Prom...

Was this past Saturday.  #1 is 18 and told me that I can put his image on my blog. So -- here is the boy. I love this picture!

Here are the flowers he got for his date:

Here he is with his date - who does actually have a lovely face...  Her dress is perfect for her personality. She is fun and a bit on the gothic side...  They are good friends who eat lunch together every day.

I worked the After Prom Party - as usual. We arrived at the school at 11:30pm and finished up at about 5:15am.
The kids had a great time.
#1 didn't win anything, but he had fun anyway.
What I found a bit irritating was when we were leaving, a kid backed into me and didn't stop to see if he had done any damage...  Yes, I know... my car needs a bulls eye painted on it.
So - kid with the red car - next time you back into someone, do the responsible thing and get out to see if you did any damage. By leaving, you have made yourself a hit and run driver. (This is not something you want on your resume, I'm sure.) Take responsibility for your actions.  Fortunately for you, my rear door and bumper suffered no damage. I can still open and close said rear door and there is no dent in the bumper. 
#1 and I arrived home shortly after 6:15am.  (He absolutely had to go to McDo for breakfast with his friends -- the ones he'd been with all night...) 
When LLB got up for the day at 7:30, I was still awake.  She asked me if I was going to be at the After Prom party for her next year and the year after.  What kind of crazy question is that? Of course! I wouldn't miss it for the world!
Although, we will be glad when she's a senior because it will mean that our all-nighters will be all done!  We are MUCH too old for that stuff anymore!

The Circus is Back!!

The Greatest Show On Earth just got Greater with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® Presents BARNUM 200^SM.  Featuring 130 performers from six continents, almost 100,000 pounds of performing pachyderms, cowboys, pirates, and mermaids, BARNUM 200 is a super-sized spectacle so massive you just can’t miss it! This monumental, once in a lifetime event celebrates The Biggest Birthday Bash in Circus History that can only be experienced at The Greatest Show On Earth^®, Barnum’s living legacy!

Step right up and see the Flying Caceres attempt to complete the elusive quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze; a feat that hasn’t been mastered in over three decades. Watch the Puyang Troupe from China dazzle with a stunning display of dexterity as they bounce, flip, and twirl to new heights on a two tiered trampoline. Be amazed as you witness the impossible contortions of the body benders who fit three humans in a cube the size of a milk crate. Enjoy the wondrous ability of the Mighty Meetal, the strongest man in the world as he lifts over 1,200 pounds.  And savor the stupendous skills of the hand balancers featuring Duo Fusion, a married pair of performers with a twist; the wife does the heavy lifting. 

And one hour before show time, families can meet the performers, get autographs, and see an amazing elephant that paints at the All Access Pre-show –FREE with a purchased ticket!

Where/When:      

Patriot Center, Fairfax VA, April 14 – 24 
Thursday, April 14 – 7:00 pm
Friday, April 15 – 10:30 am, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 16 – 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 17 – 1:00 pm, 5:00 pm
Tuesday, April 19 – 7:00 pm
Wednesday, April 20 – 7:00 pm
Friday, April 22 – 1:00 pm, 7:30 pm
Saturday, April 23 – 11:30 am, 3:30 pm, 7:30 pm
Sunday, April 24 – 1:00 pm, 5:00 pm

VA Ticket Prices: $15.00/$9.00/$7.00 (Circus Celebrity, Front Row and VIP available)
For additional information about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, please visit www.ringling.com

So - Come out to the circus!! It's a great time and believe it or not, it's cheaper than the movies! 

Got Pipes?

We've got pipes!!!
We've got skimmers!!

It looks more like a pool every day...

Irritating...

You know what I find incredibly irritating?
You get a sale ad from a company and you see something you want to purchase. You click on the ad to take you to the item. Then you get an error message. You click again -- same error message. You try to go to the main page of the site, only to get another error message or a site that hangs...
Now I'm irritated and I don't want the item -- actually I do still want it, but I'm annoyed, so I save my $1.49 and move on...
They lost a sale and I'm not happy. If their site had worked correctly, they would have made a sale -- I probably would have spent more than $1.49 -- and I'd be happily awaiting the arrival of the UPS guy in a couple of days.
Instead, I'm harping about it to you. :-)
Enjoy your day.

Half Days

I love half days of school!
I don't have to make lunches.
I can just get up, hug the children, and shoo them out the door to school.

Later this afternoon #1 has a scholarship interview at VMI - Mr. is taking him... yippee!!!  We're hoping he does well - because the more money he gets in scholarship funds means the less we have to come up with.  His tuition is covered with is ROTC scholarship, but his room and board is not. For those of you not at the college stage yet, let me put this little bee in your bonnet: Room and board costs more than tuition.

LLB has a rehearsal this afternoon, so she'll need to be picked up later. That gives me time to get #1 out the door for the second time today as well as get some things done for my bell ladies. I might even have time to squeeze a swim in today -- even though it's cold out and my fire is on and it's toasty here. 

The pool is still a big old hole in the ground. We thought they'd come and put the re-bar? in this week, but we had some rain and the guys didn't show. sigh... Let's just say that even if our pool were finished today, I'd not be swimming in it -- it's COLD out there!

I've been quite productive this morning. The bed is made and the dishes are done. The kitchen is clean. I washed 3 windows - insides only -- I'll get to the outsides once it warms up next week.  I've dusted the family room. The laundry is going. Zeb has had his morning treat...  I'd like to get the kitchen floor washed, but with all the mud outside, it just doesn't seem worth it...  It will be all mucky kitty and doggy prints in 30 seconds or less...  Maybe I'll just haul the few remaining Christmas decorations up to the attic - they've been piled in a corner for so long that I don't even see them anymore. Yeah -- that's productive and it's a quick job...  

Have a great weekend! Stay warm!

Mini Kitty

Our Mini Kitty isn't so mini anymore but she is still as impish as ever.

She looks innocent enough, but it's all an act. She's simply naughty!
Today it's a raw, cloudy, dank kind of day. She doesn't want to go outside...
What she does want to do is sock hunt.
She finds socks in drawers that are open but a half an inch. She very patiently works them out of the drawers. Once she gets them out, she deposits them in a far more useful place like my kitchen floor or the family room couch.
She found a dirty athletic sock in the laundry basket and has proceeded to deposit that one in the middle of our front stairs. It's far more attractive in that location where everyone can see it.
There are wool socks in the dining room.
There are dress socks in the family room.
There are striped socks in the kitchen and on the upstairs landing.
The list goes on.
I hear her up in LLB's room. She's trying to find a way to get her paw into the top drawer to reach a sock without falling off the dresser. She'll manage. She always does.

Tshirt Printing Review

I was asked to review a screen printed t-shirt from tshirtprinting.net.  I don't have a picture because my camera is on the fritz. If and when I get it working, I'll post a picture...
It is AWESOME!  The shirt is 90% cotton. It is very soft and is a little longer than most t-shirts, which is good for me because I'm a bit long waisted. I can raise my arms you don't see my aged belly because the shirt is long enough!!

The screen print is terrific, too. It doesn't have that "screen print smell" that most screen printed items have. I wore the shirt and didn't have to take it off because it smelled funny. This is GREAT!!
The screen print is very bright and it didn't peel at all. I've washed the shirt and it is as beautiful as when it came out of the envelope!  The screen print is also very "pliable" in that it isn't stiff and moves with the shirt. I am duly impressed!
I wore the shirt on Saturday at a bell conference and got a lot of compliments on it. Most liked the way the shirt looked - it fit great, was long enough, and seemed to be more than "just a t-shirt". I think it may have been the way the shirt was cut. It was more feminine or something. Many loved the "cheeky monkey logo". I think they were monkey fans!  Needless to say, I gave the website address out a lot!!
If you need screen printing, check out tshirtprinting.net.
Oh and don't forget -- they have more than just t-shirts -- they have hoodies, sweatshirts, hats and more!

“This post was written for Family Review Network & TShirtPrinting.net who provided the complimentary product for review in exchange for my honest opinions.”