where have you been... again!

well, time sure has flown by... since the last time we talked (ok blogged) i have celebrated one more year alive, had a huge garage sale that left my feet aching and toes swolen to look like pickles (that's what the kids say when they draw fat toes on their creatures) and finally planted the garden! YAY...

so, now i need to get going on some pictures i took for some friends. i'm waiting for the adobe photoshop cs3 that i purchased online before i finish editting. i can't wait to play with the many actions i will probably buy online as soon as i get this program in my hands... i probably overkill with my selections, but hey,that's just who i am. i love to shop! and btw, did i tell ya about the mother's day gift cav made for me? well it's one of those... um what's the word for it... "acrostic" that's it! i knew i'd remember sooner or later... anyways. they made up one of those. for those of you who aren't familiar with this term, it just means that you take the beginning letter of each phrase or line and they in turn make a word. so, they did their mom's names. letter "s". cav correctly fills in "she likes shoppping"! it's not that i like to shop. i need to shop. it's just me. it's what makes me. but he was absolutely correct and i'm so blessed to have a boy that pays attention. someday his wife will thank me.

k, so now i'm rambling and i really should be down at least pumping some iron before my first client arrives. it's tough getting back into the swing of things. but i am... slowly...

oh i dream...

introducing the canon 60 mm macro lens. oh, how i dream of this lens. every time i see a new bloom i think of how incredible of a photo i could take if only i had the macro lens. oh, please... someone hear my pleas. it's so beautiful and i would give it a good home. i would polish it and promise to use my lens cover before i set it down. i would cherish and promise to love it till death do us part. sigh............... oh my macro lens.

the poor boy...

"Mom, do we need to go to WalMart today?" I've heard that every morning lately. well, really it's my own fault. the boy is addicted. not to say he's addicted to the one stop shopping spot, no. no, it's more like the contents. well, one in particulare. every boy's achille's tendon. ok. just some.
uncle derry got the kids started on hockey cards this winter. you know, he may not give big expensive gifts, but what he does come up with is usually something that seems like it lasts a lifetime. a couple years before, flashlights. yep, got the kids flashlights! and next thing i knew it was little ones, big ones, foldable ones... you got it.
so now this year it was hockey cards. and finally my son asked if he could spend some of his wallet money on more cards. how was i to deny him? so, sitting behind the wheel of the pathfinder the other day, i gave in. i really didn't think we'd find any at this time of year. first stop, wally world! and wouldn't you know it- tins of cards. and not just any cards- upperdeck! now, from my time these are quite the collector cards. good quality, glossy, love the stats! so. the collection has officially started.
the other confession: i snuck down to the storage room and dug up the cardboard box that has moved with me several times.... it is MY collection of trader cards. and not hockey. oh no!!!!!! basketball, football, and baseball. the good old days of magic johnson, larry bird, joe montana, and jose canseco. i can not believe how many cards i have! and apparently neither could my husband and kids! LOL
so, apparently the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.... and so now, my poor son just waits to hear the words, "we gotta stop at walmart".

officially started...

yep, the mowers are officially going again this year. my dear, sweat husband gave them both an oil change for my mother's day gift and this past weekend i got two spanking new batteries so that they both will fire up at my whimsy! like i get the urge to mow as i pull my sorry ass out of bed! LOL whatever... good thing i got me some more kicking tunes for my ipod- that's all i can say. oh... the power of green. yay.........

that's my girl!

ok, i have no idea how her mother has held up so well, but i have emotions flooding through me as i have watched this little girl go through her ceremonies this weekend! my my, all grown up and so much more to live... and it looks like she could be doing it with handsome young lad at her side. i think he may be a keeper... oh to remember back when... my best wishes go out for her and all she chooses in life.

it's here!

wii is in da house baby! yeppers! the kolody klan is wii'd! woo hoo! rock on alvin, simon and theodore! (hey, what can i say- rockband hasn't been released yet) we are rumblin' now!

where have i been...

i'll tell ya where i've been! soooo... big brother decides for little sister's birthday, that he would like to get her a hamster. which also means, mom can i have a hamster too? now, being the animal lover that i am, a sucker for pretty much anything that is soft and furry, i said yes. well, daddy did too! this week i purchased the bloody little critters and all the "stuff" that goes with them. now, you must also understand that when i have an animal, i like to provide them with everything they could possibly need to make their simple lives better. that's just me. they can't work for an honest living, they can't go to the local walmart and pick up whatever they'd like to make their humble abode feel more like home to them... you get my drift.

it is now day 4 of having Peanut (Kyana's) and Chomper (Cavan's) as additions to our home. we are now on cages 4 and 5! yes, they have purchased and returned their homes that many times! i'm a bloody real estate agent for these two fine young ladies! with no commission! unless you count the endless giggles so far while we sit and watch them scitter around and dig and run like marathoners (is that a word?) on their wheels.

back to the story...hamsters should not have multi level condos! the bottoms are so crammed full of their stuff and then they go up the tubes to the next level, but sure as hell won't use that same tube to get their asses down. no, with their lack of depth perception and very wee minds, they jump! and as they jump they bonk into every other damn piece of "furniture" that they have arranged at the bottom. poor things. i couldn't take it any longer. i finally decided NOT to listen to any pet store consultant. i purchased 2 big ass cages- our hamsters do not live in condos , they live in mansions. and for future investors... bigger is better in this case. and when you buy more than one, for that price, the seller is dying to give you a good deal! and she did. thanks jen!

and as we walked out the door, she was thinking..."man those are the luckiest freaking hamsters in all this world!"

YES THEY ARE!

*btw... kyana gave her big brother a huge hug for this prebirthday surprise. and my kids did pay for most of this outrageous investment.*

an amazing kid- i mean young lady!

today is a day of reflection... bear with me. so, today i chose to use my blog as a tribute to the gal in my life that's on the verge to becoming a young woman. oh my... that's sounds so weird to say. in actuality this is our baby. well, not my baby, but well, she's as old as todd and i have been together. i remember picking my aunt up from the hospital. i was so nervous driving that little bundle home. this new life was in my inexperienced driving hands! well, obviously they got to their destination.

k, this story is gonna end up way longer than i intended if i start that far back. quick summary: she attended my grad and came out on the dance floor when todd and i had our first dance. oh yes, i remember the whispering... ya people- i had a baby. and the whole time you saw me walk around town, no belly protruding and you all saw me out on the court! geez! she is the first baby that i ever saw todd hold. tugged right at my heart. he didn't even mind babysitting the munckin!

ok, so here we really are. the pudgy cheeked pooper that once walked around telling people she went to speech werapy - too adorable- turning into a- ok i can't say it again. i can't type in woman. young lady. i can handle that. she has been there for me and helped out with our kids anytime we ask. and i know that they are in such capable hands. she watches over them as if they were her own. i find such peace with that. i know she will be a great mother- when and the big word is WHEN her time comes. i hope she hears that. although, i know i don't have to preach at her anymore. she's got it. she knows what path her life is meant to travel on. have i mentioned that she has a super good head on her shoulders too? well, in my opinion, she does. now i know there's probably secrets out there that could come back to haunt her as i say this, but in my life and my eyes she's a dang good kid! life has brought some pretty uncontrollable obstacles along the way for her. i don't need to get into details, but she knows how she's done it. if i haven't said it before, i will say it now: I AM PROUD OF YOU, ROBYNN. i wish i could say it to you, but you know i'd cry and all that mushy stuff. heck, i am now! wait a sec... need a kleenex. she knows a hard days work, has compassion for all of god's creations, and understands the world.

her graduation is coming upon us. she will turning that corner in life. that's a huge accomplishment to reach that point in your life. congratulations to her and her mom and joe for helping to get her to that point. the next chapter begins and i can't wait to keep reading her story.

this is to you my dear girl.