Rainy Saturday

Hello - we're soggy!! Its been raining for practically 3 whole days. Jack and Guinness are spending more time in their crates today than they have in their entire lives with us! The soccer games that were scheduled for today were cancelled because the fields are under water. Dino Boy's game is tentatively scheduled for next Saturday at 10 a.m. Maybe they'll just cancel Twinkletoes' game all together. She is already playing a make up game on Thursday night and her last game is scheduled for Saturday at 10:30.

I am not looking forward to Saturday. In addition to the soccer games, I'm scheduled to vend at a crop to support my friend's PTO. Its not far away, maybe 15 miles or so, but I'll be needing to go - set up, come home - get the kids ready and out the door, go to the fields - watch their last games, get them back home - hope that the Husband is home to watch them (or find a sitter at the last minute - not always the easiest thing to do because we aren't the only ones that are busier than we know how to deal with) and then get back to the crop for the next, oh, 9 hours. I am not complaining about going to a scrapbook event. I haven't been to one since the weekend away in March. I have a ton of projects to work on - and, truthfully, I'm hoping to pick up one or two new customers at the crop and reacquaint myself with other customers that I haven't heard from in while. So - I'm shutting the trap. It will all be fine. The kids will do well on Saturday. I will not lose my mind and I'll get 10 new customers! :-) Isn't that how the "secret" tells you to do it? Or was that Peter Pan - think happy thoughts? Whatever, it'll all be good.

The Husband, a few of his buddies and his partner at BLA are up in New Brunswick for the Rutgers/WV football game today. Yes, you heard it right, in the RAIN. Thankfully, I'm here and only ventured out to McDonald's for lunch and the video store. (Hello - why else would I be blogging in the middle of the afternoon?) I haven't heard from my husband but Chris heard from hers. They're WET. Very wet. He was afraid to use his phone for long because the water might ruin it. The game started at noon - still in the thick of the rain (the sun is starting to peek through here) and we were able to gain access to the alumni Hospitality Tent. They were supposedly serving food, beverages (including beer and wine) all at no cost to alumni and their guests. See this is why I'm still paying my student loans off. We pay them for long enough - and they give back to us! hee hee!!!! I wonder if any of them thought to take pictures with their phones? Did they brave it? Doubt the thought even crossed their minds. Would have been neat to see. I did take a picture or two with my phone when we went to the RU/Navy game a few weeks back. I did get a few weird looks from my Husband. Oh well. Can't have everything - a few pictures to scrapbook would have been fun though!

Hope you're enjoying your weekend! I'm thinking of sending the kids outside to stomp in the puddles. I think this baby is affecting my thoughts. I am surely losing my mind!! :-)

Wildfires 2007

I know you're all tuned in - as we all are - pretty much 24/7 to the Wildfires currently raging in California. Its a devastating prospect - losing all you own and escaping with only the clothes on your back and a few little things. I saw on the news this morning a man and his nephew sifting through the ashes of his MIL's home - she's 81 and had been in the house for over 20 years. They were able to find (literally, using a sifter) a few rare coins that were still hot from the fire and a few pieces of jewelry that she owned. I don't know what I would do -- what would I grab? Seems that even some of the fire proofed safes aren't able to withstand the intense heat these fires which are reportedly fueled by dry conditions and 90 mph "Santa Anna" winds.

I guess all of the "information" can be replaced - birth certificates, social security cards, financial information, etc. But what about the other stuff? What about the scrapbooks??? What about the videos of my wedding in Jamaica? Now, I know it is just stuff - and stuff isn't your family or your life but I would be devastated. I have pictures of my father beaming in Jamaica. Who'd have thunk he'd actually get on the plane and go to Jamaica for our wedding? Pictures of my BIL's supposed last trip in an airplane!!! I'm sure eventually my SIL will convince him to once again brave the skies - but - know what I mean? What about the first teeth that the kids lost? I don't know what will ever become of them anyhow but at least I have them and I know where they are. Pictures of my Poppop H. at my wedding reception and my college graduation...do I scan them all and upload to a secure picture server some place else? Pictures of my FIL and his family before all of the feuds and fights and if you know the family, you know what I mean. Pictures of my Uncle Ray and my Uncle Tony ... my Aunt Hon, Nan, Aunt Kay and Uncle Paul, Dana, Uncle Matt and Aunt Helen D....pictures from high and grade schools (before the digital age) ... ultrasound pictures ... okay ... you get my point. I'm still clueless as to what I would do if I were in this situation and I pray that I never am faced with something that I'm mentally and spiritually unprepared for.

On a side note, one of the student groups here at school, is collecting items to be sent out to CA to help those who are in need. Please let me know if you've got anything that you'd like to contribute - right now I think they're concentrating on toiletry items and the like that people may be in need of. I'm sure I can convince my kids to clean up their toy room and I'll send the toys (which have been barely played with) out to make some other little kid happy. Here is the link for donations to the Red Cross for the California Wildfires: https://american.redcross.org/site/Donation2?idb=178830632&df_id=2653&2653.donation=form1

Thanks to Janine for providing me with the most up to date link to their local newstation http://www.nbcsandiego.com/firestorm/14414192/detail.html so that they can efficiently direct their efforts to helping where it is needed the most. You rock Janine! Give the kids a squeeze for me!

check it out

Did you see the new little icon that i have over here on the left? Pretty cool, isn't it? One click a day funds food and housing for animals in need. Thought that since we're all so busy every day and no one really wants to donate any more than they need to (I know, it doesn't sound like I mean it to, but hopefully you know what I mean.) At this site, you can also click to support Breast Cancer; Hunger; Child Health; Literacy; and the Rainforest. One stop shopping! If you purchase from one of these websites, even more monies are donated to the charities in question.

Also, I've added a blog to my "blogs I enjoy list" - it is a blog that promotes buying American Made Stuffs - in order to keep American jobs here instead of shipping them out overseas. Pretty neat. Its called Made in the USA - check it out if you have time. They're even doing raffles and giving stuff away. Not too bad!!

Not much else going on. The kids are doing a fund raiser so if you need cookie dough, pies or frozen soft pretzels, be sure to let Dino Boy know. Actually, I think he is the only one who brought the paper work home. He also came home with his school pictures yesterday too. Not Twinkletoes. Wonder where her stuff is?

This weekend is Dino Boy's last weekend of soccer. Thank goodness. Its been a long haul with him and soccer. He seems to enjoy it but he's lacking direction in how to actually play the sport. Maybe we should send him to a summer camp or something this coming summer. We'll see. Twinkletoes plays through next weekend and even has a night game on 11/1. She's pretty excited about that!!