A Cat in a Box

 Harley is our cat. 

He sat in a box

He sat in a box as quiet as a fox.

 Harley, or "Itty Bitty" as he is called by a boy

Tried to look just like a toy

 Then this little boy, who adores our cat

Put him in another box where he sat

 And sat and sat and sat

He was a very content cat

Harley, our happy cat. 

(for the record, I am not a poet HA!)

What We've Been Doing

I thought I would share the fun we've been having without the kids here :-)

I don't have a ton of photos but Darryl and I have had a lot of fun!  On Friday, once parents left with the boys and the parents of the extra kids pick them up, Darryl and I headed for town.  We had reservations at PF Changs - a resturant we had never eaten at but had heard so much about that we finally decided to try.  First I'll say, it was good food . . kind of unique but good.  We got egg rolls which were not the best I've had but weren't awful either.  I also ordered some Crab Rangoons which were actually the best part of my entire meal.  Dinner was good but not nearly as good as the hype.  How's that for a middle of the road review?  After dinner we went to see a movie - We saw Book Thief which was a really, really good movie.  Yes, we also enjoyed popcorn and lemonade :-) 

Saturday morning we slept in (such a rarity!) and hung at home.  I had to run to the grocery store and then we got ready for this . . ..

 We attended a wedding for a "kid" we've known for 12 years.  He and Darryl have been friends for all of those years and it was such a privilege to attend.  We got to hang out with all of the folks that Darryl used to work with and it was just plain fun.  I can chalk this up as one of the most enjoyable weddings we've attended in a long time.  And no, I did not take my camera.  I told myself that I wasn't going to take it to weddings anymore unless it was an immediate family member and guess what?  It was SOOO nice to not take photos!

Sunday was a totally 100% "veg" day.  Sleeping in; hanging out in PJ's all day; Watching football without interruption.  We did receive news part way through the day that a Pastor friend of ours had passed away from a massive stroke suffered just that morning.  He was 46 and leaves behind his wife and 6 kids.  Not what we were expecting at all.  It is still a little surreal.

Monday morning I took Darryl to work so I could have the truck.  After coming back home (he goes to work at 3:30 AM) I will admit that I got a Sausage Biscuit from McDonald's on the way in because my stomach was growling and I was so glad I did.  Why?  Because when I got home, I crawled into bed, snuggled under the covers and went to sleep without being hungry.  It was such a relaxing sleep . . .something I seldom get it seems!  I got up and got ready to head out for a day on my own!  My first stop was lunch at Grand Traverse Pie Company - my all time favorite lunch place.  From there I started shopping :-) 

 This lamp is my favorite purchase.  See, Nate's lamp broke months a year ago and I just have never found one that I liked to replace it.  I promised myself that I WOULD get him one this week while he is gone.  So, while at Target I found this awesome Dinosaur lamp.  It's my favorite item because I know he is going to be so excited when he sees it! (Mom, don't show this him please! ;-) LOL)

Some more of my treasures!  I had to much fun wondering through Target, Hobby Lobby, Bed Bath and Beyond and more. 

My new decor for the door thanks to Hobby Lobby.

And finally this.  My poor truck is stranded outside of the garage.  Why?  Well, my garage door is broken :-(  When I was leaving home today I noticed the door did not shut so I hit the button again and noticed the door was a little crooked.  Once we got home, Darryl checked it out and one of the giant springs broke.  We have had this happen once before years ago and it is fixable but this time it has also bend some of the metal pieces that hold it all together so I'm not sure what it will entail to fix it.  I'm just thankful it happened after I got out of the driveway . . .that spring is a lethal weapon AND I would have been unable to get out of the garage. 

For the record, my Christmas decor is still outside.  Maybe it will come down today ;-)

Our "Uncamping" weekend

We decided that since we weren't actually going to go camping this past weekend, we would still have some fun family fun time.

It started on Friday.  Because we were supposed to be camping, I was not babysitting.  I was going to let them know that plans had changed but I found out before we cancelled that the kids were going to the Grandparents for a few days so I knew grandma would be excited.  This gave me a day with just my boys.  My plan was simple - go to Dairy Queen for Lunch (my favorite "fun" place) and then to my favorite local park just down the road.  The playscape is awesome and now the boys are old enough that they can run and play without me needing to be right beside them.

We had burgers for dinner on the grill - Darryl was teaching the boys how to make the patties and then how to season them.  Yes, the burgers were a little saltier than normal :-)

On Saturday we decided to go to a local zoo we had never been to before called Potter Park Zoo.  We were not disappointed and I would have to say that it is now my favorite zoo!

 There were peacocks everywhere - they just roamed free throughout the entire zoo - we even saw a few on rooftops :-)

 The boys loved getting to ride this little train.  The best part of the ride?  A REAL train went by right next to them as they road the toy train.

 After leaving the Zoo we went out to dinner at a favorite Italian place before heading home.  Josh felt pretty special; he wanted pizza so we let him order a small cheese pizza for himself.  Little things that make kids happy, right?

This is a sure sign of a good day - Nate sound asleep.  He fell asleep on the way home and never woke up even when I put him in his PJ's and laid him in bed.  His poor little legs were so tired after traipsing through the zoo!

Finally, Sunday was filled with a concert!

Darryl's group, Alive!, had a spot at a local festival so we headed downtown to watch the group perform.  The boys and I wandered past all of the (great smelling) food booths and found one that sold fresh squeezed lemonade (which was fabulous) before heading back to sit in the sun to listen to the group.  After the concert we headed home but, as promised to the boys, stopped at our favorite little ice cream place for a treat.  The boys love their ice cream cones!! (Especially Josh!!).

Despite not camping, we really had a fun weekend and are actually starting to feel better.  We had talked about doing some backyard camping on Saturday night but after the day at the zoo, the boys were very tired and Darryl and were ready to sleep in the A/C :-) 

99 Things

It's been awhile since I've seen anything in blog land that I've wanted to "copy" but I saw this idea over at Our Happily Everafters (and have seen it a few other places too) and decided to join in on the fun!

The things in bold are things I've done/accomplished/experienced.

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii


5. Watched a meteor shower


6. Given more than you can afford to charity


7. Been to Disneyland


8. Climbed a mountain


9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo


11. Bungee jumped


12. Visited Paris


13. Watched a lightning storm


14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning


17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty


18. Grown your own vegetables


19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
 (Ok, I didn't actually see it but we went to the museum to see it and didn't know it was  a holiday so it was closed!)

20. Slept on an overnight train


21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort


25. Held a lamb


26. Gone skinny dipping
 (don't freak out - it was at camp, in the dark, with a few girl counselors - the things you do at camp)

27. Run a Marathon


28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice


29. Seen a total eclipse


30. Watched a sunrise or sunset


31. Hit a home run


32. Been on a cruise


33. Seen Niagara Falls in person


34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors


35. Seen an Amish community


36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person


39. Gone rock climbing 


40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt


43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant


44. Visited Africa


45. Walked on a beach by moonlight


46. Been transported in an ambulance


47. Had your portrait painted


48. Gone deep sea fishing


 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person


50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling


52. Kissed in the rain


53. Played in the mud


54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie


 56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business


58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen


61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies


62. Gone whale watching


63. Got flowers for no reason


64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma


65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy


70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt


73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades


75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person


80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican


82. Bought a brand new car
 (Does a lease count?)

83. Walked in Jerusalem


84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House


87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating


88. Had chickenpox


89. Saved someone’s life


90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby


95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit


98. Owned a cell phone


99. Been stung by a bee

 

I was actually surprised by how many I've done . . but there are some on that list that I don't even plan on doing either!!