Happy Easter!

Today is the celebration of our Lord's resurrection! And what a wonderful day it was! We had a great weekend. Between the decorating of the eggs, the friends, the family, and the beautiful prayer my four-year old son gave at Easter dinner, I couldn't have asked for anything more. We actually went two three egg-hunts this year. Two city ones and one with Mandy and her kiddos. The city egg hunt was fun, but lasted a whopping two minutes. I have never seen so many eggs disappear so fast. It was almost unnatural. I didn't want to have another year of just having my two kids hunt for eggs alone. Ever since the big egg hunt at Abby's 1st birthday with all of their cousins, Alex can't wrap his mind around why his cousins (Jamie, Linda, Lauren, Linsey, and Kate) can't be here. That kid loves, loves, loves his cousins! So despite the fact that all four of our kids had snotty colds, we decided that egg hunts are more fun with more kids. Mandy and I hid eggs in her massive back yard and the kids had a blast! I was also thrilled to see Mandy's parents there today. John is reading my book right now so it was great to get his opinion on it. I'm so thankful for all of our blessings and like my son said in his prayer today, thank you God for a great Easter! I hope you all had a great Easter too.

Abby's my little artist. She could spend hours coloring things...eggs included.

Alex remembers coloring eggs from previous years. He was super pumped about this.

And the final products were...slightly damaged...but not too shabby.

This was from the town Easter egg hunt. I will never have to buy plastic eggs


Easter egg hunt at Aunt Mandy's house. How fun is that giant backyard?

Little miss Greta was actually a pro at this. She b-lined for the eggs.

Alex and Wesley. Those two were a bit...well...competitive.

Abby sure loved this. And with a stuffed animal in tow, true to form.

The Cage Review: Gaurding Tess

I haven't gotten the opportunity to watch Ghost Rider just yet. These past couple of weeks and weekends have been just crazy. I'd watch it this weekend, but sorry Mr. Cage. Harry Potter trumps you. It's nothing personal. I'm just that kind of geek. So, thanks to Netflix and it's beautiful instant movie option, I watched Guarding Tess (1994). I'd heard of this movie many a time, but never really had the proper motivation for actually watching it. It's about a secret service agent named Doug Chesnic (Nicolas Cage) who gets the not-so-honor of guarding the ex-first lady, Tess Carlisle (Shirley MacLaine), who just so happens to be...um...a bit overbearing. He longs for the action and importance of gaurding the big dog himself (Mr. President), but instead has become a glorified butler to a cranky older lady who used to be quite the political figure. Tess has somehow chosen Doug and become attached to him for reasons he has no idea of and requests his employment via the president himself much to Doug's annoyance.

I gotta say, I'm not a political movie fan. They are usually a big snore-fest for me because I'm not exactly savvy to the political realm. But this movie kind of threw me for a loop. I really enjoyed it. There were a few times when it moved a bit slower than I prefer, but it was all relevant to the story so wasn't really a problem. They fight and argue a lot which got me laughing. The guy who plays the president's voice made me laugh out loud more than once. Despite their frustration with each other, they find common ground. There wasn't a massively over sappy ending where they hugged and became BFF's but it was just the right amount of emotion played out beautifully by two really great actor/actresses. The ending (not revealed here) was just touching enough to not gag me and left me smiling. The relationship between the two was really interesting going from loathing to complete respect and devotion (non-romantic here folks). Mr. Cage...ya done me proud again, sir. It was no Con Air, but I can't give it lower than a four star rating on the Cage Star Chart. Four stars for sure. I'll be watching it again someday.

I'd gladly take a rejection

So tonight I get to send out round ten of the dreaded agency query letters. Maybe it's round eleven. I've lost count. I usually don't send out my next round until I've received the rejections of the last round, but I've waited long enough. I don't know what has happened, but I haven't even received rejections this time around. And they were even from agencies that guaranteed a response regardless of their views. To be honest, I don't mind the rejections so much. It's the waiting that drives me crazy. Will they, won't they? The question can only be answered by the agency you query. I check my e-mail every day in high hopes of seeing that next email with the subject line beginning with the glorious RE:. I love the RE:. It means that someone responded. Negative or positve. The RE: response sends happy joy-joy feelings throughout my system leaving me with a temporary fifteen second high on life. Oh sure. When the RE: is a rejection, it still kind of sucks. But one day my RE: will come that will leave me sending a RE: back to them along with my manuscript in tow. For now, I just can't stand the wait. I'd gladly take a rejection over the silence any day of the week.

Identification please?

If anyone in the world can identify this freaky little creature, I'd be thrilled. I found this creeping along one of the kids toys the other day...in the house. At first glance, I was certain it was a tick. Upon further investigation, I found that it was nothing of the sort. That cocoon-like shell you see is actually as hard as wood. The moment the little freakish creature sees anyone, it retracts at warp speed back into it's shell and refuses to come back out until the coast is clear. When it does come out, it drags the shell behind it's body like a ball and chain that it's not willing to leave behind. The thing inside is a yellow worm-like creature and to be honest, the blasted thing gives me the eebie-jeebies. My geeky sci-fi/writer brain naturally sent me into a mad mental chaotic storm of the dreaded 'what if's'. For example: My brain, not recognizing the insect as any known identifiable species, wondered where exactly it came from. What if it's an alien creature that uses it's cocoon to blend into a rocky environment only to leap from it's shell onto the first unsuspecting host that it's chosen to inhabit. The host is unaware as the worm burrows it's way into the spine, taking control over the poor soul that's unwilling partaking in such an exchange. The tiny creatures are everywhere and if I don't properly dispose of it, then the world is doomed to suffer a complete planetary takeover. Hmmm....what if?...

Seriously folks...what the heck is this thing??

One Crazy Week

I just realized that I haven't blogged in a week. To be perfectly honest, it feels like I just wrote Abby's birthday blog yesterday. This week has been, without a doubt, one of the craziest weeks I've had in a long time. As much as I would love to say that I had ample time to whip up a Geeky Moment or watch a new Nicolas Cage movie for the Cage Review, I can honestly say that I had almost zero time to do anything of the sort. After Abby's birthday, the week got sucked into a crazy, spiraling vortex of insanity that left me searching for my nerves. Have you seen them? I'm still looking.

Thursday Alex had his sedation dentistry appointment. I've been fretting pretty much non-stop about this since I scheduled it. Will he get there before his worst tooth abscesses? Will he be okay during the sedation? Can I keep him well so he's not sick and has to cancel? Will I...What if...Will he...? The questions wreaked havoc on my (potentially unstable) mind. Anyhow, it's a story that I plan to write about. Just not today. He's doing fine now if you can't stand the suspense of it all. :-) (Yes. I just wrote a smiley face in my blog.) I just spent the better part of my night decorating a bunny cake for my neice's birthday and haven't spent any time just relaxing in quite a long while. And as much as I'd like to be playing Farmville right now, I'm just too darn tired. For the first time in a looooooong time. I'm going to bed before 1:00 in the morning of my own free will. Tomorrow we're off to visit my brother and sister-in-law and their family for a birthday party. So I hope you all have a great weekend. I'll be back next week. I'm outta here.

Happy Birthday Abby!

My baby girl is three years old today. Wow! Three! I still can't believe it. We celebrated her birthday yesterday and boy howdy! She was excited! I told her the evening before that I would be decorating her cake after she went to bed. In the morning she bolted to the fridge at lightening speed so that she could see her cake. She made a special request for her cake, and naturally I had to oblige. Her obsession with horses, the Black Stallion to be more precise, is still in full swing with no signs of weakening. She asked me for a Black Stallion cake. Well, naturally the idea of making a giant cake covered in black icing didn't sound very fun. So I bought a nice rearing black stallion figure and improvised with that. She was ecstatic because she got to keep the figure (which she has proceeded to take with her everywhere. Bath...bed...outside...bathroom. You get the picture.) My folks and Josh's folks both came to celebrate along with Mandy and her clan. It was small but fun. The kids were a bit sad that no other cousins could make it, but they got over it when it came time for presents and cake. I mean seriously. That much sugar can make anyone happy. We were also blessed with beautiful weather so the kids could go out and enjoy the day. Thanks to everyone who came and thanks for all the gifts and cards she got. She literally loved every single thing she got.

Isn't she just adorable?

Cake time!

I actually really enjoy decorating cakes. So rewarding...because you can eat it.

Alex helped Abby open her gifts with gusto.

My little sweetie niece, Greta and her mama. Ain't she a doll?

Her new black stallion poster which is now hanging on the wall by her bed.

Wesley posin' for the camera.

And for a message to my sweet daughter who will one day go back and read this blog that her ol' mama tinkered on so often, I say this: We are so proud of you and how much you are learning. You are such a blessing to us. We couldn't ask for more than the joy that you and your brother Alex give us. Every birthday that comes, I find I'm more and more proud of you and look forward to every single moment that we spend together. And Alex, of course will read this too so Alex, we are equally proud of you and love each moment we are together. I am so blessed because of you two.

Love,

Mama

The Cage Review: It Could Happen to You

Let me just start by saying this: I can't believe that I have never seen this movie! This movie led me to my computer, straight to Ebay, in hopes of finding it so that I could have it in my movie collection. I really enjoyed this romance. Yes. I do enjoy the romantic comedies from time to time. It Could Happen to You (1994) is an absolutely charming romantic comedy about a New York cop named Charlie Lang (of course played by Nicolas Cage) who plays the winning numbers on a lottery ticket. When at a coffee shop, he finds that he's a tad short on cash and can't leave a tip for his down-on-her-luck waitress Yvonne Biasi (Bridget Fonda). He promises her that he'll be back the next day with half of his lottery ticket winnings, unknowing that his ticket is the big winner. His wife (Rosie Perez) is a vain, materialistic woman who, quite frankly, made me want to smack her. (Is that wrong?) She is appalled at the idea of his promise to a stranger but he follows through with his word setting in motion an adorable romance between the two, who being both married to others, are too noble to cheat.

I won't give away the ending, because I hate it when people do that. But I will say that it is most asuredly worth the time to watch this one if you haven't already. I swear that I was smiling through the whole movie. Nicolas Cage played a great cop and just the sweetest guy who was treated like dirt by his icky wife. Obviously, he is solidifying my theory of his awesomeness. Once again, I'm gonna have to give this one a 5 star rating on the Nicolas Cage star chart. I'll be adding this to my wish list on Amazon. Next week, I am hoping to watch Ghost Rider. Nicolas Cage on a flaming motorcycle. Sweet.

Time to Build an Addition

Sometimes, no matter how hard you try, you just can't deal with the lack of space. There are only two ways to change the size of what you have. Start new or build an addition. The kids have grown along with their level imagination. The constant fighting...the battles of who gets how much space. It just never stops. So a few weeks back I made the ultimate decision. I wasn't willing to start new because, let's face it. Starting new ain't cheap. (Yep. I said 'ain't'.) So ultimately I made the choice that it was time to expand...the sandbox.

Did you really think I was going to build on to our wee little house? No, no, no. That would be about 99.5% impossible in our situation. But the sandbox? Oh yes. That, my friends, is doable. Last summer, after a nice trip to the local quarry, we filled our homemade sandbox up to the brim. By fall's end, it was naught but a fine layer of dust. Because what is more fun that playing in the sandbox? Spreading that quarter ton of sand all over the backyard. I'm also quite certain that a few pounds of it found it's way into my house. So after remodeling the kiddos' room, I used the leftover lumber to expand the sandbox. It's been a fight between the wee ones when they play in it and so I pulled out my trusty hammer and tape measure and planned for an expansion. Thanks to my super-awesome mom for using her truck for a fresh load of quarry sand and the use of her power saw. (I really need to get some power tools for myself. I'm a woman with a dream to own a Black n Decker. Okay, so maybe not my dream, but still.) The project, in total, took a whopping half hour. Within an hour after that, I found random piles of sand spread haphazardly throughout the yard. The kiddo's are thrilled and can't wait to share the new sandbox with their cousins. They've already run down the list of cousins and wondered when they will get to see it. I'm glad it's done. Easiest...and cheapest...addition. Ever.

Geeky Moments

Today's geeky moment has been brought to you by...

The Bounty Hunters of Star Wars

All that you need to know about this week's installment of Geeky Moments is that it was inspired by the current regulations on airport full body scans. Oh...and if you aren't familiar with Star Wars then you should look up a little something about Boba Fett and the similar bounty hunter scum of the galaxy.

Buddies

I sincerely hope that Alex and Abby grow to be great friends. I know that no matter what you do, you can't stop the fighting or the bickering between siblings. It's just part of having them. But there is always that one moment during the day when you know that they are just great buddies and love each other unconditionally. And it just makes you smile. Sunday morning I came out of the kitchen while they were watching their morning Wiggles to find them like this on the couch.

Tonight I had to take Alex to the ER...again. He fell down while on a walk tonight and sliced his thumb open wide. Luckily the docs do anything and everything to avoid stitches on the smaller kids and they suggested we just keep it clean as it heals. It's on the knuckle so is bound to bust open regularly during the day, but the doc said it's better on a kid to just leave stitches out of the picture. Josh stayed home with Abby because the kids do so much better under these circumstances when they aren't feeding off one another. It also helps that I can concentrate on just one kid at a time. The entire time Alex was so excited to tell Abby about his trip to the hospital and how brave he was. While at home, Abby's only questions were of concern for her brother. It was adorable when they talked on the phone. They missed each other. This is the part where my heart just melted and I grinned like an idiot. As for Alex and the evening, he did great. I was worried he'd broken his thumb as it was swollen really badly. On the way there, he started to pass out from the ordeal and was dry heaving with cold sweats and pale face. Poor kid. He was so brave though. We had to walk four blocks or so home and two nice kids helped us on the way by getting some toilet paper from their house to soak up the blood. Good kids. I thanked them and told them how big of a help they were. Whew! What a night.

Certified

Finally. I did it. I went and got myself certified. No. I did not get myself into that straight jacket I think I'm gonna end up in. On the contrary. I believe that my most recent accomplished task has increased my sanity level just a tad. You see, when Alex first started crawling and putting everything under the sun into his curious little mouth, I told myself that I would take a course on CPR and first aid. Did I do this? Yes. Four years later. But, I did do it and that is what counts. Right? This weekend I went to take a class with my buddy of twenty-two years, Mandy. With both of us as stay-at-home mamas, we figured it was about time we ease our worried minds just a little by learning something we should have learned years ago. I'm very happy that we finally bucked up and did it and I do feel better about having this knowledge. The last time I took CPR lessons was when I was in eighth grade I believe. The dummies were older and our whole class shares two or three of them. I can still taste the faint residue of the alcohol pads on my mouth when I think about it. Nasty. Luckily, times are a changin' and the dummies we used this past weekend were professionally sterilized and we each had our own. Here's the fun part though. Mandy and I have done so many things together over our many years of friendship. So it was just natural that we take this course together. The problem? Together, Mandy and I have the combined maturity of a ten-year old. (And I think I'm being generous with that.) So when we had to partner up and practice the Heimlich maneuver on each other, the giggles began. I mean seriously...have you tried to find your friend's belly button lately? Especially after one of you ended up with a belly that looks like a balloon that's been shredded by Freddy Kreuger rendering your belly button all but useless and hidden amongst the massive scarring. (That would be me, by the way.) Awkward, much? Yes. As she said to me, I'm glad we took it together otherwise we would have been wrapping our arms around a total stranger. Even more awkward. We actually did well this time though. No bouts of uncontrolled silent laughter. Perhaps it's finally happened and we've matured into responsible serious adults.

Hmmm...

Nah.

The Cage Review: The Sorcerer's Apprentice

This week I'll be starting with the Nicolas Cage movie that set in motion my latest obsession. No no. Not obsession. Short term goal. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (2010) is about a sorcerer named Balthazar Blake, played by none other than Nicolas Cage himself. He has lived through out the ages in an attempt to find the Sorcerer's Apprentice that shares the same bloodline as the great Merlin. Jay Baruchel plays Dave, the science geek with the hidden power. Balthazar has to train Dave so to stop the big, bad sorcerer with the master plan to...shall we say...take over the world. The bad guy, Maxim (played by Alfred Molina...aka, Doctor Octopus from Spiderman) sets out to find the original bad lady sorceress that is trapped in the body of Balthazar's beloved and has been imprisoned for centuries. Of course, this bad lady is the one that is meant to take over the world and it is naturally going to take place in the heart of Manhattan. I won't reveal the ending, but it involves a lot of awesome special effects and warm fuzzy feelings that leave you wanting a sequel.

I really enjoyed this movie. I think Nicolas Cage was awesome, but you probably figured that out already. He played a really cool sorcerer and the main geeky guy, Dave, was really funny. I'd reccommend this movie to just about anyone if you're looking to kick back and watch some pretty fascinating special effects. It's not Harry Potter and had a fairly original storyline. Sorcerer's in a modern-day New York. All in all I give this 5 stars on the Cage Star Chart (see the side bar for the Cage Review Rating chart.) Anything with a 5 Star review is considered buyable. I'd definitely watch this movie again. Actually, if I owned it I'd probably be watching it again right now.