My kid is the sweetest!

Bailey was excited about today because she was going to go to her class AR store. (AR is a reading points system that the schools here use to help teach kids better reading habits, they not only have a "store" for every 9 weeks there is a pizza party if you reach a set amount and if you reach it all year there is a feild trip, Bailey didn't make the feild trip but Kristen did!yeah Kris!) Bailey ran to me from the bus with her shopping bags and pulled one out for me.
She knew I'd just love this because a) my middle name is Joy and B) my favorite color is green. It is pretty perfect for me huh ;) What a sweetie!

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Coraline was a very strange book. I can't wait to see what Tim Burton did with it in the movie.(I think he produced it, I may be wrong, but even the book has his feel) I would have been scared if I had read this as a kid! I read this after my 11 yaer old said it was a good book. Its very dark!
I am now reading Wicked: the life and times of the wicked witch of the west. By Gregory Maguire.

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If you are a reader, you more than likely have heard of the Book " The Memory Keepers Daughter". Why, I don't know, this was one of the hardest, saddest books I have ever read. It starts of happy enough with a young, very in love couple expecting their first child. As a snow storm moves through their town the baby comes. It turns out that there are twins. One is a boy the other a girl. The baby girl has Downs syndrome, without thinking it over the dad sends the baby girl away. The books gets very sad at this point and turns into a book about a lot of hurt and emptyness. I don't
understand why this book was such a big book in 2008.
The next book is Coraline by Neil Gaiman.

moments from our our May camping trip

We love to camp in fact this weekend marks our third trip since February. We got to the lake around one today and took the boat out. So far we are having a blast and I wanted to share some pictures of our fun first day:

Wow, I look crazy in this picture! Kristen looks cute in her shades though! We were playing while Tim ran into the bait shop!

This is a picture I took from the side of the boat. that is the water, it was so still it looks like the sky.

This picture is of Bailey and Tim as we were crossing the lake.
Kristen thinks she can fly!

In the garden

Another sigh of summer to come, tiny squash!

The signs of summer

Today, when Tim came in from doing the yard he mentioned that he saw some ripe black berries on the vines. Tim, Kristen, Bailey and I have been watching those vines very close. So, I went out to see what was going on. This is our bounty:

One of my Mothers day gifts came today.

Tim ordered me the one of the Hello Kitty and theGraphically Speaking cartridges for my Cricut for Mothers day. Today the GS one came!

So of course I had to play with it, this is the page I did:

Isn't that "you" the coolest? I cut the "be" with it too! I love it, now I can't wait for the Hello Kitty one to get here! Yes, the pictures are of Bailey's ninth birthday. I've very behind, so behind I just got those pictures printed about 2 weeks ago. I have over 700 pictures I need to print going back to right after Bailey's birthday and I think I have another full card in the camera case. I need to get busy!

Cupcakes

I made Choco-Peanut butter cupcakes for Baileys birthday. They are yummy and easy.

One milk chocolate cake mix

1/2 cup peanut butter

Mix cake according to directions. Mix in peanut butter. Bake. Cool.

Frosting:

can of milk chocolate forsting

2 tablespoons peanut butter

mix well and frost.

Being 11 is hard.

This is Bailey's 11th birthday today. We got up and she got ready for school, we checked out the puppies to see if any of them have opened their eyes(she is hoping they open them on her birthday! One has this afternoon!) I sang happy birthday to her, then we went into the kitchen so that I could make coffee. She wanted to get the water so I gave her the pot to fill from the water cooler while I got the filter ready. She had the pot almost full when it slipped from her hand. It hit the tile and shattered into a million pieces. She was fine except for a broken heart. She felt horrible! The tears welled even though I told her it was fine, dad told her it was fine. I even pulled out the old pot from our maker that went out right before Christmas, it was fine! But, it wasn't. I know that feeling well,I hate that feeling, so my kid left for school crying I was crying because her heart was broken and I couldn't fix it. My poor baby. 11 is hard.

65 random questions and my answers

1. First thing you wash in the shower?My hair
2. What color is your favorite hoodie?
Dark Gray
3. Would you kiss the last person you kissed again? of course!
4. Do you plan outfits?sometimes
5. How are you feeling RIGHT now?Relaxed
6. Whats the closest thing to you that's red?a coke bottle
7. Tell me about the last dream you remember having?I was shopping for yarn and dancing with the pretty ones
8. Did you meet anybody new today?Not yet
9. What are you craving right now?supper, it smells good
10. Do you floss?Occasionally - tha'ts the worst answer ever! I need to do it much more!!
11. What comes to mind when I say cabbage?dolls
12. Are you emotional?Totally!!
13. Have you ever counted to 1,000?Oh yeah.
14. Do you bite into your ice cream or just lick it?both
15. Do you like your hair?does anyone?
16.Do you like yourself?Yes
17. Would you go out to eat with George W. Bush?can't say that I think it would be fun or even enlighting
18. What are you listening to right now?Cast-on
19. Were your parents strict?Yes
20. Would you go sky diving?nope
21. Do you like cottage cheese?Yes, we are having some tonight!
22. Have you ever met a celebrity?
Yep! One of the Van Halen bothers.
23. Do you rent movies often?Yep
24. Is there anything sparkly in the room you're in?the glass table top
25. How many countries have you visited?Sadly, just the good ole USA
26. Have you made a prank phone call?Who hasn't?? We even help Bailey and Kristen prank call my dad!
27. Ever been on a train?Not to go anywhere, lol
28. Brown or white eggs?brown
29.Do you have a cell-phone?yes, do I know where its at, nope
30. Do you use chapstick?not chapstick brand Burts Bees or Tropic sun with sunscreen
31. Do you own a gun?yes, a 410/22
32. Can you use chop sticks?yes
33. Who are you going to be with tonight?my family
34. Are you too forgiving?I don't think I'm forgiving enough, working on it.
35. Ever been in love?Yes :-)
36. What is your best friend(s) doing tomorrow?No telling what Tim will be up to.
37. Ever have cream puffs?Yum!
38. Last time you cried?not a normal thing for me lately but today Kelley made me cry...
39. What was the last question you asked?Kristen did you see this?(about a team edward scrapbook page on a scrapping forum)
40. Favorite time of the year?Fall
41. Do you have any tattoos?Nope
42. Are you sarcastic??Noooo....
43. Have you ever seen The Butterfly Effect?with Ashton Kutcher, yup, but I don't think I've seen 2 and now there is a 3!
44. Ever walked into a wall?more times than anyone ever should
45. Favorite color?green and pink
46. Have you ever slapped someone?I don't think so
47. Is your hair curly?sadly, yes
48. What was the last CD you bought?I think My Chemical Romance-like two years ago
49. Do looks matter?it depends
50. Could you ever forgive a cheater?I don't think so.
51. Is your phone bill sky high?I have NO idea, Tim pays it.
52. Do you like your life right nowI love it, though I wish Kelley would grow out of her thing
53. Do you sleep with the TV on?sometimes
54. Can you handle the truth?You have to!
55. Do you have good vision?Ha! No!
56. Do you hate or dislike more than 3 people?I don't hate anyone, in reality but there are quite a few people that I'm not big fans of
57. How often do you talk on the phone?no
58. The last person you held hands with? Bailey....can't remember!
59. What are you wearing?yoga pants and one of Tims tee shirts
60.What is your favorite animal?aligator
61. Where was your profile picture taken?Lake Bob Sandlin
62. Can you hula hoop?nope
63. Do you have a job?I own my own business
64. What was the most recent thing you bought?coffee creamer
65. Have you ever crawled through a window?yes.

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I finished "My Life at Rose Red" ,it wasn't great, it wasn't the worst. I would never suggest it to anyone. It tells the story of Ellen Rimbauer before the professor brings her staff to study the hauntings.
Moving on, I am going to start The Memory Keepers Daughter today.

new puppies and 40 clove garlic chicken

Last Saturday night our girl Rubi delivered 4 beautiful puppies. 2 girls, 2 boys. Today we had to take them to the vet to have their tails docked so that they can be papered, and sold when they are older. Here are some before pictures I took this morning.

I knew I would be at the vet this afternoon so I wanted something in the crockpot before I left,plus crockpot cooking is fun! So I made 40 clove garlic chicken. It smelled so good I almost forgot about the upset stomach I had for choppong of puppy tails, almost. But, they seem ok this evening. To go with the chicken I made garlic mashed patatoes and green beans. Everyone loves this meal. Kristen really loved the mashed patatoes,see: