Shrinky dink dink

I've been playing with shrinky plastic again! I've had a lot of fun (and received several compliments) of the stuff I've done so far! Here's a pendant/key chain/ whatever she wants to do with it thing that I made for my sister Becky - I mailed it to her....haven't heard from her....she should have recieved it by now in the mail....I wonder if she got it....if she likes it....I wonder...
Anyways. Here's the before picture and then the after. Pretty cool how it shrunk to 1/3 of it's size and like 9 times it's thickness. I've really enjoyed it - and probably won't be able to stop for a while! It's a fun way to recycle #6 plastic!

Azalea pics

Here are some pictures of the 'E'-ster and I. Well, one picture of the two of us. These were taken on the last day my azalea bush looked pretty. It was already getting too late - you can see some of the blooms are already fading away. So sad. It was so pretty. Now it looks like a wilty, ugly bush. I can't wait for it to rain all the dead blooms away.

Hopefully we will be able to get some nice pictures in the rest of the yard this summer. I've planted a lot of stuff. I wasn't going to, because in a couple of months I will be dreading the thought of going out and watering the stupid things...but I CAN'T HELP IT!!! They are so pretty and I get so carried away. Oh well. Since she wants to be outside all of the time, I will have plenty of loveliness to look at!

Dance! Dance!

I debated on whether or not to post this because my house is a mess. But it a cute video of Elli and hopefully you can ignore the mess and not judge me on it - after all, sometimes you just don't feel like cleaning and that was one of those days. This is reight after she got her tutu and had her scarf placed on her head....and if you listen closely....what's that you hear? Oh yes....New Kids on the Block on the Today Show! Their concert was a little disappointing, I'm not going to lie - but it was fun to reminisce anyways. Sorry too, the video is sideways.

Tutu girl

So I made Elli a tutu. I have never made a tutu before and didn't know what in the world I was doing. I just thought "This seems like it should work this way", and it turned out okay I think! I know what I will do differently next time. I made it while she was asleep, for one, so the sizing is off, but it works! She loves it! Here she is with the first try on....

To which she promptly started twirling (how does she know that's what you do?) and then went and found this scarf and wanted me to tie it in her hair. I guess she had to be COMPLETELY dress up. It's pretty darn cute if you ask me. :)

A few

Here's my little popeye the saylor girl. Instead of getting her strength to fight the mighty elmo with spinach, she gets it from strawberries and a little baby einstein.

Mom came across this cute papasan chair at a yard sale. Elli thinks it is the perfect reading chair. The home ads are one of her favorites.

I don't know if you can tell in this picture, but Elli has a giant surfing wave right down the top of her head. Her hair was just the right length, and yes...I styled it that way often. :) It's a little too long now, so you gotta Hang ten while you can, my friend!

This is not the most flattering picture in the world. But in the middle of the day, when you need recharged, there is no more cofortable spot in this town than Grandma Bob's spare bed. She quite enjoyed her nap and she had a hard time waking up this day. The bed is just too comfortable.

Grandma Becky

I've been meaning to blog this for a while now, becuase I think this is such a great picture! Mike's mom recently was down here visiting and we had a really nice time. Elli, from the beginning, loved hher Grandma Becky and wanted her to read and play and look and anything Elli could get her to do. It was so cute! I got a lot of "me time" and it was really nice - not that I didn't want to hang out with Becky...I am very lucky and blessed to have a great mother-in-law...but if she's willing to just play with Elli and that's all Elli wants - then c-ya! I need a break! I need a break now! Come back Grandma Becky!!!
We'll be going up to visit in just about a month now - it should be a lot of fun! Except the flying part...that won't be much fun. Nope..... no fun at all.

Finally! Something new!

These are old pictures, but some of the cute ones I promised (like 3 weeks ago). Here is a collection of some of the goings on while E was playing with Aunt Jackie one day while I was working. Hopefully they will have an awesome time Wednesday when she babysits again. E loves her "Dack!"

Stupid stupid stupid

So this morning I get up to go walk. I have a soft moment and think "I'll take Cali with me this morning. She'll enjoy a walk and she needs it as much as I do." So I leash her up and out we go.
Let me say right now that I have been thinking of getting rid of the dog. I have been thinking this for a long time because she is so wild, she leaves such a hairy mess on the couch, she poops all over the yard so heaven forbid that I can just go outside with Elli to play, she's chews things she's not supposed to, she's not a cuddly dog...and on and on and on.... She has positive points, though. She's not real big, she's soft, she's pretty.
Back to this morning. She was doing great keeping up with me. We were walking and then we jogged and then we walked again.....and then we started jogging again. Well, I guess she was too tired to jog so she lagged behind me. I got really ticked off and told her I wasn't bringing her ever again and she better keep up with me. Nope. In fact, she decided "Hey I know, I'll quit moving my legs all together. That will really let her know who's boss." We are on River Road at this point by the golf course. I still have to go way up to grand central several blocks around and down into my street. I have no phone. My dog won't move. So I let her sit there a second - maybe she needs a break. I start walking. She doesn't move. I yank her and pull her in her harness and she just drags her legs behind. I am pissed. I am scolding her and telling her she better start walking!!!!!!! But she can't hear me....she's deaf. I try to start walking again....she won't move. So I pick her up (all 37 pounds of her) and now have to cut short my walk and go home. I get her a little ways and set her down and think that if she's standing, she'll walk again. She just takes a couple of steps and sits and then lays. I am ready to tie her to a telephone pole and leave her. But darn it! I put a tracking chip in her. Finally, I think maybe she's hurt. There was that horse Barbaro (?) who got a stress fracture and couldn't run anymore - maybe that's the problem. So I pick her up and carry her again. Do you know how hard it is to carry a dog? Not a peuny dog but an over weight medium-sized dog? I couldn't help but laugh. What were the people looking out their windows thinking. All I wanted was for Cali to see a bird or another dog because I knew she was fine and was just being a brat....but no.
So we get home, I set her down, open the gate and off she goes into the yard - running, trotting, and being a normal dog. I hate her. I am ready to get rid of her now. Does anybody want a dog? I am being completely serious here. Seriously. I mean, you never have to take her for walks...that is, unless you want a good upper-body work out. My arms are throbbing. he isn't mean and doesn't bite....any takers?

worn out

I've been excercising. "No way." you say. But yes! The past couple of days I have got up at 6:30 in the morning and walked/jogged around the neighborhood. I walk perpendicular to the river and jog parallel to it. "What's the big deal about that?" you ask? Well, there is only so far you can go towards the river (unfortunately), so there's not much walking going on. Which is cool on the one hand that I can actually jog without dying of lung collapse or heart explosion. My legs hurt like crazy. Hopefully I'll get used to it.
I've been walking with mom, too. Well, we were walking until she got busy with her craft show and wedding cakes. Maybe now that she's finished with that, we can start up again. The hill behind Jackson School is huge huge huge and now has a paved trail up and over it. It's really nice, but really hard to push a stroller on.
I am trying to eat healthier - but who are we kidding? I am jogging and walking so that I can eat what I want.
I am writing this so that you who know me and see me can help keep me accountable.

On another note, I've got some cute pictures to post, but seeing as how my camera is upstairs and I am downstairs, we'll see how long it takes for me to get them onto my computer. I mean, come on, I just went jogging....I don't want to over-do it and get up and walk all the way up the stairs and then have to walk all the way down. Geesh!