This was our tree this year. We managed to get some ornaments on there this year. Last year I think we only had lights. I was hoping to get a real tree this year, instead we used a tree that was Ed's from when his was little. They just don't make things like they used to. 
Another one of those - kids say the funniest things.
Moe ran into the kitchen the other day and yelled "The Beast is hungry Mommy, my tummy is growling."
they even have a whole set of pink tools. Hey wait a minute- I want them!
So anyone who has been reading this blog knows we have been working on our house. Over the winter we installed an instant hot water heater. Not only did we get a great deal on the heater, but the past three months our gas bill has only been $30-$45. I love it!!! I actually get excited when the bill comes in and I have to go and compare it to last years bills. Right now our gas bill is a little over a 1/3 of what it was last year. I love it- LOVE IT!! As you can tell I get very excited about saving money. We have also made other changes as well. I started washing our laundry in cold water- all except whites , an idea I got from my blogging friend Kate. I still use the dryer for everything, but I would like to start hanging some of our things outside. I'll have to work on that! I'm wondering if a big part of our savings has to do with the new gas line they put in last year, but then again I also went 125 days without using the stove and our bill is still a lot less than last year. What ever the reasons I am very happy. Now I would love to compare our electric bill from this year to last but we still haven't finished rewiring the house and I only have 3 lights right now. I would love to put a solar panel up on the roof but they are still to expensive. We have also installed larger windows in our house. The new windows let in soooooo much more light that I find I don't turn on the lights, that we do have until dusk. It wasn't that way with the old tiny drafty windows. I think we had the lights on all the time before, our house was like a dungeon! We just finished replacing our heating ducts and sealing them so there won't be any air loss that way. They where in really bad shape- so many holes. We still have so much to do. Ed is working on sealing every little opening in the house and upgrading our insulation. That should be a big help.
It's after 8 and the kids are still sleeping. I love it! There is sooooo much I could be doing, like taking a shower by myself for a change. Maybe even laying down the grass seed I bought for the back yard. Instead I'm checking up on blogs I haven't been able to read in so long. Ahhhh, I missed my blogging friends.
Whoo-hoo!!! Like I need a reason to eat and celebrate one of my favorite things in the world.
What does the summer of 2008 mean to you? This was a summer of hard work. This was the summer I went with out a kitchen sink! That's right from Memorial Day to Patriots Day, I survived washing dishes in the shower.
So I was thinking the other day.... I know it's a dangerous thing- because it happens so rarely. Anyway my sister in law always gives me hand me down clothes for my daughter (which I love-love-love) and some of these clothes have been handed down two or three times. They are always in perfect shape! Now, I get them for Cole and I can't keep them clean. So I have tried every kind of cleaner to get these stains out and nothing works. Even the stuff that is guaranteed to remove set in stains. Nothing works for us! So I was trying to figure out what I'm doing wrong. I end up throwing a set of clothes out at least once a week. It's driving me insane, that and the fact that anytime I go somewhere my kids look like ragamuffins compared to the other kids around here. So what do I do?? I do have play clothes for them. They do wear them when we are playing, but when we are going out somewhere I like to dress them nice. It doesn't help when you have a pile of sand or dirt to draw their attention on the way to the car. I don't know how many times they have gotten dirty before we have even made it there. Ugh! Thank God for the wipes and the tide pen we keep in the car as well at the change of clothing. How do I change this? How do I keep my kids clean? Do I keep them lock in the house? Wrap them in plastic wrap- that would just suffocate them!
I love my little explorers! I love that they like to feel the sand and the dirt. I love the fact that they think nothing of picking up a cricket and holding it in there hands. I love that they will stomp in the river to feel the water and mud squish between there toes.(I just wish they would take their shoes off first) I've decided that I won't be embarrassed anymore by my dirty little kids. Let people look at me strangely and think I don't take care of my kids. I'm going to let them wear their stains proudly like a badge or an award. I have one shirt that Cole wore that I was going to throw away. It has cement on it from helping daddy last weekend at Uncle Rays. It has glue from helping seal the duct work in our house. It has mud stains from playing in a mud puddle. Yeah, the only thing I'm going to change is me. I'm going to stop worrying about what people think of me and my parenting skills. So what if my kids clothes are stained and they have dirt under their nails, I know my kids are happy and that's all that matters to me. 
Why, Why, Why??????
I have this weird feeling like something is wrong. I want to call my parents to check up on them, but I don't think they would appreciate a call this early. So, I'm just going to sit here bleary eyed wishing for a cup of coffee, catch up on emails and pretending I can comprehend what I am reading.
The kids love to paint. They ask to paint nearly everyday. This weekend their craft time consisted of painting and sealing our air conditioning and heating vents as we put them together. They are a little messy but the kids had a blast helping us. We even had them sign them and dated them before we put them up. We have one more run to do and then we are finished replacing all the duct work. I can't wait to check that off our list.
Make sure you know who you order from online. Twice now my credit card info has been given to a third party and they started charging 8.95 & 14.95 a month for something I didn't order. I will never again order from proflowers or vistaprint. I was told when I called both companies that when I put my email address in I signed up for their programs. I remember ordering these items and you had to put your email address in to verify and complete the order. This is really starting to piss me off. Ugh!!
After working on our house we took a break on Sunday and headed to Hartshorne Woods Park. Such a beautiful park. We completed 5 out of the 6 caches we set out to do. Not bad. Aunt Nancy, Uncle Ray and the boys joined us. I was very surprised that the little ones lasted as long as they did. I think we spent at least 2 1/2 -3 hours hiking with just a few small stops. I had taken my nephews camera with me, but of course I forgot to check to see if the battery was charged. That left me with just my camera phone. Uncle Ray videoed us climbing down this really steep trail down to the water. I couldn't wait to see what a bunch of goofball we looked like. I went to download the pictures and video he took and the disk was no good. Ugh! So you'll just have to trust me the views are just amazing. We'll have to go back again to make that last cache and take some pictures.
I should note that we have been to the park before (The other side). The last time we got so lost. This time I printed out my own map for the park with the trails so we would know the way out.
Ed doesn't get to spend a lot of time with the kids, just having fun. It is really a rare occurrence. Every spare moment is spent working on our house. He has been looking forward to taking the kids crabbing for so long. I'm so glad he finally got to take them. They really enjoyed it. The first cast out (on the a Scooby do fishing pole)Ed caught a fish and the damn thing bit me. After that we only caught crabs. Cole may have had too much fun if thats possible but she has night terrors again last night. She screamed for hours. At least thats what if felt like to me.
I borrowed my nephews camera for the weekend. So I have pictures. Yay! You can check them out on my flickr page.
This morning while changing Moe he says "Wow my poopies green mommy just like your eyes!"
We got a virus. A very nasty virus (windows antivirus 2008) on our computer. It took a long time to get rid of it. Me being (cheap) me. I didn't want to pay for anything. Norton wanted to charge me $99. So I disconnected my computer and used Ed for a short time until I could find a free malware removal software. This is the one I used. http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/malware-removal/antivirus-2008 I scanned the computer a few times and then rescanned it with Norton. Now it's better than it's been in a long time.
We have been working like crazy on our house. Almost every thing we own is packed away right now. I finally have a kitchen sink again (since May 30). I just can't used it yet. The drain is not hooked up but it's getting there.
We did get all the siding up on the house. We had some problems with the trim coming in damaged or the wrong color. I think when the pilasters go on the front door it make a huge difference in the look if the house.
Right now I came down to the computer to find a template for window boxes. OK really I came down to clean up some of the broken concrete and the computer just called to me.
We haven't done much, but work on our house. It's taking a little longer than normal when most of the helpers are only three. Moe and Cole put the railing together for our little porch. Oh, yeah they even put the temporary stairs together. They are really doing well at putting in the screws. They have had a lot of practice! Our whole house is sided except for the front. The siding for the front comes in on Friday. So we'll be back at it this weekend. Watch out Uncle Ray we are going to put them to work on your house too.
Happy Birthday Aunt Nancy!
or at least drive me insane.... I don't know what I am going to do. I've tried everything and I mean everything to get these guys potty trained.
Here is my problem -they will go on the potty if I put them on, or If they are naked they will tell me they have to go. Cole has even gone on by herself. As soon as I put underwear on them they go in them. Seriously they have been running around naked for over a week now. A week!! I should be able to put something on them by now. They don't care if they are wet. It doesn't bother them. I'm starting to get stressed! I know- Everybody tells me it's no big deal if they are still in diapers. They are almost 3 1/2- almost. I really want to get them out of diapers before Ed puts out new floor down.
So I have been avoiding my blog and my computer. Since moving the computer down to the basement it has done nothing but cause me problems. The last time I was on the computer my daughter decided she wanted smaller hair like the boys and gave herself a mullet. She was only five feet away from me and I didn't see a thing. My husband was totally devastated and refused to talk to me for a few days. She left it long enough that it can be put up into a cowboy ( ponytail holder). Hey it will grow back, right! The other reason I have been avoiding the computer is we are back to potty training again and the minute I turn my back someone is having a little accident on the floor. I am very determined to have them potty trained before our new floors go in. I am really having a hard time with Michael. I am trying everything I can think of but he just refuses to go on the potty. I took them to the store to pick out their own potty chairs and he didn't even want to look at them. I can get him to go once or twice a day and that's it. He said that the toilet is to big for him, he's little.
BTW I took out my stitches this morning. My dr is on vacation this week and I couldn't stand them anymore.
Everything went well for my surgery. They only did my left hand. Here I am blogging again already. I can't believe how well it went. I was fine with the anesthesia until I got home. The hour long bumpy car ride home did me in and I spent a few hours vomiting. Yeah I know you don't really want to hear it! Seriously that was the worst part. After detoxing I was fine , just a little sore. Now my right hand hurts worst than my left. Shhhhhhhhhhh! I mean it hurts like a son of a b*tch I can't do the laundry. I certainly can't was dishes! That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
OK, I'm off to the doctors in a few minutes. I just had to check my email once last time this week :) I hope to be back blogging soon!
This picture was taken at the Kaboom fireworks in Red Bank last year. I just wanted to wish everyone a happy fourth. Tonight Bobbie, Russ and their twins will be coming in from Michigan. She changed her plans and is coming in early just to see the fireworks in Red Bank this year. Also my niece Joette will be here soon.
I have a feeling I will not be blogging at all the next week. Monday I am having surgery on both my hands. Wish me luck!
I also just wanted to congratulate my nephew Lou and his wife Bev on their new little addition.
Autumn Reilly Rodriquez - (I hope I spelled that right)
June 30, 7 lbs 4 oz. 19 in
I just wanted to post my very crazy kitchen and dining room - lemon and lime Project Palette Board. I know its busy. These are just the colors I like. I already have the apron on the right and the canisters. I'm hoping to do my own painting similar to the flower one below.
Hey I just realized that my kitchen and dining room colors match my blog.
My mom is here visiting so I'm not getting as much done as I should. I've really been quite lazy this past week. Ed worked this weekend at his brothers house so we didn't get as much done as we would have liked. We did manage to get some more siding up.
Christmas 2006
Christmas 2007 
