Happy Halloween!

Chow time! - Sobaka & Zoe

My last post was 10 day ago?!  Where does the time go???  Wow.....busy, busy, always soooooo busy.  I am grateful that it is a "good busy", but busy nonetheless.  I can without doubt, say that we have adjusted to having a doggie.  Although, I must say, Sobaka is such a good dog that the adjustment period (minus her 3 nights in the hospital) has been a breeze.  Sobaka follows us everywhere, she is amazing with Madeline and so unbelievably mild-mannered.  Even the cats are getting used to having Sobaka around. Zoe, our cat that was inherited from my mom, is the most skittish cat on the planet and yet even Zoe will eat side by side with Sobaka (although I have since had to move the cat food because Sobaka is eating the cat food).  Sobaka also took her first road trip with us to visit David's parents in Indiana.  It was nice to be able to travel with a pet.  Sobaka was also able to go with us on visits to David's mom in the rehabilitation home.  Sobaka was amazing there too....so much so that I would consider having her certified to be a therapy dog.  I have to admit that we were very apprehensive about taking on the responsibility of a dog but we are so happy that we did. Oh, and by the way, Sobaka is also getting spoiled by her aunt and cousin.  My niece, Becky, and her boyfriend, Zac, mailed a care package for Sobaka.  It included a rope pull toy and this "beer bottle" chew toy.  Hmmmm....great way to train Sobaka how to fetch us a beer - HA!  And my sister, Marysia, also sent something to Buffalo today with her husband Mike when he came to town to visit his parents.  Sobaka is looking forward to seeing what kind of goodies Aunt Marysia sent.

Fetch me a beer!

Classmates at Christina's 40th

My blog followers might recall that I celebrated my 40th birthday in June.  I can somehow be in denial about that, yet it makes it difficult to be in denial when all my friends from grade school/high school are also turning 40!  I am pretty sure my friend, Christina, is the youngest of my classmates and so I just recently attended her 40th birthday party.  In general, I would say that not many people keep in touch with anyone from grade school.  However, many of us DO keep in touch after all these years.  Here is a photo of me and 3 of my grade school classmates at Christina's party. (clockwise: Me, Mary Kay, Christina & Tracy)

I have also been busy organizing my new business.  I am in the midst of launching things and organizing my operation.  I might be recruiting *your* help to launch....placing an order, hosting a taste-testing party OR (great for out-of-towners) a catalog party.  Stay tuned for more Tastefully Simple news....

Mailing artwork to Aunt Mushie

Madeline is  growing in leaps and bounds.  I can't believe that she'll be 5 years old in only 6 days!  She is so interested in the beginning letter of words.  She is learning how to write her name - she hasn't quite mastered it because "Madeline" is a long name, but she gets close.  Today, however, out of the blue and completely unassisted, she said, "I wrote your name".  I looked over and read the word, "Mama".  Awwwwww!!!!!  Madeline is (for her age)  also so amazingly good at drawing.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, that girl has talent.  Her drawings for her age are so detailed.  I love her creations!  Madeline likes to have me mail out her work to various people.  I believe in this photo, Madeline is putting a picture in the mail for Aunt Marysia.  If you notice in the background of the picture, Madeline is just in time, as the mail truck is making its way up our street.

Costume #1 (Thanks Aunt Margaret!)

As I mentioned, we recently went to Indiana to visit David's family.  I brought along the pieces and parts to put together Madeline's Halloween costume while we were away but that didn't happen.  We arrived home from our trip late on Wednesday.  The lack of a costume wasn't a huge issue since Madeline's school party wasn't until Friday and Halloween isn't until Saturday.  I had forgotten, however, that her library story hour was having a Halloween thing Thursday morning.  I wasn't about to send Madeline to the library without her costume so we decided to have Madeline dress in her flapper dress that Madeline has in her dress-up clothes collection (courtesy of Aunt Margaret).  By Thursday night I decided that I will NEVER commit to making a costume again but, since I already committed, I spent Thursday evening sewing "fur" to create  Madeline's cat costume.  Despite the fact that my actual handi-work was crappy, I think the kitty costume turned out pretty good.  Madeline enjoyed her Halloween Party at school today.  She came home with enough candy to feed an army and she still gets to look forward to trick-or-treating.  And so, Sunday, you will see this little kitty roaming the streets and begging for candy.  Following nearby will be her best friend, Sobaka, in her costume too!

MEOW! Costume #2 - (Mama's creation)

Enjoying a story at school

Sobaka is ready to trick or treat!

Commercial Break

I last created a blog post on October 5th but it seems like a LIFETIME ago!  In those two weeks our new doggie, Sobaka, was very sick with double pneumonia and spent three nights in the hospital. (I am happy to say that she is now home and doing much better  (although I have to wrestle with Sobaka twice a day to give her medication)  Also, over the past two weeks, I started my own business........and thus, this "commercial break" post.

I am now an independent contractor for Tastefully Simple. Attending a friend’s at-home taste-tasting party began my love affair with Tastefully Simple.  Who doesn’t enjoy an evening of great food, great friends and laughter?  But more than that, I was thoroughly impressed with each sample offered that evening.  As I began to prepare the Tastefully Simple products I purchased at my friend’s party, I realized that the food was not only delicious but also easy to prepare.  Certainly I loved the simplicity of only needing two or fewer ingredients to prepare a delectable dish.  As a busy stay-at-home mom, I undoubtedly appreciated the convenience of Tastefully Simple.  

Whether you live locally or on the other side of the country, you may place an order on my personal website (CLICK HERE!) and it will be shipped directly to you in 10 business days.  With the entertaining and party-attending season just around the corner, time to stock up on superb products that require only two or fewer ingredients to make!  This means you will have more time enjoying your food than you will preparing it!  I must say that one of my favorites is the Absolutely Almond Pound Cake.  It is to die for and sooooo easy to make!  Having delicious & easy to make items to serve at or bring to a party make things so much more convenient.  Certainly, Tastefully Simple offers excellent opportunities for gift giving too.....perfect for Secret Santa gifts.

For my out-of-state blog followers, you can earn Tastefully Simple rewards towards free product by organizing a catalog/online party!  If you live locally, I would love to do a taste-testing party with you and a bunch of your friends/family.  Great food, great friends AND hostess rewards....what can top that?  If you would like additional information, you can email me at TSorders@roadrunner.com.

Comfort Food

Comfort in food...yep, that's me.  It's part of my upbringing.  Is it my Polish blood? Maybe.  Or maybe it is just my more immediate familial food fetish background.  It's no secret that my side of the family are foodies!  And it wasn't until I sat down for dinner that I realized I was cooking up a storm, I guess, in search of that perfect comfort food.

You see, our new little doggie, Sobaka, is currently on night two in the hospital.  It looks as though Sobaka picked up kennel cough during her stay at the SPCA.  Although this in itself is not uncommon, the kennel cough progressed to pneumonia.  It has only been a week with Sobaka and yes, we are already attached.  And, yes, I am worried.  Yes, I miss her.  And thus, the comfort food.

Earlier today, I made homemade cranberry sauce.  Hmmmmm.....what to make for dinner?  Gosh, I haven't had breaded pork chops in ages.  Madeline was bugging me to "make the recipe" with me and so I gave her a learning experience and had her bread the pork chops. As the pork chops were in the oven I prepared an apple pie which was stuck in the oven as we ate dinner. For dinner, I served the pork chops with with the cranberries, applesauce, green beans and (boxed) potatoes au gratin.  Nah, nothing too fancy or swanky.  Just everyday ole cookin'.  Very everyday but as I sat down for dinner, I looked at my plate and thought that it looked *exactly* like a meal I might have had as a child.  And so, in hindsight, I realized that I busied myself in the kitchen to take my mind off of Sobaka.  Get well soon little doggie.  We love you already!

It's A Girl!

We've added to our family! No, not a baby.  She is actually almost 3 years old.  Oh, wait, I should probably tell you that our new girl is a doggie!

I am not quite sure why but over the past few weeks I have gotten the itch for another pet.  I was open to another kitty OR a dog.  Kitty cats are so much fun and they are very easy to care for.  With cats, you can simply leave for a long weekend. Just put out food, water and fresh litter and the cats will take care of themselves.  Dogs, on the other hand, can be spazs and require a lot more work.  Although, both David and I grew up with dogs and hoped to one day provide that same experience for Madeline.

FETCH!!

I was leaning towards to kitty option.  My Uncle Tom has been raising little kitties (bottle feeding - that's how young they are).  I almost had David convinced that we *needed* to see one of the little kitties.  I figured it would be perfect timing because when the kitty was old enough and strong enough to come home it would be  right near Madeline's birthday.  Well, to make a long story short, the kitty that we were considering didn't get strong enough and passed away.  However, in the process of considering this kitty I got attached to the idea of bringing home another "family member".  So what's a girl to do now??  Go to the SPCA, of course!

Tuesday, Madeline and I headed  to the SPCA.  This isn't the 1st time she and I poked around there.  Before we even left the house, Madeline kept telling me, "I want a dog! I want a doggie!"  Trust me, we didn't get a dog just because Madeline wanted one but when we found the *right* dog, it certainly didn't hurt the cause.  I, however, was trying to convince Madeline before we left the house that she did not want a dog, she really wanted a cat.  She was too funny though because Madeline had an answer for everything.

The conversation went something like this:

"Madeline, why do you think we should get a dog?"
"Because I never had a dog"
"Madeline, we don't always get everything we want."
"Mama, Cinderella has Lucifer (cat) and Bruno (dog) and I want a dog."
"Madeline, dogs are a lot of work.  They need to be fed and walked."
"I can take a doggie for a walk."
"Doggies don't go poopie in a litter box.  Doggies go outside.  What if the doggie poops in the back yard near your swing set?"
"The dog can poop on a walk"
"Well, Madeline, we'd still have to clean up the poop"
"You can clean it up, Mama"
"ME????  Why couldn't YOU clean it up?"
"Mammmmaaaaa....I am just a little girl! Little girls *can't* pick-up poop! I might get dirty!"

And like I said.....she had an answer, albeit a 4 yr old's version, for everything.

 
When we arrived at the SPCA, the first corridor of doggies had a lot of pit bull mixes.  All I have to say  on that is....NO WAY! I know that there are good pit bulls out there bu I am not willing to take the risk.  Madeline and I saw a bunch of tiny yappers and spazzy, drooly dogs too.  We rounded the corner to a doggie with really interesting colors not only in the fur but the eyes too.  The dogs name at the SPCA was Cindy (although we renamed her).  I opened the half-door to pet Cindy and when most big dogs jump up, spaz-out, and drool all over the place, this doggie very politely jumped up.  When I pet her she leaned her head to the side and right into my hand.  She was just looking for love.

Next, I asked if I could walk the dog.  Cindy was scheduled to go out on the Whisker Wag'n (mobile adoption unit brought out to various pet stores to increase an animal's exposure) so I only had a couple of minutes to walk her.  Cindy walked great on the leash.  Madeline was so excited about walking the dog that I began to see how nice this type of addition would be to our family.  While outside, I told Cindy to sit & lay and she listened. Obviously, this doggie had obedience training.  Also, when she laid down, the dog rolled onto its back in a submissive manner. Madeline ran around and the doggie was excited about Madeline but did not become overly riled.  Cindy remained gentle mannered.  This really was a good dog.  Okay.....time to call David.

So David's big question to me was, "Are you asking me to bring home a dog that I never met??"  Okay, fair question but I knew that this gal wouldn't be around long.  She would get a home fast!  The SPCA offered me to hold the dog for 24 hours but I was afraid that if we weren't really serious enough about bringing a dog home that Cindy would miss out on going on the Whisker Wag'n and miss out an opportunity to be adopted.  So, it was decided that I would let the doggie go on the Wag'n but that David would meet Madeline and me after work at the pet store that was hosting the Whisker Wag'n.

Madeline and I got to the Wag'n first and the first words out of my mouth were, "Is Cindy still here"?  Although someone was very interested in adopting the dog, the SPCA couldn't approve the adoption because the girl still lived at home.  And so, it was meant to be, I guess.  We took the doggie into the pet store for a walk around with David.  For a long time we thought, talked, and considered.  David and I both knew that if we were to get a dog, THIS dog was perfect.  She's laid back, gentle, great with Madeline, etc, etc.  The question was are we ready for a dog?  Again, watching Madeline interact with Cindy was melting our hearts.  Finally, we decided to move forward.

I must say, Madeline has a new best friend.  The first night after Madeline went to bed, the dog sat with me and David for a while.  Eventually the dog disappeared and we just figured she was exploring the house.  I finally decided to check what the dog was up to and she was sleeping in the doorway to Madeline's room.  Every night since she has been home (since Tuesday) the doggie has slept somewhere in Madeline's room.  Madeline has made tea parties for, played outside with, read to, and narrated tours (in the car) for the dog.  Out of the blue, Madeline will turn to the dog and say, "I have to tell you something very important doggie. I love you sooooo much!"  Now when I pick Madeline up from school the first thing she does is question the whereabouts of  the doggie.  Going forward, I am sure you'll be hearing much more about Madeline's new sidekick.

And now, I guess I should tell you doggie's name.  In the spirit of being part of Madeline, we decided to name our new little Australian Shepherd (mix?) "Sobaka" which is Russian for dog.  Welcome Home, Sobaka!

Family Fun Weekend

Digging for souvenirs - found a book!

David came home from his trip to Germany late on Friday night.  After a week apart we were all excited about Papa's homecoming!  Since I had to drag Madeline out of bed to head to the airport at 11:30 at night, by the time we got home we sent Madeline straight back to bed.  Consequently, she had to wait to see what type of goodies that Papa brought home from his travels.  Madeline, of course, was all too happy to dig through David's suitcase the next morning.  David is really good at getting a huge collection of little goodies.  Nothing too big but a little something from each of his stops so that the collection of small loot makes Madeline (and me) feel like we are being showered in presents....too many to include pictures of all!  For me, many of my goodies were packed with calories.  Although my body doesn't need those calories, I have been enjoying the indulgences.  It is always nice to know that David was thinking of us while he was gone.

A chocolate Eiffel Tower coin

Gummy Bears from Germany

Knoppers from Germany - my favorite!

Saturday we had to get some work done around the house.  Our new pool winter cover  arrived while David was gone.  That is the only thing we were waiting on in order to finish the pool closing process so we needed to take care of that PRONTO.  This process was a hoot though as Saturday was a very windy day.  Trying to open up a 24 foot (+ 3 ft overhang....so what would that be, a 30' diameter?)  pool cover and lift it over the pool (oh yeah, the deck gets in the way too) and secure it without letting it touch the remaining pool water is difficult enough.  Trying to do this on a windy day is like trying to refold a parachute mid-flight after jumping out of a plane.  Not an easy task!  We also puttered with some yard work and while doing so David and I noticed the "wonderful" bowing of one side of our pool.  Grrrrrr.... Yes, the pool was here when we moved in and it is probably about 20 years old but we will be lucky to have this pool  last through the winter.  I guess we now know that we need to save up some extra (extra???what's that??) pennies over the winter.  Sighhhh.....moan....groan.....I can't even *think* about that expense now.

Sounds kind of funny to say that Elmo is as high as a kite!

We DID try to enjoy some of that windy Saturday.  David disappeared into the house and came out with an Elmo kite that we bought a while ago but never had a chance to use.  We attempted flying the kite on our street's cul-de-sac but were not having much luck.  We decided to head over to the field in front of the middle school.  We also grabbed an old kite (giant squid) that we bought in the Outer Banks on the family campout the month after we got married (yes, over 12 years ago!).  Even with the ocean breezes, we were never able to successfully launch that kite way back then, so Saturday was a last ditch effort.  The Elmo kite took off pretty easily.  Due to its flying history, the purple squid had one tentacle in the grave....so close to the trash.  Finally, after much, much, much determination on both mine and David's part the squid launched.  Madeline enjoyed the kite flying but I think I enjoyed it the most.  Why was I so thrilled?  I think I can say that in my 40 years I have NEVER flown a kite.  Yes, David and I attempted to fly the giant squid  many years ago in Outer Banks yet it never soared.  This is the first time that I ever launched a kite and felt its movement as it danced in the wind. What an absolutely relaxing feeling. I LOVED it.

The purple squid flies!!! Can you see it??

Some video footage of the dancing Elmo kite....

 
On Sunday, the three of us headed out to Becker Farms for some apple picking.  We  enjoyed a mini tractor ride into the orchard and picked a few varieties of apples.  I thought I would *never* use all the apples that we picked yet Madeline has been averaging about 3 apples a day now that we have them at home.....maybe they won't go to waste afterall.  Even still, for a household of 3, we have enough apples to last a loooooong time.  I am not an applesauce making kind of person and David is NOT one to grab an apple for a snack.  So, hear I am with over a 1/2 bushel of apples.....wish me luck!  I think I will make an apple pie tonight. I am making an apple flake pastry for my Candle Party this Thursday night and I am trying to snack on apples too (although I won't match Madeline's pace).  Let's hope these "apple projects" will be enough to unearth us from our mound of apples.  Despite the apple overload, we had a great time picking the apples.  Madeline also enjoyed feeding the goats on the farm and rolling down a huge hill with all the other kids that were there.

Madeline picking apples at Becker Farms

5 bags! What were we thinking?!

Leery at first, Madeline eventually enjoyed feeding the goats.

All in all, it was a great weekend!  It has been wonderful having David home again.  Unfortunately, Monday came and along with it came the work week.  One might argue that "everyday is a weekend" for me since I am a stay-at-home mom. But no, my week consists of keeping the house afloat until Friday when the 3 of us can enjoy the weekend together.  I look forward to the weekends just as much as I used to when I was working.

Fall Homecoming

Picking out pumpkins

As I type this, David is working his way home from Germany on his transatlantic flight (29 minutes and 266 miles before landing in JFK to be exact).  Madeline was in school this morning and I decided to get the house cleaned up, laundry sorted (as David will has 2 suitcases full when he gets home),  stash toys away (at least until Madeline got home), change sheets on our & Maddie's bed (nothing better than crawling into clean crisp sheets, especially when coming home after a long trip), and decided to get a start on Fall decorations for the house so that the pretty Fall colors would welcome David when he got home (okay, so it'll be dark when he gets home but it's the thought that counts).

After picking Madeline up from school, we headed out to a local farm and bought a few corn stalks, a hay bale, a couple pumpkins and some colorful mums. Okay, I'll be honest....I was also trying to minimize the time before bedtime that Madeline would be able to trash the house I just cleaned. Regardless, it is a beautiful day here - perfect for taking a drive into the country.  Although quite humid, it is in the upper 80's and windy.  I love days like this (although I could do without that darn humidity) and  love the colors of Fall yet I am not crazy about the fact that this weather means the cold days of winter are approaching.  I choose to try to ignore that fact and bask in the last few warm sunny days of the year.

A tree swing on the pumpkin farm

David will be calling soon when he lands in JFK (yeah!) and Madeline and I will go outside to spruce up our front yard with the decorations we picked out today. But first,  I thought I would share a couple of pictures.

Got Camo?

Camo Crockpot?? And WHO would spend $50 for THAT??

My dream (not) - to extract my mail from a fish mouth

Back in June, as David and I were driving back (and dragging our feet because we didn't want things to end) from our romantic get-away to celebrate my 40th birthday, we stopped at a mall to stroll and browse.  We stopped into the mall's Bass Pro store and took a look around.  I understand, since Brass Pro IS a hunting/fishing mega store, them having a certain selection of camouflage gear.  But really?!?!?  Does anyone *really* go THIS extreme?  As the Jeff Foxworthy spiels, "You know you are a redneck when...." crossed my mind I felt obligated to snap some photos.  I could only image some country house decked out with ALL THREE of these accessories and think to myself that  a marriage is not so much about  control, but rather mutual respect.  With that said, to the couple who resides in said country house accessorized with enough camo to hide West Virginia, I say , (A) the wife has NO control over her husband  and (B) the husband has no respect for his wife.

Camo gear while channel surfing = work avoidance.  Hubby won't be seen by unsuspecting wife

Travel Agent From Across The Pond

Bov Kro

My day was fairly uneventful today.  I am still trying to manage my way through the time that David is away.  This was my 4th (3rd chick-flick) movie night this week.  Tonight's movie, "The Back-Up Plan" was the chick-flickiest of them all and one that I guarantee David would've hated.  And so I settled in, wearing a set of flannel PJs, trying to make the most out of David's trip to Germany.

One sort of neat story came out of today - one that I have to say, "Holy Cow! Technology is amazing"!  While David travels, we talk regularly on Skype.  David does, however, have a German cell phone that he can use while in Germany.  In order to conserve spending Euros on pre-paid minutes, David will call me & ring twice and hang up when he has a moment to talk but is away from the computer.  When I see on caller ID that David called, I in turn call him back as our international calling fees are reasonable.

Like I said, David is in Germany. He is staying in and having meetings in Hamburg but also commuting daily to Husum, Germany for a trade show.  Husum is in northern Germany near the border of Denmark.  David being David (and why I love traveling with him...so jealous that I couldn't be there!) decided that after his work obligations he was going to drive to Denmark for dinner - just because.  And so that is what he did.  He and a guy that he is traveling with headed off to Denmark before heading back to Hamburg.

David called me after he crossed into Padborg, Denmark.  Come to find out, David and his travel partner didn't see much in terms of restaurants in Padborg.  By this point in time, 7:30 pm Denmark (1:30pm EST) the guys were starving and just wanted to eat.  They were tempted to stop for pizza because they were just ravenous.  WHAT?!?!?  You *can't* drive to Denmark for dinner and then just stop for a pizza!!!!  Quickly, I grabbed my laptop, asked the guys where they were and Googled up their location.  Yep, there really didn't seem to be much.  Luckily, I found a place that was a little off the beaten path but not far from where they were.  I pulled up Google maps and the guys talked through describing to me where there were so I could pinpoint their location on a map.  Too cool!!  So here I was in New York, giving driving instructions for a restaurant to David and his travel partner, Dan, in Denmark!

Much better than pizza

Where I led David and Dan to was Bov Kro, which is one of Denmark's oldest inns.  According to the web, the Bov Kro received its royal license in 1566!!!  Yep, this is the way I like to travel - be adventurous.  What a gem of a find.  I know many non-adventurous travelers that would've stopped at the truck stop-like restaurant that was, according to David, the only "obvious" restaurant close to the border.  Or they would've stopped at the pizza place.....but really?? Then what was the point of going to Denmark???  The non-adventurous fall into the same category as people who (very few acceptable excuses for this) travel half-way around the world and eat at a Hard Rock Cafe or TGIFridays.  Huh???  What's the point?? You can get that at home!!.....but I digress. And so, the two guys had a successful trip into Denmark and did NOT have to try "Danish pizza", found (from the help of transatlantic technology) an off the beaten path place to eat while also enjoying a piece of Danish history.  (siiighhh) sooooo jealous :-)

The other day - Polly enjoying a beer at the Husum Brauhaus

Another Movie Night

Madeline had a great day today as she woke up on the right side of the bed (although bedtime was a little rough because I had company).  Her cold is slowly starting to get better.  Madeline was a happy camper in the morning and was 100% playing with her barbies and princess toys - playing make believe.  This girl has such a vivid imagination.

Finally, come afternoon, I decided we needed to get outside.  It was absolutely gorgeous out!  I had a couple small errands to run but while we were out Madeline and I had a picnic lunch at a local park and Madeline had an opportunity to play on the playground.  There is a huge "rock" climbing wall that goes up the entire side of the playground structure.  Madeline fell of a rock climbing thing on her first attempt a couple weeks ago so Madeline was a little leery to try climbing this one - especially this one, because it is pretty tall.  I talked Madeline into trying if I helped her.  She did it!  After, I sat back down and Madeline climbed the entire wall without any help.  She was sooo proud of herself.  I forgot my phone so I didn't have he ability of taking any pictures at the playground (I know, Kelly......I have a kid and should *always* have a camera with me).

Later in the evening, we had a movie night.  My friend Tammy came over with her daughters, Jenna & Tanya.  We ordered up subs and stuffed our guts while watching a movie.  It was difficult to pick a movie that I thought would hold the interest of Jenna & Tanya (teenagers) and one that would be safe enough for Madeline to watch too.  My dear daughter is so sheltered in what she sees on TV to the point that she is very sensitive to things she watches.  And what is "kid friendly" in the eyes of TV /movie execs isn't necessarily kid friendly enough for Madeline (because of Madeline's nature).  I ended up choosing "The Tooth Fairy".  Even still, small things (like when the main character awoke from a dream with a start) sent Madeline running to sit on my lap. 

After the movie, Madeline went to bed, Tammy's girls hung out doing teenage girl stuff while Tammy and I chitchatted away.  It was a fun evening although a shame that we had to keep an eye on the clock because it is a school night.  Anyway, in addition to my God-awful family room couch (I hate that thing!!), above is a picture of Tammy, Madeline (stealing my spot), Jenna & Tanya along with Madeline's "picnic area" on the floor. Thanks for coming out girls....had fun!

In The Swing Of Things

Madeline is settled into the school routine and I am enjoying the extra time that I have to take care of errands, etc. when she is in school.  Although, it may take me until June to catch up on all the things that I pushed aside over the summer.  Yes, we are back in the swing of things - which of course means that Madeline has caught her first cold of the season.  That didn't take long!

One of the traditional start of school activities for younger kids is always a getting to know you "interest inventory".  The teacher hung these in the hall and the parents had to try to pick out their kid's sheet.  A drawing signed by each kid was hung directly beneath so that you could check to see if you guessed right.  Another mom and I were laughing that these forms are appropriately named "Who Am I?. I would have NEVER guessed some of these answers.
Favorite color- blue???? Since when?
Favorite animal- duck?  I know why she said that (has bunches of rubber duckies for the tub) but I would've guessed cat.
Favorite game - Go fish? She played that once over a year ago.  We are just getting into the game stage and she is hooked on CandyLand (I guess I need to crack out the Go Fish cards again)
TV Show- "Cartoons"? She watches a couple but I didn't even new the term "cartoons" was in her vocabulary
Occupation - Dentist.  I know why she said that. She has been obsessed with teeth ever since her cousin Anna lost a tooth at the campout but I would've guessed that Madeline would've wanted to be a princess.  I like the Dentist idea though!

Madeline's school has a great program but I also try to work with her at home when I can.  We are working on writing her name as well as some pre-reading skills.  Here you can see Madeline's name that she wrote from copying my model.  Also, Madeline read all four of these books to me. (They are very predictable from the pictures and repetitive in structure. Madeline was able to do this after I read the book to her I said, "Your turn" and she read them to me.  Like I said pre-reading skills but she was so proud of herself.)

What else have we but up to??  Well, I had my MOMS Club monthly MOMS night out.  Love that group of girls!!  I wish I had more pictures from September's get together but I only came up with this one.  Hmmmm.....can you guess where we went??  Yep, we met out for dinner at a Chinese buffet.  I had to laugh a the signage. Something obviously lost in translation.  Bacon WARP (?) 

Bacon WARP??

We also went for the first time to the annual peach festival in Lewiston, NY.  I didn't realize how big that festival is so I am sure we will return next year.  Madeline had a blast riding all the rides.  We had to try to ration the ride tickets because they were ridiculously expensive (Kelly, I'll take you up on getting pre-sale ride tix next year.....who knew??)  Despite the ticket rationing, I tried to explain to Madeline that she could ride more rides if she rode them alone.  But Madeline wanted to ride with Mama.  I am okay with rides but have found that since I hit the big 4-0 I can't do spinning rides like I used to.  The problem, however, is that my dear daughter has NO FEAR and wants to ride everything.  Some of these rides have height requirements where that if they are below a certain height they have to ride with an adult. That leaves me because I have always been able to spin more than David.  Spinning would've knocked out David for the rest of the day.  So for the first time EVER in my life I literally feared for my health on a ride.  I pretty much thought I was going to die while riding Starship 4000.  If you are not familiar with this ride, riders stand upright while the space car spins.  It gets the whole centrifugal thing going to the point that you are sort of "stuck" to the wall.  It got to the point that not only were my cheek jowls (yeah, I could stand to loose 20 pounds) sucked behind my ears but ALSO, I felt as though my insides were being squished from the force.  Blah....never again!  I was however saved when we ran into my friend Kelly at the festival.  Kelly's daughter Hailey also has no fear and Madeline looks up to Hailey like she is a super star.  So, Madeline was thrilled with the chance to ride Tilt-A-Whirl with Hailey....and I was thrilled that I didn't have too!  On the way out of the festival we grabbed some ice cream and also a 2 liter bottle of peach soda (made annually for this event by a local bottling company) to take home.  I thought the peach soda would be disgusting but it was awesome!

Waiting for rides

Madeline dragging Mama on rides

Running, running RUNNING for the fun house

Some type of flying contraption

Swings! Making silly faces every time we passed Papa

The ride that almost killed me!

Kelly and Amy

Hailey and Madeline on Tilt-A-Whirl

Ice Cream!

We also had a temporary thought of adding to our family with either a doggie or another kitty.  We went to the SPCA and got pre-approved for an adoption.  I grew up with dogs and like the idea of them but after really thinking about the work involved (oh yeah, and David (pretending to be a dog) following me around at my side, underfoot  in the kitchen while panting and tapping his foot on the cupboard (to simulate a dog rapping its tail) as I was trying to cook dinner quickly reminded me of some of the pain in the butt aspects of a dog).  We also considered the amount of travel we do and realized that we are not ready for a dog.....which made us consider another cat.  We ALMOST adopted this cutie below.  I saw him at closing time on Friday and came back with David the following morning and the kitty already had an orange collar on that morning indicating that he was adopted......whhaaaa!!  Oh well, I guess it wasn't meant to be.  But, it was soooo cute to see Madeline and this little guy together.  That kitty totally let her man-handle him!  I guess we'll still toy with the idea of cat/dog and when the time and/or pet are right we'll know.

Madeline at SPCA

And now, David is currently in Germany for business.  David and Madeline now have a sweet little ritual when David travels.  Madeline began packing a toy for Papa to take on his trip.  For this trip they worked on picking out a Polly Pocket together.  Madeline almost had a heart attack when she realized that she left Polly in the car as we were dropping David at the airport.  Luckily we had plenty of time and I got a parking space close enough to the terminal that I was able to run out to the car to make sure that David could take a Polly Pocket to Germany.  Even after getting Polly from the car, Madeline was very concerned that David did not lose her and kept checking that David had Polly.  While on his travels, we talk to David on Skype.  I don't know if Madeline is more concerned about seeing Papa or Polly on Skype.  Occasionally, David will take a picture of Polly doing something in whatever city they are visiting (similar to a school's Flat Stanley project) and he'll email the picture home.  As for me, well my ritual when David is traveling it to stock up on chick-flick movies that I know David wouldn't watch, eat crappy food and try to meet-up with friends.  So far I watched "Julie & Julia" and also "Coco Before Chanel".  Also on tap for this week..."The Back-Up Plan".

Picking out a Polly Pocket

Double & triple checking to make sure Polly is safe

Polly looking out David's hotel room in Hamburg, Germany

Polly enjoying lunch with Papa in Hamburg

A Skype screen shot

Making pizzas (aka trying to make things fun while Papa is gone)