VBS, Barbies and more damage to my hands

 I usually have my laptop with me at Biolife and stream shows but today I forgot it in the car when I went in.  So all I had was my phone.  

I had noticed yesterday that my phone only had 21 GB left on it out of 128 GB.  Yikes!    This coming from a woman whose first computer only had a 10 MB hard drive...  I've gotten soft.

So I spent the hour going through videos and photos on my phone, cleaning out duplicates and just dumb stuff.  How many memes and funny things do I REALLY need?  I gained a gigabyte!  I should probably download them to my computer and external hard drive some day.  And I will! Just not yet.

I'll be taking off soon to go be my ex-dil's ride to her surgery.  I'll be spending the day in the hospital waiting room or cafeteria, working on my laptop.  Fun times!!!  I'm going to do the cafeteria I think.  More food.

Speaking of food, I need to quit eating it.  so much...  I really need to jump back on the dieting wagon and get rid of some of this weight I've been loathe to let go.  I'm trying!  But it's been VBS week here and every evening has been fast food before church.  I typically have errands to run beforehand so right after work, Leon and I head to town for those errands and a quick bite before VBS.  

This was our project from VBS last night.  

We tie-dyed flour tea towels and it was a rip roaring mess!  I hope the parents forgive me!  "wear the gloves!" *they pull them off* "don't touch your skin with your gloves!" *they touch their face and scratch their heads*  "don't touch your clothes!" *a pair of shorts, jeans and a white shirt were touched*  sigh...  And the ground will correct itself as the grass grows.

But the kids all had a great time, learned some lessons from the Bible and some new songs. It was a success!

Leon, his best friends and my towel are in the washer now and my hands still look I just colored Easter eggs.

I made pickles from the cukes in my garden yesterday early.  I used a new recipe that someone on a canning site mentioned and it appears to have worked out nicely, but I don't want to try them out for a couple weeks.  

As soon as I know if it's worked, I'll post the recipe here. *crossing fingers*

The local library is putting up a Barbie display. Guess who has Barbie stuff up the wazoo?!  ME!  My kids possessed the Barbie mansion, which I can't find a photo of in my phone or on the blog...  We own the Barbie airplane and little red convertible.  And the real, working Barbie jeep!  I'm not going to loan them the jeep, but I am the mansion, airplane and convertible.  I'll run the plane up before I leave town today.  She promised that no one would be playing with them, it's just for display.  :) yeah right.  These toys are very played with already so one more kid isn't going to hurt it, but it would be nice to have them last another generation of girls.  Maybe Agnes will be into them!

Well, I better get my ducks in a row before I leave for the day.  Have a glorious weekend!

Arts and Crafts and Cars again

 

Leon and I had a bit of time to use yesterday and I pulled out his double sets of magnetic building pieces that he got for his birthday or Christmas.  I think Christmas.  I got him a set and so did someone else. 

These things are SO cool!!!  There are magnetic strips in the edges of each of the pieces and they just snap together however you build them.  

Below is mine that I thought looked pretty cool, but then we merged the buildings and made an upstairs walkway and Leon wanted a sleeker more cohesive look for the roof tops. Eh, that's ok.  I'm 55 years old, what do I care?!

So we took about 20 photos of our creations and then knocked them down and started again, and then took more photos.

So our renter spare son, borrowed my van yesterday to go to work.  And that is totally ok..

He got done working at 12am and stopped by a convenience store quick for some snacks.  He came back out to the van and the key ignition just said *click*.  dang.  He called me and I was able to get there within 15 minutes or so.  We tried to jump start it but no go.  So I brought him home.  I'd tackle it in the morning with a cappuccino in me.

I was convinced that this was the same issue I'd struggled with last year when it turned out to be the ignition wireless key node thingy. I'm really good with specifics, huh? :)

But after thinking about it, it should have started by this morning if that was the issue.  and come to think of it, I never got a clicking sound for that kind of issue...

sigh... it's the battery...  Something must have got left on to drain it or the battery was just shot.

So I ran some errands early and stopped by an auto parts store, probably spending more than at Walmart but I have been inside Walmart more times that a normal person would in a week and mostly in the automotive section.  I needed a break and if $15 price difference is what's needed, so be it.

Stopped by the house for tools and thought I'd woken up Meri to help me out but she was sleep talking... so I left her and drove over to replace the battery myself.

Taking the cables off the post was the easy part.  But the lock that holds the battery down caused some grief.  I stood out in the slush and cold working and swearing mildly at that screw trying to get it out.  FINALLY did and then dropped the lock under the car.  REALLY?!

Oh well.  I put the posts on the new battery and the car started immediately.  It's amazing what a new battery will do!  I retrieved the fallen part after backing up the car and then parked it on the other side of the lot.

I had been in front of the main door of the convenience store for 30 minutes or so.  The ONLY person who even acted interested in what I was doing was an elderly gentleman who just stated the obvious, "new battery huh?"

People were in and out of that place the entire time I was there.  It's hopping!  But unfortunately they're hopping towards work and don't want to be late.  I think my "cuteness" and "helpless female" factors have flown the coop.

I should probably start wearing make up again...  But I don't want to. or have any anymore...

I am woman, hear me complain because no one would to help me!

Winter is coming - maybe

Leon is grounded for the next three weeks from anything you have to plug in or charge up.  It wasn't me who did it and you don't need to know what he did.  It wasn't terrible, just some behavior that needs to be curbed I guess.

So he's been rediscovering his toys and books.  He and Robb played Battleship last night and he found the Etch-a-Sketch!  This is his creation.  A City Boat. 

 As opposed to a house boat I guess.  

He's been drawing a lot too, so we might have a budding Picasso on our hands!

We need a bigger fridge.

The blizzard today starts promptly at noon.  I'm not holding my breath but hope it's all a bunch of worry for nothing again.  I want to have a day trip tomorrow!

Have a wonderful and warm weekend!

All the time in the month

I rented a Rug Doctor yesterday.  You know me... I need to be frantic about SOMETHING and it looked like it was going to be stormy day, so no outside work...

I sorted through Leon's toys to get to the carpet and took five bags of toys he'll ever play with out of the room.  I came across this after I tried to pick up the monkey and couldn't.  

REALLY?  Handcuffs??!

What was it's crime??

 

 

I pardoned the monkey and it's now free, but in a toy box instead.

 Once it looked like the storm was passed, I pulled the moveable rugs out onto the deck so I could run the steam cleaner on them too.  That's when the REAL storm hit with hail and so much thunder and lightning that our Golden, Ellie, hid out upstairs where she's not allowed.  She did it again last night when another storm rolled through...

So anyway, it appears that that is always my luck.  Anytime I feel like shampooing a carpet outdoors, it rains.

I made Meri breakfast from the weekend leftovers.  She ate it!

and brought her down some shorty socks.

Full blown grad party mode these days.  If I'm not working, I'm thinking of something that needs to get done.  24 days to go...  NOT ENOUGH TIME!

Sew Gross

The kid is having a blast this Christmas...  He has pulled all the dusty pine cones out of the center basket and made Pixie Hollow.  He then hides his My Little Ponys in it or his Grosser Gang.

Never heard of those?  Neither had I until Wednesday, when he'd seen a Youtube video and my goodness... my sister is law is right.  The kid toy videos are just kid version commercials!  

Leon informed us that you can find them at Walmart, Target and Kids-R-Us.  Um thanks for the info!

 We ended up finding them at Target that night.  As we walked into the store, he's leaning out of the kid seat in the cart and telling everyone we pass that we're here to get the Grossery Gang toys!  Who gave HIM a can of Mountain Dew??!!  He was on a chatty Cathy roll.  

It was very reminscent of when Meri was two and she'd drank a half can of Mt. Dew that Ryan had left in his room.  Shopping that night was interesting as she called to everyone from the shopping cart, "HI!  I'M MERI!" over and over...

After Leon agonized about which Gross toy he wanted, he'd change his mind and run back to swap for a different one.  We FINALLY got out of the toy aisles and he had to inform every college girl or employee he saw about what he got.  

For the first ten minutes of him trying to explain it to me on Wednesday, I thought he was mispronouncing Grocery Gang.  

Never heard of them.  either.

The little Hot Wheels in the above pic is what is gracing each pocket on his Advent Calendar this year.  There's also chocolate, because COME ON!!  I put in a chocolate Santa for today and a chocolate coin for tomorrow.  We'll get him back tomorrow so we can go see the college Christmas concert with Maddy and Matthew tomorrow.

If you knew Leon, you'd know why there are only two days filled in...

Hey!  I did some sewing last night!  But I can't show you or tell you much about it, other than Meri has deemed it not QUITE as ugly as her sample prom dress.  I'll make another one over lunch today, I think...  Maybe it will be prettier.  I think I've figured out where I went wrong.

I don't want anyone to think, "Yuck! Gross!"  Especially not the person it's intended for.

Have a great weekend!

Ola Dinosaurus!

 Rawr!

Photo edited beyond recognition so you wouldn't see the state of our computer desk chair...

I came in from work on Wednesday to find that Jurassic Park had taken over the computer chair and the desk...  Well, I was GOING to work here for a while...

And that's what Leon had created.  Jurassic Park.  

All the dinosaurs (and giraffes) were caged, but I'm not sure he kept a firm count due to more dinosaurs creeping in when he wasn't looking.

Pterodactyls belong in barns.

Pretty much the plot of the movie...

That afternoon, Meri brought home a homework partner to do a video on how to make Spanish Lemon cake, spoken all in Spanish. 

It was interesting to listen from the living room, until Leon decided to run in and try speaking Spanish too, which was complete gibberish and kept screwing up their shots, so Robb and I took him to Burger King's play land.

After baking, they put the leftovers onto a plate and I've been eating them slowly (yeah right!) throughout the last couple days. 

Well, the birthday girl gets home tonight!  YAY!  and we're having pizza on china!!  YAY!!!  

I need to get her gifts wrapped...

Then tons of people descend upon our house late tonight and tomorrow for the BIG 50/50 birthday party tomorrow night.  It's the somewhat perfect split between Robb's 50th birthday and his sister's 50th birthday.  Plus a 4 day delay on his brother's birthday and then of course a 2 day delay on Maddys.  I'm going to need to borrow some folding chairs...

Have a great weekend!

Misunderstood Technology

This was Maddy's old Barbie jeep from 18 years ago...  

We ordered it for her birthday and a VW bug toy car came instead.  I would have kept that one, because it was worth twice as much and was cuter... but honesty and guilt waved their little hands and I sent it back.
 

  

Both Maddy and Meri got a LOT of use out of this little car. Unfortunately they grew up so it's been sitting on the top shelf in our garage for 12 years now collecting dust.  Much of which you can still see.   

 

Leon discovered it when looking up one day and Grandpa pulled it down for him. It didn't work.  We charged up the batteries overnight and it still didn't work.  

So I ordered new batteries for it online.  YAY!  The BEST $50 I ever spent!  Leon is having a blast and driving in 'averse as much as possible.  He and his dad have plans to paint it and make it a Batman car.


 

He doesn't understand what the cord on the phone is for tho...

Impersonating Normal

What do you get when you help your grandma sort old boxes in the garage?

Treasures....  

Leon is in heaven!  This is just a few of the many many treasures that used to belong to his daddy and aunts long long ago.  It was funny to hear him as he picked up a old musty Wiggles doll with mouse poop on it's foot and say nostalgically,  "This was mine and I played with this when I was a tiny tiny baby." 

Um, you never played with that, kid!  You don't even know who the Wiggles are!

Here, let me sanitize that thing.

So, we're just over here finding treasures, floors and spacious spots in our house.  Appraiser tomorrow.

Will we have the house looking like a normal family lives here?  

Probably not.

Memoires of Dolls

AH!  I can't find it.  There is a Youtube commercial from years ago that I THINK were for the Metal Gear video game.  Anyone remember it?  There was a young Japanese girl combing her hair in her bedroom talking to the camera.  Totally oblivious to the fact that something is lurking under the bed.  

Suddenly when you least expect it, a huge green monster claw/arm comes out from under the bed and gets her!  

My search for it turns up a bunch of dirty stuff...  I guess I need to pare down the words I'm searching with...  sigh.

The only reason I'm thinking of it, is that Ryan had found an old Metal Gear action figure in the box of toys that I keep in my office for Leon.  Old toys of Ryan's that I'd found when Sonya Ann made me sort through the boxes in my garage.

Yeah, it's leg is MIA... It happens in our house.  NOT exactly a collectible anymore!  

So Ryan is spazzing, wondering just when he got it because he doesn't remember.at.all...    We remininsced a little this morning and I think we've come up with when we got it.  Robb thinks we picked it up at a garage sale unawares, but here's what I think I remember.  Ryan was whining and begging about an action figure from us when we stopped by a game software store at the mall.  Maddy was probably along because that was probably when we bought the Zena Warrior Princess action figure for her...  I'm thinking that Ryan didn't even know what game the toy was from.  And I'm thinking I wasn't even along.  Robb was spoiling the kids on his own that day, but blocking...

That Zena doll was fierce!  I think we still have it around here somewhere too...

Ruthless Toys

I have pulled so many boxes and bags of toys off the shelves in the garage and been sorting, as I mentioned yesterday. 

When the kids were younger and had toy boxes in every room with too many toys...  we would box or bag up some of them and hide them in the garage.  Then 6 months later, trade them with the ones in the house.  It worked like a charm!  The kids were enthralled and it was like Christmas all over again!  Well, some of those bags got left out there and now I've got a mountain of stuffed animals in my office as well as a creepy pile of Barbies and Kens on the bean bag chair.  I'm sure there are more boxes out there...  It's a big garage.

I half expect a real person's face to be peeking at me from amidst these piles of plush.

and this isn't all of them...  Trust me on that!

I have been instructed to NOT get rid of ANY Barbies!!  Them and the entire entourage of friends, accessories and Barbie house have to be saved for their kids.  Maddy had at one time had a Barbie Make-up Sleepover party for her birthday and every single girl who showed up had brought her a Barbie...  The girls got more for every Christmas and birthday that rolled around too, so if these dolls were real, our house would be overrun with angry, creepy dolls that have horrible chopped hair, missing limbs and pen makeup.  

I did pitch the horribly disfigured ones...  

When Meri was 4, and I may have mentioned this a few years ago, but it's worth repeating...  Robb was giving her, Ryan and his friends a ride home after a sleepover.  It was for Ryan so no makeup was involved.  Meri was torturing them with her Barbie that could sing if you pushed a button on her back.  It was very annoying and even Robb got upset by her constant concert to Ryan and friends, so he said, ENOUGH, took the Barbie and set it on the dash.

After a couple minutes, Meri started chuckling...  She said quietly with a grin, "You can't do ANYTHING without the accessories!!" which she had tucked in her lap.  lol!  As if he was playing with the Barbie up front!

So the Barbies stay...  BUT in this pile of stuffed toys from hell, I will pull out the ones that mean something to us, give others in good condition to the Goodwill and then pitch the ones in disrepair.   Oh dear...  

I wonder if I can gut them for their stuffing and use them in pillows...

NO.  I will NOT plan ahead for another craft project that will sit for 5 years until I get tired of storing the fluff!  

I shall be without my sister today.  Yes... I shall be RUTHLESS!

Substitutions... Tele, Not Metric

ArGGHH!  I cannot find that gift Meri made me, to save my life...  I JUST saw it yesterday and now I don't.  It's a Houdini purse apparently...  I'll find it and share next week!

So...  I thought I'd share something ELSE with you instead today.  Sorry for the loss leader...

Once upon a time, my oldest girl was a serious fan of Po.  Not the poet, but the little red Teletubby!  PO!  On our first trip to Ireland, we found a little plastic toy of Po at Pound City, their version of Dollar General.  

 

Maddy took that toy everywhere with her for the rest of the trip.  It's now packed away in the garage somewhere.  I need to find that for Leon...

But back to the story!  I happened upon a toy that we'd gotten for Meri when she was little.  Our toy NuNu that acts like a popcorn popper toy.  Remember those?  But NuNu's nose goes back and forth with a click.  

Leon is a walking fool these days and I thought, Let's try him out on it!  He.loves.it!  And wouldn't let us take it out of his hands when we got him ready for daycare today...  So NuNu went along.

See?  Wasn't that a good substitution for a sewing project today?  It wasn't sewn, but he's SEW adorable with NuNu!  Click click click.  

I might need to find some Teletubby videos for him.. so he knows what he's playing with!