Archive for April, 2010

Tuesday is the new Friday.

WASHINGTON - APRIL 21: A red Tulip stands alon...

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Which means I was out too late last night and had way too much fun.

Which means this Wednesday morning blog post is going to be suffering from lack of sleep.

For those that missed the update on Monday, the date on Saturday did not happen due to conflicting work schedules. But there will be a next time.

Fair warning, this Thursday the ’89 Girls are going out to dinner (and drinks). Friday’s post is likely to show the consequences.  Don’t worry – I plan to have plenty of fun to make up for it.

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Spoke too soon.

Well our plans for Saturday fell through. No big deal there is always next time.

On a more exciting note…

This past week my phone came up for its annual upgrade at the same time that Princess Girl’s phone came up for her ‘New Every Two’ option. This meant on Friday afternoon we were shopping for new phones! Well, Princess Girl was shopping for a new phone. I had already picked mine out.

For myself, I am getting the brand new HTC Droid Incredible! I loved my BlackBerry when I first got it. It was the perfect ‘starter’ smartphone. But now that I have seen what the Android OS can do (and how much freaking faster it is), it is time to move on. The kids at school must be talking about the new Droid phones because when I told Princess Girl what I was getting she was outraged.

“That phone is like a LAPTOP! Why do you get such a cool phone?”

Yeah, because I go to work every day and pay all the bills.

I reminded her that the BB has many of the same options. This is simply an upgrade for me.

Princess Girl struggled with her choices. I don’t blame her. The options were very slim. What? You are thinking how could her options be slim? There are so many phones out there she should have plenty to choose from. Well, if you are on a data plan that is true. However, at 15, I do not feel she has any need for a data plan on her phone (she has a iTouch if she really needs to get online away from the computer). And besides that – she can get a job and pay for her own if she wants a data plan.

Finally, I convinced her to get a phone with a slide out keyboard. She is so entrenched in the T9/Word world of texting she is hesitant to make the switch. I know she will love it once she gets used to it.

In an effort to help Princess Girl choose a phone we went to an actual Verizon store so she could touch and feel her phone choices. They must work on commission there. The two young phone dudes behind the counter really really wanted to sell us our new phones. I told them I already planned to pre-order my Incredible and we were there simply to help Princess Girl decide on a phone. They showed her the options. They talked about the features. They were shocked when I was able to site the features of the Incredible. Duh. Why would I be pre-ordering it if I didn’t know anything about it.

We left the store as they tried to put more pressure on me to purchase there. I knew Princess Girl had mostly decided. And I reminded her she had a 30 day window to change her mind.

The only problem? Hers shipped Friday night and should be delivered by Tuesday. Mine isn’t scheduled for release until the 29th!

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Giddy.

Green Heart (And the Green Grass Grows All Aro...

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I have a date tomorrow.

(OK, now that you’ve all picked yourselves up off the floor…)

He has a job and a valid driver’s license. He does not live with his mother and he is not married.

(OK, are you up off the floor again yet?)

We are going to work on rebuilding the new (used) motor he just got for his plow truck. I get to play grease monkey assistant.

I can’t wait!

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Thousand Word Thursday

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Where has all the motivation gone?

Martin Luther King, pictured during the 'I Hav...

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Seriously. My life is still just as busy. I have plenty of funny anecdotes I intend to share. The material is all right there.

I just don’t have the motivation to write it down.

I struggle to get posts out three days a week. I mean really struggle. Maybe I need to take a break from the schedule I have imposed on myself. I’m afraid if I do that, I’ll never get back into it. The sad thing is a really enjoy blogging. I enjoy sharing stories to make people laugh or think or cry.

I guess I need to find a motivator for myself. What motivates you?

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Eventful weekend

To say the least! Details to follow in a day or so.

First there was this

Then this

Getting ready for Nationals!

Princess Girl receiving 3rd place trophy

Well worth the $5 ticket price!

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So exciting!

An All Star team during a competition

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We have another busy weekend planned. Princess Girl’s competitive cheer team is participating in a National competition at Navy Pier on Saturday. Princess Girl and I are headed to Chicago this afternoon. There will be shopping. And girl talk. And shopping. And sightseeing. Well, you get the picture.

Good luck, girls. I know you will do a great job!

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Thousand Word Thursday

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Top 100 Children’s Literature

Dorothy meets the Cowardly Lion, from The Wond...

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The Top 100 Children’s Fiction Books as turned into a meme by Teacherninja, via Book Nut. I’m 35/100. Apparently I need to get on the stick. There are books on this list that I’ve been meaning to get to for ages. I think part of the problem is I skipped to adult literature very early in my reading career. Many on my list of 35 I read as an adult, not a child. I just re-read The Wonderful Wizard of Oz last week.
How did you do?
100. The Egypt Game – Snyder (1967)
99. The Indian in the Cupboard – Banks (1980)
98. Children of Green Knowe – Boston (1954)
97. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane – DiCamillo (2006)
96. The Witches – Dahl (1983)
95. Pippi Longstocking – Lindgren (1950)
94. Swallows and Amazons – Ransome (1930)
93. Caddie Woodlawn – Brink (1935)
92. Ella Enchanted – Levine (1997)
91. Sideways Stories from Wayside School – Sachar (1978)
90. Sarah, Plain and Tall – MacLachlan (1985)
89. Ramona and Her Father – Cleary (1977)
88. The High King – Alexander (1968)
87. The View from Saturday – Konigsburg (1996)
86. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets – Rowling (1999)
85. On the Banks of Plum Creek – Wilder (1937)
84. The Little White Horse – Goudge (1946)
83. The Thief – Turner (1997)
82. The Book of Three – Alexander (1964)
81. Where the Mountain Meets the Moon – Lin (2009)
80. The Graveyard Book – Gaiman (2008)
79. All-of-a-Kind-Family – Taylor (1951)
78. Johnny Tremain – Forbes (1943)
77. The City of Ember – DuPrau (2003)
76. Out of the Dust – Hesse (1997)
75. Love That Dog – Creech (2001)
74. The Borrowers – Norton (1953)
73. My Side of the Mountain – George (1959)
72. My Father’s Dragon – Gannett (1948)
71. The Bad Beginning – Snicket (1999)
70. Betsy-Tacy – Lovelae (1940)
69. The Mysterious Benedict Society – Stewart ( 2007)
68. Walk Two Moons – Creech (1994)
67. Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher – Coville (1991)
66. Henry Huggins – Cleary (1950)
65. Ballet Shoes – Stratfeild (1936)
64. A Long Way from Chicago – Peck (1998)
63. Gone-Away Lake – Enright (1957)
62. The Secret of the Old Clock – Keene (1959)
61. Stargirl – Spinelli (2000)
60. The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle – Avi (1990)
59. Inkheart – Funke (2003)
58. The Wolves of Willoughby Chase – Aiken (1962)
57. Ramona Quimby, Age 8 – Cleary (1981)
56. Number the Stars – Lowry (1989)
55. The Great Gilly Hopkins – Paterson (1978)
54. The BFG – Dahl (1982)
53. Wind in the Willows – Grahame (1908)
52. The Invention of Hugo Cabret (2007)
51. The Saturdays – Enright (1941)
50. Island of the Blue Dolphins – O’Dell (1960)
49. Frindle – Clements (1996)
48. The Penderwicks – Birdsall (2005)
47. Bud, Not Buddy – Curtis (1999)
46. Where the Red Fern Grows – Rawls (1961)
45. The Golden Compass – Pullman (1995)
44. Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing – Blume (1972)
43. Ramona the Pest – Cleary (1968)
42. Little House on the Prairie – Wilder (1935)
41. The Witch of Blackbird Pond – Speare (1958)
40. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Baum (1900)
39. When You Reach Me – Stead (2009)
38. HP and the Order of the Phoenix – Rowling (2003)
37. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry – Taylor (1976)
36. Are You there, God? It’s Me, Margaret – Blume (1970)
35. HP and the Goblet of Fire – Rowling (2000)
34. The Watson’s Go to Birmingham – Curtis (1995)
33. James and the Giant Peach – Dahl (1961)
32. Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH – O’Brian (1971)
31. Half Magic – Eager (1954)
30. Winnie-the-Pooh – Milne (1926)
29. The Dark Is Rising – Cooper (1973)
28. A Little Princess – Burnett (1905)
27. Alice I and II – Carroll (1865/72)
26. Hatchet – Paulsen (1989)
25. Little Women – Alcott (1868/9)
24. HP and the Deathly Hallows – Rowling (2007)
23. Little House in the Big Woods – Wilder (1932)
22. The Tale of Despereaux – DiCamillo (2003)
21. The Lightening Thief – Riordan (2005)
20. Tuck Everlasting – Babbitt (1975)
19. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Dahl (1964)
18. Matilda – Dahl (1988)
17. Maniac Magee – Spinelli (1990)
16. Harriet the Spy – Fitzhugh (1964)
15. Because of Winn-Dixie – DiCamillo (2000)
14. HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban – Rowling (1999)
13. Bridge to Terabithia – Paterson (1977)
12. The Hobbit – Tolkien (1938)
11. The Westing Game – Raskin (1978)
10. The Phantom Tollbooth – Juster (1961)
9. Anne of Green Gables – Montgomery (1908)
8. The Secret Garden – Burnett (1911)
7. The Giver -Lowry (1993)
6. Holes – Sachar (1998)
5. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler – Koningsburg (1967)
4. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – Lewis (1950)
3. Harry Potter #1 – Rowling (1997)
2. A Wrinkle in Time – L’Engle (1962)
1. Charlotte’s Web – White (1952)
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One for the record books.

A garden lawn

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Ahh, Spring. That season in the Midwest that brings warmer temperatures, finally some sunshine and, of course, rain. What do you get when you combine warmer temperatures, sunshine and rain?

Grass.

Really green grass.

Really green, really tall grass.

As you all know, really green, really TALL grass must be mowed. Or your neighbors will run you out of town.

I am not even going to give you links back to all of the fun and excitement yard work brought the seeofgreen household last year. I’m sure you all remember laughing (or cringing in horror) at my expense. If you missed it, feel free to carouse through the archives of June, July and August of 2009. I guarantee the effort will be good for a few laughs. Go ahead, we’ll wait.

The early part of this week was rainy and dreary. And cold. It was quite a shock to our systems after having more than a week of warmer than usual temps. But the sun came out Thursday and the temperatures started climbing back up. And there were pockets of grass in my yard nearly a foot tall! Saturday dawned sunny and beautiful. Perfect weather for the first yard mowing expedition of year.

I filled the rider with fresh gas. It started up on the second turn of the key. I mowed the flat parts of the yard. I filled the push mower with gas. It started up on the second pull of the cord. I mowed the hilly parts of the yard. And then I sat in a lawn chair on my freshly mowed grass and read for a while.

Yes, that’s right. I mowed the yard with out incident or injury to me and without breaking any of the equipment.

Pick you jaw up off the ground. I have to get lucky once in a while.

I am taking this as an auspicious start to a wonderfully easy yard work season.

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