School's Out For Summer!

[Last day of 2nd Grade - May, 2010]


Yes, school is out and little Miss Maddy successfully passed 2nd grade and on to 3rd grade in the fall! Wow -- that seems unreal -- 3rd grade, really?


[Holding up 3 fingers for 3rd grade!]

Second grade was a very big deal with so much to learn, so many skills to improve upon and master!

I admit it, at the beginning of the year, I was a little nervous about 2nd grade! So many prayers to learn, 38 Catechism Q&A's to memorize, the parts of the Mass, the Sacraments, all the preparation for First Confession and First Communion - plus the regular reading, writing, social studies, science, math, art, etc.! It was a little daunting for her (and me too)!

But she persevered and made it through handling it all with grace under pressure.
Good job Maddy -- we're so proud of you!


[First Day of 2nd Grade -- August, 2009]

Wedding Wednesday - Nice Ride!

Whoa . . . only at Disney*!!

Puppies!

The Scottie puppies have been born!!

Our very own little Muffy will be ready to come home around the first or second weekend in July!

This is a photo of some other Scottie puppies from the breeder -- not Muffy or her siblings. When I showed Maddy the photo, her first question was . . . but, will Muffy's ears stand up???? You know -- pointy, standing up ears was a requirement of hers as it is a well-known fact that dogs with pointy ears listen better! Good to know!

Now is the time to prepare the house, the yard and my mind for a new little one around the house -- ready or not! :)

A Shopping We Did Go!

Look at her --

she was in heaven for a few minutes there --

surrounded by hundreds of Mickeys!

I almost hesitate to mention this, but I'm afraid Miss Maddy is a bit of a shopper!

One of her absolutely favorite things to do at Disney is . . . shop!!!

Oh yes, she liked some rides, saw some characters, swam in the pool, and munched on some chicken nuggets and fries, but her most favorite thing -- going into so many stores filled with stuffed animals of every kind and size!!!!!

And shopping for her is not some quick in and out of the store.

No, she needs to examine the goods -- in this store, she pawed around and pulled out a Mickey here or there to make sure it didn't have any flaws or holes.

The expression on the face of a salesclerk who came over to re-position and reorganize the Mickey shelves was priceless! The girl looked absolutely horrified that someone would mess with the Mickeys!!

Our first evening there (the day that started at 4 AM and ended around 11 PM!!!),

she was determined to find a "Bolt" dog -- from the movie, you know.

Lucky for me, we found one quickly.

You would think that would be the end of the search, wouldn't you?

No, we still had to check other stores just in case they might have a different, maybe smaller, maybe bigger, cuter Bolt! Alas, there were none to be found.

Bolt did get to join us on the teacup ride -- we love that ride!

What A Character!!

Of course, you cannot visit Disney*World without seeing some characters!

No, I'm not talking about the many tattooed people out there -- though, really, what is up with that!?!? Not that there is anything wrong with tattoos -- no offense meant -- just not my cup of tea.

I'm talking about the other characters there, like Mickey, Minnie, Chip and Dale, Thumper, the army guys, Mary Poppins and so on and on and on! If the line wasn't too long, we'd jump in it for a photo and autograph!

Goofy -- he is just so . . . goofy!!



Mr. Tennis even joined in the merriment!!!!! :)

Is Big Hair In Again?

Just wondering about "big hair" because we went to Florida for a few days and my hair got really big! No kidding --it probably weighed 10 pounds! Oh my word -- hot, humid Florida!!

My hair has a tendency to absorb water and humidity like a big giant sponge!

So, I went for a run each morning (yay me, right!) at 7 am while the humidity and dew was very heavy. By the time I got back to the room to a sleeping Mr. Tennis and Little Princess, the big giant sponge had exploded into a giant frizz-bomb! Holy cats -- it even scared me!!

No way was my flat-iron up to the task of straightening and de-frizzing that mess! After a day or two of fighting the big hair, I decided to forget about it and just put a hat on! That helped somewhat, but then I had the problem of "hat head." OY!!! Will my hair woes never end??

(Patiently waiting at the airport for our next flight.

Yes, that big Mickey tagged along!)

Anyhoo, day one of our travels. Look how bright-eyed the Little Miss looks -- she and Mickey were ready! Ok, I admit it, I made our airline reservations a tad bit on the early side, resulting in me getting up at 4 am to get ready. I let Mr. Tennis and Maddy sleep until 4:45 and then we headed out of town to catch our flights. We finally got to the hotel by 3 pm. Can you guess what we did then? Nap, rest, eat? No sirree!!

Maddy and I hit the deck running and went to two different parks, spied some characters (Chip and Dale), went on some rides, shopped, snacked and returned to the hotel around 8:30 pm. I collapsed in a heap while Miss Maddy plotted the next day's adventures!

Dumpster Diving or Trash to Treasure?

No, I really didn't dive into a dumpster!

Silly -- that would mess up my already-frizzy hair, wouldn't it!?

On the way home from a run [What? You didn't know I've taken up running?? More walking than running really, but it still counts!], I saw this great window with lovely leaded glass, some broken, of course, and the frame is kind of wonky, but it just called out to me.

Since it was in the trash lane, I figured it needed a new home, and if I didn't nab it, someone else would. Mr. Tennis was only slightly surprised to see me carting home this big honking broken-up window, but even he appreciated its beauty!

Now, I'm not sure what to do with it . . . well, except to fix the glass, re-caulk it, sturdy up the frame a bit somehow and paint it. Please feel free to offer any and all advice. After it magically becomes a treasure, it may take up residence on our screened-in porch. Stay tuned!

What do you think? Trash? Or Treasure?

The Many Faces of M!

Oh, that little girl of mine!

She has many faces --

some funny,

some sweet,

some thoughtful!

I know them and love them all!

Hats R Us!

[Philip with his baby girl Jane]

We love hats!

Maddy loves to wear a hat sometimes. Mr. Tennis loves them and wears a cute (?) cap with a little light in the bill for working outside in the yard. You know, if it gets dark before he finishes that yard work, he turns on the light -- now that is a look you don't want to miss!! I love hats in the summer to protect/hide my curly/frizzy/problem hair!

And now Baby Janie loves them too!

After Janie was born, I ordered these hand-crocheted hats from an etsy gal that I found on-line. Really, they are so beautiful, made me want to take up knitting or crocheting!

They are perfect for spring-time weather when it is a little chilly on walks through the neighborhood or even just sitting around the house!

Look at that cute little belly and those big eyes! Looks like she is thinking "Did I really drink that whole BIG bottle?"

I may be a tad biased, but isn't she one of the most beautiful babies ever!! :)

Wordless Wednesday!!

The May Day Report

What a fun and busy day!

May Day turned out to be a lovely warm and sunny day – just the way the first day of May should be!

Maddy and I took an easier route this year and ordered pre-packaged bags of popcorn with pastel caramel corn thrown in for good measure. Lucky for me (or not), we have a few leftovers - yum!!! :) Maddy also received some May Day baskets – there are some seriously creative crafty Mums out there!

Anyhoo, Maddy and I quickly ran around to our neighbors and dropped off her May Day offerings. One little boy almost caught her, but she managed to get away without being tagged by him! I doubt that he knew he was supposed to give her a kiss – good thing – as she would not have appreciated that either! It was a very fun day!

May Day was also our neighborhood garage sale. Unfortunately, I forgot about that and didn’t get anything ready. Next year, my neighbor and I are determined to put our treasures out and get rid of some junk! But really, some people seem to have forgotten that garage sale prices are supposed to be low – isn’t that the idea? Oh well, after the sale the next day, I spied some good stuff left out for the trash man . . . or passers-by (like moi) – more on that later!