Things that are happening

Good Morning @ the soccer park :)

2009-10-24T07:32:00.001-07:00

Take Me Back Tuesday #8 - Recycling Cans into Hats

2009-09-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

This fun little meme is hosted by Kari on her blog here.
How to play:
Scan old pictures into your computer, or just find a picture that takes you back.

This picture is from the spring on 1981.
My grama has always made wonderful things.
I remember loving these hats as a child.
She would take aluminum cans and cut them apart so that she had a square with the logo on it. Next ,she would then use a hole punch, and make holes all the way around the square.
Finally, she would crochet the squares together and make hats.

I am in the front on the big wheel.
My brother Steven is on the tricycle.
My uncle Tony is sitting in the wagon.
My mother is the one with the broom.
Aren't we cute??

Looking back, I wonder who drank all of that soda??

Oldies..But Goodies #5 WITH VIDEO!!

2009-09-22T01:58:00.000-07:00

Oldies..but Goodies is hosted by Tim over at Fort Thompson.
Tim's Oldie is HILARIOUS this week!
Every parent can relate!

My Oldie was originally published on 6/3/09.
At the time, I couldn't get the video to upload, so I couldn't share it..
but now, that problem is fixed...
So I give you..My Oldie Updated with Video!

Well..Tackle it Tuesday turned out to be Me dealing with a tantrum throwing 5 year old..but Princess got to work on it and had a blast!

I think I am going to get her out of bed and put her to work without a shower more often.

I've rotated this picture twice..tilt your head.

Here she is cleaning out the bottom two shelves of the pantry. All of that sample dog food, we need to feed to the dogs..duh!

THEN on to the 'weird' cabinet. The kids cal it this because of the way the door opens. Princess took everything out of this cabinet and washed all of the shelves, then organized as she put back in.

Isn't it pretty?? Yes I shop in bulk.

Then she did the dishwasher. We don't use the dishwasher to wash the dishes, we use it to dry the dishes..like a huge drying rack. The bottom needs to be scrubbed every so often..and Princess was feeling that every so often time was due.

Thank you Princess.

For all of her hard work, she was handsomely rewarded..with sugar..which resulted in this behavior..

(imagine video here of almost 13 year old girl doing the chicken dance, then crawling into a washing machine box, spining around in circles, hurting herself, then getting out of the box and just generally being funny. The stupid video won't load..

And here is where I added the video.

YGMTM#6: Missing my Buzz

2009-09-19T16:44:00.000-07:00

Your Gonna Miss This..Moment is hosted by Pam here.
You can play anytime during the weekend..so come play now :)

This week, I am thinking about a little boy that I have had the joy of helping raise since he was 10 months old. He is now 5 1/2 years old.

I miss this baby boy, and all of those blond curls.

This is him when he had just turned 4 years old,
swinging on the big kid swing.

He is the 2nd child in this line.
Successfully walking around the cement curb.

Then he went and started kindergarten this year.
I miss him so much but I know he is enjoying school.

He loves to learn, and is still waiting for his
teacher to teach him something he doesn't know.

You are growing so fast!
Enjoy being a kid and remember I love you.
...and I'm gonna miss spending my days with you..
but I will always be the 'other mom.'

Six Word Saturday #11

2009-09-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

Soccer all day!

Hope no evacuations!

and of course there will be pictures :)

5 Question Friday #2

2009-09-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Mama M.- Your code for 5? Friday shows this button.

Today I am playing 5 question Friday.
It is a cute little meme hosted by Mama M.
Go to her blog to see who else is answering questions..

Below are today's questions:

1. What's your favorite line from a movie?
Currently, my favorite line is "Nobody puts baby in the corner."
I've been watching to many clips from Dirty Dancing.

2. What "group" did you belong to in high school? Goths, jocks, preps, drama, nerds?
The group I belonged to was the "hurry up and get the hell out of high school"
Hogh school was not fun for me, and I was glad to graduate a year early!

3. If you had $1000 just for yourself what would you spend it on?
If you had asked me this a week ago, i would have answered another chest freezer!
Today though, I am saying I would give it to my friend to help bury her son.

4. What was your favorite childhood cartoon?
Jem and My Little Pony!

5. What kind of sleeper are you? Back? Tummy? Side? Sprawler?
Back, stomach, side..depends how my pillows are arranged and how tired I am!

Flashback Friday: Golden Rule Days

2009-09-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

This meme is ran by Melinda over at Bloggin' it From the 'Burbs..where ever that is :)

September’s theme: “Dear Old Golden Rule Days” – post any type of school photo, whether posed or candid.

So I went and dug out the old photo album, and have the following to submit to you.

Be careful not to laugh to hard!

This is kindergarten 1982.

This is 2nd grade, 1984.

This is 6th grade graduation with my mom and my littlest brother.

This is the first day of 7th grade.

Vlogemotions #3 Scared, Frustrated and Sad

2009-09-17T11:23:00.000-07:00

This week has truly been a roller coaster.
Can someone help me get off??

Missing Mom Week #7/52

2009-09-17T07:23:00.000-07:00

This is a fun little Meme started by Carin over at Forever in Blue Jeans.
Click the blog button to see other 'found' mothers.

This week..
I have for you..
A picture from a college football game.
Baby D and I watching the game..

Baby D and I looking at the camera.

Baby D and I playing with the camera.
Please excuse the 'up-her-nose-ness'
I love how you can see our eye colors :)

And..I always seem to have a shot of only a part of my body..
this weeks entry is my legs as I am feeding Baby D her breakfast at the soccer game.

Where are your pictures??

Oldies..But Goodies #4

2009-09-15T13:01:00.000-07:00

So my friend Tim over at Fort Thompson has this fun little game where you repost old blog entries so that people who weren't around when you began can read about when you began. This week I bring to you another Man Cub event.
This was originally published on May 10th, 2009.
What a great way to spend Mother's Day weekend!

Academic Pentathlon 2009

Children all over the district who score Advanced and Proficient are then given the opportunity to be on a team for the Academic Pentathlon. The extra studying, extra class meetings, and extra homework all begin in January. The kids who ~~parents won't let them drop out~~ are very committed take an individual test during the first week of May, followed by a Super Quiz the following Saturday.

Here is the day..in pictures :)

On the way to the school for the Super Quiz, I look at Man Cub and realize he has not brushed his teeth. I do a U-turn and come back home. This makes him mad for the beginning of the day. Evil mom that I am..right?

This is Mrs. Scott, our Dean talking with Kevin Charette (@weatherman30 on Twitter). He is the weather guy for Channel 17. This is his 3rd year doing this event, and he is always so much fun.

This is a view from the rear-right of the gym. Each school has 3 chairs for students, a proctor, and a PVC stand with numbers to show the people in the stands behind them how many questions each school has gotten correct.
Each grade level (4th, 5th, or 6th) has three levels of students (Varsity, Scholastic, and Honor). Man Cub is in 5th grade, Scholastic.

Blurry picture of Man Cub & his team mates for Super Quiz.
When this team sat down, the previous team for fifth grade had gotten 8/10 of their questions correct. We all were watching to see how this team was going to do. When they got the first question correct, the reaction of the kids was so funny...so I set up my camera to capture the next ones.

Question #3:CORRECT

Question #4:CORRECT

Question #5:CORRECT

Question #6:CORRECT

Question #7:CORRECT

..and this is what we get when they don't get a correct answer..

Most of the kids..

This picture is soo funny!
The kids were all saying Fremont Rocks!..
and I caught a picture on the F..hehe

another group photo..

Mrs. Scott digging for drugs..
all that screaming and stomping was getting to
the old folks heads..me included.

Kevin Charette reading the test questions,
while someone is watching him..and taking pictures.

Then there was LUNCH!

Then it was Award time!!

4th grade awards. The royal blue are Fremont's.
These were individual awards for these kids in Math (I think)

Then it was 5th grade awards..

Brenda individual award! This girl ROCKS!

Another 5th grade individual award:)

The entire 5th grade team placed 3rd in the Super Quiz!

Man Cub all happy with his medal!

Kevin chillin' during 5th and 6th grade awards...trying to stay awake way past his bedtime.
(He does 5am news..way to early..especially to be on tv)

The only 6th grade award...an individual one :)

We WILL be back next year!!

Not Me! Monday #7

2009-09-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Not Me! Monday is brought to you by MckMama.

It has (not)been a while since I have (not) done a Not Me! Monday.

Mondays are (not) always crazy in my house. It is (not) the first day back to school after a weekend of (not) sleeping in..yeah right!

The bus does (not) come at 7:04am. The sun is barely up at that time.

Before kids can walk out the door, they (don't) have to dress, eat, brush their hair and their teeth. Sometimes Tigger (doesn't) needs a little help with his hair.

THen there is the local college football games. We do (not) have season tickets. We do (not) go to every home game. We do (not) take all of the kids with us. We do (not!) sit on the upper deck! And we most certainly (DO NOT) make paper airplanes and then attempt to fly them out into the football field during the game! See where this plane landed?? That's on the track around the football field!

Then there is (not) always the dancing entertainment!
Princess is (not) listening to her cell phone music, (not) eating sun flower seeds, and most definitely (not) dancing while I am taking pictures!!

I do (not) allow wrestling in the house!
I did (not) take a picture of Baby D wresting with Bill and attempting to remove his face.
She (doesn't) have a hold of one side of his face, and her knees in his ear.
She is (NOT) soooo Cute!!

That (not) getting up in the morning, and (not) being busy all day, can (not) wear a girl out.
Princess is (not) napping with her glasses on! I hope her glasses do (not) get lost in her hair again!

Another fun filled Saturday at the soccer park. Here, I am (not) sitting in the chair, while (not) feeding the Baby on the ground. She was (not) enjoying her oatmeal and yogurt.

I was (not) taking a picture here, and someone did (not) stick their butt in my picture!

Baby D is (not) encouraged to stand by feeding her Cheetos when she is (not) standing.

Baby D is (not) standing in the grass, and I am (not) laughing at her.

Piglet is (not) having a temper tantrum, and I a (not) taking pictures of her doing a time out at the soccer park. This is a beautiful picture though :)

So..that's my Not Me! Monday Post..

First Saturday of Soccer..with Drama!

2009-09-12T23:57:00.000-07:00

Soccer!
My kids LOVE soccer!
Jim Bob started playing soccer at age 4, and has played for 11 years. This is the first year that he is not playing...but thats ok..there are other kids that want to play.

Saturday starts out our usual routine.
We have a 9:30am game so we left the house at 8:30am

Upon arrival to the first field for Piglet's game, we set up, and plop Baby D down. The sun is really bright, so we convince her she needs sunblock and shades:)

You'll be watching TV in these shades with the reception she picks up :)

The Blue Dolphins begin with stretching.

..and then the game is on!

Someone was getting tired, and since she was out 4th quarter,
we left and went to Man Cubs game.

Lucky Leprechaun #5 just waiting for the ball..

Half Time!
I finally got them all in the shade for about 2 minutes!

Baby D is standing by herself.
She didn't want to crawl in the grass, but she can't walk yet.
She was stuck!

Baby D gets fed while standing also.
She wanted a Cheeto, then she had to stand for it.
She was sooo cute!!

Joey playing with Baby D and a water bottle.

Man Cub chillin' waiting for the next games to start at 2pm.

Poor Piglet...just needing time to think about behavior.
I love this picture though!

At about 1:30ish, we had finished lunch and I dressed Tigger (shin guards, socks and shoes) and load up the stroller to drag everyone to the other end of the soccer park...preparing to curse myself all the way there and all the way back in the 100 degree heat! I sent Princess out onto her field as I start going to the other end of the soccer park for Tigger's game. Then one of the board members comes on over the loud speaker and says "We need everyone to evacuate the park immediately. Games are canceled. Get in your vehicles and evacuate the park in a calm and orderly fashion." WHAT???
Cancel Tiggers game, his fit starts..like I have control over this.
I am wondering whats going on..is this a drill..or what?
Then people are running from the other end of the park, huh?? Then I hear someone say there was a shooting on the other end of the park. huh? where I was just on my way too??
Then Tiggers coach calls me to ask if I have the contact list because not everyone is there yet and she wants to call them to tell them the game is canceled. Sorry..forgot at home but remembered 6 kids and lunch! She tells me that there was shooting from the park (Hart Park) and that a lady's umbrella was hit by a bullet. There also was a man running along the Kern River, which runs right behind the park.
Now panic sets in. This isn't a drill! I need to get my kids and get away from the river...which is actually just the other side of a chain link fence. Other people aren't sensing the urgency that I was..so I shared, shooting and lady's umbrella was hit on other end of park. People began to move.
I call one of my daycare parents who is a ranger out at the park. She tells me she knows about the shooting and has been dispatched to the park.
As we get to the van and load everything up..get kids in..we move about 10 feet in 15 minutes. The big van's air SUCKS if we are not moving! Daycare mom text me that they found the kid with the gun and arrested him. The soccer park is still being evacuated..but I am going to park the van and let the kids out till traffic is actually moving. There were 1500 KIDS in there plus parents and other family. GRIDLOCK!

Here is Baby D waiting to get out of the part, and sweating in the van.

The boys in the back rubbing their sweat into their hair to make mohawks.

Princess happy as can be texting all of her friends to find out if
they are still in the soccer park and do they know what happened.

Piglet thinking about a nap, but freaked out over the evacuation order.

It took about 40-45 minutes before we were able to leave. I searched for more info on the computer..and finally about 5pm, a newspaper article was posted.
Some guy out target practicing with his girlfriend and decided to point the gun in the direction of a soccer park full of kids. The guy running wasn't the guy with the gun, but was another guy trying to get away from the bullets. The lady wasn't shot in the shoulder, it was her head but the speed of the bullet was so slow that it did not break the skin.
The target practicing people have been arrested on felony charges.
Yes I am going back next weekend. I have 4 kids that want to play..and like I posted on Twitter, I have had a kid playing for over 11 years, and I have never had a safety problem. The way this was dealt with today was great! I was sooo impressed!!

Since we were home early, I got all of the kids through baths,
and then we went to the BC football game.

This is the band at half time.

We were sitting up high, and this little boy kept waiting for us to throw more confetti.
He didn't have to wait long.

Final Score:

..and then we came home.
Everyone is in bed but me.
I'm blogging and doing homework
..and my house is a MESS!!

Six Word Saturday #10

2009-09-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Update blog, homework, college football game.

There might be pictures :)

Simon Says and Tigger's Track

2009-09-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

I have posted about how I have a group of people, my team, who come to the house several times a week for various things. On Fridays we have a CFT meeting. The whole team gets together and talks.
Well, the facilitator always plays "Simon Says" with the kids.
Of course, I broke out the camera and took pictures.

Simon said hips or shoulders..

Simon says feet!

Shoulders again.

Even Bill and Baby D get in on the action.

When the kids are dismissed,
Tigger goes to his room to build a track.
He comes out and gets me,
so I grab the camera and go see what he has done.

He is just a little proud of himself :)

He makes the cars fly off the end of the track into a basket.

Maggie Mae wants to go Bye-Bye

2009-09-03T11:44:00.000-07:00

This booster seat is sitting inside today, and Maggie Mae decides that it looks like a good place to lay. Princess says that her kitty wants to go bye-bye.

Six Word Saturday #9

2009-08-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

Ready??

Sleep in, English homework, ASL homework!

There will be no pictures!

Vlogemotions #2 Excited

2009-08-27T22:18:00.000-07:00

This is my second week doing Vlogemotions.
I know it is kids week,
but my kids were all gone by the time
I was ready to record.
Instead of actually seeing and hearing from them,
I will tell you about them.
This weeks emotion: Excited and stressed..
but we talked about the exciting parts :)
I do not know why this video is so dark.
I had the lights on..grrr

Oldies..But Goodies #3

2009-08-25T09:03:00.000-07:00

Here we are again at Tuesday. All of the kids are in school and I am sitting at the computer in my jammies. I LOVE school! So, since it is Tuesday, it is time for Oldies..but Goodies Blog Hop. It's hosted by my friend, Tim, over at Fort Thompson.
For this blog hop you are suppose to share an old post, that you think is good enough to post one more time. So far, my post have included my kids, and this week the trend continues.
I hope you enjoy :)

This blog was posted originally on 5/7/08.

Please excuse me for this video being sideways.
This is the first time I have ever used the video function on my cell phone.

Man Cub's school concert last night.

This is him playing with beginning band.

The Beginning Band Sax player didn't show up for the evening concert.

First Day of School 2009

2009-08-24T21:35:00.001-07:00

I'm finally home. Today was a LONG day! Bill, on his way to work took the 13 year old and kicked her out on the curb near the Jr. high.
I took the younger 4 kids and headed off to the elementary school. I got the K, 2nd, and 6th graders in their classes, and took pictures for my blog :)

Here is Man Cub on his first day of 6th grade.
It seems like yesterday I was dropping him off for kindergarten.

Here is Tigger at his desk on his first day of 2nd grade.
This is going to be a GREAT year for him!

Next, I was off to kindergarten where Buzz was waiting with his mother.
I just had to have pictures of my little boy starting kindergarten too!

Buzz in his chair with his name.

I then had to go to the district office to drop off a paper for my new foster child, who is a 4th grader. Once that was done, I went back to the elementary school, and waiting in the 'line from hell' to register her. Someone asked me for proof of address..LOL What? I already have 3 other kids enrolled, and we all live in the same house.
I got the 4th grader into her class, and was finally kid free for the first time in a VERY LONG TIME!

Then I went back to kindergarten and found...
my kids getting right to work! There is a lot to learn in kindergarten.

Piglet thinking about the letter A.

Next was math.
Buzz and Piglet know their colors, but they followed along anyways.

Next was circle time.
Piglet sitting on the rug.

Piglet, Buzz and their new friends.

Next was lunch, and playing outside.

How many kindergartners can one play structure hold?

Piglet loves this slide!

Lining up!

Kindergarten gets out at 1pm, and they go to Magnet for rest time.
The rest of the kids don't get out of school till 2pm, so I decided to go check on Tigger.
This is what I found..

He is center of the photo in the red shirt.
He was actually listening and answering questions..WOW!

This is his group that he sits with.
That little boy, in the blue, is very interesting!

At 2pm, I came home, picked up my 13 year old daughter, and went back to the school to pick up the 4th grader to take her to a visit with her father. From there, I made a pit stop at the mall for tights for my 13 year old.
When that was done, I drove back across town, stopped at home to get my books for ASL, and went to the bus stop to get 3 kids off the bus at 5:15. The bus was on time which is a shock for the first day of school.
I drove to BC, stopped behind the LA building, where I got out of the van and Bill got in..LOL I went to class, and he took 4 kids to a soccer meeting. The 4th grader that was at a visit was dropped off at the soccer meeting.
I enjoyed about 3 hours of getting to sit in a class and sign with friends from ASL1 that I took during the summer.
Now..I'm home. My kids have tons of paperwork for me to sign. How come my husband can't sign all of this??
So..tonight..sign paperwork for 5 kids, do English homework, do ASL homework, hang out laundry, and finish putting groceries away.
Tuesday..we (I) clean house!!

YGMTM #5: Lazy Day's of Summer are Ending

2009-08-22T11:26:00.000-07:00

This meme is hosted by Pam over at You're Gonna Miss This, where each week she post a picture of her oldest son playing football, and how much she is going to miss him after one more season.
Click on the button above to go visit her.

On to things I am going to miss..
School is starting..
so no more hoping on planes for 3 week vacations
(Princess uses that word very loosely)
to NY to play with(work for) grandparents.

No more quiet afternoons to hang out in a room
making race tracks,
and seeing which of the 1200 cars
in this house goes down the track the quickest.
No more Fun Fridays at our FFA.
No more groups of children playing games,
eating ice cream, or singing karaoke.

And finally, Jim Bob will be in school at his dad's,
which means even less time for him to be at my house,
and less time for him to help with things here.
He is turning into a man,
and that kinda scares me,
especially since I don't have control over what he does.
I'm going to miss all of these things, but I am looking forward to a busy fall.

Six Word Saturday #8

2009-08-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

Just click on the blog button to play along!

TWO more days till school starts!!

I'm just a little bit excited :)

My Kids Got Talent!

2009-08-21T22:16:00.000-07:00

The week before school started, the team that Piglet and Tigger are part of, had a Talent Contest. We had a lot of fun, and the kids enjoyed singing. Next time, I am going to find some CD's with kids songs. My kids don't know most popular songs from the '80's and '90's.

Here is Baby D looking for a song she can sing..

I can't find anything I know!!

++++++++++++++++++++++++
Tigger with his new support counselor, Kenny.

Man Cub and Tigger singing.

Piglet and Carolyn, her support counselor, singing.

A bunch of kids and Cole singing.

Don't you wish you were here?

Piglet, Buzz and Tigger singing one last song..

and then some videos for your enjoyment.

5 Question Friday #1

2009-08-21T21:18:00.000-07:00

Five Questions from My Little Life. Check her out. She's #1 on the blog hop below..but the rules first..

So, let's get hoppin'! In case you're new to this gig, here's the deets (you know, as in details...ahem, my poor excuse for being hip): Copy and paste the questions below to your blog post, answer them, grab the MckLinky Blog Hop code for the "Five Question Friday" Blog Hop, throw it into the html of your answered question post, then link up, mates! (Oooh, see, now I'm trying on my Aussie hat! Well, that...and I just saw Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaur--great flick, btw...)

Okay, so, yeah, the questions:

1. What is your biggest Pet Peeve? (Thanks, Meghan!)

People who don't take care of their kids. People who don't put their kids in car seats. People who don't change their kids diaper regularly. People who don't bathe their kids. People who do not clean the head lice out of their kids hair before sending them back to school. People who have 13 kids with unknown number of daddies and continue to screw up each child in their own special way. Do you want me to go on??

2. With no worries about finances, childcare, or travel time...where would you most want to vacation?
Germany! I as made and born there and I want to go see Tanja.

3. If your house was in the path of a tornado and you had time to grab 3 things before the house was totally destroyed (children, husband, pets are already out) what 3 items would you grab? (Thanks, A.!)
I live in California and we don't have tornado's, so if one was coming, there is no alarm system so I would probably die hanging up laundry or making a meal. Let's make this a fire and I have to get three things:1. My F Drive (lots of pictures stored on it) 2. My calender 3. Handmade Quilts

4. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? (Thanks, Keely!)
I would like to live in a state that knows how to balance its budget and have it signed on time.

5. What is your family's favorite home cooked meal?

My kids love Nacho Chicken Casserole from here.

Flashback Friday: Water Play! (August)

2009-08-21T16:32:00.000-07:00

August theme: “Water, Water Everywhere” -
post photos of lake, pool, sprinkler, ocean (you get the point) fun.

This picture is from Summer 1980.
In the picture, I am 4 years old.
My mother is the adult in the pool.
My brother, Steven, is the head that is on top of mine. He was about 2 years old.
I have no idea where this picture was taken, or who the other kids in the pool are :)
This picture is very dark but it is how my brothers got to play in the water.
We had a tub in the front yard, and we would fill it with water.
In this picture is my brothers, Steven and Robby(ert).
I don't know who the other kid is though :)
This was Summer 1988.

Thousand Word Thursday #5: Glasses and Brick Walls...NO!!!

2009-08-20T13:53:00.000-07:00

Tigger's lenses that were in the $400 glasses that he got the end of April.

Thankfully I got the warranty.

Using a brick wall to get the dirt off your lenses does not work well.

He has new lenses now...and has been scolded by everyone he comes in contact with..

Missing Mom Week #6/52

2009-08-20T12:31:00.000-07:00

This is the only picture on my camera with me in it from the last week.
In this picture is Bill, Baby D, myself, and my newest foster child, Ariel.
Is anyone else as excited as me about school starting??
That's all folks!

********************52 Weeks********************

52 Weeks is a year long challenge for YOU to be in a picture once a week for 52 weeks. We are always the ones behind the camera, this is YOUR chance to get out in front and be in the pictures with our family. We are glad you are joining this challenge. More importantly your family will really enjoy having you in the picture. Thanks for playing along! Oh, you can just jump in now with 1 of 52, you're not getting off that easy! Now go take a picture!

**************************************

Vlogemotions #1

2009-08-20T07:38:00.000-07:00

This is #1. I finally got the camera to cooperate, and the kids to give me a minute to myself.

The waiting is over!! Accutane Here We She Comes!

2009-08-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

Life is so hard sometimes, especially for a kid.

Here is Piglet waiting in line for the bathroom.
That carpet she is standing on..well that's where the line forms.

The day started exciting..and Princess also had a doctors appointment.
Everyone loaded up and we went on a fun little field trip to the doctors office.

Whats wrong in this picture?
Buzz knows it isn't him who is seeing the doctor, so he is all smiles.

Ariel and Piglet :)

Tigger with a big smile :)

With all of the kids, we got put in the BIG room. It was so much fun..NOT!
The doctor came in shortly thereafter, and looked at Princess' face.
She finally, after a year, agrees that Princess needs to be put on Accutane.
FINALLY!!
We have been coming to the doctor regularly for the past year and nothing is working.
The doctor goes and get the papers, and Princess signs them.
Princess has to pee in a cup for a pregnancy test, ( I will spare you the pictures) and of course it is negative. Now she starts birth control pills, and comes back in a month for the medicine to clear her face.
FINALLY!!
I'm not excited about the birth control pills or the strong medicine, but I am even less excited about the fact that her acne is scaring her face and the pigmentation is getting messed up.
We go back in one month for another pregnancy test, and to get the prescription to start this medicine.
Hopefully she will only be on it for 6 months, with a pregnancy test monthly, and then her face will be clear the rest of her life.

Princess singing her life away..
or signing she understands she can not get pregnant while on this medicine.
She says she isn't doing anything to get pregnant...and boys are GROSS!
She has 3 brothers..so she knows!

Last form..
See ya next month!

Oldies..But Goodies #2

2009-08-18T08:27:00.000-07:00

This was originally posted in May 6, 2009.

This picture is of Jim Bob. I had recently purchased for him the purple pants and the sweatshirt that has purple on it. He was so excited to be wearing this outfit to school (10th grade) that he was dancing. He was also excited because that weekend he did an extra credit assignment for Biology and it was going to improve his grade in that class.
The assignment was to draw and label a plant cell.

Posted to:

- Wordful Wednesday at 7 Clown Circus

- Wordless Wednesday at 5 Minutes For Mom I am Harriet and 3 kids and us

Want to play along with Oldies... but Goodies? Its simple. Click on the button above and head over to Ft. Thompson to find out how.

This is a super fun carnival and it so easy to do. It gives us the chance to read new things on your blog that we might have missed, or just never saw because we didn't follow your blog at the time.

So lets catch up! Join in the fun with Oldies... but Goodies!

Missing Mom Week #5/52

2009-08-13T09:24:00.000-07:00

So..I'm slacking some. Sorry, life is busy sometimes..

Here are my pictures for the past couple of weeks..

I'm there, really. I'm laying on Tigger's top bunk reading him a bedtime story. I didn't even know this picture was taken till I downloaded pictures from my camera to my computer.

This is at Chuck E. Cheese. I was trying to get Baby D to take a nap, but she was to busy watching what was going on.

This is at the water park. I was playing with Piglet, and we were making faces at Princess who had my camera.

Lastly, here is Jim Bob and I. I made him stand here and take a picture with me. Don't you know it isn't cool at 16 to take a picture with your mom?

Ultimate Recipe Swap: Speed Cooking

2009-08-13T08:51:00.000-07:00

There is (almost) always Grand's Biscuits in the fridge. We have learned the hard way that if you do not use them quickly enough, they will explode on you :)
We do biscuits for breakfast, but that gets boring (unless I have bought squeezable jelly) so I had to find something else to make.

..and this is what I found. The kids LOVE it!!

BBQ Beef Cups (or whatever meat you want to use)

INGREDIENTS

3/4 pound lean ground beef
1/2 cup barbeque sauce
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the cups of a muffin pan.
In a large heavy skillet over medium heat, cook beef until evenly brown. Drain excess fat. Stir in barbecue sauce and dried onion. Simmer for a few minutes over low heat.
Flatten each biscuit, and press into cups of the prepared muffin pan. Make sure the dough comes to the top of the pan. Spoon a portion of the meat mixture into each dough cup.
Bake in preheated oven for 12 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake for 3 more minutes.

My kids LOVE this..and it is very easy to make!

Oldies..But Goodies #1

2009-08-11T12:11:00.000-07:00

Isn't this a cute picture of Tim??

Check out his blog to play along :)

The idea of Oldies but Goodies is to repost old blog entries that some readers might have missed. My blog hasn't been around that long..but Tim said for me to play anyways..

So, today we go back to a May 2009, which takes us back to August of 1983.

Anyone get sick from time travel??

I was posting old photographs and telling about them.

Original Post:

My picture this week is from August 30th, 1983..
almost 26 years ago.
This picture is of all of my siblings. We are on the porch. The framing behind us is where our parents were building an addition onto the small house. The kids standing toward the back of the picture are our cousins with their mother.
OMG! I have on socks with my sandals..
and no one else has on shoes.
I must have thought that looked good in the heat of August..LOL

Jason's 33rd birthday is in less than 3 weeks.

Mellow Yellow Monday #5

2009-08-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Just a little bit of yellow in this beautiful flower..

Hope your Monday was Wonderful!

Not Me! Monday #6

2009-08-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

This meme is hosted by MckMama here.

What did I (not) do this week?

I did (not) leave the laundry for the weekend because my new washer only takes 2 loads to do an weeks worth of laundry.

I did (not) rush home from a visit on Thursday, Feed all children hot dogs, and then run right back out the door to another appointment. Thursday is (not!) my crazy day!

I did (not) go to get my van smogged, and then it did (not) fail the visual inspection. There is (not) some stupid arm piece broken. This stupid piece to repair does (not) cost several hundred dollars. I did (not) apply to the State of California for a program that will pay to have this arm fixed. Finally, I did (not) qualify for something.

I did (not) leave Piglets hair in 4 braids most of the week.

I did (not) take the kids for a bike ride, and then I did (not) tell Tigger that he had to (not) stay behind Piglet because I did (not) want to run after him to keep up.

Last week was (not) very stressful, and I am (not) glad that it is OVER!!

Look Mom! It's HUGE!

2009-08-10T09:20:00.001-07:00

Princess sent me this picture. I guess my mom or my grandma (in picture) finally decided to spoil her a little bit. Princess says the pizzas in NY are HUGE. hopefully she doesn't eat it all in one night.

Scenic Sundays #2

2009-08-09T14:02:00.000-07:00

The main focus in this picture is my kids. I also like this picture because of the huge tree, the green leaves, and the water (also green & nasty.)
This park is in the middle of the desert, but it is still so pretty.

***********************************************

Sometimes we are so busy with everyday life that we forget to appreciate the beauty that God has placed before us. Scenic Sundays are about stopping and smelling the roses. And while you're smelling those roses, take a picture so that others can share in your appreciation for the beauty of His creation. So pretty please come join us for Scenic Sundays. Maybe we'll see things in a different light.

Look!

2009-08-08T22:35:00.000-07:00

Be in(couraged)

Things that inspire me:

1. My husband

2. My children

3. The fact that I have been there, done that, and I know that Tigger and Piglet will make it.

4. The way my husband father's our children, and the fact he is willing to change.

5. Because of my childhood, I am a strong and protective mother. No one will be allowed to hurt my family or any of my children without facing me.

6. All of the amazing things that my children do daily.

7. Tigger and Piglet WANT to be a part of this family!

Rite Aid 8/8/09 I made money!

2009-08-08T22:07:00.000-07:00

I have been procrastinating all week about going to Rite Aid. I think I was still recovering from my Albertsons shopping spree from early this week.
I finally got to Rite Aid, and did four transactions.

The first transaction I spent $21.65 and will get a rebate of $26.47, giving me profit of $4.82.
The second transaction I spent $21.79 and will get a rebate of $14.77, so I paid $7.02.
The third transaction I spent $18.71 and will get a rebate of 18.77, giving me a profit of 6 cents.
The final transaction I spent $23.65 and will get a rebate of $26.47, giving me a profit of $2.82.

Overall, I spent $85.80, will get 86.48 in rebates which gives me a profit of 68 cents.
The store was also out of Natrol Probotic Supplements, so I got 2 rain checks and they will be free when I pick them up. I will make money when I use this coupon for $3 off each purchase.

In this picture, the group on the left is all stuff that is free after rebate.
The stuff on the right I either used a coupon on, or there is a partial rebate on.

Six Word Saturday #7

2009-08-08T11:05:00.000-07:00

Updating for last 2 months worth.

Small Talk Six #3: Six Things People Do That Make You Think They Are Beyond Lazy

2009-08-08T10:45:00.000-07:00

play here

6 things people do that you think are beyond lazy

1. People who ignore their children

2. People who do not bathe, put a clean diaper on, or change their child's clothing daily.

3. People who do not put laundry away in drawers and closets.

4. People who do not wash their hands after using the restroom.

5. People (my kids) not doing their chores before watching TV, playing on the computer, or going outside to play.

6. People who reschedule appointments, then don't show up on time.

Flashback Friday: Water Play!

2009-08-07T00:48:00.000-07:00

August theme: “Water, Water Everywhere” - post photos of lake, pool, sprinkler, ocean (you get the point) fun.

Our water fun is at the water park.

Here is Jim Bob and friends going down a slide.

Man Cub running in the water.

The girls (Princess, Piglet and I) swimming and talking.

and Tigger enjoying floating in his tube.

Piles of Coupons on my Desk!

2009-08-04T19:00:00.000-07:00

I printed a bunch of coupons on the 1st, and am still cutting them all out.
Next I am going to have to sort them and put them in the coupon binder.

One Little Monkey Jumping On The Bed In My Backyard!

2009-08-03T18:45:00.000-07:00

Man Cub took my camera outside and took these pictures.

Check out my little ~~monkey~~ Tigger.

..and one little Piglet :0)

Albertsons Start 7/29 week The $15 back on $30 order.

2009-07-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

This week at Albertsons if you spend $30 on a certain selection of food pictured on the back of the ad, you get $15 back to spend on a future purchase.
Well, tonight I went into Albertsons just to see how it all was working.
I picked up the stuff pictured above and headed to the register.
When I get there, my order is rung up, and when I hand the cashier my coupons, she calls a manager over. This manager tells me that the store does not accept internet coupons anymore. She stated she would do it this one time but she couldn't do it in the future. We had a couple of words, and she told me to call the manager in the morning. I can do that.

I paid $24.40 after coupons, and then got $15 back for my next purchase.

I came home, searched online for a coupon policy and ended up calling the customer service number. When I explained what had happened, the rep asked me for my information and told me he would send my complaint to the store manager.

Target Toy Clearance

2009-07-30T18:26:00.000-07:00

There was a major clearance at Target on their toys.
I went shopping and spent about $34 and got $145 worth of toys.

I also got each half gallon is Silk for 44 cents :)

CVS 7/29/09 SAVED $109.42

2009-07-29T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is two transactions at CVS.
The first transaction, I spent a total of $2.30 and saved $51.58.
The second transaction, I spent a total of $2.09 and saved $57.84.
All of the school supplies were free after ECB.
I love shopping at CVS!!

Chances are...

2009-07-29T13:48:00.000-07:00

.....if I am blogging again, summer school is over. (almost)

....if Piglet goes to her room, shes gonna come back out w/o shoes on.

....if I am talking long distance on the phone, one of the children will decide to be dieing.

...if Man Cub is putting his laundry basket in the laundry room, he is out of shorts.

...once a week my mom will finish at least one quilt, and need me to photograph it for Etsy.

....I will never get through all of my email, even if I did sit on my butt all day long!

...if Baby D is sleeping, Piglet is gonna wake her up.

...if there is something I should be doing, I'm procrastinating and blogging instead.

..if Bill is at home, he is playing Play Station with Man Cub.

..if Princess is awake, she needs to clean the litter box, feed her cats, and wash dishes but she is probably texting instead.

...if Buzz is going to hit his head, it is going to be on the train table.

Great Idea Carrie!!

Princess Goes To New York! Alternative Title: Mama Told You To Put Underwear In Your Carry-On!

2009-07-28T20:46:00.000-07:00

This morning, I took Princess and my mom, Princess' grandma, to the airport for their flight to New York.
They are going to visit my grama and grandpa.

Here is Princess and my mom walking into the airport.

Do you see the excitement on Princess' face?
Maybe it's to early..

Princess being issued a boarding pass and her very own personalized state issued ID card.

Typical teenager!
She covers her picture!

Going through security.
Her name matches on her ID and her boarding pass.

Now to go through the metal detectors. She wore flip flops so that part is easy. No belt..thats good. What about her retainers??

Look for the bright yellow...she made it through without having to be stripped searched!!
Yes that's a big deal after our trip coming back from Walt Disney World.

Princess learned the hard way that she should carry a pillow and blanket with her on trips where you're traveling cross country..you might have to sleep in an airport.
In this same trip, she learned the importance of packing clean underwear in her carry-on, but she forgot that fact.

Princess and my mom made it to PHX on time. In PHX, there was a delay because the plane's air conditioner was broken. The plane left for PHL just over an hour late. They landed at PHI at 6:19pm, and had to run from Terminal C to Terminal F, to get on the next plane. Boarding for the next flight had already started and was closed at 6:24pm. There was a tense couple of minutes, different people were talked to, and the door was opened so that Princess and my mom could get on their flight to BGM. They made it on the plane, but their luggage did not.
This is where "Mama told you to pack clean underwear in your carry-on" comes into play.
They received their luggage the next afternoon.

Let's see what happens on their way home...

Children, My Camera, and Their Close-Ups

2009-07-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

Man Cub has learned to use my camera to take pictures.
I never know what I am going to find when I download the pictures to my computer.
I think he has learned the art of sticking a camera in someones face and clicking..
Maybe he can be paparazzi when he is an adult.

You agree??

Tigger Plays UNO!

2009-07-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Tigger's friend came again today and we all sat down and played Uno!

The Adventures of Baby D:)

2009-07-26T17:10:00.000-07:00

So..the typical Sunday starts out with Baby D getting here early, and one bored 10 year old Man Cub.

Man Cub was given the camera and told to take pictures of Baby D.
The following is the adventure that took place..

Baby D heads for Princess' room.

Who's following me?

stop and smile at the camera man.

ok..off to see what else I can find.

Whats this??

Posing by the bags. Do I look like I have been shopping?

Entering the living room, Baby D runs into Tigger. Lets play :)

I like the "Take off Your Sock While Staying Upright" game.

Almost got it..

I'm not down till my head is in the floor!

Tigger is making weird faces..

I'm stuck under the couch. I need help please..

Time to go back down the hallway..

I want to play in Grandma's room.

Back in the living room, playing with the camera man (Man Cub).

What?? I'm not looking!

I think I will file..

This is fun..

How do I file if I can't get it open??

I'm going back to Grandma's room!

..and she exit's stage left..

Hello, My name is Kimberly..

2009-07-22T16:56:00.000-07:00

..and I am a couponing addict.

Princess and I cutting, sorting, and filing coupons into Daphne, my coupon binder.

MckLinky Weekly Blog Hop #3 - Favorite Recipes

2009-07-20T22:35:00.000-07:00

This weeks MckLinky theme is favorite recipe or dish.

I am not a lover of cooking, but because I have 5 kids and a daycare, I occasionally have to cook.

One of my favorite recipes is

Chicken Biscuit Pie

INGREDIENTS

1/3 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
2/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup frozen green peas
1 cup frozen diced carrots
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken meat
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons shortening
3/4 cup milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Butter a 2 quart casserole dish.
In a large saucepan, saute chopped onion in the butter. Stir in flour and cook for 1 minute. Add chicken broth and milk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Cook for 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add frozen peas and carrots and cooked chicken. Pour into buttered 2 quart casserole dish.
In a medium bowl, mix together 2 cups flour, baking powder, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening until mixture is crumbly. Stir in milk just until dough is moistened, then drop by spoonfuls onto chicken mixture.
Bake at 450 degrees F (230 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown, and cooked on the bottom. This tends to bubble over so I place a piece of aluminum foil under the pan to catch the drips.

My kids and I LOVE this and often finish one dish just for dinner.

Tigger & The Punching Bag

2009-07-20T16:47:00.000-07:00

Tigger & Piglet each have a new friend who comes to our home twice a week to spend time with each of them.
One day, Tigger and his friend were talking about ways Tigger could deal with his anger. They each put on boxing gloves and went outside to punch the punching bag.

Tigger wanted to swing the bag, not hit it.

Tigger is done!
Punching the punching bag is not as fun as it sounded :)

Baby D Dancing With Daddy!

2009-07-20T12:39:00.000-07:00

Baby D loves dancing right now.

..and of course hugs from Daddy :)

RTT #8: Unity Through Humility @ Deaf Church 7/19

2009-07-19T23:48:00.000-07:00

Its Sunday..and I am sitting in Deaf Church again..today with 4 of my 5 kids. I had Jim Bob, Man Cub, Tigger & Piglet.

The children usually go into a class for the young kids, but this week it is canceled because the adults in charge are busy at a family reunion. I happen to see the Mr at Costco. Looks like its gonna be a fun weekend for them.

So..anyway, back at church..my ADD kicked in big time this week with all of the kids, and all of the surrounding noise. My kids were very well behaved during the service. Tigger kept asking me what different signs meant.

There were a lot of people in the service this morning. Pastor Jeff preached about humility, and how when Jesus came to Earth, became a slave, and allowed himself to be crucified he was being humble. Jesus' name is higher than any other name in heaven, on earth, or under the earth.

E colored her hair this last week. It is RED! It's really different.

There are 5 people from Deaf Church going to Hawaii. They will leave on Wednesday, and be gone for 11 days. I wish someone had room in their suitcase for me.

There was a swimming fellowship tonight at K's house. I was going to take the kids, but Jim Bob had to be home, I had to walk my mother, and I also had to get caught up on homework. I figure since I took Friday off and had a fun day..it is time to get to work..

I've so missed my blog!

Baby D Wakes Up Princess..

2009-07-19T12:30:00.000-07:00

So Baby D comes in one morning and she wants her Princess.
Baby D actually says Princess' name.
So I took Baby D to wake the Princess up!

Who's in MY bed?
Sounds just like a Princess, huh?

Good Morning!

Here..play with yellow kitty.

HELP! She's sleeping again!

My sweet baby!

Does Piglet looks like Jim Bob..

2009-07-18T13:22:00.000-07:00

or does Jim Bob look like Piglet??

They both have three pony tails..

and BIG smiles!!

Wild Water Friday!!

2009-07-17T23:44:00.000-07:00

On 7/17, a Friday, I took all of my kids and went with my friends family to Wild Water Park in Clovis, Ca. We got there right before the park opened, and stayed till it closed.

Princess & Piglet

My friend and her daughter

Tigger loving the tube.

Bill walking back to the cabana..

Tigger floating to somewhere..

WHAT??

Princess...not feeling the kiddie pool or slides.

Jim Bob :)

Jim Bob & friends

Tigger loving the slide :)

Man Cub running in the water.

Piglet loving the water.

Playing peek-a-boo through a chair.

Man Cub and Princess riding their dad like he is a water horse.

Water horse not happy, and the bunny ears have appeared.

NAPTIME!

All babies love Bill!

Piglet and I making faces..

Piglet and I swimming..

Jim Bob and Tigger having a deep discussion..LOL

Piglet..getting tired.

Oh look! Jim Bob is back.
He had been running all over the park all day with his friends. I saw him for a couple of minutes when he asked for lunch, a drink, or one of the tubes.

PROOF!
I'm taller than him.
Of course I'm standing on the shallower end of the pool, and on my tippy toes while holding him down..hehe

Princess, Piglet and I swimming and talking..

The day was very nice!!
I think next year we might buy season passes and go very often!

Six Word Saturday #6

2009-07-17T23:12:00.000-07:00

Recovering from Friday..and doing homework!!

Pictures from Friday to be posted soon..

Tigger & Vision Therapy

2009-07-15T15:38:00.000-07:00

Here we have another fun time doing Vision Therapy.
What Tigger has to do is copy what I have done with the blocks on my paper.
When he first started this, he could copy 2 or 3 blocks. If there were more, it was to hard.
He just keeps practicing..

Just a small change..
He is a perfectionist!

DONE!

One more exercise DONE!

RTT #7 Making The Seed Grow @ Deaf Church 7/12/09

2009-07-14T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well..

I never just do something half way. I will find something that I ~~like~~ love, and jump in with both feet till it consumes me and other things begin to suffer. Well, right now that thing I am so consumed by is Deaf Church activities, and my ASL class.

Of course, there are still my wonderful youngest children and all of their issues, which just add more stress to my life..but that's for another post, another day.

This week in Deaf Church was "Who Makes The Seed Grow?"

Basically, the farmer has to plant the seed, then water it, and tend to it before it will produce anything. As humans, God puts the seed in our hearts to know him, the people we fellowship with at church, and the pastor, feed and water that seed, and what is produced in the end is a strong christian who will go out and help the seed grow in other new believers.

Again, this week, Pastor Jeff used the stage to compare and contrast. One side of the stage was the things the farmer does to make sure his crop grows and that there is a large harvest. The other side of the stage was what God does for us, our relationship with him, and the fellowship we have with each other so we can continue to grow.

After church was Baked Potato and Salad Potluck. I took Princess, Man Cub, Buzz, Tigger, Piglet, and Baby D with me. Yes I am brave :) When I got into the Activity Center, the kids immediately went for the fuse ball table. I told them they could play as long as they were quiet.

Each child took in their surroundings differently. Tigger asked how come so many people were using their hands instead of just talking. I plugged his ears, talked to him, then unplugged his ears, and asked if he could hear me. He said No, then I went on to explain he is in Vision Therapy to teach his eyes to work with his brain...but sometimes a body part just doesn't work. He seemed ok with that answer..

Buzz watched my hands, and A's hands as we were talking about our classes at BC. Lucky A is in a 6 week class so she will be done before me. A is also selling Avon and gave me a book :)

During one of my runs between my table (with all of the kids) and the table with all of the food, R waved at me to come to his table. I walked over there and he showed me some hot sauce that he wanted me to try. I signed to him that I do not like hot foods, sauces. He was kinda making fun of me..LOL I then signed to him that I am a white girl, and I do not need or want hair on my chest. The whole table understood what I signed and started laughing. R stated he had hair all over his body because he has been eating it on everything for so long. I signed back that it is ok for a man to have have hair on their chest, but that my husband might have an issue with me having a hairy chest.

Awhile later, I talked to C for a little while. She is so excited about her cruise to Hawaii. A cruise would be so much fun right now, but I have to finish my college class..something about an exit interview. O well..next time, right? I told C to make sure to take lots of pictures because I want to see them.

While C and I were talking, there was some commotion going on at the next table. One young lady had a new Purple Netbook. The people who were around her were watching as Pastor Jeff was talking (signing) through a web cam to someone else. This Purple Netbook is tiny! We have talked in class about how people can communicate, especially via telephone or cell phone, but this Purple Netbook is so tiny, can be carried anywhere, and making or receiving a phone call it just right there.

About 3pm, people were leaving. I helped clean off the tables, get dishes into the kitchen, and attempted to stack the chairs but there were to heavy.

All of the kids had a great time also and keep asking when the next potluck is..

Piglet & Baby D

Tigger

Baby D and The Tongue!

Piglet, Baby D and Princess

Piglet smuthering Baby D.

Rite Aid 7/12/09 Saved $7 in coupons

2009-07-13T12:00:00.000-07:00

This is one purchase at Rite Aid.
My total was $21.18
The candy was all of clearance.
The razor has a rebate, and I used a $2 coupon, making $2 by purchasing it.
The composition books were buy 1, get 2 free.

Walgreens 7/12/09 SAVED $205.74

2009-07-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

This is from Walgreens.
I did three transactions.
The first transaction total was $113.93 and I saved $124.55.
The second transaction total was $17.31 and I saved $7.37.
The third transaction total was $1.36 and I saved $73.82.

A lot of the items from the first purchase, and from last weeks purchases had Register Rewards. On the third purchase, I used $28 worth of Register Rewards.
To learn how to do this, read here.

CVS 7/12/09 SAVED $98.50

2009-07-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

This is two transactions at CVS on 7/13/09
The first transaction total was $18.77 and saved $55.68.
The second transaction total was $2.44 and I saved $42.82.
All of the school supplies were free after ECB.

Kmart Double Coupons and Toy Clearence

2009-07-11T22:45:00.000-07:00

I love when Kmart has Double Coupon Weeks!
This is one of the times I clean out my coupon binder and buy stuff for pennies.
Below are the pictures of the stuff that I bought on 7/12/09.
My total was $160.83.

Eye shadow for Princess, my helper.

All of food.

Baby stuff, Oust, wet pet food covers, and mascara.

Playdoh heaven, card games, fuzzy posters, and several small electronic games that were on clearance too.

New school shoes for Tigger :)
Yes I had a coupon for them :)

Walgreens 7/11/09 SAVED $20.00

2009-07-11T20:16:00.000-07:00

This wasn't a very good Walgreens week..and ~~I have lost the receipt.~~
I have found the receipt.

There is a picture though..and I know the Jif was 2/$4 and I had a coupon.
The cookies/crackers were 4/$10 and I had a coupon for these choices.
The total after coupons was $4.80.

Rite Aid 7/11/09 Saved $6.75 in coupons

2009-07-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

This is from Rite Aid this week.
I spent $36.85 total.
Rite Aid is different than CVS or Walgreens.
Rite Aid has certain items that are 'free after rebate' so I buy them during the month, and at the end of the month, I get a check for the total amount of all of my rebates.

CVS 7/11/09 SAVED $81.22

2009-07-11T20:08:00.000-07:00

This week at CVS I made 2 transactions.
Each transactions total was $28.70.
The amount saved on each transaction was $40.61.

Another Chuck E. Cheese Outing..

2009-07-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

So..here it was..time for another outing to Chuck E Cheese.
The kids LOVE this place!

Princess and Piglet riding roller coasters.

Baby D checking out Riding in Cars with a Mouse.

Bill & Tigger shooting the bad guys.

Princess was off playing with Baby D when Baby D's Aunt Stephanie spotted her and wanted to know who she was with. Baby D was not excited that her play time was interrupted.

Back at play!
Princess and Bay D at the pinball machine and Bill still shooting..

Princess takes Baby D to meet The Mouse!

Man Cub on a football game..Of Course!

Holding Baby D and trying to convince her to take a nap...which didn't happen.

Tigger riding the roller coaster now.

Baby D being cute.

Tigger & Man Cub riding the roller coaster.

Princess and Baby D on the Monster Truck. Baby D was NOT impressed!
I think because she needed a nap, she was not going to enjoy anything!...

..but Princess wasn't done playing with her. She had to ride the carousel still..

..and be on Cheese TV.
You can see Baby D is officially DONE here!

Then we went home and everyone napped.
Happy Ending :)

Missing Mom Week #4/52

2009-07-09T23:02:00.000-07:00

Alternative Title:
Why Did Hubby Take Pictures Of THESE People??

So, I am thinking that I can make Deaf Pizza Night and a Missing Mom post all at one time, good for me, right? One problem! Dear Hubby had the camera at Deaf Pizza Night, and he took the following pictures. Can someone explain this to me please?

ok, the baby is cute. Her mama is in my class, and her daddy came to the pizza party too. He learned about his wife living on a boat with another classmate. He wasn't to happy..LOL

Had to explain to him how important the 5 parameters are :)

All classmates, except that baby in the middle of the picture. She's cute too!

D- THE guy who LOVES the Llama Song!

Whats Llama in ASL?

I know several people in this picture, including Pastor Jeff.

The highlight of the evening was when Pastor Jeff and I were talking about upcoming Potato and Salad Potluck. I had asked him what was needed, and told him I would bring soda (and cheese, and baby food.) Then Pastor Jeff looked at Bill, and most people know how this conversation goes. Pastor Jeff signs to Bill, who looks to me, and I tell Bill that Pastor Jeff wants to know if he use to work at BC. Yes, Bill works at BC, and has for 30+ years.

Next Jeff signs about when he went to BC, and his home was the dorms. He played football in '86. He played 3 games and then quit because he wanted to spend more time on his classes. Bill was there during that time, and so Pastor Jeff started finger spelling all of the names of players at that time. I SUCK at finger spelling..wait..spelling in general, then to add names to it too. Eventually, everyone realized that Bill didn't know the players that played when Pastor Jeff did. One player was Greg Allen, and Pastor Jeff and him had been room mates when they lived in the dorms. I was amazed at how much I understood, and then was able to tell Bill, then sign his answer back.

Pastor Jeff then signed a story about the last time he saw Greg Allen was in FL. They had both played football at BC, then moved to FL but not together. Pastor Jeff said they parked next to each other in a parking lot. He remembers it so well because of being parked next to a police man (this is important later). He got out of his car, looked at the police man and realized it was Greg. They visited for a little while. Greg had quit playing football when he hurt his knee but was able to be a police man in FL.

While Pastor Jeff is signing this story, K, a classmate and I are sitting across from each other at this table, and Pastor Jeff is at the end of it. We both understood what was going on till Jeff did our teachers name sign, a C on his chest, then we were lost. When Jeff retold that part of the story we understood that Greg was a police man, and that our teacher was not in Florida in the same parking lot. K and I had a good laugh over that.

There weren't as many people at this Deaf Pizza Night as there was last time. Several people were discussing the baseball game on Friday night. Other's were discussing class, and how there had been no class all week. I know not having to go to class got me out of my routine.

I was there about 1 1/2 hours, then Princess wanted to go home so she could eat.

..and just so there is a picture of me in this post..with a child..I take you back to a JCPenny's dressing room where Princess and I can wear the same shirt. She has one year till high school, and I keep telling her I'm going to be in her closet ALL THE TIME!

Time for a Puppet Show Dance

2009-07-09T13:30:00.000-07:00

Time for a Puppet Show with the Special Needs puppets.

On the right (Piglet's right) we have a boy in a wheelchair.
Piglet says he likes to play basketball, and jumprope.

The puppets were singing too..

Piglet happy to have her puppet show recorded in pictures :)

RTT #6: Deaf Church 7/5/09

2009-07-07T12:04:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday again..so off to Deaf Church we go..

This week I have Jim Bob with me. He was given the choice to go into big (hearing) church or to go into Deaf Church with me. He thought he wanted to go to hearing church with grandma until he found out that he would have to sit by himself because Grandma and Princess go into the Mother's Room with Baby D during the service.

Jim Bob decided that he would go with me. He told me that he hoped no one expected him to sign cause he doesn't know anything. That attitude he had 2 weeks ago went away quickly when he realized maybe he should have been paying attention..LOL

Before dropping kids off in all of their classes, we ran into Pastor Jeff. He asked if this was my family. I replied yes, and was able to introduce everyone. Pastor Jeff asked if I was coming to Deaf Church. I signed yes after I dropped off all of the children.

I reminded Jim Bob that he knew how to sign Hi, and then he could sign with and mom, then point to me..hehe He was ok with that. Once we got there, he saw the donuts and decided he LOVES Deaf Church. That's a teenage boy for you!

Before the service started, I had introduced Jim Bob to several people. He just signed Hi, repeatedly..LOL I talked to A (from 1st pizza party). I reminded her how I only had 3 of my children that night because the other 2 were at home. She said she remembered. I told her that Jim Bob was one that was at home. A commented he was tall and that we look alike.

Next while I was sitting down talking to Jim Bob and reminding him what signs he did know, as well as telling him what was going to happen during the service, C came over and said Good Morning and asked me who Jim Bob was. I told her that he is my son, and finger spelled his name. C signed Hi to Jim Bob, then signed nice to meet you. Jim Bob looked at me..WHAT? I then taught him how to do the sign, and its meaning.

Music was good. The regular sound person wasn't there so someone else was trying to do it. The music ended up just being signed w/o music.

The message started with Pastor Jeff talking about the previous night. There had been fireworks and celebrations..but for what?

I know it is because thats when the Declaration of Independence was signed...but I am not about to finger spell that all out..LOL I signed writing (signing) of paper (by) old man. I got the idea..and so did C because we both were laughing.

The signing of the Declaration of Independence gave the people who lived in America the freedom to live as they wanted to and to be free from the ruling of England.

Jesus dying on the cross gave us the freedom to be free from sin. Like the people who choose to live in America, we can choose to live a life free of sin.

I noticed that when Pastor Jeff was talking about our freedom because we live in the US, he was on one side of the stage, and then he used the other side of the stage when he talked about our freedom from sin because of Jesus.

After church, I talked to C. She asked me about class and how it was going. Of course class is still fun..except for that videotaping part.

After that M waved at me. She asked me what my name was again because she had forgotten. I signed Kimberly, and she remembered Kim. I told her that since I was getting faster at finger spelling, and actually getting a thought out, I was doing Kimberly. She laughed and said she understood.

C came back to me and asked if I was coming to the potluck the next week? I asked her if I could bring my children, cause the potluck is for Deaf Church, not the whole church. She told me yes, I could bring my whole family.
Cool! My kids love pizza night, so I am sure they will love potluck at church also.

There is also a pool party the week after. I can go to that to..now to find out if I can get class community hours for it :)

MckLinky Weekly Blog Hop #2 - Favorite Photo

2009-07-07T09:07:00.000-07:00

Good Morning,
Several of my favorite photos were taken in January 2008 when my family went to Walt Disney World for a week. Princess won the trip from American Heart Association for jump roping.
At first I was not excited about the long lines to see the characters, but once we got to the characters, they had such personality, that I quickly became addicted.

I am looking forward to taking Tigger & Piglet to WDW someday in the future, after their adoption is final, of course :)

***This week, on TUESDAY, 7/7/09, the theme is A FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH. Post up one of your favorite photographs and a caption that tells the audience about it. ***

Rewarding Piglet for "Acting Like A Big Girl" Alternate Title: "Letting Piglet Sift Through The Kitty Poop"

2009-07-06T09:18:00.000-07:00

So, Piglet has good days, and bad days.
We want good days, so we reward her for the good days.
One of the things that Piglet LOVES to do is clean the litter box, feed the cats, and give the cats fresh water.
BINGO!
Piglet is rewarded for her good behavior by being allowed to take care of these items.
This delights Princess because then she doesn't have to do it..hehe

Sorry folks, Piglet is not available for rent.

This picture is dark, but do you see that smile??

Hard at work!

For all those other questions..
Yes she is supervised. Yes she does a good job. Yes she washes her hands when she finishes.

Walgreens 7/4/09 SAVED $253.32

2009-07-04T23:55:00.000-07:00

This picture is from 7/4/09. It is all of the items bought at Walgreens. I did two identical transactions. The total for each transaction was 123.66. With sale items and coupons, I saved $126.66 on each transaction!

CVS 7/3/09 SAVED $241.31

2009-07-03T21:41:00.000-07:00

I think I am addicted to shopping and saving..and especially getting stuff for free.
Whats even better is being paid to take stuff out of the store.
This was my trip to CVS. I did 2 transactions.
The first transaction was $62.29 and I saved $145.36 between sales and coupons.
Transaction #2 was $21.03 and I saved $95.95 between sales and coupons.
This picture is everything piled on my table.

MckLinky Weekly Blog Hop #1- Introductions

2009-07-03T00:05:00.000-07:00

Each month MckLinky will host a “blog hop”. All participants are invited to put up a post on the same day and post the SAME MckLinky list as everyone else. Everyone who participates is automatically registered to win $100. It’s also a wonderful way to hop from blog to blog discovered new people and make some friends along the way!

This month’s theme is Blog Introductions.

Hello, My name is Kimberly.
So, whats this blog about?
As you can see from the header, this is just a place for me to keep track of the things that are happening in the life of all of my children. I also do several meme's through out the week when I have time. In those you will find pictures from my childhood, my childrens childhood, and some other embarrassing stuff.

I figure one day, I will have this blog printed as a book and then all of my thoughts will be recorded for the future generations..right?

Photostory Friday #5 - One last text message..

2009-07-03T00:04:00.000-07:00

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The past couple of weeks have been hard, very hard!
My normal every day life is filled with twist and turns that can not be predicted or planned for.

Just when you think everything will be ok..you get a text message..and all of the emotions flood your veins again.

Last night (Wednesday), at 9:45pm, I received the last text message from my littlest brother that I will get for a long time. The text message was the picture below, and it said "Here we go..Leaving Indiana".
Robert is no longer in the US. By now he has landed in Afghanistan.

I went to class tonight (Thursday) and figured I would be ok. I'm a big girl.
We had a guest speaker so the night was going to be easy. The guest speakers name is Skippy, which actually is a nickname. He talked about different phones and how each phone worked for people with a certain disability. When he was done speaking, he asked if there was any questions. Someone asked him if Skippy was his real name. He replied no, and finger spelled his real name. The teacher, who was interpreting, didn't get it the first time, but I did. I had to hold it together to not start crying in class. Skippy's real name is Robert.

I love you Robert!!!

I'm Looking At You, Kid!

2009-07-02T12:35:00.000-07:00

I love these eyes!!

Baby D is standing very well now!
She will be cruising any day now!

Thousand Word Thursday #5: Deaf Pizza Night

2009-07-02T12:08:00.000-07:00

Click on the above blog button to see what others have posted for Thousand Word Thursday.

So..most people know that I am in a summer school ASL class which is totally cutting into my real life time, but the class is a blast..and I love it! I wish all of my classes were this fun!

Last week was the first week of Deaf Pizza Night. The entire class had to drive clear across town to the pizza place (arm stretched out, pointing away from body) . I look Princess, Tigger & Piglet. Man Cub was asked if he wanted to go and he said no because he already knew enough sign language.
Whatever! His loss.

We got to the pizza place, went in and waited for the teacher to arrive. She checked homework, assigned more homework and told us to go have fun. I was hungry so I ordered pizza for the kids and myself.

While waiting for the pizza, I sat down across from a lady named A.
We did the normal hello, my name is, are you deaf?, and I am hearing.
I also signed that I was in an ASL class at BC.
At this point, one of my children asked me a question and I looked at them to answer.
A asked me if the children were mine.
I replied yes, and signed their names, ages and told her about the missing 2 children.
This is were my mind goes blank..LOL What other signs and questions do I know?
Oh work..LOL..I asked her if she worked, she said no.
She asked if I worked, and I told her about daycare (still finger spelling it out).
She asked how many kids in my daycare, and I told her 5 most days.
She does quick math and ask me if I have all 10 kids all day then.
I replied yes.
She tells me that it is a lot.
I tell her that it is fun.
The older kids help with the younger kids, and we are all basically one big family.
Then she tells me that I sound like the Duggar lady that has just had baby #18.
NO WAY!..but I can see her point too.
We then talked about the Duggar family and how the oldest son is married and
already has one child.
We agreed that all of the children are very sheltered because of them being home schooled and only knowing their way of life.
I asked A if she had any children?
She replied no and that she lost a baby 5 years ago.
Then my pizza came to the table and the kids started to eat.
A told me to go eat with the kids.
I told her it was nice to meet her, and went to eat with the kids.

So, I told Princess to take pictures, and she didn't take a lot..dang child.
This is me eating and trying to sign at the same time with my friend, Chris.
We were talking about the deaths that day- Farrah and Michael Jackson.

After pizza was gone, Princess took Tigger & Piglet into the game room where they played for HOURS with no money. Princess had her cell phone and text messaged most of the night.
After I was finished eating, I went to the back near the games and told the kids they could come sign with the adults or play quietly. Of course they wanted to play.
All of a sudden there was a big group gathered near the front door. Another classmate was in the back, near where I was, asking for a wet towel. I figured someone spilt soda..no big deal. The person behind the counter tried to hand the student a rag that had been in dirty water and the student said NO, I need a clean towel for a student to cool her down. I didn't realize what was happening, but the kids were fine in the back and I was heading toward the front to go find someone to sign with. I ended up following the student with the wet towel back to the front, and realized that it was a VERY pregnant classmate that had been choking. She was freaking out, but a different classmate who is a medical guy (LOL) did the heimlich manuver on her and dislodged her pizza. The cold wet town was put on her neck and she calmed down, but refused to call her husband because she didn't want him to worry about her. I was talking to her and telling her that she didn't need to be going into labor yet. She has to finish ASL class first. The guy that did the heimlich on her came over and apoligized for touching her inappropietly. She told him she was thankful cause she was freaking out. She said her life was flashing before her eyes and what was going to happen. The people at the table were now laughing about the incident, since it was over. I told her no more food, and no more drinking tonight. Everyone was laughing including a man sitting at the next table. I told pregnant student to go sign and play nice, then went and said signed hello to the man at the next table.

This mans name is M. We did the hello, my name is, are you deaf, I am hearing stuff.
I asked him if he worked?
He is waiting for SDI (?) to kick in.
When the weather is good, he works at a nearby car wash.
He is 44 years old. He is not married, never has been, but wants to be.
We talked about my children who were still playing in the back game room but came out to ask for more soda.
M stated that he loves children and has always wanted to have a lot of kids.
M and I talked about summer school, why I was taking ASL and did I like it.
M has been deaf since birth.
At one point we were discussing months, and I learned that all of the months are finger spelled. When finger spelling the months, I can use the abbreviations for each month;
Jan, Feb, Mar and so on.
M also showed me the signs for the major holidays.
At a point in our conversation he notices that I have a pierced tongue.
He starts laughing like crazy and pointing to his tongue, then me.
I was trying to figure out what he was laughing about, when he tells me that he has several piercings himself, and where they are located on his body.
I told him I have each ear pieced twice, and my tongue.
I was laughing after wards because my teacher is always telling the class that something is this way or that way because that's just Deaf culture.
I guess I will write this conversation in the book of experiences with Deaf culture..LOL I had a lot of fun talking and learning with him.

I checked on my kids again, and they were still good and having fun. Most of the class by now had migrated to the large side room full of long tables. Several conversations were going on, and I just kind of stood along the side of the room and just watched different people interacting. At one point, I made it to the other end of the room where classmates were talking and signing with several Deaf men, who were also speaking as they signed.
I began signing with a classmate, M, who is Deaf.
She asked me about Chris, my friends husband who is in the same class with me.
She thought we were married.
I told her no, but that we have been friends for a very long time because
his wife and I both do child care out of our homes.
I told her that we often get all of our kids together and do field trips.
Somewhere there ended up being a problem communicating because when I told her that
Chris, his wife and I get all of our kids together for field trips to
CALM, bowling, movies, etc there is a total of up to 28 kids.
She thought that I said Chris and I have 28 kids.
The look of shock on her face..LOL
OK..time to back up and try this again..LOL
I finally got my idea across and she was glad I didn't have 28 kids.

This picture is in the backroom where we were having to much fun!
The night was very fun.
My kids were very well behaved but were disappointed that they didn't get to
finger spell their name more often :(
Its hard being a kid sometimes.

I'm looking forward to the next pizza party!

Maggie, the Curtain, and the Sun

2009-06-30T12:24:00.000-07:00

MAGGIE!!
You know how your mother always told you that you were going to someday have a child that was just like you? Well, Maggie belongs to Princess, and someday Princess is going to have a child with a pet that wants to see the sun, and is willing to tear apart window fixtures to get to the sun!
Doesn't she look like she is having a great time sun bathing??

See the curtain rod??

One picture was ok..why are you taking more??

Thats enough! I'm going to hide.

WHAT?!?!

EXCUSE ME!

Will get picture and any cost. Princess went outside and took the picture through the window!

RTT #5: Deaf Church 6/28/09

2009-06-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Well..the blog is trying to survive..but has turned into what can I do to kill two birds with one stone? Right now, posting a blog and getting a homework assignment done at the same time is pretty darn cool..and a great use of my time since I am procrastinator major!

I did not go to church on 6/21 because I was in Nevada, attending my baby brothers wedding and visiting with him before he deployed to Afghanistan.

However, this week, I returned.

The same as two weeks ago. I arrived at the church with my family in tow. I got them all tucked nice and safe into their classes, and then headed to Deaf Church.

This week was totally different than two weeks ago.

This week, I was not as nervous, and I actually knew more signs so I felt more comfortable.

I signed with Pastor Jeff. He asked about my trip to see my brother. I told him that it was stressful but I was glad I went and got to visit with my brother. He asked me how my ASL class was going and did I like it? I told him that I love it and am having so much fun! I love going to class! He asked me why I was taking ASL? I told him because it met my foreign language requirement. Pastor Jeff then taught me the sign for foreign and requirement. He told me that he was glad I was there.

Several minutes later, M, smiles at me and ask me if I am deaf or hearing. I sign back that I am hearing but am learning ASL. She ask me why? I laugh because I was just taught this by Pastor Jeff. I sign to M, foreign language requirement. She tells me to enjoy the service.

As the service starts, C, sits beside me and signs Good Morning.

The service is basically the same as it was two weeks ago. I love the music. Some of the signs I have learned and can figure out what the song is, and the others, I just sign along and eventually figure out the meaning.

The message was from Matthew, about when Jesus was asking his disciples who the people thought he was. Of course everyone thought he was someone other than Jesus. When Jesus asked his disciples the same question, Simon Peter replied that he was The Christ, Son of the Living God. Jesus told Simon Peter that he was blessed because his Father had shown him who he was, no one had told him. Jesus also told Simon Peter that he is Peter and that He will build his church on the rock.

This is where Pastor Jeff stopped and explained Peter's name sign.

(Side Bar) Most names are finger spelled until you are given a name sign by the Deaf Community. The name sign can come from a variety of places; something you did, a characteristic, your personality, etc.

Peters name sign is a P on the back of a fist. The P for Peter, and the fist represents the rock.

I had just figured out the week before what the deal with name signs was, so when I got this story, it all of a sudden came together for me.

After church, I met RR. He had his cell phone out and was passing it around to people. He told me about his friend being at Wal*Mart, checking out a gun, and then he pulled the trigger and shot his toe off. Then he had pictures on his cell phone..that's what he was sharing. The first time he told me, I thought he said that he had done this, then the next time he told the story to another person, I caught that it was his friend, not him. I missed one sign and totally ad the wrong person...geez!

I also met C, and her husband, J. C asked me how my class was going, how was my trip to go see my brother, if I understood the service, and I was shocked at myself that I was able to understand what she was signing and then respond. Previously, I had to watch what was signed, think about it, then figure out how to respond with the signs I knew, then actually sign it. Just two weeks later, signing doesn't take as much thought..it just happens!

As this conversation ended, my kids started coming in to get me because they were ready to go...

I am understanding more..and it is fun to actually be able to understand what is being signed and be able to reply :)

Baby D wants to GO!

2009-06-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

Alternative title: Let's crawl all over Daddy!

Baby D wants to GO!
When she is crawling, it is a very fast crawl and every so often she will get up on her feet and try to crawl on hands and feet.

Sorry these pictures are fuzzy. One of the kids took the pictures, and they messed with the settings on the camera.

So..Bill shows her how to stand up.

Baby D looks around..totally different world from up here :)

Squealing with delight.

Oh..look..the TV.

Then she stands by herself (kinda propped up on Bill)

Even with the fuzzy picture, you can see her smile.

Looking back at Bill, You want me to do what?

Move my feet? ok.
and off she goes...

Missing Mom Week #3/52

2009-06-25T19:00:00.000-07:00

Click on the blog button to see where other mom's have been found in pictures :)

This week was easy for me to be in a picture.
My youngest brother got married so, of course, everyone was clean, dressed in matching clothing, and we got a picture.

In this picture is
Man Cub, Buzz
Kimberly, Justine, Robert, Jim Bob, Princess
In the back is Bill.

Then we had time to kill..and the kids went and played..and my two oldest posed for a picture with me.
Aren't we just to cute?

That's it for this week..

Wednesdays Walk #6 - Tigger's Vision Therapy

2009-06-24T18:38:00.000-07:00

Click on the blog button to go to Lynnette's blog and read other people's
Walks Down Memory Lane.

Today, we are going to go down a lane thats not to far in the past.
Tigger has some eye issues. Before he came to live with me, he had an eye exam done, and then some rather extensive follow up testing. The easy way to explain it is that his eyes and his brain do not work well together.
There are many reasons for this..and instead of filling my head with big words I have no idea what the meaning is..I just work with Tigger to fix it.
When Jim Bob was 10 years old, he also did a year of vision therapy.
It made a big difference in how he sees his world and the things in it.

Anyways..back to Tigger. At one of his last therapy appointments, I took these pictures.

This is him playing with the pencil, while the first activity is being set up.

Checking homework, seeing what he still needs to work on and what he has mastered.

Here Tigger has to get his eye to focus on the chart of small letters on the popcicle stick. This is very hard! When I tried to do it, the therapist laughed at me and told me that adult's can't do it.
Cool for me..one thing I don't have to work on :)

Of course Tigger thought it was funny that I couldn't do something that he could.

Next is the Brock String. I HATE this one! You have to see 2 strings going into the bead, and two coming out. Most of the time I can only see one at a time because I am suppressing one eye.

Working hard...do you see the concentration? smell the fire?

Aren't his eyes beautiful?
I LOVE the color!