I Hate To Do This

I hate to have to go private, but I've had a few too many odd comments from the wild world of weirdos. I want to share info with you, but I don't want to set us up for some creep to knock on our door, so my plan is that you will have to be an "approved" guest to peek into our world.

That being said, comment to this link or send me an email. I'll compile a list of those that want to continue reading this (when and if I ever make another entry--HA!). Hopefully in the near future I'll have a computer that doesn't frustrate me to all ends to post.

Until then, take care.

Where did the year go?

This time last year, I was probably curled up next to the fire watching the snow fall outside my window and planning for a move to Florida.

Here it is 12 months later, and it seems like it was only yesterday. The good news is that we're starting to settle into being residents of the Sunshine State.

What I can't figure out is where all the time has gone. I know I've been lax, VERY lax on updating this blog. I tell you I have good intentions, but at the end of the day, the last thing I want is to sit in front of the computer. So, I'll give it the old "New Year's Resolution" for 2011. Merry Christmas to you :-)

As for the last 6 months, I'll give you the general run down. With the holidays upon us, I know I won't have much time between now and then, so I hope this tides you over.

August
We took a week long trip back to Louisiana. B was able to go fishing with his dad and brother, and the girls were able to visit with Clare & Kaye. My friend Adrian flew in for a few days, and I got some long awaited girl time. What fun! I must do this more often.

We took the girls to New Orleans. We got snowballs, rode the streetcar & visited Bill & Beth's shop.



We all had fun with the hats






At the end of the day, we shared dinner with Bill & Beth and said our goodbyes. It was a happy day, and our last memory of Bill. How happy we are we were there.

Back in Hammond
Papa helped Lise' sharpen her pencils for school. Of course, he had to find an exciting way to do it.

The cousins had a little girl time while it poured outside.

Lise' in Mimi's old Mardi Gras ballgown.




And there was a fish fry after the fishermen returned home.
It's not a party at the Swindells' without Ponchatoulas.




I think my camera stopped working right about now, so you'll just have to imagine the rest. It was a great trip. It backed up to the balloon festival, so we were out there each and every day. We fit in as many visits as humanly possible, but as always, there was never enough time to do it all.

More August to come.

As for Oct, Nov & Dec....those are to be continued. After all, I have to still feed my children.

Purple Pants in the Swampland

As many of you know by now, B is now the proud owner of a pair of obnoxious purple pants.

It all started a few weeks ago when the plant announced a spirit day at work, and an email went out warning all participants that there was an LSU fan in the house. Past experience proved such fans to be rather lively in their display of team loyalty, and B is not one to let them down.

So, he came home and announced that I needed to find a pair of purple pants in Jacksonville, and he said this like it was going to be easy. Not one to back down from a scavenger hunt, I hit the thrift stores running. No surprise, there were no purple pants to be had in Jacksonville. Next stop, the mall. B had suggested finding a light pair of khakis to dye, but I had a better idea. I knew white was the IT color this summer. And within 5 minutes of being in Sears, I hit the jackpot. 75% off summer clearance! Score. Now off to Walmart to buy the purple dye.


The white pants before the dunk.

Almost done.

Ta Da

The plant had no idea he would go so far, and I'm here to tell you that we're already planning embellishments for next year. Suggestions are welcome.


At this point, I thought the pants would be shelved until next year, but on Tuesday, a contractor at the plant who had seen the pants called and offered him 2 tickets to the LSU vs. FLORIDA game. He happily accepted and started planning the road trip to Gainsville. On Thursday he hit the jackpot when he was offered 2 tickets in a box on the 45 yard line with a bunch of Gator fans. These pants were starting to pay off.

So yesterday, we dropped the girls off at the Grimlands and headed to the Swampland. As we walked around Florida's beautiful campus, we did get a few stares. The best part was that people tried to muffle their astonishment. Don't they know that if you're brazen enough to wear them, you expect it?

We stuck out like sore thumbs as we entered the gate to the suites, and this may be why the past president of the booster club struck up a conversation. He was wearing two of his four personal FL Championship rings, and before I knew it, B had them on.



I don't have to tell you that the game was a nail biter, and B controlled himself quite well. We had a great view, especially for the disputed call. B did let out a few hoot and hollers at the end, but he managed to get out of there without bite marks.



Where will the purple pants bring take us next? The investment has had quite the return.

Get those two wheels rolling

Lise' has been begging to learn to ride a bike without training wheels for a while now, but I refused to start the process in New Jersey. For starters, it was COLD this past winter. I had no desire to face the elements while trying to keep a child upright. Secondly, we had no decent place to learn to ride in our town. I knew we were moving to Florida, so I kept telling her wait until it's warm, wait until we are in Florida.

She didn't forget, and practically every day she'd ask again, "When are you ever going to teach me to ride without training wheels?" Time after time, I gave her an excuse, mostly because I felt B would be a better teacher. So the next time she asked, I told her to ask Daddy. He was going to be the one to teach her. She wouldn't leave him alone, and with a new house and lots of little things that needed attention, he too began to make excuses. That was until one night she had him backed against the wall.

The conversation went a little like this.
Lise'-"Daddy, when are you going to teach me to ride without training wheels?"
B-"later Lise'"
Lise'- "When later"
B- "After I'm done (fill in the blank)"
Lise'-"So you'll do it today?"
B- "Yes"
Lise'-"What time?"

And with that she got her first lesson of how to ride a bike without training wheels. I took a note from her that day on how to get her Daddy to commit to something.




As for Abri, she too tried that day and got the hang of it slightly. She needs more practice, and until Daddy is available again, the training wheels are staying on.

Let's try this baby out

Many know that B and I have wanted a pop up camper for years, but our postage size lot in Jersey didn't allow for it, so when we came to FL, it was at the top of our list. We combed craigslist for weeks, but every time we found one we were interested in viewing, it was gone before we made the phone call. That led us to start looking on craigslist in Baton Rouge. Florida is known for its camping enthusiasts, but in Louisiana, camping is a little less popular. This led to better options and more importantly better prices. We found one, sent my dad out to wheel and deal, and two weeks later, we had a pop up.

Dad was very kind to haul it over here for us.


It wasn't long before we were itching to try it out, and what better place to do that than Fort Wilderness Campground at Disney World. For those of you who haven't had the chance to visit, it's a 5 start camping experience. The sites were nice, the bathrooms were clean and newly renovated, and the pool was awesome. If only the heat index wouldn't have been hovering at 100 degrees. Despite the heat, we had a great time, although I have vowed that we will never again visit WDW in July again.



Toy Story Mania Ride

Breakfast with the Characters


The end to a great trip.

Back to Jersey We Go

In June, the girls and I hit the road running. Destination....Atlantic Highlands, NJ. Since the move, we've all be aching to get back, so we arrived on our friend's doorstep the week after school let out and just in time for the 4th of July.

Our welcome home spread. The only thing missing was B.




On the way there, we stopped at "South of the Border" to see what all the millions of signs were about. What we found was fun things to climb on, overpriced ice cream and dirty potties. Glad we stopped though.





Abri and a random dress up picture.



In the morning, the kids went to VBS at the elementary school in town. They had a blast, and I only wish I had photos to share, but my camera broke on the second day into the trip. Maybe next time.

Our friends invited us over for pizza and swimming.







It was as if we had come back home. It's no secret I loved NJ. If B came home tomorrow to tell me we were going back, I'd have no problem with it (as long as it came with a raise :-) It was Mayberry, and I'm not so sure we'll ever find anything like it.

Our week was spent visiting with all our friends and eating our favorite foods. It was all too short, and before we knew it, it was time to hit the road again. This time, we were heading to Durham, NC to spend the 4th with Chris & Caron and their two girls.

Although the visit was short, we enjoyed catching up and talking about future plans. Hope to see everyone soon.

Lise's 1st Day of School

Drum roll please........Lise' is an official Kindergartner today. The day is finally here, and I'm not quite sure how I feel about that. Of course, we're happy. Our move to Florida has been good, but Lise' doesn't have any friends her own age yet, so I'm hoping that all changes in the coming weeks.

We bought the backpack, the lunch box and all the supplies weeks ago, and until today, they've been tucked away in the spare room just waiting to be used.

B stayed home this morning to make pancakes for the special occasion-Mickey Mouse, of course.



Compare the above picture to the one below. It's from Lise's first day of Pre-K last year.




And then we piled into the car and drove the mile down to school. It's still hot here after all, and we had a lot of supplies to carry.

The drop off was fairly uneventful. She sat where she needed to sit, said goodbye to each of us, and out the door we went. Before we left, we wanted a picture. You can see she wasn't very cooperative.

We told her we wouldn't leave until she looked at the camera.


The school does a staggered start, which means this whole week, 4 to 6 kids start each day. Tomorrow the entire class will start. Lise' being an "S" is at the end of the alphabet, so we started today. Sorry boo, I was a "D", and I don't quite understand that end of the line thing.

So now, Abri and I are home alone the whole day for the first time in her life. Before Daddy left for work, she convinced him to play the game where you fish for fish going around in a circle. Then she talked me into doing a puzzle. She followed that with a bubble bath with her princesses and a few games on the Wii. Who knows what is in store for the rest of the day. All I know is that I can't forget to go get Lise'.

I've been forewarned that the line at pick-up is a nightmare. You have to line up one hour before pickup. We literally live 1 mile from the school. It's an easy walk on a cool day, but it's August in Florida. Need I say more? So for now, I'm going to say that Abri and I will walk to get her. If only I had remembered to ask B to get the jogging stroller out the attic. Maybe tomorrow.

And, last but not least, I've been trying to play catch up on the blog. Keep scrolling down. You may not have seen the latest and greatest.