that their letters didn't smear when they wrote with ink. I continued that I figured she would figure it out pretty quickly...not to worry. She laughed and said, "You know our county uses D'nealian." I said my husband has an engineering job where he writes in all caps and most people use typed media. Either way it didn't matter in the grand scheme of things.

:::::::::::::::::::::Dentist Appointment::::::::

Aaron has no cavities, but a stubborn baby molar. His permanent tooth behind the non moving tooth is at an angle, so it isn't pushing the tooth enough to dissolve the roots. To the tune of $500.00+ he will pull that offending tooth. Part of that fee is $100.00 dollars for the nitrous oxide to help calm his anxiety. I offered a rubber mallet, but the doctor didn't think it was funny. He will also put sealants on the back molars at the same time.

::::::::::::::::::::::Noah:::::::::::::

lost his second tooth. I am working on a layout with the photo I took of the momentous occasion. But, Aaron has some school work to do on my computer now!

Smiles!

Hairspray!

_{Arrows from the Cora kit by Amanda Roberts
Font: Journaling Hand/Arial
Comicbook Junkie kit by Jan Crowley
Graphic border by Katie Pertiet
Shimmer Solids by Gina Miller}
This is a layout using one of my mother's photos and I'm sure she will appreciate my homage to the film!


What a fun movie for girls night out with my mom! We laughed and laughed. I almost choked on a Milk Dud when Christopher Walken had a scene with a pile of Whoopie Cushins. The songs, costumes and vibrance of the movie was infectious...in a good way! John Travolta is hilarious as Edna Turnblad and Christopher Walken was my favorite character. Amanda Bynes has some great one-liners referring to her mother, played by Alison Janney. James Marsden was fabulous as Corny Collins, the host of the local dance show, which reminds me I want to see him in the upcoming film this Winter called "Enchanted". I was tapping my toes throughout the film and the message of the movie should never get old. Two thumbs up!

:::::::::::::::::::Dentist Time:::::::::

I'm working on another vacation layout, but I need to run for my teeth cleaning appointment.

Smiles!

The New Family Reading Book is:

Here is a link to the website for theSisters Grimm.

This series was recommended to me by my friend Kim and is rather good at letting me know about great books. We are only through a chapter and a half and the kids want me to keep reading. Noah insisted that he didnt' fall asleep during the attack of the pixies, so I would keep reading. I told him that we would pick up reading where he left off tomorrow night.
The characters already show the menacing edge that you see when you read about the Baudelaire orphans and the crazy folks that would be their "guardians" in A Series of Unfortunate Events. The book also has the Sisters Grimm parentless, which drives Michael kinda nuts. This is our second orphan book in a row, too. Anyway, the book has a rich history from which to mine its characters. The creative possibilites are endless and it appears Micheal Buckley has done a superb job. Here is a review bySondra Eklund.



:::::::::::::::::::Check-up:::::::::

Eve goes to Dr. Maron for a check-up on her gum where he had to pull her tooth last week. She loves to see him, so the visit should go well.


:::::::::::::::::::Hand of Death::::

an explanation on this term as it pertains to Rachel. Unfortunately, for the tadfrogs and Rachel, the two tadfrogs she picked up to get a closer look died shortly after being held. Rachel was devastated by the turn of events. She decided to add a spider and a worm to another terrarium to find that both were dead when she got home from school. I hope she uses this as an opportunity to learn about species in their own habitats.

::::::::::::::::::::Noah's Question of the Day::::::::

When was Bubble Wrap invented? Well, here is the scoop on that: Bubble Wrap website.



Do you want to relieve some stress? Try this: Click ME!



Smiles!

One Year Older and Wiser Too?

Wouldn't that be nice! The day didn't start out well due to issues with Aaron, but it improved slowly.

Aaron made me some yummy pancakes for my birthday!






For my birthday dinner my mom made reservations for us at Longhorn Steakhouse. Michael ended up grabbing the tab, which surprised my mom. She bought me my own copy of The Phantom Tollbooth. She also purchased William Wilberforce's book Real Christianity. There was also a lovely check for digi stuff!

:::::::::::::::::::Quiz of the day::::::::::

The following pictures of Eve reflect what fact?

A. She has tickets to the front row of Nascar at the Atlanta Motor Speedway

B. She chipped her tooth while removing a bottle cap from a soda bottle

C. Running for Little Miss Trailer Park 2007

D. Had her tooth removed because the neighbor boy is too rough

*(Answer at the end of the entry)








Eve had her tooth pulled this morning and was a complete angel. Dr. Glenn Maron in Atlanta did the procedure. His dental assistants were really kind. The sedative they gave me to administer to her acted quickly. She then was given nitrous oxide. The procedure only lasted a few minutes. She got one stitch to close up the skin. Her speech was slurred and she was pretty out of it for the first hour. She developed the hiccups right after the procedure, so with the slurred speech she sounded like a whino with an empty bottle of ripple from Joe's Package store. I expected her to break into some Irish Pub songs at any time. She also wanted to stay at the doctor's office because she really liked them.
One of the assistants wheeled Eve out to the parking deck and waited for me to fetch the Queen Victoria Family Truckster. On the walk out to the parking deck I asked her about their dental team's recent trip to Ecuador to do surgeries. She said they preformed about 72 procedures and would liked to have done more. They are looking into going to Colombia in February for their next trip to help the poor.
Eve has a follow-up with Dr. Maron next week. She was prescribed codeine for the pain and amoxicillan to prevent infection. She is allowed liquids and soft foods for the first two days.



*Answer D