Fall is here

Fall came quickly somehow... even some days it's still hot (some 80 degrees F) but the nights are getting chilli. Our tree in the corner of the yard (no idea what it is), changed colors to a red...it is the first one to turn red in the entire neighborhood. Finally the ash trees (Eschen) cought up and they turned all a beautiful yellow but our maple did not get the hint of fall just yet...it is still dark green...but you can see the end of the leaves changing slowly colors... I love fall!

Living room / Front entrance

Here now finally some pictures of the formal living room. I got both IKEA chairs on Craigslist for $20 and a week later I posted them again on CL and somebody bought them for $60 from me...and he thought he made a deal! Haha!

I really want a cute love seat there but the chairs actually did not look too shabby, since the dining room chairs are covered with the same blue fabric.

The leaning bookshelves I found on CL, this lamp and the lamp on the table besides the entrance and the pottery barn table collection, all on Craigslist!

...and the little rug in front of the door cost me $1 at a garage sale just down the street...

It's all coming together!

Playing with Frisby!

I visited Frisby last Saturday on a whim since Papa said he would take the kids to Honey and Big Papa while he is doing some fish tank stuff over there. So I thought it would be perfect to visit Frisby and play with him a little!

I took my rope halter and lead rope and stick with me, grooming box just in case Lisa is not home and I do not find any grooming supplies, and I took my dressage saddle just to see if it fits Frisby.

I was really excited to see him but he was the Frisby I knew. Very laid back and lazy.

When I was doing some Clinton Anderson techniques and tried to back up Frisby, I needed to whack Frisby's nose a couple of times for him to understand that i was serious about him moving his feet backwards.

This somehow cracked me up!

Frisby really did not change a little bit and Lisa even said I can come out any time and ride him down the trails and this and that...I am so happy to be involved in the life of my former horse! I will try to make it down to him twice a month but first I need a dressage girth that is long enough for him! Vanna needed the smallest on the market (like 22") and Frisby needs at least 10" more. So I am looking on Craigslist for some good deals in this department! I can't wait to actually sit on Frisby again, after riding Vanna for 3 years! This will be a difference!

Apple Sauce on the go

Really? This kind of stuff exists?

Sorry, not my style...

Frisby!

Last Saturday I saw my horse Frisby again! We were in the neighborhood and decided just to say hi to him. I wondered if I still knew where he is located at since I have not seen him in 4 years! Last time I saw Frisby was when I was pregnant with Jonah...

Frisby did not know me any more, he found 'closure'..hahaha. He looked good besides of no muscles on his top line but he has a small bump on his right hind leg therefore the new owner, Lisa, did not ride him in 3 months for making sure that he is not bothered by this.

For Jonah it was the first time seeing Frisby live, other than just on pictures!

I told Lisa that I have been to her house (she said she had a family reunion that day and I saw several cars parked in front so I did not want to bother in knocking at the door) and just stayed for like 4 minutes and just taking some pictures of Frisby. I wanted to let her know that it was me so for not having a neighbor telling her he saw 'suspicious activity around the horses' or so, you never know....luckily Lisa is just fine with all and she says now that I am living so close I just should come and do whatever I want with Frisby! Yeah to this!!

The famous Tree Swing

These mine kids do love this tree swing! There is not one day passing where Olivia or Jonah do not swing on it! Every time I get Jonah out of preschool he swings for a few minutes while I am parking the car in the garage. It is really a big hit with my kids, I am so proud of myself 'inventing' this! LOL

Popcorn and Tobi playing

Tobi and Popcorn are playing every day with each other and of course Popcorn dominates Tobi!

My whistling washing machine

Did not want to not let you hear my washing machine when it's telling me that she's done. Just sit down and watch it takes a few seconds for her to start whistling. A normal 'beep' is sooo boring! LOL

Really?

I saw this post on Craigslist today...I mean, what are the people spending money for? Unbelievable...

Flexi Compact 1 Glam Onyx Black Leash w/ Swarovski Crystal for dogs up to 26 lbs. (10 ft.) with hand-made precision work.

Flexi Glam leashes are made with clear and rose colored Swarovski Crystals. 10 ft tape leash For dogs up to 26 lbs. High gloss polished casing.

Two-colored tape with noble leather trimming. Chrome plated snap hook. Casing Color: Onyx-black.

http://www.flexiusa.com/products/flower-glam.php

New in box, never used. In stores and online for $190, asking $100 obo.

Email me at the above address or text 720-480-xxx for questions or to set up a time to pick the leash up.

Kids!

Olivia has a school folder with all the names of her class mates. And some parents were ok that the teacher, Miss Reischman, gave out the addresses. In just looking at the addresses I found out that a twin pair, Isabell and Austin, were living in our street! Since our street is a circle, their house is at the opposite corner of us, of course!

After introducing me and my kids to their Mom on Friday, when we walked by their house, we made a playdate for Tuesday. Austin and Isabell came over to our house and played a while but then they wanted to go outside.

Until now Jonah and Olivia were not aware that at least one of our front trees are climbable. Isabell and Austin have two older brothers (so alltogether they are 4 kids at home) and these brothers were obviously friends with the boys who were living in this house so Austin knew that the kids climbed this tree. Thanks, Austin! Now my kids know, too what I actually wanted to avoid at least of a year...lol!

So, the kids were climbing the tree and I took this very nice picture of them!

School pictures!

It was this time of the year again that school pictures got taken. This time the photographer's company is called 'My Lifetouch' or so but from the 3 I had now (Preschool, Kindergarten and now) I like them the least. Instructions on how and what to order were not really clear, you needed to pay in advance even before the photo shoot (how do you get the money back when the picture turns out ugly?) and in addition they give you a number for ordering online but only have example pictures.

Even now after getting the kids' pictures back, I got a portrait ID and Access Code but if you enter all this, you STILL don't look at your kids picture but at an example image.

The company has quite some backgrounds to choose from but quite hon

est, they are more or less all ugly. I loved the quality from the preschool picture much much better, the company took a picture of 3 different poses and you got little wallet sized example pictures to finally choose what pose you like and what size or how many pictures you want together with your payment. So much better! And if you checked online, you actually looked at the actual picture of your daughter, not at just somebody.

Anyway, I instructed my kids how to pose (hair in front, chin into

back, no stupid smile but nice smile...) and both pictures turned out quite decent to my surprise!

The Play Room

One more time the play room in our house. In the meantime the kids got their PC's for some educational children's stuff what they really enjoy! So I need to take another picture...lol. Sooner or later we will get rid of the tiles or cover the blue and yellow squares with something else or replace them with just white tiles. This is really our last concern. The window valances will be replaced at one point in time, too.

The computers still sitting in the shelf waiting to be connected. This room was actually a loft with bannister to the downstairs but the previous owners closed them so for not having the noise of the kids' playing as well downstairs in the kitchen. So the 'shelf' is actually the chimney.

This green shag rug left by the owners had pee stains all over and was pretty smelly so I dragged it out on one sunny day and hosed it off for quite some time and treated it with stain remover. Stains on the underside faded almost completely but the smell is gone! So it is ok to put it back into the kid's play room for a) noise control and b) for bare feet and c) for the looks!

Olivia's Classroom

Finally now pictures of Olivia's class room. When I remember how our class rooms looked like way back when I got into 1st grade...my, these rooms now-a-days look so fancy!

In total there are 3 1st grade schools at Prairie Crossing and considering that Olivia is in her class together with 27 other kids....Parker obviously has a ton of little children!

This is the sign at the class room door

Pictures of everybody in Mrs Reischman's class above their cubbies where the kids leave their back pack and coats.

The 'menu' for the day. Each kid needs to move their picture magnet on the right spot so that the teacher is as well aware of what's going on at lunch.

A sign Olivia made for us. I don't know why this blog keeps turning it to the left when I uploaded it correctly.

The classroom. Olivia shows us her seat and what's in the chair pocket. 'Honey' (Chris' Mom) joined us for this 'open house'.

Cubbies where each of the kids have their own box with work books, calculator, pens and some other things.

Selfportrait

The music room

Something all children in the class needed to do. What want you 'bee' good at in 1st grade?

The lunch room. Olivia eats the school lunch for about 3 times a week, the other 2 times I pack her lunch. She feels so grown up when she can eat in the kitchen with all the other kids! Of course we have to pay for it but one meal costs about $2.50. Meal, dessert and drink included.

The school library. Every Monday the class goes to library and rents out a book that Olivia needs to read at home and put into her reading log which I have to sign.

And Olivia's classroom again from different angles. Honey stands in the entrance door.

Olivia reading

Olivia reads awesome! She got really good at it but listen for yourself!