Alien Invasion!

I've been abducted. Aliens have taken over my life and I am totally thrilled! I picked up my new lighting equipment today and have been playing with the stuff this evening. Next week I'm shooting for RBC at their year end awards dinner so I needed (well I DID!) proper lighting equipment. It's something I've wanted for ages anyway and now that I have a temporary income source, I thought it would be a good way to get them, you know, since they were totally necessary and everything. ;)))

I set them up as soon as I got them home but had to leave shortly after to pick the girls up from school. They'd put all their money together so they could buy something. Sweetie had well over $20 herself and the other 2 probably had $10 or so each. Sweetie wanted them all to have the money so she put hers in with theirs and by the time I found out about it, everything was mixed and I had no idea who had had what. Initially they were going to buy new games for their DS' but since they have misplaced a game, I said they had to find that one first but they've had no luck. They'd also had a lot of close calls in the mornings getting ready or rather, NOT getting ready! so I told them we couldn't go shopping until they'd improved. This morning they were ready & out in the driveway fifteen minutes early. Amazing what they can do when they really want to!

We went directly to Walmart and started price checking to see what they could get. The collective funds were now $46 so they had to find things for $15 & under (I figured I could spot them the tax). They were beside themselves, trying to pick ONE thing. They were running back & forth, scanning the aisles, making selections, getting me to check prices, deciding on something, only to see something better..... and so on for over half an hour. Finally everyone had decided on their selections. Lovey picked another Barbie mermaid. Sweetie & Honey each got a little animal that moves around when you push a button. Honey also chose a Littlest Pet Shop animal and Sweetie picked a package of Baby Alive diapers and was thrilled that she didn't have to use her ripped ones anymore! and when we got home, she realized that Lovey didn't have any diapers for her Baby Alive. When she opened the package, she took out an extra and gave it to Lovey to use for her own doll. Sometimes they are so nice to each other and completely unprompted!

Once the kids went to bed, I had no one to practice on so I had to jump in there for test shots. After awhile I got bored. Ya'll aren't kidding when you tell me I have a lot of hair! Still can't sit on it though so I'll keep going :)

I'm so pleased with the lights so far! I don't have them entirely figured out yet but for the first day, I'm pretty happy with the results and can't wait to do more!

Dinner Clown

Lovey is finding herself verrrrrrrrrrrry amusing lately, especially during dinner when she has nothing to do while we eat our meal like regular human beings. Soooo she flip flops around in her chair, she sings and sometimes dances around, makes goofy faces and tries to get her sisters to crack up. Most of the time it works and it's hard to keep a straight face for awhile. Generally she gets too carried away and a) falls off her chair and hurts herself or b) gets so loud that we have to send her away. Tonight we had the nerve to be eating TBone steak, completely inedible of course. It wasn't long before the show started and she was giving Honey & Murray a headache so he told her she was excused.Off she went to her room and the next thing we know she's bursting back into the kitchen with various accessories hanging off her dress, a pair of pants on her head with a pair of panties on top of that to hold them on with the legs hanging down her back. We send her away again. She comes back with another ridiculous outfit change and this time dragging a pillow with one foot. Back she goes and one more wardrobe selection. Finally I tell her to take the stuff back to her room and to come back with NOTHING! She was gone like a shot and then struts in a minute later having fully obeyed what I said. She came back with nothing. No accessories, no pillows, no dress, no underwear. She's standing there nekkid as a jaybird, pleased as punch as she says "There! You said to come back with nothing, so I have nothing!" I couldn't help it, I giggled like mad. I so wish I'd had a camera handy to get at least a head & shoulders shot of that proud posture cuz she was holding her head high! LOL

She's back to violin lessons and really missed them & her teacher over the summer. She's starting to work on using her fingers on the strings to change the notes. It went fine when her teacher showed her, it was a disaster melt down crying "Can I quit violin?" fit last night. Then tonight, she realized that they were the notes for Mary Had a Little Lamb and she ran through it several times, practiced another couple of pieces and asked to go back to do that one again so she might go on with it yet. Misty says she's outgrown her 1/8 size violin and is ready to move up to a bigger one! She also seems pleased with Lovey's progress and says a lot of kids at this stage aren't able to produce the sound that Lovey does.

Apples Anyone?

So we went and did some apple picking on the weekend. The girls are EXCELLENT pickers. They started off with their own bags, switched out a couple times as they got too heavy and then when we got everything together to leave, we realized we'd filled FIVE of those re-usable shopping bags. Guess how much that weighs????? SIXTY pounds. And you can't just stick them back on the tree after you pick them! I'll have to get Murray on applesauce duty on the double! I gave some to Mum and some to a friend a the gym but we still have a bit of a surplus. Today I made a double batch of apple crumble and I'm even eating them. The pile doesn't seem to have gone down a whole lot yet though. Murray & I will have a pie night soon and get a bunch of those in the freezer. That will take care of some but not all, so if you're hungry and nearby, stop in for some fresh picked apples!

Bout Time We Had a Party!

Uncle Dale had a birthday this week so we had another dinner party! Presents, cake AND pie! woo hoo! Mumma went all out and we ate well, even Lovey!

Forgot my favourite!

I can't believe I forgot to include this in yesterday's post!