Weekend Update

I hope all of you had a good weekend. I know I did. Richard and I worked in the garage most of the weekend. You see we had a few unpacked boxes ~ and by a few I mean dozens. Some are from the move to this house from the one 4 miles away in Melbourne in 2008.  A few more of them are from the move from Tampa in 2007.  Most, however, are from the move from Raleigh to Tampa in 2002. Yes, we have boxes we haven't unpacked in 8 yrs. How sad is that?  Next weekend there is a community garage sale and we are taking that opportunity to go through all those boxes and see what we can get rid of. If we haven't needed it in the last 8 yrs do we really need it now?
Obviously some of the stuff we will keep. Some of the kids stuff from when they were babies... some old pics, etc. Our house in Raleigh was decorated VERY country ~ mauve, dusty blue... not really my kind of thing anymore so into the yard sale it goes. I don't have any pics of the disaster that is our garage...but trust me when I tell you ~ it's a mess. There are more than a few boxes that we will keep and to that end we have gotten some plastic bins to repack the stuff in.

There is a huge pile relegated to the garage sale and anything that doesn't sell is going to Goodwill.
Speaking of Goodwill... it's one of my favorite places to browse. I don't do the clothes or toys but I do love the housewares. I've gotten some great finds there. One of them was a plain ol' brown sandwich size plate... and here's what I did with it on Sunday night.
After my friend Jill zentangled the clipboard for me I got to thinking.. what else can I zentangle... Obviously you can't eat off it but I think it would look kinda cool up on the wall with one of those plate hangers.

After working on both Sat and Sun we went to Beef O'Bradys for a late lunch/early dinner. Hamburgers and beers never tasted so good. Here's my darling husband all cleaned up.  Isn't he just so cute?  I really got lucky with this guy!  He puts up with so much from me and is so supportive of my "hobbies."   That and he's a really good dad, still my best friend and I adore him.

I also got a bit of sewing done earlier in the week.  I made this cute burpie and bib for a friend of mine's new granddaughter. My embroidery machine has been acting up a bit and really doesn't like these new thick diapers I got ... I had designed a much more detailed design but after breaking 3 needles I stopped at the initial. I still think it looks good.

Today, I saw something I haven't seen in a while..  A sky writer...

I used to see these quite often as a kid, growing up on Miami Beach.  Companies would hire them to advertise for them.   This one seems to be a "private" message.  I couldn't make out the first word but the second word was definitely "LOVE."  Isn't that just the coolest?    Although everytime I see something written in the sky, I automatically think "Beware Dorothy" from the Wizard of Oz!!!

Well that's been my few days...  Oh, and I can tell you that both whales have been received and very much loved by their new families.  And just in case you don't believe me, here's Dottie with her new little girl Abbi ~  Tell me they weren't made for each other!

Two Tweens at the Mall

So last weekend we took Julz and one of her friends to the mall. Julianne wanted to get her ears pierced again ~ so yes now she has two holes in each ear...
Anyway, we ended up spending about 4 hrs at the mall with them and I was really glad I took my camera. Here is a look into the lives of two tweens and what amuses them at the mall.
She was a little nervous when we got to the booth to get her ears done

But she was a real trooper

And here is the finished product

Just for the record, her friend that was with us, went back the next day and got her ears done too!
Anyway...after that we got some lunch and wandered around the mall
I guess it's still cool to play in these as long as your friends do to


Of course, Claire's was a must stop and shop...
Our favorite show poster

And trying on masks was a favorite

And trying on sparkly silver high heels (can you believe she can wear a womens 5 now?)

Of course annoying your brother is always fun (yes, he got dragged along)

Just hanging out on the benches...

And supporting Sissy's school ~ Go Gators

And listening to music

We also spent a lot of time in the pet store where they tried to talk me into getting everything from a puppy to a pygmy hedgehog.
Me, I was worn out and went and sat in the bookstore coffee shop by the window and watched the parade of very strange people go by. Wish I could have discreetely taken some of those photos. What do these people think when they get dressed in the morning?
Anyway... it was a fun but exhausting trip to the mall. For those of you who have tweens, you know what I'm talking about!

Hamburger Cookies

Yep, I said "Hamburger Cookies!" Now, before you judge, no actual hamburger was used in the making of these cookies. There is also no baking to make these cookies.  People of all ages will love them and always remember them, just for the sheer novelty of them.
One of my "unofficially" adopted girls (Hi Mayla) brought these to us one Christmas and showed me how to do them.  They've been a favorite ever since.  I used to bring them to the camp counselors every year at the end of the summer as a thank you.
I haven't done them in a while though and Julianne has been bugging me to do them.  I went and got all the supplies and both the kids and Richard had a blast assembling these.  Here's what you do......
First thing I do is make the lettuce.   It's just packaged coconut that I put in a bowl with some green food coloring.  Mix it all up until the dye is evenly distributed.  I always use a fresh package of coconut so that it's still moist. Then take a can of white icing (you could make your own but we are taking the easy route here) and divide it into two bowls.  One stays white (it's the mayo) and into the other half I put a few drops of red and yellow food coloring and mix ~ play with the color until you have that "special sauce" color.

Now to assemble... Bottom and top buns are Vanilla wafers.

To the bottom bun add some of the special sauce.
  Next, add your hamburger patty which are Grasshopper cookies.  (the icing helps them stick together).  On top your your burger add a bit of the "lettuce."  You want it to hang over the burger a bit so it looks authentic and can be seen.  To the top bun, add a bit of your white icing (mayo) and add it on top of the burger.
Last step is to take a bit of egg white and very lightly brush is on the top bun.  We used a paint brush (the kind that come in those water color kits) and sprinkle on a bit of sesame seeds.   The egg makes the sesame seeds stick and it is colorless and tasteless and yes, I know it's raw egg but it's such a small amount... I used one egg white to make all 72 of these and still had most of it left in the bowl.
They are very little cookies... just a bite or two.  I do store them in the fridge when they are not being eaten.

That's it, you are done!  The kids love to make them, love to eat them and really love to show them off by giving them to friends.  Both kids took enough for their class including the teachers.  Of course the rest they ate!
Anyway... I'd love to hear what you think of these.  Get your family together and make a batch.  The kids preferred to make each cookie individually while Richard and I do more of an assembly line.  Eiether way it's a fun family night for sure!  Don't forget to take pics!

Pink

Today's post brought to you by the color pink...

My favorite pink place to be .. on my pink raft in the pool
.
Who doesn't love pretty pink flowers?

How about my new pink iron

Perfectly Pink Patchwork Whales

Pink Flamingos

New pink cuties waiting to be listed in my Etsy shop.

And my favorite pink thing.... My adorable granddaughter ~ How cute it she?

A Tail of Two Whales

This is the story of two orphaned whales looking for a home. Swirley dreamed of a home and a little boy he could call his own. But there was a problem. Swirley couldn't swim and he knew no one would want a whale that couldn't swim. He thought he was the only non swimming whale until one day he met Dottie.



Dottie (short for Polka dot) also dreamed of a home and a child of her own (she preferred a little girl). Swirley and Dottie became fast friends.





 
Dottie and Swirley loved playing together and rolling in the grass. Their favorite thing though was looking out at the water. Always wishing they could jump in the cool clear water like all the other whales.

 One sunny day while Swirley and Dottie were dreaming about the children they someday hoped to live with, they came up with a plan. They came up with a way to be in the water even though they couldn't swim. They laid on the raft together, dipping their tales in the water and seeing who could make the biggest splash.

They were very happy and it showed on their faces.

One day a woman came. She knew of two children (just happened to be a boy and a girl) who would love whales of their own. When she saw Swirley and Dottie she knew they were just the whales for her young friends and it certainly didn't matter to her (or to them) that these whales couldn't swim.

Swirley went to live with a little boy in California while Dottie went to a little girl in Alabama... with a kiss good bye they were shipped off to live happily ever after.

Stick Sex?

Okay, how random is this... a post about stick bugs.
I've seen a couple of pairs lately and decided to look up some info on these strange critters.


Did you know that....
Only 1 in 1000 stick bugs are male  (try picking up a guy with those odds)

The walking stick is the longest of all the modern insects (this female was about 9" long)

Males (at least the species that live here in Fla) are always much smaller than the females. (wouldn't it be nice to be "expected" to be larger than your mate?)

When mating they may remain coupled for several hours, days or  even weeks (yikes)

Lacking a partner, a female walking stick can still lay fertile eggs, although all will yield female larvae. (and this would be a problem because???)


If threatened they can spray (quite accurately) a milky kind of acidic compound, hitting the face (or eyes) of a perceived predator, including humans or pets, from one to two feet away. The compound causes intense burning and even temporary blindness should it strike the eye. (I can think of a few times where that defense could have come in quite handy!)

 Of course now that I know this, I probably shouldn't have gotten close enough to take this picture but I guess they were too busy to notice me.
Actually later the same day I spotted another pair on the outside of our pool screen.  Guess it's mating season for stick bugs.

Now don't say I never taught you anything!

Day One at Grammy's

Hi Mommy ~ Grammy thought it would be a good idea to tell you all about my day today so that you know I am doing fine.

On the ride home with Grammy I cried a little when I realized you weren't in the car but then Grammy put on  music. Some guy named Kenny Loggins. His singing sounded so nice I fell sound asleep and slept the rest of the way home.

Not too long after we got home to Grammy's she took me for a walk in the stroller. We walked up to school so we could walk home with Auntie Julz. I really like her! She made Grammy hold her stuff so she could stroll me herself.

When we got home Auntie Julz and I chilled out and watched Phineas & Ferb. I like that show and it reminded me of you and daddy singing that silly theme song to me.
I also played with the doll that Grammy's friend Jill made for me. I really like it cause I can hold on to it's hair ~ although I did try to eat it! Grammy has some really nice friends.

I wore one of the bibs that one of Grammy's other bloggy friend, Sandra made me. I like putting that in my mouth too. I wonder if I'm gonna get teeth sometime soon.

After a little while Uncle Nate came home and we all got in the car and went to his guitar lesson. We stayed inside for a little while but it kinda sounded like a lot of noise to me so Grammy, Auntie Julz and I sat outside on a bench. The wind was blowing a lot and I really liked that. Grammy said we stopped at the grocery store on the way home, but I slept through all that.

Grampy got home before we did and boy was he happy to see me. I was a really good girl for him and gave him some of my best smiles. He tried to explain all about computers, but I just don't get it.

I got a little fussy when everyone was eating dinner ~ It all looked and smelled so good and all I got was a stinking bottle of formula. When do I get the good stuff?

Anyway ~ Grammy fed me, changed me and I was getting a bit fussy so she rocked me and before I could help myself I fell sound asleep. So that was my day... I just wanted you to know that I know you and daddy are missing me and I miss you guys too ~ but I'm doing fine at Grammy's. She loves me a lot, I can tell. I hope you and daddy did something fun tonight and I'll see you on Thursday.

Lots of love, Charlie Bear