Smells like......

All this swine flu talk has got me craving bacon.

Or perhaps it is time I get some of this stuff.........

BACONNAISE

Bacon flavored spread.

The best part? There is NO bacon in it!

It is vegetarian and kosher.

100 days

Happy 100 days Mr. President.

As a gift, we got you Arlen Specter.

THE BIG 1-5-0!!!!

Moments ago my blog hosted its 150,000th visitor!

This gives me something to celebrate.

A much needed break from my swine flu scare.

Thank you Sarah Sez readers!!!

Harrison is getting down to business!!!

Want one for your baby??

get it here

What's it worth?

A comment left on this post has left me a little agitated.


I did a little research and last year before Mother's Day salary.com released their annual survey that calculates a stay-at-home mother's fair market value. In 2008 dollars (I realize that amount may be less in 2009 dollars) a stay at home mother would earn $117,000 a year.

Read more about it here

http://www.salary.com/aboutus/layoutscripts/abtl_default.asp?tab=...12&ser=ser041&part=Par499


or here

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,354638,00.html

I'm not at home eating bon bons and watching Young and the Restless. I give up sleep to be able to blog.

I realize that I am lucky to be able to stay at home with my children, but to suggest that it is not a job?

PLEASE!!!

Thank you for being a friend

BEA ARTHUR

My favorite Golden Girl has died.

My boys

BEWARE..............

Pirates are everywhere!

Jack's battery operated 4-wheeler hauling the trailer that Uncle Pat gave him.

My boys on Easter Sunday in their matching shirts.

POWERFUL

Just recently it was brought to my attention that I had the POWER!!!

At some point in our lives we have probably all wished we were a super hero. My sisters and I used to play Wonder Woman when we were little. Lynda Carter is SO HOT! I don't even remember what she used her Wonder power for, I just know she had a rockin' outfit.

If you could be a super hero what would your super power be?

What would your super hero name be?

My super power would be invisibility. I drive by houses and always wonder what they look like on the inside so I would use my power to look around houses that I think look cool. I would be called INVISI-GIRL!! The only bad part is that when you are invisible you don't get to wear a cool super hero costume. I would have to come up with something to wear to all the superhero parties.

Earth Day

Cliff did his part by changing a regular light bulb to this eco-friendly one this morning.

Jack has an Earth Day song.

hi ho hi ho

For the past almost two months, Cliff had been working 12 hours a day, 7 days a week straight. Not one day off.

A week ago last Friday that came to an end. That was good. It was WAY to much. The money was great, but the hours were killing Cliff and not doing me much good either.

On top of the overtime ending, Cliff got laid off. Not that big of a deal. He should go back to work soon. It is par for the course when you are a Union Laborer of any kind.

This Friday it will be two weeks that Cliff has been laid off.

Two weeks that we have all been home together. All the time.

The first day Cliff realized that maybe I did not have it as easy as he thought I did.

A couple days later he thought maybe I did not have it that bad.

He watches Westerns all the time. He does not want to watch American Idol. The VIEW is not for him.

I'm going a little stir crazy. I want the Union Hall to call.

Yesterday we went to Effingham. I got some hangers to try to display some of my purses. I showed Cliff where I wanted them and went to feed Harrison. When I was finished he showed me what he had done.......................................
He had even hung up all the purses and displayed them on the bench.

Pretty nice huh???

I did this with an old trunk...........................

So after that, I felt like maybe it was not so bad having Cliff here all the time.

A few hours later he asked why I did not drink more water. I told him I had not even had ONE diet coke ALL day!! He pointed out that I had one in the car on the way to Effingham (in my mind one is like negative five on the diet coke scale so it does not even count) and went on to say how I could be SO much healthier if I drank less tea and diet coke and more water. It's time for him to go back to work.

We Are Columbine

10 years ago today.

This is a "where were you when" moment that sticks out in mind like it was yesterday.

10 years ago I had a satellite dish (one of the big ones). My network stations were out of Littleton, CO. I saw it all. It was on live not long after the first shot was fired. Before it made it to any of the big news stations. It was on 24 hours a day for 3 days straight. I could not stop watching. I took a sick day from work. I sent money to a victim's fund. It was all consuming.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Today I remember.

Memory Boxes

Tricia Mason's new business TBM SIGNATURE DESIGNS is worth a look.

Tricia is crafty and VERY talented. I purchased a holder for my favorite queen's (Ashley, Queen of the fair) crown and thought it was gorgeous.

I asked Tricia if she could hook me up with some boxes to store some of the stuff I have held onto for Jack and Harry.

After giving me plenty of options, here is the finished product:

The pictures really don't do them justice.

I could not be MORE pleased.

They are just fantastic and something that I hope the boys will keep forever.

You can check out her website HERE

or visit her ETSY shop

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=7111044

the wipe wallets are the coolest thing!!!

Tea Bag

Tonight as I watched a news story on a tea bagging party held at the Alamo this past Wednesday, I noticed someone in the crowd holding up a sign that said this:

Socialism is for Commies

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last time I checked Communism is for Commies.

All that tea bagging can make one a little loopy.

The Queen of 'Shrooms

While Cliff and Jack were out mushroom hunting last weekend I did a little hunting of my own-the easy way.

I found these in the rocks between the patio and our garage.

Cliff and Jack came home empty handed. Cliff blamed Jack. He said he whined and wanted to be carried after 20 minutes in the woods.

EXCUSES EXCUSES

Cliff is cleaning out the rocks as I type this. He is obviously bitter and my mushroom hunting skills frighten him to the point of assuring that my patch will be barren from now on.

For those of you keeping score:

Sarah---4

Cliff--NOTHING!

Patchwork bags are back at SARAH SELLZ.

The tax man cometh

Fun times in the Windy City

After a long, hard journey it was dinner at The Cheesecake Factory.

ummmm cheesecake............

Saturday morning we headed downtown
Soldier Field said to tell Rick and Amber HEY!

The Museum of Natural History

They were having some sort of pirate exhibition (pirates are SO in right now!).

Jack on the steps of the museum.

Jack and his mother

Sue the dinosaur (she was already named, I probably would have named her something fun like ROXIE)
She is a t-rex (I have no clue, I think all dinosaurs are a t-rex)

A flying t-rex!

Jack checking out a smaller t-rex

After the museum (fun times) it was off to lunch at Ed Debevic's

I had been there once before and my cousin Allison loves the place, so we were very excited.

We had hyped it up to Jack and he could not wait to see the servers sing and dance.

They did not disappoint!

Jack really got into it. He thought it was HILARIOUS when our waitress "yelled" at Alison.

He was SO offended when she called us boring.

I appreciated that my four year old realized that being called boring is not a good thing!

Aunt Patty
(i'm fixing her up with Mel Gibson)

Jack and our waitress getting down.

He showed her!

Even people from small town, boring ole Newton got some moves!

Jack and Alison

The world's smallest sundae

That night we went to the community center so Jack could swim.
This is their pool. I did not get pictures of the three adult size water slides and the mini lazy river.
Maybe we are boring. I think our community center has a water fountain.

This is Jack in water that was zero inches deep.
He INSISTED on wearing the floaties.

We had so much fun with Patty and Alison and have plans to go back soon!

~~~~~~~~~~~

Saturday morning we headed home.

Compared to getting there, the trip home was pretty much uneventful.

It was nice to get away, but it sure felt good to be back.

This is what I had waiting for me....................