Spring Planting

I don't think that a flower will grow when it is planted like this, but E3 doesn't care.

WHO's READY FOR MONSTER JAM??!!

Apparently, we were.

The whole family went to Monster Jam at Angel's Stadium yesterday. We had pit passes, so we arrived early enough to walk around the pits a see the trucks up close. At first, E3 (who is obsessed with his Matchbox monster trucks) was terrified of the trucks, but after a few minutes, he was excited to see the "big trucks!" He was especially excited to see his favorite, Grave Digger.
It wasn't as rednecky as I had anticipated, and we had an enjoyable time... except for tired kids, my arm spasm from carrying E3, the constant requests for cotton candy each time the vendor walked by, and the fat-headed jerk that sat in front of us that seemed to think it was a good idea to teach his young kid gang signs and boxing during the show.
It rained at our house all day, but it was clear (and about 15 degrees warmer) down in Anaheim.
It's cool today, but not enough to keep the kids inside. I have been working all weekend on a special/urgent project for work. (read= extra money for my new kitchen :D )

How awesome is that!

In-n-Out Burger was at the girls's school one day this week.
They brought their big truck and served lunch for the kids and families.
It was their basic hamburger or cheeseburger, chips and a drink. I couldn't order the usual double-double animal style, but it was still a very tasty lunch.

Home on the range

My range heard the rumors that it was going to be replaced. It heard Stuntman and I discussing the kitchen remodel... it heard me talking to my friend today about the range I was planning to buy to replace it. It's not as if it didn't need replacing, the top was practically rusted through into the oven. It stopped working today out of protest. So, a little ahead of schedule I ran to Sears to buy a new one. I have shopped prices online for weeks, so I knew what to expect when I arrived in the store.. or so I thought. I actually paid less than I had planned. How often does that happen! Sears has this price-match guarantee and they checked around for me and found a cheaper price, plus they had free delivery and haul-away special ending today. Yippie.
It doesn't arrive until next week, but I can wait. The burners still work, so I guess that I just won't be baking anything until then. At least the range waited this long to quit working... unlike all of the other appliances that died during Stuntman's deployment (fridge, dishwasher, blender, coffeemaker, and microwave, well the last one was just before he left) .

On the kid front, E2 learned how to swing/pump by herself today. Until now, she had no desire to even try. She was perfectly content to have me push her. Unlike E1, who couldn't wait to learn how to swing on her own as soon as she could fit on the big kid swings. E2 didn't quit swinging until well after dusk. She did take a quick break to eat dinner, but went right back outside and continued swinging until she was tired.

100 degrees

There is almost a 100 degree difference in temperature between my house and my sister's house today.
... and she thinks that I'm the crazy one for living here.


although I wouldn't mind getting up into double-digit humidity.. it is WAY too dry right now.. and windy... but at least my car doors aren't frozen shut, and my eyelashes don't freeze and break.

There goes my manicure

We've been doing a little work around the yard for the last couple weeks. One of the benefits of living here is that it is currently 75 degrees and sunny outside, perfect for yard work.
Last week we, I mean I, dug out a huge tree root that was going across the back yard. After I dug all around it (it took almost 2 hours), Stuntman chopped it up with an ax and pulled it out of the ground in 10 minutes.
Today, I am stuccoing the low wall that runs across the middle of our back yard between our house and the upper level where the playground stands. We've talked about stuccoing the wall since we moved here 13 years ago. Finally. Neither of us have stuccoed before, but I am half done with the scratch coat and it already looks great. I hope that it all doesn't fall off in a year.
Stuntman is building steps to go over the wall, instead of walking around it like we always have. Looks good and it definitely will be useful. We will finish with a walkway of some sort to the steps. I think we will make some type of casual stone pathway.
Cheaper and more effective than going to the gym.
The title to this post may be deceiving because I don't have a manicure. Am I the only woman that thinks manicures are a total waste of time and money?

Happy Moo Ear!

Or, if you're not E3,
Happy New Year!