Finley Friday

I have a confession to make.  Yesterday I chose to play in JulieWorld rather than edit last weekend's photos of Fin.  Sorry.

I do have two short video clips that I'd like to share.  For some reason I could not get them both embedded into the body of this post so please follow the links below to view them on YouTube. They are both quite short.  Twenty seconds each, give or take.

A little background...

Two weekends ago when Meg and I were visiting their place we noticed that Fin had two distinct sounds that he made quite often.  I captured the first one during breakfast that weekend.

Breakfast


I had been unsuccessful in capturing his second unique sound on video so I was delighted when I received this clip from Jay yesterday.

Brains


Fin vocalizes both sounds numerous times throughout the day.  The first one, what I call his panting noise, comes out when he gets very excited.  The second one, his gutteral zombie, doesn't seem to have any sort of trigger.

His parents were clueless as to where/how his noises originated but I have a fairly good idea.

He's imitating Marley, their border collie.  *smile*  Now Marley isn't a growler but when she plays she makes a low sound extremely similar to the one Fin has adopted.  (Trust me, we heard it all weekend when she and Bitzy were chasing each other all over my house.  LOL!)

What do you think?  Am I right?  :-)  

On the Move

Many apologies for my absence.  It's been a hectic few days around here.

We had a wonderful weekend with The Fin Man and his parents.  With three dogs (our Jasmine, the new pup Bitzy, and their border collie mix Marley) plus little Fin we did a lot of wrangling and chasing.  (Think four on all fours. LOL!)

I will have plenty of weekend photos to share, however the last three days of subbing at the elementary school have left me too worn out to even think of doing any photo editing.   For now though, here's a video clip that Meg took last Friday.  While the majority of his time was spent on all fours, you'll see that it won't be long before he becomes totally bipedal.





Watch out world, here he comes!

Another Proud Mommy Moment

Here in Florida they recently did away with the highly controversial FCAT exam (Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test) in lieu of what's known as the FSA. (Florida Standards Assessment.)  Umm....I really don't understand why the FSA would be deemed any better but it's not like the students get a choice.

You may remember my recent brag about Meg's score of a 5 on her most recent science FCAT, the highest level on the 1-5 scale.  (Yes, very confusing.  They gave out the FSA for reading and math last spring but kept the FCAT for science. ???)  I am still so very proud of her for that accomplishment.  Well, the FSA scores for last spring's exams were just released on Friday.  To add to the confusion, their preliminary scores are based on percentiles rather than the numerical 1-5 scores which will come out in January.  (Don't even get me started on the "WTF?" with respect to the state's untimely response.) *grumble, grumble, grrrrr*

But moving on....

Meg ranked in the 63rd percentile on her reading exam which is no big surprise. Reading has never been her strong suit.  (Neither was it for Jay or I.)  She scored above the state average and I'm definitely okay with that.  (I'm guessing that this will rank as a 3 on the 1-5 scale.)

She also received her math scores.

Do you see that says?????  She ranked in the top 4% of the state!  (The maximum score possible is a 99.)  HOLY F'in SCHMOLY.  Keep in mind that this is the same girl who has received a score of 2 on her last three FCAT math exams.  This will most definitely be a score of 5 when the numerical scores come out and we could not be more proud. (And had we received these scores last summer she would be in honors math instead of on-level with the unsavory kids this year.  Thank you so much, State of Florida.)

She started out slow but Baby Girl has made gigantic strides these last two years.  WTG Meg!  We are sooooo very proud of you!!

Finley Friday

At this very moment, a very handsome little guy is on his way to visit his Grandma.

I know we're biased, but we still think he's the cutest little baby ever.

While his parents enjoyed a much deserved day/evening of adult fun, the three of us had some kid time at their local park.  

I just love these next photos, not because I'm in them, but because Meg seems to have a natural knack for photography.  Much more so than her mama.  In fact, she enrolled in 2D art this year primarily because it's a prerequisite for photography 101 at her high school, a subject that she really wants to learn. I've already promised her my camera when the time comes.

She captured the light and the background so beautifully.   Definitely a natural.

So tonight Fin will be spending his first night away from home without his parents.  I've no doubt that he will do great.  Grandma, however, is sure to exhausted come bedtime.  :-)

This Young Man ...

... takes very good care of his Aunt Julie.

For example, he always makes sure there is coffee in the house when I visit.  He also dutifully monitors my consumption during family margarita happy hours.   (This is done at my request. Tequila and I have a not so pretty history....just sayin'.)  And he is always on the lookout for cool things for my scraproom.

A couple of nights ago he sent me a link to this 3D laser printer called Glowforge. Take a minute to watch the video.  It's pretty incredible.

At $2000 it's definitely pricey but like most technology, I imagine that price will go down significantly over the next 12-24 months.  And yes, Clay, it is positively something I would LOVE to have.  And when that time comes, I know just the guy who can show me how to use it to it's full potential.  *wink*  

Look Up in the Sky...

It's a bird!
It's a plane!
No.....

It's Marty McFly, Doc and Jennifer!

In case you weren't aware, today is the day that the three time travelers will be arriving via their DeLorean to save Marty and Jennifer's future son from making a huge mistake that will ultimately ruin his life.

Naturally Meg had no idea what I was talking about when I mentioned this little tidbit of information last week.  I did a quick search on my streaming channels to find that only Amazon had the movies. They were not included in Prime (i.e., free) so we passed.  Jeff Bezo's must have read our minds though because on Monday there was an email in my box announcing that in honor of Back to the Future Day, all three movies were free with Prime this week.  :-)

Meggie and I have watched one movie an evening for the past three days.  She was skeptical at first (how could she possibly like a movie that I liked?) but she was hooked almost from the start.  I mean, c'mon!  Is there anyone out there that didn't enjoy at least the first Back to the Future movie?

While we don't have flying vehicles or self drying jackets in 2015, it was so fun to see all of the changes from 1985.  I also found it quite educational.  In the final movie where they went back to 1885, Doc breaks up with Clara and then heads to a bar to get sloshed,  He mentions that she was "one in a billion, one in a googleplex."  What????  I immediately googled googleplex only to discover that it's spelled googolplex, the term for 10 to the 100th power. Ok...explains a lot Larry Page and Sergey Brin.  Am I the last to figure that one out?????

With that, I urge everyone to take a moment this afternoon (4:29 PM, Pacific Time  *wink*) to look up into the skies for a glimpse of the ever famous DeLorean and pay homage to one of the best movies ever made.

More Meg

After posting Meg's school photo yesterday, my mom called to say how both she and my dad couldn't get over "how grown up and confident Blondie has become."  (Blondie being the nickname my dad gave her as a baby.)  This is very much true.  Meg went from being an extremely outgoing toddler to an overly meek tween.  In the last year and a half though she has started to come out of her shell once again.  However, lest anyone think she's lost all of her childish silliness, I wanted to share a couple of photos from last week.

Here she is the night of my birthday trying to 'beat her record' with respect to her tallest Oreo ever.

Oreos however can only be as tall as will fit in one's mouth.

Mission accomplished.  :-)

This Girl

This girl not only takes unbelievably awesome school photos...

but she also just made the high school cheerleading squad for basketball.  She is ecstatic and we are so proud of her!

Let's Talk Books

Recently BuzzFeed released a list of 43 Books You Won't Be Able to Stop Talking About.  As I read the descriptions of each of the books I added a few of them to my GoodReads to-read list.  Not long afterward my mom, having seen my recently added list, shot me an email to say that I should have added Defending Jacob to the list.  (She too had read the BuzzFeed list and noticed that I had not included the book.)  We don't always have the same taste in books but as it turns out, it was available from my local library as an ebook so I downloaded it and started reading.  And kept reading...and reading....and reading.  It was one of those books that I found hard to put down.  In the end, I gave it a 5 star review and must agree, it's going to be one of those books that I 'won't be able to stop talking about.'

Our latest bookclub selection is The Girl Who Wrote in Silk.  It's the story of a young woman who inherits a home that's been in her family for generations. She soon discovers a piece of embroidered silk hidden away under a stair and sets out to learn about the owner.  The book switches between the two women stories, each living in the home one hundred years apart.  It was pretty chick lit'ish and wishy-washy in nature and not one that I'd recommend, but I did enjoy the historical aspect of the book.  Little Fin will be spending his first night alone at Grandma's the weekend of our next meeting so I am unable to attend the discussion but I do want to read all of our selections.

A few months ago someone in our development sent out invitations to a social website known as My Neighborhood.  Over time many of our neighbors, including myself, have joined.  For us, it's a great way to ask questions or pass along general information such as "Does anyone know a good cleaning lady?" and "Beware, coyote spotted on Bayberry Drive with a black cat in it's mouth." ...etc.  A couple of weeks ago someone new to our area asked if there were any local bookclubs.  I generally just read the posts but I did repond with an "I don't know of any but would definitely be interested." comment.   Several others responded with the like and before we knew it, we had a book club.  :-)

We met at a local pub on Tuesday night for a meet and greet.  I brought along a friend who is an avid reader and was delighted to see that I actually knew another of the gals at the table.  There were six of us in total, with one more interested but unable to attend.  We had a very nice chat and it seems like a great group.  We discussed many books while trying to come up with our first selection and finally decided on Go Set a Watchman for a variety of reasons. One gal had just finished it and liked it.  I have been dragging my feet because I don't want to have to remove Atticus from the pedestal status. Two gals have not yet read To Kill a Mockingbird so they have no predetermined biases.  The other two have been wanting to read it sooooo....it seemed liked as good a book as any to start with.  We have our first meeting here at my house on Nov, 5th.

We also have an informal on again/off again book club on our scrapbooking website, Playground of Memories.  While discussing other books we somehow came upon the subject of Peyton Place.  :-) We decided to indulge ourselves in some trash and have set January as our discussion time.  Should be fun.

From what I understand, Go Set a Watchman is a fairly quick read so I'm on the prowl for another book before starting this one.  Probably something on the lighter side which may just include zombies  *wink* unless somehow has something different to recommend.  I'm all ears.

More Birthday Goodies

I can always count on my dear friend Catherine to send me a sampling of her home canned goodies every fall.  I know how hard she works to make these so I am especially grateful for her generosity.

This year I received a few new things to try.  Included with my annual bread & butter pickles, peaches and peach jam were a tomato salsa, sweet pickle relish and a habanero jelly.  I can't wait to try them out!

If you follow her blog you'll know that the peach crop in her area was a bust this year so she only had one jar of peaches to send along.  I had already informed Meg that she wouldn't be getting any this time around so she was pretty ecstatic to see that one jar of gold in the back row.   And Dad, just 'cause I know you're wondering, she specifically said one jar of the bread & butter pickles were for you.  She takes very good care of all of us.  :-)

Thanks Catherine!!!  You're the best!

It's Official

I'm now a year older and I'm officially going to quit counting.  According to my bro, I'm "29 forever" and that sounds good to me.

My day began with this nice surprise...

She used four different stamp sets to create this birthday party ensemble of critters and I absolutely love it.  The gift is a set of wireless headphones for me to use while watching my Big Ass TV.  In reality it's more of a gift for them (apparently I like to have my zombies a bit loud) but I do love them.  Just think, I can walk around the house now doing laundry and tending to the dogs without having to pause a show.  LOL!!!  I also received some very nice cards from my parents and girlfriends along with several phone calls and texts.



Later in the day we went to my favorite Asian restaurant for an early dinner.  I can't remember the name of this noodle bowl but it's awesome.  Shrimp and noodles in a coconut/thai base.  Yummy. (And it's going to be yummy all over again when I eat the leftovers for lunch. *wink*)

The highlight of my birthday however was the season six premier of The Walking Dead.  Better yet, my family actually joined me in watching it, something they never do.  I won't give away any spoilers but it was AWESOME!

As birthdays go, it was a pretty good day.



  

Life With a Puppy

What?  

It wasn't me, I swear!

High School Hijinks

I'm working the next couple of days so thought I'd pop in here this evening.  I have a feeling that I may not have much energy after two days with first graders.

Our JV had a football game this evening.  I drove Meg and a friend to the field and decided to stay and watch myself.  They were playing our cross town rivalries, Jay's old high school.  (Meg's high school was not yet built when Jay was a teen.)  Apparently though our athletic department had their hands full trying to get the field in shape. Several of the opposing team members were videotaped last night using weed killer to draw male body parts onto our field. It took some creative green spray painting and strategic breast cancer awareness drawings to cover up their handiwork.  Personally I found the whole thing quite humorous but I'm a little warped that way.  In the end though their little voodoo prank did nothing to help their cause.  We won 41-0.  :-)

Always on the Go

Jay is (and always has been) one of those guys that hates to sit still.  As a toddler, naps were a waste of precious time.  As a kid, he was on the go from dawn until dusk.  As a teen, he was always scheming up something to do with friends.  Sitting around the house and doing nothing was rarely never an option. (Meg, on the other hand, is the total opposite but that's a whole 'nother story.)

Fatherhood may have changed his type of activities but Jay is still happiest when on the go and it looks like Fin is the beneficiary.

They like to get out and move....

 (What a cheeser!)

(I wonder how much of this he tried to eat.  ???)  

(Perfection!)

(Ummm....he's hired!)

(Apparently you're never too young to learn to bowl.)

Nope, fatherhood has not slowed Jay down one bit.  I just hope Fin can keep up.  

A New Do

Months ago I decided to try out a new hairstyle, the angle bob.  (A blunt cut where the back was shorter than the front.)  I failed miserably at it.  Love the look, just not on me.  Finally last week I decided it was time to go back to a layered "do" with side bangs.

I am not sharing any "before" photos.  That's how bad my hair looked.  But I am happy to share my "afters."  I only wish I'd aborted my experiment months ago.

It's amazing what a good cut will do for your self esteem.  I am feeling soooooo much better now!


Other happenings...

I just returned from yet another dentist appointment but I'm thrilled to say that this one went smoothly and my final crown is in.  

and...it appears that Meg and I are both fighting off colds.  Grrr!  I did stop at Tropical Smoothie on my way home from the dentist where I picked up an Island Green detox with a Vitamin C additive.  I intend to spend the rest of my afternoon curled up with a book.