Ten on Tuesday

1. The girls' first time at the races.  We had a blast watching their Uncle Jason zip around the track.  Had it not been for a faulty fuel cap he certainly would have come out with one of the top slots.

As you can tell, I've been having fun playing with the functions on Mom's camera.

2.  Abby decided she wanted to go on an adventure last night to look for deer.  She must have remembered that Papa told her the deer move in the evening.  She told me she wanted to get some exercise.  I think she wanted to exercise her independence.

3. One of my favorite things about the internet is being able to see what my family & friends are up to without waiting for the annual Christmas letter!  My cousin, Luke, is an editor for North American Hunter magazine and now has a blog to boot: http://www.huntingclub.com/articles/blogs/articletype/categoryview/categoryid/4050/the-venatic-addict-with-luke-hartle.  He's a great hunter & gifted writer!  I'm proud of you, little cousin.  {He hates it when I call him that!}


4. I've finally taken on the task of cleaning out the closet at Mom & Dad's.  It's much easier to get rid of other people's stuff than my own.


5. Who gets the most excited about the arrival of The Land of Nod catalog.... My dad!  I like to browse, Mom likes to shop.  Dad likes to page through for ideas.  Believe it or not, his creations are always better than the pieces that inspire them.


6. If I could inject Lauren with something to keep her just as she is, I might consider it.  She is so cute, so innocent, so funny, and sooooo snugly!


7. Abby could hardly contain herself while we were at the Pizza Ranch last night.  Dad was talking to an older gentleman he used to work with, and Abby got wide-eyed and tight-fisted with excitement and said to me, "He lost a tooth!"  She has no idea that at a certain age that just isn't a good thing.


8. 900° for 3½ minutes.  That's how long America's oldest pizzeria, Lombardi's, cooks their pizza.


9. I'm that mom.  As evident by Abby's first year in school, the girls need a good back pack; they take a lot of abuse.  Determined not to be forced into purchasing one of those ugly princess, Bieber, or other miscellaneous unsightly bags, I ordered the girls Duluth Pack back packs.  They got to pick their own color, and the bags were both specially made for the Abby & Lauren making them an extra special treat.  They've both finally arrived.  I'm hoping these will hold true to their reputation and put this back pack saga to rest!  And hold up for a good ten plus years or better.  Time will tell.


10. Soap Box Alert: It drives me crazy when people don't cut on the dotted lines.  What the heck do you think they're for?  Fun?!  Seriously, if you're going to bother to cut it out, the least you could do is follow the designated path.  I admire a trailblazer, but appreciate scissor educate more.