Clash at the Border………

We have our very first tournament this weekend……..our team has only been practicing together for 3 weeks……several of Lucas’ new team mates are still learning strategy…….Our team was so well oiled last year that it’s frustrating for Lucas……for me…….for Jim. That' probably explains why 90% of his old team made the premier teams. They’ll learn. It’s not that Lucas knows it all…….far from it. I guess we just expected a select team to already know some of this. Right now if feels like we’re playing back a couple of years. Boys are just kicking…….to no one…….boys are stealing the ball from their own team mates……….passing?…….very little, or there isn’t anyone to pass to. If we weren’t paying select prices, I’m sure I wouldn’t be so shocked………..but……….it has only been 3 weeks….and they are finding their way. Love the coaches………….Thank God. The team that handed them their butts on a platter yesterday were from the Tri-cities in Washington. Awesome team. I thought for sure they had been playing together for a couple of years…..I wanted them to know we’d only been together for 3 weeks……….I strike up a conversation with the parents, and guess what? They’ve only been together for 3 weeks too. :) That was a nice piece of humble pie.

Today’s team was from Arizona……I bet they were enjoying our green grass. Once again………….butts on a platter! I didn’t bother asking them how long they’ve been together. I was full.Not sure what’s happening below. Looks like Lucas (14) just decked the guy……..but I think he just kicked it.

One more game tonight………..Hoping for a miracle. At least we’re having great weather.

We’ll always have our MJ memories……..

At first I thought it was hype…….that Michael Jackson was having back issues again….that FOX news had embellished the news once again …………if it bleeds it leads……..not that I watch FOX news and not that FOX is the only media outlet guilty of this.   Then I thought all the morbid one liners……if it was true.  Remember….wicked sense of humor and can sometimes be offensive……Then when I saw a few videos…..I got sad.  It always takes me a bit for the severity of a situation to hit me.  Being a product of the 70s and 80s…….who liked to move her body…….MJ was a huge influence in my life.  He was there in college to groove to…….my college room mates and I knew EVERY  word.  Between the Off the Wall Album……….yes ALBUM, not CD…….and the Boston album……we danced to them pretty much every day.  We loved MJ so much that we even used the Off the Wall album as a poster.  Today in my step class, I used a CD that had Billy Jean on it.  It was at the end of our cardio.  My Friday class is a great group.  Fun, relaxed, full of happy people.  Billy Jean comes on and the class erupts in to whoops and hollers…………..then it got silent while we worked…..but not for long thank God, because I just knew I was going start tearing up….I don’t think I was the only one.  The moment was so perfect.  And If things couldn’t have gotten better……my favorite Elvis song  came on just in time for Abs.  (a little less conversation, a little more action)

Since the CD was such a hit in my 9am class, I thought I should also use it for my 10am water class.  Towards the end of class Billy Jean comes on. They whoop it up………I turn the volume up on my tiny little boom box and then…………….

it went silent…………the batteries died right in the middle of Billy Jean!  So odd……….so weird!

Rest in Peace MJ.  

And let us not forget Farrah……….loved her…….and tried to have Farrah hair.

Who needs Starbucks?

Who needs Starbucks when you can make it a home.

I love their Venti Shaken Iced Green Tea……no classic, 3 splenda……….yes 3…….don’t judge.

I just make it at home instead.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.  It’s not rocket science, but it sure tastes good.

First I just seep  my tea……2 bags, add my sweetener.  (why yes my mug  IS from Southern Living at HOME….and yes, it’s my favorite……..and yes…my husband serves me coffee in it every weekend)

Then I pour it over ice, add a wedge of lemon……..they don’t add lemon at Starbucks.  Add a straw and lookie what I have.   But I didn’t add a straw til after I took the photo.Enjoy!

Summer Play

Now that school is out, of course Lucas thinks it’s play all day.  The day’s are for playing with your friends ALL DAY LONG! 

Yesterday he played slip n slide with the neighbor boy.  He later thought they should play Battle Ship….except the little boy is only 5……..it was pretty cute listening to him try to explain how to find B 10……….

Today I come home and find Michael and him on the slip n slide………….Lucas declaring we need a new one already………..I just bought it yesterday.  It ripped.  The babysitter had taken them to the park, the forest and set up the slip n slide.  She’s so awesome!

Then they decided that rolling in the grass and dirt was really fun………..then they got cold……..then they decided they wanted to fill a tote with hot water and sit in it.  NOT!  While they were begging……..something that never works with me………I asked them why they don’t just use the bath tub.  You would think I just told them there was a platter of donuts upstairs……off they went.    I told them I wanted their evil smile……..and a dry floor when they were done.  Then they played monopoly all afternoon.

Cueing Alice Cooper……….

Schools out for Summer!……..he was singing this, then went into “Ain’t no mountain high enough”………So I guess things have changed since I went to school.

I’d say he looks like a 5th grader. What do you think?

I was holding Mabie while 10,000 kids were petting her……while I took this shot. Gotta love my 50mm lens.

Heading out to play a bit of miniature golf with some friend of his……..and mine. Joy’s going.

Garage Sale Rules……..

I love a garage sale………..and I love having garage sales.  Sure it’s a lot of work and I get all weird thinking that people might judge me for the crap stuff I’m selling.  But my goal was to make extra money to put towards our vacation…….free money.  

It always amazes me how the minute you open your garage doors, trying to pull all the tables out………people swarm your house.  Crazy. 

The things I thought would go like hot cakes didn’t.   ODD.  Children’s books……..good ones like “I Spy hard backs” for $1………..or pokemon cards, 20 for $1………or children’s toys……hot wheels…..for 25 cents………….that stuff stayed for almost all the sale.   No one bought my $5 armoire until the last hour.  No one bought my shabby chic over stuffed chair for $20………..it’s back in the basement.

I also had no hagglers………..no one tried to barter  really.  In the past I would have some ask me if I’d take 10 cents instead of the 25 cents I was asking.  I hate that.  I had two brand new pairs of men’s jeans……..no one wanted………..no one even looked at the 15 men’s dress shirts I had.  No one bought Lucas’ hoody sweatshirts………like a camo fleece from the Gap.  ODD.

I did have lots of older men show up.  Odd.  I did sell ALL my scrapbooking stuff to the same woman on both days.  She got a steal.  I did sell a bistro patio set quickly and since she couldn’t pick it up that day, we left it out for a decoy……….it worked so well getting people to the sale that we decided to set our other set out the next day with a sold sign on it……….tricky huh? Or is it dishonest?  Don’t care……….I had a job to do…….sell my stuff.  I could have sold that table 25 times over. 

Mabie hung out with me for both days.  She slept most the time, not giving a hoot about all these people milling around. She did however  also gets lots of attention...  This is Mabie’s barricade doggy gate………..a small banquet table on it’s side………I know how to make my house look nice.  This photo has nothing to do with my garage sale, except I needed to use her barricade……..I mean gate.

The important rule about having a garage sale is that NOTHING goes back into the house.  Load it all up into the SUV and take it to GoodWill.   Of course there are exceptions like a bunch of video games that didn’t sell………..or my chair……but you get the point.  I am happy to report, we are over $300 richer for our Summer vacation!  Anyone want a chair?

Indulged……

Did I mention that I was on the waiting list for Karen Russell’s Photography class? Did I mention that I got in for the class starting on the 22nd? I’m still in denial……very excited to learn from her. My friend Debi…….The Labradoodle Breeder got in too. It was such a fluke and we both couldn’t be more excited. Maybe I’ll learn to take a shot that’s not blurry. :)

My son discovered his train table after going through his playroom for stuff to sell in our garage sale this weekend. He also re-discovered his army stuff. He spent all afternoon setting up an army with his friend Sam Q, then asked if he could use the camera to take some shots. I gladly told him to grab my old point and shoot Fuji’s or my old Sony Cybershot…….he said he wanted to “focus” and get some cool shots. So spoiled. So I let him touch my fancy pants camera with a few rules of course. One of them is he cannot walk down the stairs with it and when he is walking, the strap MUST be around his neck.

He did pretty good didn’t he?

I haven’t been sick for 2 years……..and I got a blasted summer cold. Feeling a bit better….just very low energy. But I’m ignoring it………..

Still loving Live Writer. People with Explorer, especially Internet Explorer 8 are having issues with pulling up everything on a page………I switched to Fire Fox and all my issues are gone………..well at least my computer issues anyway.