merry christmas rundown,...

Warning! Long Post!

Christmas morning. Hannah negotiated a 6:30am wakeup allowance for Christmas morning. At 6:25 we hear her feet hit the floor and she waited at the top of the stairs till 6:30 and came running down. Santa had left a nice new bike for her and she was excited.


But at 6:30am it is still dark out and cold....so by 6:40 she was ready to open stockings! Stockings took till, oh, 6:50 then Chris and I slowly opened ours.


She then was allowed to open 3 presents ( some movies and a watch from us, a purse from jim & kris). We then decided to watch one of her movies then have breakfast and shower/get ready.


By now, she was really ready to open presents. We did the rest of the presents, one at a time. Hannah really loved everything she opened.


She saved the biggest (as in largest box) for last and it was the blue man keyboard from Nana & Grandad. It took about an hour just to get it out of the box then she had a blast playing on it.



We pulled her away from the keyboard to go for a bike ride. Up to the church, into Sailview then back home. She was doing pretty well by the end.

Now, we were back home. She got on the computer for a bit doing webkinz with a friend who was also online. Then we called her down, told her it wad time to clean up. While cleaning up, I said - Hey, there is a present missing. Chris tells her to look in the tree. Huh? He had placed it on a branch. Why, daddy, why? It was her Wii remote. Lets just say she jumped for joy.



So the rest of the afternoon was setting up the wii and playing games then dinner then another movie then bed. All in all a nice Christmas.

Oh yeah, the cat had fun too!

Fifteen Fritts and a partridge in a pear tree...

Saturday's dinner with the Fritts family. We really enjoyed the day. Good food (and I did not have to cook - Chris and his sisters did most of it), presents, family. A good day!

lookee what santa brought early...

We have jumped into the 21st century with a 50" plasma....


My washer is getting ready to go, my treadmill is acting up, my car has 110,00 miles on it, but this is what I wanted.

gingerbread church...

Our gingerbread church...why a church you ask? We wanted something different and something that I did not have to buy a ton of candy to decorate. Please notice the stained glass windows on the side - I am particularly proud of those....

too hot for Christmas...

Yes, it is 77 degrees out right now. That is almost 80. On December 10th!
Hot.
I am in short sleeves and am going to go put on shorts.

6:55 am....

We get the best sunrises in late october, november and early december. By mid month the angles of the sun/earth must change and they are gone.
This morning started off as a deep orange strip across the horizon. When I looked out and saw this, I had to grab the camera. I wish i was a better photographer - this does not quie capture the colors with the entire lake a reflecting orange and the sky a deep purply blue.

put in my place....

On Tuesday, our neighbor came over to talk to Chris about house plans. He brought his 3yr old son and 6yr old daughter. These are the kids Hannah helped with for her summer job. So, the 3yr old walks in the house and immediately says: "You should come to my house. We decorated." (I am assuming he meant decorated for Christmas and not that I am in dire need of design assistance).

Then the 6 year old says "You STILL have pumpkins out!. Duh, it IS STILL November isn't it? Pumpkins and fall decorations are allowed in November right?

Since when did Christmas start in November? This really seems kinda early to me this year.

So I pulled out my outside stuff. Fake greenery. Yup this year martha stewart would be ashamed but I went with the fake stuff outdoors. Why? Because when the temps hit 70 the real stuff goes brown fast and the fake, well, it can stay up till easter.

So I have decorated my outside lamps and hung a wreath. No one can say we are not in the holiday spirit now!

still here...

Just catching up on work after a long weekend
Hannah is feeling crummy so I am expecting a call from school
Got the itch to decorate the house for Christmas
Addressing Christmas cards - yeehaw
Need to clean the bathrooms - yeehaw

And a super duper happy happy birthday to my Sis!

just in...

...her 6th grade school photo.



We will head to the mountains in the am. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

by the end of the weekend...

they looked like this:
A little caulk, one more coat of paint and the shelves are ready to go in.

did you know....

...that when you are online (on a windows computer), you can hit Control and + at the same time and enlarge your screen? And control and - will reduce the type.

Try it, it is nifty for those of us that are kinda needing reading glasses.

progress...,

This is progress. Really. I think it is my Christmas present.
And there is a matching one on the right...

falling leaves

I wanted to take pictures of our fall colors. Everywhere I go is gorgeous. Driving along the roads with all the colors just jumping out at you. This is the prettiest time of the year....cool weather...just love it.
Anyway, yesterday was so windy, the leaves were falling and I decided I had better get pictures...but they are not the best...still here they are...please note the camper and jetski sitting in the backyard.....

goodbye to Pepper....

Sorry to report that the hamster, Pepper, did not make it after all. He seemed to be at about 80% for a week then started to decline. Tuesday night he just huddled and shook, did not eat. Last night (Wed) he died.
Hannah could tell this was coming and asked in her prayers last night for God to do what was best for Pepper. So she is ok.
But she is now old enough that she realizes that his body must be disposed of. So we will have a burial service in the backyard today - if I can dig a hole deep enough in our rocky yard to get him in deep enough. And we will cover it with lots of large rocks so no critters can get in.

In other news....the leaves here are gorgeous right now. Any window we look out of there is yellow, red, brown, orange and greens. But the winds are howling today and leaves are falling fast. It is a leaf snow storm out there. Pretty but depressing since they will be gone soon.

Later....off to dig a hole.

middle school retreat...

Hannah had a weekend long middle school retreat at camp grier this weekend. Camp Grier is where she goes to summer church camp in the NC mountains. She was to leave on Friday afternoon and return Sunday about 2pm.

Chris and I had a free weekend. Plans were made. Movie, dinner, chores, whatever we wanted to do. Anticipation. Freedom.

Thursday morning I received THE CALL. One of the chaperones had to cancel and could I drive up Friday, spend Friday night and go home Sat. morning??? Another parent would come up Sat. and drive them home on Sunday. Just one night....

No choice, I had to say yes. And by coming home on Saturday, Hannah would still get some time without a parent around.

So, the adventure began. We were taking H's friendCaroline with us - so we went by her house and picked her up. But in the confusion of getting her and loading up her 3 suitcases (or maybe it just seemed like 3) we forgot the permission slip.

Went to church and had to wait for the other kids. They were running late. Now we were running late. And no permission slip meant Caroline could not go. So we ran by Caroline's house to get the permission slip - only no one was home. We had to break in - jimmie the door with a credit card. Got the permission slip, met up with the rest of the group and now we were running even later.

Drove up to the mtns - 1.5 hr drive. Got to camp after dinner was being served but we did get to eat. Barely. After dinner we went to the bunkhouse to get our beds - all the girls picked top bunks. Sierra jumped in hers and I hear a loud crack! One of the support beams broke. So we got her into another bed and now we were one bed short. So I pulled the mattress off the bunk and threw it on the floor and I decided to sleep there.

We had singing, keynote minister, small groups, more singing and snack. At 10:45pm we went back to the bunkhouse and 11:15 was lights out. That is when I discovered that the floor was cold. It was pretty warm up on the top bunks, not bad on the bottom bunks and cold on the floor. I had on socks, long johns and a tshirt. I was in a sleeping bag and had a down lap throw on top. Froze. And there was a lady that snored. Loudly. Very loudly. Finally at 5am I pulled on another layer of clothes and that helped.

Needless to say I had a terrible night of sleep. I was ready to go home. Hannah begged me to stay. And I would have. Except. I. Wanted. To. Sleep. In. My. Own. Bed. So I went home.

And Chris and I went to dinner with friends on Sat night and had a great time.

Hannah is home safe and sound. Next year I will plan on being a chaperone for the weekend. And will take earplugs.

update....

Pepper, the hamster, seems to be doing just fine. Back to normal so to speak. Running on his wheel, eating his green beans and sleeping all day long.

halloween, field trip and one to the vet

halloween
Hannah was going to be a cat. Then an angel. No a cat. No an angel. Ooops, this late we cannot find angel wings. Okay, catwoman. Hmmm...don't like how this looks......but I have this costume in my costume trunk.....now she is "your worst enemy". Huh? What is that - whatever as long as you are happy.
Here is "your worst enemy":We went to hannah's friends house - caroline - and picked her up to go trick or treating. Caroline was a devil - and was wearing high heels! High heels to trick or treat - girl you are going to regret this.
Here is a devil (in a red dress) and "your worst enemy"

field trip
Took a field trip yesterday to grandfather mountain. Basically right where we camped a few weeks agol. Beautiful day, nice drive, good kids. It was too fast on the mountain but the kids enjoyed it. I asked them today while carpooling - what was your favorite part of the trip? Riding the buses. Okay. Next trip lets just put the kids on the charter buses, drive them around for 2+ hours and call it good.

and to the vet
we came home from the field trip yesterday and went to H's room to open up some windows. Pepper was stretched out in his cage. Hi Pepper! Pepper? Uh Oh. His back legs were sticking straight out, front legs all curled up, eyes open and no movement. I shook the cage. Pepper? Nothing. I think his is dead. Rattle it again. Nothing.
So I go tell Hannah. Honey, i just went upstairs and pepper is dead. tears. crying. sobbing. I want to see him. So I take her upstairs and Pepper is in the corner of his cage kinds frantically pawing at his woodchips.
Pepper is alive! Wha???? I could have sworn he was a goner.
Hannah picks him up and in a few minutes is screaming - mom, something is wrong with pepper.
It seems Pepper cannot move his back legs. We put him in the cage, he is pulling himself around with his front legs, back legs dangling. I call the vet, bring him in and we will put him down. Sounds like he is at the end of his life span.
I talk to Hannah and yes, she want to put him out of his misery. He is alert but if he cannot move around....
We get the the vets. Pepper can now stand and walk. Barely, but he can walk. Real slow and cumbersome but...... so the vet thinks he had a blood clot or a stroke and is recovering. She gives me an anti-inflamnatory steroid to give him orally once a day. And how am I supposed to to that? And sends him home. Tells us not to give up on him yet.
Last night he ate his zucchini and made it up the ladder to his condo. I guess he might make it after all.
But it was a close one.

audited...

So our tax audit is done.
Ends up it was the NC Dept of Revenue but they were only looking for unpaid sales tax.
Excuse me - we do not collect sales tax.
They were looking for items bought out of state that we did not pay tax on.
So, 5 years of invoices and found maybe - and I mean maybe - $2-3000 of goods bought without tax being paid - mainly tools purchased over the internet.
Hello - you spent a day here to collect $135????
But at least it is finished.
Now I have 7 boxes to haul back into the attic.
Should be Chris' job - Right?

Raining here tonight.
We may not go camping if it keeps up.
Instead, H and I will do her back to school shopping for cooler weather clothes.
And see a movie.
Chris of course, will work on his projects here at the house.
Or maybe we will end up camping.
We will see....

Adventures in Camping....part 2

In an effort to get some camping in before the cool weather hits, we wanted to go out this past weekend for a Friday and Saturday night camping trip. On Friday am it was raining so we had to decide - go or stay?

We decided to go, packed up the trailer -which was pretty easy since most everything is already there, hitched the truck and waited for hannah to get home from school. We were on the road by 4pm and heading to Julian Price Park, a National Park right on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

On the way up the mountain, just as we hit 2 lane mountain roads, the skies opened up and it started to pour. Sheets of rain. Uh-oh, did we make a mistake?

But we drove thru the rain and came out on the ridge top to clear skies, clouds clustered in valleys and GORGEOUS fall colors. Really, they were probably as pretty as I have seen them in years.

We got to camp and set up. We did learn that we need to make faster decisions on what site, where to park etc... because it was dark quickly and there was still things to do. like make beds and cook dinner and get water

The next day we enjoyed cool, almost chilly weather, with a strong breeze. We walked the park, scoping out future sites and went down to the lake to check it out. Here is our camp:



Then we drove up the parkway to see the colors. The parkway was mobbed - at every overlook and bridge there were lines of cars on the side of the road. We went on down - our goal was a 30 minute hike to overlook grandfather mtn. When we got there, the parking lot was only half full. I guess the spots you pull over at are popular but if you have to get out and walk then no one does it.

The hike was nice and the views spectacular. The rock was called flat top and the winds and water did fun things to it.

From there we drove back down the parkway to Moses Cone Park. Here there is an old house with a craft center and 25 miles of old carriage roads for hiking and horseback riding. We would like to return and hike to the tower at some point.

The next day, Sunday, we packed up but before we left, we went back to the lake so Hannah could do a little fishing. Sunday was so nice, warmer and much less wind.

All in all, a short but very nice trip. And I am glad we did not miss all the fall colors!

and the IRS comes a callin...

We are heading out camping tomorrow for the weekend. We do not know where yet - but somewhere within a 2hr. drive since H doesn't get home from school till 3:45pm.

There is a burning ban statewide so I want to go somewhere with electric hookups - that way I am not sitting around in the dark at 7pm twiddling my thumbs. Chris however, wants to stay in a National Park - no hookups. Hopefully we will decide before we pull out tomorrow afternoon.

We are supposed to be getting rain today. So far, not a drop. It is 85 and the sun is shining. NEED the rain.

When I return from camping, I will off the blog for the week. We are being audited by the NC Dept of Revenue for 2002-2007 (FCI is, not us personal) and I shall be busy organizing my files and tax returns. Lets hope this is not too lengthly of a process.

Then I will start drinking. :)

clean shoes...

Yesterday, I decided to wash shoes.

On Sunday, Hannah and I went to a corn maze with Middle School Youth at church. 2+ hours being lost in corn and dirt - not my idea of fun. It just went against my type A personality to enjoy being lost. Anyhow....came home with filthy shoes.

So I pulled out my running shoes, slip on sneakers and the ones I wore Sunday that I keep my orthodics in. Washed 3 pairs and put them out to dry. 6 sneakers and 6 inserts all lined up in a row against the garage.

Hannah came home from school - "mom, why are all your shoes lined up like that?"

I explained to her why/what I'd done as I was admiring my spanking clean shoes and thinking how cute they looked all lined up and sparkling white.

"Geez, I hope they do not end up on your blog". {add sarcastic tone here}

lions and tigers and bears....oh my!

Actually it is lions, bears, kitties, puppies, pigs and one sorry looking bunny.
But they are done and ready for the craft sale.
And they are stinkin' cute!

Adventures in Camping Part 1 ....

or maybe this should be titled "better safe than sorry".

Our first camping trip with the new trailer. We picked Hannah up from school just a little early so we could get on the road. Since it was our first trip we wanted to make sure to get set up before dark. We hit the road at 3:30pm Friday - heading for Lake Powhatan - a National Forset campground right outside of Asheville. We would be dry camping in the National Forest and stay for 2 nights. We figured 2.5 hrs to get there. Plenty of time and better safe than sorry, right?

About a half hour out, just before we get on the interstate, Chris pulls over for a safety check. Hmmm.... the wheels feel kinda hot on one side. Maybe the wheel bearings need grease? This was the one thing not checked at the dealer when we bought it....... Now what. It was the one thing he did not check.

We keep on driving. I get on the phone and start calling the dealer.....they had given us an 800# to call if any problems or questions arose. It is Friday afternoon around 4pm. I keep getting voice mail. Do we head on up and go to the dealer? Turn around and go home? We decide we can make it to the dealer - it is about the same distance there as home. If needed, we will just leave the trailer there, get a hotel and head home in the am.

I finally reach a manager at the dealership. Sure, he says. Come on in - as long as it is before 5:30pm when we close. We can look at it but not work on it that late. But you can stay here if there is a problem and we can work on it in the morning. So we keep going. Get to the dealer at 5:10pm. The manager is waiting for us with a service tech. Hmmmmm - yep, they are kinda hot. Manager thinks it is the brakes. Service tech thinks - better safe than sorry. We had better look at it in the morning.

So they tell us to go find a spot in the campground for the night, hook up to the electric and water and sewer. Chris says, maybe we should head home. No, they say. Stay here for free. Relax tonight and be back at 8am when we open and we will pull the wheels off. If nothing is wrong, you will at least know the bearings are greased. If there is a problem we will fix it. Better safe than sorry, right?

So we pull over to a giant field with rows of electric hookups. Find one off by ourselves. Cool, it is level so we do not even disconnect the truck. Pull out the beds, start the grill, have dinner and a glass of wine, play some trivia pursuit and off to bed.
The next am, we unhook, fold in the beds and are back across the street at 7:45 where there is a mechanic waiting for us and he takes the truck off to the service bays. We go in and have breakfast and watch tv and hang. After a few hous, Chris wanders off to talk to the technician.

Yup, he says - you probably would not have made it thru the weekend. The brakes were adjusted wrong, the grease was liquidfied and that was causing it to get hot. We need to adjust the brakes and re-grease the wheels. Better safe than sorry was EXACTLY THE RIGHT THING TO DO.

By noon we are back on the road, by 1pm we are at Lake Powhatan and now part 2 of the trip begins. We level up (this time not so flat), pull out the beds and get ready again. Hannah decides to learn how to whittle. We ride bikes to the lake (not very big). This time, no electric or water hookups so we test out the battery, cook out on the campstove.


So we had practice taking up and down, driving, hooking up, and generally using the camper. We learned a few things and found out that the camper should work pretty well for us. We are ready to head out again 2 and 3 weekends out.

BTW - it was 80 degrees during the day so it was warm mountain camping. We are hoping for some cooler weather next time.

this makes me happy

off of my to-do list...my summer duvet cover ... now that it is fall...
Happy = off my to do list




a bunch of baby hand puppets waiting to be sold....10 down, 20 to go.
Happy = well started on this project and aren't they cute??



and finally...my ironing table....extra large ironing area for ironing my curtins....which are still in process ......and ain't it cool - 30" x 60" (1/2" gatorfoam with 2 layers of cotton batting then a layer of "ironing board" reflective material, stapled on the back then a layer of non-skid schtuff! So cool!
Happy = concept ---->reality = cool

couple more...

camper photos...

We are pretty happy with it. Hannah had a sleepover in it last night - says it works just great! Went out at 8:30 to watch a movie, they played college dorm room all night, went to bed at 10pm and got up at 6am. I think this is her new playroom. Not.

Pictures....
In the backyard with both beds popped out. The entry door is at the rear and the awning covers about the entire side (not pulled out, too many trees). Trailer length with beds in is about 21'.

From the rear looking to the front queen bed. The couch on the left is a slide out, the dinette on the right folds to a bed if needed.

From the dinette looking to the back bed. On the right is fridge then wardrobe then bathroom. You can see the back queen bed at the very end. On the left is the kitchen with drawers, sink, microwave and oven. One of the reasons we choose this camper was for the long counter space.

A long view from the door, the back bed is behind me.

procratinating...

Today is cleaning day. So I am procrastinating.

We got the camper yesterday. Got to the lot at 10:00am. Did a walkthru/orientation till 12:30. Made a list of needs/want to be fixed on it. Paid for it, went to lunch, hung out. They finished at 4pm.

Hannah gets home from school at 3:45. She was warned that we MIGHT NOT be home when she got there and boy was she excited. Her first time ever coming home from school and being on her own. So I was not whacked out that it was 4pm and we were still on the camper lot. Just slightly out of whack - LOL.

Came home and it took hours to level out the camper in our backyard - that gently sloping giant hill/mountain that we live on.

Finally finished up at 7pm!

But the camper looks good. We had them repair the couch, oven was not working, couple of stops for the beds were stripped, a light was out, some edging was loose, some velcro was loose, the outside hose bib was replaced, the hitch needed a ball caps, the stabilizers needed feet, etc...

A lot of little stuff for a used camper and they fixed it all. No questions. Pictures to follow - but right now I have to go and clean my house.

Hmpf.

fall + projects

I believe it is officially fall here in NC. We have been having hot, dry mid 90's weather for weeks now. Then on Friday we had rain. And on Saturday it was fall.
We are mid-70's this week - a good 20 degrees less than before. And that feeling is in the air. The feel of FALL!

And fall brings me to my fall project list.
First - my comforter. That is the new summer duvet cover I bought. The one i had to have and could only find on ebay. The one that came and did not look like I thought it would. After careful consideration, I have decided to keep it. I need to alter it a little to fit my existing comforter but it won't take much and a good ironing. So, first up - get my summer comforter on the bed. Just in time for fall.

Second - we are picking up the camper tomorrow. That will be a fall project all on its own. Bedding, arranging, cleaning, camping, etc... Lots to do.

Third - window treatments for the breakfast area. My walls are looking bare and it is starting to bother me. So I have finally found some material I like, talked with a friend that makes treatments for a living and got some advice - and I am ready to roll. Just have to make my pattern so i have all the measurements. Cutting is always the hard part for me.

Fourth - hand puppets. For the church craft sale. I have not made anything to sell for the past few years. And Julie showed me these fleece hand puppets for babies that were so cute. Heck, I can do that. So I am making hand puppets. Julie gave me the patterns and some fleece and I am ready to go. But somehow mine are not looking quite as good as hers....but Chris says they just look handmade and not to worry. Hmmmmmm.....maybe they will get better as I go along.

So- off to my projects and I will post camper pictures when it is set up in the backyard!!

minor news....

We had an entire day of light rain yesterday - the first day of rain in I do not know how long. Everything looks a little perkier today. The grass said "Aaaahhhh".
But the lake is up 1/10th of a foot - still down by 6.1 feet. We will be needing us a few tropical storms to get it going again.

We did not pick up the camper on Friday - Chris had to cancel. So we are shooting for Wed of next week. So my weekend is now free. Maybe I should work on sewing some breakfast room curtins....

Hannah wrote an article to try out for the school newspaper. Unfortunately she waited till the very last minute.....due on Friday and and she sat down at 8pm Thurs. She typed it all up then hit something wrong and it crashed. Tears and more tears. Up early Friday to type it again but it was a real rush job and it was not her best work. So we will see if she makes it. Hopefully she will remember and if somethign is important, not wait till the last minute. We'll see.

Kids consignment sale last night and today. I bought every pair of 12 slim jeans there. 11 pairs. And 5 fit well, 2 were a little short and 4 she just cannot use. So 7 pairs for about $50. Not bad.

And now I do not have to take her jean shopping in the fall - I hate jean shopping. I do back to school shopping when it cools down. Right now she is wearing jean shorts from old jeans that we cut off and cuffed. So we will shop for shirts and shoes - that is grueling enough.

And next week, they are calling for temperatures in the 70's! Whoa, fall is almost here. I would like to say goodbye to the 90's for awhile....

no more boating....so lets go camping

The lake levels have been really dropping here and the lake is getting low. We are dropping about 1/10th of a foot per day and are currently down 6.1 feet from full pond. This means, as of Saturday, we can no longer get our boat off the lift. And unless we get some major rain, it will be staying that way for a while. Unfortunately, fall is our favorite time to get out on the lake - little traffic, fall colors, cooler weather.

Here is our dock on Sunday:To keep us busy this fall, we have gone out and bought a camper. It is a 2004 23ft. hybrid travel trailer - this means a hard sided camper with a bed on each end that folds out. This way, instead of 1 bed plus a couch and dinette that turn into beds, we will have 2 queen beds plus the couch and dinette. It also has a slide out couch, bathroom and nice kitchen area. It is currently in clean up, fixup, repair it mode at the dealer and we will pick it up on Friday am. The plan is to park it in the backyard for sanitizing and cleaning then head out on free weekends thru October. Then we will park it at a storage yard till spring. Next summer - watch out folks - here we come! I will post pictures when we get it here - the ones from the dealer are ucky.

And tonight - open house at hannah's middle school. We will finally be able to go in and see the brand new school!

it's always in the dark of the night...

Last night:

10:41 pm - beep

10:52 pm - beep

{kick kick} 'did you hear that"

whaaa?

the smoke alarms are beeping every 11 minutes

and you woke me for that?

10:54 pm - beep Okay, I heard that...
10:56 pm - beep
10:58 pm - beep
10:59 pm - new battery installed

Disaster averted.

with a lawn mower....

Q: What is the worst thing you can see on the road today?

A: That would be a builder with a lawn mower in the back of his truck.
that means it is a finished house that has not sold - get it??

So, we just got a contract on 1 of our houses. 1 down, 2 to go.

And Chris went off this am to mow the lawn at one of them.

Poor guy....

89...well at least it ain't 90!

Yesterday marked our first day in 27 days that the temperature stayed under 90. Yes that was 27 consecutive days over 90. And alot of them were right at 100.
Hopefully with school started it will stay a bit cooler.

the end of day one ...

calling out as she gets off the bus......I loooove middle school


My pack is heavy - are we done yet??

6th grade...

Sixth grade...middle school....11 years old...
All sorts of changes.
Brand new school.
Changing classes.
School starts early - have to leave at 7am!
Riding the bus home in the afternoon.
2 AIG classes every day.
Lockers! (This is what we are most excited about)

and from about 3 hours ago....
Yes this is not the best but my only full body shot:

Ain't she cute!

two cuts and some blonde...

Hannah and I went in yesterday to get my hair cut and highlighted and Hannah a back to school hairdo.
HollyHairdo (our hairstylist for the past few years) wanted to start with me and the color.
What do you want to do today? she asks.
Whatever you want I rely.
Holly laughs - I would make you blonde.
Blonde??
Yes, blonde highlights instead of red.
Hannah starts shouting - go for it Mom!
Okay, lets go blonde I tell her.
WooHoo, I am getting brave! And pretty scared. I have never been blonde. I've thought of myself as a redhead for years but the red has really faded so for the past year i have had red highlights added.

Now it is Hannah's turn (while my color is setting) and she shows Holly some pictures. Hannah wants to take off some of the length - maybe 4-5 inches and add some long bangs and make it fun. So HollyHairdo gives her the "weedeater". Kinda choppy, layered ends, just past the collar bone, real choppy long bangs. Looks real cute but I wish she had gone a little shorter. Maybe next time.

Pictures to follow - we will be shooting on the first day of school. Hannah, not me.

BTW - I am not that blonde. I look sun bleached maybe. Holly backed off a little when she could tell I was starting to freak a little about being too blonde. It's ok but I think next trip I might go back to the red.

the beach...part 3....a full house

On Thursday am, Ashley's mom, dad, sis and a friend (Sara) came down to stay with us for the last couple of day. We had hoped they'd come for longer but work got in the way. Anyway, they arrived early thurs. am so we could spend the day on the beach. (Well kinda early since they got lost enroute.)

It was a breezier day than we'd had so far and the water was pretty rough. The girls boogie boarded, the adults played bocce ball and we all enjoyed the beach. That evening Tony and Susaan took us all to dinner - a table for eight please! We really enjoyed having the full house.



here are the four girls:

Friday's beach weather was not so great. The breeze turned into a pretty forceful wind and the water was even rougher. It was hard for the girls to go out at all, the waves were crashing hard and the current pulled you down the beach fast. Hannah had woken up not feeling well and even went up to the house to take a nap. Yikes - she must be sick! We all gave up on the beach early, showered and went souvenior shopping. Tony picked up pizza and Thai - so we ate in, packed up, and Hannah and Ashley watched High School Musical 2 - we COULD NOT miss that. Well, 2 eleven year old girls COULD NOT MISS IT.

This shot of Ashley is from Friday - the haze is from the water/mist/salt in the air. Almost looks spooky.

Here is a group shot - notice the wind is howling still. The camera almost blew off the table I'd set up for some height:


Sadly, Saturday we had to go home - and the weather was GORGEOUS. It was by far the nicest morning we had seen. The sky was crystal clear, the waves were gentle, the day was perfect for the beach. But no....we had to go. So we packed it up and before we headed out Ashley took some family shots for us (think Christmas card here).

All in all, a nice week at the beach. We loved having Ashley with us (she is a good kid!) and really enjoyed having 2 families there for a while. Mayb again next year....whattyathink Suze??