Silly Putty & Playdoh

Avery's teacher asked if we could make some playdoh for the class and of course we were happy to help out. I asked her teacher if she had ever made the silly putty before and she had not, but wanted to try it out.

We were excited to make the silly putty again, it had been over a year since we made it before.
So Sunday we set off to try to make homemade playdoh for the first time and a new round of silly putty. Avery helped me with the playdoh by pouring in the salt and kool-aid mix in the bowl. We made it in the stand mixer - which I think was what made it so easy to make. I think had we stirred it by hand we would have been miserable.

School seems to be going well so far. This year I am getting a little more feedback from Avery than I did last year. Sounds like she is enjoying school and adjusting very nicely.

First step in silly putty making - mix the food color with the glue.

End result of the first batch. Usually the first batch of anything you make is a dud, this time it was the best one.

This was my second batch and it didn't turn out as well. It took FOREVER to get the materials to mix properly. You just have to keep working it forever to get it to incorporate. I think I used too much liquid starch at one time.

Final batches of silly putty


Happy girl playing with the 'off' batch of silly putty.

PLAYDOH!

Last Year of Preschool

Today was the first day of school and she went in without any issues.
She told me when I picked her up this afternoon that she cried today, but I still need to check with her teacher on that.

My camera kept fogging up, so this was the best I could get in the morning before she went in.


The class picture board. I think there are several missing pictures. Avery picked her spot and wrote her name underneath. There is another little boy in her class named Avery. Who would have thought that name would have been so popular?!


You may recall Avery didn't know where Florida was last year. One of the many things she learned last year.


I think this might be her favorite area of the classroom.

She really wanted to show me these shells.

She said they smell like bubble gum.

In the reading area.

Finding her name.

Showing me that she sat on the letter C today.

Nature Photos

I took some time over the weekend to play with my camera and take some nature pictures around the yard. We have a ton of little creatures all around our place that I never really take the time to notice. I think I'm going to work on taking more of these types of photos. I could really use the practice with the macro.

Thank you Oonie!

My mom has been here for the last 3 weeks helping us with Avery so we could go to work. It was wonderful having the help around the house, the wonderful meals, shopping and childcare. We could get used to this!

This time she was here for about a week when she got sick. Poor thing gets sick everytime she comes to visit. This sickness was a yucky upper respiratory virus. I think she left home somewhat healthy at least.

The weather has been so hot and muggy lately. It's about this time of year when I start wishing we lived somewhere besides Florida. I'll have to keep on wishing, because it is very unlikely that we will ever move, unless we become super rich and can spend part of the year in a mountain home. Keep dreaming...

I really wanted to do a few photos shoots with Avery and Mom because usually when she comes to visit we never get to it. I am glad we took the time to do it last week. See below.

This coming Monday Avery starts back to school. We had her orientation on Friday and she (and I) are very excited about this last year of preschool. She will be in the same class, but has lot of new friends. I think we are all ready to get back into routine. I am hoping we are all ready to go because I haven't done much school shopping since everything is provided at her school and she can still wear all her clothes still from the summer. It makes no sense to get anything for cool weather anytime soon and surely she will grow some between now and October anyway.

It's Saturday around 2 and I need to get some motivation for this weekend. I'm not sure why, but my motovation is really lacking this summer. Blah, blah, blah, enough rambling, I need to get in the shower - yes, it is almost 2 and I still haven't showered.....*sigh*

Preschool Photo Shoot

School starts back Monday and this Friday is her class orientation. This year she will be a class leader. She received a post card the other day from her teacher and in the note it mentioned that Avery would be a class leader - when I was reading Avery the note from her teacher and I got to the class leader part - her face lit up. I can tell she is excited.

She is supposed to bring in a recent photo of herself to put on the class bulletin board. I looked though all the recent pictures and decided it was time for another photo shoot.

Below are the options. Please vote!

Option 1


Option 2


Option 3


Option 4

Otion 5

Cat Drama

I haven't really mentioned much about the kitties lately.

Back in May we got Satsuma and Paprika. It was really odd how Paprika went missing - we saw her when we left to go to the grocery store and when we got back she was no where to be found. After looking numerous times at the animal shelter, we gave up. She was really beautiful, so hopefully she is at a good home somewhere.

So, I was so sad about Satsuma being lonely, we ended up getting the little brother to Satsuma.

They were hanging around the yard and becoming brave and venturing out more and more. We left to go on vacation around the 4th of July and ask our neighbor to feed them each day. Well apparently the day before we got home, they went missing. I was so sad when we got back and made many more trips to the animal shelter. The last time I was there I saw 2 little orange boys that were up for adoption. And yep, you guessed it, they came home with me.



These little guys are trouble together. They often look like little orange tumbleweeds rolling around fighting. Once they went across the steet for a night and I got a call from our neighbor that she found them. So far they have stayed somewhat close to home, but last night before I went to bed they didn't come when I called them and I found them across the street with 2 girls that were walking downtown to go out. They were following them downtown and the girls walked them back, so they wouldn't get lost. These cats!!!!!!!!!



I don't know, I am trying to keep them close to home with multiple treats and even nasty wet food! If something happens to these guys I am DONE with kittens.



These little guys look a lot alike, so much I can only tell them apart by their collars. Yes, they have collars with tags, so hopefully if they do get lost, someone will call us.



Meet Fergus





Meet Linus

Lasik Surgery

I survived Lasik. It was not as easy as I had hoped it would be, but I can see 20/15 now without contacts or glasses, so in the end it's worth it.

*****BEWARE!!!! LASIK DETAILS BELOW. READ AT OWN RISK******

I got there at 7:30AM and they took me back to a room and gave me 2 little Xanax pills to relax. I sat there for 45 minutes and never once felt like I was relaxing, so they gave me one more right before I went into the laser room. When I went in, none of the pills had kicked in, so I was tense.

I laid back on the table and they talked me through everything. Looking up was like looking under a space ship. They started with the right eye and taped my eye lashes up/down, then put in the numbing drops and the antibiotic drops. The next part was gross - they had to put on something that kept my eye in place - I guess it would be like the "rubber dam" from the dentist but for your eyes. It felt like my eye was bugged out (which it probably was). Then I had to look up at the green flashing light until I couldn't see it anymore, then they turn on some vacuum and that's when they took off the cornea. Let me tell you how GROSS that was - I thought at that exact point I was going to throw up, pass out or both. I tried to tell myself this would all be over soon and I tried to take deep breaths so I would not pass out. When the cornea was off everything looked very, very blurry - then came the laser. The laser smells like burning hair - GAG! So, if I wasn't already queasy from before I am about to lose it now. After the laser they sponge the cornea back on and drop in a ton of drops. I made it through it!!! Yay!

Oh crap! They have to do the other eye. That's when I was thinking to myself, "why am I doing this, why am I doing this, why am I doing this!?!" I was a wreck inside and totally regretting ever considering this surgery. A few minutes later, it was over. They moved all the equipment away and asked me to sit up and look across the room to see if I could see the clock and I told them I could tell it was a little before 9AM, but it was blurry. I was not able to stand right away because I was too woozy. The entire surgery really only took about 15 minutes.

With all of that said, the Dr. and staff were really great. If I had to suggest anything, it would have been to give out stronger drugs!!! I do understand why they don't though - you have to work with them to make sure it all goes correctly, but dang, it would have been nice to have been up on some cloud instead of the stone cold sober feeling I had.

When I got home I took a two hour nap and mom made me the best lunch ever. Time seemed to go very fast and I ended up napping again later in the day. I imagine it was either the stress of the day or the Xanax itself, but I was sleeping so well.

I had to wear these silly glasses for 24 hours. And for another week I have to wear them at night so I don't rub my eyes.

Scott has been making fun of me asking if I am headed out to play racquetball.
Sexy, huh?

Pirate Treasure Hunt

Avery has really been into going on pretend treasure hunts ever since she had Pirate Week at her summer camp. On the weekends we would walk around our neighborhood to look for 'treasures' (and in our neighborhood you'll never know what you'll find). Scott got the idea that he would like to create a real pirate treasure hunt one weekend and anyone that knows Scott, knows he doesn't doing anything half way. If I had to guess it took him about 6 total hours over the last few weeks to prep everything for the treasure hunt. Of course all of this was done as a surprise for Avery, so I had to take her out of the house or play in other areas of the house while he prepped.



First he started with the treasure map. I think this was done with a lighter and it also went into the oven for a little while as well.

The night before they made swords and a telescope together.
Before the hunt we dressed Avery in the pirate costume. Here she is 'reading' the map.

It read:

Avery Raine~

"If it's Bo-Bo Bone's treasure you seek, you can't be scared,
timid or meek. You'll want your sword, eye patch and telescope
if of success there's any hope.
First you must find the silver brick, where little lions prowl
in the jungle thick!"

You can see the homemade swords in the background.


Each note had a silly/scary different skull face. This one had her "take the shovel near the okra so thick, 'neath the white faced brick the next clue you'll pick."


Here she is on the front porch, posing before heading to find the next clue.

The final clue - which read: "You've found me treasure trove
on the top of skull hill. Now of golden coins you'll have your fill!"



Skull Mountain - if you look closly you can see it's the multch pile with a face carved and a little tree planted on top.

Digging for the treasure.

She found it very quickly!

Her treasure!