Friday Fill-Ins

My answers are in bold. And...here we go!

1. I'm stubborn, I'm loyal, I love passionately.

2. Why do I have crappy eyesight and not 20/20 vision?

3. How does this ellipitcal work, anyway?

4. Every morning, I put a status on my Facebook page.

5. I consider myself lucky because I'm a mom.

6. One day we’ll see a cure for breast cancer.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to finishing New Moon, tomorrow my plans include ice skating with friends and Sunday, I want to scrapbook!

Digital Photography Class 1

Okay, so I signed up to take a Photography class. The first one was tonight. And frankly I'm thinking, wow...that is an hour and a half that I will never get back of my life. I am definitely a bit more advanced than most of the class, if you don't mind my bragging. How do I know? Well, I at least know that to attempt and zoom in closer to a subject, you don't grab your binoculars and try to take a picture through the binoculars lenses!! I kid you not, someone did that. Again, wow.

So, I am left with the dilemma of returning to the class next Tuesday as we are supposed to advance to fun things like f-stops and apertures and lighting. Which is really where I struggle. I think my photography skills are pretty good so far, but for me, it's increasing them to a point so that I feel confident in the shots I make on a more consistent basis.

I struggle with indoor pictures because I don't have a great light source. So I guess I need to convince Russ that I need to buy either a $300 light and reflector or a $150 flash for my camera. I'm thinking neither are going to be seen by me soon. I mean, I'm not the kind of photographer to have the kids pose in front of a white or black background, because I like catching them doing their thing, you know? But, the perfectionist in me, would love to have a big drop-down background that I could make them pose for me all day long (while doling out quarters as bribes of course.) It's just that light is the big thing in getting great pictures.

Anyway, I think I figured out that I really like outdoor photography much better anyway. Natural sunlight and better backgrounds. I really like the sports photography that I've been able to do with Trent's baseball and football teams. And the wedding I did last summer, thankfully, I was able to get most of the pictures outside. I have another wedding I'm taking pictures for in April, and I am so hoping Mother Nature cooperates and it is a lovely day for outdoor pictures.
I'll let you know if next Tuesday class is any better, if I go.

MMM 2/23/09

Morning. I'm a little tired as I type this out. I had to stay up late last night to watch the end of the Soporanos series (I know, I'm a little behind the times, and the DVD's are due back to the library). Not a TV series that most people would think I like, but I did. Ended interestingly enough...Russ would of hated it! Anyway, you want to hear about our weekend right?

Friday night, amidst the snowflakes delicately swirling around outside and the heat of the fireplace inside, we had family game night. It was Trent's pick tonight, and he chose Star Wars Monopoly. I think after last week, he wanted to prove to himself that he could "win" the game. Well, both the kids kicked our butts! By the time we ended, Russ had 2 properties mortgage, and when I landed on Jabba's Palace (the equivalent of Boardwalk) owned by Addy and occupying a city, I lost all my money trying to pay her the $2,000 in rent. They both thought that was pretty funny!

Saturday, Russ worked in the basement and we cleaned out a corner in anticipation of our elliptical being delivered next week, while the kids lounged around in pj's and played. After lunch, we got ready and headed to Prior Lake for Nicholas' 3rd Birthday party. What a fun party!

On Sunday, we went to Spicer to celebrate the February birthday's in the Soukup clan. Dawn, Ross, and Lena all have February birthdays. So, we got together for lunch, and dessert of course!It was nice to visit for the afternoon and catch up with everyone. Tim and Lena taught us to play Train Dominoes and Tim and Trent were the big winners of the game!

Friday-Fill-Ins

The bolded words are my answers:

1. Give me Snickers bars and I'll be happy.

2. Whenever I hear Trent and Addy fighting, I wish they would stop and realize how important it is to have each other and nothing that they are fighting over is really worth it.

3. I wish I was all "caught-up" with my scrapbooking!

4.Our Valentine cupcakes were the last thing I ate that was utterly delicious.

5. To live in this world is to be alive.

6. Other than this one, The Nordquist family is the last blog I commented on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to game night with the kids, tomorrow my plans include Nicholas' birthday party and Sunday, I want to have a great time with the Soukup side celebrating the February birthdays!

My Scrapbooking Room

I finally got my scrapbooking room done! It was the only room on the main level that we hadn't painted. So, after the holidays, I made Russ help me paint it and have been slowing organizing and decorating it. Also, I have been working on a big project, Trent's school album. I now have it completed up to the grade he is right now. Something that I have wanted to get at for awhile. I can't post any of the pages though, because they contain pictures of his teachers and classmates and I'm not sure on the legality of all that. But, ask me to see it sometime when you visit, I'll be happy to share!

Meanwhile, here are a few pics of my scrapbooking room: the door to the room is to the left of the shelf. The 'wonderful life' sign was given to me by my friend, fellow scrapper, and It's A Wonderful life movie enthusiast, Kari. I hope to add some rub-on words (dream, create) above the big SCRAP word.

Next to my paper rack (that I bought from my friend Lisa and that I absolutely love owning!) is the TV armoire that used to be in our living room in Rochester. Russ re-vamped it and now it holds lots of scrapbooking supplies! Also, note the window valance that my mom and I custom made to match the patriot theme of the room.

And last space I full of scrapbooking stuff is the closet in the room. In here, I have all my albums, and some photo and memorabilia storage.

And a close-up of the Clip It Up! system I got for Christmas. I wasn't sure if I would like it or not, but it is wonderful! I highly recommend getting one if you have a lot of alphabet letters or sheets of rub-ons like I do!

Thanks for taking a peek :)

Sent to the Principal's Office!

Trent came home from school today and told me that he had been sent to the principal's office. He was sorta smiling though, but I still asked him why he would be sent to see Mr. Collins. Then he broke into a huge grin and said he got sent to the principal's office because of his perfect spelling tests from last week and yesterday! Mr. Collins sent home a note saying, "Way to go Trent! Trent was sent to my office today for his work in spelling. Mr. Churchill [Trent's teacher] told me that Trent did an EXCELLENT job on his spelling! I'm very proud of you!"

WOW! How exciting to hear that great news! As a parent, it makes me so thankful how wonderful the teachers and the principal are at Twin Lakes Elementary. And way to go Trent!

MMM 2/16/09

Good morning! Hope you all had a nice weekend. We celebrated Valentines day quietly at home. Well, I went shopping most of the afternoon by myself. As I was getting ready to leave, Trent exclaimed, "Mom you can't go shopping! All the stores are closed! It's a HOLIDAY!" We got a chuckle at that and explained to him that Valentines Day wasn't really a holiday per se, just a day that people feel that they need to buy chocolate, flowers, and gifts to give to their loved ones; to celebrate being sweethearts and being with loved ones. He had a party at school (and the fact that it fell on a Saturday this year) which I think reinforced the idea to him that Valentines Day is a holiday where everyone stays home and celebrates. Anyway, here are some pictures of us making and enjoying our Valentine cupcakes:

Sunday, my dad and my step-mom, Carly, came over for lunch and a visit. Around 2pm, Russ and the kids left to go ice fishing with a bunch of the guys and their kids out on Lake George. Russ said the kids were really too busy running around for him to get many pictures, but he did manage to get this one of them all cramming into the fish house.



According to Trent, the only people who caught fish were Dave N. and his friend Nathan. I was surprised they could still be ice fishing with the warm temperatures we've been having, but I guess it's still more than safe out there. I was glad for the opportunity to visit with my Dad and Carly alone for a couple of hours. It was nice to just sit and chat and enjoy each other's company.

Sunday was also my sister-in-laws birthday, so Happy Birthday again to you Dawn! Hope you had a great day!

It will be another busy week for the Soukup's. Tuesday night Trent has his big Blue & Gold Banquet for the Scouts, of which I am the coordinator and Russ is the Den Master. Addy is off preschool this whole week, so we have conferences for that. I have to get the kids registered for swimming lessons, and Trent is now registered for the coming baseball season. All this must mean that winter is winding down (I can only hope the weather cooperates with this thought) and that spring is on the way!!

MMM 2/9/09

"This weekend went way too fast," Russ told me last night after we had put the kids to bed. To which I replied back, "I think they all go too fast!" It was a pretty packed weekend with tons of fun for all of us!

Friday night we had family game night and introduced the kids to the game of Monopoly. Not the old regular one though, we played Star Wars Monopoly. Trent and Addy did really well and thought it was pretty fun "buying" planets and space ships. They were sorta confused that there was a real definite winner when it was time to end the game. We declared Addy the winner though since she was the only one who had space cities on her strip of property and more than $1700 in Republic credits. It was a great Christmas present (thanks again mom) and I have the feeling it's going to get played a lot in the future now that the kids understand the concept of the game.

Saturday morning we were all up early. Russ had to run a paint training at work for the day. I had won tickets from KS95 radio station for a free movie screening of 'He's Just Not That Into You' at 10am. So, I asked my friend Kim to go with me and we headed out early to pick her up and then drop the kids off at my parents. The movie was good; a funny flick. Plus, Kim won a CD and a t-shirt from the prizes that the morning crew from KS95 were giving out, so that was an added bonus to the morning. It was weird eating popcorn that early in the morning, and when the movie was over, I felt like it was 5pm in the afternoon, when in reality it was only 12:30pm! Meanwhile, the kids were being appropriately spoiled by Grandpa and Grandma Leeder. They enjoyed lunch at McDonald's and then a trip to Toys 'R' Us! They were both thrilled with their movies and toys and must of had fun because Addy fell asleep almost as soon as we left them! Russ got home from his paint training and we had dinner, then he left to go play poker for the night with the boys. He won money too, so I know he had a good time!

Sunday we were lucky enough to get WILD tickets again from Russ's company (I am thinking this is a very good sign that he is in no danger of losing his job!) and decided to take the kids. Trent and Addy had never been to the EXCEL or a WILD game, so we weren't really sure what to expect. They loved every minute of it! We had told them that they would each be able to pick out a treat during the game, and Addy was completely content to sit and eat her popcorn for most of the 1st period. Trent enjoyed his nachos and cheese as well. They both got balloon animals made for them too. Addy got a Duffy duck and Trent got a fish in WILD colors. Pretty cool, but I warned them both that they would more then likely pop before we made it home (hmmm, can you tell that I'm a mom?) Addy's duck lost a leg during the 2nd period and Trent's fish blew out its middle walking back to the car after the game. The balloon animals are still in one form or another though hanging out around the house today.

The game was a great one! Lots of action and it was so fun watching Trent and Addy cheer and jump up and down when the WILD scored. They also followed the game pretty closely, so Russ and I were happy that they understood what was going on and that they enjoyed it as much as we did. If you watched the game, you know that it ended in a 2-2 tie and went to a shoot-out. Backstrom had an amazing game and the WILD ended up winning 3-2 in the shoot-out. The kids thought the shoot-out was pretty cool. It was a wonderful family afternoon! Here are a few snapshots of us during the game:

WILD time!

We enjoyed a night out with Russ's brother, Ross and his wife Dawn, at the WILD game last night. The president of Russ's company at Hoffmann Enclosures personally gave Russ the 4 tickets and parking pass for the Club level seats. Such a treat for us! My mom came to babysit so Russ and I could enjoy dinner and then the game.

We ended up eating at the most expensive buffet either one of us has EVER eaten at. We thought we would eat at the Headwaters Bar and Restaurant that is located on the Club level. Little did we know the price would come as a shocker. A gentleman that we met on the way into the Excel Center recommended the place. You normally need reservations, but he offered to get us in. He was obviously some higher-up in the EXCEL/WILD organization, as everyone knew him and said hello to him as we followed him up to the Club level and to the restaurant. While it was the most extravagant and speciality buffet I have ever seen (they had such choices as clam cakes, stuffed shrimp, salmon, prime rib, stuffed chicken to name just a few of the entrees), we enjoyed the atmosphere despite the price shock when the waiter brought our check. Russ commentated to me, "Make sure you are absolutely stuffed and drink down all of that wine!" And at $35 a piece, we did. Luckily, the tickets and parking were free! And I think that meal is going to count as my Valentines, Easter, and Birthday dinners!

We headed to our seats and waited for Ross and Dawn to arrive. They just missed the drop of the puck for the start of the first period. It was a great game, with the WILD beating the Anaheim Ducks 3-0. It was fun and relaxing watching the game and chatting with Ross and Dawn. We even got the boys to take a few pictures with Snoopy!

MMM 2-2-09

Well, as I write this, the team I was cheering for won the Superbowl, Trent is off to his first Monday of school after having the last two Mondays off, Addy is singing Little Mermaid songs and playing Legos and of course Russ is at work. Wasn't the warmer weather this weekend so great? It was nice to have a little melt-down and despite the fact that my Yukon is really dirty, anything to help the snow melt faster is okay with me!

Saturday, Russ took the kids to Spicer to see the ice castle and do some ice fishing. Addy's main goal of the weekend was to make more beaded projects with Grandma Soukup. That is all she talked about the week prior to going, was that Grandma had new beads and she was going to make new animals. I think she brought home 8 of them, so I guess her mission for the weekend was accomplished! No fish for dinner, but I know Russ enjoyed spending time with his dad and brother. They also got to watch Eric "Perk" Perkins from KARE11 TV take a plunge into Green Lake and did some sledding down the ice castle.

I took advantage of everyone being gone for the day, and cleaned and organized the kids bedrooms (a task that must be completed without them around!), finished decorating my scrapbook room (which I will post pics of later), started putting Trent and Addy's school albums together, and watched the movie Waitress. Nice, relaxing day for me!

Sunday we had a big party to attend! Superbowl party at the Rein's! First, we got in some skating on the creek behind the Rein's house. Their neighbor cleared a spot and maintained it with some goals. The kids got a chance to use their new hockey from Auntie Missy and Uncle Brian, and practice their skating skills. Addy seems to have a more natural skill for it than Trent. But, they both got out there and did their best to try and step up-right and have some fun! Since it was so warm, I even got there and skated and had a good work-out (which is good I burned some calories with all the bacon-wrapped weinees I would later consume).

Here are some pics of us skating:

Then it was time to head inside and enjoy the company of a great group of friends, eat tons of bacon-wrapped weiners and other yummy foods, and watch the big game. I think I was the only one cheering for the Steelers. Most of the gang was cheering for the underdog Cardinals to pull off a win. It was a great game though and came right down to the end. It was a fun Superbowl Sunday!