Just around the river bend!!

Oh how that is one of my favorite tunes from a Disney movie. Not because I love Disney...or their movies. Not because I love the movie Pocahontas. But just because it is right in my range and I can sing it loud and good! Well...maybe not the good part, but loud for sure.

Alright...on to the post. As you might have read in my "Not Me" Monday post I had a bout with the river this past Sunday. And...as you can imagine I did not have my camera on the river...so there are no photos that capture that moment.

However, there are others. Photos of cute little children eating dirt. A scene straight from "Beverly Hillbillies" as an inner tube that's old.as.dirt flies out of the over packed pickup hauling all of our junk down to the river! Peachy photos of my family posing together. But...as usual...not one single photo of myself with my family have a peachy summer afternoon on the river. Oh well...you all know I'm there...otherwise there wouldn't be any photos as all!

So without further ado...here they are!

UPDATE: Photos wouldn't load last night or this morning, so....I am going to post this and hopefully get the many photos loaded later today!

"Not Me" Monday

That's right folks...I'm baaack! And I thought a great way to enter back in my "bloggy" like would be to partake in yet, another "Not Me" Monday post!

If you aren't familiar, which I am sure that you are, this bizarre, or carnival of sorts is hosted by none other than MckMama herself! Make sure to head over to her blog and "MckLinky" up so that the entire world can read your embarrassing weekly accomplishments!

Oh where to begin...well to just state the obvious. I have not allowed my blog to go untouched for a whopping 2 weeks. Oh how I enjoy the company of my blogging community, and find solise in knowing there are others out there....but I have not been confined to either a sewing machine or forcing myself to stay as far away from additional time on the computer as much as possible! My dear children have needed me...like, I guess, realllly needed me!

I have also not been dragging all of you who may happen to be interested in my newest business venture along for months now. I did not realize how long these things take and have not caused this "reveal", whenever it may come, to be completely anti-climactic.

And for a recent item....well as my family and I peacefully canoed down our local river yesterday I did not proceed to make a fool of myself. Here's the scene: Paddling in the canoe, whistling Dixie as I listened to the wind rustle through the leaves and the wake lap against the side of our canoe. My sis grabs a water out of the cooler...I think to myself "eeeww water...I want me some caffeine!". Stealthy I turned from my front seat, stepped once, twice and reached for the cooler. This is when I did not begin teetering back and forth until...SPLASH! A barrel roll I did not do into the river. If that had happened it most certainly would have been the highlight of every one's day....

One thing I do have? A potty trained 2 1/2 year old girl who has been "trained" for almost 1 1/2 months now. She took it upon herself to do it...and is doing well. She is not however very curious about the difference between her and Finn's toilet habits. She has not been know to try and stand to pee recently...nor would she try to "hold" something in her hands to do so. Not my child...well mannered, well versed in body parts. Noooo!

Much to my dismay our house is still a "fishbowl" of sorts, with construction surrounding us on 2 of 4 sides. Our windows seem to be windows to the noisy world...and this has not caused me to lose my mind a time or two. I have not been known to stand, hands on hips, in my front yard as to watch the workers and what they may be doing. No.... you are mistaken...that is me watching my children gleefully play as a semi.drives.by.and.stirs.up.enough.dust.to.fill.a.small.bowl.with!!!

And...folks...that's all I have for tonight! So, be sure to check out MckMama's blog for a whole heap of other people waiting to make you laugh. And...as I said...hopefully this will be my reintroduction into my blogging world again! Hello....I'm back!

RETREAT

For those of you who don't know, my house is surrounded by construction. It began with the trees and has continued to the streets. We are surrounded by constant noise from 7am til 7pm. There are days when I just don't know if I can handle it for an entire day...This day was one of those days. Please check out Melissa's blog for

Part I

&

Part II

of our day that we retreated to "the farm".

The family that...

...Runs together, stays together!

Well, while that may not entirely be true our family did get a chance to attend a very local 5K last weekend. We do not get to enjoy doing that much as they are usually an hour or more drive from our small town.
But the children, as usual, wanted to "run" with us. So the last small stretch to the finish line we allowed them to hop out (aside from the baby of course) and take a short jog with us!

They had a great time. We had our own small cheering section...well...not really a section but definitely a devoted supporter! My sis Ashley, stood by the finish and took these shots and cheered us in!

Of Course Scott, Lilly and Sylvi finished a few minutes before the rest of us...he's much faster than I am. And even with each of us pushing 75+ pounds we finished in fairly good times.

And Molly, well she waited patiently as well. Dear, sweet Molly!

"Not Me" Monday

I haven't joined the "Not Me" Monday carnival in some time...but today, in honor of the birthday gifts and celebrations I had from last week, I have decided to play today.

If you haven't joined the fun before, please pop on over to MckMama's blog and read hundreds of other "Not Me" Monday posts.

Last week was a busy week. Children waking early and ready to head outdoors to play in the beautiful weather. I did not live on coffee and soda all week, praying I wouldn't overload. Being that I was prepared ahead of time I did not have to stay up well after 1:00am several days last week just to finish things that were required. I did not enjoy several cups of coffee in the new mug my sis, Reg, gave me on those mornings.

This beautiful cheesecake was delivered to me Friday morning. I have been on a health kick lately and would definitely not have a piece shortly after it arrived at 8:30am. And it would definitely not be completely gone by Sunday night.

Shortly after the cheesecake arrived I got a call from my mother. I absolutely did not drop my children off there without diapers. I am always prepared and keep her supplies fully stocked.

After I dropped the children off, fully prepared, I was able to head out for a run. Scott bought me some actual running glasses that I wore on that run and did not decide that I will return them. They fit a little funny around the ears, but would not return them after wearing them.
After the short run needed to head on some errands. I did not grab this entire bag of unsulfured dried mangoes from Ash, and finish the entire bag on my way to Office Max.
Ohhh and after this long day I needed some rest. I did not enjoy a glass of wine from Jess, while gazing upon a beautiful cheese/cake pedestal that my mom gave me. I mean come on! I don't have time to just sit and gaze at things!
And after that I had more amazing gifts awaiting use. I did not run a bath then, for my great Lush products, and then never get to use it! So instead I settled for using some of the lotion, which I did not smell repeatedly because it smells so amazing!

And this...well I have no "not me" for this...I just wanted to show you the great little laptop case my mom got me! It's for when I do business ya know?!

So join in if you chose...and see how much fun you have.

Birthdays, Basements & Bottoms

My celebratory dinners and gatherings began on Wednesday. My sis, Ashley, took me out to dinner at a new restaurant called Victory 44 (opened by a high school classmate and his business partner). It was a great surprise and needless to say the food was impeccable and drink as well. Friday (my actual birthday) began with an entire cheesecake arriving at my door, delivered by a great friend and her children! That was followed by a couple hours off while the children played at "the farm". I took a short (super windy) run and then ran an errand before returning to pick them up. We hurried home, at lunch, took naps and then hurried back to "the farm" so that Scott and I could go out to dinner. Scott took me to an old school steak house where the menu was personalized, they took a keepsake photo and delivered and amazing meal....even more amazing company! Saturday evening ended with another birthday dinner celebration in an effort to include everyone. My parents grilled an amazing dinner and served up a classic rhubarb crisp for desert. It was a great way to begin my 28th year.

Our basement has been a bit disheveled for some time now. It's a large space. A large, open space. It lacks separation in purpose in some areas. But..it seems with a little switch-a-roo I may have put my finger on it. Photos will follow.

A couple of bottoms...Sylvi first. Her bottom has been hitting the toilet seat for over a week now. She began last Saturday by asking to wear "big girl underpants"....and she did. She since then has only had 2 days with accidents in the beginning...and is now living it up like the "bigs". She has worn underpants out on many outings and has done perfectly. So...I guess I only have 1 child in diapers now. Wow..that hasn't been true since 2004!

And another bottom..well that's where I am right now. I know this is petty, but it's on my mind tonight. I ran out quickly tonight to return a DVD and as I was walking out of the building a young girl said "when's the baby due?". I turned and said "excuse me?"...and she repeated her question as I replied "Oh no..I'm not pregnant!". What else do you do? I realize I don't look as I did pre-children...but I didn't think I looked pregnant. Not that I wouldn't love to if I actually was pregnant...you all know I would! So..that has hit me in a place that I am very vulnerable with. And that's my bottom.

Wordy Wednesday

Below is a letter that was read on a public radio show and given to me by my sis, Ashley. If only I could have said it better!!!

Dear Pixar,
This is not an angry letter. It is especially not an angry letter about Up, which I adored. I could have sat in the theater and watched it two more times in a row. I cried, but I also laughed so hard in places that it wore me out.

So I'm not complaining; I'm asking. I'm asking because I think so highly of you.

Please make a movie about a girl who is not a princess.

I'm counting on you, after the jump...

Of the ten movies you've released so far, ten of them have central characters who are boys or men, or who are anthropomorphized animals or robots or bugs who are voiced by and imagined as boys or men. These movies feature women and girls to varying degrees -- The Incredibles, in particular -- but the story is never "a girl and the things that happen to her," the way it's "a boy and what happens to him."

I want so much for girls to have a movie like Up that is about someone they can dress up as for Halloween, as Anika Noni Rose said about starring as the voice in The Frog Princess. Not a girl who's a side dish, but a girl who's the big draw.

And I'd really, really like it not to be a princess.

My understanding is that after the summer blockbusters of 2010 and 2011 -- Toy Story 3 and Newt -- you're planning The Bear And The Bow, a Christmastime fairy tale rather than a summer adventure. And your first one about a girl -- way to go!

But why, oh why, does it have to be about a princess?

Again?

Et tu, Pixar?

I have nothing against princesses. I have nothing against movies with princesses. But don't the Disney princesses pretty much have us covered? If we had to wait for your thirteenth movie for you to make one with a girl at the center, couldn't you have chosen something -- something -- for her to be that could compete with plucky robots and adventurous space toys?

Or more to the point, why couldn't your first female central character be as specifically drawn as the women and girls (and girl robots, etc.) you're already writing as secondary characters? Ratatouille has a chef! WALL-E has Eve! The Incredibles has superheroes!

And Up...oh, Up has Ellie, who I could have watched forever. Seen only in flashbacks to the main story, Ellie is warm and hilarious, ambitious and fearless, and then gone for most of the movie. She provides the engine for the story, in many ways, but it's an old man and a little boy who actually get to hit the gas.

I don't like to make movies political, especially kids' movies, if I can help it. Sometimes a princess is just a princess and should be taken as such.

At the same time, little Russell, in Up, is Asian-American, right? And that's not a big plot point; presumably, he just is because there's no particular reason he shouldn't be. You don't need him to be, but you don't need him not to be, either. It's not politics; it's just seeing the whole big world.

Well, the whole big world has a lot of little girls in it, too. And not all of them are princesses -- and the ones who are princesses have plenty of movies to watch.

And even many of them who do aspire to be princesses are mixing their princess tendencies with all manner of other delicious things. Their tiaras fall off when they skin their knees running at top speed; they get fingerpaint on their pink dresses; they chip their front teeth chasing each other in plastic high-heeled shoes.

There's nothing wrong with the movies you're making; I'm sure your princess movie will be my favorite one ever. I'm just saying, keep them in mind, those girls in Band-Aids, because they want to see themselves on screen doing death-defying stunts, too. You're making some of my favorite movies in the whole world right now.

Please, please make one about a girl who isn't a princess.