A Saturday to Enjoy

No chores this week except for grocery shopping and that's fine with me. Schmoopy and I were able to sleep in until 8AM. RB and Bubbles were already up checking on RRF. That's right, our 4 legged love is home and resting comfortably. I walked out spending more than the estimate and feeling as though I just paid an extra month's of mortgage, but RRF is our family. She is on antibiotics, painkillers, and most importantly a generic form of kitty prozac, which I have nicknamed kitzac. Because she is so bonkers, a regimen of kitzac will help her act like a normal cat should act. Below is a picture of her behaving like a normal feline. We will have to get use to the tail. Right now it's a bandaged stub so I'm not shocked to look at it.


We visited Lake Redman again. Today was beautiful and the lake was so slick, everyone was able to ice skate even without skates. RB's and Bubble's cousin, Hannah and her Mom and Dad joined us on the ice. We all had a really nice time. We even got to watch some guys ice fish and found old ice holes. This allowed us to fully comprehend the thickness of the ice. The girls found big ice balls that they nicknamed diamonds so they spent time breaking them free from the ice with their toe picks and collecting them. Each one took home a diamond of their own.

Ice Ice Baby, Yeah!

So here are the pictures I owe from the 28th entry. After whining to Steve that something was wrong with my memory card and making him think the lake memories were lost forever, Steve discovered I was just looking in the wrong file. Thanks hon! My favorite picture is of our feet on the ice. I would really like to convert it to black and white and frame it so I just may experiment and do that. We are venturing out to the lake again on Saturday so I'll have more pictures of the girls to post.

Tonight, we used our season passes to go tubing at Avalanche Express. While I'd rather live in the country, the good thing about living in a busy town is there are activities pretty much in your backyard. Avalanche Express is one exit down from us on I-83. I would be exact and give mileage, but I have no clue so I won't embarrass myself. The area is a golfing resort and the golfing area is converted into a icy slip 'n side during the winter. We brought hot chocolate to drink and whenever we got too cold we'd warm up by the open fire pit. It was a blast!

The 1st Official Snow Day of 2009

Normally it seems that our school district does not close for anything. Well, Tuesday the girls had their first 2 hour delay and today their first cancellation. A real snow day thanks to freezing rain creating a layer of ice on top of the snowfall. Schmoopy ended up coming home from work early as I was taking the early shift of babysitting and he would take the later shift allowing me to go into work late. Unforunately, I did not make it to work. Our youngest cat, RRF (Roxy Renee Fowler) started to go berzerk and end up attacking her tail and biting off a piece of it. Off RRF went to the vet for an emergency visit. She is now recovering from her surgery which included a spay and tail amputation. You know how some say love doesn't cost a thing? Well, it cost us $400 today. Due to RRF's overactive "womanly" system (keeping it kid friendly), the doctor said it was perfectly normal that her system caused her to act in this manner. After all, each cat displays their own weird behavior when going through the maturing stage of their life. At first, the vet thought it could have been rabies, but we've had her too long and because she's never been out since we found her, it's just unlikely. The hospital staff was caught a little off guard when RRF seemed to recover TOO quickly from heavy sedation and was calm one minute and attacking the cage the next. I reconfirmed her behavior at the hospital is pretty much her behavior at home. We have been told that she is a hyper sensitive cat. Hyper sensitive? How about bipolar spastic? Regardless, we will be able to pick her up tomorrow and hopefully with 2 weeks guarantine while she heals, she feels much better.

After what I thought was a near death experience with RRF, we went on a mission for second hand ice skates at the local Salvation Army and Goodwill. Bubbles and I ended up with a pair. Mine were bought without shoe strings, but I found really super dooper ooper laces at Walmart and now each skate has a different lace. How cool am I? RB still needs a pair, but in the meantime she will use mine since ice skating is too risky for me right now. Below are pictures taken of the girls, Schmoopy, and I on Lake Redman. It's a beautiful lake where Steve and I have enjoyed kayaking and it's amazing that we were able to stand on top of it and not fall through. The girls had a great time and although it was terrifying at first to be walking on frozen water that at any moment you think is going to crack and break off, it was a pretty cool.

Okay after attempting to download pictures from my camera, it seems I have a file error. I can't seem to find the pictures I took while at the lake on my memory card yet I can see them quite clearly while the memory card is in my camera. Unforunately, no pictures with this entry until I can figure out what's wrong. I'll post the pictures tomorrow...hopefully!

In Memory of Pene by Bubbles

this is penevelope and she was my resadint at plesadent acers she was also brandon and kileys resadent also but prertty much mine because they just sit at my table and they sit by other people but i sat by pene(penvevolope) that means she was my resadent.

(Sidenote from Sheesha: Bubbles participates in a school activity where her class visits Pleasant Acres Nursing and Rehab Center. Each child is assigned to a patient and together they work on projects and become friends. Penelope (Pene) was Bubble's partner. Pene passed away on 1/15/09.)

The Progression of a Fat Chic

Yes, I know...I'm not fat...I'm pregnant. I don't care how it's labeled. I am barely 5'1" and weight gain for a short person is not appealing. Imagine back in your childhood days of watching Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. I'm not talking about the updated version with Johnny Depp, but the classic where the oompa loompas were so much cooler. Who was the girl who was obsessed with gum and tried Willy Wonka's new gum creation and then ended up swelling into a massive blueberry? Oh wait, it was me, Alicia Worthington or at least that is how I'm going to feel. Blueberry, anyone?

Below were pictures taken on Christmas Day. Steve has agreed to also be photographed to show his pregnancy weight gain as well. This is why I love him! The difference between him and I is that he is purposely pushing his belly out. Unforunately, I am not.

Below were a pictures taken just today. Is it out of line for me to publicly proclaim that I'm not pooping regularly? Steve kept telling me to stand up straight because I was making myself look bigger...WHY IN THE WORLD WOULD I WANT TO DO THAT?!

Monday with Mom-Mom

hey its rb and i had the awesomest day with mom-mom 2day me saige jasmine and madison decorated the whole kitchen with streamers for shmoopys sursprize party 2day(it was his bday). we made him a cupcake cake wich didnt turn out 2 well because all the candles melted. well we had fun. yea!!!

This is jasmine dancing with shmoopys balloons. She was so cute. She was having soo much fun!!!

She loved the party. Yea!!!

We got shmoopy a baby balloon and a baby t-shirt.So cute!!! This is his favorite present. ADORABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is shmoopy blowing out his candles!!! He was so exsited!!! He loved the cake!!! We all laughed at the way he looked!!! AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

this is the cake me and mom-mom spent most of the time making. But when we put the candles in they melted so they were all laying flat on the cake when shmoopy came in!!! lol... It was soo fun!!! SHMOOPY DID NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT THE CAKE WAS. AHHHHHH!!!!!!!

This is the door that jasmine decorated for shmoopys surprize party. It is the yellow and blue streamers that we bought!!! We had a BIG MESS to clean up afterwords!!! It was sooo fun!!!

This is what saige decorated for shmoopys surprize party but she had to stand on the freezer!!! lol... she had to hang the streamers from the ceiling!!! It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is what i decorated for the party!!! it was sooo fun to decorate!!! it took me 30 mins to decorate!!! i would be mad if ANY body messed that up!!! lol...

This is what madison decorated for the party!!! its in the door way to the laundry room so when ever you go in there you have to push through the streamers!!!

THIS WAS THE BEST DAY EVER!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Ravens!

Sunday, Mom-Mom (my Mom), Jasmine (my niece), and Saige (my cousin) came over since they were going to spend Martin Luther King, Jr. Day with R.B. and Bubbles. Because we had a full house, we decided to have a football party. While I enjoy watching football, I am not obsessed with the game so half of the night was spent with me asking Steve what just happened and what is up with those numbers reflecting off the grass? Can the team see the blue and yellow line marked in the field or is that just intended for the TV viewers? Why must I watch Willis McAghee get slammed and watch his head snap back like a pez dispenser over and over and over again? What is up with all these commercial breaks? So the party began. We all had our Ravens jerseys on, food galore, pom-poms, and vocal chords like you would not believe. Of course I was having a bag pregnancy day and pretty much puked up everything I put into my mouth, so I was glad when the game was over and I could go to bed. Needless to say, the Ravens did not win and actually had to have a player carried off the field. Did I think the Ravens had a chance? Of course. Who do I think deserved to go to the Superbowl? Probably the Steelers since they ended up in the playoffs because of their record. The Ravens was 6th seed. Even though the Steelers deserved to go to the Superbowl, I hope they loose miserably to the Cardinals. When it comes to Steelers versus Ravens, my loyalty will always lay with the Ravens as I spent most of my life in Maryland and around all things Ravens.

I'm thankful the Ravens got as far as they did because they offered a night of entertainment for my family to get together, act as head coaches, yell at the TV screen, and go bananas whenever they scored. All I can say is watch out, Joe Flacco has the makings to be a great quarterback.

We are ready to see the Ravens score and pig out on food that is not healthy!

Jasmine, ready to tackle!

Even our dog, Sebastian, was ready to party! Okay, not really. He fell asleep 5 minutes into the game.

The final score!

Sites Worth Sharing

I have added a new gadget to our family blog and I've entitled it "Sites Worth Sharing". I hope everyone can take some time click on the links:

I've had the pleasure of volunteering at Animal Rescue Inc. as a cat caretake, go figure. This is where I adopted Cleopatra Ann and Augustus Lee back in 2007. Little did I know that both cats would grow up to be psychotic and attack the Christmas tree, steal pens and anything wrapped in plastic, drink from the commode if the lid is not shut, eat the string off of anything (shoes, clothes, the girls' bookbags, bras, etc.), and will attack you if they see you eat ice cream because they want some. Okay, so the last habit is one I created. Who knew that a spoonful of Wendy's frosty would forever alter the lives of Cleo and Auggy? On a serious note, I have witnessed the devotion and compassion of everyone who gives their time at A.R.I. whether they are paid employees or volunteers. I have also seen the love of their community shine bright in donations of all kinds - money, litter, food, blankets, medicine, etc. ARI hosts a number of events in PA and MD to bring awareness to those around them and help raise funds through annual Christmas parties, a special dogs day in the park, working with Petsmart to showcase their cats for adoption, and attending animal expo's. ARI also offers low cast spay and neutering services for cats every Tuesday and Thursday to those families suffering in the poor economy. While money is tight for some and others have lost their jobs, people have had to give up their beloved pets because they could either not afford to keep them. As tough as it is for Steve, the girls, and I with 5 cats and 1 dog, I urge everyone to hang onto their pets. They are not just animals, but an extension of your family and for some, like me, they are actually my children. I am thankful to everyone who has adopted any animal from any shelter. Most people tend to shy away from shelters thinking that only muts or the ugly ones live there, but take a chance to visit one if you have never and you'll see that the only animals there are the most gentle and meek ones ready to love anyone who gives them a chance.

I am a blanketeer for Project Linus. I am currently double crocheting a multi-colored blanket and will be posting my progress soon. Blanketeers around the U.S. donate their time by making homemade washable blankets for children up to 18 years old who are seriously ill or have been traumatized by abuse or neglect. All blankets are welcomed and the website does have a list of what's acceptable. There are various chapters within each state which acts as a drop off site when you are finished a blanket. However, the blankets must come from a smoke free environment. I find creating a blanket to be personally fulfilling. It allows me to express myself in my designs, no matter the simplicity of the patterns. I love to crotchet, so this is my excuse to do it and learn new tricks of the trade and experiment with stitches and patterns. Plus when I'm finished with a blanket, it doesn't have to sit around the house. I can put it to good use by keeping a child warm and showing compassion through a stitch. My co-worker became a blanketeer after I told her about Project Linus. As she crotcheted her first blanket, her grandson was born and had to be transferred to the N.I.C.U. There, he was given a blanket donated by Project Linus. Isn't that wonderful to know the very same organization she is helping has helped someone in her family? For those of you who are creative and are interested in helping a child, please visit this website.

Happy 33rd Birthday, my love!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY STEVE!

What can I say? I love you to juicy bits and fruity pieces. I love knowing that you are the last person I look at before going to bed and the first person I see when I wake up. I'm not the least bit bitter either that you wake me up at 4:30 in the morning during the week turning on lights and making noise, causing me to not be able to go back to bed. Nope, not bitter at all! HA...kidding! I am thankful that we are able to share our lives together. I'm looking forward to watching you grow old, loose hair, needing to resort to BenGay to calm achy muscles, and raising our children.

Me and my darling on 4th of July at The Buck. It's the redneck way to celebrate our nation's independence...by watching a crash up derby and spray painting our hair.

Thank you, Grandma Betty Fowler

Bubbles and RB received their crocheted hats, as promised, by Grandma. What was a surprise is that she made them matching scarves! The items will definitely keep the girls warm this winter and they will be stylin' and profiln' with their very own one of a kind creation.

Grandma Betty Fowler, a crotcheting genius who has 50 years experience. Watch out! She is dangerous with yarn!



The girls opening their package from Grandma.

im the best fashon designer ever

hey its me rb and im becoming a fashon designer. So do you like my first design?

I like too call it larfa!!! Well if you like, comment back and ill make you your very own larfa. you can help well sounds like fun i hope too see you soon!!!

<3rb<3

Baby Fowler's First Photo

Here is Baby Fowler's very first photo. During the ultrasound I was even able to see it's feet kicking even though I'm not far enough into the pregnancy to feel the movements. From what I saw, he/she is going to be the next David Beckham with all the fancy footwork. Steve is convinced that it has a "woo woo" although it's not present at the moment. Maybe it was cold that day in the womb. Keeping with Steve's tradition of using "M" names, if it's a boy he will be named Mason Ray. If it's a girl, she will be named Makenzi Grace. Although, we all cannot agree on how to spell Makenzi. I am due on July 17th. Steve and I are holding out until it pops out to know the gender, but it's killing RB. Bubbles has decided that if it happens to be a girl, she will not beat it up and throw it out the window as she has previously vowed. What a relief! We have decided that only Steve will be present for the delivery. Once Baby F is born and ready for its theatrical debut, RB and Bubbles will be the first ones to see it. They will be announcing the good news to the awaiting family, but how they will announce it will stay a secret. We don't want to ruin all the fun! Everyone here is super excited and we hope you are too!

Ode to a Crabby Patty

Sadly on Christmas Eve Bubble's hermit crab, Bubbles Sr., said goodbye to this earthly world. This poem is dedicated to Bubble's friend:

Oh creepy crawly thing

How you crawled into my heart

We were never very far apart

I sat you in the window

And under the kitchen light

So warmth will bring to your life delight

I fed you

I kept your water sponge soaked

I even cleaned your cage

Everytime my sister tried to drown you

My heart filled with rage

For I feared she would kill you

Then I would miss you

And forever be blue

I know you are in heaven

In a happy place

At night I dream of your crabby face

I dream that you are digging in the sand

Pinching your pinchers to a rock band

Singing and dancing in your shell

Drinking my favorite, lemonade Propel

But don't eat any strawberries

For they will make you itchy

Above all know that I will forever miss thee

I can't wait to buy your brother next time at Ocean City

R.I.P. Bubbles Fowler, Sr.

8/31/08 - 12/24/08

my first crismas at the new home

this is my (bubbles) favrit crismas presint

all i wanted for christmas was not my two front teeth!!!

Adorable baby Makenzi Grace Fowler is going to be an awesome part of our new family if Alicia has a baby girl. This is what I(rb)wanted this christmas. In my stocking I(rb)got this baby doll that had the name Makenzi Grace Fowler on it then i got a bag of hershey kisses that said its a girl, i thought that they had got that for me because I(rb) said that i wanted a baby sister then alicia told me that she was actually having a baby but she does not want to find out what the baby is untill the baby is born but i really do. bubbles said that if alicia had a girl she would beat it up and through it out the window. lol. this was the best present ever! <3rb<3

I scream, you scream, we all scream for pudding!

Who loves pudding? WE DO!

Our Christmas Around the World

We left Christmas Day for Mexico, MO to head to Steve's Mom (Oma) and stepdad's(Don) house. After a two hour plane ride, we were greeted by Oma and Don for a two hour car ride from the St. Louis airport. Steve had asked Santa Claus to make an extra special trip to Oma's house for the girls so they will have presents to open on the 26th. Sure enough, Santa left presents for the girls to open the next morning. We also visited a bunch of family members while we were there. I (Alicia) also got to see where Steve was born in Hannibal, MO. This tiny town is famous because this was the home of Samuel Clemens who is best known as Mark Twain. We were able to do some sightseeing, climbed the lighthouse, and toured the Mark Twain Cave. Steve's grandma, Betty, also lives in Hannibal, so we spent some time with her. She has crotcheted for over fifty years and spent some time showing RB and I (Alicia) some designs and tricks of the trade. I was also lectured on how I was holding my hook and yarn inappropriately, which I already knew. What can I say? I'm an oddball and holding the material the correct way is uncomfortable for me. There at Grandma Betty's, we spent time with Steve's Dad, Steve Sr., his brother, Chad, and his uncle, Mike. We made a pit stop in New London to visit Steve's other grandma from Oma's side, Nanny and his Aunt, Danette. While staying with Oma, I got to finally try food from Sonic Drive-in and I must say, it was mighty expensive and the food did not taste as it looked in the commercials. Am I really that surprised? Not really. The girls and Steve helped his sister and her boyfriend, Christi and Craig move into their new townhouse. Best of luck to the both of them and we hope they have many merry Christmases in their new digs. We did not leave Mexico until January 2nd, so we were able to celebrate New Year's at 11:00 PM by watching the ball drop in New York City. Thankfully for Steve and I, this meant we could go to bed earlier without having to actually stay up until midnight. Everyone was sad to leave, but we will be seeing Oma again this summer.