AI Results

Well, I was only half surprised tonight. I was right on the money with the guys. I realized as we were watching it and I was telling Chip my predictions that I had not specified which Jason I thought would go home. It was indeed Jason Yaeger and I was pleased as punch that I was right on! Of course, maybe I didn't specify because I didn't realize there were two Jason's because I accidently referred to Jason Castro as John. Oops!

But I was a bit shocked at the girls. I thought I had it nailed when Amanda and Alexandrea were up there. I was so sure Amanda was going. I was disappointed for sure.

Then when Kady and Alaina were up there I was again, SO SURE Kady was out of there. Talk about shock! I can't believe Alaina is gone!

Oh well, that's the way it goes with this show. You just never know!


And, I have to say that right now, I feel better than I have in days. I still don't feel great, but for the first time, my nose doesn't feel like it's coming off and I can actually breathe! Chip is still pretty miserable though. And Ruthi is incredibly whiny. I hope that's just because she's 3 and she's not getting worse! I want all the sickie germs GONE!!!

Quick Update and AI Recap

Update - Chip and I are still sick. Sneezing, runny nose, tired, run down, just not feeling well in general...Chip stayed home from work today. I took some cold medicine last night and it allowed me to sleep like a baby, which was very nice. If it wouldn't knock me out cold, I'd take more right now. But I'm trying to be awake for a while so Ruthi doesn't get so bored! She's doing a puzzle right now. She's still a little congested, but Sudafed seems to be working for her. CJ's checkup went great, and he's coming out easy in all this sick stuff!

For the past 2 or 3 seasons of American Idol, I've enjoyed reading the recap posts on other peoples' blogs. I thought it would be fun to do my own. Since I'm still not feeling good, this first one will be just a short rundown of what I thought of the singers from the past two nights. Just wanted to get it on here before the results show tonight.

First of all, I have to say that I was pleased with last week's results - I think the right people went home.

OK, first the guys:

Michael Johns - (I have to be a fan of his, as he is from my state - and not too terribly far away either!) I like him, but I think he could have done a little better this week. It wasn't his best performance.

John Castro - I think he's such a cutie pie! I think he did ok on the song, but I felt he seemed a bit nervous. And I'd like to hear him sing without the guitar too. I think he uses it to give him something to do with his hands so he doesn't feel so uncomfortable.

Luke Menard - A.DOR.A.BLE I really like him. I actually had never heard this song before, so I didn't have the original to compare him to. But I liked it - I thought it was fun. I might feel differently if I heard the original - I don't know!

Robbie Carrico - I'm kind of indifferent on this guy - haven't mad my mind up yet. I thought he did ok. Better than Randy and Paula thought.

Danny Noriega - Not a Danny fan. I don't really care for his attitude; to me, he comes off a bit cocky sometimes. Song was just ok.

David Hernandez - Like him. WOW. Loved his song - amazing!

Jason Yeager - On the fence with him, kinda falling more toward not a fan. Wasn't crazy about his song, I thought he was kind of corny.

Chikezie - Until this week, I wasn't sure if I liked him. Loved him this week.

David Cook - Another one where I'm a fence sitter - just can't make up my mind. But he sounded ok. And Simon can be a big baby sometimes - I think he proved it in the dialog following this song. (But I still love Simon!)

David Archuleta - Such a cutie! And WOW, this kid is gonna go far! Wow!

My favorites - The Davids and Chikezie
Going home? I'm predicting Robbie and Jason

And the Girls:

Carly Smithson - I like her but probably not as much as most do. She can sing though, and I thought she did a good job.

Syesha Mercado - I think she is adorable and I really like her. Her baby cry was hilarious and sounded very real! I like how she changed up the song. Although I do think there were some pitch issues, I liked it.

Brooke White - Yeah - the beauty school thing surprised me - especially since I think someone needs to get a hold of her hair! Anyway...Ok, loved this song on her - perfect choice for her and she did a fantastic job. And hey - the judges agree with me! And I loved that she kind of sang it to Simon - too funny!

Ramiele Malubay - She is so cute and I still can't believe the voice that comes out of her! Wasn't too crazy about her song though. Even though it was upbeat, it was a bit boring to me. Definitely didn't show off her voice.

Kristy Lee Cook - Really liked her - great song choice. I think she did a great job. And I agree she should try the country route - I think she would do well with it. And doesn't she have the perfect name to be a country singer?

Amanda Overmyer - I haven't been a fan of Amanda since the beginning. Just not my style of music. Chip really likes her though. I guess with her you either really like her or you really don't! I don't. And I didn't like the song. But I felt bad for her - she looked like she might have been choking back a tear or two.

Alaina Whitaker - Loved her last week. This week, I think she did pretty good. She reminds me so much of Carrie Underwood.

Alexandrea Lushington - I really like her but think she fell a bit flat on this song. And she's practically a neighbor, so I have to be a fan of hers!

Kady Malloy - There's something about Kady - I can't put my finger on it - but I just don't care for her. HATED her song. And I think maybe she should stick to opera - that actually sounded good!

Asia'h Epperson - She is pretty! Love her but I think she fell short on this one.

Favorites this week - Brooke and maybe Kristy?
Going home? Tough one, I'm really not sure. Hopefully Kady, and I think Amanda is in danger.

I really wish they didn't make you lose a boy and a girl (or two). I know they want an even number of girls and guys in the top 12, but I think they really should just go for the top 12 singers out of the group. I think they end up losing a singer or two that deserves to be in the top because of this. I think that during this point of the competition, when they are dropping 4 at a time, it should be the 4 bottom, period - male or female. But they didn't ask my opinion, did they?

Quick Update

Thankfully Ruthi didn't have any more vomiting issues. But she was puny all day on Sunday and very clingy and whine. Poor baby was miserable. I think the worst of hers is over.

CJ has been stuffy, but other than that he's doing ok. He has a physical this afternoon that I REALLY wish I didn't have to take him to. I want to go back to bed.

Chip is miserable. He's in bed. He thinks he might have a sinus infection. I'm praying it's not the flu.

I'm pretty miserable myself. When I'm not sneezing, I have the constant urge to sneeze. And my nose won't stop running. And I'm just tired. I'm pretty sure mine is a cold. It feels totally different than the sinus stuff. And I don't have a fever or anything, so I'm hoping it's just a cold. But even if that's all it is, it's wiping me out!

Which really stinks because Saturday is a big 90th birthday party for Chip's Grandmother and if we don't get better quick, we may miss it. I was supposed to be doing a cake but am just not up for it (thankfully at least this didn't all start on Friday when it would be too late for a plan B!) So that stinks. But it will be just plain rotten if we have to miss this! Not that often you get to go to a 90th birthday of a Grandparent!

I'm off to rest until time for CJ's appointment. Then back to bed. I guess finishing his room is going to have to wait. Sigh.

Oh, and I haven't broken the news to Ruthi yet that she won't get to go to Rainbows tonight. She won't be happy about that. At.All.
She talks about it all the time. I think I won't come out and tell her. I won't mention it unless she does. Not looking forward to those tears! Sigh again.

Sickness, Sickness, Stay Away!

I mentioned in last night's post that Ruthi wasn't feeling well. She was a bit stuffy yesterday. Last night, she woke up and she was burning up. According to the thermometer, she didn't actually have a fever, but her cheeks were flushed and her skin was hot. Her nose was all stuffed up, and she just didn't feel well. So I gave her some Sudafed and some Tylenol. Within a couple of hours, her skin was cool to the touch. I'm not convinced the thermometer is accurate! Other than a bit of restlessness, she slept pretty well.

Chip woke me up around 8 this morning and asked if we were going to Church. I told him Ruthi wasn't feeling to well and I thought we should stay home. And it's a good thing we did.

A little while ago, She and I were sitting right here at the computer, snuggled under some blankets. She was chewing up her vitamin when all of a sudden she vomited all over us.

I sat there for a few seconds, paralyzed, trying to figure out my course of action. Then I did what I thought was best. I yelled, "HELP" loud enough for Chip to hear me. Then, "Could you bring me a towel?"

I decided the best thing was to strip us both down right there. And I was holding my breath, hoping CJ wasn't going to walk through the door with his friend. I mean, it would be bad enough to scar my own son, but the neighbor's son too? Yeah, that would not be good.

I left the putrid pile of clothes and blankets in the floor and hit the shower. I couldn't run the washer while we were in the shower anyway, seeing how they were going to need to be washed in hot water. And I didn't want a cold shower!

Anyway, we are now all clean and the clothes and blankets are washing as I type.

I really hope this episode was just due to her being congested and all of that stuff coming up. She doesn't sound congested now, so hopefully the worst is over. However, I'm afraid to give her much to eat for fear that it may come back up. I am very grateful that the only thing she had consumed this morning was her milk and a couple of bites of a cereal bar.

And truth be be told, my stomach doesn't feel to well at the moment. I am so hoping this isn't the start of something worse!

Whooped Pup

That's what I feel like. My body is tired, but I'm not sleepy. Go figure.

I've been working on CJ's room. He wanted his room redone...for Christmas. So we bought the paint and stuff to do it but haven't actually done anything about it.

Yes, I realize it is the end of February and Christmas was 2 months ago. Procrastinate much? Why yes, I do.

Anyway, I got the urge to tackle it this week. And tackle may be a bit of an understatement!

First I had to rip off the wallpaper...ugh! I was very grateful for the parts that came off in big sheets. The rest well, not so much.

I decided it would be good for CJ to come in and help with this task. My hope is that if he has any idea the work that goes into it, that he may appreciate it and take care of his room longer...we'll see!

Finally, wallpaper was off and then came the monumental job of patching all the holes, dings and nicks. His walls looked like they had some sort of disease - they were that bad! Once all that was done, the walls needed to be sanded. Oh.What.Fun! Thankfully, I had the help of a palm sander, but once I was done I couldn't hear or breathe and my hair looked much greyer than it already is!

I was really hoping to skip the next step - priming the walls. I tested a small area. It was looking good and I was so happy that I could get by without the extra work.

Once it dried, I heard CJ ask, "Mom, why is the paint peeling off my wall?" Ugh. I went to check. It was only peeling where he had SCRAPED it with his FINGERNAIL! (And I'm hoping he will take care of his "new" room?) I realized though that it wasn't going to take much at all for this paint to be ruined.

So today I started the fun job of priming. Not only the walls but also the trim, baseboards and doors. Then came the first coat of paint. Paint that I'm not at all thrilled with.

You see, I decided to let CJ determine the color and decor of his bedroom. After all, he is almost 14 and his room has been done my way (for the most part) all his life. So I figured it was time to let him make the choices - as difficult as that is for me.

He decided he wanted and "outdoorsy" room. And he wanted the walls green. DARK brownish-green. When I poured the paint into the tray it looked much like strained peas...and what comes out of a baby after eating strained peas. Oh dear. But HE likes it, and that's what matters, right?

Two coats later and guess what? It's growing on me! It's more brown than green, but has a definite green hue to it.

I mentioned that I primed the trim, baseboards and doors. All the trim/doors in this house were stained an ugly dark brown. We have gradually painted almost all of it white. And I like it so much better. CJ's room had not been touched though.

Let me tell you, he was none too thrilled when I told him all of that was going to be white like the rest of the house. He did not think it would look good. I explained to him that since he chose such a dark paint color, that the room really needed the white to break it up a little and add a little bit of brightness and crisp, freshness to the room.

He did not agree.

Now that the room is painted and the trim is white from the primer, he admits it's not awful. But he still wants it painted brown. Not the same brown as it was, but still brown.

I REALLY like the white. I'm not crazy about the idea of all that being dark. I'm afraid his room will look like a cave. (Which would be fine to him.) So now we have to make a decision. Chip has not weighed in on it yet, as he went to bed early and has not seen the paint on all the walls yet. I guess we will make that decision tomorrow.

Any predictions on how that's going to go?

Anyway, now my body is tired and achy but I'm quite restless and not ready to sleep. Plus, Ruthi isn't feeling too well, and I have a feeling it's going to be a LONG night. Hopefully the medicine I gave her will help her sleep.

I was going to post pictures, but this has turned into a really long post, so I'm not going to do that now. I will try again tomorrow. And I'll have before and after pics of CJ's room coming soon too!

Good night! (Or should I say morning, seeing how it's likely no one will actually read this tonight, since it actually is morning now!)

My Little Rainbow

The program for our 3 & 4 year olds at church is called Rainbows. Last Wednesday I took Ruthi for the first time. She had SO much fun. I couldn't help but take along my camera to capture a little bit of this first for her.

Here she is coloring with her class.

(I've darkened the faces of the other kids, as I don't have permission from their parents to post their picture.)

And here they were playing a game.

What I love is how small the class is. I used to teach this age group and when I did, I had a minimum of 20 three year olds, and many times up to 30! Now they've re-structured and divided the classes into smaller groups and it's great!


And this is awesome - an indoor playground! So wonderful for when the weather doesn't permit any outside play. Not to mention, the big kids aren't allowed in here, so that's another plus! She had SO much fun in here.




A trampoline perfect for her size!


A bicycle built for 5!


And no playroom is complete without a "rock" climbing wall!


Yes, my little Rainbow had a blast and is looking forward to tomorrow night. And she's even learned her first Bible verse - "He leads me." (Psalm 23:2)

V-Day Pics

Well, the weekend is almost over, but I'm managing to get some pictures on here before it's completely gone! I actually have quite a few pictures from the past few days, but for now I'm just going to post a few from Valentine's Day.

First a couple from dinner:

Our heart-shaped mini-meatloaves. (They shrunk a little in the pan, so they aren't perfectly heart-shaped, but you get the idea.


And our mashed potatoes:


A little silly? Maybe...but it was fun.

Here's a couple of people pictures:



And here's Ruthi with her 'loot':

She got some new pajamas, a couple of new puzzles and some candy.

CJ didn't want me to take his picture, but He got a Starbuck's gift card (One of his favorite things!) and some candy too.

I have some cute pictures from Ruthi's little Valentine's party on Friday - she had SO much fun. I'll get those posted tomorrow...hopefully!

Happy Valentine's!

Hope you've enjoyed your day! We have.

I made heart-shaped pancakes for breakfast this morning. For dinner I made heart-shaped mini meatloaves and I formed the mashed potatoes into a big heart as well. Cheesy? Maybe, but it was fun. I got the idea for heart shaped meat loaf and potatoes from a gal at Paper Petal Memories. (Thanks Karen!)

We don't have a lot of our "very own" traditions. So last year I decided to start one of our own and make Valentine's Day a fun day for our family. I decorate for the occasion and try to have as much fun with it as possible. I hope it will be memorable for our kids.

Tomorrow, Ruthi is having a little party here with a couple of her friends. She has been talking about her "bawenstines" party for about a week now. I hope it measures up to her expectations!

I'll share pictures from today - tomorrow. I still have quite a bit to do tonight, so I'm not going to try upload them from my camera right now. But I will get them on here before the weekend is over!



I saw this little question/answer thing on Stacey's blog and thought it was fun, so I'm going to do it here.

Couples

How long have you been together?
It will be 17 years in May. (16 married - 1 dating)

How long did you date?
1 year

How old is he?
35 - 6 months younger than me.

Who eats more?
I'm sure I could out eat him most days, but he tries not to let me do that!

Who said "I love you" first?
He did.

Who is taller?
He is.

Who is smarter?
I'd say him - but I suppose I might be smarter about some things.

Who does the laundry?
I do.

Who does the dishes?
I do. (He helps every now and then.)

Who sleeps on the right side of the bed?
He does.

Who pays the bills?
He does.

Who mows the lawn?
CJ does!

Who cooks dinner?
I do - most of the time. But he's a terrific cook and does cook sometimes!

Who is more stubborn?
Me. Definitely.

Who kissed who first?
I kissed him first. But he wanted it.

Who asked who out?
Neither really - he offered to drive me home from church one night, so I could go out to eat with everyone. (maybe that was our first "date"?) I called him to ask him to go on a group thing. He then invited me to a concert...never really a "will you go out with me" kind of thing. We just started hanging out and it progressed pretty quickly.

Who proposed?
He did.

Who is more sensitive?
I am.

Who has more friends?
At one time, I would have said me. Now I think we are pretty equal in that area.

Who has more siblings?
Me - I have one brother. He is an only.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!!!

Just for Fun

OK, my friend Kelly from Paper Petal Memories found this cool thing that she added to her myspace page. I thought it was cool, so I added one too!

Look over on the left below my profile and you will see it. It's from Snapvine and it's a way to leave a voice message! If you click play, there is a message from me on there.

Now it's your turn! It's easy - just click on "record by phone" and it will give you a number to call. Then you enter the temporary password and leave a message. SO - LEAVE ME A MESSAGE!! I want to hear your voice!

This goes for all my family and friends who are reading but don't comment (oh yeah - I know you are here and even when and how often you are here!) and for all my new blogging buddies - I'd love to hear from you! Come on, don't be a party pooper - make me smile and leave me a message!

For The Birds

Yes, I realize it's been over a week since I blogged. I had an icky sinus infection which was no fun. I caught it quick and went right on an antibiotic, but it just made me feel so tired!

And instead of spending 4 glorious days of non-stop scrapping over Super Bowl weekend, where I usually can turn out a minumum of 20 scrapbook pages, I managed to get a whopping 6 done. I just didn't feel good! And you know if I don't feel like scrapping, especially on Super Bowl weekend, that I really don't feel good!

So now that I'm feeling much better, even though my sinuses are still bugging me, I'm trying to get back on track...yet again.

I've got lots to do this week and I really want to feel like I accomplished a lot when this week is over.

I did finally get my motivation back and was trucking along so well, cleaning and organizing like a mad woman. Then I got hit by that truck and well, I'm sure you know how that goes.

So I think the motivation has finally returned again, and I'm trying to "do it all" before I run into another road block.

Anyway, the reason for today's title...

When I was cleaning, I came across a bag of birdseed I had bought a long time ago - probably when I was teaching and my class was studying birds. There was quite a bit left, so I decided Ruthi might have fun making some bird feeders.

CJ was a sweetie and went out to find us some pine cones. I sat down with Ruthi and let her coat the pinecones with peanut butter and roll them in the birdseed. She really seemed to enjoy it, except for the birdseed that stuck to her fingers. She wasn't too crazy about that.

The day before we did this, it had been fairly warm and there had been lots of birds in our yard. But on this day, it was FREEZING. So I bundled her up and we went out just long enough to hang the feeders.

Then we waited...inside.

She kept checking the window to see if any birds were enjoying their yummy treat. But we didn't see any. The next day we did spot a couple.

Once it warmed back up a bit, the birds showed up and enjoyed their little feast. Now we need to refill them and put them back out.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of her making the feeders.

Spreading the peanut butter.


She couldn't resist a little taste for herself.


Rolling in the birdseed.


Hanging it in the tree.


For the Birds!

Future Balloonist?

I'm back. It's been a long week - pain, sickness, that kind of thing. Maybe I'll elaborate later. But I'm back!

CJ has been showing off his talents lately. First, it was his songwriting abilities. Now he's making balloon animals and things.

I found an old pack of balloons and a pump when I was organizing. I gave them to him and he immediately started creating. I was actually quite impressed with his results.

Here he is working on a creation. (I don't remember what this one turned out to be.)


He made things for Ruthi. Here she is showing them off.

A big fancy hat:


A doggie:


And just a cute close up:


And CJ even let Ruthi help blow some of them up.


He made a few more too. Swords, different dogs, a giraffe, an elephant and a mouse. Unfortunately, I didn't get shots of those. :(
I intended to get more photos, some with him holding his animals, but for some reason it just didn't happen. Sigh.

Kid of many talents. I wonder what his future holds?

And The Winner Is.....

Chaotic Joy! Congratulations!

Thank you to everyone who entered!