Today.
Today I am supposed to get my internet up and running.  This will be the last time (hopefully) that I have to blog from our local library.
I am SO. DANG. EXCITED.

Yesterday I ordered from Bountiful Baskets.  I'm pretty stoked about it.  Here's how it works.  Go to the site and look at the orders.  You always have to order at least one basket.  But then you can order extras, too.  In each basket is all kinds of produce.  And then the extras are specialty breads, ethnic packs (this week was italian with eggplant, fresh herbs, zucchini and other yummy stuff), and sometimes they have large boxes of fruit or veggies.  Last time it was green beans and this time it's apples.  Anyway.  I jumped on board with it because our little grocery store doesn't have a very good selection of produce. (Can you believe that when asked if they have eggplant the store clerk asked, "What's that?")  So it will come on Saturday morning and I can hardly wait to eat up my 5 loaves of 9-grain wheat bread, yummy rolls and delicious eggplant.  I don't think eggplant will be in my italian meal, though.  I hear tempura calling my name!

We're enjoying it here so far.  It hasn't snowed yet, but I expect it to any day now.  The air is getting colder and the kids are finding themselves needing coats more frequently.  But it's nice living right next to the park and being able to send the kids out the back door to play on the playground. 

Another bit of news - and I want honest feedback on this - the 4th grade here runs a craft fair every year to help fund their annual Yosemite trip.  I was thinking of selling my hats.  The not-so-nearby VoldeMart sells the most yummy array of Sugar n' Cream Cones.  There's at least 30 colors!!!  I drool everytime I go there.  So I was thinking of maybe buying a bunch of those cones of color and setting up a table at the craft fair to let people pick and choose their colors and patterns of hats (since most of my hats right now fit Grand Duchess and aren't much bigger).  What d'ya think of that?  The table costs $20 but I'm pretty sure all that I sell comes into my own pocket....  It's a debate in my mind...

Well - story hour is about to start and Popeye will be here with the kids in a minute. 
I promise my next post will be more inspiring or interesting - or maybe even spur more drama.  Who knows.

Yesterday I walked into Murdoch's.  I have never been in there before - but have always wanted to.  So I made Popeye and the two littlest ones follow me around while my inner cowgirl started coming out!
I know what I want for Christmas now!  YEEHAW!

Sleep - where art thou?

It's 4:00 in the morning.  Strike that - 4:01.  I can't sleep.  I close on my house tomorrow and need to have everything packed into the truck by tomorrow evening.
Suckish.
Just thought I'd let you know.
I'm really tired.
Oh yeah - and we got our family pics taken! Super job Jenni - like always!  You can go here to see the album!  I can't wait to get my order!

I have the right to Brag

It's the end of the school quarter.  We're moving in a week and lucky me - I got to meet with the teachers before we left.
Princess Monkey Eyes is still allowed to attend kindergarten. She's reading some sight words and sounding others out.  She's average.  Not great, but not to worry about, either.
Optimus Prime will be kidnapped by his teacher on the last day of school next week - she warned me.  He is her stellar student, pulling out straight O's this first quarter.  Okay, he got one S - but that's because it was a group grade and the others pulled him down (or so I've been told). So I'm counting it as an O.
Mr. Fantastic pulled out all the stops with his grades - pulling a nearly B+ up to an A and counting it in with the rest of the A's.  Straight A's Baby!

I'm one of those parents who knows how to reward my children the way they want to be rewarded.  I've finally figured out that money goes a LONG way with the kids.  Promises of ice cream or Mc Donald's is not going to cut it with these kids.  Alright, I'll face it.  They've figured out how to get me to cater to them.  Whatever.  I admit it.  I have to pay my children money to get good grades and be nice to each other (but that's another post entirely). 
So I busted out the wallet and gave each kid fifty cents per A (or O) that they got.  No money for any other letter grade.  Except if they get an F or a U/N, they have to pay ME!  Anyway.  They each got $3.  And they are all SO EXCITED about it.
So, good job kids!  With a new school coming, I hope they continue with the grades they're getting.

Exchange Alert!!!

Yeah, yesterday I posted about Halloween.  Let's just skip Thanksgiving and talk about Christmas, okay?
Just found out that there's an ornament exchange a-happenin'!!!  SOOO fun!
You should get in on it.  Ornaments are precious.  Each one that I hang on my tree has significance. Every year we get one that's symbolic for the family and then individual ones for each of the kids - symbolic of that year for them as well. 
For example: the year Mr. Fantastic lost his hearing we got a pewter "ILY" (that's the hand forming the universal 'I Love You' sign) hanging inside a pewter wreath. Of course they have their "baby's first year" ornaments.  There's the glass baby grand piano symbolizing when I got mine. There's a little cottage for the first year we owned a home...  you get the picture.  And I'm sure you all have similar traditions!
So - get in on this one.  You can hang the ornament on your tree to symbolize the friendships you've made through the blogosphere!!!
Go here and shoot Carrie an email (the address is on her post).  And spread the word!
Merry Christmas!

It's Halloween season.  Our favorite - scratch that - POPEYE'S favorite holiday of the year.  I was just reminded by how gross Halloween can become when I took a swig of my water bottle from yesterday. Evidently it has been sitting here for a day - and multiple little mouths have taken drinks from it.
Eew.
We'll be moving during Halloween and the kids are super disappointed that they won't be dressing up this year. I'm a little relieved because then I don't have to get creative or spend money.
Popeye wishes that we were in a house yesterday so that he could decorate for the spookiest night of the year.
I'm just stoked that I'll be somewhere in time for Christmas decorations to come out!
That was all very sporatic, I think.
Sorry.  Life is sporatic these days and I think I've found a house to move into.  We'll know more by the end of this week. Sweet!
That's about it.  My house is pretty pathetic right now.
yesterday Popeye and I cleaned out/packed the garage the rest of the way - so it's ready to move. Perfect. And we have the elder's quorum lined up to move the piano next Tuesday. And load up the moving truck which isn't a moving truck at all. It's a HUGE BIG RIG!  Our friend owns a trucking company and has agreed to move us for a fee. The fee would be the same as us getting a U-haul but we won't have to pay for gas for the truck. Nice. AND it will fit all our stuff in it - including the Blazer. So I'm relieved for that.
Anyhow. Things are moving along and within 2 weeks we'll be Wyoming-bound!
My camera broke. So I have no pictures.  But the Navy ball is in 1 month & if I lose 15 pounds by then (possible? yeah. Probable? maybe.) I get a new camera.  So it's crunch time - literally. My abs are on fire this morning!
Once I get my new camera I'll post lots and lots of pictures.

Anyway. better go over to the title company to make sure all my ducks are in a row so we can close earlier - hopefully next week.

happy fall, everyone!  It's starting to feel like it!

Popeye won't stop poking me.
Mr. Fantastic wants to tell me things.
Grand Duchess keeps pressing a button on the monitor making the color-scheme thingy pop up. (Dinosaur monitor in use since the monitor on my laptop is busted.)
Boxes everywhere.
Thor is probably trying to figure out how to get the m&m's off the shelf in my bedroom.

yeah - really productive day here.