Day 120: Treasure

This is a little collection of things my daughter found in the back yard this afternoon. It's funny what kids find interesting.

Day 119: Bible Study Night

Tonight was my bible study night. This is the second meeting I've been to, and I'm still enjoying it. It's the first bible study I've ever done, but it's something I've wanted to do for a while now. This particular one is studying courageous women of the bible. Last night we talked about Esther, Judith and the Maccabean mother (see 2 Maccabees 7).

Day 118: Genesis 9:12-13

"And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth."

I have been wanting to get a picture of a rainbow for a while now. We've had several days where the conditions seemed right - heavy showers with lots of breaks in the clouds for sunlight to get through - but no rainbows. Then finally this evening I glanced through the kitchen window and saw this beauty sitting over the house opposite. I think this may be one of the widest rainbows I have ever seen. I took several pictures of it, but it was already fading by the time I got my shoes on and got outside! I'm quite pleased with this one though.

Day 117: New Collar and Tag

I got my cat, Kishka, a new collar and tag today, as she lost her old one. It's the second one she's lost in about 6 months. The type of collar she wears is designed to break open if it gets caught on anything so the cat doesn't get strangled, so at least I know they are working. Last time I got her a nice engraved tag, but since she lost it so quickly I just got her a cheap one this time. This one made me smile when I saw it. The collar is a nice light blue. We'll see how long it lasts. I've been keeping her in since she lost her old collar a few days ago, so she was desperate to get outside today, even though it is windy and rainy!

Day 116: Cutting the Grass

I co-oped at Elizabeth's school again today. I took this picture at the beginning of class. Ms Kristin is cutting the grass they are growing from seeds in cups. Elizabeth and a couple of the others don't have much grass in their cups, so they added some more seeds today. It was a fun day as always. I helped them make the letter 'S' with string, and did some clean up stuff for Ms Kristin. I have a minor cold at the moment, and started feeling really tired about 15 minutes into class, but I was feeling a little better by the end. I'm ready for a nap again now though. Unfortunately Edward seems determined to avoid one today!

Day 115: Sunday Lunch

Today was a lovely day. Elizabeth wanted to have a picnic outside with her lunch box, so I made her a sandwich to eat. We all sat out there this afternoon and relaxed. I hope we've seen the last of the rain.

Day 114: My Favorite Waste of Time

My husband got me this Nintendo DSi for Mother's Day last year, and I still love playing on it. I play nearly every day, usually in the evenings while we're watching TV. I have about 15 games, some of which I have completed, some I'm part way through, and some I haven't started yet. My favorite games are hidden object and puzzle games. I'm currently playing the CSI game in the picture. You have to search for clues, question suspects, analyze evidence, and solve the cases (there are 5). I'm really enjoying it, but I have to admit I do cheat a little and look up the next step on the internet when I get stuck!

Day 113: Just Cute

This is my son. He's wearing some new pajamas I found in a box of handed down clothes I'd forgotten I had! He's relaxing in the chair watching a DVD on the portable player before bedtime. It got this late before I realized I hadn't taken a picture yet today! So this is what I came up with.

Day 112: School Nature Hike

Elizabeth's class went on a nature hike today. We walked a couple of blocks from the school to a small creek. The kids got to wade in the water and tried to catch things with little nets. Then we walked a little further and stopped for a snack by the water's edge, then walked back to the school. They all had so much fun. Edward came too. He didn't want to hold my hand while we were walking and created a bit of a fuss, but once we got there he was well behaved and had a good time too. I had to go in the water too, so I could keep a hold of him. I went prepared for that though. He was completely exhausted by the time we got home and slept for three hours. I was sure Elizabeth would want a nap too, but she was still full of beans.

I didn't even know this place existed. It's really nice and peaceful down there, and the water isn't too deep. I think we might go back with Daddy, maybe when my mum finally gets here if the water hasn't dried up by then.

Day 111: Marbleous

Elizabeth got this for her 3rd birthday. It's lots of fun. You can build the tower up into several different designs, then drop marbles into it. We haven't played with it for a while though, as it takes a while to set up, and of course Edward just wants to knock it down and eat the marbles. We had a play with it today while he was napping.

Day 110: Chicks

Chicks are hatching at Elizabeth's school. This little guy just hatched last night, and was in her classroom today. They all had a chance to hold him at the end of class, even Edward. He wasn't sure what to make of it!

Day 109: Mum's Visit is Canceled

My mum was due to arrive for a three week visit on Sunday. But due to the volcanic eruption in Iceland, all flights across most of Europe have been canceled for several days now. The volcano is still erupting, so there's no word yet on when flights will resume. Airports are in chaos of course, and the UK is also suffering in other ways as goods and services are struggling to get in and out of the country. Hopefully it will all settle down soon and mum can rebook her flight. She had her ticket refunded, so at least she didn't lose anything there. I'm sad she's not here though, I was really looking forward to it. Elizabeth doesn't really understand what's doing on fortunately. I just keep telling her it'll be a few more days when she asks when Nannie will get here. I hope I'm right.

Day 108: My Brave Little Soldier

Well, last night was quite a night! Very late, about 11.30pm, Edward was running around, and he either tripped or just ran right into my desk. At first we thought he was ok, then I noticed a big cut right on his eyebrow. Dave said he'd have to go to the hospital, so I took him and Dave stayed home with Elizabeth as it was so late. We were taken into triage right away and were assessed by the nurse. We had to wait a while for the doctor though, and after he'd seen him and said he would need stitches we had to wait another long time before they came back to do it. So there was lots of waiting around, but Edward was really well behaved, especially considering it was so late. He wasn't grumpy and he didn't misbehave. He just had fun hanging out with me. When I took this picture it was after midnight, so it was technically the next day and therefore qualifies for this day's picture!

When they were ready to do the stitches they strapped him down to a board and wrapped him up to try and keep him still. The nurse (a guy) held his head, and I held his hands to stop him getting them out. They had given him a topical anesthetic to numb the area, but it either didn't work or had started to wear off, because when the doctor injected more anesthetic into the wound Edward started screaming. He did calm down a little when the doctor started putting the stitches in, but he was already upset and scared by then, so he didn't stop crying. It didn't take long. He got about 4 stitches. The nurse told me to lay down if I felt faint while they were doing it, but the doctor said "Something tells me this is not the first time you've been through this." So I told them he had to have surgery on his skull when he was 3 months old, and that this was nothing compared to that!

We finally got home just after 2am. Dave was still up but Elizabeth was asleep of course. Dave said she had been worried and upset about Edward, as I thought she would be. Edward was exhausted by this time and we went right to bed. So far today he seems to have been ok. I gave him some painkiller before his nap as he was a bit grumpier than usual, but the wound looks good. He'll go back to get the stitches out in about 3 days.

Day 107: Car Wash

I had to get up early this morning to get my eyes checked. It seems my short-sightedness has improved in both eyes, but my astigmatism has worsened in one eye. I have weird eyes. So I'm trying out a new set of contact lenses. Before I came home I took the car through the car wash as I wanted to get it cleaned before Mum gets here tomorrow, but the kids hate it. I always get the premium wash, because I like the pretty colors :)

Day 106: Water Fun at the Park

I met a friend for lunch at our local park today. I didn't know that they had already turned the sprinklers on there, so I didn't go prepared. I had no towels, no change of clothes, nothing. I kept the kids out of the water for as long as I could, but it was inevitable that they would get wet eventually. I took Edward's wet shorts and shirt off in the hope that they might dry in the sun before we left. He insisted on taking his diaper off as well (it was soaked), but I didn't want him to run around completely naked. I had a spare set of underwear for Elizabeth in my bag, so I put him in them! When Elizabeth saw that he had taken his clothes off, she wanted hers off too. I let her take her pants off, but made her keep her underwear and shirt on. So when it was time to go, I put Edward's damp shirt back on him, and the spare diaper I had in my bag. Elizabeth put on the spare pants I had for her in my bag, and we had to go home like that. They sat in the stroller and hugged each other all the way home. Fortunately it's a short walk, and it was sunny. Half an hour after we got home they were both fast asleep!

Day 105: Umbrella Day

It was Umbrella Day at Elizabeth's school today. They are doing the letter 'U' this week. They all brought their umbrellas, and were rained on with a hosepipe. Elizabeth always loves any chance to use her umbrella, so today went down very well.

Day 104: St Augustine's

This is my church, St Augustine's Catholic Church, in Pleasanton. I'm renewing my passport, and I needed to get the application counter signed by someone in a certain position of authority, who has known me for at least 2 years. Fr Jerry Kennedy fits the bill and was willing to do it, so I stopped by the church this morning, and finally got it in the mail. It expires in 5 days - hope I don't need to go anywhere in a hurry!

Day 103: Monkey Pot

I got this monkey pot at a luau in Hawai'i on my honeymoon. It had a Mai Tai drink in it. You can see a picture of me drinking from it here. It now sits on a shelf in my son's bedroom, and I always like the way it is lit by the night light in there.

Day 102: Splash

More rain today. My mum is coming out for a visit in a week, I really hope the weather brightens up by then!

Day 101: Rest in Peace Great Auntie Elsie

On Thursday, my great aunt, known always to me and my siblings simply as Auntie Elsie, passed away. She had been suffering from cancer, and went quite quickly. She was my mother's aunt, my Nannie's sister. I spoke to them both yesterday, and they both seem to be doing okay. We won't be able to make it back for the funeral, and in fact my mum will miss it too as she is flying out here for a visit next weekend. My dad will be there though. I sent my Nannie some flowers, and today I got condolence cards for her and my mum. I wasn't especially close to Auntie Elsie, but I knew her well and always enjoyed seeing her. She made lots of clothes for me and my siblings when we were little, and also made a few for my kids recently. She will be missed.

Day 100: Day 100!

My 100th day on the photo-a-day project! I can't believe it's been 100 days already. I wanted to do something really special for this milestone, but had trouble coming up with an idea. I decided to try and get hubby and the kids to form the numbers 1 0 0 with their bodies, but Edward didn't want to cooperate at all, and it turns out it's actually quite difficult to make a zero with your body! I tried a few different things with just Elizabeth, but they really didn't turn out well. So in the end I just decided to write out the numbers with my favorite thing - candy!

Day 99: New DVD Player

Today I bought a new portable DVD player for the kids. It's a great thing to have for several reasons. On a long car journey it keeps them quiet. On vacation it keeps them quiet in the airport and means they have their own shows to watch in the hotel. And at home it means they can watch 2 different shows and still not need to use the TV in the living room, so hubby and I can watch our own shows. For a couple of years we had a Polaroid one which was great. Apart from the battery dying because Elizabeth spilled water on it, it worked really well. The screen was nice and big and was fully adjustable, and it had lots of other nice features. Shortly before Christmas though it just stopped working. So while we were in Pittsburgh for Christmas we bought a new one. It wasn't as nice though, as it was designed primarily for use in a car, so had a small screen (although it actually had 2 screens), which wasn't adjustable. Anyway, last month that packed up too. I had bought an extended warranty with it (fortunately!) so I sent it back for a full refund. So today I went to Best Buy and got another new one. This one is very similar to the first one in size and design, and so far is working very well. I just have to make sure the kids (especially Edward) don't destroy it too soon - although I did get the extended warranty again ;)

In this picture they are watching Ponyo, their current most favorite movie. Edward especially is fascinated by it.

Day 98: All You Need Is...

...a sand box and a friend. These are my children playing in their favorite spot. Elizabeth has been off school this week on Spring Break, and the weather has been nice, so they've spent a lot of time outside.

Day 97: Friends

Tonight I had a meal with the moms from my MOMS (Ministry Of Mothers Sharing) Lenten Group to celebrate the end of our course. I really enjoyed the course, and have made some good friends. I hope we will continue to meet up and do things together. The meal was really nice, we all brought something to share, and I had a really nice evening.

Day 96: Silver

This is the newest addition to our family. Elizabeth chose it, and named 'her' Silver. I just hope it lives longer than the last two did (about a week). I've got all kinds of tests to make sure the water is good now, so hopefully this one will stand a better chance! I'm really not a big fan of fish, especially when they're in distress, or dead. But Elizabeth wanted another pet, and since Dave won't let her get a dog, we compromised with this.

Day 95: Mine!

This is most of what the Easter Bunny brought me. I'm quite particular about what chocolate I like. I've never liked regular Hershey's. I think I was spoilt growing up in England with Cadbury's. So I wanted to make sure no one else in the house ate the stuff that I like! There is another bowl like this completely full of other candy for everyone else to eat.

Day 94: Easter Bunnies

Me and my Easter bunnies. We had a nice day. When the kids woke up the checked out their Easter baskets and goodies, then went on an egg hunt around the house as it was cold outside (and later rained). We got to church in plenty of time so got a good parking space and seat. Mass was lovely and the kids were well behaved. The rest of the day was relaxing, until Dave splashed hot grease all up his arm while cooking the lamb. He got some nasty burns, but it looks like it will be okay.

Day 93: Easter Eggs

Hubby made these with the kids while I was out shopping.

Day 92: Good Friday

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, for the sun stopped shining. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.

Luke 23:44-46

Today is Good Friday. This afternoon I was a reader at the Stations of the Cross service at our church. It was very moving. It was my job to read a centering prayer after each station, and I think I did a good job. My back was killing me by the time it was over, after standing for over an hour. I guess that was nothing compared to the agony Jesus was in on this day 2000 years ago though.

Day 91: School Easter Program Celebration

This is my daughter (middle row far left) and her class performing a song during their Easter celebration. There were three classes who each sang a song. I know I'm biased, but I still think her class did the best! They sung really loudly and did all the actions really well. After the songs they had a talk about Easter from Ms Kelly and a guest speaker. Then they all went on a candy hunt in the playground, collecting it in special bags they had made. Then we all went back to the classroom for an Easter feast. It was a lot of fun.