Some Easter Pictures

We had a great time at our Aunt Judy's house on Easter Sunday. We got to hunt eggs and play with all of our cousins. Cousin Eva even came down from Redding to join in the fun!

Egg? What egg? ...where?

The old "obvious egg in the grass under the chair" trick

Eva and Jessica sorting their haul.

Charlotte soon discovered that eating the chocolate in your basket is far superior to hunting eggs. That's my girl.

Look at the cute felt barrettes Grammy Sandy made for us!

Marching for the Babies!

I'm walking again this May on behalf of Charlotte and Rachel and my late sister, Dawna. All three benefited from the services that The March of Dimes helps make possible. Please see my badge down on the lower left side for more information. Even the smallest donation makes a difference for babies!

Tomorrow is Easter

Do YOU have YOUR tie-dye glitter Easter eggs done? Because we totally do.

Stuff=Good {Spring'08 Edition}

Amy just published some "Bloggy Reviews" not too long ago, so I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring. Here are some things that I think are just dandy.

Cover Girl Lash Blast Mascara...okay, my eyes are the one body part that I can actually stand being in the same room with, so I'm always on the lookout for a great mascara. This is a good one, my friends. Due to some wicked nano-polymer-microsphere-whatchamathingies, it really fans your lashes out, AND doesn't leave raccoon marks under the eyes. Try it. It's the next best thing to having your eyes re-balled.

A woman much cooler than I once said, "Hellooooo, Lover." These are the best thing ever. They're perfect for a gal like me who just loves her fattening chocolate goo, but just doesn't want to put in the man-hours it takes to actually bake it. These are pure love in a little plastic bowl. For days when I'm feeling especially faithful to my Weight Watchers points, I'll go for the minis--only 3 points each!





YA (Young Adult) books...These books are a huge market, and rightly so. The writing is getting better and better (especially with some "adult" authors trying their hands at it), and at the same time, they're easy reads. I'm currently hooked on Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series, and I picked up A Great and Terrible Beauty on a recent trip to the bookstore.



Brian Regan video clips. I eat Fig Newtons by the sleeve too.

I'm sorry, what was that?

I'm sorry, what was that?, originally uploaded by sjoprice24.

When it comes to birthday cupcakes, we still know how to party hard.

Books on the couch

Books on the couch, originally uploaded by sjoprice24.

Books...good. Couch...good. Bedtime...gooooooooooooooooooooood.

Still trying to get the hang of editing

This is an oldie of Charlotte. Big banger of a bruise on her head, eh? She looks like she's about to recite "Ode to My Blue Rubber Ball."

Ch-ch-ch changes...

I am SO very glad that the weather is finally changing, aren't you? We all needed some Vitamin D in our lives. I really think I have Seasonal Affective Disorder, because I get so blue when it's gloomy for too long. The girls have been out in force, playing in their playhouse and riding their trikes. Of course, all I have to offer are indoor pictures. I'll try and lug the camera outside soon.

Now that the weather is warming up, it's time for spring cleaning! I was contemplating hiring someone to come and clean our carpets, but I went ahead and sprang for this bad boy:

Holy cow! This thing rocks. I get a little overly-excited about clean carpets and vacuuming, and I've come to realize that most of the rest of the world doesn't. Last night I did the living room after the girls went to bed, and today I'm working my way through other rooms. The house smells so much cleaner!



Another change that's happening is that my coaching position was cut. It wasn't cut by the District, as it's restricted funds, but the President cut Reading First by 63%. Next year there will only be 2 coaches and a coordinator, vs. the 7 coaches we have now. I had signed on for one year anyway, and I'm guaranteed my 2nd grade spot after this year-long absence. My learning curve was STEEP this year, and I've worked with some incredible people. It has definitely changed how I look at teaching, and I'm eager to take what I've learned back into the classroom.


Change is good. Enjoy the weekend!

Teamwork

Working on our Sesame Street game together. Charlotte actually crawled into the chair next to Rachel and Rachel started quizzing her as she did the clicking. The fact that they could occupy these tight quarters and not scream at each other was HUGE!

Yes, it's very green, isn't it? We're in the process of converting the playroom closet to a desk area that's supposed to be mine. We've yet to add the extra shelving and artsy touches. Now I need a different colored IKEA lamp for some contrast!

Sister? What sister? I have a sister????

Sorry...just had to do one more.

And this...

...is what happens when we try and take a family picture these days. They're like the wind.

More Monterey Pics

These came from Dennis the Menace Park. Huge park. Emphasis on the "Menace." There were wayyyyyyyyyy too many big kids there, just running right over all of the little ones. We managed to have some fun anyway.

Monterery

Here are a couple of pictures from our overnight jaunt to Monterey. Icky weather and 1/2 of the set at their crankiest made it kind of an "eh" trip. Let's see how good I am at making it look better than it was!

Station B

Station B, originally uploaded by sjoprice24.

Thank goodness for Mom's old laptop. It does it's job as a backup station!

Day....uh.....yeah...

Day....uh.....yeah..., originally uploaded by sjoprice24.

I'm thinking this 366 thing isn't going to pan out. Let's just go back to the ol' "post 'em when ya got 'em" method. Works for me.
The girls are quite smitten with their Sesame Street game.

Sharp or blurry--we're still havin' fun...

The weather has been so nice, so we've been hitting the park. Adrian and Grammy Terri took the girls yesterday and snapped some pictures.

Tiaras

I ended up with two purple tiaras today. A colleague and I got them as gifts from our boss for a presentation well done. The girls are so tickled to have them. We are definitely in a princess phase!

Not interested

Not interested, originally uploaded by sjoprice24.

Adrian wanted to practice letter cards before bed, but Charlotte had different ideas.

I Learned Something! I Learned Something!

You GUYS! I've finally taken some time to sit down and learn a bit about this camera of mine. Up until now, most of my indoor photos have had a yellowish cast to them. Yes, they have--you can say it. You know you've been thinking it. Well my friends--no more! I've finally learned how to set a custom white balance. Note the difference. Try not to note what is fast becoming the world's messiest toy shelf.

Another person I stalk think is funny...

...is this Flickrer. She has way too much fun with her camera.

Eight things about your kids...

Amy tagged me to do this one. Let's see... **just realized that I did 10, but I can't bring myself to take any off of the list**

Charlotte
1. Full name--Charlotte Leigh Rawlings
2. Officially older than her sister by one minute, but was the smaller of the two.
3. Has her father's perfectly straight teeth and squinty smile.
4. Very insistent that you take your coat or sweater off when you come in.
5. Has a bit of a temper, but is learning to handle it well.
6. When she hears music that she likes, she'll say, "Oh, I love this song!" then will close her eyes and rock her head back and forth.
7. Must hear "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" before going to bed.
8. Loves to make a surprised "Oh my gosh!" face.
9. Is a very good eater.
10. Has a great sense of humor.

Rachel
1. Full name--Rachel Maureen Rawlings
2. Has the most adorable crooked teeth that will probably cost us lots of money.
3. Has taken to saying "You're not going anywhere, come with me!" when you're about to leave.
4. Could watch Cinderella on a constant loop and be quite content until her teen years.
5. Has already been to the ER twice (once for a finger mishap, later for a piece of wood up her nose--which she sneezed out in the ER).
6. Is always very concerned whether or not Charlotte is okay.
7. Has a deeper, husky voice that just cracks us up.
8. Is about as picky as can be and would live on Goldfish crackers and fruit snacks if she could.
9. Loves to get in her sister's "bubble" in the jogger.
10. Dances with her upper body only--quite a sight.

Starting on Day 20...cause I'm crazy like that.

Day 20 of 366

Okay, I'm going to try and keep up with Jen and do a 366 photo thing (give or take 19 days). What better way to start than with mindless sugar gorging? It makes up about 60% of what we do around here.

Tight times...

The writer's strike is really starting to get to me. Isn't that sad? After the girls have gone to bed, I like to flip through the DVR and escape for a while. Sadly, there are no new episodes left of my favorite escapes. Sure, The Daily Show and Colbert are back, but without their writers. It's just not the same. Sooooo...we've begun searching for shows that are new to US!


We really love this one. You don't have to have one ounce of "car person" in you. These guys are just too funny:




And if you have a Jane Austen obsession like I do, you're tickled that Masterpiece Theatre is running The Complete Jane Austen!


Pride and Prejudice--while I love the Kiera Knightley version, this one is the gold standard.



And these have always been favorites. There's something to be said for shows that don't follow the traditional TV season:







I'm one of those people who likes fast dialogue (read: Aaron Sorkin shows and The Gilmore Girls). Plus, I get all of their odd movie and 80's references.



This comes back on the 31st. Eight precious episodes!


And of course, fewer hours spent watching the tube have allowed me to get started on this:

Quality basket time...

...watching Top Gear with Daddy.

For those of you...

...in search of a slightly more scintillating blog than this one, I give you: The Pioneer Woman. I read about her on Cathy Zielske's blog the other day, and now I'm hooked. She's a city slicker who left it all behind for her cattle rancher husband, and she takes gorgeous photos of the wonder that is her 'backyard.' Plus, she's got a great food blog. It's not for the faint of heart, or anyone counting Weight Watchers points. Good stuff.

I'm really going to need one.....

of these.





You know, in case you've been wracking your brain about what to get me for my birthday, as it's a mere 7 months away!

What's your word?

Like Jen, I like to read Ali's blog regularly. Each year, she chooses one word to focus on for the year. A word that sort of sums up how you'd like yourself to live each day in the year to come. I've given it some thought, and my word is going to be "Gratitude." I really want to be more grateful for what I have--a warm, loving family, two beautiful girls, an amazing husband, a roof over my head...you get the idea. I think I spend far too much time worrying about what I'd like to have rather than what I already do have. And that's the word.

Fun site for new readers and readers to be...

We've been spending time on this site during our rainy day today. One of a ton of fun sites out there.

What are the holidays without a nosh?

Grammy sent these cute pictures over. In grand Price tradition, the breakfast bar is always laid out with oodles of munchies. So on Christmas morning, the girls saddled up in the barstools and went to town. I love Rachel's expressions.

My kingdom for some good Christmas pictures!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. It's been nothing but loved ones, old friends, gifts, and food 'round these parts. I just didn't capture much of it on film! I really need to sit down with this camera and learn the ins and outs. In the meantime, I'm thinking of investing in a nice point and shoot for crowded gatherings and hectic outings. It's simply a pain to think about shutter speed, ISO levels, and the lot while capturing rampant toddlers. I can put it on auto, but I think the flash on this thing is worse than the flash on my old point and shoot. I'm really not a fan of the flash, but I was miserable without it in low light with fast movers. I've been doing some reading, and I think I could get a fairly inexpensive lens that would solve some of these problems. Enough griping...we had a blast. The girls got lots of goodies, but not too many. We tried to put a cap on it, as they have way too much already. In fact, it's time to thin things out a bit and start donating.

We also got to meet Sweet Aiden at last.



Rachel getting ukulele lessons from Dad.



Charlotte and her mandatory Christmas morning cinnamon roll.



Carol and Aiden

Just in case you haven't seen it...

My friend Susan sent this to me the other day. I love a cappella music. Straight, No Chaser is one of the groups out there who has fun. Also, see The Brown Derbies from Brown University. I saw them do "A View to a Kill" completely a cappella on GMA once.

Desperate times...

...call for-- well, you know. Megan, our Christmas cookie pusher, is no doubt buried under irate Target holiday shoppers and piles of Children's literature. Busy Megan=make your own darned sugar cookies! Well, I did! And they're yummy! Be it crowded or quiet, may your Christmas be sweet!

'Tis the season...

...for Calvin and Hobbes snowman cartoons. I love Calvin. Here's a link to more of them. This one is a personal favorite:

Welcome to my world...

Charlotte likes to hold "little guy" conferences on my keyboard every so often. The scary thing is--I can still manage to type while it's in progress. Adaptation.