Best comment of the day

L got up for the 20th time and came in the kitchen while I was painting, stepped in paint and walked all the way through the kitchen with her paint-"paws".

Pat: WHAT is she doing here??? (after he had brought her back to bed 19 times already).
Me: Well remember that one night almost 9 years ago , when you and I did DOT-DOT-DOT  and then 10 months later I had to go to the hospital? Remember that time?
Yeah, thats why she is here!
So the next time you don't want paint dragged all over the newly tiled floor you better keep your undies on!
Pat: NO COMMENT!  ... looking at L "Go back to bed child!"

... ha ... shut him up right!!! :)

But at LAST, the SUN ROOM (formerly known as the play room / dumpster) has received it's new floor and is awaiting a beautiful white facelift tomorrow night.
Just in time for my sis to arrive!!!

After a LONG day of teaching in the am, organizing Ls b-day bash, ordering cake, getting stuff, painting, tiling, grouting, more painting and a few near-mental-breakdowns my Ls spoiled me and gave me the ROYAL spa treatment!

Lulu was picking off the grout from my legs and washed my feet with her face cloth and said "Mama I am your nailer, like the people who paint your toes in the shop."

THey couldn't find cucumber in the fridge so they gave me apples instead. 

VERY relaxing, apple-pressure-massage. I still have the imprints on my cheeks.

And according to our Chinese Fortunes from tonights dinner at "Lou's House"
we should be looking forward to some good times ...

And Mr. Lou got a show to see.
After we had read our awesome fortunes L and I celebrated with the orange slices presented to us as deserts.

This is me "smiling" at Mr. Lou as he is bringing us the bill.
He almost dropped the bill-book and about peed his pants laughing.

This is me trying to hide my face, after Mr. Lou almost peed his pants laughing at me.
"Them crazy white folks in Milpitas. Don't pay ...  just leave AND  ... don't come back please! "

I can say with 100 % certainty that we are about to lose it!! 

One more week of this reno shit and I am ready for the loony-bin, going there in the special bus, the one with the square wheels!

Off to bed ... the same regiment as today is awaiting us, plus swim lessons and doggy day care.

Dear God, please let it END!!! (the reno I mean ... just to be clear here!).

Tardie and his Binkie

Trouble-Tardie and his binkie :)

After another successful week of destroying my house I have finally come to the conclusion that he will not change any time soon.
Apparently these are the Terrible Puppy Two's ... can't wait what the Three's will bring :P

We asked his "Uncle Rick" from his Puppy Day Care about a trainer for the Budster and he just looked at me and said "Save your money! He is not getting it!

... YET!"

Still too young to get the whole training thing ... darned and here I was hoping I'd bring him to Uncle Rick at 7:00 am and pick up a fully trained Buddy at 7:00 pm the same day.
Guess I will have to wait a few more months for that day :)

We love our little Trouble Buddy (... most of the time)!
I never got to go underpants shopping so often before ... it's kind'a fun :P

Lucy's comment of the day

Lulu: Mama it is so cold my boobies are sharp!
Me: ???
Definitely blog-worthy! Definitely!!!

I LOVE my Ls!!!

Lillie's comment of the day

L: Mama, who is the President again?
Me: Obama.
L: Ah yes, Obama. Obama was at Curtner today.
Me: NO he wasn't!
L: YES HE WAS!!! I heard it. They said they are the President and Vice President.
(It comes in handy when you work at school and hear the announcement of the new Student Council introducing the new STUDENT COUNCIL President and Vice President!)
Me: These were the Student Council President and Vice President. Not Obama, he is the President of the Country.
L: Well they are the President of Curtner! What is more important Curtner or that little Country?
Me: Curtner of course! How could I doubt that :)
L: See!!!

Santa Maria Baby

Believe it or not, I am actually going to post something on this beloved blog of mine :)
The days are racing by, school, work, house remodel ... it's like a crazy tornado going through our lives right now.

The art classes are in full motion and slowly we are getting into the swing of it.
It turned out to be much more work and less help than expected BUT I think we are at a point where we can chillax a bit and just go with the flow.
No more 8:00 am - 5:00 pm shifts for days in a row.

My Ls need their mama, my husband his nagger, the dog needs me to clean up after him and the house needs to be visitor ready in only 7 days.

My favorite quotes of the week from my little art students were:

Me: Use your white crayons on white paper, magic will happen, Believe me!
Student: I believe in you Mrs. C!!!
:)

Me: Good bye my friends. See you next week!
Student: I LOVE you Mrs. C!
:)

Melts my heart and just assures me that this is exactly what I should be doing!
Creating messy magic with little people is truly the best job EVER! (even is unpaid ... ha-ha)
Good things come to those who wait.

So while Lulu and I were waiting for L to get out of school, we had about 1 1/2 hours to kill, we decided to stay in the class room and work on her Columbus Day assignment.
Just like L she had to build her own Santa Maria, due TOMORROW.
Pat was supposed to help her with it but since he took over my other volunteer job at the school site council I thought I should help him out ... since the project is due TOMORROW.

The benefits of being an art teacher are plenty but today the best was having a room to work in and some left over water colors from the last class, an old copy paper box from the recycling bin and a paint covered aluminum pie form, add some markers and you have yourself an awesome Santa Maria!

The ARTIST full at work ...

Mr. Columbus "Hip-Hip-Ahoy"

Provisions for the traveler

Bread, cheese, pasta and corn, lots of corn (not sure why she wanted lots of corn but apparently that was VERY important to Mr. Columbus!).

Blue ocean water complete with white caps.

The ARTIST and her AWESOME creation.

THE flag/sail!
Lulu and her little friend Miranda had worked on this flag forever.
They found an old pointer stick when we cleaned up, taped an envelop to it and then had started to draw on it.
A little more each time they come to wait for mom to finish up work in the art room.
They even have their own storage place for it and hide it there so the other kids can't destroy it :)
The best part is listening to their VIP conversations while they work on it ... pure AWESOMENESS!

The steering wheel.

I helped drawing the waves and cutting the windows, the rest is 100% Lulu made :)

My baby is so proud of her Santa Maria and rightfully so!

And I am oh so proud of my crafty baby!
I used to get so much more involved in their projects and take over but I finally figured out that they work best when left alone and the outcome is so much better than when mom gets in there and makes it look perfect.

Mr. Columbus would look very stylish in this Santa Maria Baby :)

Off to rest my weary body so I can head out at 6:00 am to run in 52 F ... brrr .. LOVE IT!!
Fall has arrived!!! THANK GOD!

{this moment}

Nothing makes a tummy ache feel better than a Ninja-Jedi-Lesson with your big sis.
I LOVE hearing those little giggles in my backyard!!

Happy weekend!!!

8 past 9

While I am melting away in this so called "Indian Summer" really it's California  on Menopause, I have in front of me three drawings that I need to finish for my classes tomorrow, a play list to create to make it through my first scheduled morning run (it's been a LONG time), home work to check before L turns it in tomorrow, laundry to be folded, pants to be ironed, lunches and snack for 4 to be made (make that 5, Budster goes to Puppy Care and needs his snack pack), chickens to be tucked in, ... I could go on forever.

I have completely and utterly abandoned this beloved blog of mine.
No {this moment} or "comment of the day", no funny conversation recorded (and there have been quite a few good ones lately) it's just busy, busy, busy over here.

I almost had given up on my dream of a new Solstice Celebration hidden away from the world when we stumbled across a dream offer on Craigslist for the x-mas week up in the mountains, in Arnold, near Bear Valley.
One week for the price of two nights ... THANK YOU LORD!!!
CZ Solstice Celebration - CHECK

Then our beloved Yosemite View Lodge opened her doors to Groupon again and we were able to score a super deal (with a groupon credit) for two nights in heaven the Thanksgiving weekend.
CZ Thanksgiving sneak away - CHECK

L decided that this year she MUST have a b-day party. We had opted for trips last year and it was oh so heavenly BUT the girl wants to hang with the boys that she oh-loves-so much and so we agreed and let her Laser Tag her buddies :)
Now goodies have to be MADE (which means ordered and then made ... like by hand)
Cake has to be made, by hand as requested by my little Ninja-Jedi.
B-Day-Bash-Planning-Action in full motion - CHECK

My baby sis is coming in just a few days which means this house has to be finished (last year she arrived to a gutted down bathroom).
We are in full finish mode (but of course we'll never be finished).
Total freak-out-must-clean-up-mode - CHECK

So I just post whatever I found in my iPhoto box of the last few days, weeks and  months :)

moments captured

Lee Love

Chicken LOVE

Sister Love

Baby Hat Love

Running Love (trying to love it again)

Silly Love

Movie with Friends Love

We had the WHOLE row full with kiddos. We looked like the Dugar's on a family outing :)

Best Buddy Love

Best Buddy Love Again

Lulu and her friend Miranda getting ready to run their first 5K!!!

The Curtner Running Team :)

Before

After 

Lulu finishing her race!!!

Trampoline "Love"

I am sure it'll look even better tomorrow.

This is how your eye looks like if your 68 lbs sister catapults you into the net (and you hit the one part of the trampoline that isn't padded).

OUCH!!!

If I ever figure out how to download my instagram pics onto my computer I'll have more pics but for now this has to do as my monthly-check-in.

How sad is that!

But all is good, everybody is well (aside from obvious fight wounds) and once that heat leaves us alone and fall finally arrives we'll be ready for trick-or-treatin' fun and "scary" princess outfits.

Now onto my LONG to-do-list.