Found you Mama!

Absolutely his FAVORITE game right now is "Chase mommy down the hall and find where she went". In this picture, Mommy was hiding on her bed. He is s proud of himself!

Ummm, yay! I can't explain, but, do you see what I see?

Mark helped his friend fix her car. I went out when all the work was done, looked down, and, well, ummm.... ::blush-blush:: Mark saw a look of "laughable shock" on my face, then looked at started laughing. He and his friend got a huge kick out of it... and I got teased ALL night. (And if you don't see it, no, I won't explain! sorry ::blush::

Ripe for the picking

Our pomegranates ALL split open this year. Then again, this is the first year that we have had plural, pomegranateS, instead of singular.

First week homeschooling

Can I stick the landing? I'll have to see how this year goes.


I have him do the worksheets under some plexi-glass first, then later in the week do it on the paper.


So far we are both having fun. Look at the grip! He holds it so perfectly. (At least, tat seems perfect to my untrained eyes.)


I love the way he rights his name! :p hehe LOVE that first "a" and that "h"

YAY! New tires!

This is the first set we have bought my van. I have been driving this van since Jan. '06, so it was beyond time! Mark has been telling me we needed new tires since January of this year. (Unfortunately, I forgot to take the "before", "This is how bald my tires were" photo. Oh Well!)

Someone will be right with you...

I had to call the IRS because they didn't do their auto payment this month. What a wait to ask them how to pay!

Mirror Mirror

Jan can cook, and so can you!

For those that don't recognize the title reference- http://www.yancancook.com/ it is a spoof of Yan's "catch phrase" at the end of every show. We use to watch him frequently while I was growing up.

Tonight, for the first time EVER, I attempted "Asian Cuisine". More specifically, Thai food. I used the recipe here http://thaifoodtonight.com/thaifoodtonight/recipes.htm

Pad Woon Sen


On a scale of 1-10, 10 being the most amazing meal I've ever made... I give this a 5 1/2. It was good and definitely worth trying again... but CLEARLY tasted like I didn't know what I was doing. I am sure that after a few more tries, I'll be a Pad Woon pro!

Shopping Day

First moment of truth- These were taken at a different market, today (8/20).
Last night, the market I was at did not have everything I needed.



Second moment of truth- I need to start clipping coupons again and NOT wait until we're out of almost everything before we go shopping.

OUCH! My wallet hurts!

Annie- you're so NOT proud of me! I do not serve my teacher well this trip!
(for the few who don't know who Annie is, THIS http://thesavvysteward.webs.com/creativeclasses.htm is my friend Annie!)

Computer Rebuild

No joke- our desk top crashed about six YEARS ago. Mark had a laptop, so it "didn't matter" (to him that is). Eventually, he bought a laptop for me. Where he was working, they retired them after 2 years. Sold them to their internal "geek squad" for $100. Good deal- over the years, he bought 5 of them, I think.

Well, after MANY years of not having one, and 2 YEARS of Mark s.....l.....o.....w.....l.....y buying parts, we FINALLY have a desk top again. God bless that geek!

That gianormous space pod hovering over the motherboard is the heat sync. It is to move the heat AWAY from the MB and other sensitive components.

Ana's Birthday

And a glimpse into our future.

These are Ana's sons, Julian and Sean. They are also my nephews. They look SO much different and yet totally the same. One is "tall, dark and handsome", the other is, well, "not tall, not dark, but still handsome". Julian is the "little brother Sean has to look up to". I expect my boys will look as much different from each other as these two... and yet, they'll look quite alike too!

Pizza Night

Wasn't sure which pic to use, so I used 3...

Before they closed the Numero Uno nearest us (about 4 years ago), we would go there about once a month. We thought they had left So Cal completely, but it turns out there is still one about 8 miles from us. OOOO- it is SOOOO yummy! I LOVE LOVE LOVE their crust! YUMMMMMMM!

Future Electrician

This is just his most recent efforts in rewiring! He ALWAYS finds the cables- EVERYWHERE! He pulls the plugs out of our Laptops, follows the floor fan cord to try to find where it goes (which is behind the TV, so he can't get to it), USB cables.... He LOVES them! He is TOTALLY going to be "Daddy's Helper" as he grows. He loves tools too! I think I have a Grease Monkey emerging here!

Grillerrific

I grilled almost everything for dinner last night. The only thing I didn't grill was the corn... off the cob, corn isn't very "grill friendly". I even grilled the garlic bread!



The chicken was an experimental dry rub I concocted. It had salt, peper, garlic powder, paparika, parsely, basil, and cinnamon. It turned out really yummy. (The black part is the fatty skin. I seasoned on and under the skin before cooking.)

Mark said it tasted like "Pollo Compero" chicken... I've never had them, so no idea!

Photo lesson- flash diffuser

I posted this on a site I belong too... and sadly- this was the high point of the day. So... I am re posting it here.

Ever get frustrated with the flash washing everything out, but there isn't enough light to NOT use the flash? Have an envelope, white paper plate, old card, or heavy paper around? Here's the trick my BIL (brother-in-law) taught me:

As is, point and shoot-



Defused by holding an envelope tilted slightly up, against the camera, between the lens and the flash-

I know these pictures aren't great, but hopefully they are helpful. :D

Bonita Chiquita Gabriellita

This is my niece, Gabi. When she was little (okay, littler) I used to call her "Bonita Chiquita Gabriellita". Just look at her! She is still my "Beautiful, Little Girl, Gabriella".

Today, she spent the day with me and the boys. We had lots of fun! :D

Feel like Pooh?

Today wasn't really one of "those" days, but this photo made me laugh. Isaiah was helping me bring in the toys after the little photo shoot (200+ shots) I did this afternoon.



Here are some of the ones I liked. I really like the these next two.


but I like these "group" shots too. Love the little "cow lick" popping up on the back of Isaiah's head.

Out to eat

Mark and I RARELY go out to eat these days! Because of how the pay periods fall, August has an "extra" pay check.

So, tonight he took us to one of my favorite places. (I've been asking to go for 2 months!)

A hot pot of Tom Yum Gai (a spice chicken soup), Gaeng Karee Gai (Yellow Curry Chicken),

and on the plate is some of the yellow curry over rice, pad woon sen with pork, and "Thai noodles with chicken". (Not sure what it was really called, but that's what the waitress called it.)

The gift that keeps giving

Christmas 2005, Isaiah received this as a gift from his Uncle Hec, Aunt Tooy (really Terri, but way it's said, she is/was "2 E"), and cousins Chris, Nick, and Jeff.

Today, Vincent got to start playing with it. He thought it was pretty great! He was very unhappy when he lost his balance and fell away from his new toy.

Spider Lily

These are one of my favorite things about the Summer. They only bloom for about 6 weeks, but I really love seeing them. I love their complex simplicity!

The thin ribbon petals, with the sort of butter cup centers...

The strange alienistic pollen buds that dangle from the spiny thread like center stems...

the balance of green leafs, with bursts of white, yellow, and orange... I just love them!

2nd batch tomorrow? lol

This is what's left of the Nutrigrain bars from yesterday. Out of 18 we still have 2... Yes! There were very good. I'm thinking of making more tomorrow... or tonight.. maybe right now..... lol

A happier note: home made Nutrigrain bars

May not be healthier, but they sure are tasty!

eta: recipe http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/print?id=94342

6 months ago

6 months, 4 days ago, my Grandma went to be with Jesus. 6 months, 1 day ago, we gathered as a family for likely the very last time, and attended her funeral. 6 months ago, I received my full inheritance from her. This cross may not be much in physical value, but it means the world to me!

Ba ding ding dong

We went to see Mark's parents today (8/1). A number of other family members showed up as well. Mark and I were sitting at the table talking to Sean and Ashley.

We had mentioned how Isaiah use to play with the little springy door stop thingy when he was about the same age Vincent is now. Next thing we know, we hear that familiar sound.


Vincent found the the exact same one that Isaiah use to play with EVERY time we'd visit.