June 30, 2009 by tina.

Today, I got up close and personal with the reasons that smart people pay someone else to trim their trees and hedges. Lance and I trimmed and loaded and picked up leaves and sticks for 5 hours. (Fortunately, someone decided to turn off the summer today so it wasn’t like we could have done any sun worshiping.) The trimming, of course, isn’t so bad. Pick out the branches that hang too low to mow under, hang over the deck or the roof, died three years ago…cut those bad boys off, hope the kids are clear of the action, and move on to the next one. But then, when your children wise up to what you’re asking them to do and disappear on their bikes, you are left to load up the branches and take them to the yard waste site, and worst of all, there are countless sticks and multitudes of leaves lying around making your yard look like tornado season in Kansas. And they are all at ground level.

Professionals would have taken the mess away with them.

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June 29, 2009 by tina.

And who doesn’t need a good laugh more than once every day?!?

see more Lolcats and funny pictures

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June 28, 2009 by tina.

Does anyone believe in osmosis and subliminal messages? Wouldn’t it be great if we could go to sleep with a book under our head or an educational subject on the tv or playing on a cd and wake up the next morning, or even after a few mornings because it takes more than one, and be able to speak a new language or decifer the quartic formula? And what about subliminal messaging? (Who was the only president never to marry?) Does that work? Should I have messages telling you to buy the phenomenal $25 per pound Gruyere and run it under the Magic 105 that we usually have playing in the store? Have I asked enough questions for one blog?

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June 26, 2009 by tina.

Remember when your birthday was the most super spectacular, monumentally important day in the UNIVERSE? Our youngest daughter turned 8 this week and in her under-rested summer state there were some actual tears when she said “But I don’t want to sit at a softball game on my birthday.” (Lance was supposed to play softball that night.) Now the mother in me would have reacted differently had I not known that she was over tired and, of course, if she would have said it in the ridiculously-spoiled-throwing-a-fit kind of way I would have kicked her to the curb. But she was genuinely sad and disappointed and the tears were real, not forced. So I gently informed her that when she’s 8 she can stop the world with her birthday but that she shouldn’t get used to that. For all the rest of us, a birthday is just another day and sometimes you might have to sit at a softball game even if you really don’t want to.

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June 25, 2009 by tina.

You’ve all seen the big yellow billboard, but today we got a blue and white striped stage! We’re all giddy with anticipation ‘cuz the party’s almost here!!! The weather is going to be beautiful, the bands and dancers will be awesome, the food will be amazing and the sales will be outstanding! Make sure you’ve got the neighborhood blockparty in your day planner-it will be ALL THAT!

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June 23, 2009 by tina.

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June 22, 2009 by tina.

I have another book review for you. Because I am the next host for one of my book clubs and the host picks the book, they are all (hopefully) reading “Water for Elephants” by Sara Gruen. If you are looking for a wonderful, endearing summer read, look no further. It all starts as the residents of a nursing home are excited about the coming circus. One boasts of carrying water for the elephants when he was young. Our hero grumpily calls him out as a liar and, after being sent to his room, reminisces of his time as a transient worker for the Benzini Brothers circus during the depression. While young and in his last semester of veterinary school, he loses his parents suddenly and soon finds himself wandering. Fortunately for him, and all of us, he happens to end up on a circus train.
The story is absolutely wonderful! Obviously, he works with the animals after the powers that be discover his veterinary training, but he also befriends his reluctant, belligerent, midget bunk-mate, falls in love with the beautiful equestrian performer, and cares for the alcoholic road-crew member that pulled him on board in the first place.
I’m sorry, I really stink at book reviews because I don’t want to give away too much so then I might end up selling the book short…you should just read it because it’s a really nice book!

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June 21, 2009 by tina.

Even though the weather is questionable, (we were going to go out on the river and that plan changed) I hope that every one of our fathers out there had a wonderful Father’s Day! In honor of the occasion, here is our trivia question for this week:
Which President signed the presidential proclamation setting aside the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day?
The prize: A 9 ounce Braunsweiger.

Happy Sunday!

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June 20, 2009 by tina.

I just want to say a few words about our awesome daughters. Of course, they are unbelievably smart and impossibly adorable just like each parent’s children. They are funny and clever and they make us laugh all the time. But what I love most about ours are that they are so thoughtful and caring. They love to make dinner for us, all the way down to an appetizer. They love to give back rubs and read us books. I have more handmade, “I love you, Mom” bookmarks than I do books, and that is saying something because I have a lot of books!

They are both just really great kids and I thought you should know.

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June 19, 2009 by tina.

I don’t know how many of you suffer from the same ailment but my husband’s toys are expensive. I love the boy to death but there isn’t one thing on his wish list that is under $200. What the heck?!? I was thrilled with my chocolate covered strawberries from Absolutely Edible for Mother’s day and I’m pretty sure they didn’t run the fam more than $40. It doesn’t really help that our boy is a “techie” and loves everything cutting edge, aka pricey. But the girls and I bit the bullet and bought him an iPod touch. (I know, we’re awesome.) He absolutely loves it-did a little excited dance when he opened it.

So fellas, here’s my plea. Find some items that you would do a little happy dance for that don’t cost us an arm and a leg!

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