Some Water Picture - FROM VEGAS!!!

At DK's birthday party, the kidlets played with a Slip-n-Slide (though the water was spraying the other way, and they wouldn't actually slide down it until the spraying stopped).

Miles' version of playing with the S-n-S

Ella Bella Mozzarella
I think she liked it!
If you know Ella, you've heard of her BFF Ali (seen here). Miles - trying to figure out how to play in the water without getting wet.
A common scene in the pool.
Too cute :)
A rare moment of Mommy-separation.
Ella ordering pancakes :)
Isn't she pretty??

Princess Pictures

Since I'm done with uploading pictures to Facebook, I thought I'd do it here...and then they all posted in random order. Sigh. We'll just have to deal with it.

The party was GREAT! Probably the most popular treat was the Oreo truffle. Mr. Miles had four. Here's his snacking technique - open mouth, shove in food. (Cammie really wasn't grumpy - we were laughing at him, so I'm not sure how I managed to get that shot of her!)

Here's Sleeping Beauty. Did Ella like it? Just peek at that kid's face...

Ella even got to use a magic wand! (On loan to Beauty from Cinderella's fairy godmother).

Opening presents was a hoot - it took her 3.4 seconds to clear through 49 gift bags. Lots of pink carnage.

Miles wanted to join in the fun, too, so he grabbed Ella's "Birthday Girl" crown and proudly wore it. It went well with his painted toe nails (I did Ella's and Sarah's "bubbles" while babysitting and he didn't want to be left out. Amazing how well he sat still for that!!)
My sister will have more pictures - it was SO amazing to watch those little girls with a REAL princess. Each girl came into the house with her own crown and in a dress (though there was some dress swapping). They sang, danced, and posed for pictures. I'm so glad I got to see it all!

Ella Opens Birthday Cards

She'll be four in a couple of days - her counting skills are amazing! (I hope these posted in the right order!)

Too Little Sleep, Too Many Mad-Libs

It's my first night in Vegas. Sarah is spending the night with Michelle and me at Mimi's house. Thanks to Uncle Matt, I brought along a Mad-Libs packet from Wendy's (don't ask). It's late. We're tired. We've had too much ice cream. This is what Sarah, Michelle, and I created.

The first electric trident was invented in 1904 by a tasty young man named Papa Smurf. He and his brother, Percy Jackson, ran a small poodle repair shop, and in their spare time the studied toothpaste. When they started work on their invention, everyone said, "Oh my dogs! You'll never get it off the pillow." But they built a succulent model out of old microchips and a used iPhone. It used up two gallons of V-8 juice an hour, and the top converted into Maryland. They sold the patent to a shabby millionaire for $941 and lived merrily ever after.

And then there's this one...

Tonight my whole family is going to run at Wendy's! I can't wait! My chopsticks always orders the same thing. Mom likes to eat iridescent salad full of Americans. Dad likes juicy cheeseburgers with extra toenails. But what should I order? Maybe I want crispy lightbulbs with lots of pencils on the side. Or fuzzy, semi-aquatic lampshades to share with my Obama. Maybe I'll have a little bit of my dad's fluid horseshoe and my mom's slimy army. And if they want some of my Bedazzler made of gems, they can have some - because sharing Carl at Wendy's is fun for everybody! But I hope they keep their jeans off my pretty fries!

Yeah, we've reached the slap-happy phase. Time for bed!!

The No-Bakes - My Substitutions

No-Bake cookies are just about my favorite cookies ever. Fortunately Shaina is also a fan, so I made some for her birthday this week. Though I used a standard recipe, I made a lot of substitutions. Everyone LOVED them, so I thought I share my secret for gooey, dark no-bakes.

Combine in a sauce pan:

1/2 c. coconut oil

2 c. sucanat

1/2 c. milk

Heat over medium-high heat until it starts a consistent rolling boil. When it's boiling consistently do NOT stir for ONE MINUTE.

Remove from heat. Stir in:

3 c. old fashioned oats

Peanut Butter (I never measure - at least 1/2 c., maybe more)

1/2 c. Dutch processed dark cocoa powder

1 T. vanilla extract

After you mix it together, drop by spoonfuls onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet. CHILL!

The coconut oil will solidify at temps below 74 degrees, so during the summer these cookies will need to be chilled to help them set. I'm not sure how they'll turn out in the winter!

So there it is folks - enjoy!!

2010 Air Show

Under the minimal shade of an ornamental tree, Matt and I waited for the show to start. Since we had time to kill, we ate ice cream...

(note the cool new hat)

I'm sure you'll see better pictures elsewhere, but these turned out pretty well with my lil' Sony CyberShot 7.2 megapixel camera :)

Fat Albert (I don't know, so please don't ask)

The stars - The Blue Angels!!!

Thanks to Matt's "spirit-led vacation planning" we had no problems finding parking or a spot to watch, and we got out with no hassles! It was definitely worth it to jump in with the crowd :)

Springfield Celtic Festival 2010

In case you missed it, on Sat. June 26 I attended the 5th Annual Springfield Celtic Festival near Fife Lake, Michigan. It's a small lil' shindig, but quite entertaining if you dig kilts and bagpipes (which I do!). Here's what I saw:

Laura Hassold and Rachel Courville dancing the Highland Fling...

Scottish Heavy Athletic Games - Steve Bliven with the weight toss for height (that's a 20 lb. weight)...

The Society for Creative Anachronism with a display of hand-to-hand combat...

Blacksmith Richard Thibeau, hard at work in blazing heat and ridiculous humidity...

More of the Heavy Athletics (all competitors MUST wear kilts). Jason Cherry with the weight toss for distance (that's a 56 lb. weight)...

And I don't know if this loaded properly, but here's a brief clip of the Grand Traverse Pipes and Drums (I hope)...

Wanted: Experts in Anything

If you're an expert at something (anything) then I need your help!

As you may know, I like to write. I'd like to help support our family through writing (with enough income that Matt can find a less demanding job). I'm taking baby-steps to get there, one of which is the existence of my writing blog (if you haven't visited it yet, click here).

While most of my current writing is non-fiction (articles and essays), my dream is to write novels. With that in mind, I try to incorporate fiction tips on my writing blog. On the 8th of every month I'm going to feature "Tips From The Pros".

Instead of offering writing tips, I want to provide tips from other professions - bits of info from your world that will help me (and the writers who follow my blog) create realistic characters. I decided to do this because I'm SO tired of reading novels where the main characters are writers or teachers. These seem to be favorites (probably because their the jobs with which most writers are familiar).

This is where you come in - tell me about yourself. Do you have a job that you've never seen in a book (or on a TV show)? Then tell me about it! I have no idea what city planners, sommeliers, or civil engineers do - what may seem mundane to you will be informative to me!

What about your hobbies or crafts? Do you do something different than everyone else?

Or maybe you do something "normal", but from your own angle? It could be that you're a female lawyer who's NEVER worn high heels to work. Maybe you have a degree in English and are working as a welder - how did you get there?

What I'm looking for is sort of a "Top Ten" list of things that would make a character more realistic. Feel free to take on the stereotypes and set writers straight. Our goal should be to create unique, yet realistic characters and situations, so the more we know about people, the better characters we can write.

If you're interested in this, please email me at kvbwrites(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd like to get this started in July and will schedule people as I hear from you/receive your lists. If you think you can offer some tips in more than one area, let me know that, too! Let me know if you have any questions - thanks!

Printing Problems

This picture isn't entirely accurate because the paper had been resting, but this is what life is like in my overly humid office these days:

I write an article, print it off, and it comes through the printer all curled up. Reusing scrap paper is pretty much impossible - I can't get it to lay flat enough for the printer to pull it through. Yuck.

I'm going to go wring the moisture out of my rugs now...

It's Here! It's Here!

Welcome back Summer! Please, stay as long as you'd like!

No More Excuses

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE movies. I love going to the movies, playing them at home, watching them dozens of times - they're a fabulous way to escape. For as much as I enjoy movies, however, I don't watch everything. I do my homework first.

It started quite a few years ago when my sister and I rented the movie "Confidence". We watched about ten minutes before turning it off (I didn't know it was possible to drop the f-bomb that many times in ten minutes). We were able to swap the movie for another one, but after that incident I decided that I didn't want any more surprises.

Enter the internet.

There's no reason for anyone to see a disappointing movie anymore. If your favorite actor is in a new movie, go the homepage and find the director. Then search for the director and see what kinds of movies he/she's done (you can get a list at The Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com).

If you're still uncertain, you can get the whole scoop at movie review websites. I'm a big fan of Focus on the Families Plugged In Online: www.pluggedinonline.com. The website's focus is to find family friendly movies, so there aren't a lot of films that they endorse; however, I'm not looking for their endorsement. I like that they present thorough details as to what's in the movie (Positive Elements, Spiritual, Sexual, and Violent Content, Profanity, Drugs & Alcohol, and Other Negative Elements).

I've read many reviews for movies that weren't endorsed as family friendly, but that's okay - I still watched the movie because I wasn't looking for family friendly. I've also read some reviews that have made me decide not to see a film (because there was too much swearing or violence). If there's anything listed that I know I won't enjoy, then I simply avoid it.

I say all of this because of an opinion that I recently read about the new Robin Hood movie. The woman was upset and offended because of the sex and violence in the film. It shocked her to see how the screenwriter had interpreted the story and how the director filmed it.

Really??

Lady, it's Ridley Scott and Russel Crowe! Do you remember the film "Gladiator"? Yeah, well, that was them. And have you read the story of Robin Hood? That time period in history - do you know what life was like? Scott doesn't make Disney movies, and I don't think I've ever seen Crowe in a family flick.

I wasn't really interested in the movie BECAUSE I knew Scott and Crowe were involved - they make good movies, but not generally the kind that I watch. After hearing five rave reviews, however, I went...and loved it!

This movie was not typical Scott/Crowe (in my opinion). They had plenty of opportunities to show explicit sex and violence, but they didn't (except with the bad guy who, if you ask me, deserved the ickiest violent scene).

So anyway - that's my plug. Don't whine about what you saw in a movie - there are a dozen great sites online that will help you figure out if it's something you'll enjoy. If it still surprises you, then we'll talk.

Fashionably Matt

My husband, who doesn't hesitate to leave the house wearing head-to-toe camouflage in assorted patterns, has recently become quite opinionated about my wardrobe. I love getting his opinions on my clothes because he's very direct - he either likes it or he doesn't. Recently, however, he's become more specific in his opinions. Here are a few examples:

When asking about my capri/blouse combo for dinner with my parents:
Matt: I don't think that watch matches your shoes.

When asking about my new sporty capris and cotton t-shirt:
Matt: It's nice. Casual, but anal.

Any day now he'll have his own show on TLC, I'm sure of it :)

The Good Life

Midgie knows how to enjoy the day.

Because of my early mornings this week (I woke up with Matt @ 4 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep), for the last two afternoons I've hit the proverbial wall. I tried to move past it, but when the world starts spinning, it's time to surrender.

Since Midgie is an expert in the area of afternoon naps, I turned to her for guidance. With the warm, sunny weather gracing northern Michigan, I climbed onto the bed and invaded the largest sunny spot. At first she and Bucket were a little annoyed with me, but it didn't take long before the curled up next to me and drifted off.

I used to pick on Midgie because she wanders around the house, moving from one sunbeam to the next, but not anymore. She's got it made. I now understand the draw of the sunbeam, and I hope to take advantage of it again soon.

My First Garden!

Today Matt and I planted our container garden - yeah! This is a new experience for me, but I was pretty excited. We started with our tomato plants. We have three varieties: lemon boy, celebrity, and juliet. We planted some marigolds in the right pot (Matt says they're good companion plants. He's the certified master gardener, so I didn't argue).

Then we moved on to my herbs: basil, thyme, cilantro (two of 'em!), and parsley. Matt picked a special container for those ... the front yard.

Kinda grizzly, I know. And not really what I had in mind when I thought of "containers" but, like I said, Matt's certifiable, so who am I to disagree? I did a LOT of weeding, but I sure looked cute doing it.

In the end, we put the herbs by the front door, along with a few random flowers. We also planted some ornamental grass and we moved the hosta.

The dark black soil is organic potting soil that we picked up at Lowe's (on sale!) a few weeks ago.

Note the lovely stepping stone? Matt's had it for 15 years - we can finally use it!

The hosta didn't mind moving. It's still next to a purple bush of death (the thorns on those things are nasty!), so it doesn't feel so homesick.

After we finished, I decided to plant Matt. This spot gets a lot of sunlight in the afternoon, so I'm expecting him to grow nicely!

We weren't the only ones who enjoyed the fine weather, though. Midgie and Bucket love having the windows open. It gives them a nice breeze as they sun themselves on the bed.

Stale Mate (and Second Thoughts)

I could probably post this on my writing blog, but I don't feel like it. It's entirely writing related, but I want to post it here. My heart keeps leading me here because this is where my friends are - this is the site that my loved ones visit to see how I'm doing, not how my writing is going.

So here it is -writing is not going well.

I don't have a great reason for it. Matt's been cancer free for two years, so there's no medical crisis. I have two regular gigs, so it's not like people won't publish my work. Truth is, I'm tired.

It's not even Memorial Day (which marks the beginning of Matt's "busy" season), and he's already working 60 hours a week. I expect that he'll do 70-80/week this summer. That means everything else is in my lap. I might be able to handle it if I had the chance to talk with him throughout the week, but it doesn't happen.

This is how it works: he leaves the house at 3:30 or 4:30 am. He gets home at 6:00 or 7:00 pm. We talk on the phone while he drives home (which is about 30 minutes). When he gets here, he jumps in the shower, then sits down to eat. I empty his lunch box and then re-pack it. If I'm lucky, he has 30 minutes before his brain starts to shut down, but after his long day he doesn't have the energy to chat - he usually checks the weather and news online before passing out.

It would be easier if he traveled - then I would have to cook and clean-up after him, but as it stands I get all of the work and none of the benefit of being with him.

So that leaves me doing everything else around the house. Plus substitute teaching. Plus writing for two papers. Plus working on my manuscript, maintaining my blog, trying to keep up with other blogs/writing news, researching conferences...I could go on, but I'm tired.

I love the stories that I write for the local papers, but the pay is meager ($3-5/hour). I don't want to lose the connection with my neighbors, but this type of writing won't replace the money I could make at any other job (including substitute teaching).

I want to research bigger markets. I want to submit articles to other periodicals, but I'm so overwhelmed by the number of magazines that I don't even know where to start. And when I finally narrow it down, I can never think of anything to write.

And my manuscript did not final in the most recent un-published novelist contest. I don't know exactly how I did (I'm praying that I at least improved over last year), but I'm dreading getting the scores back. As long as I improved, I think I'll be okay, but if I didn't (or I did worse) then I don't know if I'll be able to continue.

I really don't know what to do right now. I want to write, but the ERN and GTI won't support me and I don't know if I can find other markets.

Maybe I'm just tired. I hope I'm tired. I need to do something to break out of this stale mate - I need something to let me know that I'm doing the right thing.

I need Jesus.

Chit-chat and Gabfests

Yesterday I was talking to my husband and I realized that I come from a unique family. Here's how the conversations went: (when telling Matt how my sister almost ruined a surprise visit to my parents' house by telling my mom)

"I was talking to Cammie today, and she almost ruined the surprise. When I talked to her this morning she had just gotten off the phone with my parents, and they were still planning to come visit us. I told her not to worry, I had just talked with my dad and he knew we were coming, but he wasn't going to tell my mom. Then I was talking will Cammie after Ella called, and she told me that she accidentally told mom what was going on, and Dad had to cover."

If that's confusing, it should be. The point of that monologue is this: I was on the phone with my sister for the second time that day, who had already talked with my parents twice, before and after I spoke with the 'rents.

On the average week day I'll call Cammie 2-3 times. I call my parents 1-2 times. Michelle's a social butterfly, but we manage to squeeze in a call 2-3 times a week. I always thought everyone was like that ... how was I supposed to know they're not?

I don't remember ever making a conscious decision to stay in touch with my family so frequently - it just happened. I suppose a lot of it has to do with the fact that my mom, sister, and I all work from home (if you consider being retired "working"). That makes it easy to give someone a quick call when I have a question about something. Sure, I could research things online, but when you spend hours in front of the computer everyday, a phone call breaks up the monotony.

For the record, every call to a family member isn't a conversation. I've been known to call my mom just to tell her the theme of an article I'm writing. Likewise, my 3.5 yr. old niece will call me to tell me her babysitter is coming over. It's not necessarily about conversing with each other, it's about staying in touch. And we are masters at staying in touch.

I like that about our fam. It's kind of silly, but it's fun. It doesn't take long for info to travel along the VB gossip line. We may not always like what the other person is saying, and the conversations aren't always spoken in quiet tones, but we always communicate.

And it's not just a girl thing ... my 17 month old nephew is quickly learning the fine art of jibber-jabber. I've got the voice mail messages to prove it :)

Dear Kids*, I love you, but...

...there are a few things we need to discuss. I believe these are things that will help you develop rich, successful lives. They will also keep Daddy and I sane.

1) You sleep too much. It's not the sleeping that bothers us. It's the mad bursts of energy at 5 a.m. that taunt us, reminding us of how much sleep we missed. So please, save your outbursts for times when we won't resent them.
2) You're too curious. It's natural to question how the world works and to seek understanding, but understand this - every piece of food I pull out of the refrigerator is not for you, so you don't need to poke, sniff, or lick it all.
3) One at a time. Yes, it's very cool to have such a large bathroom, and it's awesome that your potty is in the same room as mine...but just because I forget to latch the door does not mean that's an invitation for you to saunter in so we can do business at the same time. Take a number, get in line.
4) Respect my work hours. When I'm typing at my computer and ignoring your continual cries for attention, it's because I'm busy. It's not a challenge to see how far you'll go before I notice you. Trust me, I know you're there, so you can stop putting holes in my pants and jumping on my desk.

I think you'll find that a few minor changes in each of these areas will help us all enjoy a happier, more peaceful hope. Thanks for being so understanding!

Love, Mommy & Daddy

(*Kids = cats)

What A Difference A Drive Makes

I love small towns. While my sisters thrive in the five lane, 24 hour-a-day, neon glow convenience of Las Vegas, I schedule my life around the 8-12 hour days of most businesses in my community. They are just two people in a city of 1.8 million. I, however, am one in 1,700, and I like it that way ... except when it comes to grocery shopping.

I try to keep a tight grocery budget: $40/week, plus we set aside $10/week for buying bulk purchases as needed. For a while it was really easy to keep. I shopped the sales, brought my coupons, and often had a few bucks left at the end of the week (which went into our bulk fund).

Since we've moved, however, that's changed. It's been a constant struggle to get everything we want (and need) without going over budget. I'm not willing to sacrifice on a lot of things, so buying certain generic brands or processed food isn't an option (which means it isn't cheap). Granted life's been busy and I haven't been able to watch the ads like I used to, but it was really getting ridiculous. Try as might, though, it never seemed to work out.

Then last week Matt and I ran some errands "in town". Some of those errands took us to larger grocery stores. Holy price drop, Batman! I'm not talking about 10-20 cents ... we found three different items that were at least $1 cheaper at the supermarket. Just looking at a few items we found over $5 in savings ... imagine if we'd done ALL of our shopping there??

I'm still not comfortable doing my grocery shopping at Wal-Mart (no offense to anyone who does - I appreciate the low prices for those who truly can't afford other options), I'm okay with Meijer (a Michigan based store), as well as our locally owned Spartan stores (Tom's/Oleson's).

I decided to hit Tom's (10 miles away) instead of Meijer (20 miles away) this week. I grabbed my sale flier and my coupons, then headed out. While I still don't save the way my sister does (her sales put mine to shame), I was FINALLY able to get all of the fresh fruits, vegetables, and lunch foods that we need for the week, PLUS I bought laundry detergent, toilet paper, and razors (it'll be shorts weather here in another 4 months ... gotta get ready!).

Overall, I was very happy. It got me excited about grocery shopping again. Now that I know I can get more than two bags of good food for my $40, I'm looking forward to the challenge of seeing how many bags I can fill!

If you've got any advice you'd like to share, I'm willing to listen!

Fight the Good Fight!

Since I promised not to talk about the new government "health care", I won't. Instead, lets talk about ways in which we can keep ourselves healthy!

It really is disgusting that the government allows French Fries to be served in school lunches as a vegetable option! Really?? You're going to tell me that a 1/2 cups of marinara, or steamed broccoli, or mixed greens have the same nutritional value as DEEP FRIED POTATOES??

I've been subbing in the schools. I was there the day when the main lunch option was three cheese stuffed white bread sticks with a little cup of dipping sauce. I don't know how, but that was considered a balanced, nutritious meal appropriate for middle school kids.

Since Matt was diagnosed with cancer we've been more diligent about what we eat, though I've been getting lazy recently. But after I saw how school chicken nuggets are made, I realized that we need to get more serious.

I signed the Food Revolution petition because I adore the kids that I sub for, and I'd love for them to have a better chance at health. I'd rather my tax dollars pay for their homemade 7-veggie spaghetti sauce than their diabetes and ADD meds.

If you haven't seen the show, check it out. You can sign the petition here. There are also tips for shopping/cooking better, how to get involved, etc.

Here's to your health!

Matt Discusses Auntie Pastas

In the recent Val-Pak coupon pack, we received a BOGO coupon for Auntie Pastas restaurant in TC. For those of you who've never been there, you won't get this. For all of you northern Michigan residents, this was Matt's honest reaction when I showed him the coupon:

"Come visit Traverse City's only restaurant that's never been remodeled. Sit down and enjoy layers of dust on our pink ceiling. But our view of the river and coupons more than make up for it."

I told him not to forget the fish shaped oil bottles on every table, but he likes those :)

Happy Anniversary, Honey!

April 15 - tax day. Two years ago, it was much more stressful - it was surgery day.

On 4.15.08 Matt and I were Indianapolis while he had part of his lymphatic system removed. It was a long procedure, but it went smoothly. Though he required months to heal, some pretty awesome things happened because of it:

- We really got to know our pastors better. They've become such important people in our lives; we're so grateful for the time we got to spend with them.
- It reconnected me with my first college roommate, Beth. Even though Matt was in the hospital, I had a great time getting know Beth all over again (and yes, I introduced her to Facebook)
- Even though he was recovering, Matt and I got to spend more time together that summer than we have since we've known each other.
- That surgery represented that last treatment Matt would need to get rid of the cancer - he's been cancer free ever since and is now down to one CT scan a year with an oncologist visit every six months.

So as you groan about getting your taxes in today, you can smile in knowing that because of this date, Matt's still here :)

I love you, Honey!!

Our First Seder

This is what my first Seder table looked like! While this wasn't the first time I've participated in a Seder, it was the first time I'd ever hosted one. Notice the fine hodge-podge of service ware :) We actually got to recline on the ground because I don't currently have a dining room table large enough for more than four people, but that's okay! It worked out well!


After the celebration we had a lovely dinner, then lots of chatting, and some of us even hung out long enough to watch at movie. It was a wonderful night!

This is definitely something I'd like to continue doing. It saddens me that it ever stopped being part of the Christian life, but I'm excited to bring it back into ours.

Next year in Jerusalem!