$40 & 4 Hours Later

Is there anything more frustrating than computer problems?

I tried to fix it myself by diagnosing my connection problem and

following the trouble shooting advice.

NO GO!

So I called support a few days ago. 

After a significant amount of time, I found out

a cable was unplugged.

That's easy just plug it back in, right?

No!

It was broken, so we had to locate a replacement

and call back another day.

So today I made another call to AT & T for tech support.

Two hours later and they say they've done everything they

can for me and now I have to call Linksys.



I didn't even take a potty break or eat,

 because I just want it fixed.

Ashley needs the wireless so she can use her laptop

for college we also need it to stream Netflix wireless.

You don't know how important it is to to have

access to Strawberry Shortcake episodes unless

you have a toddler at your house.

No warranty, so we have to pay for the service.

Pay to be put thru H-E-L-L...I spelled that just so you know,

for another t-w-o hours.

Rohit, in New Delhi was one of the nicest techs I've

ever had, but anyone speaking a foreign language can

be hard to understand.

Couple that  with all the techy computer language

and plugging in changing and unplugging all kinds of cords. Ugh!

I had Gus assist me with the connections and then

had to have Ashley assist on her lap top as well,

and Rohit was connecting remotely and taking over our computers.

It was a three ring-circus here, with everyone frustrated

with one another and the situation.

It wasn't pretty by any means.......

But four hours and $40.00 later, we have our

wireless back.

Ashley is sharing pics of Spain and

Daniela is watching Dora on Net Flix.

Me, I'm having a diet coke and getting far away

from the computer for the rest of the day.

Made my Goal

Last week at Weight Watcher's I made my 10% goal.

Yipee!  I've lost a total of 17.5 pounds.

My reward at Weight Watchers - A key chain.

Other significant rewards:

• People are starting to notice the weight loss
• I'm beginning to notice an increase in energy level
• I've learned my choices do make a difference.
• I can stop eating before I'm full

What I still need to work on:

• Getting more exercise (the heat, and a busy schedule).
• Plan menus for a week at a time
• Continue to try new recipes that fit the WW ideal.
• Drink more water
• Track what I eat - it makes me more accountable.
• Quit making excuses for above items.

I'm not stopping at the 10 %, but going for 20%.

It will not but easy, but it will be so worth it.

What's helped you with weight loss?

I need all the helpful advice I can get.

I wish.....

I wish my dog would learn how to do this

then I wouldn't have to be on my hands and knees

scrubbing the stains out of my bedroom carpet.

What do you think Danan?

Are you up to learning a new trick?



Ice Pop Joy

 Ice Pop Joy is a Recipe Book of Popsicles, by Anni Daulter

I heard about the book here on Ginny's blog

and decided to invest in my own book and two sets of molds.

One for me - I choose the same ones Ginny posts pictures of on her blog

and I didn't even realize it until after I had ordered them.

And one set for Daniela - I chose

annabel karmel Make it Easy Fill & Freeze Puree Pops

So far we've just tested them out to learn how full

to till them and how best to get them out of the molds without

breaking the pops.

I made milk pops...yes, just Vitamin D whole milk.

It was a suggestion I found on line, by someone else who bought the same molds.

And I used peach baby food - diluted with a bit of water

and froze them.  The peaches were a bit tart, so

the second set we mixed with sweet potatoes.

They were a hit as well.

On the box of molds there was a web site address

for recipes to make in the pop molds.

Take a visit to http://www.annabelkarmel.com/

Daniela licking her lips

The molds make a small treat, which is just right for little tummies.

And they are easy to hold and drip free.

Daniela loves the new ice pops and I think I'm ready to

try some of the recipes in my new book.

Should we try fruit pops?

Veggie pops? Yogurt pops?

Tofu pops? Herbal Tea pops?

I can also use some cool juice mixtures that I make

with my new juicer.

This should be fun and very healthy for us.

Yummy!

Keeping it cool, with Ice Pop Joy.

Pocket-type Bibs

There's many different types of bibs.

I happen to like pocket type plasticized bibs.

This is why.

I wished they always worked this well.

I don't remember if she's eating cheerios with milk

or if she's slurping oatmeal with milk.

Perhaps she needs a deeper spoon?

The Zoo - Part 1

I took my camera for two reasons, one being to document our trip

and the fun we had with Daniela and the other

to take some animal photos.

Monkeys are very popular with the younger crowd.

I just happen to think they're pretty cute myself.

Mama & baby zebra.  I'm not sure I have thte right Mama there

were several standing nearby.  I never realized that they

started out brown striped as this one is still partially brown.

This American Bear came up nice and close while I

waited patiently for a good shot.

A peacock.  I could have taken a picture of others with their

tail feathers upright and open, but this guy was really close.

The zoo keepers were cleaning the penguins cage, so we didnn't

get to visit with them.  And the elephants were under construction.

Part II will follow, when I get a chance for more computer time.

She Loves Frogs

We went to the Detroit Zoo this past week and I  took these

adorable pictures of Daniela on a Frog Statue in the kiddie play area.

I've shared them on Face Book already, but I know there are

quite a few people that do not use facebook, so wanted to

share them here too.

Daniela loves Frogs!

So when we left we took a peak in gift shop.

Not that she needs anything mind you,

but they had some FROGS I couldn't

resist buying her.

And boy does she love those frogs.

We've been playing with them everyday since.

I will tell you something else this girl loves is Popcorn.

After eating pizza & grapes for lunch at the Zoo, I poured

some popcorn on my plate.  I had bought it at

the cafe for an afternoon snack, but decided to eat some while

Daniela finished her grapes.

Daniela immediately moves the plate with the popcorn in front of her.

I chuckled, and reached over to get a few pieces from the plate in front of her.

She very nicely edged my fingers off the plate before I could get any popcorn.

I made a second attempt to get some of the buttery puffed up kernels.

That was stopped short as well.

Gus laughed, he thought that was pretty funny.

But then he must have known I really wanted some, because he offered

his plate for me to put some popcorn on.

When I had a couple dozen pieces of popcorn mounded up on the plate,

Miss Daniela reached over hers and took some off my new plate.

This was serious business now.

I pointed at her plate and told her.

"This is Daniela's plate and this is Daniela's popcorn".

Then I pointed at my plate and told her.

"This is Gramie's plate and this is Gramie's popcorn".

Daniela promptly removed the popcorn from her mouth that

she had stolen and plopped it on my plate.

I was speechless....Gus had a good laugh.

Will Post This Evening

Electricity went out when a bad storm went through the area.  It came back on around 9:30, but we were without Internet until this morning.  I will post this evening as I've already been on the computer for my allotted time just trying to get it fixed.  Ugh!

Gettin' Juiced

Gettin' Juiced!

That bad....

Nnnnoooooooooooooooooo-----

That Good.

I bought myself a juicer.

Did I ever tell you how much I like my insurance company?

(What on earth does that have to do with anything?)

Wait a second...I'm trying to tell a story.

My insurance company gives a $50 gift reward for all

it's diabetic patients who complete all their tests and screenings for the year.

Last year I completed all mine, filed the paper work and waited...

and in the mail came my reward.

I was able to choose from various companies that

sell sports equipment, exercise items, and so on

and so forth.

So I bought this $140 juicer that was on sale for $99.00.

Subtract my $50.00 gift certificate

and........my 10% off electronics coupon.

****DRUM ROLL HERE****

I paid $45.39 out of my pocket for this super-duper juicer.

Now I'm gettin juiced!

Broccoli Booster

Yum! This one I will definitely repeat.

Broccoli is a super food ~ it's packed with calcium,

antiviral and antibacterial nutrients.

Great health benefits.

The recipe calls for:  eating apples -

 (I assume they meant a basic red apple, but I had Granny Smiths)

broccoli and 1 Tbsp of lemon juice.

The photo doesn't do it justice, it was much greener.

The other one I've tried only has these two ingredients,

carrots & clementines.

I failed to get a photo of this one, which they labeled Bright Eyes,

but I think it should have the word sunshine in it's name.

The directions said that you could put the clementines

through with their skins on for some extra tang.

I will repeat this drink as well, only next time I

think maybe I'll try half the clementines without the skins

and 1/2 with their skin on, it was

a bit to zesty for my taste buds.

We all know the benefits of Vitamin C on your immune system and

Vitamin A is essential for healthy vision.

It was very, very refreshing.

My recipe book has 160 recipes for smoothies & fruit juices

but right now I'm trying to stick to mostly veggie creations.

Cicadas

I know next to nothing about Cicadas.

I had to look them up to make sure I was spelling it correctly

and identifying it right.

There are over 15,000 species, so I didn't keep looking until

I found one that looked just like this, but found

some very similar.

Apparently according to the distribution map we should have them

here in Michigan, but I don't think I've ever seen one.

When they call in unison they make a very loud humming noise.

It was kind of hard to see with it being green

and her holding it in front of her green beach robe.

Sydney loves bugs and all types of animals.

She's not afraid to pick them up or hold them at all.

I remember another little girl like that, my niece Taryn.

Taryn would catch bugs and caterpillars and let them

climb all over her.

I asked Sydney to hold it sideways against the white background,

so I could get a better shot.

As you can see it was quite large.

She's being a very good big sister and showing it to Griffin.

He would probably have held it too, but we were

on our way to the pool, so we had to let it go and

get moving.  It was HOT!



New Park Excursion

I just found out about this park that's not far from our home.
We went to check it out on Thursday. Daniela absolutely loved it.
We will be going back again soon.  I love the matted turf.  No
wood chips or hard packed earth.

 

This is only the first section.  It has such neat elements. The second part of the playground, was for older kids.  Daniela managed to find a couple things to do,   It was very hot that day.

What's really cool is this playground has a bathroom, and a drinking fountain.  Yeah!

.

Ice Cream Cones with Sprinkles!

Last year I made these ice cream cones, for just Sydney & I,

but this year we had three ice cream cone tasters.
Well not really cone tasters, the cones are not edible, but
really a crock type dish. 
I think my daughter bought them at Ikea.
The ice cream however; is very real and so are the sprinkles
....I've never met a kid who didn't love them.

This past week I've been fixing up some of my
most recent pictures on a website called picnik.com
And here's the pics of the three tasters that I edited.

Please leave a comment as to which picture you like the best.

Yes, I know the kids are all adorable, they are my grandchildren

of course they are.

Remember, it's not a cutest kid contest,

it's the best picture contest.



Water Play Part II

Follow up to Rub a Dub

Clad only in swimmies & 50+ Sunscreen,

these two would have happily played all day long in the back yard.

From the knees down and the elbows down their skin is almost

the same shade of tannedness ( I'm sure there is such a word).

While Griffin is a rough and tumble boy,

his cousin Daniela is a little bit more hesitant to try

new things and get to far out of sight.

Daniela is the taller of the two, though she is 6 weeks younger.

Fresh clean water, "looks fine, Mom" says Griffin.

Caught in the act........

Sissy looks a bit under-hydrated maybe pouring some

on her head will help.



The kids had a blast, no matter if they were in the water or out.

He put them on, all by himself.

Little boy and their toys.

Looking for pictures in the clouds.

Looking for trouble. 

Mr. Tripod, they called him when he was younger,

I wonder why?

Sibling Bonds

These pictures were not posed for I just happened to be ready with the camera.

And I'm glad I was.

Brothers and sisters are as close as hands and feet.

~Vietnamese Proverb

Siblings are the people we practice on,

the people who teach us about fairness and cooperation

and kindness and caring - quite often the hard way. ~Pamela Dugdale

My Brother

Born with ten little fingers & ten little toes
A beautiful face with a button little nose

Now almost two and many more years to go

He is a brother I will always love and know

He is my present, past and future

Even though he can’t get much cuter

So listen to me today

Hear what I’m trying to say

I love my brother in a very special way!

•First a brother, then a bother, now a friend. ~ Unknown

Doesn't that last verse just say it all?

4th of July

You can also do fireworks if you pay for the premium services.

Me I just try the free stuff.

Someone who shall remain anonymous is having a bad day.

Not this little guy, someone else.

Whiny doesn't even begin to cover it.

We went for a play date and had to come back home,

because they couldn't quit fussing about every little thing!

I hope this anonymous person is not getting sick.

Update - The butcher, The baker & Candlestick maker

I just couldn't resist trying to make this one

on picnik.com