May 24 Party at Carol's!

May 23 New House, new chair and a half!

We had a successful shopping adventure today. It really only took three stops to find the couch we wanted. This picture is the style of our chair and a half- although we went with a light tan color (not shown). Raymour and Flanigan will be delivering it on Tuesday, along with the matching couch. We will use them in the family room until the big move. Hopefully, the new furniture will be just the touch we need to showcase our beautiful fireplace room, and finally get this house sold!

May 22 Malta Drive-In

Night at the Museum 2 gets two thumbs up! We enjoyed a fun evening at the Malta Drive-In tonight. We met the Sanders there with about an hour to spare before sundown. The kids threw the monster disc and kicked the soccer ball around, while Jim, Kirk, and I tossed the football. The movie was great, and a fun time was had by all.

May 21

May 20

May 19

May 18

May 17 Jackson is baptised

I LOVE this picture of Jackson sitting in the tiny Radio Flyer wagon great Grandpa and great Grandma Hinckley gave him! Tina & Nick threw a nice party for Jackson's baptism at their house, complete with Boccie, tree climbing, and of course, a full compliment of food and beverage! Whoo Hoo for parties!

May 16 Family Movie Night

We stayed in tonight and rented a movie from the Red Box (always a bargain). Tonight's feature presentation was "Bolt." We popped popcorn, turned the lights down low, and snuggled on the couch. Although the kids had already seen it, they said it was just as good the second time around - and Jim and I thought it was awesome! A good family rental. Two thumbs up!

May 15 Middle School Dance

Brendan went to the last Middle School dance of the year this evening. Apparently, there wasn't much actual dancing at this dance, but he did have a good time - and managed to find $7.00 in small bills and loose change on the floor. Grandpa Hinckley, who always had a nose for finding coins on the ground, would be so proud!

May 14 Why Moms are Weird... and turn into hoarders?

I have a few chapters left in this book. It is a strange book- about a daughter who comes back home to help her mom & sister, and struggles to fit in with the family, after moving across the country and being away for a while. What compelled me to buy it was the jacket teaser saying that the mom turned into a massive hoarder (oh, and it was 50% off). Somehow, I thought that by reading this book, I might have better insight into the whole hoarding mentality & maybe how to fix it? That didn't really pan out, but the book was a quick read, and finishing it will clear the way for my summer reading pile!

May 13 New Favorite Magazine

It's official. REAL SIMPLE magazine has dethroned the "O" Magazine as my new favorite. Who would have guessed? This magazine is chock-full of practical ideas, check lists, and websites month after month. I can't wait to get it in the mail every month and read it, cover to cover immediately!

May 12 Tara falls fron Grace

The Biggest Loser Season Finale was amazing! Tara, seen here, had not only lost 155 lbs during the season, but had NEVER fallen below the yellow line the entire season. Tonight, she was upset for the $250,000 prize by 48 year old Helen. Helen was a worthy competitor and looked AMAZING at 117 lbs for the finale. It was a great show!

May 11 TJ Maxx find

This photograph doesn't do the picture justice. But, after the Friendly's feast yesterday, some of the sisters went to TJ Maxx. I found this gem for just $29.99 and I just LOVE it! In real life, it showcases many of my favorite colors - shades of blue, teal, etc. It has clean lines, and is set up like many of my recent scrapbook layouts... and I can't WAIT to find a new home for it in my new home. Hopefully, soon!

May 10 Mother's Day

This year, the sisters took mom (& dad) to the movies for Mother's Day. Carol, Diane, Teresa, Nance, Megan & Mare enjoyed the movie "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past." Afterward, we enjoyed ice cream at Friendly's. We had a good time!

May 9 Soccer

The boys each had really good soccer games today. They both gave 100%, and (although we really don't keep score in this league), both of their teams won. Brendan and Liam are off to good seasons so far this spring.

May 8 Grandpa Bill visits

Uncle Billy and Grandpa Bill stopped by for a visit tonight. Grandpa Bill had driven himself up from Florida a week ago, and wanted to visit with the family before he headed back. Naturally, he brought treasures for the boys - a bunch of model trains, and a pile of coins for them to start a coin collection. The boys were thrilled!

May 7 Family Bicycle Ride

More things we will miss when we move:
* family bike rides or jogs through the Luther Forest Trails
* forever wild in our back yard
* the Malta park

May 6 Soccer

The boys enjoy a snack of Air Heads after mid-week soccer practice. Nothing says, "job well done" like a pure sugar treat before dinner!

May 5 A House of a differet color

In seemingly fruitless attempts to sell our house, we have made a series of minor improvements over the past two months. From brand new carpeting and closet doors to fresh coats of paint, we hope each little change will attract the right family to make us an offer. The latest addition to our list is a freshly painted front porch. I've invested a lot of sweat & tears into this project - two coats turn a blue porch into a fresh white porch. We'll see if it was worth it...

May 4 More Flowers

The garden is starting to burst with the colors of Spring. While I won't miss fretting over finding time and energy to weed - not to mention accidentally pulling actual flowers, I will miss the colors of the season when we move.

May 3 the boys make a fort

Liam and Brendan made a fort in Jim's chair this morning. They had a ball! Making forts is one of their favorite past times :)

May 2 Happy National Scrapbook Day !

HAPPY NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY! This year, I celebrated NSD with a 12-hour crop at the Malta Ambulance Corp. I had 10 scrappers in attendance & everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. We even posted a group photo on the CM Face Book site, along side at least 1,000 other groups celebrating NSD around the country. Gotta love modern technology!

May 1 Happy Birthday to me...

Well, it's not REALLY my birthday, but we really are having my birthday dinner at the 99 restaurant! Due to circumstances beyond our control, this celebration is about 4 months overdue. In the end, though, the meal was great! I had prime rib complete with an awesome dessert. Yum, Yum!

April 30 New Obsession

I resisted playing the Mafia Wars game on Face Book for MONTHS.... and finally decided to give it a try. Now I'm completely obsessed, playing it every chance I get. I find myself trying to calculate in my head how much energy I've earned since the last time I logged on; I try to figure out how to work myself up the Mafia ranks without asking the Godfather for assistance. A healthy obsession? Maybe, maybe not. But, it does take my mind of a world of real troubles, and in my book, there's nothing wrong with that!

April 29 Double booked

We had a full plate this evening. Between the four of us, we had to choose between two soccer practices, one choir rehearsal, and the last meeting of Cub Scouts for the year. Jim ended up taking Liam to Scouts; I took Brendan to his practice, and Liam's soccer & my choir lost. Well, there's always next week, when the juggling game starts again.

April 28 Liam

This morning, Liam and I sat on the couch together watching Jerry. We opened the window for Jerry to enjoy a refreshing breeze & get a closer look at the birds. We had a good time together, even if it was only for a few minutes. The morning routine can't wait for very long!

April 27 Memorial Slone Kettering

We drove down to NYC today to meet with the doctors at Memorial Slone Kettering. About 4 miles away from the hospital, we got a flat tire (just before entering a tunnel, of all the rotten luck). I was hoping that was not foreshadowing of things to come.

Jim felt comfortable with the doctor and the facility, so decided he will be treated there.

April 26 Jim

I like this picture of Jim. He was talking on the phone with Larry Woods about his illness. I will hold this picture in my mind's eye, and remember it when Jim is in the hospital during and after his transplant.

April 25 1st day of soccer

It was unseasonably warm for the first day of spring soccer. The sun was out, and the temperature reached 90 degrees! The boys enjoyed their practices and got back into the swing of things quickly. It's going to be a good season!