Happy Birthday Abbie!

January 27, 2010

Today my oldest niece, Abbie, is seven!  We miss her here.  She is in Ohio where it is probably snowy and cold.  We hope she had a fabulous day and enjoys being the big-7.  Love & hugs Abbie!!

Here are the cousins (Abbie in the middle)...girls only please.

This is an oldie, but a cutie...

Karen

Pardon the Interruption

January 26, 2009
So I thought I would be posting up a storm with the new iMac.  I have been playing with it, but I've been neglecting my blog.  My apologies to you 2 regular readers. 
Here's what my new baby looks like:

Except my keyboard is smaller and I don't have that little remote thing.  
There was too much glare in the pictures when I tried taking them myself, so I included one from a website. 

It's in all-in-one, which means the computer brains are in the sleek monitor!  So cool.  Just a power cord.  And the USB cable to connect the printer.  It works with the wireless we already had put in when I got my laptop.
I feel so tech-y! 

So enough about me. 
Grace went to a birthday party this weekend and had a sleepover with two friends Saturday night.  Tommy had a golf lesson Sunday.  As a bonus, it was private because he was the only one who signed up for the 12:00 clinic!
I bet you didn't know my husband was famous.  Saturday night he and Tommy went to the UofA/ASU basketball game.  It was on TV and there they were right behind the Wildcat bench.  That is two on-air appearances in one week! 
That is a brief update on the Halterhome.  I'll try to be better.  You may have to wait till I finish reading Columbine (yes, about the school shooting).  I am having a hard time putting it down.

Karen

"Single" Obsessed Mom

January 20, 2010

SINGLE:
I'm not reeeeally single, but I am for tonight.  Tom is at the Barrett-Jackson car auction for his girls guys' night out.  I had my Bunco night last night and Book Club last Thursday, so he is definitely due his hall pass.  We may even see him on TV because they broadcast that thing.  Seriously, who watches a car auction?  I shouldn't throw stones...I watch dog shows (although I do turn it off when they show the toy breeds).  Anyway, we are taping it just in case he makes it on air.  As far as I know he didn't make a big sign like Grace does to assure her TV appearances. 

OBSESSED:
Right now, the kids are playing outside with the neighbors, and I am inside bursting with excitement because in a HUGE box right next to me is my new baby.  My new computer.  I told Ollie he has been replaced by a computer.  I don't think he understood me because he still follows me around in the off chance that I will take him for a walk or throw the ball a bazillion times.  I haven't un-boxed my baby yet because once I do, I know I will not do anything else all night.  I know my weaknesses and a new computer will have me obsessed. 

MOM:
I still have to feed these kids.  It is officially dinner time.  Maybe they will be happy with take out pizza because I can't wait to start playing on the new computer.  I told you I am obsessed. 

I will post again when I am up and running.  If I could I would insert my squeals of joy. 
Karen

Black Screen of Death

January 18, 2010

The Black Screen of Death is what our computer expert diagnosed my desktop with. 
That sounds bad. 
It is.  In fact, it's the end of the computer. 
He said we could use it as a paper weight now. 
The good news is he can retrieve my music and photos which are pretty much the only things I really care about. 
So we have the laptop only for now.  Good thing I had that keyboard issue fixed or I'd really be pissy.
I did hook the printer directly to the laptop to solve that inability to print problem.  Duh!  Why didn't I think of that before???
So now I have been comparison shopping for a new desktop.  I almost bought one today, but Best Buy was out of stock, so I have to go to a different BB later this week.. 
Anyone have a desktop they love...or hate?  I think I know what I want, but I'm open to suggestions. 
Stay tuned for the big reveal!  (I sound like a HGTV host don't I?)

Karen

Missing Hearts

January 15, 2010

I know it is still 30 days until Valentine's Day.  But, I am hosting a Valentine's Day theme bunco next month, so I am looking around for some fun decor.
I have an apothocary jar that I had planned to fill up with something Valentine-y.  Here it is filled with spider rings at Halloween.   I filled it with glass ornaments at Christmas.  Unfortunately I can't find that photo on the lap top (and the desk top is dead ...RIP ...that's another story).  So take my word that it was pretty. 

So my brilliant idea was to fill it with those cute Necco conversation hearts for Valentines.  But ...

I can't find those heart candies a-ny-where!  Was there some hard freeze in Candyland that I didn't hear of?  Did the oompa-loompas go on strike?  What's up?  Where are my candy hearts????
I still have month (almost) until my party, so hopefully they will appear.    I did find some other cute things, which I will show off when I get everything just so.

And P.S.  I tried and tried to cut and paste a clip art picture of the candy hearts, but darned if I can figure out how to do that.  Sorry you are stuck looking at Halloween for a Valentine's Day post. 
Karen

We Are Experiencing Technical Difficulties

January 13, 2010

Remember watching TV as a kid and the man with the deep voice would come across the airwaves announcing: "We are experiencing technical difficulties" and there would be snow or the wavy colorful lines??? 
And remember the PSA for coccidioidmycosis (valley fever)?
And Wallace & Ladmo?
And The Electric Company with Morgan Freeman as Easy Reader? 
I guess you have to have grown up in AZ for the PSA and Wallace & Ladmo to ring any bells....
The good ol' days.  I digress.
 
Here at the Halterhome, we have our own technical difficulties.  Our desktop crashed.  Kaput.
Specifically, it claims to have experienced a "fatal system error." 
Sounds serious. 
So Tom is taking the hard drive to an IT guy.  Why are there no IT girls? 
I have no idea how long we will be without the old brains of the Halterhome's computer network.  Nor do I know how it will affect my ability to use the woreless for the laptop.  It seems to me that the desktop's hardrive is kind of the boss of all the computer-ing that goes on around here.  We did find out that you cannot print from the laptop when the desktop is experiencing a "fatal system error." 

So I have pre-written two blog posts in case I cannot get back to the internet from home.  I really don't think it's a good idea to write blog posts while at my real job.  Don't ya'll agree?

I also think these technical difficulties may be contagious.  The dishwasher is making some fatal sounding noises.  Lucky for me the Sears guy (or maybe I will be surprised and it will be a Sears girl) is coming to fix that tomorrow (fingers crossed).  My car also sounds like it is about to take off flying half the time and Grace's braces need a repair job too. 

Hope to be back soon. 

Karen

P.S. Girls Scout cookies for sale for another week.  You know those Thin Mints are really yummy.

Go Broncos!

January 12, 2010

Lacrosse season has officially begun.  The Arcadia Broncos won their first game 10-6.  Tommy plays defense and played most of the second half.  He made some great plays.  I have pictures from the scrimmage game a few days before. 

It's a rough sport...his teammate broke his wrist in the first game on a check that didn't look that hard.  Nonetheless, I enjoy it much more than soccer.  The parents aren't screaming at their kids on the sidelines in lacrosse.  The boys are yelling out directions to each other on the field.  It's like hockey on grass (with fewer pads).  I may even learn to like it more than little league once I understand the rules. 

As you can see, Tommy is not the largest kid on the team. 

In fact, the team they played on Saturday looked like grown men compared to our Broncos! 

Here he is poke-checking #4 who has the ball in his cradle (the net thingy on the end of the stick).

I'm enjoying my season as a lacrosse mom. 

Pray for no injuries...

Karen

P.S.  If you want to buy Girl Scout cookies, give Grace a call...

Sports Fans

January 11, 2010

Saturday night the Halterhome gang went to a Coyotes hockey game.

 Let me just say how cute Grace is.  Everytime she goes to any sporting event, she makes a sign to hold up.  I think she wants to increase her chance of getting on the jumbo-tron.  It usually works!  It did this game.  I was too slow with the camera to get a picture of the jumbo-tron, so you'll have to take my word.
Here she is all decked out in red and white. 

We had a great time. It was one of the most exciting games ever...Coyotes were winning, then losing by a lot, then tied it up... went into OT, still tied... then a shoot out. The Coyotes ended up losing, but it was very exciting.

Check out the excitement below...screaming indoors is always fun!

We also saw an od familar (sort of) jersey hanging up at the arena.

I think we'll do that again before the season ends. 

Karen

Cooking Mama

January 7, 2009

As I mentioned in my last post, I wassn't up for much extra curricular activity during the holidays.  Usually I am, since it is my favorite season.  Not this year for some reason. 
Luckily that has changed.  I've been much more active around the Halterhome lately.  I've cleaned out closets, purged Christmas decor I no longer use, and done lots of those declutter chores you read about this time of year.

One thing I've done that I hadn't done much at ALL since, oh about Thanksgiving, is cook.  We made oodles of cookies over the break.  I still have some in my freezer.   I can't bear another sugar or gingerbread cookie.  Give me some chocolate!  Oh, wait...my sister, Jennifer, already did and I ate it all. 
I've made several dinners too, which I had been avoiding.  It is so much fun to sit down together and listen to my crazy kids talk about whatever is on their minds.   When you have the best husband who ALWAYS does the dishes, it's even better. 

Here is my favorite meal I recently made.  I got the recipe from Jenny when she made it for me on one of my visits to Portland.  It's not really salad weather, but it sure was good after all those cookies (see above).  Apparently, it is from Cowboy Ciao right here in Old Town Scottsdale.  I could drink the pesto dressing it is so good.  Neither of us have made it with arugula, just romaine or I used spinach leaves this week and it was even prettier.  Enjoy.

New Year's Snow

January 6, 2009

Sorry about the lack of posts.  No excuse.  Haven't felt "up" to writing. 
Guess this new year didn't start off with a bang in the Halterhome.

Last week, before school and work resumed, we went up to Flagstaff to play in the snow.  We went sledding and built a snowman and fort.  Grace did most of the work, but she loved it. 

She's very focused

Making it just right

Ta Da!

Cookies for eyes, a pretzel rod nose, and a smiley twig

The "fort"

On New Year's Eve, we watched the pine cone drop in downtown Flagstaff at midnight (NY time...10:00 AZ time).  It was 7 degrees...a single digit people!!  That is COLD!
I tried to take pictures that night with my iphone.  As you may know, you have to use your actual fingertip to work the touchscreen camera.  Well, at 7 degrees, my fingertip did not like being exposed in my fingerless gloves for very long.  Once I could no longer feel anything, I bundled my fingertip back in, along with the other four, into a full coverage ski glove. 
Then I tried to take a picture using my nose as a "fingertip."
Either the iphone is very perceptive or my nose was too cold to register as a "fingertip."  In either case, I looked like a total dork and it did not work.  I have not tried it again to see if it was a temperature issue.  Anyone else tried taking photos with their nose???

Here's some snow pictures taken the usual way with my new fancy camera (how old will the camera be before I stop calling it my new camera?) and the frozen finger iphone pictures (the New Year's Eve photos).

Check out this humongous icicle Tom found!

Emmie joined us to sled on New Year's Day

New Year's Eve Pine Cone Drop 2009

There's the Pine Cone awaiting the countdown

Midnight (ten o'clock actually)!! 

Notice the confettii?

Just like in Times Square minus Dick Clark

It was so cold I was shivering and the pictures were shakey.

Happy 2010!

Karen