Always a sun dog!
Category Archives: Photos
A benefit we didn’t know about!
Imagine our surprise when we received a notice in Tom’s student loan account that they had been notified of his 100% disability and they assumed we wanted to apply for full discharge! Yes! Yes please!
Within two weeks of applying, we got this!
This zeroes out about $18,000 in student loan debt!
Sleeping Beauty
Imagine our surprise to find this in Katie’s room.
WHYYYYYYYYYYY!!?!
Just ugh. I mean writing on walls is not something a 9yo should be doing. Especially after we’ve talked to her about getting marker on her carpets.
So we took away all her markers and made her clean it (thankfully it came off).
48th Birthday Adventures
As you just saw, my birthday started with an amazing rainbow eye look to match my tie dye outfit. Plus the crown of course.
But the actual adventures actually started with heading with my bestie to pick up my other bestie and then head to Kenosha!
Trying to find catchers equipment for Owen and backup mitts for Evan at Play It Again Sports. What you do when it’s your birthday and wearing a crown and a mask.
Next birthday adventure stop: lunch at Frank’s Diner! It’s been two long years since we’ve been here and it was as delicious as we remembered!
Next? Crumbl—this will be birthday desserts for us with the kids instead of cake. They didn’t have my fave cornbread ones this week, though. And yes, we ate a few bites straight from the trunk!
I caught Anna sneaking some bites in the car!
Now birthday adventures are on a hiatus but I’m cuddling with my doggo so all is well.
Birthday adventures, mom style: taking Katie to physical therapy! Ha.
Birthday adventures, kid style: watching a movie!
The last birthday adventure! A margarita by the fire…with Tom and Anna and David. With an Ozzy Man Reviews topper. It was chilly so I had my sweatshirt on and they thought it looked like a queen’s cape!
All in all, a great 48th birthday!
Rainbow birthday look!
I decided to do something fancy with my makeup for my birthday! I’d been wanting to do this eye look ever since it came out over 2 years ago (!!) but I was always afraid I would screw it up.
I was also wearing a rainbow tie dye outfit so I figured it was meant to be!
I figured my skills have advanced enough that I might be able to pull it off…and I think I did!! It’s not exactly the same but it’s dang close—and close enough for my first attempt!! I even broke out the false lashes!!
And yes, I’m wearing a crown because BIRTHDAY and why not?!
Surprise birthday morning + school pic prep!
There’s nothing quite like working until 2am and sleeping SO HARD in the morning only to be awoken by the slight noise of your bedroom door opening so you open your eyes to see EVERYONE standing there so you freak out just a bit and then they start singing Happy birthday.
And then I had to hurry and get out of bed because it’s picture day and I hadn’t purchased Owen’s pics so I had to rush downstairs to do that plus take my own photos before they left for band.
Also? Owen remembered on his own that it was picture day and wore his shirt, jeans, AND A BELT! He didn’t shower so his hair was a little crazy but in the grand scheme of things not bad!!
“You won’t believe the bathroom!”
Tom just went to turn off lights to go to bed and he came out saying OH MY GOD. YOU WON’T BELIEVE THE BATHROOM.
I knew Katie had been in there last and could only imagine. Her M.O. is toilet paper scraps on the floor, unflushed toilet, and band-aid wrappers. I told him he’d have to make her clean it in the morning.
He just told me I had to go look. This is what I found.
She loves a car ride!
My baller!
It feels so good to read again!
I don’t read nearly as much as I used to in my younger years but every time I do I wonder why I don’t do it as much. Especially on a day like today when the weather is perfect for sitting in my egg chair!
When I was in middle and high school I always had a book going—and in the summers I’d probably read 1-2 books a week! These days? I’m lucky if I get through one a year! 😱 I mean, I’ve wanted to read this one since it came out 10 years ago!
Baseball morning!
DANGER! DANGER!
Crumbl!!
So after seeing Crumbl cornbread cookies mentioned TWICE yesterday on my Facebook feed, when Heidi and I found ourselves right down the street from one (by Costco in Kenosha), we had to try it. Some other choices jumped in the box, too.
Of course we dug into them as soon as we got to the car. And um, holy shit. The cornbread cookies are TO DIE FOR! They suggest eating them warm and I can agree wholeheartedly. The churro was good but REALLY sweet.
I posted on Facebook and guess what? I learned that Gurnee is getting a Crumbl, too! This could be dangerous!!
If anyone wants to check it out, grab the app!
Pre-picture day photo session!
I probably should have redone her pink hair so it didn’t look super washed out…but she’s still cute!
Fill the Drum!
Tonight was Warren Township High School’s Fill the Drum event! All the local middle School bands plus both high school bands perform for the community in a charity event! Owen had to wear something red, white, or blue since they were performing some patriotic songs. He looked so good we had to take a pic! (We typically only see him in t-shirts and jogging pants or shorts.)
I actually got out my big camera and charged the batteries so I could use my telephoto lens! So I had to take a practice shot!
Owen was so excited for this and had a great time!
And here’s a video I found on YouTube! You can actually see my head in the stands (I am about at the 49-yard line behind a lady in pink and you can see me taking pics)!
And here is the tail end of another song they did, in the shape of USA. Owen is in the A towards the bleachers.
So this is happening again.
Yes, this is the same spot it leaked from before. And we tore apart our shower and fixed things. And tested it for a month after with no leaks. And now suddenly this?! UGHHHHH. This means there’s a new problem.
Tom said the area where the water was pooling and dripping was fixed. And we did fix the cracked tiles we found that we thought we the only problem.
But! He’s pretty sure ALL of the grout is bad…so there are tons of tiny holes all over that are allowing the water to soak through. Yesterday was just the breaking point of the pooling water.
I don’t even want to think about this. They don’t make the tile anymore. We will have to likely redo the whole thing. Then do we redo all the tile (tub, floor?)? How do we make it look decent if we just do the shower? And of course we have zero money now. But we have to fix the shower.
And apparently all the houses from this era are having the same issue. At least three of our friends in this neighborhood are having the same issue and are redoing their bathrooms.
Nap time buddies!
This poor old girl.
We had to take her to the vet this morning — she’s just getting older and mostly refuses to use the stairs we bought her to get off the couch…so she jumps and usually takes a soft rolling tumble. But this weekend she hurt herself and has a bad limp.
After a $200 visit and x-rays, it’s just severe arthritis and bone spurs (and not cancer, which they thought it might be). So now we’re trying her on Galliprant and crossing our fingers it helps.
Maggie always finds her way here.
Mexican Chicken Tomato chips?!
Continuing with the Asian chips we bought on our anniversary…
Smells like Chicken biscuit crackers, tastes like tomato soup. Weird. Not bad, not great. Passable.
Damn kids and squirrels!
Tom went into the gazebo for something and scared out a squirrel! Then look what he discovered…
The damn critter had been locked in the gazebo and had been trying to chew his way out! The kids had left the sliding door open for who knows how long and then Tom eventually noticed and shut it—obviously locking the damn thing in.
Just what we want to deal with.
Apple picking!
Katie was invited to go apple picking with Sophia and her family. Look at the size of that apple!!
They all had a great time!
Physical therapy for Katie!
She hurt her ankle a year or so ago but it wasn’t bad and went away — though every so often it would hurt a little or get aggravated. And then at our summer party a friend slid into her on the waterslide and hurt it again. Enough so that we took her in to the doctor who said yes it was swollen but x-rays didn’t show anything serious. But she was prescribed physical therapy…so here we are! The therapist said it wasn’t too bad and should be a pretty easy fix/recovery — probably less than 10 visits.
Teenager Pro Tips
Hilarious and totally actuate… Follow them on Facebook.
How can she sleep like this?
The room is practically daylight and she’s hanging off the bed?!
Comfy shreepy dog
Baseball friend vs friend
I’ll take a selfie with my boy whenever he lets me!
Owen was pitching and Evan was batting! I don’t even remember what the outcome was!
The first night in her empty room.
Katie was still a little mad at us at bedtime and refused to sleep in her bed so she slept on the floor…and Maggie got the whole bed to herself! She also got her nightlight taken away so she is using the closet light instead.
Smoked cream cheese? Yes, please!
OMG Y’ALL. Smoked cream cheese.
- Spicy Lime Chili
- Brown sugar/smoked paprika/smoked garlic
- Everything bagel seasoning
Needless to say they were delicious and the five of us finished off all three bricks. My fave was the everything bagel.
The recipe is easy: coat a brick of cream cheese in your favorite rub/flavorings of choice and then put on the smoker at 225° for two hours.