just miss kim

The best part...

The best part of our trip was the shows. I love to watch a show... give me some singing, some dancing, some Darren Romeo booty-shaking, and I'm a happy girl. And lucky for me, my kids love it as much as I do. Dan's OK with it, but it's not like he's dancing around the cabin the next day, singing the songs and putting on a show. The kids and I... yeah, we sing and dance for days.

I won't do full reviews right now, but we saw some great shows last week. Darren Romeo -- a total professional and had my kids doing magic trips for days. The Duttons -- our 4th show in 2 years and we loved it just as much as if it were our first. I just adore that family.

Wednesday was such a fun day. In the morning, we saw Smoke on the Mountain, which was a riot. We all laughed till we hurt. That night, we saw The Haygoods, and dang, those boys are total eye candy. Oh, they sang and danced pretty good, too. But really... eye candy.

OK, none of the shows were that hard on the eyes. Darren Romeo can really shake his bon-bon. The Dutton men... very cute, but also very married. Those Haygoods, though... I'd pay just to see them stand on stage. And a couple of them have long hair. I have such a thing for long hair. I thought I'd gotten over it, but then one of them was wearing a little ponytail and it just came back.

OK, I'll shut up about men. Dan might read this.

So here's my tribute to the shows we saw this trip. Started out to be something else, and this is what happened.

Some things I have learned

1. Dan and I can no longer sleep in a full sized bed. Not just sleep comfortably. We can't sleep in a full sized bed. At all. Actually, I did doze a few times, waking up in such pain that I was sure I wouldn't be able to walk the next day. The bed didn't have a good mattress, it was too small, it was against a wall, and Dan seemed determined to push me through that wall. Oh, and the dog was there, so throw him into the mix -- he has to sleep under the covers with his hind end in my face. Just lovely.

2. We need a bed for every member of our family. And we did have that on both our vacations this year. It seemed like overkill, but we had a full and a twin in each of our 2 bedrooms last week. We tried to have a kids' room, with the girls sharing a bed, but I had forgotten that no one really wants to sleep with Chesney. I can't tell you how many times I have walked into her room in the morning to wake her up, only to find her feet on her pillow. Besides acrobatics, she also talks in her sleep. And grinds her teeth. Nope, no one wants to sleep with her. So she got the 2nd bed in the adults room.

3. No more travelling with the dog. This one is sorta sad, but it has to be. I've discovered that pet friendly also means smoker-friendly. And nothing against those who smoke, the smell just makes my family ill. And we knew going in that our cabin was a smoking allowed cabin and would smell. We take the dog because he's very attached to me and hates to leave me, which makes me sad, so we take him. But he'll be staying at Grandpa's from now on, and we'll be staying in smoke-free accomodations.

4. We need two bathrooms. Dan doesn't think this is a deal-breaker, but since he's usually the one in the bathroom when we need the second one, I'm saying this one is *my* deal-breaker. 2 adults, 2 almost teenagers, a family of people with sensitive stomachs and all kinds of new foods when we're on vacation... we need 2 bathrooms.

5. Dan says, "We need two TVs." I'm of the opinion that we don't need any TVs when we're on vacation, but the kids like to watch their cartoons in the morning. Dan likes to watch ESPN. Just ESPN... doesn't matter what's on. At least the kids are discriminating. They won't watch Avatar or baby shows like Dora. They flip to find the best show. Dan just needs ESPN. And if the kids are watching their shows, he can't watch ESPN.

6. Free internet is nice. I figure if Dan is watching ESPN, and the kids are playing or watching their shows (and they did play more than they watched TV), there's no harm in a quick check of the email. I had to walk down this big hill to check my email last week. That was no problem. It was the walking back up the hill carrying the laptop that did me in.

So those are the things I realized about my family and our needs this week. Makes thinking about going on a 2 week vacation next year a little more complicated. I think we're going to just rent a vacation home somewhere. The days of cramming into one hotel room, or taking the cheapest option are over. I need comfort and space or it's just not worth it.

And now some of the few pictures I did take:

I'm sitting at a picnic table... sweating... with Lake Taneycomo spread out in front of me. It's a gorgeous view. Brady and Hayden are here, hanging out. I'm watching Brady walking out to the dock on the lake.... he's practically tiptoeing.

I'd post some pictures of our very relaxing vacation. But I haven't taken any. OK, I've taken 3, I think. I'm just not in a picture taking mood. We've been here 11 times in the last 5 years. Been there, done it, doing it again, having fun, but I already have the pictures. This time, I just want to be a part of it and enjoy it. There was a mom at the pool a little bit ago, shooting pictures of her kids with a Canon Rebel. Had to be a scrapbooker, huh? Not me. Carrying my camera everywhere stilll, but just not feeling the need to get it out very often.

We've actually been taking it very easy. Introduced the kids to the Olive Garden, where they had never eaten. Loved it. We've also eaten at Ruby Tuesday and the American Bandstand Grill. Had Golden Corral breakfast buffet this morning and I'm still full at 3:30 pm. We're pretty much spending out days eating, swimming and seeing shows. And enjoying it.

We have six shows scheduled for this week, and we're halfway through. We've seen the Incredible Acrobats of China, Darren Romeo -- the Voice of Magic, and Smoke on the Mountain. All good, entertaining shows. We have another tonight at 8 pm, and then one each on Thursday and Friday. This week is just going so fast.

Justu wanted to update and let you know I'm still around. I've definitely lost my scrapping mojo, but right now, I think that's OK.

I lied

Again. Sue me.

Hope everyone enjoyed the little freebie yesterday. I'm really enjoying making word art and using it on my own layouts, so I might have to share more often.

I packed last night. Basically I took all the clean clothes in the house, sorted out what I thought we'd actually wear and put it in the bag. Usually I have a list -- 8 pairs of shorts, 10 shirts -- that I go down and check off. Not this time. For all I know, I packed Brady 15 shirts and 6 shorts. If we run out, I'll either do laundry or run to Wal-mart and buy more. The past 2 years, when we've gone on vacation, we've taken a separate suitcase just for shoes. We have everyday sandals, dressy sandals, flip flops for the pools, and athletic shoes for walking the parks. No more. Crocs/Air walks for walking the parks, flip flops that easily fit in the suitcase for the pool, and maybe a pair of dressy flip flops for the girls and I, just because I think crocs would look odd when paired with dressier clothes. So we may still take more than one pair, but everything fits in the suitcase. I'm always torn when packing.... take less clothes and do laundry while we're gone, or pack everything. Packing everything tends to win because the idea of doing laundry on vacation kind of takes the whole "vacation" part out of it.

Want a little bling for your layouts?
Isn't this the funnest alpha you've seen recently? My girl Danielle Catalino-Titus made this and she tells me it took forever. It's not up for sale yet, but you'll be able to find it at A Cherry on Top, and I'm betting she'll announce it at DST, as well. I just think it is so fun!

OK, gotta go make sure Brady gets on the bus for summer math. He missed yesterday due to a dentist appointment (no cavities in any of the kids... woo hoo! Orthodontist consultations for the oldest two... boo hoo!), and he's nervous about going to school now. Especially since today is his last day. He's a mess.

OK, now I think I'm really done. I'm going to go get dressed, do a Shabby Elements layout and read the rest of the day. There's a cold front coming and hopefully it arrives sooner rather than later. This triple digit heat is really making me cranky.

Project Runway... what a roller coaster. I felt so horrible for Malan last night... his story about his mom, his glaring loneliness. I wanted to cry for him. I still can't figure out Vincent. I feel for him, too, but he's a little too whickety-whack for me. It was just an interesting show, and I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of the season goes.

In the wee hours of last night, I realized that I have a show scheduled for next Wednesday night, so I'm totally going to have to miss PR next week. I have DVR and have no doubt that Bravo will rerun the show 536 times after we're home. But I'll hate to miss it.

And speaking of next week, this will probably be one of my last blog entries for a bit. Not sure how much internet access I'll have next week, and thinking most of it will come in brief moments at Panera, so probably no time for a blog post.

Since I'm leaving, I wanted to leave a little blog freebie. (And the kids have a dentist appointment in an hour, so I have to make this quick!) In honor of my current Project Runway obsession, here's a little piece of word art. If you like it, leave me a little note, and maybe I'll do a weekly word art freebie. Thanks to Atomic Cupcake for the rockin' effects I used to create it! Download it here: Download makeitwork.zip

just so you know

I am actually scrapping. Unfortunately, it's with kits that haven't been released yet, so I can't share them yet. Doesn't that bite? I have two layouts done that can be posted, but I'm less than thrilled with either of them. I supposed they're probably pretty good layouts, but I'm just not feeling the creative juices flowing. And I don't like it. I don't like forcing it. Now the yet-to-be-released kits I used yesterday... definitely creativity inducing. So be looking for some fun announcements about new product in your email, cuz I definitely think you're going to like this stuff.

It is really hot. I mean really, really hot. Supposed to be 108 today. Poor Dan really needed to mow the grass before we leave on vacation, so he went out at 8:45 last night to do it in rapidly falling dusk. I checked and it was still 93 degrees outside. Just ridiculous. When it's flipping cold out in January, I always remind myself that at least it's not 108. I much prefer the cold; it's much easier to add a sweater or a blanket and get warm than it is to cool down. You can only take off so much clothes before you become vulgar. Our poor air conditioner is really trying to keep up, but it just can't. When it's in the 90s, no problem keeping the house cool. Over 100? It's just going to be hot, and we just have to deal with that. Yesterday we had two fans going in the living room and I decided it was too hot to cook, so we had sandwiches for lunch and pizza delivery for dinner. And as much as I gripe about keeping the house at a liveable temp, Dan's out working in it.

Didn't get anything in the mail yesterday but Dan's 401K statement. Which caused an argument because he lost $1200 in 3 months. I'm apparently not looking at the big picture, but I'm also thinking what $1200 could buy.

I introduced my girls to the joys of Saved by the Bell this morning. I was getting so tired of Full House. I think they're hooked. And who can't use a little more Screech in their lives?

Speaking of TV, I've been sucked into Reality Shows this summer. Big Brother... I don't really like anyone better than the other, so I don't really care about the outcome, just want to be entertained while watching. So I hope Will stays because he's amusing. Stupid, but amusing. We're also watching Last Comic Standing. I adore Chris Porter, but didn't feel last night was his best. Josh Blue was funny, although he seemed to do a lot just to stall for time. The rest can all go. Not entertaining. No, wait, I didn't even watch anyone else but Roz, who just screamed the entire time. And tonight is Project Runway. So excited!! I'm hoping tonight we'll find out who the rule breaker is, and there's all kinds of rumor flying around the internet. I know that show will be entertaining, whatever happens.

OK, I have to go shower. I woke up sweating, I'm still sweating and feel that showering is kind of redundant when I'm just going to be sweating again soon, but maybe it will give me a momentary lift. Stay cool!

In the mail yesterday

Aren't you dying to know what was in our mail yesterday?

Well, Dan got his annual statement from Social Security that tells us exactly how much money we're going to get when we retire, blah blah. I personally have no intention of ever completely retiring. This summer has shown me that I'm not at my best when I don't have any "work" to do.When my mind gets bored, depression sets in and that's just not pretty. I'm pulling myself out of it, but it helps that the end of the summer is approaching. Quickly. And then I'll freak because so much hits at once and I'll have another breakdown. Hey, at least I can predict it.

Our People and Entertainment Weekly magazines arrived. On the same day. Which to read first? What a dilemma. I ended up browsing through People, which didn't have any meaty stories anyway. This morning I read EW, and there was an interesting article on Jason Mewes , who is Jay of Jay and Silent Bob fame. That guy has used about 8.5 of his 9 lives, but it sounds like he may be getting himself under control.

Then, I got a little "reminder" letter from Creating Keepsakes about some stupid DVD they sent me a couple of months ago. I didn't order it, and I know that the law says that if they send me something without my ordering it, I can keep it. Now CK was hoping that I would pony up the eight bucks or whatever to keep it. Or they were hoping I'd send it back to them. But the box it arrived in was highly damaged, and I read the fine print, saying that because I hadn't asked them to send it, I really didn't have to do anything. So I threw it away. This was a really nasty way to try direct marketing. Makes me wonder how many scrapbookers didn't read the fine print, looked at the DVD, saw the bill, and thought they must have ordered it and went ahead and paid for it (which then results in them sending you another DVD every few months). Just not cool. I threw my reminder in the trash, too.

The last thing in our mail, was this book. If you've been reading long, you know I'm a huge Disney freak. In fact, we were planning to visit this year until I just got sick of Dan's worries about budget and called it off. We'll definitely going in the next 2 years. And I'm such a nerd when it comes to Disney trivia. I can tell you what the letters in EPCOT stand for. I know why there's a drop at the beginning of the Pirates of the Carribbean ride. I know all kinds of useless Disney facts. And lucky for me, someone knows more. I preordered this book a few weeks ago and my copy arrived yesterday, personally signed by the author. You can get your own copy here. I'll be packing ours for our vacation next week and while I'm driving, Dan can quiz me. And none of this "What's the name of the tiki god of fire?" idiotic question he gave me last night. Ask me some meaty stuff, dude. Like which science fiction author collaborated on the script for Spaceship Earth. I got that one right, by the way. And if this book seems like it would be your cup of tea, you may want to check out the Mouse Tunes podcast. I've been listening for awhile, and Lou (the author of this book) and Nathan (the owner of another Disney website) crack me up.

So there's the contents of our mail yesterday. Thrilling, huh?

It is flippin' hot outside. It was already 81 degrees when I let the dog out just before six this morning. High of 104. I feel bad for Dan, who is outside in it. And on Monday's our pool is closed. I could take the kids in to the YMCA pool, but that's a 20 minute drive in 100 degree weather. Best just to stay at home in our air conditioned cocoon. And about 2 pm, the kids will want to go outside and play and think I'm the world's meanest mom because I won't let them.

What makes it even worse is that it's supposed to continue. All week. And that just sucks.

Went up to see baby Emery on Saturday. She was very sweet, but pretty much did nothing but sleep and eat all day. Ah well, what did you expect, Kim? She's only six days old. And that was pretty much our weekend. Friday we went out for Mexican for my birthday. Then we thought about getting a Cold Stone Creamery cake for my birthday, but I was so worried about it -- it was 100 degrees outside and a 20 minute drive to our house. I just couldn't take a chance on spending that much money and then having it melt on the way home. Maybe in October for Dan's birthday.

Finally, a little sneak peek of a layout I did this weekend. Probably won't get posted in a gallery for a bit, but I wanted to do an about me layout for my birthday, and this is what I did. It's taking me longer and longer to scrap lately. Not flowing very good, and I'm not liking what comes out very much. But this one is OK.

book review

I read a really good book yesterday -- A Cold Moon by Jeffrey Deaver. It's one of his Lincoln Rhyme mysteries and it was such a page turner. Just when you think it's over... nope, it's not. If you like CSI or good forensic science novels, this whole series is a good read (the first in the series is "The Bone Collector" which was made into a movie that I didn't enjoy). Anyway, that's my recommendation for today. Very good. Couldn't put it down.

Sorry my life is so boring right now, but here's a layout:

A recipe

Dan's going to make this for me. Well, he said he would, but in reality, I'm sure he won't.

Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

1 (18.25 ounce) box dark chocolate cake mix

1 (4 serving size) package instant chocolate pudding mix

1 cup vegetable oil

4 eggs

1/2 cup hot water

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

sifted confectioners sugar, optional

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a bundt pan.

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, water, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake for 1 hour. Cool. Dust with confectioner's sugar if desired.

Makes 1 bundt cake.

Why won't he make it? Because we have a busy few days ahead. Tomorrow night, we'll be eating Mexican for dinner. Saturday, we're going to go see my sister and the new baby because this is our last chance for awhile. Sunday, possibly meeting my parents for breakfast. A week from today, dentist appointments for the kids. A week from Saturday, we leave on vacation for 9 days. It's going to be a busy end of the month.

Project Runway last night was so good. I just loved the Barbie doll dress -- was it Michael or Richard? I get so confused with names at the beginning of any reality show. If you're a PR fan, you must check out Blogging Project Runway . I have it on my Bloglines and get daily and sometimes hourly updates on all things Project Runway. And tonight's BB. I read the feed updates on the internet, so I usually know what's going to happen on the Sun/Tues shows. Makes me enjoy Thursday's show that much more. A great Big Brother site is Reality BBQ, which I also have on my bloglines. This site will send spoilers, so if you're trying to not be spoiled, you might not want to check it out.

Nothing much happening. Going to take the kids swimming later, but I insist we wait until the worst of the sun has passed. Actually went and swam last night -- I'm not big on swimming. Not that I can't swim, I just don't do it very often because it's all... wet. But it's so stinking hot that I had to get in yesterday.

I have steaks marinating and baked potatoes in the crockpot. We are eating a lot of meat this summer, mostly cooked on our George Foreman grill. We have a charcoal grill, Dan just doesn't have the patience to wait for it to heat properly. Just easier to plug in George and throw the steaks on there. And faster.

So that's my life. Sitting around until time to go to the pool, marinating meats, and watching TV. Summer is so boring. And in about 3 months, I'll be wishing it was still summer.