Oktoberfest

Some of us are a little more excited for Oktoberfest than others! LOL.

It shows weird, so I'm telling you those are pink satin Little Mermaid jammies, so you don't think I dress my kids like that to go out. We taped this last night. I found a station featuring polkas and the like for Oktoberfest and they were dancing their little hearts out before I remembered to record it for the blog.

And no I don't know what Nora is singing...must be German! It came right out of her!

Gotta love Trader Joes!

Reunited and it feels so good! Love Love this store! First found it in CA, then one in Mass. we would go to when we lived in RI, then we hit the one in Newport News once a year since we've been here. But now they built one up in Short Pump and I am so glad! Nora, Charlotte, and I went there today. We bought frozen eggplant cutlets, pasta, and vodka sauce for dinner and a ginormous fruit tray w/ a yogurt dip for dessert. Plus a bunch of other goodies we probably do or don't need! Hope it's all yummy.

We also got a Whole Foods this month too. It's actually one block over from Traders but we didn't hit that today. You can only make it through one grocery without a rebellion with a 4yr and 3yr old in tow. We were having a really good day, don't press your luck, and you'll get no whammies!

I really like this picture of "the girls" w/ Thomas Jefferson in Williamsburg. That was a really fun day. Sister enjoyed her wine and peanut brittle and I enjoyed going thru the sample line at the peanut company and then going back for seconds!
Ah...she's so beautiful. Any time she sees a picture of Obama/McCain she exclaims, "Mommy! That's your show!" Gotta love my baby!

I found my camera. I gotta apologize for besmirching the good names of my innocent children. I left it in the laundry room and by the grace of God, I accidentally found it the other day. My fault because of my faulty memory! Bad mommy!

Oh no

I think some little hands walked off with my camera!

I have no idea where it could be and I've looked everywhere I normally keep it. So we (me, Nora, & Charlotte) probably have to turn a couple rooms upside down searching for it. So until we find it, no pictures for you.

Nora told me to use Daddy's camera the other night at dinner. Daddy said no. Drats! I like his camera!

I read this article this morning and I found it interesting. I like to read the comments after the articles and figured out I am a bit lacking in my FDR and LBJ history and now must read more about their new deals and great society plans.

Sunday ramble

Why is my church so weird?

I took the girls to church by myself this morning. Craig had to plant grass seed (I'm not joking.). So we hit the morning mass and then McDonald's and then back to church for Nora's Religious Formation orientation.

I don't have the stamina to go through it all again but there's something wrong with my church. I figured it out today. There is nothing traditional about it. That's it in a nutshell and it really drives me crazy.

It's not a traditional looking Catholic church ( it looks like a community center complete with folding chairs) and the mass is different (way too much holding hands for me). There's more reasons I don't like this church, but these are glaring problems.

I love tradition and I'm so having a hard time meshing with this church. I hope I can get over my misgivings so I don't pass it on to the kids. They are fine with it because it's all they know.

On a happier note, here is a scrap of Nora and Lulu circa 2005. Pretty cute!

Fluff

Well....Nora the roving photographer strikes again! Let's admire the images she has managed to capture this week. Well, these are the 3 that I saved. She did take at least 20 pictures of her Webkinz too. I had to delete those!
Poor Pink. This little doggie loves her girls so much and I'm pretty sure it's returned in Full Force!
Not much going on today....play date this morning....long nap for everyone this afternoon and I've got chili going in the crock pot. It's not really Fall yet in VA, but I feel like it and I am always inspired by my sister so I've been using my slow cooker a lot lately.
But no ranch dressing recipes....can't go there!

It looks like Rochester outside

Somebody tell Pinky to start making McCain buttons!
Go team Jacob!
Yes Lulu...I didn't forget your vampire! Lame!

It's raining here and both girls are in school and I am surfing the net. I needed to use the printer but we are out of paper. Nora and Charlotte like to print A LOT! I get them on the Disney, Noggin, Webkinz, and Pony sites, leave the room and they start printing everything! Nora usually does all the printing and coloring, then Charlotte takes the scissors to all the paper (I know...I gave them back!) I have no one to blame but myself when my house is littered with the forlorn shreds of mermaids, Dora, and puppies! (Not Pinky....shudder....Webkinz puppies!)

Found this site today too. It's a little funny. I went back in the archives to read past gossip, I don't buy any tabloids so I have to get my gossip fix elsewhere!

Weekend Update

This was my kitchen on Friday night. Where did everything go?
This was in my kitchen on Saturday night. A beautiful new range that we purchased awhile ago to go with our kitchen renovations. I like to cook with gas, so we had to get rid of our electric cook top. Next comes the range hood and replacing our cabinets. I took video of Craig cutting the granite on Friday. How did he learn to do this? You Tube! So I had to tape him too. For prosperity!
Nora's new haircut. We went to Divas-N-Dudes. We went on a Saturday afternoon and if you follow the link you'll see the pink Corvette Nora sat in for her haircut.
Charlotte, where are you going in the Hummer looking so cool?

OK...I found out who the final three are on Project Runway. Follow this link if you want some spoilers! Go (insert your fave.)!

On a very sad note...I got a call from Mrs. Bradley this weekend to let us know, Mrs. Survello, another of Nora's teachers passed away. She was only 46 and had been fighting cancer. We just saw her at the library less than two weeks ago and she was filling me in on all the new teachers this year. She was always so good to Nora and we used to see her all the time outside of school.
Library, grocery store, and restaurants, we were always running into her and we always stopped to chat. She was a good person.

School is all good!

School's here and we're getting ready to roll! I took a ton of pictures and I will post a lot more soon.Nora and Char graciously allow their wacko mother to take a few pictures so she can cry over them while they are gone!
Nora loving me and so proud with her new backpack on!
Nora angry with me because she wants to take the pictures and I haven't given her my camera yet. Charlotte giving Pinkdog all kinds of love. Those two really missed each other today.
The girls got a call from Daddy and Nora is telling him all about their first day of school and all the fun they are having.

I took this when we got home. Such a busy and fun filled day deserves a nap!

Charlotte's teacher Mrs. Bradley said Charlotte was so good today and she had a lot of fun with the other kids making hand prints!

Nora's teacher, Mrs. Niemaseck, was so surprised in a good way at prayer time, Nora broke into her Catholic prayers I taught her. "In the name of the Father, Son....." and then she said the Grace before the noon meal. Keep in mind, this is a Baptist preschool and last year she was learning Baptist prayers and such and Grandma Sal told me I better get my kids some Catholic prayers!

So I taught her some and she does a fantastic job reciting them. So I forgot to tell her teacher we were Catholic and Nora might say different prayers. Well, Nora knocked their socks off in a good way and everyone was so impressed with the little Catholic in the Baptist school. Go my little Bible thumper!

Dancing days are here again!

Notoriously clueless dance mom strikes again!

This time she places her 3yr old daughter in a dance class with 6yr olds! I am very confident Charlotte can handle herself well. Hopefully if they are going to bounce her, they better do it within the month so I can still return the tap shoes.

So today was the first day of dance class. I was so proud of both of my girls. Charlotte showed no trepidation at all. In fact she just flounced into dance class, told the teacher her name and took a seat. Nora was still holding my hand out in the hall while I talked with another mom. Then we walked in the class and the teacher said "I remember Nora". Nora gave me a little smooch and took her seat, Charlotte was already sitting on her spot on the floor, so she gave me a little smile. Boy, to think I was worried about her!

So I sat outside the class and spoke with other moms and found out the mom next to me had her 5yr and 6yr old daughters in the same class as Nor and Char. I didn't want to tell her mine where only 3&4yrs old! It's ballet/tap I for 4-5yr old girls, so they've got to have some flexibility.
But I still didn't want to say my 3yr old was taking the same class as her 6yr old. I felt weird like I was pushing my kid like Britney Spears' mom! I don't want to have anything in common with the momzilla! Come on seriously!

So everyone had fun and we got a pizza after dance class to celebrate. Craig is attending some builder's bash so we won't be home for dinner.

Which reminds me, we went to pizzaria uno for dinner on Sunday because they have a deal where kids pay what they weigh. There was a stone in our pizza and Craig found it and almost broke his tooth. So gross...anyway, the manager came over, apologized, wanted Craig to fill out an accident report, and comp our meal. Craig didn't fill out any reports and only let the guy take the lousy pizza off our bill. I tell you, if I bite down on that stone, I would've puked on the table! As it was I was so grossed out...I needed the pizza and plates removed ASAP. Nora and Charlotte ate their mac & cheese and Dino nuggets with no fear. Crazy good kids.

Just a quick scrap I made over the weekend of the girls. I hope to get more done this week.

Well school orientation tomorrow! I am definitely more excited than the girls right now. I'll be back tomorrow with more stories. I hope I don't embarrass the girls too much! ;)

What was I watching?

Holy crap....I think I'm officially old or the VMAs really suck now!

What were those VMAs all about? Who was that moron host mocking Gov. Palin's daughter and the Jonas Bros.? Why the hell was Demi Moore there and what was she wearing?

Dear Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears,
First let me in all honesty say I wish I had bodies like yours, but you are both the further proof I needed to see to know that having children does change a woman's body (unless you're Heidi Klum..but she might be an alien or crazy good German genes). I almost thought that was Linda Hogan singing Xtina hits!

That whole show was a hot mess from beginning to end. I just tried to find some pictures online and read the MTV blog.

10:52 p.m. ET — Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens were all smiles and holding hands as they walked out of the stage door — but when they got away from the crowd, the hands were dropped and their faces went cold.
I took this from MTV blog. Interesting...Perez does know his stuff.

Now I have to go to bed and hopefully not have nightmares. Craig went to bed earlier and did not subject himself to all the mental harm. Once again....proof he is the smartest person I know. ;)

Back to happy homemaker

So all my politics have been corrupting my daily business of being an all around superwoman and mom! The last couple of nights watching the convention and then watching all the pundits has had me in a republican haze! Plus, I've been popping Tums like a woman possessed because I think I'm developing an ulcer from MSNBC. Tell me I'm not the only one who was in hysterical mania glee when Andrea Mitchell under attack from balloons! Loves It!
So here it is a convention free day but my children are still suffering the mania that is their mother because it's almost dinner time and they are still wearing their pajamas from last night. So I took mine off at noon so I could get the newspaper out in front of the house. Big deal....let's not tell Craig though. Why does he have to know...I did do some vacuuming. I'll make sure he knows that.
Charlotte wanted me to trace her little beautiful foot onto her paper and I did it so haphazardly I got purple marker all over the little dears foot. Oh bother. We'll get rid of that in the bath this evening.
We're very happy with the Big Foot mama was able to draw. Note to self.....you can't get away with half arsed drawings for much longer. Nora already expects perfection and my complete attention when we are playing or drawing. Charlotte still letting me slide!