Magnolia Mom

So this blog seems to be turning into a cruise blog and I’m sorry to those of you who think of cruising as a ridiculous way to travel. Since we can’t take any big vacations now, it’s just been so therapeutic for me to write these cruising entries. I do plan to do some other travel posts, too. Anyway, so what else have we been up to now that it’s summer. Well….

This week TV Boy has been at Boy Scout camp and will return tomorrow. Here’s a couple pics before he left.

After leaving the Scout Hut, we took Monkey Boy to his Grandparent’s house for a stay-cation. While we were up there we met our new nephew and Monkey got to play with his other 2 cousins.

This time with both kids away has given me time to work on my job search and just go full force with trying to make something happen on the job front. I’m hoping that putting in this extra effort will give me more opportunities. Please pray that it will. After all, I need a vacation! And I have to work so I can actually take a vacation, right? And once again, I digress.

On Tuesday, my Dad dropped in for a quick visit. He’s been an official for RAAM again this year and on his way back he usually tries to stop by. We enjoyed the visit with him and look forward to seeing him again soon. I know he was bummed that the boys were away.

Last Friday, Pack 29 had their June Pack Meeting. It was held at the Forest Ecology Preserve. Monkey is now a cub scout!

Last week was VBS. Monkey Boy attended and TV Boy and I volunteered. TV Boy helped in the recreation station and I was with a 4th grade bunch. Here’s a few pics from VBS. See all pics here.

TV Boy is running cross-country for school next year, so he’s been training with the high school/jr. high teams every morning at 6:45. Rob, Monkey, and I have also gone walking during the time that TV Boy is running.

Other happenings of this summer include trying to stay cool, watching movies, enjoying being with each other (or at least trying), and before you know it we’ll be getting ready for school. How’s your summer going?

Popularity: 3% [?]

When thinking of things that make happy there’s all sorts of categories of things that make me happy. I’m going to try and highlight the top things so this is not a never ending post!

I can’t make a list without putting my kids. I’ll have to say I’m especially happy when they’re getting along!

And the hubby.

Our dog, Rosie, brings me joy.

Friends make me happy.

Happiness is dancing! I’ve loved dancing since I was a little girl and still it’s one of the things that makes me most happy.

Music evokes such emotion in me and also memories. I can hear a song and automatically think of what was going on in my life when that song came out.

Diet Coke (although I drink regular now, not caffeine-free) and Chocolate!

A clean house

Traveling

Going out to eat, not having to cook.

And then there are days I’m happy staying home and cooking.

Going out with Rob to concerts, musicals, or just a movie.

Weekends of nothing to do.

Photography

Popularity: 18% [?]

The American Idol finale was awesome! Incredible performers and performances! The highlight of the show was when Casey James came out and sang Every Rose Has Its Thorn. During earlier performances, Rob and I would call out who sang the song originally. I, for some reason, was thinking it was Guns N Roses and we were like, oh well their lead singer is dead….yada yada yada. Then when Bret Michaels walked out, I absolutely lost it. I have grown fond of Bret while watching Celebrity Apprentice. I so much admired his humor and his love for his daughters. Anyway, in April, Bret had a massive subarachnoid hemorrhage and was in critical condition, so for that reason, I was beside myself when he was out there. What an amazing recovery and truly a miracle!

Loved all the tribute to Simon, but really missed David Cook when all the past winners came out to sing. I found where he was at a charity event in Kansas City.

As far as the winner, I just had a feeling it was Crystal, but for once I really didn’t mind who won. I like both Lee and Crystal.

Popularity: 1% [?]

Yesterday I got home and Rob had been sitting on our balcony. He said that TV Boy had made a discovery while looking for a ball, which was a nest full of baby cardinals. Today I was able to go out and find them again.

Here they are. This is kind of hard to decipher, but I think they were turned over where you see wings.

This morning when I went out Mama and Daddy were both near the nest when I opened the door. They quickly flew away when they heard me.

Here’s Mama and the blur which is Dad. I have found since going outside several times throughout the day that Daddy hangs out in the trees above and Mama alerts him when I’m out there with this loud staccato chirp.

Here’s Daddy. He was still for a split second before flying to another branch to get a better view of me.

Mama stays closer.

Here’s a view of where the nest is.

This afternoon when I went out I saw Mama sitting on the nest. I didn’t have my camera ready and it startled me to see her looking back at me. I was bummed not to get a picture. I tip-toed out later and caught her back on the nest. She sat there for several minutes allowing me to watch and capture her protecting her babies.

She got restless and flew to the nearest tree. You can see here she’s chirping.

See baby’s eyes and beak?

She looks as if she’s asking me why I’m out there.

I’ve been taking all the pictures from the top view. Up on the deck. This time I went around to the other side to see if I could find her. Her beak gives her away pretty quickly.

This is my latest obsession, so I’m sure there will be more pics. Can’t wait to see the babies open their eyes and beaks!

Popularity: 4% [?]

Universal Pictures’s *big* summer release is hitting theaters July 9, 2010, Despicable Me starring the voice talent of Steve Carell, Miranda Cosgrove, Jason Segel and Russell Brand.

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences with flowering rose bushes, sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow minions, we discover Gru (Steve Carell), planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon (Yes, the moon!) in Universal’s new 3-D CGI feature, Despicable Me.

Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three little orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.

One of the world’s greatest super-villains has just met his greatest challenge: three little girls named Margo, Edith and Agnes.

Despicable Me on Facebook

Popularity: 2% [?]

My last week at the library I saw this book, flipped through it, and decided to check it out. I loved that it was short, sweet, and to the point. It outlines 63 rules about food. A lot of it is common sense, but I think for a lot of us we have lost our common sense when it comes to food. Anyone else agree with me there? I know deep down, I know what’s good and not good, but when I’m “on the go”, I just throw all that out the window. And I drive up to the window! LOL

So here are some key points I found intriguing while reading this book and I highly recommend you read this book for yourself.
– Don’t eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. For example: Go-Gurt
– Avoid food products containing ingredients that no ordinary homan would keep in their pantry. For example: Cellulose? Xanthan gum?
– Avoid food products containing ingredients that a 3rd grader cannot pronounce. Just look at some food labels in your pantry. See how many ingredients you find that fit that rule. Would love to hear some examples.
– Avoid food products that contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS).
– Avoid foods that have some form of sugar (or sweetner) listed among the top three ingredients. BTW, sugar is sugar even if it is organic.
– Avoid food products that make health claims. Even Cheerios? It’s supposed to help with Cholesterol…anyone know if that’s true?
– Avoid foods you see advertised on television. That would include fast food.
– Shop the peripheries of the supermarket and stay out of the middle. I knew this one, but always good to remember when you’re there.
– Eat only foods that will eventually rot!
– It’s not food if it arrived through a window of your car.
– It’s not food if it’s called by the same name in every language. For example: Big Mac, Pringles
– Don’t eat breakfast cereals that change the color of the milk. Never seen this happen until recently when I got a different kind of cereal for the boys. Eee-yew!
– “The whiter the bread, the sooner you’ll be dead.”
– Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself. Ha! They don’t know that when I go to the trouble to make to bake, I bake enough to feed the neighborhood.
– “Breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, dinner like a pauper.”
– Don’t get your fuel from the same place your car does. This one isn’t too bad for me, except sometimes when we’re on trips and we get a “snack” at the gas station.
– Do all your eating at the table. This is a difficult one, especially for people who have a hard enough time finding time to eat! Eating in the car, in front of the TV, running around the house while trying to get out of the house, etc.
– Treat treats as treats. Follow the S-policy: no snacks, sweets, or seconds except on days that begin with the letter “S”.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I’ve been working on this post since November. I have been trying to come up with a 100. When I numbered them last night, I was excited to see I had 50! (and then I added another one today.) I’ll come back to this list as I think of other things I want to do.

1. Visit the Golden Gate Bridge and take hundreds of pictures of it
2. Ride in a helicopter
3. Have some of my photography work published
4. Eat fish and chips at a pub in London (I’ve eaten at a London pub, but didn’t eat the fish and chips.)
5. Go on a cruise
6. Hike on St. John Virgin Islands
7. Scuba dive
8. Have a prosperous garden
9. Take my kids to Disney World
10. Go see a Broadway Musical
11. Go dog sledding
12. Go to Alaska
13. Take dance classes with Rob
14. Take an adventure through the Sand Dunes
15. Parasail with Rob somewhere in the beautiful Caribbean
16. Ski in Switzerland
17. See an event in the Olympics
18. Take Rob to an All-Star game for his birthday
19. Snorkel somewhere beautiful
20. Watch the ball drop in Time Square on New Year’s
21. Take a romantic Gondola ride through Venice
22. See the launch of the space shuttle in person.
23. Visit New York City
24. Go horseback riding through the mountains (Did this on my honeymoon)
25. Go to Mardi Gras in New Orleans
26. Swim with Sting Rays
27. Throw a fish while visiting the Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle
28. Take my kids to all the great kid places in San Diego (SD Zoo, Disney’s Wild Animal Park, Legoland)
29. Try lobster (didn’t love it. tasted good, didn’t care for the texture)
30. Go see the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in person
31. Dine at Mesa Grill in New York
32. Go White Water Rafting (Did this on my honeymoon)
33. Learn to ski (again)
34. Go to Hawaii
35. See Christmas lights while being chauffeured in a limo
36. Take a driving tour on Route 66
37. Go hot air ballooning (hated it, but I was a teenager)
38. Try escargot
39. Send a message in a bottle
40. Go to Ireland
41. Try snowboarding
42. Stand in the 4 corners
43. Go snowshoeing
44. Try calamari
45. Eat at Lady and Son’s in Savannah
46. Go to Australia
47. Drink beer at Oktoberfest in Munich
48. Be an extra in a film
49. Own an RV
50. Take a vacation on a houseboat
51. Complete an entire year of flickr’s 365 day project
52. Ride the NYC Subway
53. Become fluent in a foreign language
54. Go the top of the Eiffel Tower
55. Run a 5K
56. Go to the top of the Empire State Building
57. Learn to play an instrument (Did this in school)
58. Be on a reality TV show
59. Participate in one way or another with RAAM
60. Write a book and get it published
61. Ride a hovercraft through the Everglades
62. Go to all inclusive resort.
63. Enjoy a drink at a swim-up bar.
64. Go to Thailand
65. Stand on the Equator (added 3/1/2010)
66. Visit the Boneyard…better yet, do a photo shoot there! (added 8/16/2010)

What are some other things I should add? Have you made your list?

Popularity: 4% [?]

Rob’s cousin, Candi, gave me a blog award, Beautiful Blogger Award.

I’m passing this award along to 3 very different bloggers:
1. The Flossip, who I’ve read for years on her previous blogs. She’s a great writer.
2. Southern Gal Goes North , who I’ve read for a couple years.
3. Vitafamiliae, who I’ve read for a little over a year. Her Dad is Rob’s boss.

When awarded you’re supposed to list 7 things about yourself. So, ummm…. let me think here….trying to think of things I’ve never said on here before.

1. Rob and I have made a commitment in 2010 to go to church and Sunday School every week.
2. We also just started a bible study; Growing Kids God Way
3. I am SO excited that 24 starts tomorrow!
4. I am trying to do a 365 day photo project over on flickr.
5. This is my 3rd year to attempt this, but I have such a hard time staying committed to it wanting to be more creative.
6. I didn’t think the “Pants on the Ground” song was so funny. We watched it on DVR a couple nights after reading and hearing all the hype and I just didn’t get it.
7. Love the satisfaction of a clean house.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Every year I try to write up what we got just to have it to look at years from now.

Rob
navy blue jogging suit
pocket knife
socks
Panini Press

Me
black jogging suit
Victoria Secret secrets – nothing exciting, I promise
Gravy Boat
Kitchen Spritzer

TV Boy
wallet
Auburn hat
pocket knife
Under Armor Auburn jersey
Silly Bandz
Champion Double Dry Compression T-shirt
Rawlings Baseball Glove
The O’Reilly Factor for Kids

Monkey Boy
Cars & Trucks
Fisher-Price Doodle Pro
Silly Bandz
Underwear
LEGO Camper, MiniFigure Collection, Police Car, Classic Car
Bendaroos Set
I Spy Christmas: A Book of Picture Riddles
Disney Bedtime Favorites (Disney Storybook Collections)
Webkinz

Family
Double DVD with Mr. Mom & Mrs. Doubtfire
Triple DVD with I, Robot, The Day After Tomorrow, & Independence Day
The Karate Kid
Grease
Wii
Backyard Baseball 2010
Wii Remote Controller (x2)
New Super Mario Bros
Wii Nunchuk Controller
Wii Play with Wii Remote

Popularity: 5% [?]

Yesterday I was able to sit back (for the most part) and enjoy the day. Being observant of my surroundings, I became mindful of how thankful I am for a few things, like:

• great in-laws that I get along with
• a brother-in-law that is quite helpful and enjoys being with his nephews
• making it a family tradition to have homemade pasta every Christmas
• Rob’s Italian heritage, which enables us to have that homemade pasta
• a nice home to be able to host holidays
• 2 healthy boys that have such a sweet heart and I really appreciate when they “show” it

I know there are many other blessings in my life, but those are the ones that came to mind tonight.

Popularity: 2% [?]