Your First Movie Theater Experience

To my crazy little whack bean:

We took you to the movie theater for the first time ever this weekend. We went to see Disney's "The Princess and the Frog", which you've seen the previews for and been getting excited about recently. You already own a pair of PJ's with the Princess on them that you got for Christmas, too.

I have to admit, I was excited to see it myself- I knew that the music from it was getting rave reviews all over the place, and TIME magazine voted it the BEST movie of 2009. I convinced your Daddy that we needed to take you to see this new Disney movie and we decided last weekend was a good one, since I had to stop by Cey-Cey's house anyway to get my coupon binder back. After seeing The Princess and the Frog, I have to agree that it was probably one of my favorite movies from 2009, as well. The characters were great, and it was a wonderful return to the classic animated Disney flick with great music to accompany it. I'm a total Disney freak, and I grew up with those classics- ones that you will probably be familiar with yourself before too long- so it was very nostalgic for me. We'll definitely be buying that Blu-Ray when it comes out :D Don't get me wrong, I love the new computer animated (CGI) Disney/Pixar movies, too... but it had been a while (almost ten years I think!) since they'd done one in the classic style, and I definitely think it was a long time coming. Disney always pulls off a great balance between touching emotion and interesting storyline for adults and fun, silly characters and constant action for children. But, I digress.

I was a teensy bit nervous taking you to the theater, but to be honest, I wasn't THAT worried. You're one smart little cookie and you are VERY well behaved when you want to be :) So I knew that if I explained the situation to you, you'd handle it like a champ. And I was right.

We told you over and over on the way down that there would be other people watching the movie too, so if you needed to talk to Mommy or Daddy, you'd have to make sure to whisper. When we got there, I took you to the potty (Bravo on potty training by the way! You are doing great these past few days...) while Daddy got us our tickets, soda, popcorn and Sour Patch Kids.

We settled into the row right behind the platform they have for wheelchairs and whatnot- which is pretty close to the front of the theater. It turned out to be a good thing towards the end, because about 15 minutes before the end of the movie, we heard a little girl in the back yell "I'm TIIIIIRRREEEDDDDD!" and then you could just feel all the kids in the theater getting antsy at once. The other girls that were in the row with us stood up, and so did you, but it was fine because of the stadium seating (see, being picky about theaters DOES pay off!) and the fact that there was nobody in front of you, so you had room to stand and wiggle a bit without bothering people.

It was so adorable to see you sitting in that movie seat. You don't quite weigh enough to hold the seat all the way down, so you were having a lot of fun bouncing up and down in it. These are the moments when I smack my forehead and wish I had a smartphone with a decent camera- I never remember to bring my digi with me for things like this, and I so wish I had a picture of you enjoying your first movie, munching on popcorn. You really thought you were the cat's meow sitting in that seat, sharing snacks with your parents :D

Through the ENTIRE movie, you remembered to whisper instead of talking... Granted, it was a somewhat elevated whisper ;) but it made me smile every time. You're such a good listener, and I'm so proud to bring you places... People are always amazed at how smart you are and how well you behave. I tell you, little girl, you just shine like a star.

Every time a kid would walk by us with their parents during the movie, you would poke your little head out from your seat, look at them, and in the loudest whisper you could manage, say "HIIII!" It was so funny to see, because every time you'd do that, the other kid would kind of stop, look around for you, and wave or smile back...I swear, if it hadn't been a movie where you had to sit and be quiet while it was playing, you probably would have left that place with a boatload of new friends.

We had such a great time taking you out this weekend, and it made me more confident that you can handle events like that well, even if you are required to be quiet most of the time. I feel so blessed to have you and your Daddy... The day out together was so fun, just getting to spend some quality time together and laugh and smile and gain some perspective... That no matter how tough these economic times get, we have each other and THAT is something to be grateful for.

As we were watching the movie, you were so enraptured by the music and the big screen in front of you... And I looked over your head at your Daddy and together we shared a smile that was really meaningful to me. Though we didn't exchange a word, I think we both felt the same way: in awe and gratitude over having such an amazing little girl, and proud of ourselves for having created such a close-knit family. We've had some rough times over the years, but I would do it all over again if that's what it took to be where we're at right now. With all the saddening news and shocking images that have been circulating over the past week from the earthquake catastrophe in Haiti, it really makes me pause and remember how happy I am, and how, in the big scheme of things, our life is pretty damned good.

Catching Up! Halloween 2009 :)

I am so far behind on blogging right now it's not even funny!

With all of the Christmas shopping, decorating, visiting, partying, and general merry-making I just haven't had a lot of extra time lately, and to be frank, I haven't really been in the writing mode... I absolutely love the holiday season and I have really been enjoying it and putting some energy into it this year. Being able to combine my new hobby- couponing and deal seeking- with the holiday preparations like SHOPPING and cooking is so much fun! Plus, what little extra bits of time I have found here and there have been totally eaten up by trying to keep my house clean- (HA! yeah right, every time I clean up one mess another one sprouts in a different location, it seems) and spending quality time with my amazing little Ruggle. But I am really trying to get back into the swing of things now and my goal is to be all caught up with major event posts (ie, Halloween, Thanksgiving, tree decorating, and Christmas itself) by New Years.

So, without further adieu, here are the photos from Halloween this year! Bendy wanted to go as a bumblebee at first, but we agreed on a spider costume, since her two middle names mean "spider fairy" :) That is a long story in itself, which I'm not sure if I've told on here or not, but will have to wait for another day if not.

Later, as we were explaining to her the meaning of her names, she decided she actually wanted to go as a spider fairy! I told her she could wear her light-up wings and bring her wand, and she'd be the only little spider fairy trick-or-treating in town... So she started off as a spider fairy, in the beginning of the night:

At home just after getting dressed!

Full look at the costume. I am absolutely in LOVE with Old Navy's Halloween costumes. They are made of fleece, so they're nice and warm- awesome for those of us in climates where snow on Halloween is really possible- are very reasonably priced, and super cute to boot. See the little baby spider sticking out of her pocket?

Before we even left our house, though, she had shed the wings and wand. Which was fine by me- fewer questions about what she was going as meant less explanation, which meant? More. CANDY! ;) Oh and also less for her to carry, which turned out to be a very good thing.

We started out our trick or treating at the Powerhouse Mall. We did the same last year because they start their trick-or-treat earlier than most of the other places in our area, and it's also nice because it's sort of small (each store has a couple of employees sitting out front handing out candy)... So it's a good place for the kiddos to get a feel for how the whole trick-or-treat deal works, in case they don't remember, it doesn't take a long time to get through, and is inside, so if there is questionable weather, which there was this year (we ended up finishing trick or treat in a drizzle) you don't have to worry about it!

Here are some pics from the Powerhouse:


In the parking lot with Daddio waiting to go in...

One of her first stops in the mall! She wasn't sure if she wanted to grab that candy or not... But after a couple minutes, she really started getting the hang of it :)

Walking through the mall holding Daddy's hand.

She kept on grabbing Dum-Dums out of every basket in the mall... I was trying to hint to her to grab the Reese's and Snickers, but she loves lollipops so much she wasn't listening... Kind of stinks cuz Dum-Dums cost what, like a buck a bag or something?! lol... I would have happily bought her a bag of Dum-Dums to trade for a bag full of Reese's, Snickers and Starburst ;) Although in a way I'm glad she went for the lollipops, then I wasn't as tempted by her stuff, and my thighs don't need more chocolate! lol

While we were at the Powerhouse, we ran into one of her friends from daycare, whose Mom also happens to be a coworker and friend of mine. I wasn't too surprised, because she's the one who tipped me off to start at the Powerhouse, so I knew she'd be heading there too at some point! Here's Illy bug and her friend, "M" posing for the other camera! I couldn't manage to get one with the both of them looking at me and smiling, so this was the best shot I could find:


And this was the other one I tried getting before they ran away, but I was just a second too late, Illy was already done posing and pointing in another direction... At some candy? I think. lol.

Then it was time to head back home to Enfield and do our town's trick or treat. We went out with our neighbors and their kids, "K" and "B", who were dressed up as a princess and a cowboy. The pictures of the three of them together are just precious:

Hmm.. Take 1: B's hat is missing, Illy is zoning out and playing with her face... Nobody is looking.

Take 2: B's hat is on, but I got his Dad's hands in the pic! Only Illy is looking. Let's try this one last time...

Take 3: Cheese! I think this is the best of the three... I think? lol. B has his hands on his face... Illy is looking up but not at the camera. But K has a great big smile and everyone's costume is on and complete. I call that a win :)

We thought the rain might just miss us, because as we were getting ready to go, it seemed like it was holding off, but as soon as we started walking down our road, the drizzle began. Luckily for us, it was pretty warm out, and the rain stayed at a light drizzle all night, so we were able to finish our trick or treating comfortably, with some minor adjustments:

This was the "cumbrella" (as she called it) that Illy carried around all night. It's K's, but they were nice enough to let us borrow it because we don't have one (whoops!). Even when it would stop drizzling for a while, she needed to have it. To be carrying it at ALL times when she wasn't gathering candy. Definitely prolonged the trick or treating a bit! lol.

Ilyana also made up a little ditty to sing as we walked in between all the houses, and soon all three kids (okay, okay, me and Will too!) were singing it: "We're on our way to trick or treat, trick or treat, trick or treat, we're on our way to trick or treat..." It was so cute listening to them sing and being so excited about the night! I think it made Illy feel pretty cool too, that she made up a song that K was singing, since she looks up to K as the bigger girl. :)

So we walked around a couple of neighborhoods in our area, gathered a good amount of sugar booty, and then headed down to the Fire Station. They were giving out candy and cider and doing some crafts with the kids... But the coolest reason we were headed down there had nothing to do with the events that they were holding for everyone... We went down there for THIS, in particular:



The pictures aren't great (I was trying to take them through a rainy windshield in the dark... gimme a break! lol) but they are of Illy and B sitting in the firetruck! Yes, our neighbors happen to know one of the firemen, and he was nice enough to let our little pumpkins sit in the big red seat and pretend they were driving! They loved it, and it was the perfect topper to a wonderful Halloween night.

We had a blast this year- it was so much fun watching the girl get the hang of trick or treating and actually understand it fully- she was really too young last year to totally grasp what was going on. Even with the drizzle, it was a great night out in warm weather with friends and my wonderful family, and it won't soon be forgotten. :)

Apple Picking at Wellwood Orchards, 10/11/09

I love apple picking.

My Dad used to take me every year when I was younger, and it's always been a tradition I knew I would continue with my own children. Autumn is my favorite time of year, and being out in nature, with the crisp, cool air uniquely smelling of fall and the gorgeous views... Well, it's just incredible.

Watching the leaves turn around you as mother nature begins her preparations for the deep freeze puts things into perspective and reminds you that the old adage "This, too, shall pass" is not just a silly phrase.... And yet, while life continues to move along, with so many things changing, and my little bend continues to grow "bigger and bigger each day" (as she would say!) , some things will be the same, year after year.

We went to Wellwood Orchards last year and absolutely loved it. With all they had to offer- the u-pick apples, pumpkins, the petting zoo, wonderful views, hayrides, freshly made cider doughnuts and various other goodies... It was a no-brainer that we go back there again this year.

It was a chilly, overcast day, but through our whole vacation last week, this was the first day that seemed to have promising weather (read: no rain). We decided to tough it out and figured we could warm ourselves up with hot cider if needed :)

We were struck by the old look of this barn against the clouds when we pulled up, so Will took a couple of shots of it. I'm pretty sure he's going to enhance this one in photoshop, but I already like it.

There was a pretty hefty breeze right when we arrived... luckily it warmed up soon after, but in this picture the poor Bend was freezing her little bum off. Hence the funny face. We decided to go into the store to warm up, grab our apple bag, and get some fresh doughnuts and hot cider to warm our bones :)

She thought this was the funniest thing!

She actually wanted to be a honeybee for Halloween originally... I had decided we would go with an Old Navy costume again this year because last year the one we got was really good quality, really warm, really cute and a really good price... So I had her go onto the website with me and try to pick one she liked. Well, of course she picked the honeybee, which was the ONLY one not on sale! You know me, can't pay full price for something when I could get it cheaper... So I had her pick her next best fave, which was the spider. And since her two middle names mean "spider fairy" I told her she could wear fairy wings and bring her wand, and be the only little spider fairy trick-or-treating! So it worked out in the end... But she definitely got a kick out of being a bee for a minute here!

She was trying to look down to see how her body changed into a bee... lol!

Going to say "hello" to one of the chickens that escaped from the petting zoo! And some random lady's butt. Sorry about that, but there wasn't really a way to crop it without cutting off Bend or the chicken. *sigh*

Pumpkins and squash and tractors, OH MY!

Ilyana hanging out with Daddio, waiting for the "hay"ride. They didn't actually use hay on this one... They opted for the more high-tech option... Benches!

Ilyana and I... on her first hayride :D She had a blast, absolutely loved it! She kept asking all day if we could go back on the hayride...

For posterity! This is what your first hayride looked like, Bendy Rugg :)

And this is the view, looking back down onto the store, from the hayride up into the orchard.

Ilyana and Daddy, scoping the trees for the best apples left! Turned out, this was the second to last weekend of u-Pick apples this season, so most of the types had already passed. Good thing we made it!

Taste test... Result? Semi-bitter but yummy! We grabbed a couple of those for baking...

I absolutely love this picture of Ills and her Dad. It's a little dark, I need to have Will touch it up still since I'm not as good in photoshop as him... But still, one of my faves from the day. Can't you just feel the love?!

Through the leaves shot of me and the Bendy. I like this one :)

She was getting frustrated that she couldn't get the apples down, so I was showing her how to twist them off.

The best apples are always up high, where they get lots of sun... So we find creative ways of getting at them! Here's Bendy sitting on my head trying to reach one...

And here she is getting a lift from her Dada.

For about half the time that Will and I were picking apples, Ilyana was busy playing "Where's Ruggle?" She thought it was awesome to keep running away from us and hiding between the trees. Ahh, sweet freedom!!

Bendy hider...

There she is!

"I finally caught you, you crazy little bean!"

Or maybe not... She went limp like a rag doll and didn't want me to pick her up. Apparently "Where's Ruggle?" was far too fun a game to give up so easily.

But then I told her Daddy needed her help. And since she LOVES to help with anything grown-up, she rushed right over. She was standing next to him. He would grab the apples, hand them to her, and she would drop them in the bag. Now that's some good teamwork. :D

Whoops, dropped one!

Gorgeous views of the mountains. Here we're looking down on the store- on the bottom left- from up in the strawberry patch area.

More views... And my handsome hubby :)

She was a little crabby here... Something about not wanting to share something that wasn't hers with another little boy there. Yes, we're working on sharing... lol

"What's that?"

Pretty girl. Finally has enough hair for it to blow in the breeze! :)

Dada and the Rugg

Watching the hayride head back down...

We were sort of trying to do a new version of last year's apple bin photos with this next series... But with the bad lighting on this overcast day, we didn't have as much luck. These came out good, but not as good as the ones from last year... Those are still some of my all-time favorites of her :)

Why are you taking so many pictures of me??

*Peek*

Nom nom nom...

And here she is trying to pet chickens that escaped from the petting zoo... Those tricky chickens are masters of evasion, though!

And this is just a bunch of bins full of apples, stacked up together. I thought it looked cool.

We had so much fun at Wellwood this year, and we'll definitely be returning again! Hopefully next year with some family and/or friends... It's an experience for sure, and those cider doughnuts are DELICIOUS!

Filling Daddy's Shoes!

Sometimes, you just want to be a grown-up, so you try and imitate the things we do.

It's pretty funny to watch you piece things together in your head sometimes... like- "Hmm, how can I be just like my Daddy? I know! I'll wear his SHOES!"

"I'll sit on the floor and put them on, no matter how long it takes me... You know what they say! If at first you don't succeed, try, try again..."



It's a little bit of a task to walk when your shoes are many MANY sizes too big. But you, my princess- you are nothing if not determined and headstrong.


So you just stood for a minute, thought about your next move...


Did a little stretch...


And got on with it.

I think that's a lesson you'll be able to pass on to many people in life... When faced with an obstacle, don't give up. Pause, think, reflect, stretch, then plow ahead with reckless abandon :)

Three Generations of Spunk

Pictures taken on Saturday, September 26th, 2009 at Cey-Cey and Grumps' house.

Three generations of spunky, wonderful, loving women (not to toot my own horn or anything! hehe)-- Cey-Cey, Me, and the Bend Ruggle herself!

You are my two favorite *girls* in the world :)

What She Says... About TV & More

Pictures of Illy playing in Cey-Cey's garden, 9/12/09

* * * * *

One day after work last week, I was doing the dishes and Will was doing some work on his computer, so Ilyana was playing in the living room with some kind of a cartoon on the TV in there...

She called out to Will and said: "Dada, can you turn on the news?"

He kind of looked at her baffled, and then said, "Okay, honey, bring me the remote and I'll turn the news on."

She carried in the remote to him, he changed it while she watched, and once the "news" (it was Daily Show, so not *news* news, but still...) came on, she said: "Okay, I'm just gonna go watch the news now."

And she did.

My girl is such a character. Although I am glad she's showing some interest in current events. Ha!

* * * * *

A couple nights later, we were all eating dinner in the living room with the TV on... **As an aside: Yes, I know we should really try to eat at the kitchen table (and without the TV) more, but when your kitchen table is small and doubles as a mail station/ computer desk, it makes it hard. I am just happy we manage to all eat together every night.**

Ilyana had been watching her show while I was getting our plates ready, but when we came out to eat, Will grabbed the remote and started looking for something we might all enjoy. Well, Illy wasn't having that. As he flicked through the channels, she goes:

"Dada, I want to watch my show."

"Dada, I want my show on...."

"Dada..."

He finally picked something, and as soon as he clicked "enter" to go to that channel, she shouts:

"DADA! That's not VERY NICE!!"

* * * * *

Last night, she was drying off with her towel after a shower, and I told her to come in her room to get in her diaper and pjs... She did, and after that was done, she looked at me, looked at her towel and said, "Let's have a picnic!"

She proceeded to lay the towel out flat on the ground and said "See, it's a picnic!" And then grabbed a bunch of her kitchen setting toys and had a mini-picnic with us right before bed... She made us some "SCUN" to eat (I have no idea what kind of food that's supposed to be, but I told her it was delicious!) and we had to pour the "tea" into our mouths because we couldn't locate any of her cups... And yet, it was still one of the best picnics I've ever been to :) She makes me smile every day... I love you Bendy Ruggle!

Crabby Girl In a New Coat...

I bought Ilyana an awesome jacket for fall from Old Navy this past spring when all the winter stuff was on sale... Now I can't remember whether or not it was when they had their "additional 50% off all clearance" sale or not, but either way, the tag, when I took it off this morning, said $4.99. So I either paid $4.99 for this gem, OR a ridiculously amazing $2.50. I think it is SO cute! I want one for myself! It's fleece-ey feeling on the inside, super comfy, and perfect for this sweater weather we've been having! This morning, when Will saw her, he couldn't resist getting a few snapshots (ok, ok, I MIGHT have suggested that I could use a couple new pics for the blog, but still... he had already grabbed the camera). She was in a little bit of a crabby mood- you can see it in the pics, I'm sure. But here she is, this morning, all dressed to go to daycare in her brand-spankin'-new jacket!

He did manage to get one big smile and a "CHEEEEEESEEE!" out of her before we went outside...

But it was all downhill from there...


"Dada, I'm very cold." That's what she said here... Kind of made me feel bad... But, I mean... She was wearing a fleece jacket. It was almost 50 degrees outside. It's not like she was out in a blizzard in a bikini! Sheesh. If she's already cold, I guess I better bust out the mittens, cuz' it's only getting colder! lol. We live in New England, baby! Time to toughen up! ;)


And this one. I just love it. My handsome husband and beautiful daughter, looking sweet, with the fallen leaves from the tree in our front yard in the background.

*sigh* I love the fall. It's my favorite season.

First Attempt At Fondant!

I know it's been a while. At least I feel like I'm not alone in this bloggy funk... As I've been surfing the blogosphere these past few months (yes, yes, I am still reading everyone! lol) I've noticed the theme of lost mojo kind of floating throughout posts, a strand tying many of us together this summer in our absence.

There was one day in particular that TWO of the people I regularly read- Issa and Mammatalk, if you wanted to know- both posted about this phenomenon. I feel semi-guilty for not posting as much as I had hoped... But then I start to think again on who this blog is really for, and I cut myself some slack. If it's been a slow two months, then it has... I'm not going to force my own hand at keeping our memories recorded. When something exciting happens, I know I'll get it in here :) In the meantime, I've decided that everyone's mojo must be off on a tropical vacation together... Speaking for myself, I know my mojo is probably in Hawaii, a place I've always wanted to go, sipping Pina Coladas and getting the tan I can never achieve on a much more gorgeous beach than we have here in New England. I've come to terms with that... I'm just hoping it's considerate enough to bring me back some kind of a tchochke or at the very least "My mojo went to Hawaii and all I got was this lousy t-shirt"...

Now then. Onwards with today's post, I suppose!

Yesterday I was watching Cake Boss- which I actually don't like as much as Ace of Cakes, but you know, that's what was on- and I decided to FINALLY try and make some fondant. I've been wanting to for a while- I love watching these types of shows and have always been amazed at how beautiful the cakes come out- but I've been a little intimidated. It just looks daunting. Rolling it out big enough? Not ripping? Getting the color right? Eeeeeek!

Last night, though, I decided to go for it! I made marshmallow fondant- for two reasons... (1) I had heard it was easier to make, and I had the ingredients on hand; and (2) I have also heard that regular fondant tastes like CRAP. This fondant tastes SUPER sweet, but at least it tastes ok.

We decided on making a strawberry shaped cake (hubby helped me with this! I can't take ALL the credit) since the cake mix I had was strawberry flavored. Yes, I used mix... I wanted to focus my energy on dealing with the fondant, not making cake from scratch. Next time perhaps :)

Here's how it ended up:

Pretty cute for a first try, I think! Will had the great idea of using the mini chocolate chips for the "seeds" on the strawberry. I learned quite a bit from this one time, and I think maybe for Illy's next birthday I'll try something with fondant now that I have attempted it once... I won't be as scared of it as I was anymore!

So, what did I learn, you ask?

(1) Fondant kneading is a WORKOUT. Eep, it took forever to mix those colors in! I think next time instead of mixing the color into the fondant after making the batch, I'll make smaller batches and drop the food coloring in while I'm mixing the batch originally. That way I don't have to mix twice... Although I'm sure it's good for your biceps, if that's what you're going for!

(2) Fondant does NOT like to be red. This color? On my strawberry? Yeah. That was about 3 different doses of the "Super Red" color, which I assume is supposed to look like a firetruck. At least, that's what it looks like on the cap. And then some brown, too, to see if that would darken the color. It didn't. I finally gave up adding color and decided I'd have a pink strawberry and live with it. In the future... Avoid reds. lol!

(3) Don't use frosting as your glue to hold things together. Or, if you do... Use very small brushes, and very small amounts. I ended up with white frosting "glue" coming out at my seams and on the top of the cake, which totally stunk! Grrr...

(4) I also had some issues with ripping- so next time, I'll keep the rolling surface very well powdered (with powdered sugar)... and also cut the fondant bigger than I need it to be. I had a couple areas that didn't look so neat on the edges because the fondant wasn't big enough to "wrap" around the bottom of the cake.

That's all. I have to say, I am proud of myself! It's not perfect, but for a first try... At least it's recognizable as a strawberry! :D

Things You Love... Part 1?

Illy bear-

I don't know if you've noticed a trend, looking back at these photos from whatever age you are now (at least I hope you're doing that... that was the whole purpose of this blog :D). There is one item that can be found in many, many photos of you... And many days on your body, as well. Can you guess from the picture below?

It's your rainbow necklace. The very first thing that you EVER picked out on your own, unprompted by either your Dad or I. Your very first fashion choice, the very first thing you felt a NEED to own.

You and I were shopping in Wal-Mart one day, walking through the toddler section to check if there were any clothes on super-clearance, when you looked up at me with this sweet little smile and pointed to the rack with all the hair thingamabobbers, gloves, hats, and other random accessories on it and said "Mama, I want THAT."

So I stopped, because we weren't even looking at that rack. It must have just caught your eye. I thought about it, and you had been very well-behaved that day, so I figured I would get you what you wanted. I picked up a headband and said "Oh, you mean this?"

"No, Mama. THAT." *points at the rack again*

I picked up a package of elastics: "This, you mean?"

"NO, Mama. THAT." *points*

I picked up a cute little baseball cap: "This?"

"NO, Momma. I want THAT." *points*

Finally, I came to the rainbow-colored necklace and bracelet set- "This?"

*Big grin cracks across your face* "Yeah. That." And you took it from me, immediately started playing with it, and remained content the rest of the way through the store.

Ever since that day, you've loved your necklace. It's your big statement. You wear it with anything- which is perfectly fine with me, since being multi-colored, it always matches :) You usually don't wear the bracelet- opting instead to let your Dora doll wear it as HER necklace.

When we got home the other day, you walked in the door and the first thing you said was "It's so nice to see you, necklace!" since you had forgotten it at home that morning. Now THAT's love. :D And (aside from your Mommy and Daddy- and of course, the rest of our awesome family), it's one of the first things you've developed an attachment to.

Graphic courtesy of Tonya! :)

I'm sort of cheating on this week's Friday Fill-Ins, because this is actually yesterday's fill-in. They apparently do a new one every day now... But since I have been in such a rut, and not posting as much as I should, I am getting a jump start and doing this on Thursday ;) If you would like to check out everyone else's fill-ins, or just see what today's fill-in actually is, check out their SITE.

And now, on to the fill-ins!

1. Being set back is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I appreciate all that I have, especially my wonderful family.

3. Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is necessary.

5. Watching a storm roll in is breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is something waiting on the horizon.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to gotta clean up before my parents come tomorrow (not looking forward to it, but it has to be done!), tomorrow my plans include snuggling the girl before we head out to New York to try and win a car(!!) and Sunday, I want to get home, do any shopping I have to do, and prep for the week! My Sunday one is always the same... lol... Guess I am a little boring, but I love my simple life :)